Peter brewed the coffee and sat on the sofa, waiting for Jimmy to arrive. Since Jones had mentioned it, he would definitely come, even if they hadn't contacted in advance.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Peter went to open it, "Jimmy, please come in."

Jimmy: "Peter, how's your injury? I've been dealing with a terrorist attack case these days and didn't know you had a car accident."

Jimmy handed a bottle of red wine to Peter and then sat on the sofa.

Peter took the wine and placed it on the table beside him, "Coffee? I just brewed it."

Jimmy: "Yeah, thanks."

When both of them were seated on the sofa, Peter looked at Jimmy, "Jimmy, is it about Hughes?"

Jimmy nodded, "What happened? It's all so sudden, I'm completely at a loss right now."

Peter had thought it through in advance; Jimmy wasn't an outsider as they had collaborated for a few months before, and Peter knew his character and abilities well: "We made a mistake. Hughes was forcibly retired."

Jimmy: "I just saw Hughes, and he briefly mentioned something related to a senator."

Peter: "Yes, it's a really troublesome case. Neil Cavrey, his father's partner Allen was in the court police's witness protection program, the last family he had before. After her death, she left a video for Neil, describing the situation between Neil's father and the mob. Neil's father got entangled in a dirty cop murder case."

Allen left some intel, storing the information she gathered back then in a box, hoping Neil could find it to clear his father's name.

We've been tracking down the box until we discovered Neil's biological father, Sam, was still alive, living under a hidden identity. According to him, there is another dirty cop.

The Flynn mob family reappeared too. We discovered that the gun used to kill Allen belonged to Flynn. After capturing Flynn, in the following murder trial, little Flynn was killed while being transported. The transport order came from Terrance Pratt, the Federation Senator from Maryland.

After investigating Senator Pratt's background, we found out that before becoming a senator, he served as a chief in the Washington, D.C police, in the same precinct as Neil's father. This led to the speculation that he might have been involved in the dirty cop collusion with the mob back then. That's why Hughes agreed to the surveillance plan on Senator Pratt.

Through surveillance, we confirmed Senator Pratt was connected with a real estate developer. After arresting the developer, he didn't give up Senator Pratt. Right after the arrest, Hughes was forced to retire. That's the whole story."

Peter took a sip of coffee and looked at Jimmy in thought. He had said a lot, and it would take some time to sort it all out.

Jimmy ran through what Peter described a few times in his head, absentmindedly taking a sip of the coffee. The bitterness jolted his nerves, bringing him back to the moment.

Jimmy put down the coffee cup and looked at Peter, "So, this whole incident was triggered by another case?"

Peter nodded, "None of us expected this to happen. Senator Pratt is undoubtedly one of the former dirty cops, and his current public corruption issues are certainly real, but we have no evidence. The only evidence confirming he's a dirty cop is in the box Allen left behind. Neil and his team are investigating the whereabouts of the box now."

Jimmy: "So, how far have you guys gotten in the investigation?"

Peter: "We found the key Allen left behind, but we are still unclear about the location of her box."

Jimmy: "Understood, is there anything I can do?"

Peter shook his head, "Don't get involved for now. You're still in the Public Affairs Office, not a field agent. Don't overstep your authority, someone is watching us."

Jimmy nodded, "Alright, I'll get back to the field office soon. If you have any clues, make sure to let me know."

Peter: "I will. Hughes' situation can't just be brushed off, we'll nail him eventually."

Jimmy raised his coffee cup, "To Hughes."

Peter: "To Hughes."

-----------------

Peter is trustworthy, and the case process he just explained is correct. Now it's a case of a Federation Senator taking down an FBI office's field chief, which is beyond just a normal position shift; it's personal vendetta now.

Jimmy returned to the office, closed the door, and directly accessed his computer to search public information on Senator Terrance Pratt. Peter and his team continued their investigation, but Jimmy was just familiarizing himself with the intel, so if he needed to intervene later, he wouldn't be caught off guard.

Checking the time, Jimmy pondered for a moment, drew the blinds, and dialed Deputy Director Dave's number, "Deputy Director Dave, this is Jimmy Yang."

Dave: "Is it about Hughes?"

Jimmy: "Yes, do you have time this evening?"

Dave: "I understand what you want to say, you shouldn't get involved in this, it's very complicated."

Jimmy: "But..."

Dave: "No buts, Jimmy, this issue is exceedingly complicated, and you can't get involved right now."

Jimmy was silent for a few seconds, "Alright, I understand. Then, can I return to the field office?"

Dave: "A new field chief will be transferred soon, not for now. Wait for my notification."

After a few seconds, Dave continued, "I understand your feelings for Hughes, but this is no longer just about Hughes, do you understand? This is an issue for the Manhattan office, it's everyone's problem."

Jimmy: "Thank you, Dave. I'll wait for your notice."

Dave: "Remember, do not act on your own." With that, Dave hung up.

-----------------

Dave made it clear, this time the Manhattan office's pride took a hit. Directed by the Attorney General, the FBI headquarters ordered Hughes' retirement, bypassing any communication with the local Manhattan office staff, applying top-down pressure to resolve it, severely tarnishing the office's reputation.

Dave's tone wasn't the same as before, yet he was pleased with Jimmy, evident from how quickly Jimmy contacted him for Hughes, showing they hadn't misjudged him; Jimmy deeply cared about his colleagues.

However, he also couldn't let Jimmy act recklessly. Given Jimmy's character and abilities, if he were given free rein, the situation could become troublesome. After all, a Federation Senator isn't a minor figure, the U.S. only has a hundred of them, two per state, and even a minor threat to such a figure could lead to a high-level shakeup.

Although Jimmy has currently been reassigned following discussions and policies to the Public Affairs Office, it wasn't a dismissal; he'd eventually return to the field office.

Just not now, Hughes' forced retirement includes even his post being reassigned, the new field chief has already been picked, assigned from headquarters, and it's Amanda Calaway, who was transferred from the Atlanta field chief to the New York office. Due to transition issues, she hasn't started in Manhattan yet but is expected to arrive in a few days.

Dave understood this well, and they couldn't refuse anyway. During this time, any move of Jimmy from Public Affairs to fieldwork would require coordination with Amanda Calaway once she's in place, or it might trigger new problems, potentially leading to an open conflict between the Manhattan office and the D.C headquarters.