Invasion of America

Chapter 33 Divide Money
Before daybreak, the two Ospreys returned to Hurlburt Air Force Base in Florida.

Before the strong wind from the rotor blades had dissipated, an Air Force major angrily started cursing over the radio:
"Where were you two crew members? You were three hours late for night flight training. I almost thought you had crashed."

A pilot replied over the radio, "Sir, we had a mechanical failure during flight and had to make an emergency landing. We will return after the failure is resolved."

"Do you think I'm a fool? If there's a real malfunction, you won't be able to come back at all."

The major didn't believe it and left the tower angrily. He drove a jeep to the apron and climbed into the cabin of an Osprey.

Inside the cabin, the pilot offered another explanation: "A human trafficking gang has kidnapped two young women and may kill them at any time to destroy the evidence if the situation is exposed.

The governor ordered the National Guard to assist the FBI in the investigation. Given the emergency situation, friends in the Guard requested help in quickly transporting personnel.

That friend was very sincere, so we took the job."

"Work?" The major was even more annoyed. "You're doing private work behind my back? I'm going to court-martial you!"

The pilot stepped aside and showed a cardboard box behind him. Inside the box was a pile of US dollar cash, dozens of stacks in total.

For a moment, the major was moved by the "sincerity" in the box, and after thinking for a long time, he realized that "friends of the guard" did not refer to people from the guard.

The pilot continued, "Sir, this isn't a personal job. We decided to help after receiving confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security."

The major was surprised, and lowered his voice a bit as he cursed, "Get off the cabin and tell me about the friend you met."
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As the sky brightened, the morning dew on the iron fence of Chris's farm was dissipating, and the roar of the police helicopter's propellers tore through the morning silence.

The National Guard's M1126 armored vehicles rolled over the muddy tractor road, and two companies of troops set up a cordon in the farm orchard.

The barking of more than a dozen police dogs rang out one after another. The detectives stepped on the soft humus soil, escorted members of the Chris gang, and mobilized excavators to turn over the compacted land.

"Oh my God!" When the first skeleton was unearthed, the young agent's gloves were stained with dark brown liquid that had seeped into the plastic bag.

The orchard was soon filled with forensic number plates. The white marks were arranged eerily in the sunlight, like a deformed dandelion field, which made people feel even more creepy in broad daylight.

On the dirt road outside the farm, a CNN satellite truck crushed an abandoned scarecrow.

Reporters pushed and shoved to break through the cordon, their telephoto lenses trained on the curled-up finger bones in the excavation pit—several plastic bags had torn, revealing the grayish-white remains of the deceased.

"This is ABC News Special Report!" the female anchor's voice trembled with excitement. "We are witnessing the most horrific human trafficking and murder case in American history."

When the camera cut to the overhead shot from a helicopter, the director had to mosaic some of the close-ups.

Those twisted limbs looked like dolls discarded by children, and some plastic bags were still oozing with an unknown, foul-smelling liquid.

When the Florida governor slammed the table and vowed to get to the bottom of the matter at the ten o'clock press conference, Zhou Qingfeng was lying in the jacuzzi in Jennifer's villa.

Opposite the bathtub is a 100-inch screen, which is showing the excavation site of "Shocking Case".

In the mist, he watched the water droplets sliding down the marble wall, and thought of the brain matter that had accidentally stained the sole of his boot last night - he didn't notice it at the time, but now thinking back on the sticky touch, he felt very disgusted.

"Sir, here's the iced coconut juice you requested." The maid knocked on the bathroom glass door, brought drinks and juice, and specifically asked, "Do you need a bathtub massage?"

"Yes." Zhou Qingfeng overused his brain last night and really wanted to enjoy some different services and relax.

When he thought the maid would massage his shoulders and relax his scalp, the maid took off her clothes, raised her foot to test the water temperature, and stepped into the bathtub.

The water in the bathtub overflowed, and the massage force was super strong.

At this moment, the phone rang. It was Old Baker calling. He laughed loudly as he opened his mouth. "Victor, last night's troubles are basically resolved."

I have arranged with four FBI agents that they will redact your report and not mention your existence."

The maid climbed up and began to relax her master's shoulders. Zhou Qingfeng forked the honeydew melon from the fruit bowl and ate while listening.

"Deputy Director Schulte was the Chris family's protector, that's been confirmed. His subordinates certainly wouldn't be able to withstand the investigation. But now that he's dead, no one wants to be buried with him.

Inspector Carl has been taken to the hospital and is currently in good condition.

The Miami branch does not want to create a conspiracy and wants to maintain its own image, so it will definitely handle it in a low-key manner.

As for the governor and state government, they will confirm that the deployment of the National Guard last night was legal and compliant. After all, politicians still have to run for election and don't want to be caught by their opponents.

"It's just that the Air Force needs some further work; they're not part of the same system. But I'm really curious, how did that lieutenant manage to get you the Air Force's Osprey?"

