Chapter 520

In the evening, Ponda returned home. After resting for a while, he made a phone call to Lance.

The call was quickly answered.

“What do you plan to do next?” Ponda asked, smoking in his study.

Today, the Bureau of Hazardous Materials also began interrogating the captured bar operators. Some of them were also subjected to torture, but the results were equally poor.

But coincidentally, Ponda was in charge of the main interrogation work.

Because everyone knew that he and the Lance Family did not get along.

Handing over a case related to the Lance Family to him, whether it was the ordinary agents or Director Dale, they would all be very reassured.

The pressure on the Bureau of Hazardous Materials was much less than that on the police department. Hunter was anxious because if he couldn’t handle this, he would really die.

It could be said that this time, he was betting his life and everything. If he won, he would gain the deepest friendship of the Kodak Family and the appreciation of the Bay Area.

He would be the next Charlie. He might also try to use the position of police chief as a springboard into politics.

Of course, if he lost, then the only thing he would have to pay was his life.

In order to live, for a better future, he was really anxious and desperate.

Director Dale, on the other hand, seemed to be less anxious these past two days. He even had some smiles on his face, which made everyone feel a little strange.

In the end, it could only be attributed to the fact that they had caught a big case, so Director Dale’s mood had improved a little.

What Ponda didn’t know was that in the circle that Director Dale could access, people’s views of Director Dale had actually changed a little because of this case.

In the past, many people only thought of him as a clown who knew how to suck up. When he was in Golden State, he revolved around those big shots, as humble as their servant.

Someone said he had once used his hand to catch cigarette ash for a big shot!

When people talked about Director Dale, their smiles were mostly filled with disdain and contempt. Some even suspected that he had sold his ass to get such an opportunity.

A court jester always has to pay something. The ass is just one of them.

If Director Dale was like a clown in the eyes of some of the higher-ups before, then now they felt that Director Dale was a “ruthless clown.”

Although he was still a clown, this clown had undergone the most fundamental change.

It was like a clown in a circus performing those funny acts would only make people laugh, but it wouldn’t make people respect him, because he was just a funny clown.

But if a killer dressed up as a clown, holding a bloody knife in his hand, even if his appearance made people feel amused and funny, people would only remain silent and offer their awe.

This was the current Director Dale. Many people were saying that Webber just wanted to replace him. Webber’s uncle hadn’t even finalized the matter, and he had colluded with others to get rid of Webber, making their plan fall through directly.

In the rumors, he had become a decisive and ruthless character, so much so that some people who coveted his position and wanted to harm him had temporarily given up the idea.

You don’t know when he will suddenly come at you from some angle.

You also don’t know if you will become the next Webber.

Sure enough, a biting dog really doesn’t bark. This son of a bitch is really ruthless!

Director Dale could swear on his chest that he didn’t do this. He had never even thought about it.

But there would always be people who thought so. It was too much of a coincidence!

Once a coincidence reaches a certain degree, a coincidence may not be a coincidence.

For example, the rich man who could get an erection anytime, anywhere, happened to fall when he met a lady, happened to accidentally push the lady down face to face, happened to have fate accurately let it find its destination, happened to be a man who couldn’t stand the test, and happened to have extracted genetic material.

And coincidentally, he also won the lawsuit.

The lady who had slandered him for raping her, trying to use this opportunity to extort a large sum of money, was put in prison, and then there was no more news.

Too much of a coincidence, sometimes it’s not a coincidence, it’s an arrangement.

Many people thought that Webber’s death was an accident, but some people felt that Webber’s death was an arrangement.

“Dale is a ruthless man!”

This sentence had already spread in their circle. People would not respect those who were funny, but they would respect those with blood on their hands.

His pressure now was actually much less. Someone who hadn’t called him for a long time also suddenly gave him a call, telling him not to worry so much, that he hadn’t been abandoned yet.

Well, although he swore he hadn’t done these things, being misunderstood… seemed not unacceptable.

Director Dale’s pressure had eased a little, so the pressure on the entire Bureau of Hazardous Materials had eased a little. Compared to Hunter’s urgent desire to “solve the case.”

Director Dale, on the other hand, felt that he should slow down a bit, so that he could think about how to handle some subsequent matters.

So, Ponda could actually go home and rest at night, instead of being forced to take a short nap in the office.

Lance on the other end of the line asked after a few seconds, “According to your current laws, what kind of fate will they probably have?”

“The bar manager will probably get more than ten years, the bartender three to six years, and the others one to three years.”

This was a relatively common sentencing standard, but he added, “If they confess to you, then they can get a reduced sentence. Today we also prepared a confession for them. We should be starting to talk to them in the next two days.”

