Inside the locked detention cell, Moreno banged on the bars and roared at those outside.
"I’m Ecuadorian! I’m a registered professional referee with FIFA! You have no authority to arrest !"
"Hey! I told you, you have no right to arrest !"
"I demand to contact my embassy! I’m going to file a complaint against you all!"
Moreno kept roaring, but no one paid him any mind.
In the hallway outside the detention cells, Lee Yong-sun, the head of the Daejeon tropolitan City Police Agency, was in discussion with Derek Xiao.
"Detective Xiao, this is highly irregular. Even with a notice for a joint investigation, you must provide us with a reason. Otherwise, this violates proper procedure," Lee Yong-sun argued firmly.
A little over an hour ago, the FBI had produced a notice for a joint investigation and had the local Daejeon police arrest Moreno at his hotel.
On the surface, the procedure was sound. The FBI was investigating a case, and the South Korean police were obligated to cooperate.
But upon closer inspection, there were many issues. For instance, the FBI had not specified what law Moreno had allegedly broken or what kind of investigation he was subject to.
Derek Xiao gave a slight smile, patting Lee Yong-sun on the shoulder. "Lee, don’t worry," he said with a grin. "As for the procedural details, I’ll explain everything to you later."
’Explain? Yeah, right,’ Lee Yong-sun fud internally. ’God only knows when you’ll get around to explaining anything.’
Recalling a phone call he’d received earlier, Lee Yong-sun gritted his teeth. "Detective Xiao, without a reasonable justification, we cannot detain a foreign national without cause. That ans you have 24 hours, at most. Otherwise, we will release him imdiately."
Derek Xiao just kept smiling, as if he hadn’t heard a single word Lee Yong-sun had said.
Just then, two n approached from down the hall.
A South Korean police officer was escorting a man in plainclothes with thinning hair.
"Kevin!" Derek Xiao grinned and went to et him, giving the man a hug.
The escorting officer imdiately ca to Lee Yong-sun’s side and whispered, "Director, he’s from the CIA."
Lee Yong-sun froze. ’It’s just a soccer match, for crying out loud!’ he scread internally. ’Is it really that serious? They even got the CIA involved?’
The man politely flashed his credentials.
Lee Yong-sun took one look and committed the na to mory: Kevin Baker.
The man dispensed with the pleasantries, handing a file directly to Lee Yong-sun. "We need your assistance. Please coordinate with our agent to bring Zheng ngjun in for questioning."
Lee Yong-sun took the file and glanced at it, his hand trembling.
It was a joint investigation order issued by the South Korean National Intelligence Service.
’Have they gone mad!’
This was the first thought that popped into Lee Yong-sun’s head. ’I know the CIA is powerful, and you Aricans ddle in everything all over the world, but it’s just a soccer ga! Was it really necessary to get the CIA and the National Intelligence Service involved?’
But the docunt stated in no uncertain terms that they were to cooperate with the CIA to bring in Zheng ngjun for questioning.
"Is there a problem?" Kevin Baker asked with a pleasant smile.
Lee Yong-sun shuddered and quickly shook his head. "I’ll make the arrangents right away."
Kevin Baker nodded and gave Lee Yong-sun a contact number for one of their agents. He told Lee Yong-sun to coordinate with the agent on the operation to make sure Zheng ngjun didn’t flee.
Lee Yong-sun laughed bitterly to himself. ’This is South Korea. Where could Zheng ngjun possibly run?’
「In the hotel.」
After hanging up, Zheng ngjun quickly made several more calls, his expression grim.
Across from him, Jin Xiaozhong knew things had gotten serious. With fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead, he began to analyze the situation. "Chairman, I don’t think you need to be overly concerned. First, it’s debatable whether the FBI can even legally operate in South Korea. And even if they can, what could they possibly investigate?"
"The business with FIFA? They’d have to go through the authorities in Switzerland to investigate that, and I imagine that won’t be easy. As for Moreno, I’m sure he won’t reveal anything, for his own safety. The FBI has no evidence, and they can’t hold a foreign national indefinitely."
Corruption within FIFA was hardly news.
Starting last year, the bankruptcy of the International Swimming League, the suspension of the FIFA Club World Cup, the International Players’ Union suing FIFA, and French Television’s exposé on FIFA’s extravagant spending had already triggered a wave of dia accusations about corruption within the organization.
And early this year, during the campaign for the FIFA presidency, Hayatou had joined forces with Blatter’s assistant, Rufinam, to expose the organization’s rampant corruption and resulting financial deficit.
If Zheng ngjun hadn’t switched his allegiance at the last minute, Blatter would never have beco the president of FIFA.
Jin Xiaozhong’s analysis was logical and well-reasoned, but Zheng ngjun grew furious just listening to it, resisting the urge to give him a swift kick.
’If it weren’t for you talking into it, would any of this crap be happening?’ he thought.
But what was done was done. After carefully thinking it over, Zheng ngjun concluded that the problem probably wasn’t that big.
The Aricans had always been unreasonable, but he felt they wouldn’t go to such great lengths over a matter of sports.
Besides, it wasn’t as if all the money he’d spent had been for nothing.
"Let’s go. We’re returning to Seoul."
Zheng ngjun stood up. Although he felt it was probably nothing, he still needed to hurry back and pull so strings to smooth things over.
Jin Xiaozhong nodded. He was terrified now, afraid that Zheng ngjun would throw him under the bus to save himself.
After packing their bags, the two were just about to head out when there was a sudden knock at the door.
Zheng ngjun’s heart skipped a beat.
"Chairman Zheng ngjun, please open the door. We’re the police," a voice called from outside.
Jin Xiaozhong was thrown into a panic, not expecting the police to arrive so quickly.
He looked at Zheng ngjun, his eyes pleading for instructions.
