North America Gunman Detective

Jimmy hung up the phone and looked up at the Federal Square building. Something was off about Ruiz, really off. He was a bit oversensitive. Jimmy just wanted to talk to him about Seventeen, but Ruiz blocked every possible way.

He and Ruiz had a life-and-death friendship. In the past, if he ever asked for help, he was rarely refused. Why was Ruiz so tense this time?

David came from the Anti-Terrorism Bureau and stayed in the Homicide Team for a while. He shouldn't be Ruiz's man, considering he just joined the Anti-Crime Team not long ago. Why did Ruiz trust him so much?

Excluding the possibility of Ruiz specially assigning a task to David, there were only two possibilities left.

First, if Seventeen is indeed in trouble and Ruiz is involved, he can't let Jimmy, an unstable factor, intervene. It would be too easy to lose control.

Jimmy is different from others. Despite his young age, his efficiency and success rate in solving cases are incredibly high, and his combat abilities are somewhat excessive. If something unexpected happens, some people might not live to see the next dawn, and those could include Ruiz himself because Jimmy's stance on drug dealers is very clear.

Second, if Seventeen is indeed in trouble, and Ruiz figured it out from the case, he might have to distance Jimmy from the case to save Seventeen. Otherwise, any resistance could result in Jimmy directly killing Seventeen.

Seventeen is his single-line contact undercover. Even if it's against the rules, he's still an FBI agent. Any situation where he might get killed by his own people must be avoided.

Others getting involved in this case wouldn't be a big issue. As long as he's alive, deals can be made to keep Seventeen alive, maybe even avoid incarceration.

Jimmy couldn't help but start suspecting whether Ruiz was doing this for Seventeen or for himself. As a friend, Jimmy really hoped Ruiz and Seventeen weren't in cahoots. If it's just smuggling luxury goods for some money, fine. But with drug trafficking... how deep was Ruiz involved?

Jimmy started the car and left Federal Square. In this situation, he definitely couldn't confront Ruiz directly. The best way was to keep an eye on Seventeen.

Seventeen hadn't been caught yet. Currently, David probably only captured people from the home renovation company and is tracing the smuggling drug case details from them. Only when confirmed, can they make arrests.

Seventeen couldn't possibly escape now; he hadn't been exposed. Although he knew the smuggling had been discovered, given his identity, he wouldn't flee now. Otherwise, he would face not just a nationwide manhunt, but an internal FBI investigation.

Jimmy never investigated Seventeen's information, having earlier concluded that he was Ruiz's undercover agent. Jimmy didn't dare search the system thoroughly, fearing someone might notice and check his query records, potentially exposing Seventeen. Now he regretted it a bit.

But he wasn't completely out of options. Jimmy had Seventeen's phone number stored, and using it to track his location, he could continue following him. Previously, Hughes had provided a recording from the supervisor's office phone, which means he must have special channels to directly contact the NSA, possibly even high-level insiders.

Jimmy himself didn't have the authority to access phone location information. Asking Hughes for help was a bit much, but it was the most convenient solution at the moment.

The Anti-Terrorism Bureau hadn't been in touch for a long time, making it inconvenient to investigate now, as it was too sensitive.

Driving on the road, Jimmy phoned Hughes, who suggested they meet at his place. He just needed Jimmy to wait outside for a while until he returned.

Hughes, being outside, knew trouble was brewing when he saw Jimmy's call. He wasted no time returning home and, seeing the cigarette butts on the ground, knew Jimmy had been waiting outside for a while.

Upon entering the living room, Hughes handed Jimmy a can of Coke, "So, what's the matter?"

Jimmy: "Hughes, you know someone at the NSA, right? I need to locate a phone's specific position."

Hughes: "Whose? And for what purpose?"

Jimmy: "A gang member suspected of drug trafficking."

Hughes: "Why not use the bureau's system? You could request authorization; I bet no one would refuse."

Jimmy shook his head: "It's not convenient to investigate at the bureau. This matter can't be known to others just yet."

Hughes squinted at Jimmy, "Why not?"

Jimmy: "Because his identity is complicated."

Hughes paused briefly to think and then asked: "What about Ruiz, what does he say?"

Jimmy hadn't expected Hughes to be so perceptive to recognize his target and was momentarily at a loss for words to explain.

Seeing Jimmy's silence, Hughes picked up the Coke to buy time, realizing the issue's gravity. Jimmy didn't say much, but the implication was clear.

Hughes paced around the living room a few times, with Jimmy's gaze following him back and forth, until Hughes finally stopped, "How confident are you?"

Jimmy: "Not much confidence, it's just a possibility, and not a high one at that."

Hughes: "These are serious allegations; do you get that?"

Jimmy: "I understand, which is why I can't let anyone know I'm investigating. You know, among the people in the bureau, he's my best friend."