Chapter 27: Negotiation is an art of using others.

A small crowd was gathering, some cheering. “Hand him to the police!” someone shouted.

Liwu, who always kept her badge on hand revealed it with a proud smile, “I am the police.”

“It’s a bureau badge!” A woman exclaimed.

Immediately, people started to disperse as if something really bad was about to happen. But a few remained behind, certain that something worth watching would happen soon. They were right, because just as Liwu started making a call for the thief to be picked up, a group of normal police officers blocked her path.

“Stop,” one said. “The SOB does not have the right of operation within One city. Your authority is external, hence unrecognized.”

Liwu frowned, tightening her hold on the thief. “So what are you saying, that thieves get free passes in this city?”

The officer shook his head. “No. But jurisdiction of all crime falls under ordinary police.”

Liwu raised her brows. “Yeah, I heard that nonsense when I moved here, that criminals who happen to be system hosts are given the same punishments as ordinary people in this city. That is crap. This man is a system host, I am guessing he has a system related to stealing. Under your law, he will be out in a month, tormenting people again with his sticky fingers.”

“It may not be fair but the law is the law.” The officer answered, with determination. His face was set in stone, adding ten years to this thirty nine. “After he is released, we will simply monitor him and when he steals again, we will arrest him again.”

Liwu pushed the thief to her bodyguards and laughed. “Ah, so its a lifecycle. Rinse and repeat kind of situation. So what happens one day when the unlucky victim chases him into the street and gets hit by a car?”

The officer gestured at the others, “Stop listening to her, just grab him.”

Liwu pulled a gun.

People gasped, and that was when Weijun arrived.

As soon as he saw the gun, the officers and the familiar face of the thief, he understood what the problem was. His anger about the picture was paused and he set out to deescalate what would end badly for everyone involved. First, he stood between the gun and the officer.

“Tai Liwu, this is not Beijing, you cannot randomly pull out a gun just because you are an SOB officer. Secondly, the criminal should be taken away by the police, not you. Where are you going to put him? The Bureau does not have a branch in this city, negotiations about that are still ongoing.”

Liwu put the gun away and crossed her arms. “Negotiating? While thieves run free? That’s absurd.”

Weijun sighed. “The decision on the Bureau opening a precinct here has to be voted on by the city council. Not even the master of the city can make that decision alone. The system hosts need to be made aware of this matter. Some might even want to move out because this decision could be seen as an act of betrayal. Until it is made, you cannot act as an officer openly.”

Liwu’s sharp tongue lashed out. “So, the people should suffer while you wait for approval? Statistically speaking, One city has one of the highest criminal rates in the country. System hosts run wild here. This thief is an example of the chaos within. He stole a purse in broad daylight and in a few days or weeks he will be out again. All of you seem to be familiar with him. If the Bureau does not establish a precinct, what will happen when someone awakens a bomb building system here and blows up everyone?”

The crowd, which was mostly ordinary humans murmured agreement. Vendors shouted, “We need protection!”

Weijun wanted to curse at Liwu. He had done a good job of protecting the people and balancing the peace. Why was she stirring the pot carelessly?

Cross Ho stepped up beside Weijun, his rings catching the light of the sun. “You speak boldly, Miss Tai.”

Liwu smirked. “Bad luck and boldness are my specialty. When it comes to matters of the law and system hosts, nobody is more familiar than me. I have spent my life learning these things.”

“You sound like your mother.” Reed said and made a ’tsk’ sound.

Liwu looked at him and shrugged. “Just because you don’t like her does not mean she is wrong. She founded IH before systems fell, so more than anyone, she understands the danger of system hosts getting off with a slap on the wrist. In her words, just because someone is a system host does not mean that they should be active or on the street. An ordinary petty thief is different from a thief who happens to be a system host. The law cannot applied to them in the same way.”

As if on cue, a bird flew overhead, dropping some poop on the thief’s head. The thief was so disgusted that he fainted.

The crowd erupted in laughter. Liwu raised her hands. “See? Even the birds agree. This guy is a piece of fruit.”

“Huh!” Cross Ho frowned.

“She means shit.” Mo Xia whispered. “Their family replaces curse words with fruit.”

Cross scoffed, “Like, holy fruit, fruiting fruit, fruit, I give zero fruits…”

“Shut the fruit up!” Weijun hissed at him.

Liwu was eyeing the crowd meanwhile, planning to take advantage of them to speed up the negotiation. “Hands up here if you think the Bureau needs a branch in the city?”

To Weijun’s surprise, every hand went up, including Reed’s!

“Tell him why?” Liwu pointed to the old woman whose candy had been scattered when the thief fell down.

The old woman raised her cane, “The officers who are supposed to help tend to look the other way when it suits them. I have seen some of them taking bribes. One time, all the candies in my cart were swallowed by a system host with a pocket dimension. I called the police and they said they could not help because I did not see the face of the thief clearly. No one came. No one compensated me.”

A mother clutched her child. “My Shuangyi used to be very lively but two months ago, she was on her way to school when she was caught between a host’s duel. She still wakes up screaming at night. The host’s never apologized or compensated us and the police has kept our file on ice since then.”

A young male shopkeeper stepped forward. “I am system host and my system is a simple candy making one. Last month, another system host turned my shop into a maze. I, my employees and my customers were trapped for hours. When officers finally came, they advised me to write it off as a prank and let it go.”

“That happened to me too.”

“Me too.”

The crowd grew louder, each voice adding to the chorus of grievances–from lost money to broken homes and invisible crimes. Liwu smiled, knowing the tide was turning. News drones were watching.

She was about to accomplish one of her goals for moving into the city.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep