Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Are you sure it's really Fang Ze?"
The Special Task Force member gave an awkward smile—how could anyone but the person in question be 100% sure? So all he could say was, "It should be. After all, aside from Director Fang, no one else has seen our captain this morning."
Hearing what the Special Task Force member said, which was as good as a confirmation, Jiang Cheng was filled with shock.
It was Fang Ze again...
Could it be... that there are people in this world who are born with knowledge? Or maybe a Child of Destiny who is bound to succeed in everything they do?
Otherwise, why would every case that lands in Fang Ze's hands be sure to break open? And why is Fang Ze always one step ahead in every action he takes?
And thinking of this, along with the notification he had just received from his family informing him that he had been appointed as the head of the Xida State side for this case, his joy...
In that instant, Jiang Cheng felt like a complete clown.
While he was in the rear, scrambling for power and gain, here was Fang Ze, nonchalantly solving the case up front, rendering all his struggles utterly worthless.
He felt both suffocated and humiliated.
He felt that everything he and his family had done had lost all value.
With these thoughts, his expression darkened involuntarily.
His brain was whirring at high speed, thinking of how to "remedy" and "retrieve" the situation. As he pondered, an idea came to him.
He lifted his head, looked at the Special Task Force member, then pointed to the documents in the member's hand and said,
"The thing is, whoever found the rescue method... that's unverified."
"The incident in Miaohua City has now caught the attention of the jurisdictional region, which is enough to prove that this matter is complex and significant. Any mistake could potentially set off a chain reaction."
"And the orders from the jurisdictional region have already come through, telling the Special Task Force to stand by. So I think, perhaps, you should contact Captain Huo Lin to see if he wants to defy the orders from above and go on the rescue mission himself."
Hearing what Jiang Cheng said, the Special Task Force member looked bewildered,
"Commissioner Jiang, don't talk nonsense."
"Our captain set out before the orders were received; that's not defying orders."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Yes, but now that I've brought the latest orders to the Special Task Force, it means you've received the most recent commands."
"Now you only have two choices. Either you defy the orders, not inform your captain, and call them back. Or he gets the orders but decides to proceed with the rescue first."
Perhaps never having imagined someone could be so cunning, the member looked at Jiang Cheng with a mix of surprise and disgust.
Jiang Cheng, though, acted as if he didn't see it and simply stretched out his hand, then said, "Choose. Any action you take from now on will be recorded by me and appended to the written record of this notice."
Seeing that Jiang Cheng was serious, the member, no matter how disgusted he felt inside, was forced to comply.
He turned and walked inside to grab the communicator. However, as he walked, he also said, "I can contact the captain."
"But... I can't guarantee I'll definitely reach him. After all, you know outdoor communication signals are generally poor. And the area around Miaohua City they've headed to even blocks signals and Awakening Abilities."
Jiang Cheng took that as an excuse, "No need to say so much, just make the call in front of me, that will do."
The Special Task Force member: ...
After a moment, the two arrived at the villa's communication room, which was equipped with several sets of communication tools ranging from basic electronic communications to Ordinary Extraordinary Artifacts for contact and secret communication artifacts.
The Special Task Force member, suppressing his disgust, tried to contact Huo Lin using these communication tools one by one.
The ordinary communicator had no response, the contacting artifact remained silent, and other methods of communication also yielded no results. In the end, after trying all the communication tools in the room, only the Special Task Force's secret communication artifact remained unused.
Throughout this process, the Special Task Force member's face grew brighter and his smile wider, while Jiang Cheng's expression worsened, almost to the point of dripping with darkness.
After a while, seeing that only the highest-level secret communication artifact was left unused, Jiang Cheng could no longer sit still.
He walked over and then said, "Let me operate this artifact!"
Although it was against the procedure, the member, guessing that they probably wouldn't be able to make contact and seemingly eager to see a spectacle, didn't refuse.
He instructed Jiang Cheng on the one-time password and how to use it, and Jiang Cheng started the special communication artifact as the team member had shown!
A moment later, the artifact began to emit "crackling" interference noises.
Jiang Cheng and the Special Task Force member both listened intently.
But the interference didn't clear up and soon, a mechanical female voice announced, "Communication failed."
Seeing that even the highest-level artifact had failed, the member couldn't hide his smirk. He said, "Commissioner Jiang, you can't blame me or our captain for this."
"I wanted to convey the instructions to our captain immediately, but we just can't reach him."
As Jiang Cheng was about to speak, the member added, "If I'm not mistaken, our captain and his team must have already reached near Miaohua City. Or maybe, they're traversing the Spirit Realm."