The air seemed to be sucked out of the surroundings in an instant. The SIZZLE of roasting meat on the barbecue grill, the hushed whispers of colleagues, the playful shouts of children in the distance—time itself came to a standstill.
After a brief, dead silence, an uncontrollable commotion erupted from the crowd.
"What’s going on?!"
"The Economic Crimes Unit? Embezzlement? Huge financial crimes?"
"Are you kidding me? How could Team Leader Lowell commit a crime?!"
Kyler Lowell cast a sidelong glance at Jared Carter not far away. The moment the police showed up, the first thought that popped into his head was that Jared was trying to drag them both down together and had called the cops. However, seeing Jared’s sheer panic, Kyler was just as bewildered. If Jared wasn’t putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, it meant he was completely in the dark about this too.
Considering how secretive their operations had always been without ever alerting the company, Kyler’s face turned from red to white, and then to a sickly green. He possessed incredibly strong mental fortitude. In mere seconds, he recovered from his extreme shock and desperately tried to defend himself.
"Officer, is there some sort of misunderstanding here?
"I..."
Before he could finish his excuses, Officer Walker waved him off.
"Save your words for the station.
"The evidence we have is already more than sufficient, and another team of colleagues is currently at your company gathering further proof.
"So, I highly suggest you cooperate. Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. It might just lighten your sentence."
Shirley Lowell sidled up to Wendy Lynch, her lowered voice dripping with excitement. "Wow, who would’ve thought our team-building retreat would come with bonus entertainment?
"Wendy, what do you think he did to get arrested?"
Wendy shook her head, faking a look of utter confusion. "How should I know? I’ve been at the company for less than two months."
At that moment, another police officer approached Jared Carter.
"Jared Carter, we are from the Municipal Bureau’s Economic Crimes Unit.
"You are also suspected of embezzlement and massive financial crimes. You are now under arrest according to the law."
The instant the cold handcuffs brushed against his wrists, Jared violently flailed like a cat whose tail had just been stomped on! His emotions completely spiraled out of control. Pointing at Kyler in the distance, he let out a hysterical roar.
"Kyler Lowell! You fucking set me up!!!"
This furious bellow was like a clap of thunder on a clear day, sending the already chaotic scene erupting into an absolute frenzy! Everyone’s gazes instantly snapped from the police officers to these two formerly close colleagues.
Set him up?
Wait... there was an inside story here?
Curiosity washed over the faces of everyone present as they eagerly prepared to watch the drama unfold.
Kyler shuddered at the roar. His first instinct was to shoot back and pin all the blame on Jared. However, the icy cuffs on his own wrists were a harsh reminder that now was not the time for infighting. Forcing down his rising anger and panic, he growled back at Jared.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! When did I ever set you up?
"Can’t you see I’ve been cuffed too?"
Under normal circumstances, Jared might have been able to read between the lines. However, the two of them had just gotten into a heated argument in the bathroom not long ago. Combined with the sudden arrival of the police, Jared had already completely lost his mind. In his eyes, Kyler’s reminder sounded more like a lame excuse to shirk responsibility. He struggled even more frantically, trying to lunge at his boss.
"It was you! You just want to wash your hands of this and throw me to the wolves to take the fall!
"I saw right through it ages ago! You wanted to get promoted to P7, so you tried to get rid of the only guy who knows all your dirty secrets!
"Well, let me tell you—in your dreams! If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me!
"Officers, it was him!
"He orchestrated everything!
"He used his authority to force me into doing it!
"I have evidence! I have all our chat logs on my phone!
"I’m a victim here, too!
"I want to report him! I want to turn state’s evidence!"
He was insane! Jared had completely lost it! Like a rabid dog backed into a corner, he began to viciously lash out at whatever he could.
Kyler was utterly dumbfounded. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine Jared would resort to mutually assured destruction.
No, this wasn’t just dragging him down!
This was fucking suicide!!!
Watching this spectacular dog-eat-dog drama unfold, Wendy secretly rejoiced. With a fool like Jared helping to divert attention, and the police naturally concealing the informant’s identity, her risk as the whistleblower was reduced to practically zero.
Watching the two men bicker, the corners of Officer Walker’s lips twitched upward into an almost imperceptible smirk. In criminal cases, the biggest headache was when suspects got their stories straight and steadfastly refused to confess. If the details of the crime were deeply hidden, it would waste an enormous amount of police resources to dig up leads and evidence. But now? They hadn’t even been hauled back to the station, and the suspects were already at each other’s throats.
The upcoming interrogations would likely go smoother than he could have ever imagined.
"Alright! Of course you can report him!" Officer Walker declared.
"Our policy has always been leniency for those who confess, and severity for those who resist.
"Whatever you need to confess, we can take our time going over it back at the station!"
At Officer Walker’s command, two officers immediately stepped forward, forcefully escorting away the still-cursing Jared and an ashen-faced Kyler. It wasn’t until the group of police officers completely disappeared at the end of the mountain road that the crowd by the lake finally snapped out of it, as if waking from some absurd nightmare.
Naturally, the team-building retreat could no longer continue. After a brief discussion with the company leaders, the administrative staff immediately arranged for everyone to board the buses back to the city. The same bus cabin that had been filled with cheerful chatter on the way here was now dead silent.
A P6 employee was already considered mid-level management within the company; someone like that getting arrested was massive news. This was, without a doubt, the most explosive and bizarre team-building event since the company’s inception.
***
Returning to her dorm, Wendy locked the door behind her. As if all the strength had been completely drained from her body, she threw herself heavily onto the soft sofa.
It was over. Everything was finally over.
Jared Carter hadn’t died. She hadn’t become a murder suspect. And the two corporate parasites had been successfully arrested. The massive boulder that had been crushing her chest for the past few days, robbing her of sleep and appetite, was finally lifted. An unprecedented sense of relief washed over her entire body.
But soon, Wendy felt her stomach let out a loud GRUMBLE. Only then did she remember that because she had been so anxious about the disappearance case, she hadn’t eaten a single thing all day—and had even suffered from a bout of upset stomach in the middle of it all. Right now, her belly was completely empty.
She hurriedly pulled out her phone and ordered herself a lavish takeout meal that cost over two hundred bucks.
Nightfall deepened.
After taking a shower, Wendy lay in bed, comfortably scrolling through her phone. Right then, the time quietly ticked over to midnight. Her phone’s alarm rang right on cue. Pressing pause on her video, Wendy switched over and opened her email inbox.
[You have a new email: An email from the future.]