"Miss Knight, where are you going?" Casey called out to Harleen as he had just finished dealing with Tony in the hallway. However, Harleen completely ignored him and soon disappeared down the staircase.
"Stop Harleen!" Billy shouted as he rushed out of his room.
After hearing Harleen's tearful confession earlier, he vaguely felt that he might have misunderstood her.
"Got it!" Casey turned around and chased after her. Just as he had taken a few steps, his phone rang, and he answered it while running.
"Really!?" The next moment, Casey stopped in his tracks.
He then frowned and replied, "We'll be right there!"
"What happened?" Billy had caught up to him by now.
"We found those four people who kidnapped Tasha," Casey spoke with a heavy voice after hanging up. "But they're already dead."
"Huh!?" Billy furrowed his eyebrows and looked toward where Harleen had disappeared before saying hesitantly, "Let's go check it out first!"
For him, saving Tasha was more important than anything else.
Three minutes later, Casey stepped on the gas pedal and drove off at full speed.
"Commander, you might have misunderstood Miss Knight," Casey said while driving.
"I interrogated the son of the Pena family. Miss Knight came to see him today, asking for his help in finding Tasha. According to his description, Miss Knight also didn't know who kidnapped Tasha. After Tasha was taken away, Miss Knight was almost going crazy with anxiety and sought help from everyone she knew, but none of the capable people were willing to lend a hand. She even reported it to the police, but so far, there have been no clues or progress. With no other options, she had to turn to Tony Pena. He proposed a condition—that he could help find Tasha, but Miss Knight had to... She was forced to accept it, having no choice in order to find Tasha."
Billy nodded slightly, his eyes turning red. A surge of guilt flooded through him, overwhelming every fiber of his being. He couldn't control the tremors spreading throughout his body.
"I am such a jerk!"
When Harleen was in her most painful and helpless state, not only had he failed to comfort her properly, but he had also doubted her. He was truly unworthy of being called a man.
The next moment, Billy spat out blood, his breath thrown into chaos.
"Commander! Are you okay? Don't let guilt consume you. Take care of yourself. You have old injuries. If you let impatience and anger take over, your condition will only worsen."
As Billy's deputy, Casey was well aware of his injuries. Two years ago, Billy had fought against ten of the top warriors from different countries. Although he had ultimately defeated all of them, he had sustained severe injuries, and his cultivation had greatly declined. Despite his remarkable medical skills, even Billy couldn't heal himself. The injuries were too severe, and a quick recovery was impossible. He could only rely on time.
"I'm fine!" Billy wiped away the blood from his lips. "Faster!"
"Got it!" Casey accelerated again and reassured him, "Commander, don't worry too much. Tasha will be okay!"
Billy didn't respond. His gaze became sharp, exuding a killing intent that filled the air.
Forty minutes later, Casey parked the car at a junkyard.
Looking around, they saw about forty or fifty people wearing SWAT uniforms gathered around a small car, engaged in discussion.
"Hello, officers. Which one of you is Captain Kimmons?"
"I am." A man in his fifties quickly stepped forward, his tone laced with respect. "I am Winston Kim from the Cloud City Police Department. Sir, please give me your instructions."
An hour ago, Winston had been leading a special meeting at headquarters when his phone rang. His immediate boss was calling. After hanging up, Winston had shuddered, sweat pouring down his back. Something major was about to happen in Cloud City.
His boss had informed him that the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Army of Bloodshadow had been kidnapped. As the head of the police department, Winston knew exactly what that meant. The Army of Bloodshadow was an elite force, created by Billy Gardner, also known as the King of the West. This army had never lost a battle, sending shivers down the spines of enemy nations. Now, someone had dared to provoke them.
"What is the situation?" Casey asked Winston as they approached the car.
"Sir, the four kidnappers were all killed, their throats slit with sharp blades. No clues were left at the scene." Winston took a deep breath, his gaze unconsciously shifting toward Billy.
Although Billy hadn't said a word, his mere presence was overwhelming. Winston had never felt this kind of pressure before. A storm raged in his heart, and he began speculating about Billy's identity. The realization sent another wave of fear through him. He never imagined that the victim in question was the daughter of Billy Gardner himself.
How he wished he could find those responsible and personally bring them to justice!
Moments later, Billy bent down and entered the car.
Inside, four men sat lifeless, their throats slit, their upper bodies soaked in blood.
A small child's shoe lay on the back seat.
Billy's rage exploded, spreading like wildfire, suffocating everyone in the vicinity. Even the SWAT officers, including Winston, shuddered under the sheer weight of his fury. It felt as if a crushing force was pressing down on them, making it difficult to breathe.
"Sir, may I ask if he is...?" Winston hesitated, turning to Casey outside the car.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!" Casey said in a low voice. "Knowing too much won't do you any good."
"Yes, sir!"
"Investigate them!" Billy commanded coldly as he stepped out of the car. "Find out the identities of these four men, and track their recent contacts. Report back the moment you find anything suspicious."
"Yes, sir!" Winston saluted immediately.
"You are personally responsible for this case," Billy added, looking Winston straight in the eye. "And make sure your people do not reveal our identities."
With those words, Billy turned and walked back to the car, Casey following closely behind.
As soon as his command was issued, the entire police force of Cloud City was mobilized.
The city was placed under martial law.