Chapter 429
Luke asked, “How is Chen Yue’s condition?”
Michael Jett sighed, “I just asked the doctor, and it needs to be observed for a while longer.
I hope she can pull through.”
Luke said to Louise on the side, “Where is Chen Ning?”
“We sent her home first, with a female agent to take care of her.”
“You go talk to her and see if she’s seen Kimball Song.
If she doesn’t recognize it, you’ll go to the restaurant and ask.” If Chen Yue and Song Jinbao were really working together, there should be a connection between them.
“Aren’t you coming along?”
Luke shook his head, “No, my charm usually only works on women over eighteen.
Too young for me to handle.”
“Oh, so I’m under eighteen.
Bye~”
Louise greeted the crowd and left the hospital room.
“Ringing ……”
Michael Jett’s cell phone rang, glanced at the screen and rushed out of the ward.
Only Luke and Amir were left in the ward.
Luke had nothing to say to him and picked up an orange to eat as well.
Amir asked, “Isn’t it sweet.”
Luke nodded.
“My girlfriend bought it.”
Luke nods again.
Amir “……”
After a while, Michael Jeter pushes his way in, “Guys, I just got a tip, anyone want to guess?”
Amir thought briefly, “You’ve got news on Kimball Song?”
“Guess again.”
Luke guessed, “You found Jung Lagoon?”
Michael Jeter snaps his fingers, “His body to be exact.”
“Where?”
“A winery on the outskirts of New York.
Come on, say on the way.”
Amir instinctively tried to get up and covered his chest before he could sit up straight, “I …… wish you all the best.”
Michael Jeter patted him on the shoulder, “Man, get well and wait for our good news.”
In a black Chevrolet SUV.
Michael Jett was in the driver’s seat driving and Luke was in the passenger seat.
Luke took out a cigarette, “Don’t mind if I do.”
Michael Jett took a deep breath, “No, I like the smell of smoke.”
Luke lit the cigarette and took a drag, “Where did you get the information?”
“Intelligence.”
Luke nodded, it was normal for Fobler to have informants in the gang.
“Who killed Zheng Lagong?”
“The Intelligence Department is not sure, they only know that a male body was found in the Kalmar Winery, which is the property of the Flying Dragon Gang, and according to the information he got the body is probably Zheng Lagong.
We have to get to the winery quickly, the body could be disposed of at any time.”
Luke was a bit surprised, “There’s a winery under the Flying Dragon Gang?”
“That’s right, these bastards are richer than you think.” Michael Jet smiled, “Who do you think killed Zheng Lagong?”
Luke exhaled a puff of smoke, “I think there are two possibilities, the first possibility is that the Flying Dragon Gang found out that Zheng Lagong was a police informant, and the Flying Dragon Gang cleaned up after themselves.
The second possibility is that Mo Shaoxiong killed Zheng Lagong.”
Michael Jett said, “I prefer the second possibility.”
Luke reached his right hand out the window and flicked the ashes of his cigarette, “Under what name are you going to search the winery?”
“Smuggling.”
“With authorization?”
“Of course, Negan authorized it when we arrived.” Michael Jett bristled, “How can a winery owned by a gang like this one be clean, more or less, and find out what’s going on.
Authorization is not a problem at all.”
Although there wasn’t a set standard, Luke had a feeling that it would be easier for Fobler to apply for a search warrant than the police.
Kalmar Winery.
It was a winery that grew and made wine.
Fobler’s car drove into the winery, surrounded by an open plantation, estimated to be at least two to three hundred acres, with factories, cottages, warehouses, and other facilities built in the middle of the vineyard.
Luke stepped out of the Chevrolet SUV, and a faint fragrance, if any, filled the air.
He looked at the fruitful vineyard and thought it would be good to be a farmer.
A middle-aged Asian-looking man with gold-rimmed glasses approached him, “Sir, do you have an appointment?”
Michael Jett cocked his head, “No, we have a warrant.”
The middle-aged Asian man spread his hands, “Sir, did something happen?”
Michael Jeter asked back, “Who are you?”
“I’m the manager of the winery, Charlie Liao.”
“We received a report that your winery is suspected of smuggling, and we have to search it according to the law.
