American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

“How long have you been working at the factory?” Lynn sat on the sofa, while Sarah stood in the doorway to make sure Paul couldn’t escape.

“Eighteen years,” Paul said, sitting in the opposite chair, his hands nervously rubbing together. “I’ve been working there since I was thirty-two.”

“Then you must know a lot about the factory’s finances,” Lynn said.

“Yes, I am the accounting supervisor,” Paul said, “but I don’t know what you want to ask.”

“We want to ask about your relationship with Mark Darwin,” Lynn cut straight to the point, observing Paul’s reaction.

Paul visibly stiffened. "Mark? I...I don't really know him."

“Really?” Lynn took out his phone and pulled up a photo—a screenshot from traffic surveillance near the factory, taken by the tech department—showing Paul and Mark talking in the parking lot. “This photo was taken the night before the riots. You two seem to know each other well.”

Paul stared at the photo, his face growing even paler. "It was just a chance encounter. He asked me some questions about the factory."

“What’s the problem?” Sarah asked.

“It’s just a general question, about the workers’ situation,” Paul said, but his voice began to tremble.

“Mr. Jenkins, we know you provided Mark Darwin with the factory’s internal financial information,” Lynn said. It was a strategic lie, though he didn’t have direct evidence yet, but Paul’s reaction would tell him the truth.

“I didn’t!” Paul immediately retorted, but his reaction was too quick and too intense, which only confirmed Lynn’s suspicions.

“Can you explain this?” Lynn pulled out another document—an asset appraisal report from Greystone Capital. “This report contains very detailed financial data, including the factory’s debt structure, asset list, and even cash flow forecasts for the next six months. This information can only be provided by the internal accountant.”

Paul's hands began to tremble. "I...I don't know how they'll use that information."

“So you admit you provided the information,” Sarah immediately seized on this key point.

Paul realized he'd let something slip and slumped into his chair. "They just gave me money. Fifty thousand dollars. The factory's closing down, and I need the money to make a living and find a new job."

“Fifty thousand dollars,” Lynn repeated, “is that the price you pay for betraying your colleagues? People you’ve worked with for over a decade?”

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” Paul argued. “I just provided some financial data. I didn’t know they would incite a riot, I didn’t know anyone would be injured.”

“But you knew they wanted to buy the factory at a low price,” Lynn said. “You knew the information you provided would be used against the factory and the workers.”

Paul fell silent, covering his face with his hands.

“Mr. Jenkins, you now have only one choice,” Lynn said, his voice growing more serious. “Cooperate fully with our investigation, provide all the information you possess, and testify against Mark Darwin and Greystone Capital as a witness. In exchange, the prosecutor will consider leniency.”

“What if I don’t cooperate?” Paul asked, his voice weak.

“Then you would be charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy, leaking trade secrets, and aiding and abetting fraud,” Sarah said. “Given the serious consequences—rioting, shootings, grievous bodily harm—you could face at least ten years in prison.”

“Ten years,” Paul murmured, “I’ll lose everything.”

“You still have a chance to do the right thing,” Lynn said. “Tell us the truth and help us bring the real criminals to justice.”

Paul remained silent for a long time; the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Finally, he looked up, his eyes filled with tears. "I will cooperate. I will tell you everything."

“Very good,” Lynn said, taking out a voice recorder. “Start from the beginning, don’t miss any details.”

For the next two hours, Paul recounted the entire process in detail. About two months earlier, he received a call from someone claiming to be a "business consultant" who offered to provide financial information about his factory for a fee. Paul initially refused, but when the man raised the price to $50,000, he wavered.

“I knew the factory was going to close,” Paul said. “Management has been discussing bankruptcy proceedings privately. I figured since the factory was going to go under anyway, and this information would come out soon anyway, why not make some money first?”

“Then you met Mark Darwin,” Lynn led the way.

