Legendary FBI Detective

Investigation Team 13 Office Area.

"Security company information blocked?!"

As Mona's voice fell, Reesi, Winslow, and Michelle's faces filled with surprised as they widened their eyes, and Chenier was also very shocked, hurriedly asking:

"Which department blocked it?"

Mona rapidly tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and a red warning message appeared on her laptop:

"It's the USSS! (Secret Service)"

Luo An's expression was unchanged as he asked:

"What's the reason?"

Mona spread her hands, her expression rather grim:

"It involves secrets, no specific reason provided."

Winslow and the others exchanged glances filled with suspicion and unease. Chenier turned to Luo An and made a suggestion:

"Should we call that Secret Service agent, Alehlo-Moore, over?"

"We could try, but he's just a regular agent, not even a team leader, with limited authority, so I'm afraid he might not have the power to help."

Luo An did not reject Chenier's suggestion, having Reesi and Chenier go call Alehlo-Moore while he briefly organized some documents and once again headed to Vireness's office, carrying his laptop.

"Information is locked?"

In the office, Vireness frowned deeply as she took the laptop from Luo An. Without hesitation, she immediately looked up the relevant phone number and called the Secret Service.

The call was quickly connected. Luo An watched the scene and picked up a coffee pot to pour coffee for himself and for Vireness. Vireness casually took the cup and said:

"Hello, I am Vireness, the Work Assistant of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services department, FBI Washington Headquarters."

"Hello."

A somewhat hoarse middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone:

"What can I do for you?"

"We are currently investigating a case here."

Vireness briefly described the overview of the case at hand, finally expressing the hope that the Secret Service would unblock the security company's information for the FBI.

As Vireness finished speaking, there were a few seconds of silence on the phone, and the voice responded without any fluctuations:

"Sorry, I can't help you."

Vireness's face turned cold:

"Why?"

"The security company is involved with some government officials' safety information."

The Federation Secret Service's job is primarily to protect the Federation's President and Vice President, their spouses and families, visiting foreign dignitaries and their spouses, important figures, government officials, and others.

The man on the phone was articulate and impeccable in his speech, but his attitude was perfunctory. To Vireness's questions, his answers were simple:

Can't do it, no authority, go find a higher-up.

– Click –

After slamming down the desk phone, Vireness's chest heaved with anger, her face extremely unpleasant.

Breathing deeply a few times to suppress the negative emotions, Vireness looked at Luo An sitting across from her and said in a deep voice:

"An hour ago, Mr. Clement went to Capitol Hill."

Vireness was very angry, but the Secret Service spoke in bureaucratic jargon, sound in logic, leaving no room for her to find fault. Without their cooperation, she could not force them and could only wait to seek help from Mr. Clement.

In truth, Vireness would rather not seek help from Mr. Clement because, on one hand, she was a rather proud woman who preferred to solve problems on her own in her work.

On the other hand, Vireness was somewhat afraid of being looked down upon by Luo An. She had been transferred to FBI Headquarters because of Luo An. Now encountering problems and needing to seek help from Mr. Clement, she felt like her role as a superior seemed somewhat redundant.

As for seeking help from the Minister of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Department, Sidis, Vireness quickly tossed that idea in the trash after a moment's thought.

FBI Washington Headquarters, under the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Department, has a total of thirteen investigation teams, each team leader backed by different powers.

Minister Sidis had the support of a former Deputy Director behind him. Due to some issues, the Deputy Director retired voluntarily, and Minister Sidis used some methods to keep his position at the price of beginning his semi-retired life.

With financial power in his hands, the majority of the work was delegated to Vireness and several other work assistants, Sidis allocating most duties.

Now, the focus was to help Luo An solve the problem; other matters could be set aside temporarily. Pushing the myriad of thoughts in her mind aside, Vireness looked at Luo An and said:

"Luo An, go back to Investigation Team 13 for now. I will take care of this matter for you tomorrow."

Luo An's gaze flickered slightly as he put down the coffee cup and asked with a smile:

"Chief, I heard you have a pretty good relationship with the IRS?"

Luo An didn't actually like always asking Mr. Clement for help, especially since things hadn't reached a dead end yet.

If the Secret Service Bureau wasn't cooperative, Luo An had other ways to get the security company's information, such as having Mona hack in, or asking the IRS for help.

But the former was unnecessary, and it was not quite convenient to talk about asking other departments for help directly, as it seemed important to save some face for the Chief. So Luo An subtly hinted Vireness.

"IRS?"

Vireness was taken aback for a moment, not catching on immediately. After serious thought for a few seconds, she recalled that Luo An was referring to Supervisor Elmer from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Department (IRS-CI).

Vireness had cooperated with Elmer in the past, and the relationship was okay, but they didn't contact each other much on a regular basis and she didn't think of him immediately.

After Luo An's reminder, Vireness suddenly remembered this and her eyes lit up. She picked up the landline and called Elmer.

"Hello, this is the IRS, I'm Elmer."

"Hello, Supervisor Elmer, I'm Vireness."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Vireness steered the conversation to the matter at hand.

At first, Supervisor Elmer was a bit hesitant, but after hearing that the case's principal agent was Luo An, he immediately agreed:

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

"Thank you, Supervisor Elmer."

After hanging up the phone, Vireness looked at Luo An with shining eyes.

Vireness knew about Elmer's rise from Group Leader to Supervisor, and she was aware of the relationship between Luo An and Supervisor Elmer. She also realized that Luo An's words had just given her a way out.

Suppressing a slightly heavy breath and calming her emotions, Vireness spoke in a very gentle tone:

"Supervisor Elmer has agreed, Luo An, you go to his office later."

"OK."

Luo An smiled and nodded in agreement, tilted his head back to finish the coffee in his cup, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then got up and left the office.

Watching Luo An's retreating back, Vireness's bright eyes moved, and she raised her eyebrows in contemplation. After a few seconds, she opened a drawer, pulled out a small notebook, and started writing silently:

1. The coffee beans were good, Luo An seemed to like them, buy more next time.

2. Some people from the Secret Service Bureau are making trouble, refusing to cooperate, I will remember this.

————

The Federal Internal Revenue Service Building, at the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the Northwest District of Washington, D.C., looked very square and serious, not far from the FBI Washington Headquarters.

Led by an IRS agent, Luo An entered the IRS-CI (Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation) area and met Supervisor Elmer in an office.

"Ha-ha, Group Leader Luo An!"

Upon entering the office, Supervisor Elmer gave Luo An a big hug, patting his back and laughing:

"I really didn't expect you to be transferred to work in Washington D.C. so quickly!"

"Lucky me."

Luo An and Supervisor Elmer patted each other's backs and laughed:

"Cracked a few cases and got transferred here."

"Lucky you?"

Elmer released the hug, poured two cups of coffee for himself and Luo An, then handed Luo An two small glasses of liquor with a smile:

"To luck!"

Looking at the glass in his hand, Luo An raised an eyebrow:

"Are you allowed to drink alcohol during work hours at the IRS?"

"Of course not!"

Elmer chuckled softly and whispered:

"We've been working overtime every day this week, a little drink's just a pick-me-up."

Luo An, having heard about the high pressure of work at the IRS, flashed a glint in his eyes, raised his glass to clink with Elmer's, and they both laughed and drank it down.

After putting down the glasses and exchanging a few pleasantries, they brought the conversation back to business, and Luo An asked:

"How's the situation with that security company?"