Gu Ji also noticed the barrage of comments from the bomber.

He must have calculated according to the broadcast time of Passion Fruit, with a delay of about a dozen seconds, before rows of peculiar text finally appeared before his eyes.

[Objective: Survive the next half hour!]

[Choose your reward!]

[Disguise Specialization (Mid)] or [Drone Reconnaissance Support*2]

Blue [Disguise Specialization (Mid)]: Increases quick disguise transformation speed by 34%, enhances difficulty of being recognized by 23%, reduces chance of full-face exposure by 28%.

White [Drone Reconnaissance Support*2]: Offers two enemy position updates in the current area, lasting 5 seconds each.

Blue is a higher rank than white.

Theoretically, the benefits and long-term gains from the mark are greater than those from item-based options.

But after pondering for a moment, Gu Ji decided to choose the latter.

Although disguising could reduce the chance of being discovered by the police, it essentially remains a gamble, especially when faced with a large-scale encirclement, where its effectiveness could be diminished.

Conversely, the god’s-eye view provided by the drone was different. It not only offered a complete and clear presentation of police control lines but also allowed Gu Ji to pre-plan an escape strategy.

For someone fighting alone, it was equivalent to having two temporary teammates.

After receiving the reward, the text turned into a white reconnaissance drone icon landing in the lower-left corner of his vision, ready to be used at will via thought.

[New objective: Find at least two buried bombs within the area!]

Seeing the new task, Gu Ji scanned the area ahead.

The entire tennis stadium had at least 23,000 seats, and with such a vast area, there was no way he could search it alone.

“I still need to find the right method and reverse-engineer using the bomber’s mindset.”

To prevent disturbance from the cleaner and security, Gu Ji found a hidden spot to hide, observing and analyzing simultaneously.

NYPD, North Queens Patrol Service Bureau.

Regional Command Center.

A middle-aged black chief inspector was standing in front of a large screen, monitoring the conditions of various districts.

Behind him, four rows of seats held technical personnel and operators who were taking calls and relaying messages to a brown-skinned female officer.

“It’s been half an hour since the incident, why haven’t we tracked down the location of the last suspect?”

The black officer angrily reprimanded.

The female officer immediately ran over to respond.

“Mr. York, Patrol Car 212 just found what appears to be footage of a suspect in disguise near the 711 convenience store on Elmhurst Avenue, but it didn’t catch the full face. Technicians are currently comparing it and checking nearby roads and public transport surveillance.”

“Six patrol cars, twelve officers, yet you can’t apprehend a teenage suspect, do you want to force me to issue a city-wide manhunt? Where does that leave the police department’s reputation?”

“Uh…sorry to interrupt, Chief, Deputy Chief, you need to see this!”

At this point, a tall, skinny technician wearing glasses interrupted the two, approaching with a tablet in hand.

The tablet screen showed a live stream from the New York Daily News network, featuring a female anchor in a purple suit explaining images on the screen, which clearly displayed the bomber’s terror attack comments in Passion Fruit’s chat room.

The female officer immediately reacted.

“Mr. York, the officers from Car 212 had reported to the command center that the suspect claimed he was forced.”

“Where’s this live stream happening? Find it immediately!”

Mr. York felt a sense of unease. If the media report was true, this wasn’t just a simple subway explosion case but an indiscriminate terrorist attack targeting the people of New York City!

The technician quickly swiped the screen and found Passion Fruit’s stream on the Tik app.

“Why is the screen black?”

“The comments say it’s to evade police tracking and avoid revealing the current location.”

“Have the technicians perform IP tracking immediately…”

Before York could finish, his phone vibrated in his pocket, an assistant from the office was calling, “I’m busy. Don’t contact me unless it’s urgent!”

“Chief, I think you should come. The media somehow got the news, claiming the terrorists are live-streaming the bombing, and reporters from The New York Times, USA Today, the Mercury News, and over a dozen outlets are surrounding your office, requesting your comments on the matter…”

What!?

York didn’t expect the situation to escalate so quickly, but bad news often comes in waves.

Before he could devise a plan to deal with the media, the technician announced: “Sorry, Chief, the IP is encrypted and hidden, making it difficult to crack. He definitely has someone assisting him!”

York’s face alternated between pale and flushed.

The female deputy chief suddenly spoke up, “Wait a minute, everyone quiet down, amplify the tablet’s volume!”

The technician complied with the order.

The speaker emitted a crackling noise, and after two or three seconds, a background sound resembling a ship’s whistle faintly emerged. “That’s the main court of the US Open! The suspect is near the main court!”

“Nevia, are you sure?”

“I’m sure! My husband is a fan of the US Open; he’s been watching the matches almost daily. This sound is the preparatory music before the US Open starts. I won’t get it wrong, Chief!”

York squinted and gave three consecutive orders.

“Effective immediately, declare a city-wide search for the suspect, dispatch all nearby patrol cars to the main court of the US Open for control and ambush, contact the organizers to suspend the match, and evacuate the public;”

“Nevia, you handle on-site command and apply for support from the Counter-Terrorism Bureau, deploying an ESU emergency response unit to the main court to prevent another hostage situation;”

“The tech department needs to connect with the Crime Center of the FBI to lock onto the suspect’s mobile communication location, find the live streaming software service provider, shut down the channel, and prevent further panic escalation of the incident!”

With that, Mr. York clapped his hands and urged:

“Everyone act quickly; we must apprehend the suspect within half an hour. Otherwise, once the case is reported to the FBI, it will no longer be ours to investigate, and then both the department’s reputation and bonuses will be gone!”

“Yes!”

All the technical officers in the command center responded in unison.

Once operations began, York picked up the phone, holding it to his ear, and told the secretary: “Stall the media for a bit, I’m coming back!”

Main court of the US Open.

Gu Ji located the fire escape, examining the structural layout of the stadium. The stands were built with reinforced concrete, designed to accommodate 23,000 spectators all at once, thus the floor, load-bearing columns, and walls were all very solid.

Judging by the bomber’s brazen behavior, to create a massive sensation, he must find a way to increase the explosive charge and target critical load-bearing points.

However, this would mean a significant amount of work.

Unless the bombs were planted during the initial construction of the stadium, drilling and digging in such a large venue under the eyes of surveillance and security would be unrealistic.

While contemplating.

Gu Ji suddenly recalled an episode of “Detective Conan” where a stadium bombing case concealed bombs behind the broadcast screen.

He immediately looked up at the awning above him.

Feeling more convinced that this method was highly probable.

As long as the crucial support beams are blown up first, the canopy and screens would fall, and when they crash into the stands, a second chained explosion could be triggered, its destructive power not inferior to demolishing the entire stadium.

This matched the bomber’s brazen and cruel style.

[Art requires cruelty: Tsk tsk tsk, only thirteen minutes left, have you found the bombs yet?]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep