The world of American TV series: Starting with the L.A. Patrol.

Everyone asked Marlo Burns a few more questions, and in the end they couldn't help but sigh at the cruel fate.

Due to lack of authority, even Shane Lanston, the security director who planned this private arms deal, did not know that there was a problem with the missiles, so he carefully designed this embezzlement drama.

They deliberately manufactured fake "problematic" chips, and spent more than half a year intercepting enough chips from the normal production process bit by bit. They also bribed people at the Denver missile manufacturing plant to install GPS positioning on the transport trucks, and then let the "AM" people intercept the missile entities halfway.

This series of arrangements is ingenious, but they encounter Tony Swan, a dedicated former Army Military Police special investigator, who also happens to have a group of outstanding former teammates.

"AM", the middleman who must not be exposed, was unexpectedly investigated by Calvin Franz, Sanchez and Orozco.

Unfortunately, because they lacked the protection of their official identities after retiring from the army, they were easily silenced by Lanston, a former "police chief" who had some influence in New York.

Jack didn't know what mistake Tony Swan made that was discovered by Lanston, but it was obvious that he initially treated this matter as an ordinary case of corporate espionage.

This can be judged based on their recent investigations. Franz simply encrypted and saved the investigation data out of professional habit.

Sanchez and Orozco were also unaware of the risks until they learned the identity of the middleman "AM" from the DHS through their connections.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Before they could alert others, they were found by professional killers sent by Lanston.

Negli didn't know whether she was too lucky or too unlucky. She missed Franz's email because she was working on a case outside. Otherwise, she might have escaped with her cleverness, allowing Reacher to intervene in advance, and maybe she could have saved a few people in time.

Of course, it is meaningless to make such an assumption now. Marlo Burns was really scared when she heard that so many people had died because of this.

"So Swann is not missing, he is probably already..."

"It's hard to say. We found his electronic signature on the manifest of the hijacked missiles. Maybe Lanston has locked him up somewhere so that he can take the blame later."

This big man O'Donnell is actually the most emotional and optimistic among the remaining special investigators.

"I hope so. Lanston has been a policeman for more than 30 years. He is very cautious and never leaves any trace. Shortly after Swan disappeared, he called me to his office and put the bag of money on the table, threatening me to help cover up the things Swan revealed.

I dare not refuse to accept the money, otherwise I will also become a missing person." Marlo Burns crossed his arms, looking frightened.

"How complicated is it to install the chip containing the 'Little Wings' program into a missile?" Lei Che, who had been silent all this time and seemed to be wandering in space, now collected his thoughts and asked thoughtfully.

"For people who have no idea about it, it takes an engineer to demonstrate it a few times, but the operation is not complicated and ordinary people can do it." Marlo Burns looked a little confused, not understanding why he asked this.

Jack had already guessed where Reacher was going to start, "Then do you know the identity of the engineer who was in cahoots with Lanston?"

The whereabouts of the missing anti-aircraft missiles are still unknown. The DHS and FBI tracked them down to a small airport but lost the clue. They believe that the entire container was loaded onto a small private plane.

However, given the density and busyness of small airports around New York, further investigation will take a lot of time.

But how much time do they have? According to the whereabouts of "AM" previously investigated by DHS, he should have arrived in New York. Maybe the missiles are already in his hands, and he is just waiting for the chips to be in place before sending them overseas.

You have to know that the Port of New York is one of the largest seaports in the world, with an annual container throughput of nearly 10 million. It is conceivable how difficult it is to accurately intercept one of the vast number of container cargoes without any clues.

If the identity of the engineer can be confirmed, the time and place of the transaction between the two parties can be learned through him. As the saying goes, money comes with goods, and bearer bonds must be traded face to face, and the same goes for instructions on chip installation and how to use those anti-aircraft missiles.

Unfortunately, Marlo Burns' answer disappointed everyone. "I don't know. There are more than 20 engineers involved. Swan didn't have time to find out who was colluding with Lanston."

In this case, it seems that there are only two options left for us. Either the FBI and DHS take action directly and raid the headquarters of "New Era Technology" tonight.

Or continue to wait, closely monitor the movements of Lanston and his men, and catch them in the act when they are trading with "AM".

The problem is that neither of these two options is very good. If only Lanston's group is captured, it is likely to alert "AM" and cause him to escape with the 650 missiles in his hands.

Although these missiles do not have chips, that is just software after all, and there is no major problem with the hardware itself.

The effective range is too short and the warhead power is too small, that is for the target aircraft. No one stipulates that portable air defense missiles can only attack aerial targets.

If these missiles were modified and used as rockets and appeared on the international arms market, or even simply scattered in the United States, any damage caused would be blamed on everyone, considering that there were 650 missiles in total.

Moreover, Reacher would definitely not be happy about letting the FBI and DHS take action. The harsh words the big guy said in front of his brother were not just empty talk. He really intended to kill Lanston and his men to avenge his friend.

As for surveillance and tracking, just look at Danny's embarrassed face and you'll know that their NYPD had taken over this job before, but the cunning Lanston has been hiding in the "New Age Technology" headquarters and has not shown up.

After being broken into once by some people, the security intensity of "New Age Technology" has been more than increased. Neither plainclothes police officers from the NYPD nor undercover agents from the FBI can easily sneak in.

When everyone was at a loss, Jack's eyes kept wandering between Marlo Burns, who was still sobbing, and Reacher.

"Maybe we can." The two men looked at each other and spoke almost at the same time. Jack made a gesture, indicating that the big guy should continue.

Reacher paused and spoke again, "Ms. Burns, since Lanston is cautious and will never leave any trouble behind, I need you to help call him."

-

"Marlo? Where have you been these days? I've been worried about you." Lanston's old and hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I had to go out of town for a few days, and a particularly strong man brought some people to find me a few days ago and asked me about Swan. After that, I found that I was being followed.

They even broke into my house the night before and threatened me and my daughter." Marlo Burns said the lines Jack prepared for her in a somewhat panicked tone.

"What did you tell them?" Lanston's tone rose slightly.

Jack quickly wrote a few words on the paper. Marlo Burns nodded slightly to show that she understood and continued on the phone, "I talked a lot of nonsense, but they know about the 'Little Wings' project. I'm worried that sooner or later they will find out something is wrong and come after me again."

Lanston pretended to be relaxed on the other end of the phone and said, "Remember what I told you when I first found you? As long as you do what I say, you will make a lot of money, and I will guarantee the safety of you and your daughter.

I am a man and I keep my promises, so where are you? I will come and get you myself. ”