Chapter 847: Together Again
Elsa snorted and didnât 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.
âTell me, why are you here?â Elsaâs voice was muffled as she ate the cake which they gave her.
Luke said, âI want to know more about the explosions in Clinton.â
Elsa paused for a moment. âThe boss asked you to investigate this?â
Luke shook his head. âIâm just asking. After all, Selina and I are living there.â
Elsaâs eyes widened. âWhat? Youâre living there?â
She put down the cake and asked solemnly, âDo you know what that place is like?â
Seeing Luke nod casually, she hesitated for a moment before she said, âI know that youâre not scared, but you should be careful. Itâs 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.â
Luke raised an eyebrow. âAre they hiding the death toll? Are they afraid itâs too big a responsibility?â
Elsa shook her head and said in a low voice, âNot entirely. You can ask anyone about the 15th Precinct; itâs pretty dirty.â
Luke understood. âThey actually have the nerve to try and reap benefits from this?â
Elsa curled her lip. âThe only thing we can guarantee isnât a problem with the 15th Precinct is the statue of liberty at the door. After all, that was only put up a year ago.â
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 wasnât 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 didnât want to become âcelebrities.â
Pausing for a moment, Elsa seemed to be thinking about something. A moment later, she said in a low voice, âItâs said that a âblack maskâ has appeared there, and is causing trouble for those gangsters every day.â
Luke and Selina werenât too surprised. They had already heard about it from Temple and the other two.
âWeâve heard the residents there talking about the black mask, but they seem to think that heâs a vigilante who fights criminals, like Batman,â Luke said.
Elsa said, âIâve 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.â
She looked around, and seeing that nobody was paying attention to them, she said in a low voice, âHowever, the 15th Precinct has labeled him a gang killer, and blames him for the previous explosions. Do you understand?â
Luke lowered his voice. âThe15th Precinct is targeting him?â
Elsa said, âAccording to the files from the 15th Precinct, the black mask is responsible for the explosions and previous gang killings, but from what Iâve read, there were too many loopholes. Also, the 15th Precinct isnât willing to drop the case, and insists on getting involved.â
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 wasnât suitable to be used as a scapegoat.
The police would just continue to slap themselves in the face if they couldnât 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 wouldnât care much, and the public was even more used to it.
As long as it didnât 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 Precinctâs 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 âNew Yorkâs Batmanâ was something the public would eat up; there wasnât anything great about a gang fight.
âGot it, I wonât interfere,â 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 wasnât 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. âYouâre finally here. I got here before you did.â
Surprised at first, Luke and Selina smiled. âLiz, what game are you playing?â
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 wasnât 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, âThe boss asked if I was willing to come to New York, and said that you were coming too. I havenât graduated from my teachersâ tutelage yet, so I agreed.â
Luke glanced at Elsa, and saw that their old boss was the same as ever.
As expected of Dustinâs 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, didnât notice Lukeâs expression. She continued, âBut the boss said that she needs someone here. I have to help her out here with admin for a while, and I wonât be able to go out in the field with you for the time being.â
Luke said with a smile, âThatâs fine. Itâs better for you to understand the situation before you make any sort of decision. You donât necessarily have to be out in the field.â
Elizabeth nodded and suddenly asked, âAre you settled in? Should we have a small party to celebrate your move?â
Luke sweated; he had forgotten about that.