Invasion of America

Chapter 26 Who are you?
White Beach Police Station.

The phones kept ringing.

The air was filled with the bitter smell of coffee, and every police officer's face was filled with fatigue and impatience.

The case whiteboard was densely covered with to-do items, the marker ink had become a little blurry, but no one had the energy to wipe it off.

Congers was forced to suspend his duties, and many of his colleagues who had a bad relationship with him were gloating over his misfortune, hoping to watch the fun from the sidelines.

However, the expected scene of 'the corrupt police are out of power, the residents are happy, and the town returns to peace' did not appear. Instead, there was an explosive increase in cases of all sizes.

The police station's emergency calls can ring from early morning to late at night, almost without a moment's rest.

There were only a dozen people in the bureau, half of whom were office workers, like Chief Matthew. The hard workers who could actually go out and solve problems were few and far between.

Burglary, gang fights, shooting robberies, high-speed racing... these cases that happen occasionally in daily life are now spreading like a plague.

It was like the great god had left, and all the demons and monsters came out to run wild.

"Erwin." Chief Matthew opened the office door and waved to his men who had just returned to the police station, motioning them to come in.

Elvin White had just returned from duty and had no time to return to his desk. He walked into the director's office with a gloomy face and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Close the door." The director behind the desk's face darkened even more. He lowered his voice and asked, "Congers has been missing for three days. Why haven't they caught him yet?"

Erwin spread his hands and said angrily with tiredness: "There are only eight people in the bureau who can go out for field work. One is in the hospital, one is waiting for retirement, one is on shift and resting, and one is suspended and ran away.

There are only four of us left out there, including me, and I haven't had a break for two or three days. If you think you have too much to do, why don't you go in person, armed with a gun, and in a police car?

"That's enough, I don't want to hear this." Director Matthew glared and said, "You are Congers' partner, you know him best.

Kangsi has always been good to you. But you kidnapped his wife and daughter as a threat. Will he let you backstab him?

"Forget about those security issues, find some more people and bring Congers back as soon as possible. He's always hanging around outside and is always a potential threat."

Faced with this threat, Erwin's eyes turned red with rage, his fists clenched at his sides. If he weren't restrained, he would have shot the obese, corrupt director in front of him.

If this 'pig' hadn't made so much money, the police station would have three or five more staff members, and the town's security wouldn't be so chaotic.

Now that something has gone wrong, he is anxious and angry, but he only knows how to sit behind the table and give orders, as if he can solve the problem just by talking.

"Why are you looking at me? Can you catch Congers by looking at me?" Chief Matthew pointed outside the door, "Go arrest him quickly."

"Yes," Erwin replied in a low voice. He really wanted to find a place to sleep. But he couldn't rest. He had to hold on.

Because once something starts, it can't be stopped. Like a boulder rolling down a hill, it has to keep going; stopping it suddenly would only result in it crashing to pieces.
-
The gang shootout a month ago seemed to be still before his eyes, flashing in Ervin's mind from time to time.

That night, the police station's emergency call rang urgently, and he and Congers rushed out of the office, jumped into the police car, and headed straight for the Scorpion Bar.

The sound of sirens pierced the night sky, and red and blue lights flashed on the streets, reflecting the frightened faces of passers-by.

The bar was engulfed in chaos, with bullets flying, glass shards flying everywhere, and people screaming and running around.

The two gangs exchanged fire fiercely in the bar, with screams, curses and gunshots mixed together, and stray bullets flying everywhere.

Erwin and Congers quickly got out and hid behind the police car, calling for backup on the walkie-talkie while suppressing the bastards with their rifles.

After the gunfight, the scene was in a mess, with several corpses lying on the ground and blood flowing in the bar like puddles of dark red wine.

Several gang members were seriously injured in the shootout and were rushed to the hospital on stretchers, groaning and cursing.

Since Congers was the sheriff, the chore of taking statements was naturally left to his young partner.

Erwin was just doing his job as usual, following the ambulance to the hospital, intending to ask a few questions and call it a day.

However, the development of things exceeded his expectations.

A seriously injured gang member lay on a stretcher, his face as pale as paper and his breathing rapid. He had been shot in the chest and blood was oozing out.

As Erwin approached, he felt that this guy didn't even need to take any notes.

The man suddenly grabbed Erwin's wrist and said in a struggling voice, "I... I can't survive, but I can't let those bastards get away with it... What happened tonight was because of the Powerball jackpot."

It's that simple, no one can resist the temptation of tens or hundreds of billions of dollars.

After hearing the information, Alvin was extremely excited, and then killed the seriously injured man who was still half alive - after all, the other party had lost too much blood, so it was normal for him to die.

He even took action against other wounded soldiers to prevent the news from leaking out.

Ervin installed surveillance cameras in the bar earlier than Zhou Qingfeng and captured the entire process of him getting the lottery ticket.

But
If the evidence is submitted to the FBI, Zhou Qingfeng will certainly get nothing, and Ervin will also get nothing.

He thought about secretly capturing Zhou Qingfeng and using coercion and bribery. But this kid was never alone unless he was hanging out in bars, shopping, or at parties.

