?Chapter 1531:


    Military Announcement: Security measures have been implemented for key witnesses in a major case. Their safety is guaranteed. Any attempt to interfere, obstruct, or intervene will be dealt with severely in ordance with thew. The military remainsmitted to upholding judicial fairness.


    Maia stared at the message, fingers hovering above the screen. Perhaps she had been overly worried. And yet she couldn’t stop herself from wondering—which military leader was behind this sudden intervention?


    Before she could dwell on it, her phone vibrated again. A message from Zoey appeared: “Regarding the military, there’s no additional information at the moment. Since an official announcement has been issued, you don’t need to worry for now.”


    The following week, Wront’s business world was thrown into chaos unlike anything it had seen before.


    At the opening bell, Cooper Group’s stock copsed as though the ground beneath it had given way. It mmed straight into the limit-down threshold, plunging without even a flicker of resistance—no rebound, no hesitation, just a free fall. Investors wailed, some in disbelief, others in fury. Financial analysts scrambled to revise their forecasts, many predicting that Cooper Group’s valuation wouldn’t merely be halved—it might sink all the way to zero, ending in delisting.


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    The authorities delivered another blow. An official announcement confirmed that Cooper Group’s core assets had beenpletely seized, every ount frozen, and a court-ordered auction scheduled in one month to liquidate assets, repay debts, andpensate victims.


    Panic rippled through the market. Though Cooper Group’s reputationy in ruins, its tangible assets—primend, massive factories, proprietary technologies, and valuable patents—remained tempting prizes. Opportunists across Wront sharpened their knives and circled like vultures, eager to carve up the remains of a fallen giant. But no matter how one looked at it, the truth was undeniable: the once-dominant Cooper family had been utterly crushed, its legacy reduced to rubble.


    Far from the spotlight, in the narrow, dimly lit alleys of the old town, Siena’s team finally struck gold.


    “Siena, we’ve got something,” one of her subordinates said, pointing at a blinking red dot on the digital map. “Because of the military blockade, they can’t leave the area. They disappeared at the end of this alley—there’s only one ce there. An underground bar called Nightshade. It’s heavily shielded from casual surveince. This has to be their base in Wront. Maynard is inside.”


    Siena’s lips curled into a sharp, satisfied smirk. “Well done.”


    She immediately dialed Maia. “Maia, we’ve located Maynard’s hideout.”


    After the call ended, Maia remained seated before herptop, the glow of the screen reflected in her eyes as her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard. Sheunched a full-scale background investigation into the Nightshade bar, pulling records, ownership details, and hidden connections with ruthless efficiency.


    At the same time, inside the military’s temporarymand center, tension hung thick in the air. Personnel moved in hurried steps, voices ovepping, screens shing with data.


    At the center of it all, Cade sat hunched over a makeshift desk, raking his fingers through his hair. “Damn it,” he muttered. “Why can’t we find her?”


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