American Scandal King

Chapter 11 I Have the Right to Confusion

Los Angeles Police Department.

Rows of black people were asked to stand in the corner, and the police officers who searched them were violent and fierce.

In the central office lobby, Los Angeles police officers are interrogating various suspects.

Some are nonchalant, wearing earrings and nose rings: "I have nothing to say..."

Some were covered in all sorts of colorful tattoos: "I did it, okay? I'm telling you, I'll be in jail for two years at most, and then I'll be out of here soon. You better watch your butt."

Some people yawn with tears and snot running down their cheeks, which means they have taken too many drugs;
Some remained silent, with fierce eyes, and even made shooting gestures to the police;

Others cried out that they were wronged.

Kate Beckinsale sat in the hall slightly nervously. She just shook her head: "I have nothing to say. You can just ask Ian Carr directly. If that doesn't work, call a lawyer."

As she spoke, she looked towards a corner of the hall.

Ian was sitting in the corner of the office lobby.

He crossed his legs and talked on the phone leisurely.

"Yes, Director Honeyt. I have the specific live video... You can create suspense first. Kate Beckinsale is suspected of murder and fled by car. If she clears her name tomorrow, the ratings will skyrocket... I am being questioned at the police station now... No, no, that's not the point. The point is that the 50,000 yuan you agreed to give me before 8 o'clock this morning has not appeared in my account yet. In addition, I want 150,000 for this content... I can accept the interview, that's totally fine, but at least give me some money. I'm in financial trouble recently. Okay, thank you for your generosity, Director Honeyt. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the blonde female police officer sitting opposite him with a harmless smile on his face.

Katherine Brown sat behind her desk and tugged at her tie.

Her short blond hair made her look smart and capable, with a vigorous and heroic demeanor, but her tone was unkind: "You're talking about calling a lawyer, not a TV station director."

Ian pointed to the notebook in front of her desk: "Because there's no need. You already know everything that happened."

It is clear indeed.

Ian has all the video footage on his laptop.

After reading the information and combining it with the case, Catherine understood everything.

She crossed her arms: "The video has been edited."

Ian laughed and said, “News can be edited.”

“But the evidence cannot.”

"I didn't intend to give them to you as evidence. Although these things can't be used as evidence, they are still good for reference."

Catherine sneered: "Are you afraid that we will find out that it was you who fired the shot there?"

Ian spread his hands and said, "Even if there's footage of me killing someone in the edited video, it can't be used as evidence."

Catherine was confused.

Are you implicitly admitting that you did it?

Speechless for a moment, she could only ask, "Why go there?"

"Save any other hostages that may be present."

"No intention of eradicating evil?"

There is a trap in this!
Ian laughed and said, "I don't have the power to enforce the law. The most I can do is defend myself."

As expected, you've found a good excuse for yourself. In this case, even if the police prove you're the murderer, it's pointless, not to mention difficult to prove—Ian's original video was deleted long ago, and the edited video is at most a "fake news" issue.

The key point is that Ian didn't say that this was evidence for you to present in court. If you use it as evidence, that's your problem. Ian is not even charged with perjury.

Catherine wondered, "Then why didn't you call the police?"

Ian spread his hands. "I don't think it's surprising. I'm a journalist, and journalists always need first-hand information. What's the most important thing about news? Speed! If I call the police, the police will be dispatched, and other reporters will also be dispatched, and then I will lose the opportunity to report before others."

This makes sense.

Catherine could question the morality of Ian Carr's decision not to call the police, but she could not question the legitimacy of his motives - for journalists, discovering cases and reporting them faster than the police is their greatest honor!

A reporter who can produce such news can make a living for half his life!

However, most reporters will still call the police after receiving the news. Those like Ian who directly use the news to notify the police are the best!

After killing someone, he continued to cause trouble in the villa and even added a car chase scene. He is the best of the best!

Self-defense counterattack is not that outrageous!
Catherine suppressed her anger: "Then why didn't you report the Charlie Mills incident first? I mean, this incident happened first!"

Ian spread his hands. "Flashback technique. Sometimes giving the result first can arouse more public interest. For example, why was Ian Carr at the scene? Why is Miss Kate Beckinsale involved? Who is Charlie Mills? What exactly caused all this? Suspense needs to be laid. If there is no suspense, create it... Releasing this part later can achieve better results. Good reporters only focus on the effect, and the chronological order is not important! Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is done this way. What others see as an exquisite closed-loop structure is nothing more than a reversed editing effect in the eyes of experts."

Ian spoke shamelessly about his ideas on news production.

"Fuck!" Catherine was about to be driven crazy by him: "This is a murder case, not the place for you to make up stories!"

Ian shook his head slightly. "I didn't make up the story. I simply broke down the truth and released the right content at the right time, Officer Brown. Excellent editing is equivalent to secondary creation, and this applies to both film and television, and news! Exploiting time differences to create a twist in the plot is a skill that every excellent director must possess!"

"But your actions have seriously interfered with the police's investigation. Even if I can't charge you with murder, I can charge you with obstruction of law enforcement!" Catherine finally couldn't control her anger and grabbed his neck.

Ian patted Catherine's hand gently, motioning her to let go.

He smiled and turned to look at Kate not far away.

Kate snorted and turned away.

Ian then said, "You can do that, Miss Brown. Then let me tell you what happens next!"

He looked at Catherine. "A producer couple died in their home, a gangster died on a boat, and three gangsters died in a riverside villa. And in all of this, the police made no discovery, which led to a pointless highway chase that nearly killed a future Hollywood star! A reporter reported the truth, but out of jealousy and unwillingness to admit their mistakes, the police arrested the reporter for obstructing law enforcement."

what did you say?
Catherine was stunned.

Can black and white be so distorted?

Correct!
you can!

Because I'm a reporter!
At this moment, he looked at her with a low laugh. "You can force a sentence on me for obstruction of justice, but you don't actually have any evidence. Nothing I did was illegal. After all, you had no contact with me before all this happened, and I never lied to you. How can I be accused of obstruction of justice? Even if you force a sentence on me, it won't last long, and the public will be furious because they'll think you're incompetent! You can't find the murderer, so you can only blame the reporter... and a good reporter who provides them with intense sensory stimulation. After all, how many people can see a real headshot? Especially when this reporter helped you solve a case... This is repaying kindness with enmity."

Catherine shook her head repeatedly: "You didn't help us solve the case, you just brought us more trouble."

Ian smiled: "That's not what I'm talking about."

He suddenly turned around and pointed at a black man sitting in the other corner of the hall. "You were looking for evidence of drugs on him, but you couldn't find any, right? Because you weren't careful enough."

Catherine was stunned.

What do you mean?
Ian pointed at the black man and said, "Look at the way he's sitting. It's not normal. Check his butt and you'll find something... I hope it doesn't get your hands dirty."

Ian chuckled as he said this.

(End of this chapter)