19: Chapter 19 Bite them to death, good girl.

Jessica Vance was a lunatic.

This was the consensus of everyone at the FBI's New York Field Office.

This woman had no social life, refused to accept unspoken rules, and was like a rabid bitch, biting whoever she caught.

Even after being targeted by her superiors and kicked from the Major Crimes Unit to the archives to handle paperwork, she was still investigating cases that no one else dared to touch.

At this moment, she was sitting in the dusty archives, staring blankly at a money laundering case that was impossible to investigate any further.

*Ding.*

A dialog box popped up on her private laptop.

It was an encrypted email, and the sender was displayed as "Cleaner".

Jessica frowned. Her private email had triple encryption; ordinary hackers couldn't possibly get in.

She opened the email. There was no body text, only an image and a set of coordinates.

The image was a screenshot of an Excel spreadsheet.

The content was very simple: a line of transfer records regarding Chief Brian of the 127th Precinct accepting bribes, with the time, location, and account accurate to the second.

Jessica's pupils contracted instantly.

She furiously tapped on the keyboard, attempting to trace the email's IP address.

The code on the screen jumped rapidly.

"Signal source: Russia... No, Brazil... What the hell is this? An Antarctic research station?"

Jessica slammed her mouse. The other party was an expert, using top-tier multi-layered proxies; she couldn't catch their tail at all.

Her gaze fell back onto the coordinates.

Central Park, New York, bench number C-142. Time: 2:00 PM.

It was now 1:30 PM.

Jessica grabbed her trench coat and her glock 19, which was always fully loaded, and rushed out of the office.

...

2:00 PM.

In the conference hall of the 127th Precinct, thunderous applause erupted.

Flashbulbs lit up the podium as bright as day.

Chief Brian, dressed in a crisp white uniform with a glowing red face, was pinning a golden Medal of Valor to Chen Mo's chest.

"Officer Robert Chen is the pride of our precinct and the guardian angel of New York's citizens!" Chief Brian's voice was loud and full of emotion.

"He faced a vicious criminal alone without flinching and shot dead the gang leader, Marcus. This spirit is something we should all learn from."

Below the stage, Murphy stood in the front row, clapping furiously, the smile on his face looking worse than a sob.

Chen Mo stood at attention and saluted, a humble yet resolute smile on his face.

"At your service, sir," Chen Mo said sincerely as he shook Chief Brian's plump hand.

At this moment, no one knew that in this young officer's mind, he was watching another good show through the system interface.

Meanwhile, in Central Park.

Jessica sat on bench C-142 with a cup of cold coffee in her hand. Wearing sunglasses, her gaze swept over every passerby.

There were no suspicious individuals.

No contact person wearing a trench coat.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Suddenly, a squirrel hopped under the bench, making a rustling sound.

Jessica looked down and saw a small black waterproof bag stuck in the crevice of the bench's rusted crossbar.

She quickly reached down to remove it and squeezed it. It was hard—a USB drive.

Jessica's heart rate began to quicken.

She slipped the waterproof bag into her sleeve and didn't leave immediately. Instead, she finished her coffee like an ordinary tourist before getting up and walking toward the subway station.

Back at her safehouse, her hands trembled as she plugged the USB drive into her computer.

The moment the folder opened, Jessica gasped.

A massive amount of data, clear audio recordings, and a complete chain of custody.

It involved not only Chief Brian and Murphy, but also several city councilmen and judges.

This was a web, a dark web looming over New York, and now, someone had handed her the scissors.

"Cleaner..." Jessica muttered to herself, a long-lost fanatical flame burning in her eyes.

She didn't care who this Cleaner was, nor did she care what their purpose was.

As long as she could send these bastards to prison, she was willing to make a deal with the devil.

"Chief Brian, you won't escape this time."

Grit-teeth, Jessica heavily pressed the Enter key to begin decrypting the files.

Meanwhile, in the police department lobby a few kilometers away.

Chen Mo was being interviewed by reporters.

"Officer Chen, what were you thinking at the moment you faced death?" the blonde female reporter asked, holding the microphone to his mouth.

Chen Mo looked at the camera, his eyes clear. "I was thinking that justice may be delayed, but it will never be denied."

He slightly turned his head, glanced at Murphy who was standing nearby wiping sweat, and smiled brightly.