Invasion of America

Chapter 29 The whereabouts of mother and daughter

late at night.

The dim lights flickered, as if countless ghosts were dancing on the walls. The air in the basement was filled with the stench of rust and mildew.

Director Matthew was chained to a chair in his basement, water dripping down his loose chin, and his soaked shirt stuck to his skin, revealing his trembling flesh.

When the seventh bucket of ice water was poured over his head, he could hear the dying choking whimper in his throat.

The towel covering the mouth and nose blocks the entry of air, and every breath allows more water to enter the respiratory tract, causing violent struggles.

It was as if countless pairs of cold hands were tearing and pulling him into an endless dark abyss.

Whenever Chief Matthew's breathing weakened, the towel on his face would be removed and the chair would be straightened, allowing him to see his surroundings clearly again and breathe a sigh of relief.

And right before his eyes, his old mother, his wife, his son, and his entire family were right before his eyes, wailing and suffering with him.

"I've already said it, stop watering. Let my family go." Matthew's voice was hoarse and broken, and his words were mixed with the splash of blood foam from his lungs.

Kangsi clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, and shouted angrily: "You asked me to let your family go, why don't you let mine go?"

If Zhou Qingfeng hadn't stopped him, he would have smashed the director's head into a colander.

The water torture continued. Director Matthew had already lost his former dignity and composure. He confessed as soon as the torture began. However, the torture did not stop and required multiple verifications.

"I'm just a human trafficking intermediary. Julia and Selina have been sent away, and a guy named 'Death Bell' has taken over. He is the biggest human trafficker in Florida.

Illegal immigrants are usually sent to various farms to do low-paying jobs, while beautiful women with good qualifications are kept and sold at auction for high prices.

But I had no direct contact with Deathstroke. I just parked the truck with people on it on the side of the road regularly. Deathstroke would naturally send someone to take them away and transfer money to my virtual account.

Illegal immigrants in the United States are actually an open social cancer, but the government is not enthusiastic about cracking down on related crimes and even condones them.

But in the human trade, the police cannot expect criminal gangs to abide by the rules. Drug trafficking, smuggling, and even kidnapping young and beautiful women are all profitable projects.

Congers has handled many such cases himself and is well aware of the cruelty and ruthlessness involved.

Missing young women are transported and sold like cattle.

Only a few victims were successfully rescued, and most disappeared into the endless darkness after suffering.

Even when the victims are recovered, they often only find their bodies. Families can only leave this crime-ridden town in tears and despair, leaving wounds in their hearts that will never heal.

Congers had not expected that his wife and daughter would suffer such a fate. He was filled with hatred and his mad roars echoed in the basement.

Zhou Qingfeng was unable to control this big guy who was over 1.9 meters tall. He could only give him an anesthetic injection to make him fall asleep and stay quiet for about ten minutes.

Chief Matthew no longer held out hope for life. He shook his head and said, "I knew this day would come sooner or later. Kill me. You can't save that mother and daughter. Let everything end."

Old man Hammer's voice came from the intercom, "Victor, the FBI is here, come out quickly. You've done what you can, it's better to leave the follow-up to professionals."

Zhou Qingfeng turned around and slowly walked out of the basement and out of the director's house.

The lights outside the house were on, and more than a dozen fully armed soldiers were guarding nearby. A lieutenant of the National Guard arrived at the scene to take command.

A helicopter painted with the FBI logo was slowly descending, its rotors picking up debris on the ground and spinning around, forcing people to turn their heads away.

As soon as the fuselage came to a complete stop and the hatch opened, Kelly in a black suit jumped out first, followed by the gloomy-faced Deputy Director of the Miami Branch, Schulte, and several of his detective subordinates.
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Money is a good thing, especially in this world where power and money are intertwined.

The moment $1.5 billion poured into his account like a flood, Zhou Qingfeng's status seemed to be lifted up by an invisible force, instantly rising to an enviable height.

With the money, Baker acted quickly. He not only contacted the district attorney, but also quickly contacted more than a dozen big names in Florida's political and legal circles through phone calls and his network of connections.

Among these people are state legislators who hold real power, veteran judges who are deeply rooted in the judicial system, and politicians who have significant influence at the federal level.

Old Baker had woven an invisible network of relationships to avoid Zhou Qingfeng's embarrassment of "carrying a pig's head but not being able to find the temple gate".

With a backer behind you, your work efficiency will be completely different.

The district attorney quickly decided to personally intervene in the corruption case in White Beach Town, and the state attorney general also informed the governor of the situation as soon as possible.

Public security in Baitan Town is completely out of control. The police chief is openly committing crimes, colluding with corrupt officers, and even persecuting the police chief who has a sense of justice.

