Chapter 88: Kidnap II

But it was already too late.

By the time they reached the shattered window, the man had disappeared or more like vanished with the wind, taking Lumi with him.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then Darian slammed his fist against the windowsill, his expression twisting with rage.

"DAMN IT!"

Reeta hurried to the window, searching the grounds below, but there was no sign of either the intruder or Lumi.

Celestine stood frozen near the doorway, staring at the empty space where her sister had been only moments ago.

"Lumi..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Felix’s face had turned deathly pale, while Esther stood behind him, unable to utter a word.

Their daughter had been taken.

Right under their noses.

And the most terrifying part was that nobody knew who had taken her, where he was taking her, or why.

Leon withdrew his communicator, his expression turning frighteningly cold.

"Seal off the entire residence. Notify the security forces and send the surveillance footage to me immediately. I want every exit monitored, and I want to know how that man got past our security."

His gaze shifted toward the broken window, his fists tightening at his sides.

Whoever the man was, he had deliberately broken into Lumi’s room, bypassed the Pei family’s security, and escaped with her before anyone could intervene.

This wasn’t a random intrusion.

Lumi Pei had been kidnapped.

Leon immediately contacted the security department, ordering them to seal every exit around the Pei residence while sending a team to search the surrounding area.

Within minutes, the previously quiet household descended into chaos as servants rushed to carry out his orders, and the security guards began reviewing the surveillance footage.

However, the more Leon learned, the darker his expression became.

"There’s no footage of anyone entering through the main entrance," one of the guards reported nervously. "We’re checking the perimeter cameras now, but the intruder appears to have avoided most of the surveillance system."

"Then check the blind spots," Leon replied coldly. "I don’t care how long it takes. Find out how he got in and where he went."

"Yes, Young Master Caesar!"

After dismissing the guard, Leon turned toward the others, only to find Darian pacing furiously beside the broken window.

"Someone that fast, capable of avoiding every camera..." Darian mumbled under his breath, his expression growing darker as he pieced the details together. "You... Leon... Raphael and the other two S-rank Sentinels..."

He suddenly stopped pacing and looked at Leon.

"You know what I’m thinking, don’t you?"

Leon didn’t answer immediately.

He knew exactly what Darian was getting at, and unfortunately, the possibility wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounded.

The Empire’s surveillance system was built using advanced technology specifically designed to monitor high-profile criminals, including top-ranked Sentinels whose extraordinary speed and abilities could easily render ordinary security cameras useless.

The system could track their movements, predict changes in direction, and adjust its recording angles accordingly, making it exceedingly difficult for even an S-rank Sentinel to evade detection completely.

Of course, the system wasn’t infallible. Certain abilities could interfere with surveillance equipment, and someone with sufficient knowledge of its weaknesses might find a way around it.

However, avoiding every camera while breaking into a heavily guarded residence and escaping with a person in tow was no simple feat.

Even among the Empire’s strongest Sentinels, only a handful possessed the speed, precision, or specialized abilities required to pull off something like this.

Leon turned toward his adjutant, his expression stern.

"Check Mika and Charles’ whereabouts during the time of the kidnapping. Find out where they were, what they were doing, and whether anyone can verify their locations."

"Yes, Young Master Caesar!"

The adjutant immediately took out his communicator and began relaying the orders.

Leon narrowed his eyes as he glanced toward the shattered window.

If the kidnapper possessed abilities capable of evading the Empire’s advanced surveillance system, he couldn’t afford to overlook any possibilities, even if it meant investigating people he knew.

Meanwhile, Darian had stopped pacing, his expression growing increasingly grim as he stared at the shattered glass scattered across the floor.

"There’s something else bothering me," he muttered.

"What is it?" Leon asked, frowning.

Darian turned toward the broken window and looked down at the lawn below. Through the shattered glass, he could see Felix already outside, inspecting the surrounding area with several security guards, apparently hoping to find some trace of the intruder.

"It’s broad daylight, and there are you here.. in this residence, yet someone managed to slip in, break Lumi’s window, and carry her away without anyone noticing." Darian’s expression darkened. "I mean, how is that even possible? Even if the intruder was fast, shouldn’t someone have sensed his presence?"

"I understand what you’re getting at," Leon replied, his frown deepening.

The Caesar residence and the Pei residence were both protected by advanced security systems designed to detect unauthorized intrusions, and the Pei family was hardly an ordinary household. With Felix and the others present, the intruder should have faced considerable resistance, even if he possessed the abilities of a high-ranking Sentinel.

Yet, somehow, he had entered Lumi’s room and escaped before anyone could stop him.

"That means we can’t simply assume he relied on speed alone," Leon continued. "He might have had an insider helping him."

Darian’s expression immediately darkened. "Yes... the possibility is high."

His gaze drifted toward the corridor, where several servants had gathered anxiously, whispering among themselves as the security guards questioned them.

Suddenly, as though remembering something important, Darian rushed toward the window again, briefly checking the stairs and hallway before turning to one of the servants.

"Wait a minute..." He quickly scanned the people around him once again before finally looking straight at the servants. "Where is your Young Miss?"

The servant blinked in confusion. "S-Sir Darian, which Young Miss are you referring to?"

"Celestine Pei!" Darian snapped, his uneasiness growing. "Where is she?"

"Young Miss was here earlier..." The servant looked around anxiously, seemingly only then realizing that Celestine was nowhere to be seen.

Darian’s expression changed.

"Find Miss Celestine!" he shouted.