Chapter 83: Bruson’s Efforts (Please Subscribe! Please Vote for the Monthly Ticket!)

Inside the folder were the details of Bruosen’s investigation into the recent spate of bank robberies. Among the six incidents, only the third bank had a hidden camera installed inside a fire sprinkler; at all the other banks, the robbers had painted over the cameras with black spray paint the moment they entered. Thus, this hidden camera, which had recorded the entire process of the robbery, became Bruosen and his team's most important guide.

From the footage, Bruosen deduced that the two robbers were likely ex-military, or at least had served in the armed forces; their actions were both efficient and decisive. Further questioning of bystanders and bank staff trapped during the second robbery yielded another clue: one of the robbers had a tattoo resembling a snake on his right wrist.

Because the robbers had threatened the staff with transparent folders containing their personal and family information, Bruosen also began to investigate the bank employees’ personal networks and backgrounds, looking into whether anyone had recently inquired about them.

Bruosen did not neglect the spent shell casing left at the scene when the robbers fired a shot into the air upon entering; he had it sent for ballistic analysis.

Clearly, Bruosen's direction and experience were sound, but unfortunately, none of these leads brought him any closer to the robbers. These banks were not located in the affluent uptown district; the surrounding areas lacked comprehensive surveillance. After the two robbers fled, all Bruosen could find were their silhouettes captured by a few outdated, offline cameras, showing them escaping to the east, after which their trail vanished entirely.

Investigation into the snake-like tattoo revealed that only a handful of tattoo shops in New York would do such a design. But after checking, both the shop owners and those who had gotten the tattoo had solid alibis for the day of the crime.

Similarly, inquiries into the bank staff’s families yielded nothing. As for the six bullets analyzed, it was determined that they had not all been fired from the same handgun, though all were of the same model—a model so widespread in illegal circulation that tracing it was impossible for the time being.

Thus, even now, Bruosen still had no concrete information about the suspects.

After reading through the files, Luan raised an eyebrow and placed the folder back onto Verrines’s desk.

Verrines did not look up, continuing to write her documents as she asked, “Any thoughts?”

“Bruosen is a veteran FBI agent. His investigation is fundamentally sound,” Luan nodded, then shifted his tone, “But his point of entry is wrong.”

At this, Verrines paused in her writing, looked up at Luan, and said, “Go on.”

Without preamble, Luan succinctly summarized the earlier interrogation for Verrines, concluding, “It’s clear that, because the cameras were disabled with black paint, Bruosen could only rely on the third case’s footage and witness testimonies from all six sites to identify the culprits.

But in all six cases, the two robbers were similar in height, and witnesses described them as wearing the same clothes and acting in the same way. Frightened witnesses are bound to overlook details, and since the robbers never spoke during the heists—using only pre-recorded instructions on their phones to direct everyone—”

“So, Bruosen most likely concluded that all six robberies were committed by the same pair,” Verrines finished for him, tossing her pen aside and leaning back.

“Exactly,” Luan agreed. No witness was unlucky enough to be present at two robberies, so each could only describe what they had experienced. The robbers’ methods, attire, even the handgun model were identical, and they never spoke—making the assumption that it was the same duo seem entirely reasonable.

“You just said you’ve already found the robber from the sixth case, is that right?” Verrines asked.

Luan shook his head. “No, Chief. It’s only a possibility. Without concrete evidence, I can’t guarantee it.”

From Robert of the Hyena Gang’s account, Luan had not found any major holes. Still, except in special cases where deep memory extraction was permitted to force a confession, ordinary cases had to be solved with evidence. Unless he found stolen money or another direct link in the laundromat owner’s possession, Luan would not make a wild accusation.

Verrines fell silent for a long time, then straightened up, folding her hands on the desk and fixing Luan with a serious gaze. Her voice was cold. “Bruosen set a three-day deadline at the last meeting. There are still six hours left. If he hasn’t cracked the case by then, one of the remaining team supervisors will take over.

