A swift and decisive victory in the early stages, a post-apocalyptic survival story in America!

In Julie's bedroom.

"Why didn't you do it? When I heard the report was filed and that it was Roger Stern, I was shocked. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you immediately..."

Julie leaned against Li Qi's chest, her eyes slightly closed, feeling comfortable and at ease.

"The original plan was to kill him, which would have made it seem more realistic, but this guy..." Li Qi was unsure how to describe him properly, and after a long pause, he said, "This guy has an incredibly strong will to survive, and he's right, I really don't have a direct reason to kill him."

When Miles Lowell was mentioned, Richie asked Julie, "Do you know this Miles?"

Julie nodded: "This guy is the leader of the Roland Gang, the largest branch of the Crippled Gang. He's the godson of the former leader. There are rumors on the streets that Miles killed the previous leader, Tobiano Ellis, to take over."

The beautiful policewoman nudged Li Qi, making herself more comfortable, and let sleep and drunkenness wash over her as she murmured, "This time, the hired assassin successfully killed the old gang leader's son, the biggest threat, Victor Ellis..."

Li Qi put his arm around Julie's shoulder and sighed inwardly.

That Miles is a master at using someone else to do his dirty work and shifting the blame elsewhere.

By drawing out external enemies and strengthening internal cooperation, well, even within the gang, there are skilled individuals!

It's a pity, he was unlucky and was taken advantage of.

I was lucky; I picked one of several veterinarians, and it turned out to be the one with the biggest connections.

Come to think of it, Roger wouldn't dare to make house calls in the early morning unless he had connections in both the legal and illegal worlds.

When he went out to make house calls, this effeminate man probably never imagined that someone would dare to plot against him.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Qi didn't kill Roger back then.

There's a reason for every wrong, and a reason for every debt. Regardless of how Miles found out the information, Roger definitely wasn't the one who threw dirty water on him. Someone else was the one who hired someone to kill the gang and double-cross them. It doesn't make sense that he didn't dare to provoke Miles but took his anger out on Roger.

Roger Stern had no position to tell the truth to the police. No matter how much he resented him, as the half-brother of a mob boss, his best option was to cooperate with him in putting on a show and cover up the matter.

That's why they changed their minds at the last minute and spared the boy's life.

To be honest, Roger managed to convince himself to save his life in a critical moment with just his words. His quick wit is truly admirable.

"What are you planning to do next—" Li Qi started to say but then realized that Julie had already fallen asleep.

This is a good thing. We need to slowly figure out how to cure this beautiful girl's depression. Lola's treatment has already shown initial results. Let's deal with these two first. As for the third one, we'll have to approach him slowly...

After a good night's sleep, at dawn the next day, Richard and Lola said goodbye to Julie and returned to their home in the Hancock Park neighborhood.

Lola remained hidden in the back seat, leaving no trace. Only Richard, disguised as Nick, calmly drove past the security post.

Back at their lodgings, the women were already up to greet the new day, and they were all overjoyed to see Li Qi return so early in the morning.

After some affectionate moments and breakfast, Richard and Lola went to the study, opened their laptops, and continued analyzing Nick's videos while sending the pictures of the shooting scene from the previous night to the bounty hunter.

Because the kill order was adjusted, there were far fewer people falsifying information afterward, and Li Qi's picture attracted the attention of the bounty hunters as soon as it was uploaded.

About an hour and a half later, the news came.

"Kill confirmed. Thank you, brave warrior! Here are the ten bitcoins we agreed upon. Please check your account!"

Ten bitcoins quickly arrived in Li Qixin's newly registered anonymous account.

The whole process went incredibly smoothly, so smoothly that it was unbelievable.

Lola was also surprised: "Didn't they say... the bounty hunters' vetting process is incredibly rigorous? How could they confirm it so easily?"

Li Qi told Julie the news directly.

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, Julie said, "Perhaps... the bounty hunters also want to end this immediately to avoid causing bigger problems?"

"Of course, besides that possibility, the fact that you did it so convincingly is also a significant factor. After all, the car and the gun match up, and the attempt to murder Dr. Stern fits the killer's motive. In addition, we investigated and found that Wyatt Morris is a retired Army soldier. Besides working as a security guard, he is also a drug dealer. We found a lot of evidence of illegal and criminal activities in his home. It's likely that the bounty hunter also confirmed this information, which is why they accepted the photos you submitted."

Li Qi asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is your police station so prone to leaks? It seems like the person offering the bounty has a very close relationship with you?"

On the phone, Julie chuckled softly: "How can you be so sure this bounty wasn't issued by someone on our side?"

Her words were loaded with meaning, but Li Qi understood them immediately.

Yeah, who says that a bounty has to be issued by a gang?

It could be the LAPD, the FBI, or even ICE.

It just looks like a gang issuing a bounty in a fit of rage to hunt down a murderer, but is it really definitely a gang?

Li Qi shook his head, not interested in these systemic issues; he was more curious about something else.

"How do I exchange my Bitcoin for cash?"

Julie laughed loudly: "Why ask me? Do I look like I own Bitcoin?"

"Don't you have a dark web account? As a frequent user of the dark web, you should know something about it, right?"

Li Qi was very humble and willing to ask questions in areas that were completely unfamiliar to him.

Julie laughed and said, "I have a general understanding. There are direct transactions and transactions through intermediaries. Take a look at Nick's account; there should be relevant information. He's so active on the dark web; he must have connections."

After hanging up the phone with the beautiful policewoman, Li Qi opened Nick's dark web account. Sure enough, there were chat logs inside, showing Nick negotiating cash exchange with a middleman.

According to the above information, Nick has made quite a few exchanges. The two sides have cooperated for many years and obviously trust each other a lot.

After reviewing the previously uploaded videos, Li Qi and Lola discovered more clues.

Besides the video of the six women's performance, the posting history also contains many other videos.

The content is even more shocking...

It can only be said that the profits from the six women represent a relatively stable and sustainable source of income for Nick.

The real big profits come from other transactions.

Soon, Lola found direct information from the hidden videos about the house where Nick initially imprisoned Sophia.

"Look!" Lola exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the background in a video. "I told you I heard bells! Look, this is the entrance to a cemetery! This is a monastery!"

Looking at the blurry image that flashed by in the video, Li Qi found it hard to associate it with a cemetery and a monastery.

But I have to say, they really do look very similar.

This is a house facing the street, opposite the entrance to the cemetery. The furnishings inside look simple, and the house isn't big; there are no stairs...

Taking all the information at hand, Li Qi noticed that Lola had already found a map of Los Angeles that she had bought earlier and started drawing on it.

"Here, here..." The ICE senior female agent was somewhat frantic, and quickly drew six red circles on the map.

"Only these few places meet the criteria I listed! Let's go, darling, we need to hurry!"

Li Qi was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "Why the rush? What time are you in?"

Laura shouted, "Have you forgotten? That ship at sea, there are children on board! We must rescue those children!"