During an in-depth investigation, FBI Detective Carr was shot and seriously injured. His partner was even killed by the gunman. The police and the FBI alone were no longer able to control the situation.

The governor then declared a state of emergency in White Beach and dispatched two platoons of the National Guard to various locations in the town to maintain order.

Behind all this is the fact that old Baker provided millions of dollars in political donations to more than a dozen politicians through legal means.

This money was like a key that opened the door to the core of power. Politicians expressed their willingness to "uphold justice" and fight against the dark forces in Baitan Town.

Of course, Zhou Qingfeng's name will not be mentioned in this process.
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Kelly got off the helicopter and walked up to Zhou Qingfeng, as if to ask for credit. A hint of pride appeared on her cold face. "Victor, are you happy? I told you I would do anything for you."

Zhou Qingfeng was truly grateful to Kelly and went forward to hug his personal maid. If she hadn't acted decisively to bribe the Lottery Commission's chief lawyer, things wouldn't have turned around so quickly.

However, Deputy Director Schulte, who came with Kelly, was very unhappy, especially when he saw the intimate hug between the two men and women. He felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Okay, young man, hand over the suspect and the case to us, and you can leave on the FBI helicopter." The deputy director just wanted Zhou Qingfeng to disappear from his sight as soon as possible.

"Wait." Zhou Qingfeng refused, not knowing the deputy director. "Kongs' wife and daughter haven't been found yet. They were taken away by a guy or organization called 'Death Bell'."

The National Guard who came to help initially wanted to stop the torture of Chief Matthew, and the lieutenant in charge even accused Congers of being inhumane.

But after listening to Chief Matthew's confession of his crimes, the lieutenant immediately threw away all his sympathy and wanted to pour a few glasses of water on the chief's head himself.

Even when the FBI deputy director came, Zhou Qingfeng did not avoid the situation at all. After briefly describing the situation, he hoped that the deputy director would think of a way to save people.

"Julia and Selena's situation is different from that of ordinary illegal immigrants. If we don't find them within 72 hours, we may never find them again."

Zhou Qingfeng was anxious, but Deputy Director Schulte wasn't anxious at all. Instead, he slowly loosened his collar and replied coldly and formally:

"Victor, thank you for the clues you provided. We will investigate as soon as possible. For safety reasons, you should leave."

The deputy director waved his hand, said a few perfunctory words as if to dismiss a beggar, and then walked away.

Kelly approached Zhou Qingfeng and whispered, "This is Deputy Director Schulte of the Miami Branch."

Where have you heard this name?

Zhou Qingfeng quickly recalled and immediately realized that the person who wanted to kill Carl and frame him was this hypocritical guy in front of him.

A ball of nameless anger suddenly rose up.

He further thought that if he wanted to save Julia and her daughter, he could not rely on this two-faced deputy director, but had to rely on himself.

"Kelly, have you heard of a person or organization called 'Death Knell'?" Zhou Qingfeng asked his 'maid' first.

Kelly shook her head, saying she was not familiar with the gangs and would ask Gray Shark, who was a special underground broker, if necessary. Zhou Qingfeng then called Gray Shark.
"I've heard of him, but we've never had any contact." Gray Shark said Deathstroke is both an individual and an organization. "This guy's actions are too shady. No one likes him, even in the underworld."

There is also a chain of contempt in the "gray industry". It's not about who is more righteous or more cruel, but about whether it can bring benefits?
"Death Knell likes to keep his own agenda and is overly aggressive. He believes in 'secrecy is safety' and considers anyone who tries to understand his true identity an enemy.

I can go and ask around for you, but don't get your hopes up. People in this business are very cautious."

Even Gray Shark knew very little about Death Knell, and Zhou Qingfeng suddenly felt heavy in his heart.

Julia and her daughter were deceived by Erwin three days ago. They were kept in the hands of Chief Matthew for less than 24 hours before being loaded onto a truck along with another group of illegal immigrants and handed over to "Death Knell".

The two parties did not meet in person during the transaction. Matthew was tortured with waterboarding and could not say where the mother and daughter were transferred to.

Zhou Qingfeng was quite anxious, with beads of sweat oozing out of his forehead.

Just then, old man Hammer walked over slowly, holding a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, looking leisurely and comfortable.

"Why don't you ask me?" The old man took a sip of coffee and said it casually.

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Do you know 'Death Bell'?"

"I don't know her." Hammer shook his head, his gray hair swaying slightly with the movement. He took out his phone from his pocket, swiped his finger across the screen a few times, and pulled out a number.

"Then who are you going to ask?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Friends at the Department of Homeland Security." Hammer was already dialing.

The phone rang a few times and was quickly connected.

A hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone, and asked angrily: "Hammer, don't tell me you sneaked out of the nursing home again."

