A moment later.
A small electric scooter came speeding in.
With tires screeching against the pavement, it skidded to a stop by the curb in a rather undignified manner.
The rider was a young man with blonde hair, wearing a suit and clutching what was clearly a knockoff leather briefcase under his arm.
At first glance, he just looked like a slightly chubby youth trying too hard to look mature.
However, after scrambling off the scooter, he immediately zeroed in on Luca and Shamila, who were standing by the roadside as pedestrians carefully avoided them. He spoke in a steady and polite tone.
"You must be Mr. Luca Aurantius? Hello, I'm Foggy Nelson, an intern at Landman & Zack. I've been temporarily assigned to handle your emergency."
Before Luca could say anything, Shamila voiced her displeasure, questioning him with a frown.
"An intern?"
Aurantius Industries was a major long-term client of Landman & Zack. Even if the request came from 14-year-old Luca, sending only an intern seemed like a blatant disregard for the company.
Luca, however, checked his watch. Less than five minutes had passed. This guy had arrived faster than the NYPD. A faint smile appeared on his face.
Sure enough, the young man named Foggy didn't flinch at Shamila's skepticism. Instead, he explained calmly.
"I was temporarily assigned because I happened to be nearby. Ms. Simpson should be on her way now."
"As for my role... before the police arrive, Mr. Aurantius likely has several instructions for me. I suggest we make the most of this precious time."
Normally, a lawyer would be the one instructing the client on how to proceed, but Foggy flipped it around, causing Luca to look at him with renewed interest.
Luca nodded and spoke first.
"Auntie Shamila, please brief Mr. Nelson on what just happened."
Shamila stopped fussing about his intern status and stepped forward, speaking rapidly.
"Just now..."
...
Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived one after another. A perimeter was quickly established, and the few injured people were treated and sent to the hospital.
Beside a police car at the edge of the cordon, Foggy Nelson raised a hand to interrupt the bearded officer's long-winded speech.
"Officer! This incident is clearly an assassination attempt. According to Article 20 of the New York Penal Law, my client, Mr. Luca Aurantius, was entirely within his legal rights to initiate justifiable self-defense procedures when faced with a life-threatening attack."
"As for this electromagnetic pulse pistol, it is an experimental model registered by Aurantius Industries. R&D filing number NY-2011-1221. The process was completely legal and compliant. It passed non-lethal testing permits long ago."
The bearded officer frowned as he took the phone screenshot Foggy handed him, but he didn't really look at it. Instead, he pointed to the center of the cordoned-off area.
Apart from a large pile of wreckage, there was a bowl-shaped crater in the ground.
"Mr. Nelson, you call that non-lethal? That truck was blasted into scrap metal, and the driver just carried away is missing an entire leg! This is already suspected excessive force..."
Foggy interrupted the middle-aged officer again.
"That was an assassin, not an ordinary driver."
"Furthermore, the truck you mentioned was charging at my client at 80 miles per hour, and my client's vehicle was boxed in on all sides by the attackers' accomplices. Under Section 3 of Article 20 of the Penal Law, this constitutes a 'violent felony,' granting my client the right to unlimited self-defense."
At this point, Foggy's voice rose sharply.
"Officer, are you suggesting that in such a situation, my client—a 14-year-old minor—had any other escape option besides risking everything and using the experimental weapon he happened to be carrying?!!"
"Moreover, faced with a vehicular assault of that magnitude, my client was protecting not only himself but also other innocent civilians involved in the crash!"
The bearded officer glanced at Luca standing nearby, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice hoarse.
"Actually... actually..."
"Actually! What you should be doing right now is investigating who is behind this insane attack! Not harassing my client, a victim who just survived a massive trauma, a 14-year-old boy!"
Seeing Foggy's imposing demeanor and sharp words, the bearded officer broke into a sweat, unable to utter a single word in response.
At this moment, another middle-aged officer, clearly of higher rank, who had been inspecting the scene, walked over quickly with a frown.
However, upon seeing Luca's face, the newcomer paused, then nodded thoughtfully.
"James, no need to press further. Please ask Mr...."
"Luca Aurantius." Luca nodded with a smile.
"Please ask Mr. Luca to help by providing a victim's statement at the station, and send that high-powered weapon to the tech department for a brief report. You don't need to handle the rest."
But just as he finished speaking...
On the other side, a mature woman dressed in a sharp business suit lifted the police tape with one hand and walked onto the scene, speaking softly.
"Captain Stacy, I'm afraid that won't be possible. This pistol involves core trade secrets of Aurantius Industries. If an investigation is required, you may need a warrant from the state government. Furthermore, any testing must be conducted by a security-cleared technical team appointed by the police, under the supervision of Aurantius Industries engineers."
"Ms. Simpson!" Foggy bowed slightly to the newcomer.
Jeri Simpson, a senior partner at Landman & Zack, and Foggy's direct supervisor.
Ms. Simpson nodded and smiled at Luca before turning back to Captain Stacy.
The middle-aged captain, George Stacy, rubbed his temples, looking like he had a headache.
The chubby young guy was difficult enough, and now a famous New York lawyer had arrived.
These lawyers were all a pain in the ass.
That was why he had initially delegated the interaction with the victim's lawyer to his subordinate.
However, he didn't intend to make things difficult for Luca. Since the opposing lawyer offered an out, he spread his hands in feigned helplessness.
"We still need a statement, right? It'll help us investigate the mastermind behind this attack faster."
Hearing this, Ms. Simpson turned to Luca again and added:
"Mr. Luca, remember, the necessity of self-defense depends not on the power of the weapon, but on the immediacy of the violence. Today, you not only protected yourself but also saved the livelihoods of all Aurantius Industries employees. So, whether to cooperate with the police investigation is entirely up to you."
Hearing this, a vein throbbed on Captain Stacy's forehead.
Fortunately, this time Luca didn't refuse. Instead, he flashed a friendly smile.
"Police-community cooperation. I'd be delighted~"