Chapter 659: Begin the Investigation, Suspected Nuclear Warhead
Inside the small airplane, Ophelia was taken aback by Luo An's question for a moment before she answered with a smile:
"To my knowledge, there are only six."
"Six, and you say 'only'."
Luo An's eyelids twitched as he, with his "Emotion Perception" turned on, could feel that the other party was definitely lying.
But Ophelia's implication was simple: don't ask, and I don't know either. Anyway, the official public figure is six, so it's six.
Taking a deep breath and not dwelling on the topic, Luo An continued to inquire:
"Aside from contacting our FBI for assistance in finding the nuclear warheads, has your military internally sent out a search party?"
Ophelia shook her head:
"No."
Luo An's mouth quirked up slightly; his "Emotion Perception" detected that this was a lie as well.
After pondering for a moment, Luo An decided to send a message to the four Winslow team members after getting off the plane, instructing them to be extra vigilant during their operation.
Luo An then asked a few more questions about the nuclear warheads, to which Ophelia did not lie and told the truth.
After chatting idly for a short while, Luo An began to close his eyes and rest; after all, there was still some distance between Washington D.C. and New Mexico.
The next morning, Luo An and Ophelia drove straight towards the area where the nuclear missiles had been stolen.
Halfway through, Luo An's cellphone suddenly rang. He pressed the answer button, and Mona's laughter came through the phone:
"Two pieces of good news, Luo An."
"What is it?"
"Winslow and Michelle are having a very smooth time."
Sounds of keyboard tapping came through the phone, and with a laugh, Mona explained:
"Early this morning, Albuk called one of his old friends, and the signal was picked up by the NSA (National Security Bureau), successfully pinpointing his exact location.
Winslow and Michelle are not too far from that area; I've already sent them the exact coordinates, and they are on their way there."
"Good, tell them to remember to coordinate with the local SWAT team and be careful."
Luo An nodded with satisfaction and continued to ask:
"You just said there are two pieces of good news, what's the second one?"
"The second one is related to you guys."
Mona swiftly explained:
"I checked Wilfredo's bank statement for clues about his spending.
The results showed that one hour and twenty-seven minutes ago, in a city called 'Carissoso,' he purchased some long-term storage food as well as several hundred 5.56 caliber bullets."
"Only bullets?"
Luo An frowned slightly:
"No firearms?"
"No."
Mona at the other end of the phone carefully reviewed the information on the computer and said:
"The record shows that Wilfredo's preferred firearm is an AR-15 rifle. I suspect he might have a rifle already or perhaps purchased one from the underground market. Now he just needs bullets."
"Got it."
After a brief casual talk, Luo An took the initiative to hang up the phone and turned the car towards Carissoso.
By noon, Luo An and Ophelia arrived at Carissoso South District and found the store where Wilfredo bought the food.
When the girl at the checkout saw the photo shown by Luo An, she nodded, chewing gum and said:
"Yes, he came here to buy stuff this morning."
Luo An asked:
"What did he buy, do you remember?"
"Chocolate, biscuits, mineral water, sugar..."
The girl, chewing her bubble gum, listed a few types of food, then suddenly clapped her hands together, pointed towards a distant shelf, and with a smile, said:
"Right, that guy also bought twenty packs of MRE rations that even dogs wouldn't eat."
"..."
MRE rations, one of the most infamous individual soldier's rations in the Federation.
The actual contents are not easy to describe. Last century, a certain Cosmic Country in the East suffered a disaster and faced severe food shortages, so the Federation sent over a large quantity of MRE rations.
As a result, these rations were used to feed pigs and dogs instead of humans, and soldiers on the Federation's own soil felt a headache at the sight of MREs.
It was precisely because of this that the girl had a profound impression of Wilfredo, at one point even suspecting that Wilfredo intended to harm others.
Wilfredo and Luo An exchanged glances, equally puzzled by Wilfredo's purchase of MREs, but that was not important now. Luo An continued to ask:
"Did you see which direction this person went after leaving the mall?"
"Go find the manager in the back."
The girl, chewing gum, waved her hand casually, indicating that there was a hidden surveillance camera at the top right of the mall's entrance. It was mainly used to prevent some zero-cost smuggled shoppers, and the mall manager was responsible for the surveillance footage.
After finding the manager and explaining their identities and intentions, Luo An and his colleague quickly obtained the surveillance from that time.
"This is an old-fashioned videotape surveillance system that isn't connected to the internet."
In the car outside the mall, looking at the notes recorded in the notebook, Luo An spoke to Mona on the phone:
"Help me find a black SUV, the license plate number is--, and figure out which direction it went."
"No big deal, easy."
With a casual smile, Mona started typing vigorously on the keyboard, and soon she found the trace of that vehicle:
"The other party is speeding on Route 134, but their intended destination is still unclear."
Luo An immediately started the car and dashed into the traffic, speeding along and saying:
"Send the information of that SUV to the police near that road, ask them to pay attention to their surveillance."
"No problem."
Mona agreed immediately without hesitation, and Luo An was about to hang up the phone when suddenly Mona shouted:
"Wait! Luo An!"
"What's the matter?"
"Something's off! There's something wrong with the back seat of that SUV!"
Mona's voice over the phone suddenly became very urgent and she quickly explained:
"I reviewed the footage of the SUV entering the highway, and indeed Wilfredo was inside.
Through the front windshield, I could see a cloth-covered, cylindrical object on the back seat!
Also, the speed of that SUV is off, it doesn't seem like it's being driven by one person, it's more like a car being towed by another person!"
Mona's latter words were a bit convoluted, but Luo An understood her meaning—that aside from Wilfredo, there might be an object in the SUV that weighed about as much as a person.
Luo An's expression darkened slightly as he turned to Ophelia and asked in a grave tone:
"How much does that missing nuclear warhead weigh?"
Ophelia quickly answered:
"Around 180 pounds."
After the little boy successfully ended the war, the Federation had been crazily advancing on the path of nuclear weapon miniaturization since the Cold War.
After much effort, their tactical nuclear warheads could not only be mounted on various tactical missiles, but their size was also compatible with the 6-inch howitzers used by both sides, with some even weighing only 70 pounds, around 60 plus kilograms.
"180 pounds... just over 160 kilograms, roughly the same as a person."
Luo An narrowed his eyes slightly in mental calculation, and then with a severe look, he ordered:
"Mona, immediately contact the law enforcement department ahead on Route 134! Explain the situation, and have them send someone to stop Wilfredo from moving forward immediately!
Additionally, call the experts of the relevant departments, and have them prepare to deal with the nuclear bomb!"
"Understood!"
Mona on the other end broke out in a cold sweat and quickly agreed, whispering before hanging up the phone:
"Luo An, you must be careful."
"Don't worry."
Luo An smiled, then hung up the phone, pressed the gas pedal all the way down, and the car's speed increased again, speeding towards the target direction!