Officer Lee stood at the door. When he saw Zoe Sawyer approaching and what she was doing, he quickly urged her to get inside.
They were making a lot of noise. If anyone was outside, they would've definitely noticed.
'We have all the evidence we need. Now's the perfect time to pull back before anyone else shows up!'
Zoe Sawyer didn't waste any time. As she dragged the scrawny man toward the office, she occasionally zapped him with her stun baton to make sure he wouldn't wake up and attack her.
With Officer Lee's help, Zoe Sawyer quickly dragged the scrawny man into an office at the station.
The medical examiner watched the whole thing, dumbfounded. 'What in the world was that?'
'So *this* is why I've been working overtime for the past two weeks?'
She silently swallowed the questions she wanted to ask. 'Forget it. It's obvious this isn't something I can just ask about.'
'When the time comes, the bureau won't keep it from me anyway.'
Having come to this conclusion, the medical examiner silently stepped forward to help Zoe Sawyer and Officer Lee tie up the man. She also made sure to shut the door, completely cutting off any chance of escape.
Another officer who had stayed behind in the office didn't remain idle. He quickly notified his colleagues outside to come in and take the man away.
He then quickly returned to his computer to continue monitoring the situation on Evan Keller's end.
He periodically updated Keller on the situation at the station.
Upon hearing that Zoe Sawyer had photographed the evidence and even captured a suspect, Evan Keller and his team were energized, and their movements became even swifter.
"Captain Keller, there's a sudden increase in foot traffic in one area inside. People are moving in and out of one of the rooms."
Just then, a team member monitoring the target location with Evan Keller quickly reported in.
"A moment ago, it was quiet inside. Then, a crowd of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, all heading for the same spot."
"Now they're moving a lot of freezers out and checking them one by one."
"This new group of people all looked fierce and menacing. Their arms were bulging with muscle; they looked like they could knock someone flat with a single punch. They clearly weren't to be trifled with."
'But for them to be keeping such vicious-looking men here, how…'
The team member, finding this strange, quickly reported the situation to Evan Keller.
Hearing the report, Evan Keller knew Zoe Sawyer's actions had alerted the remaining personnel inside.
They might have also discovered someone had vanished from one of the rooms and were now searching frantically.
'But this also proves it,' he thought. 'The man Zoe Sawyer caught is definitely a big fish!'
"Look for an opening. Be ready to move at any moment. We'll rush in and round them all up at once!" Evan Keller stared at the open ground before him, mentally calculating the perfect moment to strike.
His team gripped their weapons, waiting for the opportune moment.
Seeing the growing chaos on the other side, Evan Keller knew the time was right. He pulled out his radio and spoke with Sean Hughes, confirming that everything was still going according to plan.
With a single command, three police teams stormed the criminal den from three different directions.
Given the heinous nature of the case, the three captains, led by Evan Keller, had requested and been issued firearms in case of any unexpected developments.
The resistance inside was just as Evan Keller had expected.
However, while the goons looked tough, it was all for show. The moment they saw the police rush in, they put up a token resistance before promptly dropping to the ground with their hands on their heads.
'Are you kidding? We're just hired muscle, big and strong to keep the peace. We're not actual hardened criminals who go around robbing people.'
'Why would we pick a fight with the cops?'
'There's nothing in it for us, and we might even do jail time!'
'The boss doesn't pay us enough to risk our lives for him!'
'We're thugs, not idiots!'
Setting aside these pragmatic turncoats, the remaining men were the true targets of Evan Keller's operation.
Leaving a few officers to guard the surrendered goons, Evan Keller fixed his gaze on the men across from him.
They had formed a circle, each holding a weapon.
"They're armed! Everyone, be careful!" Evan Keller stared at the objects in their hands. When he got a clear look, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
Guns!
'They actually have guns!'
The nature of the case had just changed drastically.
Evan Keller gritted his teeth, mentally upgrading their threat level to maximum.
Evan Keller gave a hand signal, and two squads moved to encircle the armed men. A tense standoff ensued.
Meanwhile, the third squad began searching the rest of the area.
'Who knew who else might be hiding around?!'
Sean Hughes glanced around before grabbing one of the squatting goons. "You," he said, "show me around. If you help us find anything, you might be able to redeem yourself and avoid a long prison sentence."
The goon's eyes lit up. 'For real?'
'An offer this good?'
Before he could ask again, Sean Hughes stated firmly, "Absolutely."
At these words, the other goons squatting on the ground began to stir restlessly.
'Just for showing them around, we can get a lighter sentence?!'
'That's a sweet deal!'
'We know this place like the back of our hands! We could do that job!'
'Why didn't he pick me?!'
At that thought, the other goons stared at their companion with envy, their expressions screaming that they wished they could take his place.
The chosen goon, who had already been more than willing, suddenly grew anxious. He couldn't let them steal this opportunity!
"Let's go, let's go! Officer, I know lots of hidden spots! I'll take you to all of them!" the goon said, already starting to walk.
Sean Hughes hurried to follow. As he passed Evan Keller, he lightly tapped the back of his captain's hand, signaling that he would find an opportunity to call for backup and that they should hold their ground.
Meanwhile, the armed criminals, who had overheard the conversation between the goon and Sean Hughes, were seething with rage. They couldn't believe that during this critical standoff, the first blow against them would come from the very goons they had always looked down on.
They wanted to go over and beat the traitor senseless, but under the watchful glare of Evan Keller and his officers, they could only retreat.
And so, the standoff continued.
No one dared to make the first move.
The cornered criminals felt a bitter taste in their mouths.
'How could we get busted on our shift?! This is just the worst luck!'
Meanwhile, the goon led Sean Hughes on a tour of the facility, pointing out every hidden spot he knew.
After he had finished pointing everything out, he looked at Sean Hughes expectantly. "Officer," he asked, "I showed you everything. Can I get a lighter sentence now?"
Once he was certain nothing had been missed, Sean Hughes signaled a colleague to take the man away.
"I'll explain the situation to my superiors," he said. "Rest assured, we take note of both the good and the bad. Nothing will be overlooked."