At night, Jimmy changed his clothes and came to the bar, where it was still quite crowded. He found a spot at the bar, signaled for Woody to fetch him a drink, and only when Woody was free did he share the news with him.

Woody was mentally prepared, having somewhat understood Jimmy's intentions when he had asked for his thoughts earlier. Securing a bar wasn't easy, especially for someone like Jimmy with an official background. His friendship with Woody certainly played a role in his decision.

Woody was happy, but also a bit worried, unsure if his position would change in the future.

Jimmy smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm looking for a professional manager. Someone advised me that they'll handle external relations and some day-to-day business, and I think you're up for the role of on-site manager, right?"

Jimmy himself lacked this experience, but Justin was very familiar with it. He had already planned the bar's structure for Jimmy, and of course, he also took a keen interest in Woody. There weren't many people who could drive Jimmy to make such a choice, and Woody was a talent.

Jimmy waved his hand at Woody and said, "Also, everything is still up in the air. I've only arranged for someone to talk to your boss, just some initial communication, there's a lot to deal with before we can truly take over."

Woody replied, "I understand, I'll be careful. By the way, can I meet the person you arranged?"

Jimmy nodded, took out his phone, and gave Woody the number. This was also what Diego Isaac had in mind, as a bar manager's knowledge of the place far surpasses others, and it's better for everyone to get some information beforehand. Of course, such contact must be private.

Jimmy said, "Don't let people find out about this in advance."

Woody noted the number and then left to attend to others. Jimmy finished his drink and then took off. Today's main goal was to touch base with Woody; having him as an inside man would make it easier for Isaac to take over the bar, and might even save some money.

Through Justin and Isaac, Jimmy had come to understand just how troublesome it was to run a bar. Just the liquor license and venue could take up to three months, so a direct transfer bar was ideal—with full equipment, just the need to extend the lease, and crucially, an existing FULL license to sell spirits, which was much more hassle-free.

Jimmy returned home, freshened up, had a chat on the phone with Nia, and then went to bed.

In the middle of the night, Jimmy suddenly opened his eyes and reached under his pillow for the Python, slightly lifting his head to look outside. Someone was squatting at his door, tampering with the lock without making a sound, and then the lock clicked open.

The figure gently pushed the door, then gripped the edge, inching it open without a sound from the hinges. Just by these actions, it was clear he was a pro.

Jimmy got up from bed, stepped onto the floor barefoot, and adjusted the covers so it looked like he was still lying down.

Jimmy watched the intruder, who clearly knew his way around the apartment. He walked with very light footsteps towards the inner bedroom, ignoring the converted study.

The bedroom door was closed but not locked, since there was no need to lock inner doors when Jimmy was home alone—it would just be an inconvenience.

The door was quietly pushed open, with the same careful movements, opening just a crack before the figure used his hand to edge it open bit by bit, ensuring it wouldn't make a noise. He paused after opening the door halfway.

With his right hand, he lifted the gun, bent his arm with the gun positioned at his right chest, and placed his left hand over the right, switching from a one-handed to a two-handed grip as he slightly turned sideways and entered the bedroom.

Because of the angle, one couldn't directly see Jimmy's bedside from the doorway, so the intruder had to enter the room.

After getting up from bed, Jimmy positioned himself on the floor beside the bed, lying on his side and ensuring freedom of movement for his right arm.

The intruder took only two steps into the bedroom before raising the gun towards the bed and immediately fired. His gun had a silencer, but in the quiet of the night, the shot was still quite noticeable.

Jimmy's guess was right; the man was a pro, and his target was Jimmy's life. Without any superfluous movements, he fired as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

After firing two shots, the assailant realized there was trouble; even in a deep sleep, the person being shot would make some noise, and the sound of the bullets hitting the headboard wasn't right either. He didn't turn around, instead powerfully retreating straight backward with his feet.

