Chapter 78: Crazy Street

"What did you find out?" Roger placed his car keys on the table and turned on the garage light.

The warm light instantly filled every corner; the garage bulb had just been replaced, far brighter than before.

The female journalist's voice came from the phone: "I found out where little Ryan got the leaves he planted."

"Who sold them to him?" Roger asked.

"A drug dealer on Crazy Street."

"Crazy Street?" Meilijian gangs often named themselves after neighborhoods; Roger wasn't surprised.

But the name was far too familiar—he'd heard it many times these past few days.

"Yes, because their boss is called Crazy, so they call it Crazy Street."

Roger hadn't expected this to be connected to Crazy at all.

"Then how did he get in contact with him?"

"Hmm, what do you think?" The journalist didn't explain, but the answer wasn't hard to guess.

Little Ryan's daily routine was fixed—he stayed home or was in class.

It was normal for lower-class commoners to fall into debt and become drug dealers under gang control, but Roger never imagined the middle class could be turned into dealers too.

And to be entrusted with such responsibility at such a young age—he couldn't even imagine how experienced these people would be by their twenties.

More importantly, Roger hadn't anticipated that so many clues pointed directly to Crazy.

The man who paid to harass Anjielina? His man.

The one who sold seeds to little Ryan? Also his man.

Even his underlings used drugs to control a group of street whores, making money through loan sharking and weed removal services.

Shit, this guy's got a wide business portfolio!

Thinking of this, Roger asked: "Alright, what are you planning to do next?"

"I want you to help me investigate Crazy Street—find out how they control their drug dealers," Vanessa said. "I guarantee this will be explosive news!"

"Hey, what do you think I am?" Roger chuckled. "Am I 007? Do you expect me to just stroll into Crazy Street, convince them I'm one of them, and get firsthand intel?"

Gang vigilance isn't something Margaret could match.

"I know it's a stretch, but I don't have another option right now," Vanessa hesitated. "And you don't necessarily have to join Crazy Street—maybe you can find a few Informers. I'll pay—just get me useful information."

"Also, if this story breaks big, I'll definitely fight to get you a higher price than last time."

Hearing the promise of stacks of green dollars, Roger's eyes lit up. He nodded: "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll help you. Keep me posted."

After hanging up, Roger thought of Xiaer.

He'd assumed Xiaer's Anchor Point only provided attributes, but now it turned out to be incredibly useful.

After all, she regularly interacted with Crazy Street—she might know a lot.

Thinking of this, he immediately called the Mexican girl.

The call connected quickly.

"Roger, what's up?" Her voice sounded like she was cooking in the kitchen.

"You're home?"

"Yeah, my dad's doing better, so I bought meat and vegetables to cook a meal," Xiaer smiled. "Thanks for the medicine."

"Didn't know you had cooking skills."

"Honestly, it's not delicious, but at least I won't starve. Want to come eat?" Xiaer bit her lip and asked.

"No, I already ate," Roger shrugged. "I called to ask about Crazy Street."

Hearing this, the brown-haired girl instinctively glanced out the window at the gang members loitering outside, then whispered: "What do you want to know? Crazy, or the gang?"

"Both. Tell me about Crazy first."

Xiaer paused, then said: "Crazy? As his name suggests—he's insane. He only likes two things: money and screams."

"If you owe him money, pay fast—his interest rates are worse than student loans; they'll crush you."

"I've seen many girls start out needing cash for enhancement drugs, borrow a hundred dollars from Crazy."

"A month later, they're standing on street corners selling their bodies."

Roger listened to the girl's voice:

"And the screams… he loves torturing people. I've seen it myself—he stripped a girl naked, smeared her with syrup, then let insects crawl all over her body… Holy shit!"

Xiaer cursed, her emotions clearly spiraling, but then she took several deep breaths and calmed down: "But all this only happens if you don't pay on time. Yes—if you pay, he'll just slap you a few times or whip you while hanging you."

"Do you know how Crazy's drug dealers are recruited?"

"I don't know," Xiaer said. "But I know Crazy's business has grown massively these past few months—his drugs are sold in many neighborhoods. Police tried to bust him, but without evidence, they had to let him go."

"Alright, do you know anything else about Crazy?"

"Nothing else," Xiaer shook her head. "But whatever you plan to do, don't get involved with Crazy."

"Why?" Roger raised an eyebrow.

"He's a talking beast—short-tempered, impatient, and only cares about money!" Xiaer held the phone between her shoulder and ear while slamming a knife hard onto chicken meat.

"He never cooperates—he'll devour you completely, then dump your bones on the street for stray dogs to pick up!"

After learning part of Crazy's profile from Xiaer, Roger asked: "Does Luola know anything about Crazy Street?"

"I think she knows more than I do," Xiaer said. "Because Luola started going out on the streets earlier than I did."

"Can you ask her for me? Or give her my number so she can call me."

"Sure, no problem."

Xiaer agreed immediately. After Roger hung up, she called Luola.

But strangely, the moment the call connected, it was hung up.

More critically, when she tried again, she found Luola's phone was turned off.

"Why isn't she answering her phone!" the brown-haired girl frowned, a unease stirring in her heart; she turned, grabbed her clothes, and stepped out the door, planning to drive to Luola's house to check on her.

Meanwhile, Roger was studying a new piece of intelligence.

【Intelligence: The Vampire at Midnight】

【According to terrified witnesses, deep within North Avenue 42nd Street, at exactly four a. m., a terrifying figure with a mouth caked in thick, dark-red fluid can be glimpsed pacing before the windows of a certain house. Its silhouette is twisted, like a ravenous ghost crawling from hell. At the same time, horrifying swallowing sounds emanate from within the house, as if a greedy meal is being consumed. To prevent the situation from worsening, investigators must uncover the truth within two days.】

【Reward after investigation: Physical Function +0.5, One Ancient God's Bronze Coin, 100 USD】