pjbooks Chapter 171 All evil will eventually be brought to justice.
Chapter 171 All evil will eventually be brought to justice.
Chapter 171 All evil will eventually be brought to justice.
"Would you take it for 150?"
Upon hearing his quote, Ma Jie immediately launched into a negotiation, proving he was a master of bargaining. Was he just kidding?
You can ask for whatever price you want, and I'll negotiate the price down to the spot.
"Buy the lesser?" Black Charcoal Bro was completely dumbfounded. You call this bargaining? When others bargain, they only cut the price in half at most. With this cut, my ankle is gone.
"One hundred and fifty," Ma Jie repeated, believing this price to be reasonable.
You're a welder, and you're asking for 1,500? I'm being lenient by not accusing you of fraud.
"Franklin, does this Asian guy even know the rules? I only let you in because of Simon Auto Shop, and the price he quoted is an insult to my craft!"
"Don't be angry, bro." Seeing that the two were about to fall out, Xiao Fu quickly stepped in to mediate: "I forgot to introduce you earlier. This is Jack, a car hunter active on the streets. His job completion rate is 100%. Even Simeon himself speaks highly of him. If you are willing to make concessions on the fee, I think it will definitely benefit our future cooperation."
After Xiao Fu gave a brief introduction to Ma Jieke's professional background, Black Charcoal Bro's expression changed immediately: "Alright, I still owe Simeon a favor. Give me $500. This is the final offer. If you agree, we'll do it; if not, forget it. Cash, check, and credit card are accepted."
Five hundred... Forget it, I won't dwell on it. They risked their lives, so they deserve to earn that money.
After convincing himself of this, Ma Jieke reluctantly accepted the offer.
The deal was done, and Black Charcoal Bro instantly switched to work mode, taking out a complete set of gas cutting tools, a standard accessory for welders.
The working principle of this thing is very simple: a hose connects a gas cylinder and a flame gun, usually an oxygen cylinder and an acetylene cylinder. The former provides the necessary conditions for combustion, and the latter provides the fuel gas.
The operator needs to hold the spray gun and heat the steel plate to about 900 to 980 degrees Celsius. At this time, the pre-cut surface will turn orange-red.
Then, the high-pressure cutting oxygen valve on the spray gun is opened, and a high-speed, high-purity oxygen stream is sprayed onto the heating point.
The oxygen flow not only provides the oxygen needed for continued combustion, but also uses its enormous kinetic energy to blow away the molten slag generated in the reaction from the cut.
But the target now is a safe, not an ordinary steel plate, which requires extremely sophisticated skills and patience.
Because you can't burn through the casing directly, otherwise once the flame from the blowgun penetrates the gas cut, the photos and videotapes inside will be instantly burned or carbonized.
In other words, the operator can only use an oxy-acetylene torch to carve out a groove first, and then use tools such as an impact drill and a crowbar to physically destroy it.
The process took longer than Ma Jieke had imagined. Black Charcoal Bro worked for more than two hours before collapsing to the ground, completely exhausted.
After he carefully moved the cut steel plate aside, Ma Jieke realized that the thing was as thick as a brick.
To open it without damaging the contents, it would be very difficult without having the [Welder] skill level at least Iv10.
What a talent! Who said that Blackie can only sing "The Mouse Comes to Earth" and play basketball? With this skill, he's definitely a welding master.
"Bro, you did a good job." Having successfully obtained the evidence, Ma Jie promptly transferred $500 to the other party.
"Thanks, boss." Blackie wiped the sweat from his forehead with a damp towel, and casually added, "Next time you need a job like this, you can come to me. My shop handles all kinds of rough handling, including but not limited to safes, suitcases, combination locks, and ATMs. Damage is covered, and the fees are reasonable."
"OK, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
By the time we left the mysterious welding workshop in Quesanti, it was already broad daylight.
Looking at Franklin, who had been working hard for a day and a night, Ma Jie couldn't help but hug him.
