asked.
The teacher and his assistant looked at the computer screen, astonished. Then all three
of them took a closer look at the contents of the folder and gasped. The folder was filled
with images.
One image showed a picture of an imposing building. Aiden immediately recognized it as
City Hall. Many of the other images appeared to show the inside of the building, its
various rooms, hallways, and stairwells.
There were even a few images of detailed floor plans. Some of the pictures were titled,
providing extra information. Back entrance, key code required.
Janitor's closet, 16B, usually unlocked. Main hallway on third floor, only one exit. What
did this all mean? The fact that all these photos were in a locked folder made it feel all
the more suspicious.
A government employee surely wouldn't be allowed to keep this sort of information on
their personal computer, would they? But if it wasn't someone who worked at City Hall,
then who could it be? It was starting to feel like they had stumbled upon something
sinister. What if this all belonged to some criminal, or even a spy? Anyone with access to
these photos could definitely do some damage. The three of them were breathing
heavily.
This was a big problem. Mr. Walker? Miles? Who is the owner of this computer? Aiden
asked with trepidation. Mr. Walker and Miles trembled.
They began to relate a description of the person who had sent the computer. He was
wearing a cap and sunglasses, Miles recalled. He was completely wrapped up.
Yes, and I remember that he had a strange accent, Mr. Walker added. He didn't sound
American. The more they recalled, the more concerned they became.
The owner of the computer was definitely not a typical customer. What should we do?
Mr. Walker asked. Should we call the police? Miles suggested.
They both turned to Aiden. Aiden thought for a while, and realized that he knew
someone who could help. He took out a pile of business cards from his pocket.
Boss Romano, Mr. K, he found them! The final business card he took out was the one
Officer Ben had given him. When the officer had driven him home that day, they had a
pleasant conversation in the car. Worried that the kidnappers might try to take revenge,
Ben had left Aiden his contact information.
Aiden used the phone in Mr. Walker's shot to dial Ben's number. Hello, this is Bayside
District Police Department. Officer Ben, this is Aiden.
Aiden, hi! Do you have any new information on the human trafficking group? Human
trafficking group? Aiden was a little taken aback. On the other end of the line, Officer
Ben said excitedly, I'll go find the chief right away. Wait a moment.
It turned out that after the two kidnappers had been taken to the police department that
day, they had revealed during their interrogation that they'd been working for someone
else. But no matter what tactics the police used, the two men were unwilling to say who
this person was. Ben and the other officers had been working diligently on the case
these past few days.
So when Ben received Aiden's call, he thought it might be about the case. A minute later,
a familiar female voice issued from the phone. Aiden, I heard you might have some
information for us about the human trafficking group.
It was the female intern, Officer Sophie. Aiden frowned and said, sorry, I don't know
anything about that. But right now, I have something very important to discuss with
Chief Robert.
What important thing? Are you thinking about joining the police department? Officer
Sophie, I don't have time to joke with you right now. Please give the phone to Officer
Robert immediately.
Perhaps because Aiden's voice
was so serious, Officer Sophie's tone changed entirely.
The chief is working out of town today. Are you sure it's important? It's urgent! Officer
Sophie gritted her teeth. Alright then, I'll tell him that he needs to come back
immediately.
If you get me in trouble because of this, I swear to God. After waiting for about half an
hour, a police car finally arrived in front of the store. Officer Robert, carrying a briefcase,
got out of the car with Officer Sophie.
Aiden, what's happened? Officer Robert asked with a puzzled look. Aiden didn't say
anything. He just showed the pictures to Officer Robert and Officer Sophie.
Their expressions immediately changed. These bastards! Officer Sophie was so angry
that she slammed her hands down on the table, scaring Aiden a bit. Officer Robert's
expression was uncharacteristically solemn.
He turned to Aiden, Miles, and Mr. Walker and said, Thank you for sharing this
information with our department. If these photos were allowed to continue circulating,
the consequences could be catastrophic. Mr. Walker and Miles quickly waved their hands
and said that this was all Aiden's plan, so thank him.
They told Officer Robert everything that had happened that day and what Aiden had
done. Officer Robert and Officer Sophie were both stunned. They didn't realize that Aiden knew so much about computers.
They turned to look at him. He was calm and composed. He didn't look like a 16-year-old
high school student at all.
Officer Sophie looked Aiden up and down, occasionally touching her chin as if she were
pondering something. What are you doing? Aiden felt uncomfortable under Officer
Sophie's gaze. I'm just trying to figure you out, she said.
And then, shaking her head, she muttered under her breath. Strange. Officer Sophie was
deep in thought.
She examined Aiden like he was some sort of scientific specimen. She was more
determined than ever to recruit him into the police department. Aiden just stood there in
awkward silence.
I don't admire too many people, Officer Robert said, but you're one of the few. You've
done an invaluable service for the Bayside District. Officer Robert solemnly shook
Aiden's hand and said, I will communicate with the K-Group about this matter.
I have a feeling that they will be very happy to meet you. Officer Robert acted quickly on
the information Aiden had provided. On that same day, he contacted federal law
enforcement officials and prepared to take action.
There was a blur of activity in Bayside District and the surrounding areas in the following
days. Videos of SWAT teams knocking down doors made international news, but very few
people knew that the source of this storm came from an accidental discovery made by a
high school student. And Aiden himself soon had other things to worry about.
After leaving Mr. Walker's shop, Aiden returned home alone. To his surprise, Midnight's
Snack Corner looked very quiet. There was no line of people waiting outside the door as
he had come to expect.
In fact, the restaurant looked empty. The only customer in the shop was Big Boss
Romano, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Where were all the crowds from the
weekend? What was even stranger was that the bakery across the street looked quite
busy.
Meeting Aiden's gaze, Rudy, who was standing in the doorway of the bakery, gave him a
knowing and sinister smile. Something wasn't right. Aiden put down his bag and looked at Morris and Clara, who were sitting silently in the
nearly deserted shop.
This didn't make sense. Even if the taste of the premium apricot-carrot cakes that they
made didn't quite compare to Aiden's, they were still better than ordinary cakes. Why