Chapter 336: The “Efficient” U.S. Police, and the Burned-Down Knight Bar

New York Police Department.

The usually laid-back U.S. police officers were now gathered in the conference room as if preparing for war.

It was clear.

Chief Walker had already given advance notice to his team, instructing everyone to be on standby for the upcoming challenge, and to brace themselves for the pressure coming from the Morgan Financial Group.

Of course, after following the news, the officers understood… their next assignment was undoubtedly to track down the assassin who killed Little Morgan.

However, compared to Chief Walker, who was under direct threat from Old Morgan, the rest of the officers weren’t feeling much pressure. Years of laziness had made it hard for them to switch into actual work mode.

…

At this moment.

Chief Walker stepped out of his office, his expression unusually grim. In his hand were several printed sketches of the suspect.

He walked to the front of the conference room.

Using magnets, Chief Walker pinned the suspect sketches onto the multimedia board, his face serious as he spoke.

“Everyone, we are now facing the greatest challenge in the history of the New York Police Department.”

“At the request of CEO Morgan, we must apprehend the killer of Little Morgan within three days.”

“Otherwise, every one of us in this room, myself included, will be in serious trouble.”

Upon hearing this,

A muscular Black officer sitting in the front row flashed a white-toothed grin and said casually,

“Sir.”

“It’s not all of us who’ll be in trouble. It’s you who’s in trouble.”

“Someone like Old Morgan wouldn’t even look twice at small fries like us. You’re the one who should be working overtime to find the killer.”

“It’s already 7 PM. Technically, most of us are off the clock. I think this can all wait until working hours tomorrow…”

Before he could finish,

Chief Walker slammed the table hard, cutting him off. He strode over to the officer and shouted right into his ear.

“Vito.”

“If you want to leave, then get the hell out right now.”

“But I swear— I swear— by tomorrow, all your stuff will be dumped in the trash can outside the police station. There will be no place for you here.”

“You sewer rat, you really think you can just sit back and watch while we go up against the Morgan Financial Group? Think you’ll take my seat once I get pushed out?”

“Fuck, you bastard son of a bitch.”

Walker’s furious tirade left the officer named Vito wide-eyed, his nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily.

But the next second,

Noticing Walker’s twisted expression and bloodshot eyes, he immediately realized that this time, Walker wasn’t bluffing.

As someone who specialized in backing down and bullying the weak, Vito shrugged and put on an innocent face, feigning calm.

“Chief, no need to get so worked up.”

“I was just joking, just trying to lighten the mood a little.”

“We already have the suspect’s face. Finding someone in New York isn’t that hard. Three days is more than enough—hell, we might even have something for Old Morgan by tomorrow.”

“Besides, anyone bold enough to go after Little Morgan is probably one of those gangs with a death wish.”

“I’ll ask around with some friends in the Blood Gang later. We’ll probably get a solid lead. No need to stress, this’ll be easy.”

Seeing Vito back down,

Walker didn’t press the issue further. After all, they would need his connections to track down the killer.

He returned to the front of the room, took a deep breath, and pointed at the sketches on the board.

“For the next three days, there will be no shifts, no days off. Everyone in the station must give their full effort to find the killer.”

“But I promise you this… if we can identify and capture these people in time—especially the one leading them—I’ll approve half a month’s vacation. You’ll get to enjoy the warm sun and beaches of California.”

“Now get into work mode. Immediately!”

At this point,

Walker paused for two seconds, then looked toward a thin white officer sitting in the back of the room and nodded in his direction.

“Black.”

“I’ve already uploaded the suspect images to our internal platform. Use the database to run a detailed search and confirm their identities.”

“Once we have names, immediately locate and detain their families. This isn’t just Old Morgan’s demand—we need to try and extract as much information as we can from their relatives.”

“Black, this is a heavy task. You’ll also need to use surveillance footage to track their movements.”

In response to the orders,

The thin white officer, Black, didn’t show much emotion. He simply adjusted his glasses and gave a small nod to indicate he understood his responsibilities.

Knowing Black’s personality, Walker didn’t say anything more. He nodded in approval.

Then he turned to Vito, the officer who had just talked back to him, and narrowed his eyes with a tone that brooked no argument.

“Vito.”

“Send these photos to your friends in the Blood Gang. Call them now and ask if they’ve seen any of these people.”

“Compared to us, your streetwise friends know the players in the underworld much better.”

“But remember—make sure your friends are trustworthy. We don’t need someone who smiles to your face and snitches behind your back.”

Having calmed down, Vito was momentarily stunned by the order, then quickly responded.

“Relax, Chief Walker.”

“My friends and I grew up together in the slums. We’re tight. There’s no way they’d ever snitch.”

“The Blood Gang’s punishments for informants are way harsher than you think.”

“But seriously, do we really need to rush this? I mean, tracking these guys down shouldn’t be too hard. They’ve been laying low for over half a year, probably let their guard down by now. No need to…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Officer Vito noticed the cold, piercing look in Chief Walker’s eyes. He shrugged helplessly and pulled out his phone.

“Understood, sir.”

“I’ll send the photos to my friend right now, see if he recognizes any of them.”

“Put it on speaker,” Walker cut in sharply, his tone brooking no argument.

“Make sure it’s on speaker.”

“I will not tolerate any cover-ups. Everything must take a backseat to catching these criminals.”

Vito shook his head in resignation. He didn’t dare go against Walker in his current state. He quickly sent the suspects’ photos to his friend, then dialed the number and tapped the speaker icon. He held the phone up to show Walker he was following instructions.

“Beep… beep… beep…”

The wait for the call to connect felt unusually long.

After several tense seconds, the line finally picked up.

A young, tired-sounding voice came through the speaker.

“Yo, Vito, what’s up? Kinda random for you to call today.”

“Did you run outta leaf? I can send someone over with—”

Before the guy could finish, Vito cut him off with a growl.

“Hawk.”

“You high outta your damn mind? When have I ever touched that crap?”

“I’m at the police station right now. Chief Walker’s standing right next to me. He needs your help. I just sent you some photos. Look at them carefully. Tell me if you recognize any of these people.”

He ended the sentence, then glanced awkwardly at Walker. Trying to play it cool, he pointed at the phone and added,

“Chief Walker.”

“Don’t listen to him. He’s talking nonsense, totally fried from that junk. I’ve never touched the stuff.”

Walker narrowed his eyes at Vito, then pointed at the suspects’ photos displayed on the digital board behind him.

“Vito, I don’t care about your personal mess.”

“I just need to find these people. CEO Morgan is expecting answers.”

Vito let out a breath like he’d been granted a pardon. He brought the phone closer and barked into it.

“Hawk.”

“Check those photos now. If you want to keep living easy, you’d better give me something useful.”

Hawk, still dazed from his high, was clearly jolted awake by Vito’s tone. He stammered anxiously,

“Okay, okay, Vito, give me a sec. I’m looking now.”

“I’ve got a good memory. If I know them, I’ll definitely—”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Vito, growing impatient, barked again.

“What is it?”

“Say something, damn it. Do you know them or not?”

The shout seemed to snap Hawk back to reality. He replied quickly, confused but certain.

“Yeah, Vito, I know these guys.”

“If I’m not mistaken, they’re security at the Manhattan Knight Bar in New York.”

“Yeah, I’m sure of it. One of our guys caused some trouble there once, and these security dudes threw him out.”

“Later we went back with more people to settle the score, but they pulled guns on us. No joke, safeties off, bullets chambered.”

“But, Vito… didn’t you see the news?”

“Three hours ago, there was a massive gas explosion at the Knight Bar. The whole place burned down. I heard a lot of people died…”