Manager Liao, please cooperate.”
“Can I see the search warrant?”
“Sure.” Michael Jett took out the search warrant and handed it to him.
Manager Liao looked at the search warrant and looked a little nervous, “I think there might be some misunderstanding here, our winery never does anything illegal.”
“Then by the way, let’s find out why this misunderstanding was caused.” Michael Jett waved his hand, “Guys, get to work.
Manager Liao, please ask your people to cooperate.”
The building area of the winery was not small, there were living, hospitality, brewery, and warehouse, this search would not be short.
Because the winery had a gang background, in order to avoid the gang members from dogfighting after the discovery of the body, Agent Fobler was heavily armed.
Luke looked at the empty vineyard, it was a good location to hide the body, it would not be easy to find the body.
“Michael, isn’t it time to consider calling in the police dogs?”
Michael Jett took out his cell phone, “I have that idea too.”
The crowd split up to search the area, no more Luke, no less him.
Luke walked over to Manager Liao, looked him up and down, and handed over a cigarette, “Manager Liao, want one?”
The area of the winery was so large, instead of searching aimlessly, it was better to talk to the person in charge of the winery, relatively speaking, Luke was better at dealing with people.
“Thanks.” Manager Liao took the cigarettes.
Luke asked, “Can you speak Chinese?”
“Yes. What is your name?” Manager Liao began to speak Chinese as well.
“My last name is Li, Fobol criminal investigation consultant.”
“Out of respect, so it’s Counselor Li.” Manager Liao took out his lighter and helped Luke light his cigarette first: “Counselor Li, I really don’t have any contraband here.
Is someone setting me up?”
“That’s something you have to ask yourself.” Luke stared at the other party.
Manager Liao took a drag on his cigarette, “I don’t know, and I also feel wronged, suddenly there are so many Foppers, it’s the first time I’ve seen such a big battle.”
“Are you a member of the Flying Dragon Gang?”
“Uh, I do know some friends from the gang, but I’m not a member of the gang myself.”
“Do you know Zheng Lagong?”
“Yes, he’s been to the winery before and is a guest of ours here.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“I can’t remember, it must have been years ago.”
“Has anything unusual happened at the winery recently?”
“No.” Manager Liao answered dryly, but Luke vaguely saw signs of lying.
Luke continued, “Do you know Mo Shaoxiong?”
“Yes, also a guest of our winery.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“It should be a year ago as well.”
“Did he and Zheng Lagong come together?”
“Yes.”
“How is the relationship between the two of them?”
“I’m not really sure.” Manager Liao turned his head aside, as if he was intentionally avoiding it.
“Ringing ……”
Luke’s cell phone rang, Will’s number displayed on the screen.
“I’m going to take a call.”
Luke dropped a line and walked over to the vineyard and pressed the answer button, “Hello.”
“Brother, is it easy to talk?”
“Go ahead.”
“I carefully consider …… think that your words are reasonable, so I went to the Flying Dragon Gang today, ready to tell Brother Wolf about quitting the gang.
But I didn’t know how to open my mouth, and after waiting for a while, I heard the news that Zheng Lagong, the vice master of the Iron Blood Hall, had been injured and was hiding in a clinic for treatment.”
“When did this happen?” Luke frowned slightly, this old brother’s news is too backward.
The body was found, treatment my ass.
But thinking that Will hadn’t been to the Flying Dragon Gang in the past two days and was a peripheral junior, it was possible that there was a delay in the news.
“I just heard it.”
“Which clinic?
“The Alec Clinic on Mosant Street.”
“Is Zheng Lagong seriously injured? Treated at the clinic? Or is he already dead?”
“I didn’t dare to follow up. Do you need me to ask?”
“No. Any idea how he was injured?”
“There’s speculation that it might have been poisoned by someone from Wakasendo.
It’s being prepared to seek revenge on the people of Wo Sheng Tang.”
“I see. Did you withdraw from the gang?”
“Yes, I ended up talking.
I was also beaten up by Brother Wolf’s men, but they were measured in their actions, and the injuries on my body weren’t serious, so I’ll be fine after a few days of recuperation.
