Bar, Equivalence, Transaction

Senior Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation agent isn't a job everyone envies, because it's incredibly dangerous.

The Bayer Federation is not a country with strict control over firearms. This new country, founded by a group of pirates and impoverished nobles, was inherently driven by a desire for plunder and vigilance from the very beginning. The legal possession of firearms and the use of weapons to protect oneself and one's property were written into the constitution from the outset.

Since the founding of the Federal, there have been several major debates on the issue of weapons, but the gun rights faction has always won, and many people actually know that the gun control faction cannot succeed.

Behind these discussions, there are more than a dozen chemical companies and military enterprises supporting the gun rights faction.

The proliferation of weapons in society makes every mission terrifying, forcing everyone to face a life-or-death choice.

Because no one knows whether they will be facing cowards who don't dare to look you in the eye when they speak, or thugs who will suddenly pull out a gun and pull the trigger without hesitation.

No one can accurately distinguish these people based on the causes of these cases or their appearances! Therefore, every detective is under considerable pressure, and if they don't want to go crazy, they must find ways to vent these pent-up negative emotions.

But whether it's drinking, indulging in vices, or seeking psychological counseling from a psychologist, all of these require a lot of money.

Even if their income is high, they always find a way to spend all their money, and they don't think it's a big deal; it's all for the sake of living a better life.

Hedonism, the pursuit of immediate gratification, first spread among this high-pressure population, who enjoy certain special rights through their work and salaries.

Lower interest rates on loans and longer installment payments have led them to become trapped in a lifestyle from which they cannot escape.

In order to extract more profits from these people, many financial companies, including banks, have used various methods to lock up their current and future income, and they are happy to do so.

But dreams must eventually end. When the economy is booming, everything is fine. Various companies will not force a Senior Agent to repay money. They will only make the Senior Agent feel that he is not under great economic pressure, and let him live in the beautiful dream woven for him by this society.

Until the Financial Tsunami hit, many companies suffered huge losses that could not be resolved by those on the Board of Directors who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.

The only effective way is to shift the loss onto someone else.

The Senior Agent sitting in front of Lin Qi is currently being chased for debts by at least three financial institutions and one bank. His monthly salary is being divided up by these people before he even sees it.

Some suppliers who couldn't receive installment payments have already issued notices stating that if they cannot pay the installment by January 1st, these people will reclaim some of the goods and may even apply to the court to auction off their belongings.

Everything turned incredibly bad overnight. What exhausted him even more was that all the money in his exchange account evaporated—his savings of over a decade, though it wasn't actually a large sum.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and the agent nodded almost imperceptibly. "I can't guarantee what I'll provide..." He meant that if he were to provide any information to Lin Qi, the initiative was in his hands.

He decides what he wants to say, not Lin Qi. He doesn't want to be led by the nose by this young man. This may be his last insignificant pride.

Lin Qi smiled, a smile that always put people at ease. "Of course, as I said, there are no constraints or contracts between us. In fact, our relationship is more like that of two parties in a partnership. We trade things that interest us."

The agent nodded; that was exactly what he wanted to say.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Qi asked his first question, "What is your real purpose in accusing Mr. Gepu?"

The detective paused for a moment before giving a very official answer, "He is suspected of a case of assault and abuse, with no other motive."

Perhaps because it was his first time working with a businessman, the detective's performance was not direct enough.

It's obvious that most assault cases won't attract the Federal Bureau of Investigation unless they cause a huge social impact or someone is killed.

Otherwise, it would just be the Police Station's job, but this time not only the Police Station came, but the Bureau of Investigation also came. It can't be a small case. The detective wasn't telling the truth.

Lin Qi did not show any displeasure or any displeasure from a dominant perspective because he did not speak. He simply took out a fifty-cent coin from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

The sound of the coin rubbing against the hardened material of the table surface firmly attracted the agent's attention, and even though the light was dim, his eyes remained fixed on the coin.

But he didn't move. After observing for a while and confirming that it probably didn't mean anything else, he looked at Lin Qi with some curiosity, his eyes filled with confusion, as if asking, "What does this mean?"

