"I don't think he's doing too well ...... Shouldn't we bring in a doctor?" Elaine's eyes averted from the monitor and hesitantly asked her colleague, Hayden. She's a gentle and quiet French-blond beauty with pure blue eyes, which was currently laced with hidden worries.
She felt that there was some kind of consensus among her colleagues, perhaps a hint from the top or a private agreement, but this kind of action was still illegal and inhumane. They couldn't just ignore the injuries of a freshly caught suspect as if his bruises, cuts, blood, and fractures didn't exist at all.
Even death row prisoners have the right to survive before execution. The prison authorities will dispatch doctors to treat any cold or flu, let alone the fact that he's still only a suspect until the court's decision takes effect! Why would he not be allowed to seek medical treatment? Elaine thought sullenly.
"I think it's better if you stay out of this," Hayden replied simply and continued to scribble. He seemed to want to avoid talking about this problem, but the girl he liked gave him an insistent and pleading look, causing him to quickly lose the battle and pull her into his desk cubicle to whisper, "He's no ordinary suspect. Don't know who he is?"
"Yes, I know." Elaine, affected by the tense atmosphere, also lowered her voice. "The guy in charge of the case only said that he was suspected of at least twelve intentional killings, but everyone knows that he is that serial killer on the federal wanted list- Sha Qing."
"Then you should know who caught him."
"I heard that it was Leo Lawrence, the head of the criminal division of the headquarters. What's more amazing is that he caught him while he was solving another big case."
"Very well, Elaine, I know you're a smart girl, so now please tell me, if you were the head of the Bureau, are you going to praise a key agent who has made two major achievements in a row as a role model, or punish him for a minor violation like punching a suspect in a momentary lapse of reason?"
Hayden boldly patted her back and comforted her, "Now you understand why everyone is keeping quiet, in case this issue gets publicized. Sir Gordy is retiring soon, and Leo is his most beloved cadre, plus, the recommendation attached to the outgoing report is very convincing. No one wants to offend the future office director."
Elaine nodded and said, "I understand ...... but a doctor has to be called in to take a look at him. What if he dies while in the interrogation room?"
Hayden immediately retorted, "He's Sha Qing. How can he die so easily! Do you know how many vicious serial killers he had wiped out? 'Ghoul',' Park Road Butcher', 'Oregon Nightmare',' Rose Killer', and a pair of professional police assassins..."
"Hey... wait-" Elaine stopped her colleague and said in surprise, "Are you also, uh, his fan?"
Hayden glanced around and smiled awkwardly.
"Great, after working together for so long, we finally have a common topic other than work." Elaine said happily.
Hayden's heart was racing, What does this mean? Is this what they call a rare opportunity?
"If you want, let's find time to talk tomorrow at noon and have lunch on the way?" He asked cautiously.
Elaine agreed, and he was so excited that he stood up and spun around in place twice, even wanting to hug the monitor and kiss the image of the killer on the screen. Oh, and he was even willing to risk offending his future boss by sneaking in a doctor if it would help him get a girlfriend
.
.
.
Caleb and another agent were fretting in front of the wall. As per procedure, they always take pictures and the fingerprints of the suspects, but they hadn't experienced the current situation they were now in. They couldn't ask the man, who was too injured, to stand up against the wall with his name tag, and even if they were to instruct two people to hold him, they wouldn't be able to measure his height accurately.
The other party's face and body were also full of blood, and they hadn't received any notice about cleaning him at all. What if the blood was part of the evidence? It's also a rule that the fingerprint must be made with blue ink instead of blood.
Can anyone tell us what exactly do we have to do with a suspect who clearly needs to be taken straight to the emergency room instead of rubbing blood all over the floor and walls making the FBI office look like a murder scene? While hesitating, their savior finally arrived. As the door pushed open, a brown-haired and green-eyed agent came in. Judging from the nameplate on his chest, his rank was higher than them. "Sir..." Caleb looked at him in embarrassment.
The latecomer waved his hand, gesturing for them to go out first, then took a few steps forward and squatted down by the wall.
"Hi, Rob." The man sitting on the floor against the wall greeted the agent nonchalantly.
Rob sighed silently, "What should I call you, Biqing, or Sha Qing?"
"Sha Qing. Li Biqing is someone else. I should return that name to him."
Rob was silent for a moment then said: "Can we have a good talk while on table and chairs? Don't tease those rookies with this dying appearance- I know your injury is much lighter than it looks. Leo has a heavy hand, but he didn't have any intention to kill you."
Sha Qing gave a laugh, got up and walked over to the table, and sat down, moving slowly but not with difficulty. "It's a shame that even so, you guys refuse to send me to the hospital, seeing this, the federal government doesn't really value human rights as much as it advertises itself."
"We can't risk you escaping, you know, you're considered a heavyweight to the entire judicial community." Rob said, pushing the paper and pen with the Miranda warning printed on it in front of him, "We would usually try to entice the suspect to waive his right to silence and extract the evidence needed without the lawyer being present. But I don't want to make a ploy to beat around the bush with you like I have done with others. I suggest you don't sign this and wait until your lawyer arrives before you talk, as well as try not to use a government-appointed lawyer."
