Chapter 5

Arthur panicked too. He gripped the edge of the table, his lips trembling.

"Officer, you must have made a mistake. She’s usually too scared to even walk down a dark street. How could she cross the border? What if... what if she really doesn't come back..."

But he quickly straightened his back, coughing to cover his fear.

"Hmph! Maybe a little suffering will do her some good! Kids today think they're so tough. Once she gets beaten up out there, she’ll realize how good she had it at home!"

"I bet she went to that dangerous place on purpose just to scare us and make us beg her to come back! No way!"

...

In the briefing room of the Border Police Station.

The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

The family had been brought here overnight.

Officer Miller threw a freshly intercepted video onto the table in front of them.

"Take a look."

"This was sent by an informant across the border. It shows the group of captives smuggled in yesterday."

The video was blurry and shaky.

The background showed a dark, thick jungle and armed guards holding rifles.

A group of exhausted, thin people were being forced off a truck like cattle.

In the corner, a small, frail figure stood out.

She was wearing a faded school hoodie, clutching a small bottle of water.

Though her face was blurry, Brenda recognized her instantly.

It was Chloe.

The daughter who always kept her head down at home and never dared to speak loudly.

In the video, a muscular guard was whipping a man who walked too slowly.

The sound of the whip hitting bare skin made everyone in the room shudder.

"Officer! Can... can you still save her?"

Arthur finally lost his composure.

"I don't need the treatment anymore... I don't want the money! Just bring her back to work on the farm! That place looks like a death trap!"

Miller looked at him with sheer disgust.

"Save her? That is a lawless wasteland controlled by ruthless cartel syndicates."

"Going in there is a death sentence."

"And according to our intel, this batch of people was bought to be 'blood bags' and 'donors'."

"Donors?" Hunter squeaked.

"Living organ donors," Officer Avery added coldly.

"They drain your blood, take your corneas, and harvest your organs until there's nothing left of you. That is the place you forced her into."

"She literally sold herself to raise the surgery money for a father who faked cancer."

"According to the smuggler we arrested, right before she crossed, she was still asking if she could get a $50,000 advance on her salary."

"Because her mother told her that her dad’s surgery was still $50,000 short."

At that moment, the last bit of color drained from the family's faces.

Brenda slumped into her chair, her lips shivering.

"I... I just said that randomly..."

"I just wanted her to make more money... I didn't want her to die!"

Suddenly, Brenda lunged forward, grabbing Miller’s sleeve so hard her nails tore into the fabric. She screamed hysterically:

"Officer! You're a cop! You have to save her! She went there to save her father’s life! We lied to her... we ruined her!"

"Please, go save her! If you're too late... Chloe will be gone forever!"

Miller coldly pushed her hand away.

"You're crying now? It's too late."

*Ding.*

Suddenly, Brenda’s phone lit up on the table.

A scheduled text message from Chloe popped up on the screen:

*“Mom, the boss gave me an advance of $50,000. Dad can have his surgery now. Don't worry about me.”*

Those few words felt like a red-hot iron branding Brenda’s eyes.

She shrieked in pain, and the phone clattered to the floor.

Arthur stared at the message, then raised his hand and slammed a hard slap across his own face, letting out a guttural, animal-like sob.

Just then, the border patrol radio crackled to life.

Through the static, a tense voice came through.

"Report! We have an update from the border!"

"The cartel compound's weapons depot just exploded!"

"It triggered a massive chain of explosions and a raging fire! The entire compound is swallowed in flames!"

"No survivors!"

"While clearing the perimeter, we recovered a charred backpack."

"Inside was an ID card. The name is... Chloe."