1 1 - Breaking News

Winsley City

Just as the people of Winsley City were about to start their day, a sudden news spread throughout the city, shocking everyone.

In a common household, the morning tv news was being aired.

"Breaking news! Ms. Shania Cray, or more popularly known as Lady S, a well-known fashion blogger, influencer, and the only child of General Cray, was kidnapped last night. The cctv footage shows how she was taken into a black van when she was about to get in her car. The timestamp indicates that the kidnapping happened right after her very first guesting in a variety show. It's still unknown why the kidnappers took her, and her family is still waiting for the kidnappers' call. Miss Cray's father, General Eugene Cray of the Ministry of Defense, refused to comment on the matter, though we can see that this devastating news took a toll on the respected general and his wife."

A reporter shoved his microphone on a violently sobbing Mrs. Cray. "Mrs. Cray, what do you have to say to this devastating incident?"

"Sob, sob.. My daughter, oh my precious daughter! Sob.. Whoever you are that took my daughter away from us, please don't hurt my precious child! Tell us what you want, just return my child to us!" Mrs. Cray was crying furiously while General Cray held her closely, he appeared very worried as his eyes turned red from suppresssing his emotions.

"The authorities suspect that Ms. Cray's kidnapping was a provocation from the general's political enemies. They are now investigating the clues left behind by the suspects." The tv reporter ended his spiel. "Stay tuned for more updates on the Shania Cray kidnapping. In another news..."

Since the news broke on Shania's kidnapping, a lot of people in Winsley City offered their prayers, sent flowers to the Crays, posted appeals to the kidnappers through social media. A lot of women, young and old, were broken hearted that their idol, Lady S, was treated as such violently.

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National Intelligence Agency

14:31H

NIA Chief, Mr. Flinch, ordered a summons to a man nicknamed Dragon. At this moment, Dragon was seated on a large sofa in Mr. Flinch's spacious office. He was wearing a silver cloth mask that covered the upper half of his face. Only his jaw and mouth could be seen. He was sitting languidly with a slight smirk on his face.

Across from him, Mr. Flinch sat fiddling with a laptop, a thick file folder on the side.

"Dragon," Mr. Flinch started, "You must know the reason I called you here today. Take a look at this video and browse over this file." Mr. Flinch turned the laptop towards Dragon to look at, while the cctv footage of the recent kidnapping incident was playing.

Dragon leaned in as Mr. Flinch explained the initial results of their investigation on the kidnapping incident.

It turned out that while making a video for her blog, Shania accidentally captured a scene in a private lounge she was commissioned to promote.

There were two groups of men in suits facing each other. One group was holding a teenaged girl dressed to look like a mature woman. The other group had their leader seated in a couch. They exchanged a few words, and a while later the former group pushed the girl towards the other group's leader who gestured to his men to give a briefcase.

'Club Serene is an exclusive membership lounge where members can enjoy its facilities from golf course, private casino and spa. They also have private halls to hold exclusive events.' As Mr. Flinch showed another video clip, Shania's voice was heard over as the camera roams around the private club.

"We suspect that one of them kidnapped Miss Cray to get the video. She posted it live, so a lot of people had already seen it. NIA managed to get a copy before they deleted traces of it on the internet."

"Who are these people?" Dragon asked Mr. Flinch when the video ended. He picked up the file and started reading it while listening to Mr. Flinch.

"The one on the couch is the club's owner, Mr. Albart Volga. The other is Mr. Morris Claude, an owner of a lending company, but recently there are reports connecting him to smuggled luxury cars in the country. There are also rumors that he is somehow connected to the McLains. But we cannot get any solid evidence on this."

When Dragon heard the name of the McLains, a light glinted in his eyes briefly.

Mr. Flinch continued, "Volga was not aware that Miss Cray was doing a vlog on that day. Club Serene's manager was reported missing a day after she visited. Later, the highway patrol found a car on the side of the road, totally wrecked and burned. The driver was unrecognizable, but with dental records, he was identified as the missing manager of the club.

"Dragon, since we have two female victims, we're going to split the mission this time. You rescue Miss Cray and retrieve the hard drive containing the video, while we rescue the other girl."

"Do you have leads on the location of Miss Cray?"

"Fortunately, yes. Miss Cray, being born into a military family, is overly cautious. Her jewelries are encrypted with gps tracking chips. Last known location as of this morning is at an abandoned warehouse in the northeast industrial district. It hasn't moved since news broke this morning."

"Alright, you'll get news in twelve hours." Dragon stood up once he gathered the files he needed for this mission.

"As expected from the Dragon. You may drop her off at NIA laboratory soon as you rescued her." Mr. Flinch paused, hesitating to say anything further.

Dragon saw this and asked, "Anything else Flinch?"

"We might also be needing your help on the investigation regarding the second victim." Mr. Flinch exhaled.

Dragon had a hunch that a human trafficking was in play in this incident. He couldn't openly offer help as this case involves the McLains. They own Devacci Group after all.

'Flinch may suspect the McLains having a hand in this case. As such, I may have to use Baylis Empire to investigate. However, is it worth the risk?'

"There is an even deeper play going on here, Flinch."

"I can see that. But we can't just sit back and let them play their game in our city." Mr. Flinch appeared to be carrying the weight of the world.

In the end, Dragon could only compromise. "Then, I'll see what I can do."

"That is more than enough." Mr. Flinch nodded at him, ending their meeting.

Once Dragon reached his car, he pulled out his phone and speed dialled. "Gather the guys, we have a new mission."