Chapter 658
Verus's Clues
“I’ve already arranged for my men to track down Karen based on the leads provided by the technical department,” Jason said. “In addition, we’ve re-interrogated Black Wolf, asking him about Karen and the mutant organization. Black Wolf said he only knew that Karen was Verus’s partner, responsible for providing Verus with mutant bodyguards, and that he didn’t know anything else. However, he said that Verus and Karen often met at a secluded private club in Manhattan, and we can go there to look for some clues.”
“Okay,” Lynn nodded. “We’ll immediately send people to that private club for a covert investigation. Be careful not to alert them. If we find any trace of Karen or Verus, report it immediately. Don’t act rashly. Also, have your men continue to closely monitor Verus’s movements, and interrogate those we’ve arrested. See if we can get any more clues about Karen and Verus from them.”
"Understood!" Jason nodded and immediately went to arrange the relevant work.
Meanwhile, in a distant bay, a small helicopter was flying towards the open sea. Verus sat in the helicopter, looking at the dark ocean outside the window, a cold smile playing on his lips. He took out his phone, dialed a number, and said in an icy tone, "Karen, I've safely evacuated. Now, we need to redeploy and rebuild our empire. Those FBI agents who want to catch me won't have it so easy."
A deep, hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone: "Don't worry, Verus, I've arranged everything. I'll assign you another batch of mutant bodyguards to protect your safety. In addition, I will use all our resources to stop the FBI's pursuit. Our cooperation will not end here, and our empire will surely rise again."
Verus sneered, hung up the phone, and looked out at the sea, his eyes filled with ambition and resentment.
The helicopter, carrying Varus and his incredibly fast mutant bodyguard, broke through the darkness and flew towards the depths of Long Island Bay. The roar of the propellers echoed across the silent sea. Varus leaned back in his seat, his fingertips lightly tracing the edge of his briefcase. The cold smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a barely perceptible seriousness.
“Boss, we’ve already flown out of New York waters. The FBI helicopters haven’t caught up yet, but we can’t let our guard down. They’ll lock onto our flight path soon.” The mutant bodyguard sat beside Verus, his voice hoarse. Blood was still seeping from his wounds, staining his black suit crimson, but he kept his eyes alertly fixed on the sea outside the window, constantly on guard for any potential danger. Although his speed was extraordinary, he had been hit by multiple bullets in the fight with the FBI agents, and his injuries were not minor. Only thanks to the formidable physique of a mutant could he barely remain conscious and stay by Verus’s side.
Verus nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the dark sea outside the window, his tone cold and firm: "I know. Inform the pilots to fly along the predetermined route, do not deviate from the course, and reach the rendezvous point as soon as possible. Remember, no matter what happens, do not turn back. Even if you are discovered, you must do everything in your power to rush forward. We only have one chance to escape."
"Understood." The mutant bodyguard immediately picked up the intercom in the cockpit and relayed Verus's instructions to the pilot. The pilot responded in a deep voice, maneuvering the helicopter to increase its speed, and sped towards the high seas.
Verus closed his eyes, his mind racing as he reviewed the network of contacts and transportation routes he had cultivated over the years. He had been deeply involved in the drug industry for many years, no longer content with transactions within the United States. Several years ago, he had begun establishing cross-border transportation channels, contacting overseas partners, and securing a backup plan. These transportation routes, mostly hidden in remote areas at sea and along borders, evaded official oversight and were his carefully cultivated "lifelines." His network included smuggling ringleaders, corrupt border officials, and heads of overseas criminal organizations—each capable of providing him with assistance at crucial moments.
He knew the FBI was closely monitoring all U.S. airports, ports, and border crossings, making it virtually impossible to escape the country through legitimate channels. However, the illegal transport routes he had planned were secrets unknown to the FBI and his only hope. The safest route involved departing from Long Island Sound, taking a helicopter to international waters, meeting up with a pre-arranged smuggling vessel, and then navigating a clandestine route along the Atlantic coast, traversing the waters of several countries, ultimately reaching Honduras in Central America—where one of his secret outposts and the Central American branch of the Karen mutant organization was located, offering him safe haven.
About an hour later, the helicopter reached the rendezvous point in international waters. On the sea, a large, unmarked smuggling vessel lay silently anchored, all its lights off except for a faint glow from the bridge, clearly awaiting their arrival. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter, slowly landing on the smuggling vessel's deck. The roar of the propellers gradually subsided and finally ceased completely.
Verus stepped off the helicopter first. The deck beneath his feet was icy cold, and the sea breeze howled against his face, carrying a salty taste. A burly man with a fierce face, accompanied by several subordinates, strode up to Verus, bowed respectfully, and said in a fawning tone, "Mr. Verus, you've finally arrived. I have done everything as you instructed, and we are ready to depart at any time."
The man, Marcus, was one of the heads of one of the largest smuggling rings along the Atlantic coast. For years, he had worked with Verus, transporting drugs and illegal weapons for him and earning hefty sums. Verus had repeatedly helped Marcus evade official pursuit and provided him with substantial financial support; the two had a deep-seated bond of mutual benefit and a degree of trust. When Verus attempted to escape, Marcus was his first thought, and Marcus, not daring to delay, immediately arranged for smuggling ships to meet him in international waters, preparing to escort Verus out of the United States.
