Chapter 655: Red Sea Fury (Part Five) (Patreon)

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"In the past decade, nothing as shocking and appalling as this has occurred. South American countries must deeply reflect on the lapses in regional security and public safety. Simultaneously, the chaos in maritime trade across the entire American region, and the frequent interventions by the U.S. Congress in the internal affairs of other South U.S. nations, are not unrelated..." – Soviet Union News Agency.

"Hell's devil has once again descended upon the mortal realm. The madness of Mexican drug cartels, the inaction of the Mexican government, and the inefficacy of the current ruler all combine to form the root causes of this horrific incident. U.S. Congress and the citizens express deep sadness, as the President has urged the Pacific Ocean fleet to expand its patrol range and increase the frequency to ensure the safety of every U.S. citizen within our waters..." – Los Angeles Times.

"Breaking News! Breaking News! Massacre in Mexico's Sinaloa State! The drug trafficking organization in Guadalajara claims responsibility!" The newsboy shouted these convoluted Spanish words while running down the street. Suddenly, a man stopped him and said, "Give me a newspaper."

The newsboy took the money from his hand and handed him a newspaper. After opening the newspaper, another uniformed female police officer approached, looking somewhat sad, and said, "Has the number of victims increased to 135? Perhaps more than one village has been affected?"

"Correct. According to the latest information, it's all the villagers from three villages who were slaughtered, and the perpetrators were heavily armed. These villagers had no means of resistance... Well, Officer Chloe, let's continue our investigation."

Lucifer Morningstar closed the newspaper, folded it, and put it in his pocket. He turned to Chloe and said, "Let's follow Delilah's paparazzi. They claim her lover is an actor named Gray. Do you understand who this Gray is? What roles has he played?"

Chloe shook his head while crossing his arms. "He probably isn't a well-known actor, or else the paparazzi would have known about him."

"Next, let's go find this Gray for our investigation. Maybe he should know who killed Delilah."

Chloe nodded, agreeing with Lucifer Morningstar's idea. Just as they were getting into the police car to depart, Chloe's communication device suddenly rang. He answered and said, "Hello? Dan? Linda is looking for me?... Oh, yes, what's going on? She says she has something to tell us? Okay, we'll head over there now."

Chloe hung up the phone and told Lucifer Morningstar, who was in the back seat, "We'll make a stop at psychologist Linda's place. She called the station, saying she has something to tell us."

"She's not just now deciding to tell us the name of Delilah's lover, is she? What's the point of that? We've already figured it out, haven't we?" Lucifer Morningstar sounded somewhat impatient.

"Don't be like that. Linda is a respected psychologist. After all, if it were me seeking treatment, I wouldn't want my psychologist to blab my private matters to the whole world," Chloe said as he started the car and drove toward Delilah's Psychological Clinic.

This was their second visit to the Psychological Clinic, and they knew the place well. Linda, wearing a doctor's outfit, poured them each a glass of water. After the three of them sat down on the sofa, Linda hesitated before asking, "Have you seen the morning news today?"

"What news are you referring to?" Lucifer Morningstar asked.

"Three villages in Mexico were massacred, and many people died. The culprits were drug traffickers," Linda said, sounding broken and sad as she spoke.

Chloe nodded, wearing a similarly mournful expression. "It's a sadly tragic piece of news. Those criminals are exceptionally brutal."

"Why have you come to see us? Is there something you want to discuss?" Lucifer Morningstar asked impatiently. He didn't have much fondness for this psychologist; she had been tight-lipped about providing information when he had previously inquired, which had tested his patience.

Linda sat on the sofa with her legs crossed and her arms resting on her knees, continuously rubbing her palms. After a while, she spoke hesitantly, "Delilah is dead, but her death may not be as straightforward as it seems."

"There's no need for you to say that," Lucifer Morningstar replied curtly, and Chloe touched his arm. Lucifer Morningstar took a deep breath and fell silent.

"I understand that you suspect her ex-husband or lover might have killed her, but the truth may be more complicated than that," Linda said, pushing up her glasses.

"Do you have any additional clues? Doctor, please tell us." Chloe leaned forward and locked eyes with Linda.

Linda sighed, picked up her water glass, took a sip, and continued, "When Delilah came to talk to me previously, I noticed symptoms of anxiety in her. While exploring the cause, I found she was extremely panicked."

"I provided her with psychological counseling, but her condition didn't significantly improve. As we delved deeper into the treatment, she was willing to reveal more buried emotions. That's when I discovered she had an addiction, and it was a recent development."

"What's so unusual about that? In the southern neighborhoods of Los Angeles, every person you meet is an addict. Those addicts take great pride in their habits, but my bar doesn't welcome them," Lucifer Morningstar commented.

"What I mean is, she didn't willingly become addicted. It might have been accidental, or someone might have forced her into it," Linda said as she took another sip of water.

"So, you're saying someone intentionally made Delilah an addict. But why would someone do that?" Chloe asked.

"It could be for drug trafficking," Linda shook her head. "Delilah didn't tell me the details, but I observed it from her emotions. She didn't behave like other addicts who revel in their habits. She was in a great deal of pain."

