pjbooks Chapter 209 If you don't take it, how can I take it?
Chapter 209 If you don't take it, how can I take it?
Chapter 209 If you don't take it, how can I take it?
Looking at the mangled Mad Joe, for the first time in his life, Steve found a corpse to be remarkably handsome.
After all, his current position is neither high nor low; he is merely a senior agent in the Criminal Investigation Department, in charge of a few ordinary detectives, and can apply to dispatch a special operations team of about 10 to 15 people.
Normally, one should be content with reaching this point, but Steve doesn't think that way at all. In his view, his 40s are the age to strive, and if he doesn't seize the opportunity now, when will he?
Faced with the immense wealth within his grasp, Steve forcibly suppressed his excitement and called several agents aside to carefully instruct them: "Listen, immediately send people to seal off the scene. Under no circumstances should the news leak out, especially those damned reporters. Don't let even a single photo be leaked. We have to get everything sorted out before sunset."
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone obeyed Steve's orders without question.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and those who work under him are all cut from the same cloth, so there's no need to worry about any mistakes.
Such a big cake, oh no... such a big case, you, as the leader, are eating your fill, and I, as the subordinate, am just getting a bowl of soup, is that too much to ask?
As I said before, this is America, and as long as the price is right, there's nothing that can't be traded.
He even had the script ready: a valiant FIB agent leads a special operations team in a life-or-death struggle against a criminal syndicate.
Ultimately, we dealt a heavy blow to the enemy at the cost of zero casualties, vowing to defend the lives and property of the American people to the death.
Not rigorous enough? No problem. If a bag of industrial parts worth $9 can be labeled with legal tags, am I wrong to eliminate harm for the people?
If you question my record, you're openly whitewashing a wanted criminal. Kid, spreading rumors has legal consequences.
After making up his mind, Steve disbanded the special operations team and sent them to help clean up the battlefield, or to put it bluntly, collect the bodies.
Looking at this strange lineup of Asians, Blacks, and middle-aged and elderly people, he was completely bewildered.
Especially Ma Jieke, whose marksmanship is superb. Ever since Steve witnessed his long-range sniping at the dock, he has been making plans in his mind. This kind of expert hidden among the people is exactly the kind of person he has been looking for. As long as he can establish a cooperative relationship with him, the value that he can generate at critical moments is immeasurable.
In fact, not only the FIB, but intelligence agencies in various countries also like to develop non-staff personnel.
For example, MI6, the British military intelligence agency, often recruits spies in third countries through the dark web in order to steal secrets from other countries.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has a large number of "believers" who provide services free of charge, making them veritable human eyes and ears.
The FIB's approach is even more straightforward and brutal: through the "Witness Protection Program," it directly recruits capable criminals to act as front men.
Anyway, you've gotten yourself into trouble with me. You either go to jail or you become my servant. These are the two paths you choose.
"Sir, what do you plan to do with me?" Seeing Steve approach, Ma Jie stared at him expressionlessly.
Although he had already made up his mind that this bastard was definitely trying to take credit for the destruction of the Aryan Brotherhood and the killing of Mad Joe, he still believed that the credit was his own.
The same thing might be illegal and criminal for others, but for him it's considered doing a service to the people, because he has the authority to enforce the law.
"Deal with?" Steve rested his chin on two fingers, a half-smile on his face. "Don't kid me, buddy. The FBI won't wrong an innocent person, nor will they let a guilty person go free. What you need to do now is forget about this as soon as possible, just treat it as a nightmare. To put it bluntly, the FIB has taken over here. You're a smart man, you should understand what I mean."
Sure enough, that son of a bitch has quite an appetite; isn't he afraid of stuffing himself to death?
But Jack Ma was still a little unwilling to just leave like that. He had to remind Steve that he wasn't so easy to talk to, and that he had the right to be arrogant.
"Sir, I understand what you mean, but are there some details we can discuss?"
"What details?" Steve's smile faded. "Are you trying to negotiate with me?"
"As far as I know..." Ma Jie paused, then added, "Mad Joe is still on the FIB's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, with a bounty of $350 million on his head."
