《Criminal Psychology》


 CH 1

    Chun Shui Street was an old street in the southwest part of Hong Jing.


    This street wasn¡¯t that different from other bustling streets in the big city, and the shops spread from one end to the other.


    At dusk, near nightfall, the streets grew even more lively.


    At a fish stall, a crucian carp was caught in a plastic basin. It tried to swim away but was still fished out.


    Wang Chun Hua was almost 60 this year, and she was no different from the other middle-aged women in the city. She had just gotten her perm at the barber next door. Now she bought a Crucian Carp on the way home to make fish stew for her grandson.


    ¡°Ten yuan! ten yuan and not another cent, ah!¡± She took out a worn ten yuan bill from her wallet and handed it over to the seller forcefully. She was proud to save some small change and smoothed her hair with her hand.


    A voice from the radio, accompanied by the usual static, filled the surroundings.


    The fish stall owner shook his head helplessly and put the money into the pocket of his apron. He turned the radio¡¯s volume up with his wet hand.


    ¡°We now announce an emergency news broadcast.¡± The female announcer paused for a moment then continued with her slightly restrained voice, ¡°The big typhoon, Yun Na, will reach our city the night of the 12th. The Meteorology Bureau reminds you now, from this evening, citizens should go out as little as possible.¡±


    When Wang Chun Hua received the fish, she happened to hear this and turned her gaze to the sky.


    As if to prove the announcer¡¯s words, dark clouds covered the setting sun, and the sky soon turned dark.


    The carp in her plastic bag struggled.


    The fruit vendor of shop No. 18 also lifted his head and looked up at the gray sky.


    As if sensing the rain in the atmosphere, he picked up half a basket of rotten apples and pour it into the basket of most expensive Hua Niu apples.


    The rotten fruits fell like torrential rain, and several fell out of the basket and rolled farther and farther away on the gray sidewalk.


    A leather shoe with thick soles stepped on one without hesitation. The apple burst, and the juice spilled onto the sidewalk.


    ¡°Oh, is it good quality?¡± Wang Chun Hua raised her foot to look at the fruit she had stepped on. She kicked it with a disgusted expression, ¡°I almost slipped!¡±


    The vendor didn¡¯t speak and carried the apples back to his store with his head hung low.


    When the man didn¡¯t apologize, Wang Chun Hua suddenly got angry. Just as she was about to walk away, she saw the owner frantically dumping the rotten apples in with the expensive ones. She remembered all the rumors she heard about this kind of shop, and her breath became erratic.


    ¡°Rotten apples being sold along with good apples, your conscious is really broken, ah!¡± She ran to the fruit stand and jabbed an apple, raising her voice.


    The vendor didn¡¯t reply but blushed and stared at her with a pair of blood-shot eyes.


    Wang Chun Hua cleared her throat, preparing to taunt the vendor when a breeze blew past.


    The wind was light, like the hair of a young maiden, a mother¡¯s embrace.


    It blew through Chun Hua¡¯s hair, brushed her arms, and grazed her fingers. The next moment, she felt as if something fell from her hand.


    She lowered her head and saw a finger on the ground.


    Where did that finger come from?


    The pain only then struck, and she shifted her gaze to her right hand where a huge, ugly wound now stared back at her.


    She wanted to cry for help but found she could not utter a single word. The vendor¡¯s iron-like grip choked her by the throat, and a thin watermelon knife went to her mouth.


    The fear was far more terrible than the physical pain. The vendor picked up the knife handle and made a slash. Her skin broke, and blood engulfed her eyesight. A beast-like panting was all that echoed in her ears.


    The desire to survive would always be mankind¡¯s strongest catalyst to reach their greatest potential. Wang Chun Hua pushed the vendor and tried to escape next door.


    An old man sat in the shop. Wang Chun Hua could hardly see, and she only thought the surroundings were strangely quiet. She hunched down and tried to crawl into the threshold, but before she could reach the old man¡¯s trouser hem, she was kicked down.


    The expected pain didn¡¯t come, so she gained the courage to look back.


    Behind her, several men worked together to suppress the crazy vendor. Meanwhile, the onlookers wore frightened expressions while they whispered: ¡°How could this happen?¡± ¡°He¡¯s usually okay,¡± or ¡°Really couldn¡¯t see he¡¯s mentally ill, ah,¡± and so on.


    Wang Chun Hua opened her mouth, wanting to speak but found that she could barely do that.


    Her face and hands were covered in warm blood. She leaned on her elbow and tried to stand. But before she could steady herself, her knees buckled, and she staggered, bumping into the old man on the chair.


    The old man toppled over without warning.


    Wang Chun Hua was shocked. After she steadied herself, she took two steps back and reached up to wipe the blood on her face.


    The old man still maintained his posture even when toppled over, his grey hair neat and tidy, and his body clean. He wore an old, blue, mourning garment and looked like a strange, serene sculpture.


    Wang Chun Hua held her breath and moved forward again. She poked the old man with her hand now missing the index finger and the old man sprawled onto the ground. A handful of white sand poured out of his trouser¡¯s pocket like hundreds of white aphids swarming out.


    The sunset reflected in the window and cast over the old man¡¯s face. The shadow obscured half his face making it dark and the sun illuminated the other half, softening it a little. The old man died with a smile on his face.


    Chun Shui Street was oddly quiet. Only the voice of the female announcer could be heard still softly repeating: ¡°Police remind you to pay attention to safety while traveling, be alert¡­¡±


    The magnetic voice carried over the entire block.


    When all eyes focused on the old man, no one noticed a man wearing a cap lower the eaves of his cap and walk against the flow of the crowd.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    Editor(s): Lati, Bet

 CH 2

    Hong Jing was an old city.


    It had seen many storms no matter what happened, it wouldn¡¯t cause a ripple. The sun would rise in the morning, students would go to school, and the morning lecture would resound throughout the campus.


    This scenery did not change.


    After checking the dormitory roster, as usual, Lin Chen checked the last column and turned to the front page. He looked at the only name that hadn¡¯t been ticked.


    As the dorm manager, this was a situation he didn¡¯t like to see.


    Five minutes ago, he received a call from the school teacher, informing him that Zheng Xiao Ming a First Year in Class Three didn¡¯t attend that morning¡¯s reading. The teacher asked him to go wake up the kid who might still be in bed.


    What was surprising is that after checking all the rooms, there were no students playing hooky.


    The curtain in a blue and white flowers pattern swayed gently because of the wind. Lin Chen sighed. He had worked here for 3 years, and this was his first time encountering a missing student.


    He played casually with the pen in his hand. Zheng Xiao Ming was a quiet, chubby kid who didn¡¯t have a rebellious bone in his body. Moreover, the guards at the school entrance wouldn¡¯t let a child leave so easily. So, what possibility was higher? The child being kidnapped or being fetched by his own parents?


    As if to confirm his thoughts, his phone rang.


    He took the device out of his pocket and looked at the screen. On display was an unknown number within Hong Jing City¡¯s area code.


    He answered the call and pressed the recording button right after. A lazy voice said, ¡°This is Mr. Lin, right? Do you know a student named Zheng Xiao Ming?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Xiao Ming is in my hands now. Please bring your wallet and come to Chang Shui Bridge in Yan Jia Xiang to fetch him, thank you very much.¡±


    Then, the other party simply hung up.


    Lin Chen looked at the phone and couldn¡¯t react for a while.


    Aside from this being his first time encountering a kidnapped student case, this was also his first time dealing with such a carefree ¡°kidnapper.¡±


    He hesitated for a moment. Should he call the police on not? Then he took his wallet and took a bus.


    The day the kidnapper chose was excellent. The trees were lush, and the river under the bridge was clear like just-cleaned glass.


    As if monitored, his phone rang again as soon as he stepped on the bridge.


    Mr. Kidnapper¡¯s voice was husky and calm, ¡°Mr. Lin, please turn left. I¡¯m waiting for you at the sixth door.¡±


    All kidnappers probably love ordering people around. Before Lin Chen could ponder an old joke about ¡°Six Gates,¡± the aforementioned door was already in front of him.


    Dusty walls, an old door, and a window.


    The wooden door opened with a creak. Lin Chen looked up and saw a bearded man standing on the other side.


    The man held a cigarette in his left hand, while his right leaned on the door frame. The sun fell on him and illuminated a pair of sleepy looking eyes deep set in his sockets. His eyes were faintly green, and his gaze bright and unbridled. He appeared unrestrained as if on this day, all spring and all the lakes in the city were things that could be quickly abandoned.


    A man who looked at everything indifferently probably wouldn¡¯t kidnap an 80kg fat child.


    Lin Chen calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll pick up the rascal, thank you for taking him in.¡±


    He slowly moved forward but didn¡¯t hear any response as expected. He looked up. The other man had the cigarette between his lips and rubbed his fingers that were now empty.


    Obviously, the phrase ¡°Bring your wallet with you¡± was not a joke.


    Lin Chen was speechless, but he still took out a purple banknote with a missing corner and said, ¡°Just five yuan.¡±


    The man took the money and tucked it into his pocket, not the least bit ashamed. He raised his hand and continued smoking. He moved aside a bit, but his right hand still rested on the door frame.


    Lin Chen thanked the man, squeezed under the man¡¯s arm, and walked into the house.


    On a wooden bed against the wall, he saw a small buttocks.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good to play hooky.¡±


    He sat down at the edge of the bed, reached out to Zheng Xiao Ming, this ostrich and lift him up so that he sat up on the bed. He then picked up the shoes on the floor and put it on the child, continuing, ¡°Of course, because we¡¯re humans, it¡¯s inevitable that we will make mistakes.¡± He patiently tied the shoelaces and said, ¡°But the problem is: first of all, I don¡¯t like to go out. Secondly, I¡¯m poor so sneaking in is better than calling me here.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was soft. The little fatty turned to look at the man standing by the door, smoking, and sobbed.


    Lin Chen looked at the little boy then the man who smiled faintly. His gaze fell on a navy blue uniform in the corner of the room.


    When finding a lost child, the typical good citizen¡¯s first reaction would be to send them to the police station. For someone there to interrogate the child to get the number of the person in charge of the dorm, then have him come over personally. Obviously they didn¡¯t have good intentions.


    Lin Chen removed his gaze, held the child¡¯s hand, and turned to leave.


    Just as he crossed the door, he felt something cold close on his wrist. When he looked down, he saw a set of silver handcuffs there.


    Lin Chen looked at the child who hugged his legs and said helplessly, ¡°Of course, if you provoke a police officer, don¡¯t slip away and run. It¡¯s better to act bashfully and hug their thighs.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lin is such a refreshing person. How about a cup of tea with me?¡± Ò» Mr. Officer at the side said in an orderly manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for me to go to the station.¡± Lin Chen said after thinking it over.


    ¡°You will get used to it after a few times.¡± That person laughed.


    Many people won¡¯t enter a police station in their lifetime, and more wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to visit an interrogation room.


    Therefore, if one can act bashfully to avoid things from becoming too big, they will do so. After all, an interrogation room was always dark and gloomy.


    There were iron bars on the windows, and on the wall, there were the characters ¡°Honesty begets leniency, resistance begets severity¡± plastered on it. The serious police officer would tell you to explain things clearly, and at the same time, you might be watched and observed by many people.


    Zhang Xiao Long was an ordinary policewoman of the Hong Jing Crime Police Force.


    At the moment, she looked through the one-way mirror observing the suspect.


    From time to time, she looked down as she wrote in her notebook. Perhaps because she was too focused, she didn¡¯t realize two people were already in the room until a low, hoarse voice rang out.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Zheng Xiao Long turned around and saw the new captain¡¯s handsome side profile. She blushes without prompting. However, she was also trained by the strict police academy, so it took her barely an instant to adjust her state and reported, ¡°Captain, the person you brought in has sat in there for an hour and thirteen minutes. He also took a look at those photos!¡± Zheng Xiao Long looked at the table nearby, turned two pages of her notebook and continued, ¡°By your order, no one spoke to him. Someone went in half an hour ago to deliver water, but he didn¡¯t drink it. Oh, he had a strange reaction when he saw the third picture, Captain. There must be something wrong with him!¡±


    The young woman tapped twice with her pen and looked at the man in the interrogation room, excited.


    To be honest, Zheng Xiao Long didn¡¯t have an aversion to the man. After all, the other person was her type.


    The young man had dark hair and dark eyes with impossible depths. He was thinly built and wasn¡¯t very tall. But, maybe it was his calm face or his serious eyes, he gave off a steady vibe. Like the pine in the mountains or the bamboo near the lake, when the wind blows, it had a clean fragrance.


    There was nothing suspicious about him. But he stayed in the interrogation room for so long, looking at those three pictures without saying anything. He didn¡¯t even lift his head. How could a normal person have such patience?


    There must be something wrong with him!


    Zhang Xiao Long thought and looked at the three pictures on the table.


    The first one was a picture of an old man with a calm expression. He laid on a bed wearing blue burial clothes as if he had just fallen asleep.


    The second was of the man lying in the morgue, covered with a white sheet as proof.


    If the first two pictures were somewhat cold, the third one was downright weird.


    The same old man in the first two laid flat in a shop, eyes closed and wearing a dark blue uniform. A little pool of blood spilled by his side. If one looked carefully, they would find the old man¡¯s pocket was filled with white sand.


    . . .


    If the pictures were arranged chronologically, this old man was moved from the morgue to the shop for some reason.


    Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. This was a case of the mentally disturbed and was especially troublesome.


    But no matter how troublesome, it was the police¡¯s business. It should have nothing to do with a small dormitory caretaker like him?


    As Lin Chen contemplated this, the door creaked open.


    He looked up. A young policewoman sat across from him.


    ¡°Lin Chen, where were you between 1 and 3 p.m on September 7th?¡±


    Her voice was clear, and she didn¡¯t need to look at the documents before speaking.


    ¡°The city¡¯s junior dormitory management station.¡± Lin Chen looked down at the photos again, turned to the policewoman, and answered calmly.


    The police officer was beautiful, with long black hair and fair ears. In her ear was a compact wireless headset.


    ¡°Can anyone testify for this?¡± The woman interrupted him abruptly, ¡°You said you were in the dormitory, who can testify for you?¡±


    ¡°During the time you specified, I was alone. The students were in class. No one can testify.¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression darkened. She looked down at her notebook, pressed her pen against it, then continued asking according to what was written in the notebook, ¡°Then, have you been to the Third Hospital recently?¡±


    Obviously, someone had told her to ask this beforehand. They had sent her, this subordinate, to get a confession or something. So her superior must be behind that one-way mirror observing my movements.


    If it¡¯s just a case of a corpse being moved, they won¡¯t make such a fuss.


    ¡°Tell me, why are you arresting me?¡± Lin Chen interrupted the officer¡¯s interrogation.


    The police officer¡¯s gaze darted unconsciously to the mirror at the side of the room.


    Lin Chen leaned forward, probably having already gotten a rough idea of the situation. ¡°I heard recently that there were well-dressed male corpses with handfuls of white sand appearing at the Third Hospital.¡± He stared into the policewoman¡¯s eyes as he leaned back in the chair, ¡°It¡¯s weird. If the city bureau finds this case difficult, they will most likely turn to one of two groups: the Taoist monks or psychologists. . . So, you¡¯re cooperating with unit H, right?¡±


    Zheng Xiao Long stared at Lin Chen as if he was a pervert. Suddenly, she pressed her ear. It looked like she was given new instructions as she stood up and left directly.


    Lin Chen pointed at the one-way mirror and said lightly, ¡°Come out, don¡¯t hide.¡±


    A moment later, the interrogation room¡¯s door opened again.


    A slightly fat man pushed in. He held a thermos in his left hand and a newly cleaned porcelain cup in his right. He set it on the table, took out a bag of tea from his pocket, and placed it in the cup, then poured in the water. His actions were smooth. Afterward, he handed it over in a respectful manner and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Sen. . . Senior. . .¡±


    ¡°So it was Professor Fu.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t take the cup, and his voice was cold.


    ¡°Senior. . . It wasn¡¯t me!¡± As the only criminal psychology external consultant of the municipal bureau, Fu Hao rarely had difficult times when he was at the police station.


    ¡°Why did you arrest me?¡± Lin Chen asked simply.


    ¡°It¡¯s the sand.¡±


    ¡°What kind of evidence is that?¡±


    ¡°Senior, I would never dare lie to you.¡± Fu Hao immediately geared up his lackey points, ¡°There has been panic in the city hospital recently. Every time they found a well-dressed corpse in the morgue, that corpse was accompanied by white sand. You also know this.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°This morning, the crime department¡¯s captain met a lost child on the roadside. The child knocked on the window of his car, took sand out of his pocket and said: ¡®Uncle, I want to eat KFC. Can I exchange this with you?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Genius.¡± Lin Chen could hardly believe his own ears.


    ¡°Eh-heh.¡± Fu Hao fake-coughed and continued, ¡°Afterward, they compared it to the evidence in the office and concluded that the sand was the same as on the corpses.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a coincidence.¡± Lin Chen frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than a coincidence, Senior. You know, just yesterday in the riot at Chun Shui Street, an old man fell to the ground in public. When the ambulance arrived, they said the old man had died for several hours already.¡± Fu Hao lowered his voice and said with care, ¡°And a handful of white sand fell from the man¡¯s pocket.¡±


    ¡°What kind of sand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a special kind, very white, but the specific type hasn¡¯t been found yet.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he said, ¡°Bring it to me, I will see it.¡±


    Before Fu Hao could reply, the door opened again. The shaggy-looking man from before came in with an evidence bag, walking as if he owned the place.


    ¡°Mr. Lin, my name is Xing, Xing Cong Lian.¡± The man had changed into a police uniform, his behavior decent, and his attitude straightened out. Nowhere near the hooligan rubbing his fingers together with that money-grubbing gesture earlier. ¡°I hope you can recognize this sand, have you seen it?¡±


    Lin Chen was too lazy to even look at the man. He directly took the evidence bag from the table.


    The whole bag weighed around 50 grams. He opened it and carefully examined the granules.


    The sand was white, and the grains were clean. This was obviously not the sand used for construction work, nor was it beach sand.


    Lin Chen put the sand back into the bag and coldly asked Fu Hao, ¡°You¡¯ve never seen this type of sand before?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Fu Hao answered honestly.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t even know this, how did you graduate?¡± Lin Chen demanded bluntly.

 CH 3

    Questioned like this, Fu Hao wasn¡¯t embarrassed or offended at all. He smiled, folded his arms, and looked at Lin Chen.


    Needless to say, this worked well.


    Xing Cong Lian watched as the unsmiling young man with bowed head picked up the evidence bag in a somewhat embarrassed manner, then carefully explained: ¡°This white sand comes from a sandbox. In psychotherapy, there is a therapeutic intervention called Sandplay Therapy that uses sand like this and other arrangements to explore the patient¡¯s mental state.¡± The young man seemed to think of something then carefully said: ¡°If this is the time before Taobao, this sand would be sold for over 20,000 yuan. Their manufacturers and distributors are few, but nowadays, if you want to trace its origin, it¡¯ll get complicated.¡±


    His voice was light, but the calm of his eyes or perhaps his correct posture exuded an absolute aura.


    How to say it? When facing an expert, all speculation look insignificant.


    Xing Cong Lian wanted to apologize which was rare for him, but the feeling only lasted a second before getting cut off by Lin Chen¡¯s next words.


    ¡°Let me go, promise to never appear in front of me again, and I will tell you where this sand came from.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Cong Lian didn¡¯t hesitate for even a moment and answered briskly. He looked at Lin Chen with some interest and rested his cheek in his palm.


    It was Lin Chen¡¯s turn to be surprised.


    He didn¡¯t think the police would agree to his request.


    He stared at Cong Lian¡¯s dark green eyes carefully, and it seemed like he could see sincerity and integrity in those eyes, not finding any sign of a bluff. ¡°The sand from the boy was stolen from my room, but I don¡¯t know where the one with the body came from.¡±


    He said bluntly.


    Xing Cong Lian nodded as if it was expected.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak again. He looked at his junior brother then stood up, intending to leave.


    Just then, vibration buzzed in the interrogation room.


    Lin Chen automatically looked back and saw the two sitting in the chairs look at each other for a moment before answering the phone.


    ¡°Mr. Lin.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian covered the speaker and stopped him.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading to Central Park, and it¡¯s along the way, I¡¯ll send you home. Please wait a moment.¡±


    He said that in such a matter of fact tone, it never gave Lin Chen a chance to refuse.


    If Lin Chen knew the so-called ¡°along the way¡± was actually a ride to the crime scene, he would never have gotten on Cong Lian¡¯s jeep.


    The crime scene was at Central Park. The victim was a young man around 30 years old.


    According to a source, the man exercised in the park and fell off the pull-up bar. The cause of death might be a skull fracture.


    By this time, it was dark, and the street lights were dim. The camphor trees in the park gently swayed in the wind. The yellow warning tape was particularly bright in the darkness. There were many people gathered around the tape, which made it impossible to see what was beyond it.


    The brake¡¯s impact made Lin Chen¡¯s body slide slightly forward.


    In a blink of an eye, the police officer in the jeep discarded his uniform, pulled up the handbrake, and lowered the window.


    Before Lin Chen could respond, the man had already gotten out of the car and locked the door, shutting Lin Chen and Fu Hao inside.


    ¡°Mr. Lin, please wait a moment.¡±


    Outside the car, the officer blew him a kiss then ran away.


    Lin Chen sat in the car with the cold night wind blowing in the open window. Everything that happened today was strange, but in the final analysis, he concluded: it was strange because the people he met today were strange.


    At his side, his junior brother shuddered from the cold and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, brother. Captain Xing probably wanted to send you home. He¡¯s not a bad person, just, he¡¯s a quarter Russian and a quarter Italian, so he¡¯s a bit unconventional¡­¡±


    ¡°When those two lineages mix, they hardly create a normal person.¡± Lin Chen looked at Cong Lian¡¯s back and said this.


    Of course, Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t hear this commentary on his heritage.


    As a man of complex lineage, he was a perfect example of resilience. He ruffled his hair, lit a cigarette, and mixed in with the crowd. Eventually, he stood beside an old auntie who wore square-group dance clothing.


    ¡°Auntie, what¡¯s going on? There are quite a lot of policemen.¡± Captain Xing, with a cigarette between his lips, pretended to be one of the onlookers and poked the aunt for information with an alarmed but curious tone.


    ¡°A dead man!¡± The aunt said in non-standard Mandarin.


    ¡°A dead person, that¡¯s a big deal, ah!¡±


    ¡°It is a big deal, young man. I saw him every day, and I even exercised with him  yesterday.¡± When gossiping, this aunt was particularly enthusiastic. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be too energetic, ah. He hangs on the bar with two legs hooked around it, turning upside down.¡± As she said this, the old woman bent over excitedly to demonstrate: ¡°This is how he was like. Then the bar broke, he fell and died!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible!¡± Xing Cong Lian exclaimed.


    ¡°What a tragedy, ah. His face was so scary, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His cry was so loud you could hear it from 10 miles away.¡±


    ¡°You mean, he didn¡¯t die when he fell?¡± Xing Cong Lian noticed.


    ¡°No, he was still moving when we lifted him!¡±


    . . .


    ¡°That auntie said the bar suddenly broke, and the victim didn¡¯t die right away.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stood by the window on Lin Chen¡¯s side, with a cigarette in hand. Although Fu Hao thought he was talking to himself, his words felt like they were for Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen leaned back with eyes closed as if he fell asleep.


    The man seemed to have said something that was swallowed by the night wind while the other faked sleep.


    Fu Hao felt burned by the weird atmosphere between these two, so he quickly stepped forward and asked, ¡°Was it an accident?¡±


    Cong Lian didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, he looked at Lin Chen and said, ¡°Only after the forensic team completes their investigation can we make a conclusion.¡±


    Fu Hao felt he was redundant, being here. Just as he intended to continue, Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes and stood up. Fu Hao followed his gaze, and it looked vaguely directed at the crime scene across the crowd.


    It was dark, the police emergency vehicle lights shone on the fitness equipment, casting a translucent blue shadow.


    This equipment was scattered, and they were all standard, such as the uneven bars and sit-up planks. They were a mixture of new and old, and there were no signs of rust or decay.


    In the corner, only the ring hanger stood alone. One hung in the air while the other was on the ground.


    Beneath the ring hanger, covered with sporadic bloodstains, sand degraded the grass.


    Lin Chen watched Cong Lian, who was so close he could feel the other man¡¯s breath.


    In the dark of night, he could see the police officer¡¯s eyes still searching for something. He seemed to have some clue about the sandy ground but was not able to accurately point out what it was.


    It was the same sand.


    In this city, there were consecutive cases involving this sands for several days. They might be coincidental, but it was very likely to be connected somewhere they couldn¡¯t see.


    But Lin Chen¡¯s thought was: What do these things have to do with him?


    ¡°I was at the police station at the time of the crime, so the murderer wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    He saw disappointment in the other man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Mr. Lin is talking about.¡± Cong Lian smoked the last of his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it, smiling.

 CH 4

    Lin Chen thought he had expressed his obvious aversion to the police. The strange thing about this person with mixed blood was; instead of getting angry when he wanted to take a bus home, the officer locked the door and said in a panic, ¡°My mother would blame me if I let Mr. Lin go home alone at this hour.¡±


    Without explanation, he drove the car in the opposite direction of the city¡¯s experimental primary school.


    As they passed countless neon lights, Lin Chen felt as if he was kidnapped by the police.


    When the car stopped again, they had already arrived at the city¡¯s most famous stall street.


    ¡°I took the liberty and asked you to go to the police station and help us with the investigation. I am very sorry, so I will treat you to a meal tonight. Please enjoy.¡± Mr. Officer said sincerely to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen opened his mouth but found himself speechless. No one could find the right words to refuse someone who spoke with such sincerity.


    Instead, it was Fu Hao who put his hand on the back of a chair. ¡°You¡¯ve disturbed my brother today, and you¡¯re just going to treat him with food from street stalls? Where¡¯s your face, Old Lian?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with street stalls? Nowadays it costs 6 yuan a crayfish, you know?¡± Xing Cong Lian said with a pained expression, ¡°The case isn¡¯t solved so our bonus this month is gone. You gotta start saving.¡±


    First, he was invited to have tea, and now it was dinner. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a prison meal.


    Although a typhoon approached, Hong Jing¡¯s night market was still open.


    The lights dyed the stalls¡¯ smoke in neon colors.


    Although he said the price of crayfish had skyrocketed, this Captain still heroically ordered 6 jin (3.6kg/8lbs) of crayfish.


    The white plastic table quickly filled with bright-red, spicy crayfish.


    The clinking of cups surrounded them. The stall owner sprinkled a lot of chili peppers into the hot wok, and the white smoke spread everywhere.


    Fu Hao looked around, choked on the smoke, and coughed, ¡°You¡¯re someone of status, can¡¯t you have taste?¡±


    Lin Chen looked up and saw Cong Lian struggling with the crayfish. The man looked serious and focused.


    At Fu Hao¡¯s question, Cong Lian, having just picked up his beer, set it down gently and said seriously, ¡°Spicy crayfish is the quintessence of national culture. Denying spicy crayfish means denying your culture, ah.¡±


    Lin Chen just raised his eyebrows and reached out to pick a peanut. He peeled it and drank his beer from a disposable cup.


    From Cong Lian¡¯s perspective, Lin Chen didn¡¯t seem all that difficult.


    He peeled the crayfish carefully and meticulously. His drinking posture was upright. Even in the dim streetlights, his eyes were bright and clear, and his lips were red from the spicy crayfish.


    ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± Cong Lian picked up his cup and tapped it lightly against Lin Chen¡¯s.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Chen answered briskly and took a sip of his beer.


    ¡°The things at the hospital weren¡¯t big. Even if some sicko wanted to dress up a corpse, this kind of thing isn¡¯t enough to warrant a standard case file. But if we consider the corpse from the Chun Shui Street and the one from the park, things aren¡¯t so simple, are they?¡±


    Lin Chen felt too uncomfortable to continue eating under his gaze.


    After all, Cong Lian¡¯s eyes were especially good-looking, and with his racial advantage, his eyelashes were long. Because his head was raised at this moment, Lin Chen could see the contours of his bearded face.


    It needed to be said: Xing Cong Lian was a handsome man.


    Lin Chen removed his gaze and didn¡¯t respond, but Cong Lian still persevered, ¡°Then can you tell me what kind of a person would play with corpses like this?¡±


    ¡°The psychologically abnormal.¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Of course, it is. Can we not live without them in our lives?¡± Cong Lian slapped the table.


    ¡°Psychologically abnormal means the person¡¯s behavior deviates from societal norms. You have to trace the reasoning behind their behavior.¡± Perhaps he was a bit tipsy from the alcohol, but surprisingly, Lin Chen explained the term to Cong Lian.  ¡°There are three probable reasons. The first: it¡¯s a ¡®ritual¡¯ that appeals to this person. The second: it¡¯s a ¡®hallucination¡¯ caused by the imbalance of neuron activity in their brain.¡± Lin Chen paused, as if considering something, ¡°And the third one is the most elusive: it being part of the crime itself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lin Chen looked into the distance. The cook poured finely chopped ingredients into the wok, and the smell wafted over. ¡°Is it a potato stir-fry or green pepper? Do you know?¡±


    His words were vague, but Cong Lian felt it was a hint about something.


    The officer immediately picked up his jacket and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital and see.¡±


    Fu Hao reacted quickly this time. He grabbed him by the neck and shouted, ¡°You really tried to escape again!¡±


    ¡°Professor Fu, Professor Fu, I really have no money, ah!¡±


    ¡°Laozi clearly saw the black card in your wallet. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that¡¯s the gold level for credit cards, you piece of shit!¡±


    ¡°That one¡¯s painted with a black marker!¡± Cong Lian said innocently.


    Professor Fu dragged him back to the table, but when they arrived, Lin Chen was nowhere to be seen.


    Fu Hao went to find him, but Cong Lian stopped him. ¡°Old Fu, tell me honestly. Who is he?¡±


    ¡°My senior brother!¡± Fu Hao feigned ignorance.


    To put it another way, asking this question was the same as not asking.


    Of course, Cong Lian wanted to ask more in-depth questions, such as: Then why are you an associate professor but your senior brother an elementary school¡¯s dormitory warden? Or, why does your senior brother, who¡¯s clearly good at this, refuse to make matters clear and won¡¯t help us solve the case? And so on.


    But he didn¡¯t ask. After all, asking such questions would only make him look like a gossiper!


    Under Fu Hao¡¯s pressure, Cong Lian paid for the crayfish.


    The weather that night was worse than in the daytime.


    The trees¡¯ shadows swayed. Perhaps, because of the approaching typhoon, the weather changed quickly. The atmosphere was damp, and the rain came down in a drizzle.


    Lin Chen returned to the school, greeted the night guard, and opened the creaking door. His phone suddenly rang.


    On the screen was an unknown number. When he saw the area code, Lin Chen hesitated to answer.


    Both lines were silent for a few seconds after he pressed the ¡°answer¡± button.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Chen.¡± Lin Chen leaned against the wall of the guardroom, one hand holding the phone.


    ¡°Restless as ever, Lin Chen.¡± The voice was cold and drawn out, sounding particularly cruel.


    ¡°If the person reporting to you was careful enough, they must have mentioned I was brought to the station in handcuffs. Even if I assist with the investigation, it was clearly involuntarily. I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re managing a dormitory now?¡±


    Instead of paying attention to Lin Chen¡¯s explanation, the other person changed the topic and became even more condescending.


    ¡°Yes, under your pressure, this is the most decent job I can keep. Barely.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s head was bowed, his other hand in his pocket.


    ¡°Hah, I didn¡¯t expect the Lin Chen from Yong Chuan University to be like this nowadays. Is your life difficult now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my life is very hard right now. Having lost my dreams and my life¡¯s goals, living like a humble ant every day, exactly as you wish.¡±


    Lin Chen knew very well what this person wanted to hear. With every word he said, the breathing on the other line grew heavier.


    Despite this, he wore a relaxed expression. The light from the guard room fell on him, making his clothing look transparent.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hurt anyone anymore!¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, speaking of hurt, you¡¯d better stay away from your foolish police friends, your good teacher, and your junior brother. If you ended up killing them this time, who knows how many years you would regret it. How can a person like you have friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Before he could say anything more, the call ended.


    The rain fell on his hair and shoulders, cold with the chill of early autumn.


    As if proving a point, the storm struck just as he entered the dormitory.


    The rain fell heavily, droplets of water striking the trees like a wild beast howling.


    Lin Chen turned and went upstairs. He got ready to arrange the students according to the management formula.


    There weren¡¯t many students living in the dormitory. Most of those who did were already picked up by their parents, so there were only a dozen students left.


    He knocked on the door of every occupied room, counted their numbers, helped them pack their bags, and assisted in changing their clothes. Afterward, he took them to the large dormitory that had long been prepared.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time the children experienced a typhoon, so none were overly worried.


    Children of various height and weight gathered in the dormitory. Perhaps because of the snacks and drinks prepared, the dark night and howling wind outside seemed less terrible.


    The children fell asleep when it was near dawn, and after greeting the next shift¡¯s manager, Lin Chen went to his room.


    The wind grew stronger, and the rain slowed.


    Outside the building, a banana tree shook under the fierce wind. Its large green leaves shook and rattled, casting turbulent shadows on the walls.


    Lin Chen turned on the light, and the small space lit up instantly.


    There was no other furniture in the room except for a desk and bed.


    When the window in front of the desk was open, rain poured in, and the papers on the desk were drenched. The rain flowed in and formed a pool of water.


    And there was a pink paper boat floating on the surface.


    It looked like a letter, folded into a heart. Lin Chen stepped forward and picked up the letter.


    The envelope was drenched, and when he saw his name on top, Lin Chen had a bad feeling about the letter¡¯s contents. He fumbled around with the edge of the envelope, trying to open it. Once his hand was inside the envelope, he felt something hard against his fingers.


    It was hard, yet also soft¡­


    Lin Chen opened the letter and saw a mass of sand adhered to it.


    The sand was pure white, but it looked hideous clumped together after being soaked by the rain.


    Lin Chen frowned. He searched his room for a plastic bag, gently brushed the white sand off the paper, and the blurry writing underneath gradually became visible.


    It was a poem. The edges of the characters were blurred, and the black ink seeped into the paper as if a mist surrounded the letter.


    ¡¾My dear, I can finally face death calmly / I will hesitate no longer, no more cowardice and fear / Death¡¯s arms are gentle and charming / His dark eyes are like blooming flowers in dew, and I can finally smell its scent / I can see numerous roots spread into the world when He reaches out His hands, can you touch it?¡¿


    At these blurred characters, Lin Chen felt a chill run up his spine.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    Editor(s): Lati, Bet

 CH 5

    Lin Chen always felt that people who did things anonymously were a problem.


    And for Xing Cong Lian, he felt that Lin Chen was in trouble.


    The next morning, Xing Cong Lian sat at his desk after arriving at the station and read a new report. His steam bun from the cafeteria was only half-eaten when a subordinate told him the director invited him to his office for tea.


    The old director brewed non-authentic Longjing tea leaves and sat opposite Cong Lian, holding the cup. He seemed to be bracing himself for a long discussion.


    ¡°Cong Lian, how¡¯s your progress?¡± The director set down his cup.


    Staring at the director¡¯s shiny bald head, Cong Lian sat straighter and answered, ¡°The investigation is still underway. I just got the report from the forensic team. They found traces of deliberate damage to the bars in the park. This should be a murder case.¡±


    At the word ¡°murder,¡± the director¡¯s expression became grave. ¡°Cong Lian, ah, I¡¯m old already, my heart is not that good. Can you say such exciting words with a lower voice, please?¡±


    ¡°The motive and MO are still unclear at the moment, and they might be connected to the recent White Sand corpses from the hospital and Chun Shui Street¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± The director laid his hand over his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t say this kind of thing so casually!¡±


    ¡°But, Professor Fu said¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± The old director slapped the table. ¡°For Fu Hao to be at this level, his teacher must have laughed himself awake!¡±


    ¡°Professor Fu is our external expert.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, what Fu Hao learned was psychological assessment. He has never been into the field, and you¡¯re telling me he can analyze cases now?¡±


    ¡°You mean someone is guiding Professor Fu behind our back?¡± Xing Cong Lian rhetorically asked in a puzzled tone.


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian!¡± The old director was too angry to play along any further. ¡°Yesterday, someone reported to our superiors that we, Hong Jing Municipal Bureau, had a non-staff assist us on a case. It affects the fairness in our procedure and jeopardizes the purity of the police force!¡±


    Cong Lian frowned, thinking this was strange. Someone actually paid so much attention to Lin Chen that just bringing him to the police station yesterday was reported to his superiors?


    What was this?


    ¡°Was Professor Fu not hired formally?¡± Cong Lian continued to play dumb.


    ¡°Idiot, it¡¯s obviously not Fu Hao!¡± The director barked, ¡°The one you caught yesterday, that Lin Chen!¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen?¡± Cong Lian looked at the director and asked, ¡°Who exactly is Lin Chen?¡±


    The old director noticed Cong Lian¡¯s serious gaze and only then realized he¡¯d fallen victim to his subordinate¡¯s counter-interrogation.


    ¡°You young people shouldn¡¯t gossip so much!¡± The director calmed himself and sipped his tea.


    ¡°People reported to our superiors because of Lin Chen?¡± When Cong Lian spoke, he used an unsure tone, ¡°I just brought him in for a report. If no one in our station recognized Lin Chen, then they must have gotten the news from our system. His name is blacklisted, or they wouldn¡¯t react so quickly¡­¡± He looked at his superior¡¯s expression that was growing darker and mused, ¡°Was he an officer before? Or a former expert hired by our force?¡±


    Cong Lian hoped he could get a clue from the old man¡¯s reaction but, unfortunately, the old man refused to show anything except for an ugly expression.


    The old director finished his tea, set down his cup, and asked, ¡°Are you eighty this year?¡±


    ¡°A little away.¡±


    ¡°Then shoo! Don¡¯t gossip like an old lady!¡±


    In the end, Xing Cong Lian chose to not ask anything further. He straightened his clothes and stood. ¡°So what you mean is, I can¡¯t include Lin Chen in our investigation?¡± This sentence was posed like a question, but when Cong Lian spoke, it was apathetic, even his tone was flat.


    With that, he turned to leave.


    ¡°Stop.¡± The old director said suddenly and looked at his subordinate¡¯s stiff back, ¡°Hey, what did I just say?¡±


    This old man would never reveal his thoughts, even when he was in trouble, let alone reveal someone¡¯s background?


    Xing Cong Lian returned to his chair and sat. Meanwhile, the rain continued to pour outside.


    It was sprinkling yet somewhat impetuous. The manic wind blew the umbrellas back and forth, even people couldn¡¯t stand firm in this wind.


    Cong Lian leisurely read the site investigation report placed on his desk.


    He understood the words but couldn¡¯t grasp the hint behind it.


    The corpses at the hospital were dressed up, the fruit vendor mania, the dead old man, the broken pole at the park¡­


    All of it seemed unrelated; the cases were tied together by the sand yet not at the same time.


    He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that dorm manager. The man¡¯s peaceful eyes and calm demeanor. He very much so, wanted to stand, rush into this rain, run to the man and ask, ¡°What do you know?¡±


    He stood, grabbed his keys, put on his coat, then walked out of the station. Just as he was about to brave the rain, suddenly, amidst the water vapor, he saw a figure coming from afar.


    The man was thin and held an umbrella. One side of the umbrella had broken, and the entire thing shook in the wind.


    But the hand holding it was steady, and the man¡¯s pace was stable, even the sound of rain hitting the umbrella was static.


    Looking at this person in the rain, Cong Lian had the urge to smoke.


    Lin Chen stepped up the stairs, closed his umbrella, and shook off the water.


    He was soaked as if he was just fished out of the water. But his expression didn¡¯t fluctuate. He ave neither greetings nor small talk. Instead, he looked up and asked straightforwardly, ¡°Do you want to solve the case?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xing Cong Lian answered perfunctorily.


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Trust.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of retaliation?¡±


    ¡°Afraid.¡± Xing Cong Lian answered truthfully. He remembered Director Fang Cai¡¯s warning, and Cong Lian more or less understood why Lin Chen asked this. He thought his answer would disappoint the other man, but Lin Chen smiled openly. So Cong Lian laughed and said, ¡°But I¡¯m even more afraid of not getting that bonus if I don¡¯t solve it. After all, it¡¯s the season for crayfish¡­¡±


    Lin Chen nodded as if agreeing with him. ¡°So, for your bonus and crayfish, please let me help with the investigation.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, and in this heavy rain, it was even more inconspicuous.


    However, upon hearing this, Cong Lian was somewhat stunned.


    In those short moments after deciding to ask Lin Chen for help, he thought of going about it without being too abrupt. He also considered there was a high chance Lin Chen would refuse.


    But he had never thought Lin Chen would say:


    ¡°Please let me help with the investigation.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for those five minutes in the Director¡¯s office, he would have thought Lin Chen had always been thinking of getting involved.


    But when Lin Chen asked, ¡°Are you afraid of retaliation,¡± he realized Lin Chen knew just how much pressure they would both be under.


    Yet he still came here, braving the rain with only an umbrella to say, ¡°Please let me help with the investigation.¡±


    Cong Lian took a puff of his cigarette and asked, ¡°Why, are there many people who won¡¯t let you join?¡±


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Lin Chen smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was of Russian descent.


    It was a strong bloodline, and it meant when he wanted something, he wouldn¡¯t stop half-way.


    Strangely enough, Lin Chen, who preferred peace and stability, was also such a person.


    Cong Lian suddenly laughed. Even after choking on the smoke, he still laughed.


    ¡°Welcome to the team.¡± His hand reached out, tossing aside the cigarette.


    Although he didn¡¯t care about being complained about, or being warned off, Xing Cong Lian still took the old man¡¯s mood and the fact he suffered from heart disease into account.


    Instead of taking Lin Chen to the station, he directly brought the man to his house at No. 6, Yan Jia Street.


    The house was quiet, and the storm firmly kept away.


    The same place, but a different time. As he watched Lin Chen sit on the wooden bed facing the river, Xing Cong Lian felt somewhat guilty.


    He took out a towel and made a cup of ginger tea.


    Lin Chen seemed to be unbothered by the rain and being soaked. He took the towel and the cup of tea Cong Lian offered but placed them aside casually.


    ¡°Actually, I came here this time because I received a letter with the sand inside.¡± Lin Chen took out a pink letter sealed in a bag.


    Cong Lian could feel his scalp numb when he saw the letter and the white sand.


    Without gloves, he could only flatten the letter and read it without taking it out. ¡°Do you know who sent it?¡±


    There was a pause this time.


    Because the person who wrote the letter left little to no impression with Lin Chen. It should be a quiet young woman. If he hadn¡¯t taken a look at the registration list of those going in and out of the dormitory, he could say he wouldn¡¯t know her name at all.


    He had noticed the woman sneaking glances at him and knew she placed letters on his desk many times.


    The envelopes were always varied in color, sky blue, beige, pink, and the writing was quite elegant. On it were always the words, ¡°To Lin Chen,¡± but he never opened them.


    ¡°The sender is Yu Yan Qing, a gardener who prunes the flowers and trees at our school.¡±


    ¡°Are gardeners nowadays so cultured?¡± Cong Lian read the letter several times before he could understand the verses and what they were trying to convey.


    ¡°She¡¯s not old, between 25 and 28 years old, and had a good education.¡±


    ¡°Why did she send this to you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been sending me letters. I thought she had a crush on me and that they were all love letters.¡± Lin Chen said the word ¡°crush¡± calmly. He didn¡¯t blush or appear shy at all so even Cong Lian couldn¡¯t joke about him being crushed on by the gardener.


    ¡°She has a crush on you, and this sand could be stolen from your room, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen replied frankly.


    ¡°Then why did she write about white sand, which happens to be related to the recent cases?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen repeated, but after a slight pause, he continued, ¡°But I do think there is a connection.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian suddenly had an epiphany, ¡°You suspect this might have something to do with you, which is why you decided to help, right?¡±


    Instead of answering him, Lin Chen said, ¡°In any case, I can still help you, can¡¯t I?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian could only nod helplessly. Then, Lin Chen said, ¡°If you trust me, please send someone to look for Yan Qing. She is probably dead already.¡±

 CH 6

    Trust was a strange word.


    It was their first time getting acquainted with each other, their friendship wasn¡¯t that deep. It was ridiculous to speak about trust.


    Nonetheless, Lin Chen asked, ¡°Can you trust me?¡±.


    And Cong Lian had replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The reason for this trust was also strange. At the time, Cong Lian thought the only reason he believed in Lin Chen was because this dormitory warden felt okay.


    And so, he arranged a search for Yan Qing throughout the city.


    But Yan Qing hadn¡¯t committed a crime nor was she reported missing. The so-called search was limited to monitoring her ID, bank transactions, and citizen cards activities. They also asked her landlord and neighbors to inform the nearby police station if there were any sight of her. The people at the station were directed to notify their superior. There was no other way. Even though there were better options, this was already Cong Lian¡¯s limit.


    Cong Lian hung up and turned to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen¡¯s head hung low as he stared into the cup he held in both hands. He took a small sip of the ginger tea in it and, feeling Cong Lian¡¯s gaze, looked up. ¡°Take me to the hospital.¡±


    Hong Jing Third People¡¯s Hospital was the start of this story.


    To complete the storyboard, you had to go back there.


    No one gathered around the hospital because of the typhoon. Wind battered the entrance, striking the stretchers one after the other.


    The cold white walls surrounded them with dark grey tiles. Patients injured by incidents in the typhoon were arranged in and out of the emergency room. The wind, akin to a howl, echoed there, increasing the uncomfortable cold and irritation.


    Lin Chen put away his umbrella and patted down the rain on his shoulders.


    The medical staff was busy, so it was the head of security that received them.


    Lin Chen felt a chill as he approached the stairs.


    The elevator behind them burst open, and a doctor in the signature white coat rushed out, followed by two nurses pushing along instruments.


    The doctor rushed into one of the wards, and the shriek of the vital monitor alarm rang out. The sound of approaching death pierced their eardrums.


    Someone outside the ward began to cry while another one sat silently.


    In this chaotic crowd, only one man, after looking around, found a row of blue benches, laid down, and slept.


    A moment before he ascended the stairs, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze paused on the benches.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the nurses,¡± Cong Lian, noticing the look, said.


    ¡°Strange.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Someone passes away, but he¡¯s not sad at all,¡± Lin Chen answered.


    ¡°They¡¯ve seen too much, of course, they¡¯re numb to it.¡± The head of security looked back but didn¡¯t take the matter seriously.


    ¡°Seen too much?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our hospital has a contract with a labor company. The cleaners and nurses have long-term contracts. They spend more time here than some doctors¡­¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly halted and exchanged glances with Cong Lian, then Cong Lian asked: ¡°What¡¯s the company?¡±


    ¡°Hao Jia, the city¡¯s largest labor company.¡±


    Lin Chen removed his gaze, and Cong Lian picked up his phone to ring one of his men, ¡°Search for Yu Yan Qing amongst everyone that¡¯s gone in and out of the Third Hospital¡¯s mortuary.¡±


    The phone call was short and, after hanging up, he chatted with the head of security. However, how could the security officer of such a large hospital remember an unremarkable young woman? Cong Lian ended up getting nothing new.


    Cong Lian searched for Lin Chen but found the man walking slowly behind him. He really was only walking, without even looking around or sneaking a peek at their surroundings.


    ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± Cong Lian went and probed, ¡°Do you think Yan Qing was the one who played with the corpses here?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering, why here?¡±


    ¡°This place must be special,¡± answered Cong Lian.


    Lin Chen looked up, ¡°So, how is it special?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe there¡¯s someone here, or something happened here. It might even be she just likes it here. The answers are too broad¡­¡±


    ¡°Not that broad.¡±


    They eventually came to a stop.


    In front of them was an ordinary white wooden door with the word ¡°Morgue¡± written on its plaque.


    The incandescent lamp above them flickered, and the sound of weeping lingered though they could no longer see anyone.


    The head of security took out a key and opened the door.


    Cool air wafted into their faces.


    The corpses were stored in a space only 200 m2 in size. The stretchers were quite close to each other, and the white sheets draped to the floor like an endless field of snow. It was clearly not wide, but it felt as if the distance between life and death yawned even wider than that between heaven and earth.


    The stretcher of the dressed-up male was empty. Lin Chen went over and circled it.


    Because of the narrow space, he accidentally knocked into the hand of a corpse next to it. He looked at the pale, stiff hand and suddenly remembered Fu Hao said the culprit slept on a bed in the morgue.


    Why lie below a corpse?


    How did it feel?


    If you can¡¯t use rational thought, then close your eyes and experience it yourself.


    Lin Chen lifted the sheet and bent to lie on the ground.


    The floor was cold. Everything was dark around him. He could see and hear nothing. Like his senses were closed off. Only his thoughts remained.


    He could imagine the lives of all the corpses near him. Whether they led sad or happy lives, how they were born, and how they left the world.


    One¡¯s heartbeat would automatically accelerate out of fear, but it also sharpened the mind.


    In such a cold, quiet place, you would find death was really close¡­


    Was this what it felt like?


    Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes.


    The sound of a bell rang in the room.


    Cong Lian took out his phone and pressed the answer button in a hurry.


    When he ended the call, Lin Chen had already climbed up from his position on the floor. He gripped his mobile tightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s a clue.¡±


    The person who found said clue was his technician.


    This technician¡¯s name was Wang Chao. The young man was skilled, quick with his hands, talkative, and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to sell meng.


    When he saw Lin Chen, the first thing he did was take candies out of a pocket and arrange them on a table. The young man then picked out the ones with chocolate inside and handed them out. ¡°Who do you like better? Ah Jiang, Bai Cai, or Ma Yu Yu? Which do you prefer? World of Warcraft, DOTA, or LOL? When we have time, how about we play together once?¡±


    This was the first time Lin Chen was speechless. He looked at Wang Chao¡¯s pure eyes and turned to Cong Lian for help.


    Cong Lian just took out a cigarette and directly said, ¡°Do you still want to claim that taxi fare?¡±


    The young man, blowing bubbles in chewing gum, showed a shameless expression but turned around and sat down to open his laptop.


    Because of the rain, No. 6 Yan Jia Street smelled faintly of mildew.


    The young man continued, ¡°Captain, I¡¯m just saying. Why are you living in this kind of place? My grandma lives in a house like this, and let me tell you, you¡¯ll easily get cold and old people with their legs¡­¡±


    ¡°Your grandmother has good taste.¡± Cong Lian cut him off and knocked Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t gossip. What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask about a woman this morning? I just saw her. Guess where?¡± Wang Chao sported dark eye bags under his eyes but went on, ¡°Ta-da! According to what you said, when the hospital first found the dressed-up corpse, she was seen pushing a cleaning cart into the morgue.¡±


    The image of a woman appeared on the screen. He pressed paused and enlarged the image.


    The woman¡¯s face was small, her five features were huddled into the small area of her face. Her expression was grim and devoid of joy as if she was tormented all her life, and she had lost her edge.


    Lin Chen looked at the withered face and nodded, confirming it was the gardener who often sent him love letters.


    ¡°Her name is Yan Qing,¡± Wang Chao said. He pulled up a folder of video files and double-clicked on one. ¡°I used a simple face-recognition system on the videos related to this case and guess what!¡± He said while pressing the pause button again. The picture displayed the scene of the vendor¡¯s riot. ¡°She was there!¡±


    Wang Chao pointed to a woman standing at the side of the street looking at the scene.


    ¡°Finally, guess what, oh God.¡± Wang Chao sighed with a look of pride in his eyes. He selected the last video file in the folder and said, ¡°This camera¡¯s located at the intersection near Central Park, about 35 minutes before the accident.¡±


    In the surveillance video, Yu Yan Qing seemed to have undergone a tremendous change. She wore a red dress and lipstick. Her face was radiant, and she walked towards the park with vigor.


    Coincidence could not explain why the same person would appear in three seemingly unrelated crime scenes. Cong Lian touched his chin and looked at Lin Chen, ¡°Why don¡¯t we invite this beautiful lady for a cup of tea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s too late. Let¡¯s go to Chun Shui Street,¡± Lin Chen shook his head, voice hoarse.

 CH 7

    Yan Jia Street wasn¡¯t that far from Chun Shui Street. It was actually within walking distance.


    The rainstorm still raged outside, and the thick dark clouds turned the boundaries between day and night vague.


    Influenced by either the typhoon or the homicide, few shops were open on Chun Shui Street.


    The heavy rain had washed the ground clear of the blood. The air was fresh and clean.


    So refreshing that people wanted to slow their steps.


    Lin Chen walked slowly, and he didn¡¯t have an umbrella. Instead, it was Cong Lian who held an umbrella for him.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but Xing Cong Lian felt that Lin Chen was young. Although Fu Hao called him ¡°Big Brother,¡± Lin Chen seemed to be younger than Fu Hao.


    He was at the age of a fresh graduate, but he behaved like an old man, decadent with no particular expression of joy or sadness, indifferent.


    He could make deductions calmly and lie under a corpse with no change in his expression.


    Xing Cong Lian wanted to know what could change it.


    They continued slowly, and before long, they arrived at the fruit vendor¡¯s stall. Since the accident that day, the store was closed. No one was there, and the door was shut tight.


    Lin Chen stood in the same place Yan Qing stood that day.


    It was cloudy, and the rain fell now, unlike then.


    The sun hadn¡¯t set yet, and the smell of fish lingered on both the people and in the air.


    Then, there was a riot, and everyone focused on the fruit vendor attacking a woman. No one noticed the long-dead old man in front of them.


    When the said woman rushed into the store, and the old man fell without a sound, the fear of death magnified. Everyone felt as if there was an invisible hand grasped their throat. They were no longer a bystander, they were now witnesses.


    Who was the murderer? Why did someone do those strange things in the morgue? Why did they watch the entire thing that happened here?


    What did she want and what did she see standing here?


    Lin Chen looked up and closed his eyes, letting the rain wet his face.


    Cong Lian felt uneasy. After looking around for a while, he patted Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder.


    Lin Chen opened his eyes.


    Cong Lian pointed at the surveillance camera posted at the end of the street and said, ¡°That was installed a few years ago. For the safety of the merchants, they said. But in fact, it¡¯s only for appearance¡¯s sake.¡± Then he pointed to the other side of the street, ¡°That one¡¯s already broken.¡±


    ¡°There were no surveillance cameras at the park or the morgue?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°The park is too big. There¡¯re always blind spots. As for the morgue. . . even if they installed one, no one would dare look.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is a problem.¡± Lin Chen paused. ¡°The criminals seem to know the distribution of the cameras well, and they avoided them when committing the crimes. Isn¡¯t it strange Yan Qing was always caught by the surveillance cameras?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. . .¡± Cong Lian laughed. ¡°But technology is a dead thing while humans are alive.¡± He looked around and walked to the neighboring stall.


    It was a hardware store.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard psychological profiling is interesting. I¡¯ve always wanted to see it,¡± Cong Lian whispered into Lin Chen¡¯s ear.


    The owner of the hardware store was a middle-aged man in his early fifties and mostly bald with grey sideburns.


    When Cong Lian took out documents, the man rubbed his hands on his apron, tone indicating he was familiar with this kind of thing, ¡°You came to ask about that day again. I really can¡¯t see what happened across the street. You see, there were many things in front of me. I don¡¯t even know when the old man opened the shop.¡±


    The shop owner spoke fast like he had repeated the words many times and was impatient.


    ¡°No, please answer his questions.¡± Cong Lian pointed at Lin Chen beside him.


    Lin Chen took a half step forward and moved the things in front of the shop owner aside. He said in a tone akin to an umbrella stretching out in heavy rain, ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about what happened, just tell me what the weather was like that day.¡±


    His voice was calm, and his eyes were peaceful. Without instruction, the shop owner reflexively closed his eyes and look like he was sinking into his thoughts.


    ¡°The weather was fine, the sun hadn¡¯t set yet, but the vegetable market was gloomy and dark.¡±


    ¡°You took a deep breath, and there was a little noise around you. People were walking around, can you smell anything?¡±


    At Lin Chen¡¯s suggestion, the shop owner really took a deep breath and mused, ¡°Yes, the smell of dan gao, raw meat, and fish.¡±


    ¡°Listen carefully, the noises are growing louder, and so do the footsteps. Try to hear their voices.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice grew softer. Outside, the rain was a melodious flute.


    The shop owner was silent for a few moments, then he spoke again: ¡°Crying, someone is crying. The street is chaotic, shouting everywhere and the woman crying ¡®Help, help,. . . but I dare not move, I was too frightened to move!¡±


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Afraid. Not of the people; I have a knife. If he started with me, I¡¯d cut him down. But when the old man fell, and I saw him lying there. His face was sinister. He was smiling. I thought of my father¡¯s death, and that terrifies me¡­¡±


    As he spoke, the shop owner¡¯s face tightened, and he clenched his fist. Suddenly, a calm voice rang out, like a thin stream of water, and slowly pried open his closed heart.


    ¡°You saw a piece of paper in front of you. Very long and wide, it falls from the sky and slowly wraps up the whole street.¡±


    The voice was really gentle and unhurried. The shop owner noticed that a piece of paper really did appear in his mind. Rolled from one end of the street to the other, wrapped around everything, leaving him in a blank space for a brief moment.


    He frowned slightly as if to perceive something. The voice rang out again.


    ¡°Now, please stretch out your hand and slowly rub the paper that is falling. There are a lot of things on its surface, so be careful. Slowly. . .¡±


    Following the gentle instruction, the shop owner¡¯s hands hung in front of his trouser pockets. His fingertips trembled.


    Xing Cong Lian was almost in a daze.


    His eyes drifted between Lin Chen¡¯s face and the shop owner¡¯s from time to time.


    Lin Chen spoke again, ¡°Please hold the paper ball in your hand.¡±


    The shop owner clenched his fist.


    ¡°Picture it in your mind, raise your hand high. Even higher, until your arm¡¯s above your head. . . Your hand¡¯s a little tired, but the ball inside is growing lighter and lighter. . . Now, with all your strength, please throw it.¡±


    In the shop owner¡¯s mind, he really did threw the paper ball. He felt himself raising his head. Watching until the white spot disappeared from sight.


    Then, he felt someone pat his shoulder.


    He instantly opened his eyes.


    A young man stood in front of him.


    The young man wasn¡¯t that tall, he was slim and wore a damp white shirt. His face was calm, and his eyes were as clear as a stream under the sun.


    A familiar voice resounded in the shop owner¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    The young man paused, looked directly into his eyes, and said, ¡°And, that is all in the past.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The sky was still grey.


    They bid goodbye to the shop owner, and Cong Lian leaned towards Lin Chen¡¯s umbrella. ¡°What was that just now? Hypnosis?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head, ¡°Psychology isn¡¯t as wondrous as you think. No one can hypnotize you just by looking at you.¡±


    ¡°Then what was that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the treatments psychotherapists use to help their clients cope with terrible memories.¡± Lin Chen looked at him then silently moved his gaze away.


    Cong Lian didn¡¯t know what to say. Lin Chen treated trauma while questioning the witness. This kind of service was too thoughtful.


    ¡°Well, what did you get?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. The preparators seemed to deliberately create the atmosphere.¡± Lin Chen appeared pensive.


    The quiet fear under the stretcher in the morgue, the old man who suddenly fell on this street, the young man who died at the park, all of them having something to do with fear. . .


    As if he had suddenly found a clue, Lin Chen suddenly said, ¡°Call Fu Hao.¡±

 CH 8

    Criminal Psychology 8


    When Fu Hao arrived, he saw Lin Chen drinking tea. He was covered with a thin blanket, and his hair wasn¡¯t dry yet.


    As soon as Professor Fu stepped into the cold dormitory and saw the surrounding white walls and the lonely wooden table, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from running to the bedside and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Brother, this isn¡¯t a place you should stay.¡±


    Lin Chen just looked at him and said nothing.


    ¡°Move in with me!¡±


    This time, the one who looked at him was Captain Xing.


    Although Fu Hao didn¡¯t understand why Cong Lian was looking at him, he clearly felt impatience in his gaze.


    To put it simply: What the hell are you talking about!


    Fu Hao thought Cong Lian was scolding him for disrupting Lin Chen¡¯s thinking, so he immediately shut up and sat down, paying no mind to the cold ground.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak. Fu Hao contemplated for a long while then tentatively opened his mouth.


    ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t a serial killer after all?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that these people died of homicide.¡±


    Cautiously weighing his words, Cong Lian sat beside him and said, ¡°This morning, the Forensic Department reported the rings in the park were damaged manually.¡±


    Fu Hao looked at Cong Lian, silently asking, and why didn¡¯t you say so earlier, while the captain feigned innocent, ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to mention it.¡±


    ¡°Homicide and non-homicide were mixed together. It complicates things, do you understand?¡± Professor Fu was angry. ¡°Was there any of the sand detected near the park? And if there was, these cases could be jointly investigated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Lin Chen suddenly interrupted their argument.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to such great lengths to find something small in the larger concept.¡±


    ¡°You mean the sand?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing linking the cases together, isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s say they are connected, then we have a problem¡­¡± Lin Chen¡¯s head tilted down, and he asked: ¡°Why sand?¡±


    Lin Chen asked why use sand.


    And Fu Hao thought, if he or his mother knew, the case would¡¯ve been solved already!


    But of course, he wouldn¡¯t be rude to Lin Chen so he could only look for possible answers, ¡°The sand, there¡¯s a special meaning to it?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lin Chen nodded, encouraging him to continue.


    ¡°In Buddhism, there are words like ¡®Ganges Sand¡¯ or ¡®One sand, one world, one leaf, one Bodhi.¡¯ But like you said, the sand used is special. It¡¯s the sand used in therapy so¡­¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s hard to figure out what exactly the sand represents?¡± Lin Chen, seemingly able to read Fu Hao¡¯s thoughts, interrupted.


    ¡°Well, Teacher explained sand therapy simply before. We let the patient play freely with the sand to reflect their subconscious¡­ This is hard, is the criminal playing a game?¡±, Fu Hao said.


    Lin Chen looked at Fu Hao with a touch of approval. He then got up and pushed open a closed door.


    As the door slowly opened, a huge sky-blue sand table was revealed.


    The sea of sand was vast as if there was a whole new world in the room. That delicate, snow-white sand was piled up. It made people find it boundless.


    On the other side of the wooden panel, there were pocket-sized toys along one entire wall.


    There were all kinds of dolls, miniature everyday items, bright and shiny models, and even architectural models¡­


    Fu Hao and Cong Lian stood next to each other, feeling insignificant.


    ¡°Do you remember the sand the criminal placed at the body¡¯s side?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Cong Lian squeezed in front of Fu Hao, so naturally, the question was directed at him.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°We speculated on the motive, and why the criminal placed the sand there, but on the contrary, we can already guess their mental state from their actions.¡±


    Lin Chen took a small male doll from the wooden panel and placed it on the table, ¡°Imagine, if he regarded the whole city as a game of sand table and was placing his toys in it, then by using sand therapy theory, we can reverse the process and guess his psychological state.¡±


    ¡°So, the more they do, the more exposed they are?¡±


    Instead of answering, Lin Chen pushed away the sand with his hands.


    In the vast sea of sand, there was a huge void of blue. ¡°First of all, the distance between the crime scenes, regardless of time, were far apart, and there was no pre-set condition to this. The information they gave was ¡®empty.¡¯¡±


    While talking, he placed another two dolls far apart on the table. ¡°Second, since the behavior was disorderly, they must have lost some sort of support. Their heart is in chaos.¡±


    Lin Chen paid no heed to the expression of the two people behind him and grabbed a handful of sand. Then scattering it bit by bit, some covered the dolls. ¡°Finally¡­¡± Lin Chen slowly said, ¡°Death.¡±


    ¡°What death?¡± Xing Cong Lian and Fu Hao asked in unison.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t immediately answer. He looked at the table in front of him and said, ¡°Death is a narrow yet broad concept, but there¡¯s no doubt that there was an atmosphere of death beneath the stretcher in the morgue, on that street, and even in that park, which the criminal deliberately created. They wanted people to fear and tremble in the face of death. This fear will gradually amplify and intensify¡­ And from this, we can speculate that¡­¡±


    ¡°That what?¡±


    ¡°If I were to analyze their sand table, then I would say they¡¯re terrified of death subconsciously. Maybe a close relative died, or perhaps they have experienced trauma. In short, death has brought them extreme pain¡­¡± Lin Chen concluded, his eyes squinted.


    ¡­¡­


    It¡¯s impressive, but quite weird, very much so¡­


    This was Cong Lian¡¯s feelings from beginning to end. Lin Chen only fiddled with the sand a few times and made a series of deduction. From a rational point of view, everything Lin Chen said was too abstruse and didn¡¯t seem to have any impact on solving the case.


    But from an irrational point of view, he felt that everything Lin Chen said seemed very reasonable.


    The point here was that he actually believed it.


    It was near evening, just 48 hours after the riot at the market.


    Because he stayed up all night and had spent too much energy, Lin Chen was very tired. He changed into dry clothing and fell asleep the minute he was in bed.


    Professor Fu wanted to stay, but he was dragged away by Cong Lian.


    In fact, Xing Cong Lian also didn¡¯t want to leave.


    He had already ignored the director¡¯s calls all afternoon. It was near time to clock out anyway, and he really didn¡¯t want to go back to the office.


    The old director still drank tea in his office.


    When his subordinate rushed back, he first motioned for him to close the door properly then take a seat.


    Cong Lian had just returned, so he had no time to inquire about the situation. He searched for clues in the director¡¯s wrinkled face and that smooth head of his.


    ¡°I heard you took Lin Chen to the hospital?¡± The director took a sip of his tea and asked.


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Cong Lian replied casually.


    The director stared at this subordinate of his with knives in his gaze. The young man just sat on the sofa nonchalantly, as if he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.


    ¡°What did I tell you this morning!¡±


    ¡°To not let him participate in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°So why don¡¯t you listen?¡±


    ¡°Because your reasons didn¡¯t convince me. Or what, you¡¯re afraid you will be reported?¡± Cong Lian sniffed and took out a cigarette carton from his pocket. However, because of the heavy rain, the cigarettes inside were damp and he, in turn, got a little angry, ¡°I receive this kind of report every day on my desk. Someone told us not to let Lin Chen participate in the investigation, and we listen. Where does this evil force come from?¡±


    ¡°Evil force your fart!¡±


    ¡°Then how about you tell me who gave that order, and I will write a complaint letter and expose him?¡±


    ¡°Are you questioning the integrity of our force?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? Will we drag out the bullying tyrant?¡± Cong Lian rubbed his beard then his whole face and laughed.


    The director was no longer able to stand Cong Lian¡¯s demeanor, ¡°Do you know who that is? You know nothing at all!¡±


    Being yelled at so suddenly, Cong Lian was stunned, and he didn¡¯t know how to retort.


    Yes, he and Lin Chen only knew each other for one day, and Lin Chen was the silent type. The words they¡¯d exchanged was maybe a hundred sentences.


    Even Fu Hao knew more about Lin Chen than he did. No matter how you look at it, he was only an acquaintance with Lin Chen.


    He looked at the director and said seriously, ¡°Then can you tell me about him?¡±


    The director was shocked.


    At his subordinate¡¯s sincere eyes full of expectation and even a little sadness, he picked up the teacup and drank aggressively to restrain the impulse to spill the story.


    ¡°You have a good relationship with him.¡± The director smiled and continued, ¡°So ask him yourself.¡±


    When you really want to know something, but the people who were in the know kept their silence about it, you will feel like you¡¯re going crazy.


    Xing Cong Lian ruffled his hair exasperatedly then stood up, angry, ready to leave.


    His hand was on the doorknob when he heard the director¡¯s question, ¡°Have you ever heard of  Chen¡¯s Consortium?¡±


    ¡°That real estate company that seems very rich?¡±


    ¡°Not very rich, it¡¯s awfully rich.¡±


    ¡°Is it that great to have money? My family also has money.¡± The young policeman with messy hair threw out this sentence.

 CH 9

    The sound of a knock on his window woke Lin Chen.


    The cleaning auntie, in a yellow poncho, stood outside the window. Lin Chen got up and went over to open it. She barked, annoyed, ¡°Xiao Lin, do you have the key to Yan Qing¡¯s storage room?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. Then he suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t school closed today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the boss didn¡¯t give us the day off.¡± The auntie leaned on her tall broom, ¡°I drew the short straw on sweeping the floor.¡±


    Lin Chen acutely noted the anomaly. Why did Aunt Bao Jie come to him for Yan Qing¡¯s key?


    He questioned, ¡°Who told you to ask me for the key?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because you two are close.¡± The auntie smiled. She had always been fond of the handsome youth, so she was more talkative. ¡°She resigned and said she left her key with you. It¡¯s not? Everyone knows she went to you whenever there was something. . .¡±


    The older woman continued talking, but Lin Chen had a bad premonition.


    Yu Yan Qing resigned, but instead of returning her keys, she told everyone they were with him?


    But, the keys were not with him, and if there were no key, the logistics department would have to break down the door.


    Just what was behind that door?


    ¡°I might have the keys, but I¡¯ll have to look for it. Could you sweep everywhere else first?¡± Lin Chen leaned down to say this to her then turned around and went back to his bedside, dialing Cong Lian¡¯s number.


    . . .


    He was alone when Cong Lian arrived, leaning against the basement door like he¡¯d been there for a while.


    The forensics team followed Cong Lian, and Lin Chen straightened, nodded in greeting, and made way for them.


    A single, dim, yellow bulb lit the stairwell, and the pale light made his face gloomy.


    As a criminal investigator, Xing Cong Lian could, of course, detect the unnatural odor in the air. He put on a pair of gloves and opened the basement door. The heavy scent of blood squeezed the air from everyone¡¯s lungs for a moment.


    They were accustomed to this, however, and quickly set up the appropriate restrictions on the crime scene according to regulations. Soon after, the dark basement was bright.


    Damaged desks, dilapidated beds, and textbooks were strewn about the floor, everything illuminated by the bright light. Even the dust glittered in its shine.


    There was an ochre-colored door at one end of the room.


    An officer found the master key and showed it to Cong Lian for his opinion.


    Cong Lian glanced at Lin Chen then took the key and went over to the door.


    The act of opening a door was simple. All one needed to do was insert the key, twist, and the door opened with a click.


    But for Xing Cong Lian, there was nothing harder to do than just that.


    The thick scent of blood wafted out the moment the door opened.


    Cong Lian placed his hand on the door and looked back at Lin Chen, ¡°Even I am beginning to suspect you.¡±


    A flashlight shone into the room, and the scene ahead brought shivers to everyone present.


    Countless tools, such as mops, pruners, hoes, even broken ones, were piled in the narrow room, creating a dirty, dark backdrop.


    Yu Yan Qing¡¯s naked body was crouched in the corner, bearing countless wounds, and her blood was splattered to every corner of the room. It was as if copious scarlet worms climbed the wall, sucking away the vitality of life.


    In her hand was a standard utility knife. Its blue handle and blade were covered in coagulated blood.


    Despite being experienced police officers used to murder scenes, they still couldn¡¯t stand such a bloody picture. The whole room was silent. One could hear a needle if it fell.


    The first sound came from the click of a camera¡¯s shutter, followed by the flash, then the forensic team crouched and took photos from various angles.


    Then a forensic examiner went in to rearrange Yu Yan Qing¡¯s body, each movement slow and solemn.


    No one spoke.


    The moment Yan Qing was laid out, a handful of sand spilled from her stiffly clenched fingers.


    Fine, white, and delicate, the sand flowed like aphids rushing away.


    Xing Cong Lian seized Lin Chen¡¯s hand and pulled him out of the basement.


    The typhoon season was strange. No one knew when the rain would stop, and the sky looked low and dark as if it could fall any moment.


    Xing Cong Lian pushed Lin Chen down onto a bench in front of a lush, fragrant camphor plant.


    He retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the trunk of his car, stuffed it into Lin Chen¡¯s hands, and sat down.


    As an officer, he knew very well that other than God, no one else could predict death unless they were the murderer or the instigator. But, he was also convinced Lin Chen was not the murderer, so now the question was: What role did Lin Chen play in this case?


    ¡°I¡¯m not the murderer.¡± Lin Chen said frankly while he calmly unscrewed the bottle¡¯s cap.


    Very few could face this kind of interrogation and answer calmly.


    ¡°You were in the station when the incident at the park happened, so of course, you¡¯re not the murderer.¡± Xing Cong Lian replied.


    ¡°Then you believe I didn¡¯t kill Yu Yan Qing.¡± Lin Chen looked up and took a sip of the water.


    This was the second time Lin Chen said the word believe to him. And Xing Cong Lian thought, of course, he did.


    But there were things that simply cannot be said, and some questions that had to be answered.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°Do you remember that letter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°She said, ¡®My dear, I can finally face death calmly.¡¯ I. . . finally. . .¡± Lin Chen stared at Cong Lian, eyes cold, ¡°Think about it, when would you use that word?¡±


    ¡°I can finally eat crayfish, or, finally, I can drink cold beer. . .¡± Xing Cong Lian answered honestly.


    ¡°Clearly something finite, finished, over with, or something as good as done, if not already.¡±


    Cong Lian nodded, indicating he understood what Lin Chen was trying to say.


    But, even if she had already decided to die when she wrote the letter, it didn¡¯t mean Yu Yan Qing was the perpetrator of the incident at the park.


    There was no logical connection between the two.


    After a long while, a possibility occurred to him. ¡°Was she forced to write it?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°She wrote in first-person. She was very self-aware when she wrote the letter. . .¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice became unusually gentle, as if immersed in nostalgia, ¡°She wrong letters to me before her death, and there was no difference between those and this one. You know, if Yan Qing was coerced, her mood would have fluctuated heavily. Her writing would have become messy from trembling. But, I didn¡¯t see anything like that.¡±


    Cong Lian mussed his hair. ¡°Then what the hell was the girl thinking? Writing that creepy letter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only read some of the letters. The rest, I think it¡¯s best to give to the police as the deceased¡¯s possessions.¡±


    Lin Chen was a little sad.


    He never imagined, when receiving those letters, he would one day have to deal with them like this.


    Maybe he would quit his job and leave the school without the letters, but handing over all those letters filled with the girl¡¯s thoughts to the police was the worst ending.


    He headed back to the dormitory to get the letters, but there were people waiting for him at the door.


    Three men in suits.


    Their clothing was neat, their expressions formal, and their shoes meticulously polished.


    Two had their faces plastered on small billboards throughout the city; the principal of the school, and a member of the board of directors. The last was someone Lin Chen already knew for a long time.


    Many times over, whenever there was a knock to his dorm or residence, this person stood at the door.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Butler.¡± Lin Chen stood in front of the small dormitory and bowed slightly, greeting the thin man before him.


    In this day and age, only the rich had butlers.


    And, to afford a noble, silver-haired butler, one had to be at the top amongst the rich.


    Therefore, when a butler of such a wealthy family stood in front of a dilapidated dormitory, he looked very out of place.


    Like in all those movies with nasty villains, Chen Ping coughed like he was being choked as if the place was full of dust.


    His head was tilted down, so it looked like he was looking at the young man from high above.


    He actually appreciated Lin Chen.


    How to say this. As the old butler of the Chen Jia, he knew a lot of secrets. Naturally, he also knew what this young man had done and how prejudiced his master was against him.


    Like a wild mustard plant growing against the harsh wind, young people who could face oppression calmly were always remarkable.


    But, he was a professional. Chen Jia gave him a salary equivalent to an executive in any enterprise. His existence was to solve any type of trouble for his master, including, of course, making trouble too.


    So, he drove hundreds of miles over to Hong Jing, found the people connected to Chen Jia in the local area and turned to the directors of the three small cities in Hong Jing to make a request.


    Few could refuse a request from Chen Jia, let alone one so trivial.


    To dismiss the dorm warden of a certain school.


    In fact, something this trivial didn¡¯t require the presence of both the school principal and the board of directors.


    He didn¡¯t even need to meet Lin Chen.


    But, as he was about to leave, someone rushed into the principal¡¯s office.


    They announced a corpse was found, and the dorm warden named Lin Chen had already reported it to the police.


    ¡°Lin Chen, right? You¡¯re fired.¡± The principal said, head held high.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Chen looked up at the noble butler and the proud principal.


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve made the dormitory look like. That corpse in the tool room, isn¡¯t that your responsibility? Look, you¡¯ve even brought all these officers onto the campus!¡± The principal shouted, voice loud enough the entire building could hear.


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    In the echo of the roar, a voice calm as water flowing in a stream responded.


    The principal was startled and embarrassed. He hadn¡¯t expected the young man to accept it so simply and in such an understated manner.


    But before he could respond to that, another voice came from behind the fired dorm warden, one even flatter and more unpleasant.


    ¡°Principal. You have complaints in working with us officers, ah?¡±

 CH 10

    Cong Lian was messy-haired and had a beard to begin with. Coupled with his plain white T-shirt stained with mud, and his beach pants and flip-flops, he looked even more disorderly and poor.


    Even if he showed his ID, the principal saw him as only a small policeman.


    He was, indeed, just a cop.


    ¡°This officer, things happening in our school, has nothing to do with you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The principal said, chest sticking out proudly.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stepped out from behind Lin Chen and came to stand beside him. He pulled out a cigarette and set it between his lips.


    ¡°Then why are you not on site?¡±


    Although Cong Lian¡¯s expression seemed to read, ¡°Wherever this Laozi wants to go has fart all to do with you,¡± he still replied earnestly, ¡°Collecting evidence.¡± He forced down his discomfort and stuck the cigarette in his mouth back into the carton.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I heard you just now, Principal. You seem dissatisfied with our work, so I came to ask.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was tall and stood close to Lin Chen. It looked like an older brother trying to protect his younger brother.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, officer. I thought you were trying to get involved with the dismissal of our employee,¡± the principal said in a strange tone then pointed at Lin Chen, ¡°This dormitory warden is a temporary worker, but I will pay the dismissal fee, so I hope you won¡¯t mind.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t utter a response, because he was thinking of a more serious matter.


    As an officer, he had many ways to make things difficult for the school and make them keep Lin Chen.


    In fact, even before coming over, he had already thought of ways to help Lin Chen. However, once Lin Chen really did get into trouble, only then did he remember that he was just a police officer.


    Because he was an officer, he couldn¡¯t use the methods he wanted.


    This was very depressing.


    He thought for a long time and finally, glanced at Lin Chen and grumbled in annoyance, ¡°I really can¡¯t get involved.¡±


    Lin Chen seemed to understand Cong Lian¡¯s mood well and nodded, looking relieved, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s pack up?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The conversation was so dull it embarrassed the three men in suits standing in front of the door.


    Then, Xing Cong Lian embarrassed the three even more.


    He raised a hand, waved his palm, and said, ¡°Well, may we trouble you to make way for us?¡±


    Chen Ping didn¡¯t budge. He had been studying Cong Lian from the beginning.


    In a report he received, it was mentioned that there was an officer on Lin Chen¡¯s side, the captain of the Hong Jing Criminal Investigation Bureau.


    Lin Chen was picky with his friends, so Chen Ping observed Cong Lian carefully. Ignoring his attire that lacked thought and bearded face, it was the man¡¯s eyes that caught Chen Ping¡¯s attention.


    A pair of beautiful, cunning, intelligent eyes. The key, though, was that those eyes were impeccably clean.


    There were many ways to describe cleanliness.


    For example, Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were crisp like fresh snow on a cliff, or melting icicles, so cold it was hard to even look at him. This officer¡¯s eyes were vast and deep, and it was precisely because of this that after ¡°clean¡± one had to add ¡°unfathomable¡± to their description.


    Although he couldn¡¯t get a clear read on the man, as the butler of a top-ranking wealthy family, Chen Ping realized one fact.


    In front of money, hard bones will soften.


    So Chen Ping took out a business card from a beautiful metal case and said, ¡°Captain Xing.¡±


    Cong Lian had already entered the room with Lin Chen, but when he heard someone call his name, he didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, he asked Lin Chen, ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t answer that?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look that way.¡±


    ¡°Damn etiquette,¡± Xing Cong Lian muttered, turned, then said with a forced smile, ¡°This gentleman, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the butler of Chen Jia. I¡¯ve heard of Captain Xing before, and I have something to talk to you about. This is my business card.¡±


    Chen Ping held out a dark, gold-embossed card.


    But the other party was too slow in taking it.


    Xing Cong Lian rubbed his beard and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Is he bribing me?¡±


    ¡°You said that out loud.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I need to say it out loud, or everyone will misunderstand,¡± Xing Cong Lian said in distress, ¡°We grass-roots public servants are most terrified of this kind of misunderstanding, you know?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian looked earnest.


    Lin Chen continued to nod understandingly and went to the door. He bowed to the three people outside and, outside everyone¡¯s expectations, closed the door in their faces.


    ¡°Problem solved,¡± he said to Cong Lian.


    This time, it was Cong Lian who was stunned.


    A moment later, boisterous laughter rang out, making the three people outside look at each other in embarrassment.


    . . .


    This was Cong Lian¡¯s second time in Lin Chen¡¯s dorm and, of course, his last.


    He crawled under the bed and, under Lin Chen¡¯s guidance, brought out a large cardboard box.


    ¡°You can come live at my place. It¡¯s a large house.¡± The policeman brushed off the thin layer of dust from the box, feigning a casual glance at Lin Chen.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to take the letters? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Cong Lian sighed. It really was troublesome to be just an acquaintance.


    ¡°Two things.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh?¡±


    ¡°One, Yu Yan Qing should have committed suicide. Two, we found syringes in the room just now.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Amphetamines.¡±


    ¡°A stimulant?¡± Lin Chen frowned. His expression was difficult to read. ¡°Large doses of stimulants can cause disruption in behavior. The fruit vendor at the riot could have taken a similar drug. Makes sense, but it¡¯s very strange. . .¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s peculiar that a clue appeared right when we needed one,¡± Xing Cong Lian said in disbelief as he sat down.


    Talking to smart people gave flashes of inspiration sometimes.


    Lin Chen also sat beside him. Instead of talking, he opened the box.


    Cong Lian knew there would be a lot of letters in the box, but he didn¡¯t expect this many.


    They filled the box so high that letters immediately fell from the top the minute it was open.


    He was startled.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t pay him any attention and quickly sorted out the letters. He picked out some and set them on the floor then stuffed the rest back into the box. He re-sealed the box, and now, there were ten or so neatly sealed letters on the floor.


    From start to finish, his movements were like clouds floating on the breeze or the river current, smooth and effortless.


    ¡°The ones inside?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked tentatively.


    ¡°From other people.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t read them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Who sent you so many letters?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked then immediately felt the question was too nosy.


    ¡°Are we familiar with each other?¡±


    ¡°Seems not,¡± Cong Lian said bitterly.


    ¡°Then why should I tell you?¡±


    The officer didn¡¯t even know how to reply to that. Recalling Professor Fu¡¯s kiss-up behavior when he first met Lin Chen, he felt there was nothing to lose and copied Fu Hao. Chin resting on top of the box, he stared at Lin Chen with wide, puppy-like eyes.


    Lin Chen looked away but added, ¡°Same with these letters. I¡¯m not familiar with the people who sent them, so why should I read them?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Cong Lian replied.


    The room was quiet, and the rain outside had already stopped.


    Lin Chen opened a letter and began to read. Likewise, Cong Lian followed suit.


    Cong Lian read faster than Lin Chen, and in a short while, he had read all the letters. He felt goosebumps all over his body and a chill on his back.


    ¡°This is terrible.¡± He pushed some of the letters to Lin Chen. ¡°They¡¯re all about the pain of death.¡± He picked up one and shook it, ¡°Who would say, ¡®Give me a dozen babies, and I will shape them into whatever you want¡¯?¡±


    Lin Chen set down the letter and looked at Cong Lian. ¡°It¡¯s a Quote from Watson, the founder of the behaviorism school of psychology.¡±


    ¡°So Yu Yan Qing was a psychology student?¡± The captain rubbed his beard and asked, ¡°She put the sand beside the deceased because you have the same sand in your room, and she had gone to study the sand table, maybe?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyelids hung low. ¡°If she really regarded the whole thing as a sand table, then she obviously did this to present death, telling us to face it directly, but this also projects. . .¡±


    ¡°Projects what?¡±


    ¡°Her subconscious is extremely afraid of death,¡± Lin Chen stated word-by-word.


    Cong Lian raised his head, noticing the critical issue, ¡°And there¡¯s still that problem!¡±


    ¡°How could she have committed suicide if she was afraid of death?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.

 CH 11

    Someone once said: the most reasonable thing is the most unreasonable.


    Yu Yan Qing appeared at the three crime scenes, killed people, wrote a suicide note, then committed suicide. In the room of her death, there was evidence to suggest she was the murderer.


    This was the most reasonable conclusion.


    However, because it was too perfect, it became unreasonable.


    ¡°Problem here is that we have no evidence,¡± Xing Cong Lian said.


    They had no evidence that Yu Yan Qing was so afraid of death she wouldn¡¯t dare commit suicide.


    ¡°I have no evidence, and I¡¯m even pretty sure she did commit suicide,¡± Lin Chen said, folding the letter. ¡°I just want to know how she overcame instinct and cut her own throat with a knife.¡± Lin Chen was silent for a moment, pondering his words. ¡°Humans are always afraid of death, physically and psychologically. We all have very complex defense mechanisms. It isn¡¯t easy to break through human nature and self-defense unless there is strong motivation behind it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy to die?¡± Cong Lian was puzzled. ¡°When you put it that way, I just remembered. . . the forensic examiner said there was something wrong with her wounds.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The depths vary, and there are new and old ones. She started self-harming early, making smaller cuts in areas that weren¡¯t dangerous. They spread from her wrists to her chest, then the throat. . .¡± Cong Lian paused. ¡°In the end, she cut her throat but didn¡¯t die immediately. She struggled for a while before stabbing the knife into her heart.¡±


    He stole a glance at Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen¡¯s head was tilted down, so he couldn¡¯t see his face clearly.


    The room was suspended in a state of impatient silence, and the sky outside was almost dark. Eventually, Cong Lian couldn¡¯t keep himself from opening his mouth again.


    He asked, ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    Lin Chen tidied up the papers on the ground and put the letters back into their respective envelopes. ¡°This shows her determination to die. Her attitude was serious, and her will firm. This is very rare.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s reply was straightforward. Anyone who had seen it could come to the same conclusion.


    Many people committed suicide because their lives were too painful, or they weren¡¯t loved. In Yu Yan Qing¡¯s case, she just seemed obsessed with death.


    It was perfectly plausible that she laid under a corpse and killed just because of her love for death.


    But everything still boiled back to that one word.


    Why?


    Lin Chen wiped his face. He didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°You say, what would one feel when they die?¡± Lin Chen asked after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Wanna try?¡± answered Cong Lian with a laugh.


    . . .


    People kept death a secret, since ancient times.


    It was too dangerous and too terrible. It represented the end of life. But sometimes, it exuded fascination, luring people to its embrace.


    Xing Cong Lian stood next to Lin Chen under a Chinese lantern at a road junction.


    The wind wasn¡¯t strong now, and in the drizzle, the lamp was slightly blurred.


    It was rush hour. The intersection was flooded with vehicles, roaring by and splashing water in every direction. People¡¯s voices, car horns, engines, and countless other sounds melded into one, numbing one¡¯s scalp.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Cong Lian asked.


    Before Lin Chen could respond, he was yanked forward and plunged into traffic.


