I bought a prison in the United States.

"Are you planning to use the power of the media to exert pressure?"

Hamon stared at him and let out a laugh.

"You know what, Chen, the scariest thing about you isn't your points system."

"You always manage to turn a disaster into a bargaining chip for the next deal; you truly have the wisdom of a businessman."

During the brief pause in their long conversation, the sky outside the window had fully brightened.

A ray of sunlight shone on the concrete ground of the parking lot and on the dew that had condensed on the leaves of the wild grass.

Dewdrops shimmer briefly in the sunlight before quickly evaporating into invisible water vapor, rising into the air and becoming part of the clouds.

Today will be a sunny day.

……

At nine o'clock in the morning, Ringo dialed Eleanor Chen's number:

"I need you to go to Oklahoma City to prepare for negotiations with the government."

The sound of turning pages came from the other end of the phone.

Eleanor was looking at some document, with the receiver clipped between her ear and shoulder.

This posture puts unbalanced pressure on the neck muscles, which can lead to cervical spine problems in the long run.

But lawyers seem to have this habit, as if holding the receiver over their shoulder frees up their hands to handle more paperwork, thus earning more money in the same amount of time.

"When?"

"November 12th."

"So accurate! What happened?"

Lingo briefly recounted what had happened the previous night.

He omitted the details about the roof and only mentioned the version of the report.

Ghost Fang escapes from prison, kills Blue Snake, and Wade and Jerome are injured during the chase. Ghost Fang is eventually subdued.

After listening, Eleanor thought about it seriously for a while.

Lin Ge could hear the scratching sound of a pencil on paper coming from the other end of the phone; she was clearly taking notes.

"So you now have three cards in your hand."

Eleanor broke everything down into quantifiable factors, her voice filled with calm analysis:

"The first card shows that your prison successfully prevented a high-risk prisoner from escaping, which demonstrates that your management capabilities are far superior to those during the county government's operation."

"The second card is that one of your prisoners was injured in the process, and you had to take him to the county hospital."

"This shows that your prison lacks basic medical facilities, and by law you have the right to increase reasonable medical funding."

"The third point is that one of your prison guards was also injured, which shows that you are short-handed and poorly equipped. This is a reason you can use to request an increase in administrative allowances."

After revealing these three trump cards, Eleanor seemed somewhat admiring as she said:

"You turned a disaster into a bargaining chip, Mr. Chen. You're better suited to be a lawyer than most businessmen I know."

"Ms. Chen, you seem more like a businesswoman than a lawyer."

Lin Ge replied:

"At least you have one advantage over me: you're better at playing cards than me, and you're a lawyer."

Eleanor chuckled softly:

"Then let's do it your way. Meet at the entrance of the State Correctional Services building at 2 PM on the 12th, and I'll show you my negotiation skills."

She turned the page:

"Bring your prison's operational data, occupancy rate, monthly income and expenditure, factory output, and all the numbers that can prove your prison is getting better."

"Also bring a detailed report of last night's events, including the county sheriff's copy, as well as copies of Wade and Jerome's medical records."

"There's one more thing," Lin Ge suddenly interjected.

"What?"

Do you know anyone who can perform forensic psychiatric evaluations?

Eleanor looked at her strangely, "Who are you going to have tested?"

"Jerome Washington, the prisoner who subdued the Demon Fang."

"He was sentenced to ten years for a murder, but he has always maintained that he was not the murderer."

"The real killer was a drug dealer named Chaco, who murdered Jerome's fiancée and then framed Jerome."

Ringo was always fair in his rewards and punishments, and no matter what, Jerome could be considered his savior, even though he was a prisoner.

Moreover, the other party was truly skilled, and he learned more about Jerome's past from Tommy.

A former underground boxing champion, who had won underground boxing championships in two states, was not just a pretty face with muscles.

He has received formal training and has participated in life-or-death arena battles; he is a true tough guy.

If we could recruit such a person to our ranks, that would be ideal.

Although the other party is addicted to drugs, they are not beyond redemption.

Lin Ge saw investment potential in the other party, so he was willing to invest a sum of money in the short term.

He can tell if someone is lying, and he's more effective than any lie detector in the world.

Judging from Jerome's behavior after entering prison, he is indeed not the kind of vicious person.

Ringo knew that the other party was indeed wronged. Such things were not uncommon in America, but most people did not get the chance to be exonerated.

"Do you have any evidence?" Eleanor asked.

"Not yet, but Jerome said there should be his fiancée's blood on Chaco's body."

"Because after Chaco killed her, his clothes would definitely have been stained with blood. If the forensic doctor hadn't done a bloodstain comparison at the time, it might still be possible to catch up now."

Eleanor's breathing rhythm changed slightly:

"Where is the body?"

"I don't know, but Jerome said that Chaco died in California a year ago, and his case was handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department."

The sound of a pencil tapping on a table came from the other end of the phone.

This was Eleanor's habitual gesture when she was thinking, which Ringo noticed the first time he went to her office.

"The California case, the Oklahoma lawyer."

After thinking for a while, Eleanor said:

"Transferring case files across state lines takes time, connections, and money. What's your current budget?"

"Mr. Danforth's first order payment has arrived, Paul's order will be delivered next week, and Peterson's equipment will arrive next Monday."

"Cash flow is improving, but it's not yet abundant enough to spend freely."

"In other words, you don't have much money."

"almost."

Eleanor tapped her pencil twice more:

"Let me ask around for you. I have a classmate from law school in Los Angeles who now works in a public defender's office. She should be able to find out the basic information about that case."

"As for a forensic psychiatric evaluation, if you just want to get Jerome a reduced sentence or parole, a psychological evaluation report is cheaper and easier to obtain than a formal forensic psychiatric evaluation."

"What's the difference?" Ringo asked.

"A forensic psychiatric evaluation requires a qualified forensic psychiatrist, typically costs between two and five thousand US dollars, and requires court approval."

"A psychological assessment report can be issued by any licensed clinical psychologist, and the cost is approximately three to five hundred US dollars."