Zhou Qingfeng thought about it and didn't understand, so he just replied calmly: "I gave the money at that time."

"Hahaha, it seems you've gained some experience in using wealth. Oh, and there's Congers." Old Baker suddenly lowered his voice, "Are you sure you want to keep him?"

"I am his daughter," Zhou Qingfeng began to speak but was interrupted by laughter.

"I knew you would say that!" Old Baker switched to hands-free mode.

The Miami Herald reads from the phone: "The controversial sheriff is becoming a hot topic."

An interjection also appeared on the big screen in front of Zhou Qingfeng, showing Congers' wife and daughter being interviewed in the hospital.

Sixteen-year-old Selena cried like a pear blossom in front of the camera, describing the process of herself and her mother being kidnapped and the fear they endured.

Switching to another channel, the headline on Fox News reads: "Corrupt Cop? Hero? A Father's Road to Redemption."

"Victor, you're watching the news, aren't you? Those reporters dug up a ton of news in just a few hours. People don't want the truth; they crave legends."

Old Baker laughed on the phone, "Victor, you are very humane, which is an advantage.

Lawyers all over the United States like people like you who are rich and generous, which will greatly reduce your social costs.

Unfortunately, I specialize in finance and am not good at criminal defense, otherwise I would personally defend Congers. But I have received several calls from friends in the legal field who are willing to help.

Zhou Qingfeng was a little surprised because Kongs had killed quite a few people last night, and some of the killings were clearly beyond the 'necessary' range.

For example, after killing Chief Schulte, he killed Chief Matthew and took care of Chief Matthew's family.

Besides, the murder of Chris's family was witnessed by about 20 to 30 soldiers present at the scene, so there was no way to deny it.

Baker laughed again, "The media loves controversial figures and is exploring the many facets of Congers in this case.

A rough and impulsive husband and father who is forced to get involved in criminal activities due to his life, and a sheriff who finally fights against the evil forces because of his love for his family.

This duality is wonderful. It is the redemption of fate and the sublimation of human nature. The American people like such complex people.

Once the publicity is successful, Hollywood will rush to write scripts for Congers, and the lawyers who represent him will become famous.

All you need to do is prepare a bail of no less than seven figures. Of course, that's not a problem for you at all."

Money is indeed not a problem. Not only is Zhou Qingfeng rich, but he also made a fortune after getting rid of the Chris family. This is because he was responsible for the house raid last night.
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When the last member of the Chris family fell in a pool of blood, the rifle in Congers' hand fell to the ground with a "clang".

The iron tower-like man's knees softened and he fell heavily to his knees, sweat mixed with blood dripping from his forehead.

His vision began to blur, his ears buzzed, and he seemed to hear his heartbeat gradually slowing down - the string that had been tense for dozens of hours finally relaxed.

If I don't loosen it, it'll break. Zhou Qingfeng ordered the FBI helicopter to take the Congers family of three to the hospital first. He then found the still-dazed lieutenant of the guard and had him lead a search of the farm, especially the Chris family residence.

The excuse was ready - to control the other members of Chris's gang on the farm and not let them escape.

The search process was simple, and the four FBI agents were finally put to good use - arresting people, screening, conducting surprise interrogations, locking down evidence, and finding and prying open the Chris family's safe.

It is indeed difficult to pry open safes in general, but the National Guard is a genuine army. It is already very polite that they did not use explosives. They can just use electric drills and electric saws.

The farm has several safes, such as one for paying employees' salaries, one for storing black accounts, one for family members themselves, and one for the small treasury that represents the authority of the family patriarch.

The bonuses for the Osprey pilots came from the payroll cabinet, which contained hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

The cabinet containing the black accounts was given to the lieutenant of the guard, and he was told not to let the four FBI guys touch the accounts, as there must be a lot of shameful things in it.

The silly lieutenant still had some sense of justice and sent two soldiers to guard it.

The family members had more than a dozen small cabinets of their own, and they were all given to the soldiers to distribute among themselves.

As for the underground treasury, Zhou Qingfeng gave all the two or three million in cash to the lieutenant and asked him to take care of the commander of the guard team on his behalf.

The reason I didn't take cash was because there were too many people at the scene to talk. Taking too little was pointless, and taking too much would cause trouble, so it was better to just give it up.

Zhou Qingfeng focused on searching Old Chris's private bedroom on the farm. It was a retro-style room on the top floor of the farmer's house.

The heavy mahogany door was intricately carved with grapevine patterns. As I pushed it open, a scent of cigars and leather filled my face.

The room was decorated like an old-fashioned gentleman's study, with hardcover books filling the solid wooden bookshelves and several priceless oil paintings hanging on the walls to give the impression of being a nouveau riche.

There is a monitor on the desk, and the connected server is in a small cubicle.

Zhou Qingfeng turned on the computer, went online, let the "Gray Shark" come in to control it remotely, and soon discovered the real treasure.

