"No need. I've already contacted someone."

Luis gave a sly chuckle. He pinched her cute, upturned little nose as if teasing a child and said with a smile, "And here everyone praises you for being such a smart and level-headed woman. When it's your own situation, you become blinded, huh?"

"I just forgot."

Blanche stuck out her tongue sheepishly, a gesture that appeared quite playful.

Just as they were talking, a call came through. Gasle's steady voice came from the other end—the same captain and deputy station chief who had been in charge of mediating the Daniel domestic violence incident last time.

"I see your car. Drive forward a bit more, so you won't be spotted and remembered later."

Following his instructions, Luis drove the car forward and parked it at the intersection.

This area was a run-down local park. Inside, even more aging streetwalkers were plying their trade with old men. It was a place of cheap deals and even cheaper morals, with a more complicated crowd, making it easy to startle the prey.

The roadside food stalls were the most chaotic. In the open space in front of the shops, dozens of tables were set up, about half of them occupied. A large group of men gathered here wouldn't stand out too much.

"Wait for me in the car!"

Luis didn't let Blanche come along, mainly because he saw she was somewhat worried.

Gasle, dressed in plain clothes, was sitting with a few middle-aged men. They were all tall and sturdy but dressed very ordinarily, giving off the vibe of a group of construction workers having a meal together after getting off work.

As soon as he sat down, Luis gave a rough explanation of the situation and also handed over the piece of paper the security guard had provided.

"You're sure he must have relapsed?"

Gasle's eyes lit up, and Luis could sense the same feeling in the eyes of the others present.

"Absolutely. Where else could all that money have gone? Besides, we had a close encounter just now. That constant yawning and listless state isn't something you can fake."

Gasle discussed it briefly with his colleagues beside him, then gave out some instructions.

A few of the younger men nodded, paid for their food, and headed off in that direction first. Clearly, they were going to keep watch to prevent anyone from escaping.

"Luis, thank you for your vigilance, and thank you for your trust in us."

Gasle smiled warmly. "But if we move in to arrest them right now, we might alert the others. We only brought a few people, so we're a bit short-handed."

"We need to contact the branch office right now, get more people sent over. We also need to stake out that building materials store and raid it at the same time."

As he spoke, he seemed rather excited. For them, this was a mandatory target that needed to be met every year. When the end of the year approached and the KPIs weren't met, every department head would have a massive headache.

If traffic police, while checking for drunk driving, came across someone driving under the influence of drugs, various units would scramble fiercely to claim the arrest.

Traffic police are the only ones without performance pressure, and when the time comes, their superiors also have headaches, afraid of showing favoritism and offending people.

Almost every police station has its own informants, and they all guard against others crossing jurisdictions to arrest their informants. So, the pressure is imaginably immense.

Darlan came from the narcotics division and has talked a lot about such matters. When year-end approaches and quotas aren't met, they fight fiercely, not even recognizing their own parents.

They also secretly go to other cities to make arrests. The informants most easily traced are often those cultivated by other cities as bait. According to him, going feels like being a thief.

Petty theft isn't even handled with such caution, because arresting one informant means following the trail to uncover an entire gang that the other side has been tracking.

Then, it's not just one arrest credit but a whole group of credits shared by all units in the city.

Precisely because of this, informants are usually paid and maintained. Even if you arrest someone else's informant, in the end, you give a reward, release them, and let them continue being tracked.

Arresting and not releasing would mean tearing up all pretense of courtesy. Of course, there's nowhere to complain about such things, since it's also embarrassing to have your informant snatched away on your own turf.

In the vast sea of people, these addicts have an almost magical ability: they usually only use drugs, not sell them.

When the craving hits, they can find new sources to buy drugs—often leads the police haven't yet uncovered. So, the existence and safety of informants are significant matters.

Another type is recidivists like David, who can often lead to new gangs and thus receive close attention.

The men under Gasle spread out, each making calls to begin deployment.

Gasle smiled gently and said, "The night is long and full of dreams. We'll arrange the arrest tonight."

"For your safety, it's better if you leave first. As for that guy you mentioned, don't worry. We'll get him in right away."

"Alright. Wishing you a smooth operation."

After the brief contact, Luis left. When encountering such matters, he wasn't at all worried about them not putting in effort. On the contrary, looking at their enthusiasm, it was clearly full throttle.

They were so excited, precisely because they feared delays. Even if you wanted to cast a wider net to catch bigger fish, you'd still worry these guys might slip away and end up in someone else's hands. Better to take control first than end up with nothing.

Back in his car, Blanche was on the phone, looking both angry and helpless. Finally, she hung up and said, "You talk to your brother-in-law yourself."

"What's wrong?"

"Avery and your sister-in-law can't sit still at home."

"It's also my fault for mentioning this. Now they're clamoring to come, wanting to see him arrested with their own eyes to feel at ease."

Blanche hesitated, then said softly, "My daughter says she's worried and can't sleep…"

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