And direct contact could easily drag Erwin himself into trouble.

His idea was to wait until Zhou Qingfeng won the first prize, and then he would secretly blackmail him. As a result, he waited for a month.

It wasn't until the FBI reopened its investigation into Congers that he knew his chance had come.
-
After leaving the police station, Alvin drove to the corner near White Beach High School, turned off the engine, rolled down the window, honked the horn, and waved to the hooligans who were doing nothing at the school gate.

The hooligans gathered in groups of three or five, leaning against the wall to smoke, occasionally emitting shrill laughter. When they saw the police car parked in front of them, they pushed each other and walked slowly over.

Elvin leaned on the car window and asked, "Does anyone know where Victor is? He's the Asian kid from your school.

I'll pay a hundred dollars to anyone who can provide information." He pulled a bill from his pocket and shook it between his fingers.

The hooligans' eyes lit up instantly, but then dimmed again. They looked at each other, but no one dared to speak.

A tall, thin boy scratched his head and whispered, "We don't know where he is. The Asian guy never interacts with us."

Erwin frowned and continued, "Does that Asian kid have any friends? Has anyone seen him in the past two or three days?"

Another boy said, "That Victor... He has a good relationship with the school nurse, Jennifer. He's often seen coming to school in a red sports car."

Alvin had long known that Zhou Qingfeng and Jennifer had some friendship, which was one of the reasons why he hesitated to act rashly.

Jennifer's father is a real rich man. He donated $100,000 to the police station at one time and asked the police to "take care" of his daughter.

If Zhou Qingfeng had the protection of Jennifer's father, Erwin would have been helpless against him. But he didn't give up.

Sending the edited video to the FBI's deputy director was a manifestation of his "unyielding hope". He didn't hope that Zhou Qingfeng wouldn't get the money, he just wanted to create some pressure.

"Is there nothing else?"

The hooligans all shook their heads. When Erwin said "Get lost," they fled like frightened sparrows, as if they had been granted amnesty.

At this moment, Alvin had no intention of catching Kongs. His mind was full of how to control Zhou Qingfeng.

He desperately wanted to understand Zhou Qingfeng's current situation so he could come up with a plan. But now his phone wasn't working, and he couldn't reach him, so even trying to scare him was impossible, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

He sat in the police car for a while, and then a short boy came back and asked timidly, "Can you really give me a hundred dollars?"

Erwin was overjoyed and quickly promised, "As long as you help me find the guy named Victor, I can give you a thousand dollars." The little man thought for a moment and whispered, "I don't know where Victor is, but he has a good relationship with Teacher Helen at the school.

Teacher Helen didn't come to class yesterday and today. She asked for leave. I don't know if this counts as a clue, so you..."

Erwin handed the little man a hundred dollars and said happily, "Tell me, where does that bitch named Helen live?"
-
Five hundred meters in the air, a four-rotor drone quietly flew over Baitan Town, overlooking the ground like a falcon.

Its rotors spun at high speed in the air, making a noisy humming sound, but at a distance of 500 meters, people on the ground could not hear any sound or see its trace.

The onboard high-definition camera slowly swept across the ground, keenly capturing the license plate number of the police car, and then locked onto Irvin in the driver's seat through facial recognition.

The footage was transmitted in real time to a pickup truck in the town, and Erwin's every move was clearly displayed on the drone's remote control screen.

"The target's car is moving, turning from Third Street. He seems to be going home." Old man Hammer stared at the screen of the remote control in his hand, his tone filled with the excitement of an old naughty boy.

One-button cruise control, automatic route planning, license plate and face recognition, target tracking, and autonomous return to home when the battery is low. As long as you are willing to spend the money, high-end products will be easy to use.

Zhou Qingfeng sat in the driver's seat, his hands on the steering wheel, and his eyes occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror to make sure he was not being followed by any irrelevant personnel.

Old man Hammer was having a lot of fun playing with it. He laughed and said, "Victor, you can't have such a useful drone in China, right?"

"What?" Zhou Qingfeng scoffed and asked disdainfully, "This drone is more than half the price in China than in the United States. Can you guess why?"

Old Hammer clearly didn't believe it. He lowered his head and carefully examined the remote control in his hand. Turning it over, he saw the words "Made in PRC" on the back.

The old man's face turned grim as he muttered indignantly, "Damn it! How come this thing is made in China? Aren't you supposed to just make clothes and toys?"

"You're too old, too old to keep up with the times." Zhou Qingfeng mocked without hesitation, "Or perhaps the times are moving too fast, ruthlessly abandoning you."

Old man Hammer persisted and pressed on, "Victor, you came to the United States, you must want to stay, right?"

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't deny the strength of the United States. But I came to the United States to make a living because I couldn't get into university in China."

After saying that, he pointed at the remote control in old man Hammer's hand and said, "Keep your eyes on it. If you lose it, there will be no fun."

Old man Hammer almost choked to death, snorted, and refocused his attention on the screen.

In the drone's surveillance footage, Irwin's police car slowly drove into his garage. Not long after, the garage door opened again and an ordinary black sedan drove out.

