The man fell silent, gazing at the place in front of him. His attention briefly shifted to a piece of paper in his hand, confirming that the address he had was indeed the same as the location.
"This is the place," he muttered, proceeding towards the gate.
The Future City Waste Disposal Center, commonly known as FCWDC, is the garbage disposal site in Future City. Situated on 431 Innovation Avenue, on the outskirts of the city, it marks the end of Future City, directly bordering Meadowside City.
After spending hours on the journey, Rafferty finally arrived at the location. His visit to the landfill wasn't without reason; he was here to find the man who had haunted his thoughts since Dante's demise.
"I never expected that after being released from prison, he would live in a place like this," he mumbled as he continued walking, eventually spotting a building behind the towering piles of trash, almost reaching mountainous heights.
A strong and unpleasant odor filled the air, piercing Rafferty's nostrils uncomfortably. He had to pinch his nose with his index and thumb fingers to minimize the scent. Among countless places, why did he choose to live in a dump that smelled like this?
Rafferty abruptly halted when two menacing-looking men suddenly appeared. They both stopped in front of him, blocking Rafferty's path.
"Who are you? Why dare you enter our territory?" one hefty man with an unfriendly glare asked.
Rafferty remained silent for a moment, scrutinizing both of them before saying, "I'm here to find Sebastian."
"What's your connection with our boss?" the tall man asked arrogantly, stepping closer to Rafferty, who stood still.
"So, he's your boss? Where is he? Take me to him because there's something important I need to discuss with him."
"Do you want to talk to our boss? In that case, there's a price you need to pay to speak with him." Now both of them approached, looking at Rafferty with a condescending gaze. It seemed they intended to engage him in a fight before allowing him to meet Sebastian.
"Unfortunately, I didn't bring loose change with me right now," muttered Rafferty, locking eyes with them defiantly. Despite their duo, he wasn't afraid to confront both of them.
"Tsk, then give us everything you've got!" The two men immediately attacked him without warning. Luckily, Rafferty was alert, so he was able to dodge their attacks quickly.
A fight between the three then ensued. Rafferty tried to handle both opponents, aiming to defeat them quickly so he could meet Sebastian.
Thwack!
The tall man tumbled to the ground as Rafferty landed a punch on his face. He lay there, groaning in pain. Meanwhile, the hefty one continued assaulting Rafferty with a barrage of punches, pushing him backward. Rafferty was on the verge of losing, but he swiftly turned the tide. Just as the hefty man was about to land a blow, Rafferty seized his hand and used his leg to execute a sweeping kick, causing the man to fall.
Once he had the hefty man subdued, Rafferty promptly restrained his movements. "You're defeated. Now, take me to Sebastian! Tell him that Bloodhound Cartel has come to meet him!"
*
Theo fell silent, contemplating Zayn's words. He couldn't forget the man's statement about the orphanage they were heading to and its significance to him. Throughout the journey to Meadowside City, Theo remained lost in thought, reflecting on every sentence.
"Since childhood, I've been an orphan. My parents passed away when I was eight. My only relative suffered from cancer and died when I was nine. After that, my uncle, who lived in poverty, sent me to an orphanage because he couldn't afford my needs. Initially, I thought the orphanage would be the worst place in my life, but once I entered, I understood and learned a lot. I even felt love and companionship that allowed me to grow slowly until I eventually became a successful entrepreneur. After getting married, my wife had an accident that led to her and our child's death. I love children, and the orphanage is significant because it made me understand that even without biological siblings, we could still experience happiness."
Those words were etched again in his brain. Zayn's unforgettable statement replayed in Theo's memory. He hadn't expected that Zayn had experienced a similarly harsh life since childhood.
"We've arrived!" Theo's reverie shattered when Alessio suddenly stopped his car in front of a building. Even from the yard, Theo could sense the typical atmosphere, usually filled with children. Such an atmosphere reminded him of a playground.
"Is this the place?" Theo asked, shifting his attention to the building in front.
"Yes, this is it. Let's get out; they must be waiting for us." Alessio stepped out, followed by Theo. Both entered the orphanage building. The head of the orphanage was already waiting for them inside.
Upon entering, Theo and Alessio immediately met Abby, the head of the orphanage. The middle-aged woman welcomed them into her office.
