Chapter 1187: In the shed
In the end, Atlas asked Zoren to come with him. Although Zoren was reluctant, Atlas reassured him that Penny would be fine. If anything, the bodyguards were the ones they should worry about. With that, despite his hesitation, Zoren followed Atlas to a private study room.
"I can’t let you go back to the office," was Atlas’s first remark as soon as they sat down. "If people see that on your head, they’ll start talking again."
Zoren touched the bandage on the side of his head. "I was careless."
"You were. You shouldn’t have agreed to Penny’s ridiculous idea of going to that place."
"I’m sorry."
Atlas let out a shallow breath, stopping himself from launching into a full-blown scolding. While he was relieved that everyone was safe, he was not pleased that Zoren hadn’t stopped Penny from going somewhere so dangerous. Though both Penny and Zoren were capable, Atlas wished they hadn’t tested their luck.
"I’m not angry with you. I’m just saying—if you have a choice, don’t put your lives at risk. We were lucky this time, but I can’t guarantee we’ll be lucky next time," Atlas said, his voice flat yet carrying a tinge of worry. "Anyway, I’ve kept in contact with Mint. Fortunately, she’s been kind enough to give me updates on the situation."
"She told me that the victims were transported back to their home countries to reunite with their families. Some had been reported missing, while many didn’t even know they’d been abducted. Apparently, a lot of them had left home to work overseas, unaware that their jobs weren’t what they expected." Atlas summarized, filling Zoren in. "That syndicate wasn’t just running illegal online gambling—they were running scams. Their gambling sites didn’t even let people cash out their winnings, especially if the amounts were large."
"Mint said that another department is chasing after them, but they keep slipping away. Their previous hideout was raided, but they managed to escape before the authorities arrived and moved their operations to this town," he continued solemnly. "The gang was just a front to hide what they were really doing here—or so Mint says."
"I see." Zoren nodded in understanding.