    No sooner had he stepped into the road than he was blasted with headlights, and he bumped into the back of a car. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s grip was too tight, and he couldn¡¯t escape. He could only let himself be dragged along.


    His shoulder hurt, but he couldn¡¯t stop running. Every step he took was like evading death. A second after missing one car, another rushed up after it. The roar of engines was enough to burst his eardrums, and the wind was so loud it felt there were large hands pushing them into an abyss.


    Leaping onto the median, Lin Chen almost fell headfirst into a row of pines.


    Cong Lian stood in the bicycle lane, gasping, hand still holding Lin Chen¡¯s tightly.


    Behind them, many drivers still blared their horns. The closest was an Audi, and the driver lowered the window and shouted at them.


    ¡°Baby, how do you feel?¡± Cong Lian laughed, absolutely fearless.


    Lin Chen tugged his hand free and looked back at him. ¡°Now, I finally believe in one thing. . .¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You really do have foreign blood.¡±


    . . .


    As someone with Russian blood, Cong Lian was robust, and no matter how careful he was, Lin Chen was still roughed up. There was a scratch on his left leg, his waist was bruised, and he was somewhat unsteady on his feet.


    When they returned to the school, Yu Yan Qing¡¯s body had been moved, and Fu Hao was called in.


    Knowing Cong Lian had taken Lin Chen on a death-courting trip, Fu Hao was pacing but jumped on the man the minute he saw him and admonished him.


    After beating Cong Lian up, Professor Fu pulled Lin Chen over and attentively looked him over head-to-toe. His behavior was very motherly, ¡°Brother, you should stay away from such people in the future. . .¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t die, but you can¡¯t do this again. . .¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go to the hospital? It¡¯s better to stay with me this evening. In case the wounds got inflamed, I can take care of you. . .¡±


    ¡°You live in a dormitory, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cong Lian couldn¡¯t stand his rapid-fire words anymore and exposed this proletariat.


    ¡°A single room hostel!¡±


    ¡°But your brother needs to move now, and his sand table won¡¯t fit in your small room.¡±


    Fu Hao, being a simple person, didn¡¯t realize the problem. Instead, he rushed at Cong Lian and shouted, ¡°Your place is small too!¡±


    The captain just laughed, ¡°But my family has many houses, ah.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your house?¡±


    ¡°Yan Jia Street.¡±


    As a highly educated person, Fu was disgusted with this kind of talk. However, the educated man couldn¡¯t fight with the hooligan, and because the policeman was the only with a car, the matter was settled by the time Cong Lian pulled over at Yan Jia Street.


    In front of them was an old housing with worn-out white walls. Cong Lian waved his hand and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Which do you want?¡±


    In the back seat, the bottle Fu Hao trembled from the force of stopping himself from spitting out his drink.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve bought the whole street?¡± Fu asked, mockingly.


    ¡°I thought it was a good place, so I bought it,¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s answer was so plain, it even sounded reasonable, and no one could say anything in response.


    The captain opened the trunk and carried out the luggage. Fu Hao quickly went over to Lin Chen and whispered, ¡°Brother, men love to uphold their image. You¡¯re the frank type, but let¡¯s not say anything to destroy what he just said.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded seriously.


    When Cong Lian finished moving all of Lin Chen¡¯s luggage, he ended up putting them in his old house, No. 6 Yan Jia Street.


    His excuse was also appropriate: ¡°The other houses haven¡¯t been cleaned yet, and living together makes discussing the case convenient.¡±


    Lin Chen and Fu Hao looked at each other and nodded.


    It was dark, and the house didn¡¯t have good lighting. Cong Lian set a lamp on an eight immortals table and served three bowls of roast beef noodles.


    Fu could say nothing and only slurped his noodles with disappointment.


    Cong Lian pulled out some ham sausages from a drawer and distributed it to each of them, appearing virtuous and magnanimous.


    Lin Chen ripped open the plastic wrapping and took a bite without hesitation.


    Fu Hao finally couldn¡¯t help himself. He slapped the table with his palm, and the plastic fork in his hand was crushed to pieces. ¡°Lao Xing, you know how cruel and bloody the crime scene was today, why are you feeding us roast beef noodles and ham?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Professor Fu. It¡¯s just ham, the crime scene had no dismemberment or anything. . .¡± Xing Cong Lian tried to reason.


    In the end, Fu Hao lost his appetite.


    It started raining again. For a while, the only sound that filled the house was the sound of raindrops striking the roof tiles.


    Fu Hao propped his head on his hand, looking at Lin Chen who sipped broth at his side, and suddenly said, ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t understand. Yu Yan Qing had a crush on you and even wrote so many letters. Why the sudden suicide?¡± He sniffed then added, ¡°Why didn¡¯t she kill you first, then commit suicide?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Lin Chen set down his bowl and turned to Fu Hao seriously.


    Fu didn¡¯t know what he had said that was wrong. He blinked then carefully repeated, ¡°I said, why didn¡¯t she kill you then commit suicide. . .¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Cong Lian and said, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong here.¡±


    Cong Lian nodded, knowing there certainly was a problem with this.


    But, faced with Lin Chen¡¯s burning gaze, he could only choke out, ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°If a crime was committed by one person, no matter how chaotic, there must be an order to it. And I haven¡¯t found the order in this case.¡± Lin Chen paused, stared at Cong Lian, then said, ¡°Please get me a pen.¡±


    Pen and paper were brought over to Lin Chen, who then pushed aside his bowl, and said to Fu Hao, ¡°Repeat the case process.¡±


    Fu Hao automatically responded, ¡°First off, corpses at the hospital were found neatly dressed. The body of an old man was found in the shopping district shortly after. Then, a young man fell at the park, and finally, Yu Yan Qing committed suicide. . .¡±


    Lin Chen wrote accordingly, and several keywords were jotted down on the paper.


    Corpse ¡ú Corpse presentation ¡ú Murder ¡ú Suicide


    These words were connected by arrows and placed in a circle.


    Fu Hao looked at the writing and felt as if he had touched the core of the entire case but still lacked the most vital link.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    Editor(s): Bet

 CH 12

    That night was accompanied by the typhoon¡¯s torrential rain.


    The rain struck the tiled roof, creating a loud echo.


    Lin Chen laid on the wooden bed while Cong Lian occupied a simple mattress laid on the floor.


    No matter how calm someone was, after experiencing such unsettling things over two short days, anyone would suffer from insomnia. Especially when the death had only just occurred, and there was now heavy rainfall at midnight.


    Lin Chen opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He couldn¡¯t sleep.


    He thought of Yu Yan Qing. The world was full of things painful enough to make people want to die, but there were not many that could make someone desperate for it.


    He thought of the people in the world who would easily believe in others, and the very few that would bring someone home they¡¯d only known for two days.


    This could be called trust, but it was even deeper than that. This was probably an absolute, detached sense of self-confidence.


    Lin Chen leaned over and looked at the person on the floor.


    Early the next morning, it wasn¡¯t the strong wind that knocked on No. 6 Yan Jia Street, but a pair of fat, young hands.


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes quickly opened, but Lin Chen continued to sleep soundly. Cong Lian crept to the door, and when he opened it, he found a chubby boy about as tall as his waist.


    Two adults accompanied the boy on either side, each holding his hand and looking embarrassed.


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you. Our stinky boy wanted to find Mr. Lin. We went to the school, but they said Mr. Lin moved away. . .¡± The Chubby Ball¡¯s father tried to explain.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to find Lin Chen.¡± Cong Lian looked at the child, ¡°How¡¯d you know Lin Chen was with me?¡±


    He had yet to finish speaking when he felt warm on his calf. Like a koala, the boy hugged his thigh tight.


    His parents were very embarrassed and pulled on the back of the kid¡¯s collar, but he wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°We asked the school, and they said Mr. Lin left with an officer surnamed Xing. And the stinky boy led us here. . .¡±


    When Lin Chen opened his eyes, this was what he saw.


    Cong Lian dragged his leg, a giant sandbag attached to it.


    Lin Chen sat up, and the Chubby Ball eagerly looked up at him, holding Cong Lian still.


    Recalling his previous teachings to the boy, Lin Chen was speechless.


    ¡°Useful method, correct target, but a tad excessive.¡±


    The Chubby Ball threw away his shoes before he could finish talking and climbed into the bed, clinging to Lin Chen¡¯s neck like a monkey.


    Lin Chen looked at Cong Lian, who stood decisively in front of the door, blocking the boys¡¯ parents¡¯ view.


    The boy buried his face in Lin Chen¡¯s neck and pointed at himself, then said sullenly, ¡°Water.¡±


    Lin Chen seemed to understand. Pulling the little guy away, he said, ¡°If you care too much about your challenges, that will become your biggest obstacle.¡±


    When the Chubby Ball¡¯s mother saw her son clinging to someone with such a death grip, she took the first step in trying to move him away. ¡°Sorry, sorry, my son. . . isn¡¯t very bright, here. . .¡± She pointed to her head. ¡°Sometimes, even we don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Lin Chen asked, staring at the mother coldly.


    The woman was terrified by this look and turned to her husband for help.


    Before her husband could speak, Lin Chen continued, ¡°Do you feel because he can¡¯t articulate himself well, because you can¡¯t understand what he¡¯s talking about, that he¡¯s mentally retarded? You feel ashamed to bring him to see people?¡± Lin Chen set aside the child. ¡°I don¡¯t know about your parenting, but considering he could enroll in a normal primary school, you should have confidence in his intelligence. Have you not considered the possibility of him not being retarded but autistic instead?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian had never seen Lin Chen this angry.


    Based on the word-vomit, Cong Lian lit two candles for the boy¡¯s parents.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying. . . he¡¯s a genius.¡±


    The mother¡¯s face was red, but no longer from shame or embarrassment.


    ¡°I gave him the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, and the results proved that.¡±


    ¡°Can you teach us how to guide him?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he looked at the boy beside him and asked, ¡°Tell me slowly, what happened. . .¡±


    ¡°Grandma. . . afraid of water. . .¡± He pulled at the corner of Lin Chen¡¯s shirt anxiously.


    Lin Chen frowned. He couldn¡¯t quite grasp what he meant from the keywords.


    The boy pointed at himself then the door, trying to drag Lin Chen from the house.


    ¡°You mean, your grandmother is afraid of water, so you want me to treat her?¡± Lin Chen tentatively asked.


    The little guy nodded immediately.


    Lin Chen had an epiphany. He turned to the boy¡¯s parents and asked, ¡°Was his grandmother bitten by a dog recently?¡±


    The boy¡¯s father seemed unsure. He looked at his wife. ¡°Mother didn¡¯t mention it, right?¡±


    ¡°Did he pull on his grandmother and mimic a dog barking?¡± Lin Chen rephrased his question.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Take your mother to the hospital right now!¡±


    Cong Lian got into his jeep and drove down an empty street.


    Lin Chen sat in the passenger¡¯s seat but didn¡¯t utter a single word the entire way.


    Cong Lian looked into the rearview mirror and sat the two parents in the backseat, holding their child. Eventually, he couldn¡¯t help himself from trying to lighten up the atmosphere, ¡°Chubby Ball¡¯s grandmother was bitten by a dog, why come find you. . .¡±


    ¡°Because his parents didn¡¯t understand what he was trying to say. . .¡± Lin Chen replied frankly, and the two in the back wore embarrassed expressions again. Though he was angry, he still explained patiently to Cong Lian, ¡°Chubby Ball is afraid of water. I taught him how to handle it. So he came to me in hopes I could treat his grandmother. . .¡±


    ¡°Hydrophobia?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Communication between you geniuses is beyond us mere mortals, ah. . .¡±


    Their back and forth ended in Cong Lian¡¯s sigh, but the boy¡¯s parents in the backseat were confused.


    ¡°You mean, my son has hydrophobia. He¡¯s always been afraid of water since he was a child, but he¡¯s been getting better lately. . .¡±


    ¡°Fear of water is fear of water, hydrophobia is hydrophobia. The latter is also another name for rabies. I think Chubby Ball knew his grandmother was bitten by a dog, and since you didn¡¯t understand, he turned to Lin Chen,¡± Xing Cong Lian explained.


    Originally, the boy¡¯s father was skeptical. Now that he knew his mother was bitten by a dog and hadn¡¯t taken a vaccine, he anxiously grabbed the front seat and said, ¡°Please speed up.¡±


    When they arrived, the old woman carried a tai chi sword and was about to head to the park for her regular exercise.


    Her son and daughter-in-law rushed over and started asking this and that. The old lady waved her hand and said it wasn¡¯t a big deal. She wasn¡¯t sick, and it didn¡¯t hamper her activities.


    The boy¡¯s father handed his son to Lin Chen while his wife took his mother to the garage and said, ¡°Mr. Lin, I trouble you to look after my son for a bit.¡±


    Chubby Ball stared in the direction his parents left, worried. Lin Chen took the child¡¯s hand and patted his head. His voice was gentle, ¡°You did a good job.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only seven years old, so smart. Very good, ah.¡±


    To prevent a minor from suffering secondhand smoke, Cong Lian only held an unlit cigarette, and his voice was faint.


    Lin Chen held the child¡¯s hand and walked over to his side.


    ¡°His IQ is four times higher than average for his age, about 160. He¡¯s not just smart. But very, very smart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity he¡¯s in that family, treated like an idiot despite being a genius,¡± Cong Lian said to Lin Chen, flatteringly.


    ¡°His parents are very accommodating towards him, they¡¯re not bad.¡± Lin Chen paused and looked into Chubby Ball¡¯s large eyes, imparting seriously, ¡°It¡¯s because of this, you¡¯ve had a calm, stable childhood.¡±


    It was because his parents didn¡¯t force him to study 24/7 that he could grow like a normal child until now.


    ¡°Then why say that to his parents just now?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s time.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t understand what Lin Chen meant by that. He was going to ask, but Chubby Ball looked up at Lin Chen and nodded solemnly, like an adult.


    The captain could only remain silent and play with his cigarette. ¡°Kid really is a superman. Can already seek a psychologist for treatment. . .¡± His point was, the kid had accurately found him.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s pretty scary. The first time he snuck in to play with the sand table, I thought he was stealing one of the toys. Then he said ¡®Sand table game¡¯ so perfectly,¡± Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°Even Lao Fu didn¡¯t get it right,¡± Xing Cong Lian was very dedicated to roasting the other psychologist.


    ¡°He can even express his symptoms accurately and shows the desire to overcome his own psychological troubles. . .¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid of water. Did you manage to treat him?¡± Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t stop himself from making an astounded expression. He wanted to repeat his previous lament. The communication between geniuses went beyond the ordinary person¡¯s comprehension. ¡°If there¡¯s something I¡¯m afraid of, I can talk to you about it. . .¡± he said shamelessly.


    ¡°You can overcome your fears slowly. First from afar, using system desensitization. Easier said than done. You need perseverance and a strong will to overcome your fear.¡±


    ¡°For example, if you¡¯re hydrophobic, you need to slowly approach water?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, ¡°If you¡¯re hydrophobic, then you need to find a safe environment where you can see water and try to relax. It¡¯ll be uncomfortable at first, but you can adapt at a certain distance. The next step is to shorten the distance and relax again, then repeat the process over and over again.¡±


    ¡°No wonder he spent so much time on my bed. He could see the river. . .¡±


    Cong Lian abruptly stopped and turned to look at Lin Chen.


    There was a spark of light in Lin Chen¡¯s eyes that looked back at him.

 CH 13

    From easy to difficult, then repeated multiple times¡­


    This was the learning method mankind had mastered over the course of its evolution. Endurance was also a part of learning.


    ¡°What? You mean, Yu Yan Qing did all this to overcome her fear of death?¡±


    Fu Hao came in early with breakfast, and putting down the milk and bread, overheard these important words from Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of systematic desensitization?¡± the captain asked smugly, quite proud of himself.


    Fu Hao quickly put down the bag he was carrying and crowded Lin Chen, ¡°Systematic desensitization?¡±


    Cong Lian wasn¡¯t angry at being ignored. Instead, he gave Fu Hao an explanation: ¡°Yes, Yu Yan Qing should¡¯ve used this to confront her fear of death¡­¡±


    ¡°You shut up.¡± Fu Hao directly interrupted him and turned to Lin Chen, ¡°Brother, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°In all these cases, the intentions were related to death and presenting a growing sense of fear, which we determined early on.¡± Lin Chen coughed a little and continued, but not as relaxed as Cong Lian, ¡°But we¡¯ve been missing the clue that puts things together, and it was Xiao Pang who gave this clue to us.¡± Lin Chen looked at the child sitting on a bench, playing with his fingers, ¡°Judging from the process, Yu Yan Qing probably used systematic desensitization to over her fear. The whole process should be divided into four steps. First, she got close to corpses, imagined her death, and did the relaxation training to adapt, and gradually closed the distance. This is why there were traces of someone sleeping under the stretchers in the morgue, and with the corpse who was dressed neatly, it shows a kind of respect for death.¡± Lin Chen paused, pondering, ¡°She then watched a brutal murder, observing people¡¯s reactions to death, then personally killed someone. Watching the person die by her hands, she adapted to the process of someone losing their life. This was the motive behind the murder at the  park.¡±


    Fu Hao felt colder the more he listened. His lips stiffened and trembled, ¡°Then finally, suicide?¡±


    ¡°Suicide.¡±


    Fu Hao inhaled and both his cheeks and teeth went cold.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve solved the case?¡± He asked, trembling.


    Yu Yan Qing killed people, wrote a suicide note, then killed herself. It was perfect.


    Lin Chen sat on a wooden bench and tapped his fingers on his cup, seemingly unaware of the movement. It appeared as if he didn¡¯t hear Fu Hao¡¯s question.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible to write a closing report.¡± Xing Cong Lian rubbed his fluffy beard with his palm then paused, ¡°But I still feel there¡¯s something missing.¡±


    It was like being in a terrible fog, then finally escaping, only to encounter a tall wall.


    A mighty wall, towering and domineering.


    It was okay to leave things at this, but it didn¡¯t feel like enough.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to have another look at Yu Yan Qing¡¯s information.¡± Lin Chen stopped tapping on the cup.


    About half an hour later, a chatty, young technician stood in front of their door, notebook in hand.


    He wore a black cap, water still dripping from the edges, his eyes bright. Upon seeing Cong Lian, he said with an aggrieved tone, ¡°It¡¯s the godly typhoon, ah! It was easy to catch a cab.¡±


    Cong Lian bit the cigarette in his mouth and gestured for him to sit and get to work.


    Wang Chao chose a seat close to Lin Chen and said, ¡°Mr. Lin, if you don¡¯t know how to play LoL, I can teach you.¡±


    Cong Lian swatted the back of his head and said, ¡°Quick, pull up Yu Yan Qing¡¯s information.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.¡± Wang Chao¡¯s fingers flew across the keyboard, and a moment later, the woman¡¯s personal information was displayed, ¡°These things you¡¯re telling me to do, even Xiao Long Bao over there could do.¡± He put the mouse in Lin Chen¡¯s hand and leaned back in the chair.


    Yu Yan Qing¡¯s information was detailed. From where she lived in her childhood, to the primary school she attended, and even the recent record of her medical insurance.


    Lin Chen¡¯s reading speed was fast. It took less than five minutes to finish everything.


    Letting go of the mouse, he reflexively pressed on his eyelids.


    Cong Lian went over and asked, ¡°Finished?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°That there is no problem.¡±


    Yu Yan Qing was a very ordinary girl.


    Born in a small town at the border, she went out to work after nine years of compulsory schooling. She worked as a waitress and a factory worker. She later joined ¡¸Good Home¡¹labor company and worked as a gardener at the city¡¯s Third Primary School. To make extra money, she worked as a part-time cleaner at the hospital on weekends. Her resume was straightforward, like millions of other girls her age. The only difference was she chose the cruelest method to end hers and the lives of others at such a young age.


    This means there had to be someone, or an important event, that pushed her out of her flat life.


    However, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t see such a thing in her profile.


    After thinking for a long time, Lin Chen spoke again, ¡°Are her parents still alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Chao nodded.


    ¡°When she was very young, were there any elders who passed away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    Yu Yan Qing¡¯s life was simple, and her parents were both alive. What did she experience that made her so persistent on death?


    ¡°Is it possible something happened at the hospital?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian asked, unusually mysterious.


    ¡­


    The hospital was the start of all of this.


    When Lin Chen got out of the car, an ambulance was parked beside him.


    When its door slid open, a medic got out with the stretcher, and there was already another one waiting by the hospital¡¯s entrance. On the stretcher was an elderly of about 70 years old, followed by his pair of son and daughter crying with swollen eyes. Lin Chen passed them and heard them cry for their mother.


    Pushing the door open, Lin Chen looked back at the pair of middle-aged siblings.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, each and every one of us has such an experience. However, normal people only feel sad and pained when witnessing the departure of their loved ones. This doesn¡¯t typically produce the fear of death by itself.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian rubbed his beard, hand on the glass door.


    A few moments after, Lin Chen looked up, and his expression turned cold quickly, ¡°The first time I received a letter from her was on July 13th and then once every two weeks. The dressed corpse was found on September 7th.¡± Lin Chen turned to Cong Lian and continued, ¡°You need to find out how many patients passed away in this hospital and how many were on the floor Yu Yan Qing worked at. Everyone who was in close contact with her as well.¡±


    Cong Lian nodded and started to move towards the security department to inquire before hearing Lin Chen¡¯s voice behind him after taking only two steps, ¡°The day should be a Wednesday, and the patient might be on the seventh floor or in the seventh building.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Cong Lian immediately felt like an idiot. Both the 13th of July and September 7th fell on Wednesday¡¯s. She wrote letters to Lin Chen once every two weeks and even the time between the discovery of those dressed-up corpses was seven days.


    They thought this was a condition set by the murderer themselves, but now, it looks like it might have deeper meaning.


    After Cong Lian left, Fu Hao went over and stood next to Lin Chen. He changed his expression from that of a lackey, and his face appeared serious, ¡°Brother, do you have any guesses to whether this is a simple homicide or¡­¡±


    Instead of answering him, Lin Chen lifted his head and stared at the hospital¡¯s snow-white walls. His gaze followed the glass windows and ended on a high floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s explore the seventh floor,¡± he said.


    Fu Hao let out a drawn-out sigh. Of course, he knew how tight-lipped his brother was and that everything would remain a secret before Lin Chen was ready to talk about it.


    The elevator arrived at the top floor and, when the door opened, the word¡¸Oncology¡¹in scarlet came into view.


    Even Fu Hao had an epiphany.


    Lin Chen coughed twice, and Fu Hao finally exited the elevator.


    The oncology ward was exceptionally calm and quiet. The elderly walked by slowly, holding onto the railings attached to the walls.


    Just then, a nurse accompanying an old man passed by, and Lin Chen immediately remembered him as the nurse he saw in the hospital that day. He went over and patted the nurse on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯d like to ask if you know Yan Qing?¡± His question was ambiguous.


    The nurse nodded and said with disdain, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Suicide.¡± Lin Chen added.


    ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting you. I just want to know, did Yu Yan Qing know a man at the hospital?¡±


    The nurse¡¯s face changed instantly, but he still didn¡¯t dare speak.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I didn¡¯t kill her!¡±


    ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t you.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice was calm as if trying to alleviate the nurse¡¯s anxiety. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know the relationship between you and Yan Qing, that¡¯s your private matter.¡± Lin Chen whispered, and the murderer¡¯s sand table appeared in his mind, ¡°I want you to recall whether you¡¯ve seen a mother-son pair. They should be the only members left of their family. The son is about 35-40 years old and the mother around 65. The mother is very strict with her son. You once thought such a domineering old lady in her sixties was quite hateful.¡±


    Interpreting the sand table was imagination in itself. Lin Chen associated what he felt when he visited the crime scene too. It was in a state of external order and internal chaos and had a sense of confusion, loneliness, and helplessness. ¡°I think the son left an impression on you. He was so obedient to his mother that it made you think he was a weak mama¡¯s boy.¡± Lin Chen changed his tone, and his words also slowed, ¡°But he was a gentleman, his conduct was mannerly. So much so that he appeared charming.¡±


    The nurse suddenly looked up, as if remembering something.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The son of a former patient in Bed 3, Section 7. Yan Qing was assigned that area.¡±


    ¡°What happened to that patient?¡±


    ¡°Gastric cancer, chronic.¡± The nurse said bluntly.


    ¡°That patient¡­ did she commit suicide?¡±


    The nurse was surprised but nodded.

 CH 14

    With the bed number, finding the person became easy.


    Lin Chen sat at the bedside of an elder wearing an oxygen mask. They looked frail like their life hung by a thread.


    Fu Hao stood behind him, slightly hunched over, and questioned.


    ¡°Brother, how did you know Yu Yan Qing found a man here?¡±


    ¡°Other than family and friends, only love can change a person. Love can make people crazy.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian happened to catch the question as he entered.


    He stepped up to the bedside, ¡°What man?¡±


    ¡°Brother¡¯s found someone suspicious. Yu Yan Qing might have gotten herself a boyfriend.¡±


    Fu Hao replied with caution. Cong Lian¡¯s eyebrows raised, ¡°But there¡¯s no mention of a boyfriend in her information.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was somewhat agitated.


    The information came from a police investigation, after all. The fact they missed such a vital piece of information indicated there were deficiencies in their work.


    ¡°Their interactions were secretive, and they probably used a special method of communication,¡± Lin Chen said as if relieved.


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Find her man.¡±


    A vigilant feminine voice came from the ward¡¯s door, ¡°Are you the patient¡¯s family members? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡±


    A young nurse stood in the doorway, holding a white tray.


    Xing Cong Lian showed his police badge, and the nurse¡¯s face tensed.


    The captain made way for the nurse by the bedside.


    Lin Chen looked at her and asked, ¡°Something happened on this bed recently, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The nurse¡¯s expression worsened, and she stepped away to leave but bumped into Cong Lian¡¯s broad chest.


    ¡°The hospital won¡¯t let you talk?¡± Lin Chen set his hand on the back of the elder¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°We will always find out, you know. We hope that with your help, we¡¯ll shorten the time it takes.¡±


    He was honest because honesty made it impossible for people to refuse.


    ¡°The previous patient jumped out of the building on August 10th and died,¡± the nurse said with hesitation.


    ¡°What was the patient¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Feng Xue Juan.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian quickly pulled out his phone.


    Wang Chao, who had just stepped into the police station with one leg, turned around and rushed to the hospital once he received the call.


    The matter was settled by the time the Chief of Security arrived.


    The Chief¡¯s expression grew sad when he heard the police wanted to view the video of Feng Xue Juan on August 10th.


    The patients at the hospital had already decreased dramatically because of the cases with the corpses. If the serial killer was related to the hospital, their reputation was ruined.


    However, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s tough attitude left him no choice but to lead them to the surveillance room.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Want Chao arrived not long after.


    The security guards were still pulling up the video. The young technician sat in a swivel chair, pulled up his cap, then slid over and pushed them out of the way.


    He looked at the video format, searched for the correct file, and dragged along the timer bit by bit. The footage of Feng Xue Juan jumping appeared onscreen.


    A thin woman in a hospital gown dropped. Her figure was like a kite with a broken string, plummeting to the ground.


    Because of the sun¡¯s reflection, the hospital¡¯s windows were too bright to see the actual situation.


    Fu Hao sighed regretfully.


    Xing Cong Lian clicked his tongue. He moved over to the window and looked outside.


    The hospital¡¯s surveillance system was quite complete, covering most of the public areas. Looking around, his gaze fell on the camera on a courtyard wall.


    ¡°Which is that monitor?¡±


    The policeman pointed at the rotating surveillance camera.


    The Chief of Security looked in the direction he pointed then quickly shuffled over to a filing cabinet to retrieve the information.


    Wang Chao looked up from the monitor and searched for the camera number.


    He tapped away on the keyboard, and the screen went dark then lit up again soon after.


    The black and white pixels squeezed together, and the dead, old man from Chun Shui Street sat on a bench downstairs, basking in the sun.


    ¡°That man!¡± Fu Hao pointed at a young man on the screen.


    Wang Chao quickly zoomed in on the footage and slowed the video down again. The young man¡¯s face gradually became clearer. It was the young man who died in the park!


    Ten seconds later, Yu Yan Qing also appeared. She stood under a tree not far from Feng Xue Juan¡¯s still twitching body.


    The surveillance room went silent.


    Everyone felt cold as if plunged into ice water.


    All of a sudden, the sound of a piano filled the room.


    The melody was disorderly, and it shook everyone out of their stupor.


    Cong Lian connected the call, and the chief of the police station barked.


    ¡°Higher-ups are here, get back quickly!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian knew the old director well.


    The old man liked to talk a lot, but there were few things that made him anxious.


    Recently, the only thing that bothered the old man was the man standing in front of the monitor before him.


    He unconsciously glanced at Lin Chen, and Lin Chen returned the look as if he already knew.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Someone stood outside the police station.


    Instead of waiting in the warm office, this man stood under the eaves. The rain had long soaked his shoulders, and the three silver stars on flashed all the brighter for it.


    Xing Cong Lian watched the man from his position in the car. He stopped Lin Chen¡¯s hand from unfastening the seatbelt.


    Lin Chen¡¯s fingers were cold, and he decisively tugged his hand free.


    ¡°It¡¯s an acquaintance, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    He pushed open the door and went out without an umbrella. Within a few steps, he reached the eaves.


    After three years, the man seemed to have lost weight. His temperament had also sharpened like a sword about to be unsheathed.


    A rare smile graced Lin Chen¡¯s face, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen in a long time, Inspector Huang. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I heard you were restless, so I came to see.¡±


    The same words said by different people had different meanings.


    Instead of being passive, Lin Chen looked up at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re really idle, Huang Ze.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian happened to hear Lin Chen¡¯s response as he came over after locking his car.


    The investigation only started three days ago, and there were already a lot of people coming over to find trouble. Lin Chen¡¯s responses were also growing more interesting.


    His jaw dropped, and he had to stop himself from laughing out loud. The silver stars on the man¡¯s insignia meant he was two and a half ranks above him.


    Working in the same force, of course, Cong Lian had heard the name Inspector Huang Ze. Reporters tended to describe him as ¡°the star of the police¡± and ¡°the messenger of justice.¡± He was from a wealthy family and, because of that, he didn¡¯t need to accept bribes. It was a given that he was clean and honest. His connections ran deep, and he was also unpredictable and mysterious. Most importantly, Huang Ze was good-looking, and no one could compare to his promotion speed.


    He went over and saluted Huang Ze. Before he could speak, the man returned the salutation and said, ¡°Captain Xing, right? I¡¯m ordered to oversee your handling of this case.¡±


    Well, no wonder the old director was so angry. Turns out, he was watched by Huang Ze¡¯s eyes.


    However, Huang Ze¡¯s respectful words and modest manners made it impossible for anyone to find fault with his conduct. Even if what he meant was ¡°I¡¯ll be watching, you best behave,¡± when such a person said it so matter-of-factly, no one could make a fuss.


    ¡°We just found an important clue. If Inspector Huang wouldn¡¯t mind, can you give us some advice?¡± Cong Lian asked with humor.


    Xing Cong Lian was, of course, polite, but Huang Ze wasn¡¯t.


    He directly led the way into the station, and Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen followed after him.


    A policewoman, Zhang Xiao Long, nervously placed a teacup on the table for the Big Man who suddenly came down to the station. She held a teapot in her other hand and poured in hot water.


    She turned when she heard someone coming in and almost got scalded.


    Lin Chen found a chain to one corner and sat. Surprisingly, Huang Ze ignored the seat that was obviously vacated for him and sat next to Lin Chen. He held good posture and took out a palm-sized leather notebook without pause. He tapped the ballpoint in his hand twice, ready to listen and take notes.


    Xing Cong Lian stood at the table and looked at the two. For some reason, the atmosphere between them felt strange.


    He clicked his tongue, and Fu Hao entered the room, followed by Wang Chao. Fu Hao couldn¡¯t help rubbing his eyes and taking a double-take when he saw who sat next to Lin Chen.


    He desperately winked at Lin Chen, but the latter pretended he was blind.


    Due to someone¡¯s arrival, the typically noisy office instantly became quiet.


    Lin Chen leaned back in his chair and watched as everyone took their seats one after the other. The chairs were arranged in a circle, and Lin Chen felt dizzy, the voices in his ears growing fuzzy. He didn¡¯t even pay any mind to Huang Ze beside him.


    Xing Cong Lian picked his seat and sat. The commissioner cleared his throat, ¡°There¡¯s a breakthrough in the 9. 10 homicide case. Captain Xing of the Criminal Department will explain.¡± He approached the topic with a clear-cut, businesslike manner, aiming to present everything clearly to the supervising officer.


    ¡°According to Mr. Lin¡¯s analysis, we traced Mrs. Feng Xua Juan¡¯s son. We suspect he committed a major crime¡­¡±


    Cong Lian was interrupted by the political commissar before he could finish. ¡°Lao Xing, didn¡¯t I already tell you? You¡¯re too capricious. We only use evidence when handling cases!¡± He tapped the table none-too-gently. ¡°Just because his mother committed suicide, you think Feng Pei Lin was the murderer? What about Yu Yan Qing then? Judging from the evidence, it¡¯s more likely she¡¯s the one who committed the crime. You cannot make judgments so arbitrarily just because of unrelated personnel.¡±


    Lin Chen opened his eyes. Everyone had already taken their seats. The secretary took the meeting minutes while everyone else¡¯s eyes focused on him over their files.


    The air conditioner filled the room with cool air, and the temperature plummeted.


    Lin Chen raised his gaze but didn¡¯t get angry at the man¡¯s harsh words. He knew very well inferences based on psychological analysis couldn¡¯t be used as evidence.


    ¡°We need experts.¡± The political commissar knocked on the table again. ¡°Not everyone can be called an expert.¡±


    This was a loaded statement, and Cong Lian was about to refute when Lin Chen spoke first, ¡°What do you need?¡±


    His voice was hoarse. He sported dark circles under his eyes, and he looked very tired.


    ¡°Can you prove Yu Yan Qing knew Feng Pei Lin?¡± Huang Ze suddenly spoke.


    ¡°You two are a couple.¡±


    Instead of answering Huang Ze, Lin Chen stared at the political commissar.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You and that girl,¡± Lin Chen pointed at the secretary, ¡°are lovers, though no one in the office knows. You often meet secretly after work.¡±


    The room filled with whispers and the secretary lowered her head. The political commissar¡¯s face darkened, and he sported an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°Find footage where Yu Yan Qing and Feng Pei Lin appear together.¡± Lin Chen told Wang Chao, inadvertently placing his elbow on his armrest to support his head.


    Wang Chao pulled out the footage and turned the computer around. Yu Yan Qing held a mop, bent over, and she stole looks at Feng Pei Lin as the man stepped aside.


    ¡°There.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the secretary. Her head hung, but she couldn¡¯t conceal the shy admiration and sweetness in her gaze toward her lover.


    The women¡¯s expressions were almost identical.


    ¡°Lao Jiang, you didn¡¯t tell even me this!¡± Xing Cong Lian slapped the table with a smile. This was the first time he¡¯d ever seen the political commissar wear such a withered expression. It was worth as much as a winning lottery ticket.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t make fun of Xiao Chen.¡± The man waved his hand quickly, ¡°Discuss the case¡­ Discuss the case!¡±


    The sound of heels came from outside the room, and Zhang Xiao Long entered with a stack of files.


    She looked pale, glancing left and right, appearing shaken.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Xiao Long?¡± Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°You told me to check up on Feng Pei Lin and Yu Yan Qing. They didn¡¯t just know each other; they were quite familiar.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say so?¡±


    Zhang Xiao Long looked at Lin Chen and bit her lips. ¡°Feng Pei Lin was Yu Yan Qing¡¯s Chinese teacher.¡±


    Lin Chen felt like he was struck by thunder. He felt cold and numb like he had lost the ability to think.


    ¡°Due to her family¡¯s circumstances, she went to work after finishing middle school. At the time, Feng Pei Lin was her Chinese teacher¡­¡±

 CH 15

    Criminal Psychology 15


    As the wind and rain grew outside, leaves struck the window, and Zhang Xiao Long stopped.


    Dozens of eyes in the room focused on Lin Chen.


    The gazes ranged from doubt to consternation and incredulity. Even if someone else was to blame, it was still embarrassing.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes remained closed, unmoved.


    Only Huang Ze could feel Lin Chen¡¯s slight tremble or the excessive warmth of his body.


    Fu Hau got angry. He gritted his teeth and wanted to speak, but Cong Lian held him back.


    ¡°It seems Mr. Feng should be invited in for tea. Don¡¯t you think so, commissar?¡± Xing Cong Lian rubbed his beard, drawing everyone¡¯s attention away from Lin Chen.


    The political commissar¡¯s face was red, but he still wore a profound expression nonetheless. Pondering only for a moment, he gave the affirmative.


    Xing Cong Lian stood, the harsh scrape of the chair against the floor echoed in the room. He glanced in Lin Chen¡¯s direction, wanting to take the man with him, but Lin Chen wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    Huang Ze put away his notebook and raised his face to look at Cong Lian. ¡°Captain Xing, it¡¯s not good to have an irrelevant individual participate in an investigation with you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lin played a key role in this investigation already. How is he irrelevant?¡±


    Huang Ze turned back to his book, skimmed for certain information, then raised his head again. ¡°It seems Professor Fu is the psychology expert hired by the force, right?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was speechless. He wanted to argue again, but Lin Chen opened his eyes a little to look at him and shook his head.


    Fu Hao pulled Cong Lian away. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, Lao Xing. We have someone to arrest!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The camphor trees by the roadside shook with the wind as the jeep traveled through. Fu Hao was silent, and Xing Cong Lian had his foot pressed to the gas. The atmosphere was so tense it was scary.


    At a red light, Cong Lian stomped on the break, and the car screeched to a stop.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it?¡±


    ¡°Say what.¡±


    ¡°That Lin Chen, your brother, is an expert amongst experts!¡±


    ¡°Huang Ze didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did brother. What was I supposed to do!¡± Forced to take the blame like this, Fu Hao also grew angry.


    ¡°What¡¯s with Huang Ze? You¡¯re so scared of him, you don¡¯t dare speak?¡±


    ¡°Huang Ze is also my senior!¡±


    Fu Hao wanted to continue, but when he saw Cong Lian¡¯s expression, he instantly understood what just happened, ¡°Lao Xing, you¡¯re corrupt!¡±


    Fu Hao was irritated.


    ¡°Tell me now, what exactly went down between Huang Ze, Lin Chen, and that guy Chen¡­¡± Cong Lian said, flicking down the car¡¯s lock. ¡°If you won¡¯t, don¡¯t even think about leaving the car.¡±


    When men wanted to gossip, they were even more troublesome than women as they were persistent and willing to use a hands-first approach.


    Fu Hao looked at the traffic light that changed then, as the car accelerated, sighed, ¡°Have you heard of the North-to-South Family?¡±


    ¡°Which novel?¡±


    Fu Hao looked at Cong Lian like he was an alien in disbelief. The profound atmosphere disappeared in an instant.


    ¡°Lao Xing, you really are extraordinary¡­¡± Fu Hao¡¯s voice became helpless, and he calmed down. ¡°Even if you live in your own little world, you must know that in this world, there are prominent families. Rich, powerful, and ordinary people can hardly ever come into contact with them. Once they do, they have to be careful. This isn¡¯t fiction; it¡¯s more like fiction reflects reality.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The North-to-South Family, Zhou, Wu, Chen, and Huang,¡± Fu Hao looked ahead as he uttered the names.


    The rain grew heavier, and the car¡¯s engine was also loud. Fu Hao fell silent, and Cong Lian also didn¡¯t speak.


    After a while, the bearded man pulled over and pulled up the handbrake. ¡°Oh, then?¡±


    His tone was light, too light. It conveyed how very unimpressed he was.


    Fu Hao was speechless. He thought his words were enough to caution Cong Lian, but it looked like not even half his words were taken to heart.


    ¡°Be serious! They are super rich.¡±


    ¡°Rich, but don¡¯t spend money on me, so why should I care?¡±


    ¡°What do they have anything to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Zhou, Wu¡­ that Huang fellow, how did Lin Chen offend them?¡±


    Fu Hao thought: That¡¯s Lin Chen¡¯s business, it has nothing to do with you.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    The small city school gate was around the corner. The wind had knocked branches down, and they were scattered on the ground, giving the scene before them a bleak air.


    Anyone¡¯s mood would be morose at a place like this.


    ¡°Because we were told not to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so boring.¡±


    Cong Lian pulled a cigarette from a carton and put it between his lips then exited the car.


    He had only stepped out with one leg when the man behind him asked a question.


    ¡°Lao Xing, do you think everyone is created equal?¡±


    ¡°Are we not?¡±


    ¡°So a thief, a child of an influential family, yours, and Feng Pei Lin are equal?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Many questions in the world were hard to answer. Many things could take a person at a loss for words.


    There were only two men left in the office.


    The policewoman who wanted to stay and tidy up was forced to leave before she could even move a chair.


    Lin Chen felt someone hand him a glass of water. The temperature was appropriate, about 40 degrees.


    Only Huang Ze would do this type of thing, measure the temperature of drinking water to such precision.


    Knowing it was Huang Ze, Lin Chen retrieved his hand that had already touched the cup. The glass fell to the ground and splashed water everywhere, even onto the superintendent¡¯s hem.


    As the water splashed, Huang Ze chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡± He set the back of his hand against Lin Chen¡¯s forehead. ¡°Fever, about 39.5 degrees.¡±


    His laugh was ambiguous, and his gesture intimate. His expression was gentle, but his phoenix eyes were cold. So cold, one could feel the ice in his gaze.


    ¡°Huang Ze, you¡¯re boring, awfully so.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t avoid the man¡¯s hand as it would be too unnatural and make it seem like he cared.


    Huang Ze crouched in front of him, hands on the armrests, and crowded him in, ¡°How have you been these three years? Good?¡±


    ¡°If I had been doing well, you would have picked me up yourself. How could you be this at ease?¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for you.¡± Huang Ze said as he inched closer. Because they were so close, he could feel Lin Chen¡¯s scalding breath with every exhale. His heart softened, and he asked, ¡°So, have you regretted not saving her at all these three years?¡±


    Waiting for the answer, he stared at Lin Chen, whose lips were cracked from the fever. He thought: if Lin Chen said yes, he would pour the water on him and force him to drink.


    ¡°Suppose there were twenty children playing on a railway. Four are from rich families, the intelligent and elite. They advised the other children a train would come, and they should play on the abandoned track next to it. The rest of the sixteen don¡¯t heed their advice, and only the four go to the abandoned track. A train is coming, and you stand beside the railroad switch. You can turn the train to the abandoned rack and sacrifice the four to save the sixteen, or let the sixteen die to save the four.¡± Fu Hao looked at Cong Lian¡¯s back with a difficult smile. He asked, ¡°If I may, what would you do?¡±


    Cong Lian was drenched in the rain as he leaned half out the door, but he held this position for a long time as he thought.


    He took out a lighter and tried to light his cigarette a dozen times, but it didn¡¯t spark.


    ¡°That is a question I cannot answer.¡± Finally, it lit up, and he held the flame to the cigarette. He exhaled a long spool of smoke. ¡°But, I admire the person who can.¡±


    ¡°Not every question in this world has an answer.¡± Lin Chen stared into Huang Ze¡¯s cold eyes, and his voice was contrarily soft, ¡°and not all answers can be distinguished by right and wrong.¡±


    Huang Ze suddenly stood up. If this wasn¡¯t the police station, he would have wrung Lin Chen¡¯s neck.


    Of course, Cong Lian knew the story Fu Hao told wasn¡¯t fictional but a real event.


    Because it was real, it was too heavy.


    All questions involving human nature were naturally heavy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Because school was suspended for the storm, there were no students on-site, and there were also few teachers.


    The bell rang as usual, and Cong Lian snuffed out his cigarette. He followed a security guard to Peng Fei Lin¡¯s office.


    The large office was empty, and Cong Lian recognized Feng Pei Lin¡¯s desk at a glance without having to ask.


    It was a clean table in beige with nothing but a book on top.


    Cong Lian put on a glove, picked up the book, and went to the window.


    He opened the cover, and there was a sentence scrawled on the front page:


    A man who has not passed through an inferno of his passions has never overcome them ¨C ¨C Jung.


    The writing was beautiful, and the strokes delicate, showing the writer¡¯s seriousness. Yet, because of this, it also appeared sarcastic.


    Even without Lin Chen¡¯s presence, Cong Lian could somewhat imagine how the writer would sit at the window, lips quirked a little while he wrote those words.


    Cong Lian flipped through the book¡¯s pages with a blank expression, and a letter fell out.


    The envelope was white and spotless.


    The letter wasn¡¯t sealed, and Cong Lian turned it upside down and shook. Delicate, white sand fluttered out. The envelope was empty save for the sand.


    If the writing was a taunt,


    The sand was naked provocation.


    ¡°Captain Xing, this is Miss Xu, who shares the office with Mr. Feng.¡±


    The security guard walked over with a female teacher, her hair in a ponytail, beside him.


    ¡°Oh, good.¡± Cong Lian handed the book and envelope to Fu Hao then sat next to the teacher.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a few questions about Mr. Feng.¡±


    Anyone would be nervous facing an officer. The teacher was the same. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she pursed her lips tight.


    ¡°How did Mr. Feng treat his students?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very good to the students. He teaches Chinese, and he¡¯s elegant, with a rich vocabulary. The students like him.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about Mr. Feng¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Feng isn¡¯t married, so he¡¯s more popular with female students.¡±


    ¡°Well, have you ever felt Mr. Feng¡¯s demeanor or words to be somewhat strange?¡± Cong Lian continued to ask.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡± The teacher frowned, thinking. ¡°Teacher Feng calls his mother every day, at a fixed time. Sometimes, even when he¡¯s in class, he will step out to call her.¡±


    The son was about 35 to 40, and the mother about 65 and very strict with her son.


    Cong Lian suddenly recalled Lin Chen¡¯s inference and couldn¡¯t help but turn to Fu Hao.


    ¡°What else?¡± He urged.


    ¡°And¡­¡± The teacher rubbed her nose. ¡°Mr. Feng is quite careless sometimes. He likes to sit by the window in a daze.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    Cong Lian moved his chair to Feng Pei Lin¡¯s desk and sat, looking out the window.


    He froze.


    When he saw the man stare out the window without speaking, Fu Hao couldn¡¯t help but push him, ¡°What is it, Lao Xing?¡±


    ¡°Feng Pei Lin was watching Lin Chen¡­¡±


    Cong Lian pulled Fu Hao down to the same line of sight as he muttered those words.

 CH 16

    Three years, Xing Cong Lian thought.


    Feng Pei Lin watched Lin Chen for three years.


    Rain or shine, Feng Pei Lin sat quietly by the window and stared at the young man even quieter than he in the dormitory opposite.


    He might have watched Lin Chen while he read and wrote, maybe even while he spoke with the children.


    No matter what Lin Chen did, there was at least one pair of eyes watching him from this far away. And those eyes were like thorns, no, even worse than thorns.


    Cong Lian couldn¡¯t help shivering.


    He returned to the station with the book, letter, and a handful of sand.


    The chill at the station had long since dispersed.


    Lin Chen slept lightly in a chair with a police jacket draped over him.


    The star insignia glittered. Inspector Huang sat next to him in just his white shirt, left leg crossed over his right. He turned the pages in his notebook while holding a glass of warm water in the other hand.


    Xing Cong Lian stood in the doorway, thinking: the room has so many chairs, yet Huang still chooses to sit by Lin Chen.


    The man sat there so naturally as if it were his rightful place.


    Cong Lian was a little unhappy with this.


    Fu Hao emerged from behind, glanced at the situation inside, and dragged the distracted Cong Lian into the room.


    Lin Chen took this moment to open his eyes.


    When he saw Cong Lian had returned with Fu Hao, he stood and placed the uniform jacket on the armrest without even looking at Huang.


    ¡°I have a fever, please take me to a pharmacy.¡±


    His voice was weak and his plea stiff. His intent to leave the station as soon as possible was blatant.


    Huang Ze smiled and set down his notebook.


    Xing Cong Lian was about to say ¡°no private matters during work hours,¡± when Huang Ze said, ¡°Buy aspirin, he¡¯s allergic to most antibiotics.¡±


    Cong Lian¡¯s anger only grew.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Due to the typhoon, the entire city was shrouded in wind, but the rain had stopped.


    Lin Chen¡¯s feet were weak, but he insisted on walking by himself. Cong Lian and Fu Hao couldn¡¯t very well beat him into submission, so they walked by his side, looking like his bodyguards.


    The three trudged across bluestone slabs, footsteps soft in the puddles.


    ¡°Feng Pei Lin left you a book and an envelope of sand. What¡¯s going on between you two?¡±


    Although doubts snowballed in his mind, wondering about the relationship between Huang Ze and Lin Chen, why the former¡¯s attitude took a 180 turn, he did not ask. He took the evidence bag from his pocket and handed it to Lin Chen.


    There were too many nosy people who liked infringing on people¡¯s privacy in the world, and some people were just born with too many unspeakable secrets.


    Not inquiring and choosing to trust was remarkable and rare on its own.


    Lin Chen clearly got the message and stared into Cong Lian¡¯s earnest eyes. He said carefully and sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Cong Lian scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed. In fact, if not for Fu Hao¡¯s question before, he might have questioned Lin Chen about Huang Ze now. He didn¡¯t dare look into Lin Chen¡¯s eyes so dropped his gaze to the book in the psychologist¡¯s hand. His heart sank. ¡°He could see into your room just by looking out the window of his desk.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s steps halted.


    ¡°He was watching me?¡±


    ¡°Should be.¡±


    Fragments of footage flashed through his feverish mind like a montage. The white sand table, a strange street, snow-white sheets, scarlet bloodstains. Frame-by-frame, it flipped, making one¡¯s head feel like splitting in half.


    After a while, the fragments returned to their origin, and the raindrops on the eaves around them had almost dried.


    Lin Chen gave back the evidence bag and stepped forward again.


    Cong Lian watched his back and felt angry again.


    Lin Chen had obviously thought of something yet didn¡¯t say a word.


    Left with no other choice, he could only shout at Lin Chen¡¯s back, ¡°Yu Yan Qing wrote letters to you, Feng Pei Lin watched you every day. I won¡¯t ask about your past, but you must explain everything related to this case clearly!¡±


    His words were straightforward, and Lin Chen did stop, but he didn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°What do you need me to explain, Captain?¡± He asked, back facing Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°Do you know Feng Pei Lin?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know already?¡±


    ¡°Then why did he leave this letter to you? What on earth does that white sand mean?¡±


    ¡°Simple. It¡¯s because I have a sand table in my room. He wanted me to know my analysis was exactly what he wanted me to see. It¡¯s his provocation.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Cong Lian continued after a pause, ¡°He stalked you for three years, peeping at you every single day, murdered people, provokes you now, and you don¡¯t know?¡±


    His words were quite reasonable and polite, so he expected Lin Chen to return the courtesy. But Lin Chen merely turned his head a little with a smile on his face.


    It wasn¡¯t a mocking expression nor was it one of anger. It was simply a smile as if Cong Lian¡¯s question had amused him.


    ¡°Captain, you might now know this, but in the world, whether it¡¯s a psychopath or a criminal with an incredible IQ, there are really, a lot of people who want to provoke me. If I needed to care about every single one of their motivations, I would have no way to live.¡±


    His statement was so point-blank and made so much sense, Cong Lian was left speechless.


    ¡°Why?¡± He could only utter this one word after holding back for a long while.


    ¡°Because I was really, really famous.¡±


    It was an egotistical statement, but coming from Lin Chen¡¯s mouth, it didn¡¯t sound like boasting at all.


    On the contrary, it sounded almost humble and honest.


    If it was someone ordinary, they would probably have laughed. Cong Lian was quite unusual himself to begin with, so he just nodded and said matter-of-factly, ¡°I think so as well. I¡¯ve never met someone as smart as you are.¡±


    His eyes were a beautiful lake-green and when he stared ahead, they looked as deep as the sea.


    After all, he was of Italian descent, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say he had racial advantage.


    Lin Chen¡¯s face flushed all of a sudden.


    This was quite embarrassing. After all, he¡¯d almost quarreled with Cong Lian. His attitude had been quite aggressive, and now he¡¯s blushing.


    He could only change the topic himself so he coughed and said, ¡°I think Feng Pei Lin is going to commit suicide.¡±


    ¡°Yu Yan Qing committed suicide, so he will do the same?¡±


    ¡°She was only a pawn for him. He probably used her to improve his plan.¡±


    ¡°What plan?¡±


    ¡°You can overcome your fear of death by training yourself. This was our previous conjecture.¡± Lin Chen paused to let that sink in then said, ¡°The reason I don¡¯t consider Yu Yan Qing the mastermind behind all this is due to her motive. It isn¡¯t strong enough.¡±


    ¡°But Feng Pei Lin¡¯s is?¡±


    ¡°Boys are more prone to Oedipus complex. If I¡¯m not wrong, his mother raised him and their family consisted of only the two of them. You know when a child¡¯s psychology is disturbed, it often has to do with their family. If my guess is correct, Feng Xue Juan, his mother, had a very strong need for control, and her son had to act according to her will.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, the teacher I interviewed said Feng Pei Lin always called his mother at a specific time without fail. Was this because Feng Xue Juan told him to?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°This kind of controlling environment tends to have two results.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°Extreme defiance or extreme obedience, taking their mother as their God, her will is God¡¯s will.¡±


    Extreme time he analyzed this case with Lin Chen, Xing Cong Lian always felt a shiver run up his spine.


    ¡°What would you do if the goddess you worshipped succumbed to mortality in such a worthless fashion?¡±


    Before Cong Lian could even say the question was too heavy, Lin Chen repeated it, and he had no choice but to look at Fu Hao for help.


    Although it sickened him, he had to admit: if this happened to him, he would have the urge to kill.


    ¡°Even if Feng Pei Lin wanted to kill everyone who saw his mother¡¯s state before her death, why would he use Yu Yan Qing and design this method to overcome her fear?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, he himself is terrified of death.¡± Lin Chen looked at Cong Lian with eyes that said his question was too stupid.


    ¡°Feng Pei Lin enjoyed playing with death, yet he¡¯s afraid of it?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it was his mother who was afraid of death.¡± Lin Chen had spoken too much and his throat was uncomfortable, so he lowered his voice as he continued, ¡°Remember, the ward Yu Yan Qing cleaned was the oncology department. Feng Xue Juan suffered from stomach cancer which is one of its most painful forms. She committed suicide because she couldn¡¯t stand the pain and drawing out her inevitable death.¡±


    ¡°He used Yu Yan Qing to study how to reduce the pain of dying?¡± Xing Cong Lian responded quickly.


    ¡°Seems his study was successful.¡± Fu Hao interjected, ¡°Yu Yan Qing really did commit suicide.¡±


    ¡°This is the logical results if all his crimes were research on calming himself before his eath.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s gazed into the distance. ¡°Our conjecture was that Yu Yan Qing had four steps in her journey to overcome her fear. First, get close to dead bodies, then observe a murder, actual murder, and finally, suicide. But, if we are to replace her with Feng Pei Lin, there is an additional step.¡±


    ¡°Get close to corpses, observe a murder, commit homicide, help and watch Yu Yan Qing with her suicide, then commit suicide?¡± Xing Cong Lian blurted.


    He noticed immediately what was wrong: ¡°But who did Feng Pei Lin kill?¡±


    ¡°Check and see if there¡¯s a homicide the police missed,¡± Lin Chen commented off-handedly.


    If Lin Chen wanted you to believe in something, you would.


    Xing Cong Lian trusted Lin Chen, so of course, he called Wang Chao and told him to search for obscure murders recently and examine the surveillance footage for any since of Feng Pei Lin¡¯s location.


    Afterward, he called the traffic department and asked for cooperation in launching a city-wide pursuit for Feng Pei Lin.


    After several phone calls, Cong Lian continued walking side-by-side with Lin Chen while Fu Hao absentmindedly walked ahead.


    Lin Chen watched him hang up and asked, ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Like looking for a needle in a haystack, ah. The force is already stretched to the limit with the recent festival. We need more time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother will all that.¡± Lin Chen made up his mind and looked up. ¡°I can guarantee his presence, you only need to set the place.¡±


    His voice was weak, but his tone was terribly serious.


    Later, Cong Lian thought if he had discovered something was wrong with Lin Chen here, maybe there wouldn¡¯t be so many stories in the future.


    Unfortunately, Lin Chen never gave him the chance to react.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe I can lure him out, let¡¯s make a bet. I want to eat Tian Xing Ju for lunch, your treat.¡¯ Lin Chen said to Cong Lian while watching Fu Hao¡¯s back. He then went to a roadside stall and bought six Planet Cups.


    Lin Chen handed him a cup, and Cong Lian stood there frozen, still not understanding his plan.


    He watched Lin Chen give the remaining five cups to Fu Hao.


    ¡°Ah, brother?¡± Fu Hao looked at the snacks in surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, so this is a reward.¡±


    Lin Chen winked. Seeing him so animated, Fu Hao had a realization.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this brother, acting like Lao Ye Zi, you¡¯re going to make me cry.¡± Fu Hao tore open the lid of one and asked, ¡°How many did you get for a (kuai) buck?¡±


    ¡°Six,¡± Lin Chen answered with a rare smile. He had a dimple in his left cheek. It was like a blooming flower in a vast sea of snow under the sun, miniscule yet gorgeous.


    Cong Lian, in a daze, tossed an arm over Fu Hao¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Who¡¯s that? Tell me?¡±


    ¡°Lao Ye Zi is our mentor. Brother¡¯s his favorite, and every time we wrote a good paper, he¡¯d reward us with a Planet Cup. Because he¡¯s old, our school¡¯s shop owner would bully him though. He always got 5 ups for a buck when he could have gotten 6 instead. He was duped every time.¡± Fu Hao chuckled.


    Lin Chen continued to smile and the atmosphere relaxed. ¡°Well, where are we going to eat?¡± He asked, rather casually.


    ¡°Tian Xing Ju,¡± Fu Hao answered quickly.


    Fu Hao answered easily, but for Cong Lian, it was like being struck by thunder. He looked at Lin Chen incredulously and poked the professor¡¯s head, mouth open about to ask.


    As if having read his mind, Lin Chen turned and pointed at the bus stop they just passed. On the advertisement board, there was a picture of a restaurant. The word ¡°Tian Xing Ju¡± was bright, blinding his eyes.


    ¡°Our mentor¡¯s a loyal customer of Tian Xing Ju. Whenever we meet, it will always be there.¡±


    ¡°So you deliberately remined Fu Hao of the old man?¡±


    ¡°I gave the Planet Cup to Fu Hao and gave him a hint about Teacher. Fu Hao happened to see the Tian Xing Ju ad, and the image of our teacher appeared in his subconscious. When I asked him where to eat, that will easily evoke the restaurant in his mind, hence his immediate response.¡± Afraid Cong Lian would never get it, Lin Chen explained the process step-by-step.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll lure Feng Pei Lin out with this method?¡± Cong Lian was still doubtful, ¡°Will it really work?¡±


    ¡°Trust me.¡±

 CH 17

    Near dinner time, Hong Jing City¡¯s residents found the promotional ad that been out for barely half a month suddenly changed its style.


    The music was bright, but the sky was dark. The river in the ad was emerald, and there were several ducklings floating atop it, shaking their little heads as they went home.


    ¡¸One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡­¡¹


    A child¡¯s voice overwhelmed the melody of the guqin, and a man holding his grandson¡¯s hand appeared beside a stone-arched bridge. The little boy¡¯s steps were unstable, but he sounded very excited as he counted the steps over and over again.


    A traveler, bag tossed over his shoulder, stood by the bridge and read the couplet on the bridge¡¯s stone pillar: ¡¸Spring enters in a green boat, autumn ferries return under a red sunset. ¡¹


    His voice was dream-like and pleasant, appealing to everyone who heard it.


    Afterward, the traveler traipsed away, and the camera followed, leading to an open river. This river surged with raging water.


    The camera swept across the bridge and over the river, then landed on the three words: Tai Qian Bridge.


    The background music abruptly stopped, and the beautiful face of a female anchor appeared.


    ¡¸The following broadcast is urgent. On the 10th of this month, a vicious murder occurred in this city. The suspect is Feng Pei Lin, 37 years old, male. Police have warned he is extremely dangerous. Please report any sightings immediately.¡¹


    The anchor¡¯s voice was solemn, and Feng Pei Lin¡¯s picture appeared on the top left of the screen. His smile was mocking.


    This short advertisement was Lin Chen¡¯s trap for Feng Pei Lin.


    Lin Chen¡¯s explanation was any prisoner had a ¡°place of belonging.¡± Like when people go shopping, they subconsciously chose the most convenient place, and criminals would also commit crimes in the places they were most at ease or held the most significance to them.


    Feng Pei Lin¡¯s crimes occurred within 1.5km of the city¡¯s center, and Tian Qian Bridge happened to be within this geographical profile.


    Better yet, there was a river flowing under the bridge which represented the source of life and also related to the concept behind the sand table.


    To satisfy a suspect with OCD over the number seven, there were seven ducklings in the ad, and the number seven also appeared, making Feng Pei Lin feel at ease.


    Tian Qian Bridge was written in seven strokes, and in his subconscious, this location would appeal to him.


    If the serene ad would evoke fond memories, the news broadcast directly after would force him to speed up his plans as he would know the police were dogging his steps.


    Under the double suggestions of subconscious calm and external pressure, he would definitely choose Tai Qian Bridge.


    Someone stared at Feng Pei Lin¡¯s pale, handsome face on the television, then lifted a remote and turned it off.


    The screen went dark, but a lamp on the desk still emitted light. And of course, there was another light in the room.


    One reflected on that person¡¯s head.


    ¡°Inspector Huang, why did you suddenly come to drink tea with this old man?¡± In the police commissioner¡¯s office, the director held a teacup and took a big sip, continuing to watch the news after the short ad.


    Huang Ze sat opposite the old director. As if he had forgotten about the news, he poured another cup and pushed it over the table. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m mainly here for you.¡±


    The old director took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes, appearing to enjoy the scent of the tea as if didn¡¯t hear him at all.


    But Huang Ze wasn¡¯t angry for being ignored. He waited, a picture of respect.


    After a while, the scent in the air faded, and the director couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°Young Huang, you¡¯re too polite.¡±


    The old man picked up the teacup and drank it all. His action was so casual, he may as well have been drinking a buck worth of tea by the roadside.


    ¡°It¡¯s what I ought to do.¡± Huang Ze filled the cup again. ¡°Friends of the family want to ask you, Uncle. What exactly are you doing?¡± Huang Ze didn¡¯t give the old man time to deflect and straightforwardly asked, ¡°Without your approval, Lin Chen wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the investigation. So what exactly are you doing?¡±


    Huang Ze said those words, ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± twice, which was interesting in itself.


    People like Huang Ze seldom expressed their emotions and opinions with emphasis. Yet, he asked the same question twice.


    This showed the old man had really annoyed him, and the reason was, of course, Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen was just an ordinary man. He didn¡¯t have any background, nor did he have backing. Their gargantuan families could easily squash him like an ant.


    The reason he still lived was because killing him wasn¡¯t the best way to solve the problem. If you hate someone, it was best to watch them suffer, beg for mercy, and struggle to live like an ant.


    That perverted demon, chairman of the Chen family, had always been at the forefront of the crusade against Lin Chen, giving him an extremely hard time.


    Until a few days ago when Lin Chen reappeared and insisted on participating in the investigation with such an unyielding attitude. Without the director¡¯s tacit permission, it was impossible for a small dorm warden like Lin Chen to express an opinion on an investigation, no matter how much Cong Lian trusted him. Let alone making a local TV station broadcast an ad to lure Feng Pei Lin every three hours with just a few words.


    As Huang Ze already stated, his main purpose this visit was to ask the old man behind all this: what exactly he was doing.


    This old man could stop Boss Chen¡¯s hands, and also force Huang Ze to humble himself and come visit. He had status. His surname was Wu, one of the four families: Zhou, Wu, Chen, and Huang. That Wu.


    ¡°Before this, wasn¡¯t your relationship with Xiao Lin also good?¡± The director squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out Huang Ze¡¯s question.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Uncle. The one who died that night was my own sister. He and I can never go back to how we were, not after that.¡± Huang Ze¡¯s expression was as gloomy as his answer was stubbornly serious.


    ¡°If not good friends, friends will do.¡±


    ¡°I will not be friends with a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Just speculation, speculation, ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem with what I said? There were inconsistencies in the investigation and his statement. So far, he has yet to be cleared of suspicion.¡±


    The most terrible thing in the world other than psychopathic killers were those with Second Grade Middle School Syndrome. The old Director Wu had lost all will to argue and only sighed in frustration.


    ¡°Uncle, please answer me, what¡¯s going on?¡± Huang Ze asked persistently.


    ¡°Xiao Lin told me this is a very dangerous case.¡±


    ¡°So you agreed? Are you not worried that he will kill even more people?¡±


    ¡°He said that when the case is over, he will leave.¡±


    ¨C


    14 September, Saturday


    The typhoon had passed, but the clouds had not dissipated.


    Bright lights flashed by the street that misty early morning.


    The stalls selling breakfast under Tai Qian Bridge were doubled compared to usual.


    The sixth floor of the building next to the bridge was temporarily requisitioned. Xing Cong Lian and Fu Hao watched the pedestrians on the bridge through black binoculars from inside.


    After a full night of waiting, all officers were quite sleepy.


    Lin Chen slept in a chair on his side, still in clothes, as if he didn¡¯t care about catching Feng Pei Lin at all.


    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve been waiting here all night, but Feng Pei Lin never appeared. Is that psychologist really credible?¡±


    It was nearly 6:30, and there wasn¡¯t even a shadow of someone suspicious. Cong Lian clutched the walkie-talkie and headset close to his ear, not wanting to let the noise echo.


    But Lin Chen still heard it. He looked at the clock and slowly sat up. ¡°Let me go to the bridge.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°With all these officers you have here, what¡¯s dangerous?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°What if you show up, and he figures out it¡¯s a trap and doesn¡¯t go?¡±


    ¡°Do you think traps have any meaning to a person seeking death?¡±


    It had to be said, Lin Chen had the ability to take people at a loss for words.


    Under the watchful eyes of all the officers present, Cong Lian had to wave his hand and let Lin Chen go to the bridge.


    Lin Chen wore a clean, white shirt and rested his hand on the bridge¡¯s white jade railing. The wind blew into his face, and the water below appeared boundless.


    The dark, crisscrossing roofs were like the back of a giant beast at the city¡¯s center in the distance.


    As dawn arrived, more pedestrians and vehicles came and went across the bridge deck.


    Some were parents, sending their children to school on bicycles. Some peddlers pushed their three-wheeled carts across the bridge with difficulty. An old man walked slowly to the top with a crutch.


    Xing Cong Lian held up his binocular and watched the people on the bridge, heart racing.


    ¡°Lao Fu, I think there¡¯s something wrong here.¡±


    Unable to explain his unrest, from confirming the suspect to carrying out the arrest, everything seemed too fast for him to process his thoughts. He had always felt there was something wrong, and he was sure of it, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what it was.


    ¡°Lao Xing, my brother has seen a lot of things and been in many fights. He can take care of himself.¡±


    Fu Hao was still talking when Cong Lian¡¯s phone rang. The frantic piano was disturbing.


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a problem, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate to mention it now.¡± In front of the computer, Wang Chao bit the end of his pencil, pressing the pause key.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Ah Chen¡¯s reasoning seems a little bit problematic. He said Feng Pei Lin watched Yu Yan Qing commit suicide, right? From that, I wanted to find where he was at the time she committed suicide and found he was driving to his mother¡¯s grave to sweep it. The freeway toll station took his picture. It doesn¡¯t seem to be important, but I still thought I should let you know¡­¡±


    While Wang Chao chattered on, Cong Lian hung up.


    His heart sank when he finally realized what was wrong.


    Lin Chen was a meticulous person, while Feng Pei Lin had OCD.


    Lin Chen surmised there were four steps in this death training method, and Yu Yan Qing strictly followed those steps. Since Feng Pei Lin wanted to commit suicide, he also had to follow those four steps.


    What if Lin Chen falsified ¡°helping and observing Yu Yan Qing¡¯s suicide¡± as a step?


    On the bridge, the old man with a crutch stopped not far from Lin Chen.


    Sensing something, the young man in white turned his head.


    ¡°In less than thirty seconds, the nearest officer will arrest you,¡± he told the old man.


    ¡°Thirty seconds is enough for a message!¡± The old man said excitedly.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°He said you would die with me. Will you really?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    The plain-clothes officer nearest the top of the bridge already rushed forward.


    Like being knocked overhead with a hammer, Cong Lian¡¯s head pulsed.


    ¡°If the whole death training Lin Chen said was true, then there are no murder cases the police missed!¡±


    ¡°Feng Pei Lin may have never killed anyone yet!¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen being on the bridge is the best prey! He wants to kill Lin Chen then commit suicide!¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen already knew Feng Pei Lin¡¯s intent! He was tired and wanted to end everything. That short ad wasn¡¯t a trap for Pei Lin at all, it was Lin Chen saying he would wait for him here!¡±


    The worst possibility rushed to the forefront of Cong Lian¡¯s mind.


    On the bridge, the old man threw away his crutch and suddenly rushed toward Lin Chen with the speed of a runner¡¯s 100m sprint.


    As if he was a poet, he pressed Lin Chen to the railing and said devoutly, ¡°He just wanted to ask. In this world of sand, in the plethora of big and small confrontation, which side are you on?¡±


    The railing broke.


    Cong Lian roared, ¡°Lin Chen!¡±


    ¡¶A Grain of Sand¡·

 CH 18

    Early spring in HongJing was still cold.


    It was already past the period of hibernation, and rain was also abundant. The floating clouds sketched a vivid scene between heaven and earth. The land was lavish with plants, half light green, and the rest dark green.


    A bicycle¡¯s bell rang intermittently as if they were an alarm clock for insects. There were flower stalls along either side of the road. It was easy to buy pale yellow carnations and lavender phalaenopsis in bunches without much cost.


    Xing Cong Lian pulled over and stepped out of the car. He stopped under a sycamore tree.


    There was a small flower stall under the tree. The girl in the stall wore a velvet hat, and her cheeks were red from the cold. The girl smiled at Cong Lian.


    He paid ten yuan, and the little girl handed over a bunch of lilies as per usual.


    The fresh lilies were accompanied by the fragrance of dew. Xing Cong Lian shook his head and took a single lily from the bouquet to give to her. He flicked her chubby cheek after with his finger, then turned around and walked down the flower street.


    At the end of this road was a secluded cemetery. As one got closer, the scent of flowers faded, and that of incense grew thicker.


    This cemetery wasn¡¯t in a beautiful countryside, but almost center city instead. It was close to a large river with a bridge named Tai Qian over the river.


    It was already over half a year since Lin Chen fell into that river.


    Cong Lian kicked the pebbles along the shore and walked randomly around the tombstones. Once he got to the one nearest the lake, he stopped and stooped the lay the lilies in front of it.


    There wasn¡¯t even a photo on the tombstone, and the name was painted with red ink. Perhaps, because there was too much oil in the paint, the ink leaked from the edges of the characters, looking something like an insect¡¯s antennae.


    Xing Cong Lian casually sat in front of the tombstone, legs crossed, and lit a cigarette. Yet, he let it burn bit by bit without inhaling any of it.


    After Lin Chen and Feng Pei Lin fell off the bridge that day, the police searched for a long time.


    After three days and three nights of work, though, Cong Lian tasted shattered hope for the first time.


    Even now, he sometimes thought of Lin Chen¡¯s face as he fell.


    He had seen the faces of many people near their death, but none was as calm as Lin Chen. As if he¡¯s going out for breakfast, he was as casual as leaves falling off the branches in autumn.


    He often wondered if Lin Chen wasn¡¯t dead as they never found a body. Maybe one day, Lin Chen would stand in front of this tombstone and pick up the lilies to smell them himself.


    This was why he liked to come here. If nothing else, he could daze around while he was here.


    Cong Lian sat in front of Lin Chen¡¯s grave, aimlessly looking around.


    His phone vibrated in his pocket.


    ¡°Boss, he¡¯s back,¡± said the person on the other side of the line.


    ¡°Shi Fang Section of the Hong Jing highway¡­¡±


    ¡°No casualties.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian hung up and inhaled the last of his cigarette. He threw the butt on the ground and crushed it under his heel.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    If nothing else, the Hong Jing City Police Force looked the same hadn¡¯t changed since Lin Chen left.


    Most of the officers were dispatched, leaving only the technician Wang Chao to watch the video.


    Xing Cong Lian took a large sip of the iced lemon tea he robbed from Wang Chao¡¯s hand, teeth chattering from the cold.


    ¡°Boss, even though you don¡¯t dislike me, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m the same. Can you please buy your own?¡± Wang Chao snatched the cup back, turning it around so that he wouldn¡¯t drink from the same place as Cong Lian, his other hand still on the mouse.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with that kid?¡±


    ¡°See for yourself,¡± Wang Chao replied then clicked the video¡¯s start button.


    It was a clip of a bus on the highway only about eight minutes long.


    A bit after six in the morning, the stars and the moon had just disappeared from the sky, and both sides of the highway were full of reeds. When the bus passed, the reeds swayed like waves in the ocean.


    The bus was packed, and because of this, the passengers¡¯ breath condensed into a thin mist on the window. Most of the passengers were sleeping, and the air was drowsy.


    In one of the window seats, a woman with a child tore open a pack of candy and the little girl took the cantaloupe flavored lollipop to taste.


    A green road sign appeared outside the window. Because the bus was moving too fast, they sped past the sign in a flash, leaving only the shadow of the font on the sign.


    That road sign was like the catalyst of a magic spell. The fog outside seeped into the bus, and the camera shook wildly. The curtains swayed while the passengers leaned left-ward, and the video blurred.


    A piercing sound then rang out. The driver slammed on the steering wheel, the sharp sound of the emergency brake, and the horn overlapped and mixed with each other, deafening.


    The lollipop in the girl¡¯s hand fell to the ground, instantly coated in dust from the carpet as it rolled back and forth.


    It wasn¡¯t until the bus pulled over in the emergency lane that the passengers woke from their daze. They hurriedly checked the surroundings and after a while, found there didn¡¯t seem to be any other vehicles nearby.


    The road was empty, and the air full of dread.


    They automatically looked at the driver. A few young, rigorous people stood in the front row seats, looking like they would rush out if there was danger.


    But they all froze at the sight of a gun to the driver¡¯s temple.


    A person touched the driver¡¯s seat without them noticing.


    That person was a young boy, wearing an ash-colored cashmere scarf. The scarf covered his mouth and nose, leaving only his slightly upturned eyes visible. His eyes were misty like moist glass, making people wanting to kiss them.


    He leaned close to the driver¡¯s ear and seemingly said something.


    Today¡¯s legal society had strict gun control. Most people have never seen a gun, let alone an actual car-hijacking.


    Especially with a culprit so clean and gentle, even his gun looked so soft.


    After waiting for a dozen seconds, the carjacker didn¡¯t seem to want to make any other moves, and the passengers began to whisper.


    The mother hugged her child and gently patted her back. The men stood up vigilantly, and young girls who watched a lot of variety shows began to wonder if this was a prank with hidden cameras.


    The atmosphere in the bus gradually tensed, and a few bold youths began to walk down the aisle, trying to get close to the driver.


    The criminal¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, looking as if he¡¯s smiling.


    The next moment, the gun went off.


    It was a real gunshot, it sounded like a firecracker, or a tire bursting, making the fog around them stir slightly.


    The passengers looked at the driver in horror.


    But the scene of blood and brain matter didn¡¯t appear. The bullet brushed against the driver¡¯s forehead and hit the window, shattering it to pieces. The driver clenched his teeth and shrank into a ball, trembling.


    The passengers realized this was an actual hijack, and the young man was serious.


    The bus went quiet immediately.


    The boy standing in front, however, smiled. His smile was good looking with his eyes closed, he swung his arms and jumped onto the panel in front of the aisle, the gun in his hand was down.


    How should a vicious car-jacker speak?


    ¡°Give me all your money, or I¡¯ll kill you,¡± or ¡°If you don¡¯t want your head to blow off, put all your valuables in the bag¡±?


    Some passengers had already started taking off their gold watches but were surprised to hear the criminal¡¯s strange words :


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, take out all your sweets. Leave out the citrus ones, though.¡±


    The young man said that while playing with his gun, throwing it from his left hand to his right. Suddenly, he reached out and swung the barrel of the gun at the driver¡¯s head, who was moving suspiciously. ¡°I said, don¡¯t move, please.¡±


    His voice was like warm water flowing into their ears.


    Most of them thought they misheard him. Looking left and right in confusion and hope, no one knew what exactly was happening.


    ¡°Hurry up, I¡¯m not joking.¡± The boy sat on the panel and laughed. His light blue jeans were paired with new Nike yellow sneakers. He shook his dangling legs, left and right, gently.


    The passengers were still lost, and he pulled the trigger again, issuing a loud bang.


    This time, the bullet went through the front of the bus, shattering the windshield, cold air filling the bus in an instant.


    The wind blew the boy¡¯s soft black hair, and the driver¡¯s face went cold as he trembled like a leaf.


    As if by magic, the boy took a red velvet hat from his coat pocket and thoughtfully placed it on the driver.


    But in the next second, he took the gun and aimed it at the restless, middle-aged man about to take out his phone and coldly said: ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    The middle-aged man trembled and took out a roll of Halls mint that was already halfway emptied and handed it over to the young man.


    The boy took it with satisfaction, picking out one and placing it in his mouth, courteously shoving the mint¡¯s wrapping into his pocket.


    It only took one to start, and the others naturally followed. White mint candy, light yellow lemon ones, pink bubblegum, sweets of all sorts and colors fell into the young boy¡¯s pockets. One even handed over a box full of golden Ferrero Rocher, which was rejected after the teenage boy looked at it for a bit.


    Eight minutes later, all the candy on the bus was taken away.


    From time to time, the bus pager sent out call requests. The red dot on the smart tablet constantly flickered. The young boy seemed to be bothered by this as he turned off the pager and took the bus¡¯s tablet off the holder.


    ¡°Have a nice trip.¡±


    With that, he jumped and stood on the panel at the bus¡¯ front and blew a kiss.


    Then,  he leaped out the broken windshield without hesitation and landed on the ground in a roll. He dashed away, like a returning egret, flying into the vast field of reeds.

 CH 19

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that awesome or what!¡±


    Wang Chao slapped the pause button, and the picture froze on the young man blowing a kiss at the screen.


    The young technician exclaimed excitedly and, to no one¡¯s surprise, received a KO from his captain.


    ¡°You think this is interesting?¡± Cong Lian asked, staring at the young man in the video.


    ¡°Hijacking a bus just to rob candy. It¡¯s not just creative, it¡¯s too creative¡­¡± Wang Chao continued blabbering but noticed the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right. He looked up to see Xing Cong Lian¡¯s livid expression, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t be so serious. No one was injured, it¡¯s cool, yeah?¡±


    ¡°No one was hurt? It¡¯s lucky no one was hurt!¡± Cong Lian took over the mouse and dragged the cursor over the duration bar to pause at the moment the young man shot the gun. ¡°Ever thought that if he missed or if the bullet ricocheted, someone might have been killed?!¡±


    On-screen, the young man¡¯s hand was steady as a rock.


    Only people in certain parts of society would have that kind of experience handling guns. This young man had to be involved with that world.


    The passengers on the bus might not have noticed, but it was clear to them that the young man¡¯s gaze never left the surveillance camera since he raised his gun.


    He was looking at the camera¡ª¡ªat the people monitoring them.


    At this lecture, Wang Chao didn¡¯t argue and could only drink his tea, gulping down most of it. Fortunately, the icon at the lower right on his taskbar flickered and inadvertently saved him. He clicked open the chat and found the latest pictures of the crime scene sent by the survey team.


    The pictures showed the bullets from the hijacking.


    Cong Lian leaned over and took a look. ¡°Another 9mm revolver?¡±


    Wang Chao pulled up the video again and enlarged the young man¡¯s gun.


    ¡°Looks like the same one.¡± Wang Chao gritted his teeth. ¡°This is so strange, ah. Is there something wrong with that little bastard? Do we need to consult an expert?¡± he asked, tentative.


    Since Lin Chen had fallen into the river, the police¡¯s actual psychological consultant went on to be a visiting scholar at the provincial university because he couldn¡¯t handle the blow.


    The psychological consultant post was vacant, and to fill that vacancy, their superiors appointed another expert who was said to be a new star in criminal psychology.


    Cong Lian stared at Wang Chao. ¡°Are you telling me to go see that afro-head?¡±


    ¡°He called me hyperactive, and I didn¡¯t know what it meant at the time.¡± Wang Chao slapped the table, furious. ¡°I checked it when I got home, and guess what? He said I have ADHD, how could Laozi have ADHD?¡±


    He leaned back in his chair angrily, playing with a pen in one hand, and swatted ashes off Cong Lian¡¯s shoulder with the other. Pinching the soot, he asked, ¡°Did you visit Lin Chen¡¯s grave again?¡±


    ¡°Can you concentrate when trash-talking someone behind their back?¡± Xing Cong Lian stood up awkwardly and brushed the ashes from Wang Chao¡¯s hand.


    It had been quite a while since Lin Chen fell into the river, and it seemed like the man had never lived in this city. He occasionally visited Lin Chen¡¯s grave and stayed for a while, mostly when he had strange or complicated cases and no clues.


    This serial robbery case was one of them. Stranger than even Feng Pei Lin¡¯s case. A criminal with a gun that rubbed buses on the highway, highly skilled, and could control the situation inside within thirty seconds. The funny thing was, he did it all just for candy.


    The young man was lively and colorful, like skittles. The media even gave him the nickname ¡°Candy Robber.¡± Children liked him, and girls were starting to admire him. Even the victimized bus company¡¯s business only got better because of it. The only thing seemed to be a group playing the public.


    Xing Cong Lian felt uneasy, but he couldn¡¯t tell where the feeling came from. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling this case was like dismantling a bomb. Cut a single wire wrong, and it would explode in a heartbeat.


    He shook his wet hands, damp from the sweat of the cold ice tea¡¯s cup, and prepared to leave.


    Coincidentally, his vision was blurry, and the thought of Lin Chen was nowhere in mind.


    But, when his eyes aimlessly passed over the computer screen, he noticed a man in the backseat, and his heart started to beat out of control.


    The man sat on the aisle side wearing a black cap and looked as if he was asleep. But to Cong Lian, it was obvious he wasn¡¯t.


    Because just before the young criminal took out the gun, the man had looked up to stare at the youth¡¯s back.


    It was very small, but it also demonstrated his sharpness.


    Even in 0.1 seconds, a prediction was still a prediction.


    This proved it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, but that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that Cong Lian was very familiar with the man¡¯s face.


    Though it was a black-and-white surveillance video with low pixel count, and even with just one eye visible, Cong Lian could recognize him anywhere.


    That was Lin Chen.


    He pressed a key, and the video paused. The picture was somewhat blurred due to the excessive whiteness. Cong Lian circled the face with his finger.


    The technician stared at the screen for a while and asked, ¡°Boss, you mean there¡¯s an accomplice on the bus?¡±


    ¡°This is Lin Chen!¡±


    Wang Chao immediately took a screenshot and enlarged the picture. But, even if the pixels were enlarged to the size of a nail, he couldn¡¯t connect the person in the video with Lin Chen.


    Therefore, he could only look back at Cong Lian and solemnly say, staring at him, ¡°Boss, I think that expert is right. You should go to the hospital for a checkup.¡±


    The older man swatted the back of his head.


    The technician held his head, crying without tears.¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª


    No matter how many times the police watched the video, the hijacker still dashed into the field of reeds and disappeared. The rescued passengers were sent to the nearest R&R station to eat a simple meal and wait to record their testimonies.


    The food court was a bit on the cold side.


    So most of the passengers sat by the French windows and basked in the sun. They chatted with each other and didn¡¯t seem to be in a panic about the hijacking at all.


    Near the back of the crowd, a young man took off his scarf and draped it on an old lady with heavy luggage.


    The old lady seemed happy to have such a good looking young man beside her. She touched the scarf around her neck and pulled an orange from her luggage and placed it in his hand.


    The orange was cold.


    If Wang Chao were there, he would have knelt and swallowed the words he said earlier.


    This was Lin Chen. The one whose body couldn¡¯t be recovered after falling into the river with Feng Pei Lin.


    Lin Chen gripped the cold orange and looked at the entrance casually.


    For the first time, he felt his fortune wasn¡¯t that good.


    Having deceived people, even friends concerned for you, by pretending to die, you¡¯d be terrified to see them again.


    Maybe, in a vast sea of people, you¡¯d meet again. Perhaps, that was the best reunion one could have.


    However, meeting under the circumstances of a robber hijacking a bus on a highway under said friend¡¯s jurisdiction was nowhere close to ideal.


    This setting was too far-fetched.


    Fate was heartless.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Someone else also lamented the ruthlessness of fate. The mixed-blooded police officer who had spent half a year in misery.


    ¡°Tell the brothers to rest at the R&R station. The police will arrange transportation for them. Remember, before I get there, no one, absolutely no one, is allowed to leave,¡± Cong Lian fired off his orders in rapid succession.


    He turned, about to leave, but someone pushed in the door before he could pull it and stepped inside.


    It was an elite-looking corporate man in a knee-length camel-colored trench coat with a smoky plaid scarf around his neck. He shook hands with Xing Cong Lian and took out a gold-embossed business card. He handed it over with both hands. ¡°Yang Dian Feng, manager of Tu An Intercity Bus Company¡¯s head office.¡±


    Cong Lian had dealt with the public relations department of the Tu An Company several times because of this serial hijacking case. These stubborn people were uncooperative with the investigation, so Cong Lian glanced at the card and sat on his desk, lighting up a cigarette as he asked impatiently, ¡°Yes, what is it, Manager Yang.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Captain Xing, but it¡¯s about the case on the Hong Jing Highway.¡±


    At this business-like tone, Xing Cong Lian inhaled and puffed out a ring of smoke. ¡°In fact, you guys seem quite happy.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that, Captain?¡±


    ¡°This bus hijacker, it¡¯s comparable to a prime-time ad.¡±


    ¡°So, in Captain Xing¡¯s opinion, this serial robbery is our company¡¯s doing?¡±


    Yang Dian Feng¡¯s scarf had a trademark printed on it, which showed it belonged to a limited exclusive product line from a high-end store. This one scarf alone was worth half a year of Xing Cong Lian¡¯s wage.


    ¡°How could I,¡± Cong Lian replied absent-mindedly.


    ¡°Captain, you think this is a marketing plan for business. This kind of marketing is not cost-effective and puts us at great risk just to increase our market price by a mere few percent.¡±


    ¡°Manager Yang came to see me just to say this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually here to provide a clue.¡± Yang Dian Feng took out a silver notebook from his briefcase. ¡°All our buses are equipped with autonomic call systems based on GIS and MEMS accelerometers. Today, the installed computer on the A7645 bus was taken by the hijacker, but we¡¯ve discovered the signal hasn¡¯t disappeared.¡±


    Wang Chao stood and abruptly took the device from Yang Dian Feng. He worked on it for a while then suddenly said, ¡°Boss, Heping North Road, heading south.¡±


    Yang Dian Feng leaned back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest. He raised his eyebrows, smiling.