The man in the driver's seat was wearing casual clothes, with his hat pulled down low, but the drone's camera still captured his face clearly—it was still Erwin.

"Why did this guy change his car and clothes?" Old man Hammer frowned. His years of experience made him wary. "Victor, start the third drone. This guy must be up to something."

Soon, the third drone took off from the back of the pickup truck and flew quickly towards Erwin's location.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the direction of the monitored target for a while and said curiously: "This guy seems to be driving towards us."
-
Erwin drove his car slowly around the street, his eyes vigilantly scanning every corner of the street and checking the rearview mirror from time to time.

If it weren't for the drone monitoring from above, it would be easy to be confused by his circling behavior.

But at this moment, there was a trace of his direction, which was getting closer and closer to the neighborhood where Helen Grant lived.

After circling seven or eight times, Erwin stopped in the shade of a tree by the roadside. There were no surveillance cameras watching from here, and no passersby would glance at him.

After getting off the car, he still carefully walked around the vehicle twice. After confirming that the surroundings were safe, he took out a box from the car. Inside was a neatly folded drone.

Under the surveillance of their own drones, Zhou Qingfeng and Hammer clearly saw through all the tricks played by Irwin.

"The target is alone. Should we take action?" Zhou Qingfeng looked at Hammer.

The latter is experienced and has a good grasp of timing.

"Wait." Hammer shook his head, staring at the surveillance footage, and said, "Have Unit 2 zoom in. There's a car following the target."

A few hundred meters away, Alvin was preparing for the drone's takeoff, looking left and right from time to time, always careful.

Just then, a car came at high speed.

Erwin naturally turned his head to observe, his hand on the holster on his waist. When he saw the face of the person coming, the other party braked suddenly and stuck the gun out the window.

"Congers." Erwin exclaimed. He didn't have time to draw his gun, but he subconsciously shouted, "Don't shoot! It wasn't me who ordered the arrest of your wife and children. It was Chief Matthew."

After only two or three days of not seeing each other, Congers had experienced a life-and-death catastrophe. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks were sunken, his body was haggard, and he exuded the heat of anger.

He got out of the car, gun in hand, pointed it steadily at Erwin, and whispered viciously, "Cuff yourself, or I'll kill you."

Erwin raised his hands slowly, but dropped them halfway and shouted, "Calm down, Congers. It's no use killing me."

Chief Matthew wants you to shut up. I arrested your wife and children just to intimidate you. I'm willing to help you, but only if you put down your gun.

Don't let this get out of hand, or Julia and Selina will die."

These words were too shameless, and Kangsi was furious. "Asshole, I have been with you for five years, and you actually betrayed me.

I asked you to take my wife and daughter away from Baitan Town. Not only did you hold them hostage, but now you dare to threaten me."

The feeling of betrayal was too painful. If possible, Congers wanted to eat the bastard in front of him alive.

When Erwin saw Kongs so angry, the fear in his heart gradually dissipated, and was replaced by an indifferent sneer.

"Don't be naive, Congers. This world is a cruel place. I'm just following the rules, and you have to accept them.

Don't think you can control everything just because you have a gun. In fact, you can't do anything.

The FBI is looking for you, you have become a desperado, Director Matthew wants your life, and your wife and daughter are controlled by your opponents. What can you do?
Come on, let's go somewhere else and have a good chat. There's always a solution." Erwin tried to use a seemingly relaxed attitude to break down Congers's defenses and find a chance to escape.

Congers' eyes were bloodshot, but he was afraid to act rashly. When he thought of his wife and daughter still in the hands of the other party, he felt like he was wearing a heavy shackle and did not dare to have the slightest impulse.

Just when he was in a dilemma, a low buzzing sound suddenly came from the sky, and the sound came from far away and became louder and louder.

Congers' attention was unconsciously drawn to the sudden sound, and his eyes shifted slightly to look up at the sky.

Irwin captured this moment keenly, turned around without hesitation, and ran towards the back of his car, trying to use the cover of the vehicle to escape from Congers' gun.

At the same moment, a shuttle swooped down from the sky. A barrel-like device hung from its underside, locking onto the fleeing Erwin like a hawk.

Alvin had already hidden behind the car, quickly pulled out the pistol from his ribs, and couldn't help but look up at the drone that appeared at high speed.

When he saw the gun barrel under the drone pointed at him, he immediately felt something was wrong and raised his gun to shoot down the shuttle.

However, after the shuttle stabilized from rapid speed to an abrupt stop, there was a "puff" sound, and an anesthetic needle flew out of the barrel and pierced into Erwin's body.

Erwin quickly pulled out the needle, but it was too late. The two milliliters of propofol in the syringe had already been rapidly injected into his body.

In just a dozen seconds, Erwin lost consciousness and fell heavily to the ground uncontrollably.

Then, the drone turned flexibly in the air and turned its head to stare at Congers who was standing there in a daze.

Congers was stunned by the sudden and swift scene. When he saw the tranquilizer gun pointed at him, he shouted, "Damn it! Who are you?"

(End of this chapter)