Legendary FBI Detective

Federal political center, Washington, Sunday.

Before heading here, Luo An had called Vireness, discussing their feelings and subtly inquired about the criteria for the assessment during this trip.

Vireness didn't go into details, but she mentioned that she happened to need to leave New York on Monday to report to work in Washington, and they could meet then to talk.

"So, Vireness requested to meet with you guys?"

After getting off the plane, the two traveled from Dulles International Airport in Washington and caught a taxi to the hotel they had booked in advance. Mona, after listening to Luo An's account, asked with some worry:

"There won't be any problems, right?"

"It's just an interview assessment, what could possibly go wrong."

Luo An wrapped his arm around Mona's slender waist, chuckled, and pointing outside the car window, said calmly:

"Forget about those things, think about where we will go shopping and dining after we settle in at the hotel."

"You're right."

Seeing Luo An, the concerned party, not panicking at all, Mona also put down her worries and started to carefully consider the well-known landmarks in Washington D.C.

Monuments, National Square, museums, and cultural venues like the National Theater, convention centers, and National Portrait Gallery are all popular sightseeing spots for tourists visiting Washington.

The taxi arrived at the hotel, they paid and alighted without much luggage, and the hotel's bellhop came over to check but then quietly withdrew.

Mona, with her crossbody bag ready to enter the hotel, noticed Luo An was still standing still, staring at the slowly departing taxi.

"What's wrong?"

Mona quickly walked over to Luo An, trying to recall the taxi driver they had just encountered, as she hadn't paid much attention to him.

"It's nothing, just surprised that we were so lucky to have a quiet taxi driver."

In the Union, quiet taxi drivers are rare, especially those in the scenic area.

Luo An laughed and shook his head, then turned and walked with Mona into the hotel.

From the calluses on the taxi driver's hands and body movements, Luo An could tell he was no ordinary person.

He initially thought the driver was targeting him and Mona, but the "emotional perception" in his mind detected no ill will from the driver, who had no unusual actions throughout the ride and left immediately after dropping them off.

Many retired Soldiers in recent years find driving taxis a good enough job option in the Union.

Since he wasn't targeted, Luo An naturally didn't want to interfere further.

In the hotel lobby, they used the phone to contact the Washington law enforcement and briefly informed them about the taxi driver, then Luo An and Mona headed to the hotel elevators, chatting and laughing.

The distant taxi driver: "…"

Luo An and Mona's room were on the eleventh floor of the hotel; their official status was colleagues, which they maintained to avoid any targeted issues, hence they had a suite.

The suite was a bit pricey, but it was just for two days, not enough to pinch Luo An, who had made a small fortune.

After resting for a moment in the room and quickly organizing their belongings, Luo An and Mona left the hotel to tour various sights in Washington.

Luo An himself had virtually no interest in art, and his understanding of the Union's brief history wasn't deep.

Mona was similar, finding mechanical, electronic, and network systems far more interesting than various cultural landscapes.

Thus, they only briefly visited a few sights before heading to a well-known restaurant in Washington to enjoy some fine dining.

In the evening, after returning to their hotel suite and resting for a while, it was already late at night.

When Mona fell asleep, Luo An felt a bit hungry, so he went to the hotel's 24-hour buffet to have some late-night snacks.

"Deputy Group Leader Greenwood?"

While Luo An was struggling with a large steak on his plate while holding a knife and fork, a strange man's voice came from behind.

Stopping his movements and turning his head, Luo An saw a middle-aged Caucasian man with brown short hair, wearing glasses, and taller than 1.9 meters but not very muscular, looking very much like a scholar.

Luo An had previously asked Vireness for information on other members of the Special Investigation Team, so he quickly recognized the identity of the newcomer:

Essen Patel, the leader of the FBI's Special Investigation Team at the Chicago Branch, 36 years old this year.

The customs of Chicago are very famous throughout the federation; as the leader of the special investigation team in this city, Essen Patel might look like a scholar, but he has handled many intense cases and dealt with a lot of tough people.

"Hello, Leader Patel."

Seeing the other person smiling and reaching out his hand, Luo An naturally reached out and shook it, laughing:

"It's such a coincidence that we are staying in the same hotel."

"Not just us, there are others."

After shaking hands, Essen Patel, holding a glass of wine, took the opportunity to sit opposite Luo An and said with a smile:

"In addition to me, the leader Philip from Houston and leader Wilson from Philadelphia are also here; we had a chat together this afternoon."

"Wow, it seems I missed a great gathering, truly a pity."

Luo An quickly finished the steak on the table, picked up his glass of wine, clinked it with the other party, and started chatting with a laugh.

Essen Patel spoke at a steady pace, and his tone was very amicable, indeed more like a scholar.

Luo An was not sure of the other person's intentions now, and it seemed inappropriate to just leave, so he began to ramble randomly in conversation with the other party.

Seeing Luo An dragging the topic further and further away—from the steak on the table to the forest fires in the neighboring federal states each year—Essen Patel glanced at his watch, saw that it was already past midnight, twitched the corner of his mouth, raised his wine glass, clinked with Luo An, and finally brought up the main topic:

"Deputy Leader Greenwood, I wonder what your views are on our ten special investigation teams?"

"Special Investigation Team?"

Hearing Essen Patel's question, Luo An's heart stirred, but he didn't answer and instead asked:

"I wonder, Leader Patel, what are your views on the special investigation teams?"

Essen Patel gave a slight smile and didn't answer:

"Deputy Leader Greenwood, this is the question I'm asking you."

"I see."

Realizing the situation, Luo An patted his head and then replied with a smile:

"My views on the special investigation teams are the same as yours, Leader Patel."

"..."

Hearing Luo An's answer, Essen Patel was caught between laughter and tears, thinking to himself:

"It seems the information gathered was correct; Luo An Greenwood is indeed a cautious and cunning fox, no wonder he can control a special investigation team at such a young age."

Given Essen Patel's dissatisfaction, Luo An's smile remained. He really didn't know what Essen Patel was thinking or what he wanted to do.

In such a situation, he naturally couldn't reveal his own judgments—who knows if the other party's stance would be friend or foe.

Seeing that he wouldn't get anything unless he revealed something, Luo An kept feigning ignorance; Essen Patel stopped being cryptic and directly leaked a piece of information in a low voice:

"Deputy Leader Greenwood, it's said that one of the reasons the Washington Headquarters called us here is to see whether our special investigation teams are really necessary."

Luo An's eyebrows raised when he heard this, and he finally understood what Essen Patel meant.