He recalled feeling something amiss about the boys' behaviors, but he was too preoccupied with Natasha's matter, so he did not dwell much on them.
Now that he thought about it, it was not strange for them to follow him here.
Nevertheless, to make sure he would not wrongfully accuse them, Kenneth called Liam.
“Grandpa.”
“Oh? Did you just remember you have a grandpa?” Liam sarcastically said the moment he picked up the phone.
“I've been busy, Grandpa.”
“Yes, yes. You're so busy, and I'm so free,” Liam continued.
Kenneth pursed his lips at that. Knowing that Liam's words were born out of anger, he changed the topic and asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Great, since you're not here to make me mad!”
Kenneth was rendered speechless.
Liam knew when to stop with the sarcasm, so he stated, “Go on. Why did you call me?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to ask how you're doing.”
“Are the pigs flying now? I'm surprised you're actually concerned about my health!”
Kenneth was used to his grandfather's tone, so he ignored it and went straight to the topic. “By the way, where are the kids? Have they been good at home?” he asked.
Liam gloomily muttered, “Denise went to join the film crew, and the boys followed Thalia out to have fun. They haven't been back for days. Once Nat's away on a business trip, you've all run away, too. You left me and Terence—two lonely elderly men—at home.” Just then, someone else chimed in, “It seems like a woman is really needed at home, or else no one can keep a rein on you all.”
Kenneth furrowed his brows upon hearing the other voice coming from the other end of the line. “Are you playing chess with Old Mr. Watson?”
“Yes...” Liam muttered distractedly. Then, he grumbled, “Terence, can't you do a normal move!”
“It's none of your business!”
“Fine. In that case, you can't blame me for resorting to tricks. I'll move here!”
Hearing the busy voices, Kenneth remarked, “Continue with your chess match with Old Mr. Watson, then. I have something else to do now, so I'll call you another time.”
“Bye,” Liam uttered.
Once the call ended, Kenneth furrowed his brows again.
The two boys had asked if they could tag along when he departed the other day. Now, it seemed like his answer was irrelevant—regardless of whether he said yes or no, the boys were going to come.
At the end of the day, he was to blame for underestimating them.
Right. They can even join Darknetz. These things are nothing in comparison.
At that, Kenneth's gaze darkened. Since they're lying to me, I guess I'll have to deal with the problem from its roots.
After keeping his phone, Kenneth turned and walked back.
Dave glanced at him and asked, “What's the matter? Did something happen?”
Kenneth mulled over it for a while before answering, “How's your relationship with Darknetz recently?”
“Darknetz?” Dave snorted when he heard that name. “What else? Everything's fine if we don't encounter each other, but if we do, we end up fighting.”
Kenneth remained calm, for he had expected that answer from Dave.
Nevertheless, he still could not help but feel a little worried when he thought about Anthony's relationship with Darknetz.
I wonder what Darknetz will do when they find out about Anthony's relationship with me.
Upon hearing silence from Kenneth, Dave narrowed his eyes. “What's the matter? Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“Nothing. I'm just asking,” Kenneth replied.
“Just asking?” Dave studied him. “Are you someone who will just ask random questions? There must be a reason for this. God knows what you're up to this time,” Dave teased. He knew Kenneth quite well, after all.
Kenneth only gave him a smile in response.
Dave did not insist on an answer, either. They were adults, and adults knew when to not push their luck. If Kenneth was not going to say anything, then Dave was not going to keep asking.
Right then, Miguel muttered, “I've filtered through the surveillance footage along the road, but I lost track after reaching this junction.”
Hearing him, Kenneth walked over.
“Mr. Hamilton, is the person you're looking for a computer expert? Or could it be that they have a computer expert helping them out?” Miguel abruptly asked.
Kenneth froze for a moment before asking in deliberate nonchalance, “Why would you say that?”
“To access the footage, I needed to connect to these central networks, but it seems that the other person did this with ease.”
Dave whipped his head over to look at Kenneth.
“She's only a normal programmer.”
“Then...”
Right then, Kenneth pointed at the upper part of the computer screen. “Are you talking about this?”
Miguel's attention was instantly distracted as he glanced at the screen and nodded. “Yes. There are several seconds of gaps in each footage, but there isn't a gap at this junction. I tried to filter through these two sides, but coincidentally, the surveillance cameras are undergoing an upgrade, so they've been temporarily switched off. I won't be able to follow this lead.”
“That coincidental?” Kenneth wondered out loud.
“I heard that the area was getting an upgrade, so this shouldn't be intentional,” Miguel replied.
Kenneth fell silent as he ruminated on their findings. “What's in this area?”
“Upscale hotels.”
“Hotels?”
“Yes.”
“Hotels should have surveillance cameras. Will you be able to connect to the internet of these hotels?” Kenneth queried.
“I... I can, but I'll need a little time,” Miguel answered.
“I'll be waiting for your good news.”
Miguel nodded.
Just then, Dave leaned over and glimpsed at the few marked hotels. “I've already sent men to comb the area, but we found nothing.”
Leaning against his chair, Miguel suggested, “What if they're not in the hotel?”
Dave arched a brow. “If that's the case, it'll be even more difficult to find them. This place isn't huge, but it isn't small either. If they're not in a hotel, looking for them will be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he remarked.
“Even if it's akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, I'm still going to find her,” Kenneth gritted out.
Knowing his determination, Dave nodded. “I'll send another batch of men to look through the other places.” With that, he turned away to make a call.
Kenneth turned his attention to Miguel as a thought popped into his head. “Miguel, can you check the exact location for this number?”
Miguel's eyes flitted toward the screen, nodding. “Sure.”
With that said, he began tracking down the number on the computer.
However, the longer he did that, the deeper Miguel's frown became. It almost seemed as if he was competing with someone.
“What's the matter?” Kenneth queried.
“There's an anti-tracking set up on this number, so it's tough to find its specific location.”
Hearing that, Kenneth narrowed his eyes. Are the boys that wary now?
“Moreover, someone discovered me while I was trying to track down the number. Now, they're trying to track me down instead.” As he spoke, he began typing faster and faster.
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