The surveillance was active.
Shortly after Dean left, several police cars arrived at Aisha’s residence, locking down the place. Only after professionals finished searching the house did they leave, taking the recording device and the bodies and belongings of Aisha and her companion.
This took Dean by surprise, as it meant the person backing Aisha very likely did not have a police identity. He had thought it was an inside job.
The police acted swiftly. The people collecting evidence were also very professional; their methods didn’t seem like standard crime scene techniques. Dean guessed that by tomorrow morning, the Los Angeles police would issue a crisis PR statement. This statement would provide a detailed explanation of the Sarah incident, aiming to prevent the Black community from thinking Sarah and the others had been silenced by the police or "suicided."
As the police personnel departed, the views from Dean’s several surveillance cameras returned to calm. However, his surveillance was routed through the network, allowing for real-time monitoring. He was very patient.
Around four in the morning, the camera at the front door caught two fleeting shadows.
Dean perked up. The fish have taken the bait!
However, the surveillance equipment was subpar, only allowing him to distinguish two individuals of medium build with heads that looked strangely large; other details were indiscernible.
Once inside the house, these two individuals had a clear objective. First, they took out a complex set of electronic equipment to scan the house, finally stopping outside one of Dean’s cameras.
The next moment, that camera’s feed went dark. They found the camera!
Such devices relied on a network for online transmission. That was how the intruders had conducted their sweep and discovered the cameras Dean had left behind. One by one, the cameras went dark.
From entering the house to disabling all the cameras inside, the two individuals took less than five minutes. Their work was effortless and proficient. To them, Dean’s measures were like child’s play.
Seeing this, Dean’s expression darkened. Damn it. These fish are cunning; they weren’t fooled! Looks like I’ve come up empty-handed!
He took a deep breath and repeatedly replayed the footage from when the two individuals appeared until all the camera feeds disappeared. Piecing together information from a few frames captured before the blackout, Dean managed to determine that the two people were of medium build and wore animal headgear somewhat resembling pig heads. They were also highly agile and professional at clearing traces—at least more so than Dean, a former Sweeper.
Furthermore, the two individuals had arrived shortly after the police left. Once inside, they had a clear goal: first, eliminate all traces, then attend to their own business. This indicated they had very strong intelligence support.
However, these discoveries served little purpose beyond confirming that Aisha did indeed have professional contacts and support behind her. As for this unknown force, Dean couldn’t even be sure if they were from the Lucifer Game Organization. He needed to find more distinct characteristics.
As Dean watched the footage of the two individuals’ first appearance for the third time, he let out a surprised gasp. He’d found something!
He moved the mouse, rewinding the footage on his computer by one second. Just as the two pig-headed individuals appeared, the one on the left waved his hand. In that instant, his right hand made a V-sign towards Dean’s hidden camera...
Ah, this... Anthony? That kid finally decided to show up!
Dean’s spirits lifted. He replayed the footage again, this time focusing on the pig-headed individual suspected to be Anthony in the other camera feeds. Judging by the build, it really seemed to be Anthony, who had been missing for some time. He was indeed alive. It appeared this North American third-ranked assassin, who had faked his death, had now infiltrated another organization and was working as a mere underling for someone else. Interesting.
However, there was one thing Dean couldn’t figure out: how did this guy Anthony know he had been there and planted cameras? Dean was certain Anthony knew; otherwise, he wouldn’t have deliberately made a V-sign at the camera to alert and greet him.
I can’t figure it out. Oh well, I won’t dwell on it. This guy still owes me a favor. He’ll probably find a chance to contact me soon. Then it will become clear whether that organization is the Lucifer Game Organization and what their intentions are! Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
Thinking this, Dean switched off the surveillance and lit a cigarette with a smile. This... is much better.
His mentor, Anthony, was unreachable. Dean still felt uneasy about being targeted by the Lucifer Game Organization. He was exposed, while his enemies remained in the shadows. This meant others could plot against him, yet he didn’t even know their real identities and could only passively defend and counterattack. This was not good.
That was why Dean had considered this fishing expedition, deliberately exposing his alias to divert the hidden enemy’s attention and, if possible, find an opportunity to strike a blow against them to serve as a deterrent.
Now, this is much better. Regardless of whether the force behind Aisha was the Lucifer Game Organization, Anthony’s appearance at least gave Dean more options and potential intelligence. He might even be able to use Anthony to infiltrate the Lucifer Game Organization and find out why they were interested in his information. This was very important!
「Early the next morning.」
Dean received a call from his mother, Sheila. Her tone was unfriendly because Dean hadn’t been home for several days.
"Dean," she said, "I saw some unsettling news yesterday. Some Black employees were discussing staging a protest at the precinct after work. Do you want to take a day off to avoid it?"
Dean’s eldest son, Beck, had also packed his bags. Along with Dean’s own good-for-nothing second elder brother, he had once again left Los Angeles to pursue their elusive, hunger-inducing thrifting dreams.