 CH 20

    Xing Cong Lian wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He knew Lin Chen was at the R&R station and knew he couldn¡¯t run.


    With Lin Chen¡¯s intellect, he must have known he was already exposed.


    It was interesting to see someone famous for their calm composure so anxious.


    On the HePing North Road, the police in charge stopped a small school bus that was turning north onto ChangPing Route.


    When Cong Lian arrived, the driver was still hounding the traffic police.


    ¡°Mister, you really didn¡¯t break any laws. The police just want to ask you some questions.¡± The traffic police stood by the bus, patiently persuading the driver.


    ¡°The students will be late for their classes!¡± The driver shouted, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.


    Xing Cong Lian circled around the bright yellow bus.


    The students aboard the bus had already gotten off for inspection. The boys and girls in private school uniforms huddled by the roadside in groups of two or three.


    The girls¡¯ sailor skirts were cut above their knees. When the wind blew, it revealed their youthful legs. But, the boys weren¡¯t willful or stubborn. Although they were delayed, they all patiently waited for the inquiries in silence.


    ¡°Feng Jing School?¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes fell on the emblem on the left side of the school bus. It was composed of golden maple leaves and silver cassia branches.


    ¡°They¡¯re from the city¡¯s famous private school. The tuition is very expensive!¡± Wang Chao pointed at a girl with a mushroom haircut on the side of the road. Wearing a navy school uniform, she was held by a taller boy.


    ¡°Her parents are okay with such a small girl going to school by herself?¡± Cong Lian didn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°In the Feng Jing School, the kindergarteners were all accompanied by a senior or an upperclassman. How can it be unsafe?¡± Yang Dian Feng, at Cong Lian¡¯s side, couldn¡¯t help but respond.


    ¡°You have kids in Feng JIng?¡±


    ¡°My youngest brother attends the high school.¡±


    ¡°Rich people.¡±


    Yang Dian Feng glanced at Cong Lian and smiled. ¡°The quality of education is good, so it¡¯s alright to spend more. If you want to send your children there, I can introduce you to the principal.¡±


    ¡°Us criminal police officers are very poor, we can¡¯t afford that.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian seemed to be in an excellent mood, chatting with Yang Dian Feng.


    Suddenly, a police officer pulled something out from a school girl¡¯s bag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where that came from!¡± The girl clutched her bag tightly, yet her voice was calm.


    Throwing the object into an evidence bag, the officer handed it over to Cong Lian.


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at the item inside then moved closer to the student. ¡°Little sister¡­¡± As soon as he spoke, Wang Chao kicked him.


    ¡°Little girl, didn¡¯t you say this thing wasn¡¯t yours?¡± Quickly changing his tone and wording, Xing Cong Lian held the bag up in front of the student. Inside the bag was the exact tablet that had been taken from the bus by the hijacker.


    The girl nodded. ¡°When I packed my bag this morning, that thing wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°So you never touched it?¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes were clear. ¡°I think you can check the fingerprints.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Cong Lian rubbed the stubbles on his chin.


    ¡°I always wear my bag on my back, so someone must have snuck it in while I was walking from home to the bus station, but that¡¯s unlikely.¡± The girl looked at her school bag. The iron clasp on the front was tightly buckled.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Xing Cong Lian continued his previous action, ¡°When did you leave your house?¡±


    ¡°7:35.¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°Ruo Shui Street.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Cong Lian stared at the girl but didn¡¯t ask any other questions.


    ¡°Sir, can I go now?¡± The girl started back to the school bus.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Cong Lian watched the girl¡¯s ponytail bounce against her back as he spoke to himself.


    ¡°Boss,¡± Wang Chao said, ¡°Give the tablet back to me and go to the R&R to find Ah Chen, please!¡±


    Waiting to catch a turtle, Captain Xing didn¡¯t care at all about his subordinate¡¯s demand. He handed the table over then folded his arms across his chest. Leisurely, he waited.


    Wang Chao almost choked with indignation but could only work on the tablet.


    Quickly, he connected the tablet with his laptop and knocked on the keys, working on a dizzying array of codes.


    A complicated red line was outlined on the map, showing the specific locations of the tablet after leaving the hijacked bus.


    The cobweb-like line was confusing but Wang Chao had an epiphany. Immediately, he took out his phone and keyed in two locations.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Wang Chao looked at his phone then the map on the laptop and said, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s something wrong with this tablet¡¯s GPS. The locations are impossible!¡±


    Hearing this, the Tou An Company¡¯s general manager¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°Officer, the tablet¡¯s built-in GPS is the latest edition of our company. That is impossible!¡±


    ¡°You see here, I used my phone¡¯s navigation to calculate the distance from the Shi Fang Section of the Hong Jing Highway to our current location. It¡¯s 165 km. It would take more than two hours to travel.¡± Wang Chao showed his phone¡¯s screen to Yang Dian Feng. He then tapped on the time display on the top right. ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s just 8:00 am, only one and a half hours from the bus¡¯s hijacked. It wasn¡¯t a straight route, either, the tablet couldn¡¯t have gotten here in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°There might be some shortcuts. When you analyzed the paths, there should have been some clues, right?¡±


    Wang Chao wanted to refute, but he thought the man¡¯s words were reasonable. He pulled up the Hong Jing City map on the screen and began to carefully study it.


    Xing Cong Lian looked at the entire map. The lines representing the roads were dense, crossing over one another like blood vessels.


    ¡°That little girl said that she went out at 7:35. She was very sure that the tablet wasn¡¯t in her bag before that. So you should focus on the time between 7:25 to 8:00. Where was our lovely tablet, and how did it get into that girl¡¯s bag?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. He began to collect information according to Cong Lian¡¯s words but soon turned depressed again.


    ¡°Manager Yang, seriously, there¡¯s a problem with your system.¡± The technician wore a dejected expression. ¡°Your GPS system didn¡¯t record the ¡®location time.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°The system only recorded the location and paths but not the time it passed through those places.¡±


    Yang Dian Feng spread his hands helplessly. ¡°For us, the GPS system was only meant to control and monitor the bus routes. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Then we should combine the paths here with the one taken by the school bus driver. Then, you can compare them.¡± Xing Cong Lian was also disappointed, but he patted Wang Chao¡¯s shoulder, comforting him.


    ¡°But that won¡¯t make sense, boss!¡± Wang Chao rubbed his hands, ¡°Even if we compare them, how did it get into that girl¡¯s bag? What will that prove?¡±


    ¡°What will that prove?¡± Cong Lian repeated coldly, ¡°It will prove that the criminal could do something we couldn¡¯t. It will prove that he had us fooled and that we still couldn¡¯t figure out his purpose. What other proof do you need?¡±


    When Cong Lian was finished, he strode to the driver but didn¡¯t spare Wang Chao another glance.


    Wang Chao watched him leave. He always felt like Cong Lian was changed after that autumn of storms and bloodshed. He just didn¡¯t know what the changes were.


    ¡°Captain Xing, please wait for a moment.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even taken two steps before Yang Dian Feng stopped him.


    ¡°I have the latest map on paper.¡± He ran to his car, grabbed the map from the dashboard, then trotted back towards him. Handing it over, he said, ¡°Tell him to draw on the map, so he can see it more clearly.¡±


    Even the bus driver saw Cong Lian¡¯s ugly expression. He uncharacteristically cooperated with them. Not only did he draw the roads he took, he also marked every stop he made. Xing Cong Lian read the map then brought it to Wang Chao.


    Recording the route from the map on his laptop, Wang Chao watched as a yellow line overlapped the red one on the screen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned.¡± Cong Lian couldn¡¯t stop himself from repeating Wang Chao¡¯s words.


    The starting point on the map was the same, the gate of Feng Jing School. After that, the yellow and red lines began to diverge and overlap, making the screen even more of a confusing mess.


    ¡°It would be simple if you had the timeline,¡± Wang Chao said gloomily.


    Pointing at the bus¡¯s path, Con Lian said, ¡°I¡¯ll go check the road.¡±


    With a smile, Yang Dian Feng said, ¡°Let me go with you.¡±


    Sitting in the passenger seat, Yang Dian Feng watched the road signs change as they traveled. Cong Lian didn¡¯t bother looking at the map, yet he never took a wrong turn.


    ¡°You have a good memory.¡± The handsome manager leaned against the window, his chin propped on his hand. The spring breeze blew through his hair, tousling it.


    Cong Lian fished out a cigarette, too lazy to talk.


    Stopping the car at the intersection near the Feng Jing School, Con Lian saw several students loitering. The school hours were about to start, and several boys and girls waited at the school gate, ready for class.


    Yang Dian Feng followed him out of the car and walked along the boulevard, eyeing the camphor trees that grew on either side of the street.


    Walking slowly, Xing Cong Lian tucked his hands into his pockets.


    The cold spring breeze and noisy voices brushed passed him, but he stood straight and strode forward.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Yang Dian Feng finally asked.


    ¡°A friend of mine once told me that if I was ever faced something I couldn¡¯t understand, I should experience it.¡± Xing Cong Lian closed his eyes then took a deep breath.


    ¡°So, what do you feel?¡±


    Captain Xing Cong Lian opened his eyes but didn¡¯t speak.

 CH 21

    There is a saying that goes, ¡°every reunion will lead to the next separation.¡± The underlying meaning of this is that reunions aren¡¯t always a good thing.


    For Lin Chen, he might not know what fate had in store for him, but he did know that waiting for a reunion was tough.


    The sun had started to set, and the cafeteria was silent.


    The staff at the rest stop brought in blankets, while the policewomen who had arrived earlier poured tea for the passengers. Seeing how slowly the policewomen were moving, Lin Chen knew Xing Cong Lian had already found him.


    ¡°When will you take our statements? We want to go home already!¡± One of the passengers demanded in an impatient tone.


    ¡°Right! Leaving two people here to give their statements is enough.¡± Another passenger next to him chimed in.


    ¡°Please give us a moment.¡± The policewoman smiled very gently. ¡°Our colleagues from the forensic department are still processing the crime scene. Not only that, but the highway has a speed limit, so the vehicles responsible for transporting you are also stuck on the road.¡±


    ¡°Wow! The forensic department, just like on TV!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost two hours, and you¡¯re not done yet?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with all this fuss? We¡¯re fine, it was just a kid playing a prank!¡±


    Several of the elderly women continued to express their opinion as Lin Chen sat in a corner. The spot he chose was a bit cold but quiet. As he carefully observed everyone¡¯s expressions, a strange feeling started to form in his gut.


    When the topic of hijacking came up, everyone had indifferent expressions, as though it was something that didn¡¯t matter. Instead of being traumatized over the event, everyone just blamed the police for making a fuss. Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on a policewoman¡¯s face as she tucked her hair behind her ear. It was odd that her beautiful face held no trace of tension or heaviness.


    If that was the case, the reason why everyone was still here was because of Xing Cong Lian¡¯s order and the fact the transportation vehicles were stuck in traffic.


    Lin Chen began to feel this situation was more serious than it appeared.


    He looked out the window where only green reeds stretched as far as the eye could see. When the wind blew, the reeds trembled like waves in the ocean. Lin Chen¡¯s expression became even heavier.


    The chatter died down, and soon, it became too quiet.


    All of a sudden, footsteps sounded from somewhere below. It was the sound of leather boots on the marble floor. The thuds grew louder, cementing the fact several people had just arrived downstairs.


    It should be the police squad.


    At this realization, Lin Chen grew nervous. It wasn¡¯t the kind that made one¡¯s hands sweat or body tremble, but the kind that was enough to disrupt one¡¯s train of thought in an instant. Lin Chen felt his heartbeat speed up, and his mind blanked. Right now, he couldn¡¯t recall any of the psychological adjustment methods he had learned back in school.


    He was nervous, nervous because he knew a certain someone was coming.


    Thud.


    When the sound of boots reached the last step, Lin Chen instinctively raised his head.


    If the feelings brought by tension was a conditional reflex without conscious reason, then when that tension faded, those feelings also disappear without a trace, like a tide.


    The figure on the stairway stood tall and upright, like an isolated mountain peak standing up against the frost in a winter night.


    The man¡¯s uniform didn¡¯t have creases, only silver stars shining on his shoulders. That man was Huang Ze.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xing Cong Lian was walking into Feng Jing School when he received a phone call from Wang Chao.


    ¡°Fuck! Inspector Huang is bringing that afro man to the R&R station to take statements. Hurry up! I¡¯m afraid that my Ah Chen is going to suffer!¡±


    Wang Chao was so flustered that his words came out too fast, and Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t catch them. ¡°What Inspector did you just say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Huang Ze, Huang Ze, Huang Ze!¡± Wang Chao was dying from anxiety. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the shortest route to your phone! Hurry! No need to thank me for this, muah.¡±


    Before his words were finished, Xing Cong Lian heard his phone ping. He glanced down to check and saw that it was a new email.


    ¡°What happened, Captain?¡± Hearing that the voice from the speakers was anxious, Yang Dian Feng couldn¡¯t help but ask out of concern.


    Frowning, Xing Cong Lian turned and ran towards his parked jeep.


    The spring breeze outside the school carried the chatter of students along with it. On the other hand, the cafeteria was brimming with gossip over the arrival of the police squad.


    The passengers of the bus stood up one after another as sunlight poured in from the windows and transparent ceiling. Huang Ze stood at the entrance on the stairway, unable to hear a thing.


    The sunlight was too bright, and the marble floor reflected it too. Huang Ze felt as if his eyes were being stabbed and that he was imagining things as he stood in a trance.


    He thought he just saw Lin Chen.


    But, Lin Chen¡¯s body should be in the river and his soul in Hua Street¡¯s cemetery¡­


    Despite this, Lin Chen stood among the passengers, his eyes clear and hair shining in the sun.


    Huang Ze wanted to laugh.


    He watched as Lin Chen put down the paper cup in his hand and fixed his scarf that was wrapped around an elderly beside him. He said something that seemed to reassure the other before making his way to Huang Ze.


    It was Lin Chen, alright. No matter what the situation he was in, whether it be him telling a lie or being hit on the spot, his expression forever remained undeterred and unapologetic.


    As Lin Chen drew closer, Huang Ze¡¯s clenched fist squeezed even tighter.


    Finally, Lin Chen stopped before him.


    When Huang Ze saw Lin Chen¡¯s calm eyes, he could no longer restrain his anger and punched Lin Chen.


    Huang Ze was born strong, and with all his strength packed into this punch, he caused Lin Chen to stagger back two steps, holding his cheek. However, this wasn¡¯t enough to curb his fury. He clenched his fist and prepared to swing again.


    The police officers around them had never seen Huang Ze acting this fierce. They were all scared stupid, no one even thought of trying to diffuse the situation.


    Everyone watched as Huang Ze swung his fist for another hit, only to change direction midway and switch to gripping Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder.


    After being punched, Lin Chen stood in a daze for several seconds. When he returned to his senses, his ears were still ringing from the recoil, and he could taste blood in his mouth.


    His face was pressed against something firm and clothed, and when he heard heartbeats, he realized that he was being held in Huang Ze¡¯s arms.


    ¡°How are you not dead?¡± Huang Ze whispered in his ear.


    He heard Huang Ze¡¯s voice catch mid-sentence, but couldn¡¯t understand why.


    Lin Chen felt strangely embarrassed. He didn¡¯t know where to put his hands, and Huang Ze showed no signs of letting go.


    Finally, a question rescued him. ¡°Hey! Are you Lin Chen?¡±


    The voice came from the man standing behind Huang Ze. His hair was a disorderly kind of curly, almost covering his eyes, and was easily the man¡¯s most defining feature.


    As though waking up from a dream, Huang Ze, all of a sudden, pushed Lin Chen away from himself.


    Holding his cheek, Lin Chen looked up. All he could see was the mystery man¡¯s fluffy hair.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t die, huh. Inspector Huang was grieving for a long time, you know?¡± The man¡¯s tone was light and casual as if he had predicted this long ago.


    ¡°Whoops, forgot to introduce myself. The name is Zhe, Jiang Zhe.¡± Seeing how Lin Chen didn¡¯t respond and appeared to be stupefied, a trace of irony appeared in Jiang Zhe¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m Hong Jing City Bureau¡¯s psychology consultant.¡±


    Oh, it turned out to be Xing Cong Lian¡¯s colleague.


    Lin Chen nodded and reached out to shake the other¡¯s hand.


    Jiang Zhe, however, didn¡¯t reciprocate. ¡°The suspicion on you in case 1111 hasn¡¯t been cleared yet. I won¡¯t shake hands with a potential murderer.¡±


    Jiang Zhe¡¯s voice was loud, causing all eyes in the hall to turn to Lin Chen.


    Oh, it¡¯s Huang Ze¡¯s friend.


    Lin Chen took back his hand and bowed politely. Seeing how he had already greeted them and had nothing else to say, he retreated back to his seat.


    ¡°What are you even doing here? Is this hijacking case related to you? Apparently you still want to be famous, I guess!¡±


    Jiang Zhe fired question after question, forcing Lin Chen to stop and turn around. Looking at Jiang Zhe¡¯s slightly raised eyebrows and taunting smirk, Lin Chen thought for a moment before replying seriously, ¡°No, I just happened to pass by, and unfortunately became a victim.¡±


    His voice was as quiet and steady as ever. At times, this voice calmed people. But other times, it only fueled people¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Oh, you say you¡¯re a victim, hmm. You were also a victim in the previous case with Feng Pei Lin. I saw the file. You fell into the river to still remain a victim! How is it that your intuition is so sharp, yet you didn¡¯t know someone was watching you for three years? You just helped Feng Pei Lin escape, and that idiot cop doesn¡¯t even doubt you!¡±


    Jiang Zhe spoke quickly, and his voice was ice cold. The glass window seemed to shake from the volume of his voice. Speaking too loud tired him out, though, so he paused to take a break.


    At this time, a very light and casual voice drifted up from below. ¡°Oi, Consultant Jiang, it¡¯s not very nice to speak ill of someone behind their back.¡±


    Jiang Zhe was shocked.


    And so was Lin Chen when he recognized who the voice belonged to.

 CH 22

    Criminal Psychology 22


    From Xing Cong Lian¡¯s point of view, this matter was intriguing.


    For instance, he wanted Lin Chen to wait a little longer as punishment for selfishly faking his death without telling him a single thing. However, if he did this, he would end up as the one who suffers.


    Therefore, he came up with different scenarios to act out for when he meets Lin Chen again. But when he heard Jiang Zhe¡¯s words, all of them became obsolete.


    Holding the rail while walking up the stairs, he felt that fate was always so interesting.


    On the second floor, the stairway was occupied by an angry Huang Ze and an even angrier Jiang Zhe.


    Separated by these two figures, when Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian saw each other, they both felt that the scripts they had each drafted beforehand had become useless in an instant.


    Like water that flows into the sea or how winter melts into spring.


    As it turned out, a reunion was an ordinary event.


    Since it was nothing special, there was no need to be excited.


    Walking as if he didn¡¯t see Huang Ze and Jiang Zhe, Xing Cong Lian brushed past them and headed straight towards Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen¡¯s face sported some injuries. His lips were cracked, his cheek bruised, and he had blood on his face.


    ¡°He hit you?¡± Xing Cong Lian was tall. Wearing a police jacket, along with the chilly spring breeze and smell of tobacco mixed with mint, he appeared cold, yet somewhat sweet.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Painful?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Lin Chen responded, but no reply followed. When he looked up, his gaze met Xing Cong Lian¡¯s, whose eyes were green, slightly blue, and as deep as the ocean.


    Lin Chen just noticed that Xing Cong Lian had cut his hair to an inch long. His mixed-race appearance was very handsome.


    Lin Chen seldom paid attention to people¡¯s looks. He always observed things that had little to do with appearance, such as mood or attitude. But today, all he could do was stare at Xing Cong Lian¡¯s face.


    Of course, the captain didn¡¯t know that what Lin Chen was admiring was his appearance. He just thought Lin Chen was waiting for him to talk.


    So he patted the man¡¯s shoulder and after some time, said, ¡°It¡¯s good you are alright.¡±


    He thought Lin Chen would reply, but the man stood still.


    In the past 180 days, Lin Chen occasionally thought about what Xing Cong Lian would say if he knew he wasn¡¯t dead.


    Mixed-race people have always been different, but he never thought Xing Cong Lian¡¯s reaction would be this mild.


    It¡¯s good you¡¯re alright¡­


    No other words could be so light, yet so heavy.


    Lin Chen felt touched.


    Of course, Xing Cong Lian was unaware of Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts.


    And so, finally seeing this man in front of him once again, Xing Cong Lian closed their distance and hugged the one who had come back from the grave.


    His hug wasn¡¯t tight and was at most two to three seconds.


    Catching a whiff of his scent, Lin Chen sighed and breathed in a few times.


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze once again fell on Lin Chen¡¯s face. Huang Ze¡¯s hit had been too heavy, which made him turn and take a closer look at the man. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes were cold as if saying, ¡°If anyone has the right to hit him, it would be me. What right do you have to hit him?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen¡¯s conversation and subsequent hug took less than a minute. But in Huang Ze¡¯s eyes, the two men were over-the-top. On top of that, Xing Cong Lian was glaring at him with disdain. Huang Ze had never felt this despised his entire life. With this one look, Xing Cong Lian successfully ignited his anger.


    Holding back Jiang Zhe, who was already ready for a fight, Huang Ze coldly said to Xing Cong Lian, ¡°It¡¯s been more than two hours since the crime occurred, and Captain Xing chooses to arrive now?¡± Before Xing Cong Lian could answer, he added, ¡°If you didn¡¯t know that Lin Chen was here, how long would you have let these passengers wait?¡±


    As the head of the superior inspection department, Huang Ze said these damning words, ignoring the officers who arrived ahead to appease the passengers.


    A slight commotion arose from some of the passengers who agreed with him.


    Xing Cong Lian could give many reasons as to why he was late, such as tracking new clues or being stuck in a traffic jam. But if he gave these reasons, it would only appear as if he was making excuses and shirking responsibility, which wasn¡¯t appropriate.


    In this case, no defense was the best defense.


    He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder then nodded to the passengers, ¡°Everyone can leave once the vehicles arrive. Sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, you¡¯re just going to let the passengers leave? Have you finished taking their statements? Can you afford to bear responsibility if you miss a big lead?¡± Huang Ze sneered.


    ¡°Are you in a hurry?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°Not for the time being.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian nodded then pointed to Lin Chen as he turned to Huang Ze, ¡°The big lead said he won¡¯t leave for the time being.¡±


    Huang Ze was so angry, he almost choked.


    ¡°The captain¡¯s ¡®lead¡¯ refers to a suspect in a major murder case?¡±


    Seeing that Huang Ze was at a disadvantage against Xing Cong Lian, Jiang Zhe couldn¡¯t help but butt-in.


    ¡°Consultant Jiang,¡± Xing Cong Lian called out.


    Startled, Jiang Zhe turned, but Xing Cong Lian continued with a faint smile, ¡°This is a country ruled by the law. We pay attention to evidence when speaking and doing things.¡±


    ¡°What do you know?!¡±


    ¡°Jiang Zhe!¡±


    Jiang Zhe and Huang Ze both spoke simultaneously. Being stopped twice, Jiang Zhe started to get upset.


    ¡°For a captain, it can¡¯t be easy to access top-secret information,¡± Huang Ze said.


    Jiang Zhe shot Xing Cong Lian an icy glare but chose to stop talking.


    ¡°Is the captain not going to follow regulation?¡± Huang Ze¡¯s voice turned sharp.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m about to see the crime scene now. Does Inspector Huang want to join us?¡±


    Even when people kept stirring up trouble for him, Xing Cong Lian remained as polite and courteous as ever.


    ¡°In this case, Captain Xing can go back with Mr. Lin first. The Jiang Province Police is in charge of the case now, so Captain Xing should go take a rest.¡± Huang Ze stepped forward and patted Xing Cong Lian¡¯s shoulder.


    Xing Cong Lian had been on this serial hijacking case for more than a month, yet with several casual sentences from Huang Ze, he was kicked off it. Had it been anyone else, they would¡¯ve gotten angry and made a fuss. However, Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t react because he looked down on Huang Ze and his choice of action.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re the boss here, you have the final say.¡± Mouthing for Lin Chen to go with him, he left with his hands in his pockets.


    Lin Chen calmly followed.


    The two chatted in whispers as they walked.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°On the bus, you glanced at the brat before he acted.¡±


    Standing to the side, Inspector Huang became even angrier when he caught bits of their dialogue lingering in the air.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the R&R Station parking lot, Yang Dian Feng waited in the car for Xing Cong Lian to return.


    Seeing another person beside Captain Xing when he came back, though, was shocking.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Sitting in the front passenger¡¯s seat, Yang Dian Feng asked with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Inspector Huang just won¡¯t let us check.¡±


    ¡°How could this be?!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t care in the slightest. He opened the door and looked at Lin Chen, who had fastened his seat belt in the back. ¡°It has nothing to do with you. Huang Ze just wanted to kick me off this case.¡±


    ¡°I know, but according to the Cross Province Cooperative Case Handling Ordinance Article 4 of Chapter III, for a major case, to ensure reasonable handling of police resources, the local police should follow the deployment ordered by a superior. But if it doesn¡¯t affect the investigation process, the local police also has the right to investigate the case.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really familiar with regulations, especially that latter part.¡± Xing Cong Lian lit up a cigarette and left it between his lips. He started the engine with a plan beginning to form in his head and asked Lin Chen. ¡°Do you want to check this out together?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s answer, a smile appeared on Xing Cong Lian¡¯s face. This smile was genuine and sincere, something that didn¡¯t escape the eyes of the man sitting beside him.


    Looking at Lin Chen through the rearview mirror, a trace of hostility flashed through Yang Dian Feng¡¯s eyes.


    Ten minutes later, the trio arrived at the actual crime scene.


    A bright yellow warning tape weaved around the bus. Two Malinois dogs with mahogany fur had just returned from their search. One of them had a bright yellow shoe in its mouth and refused to let it go.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked as he approached the dogs.


    ¡°They said they tracked for 10 kilometers and only found one shoe.¡± Wang Chao, who arrived at the crime scene earlier, squatted and stroked the search dog¡¯s head.


    The handler tried to take the shoe away from the dog when Lin Chen silently walked up to Xing Cong Lian. When Wang Chao looked up, he was greeted with Lin Chen¡¯s calm, but battered face.


    The corner of Lin Chen¡¯s lips was bruised, and his cheek was swollen. Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but hammer his fist to Xing Cong Lian¡¯s back, ¡°You actually used such a heavy hand against my family¡¯s Ah Chen, you beast!!!¡±


    When Wang Chao¡¯s fist made contact with his back, Xing Cong Lian was in the middle of examining the shoe, and his face was sent flying right to it. He was about to shout his injustice when a faint smell attracted his notice.


    He sniffed again. Apart from the smell of grass and bamboo-shoots, there was another scent mixed in.


    ¡°This smell, isn¡¯t it a perfume?¡± Without him knowing, Yang Dian Feng had squatted next to Xing Cong Lian, commenting on the scent.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It smells a lot like Miracle, but I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lady¡¯s perfume, a lot of girls like it.¡± Yang Dian Feng was very familiar with this.


    ¡°However, judging by the smell, it¡¯s very likely he applied it straight onto the shoes¡­¡±


    ¡°To interfere with our tracking,¡± Xing Cong Lian agreed.


    ¡°Right?¡± Yang Dian Feng turned to smile at Xing Cong Lian with a reverent gaze. ¡°Fortunately, you¡¯re still willing to continue this investigation.¡±


    Wang Chao couldn¡¯t see because he was standing, so he nudged Lin Chen. ¡°Did the boss come down with something?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. He didn¡¯t know, either.

 CH 23

    Xing Cong Lian entered the bus to investigate, stepping over glass debris and plants strewn on the ground as Yang Dian Feng trailed behind him.


    Lin Chen, on the other hand, stayed outside and chatted with Wang Chao. Facing the fields, the two of them didn¡¯t notice the dwindling amount of vehicles on the other lane.


    ¡°You mean the tablet he took from the bus appeared in the city?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s strange, and the route it took was very weird. It looks like the GPS is faulty.¡± Wang Chao glanced at Yang Dian Feng and gestured to Lin Chen. ¡°I suspect that there¡¯s something wrong with their company¡¯s system.¡±


    At this, Lin Chen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and his expression turned grim.


    This case was extremely strange and dangerous.


    This criminal hijacked vehicles for candy, made the police track him for 10 km to no avail and managed to accomplish a seemingly impossible smuggling feat. He was very powerful, yet only did meaningless operations, making this case worth the alarm.


    All of a sudden, a faraway roar of engines disrupted Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts.


    Lin Chen turned around and found that the opposite lane was deserted. However, in the distance, there were more than ten cars approaching at a high speed.


    Leading the way was a white police car, followed by multi-purpose vehicles in a range of sizes, all of which were painted with logos of the top major TV stations. These were clearly cars full of reporters. Last in the line was a heavy-duty tow truck.


    In mere moments, the fleet of vehicles arrived before them. The leading white police car braked with so much force the tires screeched as it brushed against the white line. Dozens of cars stopped one after another, scattering dust and smoke. However, none of the people in them came out.


    Several people in the back came down to quickly to remove a section of the guard bar as the cars all stopped before the yellow warning tape.


    Watching the white police car, Lin Chen was struck by a bad premonition.


    With a click, the door opened followed by shiny leather shoes and a pair of well-ironed pants. It was Huang Ze.


    Lin Chen saw Huang Ze, so naturally the reverse was true. He also noticed that Lin Chen wasn¡¯t alone.


    However, Huang Ze ignored him, having more important things at hand. He turned around, went to the back and opened the door. His gentleman-like demeanor was so attractive that all the cameras from the reporters flashed.


    Then, Jiang Ze emerged from the back seat.


    Lin Chen was shocked, but what surprised him even more was that after Jiang Zhe got out of the car, all the flashes and microphones turned from Huang Ze and focused on the young man sporting messy curls.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, what¡¯s your analysis of the crime scene?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, do you think the hijacking will happen again?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, can you analyze the bus-hijacking teenager¡¯s psychological state?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang¡­¡±


    The reporters bombarded Jiang Zhe with seemingly endless questions


    Jiang Zhe had recently returned from abroad and was a host for an emotional talk show on a famous TV station. He was known for his sharp tongue and ruthless style. This was the first case he took over after becoming a consultant for the police, so the reporters had received the news in advance. They knew that Mr. Jiang¡¯s plan was to go to the R&R station first, then conduct an on-site investigation and welcome the media to make a report on his entire process. The media was, of course, very excited by this invitation.


    Moreover, this case was exciting. The hijacker was a cute young man who only robbed candies. The young man¡¯s actions could be described as humorous and playful, chewing bubblegum one moment and mingling with passengers the next. Who knows what his next course of action would be?


    The candy robber was already a big topic, and now with Jiang Zhe in the mix, the media could not love any combination more than this one.


    ¡°According to the age of the hijacker, he should currently be in a rebellious period given that he¡¯s an adolescent. Rebelling to attract other people¡¯s attention, it¡¯s like the lustre of flashing people off; he wants to be seen.¡± As sharp as ever, Jiang Zhe made his point in an explosive manner. The atmosphere boiled as the sound of shutters went off and the reporters¡¯ faces filled with excitement.


    ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Seeing the massive crowd arriving, Xing Cong Lian came out of the bus and stood beside Lin Chen.


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Watching this scene, Lin Chen said, ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s right that it¡¯s terrifying.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Xing Cong Lian replied.


    Wang Chao was confused, ¡°Ah, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You see, if he did all this to get attention, then he definitely succeeded.¡± The wind carried over the noise of the reporters as they did their interview. Jiang Zhe was full of life, pulling the reporters back and forth with his words. Lin Chen paused, then turned to Xing Cong Lian. ¡°The real question is, what exactly does he want the attention for?¡±


    ¡°Teenagers are like that.¡± Wang Chao didn¡¯t think the matter was that complicated.


    ¡°Yes, once they enter adolescence, most teenagers would feel the need for attention. This is not a problem. But youths who sought attention like this are generally unbalanced, full of extreme paranoia with their reaction and behavior reflecting this. This young man, however, didn¡¯t display any of this in his actions. He was resolute, charming and witty¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that you say this, he was a bit cute, ah!¡±


    ¡°Yes, he makes his actions look cute and cool. He¡¯s a hijacker with a gun in his hand, yet you feel this way about his actions. Isn¡¯t that terrifying?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to him, his brain is abnormal.¡± Xing Cong Lian grabbed Wang Chao¡¯s collar and dragged him backwards.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°The bus is clean.¡± Xing Cong Lian took off his gloves and put them in his pocket.


    The word ¡°clean¡± certainly wasn¡¯t referring to the sanitariness of the bus. It was referring to the traces that the young man might have left.


    ¡°No fingerprints, no hair, he even took the candy wrappers with him.¡±


    ¡°Bold, careful and attentive,¡± Lin Chen concluded.


    ¡°His purpose might not be as simple as wanting the attention.¡± Xing Cong Lian looked at Huang Ze and Jiang Zhe, isolated from them by the sea of reporters.


    Lin Chen felt bored. He gazed at the far end of the field full of reeds then said, ¡°Xing Cong Lian, you should close off this road.¡±


    The words that came out of his mouth shocked everyone present.


    ¡°You must be joking!¡± The first to react was Yang Dian Feng who had been listening quietly.


    With the total length of 317 km, Hong Jing Highway stretched starting from that mountain in the west and ending with the YongChuan River in the east. It¡¯s a transportation path that connects two provinces together. The average traffic flow spans over 30,000 cars a day, so if this highway was closed for even half an hour, all the cars would be backed up until not even the end is visible. What¡¯s more, they wanted to close the highway simply because of a hijacking case, which was an unprecedented occurrence.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t make the decision.¡± As a matter of fact, Xing Cong Lian also felt the same bad premonition as Lin Chen.


    In his experience, both the tablet that somehow teleported across the entire city and the shoes doused in perfume, were simply distractions for the police. Since their force started to become divided, it opened an opportunity for the young man to start his final act.


    However, these were all just speculations. Without solid evidence, all they could do was watch as danger approached.


    Noticing Xing Cong Lian¡¯s uneasiness, Lin Chen pointed at Huang Ze in the distance and asked, ¡°Can he?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian looked in the direction Lin Chen was pointing to. Feeling as though someone was looking at him, Huang Ze turned around.


    ¡°Captain Xing, your superior who told you to stop investigating, was Young Master Huang?¡± Yang Dian Feng suddenly made the connection.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡± Replying in a casual manner, Xing Cong Lian then resumed talking to Lin Chen. ¡°Want to try?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°Young Master Huang* is well-known for his rigidity. He is prejudiced against you, why seek trouble for yourself?¡± Yang Dian Feng rushed to say. Businessmen always sought profits and avoided disadvantages. Instead of fawning over Huang Ze, Yang Dian Feng chose to stick close to Xing Cong Lian, which was unusual.


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at him and said indifferently, ¡°Persuading Huang Ze is a shortcut. You should always first try the shortcut when there is one.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded in agreement.


    At this time, Huang Ze already made his way over to them, several others following behind him. He didn¡¯t spare Lin Chen a glance, choosing instead to shoot Xing Cong Lian an icy glare. ¡°Captain Xing, this case doesn¡¯t seem to be in your jurisdiction. Please take the irrelevant individuals away and leave at once.¡±


    The irrelevant individuals Huang Ze was referring to was of course, Lin Chen.


    ¡°Huang Ze, you¡¯re so boring.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was slightly taller than Huang Ze, so he would lower his head as he spoke. This condescending gesture made Huang Ze uncomfortable. ¡°Captain Xing, don¡¯t you have other cases to investigate? Why are you still here? The people don¡¯t pay taxes for you to travel around.¡±


    ¡°I have no case in hand that is more important than this one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, important? If you really think that this case is important, then why was there no progress in your investigation for over a month after you got your hands on this case? Now you say this is important, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too late?¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in quarreling. I can quarrel with you for three days and three nights and you will still lose. Now, listen to me carefully,¡± Xing Cong Lian interrupted. ¡°We suspect that the criminal is going to make a big move. I hope you can make an effort to talk to the higher-ups to close up the highway, just in case.¡±


    Translator: Kuro


    TL Check: Teo


    Editing & proofing: Namio, Celine, Kiri

 CH 24

    Criminal Psychology 24


    If someone wanted to close down the highway and was in a hurry, the best way to do it was to go straight to the highway management office.


    Xing Cong Lian got in his car and as soon as he stepped on the accelerator, the jeep sped away.


    The atmosphere inside was heavy, no one daring to speak. Lin Chen sat in the front seat while Wang Chao and Yang Dian Feng sat in the back. After holding back for so long, the manager finally couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to speak to Young Master Huang at all!¡± As he spoke, he glared at Lin Chen with accusation in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty. If I didn¡¯t speak up, it would be my problem, but since he didn¡¯t listen, it became his. It¡¯s fine.¡± Xing Cong Lian gripped the steering wheel with both hands and took a moment to nudge Lin Chen, saying, ¡°Give me a cigarette.¡±


    Lin Chen looked around, but couldn¡¯t find a pack.


    ¡°In my pocket.¡± Xing Cong Lian leaned forward slightly.


    Yang Dian Feng watched all of this from the back seat, feeling as though he had been completely ignored again.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have left. Inspector Huang choosing to reply as he did is totally because of personal reasons. You need to report this to your superior!¡± Yang Dian Feng spoke again, raising his voice.


    ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Xing Cong Lian never took Huang Ze seriously to begin with. He stepped on the accelerator and cut off the vehicle in front of them. ¡°Anger is a waste of time.¡±


    If Huang Ze was here, he probably would¡¯ve vomited blood.


    Hong Jing Highway management office was located about 50 km away from the crime scene. Even at full speed, they didn¡¯t arrive until nearly half an hour later.


    On the way over, Xing Cong Lian called the old director and made a report on the case¡¯s latest progress, hoping to get his help.


    Anticipating their arrival, the highway management¡¯s people were waiting for them in the parking lot.


    ¡°Hello, Captain Xing. I am Liu Hang, assistant to the chairman of Hong Jing Expressway Co., Ltd.¡±


    A young man with gold-rimmed glasses approached as Xing Cong Lian and his party were getting out of the car.


    ¡°Your chairman?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked as they walked.


    ¡°The chairman is in a meeting.¡± Liu Hang looked at Xing Cong Lian and everyone else. Although Liu Hang remained polite, his tone still held a shed of disapproval.


    When he received a call from the office just now, he heard that the captain of the criminal investigation team wanted to see their management to close up the highway. He thought it was ridiculous for a mere captain from the municipal police office to make such a request. Now that he met the actual person clad in plain clothing and saw the jeep he drove, Liu Hang was even more certain that the captain had no background. In short, he was just an ordinary civil servant.


    Xing Cong Lian knew that this man looked down on him. In any case, using the power of one¡¯s background to pressure people was only one way of solving problems. Using reason was another.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a rush. Even if the chairman is in the toilet right now, we need to break through.¡± Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t waste any time with the assistant¡­.


    Liu Hang was struck speechless.


    As an assistant, Liu Hang certainly could not allow his boss to be embarrassed. Making a decision, he invited Xing Cong Lian and his company into the office before excusing himself to go and find the chairman.


    The four in the office were left to their own devices.


    Hong Jing Highway ran through two provinces, so it was quite a profitable business. Naturally, the chairman¡¯s office was very luxurious.


    Oak flooring, mahogany furniture, a leather sofa, jade carvings, all four eye-catching items essential for the rich were seen here. The only difference compared to other offices was that instead of a famous foreign painting or one of a fierce tiger, there was a massive picture that hung behind the leather chair.


    The picture was old with yellowed corners. The people in it were wearing late 80¡¯s clothes, spreading mortar for the highway¡¯s foundation. If one paid closer attention, figures of some big-shots who had already entered retirement could be seen. With that in mind, these people should be quite old by now.


    Only one part of this massive photo looked new, located in the lower corner. It was that of a beautiful lady wearing a simple silk cheongsam. Her long hair was tied in a bun, held by an ebony hairpin with several strands of hair framing her face. Instead of appearing messy, the hair made the lady¡¯s ears look like jade. Her face was unadorned, wearing only a quiet smile. It showed a temperament that exposed her excellent upbringing, something that couldn¡¯t be imitated.


    It was as if her presence was the sole reason that the picture shone with brilliance.


    Yang Dian Feng noticed the big photo occupying half of the wall as soon as he entered the room. Once he saw the beautiful lady on it, he subconsciously turned to Xing Cong Lian.


    Even Xing Cong Lian was shocked when he saw the picture.


    Since both Yang Dian Feng and Xing Cong Lian were staring at the photo, Lin Chen and Wang Chao followed suit.


    And so, when Liu Hang returned, what he saw was four people sitting on the sofa, staring at the picture on the wall.


    ¡°The chairman said that he would be here in a minute.¡± Liu Hang coughed, interrupting the four scrutinizing the picture.


    ¡°Are you interested in this picture, Captain Xing?¡± The room was too silent, so Liu Hang scrambled to find a talking point. ¡°This photo was taken on the day the foundation of the Hong Jing Highway was laid. The ceremony was very grand. Not only did many high ranking officials appear in person, even more noteworthy was an important person from the highway investors was also there.¡± Having recited these sentences thousands of times, Liu Xing was eloquent. Then, he looked at the beautiful lady and continued to talk.


    As the first ever highway to be built in China, the initial progress for Hong Jing Highway was met with numerous roadblocks, particularly with funding. At that time, private companies had only begun to expand and those so-called North and South rich families were just starting out.


    In order to raise money for construction, Hong Jing¡¯s mayor asked for money everywhere. After several setbacks, he found himself in front of what legend had it was the most prominent family in China.


    It was said that on the day the mayor went to the family¡¯s door for a cup of tea, he came out with all the funds needed to complete the construction.


    ¡°Is this beautiful lady that Miss. Xing?¡± Wang Chao suddenly raised his hand and asked excitedly.


    ¡°No, not Miss. Xing, it¡¯s Mrs. Xing.¡± Liu Hang looked at Xing Cong Lian and smiled, ¡°In pronunciation, it¡¯s just like Captain Xing¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Nah, our boss¡¯s name is written with the knife radical. It¡¯s just the name that¡¯s pronounced the same as that big family.¡± Wang Chao patted Xing Cong Lian¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Boss, your surname is the same as the Xings, yet you¡¯re still so poor.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian staggered a bit from the pat, and unexpectedly stayed silent as he looked at the picture of the lady.


    Wang Chao was joking, but it showed that in the minds of ordinary people, other than being rich, the most prominent family in China was super rich.


    The Xing family had been in business since the end of the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty. Their traces could be found all over the world. From big industries like oil and mineral resources to everyday necessities like firewood and rice, this family did it all. But if it was just this, the Xing family would have just been another rich family.


    Rumor has it that Chinese people all over the world deeply respected this family.


    The reason for this was, when war broke out a hundred years ago, the Xing family provided shelter for countless Chinese people overseas. Even now, they run the biggest overseas Chinese charity organization, focusing on helping their countrymen in foreign lands.


    In summary, all the praises boiled down to this one sentence:


    The Xing family is really awesome.


    Breaking the silence all of a sudden, the door was pushed open and the chairman of the Hong Jing Expressway Co., Ltd strode into the room.


    Instead of greeting the people inside his office, he sat down behind his desk and began answering his phone.


    The content of the call was full of trivial minutiae, such as going abroad for an inspection. He talked to the person on the other end without pausing, appearing as though he didn¡¯t intend to end the call any time soon.


    At this moment, Xing Cong Lian got up, walked over to the chairman¡¯s desk and pulled out the cord.


    ¡°Who are you? Who let you into my office?¡± The chairman was indignant.


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian, Captain of the Hong Jing Criminal Department.¡±


    Perhaps Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze was too glacial, but the chairman relented after a moment of deadlock. ¡°Captain Xing, please sit down.¡± The man waved his hand and said, ¡°I heard you¡¯ve come to ask me to close down the highway?¡±


    ¡°We concluded that the hijacker might make a big move today. For the safety of the highway¡¯s users, I hope you can agree to temporarily close down the highway in the Hong Jing section.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me to shut down the highway just because you think a kid might do something? Do you know how much the shareholders will lose if we do that?!¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°No idea?!¡± The chairman was so angry, his finger almost poked Xing Cong Lian¡¯s face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but what I do know is that if you don¡¯t take responsibility now, you will have to bear the consequences later.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes were ice cold.


    ¡°Consequences?¡± The chairman sneered. ¡°Captain Xing, do you think the highway belongs to your family?¡±


    Hearing this, an odd thought rose in Xing Cong Lian¡¯s mind.

 CH 25

    Mountain Qiong was located southwest of Hong Jing. With an altitude of nearly one kilometer, it was surrounded by clouds and fog all year round.


    The scenery was best when the rainy season approached. Water vapor condensed on the rocky wall, brushing aside green moss and converging into a stream from the fine seams.


    A campsite resided by a creek in the valley, near the Qiong Mountain. The space was colorful, easily noticed, even from the distance. Numerous tents were arranged on the grounds, with people popping more up as the hours ticked by.


    More importantly, several children were among them.


    Cao Qian Zhi was a primary school teacher at Feng Jing School. Today was a spring outing for the first graders, at Mountain Qiong, southwest of Hong Jing.


    He stood at the edge of the camp area and watched as the staff, posing as mountain people, brought out a goat for the children to see. Never having seen a live goat before, the children surrounded it, pointing and poking, excited to the point of shrieking.


    His gaze wandered from the goat to the water, watching the children fishing by the stream. They huddled together, discussing techniques. The stream was very shallow, so he didn¡¯t stop them. It was an artificial landscape built solely for the scenic area, after all. He doubted they¡¯d want to get their shoes wet in the cold spring weather, anyway.


    The scene was peaceful and harmonious.


    But the uneasiness in Cao Qian Zhi¡¯s heart only grew.


    A series of urgent footsteps echoed in the distance. Cao Qian Zhi hurried over to them.


    The dean and another teacher who led the group were running towards him. Seriousness coating both of their faces, they solemnly shook their heads.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t reach them?¡± Though he already knew the answer, he still asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the dean said, his voice low, ¡°We can¡¯t get through to Mr. Xu¡¯s phone, and Teacher An¡¯s phone was turned off. The car should have arrived half an hour ago!¡±


    Cao Qian Zhi looked at his watch. It was long past the agreed time.


    The school rented six buses for the day¡¯s spring outing to Mountain Qiong. They gathered at the school gate early that morning and took three hours to get from the school to the mountain. On their way there, they spent most of that time stuck in a traffic jam. And because of the jam, several of the buses were delayed from the rest by ten minutes when they arrived at the mountain.


    If that was the case, it was simply a matter of delaying their schedule. But after 5 of the buses arrived, one of the busses still didn¡¯t show. It was Class 3¡¯s bus, with 26 students and two teachers.


    They thought the bus was still stuck in the traffic jam. They tried to contact the driver and two teachers, but their phones couldn¡¯t be reached.


    At first, they assumed it was because of poor signal. But just now, the dean and the other teacher went to the scenic area¡¯s management center to try and contact them again. The one answering the call was a mechanical female voice. It was then that they realized that the people might be in trouble.


    ¡°Even if they had an accident, their phones wouldn¡¯t be turned off!¡± the female teacher said.


    ¡°Did you call the highway management?¡± Cao Qian Zhi continued to ask.


    ¡°Yes, they said they¡¯re checking it. They haven¡¯t found them yet.¡±


    After a long silence, Cao Qian Zhi finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s call the police.¡±


    In the Hong Jing Expressway chairman¡¯s office, three telephones rang almost simultaneously.


    Xing Cong Lian stepped back from the desk and took out his cell phone. The chairman let out a sigh of relief before picking up his own while Liu Hang left to pick up the one at his own office.


    Moments later, Xing Cong Lian looked at Lin Chen. The chairman turned stiff as Liu Hang rushed back into the room.


    At the other end of the call was the worst news.


    ¡°The municipal bureau just received a report from Feng Jing School that a tourist bus they rented disappeared on the highway,¡± Xing Cong Lian reported to Lin Chen, covering the receiver on the handset.


    ¡°How can it disappear? The highway exits are monitored!¡± Before Lin Chen could open his mouth, Yang Dian Feng already.


    Lin Chen¡¯s thin lips pursed. He sat up straighter and said nothing.


    Xing Cong Lian was still on the phone, having no time to answer Yang Dian Feng¡¯s question. After a while, he suddenly looked up, and while holding the phone in one hand, he pointed at the mobile phone and gestured at Wang Chao.


    Wang Chao responded quickly. He took out his mobile phone from his pocket and handed it over to Xing Cong Lian. Xing Cong Lian then gestured to give the phone to Lin Chen.


    ¡°The school¡¯s teacher will call soon, and you will answer it,¡± he said, before rattling off a series of numbers to the caller at the other end.


    Soon, Wang Chao¡¯s phone rang.


    Mountain Qiong scenic area, campsite.


    Cao Qian Zhi¡¯s palms were sweating, and the female teacher was crying. All kinds of horrible pictures filled his mind, making him even more agitated.


    When the call was connected, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from shouting, ¡°You haven¡¯t found the bus yet? Did something happen? What do we do now?!¡±


    The other end of the line was silent for about three seconds before someone spoke.


    The male voice was quiet and peaceful, like the flowing water in a spring or the breeze in the mountain, slowly pouring into his ears.


    ¡°Hello, sir. I understand you¡¯re anxious, but right now, the most important thing to do is to be calm. Take a deep breath with me then answer the following questions.¡±


    Cao Qian Zhi knew how to take a deep breath, but things are urgent. There was no time for that! Even as his thought so, his body involuntarily followed the instructions. He began to inhale deeply, then exhale.


    ¡°At what time did the bus leave the school?¡±


    ¡°6:30.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Now, I need you to think carefully, when was the last time you saw the bus?¡±


    The voice was still calm and gentle, but the request made Qian Zhi panic again, ¡°I don¡¯t remember!¡± He was so distraught that he blurted, ¡°Every vehicle looks the same, I can¡¯t tell!¡±


    On the other side of the call, the young man holding the phone expected this. He put down the pen in his hand, then turned the paper before him towards the man opposite him.


    Sitting across him was a young man wearing a cap back-to-front. The young man looked at the paper, which had ¡°bus, recent photo, send it over¡± written on it. He nodded and started tapping on the keyboard.


    The line was silent for several seconds. Cao Qian Zhi felt as if the wind in the mountain was growing colder. He said ¡°Hello¡± to the phone twice, and the voice immediately returned.


    ¡°Hello, yes, I¡¯m here.¡±


    The clear voice like a running stream flowed out again, relaxing Cao Qian Zhi¡¯s nerves. Then, the man said, ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know this, but memories don¡¯t disappear completely. Humans have another underlying memory system. You think you¡¯ve forgotten something, but our brains preserve the memories in another form. This is why I need you to calm down and recall the memory. I also need you to do your best to recall the time when you last saw the bus and where. It¡¯s important and will be a tremendous help.¡±


    The office of the chairman of Hong Jing Expressway management headquarters.


    Wang Chao quickly connected to the Sky Eye System, pulling up the footage of the spring tour group gathering at the gate of the Feng Jing School at 6:20.


    Six buses lined up in an orderly manner on the road. The outside of the buses were white with cloud patterns. The words ¡°Hong Jing External Affairs Vehicle Management Co., Ltd¡± could be vaguely seen.


    The buses seemed to have no differences between them. Wang Chao looked up anxiously, but the person opposite him was gone. When he turned right, Lin Chen was at his side without him noticing.


    A fair and slender finger traced the screen and stopped on the third bus.


    ¡°Zoom in.¡±


    Wang Chao did as he was told. The word ¡°External Affairs¡± written on the bus got bigger and bigger until the rest of the words turned blurry.


    ¡°There.¡±


    The finger pointed at a spot above the rear wheel then moved away.


    Wang Chao looked carefully and noticed that in the huge painting of the clouds, a part of it seemed missing, making it look incomplete. The bus might have just come from the repair shop. The missing part might have just been repaired and wasn¡¯t painted yet. He turned to look at Lin Chen on reflex. Lin Chen stood by the window, slowly saying,  ¡°There is a blue cloud above the rear wheel, but half of it is missing. Although you didn¡¯t notice it, your brain will record it. I need you to close your eyes and start to recall¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on a packed highway. There are a lot of cars and children are laughing and playing on the bus. Because you got up early this morning, you are sleepy. To distract yourself, you look out the window. The scenery outside is beautiful. The reeds stretched as far as the eye can see. There are vehicles passing by intermittently. Suddenly, you see a bus. The bus is quite strange. A part of the pattern above the rear wheel seems to be missing. You saw it very briefly, in just a fraction of a second. But because it¡¯s strange, you remember it¡­¡±


    Following the soft voice, Cao Qian Zhi felt like he returned to the noisy bus. Looking out the window, he saw a bus passing by.


    ¡°I remember!¡± His voice turned loud, ¡°I remember the bus, but I don¡¯t know the time!¡±


    ¡°Please try to remember if there were any landmarks or signs. They are by the side of the road, very noticeable¡­¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. It was only reeds all around.¡± Cao Qian Zhi frowned, trying to grasp a fleeting image in his mind. ¡°Wait a minute, I remember! A child told me they wanted to go to the toilet, and the driver said he would drive to the Mei Cun R&R station!¡± Cao Qian Zhi instantly opened his eyes.


    Lin Chen quickly returned to the desk, took up a pen, and wrote ¡°Mei Cun¡± on the paper.


    ¡°Do you or any other teachers remember the time you go to the Mei Cun station?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll ask.¡±


    Wang Chao had already pulled up the map of Hong Jing highway. While looking at the map, he calculated, ¡°The Mei Cun R&R station is about 130 km from Mountain Qiong. The traffic jam happened after 7:00. If they leave at 6:30, they should arrive at the station around 8:30, considering the variable.¡±


    Wang Chao dropped the pen, and an urgent male voice was heard from the phone, ¡°Our dean said it should be 8:30 when we arrived at Mei Cun! I really can¡¯t remember anything else!¡±


    The teacher¡¯s voice was full of remorse.


    ¡°This is already great. Thank you very much for your help.¡±


    Seeing Lin Chen hanging up the phone, Wang Chao let out a sigh of relief. But he felt it was strange, ¡°How did you know that the third bus is different!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Lin Chen picked up the paper the technician used to do his calculation and said, ¡°But we could only hope for luck.¡±


    ¡°What if your luck is bad?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not lucky, then keep trying.¡±


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Velvet


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Empress

 CH 26

    Luck is simultaneously the most reliable and most unreliable thing in the world.


    When luck is good, it¡¯s as if one can do anything. But when luck is bad, it can feel as though there is no hope within sight.


    So, if possible, don¡¯t try your luck.


    Lin Chen thought that if they were lucky, the teenager just wanted to mess with the police. Something more along the lines of false alarms, car accidents caused with malicious intent, chemical spills, or the like.


    But now, a bus full of 26 children is lost.


    This luck was terrible.


    ¡°Boss, two hours. The bus has been lost for almost two hours!¡± Wang Chao had seen many things and had dealt with many crises. But this time, a bus with 26 children had disappeared and they only became aware of it after two hours had passed. This panicked him. ¡°Two entire hours! If the bus was hijacked, it could be anywhere in the world now!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian finally got away from the continuous phone calls. Hanging up the phone, his eyes and voice were icy as he said, ¡°Speak carefully. After you seriously ponder over it, tell me the specific radius.¡±


    Wang Chao was so frightened, he jumped straight up. He snatched the paper from Lin Chen and continued his calculations.


    ¡°Based on the average speed of 80 km/h, a two-hour travel time, the area should be around 160 km radius¡­¡± Wang Chao ran to the computer, then rapidly typed in a series of code while muttering, ¡°Excluding the field of reeds and roads that are jammed, the area they might have arrived at is¡­¡±


    The enter key clacked and on the screen, a red circular sector slowly covered the middle of the green topographic map.


    ¡°Take us to the monitoring center to check all the vehicles that passed by the toll stations within this radius.¡± Xing Cong Lian turned the display to face the chairman.


    The chairman was gloomy. He had been in this position for three years and had never met with any major incidents. Then, a policeman comes to him asking to blockade the highway without giving a solid reason. Of course, he thought the policeman was exaggerating the situation, but now, a tourist bus goes missing. How could this be so coincidental?


    He still held a hope that it was all a fluke. ¡°Captain Xing, don¡¯t be too agitated. Nowadays, every car has GPS positioning. You can find out where the bus is once you check it. How can it be lost¡­.¡±


    ¡°GPS positioning?¡± The corner of Xing Cong Lian¡¯s lips curled up and he looked at the chairman coldly. ¡°Just now, my colleague told me that according to that GPS positioning, the bus should be in the reed fields right now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, the bus shouldn¡¯t be able to enter the field.¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao stared at Cong Lian in disbelief. ¡°What the fuck, we were already fooled by the GPS this morning. Boss, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that boy!¡±


    ¡°Even if the GPS is malfunctioning, every bus has an independent emergency call system. In the case of an accident, our management center will automatically receive an alarm. That¡¯s not happening right now, so the bus should be fine. It might have just broken down in the middle of the road. And maybe we can¡¯t contact them because their phones are in an out-of-service area!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stared at the chairman sitting on the sofa and said, emphasizing every word, ¡°Take. Me. To. The. Monitoring. Hall. Now.¡±


    Hong Jing Highway¡¯s monitoring hall was located on the first floor of the administration bureau. A hundred staff were stationed there year round.


    Stretching as far as the eye can see, the display screen densely packed with information was dizzying to look at. And on the wall in the middle of the hall was a giant LED screen the size of half a basketball court ¡ª it displayed all of the roads along the highway.


    On the screen, the traffic was so heavy it was impossible to search for something just by looking.


    Six people stood in a line in front of the glass door. Xing Cong Lian looked to his right which prompted Assistant Liu Hang to take out a card and use it to open the door.


    The sound of electrical current buzzing hit them right in their faces along with the heat as they walked in.


    The six people¡¯s footsteps were disorderly and out of place in the quiet hall, which made the staff turn to look at them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the main monitor station?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked as he looked around.


    ¡°There.¡± The chairman pointed at the space closest to the big screen.


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at Wang Chao. The tech geek tugged his hat down, then ran to the front.


    The chief technician on the main monitor felt someone tap on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a very young boy.


    ¡°Please make way,¡± Wang Chao said, bowing politely before pushing the person away.


    ¡°Who are you guys!¡± The middle-aged man was pissed at being pushed aside.


    ¡°The police, police handling a case,¡± Wang Chao murmured to himself, tapping on the keyboard. Within seconds, he turned to Xing Cong Lian. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°No unrelated personnel is allowed to touch with the monitoring system!¡± Seeing the screen switch to another interface, the middle-aged man rushed to snatch the mouse from Wang Chao.


    At that moment, Xing Cong Lian stepped forward and chimed, ¡°Believe me, he has definitely touched more monitoring systems than you have.¡±


    ¡°The rules are the rules!¡± The middle-aged man said as he noticed the chairman also coming over.


    ¡°This is about the safety of 26 children, so don¡¯t talk to me about rules!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s expression was cold. He stood tall and still, exuding a domineering temperament without even trying.


    The middle-aged man shut up and no longer dared to open his mouth.


    ¡°You can rest assured. The core module of this system is the VA system, which I have experience with when I hacked the highway system of Country X¡­¡± Wang Chao  comforted him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an exaggeration.¡± Xing Cong Lian kicked Wang Chao¡¯s chair. ¡°Get the recordings of all the toll booths after 8:30, check for license plates.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s hands flew over the keyboard as he continued to chatter, ¡°To check the license plate, we only need to access the VLPR System to the toll station. Thanks to the VLPR, we can automatically scan and detect the vehicle¡¯s license plate numbers, thereby generating data that could give us our clues. That is to say, it¡¯s about time to witness a miracle in five, four, three¡­¡±


    Before the countdown finished, the technician¡¯s hands hung in the air, his body stiffening like a statue.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked, impatient.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Wang Chao turned the screen to the side and pointed at the empty search result. ¡°I set the time to after 8:30, but there¡¯s no record of the bus entering or leaving any toll station¡­¡± Out of habit, he spun the pen in his hand. ¡°This is impossible. The total length of Hong Jing Highway is 317 km, it¡¯s already 12:30 now, how could they still be on the highway after 6 hours. This is unscientific!¡±


    As soon as the chairman heard this, he was re-energized. ¡°Like I said, maybe the bus broke down and parked by the road. I¡¯ll send the road maintenance team to check the whole highway.¡±


    ¡°There are already people doing that.¡± Xing Cong Lian pondered for a moment. ¡°We can think of the highway as a closed system. If the bus wasn¡¯t off the highway, then it means it¡¯s still somewhere within. It can¡¯t disappear into thin air. Except for parking temporarily on the roadside, the only possible places left are the rest stations.¡±


    ¡°From Mei Village to the Qiong Mountain, there are only two rest stations in between.¡± Wang Chao checked some information and exclaimed, ¡°There are a total of 270 parking lots for large vehicles!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get some staff to check it right away,¡± the chairman offered, eager to help now.


    ¡°Ah! Please wait a moment¡­¡±


    The surveillance video of the rest area parking lot appeared on the screen in the middle of their conversation. As the camera turned, the scenes switched rapidly, all kinds of trucks, buses and lorries flashing across the screen¡­.


    However, there wasn¡¯t any bus with white background and blue clouds among them.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s not in An Ting rest station,¡± Wang Chao said, before moving on to the next.


    The pictures on the screen changed within seconds, then Wang Chao all of a sudden stopped the camera.


    ¡°There!¡±


    He paused the video and pointed at the bottom right corner of the screen.


    There, a white bus parked in a hidden corner at the edge of the lot, obscured by nearby trees. Though hard to catch, the blue clouds on it were still visible.


    ¡°Inform the rest station¡¯s security team. Tell them to check it and to be careful,¡± Xing Cong Lian said to the chairman. He turned to Wang Chao. ¡°Zoom in.¡±


    ¡°Watch properly!¡± Wang Chao said as he did as told, continuing to babble, ¡°This surveillance system is a little old, so the resolution won¡¯t be that high. Don¡¯t be surprised if all you see is a mosaic image, ¡®kay?¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Xing Cong Lian exclaimed.


    As Wang Chao said, the pixel counts of the surveillance system were very low. After zooming in several times, the image became a blurry mess.


    But they could still see that the clouds above the rear wheel of the bus were unfinished. This was likely to be the missing bus with 26 children.


    The chairman sighed in relief, but Lin Chen walked up to Xing Cong Lian. ¡°There¡¯s a problem. The curtains are all down.¡±


    Although the video was blurry, it was clear that the windows were covered by curtains.


    By now, the notified security personnel had already rushed to the lot.


    ¡°If it were you, after racking your brains to hijack a bus, why would you let it be found so easily?¡±


    ¡°Tell the security not to pull on the door!¡± Realizing something, Xing Cong Lian shouted at the chairman who had just hung up.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you making too much of a fuss!¡±


    The chairman muttered while unlocking his phone screen. The call beeped twice, but before it connected, the security guards on the screen already reached the side of the bus.


    Standing in front of the door, the two didn¡¯t even think twice before reaching out to tug at the locked door.


    Yet, nothing dangerous happened.


    Everyone in the monitoring hall let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Connect to the security personnel¡¯s walkie-talkie and place it near the phone,¡± Xing Cong Lian said, seizing the chairman¡¯s phone.


    The security guard on the screen seemed to hear something and picked up his walkie-talkie as well.


    ¡°Hello.¡± The hissing sound of the electric noise came from the speaker.


    ¡°Sir, I need you to carefully back away from the door and then go to the front of the bus to see what the situation inside is like. If you hear me, turn southwest, face the M logo and nod.¡± Xing Cong Lian enunciated each syllable.


    A moment later, the security guard on the screen nodded then went around the front door, walking up to the front of the bus.


    On the screen, the figures of the two security guards were no longer visible.


    The monitoring hall fell silent. The only sound was a rustling noise from the phone by Xing Cong Lian¡¯s ear.


    If you strained your ears, you could still hear the muffled conversation between the two guards.


    ¡°There¡¯s only the driver.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Why is it flickering?¡±


    ¡°Is that a¡­detonator?¡±


    The whole space was silent. A second later, sounds of panic and hesitation came from the speaker.


    ¡°Officer¡­We seem to have seen a time bomb¡­¡±


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Velvet


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 27

    How long had it been since something this big happened on this highway?


    Liu Hang couldn¡¯t remember.


    As one of the staff of Hong Jing Expressway Co., Ltd., Liu Hang had joined the company right after he graduated. While working there, he had gotten accustomed to major accidents such as traffic jams, car crashes, vehicles turning over in the middle of the road¡­


    But a time bomb?


    That was really something new.


    However, just five minutes ago, a time bomb strapped to the driver of the missing bus was found in the parking lot of Lang Chuan rest station on the Hong Jing highway.


    It was reported that the countdown display was still flickering and ticking, confirming that it was not dormant. All the personnel in the monitoring hall were terrified, as if the shrapnels from hundreds of kilometers away could hurt them.


    He stood frozen in front of the screen ¡ª not because he didn¡¯t want to leave this terrifying place, but because someone was looking at him with deathly calm eyes, rooting him on the spot.


    ¡°Liu Hang, right? How many years have you been working here?¡±


    ¡°Six years.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be very familiar with the emergency evacuation process, right?¡±


    Liu Hang looked at the man covering the receiver with one hand. He didn¡¯t know why, but the person he looked down on before had turned into someone else entirely.


    The policeman¡¯s eyes were intense, but what paralyzed Liu Hang was the trust he saw in those eyes. He nodded before he could stop himself.


    ¡°Take the staff to clear out the rest station in an orderly manner and do not disclose the existence of the bomb in order to prevent panic. ¡±


    Having said that, Xing Conglian stopped covering the receiver and resumed his call. ¡°Hello, Sir. My name is Xing Cong Lian, the captain of Hong Jing City Police Criminal Department. Can you tell me how many people are on the bus at this moment?¡±


    ¡°Just one!¡± Anxious, the security guard then asked, ¡°When can we leave? The bomb is going to explode in 29 minutes! When are you police going to come?!¡±


    Hearing this, everyone was shocked. There were supposed to be 26 children and 2 teachers on the bus, where did they all go?!


    Xing Cong Lian squeezed Lin Chen¡¯s hand before he continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to bother you to take your mobile phone out and take two pictures of the site for me.¡± He paused, looked at the security guard on the screen then said, ¡°First, I need you to take a picture of the time bomb. The clearer the structure of the bomb, the better. And for the second one, please take a picture of what¡¯s inside the bus.¡±


    Soon after, there was a response. ¡°Done, we took a lot!¡±


    ¡°You have WeChat, yes? Please send it to me via WeChat.¡± The captain made eye contact with Wang Chao, who pulled up said application on his laptop, ready to receive the pictures.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t open the door.¡± Hearing someone make that suggestion on the other side, Xing Cong Lian raised his voice, stopping the other party.


    ¡°29 minutes? Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s a lead wire connecting the bomb to the lock on the door, starting the timer once the door opens?¡± Wang Chao was at the edge of his seat waiting for the photos ¡ª seeing Xing Cong Lian still busy on the phone, he whispered to Lin Chen instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s exactly the case. Jiang Zhe was correct on one thing. If the boy really wanted attention, blowing up a bus in a parking lot would have a far weaker impact than installing a time bomb on it.¡± Lin Chen turned to look at Captain Xing, who was holding onto two mobile phones and busy on call. ¡°But he must ensure that we find the bus before it explodes. The simplest way to do that is to connect the bomb to the door. Once someone opens it, the countdown starts.¡±


    ¡°What about the children? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°26 children together is too noticeable. He is not so stupid as to hide them in the rest station. They were most likely dropped off somewhere between Mei Village and Lang Chuan.¡± Lin Chen leaned over. ¡°Can you get the highway¡¯s surveillance records to check this bus?¡±


    ¡°Ah Chen, let me give you Highway Surveillance System 101. Most of the surveillance cameras on the highway are used to monitor the traffic flow and capture images of vehicles doing illegal stuff. Unless the bus was caught illegally parking on camera, the system won¡¯t scan for its license plate. So it will take a lot of effort, that is, manpower to track it, which is something we severely lack right now ¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you can do it, or can you do it?¡± Speaking softly, Lin Chen stared at Wang Chao, patting his head.


    Wang Chao suddenly quivered and said in a rush, ¡°In theory, we can still use the OCR system. It¡¯s a system that converts scanned documents into words. So we can use that on all the shots taken by the highway surveillance cameras between Mei Village and Lang Chuan in these four hours, then filter for ones with the bus¡¯s license plate in the frame. Knowing which camera captured which frame when, we can then map out its approximate course but¡­¡± Wang Chao stopped, not knowing if he should continue.


    Lin Chen gazed into Wang Chao¡¯s eyes, waiting expectantly.


    Wang Chao could only grit his teeth. ¡°However, the module for filtering highway surveillance photos didn¡¯t come with OCR tech¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So¡­I have to upgrade the system a little¡­.¡± Gulping, Wang Chao glanced at Xing Cong Lian and the chairman.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking. Can you take responsibility if something happens to the system?!¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t have to. I will.¡± Xing Cong Lian gripped the chairman¡¯s shoulder and nodded at Wang Chao. ¡°Do it.¡±


    As if injected with a stimulant, the tech geek took a deep breath. ¡°Chill out, I just got rid of two Trojans on this system, nothing big will happen. Then, I¡¯ll turn on comp no. 2 so you guys can go over there to see the footage. Finally, that sister over there on table 35 who¡¯s playing poker, can you give me your phone number?¡±


    All of a sudden, the monitoring hall was shrouded in silence, leaving only the sounds of the electronics and the buzzing heater.


    In the end, Lin Chen sighed and asked Xing Cong Lian, ¡°Where did you find him?¡±


    ¡°He owes me a little money.¡±


    ¡°It must be quite a sum then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±

 CH 28

    Reporters were the most well-informed people in the world.


    Therefore, it wasn¡¯t Huang Ze who first found out that there was a missing bus from Feng Jing School with 26 children and 2 teachers on board. It was a female reporter from the province¡¯s Daily News station.


    At the time, they had just finished the interview on the bus hijacking scene and were preparing to pack up and return.


    The female reporter tapped on her phone while walking up to Huang Ze. ¡°Inspector Huang, my friend in the municipal bureau said something big occurred at Qiong Mountain. If you let me have exclusive access to report this, I won¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±


    Looking at this woman with delicate make-up, Huang Ze felt inexplicably bitter.


    Indeed, this was what had happened. And since that was the case, what else could he do?


    Like ants transmitting information through pheromones or similar to the dancing of bees, news of a whole class from Feng Jing School going missing in a bus soon spread among the reporters like wildfire.


    For journalists, what could be more exciting than encountering another major news story in the middle of an interview?


    Huang Ze was trapped amidst microphones and cameras, which forced him to respond formally. ¡°The police are still investigating the case, so we can¡¯t give you any details.¡±


    But how could mere humans expect to stop the tentacles of reporters who poke into any hole they could find? Rather than letting their tentacles run wild, it¡¯d be better to limit them to a scope that was within control, right?


    And thus, Huang Ze took the reporters with him to Qiong Mountain.


    On their way, they saw numerous vehicles rushing out of the Lang Chuan R&R Station. The management staff wore grave expressions, guiding passing cars at the intersection. The news van behind Huang Ze had even been driven into the R&R station before he did. When he got out of the car, there were already cameramen with their equipment out and shooting.


    Huang Ze took a deep breath. The air was mixed with a strange scent. The smell of Zongzi with a hint of Oden¡¯s aroma and the subtle scent of baby milk were all enveloped by the strong smell of gasoline. More vehicles were leaving the area ¡ª smoke from their exhaust pipes was everywhere he looked. And several staff wearing badges on their chests hurried towards him, expressions full of panic.


    He immediately knew something had happened here.


    He also knew that Lin Chen and that captain were right, again.


    Coincidentally, just as he thought of those two, the other party was also thinking of him.


    His personal mobile phone vibrated in his pocket.


    He took it out and looked down ¡ª an unknown number. But the area code was from Hong Jing.


    Very few people knew his personal number.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s indifferent voice resounded in the Hong Jing Expressway¡¯s monitoring hall. Wang Chao held up his phone, his crying face seemingly wanting to break out into a sob.


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at him, taking the phone.


    Hearing no response, Huang Ze¡¯s tall and straight uniformed figure on the screen glanced sideways and asked in a low voice, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    The question made them sound so familiar with each other, there was a tangible awkwardness in his tone. Xing Cong Lian raised his gaze to the big screen and said, ¡°Hello, Inspector Huang.¡±


    That low and slightly hoarse voice entered Huang Ze¡¯s ear ¡ª all of a sudden, he had a bad feeling. Huang Ze frowned.


    ¡°First of all, thank you, Inspector Huang, and the media following you for coming. There is a small matter that I need your help with.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze moved to the huge LED screen in front of him, which was displaying a school bus in the corner of the parking lot. His voice was calm and relaxed. ¡°I think you should have known that a tourist bus from Feng Jing School went missing a few hours earlier. If you¡¯d turn to the direction of nine o¡¯clock from your current position, you should find a bus with blue clouds painted on it. That¡¯s the missing bus. The problem here is the driver is strapped to his seat with a time bomb¡­.¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze¡¯s head snapped up and whipped to the direction Xing Cong Lian mentioned. He started to run. He spared no energy sprinting, yet from his mouth came such an irrelevant question: ¡°Xing Cong Lian, how did you get my personal phone number?¡±


    At this, Xing Cong Lian glanced at Lin Chen. ¡°Special times call for special measures.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a time bomb, and special measures?¡± A sardonic smile appeared on Huang Ze¡¯s face. Seeming to sense something, he looked up at the surveillance camera in the corner of the parking lot. ¡°Give Lin Chen the phone.¡±


    Lin Chen was standing on one side in the monitoring hall. Noticing Xing Cong Lian¡¯s sweeping glance, he reached out after seeing how the captain looked like he wanted to say something.


    At this moment, Huang Ze was standing in front of the bus. Inside, the driver was trapped with a pallid complexion and drenched in sweat. He continued his desperate struggle in his seat with the red timer on his chest, ticking away. Seeing this, Huang Ze was full of inexplicable anger. ¡°Xing Cong Lian, are you proud now?¡±


    This time, however, the voice on the other end of the line was no longer the previous low and hoarse one. Instead, it was clear and peaceful. ¡°Huang Ze.¡±


    Huang Ze found this situation quite ridiculous. ¡°Lin Chen, you said that something big might happen on the highway, and it really did. Even I am beginning to think it¡¯s you who arranged all this.¡±


    Standing in front of the LED screen, Lin Chen¡¯s face was tinted blue with the faint light being emitted. He glanced up at Huang Ze¡¯s words, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of anger in his eyes, just deep disappointment. ¡°Shut up, Huang Ze. I have no time to discuss conspiracy theories with you.¡± His voice was frigid. ¡°You look at the bus driver in front of you. If you don¡¯t want to save him, then please turn around and leave at once.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this, your ethical question for me? You¡¯re telling me to dismantle a bomb without any protective measures to see if I will use my life on a gamble for the lives of both the driver and mine?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not an issue of ethics.¡± Lin Chen paused before continuing. ¡°Saving people is just your duty.¡±


    One had to admit, Lin Chen had the absolute upper hand when it came to persuading people.


    ¡°That is to say, if I don¡¯t, then I¡¯m a coward who derelicts my duty.¡± Sneering, Huang Ze then whispered, ¡°Go on, what do you need me to do?¡±


    Lin Chen returned the phone to Xing Cong Lian, who¡¯d stood there listening the whole time. Captain Xing stared at him, mouth agape.


    Stabilizing his breath, Xing Cong Lian took the phone. ¡°Inspector Huang, the bus just happens to be in the blind spot of the surveillance camera. Among the reporters you brought with you, there must be someone who¡¯s carrying a camera capable of wireless transmission. Please get him to connect the camera to the rest station¡¯s wi-fi. We need to see the scene in real-time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then?¡±


    ¡°And then¡­¡± Xing Cong Lian sounded a little embarrassed. ¡°Please point the camera at the time bomb. We need you to dismantle it personally¡­.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    On the screen, the reporters in the parking lot were running towards Huang Ze.


    Surrounded by the crowd, Huang Ze said something that made a portion of reporters turn tail and run. Some of the remaining braver ones ran to get Huang Ze a wireless camera. The rest, instead, directly aimed their cameras at him.


    All of a sudden, the crowds seemed to have gotten into a quarrel, the scene turning a little chaotic.


    Xing Cong Lian called out to the other line twice and vaguely heard Huang Ze saying something.


    Right after, a loud voice interrupted.


    ¡°Young Master Huang, you can¡¯t take that risk!¡±


    The one who spoke was Jiang Zhe, the psychology expert who had thought the carjacking incident was just a rebellious teenager¡¯s prank.


    Jiang Zhe gripped Huang Ze¡¯s sleeve tight. He was crystal clear on the fact that if Huang Ze really took the risk to dismantle the bomb himself and something happened, he who brought Huang Ze here would surely bear the anger of the Huang family a hundredfold.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s just a prank? So I shouldn¡¯t be in any danger, right?¡± Huang Ze looked at the psychology expert beside him, showing a faint, mocking smile.


    ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Jiang. Is the time bomb in the bus also a means for the ¡°candy thief¡± to attract attention? Can you analyze where the children have gone?¡±


    The reporters¡¯ weapons quickly shifted aim from Huang Ze to Jiang Zhe¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°No, no. The hijacker¡¯s behavior has escalated. This was no longer the simple act of a rebellious teenager. I suspect the teen actually has antisocial behavior disorder! Violence and aggressiveness are engraved in his core. He did all this to satisfy his urge to commit crimes. He may be watching us through the surveillance cameras. The more people die, the more delighted he¡¯ll be. So Young Master Huang, why do you think he parked next to a petrol station? Because he wants to blow up this place, he wants to commit a large-scale massacre. Even if you try to dismantle the bomb, it won¡¯t work, since he must have tampered with it!¡± Jiang Zhe always spoke fast, and thanks to his words, the reporters who were planning to stick around started to panic.


    However, Huang Ze still wore an indifferent expression, as if this didn¡¯t matter. Jiang Zhe knew very well that Lin Chen must have said something to Huang Ze in that call just now.


    Now agitated, Jiang Zhe snatched the phone from Huang Ze and shouted into it. ¡°Lin Chen, if you really want to take revenge on the Huang family, then you can take it out on me. Don¡¯t let innocents die because of that!¡±


    At the other end of the line, Jiang Zhe¡¯s impassioned voice resounded loudly through the loudspeaker, spreading throughout the monitoring hall.


    All eyes immediately became focused on Lin Chen¡¯s figure.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Cong Lian as Xing Cong Lian stared back.


    Listening to the silence from the other end of the call, Jiang Zhe was ready to follow up his victory with a hot pursuit when he heard a question.


    ¡°Jiang Zhe, can you recite it?¡±


    Feeling as though he had just punched cotton, Jiang Zhe felt stifled. ¡°Recite what?¡±


    ¡°Can you recite the criteria for a diagnosis of that personality disorder in the DSM-IV-TR?¡±


    ¡°What is that?!¡± Jiang Zhe blurted out. ¡°Lin Chen, stop playing tricks!¡±


    ¡°The DSM-IV-TR is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders revised by the American Psychiatric Association in 2000. It¡¯s one of the most authoritative diagnostic manuals of mental illnesses in the world. Since you think the suspect has antisocial personality disorder, then please recite the diagnostic criteria.¡±


    Jiang Zhe flushed red. ¡°Who would be able to recite that in a situation like this! Do you think you¡¯re all that just because you can do it?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you want to listen?¡±

 CH 29

    Jiang Zhe¡¯s utterly humiliated roar rang out from the phone and was casually ignored by Lin Chen who was handing it back to Xing Cong Lian.


    On the screen, Huang Ze was putting on the bluetooth earpiece before he picked up a high-definition camera and approached the bus.


    ¡°All of you, step back.¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s voice came out from the phone. He drove away the reporters behind him.


    Xing Cong Lian held the receiver closer. ¡°Inspector Huang, please be careful when you open the door. It¡¯s very likely that the suspect connected the trigger for the timed explosive to the door, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So, this means there¡¯s a chance that the bomb might go off the moment I open the door?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­.¡±


    Before Xing Cong Lian could finish, Huang Ze already opened it without hesitation, camera in hand.


    Everyone¡¯s heart was pounding.


    The door opened and the camera faithfully broadcasted the image it captured. A thin wire connected the time bomb to the door, and was hanging loose.


    The bus driver opened his mouth and frantically began to struggle in the face of this police officer¡¯s sudden appearance.


    Huang Ze placed the camera on the front seat, adjusted it, and then asked, ¡°How¡¯s the picture?¡±


    The lens was aimed at the driver¡¯s chest, the threadlike wires of the time bomb and the detonator fastened precariously over the driver¡¯s heart.


    The timer was remodelled from the simplest electronic clock display. The bright red numbers flashed non-stop, highlighting the 19 minutes and 58 seconds they had left.


    Xing Cong Lian thought for a moment, covered the receiver and turned to a nearby staff. ¡°There must be a car workshop in the rest station. Find all types of pipe wrenches and milling tools, wash them clean with water and send it to the bus within 10 minutes.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen pulled Xing Cong Lian aside. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this bomb isn¡¯t complicated? That we only needed to dismantle the initiator?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a type 101 rear-mounted detonator that explodes on contact. Removing the initiator will be like snipping the live wire; it¡¯s not completely safe. If Huang Ze is professionally trained, then the safer method is to uninstall the safety spacer and box containing the main charge.¡±


    On the screen, Huang Ze crouched down and patted the back of the driver¡¯s hand. Then, he leaned close to the bomb and looked at it for a while. All of a sudden, he turned to stare at the camera lens and asked, ¡°Captain Xing, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Plan L or plan L.¡±


    ¡°Life or luck, fight with all you have, or fight with everything you have.¡± Huang Ze laughed. His hair was already drenched with sweat, yet he was still laughing. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve always looked down on you too much, Captain Xing. Which corps were you from?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s expression was grave, though he shared a sense of camaraderie with Huang Ze through that secret signal. ¡°I would like to ask, Inspector Huang, how quickly can you remove a detonator?¡±


    ¡°Faster than you, Captain Xing, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Looking at the number flashing on the driver¡¯s heaving chest, Huang Ze said, ¡°I need a pipe wrench No. 3 and a set of milling tools. If they¡¯re not available, then an art knife and screwdriver will do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s being prepared.¡±


    Huang Ze hummed in reply. Then, both fell into awkward silence.


    Lin Chen, who had been staring at the screen this whole time, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Huang Ze, pass the bluetooth earpiece to the driver.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Huang Ze¡¯s head snapped around to stare fixedly at the camera.


    ¡°Make him confess.¡± While Lin Chen continued to observe the screen, Huang Ze¡¯s angry gaze turned to the driver. His tone was very calm and monotonous, as if he didn¡¯t care about the life and death situation that was about to occur.


    Huang Ze lowered his voice. ¡°The man is scared to death, yet you actually want to squeeze a confession out of him right now?¡±


    ¡°He holds the clues to the missing 26 children and 2 teachers.¡± Perhaps because the screen was too bright, Lin Chen squinted a little. ¡°If we wait, it might be too late.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished, even Xing Cong Lian stared at him with an abstruse gaze, as if trying to convey with his eyes how inappropriate those words were for this moment.


    Huang Ze rushed off the bus, continuing to keep his voice low. It seemed he didn¡¯t want the driver to overhear their conversation. ¡°That means that if I fail and both of us get killed, it¡¯ll be too late for you to ask anything, right?¡± He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Lin Chen, you¡¯re really cold-blooded.¡±


    In the monitoring hall, Huang Ze¡¯s accusations were heard by everyone loud and clear.


    But Lin Chen seemed to not sense the questioning eyes. His lips moved slightly and he only uttered a single syllable, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huang Ze sneered and yanked his earpiece out angrily. He stomped back to the bus and tapped the driver on the shoulder. He lowered his head to offer him some comforting words, then hung the device on the driver¡¯s ear.


    The driver seemed to be immersed in extreme panic. Once he understood what was going on, he shook his head in desperation.


    ¡°Mister, I hope you can calm down and answer a few questions for me.¡± Hearing the stuttering gasps from the speaker, Lin Chen took the phone from Xing Cong Lian and spoke.


    Hearing this, the driver reflexively turned to the camera. His mouth opened, while his body tensed and started twitching. It didn¡¯t look as though he could string together a coherent sentence.


    ¡°The police officer in front of you is risking his life to save you. But right now, we have no clue on the whereabouts of the missing 28 passengers. If you can¡¯t calm down, I¡¯ll have to ask the staff to inject you with chlorpromazine, commonly known as a tranquilizer that will help you calm down. You can answer my questions then.¡±


    While Lin Chen talked, hushed whispers spread in the room. Xing Cong Lian frowned slightly but didn¡¯t look at Lin Chen again, because in the darkness, Lin Chen secretly held his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.


    Obviously, there was no such thing as chlorpromazine at the site, but needless to say, the driver didn¡¯t know this.


    Lin Chen¡¯s words miraculously calmed the driver. Gasping, he spoke between labored breaths, ¡°Help me, please help me! I have kids¡­my wife is still waiting for me to go home and eat¡­¡±


    The driver¡¯s cries moved everyone. Some of the younger girls couldn¡¯t hold back their tears.


    ¡°I would like to humbly ask, do you remember how the bus was hijacked?¡±


    ¡°At the Mei Village rest station, when smoking, someone put a gun to my back and asked me to get on the bus, and to do as he said.¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze took out his phone and pulled up a fuzzy surveillance video. ¡°Was it this person?¡±


    The driver looked at it and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes yes, that person was a little short. He wore a grey scarf, so I didn¡¯t see his face clearly!¡±


    Lin Chen frowned and interrupted before Huang Ze could continue. ¡°Then do you remember how he took control of the bus?¡±


    ¡°He made me sit down and pretend to drive while he sat on the dashboard. When the children got on the bus he took out a pile of candy and distributed it to them. And when the teacher came in, he stealthily pressed his gun against the teacher¡¯s waist.¡±


    ¡°Then where exactly did the children and teachers on the bus go?¡±


    ¡°The man instructed to stop the bus in the middle of the road, then he strapped a bomb on me. After that, he told me to park the bus at Lang Chuan rest station¡¯s parking lot, and he even asked me to park in lot no. 27. He said if I parked at the wrong place, the bus would explode.¡±


    Time was ticking away, but Lin Chen¡¯s questions continued.


    ¡°Where was the ¡®middle of the road¡¯ you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Past the North exit of Yin Chuan.¡±


    ¡°How far is it from there?¡±


    ¡°Around a ten-minute drive.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what time they got off the bus?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember, I don¡¯t have the time to remember that! Mr. Police, why are you not doing anything yet? Time¡¯s almost up!¡± The driver looked down to his chest, where the timer showed less than 14 minutes left.


    When Huang Ze heard this, he rushed to retrieve the earpiece.


    ¡°I have one last question. Can you repeat the way he took control of the bus?¡±


    Lin Chen repeated a question he had already asked. The low murmurs of the conversation in the hall turned into an uproar.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already answered that question. Didn¡¯t I make it clear just now?! Why do you have to ask this again?!¡± The driver suddenly raised his voice, now angry and irritated. He started struggling and the situation inside the bus turned uncontrollable.


