Agent Matthew Francis of the DHS stared at the location map drawn by Jimmy on the whiteboard, lost in thought, and Jimmy waited silently for his reaction.

After a while, Matthew took out his phone, walked to the whiteboard, and snapped a few photos of the location markers. He glanced at Jimmy: "Anything else to add?"

Jimmy shook his head: "Not for now. I've only had two encounters with them, and their combat performance wasn't very strong. But I must remind you, they fought us without any preparation, so from bullet-proof vests to handy weapons, they were at a disadvantage. It's impossible to assess their combat effectiveness as a mercenary group under these circumstances."

Matthew nodded: "Understood, thank you. Mahong, do you have anything to add?"

Mahong: "Just one thing, if you're interrogating Max Haidler, keep in mind, he's the intelligence officer for the Demon Wolf Mercenary Group. His ability to pinpoint our middleman Falcknei shows he has considerable connections in the black market. If he's truly essential to the Demon Wolf Mercenary Group and they intend to jailbreak for him, they'll likely employ some underground forces for the task, and the force they deploy should be quite formidable."

Matthew: "Thanks, Mahong. That will be all for today, I need to go back and organize the data."

Matthew and Mahong shook hands with Jimmy and both left the meeting room.

Jimmy looked at Mahong: "Have they provided that phone recording? I feel like this might not be so simple."

Mahong shook his head: "Ruiz received a coordination request from above, from the DHS side. We're only assisting in the investigation. If they really plan a jailbreak, it would be a terrorist act by a foreign organization against our officials, and the DHS wouldn't easily share the case with us."

Jimmy: "Has the case involving Heidel been closed on our end?"

Mahong: "Not yet. The Federation Prosecutor's Office has reviewed the case files, and we're waiting for the court to schedule a trial date. It will likely take at least another half month."

Jimmy: "Do you think they'll attempt the jailbreak now from the detention center or wait until after the trial when he is transferred to the Federal Prison and they have clear information before attempting the jailbreak?"

Mahong: "In terms of success rate, the detention center is definitely easier. Its security forces are lacking compared to the center of the city. If they act there, they will undoubtedly be labeled as terrorists. You think they would risk it? It's just a rescue mission, not worth risking themselves."

Jimmy nodded: "Exactly, since they're mercenaries, they're definitely in it for the money. Even though it's unclear why they'd go through so much trouble to jailbreak for Heidel, there must be profit in getting others to join in on the risk."

Mahong: "It seems this intelligence officer is not being entirely honest. But to solve a robbery case, I made a deal with him before; it's probably tough to get him to speak more. Let's see DHS's interrogation results, perhaps they have special techniques."

Jimmy: "OK, I'll be heading back then."

Just as Jimmy was about to turn around, Mahong reached out and patted him: "Wait, let's go downstairs for a smoke."

Jimmy nodded, and the two left the meeting room, taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter as they walked. Mahong suggesting a smoke break meant something was up; Jimmy didn't pursue the matter further, knowing it would become clear once they got downstairs.

Standing by the trash bin on the ground floor, they each lit a cigarette. Jimmy: "So, what's up?"

Mahong: "Have you contacted Neil?"

Jimmy nodded: "I went to him right after I told you the other day, he agreed, what's the matter?"

Mahong: "I've encountered the same situation Peter did before, someone from headquarters insists Neil can't be allowed to leave. With him, our success rate in solving art theft cases improves by at least 30%, and each case is wrapped up much quicker, with stellar results."

Jimmy frowned: "You mean Peter faced the same issue before?"

Mahong nodded: "Yes, but back then Peter and Neil did something to push back against headquarters successfully, but... I can't do that."

Jimmy: "Did Peter tell you what they did?"

Mahong: "No, he only mentioned the result, but I got a call from headquarters the night before last, and someone met with me yesterday."

Jimmy: "And the result?"

Mahong: "Still waiting, it's unclear what they want or how they plan to proceed."

Jimmy: "The worst outcome is Neil's previous mistakes getting exposed, sending him back to prison for a stint before bailing him out to continue using him, right?"

Mahong: "No, the worst outcome is Neil gets locked up with no follow-up."

Mahong took a deep drag on his cigarette, snubbed it out against the trash can, and lit up another one. "I think you might need to adjust your plans, I'm not sure when headquarters will act, but Neil only has three months left on his sentence. If they move slow, Neil will be free."

Jimmy also discarded his cigarette, lighting another one. He's been having a tough time lately; just as he managed to sort out the groomsmen, something else came up, right in the middle of his wedding preparations. If headquarters plans to make a move, they'll want to complete it before Neil goes free, meaning whatever they plan will coincide with his wedding days, mixing everything together.

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