"That's a bit of a hassle. I don't have a personal lawyer and I don't intend to contribute to the renovation costs of some lawyer's new villa. Since I could get someone for free, why not use it? Still, thanks for the heads up." Sha Qing replied unconcernedly.
Rob felt somewhat annoyed when his own good intentions were being treated so nonchalantly, for he always had a feeling of friendship with the young man in front of him. Even now that he knew the real identity of the other party, the bits and pieces of the moments he used to get along with him were still as clear as yesterday, which made him unable to resolutely break the old feelings, unlike Leo. But perhaps, another reason for this kind of feeling was that he hadn't invested enough emotions as much as Leo, therefore the pain was not so deep.
His face then darkened when he thought about how Leo took a leave immediately after handing over the mission report to the Bureau, leaving all the follow-up parts to him. The guy hadn't even shown up since then. Rob's expression dimmed as he became more annoyed, and couldn't help throwing a snappish sentence, "Suit yourself, then. Either way, you'll certainly become convicted and won't be able to escape from any sentencing that would be handed down since no lawyer can win you a non-guilty plea. You should be glad it's the federal government that's prosecuting you because they don't give death penalty."
Sha Qing shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "I never put my hopes on others, especially on those profit-oriented lawyers. As for the federal government, it is indeed the strongest opponent I have ever encountered ...... Well, even if I can't win against them, I can always give them a hard time, right?"
Rob became angry and he pushed the table then stood up. He felt that he could understand Leo's mood now. This guy was a sharp blade without a handle- whoever held it would be cut- a completely different person from the gentle and elegant image of Li Biqing.
He hated him, and wanted to turn and leave, thinking that he would no longer care about this bastard in the future. But he also realized that sadly, despite everything, the lingering warmth of the sentiment in his heart still had not dissipated. In the end, he still couldn't help but remind him: "Remember to consult the lawyer carefully about the content of the plea bargain." Only then did he open the door and walk out.
The two agents from before, who were still waiting outside the door, were ordered by Rob , "Call some medical staff over to treat him, and give him a clean change of clothes, then go according to the procedure."
"Should we send him to the MCC tonight, or wait until tomorrow morning?" Caleb asked for instructions on every detail. Facing the infamous serial killer, he was actually nervous to the point that his hands were shaking, and he kept a hard grip on the camera to ease this emotion.
Rob took a helpless look at the rookie recruit and decided to add to his annual recommendation that the newly recruited staff need to be further trained, especially in terms of psychological endurance."If you don't send him to MCC today, are you going to send him to your house for the night?" He asked rhetorically with a stern tone.
The other party looked ashamed, "...Sorry sir...I'll call a doctor now."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The building was a 20-story high-rise located in downtown New York City, with beige walls and rhombus-shaped structure, mixed among other countless towering edifices, which made it look somewhat inconspicuous. Only by looking closely at the rows of slightly smaller windows with the dense steel and iron bars inside the brown glass interior can one sense that this was a special place where thousands of people are held the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
It's officially abbreviated as MCC, but the prisoners generally call it 'White Tower'. As one of the most important federal detention facilities in New York, it houses almost exclusively untried prisoners for arraignment in nearby federal courts.
At 11:30 P.M., an escort vehicle pilled into the spacious forecourt of the MCC. The two suspects in shackles were led out of the vehicle by several FBI agents and were then handed over to one of the facility's warden.
"Hi, Kim ." The prison guard smiled as he signed the sheet and asked, "What kind of catch is today's last ticket?"
The short Korean agent lifted his chin toward one of the Hispanics with a beard and a seemingly strong physique: "'Fifth Street's member, suspected of drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion."
Hearing that he was being addressed, the Hispanic man turned his head and showed them a cruel and haughty grin.
Scum. The prison guard thought, and pointed to another suspect standing farther away: "What about that one?"
It was a young man of Asian descent. He was tall and slender, and his face could not be seen clearly because of the shadow of the night and the backlight. He saw that his forehead was pasted with medical gauze, and his exposed wrist and ankle were both bandaged. It seemed that he was seriously injured, but he was still in double shackles and was held tightly by two agents, both sporting a cautious look, like they feared that this man would break the chain and fly away.
"I don't know." Kim shrugged. "That guy is guarded by specially assigned people, and the relevant files about him were classified as A-level confidential. I guess those at the top do not want to disclose his identity too soon. You know, the media is always pervasive- they can be used as a gun, but at the same time, they can also turn the tip of the gun around to shoot you."
"That's true. We're also fed up with the noisy journalists and various human rights organizations that surround the prison gates." The guard said with empathy, handing him back the signed sheet.
Immediately, a small team of prison officers on standby came forward and escorted the two new suspects in.
The admission process was step-by-step, like frozen fish on an assembly line. After filling out a bunch of forms and entering a white room, one of the officers said in a routine tone, "Undress, strip naked."
The Hispanic man simply stripped his whole body, then turned his head to look at the Asian young man who was also taking off clothes to show off his strong chest and arm muscles which was sculpted like that of a bodybuilder's, contempt obvious in his eyes.
The other party just ignored him, silently changed into the underwear and coffee-colored jumpsuit prepared by the facility, and fastened the buttons in the middle one by one.