Chapter 36 - 14: Aura

Miami, District Lottery Office. The atmosphere in the supervisor's office was tense yet ludicrous. Upon learning that the lottery winner had appeared, Chief Inspector Karl of the FBI rushed to the scene with his team at lightning speed. However, the investigation did not go as smoothly as expected. Zhou Qingfeng sat lazily on the sofa, and in response to the FBI's questioning, he merely stated indifferently that he had found the lottery ticket. Time: not long ago; Place: probably on some street in town; Why not redeem the prize immediately: busy with studies. After a round of questioning, this kid only provided ambiguous answers, then stated that he wouldn't answer any more questions before seeing his lawyer. He knew well that this prize claim would not be smooth, and he had already anticipated being investigated, scrutinized, and even having his background thoroughly checked. In such circumstances, instead of fabricating lies, it was better to keep silent and wait for the lawyer's arrival. Chief Inspector Karl lifted his shirt hem, placed his hands on his hips, and stared at the young man on the sofa with a furrowed brow, fuming internally. The land of the United States is too free, leading to a persistent high crime rate, several times the international average. The FBI once investigated over sixteen thousand law enforcement agencies nationwide, finding that nearly forty percent of homicide cases go unsolved each year. Law enforcement resources are limited, with thousands of cases of varying sizes occurring daily in the Miami metropolitan area, making it impossible to pour too many resources into one case. Some cases with no leads have to be shelved temporarily. The 'Bar Lottery' case was a typical example. Chief Inspector Karl's team stayed in White Beach Town for only three days before having to withdraw. A week later, lacking direct evidence, he had to adopt a passive strategy of waiting for the perpetrator to reveal themselves. As a result, the one who emerged was an international student from China. When Karl saw the identity information Zhou Qingfeng filled in, a familiar line caught his attention—114 Beach Street, White Beach Town. "Isn't this the home of the town's sheriff, Kongges?" Karl mused, made a call to check, and indeed it was. "This kid is lodging at his house and is dating Kongges' daughter," Karl found on Selena's social webpage, which featured a bunch of selfies with her boyfriend. "I've long suspected Kongges. He was the first to arrive at the scene on the night of the shootout. The next day, he appeared twice, once to make an arrest and once to see the body. Toto was likely just a smokescreen he released, and Raul probably figured something out, so both were eliminated. Too many coincidences. The key point is, with White Beach Town's scarce police force, he's the local sheriff with ample opportunity and motive, and enough capability. Why could the murderer calmly kill and wipe away all evidence? Because he's a cop who can control the situation. Naturally, he's not afraid." As Karl stared at Zhou Qingfeng, his thoughts slowly twisted, and he envisaged what he believed to be the crime process. In short, this case wasn't mysterious at all, just a sheriff discovering two gangs fighting over a lottery ticket, intervening to take it for himself. But the perpetrator thought claiming the prize himself would be too ostentatious, so he had his daughter's boyfriend come and falsely claim he 'found' the ticket. Karl chuckled angrily—turned out, there was a mole in Florida's law enforcement system, no wonder it was so hard to solve. But guesses remain guesses; solving a case requires evidence! Karl stared at Zhou Qingfeng for a long time, his mind in tumult, unable to utter a word. After thinking it over, his only remark was, "Victor, the FBI needs your cooperation in a murder investigation. The lottery ticket you found is crucial evidence and needs to be confiscated..." ----------------- Before he finished his sentence, the office door was pushed open. Old Beck, leaning on a cane, walked in with a resonant stride. Everyone's attention was drawn to him. Karl furrowed his brow tighter; the FBI had often dealt with such litigants, one slip and they could seize on it. Old Beck fixed his eagle-like gaze on Zhou Qingfeng sitting on the sofa, looked him over, and asked in a deep voice, "Are you the lucky guy?" Sneakers, jeans, high school student, Asian face. Old Beck quickly assessed...if this kid were left alone with over a billion-dollar fortune, it wouldn't take three months for various predators to devour him completely. "Five million US Dollars." Old Beck glanced at the FBI, then back at Zhou Qingfeng, speaking calmly yet with an undeniable confidence. This statement plunged the entire lottery office into silence. Zhou Qingfeng quickly realized the other party was making an offer. "That's too expensive." Richard's scream broke the silence. He had followed in, trying to make a final effort, as if fighting for Zhou Qingfeng's interests. "Victor, don't be afraid. As long as you haven't broken the law, the FBI can only question you, they have no authority to take you in, let alone confiscate your lottery ticket. It's merely about processing some notarization documents for the prize, which could never cost five million US Dollars. Notarization might only cost a few hundred dollars at most." Richard's words carried discontent and doubt, repeatedly emphasizing that Old Beck's asking price was unreasonable, while reassuring Zhou Qingfeng not to worry about the FBI. Old Beck glanced at Richard with disdain, his gaze carrying a hint of contempt as he asked, "Who are you?" The voice was low and powerful, as if questioning someone insignificant. "I am Richard Horn, the chief legal adviser of the Florida Gaming Commission." Richard raised his head, his tone filled with great pride, striving to maintain his dignity.