"You guessed it." Hammer said as if he was chatting with an old friend, "Do me a favor. There's a guy named 'Deathstroke' in Miami.

Tell me about this guy's background. Don't say you don't know. Illegal immigration is a key concern of the Department of Homeland Security, and I'm sure you have it in your database."

The voice on the other end of the phone rose eight degrees: "Hammer, do you know that you have Alzheimer? Meddling in other people's affairs can easily cost you your life?

Besides, I manage a very high-level database, and you can’t come to me with this kind of question every time.”

Hammer said calmly, "I would rather die outside than wait for death in this hellish nursing home.

This time it wasn't illegal immigrants, it was an innocent mother and daughter who were kidnapped. Someone has to uphold justice, right? "

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then a sigh came: "Give me two minutes, I'll see what's going on."

After a while, the voice on the other end of the phone became serious: "Chris 'Death Bell' is a farmer.

His family operates tens of thousands of acres of vegetable and fruit orchards in Hendry County, Florida, and he hires a large number of illegal immigrants every year to reduce costs.

He also provided cheap labor to other farmers in Florida, effectively controlling a human trafficking industry chain.

But we didn't find any clues or evidence that he had committed any serious crime, so we didn't do much about it. Are you sure that guy has a problem?"

Hammer said, "You must have that guy's current location and contact information. I will come and prove whether he has committed a serious crime."
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Half a minute later, Zhou Qingfeng obtained a coordinate and a phone number - yes, not an address with a house number, but a real-time coordinate, about 100 kilometers away from Baitan Town.

Hammer sighed, "Victor, this Chris has no criminal record, and you have no evidence, so it's not going to be easy to deal with him."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't hesitate and dialed the number first.

After a few beeps, the line was connected and a gruff voice asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"My name is Victor, and I'm looking for Chris 'Death Knell'." Zhou Qingfeng said in a deep voice.

The person on the other end was obviously a little surprised. "I'm Chris. Where did you come from? And how did you get my number?"

Zhou Qingfeng continued, “I got your number from the Department of Homeland Security, and I also know that you are the biggest human trafficker in Florida.

Director Matthew of White Beach Town sent a group of illegal immigrants to you two days ago, including a mother and daughter named Julia and Selina.

Matthew is done.

I will not hold you responsible for anything, nor will I interfere with your human trafficking business. My request is simple: return the mother and daughter to me, and nothing will happen."

Before Zhou Qingfeng could finish his words, the person on the other side was already laughing and interrupted with disdain: "Department of Homeland Security? Are you trying to scare me?

I am a legitimate businessman and I run my own farm. I have never done anything illegal and I don't even know anything about Julia Selena.

No matter where you got my number, I only have one thing to say to you: go to hell! Or, if you have the guts, come and fuck me!

The phone hangs up.

Zhou Qingfeng's anger completely exploded.
-
On the other side, a hundred kilometers away from Miami, a family farm is immersed in the cheerful atmosphere of a barbecue party.

The bonfire burned brightly on the open grassland, the aroma of barbecue filled the air, and accompanied by laughter and the rhythm of country music, the whole farm seemed like a paradise on earth.

John Chris, the eldest son of the family, just hung up a phone call and cursed "Fuck" fiercely.

Old Chris was nearby, leisurely enjoying the family reunion. He glanced at his son and asked, "What happened?"

John Chris said angrily, "I don't know where this bastard came from. He called me out of nowhere and asked for my name. He also said he got my phone number from the Department of Homeland Security.

That guy was talking like he'd eaten shit, and he actually had the nerve to threaten me. He said Matthew from Baitan Town was finished, and he wanted me to send him back immediately, otherwise he'd eat me.

I let him die."

In front of the long barbecue table, more than a dozen members of Chris's family were sitting together, enjoying a sumptuous dinner.

After hearing John's words, there was a brief silence at the table, but soon, laughter and clinking of glasses rang out again.

After all, threats and trouble were commonplace in this family, so a threatening phone call was nothing surprising.

Only Old Chris remained solemn. He put down his glass, beckoned to his servant, and ordered, "Call Baitan Town and ask for details."

The servant nodded and quickly turned and left.
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At the same time, Zhou Qingfeng's eyes were fixed on several armored vehicles parked not far from him. They were from the National Guard.

The black body of the car shone with a cold luster in the moonlight. Its huge tires, thick armor and powerful heavy machine guns made it look like a mechanical beast ready to attack.

Zhou Qingfeng walked up to the lieutenant who came to help tonight and asked calmly, "How much can I borrow your military armored vehicle?"

The lieutenant was taken aback by the question and sternly refused, "That's not possible."

Zhou Qingfeng did not back down, and insisted, "Name a price. There must be a price."

(End of this chapter)