Special Investigation Team, office area.
Hearing what Mona and Reesi were saying, Luo An didn’t rush over to check the situation, instead, he smiled and looked at Wan De, asking:
"Does Mr. Wan De have any questions?"
Wan De, expressionless, bluntly said:
"There are some matters on our side that require questioning John, so..."
Before Wan De could finish his sentence, Luo An chuckled, nodded, and said:
"John is in the interrogation room right now. You can use the interrogation room for as long as you need, no problem."
Seeing Luo An play dumb with such clarity, the group supervisor Potante Byrne’s mouth slightly lifted, but he did not speak. Wan De’s eyebrows twitched, he took a deep breath without changing his expression, and continued:
"I need to take John back to the CIA temporarily."
A look of sudden realization appeared on Luo An’s face, then before Wan De’s unwavering gaze, he shook his head and said:
Now, they say "temporarily," but once the person is in their hands, it might not be the case anymore.
Regarding Wan De’s darkening expression, Luo An did not care at all, as if he hadn’t seen it.
From looking at Farhad and Maxwell from the other two interrogation rooms, this kidnapping and murder case was obviously the CIA doing something outside of federal authority, but then getting chased by the enemy for revenge after the fact into federal territory.
To put it bluntly, this case was essentially Luo An’s Special Investigation Team cleaning up the CIA’s mess.
Cleaning up their mess is one thing, but now Wan De even thinks he can simply take away John Rodriguez that Luo An is holding onto... Luo An snorted coldly in his heart, where in this world would there be such a good deal, and the Special Investigation Team certainly does not have the habit of "suffering is a blessing."
Luo An expressed his shortsightedness, that such a great blessing should be left for others to enjoy.
Wan De had no good methods for Luo An’s refusal to budge, forcibly taking someone was simply not realistic.
Initially, Wan De had planned to persuade Potante Byrne to order Luo An to release the person, but Potante Byrne is an even craftier old fox, if Wan De didn’t react quickly, he might have even been led into a trap by Potante Byrne.
After a long silence, Wan De walked up to Luo An and said in a low voice:
"I heard that Washington is planning to evaluate the leaders of these Special Investigation Teams soon.
Through this case cooperation, our CIA side believes that Luo An, your abilities in all aspects are excellent, and you are fully capable of being officially promoted and turned into the formal group leader of the investigation team."
Wan De indicated that he could support Luo An in Washington for this promotion.
Luo An revealed a slight smile:
"Thank you for the CIA’s evaluation of me.
But as for how capable I am, I believe most of the FBI superiors are very clear, so there’s no need for your help."
Leaning on Vireness’ leg, with Mr. Clement’s support, and on top of that, based on his performance in so many cases, Luo An dared not say he was 100% sure about being promoted to team leader of the Special Investigation Team, but the chances were at the very least ninety percent.
Under such circumstances, does he need Wan De from the CIA to help? Is this the FBI’s Special Investigation Team, or is it their CIA’s Special Investigation Team?
Moreover, the CIA has always been known for being compulsive liars and changing faces quickly, Luo An did not believe in their empty promises.
A Federal Chairman who was swindled with empty promises by a witch in the future is a living example.
Wan De, understanding the implied meaning in Luo An’s words, remained unchanged in expression, and then said a few more empty and insincere words. Seeing Luo An continue to shake his head, firm and unyielding, he finally darkened his face and counter-asked:
"I wonder what Deputy Group Leader Greenwood means by this?"
Just now it was Luo An, and now it’s Deputy Group Leader Greenwood.
Luo An uttered indifferently, took a glance at Wan De, and began to speak:
"To investigate this case, our Special Investigation Team’s official vehicle has been damaged in many places, it’s practically unusable now.
A lot of the equipment in the equipment stash has also been lost, and those that were not lost, are also nearly obsolete old models of weapons and equipment..."
Luo An said a lot, but the intent behind his words was simple: Want new vehicles! Want new equipment!
Asking for money directly is unrealistic, Wan De would never dole out his own cash, let alone touch the CIA’s public funds.
So instead of asking for money, it’s better to convert it into some form of supplies, which sounds better and has a higher chance of success.
Remembering the SUV he had recently ridden in, as well as the equipment and weapons worn by Luo An and Reesi, Wan De’s eyelids twitched, not understanding how Luo An could tell such blatant lies...
No wonder he became the head of the Special Investigation Team at such a young age!
Reflecting on this, regret flashed through Wan De’s eyes. Luo An was underutilized working for the FBI; clearly, he was a promising talent suitable for the CIA.
After all, John had been captured, and no one knew what he had revealed, the longer it dragged on, the worse it was for the CIA. Wan De pondered for a few seconds, then spoke in a low voice:
"One SUV, a selection of the latest weapons and equipment."
Luo An had no objections to the quantity and type of weapons and equipment Wan De mentioned but had his own idea regarding the SUV:
Wan De’s eyes widened as he firmly rejected the idea, let alone the cost of five SUVs; your Special Investigation Team currently has only four people, what do you need so many vehicles for?
Luo An’s eyebrows rose slightly as he spoke softly:
"One for each of the four of us, with the remaining one as a spare.
Our Special Investigation Team often deals with complicated and difficult cases; it’s normal to need a reserve vehicle."
Looking at Luo An’s righteous face, Wan De felt a pain in his teeth. After a few seconds of silence, he said softly:
Seeing Luo An agree so quickly, Wan De’s face twitched, about to speak when Luo An continued in a low voice:
"By the way, about the support you mentioned for my official appointment as team leader... after all, empty promises are not convincing, you should write a brief report or statement."
Luo An didn’t really want Wan De’s help to secure his position but instead planned to use it later if anyone accused his Special Investigation Team of insufficient interaction with other federal law enforcement agencies. He would throw Wan De’s document in their face:
Look, CIA certified! The law enforcement agencies that have worked with Luo An’s Special Investigation Team all give their thumbs up!
After hearing Luo An’s request, Wan De was silent for a few seconds, then he sighed quietly and nodded in agreement.
His previous judgment was wrong; Luo An was not a promising talent suitable for the CIA.
Rather, Luo An could immediately get to work if thrown into the CIA!
Having settled matters with Wan De, John Rodriguez was escorted away while Luo An exchanged a few words with a smiling Potante Byrne, the team supervisor, and finally turned to approach Mona and Reesi in the office area.
"Now the Special Investigation Team has two SUVs, plus the three we just acquired. In the future, one for each person, and one spare..."
Luo An did a quick mental tally of their gains, then approached the two women with a smile, asking:
"What did you two find just now?"
"It’s related to the clue Reesi found before."
Mona was puzzled by Luo An’s happiness but didn’t ask further, pointing to the data on the computer screen she said:
"Reesi found from the Customs and Border Protection Bureau that Farhad and his group entered the federation a year ago.
The group that helped them get into the federation is an underground gang based in the southern part of California that mainly deals in smuggling and human trafficking, known as ’Kuliao’..."
"Hold on a second, I have a question."
Luo An raised his hands to make a ’T’ shape, looking puzzled at Reesi:
"How did the Customs and Border Protection Bureau know and determine that it was the ’Kuliao’ gang that helped Farhad and his group enter the federation?"