Jimmy felt a wave of unease upon hearing OPR, having been investigated by them once before; dealing with them was never good news. "Alright, you tell me when it's convenient, and we'll go have a chat with them. Just a chat, to see what their take on this is."

Ruiz nodded, "OK, we meet in the Bronx early tomorrow morning, follow my lead."

Jimmy nodded, took back the photos, tidied up his office, and went home.

The Bronx always felt like it was out of New York, no matter when you visited. Manhattan's Upper City Harlem might be chaotic, but at least it appeared quite nice on the surface and wasn't as disorderly as the Bronx, which seemed rather bleak.

In the first few years of the 21st century, the place was extremely chaotic. Of all five boroughs in New York, the Bronx was notorious for having the worst safety issues. Brooklyn used to compete, but now many areas of Brooklyn were transforming, and gangs were being more restrained. After all, they were all under the management of major gangs, which brought some control. The Bronx, on the other hand, was a jungle of small gangs and would only gradually change after several years.

Jimmy drove to the location Ruiz had arranged, and the two parked on the roadside in a small neighborhood before walking into G9's stronghold. It seemed Ruiz had made contact in advance. Without speaking, the doorman stepped aside to let them in. Indeed, Ruiz had significant influence, though it was unclear whether he had contacted G9 directly or through someone else; his clout was genuine.

A Latino man in his thirties rose from the couch and came over to stand in front of Ruiz and Jimmy. He wasn't tall, with a shaved head that sported a stripe of short hair front to back, resembling a tuft of a cock's comb in the short-haired version.

Ruiz: "Alligator, you know why we're here, right?"

Alligator: "Ruiz, we haven't done anything. We haven't provoked you, have we?"

Ruiz watched Alligator for a while before speaking up, "It's not about your trouble. As long as you behave, we won't have the time to deal with you. Look at this, do you recognize it?" Ruiz reached into his suit's inner pocket and pulled out two photographs, one of a wooden box and another of a straw doll.

Jimmy closely watched Alligator, who showed no particular reaction when he took the photographs. However, upon seeing the second photo of the straw doll, his eyes narrowed for a moment before returning to normal. He definitely recognized the item.

Alligator handed back the photos to Ruiz: "Don't know them, I'm not interested in art pieces."

Ruiz didn't take them but continued staring at Alligator, "Claude, are you playing with me?" He paused for a moment, "Are you too comfortable these days? Do you need a therapeutic stay at Rikers Island?"

Alligator looked at Ruiz, withdrawing the hand holding the photos back in front of him. He waved his hand to the people behind them, indicating they should leave the room, then he finally spoke, "You know that Voodoo is our national religion, right? Although I'm not a believer, I still know a bit. This is indeed a Voodoo Doll, but I don't understand much about them."

Ruiz: "Let's hear something."

Unable to defy the influential men in front of him, Alligator shook his head, "It's not that I don't want to talk, but I truly don't understand these things. Where I come from, a Wizard has a revered status, not someone ordinary people like us can approach. They are very secretive, and only their successors really understand the ins and outs. I believe even the Haitians you might find here won't know much either."

Ruiz turned to Jimmy, who stepped forward so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with Ruiz, "Do you know of any Wizards from your homeland here in New York? Or Apprentices, successors, whatever you call them."

Alligator glanced at Jimmy, then back at Ruiz: "I truly don't know. Although there are plenty of our people here, they really aren't accessible to us."

Jimmy had no issue with Alligator's demeanor; naturally, Ruiz was the bigger concern between the two of them. Alligator's lack of concern about him was to be expected. He continued, "You mentioned 'they.' Are the Wizards all female?"

Alligator nodded, this time addressing Jimmy, "Decades ago, the Wizards began changing, with increasingly more females among them. When I was a kid, almost all the Wizards around were women."

Looking back at Ruiz, Alligator added, "That's all I know. I've been in the United States for many years, and I'm not abreast of the situation in Haiti anymore, nor have I had any contact with the Wizards here. Trust me, that's all I can tell you."

Jimmy looked at Ruiz, who also nodded. Ruiz extended his hand, patted Alligator's shoulder, and took back the photos, "Kid, live your life well, don't make trouble." Ah, how enviable, Jimmy thought as he watched Ruiz. He simply didn't have the standing to do the same, as it required both confidence and prestige.

Ruiz and Jimmy left G9's place. Ruiz turned to Jimmy on the curb, "Are you still planning on looking for the 400?"

Jimmy shook his head, "If Alligator isn't lying, searching for the 400 wouldn't be meaningful. I think it's better to have the NYPD look into it directly, starting from around the park to investigate where the Haitian immigrants are."

Ruiz frowned, looking at Jimmy, "Do you really believe these Wizards are real?"

Jimmy, surprised, looked back at Ruiz, "You haven't come across them? Supernatural events."

Ruiz shook his head, and Jimmy continued, "No worries, I'll investigate on my own. Thanks. Oh, and I forgot to ask, how are things with T14?"

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