Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"Answer my question."

"You're right, Natasha didn't die. It was a bomb sent by Ramon Borego at my behest."

"Was this your own idea, or was it an FBI operation?"

"It was an FBI operation."

"Then why deceive the police? Why not inform them before the operation?"

"This operation had to be kept secret. We couldn't let too many people know, as the consequences of a leak would be unthinkable."

"So, you're still not planning on telling them?"

Alfie Imma hesitated for a moment, glanced at Luke, and then looked towards Xiao Hei, "Are you sure you want to talk about this here?"

"You can go to the police station if you prefer."

"Recently, during another operation, we captured a member of the Bossita Gang, Ramon Borego.

We learned from him that someone from the Bossita Gang was infiltrating closely around Natasha, indeed, it was Carlos.

At that time, Natasha was unwilling to believe this and was very upset.

And I, realized the severity of this issue." Alfie Imma sat down in his chair and continued,

"Carlos could have killed Natasha at any moment, and more importantly, he didn't. Instead, he remained close to her, which suggested he was scheming something bigger and more terrifying.

If the Bossita Gang could locate Natasha, other smuggling organizations could too.

Natasha's situation was very dangerous, and she couldn't stay in Los Angeles any longer."

Luke said, "So, did the FBI and Natasha together devise a fake death plan?"

"Initially, Natasha was reluctant to go through with it. In her words, she wasn't afraid of death and could protect herself.

I knew she was skilled in martial arts, but against a handgun, even the best martial arts are ineffective.

In the end, I could only persuade her by mentioning the safety of her adoptive parents.

If she didn't 'die,' her adoptive parents would also be in danger.

So, we replaced Natasha with a corpse of a condemned prisoner and staged a death scene.

I had someone place the prisoner's hair in Natasha's home bathroom.

The events that followed are all known to you."

Luke couldn't believe creating such a big fuss was just for Natasha's fake death. If it was just for Natasha's safety, they could have simply let her leave secretly under a new identity.

"What was the purpose of doing this?"

"The first goal was to forge Natasha's fake death so she could acquire a new identity and start a new life.

She had helped many people and families. She deserved this," Alfie Imma said, looking at the photo of Natasha on the table and continued,

"The second goal involved both the Bossita Gang and the Gonsede Gang, the two largest smuggling outfits near Los Angeles, engaged in multiple criminal enterprises—smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and organ dealing—truly up to no good.

For years, the FBI had been combating these two smuggling organizations and had more than once dismantled their operations in Los Angeles.

But soon after, a new batch of people would smuggle from Mexico and establish a new criminal stronghold.

We can eliminate their bases in Los Angeles, California, and even across America, but their headquarters are in Mexico.

We can't target Mexican gangs with one decisive blow; they regrow like hair, cut after cut.

To truly annihilate these two gangs, we needed to weaken their power in Mexico.

Even the Los Angeles police, let alone the FBI, had no capability for this.

Therefore, we devised this dog-eat-dog plan.

Letting someone from the Bossita Gang deliver a bomb through the Gonsede Gang's drug network to help fabricate Natasha's 'death,'

this way, no one would suspect her faked death.

The FBI and police could then trace back from the Gonsede Gang drug members and catch them all at once.

Thereafter, the police captured the Bossita Gang member who planted the bomb.

The Gonsede Gang learned the 'truth' of the case—that the Bossita Gang was attacking them using the power of the FBI and police.

The Gonsede Gang would surely seek revenge against the Bossita Gang.

The Bossita Gang would certainly retaliate.

Since both gangs' headquarters were in Mexico, fighting ensued, turning into real fire. Even if it couldn't lead to the complete destruction of the two gangs, it would still significantly reduce their strength.

That way, our goal would be achieved.

Killing several birds with one stone."

"Why not inform the police, thinking we are fools?"

"We also struggled with this for a long time.

But considering that the smuggling organizations had been operating in Los Angeles for many years, it was very likely that they had planted undercover agents inside the police, so we couldn't take the risk.

We've seen too many similar unfortunate incidents…

The fewer people who know about this, the safer and more successful it will be."