Midnight, in Colorado, on a distant highway in the northern part of Kit Carson City, an SUV slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
"The nuclear warhead isn't with Captain Josrey and his team?"
Inside the vehicle, Chenier, Reesi and others turned their gazes towards Luo An, somewhat puzzled:
"What do you mean by that?"
Luo An, resting his chin on his hand, said:
"Based on the clues we have, it can be analyzed that the person who killed the treasure hunter Matteo, the most likely mastermind behind the scenes is Lieutenant Sobian. His real goal is to find that nuclear warhead."
"That's right."
Reesi nodded repeatedly:
"But what still isn't clear is what Sobian ultimately wants to do with the nuclear warhead."
"We can leave that for later discussion and investigation."
Luo An squinted his eyes and said:
"First, let's look at one issue, why would Sobian kill Matteo?"
Winslow and Michelle furrowed their brows while Reesi subconsciously replied:
"From Sobian's perspective, once Matteo disclosed the true location of the nuclear warhead, he became useless and naturally had to be killed."
Chenier, with a tight frown, pondered for a few seconds before suddenly raising her head and clapping her hand:
"The real reason Sobian killed Matteo was to prevent Josrey and his team from knowing the hidden location of the nuclear warhead!"
Reesi turned her head:
"Isn't that the same as what I said?
With Matteo dead, Josrey and the others naturally can't find out where the nuclear warhead is hidden."
"No, it's not like that."
Chenier shook her head, turned her gaze to Luo An, and said:
"What Luo An means is, Sobian killed Matteo because he wanted Josrey and his team to always keep an eye on himself! Killing the man could deepen their trust and judgement!"
"That's correct."
Luo An patted Chenier on the shoulder and explained to the still somewhat confused Winslow and Reesi:
"If Sobian knows that Josrey and his team are chasing him, then after obtaining the real hidden location of the nuclear warhead, in order to successfully get the warhead and not be caught by Josrey and his team, the best method would be to create a false appearance!"
At that moment, Michelle also came to a realization and exclaimed:
"Sobian killed Matteo, pretending to have discovered the location of the hidden nuclear warhead, leading people to a specific site.
However, in reality, that group was a decoy, just to lure Josrey's team to follow, and the nuclear warhead was not actually in that area.
The real Sobian has already taken people to another direction, where the nuclear warhead is truly hidden!
Mend the pen with a sheep in plain sight, but secretly move the cash; make a feint to the east but attack in the west, The Art of War!"
The Art of War literally translates as "the art of warfare," but its actual meaning is "The Art of War by Sun Tzu."
The book itself is from the East, but the military academies of the Federation all listed it as one of the mandatory courses.
Even the cumulative sales of this book in the Western world are among the top twenty, and MBA training also lists this book as an important subject for learning business strategy.
Hearing the translation of the idioms mentioned by Michelle, Winslow's eyes lit up, understanding Luo An's meaning, and Reesi quickly caught on:
"With Matteo dead, if Josrey wants to find the nuclear warhead or capture Sobian, he can only follow the clues left by Sobian and thereby chase them.
But these clues are deliberately left by Sobian, they are all illusions!"
"That's right."
Luo An nodded. Besides the rational analysis done on the events of Matteo's death and the kidnapping of Chenier and another, the sentiment-perceiving calculator in his mind also supported this deduction.
Previously, when arresting the mercenary Wilfredo who was carrying the nuclear warhead, Luo An's sentiment-perception never emitted an intense warning signal.
The sentiment-perception that usually gets excited even with grenades was undisturbed by the nuclear warhead today, which made Luo An suspect for a moment that it might be broken.
Because he was a step behind, Matteo was killed, leaving him without any clues.
To find Sobian, the best way was to first follow the clues arranged by Sobian, then capture one of Sobian's subordinates along the way, force out the real location, and finally arrest Sobian."
Reesi blinked:
"Having to follow the enemy's plans because of this, isn't that still a lack of capability?"
"..."
Michelle opened her mouth but, for a moment, didn't know how to refute.
Luo An gently patted Reesi's arm, saying in a deep voice:
"Let's not discuss Captain Josrey's situation for now, our primary target next is still to find that nuclear warhead."
Saying this, Luo An took another map and examined it carefully before commanding:
"Winslow, you stay in this area later, just observe the battle involving Captain Josrey and that farm from a distance, don't get close."
This was mainly to stay cautious and to keep a continual watch on the developments involving Captain Josrey and others.
"Understood."
Winslow nodded, Luo An then said to Chenier, Michelle, and Reesi:
"You three come with me, we're heading to the neighboring Texas."
The suspected secret base of Matteo, as mentioned by the mercenary Wilfredo earlier, was located in a region in the west of Texas.
"OK."
The three women nodded in agreement and Luo An pressed the communicator to ask Mona to help them arrange a helicopter and cars.
The group acted according to plan, Winslow left first, and Luo An's foursome began waiting for the helicopter to arrive.
Because they were very tired, Chenier and Reesi leaned on each other and closed their eyes to rest, Michelle made them some convenient food, and Luo An stood aside, pondering for a long time, then pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
The phone was quickly answered, and a seductive female voice came from it:
"Good evening, Group Leader Luo An, have you thought it through?"
"That phrase doesn't quite seem appropriate coming from a woman."
"?"
Luo An laughed lightly then moved onto the main topic, saying:
"I need a favor, I need to talk to your father."