Free Web NovelChapter 1095: Chapter 1066: Four Shootings
A group of people, with grim faces and weapons in hand, stormed into a high-end club in operation.
Less than a minute after entering the lobby, machine gun fire shattered all the items into pieces, injuring and killing countless staff members. The security guards couldn’t prepare in time and became ghosts under the machine guns. The originally lively lobby instantly turned into a blood-soaked, gruesome scene.
Two minutes later, the same situation occurred in another upscale club, but this time, the number of deaths clearly increased! Three minutes later, the third club faced the same scenario.
The personnel dispatched from the police station could hardly rush between these crime scenes and were unsure if there would be a fourth or fifth incident. In an instant, panic spread, and those well-informed quickly exited clubs or bars, not wanting to be among those lying in pools of blood.
Genovese slammed the table, almost erupting in rage. The three shooting incidents happened almost simultaneously, suggesting a premeditated and planned action, just as he was scheduled for a meeting with the druglord from the Golden Triangle tonight. The transaction was set to start in an hour.
"Mr. Su, where are you now?" Genovese pressed the button on the office phone.
"The person sent to pick you up is on the way."
"Inform them, the transaction location has changed!" Genovese immediately issued the order. Originally set at ’Lei Mengda’, for safety reasons, Genovese changed the location to his office. He didn’t believe those people would come there.
The fourth shooting incident occurred ten minutes later at a bar, where a group of masked individuals stormed in amidst blaring music, killing everyone present, including the staff. The brutal scene resembled a massacre.
Police officers from the station covered their noses; the stench of blood was overwhelming to the point of inducing nausea. Director Meisai arrived at the last crime scene before Xiao Lin. MK bullet traces were everywhere, with no signs of a struggle—the deceased were all staff or patrons, helpless to resist. The only link they could establish was the owners behind these places.
Just two weeks ago, it was the Gambino Clan’s turf, and now it was Genovese’s turn. The other party evidently targeted the Five Families, specifically coming after Nicholas.
Bodies were being cleared out bit by bit and then transported to their respective destinations, hoping to find any survivors among them. Under the machine gun fire, there was always a slim chance for one or two to survive.
Rubbing his forehead, Meisai seemed a bit distracted by the stench after opening the door. Xiao Lin’s car screeched to a halt at the entrance, but soon someone knocked on his car window. "Is there a problem?"
"Sorry, you’re blocking the exit!" A person appearing to be an emergency responder smiled at Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin nodded, glanced at the rearview mirror, and moved his car about two meters forward before stopping again. An ambulance emerged from where he had been parked, while Meisai leaned against a wall nearby, breathing fresh air.
In a rare moment, Xiao Lin lit a cigarette. The distance between the first and fourth crime scenes encompassed the entire Genovese Clan’s territory. By his own driving speed, it would take about half an hour. Exhaling smoke, he reflected that the timing of the incidents—the ten minutes between the first and fourth—meant that four groups attacked Genovese’s businesses at different times under a premeditated plan, with related entertainment venues in the region untouched. The method was simple: enter with guns, open fire, leave—bold and flagrant!
The Palermo police could respond within five minutes, so the perpetrators had ample time.
Tap, tap, tap! Xiao Lin only realized he was still sitting in the car when someone knocked on the passenger window. Meisai bent down, his face magnified before Xiao Lin, who gestured at him to enter. He didn’t intend to go inside; the criminals didn’t care about their actions, and the scene wouldn’t yield more clues. Their first target must have been the surveillance cameras, leaving none intact.
"I saw your car parked here. Why not go in?"
"There’s no valuable clue to offer. I don’t want to smell the bloody stench!" Xiao Lin handed Meisai a cigarette.
"I expected you to provide a valuable analysis, like you did with the Edmund case." Meisai didn’t smoke much. He was environmentally conscious and took care of his health, but he really needed a cigarette now to calm his nerves.
"Edmund’s death was self-inflicted. If he weren’t so greedy, maybe he would’ve lasted longer." Xiao Lin exhaled smoke, knowing that the more you know, the higher the risk of death. "But the elderly couple next door dying was a bit far-fetched. The killers of Edmund belonged to a famous assassin organization, but those two I can’t hand over to you."
