"Harry, have you ever heard of the Skull Gang?"

In the car, Dean hung up the phone and turned to Harry, who was engrossed in a long call with his mom.

Harry covered the mouthpiece, pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I heard about it when I was a kid. The Skull Gang was a gang formed by Middle Easterners in the seventies. They specialized in trafficking counterfeit branded goods abroad. They were a bunch of wealthy guys, but later they offended those rich Jewish folks and vanished just as quickly as they'd risen."

"Those Jewish folks, huh..." Dean seemed contemplative.

Even in this parallel world, the Jewish community still wielded significant influence. Their people were dispersed worldwide, holding considerable sway in many commercial matters. In fact, this ethnic group rarely had pure bloodlines anymore. By their definition, any child born to a Jewish mother—regardless of skin color, be it yellow, white, or black—would be acknowledged as Jewish and receive acceptance and help. Of course, when it came down to it, it was ultimately about benefits. But this characteristic, combined with their unique education, led to a relatively high proportion of wealthy individuals among them, and they were very cohesive within their own circles. What was even more telling was that the United States was a place where the wealthy could influence elections. So, in a sense, the wealthy Jewish community was one of the groups in the United States that one simply didn't provoke. That assessment was essentially correct.

Interesting. A gang driven to extinction by the Jewish community is making a comeback, and they've even gotten their hands on printing plates to start a counterfeiting operation... There's also the fact that Haver warned him the Skull Gang were a bunch of lunatics. And Harry said their main members were Middle Easterners...

The name 'Heaven's Holy Doctrine' suddenly surfaced in Dean's mind.

It couldn't be *that* coincidental, could it...?

Harry interrupted Dean's thoughts. "What did Daisy say?"

"There wasn't much time. Daisy only found information about Haver's wife. Haver's wife's original name was Molly. Molly was a Gypsy, and she conceived Azak while she was drifting. In fact, Haver and Molly had been married for no more than ten years. Before that, Molly and her son earned a living performing in a circus. She had multiple records of applying for government subsidies and had even been jailed a few times for dealing in 'Silver'."

"No wonder Haver doesn't give a damn about his wife and son's fate; it turns out the boy isn't even his!" Harry exclaimed in realization.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Buddy, that's pretty obvious. Didn't you notice the missing Azak has a different last name from Haver? Sometimes I seriously doubt if you've put all your intelligence points into chasing women."

Far from being ashamed, Harry seemed proud, grinning as he said, "Actually, picking up women doesn't require intelligence. Los Angeles is full of sexually frustrated and resentful wives. As long as you're shameless enough to approach those ladies drinking alone, they'll be more than happy to pour out their troubles to you. Once the mood is right, they'll open up a shortcut straight to their hearts for you."

A lecherous grin spread across Harry's face as he continued, "By the way, I recently discovered many women online are promoting 'sexual liberation,' claiming morality is just a shackle holding them back. They're aggressively pushing this idea online and even want to organize a nude parade. I'll definitely bring my camera to cheer them on!"

"You'll regret it."

"Why?"

"Because usually, the women who think like that are middle-aged aunties with discordant marital lives. They're desperate for old perverts like you to take the bait. Then the prey becomes the hunter, and they'll devour you alive."

Harry fell silent for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "Dean!"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not old!"

"..."

...

They bantered idly during the drive. More than half an hour later, the two arrived at the hospital where Haver's wife was admitted.

Los Angeles had a booming economy and, consequently, no shortage of hospitals. To save on expenses, the Central Precinct had agreements with some hospitals to rent a portion of their wards specifically for suspects. Thus, Haver's wife was not only protected by hospital security but also under 24-hour surveillance by uniformed officers stationed there by the precinct. She couldn't be discharged without official approval.

Heeding Dean's warning, when they arrived at the ward, Hawk and two colleagues were personally standing guard outside.

"Thank God you guys finally made it! It's my wife's birthday today, and if I couldn't get off work, she'd definitely eat me alive!" Hawk exclaimed upon seeing Dean and Harry, sighing in relief as if a heavy weight had been lifted.

"TSK, TSK. Hawk, what has marriage really done for you?" Harry teased with a grin.

Hawk shot back with a middle finger. "At least I have kids I raised myself, unlike a pathetic guy like you who just got used to father someone else's child!"

Hawk's remark hit Harry's sore spot, and he immediately deflated. The incident with Lara asking him to father her child was something he'd never live down.

After his jab at Harry, Hawk took two hospital uniforms from one of his colleagues and handed them to Dean. "The woman isn't seriously injured. You could have easily taken her to our precinct's secure holding cells instead of risking your neck here."

"You think my plan is to just lie in ambush?" Dean took the clothes and asked Hawk in return.

Hawk looked bewildered. "Harry called and told me someone might come to kill the woman in the room. He also asked me to get doctor's and male nurse's uniforms ready. If you're not planning to wait for the killer to walk right in, what else could it be? Are you planning to pose as the killer?"

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