Chapter 1353


    Everyone in the inner circle knew the two men were high-profile figures, and their predicament could


    ripple into a myriad ofplications. No one dared take the situation lightly.


    Tyler had been ushered into another vehicle, while Ian sat securely in the current one.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    As the car crested a hill, a thick fog suddenly enveloped the surroundings, immediately putting


    everyone on high alert.


    The fog stretched for a daunting two hundred meters, situated precariously at the most sinuous part of


    the road, prompting the cars to halt, not daring to proceed.


    A gun was pressed firmly against Ian''s forehead. "Mr. Raymond, this smokescreen is your doing, isn''t


    it? I''d advise you not to y any tricks, or my gun might just ''identally'' go off."


    After uttering the threat, the man cuffed the other end of Ian''s handcuffs to the car''s railing.


    The vehicle was quickly surrounded by a horde of people. It was clear to them that the fog was a ploy,


    a rescue attempt for Ian.


    Given the gravity of the situation, they couldn''t afford to let Ian slip away. Such a failure would be


    uneptable to their superiors.


    But as the armed group heightened their vignce, they suddenly felt dizzy.


    Thud. Thud.


    The sound of bodies hitting the ground resonated. Ian nced outside casually, then the buzzing


    sound of a saw filled the air.


    Someone was cutting through the car window and slicing the handcuffs apart.


    Jeff appeared outside, rummaging through the fallen for keys. Upon finding them, he respectfully


    unlocked the other half of Ian''s handcuffs.


    "Mr. Raymond, are you alright?"


    Ian flexed his wrists and shook his head.


    He stepped out of the car and headed towards where Tyler was detained.


    Tyler, groggy and disoriented, came to his senses with a whiff of the acrid smell.


    "Ian?"


    He noted the white fog and the unconscious bodies in the car, his heart skipping a beat.


    "If the higher-ups find out about this, do you believe they''d have you shot on sight next time you''re


    caught?"


    "Tyler, tell me why you started suspecting Phelps in the first ce."


    "Remember how we''d joke around in the VIP box? I used to brag about this mole on my nose. Well,


    one of the trust fund kids asked me to check out Phelps, saying he had a tiny red mole behind his


    earlobe that you''d miss if you weren''t looking closely. When I recalled that little episode, I thought about


    asking the rich kid, but he died in a car crash, drunk driving. I checked it out, found nothing amiss, and


    even rechecked Phelps'' earlobe. No mole, so I figured the guy was just joking at the time."


    Tyler felt lightheaded after inhaling the white smoke.


    Ian remained silent, leaving Tyler feeling uneasy.


    "Ian, you''re not actually suspecting Phelps, are you?"


    "Tyler, you stay put. The higher-ups will investigate you, but your background''s clean, they won''t find


    anything. Plus, the Bennitt family will have your back. I need to head back to North America for a bit."


    Tyler grabbed his sleeve, his expression fraught with concern.


    "Don''t you guys keep me in the dark, damn it. Do you really suspect Phelps?"


    "I don''t want to, but Tyler, of all of us, you''ve always been the most naive. Even you doubted him once.


    Even if he''s not hiding some grand secret, he''s definitely keeping something from us."


    "It''s not him!"


    Tyler, anxious, followed Ian closely.


    "I can vouch for it; there was no red mole. Now that Fitch is dead, can''t we just go back to how things


    were? You bring Maja back, and we all stop this charade, okay?"


    As he finished speaking, Ian quietly observed a scar on Tyler''s corbone.


    There was a healed cut on Tyler''s corbone, but it was evident something was embedded within.


    Ian deftly took a dagger and pierced the scar.


    Tyler braced himself, eyes shut, not even flinching.


    "Ian, even if you want to kill me, I still say it''s not Phelps."


    The small scar split open, revealing a listening device no bigger than a pea.


    Tyler''s face drained of color as he stepped back.


    "What the hell is this?"


    Ian crushed the device in his hand. "Who''s been near this spot on you recently?"


    Tyler''s mind was thunderstruck.


    He recalled the evening he and Phelps had drinks. He identally scraped himself on a branch at the


    door, bleeding profusely, and Phelps had tended to the wound.


    But how could he have been so careless? How could something be imnted in his skin without him


    feeling a thing?


    He remained silent, but Ian likely already guessed the truth.


    Ian tossed the crushed bug aside. "This is state-of-the-art tech. These listening devices can even be


    nted inside teeth."