North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 607 - 340_2
Watching the other party feign a sigh and try to play along, hoping to "spontaneously" forge a closer relationship, Dean couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He could tell that the other man hadn't lied. This also gave Dean a slightly favorable impression of the young man before him.
So be it. If the other man was cooperative, he might as well lend a hand. Especially now that Cheston En, that big shot, was down and out, and Dean, being in the FBI, needed a new informant.
With this thought in mind, Dean changed his strategy and started chatting with Night Brilliance. As their exchange deepened, the atmosphere in the small room became considerably more relaxed. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Seeing that Detective Dean didn't seem as difficult to talk to as he had initially thought, Night Brilliance shifted the topic and brought up his request again, "Detective Dean, I'm not sure what your situation is, but if it's possible, perhaps we could cooperate."
Hearing this, Dean feigned surprise, "Since you're the lawyer for the HuaQing Gang's boss, aren't you aware of the recent internal issues the HuaQing Gang is facing?"
"Recent issues?"
Night Brilliance lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then shook his head, "Sorry, my role is more akin to an advisor for the HuaQing Gang's boss. I have some understanding of the gang's business and financial dealings, but I don't know much about other matters."
This was actually deliberate on his part. The more he knew, the more dangerous it was. Besides, he wasn't exactly eager to risk his life for those damned scoundrels.
Hearing Night Brilliance's words, Dean was surprised that someone so out of the loop could have remained safely undercover until now. He couldn't help but ask, "So, how did you become a confidant of the HuaQing Gang's boss?"
Night Brilliance adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said with a light chuckle, "Truly visionary first-generation immigrants are either business owners or middle class. At most, they might have some connections to gangs for emergencies, but who would actually get involved in organized crime to exploit their own compatriots?
"Many people in the HuaQing Gang actually have very low levels of education and can't keep up with the times.
"The more open-minded older generation also chooses to let their children study and follow a legitimate path.
"So, after I took the opportunity to help out a few times, the HuaQing Gang's boss thought I was talented and made me his strategist. However, regarding certain internal matters of the HuaQing Gang, it was still the older generation who were truly involved."
Well, then. Dean had no response to Night Brilliance's explanation.
He tapped on the table and briefly described the recent cases, "...so it's not just the Los Angeles police who are under a lot of pressure; the Los Angeles FBI field office is in the same situation. That means the boss of the HuaQing Gang can't be released right now."
Hearing that even the FBI field office was monitoring them, Night Brilliance's expression turned grim. With a sudden realization, he said, "No wonder core members of the HuaQing Gang have been getting into trouble frequently over the past six months. It turns out they've provoked someone."
Seeing him distracted, Dean casually asked, "Brother, are there any other anomalies within the HuaQing Gang?"
Without much thought, Night Brilliance nodded uncertainly, "Yes, there seems to be a problem with the HuaQing Gang's financial chain. They've not only sold off a large amount of fixed assets but are also preparing to liquidate several channels previously used for money laundering. I suspect this has something to do with the largest overseas Chinese gang—the Hong Gang."
Dean suddenly understood. No wonder that Chinese pharmaceutical organization was sold off; so that was the reason.
With some hesitation, Night Brilliance continued, "In fact, Chinese gangs, big and small, exist all over the world; they just manifest in different forms. Most of the larger Chinese gangs have intricate connections to the Hong Gang.
"They also have an alliance that few people know about.
"My mission was to try and infiltrate this alliance by leveraging my position within the HuaQing Gang."
"An alliance among Chinese gangs?" Dean was surprised.
It was known that Chinese people overseas, due to differences in region of origin and immigration timing, often had more exclusionary attitudes than even the locals and weren't very united. This was a major reason why, despite Chinese communities existing all over the world, Chinese individuals seldom held significant influence in economically developed countries.
In his previous life, even as African Americans in the United States saw their influence rise, the status of Chinese people seemed to fall as China grew stronger, facing increasing suppression. A lack of unity was one of the main reasons.
These were matters not suitable for extensive discussion, but this was indeed the first time, in either his previous or current life, that Dean had heard of a global alliance among Chinese gangs.
Seeing the confusion in Dean's eyes, Night Brilliance nodded, "I'm just a small player. I don't know much about the inner workings, but I can sense that the FBI is trying to penetrate that alliance. Perhaps they want to recreate the crackdown on the Italian Mafia from the fifties and sixties."
But Dean felt it wasn't that simple.
This world and his past life shared many similarities in how events unfolded. Perhaps in his past life, such a global Chinese criminal alliance also existed. Unfortunately, his status within the organization was too low in his former life. Even if it did exist, he wouldn't have had access to such information.
Dean shook his head, no longer concerned about these matters, and refocused his attention on Night Brilliance, who had been thoroughly debriefed. "For the sake of us being from the same place, tell me your thoughts. I'll help if I can."
Upon hearing this, Night Brilliance managed a bitter smile, "If possible, just lock me up too."
The reason he was so cooperative, revealing everything he knew, was that he understood it was impossible for Dean's side to release him. Even if Dean were willing, the local FBI branch wouldn't agree. The FBI wasn't a united front. So now, Night Brilliance could only hope that Dean would do him a favor, giving him an excuse to justify himself to his superiors.
Faced with this request, Dean grinned and beckoned Night Brilliance closer with his finger.
Night Brilliance leaned in, puzzled. Is he going to help or not?
The next moment, a fist as big as a sandbag entered his vision.
Fuck! Night Brilliance only had time for that silent curse before he felt a jolt on his forehead. A wave of dizziness washed over him as the world spun, and his consciousness was uncontrollably swallowed by darkness...
Having knocked his young compatriot unconscious with a single punch, Dean squatted down. He very thoughtfully adjusted the skewed gold-rimmed glasses on the peacefully sleeping man's face before standing up and remarking with some emotion, "Young people are so resilient, nodding off just like that, not even afraid of catching a cold..."
「..」
After telling Hawk to put Night Brilliance in the cell next to the HuaQing Gang's boss, Dean returned to his long-missed office to await news from Lawrence and the team.
「By evening.」
Dean, Lawrence, and a weary-faced Daisy sat in the empty office, beginning to share their findings.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
With her mouth full of snacks, Daisy mumbled, "Lawrence, you go first."
Now that Dean, the moneybags, had finally returned, she didn't waste a second and immediately started hitting him up, vowing to make up for all the snacks she had missed out on while Dean was gone. This was the only way to justify her concern and worry for Dean during that time.
Lawrence shrugged. "Alright, but I have to remind you, Daisy, you finally lost some weight..."
"Shut up, you pedo who likes flat chests!" Facing Lawrence's teasing, Daisy was so furious, her chest seemed to swell. Am I eating your rice or something?
Dean watched the playful scene with a light smile. It was the same old vibe.
Dodging the snack crumbs Daisy sprayed, Lawrence ducked his head and raised his hands in surrender before sharing his findings. His task had gone smoothly. "The property management company recognized the seriousness of the matter, so they quickly handed over all public area surveillance footage from the last two weeks, but it's very strange."
"What's strange?" Dean asked.
"We found the video of lawyer Barnaby driving away, but we saw no footage of him returning. The last time he left the community was when he came to the police station."
Is that so? Dean thought for a moment and said, "Keep investigating carefully. Daisy, what about you?"
"So soon?" Daisy quickly took a sip of water, swallowed the food in her mouth, and then boasted proudly, "I'm not like Lawrence, who has nothing to show for his efforts. After investigating Barnaby's financial transactions, I stumbled upon something very interesting!"
