The wallet bore only the fingerprints of the driver, leading to the speculation that the gunman had worn gloves, or perhaps used glue or another substance on their hands to create a protective film, thus avoiding leaving behind any fingerprints or skin debris.

Given that people in the vicinity heard a gunshot, it can be deduced that the gunman used a regular pistol without a silencer.

From the case's presentation, it appeared to be a straightforward case of a taxi robbery turned homicide.

The second incident occurred in the Bronx, where the security situation is more chaotic than in Manhattan; taxi drivers being shot and robbed is not unprecedented, so they simply processed the scene, made a record, and left it there, waiting for detectives from the police department to schedule a time to investigate. As for when this case would be addressed, that was left up to fate.

The victim was a middle-aged Caucasian male, similar to the first case; other than the different locale, there was also no fingerprint evidence found on his wallet. However, this time, no one heard the gunshot.

It wasn't until the third incident that the Detective Bureau took notice, pulling records of recent cab driver fatalities, and thus linking these three cases.

The third case differed from the previous two in terms of location, and also because the victim was found slumped over the steering wheel. However, due to the length of the seatbelt, the victim didn't slump completely onto the horn. Again, no fingerprints were found, and no one in the surrounding alley heard the gunshot.

The fourth incident occurred last night, once again in the Bronx. The victim was a Latino man, distinctive from the others in that he had extensive tattoos; usually, such markings would suggest either youthful folly or gang affiliation.

Jimmy went straight to checking the files for the identities of these four men, and as expected, while the first three seemed normal, with minor criminal records suggesting they had straightened out in recent years to make an honest living by driving taxis, there was one individual who stood out.

The biggest question was the fourth man, Diego Lopez, who the system noted was born locally, not an immigrant, and a registered member of the Latin Kings. He had a record of aggravated assault and incarceration, as well as minor issues like theft and robbing convenience stores—trifles, really.

The system showed that he had obtained his taxi license two years prior, although the license plate was still registered to a cab company, which very likely could have gang affiliations or some kind of agreement with them.

Jimmy had dealt with the Latin Kings on a previous occasion and even got to know one of their lower-tier leaders. He printed a record for Diego and then went to look for Ruiz.

Jimmy, "Ruiz, are you familiar with the Latin Kings? Is that guy Razor reliable?"

Ruiz, "What's up? You looking for him?"

Jimmy nodded, handing over Diego's information to Ruiz, "There've been a few taxi driver killings. One guy, Diego Lopez, he's listed as a former Latin King. I want to ask them about it."

Ruiz glanced at the information and returned it to Jimmy, "You can go to Queens to find him and ask. Comparatively speaking, he'd be one of the more honest ones."

Jimmy nodded, sensing a lead. If Ruiz considered him relatively honest, it meant their operations were somewhat measured and not the type to produce unfathomable crimes.

Jimmy gathered his things and headed downstairs. He drove toward Queens. He had been to Razor's underground gambling den before, and his memory was sharp. Even after several months, he recalled the route with ease.

Because it was morning, the underground casino was still far from opening. Jimmy made his way to the entrance of the underground casino and knocked on the door; there was no doorbell. After knocking a few times, it seemed that nobody inside was getting up—Jimmy could see they were still in bed, probably still asleep.

Since he couldn't tell if Razor was among those sleeping inside, Jimmy thought for a moment, then got Ruiz's phone number and made a call. Unfortunately, Razor didn't pick up—probably it was his sleeping time too.

Jimmy wasn't sure if Razor was inside; smashing the door wasn't a good option. After all, he was an FBI detective, not a gang member. He could only return to the office, disappointed, and plan to come back around evening.

However, before Jimmy could get back to the office, Nia's call came through: "Jimmy, there's been an incident. A spokesperson for the New York Cab Drivers' Association just held a press conference. The association expressed outrage at the murder of another cab driver, and they're calling on the public to eagerly provide tips and assist the police with the investigation."

Jimmy, "That seems like a good thing, if they can gather more clues."

Nia, "But they didn't contact us before holding the press conference. Now the police are in a passive position, and I'm guessing it won't be long before the news that the FBI has taken over the case will come out."

Jimmy, "All right, Nia, don't worry. I'll communicate with Hughes and others about it; they're definitely able to handle such matters."

The two exchanged a few more words before ending the call, and it was apparent that Nia was still worried that Jimmy would get dragged into trouble.

Jimmy returned to the office and went straight to Hughes. Dealing with reporters or public opinion was not something Jimmy had experience with, and if there were any problems, it would be troublesome.

After listening to Jimmy, Hughes told him to go back, and he would look into it. Jimmy was also rather annoyed—public opinion is a good thing, but it's terrible when it's aimed at oneself. He hoped they would hold on for a while. If his identity was revealed now, he would probably be plagued by reporters and paparazzi.

Jimmy didn't sit idly by; he started investigating past cases using "cab driver" as a keyword, noting that the mortality rate for New York cab drivers was not low. Around the year 2000, on average, there were nearly a dozen cab driver homicides per year, but most of these cases were robbery-homicides and over half remained unsolved due to scant evidence. Cab drivers interacted with a complicated web of people, making it difficult to find the killers, especially in winter cases. Even with eyewitnesses, identifying the killer was hard because everyone wore thick clothes, hats, and masks like that.

As Jimmy reviewed older records, the number of taxi driver incidents increased, but most of them were too old to solve, offering little reference for current cases.

It was when Jimmy came across a cold case that he tensed up, thinking, "Fuck, hopefully, it's not a copycat of this case."

The case Jimmy was now looking at was the Zodiac Killer case, unsolved for thirty years, initially reported to the Los Angeles police and later transferred to the FBI office in Los Angeles.

In the late '60s, Los Angeles had a series of sequential murders; the killer, after murdering a taxi driver, left a Zodiac symbol and the dates of his previous killings at the crime scene. He subsequently sent ciphered messages to the press, claiming his identity was hidden in the decrypted content. The police and FBI conducted extensive investigations into the Zodiac Killer, reaching limited conclusions: a white male, rather tall, aged between 35 to 45, wearing military boots while committing the crimes.

Due to the inability of the police at the time and significant societal reaction, many imposters of the Zodiac Killer came forward. As of the current date in 2003, the FBI has still not cracked the ciphered messages, and the killer vanished without a trace after several incidents.

Looking at the case report made Jimmy's scalp tingle. The Zodiac Killer was a case from Los Angeles, and he truly hoped that the serial murders on his end were not an imitation crime. He did not feel at all that he could be stronger than the many detectives in the Los Angeles office. If this was truly an imitation, this case might also become unsolvable for decades.

Supplementary information: The FBI field agents internally have six ranks: Probationary Agent (academy graduate intern), Special Agent, Senior Agent, Supervisory Special Agent, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, and Special Agent in Charge. FBI agents are not always assigned positions based on rank, but most are promoted according to rank. Jimmy is currently just a Special Agent beyond his probationary period. Additionally, when disclosing one's identity, agents typically say their position, generally as "FBI Special Agent XX."

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