You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Leon stood in front of the pile of microphones and reached out to steady himself on the edge of the podium.

In that instant, the sound of camera shutters seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the first words from this "Seattle Hero".

Then, he looked down at the blue folder in his hand.

next second.

"Smack."

Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes in the audience, Lyon closed the folder expressionlessly, flicked his wrist, and casually tossed it onto the edge of the podium.

The folder slid a short distance before hitting the water glass and coming to a stop with a very abrupt, muffled thud.

The entire room fell silent.

The reporters below, who had been sitting rather slackly, instantly straightened up, and their eyes lit up.

Is it coming?!

Is this the legendary anger of a frontline police officer?

What is he going to say? Condemn the mayor? Or directly expose the FBI's incompetence?

The reporters gripped their recorders excitedly, and some had even come up with headlines: "Angry Hero: Tearing Up His Speech in Public, Denounces Systemic Corruption."

"Damn it..."

Mayor Reynolds, standing in the back row, felt his heart skip a beat, as if he were about to have a heart attack.

His perfectly maintained professional fake smile instantly froze, his fingers hanging at his sides twitched wildly, and he subconsciously shifted his weight forward, making a move as if he were ready to pounce at any moment.

His mind was screaming alarm bells: This kid's going crazy! What's he going to say? Is he going to complain about how bad the treatment at the police station is? Or is he going to admit that he just wanted to kill someone?

Reynolds had even prepared for the worst: if Lyon uttered the first word that started with an "F," he would have to rush at him without regard for his dignity.

Even if you wrestle Lyon to the ground, you absolutely cannot let him say on national television, "These politicians are all idiots," or utter any racist remarks!

The current propaganda has already linked him with Lyon; if this kid wants to die, he can forget about living either.

In contrast, Director Sterling, standing on the other side, appeared much calmer.

Although she was somewhat surprised, she did not panic. She simply raised her eyebrows slightly, crossed her arms, and a hint of amusement appeared in her azure eyes.

She understood Lyon, or rather, she believed she had grasped some of the man's temperament.

Flipping the table in this situation would do him no good, and it's not in line with the style of the shrewd man who was bargaining with her.

But... what exactly is this guy trying to pull?

Finally, Lyon spoke.

"I'm not good at reciting fancy words. That's not my style, and I can't remember complicated words either."

He placed his hands on either side of the podium, leaning slightly forward, and showed no anger or agitation at having thrown away the manuscript.

"What I'm trying to say is very simple."

"Violence has never been our goal; it is the last resort we have to make when faced with extreme threats in order to protect the innocent families behind us."

"As law enforcement officers, our bottom line is the law, and it is also the way home for every Seattle resident."

"The operation the night before last proved that no matter how rampant the darkness is, the West Precinct has the ability and determination to keep danger out of the community."

"The operation may be over, but our work isn't. Seattle remains safe because we'll keep an eye on the shadows. That's all."

After saying that, Leon took half a step back and nodded.

"..."

Mayor Reynolds's outstretched leg froze in mid-air, and he awkwardly pulled it back.

He blinked, looking incredulous.

That's it?

Isn't this... isn't this the core message of that draft we just read?

It's just a different way of saying it, removing some overly complicated academic terms, making it more colloquial and down-to-earth.

Then why the hell did you throw the folder away just now?!

Is it fun to scare me?!

The mayor took a deep breath, feeling his blood pressure fluctuate wildly like a rollercoaster, before finally letting out a long, relieved sigh.

Thank goodness, this kid isn't crazy, he's just showing off.

The reporters below were also a bit confused.

They had already set up their cameras, ready to capture the explosive footage of "angry police officers denouncing the system," but Lyon gave them a standard, official response.

Although the lack of breaking news was somewhat disappointing, the journalists' professionalism allowed them to quickly adjust their mindset. Since there were no breaking news stories, they would proceed with the normal procedures.

These words certainly fit the persona of a tough guy who is "not good with words but only gets things done." Now that I have the material, I can go back and write it.

Only Sterling's gaze remained fixed on the folder that had been tossed aside.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Lyon's action of throwing the manuscript just now was so smooth that it didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision at all.

He's implying something in this way.

He, Leon Vance, is not anyone's puppet.

"That's interesting."

As Lyon finished his brief remarks, the mayor's public relations secretary, who had been standing by, quickly stepped forward and took over the microphone.

"Alright, let's move on to the Q&A session."

This was the most unpredictable part of the entire press conference.

In the United States, freedom of the press is a huge political correctness.

Even a powerful figure like Mayor Reynolds, who can control tax revenue, cannot keep all opposition journalists out.

The audience included mainstream media outlets like the Seattle Times, which leans towards the Democratic Party and has an ambiguous relationship with the mayor; conservative mouthpieces like Fox News, which tries to portray every Democratic mayor as an incompetent failure; and even some independent bloggers who have no bottom line when it comes to traffic.

But you can't just target those sycophants—those mainstream media reporters with good relations with the city hall who ask simple, cheesy questions so officials can recite their achievements.

If the opposition is not given a chance to ask questions, they will use that as an excuse to fill the newspapers the next day with accusations of "the mayor's guilty conscience," "censorship," and "dictatorship."

Therefore, the usual practice is to first select a few of your own people to set the tone, and then give those troublemakers one or two opportunities to ask irrelevant questions, in order to show "fairness".

"That lady in the gray suit in the second row."

The PR secretary in charge glanced at the list and, to be on the safe side, first selected a female reporter from the local public radio station.

This is a very safe option.

This media outlet is known for its focus on social issues and humanistic concerns, and it leans to the left, generally avoiding asking overly radical political questions.

The female reporter stood up, adjusted her glasses, held a voice recorder in her hand, and looked compassionate.

"Officer Vance, hello."

"We note that, according to the preliminary report released by the police, some of the suspects who died in the clashes the night before last were minority youths from this community, some of whom had just come of age."

She paused, her tone softening further:

"They are also children of this community, but they may have gone astray due to a lack of educational resources and job opportunities."

"When you pulled the trigger, ending these young lives..."

Do you believe this is actually some form of systemic failure in our society?

"Besides using bullets to solve the problem, shouldn't we have better, more humane methods in law enforcement to save these lost sheep?"