Leading People with Virtue, Convincing People with Evidence as a Police Officer

"He's starting to panic..."

In a place unseen by the group, someone was also observing the situation in the room. From the moment Lin Qi entered, Mr. Fox's eyes showed obvious signs of panic. Their plan had succeeded.

Most criminals don't get too scared when they're caught alone, because they can choose what to confess, downplaying the serious parts or shifting blame onto others to reduce their own culpability.

But if two or more accomplices are caught, an uncontrollable panic spreads through them. They'll wonder if the others have confessed, what they confessed, how they confessed, and whether it matches what they've said and thought.

In this situation, two scenarios can occur. The first is complete silence, which is rare, maybe one in three to five years. The other is to spill everything, with nothing to hide, telling it all.

The Financial Crime Investigation Department is just an office in name, but it's still an agency under the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dealing with all sorts of criminals every day, they know how to put pressure on them and how to get what they want.

As soon as Lin Qi entered the room, he saw Mr. Fox trying to stand up, but he didn't. The situation was delicate. After giving the other man a reassuring look, Lin Qi calmly sat down on the sofa.

His composure calmed Mr. Fox down, and things he hadn't thought of before gradually surfaced, like... Lin Qi had said not to take any small change from others.

Maybe Lin Qi had already thought of this and made arrangements. With this thought, Mr. Fox's tense expression began to ease, and his body relaxed.

The expert in the observation room frowned. He saw Mr. Fox's change. Although he didn't understand why Lin Qi's appearance hadn't increased Mr. Fox's pressure but instead made him relax, it was clearly not a good sign.

He immediately ordered the action team in the room to continue, not to wait for the lawyer to arrive. At the same time, the expert had a hypothesis in his mind that he himself didn't quite believe: that the real mastermind in the whole case wasn't the old fox Mr. Fox, but the seemingly unremarkable young man.

Therefore, a feeling that things were going to go wrong grew in his heart. If they got the priorities wrong from the start, targeted the wrong person, and applied pressure in the wrong way, the result would certainly be off.

It was like torturing a soldier wouldn't shake a dynasty. By getting the priorities wrong, they couldn't get hold of the key figure!

The action team member in the room was taken aback, cleared his throat, glanced at Lin Qi, and said, "This... Mr. Lin Qi is new here, he might not know why we've invited you all here..."

He was speaking when Mr. Fox suddenly interjected, "Before the lawyer arrives, we refuse to answer any questions!"

The initially nonchalant agent sneered and pointed impolitely at Mr. Fox. "You can shut up, I wasn't talking to you!" He stared at Mr. Fox for a moment, then looked at Lin Qi. "We received a report that you're involved in money laundering and other criminal activities through the Laundry. Do you admit it?"

The question seemed like a joke, asking someone to admit their crime. How could a real criminal admit it? In fact, the agent was just trying to trick Lin Qi because he was young, to test him without losing anything, but what if it worked? There were several recording devices and cameras in the room. No matter what expression he made, even a sarcastic one that implied admission, or a joking nod, it could be used as evidence.

Evidence is about objective facts. Regardless of what Lin Qi was thinking at the time, if he admitted it or made a gesture that implied admission, the court would consider him guilty.

This trick was very effective against young people. Their youth gave them a desire and impulse to challenge authority. As long as that impulse appeared and wasn't stopped, they were done for.

To the agent's anticipation, Lin Qi's expression and movements seemed slow. He first frowned, then looked puzzled, as if saying, "What are you talking about?"

Of course, Lin Qi was a young man with higher education, he wouldn't be so rude. After a few seconds, he acted as if he was following a script. "Evidence?" he said, leaning back and pressing his back firmly against the sofa. He spread his hands slightly. "Although I don't have a lawyer, I also know that any accusation needs evidence, including summons and interrogations..." He looked at Mr. Fox, and they stared at each other for a moment. Mr. Fox stood up.

Lin Qi nodded slightly, tilting his head as if watching a play, watching Mr. Fox's next performance.

"If Mr. Lin Qi hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten. You forcibly detained me here, do you have a summons, do you have an arrest warrant?" he immediately started making a scene.

From a legal perspective, whether it's the Bureau of Investigation or the Revenue Service, they need to have the corresponding approvals during law enforcement. For example, if the Bureau of Investigation wants to ask someone about something, they need a summons. If they need to arrest someone, they need an arrest warrant.

Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation needs to show relevant legal proof, otherwise the whole process is illegal.

The young agent's eyelids twitched. Things were starting to go in an unexpected direction. In less than three minutes since Lin Qi's appearance, the situation had begun to spiral out of control, making the young agent feel a little overwhelmed.

The expert in the other room immediately contacted the agent through the microphone. "Tell them we caught them at the scene. According to the Bayer Federation's Forty-Third Decree, law enforcement can postpone applying for relevant legal documents during a crime scene and the commission of a crime..."

In the room, the young agent repeated the previous words with a calm expression. "According to the Bayer Federation's Forty-Third Decree..."

Before he could finish, Lin Qi asked with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "So, you don't have any evidence to prove that Mr. Fox and I are suspected of illegal and criminal activities..."

The question implied that if there were evidence, they wouldn't be chatting with them here; they would have been arrested long ago.

The young agent pursed his lips and paused for about ten seconds before replying, "We have been tracking money laundering operations in Sabine City and have noticed you. We also have relevant legal documents to prove that our actions are legal, and this money is proof of your crimes!"

It seemed the Bureau of Investigation wasn't planning to continue playing word games with Lin Qi and Mr. Fox. The expressions on everyone's faces were a bit... unpleasant. They were all well aware that because of the mistaken relationship between Mr. Fox and Lin Qi, this operation was likely to have unexpected twists and turns, or even fail.

Now, the only hope rested on the money. As long as they could confirm that Lin Qi was transferring these small amounts of money to Mr. Fox for money laundering, even if the entire process was legal, they could still convict them.

Sometimes, just because the law doesn't prohibit people from doing certain things doesn't mean that doing those things is necessarily legal. Even if it is legal, it may become illegal due to procedural steps, such as bribery and donations.

How it is characterized depends on the process. As long as the judge is willing to accept the Bureau of Investigation's view and pin down Mr. Fox's money laundering activities through the Laundry, then Lin Qi, who is transferring small amounts of money to him, is an accomplice. This was their initial idea.

Mr. Fox's face still didn't look good. "My lawyer hasn't arrived yet..."

Lin Qi raised his hand and interrupted him. "Let them show it." With just one sentence from Lin Qi, Mr. Fox stopped demanding his rights, which further convinced the Bureau of Investigation experts that Lin Qi was the leader.

The young agent stared at Lin Qi for a while before nodding. "Let's wait and see!"

Soon, a staff member brought a handheld ultraviolet lamp. The agent grabbed it, ordered someone to draw the curtains, turned off the lights in the room, and explained, "We've marked all this money. You can't escape!"

He spoke decisively. They had caught many people using such methods, including some bank robbers and some money laundering dealers. They also had high expectations for this operation.

Lin Qi smiled slightly and made an inviting gesture. "Then why don't you let us broaden our horizons?"

The next moment, the room lit up with a pale purple light!