I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 138: Heroes Join Forces, the FBI Director's Swan Song
For several days afterward, there were no sudden arrests or suspicious surveillance. The Irish gang acted as usual, as if the secret meeting that night had never happened.

This calm allowed Hoover, who was prepared to escape, to gradually relax his tense nerves.

He certainly wouldn't believe everything Logan said; he would only listen to actual performance.

So far, it seems that Logan has not revealed his identity, and his loyalty has passed the initial test.

A subtle sense of satisfaction rose in Hoover's heart.

His judgment of people has been proven once again!

With his identity now safe, Hoover prepared to devote all his energy to his soon-to-be-finished "Hero" career.

Yes, a heroic cause!
Hoover originally scoffed at any "list of heroes" and avoided it like the plague, fearing social death if his identity were exposed.

But as the influence of the list of heroes grew and it gradually became a topic of conversation among ordinary Americans, a subtle competitive spirit began to grow in his heart.

I, Edgar Hoover, have always been a strong-willed man; how could I possibly be content to lag behind others?

Even though he was operating in this gray area, "Director" was by no means an ordinary person; he was destined to become a top figure in this underworld.

This final operation not only marked a glorious end to this special experience but also served as a preview that would impress even the most valiant heroes.

Well, after witnessing the abilities of many heroes and talented people, Hoover had even more ideas in mind.

Let’s not mention it for now.

Hoover was preparing to complete a mission issued by the Irish gang at Arkham Heroes Academy.

This brings us to the bootlegging industry in the Midwest.

Compared to the East, where gangs clash directly and sometimes require government-backed heavy weapons for urban demolition battles, and to the South, where racial conflicts can trigger firestorms that sweep across several states, the Midwest presents a completely different competitive landscape.

The private liquor industry in the Midwest is still in a relatively fragmented and isolated state.

There is no large-scale, networked private liquor distribution system controlled by a few large families here.

Instead, a peculiar pattern emerged: "one hegemon in one city, one monopoly in one town."

Simply put, in the vast towns and villages of the Midwest, there exists a local master bootlegging dealer or a small organization that uses its geographical advantage and connections to firmly control the local bootlegging supply, forming a de facto regional monopoly.

These "monopolists" could be a former winemaker, a well-connected farmer, or even the local sheriff himself.

In response to this fragmented yet stable market structure, the Irish conglomerate, seeking to expand its influence, employed sophisticated business warfare strategies to break through.

Either send the monopolists to meet their maker, or cut off their funding.

The first approach is simple and brutal: physically eliminating the monopolist. However, this is not the first choice because it is likely to provoke a united backlash from local forces.

The second type is more "commercial." No matter how stable a monopoly is, it will collapse on its own once it loses the lifeblood it relies on—money.

These are all issued as Heroic Quests at Arkham Heroes Academy.

The task that Hoover and Tom's team took on was the second type.

It's said that bootleggers across the United States have amassed huge amounts of illicit cash, and hiding this wealth is a skill in itself.

There are countless ways to hide money, but in the Midwest, a group of people, for convenience and security, simply deposit it in bank vaults.

Yes, it's not deposited in a bank, but stored in a safe deposit box in a bank's vault.

Locking bundles of cash or valuables directly into a safe deposit box avoids the hassle of fund verification upon receipt and provides the security of a bank's secure vault and tight security – a win-win situation.

—This is how unregulated the American banking industry is these days. Under the "unit bank" system, thousands of small banks are scattered throughout towns and villages, with very loose supervision and highly subjective operations.

Hoover and Tom's team were targeting bank safe deposit boxes provided by Irish mutual aid organizations, organized by Irish gangs, and known to be rented by bootlegging monopolists.

In this "final work," Hoover truly showed a glimpse of what would become the future director of the FBI.

In his intelligence work prior to the operation, he used various means to gather damaging information on relevant bank executives—embezzlement of public funds, immoral lifestyles, irregular operations, and even certain ulterior political leanings.

He was like a patient spider, weaving an invisible intelligence network.

Then, either personally or anonymously, he had “friendly and insightful” conversations with these targets, “kindly” reminding them of the devastating impact that leaking certain information could have on their careers and family lives.

Faced with irrefutable evidence and potentially devastating consequences, these bank executives almost without exception "voluntarily" cooperated, revealing all the secrets within the bank.

Then there's Tom's specialty: devising meticulous action plans.

This time, they also applied the knowledge they learned in the academy from the textbook written by Ethan, the King of Escape, and decided to use the most covert method—digging tunnels.

Using rented warehouses or basements near target banks as cover, they worked at night, precisely calculating the location and depth, and silently digging tunnels directly beneath the bank's vault. After digging the tunnels, they didn't act immediately, but instead moved to another target and repeated the process.

