American Gossip King

Chapter 11 I Have the Right to Turn Black into White

Los Angeles Police Department.

Rows of Black people were forced to stand in the corner, and the officers conducting the body searches were violent and ruthless.

In the central office lobby, Los Angeles police officers are interrogating various suspects.

Some of them, with a nonchalant attitude and wearing earrings and nose rings, said: "I have nothing to say..."

Some were covered in colorful tattoos: "I did it, so what? Let me tell you, I'll only serve two years in jail at most, and then I'll be out of here soon. You'd better watch your backside."

Some were yawning, with tears and snot streaming down their faces; that meant they had taken too many drugs.

Some remained silent, their eyes filled with ferocity, and some even made shooting gestures at the police.

Others cried out that they were wronged.

Kate Beckinsale sat nervously in the hall, shaking her head. "I have nothing to say. Just ask Ian Carl, or call a lawyer if that doesn't work."

As she spoke, she looked toward a corner of the hall.

Ian sat in a corner of the office lobby.

He crossed his legs and casually made a phone call.

"Yes, Director Harnett. I have the actual footage... You can build suspense now, Kate Beckinsale is suspected of murder, a high-speed car chase, then clear her name tomorrow, the ratings will skyrocket... I'm being questioned at the police station right now... No, no, that's not the point. The point is, the $50,000 you promised me before 8 a.m. this morning hasn't appeared in my account yet. Also, I want $150,000 for this content... I can do interviews, no problem at all, but at least pay me, I'm a bit tight on money lately. Okay, thank you for your generosity, Director Harnett, I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the blonde policewoman sitting across from him and gave her an innocent smile.

Catherine Brown sat behind her desk and loosened her tie.

Her short blonde hair made her look shrewd and capable, exuding a vibrant and spirited air, but her tone was unfriendly: "You're talking about calling a lawyer, not a TV station director."

Ian pointed to her notebook on the table: "Because there's no need for that, you already know the whole story."

I understand now.

Ian's laptop contains all the video materials.

After reviewing the materials and considering the case, Catherine understood everything.

She crossed her arms: "The videos have all been edited."

Ian laughed and said, "News can be edited."

"But evidence is not acceptable."

"I didn't intend to give these things to you as evidence. Although they can't be used as evidence, they're still good as a reference."

Catherine sneered, "Are you afraid we'll find out you were the one who fired the shots there?"

Ian shrugged: "Even if the edited video contains footage of me committing murder, it cannot be used as evidence."

Catherine was dumbfounded.

Does this mean you're implicitly admitting that you did it?

Speechless for a moment, she could only ask, "Why did you go there?"

"Rescue any other hostages who may be present."

"Does this mean there's no intention to eradicate evil?"

There's a trap in that statement!

Ian laughed and said, "I don't have law enforcement power; at most, I'm just acting in self-defense."

Sure enough, you've found a good excuse for yourself.

In this way, it would be meaningless for the police to prove that you are the murderer, not to mention that it would be difficult to prove—Ian's original video had already been deleted, and the edited video was at most a matter of "fake news".

The key point is that Ian never said this was evidence for you to present in court. If you took it as evidence yourself, that's your problem. Ian's case doesn't even constitute perjury.

Catherine asked in confusion, "Then why didn't you call the police afterwards?"

Ian shrugged. "I don't think that's surprising. I'm a journalist, and journalists always need firsthand information. What's most important in news? Speed! If I call the police, other journalists will come, and I'll lose the chance to report before anyone else."

That makes perfect sense.

Catherine can question Ian Carr's morality in not calling the police, but she cannot question the legitimacy of his motives—for journalists, discovering and reporting on cases faster than the police is their greatest honor!

A journalist who can pull off a story like this could live off it for half their life!

However, most journalists will still call the police after obtaining news; those like Ian who directly use news to notify the police are exceptional!

After killing someone, he continued to cause trouble at the villa, even adding a car chase scene – he's the ultimate scoundrel!

Even self-defense counterattacks aren't this outrageous!

Catherine, barely containing her anger, retorted, "Then why didn't you report on Charlie Mills first? I mean, that happened first!"

Ian shrugged: "Flashback technique. Sometimes revealing the outcome first can pique the public's interest more. For example, why was Ian Carr at the scene? Why is Miss Kate Beckinsale involved? Who is Charlie Mills? What caused all of this? Suspense needs to be built up; if there's no suspense, create it... Releasing this part later can achieve better results. Good journalists only focus on the effect; the chronological order doesn't matter! That's how Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction works. What appears to be a sophisticated closed-loop structure to others is nothing more than a reversed editing effect to experts."

The latest novel is first published here!

Ian spoke boastfully about his news production philosophy.

"Fuck!" Catherine was about to lose her mind. "This is a murder case, not a place for you to make up stories!"

Ian gently shook his head: "I didn't fabricate a story. I simply broke down the truth and released the right content at the right time, Officer Brown. Excellent editing is like a secondary creation, whether in film or news! Utilizing time differences to create plot twists is an essential skill for every excellent director!"

"But your actions have seriously interfered with the police investigation. Even if I can't charge you with murder, I can charge you with obstructing law enforcement!" Catherine finally couldn't contain her anger and grabbed his neck.

Ian gently patted Catherine's hand, signaling her to let go.

He smiled, turned his head, and glanced at Kate not far away.

Kate snorted and turned her face away.

Ian then said, "You can do that, Miss Brown. Now let me tell you what will happen next!"

He looked at Catherine: "A film producer couple died in their home, a gangster died on a boat, and three gangsters died in a riverside villa. And the police found nothing about any of this, which instead led to a pointless highway chase that nearly killed a rising Hollywood star! A reporter reported the truth, and out of jealousy and unwillingness to admit their mistake, the police arrested the reporter for obstructing law enforcement."

What did you say?

Catherine was stunned.

Can black and white be distorted like this?

Correct!

you can!

Because I'm a journalist!

He chuckled as he looked at her: "You can force me to be convicted of obstructing law enforcement, but you can't actually produce any evidence. Everything I did wasn't illegal. After all, before all this happened, you had no contact with me, and I didn't lie to you. So how can it be considered obstruction? Even if you force me to serve a sentence, it won't be long, but the public will be outraged because they'll think you're incompetent! You can't find the murderer, so you can only target reporters... and a particularly good one at that, one who brings them intense sensory stimulation. After all, how many people can witness a real headshot? Especially since this reporter even helped you solve a case... This is repaying kindness with enmity."

Catherine shook her head repeatedly: "You didn't help us solve the case, you just brought us more trouble."

Ian smiled. "That's not what I was talking about."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and pointed to a black man sitting in another corner of the hall not far away: "You're looking for evidence that he has drugs on him, but you can't find it, right? Because you're not looking carefully enough."

Catherine was stunned.

What does that mean?

Ian pointed at the black man: "Look at his posture, it's very abnormal. Check his ass, you'll find something... Hopefully, that won't get your hands dirty."

Ian chuckled as he spoke.

(End of this chapter)