America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

The moment Sean stepped out of the Philadelphia Police Headquarters, all the streetlights were on, illuminating the few steps leading to the station in a stark white light.

He thought of the Christmas he had traveled back in time, when he was still a notorious person, but now he had embarked on a path of no return in some sense.

But now was not the time for sentimentality. He stood by the roadside, took out his phone from his pocket, and expertly dialed Vincent Carter's number.

The phone was answered after ringing twice.

"Mr. Carter, it's me." Sean looked at the sparse traffic in the distance. "I've made a deal with Brown."

"A deal?" Vincent's voice on the other end of the phone sounded unsurprised. "Did you sell yourself for a good price?"

"I agreed to help them investigate the case of the stolen evidence from the Avalon Foundation. In exchange, I would have access to the core files, and if the case is solved, they would have to give me a Good Citizen Medal and hold a press conference to clarify everything."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

"That sounds like something the Philadelphia Police Department would do—saving manpower and allowing them to monitor you at any time." Vincent paused, his pace quickening slightly. "However, we'll discuss the details of that case later. Now, wherever you are, get back to the campaign office immediately."

Sean noticed the change in the other person's tone. Vincent was usually a composed person and rarely used such an urging tone.

"What happened?"

"A special guest has come to the office. I think you should meet him in person. It's not convenient to talk about it over the phone."

"Understood, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Sean was about to flag down a car when a familiar police patrol car suddenly slid slowly in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing Daniel Brown's angular face.

"Where are you going, Mr. Holmes?" Brown asked, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a half-smoked Marlboro. "I can give you a ride. After all, we're partners now."

Sean looked down at the officer with whom he had just reached an agreement.

"No need, Officer Brown." Sean smiled politely. "I'm not used to sitting in the back of a police car unless I'm handcuffed. Besides, if the reporters photograph me getting in and out of the same car with you, tomorrow's headlines might be 'Sean Penn Surrenders to the Police,' which wouldn't be good for my image."

Brown shrugged indifferently and exhaled a smoke ring.

"Suit yourself. Don't forget to look at those files; I have a feeling you'll find the rat before we do."

After saying that, the police car started moving again and merged into the night traffic.

Sean watched the red taillights disappear around the street corner before raising his hand to flag down a yellow taxi.

"To North Philadelphia..."

The taxi driver, a bearded Sikh, glanced at Sean through the rearview mirror.

"Hey, are you Sean Penn?" the driver asked with a heavy accent. "I've seen your videos on YouTube, the one about Chinatown, and the one about Thomas's death."

"It's me. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Sean snapped out of his thoughts.

"Well done, buddy." The driver gave a thumbs up. "Those rich people are always trying to kick us out. I've lived in West Philadelphia for ten years, and now the rent is so high I can barely afford it anymore. If I could vote, I'd definitely vote for you."

"Thank you, sir," Sean replied with a smile. "Don't forget to register to vote."

……

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the old building where the campaign office was located. Sean paid the fare and hurried upstairs.

Pushing open the office door, the atmosphere inside was indeed a bit strange.

At this moment, the office was unusually quiet.

Matthew sat at his workstation, his gaze occasionally drifting towards the center of the room. Sarah stood beside the printer, arms crossed, her brow furrowed, as if on guard against something.

Vincent Carter stood by a desk, looking down at several documents, his expression more serious than usual.

Opposite Vincent sat a strange man.

The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, wearing a well-tailored dark blue suit and frameless glasses perched on his nose. He sat upright, his hands folded on his knees, with a black briefcase in front of him.

As soon as the door opened, everyone's eyes turned to Sean.

"You're back, Pan." Vincent closed the file and broke the silence first.

"Looks like we have a guest." Sean took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door, his gaze lingering on the stranger for two seconds.

The man stood up, his movements elegant and composed. He looked at Sean with a professional smile.

The number above his head was 20, higher than Sean had expected.

"Good evening, Mr. Pan." The man's voice was clean. "I am David McFarlane, Special Assistant District Attorney in Camden County, New Jersey."

A New Jersey prosecutor? What's he doing here?

But Sean showed no surprise on his face. He simply walked behind his desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down in a comfortable position.

"Welcome to Philadelphia, Mr. McFarlane." Sean gestured to the empty chair in front of him. "At this hour, I suppose you're not here to sample Philadelphia's... well, beef and cheese sandwiches."

"Of course not." McFarlane sat down again, took a document from his briefcase, and gently pushed it in front of Sean. "Considering Mr. Pan's current legal situation and your restriction on leaving Pennsylvania, we believe it is necessary to take the initiative to visit you to ensure the smooth progress of the legal proceedings."

"That sounds pretty thoughtful." Sean didn't even glance at the document. "So, this is the legendary door-to-door service?"

"These are supplemental materials to the formal notice of indictment, and a subpoena for a pretrial hearing." McFarlane's tone remained calm, as if he were discussing the weather. "Given the clear temporal connection between your remarks on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast and the subsequent Camden shooting, the prosecution has decided to formally charge you with felonies of 'sedition' and 'endangering public safety.'"

"A serious crime? Me?" Sean chewed on the word, then chuckled. "Mr. McFarlane, you've come all this way just to tell me in person that you plan to send me to jail?"

"We are upholding the dignity of the law." McFarlane adjusted his glasses. "Freedom of speech has its limits, Mr. Pan. When your words become the propellant for a bullet, you cross that line."

"That gun was in Chen Kaiwen's hand, not mine."

"But legally, the spark of an idea is sometimes more dangerous than the finger that pulls the trigger," McFarlane retorted calmly. "We found a large amount of video footage of you at Kevin Chen's residence, as well as his fervent sharing of your statements on social media. This chain of cause and effect is very convincing in court."

Vincent then spoke up, taking a step forward and standing between Sean and McFarlane.

"Mr. McFarlane, the determination of causation is the jury's job. My client is not currently obligated to answer any of your leading questions. If you are here to serve documents, we have received them. Unless otherwise stated, I do not wish for my client to engage in any informal conversations without prior preparation."

"And if it's about inciting riots, then I think you can transfer the relevant information to the federal government and have the FBI come to investigate. There's no need for you to come in person," he added.

Sean agreed, adding that at least the FBI agents were easier to communicate with.

McFarlane turned to look at Vincent, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Attorney Carter, I understand your responsibilities and admire your eloquence. But I'm here today not only to serve documents, but also to make a proposal."

"A proposal?" Sean looked at him with interest. Another proposal?

"You might as well put it more clearly!"

"Yes, an offer." McFarland paused. "Given the special nature of this case and your influence as a public figure, the State Attorney General's office is willing to offer a plea agreement."

"A plea agreement?" Matthew exclaimed from behind.

"Please continue," Sean gestured for the others to be quiet.

"If you are willing to publicly admit the wrongdoing in your statements and apologize to the victims and the Camden government that you have slandered, and promise not to participate in any form of public assembly organization for the next five years..." McFarlane said, while observing Sean's expression, "the prosecution may consider dropping the felony charges and instead convicting you of a minor disorderly conduct offense, with community service and a fine."

"You won't need to go to jail at all."

Sean chuckled softly after hearing this.

"Then you can get out, dear McFarlane."

"I swear by the Delaware, I will never confess! No, I am innocent!"