William zoomed in on the map, marking several key points along the route.
"Kingpin's security convoy will take this route. Hellcat, if she's going to make a move, is most likely to do so in these three places: One, the industrial area after port departure, complex visibility, easy to hide."
"Two, the Queensboro Bridge, creating chaos can effectively block traffic."
"Three, the last tree-lined road before entering the manor, sparsely populated."
"What's your plan?"
Jessica finally showed some interest, sitting up straighter.
"Our plan is called 'Client Guidance and Risk Transfer'."
William's voice was calm and confident, as if he were introducing a new financial product.
"We're not shields; we're guides."
He looked at Jessica: "Your mission isn't to fight her. Your mission is to 'accidentally' encounter her at Point A or Point B, where she's most likely to appear."
"Accidentally?"
"Yes, accidentally."
William's eyes gleamed with calculation.
"Tomorrow morning, as 'Jones Private Investigator,' you tell her you received an anonymous tip to investigate Kingpin smuggling dangerous goods."
"Then, you 'casually' reveal a false transport time and route, leading her to Point D instead of Point C."
Jessica was stunned, then understood, her face showing a complex expression of "that's so damn devious" and "that's kind of interesting."
"Using a lie to make her perfectly miss the client's convoy. No bloodshed, minimized risk. This is the optimal solution."
William explained.
"What if she doesn't believe me?"
"She will."
William said with certainty.
"Because your reputation in Hell's Kitchen is well-known, and your hatred for Kingpin is also common knowledge."
"A hothead full of a sense of justice, facing a legendary senior who also detests evil forces, actively showing goodwill and offering information—she has no reason to doubt. She might even feel like she's found a comrade."
Jessica fell silent.
She had to admit, the plan sounded... horrifyingly feasible.
"But what if, and I mean what if,"
Jessica licked her lips.
"This young woman is smarter than you think, or she has other sources of information, and our deception doesn't work, and she still appears at the correct location? What then?"
The confident curve on William's face didn't change in the slightest.
He switched the map on the tablet to a 3D street view mode, which was precisely the tree-lined road leading to Kingpin's manor.
"Then, we initiate Plan B."
He drew a circle on the screen with his finger, encircling an abandoned gas station by the side of the road.
"We provide 'value-added services' for the client."
"Speak plainly." Jessica interrupted him impatiently.
"We give her a better target."
William looked up, his eyes holding an almost cruel calmness.
"If she's smart enough to see through our first lie, it means her hatred and obsession with Kingpin go beyond mere 'upholding justice.' She's not here to protest; she's here to cause substantial harm."
He paused, letting Jessica digest this statement.
"At that point, she's no longer a risk point that can be easily guided, but a source of destruction actively seeking collision. To deal with such a source of destruction, it's better to divert than to block."
"Your 'diversion' method is to give her something else to play with?"
Jessica raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm undisguised.
"Exactly right."
William snapped his fingers, like a street magician.
"When Kingpin's convoy passes here, if Hellcat appears, I will detonate this gas station."
Jessica's pupils suddenly constricted.
"You're going to cause an explosion?!"
"Precise wording, my dear detective."
William corrected her, even showing a hint of offended innocence on his face.
"It's 'controlled secondary risk release.' An old gas station, underground fuel tanks long emptied. I only need a tiny 'accident' to create a sufficiently spectacular, but limited-damage, scene."
"Flames, thick smoke, chaos... all the elements that would attract a superhero eager to prove herself, are all there."
He looked at Jessica's shocked expression, satisfied, and continued his briefing.
"Imagine the scene, Jessica. On one side, a few ordinary black trucks continuing to drive forward."
"On the other side, towering flames and explosions, a typical disaster scene that needs a hero to save."
"Which side do you think Miss Walker, with her excessive sense of justice, will choose?"
Jessica didn't speak. Her brain was rapidly processing the madness and... feasibility contained within this plan.
"She'll rush into the fire."
William provided the answer for her, his tone as certain as if stating a law of physics.
"Because it fits her hero narrative better. Chasing a few trucks is 'robbery.' Rushing into a fire to check for casualties is 'rescue.' The former makes her look like a criminal, the latter makes her a hero."
"And we,"
William's finger tapped lightly on the screen, turning off the map.
"Can drive away, whistling, watching the flames in the rearview mirror, escorting our client safely home."
Silence fell in the car.
Only the neon lights of Hell's Kitchen outside the window cast flickering light on Jessica's face.
Every part of this plan reeked of a calculating bastard.
It wasn't honorable, it wasn't upright, it was even a bit despicable.
But it was damn effective.
It perfectly exploited human nature, Hellcat's "sense of justice," and even Kingpin's own security forces as bait.
William placed himself and Jessica in a position of almost absolute safety, like an audience member in a theater box, remote-controlling everything on stage.
"When did you prepare the explosives?"
After a long pause, Jessica finally squeezed out the question through gritted teeth.
"I didn't prepare explosives."
William spread his hands, an expression of "I am a law-abiding citizen" on his face.
"I just, in the name of 'Rodriguez Risk Assessment Company,' bought the short-term usage rights to that land."
"And 'accidentally' parked a used truck full of high-concentration alcohol disinfectant in the gas station's convenience store. You know, these are all legitimate safety production materials."
Jessica stared at him for a long time.
Finally, she leaned back, slumping into the driver's seat again, letting out a long sigh, as if resigned to fate.
"Xiao Wei."
"Hm?"
"You're a goddamn genius."
This wasn't praise, but more like the final conclusion of a forensic report.
William accepted the assessment, returning a modest smile.
"Thank you."
He put the tablet back into the bottomless briefcase and fastened it shut.
"So, Detective Jones, any other questions about tomorrow night's operation?"
Jessica turned her head and started the car.
The roar of the engine was somewhat a reflection of her current mood.
"Last question."
She pressed the accelerator, and the Audi A8 merged into the late-night traffic.
"After it's done, how do we split the payment from Kingpin?"
William smiled.
Walking a tightrope between sharks and crocodiles, the most important thing is always to agree on the spoils with your partner first.
"Seventy-thirty split."
He said flatly.
Jessica abruptly turned to look at him, her gaze unfriendly.
"You get seventy, I get thirty?"
"No." William looked at the rapidly receding streetscape outside the window, his tone revealing a strange flavor.
"I get ninety, you get ten."
Jessica's hand on the steering wheel trembled, and her foot on the accelerator pressed down further.
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