"Only an hour and the culprit has been caught? How is that possible?" The surrounding reporters all expressed disbelief at Bromley's words. Since when had the authorities become so efficient?
"Based on the statements from Wilson and other passengers, and the facial description of the culprit, we have indeed apprehended the main suspect responsible for planting the bomb. However, to ensure the capture of her accomplices, we cannot release her full details at this time.
We currently suspect that there are at least three culprits involved, and we believe the bus bombing and the recent explosion at the clothing store were carried out by the same group. That's all I can say for now. We will decide whether or not to disclose more information depending on the situation."
After speaking, Bromley, with the help of his subordinates and police officers, squeezed through the crowd of reporters and sped off in a vehicle.
By 3 p.m., a video purportedly showing the capture of the female suspect appeared on television. The host explained that the footage had been taken by a passerby during the Counterterrorism Command's arrest of the suspect.
The location was a secluded dock along the Thames River, and two male suspects were arrested along with her. It appeared they had been trying to escape but were caught by the arriving police.
The identities of the suspects were still unclear, but six bus passengers who had given statements confirmed that the suspects closely resembled the individuals who planted the bomb earlier that morning.
As the live news segment concluded, the head of the TV station was thrilled to hear his staff report that their customer service lines were overwhelmed. In just a few minutes, their ratings had doubled, making the £500,000 they spent on the video well worth it.
Bromley, too, was quite satisfied. His twelve special teams had only been assembled the day before, and after staging a brief act at the dock, they now had the funds to operate.
Meanwhile, the leader and accomplices of the bombing plot had been on edge, but upon seeing the news, they cheered. One of them crossed himself in relief and said, "God really blessed us this time. If it weren't for that woman who looks so much like Maggie, we'd be in big trouble."
The leader nodded. "The three of you pack up and head to Margate Port immediately. The police just made an arrest, so they won't be conducting thorough checks right now. But if they realize tomorrow that they've caught the wrong person, they'll start hunting us down again.
I'll stay behind to pick up Maggie tomorrow. If Maggie and I aren't at Margate Port to meet you by noon tomorrow, it means we've been caught. You'll have to complete the mission to investigate and blow up the transport ship on your own. Understood?"
"Boss, maybe I should stay behind to get Maggie..." one of the men, Ollie, suggested.
"Stop, Ollie. I know what you're thinking. You and Maggie are the ones who planted the bombs. Even if you're caught, as long as you don't talk, we can buy more time."
"Exactly, boss," Ollie confirmed.
The leader shook his head. "It won't work. If any one of us gets caught, the rest will be exposed immediately. Don't forget, we all provided our information and photos when we rented the rooms. Maggie and I aren't skilled at fieldwork. Tim needs to make the bombs, and only you and Miller are suitable for the investigation and the bombing. You three must leave now."
Realizing the logic, the three quickly packed up. Fifteen minutes later, Ollie, Miller, and Tim drove off in two separate cars, heading toward Margate Port. Surprisingly, they encountered no checkpoints on the way and arrived safely after three hours.
The next morning at 8:30 a.m., inside the airport control tower, Catherine turned to William and Bromley and asked, "Is everything ready? Are you sure the bomb strapped to that courier, Ian Wood, won't accidentally detonate?"
"Of course. Sunday, show Ian Wood's video."
"Understood, sir."
Seconds later, a video appeared on the monitor in front of Catherine, showing Ian Wood leaving his apartment building and getting into a taxi driven by a member of the special operations team. After a few minutes of driving, an odorless, colorless gas was released inside the cab, and Ian Wood gradually fell unconscious.
Seeing that the target was out cold, the team immediately pulled over, took Ian's laptop, and booted it up, inserting a USB drive. In less than a minute, the computer was hacked.
The team then drove to the airport, where Ian, still unconscious, was woken up by the special operations team. After paying the fare, he entered the airport and walked toward the waiting area, which was only a few meters away from the cargo terminal.
"Why are we boarding here today?" Ian wondered, confused. But seeing only a few dozen passengers waiting, he was pleased. Usually, the waiting area was packed, but today it was nice and quiet.
At 9:15, the boarding announcement played. A middle-aged woman at the gate began checking tickets. When it was Ian's turn, he caught a strong whiff of alcohol on her breath.
He muttered to himself, "These airlines must be on the verge of bankruptcy if they're letting employees drink on the job. Hopefully, the crew isn't like this."
After having his ticket checked, he followed the other passengers down the boarding tunnel. But when he boarded the plane, he was stunned. It wasn't a passenger plane at all—it looked like a cargo plane.
"Who are you people?" A man in a pilot's uniform appeared. Seeing that everyone on board was carrying small bags, the pilot realized what was happening. "My God, this is a cargo plane! How could the airline make such a mistake? Get off, all of you, get off!"
"Damn, we must have taken the wrong boarding tunnel. I knew something felt off earlier," one of the passengers muttered, and the others nodded in agreement as they realized what had happened.
As everyone turned to leave, the special operations agents disguised as passengers discreetly retrieved Ian's laptop, handing it off to the last member of the team, who then hid it in the cargo hold.
As they followed the pilot back to the waiting area, Ian suddenly exclaimed, "Damn, I've lost my laptop!" He turned back to go find it, but the airline staff, who were already embarrassed about the mix-up due to an employee drinking on the job, refused to let him return and promised to help him locate it.
Meanwhile, back in the control tower, William and Catherine watched as Bromley listened to his earpiece for about ten seconds, then smiled. "It's done. Now, all that's left is to trigger the explosion."
"Why are you looking at me?" William grinned at Catherine. "This is your call, Catherine."
Catherine gave him an annoyed glance and asked Bromley again, "Are you sure it won't affect the other planes?"
Before Bromley could answer, William interjected, "Relax. That plane's fuel tanks are empty. Our goal is to destroy the special materials on Valentine's plane. Once the fire starts and the temperature rises, the foam from the airport's fire trucks will cause thermal expansion and contraction. The chances of those materials being destroyed are over 90%."
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