Brother Wolf also promised to report back to the gang and told me to wait for news.”
“Did they suspect you?”
“I don’t think so.
They saw my parents take me away.
I told them that my parents didn’t agree with me joining the gang and forced me to die, so I had no choice but to quit the Flying Dragon Gang.
There are many members in a similar situation to me.
They’ve gone through it themselves, the difference is that they fell out with their parents and won them over.”
“Good job, pay attention to protecting yourself. The more you keep a low profile for the next two days, the better.”
“Brother, can I tell the NYPD about this?
I’ve inquired about Zheng Lagong’s whereabouts and I’ve completed the police department’s mission.
Then I can make an honorable exit, and I can also ask the police department to help resolve the trouble with Wo Sing Tong.” Will’s tone had a slight hint of relief in it.
This was tantamount to making the NYPD owe him a favor, and even if he couldn’t be a cop in the 62nd Precinct, he could still go to other precincts.
“How do you guys usually get in touch?”
“They gave me a cell phone number to call if I needed anything, said that number was secure.”
Luke thought for a moment, “Don’t tell the NYPD yet, wait to hear from me.”
“Uh ……” Will hesitated for a moment, “Okay, I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Luke barked a few more words and hung up his cell phone.
Luke found a big stone next to the vineyard and sat down, his right fingers scratched his scalp, there was a discrepancy between Will’s news and the information from the Fobol Intelligence Department.
Will surely wouldn’t lie to himself, could it be that there was a problem with the Intelligence Department’s information?
Will’s information was more accurate than the Intelligence Department’s information?
Luke felt it was unlikely.
The biggest possibility was that there was a delay in Will’s information, and that Zheng Lagong was injured and treated at the clinic, but was not resuscitated because it was not a normal death, and the body was sent to the vineyard to be buried.
Luke felt that this possibility was the most likely.
If this was the case, the clinic was the first scene of Zheng Lagong’s death, and more clues might be found there.
Luke took out his cell phone and prepared to call Negan to investigate at the clinic as soon as possible before the clinic cleared the traces.
Halfway through pressing the cell phone number, he stopped, still feeling something was wrong.
What if there was no delay in Will’s message?
Why did he get two different messages about Jung Lagoon at the same time.
Could it be that someone is releasing a smoke bomb.
And what was their purpose?
Luke suddenly thought of a possibility and broke out into a cold sweat.
He took out his cell phone and dialed Will’s number, he knew it was a bit risky to call Will now, but the call had to be made as soon as possible.
“Hello, brother.”
Luke tried, “Have you eaten yet?”
“I’m alone next to you, go ahead.” Will’s voice was not unusual.
“What did I just say to you? Remember?” Luke was careful not to say it himself letting Will say it to avoid him already being in control and to maximize his protection.
“Uh …… told me to lay as low as possible.”
“Anything else?”
“Don’t tell the NYPD about Jung Lagoon.”
“Very well, keep that one in mind.” Luke finished and hung up his cell phone.
He dialed Negan’s number again, “Boss, is it easy to talk?”
“Yes, is the investigation still going well? Did you find Jung Lagoon’s body?”
“I just got a different news about Jung Ragong, the news was delivered by my cousin, he said that Jung Ragong might not be dead and is undergoing treatment at a New York clinic.”
“Can you confirm the accuracy of the message?”
“Can’t.”
“You want to go to the clinic to investigate?”
“I originally thought so, but then I worried it was a trap.”
There was silence on the other end of the hand, and after a moment, Negan said, “I see, I’ll inform Intelligence to have the informant who delivered the message evacuated as soon as possible.”
Luke secretly praised, it was really old intelligence, a little insight.
Luke was worried that after the top management of the Flying Dragon Gang learned that Zheng Lagong was a police informant, they would use Zheng Lagong’s death to spread different messages in the different halls and heads at all levels of the gang, locating and removing them in real time, and eliminating the law enforcement’s informants and undercover agents in one fell swoop.
Simply put, if Luke had gone to the clinic to investigate, Flying Dragon Gang leader Wolf’s gang would have been targeted by the gang and Will would have likely been exposed.
