Law America, the Devil's Agent

Kona's incisive summary of this morning's farce echoed in the office.

Everyone now understood just how terrifying this silent battle was.

Link's fingers gently traced the rim of the coffee cup, and the usual smile returned to the corners of his mouth.

"I have just checked the surveillance footage at the entrance of our law firm, and Celine's summary has confirmed their identities."

The group of people outside this morning included reporters from a local Philadelphia legal tabloid, contributors to Insight Philly, bloggers on TikTok who create real-life crime content, and several legal-related social media influencers on Instagram.

These media outlets and individuals, who have virtually no connection whatsoever, all appeared at our law firm's door at the same time, asking the same questions.

This was an organized and premeditated targeted public relations and media attack.

And this familiar taste, I'm sure you're all familiar with it. This is exactly what our colleagues love to do.

"I think it's him. The team of that lawyer Omir from Vansk."

This lawyer, who had been silent for so long, finally showed us his fangs.

I am not Robin Klein; he doesn't know me.

That's why we had this first wave of attacks as a probe.

I'll start by using psychiatric records and the emotions of the victim's family as the first wave of attacks to test my reaction.

If I rush to defend myself, he will escalate his psychological offensive.

If I choose to remain silent, he will interpret it as 'default' and then unleash even more intense attacks.

If I become emotional—for example, by losing my temper in front of the media, saying something excessive, or being caught on camera behaving inappropriately—then he wins.

These clips will be edited into short videos and repeatedly played on TikTok today, accompanied by the caption—

"A serial killer's defense lawyer loses his composure; justice will ultimately prevail over evil."

Then every word I say and every expression I make will be dissected and analyzed to prove that I am all bark and no bite.

This is what he wanted.

He turned his gaze to Kona: "Kona, now that you've joined my team, I don't think you've been doing nothing."

Do you have any news from Omir?

"Of course, I'm not joining your team without doing any homework."

Kona nodded, then added:

"As one of the leaders of the law firm."

My father undoubtedly placed a great deal of importance on the reputation of his law firm and its lawyers in Philadelphia's public sphere.

Yesterday afternoon, my father attended a party with friends from other law firms, and I was there.

During their casual conversation over drinks, they mentioned that O'Mill's team had been contacting several media organizations in Philadelphia in recent days...

"That's their tactic. To establish a conviction through public opinion before the actual trial even begins."

  

Benny exclaimed in surprise.

"They're reinforcing the story, reinforcing the image of a serial killer!"

"That's right! Hawthorne was already a serial killer in the public eye before he even stepped into the courtroom."

Link lightly tapped the newspaper headline with his fingertip, turned it over, and faced everyone in the room:

This channel is dedicated to tracking serial killer cases from start to finish, hoping that this devil from earth will finally go to hell!

"That's the charm of a story, that's the power of emotions."

These people do not need to see the list of evidence presented in court, nor do they need to read the original psychiatric diagnosis report.

All they need is one concept: the murderer, the defense attorney, and the victim's family are crying...

Just like in American TV shows, you know, they'll fill in the rest themselves.

O'Mir had prepared the materials for them.

Benny leaned back in his chair, his fingers clasped on his knees, his expression shifting from panic in the parking lot to calm.

"The plaintiff does indeed have a good hand."

Psychiatric records, DNA, anesthetic formula, backgrounds of the four victims...

Every card has media value.

He can use these cards to create public pressure, influence the jury's perception, and even use public opinion to...

Link interrupted him and continued:

"But it's not fatal."

All of these things are noise.

What is the function of noise?

It's meant to distract you.

It makes you spend your energy dealing with the media, explaining why you defended Hawthorne, and arguing with people who will never be on your side.

While you're busy dealing with the noise, what you should really be doing is:

The investigation, evidence collection, and building of the chain of evidence will be delayed, shelved, or buried under the public relations crisis.

That was his strategy. Traditional, but not stupid.

"So how do we deal with this?" Benny asked.

"It's simple. They fight their battles, we fight ours."

We cannot remain completely silent in the face of the propaganda offensive launched by the other side—but we do not need to defend whether Hawthorne committed murder or not; we only need to tell everyone what kind of person Hawthorne was.

Hawthorne was not a "serial killer." He was a hero.

Celine typed rapidly on her laptop, writing down Link's words one by one.

Link walked back to his desk and sat down, crossing his arms and glancing at Celine:

"From now on, everything is different. We can no longer let our guard down, because the enemy has their eyes on us."

Benny, every morning when you come to work, keep an eye out for any media people staking out the law firm entrance and parking lot.

If anyone tries to follow a lawyer into the law firm or trespass into the parking lot, contact building security immediately.

Then inform Hawthorne's family that they should refuse all media interview requests from now on.

This included Hawthorne's wife, Hawthorne's parents, and children, who refused any form of interview, filming, or recording.

If any media outlets find their doorstep, they should call the police immediately.

"Understood." Benny quickly jotted it down in his notebook.

Celine Link's gaze shifted to her personal assistant:

"Continue to organize the information Steve sent over. The list of abnormal drug inventory, the batch number comparison table, and the supplier registration documents are all arranged in chronological order."

Also, please help me find out if there are any other suspicious aspects in the backgrounds of those four victims.

Medical records, social security status, most recent tax return—don't overlook any anomalies.

"Received." Celine nodded.

"Kona,"

Link turned to her, his tone more serious than before:

"Help me coordinate something. I need a formal pre-trial press conference, not now—I'll let you know when the time is right."

Please help me get the paperwork done in advance. The location is in our law firm's conference hall. Go and ask Mr. Dylan if he agrees.

We'll also need to prepare the relevant media lists and release statements together.

"Leave it to me." Kona didn't say anything more.

Link stood up and walked to the window.

A few pale rays of light shone through the gaps in the blinds, revealing glimpses of the outside world.

He gently parted a fan blade, watching the figures still wandering around the law firm in various hidden corners.

"Omil thought he was forcing me to react."

He's waiting to see what statement I'll issue this afternoon and what interview I'll arrange tomorrow morning; he'll adjust his next move based on my reaction.

He turned around, looked at the three people in front of him, and a very faint smile finally appeared on his lips:

"But he forgot one thing. The serial killer case was the battlefield he set up for me."

He intends to fight this battle of public opinion according to his own rules—using the tears of the victims' families as ammunition, psychiatric records as a shield, and the label of serial killer as a fence to confine me in the cage of criminal defense.

And I never intended to engage him on his battlefield.

Benny looked up, as if to say something, but Link had already picked up the draft of the counterclaim on the table.

His fingertips rested on the unfinished title on the cover, his gaze calm yet sharp.

"He wanted me to be the defendant's lawyer, so I became the plaintiff's lawyer."

He wants to investigate the serial killer case, so I'll investigate the hospital corruption case.

He wanted to use the media to convict Hawthorne, so I used a press conference to expose to the public the drug smuggling, organ trafficking, and systematic framing at Philadelphia General Hospital.

He wasn't playing chess with me. He was buying a final bit of time for a corrupt hospital that was about to be torn apart.

Link walked to the door, put his hand on the doorknob, and looked back at Benny and Celine.

"There's one more thing. Don't ignore those voices supporting Hawthorne on social media—those who are just jumping on the bandwagon and flooding the comments section."

Although they are now only a minority, they have proven one thing:

Society resonates with the narrative of "whistleblowers being retaliated against".

Also, I need to make some arrangements; I'm going to meet Hawthorne in the next few days.