Chapter 51
Changing Only For Her
Chapter 51 Who Are You Really Sophie did not need to do self-studying sessions on Saturday night, so she went to Monarch Mall and bought a gift. Just as she was about to head home, she encountered Eustace and the others.
Eustace looked like he was in the middle of an angry outburst, and the few technicians beside him barely dared to take a breath.
âCaptain Sheppard, isnât that Ms. Tanner? Maybe we should ask her for help.â Although Danny was embarrassed about failing the pursuit despite being a professional technician, he knew that Sophie was rather brilliant. Maybe sheâll be able to help us out.
âMs. Tanner?â Eustace looked in the direction Danny was staring in and saw Sophie, who had her head lowered as she used her phone.
The young woman was wearing a set of ordinary clothes that she bought off Amazon. Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and she looked plain. Despite so, many people were still looking at her.
After all, she was pretty, and pretty people would always catch the attention of others easily.
âYes.â
Eustace and Danny then walked over.
Noticing a sudden shadow looming over her, Sophie raised her head only to see Eustace.
âAnything I can help you with?â
âMs. Tanner, can you do us a favor?â It was quite an urgent matter, and if they messed it up, everyone in Monarch Mall would die.
In response, Sophie took out a piece of chewing gum to put in her mouth before she asked, âWhat is it?â
Eustace pulled Sophie to the side.
âA desperado has run into Monarch Mall and is now hiding in here. Itâs Saturday today, and there are lots of people in Monarch Mall.â
âCanât you just go in and arrest him?â Iâm not a police officer. I canât help with that, can I?
âWell, the thing is, he has a bomb on him.â
If not for the bomb, I wouldnât have called him a desperado.
âWeâll only give him too much pressure if so many of us enter. And a cornered beast will definitely do something wild and unpredictable. Thatâs why we need to pinpoint where he is. This man is an intelligent criminal. Our people canât figure out where he is exactly, and the longer this drags on, the more danger the people inside will be in.â
They were in Jipsdale, and this was the Monarch Mall. If anything were to happen here, Chanaea would become the laughingstock of the whole world.
Most importantly, there were plenty of patrons in Monarch Mall, and they were all going to die.
After Sophie heard what was going on, she bobbed her head.
âOkay, Iâll help you out.â
Hearing that, Eustace led Sophie to a black car where a technician was still trying to trace the criminalâs whereabouts.
Sadly, he could not even find a single clue. He had never encountered someone as brilliant as the criminal. It was as if someone else was covering the criminalâs tracks for him.
Danny asked the technician before the machine to stand up and invited Sophie to sit down.
Still chewing on the gum, Sophieâs slender fingers danced elegantly across the keyboard.
Eustace watched her work from behind her, hoping that she could speed up even more.
âSomeoneâs helping him.â
Sophie frowned. She knew then the criminal case was getting complicated.
Thereâs more than one man, and they had entered Monarch Mall with ulterior motives.
âDo you have any way to track him down?â
âYes.â
Lines and lines of code appeared on the screen as Sophie fought against the hacker behind the criminals.
Five minutes later, the screen of the other partyâs computer turned black, and he could not turn it on anymore.
âWhat the f*ck? What kind of person did Eustace find who can actually hack my computer?â
Now that no one could help the criminal hide anymore, all Sophie needed was a minute before she found him.
A red dot appeared on the screen.
âYouâre amazing, Ms. Tanner!â Danny could not help but cry out.
âYou can go apprehend him now.â
âThank you. Iâll transfer you the monetary reward for this.â
âOkay,â was all Sophie said.
Eustace then hurried away to arrest the criminal. As the criminal had a bomb on him, he also brought men from the bomb squad.
âMs. Tanner, youâre fantastic! Can I ask you some questions?â
âSorry, but I have some matters to attend to.â
With that, Sophie stood up to leave.
âDanny, who is she? She looks young!â
âYeah, sheâs only eighteen. Donât feel jealous, though. Some are just born a prodigy.â Some people were gifted individuals who could do anything with ease. On the other hand, some could never become geniuses no matter how hard they tried. Nevertheless, all one needed to do was to do their best.
Just as Sophie stepped out of the black car, Tristan called.
âWhere are you? Iâm coming to pick you up.â
She doesnât listen to anyone at all. I told her to rest at home because sheâs sick, but sheâs running everywhere!
âIâm at Monarch Mall,â Sophie replied.
After the call ended, she stayed in her spot and waited for him.
However, no one expected the criminal to jump off the building.
Many people were entering and leaving Monarch Mall at that time, so when they saw a man falling to his death from the building, they screamed.
Eustace immediately asked his men to seal off the place.
âHurry up! He still has a bomb on him that hasnât been defused!â
The men from the bomb squad rushed over. However, it was their first time seeing such a complicated bomb design, and for a moment, they had no idea what to do.
âEvacuate the people,â Eustace promptly ordered.
He then walked over to Sophie.
âMs. Tanner, please leave quickly. The bomb will go off at any time.â
They havenât dismantled the bomb even after such a long time?
âCaptain Sheppard, seems like your men arenât efficient at all!â
They canât track down the guy, and they donât even know how to defuse the bomb. The governmentâs wasting their money on them by giving them such high pay!
âThe other partyâs a Ph.D. student of the prestigious Athene University. Heâs very smart.â
âI never thought that the famous Captain Sheppard would be scrambling for excuses.â
At that, Sophie handed him the bag in her hands.
âHold this for me. This costs ten million, so donât lose it.â
That was all she said before walking toward the bomb, about to defuse it.
Eustace grabbed her.
âWhat are you doing? Donât you know how dangerous this is?â
Sophie pulled her hand away from his.
âDonât worry. I wonât haunt you if I die.â
At that, Eustace handed the bag to his subordinate before entering the scene with Sophie.
âCaptain Sheppard, leave now! Thereâs only a minute left!â
The men from the bomb squad had decided to retreat from the scene. After all, the people had all been evacuated, and what they prioritized most was the safety of the people.
âMove aside.â
âYoung lady, this is too dangerous! You need to run, now!â
Sophie did not want to waste any more breath on him, so she shoved him aside and crouched down to take a glance at the bomb. Then, she took the equipment from the side.
âCaptain Sheppard, this is a real bomb!â
This isnât a game! Is this girl not afraid of dying?
âBoth of you should evacuate now,â Eustace said to the two bomb squad technicians.
âCaptain Sheppardâ¦â was all the two technicians could say before they realized that there was no time left.
Thus, they began running away from the scene.
âGet down,â Sophie ordered.
Eustace had always been the one to order others around, but a young woman was now the one giving orders. Nevertheless, he still did as she said.
After Sophie cut the green line, she then cut the red one.
Everyone on the special police force was sprawled on the floor. Even the men from the bomb squad could not defuse the bomb, so all of them were sure that it would go off.
However, ten seconds passed. Then, twenty. Thirty. A minute.
Sophie stood up and began walking away.
When she saw Eustace still sprawled on the ground, her lips curled.
Her smile was what greeted Eustace when he lifted his head.
It was a blinding grin.
âWho are you really?â he asked, staring at the young woman in front of him in confoundment.