The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 608 Only Death Shakes the Heart
Wyoming, a natural resort area.

A motorhome drove off the farm toward a frozen lake five miles away.

Hawke sat in the car, skillfully tying on the fishing hook.

Brian sat down next to him, fiddling with a slingshot that could launch small fish darts, and said, "When we get to our destination, I'll use this for fishing and hunting."

This was a hunting tool that Erica and Hawke handcrafted when they first met, and they used it to shoot Mexican drug dealers on a cruise ship.

Erica cautioned, "You haven't had any professional training, and you could easily hurt your hands using this."

Jennifer took the slingshot and harpoon from Brian's hand and handed him a box of hooks and fishing line: "Hurry up and tie the hooks, we're going to ice fish in a bit."

Brian watched Hawke's technique and began tying his hook, saying, "No news from over there yet?"

Hawke straightened the fishing line tied to the hook and said, "This won't be a one-sided attack. I estimate a counterattack will come soon, and if there's more big news, people might die."

Jennifer, who has worked at the FBI for many years and has seen it all, interjected, "When two giants fight, it's often the ordinary people who think they're so clever who die."

Erica also witnessed many shady dealings within the Los Angeles Police Department: "I know these things well; he was shot eight times and it was ruled a suicide."

Hawke added, "The Walker family's counterattack will inevitably begin in this direction."

“That’s right, kill the traitors first when war breaks out.” Brian said thoughtfully, “The Walker family is a large and powerful family. It took four generations of business accumulation to get to where it is today. Strictly speaking, Tom Emmer is only the first generation to rise to prominence and has not achieved much in business. But this also has its advantages. We don’t have to be on guard everywhere and can act most flexibly.”

He further emphasized: "Never underestimate the power of an American president. If he unites with one faction and is determined to target another, it can be very troublesome."

Hawke smiled and said, "Some of Tom Emmer's business interests are actually quite intertwined with ours."

The president's victory in the election was largely due to the support of the Twitter network and California forces represented by the Ferguson family.

In the subsequent division of the spoils, both parties benefited immensely. Under the collusion between government and business, Tom Emer's interests inevitably came into play.

Brian knew all this: "Let's see who will make us take the initiative."

The RV arrived near the ice lake and stopped next to a campsite.

On the frozen lake, many stilted wooden houses have been built. Underneath the houses, workers will chisel holes in the thick ice, allowing tourists to fish in the warm cabins and escape the frigid weather.

Of course, if you want to experience authentic ice fishing, you can go to another area.

Hawke and the other three crawled into the warm wooden cabin.

…………

Crawford, Texas.

In the distinctive red-brick farmhouse, George Walker and his brother Pierce Walker welcomed Wilshire, who had rushed over from New York.

All the recent events were presented to the Walker brothers.

Wilshire described in detail what he had seen, saying, "Many of our companies in the United States are under investigation by powerful federal agencies and are unable to operate normally. If this drags on, our business will inevitably be taken away by our competitors, and the companies may face bankruptcy."

“Someone doesn’t want us to have an easy time.” Unlike his brothers, Pierce was the president of a private defense company in Virginia.

This company specializes in providing security services to government departments and international organizations, including several national laboratories.

Pierce looked at his brother and said, "Fort Detrick, along with the Navy and Air Force laboratories, have all terminated their cooperation agreements with my company and are refusing to let my people get close again."

George quickly flipped through the messages and said, "To be able to mobilize so many powerful departments at the same time, and to directly interfere with the military's laboratories, and even use the Marines in Iraq, I can only think of one mastermind behind this."

He had held the same position, so it wasn't hard to guess: "I can't think of anyone other than Tom Emmer in the White House."

Pierce didn't understand: "Why?"

Wilshire also looked at George with curiosity. As far as he knew, the two sides could be considered allies, and George was one of the bigwigs of the Elephant Party who supported Tom Emmanuel in the last election.

George thought for a moment, realized the key point, and said, "This is revenge against me. I didn't expect him to have endured it for so long."