When he mentioned $350 million, Ma deliberately emphasized his words, as if afraid the other party wouldn't understand. After all, the official culture in the US was completely different from that in the East, and people there preferred to be straightforward.
But to everyone's surprise, Steve responded bluntly: "So you're after this bounty? Let me tell you straight, you're out of luck. You think $350 million is a lot? No, at least half of it will go to the director as operating funds, the other half will be used to reward my agents and special agents, and a portion will be allocated to charity to shut up the unscrupulous media."
Look, he's not even pretending anymore. He says the operating expenses are there, but if you calculate it this way, it turns out you'll have to put money into it.
However, Ma Jie had a backup plan. Without batting an eye, he defended himself: "Sir, you misunderstood me. That was a reward from the federal government to everyone. How could I dare to covet it? I just wanted to give you some information. This madman Joe is really insane. He actually hid a small armory in the manor, which is full of military-grade weapons and ammunition. I don't know where he smuggled them in from."
Steve was not surprised at all. Almost every gang of any size has two main businesses: drug trafficking and arms smuggling. These are the two most profitable businesses in human history, second only to the smuggling of salt in ancient times.
When investigating cases, the FIB typically handles large quantities of seized weapons by cutting them up, crushing them, or melting them down.
Of course, this is just the official explanation. In reality, you can refer to the IAA next door, which was exposed for transporting laundry detergent through intelligence aircraft, military transport lines, and other channels, and using offshore banks and the dark web to launder profits.
"Stop talking nonsense, kid, just tell me what you want."
Steve was getting a little impatient with the pestering. If it were anyone else, he would have already lost his temper. "You're just a wage earner, haggling with the boss over a few dishes and you're already like this?"
But he chose to make an exception for Ma Jieke. After all, this guy's combat power was in a class of its own, and he couldn't be bound by conventional thinking. If you pushed him too far, he might just have a sudden burst of inspiration while walking down the street one day.
Seeing that Steve had relented, Ma Jie didn't mince words. He pointed to his Ford F-150 and then to Trevor's All-Purpose Walker, lowering his voice, "Sir, let me take two truckloads. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"
Two vehicles? Are you planning an armed uprising?
Upon hearing Ma Jie's request, Steve initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought that if these weapons and ammunition fell into the hands of these unofficial personnel, it would not only enhance their combat effectiveness but also deepen the bond of interests between the two sides, without causing him any loss and allowing him to do someone a favor.
Like I said before, if you don't take it, how can I take it...?
After pretending to hesitate for a moment, Steve waved his hand behind him: "Hurry up, don't let anyone else see this."
Having obtained authorization, Ma Jieke led the way into the manor's basement with ease. There was a hidden door between this place and the parking garage, making it very convenient to bring in and out goods.
To be honest, among the seniors present, apart from Franklin and Dwyane Wade who were somewhat lacking, almost everyone was a weapons expert.
After a brief discussion, the group decided to complete this zero-yuan purchase instance in the most scientific way, since the most valuable item would definitely be the sniper rifle, according to its value.
However, carrying too many sniper rifles is actually a burden, because they are not easy to sell. Who would buy a sniper rifle and keep it at home for no reason? It is not useful in actual combat, and it is expensive.
Forget about buying them for collection. People who can afford to collect guns have no reason to buy these black market guns of dubious origin.
So after acquiring enough weapons for his own use, Majek focused on popular handguns such as Smith & Wesson and Glock.
For ordinary people, this is the real weapon of mass destruction, far more practical than any semi-automatic rifle or shotgun.
To put it bluntly, the application scenarios of long spears are too limited. They can only be kept at home or in a car. If you encounter real danger, you won't have time to fight back. They can only be used to fight against big fools who use cold weapons.
But a pistol is different. I can hide it on my person, so who would know I'm carrying a gun? I can draw it and shoot anytime, anywhere. That's the essence of American Iaijutsu.
Ma Jieke had figured it out: if he didn't want to be bullied, he had to abandon his previous street mentality.
If every member of the Beggars' Sect were armed, who would dare to cause trouble? If anyone is truly foolish, just send them a beating.
What's wrong with homeless people? Nobody says homeless people can only defend themselves with their fists, right?
