Tiger's voice exploded from overhead.
Zoe Sawyer, whose finger was just about to tap the messaging app, froze.
'What does he mean?!'
"The guys outside said they didn't catch any other signals, and they didn't intercept any text messages. Tiger, you can relax now, right?
We can't keep this machine running. It's too easy to trace, and the others are starting to get annoyed." Linus's voice was tinged with exasperation.
'The guy's paranoia is out of control.'
'We found absolutely nothing, but he still insisted on waiting this long.'
"Alright, let's go. We have to prepare the meat filling." Tiger tossed the strange device in his hand onto the table and shrugged.
'Can't be too careful. What we're doing could get us executed.'
This time, the two of them really left the room.
After a long silence, Zoe Sawyer swallowed hard. 'If my fingers had been any faster and I'd sent that text, the consequences would have been unimaginable.'
However, Zoe Sawyer looked at the wooden plank in front of her. 'If I think of this as a door, can I get to the other side?'
'There's no other way out. I have to try. It can't possibly get any worse!'
Without a second thought, Zoe Sawyer gently shifted the wooden plank.
A sliver of light appeared before her.
She looked closer. 'Wait, isn't that the entrance to the department store that's having a sale?!'
Zoe Sawyer's heart leaped with joy. Forgetting everything else, she quickly shifted the plank again. Once she confirmed she could slip through, she immediately took the necklace off.
She turned on the switch, tossed it under the freezer, and then quickly scrambled out.
At almost the exact same time, the police station received the signal.
"Captain Keller, the tracker is picking up a new location." Officer Lee, who had been watching the computer, noticed something was amiss and immediately reported it to Evan Keller.
"Pinpoint the exact location. I'll contact Miss Sawyer." Evan Keller shot to his feet, giving the order as he pulled out his phone to call Zoe Sawyer.
The moment the call went through, it was answered.
"Where are you now? Are you safe? Do you need me to come pick you up?" As soon as the call connected, Evan Keller fired off a series of urgent questions.
He was worried not only that she was in an unsafe location, but also about her psychological state.
After all, for a civilian, being exposed to so many violent crime scenes in such a short time was bound to be traumatic.
Holding a bottle of mineral water handed to her by a kind young woman, Zoe Sawyer calmed herself down and reported her current location.
She felt as if she'd just escaped death's door. Her legs were like jelly; she couldn't muster any strength.
'Otherwise, I would've just walked over myself!'
Evan Keller estimated the distance. It wasn't far, about a ten-minute drive.
At the same time, Zoe Sawyer felt a strange sensation in her heart. 'My ability... I think it's evolved.'
'Unless I'm mistaken... I think I can bring people with me now?!'
"Okay, you wait there for me. We're on our way now." After speaking, Evan Keller didn't hang up. Instead, he handed his phone to Sean Hughes, who was next to him, and told her to talk to Zoe Sawyer to keep her calm.
As the two were chatting idly, Sean Hughes suddenly heard Zoe Sawyer's voice go taut with tension.
The next second, she heard the call disconnect.
"Faster, faster, drive faster!" Sean Hughes clutched the phone, her eyes darkening as an unknown thought crossed her mind.
Then her expression changed drastically, and she frantically urged Evan Keller to drive faster.
Evan Keller didn't say anything, just silently sped up the car.
"Can I help you?" Zoe Sawyer asked nervously, looking up from her seat at the two men standing before her.
The man in the lead, who had a kind face, stepped forward with a smile. "You look unwell. Would you like to come sit down at my shop?
It's not far, just across the street. You can sit on the bench outside, so your friend will spot you right away when they arrive. It's better than sitting here and blocking the shoppers coming and going."
'That voice... it's Tiger!'
Zoe Sawyer's breath caught in her throat. 'This gentle, friendly-looking man... is Tiger!'
Even if it wasn't him, Zoe Sawyer, having just escaped from that place, would never agree to his invitation.
She frantically shook her head and waved her hands in refusal. "No, that's okay. My friend is almost here, just a few minutes out. I'll just wait here."
Hearing that someone would be arriving in just a few minutes, Tiger shot a look at the man behind him.
'We just lost a good one. We've got to bring back a replacement!'
Then, the two of them stepped forward. Just as they were about to reach out, they heard a sharp voice from behind them. "What are you two doing!"
Tiger and the man beside him quickly retracted their hands, explaining with an awkward smile, "Nothing, nothing. We were just thinking of helping the young lady move to the side so she wouldn't be in the way."
After saying that, he grabbed his companion and hurried away.
Zoe Sawyer didn't relax. 'That voice was familiar too... it was Linus!'
'I don't even have to think to know what they're up to.'
Linus was a chubby-looking middle-aged man, with a woman linking her arm through his.
Their posture was intimate and their expressions affectionate. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a loving married couple.
"Are you okay, dear? You were right not to go with them. It's good for a girl to be on her guard." The woman next to Linus approached with a wide smile. Just as she reached out to pat Zoe Sawyer's arm, Zoe flinched away.
Zoe Sawyer's expression was taut. "I'm sorry, I'm a severe germaphobe. I can't be touched by strangers. I'll break out in a rash."
Zoe Sawyer casually made up a lie, her entire body radiating rejection.
The woman withdrew her hand, showing no embarrassment at the rejection. Instead, she sat down beside Zoe Sawyer with perfect composure.
Linus also sat down on Zoe Sawyer's other side, sandwiching her between them.
Anyone looking over would have thought they were together.
Or rather, that was exactly what Linus and the woman had intended.
Zoe Sawyer was on pins and needles. She tried to stand, but hands on either shoulder pushed her back down.
"Don't be in such a hurry, dear. Isn't it nice to sit for a while? Your friend isn't here yet, anyway.
I really like you. Can we be friends?" the woman said with a broad smile. Her words, however, made Zoe Sawyer flinch and shrug the woman's hand off her shoulder.
'Be friends? Yeah, right!'
'They're obviously after me!'
'If I actually agreed, I'd probably be reported missing in a few days.'
Knowing these two were bad news, there was no way Zoe Sawyer was going to agree.
Linus took a bun from the plastic bag he was holding, offered it to Zoe Sawyer, and said,
"Want a bun? They're fresh out of the steamer."