“Yes, he was the contact person sent by that ‘business consultant,’” Paul said. “We met a few times, and I provided him with financial statements, an asset list, and a debt statement. He also asked a lot of questions about the workers’ morale—who was the most resentful, who was the most radical.”

"You told him?"

“I did say a few things,” Paul admitted. “I mentioned Ray Thompson, saying he had a bad temper and was easily angered. I also mentioned Jack Morrison, saying he was very influential among the workers and everyone listened to him.”

“So Mark knows who to incite and who to win over,” Sarah concluded.

“I honestly had no idea what they were up to,” Paul almost pleaded. “I thought they just wanted to buy the factory, doing normal business research.”

“Have you met Victor Gray, the CEO of Greystone Capital?” Lynn asked.

“I met him once,” Paul said. “During the last handover, Mark took me somewhere and said the boss wanted to thank me in person.”

“Where?”

“A warehouse at the old docks,” Paul said. “Warehouse number 3. There’s a makeshift office inside, very basic, but it has a computer and files. Victor Gray is there.”

Lynn and Sarah exchanged a glance—which confirmed Jack's mention of the old dock warehouse.

"What did Gray say?"

“He thanked me for my help, saying the information would be valuable to their ‘business decisions,’” Paul recalled. “Then he gave me an envelope containing $50,000 in cash. He also said he would contact me again if there were any other opportunities for collaboration.”

“What else is in that warehouse?” Sarah asked.

“I saw some documents, and some writing on the whiteboard,” Paul said, “and a few laptops. But they didn’t let me look at them for long and quickly sent me away.”

“Mark has a dark brown leather notebook, have you seen it?” Lynn asked.

“Yes, I’ve seen it,” Paul nodded. “He always carries that notebook with him, and sometimes he’ll write things in it while we’re talking. I saw it once; it had lots of dates, amounts, and initials.” “Which initials do you remember?”

“VG is definitely Victor Gray,” Paul said. “And MD, that should be Mark himself. And RT, I’m not sure who.”

“Ray Thompson,” Sarah immediately realized.

“They included Ray in their plan,” Lynn said. “They probably gave him money or made some promise to make him the vanguard of the uprising.”

“Are there any other abbreviations?” Lynn continued to ask Paul.

“There was a PJ,” Paul said, then gave a wry smile, “that was me, Paul Jenkins. They included me in that plan as a pawn.”

This realization seemed to cause Paul even more pain. He realized that he wasn't conducting a business transaction, but rather participating in an elaborate conspiracy, and that he himself was merely a tool being used.

“Mr. Jenkins, I need you to do a few things,” Lynn said. “First, provide a formal written statement of all this information. Second, testify in court if necessary. Third, help us find any evidence that may still remain in that warehouse.”

“I will,” Paul said. “I will do anything to make up for my mistake.”

“Then let’s go to the FBI branch now to officially record your testimony,” Lynn stood up. “You’ll need to pack some things; you might have to stay there for a while.”

Just as Paul went to his bedroom to pack his things, Lynn's phone rang. It was Emily calling.

“Lynn, you need to get to the old docks right away,” Emily’s voice was full of excitement. “We’ve found the treasure.”

"What treasure?"

“Warehouse 3, just like the clue said,” Emily said, “they left in a hurry, leaving a lot behind. We found documents, computers, and—you’d never guess—Mark Darwin’s dark brown notebook.”

Lynn felt her heart race. "Are you sure it's his?"

“His name is on it,” Emily confirmed, “and it contains the details of the entire plan, including the timeline, financial transactions, contact lists, everything. This is the irrefutable evidence we need.”

“Great,” Lynn said. “Protect the scene and don’t let anyone near. I’ll come over as soon as I’m done here.”

After hanging up the phone, Lynn turned to Sarah, "They found the notebook and other evidence in the warehouse."

“Looks like our luck has turned around,” Sarah said.

“It wasn’t luck, it was our hard work,” Lynn corrected, “and the clues Jack provided.”

