New Jersey, Atlantic City.
Atlantic City, located 97 kilometers southeast of Philadelphia and 201 kilometers south of New York, is a world-famous coastal tourist city and was once a gambling city renowned alongside Las Vegas.
At 7:30 p.m., on a street in the northern part of Atlantic City, in a corner not reached by streetlights, an eight-seater MPV quietly parked by the roadside.
"Didn't expect Anthony Soling to end up coming here."
In the backseat of the MPV, Reesi took a bite of bread, looking through binoculars at the luxury restaurant not far away.
Inside the luxury restaurant, Anthony Soling, dressed in a suit, was sitting alongside a very handsome white man at the dining table.
The two were enjoying the fine food and laughing joyfully, their hands occasionally clasping each other's, with Anthony Soling even gently touching the other man's thigh from time to time, looking very happy.
"..."
Feeling a bit eye-strained, Winslow smirked and looked away, picking up a coffee to hand to Reesi, and laughed:
"Clearly, Anthony Soling is here in Atlantic City for some fun."
"Yeah, his meal alone costs thousands of US dollars."
Reesi grumbled in discontent, then suddenly let out a sly laugh, saying:
"But luckily we have Luo An, so it's not like we can't afford it."
Winslow and Chenier, sitting next to him, exchanged glances and both burst into laughter. Their living standards had undoubtedly improved thanks to following the right person. Chenier chuckled and asked:
"How is Luo An doing over there?"
"He's in contact with the FBI and SWAT teams in Atlantic City, but there seems to be a slight problem."
Reesi took a sip of coffee and said:
"But we can trust Luo An, he always has a way. Right now, our task is to keep an eye on Anthony Soling."
"OK."
The eight-seater MPV gradually quieted down. Further away, at the corner of another street, three SWAT armored vehicles were parked in the shadows, and next to them was a command van.
Inside the command van, Michelle and Mona were sitting on the left, each making their preparations, and on the right, besides Luo An, there was also a middle-aged white man in a black suit.
The man in the suit was named Vincent, a local FBI agent from Atlantic City, responsible for liaising with Luo An's special investigation team.
At first, Vincent was against Luo An's proposal for a capture operation that required the support of three SWAT teams.
Firstly, he thought Anthony Soling was not worth such a huge mobilization; secondly, the large number of SWAT personnel would inevitably cause a significant disturbance, and Vincent worried about drawing the attention of the press and being reported, which could lead to trouble.
Regarding Vincent's first concern, Luo An handed over the record of Anthony Soling's past encounters with the Hostage Rescue Team to him.
As for Vincent's second concern, Luo An didn't say much, just directly called Mr. Clement and Mr. Morgan from the club.
Five minutes later, Vincent received an order from his superiors, demanding his full cooperation with the operation led by Luo An.
Vincent: "..."
Faced with Vincent's shocked and complex gaze, Luo An smiled, patted him gently on the shoulder, and said:
"Don't worry, I don't like those reporters either."
Luo An didn't plan to carry out the capture operation in the bustling center of Atlantic City, mainly to avoid and prevent more bystanders from getting hurt.
Therefore, Luo An ordered Reesi, Winslow, and Michelle to track Anthony Soling, find out where he was staying, and then prepare to catch him off guard with a surprise raid.
Mona and Michelle, who were with Luo An, were currently accessing nearby surveillance cameras, ready to closely monitor Anthony Soling's movements via the network.
Hearing Luo An's words, Vincent heaved a sigh of relief:
"Sorry, Group Leader Luo An."
"I understand."
Luo An laughed, knowing that federal reporters are definitely one of the most troublesome groups to deal with, with the charm of journalism fully demonstrated through them.
Having cleared things up and with a simple handshake, Luo An and Vincent began to discuss the action plan with a smile.
Not long after, Mona stopped typing on the keyboard and turned to say:
"Group Leader, the surveillance of the area is ready."
"Good."
Luo An nodded in satisfaction, just about to speak when Michelle suddenly furrowed his brow and said:
"Group Leader, we've got a situation!"
Mona was momentarily stunned, before quickly turning around. Vincent also immediately scooted his chair closer, and Luo An asked:
"What's going on?"
"Anthony Soling has left the dining table!"
Michelle tapped her keyboard a few times, pulling up the internal surveillance of the upscale restaurant, and spoke rapidly:
"Just now, Anthony Soling got up and went to the restroom, he still hasn't come out!"
Luo An frowned slightly and instantly pressed the communicator by his ear:
"Chenier?"
Chenier's voice quickly came through the communicator:
"Reesi and Winslow have already gotten out of the car and went to check, no problems so far."
"OK."
Luo An narrowed his eyes and watched the computer screen without saying much, while Michelle, Mona, and Vincent also stared intently at the monitor, the atmosphere inside the command vehicle becoming extremely quiet.
"Sssshhh——Crash——"
Suddenly, a piercing static noise erupted in everyone's earpieces, followed by an urgent and cursing shout from Reesi:
"Group Leader! Anthony Soling somehow sensed something was off, he ambushed us in the restroom, and now he's running out the back of the restaurant!"
"Fu-k!"
Chenier instantly cursed loudly, while Luo An did not hesitate to rush out of the command car and into an SUV nearby, slamming the gas and shooting forward, then quickly said:
"Mona, Michelle, immediately locate him through the surveillance!
Vincent, lead the SWAT to start the pursuit!"
"Understood!" x3
All three responded in unison, with Vincent immediately leading the SWAT team into action. Luo An then switched channels and asked:
"Reesi, how are you and Winslow doing?"
"I'm fine, just took a few punches to the face."
Reesi's voice was somewhat irked, with the sound of running echoing in the background of the communicator as she said:
"But Winslow got hit on the head, it's bleeding a bit."
"I'm alright too."
Winslow's voice followed swiftly through the communicator, his tone filled with anger:
"That motherf**ker Anthony Soling, he's driving a Ford heading east, license plate number is xxx! We're about to get in the car and chase him!"
"Found him!"
Right after Winslow's voice, Mona's voice immediately followed:
"Luo An, that car is speeding towards highway 63 on the east side! You turn left at the intersection ahead, then go straight! Vincent and his team are not far behind you!"
"OK."
Luo An instantly changed the direction of the steering wheel, floored the accelerator, and the SUV, like a streak of black lightning, vanished from the astonished gaze of the pedestrians and drivers.
Not far behind, in an armored personnel carrier, several SWAT team members' eyelids twitched as they watched the SUV disappear in an instant. Vincent's face twitched, he pressed the communicator:
"Agent Mona, we seem, might, possibly won't be able to catch up with Group Leader Luo An."
"Make a right turn."
Mona's tone was very calm, as she had anticipated this, and said:
"Follow my command, we'll surround Anthony Soling from the front."
————
The 63 highway was packed with vehicles at 8 PM, many drivers cursing as they waited to move forward.
Suddenly, a Ford sedan burst out of the traffic, weaving and speeding ahead, frightening many drivers who cursed loudly, several hot-tempered folks even reached under their seats to pull out handguns.
But before they could fire, several grenades suddenly tumbled out from the Ford sedan.
"?!" xN