“Dale’s attitude is a bit strange. I’m not sure what he means.”

After hearing this, Lance asked, “Are there any other ways to reduce the sentence?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“I’ll have Roben the lawyer handle this. You just handle it as usual. There’s no need for any special arrangements.”

Roben the lawyer had connections in the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons was under the direct management of the Department of Justice. It was unrealistic to get them out directly, but it would be no problem for them to get out in two or three years.

Lance had no further instructions. Ponda also breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Lance would ask him to do something dangerous to him.

He was now filled with a desire for power. He wanted to climb higher, to have all those who had looked down on him before look up to him.

Those who had tried to harm him, to harm his family, would all grovel at his feet and beg for his forgiveness.

Lance then said, “There’s something I need you to do in a few days.”

“What is it?” Ponda asked, taking a drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaling.

“To give you another big credit. We’re currently locating the Kodak Family’s warehouses. Once we find them, you lead a team to take them down.”

“Would that count as a big credit?”

A smile appeared on Ponda’s face. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. We’re friends, remember?”

“Friends should help each other…”

After hanging up the phone, Ponda walked over to the somewhat melancholy Lisa, put his arm around her shoulder, and buried his head in her neck, greedily sniffing the scent emanating from her.

Lisa gently stroked his hair. The two of them didn’t speak, just sat there, quietly.

At this moment, in the city police station, Hunter was about to throw the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray. He glanced at the already piled-up ashtray and couldn’t find a place to put it. Then he took the ashtray and walked to the trash can.

The phone on the desk suddenly rang shrilly. He looked back with the cigarette in his mouth, then turned his head and emptied the ashes from the ashtray into the trash can.

The rising ashes made him feel uncomfortable, as if just inhaling a little bit would make him feel worse.

But he actually didn’t know that those ashes were actually very clean. Not only had they been sterilized by a high temperature of several hundred degrees, but they were also difficult to become stubborn residues.

On the contrary, it was the tar, the thousands of chemical elements, that were the truly harmful things.

He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, clapped his hands, and picked up the phone. “This is the chief’s office.”

An internal line phone could only be reached by the police station’s internal lines.

The call was from Nate. “I think there’s some news I should tell you.”

When Hunter heard this, he was subconsciously pleasantly surprised. “Please, give me some good news. I desperately need some good news right now.”

Nate’s laughter was lighthearted on the other end. “Alright, your prayers have been heard by God. Someone is willing to talk, but he must talk to you alone. You have to come over.”

After hanging up the phone, Hunter pumped his fist and immediately ran towards Nate’s office.

Many police officers looked at him along the way. Some thought it was strange, but some also realized that there might be a breakthrough in this case.

Only with a breakthrough would the anxious Hunter of the past two days run so relaxedly.

A minute or so later, the office door was suddenly pushed open. Hunter walked in, his voice accompanying him, “Where is the person now?”

He casually closed the door and saw the interrogated person sitting in a chair.

He had obvious injuries on his body, and his face was also beaten to a pulp. Just one look at him would give people the idea that “this guy is really fucking miserable.”

The thought was sudden and persistent.

Nate raised his hand, and the two police officers packed up their things and walked towards the door. Hunter looked at them and reminded them, “Don’t talk nonsense after you go out.”

He also realized that there might be a mole for Lance in the police station. After all, Lance’s infiltration of the police system was really not just strong.

After the two police officers left, Nate and Hunter walked to a corner and spoke briefly.

It was nothing more than that he couldn’t stand the torture and finally compromised.

Hunter didn’t find this strange.

As a criminal police supervisor, he had participated in the investigation of many criminal cases.

The federal police force had always advocated for a “presumption of innocence” in handling cases, but this was actually just casually said, yet some people really believed it.

In fact, all police around the world are the same. After finding a suspect, the first thing to do is to find evidence that this idiot is the person they are looking for. The federal police are no exception.

Otherwise, why would the prosecutor and the police department go to great lengths to collect evidence everywhere, desperately trying to prove that the charges are valid?

After explaining some things, Nate looked at the young man and said, “Hunter is here. You two can talk alone.”

He looked back at Hunter. After Hunter gave him a determined look, he also left the room.

At this moment, in the room, only Hunter and the listless young man sitting in the chair were left.

Hunter was so excited and happy inside that he was about to fly, but on the surface, he appeared exceptionally calm. He crossed his arms, pressed his butt against the edge of the desk, and looked at the young man sitting in the chair. “I’m here. What do you want to tell me?”