    ¡°Lin Chen, what the hell are you doing?!¡± Huang Ze yanked back the earpiece and shouted into the receiver.


    ¡°Huang Ze, place the earpiece back to your ear and answer a few of my questions.¡±


    On the screen, Huang Ze did as he was told. Lin Chen asked again, ¡°Can you really dismantle the bomb in 13 minutes?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡±


    ¡°How confident are you that while you¡¯re dismantling the bomb with those tools, you wouldn¡¯t accidentally trigger the bomb¡¯s detonator because of inadvertent sparks or a slight tremble?¡±


    ¡°If I have plenty of time, the success rate is about 75 to 80%.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, now that you don¡¯t have enough time, your success rate is greatly reduced. And it¡¯s also possible that you might accidentally detonate the bomb in the process of dismantling it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really direct, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Huang Ze, do you trust me?¡± Asking an irrelevant question out of the blue, Lin Chen¡¯s face was serene and pleasant.


    He asked Xing Cong Lian the same question a few months ago. Now that the target of the question changed, and because it was Huang Ze, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would get the answer he anticipated.


    ¡°Why would I? How can I, after you killed Wei?¡± Huang Ze was facing the camera. With sweat running down his face, the black-haired young man enunciated every word for Lin Chen.


    Xing Cong Lian could clearly see that when Huang Ze mentioned the girl¡¯s name, a peculiar trace of emotion flashed past Lin Chen¡¯s calm face. It wasn¡¯t regret or nostalgia, but pain. It was as if a nail was piercing into his marrow, or a hammer pounded into his back. Even the most restrained and reserved person wouldn¡¯t be able to control his emotions for a moment because of a single name. As such, many people refer to this emotion as pain equal to that of an awl boring through your heart.


    However, Lin Chen was still Lin Chen, after all. The pained expression was gone in a second. His voice was still as clear and gentle as before, unwavering. ¡°Do you see the red live wire that fixes the driver to the seat? When the tools are delivered to you, please cut it directly.¡±

 CH 30

    Meeting the love of your life in the midst of a crowd or being able to cut the right wire when disarming a bomb were only tropes seen in movies.


    Movie leads always had their protagonist¡¯s halo, and Huang Ze was left with his thoughts that that was definitely not him; he wasn¡¯t that lucky.


    After driving Lin Chen away, he fell into an indescribable mood once again.


    Huang Ze didn¡¯t regret it. Even as he was squatting in front of a time bomb, facing what might be certain death, he didn¡¯t regret it. It was as Lin Chen said. Whether or not some things happened didn¡¯t depend on a single individual¡¯s will. The reason for his strange emotion was caused by the realization of his tendency to become someone emotional, irrational and spiteful whenever Lin Chen was involved. It went against the elite education he received since childhood and all of this was because of Lin Chen.


    Now, when Lin Chen was asking him to do something irrational again, what should he do?


    Nearly 100 km away, Lin Chen stood in front of the screen at the monitoring hall, appearing to be waiting for Huang Ze¡¯s decision.


    ¡°You should know how dangerous this is. There¡¯s a high possibility that when Huang Ze cuts that live wire, the bomb will detonate in an instant.¡± Turning his head, Xing Cong Lian leaned in to whisper into Lin Chen¡¯s ear.


    ¡°I know. But with 10 minutes left, letting him remove the detonator is just as dangerous.¡± Lin Chen covered the receiver, as if he didn¡¯t want Huang Ze to hear his next words. ¡°And I highly suspect the driver is lying.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Three things. First, when a person lies, they will unconsciously remove the subject ¡°I¡± from their statements. For example, they would say ¡°when smoking¡± instead of ¡°when I was smoking¡± or ¡°instructed to stop midway¡± instead of ¡°told me to stop midway¡±¡­ Because these events were not something they experienced, their sentences lose the subject ¡°I¡± when fabricating lies.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too far fetched? He did use ¡°I¡± once or twice.¡± The chairman, who had been paying close attention to the development of the situation, commented before Xing Cong Lian could say anything.


    Lin Chen nodded, then surveyed the hall before his gaze fell on the tech geek who was tapping madly on the keyboard. ¡°Wang Chao, tell me your age. Lie for the first one and tell the truth the second time.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± The young man who was named looked up without a clue of what had just been discussed.


    ¡°How old are you this year?¡±


    The question came so suddenly, Wang Chao had no time to think before he reacted.


    ¡°16!¡± Wang Chao held his head up high and replied with full confidence.


    ¡°I asked, how old are you this year?¡± Lin Chen repeated, this time with a heavier tone.


    ¡°Okay then¡­ I¡¯m 18 this year.¡±


    As soon as Wang Chao finished speaking, he fell silent, realizing that he had used a subject word.


    Hearing his answer, Lin Chen turned to Xing Cong Lian with an incredulous look on his face. ¡°You employ the use of child labor?¡±


    The captain seemed a little embarrassed, simply responding with, ¡°He¡¯s an adult now.¡±


    The chairman wanted to continue refuting Lin Chen¡¯s claims, but Xing Cong Lian shot him a look and motioned for him to stay silent.


    ¡°Go on,¡± he said to Lin Chen.


    ¡°Second, recollections of lies and real events differ. When someone is retelling a lie, it will be much more detailed. When I asked the driver how the hijacker took control of the bus, he answered confidently and recalled the name ¡°Yin Chuan¡± with no problem. Meanwhile, when I asked the Feng Jing teacher, I had to try several methods to get him to remember the specific place.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just rule out the possibility that the driver might have gone out of his way to remember where they got off!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Nodding, Lin Chen continued to speak, ¡°So we come to the third point. When people finish telling a lie, they tend to think that they¡¯ve muddled through to safety, so when you ask them the same question again after some time, there are two ways in which they might respond: either they will get angry or they will accidentally tell the truth.¡±


    ¡°But in such a tense situation, wouldn¡¯t you get angry if someone kept repeating a question you¡¯ve already answered?¡±


    This time, the person questioning Lin Chen was the manager of the transportation company who had been watching from the back. Yang Dian Feng asked his question with hostility, and many staff members who had the same thing in mind turned towards Lin Chen. The driver had been strapped to his seat with a bomb, only wanting to go home to have a warm meal with his family. Questioning a victim in such an indifferent way was disgusting.


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t moved by the hostile gazes in the slightest, even appearing to agree with their opinion. He just looked at Xing Cong Lian, saying in a light tone, ¡°Even the results from a lie detector can not be used in the court. Not all judgements on lies can be 100% correct.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that the driver is lying would also be assuming he¡¯s an accomplice. He won¡¯t let himself be killed, so it¡¯ll be safer to cut the live wire than to remove the detonator.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Huang Ze all this?¡± Noticing that Lin Chen still covered the receiver, Xing Cong Lian asked an unrelated question out of nowhere.


    ¡°As you saw here, when I said the driver might be lying, many people disagreed. Let alone Huang Ze.¡± Lin Chen raised his gaze to the man on the screen.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m certain that if I try to have a serious conversation with him, he won¡¯t listen. But if I ask him to risk his life, he will be more than happy to do so because it might make me feel regret and suffer for the rest of my life. He won¡¯t miss that opportunity.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian frowned as he contemplated Lin Chen¡¯s words. He turned to Lin Chen with a gaze that was just as serious. ¡°If I was Huang Ze, I would have liked to know all the information you had just divulged.¡±


    ¡°Even if it could lead you to make the wrong choice?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When it comes to a matter of life and death, I hope I can make that decision on my own and not be forced to make the reasonable decision by someone else.¡±


    Lin Chen looked back at Xing Cong Lian. In all honesty, he didn¡¯t understand why Xing Cong Lian would say this, but the man¡¯s gaze was too firm, so Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±


    On the screen, Huang Ze was squatting near the driver¡¯s legs, studying the bomb¡¯s structure.


    At this time, the staff sent the message saying that the cleaned tools had been delivered.


    When Huang Ze turned around and stepped out of the bus, Lin Chen took his hand off the receiver and said, ¡°Huang Ze, keep moving, don¡¯t look back. I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, is this on loudspeaker?¡± Huang Ze walked towards the milling tools and wrenches on the ground before squatting down.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Turn it off, I have something to say to you.¡±


    When Xing Cong Lian heard this, he turned to Lin Chen with a look of surprise.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Chen looked back at Xing Cong Lian. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he did as he was told. ¡°It¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°You told me to cut the wire, right?¡± Huang Ze whispered, eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Yes, listen. I highly suspect¡­¡±


    On the screen, Huang Ze smiled gently. He faced the camera and appeared to have said something before removing the earphone and pocketing it, bending down to pick up a pair of scissors.


    In the monitoring hall, all the staff took in a breath of cold air.


    Huang Ze¡¯s figure soon reappeared on the screen. His left hand was holding a pair of scissors that was as simple as they could be. The timer on the bomb ticked on ¡ª there was still close to 9 minutes left.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him cut the wire. There¡¯s still time, why does he have to do it now?!¡±


    Someone in the hall shouted out, igniting others into also chiming in.


    ¡°Yes, yes, there¡¯s still time!¡±


    The murmurs gradually merged into a torrent.


    Xing Cong Lian remained unmoved as he placed a hand on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder. Huang Ze, on the other side, couldn¡¯t see or hear any of this.


    He didn¡¯t give the camera a second glance, appearing as calm as ever. Not a hair was out of place, be it on his face or his clothes. With no hesitation, he plunged the scissors straight into the tangle of wires.


    The girls who were more timid had to hide their faces in their hands, unable to continue watching.


    With a snip, the live wire was cut.


    In fact, no one in the hall could hear that faint sound. Their eyes were fixed on the pair of dry and stable hands on the massive screen.


    Cut into two, the copper threads within were now exposed. No fire or smoke rushed to the sky and the bomb didn¡¯t explode. But before anyone could sigh in relief, Huang Ze stepped back and a boom rang out in everyone¡¯s mind.


    Like a river flowing into the sea or a dam breaking in a flood, the number on the timer seemed to jump from 9 minutes straight to 7. The red dots denoting seconds started to blink out of control.


    Huang Ze didn¡¯t have the time to glance at the camera as he rushed out to shout at the reporters and a few staff standing beyond the barricade line.


    With his mouth wide open, he waved his hands down hard. In the fuzzy monitoring lens, people dropped to the ground one after another, their arms covering their heads.


    There was no sound as this all happened. Huang Ze had turned off the only communication device. Everything happening right now was like a silent movie, playing out on a large screen hundreds of kilometers away.


    In the hall, some people shut their eyes and began to cry.


    Time passed by in a flash, yet also crawled into a halt.


    Huang Ze reappeared on the screen. As he slowly approached the camera, the texture of his clothes came into sharp focus, but because he was too close to the lens, his face wasn¡¯t captured.


    Suddenly, Huang Ze raised his still steady hand. The next moment, the screen plunged into a still darkness.


    He had turned off the camera.


    There was a faint cry in the room. Lin Chen still stood quietly and peacefully. His breathing didn¡¯t fluctuate, nor did his face. And the hand Xing Cong Lian had placed on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder did not clench.


    ¡°Wang Chao, pull out the last picture captured.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice was very stable. It sounded too detached in the solemn atmosphere.


    Huang Ze¡¯s neat clothes appeared on the screen again. In the gap between his hand and body, the timer was visible. The countdown was over.


    It seemed that people on the scene had also realized what this meant. Their conversations grew louder from the small sounds akin to a silkworm gnawing on a leaf. From doubt to happiness, some people began to applaud while others cheered.


    At the same time, the darkened screen suddenly lit up. The lens was clear. Huang Ze threw away the scissors in anger, then began dismantling the bomb from the driver in a rush.


    The moment its power supply was cut off, the glittering LCD display snapped open, surprising Huang Ze so much that he almost fell to the ground. Colorful ribbons sprang out, and in the confetti showers, a clown jumped out, its fingers almost poking him in the face. Huang Ze¡¯s countenance was ashen, yet he reached out to the clown¡¯s other hand. There was candy in it, with lemon yellow packaging.

 CH 31

    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, it seems to be a lemon flavored Sugus candy.¡±


    A simple question and answer, ringing out both in front of the large screen and amongst the barricade line hundreds of kilometers away.


    After a brief lull, people began to celebrate. Some cheered, others applauded and a few even whistled. Huang Ze was a worthy hero in their eyes.


    Some excited reporters and staff on site couldn¡¯t wait to rush forward and interview the brave police officer. The broadcast station that provided the camera and wireless transmission equipment to Huang Ze was also surrounded by their peers clamoring for first-hand materials.


    The atmosphere that results from surviving a disaster affects everyone. Even the chairman was like a child, slapping Xing Cong Lian¡¯s shoulder in his excitement, as if everything had been concluded with a perfect ending.


    However, the captain who was patted on the back by many still wore a grim expression.


    Xing Cong Lian looked at the lemon candy in the clown¡¯s hand and noticed the edge of the wrapping pointed upwards, showing a hint of writing inside.


    Noticing his expression, Lin Chen handed the phone he had been holding to Xing Cong Lian.


    The back of the phone was a bit damp from sweat. Xing Cong Lian nodded and then dialed Huang Ze¡¯s number.


    On screen, Huang Ze, being the hero who disposed of the bomb, was surrounded by microphones and cameras. Flashes of light kept going off in the commotion. It took him some time to realize that his phone was vibrating.


    Staring at the caller, he was reluctant to press answer.


    ¡°Inspector Huang, please retrieve the candy and open the wrapper. There seems to be something written on it.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice was still as annoying as ever. Huang Ze frowned before turning around and doing as he was asked. The camera that was set up on the seat before had already been retrieved by its owner, and its lens was now fixed on Huang Ze¡¯s hand.


    A line of numbers was scrawled on the wrapper.


    ¡°13952401976.¡±


    Huang Ze read it and, at a glance, realized that it was a phone number.


    ¡°Wang Chao.¡±


    The same time the numbers appeared on the screen, Xing Cong Lian raised his voice and shouted the name of a certain talented technician.


    Wang Chao was about to become an octopus with eight hands. Looking up at the screen, he pulled up a new window and started to search for the number¡¯s owner and their location.


    ¡°Is this him wanting us to give him a call?¡± Huang Ze looked at the message and asked in a grim tone. No one would be in a good mood after being scared to death with a time bomb.


    The moment the reporters saw the numbers, some took out their phones, ready to dial it on a reflex.


    ¡°Huang Ze, tell them to not call the number!¡±


    Seeing their movements, Xing Cong Lian almost blew up.


    In response, Huang Ze looked around. ¡°What are you guys doing? Put your phones down.¡±


    The reporters who were originally excited put down their phones, feeling a bit at a loss. Among them, the more courageous reporters asked in a tentative voice, ¡°Inspector Huang, when you give the kidnapper a call later, can we record it?¡±


    As if he heard the keywords ¡°kidnapper¡± and ¡°call¡±, Jiang Zhe, who appeared to have been huddling outside the crowd this entire time, suddenly pushed people aside to stand in front of Huang Ze. ¡°Inspector Huang, this is most likely a message left by the hijacker. He will ask for a ransom, we must be careful.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian heard those words and understood the insinuations with no problems.


    Since the kidnapper wanted them to call him, then of course someone would be in charge of the negotiation process. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if that someone was a psychology expert?


    Several reporters who had a good relationship with Jiang Zhe also realized this and started clamoring for it. ¡°Yes yes, Mr. Jiang is a very experienced psychologist. Fortunately, we have Mr. Jiang here!¡±


    The scene was quite chaotic. Jiang Zhe looked like he was preparing to launch into a long speech, while Huang Ze lowered his head, deep in thought.


    Seeing this, Xing Cong Lian looked at Lin Chen. Sounding even more serious this time, he called out, ¡°Huang Ze!¡±


    ¡°Captain, I know what you¡¯re thinking, but that¡¯s not in line with protocols,¡± Huang Ze said. Although his tone wasn¡¯t as hard as it was before, he was still unyielding.


    ¡°I understand. But I need to make some preparations on my side before the negotiations. I¡¯ll have to ask you to wait for my signal before you start.¡±


    The fact that Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t argue was quite a surprise. After he was done, he hung up and turned around. ¡°Wang Chao, how is it?¡±


    ¡°The phone is in Hong Jing, but the SIM card should have been purchased online. Furthermore, the owner of the number is an 80 years old lady. Do I need to continue checking?¡±


    ¡°Not for now. How¡¯s the GPS positioning going?¡±


    ¡°I just changed the code. If there¡¯s no other problem after the first test, its actual route will be revealed.¡±


    ¡°How long will the test take?¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you need to be here while you¡¯re testing?¡±


    ¡°Give me a network and I¡¯ll be fine anywhere.¡± Wang Chao patted his chest, brimming with confidence.


    ¡°Can you set up a number tracking system now and then track the phone¡¯s location during negotiations later?¡±


    ¡°I can, but I¡¯m not on location. If the call starts over there while I¡¯m trying to track it from here, there will be some time difference. It¡¯s really troublesome, boss¡­¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t speak and just stared at him. Wang Chao, struck with understanding, promptly shut up.


    The captain turned to the chairman of the highway company. ¡°Director Chen, please lend us a quiet room.¡±


    ¡°You can use my office.¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao immediately jumped from his seat, ¡°Okie-dokie!¡±


    ¡°The regulations¡± referred to rules that restricted and regulated the conduct of law enforcement officials.


    What Huang Ze meant was simple: his decision might not be reasonable, but it adhered to protocols.


    Thus, in trying to persuade stubborn people like him, reason wouldn¡¯t be of much use.


    The group left the monitoring hall. Wang Chao, who was already familiar with the building¡¯s layout, rushed up the stairs first. Xing Cong Lian fell behind, took out his phone and made a call. ¡°I want to check a person. His name is Jiang Zhe.¡±


    No one knew what the other side replied with, but it was probably an answer along the lines of ¡®give me a moment¡¯.


    ¡°Give it to me in ten minutes and the pay doubles.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian hung up.


    When he looked up, Lin Chen was already waiting for him above the steps.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a bit.¡± Xing Cong Lian took out a cigarette, waved and signalled for everyone else to go ahead before gesturing Lin Chen to stay.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lin Chen leaned against the window, asking in a nonchalant voice.


    ¡°What do you think of Jiang Zhe?¡± Instead of answering, Xing Cong Lian replied with a question of his own.


    ¡°A little strange.¡± Lin Chen searched for a more suitable adjective, but he couldn¡¯t seem to find one.


    ¡°Would you trust him with the negotiations?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a bit, then shook his head.


    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Xing Cong Lian took out his lighter and twirled it once, but didn¡¯t use it to light his cigarette.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Lin Chen noticed his meaningful pause. To have been called out alone like this, there had to be something more personal Xing Cong Lian wanted to talk about.


    Xing Cong Lian pressed down on the lighter and the flickering flame glowed upon his profile. He took a deep puff. ¡°I understand that everyone has their own past, but I hope you won¡¯t hide anything from me when it comes to something about this case.¡±


    His voice was a little hoarse from smoking, but the meaning of his words was loud and clear.


    Lin Chen understood that Xing Cong Lian was referring to Feng Pei Lin¡¯s case, where he intentionally misled the police and went to the bridge alone to lure Feng Pei Lin out. He had always thought about when and how Xing Cong Lian would bring this up again, seeing that it was something that weighed both their minds, but he didn¡¯t expect that the man would do it here.


    This was sharp, sincere and appropriate. In short, it was very proper.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m hiding something from you?¡±


    ¡°When you analyzed cases before, you always started with the suspect¡¯s motives and purpose. That¡¯s your strength. But this time, apart from thinking that something was going to happen on the highway, I haven¡¯t heard you analyze motives even once, which struck me as odd.¡±


    Lin Chen laughed helplessly. Making friends with people who are too smart leaves you helpless sometimes. ¡°If I say that when I realised the bomb wouldn¡¯t explode, I had the sudden thought that the child might not be a bad person, what would you think?¡±


    ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t an explosion that popped out, but a clown?¡± Xing Cong Lian replied with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t agree with this opinion at the moment because that kid has 28 lives in his hands, and it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s using those children¡¯s lives to threaten us.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°I have been in close contact with him before. When he got on the bus, he wore a long scarf, sat in the first row and fell asleep right away. His behavior caught my attention. I thought he was trying to avoid surveillance and the question was, why?¡± Lin Chen gave Xing Cong Lian an appeasing glance before continuing. ¡°At that time, I could only see his legs and hands. I saw them shaking. It¡¯s a pity that I didn¡¯t have the chance to ask before he whipped out his gun and put it on the driver¡¯s head. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say? In reality, he had been waiting for that opportunity for a long time, though he had numerous chances before then. However, before he opened fire, he was shaking from nervousness. This wasn¡¯t reasonable. Since he can calmly hijack a bus, why would he be on edge before making his move? I thought that was strange.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian chuckled. ¡°Listening to your analysis, this doesn¡¯t sound like that fearless candy thief.¡±


    ¡°If I had to analyze his emotions before he committed the crime, I can only say that he was high-strung,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Anxiety is a natural response to threats and challenges¡­ He was very nervous. He didn¡¯t want to do it, but he had to.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian frowned. ¡°If I continue your line of analysis, then I think that this is all part of something bigger. Was this young man threatened by somebody to play the role of a candy thief in order to orchestrate a larger event?¡±


    ¡°Yes, at that time I was afraid that he was being coerced into this, that the hijacking was just an act.¡± Lin Chen steadied his breath. ¡°If that was the case, after exerting this much effort, it¡¯s impossible for it to be for the sake of robbing a few people. I was thinking that the goals of those perpetrators won¡¯t be simple¡­¡±


    ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°Now, I feel like I¡¯m overthinking it. No one is threatening him. He¡¯s the one orchestrating all of this.¡±


    ¡°This is just leading us back to square one. Since you think he controls everything, why would you suddenly think that a criminal who planted a time bomb and took hostages wouldn¡¯t be a bad person?¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no one forcing him, then there must be a compelling reason for him to do this. And as of now, he hasn¡¯t hurt anyone yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me any of this before?¡±


    ¡°This was just a baseless suspicion, so I didn¡¯t know what to say. Moreover, it¡¯s not appropriate to voice a deduction like ¡®the criminal isn¡¯t a bad person¡¯ in front of a crowd,¡± replied Lin Chen. He looked at Xing Cong Lian. ¡°No matter what it is, I hope you can try to not hurt him when you¡¯re facing him. You can just treat it as my selfish desire to get a happy ending from this entire incident.¡±


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 32

    Some words can only be heard by certain people while others must never be heard by certain people. This isn¡¯t hypocrisy, just a matter of appropriate time and person.


    Lin Chen¡¯s conversation with Xing Cong Lian was brief, but when they returned upstairs, Wang Chao had already gotten two computers ready. Wang Chao nodded at Xing Cong Lian, signaling that the tracking system was set up so they could call the kidnapper.


    The leather sofa in the office glistened in the bright light along with the Pixiu figures on the table. Mrs. Xing¡¯s face in the photo was ever radiant and charming.


    Whether it was the chairman or his assistant, or even the manager of the transportation company who arrived together, everyone turned their gaze at the two who entered at last. They had been waiting full of expectations. Perhaps no one realized it yet, but within only half an hour, everyone¡¯s attitude towards Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen changed from disdain and suspicion to expectation and trust.


    But Captain Xing, the one bearing all this expectation and trust, didn¡¯t immediately get down to work like everyone expected him to. In fact, he even appeared to have forgotten the 26 children and 2 teachers waiting to be saved. Xing Cong Lian sat down beside Wang Chao and talked to him patiently.


    The people in the office were disappointed, as if a raging fire that had been blazing hot was extinguished by a mild breeze.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just Captain Xing who was in no hurry to deal with the kidnapping.


    Lin Chen looked around, then walked to the window and pushed it open. He circled the office once before taking a paper cup at the water dispenser and filling it with hot water.


    Five minutes later, Xing Cong Lian was still speaking with the technician and Lin Chen was drinking tea.


    The half-opened window brought in fresh air, but the people who expected the police to rescue the hostages straight away were in low spirits.


    The owner of the office finally couldn¡¯t hold it in. The 40-something year old director cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Captain Xing, what are you waiting for?¡±


    Another person also finding it unbearable was, of course, Inspector Huang hundreds of kilometers away and facing more than ten people with their lenses from the media.


    Reporters had set up their cameras along with the recording instruments and had waited for nearly ten minutes. Even the psychology expert holding the phone felt that his initial excitement and tension prepared for confronting the kidnapper about to fade into nothing.


    Jiang Zhe peered beyond the crowd to watch Inspector Huang who stood in an aloof manner and rejected approach from anyone with his posture alone. After some thought, Jiang Zhe pocketed his phone and apologized to the media while approaching Huang Ze. Jiang Zhe whispered to him, ¡°Inspector Huang, the reporters are already a little impatient. In case something occurs during the rescue process due to Captain Xing¡¯s delay, the one who will be blamed by the reporters for not taking action will just be you ah.¡±


    Jiang Zhe might have been ridiculed for being unable to recite the DSM-IV-TR by Lin Chen, but he still had a thorough understanding of how officials¡¯ minds work. Huang Ze finally reacted after Jiang Zhe emphasised the words ¡°Captain Xing¡±.


    As if connected through telepathy, Xing Cong Lian glanced at the clock on the corner of the computer screen. Exactly ten minutes later, his phone rang.


    ¡°Inspector Huang.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing.¡±


    After the meaningless greetings, they both went silent.


    ¡°Inspector Huang, what can I do for you?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian spoke with a nonchalant tone. It was, in fact, this casual attitude that made his voice sound so grating to Huang Ze¡¯s ears.


    Huang Ze¡¯s voice was frigid. ¡°I¡¯m here to inform you, Captain Xing. Because this case has elevated from a simple robbery to a hostage situation and the location is not within the scope of Hong Jing City, Captain Xing can only assist with the resolution of the case, and not lead the operation.¡±


    ¡°I know, Inspector Huang. Didn¡¯t you refuse my participation from the start? However, I happened to be at the surveillance center right now, so I have the ability to help.¡± Xing Cong Lian switched the mobile phone to his right hand and patted Wang Chao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Our technician is here and has built a tracking system. First, find a laptop, and then I will ask him to teach you the method of tracking the kidnapper¡¯s phone.¡±


    The moment Xing Cong Lian touched his shoulder, Wang Chao got his signal and refreshed the page. If Huang Ze were there, he would be shocked to see that what the screen displayed wasn¡¯t a tracking program, but a normal email site.


    After the refresh, a new email popped in.


    ¡°Ah, how do you do, Inspector Huang? I¡¯ve heard of your glorious name long ago, I don¡¯t know if you play WoW? Is your camp The Alliance or The Horde?¡± Wang Chao chatted as he opened the email.


    ¡°There are 28 lives in the hands of the kidnapper right now. Do you think you are worthy of your police badge based on the words you have just spoken?¡± Huang Ze was not Xing Cong Lian, much less Lin Chen. Hearing such frivolous words being said, he reprimanded Wang Chao without mercy.


    ¡°Oh, then I take it you¡¯re playing as the dwarves¡­¡± Wang Chao replied, glancing at the email. Halfway through, he was stunned and turned to Xing Cong Lian, mouthing, ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian only gave the email a brief look before looking away. He appeared to be unsurprised by what he¡¯d read. XXing Cong Lian knocked on the table, signalling Wang Chao to not leave Huang Ze hanging for too long.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Inspector Huang, the steps are very simple. I¡¯ll teach you how to breach the Telecom Bureau¡¯s server. I already left you a back door on their server. First, open the DOS command editor, then I¡¯ll tell you a couple of lines to enter¡­¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, police officers must not transgress the law knowingly!¡± Huang Ze roared, ¡°Give the phone back to Xing Cong Lian!¡±


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian, what the hell is wrong with you?! The time I gave you wasn¡¯t for you to find someone to breach the Telecom Bureau¡¯s system!¡±


    ¡°But Inspector Huang, if we want to rescue the people, isn¡¯t it better for us to take action as soon as possible? If we communicate with the people at the Telecom Bureau before doing anything, coordinating the tracking of the kidnapper would take too long¡­¡± Captain Xing replied, sounding very innocent.


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian, what exactly do you want?¡± At that moment, Huang Ze seemed to have guessed what Xing Cong Lian was playing at. ¡°Don¡¯t say you want Lin Chen to handle the negotiation, and for your technician who had opened the back door to the Telecom Bureau to track and locate the kidnapper¡¯s phone?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stopped playing dumb with Huang Ze. He smiled softly and said, ¡°Inspector Huang, please check your email.¡±


    The call was then hung up. The beeping sound left Huang Ze feeling incredulous.


    Precisely at this moment, Huang Ze¡¯s phone indicator blinked, notifying him of a new, unread email.


    Although he was angry, he still opened it.


    The email was short and brief, but its content was rich.


    The email contained a personal information investigation report from Mayday, the most well-known investigation company.


    The target of the investigation was Jiang Zhe, a returnee who came back from overseas and was currently serving as a consultant for the police.


    Huang Ze looked at Jiang Zhe, who sported his signature messy curls, and stepped aside, finger pressed on his phone screen. His face was turning uglier by the second.


    According to Mayday¡¯s investigation, Jiang Zhe¡¯s so-called education in an Ivy League psychological institution in Country X was a lie. In fact, during his three years abroad, he was studying at a community college in the outskirts of Country X¡¯s capital.


    After Jiang Zhe returned to China, he worked as a commentator for an Emotion Program hosted on a famous TV station through connections. Because of his sharp, humorous comments along with his self-deprecating jokes, everyone¡¯s attention was always on the hot topics he created. He was also honest in admitting that he dropped out of university because of conflicting opinions with the professor and didn¡¯t receive his degree, so no one doubted whether or not he actually studied in that university.


    He was a bold and careful liar who played the media, journalists and even Huang Ze himself.


    Next to the sofa, Lin Chen, who was holding his cup of tea also thought it was incredible. ¡°Did you find someone to investigate Jiang Zhe?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In such a short time?¡±


    ¡°Professional investigation companies are always more efficient.¡± Xing Cong Lian paired his forced expression with a helpless look. ¡°Moreover, I can¡¯t use police resources to check him.¡±


    ¡°How did you know there was a problem with Jiang Zhe¡¯s educational history?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes drooped. He looked at Lin Chen and said, full of sincerity, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the real one. Of course I could distinguish a fake.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed a little helplessly. When facing Captain Xing, someone who had Italian blood running through his veins, very few people could parry the genius skills that leak out from time to time.


    Soon, Inspector Huang finished reading the report in a matter of moments and called again, this time full of aggression.


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian, what do you want?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s breathing was relaxed. He stayed silent for a moment. When he spoke up, his tone was serious. ¡°Huang Ze, you know who¡¯s more suitable to handle the negotiation under these circumstances. Put away your personal grudges and those hypocritical rules and regulations. Our goal is to send those kids back to their parents safe and sound. It¡¯s that simple, right?¡±


    At the other end of the line, Huang Ze fell silent. How could he answer that with a no? Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen had dug a pit for him. Lin Chen¡¯s pit was filled with responsibilities while Xing Cong Lian¡¯s was morality. However, Xing Cong Lian was far more treacherous in comparison. First, he secretly investigated Jiang Zhe and made use of Huang Ze¡¯s lack of tracking capabilities. Then, while telling him what was right to do, Xing Cong Lian used a gentle and imperceptible method to guide him into the pit so that he gives up leading the negotiation.


    Huang Ze took a deep breath and calmed down. Asking himself, he found that he could only raise his hands in surrender. ¡°Then Captain, can you provide me with a solution?¡±


    ¡°You can grant special permission for the opening of a psychology consultant position now ah, wouldn¡¯t that be in line with regulations?¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze thought, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that simple¡±. In fact, from the very start, Xing Cong Lian arranged all these so that Lin Chen could have a reasonable status. It was still a vague feeling, but Huang Ze noticed that Jiang Zhe¡¯s matter was not about slapping his face but more about allowing him to backtrack to safety. The reason why Xing Cong Lian went around in such a roundabout way was because he respected Huang Ze¡¯s opinion and judgement as an inspector.


    A person with such a way of doing things, Huang Ze had no words to say. This conversation could only be concluded with the word ¡°Okay¡±.


    It was quick and straightforward.


    ¡°My god, Boss, you¡¯re such a schemer.¡±


    Wang Chao, who had listened to everything from start to finish, couldn¡¯t help but feel goosebumps all over his body. He curled up in the corner of the sofa and rejected Xing Cong Lian¡¯s approach.


    At this moment, Lin Chen put down his cup and raised his gaze to look at his friend. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself bereft of words.

 CH 33

    Lin Chen was rendered speechless, but only for a brief moment.


    Without any emotion, much less admiration, he reached out to Xing Cong Lian. ¡°Give me the phone.¡±


    As soon as Huang Ze hung up, his phone rang again.


    ¡°Huang Ze, I need you to do something. Can you do it?¡±


    Hearing the peaceful voice from the speaker, Huang Ze felt a sense of irony. But after that, he felt strangely reassured. However, being at odds with Lin Chen for so many years, he couldn¡¯t stop his reflex and used a sarcastic tone to speak, ¡°Oh, is Consultant Lin going to start a fire right after taking office?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s finger gently rubbed against the phone. After signalling to Xing Cong Lian, Lin Chen walked out of the room.


    ¡°Huang Ze, I need you to do one thing.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was very low. He paid no heed to Huang Ze¡¯s sarcasm, his voice as steady and calm as ever.


    Huang Ze stood in the parking lot, separated from the crowd. Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s key point, he raised his head and looked at the bus driver who he just rescued.


    Because Huang Ze kept his head down while talking on the phone, when he suddenly looked up with a gloomy expression, Jiang Zhe immediately noticed that something had happened.


    Seeing Huang Ze putting on the Bluetooth earpiece he had just pocketed, Jiang Zhe hurried forward and tugged on Huang Ze¡¯s clothes. ¡°Inspector Huang, when are we going to start the negotiation?¡±


    Looking at Jiang Zhe¡¯s explosive curls, Huang Ze felt an inexplicable sense of disgust. However, he had to endure these feelings because of the media around. ¡°Jiang Zhe, you¡¯re not participating in this case anymore.¡±


    ¡°Inspector Huang, you can¡¯t do this. Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian are obviously trying to take away the merits!¡± Although he had already felt Huang Ze¡¯s change in attitude, it was only now, that Jiang Zhe felt nervous.


    Huang Ze shrugged off Jiang Zhe¡¯s hand and then walked over to the bus driver. The driver was sitting in a small chair beside the parking lot, drinking hot water while being interviewed by the media.


    Seeing that Huang Ze was bent on listening to Lin Chen, Jiang Zhe suddenly raised his voice. ¡°Did you forget what happened the last time Lin Chen was in charge of a negotiation?¡±


    His voice was so loud that not only did he succeed in halting Huang Ze¡¯s footsteps, but also with attracting the attention of the nearby reporters.


    Huang Ze turned around, and asked, ¡°Jiang Zhe, don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve heard that too many times already?¡±


    Huang Ze walked up to the driver, patted the two reporters¡¯ interviewing him on the shoulder and motioned them to step away.


    The driver raised his head and looked at the man who had just risked his life to save him. However, his eyes didn¡¯t seem that grateful. ¡°Officer, what can I do for you?¡± he asked.


    Huang Ze slightly leaned closer to the middle-aged driver and said, ¡°I just want to inform you that the police have already located the kidnapper. The special forces are on their way and the hostages should be rescued soon. You can rest assured.¡±


    Before Huang Ze finished talking, the driver noticeably became nervous. Even Huang Ze could see the meaning behind the flickering in his eyes.


    Lips quivering, the driver asked uneasily after some thought, ¡°What will you do to him?¡±


    ¡°The special force we sent is comprised of the best snipers. Once they catch sight of the kidnapper, they can kill him on the spot!¡± Huang Ze spoke bluntly, his tone cold.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him!¡± The driver suddenly blurted out at this.


    Huang Ze¡¯s sharp gaze glued to the driver¡¯s worried eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything in response. Standing up straight from his leaning posture, Huang Ze turned around and walked a few steps before pressing down on the earpiece and asked, ¡°You heard that?¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear,¡± Lin Chen answered. He didn¡¯t immediately hang up the phone, instead saying, ¡°Thank you, Huang Ze.¡±


    Huang Ze thought, ¡®What the heck are you thanking me for?¡¯


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Lin Chen hung up the phone and returned to the room. Unexpectedly, when he arrived, he saw Xing Cong Lian shooting him a meaningful glance. He glanced at the people of the room before his gaze finally fell on the chairman¡¯s face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    The chairman slapped the desk, ¡°I¡¯m used to the way you guys use your bureaucratic style when doing things, always competing for power and profit. What are you dawdling for? Why haven¡¯t you called the kidnapper yet?¡±


    If there was anyone who worried about this case being concluded unsuccessfully the most, it would be this Mr. Chairman of Hong Jing Highway. After all, he was the main person in charge of the highway, who also delayed the police with their investigation. As of this moment, he was the most anxious out of anyone else involved.


    Lin Chen sighed softly, and poured half a cup of hot water from the water dispenser before handing it over to the chairman.


    ¡°Please relax,¡± he said.


    Maybe Lin Chen was too calm, or maybe some just had an innate talent for calming the human heart, but the chairman took the paper cup Lin Chen offered on reflex. There was a logo of Hong Jing Highway on the cup and when the chairman looked up again, his tone eased up quite a bit.


    ¡°Actually, the kidnapper wanted us to call him. He hopes that after the hostage and the bomb crisis, we will be anxious, thus making it easier for him to manipulate us into agreeing to the conditions he will give.¡± When Lin Chen went to the sofa, Wang Chao sub-consciously gave him the seat, ¡°But, it¡¯s very important for us to be the ones in control. If, after discovering his message, we make him be on the waiting side, he will feel the same pressure he wanted us to feel.¡±


    The chairman was embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, I was a bit anxious. But even if he¡¯s like me right now, it¡¯s not good. What if he becomes too anxious and hurts the children?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes drooped. He unlocked his phone screen and looked at the time and battery. ¡°First of all, I will wait until he speaks and second, he won¡¯t.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone was very light and he didn¡¯t comment on this matter any further. Pressing the number he had already memorized on the dial, he turned to the technician on his side.


    Wang Chao taught Lin Chen how to activate the phone recording function. After testing the tracking and positioning system again, he handed a pair of earphones to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen nodded, then gave one of the earphones to Xing Cong Lian.


    The earphones cord wasn¡¯t long, so Lin Chen had to lean close to Xing Cong Lian while placing the microphone close to his lips. For convenience, Xing Cong Lian had to turn his head to the side and stick close to Lin Chen.


    Warm exhales brushed his face from the side, with a clean smell of peppermint and tobacco. Lin Chen stabilized his breath and pressed the call button.


    Toot¡­Toot¡­


    The dial tone rang five times before the call was connected.


    Silence commenced from the earphones and outside of it, before a light and slow breathing sound was heard.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak. He was waiting.


    The kidnapper had to talk first.


    The kidnapper¡¯s voice was gentle and polite, like a young nobleman from a good background, without a shred of the violent temperament befitting of a kidnapper.


    He said, ¡°Mr. Jiang, I have been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes widened and he turned to Lin Chen, his gaze incredulous. He suddenly understood why Lin Chen waited for the kidnapper to speak first. People become anxious while waiting, and that mood easily led to mistakes being made.


    Lin Chen¡¯s breathing wasn¡¯t disturbed at all. He didn¡¯t seem to mind the form of address the kidnapper blurted out, and neither admitted nor denied it. He just gripped the microphone tighter and softly smiled. His voice was very light and peaceful. ¡°Hello.¡±


    From the other end of the call, a chuckle was heard. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I had to get ready before talking to you.¡± Lin Chen resolved the young man¡¯s doubt in a simple manner, talking as if this was a simple daily conversation.


    ¡°How¡¯d that Sugus taste?¡±, the boy asked with a smile.


    ¡°Before I could taste it, that Sugus was already packed and sent to the evidence desk,¡± Lin Chen replied, smiling as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great pity. I personally think that lemon Sugus tastes amazing. You should give them a try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Lin Chen gently coiled the microphone cord around his finger, then continued. ¡°It¡¯s a bit cold now. Have you all had lunch yet?¡±


    ¡°Haha, we just ate the snacks the children bought.¡± The boy laughed, then added,  ¡°Mr. Jiang, you actually want to ask where we are right now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Would it be convenient for you to tell me?¡± Lin Chen paid no mind to the light provocation and instead, followed the topic and replied just as casually.


    ¡°Eh, when negotiating with kidnappers, don¡¯t you guys have a tracking system ready? If you use basic triangulation, you should find where I am right now, yes?¡±


    At this, Lin Chen turned to Xing Cong Lian who was already in front of the computer. Then, as if he had just seen a ghost, he moved the screen towards Lin Chen for him to see. The screen displayed that the tracking red dot had already stabilized and clearly showed that the kidnapper was in the hidden reed field beside the Hong Jing Highway.


    Even Lin Chen was slightly surprised, but before he could speak, a soft voice like cotton candy was heard from the other end of the call. The girl seemed to be reciting something. Her voice stumbled here and there, but her tone was serious and clear. ¡°Uncle, I hope you can bring the result to me in 90 minutes.¡±


    The tender voice made a round in Lin Chen¡¯s ears. It was so sweet that delicate threads of sweetness could be spun from it. Lin Chen coiled the microphone¡¯s cord around his finger again. He didn¡¯t ask for what the girl meant by ¡°result¡±, instead choosing to move closer to the microphone and saying in a light voice, ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal.¡±


    ¡°What deal?¡±


    ¡°I will bring you what you want, but you need to make sure that the children are safe, please.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice was serious and the smile on his lips had disappeared.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang seems confident in the plan you have in mind?¡± A slight jeer came from the earphones.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Lin Chen said frankly with his back straight. ¡°I just think¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± The boy seemed to find this funny and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I think you are living in great pain. But those who have a conscience and moral bottom line are bound to live lives more painful than others.¡±


    The boy on the other end of the call didn¡¯t seem to expect such an answer. He was quiet for a while before saying, ¡°Mr. Jiang, I feel like I¡¯m going to view you with a different perspective.¡± As if to calm down, the boy seemed to have torn open a wrapping and stuffed the candy into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in 90 minutes then. Please bring those journalist friends along, ah.¡±


    After that, he casually hung up the phone. Lin Chen seemed to have heard a kiss sound coming from the other end before the call disconnected.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, Jiang Zhe?¡± Xing Cong Lian took off the earphone. His slender knuckles tapped on the desk. ¡°No wonder there¡¯s so many journalists here today.¡±


    ¡°They were probably being used.¡± Lin Chen moved his hand to the still warm paper cup and sighed softly. ¡°What a clever boy.¡±

 CH 34

    Going all out to kidnap a bus full of hostages just for an answer, if that was not smart, then what was?


    But the crux of the matter was: what was the ¡®answer¡¯?


    Seeing both Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian deep in thought, the chairman couldn¡¯t help but ask once again. ¡°Mr¡­ Mr. Lin, what does the kidnapper mean by that?¡±


    ¡°He probably wanted to say that he¡¯s giving you an hour to find what he wants, or he will start killing people after 90 minutes has passed¡­¡± Lin Chen wanted to pick up his cup, but his hand was held by Xing Cong Lian before he could do so.


    ¡°What?! Kill?!¡± In an instant, the chairman could feel the cold sweat running down his back. ¡°That is utterly atrocious, insane! Didn¡¯t you say he wouldn¡¯t hurt those children?!¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head, avoiding the question. He called Huang Ze¡¯s phone again.


    ¡°How is it?¡± There was a slight tension in Huang Ze¡¯s voice.


    ¡°The kidnapper took the initiative to reveal his location. Wang Chao will send you the coordinates.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®took the initiative¡¯?¡±


    ¡°He took the initiative to reveal his position because he wants you to bring the reporters along to the location. Also, he had called me Mr. Jiang,¡± Lin Chen recounted calmly.


    ¡°Why did he call you Mr. Jiang?¡± Huang Ze turned to look at the expert Jiang who was sulking in the car and suddenly understood Lin Chen¡¯s meaning. In fact, when all those reporters happened to ask for an interview about the ¡°Candy Robber¡± earlier today at the same time, he already thought it was a little strange. Although the case had attracted a lot of attention, having reporters from over ten television stations come down all at once seemed to be making a mountain out of a molehill.


    ¡°I suspect that the kidnapper might have used Jiang Zhe to trick those reporters into going to the highway. The reason is very simple. When things reach its climax, he needs reporters to be present. As for how he used Jiang Zhe, I think you¡¯d better talk to Mr. Jiang face-to-face about that.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s half-joking tone made Huang Ze pause for a moment.


    ¡°Did the kidnapper ask for anything?¡± Huang Ze headed to the car with his phone in hand.


    ¡°He wants an answer.¡±


    ¡°What answer?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°So from beginning to end, you guys still don¡¯t know what his demands are?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Cong Lian and said, ¡°I can guess that because he has the ability to weave such an elaborate plan, he must have laid out all the clues for us beforehand.¡±


    As a matter of fact, the clues and answer weren¡¯t within Huang Ze¡¯s scope of concerns. He was only concerned with how the case would be solved and whether or not the outcome will be under control. Therefore, he didn¡¯t ask any questions regarding those two things. Walking to the side of the car, he said, ¡°Tell Xing Cong Lian that Hong Jing Police¡¯s Special Force is on the way and ask him to give the kidnapper¡¯s location to me. I will send a copy to the captain of the special force.¡±


    Huang Ze hung up once he finished talking. He looked at the messy-haired expert Jiang sitting in the back, then bent down and knocked on the window.


    Inside, Jiang Zhe reluctantly turned around. Once he saw it was Huang Ze, expectations flashed in his eyes. Huang Ze opened the door and entered.


    Lin Chen held onto the phone even after Huang Ze finished talking.


    Well aware of Lin Chen¡¯s worries, Xing Cong Lian asked, ¡°What did Inspector Huang say?¡±


    ¡°He asked us to send him and the captain of the Special Force the kidnapper¡¯s location¡­¡±


    The conversation between the two was brief and was also tacitly cut short.


    Xing Cong Lian understood without any further explanation. He went to Wang Chao and knocked on his head. ¡°You send the location to Inspector Huang, then go to the scene to assist with handling the case.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The pen in Wang Chao¡¯s mouth fell out. ¡°I¡¯ve made so many contributions to the organization, you can¡¯t do this to me!¡±


    After Xing Cong Lian stopped joking with Wang Chao, his expression turned serious. ¡°After you dealt with the tracking, did you figure out where the Feng Jing School¡¯s tour bus stopped?¡±


    ¡°Oh, wait a bit,¡± Wang Chao said, before switching to another window. He compared the phone tracking results with the vehicle¡¯s positioning results. ¡°Eh, Ah Chen ah, the driver said that they got off the bus after Yin Chuan¡¯s north exit, right? He¡¯s an old liar indeed heh.¡± Wang Chao put the pen back into his mouth and tapped out a series of commands. Then, on the screen, the lost Feng Jing School¡¯s tour bus sped past. Wang Chao switched to the next surveillance camera in position, but the bus didn¡¯t appear.


    He looked at the coordinate parameters between the two monitors and moved the mouse to a point on the map. ¡°It¡¯s 30 kilometers north from Mei Cun, far from Yin Chuan.¡±


    ¡°Okay, send the range of possible locations the bus could have stopped along with the kidnapper¡¯s location to Huang Ze. Then ask Lao Peng and their special force team to send someone to pick you up and go there together,¡± said Xing Cong Lian, rubbing Wang Chao¡¯s head.


    ¡°Is the driver an accomplice of the kidnapper¡­ and if so, what about Mr. Jiang?¡± At this moment, the manager of the transportation company who had been listening for a while finally couldn¡¯t help but ask Xing Cong Lian.


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t answer as he realized that there was another person in the room who had been following him along. ¡°Manager Yang, sorry for this, but you need to go back on your own.¡±


    Having said that, Xing Cong Lian picked up his car keys to leave.


    Lin Chen also stood up at the same time. With hardly any verbal communication or eye contact between the two, he walked out the door with Xing Cong Lian, leaving the people in the office to stare at each other.


    As a matter of fact, Jiang Zhe never thought things would turn out this way.


    He admits that he is a greedy man. Jiang Zhe was greedy for money and fame, but he never felt that he was a bad man for doing so. However, he also never thought that he would become a so-called accomplice.


    But when Huang Ze sat down next to him with a livid expression, and locked the door, Jiang Zhe realized that things had really gotten out of hand.


    ¡°Jiang Zhe, as you know, it¡¯s not illegal to forge your resum¨¦. But I can assure you that being an accomplice for a kidnapping is most definitely a crime.¡± A man in Huang Ze¡¯s position wouldn¡¯t carry around a pair of handcuffs like Xing Cong Lian did. He just needed to cross his legs, maintain a cold expression, and use heavy words to scare the other person into pissing their pants.


    ¡°In¡­ Inspector Huang¡­¡± When Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, he found that his voice trembled. ¡°What did the kidnapper and Lin Chen say?¡±


    ¡°The kidnapper said that he hoped that Mr. Jiang would bring the reporters to meet him. The question is, the caller was clearly Lin Chen, so why did the kidnapper think he was you?¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Zhe understood that the thing he feared most had happened. In fact, he already had a bad premonition when he first met Lin Chen. It was precisely because of this that he kept hindering Lin Chen from participating in the investigation. All of this was because of a simple, harmless agreement. He helped a borderless organization make an artistic declaration on a certain behavior. In the negotiation that would take place after the kidnapping, the other party would make a declaration in front of the reporters he brought, then get persuaded by him to release the hostages.


    What a happy story this was supposed to be. He never thought there would be such a deviation in his plans. Although he never met the other party, the other side always kept their promises and acted according to the agreed script. Except for the fact that the caller was changed to Lin Chen, everything had been going fine. So the problem was Lin Chen. Jiang Zhe thought this way, but was still hopeful. ¡°Do you know where the kidnappers took the children to? Take me with you. I know I can definitely persuade him to release the hostages!¡±


    Huang Ze just coldly stared at him and said nothing.


    Huang Ze didn¡¯t need to ask who the kidnapper was or what kind of deal they made. He just needed to ensure the proper resolution of this case and the kidnapper¡¯s life wasn¡¯t included in the word ¡°proper¡±.


    However Lin Chen had to find the answer as he had already promised the teenager.


    ¡°You can say things you couldn¡¯t say in front of the others now.¡± After going downstairs, Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t go straight to the car. Standing under the camphor tree, he leaned against the trunk, ready to smoke.


    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that being too smart isn¡¯t a good thing?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian laughed at this. His eyes were willful and unrestrained. ¡°Just now, Director Chen asked you if he would hurt those children but you didn¡¯t answer. However, that question is also important to me, so I hope I can hear your answer.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was small but firm. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?¡±


    ¡°Some psychological phenomena that made hostages have feelings for their abductor and even develop dependency on them?¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s heart was drumming. ¡°That old driver who lied had Stockholm Syndrome?¡±


    ¡°I just asked Huang Ze to do a small test. He deliberately told the driver that the special forces had found the kidnapper and were planning to soon kill him and rescue the hostages. The driver panicked and pleaded with Huang Ze not to hurt the kidnapper. If that wasn¡¯t Stockholm Syndrome, then what is?¡±


    ¡°That brat is quite amazing. In just a short time, he was able to make the hostages trust and obey him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s too smart.¡± Lin Chen almost sighed ruefully. ¡°In fact, if the driver didn¡¯t lie, I might not have been able to guess why he hijacked buses again and again and asked for candy every single time.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t reply but his gaze on Lin Chen was fiery.


    ¡°Actually, he¡¯s doing the Norm.¡±


    ¡°Norm?¡±


    ¡°Norm is a concept in psychological measurement. You can understand it as a standard average. That is, what most people¡¯s general response to a certain test is¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason why he kept hijacking those buses was so that he could evaluate how people reacted to a hijacker? He took those hijackings as a psychological test?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very important to test, evaluate and re-test. In the process of this cycle, he wanted to make it such that the hostages would not only not hate him, but also to trust and help him¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little crazy¡­¡± Xing Cong Lian opened his cigarette pack and realized that he had smoked them all, so he put it back into his pocket. ¡°I admit that he¡¯s attractive and acts in a proper and dignified manner. Most people wouldn¡¯t think that such a young man who hijacked buses for candies would do real harm. Instead, they would think he¡¯s interesting and quite cute¡­ But would the driver be willing to lie for him and the children willing to follow him for just this?¡±


    ¡°Of course charisma and brute force are indispensable in accomplishing all this. But above all, it¡¯s the reason he used to persuade those hostages.¡± Lin Chen lowered his head, watching the damp soil under the tree root. ¡°I guess the answer he wants is the reason he used to persuade the hostages. And this reason must be heavy, so heavy that everyone is willing to help him.¡±


    Lin Chen took a deep breath. The more he thought about it, the more he felt as if everything was enveloped in a fog, feeling both wet and cold.


    ¡°Huang Ze must not be made aware of this.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s resolute voice interrupted Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts.


    The wind blew through the dense camphor leaves. Lin Chen raised his head, incredulous.


    ¡°Right now, that boy, us and Huang Ze are all in a delicate balance.¡± Xing Cong Lian strode with his long legs. ¡°That boy knows that we¡¯re looking for the answers, Huang Ze knows that he¡¯s restraining a criminal, and we know that neither of them dare to act rashly. This is the best balance, but it will only give us a very short time to find the answer.¡±


    Such a straightforward and clear summation of the whole picture was better than a thousand words.


    Looking at the tall mixed-race man, Lin Chen was surprised, finding himself wanting to ask where Xing Cong Lian learned the techniques of restraint and how to weigh his options.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 35

    The world is big, making it natural for there to be a lot of stories in it. Hence, finding an answer among thousands of stories is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.


    After Lin Chen followed Xing Cong Lian out, Lin Chen thought that because the latter was reasonable and walking so quickly, he was probably in a hurry to find the answer. Contrary to his expectations, however,  Xing Cong Lian detoured the parking lot and brought Lin Chen straight to the management centre¡¯s canteen.


    It was past meal time, so the ordering window had been closed long ago. At the minimart near the entrance, the old aunt looking after the store was dozing off with a cat, and none of the lights were turned on.


    Xing Cong Lian walked inside the minimart and came out with two instant noodles in hand with hot water already poured in. It was braised beef flavored, once again.


    Lin Chen wanted to help, but Xing Cong Lian signalled towards his pocket with his elbow.


    Understanding what he meant, Lin Chen put his hand inside the man¡¯s pocket and to no one¡¯s surprise, his fingers came into contact with an unopened pack of cigarettes.


    In times when one is restless, the addiction to nicotine would indeed intensify. Lin Chen patiently tore the plastic wrapping, took out a cigarette, and then placed it in between Xing Cong Lian¡¯s lips. The man turned halfway to let Lin Chen take the lighter from his other pocket. Xing Cong Lian then leaned down, nudging the cigarette closer to Lin Chen¡¯s hand.


    With a click, the cigarette was lit by a dancing flame. In the dark surroundings, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s long eyelashes could be clearly seen as his eyes drooped down. The pupils covered by his eyelashes were green, clear as water. This seemingly ordinary move made Lin Chen¡¯s heartbeat accelerate.


    Retracting his hands, Lin Chen then put the lighter back into its original pocket.


    Taking a long inhale from the cigarette, Xing Cong Lian suddenly felt content. He didn¡¯t speak and focused on his smoke before taking Lin Chen back to the car.


    Placing the two cups of noodles on the hood, he patted it and asked, ¡°Can you go up?¡±


    Lin Chen was speechless. Xing Cong Lian drove an off-road vehicle with a high chassis, so Lin Chen thought, even if I can¡¯t get up, it¡¯s not like you can carry me. Thinking so, Lin Chen braced his palms on the hood then stepped on the bumper to hop on.


    It was only when he stabilized his body that he found out why Xing Cong Lian chose this place.


    The jeep was parked right in front of the reed field. Egrets flew in the distant sky. The afternoon sun was warm, but Lin Chen could feel a cool breeze on his face, making it quite comfortable to bask in. Lin Chen took the cup noodles and moved them, allowing Xing Cong Lian to also climb up.


    The instant noodles were still hot so when the lid was taken off, steam wafted towards LinChen and Xing Cong Lian¡¯s faces. Xing Cong Lian thoughtfully handed a fork over to Lin Chen. Neither of them spoke as they began to eat their late lunch in silence.


    After taking two bites, it was only then that Lin Chen realized he was starving. The hot soup and springy noodles entered his stomach, and he felt a little soothed after being tense and nervous all day.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you for this long, yet I still don¡¯t know where you¡¯re from.¡± Xing Cong Lian suddenly commented.


    The wind was very mild and the field very green. Those words were spoken like the start of a casual conversation.


    ¡°I lived in Feng Chun.¡±


    After answering, Lin Chen remembered that the other man only needed to make a call and all Lin Chen¡¯s information would be delivered to him within minutes. Asking this seemingly casual question was telling him that Xing Cong Lian never explored his past through this means.


    After that, Xing Cong Lian continued to eat his noodles without saying anything. Lin Chen noticed that even though Xing Cong Lian was only eating instant noodles, his back was straight with steady hands and he ate at a rhythmic pace, appearing as immovable as a mountain. Lin Chen suddenly recalled a joke by his teacher a long time ago ¡ª the way someone eats and how they make love showcases their character the most. Noticing this, Lin Chen thought that Xing Cong Lian was really quite terrifying.


    However, this feeling lasted for a short second as Xing Cong Lian finished eating his noodles within moments. Even the soup was completely cleaned off. Xing Cong Lian put the cup back on the hood and laid on his back as if he was going to sleep.


    ¡°Have psychologists ever said that if you couldn¡¯t understand something, you¡¯d have to change your mindset?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at him and nodded, saying, ¡°Because it¡¯s hard to create new ideas with a pre-existing mindset, so¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, his elbow was pulled. It wasn¡¯t clear when Xing Cong Lian sat up, but he took back the instant noodles and placed it on the windshield wiper. Without a sound or pause, Xing Cong Lian pulled Lin Chen down to lie together with him.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get some sleep,¡± Xing Cong Lian said.


    Just like this, Lin Chen was forced to lie down on the hood. The more baffling fact was, there was a man beside him.


    The hood was icy cold. The wind carried with it the familiar scent of mint cigarette and instant noodles. It was clean and warm ¡ª reassuring, even. Lin Chen felt so calm, it was as if he didn¡¯t have to rack his mind to think of anything.


    Lin Chen was feeling a little drowsy when he heard a whisper from the deep, familiar voice next to his ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re not actually going to sleep, are you?¡±


    Nonsense¡­


    ¡°I just had a sudden thought. Since he wanted us to find an answer, could I assume that he has no other way out except help from the police?¡±


    Opening his eyes slightly, Lin Chen said, ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Since he¡¯s made up his mind to seek help, when he called the police, he should have already expressed what he wanted. Like what you¡¯ve said, he already laid the clues in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°The first clue he gave us was HongJing Highway, seeing that everything happened on this highway.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You continued your analysis to say that because he was able to persuade the hostages, his reason must be a heavy one. In this world, something that can make people feel heavy-hearted must be something that involves life and death. So, an incident on this highway that involves lives¡­¡±


    ¡°A car accident?¡± Lin Chen was snapped out of his drowsiness. ¡°You mean, he wants us to find the truth about a specific car accident?¡±


    ¡°If my thinking is correct, the reason why he wanted the reporters to come along is to have a public revenge. He wanted to make the perpetrator, or the one who had orchestrated the accident behind the scenes lose their reputation.¡±


    Lin Chen thought about it again and felt that his train of thought was getting clearer. ¡°It¡¯s quite reasonable. We¡¯re going to have to trouble Wang Chao again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be his honor,¡± Xing Cong Lian said. He took out his phone and dialed the tech geek¡¯s number.


    Wang Chao felt glum, very glum.


    ¡°Check how many traffic accidents occurred on HongJing Highway in the past year.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice came from the speaker as Wang Chao held the phone between his ear and shoulder. Hearing this, Wang Chao felt even more tired. ¡°Boss, d¡¯you know? Even if there are just three accidents per day, it will still amount to thousands of accidents occurring on this highway in a year.¡±


    ¡°Quiet down and listen to me.¡± Xing Cong Lian sat up cross legged. ¡°First of all, eliminate those without casualties.¡±


    ¡°En¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, filter through the list of casualties and see if there¡¯s students or teachers from Feng Jing School.¡±


    ¡°Eh, boss, the data transfer and troubleshooting is going to take some time. You need to wait for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I know. Finally, filter once more through the list of families of the casualties and see if there are any children around 15-18 years old and if there are, see if they are students from Feng Jing School.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh, I get what you mean. But I¡¯m on the highway right now, the wifi is not very good. You¡¯ll need to wait a bit longer.¡±


    Something was unusual and Xing Cong Lian immediately zeroed in on it. ¡°You¡¯re not in Lao Peng¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°No, Boss Peng seems to be near the area where the hostages were taken. Manager Yang said that since he¡¯s going back anyway, he¡¯d lend me a car to take me there¡­¡± After reporting his situation with a casual tone, Wang Chao hung up.


    Xing Cong Lian put down the phone with a frown, but he didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°It just occurred to me that the kidnapper had actually given us another clue.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The bus¡¯s tablet.¡±


    In fact, at the beginning of this case, the kidnapper had already delivered the tablet to the police using absolutely arduous means. But Wang Chao had carefully checked all the information in the tablet and there was nothing abnormal about it other than the strange driving route recorded by the GPS.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this tablet went through a bizarre route that is impossible for humans to mimic?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at Lin Chen before ruffling his own inch-short hair and jumping off. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s impossible to accomplish this with only one person. But in fact, it¡¯s very simple. The navigation system is based on the highway route calculation. But he can jump off the highway and take a shortcut. And after that, he only needs to pass this tablet to someone and that person will give the tablet to another person and so on. After several passes, of course the route will turn weird.¡±


    ¡°Someone is helping him.¡± Lin Chen sat up but didn¡¯t move any further.


    What do you want to do, and what was the reason you used to persuade all those people to come together and help you?


    Xing Cong Lian once again hit the highway, but this time he didn¡¯t rush, driving like he was sightseeing through the green reed field.


    Seconds passed, turning into minutes while the time inched ever closer to the agreed 90 minutes. Time was running out. Against its torrent, no matter how hard you think or how much effort you put, they were only a drop in the bucket.


    The spring breeze and scent of grass always lulled people into a sense of relaxation without their knowledge. Outside the window were reeds taller than people. The young man Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian were up against might be hiding inside that grass, playing with the children. However, in the next moment, perhaps a sniper¡¯s bullet would pierce right through his skull.


    Because there was no answer, there will be no grand reunion.


    The road in front of them shone under the sun, as if covered in a thin layer of wax. There seemed to have been an accident here, as the traffic ahead slowed to a crawl. Red lights lit up from the rears of the cars not too far away. Xing Cong Lian stepped on the brake from time to time to avoid a collision, and after some time, the car came to a stop.


    Just as Xing Cong Lian stopped, the cars in front started moving again.


    In front of their jeep was a black Buick. Just as it moved, the bus on the right side of the lane suddenly cut in, getting ahead by the length of half a car¡¯s hood.


    When the driver of the Buick saw the bus cut into his lane, he was unwilling to give in after being impatient from waiting and stepped on the accelerator in rage.


    However, the bus driver was also unwilling to stop, so the two collided with a loud bang.


    Because of the difference in size, a part of the car¡¯s top was flattened and the windshield shattered. All the passengers in the bus were stunned agape by the sudden accident they encountered.


    Seeing this situation, the bus driver immediately got off the bus and went to the car, kicking the front and shouting : ¡°Fuck! Even if you want to die, I don¡¯t! Lao tzu¡¯s bus is full of people, do you want to die?!¡±


    Even after the enraged bus driver shouted at the car driver, he still felt it wasn¡¯t enough. Seeing that the driver was stuck inside, he kicked the door with all his strength, as if he could seal it this way.


    At that moment, the angry bus driver felt a tight grip around his throat before he was thrown over. When he wanted to get back up, there was a pain in his back from being pressed down to the road.


    Xing Cong Lian retracted his knee and gripped the bus driver¡¯s hands, taking a pair of handcuffs out to cuff him. His actions were both swift and resolute.


    Then, Xing Cong Lian got up and went to the black Buick. The airbags in the car all popped up and the driver was so stuck he couldn¡¯t even budge an inch.


    Lin Chen was knocking on the window, looking like he was asking the driver to report their condition.


    Right at that moment, sounds of police sirens appeared on the opposite lane. Xing Cong Lian turned back, and as he stared at the flashing lights in the distance, he frowned.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 36

    The traffic police arrived in mere moments including an officer riding a motorcycle.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± The officer stopped and hurried to climb off his bike when he saw the driver of the Buick stuck in his seat and the bus driver handcuffed and pressed to the ground by Xing Cong Lian.


    Xing Cong Lian gave a salute and handed over his ID


    The traffic policeman took the ID to be examined. Thinking of the recent kidnapping and hostage case, he saluted Xing Cong Lian and handed back the ID. ¡°Oh oh oh, Captain Xing? You¡¯re heading to the scene now, right?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t deny it.


    At this moment, Lin Chen turned his head and said, ¡°The driver of the Buick might have a spinal injury but it should not be severe. Nevertheless, we still need to call an ambulance.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment; the ambulance should be here soon.¡± The policeman walked over to take a look inside the car and saw that the driver was conscious and didn¡¯t seem to be severely injured. But still, he didn¡¯t dare to move the driver, so he headed to the hot-tempered bus driver and asked Xing Cong Lian in a quiet voice, ¡°You cuffed him?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian nodded. ¡°Give him some time to calm down. I¡¯ll release him later.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, he was the one who knocked into Laozi! Why are you policemen cuffing me?! I want to file a complaint!¡± When the driver heard Xing Cong Lian¡¯s words, he started to struggle.


    ¡°Hey hey, mister, you were clearly the one changing lanes. If you weren¡¯t willing to let others pass while doing so, you should have been prepared to take full responsibility if anything went wrong.¡±


    Seeing that the policeman started to lecture the bus driver responsible for the accident, Lin Chen interrupted, ¡°You called an ambulance?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe he had watched the policeman make his way here, but never heard him say anything to his walkie-talkie even once.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll check.¡±


    The policeman entered the bus, took a silver-grey tablet from the dashboard, then got off, tapping on the screen a few times. Soon, the tablet showed the bus¡¯ driving route record as well as a series of parameters after enduring the impact.


    This tablet was very familiar to Xing Cong Lian. It was this thing that made them run around in circles earlier today.


    Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian communicated via eye contact and went over to the policeman to take a look.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s already set to automatically alert the police,¡± he said, showing the screen to Lin Chen. The system had already called the highway¡¯s traffic police and the emergency number, 120.


    At this time, the policeman¡¯s walkie-talkie also rang. ¡°Xiao Cao, was there an accident in your area?¡±


    ¡°Two vehicles collided. It¡¯s not serious but one person is injured. Is the ambulance coming?¡±


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± There was a pause from the other party before they answered. ¡°They¡¯re on their way.¡±


    Xiao Cao nodded. ¡°It¡¯s really efficient.¡± Xing Cong Lian felt that he had, though still vaguely, grasped the crux of the matter.


    ¡°Yeah, we changed the system. Now, passenger vehicles that seat more than 7 passengers, dangerous goods transport vehicles, and really any vehicle prone to safety-related accidents, have all been equipped with the latest positioning and rescue system. The command center relies on the system¡¯s integrated assessment to deploy police and allocate medical resources.¡±


    ¡°The system you¡¯re talking about, is it based on¡­ MEMS speed sensors or something like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an automatic emergency alarm system based on MEMS but that¡¯s just the name of the car-mounted terminal. Its full name is ¡®Road Safety Classification Early Warning System¡¯,¡± the traffic police explained. ¡°This system is really good, especially on highways where the roads are wide and empty. If drivers are injured or unconscious and can¡¯t call the police, their vehicle could automatically do so. This system is widely used overseas, ah.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, if the vehicle equipped with this system collides with something, the system automatically assesses the degree of damage, analyzes a series of factors such as vehicle type and road condition, and then sends out an emergency signal. That way, the command center will deploy the police and ambulance to the scene based on the aforementioned factors. The more serious the accident, the higher the rating given and the more police and medical resources will be deployed in this case, right?¡± Xing Cong Lian pondered, frowning. With a serious tone, he asked, ¡°Then, on the contrary?¡±


    ¡°What contrary?¡± The traffic officer couldn¡¯t quite understand what Xing Cong Lian meant.


    Xing Cong Lian turned around and patted the policeman on the shoulder in gratitude. ¡°What else do you know about this system?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Xing Cong Lian¡¯s solemn expression, the traffic officer became a little scared.


    ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°It was said that this system was introduced by the Tu An Transportation Company and has been put into testing two years ago. The result was good so it was promoted to the whole province and eventually the whole country. To put it simply, all freight vehicles, passenger buses, and especially dangerous goods transportation vehicles that are prone to safety-related accidents are all required to have the system installed.¡±


    ¡°Tu An Company¡­ This system was introduced by Tu An Company. Why?¡± He felt as if there was a thread here, one that connected everything.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be surprised about? Tu An Company introduced this system and signed a contract with the Transportation Bureau, so that they would be the ones responsible for installing, promoting and maintaining the system¡­¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stopped talking. Instead, he dragged Lin Chen to the roadside.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the time we got the news that Feng Jing School¡¯s bus was hijacked?¡±


    ¡°About 12:15 am?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice was low and serious. ¡°But the hijacking should have occurred between 8:30 to 9:00 am¡­¡±


    ¡°A three hour lag.¡± Lin Chen realized the key point. ¡°Our response was too slow.¡±


    The police arrived within a few minutes for a minor car accident. But when a bus full of children was hijacked and its passengers were taken hostage, it took more than three hours for the police to be notified. This was just appalling!


    ¡°The answer to a traffic accident that the kid wants us to find should be similar to the hijacking he had orchestrated.¡±


    ¡°An accident with severe consequences due to a delayed response.¡±


    ¡°So, his target is actually the Road Safety Classification Early Warning System?¡± Lin Chen stood by the edge of the railing, feeling that even the spring wind was getting cold.


    ¡°Or, a person who has direct access to that system.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian called Wang Chao. ¡°Have you gotten out of the car? Is Yang Dian Feng still with you?¡±


    ¡°Huang Ze just ditched us after squeezing us dry. He said he doesn¡¯t need my help anymore and asked me to just chill in the reed field. What¡¯s up Boss?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from Yang Dian Feng, I have some questions to ask you.¡±


    Sounds of rustling were heard from the speaker and a few moments later, Wang Chao¡¯s voice was heard again. ¡°Done. I left stealthily, very stealthy!¡±


    ¡°Are you done filtering the accidents on the highway?¡±


    ¡°Just did. You don¡¯t know how harsh my working conditions here are¡­ Only two students of Feng Jing School were injured in a car accident on HongJing Highway, and it wasn¡¯t serious.¡±


    ¡°Are there students whose family died in an accident?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, Boss, you think a brat from Feng Jing School pulled off the hijacking?¡±


    ¡°Kids his age must be students. And of course, it¡¯s easiest to start with his own school, as he has the highest probability of finding people who would be willing to help him there,¡± Xing Cong Lian answered.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Wang Chao clicked open a new document. ¡°Then, there are three Feng Jing School students whose immediate relatives died in traffic accidents.¡±


    Remembering the policeman¡¯s explanation, Xing Cong Lian thought that if this system was still in the promotional stage, then not all vehicles would have been required to install them yet. ¡°Find out whether there was any accident involving vehicles with MEMS self-help systems installed out of those three. Focus on passenger vehicles and road freight vehicles.¡±


    ¡°Okie.¡± A few moments passed before Wang Chao said with a somewhat skeptical tone, ¡°This is a bit weird ah, Boss.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a clue?¡±


    ¡°On May 11th, 2014, a medium Jin Long bus with a Hong Jing license plate passed through the Yong Chuan river section. Due to a faulty brake system and the driver¡¯s error, the whole bus overturned and fell into the Yong Chuan River. None of the passengers survived, all 23 of them¡­¡± Wang Chao took a deep breath as he continued to read. He was reading at a slow pace, and when he saw the next words, he felt his cheeks turn cold. ¡°In this accident, Fang Zhi Ming, a narcotics police officer who was merely 40 years old, was one of the passengers, and had valiantly sacrificed his life while on duty¡­¡±


    To find a particular answer in the midst of thousands of stories was like finding a needle in a haystack. But it was ridiculous how easy it was to find the most special case from three traffic accidents.


    Xing Cong Lian had thought the case could get heavy, and Lin Chen did give him a heads-up in advance, but he never thought this case would be related to a comrade whose life was sacrificed. It took him a long time to respond. ¡°Send me the details.¡± After saying that, he realised that he still held onto a faint glimmer of wishful thinking. He thought that maybe this accident had nothing to do with the ¡°Candy Robber¡±, and that the young man who hijacked a bus was not the child of a narcotics officer.


    The email was sent over in mere seconds. Xing Cong Lian glanced through it before stiffly stopping.


    The shock and grief in Xing Cong Lian¡¯s green eyes gave Lin Chen a bad feeling. He turned his sight to the screen. The man¡¯s usually steady hand was now  trembling.


    Following his fingers, Lin Chen¡¯s sight fell onto a small row of letters on the phone screen.


    ¡¾Two of the passengers died from severe intracranial injury, one from a punctured lung and the remaining 20 passengers drowned. The list is as follows¡­¡¿


    The sun was fading, the spring breeze cold.


    ¡°This is the story he wanted to tell,¡± Lin Chen looked up and said in a soft voice.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xing Cong Lian drove as if he was courting death. The sun chased their car in a relentless pursuit, but it was soon thrown off.


    The story was very simple. Since the passengers had died from drowning, it implied that when they had fallen off the cliff and into the water, they were still alive. They might have been injured, or wailing in anguish, but they were all still alive. The bus wouldn¡¯t be so quick to sink. They were waiting in the water, filled with expectations. Perhaps it had been five minutes, or possibly even ten, but it was until the ice-cold river completely submerged them.


    Xing Cong Lian drove with care and full attention on the road, but his expression was so serious that the traffic officer who was forced into the car before he could even handle the car accident was too terrified to breathe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we just want to ask you some questions,¡± Lin Chen soothed, noticing that the policeman had started to panic.


    ¡°Wh¡­what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°How long have you been stationed on the highway?¡±


    ¡°Two years.¡±


    ¡°In these two years you were on duty, has there been any accident that seemed really weird to you¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by weird?¡±


    ¡°For example, due to late response from the rescue team, the accident turned fatal.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?! What late rescue?!¡± The policeman got a little angry hearing that. ¡°The highway sections where the accident happens is beyond our control! In addition to traffic jams and other factors, our only option is to fly over to the scene if we want to arrive right after an accident occurs, ah!¡±


    ¡°But the road classification alarm system has its own loopholes, you know.¡±


    ¡°What loopholes?¡±


    ¡°The classified alarm is based on the degree of the impact on the vehicle, right? According to the severity of the accident, if the vehicle is very badly damaged, the command center will receive a high-level alarm from the system. But if the damage isn¡¯t serious, yet the vehicle is in an even graver situation¡­ For example,  a bus that overturned into a river¡­¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re talking about is a special case. Besides, how could a bus fall into the river without taking any damage? We would have received the alarm. You, you¡­ you can¡¯t deny the functionality of the Early Warning Classification System because of that!¡± The policeman shook his head.


    ¡°Never happened?¡± Xing Cong Lian slammed the steering wheel. ¡°So the accident where a bus fell into the Yong Chuan River on May 11th didn¡¯t happen?¡± he said, looking at the policeman through the rearview mirror with cold eyes.


    The policeman frowned, looking like he didn¡¯t understand why Xing Cong Lian would all of a sudden mention that accident. ¡°I remember that ah¡­ The May 11th accident was caused by a driver error. Also, before the bus overturned and fell into the river, the driver had already pressed the alarm button, and the medic team arrived at the scene in record time.¡±


    At this, Xing Cong Lian looked at the policeman with incredulousness. ¡°If the response was timely, then why did 20 of the passengers drown?¡±


    ¡°The Yong Chuan river is deep, and the current was turbulent at that time. It was nighttime too, which made rescue difficult. When the rescue team arrived, many of the passengers were already on the verge of death.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that accident was too peculiar?¡±


    ¡°The casualties were heavy in this accident, yeah. But if you¡¯re insistent on saying that our response was late, you can check the data in the system to see if there was any problem with the time the driver sent us the alarm and the time we arrived at the scene.¡±


    The policeman¡¯s explanation didn¡¯t ease Lin Chen¡¯s mind.


    Yes, just because his father died because of the late arrival of the rescue team, he had to hijack a bus full of children and kidnap them? This seemed too radical, and too unreasonable. Such an unreasonable purpose would not have been able to persuade a driver to lie to the police, let alone convince those who might have helped him in the dark.


    But if that wasn¡¯t the case, then how terrible was the truth behind this traffic accident?


    He didn¡¯t hesitate to once again ask the tech geek for help.


    Wang Chao was lying on the reeds, his clothes becoming a bit damp. Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s voice coming from the speaker, he turned energetic. ¡°May I know what I can do for you, sir?¡±


    ¡°Xing Cong Lian and I suspect there are loopholes in the Road Safety Classification Early Warning System. Can you find out the time the vehicle sent out a help signal and the specific time the rescue team arrived at the scene of the May 11th accident?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the latter¡¯s easy. The traffic police has a file here, let me see¡­¡± Wang Chao put the laptop on his lap before sitting up. ¡°On May 11th, the time the rescue team arrived at the scene was 9:20 pm.¡±


    ¡°What about the time when the alarm system received the automatic alert from the vehicle?¡±


    ¡°That ah¡­I¡¯ll have to get the data from the transportation company¡¯s back end, it¡¯ll be a little troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡­ I¡¯ll need to¡­ do something against the law again¡­¡± Wang Chao said, sneaking a glance at Huang Ze who was standing not far away. ¡°When are you and Boss coming?¡± he asked, vigilant as he hacked into the transportation company¡¯s system.


    ¡°How is it going there?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s Inspector Huang, don¡¯t you know how he is? If military force is an option, he will never negotiate. The snipers from the special force are all in place, it¡¯s terrible. It¡¯s a live-action Counter Strike, ah. This is the first time I¡¯m seeing something like this,¡± Wang Chao reported. He tapped ¡®Enter¡¯ then said, ¡°Bingo. It was 9:12 pm.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, the rescue team arrived only 8 minutes after the help signal was sent?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Lin Chen kept the phone by his ear, but he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    ¡°No, there must be a problem somewhere.¡± Xing Cong Lian pressed the horn, avoiding a collision with the car in front.


    ¡°Sigh, that¡¯s why I said you guys are overthinking it, yet you insist the rescue response was delayed. No matter how late it was, there are always cars on the highway so even if the driver themselves didn¡¯t make the emergency call, other drivers on the road would have once they saw an accident.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly thought of something after hearing this, but Xing Cong Lian, who was driving, spoke first. ¡°You¡¯re right. So, what if it was more than an accident?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, did the police receive a manual emergency call that night? I mean, other than the automatic alarm from the system,¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°This ¡­¡± Wang Chao searched the data again, wishing he had eight arms. ¡°There seems to be none eh.¡±


    ¡°That means, the road was too dark at that time, so no one saw how the accident happened.¡± After a few moments, Xing Cong Lian said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, if someone had altered the data, would you be able to find that out?¡± Lin Chen finally asked.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 37

    A year had already passed since the 5/11 accident happened. It wasn¡¯t that long ago, but a year was still enough time to erase many traces.


    Had time permitted, what Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian would have done was to turn around and investigate more into the accident. This would have meant checking the past vehicles, reexamining the reports and corroborating the rescue team personnel¡¯s statement one by one. But how could time allow this?


    There were many people up in front, and all they could see was the heavily armed special forces controlling traffic.


    Huang Ze might have allowed them to negotiate with the kidnapper when the situation was still uncertain. However, once he had it under control, without question he would implement an iron-fist method: no negotiation, no agreement, no compromise.


    Such a principle was unreasonable, but it was still a type of reasoning in and of itself. No matter the reason for your appeal is, taking people hostage was already a crime. Since it was already a crime, you must be clear that once you point a gun at someone else, another gun in this world would be pointing at you.


    This was the reason why Xing Cong Lian wanted to maintain this delicate balance. He must ensure that such deterrence was present.


    Lin Chen thought, You¡¯re really making things difficult for me, ah, you child.


    The car had since stopped at the side of the road.


    The tall Captain Xing got out of the car first. One of the special force officers he knew came over for a talk. A vague path in the distant reed field could be seen.


    Lin Chen stayed in the car, his hand stroking the phone screen.


    After a while, Xing Cong Lian knocked on the window. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take to walk there?¡±


    ¡°About a quarter of an hour.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the time. It was precisely a quarter of an hour before the agreed upon time limit of 90 minutes.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The vast reed field was too wondrous of a world.


    Silence was all around and the green leaves drifted in the air above their heads. There were birds chirping, water flowing, the scent of fresh grass, and the fragrance of wild flowers that assaulted their nostrils. But such silence and serenity created the most hypocritical illusion. Because in a certain patch of these fields, plenty of gun muzzles were hidden. Perhaps at the next moment, a bullet would pierce right through the kidnapper¡¯s skull, leaving behind a pool of boiling red blood.


    Time was too tight. Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t even have the leisure to smoke another cigarette. Every once in a while, he would support Lin Chen with one of his hands while pulling off the wild reeds with the other. On top of everything, he had to carefully read the accident¡¯s investigation report.


    ¡°Captain Xing, why must you guys think there¡¯s something wrong with this accident? The report you¡¯re reading now was only allowed to be published after being reviewed and approved at every level.¡± The traffic police followed them, trudging his way through the mud. The underlying meaning behind his words was, so many experts had seen this report and all of them thought it was an accident, so how likely could it be that Xing Cong Lian was any better than them?


    Lin Chen stepped over a puddle, released Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand, and stood still. Then, he answered, ¡°Because there¡¯s a child deep in this reed field currently pointing a gun at other children, threatening us to find out the truth of his father¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°That kid probably has a problem.¡± The traffic police swatted away at some leaves, annoyed. ¡°There are a lot of deaths in traffic accidents all the time. Life and death are all predestined, anyway. Why is he the only one so obsessed?¡±


    ¡°His father was a narcotic police officer,¡± Xing Cong Lian turned around and said in a cold voice.


    ¡°Ah?¡± The traffic police raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys suspect that someone wanted to kill the officer and that everyone else in the bus was collateral?¡±


    ¡°That is indeed what we suspect,¡± Xing Cong Lian affirmed.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯ve heard of a few narcotic officers whose identities were exposed and their families ended up being hunted by the drug cartels¡­¡± The traffic policeman shivered.


    Hearing this, Xing Cong Lian suddenly turned around.


    ¡°We, perhaps, have neglected one thing. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s another very important reason why he asked those journalists to be present,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Cong Lian nodded, then opened the browser on his phone. In the simplest way possible, he typed the name ¡°Fang Zhi Ming¡± into the search box.


    As the progress bar crawled into completion, the answer appeared.


    It was some old news. The search results showed that the dates of these articles were published within March to April of 2014 and the titles were all more or less the same¡­


    ¡¶Yong Chuan police successfully cracks a major drug trafficking case, an exclusive interview with Fang Zhi Ming, a narcotic officer¡·


    Xing Cong Lian picked one of the results and clicked. The first thing that appeared was a picture of a man smiling in a uniform, appearing simple and friendly. No one would have thought that just one month after this article was published, this police officer died in the Yong Chuan River along with 22 innocent lives.


    Lin Chen retracted his gaze from the screen and looked at Xing Cong Lian¡¯s sharp profile. He felt as if his throat was blocked. It was hard to speak.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an accident, it was revenge.¡± Xing Cong Lian handed his phone over to the traffic policeman and said, ¡°There¡¯s ten minutes left. Please read the accident report carefully.¡±


    They soon arrived at the end of the pathway, a lake coming into view in front of them. The spring breeze rustled over the water. Ducks swam on the surface, and the grass at the bottom swayed.


    By the lake was a small house with white walls and red tiles. It looked like a house left by fishermen in charge of managing the lake earlier in the days and that no one had lived there for a long time. Though it appeared dilapidated, nothing blocked its surroundings, giving one an unobstructed view of all around. Like this, it was hard to ambush the people in the house without being noticed.


    It had to be said, the kid made a wise choice with his hiding place.


    Wang Chao was lying on the ground, immersed in his fight with the ¡°Road Safety Classification Early Warning System¡±. Suddenly, he felt his shoulder get heavy as someone sat while pressing his shoulder down. He was about to scream until he saw Xing Cong Lian¡¯s serious face.


    ¡°How is it going?¡± Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t waste any time and went straight to the point.


    ¡°Fuck! Boss, can you not scare me like this? I¡¯m still young!¡±


    ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice was low and solemn, shocking Wang Chao. Seeing Lin Chen crouching along, he poked him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with our boss?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something fishy about Fang Zhi Ming¡¯s death. It was most likely retaliation from the drug cartel after his photograph was leaked.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, that¡¯s a bus with 23 lives, ah. There¡¯s no problem with the accident investigation report at all, how the hell did they do that?¡±


    Hearing this question, Xing Cong Lian patted the traffic policeman¡¯s head and said, ¡°He¡¯s asking you.¡±


    ¡°H¡­ How would I know!¡± The traffic police felt wronged.


    ¡°Among us, you¡¯re the most familiar with traffic accidents. You just read the investigation report, right? So tell me, if you were the culprit, how would you have carried out this homicide?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s eyes were deep. It was impossible for the traffic police to complain even one bit. Whatever retort he wanted to spit out rolled around in his mouth before he choked it back down and said, ¡°I remember the report said that the bus crashed into the river due to the driver¡¯s error and the faulty brake. There¡¯s no way to check these two things now, but they were definitely recorded to have caused the bus to sink into the river¡­ So¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s possible that it wasn¡¯t caused by driver error. If I was the perpetrator and wanted to orchestrate such a perfect accident-looking crime, I would have forced the driver to drive into the river¡­ That is to say, I would¡¯ve needed a heavy truck to drive on the expressway and force the driver to keep to the outermost lane, then use another vehicle to suddenly brake in front of the bus. If the vehicle in front was a dangerous goods transport vehicle, then it would have been even more perfect. Under the coercion of these two vehicles, the driver would have instinctively stepped on the brake and slammed the steering wheel. This way, there would be no trace of impact on the bus, and it would rush over the guardrail and into the river¡­¡± The traffic policeman closed his eyes, scratched the back of his head desperately and even seemed a bit pained. ¡°But to pull it all off, I have to make sure that all the passengers on the bus¡­ the passengers¡­¡±


    ¡°All die.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s expression was cold as he completed his sentence for him.


