Chapter 630: First case II
Spirit Fox shouldn't have a license to kill, right? The gang leader had seen those television series and novels where secret national organizations wielded immense power, acting without approval.
His guess was somewhat confirmed when another figure placed a hand on the team leader's shoulder and advised in a comforting tone, "Don't change your mind. We need him alive for the other victims and their families. They deserve to know."
"I can break this bastard and make him spill everything."
"It won't work, my dear. People with sociopathic tendencies take pleasure in seeing others suffer and feel satisfaction when they attract attention. The more force you use on him, the happier he'll be."
"Damn it. This lunatic might actually walk free if he cooperates, confesses to his past crimes, helps unearth the bodies, and gets a light sentence," the team leader replied in a complex tone. "Provided the gangsters we captured testify in court."
"By then, isn't that better? Accidents happen all the time in the world. Besides, wouldn't this man stay in jail as well? Two birds, one stone—lock them up together. I'm sure he'd gladly vent his hatred." Her deputy patted her shoulder and left.
The gang leader pretended to tremble and asked, "I won't be silenced just for hearing some secrets, right?"
Nobody answered, and he didn't mind, continuing his monologue. "Yes, as your friend says, I can accompany this bastard. My men and I can go together. Please grant our request."
"I can't make that decision. I'll have to contact my superior," the team leader replied, not outright rejecting him. "However, do you want to form your own gang inside the prison?"
"Hey, who doesn't have one? There are many in Province N."
"Technically, the new gangs entering prison after we dealt with them are crushed. The remnants couldn't form the slightest power. Not to mention, the new prison reforms won't allow faction formation."
"But rules are dead, and people are alive. I'm sure you'll find a way." The man stared at the team leader's calm and mesmerizing eyes and shook his head at his crooked thoughts. "In fact, you're no different from us. We're the same."
"We are never the same, criminals."
"Come on, you're also the lackeys of powerful people. What law? It's just a weapon and a tool used by the elite to oppress the poor."
"We protect order; your kind destroys it, ruining people's livelihoods."
"Protect order? For whom!" The man snarled and sneered. "Power struggles always affect rules and order. You know that. The winner makes the rules."
"And for the sake of greed, must ordinary people suffer?"
"At least I don't involve innocents."
"That's your exception. Most of your kind doesn't care," the team leader snickered.
"How is it any different from us if you don't care about your regulations? I know you think you're doing it for a greater good by breaching a few laws, but it's a Pandora's box. Your behavior reeks of corruption in my opinion."
"Do you have any evidence to back your claim?"
"I don't need any, nor am I using it to hurt you. I just want to make a point. Your behavior amounts to noble-cause corruption. That's why I said we're the same kind of people."
"It doesn't matter what you think. Our conscience is crystal clear. You can sue us if you're dissatisfied."
Okay, the man was left speechless. Why was he being debated in his own style? He protested inwardly.
"Are you dissatisfied?" The Spirit Fox leader glared at everyone around her, a threat laced in her voice.
The apprehended members cracked their necks to show their stance. The gang leader looked at his subordinates with contempt. Spineless brothers!
Meanwhile, the Spirit Fox operators stood firmly by their leader's words. They weren't worried about making mistakes or taking extreme measures.
If they acted incorrectly, it was Athena's fault, not theirs. They had no psychological barriers.
Noble-cause corruption refers to officers going beyond the law to incriminate suspects, especially those who are clearly guilty but receive light punishment due to a lack of evidence or loopholes in the law. Officers might stretch their power to ensure such individuals serve maximum sentences.
While this behavior is wrong from both legal and moral perspectives, life often calls for flexibility.
The downside, though irrelevant to Spirit Fox, is that such actions could lead officers down a slippery slope, eventually turning them into tyrants of the law. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire
Speaking of Athena, all Spirit Fox members who had personally seen her on-screen found it odd.
They hadn't expected their liaison officer, facilitating their work, to be a foreign Westerner. Yet, this girl spoke Country C's language fluently, without the slightest accent—indistinguishable from a native.
Their curiosity grew, sparking discussions and opinions. At the same time, they couldn't wait to meet Athena in person.
After all, Spirit Fox operators had received plenty of help from her. They wanted to repay her gratitude face-to-face instead of through a mere word of thanks in electronic communication.
Undeniably, a group of young women among them was eager to learn more about the omniscient intelligence officer. Perhaps there was another group working closely with their boss in secret
"Like it or not, I still say we're the same," the gang leader said, refusing to give up. "You say we destroy other families, but aren't the officials and those in power doing the same? They use laws to bankrupt victims until they succumb to their desires. They destroy people's financial resources and block the paths of those who cross them. Some might even kill to silence others. Are we really different? Perhaps it's just that only a few lackeys know the truth while most think they're doing a greater good."
The Spirit Fox leader rolled her eyes. This wasn't the time to care about who was right. The arguments would never end because neither side was completely wrong.
Their lives before joining Spirit Fox were similar to what the man described, especially for those discharged from the military involuntarily.
Because their spines were too straight, they became eyesores, targeted by others. The man's statement contained some truths, but overall, the current order—no matter how corrupt—was better than chaos filled with crime.
What Spirit Fox had accomplished since its establishment was evident in Province N. Though their actions hadn't caused a massive impact, they were the drivers of history's wheel.
Any resisting obstacles were crushed under Spirit Fox's methods. They were the rare light of hope for the citizens of Province N. That was enough.
As for matters concerning corruption and officials' wrongdoings, these weren't their specialty. Chief Yang and their boss, Ling Qingyu, would handle such predicaments.
Even though they now had the ability to judge and think critically, after spending time with Ling Qingyu, who shared her past, they preferred to serve as her swords.
Soon, reinforcements arrived to take over. The detective teams were among them, their hurried and eager expressions betraying their fear that someone might steal their merits.
After all, Spirit Fox's intervention meant City N, the central power of Province N, could also act. They didn't want to transfer their case and tarnish their public image now that the culprit was likely already caught.
The gangsters and their leader proudly stepped into the police vehicles. Before the gang leader was thrown into a patrol car, the Spirit Fox leader grasped his arm and said,
"We are never the same. Maybe you have your own code. We have ours. We aren't the same type of people. We dare to fight against the powerful. Can you?"
Afterward, she patted the man's back and walked away, then ordered her team to return to their vehicles. Their job here was done.
The man might be right about officials abusing ordinary people who crossed them. They had also been victims of oppression in their past.
Honestly, if what the man said was true, she admired him a little. Merely a little, since it was extremely rare for bad guys to have a sense of good. It was unknown how long such a state could last under the lure of interest and benefits.
She quickly informed Yang Qingyue through intermediaries about what the man desired and his willingness to cooperate. The rest was out of her control.
However, there couldn't be right without wrong, justice without evil, or good without bad.
Fortunately, she checked her teammates' states and felt relieved. None of them were affected by the gang leader's arguments.
They had already set their own boundaries and would never allow others to infringe upon them.
Under Instructor Tang's and Ling Qingyu's leadership, everyone understood themselves better.
Nobody was vulnerable to lies or deceptions regarding ideals and interests. If they were swayed easily, they wouldn't remain disheartened either.
Instead, they would learn more about themselves and realize their hearts still needed strengthening.
Ling Qingyu's guards learned about the event and sighed. Who would have expected that a certain gang leader would be sent to jail just to enact justice and soothe the souls of victims' families?
What the police and detectives couldn't solve for months was finished by gangsters.