Chapter 987: This Is a War
"I saw the boss for the last time during lunch," a lighting assistant from the crew cautiously raised his hand.
"So did I."
"Me too."
Many members of the crew raised their hands in agreement—they hadn't seen her since lunch.
Roy knew that Laila always ate with the crew. It wasn't strange that they saw her then. The real question was—what happened after that?
"I was in charge of Miss Moran's security from 11 AM to 3 PM. When I handed off the shift, she was still in the village participating in the rescue efforts," a mercenary reported in a gruff voice.
Roy nodded, calmly analyzing, "That means she was still in the village before 3 PM. Did anyone see her after that?"
Everyone glanced around at each other, but no one spoke up. Finally, Xiao Ye furrowed his brow and said, "Everyone was busy with the rescue. I don't think anyone was paying attention to who was where."
Roy's expression darkened further. He knew Xiao Ye was right. Even he had been too caught up in helping others to notice anything else.
Suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind—so intense and undeniable he couldn't ignore it even if he tried.
"Could the attack on the village be related to Laila's disappearance?"
That question snapped everyone out of their fog like a switch had been flipped.
Of course! If they looked at it that way, everything started to make sense.
They had arrived with military protection. No one with half a brain would target such a group. For months, everything had been going smoothly—filming had progressed without a hitch, and the surroundings had felt safe. The only downside was the remote location.
But just a few days ago, the crew's supply vehicles had been repeatedly hijacked by bandits. As a result, they'd had no choice but to reassign part of the security team to handle logistics.
Then came the attack on the village near the film site. Aside from a few villagers injured in self-defense, there hadn't been any major casualties. The houses and property were burned, but no lives were taken.
They hadn't been able to figure out the motive for the attacks and had chalked it up to unexplained religious violence. But now, with Laila missing, it all became clear—everything had been premeditated. Whoever was behind this had made their move carefully and strategically.
First, they targeted the logistics vehicles to thin out the security.
Next, they attacked the nearby village—a place the crew had built friendly ties with—forcing them to pour all available manpower into the rescue efforts.
The reason they didn't kill anyone? Simple. They didn't want to escalate things with the authorities. As long as there were no deaths, burning a village could be swept under the rug. But the moment someone died? It would trigger a much more severe response.
And finally—they struck. While everyone was focused on rescue operations, they used some unknown method to abduct Laila along with her security team.
It was a humiliation—plain and simple.
For the mercenaries, bodyguards, and even the soldiers assigned to protect the film crew, this was a complete disgrace.
Someone had snatched away their most important person right from under their noses. And the worst part? If Roy hadn't realized it, no one would have even noticed Laila was missing.
"This is war!" one of the mercenary captains shouted, his already dark complexion turning even blacker with rage. "No one plays us for fools and gets away with it!"
"Damn right! This is war!" the bodyguards growled through gritted teeth. "Whoever did this will pay the ultimate price!"
These were top-tier professional bodyguards—recruited by Old Master Moran himself at great expense to protect the future head of the Moran Group.
Laila had always treated them well. She'd make sure they were included when there was good food or fun to be had. She had no bad habits and lived a life cleaner than white paper. For them, protecting her had been more like a paid vacation.
Up until now, their biggest threats had been aggressive paparazzi or overly enthusiastic fans. Compared to their previous assignments, working for Laila had felt like early retirement.
Maybe it was that long stretch of peace that dulled their instincts. Or maybe it was Laila's humanity, her empathy—that light she'd always shone—that made them lower their guard. They'd been focused entirely on helping a devastated village… and in the process, allowed the person they were supposed to protect to be taken.
This shame—they couldn't forgive themselves unless Laila was brought back safely.
As for the military—if they couldn't resolve this, they didn't need to wait for disciplinary action from above. Commander Fosca would haul them to court-martial himself.
Roy stood coldly, watching the fury boil over in the room. He no longer trusted any of them. Whatever trust he'd had was gone the moment Laila disappeared.
"Roy, I'll bring her back!" Xiao Ye stepped up beside him, trying to ease his emotions. He understood how deep the bond between the two ran. If his loved one had gone missing, he wouldn't be able to handle it either.
But Roy stepped away from his outstretched hand, his gray eyes ice-cold and unfamiliar. "Don't bother."
He would bring her back himself.
Xiao Ye felt the hair on his arms stand up at the look Roy gave him. That wasn't the gaze of a typical movie star. That was the look of someone who had seen death… someone who had seen blood.
Why does he have that look in his eyes?
"Wait! Roy!" Xiao Ye grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. "Listen to me! I know you're worried about her, but you can't act alone. You need to work with us—"
But Roy yanked his arm back and cut him off with a cold, mocking tone.
"Work with who? The people who lost her? No thanks. I'd rather not lose myself next."
"..."
Xiao Ye had no comeback. He could only watch as Roy disappeared into the darkness.
"Follow him," he ordered, summoning a few mercenaries. "Keep him safe."
They couldn't take any more chances. Losing Laila had already nearly blown up the world—if something happened to Roy too…
God! He was going insane!
Who the hell started all this chaos?
What kind of idiot dared to go after Laila?
Was it her wealth? Did they think they could score a payday?
Xiao Ye ran his hands through his hair, face twisted in frustration.
Whoever was behind this—if he ever found out—he'd send them straight to hell.
He swore it.