    Wang Chao was quick to respond. ¡°Oh! So Ah Chen, that¡¯s why you asked me to check if someone had tampered with the data because the bus was equipped with the automatic alarm system. Even if the bus crashed into the river, the passengers would have thought that they would be rescued very soon. But the black-hearted bastards directly messed with the alarm time. They just wanted all the passengers to drown while they were in the bus!¡± Agitated, Wang Chao hurried to show his laptop screen to Lin Chen. ¡°Ah Chen, look, I already thought this morning that Yang Dian Feng¡¯s GPS positioning system was problematic. Because there was no time included in the positioning, it was difficult for me to figure out the approximate time of when the bus Officer Fang was in crashed into the river. However, I checked the system log and found that the time of the alarm recorded in the backend had been tampered with by someone!¡±


    ¡°Can you find out who did it?¡± Lin Chen asked one last question, his gaze fixed on the lower right corner of the screen, where the time of the alarm was displayed.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to check but from what I can see, I¡¯d really like to meet the person who wrote the program for this system. I¡¯ve never seen someone who¡¯d play with such high stakes. They¡¯re really magnanimous, huh. Administrators who have obtained permissions can not only modify the call time, but they can also do that with the route record. How is this just a sieve? It¡¯s practically an old grandma¡¯s foot wrap, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Wrong metaphor.¡± Xing Cong Lian swatted the back of Wang Chao¡¯s head. He asked Lin Chen, ¡°What do you think of this?¡±


    Lin Chen understood that this question wasn¡¯t asking him what he thought, but rather, what he ¡®wants to do¡¯. In other words, what are you ¡®going to do¡¯?


    The fact right now was that the case wasn¡¯t clear and everything was only limited to guesswork. Lin Chen pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Of all the people present, there might be two people who know the truth.¡±


    Not far away in the field of reeds, the well-dressed transportation company¡¯s manager had already noticed their arrival. At this moment, he was crouching a bit then he started to move in order to approach them.


    In the house by the lake behind the tattered gray curtains, the kidnapper who had committed a heinous crime might also be waiting at the very last moment to enter the scene.


    ¡°Well, in the end, we¡¯ll still have to let them talk things out face-to-face.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian looked up and exchanged a tacit eye contact with Lin Chen. They didn¡¯t even need words to understand each other¡¯s thoughts, simply requiring only two glances.


    Xing Cong Lian handed his gun over to Lin Chen. The latter was about to stand up when Xing Cong Lian took out his Bluetooth headset and stuffed it into Lin Chen¡¯s ear. When his rough fingers brushed against the skin, Lin Chen felt his ears turn a little warm.


    ¡°Please be careful,¡± said Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At this moment, more than a dozen reporters were laying in the bushes with their cameras, pointing it at the house by the lake.


    Aside from them, dozens of special force personnels were also hidden as part of their tactical warfare. Their sniper unit¡¯s firepower must have covered the area a long time ago.


    Somewhere in this field of reeds, a sharp-looking police inspector was making his final decision before the ambush.


    The current situation was like a pile of dry straws. Just a tiny spark would start a wildfire.


    Therefore, the only way to solve the problem was to cut through the knotted mess quickly with a sharp knife.


    ¡°We¡¯re really not negotiating?¡± The leader of the special force, Peng Ran, held onto his headset and asked the person in front of him.


    ¡°Everyone should express their appeals through proper methods, so in this case, no compromise, and no negotiation.¡± Huang Ze raised his hand and looked at the watch on his wrist. ¡°As we had planned, start the 30-second countdown.¡±


    As soon as he finished saying that, a familiar figure rose from among the reeds in the distance. Huang Ze didn¡¯t need to take a closer look to know it was Lin Chen.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t know what had happened yet. He was about to take hold of Lin Chen when he heard a light clicking sound. Lin Chen loaded the gun with decisiveness and walked forward in two strides. In a casual manner, he raised his hand and serenely pressed the cold muzzle against Yang Dian Feng¡¯s forehead.


    Before Yang Dian Feng could shout for help, Lin Chen turned the safety off, adjusting the gun so that it was ready to fire.


    As if to express his resolute attitude, Lin Chen turned his head in Huang Ze¡¯s direction and shook his head gently. He pulled Yang Dian Feng up from the ground and murmured, ¡°Relax, at most I¡¯d just kill you in one shot.¡±


    His pace wasn¡¯t fast, nor did he act violently. Like the wind blowing through pine leaves, he was light and leisurely, looking as if human lives were not of any concern to him.


    For a moment, everyone present in the field felt horror seep deep into their bones.


    In an instant, Yang Dian Feng¡¯s pallor turned ashen. His neat and nice suit had also become messy and dirty from staying in the reed fields for a long time. He only felt that his forehead was cold¨C what he had always been afraid of finally happened. His lips trembled, yet he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Lin Chen dragged Yang Dian Feng out of the dense field.


    ¡°No need to look at the system anymore, just check Yang Dian Feng¡¯s bank account.¡± Watching Lin Chen taking Yang Dian Feng away, Xing Cong Lian gave Wang Chao orders.


    Since there was such a huge problem with the program, how could Yang Dian Feng, the person who introduced the system, not have known about it?


    After he was done handing out instructions, he stood up as well the moment Lin Chen stepped out of the reed field. Xing Cong Lian looked indifferent as he strode towards Huang Ze.


    The special force personnels laying in the reeds saw the two people appear in the lake area out of nowhere. Unable to figure out what was going on, they didn¡¯t dare to make even the slightest move.


    Huang Ze¡¯s eyes narrowed into almost a slit, looking at Lin Chen. He was about to make things difficult for the man when he saw another person also standing up, looking poised.


    His long coat brushed against the green reeds. The mixed-race man had a cool and fearless attitude and exuded strong momentum.


    Standing in front of Huang Ze, Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t even speak. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, lit a cigarette, then drew out another to offer it to Captain Peng, who was merely acting as a figurehead. Peng Ran had no idea whether he should refuse or accept it.


    ¡°Captain Xing, what do you mean by this?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian raised his gaze and smiled, as if to say, ¡®Inspector Huang is always asking about meaning; that¡¯s really meaningless.¡¯


    ¡°The gun that Lin Chen is holding, where did he get it from?¡±


    ¡°I gave it to him ah.¡±


    ¡°First, Captain Xing, you arrived late. Second, you actually gave your gun to someone without authorization, thus sabotaging the rescue operation. If there are any casualties among the students, do you think you can afford to take on the responsibility, Captain Xing?!¡± Huang Ze¡¯s tone was grave and his voice rose as he spoke. His words were numerous but they simply meant, ¡®You¡¯re just a lowly captain of a police force and yet you dare to disregard me!¡¯


    Xing Cong Lian waited for Huang Ze to finish before taking a deep inhale of his cigarette and replied, drawling, ¡°I can still bear the responsibility that Inspector Huang just mentioned.¡± His voice was light and he didn¡¯t even raise his eyes, the meaning behind which was even simpler: ¡®Of course, I pay no regard to you in the slightest.¡¯


    Peng Ran¡¯s gaze flickered between the two. He and Xing Cong Lian were old acquaintances. Although Huang Ze could be said to be half their superior, he was not a close colleague. Seeing Xing Cong Lian¡¯s attitude, Peng Ran, who had opposed Huang Ze¡¯s strong-headed method from the start, was more than willing to back down. He gestured to his subordinates, signalling them not to act rashly.


    Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen cooperated without a single word spoken. While he stalled Huang Ze, Lin Chen had already brought Yang Dian Feng to the house by the lake. The time now was at the agreed 90 minutes.


    Lin Chen kicked the back of Yang Dian Feng¡¯s knees. The man fell to the ground, kneeling.


    ¡°The answer you want,¡± Lin Chen said in a soft voice.


    ¡°The so-called Automatic Self-help System and Road Safety Classification Early Warning System has huge loopholes. The first one being if the vehicle didn¡¯t suffer serious damage, but was in a situation that would delay the rescue efforts of special cases, such as with the vehicle falling into the river or with what you did. Am I right?¡± Lin Chen said to the people inside the house. His voice was neither light nor heavy, but it reverberated to every corner of the lake.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yang Dian Feng suddenly struggled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. My hand isn¡¯t very stable.¡± Lin Chen held the gun in a firm grip, but didn¡¯t even bother to look at Yang Dian Feng as he spoke. Instead, he handed in his answer sheet as he faced the wooden door, ¡°Secondly, the GPS positioning in the MEMS system didn¡¯t record an important parameter ¨C ¡®time-location¡¯. No system can be perfect and loopholes are inevitable. However, people who have admin permissions in the system could use this defect to change the time of the vehicle¡¯s emergency call to fill this loophole on the surface, couldn¡¯t they?¡±


    When his words ended, all four corners of the field went silent. Even the wild birds in the bushes stopped tittering.


    The door opened with a squeak.


    The light outside gushed into the house through the gap like a torrent.


    A young man strolled out under the bright light.


    He was still wearing his grey cashmere scarf, a pair of light blue jeans and bright yellow Nike sneakers. The huge tick on his shoes was reminiscent of the brightest smile that could grace a face.


    The young man pulled the door open. A red laser dot fell onto his chest, yet he remained calm and fearless. He didn¡¯t even hold a gun.


    In the bushes, the special force personnel moved his finger to the trigger. Without warning, Lin Chen moved and stood in front of the boy.


    ¡°Is he looking for death? Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t dare to shoot him!¡± Huang Ze roared at Xing Cong Lian.


    Xing Cong Lian was holding his phone, as if communicating with the person on the other side of the line. His expression grew colder by the moment. He paid no heed to Huang Ze¡¯s accusatory roar.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me. Was the person on the phone you as well? I was fooled.¡± The boy smiled at Lin Chen, as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by the fact that the script he arranged was disturbed. Taking two lemon candies out of his pocket, he threw one into his mouth while giving the other to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°Is there a third point?¡±


    ¡°The third and the most frightening point is¡­ because the system records could be modified manually, it meant that someone could use this loophole to create a nearly perfect homicide.¡±


    The teenager seemed to be very satisfied with Lin Chen¡¯s answer. ¡°So, is he the one who caused my father¡¯s death?¡± Pointing at Yang Dian Feng, he posed the question to Lin Chen.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, which is why I brought him to you. I thought you would¡¯ve been happy to ask him yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a really good person.¡± The young man smiled at Lin Chen before crouching down so that his eyes were at the same level with the kneeling Yang Dian Feng. ¡°According to what he said, does this mean you changed the automatic emergency call¡¯s time and caused my father to drown in the bus?¡±


    Yang Dian Feng, whose face was as pale as snow, nearly collapsed when the boy poked his face. His lips trembled. It took him almost everything he had to say, ¡°I have no idea what you guys are talking about!¡±


    Lin Chen pressed the headset to his ear. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice came out, low and calm, sounding inexplicably reassuring. ¡°Wang Chao just checked Yang Dian Feng¡¯s bank account. Before and after the accident on May 11th, his mother¡¯s bank account received two remittances totaling 1 million yuan. Wang Chao is still checking the account that transferred the money¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say it, of course he won¡¯t know.¡± Lin Chen let out a soft sigh and outlined the whole incident in his mind. Jabbing the end of the muzzle against Yang Dian Feng¡¯s head, he said, ¡°5/11¡¯s major accident was under the orders of a drug cartel in order to get revenge on the narcotics police officer Fang Zhi Ming. You modified the automatic emergency call¡¯s time on the bus, which resulted in 23 innocent lives to drown along with Fang Zhi Ming. You should account for this properly to him.¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with me, I didn¡¯t do it!¡± Yang Dian Feng exclaimed, frantic. ¡°Don¡¯t slander people!¡±


    ¡°Without proof, would I dare to point a gun at you?¡± Needless to say, Lin Chen was the best at tricking people into confessing. After a pause, he added, ¡°At the very least, you¡¯re acquainted with Wang Chao. Do you think he won¡¯t be able to find out who made the loophole in the system and who used it considering how skilled he is?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was serene. But the lighter and softer his voice was, the louder and more frightening it sounded to Yang Dian Feng.


    ¡°Well, you can deny that you know nothing about messing with the system, but what you can¡¯t deny is the bank transfer that did happen. In fact, nowadays, illegal transactions are usually done with digital currency. It¡¯s a bit bold to accept a cash transfer in such a straightforward manner as you did.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s words were vague but in this sort of situation, it would only make Yang Dian Feng wonder where he had gone wrong. This hesitation here was him unconsciously admitting to Lin Chen¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Is what he said true?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes turned darker and he whipped out a gun, pressing it against Yang Dian Feng¡¯s forehead. ¡°Speak!¡±


    Seeing this, Huang Ze couldn¡¯t hold it anymore. He shouted at Lin Chen¡¯s ramrod figure, ¡°Lin Chen, if you don¡¯t step away now, I will kill the kid along with you!¡±


    ¡°You can order them to shoot if you¡¯d like, on the premise that you think the life of a criminal is more important than the life of a martyr¡¯s only daughter.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s hand was very stable. After he spoke, he took a step aside, exposing the person in front of him to the special force¡¯s snipers.


    ¡°What fucking girl?!¡± Huang Ze yelled. After a moment, he realized something and turned to Xing Cong Lian, stunned. ¡°That¡¯s a girl?¡±


    Lin Chen crouched down, then unravelled the scarf around the teenager¡¯s face, exposing the young girl¡¯s small ears and fair neck. ¡°Fang Zhi Ming, the narcotics police officer who died in the May 11th accident, had only one 16 year-old daughter named Ai Zi.¡±


    The surroundings fell silent once again. This silence was the result of their shock and speechlessness.


    A martyr¡¯s sole daughter seeking justice for her father. Peng Ran felt cold sweat running down his back. If Xing Cong Lian wasn¡¯t present to stop him, he would¡¯ve shot down the suspect according to Huang Ze¡¯s orders. Then, not only would the special force personnel who shot the girl feel guilty, but even he who ordered it to be done would have had his conscience suffer for the rest of his life. Thinking this, Peng Ran shot Xing Cong Lian a grateful glance.


    Yet Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze remained locked on the three people by the lake.


    ¡°Bingo. You see, I have a lot of cards I can use~ Even if I kill you here now, no one would dare to harm even just one of my fingers. So whatcha gonna do?¡± Fang Ai Zi looked at Yang Dian Feng with a smile, but there was no warmth in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I was also forced, I didn¡¯t want to do it, ah! Your father offended huge cartels, they¡¯re the ones who forced me to do it!¡± Yang Dian Feng¡¯s blood ran cold. Fang Ai Zi¡¯s identity was the last block that overturned the whole thing over. Yang Dian Feng burst into tears. ¡°They can even kill the police as they wish. For an insignificant citizen like me, killing would be a piece of cake!¡±


    Yang Dian Feng wept, and seeing that Fang Ai Zi wasn¡¯t moved by this, he turned to hug Lin Chen¡¯s thigh. Lin Chen just held the gun and gave him a cold look.


    Fang Ai Zi stood up, patted the dust off her knees and sent Lin Chen a sweet smile. ¡°Kill him and I¡¯ll let everyone in the house go.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, don¡¯t break the law knowingly!¡±


    Huang Ze yelled again, but Xing Cong Lian remained calm, eyes glancing at the gun in Lin Chen¡¯s hand.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t move.


    Fang Ai Zi made the first move.


    The girl raised her gun and, as if she had fired it without hesitation countless times before, placed it against her temple and said, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. Either he dies, or I die.¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t loud, but her eyes were profound and her movements serious and solemn. She began to count down, ¡°Three¡­¡±


    The situation took a sudden nosedive. This move was too cruel, too extreme and utterly merciless. The nervous people in the fields jolted in surprise, and one could hear the rustling of the leaves.


    Peng Ran was the most nervous among them all. If Lin Chen really killed Yang Dian Feng, wouldn¡¯t he then have to give the order to kill Lin Chen?


    Xing Cong Lian was still unmoved, his posture as steady as a tree and his gaze unwavering.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°You¡¯re going to kill yourself anyway, so that threat means nothing to me.¡±


    His voice was carried by the wind, brushing along the reeds like ripples of water.


    Fang Ai Zi crushed her candy in one bite, yet tried to maintain her calm as she smiled. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m very trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, Mr. Lin¡­ You can¡¯t agree to her demand, you¡¯ll have to pay for taking a life with your own!¡± Yang Dian Feng clamored at Lin Chen¡¯s feet, crying. He was terrified that Lin Chen would comply with Fang Zhi Ming¡¯s daughter and kill him in one shot.


    Lin Chen just kept the gun firm against Yang Dian Feng¡¯s head, paying no attention to the latter¡¯s clamoring. He looked at the girl and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered about one thing. How did you know it wasn¡¯t an accident so clearly when it appeared to be so much like one?¡±


    His voice fell, and the girl shot a subconscious glance at the gun in her hand.


    Lin Chen understood. His eyes turned peaceful. ¡°Is this gun your father¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°This is what my father gave me before he left.¡±


    When the young girl said ¡®left¡¯, she had meant ¡®passed away¡¯. As a narcotics officer, why would Fang Zhi Ming leave his gun to his daughter to defend herself unless it was absolutely necessary?


    ¡°Is it because of the leak?¡± With that sentence, Lin Chen gently pried open the scar hidden deep in Fang Ai Zi¡¯s heart.


    In an instant, the girl started trembling. Lin Chen saw, but didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Officer Fang¡¯s identity was leaked without a second thought by the media. He had offended too many people in this lifetime and was very clear that he would encounter a mishap sooner or later. He feared you would be dragged in as well, so he left you this gun, right?¡±


    Once Lin Chen finished talking, all the reporters on the scene understood why they were here. It had been a trap all along.


    The special forces on the scene dared not to move, but their gazes on the reporters present were burning, as if wanting to light them on fire. A narcotics officer¡¯s identity was released. That was just pushing him to the muzzle of the cartel¡¯s gun without any cover.


    ¡°How is it enough for only Yang Dian Feng to die? You want to use this gun to complete the most perfect revenge, right?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s words were sharp, shooting straight into the hearts of the people present.


    At last, Fang Ai Zi began to appear flustered, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t give her any chance to speak. His voice was cold, sounding as if he didn¡¯t have an ounce of pity towards the girl in front of him.


    ¡°You are very clear on who killed your father. If the cartel was the direct murderer, then the reporters who leaked his identity were the indirect ones. You are a daughter of a police officer killed in the line of duty. You can¡¯t act like a daughter of a kingpin, killing these guys with your gun. After mulling it over, you realised that the perfect end was suicide. A martyr¡¯s only daughter¡¯s blood was sacrificed to plead for justice. The sharp sword of public opinion would point at all of the journalists who had reported about your father early on. These people who didn¡¯t care what the result would be or just wanted a headline picture and released the photo of your father can escape legal sanction, but none of them can escape moral judgment. No revenge would be more tragic, yet satisfying than this, right?¡±


    Her innermost thoughts had been exposed. Fang Ai Zi¡¯s lips quivered, yet she tried to maintain her calm and controlled her emotions. ¡°Do you think I shouldn¡¯t tell you to kill Yang Dian Feng or ask for interest from the people responsible?¡± she asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should,¡± Lin Chen answered without hesitation.


    Lin Chen¡¯s words ignited the anger that had been burning in her heart for so long. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hate him? Why can¡¯t I hate those people? Why can¡¯t I take revenge?! They killed my father! I don¡¯t have a father anymore!¡±


    Her eyes were glistening with tears, but she refused to let them fall. ¡°My father died. I used to think he was born with bad hearing, but I later found out that it was during one of his operations where a shrapnel from a drug dealer¡¯s bullet damaged his auditory nerves. Even so, he didn¡¯t retreat from the front lines. He was such a good person! What did he do wrong to deserve being drowned alive?! In fact, he didn¡¯t even die in the front lines! He didn¡¯t deserve to die such a worthless death, it was all because of those people!¡±


    She choked as she spoke, blood dripping from every word she uttered. Everyone present felt moved, except for one.


    Lin Chen stared at the girl. ¡°The reasoning is simple. Your father is a martyr and you are his daughter. You were born to live a life more upright and honest than everyone else. Other people can bear hatred, but you can¡¯t. Other people can plead for death, but you can¡¯t. Because from the day your father died, you have been living in his glory. And you must, with his glory and pride on your shoulders, continue to move forward.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can go on living after this?¡± Fang Ai Zi burst out laughing and pointed at Yang Dian Feng. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him how powerful the force behind him is? They can erase 23 lives quietly. Do you think those people will let me go?¡±


    Fang Ai Zi¡¯s cries didn¡¯t move Lin Chen, but her question, posed in such an understated way, made him sad.


    This was a 15 year-old girl who lost her father. She had witnessed the insane methods undertaken by cartels, and lived in constant panic everyday.


    In that dark world, she could believe in no one. She can only rely on the hatred in her heart, holding up a small lamp as she travelled through that stormy world alone.


    But in the end, she was just a little girl who would feel fear.


    ¡°Kill Yang Dian Feng or I will kill myself.¡± Fang Ai Zi¡¯s voice was very calm, almost to the point of sounding cold.


    The situation took a sudden turn and the people in the back were once again plunged into chaos. The snipers raised their guns again and without exception, they all aimed at Lin Chen.


    At this time, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s voice emerged from the headset. ¡°We¡¯ve already contacted Fang Zhi Ming¡¯s friends. They have something to say.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Fang Ai Zi¡¯s gun and listened as Xing Cong Lian told him Fang Ai Zi¡¯s story that the man heard from who knows who. ¡°Your mother died early, but you had a good father. Your father would bring you to martial arts practice and the shooting range. He said that girls must know how to defend themselves and that if he wasn¡¯t there someday, you couldn¡¯t be bullied and must be able to live well. So you¡¯re really skilled, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?!¡±


    ¡°Your father hoped to have a daughter who could stand tall. Maybe he¡¯s wrong, as this isn¡¯t suitable to describe girls, but personally, I think he¡¯s right. You¡¯ve done something most girls couldn¡¯t achieve. On one side, there¡¯s a vicious cartel involved so you didn¡¯t dare take any rash actions. One careless move and you would have been killed. Under such circumstances, you gambled with your life and hijacked a bus. You let everyone know the real problem with the bullshit system with the real problem you created. You even made use of us to find the true culprit behind that accident. Those were all amazing feats, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°But my father is dead.¡± The bright sunshine fell on her eyes, as if shedding tears in her stead. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die by their hands!¡±


    ¡°There will be no other girl like you in this world. You are your father¡¯s girl, who had never compromised with those heinous criminals until his death. So please, don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t yield to fate.¡±


    Lin Chen smiled and looked back at the reed field submerged in the horizon. ¡°Your father¡¯s colleagues are there. What would you like to talk about with them after this is over?¡±


    Epilogue


    It was soon to be sunset; the sky was red. An egret flew across the sky and disappeared into the clouds.


    When the police entered the house, the children were playing with a pile of candies on the ground. The room was filled with a sweet and delicious scent. Several of the little boys had grown tired of playing and were sound asleep under the table. The police wrapped the children in blankets and picked them up.


    The rest of the children walked out of the house, chirping along the way, as if this whole incident had just been a fun adventure.


    In the police car parked by the lake, Fang Ai Zi was talking to her father¡¯s colleagues. The young girl was sporting bright handcuffs on her wrists and her damp hair was plastered on her soft cheeks. A side of her that matched her age and gender finally surfaced.


    The follow-up was, of course, under the jurisdiction of Inspector Huang. Yang Dian Feng had already been escorted back to the city, and Xing Cong Lian strolled by the lake with Lin Chen.


    They were surrounded by the noise of officers handling the scene, but to Lin Chen, these sounds were like a bird taking off to the sky from the water.


    After taking back the gun, Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t speak a word. Lin Chen thought he would say something to make fun of him or say something like ¡°you worked hard¡±. However, Xing Cong Lian remained silent.


    Actually, Lin Chen was very grateful towards Xing Cong Lian for his trust. Blocking Huang Ze, keeping the situation under control, and providing just the right support and information was invaluable.


    Lin Chen thought, Maybe I should say ¡®Thank you¡¯?


    However, the first to speak was still Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°Do you think it was worth it?¡± The man¡¯s facial features didn¡¯t appear as harsh in the light reflected by the lake.


    This question was, of course, pertaining to the girl: what she had done, what she would change or had already changed, including the consequences she would bear. Was it all worth it?


    Facing such a girl, they weren¡¯t even qualified to judge whether she was right or wrong. In the end, they could only ask one question: was it worth it?


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the value; it¡¯s about the probability. We don¡¯t know if, or how many, lives will be saved by catching Yang Dian Feng and finding the loophole in the system. But I hope that that number exists.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s expression was serious, and Xing Cong Lian burst into laughter. Slinging his arm around Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Why are you thinking so deeply? I¡¯m exhausted today. I¡¯ll treat you to barbeque when we get back, ah.¡±


    His smile was casual, as if he was a typical office worker who had just ended a busy day of work.


    This was supposed to be a time for them to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but his phone rang again.


    Xing Cong Lian accepted the call, then hung up. The call only lasted for a few seconds. When he looked at Lin Chen again, his eyes were ice cold.


    ¡°Yang Dian Feng is dead,¡± he said.


    Lin Chen frowned and appeared to have a hard time believing his ears.


    ¡°A bomb was adhered to the car. They searched the surveillance video and it was a biker who stuck it in secret on the chassis during a traffic light. It detonated 10 seconds after that. There were three other people in the car, my colleagues¡­¡±


    The clusters of reeds swayed in the wind. The sunset was a bloody red.


    Young people always thought that life was a journey full of fantasies, but in reality, everyone¡¯s life was just a two-way trip.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 38

    ¡°Mr. Lin, I¡¯ll ask you some questions. Please answer them honestly.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    ¡°Is your name Lin Chen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you from Feng Chun?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you willing to answer in all honesty to my following questions in this polygraph examination?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the interrogation room, Lin Chen sat with several clips fastened to his index and ring fingers, a sphygmomanometer wrapped around his arm, and wires connecting from his chest to the monitor on the desktop.


    His heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, electrodermal activity and other parameters formed intricate, complex lines on the screen that crept onward.


    Sitting opposite to him was a staff member of the inspectorate. Of course, it wasn¡¯t Huang Ze.


    Lin Chen hadn¡¯t seen Huang Ze since the ¡°Candy Robber¡± case. Not only that, but Huang Ze actually sent someone to conduct the examination and formalities so that he could be approved for an assignment as a consultant for the police. Before he could become one though, he needed to explain certain things that he had not brought before.


    And of course, passing the polygraph test was also part of the accountability-evaluation process.


    The one conducting the lie detector test sat in front of him, eyes on the screen displaying the data before shifting away. Concentrating his gaze, he entered the main topic after completing the non-threatening, trivial questions.


    ¡°Have you ever abused your position to help criminals in the process of handling a case?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°In assisting the police in the 9/10 serial homicide case, did you intend to help the suspect Feng Pei Lin jump into the river and escape?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The lines on the screen began to fluctuate. The polygraph examiner scanned the screen then returned his gaze, somewhat disappointed. ¡°What happened after you and Feng Pei Lin fell into the river? Is Feng Pei Lin alive or dead?¡±


    ¡°After falling into the river, we were washed away by the current. I don¡¯t know whether he is still alive or not.¡± Lin Chen held a mug filled with hot water. A thin layer of tea leaves floated on the surface and Lin Chen watched as it swirled, replying softly.


    ¡°Since you were okay, why didn¡¯t you return and report to the team instead of not saying anything and secretly leaving by yourself?¡±


    Hearing this question, Lin Chen raised his gaze. He seemed to be looking at the examiner¡¯s face, yet at the same time, it also seemed as if he was looking at the clear one-way mirror behind him.


    ¡°Since Feng Pei Lin¡¯s target was me, I was afraid that it would bring unnecessary trouble to the police if I reappeared.¡± After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°Also, some influential individuals always sought trouble with me, so I wanted to fake my death to avoid all that.¡± His breaths were steady and his voice soft, sounding very calm.


    Even if one didn¡¯t look at the complicated lines displayed on the monitor, anyone who heard him speaking would feel there was no problem with such reasoning just from his tone and manner of speech. But that was limited to just having ¡®no problem¡¯.


    Behind the one-way mirror that was a bit too clear stood a man.


    His hands were in his pockets and he was wearing a standard police uniform. Unlike the meticulous Inspector Huang who always wore pressed clothes, his were a little wrinkled on the corner and the first button wasn¡¯t fastened, making him appear quite casual. But perhaps it was his eyes were too deep or slightly green that when his gaze turned to the light in the interrogation room, there was a sense of serenity to it that didn¡¯t quite match his casual appearance.


    But that sort of profundity didn¡¯t last long. After hearing that reasonable answer, the corner of his lips curled in a slight smile, shattering the serious expression he maintained. Ripples appeared in his deep, green eyes. With a smile, he turned his sight to the lie detector on the desk.


    All the parameters were stable, so his smile widened.


    The interrogator turned a page and asked, ¡°Have you ever dated?¡±


    Even Lin Chen was a little surprised at such a question. ¡°En?¡±


    ¡°Answer the question,¡± The examiner cleared his throat and spoke with a serious tone.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never liked anyone?¡± The examiner added, as if the answer was too strange for him.


    ¡°No.¡±


    At this time, the data showed visible fluctuation. The person who had just answered also realized he had lied.


    He frowned, as if he never expected himself to have a problem with this kind of question.


    But where did he get it wrong?


    Although the examinee began to have some struggles, the interrogator changed the topic. After all, who never had any problems with their love life?


    The examiner returned to the main point. ¡°So, from what I can see on these records here, in the Candy Robber case, you just happened to be in the hijacked bus, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where were you going at that time?¡±


    ¡°Going on a holiday.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence¡­¡±


    The interrogator muttered under his breath subconsciously. At the same time, Lin Chen loosened his hold on the mug and said, ¡°Sorry, please allow me to interrupt you there.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Judging by your questions, I assume the lie detector test you¡¯re using should be the standard CQT¡­¡±


    The interrogator flipped to the first page of the document and his expression turned embarrassed.


    ¡°The CQT has four types of questions: neutral, control, relevant and irrelevant questions. For example, asking name and age is a neutral question. The role of the  neutral question is to establish a normal standard of response. Therefore, in the process of asking the questions, please ask the examinee one ¡®yes¡¯ question and one ¡®no¡¯ question. Otherwise, there would be problems with the baseline setting.¡±


    The Inspector closed the document and listened, helpless.


    ¡°At the same time, when you ask questions related to the case, please try to formulate the questions such that the subject will only be able to answer yes or no. The two questions you asked at the beginning were very good, but later they turned interrogative. Interrogation and lie detection are two different things.¡±


    The inspector opened his mouth but found that there was nothing he could say.


    But Lin Chen clearly wasn¡¯t finished yet. ¡°In fact, in a set of CQT lie detection questions, it¡¯s better for a question to involve just one area, then determine whether or not the subject lied through repeated questioning. In this case, the Candy Robber case is a separate matter, so it¡¯s best for you to put it in another question set and ask me again.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s counterattack was quick and merciless.


    The young man behind the one-way mirror almost laughed. How a certain someone reacted because of answering a question wrong was quite adorable.


    ¡°Mr. Lin, I understand now.¡± The Inspector sighed, then stood up to take the wires off Lin Chen. ¡°If you really want to lie, the instrument won¡¯t be able to detect it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°This is just a procedure. We¡¯ll be done after you answer some more questions.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°I read the Candy Robber file case. As an interim negotiator, you made great contributions by persuading Fang Ai Zi. But at the same time, you were also one of the last people to contact Yang Dian Feng. A bomb was planted on the car transporting him right after. Under the circumstances, do you think Yang Dian Feng had the time to contact and tell the criminals he got arrested?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. He didn¡¯t have access to any kind of communication device at the time and Yang Dian Feng knew that once he was arrested, seeking asylum from the police was his only way out.¡±


    ¡°Because their response was too fast, and seeing that it wasn¡¯t Yang Dian Feng who informed them of the situation, can I assume that someone on the scene passed the information onto the criminals and quickly allowed them to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t rule out this possibility. However, there is also the possibility that Yang Dian Feng might have been put under close monitoring by the cartels in the first place. Once he was deemed problematic, he was wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Please answer my question directly on whether or not I can assume this.¡± The inspector interrupted and asked in a serious voice.


    ¡°You can.¡± Lin Chen was silent for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Continuing the question just now, you are the expert on the scene who has received the most professional and systematic psychological training. Did you notice anyone behaving strangely at that time? And among those people, who do you suspect is most likely to have contacted the cartels?¡±


    Hearing this question, Lin Chen looked up.


    The two questions in this one sentence were very much in line with the style of people from the inspectorate, full of conspiracy and traps. It was even possible that these questions were drafted by Huang Ze himself.


    From the start, the inspectorate was set up to supervise whether or not the police had abused their power as well as handled a case properly. Since this department suspected that there was a mole in the force, starting an investigation was absolutely necessary. But since they wanted to obtain a definite answer based on mere assumptions, using such obvious questions to encourage someone to be a whistleblower was a bit harsh on their mental state.


    ¡°I did receive professional training on practical psychology, but I¡¯m not a professional facial expression recognition expert, and even the top experts in this field need to observe and talk to the subjects to find any faults. You¡¯re asking me if I found someone suspicious while I was facing Fang Ai Zi. During this time, almost all the police force were hiding in the reeds, so I can only answer you that I don¡¯t have the ability to answer your questions.¡±


    Audit procedures were always long and complicated.


    It was already dark when Lin Chen walked out of the police station¡¯s gate. In the early spring night, the wind was as subdued as the stars in the sky.


    Xing Cong Lian was leaning against a stone pillar at the gate, smoking a cigarette. He straightened up when he saw Lin Chen. ¡°Did it go well?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and handed over the result he just received.


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s expression turned serious.  While biting the cigarette filter, he flipped through the document before his eyes fell on the last line of the report.


    The words ¡°Audit passed¡± were written in clear print.


    Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t help but rub Lin Chen¡¯s head. ¡°Hey, you clearly passed. Why did you shake your head?¡±


    ¡°You asked me whether it went well or not, right?¡±


    ¡°You passed, doesn¡¯t that mean it went well?¡±


    ¡°I just thought that it was strange for Huang Ze out of the blue to let go and allow me to pass the test for consultant. It¡¯s too strange.¡±


    Looking at Lin Chen¡¯s faint, worried expression, Xing Cong Lian showed a meaningful smile. ¡°Perhaps he found his conscience?¡±


    Taking a drag from his cigarette, he asked, smiling.


    Translator(s): Kuro


    TL Checker(s): Zryuu


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 39

    In a night that didn¡¯t seem as dark as it should be, the streetlamps casted a longer shadow on everything. In the quiet evening, even a drop of water by the streets could be heard loud and clear.


    Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian walked on the flagstone pavement. It was only 7 o¡¯clock in the evening, yet most of the shops in the streets were already closed. In a sense, HongJing was quite an unproductive city.


    Yan Jia Alley was still the same, a bit narrow and quite long. The only thing that changed was the shops on both sides of the street.


    According to Xing Cong Lian, the municipal government redeveloped Yan Jia Alley during his absence. Having renovated the houses on both sides of the lane, they then rented the space out to students who wanted to start their own business in the literary and art industry. Hence why some shops turned into cafes and tea houses while others became studios and handicraft workshops. The walls yellowed with age were covered in flowers and fences. Sometimes, one could see cats resting on the French windows. The old street was now full of warmth and liveliness.


    A yellowish light illuminated an ancient door plate. In front of a weathered wooden door squatted two people, looking pitiful as though they were two small pets waiting to be fed by their owner.


    Xing Cong Lian stopped, looked at the two by the door and then helplessly said, ¡°If you guys look like this, our neighbours will call the police.¡±


    One of the two was immersed in an online game and looked up with bright eyes. ¡°Ah, what police? Boss, why is your WiFi off? I helped you crack your neighbour¡¯s and your neighbour¡¯s neighbour¡¯s password.. Can you let me in for some food?¡±


    The other person, who was squatting with him, didn¡¯t utter a single word.


    Lin Chen looked at the person whose eyes were red, as if not believing what he was seeing.


    ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t we talk over the phone just two days ago?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s tone was a little soft, with helplessness mixed in with it.


    Before he could say anything more, the person jumped up and hugged him tightly. ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t scare me like that anymore!¡±


    Knowing that someone cares about you provides warmth, yet sometimes could also be a shackle.


    Lin Chen entered the house, tugged in by Fu Hao. Listening to the professor¡¯s endless complaints, Lin Chen thought to himself, Maybe this is the legendary spoiled child act?


    Xing Cong Lian stood by the door and turned on the light. The moment the light was on, Professor Fu¡¯s nagging came to an abrupt stop.


    In front of him was a classic Chinese-styled courtyard, the ground light shining bright among the grass and trees. A cobblestone path connected the front door to the main hall, and on the left side was a small green pond. Under the light, the surface of the water radiated with a cold glimmer.


    Fu Hao was dumbfounded for a few moments before he spat out, ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    After that, he took two steps backwards, walked out the door and looked at the door plate before rushing in and pulling Xing Cong Lian. ¡°Why¡¯re you just barging into someone else¡¯s house like this?! As a public servant, you shouldn¡¯t knowingly break the law!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was also shocked by his outburst. He looked at Lin Chen with eyes that seemed to ask, What¡¯s wrong with your junior, now? Wang Chao had already rushed ahead long ago, turned on the WiFi and then rubbed his hands together to prepare for another round of his game.


    Lin Chen patted Fu Hao¡¯s head helplessly and explained on Xing Cong Lian¡¯s behalf, ¡°The municipal government remodeled this old street as part of their transformation project.¡±


    ¡°And the project also included changing a house?¡±


    ¡°The house he used to live in before was rented to a gallery so he moved here,¡± Lin Chen repeated Xing Cong Lian¡¯s explanation to Fu Hao.


    Professor Fu¡¯s expression was full of disbelief. ¡°Why would the government replace his shabby house with this one? Isn¡¯t this a garden?¡± A stone arch bridge stood above the water and bright red kois swam in the pond, creating ripples on the surface. ¡°Look, Senior! There are even koi fish here!¡±


    ¡°En, would you like to pay your respects?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked with a teasing smile.


    ¡°Lao Xing, let me remind you now. Do not touch money that should not be touched, got that?¡± Professor Fu spun around with an apprehensive expression. ¡°You should always remember your identity and not get shot down by the sugar-coated cannonball of capitalism.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian was quite amused and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Did your junior change careers into political studies?¡±


    ¡°Lao Xing, don¡¯t play around. You are a crime police officer. Don¡¯t let Inspector Huang know you¡¯re living in such a house or you¡¯ll be skinned alive, if not killed!¡± Fu Hao continued to advise him in earnest.


    Through his nagging, there was an underlying concern in his words. Xing Cong Lian ruffled Fu Hao¡¯s hair that was already turned into a mess by Lin Chen earlier and said with a sincere smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor Fu.¡±


    The three stood by the pond with Fu Hao doing most of the talking. Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian only teased him from time to time.


    Suddenly, a cry came from the main hall. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m starving!¡±


    ¡°There are instant noodles in the first cupboard on the left side of the kitchen,¡± Xing Cong Lian replied, raising his voice for the little friend in the main hall.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to eat instant noodles again!¡± Wang Chao continued to shout.


    ¡°Then order some takeout.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of the nearby takeout.¡±


    The three then moved into the main hall.


    Wang Chao was laying on the table, lifeless and looking forlorn after losing a game.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked.


    Hearing the question, Wang Chao¡¯s eyes brightened and his gaze fell on Lin Chen before saying, ¡°Ah Chen, can you please cook for me?¡±


    Wang Chao, a little comrade with an abundant experience in crime investigation as a member of the police force, said every word based on solid reasoning.


    Among the four people present, let¡¯s not talk about Xing Cong Lian who lived off braised beef instant noodles and street stalls¡¯ spicy crayfish. Professor Fu, on the other hand, had lived in the school all year round and looked like he had been poisoned by the canteen food over the years. Lin Chen, however, had lived alone for a long time. Having lived a bitter life for a few years, it was only natural that cooking should become a second nature.


    Wang Chao licked his lips and said, ¡°I reaaaally want to eat a home-cooked meal.¡±


    In fact, there was no problem with Wang Chao¡¯s assumption. The only problem was, a man on a first name basis with the instant noodles on the supermarket¡¯s shelves had no ingredients in his home for Lin Chen to show off his skills with.


    Lin Chen stood in front of the sink, washing the wilting vegetables while the noodles were left to boil in the pot. In the end, it was still braised beef noodles.


    Xing Cong Lian leaned against the counter and said to Wang Chao who was rummaging in the refrigerator, ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking. You¡¯re the one who cleaned the last of the salted ham the day before yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you buy more groceries?!¡± Wang Chao looked at him with anger.


    ¡°Because I work hard everyday,¡± Xing Cong Lian answered in a matter-of-fact way.


    Wang Chao choked on his words, slammed the refrigerator closed, then rushed back to his laptop, ready to win two more rounds.


    Professor Fu took two steps back to make way for him, but his gaze remained glued on the outdated refrigerator with doors that opened both on the top and bottom.


    All this while, Professor Fu had been observing the house with great concern. How to say it? Even though the old house had been renovated with exquisite windows and doors along with a magnificent main hall, on the shiny floor tiles there was no decent furniture  aside from the antique-style square table brought in from the previous house


    Besides being empty, this whole house only had emptiness, and when people spoke, voices would echo for a long time. Seeing this, Professor Fu let go of his worries a bit. And then when he saw the empty kitchen with only an old refrigerator in the corner, what was left of his worries died down.


    Comrade Lao Xing was really just lucky, he thought.


    It was the same old braised beef noodles with some vegetables and eggs, nothing new.


    After dinner was settled, Lin Chen took Fu Hao to the balcony for tea to prevent Professor Fu from lecturing Xing Cong Lian on morals and ideologies again.


    The spring breeze was not that cold and with the balcony facing the river, they could see the sparkling lights on both sides reflected on the water¡¯s surface.


    Professor Fu, who had seen all kinds of things in the world, be it good or bad, relaxed in the chair with a cup of tea in hand. He was so comfortable that he felt like humming.


    ¡°Senior, have you really decided to stay here?¡± Professor Fu asked, eyes half closed.


    There was only the sound of running water surrounding them, rendering everything else silent.


    ¡°En.¡±


    Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s slight, nasally hum, Fu Hao looked at his face. There were so many words to say and so many questions he wanted to ask, but he found that he couldn¡¯t. After a while, he forced himself to say, ¡°Then you can¡¯t be as brash as before.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°In Feng Pei Lin¡¯s case, I understand that you wanted to escape surveillance by playing dead. Although it¡¯s not good to stay in hiding all the time, at least it¡¯s better than how you kept putting yourself in danger.¡± The calmer Lin Chen behaved, the more Fu Hao¡¯s motherly nature was magnified. ¡°And about the hijacking case in the highway, I know you getting involved was a coincidence. It also wouldn¡¯t have been realistic for you to wash your hands off it, but that was too dangerous. The cartel was audacious enough to silence a bus full of people and boldly plant a bomb under a police car ¨C that is beyond extreme. If it wasn¡¯t for Huang Ze who suppressed the news, you would have gotten famous again. What would you do if the cartel targets you next?¡±


    Professor Fu was distressed and Lin Chen was helpless, having no choice but to comfort him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The police have a witness protection system.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t take this matter seriously at all!¡± Fu Hao put down the tea cup and raised his voice.


    ¡°Then, what do you want me to do?¡±


    Perhaps because of the spring breeze, or maybe something else, Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded a little soft. Fu Hao felt as if something had tugged on his heartstrings and he hurried to appease Lin Chen, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s pretty good now as it is. Since you¡¯re living with Lao Xing, he can protect you in case someone barges into your room and tries to kill you.¡±


    The topic was changed just like that. It needed to be said that Lin Chen really knew how to handle his junior.


    ¡°Somehow I got a bad feeling when you said that.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re ill-fated?¡±


    ¡°So, Professor Fu, do you know of any method to change one¡¯s luck?¡± Lin Chen asked with a smile.


    ¡°I think Lao Xing is really lucky. Look, the government was renovating the streets and he moved to such a nice place in an instant. I heard that some people are born with hardy lives, that is, they are born to live a good life. Hurry and stick close to him so you can take away all his good luck.¡±


    ¡°mmkay.¡± Lin Chen kept smiling and looked at the lights on both sides of the riverbank.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t continue to talk, and there was only the sound of flowing water around them. Fu Hao was not used to the silence; he ruffled his hair and suddenly thought of something. ¡°By the way, Senior, the day after tomorrow is Teacher¡¯s 60th birthday. Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hearing Fu Hao stop halfway, Lin Chen knew that something was up again.


    ¡°Are you going?¡±


    ¡°What does Professor Fu mean? Do you want me to go, or do you not want me to go?¡±


    ¡°No, of course I want you to go, ah. Even if I don¡¯t want you to go, the old man wants you to go. It¡¯s just, our teacher has a lot of students and a lot of them are going this time¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just let you know. Many of them wanted to take advantage of this birthday party to host a gathering. Fucking hell, remember Zheng Dong Dong, that wretch? He insisted on recommending you to be the host, saying that you had good grades and did so well that you must be a social elite now. That asshole sounded so arrogant in the group chat, and I was so irritated looking at him mocking you so openly. He probably wants to take this chance to smear your rep¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± Lin Chen interrupted Fu Hao¡¯s tirade.


    ¡°What do you not remember?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember who Zheng Dong Dong is.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t remember him. He¡¯s not that important, anyway. He was in the class next to ours, but he is seriously irritating when he gets vile. But honestly, since this is the old man¡¯s birthday, it would be quite bad if you don¡¯t go. Or we can just visit him in his house later at night? It¡¯d be more convenient to chat too.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean that.¡± As Fu Hao was talking, Lin Chen took the kettle from the coffee table and added some more hot water into his cup. ¡°Since I don¡¯t remember who he is, then what do his thoughts, words, or even what he does matter to me?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah it¡¯s not important, but the gathering¡­¡±


    ¡°What you wanted to say is now all of my classmates are successful in their careers and I, the one with the best results in university, am just falling lower and lower. I¡¯m but a humble consultant to the police, so meeting them right now would easily lead me into feeling uncomfortable, right?¡±


    Fu Hao didn¡¯t expect that Lin Chen would be so straightforward about this. After thinking for a while, Fu Hao found himself unable to say what he¡¯d wanted to say. The words stuck in his throat and his face turned a little red. However, under Lin Chen¡¯s burning gaze, he could only nod his head.


    ¡°This is a job I¡¯m happy to do. Why should I feel uncomfortable?¡±


    Translator(s): Kuro


    Editor(s): Namio


    Proofer(s): Celine

 CH 40

    Criminal Psychology 40


    The weather was clear the next day.


    Professor Fu went back to school early in the morning for an elective class Sunday afternoon.


    Before leaving, he pulled Lin Chen to the side to nag until Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and forced him out of the car into the train station.


    ¡°See you the day after tomorrow, Senior!¡± Fu Hao waved his hand through the window.


    When Xing Cong Lian returned to the car, Lin Chen was basking in the sun while lost in thought.


    ¡°The relationship you have with your fellow brother is good.¡± Xing Cong Lian started the car¡¯s engine with a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for many years, after all.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to Yong Chuan the day after tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be the old man¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian remembered that the ¡°old man¡± Lin Chen mentioned was his teacher who liked to buy Star Cups for his students, but was always cheated by the kiosk¡¯s owner.


    ¡°The old man who taught you and Fu Hao must be an interesting person,¡± Xing Cong Lian said in a rueful tone.


    ¡°Master is kind to everyone,¡± was Lin Chen¡¯s reply.


    Instead of returning to Yan Jia Alley or the police station, Xing Cong Lian parked his car on a street full of stalls selling flowers.


    The window was half open, and the gentle scent of flowers drifted into the car. Seeing both sides of the street lined with stalls and people walking around with smiles on their faces, Lin Chen was at a loss as to what they were doing here.


    Xing Cong Lian climbed out as if there was nothing strange and opened the door for Lin Chen. With his other hand placed on the roof, he said with a smile, ¡°Mister, please get out of the car.¡±


    Although this might make him seem inexperienced in the ways of the world, Lin Chen had never entered a flower shop before, let alone going to a street full of flower stalls and choosing some to plant or get as a season-appropriate decor and such. However, Xing Cong Lian seemed to be quite the veteran at this. As Lin Chen followed and watched Xing Cong Lian talk to the shop owner, he dropped some terms Lin Chen could hardly understand. Not long after, Xing Cong Lian carried several packets of newly purchased seeds he said were for planting daisies and geraniums.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly think of buying flowers?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to save myself from Professor Fu¡¯s nagging about the barrenness of our house,¡± Xing Cong Lian said as he raised up the bouquet of lilies and baby¡¯s breath in his hand. Without any prompting, Lin Chen took the bag on his left hand, freeing it so that he could pay for his purchase.


    Hearing him say so, Lin Chen found himself laughing. Decorating their empty house with flowers was somewhat strange, like ¡°putting the cart before the horse¡± kind of strange. ¡°You have quite the hobby of making your life interesting,¡± he said, half in jest.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The mixed-race man¡¯s face was covered by the flowers, leaving only a handsome profile and striking eyes to the view. ¡°My mother taught me that boys who don¡¯t know flowers won¡¯t be able to trick a wife home.¡±


    His eyes were striking green. Behind him was a Chinese parasol tree, sprouting anew with its branches stretched out, almost covering the azure sky.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heartstrings quivered. Although he knew it was just a joke, and was unlikely to be aimed at him, it was all too easy for people to be moved by sweet nothings. ¡°Then it¡¯s lucky that you¡¯ve studied hard,¡± he said.


    Joyful occasions always involved purchasing flowers, and it didn¡¯t take long for Xing Cong Lian and Lin Chen¡¯s hands to be full of them. They had also reached the end of the flower street.


    Xing Cong Lian looked ahead. He seemed to have thought of something, then turned to his side and said to Lin Chen, ¡°We can go back now, I think,¡± before spinning on his heel.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Lin Chen also remembered something and called out, ¡°I remember Wang Chao said that you had a tombstone made for me in the small cemetery at the end of Hua Street. Can I take a look?¡±


    Today¡¯s weather was good. The running river in the distance was quiet and tranquil, while the Tai Qian Bridge was visible from afar.


    Lin Chen stood in front of his tombstone, feeling surreal. Clearly he was alive, and yet he was looking at his own tombstone.


    The name on it was indeed his. But other than that, it was empty ¡ª no date of birth, date of death or photo of him. It made him feel off; it seemed not serious enough, and yet too serious at the same time. After all, he and Xing Cong Lian had only known each other for a few days up to that point in time. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that their meeting was by chance. Wasn¡¯t buying a piece of land and setting up a tombstone for someone you met by chance too serious, or what?


    Xing Cong Lian stood aside, appearing unable to recall what he felt when he had the tombstone made. Maybe it was sadness, maybe it was helplessness. However, those feelings seemed to have vanished the moment Lin Chen reappeared. Right now, the only emotion he felt was embarrassment. After all, the owner of this tombstone was standing right beside him and hadn¡¯t spoken for several minutes already.


    After thinking about it, he decided to speak first, ¡°Uh, I forgot to tell the manager to remove it.¡±


    His voice broke Lin Chen¡¯s trance. Lin Chen turned halfway around before pulling one of the flowers in the bouquet he was holding and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, let it be.¡±


    The lily placed in front of the grave was still damp with dew. Xing Cong Lian smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s unlucky?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it here. If I do go first in the future, remember to bring wine and come see me.¡±


    This sentence was full of ill omen, but when Lin Chen said it, it sounded as natural as him saying he would wear more clothes tomorrow. To him, life and death had always been natural occurrences.


    Xing Cong Lian also replied in a natural manner. ¡°I thought you don¡¯t drink?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re the one offering it, I might consider.¡±

 CH 41

    Three Tombs 04


    Compared to Hongjing, Yongchuan, which was several hundred miles away, was a true metropolis ¨C with its tall buildings, ceaseless traffic, and countless passers-by that walked hurriedly down the busy streets.


    As he came out of Yongchuan Station, Lin Chen saw Fu Hao who waited by the exit nervously on his tip-toes. He was surveying the people that came out of the station carefully, as if afraid to miss out on any small detail.


    Lin Chen watched him from a distance. The scene reminded him of the incident before the New Year.


    With his hands in his pockets, he walked up to Fu Hao, startling him. ¡°Xue Zhang, you should¡¯ve at least waved or something. You don¡¯t look excited to see me at all,¡± Fu Hao complained.


    ¡°Shall I re-enact the scene according to Professor Fu¡¯s script?¡± Lin Chen asked with a grin.


    Fu Hao let out a small ¡°hmm¡± and circled him silently. Then, with eyes wide open, he said, ¡°Xue Zhang, didn¡¯t you bring anything?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°A birthday gift.¡±


    Before Lin Chen understood what he meant, Fu Hao dragged him out of the station by the arm and launched into a monologue, ¡°Let me tell you. Earlier, Zheng Dongdong and the gang were flaunting the birthday gifts they bought for the old man. I saw that there was Ganoderma, ginseng, a Shoushan stone seal ¡­¡±


    Fu Hao¡¯s words shocked Lin Chen. ¡°Whoa, are they paying tribute to the emperor or something?¡± he asked half-jokingly.


    ¡°There¡¯s more! That suck-up Zheng Dongdong gave him an eight-panel folding screen made of rosewood!¡±


    ¡°Sounds extravagant.¡±


    When he saw that Lin Chen wasn¡¯t rattled by this news at all, Fu Hao started to get agitated. ¡°Xue Zhang, this is a warning sign! The gang is paying top dollar for a birthday banquet and lavish gifts for the old man. Shouldn¡¯t we do something too?¡±


    ¡°Birthday banquet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, at the Cohen May Flagship Intercontinental Hotel. It¡¯s the best hotel in Yongchuan. Zheng Dongdong is the manager at Cohen May now. Of course he¡¯s going out of his way to show off by booking an entire hall for the old man¡¯s birthday,¡± Fu Hao said as they were walking.


    Lin Chen merely thought it wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Does the old man know about this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Fu Hao replied, a bit taken aback. ¡°In the group chat, they said they want it to be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re way out of line,¡± Lin Chen said as he shook his head.


    ¡°Well, what can you do? The old man is too nice. He would never tell his students off. Even if he doesn¡¯t like it, he¡¯ll still appreciate the effort. I bet they¡¯re counting on that.¡±


    Professor Fu doesn¡¯t drive, and the taxi stand was always packed. Before Lin Chen realized, they had already arrived at the bus station, just like back in their university days. Old habits die hard.


    There were a lot of students that waited at the bus station, and many food stands on the nearby streets. The aroma of food wafted towards the station. Lin Chen suddenly turned around and started to walk in that direction.


    He returned with a plastic bag filled with fresh fruit.


    ¡°Xue Zhang, what¡¯s up with that?¡± Fu Hao gestured at the red plastic bag in surprise.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to buy a birthday gift?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way too casual! Can¡¯t you get something more expensive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much money on me.¡±


    ¡°-¡­¡±


    If you don¡¯t have money, you can still make the thought count. Whereas if you have money, you can make good use of it.


    Even in a city of endless choices like Yongchuan, Cohen May Intercontinental Hotel is the favorite choice of the rich and famous. Situated on the lakeside, it offered a splendid view of the natural scenery, while being a short walk from the CBD at the same time. It¡¯s an understatement to say it¡¯s in a prime location.


    But Lin Chen and Fu Hao had to ride the bus for almost an hour and then walk 10-15 minutes to get there.


    The sun was setting, and the reddish hue of dusk covered the sky above the lake. As he carried his plastic bag of fruit, Lin Chen stepped into the hotel and approached a waiter.


    Fu Hao stood off to one side while Lin Chen asked where the event was taking place. As soon as he said the words ¡°birthday banquet,¡± the waiter bowed lightly and replied, ¡°You must be looking for Mr. Su¡¯s sixtieth birthday banquet. It¡¯s on the third floor, sir. Please follow me.¡±


    There was a light fragrance in the elevator of the five-star hotel. During the entire trip from Hongjing to Yongchuan plus the hour-long bus ride, Lin Chen hadn¡¯t felt anything. But now that he was about to see his professor in a few minutes, he suddenly started to feel nervous.


    The waiter placed his hand on the door of the banquet hall and pushed it open with a bow. Inside, the hall was filled with people, and the dazzling lights were so bright that they hurt one¡¯s eyes.


    A bespectacled old man sat on the far end of the main table. He was only sixty, but all his hair had already turned white.


    The old man was surrounded by people; they talked to him, and he talked to them. There were smartly dressed people in suits, as well as young people in casual garb. But the old man spoke to all of them with the same patient smile. He shook their hands with both hands, and listened to them attentively with his head slightly bowed.


    Lin Chen walked across the carpet that was printed with the Mayday canary and rose logo, and on the edges of the crowd, and waited for a turn to speak with the old man.


    At that moment, the old man patted the arm of the student in front of him, as if to say ¡°excuse me for a sec.¡± And then he looked up, and happened to make eye contact with Lin Chen.


    ¡°Chen, you¡¯re here,¡± said the old man, adjusting his glasses slightly.


    Under his warm gentle gaze, the noise in the hall seemed to fade away like an ebbing tide in that instant. For a man as polite as the old professor, when he excused himself from his conversation to greet Lin Chen was a major show of favoritism. Lin Chen approached and squatted down before the old man. ¡°Professor Su,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± the old professor said, as he placed his palm on the young man¡¯s hair. His voice sounded a bit hoarse.


    ¡°Yes I am.¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s good,¡± replied the old man, patting his head.


    Lin Chen handed him the bag of fruit, ¡°Happy birthday. Here¡¯s a vitamin supplement for you.¡±


    The old man opened the plain-looking plastic bag. In it were six peaches. He let out an amused laugh.


    Upon witnessing this sight, someone who was standing in the middle of the hall felt displeased and went over to the main table.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s you, Lin Chen. Long time no see!¡±


    When he heard a loud voice booming in his ear, Lin Chen stood up and turned to face a man dressed in the management uniform of the hotel.


    He felt a bit startled and instinctually glanced at Fu Hao, who mouthed the name ¡°Zheng Dongdong¡± at him.


    Message received. Lin Chen extended his hand at the man, ¡°Hello, long time no see.¡±


    Although Fu Hao has mentioned Zheng Dongdong many times, Lin Chen still couldn¡¯t remember much about him. He vaguely recalled that Zheng Dongdong was the student council president of their year. With no other information to go on, he could scarcely offer more than a canned ¡°long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re a busy person. I know you can¡¯t fit us old classmates into your schedule,¡± said Zheng Dongdong sarcastically.


    Lin Chen thought for a moment, but couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. The conversation fell into an awkward silence all of a sudden.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Zheng Dongdong noticed the plastic bag in the professor¡¯s hands, ¡°Oh? What lovely present did you give to our prof? Let¡¯s see it.¡±


    ¡°Peaches.¡±


    ¡°Here you are at a birthday banquet, and all you brought was a bag of peaches?¡± Zheng Dongdong intentionally raised his voice and pretended to be shocked. His words drew the attention of many other people in the hall.


    ¡°Yup, I bought them on the way here,¡± Lin Chen replied in a calm voice without any trace of embarrassment. His demeanor made it impossible for Zheng Dongdong to continue his mocking, which only made the hotel manager more displeased.


    When he saw this standoff between his two students, the old professor clapped his hands together and turned to the young man standing behind him, ¡°Haozhen, didn¡¯t you say you miss your Xue Zhang Lin Chen? Come meet him.¡±


    Only then did Lin Chen notice a slim, pretty young woman standing behind the massive pile of birthday gifts next to the professor. She seemed to be recording something. She quickly turned to face him, her long, straight hair that cascaded down her shoulders with this movement.


    What a pretty face! The girl had sculpted brows and sparkling eyes. She wore a chestnut-colored cardigan and knee-length black pinafore skirt. She closed her notebook and came over, her pearl earrings peeking out from under her long flowing hair as she walked. ¡°Hello, Xue Zhang,¡± she smiled and extended her hand.


    Lin Chen gave her the once-over, his gaze finally settling on her striking fuchsia nail polish. Xu Haozhen hesitated a bit but didn¡¯t withdraw her hand. At last, he shook it, ¡°Hello.¡±


    After the handshake, Lin Chen went over to the old man and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    ¡°These kids gave me a bunch of useless gifts. So I¡¯m recording the prices, and I¡¯ll have them take the gifts back for refunds. Then I¡¯ll take their refund money and donate all of it,¡± the old man whispered back.


    Lin Chen was bemused, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°Inappropriate? You¡¯re the one who brought me a bag of peaches!¡±


    ¡°But at least you can bring them home,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    His remark made the old man laugh a bit too loudly. This once again caught the attention of Zheng Dongdong, who stared daggers at Lin Chen.


    Since there were many other students who waited to have a word with the professor, Lin Chen took his leave shortly after that.


    The banquet began at six o¡¯clock on the dot.


    Seating arrangements are an important matter at such events. And many people knew that Lin Chen is the professor¡¯s favorite student. But for some reason, both he and Fu Hao were assigned to the farthest table, while the main table was occupied by many elite professionals.


    The old man was surrounded by a mob of people, including students going over to make a toast to him once in a while. Lin Chen remained at his corner table without joining in the action.


    The seating arrangement was very random. Lin Chen and Fu Hao didn¡¯t get to sit with their fellow classmates. The guests at their table seemed rather aloof and unfriendly. Everyone sat there eating in silence which created a spooky kind of atmosphere.


    Unsurprisingly, the food was excellent. Perhaps the chef knew this was the manager¡¯s treat, so he took extra care in preparing the menu. An unrestrained Fu Hao ate half a plate of shrimp. As he rubbed his belly, he heard Zheng Dongdong¡¯s dreaded voice again.


    ¡°Lin Chen, why are you here? There must¡¯ve been a mistake. Come, come, let¡¯s go sit at the main table,¡± Zheng Dongdong said as he held a glass of red wine in one hand. He must have just given a round of toasts. His face appeared flushed from all the alcohol.


    His loud voice sounded half sarcastic, half cordial. It was a no-win situation for Lin Chen. A twisted person like Zheng Dongdong would surely find some way to get back at him for his earlier slights. Whether he accepted or declined the invitation, Zheng Dongdong would find a way to give him a hard time.


    The people at the nearby tables had already noticed what was happening. But Lin Chen was a bit of a wild card. Without appearing the slightest bit distressed, he clinked his own wine glass lightly against Zheng Dongdong¡¯s glass. ¡°Okay,¡± he said simply.


    Once again, Zheng Dongdong was annoyed by his calmness.


    When they arrived at the main table, the old professor saw Lin Chen and patted the empty seat next to himself enthusiastically. ¡°Chen, come sit here,¡± he beckoned.


    The table was full. It was obvious that the empty seat belonged to Zheng Dongdong.


    Knowing the professor, this gesture was his way of making a clear statement. All the guests ¨C most of whom were the professor¡¯s students ¨C now watched Zheng Dongdong judgingly.


    The old man asked the waiter to set a new place at the table. Zheng Dongdong gave another round of toasts as if nothing had happened, and then sat down in the new spot.


    Once seated, he made eyes at another guest at the table. The guest took his cue and put down his wine glass. ¡°Lin Chen, I¡¯ve heard so much about you. You were always the top student in your year, nobody else could catch up. So, tell us, what kind of work do you do now?¡±


    ¡°I was working as the dormitory supervisor at Hongjing Experimental Primary school ¡­¡± Lin Chen answered diligently.


    ¡°Pfft,¡± the guest interrupted him. ¡°But Fu said you¡¯re a consultant for the Hongjing Police Department.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just started there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the career change,¡± the guest mocked.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Working at the police department in a small town like Hongjing is such a waste of your talents,¡± Zheng Dongdong chimed in coolly.


    ¡°Well, not everyone can become a manager at Cohen May at a young age like you,¡± the guest played along with Zheng Dongdong¡¯s act. ¡°Cohen May is an international corporation. If you ever become the CEO someday, don¡¯t forget about us!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s harder than you think. As psychology graduates, we are less sought-after than those business majors. Besides, the Cohen May brand is under the Xing family conglomerate. Surely the CEO will be one of the family¡¯s own!¡± Zheng Dongdong replied opaquely.


    Everyone was shocked by this revelation. It¡¯s common knowledge that Cohen May is a top-notch five-star hotel, but few of them knew that it¡¯s owned by the Xing conglomerate. This made Zheng Dongdong¡¯s ladder climbing seem even more impressive. They started to look at him with envy and admiration. ¡°Still, if you become the chief executive, you have to promise you¡¯ll treat us all to another banquet like this one!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises about my future. But for tonight, I can take you all out for drinks.¡±


    ¡°Knowing you, it must be a fancy place!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an old haunt,¡± replied Zheng Dongdong dismissively, sipping his wine. He glanced at Lin Chen and asked, ¡°Wanna come with us?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Xue Zhang. Join us,¡± the young woman sitting next to him piped in.


    Lin Chen gazed at her bizarre fuchsia nail polish. At long last, he nodded.


    When he saw that his students had plans for later, the old professor made an excuse to call it a night. Before he left, he tapped Lin Chen on the shoulder and extended an invite to his place for dinner some time.


    After the old man went home, many guests also left. Fu Hao sat in his spot making eyes at Lin Chen.


    Everyone at the main table was detained by Zheng Dongdong. Seeing that the hall was mostly empty by now, someone said to him, ¡°Dongdong, you promised to buy us drinks. But we have to pay you back for the hotel.¡±


    Many of the others nodded in agreement.


    ¡°You all are too kind,¡± said Zheng Dongdong, feeling extra proud of himself. He then turned to Lin Chen, ¡°By the way, where are you staying tonight?¡±


    Before Lin Chen could reply, Fu Hao¡¯s voice chimed in, ¡°Xue Zhang is staying with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding! Our university dorms are all single-occupancy. Are you planning to let your Xue Zhang sleep on the floor?¡± The same guest then turned to Zheng Dongdong, ¡°Dongdong, why don¡¯t you see if you have another spare room at your hotel? Book one for Lin Chen so he can join us. The more the merrier.¡±


    Nodding, Zheng Dongdong picked up the phone and started calling the hotel reception.


    After a brief exchange, he covered the telephone receiver and looked at Lin Chen apologetically, ¡°Sorry, man. Our hotel is fully booked. The only room left is an executive suite with a lake view for $6000. I¡¯ll give you a 40% discount, so you only pay $3600. What do you say?¡±


    He waited in anticipation for Lin Chen to turn down the offer so that he could mock him. His crude ploy made Fu Hao clench his fists angrily.


    Lin Chen was as placid as ever. He placed his hand gently on Fu Hao¡¯s fists and said, ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    As they headed to their next destination for the night, Fu Hao and Lin Chen lagged behind the others. ¡°Xue Zhang, that bastard Zheng Dongdong was definitely trying to embarrass you. $3600 per night after a discount? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so embarrassing about not being able to afford a luxury hotel room?¡± asked Lin Chen.


    Professor Fu didn¡¯t know how to respond, so he simply glared at Lin Chen before changing the subject, ¡°Why did you agree to go for drinks with him?¡±


    ¡°Because I discovered something strange,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    When he glanced up, he saw that the others were already at the hotel lobby. Zheng Dongdong was surrounded by a dozen or so people, who seemed to be waiting for the dispatch cars to arrive. They¡¯ve all had a few drinks and chatted loudly. But all of a sudden, there was total silence.


    In the lobby, a lone man was seated under the chandelier. He was seated casually on the sofa reading a document, and his police uniform was draped across the armrest. The gentle lighting of the lobby enveloped him. Behind him, the lake was pitch black and dead still.


    He raised his head. He had an air of carelessness and a contemplative gaze. A graceful melody suddenly started cascading from the piano in the lobby. Lin Chen approached, and Xing Conglian smiled at him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said, ¡®no phone calls.¡¯¡±


    Sensing something, Zheng Dongdong turned around. He saw Lin Chen standing beside a coffee table, seemingly talking to an acquaintance.


    He walked over. The man on the sofa was smiling and saying something to Lin Chen. From where Zheng Dongdong was standing, he could only make out his hand on the armrest and his handsome profile. Then he saw a black key card on the coffee table, printed with the iconic Mayday canary and rose logo.


    Xing Conglian tapped the key card lightly with his finger and slid it to the edge of the table. Lin Chen was still in a daze, but he heard the soft, low voice of the other man in his ear:


    ¡°Sir, please take your key card.¡±

 CH 42.1

    Criminal Psychology Chapter 42.1


    Three Tombs 05: Part I


    When Xing Conglian handed over the key card, Zheng Dongdong had just happened to reach Lin Chen¡¯s side and was accompanied by several classmates.


    So when Lin Chen took the key card, he pretended to not notice. He then tapped his old classmate on the shoulder with feigned chumminess and asked, ¡°Lin Chen, who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    Before Lin Chen could speak, Xing Conglian put his document down and stood up, ¡°Xing Conglian. I¡¯m a policeman.¡±


    Some people seem to give off a naturally commanding kind of vibe, and Xing Conglian might be considered one of these people. Although he didn¡¯t say much, Zheng Dongdong immediately extended his hand, and with a respectful tone, he replied, ¡°Zheng Dongdong, Lin Chen¡¯s classmate. I¡¯m also the manager of this hotel.¡±


    Xing Conglian remained indifferent. He didn¡¯t survey his surroundings in surprised admiration when Zheng Dongdong mentioned his position at the hotel.


    ¡°Mr. Zheng is quite accomplished at such a young age,¡± he simply said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an employee,¡± replied Zheng Dongdong.


    He stole a glance at Lin Chen, then asked in a curious tone, ¡°Are you Lin Chen¡¯s supervisor?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Upon hearing this, Zheng Dongdong slapped Lin Chen on the shoulder again and said, ¡°No wonder the cheaper rooms are all booked up. Officer Xing took the last one.¡±


    He intended to use this as his excuse for offering Lin Chen the executive suite earlier. The remark itself was vague and unfalsifiable enough that most people would take it at face value and not question him any further.


    But Xing Conglian is a serious person. Not only was he serious, but nothing escapes his eye. At first, he only found Zheng Dongdong¡¯s feigned warmth towards his classmate Lin Chen a bit ¡°off.¡± However, now that he heard about the room reservation, he knew something was up. With this in mind, he turned his attention away from the duo and gazed smilingly at Professor Fu instead.


    In response, Professor Fu met his eyes from behind a crowd of people.


    Xing Conglian then understood. Oh, so this is the guy that is trying to give Lin Chen a hard time with the room booking.


    So he turned to Zheng Dongdong and said in a polite tone, ¡°Not at all. I just made my reservation at the front desk a minute ago. The receptionist said there are still many regular rooms available, and I could choose any one of them.¡±


    Zheng Dongdong¡¯s face flushed red. All three of them fell silent.


    Xing Conglian just exposed Zheng Dongdong¡¯s petty ploy to embarrass his old classmate. Thank god Lin Chen turned down the offer of the executive suite. If he had agreed to take it, he would¡¯ve been heavily ripped off.


    This has crossed the line from personal vendetta into a lack of morals and ethics on Zheng Dongdong¡¯s part.


    The situation was very awkward. Zheng Dongdong mentally kicked himself for being such a blabbermouth.


    Seeing this, the classmate who had helped Zheng Dongdong earlier at the banquet stepped in to diffuse the situation, ¡°Is Officer Xing on duty tonight? If not, come join us for a drink!¡±


    Naturally, when he said ¡°us,¡± that also included Lin Chen.


    ¡°Are you going as well?¡± Xing Conglian dropped the matter with Zheng Dongdong and turned to Lin Chen, who looked slightly surprised.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Lin Chen.


    His reply shocked Xing Conglian. The latter looked around at all the faces: a group of loosely banded old classmates, a wealthy manager, and a loner who¡¯s hard to get along with. This motley crew somehow piqued his interest. Besides, Lin Chen was tagging along, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Officer Xing agreed to the invitation enthusiastically.


    Most of the attendees had already had a few drinks before this. Since Xing Conglian was joining them, they needed designated drivers.


    Zheng Dongdong asked his driver to start the car, and then arranged for a few more designated drivers. Meanwhile, Xing Conglian tidied up the documents on the table and handed them to Lin Chen. He then grabbed his car keys and headed off to the parking lot.


    The crowd of a dozen or so waited outside the hotel entrance. Four cars pulled over one by one. The first in line was of course Zheng Dongdong¡¯s own silver Mercedes-Benz S400.


    The bellhop ran over to open the car door, and Zheng Dongdong intentionally stepped back to allow the other classmates to get in first. He took a peek at the last car in the line, curious as to what model Xing Conglian was driving.


    To his surprise, it was a dusty old 4¡Á4. He didn¡¯t even recognize the logo of the vehicle.


    It dawned on Zheng Dongdong that he had been played. He pulled a long face as he went and sat in his car.


    Inside the 4¡Á4, Lin Chen sat down in the passenger seat next to Xing Conglian, while Fu Hao sat in the back. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the vehicle.


    Hongjing and Yongchuan are about 300 km or a 4-hour drive apart. It was past 9 p.m. now, which meant that Xing Conglian must have rushed over right after work, so he must¡¯ve been smoking non-stop to keep himself awake during the trip.


    At this thought, Lin Chen turned around and studied Xing Conglian¡¯s side profile.


    In the distance, the lake was silent and pitch black. The surrounding highway was dotted with the faint yellow hum of street lights. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t put on any music, but the ambiance in the 4¡Á4 felt warm and cozy nonetheless.


    To Lin Chen, his exhaustion from the daytime journey and his classmates¡¯ snide remarks all seemed to fade away the moment Xing Conglian appeared.


    It was the strangest feeling. Lin Chen knew that there¡¯s no such thing as supernatural healing in this world. But in that instant, it felt as if someone was gripping his heart, giving it a light squeeze and then a gentle shake.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, I actually came here for the Yang Dianfeng case. Wang Chao found some clues in the system that need to be handed over to the Yongchuan PD for investigation. So I thought I¡¯d drop by.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded a bit hoarse. As he drove, the breeze from the lake seeped in through the window.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good chap, Xing. You know earlier, that scumbag Zheng claimed there were no regular rooms left and asked Senpai to cough up 3600 yuan for a lake view executive suite!¡± Fu Hao cried agitatedly, gripping the backrest in front of him with his hands, ¡°A hotel that size fully booked up? Who would believe that?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Xing Conglian casually asked.


    Lin Chen frowned. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t spend too much,¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°A friend of mine works there. They gave me a special discount,¡± Xing Conglian reassured him.


    With eyes downcast, Lin Chen fell silent. As Zheng Dongdong had said earlier, even the hotel manager only gets a 40% discount. So how much could this ¡°special discount¡± from his ¡°friend¡± be?


    As the local ¡°big shot¡± of Yongchuan, of course, Mr. Zheng had to choose a better place for drinks than the hotel he owned.


    Tianren Clubhouse was the place. It was located at the foot of Junshan Mountain and was surrounded by a bamboo grove. One side faces the mountain; the other side was a large golf course.


    At nearly 10 p.m., the parking lot in front of the clubhouse was almost full.


    Zheng Dongdong and the gang stepped out of the car. One classmate scanned all the cars parked there and said in a hushed whisper, ¡°Isn¡¯t this place a bit too expensive?¡±


    Zheng Dongdong cocked his head. Not wanting to seem too full of himself, he casually replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already booked the private lounge. It¡¯s not that expensive. Feel free to drink as much as you like.¡± He eyed Xing Conglian¡¯s old 4¡Á4 as he spoke.


    The 4¡Á4 pulled into the parking lot alongside the other luxury cars. There were some dried mud and scratches on the exterior, which made the vehicle seem even more decrepit by comparison. Zheng Dongdong couldn¡¯t help but laugh at it.


    Unlike the other nightlife venues in the city, Tianren Clubhouse is very quiet. Its small black-and-white checkered building is located in a neat spot in the large bamboo forest.


    Perhaps because of the vastness of the surrounding area, there is very little noise to be heard. This in turn gave the clubhouse the impression of a high-end and elegant venue. Compared to the extravagance of the Cohen May Intercontinental Hotel, the clubhouse appears even classier. To add a slightly rustic touch to the place, a small wooden board hangs over the entrance. The name ¡°Tianren¡± is written on it, with the logo of a canary and a rose in the bottom left corner of the sign.


    Leading the gang, Zheng Dongdong stood outside the entrance and took his time retrieving his membership card from his wallet. He handed it to the staff there.


    The one who greeted them was a very young woman. She wore a tight-fitting uniform and a light yellow silk scarf around her neck. She gracefully and politely took the membership card and slid it through the card reader.


    A soft ¡°beep¡± sounded. Zheng Dongdong nodded with an air of familiarity and was about to push the door open.


    ¡°Mr. Zheng, please hold on for a moment,¡± the girl interrupted him.


    Zheng Dongdong withdrew his hand. He was annoyed.


    Seeing his reaction, the greeter merely bowed slightly and turned her attention towards the headset she was wearing. She seemed to be confirming something with the person on the other end.


    After a short while, she said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Mr. Zheng. All our private lounges are fully booked tonight.¡±


    Zheng Dongdong¡¯s face instantly went dark.


    He knew that, at a place of Tianren¡¯s caliber, high-status members can often take over the reservations of lower-status members. Under ordinary circumstances, he would¡¯ve merely grumbled a bit and left without making a fuss. But tonight, his old classmates were there¡ªespecially Lin Chen and Fu Hao. It would be a royal embarrassment if he were to be turned away at the door. So he had no choice but to argue with the greeter, ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re fully booked? I made my reservation a week ago!¡±


    The girl was probably used to this kind of thing. Keeping the smile on her face, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sir. But we really are fully booked tonight.¡±


    She was being discreet. What she actually meant was: sir, your reservation has been overridden by a higher-tier member. But Zheng Dongdong pretended not to understand this subtext, ¡°Go and check the reservation records. I definitely have a booking for tonight!¡± he raised his voice at the girl.


    She continued to smile at him, ¡°Sir, please don¡¯t block the customers behind you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? I know your manager!¡± yelled Zheng Dongdong, pulling out his phone to make a call.


    The girl didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she looked to her left and right, and the two security guards stationed at either side of the entrance stepped in.


    ¡°Instant karma,¡± said Fu Hao. He was standing beside Lin Chen with arms folded, watching the whole thing with detachment.


    ¡°Dondong, nevermind. I see that your hotel also has a bar. Let¡¯s go there instead,¡± one classmate tried to persuade the angry Zheng Dongdong.


    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s a rare reunion for all of us. Let¡¯s not get upset over small matters,¡± another one chimed in.


    Zheng Dongdong was well aware that they were giving him an ¡°out.¡± He glanced at the girl¡¯s name tag and said arrogantly, ¡°You better believe that next time I have dinner with your manager, I will mention your name to him.¡±


    ¡°By all means, please do,¡± smiled the girl.


    Zheng Dongdong turned around dramatically and stormed off.


    At that very moment, a black Bentley happened to stop right in front of him.


    The gang was standing outside the entrance.


    In a place like Tianren, nobody is allowed to drive into the clubhouse directly, not even the VIPs. But this Bentley seemed to be doing exactly that. One could only assume that the passenger in the vehicle must be the general manager of the clubhouse himself.


    Zheng Dongdong looked in the car. Indeed, it was the general manager. He took a step back, hoping that the manager wouldn¡¯t find out what he said earlier.


    As he was saying a mental prayer, the rear window slowly came down. In the back seat was an old man, while the general manager was in the driver¡¯s seat.


    Upon seeing the old man, Zheng Dongdong thought this must not be his lucky day.


    ¡°Mr. Zheng, who were you referring to?¡± asked the old man.


    The old man was wearing a very plain Chinese-style jacket. The collar was closed with a cloth button. Despite his simple outfit, he had a distinguished air about him.


    His question caused Zheng Dongdong to break into a cold sweat. The latter quickly bowed profusely and greeted him, ¡°What brings you here today, Mr. Xing?¡±


    This old man is named Xing Fu. He is a long-time servant of the Xing family. All the managers at Tianren Clubhouse have to serve him and be his chauffeur.


    Servants like Mr. Xing, who are allowed to take on the Xing family name, are also qualified to be the financial executives in the family business.


    Zheng Dongdong had only met him once, at the Cohen May annual executive meeting.


    Xing Fu was also surprised to see Zheng Dongdong here. Originally, he came to Yongchuan just to perform a regular inspection. But when the car pulled into the entryway, he heard Zheng Dongdong being difficult with the staff. So he lowered his car window as a slight warning. He had no intention of wasting his time doling out punishments for anyone.


    Therefore, he rolled up his car window again after the short exchange. But at that moment, he caught sight of a tall young man standing near the back of the group of people outside the entrance.


    The young man was standing casually, his police uniform draped across his left shoulder. He had a crew cut and some stubble on his chin that hadn¡¯t been shaved. His eyes were deep-set, and he seemed to be of mixed heritage.


    Xing Fu thought he must be seeing things. He gently rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms and then opened them again.


    The young man was still standing there with the same posture and the same face. This time, Xing Fu was certain he hadn¡¯t been mistaken.


    The black iron gate of Tianren Clubhouse slowly opened.


    The old man sat in the back seat, turning his head to look out the rear window behind him.


    ¡°Mr. Xing, did you see someone you know?¡± The general manager politely asked, noticing the old man¡¯s posture through the rear-view mirror.


    Xing Fu didn¡¯t reply.


    Meanwhile, Zheng Dongdong just wanted to leave as quickly as possible after that awkward run-in with his boss.


    However, the greeter seemed to be receiving another order through her headset.


    ¡°Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment,¡± she politely requested.


    Zheng Dongdong felt stuck. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should stay or go.


    Then the girl bent down and opened the side door. She very politely waved him and the gang in, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, we made a mistake earlier. Now we¡¯ve upgraded you to a deluxe private lounge.¡±


    She was bowing very deeply, and Zheng Dongdong felt triumphant at the sudden 180-degree change in her attitude. Needless to say, this was probably on the orders of the elderly man in the Bentley.


    The clubhouse manager on duty put down the phone receiver. He didn¡¯t know why the old man had made such a request. But for someone like himself who had climbed the corporate ladder to get to his current position, he knew that some things are not for him to know or to question.


    It was dark and quiet all around. The old man sat motionless in the back seat.


    After a few moments, he suddenly said to his driver, ¡°Get a case of Yongchuan Pure Draft beer, chill it to 8 degrees and bring it to those guests.¡±


    The general manager nodded.


    ¡°Also, get some deep-fried peanuts¡­.¡± the old man paused, ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll make them myself.¡±

 CH 42.2

    Three Tombs 05


    Having been suddenly upgraded from a regular to a deluxe private lounge, Zheng Dongdong couldn¡¯t stop grinning.


    The Tian(¡°sky¡±)-series lounge was in the innermost part of the entire building.


    The group walked through the bamboo grove to reach the lounge. When they arrived, it was already past 11 p.m.


    Many of them were tired by that point but when the waiter brought in the menu, Zheng Dongdong regained some of his vitality.


    He spread the menu out on the table and told everyone, ¡°Order whatever you like, don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    For many of his old classmates, it was the first time they¡¯ve set foot in such a high-end venue. They glanced at the prices on the menu in shocked silence.


    Even the cheapest item here¡ªa bottle of mineral water¡ªcosts three figures.


    Zheng Dongdong was very pleased with their reaction. With an affected sense of familiarity, he glanced at the menu and then crossed his legs. Looking directly at the only lady present in their midst, he urged, ¡°Haozhen, how about a low-alcohol cocktail?¡±


    Typically, when there¡¯s only one woman present, she would politely decline such an offer. But Xu Haozhen smiled and candidly said, ¡°Sounds good. Thanks for the treat, Senpai.¡±


    Following her lead, the other guests also started putting in their orders.


    Zheng Dongdong noted what they ordered and mentally calculated the total. Luckily, it was still within his range. Somewhat relaxing after knowing that, he turned to the group of three sitting in the corner, ¡°Officer Xing, Lin Chen, Prof. Fu, what would you guys be having?¡±


    Lin Chen doesn¡¯t drink. He didn¡¯t even order a bottle of mineral water, which made the situation a bit awkward for everyone. So Professor Fu stepped in and requested a glass of juice.


    ¡°How about you, Officer Xing?¡± Zheng Dongdong asked, hoping to get even with Xing Conglian for the earlier incident.


    ¡°Me?¡± The police officer blurted out without thinking, ¡°I¡¯ll have two bottles of Yongchuan Pure Draft.¡±


    His request made Zheng Dongdong chortle. It was obvious that the small-town officer had never been to such an upscale venue before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Officer Xing. The worst beer we carry here is Hoegaarden,¡± He quipped, placing deliberate emphasis on the foreign brand name. In other words: Your choice of beer is so low-caliber that we don¡¯t even sell it here.


    But Xing Conglian appeared not to notice his mocking tone. The officer merely shook his head and replied, ¡°A European beer? Nevermind then.¡±


    Zheng Dongdong smirked. Just then, there were three knocks on the door.


    A waiter had arrived carrying an ice-filled metal bucket in one hand and a place of freshly deep-fried peanuts in the other. He put them down on the table, took a bow, and left. The whole event took place within a span of 10 seconds or so, leaving everyone agape in surprise.


    In the metal bucket were two bottles of Yongchuan Pure Draft which retail for only 8.80 yuan. The plate of peanuts, fresh from the frying pan, was still sizzling.


    The lounge became silent.


    Nobody said a word. Zheng Dongdong¡¯s face was blue and the other guests were looking at him with a hint of disdain in their eyes. First, he had said that the hotel was fully booked when it wasn¡¯t. Now he falsely claimed that there was no Yongchuan beer. It was clear that he was just using his wealth and status to one-up his old classmate and it reflected poorly on him.


    Xing Conglian sat in the corner gazing at the items on the table with a complex look on his face.


    But the beer and the peanuts were just a small interlude.


    Once the karaoke began, the atmosphere in the lounge instantly thawed. After all, karaoke and mindless chatter are the go-to activities at any classmate reunion.


    Out of everyone there, Xu Haozhen was the one who enjoyed herself the most. Whether it was a duet or a solo, her voice could be heard continuously from the first note to the last.


    Lin Chen gazed at her, deep in thought.


    Xing Conglian leaned against the French window, drinking silently, while Fu Hao was swaying and clapping to the music. Lin Chen looked at the two of them then leaned towards Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the Yang Dianfeng case going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Xing Conglian took a swig of his beer, ¡°But the scope of the case might be wider than we imagined.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    It was very noisy, so the two had to lean very close to each other in order to hear what the other was saying. Lin Chen could feel Xing Conglian¡¯s breath on his face. It tickled slightly.


    ¡°Wang Chao just finished wading through all the system records over the past six months. There are about a dozen questionable ones that might pertain to more murders. Also, two armed-robbery cases haven¡¯t been solved.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen furrowed his brows slightly, ¡°The other party probably has strong motives if they¡¯re willing to take such a great risk in killing Yang Dianfeng.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Despite the deafening ruckus in the lounge, the little corner that they were in was so peaceful that it seemed like time had stopped.


    Zheng Dongdong also happened to hear their conversation. All evening long, he seemed to be under a spell of bad luck. He felt extremely upset.


    As it was nearing dawn, the party would soon be over and he might never get a chance to take his revenge after this.


    So he poured himself a glassful of strong liquor and walked over to Lin Chen¡¯s corner.


    As he approached, he heard that Lin Chen and Officer Xing were discussing a case.


    He pushed the glass towards Lin Chen and said, ¡°Lin Chen, please accept this friendly toast from me. We¡¯re old classmates after all. Come on, be a sport.¡±


    Zheng Dongdong smiled disingenuously and jiggled the bottle of Cognac in his other hand.


    As if on cue, the music in the private lounge suddenly stopped and it amplified his voice.


    At reunions, it¡¯s usually difficult to get out of a toast between two men. After all, this is a gesture of goodwill from an old friend. It would seem hostile and unmanly for the toastee to refuse the drink.


    Everyone gazed at Lin Chen, anticipating what he would do next.


    But he¡¯d been through gossip and slander much worse than this. What¡¯s an insignificant glass of Cognac to him?


    He glanced at the glass and replied, calmly and evenly, ¡°I¡¯m not doing this with you.¡±


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dongdong exploded in a fit of rage, ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are?! I¡¯m just trying to be nice to you!¡±


    He continued to hurl insults at Lin Chen, who looked at him with nothing but a placid look of pity in his eyes.