Lin Qi explained his confusion, "Your answer is only worth fifty points; the newspapers will say more in detail than you."

This remark immediately angered the detective. He frowned and glared fiercely at Lin Qi, but Lin Qi did not show any fear or anything; he maintained his smile.

"That's what a transaction is: give, then receive."

"Give me something I want before I can give you what you want. If all you can give me are these answers, then you're only worth fifty points. Do you understand what I mean?"

Different people require different approaches. For someone like Ferral, whose needs are simple and who is willing to set aside his pride, as long as Lin Qi becomes an important figure, Ferral will flock around him and contribute his strength.

This detective hadn't figured out his own worth; he still thought that his skin, which was actually worthless and had no real power, made him feel superior.

Lin Qi exposed his true colors; he was nothing special! After his initial anger subsided, the agent gradually calmed down. Sometimes you have to bow to other things for some things.

His eyelids were lowered, his anger gone. "We don't want Listoan to leave easily. We've been looking for their weaknesses. Mr. Gepu has always worked for Listoan, and we believe he has some important intelligence."

"If he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison, the only way is to cooperate with us!"

Lin Qi was satisfied with the agent's answer. He took out a cash check, quickly wrote down the amount of two hundred dollars, signed his name, and pushed it over, saying, "It's worth the price."

Two hundred dollars would have been nothing to the detective in the past, but nowadays, let alone two hundred dollars, even fifty dollars would be good.

He paused for a moment, picked up the check and stuffed it into his pocket, then asked in a slightly sarcastic and provocative tone, "Should I say 'Thank you very much for your generosity'?"

Lin Qi laughed out loud, "I don't object to what you want to say, but don't expect me to spend more money just because you make me feel good."

He paused, then asked, "If Mr. Gepu cooperates with your work, will he go to jail?"

The detective nodded without hesitation. "That's obvious. He can't be pardoned just because he cooperated with us. This case doesn't warrant the intervention of Upper Class to use the ' Special Clauses ' to pardon his crimes."

"However, if he can cooperate more actively with our work and show a positive attitude, the judge may be on his side, and he may have less than ten years of criminal charges."

In the Federal, sentences are divided into ten-year terms. Those serving more than ten years are considered serious offenders and go to Maximum Security Prison, which are not exactly fun places.

Those sentenced to less than ten years in prison will be in ordinary regional prisons. Although they will have to work every day and be exploited until they have no energy left, at least it won't be too bad.

According to the intelligence they currently possess, if Gepu does not cooperate with their work, they can easily send Gepu to Maximum Security Prison.

In such a place, burdened with a charge of assaulting, abusing, and enslaving women, he might not be able to leave prison alive.

Every year, the Federal Government allows a certain number of deaths in prisons. However, most of these deaths are due to various diseases that make it seem as if the prisoners have suffered inhuman abuse, but these are just outward manifestations of the diseases.

This society is sometimes really ridiculous. In a place full of crime, there is a group of people who have lost their freedom because of crime. Most of them strictly adhere to certain universal values. It is both ridiculous and not ridiculous!

Lin Qi wrote another check for two hundred dollars, and as he wrote the check, the detective kept his eyes fixed on the cash checkbook in Lin Qi's hand.

Suddenly he realized what kind of emotional fluctuation those robbers experienced when they committed robbery—it was a kind of temptation, a kind of greed, an uncontrollable impulse.

With this cash checkbook, he could easily obtain several thousand or more cash by imitating Lin Qi's handwriting.

He took a big gulp of beer from the bottle, extinguishing the impulse, and then looked at the two hundred yuan that Lin Qi had pushed towards him.

Suddenly, he no longer felt that it was an unbearable process.

At this moment, he thought of many things, including the rumors that had been circulating among his colleagues about who was taking dirty money.

Thinking of the villa the bureau chief had just bought, the detective knew that the bureau chief's salary was not enough to cover such an expense. Although he said it was purchased in installments and that he had taken out a loan, the detective knew that things were not that simple.

He made up many excuses for himself in that very instant.

The guilt wasn't so strong, and it even made him feel somewhat at ease accepting the money.