Chapter 847 - Together Again
Elsa snorted and didn’t bring it up again.
Her words had just been a reminder that she was new here, and people might gossip if they heard Luke call her boss.
“Tell me, why are you here?” Elsa’s voice was muffled as she ate the cake which they gave her.
Luke said, “I want to know more about the explosions in Clinton.”
Elsa paused for a moment. “The boss asked you to investigate this?”
Luke shook his head. “I’m just asking. After all, Selina and I are living there.”
Elsa’s eyes widened. “What? You’re living there?”
She put down the cake and asked solemnly, “Do you know what that place is like?”
Seeing Luke nod casually, she hesitated for a moment before she said, “I know that you’re not scared, but you should be careful. It’s too chaotic there. According to our intelligence, the explosions were the aftermath of an internal conflict. There have been several gang wars in that area, and quite a number of people have died. The 15th Precinct reported only five deaths, but from our intelligence, it should be no less than thirty.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Are they hiding the death toll? Are they afraid it’s too big a responsibility?”
Elsa shook her head and said in a low voice, “Not entirely. You can ask anyone about the 15th Precinct; it’s pretty dirty.”
Luke understood. “They actually have the nerve to try and reap benefits from this?”
Elsa curled her lip. “The only thing we can guarantee isn’t a problem with the 15th Precinct is the statue of liberty at the door. After all, that was only put up a year ago.”
Luke and Selina were both lost for words. So, every single person in the 15th Precinct might be a dirty cop? That was truly shocking.
Previously, Luke had heard a lot about the explosion from Temple and the two boys. Some said it was a gang fight, some said it was a terrorist attack, and some said that it was a truck carrying dangerous goods which exploded.
It now seemed that it really might be a gang fight.
Although the environment in Clinton was chaotic, it wasn’t normal to cause multiple explosions and kill dozens of people.
This meant that there was a problem with the balance between the underground forces. If this continued, the innocent might be implicated.
If dozens of civilians all died at once, it would make international headlines.
Most gangs didn’t want to become “celebrities.”
Pausing for a moment, Elsa seemed to be thinking about something. A moment later, she said in a low voice, “It’s said that a ‘black mask’ has appeared there, and is causing trouble for those gangsters every day.”
Luke and Selina weren’t too surprised. They had already heard about it from Temple and the other two.
“We’ve heard the residents there talking about the black mask, but they seem to think that he’s a vigilante who fights criminals, like Batman,” Luke said.
Elsa said, “I’ve also heard that rumor. He does seem like Batman, and he only attacks criminals. Also, he only injures them at most, and never kills anyone.”
She looked around, and seeing that nobody was paying attention to them, she said in a low voice, “However, the 15th Precinct has labeled him a gang killer, and blames him for the previous explosions. Do you understand?”
Luke lowered his voice. “The15th Precinct is targeting him?”
Elsa said, “According to the files from the 15th Precinct, the black mask is responsible for the explosions and previous gang killings, but from what I’ve read, there were too many loopholes. Also, the 15th Precinct isn’t willing to drop the case, and insists on getting involved.”
Of course Luke understood.
The police could of course focus on a particular target in certain cases, but insisting on pinning the blame on someone without key evidence was very foolish.
More importantly, the identity of the black mask was unknown; he wasn’t suitable to be used as a scapegoat.
The police would just continue to slap themselves in the face if they couldn’t catch the black mask.
The smart thing would be to identify more suspects, especially certain gangs.
This was the most reasonable and easiest way to shift the blame.
It was common for gang members to die every few days in New York. The media wouldn’t care much, and the public was even more used to it.
As long as it didn’t involve too many people, nobody cared how many gang members died.
As for the black mask, he had already caught the attention of a few tabloids in the last two months.
Once the 15th Precinct’s stance was revealed, many people would be curious about the identity of the black mask and why he killed those gang members.
After all, the title of “New York’s Batman” was something the public would eat up; there wasn’t anything great about a gang fight.
“Got it, I won’t interfere,” Luke said to Elsa.
Elsa was relieved.
She knew that Luke was good, but the Clinton area was like a mud hole that was hard to move around in.
The scariest thing most of the time wasn’t your clear enemy, but your so-called teammate.
After listening to this, Luke and Selina were about to leave, when someone hurried over and smiled brightly at them. “You’re finally here. I got here before you did.”
Surprised at first, Luke and Selina smiled. “Liz, what game are you playing?”
It was Elizabeth.
She was dressed in the same fresh and clean style, in black pants and a white blouse without any accessories.
However, Luke could tell with his sharp eyes that this wasn’t ordinary office wear; it would have cost at least a thousand bucks.
This rich young lady knew how to improve her living conditions! He chuckled inwardly.
Elizabeth smiled and gave them half-hugs before she said, “The boss asked if I was willing to come to New York, and said that you were coming too. I haven’t graduated from my teachers’ tutelage yet, so I agreed.”
Luke glanced at Elsa, and saw that their old boss was the same as ever.
As expected of Dustin’s former subordinate; she was just as good at roping people in.
Dustin had used Elsa to increase the chances of Luke and Selina agreeing to the transfer.
Elsa, in turn, had used Luke and Selina to convince Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, however, didn’t notice Luke’s expression. She continued, “But the boss said that she needs someone here. I have to help her out here with admin for a while, and I won’t be able to go out in the field with you for the time being.”
Luke said with a smile, “That’s fine. It’s better for you to understand the situation before you make any sort of decision. You don’t necessarily have to be out in the field.”
Elizabeth nodded and suddenly asked, “Are you settled in? Should we have a small party to celebrate your move?”
Luke sweated; he had forgotten about that.
