Some like wealth, some like power, but in reality, these things share almost an essential similarity, which is privilege.
Lynch not only has money but now also carries a bit of power — Special Advisor to the Federation National Security Committee.
The role of Special Advisor in the Security Committee has two situations. One is low-level, like some investigators from the investigation bureau who have exceptionally good skills in certain areas, recognized by the Security Committee for their abilities but have unstable factors in other aspects, such as alcoholism, use of mind-control drugs, or their family background prevents them from joining the Security Committee as formal members, so they cannot truly become Special Agents of the Security Committee.
Yet the Security Committee still needs them, so they give these individuals the title of Special Advisor.
They possess almost the same power and obligations as the Special Agents of the Security Committee, thereby avoiding certain auditing issues while utilizing their personal capabilities.
The Special Agents of the Security Committee inherently dislike these people because their existence makes the Special Agents feel discontent; it's precisely because of their incompetence that there are Special Advisors.
The presence of Special Advisors negates the work capabilities of many Special Agents.
The other situation is high-level, like Lynch, who is wealthy, has status and prestige. They don't compete with the Special Agents for credit within the Security Committee. They might truly just be "Advisors," so the Special Agents have no aversion to these high-level advisors, and may even enjoy operating together with them.
At least they're always entering and leaving luxury hotels and estates, enjoying gourmet food and expensive wines, which is much more gratifying than being holed up in those places with cheap lodging and drinking cheap liquor.
When Lynch arrived at the capital and found a branch of the Security Committee, asking them to help trace Richard's whereabouts, they showed extreme enthusiasm and quickly Richard's activity trail came into view.
His car!
The motorcycle police spotted his car and began investigating the surrounding area; it took just over an hour for Lynch to pinpoint Richard. This is roughly what some citizens call misuse of public resources.
Lynch didn't find him immediately but went to the local company. When he appeared, many people were shocked.
No department with issues can have just a single rotten apple, or when there is only one, the department's problems won't get noticed by others, and might not even be apparent.
When Vera, in Sabin City, noticed issues with the returning funds, it meant that the entire department might have some problems.
Richard wouldn't escape, and Lynch started with Richard's subordinates first.
Compared to Richard, these young people didn't resist for too long before they confessed.
Actually, the issue here is not just Richard pocketing money during transactions, but involves more problems.
For instance, some female marketing personnel have their own little groups. During weekly submission meetings, whoever has the highest transaction amount gets to spend the night with them.
This method of using the body as a thanks for demanding client bids has seriously violated Federation moral standards and damaged the company image.
Some might think, given this situation, why not take it a step further and become a call girl? This is precisely a contradiction in human nature.
These girls can tolerate sleeping with clients for work, yet they can't stand sleeping with strangers for money, even if the ultimate goal of the former is also money.
After a series of relentless questioning, Lynch roughly figured out some situations and appeared here.
"Come, sit down, let's chat and play a few hands..."
Lynch's voice left Richard powerless to resist. He didn't know how to describe this feeling; when a rule breaker meets someone who can dominate their fate, they usually reveal their vulnerable essence.
Richard moved his heavy steps and walked to the opposite side of Lynch. He squeezed out a thin smile, "Boss, why didn't you notify me when you came? I should have picked you up."
Lynch glanced at him, shook his head, said nothing, gestured for Richard to sit down, then handed the deck of cards in his hand to Richard, "Cut the cards."
Richard hesitated for a moment but obediently picked up a pile and lightly placed them on the table.
Lynch began dealing cards skillfully, and Richard was surprised at how expertly Lynch dealt them.
In just a few seconds, their cards were dealt. Lynch didn't look at his own cards but at Richard, "I've figured out some of what's happened here. You were the first to follow me, I'm very soft-hearted, I'll give you a chance."
He held up three fingers, "We'll gamble for three rounds, as long as you can win me once, any one time, I'll let this go..."
He kept watching Richard as a strong desire to survive flashed in Richard's eyes!
Yes, even though Lynch hadn't said how he would deal with him, what surged in his eyes was a desire to live.
"But if you lose..." Lynch produced a half-foot-long gleaming dagger from somewhere and slammed it onto the table between them, causing Richard to spasm violently with the action.
