"What?"
Hearing Luo An’s words, Winslow and Chenier were imdiately stunned.
They had planned to bring the old car driven by the aftermarket service technician back to the FBI, to have the agents from the Trace Examination Departnt carefully inspect the vehicle’s trunk. Perhaps they could find so useful clues.
"There’s no need for that."
As Mona furiously typed on the keyboard, Luo An explained:
"While the car was in motion, the assassin couldn’t have directly opened the trunk to jump out. Not only would that be dangerous, but it would also easily draw the attention of the driver and other people.
So if the remote-controlled bomb assassin was indeed hiding in the trunk of that car, he would only have two viable thods:
Either quietly open the trunk and sneak away while waiting for a traffic light; or wait until the maintenance personnel arrive at ho or at the company parking lot before opening the trunk and leaving."
When Luo An reached this point, both Winslow and Michelle realized and exclaid:
"That’s right, the car itself has various noises, and the trunk is also problematic. Even if it popped open suddenly on the road, the owner wouldn’t be concerned.
Moreover, the latter plan would take a long ti and has a higher chance of being discovered, so the assassin would likely choose the forr sche."
"That’s right."
Luo An affird Winslow’s subsequent speculation. After a few seconds of silence on the phone, Chenier glanced at the gloomy-looking aftermarket service technician nearby and asked:
"What should we do with this car?"
"Bring it back to the FBI Los Angeles Branch building."
Luo An replied without hesitation:
"Have the Trace Examination Departnt inspect the situation in the trunk.
If we find the assassin and he steadfastly denies everything, any useful clue found in the trunk will make him open his mouth and answer."
"Understood."
Chenier nodded emphatically and then hung up the phone.
After the car left the community where the explosion occurred, its route was not complicated. Most intersections had surveillance caras, and with Mona and Michelle working together, these intersections were quickly ruled out.
There were three intersections without surveillance caras left. Mona and Michelle checked them one by one and soon made a discovery.
"Luo An, this is the eleventh minute after the explosion, at the second intersection without surveillance caras."
Mona’s fingers danced on the keyboard as she enlarged the computer screen’s video and said:
"This is the footage from a dash cam of the latest model Cadillac."
The red light lit up at the crossroads ahead, and the Cadillac slowly stopped behind three taxis.
In the lower-left corner of the dash cam footage was exactly that aftermarket service technician’s car.
Suddenly, the trunk lid of that car slowly opened, revealing a gap that was not very big. A person squeezed out quickly from inside, then closed the car trunk and nonchalantly turned away and left.
"Typical Los Angeles, there are just so many luxury cars."
Mona made a comnt while looking at the scene in the computer, and Luo An’s brow slightly furrowed.
The good news was that Winslow and Chenier were not wrong, and his own guess was not mistaken; the person who ran out from the trunk of the car was very likely the person who detonated the remote-controlled bomb.
The bad news was that this individual was very careful, wearing a black hoodie, along with a hat and a mask. Aside from being able to determine that the person was Caucasian and probably male, they couldn’t get any other useful information.
"Mona, Michelle, you guys carefully review the surveillance footage of that area, see if you can find this guy."
Luo An patted Mona and Michelle on the shoulders, then pulled out his phone to call Reesi and asked her to go investigate the area in person.
"No problem."
After listening to Luo An’s account, Reesi imdiately nodded in agreent and also shared the clue she had found:
"I got so information in the school Paul attends:
Recently, a female classmate of Paul’s saw him take a large package from a man’s hands and bring it ho.
The man was Caucasian, of average build, around 175 cm tall. The classmate didn’t get a clear look at his face, but she saw two complex tattoos on his arm.
She didn’t ask Paul what was in the package, but I suspect that it might well have contained the bomb. The man sohow deceived Paul into bringing the package ho."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Luo An nodded in satisfaction, briefly discussed other matters with Reesi, and then hung up the phone.
Half an hour later, Winslow and Chenier returned to the Los Angeles Branch FBI building in the car.
Luo An and the two had a quick al before driving together to the area where the suspect climbed out from the trunk of the car to et up with Reesi. The four then began to investigate the area together.
More than two hours later, Luo An and Reesi’s group, with the photo of the suspect in a black hoodie taken from the video Mona provided, along with two 10 US Dollar bills, managed to learn from a street vendor selling xican chicken wraps that the person had pulled away in a black car parked at the roadside and left the area.
As for the license plate number of the black car, the vendor didn’t rember it, but he did recall that there were two black sticker patterns on the rear window of the car.
"Good."
Luo An nodded in satisfaction and inford Mona of this information, asking Mona and Michelle to track down the car.
While Luo An was on the phone, Reesi casually took two xican chicken wraps the vendor had just made.
Vendor: "#%￥*..."
With the car information, Mona quickly located it:
"Luo An, that car belongs to an elderly couple in a community in Southern Los Angeles.
However, this couple recently rented out an apartnt, and the record shows that the tenant’s na is ’Tony’.
I checked his real identity through surveillance videos in the nearby areas. This ’Tony’s’ real na is ’Ernest,’ 37 years old, he got out of prison less than half a year ago, has served in the military, and has been involved in multiple charges, including assault and illegal possession of weapons. He has tattoos on his arms and back.
Moreover, there are several first-degree murder cases suspected to be related to him, but key evidence to identify him has always been lacking.
FBI internal database shows that this guy is suspected of being an assassin who makes a living by taking murder-for-hire contracts."
"Good."
Luo An nodded in satisfaction, gesturing to Winslow, Chenier, and Reesi to get in the car, and then he pulled open the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, asking:
"Where is Mr. Assassin currently located?"
"Right in a community in Southern Los Angeles."
He instructed Mona to contact the SWAT team and notify them to head to the area. Hanging up the call and seeing Winslow, Chenier, and Reesi had quickly buckled their seatbelts, Luo An grinned and floored the accelerator. The SUV roared into the street like a ferocious beast.
————
Monday, 7 PM, in a community in Southern Los Angeles.
As it was winter, the sun had set, and the street lights on either side of the road were brightly lit, taking on the responsibility of lighting.
Two blocks diagonally opposite the community, the SWAT transport vehicle had arrived on the scene, and all mbers of the Special Investigation Team had also reached the location.
After checking all the equipnt, Luo An looked towards Mona first:
"What’s the situation with the target individual?"
"Sorry."
Mona shook her head and responded:
"I can only confirm through the surveillance footage that the person has not left that building all this ti."
Luo An’s expression unchanged, pressed the communicator and continued asking:
"Is the sniper in position? What’s the condition of the target individual now?"
"The sniper is in position."
The SWAT mber on the other end of the communicator replied:
"The windows of the bedroom where the target individual is located are blocked by obstacles.
The living room windows are not covered, and the target individual is sitting on the couch watching TV, but his chest and head are in the sniper’s blind spot."
"OK."
Luo An nodded, and without wasting any more words, he waved his hand and commanded:
"Begin the operation!"
"Understood!"
As his voice fell, the SWAT team mbers imdiately rushed out of the transport vehicle and headed towards the building where the target individual was located, with the fully-ard mbers of the Special Investigation Team closely following.
Soon, they split into two groups and ascended the building staircase from both sides.
Boom——
Just then, an explosive noise that was deafeningly loud suddenly erupted from within the building!
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