North America Gunman Detective

Jimmy waved his hand: "It's all luck. Next time you board a plane, make sure to pay close attention to the people around you and ensure that no one except the pilots can enter the cockpit."

"Let's not talk about that. You two prepare yourselves. I've been in touch with the SRT training fields, so when you have time, go practice your shooting. No matter what, the suspects we face are essentially involved in violent crimes. The likelihood of them being armed is very high, so definitely sharpen your shooting skills. Even if you can't kill the suspect, you should be able to suppress them to ensure your own safety."

As he was speaking, the police light above the door suddenly started flashing wildly, and the alert tone sounded. Jimmy immediately got up, "Let's go to Ruiz's office."

This alert was specifically for the emergency response team. Jimmy's Homicide Team also covers the emergency team functions, so the flashing light means there is an urgent situation that requires their support.

In Ruiz's office, as soon as Jimmy and the other two entered, Ruiz handed them a piece of paper with a picture of a manhole cover blown off: "About fifteen minutes ago there was a minor explosion in Times Square. A manhole cover was blown off, injuring two people. The NYPD has already arrived on the scene to maintain order, and the Fire Department's bomb detection personnel are on the way to the scene. You should head over there now, and if it's an explosives-related explosion, take charge on the scene."

Jimmy looked at the photo and nodded: "OK, we're heading out."

Jimmy and the others always carry their guns with them, even in the office. So they didn't go back to the office, and headed directly downstairs to drive to Times Square.

No matter when, Times Square always has lots of people. Some are working nearby, but most are tourists. A blast in such a place would definitely be a big problem, and right next door is the New York Times building, which would likely cover the event extensively.

Under normal circumstances, the FBI would only deploy after a preliminary conclusion has been drawn. It seems Ruiz got a call ahead of time, clearly unable to handle the pressure compared to Hughes, so he could only inform Jimmy to head out and investigate. Normally, in such cases, the Anti-Terrorism Team should be deployed at the scene to determine whether it's a terrorist attack and decide which group should take charge of the case.

However, Jimmy and the others currently don't have any cases on hand. Jimmy himself has dealt with multiple explosion cases before. Among the agents, he is considered to be at the experienced level, so bringing along two assistants to take over the investigation of this case is reasonable.

When Jimmy and his team arrived at Times Square, the crowd of tourists had already roughly returned to normal, except for an area cordoned off by the NYPD.

Jimmy and the other two hung their FBI badges around their necks and walked over, "FBI."

The nearby officers let Jimmy and his team through, where several firefighters were examining the drainage system beneath the manhole cover. Jimmy flashed his credentials, "FBI Senior Agent Jimmy Yang, what's happening here? Have you found the explosives?"

A firefighter standing above turned to Jimmy: "We haven't found any explosives yet. There are two manhole covers that were blown off. Our people are examining down below."

Jimmy: "Were anyone injured?"

Firefighter: "Two people were hit, but they're not injured. They've already left."

Jimmy: "OK, you proceed with your investigation."

Jimmy stood aside, not interfering with them. He turned to Mark and Julia, "You two go around and ask if anyone witnessed the explosion firsthand, and get a hold of any surveillance footage within 50 meters that can capture this area."

After instructing them, Jimmy activated Heart Eye to look down. As the usage of Heart Eye becomes more frequent and lasts longer, Jimmy can now clearly see the people underground and the shapes of other pipes. However, the same issue persists: because he can only see outlines, once items densely cluster together, he can't distinguish them clearly.

There's someone down below checking the pipes. The First Level pipeline isn't spacious, but it's clear he's carrying quite a lot of equipment, with an oxygen tank on his back, presumably concerned about the air affecting breathing down there. There aren't others below, so they'll have to wait for this person's investigation report.

Jimmy scanned the crowd around, noticing many people by the windows of nearby buildings watching below. In such a populated area, it's impossible to determine if there's a suspicious person; they're all mixed in with the crowd.

Typically, in explosive cases or other major incidents, some perpetrators enjoy watching investigators at work to understand the investigation's progress. This isn't the first time such an occurrence has happened, so Jimmy is certainly going to carefully search among the crowd.

Of course, that assumes the explosion was deliberate. If it's a gas explosion or a rare biogas explosion, then it's purely wasted effort, and it should be handed over to the municipal government for resolution.

Jimmy looked down at the ground again, where investigators had already finished checking the elevator shaft and started examining the pipes below. It's likely the investigation will take a considerable amount of time.

Meanwhile, the external investigation is also time-consuming, with Mark and Julia at a reasonable distance from each other, each holding a small notebook and pen, conducting inquiries with passersby to establish if anyone witnessed the explosion firsthand.

According to Jimmy's previous instructions, they must ensure each other can provide support during tasks or investigations. They shouldn't venture anywhere alone to uphold safety. Although they somewhat think Jimmy is overreacting, they still comply with his demands. Even in a location like Times Square.

Jimmy was driven mad by Mark's previous injury. He used to frequently run around solo to handle cases without facing significant danger. Yet, soon after he had the team, one got knocked out immediately. Consequently, since Mark's return, Jimmy arranged for both Mark and Julia to mutually support each other when he's not nearby, ensuring safety first.

After waiting ten minutes, the person in the pipe finally came up, and two firefighters helped pull him out from the sewer. Even from a distance, Jimmy could smell an unpleasant scent, wondering how he endured down there for so long.

Once out of the sewer, the firefighter removed all equipment, kept the clothing underneath, and wrapped himself in a coat. He picked up a bag from the ground and walked over, "Agent? Here's what I found down below."

Jimmy took disposable gloves from his pocket and put them on, then took the plastic bag, which contained several damaged pieces of cardboard and fragments of a green PCB board. There weren't many, but the cardboard showed signs of scorching.

Jimmy: "Is that everything?"

The firefighter nodded: "I searched several meters down below. This is all I could find. It appears to be placed intentionally, but you'll have to test specifically what the explosives are."

Jimmy nodded: "Thank you, buddy. I'll arrange for a test right away. Thanks for your hard work."

Jimmy took off one glove and pulled out his phone to dial Ruiz's number: "Ruiz, we've found suspected explosive residue. We need the bomb detection team to quickly provide results. Current judgment is that it's a self-made bomb intentionally planted."

Ruiz replied: "I'll notify them. You quickly bring it back. Also, inform the NYPD and have them watch for anyone claiming responsibility for the explosion. I'll let Mrs. Mason temporarily hold off any media reports."

Jimmy: "Got it, returning now. Mark and the team will remain on-site to investigate. If there's an emergency situation, they can assist."

After ending the call, Jimmy walked over to instruct Mark and Julia before driving away to the laboratory himself.

A homemade bomb can already be considered an incident at a terrorist attack level. Jimmy needs to wait for the lab results to determine if it's a serious case. It would have to be transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Team.

Hopefully, Mark and Julia's on-site investigation will yield some results, ideally finding surveillance cameras from which to extract footage. Since it was intentional, there must be related personnel entering or exiting the sewer.