Jimmy didn't wait any longer, revealing a revolver from beside the bed and firing. The guidance function of "Heart Eye" was still very useful. Even though Jimmy aimed in an awkward manner, not using his eyes to aim, he still hit the assailant's shoulder and chest with remarkable accuracy.

"Don't move, put down the gun." It was another assassination attempt, and Jimmy was getting somewhat numb to it.

Jimmy's shouting exposed his position. Although the gunman had been shot, he still fired towards Jimmy's location, but Jimmy had already pushed off from the ground and moved away from his previous position.

This bed wasn't made of steel but of wood and a mattress, which couldn't withstand bullets at all. To try and use the bed as cover to avoid bullets was totally gambling on the other person's shooting skills, something Jimmy definitely wouldn't do.

After moving from his initial position, Jimmy immediately raised his gun and continued firing, only stopping after three more shots because the assailant had been shot and fell to the ground. However, the gun that landed on the floor was not far from his hand, still posing a risk.

"Put down the gun, don't move."

Although the man had multiple bullet wounds, he did not stop. Struggling, he grabbed the handgun and was about to shoot at Jimmy's position from the ground. Jimmy, with his "Heart Eye" state, saw this clearly. It wasn't the time for admiration. There was only one bullet left in his revolver, and under the pillow where normally only one gun was kept, there were no spare bullets.

With the last bullet, Jimmy didn't go easy. He shot the man in the face as he turned towards him, and the attacker finally stopped moving, falling into complete silence.

Jimmy stood up, walked around the bed, and grabbed his phone from the nightstand on the other side, checking the time before making a call.

The first call was to inform the duty officer at the FBI office; the forensic department also had staff on duty and needed them to come to the scene for investigation.

The second call was to Mahong; as a subordinate, it was necessary to inform the department head when something happened, and this matter was somewhat troublesome.

Jimmy didn't call the police; it was sufficient for the FBI personnel to handle it without alarming NYPD's night patrol officers.

Jimmy first turned on the bedside lamp, reloaded his revolver with bullets, then got dressed and turned on all the lights in the house.

The gunfire from earlier must have alarmed the neighbors. During the time it took Jimmy to get dressed and turn on the lights, he already heard the sound of police sirens from the street. Here in Manhattan's Upper West Side, NYPD patrol cars were relatively plentiful, so a one-minute response was normal, as was arriving on the scene within 3–4 minutes. Of course, that was except for places like the Bronx, where the patrol officers had the slowest response time of any borough in New York.

As expected, the patrol officers were the quickest to arrive at the scene. Jimmy showed his credentials, which made the officers lower their guns and enter the room to inspect the body on the ground.

Jimmy: "This is my apartment. He quietly picked the lock and came in to kill me. I killed him in self-defense."

The two patrol officers were a bit dazed. It was now half-past two in the morning. Shouldn't you be sleeping soundly in your bed at home, instead of waiting for someone to come and kill you?

One patrol officer asked, "How did you discover him?"

Jimmy: "I've been a bit vigilant lately because I've had a lot of things going on. Our people are already on their way and should be here soon. If it's not too much trouble, could you please set up a temporary police line here and wait for the others to arrive?"

The patrol officers nodded. One headed downstairs to their car to fetch police tape, sealing off the corridor to Jimmy's apartment. After reporting back to the dispatch center, they sat down in the living room. Jimmy turned on the coffee maker and brewed some coffee for them, and he needed a cup too, since he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

Jimmy also sat in the living room. With the immediate situation resolved, all he had to do now was wait for others to arrive, giving him time to ponder over this sudden emergence of an assassin.

From his actions, the man was definitely a veteran, who had scouted Jimmy's room structure in advance and was very proficient with unlocking doors. It's unclear if he was trained specifically against Jimmy or if it was just a habit, treating other doors the same way. He started shooting as soon as he entered the bedroom, clearly not giving himself any chance to fight back. Such a person was definitely not an Azte gang member but had to be a professional assassin or operative.

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