My Second Life as a Mafia Tyrant

Chapter 24: A Detective’s Pride

　Felix was still in the West.

　After quickly finishing his report to his superior, he bought a bottle of fine red wine from the West, had it carefully wrapped, and got into a taxi.

　His destination was a residential neighborhood on the outskirts.

　He checked repeatedly to make sure he wasn’t being followed. But perhaps the commotion from the daytime brawl had done the trick. No vehicle appeared to tail the taxi Felix was riding in.

　Felix straightened his tie and rang the doorbell of a house in the quiet residential neighborhood.

　A few seconds after the doorbell rang, a familiar face appeared.

“It’s you… So, the commotion earlier today was…”

“I appreciate you taking the risk to meet with me.”

The man who greeted Felix was the detective who had kicked him out of the state police station.

Inspector Gilbert Galway. He was the head of the state police narcotics division.

“I didn’t exactly choose to get involved. I was genuinely furious. But I can see your point of view. There is indeed a mole within the State Police. Let’s discuss this inside.”

“Thank you.”

Felix entered Gilbert’s home.

“Oh my. Do I have a guest?”

“Special Agent Felix Faust. This is my wife, Glenda.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Faust. Have you had dinner yet?”

“Yes, at the hotel. Please accept this.”

“Oh, this red wine must have been expensive. I’ll go slice some cheese right away.”

Glenda said this and headed toward the kitchen.

“How did the investigation go after that?”

“The dealer didn’t spill a word. He’s definitely looking at 15 years in prison. Honestly, I’m against sending junkies to prison.”

“May I ask why?”

Felix asked with interest.

“Because it’s pointless. Once they get out of prison, they’ll just go back to being junkies and start dealing again. Even if we lock them up for 15 years, nothing will change. Even as they get older, junkies remain junkies, and they’ll just keep getting exploited.”

Gilbert sighed.

“No matter how many low-level dealers we arrest, it’s like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teaspoon. It’s pointless. With previous gangs, we could have arrested not just the middlemen, but the gang leaders themselves. But this time, it’s a completely different story.”

“The drug cartels have changed their strategy. The volume of drugs flowing into the West is ten times what it was last year. We should assume they’ve gained powerful allies.”

“And they’re violent enough to terrify the dealers. Cunning enough to keep evading our investigations. How does the Drug Enforcement Administration view this?”

“We suspect Leni might be the hub of the operation. The Leni City Police are weak when it comes to organized crime. And since it’s a free city, neither federal investigative agencies nor the state police can intervene. We suspect that the gangs based in Leni are likely running the drug trade across the entire western region.”

“Leni, huh… You’re right, we can’t really do anything about it.”

Gilbert wore a bitter expression.

“What about intelligence on the Leni gangs?”

“We have some, but it’s outdated. The cycle of generational turnover, splits, and mergers among these gangs is terrifyingly fast. It’s common for gangs that were enemies just yesterday to call a truce, only for a new gang to emerge in their place.”

“But cartels wouldn’t propose large-scale deals to such fragile gangs.”

“True… If there are any gangs still active based on those old records, they’re the ones to watch.”

Gangs are gangs. One turf war after another. Mergers and consolidations. New entrants. Just like Reni’s Magitech-related venture companies, they vanish, and new faces appear. It’s certainly true that the cycle is terrifyingly fast.

But it’s not like a drug cartel to propose large-scale deals to such gangs with such an uncertain future. They’re cautious. The problem for them lies in how to turn the drugs they’ve smuggled into the “National Union” into cash.

　They’re looking for a business partner capable of handling large-scale deals. And this time, they’ve found one. That’s why the volume of drugs circulating on the market has increased more than tenfold since the start of the year.

But if we can take down that business partner, the drug cartel will be reduced to making small-scale deals again—like feeding carp to small-time gangs—just as they did before.

And the state police alone can handle cracking down on those kinds of gangs.

　The problem is how to catch the gangs in Leni.

“Inspector Galway. Do you have any connections in Leni?”

“I do have some, but their attitude toward you will likely be even worse than that of the state police.”

“I’m prepared for that. Five of my comrades died from drug overdoses. I want to avenge them.”

“You shouldn’t let personal feelings cloud your investigation.”

“I know. But I can’t forgive drugs. I can’t forgive the people who sell them.”

Just as Gilbert and Felix were having this conversation, the red wine and cheese—a gift from Felix kept in a wine cooler—were brought in.

“It’s a gift for you. You’ll have a glass too, won’t you?”

“Well, I’ll take you up on that.”

Red wine was poured into wine glasses, and a rich aroma filled the air.

“The West has its own pride. I understand that we must cooperate with the central government, but there are reasons why that isn’t so easy.”

Gilbert continued.

“The current ‘National Union’ government is anti-communist and conservative. In contrast, the governors of the western states come from reformist parties. They want to legalize low-addictiveness drugs like White Glass to prevent those dealing in drugs from reaping exorbitant profits.”

“But this drug is far more dangerous than White Glass.”

“I know, but the governor is also arguing that we should stop the policy of harsh punishment and focus on treatment instead. Personally, I agree. But for a governor like that, the fact that the West has become a hotbed for the drug trade is a major setback.”

“Is the governor putting pressure on the investigation?”

“Indirectly, yes. He’s subtly telling us to reduce the number of arrests and show that the West is doing well. That’s why we can’t take drastic measures. Besides, the tactic of working our way up from the dealers—well, we can’t really go there anyway, since there are gang members in Reni.”

Gilbert said this and took a sip from his wine glass.

“I’m a detective, too. We were taught about justice at the police academy. I want to fulfill my duty for the sake of the citizens. I want to thoroughly investigate that murdered dealer, identify the culprit, and make it clear who hired them to do it.”

“But the governor won’t look kindly on that.”

“That’s right. The governor wants to go down in history. He wants to be the one credited with reducing drug crime through legalization. But the reality is different. White Glass acts as a gateway drug, and those who get hooked on it end up trying dangerous substances like Snow Pearl. Far from decreasing, drug crime is at an all-time high.”

Gilbert groaned.

“I’m a detective too. I’ll help out however I can. I’ll share any investigative leads I have. I’ll also look into that gang case. I’ll ask a detective with connections in Leni to help out too. But talking at the State Police station is out of the question. There probably won’t be an internal audit. The informants are running wild.”

“Got it. Let’s work together to corner this drug cartel.”

“Yeah.”