Chapter 198: Do You Agree?

Words : 1718 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Do You Agree?James Brown had resolved the minor feud with Helen Wilson, and Wilson began to narrate the details of the case to him. Helen unintentionally discovered someone wearing a luxury watch that normally would be priced over one hundred thousand dollars, yet the person had purchased it for just over thirty thousand. To show off, the buyer even had a certificate of authenticity confirming the watch to be genuine and original. Helen, with her keen sense, immediately sensed something fishy. However, she didn’t confront the individual at once. Instead, she secretly initiated an investigation and quickly traced the seller of the watch. She promptly arrested the seller with her team. But within a few days, the individual was released. When she questioned the chief, he said that the matter wasn’t within their jurisdiction but with the city authorities. He also told Helen not to interfere with the case and that their police station’s responsibility was merely to maintain the peace in their area. Helen was furious then, but without support from the chief, she couldn’t mobilize anyone from the station to handle the case. Nonetheless, undeterred, she continued to investigate covertly. Through her relentless probing, Helen was shocked to uncover not just a small smuggling ring but a vast smuggling syndicate involved in numerous items and an unimaginable amount of money. Moreover, the number of involved parties was overwhelming. But Helen was after all on her own, without any solid evidence in hand. Moreover, she suspected that what she knew could merely be the tip of the iceberg, which made her even more hesitant to act rashly. She realized how insufficient it was to rely on her abilities alone and wished for support. Personnel at the station were unmovable, and seeking help from the city-level was out of the question. Although the T District police chief had once encouraged her to pursue the case, she felt that even he might be powerless in this situation. If she continued, she was likely to encounter various obstructions and possibly spook the culprits, making it even harder to proceed. That’s why she could only think of leveraging her friends nearby, and eventually, she turned to James Brown. After relaying all this information, Helen let out a sigh and said, "That’s all I’ve managed to find so far, just some leads, nothing conclusive as evidence. I’m coming to you now hoping you can help me turn these leads into proper evidence." James rubbed his nose and said, "I won’t mention the danger, but I feel that just the two of us, that’s definitely not enough." Joan took a deep breath and said, "You don’t need to worry too much about danger. I have a very skillful person secretly protecting me. He’ll surely intervene if I encounter any significant trouble." James suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief and said, "Really?" With a proud lift of her head, Helen said, "Absolutely true. I’ve been in life-threatening situations twice as a cop, and he’s intervened both times, resolving the crises. Otherwise, how do you think I made it to deputy chief so quickly with my capabilities?" Although James was well aware of the two dangerous incidents Helen mentioned, what surprised him most was not that, but that Helen believed this person would be constantly protecting her. Such an assumption was highly perilous, and it explained why the policewoman could be so audacious. It was because he had rescued her twice that she felt emboldened enough to take such risks. Since those two instances, James had been too busy to keep track of Helen, not to mention that such occurrences had been mere coincidence. After all, how often can one encounter coincidences? If Helen harbored such expectations and willingly courted danger, it could only harm her eventually. He cautiously suggested, "But... Perhaps it was just chance encounters?" Joan shook her head forcefully and defended, "Definitely not by chance. The first time might have been a planned operation on my part, but the second time was a pure coincidence. How could he have intervened so timely if he wasn’t secretly watching over me?" James twisted his mouth and said, "That’s not necessarily the case. The world is full of coincidences. What if you face danger again and he doesn’t show up? Wouldn’t that mean you’re done for?" Helen’s expression changed slightly with discomfort, but she quickly stated, "That’s just impossible. Believe me. You see, the last time he saved me, he even taught me some Martial Arts Skills. If it had been an accidental encounter, would he have taught me Martial Arts Skills? And remember that night I stayed at your place? You didn’t do anything to me, but if you had, you surely would’ve met a gruesome end." James was left speechless, a wave of frustration washing over him. He had not expected Helen to have such unwavering belief. