It was another Friday, five days had passed since Bill's trial, and during these five days, Meng Ran had been searching for information about the Crocodile Gang.
Originally, he knew nothing about computers, and his understanding of them probably only extended to a few single-player games.
But at the time, to find Bill, he used points to learn computer skills and directly advanced to a high level, becoming adept at gathering information.
Moreover, with noob as his assistant, his data search work progressed very smoothly.
Days passed, and perhaps because Bill's residence was too remote, Meng Ran still hadn't seen any related reports emerge.
In fact, it wasn't as Meng Ran thought; Bill's body had already been discovered on Wednesday, but due to the extremely gruesome nature, the police had temporarily suppressed the news.
Time returned to Wednesday afternoon.
George received a report from his subordinates that a very serious case required his personal attention.
As George and his subordinates drove to the crime scene, he complained about his men; he didn't understand if these people were just freeloaders. Did every case require his personal involvement?
Soon they arrived at the crime scene. Because the location was remote, there weren't many people, only the caller and the police who had set up a cordon.
George walked towards the house, listening to the report from a black police officer beside him.
"Officer, the caller's name is Larry Beard. He was driving around here when he smelled a particularly strong scent of blood from this house, mixed with the stench of decaying flesh, so he reported it."
As the police officer was speaking, another officer covered his mouth and rushed out, almost bumping into George.
George looked at the reporting officer, and the sound of the officer who had rushed out vomiting also drifted in.
"Is he new to the force? He's more fragile than my six-year-old daughter," George asked.
The young black officer wanted to say something upon hearing this but held back.
George looked at his hesitant expression and said, "What's wrong? I know you have something to say."
The young black officer said, "No, it's just that the crime scene is indeed a bit... emmm, I also threw up just now."
George sneered, "Hmph! A bunch of sissies. Looking at your shallow experience, you certainly haven't been to many crime scenes. Vomiting like this is truly shameful."
With that, George continued to walk inside. Upon reaching the room's doorway, George's expression couldn't help but change.
The curtains in the room were drawn, leaving only a slit as the sole light source for the bedroom. Bloodstains splattered on the bedroom walls and curtains, and the dried blood on the floor had turned black. If one didn't look closely, it might seem like a black and red carpet had been laid.
The entire room was filled with a nauseating smell of blood and decay, which combined to form an even more potent odor.
A dead person was kneeling, curled up against the wall, or rather, could no longer be called a person; it was more like a skeleton that had grown some flesh.
His legs and the floor were stuck together by viscous blood.
The flesh from his body had fallen around him, piece by piece, each of precisely the same thickness, forming a pile around him.
His internal organs were contained within his skeletal chest cavity; if he hadn't been kneeling in a prostrate position, they would likely have fallen to the floor.
A newspaper was pinned to the wall opposite him, the very one reporting Mia's brutal murder. Beside it, words were written in blood.
Criminal Bill!
The Evil Spirit judges your sins!
Below it was a graffiti of an evil spirit, which, if not drawn in blood, would have been a good piece of art.
George, suppressing his discomfort, averted his gaze and asked, "Any other information?"
However, George didn't receive a reply from the young black officer. When he turned his head, the young black officer's retching sounds were already audible.
Hearing the sound, George could no longer hold back. He rushed out, leaned against the nearby fence, and began to vomit.
Even though George was a seasoned veteran, he couldn't withstand such an impact. This kind of torture and imagery, along with the smell that could make one throw up even stomach acid, made George feel he might need a lifetime to recover.
He estimated that when he went home that night, he would have to take several showers, change into new clothes, and spray more deodorizer. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to enter his home; it was simply too disgusting.
He was, after all, an experienced old police officer. After emptying his stomach completely, George, his face pale, still professionally continued to arrange tasks: autopsy, investigation, and so on; there was still much work to be done.
