Cooperating with Kingpin

Saturday morning, in the private apartment at the top of Fisk Tower. Lin Hai removed the silver needles from Vanessa Fisk's scalp, and the elegant Latina woman let out a long breath.

"After every treatment, my headaches get much better," she said with a smile. "Wilson says the Lemon Balm you sent works better than an air purifier."

Lin Hai nodded modestly, his gaze flicking toward the half-open study door. Kingpin's massive figure was bent over his desk at work. The timing was perfect.

"Ma'am, try not to take walks south of here lately," he said casually. "Some unruly drug dealers have been active there."

Vanessa frowned. "Wilson said he was going to clean those people up. The drugs they sell have harmed a lot of children."

"Vanessa?" Kingpin's voice came from the study. "I heard my name."

Lin Hai took the opportunity to enter the study. Even after seeing him many times, Kingpin's size still felt oppressive. Beneath that tailored suit, his body looked as if it had been inflated like a balloon. The ivory cane in his enormous hand looked like a toothpick, but Lin Hai knew it was all solid muscle.

"Mr. Fisk." Lin Hai got straight to the point. "On Tuesday night, I saw several gangs conducting a drug deal on the outskirts of Chinatown."

He briefly described what he had witnessed that night, then showed Kingpin the photos he had taken. Kingpin's expression gradually darkened with the account, and in the end, he viciously ground his cigar into the crystal ashtray.

"The Haralapa Gang," Kingpin forced out through clenched teeth. "They broke the rules. Drugs should not be sold to minors."

Lin Hai looked Kingpin in the eye. "A middle school friend told me that a ninth grader at Midtown High School nearly died last Wednesday."

Kingpin suddenly rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down over New York. "Do you know why I oppose drugs, Doctor Lin?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "My father died of a drug overdose. When I was twelve, I watched him convulse to death in a subway station bathroom."

Lin Hai had not expected Kingpin to tell him that. Kingpin turned around, and his expression was unusually vulnerable.

"The Haralapa Gang's leader is called Hernan Torres. He's spreading that garbage on my turf, so he will pay the price!" Kingpin's face and voice turned cold and hard again. "But he's very cunning. He never shows himself in person."

"I need street-level intelligence," Kingpin said. "You and your little friends, those clever kids from Midtown High School—can you help gather some evidence?"

Lin Hai had not expected such a proposal to come from Kingpin, so he asked, "Why not use your 'professional team'?"

"For various reasons." Kingpin sneered. "Certain people are watching me for 'interfering with the free market.' But if it's spontaneous action by some concerned citizens, then..." He gave Lin Hai a meaningful look.

After setting a rough plan with Kingpin, Lin Hai left Fisk Tower and immediately contacted Peter, Harry, and Gwen.

That afternoon, the small team held an emergency meeting in Peter's basement. Even the aroma of Aunt May's chocolate chip cookies could not conceal the tense atmosphere among the four.

"So we're going to be vigilantes?" Peter bounced excitedly in his chair. "Like Batman?"

"Like responsible citizens," Gwen corrected him as she analyzed the photos of the pills Lin Hai had taken.

"These colors come from some kind of plant alkaloid. Wait..." She enlarged the image. "There are tiny crystal structures on the granule surfaces. This doesn't look like an ordinary drug."

Harry was unexpectedly professional. "If we need Osborn Enterprises' mass spectrometer to analyze the composition, I can also arrange a few portable testing devices." He looked at Lin Hai. "But why not let the police handle it?"

"Not enough evidence, and they're too slow. Every day, more kids could come into contact with this stuff." Lin Hai had already prepared his explanation.

"This morning, while I was giving Kingpin's wife her scheduled checkup, I reached an agreement with Kingpin. He'll handle the upper-level crackdown, but we need to deal with the lower-level distribution network."

He looked up at the three sitting around the table. "These gangs are operating near schools, specifically selling 'Devil's Breath' to students. We need to clear them out as soon as possible."

Peter pushed up his glasses, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "I can hack into the nearby surveillance systems and track their deal locations in real time."

Gwen picked up a pen and quickly marked several coordinates on the map. "Based on the known transaction records and police wanted reports, their bases are most likely located in these areas."

Harry folded his hands and added calmly, "I'll make sure communications remain open and coordinate resources. If anything unexpected happens, we can adjust the plan at any time."

Lin Hai nodded. "Okay. The operation starts now."

Night fell, and Lin Hai moved through the alleys. On his wrist was a miniature communicator modified by Peter, feeding him real-time intelligence through his earpiece.

"The target is at the third alley entrance. Two people are making a deal," Peter's voice said through the earpiece.

Lin Hai's eyes narrowed as he silently approached. A faint green glow appeared at his fingertips, and vines on the ground spread soundlessly, instantly wrapping around the two dealers' ankles. Before they could react, they were dragged to the ground, their pills scattering everywhere.

"First location cleared," Lin Hai reported quietly.

Peter sat before his computer, several surveillance feeds displayed on the screen at once. His program automatically marked suspicious people's movements and predicted their next transaction site.

"Lin, there's activity at Eastside Park. It looks like they're moving their inventory."

"Got it."

Gwen's notebook was filled with complex equations. Based on the information Lin Hai sent back, she continuously refined the probability map of the gang's locations.

"Based on transaction frequency and route analysis, they most likely set up a temporary warehouse in an abandoned factory." She quickly sent the coordinates to Lin Hai and Harry.

Harry stood inside a safe house in Osborn Tower, an operational map updating in real time before him. He was responsible for allocating resources and ensuring Lin Hai had logistical support.

"Lin, they have lookouts near the factory. I recommend infiltrating from the north side."

"Understood."

By the following night, the lower-level distribution network had been completely dismantled. Lin Hai and his partners successfully destroyed seven transaction points, seized a large quantity of "Devil's Breath," and handed the evidence over to the police.

Meanwhile, news also came from Kingpin's side. The Mexican gang's upper ranks had been wiped out in one sweep, and their leader, Hernan Torres, had been intercepted by Kingpin's men while trying to flee New York.

On the night the operation ended, the four gathered again in Peter's basement, eating pizza baked by Aunt May.

"Our teamwork this time was absolutely perfect!" Peter exclaimed, waving a can of cola.

Gwen smiled faintly. "The data analysis went smoothly, but if we can hack into their communication system in advance next time, it'll be more efficient."

Harry wiped the corner of his mouth. "Osborn Enterprises' resources can be deployed at any time. If needed, we can further optimize the equipment."

Lin Hai looked at them, warmth rising in his heart.

"Thank you." He raised his drink. "This operation wasn't just about fighting crime. It was about protecting those innocent students."

"To justice!" Peter raised his cola high.

"To the team." Gwen smiled.

"To friendship." Harry lightly tapped the rim of his cup.

The next day, a small article appeared in a corner of The New York Times: police had destroyed a gang operation in a raid and seized several new types of drugs.

The report did not mention the coincidence of seven street-level locations being paralyzed at the same time, nor did it explain why the gang leader had voluntarily turned himself in to the police.

Lin Hai looked at the warming sunlight outside the window, a slight smile on his lips. This Spring Festival, though he did not have a family reunion, a gala, or the sound of firecrackers, he had protected the peace of many more people in a special way.