Chapter 31: Talk at the Police Station

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Talk at the Police Station

The scene was caught on camera by a student in the distance. Consequently, Rian Sinclair and her beloved car went viral on the Argent University forum. After all, a university wouldn’t be complete without its fair share of gossipers and clickbait peddlers.

[SHOCKING! Mysterious Woman Appears at Argent University!]

[STUNNING! The True Owner of the 90 Million LaFerrari is Actually...]

[BREAKING! A Loss of Humanity or Moral Decay?! Female College Student Caught Doing THIS!]

[JAW-DROPPING! The Young Female Ferrari Owner is Her!]

[MIND-BLOWING! Even the Vestrian President Was Stunned! A Mysterious Woman at Argent University...]

[TOO GRAPHIC! College Student Does THIS in the Parking Lot!]

The masked owner of the silver-gray Ferrari became an overnight sensation on the forum, entirely unbeknownst to her.

Theories ran wild online, yet no one knew the true owner was Rian. Nor did anyone associate the luxury car with her. After all, her social circle at the university had previously been non-existent. People had no impression of her; even her own classmates barely knew who she was.

She was essentially Rian "Zero Presence" Sinclair.

The entire school forum buzzed with speculation about the mysterious woman’s identity. Some jokingly claimed it was themselves. Others guessed it was the child of some powerful tycoon, a university executive’s daughter, or a second-generation heiress. A few even suggested she was a sugar baby.

Comment threads piled up by the thousands as everyone debated the enigmatic woman. However, those claiming she was a sugar baby were quickly flamed. Whether out of defense for the unknown woman or simply to protect the university’s reputation, spreading such rumors was seen as a disgrace to the school.

Someone even dug up photos and faceless videos of Rian during class. They showed a pair of slender fingers swiping frantically across a phone screen.

Soon after, the so-called "rational" college students started a new wave of threads.

[TOO CRINGE TO WATCH! What’s the Reason? Click to Find Out.]

[SHOCKING! I Can’t Believe This Happened Right Beside Me!]

[TERRIFYING! Female College Student Openly Does THIS in Class!]

[BLUSHING! A Student’s Fingers Flash Furiously Across Her Screen! Is it a Loss of Humanity or Moral Decay?]

Stuck in traffic on the highway, Rian had no idea that those internet trolls at the university had openly built comment skyscrapers on the forum. Some unhinged users were ditching all decency as they spammed the boards. It seemed these idle netizens had turned into internet sleuths, dedicated to uncovering the true identity of the Ferrari’s owner.

Rian drove her car out of the school grounds.

[Target #6 Affection Increase Detected. Current Affection: 60. Rewarded 10 free attribute points. Please allocate them reasonably!]

Rian’s fingers paused slightly on the steering wheel before she directed the car toward the police station.

After speaking with an officer at the station, she was led to a lounge. A moment later, a middle-aged man in a police uniform walked in.

"Hello, Miss Sinclair. I am Officer Forrest."

Rian smiled and nodded. "Hello, Officer Forrest."

The man saluted and continued. "Miss Sinclair, thank you very much for the information you provided. We have assigned personnel to monitor the livestream, hoping to rescue more people."

"Officer Forrest, by spending that money, I’ve essentially bought Cody’s temporary safety in the livestream. However, I’m not sure if they will swap him out for someone else," Rian said, voicing her concerns.

Officer Forrest nodded. "From what we know, Cody is being controlled by the syndicate over there. We’ve noticed this child before, though he rarely appears on camera. By donating in the livestream today, you’ve guaranteed his safety for the time being."

He added with a hint of concern, "But if you want to ensure his continued safety, it will require a much heavier cost."

Rian naturally understood what he meant—it all boiled down to money. As long as she kept tipping, the captors would see her as a VIP sponsor and wouldn’t dare harm the boy.

"Don’t worry, Officer Forrest. This level of expense is not an issue for me. I just hope to assist you all and see our abducted Veridians return home as soon as possible," Rian said.

Her voice carried the soft, gentle lilt of a southern woman, yet her words were filled with absolute unwavering resolve.

Officer Forrest looked at her in mild surprise. He stood up straight and saluted her once more. "Comrade Sinclair, we will do everything in our power to rescue our trapped compatriots."

"Please contact me if you need anything else," Rian replied. She felt a bit out of place in the police station. In her mind, it was a place of solemn authority, naturally inspiring both respect and a touch of timidity within her.

After exchanging pleasantries and contact information, she took her leave.

The moment she opened her front door, a little white furball bounded over.

Rian scooped up Bandage. Looking at her good girl’s endearing, clumsy charm, the gloom in her heart slightly dissipated. She greeted Auntie Alden and carried Bandage upstairs.

Entering her bedroom, she set the puppy down and gently rubbed her temples. Today’s situation had indeed been sudden. If the system hadn’t alerted her, she would have missed him entirely. She wondered what would have happened to him otherwise.

Abducted at a young age. Poisoned and rendered mute. At only fifteen or sixteen, the light in his eyes had long since been extinguished.

She currently had over two billion in liquid funds, but if she wanted to establish a corporate empire, that amount was far from enough. Her parents had passed away when she was young. It was the state and the government that had supported her and Ash Sinclair back then. Since those days, she had always wanted to do something for her country.

Leaning back in her gaming chair, she let her mind wander.

She needed to slowly build up her own sphere of influence. After all, the enemies were not just in North Boro. There was also The Golden Triangle, a paradise for narcotics; The Sunken Isles, which continued to harm her compatriots; and Meridia, which was hell-bent on being the global hegemon.

Rian took a deep breath.

She picked up her phone, walked over to the balcony, and called Donovan Sinclair. They spoke for a long time. Even after the call ended, Rian remained standing motionless on the balcony, feeling the slight warmth carried by the night breeze.

Sitting back in her gaming chair, she picked up her iPad and began searching for her next target.

She opened a streaming app and scrolled endlessly. Perhaps because she had been watching too much "Honor of Kings" lately, the algorithm almost exclusively recommended "Honor of Kings" streamers. On a whim, Rian tapped into the livestream of a Server-Top Mage. To her satisfaction, the stream only showed the game interface; there was no face cam.

The platform’s administration had already set up her custom entrance effect, and they had worked fast. Thus, the fans in the livestream suddenly saw their screens overtaken by an animation of a noble queen in magnificent attire, stepping backward to take a seat upon a dragon throne.

[What kind of entrance effect is this?]

[First time for everything! I’ve never seen this effect before! Which wealthy patron is here to inspect us?]

[My heart is racing, my hands are shaking! It’s Miss Innocent!]

[Nico! Hurry up and welcome our VIP! Stop playing the game, this is a real-life billionaire!]

[Miss Innocent is the GOAT! Miss Innocent, do you need a leg-hugger? You can put me anywhere you want!]

[This effect is stunning! Miss Innocent, you are my god! I am your biggest fan!]

[Miss Innocent! I’ve already taken off my pants, please ravish me!]

[The guy above dropped his pants in my bowl. Pick them up, bro.]

[Miss Innocent, I want to have your babies! I want to be your dog!]

[Miss Innocent, f*ck me! I love you! You are my literal sister!]