Law America, the Devil's Agent

Monday morning.

The doors of Curtis's law firm were pushed open once again.

Mary at the front desk habitually looked up, but her greeting was cut short halfway through.

As a receptionist at a law firm, judging people by their appearance is a basic skill she possesses.

She instinctively scanned the newcomer's clothing.

The person in front of me was wearing a brand-new charcoal gray suit made of Italian wool blend, which was clearly custom-made.

The white twill shirt had a crisp collar, and the dark blue silk tie was tied in a standard four-in-hand knot.

The black calfskin shoes are understated yet sophisticated.

"Link?"

That call sounded like a whispered dream.

She never imagined that this would be the same unkempt, timid, and subdued Asian man she once knew.

Good morning, Mary.

Lin Kechong nodded and smiled, without stopping.

In the corridor, a middle-aged lawyer carrying a file folder walked towards me. I subconsciously glanced at him a few more times before recognizing him:

"Link? You?"

"We got a different tailor," Link replied with a smile.

Beside the photocopier, in the tea room, and at the entrance to the lounge, countless people are getting to know Link all over again.

Good morning, Link. Had a nice weekend?

"Not bad. How about you?"

  

"Great. You look really good in this outfit."

"Thanks."

Link walked unhurriedly toward his cubicle, his back straight and chin slightly raised.

He closed the door and stood in front of the cracked mirror, examining his reflection.

Then he took out his old canvas wallet and weighed it in his hand to gauge its thickness.

It's a bit thinner than it was two days ago, but the remaining portion is still reassuring.

Two thousand four hundred US dollars—that was what he got for rescuing a damsel in distress on the street that night.

The commission fee casually paid by the young lady from Penn was equivalent to his monthly student loan payment.

He didn't save the money.

Frugality was a habit of the original owner of this body, but Link had seen too many clients in his previous life at the law firm and knew one thing well:

The United States, and indeed the world, is a society that judges people by their appearance, and this is especially true for lawyers, who are often considered to be among the most intelligent and sophisticated people in the world.

No one would trust a lawyer who wears a pilling synthetic suit with frayed cuffs.

If you can't even put together a decent suit for yourself, how can you expect to handle the problems the person in question is facing?

This outfit isn't a purchase; it's an investment.

Link glanced at the person in the glasses one last time, then looked back at his "office".

The cubicles are still the same cubicles.

A composite board desk, a metal filing cabinet, and a small window overlooking the sky.

The predecessor probably stared blankly at this window during countless late nights working overtime.

Link surveyed the scene, a thought forming in his mind:

This is not the place he wants.

After that, he will have a bigger, brighter office, and after that, he will have his own law firm.

One day, he will hang his nameplate in another building, announcing his arrival to the world.

This thought was like a nail, firmly embedded deep in my mind.

A faint tremor came from deep within my body; it was the resonance of my blood and will.

But then, there was a knock at the door.

Link opened the door, and Benny Frith was standing outside.

He was a lawyer in the same group as Link, and also another laborer under Robin.

Benny was about to speak, but then he was speechless.

The Link before him felt completely unfamiliar.

Those expressions of despair, exhaustion, caution, and timidity vanished completely.

Beneath those dark eyes lay only composure, certainty, and pride, as if the youthful spirit had never been forgotten.

"What happened to you while Robin and I were out of town on a case?"

"Nothing much, just some minor changes."

Benny clearly didn't believe these claims, but he suppressed his doubts:

"Robin wants you to go to his office."

"Let's go then."

The team leader's office was at the end of the corridor, and it was several times larger than the cubicles.

Link finally met his boss.

Robin was in his early fifties, with sparse, dark brown hair and sagging skin on his face, but his small eyes were still shrewd.

The wall behind him was covered with medals and certificates, and in the corner was a photo of him with a local judge...

These are the things he most likes to show off to newcomers:

He was a senior lawyer in the firm with extensive connections.

