Michael's End

In the few days that Lin Qi began renovating his new house, the Michael case took some turns.

The first to step forward was not Lin Qi, nor Michael, nor even Director Johnson, but his good partner.

This good partner had worked with Michael for twelve or thirteen years and was also the deputy head of the Investigation Team of the Sabine City Revenue Service. In the eyes of many people, he had always been Michael's good brother, and the two could talk about almost anything.

No one expected that he would be the first to step forward and reveal some "details" that the media had not previously known.

According to this good partner, the conflict between Michael and Lin Qi stemmed from an accidental "collision" between the two.

"Michael and I were walking down the street when Lynch... Lin Qi was pushing a cart full of dirty clothes on the sidewalk. Michael pointed at Lin Qi and said to me, 'Hey, look at that guy, let's mess with him.'"

The good partner showed a pained and regretful expression in front of the camera, "I thought he was just joking, but he was obviously serious, and then he took me and attacked Mr. Lin Qi without any reason, without a search warrant, without an arrest warrant and without any legal documents."

"He told me to search the cart to see if I could find anything to accuse Mr. Lin Qi, while he took Mr. Lin Qi to a corner of the alley and beat him there..."

The reporters gasped in shock; they could hardly imagine what kind of hatred could drive an adult to be so brutal to a young person.

One reporter couldn't help but stand up and ask, "Unnamed partner, did Michael and Lin Qi know each other before this, or did they have any grudges?"

The good partner shook his head. "They don't know each other, and I don't know if they have any grudges. Maybe only Michael himself knows the reason..." Then he continued to describe Michael's "atrocities," including threatening to Newspaper Boss Newspaper Boss until it vomited blood.

Such incidents further highlight Michael's brutality and cruelty, leading the media to believe that Michael is a problematic investigator who has become accustomed to using violence to solve problems, even threatening ordinary, innocent people.

Later, Director Johnson also appeared in person and expressed his mistakes in his work. He always thought that Michael would change, which led to him inadvertently condoning Michael's whereabouts. He said that he also had to take responsibility for this matter.

Suddenly, everyone from Michael's friends, partners, subordinates, and acquaintances was interviewed by the media. The results of these interviews were mostly the same: Michael had a serious tendency toward violence and was very impatient and irritable.

When the media interviewed Michael's father, the old man chased them out with a double-barreled shotgun, which led to Michael's father and his family becoming the focus of public opinion—"Just how volatile can a person be?"

People began to shift their focus away from the question of whether law enforcement power was excessive in Michael's case and instead began to examine Michael himself as a person.

Many people asked his friends and colleagues why they didn't warn Michael earlier that he had a bad temper, and many even answered that they were afraid Michael would beat them up.

The rapid shift in public opinion pleased the Federal Revenue Service. Now, few members of Congress are shouting nonsense about putting power in a cage anymore; people are criticizing Michael, which is great!

Less than a week after Lin Qi bought the house, Michael's case went to trial.

Lin Qi, as one of the main and known victims, needs to be present as a witness; perhaps his presence will be useful.

The trial was not conducted in open court because too many media outlets could interfere with the trial process and disrupt court order. In reality, this was to ensure the accuracy of the trial's outcome.

The combined power of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Revenue Service was enough to alarm the Department of Justice, Department of Justice issued a closed-door trial order to the Sabine City Court a day in advance.

Because this is not a major criminal case, but only a common assault case, there is no need for a jury; only the defendant, the defendant's defense lawyer, and the judge himself are present.

The courtroom was very empty. Lin Qi sat in the gallery, looking at Michael, who had obviously tidied himself up, with some amusement. His pale face made him look much more haggard, and his dull hair made him look quite disheveled.

The judge asked more than a dozen questions in a row. Michael answered most of them, except for a few he refused to answer, and pleaded guilty.

The court sentenced him to 87 months, or seven years and three months.

Given that Michael was a law enforcement officer in Sabine City and personally put several people in jail, for his personal safety, he will serve his sentence in a more strictly managed State Prison in another state.

Michael was somewhat surprised by the sentence, but he did not appeal. The judge did not restrict his sentence reduction clauses when delivering the verdict, meaning that he would not actually serve seven years in prison.

According to Federal laws and regulations, he could have his sentence reduced to less than three years through various means. Then, the Federal Revenue Service could use the "Special Talents Conscription Act" as a pretext to "recruit" Michael, find a place to settle him, and he would be free.

The entire sentence is actually less than three years, which is the result that Director Johnson personally assured him, so Michael will not consider appealing; there is no need for it.

Once the appeal is filed, the case will be tried in State Court, which could potentially worsen the situation. Federal judges are very subjective in sentencing, and if they deem Michael's appeal as an act of uncontrollable rage and a provocation against the court and the law, they may increase his sentence and limit any reductions.

The matter was considered closed at this point. The media received the verdict immediately after it was announced, and within a day, the entire Federal knew the result. After a brief period of collective justice, people began to focus on new topics.

The incident faded from public view, and everyone seemed to be happy.

Director Johnson received praise from the State Office, Michael's partner, the deputy head of the Revenue Service Investigation Team, was officially promoted, the team members changed, those behind the scenes were satisfied and went quiet, and the public left satisfied after watching a great show.

Everyone left satisfied, which was quite comical.

"Mr. Lin Qi!"

Having just shaken off the reporter's persistent harassment and walked about a hundred meters, two children wearing dirty Duckbill Cap blocked his way. He recognized one of them—the same child who had exchanged ninety-seven cents for a dollar—a newspaper boy.

Lin Qi casually put his hand into his pants pocket, where there was a fountain pen. He pushed off the cap with his fingers. There was a guy who once killed a guy while saying "every pen is like a knife." He wasn't sure if he was that fierce, but at least it gave him some confidence.

That night he watched as these children stabbed the Newspaper Boss to death, and the hidden fangs of these children were more striking than their pitiful appearance.

"Is there something you need?" Lin Qi asked with a smile. He always smiled, just like the weather was always so nice and the sun was always so bright.

The two boys exchanged a glance, and one of them patted his backpack. "Sir, I have a lot of change here. Do you need any?"

The children were temporarily relieved after the Newspaper Boss's death, but only temporarily, because the situation soon changed.

They need to regularly pay their families or Welfare Home for employing these children, and also maintain good relationships with others in society.

The compensation given to the Welfare Home and the families can be taken back by themselves, but they are powerless to use their connections in society, which means they can no longer get newspapers. The newspaper company refuses to wholesale newspapers to these minors.

Meanwhile, the scrap recycling station also encountered some problems. They kept lowering the price. They used to be able to sell 20 or 30 yuan worth of scrap or more every day, but now they can only sell a few yuan or a dozen yuan.

If they argued, the recycling station would refuse to take their children, which made the children panic. They knew that if they couldn't resolve their current predicament, they would soon be sent away by their guardians to other places. They needed a way out.