"You've taken so much money from me, you have to give me an explanation, right?" Lynch adjusted his clothes and sat back down.
Richard swallowed hard, nodding hesitantly.
"Very well, we'll decide your fate through the game you played before!"
This gameplay was almost the same as what Lynch knew before. Interestingly, when he was in a small room, he met someone who claimed to be the Gambling King. That guy had only four fingers on both hands combined, yet still managed to make everyone at the gambling table unable to lift their heads.
You know he's cheating, you even know how he's cheating, but you just can't catch the moment he cheats.
Many people wanted to witness the Gambling King's style and sat with him, but besides losing all their cigarettes and large sums of money every time, they couldn't figure out anything. Over time, the Gambling King became famous in the small room.
Lynch had talked with him; at such a place, all people had was time, emptiness, and boredom. He sought advice from the Gambling King, who asked him why he wanted to learn.
After thinking for a while, he told the Gambling King his thoughts.
It wasn't to win other people's money, but to avoid being deceived out of his own, so the Gambling King taught him some small tricks.
These methods that the Gambling King considered small tricks were miracles in the eyes of outsiders!
"Open the cards..."
Lynch casually flipped open the cards on the table. The three biggest cards formed the biggest combination, the only combination, there was no card pattern greater than what Lynch had in his hand.
He looked at Richard expressionlessly, not even wanting to see his opponent's cards, "You lost, let's go again!"
He collected the cards in front of Richard and mixed them with his own cards, re-shuffling, cutting, and marking with his pinky and thumb to ensure that the cards he needed were either at the bottom or the top.
Dealing, flipping, it all happened in one seamless flow.
It was the same card pattern again, the biggest kind, without even a chance to resist!
"You lost again, you have one chance left!" Lynch said, flipping the cards in front of him, grabbing Richard's cards too, stacking them together to shuffle.
At this moment, Richard suddenly said, "Let me shuffle, let me deal!"
The two locked eyes for a moment, Lynch released his hand, leaving the entire deck on the table, he tilted his head slightly, "Fine!"
A single sentence, a single word, struck Richard's chest like a cannonball. Lynch's simple and direct words carried a confidence he could understand and a sneer at his overestimation of his own abilities.
He began to sweat, the cold gleam of the dagger on the table made his heart quiver. Wiping his sweat, he clumsily shuffled and then dealt the cards.
This concerned his fate. He dared not be careless, but once the cards were in Lynch's hands, he directly revealed them, the biggest cards again. Richard, who was about to look at his own cards, was completely stunned.
Actually, what he was thinking about now was not why Lynch could beat him, but why he kept losing!
Someone was cheating, Lynch used this method to tell him. As long as there was enough profit and skill, cheating in this high-level card game was as easy as eating and drinking, he was set up!
But at the moment, regardless of whether someone designed who or not, no one could forcibly change someone else's mind. All traps were passive; if those trapped were not greedy for the bait in the trap, they wouldn't fall for it!
Richard pursed his lips and pulled out the dagger embedded in the table. The sweat on his face dripped down in patters, along his temples, cheeks, chin, and eventually onto the gambling table.
"Mr. Lynch..."
"One finger, whichever hand and whichever finger, I don't care. This is your lesson..."
The words suggested it was just a punishment, not the final judgment. A trace of relief swept across Richard's expression, followed closely by determination.
He placed his left pinky on the edge of the gambling table, holding the dagger in his right hand. The blade of the dagger pressed against the base of his pinky. The sharp edge had already cut through the skin, and a trickle of red blood appeared particularly distinct between the white blade and white skin.
His body trembled, seeming to be bolstering his courage. His breathing became ragged, his chest heaving forcefully. His entire body tensed up suddenly, his right shoulder lifted noticeably, and then dropped sharply!
Thunk!
The blade, hindered by the bone, finally cut through and landed on the table, making a thunk sound.
This sound wasn't filled with the violence of chopping but it was enough to make one's teeth ache.
Blood quickly oozed from the wound, and Richard hastily grabbed it, looking slightly pale at Lynch, "Mr. Lynch..."
Lynch nodded slightly and stood up, "At least you proved you're not a coward, Richard. I expect to see you at the company tomorrow morning."
"Now, you can leave with your finger!"
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