Jimmy arrived at the FBI office; Harten was already there. The four gunshot victims couldn't possibly have left the hospital so soon, the only explanation being that Harten hadn't gotten any useful results.

Jimmy, "Harten, how did it go?"

Harten, "No results. We've checked their identities in the system and confirmed their real ones. No wonder they were so agitated yesterday. William and his gang are involved in multiple previous cases, kidnapping, robbery, murder. Unfortunately, we haven't caught them over the years. I didn't expect you to catch them all at once."

Jimmy, "Did they reveal anything about James's case?"

Harten, "No, not just about James's case, but the other cases as well. We identified them through fingerprints and identity checks. In fact, they simply wouldn't answer our questions. Since they are still seriously injured, we can't force an interrogation."

Jimmy, "Some progress is good, anyway. They're still in the hospital, right? I'll give it a try."

Harten nodded, "Sure, go ahead. I have other matters to deal with here."

Jimmy nodded and left the office heading for the hospital once again. Harten's approach was normal, after all, when it comes to captured suspects, it wasn't critical to get results this very moment. They had plenty of cases to handle, and couldn't dedicate full resources to just one, unless it was a particularly serious case that had made the blacklist and needed to be settled.

Now, Jimmy was the only one who could investigate James's shooting case full-time. It was a lonely battle.

Upon arriving at the hospital, for safety reasons, the four individuals were not completely separated; two shared one room, with two adjacent rooms. Each room had an agent inside, and there were two more agents outside. However, these agents were not necessarily official FBI agents. Some were actually trained administrative staff. After all, there's not a large number of official agents at each office, and everyone has various tasks to attend to.

Jimmy flashed his badge to the agents outside, "Agent Harten sent me to question William. Which room is he in?"

The agent, aware of Jimmy's presence, didn't bother to verify his identity closely. After all, a 2 vs 4 takedown with no injuries was already a top-tier feat among agents, a rarity indeed. Harten had bragged about it upon his return; others hardly ever had such experiences. "This one."

"Thanks." Jimmy knocked on the door, then pushed it open and entered the room. The agent inside stood up, his right hand on the gun handle at his waist, watching the door. It was only when he saw Jimmy, badge hanging, that he took his hand off the handle.

"Can William be questioned? How is his condition?" Jimmy asked the agent.

"For questioning, no problem."

Jimmy approached the hospital bed. The four men were all similar, shot in the torso, basic mobility still intact, which is why they were handcuffed to the bed rails with all limbs, unlike the movies where they only handcuff one hand, which would be too dangerous. Movies often vary greatly from reality.

Jimmy, "William, how are you feeling?"

Jimmy stood by William's bedside. William wasn't asleep; he knew of Jimmy's arrival, but had not turned his head before. Now that Jimmy was here for him, he might as well turn his head.

William looked at Jimmy, "Not bad, at least I'm alive. You really are strong."

Jimmy smiled, "Still optimistic, good. Let's talk. You know the situation; escape is impossible. Cooperate a little, and it'll be easier for all of us."

William, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jimmy, "A few days ago, Plaskey County Sheriff James was shot. What did you guys do?"

William stopped talking and turned his head to look at the ceiling.

Jimmy, "You're in the hospital now, not talking is fine. But once the doctor declares you can leave, you should know what kind of treatment you'll get. Speak up, save us some effort."

Jimmy saw William remained silent and decided to bluff, bending over to look at William, speaking softly, "It seems you're quite confident in the anti-interrogation training you've received. But rest assured, we're not Guantanamo, won't be that brutal. Just be mentally prepared, alright?"

William suddenly turned his head to look at Jimmy and whispered, "Who are you?"

Jimmy stood up straight, turned his head to the agent beside him, "Step outside for a bit, brother. Let me have a chat with him alone."

The agent frowned at Jimmy, his request was quite excessive, on the verge of breaking the rules, "Is that okay?"

Jimmy nodded, and the agent turned and left the room, but the door wasn't closed, just left ajar. The agent also stood outside, watching Jimmy and William.

Jimmy didn't mind. He picked up the folding chair the agent had been sitting on, placed it beside the bed, sat down next to William, and said in a low voice, "I know who you are, and I know who you work for. Your mess doesn't concern me; that's for the Little Rock office to deal with. What I want to know is, why go after James?"

William turned to look at Jimmy. Because Jimmy sat down, William's turn was quite large and awkward, and yet he didn't say a word.

Jimmy continued in a low voice, "The people outside are watching us. They're more interested in you than I am. You wouldn't want me to give them your information, would you?"

Jimmy looked at William, who still said nothing, then went on, "Do you want me to confirm it?"

This time, Jimmy leaned in close to William's head and said, "CIA, former CIA intelligence officer, do you want me to keep talking?"

After speaking, Jimmy straightened up and leaned back on the chair, watching William without saying another word.

William turned and continued gazing at the ceiling, seeming determined to resist to the end.

A little while later, Jimmy prepared his last bluff; if it didn't work, he had no choice but to wait for Harten and the others to come and conduct the interrogation.

Jimmy said, "It seems the past doesn't make you give up some principles. Well, I'll just have to ask your contacts then. I'm going to grab a drink first."

William suddenly turned his head to Jimmy and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

Jimmy replied, "Who I am isn't important. I came here just for one thing, and once it's done, I'll leave Little Rock. Nothing else here concerns me."

Jimmy had won the gamble. Since William had spoken, it meant that he truly cared about the matter.

The channel involving Justin and his team was indeed not simple. William was only a low-level collaborator, not from the InterContinental Hotel, but one of Justin's own. Taking such care over this channel meant that—if Jimmy's guess was correct—William, like Jimmy when he was a county police officer, had his own network of minor contacts developed by Justin himself.

That William cared so much was about more than just money. It definitely also included the personal relationship between Justin and William. Justin was indeed no simple character. What kind of allure did this guy have? A specialist in psychology?

William asked, "Just this one thing?"

Jimmy nodded, "I came from New York just for this one thing. Your mess doesn't concern me."

William said, "Come closer."

Jimmy leaned in, bringing his head close to William's, "You're right. It was a CIA hit squad that did it. I was in charge of monitoring James's movements. As for why, I don't know. The order came from Watson, I don't know who he is. That's all I've got."

Jimmy asked, "Who was on the action team?"

William answered, "Burke. No contact information."

Jimmy stood up straight, "I hope what you're telling me is the truth. Goodbye, William."

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