Pierce suddenly realized: "Because of the Secretary of State?"

“That is inevitable.” George said softly, “During my second term campaign, in order to win over Tom Emer, the party whip, I promised him that if I was re-elected, he would become Secretary of State. But later, in order to win over black voters, I chose Rice. I talked to him about this several times and apologized repeatedly. Later, when he expressed his intention to run for office, I cast my vote of confidence in him.”

Pierce angrily retorted, "This is clearly an ingrate, ungrateful and now trying to bite us."

Wilshire then remarked, "We are currently in a very passive position, being suppressed on all fronts."

George said, "He took two years to retaliate against me, which undoubtedly shows that he made ample preparations and cultivated a large number of capable people. After all, he is the nominal leader of America and may even start a second term."

“Over the years, quite a few presidents have met with unexpected events.” Wilshire was a confidant, already tied to the Walker family’s cause, and Pierce didn’t hold back from telling him some things: “I’ll bring in people from overseas to solve the problem once and for all.”

George sternly stopped him: "Nonsense!" But he didn't mean that such a thing couldn't be done: "Such methods should be used with extreme caution, as a last resort, not as a direct action."

Pierce is younger and has been running a private army for years, so he's inevitably a bit impulsive: "We have to fight back. If we're not tough enough, it will only invite more attacks."

George wasn't the kind of person with particularly sharp thinking. While thinking seriously, he slowly said, "Mobilize all our connections at the government level to prevent things from getting worse. Get our legal team fully mobilized and put pressure on us through legal channels. Let's get our old connections in the Iraqi military working to put pressure on them so that the oil field can resume production as soon as possible."

These are all normal methods, far from enough. George looked at Wilshire: "The FBI and IRS were able to launch the search so quickly and accurately because someone tipped them off and provided concrete evidence?"

When Wilshire arrived, he had already started an investigation: "Yes, there's a traitor within the company."

“Our industry covers a very wide range of sectors,” Pierce worried. “Once someone sets a bad precedent, others will inevitably follow suit.”

George had made his decision and said to his brother, "Find these people and leave none alive."

Pierce was well aware of the necessity of this: "I will make sure they die knowing exactly what happened, leaving no evidence."

That wasn't enough for George; he wanted to retaliate: "Tom Emmer's businesses aren't clean either. Get our hands on his side and keep him busy too."

Wilshire quickly reminded him, "He hasn't been rich for very long and hasn't been involved with too many businesses yet."

“I’ve heard something.” Some things at the top aren’t exactly secrets for people at a certain level. Pierce pulled out a photo of Claire Emer from the files and said, “We can start with her.”

He said quickly, "Claire's Clean Water Foundation has been very active lately, and there must be a lot of problems. If we're willing to investigate, we'll definitely find out what's illegal." Wilshire didn't respond, but waited for George to make a decision.

George spoke slowly: "Clean Water Foundation, I think I've heard of it many times." He frowned and tried to recall: "Isn't the Birdball Project in California, which protects water resources, a collaboration between West Coast Technology and the Clean Water Foundation?"

Wilshire answered truthfully: "Yes, both companies have profited significantly from this and are currently working with the United Nations and the African Union on a public welfare program concerning water resources in Africa."

George grasped the crux of the matter: "Hawk Osment is involved; we must be careful about this."

Pierce said, "This is Tom Emmer's wife. If we can find her weakness..."

“Don’t rush, and don’t be impulsive.” George interrupted him directly, saying, “I have worked with Hawke Osment before and have had many dealings with him. I know him too well. If we go to investigate Claire Emer, it will inevitably involve Hawke’s company. Hawke is not just a simple person with money, but he has always cooperated with us. In that case, it will also damage our own interests.”

As he said this, he thought of something else: "Our opponents are probably waiting for us to take this step. If we stand against Hawke, it will be like losing our most important ally. Tom Emer will immediately unite with them and launch a fatal attack on us."

Even with his impulsive nature, Pierce knew the matter was complicated and said, "We really can't move."

