The "top man" had been cuffed, and the penknife of false accusation was immediately thwarted, left hanging in midair with nowhere to fall.
The True Underworld trembled faintly, as though it had suffered a blow.
But James gave a disdainful snort. "I wondered what this was about. So it was this? I refuse to go with you, and you have no authority to interrogate me. This was originally a Major Crimes Division case, and it was closed long ago!"
Crack. Fractures burst across the handcuffs.
Shi Tiexin fought to hold onto this end of the cuffs. The cuffs themselves were an outward manifestation of his Mind Power, made real through the strange laws of the True Underworld. Strengthening his mind arts would strengthen the cuffs. "I am reopening the investigation now!"
"Are you qualified to reopen it? Do you have the authority to reopen it? Besides, according to the regulations for reopening closed cases, two conditions must be met. First, a formal application from the complainant. Second, new evidence with a major impact on the case. Once those two conditions are met and approval is granted, the investigation may be reopened."
"Do you have an application from the complainant?"
"Do you have evidence?"
"Do you have approval?"
"You have nothing. What gives you the right to reopen the investigation?!"
Crack, crack. The handcuffs were covered in fractures, on the verge of collapse.
Shi Tiexin shouted, "How do you know I have neither a complainant nor evidence?"
The giant face broke into wild laughter. "Of course I know. Because—everyone who might have filed a report has been killed, and all the evidence has been wiped clean! Hahaha!"
Shi Tiexin's eyes blazed with fury. "You did this?"
"Guess whether I did. In any case, there is neither a complainant nor evidence now,