“Our time is limited. There are still many people outside who need me. If you can’t come up with something that interests me, I won’t leave you much time.”

A very forceful statement, as if he didn’t care at all whether this young man would confess or not.

The young man looked up at him. “Give me a cigarette.”

The two looked at each other for a moment, about seven or eight seconds. Hunter took out a cigarette, lit it, and put it in the other’s mouth.

The young man took a deep drag on the cigarette, then leaned back in the chair.

He was exceptionally relaxed, and then took another drag.

Hunter frowned. He didn’t want to show his nervousness, but now he urgently needed to know the “truth.” He could only remind the other party, “If you don’t talk, I will leave now. I will also have them work harder on you, as a reward for you playing tricks on me.”

The young man glanced at him sideways. “They said that as long as I plead guilty and then testify against Lance, you can get my sentence reduced?”

Hunter nodded. “Yes, I said so.”

“Do I have to sign some kind of agreement?” the young man asked.

Hunter looked him over again. “Yes, we have an agreement, and you must come up with something that can satisfy me, otherwise I won’t give it to you.”

The young man took two drags on his cigarette. “I don’t want to go to prison, and I need a sum of money.”

This was a line that was not in the plan. He was actually adding to his own lines at this critical moment!

But Hunter not only did not feel that this part of the performance was unusual, but instead felt that the young man had become more real.

Greed was always the truest portrayal of these gang members.

He neither agreed nor refused, and was still using techniques to suppress the other party. “That depends on whether you can bring me something different.”

“There’s more than one person outside who has already confessed to their crimes and is willing to accuse Lance.”

“If you can only do the same as them, then I can’t promise you anything. You are not as valuable as you think.”

A very common, but also very effective line of argument. This time, the young man did not think for too long. “Actually, I have a notebook in my hand. It records some of the things I left behind while working for the Lance Family and a small amount of evidence.”

“And some of the situations I personally know about when I was responsible for escorting the liquor out. I don’t know, is this valuable?”

So damn valuable!

Hunter pursed his lips. “Where is it?”

He did not show excitement, but instead appeared unhurried and calm, and even very deep.

The young man said a location, in the suburbs. Hunter immediately picked up the phone, but was interrupted by the young man. “Are you going to send someone to get it?”

Hunter frowned and looked back at him. “Yes, what’s wrong?”

The young man had a “are you fucking kidding me” expression on his face. “You’re actually going to send someone to get it?”

Hunter looked bewildered, and at this moment he also had no patience. He wanted to get the evidence that could accuse Lance, so his tone also became more impatient. “So what the fuck is wrong?”

The young man was not afraid of his bad temper at all. “There are his men in the police station. Fuck, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?”

“What if the person you send is his man?”

“he will rush into the police station and kill me!”

“Fuck, you are so fucking unreliable. I would have not told you if I knew this earlier!”

The young man had changed his lines. According to the script, he should have asked Hunter to get it himself, but he thought about it all day. He felt that actively saying this seemed a bit bad, and might be discovered by Hunter as something wrong.

So he canceled this part of the request, to have Hunter get it himself, and instead kept negating his choices.

Hunter’s actions indeed hesitated. According to this young man, that notebook was very important. It was not a complete notebook.

But it recorded many important records that could send Lance to the electric chair, such as shipping records, such as the record of the young man being assigned by Lance to kill someone on a certain day.

He frowned deeply. “What if I have Nate get it?”

“The chief who was here just now.”

The young man’s reaction was fast. “He’s also Lance’s man!”

Hunter’s first reaction was “impossible.” Nate had been with him for more than ten years. How could he be Lance’s man?

And he also knew Nate’s situation very well. If Nate was really Lance’s man, his life should be more comfortable.

But now he had become suspicious. This young man so decisively said that Nate was Lance’s man. Could it be true?

He was a little suspicious. He didn’t believe it immediately, nor did he not believe it. He wanted to test it.

He pointed at the young man, then left the room and found Nate at the door. “Come with me. I have something to tell you.”

Nate was a little confused, but still followed Hunter to the corner. After the two stood still, Nate asked, “What did he say?”

As soon as he said this, Hunter had a very strange feeling. Is this something you can fucking ask?

Sometimes preconceived notions are so terrible. Even if he convinced himself that Nate was not Lance’s man, under the influence of the young man, he increasingly felt that Nate might have a problem.

He lowered his voice and said, “The person inside just told me that you are Lance’s man.”

His eyes were fixed on Nate’s eyes and expression. Nate’s pupils contracted rapidly after hearing this news, and then an incredible expression appeared on his face. He looked at him and asked stiffly, “And you believed him?”

(End of a Chapter)