    Fu Hao stood up to intervene while Xing Conglian just sat quietly in the corner.


    Then Lin Chen got up and bowed slightly to everyone, ¡°Sorry, I have something to attend to later. I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    He left without turning around and Fu Hao hurriedly followed him. Without saying a word, Xing Conglian picked up his police uniform and casually sauntered after the two of them.


    The sound of a glass bottle being smashed could be heard behind them and the crash could be heard in the lounge.


    There was a light breeze in the bamboo grove.


    ¡°Did you say that on purpose?¡± asked Xing Conglian, catching up to Lin Chen.


    Based on Lin Chen¡¯s intelligence, he could¡¯ve gotten himself out of the toast situation in a hundred ways but he chose the most provocative one.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you have to get back to the Yongchuan PD tomorrow? Better go and get some rest,¡± Lin Chen replied calmly.


    It seems like he provoked Zheng Dongdong on purpose just so they could get out early!


    Thinking back to the sound of that smashed bottle earlier, Xing Conglian felt that it¡¯s better to not mess with Lin Chen in the future.


    As he had had a couple of beers, he couldn¡¯t drive anymore but when they got to the entrance, a man was already there waiting for them. He introduced himself as the designated driver.


    Xing Conglian glanced at his name tag that had a canary and rose logo then got in the car.

 CH 43

    Chapter 43 Three Graves 06


    Even after centuries, places like universities barely change.


    Truth be told, Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel much nostalgia towards his alma mater but still, he¡¯d feel sorry if he didn¡¯t drop in for a visit as he was passing by.


    The campus was shrouded in the early morning mist. All was quiet; only the chirping of birds could be heard. Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked along the old cobbled path leading into the campus.


    At the end of the footpath, there was a row of old buildings from the republic era. There were many trees by the side of the road that obscured a large part of the scenery. It gave the place a delicious air of mystique.


    ¡°Your principal must not be much of a businessman,¡±  Xing Conglian suddenly said. He walked under the canopied path with his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lin Chen was in a slight daze from the lovely spring breeze. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t make out what Xing Conglian was saying.


    ¡°A place like this is worth an entrance fee of 20 yuan at the very least,¡± Xing explained.


    Lin Chen was amused, ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s not that great.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. You were educated here, after all.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his head and gazed at his companion.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes were downcast; his lashes trembled ever so slightly in the soft breeze. This gave his gaze an air of warmth and sincerity.


    Lin Chen sighed. It never ceased to amaze him how Xing Conglian could say such corny lines with such candor. They seem almost matter-of-fact coming from him and the listener could do nothing but sigh.


    As Lin Chen was about to reply, the sound of police sirens in the distance pierced through the forest.


    It sounded urgent and it seemed to be moving. From this, he gathered that the police car must¡¯ve been traveling at high speeds. The two of them exchanged glances.


    Lin Chen quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. You¡¯re the one who suggested coming here.¡±


    Xing Conglian helplessly smiled.


    Following the sound of the siren, the two arrived by the lake. In the distance beyond the trees, they spotted a line of bright yellow police tape. A uniformed officer was darting in and out of the area enclosed by the tape.


    At the edge of the forest, a forensic scientist in a white robe was squatting under a banyan tree.


    The cafeteria that was nearby had started to prepare breakfast. The aroma of steamed rice filled the air.


    From time to time, students would walk past the taped area and peek at the investigators with a mixture of curiosity and shock on their faces. A security guard stood at the outer rim of the taped area to dispel any onlookers.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian. The pair quickened their pace.


    Upon reaching the end of the forest, Xing Conglian saw who the lead investigator was. It was the Vice-Captain of the Yongchuan Police Department who was going to take over the new files on the Yang Dianfeng case.


    Their eyes met. Both seemed surprised to see each other here.


    ¡°Xing, why are you here?¡± Greeted Vice-Captain Jiang. He is a very easygoing person.


    Patting Lin Chen on the shoulder, Xing Conglian introduced his companion, ¡°This is Lin Chen, the new consultant in our department. He graduated from Yongchuan University. Since it¡¯s still early today, we thought we¡¯d take a tour around the campus but now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll get the files of the case for you later from my car.¡± Officer Xing¡¯s tone was very polite. He didn¡¯t ask about the present investigation.


    ¡°Ah, the one who is working on the ¡®Candy Burglar¡¯ case with you?¡± whispered Jiang, widening his eyes in surprise and poking Xing.


    Xing was amused by his secretive reaction, ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± He then laughed and glanced at Lin Chen.


    ¡°You¡¯re a legend! We owe you our gratitude!¡± Jiang rushed over and shook Lin Chen¡¯s hand excitedly, ¡°Come, come in.¡±


    Lin Chen was used to police officers who are cautious and guarded. This was the first time he¡¯s met one who is so open and friendly. He was a bit taken aback, ¡°This is a crime scene. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for me to trespass.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± replied Jiang with a wave of his hand. He raised the police tape and dragged Lin Chen into the enclosed area.


    Xing Conglian patted his companion¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°He¡¯s Fang Zhiming¡¯s old colleague.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded as if he just caught an important clue.


    Near the lake on the inner side of the forest, there was a Chinese banyan tree with a wide canopy. The leaves swayed idly from the passing breeze from the lake.


    Lin Chen stood under the tree, seeming somewhat surprised.


    This banyan tree offered the best view in the hearts of all the Yongchuan alumni. When he was a student here, everyone loved to sit under this tree to read or enjoy some quiet time with a date. The temperature in this spot is just right that one could enjoy the breeze from the lake, read a few pages, or whisper sweet nothings into a lover¡¯s ear. With a thick trunk and a full crown, the tree created a nice, quiet sanctuary underneath¨C including for the one lying in a ditch underneath the ground.


    It was a young man with slightly tanned skin. As he had been lying there for some time, his clothes had gathered dirt to the point where it was hard to tell what color they originally were. His legs were outstretched and his arms were folded across his chest. He had a very ordinary appearance: thick brows, pouty lips, an easily forgettable face. But anyone who passed by would surely linger their gaze on his face for a while.


    Such is what Lin Chen is doing now.


    The young man had a serene expression on his face. It was as if he were lying in a warm, cozy bed instead of the cold, hard dirt ground. He seemed to be in the midst of a dream so wonderful that he didn¡¯t want to wake from it.


    ¡°The deceased is named Li Sa. He worked in the back office of your university,¡± Jiang Chao leaned towards Lin Chen and informed him.


    He approached the ditch as he spoke. The forensic scientist was stooping beside the body and performing a preliminary examination.


    ¡°So?¡± asked Jiang Chao.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange, very strange,¡± the forensic expert frowned, withdrawing his hand from behind the victim¡¯s neck, ¡°As far as I can tell, there are no external injuries, nor did he seem to be poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± There was a sparkle in Jiang¡¯s eyes, ¡°At least it¡¯s not a murder then!¡±


    ¡°No external injuries, no sign of foul play¡­ It could just be a usual body dump,¡± as Jiang said this, he raised his head towards the sky, as if praying to the heavens that this was the case.


    ¡°Ho-ho, not so fast, Vice-Captain Jiang. If he was still breathing when he was being buried, does that still count as a body dump?¡± The scientist coldly countered.


    Jiang Chao widened his eyes in disbelief, ¡°What¡¯s the cause of death?¡±


    ¡°From my preliminary assessment, it appears to be mechanical asphyxia.¡±


    Mechanical asphyxia refers to the blockage of the airway by some external force resulting in death due to oxygen deprivation. In other words, the victim died of suffocation.


    Jiang Chao seemed incredibly disheartened by this information but the forensic expert pressed on, ¡°There are no visible injuries on the neck of the deceased, which means he didn¡¯t die from choking or strangulation. I also checked his mouth and nose areas ¨C no visible sign of scrapes or bleeding either. So it wasn¡¯t asphyxia by throttling, which leaves¡­¡±


    ¡°Being buried alive,¡± Lin Chen chimed in.


    Jiang sucked in a big gulp of air. The forensic scientist instantly spun around, ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Xing Conglian rushed over to Lin Chen¡¯s side, ¡°We¡¯re with the Hongjing team.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re colleagues, then,¡± The scientist eyed Lin Chen with some interest, ¡°What do you make of this?¡±


    ¡°May I ask the time of death?¡± Lin Chen queried, his gaze landing on the victim¡¯s folded arms.


    ¡°The morning of the 12th, around 3 AM.¡±


    ¡°If he was indeed buried alive, there are two possibilities,¡± Lin Chen paused, then continued, ¡°One, he was pushed into the ground after losing consciousness. Two, he laid down in this grave himself when he was still alive.¡±


    ¡°And which do you think is the more likely case?¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s the former case, we should be able to detect a large amount of barbiturates in his system. But if it¡¯s the latter¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the latter, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to dig this ditch, lie down, and then bury himself all on his own. Did you find any shovels or similar tools on the scene?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s tone began taking on an edge.


    ¡°N¡­nope,¡± Vice-Captain Jiang blurted out.


    Lin Chen stared at the ground and mulled things over for a while. He then asked the forensic expert, ¡°May I look at his hands?¡±


    At that moment, the look of interest in the scientist¡¯s eyes turned into full-blown admiration. He stood up, handed Lin Chen a pair of disposable rubber gloves, then stepped aside to let his colleague through.


    Lin Chen stooped down beside the open grave and took the victim¡¯s wrist in his gloved hand.


    While the face of the deceased appeared to be placid beyond belief, his hands betrayed that and showed unspeakable horror. His fingernails were cracked, both hands were covered in wounds, caked in a mixture of reddish-brown blood stains and dirt.


    ¡°Well?¡± Asked the scientist expectantly.


    ¡°So here¡¯s what I think,¡± Lin Chen put the victim¡¯s hands back into their position and took off his gloves. He was gazing fixedly at the ditch.


    ¡°Quit stalling and out with it.¡±


    ¡°This grave, he dug it himself,¡± Lin Chen slowly said, enunciating every word with chilling clarity. Everyone on the scene couldn¡¯t help but shiver at his verdict. An eerie silence hung in the air.


    The forensic expert took a long breath, ¡°Young man, that¡¯s some bold conjecture.¡±


    ¡°Can we dig up more of this grave and take a look?¡± Lin Chen interrupted. He turned around and gestured the approximate opening he had in mind with his hands.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it big enough already?¡± asked the scientist.


    ¡°What I meant was, let¡¯s remove the body and dig deeper.¡±


    Shovel by shovel, the dirt came flying out of the open grave rapidly.


    Xing Conglian and Lin Chen stood at the edge of the lake, looking out at the banyan tree.


    ¡°Did I overstep my role just now?¡± Lin Chen asked after some hesitation. After all, Xing had warned him to be careful on the Chen family¡¯s turf.


    But Xing Conglian merely laughed, ¡°No way, Jiang is not the petty type. In fact, I was wondering why you appeared so nervous earlier.¡±


    ¡°The situation might be grim,¡± Lin replied.


    The officer who was shoveling under the banyan tree suddenly froze when the dirt was almost at knee-height. With one hand gripping the handle, he turned around nervously. Vice-Captain Jiang hurried over and peered into the ditch but he could see nothing unusual except a broken strand of the tree root.


    ¡°There¡¯s something underneath,¡± The officer tossed his shovel aside and crouched down at the edge of the ditch. He cleared away a thin layer of dirt with his hands, revealing a piece of red cloth.


    Xing Conglian and Lin Chen were talking something over when they heard his loud yelp of horror. With his hands still covered in dirt, he ran over to the pair, his teeth chattering from fright, ¡°There¡­ There¡¯s another person underneath!¡±

 CH 44

    Three Graves 07


    The only thing scarier than finding a body, is finding a body that was buried alive. The only thing scarier than finding a body that was buried alive, is finding a second one.


    Lin Chen stood next to Xing Cong Lian, feeling like everyone was looking at him in a strange manner.


    Under the banyan tree, the painter¡¯s body had already been put into the body bag, the black zipper gently closed, covering his last expression.


    The sun had risen higher, yet the lake breeze had cooled. Lin Chen tugged on his shirt and walked to the edge of the dirt, looking in.


    Inside the pit, under where Li Sa had laid, there was a girl. A very young, pretty girl.


    The girl wore a long, white dress, had long, black hair, and looked tranquil, like a cute doll. Even though her dress was dirty and her face was covered in dirt, her expression was full of warmth, like having a cup of hot cocoa in your hands in a coffee shop on a cold winter¡¯s day.


    Thinking of hands, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze followed the girl¡¯s arms, traveling up.


    Like he suspected, the girl¡¯s hands were crossed on her chest. Those hands that were supposed to be white and tender, were now chapped, covered in dirt and blood.


    ¡°How did you know there was someone underneath?¡±


    From his back came a cold inquiry. Lin Chen removed his gaze to look behind him.


    The forensic expert stood far away, clenching his hands, obviously trying to keep his cool.


    ¡°Because I was once a student here.¡±


    ¡°You being a student and you knowing there was another body have nothing to do with each other!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because I was a student here that I know a lot of things about this school.¡± Lin Chen paused, trying to find a more suitable phrase to explain why he unexpectedly knew. ¡°This banyan tree has a really rustic name, it¡¯s called Lovers¡¯ Tree. In college, there will always be weird legends. As for the legend about this tree, it goes, ¡®two lovers, if they hold hands and lay beneath this tree and make a wish, will be together forever, even after death.¡¯¡±


    Most legends are just absurd. When Lin Chen first heard this story, he only thought it was weird that students who have received a formal college education still believed the kind of story you wouldn¡¯t even find in cheesy romance novels.


    It wasn¡¯t until one day, when an old man took him by the hand and whispered the Lovers¡¯ Tree story to him, that he realized legends were only made up by older people to mess with the youth.


    But according to the current situation, it seems like someone has turned that legend into reality.


    ¡°So you thought there was another body underneath because of a school legend? What connection does this girl have to this painter, are they lovers?¡± The forensics expert asked hesitantly. Even he couldn¡¯t believe that this fairy-like girl would fall in love with an extremely ordinary painter. But this thing called love never seemed to be logical.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a god, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± The question was a little too much, he truly didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°Oh! So you guessed there was someone underneath?¡± Jiang Chao pulled the forensic expert away and shooed him back, asking his own questions.


    ¡°You could say that. I wasn¡¯t the one who buried them, so I could only guess.¡± He felt a little helpless, but he realized, if he didn¡¯t explain this clearly, he¡¯d be labeled as a fraud. So, he took two steps back, away from the pit. Looking at the dirt beneath the banyan tree, he said, ¡°First, these are buried bodies. The location is inside college grounds. This means that whoever buried Li Sa hid it unintentionally, which means this piece of land has a lot of meaning.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, continue.¡±


    ¡°Even though the same location means different things to different people, this banyan tree is particularly notable for what I just mentioned. Of course, the legend about lovers holding hands and not parting in death only makes me think this might be a case of lovers¡¯ suicide¡­¡± he said, looking at the dirt beneith his feet, ¡°But, under the banyan tree, only the dirt near Li Sa¡¯s body looks like it¡¯s been moved. Any other surveyor would have come to the conclusion that there was only one body here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so hurry up and tell us why you thought there was another body buried under the first one! There is a thick layer of dirt between these two bodies. If you hadn¡¯t said to dig around, we wouldn¡¯t have found the other person.¡±


    ¡°Because of Li Sa¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Li Sa¡¯s hand?¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of damage to both of Li Sa¡¯s hands, this says that he personally dug this grave. I think the reason he dug this grave by hand was to bury his lover.¡±


    Lin Chen had been speaking softly, and once he finished the sentence, you almost couldn¡¯t hear him.


    The officers by the tree solemnly put down their shovels. Jiang Chao looked at the girl with a little more sympathy. The people by the tree stood in silence. No one said anything, or rather, no one knew what to say.


    At that moment, a crisp sound shattered the heavy atmosphere.


    Someone was applauding, the claps, one by one, came slowly.


    The culprit was an elegant, white-haired housekeeper. He was dressed in a well-fitting suit, with a tie around his neck and a dark red handkerchief in his front pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to hand it to our Yong Chuan College, the most famous psychology graduate to come out in ten years really knows how to make up stories.¡± That person¡¯s tone was haughty and unyielding.


    Lin Chen gazed at him, once again lamenting his luck.


    Even though Xing Cong Lian reminded him to be careful on Yong Chuan grounds, seeing as it was the Chen family¡¯s territory, he never would have thought that at Yong Chuan College, in this manner, he would run into the Chen family housekeeper again.


    It really catches you off guard¡­


    ¡°Hello, Master Housekeeper.¡± He bowed slightly and greeted the housekeeper. He then lifted his head and bowed again, this time towards the person on the left of Chen Ping, ¡°Xu Vice Principal, long time no see.¡±


    Chen Ping lowered his eyes to the young man in front of him.


    First, an underling reports that Lin Chen is once again at Yong Chuan College, so he rushes to the school, only to find out that a murder had been committed on school grounds. This made him furious!


    To put it in a trendy way: Lin Chen you motherfucker, you¡¯re doing this on purpose aren¡¯t you? Why is it that when something goes wrong, you¡¯re always there?!


    Even though he was feeling highly irritated, Chen Ping needed to maintain the pride a big family¡¯s housekeeper should have. That¡¯s why, when he saw Lin Chen, he could only scoff with restraint at the other person.


    But Lin Chen? Lin Chen was polite and mild-tempered, as usual. Truthfully, every time he tried to chase Lin Chen towards a lower job, all he got as a response was that same bow.


    A lot of times, Chen Ping thinks Lin Chen doesn¡¯t care that he¡¯s been ostracized by various families, and that he cares even less about whether or not he¡¯ll be sleeping in a bungalow or a basement. The key is, he thinks that Lin Chen just genuinely does not care about them.


    Why doesn¡¯t he care?! What right does he have to not care?!


    The more Chen Ping thought about it, the angrier he got. He indignantly shouted at the officers on the scene: ¡°My Yong Chuan College is the scene of a murder, and you guys are investigating like this?!¡±


    Jiang Chao looked at the aggressive old man, dumbfounded.


    ¡°Mister Housekeeper, do you have complaints about the way the police are investigating?¡±


    Again, came that lazy tone. Again, came that slightly smiling end pitch. Chen Ping felt like he had heard this voice before. He turned towards the voice and, once again, saw the police officer that defended Lin Chen at Hong Jing Experimental Elementary.


    ¡°If you have a complaint, you can file it at the station. This is a crime scene, after all. If you come and go as you please, you¡¯ll cause trouble for us police while we¡¯re collecting evidence.¡± Xing Cong Lian replied for the still in shock Vice Captain JIang.


    Jiang Chao immediately came to, turning to glare at the two intruders, shouting: ¡°Who are you guys, coming in so casually?¡­ Little Chen, Little Chen, accompany these people out!¡±


    Chen Ping gave a cold smile: ¡°This is Yong Chuan College, this is the Vice Principal of Yong Chuan College. Are you saying that having such a huge incident happen at the school, the police won¡¯t let people from the school understand the situation?¡±


    ¡°Understanding the situation is no problem, but random people cannot enter the crime scene as they please. Thank you for understanding.¡± Said Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Yong Chuan is under Captain Xing¡¯s jurisdiction, and shouldn¡¯t he be considered a random person?¡± Chen ping asked, pointing to Lin Chen.


    ¡°But I am a police officer, and Mister Lin Chen, unfortunately, is a consultant of the Hong Jing brigade. Therefore, compared to you, we are a little more qualified than you to be standing here.¡± Xing Cong Lian said politely, with a smile on his face. However, the meaning in his words did not give any face.


    Seeing the smile on the young man¡¯s face, Chen Ping finally realized that he had been brought into a ditch¡­


    ¡°Good¡­ Good!¡± Chen Ping gave a cold smile and pulled out his phone, dialing a number, ¡°Is this Liu Ju? It¡¯s Chen Ping, I¡¯m at Yong Chuan College¡­ Yes, something has happened at the school, could you¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been a situation at the scene.¡± Chen Ping¡¯s gaze swept across the faces of Lin Chen, Xing Cong Lian, and that officer that was about to escort him off the scene. He then turned around and walked towards the exterior of the forest. He was walking slowly, as if purposefully letting everyone at the scene hear what he had to say: ¡°Someone discovered a second body that should have been impossible to discover. I think that person is highly likely to be a suspect¡­ but your people seem to be defending him¡­ I just wanted to ask you, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The person on the phone replied and Chen Ping¡¯s tone calmed down: ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll leave it to you¡­¡±


    He finished speaking and hung up, standing firm right outside the police line, staring at the people inside.


    Jiang Chao looked around, feeling like the forest still reverberated with the old man¡¯s cold voice: ¡°Did he complain to the director?¡±  He asked Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°It looks like it?¡± Xing Cong Lian smiled helplessly.


    The next second, Jiang Chao¡¯s phone started ringing.


    From the phone came a barrage of cursing and scolding. Even from afar, Xing Cong Lian could hear the angry voice coming from the speaker.


    Jiang Chao hung up and lifted his head to look at Xing Cong Lian. He looked drained, and wore an expression of shame.


    However, Xing Cong Lian understood clearly. He went over to pat Jiang Chao on the shoulder and asked: ¡°What, do we need to assist with the investigation?¡±


    Jiang Chao nodded his head heavily, but leaned down to whisper in Xing Cong Lian¡¯s ear: ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t worry, our boss is probably just playing the part, acting for the old man to see.¡± As he spoke, he pointed his lips towards the edge of the forest, where the housekeeper was standing.


    After he finished, he resumed his embarrassed expression and cleared his throat. He said loudly: ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ll have to ask you and Mister Lin to come back to the station with us in a bit!¡±


    Hearing this, the officers on the scene all looked offended.


    ¡°What are you doing just standing there? Has the evidence been collected? Has the corpse been examined? Hurry up and do your job!¡± Jiang Chao shouted.


    At Jiang Chao¡¯s command, the officers resumed their work.


    The pit below the banyan tree was quite deep, so two officers, with the instruction of the forensic expert, started to lift the girl¡¯s corpse from the grave.


    Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian walked together. Seeing Lin Chen¡¯s furrowed brows, Xing Cong Lian couldn¡¯t help but softly comfort him: ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    The girl¡¯s body was slowly lifted.


    Then, something below the body suddenly caught the attention of the forensic scientist.


    He carefully knelt at the side of the pit and gently brushed aside the dirt. Only to uncover a bright red cloth!


    ¡°I think¡­ I think there¡¯s another person underneath¡­¡± He shouted to the two people near him.


    Hearing that, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s expression finally changed into one of shock.


    ¡°Looks like my suspicion has been cleared a bit?¡± Lin Chen said to Xing Cong Lian, wearing an identical expression.

 CH 45

    Three Graves 08


    Since he didn¡¯t discover the third body under the tree, that means he doesn¡¯t fully understand the situation. That also means his suspicion has decreased significantly.


    Except, he can say that, but the worry in his heart has not decreased at all.


    Under the banyan tree, what was originally a busy scene, once again came to a halt.


    Not just the leader, Jiang Chao, but every officer on scene felt their skin crawl. Three bodies under one tree, what could it mean?


    It means they might have stumbled upon a huge case.


    Two officers squat down to start helping the forensic expert, cleaning the dirt on top of the third body. Jiang Chao ordered everyone else to start doing a blanket search around the forest. If they found any sign of disturbed dirt, then they should start digging immediately.


    After distributing tasks, he once again looked towards Lin Chen. His eyes rolled slightly, then he swallowed: ¡°I say, Ol¡¯ Xing, you guys aren¡¯t in a rush to get home today, right? How about staying an extra two days?¡± He pulled on Xing Cong Lian and graciously offered him a cigarette. He then felt that the complaint by the old man sure was well timed. Otherwise, how else would he have the opportunity to invite them back to help with the investigation?


    The news about the huge case at Yong Chuan College, as if it sprouted wings, rapidly flew back to the police station.


    Because of it, once Lin Chen had been ¡°brought in¡± to the police station, it occurred to him that every officer in the office looked at him with a weird expression. If he were to describe what ¡°weird¡± meant, he would say it¡¯s enthusiastic, or maybe earnest?


    Lin Chen suddenly couldn¡¯t quite understand the situation.


    His hand was being held tightly by Vice Captain Jiang, while Vice Captain Jiang¡¯s other hand was slung around Xing Cong Lian¡¯s shoulders, and gave the impression that he wouldn¡¯t let go, even in death.


    It was obvious that Jiang Chao¡¯s office had just been cleaned. There was a new trash bag in the trash can, and the floor had streaks from being just mopped.


    There were two seats placed specially in front of the desk, the kind with the soft backs, while on the table, there were two freshly poured cups of hot tea. The tea leaves were very new and very green, and the tea itself was light and pleasant.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Cong Lian, wanting to get some sort of signal from the other person. But Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t seem to mind, and boldly sat down in front of the desk, and took a sip from a cup of tea.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, please sit, please sit.¡±


    Lin Chen was hesitating, yet Jiang Chao hurriedly pushed him into the other chair and shoved a cup of tea into his hands.


    He should be treated as a ¡°suspect¡± that had been brought back to the station for questioning. Chen Jia, that housekeeper, specially pressured the police into doing that, yet they were being treated like important guests. This treatment doesn¡¯t seem to be right?


    At that moment, a knock came from the office door.


    A bold little officer poked his head in and said to Jiang Chao, ¡°Captain Jiang, Captain Jiang, the boss wants you to go!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean go?!¡± Jiang Chao slammed the desk, ¡°Can¡¯t you see Captain Xing and Consultant Lin are here?¡±


    Jiang Chao barely finished his sentence, when from behind the door came a low voice, ¡°Vice Captain Jiang, are you looking to overstep your position lately?¡±


    While he was speaking, a middle aged man entered. He had a burly stature. Silver stars shone on his shoulders, meaning he was the same rank as Inspector Huang. That is to say, that was the director of the Yong Chuan Second Branch, Jiang Chao¡¯s top supervisor, the one the little officer called ¡°the boss¡±.


    ¡°Director Zheng, Director Zheng, sorry, sorry. Look, I am just so busy!¡± Upon seeing the boss, Jiang Chao was immediately nodding and bowing, admitting his wrongs and apologizing. But the middle-aged man didn¡¯t look at him, his gaze falling on Xing Cong Lian instead.


    Following his gaze, Lin Chen once again looked at Xing Cong Lian, only to see that he was still sitting up straight. He didn¡¯t even turn his head, as if he didn¡¯t sense the middle-aged man enter. Or maybe, he was ignoring the man on purpose?


    Lin Chen began having more doubts.


    Seeing the situation, the middle-aged man clenched his jaw, then, pretending to be shocked, loudly said to Xing Cong Lian¡¯s back, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Captain Xing? What are you doing here?¡±


    It was then that Xing Cong Lian finally had a reaction. He stood up, turned around, and bowed to the middle-aged man with a straight face. He then gave a greeting, ¡°Hello, Director Zheng.¡±


    ¡°Little Jiang, how come you didn¡¯t say anything about Captain Xing being here!¡± The middle-aged man stepped forward, grabbing Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand with exaggerated enthusiasm, and shook it hard, twice. ¡°Long time no see, Ol¡¯ Xing!¡± He said. He then turned to Jiang Chao and said, ¡°Hurry up and order some good food from the food court, we¡¯ll treat Captain Xing well for lunch!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Xing Cong Lian said lightly. As he spoke, he withdrew his hand from Director Zheng¡¯s and reached into his briefcase, ¡°I came here today to hand over Yang Dian Feng¡¯s case. You can find the case information here, please look over it, Director Zheng.¡±


    Lin Chen turned around. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s overly professional attitude and the fact that he did not bring up Yong Chuan College¡¯s case, and urging the Yong Chuan police department to accept the exchange, did not seem like Captain Xing¡¯s mode of operation?


    Sure enough, hearing what Xing Cong Lian said, Director Zheng became too embarrassed to speak. Jiang Chao rushed to rescue the scene, ¡°Ah, Ol¡¯ Xing, what are you rushing for? Can¡¯t you see something big just happened? I really can¡¯t help out!¡± He said, refusing to accept the file in Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Then, could I ask you to send someone below you?¡± Xing Cong Lian raised his eyebrows, looking at the director with a rare silence that was neither servile nor overbearing.


    Director Zheng, whose attitude had been obvious so far, understood clearly why Xing Cong Lian was so angry. But he was the one who asked for the psychology consultant from Hong Jing to be brought back, he couldn¡¯t just apologize directly.


    Truth be told, when Jiang Chao secretly called to tell him that housekeeper Chen wanted to bring the suspect back to the station, it happened to be the same time that he was rescuing Fang Zhi Ming¡¯s daughter from Hong Jing Highway. He had long wanted to bring Zhang Ping, that old man, in for a beating, are you kidding? Bringing Lin Chen in as a suspect, even if he wasn¡¯t afraid of being throttled by Ol¡¯ Xing, he¡¯d be afraid of Fang Zhi Ming¡¯s spirit causing trouble for him.


    ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, can¡¯t you see there¡¯s just been a big case? I really don¡¯t have anyone to spare. Why don¡¯t you accompany Consultant Lin and have a peaceful meal here!¡± Director Zheng said, once again pulling on Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Please do the exchange as quickly as possible so Consultant Lin and I can leave.¡± Xing Cong Lian emphasized again.


    ¡°Ah, Ol¡¯ Xing, don¡¯t be like that!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, considering that Consultant Lin didn¡¯t come to Yong Chuan for business, we were just walking around when we were treated as suspects and brought to the station. If this drags on, wouldn¡¯t it cause some criticism?¡± Xing Cong Lian said.


    Hearing him say that, Lin Chen finally understood that Xing Cong Lian¡¯s weird behavior and stiff attitude was in his defense.


    But he¡¯d been through this sort of small thing a lot. He never thought it was that urgent, so why was Xing Cong Lian so caught up about it?


    In the midst of Lin Chen¡¯s confusion, Director Zheng also finally started to understand from Xing Cong Lian¡¯s solemn expression, that if the situation today does not get resolved, things would be bad.


    So he let go of Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand, turning to face Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen was kind of shocked.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I am so very sorry. Today was a misunderstanding, please don¡¯t hold a grudge!¡±


    The middle-aged man sounded sincere, and after finishing his sentence, even bowed slightly to him, expressing his remorse.


    Lin Chen felt very embarrassed, after all, the Director was apologizing to him in person. He wanted to stand up and bow back, but Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand pressed down on his shoulder.


    From the weight of that hand, Lin Chen understood that Xing Cong Lian is telling him that you are not allowed to stand up, that this is something that should happen, and that you should take it.


    Since the other person had apologized, Xing Cong Lian no longer wore that cold expression.


    Once Director Zheng stood back up, he put away the file and said to Jiang Chao, ¡°Since Captain Jiang is busy, and Consultant Lin and I haven¡¯t slept for an entire night, we¡¯ll go rest first. Once you have time, come get us?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? You¡¯re leaving?!¡± Hearing this, Jiang Chao immediately looked aggravated.


    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving. If it¡¯s convenient, we can rest in the station¡¯s duty room.¡± Xing Cong Lian finished, finally looking at Lin Chen.


    Looking into his deep pupils, Lin Chen could only nod.


    Lin Chen felt that the atmosphere of the entire Yong Chuan branch was a little weird.


    For example, the Director apologized to him in person, and just now, when he was walking to the duty room with Xing Cong Lian, someone forcefully stuffed some candy into his hands.


    The light in the duty room was dim. Inside the small room, there were two simple bunks.


    Seeing a real bed, Lin Chen finally felt sleepy. He didn¡¯t complain about cleanliness, if he was tired, then he should sleep. So, he put the candy onto the bedside table, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed.


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t get into a bed, he sat back in a chair, feet up on another chair in a casual manner.


    ¡°Yong Chuan police doesn¡¯t seem to want to exchange Yang Dian Feng¡¯s case with you, why is that?¡± Remembering that with one file, Xing Cong Lian managed to make the other person bow down. After thinking for a bit, Lin Chen decided to still ask the question.


    ¡°Actually, it has nothing to do with the file.¡± Xing Cong Lian took off his uniform, covering himself with it, then turned to face him, ¡°It had to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing this answer, Lin Chen felt slightly surprised.


    ¡°Yong Chuan College¡¯s case, what do you think of it?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked, changing the topic.


    ¡°Very not simple.¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Can you go over it broadly?¡±


    ¡°Do you think finding three bodies stacked on top of each other under a banyan tree is shocking?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ¡°Then what is your first reaction when seeing a body buried on school grounds?¡±


    ¡°An ordinary murder.¡± Xing Cong Lian said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°A shocking story opens with a plain narration, what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Someone wants to write many twists and turns?¡± Xing Cong Lian suddenly started to understand a little about what Lin Chen meant. Even if the three people under the tree wanted to be buried alive, someone had to have covered up the last bit of soil with their own hands.


    ¡°And they¡¯ve done it.¡± Lin Chen said gently. But once he finished, he also understood what Xing Cong Lian meant. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Captain Jiang and the others?¡±


    ¡°They seem to really want you to stay to help with the investigation.¡± Xing Cong Lian said, feeling a bit helpless.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that important.¡± What Lin Chen meant was, the Director, wanting him to stay to assist with the investigation, came to apologize personally. Even if Sherlock Holmes was here, it would be hard for him to get this kind of treatment.


    Hearing what Lin Chen said, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze softened. He looked at the candy Lin Chen put down and gently said, ¡°Because before Fang Zhi Ming was transferred to the narcotics department, he worked here for ten years. Everyone here, including Director Zheng, used to be his coworkers.¡±


    ¡°You uncovered a corner of the truth, you saved their coworker from a vain death, and you rescued their coworker¡¯s daughter. To them, you are very important.¡±


    ¡°Housekeeper Chen can put pressure on the police, but no matter how big the pressure, it can¡¯t compare to what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°In this world, money might be able to buy you limitless followers and fake praise, but it will never buy you real respect.¡±


    ¡°You knew this, so¡­ you made Director Zheng apologize?¡±


    ¡°When did I make him do that?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked, dumbfounded, ¡°You think Director Zheng came down stairs in person, just to tell Captain Jiang off? He knew he ordered you to be captured, so he came to make it up to you, he just didn¡¯t get the opportunity to speak.¡±


    ¡°So, they were acting, just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Yong Chuan Second Branch¡¯s specialty.¡±


    Lin Chen leaned against the bed, feeling that this police station¡¯s atmosphere really is a bit bizarre.


    ¡°Not used to it?¡± Xing Cong Lian said suddenly, looking at the person in deep thought on the bed.


    Lin Chen thought for a bit, then nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it slowly.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian finished, and turned off the light above the bed. ¡°Rest well, they won¡¯t let us go later.¡±


    The thick curtains had been carefully drawn together. Inside the room, there seemed to be almost no light.


    He quickly heard even breathing coming from his side.


    Lin Chen reached out and grabbed a candy from the bedside table, unwrapping it.


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s breathing slowly became longer.


    Lin Chen placed the candy in his mouth.


    Actually, you don¡¯t need to do this, because¡­ it¡¯ll be hard for me to control myself¡­

 CH 46

    Three Graves 09


    Inside the room came the soft sound of rustled paper.


    Lin Chen flipped over and thought that the head of his bed was rather dark. Xing Cong Lian was sitting in the shadow, illuminated by a bit of light. He seemed to be reading something, so Lin Chen woke up.


    There was another person in the room. Jiang Chao sat in the chair across from Xing Cong Lian, brows furrowed deeply.


    He flipped open his cover a bit and sat up.


    ¡°Awake?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze landed on him, his expression hard to read.


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Just past 12.¡±


    Hearting that, Lin Chen did some calculations. They only slept for an hour and a half, Xing Cong Lian might have slept for shorter. Seeing Jiang Chao¡¯s expression, it seems like he had discovered important information, and that¡¯s why he was forced to interrupt their sleep.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Captain Jiang has determined the identities of the three victims.¡±


    ¡°That was fast.¡±


    ¡°One of the victims¡¯ fingerprints were already in the police database, the other two are a student and a worker from Yong Chuan College, so the results came out quickly.¡± Xing Cong Lian passed two papers from his file to Lin Chen, ¡°Take a look.¡±


    Lin Chen was a bit shocked. This case was under the jurisdiction of a different police team, from a procedural standpoint, it should be improper for them to intervene. However, Xing Cong Lian wasn¡¯t ignorant of the severity of the situation. Seeing Jiang Chao¡¯s appearance, it seems like he really needed their help.


    Why?


    He lowered his head and began to read the two pages he had.


    This case had three victims. In his hands were the profiles of two of them.


    Li Sa, male, 28 years old, an only child. After graduating middle school, he left his village to work. Before his death, he was a painter in the Yong Chuan College Logistics Department.


    Wang Shi Shi, female, 19 years old, a math major at Yong Chuan College. She was the oldest daughter in her family, with a younger brother. Her family status was high, both parents were lawyers.


    Just from looking at their profiles, Li Sa and Wang Shi Shi were far apart in both age and social class. The man was too plain and ordinary, while the woman was as brilliant as jewels. How did these two people cross paths, and what did they do to result in both of them buried under that banyan tree?


    Stopping his thoughts there, Lin Chen gently pinched the corner of the paper and turned to look at what was in Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hands.


    Then, what¡¯s up with the third victim?


    ¡°Just now, you said one of the victims¡¯ fingerprints was in the police database. Whose was it?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Cong Lian specifically mentioned that the prints were in the police database instead of the citizen files, this point was weird.


    ¡°The last victim¡¯s.¡± Jiang Chao rushed to answer first.


    Lin Chen thought back to the last body removed from under the tree. It seemed like it was a 40-something female, and so he asked, ¡°Why were her fingerprints recorded?¡±


    ¡°Because of a robbery.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze paused slightly, as if reading something unbelievable. He lifted his head to look at Jiang Chao and said with disbelief, ¡°Cheng Wei Wei¡­ Ya Qin Jewelry?¡±


    T/N: Ya Qin Jewelry is a jewelry retailer


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen this name before, somewhere!¡±


    As he spoke, Xing Cong Lian passed the final victim profile to Lin Chen, while he reached back to flip through Yang Dian Feng¡¯s case file that Hong Jing brought.


    Lin Chen lowered his head. The woman in the picture wore a professional outfit, her hair was curled, and her eyes gleamed with charm.


    Cheng Wei Wei, female, 38 years old. A graduate of An Yang Academy, she was the assistant of the CEO of Ya Qin Jewelry. Her parents were ordinary, retired employees.


    He laid the three files down in front of him. Naturally, Cheng Wei Wei, Li Sa, and Wang Shi Shi were all very different.


    ¡°The Extraordinary 723 Highway Robbery?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked Jiang Chao, as he drew a set of papers from the file.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Ol¡¯ Xing, you know of it as well?¡± Jiang Chao sniffled, ¡°It¡¯s an open case from last year. We couldn¡¯t crack it. At the end of the year, everyone in the station got their bonus deducted. Don¡¯t you think we have it so hard?!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian wasn¡¯t listening to Jiang Chao complain, he was rapidly scanning through the file, and of course, the three words, ¡°Cheng Wei Wei¡± appeared.


    On July 23, Ya Qin Jewelry bought a batch of diamonds from South Africa, worth nearly a hundred million dollars. Falcon Security Company was hired to escort the shipment. On the morning of July 23, Yi Qin Jewelry CEO and his assistant, along with two security guards, took the plane from Johannesburg, South Africa back to Yong Chuan. The plane arrived at 10 PM on the 23rd, and Falcon Security sent two armored vehicles and eight security guards to pick them up and bring the shipment to Yi Qin headquarters. However, the security vehicles were robbed on the highway.


    Nine people inside the car unfortunately met their doom, and the millions of dollars of diamonds disappeared into thin air. Only one person was fortunate enough to escape.


    That person was Cheng Wei Wei.


    ¡°Nine people died, with only Cheng Wei Wei surviving. Did you guys not suspect her?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked Jiang Chao, while handing the papers to Lin Chen.


    ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, how could you say that? How could we not suspect her? But us police need what? Evidence!¡± Jiang Chao picked up a bottle of water from his feet and furiously took a gulp, ¡°We tried attacking from different points. There were ten interrogations, and she still wouldn¡¯t let anything slip. We looked through her communication records, contacts, we even searched her house three times and couldn¡¯t find a single piece of evidence! What could we do but let her go?¡±


    ¡°Did she say why the robbers didn¡¯t kill her?¡± Lin Chen asked, suddenly.


    ¡°She said the robbers didn¡¯t touch her because she was a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°What a gentleman.¡± Xing Cong Rong laughed dryly.


    ¡°That explanation shouldn¡¯t have been enough for you guys to let her go.¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Of course. But did you guys know, in the two cars, the other nine people were all dead, bodies beaten to a pulp, yet she didn¡¯t have a scratch on her. When the police got there, she was just sitting in a bloody car, not saying a word.¡± Jiang Chao clenched his jaw, ¡°The first few days, we couldn¡¯t get her to say anything. Later, she only said that the robbers just didn¡¯t touch her, there was no reason. Then she also said, if she was a plant, how did she get away scot free? Wouldn¡¯t having her beaten half to death let her seem less suspicious?¡± Jiang Chao pat his thigh, ¡°She really made some fucking sense!¡±


    ¡°Then did you send people to trail her?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°Of course. How could I not trail her? We trailed her for a whole three months, but we still couldn¡¯t find any leads. Even the boss was starting to think this woman was innocent!¡± Jiang Chao said angrily. He took another swig of water. Maybe the cold water helped him calm down. He then looked at Xing Cong Lian, stunned, ¡°Wait, you just pulled something out of your file. Fuck, this doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Yang Dian Feng¡¯s case, does it?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian lifted his head, his eyes revealed a rarely seen helplessness, ¡°How unlucky, it really does.¡±


    ¡°Did Falcon Security¡¯s cars have road safety classification warning systems installed?¡± Jiang Chao¡¯s jaw almost dropped off of his face.


    Lin Chen scanned the papers and said, ¡°Not only were they installed, but after Wang Chao¡¯s system investigation, they found that Falcon Security¡¯s travel history on July 23rd had been altered.¡±


    ¡°Shit, then doesn¡¯t that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no evidence of the deaths.¡± Lin Chen finished coldly.


    The room sank into an uncomfortable silence once again.


    Jiang Chao squeezed his water bottle, making a squeeze that made everyone¡¯s skin crawl, again and again. ¡°Then, did Cheng Wei Wei get killed to silence her¡­?¡± Jiang Chao paused, as if looking for the right wording, ¡°Because, you guys came¡­ so¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes met Xing Cong Lian¡¯s.


    ¡°We can¡¯t rule that possibility out.¡± Lin Chen said.


    Hearing that, Jiang Chao¡¯s low mood instantly lifted. ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean we can investigate the cases together?¡± He sprang up, taking wide strides across the room. He opened the door, turning back to shout towards the two people on the bed, ¡°You guys are not allowed to leave! You guys caused this. I¡¯m going to report to the director, hear that? You are not allowed to move until I get back!¡±


    After he said that, he took off, leaving the two people in the room to stare at each other.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    ¡°That reasoning is too far-fetched. How can he say that we caused trouble?¡±


    ¡°Captain Jiang is¡­ easily excitable.¡± Xing Cong Lian paused, then asked, ¡°But, do you really think this reasoning is far-fetched? I¡¯m talking about¡­ the connection between the death of Cheng Wei Wei and us bringing this dossier to Yong Chuan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Lin Chen shook his head, ¡°First, we need to find the cause of death. If it¡¯s murder¡­¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    A voice from the door interrupted Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen looked up to find the forensic expert. He was standing by the door, holding a small stack of reports.


    ¡°It¡¯s not murder.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Dirt particles were found in the three victims¡¯ lungs. At the same time, there were no sedatives, hallucinogens, nor tranquilizers found in their system. Other than on their hands, there were no other wounds found on their body, no head trauma, no strangulation marks, not even scratches on their skin¡­¡± The forensic expert slowly walked into the room, gazing downwards at Lin Chen, ¡°That is to say, the three people were awake and aware when being buried, plus¡­¡±


    ¡°There was no struggle.¡± Lin Chen finished bleakly.


    ¡°You are correct.¡± The forensic expert handed over the autopsy report and said, ¡°They were buried alive.¡±


    Even though his hypothesis was confirmed, Lin Chen did not feel an ounce of joy.


    If Cheng Wei Wei, Li Sa, and Wang Shi Shi were alert when being buried, and there was no struggle, then that means these three people might have done this voluntarily.


    Recalling the calm, yet satisfied expressions on the three people¡¯s faces, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill down his back.


    Then, under what circumstances would three people willingly lay down in a cold, wet grave, and get covered by layers and layers of dirt until their breathing stopped, ending their lives?


    Why did these three victims, whose age and family backgrounds differed so much, accompany each other to their deaths? And does Cheng Wei Wei¡¯s death have anything to do with the cruel robbery that happened months ago?


    ¡°Did you¡­¡± Lin Chen lifted his head to look at Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Tell me to sleep earlier means that you knew, from the start, that we wouldn¡¯t be sleeping tonight?¡± He said.

 CH 47

    Chapter 47: Three Graves 10


    CW: mentions of suicide


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t think what he casually said could become a prophecy.


    Captain Jiang had yet to return from the station¡¯s office when the people looking for him arrived at the duty room.


    A round-faced little officer barged in, face red, shouting, ¡°Boss, Boss, not good, Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother is making a ruckus at the school! The school security room can¡¯t hold them back, they¡¯re asking us to go help.¡±


    Lin Chen was still sitting on the bed, reading over the autopsy with the forensic expert. Hearing this, the forensic expert looked towards the door and reprimanded him, ¡°Ma Han, can you stop being startled at every little thing? What happened? Slow down!¡±


    Lin Chen turned to look at Xing Cong Lian, face full of disbelief, ¡°What does Ma Han have to do with your Wang Chao?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all living treasures.¡± Xing Cong Lian smiled, organizing the files on his knee.


    What a proper summary¡­


    Little comrade Ma Han said, ¡°I can¡¯t slow down, I can¡¯t slow down! If I go any slower, someone will die! The reporters are there, where did our Boss run off to?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here!¡±


    Hearing that, Ma Han stiffly turned around to see Vice Captain Jiang with a cigarette, a hand against the door frame, and a look that said ¡°Why the hell are you looking for me?¡±


    Ma Han cleverly clung onto Jiang Chao, shouting, ¡°Boss, something is happening at Yong Chuan College. The victim¡¯s mother called the reporters saying the school¡¯s teachers and students caused the death of her daughter. She wants the school to give a statement. I heard her methods are very professional, she might have a background in healthcare disturbance. How scary!¡±


    T/N: Healthcare disturbance, aka Yi Nao, is ¡°the organized disturbance of hospitals/medical staff, usually to obtain compensation for actual or perceived medical malpractice.¡± ¨C From Wikipedia


    ¡°Wang Shi Shi¡¯s parents are both lawyers.¡± Lin Chen volunteered.


    ¡°Fuck, this is scarier than healthcare disturbance!¡± said Jiang Chao, now understanding the situation. He pried the little officer off of himself and said to Xing Cong Lian, ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian nodded, put on his uniform and stood up swiftly. At the same time he buttoned his last button, Lin Chen also finished getting out of bed and tying his shoelaces.


    ¡°Do you think our station is more normal?¡± He looked back to ask.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lin Chen said after some thought.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Yong Chuan College, entrance.


    Under the towering white marble sign, two groups of people stood in a confrontation.


    One of them, wearing navy uniforms, were the school¡¯s security guards. The other, wearing grieving linens, held a banner and had Joss paper and pictures scattered around the floor.


    T/N: Joss paper, aka ghost or spirit money, are sheets of paper burned at funerals (and other ceremonies) to give the deceased money in the afterlife.


    Their cries filled the air.


    Vice Principal Xu Guo Qing stood under the sun with a splitting headache.


    When he saw Lin Chen, he only thought of him as bothersome, but seeing this woman now, he finally understood the meaning of ¡°hard to deal with¡±.


    Truth be told, it¡¯s not like he hasn¡¯t seen parents cause a scene. It¡¯s a big school, students are bound to get into situations like this. Something happens to their child and parents come running to make trouble, to put it bluntly, for money.


    But Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother is different. This woman, from the beginning, did not once mention money. She only wanted justice, she wanted the school to give her justice.


    The woman looked distraught, kneeling on the floor, hair in a mess, eyes red. In her hand, she held a portrait of the deceased. She didn¡¯t cry, she only sat in silence, making people feel even more distraught for her.


    Above her head was the white marble sign Yong Chuan College erected when it was built. On it was carved the two words ¡°Just and Peace¡±. That woman just so happened to be sitting below ¡°Just¡±. The weather was great, the sun was shining, but the shadow of the marble sign covered her. Because of that, the scene gave a very shocking impression.


    Beyond the two groups of people were the lenses of the reporters. They were all aimed at the woman in the marble sign¡¯s shadow, shutters clicking nonstop, thinking about how to write this news article to have maximum impact.


    Xu Guo Qing cleared his throat, speaking once again, ¡°Wang Shi Shi¡¯s Mom, you bringing people here to cause trouble has interfered with the school¡¯s normal operations. This is illegal, you know?¡±


    Mother Wang viciously lifted her head and sternly replied, ¡°Law? You want to talk to me about law? I entrusted my daughter¡¯s life to you, and now she has died in the school. Is this Yong Chuan College¡¯s law?¡±


    She spoke like she was in a courtroom. Xu Guo Qing was speechless. The crowd of witnesses also started to increase.


    Not only the newspaper reporters there, even the television reporters had started to appear. The cameramen carried their cameras from the car and ran towards Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, getting 360 shots of the situation.


    Xu Guo Qing¡¯s tone could only soften, ¡°Then how about this? You say you want justice, then you need to give the police time to investigate. No matter what the issue is, whether Wang Shi Shi committed suicide or was murdered, we need to listen to the police¡­¡±


    ¡°My daughter committed suicide. She was pushed to death by the teachers and students of this school!¡± Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother stood up from the ground. Her left hand held her daughter¡¯s portrait, while her right hand pointed at the words ¡°Yong Chuan College¡± above the school gate, ¡°All you have in this century old, renowned school, are disgusting imbeciles!¡±


    She stood straight up, with a graceful demeanor. When accusing the school, she looked brave and fearless, like a statue. The shutters at the scene once again started clicking nonstop.


    At that moment, the school doors that had been shut tightly suddenly opened. Someone was walking out from the school.


    It was an old person, wearing reading glasses and a very typical old person outfit. He walked to Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, with his hands behind his back, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    His tone was very calm and gentle, as if it were an old man asking a young child by the road why they were crying.


    Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother inhaled, but realized she couldn¡¯t bring herself to raise her voice at this old man. Her gaze darted to Xu Guo Qing, only to see Principal Xu also shocked about the appearance of the old man. She finally asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m one of the old professors at Yong Chuan College.¡± The old man turned around and arrived in front of the security guard. He patted the head security guard on the waist and asked, ¡°What are you guys doing here, blocking the entrance?¡±


    The head security guard bowed towards the old man, ¡°Principal, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Me? I heard there were a lot of people at the school entrance, so I came to check it out.¡± The old man laughed.


    The security guard called him Principal, yet it wasn¡¯t Principal Zhang or Principal Li. So that means, the old man must be Yong Chuan College¡¯s only headmaster.


    ¡°Su An Zhi! You are Su An Zhi!¡± Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother thought for a bit, then pointed at the back of the old man and said loudly, ¡°You¡¯ve finally appeared!¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me.¡± The old man turned around again, calmly facing the woman¡¯s accusing finger.


    When Lin Chen arrived, that was the scene he saw.


    His teacher standing in the middle of a crowed, a middle-aged woman pointing at his face, cameras flashing from the sidelines, and cameramen filming the scene.


    Jiang Chao stopped the car.


    He opened the car door, about to get off, but Xing Cong Lian held down his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re not fit to appear in this situation.¡± Xing Cong Lian said.


    Hearing that, Lin Chen glanced at the old man at the school entrance, then turned around to glare at the face of the mixed-race young man.


    Lin Chen¡¯s expression was very serious, maybe even a bit nervous. Xing Cong Lian had never seen this before. He looked at the old man standing with his hands behind his back at the school entrance and realized, perhaps, the old man might be the ¡°Ol¡¯ Grandpa¡± Lin Chen and Fu Hao always mention. And the woman pointing and reprimanding the old man, unsurprisingly, was Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡± He gave Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder a pat and exited the car.


    The arrival of the police was like water in a pot of oil, a spark in dry tinder. The school entrance instantaneously exploded.


    The reporters already heard about the three bodies found under a tree near Yong Chuan College¡¯s pond. However, the school¡¯s security was tight and prohibited reporters from entering the school to investigate. The police spokesperson also kept their lips tight about the matter, so the reporters were quite worried about the lack of an information channel. Now, the police were here, the reporter running the criminal line took one look at the license plate and knew it was the car of Captain Jiang of the second branch. He quickly swung the camera around to aim at the two officers getting ready to get out of the car.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening, what¡¯s happening? Why are there so many people gathered around the school entrance? School is a sacred place, a place where knowledge is broadcast. Everyone needs to show some respect to each other.¡± Jiang Chao was a wily old man. He didn¡¯t ask for any explanation, he just acted like he didn¡¯t know why there were so many people around the school entrance. He lifted his hand to shoo people away.


    ¡°Captain Jiang, Captain Jiang, can you reveal some details about the case?¡±


    ¡°Has there been a huge breakthrough in the case?¡±


    ¡°Were the three victims found in the school murdered or did they commit suicide?¡±


    ¡°The mother of the victim Wang Shi Shi just revealed to us that the culprit is in the school. Is the culprit one of the school¡¯s teachers or students?¡±


    Jiang Chao looked at the reporters surrounding him and mysteriously beckoned with his hands, ¡°Come, come, let me tell you.¡±


    The reporters, seeing this, all gathered around.


    ¡°Just write it like this, our reporters, citing a police spokesperson, say, ¡®This case is being investigated with the utmost efforts, information about the case cannot be revealed at this time¡¯.¡±


    Jiang Chao finished and didn¡¯t stick around to see how the reporters reacted. His expression darkened and came face-to-face with Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother. Xing Cong Lian followed him without saying a word.


    Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, whose combat power is naturally superior, was also very methodical. She didn¡¯t face Jiang Chao head-on, rather, she targeted the old man in front of her and shouted, ¡°What? You¡¯ve called the police here? The teachers and students of your school pushed my daughter to death, and now you won¡¯t even let me speak?¡±


    Jiang Chao stood behind Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, since she wouldn¡¯t look at him. He was able to handle reporters with ease, but against such a headstrong woman, he felt a little helpless.


    Xing Cong Lian glanced at Jiang Chao and stepped up, ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you have any issues, you can report them to us police officers.¡±


    Hearing that, Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother turned to scan Xing Cong Lian from head to toe.


    Without waiting for her to speak, Xing Cong Lian said, ¡°If you have some key evidence, I hope you won¡¯t mind sharing them with the police to help speed up the investigation.¡±


    His tone was even and the scene gradually quieted down. The reporters once again aimed their cameras at Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother.


    People like to gossip, even the bystanders¡¯ gazes eagerly observed, as if to say, ¡°If you have evidence, then show it.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s words lightly pushed Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother to the front of the stage again.


    The bystanders¡¯ gazes were uncomfortable.


    The woman clenched her jaw, as if she had made a decision, her tone was firm, ¡°My daughter committed suicide. She was forced to by the school!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you have evidence of that?¡± Xing Cong Lian followed.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± The woman stopped, face flushed, and finally, she cried out, ¡°These beasts! They spread my daughter¡¯s nude photos around the school! My daughter couldn¡¯t stand the shame, and that¡¯s why she killed herself!¡±

 CH 48.1

    Three Graves 11.1


    CW: mentions of suicide


    In front of Yong Chuan College, more and more bystanders were starting to gather.


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s expression, hearing those words, turned stiff. He turned to look at the school¡¯s security guards. The guards looked at each other, not seeming to know about it.


    ¡°Do you have photographs you can provide the photographs to the police?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother was about to hand over the photographs when she jerked her hand up, displaying the photographs high in the air, shouting, ¡°Young Chuan College¡¯s so-called ¡®talented students¡¯, spread my daughter¡¯s photos without permission, while the school sat around and did nothing, forcing my poor daughter to her death!¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Cong Lian hurriedly stepped in front of the woman, blocking the reporters¡¯ cameras, as well as the flashing lights that would tear down the last of hte girl¡¯s dignity.


    ¡°Please give the photos to me.¡± He said.


    Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother had no idea that the police¡¯s attitude would be so unyielding. She lifted her head, glaring at the officer in front of her, saying, ¡°What? Is the police trying to shield the school too?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian looked down at the woman in front of him, his gaze turning cold.


    In this world, how can there be a mother who loves her daughter, yet before her body was cold, cause trouble at a school, and in front of a huge audience, show off said daughter¡¯s nude photos? What she wants is only to use this opportunity to get the media to blow the event up, then, using the power of public opinion, blackmail the school, squeezing out every last drop of her daughter¡¯s blood.


    Thinking of this, he squinted slightly, his eyes displaying a deep, biting threat, ¡°This has nothing to do with shielding any side. This only has to do with whether or not it concerns the law. If you don¡¯t hand over the pictures, I will arrest you for spreading obscene materials.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The woman could only say this one word, and nothing more.


    She had a lot she could say, for example, she could accuse the police of abuse of power, or complain that the police were bullying a weak woman like her. No matter if it was on laws or on morality, she had a lot she could say.


    But at that moment, she suddenly realized that this officer meant every word he said, he really would put handcuffs on her in front of the audience.


    Truth be told, as a lawyer, getting handcuffed by the police is a very honorable thing. However, the police in front of her had an attitude that was too serious, too solemn. She could even detect in this kind of attitude, an extraordinary sense of iron-bloodedness. This made it almost impossible to think of resisting. Her hands shook almost uncontrollably, and she subconsciously handed over that thick stack of photos.


    Xing Cong Lian lowered his head, accepting the photos with both hands. He looked at the woman¡¯s pale face and said blandly, ¡°Thank you for your trust, the police will put all their power into the investigation.¡±


    He finished and didn¡¯t look at the woman¡¯s face again. He handed the photos to Jiang Chao.


    Seeing Xing Cong Lian turn around, the woman suddenly clenched her fist. One threat of spreading obscene materials blocked her chances of bringing those photographs out again. How dare this police officer speak to the victim¡¯s family like that!


    If she couldn¡¯t bring out those photos again, the reporters won¡¯t pay that much attention to her daughter¡¯s death, and she will have lost her best bargaining chip against the school.


    Now that the situation has been blown this big, she won¡¯t have another chance to cause trouble. No matter what, she needed to do it all in one go. She didn¡¯t know where she found the courage, but to Xing Cong Lian¡¯s back, she coldly said, ¡°Hehe, I knew you wouldn¡¯t give a statement to us, the victim¡¯s family!¡±


    ¡°What kind of statement do you want?¡± Xing Cong Lian turned around to ask.


    His gaze was sharp, his words like knives. The woman was forced to turn around, only daring to glare at the old man standing in front of the school gates, shouting, ¡°Something like this happened at the school. My daughter has been forced to her death. Is this not due to the neglicence of the school? Is it just going to end like this?¡±


    ¡°Having something like this happen, the school, of course, has an unavoidable responsibility¡­¡± At that moment, the old man standing to the side opened his mouth.


    ¡°If you¡¯re responsible, then are you just going to talk about it?!¡± The woman felt gleeful. Since the school is admitting to the wrong, then she can ask for whatever compensation she wants. But before she could open her mouth, the old man suddenly stood up.


    ¡°As the Headmaster of the school, I apologize to you, on the school¡¯s behalf.¡± The old man said, as he bent forward. It was a 90 degree bow, solemn and ceremonial.


    The flashes came in a wave.


    Lin Chen sat in the car, looking at the teacher bowing in the middle of the crowd, his hand tightly squeezed the door handle, knuckles white, veins bulging.


    ¡°Headmaster!¡±


    ¡°Teacher Su!¡±


    The surrounding faculty and staff of Yong Chuan College felt pain in their hearts, and called out one after another. Xu Guo Qing rushed to support the old man, but was firmly rejected by the old man.


    The woman didn¡¯t expect the apology from Yong Chuan College would come so freely and sincerely. It was like she lost her reason to continue making a scene. But since the situation had escalated to here, she coudln¡¯t turn back, she could only continue to barrel forward, ¡°Do you think an apology can fix the issue?¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Cong Lian¡¯s gaze returned from the police car on the side of the road. He looked at the emotional teachers and students standing in the crowd and said to the woman in front of him, ¡°Since the Headmaster is here, if you have any requests, go ahead and say them here. Us police can bear witness for you.¡±


    His voice was deep, but clear, suppressing the noise at the scene.


    In an instant, everything was quiet. Everyone¡¯s attention was once again on the woman wearing the mourning linens. The reporters moved their microphones forward slightly, as if waiting for her to speak.


    The woman¡¯s heart trembled, watching that scorching gaze. She imagined cutting the officer in front of her up a million times. What did he mean say them here? What did he mean bear witness? This officer clearly knew she wanted compensation, yet he¡¯s forcing her to ask in front of the general public. In this situation, how could she directly ask for money?


    She retreated two steps, cradling her head, and softly said, ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­if there are any problems, I want to talk about them in the office.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t respond, he only looked at the old man.


    Old Headmaster Su, receiving the signal, humbly said, ¡°Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, if you have any requests, please let this old man know right now. Anything I can do, I will do to the best of my ability, but if you want to bring it up later¡­¡±


    Meaning, once you pass the village, there won¡¯t be another shop like this.


    T/N: a Chinese idiom that means once you miss the opportunity, you won¡¯t get it again


    The woman made a decision and asked directly, ¡°I want Yong Chuan College to compensate ten million.¡±


    Finishing her sentence, she didn¡¯t care about the sharp noises coming from the crowd, she only stubbornly gazed at that police officer.


    My daughter died, you should compensate me!


    However, the moment she lifted her head, she met the gaze of that officer. In that gaze that swept across here, there was no mocking, no ridicule, there didn¡¯t even seem to a feeling of contempt. It was unnaturally calm, as calm as the mountains are tall, as the oceans were deep. It made it hard to breathe.


    So she really did want money!


    Although everyone knew from the start, the daughter¡¯s body had yet to cool, yet her mother was already asking for ten million in front of the public. This couldn¡¯t just be described as ¡°shameless¡±, this was basically like eating human blood buns, and it¡¯s the mom that¡¯s dipping every bite into her daughter¡¯s fresh blood.


    The reporters took their pictures, but only felt a wave of disgust. In their hearts, they silently dismissed their original headlines, replacing it with something like ¡°The Frail Daughter¡¯s Bones had yet to Cool, yet the Cruel Mother is Already Asking for Ten Million in Compensation¡±.


    The situation had reversed.


    ¡°The victim¡¯s family has requested compensation, then, Headmaster Su, what will you do?¡± Xing Cong Lian¡¯s face was blank, impartial as always.


    ¡°Well, we still want to hear the results of the investigation.¡± Mr. Su bowed slightly and said, ¡°but ten million in compensation is hard to achieve, forgive me.¡±


    Hearing this, Want Shi Shi¡¯s mother suddenly raised her eyebrows, turning around to start trouble again.


    But before she could open her mouth, Xing Cong Lian bowed down slightly and asked the old man: ¡°Then, what if the victim¡¯s family continue to protest at the school gate? What will you do?¡±


    The old man glanced at Xing Cong Lian, as if to say, why are you asking such a stupid question, ¡°Then let them. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Hearing this, the people nearby, whether they were bystanders, reporters, teachers, students, and even Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, were very shocked.


    ¡°It won¡¯t affect the school¡¯s normal teaching operations?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked, after a short pause.


    ¡°Are they bored?¡± The old man asked in return.


    Xing Cong Lian thought, this really is Lin Chen¡¯s teacher, he doesn¡¯t play by the rules.


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°In school, you should focus on studying. Does this even have anything to do with them? If some random gust of wind blowing some grass around distracts you from studying, then can you call yourself a student of Yong Chuan College?¡± The old man¡¯s voice was bright, yet his tone was strict. It was like he was mad at Xing Cong Lian. He finished speaking, waved his hand, and walked away in a huff.


    Xing Cong Lian was practically wronged, but he understood clearly. What the old man said was not so much an answer to his question, rather, it was said for the students and teachers of the school. The old man¡¯s message was simple:


    You are scholars of Yong Chuan, you should be tough and unwavering in your spirit.


    It was unclear if it was the effect of the old man¡¯s words, or the hateable, threatening face of the woman, but the scholars of Yong Chuan, seeing this dramatic scene, have gone from the initial shock and curiosity, to calm and indifference. Yeah, they are the students of a renowned school, the proud sons of heaven. How could they have time to waste on this curious show? They just wanted to take a look at the excitement. Whoever wants to act in it can do so, they don¡¯t have the time to accompany the actors anyway.


    Thinking to here, the students gathered around the entrance started following the headmaster¡¯s footsteps and started to disperse. Even the onlookers felt that it was detrimental to keep looking, so they gradually started to leave.


    Originally possessing quite the attitude, seeing everything collapse at a single touch, the woman¡¯s face turned red and green. It was thrilling.


    She didn¡¯t expect Yong Chuan College to be unafraid of embarrassment and possess such a tough attitude. What was even more unexpected was how extremely skillful the officer in front of her was. His best trick was securing the photographs quickly, this way, he could act impartial from the start. First, he forced the photographs off of her, then made her dictate her offer on scene, and finally, draw out a statement from the school. With such a clever measure, it was a shame he wasn¡¯t a politician!


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine! Just wait for the attorney¡¯s letter!¡± The woman pointed at Xing Cong Lian, the old man, and Vice Principal Xu, one by one, with every word.


    Xing Cong Lian laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the address in a bit, to make it easy for you to send your letter¡­but for now, we still need you to cooperate with the investigation.


    His voice was extremely polite, but it was harsh to the woman¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Why do I have to cooperate with the investigation? Did I do something wrong? You want to randomly arrest people?!¡± She said in a flustered tone, ¡°I have to right to not cooperate!¡±


    ¡°Because right now, the photos I have in my hand belong to you, Madame Wang. So, according to the <


    >, people who spread obscene materials, in less serious cases, will be sentenced to five days or less, or fined five hundred yuan or less¡­Of course, I know, this is important evidence you¡¯ve provided to the police, so I hope you can come down to the station to give a statement¡­¡±


    T/N: 500 RMB is roughly 78 USD


    The softer his voice became, the less merciless his words.


    He means to say, either you were purposefully spreading obscene material, and I¡¯ll arrest you, or you were kindly providing information to the police, so please follow my back to the station for questioning¡­


    The woman lifted her head, feeling as if the heroic officer in front of her was the scariest demon. She felt helpless from her chest to her throat, and she couldn¡¯t speak for a long while.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Xing Cong Lian, now holding the photographs, once again returned to the police car.


    Lin Chen sat in the back seat, gazing at his handsome and sharp profile, speechless for a long time.


    Xing Cong Lian, as if nothing had happened, naturally split those photos in half and handed them to Lin Chen, ¡°What do you think about these photos? Did Want Shi Shi really kill herself because she couldn¡¯t withstand the gossip?¡±


    Lin Chen was awoken from his trance by those words and looked down at the photos.


    In the picture, Wang Shi Shi¡¯s naked body was tangled with two others, one of which was Li Sa. But the weird thing is, the other person wasn¡¯t Cheng Wei Wei.


    ¡°These pictures were taken from a video?¡±


    ¡°Who cares?! Why not just ask Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother?!¡± Jiang Chao just sent someone to bring Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother back to the station. Hearing Lin Chen, he violently pulled open the car door, grasping Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hands, agitatedly saying, ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing you are too bold today. I can¡¯t believe you would accuse the victim¡¯s mother of spreading obscene materials. You¡¯ve got guts!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian acted as if it was no big deal, ¡°It¡¯s Yong Chual after all. If something were to happen, Captain Jiang could carry the responsibility.¡± He said.


    Jiang Chao felt a chill down his back and quickly changed the subject, ¡°What¡¯s up with these photos? Are there any leads?¡±


    ¡°These pictures seem to be captured from a video¡­We just don¡¯t know if these pictures are the originals, or if they¡¯ve been altered by Photoshop.¡±


    ¡°Shit, our tech department got moved to handle a huge online fraud case, there¡¯s no one here to do work!¡±


    Hearing that, Xing Cong Lian felt Lin Chen give him a weird look.


    Well, as expected, good things come in pairs.


    ¡°The technician from our station may be free¡­¡± he said.

 CH 48.2

    Three Graves 11.2


    CW: mentions of suicide


    The magnificent spring landscape is still a warm scene.


    In the renovated Yan Family alley stood the parasols of the two neighboring businesses. At the entrance of the alley, under a large, black parasol, sat a young man wearing a backwards baseball cap.


    On the young man¡¯s knee sat a female calico cat. With one hand, he was rubbing the cat¡¯s head, the other was tightly holding his phone. His gaze was stuck firmly to the screen, as if he were playing some interesting game. He didn¡¯t relax for a second. However, at that moment, his phone suddenly started vibrating.


    The young man stared at the incoming phone number, wearlily pressing accept.


    ¡°Hey, handsome, I¡¯m on break. Put 1000 dollars in my Nuan Nuan Account, then you can talk to me.¡±


    T/N: A Nuan Nuan account is used for microtransactions on a particular dress-up mobile game (Love Nikki)


    ¡°When did you start playing these kinds of games?¡± He furrowed his brows and put down his phone. He opened his online banking app.


    ¡°I suddenly realized that dress-up games are really interesting! It¡¯s so cute, so cute, so cute!¡± Wang Chao happily explained. Before he could finish, however, he heard a notification go off on his phone. Looking at his phone, a message told him that he just received a 1000 yuan transfer.


    ¡°Oh fuck, Boss, what¡¯s up with this? You¡¯re making this humble job terrifying!¡±


    ¡°Your vacation has been canceled. Take the money and get a ticket to Yong Chuan City, then go report to Yong Chuan Second Branch.¡±


    ¡°Boss, has something big happened? Is our Ah-Chen alright?¡±


    ¡°The Yong Chuan department has a pile of cases, they need our assistance.¡± Xing Cong Lian glanced at Lin Chen besides him, and said ¡°I have some pictures, I need you to determine whether or not they¡¯ve been altered. Additionally, I need you to search the internet for videos relating to the contents of the picture. I¡¯ve sent the stuff to your inbox.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Under the black parasol, the young man, in public, opened the picture in his inbox. Looking at the large photos, he cried out, inexplicably excited, ¡°Oh fuck, Boss did you finally get transferred to the anti-pornography department? This case is kinky!¡±


    Maybe it was because of Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother causing trouble at school that made Xing Cong Lian not crack jokes with Wang Chao as usual. Instead, he solemnly spoke into the phone, saying, ¡°Two people in the picture are deceased, there¡¯s one person remaining that hasn¡¯t been identified. I¡¯ve put a mark on her, you should go compare it with the database.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­it¡¯s a homicide case?¡± Hearing this, Wang Chao rapidly scanned through the picture and said, ¡°If I tell you right now that this picture is an original, and it¡¯s taken from a complete video, then does that mean I don¡¯t have to go to Yong Chuan?!¡±


    ¡°No problem, then Ah-Chen and I will enjoy this five-star hotel penthouse and buffet on our own?¡± Xing Cong Lian said, as if he were about to hang up.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± A distressed shriek sounded from the phone.


    Lin Chen had grown accustomed to the preppy little comrade, Wang Chao. Conversely, Jiang Chao, who had been listening from the side, could barely keep his mouth closed. ¡°He¡¯s that skilled? He can tell it¡¯s an original from a glance?¡±


    ¡°He is quite experienced in this field.¡± Xing Cong Lian answered, and glanced at Lin Chen, asking, ¡°What¡¯s up? You¡¯ve haven¡¯t spoken in some time, now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very weird¡­¡± Lin Chen said blankly.


    Very weird, very suspicious, very unexpected¡­


    These words weren¡¯t enough to describe the case in front of them. If this picture was taken from a full video, then from the shooting point of view, there were four people in the room filming this scene. Then, Wang Chao was right, this picture, regardless of the content or the shooting angle, was very kinky.


    The Wang Shi Shi in the photo also did not look as tranquil as she did in her death. On that purple double bed, her eyes were half-shut, making her look wild, but sexy. Then, is only a passionate round of sex enough turn a girl into something else?


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°Do you really think she killed herself out of shame because these pictures were being broadcast throughout the school?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Xing Cong Lian paused, then said, ¡°But I heard you could never keep a secret in a female college dorm?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Yong Chuan College had two residential areas, a new one, and an old one.


    Wang Shi Shi¡¯s residence in the School of Science happened to not be very good.


    It was afternoon break time. There was practically no one in the female dormitory, only a broken incandescent light that flickered nonstop.


    The dormitory monitor aunty opened the door on the left side of the third floor, scaring the girls speaking softly inside.


    ¡°The police are here, they want to ask you something.¡±


    The aunty was full of energy. Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian shared a look. They feared the entire building probably knew they were here.


    It was a cramped room. Inside were four bunk beds and eight desks. The girls¡¯ clothes and belongings were all over the tables and floors, making it seem even more crowded.


    Even an experienced officer like Xing Cong Lian, facing this kind of mess, would have trouble finding a place to start.


    ¡°Look at your dorm! It¡¯s like a pigsty! And you¡¯re all girls, living in this mess, you won¡¯t be able to marry later on!¡± The aunty used a sharp voice to reprimand the messy girls. Instantly, the cramped room became a whirlwind of motion.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Cong Lian.


    ¡°Aunty, please stay for a second, I have a few questions for you.¡± The Captain Xing standing at the door tacitly stopped the dormitory aunty. Saying that, he attracted the attention of everyone in the dorm.


    ¡°Oh, if you have any questions please ask,¡± the aunty said while slapping a desk, telling the girls in the dorm, ¡°Something this big has happened in your dorm. All of you better be alert. If you know something, then tell the police. Do not lie!¡±


    ¡°You must have heard about Wang Shi Shi¡¯s situation. I wanted to ask you, what was your impression of this young woman?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked the aunty.


    ¡°That maiden was very pretty, a lot of people pursued her.¡± The aunty sighed, and couldn¡¯t help the sorrow in her words, ¡°There were several nights,  where someone would shout her name outside her dorm to confess.¡±


    ¡°What about you guys? What did you think of Wang Shi Shi?¡± Xing Cong Lian turned to look at Wang Shi Shi¡¯s roommates.


    A few girls started to speak, but then stopped. Knowing the trouble Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother caused for the school, they didn¡¯t want to speak up.


    Xing Cong Lian dragged a chair over and sat down in front of the girls.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t come to arrest anyone this time, we just wanted to understand the situation¡­¡± He said, as his gaze swept over the group of girls in front of him. He stopped on one of them, his voice turning softer, ¡°I guess you guys know about what Wang Shi Shi just said at the school entrance. Is it really like her mother said, you guys were gossiping about her behind her back, and that pushed her to suicide?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know anything!¡± One of the girls said vigorously. Her face was flushed, looking like she¡¯d been wronged.


    ¡°We¡­we really didn¡¯t bully her!¡± Another girl blurted, ¡°Her mom¡¯s the crazy one!¡±


    ¡°Sh-she was pretty nice, we just didn¡¯t know her too well!¡±


    ¡°But you all live in the same dorm, how could you not know her well?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked.


    ¡°She had to work everyday to pay for her tuition. She left early and returned late. Outside of school, all she did was work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! Her family wouldn¡¯t give her a cent. She also had to make money to buy clothes and toys for her little brother!¡±


    ¡°Although, I think, she kind of looked down on us. She wouldn¡¯t talk to us when she came back.¡±


    ¡°It was like she lived in her own world.¡±


    ¡°But she wasn¡¯t like that before. She used to go out to breakfast with us¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she used to dress in tatters, so I thought she was too embarrassed to talk to us. Then, she turned into a goddess and became very haughty.¡±


    As chatter continued behind him, Lin Chen walked to the corner of the dorm. There, sat the last bunk bed. No one seemed to sleep in the bottom bunk, where there were piles of various packaging. He looked up at the top bunk and was slightly surprised.


    It was a bunk that stood out amidst the mess of the dorm. The snow-white sheets hung down slightly and the yellow blankets were folded squarely. At the head of the bed neatly sat a stack of books. There were a few that seemed more worn out, obviously read many times.


    Looking at the name tag that held the three words, Wang Shi Shi, Lin Chen took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and pulled out those worn books.

 CH 49

    Three Graves 12


    As Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian received their baptism in the female dormitory, a raging storm was also brewing in the headmaster¡¯s office.


    At the top of the bookcase sat a slightly droopy spider plant. On the table was a cup of water.


    An old man wearing a plain t-shirt sat in front of the window. On the bridge of his nose sat a pair of glasses, and in his hand was a pen. His head was lowered, looking over a student¡¯s thesis.


    In front of the old man stood a senior. The boy was covered in cold sweat, as if they were extremely nervous. He never thought that coming to ask for guidance on his thesis would make him run into a war between the school¡¯s higher-ups.


    The Vice Principle and a well-dressed, middle-aged man stood behind him, wearing dark expressions, as if they were suffering through something. However, the Headmaster did not seem to care about them, only concentrating on reading the thesis, as if nothing was more important than those sheets of paper.


    ¡°Headmaster, it¡¯s probably not good to keep Mr. Chen waiting for so long, right?¡± Finally, Vice Principal Xu blurted out, shattering the cold atmosphere in the room.


    The boy swallowed, keeping his heads lowered, acting like he hadn¡¯t heard a thing.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Is something the matter?¡± The old man warmly asked, not even lifting his head, flipping through the last page of the thesis.


    ¡°Headmaster Su, is your intention to let Lin Chen enter the school and investigate?¡± The mighty housekeeper standing to the side stepped forward, both hands in his pockets in an imposing manner.


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± The old man pushed his glasses up, yet didn¡¯t continue. He only lifted his head and handed the boy the annotated thesis and said, ¡°Your topic could be more detailed. The research breadth is still too large with your current thesis¡­ There are two translation errors in the abstract, I¡¯ve marked it for you. You need to go back and research the correct usage, and your explanation needs to be more concise¡­¡±


    The boy lowered his head, looking at his densely annotated thesis. He was feeling an indescribable emotion. He originally thought that the Headmaster, his thesis advisor, was just going to do a once over. He was the school¡¯s supreme leader, how could he have time to give guidance to an undergraduate¡¯s theses? He didn¡¯t think that the old man would patiently and carefully teach him, starting with the topic. He even pointed out problems with punctuation. That rigorous, scholarly attitude made him not dare to even think about slacking off.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much of an issue with data collection, you were very thorough. However, you can do a multiple comparison test here, in the analysis of variance¡­¡±


    The old man kept talking, and Chen Ping¡¯s expression turned more and more sour. As the head manager of a big family, he had never received such outrageously cold treatment.


    ¡°Headmaster Su, are you not going to answer my question?¡± Chen Ping asked, once more.


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The old man replied, bowing down to discuss the student¡¯s thesis.


    ¡°Su An Zhi, what is the meaning of this?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep my student waiting, so you¡¯ll just have to wait a moment.¡± The old man said politely.


    Hearing that, Chen Ping couldn¡¯t tolerate it any longer. He raised his voice, ¡°Su An Zhi, who do you think you are? How could you ignore the decision of the board of directors and let Lin Chen into the school on your own? The Chen Family has already expressed that we forbid Lin Chen from stepping foot within Yong Chuan College!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about all the issues. Go back and make corrections and bring it to me again Friday afternoon at 1.¡± The old man finished and nodded to the student, indicating that he could leave.


    Hearing that, the boy glanced at Chen Ping. There was no hatred in his eyes, only coldness. Then, he earnestly bowed to the teacher and turned to leave.


    ¡°I am the headmaster of Yong Chuan College.¡± The old man took off his glasses and hung them on the pocket of his shirt, seriously solemnly answering the first question. ¡°In this entire school, the only person that can make a decision on behalf of the board of directors, is me.¡±


    ¡°What are your intentions? Why do you insist on protecting Lin Chen? Do you not hold the Chen Family in your eyes?!¡± Chen Ping slammed the table, nearly having an aneurysm.


    ¡°He¡¯s my student. If I want to protect him, then I will.¡± The old man said, nonchalantly.


    The old man had a surprisingly tough attitude. He wasn¡¯t buying what the Chen Family was selling at all. Chen Ping suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t advance or retreat; he had no better ideas. In the end, he could only point and cruelly say, ¡°Su An Zhi, you better watch out. During the board meeting this year, the Chen Family will be the first to impeach you!¡±


    Accompanying his threat was three knocks at the door.


    Knock, knock, knock¡­


    The sound was very soft and gentle. Every knock was like a knock on Chen Ping¡¯s chest, irritating him. Who was it that was so obtuse, knocking while he was in the middle of a rampage?


    He violently looked back, and couldn¡¯t help but breathe for a bit.


    He saw an absurdly attractive young man standing at the door.


    The young man wore a pair of smoke-grey pants, matched with a black cashmere turtleneck. The cuffs of the sweater were pulled up to the elbows, revealing fair wrists. In his hands was a serving tray, and on the serving tray were two clear goblets with liquid lightly sloshing around inside. The young man swept his gaze around the room with a smile. His hair was a bit light, he had amber eyes, and absurdly white skin, accentuated by the black turtleneck. His smile was as graceful as the spring breeze.


    The young man finished knocking and entered with the serving tray without a word. He sat in the seat next to the old man, put down the tray, and passed a goblet to the old man.


    It was like the old man had seen some sort of treasure. Without minding the people around him, he lifted his cup and took a big gulp.


    Chen Ping, who had been watching with a stupor, finally came back around. He wanted to speak, but the young man slightly lifted his head and looked at him, the corners of his eyes turned up in a smile, ¡°Housekeeper Chen, that sentence you just said has some problems.¡±


    Hearing that, Chen Ping only thought it was funny. He didn¡¯t want to keep fighting, yet now that someone was provoking him, he will happily provide some more menacing words to vent his anger.


    ¡°Impeachment is a process. It¡¯s used in prosecuting high-ranking government officials. Yong Chuan College¡¯s board meeting doesn¡¯t seem to have this kind of administrative rank.¡±


    Chen Ping thought he had heard wrong. He was actually corrected on his vocabulary. There was actually someone bored enough to correct him on a single word he used wrong.


    ¡°Huh. So what? If you don¡¯t have the Chen Family¡¯s vote, then after the board meeting in June, your teacher can only step down from the position of headmaster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong again.¡± The young man was still smiling. His smile was nurturing- super attractive, ¡°He¡¯s not my teacher.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡±


    Chen Ping immediately regretted asking. He seemed to have carelessly stepped into some kind of trap.


    ¡°Guess.¡± The young man responded with a smile.


    Chen Ping felt miserable. That kind of feeling was aggravating. It was like you were using all your energy to fight, yet your opponent wouldn¡¯t respond. Only stabbing you lightly, stabbing you until you¡¯re hurting and itching. You couldn¡¯t even say anything¨C outside of suffering there was only more suffering.


    Chen Ping took a deep breath and flicked his sleeves, turning to leave. From behind him again came the haunting voice of the young man.


    ¡°I tried to understand Housekeeper Chen¡¯s meaning, and thought about it for you. If the Chen Family wants to successfully ¡®impeach¡¯ the headmaster, then they must first get the majority of seats on the board of directors, which would be equivalent to 26 billion RMB. But you should be aware that the controlling interest of Yong Chuan College has always been in the families¡¯ hands, so, even if the Chen Family could afford it, there¡¯s no guarantee the families will sell¡­¡±


    T/N: About 4 billion USD


    The young man sat cross-legged, head in his hand, sounding quite worried. Mr. Su couldn¡¯t hold back a laugh, then a burp. Yep, soda flavored.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Chen Ping furiously turned back around and finally realized that those tall goblets held cola, cola¡­


    The old and young pair in front of him were making fun of him from the start!


    ¡°Just you wait!¡±


    The young man didn¡¯t react to being pointed at. He just took a sip from his cup, smiling as he nodded, saying nothing but, ¡°See you.¡±


    Chen Ping felt pain in his chest. He turned around resolutely to leave. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would be angered to a heart attack.


    Watching the mighty housekeeper and vice principal¡¯s retreating forms, Mr. Su put down his cup, expression turning sour. He turned to teach a lesson to the young man beside him, ¡°You bastard, you¡¯re not half as filial as Lin Chen! You didn¡¯t even think to come back to visit for my big 60!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The young man laughed. He lifted his cup and lightly tapped it to Mr. Su¡¯s, ¡°Not just filial piety, even when it comes to causing trouble, I can¡¯t compete with him.¡±


    This time, it was the professional aggravator, Mr. Su¡¯s, turn to cross his arms and get angry.


    _____________________________


    Mr. Lin, who was on the same campus, was temporarily unaware that he had been smeared by someone.


    He had just finished his visit to the female dorm with Captain Xing. When he left, he had some old books with him.


    Captain Xing rubbed his ears. Girls must be the world¡¯s most talkative organisms. Add to that a dormitory aunty that had super high decibels and he could only feel a wave of dizziness and ringing in his ears. Thinking back, what the girls had said had too many extraneous details, it was almost impossible to figure out.


    ¡°Did you get anything?¡± He asked Lin Chen, after a moment of thought.


    In response, Lin Chen took a book with a torn up spine and handed it to him.


    Xing Cong Lian paused and looked down at the cover, and realized it was a copy of <<Discrete Mathematics>>. The version wasn¡¯t that old, so the reason it was so worn out was probably because it had been read too many times. Thinking to that point, he opened the book and realized there was a name written on the title page.


    ¡°Xu¡­ Hao Zhen?¡± Xing Cong Lian read. He thought this name sounded familiar.


    Before he could recall the name, he was clapped heavily on the shoulder. From behind him came the grim voice of Professor Fu, ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, are you thinking about our younger classmate?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian then remembered that Xu Hao Zhen was the girl that appeared at Lin Chen¡¯s class reunion. He turned around to find Professor Fu in a groggy state. He was probably woken up by the phone call just now. He had an unwilling expression.


    ¡°Why is your classmate¡¯s book on the victim¡¯s bed?¡±


    ¡°What victim?¡± Fu Hao ran a hand across his face, thinking he was hallucinating.


    ¡°Something¡¯s happened in the school.¡± Lin Chen stopped Fu Hao, and gave him a rundown of the weird case that happened this morning.


    As Fu Hao listened, his jaw dropped lower and lower. He didn¡¯t expect something so big to happen in the school while he was sleeping.


    ¡°So¡­ Xu Hao Zhen¡¯s book was discovered on Wang Shi Shi¡¯s bed. Does this mean they know each other?¡± Fu Hao¡¯s gaze landed on Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hands. He thought for a second, and looked disbelievingly at Lin Chen, ¡°Older Brother¡­ Didn¡¯t you already think there was something wrong with Sister Xu? What was it?¡±


    ¡°At first, I just thought she was kind of weird.¡±


    ¡°What, just because she admired you and wanted to meet you?¡±


    ¡°No, because of her nail polish.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the nail polish?¡±


    ¡°Under what circumstance would a girl choose to wear nail polish that didn¡¯t suit her?¡±


    ¡°You think it doesn¡¯t suit her, but what if she just really likes it?¡± Fu Hao couldn¡¯t help but retort.