Verus glanced at Marcus, his tone flat and devoid of any extra emotion: "Thank you for your hard work, Marcus. Remember, this time the route must be exactly as we agreed beforehand, avoiding all official patrol boats, without any mistakes. If you can successfully deliver me to Honduras this time, I will give you a generous reward, enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
“Thank you, Mr. Verus!” Marcus’s eyes lit up, a greedy smile spreading across his face. He bowed and scraped, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve traveled this route hundreds of times without a single mistake. I can definitely get you safely to Honduras. Besides, I’ve arranged for my men to be stationed at various hidden outposts along the way. If we encounter any danger, we can stop at any time and evade detection.” Verus nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the cabin. The mutant bodyguard followed closely behind Verus, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings to prevent any unforeseen events. Marcus signaled his men to push the helicopter to a corner of the deck and cover it with a tarpaulin. He then followed them into the cabin and instructed his men to start the smuggling boat, heading towards Honduras.
The smuggling ship slowly started up and headed into the depths of international waters, quickly disappearing into the dark sea without leaving a trace. Inside the cabin, Verus sat in the luxurious lounge, took out his phone, and dialed Karen's number again. By this time, Karen had already received news that Verus had successfully reunited with Marcus. As soon as the call connected, her deep, hoarse voice came through: "Verus, you've met up with Marcus?"
“Yes,” Verus said calmly, leaning back on the sofa. “I’ve boarded Marcus’s smuggling ship and we’re heading towards Honduras. Marcus says this route is safe and won’t be detected by the FBI. However, I’m worried that Lynn and his team will soon trace it back to Marcus. After all, Marcus and I have been working together for many years, and he’s bound to leave some clues.”
“You don’t need to worry,” Karen’s voice remained deep, with a hint of certainty. “I’ve already made arrangements. We will use the organization’s resources to interfere with the FBI’s investigation and destroy all traces of your cooperation with Marcus. In addition, I have notified the Honduran branch to prepare. Once you arrive, we will immediately arrange for you to go to a safe location and assign you new mutant bodyguards to protect your safety.”
“Good,” Verus nodded, a hint of relief on his face. “Karen, thanks to you this time. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to escape successfully. Once I’ve established myself in Honduras, we’ll redeploy and rebuild our trading network. By then, we’ll be even stronger than before, and those FBI agents will never be able to shake our position again.”
“Don’t worry, our cooperation won’t end here,” Karen said. “I’ve already started contacting our overseas partners to reorganize our resources. Once you arrive in Honduras, we’ll officially launch the new transaction plan. However, you must be careful. Lynn is very cunning and extremely persistent. He won’t give up tracking you easily. You must always be vigilant and not expose your whereabouts.”
“I know,” Verus said coldly, his tone tinged with disdain. “Lynn may be powerful, but it won’t be easy for him to track me down across borders. He doesn’t have the authority to enforce laws across borders, and he’s not familiar with the environment overseas. As long as I keep my whereabouts hidden, he’ll never find me. Besides, with you and the mutant organization supporting me, I have nothing to fear from him.”
After hanging up the phone, Verus picked up the glass of red wine on the table, took a small sip, and his eyes were filled with ambition and resentment. He looked out at the dark sea and secretly vowed to rebuild his criminal empire as soon as possible, not only to reclaim everything he had lost, but also to make Lynn and the FBI pay a heavy price.
Meanwhile, at the FBI's New York branch, the lights were on and everyone was busy. Lynn, Jason, and the technical staff were gathered around computers, anxiously investigating Verus's whereabouts. The technical staff had pinpointed Verus's general escape route through the helicopter's flight path, but since the helicopter completely lost signal after reaching international waters, they could no longer track its exact location.
“Captain, we’ve checked all the airports, ports, and border crossings in New York, but haven’t found any trace of Verus,” a technician reported to Lynn, his tone tinged with helplessness. “The helicopter Verus was on completely lost signal after reaching international waters, and we can’t determine his exact whereabouts. Moreover, we’ve checked all recent private plane and ship travel records and found nothing unusual. Verus most likely escaped the United States through illegal channels.”
Lynn frowned, his eyes fixed on the flight path map on the computer screen. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said in a serious tone, "Impossible. Verus just escaped. It's impossible for him to disappear completely without a trace in such a short time. He must have used his past connections and transportation routes to escape through illegal channels. You guys investigate more carefully, focusing on the smuggling gangs along the Atlantic coast, especially those smuggling bosses who cooperated with Verus. See if you can find any clues."
"Understood!" the technicians responded in unison, and immediately began to re-examine the situation, focusing on information about smuggling gangs that had cooperated with Verus, and retrieving maritime surveillance footage from the Atlantic coast in an attempt to find Verus's trail.
Jason stood beside Lynn, a serious look on his face: "Lynn, you're right. Verus has been deeply involved in the drug industry for many years and must have set up many illegal cross-border transportation routes and a lot of loyal connections. He must have used these resources to escape this time. We only focused on the legitimate channels of travel and ignored the illegal channels, which gave him the opportunity."
“Yes,” Lynn nodded, his eyes resolute. “It was our oversight. Verus is extremely cunning; he had already prepared an escape route for himself. This escape was definitely premeditated. However, no matter how cunning he is, he will always leave some clues. Marcus, the head of the largest smuggling ring on the Atlantic coast, has been cooperating with Verus for many years, responsible for transporting drugs for Verus. Verus's escape this time is very likely due to Marcus's help. Immediately arrange for your men to conduct a full investigation into Marcus's whereabouts, checking his recent ship travel records to see if you can find any clues about Verus.” (End of Chapter)