Chapter 362: Sister Q, I Think It’s Time You Stepped Down

In the United States.

Would killing a few Dragon Country police officers really be that serious?

K’s words instantly made everyone present narrow their eyes, immediately considering the chain of consequences that could follow.

If this were happening in Dragon Country, even killing just one police officer could trigger a terrifying chain reaction.

It could escalate into an anti-terror operation, with various branches of The Organization and law enforcement joining forces to dig out the killer no matter what. That kind of response was entirely possible.

But if it happened in another country…

Specifically, if a Dragon Country police officer—clearly identified as such—were killed abroad, the impact wouldn’t necessarily be as severe as one might imagine.

Granted, there is a glaring exception.

Several undercover officers stationed in a telecom scam compound in Myanmar^[1] were brutally murdered by those ruthless scam lords. In response, the country issued a wanted order and completely wiped out the scam operations in that area.

That incident left everyone with complicated feelings. It was clear to all that Dragon Country had grown visibly stronger.

But that kind of scenario couldn’t be applied to the United States.

After all, the United States is still considered the global superpower. It’s not some small country that can be pushed around. The respect it commands is still very real.

At the very least, for now, it’s impossible to expect that a simple wanted order would compel the U.S. government to hand over a suspect that Dragon Country wants.

To maintain its dominance and authority, the U.S. would never agree to such a demand.

At the same time…

The reason Dragon Country police were able to carry out this cross-border pursuit and arrive so quickly was primarily because they didn’t go through official diplomatic channels. Instead, they leveraged an invitation and the immense influence of Morgan Financial Group to conduct their investigation in the United States.

In some ways, having Morgan Financial Group as a powerful backer is more efficient than going through official procedures.

But from a national standpoint, skipping the official process makes it difficult to hold anyone accountable.

If something were to happen to Su Ming and the others in the United States, the most the country could do is issue a formal condemnation. Taking further action would be extremely difficult.

In other words, even if Su Ming and his team were killed in the U.S., Dragon Country would have very limited means of retaliation. At the very least, they couldn’t launch a sweeping anti-terror operation like they would at home.

And considering the sheer power of the United States, which is nothing like a small neighboring country such as Myanmar, that wanted order would be meaningless.

If they die, they die in vain.

There would be no retaliation. That’s the likely outcome.

…

Once everyone present had sorted through their thoughts,

They generally understood K’s current stance on how to deal with the Dragon Country police.

The burly man sitting to J’s right—Number Nine—suddenly stood up, thumped his chest twice, and spoke with spittle flying, clearly excited.

“Brother K is absolutely right.”

“If we were in Dragon Country, who would dare lay a finger on their cops? You’d have to consider whether it would escalate into an anti-terror operation with even worse consequences.”

“But this is our turf, the United States, where we know every inch of the ground. I really don’t see why we should be afraid of those dogs, let alone hand over Brother J to appease Morgan Financial Group.”

“Since, as Brother K said, their investigative skills are top-notch, and no matter how careful we are, they might still find a thread to pull and unravel everything…”

“Then why not drop the whole stealth approach and just go all in with real guns and bullets?”

“I don’t believe that killing them would cause any major fallout. At the very least, the Dragon Country government can’t come here and start giving orders.”

“As for Morgan Financial Group, they don’t need to worry too much either. Their relationship with those Dragon Country cops is just a collaboration. Would they really waste massive manpower and resources to avenge some failed partners?”

“They probably wouldn’t even care. They’d just think about who to send next, or which special branch of The Organization to call in to track down the killers, right?”

“If you’re all too cautious, then let me do it. I’ll take the lead.”

“Just give me three days, and I’ll bring back their heads to show you…”

Before Number Nine could finish,

Q slammed her hand on the table, her icy, razor-sharp gaze sweeping across the room, cutting him off as she spoke sternly.

“What are you thinking?”

“What the hell are you all thinking?”

“Do you really think Dragon Country police are like stray cats and dogs on the street, something you can just crush with one hand? Or do you think… just because they wear police uniforms, they’re the same as the U.S. cops we’ve dealt with before?”

“Let me tell you something. I’ve looked into all of K’s past operations in Dragon Country.”

“In fact, to deal with a single destabilizing factor that could affect our Organization, I personally sent one of my best killers over there.”

“And yet, the result was still… disappointing.”

“Let me tell you something else…”

At this point,

Q paused briefly, then continued with narrowed eyes and a heavy tone.

“Priest.”

“K’s drug trafficking operation’s most important member. A core operative personally assigned by Professor. He was also the one who taught most of you here your sniper skills.”

“He was killed a few days ago during an operation by Dragon Country Police.”

“And the most crucial part… He was stationed at the best possible sniper position, yet he was still taken out—most likely by Su Ming—at long range.”

“In other words, Priest was killed by the very method he was most skilled in.”

“To be able to kill Priest from a distance without paying any price… That level of sniper skill and mental fortitude is not something an ordinary cop possesses.”

“Oh, and based on the intel we have so far, this Su Ming alone has exceptional tracking and apprehension skills, along with near-supernatural marksmanship.”

“So, Number Nine, you really think… with those grotesquely large muscles of yours, you can take him out?”

“To be blunt, if we don’t use any tricks or strategies, I don’t believe anyone here has the pure combat skill to kill Su Ming, the one leading them.”

“Otherwise, Professor wouldn’t have made a point to tell K that the rest of us twelve must fully cooperate with and follow his lead this time. The goal is to ensure the survival of our Poker Organization.”

“This time, I hope everyone understands… if we take even half a step in the wrong direction, it’s highly likely that Poker Organization will cease to exist.”

At those words,

The atmosphere in the conference room grew noticeably tense, and several people furrowed their brows.

Just then,

A girl in a black gothic dress with straight bangs flashed a bright, innocent smile, revealing her white teeth.

“What if—just hypothetically—”

“What if one of us, either by accident or sheer luck, managed to take out that lead dog all on their own?”

“Wouldn’t that mean… that person is actually more suited to sit in your seat, Sister Q?”