"Talk! I''ll talk! It was Manager Zhao! He made me do it! Please, boss, spare me!" Arthur''s voice trembled with fear. He was just a handyman, and as the investigation climbed the corporatedder, who knew whose neck it would catch?


    Hearing the name Zhao, Odie''s eyes narrowed dangerously. He had no clue Zhao Kun had this kind of guts.


    "Boss, what do we do with them?"


    "Tie them all up," Odie ordered, scanning the boat brimming with machinery. "Shove them in with the machines and send the whole lot to the West Factory. I want to see if Zhao Kun values his life."


    "Yes, boss," Jonah responded, immediately directing his men to round up the captives and stuff them into crates.


    Just then, six people from the crowd whipped out handguns, aiming straight at Odie and Jonah. "Don''t move!"


    Odie''s face darkened with a frown. Not far off, Sophie, sitting in a car, sensed the tension. She smiled slightly and stepped out of the vehicle.


    Those six were the most inconspicuous in the crowd, just helping move things around at first, appearing to have no authority. But now, their true intent was clear.


    Sophie had already suspected that moving this much machinery would require some oversight from higher-ups. She hadn''t spotted the ambushers earlier but now realized the opposing force had infiltrated the Mintons''pany.


    "Everyone, back off! Back off!" The six gunmen huddled together, covering all angles, ensuring none of Odie''s men had weapons before slowly retreating towards the boat.


    As Sophie approached, Odie pulled her behind him. "Have you lost your mind? Get back!"


    Those men had guns, and so did he.


    His shooting skills were on par with theirs, but this was Devonport, not Summerfield. Firing a gun here


    would stir up a mess, especial


    since he was the president of the


    Mintons. He couldn''t afford to shoot at the Devonport dock.


    "Mr. Odie, rx. Now that we''ve flushed them out, isn''t it easier to handle? Sophie said, brushing off Odie''s grip on her arm. Before long, police had surrounded the area. Odie''s face turned even grimmer.


    "You called the police again?"


    "Capturing smugglers is perfectly legal," Sophie replied with a calm smile.


    "You!" Odie''s instinct was to order his men to fall back.


    Jonah caught Odie''s drift and led their team to retreat. But as Odie tried to slip away, Sophie grabbed him. "Mr. Odie, don''t leave. You''re a key witness."


    With the police closing in, Odie whispered angrily, "Sophie, let go of me!"


    "Mr. Odie, they''re not here for you."


    "But they''re the police!" Odie was livid. Here he was, helping Sophie catch smugglers, and she goes and calls the cops?


    "Mr. Odie, you''re the president of the


    Mintons, running a legitimate


    business. Why fear the police?


    Besides, without your testimony, how do we prove they were smuggling?" ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "They have guns. That''s enough for a conviction. Don''t drag me into this. I couldn''t care less about your Devonport problems!"


    "If you really didn''t care, why help me?" Sophie whispered. "We''re partners. Trust me, I know Mr. Schuldt very well. We won''t arrest you."