George then said to Wilshire, "Have someone thoroughly investigate Tom Emmer's businesses." He looked at Pierce, "The rumors about Tom Emmer's illegitimate child are not unfounded. Start from that point, understand?"

Pierce shrugged: "I lack the necessary information."

“Go find whatever you need!” George’s voice rose slightly, tinged with dissatisfaction: “Private defense companies aren’t about fighting to the death, but about being able to conduct any investigation and security matters in critical moments!”

Pierce did not refute: "I'll arrange for someone to do it right away."

As the meeting drew to a close, Wilshire contacted his men and provided Pierce with a list containing the names and information of the traitors who had been identified.

These people must die to deter those who are restless.

…………

Richmond, Virginia.

In the bustling commercial district, Cahill parked his car, bought a hot coffee at a roadside cafe, sat on a bench, basked in the sun, and looked quite content.

The warm sunshine made him squint.

When I opened my eyes again, a middle-aged man sitting next to me was reading a newspaper.

The man said with slight dissatisfaction, "Why not just go to the FBI branch office? Why make an appointment in a place like this?"

Cahill was cautious: "After you take action, there will definitely be many eyes watching the entrance and exit of the branch office. If I go there, won't we all be exposed?"

In fact, after the FBI searched Winston Financial Services and obtained solid evidence, they didn't care about the life or death of the so-called informant. But Agent Gary didn't show it. He casually said, "You've thought things through very thoroughly. But don't worry, everything about you is now classified at the highest level of the FBI. No one except me and my superiors will know your identity."

Cahill asked, "What about the promised final payment?"

Gary laughed and said, "You can call Madam."

Cahill took out his phone and made a call.

The woman on the other side told him that she had found a large sum of cash in her mailbox at home.

Cahill breathed a sigh of relief, casually placed a magazine on the bench, and said, "The rest of the evidence is at this address; you can just go and get it."

Gary simply took the magazine, stuffed it into his bag, closed the newspaper, and prepared to leave.

Cahill called him back, saying, "There's one more thing."

Gary stopped.

Just in case, Cahill prepared for the worst: "We've known each other for almost two years, you know me to some extent. I'm a coward, if something happens to me, it won't be suicide."

"Don't worry," Gary said, seemingly very seriously. "All the information about you is top secret. You are perfectly safe."

Cahill nodded, watched Gary drive away, finished his coffee in the paper cup, got into his car, and left the business district.

The car returned home and went straight into the garage.

As soon as Cahill got out of the car, two men in black suddenly emerged from behind a pile of debris and pointed guns at his head.

"Don't move, don't make a sound." The man in black spoke in a strange voice, as if he had used a voice changer: "We just want money."

Cahill's heart sank further as he asked about his wife, "Where is Catherine?"

A man in black approached from behind him and plunged a syringe needle directly into Cahill's neck.

Not long after, Cahill staggered and collapsed to the ground.

These people put him back in the car, and then brought out the young and beautiful Catherine from the house and placed her in the passenger seat.

One of the men in black asked, "Is the will ready?"

Another person placed it on the center console: "His newlywed young and beautiful wife was extravagant, causing him to incur a large debt. Unable to bear the pressure, he got his wife drunk, and together they committed suicide by burning charcoal."

A large basin of burning charcoal was placed inside the car.

The group cleaned up all traces, locked the car doors, took the cash they had found, and quickly left.

That evening, Richmond police received a report and dispatched officers to the scene. After a thorough investigation, they determined that both people who died at the scene had committed suicide.

On the same day, people committed suicide in multiple cities across the United States due to life stress.

Gore Porter in New York suddenly fell ill with pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and doctors were unable to save him.

In Grandall, Atlanta, a car accident occurred while driving, causing the vehicle to plunge from a mountain road into a ravine.

Truger in Miami was robbed by a black man on the street and stabbed more than a dozen times.

The news of these unexpected deaths was all published in the media the following day.

(End of this chapter)