The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 444: The Bounty

Caroline replied, "Sometimes sheep fall in love with wolves."

"Next time, you can be a sheep," Hawke said as he headed out.

Caroline smiled so widely she could barely close her mouth. "Next time, come to my place. I live just next door."

...

Hawke got into his Mercedes and told the driver, Raul, to head to Hollywood.

He had received a call from Edward yesterday. Edward had already had initial discussions with Steve Nutt.

Just as Hawke had observed, Steve had dedicated his life to advocating for Black civil rights.

It's hard to see what a person truly thinks inside, but their actions are brutally honest.

When he arrived at the Compton Foundation office, as the car turned into the driveway, Hawke saw all sorts of unusual characters.

At the office entrance, he ran into an old acquaintance, DaShawn. The guy was wearing a dress with a full beard. Already an ugly sight, now he looked like he belonged in another galaxy.

Hawke asked him, "What's with the outfit?"

"It's comfortable," DaShawn looked around and said softly, "I'm used to it. Next time, if the boss needs me for something, I won't slip up."

Hawke patted his shoulder, "Keep your style."

The odd Trio all made a living by their genuine skills.

...

Edward and Steve came out of the office and greeted Hawke, "Boss, we're here."

Hawke followed them into a conference room.

Edward sent everyone else away, leaving only himself, Hawke, and Steve.

Steve looked sleep-deprived, yawning every now and then.

Edward had someone bring a strong coffee.

Steve sheepishly said, "I didn't go home last night. I slept here and personally experienced the trauma these people carry -- wounds they can't heal for a lifetime."

Edward looked down to hide his smirk.

The local Black folks staying temporarily in the building loved to cause trouble.

Hawke said, "The Savior set up this foundation to help his fellow men in Compton. I started traveling alone when I was young and lacked insight into this area. I thought Compton was just like other chaotic communities, but the reality is even worse."

He wasn't lying. Although he'd seen a lot on the news in his past life, he lacked firsthand experience.

Hawke used to want to stay as far away from these odd characters as possible.

But after discovering these 'odd ones' could help him achieve his goals and bring tangible benefits, Hawke's mindset changed quickly.

"Lately, I've been thinking about this. This isn't someone's personal problem; it's a widespread social issue that individual effort alone can't solve. We need collective effort."

Steve understood, "It's been a chronic societal problem for years."

Hawke said, "Since it involves group power, we have to resolve it through public opinion and political channels."

No need to sugarcoat or avoid; he said directly, "We're already deeply involved in political activities. From any perspective, it's necessary to push for this special movement."

Could this movement help them apply to the federal government for a diversity funding grant?

In his past life, Americans directly got money from such programs.

Steve knew Hawke's capabilities clearly. He could stir public opinion and now had financial power.

These two combined weren't just additive but multiplied, unleashing terrifying energy.

There was no hesitation. The Black Civil Rights Association also had funding from Hawke and Brian.

Any hesitation would be disrespectful to the money.

Steve asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Hawke wouldn't let him run errands or do rough work, saying, "Your task is to act as a thought leader. Fox TV Channel 11 has a production crew ready to film the survival status of these marginalized communities. They want to invite you as a guest, either for commentary or to appear on camera. Or even to join the filming directly. It depends on your discussion with Channel 11."

"Fox Network?" Steve recalled contact with Channel 11, "It's fine for them to report on this?"

Hawke said, "Megan Taylor is the director at Channel 11 and has the authority on this."

He paused and continued, "Also, manage your official Twitter account. Develop a tweeting schedule to periodically highlight the living conditions of Black communities over the coming period."

This was exactly Steve's expertise now. He replied, "Leave it to my team."

Hawke nodded slightly, "For now, focus on warming up the topic -- bringing these communities' plights in front of the camera. The next steps..."

Steve waited for Hawke's plan.

Tapping his fingers on the table, Hawke said, "We need an explosive event as a trigger to ignite nationwide public opinion."

Edward, acting like the junior partner eager to contribute, jumped in, "If we can't wait for an explosive event, we can create one. We have media support, people, money, just need a solid plan."

Steve's mind opened; waiting passively was never Hawke's style. He agreed, "Exactly."

Hawke had some ideas but not finalized. "You two think about it, come up with some ways, and we'll combine them later. There's plenty of time."

The two immediately began brainstorming.

Hawke reminded, "Don't leak this outside."

"Understood," Steve knew this was for him.

At that moment, Hawke thought of the late George Floyd.

For political needs, Floyd was elevated to a martyr, with some even erecting statues in his honor.

Who would have thought a man with a criminal record would become a symbol?

This case was worth learning from.

...

Steve called a Black Civil Rights Association film crew to Compton Foundation to shoot publicity photos of the marginalized.

Fox Network Channel 11 had to wait for Megan's meeting tomorrow before starting.

They filmed a bit, then Steve asked the odd Trio to lead them to Compton to shoot authentic footage of the local fringe groups.

...

Suddenly, Edward got a call. After hanging up, he said, "Bosque just sent news -- the Black Panther has been hunted down, matched with a BBQ set, it's confirmed."

The Black Panther referred to General Amin from South Sudan, who had taken money from Gurg and ordered an attack on Hawke.

...

Hawke returned to the Coastal Building and received encrypted info from the Butterfly Consulting through a more secretive channel.

This killing heavily relied on cash power.

In Africa, the dollar means more weapons, personnel, and territorial power.

Many tribal warlords quickly expand with external cash and resources, starting civil wars to overthrow governments -- not unusual in Africa.

Bosque bribed a tribal leader friendly with Amin, who invited Amin to a feast under the pretext of marrying his 14th wife.

On the way, Bosque ambushed successfully.

Amin was cautious and used decoy cars, but with personnel and equipment support, Bosque launched two RPG attacks on all vehicles.

The whole convoy was wiped out; it didn't matter who was in which car.

This was what Edward called the BBQ set.

"Three targets, only Gurg left," Edward said after reviewing.

Bosque hadn't found news of Gurg yet.

Hawke saw Bosque had intelligence on Gurg's multiple bases in Sudan. Early reconnaissance showed those places hadn't been visited for a long time.

Hurricane Mercenary Company had bought info in the intelligence market in Kashmu, Sudan, but it was a month old.

Bosque suspected Gurg either changed his code name and appearance and was laying low or had left Sudan.

In East Africa, finding someone intentionally hiding isn't easy.

Hawke had no other choice but to have Hurricane Mercenary continue the search.

Meanwhile, they issued bounty notices through multiple channels.

Money solves all problems.

---

Cairo, Egypt.

Gurg, in a wig and sunglasses, exited Ramses Train Station alone. He casually looked around, crossed Tahrir Square, and entered the Egyptian National Museum.

Following their agreement, he went near the mummy exhibition but didn't enter. Instead, he circled around and went upstairs to an observation platform, watching the people below.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

The exhibit wasn't crowded; most visitors left quickly.

Gurg found his target -- a man with glasses, scholarly, examining a coffin housing a mummy.

His assistant stood nearby, alert.

Confirming no danger, Gurg went downstairs and into the exhibit to find the target.

He whispered, "Honey Badger, you shouldn't have come looking for me."

The bespectacled man codenamed Honey Badger said, "The higher-ups are unhappy you didn't eliminate Hawke Osment."

Gurg didn't care, "He's already left Africa. I'm powerless now."

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.