PART 44

The headquarters of the NYPD is still filled with smoke and flames, the fire spreading rapidly and turning the once grey walls black.

Downstairs, a large crowd of residents and media reporters have gathered to watch the tragedy unfold.

Sirens wail in the distance, getting louder as more than a dozen fire trucks rush in from all directions. Firefighters jump out of the cars and quickly begin putting out the fire with powerful water cannons.

After hours of hard work, the raging fire is finally extinguished.

The police chief, who happens to be at Long Island Prison, puts on a chemical protective suit and walks into the office building accompanied by a group of special police officers.

The smell of smoke fills the air, and the once grand hall is now a scene of horror with burnt corpses scattered across the floor.

The police chief suppresses his anger and asks, "It's been two hours since the explosion, have the explosives and the suspect been identified?"

The deputy quickly steps forward to report, "Through monitoring, on-site investigation, and survivors' inquiries, we've determined that the explosives were in a courier package stacked in the corner."

"We contacted FedEx for verification, and they denied that the courier was one of their employees, stating that the delivery vehicle was disguised. We can now be certain that the courier is the suspect in the bombing."

The police chief is furious, "What are the inspectors at the police station doing? Why haven't they detected this?"

The deputy explains, "Monitoring shows that the express package containing explosives passed the explosives detection test."

The police chief frowns, "How could this happen?"

The deputy responds, "Director, this shows that the suspect has been planning for a long time and has advanced technology. Even the explosive detector has been included in their calculations."

The police chief curses in anger, "Check! Inform all New York police departments, cancel all police officers' vacations, and arrest the suspect even if they don't sleep."

The bombing of the New York Police Department headquarters is not only a serious terrorist attack but also a provocation to the police and the US government.

If they don't catch the suspect as quickly as possible, the police chief's position is on the line.

Just then, a police officer rushes in holding a physical evidence bag, "Sir, the express van has been found. The vehicle has been burned by the suspect, and only a note was left at the scene. After testing, no fingerprints were found on the note."

The police chief takes the note and reads it, becoming even more enraged.

"It's all because of Jason Walter! If the federal government doesn't release him immediately, we'll carry out another bombing in ten days, and we'll keep our word."

After dropping Harleen off at home, Stan drove to the safe house and found Franklin sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Police sources report that the suspect in the bombing at the police station was a fanatic of Jason Walter. He left a note at the scene threatening the government to release Jason immediately, or face another bombing within ten days."

"The Governor of New York has rejected the suspect's request, stating that the government will never negotiate with terrorists, let alone comply with their demands. The police officers have canceled their leaves and vowed to prevent any future bombings."

Franklin proudly pointed to the TV screen and said, "Hey, watch this! All those idiot policemen are going crazy because of me."

Stan sat down on the couch and thought about what he had just heard.

Noticing his troubled state, Franklin turned off the TV and asked, "What's going on? Did I get caught?"

Stan shook his head and told him about his encounter with Harleen Quetzel.

After listening to the story, Franklin was stunned.

The boss had a helper in prison, and they were able to talk directly when the monitoring was turned off.

This was Long Island Prison, for God's sake.

After a long silence, Franklin looked at Stan and asked, "Do you believe what she said?"

Stan nodded and said with a wry smile, "That woman knew that we were responsible for the bombing, and she named both of us accurately. Even if I don't want to believe it, I have to."

"What's our next move then?" asked Franklin.

"According to Jason's orders, we need to prepare for the prison break," replied Stan.

Franklin frowned, "But Long Island Prison has thousands of fully armed guards. How do we rob the prison?"

Stan pointed to the TV and said, "Thanks to you, the entire city of New York is under martial law, and all departments have dispatched police forces to search for you. The Long Island Prison has also sent 300 police forces."

Franklin smiled smugly and asked, "But there are still over 700 prison guards left. What's the plan?"

Stan took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry. I have hired a team of 400 professional mercenaries through the dark web."

Franklin was stunned. "400 mercenaries! How much did it cost?"

Stan winced and said, "This is an incredibly difficult task. Each mercenary costs up to $200,000. The total price of $80 million has completely emptied my small fortune that I accumulated over the ten years of my police career."

Franklin was shocked.

He didn't know whether to complain that the mercenaries' fees were too high or how it took Stan just over ten years to embezzle $80 million.

He curled his lips and said, "In the note I left, I said that if the government doesn't release Jason, I will bomb another location in ten days. During this time, the police's attention will definitely be focused on densely populated areas in the city. How about we attack in the middle of the night, nine days from now?"

Stan thought for a moment and nodded. "Agreed. We'll have the mercenaries set up an ambush ahead of time and pass the information to Jason through Harleen. With our combined efforts, the prison break is sure to succeed."

With the prison break plan in place, the two men went to work.

As Stan could not appear in public, Franklin took charge of contacting the mercenaries, arranging hideouts, distributing weapons, and finalizing the time and method of the prison break.

Meanwhile, Stan sat at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration and informed Franklin of any police movements as soon as possible.

After their planning was complete, they went their separate ways to execute their respective tasks

The morning dawned bright and crisp, and Harlene Quzel found herself walking towards Long Island Prison, clutching a bouquet of flowers gifted by Daniel. As she entered the interrogation room, she surreptitiously checked the laser tester to ensure that all surveillance had been turned off before taking a seat at the table.

Jason Walter, the object of her affection, regarded her with an ardent gaze. "My dear Doctor Quzel, what news do you bring me on this beautiful day?"

Harlene's lips curved into a soft smile. "My love, you're going to be free from this place soon. In just eight days, our comrades will lead a team of four hundred mercenaries to raid this prison."

Jason's grin was infectious. "Our comrades indeed, my love. Together, we shall reclaim our freedom."