Men don't need to say too many words of thanks. They can just say that they will stand up for each other next time they are in trouble. This is called reciprocity.
After saying goodbye, Ma Jie composed himself and decided to go find Mary Caroline.
The blonde woman I had the pleasure of meeting on the street seemed to be the editor-in-chief of the social news section at the Los Angeles Times.
At the time, Bubu and I helped her find her lost items, and in doing so, we got her business card, which had her contact information and office address on it.
Forty minutes later, Ma Jie took a taxi to the Newspaper Building on 1st Street, a prime location next to City Hall.
The Los Angeles Times is the third most influential newspaper in the United States, after The New York Times and The Washington Post. Recently, it has been thrust into the spotlight due to its continuous reporting on immigration issues.
After waiting outside the editor-in-chief's office for a short while, Ma Jieke was called in by his assistant.
Meryl Caroline sat behind her desk, dressed in a beige business suit with black stockings and high heels, and wearing a pair of women's glasses with a vintage gold chain on her nose.
When Ma Jieke went in, she was facing her computer screen, drinking coffee and reviewing electronic documents.
"Who are you?" Upon seeing this unfamiliar visitor, Mary hesitated for a few seconds before suddenly exclaiming excitedly, "Oh my god, I remember now! We met in the slums before. A bastard stole my bag, and you stepped in to help me get it back. Besides you, there was also a black brother, and we even took a picture together, but I can't remember your name."
"Jack, you can call me Jack," MaJack said with a smile. "That black guy's name is Bubu."
"That's right, those are the two names." Mei said, calling her assistant to make coffee, and then gestured for Ma Jie to sit down in front of her: "Boy, thank you so much for what happened last time. When you have some free time, invite Bubu over, I want to treat you two to a big meal."
"No need for a meal, it's just a small favor."
"No, no, no, you're like a superhero in my eyes, I definitely have to invite you, but I've been too busy with work lately and can't find the time." Then, Mary asked curiously, "By the way, Jack, I heard you say you were living in the slums last time, are you doing alright? Los Angeles has been quite turbulent lately, with police coming out to drive away homeless people. You must protect yourself and avoid any conflict with them."
"Thank you for your concern, ma'am," Ma Jie replied. "However, I no longer live on the poor street. I share a house with some good friends, and the accommodations are quite nice."
"Really?" Mary looked surprised. "That's great! Is there something you need my help with?"
"That's right, but I'm not sure if this will cause you any trouble."
"What, you managed to sneak photos of the president having a tryst with a Hollywood actress?"
"Not necessarily." After a moment's thought, Ma Jie tentatively asked, "I don't know if you've ever heard of Angel City."
"Angel City?" Melly thought for two seconds and guessed, "It sounds like a welfare institution specifically for children."
Wow... What a strong sixth sense! To be able to determine such accurate information just from a name, you truly deserve to be called a veteran media professional.
"What, did I guess wrong?" Observing the micro-expressions on someone's face, Mei couldn't help but ask.
"No." Ma Jie shook his head and sighed, "Your intuition is very sharp. It is indeed as you said, a boarding school that specifically takes in orphans and minors from troubled families. But just a few days ago, I met a group of homeless children with an average age of less than 10. They claimed to be students who had escaped from Angel City, and the reason they fled was because..."
After Jack relayed the information he had gathered from Ellie, Melly Caroline slammed her hand on the table, her face turning incredibly cold: "Jack, if everything you just said is true, then I will definitely send someone to gather evidence. Once I have enough evidence, I will publish all those scumbags' despicable acts in the newspapers and expose them so they will have nowhere to hide!"
"By the way, can I meet Ellie? I'd like to talk to her in person, since she's the one involved."
"Please don't get agitated, Ms. Meryl. Let me explain slowly." Seeing that the time was ripe, Ma Jie no longer concealed his intentions: "I have obtained all the evidence you wanted to collect. The reason I came to you is to hand it over to you. As a media professional, you should know better than me that the power of public opinion is more intense than an atomic bomb. Only by doing this will the FBI and the local police department truly take this case seriously, instead of trying to gloss over it like before."
