Since it was still early, the bar wasn't crowded, and the bartending side wasn't very busy either. As Woody mixed drinks, he casually chatted with Jimmy, "Speaking of which, that girl from last time hasn't shown up in days. You guys didn't break up, did you?"

Jimmy smiled and said, "She's really busy with work right now, out of town. I haven't seen her in days either. By the way, how did you make that drink the other day?"

Woody: "Oh, I can't tell you that, it's my secret."

Jimmy: "Don't be stingy, man. It was really tasty. Let me learn so I can make one for her."

Woody: "No, no, if you want to drink, please come here. I won't share the recipe with you."

Jimmy: "Come on~ Just make me one last drink. I'm going to bed after this."

Woody prepared drinks for others first, then proceeded to make Jimmy's. Jimmy didn't specify his drink, so Woody concocted something entirely on his own. Jimmy watched him pull several unlabelled small bottles from beneath the counter. How did he remember what each bottle contained?

Plan to secretly learn failed. Oh well, guess I'll head to the Intercontinental Hotel and learn a trick or two from the beautiful Adi or Justin.

Woody placed the finished drink in front of Jimmy, "Captain's Sabre, a secret formula I got from someone else, guaranteed to let you sleep until morning."

Jimmy's eyes widened, "You didn't use 'Water of Life' as a base, did you?"

Woody: "Drink up, Jimmy. Go home and get a good night's sleep."

Jimmy raised his glass and downed it in one go, feeling a spicy sensation rush to his nostrils, slightly choking. "Cough, cough, cough, damn it, Woody, this drink is strong."

Woody clapped his hands, "Cheers to your bravery. You're the first I've seen to down it in one. Alright, hurry home to bed. Oh, and remember to pay the bill."

Jimmy took out his wallet, paid the bill, and shook his head. That last drink was quite potent. Immediately after drinking, aside from feeling a bit spicy and choking, there was nothing special; he even felt a bit more alert. But after a while, it started to hit him. He was carrying a gun; falling down outside could cause serious trouble.

Jimmy quickly left the bar, went home, washed up, and immediately went to bed.

The next day, Jimmy woke up early, since he had gone to bed so early the night before. It wasn't even 6 AM yet when he got up. After freshening up, he made breakfast, and a new day began.

Today there was an important matter—the investigation on Ruiz's behalf. There was a gang war looming, and this fell under Ruiz's jurisdiction. So after Jimmy told him, Ruiz started investigating after getting home that evening. If a large-scale fight broke out in New York, the impact would be too negative. The media industry here was too strong, and the NYPD and FBI couldn't escape, they would all be held accountable.

The Trinidad gang had some data available at the FBI office but not much, and they weren't the primary gang under surveillance. Established in '93 by two Dominicans, most gang members were young Latin Americans, with a few elite ones unearthed in prison. Their main illicit activities were extortion and drug trafficking.

The main membership wasn't large, the leaders were about a dozen, with a total count of less than 200 people, the core members being around 50. They were scattered across the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, mainly avoiding Manhattan and Staten Island.

That's because one place was under the close watch of New York police, as old gangs had already divided the territory, preventing their entry. The other place, Staten Island, mainly consisted of middle-class residential areas. Compared to other districts, there was less economic activity, and the presence of FBI and NYPD training grounds greatly suppressed the room for gangs to operate. Besides some local delinquents, there weren't significant gang presences.

The current leader of the gang was Serra, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of murder but was fortuitously released from prison due to insufficient evidence. A ruthless man with numerous suspected cases of murder and aggravated assault under his belt; if it weren't for the lack of direct evidence, he would have been arrested long ago. He was also a notorious figure with a file in the FBI.

Ruiz reviewed some of their files and set up a surveillance team overnight to focus on Serra and a few of his lieutenants. Now that war had been declared, it was bound to start soon; the earlier it was detected, the sooner this mess could be resolved.

The other gang, Atz, was more problematic. Ruiz was just a New York office guy, unfamiliar with the gangs near the US-Mexico border, so he had to wait until morning to request files from headquarters, unfortunately without garnering much useful information.

Atz originated in Los Angeles, California, and expanded to New Mexico and Texas during the '80s and '90s. Its key members were recruited from prisons. On a side note, US prisons really serve as a training ground for gang personnel, with many receiving guidance from veterans inside, later emerging as the main forces of the gangs.

The main operations of Atz were smuggling and drug trafficking. Although there was no evidence, several government officials and federal employees had been murdered, suspected to be their doing. The backbone of the gang was managed in a semi-militarized way; thanks to the chaos at the US-Mexico border, they commanded significant armed forces. Local police had attempted several raids without managing to eradicate them, sometimes even suffering casualties.

Such a gang contacting gangs in New York suggested an intent to expand their drug trafficking and smuggling networks.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.