Chapter 197: The Fifth Precinct

"Still talking? If it weren't for your misleading my daughter, would she be suffering like this?!"

Carter's words only made Mr. Chen more agitated. Seeing her husband's rage, Mrs. Chen quickly restrained him, tears streaming down her face.

"Calm down, Mr. Chen! We can't fight them! This isn't back home. If you clash with them, the police will lock you up again, and our family will be ruined! Mr. Chen, please!"

"Shuzhen's situation is in the past. We need to move on with our lives!"

Shuzhen? Daughter?

Upon hearing these words, Carter instantly understood where the problem lay. It must have something to do with the little girl named Chen Shuzhen, and it was related to him. That's why Mr. Chen was so furious, viewing Carter as an enemy.

And what did he mean by misleading?

What did I mislead her about?

"Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, what happened to Shuzhen?"

While understanding Mr. Chen's anger, Carter was more puzzled about what he had done wrong.

"You—"

Mr. Chen was about to shout when Mrs. Chen quickly covered his mouth.

"Shuzhen... Shuzhen was beaten up... Forget it, just leave! Don't come back. I know you might not have meant any harm, but... I don't want to talk about it! I just want you to leave us alone, okay?"

"Young man, if you still consider me an auntie, then I'm begging you!"

Hearing these words and seeing Mrs. Chen's tears, Carter's lips trembled, but he couldn't say anything. He gestured to Julian and Lycoris to get back in the car, his spirits visibly low.

"Carter..."

"Julian, please take me to the nearest police station around Chinatown. Thank you."

Julian, who had planned to comfort Carter, swallowed his words when he saw the dark expression on Carter's face.

"The Chinatown area is under the jurisdiction of the NYPD's Fifth Precinct, located nearby."

"Do you have any contacts in the NYPD? I need all the case files related to a Chinese girl named Chen Shuzhen!"

"Hold on, I'll make a call."

The Fifth Precinct of the NYPD was located at 19 Elizabeth Street, not far from Chinatown. It didn't take long for the car to arrive at the precinct.

"Hello, Mr. Lynch, I need a favor... Yes, it's quite important. Do you remember Carter Black? Yes, he's in New York now. We're at Elizabeth Street, needing some information from the Fifth Precinct, so..."

Standing by a public phone on the street, Carter quietly listened to Julian trying to pull some strings. The name Lynch suggested it might be Peter Lynch.

"Carter, note this number: xxxxxxxx."

After hanging up, Julian dialed another number. After a brief conversation, Julian nodded to Carter.

"Good luck. Director Dunning is in the office now. We can go straight up."

"Thank you!"

Carter, feeling grateful, walked briskly into the police station. Reaching the reception desk, he immediately addressed a female officer.

"Where is Director Dunning's office? I'm Carter Black! We need to see him!"

The officer, taken aback by Carter's urgency, looked puzzled. She hadn't heard of any appointments with Director Dunning, especially not at this hour.

"Excuse me," the phone beside her rang. Picking it up, she glanced at Carter with surprise.

"Director Dunning's office is upstairs, this way."

Before the officer could offer to guide them, Carter was already heading toward the indicated stairs, not bothering to ask which floor.

By now, Carter had pieced together where the problem likely stemmed from. In his limited interactions with Chen Shuzhen, there was only one piece of advice he had given her that could be considered misleading and might have led to her harm: telling her to stand up for herself and not be afraid.

Carter admitted he had been a bit carried away at the time. His confidence as a white man and his past experiences in a strong China allowed him to face any unjust accusations without having to beg. He could confront anyone head-on. But Shuzhen didn't have that privilege.

In this era, as a minority, she was already vulnerable to bullying. If his advice had led her to directly confront her tormentors, it was highly likely she had been severely harmed in retaliation.

Realizing the problem and knowing it was his fault, Carter urgently needed to know the truth. Even though he had guessed what might have happened, the guilt he felt made him reluctant to believe that such a sweet girl had suffered because of him.

"Haha, hello, are you Mr. Carter Black? I—"

"I need all case files related to the Chen family's restaurant in Chinatown! If you can get them, I'll pay $30,000! I don't care how it's divided between you and the precinct. Can you do it?"

Carter, barely knocking before entering Director Dunning's office, interrupted him without any pleasantries, offering his price directly.

"Mr. Black, this is—"

"Can you do it?"

Unmoved, Carter pressed on.

"Carter, calm down. Sorry, Director Dunning, Mr. Black just went through a shock and is having trouble controlling his emotions. We apologize. Please, considering Mr. Lynch, help us. Let him find out the truth."

"This is my card. Let's be friends. If you have any investment questions, feel free to contact me."

Taking the card Julian offered, Director Dunning's irritation quickly dissipated upon seeing the name of the asset management company. While he wasn't familiar with Tiger Asset Management, the fact that they could call in a favor from Peter Lynch and that Carter casually mentioned $30,000 suggested they were significant players.

After a brief thought, he concluded that sharing some case files about Chinese individuals wouldn't be too difficult.

"Hahaha, well, since Mr. Lynch sent you, there's no need for such formalities. He's my money tree right now, and if he asks, I'll help where I can."

"Regarding the case files, please wait a moment."