When the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted investigations, promotions and improved treatments were frozen, branded as corrupt or unreliable; everything ceased. Even if one passed the investigation, they could only remain at their current level until some special circumstance occurred, such as carrying out significant undertakings or having strong backing, to climb back up.

Hughes was furious this time because one of their own had been meddled with by outsiders, and the tactics used were extremely despicable. Hughes had now confirmed that at least the field agents and OPR departments had moles inside them, and they transmitted information with great speed. It was time to start investigating and making adjustments.

Though Thomas, the intermediary, had assured that he would handle the moles, who could guarantee his success? After all, he was just a middleman, and several days had passed since their last conversation without Hughes hearing any news of personnel movements.

Unable to wait for them to transfer on their own, Hughes still preferred his people to take action, and this task couldn't involve Jimmy. Given Jimmy's temperament, this investigation, if handled by him, might end up revealing yet another batch of bodies.

Hughes sat in his office, pondering how to address the subsequent issues. Under normal circumstances, Hughes should have retired by now, but because some matters remained unresolved, he stayed in his position. Given the severe mole incident that had surfaced, should he take action now or leave it to his successors?

After much consideration, Hughes decided to tackle the mole issue first. If nothing went wrong, he should be able to hold on for a while longer. The matter of the mole couldn't be delayed too long, as it could lead to a broken window effect.

Hughes called Ruiz and arranged to meet at his house after work to talk. He chose Ruiz instead of Peter, whom he admired more, because the mole was likely among those supporting Ruiz later, and he was more familiar with them, whereas Peter typically handled cases involving financial and art objects, which were too far removed from internal investigations.

First, SWAT could be excluded because of conflicting missions; they hadn't participated in the action.

Next was the on-site support from eight detectives. If there was an issue with them, those following them would receive the news earlier and would surely instruct people to leave. Of course, the initial eight detectives couldn't be entirely ruled out; perhaps they were unaware of whom they were dealing with.

Since Jimmy had become a prime target for those behind the scenes, another clue was that anyone who had to be aware of the on-site battle conditions knew Jimmy was the main effort, just not whether they had shared that information with others.

Last were the dozen or so people who arrived to support after the battle ended. They were also among the first from outside the action team to arrive at the scene and likely contacted the followers after learning the situation on-site. The theory was plausible, with minimal timing difference.

Another possibility was that the incident had caused such a stir at the headquarter that someone there had spread the word, involving too many potential suspects and making blind expansion of targets unrealistic.

As for OPR, Fuller definitely had issues, and whether he was the only one needed further investigation. However, they were not under his jurisdiction, so waiting to see how things progressed was the choice.

That night, Hughes and Ruiz talked for a long time. Hughes disclosed part of the backstage story of this duty investigation to Ruiz and also shared his own analysis. This matter could only be investigated by Ruiz privately and discreetly.

Ruiz then understood the origins of OPR's conspicuous actions and also made judgments about Azte's reasons for entering New York. Behind the scenes, powerful figures were pushing the matter, though only arranging for a frontman to handle it.

Because the secrecy of the raid had been well maintained, the mole had not been able to give a timely warning, so the frontman was directly eliminated at the scene, cutting off one of their financial avenues.

Blocking one's financial path was akin to killing their parents; although the opposition seemed subdued for now, future disputes were not out of the question.

Ruiz: "What about Jimmy? They might have other tactics targeting him."

Hughes: "Let's take it step by step. Let's deal with the mole first, and give Jimmy a slight heads-up for now."

Ruiz nodded, thought for a moment, "Should we transfer him away for some time?"

Hughes: "What do you have in mind?"

Ruiz: "Azte is active on the border, whether it's Texas or New Mexico they have their people. How about we contact DEA and have Jimmy stay with them for a while?"

Hughes furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, but still shook his head, "It's not that simple over there, I'll think about it."

Ruiz: "Okay, I'll handle it as soon as possible."

Hughes's phone suddenly rang, and after picking up and hearing the words inside, he hung up the phone, his face turning very grim. Hughes turned to Ruiz, "Jimmy has been ambushed, right by the exit of the parking lot near his home."

-----------------

Jimmy was in a good mood today. After work, he went out of his way to Whole Foods to buy two fresh steaks and some vegetables, planning to celebrate a little. Nia had also called; she would come over after work. This was like Nia's transition from patrol officer to detective, although there was no adjustment in position, the internal rank advancement was worth celebrating.

After parking his car, Jimmy walked out of the parking lot carrying his bags, heading towards his apartment.

From nearby, a motorcycle rode up with two people in leather jackets and helmets. As they neared Jimmy, the person on the back of the motorcycle suddenly lifted their arm, holding a handgun aimed at Jimmy.

Jimmy, originally walking away from them on the sidewalk, suddenly felt a panic attack. Hearing the sound of the motorcycle, he instinctively turned his head and immediately realized the danger upon seeing the gunman raise his arm. He threw himself to the ground sideways, controlling his body as he forcibly fell, and instantly reached under his arm to draw his gun after hitting the ground.

The gunman fired two shots at Jimmy, who dodged them, but the motorcyclist didn't stop and rushed away. The motorcyclist followed, twisting his body to fire two more shots at Jimmy, which also missed.

By the time Jimmy drew his revolver and aimed, they had already passed about ten meters beyond Jimmy's position. Jimmy fired a shot, but the awkward posture caused the bullet to strike the motorcycle frame. By the time he aimed to shoot a second time, they were already dozens of meters away, beyond the effective range of the revolver.

"Fxxk!" Jimmy lay on the ground, aiming the gun as the motorcycle sped away, cursing before immediately pulling out his phone to call 911.

Calling 911 was to convene nearby patrol cars; the patrol officers could secure the scene. The gunman had fired four shots, and although Jimmy hadn't seen what kind of pistol it was, it was definitely semiautomatic. The shell casings should have fallen on the ground, potentially collectible for fingerprints. Also, the bullets might be recoverable for sending to the forensic center for ballistic analysis, which could serve as evidence after finding the gunman or the handgun to match the barrel and bullet marks.

After making the 911 call, Jimmy also called Mahong and requested forensic personnel to come over.

The third person he contacted was Chuck. He needed Chuck's help to check the surveillance from the control center to see where the motorcycle had gone. Notifying Chuck meant Nia was also informed, but this wasn't the time for chatting. After knowing that Jimmy wasn't hurt, he hung up the phone.

A few minutes later, a patrol car arrived. Jimmy showed his credentials, and he had them seal off the crime scene, while several people began searching the ground for shell casings, ultimately only finding four. They didn't move the shell casings but instead sealed off the scene as it was, waiting for the forensic team to arrive.

Mahong and the others had already gone home but rushed over immediately after receiving the call about Jimmy's attack.

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