David Smith gritted his teeth and said, "Remember this lesson—there won't be a next time."

The scruffy man was in so much pain he couldn't straighten up, nodding repeatedly.

Luke Johnson asked, "What should we do with this guy?"

"Let him go."

"Are you serious?"

"Let him leave."

The scruffy man urged, "He said I can go."

Luke Johnson unlocked the handcuffs and let the scruffy man go, then sat in the passenger seat, a bit disgruntled, and questioned, "What's going on?"

David Smith lowered his head, his voice full of helplessness: "That's my wife. I haven't seen her in almost half a year."

Luke Johnson was a bit surprised. "Ex-wife?"

"We're not divorced." David Smith let the car thief go because he didn't want to drag his wife into this.

Someone stole his car, and his own wife helped keep watch. If word got out, he'd be the laughingstock of the whole police station.

Luke Johnson only glanced a few times and could tell that woman was on drugs.

A cop's wife being an addict—no one would want to talk about something like that.

"Calm down for a bit. I'll ask the neighbors about Tony." Luke Johnson got out of the car and glanced around. Aside from a few loiterers, he didn't see any actual residents in their yards.

Luke Johnson knocked on a few neighbors' doors, but no one answered. He couldn't tell if no one lived there, if they weren't home, or if they just didn't want to open the door.

"This damn place..." Luke Johnson was starting to feel homesick.

Back in the car, David Smith seemed to have calmed down and took the initiative to ask, "Any luck?"

"I didn't see a single person."

"These losers are like vampires—they only come out at night." David Smith started the car. "I'll take you to meet a few friends. They should know about Tony."

The car drove a few hundred meters forward, and not far ahead was a bar.

There were lots of motorcycles parked in the lot in front of the bar, and a group of men in leather jackets were gathered there. Some of the jackets had white skulls printed on them.

"These are the friends you mentioned?"

"Do you know how to identify motorcycle gang members?"

"The patches on their jackets tell you the gang's name, origin, and rank. This gang's name is 'Motorhead Hardmen'." Luke Johnson chuckled and cursed, "These bastards even stole my nickname."

David Smith said, "This area is all run by biker gangs. They definitely know Tony's background."

"You have an informant here?"

"No, but I will soon."

"What do you mean?"

David Smith answered with a question: "Do you know which of these guys are the most dangerous?"

"The ones with skulls on their jackets?"

"No, it's the ones without skulls on their jackets. The only way for them to move up is to commit a serious crime in front of the gang, like assaulting a cop."

Luke Johnson glanced at him. "You want to fight?"

"Yeah, I'd rather get beaten to death than suffocate."

Chapter 13: Informant

Luke Johnson didn't stop him.

His wife was using drugs and might be cheating on him. Any normal man would need to let off some steam.

If David Smith kept bottling it up, he'd be a ticking time bomb, and as his partner, Luke Johnson could get caught in the blast.

The best way was to let him vent.

And who better than a bunch of bikers?

David Smith pulled the car up to the bar entrance, blocking a few motorcycles.

"Bang!"

The bikers seemed to take it as a provocation and immediately threw a beer bottle, smashing it on the front of the car.

David Smith got out. "Which bastard threw a bottle at my car?"

A big bearded guy in a skull jacket walked over. "You got a death wish?"

David Smith flashed his badge. "You want to go to jail?"

The bearded guy laughed. "Sir, no offense, but I suggest you get yourself a better car."

"Haha..." A dozen bikers around them burst out laughing.

"Someone reported you punks for causing trouble at the bar. Bearded guy, send someone with me, and the rest of you get lost. You know the drill."

"Forget it. Either you arrest all of us, or none of us." As soon as he finished, a dozen bikers surrounded them.

Luke Johnson put his right hand on his holster. "Need to call for backup?"

"Where's the fun in that?" David Smith swept his gaze over the bikers, not the least bit afraid. "You guys want to hit me? Come on, don't just hide in the crowd like cowards."

The bikers looked angry, but still, no one dared step forward.

"No one wants to commit a felony by assaulting a cop?" David Smith sneered. "Listen, I won't say it again. Whoever knocks me down won't get detained.

If I knock you down, you come quietly to the station. This is a one-time offer."

The bearded guy's face grew darker. He pointed at a man in a jacket without a skull and said, "Harry, your chance."

A curly-haired guy, a bit drunk, took a big swig of beer and suddenly hurled the bottle at David Smith.

David Smith dodged to the side.

Curly-haired Harry rushed up and swung his right fist at David Smith's face.

"Bang!"

David Smith took a heavy punch.