Police-Civilian Cooperation

A moment later.

A small electric scooter hurried over.

The tires screeched against the pavement, coming to a halt at the roadside in a rather clumsy fashion.

The rider was a blond young man in a suit, clutching a leather briefcase that was clearly a knockoff under his arm.

At first glance, he looked like nothing more than a chubby youth trying too hard to look mature.

However, the moment he hopped off the scooter, he locked eyes with Luca and Shamira, who were standing by the road while passersby gave them a wide berth. His tone was steady and polite.

"You must be Mr. Luca Orange, right? Hello, I am Foggy Nelson, an intern at Land Law Firm. I've been assigned to assist you with this emergency."

As soon as he spoke, before Luca could even respond, Shamira questioned him with a look of displeasure.

"An intern?"

Orange Industries was a major client with a long-standing partnership with Land Law Firm. Even if the current mandate came solely from Luca, a fourteen-year-old boy, sending only an intern felt like they were taking Orange Industries far too lightly.

Luca, however, glanced at his watch. Less than five minutes had passed—the man had arrived faster than the NYPD. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Sure enough, upon hearing Shamira's skepticism, the young man named Foggy showed no signs of intimidation. Instead, he explained with calm composure.

"I was only dispatched because I happened to be nearby. Ms. Simpson should be on her way as we speak."

"As for my role, before the police arrive, Mr. Orange likely has several things he needs to instruct me on. I suggest we don't waste this precious time."

Even though it was Foggy, the lawyer, who should have been instructing Luca on how to handle the situation, he had flipped the script, causing Luca to look at him with renewed interest.

Luca nodded and spoke first.

"Aunt Shamira, please tell Attorney Nelson what happened just now."

Hearing this, Shamira stopped dwelling on the intern status and stepped forward, speaking rapidly.

"Just a moment ago..."

Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived one after another. Cordon tape was quickly strung up, and the few injured were rushed to the hospital after receiving emergency treatment.

Beside a police cruiser at the edge of the cordon, Foggy Nelson raised a hand to cut off the bearded officer's long-winded lecture.

"Officer! This incident was clearly an assassination attempt. According to Article 20 of the New York State Penal Code, my client, Mr. Luca Orange, acted entirely within his legal rights by initiating self-defense protocols when faced with a life-threatening assassination attempt."

"As for this EMP pistol, it is an experimental model registered to Orange Industries, development serial number NY-2011-1221. The process is entirely legal and compliant. It has already passed non-lethal testing certification."

The bearded officer frowned as he took the phone screenshot Foggy handed him, but he didn't really look at it, pointing instead toward the center of the cordoned area.

Beyond the massive pile of wreckage, there was a bowl-shaped crater left in the ground.

"Attorney Nelson, you call this non-lethal? That truck was blown into scrap metal, and the driver who was just carried away lost an entire leg! This is already suspected of being excessive force—"

Foggy interrupted the middle-aged officer again.

"That was an assassin, not some ordinary driver."

"Furthermore, the truck you mentioned was charging at my client at eighty miles per hour, and my client's vehicle was boxed in by the vehicles of the attacker's accomplices. According to the definition of 'serious violent crime' in Article 20, Section 3 of the Penal Code, my client is entitled to the right of unlimited defense."

At this point, Foggy's voice rose sharply.

"Officer, do you honestly believe that in such a situation, my client—a fourteen-year-old teenager—had any other escape route besides choosing to take the huge risk of using the experimental weapon he happened to have on him?!!"

"Moreover, given the scale of that vehicular assault, my client was protecting not only himself but also other innocent civilians caught in this crash!"

The bearded officer looked at Luca, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice turning raspy.

"Actually... actually..."

"Actually! What you should be doing right now is investigating who is behind this insane attack! Instead of making things difficult for my client here—a victim who has just suffered a massive shock, a mere fourteen-year-old teenager."

Seeing Foggy's imposing manner and sharp, biting words, the bearded officer broke into a cold sweat, unable to utter a single word.

At that moment, another middle-aged officer, clearly of higher rank, walked over quickly with a furrowed brow after inspecting the scene.

However, upon seeing Luca's face, the man paused, then nodded thoughtfully.

"James, no need to press further. Please, this..."

"Luca Orange," Luca said with a polite nod.

"Please have Mr. Luca Orange go to the precinct to file a victim's statement, and send that high-powered weapon to the technical department for a brief report. You don't need to worry about the rest."

But he had barely finished his sentence.

From the other side, a capable-looking, mature woman lifted the cordon tape with one hand and walked into the scene, speaking softly.

"Captain Stacy, I'm afraid you won't get your wish. This pistol involves core trade secrets of Orange Industries. If you need to investigate, you will likely need a warrant from the state government. Furthermore, it requires a confidential review technical team appointed by the police to conduct testing and investigation in coordination with Orange Industries engineers."

"Ms. Simpson!" Foggy bowed slightly to the woman.

Gerald Simpson, a senior partner at Landman Law Firm and Foggy's direct superior.

Ms. Simpson first nodded and smiled at Luca before turning her attention back to Captain Stacy.

The middle-aged captain, George Stacy, rubbed his temples with a look of extreme headache.

The young chubby kid had been difficult enough to deal with, and now a prominent New York attorney had arrived as well.

These lawyers were, without exception, incredibly difficult to deal with.

This was precisely why he had previously delegated the task of communicating with the victim's legal counsel to his subordinates.

However, he had no intention of making things difficult for Luca, and since the opposing lawyer had offered him a way out, he shrugged with a look of feigned helplessness.

"There must be a statement, right? This is also for our own good so we can more quickly investigate the mastermind behind this attack."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Simpson turned her head back to look at Luca and added.

"Mr. Luca, remember, the necessity of self-defense does not depend on the power of the weapon, but on the immediacy of the violence. Today, you not only protected yourself but also saved the livelihoods of all the employees at Orange Industries. Therefore, you are entirely free to decide whether or not to cooperate with the police investigation."

Beside them, Chief George felt the veins in his forehead throb at these words.

Fortunately, this time Luca did not refuse again, instead offering him a friendly smile.

"Cooperation between the police and the public—I'd be more than happy to~"