New Gods of North America.

Chapter 579 Light and Shadow
At midnight, the bonfire party had long since ended, and the area around the mill had fallen silent once more.
The agents who are about to be dispatched can rest tomorrow, and will officially set off the day after tomorrow. So after fighting for half a day and drinking all night, the detective agency's team will spend the night at the mill.

According to Wayne's plan, this place will become a "workshop" for mass-producing sauces, reconstituted cheese, and luncheon meat. It will also serve as the detective agency's base in Richmond, where agents will routinely gather.
Unfortunately, only the fence has been built so far, and the log cabins for living have not yet been renovated and rebuilt. So the ladies are temporarily living in the mill, while the men are on their own, whether they are setting up tents, sleeping in carriages, or crawling into the original dilapidated log cabins.

A figure tiptoed away from the mill, not daring to use the "main gate," and tried several times to climb over the wall before finally succeeding.
The owl, which had just recovered from being a "free-range chicken" to a "glider," had already taken to the night sky. A small group of heads quickly gathered together again inside the enclosure, and a simple grid pattern was drawn on the ground by tree branches.

Lina looked up at the owl's location. "Minimum bet is $1. Those who bet correctly will split the winnings proportionally, and those who bet incorrectly will lose everything. Hurry, or we'll be too late."

There are four betting options: escape, go home, have a secret rendezvous, or report them.
These correspond to several scenarios for the little black girl: "attempting to escape the plantation again," "returning after reaching the slave community," "returning after having private contact with a black slave," and "returning after having contact with the supervisors or overseers."

Although the detective agency was willing to accept the little black girl, the "personnel screening" was still a hurdle that no one could avoid.
After all, the young woman had a criminal record for attempting to flee, so Wayne and his team couldn't rule out the possibility that she was an undercover agent sent by the Beaton family.

The reason why "reporting" is set as "contact with stewards or overseers" is that slaves are not actually qualified to report "heretics" and "fallen ones" to the church. If they encounter street police or slave patrols on the way, they will be arrested on the spot. Even if the report is true, it does not mean that they have a reason to act without the master's consent.

Regardless of the specific reasons behind Xiao Hei Niu's actions, the more acceptable options for the detective agency are "going home" and "having a secret rendezvous," while the more understandable option is "running away."
If there are signs of "whistleblowing," whether the little black girl intends to reveal information about the detective agency's extraordinary individuals or tries to secretly pass on the detective agency's internal information to the Beaton family, it means that she is "untrustworthy."

Lina pulled a $10 bill from a roll of banknotes and placed her bet first. "I talked to her for a while tonight, and I feel that her thoughts aren't that complicated. The slave who ran away with her last time was probably her lover. Now that the situation has stabilized a bit, I think she'll probably go and confirm with him that she's safe."

Willie and Emma teamed up to earn pocket money. The two little ones whispered to each other for a while and then placed a large double eagle gold coin on "Going Home": "She secretly hid a lot of food tonight. If she was just going on a date, she probably wouldn't have needed to bring so much."

Doug and Ryan were more rational, following Inessa's example by simply observing without participating. The remaining agents who gathered around hesitated, with most betting on either "reporting" or "escaping."

Sanders had been teased all night and hadn't recovered from today's "social death." He barely spoke and had a misanthropic air about him, as if to say, "Boss, you decide who to cut, and I'll cut them."

Wayne pondered for a moment, "What if more than one scenario occurs? How should that be calculated?"

"Surely it's not that serious?" Lina asked, slightly suspicious, glancing down at the grass. "Going home first, then having a secret rendezvous, then running away after reporting him? Is it really necessary to have such a busy nightlife?"

Inessa understood: "According to the books I read in Windsor, the punishment for runaway slaves in the American South was severe. Female slaves might be better off, but male slaves would at least face whipping or other forms of corporal punishment, and they are likely still in solitary confinement. Other slaves may also be under stricter supervision."

"So whether it's 'going home' or 'having a secret rendezvous,' it would probably require the supervisor's permission, which would look like 'reporting'."

Lina understood and immediately began to plug the loopholes, "Peter and Liam are both with her right now. If it's to plead for someone to see her lover or family, it doesn't count as 'whistleblowing.' It only counts if the relevant content is discussed."

"alright."

Wayne tossed a dollar into the "Go Home" sign, as if tossing it into a wishing well to see the splash. "She grew up on a plantation, she should know what's going on. It's unrealistic for her to want to see her companions again after only three days."

……

With Lina following along enthusiastically, Wayne wasn't too worried about the person running away. He was about to return to the carriage and take a nap while waiting for news when Willie poked his head out again, seemingly checking if Wayne was asleep.

Remembering that Willie seemed to have shown similar signs during the team building activity earlier today, Wayne knocked on the car window from inside, "What's up?"

Willie was a little embarrassed: "I've made some progress on the case I'm investigating recently. It's not exactly a critical breakthrough, so I wanted to find a time when you're not too busy to give you a brief update..."

"It's alright, come in and talk."

Wayne was quite free right now. It was the middle of the night, and nothing was urgent. He was just a little curious about how things were going with the little black girl; otherwise, he would have been fast asleep.
After getting into the car, Willie pondered for a moment: "Although we haven't found any more direct physical evidence, James Damody's gang isn't always discreet. Through our interviews, we've now found some witnesses willing to testify against them. If the jury accepts their testimonies, we might be able to wipe out his gang right now."

"Can you exonerate that journalist from before?" Wayne asked.

Willie shook his head. "They're all related cases... If James Damody doesn't plead guilty, the charges will fall on other members of his gang. But once those members are caught, it will be enough to cripple their gang."

This is what makes gangs so troublesome. If it were a bandit gang operating in the wild, they would kill everyone present, one by one, considering it "eliminating a scourge for the people."
However, gang leaders often don't need to take action themselves. If there is no direct evidence and their subordinates don't come forward to identify them, then they are often considered "innocent."

As for those who hide behind the scenes and direct gang leaders, they are usually even more "innocent"—trying to accuse them might actually result in being convicted of defamation.

Wayne thought for a moment, "So your suggestion is to temporarily abandon the journalist case and Mr. Schwartz who's hiding behind it, and instead directly prosecute members of their gang based on other related cases with evidence and witnesses we already have?"

Willie seemed a little uneasy: "Yes... sir, last time you asked me to contact the prosecutor in Richmond, he expressed the same opinion as me. He believes that rather than being held back by unresolved cases, it's better to bring the gang members who can already be convicted to court first. To ordinary people, those who directly take action are actually worse."

If you don't nip the problem in the bud, the consequences could be severe...

However, the list given by the priest of Tyrell... no, the bishop of Tyrell, only included James Damotic; Mr. Schwartz, who was behind him, was not among the intended "targets"...

Thinking of this, Wayne quickly nodded, "Okay, I support you in doing this. In any case, eradicating the gang is a good thing."

"Really?" Willie seemed slightly surprised, but mostly delighted.

Wayne smiled and patted Willie on the shoulder, encouraging him, "Yeah, go for it. Let me know if you need any support."

This is a kind child. With the right guidance, he might have the potential to become an excellent detective.
Before Willie left, looking quite energetic, Wayne casually added, "Oh, and by the way, could you call Doug and 'Soften' over here for me?"

(End of this chapter)