"I received word from Zayn that the two of you would be coming. But I didn't expect you so soon," she said as they both sat on the sofas in her office.
"This issue needs to be resolved quickly to prevent it from escalating further," Alessio said, to which Theo nodded. "By the way, this is one of my new colleagues, Theo."
Alessio introduced Theo, and Abby shook hands with him while introducing herself. "So, are you really here to help resolve this issue?" she asked, looking at Theo and Alessio.
"Yes, that's why we came here."
"But before that, could you tell us what happened? Why was the orphanage suddenly attacked, and why were some of the children kidnapped?" Theo asked, gazing at Abby with genuine curiosity.
"Everything happened during the night. Everyone was asleep, and around midnight, I accidentally heard the sound of a window breaking. After that, I heard several people entering through that window. They all wore masks and immediately started destroying everything. I screamed while trying to contact the police, but suddenly someone hit me, and I blacked out. When I regained consciousness, I was in a room with some other orphanage staff. They said they managed to save some of the children; there were a few who were kidnapped," Abby explained with a troubled expression.
"Have you reported this to the police?"
"I filed a report, and the police have come here to investigate, but there haven't been any results so far."
Theo and Alessio fell silent, absorbing Abby's explanation. Both were still trying to uncover the reasons behind all of this. "Can you show us the location of the incident? Also, we'd like to see the CCTV footage from that night," Alessio said.
"Sure, let me take you there." Abby got up, and Alessio and Theo followed her. Throughout the journey to the room where the incident occurred, Theo continued to mull over Abby's words.
From her account, it seemed that the perpetrator had a deliberate intention to attack the place. But who? Could it be that the head of the orphanage had enemies? Theo pondered. Suddenly, he recalled Kate's words, explaining that Zayn had many enemies.
Wait, Kate mentioned that Zayn had numerous enemies, right? Could it be that one of his adversaries is behind all this? Is it possible that the perpetrator knew that by attacking the orphanage, Zayn's condition would worsen?
Theo quickened his pace, trying to keep up with Alessio, who was walking too fast. "Alessio, I want to ask, does Abby have any enemies?"
"Why are you suddenly asking something like that?"
"I mean, it's possible that whoever did all this is her enemy, right?"
"Impossible. Abby is a good person; she can't have enemies. I've known Abby for a long time, even before I knew big boss."
"Well, then, could this be the work of Zayn's enemies?"
"What?" Alessio fell silent upon hearing his words.
"I heard from Kate that Zayn has many enemies due to his experiences. Doesn't that mean that all of this could be orchestrated by his enemies? They carried out this attack with the intention of worsening Zayn's condition."
Alessio remained silent, processing his words. Theo's statement sounded reasonable because he also knew that their big boss indeed had many enemies. However, he couldn't dismiss the possibility that this could just be a regular attack. "But what if those who did this are just ordinary robbers?"
"If they wanted to rob, then why did they kidnap the children? Haven't you thought that far?"
"You have a point. But, we shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly because, after all, it's unclear who the perpetrator is, and we don't have evidence of who did it and what their motive is. For now, we need to ensure all of that first." Alessio quickened his pace, following Abby, who was starting to move away. Theo, realizing this, promptly chased after them.
Arriving at the location, they could immediately see the area Abby mentioned. The front room of the orphanage indeed looked chaotic. Its windows were broken, seemingly forced open with something until the glass shattered. Below, they could still see fragments of glass that hadn't been cleaned up.
"Because the police came this morning, we haven't had a chance to clean up the glass shards. The police just finished processing the crime scene to look for evidence and clues. And when we were about to clean it up, you arrived first," explained Abby.
Theo and Alessio surveyed the area; it indeed looked chaotic. From what they could see, Theo could conclude that someone had deliberately carried out the attack. The traces left behind didn't resemble a typical robbery.
"In the moonlight puzzle, shadows dance, Puzzles of strangeness like deceiving illusions. Be the detective, unravel the mysteries amidst hope, Drag every clue, unveil the mystery of the attack." Category: Sub Difficulty Level: A+ Completion Requirements: Reveal the truth about the attack case! Time Limit: 72 hours Reward: You will receive special coins as a reward once this quest is successfully completed!> ***