    Lin Chen thought back to when he shook hands with Xu Hao Zhen, the girl had intentionally retracted her fingertips. He shook his head, ¡°She knew it didn¡¯t suit her. She didn¡¯t like it and she was very aware of it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she was just testing colors?¡±


    ¡°Why does she need to paint all ten fingers for a test?¡±


    ¡°Maybe someone forced her to wear it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be considered forced if I make you paint your nails.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone was flat. Fu Hao hurriedly retracted his fingers. ¡°Then that means she picked it for someone, or someone wanted her to wear it and she couldn¡¯t turn them down. For example, Brother, if you lent your shirt to me to wear then I would be too embarrassed to refuse¡­ Although, Brother, why are you caught up about this nail polish problem? It seems like you¡¯re splitting hairs¡­¡±


    Fu Hao spoke, then couldn¡¯t stop. Hearing this, Lin Chen¡¯s eyes suddenly went wide, as if he had thought of something essential.

 CH 50

    ¡°Professor Fu¡­¡± Lin Chen lifted his head to look at Fu Hao.


    Fu Hao felt shivers, being called like that, ¡°Brother, if you have some command, just say it. Saying my name like that makes me nervous!¡±


    ¡°I need a bit of Professor Fu¡¯s help¡­¡± Lin Chen paused, but didn¡¯t give Fu Hao any time to think. ¡°I remember when incoming students arrive, they will record an introduction to use as a file. So, I wanted Professor Fu to go look for Wang Shi Shi and Xu Hao Xhen¡¯s admissions self-introduction.¡±


    Hearing this, it was like Fu Hao was struck by lightning. He looked at Lin Chen with a gaze that said ¡°Brother, how dare you treat me this cruelly?¡±


    As Xing Cong Lian watched the scene, although he didn¡¯t know why there was difficulty associated with the file, he still mourned for Professor Fu.


    Lin Chen only patted Fu Hao¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Be good.¡±


    Professor Fu couldn¡¯t conjure any ounce of resistance, and could only leave in a stupor.


    Xing Cong Lian watched his retreating form and only found it funny, ¡°What¡¯s this? It¡¯s like a hero going on a quest for justice.¡±


    ¡°The person managing the admissions introductions is a senior that has always been very interested in Fu Hao.¡±


    ¡°So is Fu Hao going to sell his soul?¡± Xing Cong Lian looked down at the unmoving profile of Consultant Lin, laughing.


    ¡°He can¡¯t sell us out anyway.¡±


    ¡°You sure love scheming.¡± Xing Cong Lian said emotionally, remembering the two loving food stall owners at the school gate.


    ¡°He¡¯s happy to do it, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Why did you suddenly think of looking at the admission files?¡±


    ¡°There are some problems I can¡¯t figure out.¡± Lin Chen shook his head, asking Xing Cong Lian in return, ¡°What kind of girl do you think Wang Shi Shi was?¡±


    ¡°Wang Shi Shi? She seems pretty complicated.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not just complicated, she¡¯s also contradictory.¡± Lin Chen paused, and said, ¡°I looked over Wang Shi Shi¡¯s dormitory in detail. Her bunk was clean and her possessions were tidy, giving people a sense of nobility and independence. At the same time, she was busy working and earning money everyday, and loved her little brother. You can see that she¡¯s filial, hardworking. Yet this kind of person filmed a sex tape, acting that bold and wild.¡±


    ¡°Is it contradictory? Every person has many sides. A person will always want to hide some things, but inadvertently, something will be exposed.¡±


    Lin Chen looked deeply at Xing Cong Lian, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s think about it from another angle. If we only look at Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother, what kind of person would you think her daughter would be?¡±


    Remembering Wang Shi Shi¡¯s strong-willed mother, Xing Cong Lian felt a slight headache, ¡°The mother is so intense, her daughter would either be particularly deviant, or cowardly and obedient.¡± As he finished, he suddenly realized that Want Shi Shi was practically a perfect combination of the two types.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird, right?¡± Lin Chen thought for a bit, then said, ¡°Wang Shi Shi grew up in a classic, authoritarian style family. From a statistical point of view, most children coming from these kinds of families are submissive, cowardly, and lack confidence. Some extreme individuals will be cold, cruel, and aggressive¡­¡±


    ¡°But Wang Shi Shi doesn¡¯t seem to fit into either¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, anything that deviates from the norm must have a deep reason behind it.¡±


    ¡°What about Xu Hao Zhen, then? Does this thing have something to do with Xu Hao Zhen?¡± Xing Cong Lian acutely remembered that junior that caught Lin Chen¡¯s attention because of nail polish.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say yet, but Xu Hao Zhen seems cheerful and friendly, like a beautiful social butterfly. This sentence isn¡¯t meant to be insulting, but these kinds of people should have very strong opinions. If so, why would she feel embarrassed to reject a nail polish that didn¡¯t suit her? Even if I¡¯m really just splitting hairs, this is too contradictory, it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°So you asked Fu Hao to retrieve their introduction files to start from square one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to see them as a blank canvas.¡±


    ______________


    Professor Fu in the file room was, of course, unable to hear that conversation.


    The dehumidifier hummed gently. There were no man-eating seniors, nor any cute juniors here. There wasn¡¯t a single person in the vast file room.


    The curtains were half drawn, making the room a bit dim. Fu Hao walked towards the depth of the two rows of file racks. Suddenly, the door creaked shut. He hurriedly turned around, but couldn¡¯t see anyone. He could only hear leather boots squeaking against the floor, step by step.


    ¡°Senior Wang?¡± He probed, receiving no response.


    Fu Hao looked left and right. He was surrounded by iron racks, with no tools handy.


    As he hesitated, the footsteps drew nearer. From under the filing cabinet, he could vaguely see the intruder was wearing a pair of black calfskin boots and smokey grey trousers. The clothing was fine. The pace was neither fast nor slow.


    Fu Hao took a deep breath. The other person was only one bookshelf away from him. He could clearly see a corner of a black cashmere sweater on the other person.


    He ran through a list of his colleague¡¯s names, but it seemed like no one wore those kinds of clothes. The tension in his heart was growing stronger, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    No response.


    The next moment, the other person moved again. His profile flashed for a moment, and Fu Hao¡¯s heart pounded. He looked back and saw a handsome and elegant face.


    Linen colored hair, amber colored pupils, eyes that were a bit long, eyelashes slightly curled. He was smiling, yet his gaze had a certain coldness to them.


    Oh shit, your mom, you crazy¡­


    Countless greetings to his whole family were stuck in his chest. Fu Hao watched that person like he had seen a ghost. His body reacted faster than his head, and he turned to run away without another word.


    However, before he could exit, a warm, male voice came from behind him.


    ¡°If you walk out that door, I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±


    Fuck¡­


    _______________


    Traffic in the big city was always too crowded. When Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian returned to the station, a young man wearing a black baseball cap was already sitting in the Second Branch¡¯s office, being worshipped and fed by the whole station.


    Xing Cong Lian had just pushed open the door, when he heard a dissatisfied voice come from the office.


    ¡°Boss, you know it¡¯s very cheesy to play name games?¡±


    T/N: Name game as in making a pun with someone¡¯s name


    Wang Chao, with a cola flavored lollipop in his mouth, pointing at that strong-willed little officer across from him, said unhappily.


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame me!¡± Little comrade Ma Han said helplessly.


    ¡°How did you get here so quickly?¡± Xing Cong Lian looked at the time. It had been about three hours since he made that call.


    ¡°Oh, I hitchhiked from the entrance of the highway and zoomed here.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to take the high-speed rail?¡± Xing Cong Lian said as he walked to Wang Chao.


    ¡°No! We said the money was for charging Love Nikki!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian gave the shaggy head of the young man a pat. As he neared the laptop screen he realized Wang Chao was taking the pictures Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother ¡°handed over¡± and, one by one, putting them on a timeline.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making an MV.¡± Little comrade Wang Chao giggled, ¡°It moves.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian gave the back of his head a smack, ¡°Did you find the thing I asked you to investigate?¡±


    ¡°It was no big deal.¡± Wang Chao dangled his lollipop and beckoned Ma Han with his finger. A personal profile was offered with two hands.


    Xing Cong Lian frowned slightly and took the file.


    As expected, the other girl in the video was also a student of Yong Chuan College.


    Jiang Liu, female, 20 years old, a talented biology major of Yong Chuan College.


    Xing Cong Lian skimmed through the file and passed it on to Lin Chen. He then looked at Wang Chao, but before he could open his mouth, Wang Chao beat him to answer.


    ¡°I already looked into it. Yong Chuan College uses fingerprint access. This little girl hasn¡¯t been back to her dorm since last night. She also didn¡¯t go to class today. There was no record of her ID card, which means she also hasn¡¯t rented a hotel room with anyone.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian opened his mouth again, but Wang Chao continued to answer.


    ¡°Jiang Liu and victim Wang Shi Shi didn¡¯t have any obvious contact, seeing as there was quite a distance between them. However, she and victim Wang Shi Shi are both officers of the student union arts department. They worked together to organize the National Day Dance.¡± Wang Chao finished, and spread out his hands, meaning ¡°I can only help you to this point.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian nodded, only to see Jiang Chao approach from afar.


    Seeing Xing Cong Lian, Vice Captain Jiang acted like he had seen his lifeline, and started lamenting from afar, ¡°Ol¡¯ Xing, when will you guys go question Wang Shi Shi¡¯s insolent mother? She¡¯s already threatening our station for emotional damage compensation!¡±


    ¡°This handsome gentleman, is there anything else I can be of service to?¡± Comrade Wang Chao interrupted.


    ¡°Come take a statement with me.¡± Xing Cong Lian answered.


    Wang Chao felt a bit flattered.


    Ol¡¯ Xing called on him to get a statement, not Ah Chen. What does that mean? That means he¡¯s finally rising from a technician to a formal detective position!


    Inside the interrogation room, sat a woman with messy hair and a strong aura. She sat at the table with her arms crossed.


    Wang Chao followed Xing Cong Lian through the door. The woman looked him up and down once, and he instantly felt his knees go weak. Yet Ol¡¯ Xing acted like it was nothing and dragged a chair to sit across from the mean woman. Of course, there wasn¡¯t a third chair in the interrogation room, so he could only stand there. Dumbly stand there¡­


    ¡°Madame Wang, I hope you can hand over the original video and strive for leniency.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, are you joking? You police kept me here without reason for more than three hours, and now you want me to strive for leniency?¡± The woman sat with her legs crossed, toes tapping, appearing very cold and arrogant.


    ¡°Madame Wang, I think you don¡¯t understand the current situation¡­¡± Xing Cong Lian said as he reached out to point at Wang Chao. ¡°This is Officer Wang from the Yong Chuan City information security office. He¡¯s been sent by the higher-ups to investigate the pornographic materials in your possession.¡±


    Wang Chao, being called out by name, rushed to stand straight. He looked at his rigidly sitting boss, and then at the proud woman. He quickly understood the situation. Alright, the boss just brought him to be a front¡­


    ¡°Yes, Madame, we are currently catching standards. Your case is especially representative. According to Article 8 of Chapter 3 of the country¡¯s Internet Video Security Management Regulations, we will impose a 15-day sentence and fine you 10,000 yuan.¡± Wang Chao began spewing professional nonsense.


    ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯m just here to assist with the investigations. I have never spread any pornographic materials, you can¡¯t arrest me!¡± Madame Wang still appeared like a calm barrister, but in her tone was a shred of inadvertent panic.


    ¡°Of course, the severity of the punishment will be mainly dependent on the number of videos you broadcast and the number of viewers. But first, you must provide the original video, then we can proceed with the judgement.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t have the original video¡­¡±


    Xing Cong Lian violently pushed forward, his tone was very cold, ¡°Madame Wang, please do not question the intelligence of the police. The pictures you had were obviously screenshots from a full video. Are you telling me that you don¡¯t have the original video? You think you can absolve yourself of crime like this?¡±


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t have the video. I secretly saw them on Shi Shi¡¯s computer while she was showering.¡± Madame Wang said this much, then seemed to suddenly remember something. She raised her voice, ¡°Oh yeah, the computer. You can find the video on Shi Shi¡¯s computer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying, you had time to watch the video and screenshot these photos, yet you didn¡¯t save the whole video?¡± Xing Cong Lian asked coldly.


    ¡°The video isn¡¯t on her computer, it¡¯s on the internet. I couldn¡¯t download it. It was a website in English.¡±


    ¡°What kind of website?¡± Wang Chao quickly asked.


    ¡°It was completely in English. The page was black. It was scary to look at.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a URL?¡±


    ¡°The URL can¡¯t be replicated, it was very long¡­¡±


    ¡°Did it start with www?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    The face of the little officer across from her was pale. The more Madame Wang said, the more guilty she felt.


    Wang Chao had a rarely seen seriousness. He grabbed the notebook from Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hands and ripped out a page. He handed it and a pen to the woman, ¡°Draw the website. Draw whatever you can remember.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian didn¡¯t expect this. He only brought Wang Chao to fool someone, but seeing the young man¡¯s state, he seemed to have found some incredible lead.


    Madame Wang quickly drew the page. Since it had been a while, the page she drew didn¡¯t have too many details.


    Wang Chao took a glance at the paper and bolted out the door.

 CH 51

    Three Graves 14


    If every person had a side others didn¡¯t know about, then Lin Chen had never seen this side of Wang Chao.


    The boy aggressively slammed open the door to the interrogation room, and arrived in front of Vice Captain Jiang. With extreme bluntness, he asked, ¡°Where is Wang Shi Shi¡¯s laptop?¡±


    Captain Jiang, shocked at being yelled at, had a bit of difficulty reacting. ¡°Laptop? I¡¯m not sure if we have it¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know if you have Wang Shi Shi¡¯s computer?¡± Little comrade Wang Chao¡¯s grape-like eyes squinted in a rarely seen manner, like he was getting ready to get angry. ¡°Bring me the list of the deceased¡¯s possessions, I¡¯ll look for it myself.¡±


    After all, he was in another¡¯s territory. Having unbridled rage wasn¡¯t very appropriate.


    And so, Lin Chen gently pushed aside the two officers blocking him and walked over, pressing his hand into the little comrade¡¯s head, and gently asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The boy¡¯s delicate lips were pressed together tightly, but he didn¡¯t push aside the hand pressed against his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s here, it¡¯s here, the list is here.¡± Ma Han agilely handed over a folder.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t say anything, only rapidly flipped through those few pages. After that, his expression became more and more ugly.


    ¡°Why is there no computer? Among the deceased¡¯s possessions, shouldn¡¯t the computer be the most important piece of evidence? Why isn¡¯t it here?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    No one on scene could answer this question. Truthfully, if Wang Chao hadn¡¯t specially brought it up, no one had yet to consider this problem. For a second, the atmosphere was extremely cold.


    ¡°There is, indeed, no computer.¡±


    ¡°But the deceased¡¯s mother clearly told us to go find her daughter¡¯s computer!¡±


    Lin Chen gazed at the boy¡¯s pale face, and gently stroked the thin, black hairs on the back of his skull, again and again.


    Halfway through speaking, Wang Chao suddenly stopped. He gripped the paper with the sketch on it in his hands, turned around and returned to his seat. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian stayed in the interrogation room for quite a while after.


    When he reemerged, there was almost no trace of the ruckus from earlier.


    The tech guru¡¯s hands flew across the keyboard, as if engaged in a brutal battle with data.


    Lin Chen held a cup of water, and leaned against the window closest to Wang Chao, like his thoughts were wandering aimlessly, but also like he was guarding someone.


    The sky was mostly dark. Outside the window, the streetlamps were slowly turning on.


    Lin Chen saw Xing Cong Lian walk out and gave him a glance. Without sharing a word, they both headed out of the office.


    Standing beside the large potted plant around the corner from the office, Xing Cong Lian took out his lighter, lit a cigarette, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Did the little brat cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°He almost started an argument with the Second Branch people because of Wang Shi Shi¡¯s computer.¡± Lin Chen swallowed, then asked, ¡°What happened in the interrogation room?¡±


    ¡°Childhood trauma must have been triggered.¡± Xing Cong Lian said as he blew a smoke ring.


    It must be some trauma if it made a polite, bright, boy turn anxious and aggressive. Lin Chen gently stroked a button. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s words seemed too dodgy. He clearly knew, yet he said that sentence so casually, making it hard to question. Lin Chen raised his eyebrows and didn¡¯t continue asking.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much.¡± Xing Cong Lian added.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t reply.


    Xing Cong Lian rubbed his nose. He knew Lin Chen realized that he didn¡¯t answer the question seriously. But some things can¡¯t be explained clearly in a few words. If it can¡¯t be explained clearly, then why bother?


    And so, he could only change the subject bluntly, ¡°What about Professor Fu? Have you received any news?¡±


    ¡°He said he¡¯s caught up in something, so he can¡¯t make it today.¡±


    ¡°That works out. Have him find Jiang Liu¡¯s entrance introduction as well¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I listened to Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother speak just now. Your psychological statistics still make sense.¡± Xing Cong Lian held his cigarette and thought back to the interrogation room, where the woman used a proud tone to talk about her deceased daughter.


    Clever, understanding, obedient, filial¡­too many words complimenting girls could be used to describe Wang Shi Shi. The daughter in Madame Wang¡¯s mouth was like a puppet produced from a typical authoritarian family. Obedient and cowardly, never understanding what rebellion was.


    How could a girl like this deviate from the norm, record a sex tape, then use that kind of method to end her own life?


    ¡°As it should be.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t think it was unexpected, hearing Xing Cong Lian say that, ¡°But Jiang Liu¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to search.¡± Xing Cong Lian rushed to answer.


    Suddenly, from the office came a terrible shriek.


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian rushed inside, only to see Wang Chao¡¯s baseball cap thrown aside. At that moment, he was holding his head in both hands, yelling, ¡°Why is the internet so slow?!¡±


    Everyone in the office was looking at each other, speechless.


    Right now, Wang Chao was like a vase labeled ¡°handle with care¡±, but also like a little dragon that could spit fire at any moment.


    Xing Cong Lian walked over, picked up the police uniform on the armrest, and said to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go get you something to eat.¡±


    _____________


    Yong Chuan doesn¡¯t have a great view, Xing Cong Lian really isn¡¯t too familiar with it.


    So in the end, they ended up going to the buffet inside the Cohen May Hotel.


    Little comrade Wang Chao was someone who had seen the world, so he wouldn¡¯t blink an eye at a plate full of sashimi and king crabs.


    Lin Chen put a brimming cup of coffee down in front of the boy. Wang Chao didn¡¯t even lift his head, he was still immersed in the endless image retrieval program.


    Lin Chen pushed the coffee over and said to him gently, ¡°Drink it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still young, I can¡¯t have too much coffee!¡±


    ¡°It can stimulate the secretion of dopamine, which is to say, it¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± Lin Chen said seriously.


    Wang Chao hit the enter key a few times and finally lifted his head. Moved, he said, ¡°Ah Chen, you treat me so well.¡±


    Captain Xing carried a plate of pan fried yellow croaker over. Hearing those words, he set the plate down in front of himself with zero hesitation.


    ¡°What, you haven¡¯t found the original video yet?¡± Captain Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask, seeing that the tech guru was finally willing to respond to people.


    ¡°Boss, do you know what it means to find a needle in a haystack? It¡¯s not just searching through a few pictures, it¡¯s using a still photo to find a moving video. It needs to use image2play technology. It¡¯s very difficult, okay?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to watch through all of the recent videos?¡± Xing Cong Lian muttered, stroking the stubble on his chin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t knowingly break the law, alright, boss?!¡± Wang Chao vigorously took a gulp of coffee, ¡°I¡¯ve already finished writing the program, now I just need to wait for the search results.


    Seeing the boy¡¯s bloodshot eyes and a rare serious look on his face, Xing Cong Lian thought for a bit, but still asked, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s necessary to find the original video?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried that there will be trouble if I don¡¯t find it.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian looked up rapidly, the chopsticks in his hands stilled.


    Madame Wang said clearly that she saw the video online, and that she couldn¡¯t download the video, so she could only take screenshots.


    That means, if even Wang Chao can¡¯t find the original, then that leaves only one possibility. A possibility that could increase the difficulty of the entire case astronomically.


    ¡°If I really can¡¯t find it¡­then I don¡¯t want to work on this type of case anymore. Get someone else.¡± Wang Chao said.


    Xing Cong Lian and Wang Chao¡¯s exchange was very short and very vague. It was like there was a code that indicated the conversation was complete, and the boy¡¯s prophecy served as the end.


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t sure what happened in the past, but what exists on the internet that can make Wang Chao, someone who could joke about robbery and sex tapes, stop in his tracks?


    After eating, Wang Chao¡¯s gaze never left the computer screen again.


    He didn¡¯t even have any interest in touring Xing Cong Lian¡¯s executive suite.


    The boy found a nice spot on the carpet and sat down cross-legged. The long carpet had a rose and canary pattern, it was soft and plush. The dazzling chandelier shone, while outside the window was a vast night sky. Yet he only watched over the laptop on the coffee table like a sculpture.


    When Lin Chen woke up in the middle of the night, Wang Chao was still in the same position. The computer screen in front of him was dark.


    Evidently, the search results were not great.


    Lin Chen thought for a bit, then walked to his room in his slippers to find a blanket to cover the boy. He sat down on the carpet beside him.


    ¡°You still can¡¯t find the original video?¡± He asked.


    The boy¡¯s expression was very bad. He shook his head stiffly.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There are two possibilities, first, this video was never uploaded to the internet, only spread privately, and Wang Shi Shi¡¯s mother is lying.¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡±


    ¡°Ah Chen, have you heard of the dark web?¡±


    Lin Chen thought, this is indeed a name that does not sound very simple.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit.¡± He said, as he pulled a cushion out from the sofa for the boy to lean on.


    Maybe it was because the carpet was soft, or Lin Chen¡¯s voice was too gentle, Wang Chao only felt his fatigue wash over him like a wave. He leaned against the cushion and said slowly, ¡°If there is a video that can¡¯t be found on the surface web, then the other possibility is that this video has been intentionally hidden in the depths of the internet. It can only be found through special techniques.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The internet world we usually interact with is only the tip of the iceberg. Everything that can be captured by a search engine is considered the surface web. However, under the ocean, there is a wider, darker internet world. In that world, there are no police, no laws, no rules. It¡¯s full of countless drugs, pornography, arms trading, smuggling, organ selling, human trafficking¡­ Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s hilarious? We invented new technology that can let the user hide their identity from the server when accessing the internet. Now, the internet police around the world can¡¯t do anything but sit around stupidly and watch countless sinful transactions happen under their nose, since we can¡¯t find the IP!¡±


    The more Wang Chao spoke, the angrier he got. At the end, he even slammed his fist on the floor.


    Thankfully, the carpet was thick enough. Lin Chen pressed down on the boy¡¯s hand, stopping himself from hurting himself further. ¡°Then, please tell me, if this video really is on the dark web, what would it mean?¡±


    ¡°What would it mean? The deepweb has many hardcore videos that violate the laws of every country. A threesome is nothing! It only means that a group of dumb college students found a new internet world and couldn¡¯t help but get excited and carelessly lose their lives after!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too extreme.¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°Ah Chen, have you seen a wicked world? The kind of world where everything is broken, it¡¯s extremely dark, and there isn¡¯t even a bit of light?¡±


    ¡°I really want to tell you a story, but after thinking about it, I can only say I don¡¯t think I have.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen someone who is unreasonably evil?¡±


    Looking at the boy¡¯s disbelieving gaze, Lin Chen thought for a while, then finally said, ¡°I have.¡±


    ¡°How can a human be so evil?¡± Wang Chao said, lips trembling slightly, as if thinking of something.


    ¡°Whether or not there exists absolute evil in this world isn¡¯t a philosophical question. You can use a more spiritual perspective to look at this question.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes were damp, and he looked very lost. Lin Chen reached out and covered his eyes.


    ¡°As long as there is light in your heart, then the world will not be dark.¡± He spoke slowly and extremely softly. Before he could finish, he could hear the boy¡¯s sweet snores.


    Lin Chen turned around. He wasn¡¯t sure when Xing Cong Lian came to stand behind him.


    ¡°Once, we investigated a genocide case. The killer used the dark web to live stream the entire killing¡­¡± The mixed-blood young man bent over, pulling the boy¡¯s blanket up, ¡°Wang Chao was in charge of locating the specific address, but in the end, there was nothing we could do.¡±

 CH 52

    Three Graves 15


    The sorrow of powerlessness cannot be understood by others.


    Lin Chen actually had too many questions to follow up with Xing Cong Lian. For example, why would a city level police participate in an investigation related to an international case like genocide? Or what kind of genocide could cast a shadow in Wang Chao¡¯s heart, even today? The question, when it comes down to it, will turn into the simplest two questions. Who is he, and who the heck are you?


    But in the end, he didn¡¯t ask anything, just like Xing Cong Lian hasn¡¯t to him.


    The next morning, he was awoken by a shriek once again.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡±


    Little comrade Wang Chao had woken up, and was currently staring up at furnishings in the room, face full of shock.


    Lin Chen walked over to him, barefoot, and reached out to touch his forehead. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t hot.


    It wasn¡¯t until the ice cold fingertips touched his forehead that the boy came back to his senses. ¡°Big hotel, holy shit big hotel!¡±


    Lin Chen pinched his soft cheeks and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°So fancy, so fancy, so fancy!¡± Wang Chao hopped up from the floor and ran to the window. He tried to open the floor-to-ceiling curtains, but the curtain hooks didn¡¯t budge an inch.


    ¡°Oh, oh, oh, it¡¯s electric!¡± The boy started turning the place upside down for the remote.


    Lin Chen stood aside with his arms around himself. Xing Cong Lian walked out of the second bedroom, rubbing his eyes, sleepily asking, ¡°What¡¯s up with the little tyke now?¡±


    ¡°Probably a sympathetic nerve activity disorder caused by the self-healing of childhood trauma?¡±


    Xing Cong Lian: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss, are you finally rich?!¡±


    Wang Chao finally found the remote. Turning around and seeing Xing Cong Lian, he happily pressed the power button.


    The curtains moved slowly towards both sides of the room, revealing miles of water. Under the rising sun, the mist was like a veil, and the surface of the water was sparkling.


    Xing Cong Lian yawned and smacked the back of Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°Bullshit, I¡¯ve always been rich, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Then can we get breakfast? I want a big lobster!¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t even realize he¡¯d been smacked in the head. Without waiting for a response, he spread himself on the coffee table, looking for a breakfast menu.


    Of course, Australian lobster wasn¡¯t available for breakfast.


    However, fluffy croissants and tasty chicken and mushroom soup could still soothe an empty stomach and a wounded spirit.


    Wang Chao ordered one of everything on the menu, including three different drinks. Then he buried his head and vigorously started eating. Lin Chen made a cup of black tea and sat next to him.


    The morning light was great. The satisfied grin on the boy¡¯s face was also great.


    Xing Cong Lian ate two pieces of bread in a row. He then appeared to have thought of something, and asked suddenly, ¡°Have you thought about who will come to replace you?¡±


    Wang Chao had his mouth full of bacon. He couldn¡¯t respond for a second, only staring at him blankly.


    ¡°I heard blackjack was pretty famous, how about him?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit that timid child can¡¯t even type well alright!¡± The boy vigorously swallowed his food and replied angrily.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t investigate something related to the  deepweb?¡±


    ¡°When did I say that?


    ¡°Yesterday, when we were eating.¡±


    ¡°But Ah Chen has already cured me!¡±


    ¡°Your vitality sure is strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. You can also rest assured, handing this case to an idiot like bj.¡± Little comrade Wang Chao waved his hand. Biting down on a croissant, he crawled in front of the computer, ¡°I¡¯m going to start working. Isn¡¯t it just some stupid video?!¡±


    Xing Cong Lian shrugged, yet he saw Lin Chen look at him with an intriguing gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing to him.¡± Lin Chen said softly, taking a sip of his tea.


    ¡°Children, right? I have to spur him on occasionally. How could it be right for him to want to pack up at every small problem?¡± Captain Xing said righteously.


    It¡¯s like a baguette that had been devoured, or a cream soup that didn¡¯t have a single drop left, yesterday¡¯s haze seemed to have been swallowed completely.


    After breakfast ended, Lin Chen received a call from Fu Hao, asking him to meet in the school¡¯s office.


    ¡°Brother, come early. Remember to bring Wang Ji¡¯s crepe from the front of the school for me!¡±


    ¡°Did you find all the files?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±

 CH 53

    CW: Suicide, graphic content


    A lot of different factors can change a person.


    An accident, a conversation, a book, and even a smile could shift the established trajectory of life. But this does not mean that these subtle events are enough to completely change a person.


    Humans are inherently stubborn creatures. Not only that, they are stubborn creatures that live in groups and are particularly easily agitated.


    Lin Chen sat at the back of the lecture hall. Professor Fu was currently teaching at the podium.


    The sound of a high-pitched speaker came from outside the window. The Psychology Department was on a very high floor. Once the voice reached these upper floors, it wasn¡¯t very clear anymore.


    Lin Chen watched his junior chat with his students, and listened to the voice floating in from the window.


    ¡°I hope everyone can provide more information to the police to help us find the missing Jiang Liu as soon as possible¡­¡±


    The voice of the male wearing the loudspeaker was impassioned, constantly recruiting teachers and students passing around him.


    Lin Chen roughly understood that this seemed to be a search activity organized by the Student Union of Yong Chuan University after learning of Jiang Liu¡¯s disappearance.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look out the window.


    It just so happened to be the time between two important lectures, so many students had just finished class. Several student officers were distributing flyers. The more students gathered in the square, the more energetic the officials seemed to be, and their voices became louder and louder.


    Lin Chen frowned. Mobilizing teachers and students to search for Jiang Liu was, of course, a quick and effective means of doing things. But currently,Yong Chuan University is in a state of panic. Adding the missing girl may cause even greater disturbances. He took out his cellphone and sent Xing Cong Lian a message.


    ¡ª¡ªDid you contact the Student Union to ask for help finding Jiang Liu?


    ¡ª¡ªNo, what¡¯s wrong?


    ¡ª¡ªA student union officer is distributing flyers on Wen Xing Square.


    Outside the school gate, Xing Cong Lian put away his phone and looked at the telephone pole in front of him.


    At some point, many similar ¡°missing person notices¡± had been posted around Yong Chuan University.


    A photo of Jiang Liu was put on the notice, followed by a sincere call, which basically said that all students in the school are looking forward to the safe return of Jiang Liu, and if Jiang Liu is reading this notice, to please return to campus as soon as possible.


    At the same time that Xing Cong Lian was reading the notice word by word with a frown, a girl in a light purple dress also stood in front of the bulletin board inside the school, reading the same missing person notice with a smile.


    The girl was dressed very beautifully. She had on light purple eyeshadow and a dark red lipstick. She was bright and moving, as if she was glowing.


    A group of boys holding textbooks passed behind her. One of the boys couldn¡¯t help but glance at the girl. Then, the boy stopped.


    If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the one on the notice appeared to be the same person reading it.


    Inside the classroom of the Psychology Department, Lin Chen was leaning against the window, casually looking down at what was happening in the square.


    At that moment, his cell phone suddenly started to vibrate.


    Lin Chen looked at the screen. The caller was Xing Cong Lian. He walked out of the classroom and picked up the phone. Xing Cong Lian¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end.


    ¡°Jiang Liu has appeared.¡± Xing Cong Lian panted, as if he was running.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°A student said just now that they saw her at the entrance of cafeteria number 3.¡±


    ¡°Did they say in which direction she went in?¡±


    ¡°They said she just went into the third teaching building.¡±


    Lin Chen was stunned by those words. He raised his head to look at the classroom number, 3609. If his memory was correct, the teaching building he was currently in was number 3.


    ¡°What? What happened?¡±


    On the other side of the phone, Xing Cong Lian seemed to have noticed his short pause, and asked with concern.


    ¡°If my judgment is correct, I¡¯m afraid Jiang Liu should be at the top of the building right now¡­¡±


    Ring ring ring¡­


    The class bell rang at this unfortunate time.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but look up to the ceiling.


    Suddenly, there was a muffled noise outside the building, as if a heavy object had fallen to the ground. Lin Chen felt his scalp go numb. He rushed into the classroom. There was already  a curious student at the window, leaning out and looking.


    Lin Chen covered the student¡¯s eyes and dragged them back to their seats. ¡°Don¡¯t be too curious.¡±


    He whispered in the boy¡¯s ear.


    Fu Hao moved quickly. He had already taken his gaze back from downstairs. He closed the curtains with a swish, and said to the students, ¡°Students by the window, close the curtains!¡±


    ¡°Brother Fu, are you trying to shield us from trauma? Did someone commit suicide outside?¡± A mischievous boy took advantage of the moment and tried to sneakily open the curtain to look out.


    ¡°Why are you speaking so much nonsense? If you ask again, you can drop the subject and not be allowed to retake!¡± Fu Hao¡¯s attitude was very tough.


    Seeing his junior control the situation, Lin Chen nodded at him and rushed out of the classroom, his phone in his hand.


    However, before he could leave the room, another muffled noise came from outside the building. The students¡¯ exclamations and screams from the downstairs surged like a tide.


    Lin Chen dialed Xing Cong Lian¡¯s number, but a rapid disconnect tone came from the other end. Lin Chen gripped his phone, and took the stairs in twos up to the top floor.


    The iron gate on the rooftop was half open, and the iron chain hung loosely on the door. Lin Chen aggressively pushed open the iron gate. As far as he could see, the sky was a dazzling blue. There wasn¡¯t a single cloud in the sky. The sun was blindingly bright.


    At the very edge of the rooftop, sat a beauty with long hair.


    White shirt, black skirt, long hair tucked behind one ear.


    Lin Chen stared at her back as he walked slowly towards the edge of the roof. But before he could get close, the girl turned around, as if she had eyes on the back of her head.


    ¡°Senior, this is goodbye for real this time! You have to work hard!¡±


    The girl¡¯s smile was soft and sweet as she finished her last sentence.


    He didn¡¯t even get a chance to speak.


    At that instant, Lin Chen felt his eardrum tingling, and his heart felt extremely cold.


    A few steps away from him, a pair of weak and slightly open palms quickly disappeared from the rooftop!


    A heavy object falls to the ground.


    The screams started at once.


    With a bang, the iron gate of the rooftop was kicked open again.


    Xing Cong Lian held onto the door frame and panted. However, on the empty rooftop, there was only Lin Chen¡¯s lonely silhouette.


    The sky was blue and the spring breeze was very warm. Those gentle winds brushed through Lin Chen¡¯s black hair and ruffled his clothes.


    Xing Cong Lian walked to the edge of the rooftop and stood still an arm¡¯s length away from Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen still stood in the same place stupidly. He didn¡¯t even take two steps forward to look downstairs at the three students who had become pulp.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Xing Cong Lian put one hand on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder and said comfortingly. To his surprise, there was no tremor in his palms. Lin Chen stood very firm, and his voice was as cool as usual.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to comfort me.¡± Lin Chen smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°It was an extremely delicate arrangement. The first and second suicides drew my attention away. If I could have rushed to the rooftop the moment I received your call , then I could have saved her.¡±


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s hand stopped in the middle of retrieving a cigarette. He turned to put both hands on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulders instead, pulling the person towards him.


    He bowed slightly, pressing his hands on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulders, as if he wanted to look into the depths of Lin Chen¡¯s soul through his dark eyes.


    ¡°Self-blame and grief doesn¡¯t suit you. Other police officers will be there soon. Let¡¯s go downstairs first.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The student activity square was not as hidden as the small forest. Thanks to the previous activities of the Student Union, it had attracted quite a few students. In a short period of time, more and more people gathered around the crime scene.


    Many students had their faces covered, yet still carefully peeped through their fingers at the pools of blood on the ground and people lying in those pools of blood.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Cong Lian downstairs. Perhaps it was the urgent sprint from before, but his limbs began to warm up gradually.


    Because the police had been searching for Jiang Liu inside and outside the campus, the officers came quickly, and the police tape was quickly put up. Jiang Chao¡¯s men began to drive away the onlookers, but no one rushed to touch the three motionless students.


    Lin Chen stood on the flower bed outside the crowd, staring coldly at the hellish scene in front of him.


    Xu Hao Zhen, Jiang Liu, and an unknown boy were lying in a pool of blood. The red, white, black, and purple mixed together. The screams had gradually weakened into whispers. But the whispered discussions were more ear-piercing than screaming.


    Jiang Liu fell into a small pool beside the square. The water in the pool was extremely shallow, essentially only a thin layer. The bottom of the pool was covered with pebbles of various sizes. The few aquatic duckweeds originally floating in the pool had been smashed by the fallen girl.


    The blood slowly seeped away.


    The ambulance howled and arrived. The doctor waded through the pool, checked the girl¡¯s pupils and pulse, then shook his head subconsciously.


    Two paramedics carried the girl on a stretcher and brought it into the ambulance.


    Everyone present knew in their hearts that the three students who had jumped from such a tall building had almost no possibility of surviving.


    So the actions of doctors and nurses seem to be just for completing the final proceedings.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath, and a familiar menthol tobacco smell gradually arrived at the tip of his nose.


    He turned his head. Xing Cong Lian had come to stand beside him at some point, and his hands rested on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulders naturally.


    If there are people in this world who can be calm before the landslide, then Xing Cong Lian must be one of them.


    The mixed-race young man held a cigarette, his tone as calm as usual,  ¡°It¡¯s another three people. What does the three represent, obsessive-compulsive disorder?¡±


    Lin Chen could hardly believe his ears. When most people face a sudden accident, even if they don¡¯t panic, there would be a short period of blankness. But Xing Cong Lian seemed to not have panicked from beginning to end. Lin Chen suddenly remembered that the first sentence Xing Cong Lian said to him seemed to be: It¡¯s not your fault?


    What kind of nerve is tough enough to start comforting others immediately?


    ¡°No matter how it¡¯s related, this is an important clue.¡± Lin Chen said slowly. Maybe it was the steadiness of the hand on his shoulder, or maybe the smell in his nose was too reassuring.


    ¡°What clue?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    He answered very honestly. The current number of clues they had were pitifully low, and it was impossible for him to analyze the reason behind this with just a single number.


    It was three people who committed suicide together again. Anyone could think that the number three must have a very important meaning. As for what it meant, he really couldn¡¯t say.


    Is it obsessive-compulsive disorder?


    Xing Cong Lian¡¯s way of thinking was certainly valid. Gathering three people together to die together can represent a compulsive behavior. But if analyzed in this way, it will only bring up more and more questions.


    What caused this compulsive behavior, what is its meaning, and what was the story behind it?


    Why did these students commit suicide, and will someone commit suicide again?


    If the answer is yes, then can they stop the tragedy from happening again?


    The questions rushed in like a tide, and Lin Chen once again felt a splitting headache.

 CH 54

    Chapter 54: Three Graves 17


    On the student square, Jiang Chao''s subordinates took control of the fields, and the onlookers gradually dispersed, but there were still stubborn students who were still standing on the outermost edge of the cordon, looking around and refusing to leave.


    Deputy Captain Jiang got out of the police car. He had received a report earlier that another student jumped off the building at Yongchuan University. There were three more people dead, when he saw that the students are not following the police¡¯s arrangements, he was so angry that he sneered, and rushed to the students outside the cordon saying, "Come here, you''re not busy, come and take notes, no one is allowed to leave!"


    Jiang Chao finished, and the policeman at the maintenance of order winked. After a few people surrounded the crowd, the students were rounded up.


    They are ordinary college students. Where could they have seen such a battle, and immediately many people scattered and fled.


    The square was suddenly empty again. Although in the surrounding teaching buildings, not knowing how many people were peeking at the scattered blood stains and the police evidence collection process, the square finally calmed down.


    When it was quiet, faint cries sounded.


    Jiang Chao followed the sound. At the flower bed next to the square, there were several girls sitting and crying.


    Those were the members of the student union. Just now when the three students jumped off the building, they were standing in the most central position and were overly frightened. There were two policewomen who are currently patting the girl''s back, trying to ask something.


    And behind the flower bed, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were standing very close, not knowing what they were talking about.


    Jiang Chao thought for a while, and after walking around the flowerbed, he patted Lao Xing on the shoulder.


    "I say lao Xing, you are so unkind, don''t you know that the two little girls are crying so hard, you don''t persuade them to help make a confession or something!"


    Jiang Chao did not control the strength he used to pat , Xing Conglian was caught off guard and almost fell off the flowerbed.


    "Keep your voice down." Xing Conglian turned his head and saw Jiang Chao kept glancing at Lin Chen. It was obvious that he had an ulterior motive. He made a silent gesture toward Jiang Chao and pulled the person to the back. (T/N the idiom used here is ÏÔÈ»ÊÇ×íÎÌÖ®Òâ²»ÔÚ¾Æ; it literally translates to wine-lovers heart is not in the cup; which means having some ulterior motive)


    "Your little girl asks very well. You can listen quietly."


    "This is enough, you have to ask when you will go, ask your Lin consultant to do you a favour and get a confession. It''s best to have it. Amazing details!" Jiang Chao leaned close to Xing Conglian''s ear and whispered. He had read all the files of the "Candy Thief" case, and Lin Chen evoked sporadic memories of witnesses with a single phone call, which was simply breath-taking.


    He wanted to say it again, but there was a slightly cold voice that sounded in his ears.


    "In fact, there''s no need." Lin Chen held his arms, stood in front of Jiang Chao and said, "I am the witness, I watched Xu Haozhen  jump off the roof."


    Jiang Chao pulled the ear, thought he has hearing problems.


    Xing Conglian''s gaze swept across Lin Chen''s face, and he saw his solemn face, clear eyes, but his face was very pale. Xing Conglian suddenly regretted that he didn''t quickly take Lin Chen away from the scene.


    "You and you, what''s the matter?" Jiang Chao immediately pulled the two of them further away, and asked in a low voice.


    "At the time, I was in one of  the classrooms of the school of Psychology and received a call from Captain Xing, saying that Jiang Liu appeared and went to the teaching building where I was in. When I hung up the phone, someone jumped off the building it was a boy. Thinking of the previous case, I am afraid that things will not be so simple. Soon, someone jumped off the building. When I rushed to the roof, I happened to see Xu Haozhen sitting on the edge of the roof."


    Lin Chen said concisely and briefly described the incident to Jiang Chao.


    Although he was brief, Jiang Chao felt goose bumps all over his body: "You just said that Xu Haozhen really jumped in front of you?"


    "Yes."


    "Then... did she say anything in the end? "


    ¡°She said a word to me."


    "What did she say?"


    "She said, brother, goodbye, you have to cheer up¡±


    Lin Chen''s tone was very flat and his tone was a little cold, stating completely what he heard at that time.


    Jiang Chao''s eyes widened and his horror was terrified: "Isn''t this sick? Before committing suicide, she asked you to cheer, what kind of cheer do you want?"


    "I don''t know." Lin Chen''s mind was full of that girl''s smiles at the end of her life.


    How should he put it, Xu Haozhen was very awake at the time, she knew what she was doing very well, and she was joyful from the heart, as if she could get the sublimation of life and soul as long as she jumped down the roof.


    "I  think..." Jiang Chao rubbed his arms and couldn''t help but burst into a swear word, " Even one or two suicides could down this school. Now it is all six dead!¡±


    "I am afraid that Xu Haozhen really died because she had planned this for a long time. Two hours before she jumped off the building, I met her once. At that time, she deliberately said goodbye to me..."


    "Then why..." Jiang Chao heard this and wanted to speak, but Xing Conglian glanced at him, when he was about to utter the words, he swallowed them back.


    "Why didn''t I see that Xu Haozhen really has suicidal tendencies? Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian indifferently..


    "In fact, there is still a problem with this case" Xing Conglian couldn''t help but interrupt Lin Chen, and did not give Lin Chen any chance to say the next words. He said: "There are too many people gathered in the square just now. The student union secretary is here. Organizing the search for Jiang Liu, Lao Jiang knew that we did not entrust the student union to mobilize teachers and students to search for Jiang Liu. Even the news of Jiang Liu¡¯s disappearance was only spread in a small area. Why was it so coincidental? Why would these three children choose suicide at that time and in the most crowded place? "


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, speechless for a long time.


    On the flowerbed in the distance, the girls were still sobbing, and the missing persons notices all over the floor, as if it were the most silent mockery.


    Lin Chen bent down and picked up the one at his feet, Jiang Liu in the photo, smiled as bright as Xu Haozhen.


    He finally looked at Jiang Chao, nodded, and said, "I''ll do it."


    Xing Conglian''s heart was slightly startled.


    The amount of information Jiang Chao  just heard is too much. He immediately nodded with satisfaction  and saw Lin Chen turn around, and walked to the girl''s side at the flowerbed ."I ¡­I really can''t remember¡±. The girl''s intermittent cry came with the wind, "please don''t ask me, okay?"


    Lin Chen walked to the girl, squatted down, his eyes were level with her. Before the people around him could react, he raised his hand, gently touched the eyes of the girl, his voice was very soft and quiet, but with a soothing temperament. He said: "I don''t need you to answer questions, please close your eyes, take three deep breaths with me, and then open your eyes, okay?


    The girl choked, then nodded.


    "One, inhale..."


    "Two, exhale..."


    "Three, please open your eyes." "


    Lin Chen''s hand moved away from the girl''s eyes.


    The girl opened her eyes, and there was a finger in front of her eyes. The finger was very thin and white. Then, she heard someone in front of her say: "Please look at my finger and look towards the right. "


    Although she  didn''t know what''s happening, the girl couldn''t help but stare at that finger and looked obediently to the right. Then her eyes followed the finger again and slowly moved to the left.


    Jiang Chao stood on tiptoe. Looking at Lin Chen, who was squatting on the ground slowly moving his fingers, pulled Xing Conglian vigorously, and whispered: "What is he doing?"


    ¡°Didn''t  you ask him to ask questions? It''s probably a way to calm people down?" Xing Conglian''s voice contained a chill that even he couldn''t notice


    For about half a minute, the surroundings became silent.


    Lin Chen''s slowly moving fingers finally stopped..


    "If you feel better, Can you answer one of my questions, if possible, please nod your head. " Lin Chen said. The girl strangely calmed down. She breathed in twice, and most of the rebellious emotions disappeared.


    "You...  can ask."


    Jiang Chao looked at Xing Conglian excitedly in the eyes. "It seems hypnosis ah, this is amazing. "


    ¡°Why do you distribute flyers here, and who made you come?"


    Before Lin Chen finished speaking, the other girl sitting next to her suddenly wailed and cried: "It''s... Senior Sister Xu asked us to do this. She said, she said..."


    Policewoman at the side hurriedly handed over the tissues, Lin Chen did not speak, but quietly looked at the girl in front of him.


    "Sister Xu?¡±


    "Xu... senior sister said... Jiang Liu is gone, I''m afraid it''s more helpful as her classmates, if we can help a little..."


    "Senior Xu, is it Xu Haozhen?


    The girl nodded, her eyes filled with tears again: "Did Xu jie deliberately trick us into letting us watch her commit suicide?"


    Looking at the suffering girl in front of him, Lin Chen didn''t answer. He slowly stood up, took a pen from his pocket, opened the girl''s palm, and wrote a series of numbers..


    "This is the school''s psychological counselling centre''s number. You must go seek professional help¡±.


    As he said, he looked at the policewoman on the flower bed and said: "Wait, please be sure to send them to see a psychiatrist."


    -------


    After the noise, there is silence of death.


    There are less and less people on the square. Lin Chen didn''t say anything more. Taking advantage of Jiang Chao''s work, Xing Conglian quietly left the square with him.


    It was during class time that there were no students in the square and everything seemed too quiet.


    Unconsciously, the two of them walked up to the lake.


    The sky was bright, and the whole lake was too bright, so bright that a strange misty halo was lightly floating on the lake surface.


    The banyan tree is still leafy, and under the tree are many commemorative garlands, and there are even candles spontaneously lit by students. The candles have not burned out, and the candlelight is still swaying gently.


    Xing Conglian patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, speechless.


    After Lin Chen said that to the police officer he(XC) hasn''t spoken since.


    For a 10-year-old college students, he witnessed suicide. It was probably the cruellest thing they had experienced in their lives. (T/N not very sure about what it meant it''s like this in the raws)


    So Lin Chen, his junior sister, jumped a few steps away from him, but he couldn''t save anyone. Any normal person would blame himself.


    Xing Conglian clearly  just now felt that Lin Chen didn¡¯t want to ask for that confession because he was also very confused. He was not ready, but at Jiang Chao¡¯s request, he quickly picked up his mood. In the end, he did not forget to remind those children that they should see a psychologist.


    This is really damn professional.


    Looking at the slightly thin back of the person in front of him, Xing Conglian felt irritated.


    The strength of the shoulders became heavier and heavier. Lin Chen came back to his senses, seeing Xing Conglian frowned, remembering that Xing Conglian had deliberately interrupted his conversation with Jiang Chao, he still said, "Don''t worry, I won''t be sad for autumn and spring, but even an ordinary psychological counsellor cannot see that the patient has suicidal tendencies, it is considered negligence, let alone me?


    Xing Conglian retracted his hand and asked seriously: "You didn''t realize that you have a very serious problem. Have you always felt that you are omnipotent?"


    It¡¯s ridiculous to feel one should be responsible for everyone''s life and that it¡¯s their own negligence for not saving lives.


    "I know very well that I am not a god, and I cannot save everyone. I don''t have the mentality of a holy father. I won''t attribute all mistakes to myself." Lin Chen''s mouth showed a self-deprecating smile, "Perhaps there used to be , But after really experiencing some things, you will find that people''s abilities are always limited. If you can''t do it, you can''t do it."


    ¡°Then why do you think you still think that you are negligent. Retreat and say that this is not our case at all, and it has nothing to do with your duties!"


    ¡°I''m just talking about things..."


    "You''re making a fool of yourself."


    Before Xing Conglian words fell, he felt his waist tighten, Lin Chen turned around and suddenly hugged him.


    The hug was very short. Lin Chen''s arms were wrapped around his waist, and his head leaned against his shoulder. Before he could react, Lin Chen withdrew, but while breathing, there was still a clear breath that belonged to a psychologist. Although the time was short, it was a very sincere hug.


    Lin Chen said:" thanks. "


    Xing Conglian was stunned, damn, who is comforting whom?


    "From another angle, I didn''t even see Xu Haozhen is really suicidal. Isn''t it a weird thing?"


    After all, it is Lin Chen. He is really good at how to open the topic calmly. Xing Conglian can''t remember what he just wanted to say, his attention quickly shifted from the hug just now, just thinking about this sentence. It¡¯s really conceited to the extreme. From Lin Chen¡¯s point of view, it makes people feel right.


    "I also think it¡¯s not your mistake. Perhaps these children committed suicide by jumping off the building, but that¡¯s not the same as suicide in the traditional sense? "


    Xu Haozhen arranged for her classmates to distribute the flyers looking for Jiang Liu and deliberately gathered the crowd. She said goodbye to Lin Chen and then jumped off. Judging from these small details, this is no longer a simple plan that can be summarized for a long time. Therefore, this is certainly not the desperate suicide caused by negative emotions in the ordinary sense.


    If this is eliminated, the remaining suicidal motives will become a little scary.


    "Of course it is different. It is basically like the suicide incident is performed by the script."


    Lin Chen crouched down, stroking the soft mud in front of him. Yesterday morning, the bodies of three students were found in the lake and after a day three students jumped off the teaching building.


    One, Two, three corpses.


    One, two, and three people jumped off the building.


    From fright to fright and then from fright to horror, any bystander¡¯s mood is like riding a roller coaster. After twists and turns, they will experience rushing towards hellish extreme fear.


    These two segment transformations are too subtle, this is really like compiling a good script, and then pressing the field interpretation of the story.


    Everything is silent.


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath, only to feel that Lin Chen¡¯s deduction is too bold, but because it is bold it is terribly reasonable.


    Perhaps it is because it''s too quiet, the ringing of mobile phone broke the silence around.


    Xing Conglian answered it, and the voice of Wang Chao came jumping: "Boss Boss, are you at Yongchuan University? Did someone jump off the building in a group? "


    The boy''s voice trembled with a rare tremor.


    "How do you know?"


    Lin Chen stood up and stared at him with scorching eyes.


    Xing Conglian soon realized the problem here.


    Wang Chao is working alone in the hotel now, and he and Lin Chen also had no time to tell Wang Chao about the new case of jumping from a building, then how did Wang Chao know?


    "I... I seem to have found their live broadcast website..." the boy said in fear.

 CH 55

    Probably he was really scared, Wang Chao came very quickly.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian waited at the school gate for a while, and saw a taxi rushing from a distance. The young man jumped out of the taxi, his face pale, his feet floating, and his palms covered with sweat.


    After he got out of the car, his first action was to shove the computer into Xing Conglian''s hands, and shouted: "Boss, hold it away from me."


    Young people like Wang Chao have good skills and a cheerful nature. Dominating the online world everyday, it is really hard to encounter any problems, which can make them this terrified.


    Considering teenager''s current situation, it is really not suitable to talk about the case immediately, so Lin Chen took him to a small coffee shop in the school.


    This is usually a place where professors and lecturers talk about scientific research ideas, very few students will come. The environment is quiet and peaceful. The key is that there are full floor-to-ceiling windows with large soft sofas, which are very warm and comfortable.


    Lin Chen ordered a cup of hot cocoa for Wang Chao. After the hot drink sprinkled with chocolate chips was served, the pale face of the teenager improved a little.


    The sun was warm, dispelling the cold.


    Wang Chao held the porcelain cup and drank a big sip of hot drink, only to feel that the sunlight was falling on him, and his hands and feet began to warm up gradually.


    On the opposite sofa, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian sat together, quietly waiting for the teenager to calm down.


    After a while, Wang Chao put down the porcelain cup and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.


    Seeing his face turned ruddy, Xing Conglian leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the coffee table, and said gently: "Tell me, how did you find them?"


    "I''m smart!" Wang Chao sniffed and waved. Instructing Xing Conglian to turn on the computer.


    "The privacy of the Deep web means that I can¡¯t search for the video I want with the usual search methods. Even if I edit the program, I have to write and break the code to solve the problem. The boss has no time to write such a long program for me. Then, suddenly in dark network, there is one thing that is omnipotent!"


    "What thing?"


    "Money ah!"


    The boy rubbed his fingers warily. It seems that this resilience is really amazing.


    "On deep web, there is a special reward website. If you have money, you can kill people and set fires. I tried it and posted the photos taken by Wang Shishi¡¯s mother. I offered a reward of 100 bitcoins. I wanted to find the original video and posted this paragraph. In the video website, soon someone privately believed me, saying that this is a live website, and then gave me the entrance to the website." Wang Chao paused, drank some hot cocoa and said again, "Boss, you pay the money¡±.


    Xing Conglian Couldn''t help but knock on his head: "Don''t sell Guanzi."(T/N guanzi means keeping in suspense)


    "Oh, it''s a  deep web for popular science. Most websites require special entrances to enter, and some websites change places with one shot. Only long-term members can enter. When I looked at the entrance, I first felt that this is a website that engages in unseen and dark business.¡± Wang Chao said, in order to prove that what he said was true, he re-entered the website at that time, and then, the page was no longer able to show, "When I went in, the website had already started live broadcasting. The angle of the video was very high. It seemed that someone had hacked into the school''s surveillance system. Then I happened to see someone jumping off the roof of the school.¡±


    " Do you have any screen recordings?" Xing Conglian asked.


    "Recorded." The young man''s answer calm and solemn.


    He opened a video. It was a website with almost all black pages. At the top of the website, there were two bright red words.


    The structure of the entire website is extremely concise. In the middle is a live broadcast screen, with a simple message box on the left and a bunch of golden flowers at the bottom.


    Lin Chen''s gaze was fixed on the live broadcast screen.


    After all, it is a surveillance video, the pixels are not high, and the particles in the screen are very large, which can be fully distinguished. The location in the video is the No. 3 teaching building of Yongchuan University and the student square downstairs.


    Lin Chen recalled the layout of the entire school''s teaching building. Wang Chao was right. This was a surveillance video taken on the roof of Building No. 4.


    Wang Chao entered a little late, and the first video he recorded was a scene of a girl in purple leaping from the top of the building. The girl resembled a fluttering butterfly, blooming in the air with a graceful posture, and then fell heavily to the ground.


    That was the scene where Jiang Liu jumped off the roof.


    What''s more frightening is that after Jiang Liu fell down the building, the live video even switched the camera, and the screen turned into a close-up of the pool at the bottom of the building.


    The expressions of the students watching were dull. Some even squatted on the ground, squeezed their ears, and opened their mouths silently. There was no sound in the picture, but it could be clearly felt that the person was screaming with all his might.


    Looking at the horrified expressions, Lin Chen suddenly realized that the broadcaster had also switched the surveillance camera screen to make the screen smoother, like a silent movie.


    This is not a simple suicide video, it is simply a carefully planned live broadcast of death.


    Outside the window, the spring is bright and warm, and the heating is still on in the cafe, but Lin Chen clearly felt that his heart has become cold.


    He couldn''t help but look at the man beside him.


    Xing Conglian was expressionless, but his eyes moved up and down quickly, as if he was reading something.


    Lin Chen moved his gaze to the message column on the left side of the live broadcast screen, only then realized that Xing Conglian had been watching the content of those messages that were refreshing quickly.


    Those conversations flowed down like water and were dizzying. Not only Chinese, English, but also Arabic and Russian, and for some sentences, even the language was indistinguishable.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian again, somewhat surprised. Seeing Xing Conglian''s appearance, he seemed to be able to read these sentences without hindrance.


    "What did the message say?" he asked.


    Xing Conglian heard the words and did not answer, but just pressed his hand, as if to say, wait a moment.


    At this moment, Lin Chen''s breathing stopped, as he saw himself appearing in the picture.


    Xu Haozhen sat on the edge of the roof with her feet hanging in the air. She turned her head when she heard the iron gate being pushed open.


    It was a weird feeling that made people get goosebumps. Looking at the person walking slowly on the rooftop, Lin Chen almost wanted to shout at himself, don''t be slow, rush over, rush over, you still have a chance to save her!


    However, that is an established fact, an established fact that cannot be changed by regret.


    He watched himself helplessly, stopping not far behind the girl. He watched the girl turn back, showing the kind of contented smile


    In his ears, and the voice from then appeared.


    He heard her say, ''goodbye brother, you have to cheer up!''


    It seemed that there was a big hand squeezing the heart tightly. The pain was extreme. Lin Chen couldn''t help but lower his head and cover his face.


    At that moment, he suddenly realized that no matter how much self-consolation, he is deceiving himself. He is really very regretful, very, very regretful.


    He wanted to save her, but he was helpless.


    If time could go back, it would be really good.


    Xing Conglian sat in the warm sunlight, watching the girl sitting on the edge of the roof, and jumping down.


    The reflection of the screen was a little dazzling, and even the picture was a little dim. He saw Lin Chen standing on the top of the building with one hand half-stretched, trying to hold something, but in the end, he stopped.


    At the end of the video, his gaze was fixed on Lin Chen. The young man''s white clothes seemed to be transparent, the sun was shining brightly, and the sky blue was like washing, but he felt very cold, bitterly cold.


    He turned his head a little stiffly, Lin Chen did not look at the picture anymore, just covered his face with his hands, crouched, and said nothing.


    Xing Conglian wanted to stretch out his hand and put his arm around Lin Chen''s shoulder, but his hand also stretched halfway, and stopped in mid-air.


    Because he found that Lin Chen''s posture was like a statue, even his back was not trembling, he was not crying.


    Yes, that''s Lin Chen, Lin Chen who doesn''t even need comfort.


    Xing Conglian retracted his hand and then hooked his finger at the waiter.


    After a long time, Lin Chen felt that someone patted him on the shoulder.


    He raised his head, his vision was filled with the handsome face of a mixed-race youth like a sword, because he had been covering his face for a long time, his vision became blurred.


    A cup of hot coffee was stuffed into his hand.


    Maybe it¡¯s the heat. He only thinks that the eyes in the field of vision are beautiful, with a little blue and a little green, like mountains and seas, and there is fine sunlight scattered in them, but they are beautiful and gentle, making it impossible to find the right words to describe.


    Then, he heard Xing Conglian speak in a low voice.


    He said: "It¡¯s said that¡­it can stimulate the secretion of dopamine, that is to say, it will make you feel more pleasant.¡±


    Suddenly, Lin Chen laughed blankly.


    What a bastard, even words of comfort must be copied from him.


    The coffee in his hand was very hot. He took a big sip, as if he was pouring into strong alcohol. From his throat to his stomach, it was as if it was going to burn.


    It''s so hot that it hurts a little, so it is real..


    "Sorry, I couldn''t stand it just now "He said.


    Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen. He only felt that these words were too frank, and there was no disguise. It was so sincere that people could not think of anything but to accept. He suddenly felt that he should go to Italy and rebuild, I will not coax people anymore...


    Of course, Consultant Lin didn''t know the thoughts of Captain Xing. He quickly cleared up his emotions, and then said to Wang Chao "This website, after the live broadcast of suicide, is it closed? "


    The little comrade Wang Chao came back to his senses. He looked at Lin Chen''s slightly pale face, and said with concern: "Yes, then this stupid website is closed, Ah chen, do you mind, do you want me to hug you?" (T/N in Chinese adding ''Ah'' in front of people name is kind of expressing their affections just like Ah chen, Ah yuan etc., )


    "No need" Lin Chen couldn''t help but rub his head, and then asked: "What kind of website is this, is it profitable?"


    "It seems to be charged, but I didn''t spend any money when I went in. Maybe the person who gave me the entrance paid the money, so I just need to follow the link to get in."


    Xing Conglian heard this and nodded his head, as if he approved Wang Chao''s words.


    He said, pointing to the end of the content message board ¡°someone here asked for entrance to the next live broadcast and how to buy it.¡±


    Lin Chen gazed down his(XC) fingers and found that it¡¯s a Russian message, underneath that seems to be the response is in two French sentences.


    "Someone answered it? "


    ¡°No, the Russian is being scolded as a fool..."

 CH 56

    "Of course this is stupid. They don''t know the rules at all. How can they directly ask! Generally this kind of website has very high rejection, and internal members have a fixed chat room." Wang Chao said with a sense of justice, "Right! boss, take a look at the previous comments, is it clear that this live broadcast is charged?"


    Xing Conglian heard this, glanced at Lin Chen, and said, "I will adjust the content of the screen forward."


    Lin Chen knew that he(XC) was worried that he(LC) would be psychologically uncomfortable when he watched Xu Haozhen jump off the building, so he said, "Don''t worry about me. If you repeatedly receive stimulation, the psychological threshold will become higher and you will not be so easily emotionally excited."


    Xing Conglian frowned, but still in accordance with the words, he slowly dragged the video to the beginning.


    "I''m afraid that not only charges, but also rewards are given." Xing Conglian pressed the pause button, pointed to a message in an unknown language, and said, "Here is a reward of 10 bitcoins, asking for more violent scenes."


    "Oh my God! Local tyrants!" Wang Chao heard the words, stretched out his hand to cover the part of the the suicide screen, and then carefully checked the message, "It''s really 10 bitcoins, 25,000 yuan!"


    "The exchange rate is so high?" Lin Chen was somewhat Accident.


    "Yes, Bitcoin is a universal electronic currency for deep web. Because it is encrypted, it has good anonymity and a lot of users, so the exchange ratio between it and real currency has been continuously increasing..." The voice of Wang Chao is cold, he paused, and said, "From the side it also reflects that the business in the underground world is getting better and better, haha."


    "Wait, you just said that you offered a reward of 100 bitcoins on the forum?" Xing Conglian suddenly thought of something, "You just spent two hundred and fifty thousand of laozi¡¯s money?"


    "Boss, please read the messages carefully, don''t pay attention to such details, okay!" Wang Chao became annoyed and said, "In order to solve the case efficiently, what does it mean to spend a small amount of money?!¡±


    ¡°Well, I will spend money, if it''s useful,¡± said Xing Conglian.


    Wang Chao: "..."


    "So, someone asked for more violent content, did he get the entrance?" Lin Chen interrupted the conversation between the two, and brought the topic back to the point


    More violent content?


    If this website is not only on-demand, but also invited to perform the pictures requested by the audience, it means that when the bounty can satisfy the owner of the website, there will be more violent and bloody content than the live broadcast of three people jumping off the building?


    Lin Chen didn''t dare to think anymore.


    "I''m afraid, money talks." Xing Conglian pointed his finger across another message ¡°this man said, this time live is very satisfactory, more exciting than the last one of burying alive ¡­."


    Lin Chen looked at the screen, and that was another language¡¯s indistinguishable message: "What kind of language is this? Is there any related content before and after?"


    "Norwegian, I remember there is another message that mentions the word being buried alive."


    Lin Chen was a little shocked, Xing Conglian''s language ability seemed to be too much.


    After all, he himself has never had any achievements in linguistics, and his English proficiency was only improved after he was enrolled in various documents in the university.


    Therefore, faced with such a god-man Xing Conglian, who was proficient in Russian, French, Arabic, and even a small number of Norwegian languages, he was not sure what to ask for a while.


    Xing Conglian focused on the short, flowing conversations, and then stopped abruptly: "Here."


    However, after he finished speaking the two words, he stopped, as if the content of the message in front of him was unspeakable.


    "What did he say?" Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Conglian glanced at him, shook his head slightly, stabilized his breath, and said, "He said, the last time he saw the buried alive, he shot."


    As if a cold breath ran down his spine to the top of his head. Lin Chen was speechless for a long time. He looked at the dark website as if he saw a bottomless world of darkness.


    He suddenly understood why Wang Chao would avoid dark networks like a snake and scorpion.


    After all, this is an unregulated underground kingdom, a kingdom of countless violent criminals and psychopaths.


    "Therefore, these three cases are really deeply related." After a long time, Lin Chen finally spoke. He said, "The problem is, what about next time?"


    Judging from the live broadcasts they have mastered, in each live broadcast the level of violence continues to rise from the three people buried alive to the jumping off the building. Among them, there must be the deep intentions of the live broadcasters in order to grab more benefits. The problem is that this is a case where information is not equivalent to other cases. Victims are waiting from beginning to end. The case happened without any resistance.


    Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the campus of Yongchuan University is still quiet and serene. Sometimes young men and women holding books pass by under the shade of the trees. They laugh and laugh, relaxed and comfortable, but perhaps among those students, some have penetrated the internet world. On the dark side, there are people wearing double identities, performing dramas at the cost of life for those hungry perverts on the dark web, while some of the remaining people are lucky and don¡¯t know what exactly is happening.


    Darkness breeds in this campus.


    "Can you still contact the person who gave you the entrance to this website?" Xing Conglian knocked on the table and asked Wang Chao.


    "Probably if I have money. I might have to spend hundreds of thousands to try it out?" Wang chao asked tentatively.


    Xing Conglian was noncommittal, and only said: "You try to enter their private forum. It would be better if you can determine the time when the next live broadcast will start." He paused and asked Lin Chen again, "Do you have any ideas?"


    Lin Chen held the coffee cup, took a sip, and took his gaze away from the boys and girls on campus.


    "There are two questions. First, why did the incident happen on the campus of Yongchuan University; second, what is the motivation that makes them willing to give up their lives?"


    It¡¯s a suicide not murder, that was more creepy because of willingness.


    "Why?" Wang Chao said dejectedly, lying on the table, "Are there any clues that I can look up to, other than letting me go fishing for law enforcement?


    Xing Conglian thought for a moment, and said, "Now it''s quite certain. An alive burial incident is also a suicide, and as you inferred before, the deceased dug up the grave with his own hands, so there must be someone who will cover them with the last handful of soil..."


    In other words, there are witnesses or accomplices.


    "But it is also possible that person, or those people, has committed suicide. "Lin Chen said coldly.


    The incident came to a dead end again.


    Like the dead Cheng Weiwei, it is very likely that the person who covered the last layer of soil with his own hands might be dead before he is found out. The corpse can no longer speak.


    That person, maybe Jiang Liu, maybe Xu Haozhen, maybe the boy who jumped with them, or maybe even the three of them together.


    "Ahhh, my head hurts so much" . Wang Chao thought for a long time, and couldn''t help but hit his head against the table, very distressed.


    When it comes to deep web, he seems to be chained, and he has a great power that cannot be used.


    "Actually, there is another clue that is not a clue."


    Lin Chen held the boy''s forehead and took out three pieces of thin paper from his pocket. That was exactly the profile of the personality test he pulled out from the archives of Wang Shishi, Jiang Liu, and Xu Haozhen.


    "Although we are now It is no longer possible to communicate with the deceased, but they still leave some psychological marks. "


    "What is this?" Wang Chao craned his neck and watched Lin Chen line up the three sheets of paper on the table. Some numbers and the zigzag lines connecting the numbers were printed on the paper, which looked like an electrocardiogram..


    "MMPI, by far the most widely used in the world" The personality test is mostly used to identify mental illness. " (T/N The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a psychological test that assesses personality traits and psychopathology.)


    "Yes, yes, it''s okay to commit suicide? what is it if it is not a mental problem?"


    Lin Chen staring across the psychological file in front, said "Unfortunately, these results of personality tests when they enrolled in the school shows that the three of them psychologically are very healthy."


    "Are you sure..." Wang chao quipped.


    Hearing what Wang Chao said, Lin Chen lowered his eyes and looked at the data again.


    In fact, when he saw the three personality curves for the first time, he was also very surprised, no matter what it is hypochondriasis, depression, psychosis or delusion, mental weakness...The indicators of the three girls are all within the normal range, and the only one that is close to the abnormal value is the si* item, which is what he has always felt very, very weird. (*T/N it is in english in the raws)


    "How do you look at this? "Xing Conglian asked suddenly.


    "It''s very simple. The upper line is 70 points, the lower line is 30 points, and 50 is the middle value. The closer to 70 points, the more abnormal. "


    "Then what does this si mean?"


    "Social introversion."


    "Socially introverted character?" "Xing Conglian touched the stubble on his chin, "This item seems to fluctuate greatly. It''s very close to 70, what does that mean."


    "It means that the three of them are introverted, timid, withdrawn, not sociable, easy to give in, and nervous..."


    Thinking of the generous and cheerful girl who was pushing a cup and changing cups in the Tian Ren Club that day, Xing Conglian''s eyes flashed an incredible look: "This is not like Xu Haozhen."


    "But it is the same as their state when they enrolled. I have watched their self-introduction videos when they enrolled. How can I say it is very cowardly and introverted."


    "But if they are all introverted girls, how can they dare to do those deviant things?" "


    "No, in fact, the personalities of the three of them have undergone major changes during college. This is the only clue I can grasp now. "


    "What made them change?" Xing Conglian is keenly aware of the key.


    "In fact, this question should be asked like this. Does the reason that prompted them to change also the one caused them to commit suicide?" "Lin Chen said.


    Is there such a thing?


    It can make you full of vitality, make you a new face, and make you feel live a new life every day, but at the same time, it is as evil as a drug, and it will make you willing to give your life for it.


    "Let''s go back to the rooftop and have a look. "Lin Chen said at last.


    When three left the cafe, Wang Chao deliberately fell to the end. When the revolving door turned, he suddenly grabbed Xing Conglian and are separated from Lin Chen by a glass door.


    "Boss, I''m afraid it is a major transnational case, do yo need to notify ICPO?"


    "Not for the time being" looking at Lin Chen''s back, Xing Conglian said.

 CH 57

The angle of the camera has been adjusted, and everything seems to be traceless

 CH 58

    Although it is just an inference.


    But the crux of the problem is, what on earth can make people lose themselves?


    In this school, or in this city, there have been some people who have lost themselves, no matter whether it is morality or the law, they can no longer restrain them, but this inference must be vigilant.


    The music of the lunch break has the last ending sound.


    In the classroom of the College of Psychology under the three-story building, Fu Haogang packed up his notebooks for class. He glanced at the text message sent by Lin Chen earlier and asked him to meet on the rooftop. He put down his phone, plugged the cable and was packing a computer bag; a student quietly walked in front of him and cried out mysteriously: "Teacher Fu."


    The voice was so low that it almost came close to his ear, Fu Hao was frightened. He shrank back, cleared his throat, and asked, "What''s wrong, it''s useless to ask for a pass. The usual grades and final exams are four or six. If the score is less than 60, the subject will be..."


    "No No! "The boy got closer again and asked, "Who is the one that just came to our class to attend  the lecture ? Are you familiar with him?"


    "Does this have anything to do with you?"


    "I just saw a post on the school forum.....¡±


    ¡°Using mobile in class I¡¯m going to deduct points!" said Fu Hao; he suddenly realised and asked "What post?"


    ¡°If you don''t deduct my points , I¡¯ll show it to you¡± the boy said with a smile on his face.


    "Hurry up!"


    Fu Hao opened his hand, and the boy shoved hot phone into his hand "That''s it."


    On the phone screen, it was the BBS on campus of Yongchuan University. A post was pinned to the top by the moderator , there is only one word "he" in all posts. (T/N BBS mean Bulletin Board System)


    The poster is probably well versed in the ambiguous art, the more chaotic the content, the more interesting it is to go in and see.


    He glanced at the posting time. Twenty minutes ago, the number of replies had reached 200, and the number of clicks had exceeded 4,000.


    Sure enough, there are a lot of little rascals playing with mobile phones in class.


    Fu Hao sneered and clicked on the post.


    The plot came so quickly that no one was caught off guard.


    There were only three photos in the main content, which happened to be the scene before and after Xu Haozhen jumped off the building. However, the real protagonist in the photo was not the younger sister who died, but its Lin Chen ge whom he knew so well.


    Fu Hao stabilized his breath and began to observe the three photos carefully.


    In the first photo, his senior was standing on the rooftop, and his younger junior sister Xu Haozhen was sitting on the edge of the rooftop. The girl turned her head and seemed to be talking to his senior. But the composition of the photo is very clever, and the shadow makes his brother''s face look cold, as if indifferent to the girl''s words.


    In the second photo, his brother''s position has moved forward a bit, and Xu Hao has just jumped off the top of the building. His brother still kept the posture with one hand in his pocket. The time taken for the photo was very clever. It seemed that his brother had forced Xu Haozhen to jump off the building.


    In the third photo, his brother was squatting on the edge of the flowerbed in the square. The floor was covered with blood and messy leaflets. In front of him, there was a girl who was frightened by suicide and cried very hard. The atmosphere was gloomy. His senior stretched out a finger at the girl, as if he was doing something to the girl.


    These photos are too suggestive. It seems to say that at the time of the suicide case, someone happened to be at the scene of the crime, but that person not only failed to prevent the tragedy from happening, but was also indifferent to death.


    After the tragedy, the man went down to the square and did some strange things to the witnesses.


    Fu Hao felt that the palms of his hands had already begun to sweat. These photos were too suggestive, and he could almost fully use his imagination.


    He took a deep breath and slowly moved the post down.


    As expected, because of the hint of the topic in the post, the replies underneath were also open to all kinds of speculations.


    ¡ª¡ª


    3: Damn, who is this, why did he show up at the scene of the crime?


    10: What''s wrong with him, lz don''t talk halfway! (T/N not very sure what this lz means)


    17: In the third photo, what is that person doing, and what is it with his finger, is he hypnotizing?


    19: Brother 17, makes me shudder.


    20: Yesterday, under the old banyan tree by the lake, three corpses were found. It was terrible...


    21: 17 said so, it really looks like hypnosis...


    22: It makes sense! If it''s not hypnosis, then...why are they willing to jump down?


    44: What, isn''t it a suicide? The suspect has appeared again?


    49: Who is the original poster and how did he take these photos?


    ¡ª¡ª


    Fu Hao, after reading the first page of the reply, only felt that his teeth and cheeks were cold, as if the air seemed to be filled with crushed ice.


    He hurriedly gave the phone back to the boy, carrying the computer bag, rushed out of the classroom, and even forgot to take his own phone.


    In the conference room of Yongchuan University outside several teaching buildings, there was also a group of people watching the same post.


    "Excuse me, Captain Jiang, why do the police ignore such obvious clues?" Xu Guoqing, the executive vice president of Yongchuan University, stood up from the chair and patted the table in a rare and aggressive tone


    Jiang Chao was sitting on the bench leaning his legs, smoking a cigarette, he said, "The investigation takes time..."


    "No wonder the investigation has not made any progress, the police in Yongchuan are inefficient, and there has been another suicide incident in the school. Captain Jiang, you can¡¯t shrink the blame for this incident!"


    Hearing this, Jiang Chao glanced at Xu Guoqing, as if he was saying, "Your school is not well managed, and there are always students who commit suicide and cause so much trouble to Laozi. What does Laozi mean by not asking you to settle accounts?"


    Although the inner drama is very complicated. The emotions were also on the verge of losing patience because of the bombardment for nearly half an hour, Jiang Chao still held it back!


    "The police will speed up the investigation." He said.


    "So, should you still use Lin Chen to investigate?"


    Hearing someone interrupting again, Jiang Chao looked in the direction of sound impatiently.


    At this time, he discovered that the door of the conference room had been opened at some point, and a middle-aged man in black stood at the door. Jiang Chao squinted his eyes, thinking that this man seemed a bit familiar.


    "Shouldn''t Deputy Captain Jiang detain Lin Chen as a suspect until we find out the whole story?"


    Is there a need to add ¡®deputy¡¯ in the conversation? Jiang Chao suddenly remembered ¡®he was wearing such a sassy bag and speaking so rudely, except for the Lord butler who has nothing better to do, there is no second person.¡¯


    "Hey, why are you so old?" Jiang Chao couldn''t help but say what was in his heart.


    "This is the representative of the board of directors of Yongchuan University. He has the right to speak on behalf of the board of directors." Xu Guoqing added doggedly


    Jiang Chao pressed the cigarette butt and said coldly: "Oh, the board of directors of Yongchuan University, just because of a few photos, you are forcing me to arrest people?" He said, thinking that it is ridiculous, "This post is obviously pointing to Consultant Lin. Have you ever wondered, who can take pictures of the crime scene so precisely and capture such a deceptive angle?"


    "But this is indeed a clue, and the photos may be clicked accidentally by a student who loves photography, because he was afraid of being suspected, so he posted it anonymously on the forum. Moreover, step back and say why didn¡¯t he take pictures of others, just take him, Lin Chen?"


    "Rely..." Jiang Chao was almost conquered by such unreasonable logic, as if saying that you were too coquettish to be raped and it is as stupid as finding your own reason.


    Jiang Chao was speechless for a while, so he continued to be robbed.


    "Moreover, aren''t the student''s replies also a way of thinking? Hypnosis... If it''s hypnosis, it is indeed possible for the students to commit suicide willingly. Lin Chen is our Principal Su¡¯s student. He has a great degree in psychology and his knowledge in psychology is very deep." Xu Guoqing taunted yin and yang eccentrically. (T/N the line used here is ¡±Ðí¹úÇìÒõÑô¹ÖÆøµØ³°·í, I made it sound meaningful as much as possible )


    Hearing this, Jiang Chao suddenly came to his spirits: "Oh...hypnosis? It turns out that Consultant Lin is so powerful!"


    Although he trusted Lin Chen, hypnosis seemed to be a possibility, and he had to follow it up.


    He fumbled, took out his cell phone, and started rummaging for Xing Conglian''s contact


    ----


    Xing Conglian and Lin Chen stepped out of the roof.


    Wang Chao was sitting cross-legged at the top of the stairs, fiddling with the computer.


    Hearing the footsteps, he hurriedly turned his head, but when he saw the faces of the two of them, he was shocked: "What''s wrong, boss, why are your faces so ugly?"


    "Is there a clue about the entrance of the live broadcast website?" Xing Conglian asked.


    "No, that person hasn''t replied to me yet. I added 50 bitcoins. I want to ask for the entrance of the next live broadcast. That person still doesn''t reply to me. Is it a jet lag party?"


    "It''s also possible that the other party is aware of your motives.¡± Lin Chen said, "It is illegal after all. Although they have anonymity protection, their vigilance should be very high."


    "Achen, don''t scare me!" Dynasty hurriedly took out the cap from his school bag and put it on. Pressing the brim of the hat, as if afraid of being discovered.


    "50 bitcoins, nearly 120,000 yuan, you spend a little too much, the other party may indeed have doubts." Xing Conglian thought about it, and then said, "but this is a dark network, money can make ghosts grind, add a reward again, don''t be afraid, if the other party doesn''t respond, you will continue to post the reward post, and someone will always take the bait."


    "Isn''t it too much fanfare?" Lin Chen asked.


    "The more the person seems to be obsessively perverted, the more they fit the aura of that place, and they will not be easily suspected." Xing Conglian said confidently. He looked at Lin Chen, paused, and said: " After all, we don''t have much time.


    "Did something happen again?" seeing Xing Conglian''s appearance, Wang Chao was terrified, so he asked in a low voice.


    "Not yet." Xing Conglian reached out his hand and pulled the boy up from the ground. "But, let''s call."


    Wang Chao quickly understood, he lifted his trousers, and couldn''t help asking: "Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is it really that serious?"


    "Just in case, we¡¯ll be prepared."


    The stairs were quiet, so the brief conversation between the two fell in Lin Chen''s ears.


    Although Xing Conglian did not evade him when talking to Wang Chao, the content of the dialogue between the two was very vague, and looking at Xing Conglian¡¯s appearance he did not mean to explain to him, Lin Chen felt that he should have a sense of irritability of being rejected.


    But on the contrary, perhaps Xing Conglian''s tone of speech was too calm, or perhaps the content of what he said was more like preparation, Lin Chen actually felt a strange peace, or even a sense of tranquillity.


    He looked at Xing Conglian and wanted to speak. At this moment, a rush of footsteps came from downstairs.


    He lowered his head and saw Fu Hao''s figure appearing at the corner of the stairs.


    Fu Hao seemed very anxious. Through the gap between the stair railing, Fu Hao saw him and rushed three-step in two steps, grasped his hand and said: "Sen....senior, something happened¡±


    Xing Conglian''s cell phone ringing suddenly sounded in response to such a rush and a slightly horrified tone.

 CH 59

    Lin Chen has always been aware that the Chen family is troublesome like a shadow, and this is something Xing Conglian specially reminded him before he came to Yongchuan.


    But in fact, no one likes to be entangled in trouble.


    After hearing Xing Conglian brief him about the content of the call, he was a little suspicious of his ears: "School forums, photos? They suspected that I used hypnotism on the deceased?.¡±


    "Brother, it''s about the post pinned in our school''s BBS!" Fu Hao touched his pocket and wanted to get the phone, but he felt it empty.


    Wang Chao reacted more quickly. He sat down again, took out his notebook, typed address, opened the web page, and put the computer over his head and said, "Professor Fu, see if it is this post."


    Fu Hao pulled Lin Chen. Slightly bent over, clicked on the post, and said, "Yes, that is it, brother take a look."


    Lin Chen quickly scanned the main content and replies. He suddenly calmed down, just saying, "The angle of the photo is very good."


    Fu Hao got excited, and when he got excited, he started chattering again: ¡°Brother, you say why the Chen family is so old and sullen! Moreover, the person who took the photos had such a good time. Is the photo taken by the murderer? The Chen family especially chose such a good time to cause trouble. Did they discuss it with the murderer in the first place? I think the Chen family is very suspicious!¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, what do you think?¡± Lin Chen picked up the computer from the youngsters head.


    Xing Conglian took the opportunity to pull the young comrade up from the ground and said, "Don''t sit on the ground when you are all right."


    ¡°How do you type on the keyboard without sitting? Boss, I''m in a working state, do you understand, dedication!¡± When Wang Chao finished speaking, he ignored Xing Conglian. When he looked at the computer screen, his expression instantly stiffened, "This angle...this camera..."


    ¡°What is it?


    ¡°It seems to be cut directly from the live broadcast!¡± Wang Chao looked at Lin Chen and said in surprise.


    Fu Hao was puzzled: "What live broadcast?"


    The other three people present, no one answered his question. Instead, they started talking to themselves.


    ¡°From a perspective, it really looks like it was taken by the two surveillance cameras used for live death broadcast.¡± Xing Conglian said.


    "Then, what are the live broadcasters really doing? Then why did they cut these photos and post them to frame Achen."


    ¡°Because we are about to touch the line?¡± Lin Chen replied.


    "Touch the line, what line?" Fu Hao continued to interrupt.


    But still no one responded to him, after all if you chase the drama that is only one episode short of it, and you will not be able to keep up with the plot.


    "Indeed, when the investigation hits a critical point, it will always arouse the vigilance and obstruction of the murderer behind the scenes." Xing Conglian analysed. "Actually, this post appeared at a very good time, just after the three suicides, It happened that when we tracked down the live broadcast website. This firstly shows that our direction was not wrong; secondly, it also shows that this case must not be very simple, and there is a deep criminal network behind it." Xing Conglian said seriously looking at Lin Chen, he asked: "But the problem is that the Chen family? Are they used by the murderer against you, or is this is the business itself?¡±


    After all, it is the realm of Yongchuan. A big family like the Chen family is bound to have some ugly livelihoods. Similarly, only a big family like the Chen family is able to support these dark businesses that are not easily discovered by others.


    Xing Conglian''s inference is actually quite reasonable.


    However, Lin Chen shook his head: "I don''t know, but I suspect that it was not the Chen family who did it."


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Their IQ is not so high, and they are not so courageous.¡±


    Lin Chen said calmly, as if explaining something that could not be more normal, but if the housekeeper of the Chen family who was always in a neat suit was present, he would have been vomiting blood by Lin Chen''s understatement.


    "This is actually a good thing. They started to be nervous, so we will have a chance. After all, nervous people are always not so thoughtful and will make mistakes." Lin Chen said, patting Xing Conglian''s arm. Come on, let''s meet them¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    The small conference room in the administrative building of Yongchuan University was full of smoke and enthusiasm.


    Jiang Chao smoked most of the cigarettes, but he did not make most of the sounds.


    A group of people in the conference room were making a noise for a post. Jiang Chao took out a cigarette case and prepared to bring another one. At this moment, the office door was opened.


    "Is this on fire?"


    Xing Conglian''s voice came from the door.


    Hearing this sound, Jiang Chao suddenly turned his head, rushing towards the door like a saviour has appeared, and dragged the people into the house: "Old Xing ah! You are finally here!"


    He said, holding Lin Chen with his other hand, and refusing to let go: "Counsellor Lin is here too!"


    Not knowing if it was because of Xing Conglian''s arrival or Jiang Chao''s last sentence, the whole office suddenly fell into silence.


    Lin Chen looked around the room, and not surprisingly saw the figure of Vice President Xu and the housekeeper of the Chen family, the same room, three people with the appearance of college leaders, and four or five family members of the students whose eyes were red and crying.


    Come to think of it, it is really not easy for Jiang Chao to manage ten people and be bombarded for so long.


    In response to those skeptical, angry, mocking gazes, Lin Chen walked into the room, but instead of sitting down at the long conference table, he walked to the drinking fountain and poured a glass of water.


    "You are Lin Chen, did you kill my daughter?"


    A middle-aged woman stood up, pointed at his back and scolded.


    The water gurgled down his throat.


    Without irritation or surprise, Lin Chen slowly turned around and took a leisurely sip with a paper cup. It seemed that no matter how difficult it was, it was not as important as drinking water. So he finished most of the water in the glass before he said: "Oh, Hypnosis? This is a way of thinking."


    Hearing this, Jiang Chao frowned: "Is it really hypnosis? Consultant Lin?"


    "Unfortunately, this can''t be hypnosis." Lin Chen looked at the housekeeper at the end of the conference table, raised his cup and greeted slightly.


    "My daughter won''t jump off the building for no reason, someone must have harmed her!" Hearing this, the woman seemed to have lost all her strength, she sat down in her seat dejectedly, and said with her face covered.


