It was quite a coincidence—police received a report about a fight breaking out that resulted in a fatality.
When the dispatch center sent out the alert, nearby patrol officers arrived first and quickly pieced together what had happened.
The situation was bizarre.
A group of Black thugs had targeted a lone Asian man for a mugging. In an alley, they surrounded him—but the outcome was not what anyone expected.
The lone Asian man suddenly unleashed a level of martial prowess reminiscent of Bruce Lee. Not only did he take down all five of them singlehandedly, but he also killed their leader in the process.
After the killing, the man calmly walked away. The surviving muggers, frightened by what had happened, called the police themselves. Coincidentally, the alley where it happened was the back entrance to a Chinese restaurant, and the cautious owner had installed a security camera there.
The two officers first on the scene reviewed the footage. Photos of Avril and Zheng Anshun had already been distributed to all law enforcement agencies in Washington, and the officers instantly recognized the Asian man—it was Zheng Anshun.
As a result, the homicide case was taken over by CTU. The recently arrived detectives from the major crimes unit could only watch as the surviving thugs were taken away by CTU operatives.
The thugs were separated and interrogated. Soon, a crucial piece of information surfaced—one of them remembered Zheng Anshun's license plate number.
"I'll check it right away…"
Before Jenny even gave the order, one of her techs had already input the plate number into the vehicle tracking system. Moments later, they pulled up the vehicle's registration details.
"The car is registered to a white male, American, named David Brant. His address is 187 Iverson Street…"
Almost as soon as she said it, the CTU Rapid Response Team and field units were en route. Owen, who had faced these people before, knew exactly how dangerous they were. Their numbers were small, but every one of them had a military background, was highly capable in combat, and utterly ruthless. If given a chance to escape or resist, they could easily trigger a deadly shootout in a populated area. The only way to handle them was to strike hard and fast with overwhelming force.
Soon, satellite coverage was repositioned, and both teams reached the area. But again, despite the elaborate mobilization, the raid ended in disappointment.
When the units breached the house from the front and rear simultaneously, they discovered it was empty. After a thorough search, they finally found four bodies in a tool shed at the back of the property. David Brant was among them.
It appeared Zheng Anshun had simply stolen their car. And once again, after making a second appearance, he vanished without a trace. He'd been careful to avoid surveillance cameras, making it nearly impossible to track his movements retroactively.
The investigation hit a dead end again—until Jenny discovered that the car hadn't been paid off yet. Cars still under financing are usually equipped with multiple GPS tracking units by the insurance companies.
This turned out to be the breakthrough they needed. Jenny contacted the insurance provider, identified herself, and easily obtained the GPS credentials. With that, they traced the car's recent movements.
The path was clear. According to the timestamped GPS data, the vehicle had only stopped at two locations recently: the Brant residence, and another address in a different neighborhood.
The Rapid Response Team and field units mobilized again, following the GPS trail to the second location. The car was still parked on the street outside.
The Rapid Response Team breached the house—but again, what they found was anything but encouraging.
Inside was another body.
The identity was quickly confirmed: Harry Davis, an assistant engineer at a construction company. Divorced, living alone. Cause of death appeared to be a heroin overdose.
Owen frowned at the body. All the paraphernalia was there—needles, spoons, lighters—but something was off. The man didn't look like a junkie. And more importantly, there were no visible signs of long-term injection use on his arms.
Before joining CTU, Owen had been a homicide detective. He could tell a murder from a suicide or overdose at a glance. This had all the signs of a sloppy attempt to disguise a homicide.
The killer was almost certainly Zheng Anshun—but why had he done it?
Looking at the events in reverse, it became clear: Zheng had killed David Brant and his family, stolen their car, and then driven straight to Harry Davis's home to kill him too. The route he took wasn't random—it was a direct shot. No detours.
That raised an urgent question: what had these two families done to warrant a hit from a trained terrorist?
"Owen, Harry Davis was an assistant engineer at Oakwood Pipe Engineering Company. I just called his company—he hadn't shown up to work in two days. Everyone there says he was a good guy, reliable and mild-mannered. Born and raised in Washington. His parents and siblings still live here too. I checked—he and his entire family aren't on any of our watchlists."
Hearing Jenny's report, Owen's first impression was that Harry Davis wasn't some secret terrorist. Terrorists rarely operate in their hometowns—too many people know them, and it's too risky.
"What about David Brant?"
Jenny summarized Brant's profile too: a technician at a local engineering firm on Rainbow Avenue, also a native of Washington.
Another engineer…
Owen couldn't help but feel he was onto something.
"Jenny, look into the business and financial dealings of their respective companies."
"On it… Okay, found something. The two companies have almost identical business scopes. Nothing unusual among their clients. Wait—according to their financials, both companies received a payment from the White House two days ago…"
"The White House? Check what it was for."
Both companies had dealings with the White House? That set off alarm bells for Owen.
Moments later, Jenny updated him again: "They were both involved in the White House heating system upgrade project three months ago. The payments they received were the final installments after the warranty period ended."
"That's it…" Owen raised a fist in the air. "Jenny, find out who the other participating companies were, and whether any of their employees have gone missing or turned up dead."
Owen knew the White House would never give the whole project to a single firm. For security reasons, it would always be subcontracted out to multiple companies.
Sure enough, within minutes Jenny had more data.
"You were right. The White House hired six engineering companies in total. I contacted the other four. Several of their staff haven't shown up for work in days, and all of them were involved in the White House project as engineers or field workers."
"No doubt about it. Send police to their homes. They're probably all dead."
Owen now had no doubts that White Mask's operation had something to do with the White House. What shocked him was the sheer audacity of their plan.
Their target… was the White House itself.
(End of Chapter)
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