Jimmy glanced at Cage, guessing that Cage wouldn't give up the chance to catch that guy personally, so leaving it to the DEA and driving away was definitely not an option.
Jimmy: "Ted, let's talk privately."
Jimmy and Ted walked aside, and Jimmy whispered, "Ted, this case is yours, but there's someone inside that needs to be turned over to us. Our target isn't the case, it's that person. Of course, he's a minor player and won't affect your operation."
Ted frowned at Jimmy. It had been Torsten who had called them out overnight, and the fact that Dallas had received the information had to have come from Jimmy. They weren't fools; they could turn a blind eye to certain things, but Jimmy directly asking for someone, especially before their interrogation, might complicate things later, and needed careful consideration.
After thinking it over, Ted finally nodded in agreement.
Jimmy went back to Cage and relayed the outcome of their conversation, but Cage flatly rejected it.
Ted requested the transfer of the case to the DEA, and Cage had no objections; he wasn't there for the credit, but just to apprehend a person. However, Ted asking them to leave was something Cage absolutely could not agree to.
Jimmy spoke with Cage briefly, then returned to Ted's side.
"Ted, Sergeant Cage is key in this operation, and the person in question is who he's after, so he requests to stake out with you. What do you think?"
Ted glanced at Cage and knew the type well—an overweight, experienced officer. It shouldn't be a problem.
"OK, he can stay with me, but we need to move his squad car first to avoid detection."
"Agreed. I'll head back to the station to change my gear, then come back here."
Jimmy returned to where Cage was, passed on the message, and then drove straight back to the station. It was now 3 a.m., and even if he went home, he wouldn't sleep much. It seemed better to just head back to the station, change into his gear, and come back to the stakeout, settling his mind at least.
The station was manned 24 hours a day, so Jimmy wouldn't be locked out. He changed into his uniform, equipped his duty belt, but the only problem was that he couldn't take along the car equipment since the gear room was unmanned at night.
Jimmy greeted the person on duty, left in his squad car, and returned to where Cage and the others were. After communicating, he moved his squad car to a small road in the distance and rested inside it.
Ted and Cage divided their men, sending some to rest and others to watch the camp. If anything happened, they would be notified via walkie-talkie. Jimmy and Cage's walkie-talkies were already synced to the DEA channels, and Jimmy's police car radio was connected to the dispatch center, marking his role as more involved than those just managing their sectors.
At 5 a.m., Jimmy's walkie-talkie suddenly rang, "Attention, a car is approaching." Jimmy, who had been sleeping in his uniform and bullet-proof vest, was instantly awake, having barely slept deeply due to the discomfort.
Jimmy waited for further instructions over the walkie-talkie. His role was still that of support. The DEA would handle the first touch, and if anything went awry, it would be on Cage and Jimmy, though for Cage, it was more of a formality given his inability to effectively pursue fleeing suspects due to his size.
"The car is leaving, not the target, repeat, not the target."
Jimmy relaxed again, leaning back and continuing to doze, having hardly slept the entire night and only growing more exhausted as dawn approached. A few minutes later, the walkie-talkie activated again.
"Attention, the car that passed earlier has returned, approaching the intersection."
It had to be acknowledged, the DEA officers were impressive—Jimmy was struggling to stay awake, yet they could monitor and identify vehicles on the road, recognizing one that had passed by earlier.
For the next few minutes, the walkie-talkie remained silent, and Jimmy felt helpless; he was 200-300 meters away from the camp, completely unable to see or hear any activity there.
"GO! GO! GO!" came the command over the walkie-talkie. It wasn't directed at Jimmy and his group; it seemed the DEA had confirmed the earlier car was making a delivery and were now moving to surround them.
Jimmy started the squad car, got onto the highway, and slowly drove to the settlement's intersection to await further instructions from Ted.
"Cage, Jimmy, someone is running southward." Jimmy started the squad car from the highway in pursuit. The area wasn't densely wooded, so he drove alongside the road while searching. He turned on the police car's searchlight towards the woods, and far off he could see a figure stumbling through the trees. He immediately got out and began the chase.
Having rested all night, Jimmy now had no problem with stamina, although he was still weighed down by his gear. Chasing someone wasn't an issue, especially since the narcotics dealers were caught off guard during the DEA raid, fast asleep. The person he was pursuing had even bolted out in just his underwear, without shoes.
It didn't take long for Jimmy to catch up. Faced with a fully-armed county police, the man stopped, honestly put his hands on his head, and Jimmy approached, handcuffed him, and started walking him back to the camp.
Cage was at the edge of the woods and, seeing Jimmy approaching, shone his flashlight towards him. His eyes widened on seeing the person Jimmy had captured.
"Jimmy, take him to your car," Cage told Jimmy.