To be honest, Jack was now somewhat numb to biochemical attacks like smallpox, anthrax, and hemorrhagic fever.
He even suspected that the global epidemic in his previous life, which was still spreading worldwide before he traveled through time and was about to become the second most common cold virus, had not yet broken out because it was stopped by the "protagonists" in some unknown TV series.
He admitted that he had some talent for causing trouble, but compared to other American TV series, especially the NCIS series, it pales in comparison. They were the ones who truly had Conan's physique per capita.
As expected, neither Karen nor Hannah showed any fear on their faces, not even a hint of emotion.
Hannah took Jack's "welcome gift" and naturally gave half of it to Karen, and continued, "When we came here, we found out Dracula Comescu's recent whereabouts through certain channels. We
discovered that he has been staying in Pennsylvania for the past three months and has been in contact with a vaccine research laboratory in Montgomery of an old pharmaceutical company."
"I thought the smallpox virus was only found in the CDC's main laboratory in Atlanta and the Biological Research Center in Koltsovo, Russia." Although he said that, Jack was not surprised at all.
Karen and Hannah exchanged a glance, both curling their lips. The bald black man then continued,
"Just a few months ago, a janitor cleaning a freezer at this vaccine research lab discovered 16 vials. Six of the vials were labeled 'smallpox,' while the other 10 had 'cowpox.'
Of course, this was recently discovered after the CDC and your FBI intervened. The lab director attempted to cover up the scandal and simply destroyed the vials."
"Let me guess. Comescu got the tip, bribed someone, and secretly switched the smallpox viruses?" Danny said, spreading his hands.
"And it only cost $6,000." Hannah's expression was indescribable. "$1,000 per vial." This silenced both Jack and Danny. Swearing in front of new friends was a bit rude.
Danny didn't speak again until the four of them walked to the side of the car, "Since you know Comescu and have special channels to know his whereabouts, can you guess what he is going to do next?"
Karen stopped in front of Sabban, thought for a moment and answered, "Comescu is a businessman, not a terrorist. The ultimate purpose of all his actions is to make money, not to carry out terrorist attacks.
I think everything he did in Hawaii was to sell these smallpox viruses as a biological weapon."
"I thought a guy named Dracula must be very rich, so this guy is risking the whole world into a biological crisis just to make a fortune?"
Danny looked at Karen skeptically, and the latter showed an extremely confident expression, "Believe me, I'm very sure."
"Okay, it sounds like you seem to know Comescu very well. Do you mind telling me about your previous story with him? I heard that there are some personal grudges involved?" Danny glanced at Jack and directly revealed the source of his hearsay.
Karen lowered her head and thought for a moment, then succinctly summarized the key points, "Comescu tried to wipe out my entire family."
"What? Say that again?" Danny suspected there was something wrong with his hearing.
"Family blood feud." Karen simply shortened the entire sentence to two words: "Blood feud," and then looked at him seriously.
"Huh?!"
Seeing his "cheap uncle" looking stunned, Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and gestured to the two NCIS agents to come in.
He'd already mentioned the personal vendetta, but he hadn't expected Danny to actually dig deeper, leading to an awkward situation.
While the term "blood feud" might seem a bit old-fashioned, it's still quite prestigious in the US. Without some history, the term "family" wouldn't be used, not to mention the "blood" in the first place, which defines the swirling feud between two families.
Haven't you seen "Romeo and Juliet" being remade into countless modern versions?
Jack changed the subject, "We've got two cars here. If you're planning on driving yourselves, the Suburban is yours for now."
Despite his muscular build, the bald, black man, Hanna, possessed both emotional and intellectual quotients. Seeing this, he quickly pointed at Danny's Camaro and praised it, "This car looks great. I'd like to try the passenger seat."
"Okay, then I'll take Jack's car." Karen, taking advantage of the situation, climbed into the passenger seat of the Suburban.
Karen's face was more familiar to Jack; after all, "Scent of a Woman" was a favorite movie of his past life.
Although the original actor had only a supporting role in that film, largely due to Al Pacino's success, he went on to play Robin in two subsequent Batman films.
These two films also happened to be the pinnacle of the Batman franchise. The first was "Batman Forever," in which Jim Carrey played the villain "The Riddler."
The other was "Batman & Robin," in which Jack's much-loved "Governor Arnold" played the villain "Mr. Freeze."
There was no conversation along the way, and the four of them quickly returned to the "Five-O" base. Cheng Hao and Kono were already waiting there. Everyone greeted each other very friendly and introduced themselves.
Cheng Hao even made some small talk with Hannah. "Steve thought very highly of you."
Hannah, however, deliberately played it off as if she was upset that Steve McGarrett wasn't there. "Yeah, I'm sorry he missed the party."
"I don't know how good Jack is at frying steak, but when this is over, I'll make up for it with a good meal for my partner."
Danny clapped his hands and began to preside over the rest of the meeting. He pointed to Kono. "Ladies first, Kono, do you have any good news?"
"Of course. Technicians have identified the owners of the other three phones in the package. They are Paul Scully, Terence Hale, and Luis Salazar. They are all currently missing.
HPD and CDC have sealed off their homes. There's no sign of smallpox. The search is ongoing, but guess what they found in their medicine cabinets?"
Kono's mood had clearly brightened with progress in the investigation, and he was even in the mood for some charades.
"That experimental antidepressant?" Danny guessed immediately, and after Kono's confirmation, he rubbed his nose with pride.
(End of this chapter)