Reborn: The Rookie Detective

As Jack landed via the rappelling system, an explosion rang out. The two SUVs, having traveled less than 50 meters, were simultaneously blown up.

Of course, "blown up" is a rather exaggerated description; each packet of explosives Jason had given Clay was probably less than 500 grams. When the smoke cleared, there were even members of the Eugene family still inside the vehicles, unharmed.

Clay quickly emerged from the woods where he was hiding, and after a few shots, finished off the remaining enemies.

The remaining team members cautiously followed their tactical formation, searching the entire villa thoroughly. Only after confirming everything was safe did Jason order the helicopter to land in front of the house.

As a frantic Jessie jumped off the helicopter, Jack was already at the villa's door, carrying the unconscious Francine.

This girl was lucky. Perhaps because the hunt had just begun, the men of the Eugene family planned to accumulate more prey before taking their turn, or perhaps they had sensed something amiss the previous night and temporarily abandoned their intentions.

In short, aside from some infection and dehydration, Francine was fully clothed, but she was quite frightened. Fearing she might struggle and injure herself, Jack simply knocked her unconscious.

Leaving Francine in Jessie's care for the time being, Jack returned to the villa. It was time to reap the rewards, but things didn't seem to be going smoothly.

"So, where's what we're looking for? There's nothing here," Jason asked Jack, looking somewhat disappointed.

The basement Sam Eugene had mentioned was just a small cellar hidden under the living room floor, completely empty and so clean it could starve a rat.

The other team members, still unsure of what they were looking for, looked at the two with confused expressions.

Jack's gaze swept around, finally settling on the wreckage of the two SUVs outside the window.

"Clay, did you check the trunks of those two cars after you finished them off?"

"No, what are you talking about? What are we looking for?" Clay shook his head, puzzled.

"We'll find out soon enough."

When Jack and his six team members regrouped in the living room, the table in the center of the room was piled high with gleaming gold nuggets. The visual impact of this stack was far greater than a pile of banknotes.

Jason and his team stared at the pile, their eyes practically glowing gold.

Ray, standing next to Jason, swallowed hard, picked up one of the nuggets to examine it, his voice trembling.

"Each nugget weighs about 50 ounces. Even if it's not the highest purity, each one is worth around $75,000. There are 29 nuggets in total. We're rich."

Jack was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the Eugene family to hide most of their gold reserves in this mountain villa. It seemed the FBI's raid on the vineyard wouldn't yield much.

Jason didn't waste any words, directly removing five nuggets from the pile and setting them aside.

"We each got four. We wouldn't have made this money without this FBI kid, so we'll give him the extra one."

The other five nodded in agreement. Ray happily swiped away four gold nuggets, exclaiming, "My wife's always wanted a bigger house, and now she can finally have her wish."

Sonny was beaming, and was about to take his share from the table when Jason stopped him.

"Give your share to Ray for safekeeping. I don't want you spending all this money foolishly."

Ray chuckled and put his share into his bag. "Don't worry, I'll pay you back after you get married, and I promise your wife won't know."

"Damn it, does that mean I'll never get it back?" Sonny said, looking annoyed.

Jack returned all his equipment to the team, and Jason indicated that he could keep the tactical backpack to store the gold.

Perhaps because they had shared the spoils together, the team's attitude towards Jack visibly improved significantly. After a warm farewell, they boarded the helicopter and sped away.

When David Rossi landed here in a massive helicopter, all he saw was a burning mountain villa and the wreckage of two off-road vehicles, reduced to mere frames and still belching black smoke.

"Jason asked me to give this to you," Jack said, stepping forward and handing Rossi a memory card containing a video recording left by the team, documenting the entire battle, excluding the final scene of them dividing the loot.

Rossi, still exuding confidence in his expensive bespoke suit, glanced at the two girls behind Jack and waved for a medic who had just disembarked from the helicopter to come forward and check on them.

"How's the situation?" Rossi's question was somewhat vague, but Jack knew what he really wanted to know.

"Nothing was missed, everything was cleaned up. The team took their payment, and the rest is in my bag."

Rossi waved his hand, unconcerned about the money. "Keep the rest; you're not an FBI agent yet."

Jack was somewhat amused and exasperated; although he hadn't intended to hand it over, he still felt indebted to Rossi.

They didn't have much to say. Rossi already knew the whole story and was very satisfied with Jack's performance. Although he hadn't officially joined the FBI, he had already delivered a significant gift.

Regardless of the final exploration results of the gold mine, the mining conditions were undeniable, and it certainly had some value.

"What are your plans for the future?" Rossi asked.

Jack shrugged. "Take a day off, then continue my road trip."

Although he was just tagging along with the team, keeping up with these professionals without holding them back was no easy feat.

Jack was physically exhausted, but mentally satisfied. He had personally participated in a professional operation, an experience most FBI agents had never had.

"I won't bother you any longer. Remember to report to Quantico on time in a month. I'll personally participate in your training evaluation."

Rossi glanced at Jessie not far away, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"Come on, I'll take you back to get your car. That girl should come too; she has some documents to sign."

When the helicopter landed again at the dilapidated gas station, it had been razed to the ground, including the large crater behind the rickety tin shack, which had been completely filled in.

Only Jack's Firebird remained, towed aside, still covered with the tattered tarpaulin.

Jack took Jessie's hand and jumped off the helicopter. After leaving the rotor area, he turned and waved goodbye to Rossi.

Francine's crossbow bolt wound requires surgery, and Rossi will take her directly to the hospital in Las Cruces, where Jessie's other two friends are already waiting.