Chapter 264 - Comeback (24): Two Days Left

Hyun Jung and Eli were summoned to Riggs' office early next morning.

"You called for us, sir?" Hyun Jung asked.

"Is the door shut?" Riggs asked, peering behind them. Eli checked the lock and drew the curtains of the windows. Once they made sure the room was safe, Riggs ushered them to sit down.

"Both of you have been secretly working with Abyss," Riggs stated. "And it's been gaining a lot of attention from the spies within our police force."

"Do you suspect someone?" Hyun Jung questioned.

"I suspect almost everyone," Riggs shrugged. "I've joined the police force after I was discharged early from the military. For twenty years, I've been suspicious of all the dealing many of our officers have conducted. Open and shut cases were dismissed whenever it involved the Cartel. I know who is doing what. I know the traitors very well."

There was a chill in his voice as he remembered all the criminals who got away due to the greediness of some of his men. He regretted the loss of countless lives because of his inability to stop the criminals.

"But we have to stop the Cartel on our own," he went on. "From what I know, they're planning something big in this coming week. I'm sure they'll do something during KJ's comeback stage performance."

"We've heard so as well from our informants," Eli said. "But even they could not tell us what was happening. All the main leaders of the Cartel are dead except for Ash and the President. And with the comeback approaching, they're not going to stay silent."

"But will they risk a public attack?" Hyun Jung reasoned. "They've never done so before. Jang Nida's attack on EXOTIC wasn't even on KJ."

"What if they do?" Eli countered. "All the leaders are dead. Ash will take over the Cartel anyway. Maybe he doesn't care about a public assassination?"

"But there is no proof that they'll actually do something like that," Riggs sighed. "We'll need more information but we have very little time. KJ's music video will be released tonight and the performance is the day after tomorrow! We have only two days and yet there's no news of any possible attack."

Hyun Jung and Eli were sitting there, feeling ashamed. They had not been able to track any of the Cartel's activities for a while. For some reason, for the past few days, whenever they tried to close in on any of the Cartel's activities, the proofs vanished before they could even reach there.

"Any news on the President?" Riggs inquired.

"None," Hyun Jung replied, shaking his head. "We can't find any traces of him. He did not have any to start with but we used to get some tidbits. However, over the past few days, we could not find any trace of him."

Riggs leaned back against his chair, feeling worried. The reports he received were not favorable either because there was no mention of where the President was.

"What if…" Eli started. She bit her lip, thinking hard.

"What is it, Detective Lee?" Riggs asked.

Both he and Hyun Jung were staring at her, waiting for answers.

"What if he left the mansion?" she asked, feeling unsure of her suggestion. "We've been keeping an eye on his house without much luck but what if he's not there?"

Riggs pondered on the suggestion. Did the President finally leave his house? But why did they not receive any news? How was that possible?

There was something odd going on. He must inform the CEO. 

….

The large mansion stood tall in the midst of the greenery surrounding it. The vast gardens were full of large trees and bushes, hiding the building from plain view. There were no signs of life around it. There were no servants tending to the plants nor of anyone even living inside the mansion. It was situated in the middle of nowhere, away from prying eyes. A long, narrow road connected the main house to the front gate.

An old man was slowly pulling a trolley full of garbage along the road outside the mansion. The man was wearing a jacket, torn in many places. A foul stench similar to feces was coming off his body while his white hair was tangled and rough. His eyes were unfocused and blank as he struggled to pull his goods.

Suddenly, the wheel of the trolley broke down, causing all the garbage to fall over onto the road. The old man gruntled as he tried to bend down to pick them up but his back was hurting. 

"Bloody back!" he complained, backing off to lean against the wall. "Aigoo I'm gonna die of this pain!"

He rested there for a while before trying to straighten his back again. A faint beeping sound was coming from his pocket. 

"Aish, my back is killing me!" he said loudly as he stealthily reached towards his pocket, taking out a microsized chip. It was like a round mole with a faint red light. Looking around him to make sure no one was watching him, the old man put the mole on the wall.

He raised his hand to his mouth, speaking into a concealed mouthpiece.

"Riggs, I've attached the chip to the mansion," the old man whispered. "But there's something wrong here. There's not a single soul around. No servants nor our informants. Nothing."

"Come back for now," Riggs ordered from the other end. "No need to linger around. Come to the headquarter and report to me-"

A loud gunshot interrupted the transmission.

"Sloth?" Riggs' voice came through the microphone. But there was silence.

"Sloth?" Riggs shouted but to no avail. Sloth was lying on the ground, his brains splattered against the wall. Blood gushed out of him as he lay motionless. 

A figure approached the bloody scene. An ominous feeling crept up with every step of the black coated man, who stopped in front of the dead man. He touched the old man's lifeless body with his foot.

"Dead," he muttered. The microphone was still in the man's hand. The man raised his foot and crushed the transmitter with all his strength, breaking it to pieces. 

He was tall and thin with thick brown hair. A long scar was strewn across his right eye and his beetle like eyes were on the dead old man on the ground. He was holding a revolver with a silencer attached to it. The man put the revolver into his pocket and took out his phone to dial a number.

"Hello," Ash's lazy voice came from the other end.

"I've taken care of another informant today," the man informed him.

There was a silence from the other end. "I'll wire the money to your account," Ash replied. "But our main work is still not over. You do remember what you have to do?"

"I know very well," the man scoffed. "Don't worry. I'll be at the studio the day after tomorrow. He won't get away from there. Not alive."

"He better not," Ash threatened and hung up. The man put his phone into his pocket and slowly walked away, leaving Sloth's body behind. The Cartel could clean up its own mess for he cared. Once the job was done, the dead bodies were not his concern.

"I think I'll make Ox Brain Soup for dinner tonight," he commented as he headed for his car.