Jack does have a suspect, strictly speaking, two individuals: Ed Griffin and Landon Walker, currently running for mayor of New York City.
The FBI discovered that some of the $12 million in funds from Ryan had been transferred through multiple wire transfers to the campaign coffers of the two mayoral candidates in the form of small donations.
Putting aside the question of these two bets, the FBI believes a mysterious individual is working behind the scenes to ensure the funds are not wasted.
New York is both the financial and political center of the country. After all, money and power are inseparable in this country. Unlike
countries across the Pacific, where bribes often reach into the hundreds of millions per bust, the amount of money involved in the FBI's arrests of corrupt officials in the United States each year is usually only in the hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands.
At first glance, the federal government appears clean, even leading one to worry about the "clear water, no fish" mentality. In reality, officials in this country have long since moved beyond the vulgar practice of directly accepting dirty money.
In Washington, D.C., K Street, just north of the White House, is known as the nation's "fourth center of power" because it's home to tens of thousands of lobbyists masquerading as consultants.
These lobbyists aren't the eloquent "diplomats" the Seres know from their Spring and Autumn history, but true "power brokers."
They skillfully maneuver between large corporations and politicians, creating a two-way channel for the exchange of power and money.
For a politician, money and power are inextricably linked.
Zoe's initial victory in the California Senate stemmed from the unexpected victory of Jack and Big Reacher over a vacant seat vacated by a ruthless senator. It was also a chance for the Anderson family to capitalize on years of accumulated political capital in California.
However, to retain the seat, the Anderson family spent a whopping $20 million in the subsequent California Senate election.
The Game of Thrones is the most expensive game in this country; it doesn't even sacrifice lives, only money.
Senators serve six-year terms, with one-third of them up for reelection every three years. During election years, many lobbyists transform themselves into accountants or political consultants for congressional campaign committees.
They raise money and guide these senators' re-election bids, returning to their old jobs afterward to offer deals to the senators they helped.
During frequent power transitions between parties, lobbyists and politicians can even switch positions, creating a revolving door.
While some lobbyists ascend to powerful positions in government, some politicians end their political careers to become lobbyists, providing funding for their political connections.
For example, Professor Cahill, whom Jack "respected" the most and Zoe's nominal wife, actually played a similar role.
However, she previously worked almost exclusively for a single large corporation, Shangri-La.
Other tactics include "white glove" and "delayed redemption."
For example, a certain first lady, renowned for her magical passive ability—"anyone who attacks her will inexplicably die in bizarre accidents"—did, during her tenure as Secretary of State, grant "goodwill" to anyone who donated to her foundation.
Many officials constantly switch between politics and business, having just stepped down as minister only to become a senior executive at a major corporation, earning annual salaries in the millions or even tens of millions.
Or perhaps an investment bank executive suddenly becomes Secretary of the Treasury after the new president takes office, while an executive from a military-industrial giant becomes Secretary of Defense.
In short, there's no corruption or bribery in this country, just business, and everything is fair and legal.
Jack assigned an investigative reporter a task: to find the backer behind two mayoral candidates. The reward was another exclusive story: how the NYPD eradicated a corrupt police ring within its ranks.
Taylor Kelly, however, wasn't satisfied and imposed an additional condition: Jack must cook her a dinner alone, by candlelight only.
Hannah, furious at this outrageous behavior, went to the door, but Taylor refused to relent, even after a beating.
Finally, Jiejie, fearing the neighbors' annoyance, intervened and limited the meal time to one hour, ultimately reconciling the two sides.
As for why Hannah dragged Jiejie along to trouble her "good" best friend, that was a story between the girls, and Jack expressed his incomprehension and lack of understanding.
Two days later,
in Brooklyn, at a place called the "Union Club," located in a traditionally Italian neighborhood, an old brown Dodge Ram 350 van was parked across the street from the club's entrance.
Shortly after 9:00 AM, one black luxury car after another pulled up to the club's entrance, and several white men, some fat and some thin, entered the club, flanked by bodyguards.
The shutter of the camera in Reese's hand clicked for a long time. After a while, he asked Jack in the passenger seat in a low voice, "Isn't your FBI monitoring car too conspicuous? Are you worried that they won't find it?"
"For all the mafia members labeled LCN, it is common for FBI agents to follow and monitor them at any time.
You can use that monitoring car as a reminder, telling them that the FBI knows LCN is in trouble now, and they are welcome to seek help from the FBI."
Reese made a look of "are you kidding me?" "Are you sure they will ask the FBI for help?"
"Why not?" Jack began to explain. "Back then, when the Gambino family's godfather, Gotti, was publicly challenging law enforcement, it was the FBI that secured his deputy, Salvatore Gravano, and made him a tainted witness, allowing them to successfully gather sufficient evidence.
Gotti was later sentenced to life imprisonment and died in a federal prison.
The witness protection program has successfully broken the 'code of silence' within the Mafia, and the Mafia no longer has the violent rule and nationwide criminal network it once had in its heyday."
Reese, however, persisted. "Their gathering today is clearly to deal with Laia. I don't think these guys will seek 'help' from the FBI."
"That depends on how much pressure Laia puts on them," Jack said, promising to wait and see.
(End of Chapter)