Calling over his assistant, George said to him sternly, "Listen, make sure everyone who has touched this case keeps their mouths shut, understand? This case is extremely severe and cannot be leaked for now, or the consequences will be very serious."
The assistant nodded and immediately went to execute the order.
George stood on the lawn outside the house, lit a cigarette, and the pervasive smell of tobacco finally temporarily diluted that odor.
George was well aware of the seriousness of this matter. Although Bill was a fugitive criminal, no one had expected him to be found in such a way.
If the fast-moving reporters dug it out, George could already imagine the ensuing questions and condemnations.
Those reporters loved a good show and didn't care about the trouble it caused, but the New York Police Department would be pushed into the eye of the storm.
George rubbed his temples; he was already getting a headache.
"Evil Spirit."
George muttered the name to himself, deep in thought.
He had heard this name often lately, whether from discussions among his children at home or at the police station.
But before, the Evil Spirit had only caused minor disturbances. Although he would injure those hooligans, he had never caused any fatalities.
Who would have thought that today he would deliver a big surprise, not only committing murder but doing so with extremely cruel methods?
"Sigh," George rubbed his head, feeling a few more strands of hair had bravely sacrificed themselves.
George fiercely threw his cigarette butt to the ground, grinding it with his foot while cursing, "Damn criminals, damn Evil Spirit, I $%^&!."
Time returned to Friday.
After collecting the information, Meng Ran stood up and stretched. He still didn't know how much trouble he had caused his future father-in-law; George was probably still in a frantic state.
Meng Ran closed his eyes and thoroughly sorted through the information in his mind. He could only keep these things in his head, as it would be very troublesome if anything was left behind and discovered.
After confirming everything was correct, Meng Ran opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on a man on the computer. He was the leader of the Crocodile Gang, Bob Weiss, the Crocodile.
This Bob Weiss was now in his forties; his rise to power began twenty years ago.
At that time, Bob also showed a ruthless determination, organizing a group of hooligans to form the Crocodile Gang. In the beginning, they merely scraped by under the bigger gangs.
Suddenly, one day, the leader of a large gang mysteriously disappeared. His subordinates, without a leader, were like a headless dragon, fighting fiercely for positions.
Bob took advantage of their intense infighting to quietly acquire many resources from the large gang.
In the end, they all suffered heavy losses, while Bob and his Crocodile Gang were strong and thriving.
The Crocodile Gang naturally eliminated these leaders and officially absorbed the large gang.
Later, the Crocodile Gang fought with other gangs until, ten years ago, they finally brought the entire New York underworld under their control.
All black market dealings in New York, including drugs and casinos, were in the hands of the Crocodile Gang.
Bill was a henchman under Ur Locke, the second-in-command of the Crocodile Gang. Ur was an elder who had founded the Crocodile Gang with Bob.
Eight years ago, the police launched a series of operations against the Crocodile Gang and almost caught Ur. In the end, Bill took the fall for Ur, allowing Ur to escape. The man Meng Ran spoke with that day should have been Ur.
Meng Ran was waiting for the news to break. Although they already knew Bill had been killed, without seeing the scene, they probably wouldn't pay much attention. Bill's residence was also one he found himself; the Crocodile Gang didn't know about it.
Once the news broke, the Crocodile Gang would surely get the crime scene photos. Meng Ran believed that upon seeing the photos, they would no longer underestimate him.
Just Bill's death, Meng Ran feared, might not be enough. He planned to eliminate Ur on the day the news broke.
With the death of the second-in-command, coupled with extensive media coverage, the Crocodile Gang, no matter how entrenched, would be unable to sit still.
Meng Ran had already pinpointed several of their strongholds. When they gathered, Meng Ran would wipe them out in one fell swoop. If he was going to do it, he would do it cleanly, root and branch.
Meng Ran had already pinpointed several of their strongholds. When they gathered, Meng Ran would wipe them out in one fell swoop. If he was going to do it, he would do it cleanly, root and branch.