Ruiz sat in his office with a headache. Ordinary gang fights only involved small pistols and knives, but Atz was entirely different. Any gang that survived the US-Mexico border was never simple, and their weapons were much stronger than those of ordinary gangs.

Now, there was too little information. The surveillance team had just been deployed and hadn't gathered any intelligence yet. They had no idea how many of Atz's people had come or what they had brought with them.

When Jimmy arrived, Ruiz was pressing his hands against his head to relieve the pressure.

Jimmy, "Ruiz, did you find the information?"

Ruiz, "We found some, but not much of it is useful. We still need to wait for intelligence from the surveillance team."

Jimmy, "Should we contact Razor? He might be able to provide some."

Ruiz, "Not now, it's not the time to intervene. We're just preparing the information in advance. The rest is waiting. You probably haven't dealt with this kind of situation before. We usually intervene after the fight; otherwise, it's easy to become a sandwich cookie."

Jimmy nodded; he indeed had less experience and listening to Ruiz was never wrong. "Okay, then you'll handle this? I'm tired of keeping an eye on Razor, the favors I used last time really brought a big trouble."

Ruiz shook his head, "Jimmy, you need to remember, we are the FBI. We can use them, but we absolutely cannot get involved in their matters unprincipledly. He did provide some clues before that helped you crack a case, but that's not a reason for you to get involved in their fights."

Jimmy, "I wasn't planning to get involved, just, if it comes down to it, to save his life. Whether his gang survives or not is none of my business."

Ruiz looked at Jimmy and nodded, "You don't have to worry about this anymore, I'll keep an eye on them. Go busy yourself with your cases, you haven't sorted out yours yet, Seventeen hasn't given me any updates."

Jimmy, "Yeah, he asked me to wait for his message, not to contact him proactively."

Ruiz, "Yeah, protecting our informants is also our duty. Since he said not to contact him, just wait. I'll notify you if there's any news."

Jimmy, "Okay, I'll head back then."

Jimmy successfully passed the Razor issue to Ruiz, but unfortunately, Ruiz had no intention of sharing information with him. Not specializing in gang activities, Ruiz didn't have the clearance to access many documents, leaving Jimmy's curiosity completely unsatisfied.

The fact that a clever person like Razor was planning his exit strategy so early indicated a significant threat from the combination of Trinidad and Atz. Jimmy was very interested in this potential large-scale battle happening soon, but it now seemed he had no hope of participating.

Ruiz's earlier words made it clear; they would let the two sides knock each other out first, then the FBI would step in to clean up the mess, and perhaps take out the winners if the opportunity arose. If following his methods, Razor might be in trouble this time. If he weren't useful to Ruiz, he probably wouldn't even survive until the end.

In the morning, Jimmy had called Nia, who was still in bed at the time. After sweet talking over the phone for a while, someone had already come to fetch her. They had been chasing for about a week and had almost confirmed the identity of the kidnappers. Even though they hijacked two cars en route, constantly changing vehicles and drivers to loop around, the local police and the FBI's combined efforts had roughly pinpointed their location.

The kidnappers with the young girl had already left Massachusetts and now entered New Hampshire, but bad news, they had entered the Green Mountain National Forest.

Kimberly Rice had already contacted the FBI here, and this time the main force became the Federation Park Police, but because of the forest terrain, tracking was extremely difficult.

The kidnappers had abandoned their vehicle, which was now temporarily impounded by local police. Other than assigning some officers to temporarily block certain junctions, the rest, led by park police, had started tracking. All their K9 units had been called out, having sniffed the kidnappers' scent from the car, and had entered the forest.

The thrill of chasing criminals across thousands of miles was truly exhilarating. Jimmy actually regretted not taking the initiative earlier, as he could have joined them on a tour days ago. Such experiences were rare opportunities, and the majority of cops and FBI agents never had them. It would definitely be great fodder for boasting over drinks in the future.

With nothing pressing at the moment, Jimmy was simply killing time in the office by going through other case files that he had previously avoided, including some disturbing cases. Now, with no one else to help, and Jimmy in charge of a team, he couldn't afford to be unfamiliar with these cases, lest he make a mistake in judgment at a critical time.

Some of the cases in the FBI's database were truly horrific, and the suspects made Jimmy feel that even arresting them was a contamination of the prison. They should be executed on the spot to avoid wasting resources.

Jimmy endured his discomfort as he looked through various materials on his computer, including evidence and crime scene photos. He had to stand up and take a break every now and then, as it was unbearable to continue looking at such perverse content. He mixed in some 'normal' serial killer cases as a way to adjust, familiarizing himself slowly with the files he should have known during his probationary period.

After work, Jimmy came home and looked at the vacuum-sealed steaks in his fridge, suddenly lacking any appetite—the day's files were to blame. With no other choice, he headed straight to the supermarket and bought several packs of instant noodles, settling for a meal that wouldn't bring up unpleasant thoughts.

Jimmy boiled water and threw in the noodles and cracked a couple of eggs into it, making do with a simple meal.

Sitting with a bowl on the coffee table, he turned on the TV and continued watching a soap opera. In fact, many Americans do the same after a day's work—relax with some television or attend to various chores at home, such as fixing furniture or appliances. Normally, Jimmy would go to the gym, but feeling down, he opted to just watch television quietly at home.

While eating his noodles, the phone rang. It was Nia, calling at an unusual time.

Jimmy, "Nia, are you done? Did you get some rest?"

Nia sounded upset, her tone somber, "Yeah, it's over. We found the kidnapper and the little girl, but we were too late."

Jimmy frowned, as this was not a good sign, "What happened?"

Nia, "The two kidnappers were fleeing with the girl through the forest. We chased them for a day, but it was difficult in the forest. By the time we found them, they had fallen off a cliff. None of them survived. Oh, the poor girl."

Jimmy, "Don't be sad, you can't blame yourselves. You chased them for so long and did your best."

Nia, "I know, but it still feels terrible."

Jimmy, "Yeah, try not to think about it too much. Is everyone okay? It's not very safe in the forest at night."

Nia, "The park police are here, it's safe. I'm with Detective Rice so don't worry. Detective Rice is calling me, I have to go now."

Jimmy, "Yeah, as long as it's safe. Come back soon."

The call was brief, ended too abruptly. Nia was upset and Jimmy had wanted to talk more. As a detective, seeing dead bodies wasn't new, but most people are especially affected by the death of a child, especially since she'd been brought here by those despicable kidnappers.

This case was problematic. With the kidnappers dead, the motive for the kidnapping was cut short. They didn't give up even after crossing three or four states, suggesting a significant reason behind it. If it were solely for ransom, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Jimmy didn't know the details, but the current evidence suggested they were instructed by someone. If they had survived, perhaps they could have traced back to the mastermind behind this.

Rice would certainly consider these points and would decide on the next steps upon her return. Although the kidnappers were dead, their identities had been established. If they needed to continue the investigation, there were sufficient clues to do so. But Jimmy wondered how they would explain the situation to the girl's parents now, poor little girl.

Poor Nia, facing such a case shortly after becoming a detective, definitely needed comfort when she returned. She was surely having a tough time.

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