Chapter 23

Grant had memorized the profiles of all the security guards in the community in advance, but Leo's subordinates were just as thorough. They had memorized the details of all the residents before starting their security duties today.

Any stranger entering the community would be under strict surveillance by Leo's men, especially those entering at night and approaching Leo's residence. Even during the day, a courier standing outside Leo's house would have at least three sniper rifles aimed at his head from various angles.

Upon seeing a car not registered to any resident appear at the community gate, the two guards immediately became vigilant, pretending to be dozing off while secretly observing the driver and the vehicle.

"Copy that, team one, head to the parking lot and follow him. Sniper two, be ready!" came the voice over the walkie-talkie.

Li San quickly located the Chevrolet heading to the parking lot using the community's surveillance system.

Entering the community at this hour and not being a regular resident was highly suspicious.

"Should we notify the boss?" asked one of his subordinates.

Li San shook his head. "Not yet. We haven't confirmed if he's an enemy. It could be a friend or relative of a resident."

After a moment of thought, he added, "Team one, if his target is Building Eight where the boss lives, take him down and question him."

When it came to the boss's safety, his motto was better safe than sorry. If the stranger approached Building Eight, he could pose a threat to the boss. At that point, whether he was a resident's friend or relative didn't matter; he would be detained first and questioned later. If it turned out to be a mistake, they could apologize and compensate afterward.

"Teams two and three, be ready to assist. Sniper two, if he resists strongly, shoot to kill."

"Roger that!"

The responses were crisp and clear over the walkie-talkie.

Grant, having just parked his car and pulled out a large suitcase, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Years of experience as an operative told him he was being watched and possibly even targeted by snipers.

"This Leo is definitely not simple," he thought. Grant continued walking nonchalantly, his outward demeanor showing no sign of distress, worthy of an Oscar-winning performance.

Now he realized that the two guards he saw earlier were undoubtedly Leo's bodyguards in disguise, and those monitoring and aiming at him now were also Leo's men. Such meticulous and cautious protection was rare even among the world's top tycoons.

"Good thing I came prepared."

As a top operative who always executed missions flawlessly, Grant had meticulously planned this operation. Sensing the unusual situation, he decided not to approach the building where Leo lived. Instead, he went to the adjacent building, took the elevator to the top floor, and used a key to enter an apartment.

This apartment belonged to a single career woman who was quite open and frequently brought men home from bars. Earlier today, Grant had secretly knocked her out and taken her key. He knew he needed to act quickly; if the other party was vigilant, they would soon discover something was wrong.

"Third Brother, he's in Building Nine, Apartment 2501, which belongs to Lydia Gallia," came the report over the walkie-talkie.

Li San frowned, recalling Lydia's profile. "Could it be someone who has been intimate with Lydia coming over at night?"

After thinking for a moment, he instructed, "Quick, pull up today's surveillance footage and check if Lydia has returned since she left this morning."

"It'll take about two minutes," the subordinate said, entering Lydia's facial data into the computer and scanning the day's footage with an intelligent system. Manually reviewing the footage would have taken hours, even on fast forward, but Leo had equipped his security team with the most advanced and expensive technology.

Two minutes later, the subordinate reported, "Lydia left the community at 8:30 this morning and hasn't returned since."

"This is bad. Team one, enter the apartment and capture the target. Teams two and three, head upstairs to assist. Try to take him alive. All snipers, be ready to shoot to kill if the target crosses the security line!"

It was Monday, and Lydia usually partied from Friday to Sunday. Even if she did go out, it was odd for someone to visit her when she wasn't home. With so many suspicions, there was no need for further consideration.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, guns would be used only in extreme situations. Leo had specifically instructed this because he believed that gunfire would disturb Wanda's normal life. However, if the target posed a direct threat to Wanda, all bets were off.

---

"So quick, looks like I need to retreat for now!"

Grant, dressed in a night suit, was about to use a grappling gun to zipline to Building Eight and abduct Leo when he heard the sound of the door being forced open. He sighed inwardly. He had expected it to take at least half an hour for them to react, but it had only taken two minutes.

Even if he managed to capture the target now, escaping under such tight security was impossible. He had to retreat and try again another time. Redirecting the grappling gun, he aimed it at a building closer to the community's outer perimeter, secured it, and turned to face the two security guards breaking in.

He had to take them out to escape safely; otherwise, they'd cut the line while he was halfway across. With his skills, he could knock out these two in two seconds.

"Fuck, these goons are tough!"

Grant clutched his bruised eye, bent over in pain. It had taken him thirty seconds to subdue the two guards, and only after taking several hits did he manage to use his skills to take them down.

Based on his assessment, these guards' combat abilities were on par with professional operatives from S.H.I.E.L.D. and elite mercenaries. Sliding down the zipline to the neighboring building, he quickly used a descender to reach the ground in under ten seconds. He then ran towards the community wall.

Beyond the wall was a street, where a getaway car was parked. However, as he approached the wall, he saw a bear-like man in a security uniform standing there.