Chapter 1126: Testimony and Plan

Testimony and Plan

The officer had just finished his dinner—a cheap meal of marked-down ground beef from the supermarket stir-fried with eggs, tomato sauce, a side of vegetable salad, and bread. He was just about to rest when someone knocked on his door. "Who's there?"

The officer shouted back, "A friend. I'm going to talk to him and I'll be right back."

The officer ultimately decided to talk to these two "lawyers" in the hallway. This wouldn't bring risk to his family, and he had his service weapon tucked into his pants pocket; he believed he wasn't without the ability to fight back.

"What do you want to ask me?" The three of them stood at the end of the hallway in the poorly maintained apartment building.

There was a faint smell of urine in the corridor. Some people were just like that; they could clearly open their doors and use the toilet, but they preferred to relieve themselves in the hallway.

This had happened many times. At first, people thought about solving it, but soon no one bothered anymore because it couldn't be fixed.

Anyone with half a brain knew what kind of people would urinate in the hallway. Arguing with them wouldn't yield any results, other than making oneself angrier.

The three of them stood in the stench, causing the two lawyers to frown. Given their status, they rarely visited such environments.

One of the lawyers asked, "We know you participated in the Deputy Chief's operation today, arrived at the scene of the attack early, and then surrounded the scene under orders from your superiors after the attack ended."

When the lawyer said this, the officer's expression shifted slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We arrived at the scene immediately after receiving the report. Before that, I was at the police station—I didn't go anywhere!"

The officer became extremely sensitive. This question made his gaze dart back and forth between the two lawyers. "If you want me to say something that didn't happen or something I don't want to say, I will submit our conversation to the court if I'm called to testify."

He was referring to the lawyers attempting to induce testimony, which was a clear procedural error; induced testimony had no legal standing.

The two lawyers didn't take his tension and wariness to heart. The one who had been speaking smiled. "I know what you're worried about. After this is over, we can arrange a new job for you and give you a sum of money."

He looked around. "The environment here is terrible. I heard you don't have children yet. Do you really intend for your children to grow up in this environment?"

"There are alcoholics here, people selling their bodies, and it's even possible that the moment they step outside, they'll see someone painting on the floor with their own 'banana'."

"Growing up in such an environment won't produce an excellent person; they'll only turn into a loser!"

The lawyer's words made the officer fall silent. The reason he didn't have children was precisely because he intended to save money to move; the environment here was just too awful.

He planned to save enough to move to a community where other officers lived—the kind with detached houses.

He had already asked around; the cheapest one cost about 5,500, and he had only saved a little over 3,000. It might take him several more years to save that much.

By then, he would be in his mid-thirties, which was something that had always made him anxious.

Work, life, children, environment, money.

The officer's silence made the lawyer smile more. His voice was very gentle and pleasant to hear.

"We aren't asking you to lie or commit perjury."

"We just hope you'll tell the truth."

"You are a police officer. You know what is right and what is wrong. If telling the truth is wrong and lying is right, then there is no fairness or justice in this world!"

"Besides, you are a police officer. You should do what you are supposed to do!"

The officer stood there, looking at the two lawyers. He was tempted, but finally shook his head, preparing to leave. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't think I have anything to say to you. If you continue to harass me, I will reserve my legal rights regarding this behavior of yours!"

He emphasized this, then said "Please move" and pushed past them, walking toward his home.

The lawyer didn't block him, just said in a very flat tone, "We were able to find you, which means others can find you too."

"You know who 'that' kind of person is, and you know who we are."

These words, full of threats, made the officer's footsteps suddenly stop right there.

Of course he knew who they were, and he knew who they meant by "that" kind of person: Lanse, Lanse White, the most successful gang leader, bar none.

To many people—especially gangs and law enforcement—he was like a legend, a "milestone," a living "achievement"!

He had accomplished things many gangs couldn't, such as penetrating the interest groups in Congress and becoming an indispensable part of them.

So, he was a legend.

But no matter how positive his image was in society, it didn't change one fact: he was a gang leader.

Up until now, people hadn't been able to produce definitive evidence to prove it, but people knew, and they had seen things that had actually happened.

That was Lanse, no matter how gentlemanly he appeared.

He was, in the end, a dangerous person.

The officer stopped in his tracks. He turned around, his gaze piercing and fierce. "You can try!"

If he had finished that sentence and turned to leave, it would have proven he wasn't afraid of their threats.

But he didn't leave after saying that; he just stared unblinkingly at the two lawyers, which meant his attitude had actually softened quite a bit.

The lawyer shook his head. "I'm not threatening or intimidating you; I'm just stating a fact we both know."

"You should have heard that our boss is generous and never stingy with friends."

"You can state your requirements: a new job, a sum of money, or something else."

"Listen, it's us coming to you now, representing the kind side of the Boss."

"Next time, it might not be us, and what we represent might not be the kind side."

The lawyers didn't demand he cooperate, but the flat tone in which they spoke made the officer feel even more anxious and uneasy. His gaze darted between the lawyers and his front door. Finally, after his body trembled a few times, he cursed, "Motherfucker."

"What do you want to know?"

Rather than being forced to say it under threat of a gun, his family, or other situations, it was better to cooperate early. He knew how to make this choice.

He had handled gang cases before and had mocked those who couldn't even get a multiple-choice question right. Now that it was his turn to take the test, he knew what to do.

The lawyer smiled. "I said, all we want is for you to tell the truth."