In no time, the weapons and ammunition in the pickup truck bed were piled up like a small mountain. They were covered with a tarpaulin and tied securely with ropes, and that was it.
To store this batch of weapons, Ma Jie specifically rented a private warehouse. These things are everywhere in Los Angeles; the rental companies only care about collecting money and don't care what you put in them.
As a result, people often take advantage of this loophole; an inconspicuous warehouse by the roadside could very well be a stockpile of laundry detergent and hemp by drug dealers.
There are also people who are short of money and rent warehouses to live in, sometimes even their whole family lives there.
After parting ways with everyone, Ma Jieke's tense spirits collapsed all at once. After working for a whole day and night, anyone who says they aren't tired is just bragging.
On the drive home, I almost fell asleep on the steering wheel several times.
As soon as he entered the door, his family members were all sitting on the living room sofa, each looking worried. But when they saw him return unharmed, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jack, where have you been? You haven't replied to my messages for a whole day and night." Max stood up irritably, but seeing his tired face, she felt a little sorry for him: "What happened? You look like you were captured by human traffickers and forced into slavery in a mine for days."
"Stop talking, Mommy, I'm so sleepy." Ma Jie yawned and only said the important part: "I went to avenge Ethan, and now no one can threaten our safety anymore."
"What?" Jimmy jumped up from the sofa, his face full of disbelief. "No way, Jack, you really did this? And you still dare to come back? You'd better find somewhere to lay low for a while. Do you want me to come with you?"
Hearing the kid's suggestion, Ma Jie couldn't help but chuckle: "Thanks for your kind offer, but no need. The FIB has taken over the mess I left behind. As for the specific details, I can't say, and you don't need to know. Right now, all I want to do is have sex with my bed."
"Remember, unless it's the end of the world, don't bother me."
After giving a brief explanation, Ma Jieke dragged his leaden legs upstairs.
"FIB?" Fiona tilted her head, dumbfounded. "Did he just say FIB?"
“That’s right.” Sandy shrugged. “Surprised? I don’t think so. With Jack’s abilities, what’s so surprising about cooperating with the FIB? Those guys love to win over external forces. I even want to do things for them, but who knows who I am?”
"He's gone mad, I think he's completely insane."
Max shook his head helplessly, arms crossed, and called out to Jimmy, who was about to slip away.
This kid had begged her to let him practice fighting, but after just one day he started to back out. But the Valkyrie wasn't so easy to talk to; if he didn't learn, she'd punish him. Anyway, she was worried about not having anyone to spar with.
For the next two weeks, Ma Jieke mainly lay low and gave up. There was no other way; the job was just too big, and he needed time to process it.
Of course, he also didn't forget to complete some easy daily tasks, which resulted in a small upgrade to his skill panel.
The core combat skill [American Iaijutsu] has been upgraded to Iv7, bringing me one step closer to becoming a legendary gun god.
[Mixed Martial Arts] has also been upgraded to Iv6. When fighting bare-handed, he is practically a human bulldozer.
[Car Driving] He went straight to V8 and, in a street racing competition, miraculously won against Xiao Fu.
I also acquired a set of very useful passive skills: [Little Warrior], [Clever Fighter], [Healthy Physique], and [Eagle Eye].
[Little Hercules]: Permanently increases Strength attribute by 5%, enhancing physical explosiveness and load-bearing capacity.
[Agile Warrior]: Permanently increases evasion rate and reaction speed by 8%.
[Healthy Physique]: Permanently increases resistance to disease and infection by 15%.
【Eagle Eye】: Permanently improves visual acuity by 10%, and simultaneously enhances night vision.
Looking at the increasingly complete skill panel, Master Ma felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
What's even more gratifying is that today is also the day the scrap yard takes stock of its accounts, which means that everyone's initial investment can finally be recouped.
In the office, Nancy took out a well-organized financial statement and respectfully handed it to the boss.
Also present with him were several major shareholders: Jimmy, the second-largest shareholder with a 25% stake and an investment of $30,000; Max and Fiona, who invested $10,000; and Sandy, who invested only $5000.
Ma Jie took the report, too lazy to look at the tedious details, and flipped directly to the last page.
Seeing the bright red numbers that came into view, I couldn't help but gasp.