The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 998

Only after Neera was sound asleep did Jean quietly slip out.

Just as he was about to return to his room, he saw Ian rushing over to him.

Upon seeing Jean, the assistant opened his mouth to begin his report.

With a slight frown, Jean gestured for him to be quiet. He glanced at Neera's room before heading toward the next-door guest room.

Ian immediately followed him in.

Only after entering the room did he report with a grave expression, “Mr. Beauvort, there has been a change in the actions of Storm and Cloud.”

Jean's eyes flickered when he heard that. “What change?” he asked coldly.

“Previously, we thought Asher was audacious enough to run a black market in a place like Kingsview, acting like a local tyrant. However, TorrentCloud infiltrated their system and discovered it was all just a facade. The so-called black market headquarters is actually a massive underground casino. The amount of money circulating within is incredibly terrifying, around tens of billions daily. It's a huge operation, but it isn't the headquarters!”

Upon hearing the news, a layer of frost seemed to veil over Jean's eyes, as cold and sharp as a winter's night.

“So it seems we've all been played by Asher.”

His voice carried a hint of coldness.

Upon hearing that, Ian could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

“Yes, Mr. Beauvort... I'm very sorry. It was an oversight in my investigation, and I almost made a slip-up.”

A veil of gloominess descended upon Jean's face, and the air pressure around him dropped alarmingly.

Even though he had not said a word or uttered a single reproach, Ian's heart was filled with such dread that it felt as if it would leap out of his throat. He hurriedly tried to remedy the situation.

“Despite the previous mistake, our men have traced Asher's whereabouts. He is not in Kingsview but has frequently been spotted in Huxville in the southwest. This area borders some rather chaotic foreign countries. We suspect this might be the real headquarters of the black market!”

Jean's gaze was intense, an icy glint lurking within his dark pupils.

“That place is quite a distance from here.”

“Yes. Our men are still searching, striving to pinpoint the exact location as soon as possible. If there are any updates, we will report immediately.”

After all the effort spent setting up the game, who would have thought it would all end up being a futile endeavor?

Naturally, Jean was not satisfied with such an outcome.

However, he remained level-headed, understanding that this battle with the black market was not something that could be resolved overnight.

“Good. Nathaniel has been operating in that area for years. It's practically his familiar battleground. If Asher dares to venture there, he's courting death.”

The last two words were particularly emphasized by him.

His chiseled profile appeared even more cold and aloof under the shadows where the bedside lamplight could not reach.

Ian could not help but shudder and quickly nodded. “Indeed, that's the case. I've also informed Mr. Leyva about this matter. I'm sure he will have a way and will cooperate in the search.”

“Got it,” Jean responded indifferently, deciding to set this matter aside for now.

The minute Neera got out of bed the following morning, she received a call from King.

She quickly answered the call, asking expectantly, “Well? Do we have a result?”

On the other end of the line, King's voice sounded heavy with exhaustion, as if he had not slept all night. “Yes.”

Neera's heart leaped with joy. “Really? Is this surveillance video edited and compiled?”

King responded with a soft hum as he stretched his arms out languidly.

“This surveillance footage had been expertly tampered with. The post-production editing is nearly flawless. I might not have noticed it if it weren't for my sharp-eyed mentee. I spent an entire night struggling with this d*mn video that I almost didn't recover.”

Neera was taken aback. “Even you find it difficult. How is that...”

“Nothing is impossible.”

King's attitude was quite positive. “Because the other party hired an expert, it took me a little more effort.”

As he spoke, he let out a sneer.

“Judging by the style, I believe it's the work of the hacker ranked third on the leaderboard, codenamed 'Hunter'. I've crossed paths with him several times before and am fairly familiar with his style. I'm pretty sure I'm not mistaken. This guy always takes money to do dirty deeds, all against his conscience. He's ruthless and cold-hearted. But no matter how capable he is, he's no match for me.”

Upon hearing that, Neera breathed a sigh of relief. “What about the original video?”

“I've sent it to your email. I've highlighted the areas with issues. I didn't sleep all night, and I'm dead tired. I'm going to sleep now. I'll be in touch if anything comes up. Bye.”

With that, he hung up the phone directly.

Before Neera even had a chance to thank him, she heard the sound of the disconnected call and could not help but chuckle.

It seems like this guy is really too tired to function.

She put down her phone and headed straight for the study. Opening her email, she checked the restored surveillance footage.

Sure enough, the surveillance footage was crystal clear. Indeed, someone had entered Isabella's office, sneakily tampered with her computer, and then slipped away quietly.

However, she did not know who it was specifically...