Chapter 1: Incision
Miami Police Department, inside the interrogation room.
Under the glaring fluorescent lights, Selena sat on the cold metal chair, her face pale, her eyes listless, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
The two officers opposite her kept asking questions, simple but endless, as if trying to drain every bit of her energy.
"What's your relationship with the suspect Victor?"
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"Do you know where he is now?"
Selena's lips trembled slightly, her voice hoarse and weak: "I... I don't know. I really don't know..."
What had seemed like a routine inquiry had now lasted several hours.
The girl's stamina was nearing its limits, her eyes uncontrollably reddened, tears forming at the corners, as she began to sob quietly.
Behind the one-way glass of the interrogation room, Director Carl Vincent of the FBI Miami Branch was coldly observing everything.
Monica stood beside him, looking completely at ease. She spoke in a flippant tone: "This girl is Victor's darling. Keeping her here will surely lure that guy in."
Upon hearing this, Director Vincent's frown deepened. He turned his head and shot Monica a cold glare, with undisguised disdain in his eyes.
If this woman weren't a special agent dispatched from Washington, he would have kicked her out of his territory long ago.
Unable to contain his anger, he responded icily: "Selena is not involved in the case; she's just a friend of the suspect.
At most, I asked her to assist with the investigation, not to be interrogated endlessly like a criminal. She has been questioned by your people for six hours now; I think it should end."
Monica felt offended by his words, her face instantly darkening. She sneered and mocked, "Director, I heard Victor saved you once. Are you going to go easy on him?"
Director Vincent's throat emitted a low electronic hum, as he fearlessly stared at Monica, "My duty is to uphold the law, not to be bossed around by an outsider like you."
Monica was enraged by his attitude, her face turning ashen as she shouted, "Director, do you know the consequences of failing to catch the killer of Governor Ellison Parker?"
Director Vincent remained disdainful, "Relying on your methods is a waste of time; we'll never catch the killer."
A few minutes later, Selena was escorted out of the interrogation room. Her steps were unsteady, her eyes vacant, resembling a walking corpse.
Kongges and Julia were also released, the family hugged each other, comforted each other, and left the police station, leaving Miami.
Monica stood in the shadows outside the police station, her face dark and grim. Her fingers clenching tightly into fists, nails almost digging into her palms.
Once Zhou Qingfeng's bodyguard, Yeager approached her silently, whispering, "Miss Monica, a guy named Stock contacted us.
He claims to have drone footage that clearly proves Victor is the governor's killer.
Additionally, a large number of Mexican workers have appeared near Orlando, with evidence indicating Victor is still trapped nearby, unable to get far. But the exact location is unclear."
Mentioning Zhou Qingfeng's name made Monica unable to conceal her hatred, "I despise that guy Victor. This is a sample from My Virtual Library Empire. Read the rest on M-VLEMPYR.
He's rich and bold, dare to kill a governor, yet won't bow to me, won't kneel to lick my boots.
In my world, everyone submits to me, except that guy who is too unruly, like a thorn in my eye.
I want to destroy him, and everything around him. Like the stupid women he likes, I won't let any of them go."
Yeager didn't comment much, he just continued whispering, "Dias said Victor has no more value, we can make the final cut.
If we can lure him out and capture him, it would save a lot of trouble."
Monica asked, "What does this Stock guy want?"
"He wants a million US Dollars in bounty."
Monica laughed crazily, her tone mocking, "A million US Dollars? No problem, agree to it.
But he first has to help us find Victor, then we'll see if he can get his hands on the money alive."
-----------------
A small town bar near Orlando.
Soon after nightfall, the bar was crowded with drunkards and tourists looking to drown their sorrows.
Old Juan had placed Zhou Qingfeng in a single-family villa in town. They agreed to change locations every twenty-four hours, with the rendezvous point being this bar, where someone would connect with him.
Upon entering the bar, Zhou Qingfeng regretted it. The singer's voice was hoarse, the heavy metal music disorienting, and the waitresses were hefty older women.
The ambiance was utterly dismal, not only confined but also noisy and unpleasantly foul, overly murky.
Hari accompanied Zhou Qingfeng inside but found the chaotic atmosphere of the bar extraordinarily novel and was quite excited.
In the bar, mixed-race long-legged girls were the most sought-after.
Not even a minute later, a muscular man came over with a drink, tossed a set of 'Harley' motorcycle keys on the table in front of them, and sat down grandly, seemingly full of bravado.
The bar's TV was showing the news; after Governor Ellison Parker's death, the Secretary of State stepped in, and the police and FBI were ramping up efforts to capture the killer.
The 'Harley' man glanced at the TV screen, pretending to be mysterious, raised his glass, and sighed, "Those idiots will never catch me."
Hari was shaking her body to the heavy metal music, she had sneaked in tonight, finding everything interesting.