"Where does that leave Phoebe?" Finn repeated the question I''d asked earlier.


    If no one is innocent, what about Phoebe?


    "She..." Colin''s grip on my hand was trembling. "She''s the key, the subject of the gic editing


    experiments, the smoking gun that should be disyed in a ss case, so..."


    So someone killed me.


    I let out a bitter chuckle. My genes were tampered with, I was conceived, I was born—how is that


    my fault?


    Why should I be mercilessly killed, exploited by everyone?


    I struggled to break free from Colin''s grasp, but he held on tight, his voice hoarse with pleading.


    "Phoebe..."


    Every time I got upset, he''d do this. But I''d been murdered!


    Was he still going to let the person behind it all off the hook?


    "I will find the serial killer behind it all!" I dered, my eyes welling up with tears. "I don''t care why


    you''re protecting him; I can''t let him kill everyone and then just target the so-called mastermind!"


    Those lives were innocent! Even if those people were guilty, it should be thew that punishes


    them, not some serial killer!


    Colin hung his head, his breathing shaky. He still wouldn''t exin anything.


    Still so stubborn...Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    I looked away, no longer hoping he would help me with the serial killer case.I would find out on my


    own.


    "There''s no leads or progress in the serial killer case. Melody''s been tempting fate for so long, but


    the killer behind it hasn''t made a move, making it hard for us to pin anything down," Finn sighed.


    "On the other hand, the body parts case has led us to human trafficking. We suspect that those


    ''natural'' geniuses are being sold as gene carriers, and might even be facing a worse kind of hell.


    We have to find them as quickly as possible."


    I nodded in horror. Yes, we have to find those innocent geniuses first. They might be used as


    breeding tools, gic carriers, sperm and egg banks, or worse... drained of all their worth.


    "The regr police visits to Coastline Avenue''s demolition area are making the streetwalkers jittery.


    Too many people there are involved in the sex trade, and the cops can''t do anything about it; they''re


    like sewer rats, experts at hide and seek. But the more chaotic a ce is, the more likely it is to


    yield valuable clues," Finn analyzed the situation.


    To find the missing kids, we would have to go back to 38 Coastline Avenue.


    "I know someone there, her name is Zoe, Carter''s sister," I suddenly remembered. Zoe lived in that


    area, and she had a slight intellectual disability. With the right approach, she might know something.


    But the moment I mentioned Zoe, Colin''s expression changed drastically. "No!"


    He seemed vehemently against me meeting Zoe. "She''s got a learning disability; she won''t tell you


    anything. Besides it''s too chaotic there. It’s not safe. I won''t let you go."


    I frowned at Colin, realizing that there were indeed more than a few things he was keeping from me.


    And then my mother''s journal entries about him imprisoning, kidnapping, and abusing me...


    I still couldn''t tell if they were true or not.


    Colin, what kind of person are you, really?


    "I''m going," I insisted. "Those kids have been missing for years. Can you imagine how desperate


    they must feel if they''re still alive? I have to save them!"


    After all, the disappearance of those young geniuses was closely linked to ''Phoebe.''


    Whether it was out of guilt or the need to uncover the truth, I had to investigate.


    Colin slowly let go of my hand, his voice gravelly. "I''ll go with you."


    Whatever it takes, we have to find those missing geniuses first.