Chapter 95: You Ruined a Good News Story

[Chapter 95: You Ruined a Good News Story]

Crips' Residence.

Ian sat in Crips' study while Crips stood nearby, obediently.

The massacre that had taken place two days prior had completely shaken Crips.

Fifty armed individuals had just disappeared, and only eleven on the periphery managed to escape, only to be dealt with by his crew.

Crips had no idea whether Ian had pulled it off by himself or if it was a group effort, but it appeared as though he had done it alone; after all, last time he had handled it solo.

Was he the modern-day Rambo?

No, that wasn't right. More like Rambo plus Terminator, squared!

While gangsters could ignore the police, they feared the executioner.

So Crips was being very compliant right now!

If you handed him a gun, ensured it was loaded and checked everything, pointed it at Ian's forehead, he still wouldn't dare to pull the trigger.

...

At that moment, Ian was reviewing White Mountain's financials. After skimming through, Ian remarked, "Things went well. Set up some heart-to-heart interviews with those scapegoats later."

"Sure thing, boss," Crips responded respectfully.

Noticing Ian seemed to be in a good mood, Crips quietly added, "By the way, there's something that might concern you."

"What?" Ian asked casually.

Crips replied, "Someone's been looking for hitmen lately."

Looking for hitmen?

Ian was momentarily stunned, glancing at Crips. "Another big deal?"

Crips shook his head. "No, it seems to be targeting you."

Ian was taken aback.

"Targeting me?" He gave Crips a puzzled look. "What's the situation?"

Crips shook his head again. "A middleman reached out. They didn't mention the buyer, only that it was about assassinating a big shot in Los Angeles, preferably in a discreet manner. My guys probed a bit, and the other side seemed anxious, mentioning it was related to business competition, possibly a big figure in the media world."

"Wow," Ian chuckled.

He figured this was probably the Chandler family feeling urgent.

Although LA Herald hadn't won the wager yet, they were inching closer.

Worse still, LA Herald's rapid growth was impacting the Times' sales; under Deryl Chandler and his secret maneuvering, the Times' sales had noticeably declined in this period, now barely above 1.2 million copies daily.

The ebb and flow was normal, so LA Herald didn't need to sell 1.5 million copies to win the bet!

The Chandler family must have known they were just a step away from losing the wager, hence their desperate measures?

"Are they that desperate? This isn't a legitimate way to do business," Ian grumbled.

Crips looked astonished at Ian.

Come on, when you talked about others, couldn't you take a look in the mirror?

Have you ever run an honest operation?

Ian shrugged. "Alright, I get it. Keep an eye on things and let me know if you catch any updates."

And with that, he stood up and left.

...

After stepping out, Ian took a leisurely walk.

As he reached a street corner, he spotted a police car parked nearby.

Inside sat a blonde beauty, none other than Katherine.

She was looking at Ian with a cold gaze.

Ian smiled.

He walked up to the car window and lightly tapped on it. "Miss Katherine?"

"Call me Officer!" Katherine rolled down the window and replied.

Ian chuckled, "Alright, Officer Katherine, are you following me?"

Katherine glared at him angrily. "What's your relationship with Crips?"

Ian shook his head gently. "I'm not sure what you're talking about; yes, I know him, but only because I'm a reporter. Reporters look for news and go where the story is; that's normal, isn't it?"

Katherine fumed, "You could certainly pursue more valuable stories! There are countless things happening in the world every day; you can't find something more wholesome?"

Ian spread his hands, "Well, you'll have to ask the public about that. Positive news will never have the same sensory impact as scandals and horror stories! What do you want me to report? A female officer chasing a newspaper mogul for justice and truth, only to hit a dead end? That sounds utterly worthless..."

He burst into laughter. "No one cares about that!"

Katherine muttered in anger, "I'll catch you."

Ian shook his head. "The greater likelihood is that at this stage, you'll end up falling for me, whereas I would just see you as a useful plaything to discard when I'm done."

"Fuck you!" Katherine yelled, her frustration evident.

"Yes, that's just a matter of time... I can let you be on top; I don't need to seek male dignity in bed!" Ian laughed.

He was about to leave but suddenly noticed an old newspaper lying next to Katherine.

The headline read, "Argentina Faces Economic Crisis."

Hmm?

Oh, right, back in '01, Argentina indeed had a financial crisis leading to its economic decline.

As Ian recalled, although the world was different and many things had changed, the broader trend remained the same.

This was an old newspaper, timestamped earlier than what Ian knew -- while the dates didn't match, the occurrence was a real event.

And Ian remembered that shortly after Argentina's troubles, Italy faced issues which led to a significant devaluation of the Italian Lira.

If only he could seize the opportunity to short the Lira before then...

He drifted into thought.

Katherine's outburst jolted him back to reality.

Seeing the fury in her eyes, Ian decided to ignore her and turned to leave.

...

Just a few steps away, Ian suddenly witnessed a house in the distance catching fire, thick black smoke billowing from the windows.

Someone was screaming frantically from the window.

Katherine quickly hopped out of the car, startled.

She dashed toward the house, but the roaring flames forced her to retreat to the side.

Seeing this, Ian felt compelled. He quickly retrieved his camera from his bag and handed it to Katherine. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What?" Katherine asked, baffled.

Ian said, "I'll handle the rescue; you take the shots."

With that, he charged towards the house.

Katherine shouted, "No, don't go in there! It's too dangerous!"

"Shut up!" Ian yelled back, stopping in his tracks. "What you need to do is take photos; if you mess up my story, I'll toss you into the flames!"

Katherine rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You're such a lunatic!"

But she ultimately raised the camera and began snapping shots of Ian hustling inside.

Just two minutes later, Katherine saw Ian burst out of the house, cradling a little girl in his arms, his hair singed from the flames.

"That's amazing! You did it!" Katherine exclaimed in surprise.

Ian gently set the little girl down, saying, "You're safe now. Stay right here. Your mom and dad will be back very soon, okay?"

The little girl nodded earnestly.

Only then did Ian turn to Katherine and say, "Hand over the camera."

He took the camera, scrutinizing the photos while Katherine watched intently.

She softly murmured, "I didn't expect you to do something like this, Ian Carr. Maybe you're not as horrible as you seem."

At that moment, her perception of Ian shifted somewhat.

But the next moment, Ian Carr's response sent her feelings crashing down.

Ian shouted, "Damn it, look at the junk you captured! Even the photos my deceased grandmother took are better than what you've got; you ruined a good news story!"

Katherine's face turned beet red from anger as she kicked at Ian, "Go to hell with your news!"

*****

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