You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Meanwhile, in the Seattle West Precinct, in a lounge accessible only to mid- to high-ranking officers.

Even with prominent "No Smoking" signs on the wall, the air here is still as stuffy as a smoking room. The ashtrays are already full, and cigarette butts are stubbed out in coffee cups, making a "hissing" sound as they are put out.

Several senior police officers, dressed in white shirts or plainclothes, including the police inspector in charge of patrolling the area, the head of the morals squad, and several senior sergeants with real power, were gathered around a round table. Some were pacing around, some were banging on the table, and some were shouting into the phone.

These people are the local faction of the West Precinct, the old hands who had been rooted here for over a decade or two before Victoria Sterling arrived.

But now, these guys who are usually as steady as a rock are like ants on a hot pan, running around in a panic.

"This is insane! This is absolutely insane!"

The speaker was Inspector Connor, the precinct manager of 12th Street.

His face looked terrible, his tie was loose, and he was holding an empty coffee paper cup, squeezing it flat, rolling it into a ball, and then squeezing it flat again.

"Can anyone tell me why? Huh?"

"This kidnapping case clearly happened on Fourth Avenue, which is that fat, penniless bastard Big T's territory. What does it have to do with 12th Avenue?"

"According to procedure, shouldn't this matter be handled by those whiny women in the SVU (Special Victims Investigation Unit)? Or even the Major Crimes Unit would be fine!"

"Why did a scene from a child abduction investigation end up being an ACU raid on a nightclub in my jurisdiction?!"

Connor slammed the crumpled paper against the whiteboard on the wall:

"That's the Psychedelic Cat! Their envelopes arrive more punctually than pay slips every month!"

"Now look what's happened! Fatty Z's been arrested, the ledgers' been confiscated, and those ACU thugs are still causing trouble inside! That pig will be like a leaky fire hydrant as soon as he enters the interrogation room, spewing water everywhere! All the money we collected will be exposed!"

"It's that Leon Vance again!"

"How come that kid has so much energy? Wasn't he satisfied after smashing the human trafficker's head in the motel?"

"He killed someone, didn't write a report, didn't undergo a psychological evaluation, and actually led his men into my jurisdiction?!"

"That's my territory! He didn't even call me to ask my men to 'cooperate'! He just kicked the door down!"

"Those guys at ACU used to be crazy too, but at least they knew the rules! Everyone kept to themselves, and at most they'd arrest a few clueless drug dealers to make up their numbers. Now, they're going straight for wiping out entire families!"

"Connor, stop howling."

"The issue now is not how Vance enforced the law, but how we should handle this situation."

"This whole thing has a sinister edge."

A veteran detective in charge of criminal investigations took a deep drag on his cigarette, his face so grim it seemed to drip water.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? This was Sterling's doing. She definitely orchestrated this raid."

Mentioning this name instantly chilled the air in the room by several degrees.

These seasoned veterans, though they usually acted like tyrants in their jurisdiction, were genuinely terrified of this newly appointed branch director.

"That woman..."

Another police inspector, sitting on the sofa, said through gritted teeth:

"She really wants to kill us all."

"She's a blue-blooded aristocrat who was parachuted in. Her father is the former chairman of the police union. Although he's retired, his influence within the union remains. You all know what that means."

"This means that if she wants to target someone, the police union will withdraw their protection and even cooperate with the investigation."

"Without a union legal team, without those damn procedural protections, if the Interior Ministry investigates, we'll all be in jail picking up soap!"

"Moreover, she has no vested interests with these local gangs. She would love for all of them to die so that it could become her achievement."

This is the most awkward situation these localists are in now.

They were caught in the middle between Sterling and the gang, like punching bags caught in the crossfire.

Sterling needs to achieve results and clean up the gangs.

Do they dare to carry it out?

dare not.

Because they were already in cahoots with the mob long before Sterling arrived.

The monthly envelopes, free drinks, and certain inappropriate videos are all in the hands of the gangsters.

If they really listened to Sterling and broke with the gangs to crack down on them.

Those gangsters will definitely fight to the death and expose all their dirty secrets.

At that time, Sterling will not only not protect them, but will be happy to see it happen, using the opportunity to kick out all these old-era remnants who occupy key positions and replace them with obedient newcomers.

Therefore, they have been practicing Tai Chi push hands for the past few years.

Sterling ordered a crackdown, so they went and befriended the gangs:

"Hey, things are tight lately, you guys better tone it down. Send two people to take the blame and shut down that place that you don't like for a couple of days."

In order to survive, the gang was happy to cooperate, handing over people and money. Everyone could save face, Sterling got results, they got kickbacks, and the gang could continue doing business.