Chapter 583: "Soften"

Willie’s luck this time was quite good. After a half-hour recess, the jury members reached a unanimous verdict.

The court reconvened, and the judge first announced that the gang member was found “guilty,” then determined his sentence and fine—and if the criminal failed to pay the fine on time, the sentence would be converted into a “super doubled” version.

The America Federation at this time did not have the concept of “abolishing the death penalty,” but in the relatively prosperous states on the East Coast, judgments for hanging had begun to be made cautiously.

For example, today’s minor gang member had a murder charge, but because the judge believed he was not a “premeditated murderer” and only slightly overreacted during the coercion, causing an accidental outcome, it still didn’t meet the standard for “first-degree murder,” so he was sentenced to over a decade.

The onlookers seemed generally satisfied with the result. The prosecutor, while packing up, also accepted a brief interview with reporters, claiming it was a “victory for justice,” which was met with applause. Willie also became an interview subject.

Seeing this, Wayne quietly whispered a few words to Lina, who then had her subordinate, "Soften," find an opportunity to privately talk with the reporters present. The goal was simple: to subtly offer some money so they would write a few more good words about Willie.

Many professionals in America have a certain “stubbornness” and “pride”—what is more commonly called “professionalism” these days.

For instance, with reporters, if they intend to write negative stories about you, and you try to resolve it by paying them, some reporters will not accept it. They might even rebel and refuse to stop until your scandal is exposed.

However, if you offer a little money when they are writing other reports—especially positive ones—most reporters are often happy to accept it and don’t mind adding a few more good words.

It’s somewhat like needing to “stroke the fur in the right direction”; even spending money requires attention to “timing” and “method.”

Because Wayne has recently been suspected of murder, if he doesn't rely on local connections like the Beaton Family, he can't just randomly hire a whitewashing PR team. Otherwise, it might backfire.

However, there are still indirect ways. Willie is currently working with the Richmond prosecutor, dealing with a local small gang that has no conflict of interest with the Detective Agency. The likelihood of reporters slandering them in this matter is low, which conveniently allows them to be more “objective and fair.”

Anyway, when the reports are published, if Willie can receive “mostly good reviews,” then Wayne’s public perception might also subtly change.

Once citizens see enough, and since Willie is with the Detective Agency and Wayne is also with the Detective Agency, as long as there is a divergence in public opinion, the Detective Agency can at least be seen as “mixed reviews,” which is better than being completely swayed by negative narratives.

“Willie, congratulations on your first court victory!”

Once the reporters had dispersed a bit, the three partners of the Detective Agency walked over.

Lina was beaming beside him, while Wayne and the prosecutor exchanged glances and nodded slightly, not needing to chat much at this moment.

The reason is the same as with the reporters: with suspicion hanging over him, Wayne is currently not qualified to contact the prosecutor privately. In public, he also needs to avoid excessive communication to prevent being exposed and accused of “insider trading.”

America also has concepts like “bribery” and “official misconduct.” When you are “under investigation,” insider trading could lead to both parties facing lawsuits or even losing public office—the correct approach is to “get acquainted beforehand,” “settle after the matter is done,” and talk less about what shouldn't be discussed in between; that way, it will be legal.

In fact, America's penalties for insider trading are quite severe, because if things escalate to that point, it means you neither have enough connections nor understand the “rules” and “unspoken agreements,” so being bullied is quite normal.

Wayne felt no guilt, but there was no need to cause trouble for himself and the prosecutor, so a simple acknowledgment was enough.

Leaving the courthouse, they took Willie to a restaurant to celebrate, encouraged him to keep up the good work, and also checked on the current renovation progress there.

Two carriages, one after the other, with the three partners in one. On the way, Wayne began tentatively confirming the senior Hunter’s views on gangs:

“Going back to our previous topic. Inessa, if we uncover some gangs in the Dock Area, and behind them are instigators like Mr. Schwartz the banker. If legal prosecution can’t reach them, do you think we need to take extra measures to eliminate them?”

Inessa thought for a moment, “Actually, I hope all criminals can be punished. But in fact, even the most powerful Hunter finds it difficult to completely eliminate all fierce beasts in the forest, let alone save all small animals from the mouths of predators. And from a broader perspective, those fierce beasts are inherently part of the forest; they can’t be completely eradicated…”

This was good; Wayne breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Inessa, at least, isn't the type of particularly strict “justice warrior”; otherwise, the Detective Agency would probably have to change its profession to a “tribunal”...

Actually, thinking about it, it makes sense. According to the Hunter Association’s theory, what opposes "order" is the "Abyss" representing chaos, not the "darkness" representing evil.

Inessa's personality is resilient but not overbearing. If she truly couldn't tolerate any speck of dust in her eyes, then as the Detective Agency developed, many captives would probably have been reincarnated long ago, with no chance of surrender.

A false alarm.

At least Wayne doesn't have to worry about Inessa shooting him one day if he starts using gang methods.

However, he was still a little uneasy and continued to confirm, “Then, in your opinion, what types of evil people must be eliminated?”

“Hmm…”

Inessa tilted her head slightly, “I’m not entirely sure… Like the instigators in some cases, theoretically all predators need to hunt to survive, but Hunters might either coexist harmoniously with wolves or relentlessly pursue those vicious wolves that have eaten humans. A judgment can only be made when it’s specifically encountered.”

Wayne tried to summarize it simply in his mind: is the boundary whether they “directly” and “maliciously” harm people?

Inessa continued to ponder: “If there must be a standard for elimination, perhaps it’s similar to how Hunters judge when to eliminate ‘out-of-control Extraordinary Persons.’ Either ‘their state has fallen below a certain critical point,’ or ‘if not eliminated promptly, it will lead to more direct casualties.’”

It sounded even more subtle than the previous explanation, but Wayne vaguely understood it now.

Some concepts are actually similar across ancient and modern times, both domestically and internationally. In short, it’s “those who are heinously evil shall be executed by all” and “when one sees injustice, one draws their sword to help.”

Heh, I didn't expect Inessa to follow the path of chivalry; I'm familiar with this.

So Wayne tried to articulate what he truly wanted to confirm: “So, when necessary, it’s actually acceptable for the Detective Agency to use some not-so-‘correct’ methods to deal with bad people?”

Inessa nodded: “Hunters do not reject using traps or poisons. However, objectively speaking, such methods may not always be good.

“The Hunter Association has encountered similar cases—there was once a small organization in Ireland that worshipped a hidden deity. It was originally established with the idea of helping believers and innocent people, and it would also punish some local villains. But later, to avoid being traced, they committed more and more evil deeds. Many law enforcement officers and some Hunters sent to investigate died at their hands, eventually accumulating enough wickedness to be eradicated.

“Even until the very end, they still couldn’t be considered completely bad people. The Windsor Church’s prohibitions would involve families and even entire villages, and the Kingdom has always been strict with the Irish. They were indeed trying to protect the weak and had no malicious intent to plunder for private gain, but they also indeed committed evil. After organizing the records left in their headquarters that year, many Hunters involved in the operation were left bewildered.”

The dragon slayer eventually becomes a dragon…

Wayne suddenly felt that his luck was quite good. “With Inessa here, our Detective Agency should not reach that point—if it really turns out that way in the future, we probably deserve to be wiped out. If the Detective Agency is completely beyond saving by then, Inessa, you can do it yourself.”

“What about me, what about me?” Lina, who had been listening all along, also chimed in, “What should I do then?”

Huh?!

If the Detective Agency truly goes “that way” in the future, even if I’m primarily responsible, I feel you should at least bear secondary responsibility, okay?!

“I think you probably just need to soften a little…”