Chapter 735 False Leads

At the waste treatment station, the manager said, “Lucky it was only fourteen hours’ worth of garbage. Any later and it would’ve been burned in the incinerator—then there’d be nothing left to find.”

The door pushed open again. Scarface came in carrying another large box. “Wyatt, here’s another batch.”

Around the long table, everyone was hard at work, personally sifting through every item.

Freya, with tissues stuffed in her nostrils against the stench, used tweezers to lift one item after another from the evidence bags. Each time it wasn’t what she wanted, she tossed it disdainfully into the waste box.

Gill rubbed his sore neck, then bent back to work.

Several layers of screening had already been done before these items reached them. Only in this final round, handled by themselves, could they feel assured.

It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

And worst of all, every piece came out of piles of garbage—the smell was overwhelming.

In the twelve hours Yunice had been missing, if she really had dropped clues in some corner of the city, most likely they had been swept away by cleaners and ended up here.

This was the end of the trail.

Suddenly someone at the table looked up, their voice excited. “Look! Isn’t this the pearl from Yunice’s collar?”

Victor held a pea-sized pearl in his tweezers, his face lit with excitement.

Everyone crowded closer, examining it with magnifying glasses. A chorus of excitement broke out. “It really looks like it!”

Victor quickly checked the evidence bag it had come from. “See where this was found!”

Just then Wyatt pushed through, took the pearl straight into his hand, and pressed hard. After a few seconds, he said quietly, “This isn’t Yunice’s.”

The group stared in shock.

In Wyatt’s palm, the pearl crumbled, revealing a plastic core.

It was a cultured pearl.

Wyatt said, “The pearls on Yunice’s clothes are natural. I sourced every single one myself. I know them well.”

Victor argued, “Even if you handled them yourself, how can you be sure your supplier didn’t slip a cultured one in? If this really is Yunice’s, your mistake could cost us a lead.”

Wyatt looked up at him. “I want it to be hers more than any of you.”

Victor was silenced.

No one here wished harder than Wyatt for Yunice’s safe return. He wouldn’t dismiss a real clue.

Victor muttered, “But still—”

Wyatt cut him off. “I don’t buy from suppliers. I collect my own materials. And this isn’t just about it being cultured. The quality is different. I use low-luster pearls. This one has extreme high luster.”

That left the others speechless.

The flicker of hope faded, and one by one they sank back into disappointment, resuming their search.

Wyatt returned to his place, emptied the contents of another bag, and his eyes immediately sharpened.

He checked the evidence bag’s label: IRS.

At the IRS?

He didn’t speak. He quietly tossed the item into the waste box.

Jordan said, “This can’t go on. Everyone should rest in shifts, especially you, Wyatt. You haven’t had food or water in two days.”

The others looked at him with sympathy. It was true—no one could last forever. If they pushed themselves to collapse, they’d never save her.

Laurie wrinkled her nose. “Go sleep. Look at that stubble—if Yunice saw you like this she’d hate it. We’ll set aside anything suspicious for you. All right?”

Wyatt gave in and walked out.

Victor shot him a skeptical glance. Was his stamina really that poor?

So much for his supposed devotion to Yunice. Shouldn’t he have held on until they found a lead before relaxing?

Victor bent his head back down, working even harder at the pile.

Meanwhile, Jordan followed Wyatt out.

“Wyatt,” he said.

Wyatt gave him a look, already knowing Jordan had noticed his reaction earlier. That was why Jordan had played along.

As they walked, Wyatt asked, “Who are you trying to guard against?”

Otherwise, why the show?

Jordan smirked. “I saw Victor competing with you. If he gets to Madam first, won’t that steal your thunder? This is the perfect chance to play the hero.”

Wyatt stayed quiet, then said, “If more people meant success, I wouldn’t mind. But now that I’ve confirmed where Yunice is, moving alone is less likely to alert Margaret. Margaret has already shown she’ll harm Yunice. If she senses us coming, Yunice will be in real danger.”