Chapter 106: Authority

[Chapter 106: Authority]

In the room, Ian put the gun down, casually grabbed a bag, and started packing its contents.

This guy was richer than the Crips, raking in nearly ten million dollars.

Not bad!

The best part was that there was no tax on this money.

Besides that, the watch he found was quite valuable, worth over three hundred thousand dollars.

Ian instinctively wanted to sell it, but then he remembered that Gaskill would just mock him for not having bigger ambitions. So he held back and thought, better to wear two watches.

But compared to that money, what Ian valued most was a disk of Jett's that contained all his transactions and records, including a trove of rare videos -- now that was the real goldmine.

Just as he finished gathering everything, Ian looked around at the five girls.

One round-faced girl dashed out of the house, then screamed and rushed back in, shouting, "Someone's outside!"

...

On the street, members of the Crips gang were trailing Leyso, who was holding a camera and filming everything. Each time he captured a good shot, he would say, "This is good."

Then, a few gang members started clearing the bodies.

On one hand, they could destroy evidence so no one would know how the victims had died, but on the other hand, they didn't want to give other news reporters a chance -- though the latter seemed to be a bigger concern.

My story needs to be exclusive!

...

Ian chuckled, "I saved you all, and you just run off? That doesn't sit right with me."

He spread his arms, saying, "I killed someone, and while no one outside saw, at least everyone knows I killed Jett, and that's a problem."

The girls suddenly understood.

A stunning girl with a beautiful figure said, "We won't say anything!"

"That's not enough," Ian replied, stepping outside and pointing to a house across the street. "There are still a few guys there who aren't dead. Bring them here."

One gang member gave him a thumbs up.

...

When Ian returned to the room, he suddenly noticed that Katherine was missing. He paused for a moment and quickly figured out where she was.

He smiled and walked down the hallway, finding Katherine curled up in a corner under the stairs, grinding a rope against the wall.

Upon seeing Ian enter, she stopped and shot him an annoyed look.

Ian dragged her back into the living room and unceremoniously tossed her to the side.

Looking around, he pushed a corpse off the couch and sat down in a corner that was relatively clean.

Then, he lit up a cigar and said, "You're an unexpected variable; I hadn't planned for you in my scheme."

Katherine remained silent and indifferent.

Ian smirked, "You have two choices. One: you kill a key member of the Bloods gang, and my newspaper will make you a hero. Or two: you still kill an Bloods member but die yourself. My paper will still promote you, but you'll become a martyr!" He flashed a big grin. "Hero? Or martyr? Your choice!"

Katherine stared at Ian, stunned.

...

At that moment, two gang members brought in a couple of barely alive Bloods members.

They dropped the guys on the floor, and Leyso positioned his camera on them.

Ian handed the gun in his hand to the five girls, saying, "One gun for each of you. This is my way of showing trust. Don't worry, I just don't want my name tied to this incident, so as long as you don't sell me out, it'll never come to light."

A round-faced girl exclaimed excitedly, "You saved us, Mr. Carr! We won't betray you!"

"But I trust actions more," Ian urged.

He pushed them forward, and the girls exchanged glances, nervously aiming their guns at the Bloods members.

The gang members screamed in terror, "No! No!"

Leyso, pointing his camera at them, said, "You can scream louder if you want."

One girl shakily raised her gun and shouted, "I've never killed anyone!"

Standing next to her, Ian whispered, "Think about what they did to you. They wanted to make you their prostitutes, using your bodies for their money. When you couldn't earn anything for them, they'd extract your organs, squeezing out every bit of value from you..."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gun went off. That round-faced girl screamed as she fired, her aim wildly erratic, causing all the gang members to scramble in fear to evade her.

It would be funny if she accidentally shot someone.

By the time she emptied the gun, the girl fell limp to the ground, laughing heartily with tears of excitement streaming down her face.

"Good job," Ian casually grabbed another gun and handed it to a girl with a ponytail, saying, "No need to empty the whole clip, just a shot to the head will do."

He didn't use hypnosis but spoke patiently like a big brother. Although he was pushing them, none of the girls felt any animosity towards him.

Or perhaps, that was what they wanted to do as well.

The ponytail girl took a deep breath and decisively shot at another gang member.

The sound of gunfire echoed as all five girls fired their shots. Leyso had finished filming and handed Ian the memory card, saying, "There are still some spots I haven't caught; could you step aside for a moment?"

Ian smiled and moved out of the way.

After swapping the memory card, Leyso hoisted the camera and headed into the main house to continue filming.

...

Ian returned to the room and asked Katherine, "Have you made your decision?"

Katherine coldly replied, "If I cooperate with you, then I become a dirty cop."

"Come on, are we not just trying to eradicate a nest of cockroaches in the name of justice?" Ian threw his hands up.

Katherine shot back, "The Crips are cockroaches, too!"

One Crips gang member pulled a gun on Katherine. "Bitch!"

Ian turned to the guy, "Get out!"

The gang member flinched and quickly lowered his gun, obediently leaving the room.

Even if he didn't know Ian was the boss, the bloodbath he caused with the Bloods was enough to instill fear in anyone.

Honestly, how was such a person also a major business owner?

Ian looked at Katherine and said, "At least under my guidance, the Crips won't be involved in trafficking. They'll tone down their criminal activities and assist the police in cleaning up other pests."

Katherine looked at him in shock: "You had such a bright future ahead; why would you get involved with the gangs?"

Ian laughed, "Because they provide me news. In this world, only sex and violence can provide enough thrill. Every explosive news story revolves around this. I'm not a gang member, but I do need that kind of intel. Otherwise, do you think I could have outpaced you guys in the Palos Bank heist?"

Katherine's eyes widened as she realized, "You bastard, you knew they were going to rob the bank!"

Bang!

Ian punched Katherine hard in the face, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Retracting his fist, Ian said coolly, "I'm a journalist; my job is to report news, not save the world. So when I save others, they need to be grateful!"

The girls shouted in unison, "We are grateful!"

"I might even love you!" Jessica Alba exclaimed excitedly.

Ian appreciated that line.

He smiled at the beautiful girl and continued, "And when a cop fails miserably, she should be despised."

The girls exchanged glances.

That was a tough statement to respond to; after all, she had gotten captured trying to save them.

Ian squatted next to Katherine and said, "So you see, I had no obligation to save you, but I did! If you don't understand gratitude, I'll make you a martyr; if you do, I'll make you a hero."

With that, he smiled at the girls, "You're free to go now."

But the five girls didn't leave.

Ian was taken aback.

The ponytail girl gently approached him, held his hand, and softly said, "We don't trust cops; Barbara was sold out to them by cops. We only feel safe when we're near you."

Ian was taken aback.

The ponytail girl wrapped her arms around him, saying, "And just having the footage may not be enough. How about a little more assurance?"

The look in her eyes sparkled with something different.

In their darkest hour, the girls had encountered their angel.

Though this angel seemed a bit ruthless, that was also what made him cool!

A top-notch journalist, a media mogul, a deadly assassin, and their savior -- all these roles and his ruthless decisiveness created an undeniable chemistry, causing the girls to fall for him instantly, their gazes filled with longing.

I really hadn't relied on hypnosis!

Indeed, charm had proven to be more reliable than any external assistance!

The blossoming hearts of the youthful girls burst into a fire of passion. The girl with sun-kissed skin whispered, "My name is Helen Berry..."

*****

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