Chapter 48: Jin Hu's Contempt

  The old man said, having come this far, took a sip of coffee and his gaze fell on the badge again: "Just after its establishment, it ushered in a period of great development. At that time, McCarthyism was rampant, countless people were investigated, and the whole United States was in chaos. This not only affected the police's duties but also some detectives in the police force were said to be communists or sympathizers with international communism and were investigated. Some police chiefs decided to integrate their forces to protect themselves in this movement. Nineteen police chiefs secretly held the first meeting at a farm in Ohio to integrate the Knights, which is the origin of the Blue Shield Knights. The first nineteen people were called Blue Blood Knights, and later increased to thirty-three."

  Jin Hu thought to himself that no wonder others couldn't see the police badge he was holding, it turned out that he had already become a lawbreaker with a license.

  "Wait until McCarran fails, and finally dies of excessive drinking," he said with a sarcastic smile: "Some blue-blooded knights think that the Knights should be disbanded, but by then they were already powerless. Just the annual income from the black gangs' extortion was enough to shut up most of the blue-blooded knights." The old man sighed and continued: "The team formed by interests had long abandoned its original intention. Even after the government's repeated crackdowns, many police chiefs were eliminated, but the Knights still existed, becoming more secretive while using their funds to infiltrate politics."

  "I didn't see any report about this." Jin Hu asked the old man, "How did you know so clearly?"

  The old man smiled and said: "At that time, more than 10,000 police were indirectly involved, and it was just after the riot period. If this were to be reported, I think the public would react with another riot. Even now, it cannot be reported unless the government wants to cause panic. Behind the scenes, several generations of presidents have been secretly cracking down on the Knights' power. They cannot be eradicated. In the 1970s and 1980s, the third generation of Blue Blood Knights began to reorganize the Knights, eliminating those who were not resolute, exposing them to the government in large numbers, confusing the government, and ensuring that elite personnel gained promotion opportunities. At the same time, they established an external Knights' group, greatly reducing the scale of the Blue Shield Knights, and the main body of the Knights was divided into two categories: Gatekeepers and Lantern Bearers. The Gatekeepers were responsible for the external Knights, while the Lantern Bearers were rooted in the police force and also infiltrated politics. One outside and one inside cooperated with each other, the Lantern Bearers did not get involved in any dirty business, only providing information and protection, while the Gatekeepers were responsible for providing funds for business."

  The old man sighed: "It wasn't until the third generation of the Holy Temple Knights that they became really terrifying. The peripheral knights were all border-crossing cases, and they were familiar with the police's handling methods. With the protection of the local police officers' lanterns, it was extremely difficult to crack the case. Now, the Knights' drugs and arms are all profitable, basically a no-loss business. They have become a bigger tumor than the Mafia. I once had hopes of becoming a Blue Blood. When I attended the meeting, candidates like me wore high-collared uniforms and sunglasses, so that no one could see each other's faces. Behind us were 33 small grid houses, where the Blue Blood Knights sat. If you've been to the confession room in church, you know what those little houses are like. I couldn't distinguish their voices, nor did I know if they recognized each other."

  Jin Hu looked at the old man's face and saw a painful expression.

  The old man's face suddenly lit up with a smile: "Since I became a member of the Knights, I have always been honored, until my retirement, looking at the medals one by one. I often ask myself what I did for my country, and I recall the aspirations when I first joined the police force: to combat crime, protect citizens. But I became one of the criminals, this thought kept appearing in my mind, getting stronger and stronger, making me unable to sleep. Until I decided to speak out, during this period, I slept very well every day, better than ever."

  "In the end, you've already seen it, the Knights have won again." Jin Hu said, looking at the old man.

  The old man laughed until he was out of breath, pointing at Jin Hu and saying "Won?" Then he put his hands on the table with a smile, looking at Jin Hu: "You won't have victory, only one defeat after another! The game has just begun, but the final result is already set. No government will allow you to exist."

  Jin Hu looked at the old man's complacent face and also smiled: "Then I don't care", my legs are on me, isn't it easy to run away? Even if someone tries to stop me from escaping later.

  "I originally thought the Blue Bloods would directly eliminate the mole or use scandals to get rid of them, but unexpectedly, they've played a big move! It's so big that it's tolling their own funeral bell!" The old man said, looking at Jin Hu: "As soon as we finished talking here, the gentleman in the White House has already authorized a re-investigation into the Knights' Guild. This time, you won't be dealing with rookies. Who knows, you might even encounter the CIA. Because of the information I have in my hands, the Knights' Guild has never infiltrated or shown interest in infiltrating."

  Jin Hu looked at the old man with a smug expression and asked: "Are you very happy now?"

  "I am extremely happy that until my death I have done something meaningful for my country, removing a parasitic tumor from his body."

  Jintiger thought for a moment and then asked: "You're telling me this because you're not afraid I'll spread it around?"

  "What's the point of saying it out loud? Unless the Knights' Order disbands itself, this matter is unsolvable! Now things are no longer in the control of the blue-blooded Knights! The old man laughed happily: "Moreover, some forces from the political circle of the Knights' Order have already surfaced. The White House just doesn't want to make a big deal out of it because of the impact. Do you think they're really afraid of you? If the Knights' Order dares to make another big move, maybe the White House will tear off its mask and confront the Knights' Order! Will you be their match? Don't worry! I'll wait for you in hell."