Paul came out after packing his things. He looked tired but relieved—telling the truth clearly made him feel better.

“Let’s go,” Lynn said.

Michael called while he was driving to the FBI office.

“Lynn, I found that silver-gray Mercedes,” Michael said. “The owner is Robert Carlson, COO of Greystone Capital. And guess what? That blue and white logo is the membership badge for the ‘Elite Business Club,’ a high-end business network organization, and Victor Gray is a member.”

“So Carlson is Gray’s second-in-command,” Lynn concluded. “He’s the middleman, coordinating the whole operation.”

“It seems so,” Michael said. “I also investigated his call logs—of course, we need a court order to formally obtain them, but I got some information through informal channels. He’s been in frequent contact with Mark Darwin over the past two months.”

“Very good, keep digging,” Lynn said. “We need to establish a complete chain of evidence, proving the entire command chain from Gray to Carlson to Mark.”

Upon arriving at the FBI field office, Lynn arranged for Paul to sit in a comfortable interrogation room, provided him with coffee and food, and then began formally taking his testimony. Sarah was responsible for recording, and the entire process was filmed to ensure it complied with legal procedures.

Paul repeated his statement from the morning in detail, this time more meticulously, including specific dates, amounts, and meeting locations. He also signed a written statement admitting his guilt and agreeing to cooperate with the investigation as a witness for the prosecution.

After completing Paul's testimony, Lynn and Sarah immediately drove to the old docks. It was an abandoned industrial area; the once-thriving docks were now nothing but dilapidated warehouses and rusty equipment. Warehouse No. 3 was a two-story metal building that looked very run-down on the outside, but when Lynn went inside, he found that the interior had been renovated.

A corner on the first floor had been partitioned off as a temporary office, furnished with a table, chairs, several computers, and a whiteboard. Emily and her evidence-gathering team were carefully collecting evidence.

“Show me that notebook,” Lynn said.

Emily handed him an evidence bag containing a dark brown leather notebook with the letters "MD" embossed in gold on the cover.

Lynn put on gloves and carefully opened the notebook.

“This is irrefutable evidence,” Lynn said. “They have a detailed record of the entire conspiracy.”

“And these,” Emily pointed to several computers on the table, “our technicians are extracting data, but initial checks have uncovered a large volume of emails, including communications between Mark and Victor Gray, and Robert Carlson.”

"What's on the whiteboard?" Lynn looked at the whiteboard.

A flowchart was drawn on the whiteboard, clearly showing the structure of the entire operation: at the top was "VG-Greystone Capital", below that was "RC-Operations Coordination", then "MD-Field Execution", and then branched into "PJ-Intelligence", "RT-Operations" and "Workers Group".

“They really managed this like a business project,” Sarah said. “There was a plan, a budget, and an organizational structure.”

“But this is a crime, not business,” Lynn said. “Now we have a complete chain of evidence. The notebook shows the whole conspiracy, Paul’s testimony confirms the existence of an inside man, the email records show the command structure, and the financial records show the money transactions.”

“And this,” Emily said, pulling out another bag of evidence containing a stack of documents, “an internal memo from Greystone Capital discussing how to use a worker riot to drive down the acquisition price. It’s signed by Victor Gray.”

Lynn took the document and read it carefully. It was an internal strategic memo dated two months prior, titled "Analysis of the Hudson Steel Acquisition Opportunity." One section read:
"The current management is in financial distress but still has unrealistic expectations regarding asset value. We recommend an aggressive strategy to accelerate its collapse. Exploiting worker discontent and creating labor disputes could further worsen the company's financial situation and market image. This strategy is expected to reduce the acquisition price to the target range."

The bottom of the document bears Victor Gray's signature and the date.

“This is evidence of Gray’s direct involvement in the conspiracy,” Lynn said. “He not only knew about it, but he was the mastermind behind the entire plan.” (End of Chapter)