Chapter 165: Forced Interception

"They're already gone."

By the time Jed led Karl and the others into the warehouse control room, all they found was an empty security station.

"Did they realize we escaped the cold storage and evacuate early?"

Johnson scanned the control room for any clues, then turned his eyes to one of the security feeds—a frozen image of the destroyed cold storage door.

"They had a clear view of the breach from here."

"Let me check."

Karl extended a monowire, connecting to the security terminal and hacking into the system.

As data streams flowed through his neural interface, he quickly extracted the information he needed.

"Got them. They're heading for the back exit—we can still catch up."

After wiping their own security footage and disabling cameras along their path, Karl turned and headed out.

No words were needed—Johnson and Kenichiro immediately followed.

Jed hesitated for a moment, then clenched his jaw and hurried after them.

"Wait! Count me in—I'm coming too!"

"Not planning on clocking in today?" Karl asked dryly.

"This whole place is run by our people—if I step out for a bit, no one will even notice. Besides..."

Jed's hand hovered over his Lexington pistol, fingers tightening.

"I need to know who sold us out—and why just finding out about it meant I had to die."

Karl glanced toward Kenichiro, silently asking for his opinion—after all, technically, Kenichiro was the one in charge of this job.

"He's an involved party."

Kenichiro's response was brief but decisive.

Very by-the-book, huh? If you're not involved, stay out of it—but if you're in deep, you're in all the way.

Karl, now in full control of the warehouse's surveillance, kept an eye on the fleeing targets as they reached the back exit.

There, one of the escapees jumped into a Thorton Colby—a two-seater.

So only one person was already inside? Just one accomplice?

Karl didn't rush to hijack the vehicle remotely.

Patience. Better to let them lead us further.

Besides, this wasn't a modified Colby—it lacked autonomous driving capabilities, meaning Karl couldn't seize direct control even if he wanted to.

Instead, he hacked into its GPS tracking system, keeping it under constant surveillance.

"You were watching us earlier. Now it's your turn."

As the Colby sped off into the distance, Karl and the others reached the NCPD cruiser.

The heavily-armored "Enforcer" sat untouched—nobody in their right mind would dare mess with a cop car in broad daylight, so there were no nasty surprises like missing tires or a busted windshield.

The moment all four of them were inside, the cruiser roared to life.

Karl, now pressed into his seat from the sheer acceleration, couldn't help but question whether all Santo Domingo natives were born with road rage and a need for speed.

Still, he had to issue a warning.

"Johnson, no need to gun it. I've already sent you their location—we should tail them from a distance. If a cop car starts riding their ass, they'll definitely notice."

"You're thinking there's more waiting ahead, huh?"

Johnson grinned, keeping his foot on the gas.

"Don't worry, Karl..."

"Based on my experience, guys like this will spill everything after a little 'persuasion'!"

Hearing Karl's plan to play the long game, Johnson slammed his foot down on the gas, making the cruiser accelerate even faster.

Don't you dirty cops have any kind of protocol?!

This was way too brutal.

Karl, who had initially intended to investigate this case like a proper detective, now felt the sheer force of the speeding vehicle and wisely chose to shut up.

Right now, his only fear was that if Johnson hit the brakes too suddenly, he might end up biting his own tongue off.

The Johnson inside the car and the Johnson outside the car were two completely different people.

Santo Domingo natives really do all have road rage and a street-racing complex, huh?

Karl was seriously considering engraving this stereotype into his mind.

Despite starting later, the NCPD cruiser was now rapidly closing in on the fleeing Thorton Colby ahead, its driver already pushing the gas to the limit.

The moment the Colby's driver noticed the police vehicle approaching, the car jerked twice, as if the person behind the wheel had started shaking uncontrollably.

"Johnson, maybe slow down a little? If they panic and crash into a building, they'll just end up killing themselves!"

Karl had wanted to stay quiet, but at this rate, he had no choice but to say something.

"Relax, I've handled plenty of scumbags like this!"

Slow down? Not happening.

Johnson pressed a button on the dashboard, and Karl watched in disbelief as the cruiser accelerated even more.

Wait… That button…

Karl's hunch was dead-on—this damn thing had been modified for speed!

Are NCPD cops really out here modding their own cruisers?!

Meanwhile, Jed, sitting beside Karl in the backseat, had turned completely pale.

Did I make the wrong decision getting in this car?

At this speed, even the slightest mistake could send them spinning straight into a concrete wall.

Up ahead, the Colby—now under immense pressure from the pursuing police cruiser—veered wildly, its driver visibly losing control.

Karl watched as the car completely failed to make a proper turn, its wheels jerking erratically before suddenly starting to spin out of control.

He had seen plenty of race crashes before, and the outcome was always the same—after a few uncontrollable spins, the car would inevitably slam into a barrier at full speed.

Those guys inside… they're dead for sure.

But just as Karl had this thought—

Johnson floored the gas and surged forward.

Dying from a self-inflicted crash? Not on my watch!

The moment the Colby spun sideways, leaving its broadside exposed, Johnson struck.

Slamming the police cruiser into the Colby's side, he forced it to stop mid-spin, using the momentum to shove it forward in a controlled slide.

The screeching of tires on asphalt filled the air as the Colby skidded sideways, dragged along by the force of the impact.

Then, just as they reached the perfect position, Johnson eased off the gas, allowing inertia to carry them forward before finally hitting the brakes.

With a final screech, the NCPD cruiser came to a stop—

—the Colby now fully immobilized in front of them.

FORCED INTERCEPTION: SUCCESSFUL.

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