Gray Shark saw virtual currency trading software on the computer. There were logs of multiple hard drives in the operating system, but some of the hard drives did not exist.

"Victor, look around the server case. There should be an unplugged hard drive. Power it up so I can see what's inside."

"I'm not stupid. What can I gain from showing it to you? I'll give you a million later." Zhou Qingfeng saw several hard drive boxes, but refused to power on the hard drives. Instead, he searched old Chris's desk.

Before the FBI team arrived, the Osprey pilot left with a box of cash, and the National Guard soldiers and lieutenants each had a lot more money in their pockets.

Zhou Qingfeng took away Old Chris's encrypted hard drive and the handwritten notebook that recorded his account numbers and passwords.

He took a helicopter arranged by Kelly from Chris's family farm to Jennifer's mansion in the suburbs of Miami.

Just pick a computer and connect it to the encrypted hard drive, and you will find hundreds of bank credit accounts, Bitcoin cold wallets, and real estate controlled by offshore shell companies.

After two generations of accumulation, the Chris family has assets of more than 60 million US dollars, all of which are legal income that has been laundered.

The hard drive also contained a large amount of insider data on black market transactions. The data itself was simple, but behind it lay a network of criminal relationships - Gray Shark regarded it as a treasure.
-
Seven days passed quietly.

The human rights black market case in Florida has not subsided. Instead, it has become like a prairie fire, burning more and more fiercely in public opinion.

The FBI's excavation work is still going on, and Chris's family farm orchard has become a messy cemetery.

Thirty-seven bodies were dug out one by one, each one silently accusing the family of sin.

However, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.

The remaining gang members were vague in their responses during the interrogation, and no one could tell exactly how many innocent souls were buried here.

More than a thousand acres of orchards and tens of thousands of acres of farms are like an endless maze, and it is impossible for the police to search it thoroughly.

The true death toll will forever remain a mystery.

Among the bodies that have been excavated, forensic personnel have confirmed the identities of a small number of them through technical means such as DNA comparison and dental records.

Most of the dead were ordinary people and foreign tourists who had disappeared in Florida in the past decade or so. The youngest was only twelve or thirteen years old, and the majority of the victims were women.

The heinousness of the case shocked the world. Behind every name in the media reports was a broken family and endless grief.

In addition to Deputy Director Schulte and Director Matthew who have been killed, more than a dozen Florida bureaucrats have been caught up in this storm.

The U.S. Department of Justice had to take the initiative to intervene and try to quell the tsunami of public opinion that swept across the United States.

As the key figure in the case, William Congers was taken into police custody.

Zhou Qingfeng hired a top criminal lawyer team for him and applied for bail, but the judge flatly rejected it on the grounds that the risk of absconding was too high.

Even Zhou Qingfeng himself was in some trouble - he was the one who fired the crucial shot to rescue Julia and her daughter.

If it weren't for the fact that Baker had a strong network of contacts, he would have been thoroughly exposed by the media long ago.

A week after the case was exposed, the FBI called Zhou Qingfeng and asked him to go to the Jackson Medical Center in the city. Inspector Carl Vincent, who survived the disaster, wanted to see him.

The hospital ward was quiet, just enough to hear the ticking of the monitors, the faint smell of disinfectant, and the gentle hum of the ventilation system.

Carl Vinson lay in bed, looking pale but in good spirits. His injuries had healed well, except for a missing section of his tongue, which would make it difficult for him to speak and eat in the future.

Seeing Zhou Qingfeng come in, he raised his hand with difficulty, pointed at the tablet computer on the bedside and typed slowly.

"You little brat, I owe you what I owe you, and now I'm paying you back. I won't pursue your lottery case anymore. If someone else pursues it, I won't provide any clues."

Zhou Qingfeng raised his eyebrows and nodded in response.

Carl continued typing: "Not only did you save me, you also busted a human trafficking network that was a collaboration between police and criminals.

If it weren't for you, this case wouldn't have been solved so quickly. I'm still amazed by it.

Regardless of your reason for doing so, your exit and capital bans are lifted and you are free to leave the country with your money."

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head and said, "Now that I'm free, I won't leave."

Carl continued, "I only have one thing to ask. How did you know about the lottery? And how did you get the courage to take action?"

This question troubles many people who know the inside story.

Zhou Qingfeng's lips curled up slightly. He calmly replied, "Inspector, we're clear now. As for the other secrets, I won't tell you."

Karl stared into Zhou Qingfeng's eyes, trying to see through his heart. After a moment, his finger moved on the screen again:
"I will return to the FBI after I recover from my injuries, and will most likely be promoted to Deputy Director of the Miami Branch. If you commit other crimes, I will not let you go."

Zhou Qingfeng stood up and said with a meaningful smile: "Then I wish you a speedy recovery and a quick return to work."

"What do you want to do next?"

"To squander the money I have."

(End of this chapter)