Ruiz entered the apartnt and spoke to the middle-aged man at the bar, "Vigo, I'm here. Where are your people?"
Vigo nodded slightly, and the young man who had opened the door moved to the other side of the apartnt.
Vigo, "I have an assignnt for you, and I hope you can do a favor in return."
Ruiz, "Let's hear it."
Vigo walked over from the bar, holding two pieces of paper, and handed them to Ruiz.
Vigo pointed to a person on the paper, "This bald guy's information."
Ruiz, "I'm listening, go on."
Vigo, "He showed up in the Crow Gang's territory the night before last, and the Crow Gang was attacked that night. Now that the Crow Gang is gone, I've taken care of your problem, but I need you to tell who this person is. Who is my target?"
Ruiz, "And the other person?"
Vigo, "That's none of my business."
A young man brought over another person who appeared to have been drinking, stumbling as he walked.
Vigo raised his hand, "You can take him away."
Ruiz nodded and gestured for Jimmy to grab the man. Jimmy removed his handcuffs from his waist and cuffed the young man they brought out. With Ruiz leading the way, the three of them left the apartnt.
Once downstairs, they placed the young man in the back seat, Jimmy sat in the passenger seat, and Ruiz drove straight to the detention center.
After completing the procedures for temporary detention, Ruiz returned to Federal Square with Jimmy.
Only then did Jimmy start to ask, "Ruiz, are we really doing the right thing?"
Ruiz, "This is the best outco. We can't take down Vigo; he has at least a few mbers of Congress and governnt officials behind him. It's rumored that he even has connections on Capitol Hill. Although it's uncertain who they are, he wouldn't have gotten this far if it were just any ordinary case.
I know you're uncomfortable with this, but that's reality. All we can do is try to keep the balance from tipping too far to one side."
Jimmy, "I know, even though I'm new here, I was a cop for two years before. I understand so of the complexities here. What worries is that we're moving too fast. Could this case have so sort of backlash?"
Ruiz, "Don't worry, it's just a temporary arrest of a suspect for now. There's still a process to follow."
Jimmy stopped talking, aware that Ruiz's candidness and the fact that he'd involved Jimmy in such matters clearly had a purpose; he just wasn't sure if it was to groom him for involvent in organized cri cases or to use this case to test him, to see how much he could take and where his limits were.
It could only be one of those two purposes, but either way, it was trouble for Jimmy at the mont. There were just too many cases of cops being shot by their colleagues. If he couldn't blend in, there might be endless trouble ahead.
Jimmy picked up the two sheets of paper that Ruiz had left on the console. They were fras captured from surveillance footage. The first showed the back of two bald n talking, seemingly both male. He flipped to the second sheet—okay, familiar faces: one was Frank Moses, and the other, a man known as Guo Da, with a highly recognizable face from the many action movies Jimmy had seen before.
Jimmy kept his expression neutral. This was Ruiz's car, and he still didn't know which one was Vigo's actual target. If Ruiz realized he recognized the people in the photos, it would surely an a heap of trouble. Frank was also considered a friend, so it'd be best to ask him privately first.
Jimmy, "These two video screenshots are going to be tough for finding information."
Ruiz hadn't looked at Jimmy, offering only a simple reply, "The tech team can use image comparison to find it directly, it just takes a bit longer to get the information, and we'll have to consider whether or not to give it to Vigo, since he seems to have so not-so-good intentions. Anyway, we'll look into it ourselves first."
Ruiz wasn't the type to be foolhardy, he wouldn't withhold the information from Vigo, but he wanted to confirm who it was first. If necessary, he could simply refuse, claiming there was no match found—no big deal.
Ruiz: "By the way, did you write down the information I showed you?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, I got it down. Is it related to our case?"
Ruiz: "No, but since you're Chinese, it's necessary for you to be familiar with it, in case you get offed by soone accidentally when you're in Chinatown or Flushing."
Jimmy: "Uh, I rember the file said the Chinese gangs were taken down a few years ago, didn't it?"
Ruiz: "How could they possibly be wiped out completely? They just took down one of their branches, what they call the 'tangkou'. The actual gang mbers are all still around, just laying low underground without causing trouble. Most of the information in those files is for others to see; just know it. The Chinese gangs have been very quiet these past three to five years, and that's good—everyone lives in peace."
Jimmy: "Okay, I got it. I'll go over the information in detail later."
Back at Federal Square, Jimmy took the opportunity to use the restroom to call Frank. Luckily, Frank hadn't left yet. They arranged to et after work, and Jimmy ca out of the bathroom, slowly killing ti until the end of his shift.
Speaking of which, Jimmy always carried two phones, one issued by the FBI, and one with a number from Little Rock, which was indeed inconvenient. Who knows when there would be dual SIM standby; in the U.S., probably no hope, only waiting for soone from a knock-off kingdom to sort it out.
Jimmy was at a coffee shop waiting for Frank; this coffee shop served light als, so he took the opportunity to have dinner there, though the taste wasn't very good.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Frank arrived. Jimmy had ntioned an urgent matter on the phone, which was why Frank had co so quickly. Frank was also puzzled; he had no business dealings with Jimmy, so what could be so urgent?
Frank sat across from Jimmy and ordered a coffee from the waiter before finally looking at Jimmy.
Frank: "Jimmy, what's so urgent?"
Jimmy: "It's a troubling matter. Did you et with a bald man a few days ago?"
Frank's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Jimmy: "Are you tracking ? No, not tracking, was it caught by so surveillance sowhere?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, tell , what exactly were you talking about? What did he do?"
Frank glanced around; there were still so people nearby, "You eat first, we'll talk later."
Frank's coffee arrived, and as Jimmy ate his light al and Frank sipped his coffee, the people at the next table finished up and left.
Once Frank was sure there was no one around, he whispered to Jimmy, "Where did you see us? Is there any trouble?"
Jimmy: "The Russian mob is looking for one of you two, I'm not certain if it's you or him. I just saw a video screenshot."
Frank: "The Russian mob, I understand. You know I do safety consultancy, and I occasionally moonlight as a broker. Soone paid for a job, and I just made the connection. After that, it has nothing to do with ."
Jimmy: "If it wasn't you who did it, then if there's nothing you must do, try to leave New York soon to lay low. They have a lot of power over there, and you're in danger now."
After saying that, Jimmy picked up his coffee cup, finished the coffee inside, signaled for the waiter to co over for the check, and then left.
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