Chapter 78 - Important Witness

Jackson stood quietly inside the elevator as it rose to the 16th floor. The 16th floor was reserved for the President of Interpol. Just like the president of a country, the President of Interpol was elected every 4 years. However, the previous President resigned after 2 years and his role was recently overtaken by a South Korean man who would serve the rest of his term. Because of this, Jackson had never met the man before.

As he stepped out of the elevator, a middle-aged gentleman sat behind a desk smiling at him. Jackson immediately walked over and shook the man's hand, "It's nice to meet you, President Kim."

The man gestured for him to sit and Jackson quickly sat down.

"I've heard all about you, Agent Wu," the man said as he looked at some papers on his desk.

"It says here that you've been deep undercover for over 8 years! Wow, that's a long time."

"Yes, sir! I was originally sent from China to catch a fugitive here in France, but ended up going undercover in the local gangs in Paris for 3 years and then Marseille for 5 years."

"I can see you've cracked many big cases, including the one this time. I heard how you've actually been pursuing Remy Durand ever since he was back here in France. We are extremely grateful for the work you've done in apprehending Remy Durand," President Kim praised.

Jackson had actually been working his way up the gangs in the last couple of years to get to Remy Durand, but they had never met. So when Remy Durand suddenly fled to China, he was sent to follow him. However, due to the long time he spent in France, he had to apply for citizenship there. His family was actually from Hong Kong, and unlike China, Hong Kong allowed dual citizenship, so he was a citizen of both places.

"I have discussed with the other delegates in the executive committee about the work you've done and your experience as a field agent. We would like for you to head the Chinese sub bureau of Interpol in Hong Kong. What do you say?" he offered.

Jackson was surprised by this opportunity. After 8 years of hard work, this was like a dream come true. But, he had been undercover since he was 18 and never truly led a normal life. Maybe it was time to leave this world behind. Plus, what about Halia? She was still a Chinese citizen. How would their relationship work if he took on the role in Hong Kong?

"Thank you for the offer President Kim, but to be honest, I just want to lead a normal life now. I think I've already contributed a lot to Interpol and it's time I return to see my family," Jackson explained.

President Kim nodded his head. "I can understand that. Because of your hard work over the last 8 years, you will receive many benefits for life, and a hefty bonus paycheck. You could probably live comfortably without working for the rest of your life. But, don't reject me so quickly. You will be staying here in France and keeping your identity a secret until Remy Durand's trial is officially over, so you can take this time to think it over. You are an important witness in this case since you've been following Remy Durand for so many years, so we will keep you in a safe house where you will be protected until he is sentenced. Someone will bring you food and supplies every day, but you will have no access to the outside world. Not even a phone," President Kim explained.

Jackson frowned. How was he supposed to contact Halia? And when was he going to see her again?

"How long will this trial last?" he asked uncomfortably.

"At least a month," the man replied.

Jackson sighed, but he still cooperated. After all, he had been working on this case for so long and he wanted to make sure that Remy Durand was sent to prison.

...

Meanwhile, back in China, it was already the next day. Halia arrived at the SPU headquarters to hand in a detailed report of the entire mission and to receive a debriefing from Sean and the captain.

"Halia, you've already done really well. Even though you didn't catch Jackson personally, we received a lot of intel about the gangs and their operations. According to the information you gave us about Jackson's competitors, we've managed to arrest Percy Shen who was the one that created the bomb that was strapped to Jackson last time. Also, this morning, the anti-corruption bureau received an anonymous package. Inside was a USB stick with a list of corrupt policeman. It appears, we still have an undercover comrade amongst the gangs and this person explained that Marcus Sim died because of this USB stick. The USB stick belongs to Sam Huang, so he has already been taken in for questioning. We are still very proud of what you have done," the captain praised.

Halia smiled and nodded her head.

"But, of course, all these arrests have stirred up the criminal world here in Beijing and we're afraid someone might find the connection to you. So, we are planning to send you on a small mission to Hong Kong. We have no jurisdiction there, so no arrests will be taking place. We just want you to attend an event for a week and gather some intel. You can spend the rest of your time like a paid holiday. What do you say?" the captain asked.

Halia thought for a second. She didn't know when Jackson would be back, but sitting around waiting was a grueling thing. So, she eventually agreed.