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Everyone has their own affairs to tend to; he can’t be around you 24 hours a day. If he happens to be absent when you’re in danger, won’t you suffer the consequences? We shouldn’t rely too much on others in our endeavors. We must carefully plan and not act recklessly." This time, Helen offered no rebuttal. She had considered these scenarios, or perhaps the recent challenges had made her fully aware of how difficult the matter was. That is why she did not want to get James involved unless absolutely necessary. Nodding, Helen proposed, "I’ve already come up with a plan for this case. Take a look and tell me what you think." S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. James Brown lit a cigarette and said, "Let’s hear it." Helen Wilson took a deep breath, her expression growing more serious, and said, "I plan to disguise ourselves as a couple in need of a large amount of direct private goods, then first make contact with their underlings, and show that we have a big appetite. We’ll ask them to provide a large quantity of goods. Their ordinary personnel definitely won’t have that much, and they’ll surely take us to meet their higher-ups." James Brown nodded, "This plan is feasible, but I have a question for you. It’s fine for you to buy things from their underlings, but if you want to make them think you have a big appetite, you first need to show them your strength, especially your financial strength. Without sufficient benefits to attract them, why would they possibly take you to meet their higher-ups?" Helen Wilson immediately said, "I’ve considered this too. We can say that we’re just casually buying some small items, but the one who really needs a large quantity of goods is our relative, our elder, who happens to be a multimillionaire. Naturally, they’ll buy more." James Brown shook his head, "That won’t work. Wealthy people usually aren’t concerned with small amounts of money, and they care more about their status. They wouldn’t tarnish their reputation just to save a bit of money, much less need a large amount of smuggled goods." Helen Wilson frowned, "Is this reason really not good enough?" "Absolutely not. You should understand where the smuggled goods end up. Items like cars, watches, and a lot of electronic products don’t fall into the hands of those tycoons, but rather in the hands of people who don’t have a lot of money but care about face. They like high-end goods but don’t have the money, so they turn to smuggled products." "What should we do?" Helen Wilson’s original plan was quickly rejected by James Brown, leaving her somewhat flustered. James Brown smiled faintly, "If we want to attract them, it’s not impossible." Helen Wilson, excited, grabbed James Brown’s arm, "What’s the plan, tell me quickly." James Brown leisurely took a puff of his cigarette, making Helen Wilson anxious, and then said slowly, "Don’t you know why they smuggle?" "Of course, it’s because smuggling saves on tariffs, making the price much cheaper than goods from normal channels. The difference in price is huge, naturally bringing them great profits." "That’s right. So, this smuggling group, having smuggled so many goods, surely isn’t like retailers who sell items one at a time, right?" "That should be the case." Helen Wilson nodded again. "Exactly. They definitely sell these smuggled goods in batches to others, who then sell them piece by piece to individuals. What we need to do is become their middleman, take over their goods, and that’s how we can meet with their higher-ups." Helen Wilson’s eyes lit up, "That’s a great idea, James Brown. I’ve found that coming to you was the right decision." James Brown shook his head, "Don’t get too excited. If we want to be those kinds of people, we’ll need a large amount of capital. People like them are certainly careful. They won’t let us get something for nothing. The sum won’t be small; at a minimum, it will be one million dollars. Do you have it?" Helen Wilson was dumbfounded. Although her family wasn’t poor, they were certainly not wealthy. Her parents were just ordinary civil servants. Saving thirty-five thousand dollars a year, they had amassed some money for her over the years, but whether it was one million dollars, she wasn’t sure. Moreover, her parents had already made it clear that the money was for her marriage, and it was unlikely they would let her use it now. James Brown patted Helen Wilson’s thigh and said, "Alas, this is going to be difficult. Let’s look for another opportunity. This kind of smuggling tycoon, even if we don’t catch them now, who knows when the authorities might, they can’t escape forever." A girl’s thigh wasn’t something one casually patted, but at that moment, Helen Wilson hardly noticed, her head bowed as she wracked her brains for a solution. James Brown didn’t disturb her, his gaze continuing to survey Helen Wilson’s home. Before he had observed much, Helen Wilson suddenly grabbed his arm again, her voice tense with determination as she said to James Brown, "I’ve thought it through. Let’s get married." "What?" James Brown’s eyes widened in shock, the cigarette that had been in his mouth slipping out...

Chapter 198: Do You Agree?

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