As Ma Jie spoke, he took out a sealed file bag from his backpack, which was full of photos and several videotapes.
As Melly looked through the photos, her blood pressure rose higher and higher, until she was so angry she almost fainted. She gripped the corner of her desk tightly with her white fingers: "Two days, give me two days. No, I'm going to post a tweet right now to expose their beastly behavior. Within 24 hours at most, I'm going to make this appear on everyone's phone and make everyone talk about it."
"Thank you, Ms. Mary. I thank you on behalf of those innocent children."
Faced with the indignant female editor, Ma Jieke knew he had come to the right person. This was much more reliable and effective than going directly to the police or finding an FBI agent.
After all, the media needs such explosive news to enhance their influence. Even if it's not simply to uphold justice, they will still do it. Nothing attracts more attention than exposing scandals.
Having accomplished this, my mission is complete.
When I dragged my tired body home, several children were sitting quietly on the sofa watching cartoons.
Ellie, carrying a mop and bucket, diligently wiped the floor that her companion had dirtied. Perhaps she was too engrossed in her work, she didn't notice someone behind her and bumped into him while backing up.
"You...you're back?" Turning around and seeing that it was Ma Jieke, she, who was usually quick-witted, suddenly became stuttering.
"Hmm, your welcoming ceremony is quite unique." Ma Jie looked utterly dejected. "Could you please take your shoes off my feet? Thank you."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's alright, I forgive you. Are you the only ones at home? Where are the adults?"
"The master is here." Hearing their conversation, Max came out of the bathroom: "How did things go?"
"Everything's taken care of." Ma Jieke yawned. "Now I just want to catch up on some sleep, so please don't wake me up before I do, even if there's an earthquake or a fire, okay?"
"Okay, would you like to ask if I need a companion service?" Max blinked, and it was unclear where she got such energy from.
"No need, thank you."
When they returned to the attic, Jimmy was already fast asleep on the bed. MaJack unceremoniously pushed him aside and took up most of the space himself.
I slept so soundly that I was completely out of it. When I woke up again, I found that more than ten hours had passed, and it was already the next morning.
"You're awake, buddy." Seeing him wake up, Jimmy looked unusually excited and said to him while holding his phone, "Good news, Jack. A female editor who works at the Los Angeles Times posted a tweet about Angel City, along with several photos of the victims, of course, blurred out. A lot of people are sharing it now, including some public figures."
"The trending index for Angel City is also soaring, and it feels like it will soon sweep across the entire internet."
"Phew... I didn't expect it to spread so quickly." Ma Jieke let out a comfortable sigh of relief. He had underestimated the value of the title of "Uncrowned King".
In the following days, a special report titled "Devil in the City of Angels" made the front page of the Los Angeles Times, completely shocking the entire West Coast.
Then came the classic viral spread: everyone who opened their phone would see related messages to some extent.
Two days later, the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California held emergency press conferences, urging authorities to handle the case as soon as possible.
The following day, the FBI announced that several suspects had been taken into custody and that prosecution proceedings would begin soon.
"Is that all?" Max complained, looking at the respectable-looking press spokesperson on TV. "These bastards should all be castrated and their tools of crime confiscated permanently."
"What's even more terrifying is that California doesn't have the death penalty," Jimmy said helplessly from the side.
"Don't worry." Sandy snuggled up to MaJack, drinking beer as he explained, "Your worries are completely unnecessary. These scumbags won't last six months in prison. There's a hierarchy in prison, and special criminals like them are at the very bottom. Once their identities and crimes are revealed, all those gang members will become enforcers of justice. It's practically an unspoken rule. There was a case where a similar criminal was sentenced to 40 years in prison, only to be beaten to death by his fellow inmates after just one month. That's more terrifying than the death penalty."
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