The unpleasant conclusion to the meeting with DJI left Nick feeling very depressed.
So much so that when he partied with Sun and the others that night, he drank himself into a stupor and didn't even know how he got back.
However, the next day, when he woke up, he found that the police had been waiting for him for a long time.
Looking at the grave expressions on Tyler and the others' faces, Nick's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Tyler and Zack didn't speak, but Terry said in a hoarse voice, "Boss, our computers and drones have been stolen."
"Stolen?" Nick asked, not quite registering it yet.
Only then did Tyler look at him and nod, saying, "They're all stolen. All four of our laptops are gone, and besides that, some data and drone equipment are missing too."
Nick fell silent upon hearing this, and the police officer who had been waiting there quickly comforted him, "Young man, don't worry, we are already investigating the scene."
"Detective Mason has arrived and needs to question you now. Please cooperate. This will help us find the criminal sooner and help you recover your lost items."
Nick nodded and said to the officer, "Okay, I will cooperate fully. Thank you for your trouble."
"It's our duty. Please follow me."
Nick nodded at the three of them, then followed the young officer to Zack and Terry's room.
Inside, besides a few police officers taking photos and examining the scene, there was a man in his forties dressed in plain clothes sitting on the edge of the bed, smoking and seemingly lost in thought.
"Detective Mason, Nick is here."
"Oh, good."
The man in plain clothes extinguished his cigarette upon hearing this and said to Nick, "You're Nick, right? I'm Mason, Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation of the Miami Police Department. I am in charge of your case. I will question you now; please answer truthfully, as this will help us solve the case."
Nick nodded and said, "Thank you, I will definitely answer truthfully."
"Good." Mason nodded, then looked at him and said, "To be honest, I have some doubts. With such a big incident, why are you and your partners so calm? This doesn't look at all like how people who lost something valuable would behave."
Nick smiled bitterly and said, "The incident has already happened. What's the use of us panicking?"
"No, I see a sense of unconcern in your eyes," Mason shook his head and said.
As he spoke, Mason took out a folder, opened it, glanced at Nick, and said, "Before I came here, I specifically learned about you all."
"A research and development team of graduates came to Miami to participate in an exhibition. You shocked the entire venue, and even the entire tech circle, with a Swarm-Array Control Technology, receiving high attention from domestic and international media."
"Subsequently, your stunning display at the technology press conference attracted a large number of domestic and foreign tech companies to come and discuss cooperation with you. Among them are international giants like Google, SpaceX, Microsoft, Amazon, and Huawei."
"Recently, there have even been rumors that companies want to spend hundreds of millions to purchase your technology, and we have just confirmed this from your partners."
"Hundreds of millions of dollars. Such a high value for the case forced me to drop another case and rush over here."
"To be honest, this is the first time I've encountered a case with such a high value. Not just us, even our municipal bureau is encountering this for the first time. Even nationwide, this is a major case that the state government would prioritize."
"So I hope you understand the seriousness of this matter and cooperate actively with our police investigation. Before the matter is clarified, I hope you will not disclose information to the outside world, especially to the media, as this is detrimental to our investigation."
Nick nodded and said, "Rest assured, we will definitely cooperate fully. However..."
"However, what?" Seeing Nick hesitate, Mason immediately asked.
Nick quickly shook his head and said, "It's nothing. It's just that many companies have come to find us. With so many of you here, I'm afraid these people already know, and it's hard to guarantee it won't leak out."
"That is indeed a problem, but as long as you remain silent, you don't need to worry about the rest. Please trust the police; we will investigate as soon as possible and strive to minimize your losses," Mason said to Nick sternly.
For such a huge case, Mason really had unspoken grievances.
He was originally investigating a local homicide case, but was called over directly by the department. Not having figured out what happened, he rushed over blindly, only to realize what a hot potato he had taken on.
To be honest, when he saw the strings of huge numbers in the documents, his head couldn't help but feel a bit numb.
What kind of punks were these four guys? Leaving a stash like that sitting in a hotel room while they went out to paint the town. I couldn't tell if they were dumb as rocks, sloppy amateurs, or just a bunch of green kids who hadn't learned how the real world works yet.
If it were him, he would probably be guarding such valuable items around the clock, without sleep.
Collecting his thoughts, Mason looked back at Nick with complex feelings and said, "We have already questioned your three companions. Now, as a matter of procedure, I'll ask you: during this period, have you felt anything abnormal or wrong? For example, has anyone been following or monitoring you, or have you encountered any suspicious people?"
Nick thought for a moment and then shook his head, "I didn't feel anything, and I didn't pay attention. We've basically been in the hotel for the past few days. Apart from meeting some company representatives, we haven't seen any suspicious people."
"Think again. The suspect was able to accurately know the time you went out and commit the crime calmly; they must have prepared in advance," Mason frowned and said.
After arriving at the hotel, he immediately checked the hotel's surveillance video from last night but didn't find anything unusual.
This indicates that the suspect is very professional and must have made full preparations in advance. Otherwise, it would be impossible to avoid the hotel's surveillance cameras, sneak into Nick and his team's room to steal the items, and leave calmly during the few-hour gap when they were away.
Nick thought about it again and then shook his head, "I really don't know. There are many people coming in and out of the hotel every day, and we didn't pay much attention."
Hearing Nick's words, Mason couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It seemed he wouldn't get any valuable clues from these four people.
He was just about to comfort Nick and send him away when a few people walked in through the doorway.
Mason was stunned when he saw this, then stood up and enthusiastically said, "Robert, why are you here? This is..."
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Special Agent Bill from the FBI, and this is Deputy Director Zion of the Miami Microelectronics Research Institute. Mason, we already know about this case. It's not simple, and we are taking over now." The middle-aged man in plain clothes with some stubble said to Mason with a grave expression.