With the police at the door, Zheng ngjun, contrary to expectations, cald down. ’This is South Korea,’ he thought. ’No matter how powerful those Aricans are, they still have to maintain so semblance of propriety, right?’
’I’m not just so nobody. Are those Aricans really going to make disappear without a sound over a soccer match?’
"Open the door!"
Zheng ngjun took a deep breath and calmly sat back down.
Jin Xiaozhong gritted his teeth and opened the door.
The police entered.
"Chairman Zheng ngjun, here is the relevant paperwork. Please co with us to the police station to assist with an investigation," the lead officer said, stepping forward and presenting a docunt.
Zheng ngjun took it casually, planning to seize the initiative by berating them and demanding to know what grounds they had for this investigation. But then he noticed the docunt in his hand was from the National Intelligence Service.
His scalp instantly went numb, and a wave of dread washed over him.
’Have they gone mad? How in the world did the National Intelligence Service get involved?’
’All I did was fix one soccer match!’
"What is the aning of this?" Zheng ngjun asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
The lead officer offered no explanation, simply insisting that Zheng ngjun cooperate.
Zheng ngjun’s expression shifted rapidly. For a mont, he considered playing the rogue. ’I won’t cooperate. What can you do to ?’
But this was the National Intelligence Service!
After a fierce internal struggle, Zheng ngjun obediently got to his feet.
Jin Xiaozhong, equally terrified, tried to subtly back away and slip out, but an officer imdiately restrained him.
The group headed downstairs.
Zheng ngjun’s mind was in turmoil, but he kept trying to reassure himself. ’It should be fine. If it were truly serious, they wouldn’t still be using honorifics, and I’d already be in handcuffs.’
Just as the group stepped out of the building, the night was suddenly split by cara flashes from the side.
Zheng ngjun instinctively covered his face and turned to see several Western reporters snapping photos of him relentlessly.
He shot a look at the lead officer, his face turning pale with fury. ’You bastards,’ he thought. ’Why would you let reporters be here? A picture of being taken away by the police... the blow to my reputation will be devastating.’
Just then, Zheng ngjun looked up and saw an unfamiliar white man leaning against a police car outside the hotel.
He was in plainclothes but had the look of soone you didn’t want to cross.
The lead officer even went over to report to him.
"Alright, take him away," the white man said with a wave of his hand.
Zheng ngjun seethed with a silent, burning hatred. ’Aricans, just as I thought.’
By the ti they arrived at the police station, the sky was already growing light. Zheng ngjun was quickly led to an interrogation room. Just as he was plotting how to handle the situation, the door opened, and two white n walked in.
Zheng ngjun’s heart sank. He imdiately said, "Gentlen, I am a citizen of South Korea. I will only cooperate with an investigation conducted by the South Korean police."
The subtext was clear: You Aricans have no jurisdiction over .
The two were none other than Derek Xiao and Kevin Baker.
Kevin Baker chuckled, completely ignoring Zheng ngjun’s protest. "Zheng ngjun, isn’t it true that last October, during the United States Soccer Federation’s inspection tour of South Korea, you bribed the United States National Team’s physician, Dr. Chen Yu?"
Zheng ngjun glanced around, noticed the cara wasn’t on, and cursed inwardly before saying with forced composure, "Sir, I don’t know who you are, but what you are saying is untrue. First of all, it wasn’t a bribe. It was a normal social courtesy."
On the way over, Zheng ngjun had thought it through carefully.
Chen Yu was a witness, and when he left, he had publicly revealed the contents of the gift bag in front of nurous reporters at the airport, implicitly pointing a finger at him. With so many involved parties, including Li Hyori and Jin Xiaozhong, it wouldn’t be easy to conceal the matter entirely.
But he could fra it as a normal gesture of goodwill. ’I thought Dr. Chen was a handso, impressive man, so what’s wrong with giving him a little money as a gift?’
"Most importantly, I don’t accept your characterization of this as bribery. He is an Arican, and I am a South Korean. Our exchange of courtesies does not violate the laws of my country. I know you’re going to bring up the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but he is just the doctor for the United States Team, and the United States Soccer Federation is not an official governnt agency. Therefore, I believe that law is not applicable in this situation."
The United States had enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act back in 1977. Initially, it was intended to regulate its own citizens, but it was later anded to expand its influence, giving the U.S. jurisdiction over any case involving Aricans or with a connection to U.S. territory.
But the United States Soccer Federation, just like FIFA, is a non-governntal organization. Therefore, Zheng ngjun believed the law didn’t apply, and the FBI had no jurisdiction.
"You really know your law, don’t you?" Kevin Baker said with a mocking chuckle.
Zheng ngjun snorted. "I am stating the facts," he said sternly. "I am the vice president of FIFA, the president of the Korea Football Association, and a mber of the National Assembly. I am a man of prestige and status. This reckless investigation of yours has severely damaged my reputation, and I must protest."
Kevin Baker just shrugged nonchalantly. "You certainly have a lot of titles. In that case, are you also aware that, in addition to being the physician for the United States National Team, Dr. Chen is also the personal dical advisor to our President?"
"What?"
Zheng ngjun froze completely.
Kevin Baker’s smile vanished, his tone turning severe. "Zheng ngjun, before I ask this next question, I suggest you think very carefully before answering. I’m asking you: why did you bribe our president’s dical advisor? Were you acting under instructions from so organization in an attempt to assassinate our president?"
Zheng ngjun’s mouth slowly fell open, his mind a complete blank.
’The president’s dical advisor... and a plot to assassinate him?’
’Who? Are they talking about ?’
’Slander! This is fucking slander!’
When Zheng ngjun finally processed the words, he nearly pissed himself in terror.
Compared to plotting to assassinate a president, fixing a soccer match was less than nothing.
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