If we solve the case, I’ll have a chance for promotion, and you could be promoted to senior agent ahead of schedule, as well as receive a generous reward from the bank.”

Luan nodded; Verrines had mentioned this before.

Her eyes flickered as she continued, “If, hypothetically, Bruosen fails to solve the case in time, we can analyze the leads before the case is officially transferred to us, starting with the laundromat owner. If he isn’t the true robber, or if Bruosen has already secured an arrest warrant for him, then let it go and reconsider after six hours. But if, during our investigation, we discover that the laundromat owner is indeed the bank robber, and Bruosen missed it, I’ll take over the case when the time comes.”

Verrines had never intended to inform Bruosen of the possibility that the laundromat owner might be the culprit, or that the six robberies might not have been committed by the same group. Uncertainty aside, the main reason was that it had been Bruosen from one of Verrines’s five investigation teams who had leaked the serial murder case to the press. If Luan hadn’t cracked that case quickly and rescued the hostage in front of everyone, Verrines would have faced severe punishment, which she could only have avoided at great political cost.

Moreover, Bruosen and Verrines belonged to different foundations. In politics, it’s always a zero-sum game. Verrines’s plan had been to use a failed case to force Bruosen out of the FBI’s New York headquarters. She hadn’t expected Luan to bring her such good news, offering a direct opportunity to oust Bruosen.

At this thought, Verrines swallowed, her gaze growing complicated as she looked at Luan.

After listening, Luan licked his lips, eyes flashing coldly—he understood her meaning. Truth be told, he too wanted to use this chance to be rid of Bruosen forever. Back when he was still a rookie, after a failed mission, it was only Luan who lost points for the team’s mistake because of Bruosen’s presence. Later, after Luan and Mona caught the park murderer, Bruosen publicly targeted him at the meeting. Had Luan not prepared in advance and taken the killer’s notebook, that night would have been humiliating.

And then there was the leak to the media, the increasingly cold looks in the elevator—silent as a dog that bites without barking. To be honest, if he weren’t worried that an abnormal cause of death during an investigation would arouse the FBI’s wrath and scrutiny, Luan would have already quietly disposed of Bruosen.

With this in mind, Luan no longer hesitated. He nodded decisively to Verrines, flashing a grin. “Understood, Chief. I know what to do.”

Verrines was very satisfied with this response. After giving a few instructions, she dismissed Luan from her office.

Back at the territory of Group Five, Sean had already been sent away after being interrogated by Lexie and William. Luan, still itching for a fight, turned and entered August’s office.

After relaying Verrines’s plan, August immediately agreed without hesitation, his expression serious as he told Luan, “Be careful gathering evidence.”

“Thank you, Chief,” Luan replied with a grin, pouring August a cup of coffee before leaving the office.

Sitting back at his station, Luan was just about to ask Mona a question when she calmly beat him to it. “You’re looking into that string of bank robberies, aren’t you?”

Luan was briefly stunned, then smiled. “That’s right.”

“I thought so,” Mona replied, giving him a sidelong glance and pointing at her computer. “While you were with Verrines, I checked all the networked surveillance around the laundromat. On the day of the crime, there was no suspicious trace of the owner, Elkin.”

The cameras only showed that Elkin opened late that day, his daughter entered the shop looking troubled, then left later in high spirits. None of it was connected to the bank robberies.

“All right,” Luan nodded, thinking for a moment before asking, “What about the Elkin family’s spending records? Anything unusual?”

“Do you know why gangs love running laundromats? Lots of change—perfect for money laundering,” Mona replied offhandedly, pouting as she typed away. “Elderly parents, a disabled wife, a daughter about to start university, and all Elkin has is an old laundromat. Do you really think he’d use a credit card often?”

Luan’s mouth twitched, just about to reply when Mona nodded, pointing at her screen. “Turns out, he actually does.”

“….”

Sorry for the late update—got held up listening to the boss’s lecture. A thousand apologies for being half an hour late! (End of chapter)