While his colleagues were busy, the woman began to speak, "Chief Inspector Dean, before we conduct the polygraph test, I need to confirm—within the last twelve hours, have you consumed any stimulants such as cigarettes or cola?"
Dean shook his head. "After receiving the notice yesterday, Officer Carlo and I complied with the requirements."
Consuming stimulants before the test can lead to inaccurate polygraph results. Modern polygraph equipment works by measuring changes in pulse, breathing, and skin resistance to determine if someone is lying. Liars, when facing questioning, often experience psychological pressure. This can lead to anxious psychological and physiological reactions like increased breathing and heart rate, higher blood pressure, and elevated adrenaline levels, among other things. This is controlled by the body's autonomic nervous system, and by measuring these physiological changes, one can theoretically determine if a person is lying.
But... that's actually nonsense. The normal values for a polygraph are derived from the average person. This means that habitual offenders, individuals with strong psychological resilience, and those with professional training can control their emotions well. They are typically not affected by the polygraph, and most of their test results indicate no lying. Conversely, some ordinary people are judged by the polygraph as lying due to nervousness and other reasons. Therefore, in many countries, polygraph results are not admissible as evidence and are only used as a reference.
The United States Federation, however, was quite peculiar and, frankly, bizarre in this regard. They have a procedure: if you want to work for a government department, you must pass this unreliable polygraph test. Only if the results meet the criteria can you officially start the job. It's a common joke among the public that those politicians in the United States can lie so naturally because anyone incapable of doing so was screened out before they could even join... That... certainly made sense.
Dean, naturally, wasn't worried about such a device.
...
Once everything was ready, the woman started the questioning, "Chief Inspector Dean, why were you certain there would be problems with the truck transporting contraband?"
After pondering for a few seconds, Dean replied naturally, "This incident was actually quite coincidental. Two days ago, my sister..."
While he was speaking, the man behind him stared at the amplitude of the polygraph's rows of wavy lines. As professionals, they knew that the polygraph had little effect on people with strong psychological fortitude. But... humans have emotional feedback. Even those who have undergone professional training can, at most, maintain emotional stability during the test; it's difficult for them to react like a normal person to the questions asked. After all, deceiving oneself is the hardest thing to do. So, if the wave amplitude on the polygraph was too steady, they would also consider it abnormal!
But who was Dean? He was a man at level three in the Mind Reading Technique, risking personality splitting if he advanced further! Controlling the A-ups and downs of his emotions was almost too easy for him.
After several questions, the man who had been staring at the screen nodded to his female colleague who was asking the questions, signaling that there were no issues.
Seeing the cue, the woman, who previously had an expressionless face, smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation, Chief Inspector Dean. Supervisor Monet asked us to extend his greetings to you!"
"Thank you." Dean flexed his fingers, which were fitted with sensors. "May I remove these now? They're rather uncomfortable."
"Of course, you may. Also, this document needs your signature!"
While speaking, the man helped Dean remove the patches and finger sensors, and the woman handed a black-and-white document to Dean.
Dean looked down and found they were psychological assessment forms. The contents of the forms were already completely filled out. The date and the names of the reviewing psychologists were also all written down. What was missing were the signature of the person being assessed and the stamp of the Internal Affairs Department.
The woman passed over a ballpoint pen. "Chief Inspector Dean, we're also busy handling cases for the Narcotics Division. If possible, I hope you can sign these documents now. Afterward, within about three to five working days, the results will be sent to the captain of Squad Four, and a copy will be forwarded to your email!"
Hearing the woman speak so directly, Dean understood that Monet had secured a firm footing in the Internal Affairs Department and was now helping him, his former subordinate, to complete processes that hadn't been handled before. This was the advantage of having connections higher up.
Dean took the ballpoint pen and, while signing his name on the psychological assessments, casually asked, "Based on my... frequency, what kind of consequences would I normally face?"
"Under normal circumstances, it's usually one to two weeks of paid leave. This is followed by a reevaluation and scheduled psychological counseling. After being cleared by a psychological expert, the officer can be reinstated. As for you..."
The woman just smiled and didn't speak. The head of the Internal Affairs Department, Monet, was the former supervisor of this handsome chief inspector standing before her. Isn't this just like a father putting on a show of disciplining his son for outsiders?
...
Carlo's test went even more smoothly and quickly than Dean's.
After bidding farewell to the two Internal Affairs Department detectives, Dean lounged lazily in his chief inspector's chair, reading a book and quietly waiting for a message to come through the panel.
At four in the afternoon, nearing the end of the workday, a piece of information flashed through Dean's mind: [In the Narcotics Division's case of an insider swapping contraband leading to a massacre, all involved personnel have died. Experience Points +1,200. Current: 18 (2,100/3,400)]
After reading the message, Dean put down the thick book he was holding and muttered to himself, So, everyone involved is dead... I didn't expect that woman Eve to be so ruthless.
With this, the matter could be considered officially concluded.
It was just a pity for young Sinclair. That unlucky girl, due to prolonged exposure, suffered some adverse reactions and was miserable for two days, even though the physical impact wasn't severe. She also developed a natural aversion and disgust towards those substances. This might actually be a good thing. After all, in the United States, decadence was ubiquitous.
...
Time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
That day, Dean finally received the disposition notice for his multiple shootings of criminals: two weeks of paid leave.
The outcome was undoubtedly good. The documents didn't even require Dean to relinquish his service weapon; it was, quite literally, paid leave.
Without a second word, Dean prepared to leave work on the spot. "Daisy, Harry, and Carlo, during the days I'm not here, if you encounter something you can't solve, go find Lawrence."
Harry adopted a mournful expression, as if he'd been abandoned. "My God, Dean, are you really planning to abandon us and take a two-week vacation?"
"Yes, I have some matters to attend to!" Dean waved his hand and disappeared from their sight.
His mentor, Anthony, had been out of touch ever since sending him a message about going treasure hunting. He was a valuable connection, one he couldn't afford to lose. Dean planned to use this leave to deal with this unresolved personal matter!
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