"Moreover, the most important thing is..." Linda paused for a moment and said, "During hypnosis, I discovered that someone might be pressuring her into drug trafficking."

Lucifer Morningstar and Chloe both frowned. In their minds, the choice to use drugs was a personal freedom, but forcing someone into drug trafficking was an entirely different matter.

"You mean someone might have compelled Delilah into drug trafficking, causing her to develop an addiction?" Chloe asked.

Linda nodded and said, "The following is merely my speculation and lacks concrete evidence, so please bear that in mind."

"When Delilah first came to see me, she had symptoms of nervous anxiety, primarily due to the changes in her life and her struggle to adapt to a new social circle. Her anxiety seemed to be driven by the sudden rise in fame as she entered the entertainment industry, where she faced immense pressure," she continued.

"Later, her emotional life began to have some problems. Her ex-husband displayed abusive behavior, and she had an affair, but neither of these situations ended well."

"During this period, her emotions were relatively normal. However, at some point, her panic escalated beyond normal levels. To the best of my understanding, someone may have compelled her into recommending and selling drugs within certain circles."

Lucifer Morningstar and Chloe exchanged glances. Lucifer Morningstar asked, "Certain circles? Are you referring to singers, creators, and musicians? But these circles have their share of addicts; why would they need Delilah to promote drugs?"

"No," Chloe interjected, "You haven't dealt with these people, so you might not know that they have different supply channels and sources for their goods. There is competition between many of these supply routes."

"So, you mean the drug traffickers involved might want Delilah to steal customers from the music and creator circles?" Lucifer Morningstar contemplated. Suddenly, he had a realization and said, "When Delilah came to see me, she seemed to have wanted to ask me for something several times but never did. Could it be that she wanted to pitch this stuff to me?"

"It's very likely. Since you own a bar, it's a place frequented by addicts. If you had agreed to her request, their sales would have likely skyrocketed," Chloe remarked.

"I never allow those troublesome individuals into my bar. After they get high, they cause havoc and create a mess. I would never agree to sell that stuff in my bar," Lucifer Morningstar said, wearing a disgusted expression.

"In fact, that's reasonable, isn't it?" Linda continued, "Delilah gained overnight fame with one album and didn't have much foundation. To establish herself in this industry, she needed backing."

"These drug traffickers may have exploited her psychology, compelling her to use drugs and, in turn, forcing her to sell them to seize customers for their benefit."

Chloe sighed deeply, obviously lamenting Delilah's fate. But shortly afterward, she continued to contemplate and asked, "So, could it be this group of people who killed Delilah?"

"No, if they needed Delilah to steal customers for them, they shouldn't have killed her so quickly. Delilah was at the peak of her career, preparing for a new album. Once the new album achieved success, there was potential for even greater gains. Those drug traffickers shouldn't have been so short-sighted and rushed to silence her," Lucifer Morningstar speculated.

Suddenly, all three of them paused. Lucifer Morningstar and Chloe simultaneously said, "Rival competitors!"

"If a group of drug traffickers was manipulating Delilah to snatch customers, their rival competitors wouldn't sit idly by. The simplest solution would be to eliminate her..."

Chloe stood up and then continued, "Our focus has primarily been on Delilah, but we haven't investigated the background of the killer. He claimed to have been hired by someone, and that someone might not be a stranger; it could very well be his superior, another group of drug traffickers..."

"I'm going back to the station now. I'll ask my colleagues in the drug enforcement unit to help us find out which drug trafficking organization this hitman belongs to."

After saying this, Chloe quickly left, and Lucifer Morningstar followed. They arrived at the police station and reported the situation. Chloe successfully obtained the information.

Due to the tragic event in 1984, the City's drug enforcement efforts on the West Coast had yielded impressive results. Records existed for nearly all drug trafficking organizations operating within the city. However, after the major crackdown, only a few such organizations remained. The organization to which the drug dealer belonged was one that operated in the northern part of Los Angeles.

The likely culprits behind this operation were the leaders of the "Black Wave" drug trafficking organization, the largest drug cartel in Los Angeles. They had a long history of monopolizing the majority of the drug trade in Los Angeles. In the past, they had been involved in violent gang shootouts and other illicit activities to expand their client base, indicating a willingness to kill to maintain their dominance.

Chloe stood in the office, pointing to the information recorded on the documents and said, "Within the U.S., except for certain regions in the southern part of California, there aren't the conditions to produce drug raw materials, so the vast majority of drugs rely on imports."

"Before 1985, most of the drugs were transported via Mexico, primarily originating from Colombia. At that time, the Black Wave sourced their supplies from Colombia."

"But the large-scale crackdown in 1984 severed the majority of their supply lines. They began collaborating with local drug manufacturing companies in Mexico. Customs records show that most of their supplies come from a city in southern Mexico..."

Lucifer Morningstar looked at the documents, then softly read out the tongue-twisting name, "Guadalajara."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 656: Red Sea Fury (Part Six)