This Isn’t My Car (Fifth Update, 100 Monthly Votes Bonus Chapter, Please Subscribe!!)

Hell’s Kitchen is Kingpin’s territory, and Kingpin is a capable boss. He knows more about what happens in his territory than anyone else.

So, Lake wasn’t too surprised that Kingpin knew about this. He was only concerned about one thing right now.

"The car."

"Please rest assured, Director Edwin, your car is already on its way back."

"…Good."

Lake gave the middle-aged man, who claimed to be Kingpin’s lawyer, a deep look and nodded after speaking.

The middle-aged man turned and left.

George looked at the seven or eight bodies in the warehouse, all killed with a single blow, and then looked at Lake, shaking his head. "How long has it been since I knew your car was stolen?"

Lake shrugged.

Kingpin’s reach was too long. Basically, sixty percent of New York’s black crime could be traced back to Kingpin at its source.

But…

As the saying goes.

Lake had switched departments, and naturally, his perspective on Kingpin had changed. Kingpin’s power was established now, and he knew what he could and couldn’t touch.

Just like now, at the very least, as long as Kingpin didn’t offend Lake, Lake wouldn’t bother with him.

With Lake’s current standing and status, frankly speaking, holding onto Kingpin wasn’t just a matter of class, but also of foresight.

He had just left the beginner’s village; it was fine to mess with the thugs in Hell’s Kitchen, but now? There was no need.

In his rage, he could directly mobilize the army with the power of Homeland Security and the military, bringing soldiers to Hell’s Kitchen, and confronting Kingpin? The real Kingpin would have to kneel before him.

Just like this time, whether the car recovery team acted independently or was under Kingpin’s control, at least these seven or eight bodies were Kingpin’s way of making amends. He could have thought of this explanation as soon as Lake arrived.

Lake was very satisfied with this.

In the afternoon.

Lake stood at the entrance of Starlight Tower, waiting for his car to be returned.

The school bus from Midtown High School stopped not far away.

A moment later.

Skye and Alexis got off the school bus.

"Uncle Lake?"

Alexis, chatting and laughing with Skye, saw Lake standing at the entrance and greeted him curiously. "Uncle Lake, are you waiting for Skye?"

Lake smiled and said, "I’m waiting for my car."

"Car?"

"Yeah."

Skye said, "Did your car break down again?"

Skye had the most impression of Lake’s old car, after all, Lake drove that car to take her to weekend tutoring. For such a long time, Skye knew that the car had broken down at least a dozen times.

Lake nodded. "It caught fire, so I got a new car."

Alexis’s interest was piqued when she heard about the new car. She looked around. "Uncle Lake, where’s the car?"

Lake’s mouth twitched, and he said slowly, "I just bought it less than half an hour ago, and it was stolen."

Alexis’s mouth fell open, and she exchanged a look with Skye.

Skye was a bit stunned by the sudden turn of events. "It was stolen?"

Lake nodded.

Skye couldn’t help but say, "Are there still people in the Federation who dare to steal your car?"

A senior executive of the Department of Homeland Security was considered a pillar of the Federation. Although ranked very low, he was at least within the top three hundred of all federal officials.

Lake sighed. "Although this sounds ridiculous, it’s the truth. But fortunately, I spent a day finally tracking down the car’s whereabouts and am just waiting for someone to bring it to me."

Just then.

At the end of the street where Starlight Tower was located, a white Porsche Cayenne slowly drove over.

Lake raised an eyebrow and said to Skye and Alexis, "Look, that’s the one."

The two girls looked.

"Wow!"

Alexis exclaimed, "A Porsche."

Skye also looked with a bit of sparkle in her eyes.

After all, the two girls were already fifteen years old and could get their driver’s licenses tomorrow. Naturally, they talked about cars more often with their classmates at school.

A moment later.

A man wearing gloves parked the car by the roadside and got out. He glanced at the undisturbed cover on the driver’s seat and walked over. "Mr. Edwin."

Lake looked at the man expressionlessly. "This isn’t my car."

Yes.

Although the cling film was still on the roof and the exterior was perfectly replicated, Lake knew at first glance that this wasn’t the car he had bought.

What do you mean?

Just by looking at the interior accessories through the passenger side window, it was clear this was the top-trim model.

Lake had bought the base model.

There was no choice.

The base model cost forty-eight thousand US dollars, while the high-end version cost eighty thousand. Since it was just for driving, Lake naturally didn’t opt for the higher trim.

The middle-aged man looked a bit embarrassed.

Lake looked directly at the middle-aged man. "Speak."

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment before saying, "Yes, Mr. Edwin, this car is indeed not your original one. This is from my boss as compensation."

