Chapter 22: Police and Community Cooperation

A moment later.

A small electric scooter hurriedly sped over.

The tires screeched against the ground as it came to a stop by the roadside in a rather awkward manner.

The rider had blonde hair, wore a suit, and carried a noticeably fake leather briefcase at his waist.

At first glance, he appeared to be just a slightly chubby young man trying to appear mature.

However, as soon as he dismounted, his gaze immediately fixed on Luca and Samira, who were standing cautiously by the roadside and being carefully avoided by passersby. With a calm and polite tone, he said,

“You must be Mr. Luca Orange, right? Hello, I am Fozzy Nelson, an intern lawyer from the Land Law Firm. I have been temporarily assigned to assist you with this urgent matter.”

Upon hearing this, Luca remained silent, but Samira’s expression turned displeased as she questioned,

“An intern lawyer?”

It was well known that Orange Industries was a major long-term client of Land Law Firm. Even though the only person currently placing commissions with the firm was the 14-year-old Luca, sending only an intern lawyer seemed to show a lack of respect toward Orange Industries.

Luca himself glanced at his watch; less than five minutes had passed, and this person had arrived even faster than the New York Police Department officers responding to the scene. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Sure enough, upon hearing Samira’s doubt, Fozzy showed no hesitation. Instead, he calmly explained,

“I was temporarily assigned here because I was nearby. Ms. Simpson should already be on her way.”

“As for my role, before the police arrive, Mr. Orange likely has many things to tell me. I suggest we make the best use of this precious time.”

Although Fozzy was supposed to advise Luca on how to proceed as a lawyer, he reversed the usual procedure, prompting Luca to look at him again with interest.

Nodding, Luca took the initiative to speak first.

“Aunt Samira, please explain what happened just now to Mr. Nelson.”

Hearing this, Samira no longer pressed on the intern status and stepped forward, speaking rapidly,

“Just a moment ago...”

...

Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived one after another. The area was quickly cordoned off, and the few injured were urgently treated and sent to the hospital.

---

Beside a police car at the edge of the cordon, Fozzy Nelson raised his hand to interrupt a bearded officer’s lengthy speech.

“Officer! This incident was an obvious assassination attempt. According to Section 20 of the New York State Penal Code, my client, Mr. Luca Orange, acted completely within his legal rights to initiate self-defense when faced with a life-threatening attack.”

“As for the electromagnetic pulse pistol, it is a registered experimental model of Orange Corporation, with the research and development record number NY—2011—1221. The process was entirely legal and compliant, and it has long passed non-lethal testing approvals.”

The bearded officer frowned and took the phone with the screenshot from Fozzy but didn’t actually examine it. Instead, he pointed toward the center of the cordoned area.

There, beyond a large expanse of debris, the ground even bore a bowl-shaped crater.

“Nelson, you call that non-lethal? That entire truck was reduced to scrap metal, and the driver who was just taken away lost a leg completely! This is clearly excessive self-defense...”

Fozzy interrupted the middle-aged officer again.

“That was the assassin, not an ordinary driver.”

“Moreover, the truck was speeding toward my client at 80 miles per hour, and my client’s vehicle was surrounded on all sides by vehicles driven by the assailants’ accomplices. According to Clause 3 of Section 20 in the Penal Code, this qualifies as a ‘serious violent crime,’ and my client enjoys unlimited right to defend himself.”

At this point, Fozzy’s voice suddenly rose sharply.

“Officer, do you really believe that in such circumstances, my client, a 14-year-old youth, had any other way to escape except to take the huge risk of using this experimental weapon he happened to carry with him?!”

“Besides, in that vehicular attack, my client was protecting not only himself but also the other innocent people caught up in the crash!”

The bearded officer glanced at Luca, swallowed hard, and his voice became hoarse.

“Actually... actually...”

“Exactly! What you should be doing now is investigating who masterminded this heinous attack, not making things difficult for my client—a victim who has just undergone a terrifying ordeal, a mere 14-year-old boy.”

Seeing Fozzy’s imposing demeanor and sharp words, the bearded officer broke into a sweat and could not utter a single word.

At that moment, another middle-aged officer, clearly of higher rank and who had been inspecting the scene, approached briskly with a frown.

However, upon recognizing Luca, he first paused in surprise, then nodded thoughtfully.

“James, no need to question further. Please...”

“Luca Orange,” Luca smiled and nodded.

“Mr. Orange, please come to the station to complete a victim’s statement and deliver that high-powered weapon to the technical department for a briefing. You don’t need to concern yourself with anything else.”

---

Before he finished speaking, on the other side, a mature woman dressed smartly lifted the police tape with one hand and stepped into the scene, speaking softly.

“Director Stacey, I’m afraid your wishes won’t be fulfilled. This pistol involves core commercial secrets of Orange Industries. If an investigation is needed, you’ll require authorization from the state government. Also, a confidentiality review technical team appointed by the police must conduct the inspection alongside Orange Industries engineers.”

“Ms. Simpson!” Fozzy greeted the newcomer with a slight bow.

Gerald Simpson, a senior partner at Land Law Firm and Fozzy’s direct superior.

Ms. Simpson first nodded and smiled at Luca, then directed her gaze back at Director Stacey.

The middle-aged director, George Stacey, rubbed his forehead wearily.

That young, chubby man was already difficult enough, and now a renowned New York lawyer had arrived.

These lawyers were all extremely hard to deal with.

That was why he had previously assigned his subordinates to communicate with the victim’s lawyer.

Yet he had no intention of making things hard for Luca. Now that the opposing lawyer had offered an exit, he shrugged helplessly and said,

“A statement is necessary, right? This will also help us identify the mastermind behind the attack more quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Ms. Simpson turned to Luca once again and added,

“Mr. Orange, remember, the necessity of self-defense does not depend on the weapon’s power but on the immediacy of the violence. Today, you not only protected yourself but also saved the livelihoods of all Orange Industries employees. So, whether you cooperate with the police investigation is entirely your decision.”

Nearby, Director George Stacey’s temple veins twitched.

Fortunately, Luca did not refuse this time but instead gave him a kind smile.

“Cooperation between police and civilians, with great pleasure~”