A short while later...
A small electric scooter came rushing over in a hurry.
The tires screeched as it stopped suddenly by the side of the road, looking kind of clumsy.
The person riding it had blonde hair, wore a suit, and had a fake-looking leather briefcase hanging at his side.
He looked like nothing more than a slightly chubby young man trying hard to appear mature.
However, as soon as he got off the scooter, he immediately locked eyes with Luca and Samira, who were also standing by the roadside, being carefully avoided by passing pedestrians.
He spoke in a calm and courteous tone.
"You must be Mr. Luca Orange, correct? Hello, I'm Foggy Nelson, an intern lawyer from Rand Law Firm. I've been temporarily assigned to assist you in handling this emergency."
Before Luca could respond, Samira's expression turned dissatisfied, and she questioned sharply:
"An intern lawyer?"
After all, Orange Industries had long been a major client with a longstanding close partnership with Rand Law Firm.
Even if the only person making the request now was fourteen-year-old Luca, the firm sending only an intern felt like a clear sign that they weren't taking Orange Industries seriously.
Luca, on the other hand, glanced at his watch, and barely five minutes even passed.
The man had actually arrived even faster than the police dispatched by the NYPD, with a faint smile on his face.
Sure enough, the young man named Foggy didn't seem scared at all when Samira questioned him. Instead, he stayed calm and explained clearly:
"I was only assigned because I happened to be nearby. Ms. Simpson should already be on her way here as we speak. And as for what I can do—before the police arrive, Mr. Orange will probably have some important things to tell me. I'd suggest we not waste this valuable time."
Even though he was the lawyer and should be the one telling Luca what to do next, Foggy flipped it around and made it sound like Luca was in charge.
Luca raised his eyebrows, clearly a bit surprised by this guy.
"Aunt Samira, could you please explain to Mr. Nelson what just happened?"
Hearing this, Samira no longer dwelled on Foggy's status as an intern. She stepped forward and began speaking rapidly:
"Just a moment ago…"
..
The police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived one after another.
The area was quickly blocked off with tape, and the few injured people were taken to the hospital after receiving prompt medical attention.
Meanwhile, beside a police car on the edge of the blocked-off area, Foggy raised his hand abruptly, cutting off the officer's long explanation.
"Officer! This incident is a blatant assassination attempt. According to Article 20 of the New York State Law, my client, Mr. Luca Orange, was fully within his legal rights to defend himself when his life was in danger."
"As for the electromagnetic pulse pistol, it is a prototype registered under Orange Industries, with development filing number NY–2011–1221. And all procedures were completely legal and compliant. It's already been approved as non-lethal use."
The officer frowned deeply as he took the screenshot Foggy handed him via phone, but he didn't actually look at it. Instead, he pointed toward the middle of the sealed-off area.
There, aside from a large area reduced to rubble, the ground still had a bowl-shaped hole.
"Mr. Nelson, you're calling that non-lethal? That truck got blown up into a pile of scrap metal, and the driver they just took away lost an entire leg! This is clearly an example of excessive force—"
Foggy once again interrupted the middle-aged officer mid-sentence.
"That wasn't just some driver. He was the killer. Furthermore, the truck you mentioned was speeding toward my client at eighty miles per hour while my client's vehicle was surrounded on all sides by other cars driven by the attackers' accomplices. According to Section 3 of Article 20 in the Penal Code, this qualifies as a violent felony, granting my client the right to defend himself however he could."
Then Foggy suddenly raised his voice.
"Officer, do you really think that in that situation—a fourteen-year-old kid, with no way to escape, had any other choice but to use the prototype weapon he just happened to be carrying to try and survive?!"
"Moreover, in the face of such an assassination attempt, my client wasn't just protecting himself. He also saved innocent civilians caught up in this crash!"
The officer looked over at Luca, but his voice came out hoarse as he gulped.
"Well... I mean... actually..."
"Actually?"
Foggy cut in forcefully, "What you should be doing is investigating the masterminds behind this deranged attack—not harassing my client, a victim who just survived a traumatic assassination attempt and who, I'll remind you again, is just fourteen years old."
He was speaking so strongly and sharply that the officer started sweating and couldn't even get a word out.
Just then, another officer, clearly of higher rank and who had been inspecting the scene, approached quickly, frowning.
However, upon seeing Luca's face clearly, the newcomer was momentarily stunned, then nodded thoughtfully.
"James, no need to press further. Ask this young man..."
"Luca Orange."
Luca said with a polite smile and nod.
"Right. Ask Mr. Luca here to come down to the station to complete a formal victim statement. Also, have that high-powered weapon sent to the tech department for a briefing. You don't need to worry about anything else..."
But before he could finish his sentence, a sharply dressed and composed woman lifted the police tape with one hand and stepped onto the scene, speaking softly:
"Chief Stacy, I'm afraid things won't go as smoothly as you'd hoped. That handgun involves top-secret information from Orange Industries. If an investigation is necessary, you'll need approval from the state government. Additionally, the technical department would have to be cleared for classified work, and they'll have to work with Orange Industries' engineers."
"Ms. Simpson!"
Foggy gave her a polite nod.
Geraldine Simpson, a senior partner at Rand Law Firm and Foggy's direct supervisor.
Ms. Simpson first nodded and smiled at Luca, then turned her gaze back to Chief Stacy.
The middle-aged man, George Stacy, rubbed his forehead with a troubled expression.
The young, chubby intern had already been troublesome enough, but now a well-known New York attorney had joined the scene.
These lawyers… each one seemed tougher than the last.
That was exactly why Chief Stacy had initially assigned the conversation with the victim's legal team to one of his subordinates.
However, it's not like he really wanted to give Luca a hard time.
Now that the opposing side had offered him a way to step back gracefully, Chief Stacy simply shrugged with a hint of resignation and said:
"A statement is still necessary, right? It's just to help us investigate and more quickly uncover who was behind this attack."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Simpson turned back to Luca and added:
"Mr. Luca, remember—whether an act counts as legitimate self-defense doesn't depend on the power of the weapon used but rather on the urgency of the threat. Today, you not only protected yourself but also safeguarded the livelihoods of everyone working at Orange Industries. So when it comes to cooperating with the police investigation, the decision is entirely yours to make."
Chief George Stacy twitched a little at her words, looking annoyed.
Luckily, this time, Luca didn't refuse. Instead, he gave him a friendly smile and said, "Of course, I'm happy to work with the police~"