50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 627 Late Night Visit
Sun Zhiwei knew very well that the reason why the FBI and other departments still maintained this intelligence-sharing channel was not because they valued Pinkerton so much, but most likely because of the inertia of the agreement.

There used to be a joke that the company chairman saw someone standing at the company entrance every day for an hour before work started, and then leaving when it was time to start work.

After asking many employees, I learned that this person was a temporary worker hired during the company's renovation to guard the items in front of the company before work to prevent them from being stolen.

As a result, after the renovation was completed, the manager in charge of recruiting temporary workers resigned and left, and no one cared about the temporary workers' future.

The finance department simply distributes money each month based on pay slips and attendance records, without asking who the person is.

So this temporary worker stood at the company entrance for three years without it affecting his ability to work at another company.

The Pinkerton intelligence-sharing agreement is likely a similar case, with successive directors tacitly acknowledging its existence.

The later director may not have known about this, but the agreement remained in place, and as long as no one objected, it would continue to be implemented by those below.

For the current FBI, a behemoth, their director might not even be aware of such a historical agreement.

Even within the entire FBI, there may not be many people who know about this protocol, but it has always existed and is running smoothly.

What keeps this intelligence-sharing agreement in place are the liaison personnel between the two sides.

This contact person is most likely a regular individual; they are currently part of this chain of interests, which is why they are proactively maintaining this intelligence channel.

He didn't know whether there were more people involved in this intelligence chain.

It was already dark, and everyone was having dinner. Many families liked to talk about things while eating, and Sun Zhiwei naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to gather information.

He enveloped the houses of the five families in the intelligence department, quietly listening to them eat and chat.

During this period, although no confidential information was obtained, the relationship between the five companies was roughly understood.

Section Chief Ruhr Kentall cultivated a relationship with Joe Frank, the head of the security team, while Terrence Williams of the archives became acquainted with Grace Perez, the head of the intelligence analysis team.

Only the liaison officer, Arthur Taylor, worked alone, or rather, he didn't get along well with the other four companies.

Because he controls the lifeline of the intelligence department, a resource that the other four companies covet.

Sun Zhiwei noticed this because Arthur Taylor always carried a weapon with him wherever he went.

Although the United States does not ban guns, it is rare to see someone like him who carries a gun at all times. This extraordinary vigilance must have a reason.

Around 9 p.m., families with children started making noise as they prepared their children for bed.

The young Arthur Taylor family, on the other hand, became quiet. The Taylors had finished washing up and were lying on the bedside reading quietly.

Feeling that the time was just right, Sun Zhiwei immediately left the tunnel, returned to the street, climbed over the wall from the backyard into Taylor's house, turned to the front of the house, and gently knocked on the living room door.

Under Sun Zhiwei's spatial reflection, he saw the Taylors immediately pull out a pistol from under their pillows after hearing the knock on the door, and then roll off the bed onto the floor beside it.

Sun Zhiwei knew that knocking on the door so late at night was frightening, but he still continued to knock gently.

Seeing that he had not been attacked and that the knocking was still going on, Taylor told his wife to hide while he took his pistol and went downstairs to the living room.

Taylor hid behind the door and coldly called out, "Who is it?" "Mr. Taylor, I am James Robert. We met this morning."

The voice sounded familiar, and Taylor immediately recalled the new chairman he had met that morning, but he remained vigilant.

“Mr. James, it’s so late. Please come to the company tomorrow to discuss anything.”

“Taylor, I think you know why I came to see you tonight. We should talk. This is an opportunity to change your current situation.”

Sun Zhiwei guessed that Taylor was being ostracized in the intelligence department. Although he didn't know Taylor's specific situation, he could roughly guess it from the different family situations of several families, so he might as well try to fool him.

As expected, Sun Zhiwei's words silenced Taylor inside the door. Sun Zhiwei wasn't in a hurry and waited quietly at the door.

After a while, the door opened, and Taylor stood in the doorway holding a pistol, while Sun Zhiwei cooperated by placing his hands where Taylor could see them.

Given Sun Zhiwei's cautious nature, he certainly wouldn't be unprepared when faced with firearms.

Just now, he had removed 90% of the gunpowder from the first bullet in Taylor's pistol.

Such bullets can be fired, but whether the bullet can leave the barrel depends on luck. This operation can ensure his own safety silently.

Taylor relaxed when he saw that Sun Zhiwei was unarmed. He lowered the muzzle of his pistol and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

Sun Zhiwei followed him into the living room on the first floor. The two sat down on the sofa, and Taylor's wife came downstairs and poured each of them a cup of coffee.

Drinking coffee so late at night? Unless he's planning to stay up all night, Sun Zhiwei politely declines.

He greeted Taylor's wife, Mira, before asking, "Do you have any whiskey?"

"Yes, Mr. James, please wait a moment." Soon, the coffee was replaced with whiskey.

Mira knew they had something to talk about, so she tactfully left the living room and went back to her bedroom upstairs.

“Mr. James, I know what you want. You want to control the entire intelligence department, right?”

“That’s right, everyone knows that, but what I’m most interested in are the materials in the archives, the databases, and the intelligence channels you have access to.”

Sun Zhiwei didn't want to beat around the bush. He had so many things to do and didn't have time to stay in Chicago and get entangled with them over such a small amount of money.

His directness caught Taylor off guard, leaving her momentarily unsure how to respond.

After a moment, he said, "Our five families have controlled the entire Pinkerton intelligence system for half a century."

“I know, but you need to understand that this intelligence system was left behind by Pinkerton. It belongs to Pinkerton Corporation, not to you.”

“Your five families have made outstanding contributions to maintaining the intelligence system, but that is not a reason for you to usurp the company’s interests.”

“This is what we deserve.” Although Taylor was ostracized, he still subconsciously protected the interests of their small circle.

“But now the other four companies want to exclude you.” Sun Zhiwei pointed out his current situation incisively.

(End of this chapter)