NOVPUBSpecial Investigation Team, office area.
After the surgery, the bald assassin known as Spencer was brought back to the Special Investigation Team by Luo An and placed into another interrogation room.
In the office area, Luo An plopped down next to Mona and asked,
"You said earlier that there's an issue with the identity of that woman in the super short skirt? What exactly is the issue?"
Reesi, nearby, also leaned in curiously, as she was quite interested in this matter.
Mona tapped on the keyboard a few times before speaking,
"The FBI database reveals that the girl's name is Rekasha O'Dell, 18 years old."
Upon hearing this, Luo An was momentarily unable to maintain his composure.
During their first encounter, the short-skirted woman had her face slathered in a mess of various substances, and it only worsened into a pattern of black and white streaks like a little calico cat when she started crying.
Luo An had always thought she was at least 25 or even possible 30.
... He had heard that Caucasians tend to show their age early, but he had not expected it to this extent.
Luo An silently reflected on this to himself, while Mona continued,
"In the FBI files, Rekasha O'Dell's father is some tycoon from Las Vegas.
Three years ago, the tycoon reported the disappearance of his 15-year-old daughter, but Las Vegas police never found her and couldn't clarify how the tycoon's daughter disappeared.
Seeing the police were unreliable, he offered a reward of two million US Dollars just to find his daughter."
"So, we've actually captured a rich girl?"
After hearing this explanation, Reesi was full of astonishment:
"But why would a rich girl become an assassin?"
"Boredom, fun-seeking, a heated argument with the family leading to running away from home, dissatisfaction with her father's control as revenge against him..."
Luo An took a sip of his tea and casually listed several possibilities, before concluding,
"It's also possible that she was simply abducted and eventually developed Stockholm syndrome."
The most famous case of Stockholm syndrome is that of Patricia Hearst from the illustrious Hearst family.
After being kidnapped by the Symbiotic Liberation Army, she suffered beatings and torture, eventually joined the organization, robbed banks with them, and then was wanted by the police, arrested, convicted, gradually had her sentence reduced, and finally was pardoned by the President, cleansing her criminal record, returning to her life as a socialite.
Reesi, aware of this story, shook her head silently, while Mona continued,
"The specific reason for Rekasha O'Dell's disappearance is still unclear, but I have already contacted the psychological experts from the FBI's Victim Services Department, and they will come here to interact with Rekasha soon."
After Mona finished speaking, Michelle handed over a folder to Luo An, saying,
"Mona and I briefly interrogated Rekasha O'Dell just now, and she claims she's not the killer of Sande Jisi, but she knows who the murderer is.
Rekasha has stated she can reveal the killer's identity, and as a condition of exchange, we must release that Mr. Spencer."
"She's not the murderer?"
Reesi frowned slightly upon hearing this, while Luo An had guessed as much already because when they fought on the rooftop earlier, he noticed that Rekasha's combat and shooting skills were just mediocre.
However, regarding Rekasha O'Dell's bargaining, Luo An tossed the finished folder back onto the table:
"It seems this tycoon's daughter most likely has Stockholm syndrome."
After pondering for a few seconds, Luo An got up from his chair, stood up, and said,
"Michelle, contact that wealthy tycoon and briefly explain the situation of his daughter.
Mona, later you cooperate more with that psychological expert.
Reesi, come with me to Mr. Spencer's interrogation room, let's ask him how he feels about abducting a 15-year-old minor."
"Alright, Deputy Team Leader Luo An."
"OK!"
————
Inside the interrogation room, Spencer on the wheelchair had his arms tightly wrapped in bandages, his legs firmly shackled; he looked extremely feeble, no longer the spirited man he was on the rooftop.
Luo An sat opposite Spencer at the interrogation table, furrowed his brow, then said to Reesi behind him:
"Turn off the lamp above his head; the light's a bit dazzling."
"Oh."
Automatically, Reesi glanced at Spencer's somewhat reflective bald head, pressed the switch, and silently turned off the lamp.
"..."
Hearing Luo An's words and seeing Reesi's action, Spencer's face twitched, and his breathing became several times faster.
"Good evening, Mr. Assassin with thinning hair."
Seeing Spencer ready to face the interrogation with silence, Luo An felt contempt and launched a barrage of sarcastic remarks:
"Could you tell us, what crime does it constitute under federal law to bully minors?
And, those desperate guys in prison who pounce on any hole they see, how do they treat those criminals convicted of bullying minors?"
Spencer felt rage at Luo An's words but still did not speak, staring straight at the two people in front of him.
Luo An wasn't in a hurry either, crossed his legs, picked up the teacup, and slowly drank, continuing the one-sided conversation with Spencer. But every three sentences were about the other's bald head, and in every five, he managed to bring up Rekasha O'Dell.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Spencer's mood grew more irritable, and his breathing became heavier.
Finally, when Luo An scorned him saying, "A long-time assassin who, with an apprentice, still can't beat a single FBI agent," Spencer couldn't hold back anymore:
"Son of a bitch! It's clearly you who started without any martial decency, hiding your own identity!"
Spencer's face turned red, and he was about to explode.
Ever since that bank robbery, the Face and name of Luo An Greenwood, Deputy Leader of the FBI Special Investigation Team, had gained quite the notoriety in the Los Angeles Underworld.
Many assassins had committed Luo An's face to memory, choosing to avoid him if they ever encountered him in the future.
Because these assassins weren't confident they could, like Luo An, single-handedly enter a bank controlled by robbers, kill the opposition, and emerge unscathed.
Spencer was one of those assassins; he didn't think it was disgraceful, for those who valued face over life had long since gone to hell.
Today's encounter with Luo An was due to Luo An being in disguise, and Spencer had not recognized him, hence the confrontation.
And then, lying on the ground seeing Reesi help Luo An remove his disguise, Spencer almost turned green with regret.
After listening to Spencer's account, Reesi's lips parted slightly, her face full of shock as she looked at Luo An; she hadn't expected Luo An to have such a big reputation in the underworld.
Luo An was also quite surprised; he had never been to the Los Angeles underworld and didn't know about this.
"It seems I need to prepare a few more covers in the future."
Luo An's mind was on alert, silently noting this down, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued:
"Let's not waste any more time, Spencer, tell me, who is the murderer who killed Sande Jisi.
In return, I won't inform the judge about your lack of cooperation just now."
Hearing this empty promise, Spencer's face darkened as he gained an even deeper understanding of Luo An's thick-skinned nature.
But now at a disadvantage, Spencer was silent for a long while before lifting his head to say:
"I can tell you who that assassin is, and I can even help you find and apprehend her.
But I have a demand too, you drop the charges against Rekasha."