But his mediocrity and incompetence were already widely known, and no one wanted to join his team except for some unlucky guys and doormats.

Benny consciously stood in the corner.

Robin looked up and saw Link's attire; his eye twitched involuntarily.

Link stood before him, his expression unchanged, but a subtle change was taking place deep within his pupils.

A line of text slowly appeared above Robin's head.

【Rotten Sac Demon (Demon Species): A rotten and mediocre demon that reigns supreme through incompetence.】

He doesn't create anything, but he's good at stamping his own mark on other people's achievements.

Mediocrity is his defining characteristic, and laziness is his creed.

Internal strife was his specialty, and deceiving superiors and oppressing subordinates were his forte.

(Robin Sterling: I've been gone for a few days, what's wrong with this Chinese kid... No, I can't let him get cocky. I'll bring up the old grudges first, and let him know who's in charge.)

These kinds of orphans are easy to manipulate. A little pressure and they'll back down. I'll give them a hard time during their performance review next month. Hmph, they'll have to work for me for another year!

The horizontal pupils in Link's eyes faded away.

Robin leaned back in his chair, adopting a serious expression.

"sit."

Link stood still.

"Benny said you were looking for me?"

Robin was taken aback, a strange feeling welling up inside him. He hadn't expected Link to talk back to him.

But he suppressed his displeasure, leaned back in his chair, and adopted a serious expression:

"During the few days I was away, did you finish all the documents I gave you? And... I heard you resolved that divorce petition as well?"

"All tasks have been archived. The divorce case has also been closed, with the parties satisfied, and no procedural loopholes left for appeal."

After a two-second silence, faced with Link's flawless performance, Robin decided on a strategy:

"It seems you finally seized the opportunity I gave you this time."

You should thank me properly. That case wasn't one you were qualified to take; I got it for you at the allocation meeting—"

"yes."

Link had already seen through this explanation; the original owner of this body hadn't been promoted yet because of his difficulties.

Link sneered:

"But I heard that this case is a pro bono case that no one in the entire law firm is willing to take on."

You handed the case file to me without even looking at it.

Was the meeting really trying to create an opportunity for me?

Or is it that your work has been consistently poor lately, and you're just looking for a scapegoat by having this case forcibly assigned to you?

Benny gasped in shock in the corner.

Robin's face turned bright red, he slammed his hand on the table, and leaned forward:

"Link, don't think you're all that just because you've managed to get rid of a poor soldier. A junior lawyer is still a junior lawyer."

I can let you stay here, or I can get you fired the very next day…

"You can give it a try, Robin!"

Link raised his voice, not to be outdone:

"You have no right to interfere with my decision to stay or leave!"

You are incompetent and mediocre, the most degenerate parasite and scum in the law firm.

Everything about those cases you're handling was done by us.

All you need to do is take our hard work and manuscripts, talk big, steal all the credit, and then start a new round of exploitation.

Do you think others don't know these things?

Outside the frosted glass wall, figures gradually gathered.

It was obvious that the soundproofing in this office was not very good, and the idle lawyers in the firm were all paying attention to it.

Seeing that Link had exposed all the shameful things he had been hiding, the lawyers in the firm, who were already gossiping about him, slowly gathered to watch the show.

Robin's face turned from red to a deep purple. He trembled slightly, his mouth slightly open, about to speak...

Then Link abruptly interrupted him.

"Oh, by the way, dear team leader."

Just a heads up, last week the Soldiers Association's charity commission contract had your name on it.

Benny and I worked tirelessly through countless nights to earn you the title of "Friends of the Association".

However, if the association finds that most of their cases are being passed on to interns, or even that you don't personally follow up and treat them like air.

Do you think the association, as a major client, will renew its contract next year?

What do you think the partners at the law firm will think of you?

Robinck's obese body trembled, then went limp and slumped into his office chair.

The elevated blood pressure caused his vision to go black.

He was no longer able to withstand Link's offensive.