"I’ve closed the Edmund case and filed the report. If you can provide clues for this case, I’d be happy to take the favor." frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Ah, dealing with the police isn’t such a bad thing!" Xiao Lin chuckled. He was feeling impatient to leave. "The four cases didn’t really target anyone significant; they were creating a terrorist event. The chosen locations and individuals were all revolving around the Genovese Clan. The blatant behavior may be seen as intentional to attract your or Genovese’s attention, but that’s not the real objective." freēwēbnovel.com
"Mr. Xiao, you mean the other side just wanted to divert our police and Genovese’s attention?"
"Ah!" Xiao Lin gave his habitual short response. "Wait and see!"
Meisai couldn’t quite understand him. Although he also felt the four cases had strange aspects, and could somewhat guess the perpetrators, he aimed to find the killers. However, Xiao Lin seemed to consider this from a different angle.
Just then, the backseat dipped, and two identical boys climbed in, sweat beading on their handsome faces. "Boss!" they exclaimed in unison upon entering, causing Meisai to glance sideways at Xiao Lin in surprise.
"You two still know to see me, huh?" It was a feeling of enjoyment, and Meisai observed the two young men in the backseat via the rearview mirror, who looked about Xiao Lin’s age, perhaps a bit younger.
"Hehehe!" The Zimu brothers chuckled ambiguously.
"Well, tell me the news you’ve brought."
"Tonight, Genovese will have a deal with the drug lord from the Golden Triangle, scheduled at ’Lei Mengda’. Nicholas is expected to attend, but ten minutes ago, Genovese privately changed the transaction address to his office." Zimu leaned over the driver’s seat, flatteringly massaging Xiao Lin’s shoulders.
"Director Meisai, did you catch all that?" Xiao Lin asked, directing his question to Meisai.
"I understood, I’ll arrange for someone to go to Genovese’s place!"
The four shootings aimed to make Genovese change the transaction address, setting a trap. The Golden Triangle’s drug lord was just targeted by an assassin, and the successive shootings might lead to a cancellation of the deal, yet not prevent a meeting with Genovese. The target was, clearly, Genovese.
"If Robert wants to use this opportunity to take out Casabell Jenvies, it’s not impossible," added Xiao Lin, as Meisai exited the car, hoping he’d pay extra attention in his deployment plans.
"Got it!" Meisai headed to his car, contacting his subordinates to make arrangements at Genovese’s office.
Xiao Lin flicked away his cigarette, turning the steering wheel 180 degrees, making a tight U-turn on the narrow street, which made Meisai watch with alarm, though he soon realized Xiao Lin was heading towards Caesar Street, prompting a change in expression.
Tang put the milk in the microwave and sat in front of his computer, fingers swiftly tapping the keyboard. Strings of characters appeared on the screen, quickly leading to a page where the words Dragon Soul flashed by, followed by a password prompt. Frustrated after several failed password attempts, Tang pouted, going to retrieve his milk.
"Trying to access Dragon Soul?" Xiao Lin boldly entered through the window, followed by the Zimu brothers. It wasn’t the first time they’d met Tang; these days, they’d followed him plenty, becoming numb to his amazement.
"You again?" Tang blew on his milk, remembering this person as Xiao Lin, someone who occasionally appeared before him, and considered by many to be known to him. Fine, let’s know him then.
"What do you want to find out about Dragon Soul?" Xiao Lin pointed at the monitor, asking?
"Anything at all, really. Since I can’t break in, I want to know what’s in there." Tang’s behavior was unconscious, purely driven by childish curiosity, the typical response to cracked puzzles one couldn’t solve.
"How about an exchange? I’ll crack the password for you, and you open this code lock for me, deal?" Xiao Lin handed Tang the code retrieved from Hong Lian. "I know you have a software site with lots of unauthorized small software, including illegal types. To gain more profit, you rent the software out, embedding benign malware in it to automatically lock the software after a single use by the employer. Not a bad ID, ensuring your software won’t be transferred out, strong sense of rights protection."
"How do you know?" Tang blinked with round eyes, licking milk from his lips, an action almost identical to Hong’s (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to cast your recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