Similarly, Fobler followed the information from the Intelligence Department to the winery to investigate, and the Intelligence Department’s informant could be discovered.
“Keep an eye on Michael for me, and also, thank your cousin for me.”
“I will.”
Luke hung up his cell phone, once again feeling the danger of being undercover in a gang.
Let’s hope his speculation is wrong.
“Sir, we have something on our side.” A black Agent Fobler beckoned from the warehouse door.
Luke and Michael Jett both walked over.
Michael Jett asked, “What’s the situation?”
“There are a lot of rubberized wooden barrels sitting in the warehouse, the warehouse manager says they are empty, but one of them is heavy and should have something in it.”
Manager Liao said, “It’s possible that it’s red wine, these wooden barrels are supposed to contain wine.”
The black agent said, “The barrels were filled with solids.”
Michael Jeter turned his head to look aside at Manager Liao, “What’s in the barrels?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have your men open the barrel.”
Manager Liao stood still and didn’t move.
Michael instructed the black agent, “Open the barrel.”
“YES, Sir.”
The black agent found a crowbar in the warehouse, walked over to the barrel, and pried open the top lid.
The wooden lid just revealed a crack emitting a strong stench of corpse, smelling this rotten odor, Luke knew without looking that the body should have already rotted beyond recognition, and it was useless for ordinary people to look at it, it could only be handed over to a professional forensic pathologist.
Could it be that he guessed wrong, Zheng Lagong’s body is really in the winery?
Luke backed up some, the black agent did not continue to pry the wooden lid, have to dissipate the smell in the barrel, otherwise too top.
After a while, the smell was almost dispersed before the black agent walked over wearing a mask and lifted the lid of the barrel completely.
The black agent peered into the barrel and cursed, “FUCK!”
Michael Jett also walked up to check it out and followed with a curse, “Fucking asshole.”
Luke also walked up to the barrel fat checking it out, it held a rotting corpse, but not of a human, but of a dog.
Michael Jett walked over to Manager Liao and twisted his collar and walked over to the barrel, “Tell me, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Manager Liao glanced at the barrel with a look of disgust.
“Believe it or not I’ll throw you into the barrel as well.”
“It’s none of my business, it probably ran in there by itself.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Even if it would have run into the barrel, there’s no way it could have sealed the lid on its own.
Are you playing with us?” Michael Jett also realized that something was wrong, but for a moment he couldn’t quite figure it out, like there was a layer of windowpaper between them.
Luke grabbed Michael Jett’s arm, “Let go of him, now is not the time to get angry.
Keep searching.”
Although Luke felt that his speculation was correct, Zheng Lagong’s body might be a false news deliberately spread by the Flying Dragon Gang.
But they had already come, and withdrawing now would not change the fact that the informant was exposed, so they might as well search carefully, even if they could not find the body, they still had to look for some other ‘evidence’, and they could not return empty-handed.
Michael Jet stared at Manager Liao: “I’ll remember you, Charlie Liao.”
Manager Liao’s face was a bit ugly, silently retreated to the side, not to mention that he only had a gang background, even if he was a gang member, he did not dare to stand firm at this time.
Half an hour later, the police dog squad rushed to the winery, the search dogs searched the winery, the search lasted for almost two hours, almost ran through the entire winery, but still did not find Zheng Lagong’s body.
However, Agent Fobler found some prohibited firearms in the basement of the winery, probably smuggled items, and Manager Liao was brought back to the Fobler office for investigation.
The search is over.
Luke returned to Fobler’s New York office and went to the seventh floor supervisor’s office.
Negan was on the phone and waved Luke to sit on the couch first.
The smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the room, and there were a few cigarette butts scattered in the ashtray, so it was obvious that Negan had just spent the last two hours in a very depressed state as well.
After making the phone call, Negan sat down next to the sofa, his face a little gloomy, lit another cigarette and took a hard drag, “How was the search of the winery?”
“Some contraband items were recovered, Michael is taking care of it.”
Negan sighed softly, “That informant from Intelligence is out of contact.”
Luke froze for a moment, it had happened after all, “Has a rescue been sent?”
Negan nodded, “I sent a SWAT team, hopefully it’s not too late ……”