"Tell us what you know, and when necessary, stand in court and tell the truth."

The officer returned to their side and hissed in a low voice, "If I do this, I'll lose my job. What will my colleagues think?"

The lawyer curled his lip. "Can your colleagues get you into a big house with a more decent job and income?"

The officer froze and fell silent. The lawyer continued, "If you still want to be a police officer, we can help you transfer to Laizhou to be an officer there."

"There's no danger, the work is easy, and the pay isn't low."

"If you don't want to be a police officer anymore, you can become an employee of the company. Recently, the Boss has a big plan to go overseas, and the income might be 50% higher than what you have now, and it's very decent."

"So you don't need to consider those things at all. You just need to tell the truth."

A dull wind blew through the night, making a "woo-woo" sound outside the house—perhaps some exposed steel pipe or something else being blown into a whistle by the wind.

At a window on the outer wall of the apartment building, under dim light, three people stood, talking constantly until half an hour later.

Half an hour later, the two lawyers came down from the apartment. They had already obtained what they wanted, and now they had to go to the next house.

Actually... Lanse wouldn't really retaliate against those officers who didn't tell the truth; this was just a strategy used by the lawyers.

You couldn't just give them candy; you had to show them the whip they feared. Only when faced with two clearly contrasting choices would they understand what they really wanted.

Now, they needed to go to the next house. Lawyer Luo Ben's requirement was to get at least twenty testimonies and written materials so he could convince the court to adopt his point of view.

Lanse was serious about suing the Xingang Police Department, and Lawyer Luo Ben was serious too.

In the Federation, anyone could become a defendant—a homeless person, a beggar, or even the President. As long as someone sued them, they had to respond.

Even a statue or an animal could become a defendant.

The next morning, Major General Bulu seemed to have recovered well after a night of reflection. He called Lanse. "When are you coming to the Department of Defense?"

"We are very interested in the entire plan you proposed."

Although he suspected Lanse had used him, he had to admit that Lanse had provided a very good line of thinking that solved problems the Department of Defense and the military were worried about.

Namely, the risks that might arise from releasing a large number of soldiers who had received professional military training—and perhaps had some psychological issues—back into society.

At the same time, it solved the Department of Defense's demand for obtaining more benefits in the new era.

As for being attacked yesterday?

Compared to being angry at Lanse, it was clearly more practical to think of ways to become a Lieutenant General. Besides, he couldn't really be angry at Lanse, as he didn't want to offend the forces behind Lanse.

Soon, Lanse arrived at the Department of Defense by car, and Major General Bulu greeted him at the entrance.

You needed a pass to enter the Department of Defense, and Lanse obviously didn't have one, so Major General Bulu coming to pick him up personally showed how much the Department of Defense valued this matter.

Soon, he was taken to a conference room where other Department of Defense generals were already sitting—mostly Lieutenant Generals and one General.

"Sit." After the General at the head of the table introduced himself to Lanse, he invited Lanse to sit. "I heard from Bulu about your ideas and plans. This is indeed a good line of thinking."

"But we still have some details that need to be clarified."

Lanse nodded slightly and took out his slightly yellowed ivory cigarette case. "May I?"

"Of course!"

The generals around didn't refuse; they smoked themselves, so naturally, they wouldn't stop others.

Moreover, Lanse taking out cigarettes made them unable to resist having one themselves. Soon, the conference room was filled with the thick smell of smoke.

These generals were smoking "men's cigarettes"—the kind rolled from raw tobacco—which had a strong impact not only on their own senses but also a much stronger smell for everyone else.

After taking two puffs, the General flicked the ash. "I want to hear more detailed ideas, for example, what role the Department of Defense can play in these concepts of yours."

Lanse said almost without any hesitation or delay, "Setting standards and acting as a regulator, General."

"What kind of companies can recruit retired soldiers and for what purposes—these are relatively important elements."

"We all know these soldiers have received professional training. If they are used as guardians of the nation, they are naturally the sharpest sword and the hardest shield of the Federation."

"But if companies abuse these people, they might cause damage to the development and construction of the Federation's society."

"Therefore, the Department of Defense must set standards and, based on these standards, regulate how companies use them..."

There were actually many points here that could provide benefits to the Department of Defense. Lanse spoke quite clearly, and the generals nodded one after another.

The military didn't consider these issues. Congress and the President's office decided to downsize, so the military just let people go.

But what these people did after returning, and whether they would cause negative impacts, was the responsibility of the Department of Defense.

There were reports that Congress or the Cabinet might establish a new agency to manage the issue of retired soldiers.

After all, the Federation's military scale had expanded many times over due to the war, and it couldn't be managed by an office like in the past; a complete department had to be established.

Originally, this department wasn't very likely to fall into the hands of the Department of Defense, as it was a troublesome matter.

But after what Lanse said, the General suddenly felt that they could take on this responsibility themselves.

After all, the Department of Defense was the one in charge of this, and having so many soldiers return to civilian life was itself a "national defense mission."

The generals were very interested and satisfied with Lanse's ideas, and it was clear they had gained a lot by the end of the meeting.

After Lanse finished his last sentence, the General smiled a lot more. "Very useful reference. We will perfect this based on your concepts and come up with a complete solution."

He paused and looked at Major General Bulu, who was sitting at the end of the table. "I also heard about what happened yesterday. It's unbelievable that such a shocking incident occurred in Xingang."

"This is a provocation to social order and national security, and also a provocation to the Department of Defense..."

(End of chapter)