Hoover's overall planning ensured that the tunnels already dug were not discovered and that the subsequent tunnel excavations were completed on schedule.

Finally, an auspicious day was chosen, and the operation was launched on a certain evening!
Using calculated minimum explosive charge, they carefully blasted a hole in the thick concrete floor of the vault large enough for two people to pass through.

The team members filed in, emptied the vault, and then quickly retreated along the same route, making a calm exit.

With Hoover and Tom's meticulous planning and flawless execution, a breathtaking storm of robberies swept through small banks in several Midwestern states.

Within a week, they "visited" fifteen banks in a row, as if they were on a meticulously planned tour!
On their busiest night, they "visited" three banks in a row, making them arguably the most efficient bank robbery ever.

A week later, The Sun's Heroes of the Year list revealed their record, and the whole country was in an uproar!

This episode's heroes are also familiar faces, but it's the "Director" whose reputation wasn't too high before!
[Director]

Introduction: In the first issue of the list, we introduced his exceptional learning ability and strong intelligence analysis skills; this time, he has completed an amazing evolution, realizing his talent and bringing it to the Midwest!

Recent achievements: Together with his partner "Lucky Baron", he led an elite team to complete the "asset transfer" of fifteen banks located in different towns in just seven days, setting a historical record in the industry.

A hero's declaration: "Big Brother is watching you."

Commentary: "As the senior member of the list of outstanding individuals, the bureau chief did not rest on his laurels. By refining his professional skills and expanding the boundaries of heroic behavior, he provided a vivid warning to all younger heroes: never underestimate the fierce competition and limitless possibilities in this industry!"

The article uses a highly legendary and euphemistic style to describe how the "director" collected "customer" and bank information (but did not expose the colluding executives), planned and arranged everything in advance, and launched a unified operation to complete fifteen consecutive kills in just a few days.

By the way, the article specifically emphasizes that the "director's" team transferred a total of one million dollars in assets, but they only took the assets of the "criminals". The other citizens' assets have been deposited in a major bank in Chicago and will be returned to them after we at The Sun verify the information of the owners.

This is one of the major criteria for selecting heroes—not committing crimes for the sake of committing crimes.

The article also stated that "Lucky Baron" played a leadership role in this collaboration, but he indicated that the soul and greatest contributor to the entire operation was undoubtedly "Director," and that he himself had simply performed his duties perfectly. We respect and agree with this assessment.

In addition, the article also points out that this heroic operation shows that the heroes are no longer satisfied with fighting alone or simple joint operations, but have achieved a deep linkage and mutual learning in terms of experience, skills and knowledge - they also applied the "prison break" knowledge and experience of Ethan, the King of Prison Break!
We shall wait and see what kind of impact and surprises this interconnected trend will bring to the world in the future.

Before readers could recover from the barrage of information and the shock of fifteen consecutive kills, The Sun announced an even more unexpected piece of news at the end—

"However, all good things must come to an end. As our time is up, our 'Director' will travel to a land of plenty to shed his old body, be reborn, and dedicate himself to supreme authority... Therefore, this glorious achievement will be the Director's swan song!"

"The journey through the martial world is long, but legends never fade!"

what?
Is the time coming to pass?

Heading to a land of lush vegetation?

To dedicate oneself to the highest authority?

Putting others aside, Tom was shocked when he saw this issue of The Sun, and then a huge wave of sadness washed over him.

Although his cooperation with the "director" was not particularly long, they had established a considerable understanding and trust through several operations.

Most importantly, Tom discovered that his bad luck seemed to disappear when he was working with the "Chief".

wrong!

Could it be that his bad luck has transferred to the "bureau chief"?

Tom jumped up abruptly, his voice choked with guilt as he approached the "chief," "Did you have some kind of terminal illness? How could it happen so suddenly? You're so young, and you're going to... going to..."

Hoover was taken aback by Tom's sudden outburst of emotion.

When he realized that his partner had misunderstood, he was both amused and exasperated.

He knew it was written by Logan, implying that he would retire from his chaotic "heroic" career and head to a broader but more complex political arena.

The so-called "land of abundant water and grass" naturally refers to Washington, and "supreme authority" refers to the core of national power.

Hoover was initially quite satisfied, finding the writing both subtle and profound, befitting a media professional.

But now it seems... it's easy to misunderstand?

Looking at his partner, who was now genuinely expressing his belief that they were about to be separated forever, Hoover opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to explain.

What made it even more difficult for Hoover was that after this issue of the Heroes of the Year Awards, his "ten-year longtime fans" came uninvited and held a grand memorial ceremony for him!

Gan! ! !
……

(End of this chapter)