Lake didn’t engage with that topic. "Where is my car?"

The middle-aged man replied, "I apologize, but by the time we pursued them, the van had already disappeared. My boss asked me to pass on a message: this incident was not our doing. This car is also a gesture from my boss, hoping to temporarily quell your anger. In one month, my boss guarantees your car will be delivered to you."

Lake’s gaze gradually turned cold.

Was this about the car?

No.

This wasn’t about the car at all. It was about his reputation. His car had been stolen, and the crucial point was that his car had been stolen, and he hadn’t recovered it. If this news got out, how could he possibly maintain his standing?

The middle-aged man took out his phone, made a call, spoke a few words, and then handed the phone to Lake. "Mr. Edwin, our boss would like to speak with you for a moment."

Lake took the phone expressionlessly.

At this moment.

The aura of suppressed rage emanating from Lake made Skye and Alexis, standing beside him, exchange glances. They both felt a bit hesitant to speak loudly.

Taking the phone.

"Speak!"

"Mr. Edwin, give me one month, and I guarantee your car will be delivered to you."

"Heh."

Lake listened to the somewhat distinctive voice on the phone and let out a couple of cold laughs. "My car, you took it?"

Kingpin said directly, "Absolutely not. This car-receiving organization came from the West Coast a year ago. They follow the rules, splitting seventy-thirty. So, I tacitly allowed them, and I also informed them whose cars they absolutely could not take."

Lake smiled. "They didn’t listen to you."

Kingpin admitted it without denial, then added, "They told me at the end that the car didn’t have your license plate."

Lake let out an "Oh." "So, this is my fault?"

Kingpin said directly, "I will give you a perfect explanation for this matter, and I will definitely return your car to you completely unharmed. Consider this car my compensation."

Lake glanced at the middle-aged man standing before him, who was sweating on his forehead, and said directly, "So, my car wasn’t stolen by your people?"

"Absolutely not."

"Fine."

Lake said directly, "Since it has nothing to do with you, I don’t need you to give me an explanation. I will handle my own affairs. However, I hope you haven’t lied to me, otherwise, I will flatten Hell’s Kitchen."

After speaking.

Lake hung up the phone directly and said expressionlessly to the middle-aged man in front of him, "Scram."

The middle-aged man immediately nodded and, with a whoosh, turned and ran away. He was so fast that he disappeared from Lake’s sight after turning a corner within ten seconds.

Lake sighed.

West Coast?

Los Angeles?

If Texas was the federal transit hub for illicit narcotics, then Los Angeles was indeed the transit hub for vehicles.

As for what New York was a transit hub for?

Just look at The Continental Hotel. New York was the transit hub for all crime.

Lake shook his head and made a call to his assistant, asking Tiffany to compile a list of well-known car theft organizations on the West Coast. After hanging up, he waved the car keys in his hand at Skye and Alexis beside him. "Want to take a look?"

Skye and Alexis snapped back to attention and got into Lake’s car, one after the other.

Lake drove directly, taking Skye and Alexis to a Western restaurant a few streets away. He planned to test the car and have dinner at the same time. He also called Cassel to inform him that Alexis was with him, just in case Cassel thought Alexis had been kidnapped.

After dinner.

In the underground parking garage of Starlight Tower.

Lake turned off the engine and tossed the car keys to Skye, who was in the passenger seat beside him.

Skye was slightly taken aback.

What did he mean by that?

Lake got out of the car and said to Skye, who was getting out of the passenger side, "This isn’t my car."

Skye blinked.

And then?

Lake walked towards the elevator in the underground garage. "The manual and everything are inside. You can take a look first. When you get your license next year, this car will be yours."

Skye caught up to him and heard him say, "No, this car is too valuable."

Lake replied, "Valuable? If you didn’t spend a single cent, how can it be valuable?"

He hadn’t spent a single cent.

The fact was, his car was still stolen. As for this car, it was a gift from Kingpin to appease Lake, so he wouldn’t unleash his fury on Hell’s Kitchen for harboring a car theft ring from the West Coast.

So…

Lake looked at Skye inside the elevator. "If you don’t want it, you can just leave it in the garage. It would make a decent storage unit."

Skye was speechless. "A car worth ninety-eight thousand US dollars, and you want to use it as a storage unit?"

Alexis had looked up the price of the car online while they were eating at the restaurant earlier.

Lake chuckled. After walking out of the elevator, he said to Skye, "Exactly. If you don’t want this car, I won’t drive it, and I won’t sell it. If it’s not storage, what else could it be, a spectacle?"

Skye was a bit curious. "Why won’t you drive it?"

Lake used his fingerprint to open the door, not looking back. "This isn’t my car!"

Skye: "…"