Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 498: Heard Before

When the police car domineeringly pulled up to the hotel entrance and came to a screeching halt, several tall officers in uniform quickly stepped out of the vehicle. Among them, a short, stout officer with slightly graying hair and the only one wearing a trench coat walked at the forefront. After glancing at the Bentley parked at the entrance, his solemn expression shifted towards everyone standing at the doorway.

As soon as he saw Yang Chen, the elderly white officer revealed a somewhat smug smile and walked directly up to him.

"Are you Mr. Yang from Yanxia?" the white officer asked.

Yang Chen frowned, casting a glance at Goodman beside him. It was hard not to suspect that some meddlesome person had tipped off the police so quickly.

Goodman, not being foolish, hurriedly waved his hands and said anxiously, "Director Yang, it wasn't me who called the police. I really don't know anything!"

Yang Chen turned back and smiled, "It's me. Officer, is there something you need?"

"I'm Bolton from the Paris Police Department's Anti-Terrorism Unit. We have strong suspicions that you, Mr. Yang, are closely connected to a terrorist kidnapping and shooting incident that occurred two hours ago near Romilly." Officer Bolton took a document from a policeman beside him and said, "This is an arrest warrant. Please come with us to the station immediately to assist in the investigation."

Yang Chen looked around and saw at least ten officers glaring at him. He couldn't help but laugh, "Officer Bolton, can I take care of some personal matters first? Your dramatic entrance might frighten everyone."

"This is unavoidable. The crime scene was very brutal, and we must take a cautious approach towards you, Mr. Yang," Bolton said with a cold smile, "If you want to hire a defense lawyer, you can do so at the station. Rest assured, we will not mistreat foreign guests."

With that, Bolton signaled with his eyes, and two officers immediately stepped behind Yang Chen, restrained his hands, and started escorting him to the car.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

Everyone turned to see Lin Ruoxi, who had just entered the hotel, now running out and loudly stopping the two officers.

Lin Ruoxi had been waiting for Yang Chen and Goodman in the lobby. Worried that something might have happened to Yang Chen when she heard the commotion outside, she hurried out, only to witness Yang Chen being forced into the car.

"Ruoxi, please don't act rashly. This officer has an arrest warrant. We cannot prevent him from taking Director Yang," Goodman quickly stepped in front of Lin Ruoxi to stop her, saying, "It seems there's a misunderstanding regarding the kidnappers earlier. They suspect Director Yang and are taking him away. We'll get a defense lawyer for him immediately, and everything will be fine."

The surrounding executives of Yulei also knew this was the time to show loyalty. Although they didn't understand the whole situation, they immediately clamored that they would help Lin Ruoxi solve this problem and ensure nothing happened to Yang Chen in Paris.

Yang Chen turned back, winked at Lin Ruoxi from behind the crowd to reassure her, and then got into the police car.

Lin Ruoxi was blocked by a crowd, and in the end, she could only watch helplessly as Yang Chen was taken away by the officers. The three police cars arrived quickly and left just as fast.

Watching the red taillights of the three police cars disappear down the street, Lin Ruoxi stood silently for a long time before coldly saying, "Goodman, go find the best lawyer in Paris immediately. I want to see Yang Chen back here by dawn!"

Goodman, sweating profusely, made gestures to calm Lin Ruoxi down, smiling apologetically, "Ruoxi, don't worry. I'll handle this personally right away. Director Yang saved my life; there's no way I'll let anything happen to him. You're tired; go back to the hotel room we've booked and rest. I'll take care of everything here."

Although Lin Ruoxi still felt uneasy, she knew that she was unfamiliar with Paris and that Goodman would be more effective in handling the situation. Reluctantly, she turned and went back to the hotel to rest. However, her mind was filled with thoughts of Yang Chen, making it nearly impossible for her to sleep.

Meanwhile, Yang Chen, who was being taken to the police station, showed little awareness of his status as a "suspect." Along the way, he chatted with the officers in fluent French about the fashionable women on the streets, making Bolton in the police car so annoyed that he wished he could tape Yang Chen's mouth shut.

Ten minutes later, Yang Chen was brought into the office building of the Paris Police Department. Despite it being nighttime and most officers off duty, the place was still brightly lit.

Yang Chen was handcuffed, and two burly officers escorted him, following the stout Officer Bolton into a central elevator. The elevator's control panel had a numeric keypad in addition to the floor buttons.

Bolton's chubby fingers quickly typed a long string of numbers on the keypad, and the elevator's lighting turned red before it began to descend. The control panel did not indicate any basement levels.

"Tsk tsk, Officer Bolton, I didn't expect your department to have a secret underground base," Yang Chen remarked with interest as he looked around.

Bolton, frustrated by this unperturbed suspect, said, "Mr. Yang, I admire your composure, but you talk too much."

About thirty seconds later, the elevator stopped, and when the doors opened, they were met with a metal corridor illuminated by white LED lights, resembling a scene from a sci-fi movie.

Rooms on either side of the corridor were separated by tempered glass, filled with high-precision instruments and large LCD screens displaying complex data and surveillance footage. Each room had one or two white-robed staff members working inside, and no sound could be heard from outside.

Yang Chen, escorted by two officers, followed Bolton down the corridor until they reached a large alloy door at the end. Bolton pressed his palm against a fingerprint scanner by the door, and after scanning, the alloy door opened immediately.

Bolton turned to the two officers, signaling them. The officers released Yang Chen and left. "Mr. Yang, please come in," Bolton said, his expression colder than before, exuding a fierce aura that starkly contrasted with his chubby physique.

Yang Chen gave him a half-smile, "Officer Bolton, you look much more agreeable like this," he said, stepping into the room.

The room was a hundred-square-meter, alloy-built interrogation chamber, with cameras scattered around and passages leading in four directions.

At that moment, a tall man with blond curls sat behind a table in the center, flanked by two armed anti-terrorism special forces soldiers standing like sentinels.

Bolton walked up to the man, saluted, and said, "Deputy Director, the suspect Yang Chen has been brought in."

"Thank you, Bolton," the man nodded at Bolton before turning to Yang Chen, "Mr. Yang, please have a seat. Let's have a good talk."

Yang Chen, without any pretense, walked to the chair opposite the man. Despite the handcuffs on his wrists, he managed to pull out the chair and sit down.

A gleam flashed in the man's eyes, clearly indicating that Yang Chen's calm demeanor revealed he was no ordinary person.

"I wonder if Mr. Yang has heard of our French Directorate-General for External Security, also known as the DGSE. In a way, it is similar to the State Security Department of Yanxia. My name is Fodessa, Deputy Director of the DGSE. The man who brought you here, Bolton, is my adjutant. His outward identity is the head of the anti-terrorism unit of the Paris Police Department," Fodessa introduced himself.

Yang Chen showed an expression of understanding. He wasn't unfamiliar with the DGSE, but compared to the world's top-tier intelligence agencies like the FBI in the United States, MI5 in the UK, the KGB in Russia, and Mossad in Israel, the French DGSE seemed quite "young" and somewhat underwhelming. Established by the French WWII hero General Charles de Gaulle, the DGSE didn't have a short history, but its development speed did not match France's international status, making it a rather ordinary national security organization. Unlike the FBI, which had superhuman units like "Blue Storm," and other spy agencies with special forces, the DGSE was comprised entirely of "ordinary humans."

"Though not familiar, I have heard of it," Yang Chen answered truthfully.

"Good," Fodessa could tell Yang Chen was being honest. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photo, placing it in front of Yang Chen. "Mr. Yang, this should not be unfamiliar to you."