America: Starting with the Last Liberty

When he heard this, Rosen was drinking and almost choked.

Sean Arthur was focused on negotiating the price with Swifa and didn't notice, but the blonde beauty did notice Rosen's situation and immediately looked him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

Upon closer inspection, the blonde beauty felt that this Asian man was really handsome, the kind of handsome that transcends the barriers between Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Rosen frowned slightly. He didn't believe it was a coincidence that the FBI had suddenly come to buy information about David Albert.

It's highly likely that David Albert's actions during his mission alerted the FBI to the problem.

This makes things more complicated. David Albert has met Rosen in person, albeit in disguise.

It seems I need to make some preparations in advance!

"I'll give you the intelligence for 5 US dollars."

"How about $2?"

At Sean Arthur's level, there's funding for his investigations.

Even if there were funds, Sean wouldn't squander them, since saving that money would benefit him.

Unfortunately, Sweefer was adamant about a $5 price and refused to lower it, leaving Sean with no choice but to accept.

"Okay, $50,000 it is. When can I get the intelligence?"

"Come pick it up in three days."

"Does it really take that long?"

"Because business has been quite busy lately, it will only take three days. If you want it faster, we can charge you more!"

These words made Rosen's expression turn strange. Logically speaking, David Albert wasn't a big shot, and it should have been done in two days at most, but Swifa actually took three days.

It feels like Sweefer is just taking advantage of Sean Arthur, this sucker.

However, Sean Arthur was not fooled. $5 was already a lot of money, and he could not afford to spend any more.

"Three days it is. I'll come back here at this time in three days. Jane, let's go!"

The blonde woman nodded, gave Rosen one last look, and then left the bar with Sean Arthur.

At that moment, three more people walked into the bar, and they even bumped into two FBI agents as they entered.

The leader of them was none other than Dom, who had previously assigned jobs to Lawson.

"Hey, Dominic!"

"Rosen? You're here too? What a coincidence! Let's grab a drink!"

"certainly!"

Rosen left the bar and sat down in a booth with Dominic and the other two. Several bottles of whiskey were placed on the table.

"Let me introduce you. This is Vince, an excellent driver! This is Jesse, very skilled at modifying cars! And this is Rosen, a master of both driving and car modification!"

Rosen shook hands with Jesse, but when it was Vince's turn to shake hands, the latter did not extend his hand.

This surprised Rosen.

Are you Korean too?

Vince asked a question that left Rosen speechless.

"No, I'm a student from the University of Tokyo!"

Vince smiled at the answer and then reached out to shake hands with Rosen.

Dominic, who was standing nearby, offered an explanation.

"Recently, our Toledo gang has had some friction with the nearby Johnny gang, which is mainly composed of Koreans. That's why Vince's reaction to Asians is so strong."

It turned out to be the case.

Although there was a reason for it, Rosen still wanted to remind Vince.

"Vince, don't ever ask if someone from Tokyo University is Korean, and definitely don't ask if they're Japanese!"

Why is that?

"Although the three countries in East Asia are of similar race, they have a history of hatred towards each other, much like the historical relationship between Britain, France, and Germany."

With this explanation, Vince understood.

Then Dominic told a regional joke.

"If you speak French on the streets of England, or English on the streets of France, you might get beaten up. Rosen, will you get beaten up for doing the same thing at the University of Tokyo?"

"That's not quite right. Tokyo University is a land of etiquette; if you visit as a friend, you'll be greeted with flowers and wine. But if you come as a bandit, you'll only be met with bullets!"

"Well said! Let's raise a glass to friendship!"

Dominic raised his glass and clinked it with Rosen, Vince, and Jesse. The four of them downed their whiskeys in one gulp.

"Rosen, what have you been up to lately?"

"Nothing much, just wandering around all day, nothing much to do—Dominic, do you have any work to do?"

"Ha! I wish I had some work here, but there is indeed a big event in the Los Angeles underworld recently, maybe you could participate."

"What activity?"

"The young master of the Bonanno family wants to organize a car race. The entry fee is $10,000, and anyone who finishes in the top three will receive a prize, with the champion taking home $100,000!"

$10? That's a pretty generous prize.

With such a generous prize, the competition must be quite fierce.

The name Bonanno family stirred something in Rosen's heart, but he pretended not to know anything about it.

"What do the Bonanno family do? That name sounds familiar!"

Dominic looked at Rosen in surprise.

"Don't you know?"

"Do I really need to know?"

"Rosen, the Bonanno family is one of the most powerful figures in Los Angeles' underworld, controlling a large portion of the white-owned gang businesses!"

Rosen's eyes flashed; this might be a better opportunity than Phil and Dennis.

"mafia?"

"Yes, but the Mafia has declined now. As long as we don't provoke them, they won't cause any trouble."

As mentioned before, the Mafia has long lost its former glory of the 1950s and 60s, and has been declining ever since the 1970s.

However, the departure of the upper-level mafia families gave the middle-level mafia an opportunity to rise.

Moreover, as long as the authorities don't interfere, new forces will always emerge to fill the void in the underground order, so some mafia forces are still active.

However, compared to the era when the Mafia held absolute power, the underworld today is much more diverse and vibrant.

Black people, Mexicans, Russians, Koreans, and Japanese all have a place in the underworld.

"That's interesting! Dominic, sign me up too!"

"Great! Now we can finally have a competition to see who's the best driver in Los Angeles!"

Without a doubt, Dominic has already registered. He's a racing enthusiast and definitely won't miss this opportunity.

"By the way, Dominic, when does the match start?"

"It will be around the end of May, but the exact time will depend on the organizer's notification, as the weather and police situation need to be taken into account."

That's true, such a large underground racing competition definitely needs to be planned carefully.

Otherwise, the Los Angeles police would have already surrounded the area before the game even started.

"Then I'd better prepare properly!"