  Jin Hu smiled and asked the old man: "Is life at home good now?"

  The old man was taken aback and looked at Jin Hu with a cold face, saying: "You want to deal with my family? Has the Knights' Order become like this now?"

  Shaking his head, Jin Hu said: "Nothing, I just asked you, how's your material life after retirement?"

  The old man thought for a moment and nodded, saying: "Very good, with retirement pay and the Knights' sponsorship, this part has already been exempted. Now it's my legitimate income." After thinking for a moment, the old man said: "Actually, it's very good, and there are also three million in assets, I have to thank you for that."

  Here is the translation:

  "Uh-huh!" Jin Hu nodded and said to the old man, "You eat with the Knights' Guild, use the Knights' Guild's resources, and countless honors are also given by the Knights' Guild. Do you know what kind of person you are?" Looking at the old man's face, Jin Hu slowly spat out a sentence: "This kind of person is called 'holding up the bowl to eat, putting down the bowl to scold their mother'. If it weren't for the Knights' Guild, you might still be just an investigator even after retirement, and you and your wife would be frugal to support your children's education. Who knows, maybe your daughter would have to rely on stripping to earn tuition fees." Jin Hu couldn't help but feel disgusted by the old man's self-satisfied look. What a joke! He came here showing off his bravery, with a face like he had just achieved enlightenment before death. The country that the old man loved had nothing to do with Jin Hu. Even after he died, his wife and children would still be spending the Knights' Guild's money. It was as if they were handing over all their money. And yet, this kind of person dared to claim patriotism? What a farce!

  The old man was stunned by Jin Hu's words and his face finally showed a look of confusion.

  "Alright! Now that we've said what needed to be said, let's get going!" Jin Hu said as he raised the gun in his hand.

  "The old man himself" turned around and went to the back drawer, picked up a handgun, sat back in his chair, shaking both hands, pointing the gun at his own head.

  Jin Hu sat opposite him, looking at the old man who had tried several times without success, and said with a playful smile: "Do you want me to help you?"

  Looking at the smile on Jin Hu's face across from him. The old man tightly closed his eyes and ruthlessly pulled the trigger.

  Bang! The old man's body slumped onto the chair, twitched slightly twice and stopped moving. Jin Hu stood up from the chair, picked up the coffee cup in his hand, walked to one side of the sink to wash it, and placed it on the table. He turned around, took the badge and his own gun from the table into his hands.

  At this time, the old man's leg-side dog was lying on the ground, as if he had sensed his master's departure, and just hung his head.

  He took a glance at the old man's body and the red and white splatters on the floor. Jin Hu turned his head and left the room.

  Back in the car, lit a cigarette, took a hard drag and then spat it out, reducing the bloody smell in his nostrils, started the fire and reversed the car. The car drove onto the small road.

  The town at this time had fewer cars on the road, Jin Hu held a cigarette in his hand and drove while occasionally taking two puffs, trying to dispel the smell in his nose. This smell made Jin Hu's heart involuntarily feel a thread of irritation, with a murderous impulse in his heart.

  After a while, I saw a petite person standing under the streetlight, looking around. When Jinhu's car approached, he realized that he had seen her before - it was the freckled girl who had chatted with him at the restaurant.

  Jin Hu stopped the car by the side of the road and got out, saying "Hey!" to the girl.

  The freckled girl looked at Jin Hu for a few seconds before recognizing him: "Hello!"

  I patted the roof of the car: "Want me to give you a ride?"

  The freckled girl hesitated for a moment, Jin Hu smiled at her and got back in the car. Just as he was about to start the engine, he heard a voice from behind: "Hey! Wait!" The door was then pulled open, and the freckled girl sat down in the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt while introducing herself to Jin Hu: "My name is Annie."

  "Brian!" Jin Hu started the car after fastening his seatbelt: "Where are we going?"

  "Keep driving along this road and it will take you to my home in about ten minutes," Annie said, turning to Jinhu and asking, "How's your farm coming along?"

  "Impossible! You're going to have to wait for someone to come and pick you up."

  "Wait for my sister, she forgot about time again," Annie said to Jinhu. Then looked at Jinhu and asked: "Are you a rich man?"

  Jintiger was suddenly amused by this girl: "What is called a rich man?"

  The girl's explanation made Jin Hu even happier: "It's the kind of person who doesn't have to do anything and still has money."

  "I'm not, I want to work."

  Annie looked at Jinhu again: "I don't think so! But I can feel that you're an easy person to get along with".

  Jin Hu glanced at his own daughter who was holding a tray and smiled as he looked ahead.

  "My intuition is quite accurate, and I can tell your zodiac sign." Looking at Jinhu's smiling face, he said more confidently: "You're a Taurus, aren't you?"

  Jin Hu teased the girl: "How did you know?"

  Clutching his fist and waving it: "Yes! I knew it!" Then he began to speak his own conjecture.

  Jin Hu drove while listening to the girl's nonsense beside him. When they arrived at their destination and he dropped off the girl, Jin Hu found that his feeling of annoyance had disappeared. As he watched the girl waving goodbye to him in the rearview mirror, Jin Hu stuck out his hand and waved back at her.