    "Yes, my niece is very cheerful. She will not commit suicide. You must have hypnotized these people. Don''t quibble!" another middle-aged man said.


    "What''s your misunderstanding about hypnosis?" Lin Chen put down the paper cup, walked forward, and stood in front of the middle-aged man, "Did you watch too many TV series?"


    "What is your attitude!" The middle-aged man was angry and roared.


    "If you understand this sentence without being emotional, you will realize that I want to say, the reason why you think hypnosis can kill is because there are too many works of art suggesting you that psychologists or psychiatrists, are all demons who can see through and even manipulate people''s hearts, right?" The more angry the other party is, the calmer Lin Chen was.


    "Dare you say that you can''t hypnotize, then...then when you are at the scene, what are you doing to that girl!"


    "Did you mean that?" Lin Chen said, walking a few steps, squatting in front of the middle-aged woman stretched a finger, and said to the woman ¡°Please follow my finger movement, with your eyes.¡±


    He said, and began to move his fingers, left, right, up and down with a steady frequency.


    At first, the middle-aged woman resisted a bit, but slowly, her eyes began to move with Lin Chen''s fingers.


    The meeting room was quiet again. After all, the psychologist personally took action. Few people have seen such a scene with their own eyes, so everyone present was very curious and looked at the scene before them.


    Gradually, they discovered that the woman''s emotions had calmed down at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    But Housekeeper Chen''s expression turned ugly.


    Finally, Lin Chen retracted his hand, still calm, he asked: "How do you feel?"


    The woman was a little dazed: "I..."


    "Are you still conscious "


    "Conscious...I feel..."


    "Weird, as a matter of fact, don''t you feel better?"


    "This is not hypnosis, but an eye movement desensitization technique with a less standard procedure. It can slow down your negative emotions and is mostly used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress." Lin Chen said. With that, he patted the back of the woman''s hand and stood up again.


    The middle-aged woman clutched her chest, as if she was feeling her emotions, Lin Chen didn''t say anything, just took a few steps in the direction of Xing Conglian.


    "You...you...do you have a phone?" the woman suddenly raised her head and asked.


    "The therapist at the Psychological Counselling Centre of Yongchuan University will be more professional than me." Lin Chen stopped, turned around, and said faintly, "If you continue to have nightmares and feel sad, please be sure to seek professional help. "


    Although this sentence seems to be addressed to middle-aged women, it seems to be addressed to all the victims'' families present.


    Probably, Lin Chen''s attitude was really neither humble nor overbearing, and every sentence sounded very reasonable. The family members of the suicide victims who had been passionate about suicide did not even speak anymore.


    Some people even turned their gazes at Lin Chen from suspicion to trust.


    Upon seeing this, the housekeeper, who had never spoken, finally stood up: "Lin Chen, you really care about him... Obviously the question we just discussed was whether you hypnotized the suicide? Instead, you performed live. What kind of psychotherapy, no matter how benevolent you perform, your heart is still dirty!"


    "I have answered just now, this is not hypnosis."


    "Oh, the murderer would never call himself a murderer.¡±


    "The reason is very simple. I can''t do this, and I think that there are no more than ten hypnotists in the world who can hypnotize others to commit suicide by jumping off the building. The annual salary of those people starts at millions of dollars."


    The implication is that the hypnosis master will not be idle to come to the school to hypnotize a few students.


    It''s just that when this sentence fell into the ears of Housekeeper Chen, it became another way.


    "In other words, do you also admit that it is possible to induce students to commit suicide through hypnotism?"


    "Yes, yes, it is really possible that it was a murder." Vice President Xu hurriedly agreed. After all, if it is really a student suicide, then the school will be faced with huge compensation, if it is a murder case, the responsibility of the school is much lighter.


    "Oh, I remember, what I just said was impossible." Lin Chen sat down on the chair next to Xing Conglian, "It is almost impossible to hypnotize others to commit crimes, let alone commit suicide?"


    "I remember, Consultant Lin is a high-achieving student in the Department of Psychology. It is impossible to hypnotize others to commit criminal activities? You have not even heard of the Heidelberg incident, have you?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly looked up, but smiled ¡°You know the Heidelberg incident, then you really did a lot of preparatory work in advance." He said intentionally, however, he did not give Housekeeper Chen the opportunity to continue: "During the Heidelberg incident, the hypnotist did hypnotize Mrs. E. She tried to murder her husband, but if you read the Heidelberg incident carefully, you will find that Mrs. E was actually very painful when she was hypnotized six times during the murder, because people¡¯s subconscious would refuse to implement things that violate moral values, if forced to be executed, they are likely to wake up from hypnosis, not to mention suicide, which is life-threatening."


    "Then why, Mrs. E in the story would accept the suggestion to kill her husband?" Xu Guoqing was a little fascinated, and suddenly asked.


    "Sorry, I can''t tell you what kind of technique the hypnotist used to complete this almost impossible crime. I hope you can understand." Lin Chen paused and said, "But I can only say, The hypnotist actually hypnotized Mrs. E as a psychotherapist for several years. Obviously, I don¡¯t have the chance to have know the deceased in this case for several years, let alone I don¡¯t even have the ability to complete such complex hypnotic activities, and finally induce them to commit suicide."


    Lin Chen''s self-certification ended cleanly.


    Everyone present was a little embarrassed, but they had to go through it again. This confession was too clear and powerful. Even Xu Guoqing felt that there was something wrong with his hands and couldn''t help but want to applaud.


    "Oh!" Jiang Chao finally understood what Lin Chen meant. He thought about it, and couldn''t help asking: "But didn''t you say that hypnosis is a way of thinking, so what do you mean?"


    "I say this is not traditional hypnosis, but this is indeed a way of solving the case.¡±


    Lin Chen said, moving his gaze out of the window.

 CH 60

    When Lin Chen looked out the window; on Jun Mountain, a few kilometres away, there were also people overlooking the scenery outside the window.


    In the afternoon, the air in the mountain is very good. In the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain, row upon row of small buildings are dotted. The spring breeze is soft, the birds are singing on the branches, and the people who party all night have already dispersed. Quiet moments as such, are of course suitable for a nap.


    But Xing Fu did not sleep.


    To be precise, he was awakened after lying down. After all, an elderly person like him really needs sleep. If there are no major issues, his subordinates would not specifically call him out of bed. He was only surprised when he heard the problem described by the young man.


    "There was a suicide case in the school. The Chen family repeatedly pressured the police to obstruct the investigation. What is this?¡±


    The old man''s tone was very leisurely, and he even prolonged the ending sound, as if he really felt that disturbing his sleep because of such things is not worth it.


    Upon hearing this, the young man''s mood also changed from apprehension to panic.


    After all, he did his own thing without the old man''s order, and sent someone to follow the gentleman. After learning that the Chen family was ready to do something, he also thought about whether to disturb the elderly for this. But in the end, he still used the excuse to report the suicide case in Yongchuan University and mentioned to the elderly the obstacle that the gentleman might encounter now. Looking at the old man''s attitude, he didn¡¯t seem to think it was a big deal.


    The young man felt that he is a little confused about the relationship here, but that the old man rolled up his cuffs and personally cooked the peanuts last night, he felt that his analysis was not wrong. The gentleman who likes to drink cold beer and peanuts should be very important or even honorable, so he must bite the bullet and continued : "However, the investigation between that gentleman and his friends has encountered obstacles, is it necessary to go say hello? "


    ¡°Hello, say what hello?" The old man lightly fastened the buckle of the front collar. He was still overlooking the verdant bamboo forest outside, without even shifting his sight.


    "It''s..." The young man stopped talking.


    The old man finished buttoning the last button. When he turned around, his voice was still flat, even drowsy. He said, "Saying hello is nothing more than suppressing others or asking for help. We Xing jia never do these two things." (T/N jia ¼Ò means family)


    The young man heard this, and after being taken aback, they bowed and saluted the old man to show that he understood


    ¡ª¡ª


    To suppress people with power, you must gain power or borrow power, and then suppress others. These things are always not open and upright, so the Xing family not knowing how to do it, this is a kind of natural arrogance and pride.


    But arrogance is something that can¡¯t be eaten. Most people will complain if they have grudges, and of course they have to scold them when they are offended.


    This is probably the current state of Chen Ping.


    He has a stomach of anger and wants to get angry. Anyone will want to get angry after being refuted. What''s more, he was refuted by Lin Chen mercilessly in front of everyone. He has been in a high position for a long time. Except for the big guys from the Chen family, who don''t give him a bit of flavour in the whole Yongchuan city, now he is beaten face-to-face by a young man. Of course, he wants to slap the table and scold him.


    However, the room is very quiet, Lin Chen''s eyes are clean and clear, and everyone here is looking at Lin Chen, although it is complicated, but full of trust.


    Psychologists are indeed confusing.


    Chen Ping sneered again. Of course, it¡¯s not appropriate to touch the popular person, so he raised his hand and looked at the watch on his wrist.


    The time was 1:20 in the afternoon.


    The daylight was getting stronger and water in the lake was dazzled by the sun.


    As the public holiday is approaching, the entrance of the Cohen May Hotel is crowded with people and is very lively.


    In the intercourse, most of them are middle-aged couples with their families, or young couples with intimate attitudes. They are well-dressed and look either rich or expensive.


    After all, this is the best hotel in Yongchuan City, with the best food and the best rooms, of course, including the best service.


    The waiter in a bow tie bent down to lift the luggage from the trunk of the taxi for an elderly couple and put it in the luggage cart.


    The two old men paid their fare, helped each other, ready to walk into the revolving door, the waiter saw it rushed past, pressed and held the door for the old man.


    This was an act of kindness.


    And kindness often brings good luck.


    The waiter watched the two elderly people walk into the revolving door smoothly, and then re-turned the door. The moment he released his hand, suddenly behind him there was a loud crash of the vehicle.


    He turned his head, suddenly there was a mess in front of him.


    The car alarm sounded through the sky, and the taxi was hit on the guardrail, the front cover of the car was topped, the car lights were broken, and he was left in the taxi. The luggage trolley was smashed. The culprit was a black SUV which suddenly rushed up the slope.


    What makes people feel a little weird is that the accident was clearly caused, but the driver of the suv did not intend to get out of the car for inspection.


    The security in the lobby responded quickly. Four or five people pressed the walkie-talkie and rushed from everywhere, but before they left the door, the Suv¡¯s door is yanked open.


    After just one glance, the security guards decided not to move, not only the security guards, but also the front desk staff who were originally shocked by the car accident, all put down their business and looked at the black SUV in shock.


    Because they saw the gun.


    Dozens of special police officers carrying guns and live ammunition shot out from the car. They seem to be more sophisticated than ordinary special police. If you look closely, you will find that the leader of the captain made a tactical instruction, and a group of 9 people rushed directly to the executive suite on the 28th floor. The last person left then slowly walked to the front desk of the hotel, as if to say hello.


    In the hotel corridor, the hotel manager in a suit and leather shoes leaned on the wrought iron railings and watched what was happening downstairs, but he didn''t mean to go downstairs to stop him.


    He smiled triumphantly.


    Not only at the entrance of the Cohen May Hotel, but also under the white marble archway where the four-character "Zhongzheng Pinghe" was written by Yongchuan University, a black SUV and a group of special police with live ammunition appeared.


    The students wandering in and out of the school gate were a little dazed to see the policemen, but perhaps because of the school''s successive incidents, the students became calmer. They watched the police officers rush to the administration building and yawned.


    It was still smoky in the meeting room of Yongchuan University.


    A strange cry suddenly sounded, it was like an electronic sound in a game, and it was a bit like an alarm sound, in short, it was very strange and harsh.


    After all, they were discussing important matters, and the phone should be muted, so the sudden sound of the alarm made everyone frown, and everyone''s eyes first turned to Deputy Captain Jiang.


    Under the scorching eyes, Jiang Chao raised his hand to indicate that he did not carry this pot.


    The call continued, following the voice, everyone''s eyes moved to the corner of the conference room.


    There is a young man who has been sitting on the ground typing on a computer.


    Wang Chao became frantic.


    Anyway, he is a computer expert, but for a while, he didn''t know why his computer made a strange call. He quickly screened the running program, and then seemed to see something incredible. He raised his head and looked for Xing Conglian''s figure in the field and then whispered: "Boss..."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Our room seems to be broken into..."


    Xing Conglian didn''t respond for a while: "What room?" "


    ¡°The hotel room, the alarm device on the door lock rang. It''s really strange, wait for me to see."


    ¡ª¡ª


    On the octagonal building on the waist of Junshan Mountain, the old man drinking tea put down his wrist, and his tone was also surprised: "What''s wrong this time ?"


    In fact, after being interrupted for his lunch break, he could only sit at the table and drink tea, but not long after he sat down, the door was knocked again. The young man who asked if he needed to say hello, went and returned.


    The young man bent down, the look on his face was more worried than before.


    "Hotel..." After the young man said two words, he wanted to say it again, as if he didn''t know whether he should say it any more.


    "If you are on an errand under me , you should know that you should not change your color, there are not so many things worth worrying about in this world..." the old man continued to educate.


    "But, that gentleman was in the room of our Coen May Hotel and was rushed in by the special police just now. Doesn''t it really matter?"


    Hearing this, the old man shook his hands while drinking tea, and most of the water in the tea cup spilled. The tea was very hot, but he ignored the pain on the back of his hand, and said anxiously: "What are you still doing? Go and find out what''s going on!"


    The young man left.


    "Hold on!" The old man suddenly stopped him again, and his tone became cold.


    The hotel room was rushed into by the police, of course it¡¯s not a big deal, but the problem is that this is Xingjia¡¯s hotel and not an ordinary hotel. If it hadn¡¯t been investigating major cases and had full evidence, how could the police dare to be so arrogant? To break into the executive room on the upper floors of the hotel?


    But the key question is, why did the police do this?


    They are obviously going to search for something, and since the police dare to act with fanfare, it means that they are very confident that they can search for something like that.


    I am afraid that there will be some nasty things that are indisputable.


    "I''ll go too." Thinking of this, the old man stood up at the table and said.


    Xing Fu is just an old servant, but he has been able to work in the Xing family for so long, and when he is old, he can take care of some family affairs for his master, which shows that his mind is not bad.


    So the things he remembered when he changed  his mind were roughly correct.


    The conference room of the Administration Building of Yongchuan University is in a mess.


    The door that had been kicked open was still shaking slightly, and three guns were aimed at the three residents of the executive suite at No. 2801 of the May Hotel in Cohen.


    The rest of the people in the conference room were all quiet, but the three residents were calm and relaxed.


    A pair of leather boots stepped on the oak floor, reading the contents of the arrest warrant.


    After hearing the righteous words, the young man sitting on the ground rubbed his ears and repeated what he had just heard: "You mean, the cleaner found suspicious white powder while cleaning the room in our hotel. She called the police, and the police suspected that it was drugs, so they sent someone to search our room. Now they want to catch us and go back to assist in the investigation?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you mentally retarded?" the boy asked incredulously.

 CH 61

    Anyone who is scolded for mentally retarded will be angry.


    But fortunately, Rong Rong likes surfing the Internet very much, and he is also very young, so he probably knows that the phrase "Are you mentally handicapped" is more like a mutual greeting between the mentally handicapped persons.


    So he became even more angry. What a joke, he now represents the law enforcement agency, he doesn''t even need to give any reason, just flash the arrest warrant in front of the suspect, and he can drag the person away, not to mention that it is a gun. He dared to make jokes with his head held by a gun, his guts are really big... Rong Rong glanced at the young man in the corner again. The young man was wearing a peaked cap and the logo of an underground rock band was printed on his black T-shirt. His eyes are bright, and the cheeks move as he chews gum, the air has the sweet smell of lemon mint.


    Perhaps it was the bright eyes of the teenager, Rong Rong suddenly felt that the situation was not right. In the arrests he had carried out in the past, he had experienced that the calmness of prisoners is often proportional to their viciousness, that is to say only the really vicious criminals will face a group of hunters with guns and live ammunition calmly and invite you to sit down and have a cup of tea.


    Then, Rong Rongzhen heard someone ask him: "Do you need some water?"


    He looked around. It was a young man in a white shirt. The young man¡¯s hair was dark and he spoke very calmly. Maybe because he was standing by the drinking fountain, before he could answer, the man poured a glass of water for him.


    Rong Rong felt that his back was a little stiff, so he moved his gaze to look at the last guest in Room 2801.


    A black gun was placed directly on the forehead of the last guest, so he had to take two steps forward to see that person''s face clearly.


    That''s a policeman, yes, the intelligence has long stated that among the guests of No. 2801, there is a police officer. Where does the ordinary police officer live in a top hotel like Cohen May, so this must be a dirty policeman. Rong Rong calmed down, and suddenly felt that he had some confidence, so he looked into the eyes of the policeman.


    He couldn''t tell what color it was, like sea blue and lake green, and the expression in his eyes was very calm, like an absolutely still sea, without any wind or waves.


    He heard the man say: "Drop the gun."


    Instead of "Slow down" or "Wait a moment," he said, drop the gun.


    This is an order, not a request. Although the voice is kind, it is still an order. No matter how vicious a gangster is, he dare not say such arrogant words to the police.


    Rong Rong didn''t plan to waste any more time. He raised his palm to his ear and gave his subordinates the order of direct arrest.


    But the low, gentle and cold voice sounded again, but instead of talking to him, he was asking the boy in the corner.


    "Wang Chao, have you called?"


    "What call?" The young man was obviously taken aback, and then quickly reacted, "No!"


    "Then why do the people from IPCO come?"


    "Isn''t it because we are hiding drugs?"


    "Oh."


    The conversation ended. It was simple and casual. Rong Rong felt cold sprang up from the last section of his tailbone along his back.


    Not only him, but every special police officer in the house subconsciously looked at each other''s clothing and epaulettes. However, all the configurations on their bodies are the same as those of the local special service team in Yongchuan, without any flaws. Of course, this is to hide their true identity. However, the person leaning on the back of the chair easily guesses their identity.


    Rong Rong held down the gun, he was very nervous.


    As the person said, he is from ICPO and belongs to the Yongchuan branch of the International Criminal Police Organization. Because of a sudden incident, he was on a mission to arrest a suspect in a drug possession case, but the suspect refused to follow him.


    This sounds like a joke, but it''s a fucking fact.


    The policeman leaning back in his chair seemed to see through his thoughts and explained very intimately: "In fact, it is a tactical movement problem. The training place is different, so there will be differences."


    Who cares about this!


    Rong Rong stabilized his breath and decided not to dwell on these details. He glanced at the name on the arrest warrant and said: "Captain Xing, please come with me."


    "Sorry, I think I have the right not to cooperate."


    Rong Rong sneered: "Captain Xing, since you can guess our identity, you should be very clear about the seriousness of the case you committed, and I hope you will stop resisting."


    "Oh... it''s not the reason.¡± Xing Conglian said politely: ¡°Article 3 of Chapter 5 in the ICPO management regulations clearly stipulates that Interpol must obtain the consent or approval of the local police when performing official duties in the secret service of various countries. In the case of emergencies such as a red arrest warrant etc., you also need to notify the local police in writing and get permission afterwards... But I think my case does not meet these two items, right?"


    This time the words are a bit long, and it took a while to reach Rong Rong, before he fully understood the meaning.


    It means that you have no right to arrest me because you have violated the rules.


    Rong Rong looked at the policeman named Xing Conglian again.


    Xing Conglian''s hair was very short, and the stubble of the same length grows on his chin. He looks very unruly and unrestrained. When he said those words, it was as if he had not assault guns on his forehead, but branches under the spring breeze, and everything that happened here seemed to be a very indifferent and trivial episode.


    Rong Rong frowned. Judging from years of experience, this kind of temperament can often only appear on the real giants. He pursed his lips. In the current situation, he is indeed unable to advance or retreat.


    At this moment, the young man in the corner suddenly came to his senses.


    "It''s really an ICPO person, are you so free to come to catch the drug criminals?" Wang Chao jumped up from the ground, and also ignored the guns on his back, pointing Rong Rong''s face with his fingers, and said arrogantly: "Let you guys come over to see me, remember, find someone above the team leader level!" Then he raised his head proudly, and added, "Mom! mentally retarded!" (T/N mom Âè is used in exasperation)


    Xing Conglian was noncommittal about this, he just reached out his hand , Patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder, and said: "Trouble you Captain Jiang, first send the students'' family members back to rest."


    Although he said so, his eyes were always fixed on the housekeeper surnamed Chen.


    Jiang Chao jumped and he never understood the situation from beginning to end.


    But what is strange is that perhaps Xing Conglian¡¯s tone and posture are different from those in normal days. He actually stood up subconsciously and greeted the parents of the students to leave.


    The number of people in the room was reduced by half in an instant.


    Looking at the door panel that was still slightly shaking, Rong Rong couldn''t figure out who was in charge now!


    ----


    May Cohen Intercontinental Hotel, 01 28th floor room.


    The search in the room had come to an end, and Cao Qian stood by the window, overlooking the vast lake outside the window.


    The suite was messy, all drawers were opened, clothing and bedding were carefully checked, two shirts were scattered on the floor, and the expensive crystal lamp was clearly not touched, but it always seemed to be shaking gently.


    As the team leader, he knew very well that the arrest and search operations were too sudden and even seemed reckless, but the information was too conclusive. He has been investigating the case for three years, and of course he cannot let go of such obvious clues. He was even very sure that he could find what he was looking for.


    Sure enough, there was a rush of footsteps behind him. Cao Qian turned his head and saw his subordinate handing a sealed evidence bag. He glanced at the contents in his pocket, his eyes darkened, and then announced that he would close the team.


    Zheng Dongdong stood outside the door of room 2801, he was very proud, because he only took a small risk to achieve his dream, which is really worth it.


    The door was opened again, and special police with live ammunition filed out. The faces of those people were grim, and the guns were so cold and unfriendly. Zheng Dongdong was even more happy.


    He took a step forward and introduced himself: "Hello police officer, I am the general manager of Cohen May Hotel, my surname is Zheng..."


    "Oh Manager Zheng , it''s nothing serious. This is a very large investigation issued by Interpol. Please check it." Cao Qian interrupted the puffy man in front of him, took out a piece of paper, and handed it over.


    When he heard the six characters of Interpol, Zheng Dongdong''s face changed and he suddenly became flustered. He took the search warrant, read it several times, and then became a little stuttered: "This... how could..."


    "Is there any problem?" "


    ¡°No...no no, I...we must cooperate with the investigation." Zheng Dongdong bowed, feeling cold sweat coming out of his neck. In his concept, any organization with the word international is big. Dead man, but things shouldn''t have been so big, at least they shouldn''t be big internationally, all this seems to have deviated from the established arrangements.


    However, things tend to only develop in the worst direction.


    He thought this way, when he was about to straighten up, at the end of the corridor behind him, an old and indifferent voice came.


    "Who asked you to cooperate with the investigation?"


    Zheng Dongdong''s back stiffened, and he couldn''t even turn around.


    It''s really arrogant, Cao Qian snorted coldly and turned around.


    He saw an old man coming from the darkness at the end. The old man was dressed in plain, black cloth shoes and gray linen. Some nobody would not have such a walking posture and such sharp eyes, Cao Qian quickly loaded the bullet.


    "Isn''t it an obligation for citizens to cooperate with police investigations?" Cao Qian asked politely, holding his gun.


    But the old man seemed to be indifferent to the black hole''s muzzle, and even more indifferent to his question of modesty and politeness: "This is a hotel. It''s the duty of hotel employees to protect their parents as children. (T/N this really gave me a headache, here the old man probably refers to guests as parents and hotel staff as children.)


    "Then if parents violate the law, can the children justify their kinship?" Cao Qian didn''t know who the old man was, but he couldn''t help but ask.


    Hearing this question, the old man glanced at him from top to bottom and said: "You are all bored, young man, does it have anything to do with you if I fire a subordinate?"


    Cao Qian was speechless


    Hearing that, Zheng Dongdong''s head is getting lower and lower, almost unable to stand upright.


    As if to put the last straw on the dying camel, a waitress in high heels ran from a distance. When she saw Zheng Dongdong, she didn''t even care about the strange atmosphere around her, and said eagerly: " Manager, the guest in Room 2801 just called the front desk of the hotel, saying that our hotel has violated their legal rights. Please go to Yongchuan University to explain this clearly, otherwise we will be bankrupted."


    When this statement came out, not only Zheng Dongdong or Cao Qian, but even the old man who was about to expel his subordinates felt very strange.


    What''s the joke about ruining your family?


    Cao Qian frowned and glanced at his watch. At this point in time, Group B should control the suspect, so why can the suspect be able to make outgoing calls freely? He thought about it this way, and the communication tone from the wireless headset explained it for him.


    "Boss, we had a hard time today. He said that we violated the regulations when performing official duties, so they didn¡¯t go with us. Please, come to Yongchuan University. Otherwise, we will be reported to the headquarters. Otherwise, they will report us to the headquarters. Why are they so arrogant? Ah? ".


    "Received." The wireless headset was still chattering. Cao Qian resolutely terminated the call.


    He glanced at the poor manager and then at the old man. He was obviously pondering the situation before him. He turned around and ordered: "A Rong will send the exhibits for inspection, and the others will go to Yongchuan University with me."


    Hearing these words, a smile appeared on the old man''s face: "Then let''s go together, Mr. Zheng, and Officer Cao."

 CH 62

    Rong Rong finally didn''t drink the glass of water that Lin Chen poured.


    Young people are always like this. They have too much fear and distrust of the world. Because of distrust, it is easy to lose their way.


    Looking at the confused and vigilant face of the young special police officer, Lin Chen sat back in his seat. Handling such scenes was obviously not his expertise. Fortunately, Xing Conglian was there.


    On either side of the long desk, there were a few groups of people who were also confused about the situation.


    The college leaders who originally came to deal with the aftermath of student suicides do not know why they are still sitting here. They obviously should leave with the parents of the students. They can face the special police with live ammunition and the handsome detective who is now in control of the audience. They can''t give birth to the slightest thought of leaving, anyway, you won''t die if you stay there, right?


    Compared with the black-faced housekeeper sitting in the first seat, Xu Guoqing is very embarrassed. He feels that he should not sit next to the housekeeper. Because he has a strange hunch that the closer he is to the centre of the storm, the easier it is to turn into cannon fodder, but he doesn¡¯t seem to have a chance to choose again.


    Jiang Chao had just returned to the conference room. According to Xing Conglian¡¯s instructions just now, he transferred some staff from the bureau. Most of them were clerks with no tasks. They were in charge of guarding the door. Because the door was very thick, they would not hear anything from inside. Jiang Chao didn''t know why he thought of the thickness of the door panel and the sound proofing, but he always felt that something that needed to be kept secret might happen next.


    Everyone was nervous, but no one spoke.


    Lin Chen supported half of his face with his hand, and moved the paper cup full of water in front of him. He caught a glimpse of Xing Conglian, waved his hand, and asked Wang Chao to sit next to him.


    At that time, the young man just hung up the questioning call to the hotel front desk, and his entire face looked excited.


    "Boss, do I need to do something more?"


    "What do you want to do?" Xing Conglian asked rhetorically.


    "Oh, for example, isn''t there a problem with the school''s monitoring system? Do I need to fix the firewall and catch the little hacker, or find out which stupid guy posted on the forum about Achen!" Wang Chao said. When he said these words, he looked provocatively at the housekeeper who was sitting on the long desk, the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were all provocative.


    "Continue to do what I arranged for you." Xing Conglian held the young man''s head and pressed the person in front of the computer. "Don''t be distracted." He added.


    Lin Chen''s hand that turned the paper cup paused slightly. It was rare when he didn''t understand Xing Conglian''s intentions.


    Without touching the surveillance he naturally want those who are secretly monitoring the school to continue to observe the situation here for a while. After all, if the right to use the surveillance camera is regained, it means to directly tell the person behind the scenes that we already know what you are doing. But deep in his heart, Lin Chen even suspected that Xing Conglian wanted to control the live death event on the campus of Yongchuan University. If the surveillance cameras here do not work, God knows where those crazy children will commit suicide.


    At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly felt that something was not good. He tilted his head, Xing Conglian was sitting against the light. The warm sunlight coated him with a fluffy gold edge, which made his face look good. It became so blurred, that even his eyes looked dark.


    Lin Chen thought Xing Conglian was really good at handling complicated situations, and his focus was often a little terrifying. For example, sacrificing some small things to take care of the overall situation, such a similar decision is likely to have happened before.


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen suddenly turned his head and asked him in a low voice, "How did you tell?"


    The origins of these police officers can be determined by tactical actions alone. This is obviously an unreliable answer. The tactics of most of the movements are mostly the same, how can there be such a big difference?


    When whispering, of course he was very close, Xing Conglian heard this question, and inadvertently moved his head over.


    "Because ICPO people are very good bullies." He spoke very quietly, and Lin Chen also worked very hard to hear clearly. "They are limited by international treaties, and ICPO tends to pay more attention to all people who have the right to perform official duties. By law, if I arrest people, I won''t talk so much nonsense." Xing Conglian took a gentle breath, and Lin Chen felt that he could smell the very light smell of tobacco on his body.


    Really experienced answer.


    Wang Chao, who was eavesdropping on the side, couldn''t help but sneer and laugh out loud.


    As time passed, the sun gradually moved westward, pulling the shadow of the tree longer.


    The slightly old door of the conference room finally opened again.


    The squeaking made the people in the conference room who were waiting a little sleepily excited.


    Walking in the forefront was a heavily armed special police officer with a calm temperament and cold eyes. From the appearance of all the special police officers in the room standing upright, Lin Chen could tell that their immediate superior was here. Behind him, another group of police officers stood upright, like tall trees, and they stuffed the door of the small room full.


    Lin Chen glanced at the two people next to him, Xing Conglian remained silent, obviously not ready to speak, but Wang Chao sat up straight, raised his hat, for fear that someone would not be able to see his face.


    As a result, the special police team leader looked around the room and his eyes stopped on the young man''s face, and then he let out a very soft sneer.


    Time seems to be stretched at that moment, like a slow action movie.


    Everyone opened their eyes wide, looking at the cold and arrogant little head of Interpol. He straightened his combat uniform, stood upright, put his feet together, and paid a more standard military salute to the direction where the young man was sitting.


    Then they heard the same cold and arrogant voice coming from the group leader''s mouth.


    "Instructor, hello." He said


    It seems to be a strange plot that can only be found in TV dramas. A middle-level police officer of an international organization who is obviously not young salutes a young dead man who is too young, and then calls him Instructor.


    The young man smiled happily. He didn''t mean to hide anything. He pretended to be serious and coughed. He raised his eyebrows to the housekeeper who was sitting in front of him, then pretended to be a big guy. He waved his hand and said, "Ah come on, what are you all doing in a daze, sit down."


    Chen Ping''s expression was so gloomy that it was about to drip.


    There were obviously no more than 12 seats in the room. Ren Xian walked to the conference table and pulled a chair to sit down. He waved his hand, and the special police officers behind him naturally walked to the wall one by one.


    "Sit."


    Ren Xian issued instructions, and the special police officers sat down neatly.


    Ren Xian, of course, did not think that he would meet the boy here. The word Wang Chao in room 2801 cannot make him associate his name with the underage instructor who had crushed them crazily in the cyber security training course.


    That was two years ago. In order to accept the final assessment before being promoted to team leader, he came to the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. A group of 50 people were dragged to a wild village where birds do not shit and received various cruel training and non-stop assessment. Among them, the person in charge of network security training is a 16-year-old juvenile instructor. He still remembers the innocent and pure smile on the young man¡¯s face, and the one who can always play with them in the applause. Various offensive and defensive battles.


    If it is said that his promotion training two years ago was a nightmare, then this unfinished arrest is also a nightmare. Ren Xian took off his tactical gloves and had already begun to figure out how to write the report of today''s action so that he would not appear too embarrassed.


    Because the special police gave up their positions, Lin Chen looked up and finally saw the other three standing.


    Zheng Dongdong''s face was originally pale and fat, but now it is too pale, like a transparent sheet of paper, which will shatter with a single poke.


    The dialogue between Wang Chao and Ren Xian is actually very brief and neat, but anyone who hears such a dialogue will understand that the situation in the conference room now has completely changed to another look.


    And behind Zheng Dongdong, there were two other people standing, as if they were master and slave. Lin Chen clearly saw that the moment the old man walked in, the body of Housekeeper Chen trembled obviously, and in Xing Conglian''s face there was a slight change.


    The change of expression is fleeting. The original quartet rule has become more chaotic because of the new people.


    After everyone was seated, Xing Conglian finally moved. He patted Wang Chao on the shoulder. The young man stood up abruptly. He grabbed his red backpack and poured out a lot of odds and ends.


    As if to show his status, he also grabbed two things specially, threw them in front of Team Leader Ren, raised his head and said: "Will pretend, put a show."


    Ren Xian glanced at the components in front of him and found that it was a Jammer. The shielding device can shield mobile phone signals, wireless signals, and even monitor signals... But looking at the degree of damage to the gadget, it seems that it has been thrown in the school bag by the teenager as a toy. He is really speechless.


    However, Wang Chao''s actions did not stop there. It turned out to be a broken camera with transparent tape from the bag, and then found an angle that could take a panoramic view of the conference room, and installed the camera.


    After he did all this, Ren Xian also installed the signal jammer.


    Before returning to the computer, the boy confirmed the working conditions of the two electronic products, and then nodded.


    Finally, the detective captain, who hadn''t said anything, finally started to move. He just leaned forward slightly, and many people in the room took a breath.


    I have to say that human beings are really sensitive creatures to authority and order.


    "Vice President Xu, and a few deans, you have worked so hard today. I hope that our police can still get your cooperation in the work of Yongchuan University in the future." Xing Conglian said, making a gesture indicating that he can leave.


    Xu Guoqing was relieved. He didn''t know why he could leave the venue so easily, but looking at the situation in the conference room with the police, the special police, and the camera, would he still be waiting for dinner if he didn''t run away? When he opened the door, he turned his head and looked at Lin Chen¡¯s eyes which held a trace of awe.


    Xu Guoqing and a group of people ran fast, looking at the door panel that was shaking again, Lin Chen was very clear about Xing Conglian''s intentions.


    The senior officials of the school had to stay and watch how Wang Chao undertook Interpol and let them leave at the right time. Of course, it was to beat the seniors of the school and the Chen family''s dog legs. Xing Conglian had already made it very clear. He hopes that the investigation will be smoother in the future.


    Such thoughts are really deep and delicate to the extreme.


    It was like a premonition that the real drama was about to begin, and Chen Ping moved too. He put his hand on the armchair and began preemptively: "Captain Xing, such a great official, what do you mean, only those with your consent can leave?"


    Chen Ping thought that Xing Conglian would be polite, but he heard a very calm voice coming from the other side of the room.


    "Yes."


    "I think that you are restricting my personal freedom?"


    "It is true." Xing Conglian said with his hands lightly against his chin, and said casually.


    Chen Ping only felt anger rushing to the top of his head. He slapped the table and scolded: "Now the police are investigating your possession of drugs. Why must I stay here? Am I a criminal suspect? The police have no evidence. Can you detain people casually!"


    "Of course, there will be evidence." Xing Conglian smiled, he knocked on the table, and Wang Chao naturally turned the computer screen around

 CH 63

    The laptop of the young comrade Wang Chao is very consistent with his original temperament.


    The carbon fibre shell is covered with sticky notes and offset printing. The animation stickers on the keyboard film can clearly see the change of his own hobbies. There are also two NERV groups cut out from the magazine in the upper left corner. In short, it is very complicated, vibrant and exuberant. [T/N NERV German for "nerve"; is a special organization that was put together to combat the Angels after the Second Impact and is the organization responsible for the creation of the Evangelions. (from wikipedia)]


    As for the computer screen, the computer screen is now completely black, except for the play button in the lower left corner, and the other colors are generally the same as the face of Housekeeper Chen.


    Perhaps it was stimulated by the computer screen that was specially turned towards him, Chen Ping straightened the hem of his suit, pushed away the swivel chair, and walked towards the door with an arrogant look that was too lazy to talk nonsense with the common people.


    However, he was stopped.


    It was a special police officer from Interpol who stopped him.


    Two black assault rifles crossed at the door. Chen Ping stopped and tried to restrain his face from turning red. He turned around, pointed his chin at the boss of the group, and said: "Restricting the personal freedom of others at will. Is this the working process of Interpol?"


    "Actually not." Ren Xian is very sorry, "But there is a very important one in the training I received. It roughly means, don''t fucking mess with your instructors, because they will cross your transcript. At that time, you know what a hopeless future means." Ren Xian spread his hands, expressing helplessness.


    "Oh, oh, how can it be so serious, I generally don''t do dark things." Wang Chao laughed, then hooked his hand and motioned to Butler Chen to sit back.


    "What do you want to do? This is Yongchuan, the realm of the Chen family. Xing Conglian, I tell you not to be too arrogant!" Chen Ping''s eyes finally had madness.


    Corresponding to the craziness, Xing Conglian''s slow tone, he replied: "Me? Of course I want to prove my innocence."


    The two special police officers took guns and invited Butler Chen back to his seat.


    Everything seemed to be quiet for a while, like the sea under the clouds, without a trace of wind.


    "Excuse me, you are?"


    Beside him, Xing Conglian turned to the operation team leader, opening his remarks with a polite question.


    "Ren Xian, the leader of group C of the INTERPOL Yongchuan branch serious cases division." Ren Xian didn''t know whether he should salute or not, but he finally chose to sit upright and answer the question respectfully.


    "Hello, leader Ren." Xing Conglian nodded very familiarly, and brought the conversation back to the normal process of solving the case. He said straightforwardly, "I want to prove that the drugs you found in our hotel room were planted in our room by others."


    "Please continue." Ren Xian said.


    "Since self-certification is required, the timeline is very important." Xing Conglian was like talking with an old friend in a gentle temperature. "I would like to ask leader Ren, when did you receive the news about the possible possession of drugs in Room 2801 of the Coen May Hotel?¡±


    Ren Xian was shocked when he heard this. In the current situation, he has changed from an interrogator to an interrogated person. According to law, he can''t answer this question in front of everyone, but he is like a ghost.


    "11:44 minutes." He said.


    Xing Conglian nodded. He turned his head and looked at Zheng Dongdong with the smile of a hunter looking at his prey, and asked, "So, Mr. Zheng, is the surveillance camera on the 28th floor of the hotel still working today?"


    Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong seemed to be shot by a sharp sword and was very nervous. He looked at Xing Conglian with a horrified look like a dying prey. After a long time, he replied tremblingly: "Today...today...28th floor monitoring is being repaired." As if to prove something, Zheng Dongdong added: "This is as early as the hotel work plan, not my arrangement!"


    This was an expected answer.


    Xing Cong Lian raised his eyes slightly. With his emerald green eyes, he stared at the hotel manager who was so weak that he was about to fall down in the next moment. "Oh, this means that the hotel''s surveillance camera cannot keep track of when each of us enters and exits the room? And, whether have other strangers entered our rooms, right? "


    "Who lets you hide drugs in your room, can you blame our hotel?" Zheng Dongdong continued to argue.


    "Oh, but I can prove that among the three of us, Wang Chao left the hotel at 11:14." Xing Conglian glanced at the boy next to him and said, "In other words, within 30 minutes, The cleaner of your hotel completed the process of cleaning the room, finding drugs, reporting to the authorities, reporting to the police, and then being captured by the Interpol. Wasnt it?¡±


    Before Zheng Dongdong could answer, the dynasty simply clicked the key to play the video.


    That was the elevator surveillance video of the Coen May Hotel, which clearly recorded the time when a young man carrying a red schoolbag entered the elevator.


    As if catching a glimmer of light in the dark, Zheng Dongdong looked at the unclear monitoring picture on the screen and shouted: "Who let you hack into our hotel monitoring system? This is illegal, a crime, do you know?"


    Dynasty snorted and laughed again" It''s your hotel, it''s illegal or criminal..."


    Xing Conglian supported him with one hand, he looked interested, and turned to the silent old man who had been sitting in the corner.


    As if perceiving something, the old man only said four words: "Of course not."


    The Old man''s voice was already very old, but it seemed as if the wind was blowing through the dead branches, it had a sense of freedom and ease.


    Hearing that, the housekeeper Chen, who was sitting on the seat, looked at the old man in the corner with horror. He had been in the upper class of Yongchuan for so long. Of course, he knew that the old man''s surname was Xing, his first name and the owner''s last name came from that family.


    All the new families have begun to abandon the family management system. Only that family still retains the oldest or even feudal habit. Every year, the housekeeper of the house is sent to inspect the various places, collect rent and check the accounts. The elderly can be outside. Sending to Yongchuan to inspect, although it does not represent how high its status in the Xing family, but in the view of the Yongchuan business community, this weight is enough.


    Such a person with enough weight, even if it is a light sentence, it also means a statement.


    Chen Ping lowered his head and clenched his hands tightly. All his thoughts have changed from how to deal with Lin Chen and Xing Conglian to when the Chen family offended a behemoth like the Xing family. You must know that in the ancient family there is always a law of self-survival, the most important of which is to remain neutral and be kind to others. Therefore, you will hardly see any Xing family making any statements about the political situation, economic situation or even hostile companies. They will always be humble, but are proud of it.


    But why did the Xing family suddenly appear here, and then seriously show their attitude?


    Chen Ping really began to  panic.


    "The hotel''s access control system should be considered reliable unless it is violently dismantled..." When Xing Conglian said this, the leader Ren, who had just violently dismantled the door lock, lowered his head. He retracted his gaze and continued: "So During the period of Wang Chao¡¯s departure, those who can enter and exit the room must be those with access cards, such as hotel employees, right?"


    Zheng Dongdong looked like a prey with a hunter¡¯s sharp knife against his neck, because he foresees despair. He started to struggle with his future, "You, what do you mean, it''s obviously the drugs you hid, this is biting our hotel, this is planting!" His voice became louder and louder, and it seemed as if he couldn''t breathe.


    Zheng Dongdong''s performance was too nervous, his nerves seemed to be a string that was about to break. It was obvious that Xing Conglian was only talking about something very normal logical reasoning. Those onlookers who didn''t know the truth all looked suspiciously at the hotel manager who was almost out of control.


    Perhaps it was those gazes that seemed to be too hurtful, or perhaps it was his usual elite disguise that finally fell to pieces in front of the person he hated the most. Zheng Dongdong''s head shook with a very small frequency, and he muttered to himself nervously: "No, no...you don''t have evidence...you won''t have evidence!"


    "Oh, actually I have evidence."


    Xing Conglian maintained his usual calm and steady speech.


    But next to him, Wang Chao finally couldn''t hold back the smile on his face, as if the gate was opened and the rushing lake rushed out of the dam in the sun, the young man almost couldn''t hold back his laughter "The technique is quite unprofessional, so don''t play and frame technology, what a man needs is technology!"


    Little comrade Wang Chao squinted at everyone in the room, and took another video file from the computer desktop that normal people could not understand at all. Then, he opened a monitor file and said in a slightly apologetic tone: "The sound and the picture are a little out of sync, everyone, please forgive me~"


    Under everyone¡¯s shocked gaze, there was a four-frame picture. The surveillance video is playing slowly.


    Different from the inferior picture quality of ordinary surveillance cameras, the definition of the video is very high, and even the petals of the iris on the carpet can be seen clearly.


    If you have ever stayed in the most expensive suite of the May Hotel in Cohen, you can clearly know that the shot in the picture is the interior view of the executive suite on the 28th floor.


    A frame in the upper left corner records everything that happened in the living room.


    At 11:14, the teenager carrying a red school bag hurriedly left the room.


    At 11:20, the hotel room cleaner began to clean the room. According to the cleaning process, she first began to clean up the trash on the coffee table. When she poured the residue from the dishes into the trash bag, a man in a suit and leather shoes with fat figure entered everyone''s sight.


    The cleaning lady hurriedly turned her head and saw the hotel manager standing behind her. She was so frightened that she didn''t know what to do, as if she didn''t know why the wise manager would suddenly inspect her work.


    The simple female worker lowered her head and heard the manager say: "What are you nervous about, you do your work, I will check it."


    The manager''s voice is proud and slightly sharp, naturally coming from Zheng Dongdong, whose face is ashamed now.


    The picture in the upper right corner records the process of Zheng Dongdong leaving the living room with his hands on his back, walking through the corridor, and coming to the bathroom door.


    He pushed open the bathroom door and shouted: "Why hasn''t the bathroom been cleaned yet? See how dirty it looks. Come here!"


    The female worker hurried to the bathroom when she heard the call. She was stunned by the manager.  And then she shut herself in the bathroom and started cleaning up.


    After a moment of blankness, the main bedroom door in the lower left corner of the screen was pushed open.


    It shows Zheng Dongdong creeping into the master bedroom. No idea when he wore a pair of white rubber gloves on his hands. He yanked off the bedding, took a bag out of his pocket, tore it open and poured the green leaves on the bed, pulled up the quilt and went out of the room as if nothing had happened.


    Not long after, the female worker cleaned the bathroom and came to the master bedroom. The moment she lifted the quilt, Zheng Dongdong happened to walk into the room.


    He looked at the dry green leaves on the mattress, his face became tense, like a real professional, he pushed the female worker away, squatted in front of the bed, twisted a handful of broken leaves, sniffed at the tip of his nose, and then pretended to be shocked, he said, "It''s hemp, call the police!"


    He said, and took out his mobile phone and took a photo of the scene very professionally.


    At this point in the video, Zheng Dongdong''s fragile nerves finally broke down, and the surveillance picture ended on the hotel manager¡¯s grinning smile.


    The conference room is as quiet as an ice cellar.


    Lin Chen looked at everything in front of him, only feeling that this was a bridge section that can only be found in an absurd drama.


    Zheng Dongdong actually went to the hotel room where they were staying and secretly framed them. Xing Conglian knew this from the very beginning, so he was calm and relaxed from the beginning?


    However, it''s just hemp. This level of drugs also worthy of Interpol''s dispatch?


    But even if it''s a big hemp, where did Zheng Dongdong get this stuff? Where did he come from, thinking that a small bag of big hemp can put them in jail?


    There are too many questions, but all of these questions are inferior to one of them, which makes him feel incredible: "Why do we have surveillance cameras and monitors in our rooms?"


    Of course, private places like hotel guest rooms will not be installed with surveillance. The surveillance video with almost no blind spots, is obviously a masterpiece of Wang Chao or Xing Conglian. He suddenly remembered the weird sirens that had been ringing in the conference room not long ago. The alarm device on the door lock was probably not something that came with hotel access control?


    ¡°How many security measures did you two people add to where we live?¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard this question, he reacted quickly. He picked up the young man''s neck, pulled the man to Lin Chen, and asked seriously, "What about you, why do so many tricks where we live? "


    The young man turned his head and looked at his boss with an incredible look, as if he could not believe that there was such a brazen person in this world.


    At this time, Xing Conglian smiled, and Wang Chao¡¯s face happened to block Lin Chen''s line of sight, so the threatening meaning in that smile became unscrupulous.


    "Because I have been out to work since I was young, I feel particularly insecure...hehe." The young man quickly turned around, looked at Lin Chen, and said word by word.

 CH 64

    Lin Chen suspected that there was a problem with his hearing and memory systems.


    If he remembered correctly, Wang Chao had been sitting in front of the computer last night and was gloomy. It wasn''t until late at night that he fell asleep like an insecure child. The only chance to install those small devices was Xing Conglian. Just one person.


    But now, Xing Conglian was sitting in the sun with a pleasing smile in his eyes. His eyelashes grew too much, the moment he blinked his eyes, the surrounding sunlight was as sweet as honey.


    Lin Chen sighed, but found that he didn''t have any resentment after being deceived. He seemed to be used to all kinds of strange reasons.


    For example, houses suddenly replaced by the government, or streets that are said to have been bought and then suddenly repaired. Therefore, the damn explanation that "going out to work lacks a sense of security" seems to be taken care of?


    In the afternoon, the sun is good, and there are students chasing and screaming outside the window.


    The haze that was framed by the betrayal of the old classmates disappeared with the obvious interruption of the two, Lin Chen thought, this is not a big deal, you can never make everyone in the world like you.


    It''s just that Zheng Dongdong is obviously not so relaxed.


    The meeting room was very quiet. Don''t know who was wearing a mechanical watch, and the ticking sound of the pointer moving is scary .


    The fat hotel manager seemed to be waiting for Ling Chi piglet. His face was scary. He was waiting for the final verdict, but Xing Conglian, just stared at him with slightly smiling eyes, without saying anything.


    Only the most veteran hunter can fully control the rhythm of hunting from the beginning. He sometimes gives a little hope, and then cruelly suppresses this hope. Little by little, he drove Zheng Dongdong to the edge of the cliff and tortured him. With his fragile nerves, if he goes one step further, Zheng Dongdong is probably not far from having a mental trauma.


    Although the method was perfect, Lin Chen felt that it seems too big to use.


    Sure enough, there was a car engine starting outside the window, and the sudden sound made Zheng Dongdong tremble sharply.


    Xing Conglian knocked the table three times before slowly speaking: "Manager Zheng, can''t you really explain it?"


    In the face of absolutely strong evidence, Zheng Dongdong couldn''t say anything at all.


    But Xing Conglian, how could he let him go so easily: "I really can''t understand why you want to sprinkle hemp on my bed. In Cohen May, is this kind of special service now available, so great? You came up with the idea?¡±


    Perhaps Xing Conglian¡¯s question is too inductive, as if a peculiar light was torn out in the dark night, Zheng Dongdong suddenly looked up, he looked around, his eyes finally fixed at the end of the long table. An adult butler. Like crazy, he stood up and smashed away all the objects blocking in front of him, chairs, arms, and even hard guns. He slammed onto the adult¡¯s leg and said with a kind of crying: "Housekeeper Chen, Chen Butler, you have to save me! Didn''t you say that there will be no problems? Isn''t it just hemp? Why did the Interpol people come, please, save me!"


    At that moment, Lin Chen saw very clearly that there were cracks in the face of Housekeeper Chen, who always said mean things, and he seemed to hear the sound of the expensive porcelain cracking.


    Housekeeper Chen''s always neatly combed back hair became messy. Although still pretending to be calm, the panic in his eyes betrayed him. His lips fluttered, as if he was holding back, trying to push his legs. He kicked grotesque creature away.


    However, his opponent, Xing Conglian, the experienced hunter, will not give him any chance to come back.


    Xing Conglian smiled slightly, as if he finally got the long-awaited answer. There was not much shock or unexpected emotion on his face. He deliberately ignored the two people in the corner who staged the betrayal scene, and decisively turned to the other side of the long table. To the group C leader of the serious cases division, that has always pretended to be and said: "As the leader, can you confirm that the so-called Tibetan drug case is just a case of stolen conviction?"


    "Of course." Ren Xian looked at Xing Conglian''s face. I thought you would not ask me to confirm this kind of trivial matter!


    Xing Cong nodded and turned to face Deputy Captain Jiang, who was dumbfounded from start to finish, and said: "Then trouble Captain Jiang, and detain the suspect to prevent collusion."


    His last two words bite hard. It''s like saying it to someone on purpose.


    Lin Chen saw that when Jiang Chao stood up, the mobile phone he carried with him seemed to vibrate. Wang Chao smiled at him, showing his cute tiger teeth.


    Jiang Chao looked down and looked at the text message just received on the phone. It was a bit weird, but at least he was an experienced criminal policeman. He controlled his expression instantly and walked out of the room to call someone. As a result, the "door guards" he brought with him played a role. The two police officers followed him back to the room, and they dragged the crying Zheng Dongdong out of the room.


    Lin Chen had finally confirmed that Zheng Dongdong was the third party to be cleared from the show.


    Although there was only one person missing, the meeting room seemed to be half empty. The clouds covered the daylight. The room was dark and terribly gloomy. The hand of the watch was ticking, and Housekeeper Chen seemed to be ten years older in an instant.


    "Captain Xing, really good wrists*!" A dull voice came from the throat of the housekeeper, like the slight and harsh sound of a stone rubbing the glass, "Are you going to grab me too?" He still pretended to be haughty, but his trembling lips and fingers betrayed him. (T/N *wrists is described by ÊÖÍó, which is also used to describe finesse and skill.)


    "Of course not." Xing Conglian leaned back in his chair and said in a very casual tone, "Since the suspect pointed out that you instructed him to frame us with drugs, then you still have a chance to defend. Just like the opportunity you just gave me."


    He said with a slight smile and deep sarcasm in his bones.


    Chen Ping swallowed, and was not ready to accept such kindness: "I have nothing to say, since you¡¯ve been falsely accused, why can''t I be?"


    Looking at Chen Ping¡¯s slightly raised chin and listening to his sophisticated voice, Lin Chen suddenly felt disappointed. Even Zheng Dongdong knew that he was afraid of fearful. He cried bitterly. Perhaps it was because of fear of legal sanctions. But at the moment of collapse, he must regret it wholeheartedly. Hope that time can go back and hope that nothing has happened. This is the emotional response that a person should have after doing something wrong.


    But as for Chen Ping, the serious and rigid housekeeper, the man who appeared at his door every three years to drive him out to the dark life. After being exposed to the dirty tricks, he still doesn''t know what his regrets are. Looking into the eyes of the housekeeper, he knew that he was not pretending, but from beginning to end, he believed that he was not wrong.


    In fact, for a long time, he never resented this middle-aged man who has been carrying out the will of the Chen family, because loyalty is not a dark character, but now, he suddenly realized that the days when he was driven out at night or was fired have become meaningless.


    "Chen Ping, I think you haven''t figured out the current situation." Finally, he felt that he should say something.


    Hearing that the person he had always suppressed was calling his name directly, the housekeeper''s face was reddened with offense and humiliation.


    "Lin Chen, you don''t understand at all¡±


    "It''s you who don¡¯t understand !" Lin Chen couldn''t help but slap the table. He couldn''t communicate with the person at the end of the long table at a normal speed. ¡°Large hemp? Do you think it doesn¡¯t matter? Do you think that as long as Zheng Dongdong frames us, he can let the evidence be ruined and let us have nothing. Interpol? I don¡¯t care whether you contacted Interpol intentionally or unintentionally, this matter is 10,000 times more complicated than you can imagine. Do you think Chen Zhengxue will thank you for loyally framing me when he knows this?"


    Lin Chen didn''t know why he was so angry, but it''s really been a long time since he was so angry. Maybe his voice was too loud, or maybe he was too immersed in this emotion, so he didn¡¯t notice that the door of the conference room was opened by someone.


    The cold voice came into his mind before the picture.


    "Yes, I''m very happy."


    Xing Conglian also heard that voice, and he looked at the door faster than Lin Chen.


    There stood a middle-aged man.


    The middle-aged man wore a long black windbreaker with tightly buckled belt, a straight back, and his hair was brushed back like Chen Ping. His eyes are dark and there is deathly silence in his black eyes.


    Without thinking about it, Xing Conglian guessed the identity of the visitor.


    He then looked at Lin Chen. Lin Chen was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he woke up, his eyes slowly moved to the direction of the door, and said, "Hello, Chen Dong¡±


    Now the situation has become more interesting.


    Perhaps the big man of the Chen family arrived here after hearing the news his most important subordinate was detained, or perhaps he was just waiting nearby for Lin Chen to be handcuffed and pressed into the police car. In short, it is very strange that the current head of the Chen family also appeared in this conference room where many drama scenes have already taken place.


    What an interesting coincidence, Xing Conglian thought this way and saw the head of the Chen family step into the room. Approaching Lin Chen with a forceful aura, he said, "I haven''t seen you in a long time, murderer.¡±


    In his words, there was a paranoid peculiar jealousy, and in the address, there was also an extremely suppressed hatred.


    Hearing that address, Xing Conglian subconsciously looked at Lin Chen, he saw Lin Chen step back and leaned against the long table, he stood firmly, as if he didn''t care about it: "Are you a fool? In order to frame me to doing this kind of thing, if you are not careful, your Chen family''s business will be finished. "


    Unlike the anger that was rarely seen when he asked Chen Ping like that, Lin Chen at this moment has completely calmed down. He said very calmly, with the same seriousness in his tone as before, even if he was cursing, it was terribly serious.


    "Even if my Chen family peddles drugs, is this something to do with you, Lin Chen?" The big man of the Chen family asked in a very slow tone.


    At this moment, he and Lin Chen were already very close, staring at Lin Chen viciously and affectionately with the look of a wild beast that was about to bite the prey.


    Xing Conglian felt that he should stand up, but in an instant, he saw Lin Chen cast a beam of gaze at him. The gaze was bright and cold, like the kind of steel that was tempered to the extreme. What¡¯s convincing was that Xing Conglian understood Lin Chen¡¯s meaning from his gaze that says ¡®I will be fine¡¯


    The sun was shining outside the window, and Xing Conglian wanted to laugh a little. He suddenly realized that the feeling of fighting side by side was better than protecting the other..


    "So, is your Chen family selling drugs?" Lin Chen asked back.


    His question made the wicked family head unable to answer.


    Like a regular customer who doesn''t follow the rules , Lin Chen asked again: "Not only instructing subordinates to frame us, you also lead the Chen family to sell drugs? "


    Lin Chen is really good at making people speechless.


    All the momentum accumulated by the Chen family¡¯s head seems to have been partly removed. He can only grit his teeth and say word by word: "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill you with a knife? "


    ¡°Killing people is a matter of life.¡± Lin Chen said.


    This is a statement, but it is more like a confession, murder pays off with life, I am still alive, so I am not a murderer.


    "How do you have a face to appear in Yongchuan, why do you have to be in my sight again?¡± The head of the Chen family was finally irritated by these words. He stretched out his hand to pull Lin Chen''s collar and pulled him in front of him.


    "Because I was investigating the case at Yongchuan University."


    It''s another calm statement, even with a bit of sarcasm in the tone.


    Lin Chen is also an expert among experts in how to make people angry.


    The head of the Chen family slammed him, pointed at the door, and sneered: "My school doesn''t need you at all, go back to your own place,, get out of my sight immediately!¡±


    After he said this, the conference room fell silent again.


    However, the reason for the silence was not because of the crazy and wilful words of the head of the Chen family.


    But because of the old man who had been sitting in the corner from beginning to end, who said only one sentence, spoke a second one.


    He said, "Huh? "


    This time, the head of the Chen family, who had been in anger and depression, finally saw the old man sitting in the most inconspicuous corner.


    The old man''s eyes were half open, as if he had just woke up from a nap in the afternoon, before Chen Zhengxue''s reaction was awaited. He stood up from his chair, and his tone was calm to the extreme: "Zhengxue, businessmen like us, no matter how big their business is, they must abide by the law. When the police are investigating the case, we must obey their arrangements¡±


    The head of the Chen family hasn''t been called by his name for a long, long time. Even if the old man''s voice is gentle, the meaning revealed in his words is terrifying.


    "It turned out to be Director Xing." Chen Zhengxue withdrew his hand and quickly calmed down, he asked, "What do you mean, do you speak for the Xing family?"


    According to Chen Zhengxue''s understanding of the Xing family, although this family has deep roots, they are the most lawful and neutral businessmen. They will never show an obvious attitude on any disputes. Therefore, he thought and said this. If you are in charge you can sit down and shut up.


    As he expected, the old man shook his head, got up and walked towards the door, as if to leave this place of right and wrong.


    But When the old man walked to the door, he saw The old man look back and say in a casual tone: "Actually, it''s not a statement. This old man just heard you say that Yongchuan University is your home. It was a little unexpected..." The old man paused, He looked far away, looking at the vast campus outside the window, as if remembering something "After all, this is a university. Although we hold shares in the school, it does not belong to any family. It belongs to all the teachers and students of Yongchuan. This is a good thing that our family members said when they divided the equity in the early years. "


    As soon as Chen Zhengxue was about to speak, the old man changed his conversation. The arrogance in his language was beyond words: "If you have to say who owns Yongchuan University, you can only say that this university was built by our ancestors a hundred years ago. My master injected capital ten times, so in the end, the main shares of Yongchuan University can only be owned by my master. "


    When the old man spoke, he leaned slightly out of the window, as if he was saluting to the void. After he finished speaking, he took his subordinates and left the room.


    The head of the Chen family looked like a bald grey wall.


    In the corner, Xing Conglian even wanted to smoke a cigarette quietly. This thought was only fleeting. In the current situation, he did not have time to miss and think. He looked at the Chen family head who had been seriously educated. As the person in charge he  said with a little helplessness: "Can I think that you admitted in the conversation just now, have admitted that you instructed your subordinates to frame us?"


    ¡°Heh, what do you think you can do to me?"


    ¡°Oh... nothing." Xing Conglian rubbed his nose. At this time, Deputy Captain Jiang was pushing the door in. Xing Conglian''s eyes lit up, and he smiled and said to him, "Captain Jiang, I have to trouble you again. There are two behind-the-scenes masters who want to go to the police station for tea. "


    Jiang Chao gave an expression of what the hell I had missed. He waved his hand dejectedly, and the second station police officer outside the door entered the room again and took the two people surnamed Chen in the room who seemed to be unwilling to leave.


    As the meeting room door closed again, Xing Conglian no longer had any relaxed smile on his face.


    He looked at the serious cases division leader who had been silent and said, "Okay, people have gone clean, let''s talk about it, what''s going on. "

 CH 65

    Ren Xian didn''t know why anyone in the world could switch his mind so quickly.


    In short, one second after Chen''s departure, the police officer who had been in control of the situation turned his head on him.


    Ren Xian was very reluctant to admit it, but when the green eyes swept towards him, he actually felt trembling all over.


    "This, according to regulations, it cannot be disclosed." He replied under tremendous pressure.


    Xing Conglian was not prepared to accept such procedural prevarication. Unlike the only modest and polite victim, he suddenly became strong and hardened at this moment.


    "I think the team leader should be clear. If it wasn''t for my friend who happened to have such a small hobby, I am afraid that I will be in the interrogation room of the Yongchuan branch for 48 hours of uninterrupted interrogation, and then I will be punished for drug crimes, losing my police badge, and work to support my family."


    Xing Conglian finished his last sentence slowly and threateningly. After he finished speaking, he paused for a while, as if giving Ren Xian plenty of time for thinking.


    Ren Xian felt that he was the one who was sitting in the cold and narrow concrete room and was forced to tell some secrets. Even if there were two groups of special police officers behind him sitting behind him, he did not feel safe.


    Although he has been the background board from beginning to end, in fact, when he sat at this long office desk, he had already begun to constantly think and judge the situation. For example, what happened to the drug case today? What''s the matter, is ICPO completely used as a tool for framing, or is there other inside information?


    However, as the incident progressed, he gradually realized that the muddy water he wandered into today was far deeper than those in the past. If time can be reversed, it would be great if he did not see the live picture of the scene that was passed on. It really is a big trouble.


    However, where does time go back?


    Ren Xian raised his head and suddenly noticed that the simple surveillance camera glued to the wall with plastic tape, like the eyes of a beast, recorded everything that happened in the room.


    Camera, signal shielding equipment... He seems to understand something.


    "Actually, it was because of a clue."


    "What clue?" Xing Conglian leaned forward slightly, giving people a strong sense of oppression.


    "About an International drug case."


    Ren Xian touched the black hair on his forehead. His hair is not long, but his hair roots are a little wet, and some sweat has been pulled out. He looks like he is finally unable to resist the pressure. And was prepared to explain clearly what the facts look like.


    He turned his head, looked at the team members who had been sitting quietly in the corner behind him, and said: "You go to the car and wait for me."


    It is obvious that he wants to talk about important matters. The special police team members on the ground looked at each other, seemingly not clear why their boss chose to violate the law and cooperate with these people.


    However, an order is an order. They stood up in turn, prepared to go out, and wait in the car for a while.


    Just as the person walking in the front opened the door of the meeting room, Xing Conglian suddenly spoke.


    "We will end soon. The meeting room downstairs seems to be empty. You can go there to rest."


    He looked up, and a smile appeared on the original stern face again, looking polite and sincere.


    The second station police officer who was yawning at the door of the meeting room suddenly had his eyes lit up. He stretched out his hands and leaned slightly like leading the way.


    Looking at the back of those figures, Lin Chen counted silently in his heart. These special police officers who left temporarily are already the fifth group of people who have walked out of this conference room today.


    Seeing the door closed, Xing Conglian seemed like a ball suddenly deflated, or a young man who had finally finished the banquet, suddenly relaxed. He no longer sat upright and rigorous, but lazily took out a cigarette. He ignited without hesitation, after the fire flickered, he took a deep breath, then tilted his head.


    As if receiving some signal, Wang Chao stood up like boneless. He stretched his arm, climbed up the chair, and took off the surveillance camera on the wall.


    Xing Conglian took another cigarette from the cigarette case and threw it in front of Ren Xian together with the lighter.


    Ren Xian knew that he had no way to refuse.


    When the smoke rose, he suddenly realized that today''s truly secret but most important topic was finally about to begin.


    "Does this Tibetan drug case have anything to do with Fang Zhiming?"


    As if someone fired a shot in his ear, Ren Xian felt a buzzing in his ears for a moment, and his brain became muddy. He lost some of his thinking ability, his emotions prevailed. He quickly became angry and nervous. He quickly drew his gun and pointed it at the person across the long table: "Why would you know?"


    Xing Conglian was still smoking. There is not a slightest intension surrender: "Your reaction tells me, it is really relevant."


    Ren Xian''s brain is thinking fast, the file should be top secret, even with the authority above the director level, it can''t be accessed, every unfinished extraordinarily large cases have their own internal encryption methods, and it is impossible for outsiders to crack them. What is going on? Many possibilities circled in his mind, and he suddenly saw the teenager drinking water in the corner, and he was calm after he understood everything.


    Wang Chao was embarrassed, and couldn''t help yelling: "Look at what I am doing, am I the kind of person who breaks the law and discipline when nothing is wrong, and intrudes into the backstage of other people''s systems when I am in a bad mood?"


    "Answer my question." Ren Xian still remained in his position. Holding a gun, he insisted.


    ¡°Hey, why are you so nervous... No wonder you will blow up your hair when you see a small clue, and tell the truth at will." The little comrade Wang Chao did not mean to pull the boss, and continued  to stimulate the leader of the crime team.


    ¡°Small clue?" Ren Xian''s voice was cold, like a chipped ice ball. Wang Chao glanced at him and he couldn''t help shrinking his neck.


    "I have waited for this clue for a full 326 days."


    "It''s only eleven months." Wang Chao said casually.


    At this moment, he felt Lin Chen patted the back of his hand and said: "The 326 days ago was May 11."


    Last year on May 11 last year, a fully loaded passenger car crashed into Yongchuan river, including an anti-narcotics police officer named Fang Zhiming.


    Wang Chao soon realized that this was another topic of death and revenge. He shrank his neck and said sincerely: "I''m sorry."


    Ren Xian maintained the action of preparing to shoot, but everyone at the scene knew that it was impossible. Pulling the trigger, he felt that everything that happened today was very ridiculous. He went out in the morning, bought a cup of coffee downstairs in the office as usual, and then went upstairs to continue the dark-day file analysis, like many long and hopeless but suddenly encountered destiny. The story of God''s favour0, when it was noon, he saw the alarm go off.


    It was not an alarm that terrorists had invaded the Yongchuan branch of Interpol, but a red dot in the lower right corner of his computer began to flash, which means that the interception network they set up intercepted some important information.


    And the so-called important information is actually just a cell phone photo with not too high pixels. The photo shows the suite of the most tycoon hotel in Yongchuan. Under a large piece of white bedding, dark green leaves are scattered. Thinking that this was just the silhouette of those wealthy young masters living in adultery, he suddenly saw a colourful packaging bag. The packaging bag pretends to be a milk tea brand that can circle the earth, but the font is very vague, and it has a clumsy plastic texture that is unique to an underground factory.


    Ren Xian shuddered with excitement when he saw only the packaging bag. The following plot was like a police and criminal film that can be seen everywhere. He mobilized his men and determined not to let such clues slip away again. The two groups respectively launched surprise captures. The work of arrest and search, but the police film has changed into a vulgar comedy. After that, he saw indiscriminate framing, stupid and defenceless chess pieces, and boring giants fights, all of which made him drowsy, until the moment just now, the plot suddenly jumped back to the main line again, and moved forward extremely fast in an unsuspecting way.


    In fact, if time permits, Ren Xian will find that the few people sitting in front of him had saved the life of a colleague¡¯s precious daughter not long ago. Although, for some protection, the truth of what happened in that piece of reeds has been sealed up in a decent manner, there is really no impermeable wall in the world. He has actually filled out those who read the documents. The report was submitted to the local police in Hongjing, and he could get all the details about the whole hijacking case only after the approval was passed.


    It''s just that everything is right, it''s not too late.


    Such a wonderful arrangement, of course, may not necessarily come from the hand of fate.


    Xing Conglian knows this very well: "The case we are investigating happened to be involved in Fang Zhiming''s case." He finally finished smoking the pruning cigarette, as if he had completed a long thought, and finally decided to give it to him. The leader of the serious crime team trapped in the trapped beast, a glimmer of vitality, "In the case we are investigating, there is a deceased who was once the witness and the only survivor of a jewelry robbery. Her name is Cheng Weiwei."


    "And then¡±. The INTERPOL crime team leader, who has not read the file, is a little at a loss. The deceased is a witness, a jewellery robbery, and a drug case. These elements seem to be too messy.


    "You see, the story is linked by people. In the robbery that Cheng Weiwei experienced, the criminals used some methods, which are exactly the same the methods used to murder Fang Zhiming."


    Ren Xian''s brows finally wrinkled. The body holding gun slackened, he put the gun back into the holster, and the cigarette was thrown on the ground by him pitifully. He bent over, picked up the cigarette butt, and lit the cigarette again like a wanderer.


    "Fang Zhiming, is an undercover police officer under me. One year ago, his participation in the investigation finally made progress. Then, because his identity was exposed, he was forced to terminate the mission and returned to China."


    "Fang Zhiming''s undercover location is not in the country ?"


    "Yes." Ren Xian said with a cigarette, he and Xing Conglian knew very well that what they exchanged was not information, but trust.


    Xing Conglian nodded and said, "I will not go into the details of the case. I only doubt one thing. From the time Zheng Dongdong planted the stolen goods to your reaction to the arrest, the response time was less than an hour and a half. Zheng Dongdong could not directly report to Interpol, he doesn''t have this way. Your reaction speed is too fast. So, what is it that makes you so nervous?"


    Xing Conglian''s words made Ren Xian''s face completely ashamed. Yes, the case of darkness is always dark. If there is a sudden light, then the first thing you have to do is to hide and study carefully, what is that light?


    Ren Xian took a deep breath and replied: "During the mission, he sent back some photos of the inside of the drug manufacturing factory, including some product packaging bags, which are exactly the same as the hemp packaging bags found in your bedroom. "

 CH 66

    "Oh, static image capture system." When it came to technical issues even before Xing Conglian spoke Wang Chao suddenly became energetic and began to talk "This case is not small, it''s all through the set of procedures, but if it is a photo of the inside of the drug manufacturing factory that was sent by undercover, it should be top secret. Did Zheng Dongdong just happen to use this packaging bag? In fact, it depends on what he thought. He probably just wanted to keep us locked up for a few days and didn¡¯t expect the matter to be so serious?¡± Like a detective suddenly possessed, the young comrade Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°There is another possibility, that is, someone knows this package and also knows that the bag will definitely be captured by your filtering system!" At the end Wang Chao emphasized his tone and pushed the completely non-existent glasses, "So, is all this a coincidence or a conspiracy!"


    "Now, replacing people with Interpol who want to trace clues to international drug cases, what will happen to us?"


    "Will we be caught and tortured by ICPO?" Wang Chao looked at Leader Ren with trepidation, "You don''t really have this plan, do you?"


    "Otherwise, why did he bring special police, to play mahjong?"Xing Conglian drew the boy''s head back smoothly and motioned for him to be quiet for a while.


    "Is there any difference between these two results for you?" Ren Xian asked.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian. This was indeed something he couldn''t understand. Assuming that there was really a behind-the-scenes man, why did they take a huge risk and use the photos sent back by Fang Zhiming to lure them into making Interpol take action?


    "The difference lies in time." As if already guessing the answer, Xing Conglian did not even pause and think when answering this question.


    Lin Chen frowned.


    "If we were taken away by the local police, we would be able to see the sun again within an hour." Xing Conglian no longer sold guanzi, but used a calm and scary tone to analyze the dark and treacherous thoughts behind the incident.


    For a while, the coldness and tranquility in the room were restored again, as if the warm sunlight that overflowed through the glass windows became ineffective.


    No one spoke, Lin Chen thought, he really needed him to ask questions again: "So, what if it''s ICOO?" He looked at the serious case team leader and asked.


    "I will detain your personal free time to the limit of what I can." Ren Xian said.


    "Approximately how long is it?"


    "According to the regulations, it is 48 hours."


    "So, all of this is to delay our case processing time?"


    This conclusion is incredible.


    The trivial crimes like hiding hemp cannot do any real and substantial harm, whether the local police or the Interpol are dispatched. The most important difference is that the latter will interrogate and detain desperately. They are in custody for 48 hours.


    So, looking back, now, who would want them to stop for a cup of tea and not be too in a hurry?


    The answer is almost obvious to the extreme.


    Among all the people sitting, only Wang Chao and Xing Conglian understood the meaning of this sentence. Wang Chao  chewing gum slowed down, as if he could not understand the brain circuit of the black hand behind the scenes, questioning, "This is too risky. If we talked about Fang Zhiming or something related to the previous case during the interrogation process, wouldn''t the truth be revealed?"


    With a pop, the boy blew the chewing gum in his mouth.


    "It''s very simple. The so-called Fang Zhiming and his unfinished undercover case are just two different stages of the same trap." People like Xing Conglian, when they say important conclusions, they seem to be calm. It''s like introducing to you which food stall on the food street is more delicious, "In Phase One, we were arrested, interrogated, and released after being detained for a full time. During this period, if the leader of the team is lucky enough to talk to us about Fang Zhiming or some clues, the story automatically enters Phase Two..."


    "What is Phase Two?"


    "Just like what you said just now, analyze the relationship between the live death broadcast and the murder of Fang Zhiming, and then go astray." He did not smoke, but yawned boredly.


    "Boss, can you make it clear?" The young man closed his laptop, took off his peaked cap, and rubbed his hair twice. What he did was probably what everyone in the room wanted to do, "As you said, the boss behind the scenes deliberately led us to investigate the connection between the two cases, but why? If they dare to do this, does it mean that the person who framed us and the drug dealer who killed Fang Zhiming was not a group of people. Then, did the jewellery robbery where Yang Dianfeng modified the driving time of the vehicle have anything to do with the death of witness Cheng Weiwei afterwards? What is going on "


    In short, the question of the teenager is like a cascade of guns, which makes people unable to resist, but the problem brought up by that small package seems to be far more than the question asked by the teenager.


    There seemed to be countless dense spider webs in the air, which made people unable to move or even breathe. Suddenly, Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian reveal a boring and lazy smile.


    "Asking so many questions, I almost fainted." The detective captain bent his fingers and knocked the young subordinate''s head. He did it a little harder this time. The boy arched his body when he was knocked, and groaned in pain: "Boss, You are bullying the weak like this is very unjust, do you know?"


    "Do you know why I beat you?" the perpetrator asked.


    "Because I asked you questions that you couldn''t answer, and you felt ashamed..." The boy answered, looking for death.


    "Then let me ask you in another way. Do you know why your grandfather can live to be ninety years old?"


    "Because he eats vegetables every day and keeps exercising!"


    "No, because he has never been nosy." .


    The boy widened his eyes, unbelievably looking at the boss who was still trying to tease him.


    "But boss, there are so many clues. The packaging bags of the drug manufacturing factory, the death of Fang Zhiming, the system time modified by Yang Dianfeng, the whole story of the jewelry robbery, the background of the witness Cheng Weiwei, we have too many things to investigate! "


    ¡°Speak less" Xing Conglian''s face had a rare stern look.


    Wang Chao was quickly silenced by his reprimand.


    "Thinking about it from another angle, why is the packaging bag not in a suspicious condition behind the scenes? In fact, Fang Zhiming''s death may also have nothing to do with the case we are investigating." The surrounding air seems to be a stagnant entity by his words. But like a sharp blade breaking through those sticky silk screens: "You see, we can make countless inferences, but the only thing that is certain is that because there are too many possibilities, we can''t pursue this clue. This must be a dead end that will waste countless hours of our time but eventually make us return without success..." He looked at the teenager seriously, and at everyone in the conference room, and said, "So, take your thoughts. Don''t even think in this direction."


    This is an order, not a discussion.


    For a moment, Lin Chen felt that this order was too uncomfortable.


    For those who want to solve the case, there is nothing more tempting than the clues in front of them. It seems to be a sweet fruity hard candy, or an upgraded novel that is about to reach its climax, so it is difficult for you to control it; Withdraw your hands or put down the book yourself.


    Because from long ago, they have developed the habit of analyzing and researching all kinds of things. The inertia of their thinking makes them want to dig up the whole street even if they know it may be a maze set by the murderer and look at what is hidden under the maze.


    But now, Xing Conglian seems to have drawn a clear line on the ground, telling them that they must not go around here, because no matter what is buried in front of them, it has nothing to do with them for the time being.


    This is indeed tough and unacceptable.


    But in the next second, it was like ice-cold water pouring down the top of his head. The cold, damp feeling made Lin Chen sober up quickly.


    He was very fortunate that the person sitting next to him and yawning was Xing Conglian.


    After all, most people in this world are constantly analyzing and judging. Only a few people can break through the fog and see the truth of the matter. Those who are too lazy to talk nonsense with you and directly tell you what to do are even more remarkable.


    From the beginning to the end, the whole planted case is a sinister¡¯s thinking trap. It is not fatal, but very cold and vicious. With the ingenious arrangement of the layout, you can''t even notice that you are stepping into a well-designed quagmire.


    In fact, there are too many ways to cause accidents and delay time, such as killing people, setting fires, causing car accidents, etc., but those methods are too tough and obvious, and it is easy for them to perceive the intention behind them and the drug planting case is just right. The case of tampering, 48 hours is insignificant like a nail pierced through the wheel. It makes you only think about how to solve the immediate trouble. If you are lucky enough to repair the tires and prepare to move on, you will find that you are on the road ahead there are a few bear kids who splattered iron nails. They made a face at you, then turned and ran. This will easily make you speed up. You want to catch those stinky guys and give them a hard hit. When that time comes, you will go farther and farther away from what is really important.


    That''s the direction, and the time.


    "If all this is to delay our investigation, it means that the next death live broadcast should happen soon." Lin Chen said.


    "Yes, but it''s not a bad thing." Xing Conglian said. The stern look in his eyes had disappeared. Lin Chen found that he was looking at himself with helpless eyes, "We know the time limit anyway."


    "What? What time frame?" Wang Chao said with some impatience, perhaps his family¡¯s Ah Chen face became as ugly his boss''s, or maybe from start to end, he couldn¡¯t keep up with the ideas of a detective, after all, he is just a technician!


    "I''m afraid, we have at most 48 hours left."


    48 hours is the longest time Ren Xian can detain them, and similarly, it should be the end of the future live death broadcast.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    For Lin Chen and Xing Conglian, they have already made  the direction clear and they know the worst possibility in the future. But for Ren Xian, after experiencing today''s absurd drama, he couldn''t avoid the most important question. Why would the poorly printed big hemp bag appear again after a lapse of 11 months? The internal information of the serious crime team is kept secret. How can outsiders know the photo sent back by Fang Zhiming?


    Just as he was confused and thinking about whether to open his mouth, the door of the meeting room was opened again.


    The always carefree deputy captain of the second inning stood at the door, his face full of joy of successful interrogation.


    "Fuck! Lao Xing you''re a bit silly, Chen Ping recruited all of them. He said that the hemp was given to him by his second assistant, and the goods were also given to him by his second assistant."


    Hearing this, Ren Xian''s eyes lit up. He didn''t expect Xing Conglian to look like he would not intervene in the case, but he had already secretly sent someone to interrogate the suspect.


    "Have you arrested them?" Xing Conglian took out a box of cigarettes again like juggling, and threw it over.


    Jiang Chao stretched out his hand to catch it, and said, "According to what you told me in your text message, I sent someone to Chen''s company early in the morning. They only waited for Chen Ping''s name to be arrested, but Lao Huang and the others were still empty, and there''s no one in the assistant office. Man! is the coffee on the table still hot?"


    Ren Xian felt like riding a roller coaster. Hearing that sentence, he slipped into the abyss in an instant, and the surroundings were very cold, without even a trace of light.


    "So, at this point, someone is telling the news." Jiang Chao opened the cigarette case and smoked a cigarette in his mouth.


    Hearing that sentence, Don¡¯t know if it was the residue of tobacco or some other reason. Ren Xian felt that his mouth was full of bitterness.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s net had been collected close enough, but that person could get away in such a short time. It can only be explained that there is an inner ghost among the people who have just stayed in this meeting room.


    And he remembered that he had assembled a signal jammer here just now, so the people in the room didn''t have any chance to tell the news.


    But among all the people who went out, Zheng Dongdong was already in custody, and Chen Ping and the Chen family elders were being interrogated, so the only people who might leak the news were his subordinates who had just been taken away.


    "Leader Ren."


    In a deep chill, Ren Xian suddenly heard someone calling himself.


    He raised his head and looked to the window, where the bright sun was overflowing and it was so bright.


    In the sun, he saw a vague and lazy smile.


    He heard someone say to him: "Now, you can search your cell phone and communication equipment."

 CH 67

    ¡°Lao Xing, do you have a good routine set in the morning?"


    Jiang Chao asked in a very uncertain tone, as if he couldn''t imagine how someone could go so deep.


    Xing Conglian seemed to have guessed early that the problem was within the crime team. What he did was to rule out the possibility of Zheng Dongdong and Chen¡¯s family reporting the news first, and gave the ICPO police time to pass the news. After all, if there are really dark creatures such as inner ghosts, they probably can''t wait to report to the owner that the game is almost over.


    But the question is, who can figure out from the beginning of the game to how to counterattack the opponent at the end? It just makes no sense.


    Ren Xian was still stunned. Dynasty pulled out a USB flash drive from his laptop and threw it at him: "This is the surveillance video just now. I monitored the emotional reaction of your subordinates throughout the process. Find a micro-expression analyst or something to take a look at it." The young man grinned, showing his cute  white tiger teeth, "No need to thank, this is what I should do."


    Looking at the small USB flash drive, not only was it the leader, but Deputy Captain Jiang felt goosebumps all over his body. He looked at Captain Xing, who was sitting at the table thinking about whether to smoke anymore, and said "Why the hell didn''t I realize that your scheming turned out to be so heavy?"


    "It''s all routines, routines." Captain Xing smiled.


    Perhaps Xing Conglian''s smile was too hateful, and Ren Xian finally woke up.


    He stood up solemnly, bowed to the other party, and said, "Thank you very much."


    "You''re welcome." Xing Cong nodded, and the evil spirit that seemed unpleasant to anyone has long gone.


    Ren Xian was looked up and down by him. He always felt like a prey being watched by a hunter. A cold chill ran down his spine when, he heard the other party say: "There is a small matter, and I have to trouble you as the team leader."


    It''s just a help. It won''t be too troublesome: "Please tell me." He replied.


    "Regardless of whether there is a real ghost or not, I also want to ask the leader of the team to pretend to investigate the murder of Fang Zhiming during this period, so as to buy us some time."


    Xing Conglian used the words very politely.


    Hearing this, Ren Xian nodded, feeling relieved. The other party probably just wanted to do the trick. Let the black hand behind the scenes be confused. This is of course only a simple effort for him: "No problem, please rest assured."


    He said, saluted, and turned to the door. Prepared to go downstairs to deal with those dirty matters.


    When he pressed his hand on the door panel, he suddenly remembered something, and turned around and asked: "Can I take the liberty to ask, you are?¡±


    "Captain of the Hongjing City Criminal Police Brigade, Xing Conglian."


    Although he knows, this is probably the name of the other party. And the position, but at that moment, Ren Xian has a feeling of being prevaricated.


    He frowned, and in a daze, he saw his young instructor.


    The 18-year-old boy hid behind his boss and secretly made a neck-slitting gesture at him.


    Ren Xian was frightened, ready to leave without hesitation and vowed not to ask more questions. Suddenly, he heard the Hongjing City Criminal Police Captain speak again.


    "As a team leader, that''s really hard for you. You have to deal with the internal affairs of the crime team and do us a favor."


    Ren Xian turned around, always feeling that he had missed something?


    "With your help, I believe we should be able to solve the case soon."


    "Wait, what do you mean?"


    "Welcome to join the Yongchuan University collective suicide case team." Under the sun, Xing Conglian smiled sincerely.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Ren Xian''s figure was in a trace as it disappeared behind the door.


    Jiang Chao was a little dissatisfied: "What do you mean, Lao Xing? If you want to transfer people we have some. Going to Interpol to find someone ah!. Those uncles at top never looked down on us..."


    Xing Conglian laughed and said, "Is it ready?"


    "What?"


    Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao.


    The boy turned the laptop towards Captain Jiang.


    A tragic triple jump video began to play without warning.


    Jiang Chao stared at the opposite side blankly, his eyes were slightly blank, but soon, his pupils dilated, his face was stiff, and the surrounding air seemed to become a stagnant entity.


    In fact, the video playback time was very short, but it seemed to be stretched infinitely. It took Jiang Chao nearly half a minute to adapt to the chill all over his body.


    This time, Jiang Chao laughed bitterly: "Can''t you let the brother calm down first?"


    "There is no time." Xing Conglian sighed.


    "Someone used a website to broadcast student suicide?"


    "Not only live-streaming suicide, but also live-streaming sex, and they are not just broadcasting, they also use this content to make money."


    Jiang Chao took out a cigarette, and when he heard this, he found out that his hands were shaking: "Can''t you close this website?"


    "Ah, in theory, this website has been closed because it is all one-time." Wang Chao interrupted.


    The sunshine like voice of the young man made Jiang Chao relieved, as if he had caught some life-saving straw, he hurriedly asked Wang Chao: "You, you have been with Lao Xing for so long, you have good skills, and you can find the IP address of the broadcaster. Let¡¯s catch them!¡±


    Like rose petals beaten by frost, the young man lowered his head gloomily and explained unhappily: ¡°This is the dark network. The live broadcaster uses the orion server. Even the top hackers like Hongke Baike, couldn¡¯t find him. Unless AI appears. But that would have to wait for more than ten years?¡±


    ¡°Then can you find out who hacked the school surveillance?¡±


    Hearing these words, Wang Chao could not help but lie on the table and said weakly: "Please reread what I just said in silence, thank you."


    "Then is it okay to regain control of the surveillance?"


    Wang Chao sighed and used his thumb and pokehis boss and said to Jiang Chao, "Of course it''s a trivial matter. It can be made into a copper wall and iron wall, but he doesn''t let me do that."


    "Why Lao Xing?"


    "After all, both deaths were broadcasted live. It happened at Yongchuan University. If we close the monitoring system here, can you guarantee that the murderer will not go to other places to commit the crime?"


    "No, you mean there may be another suicide?" Jiang Chao suddenly felt his scalp tingle.


    "It''s not maybe, it''s for sure, and it will happen within 48 hours." As if he was afraid that Jiang Chao would not panic enough, Xing Conglian gave Lin Chen a casual glance, and then continued: "And, according to the trick that the black hand used behind the scenes. I am afraid that the next live broadcast will be very serious than the previous two¡±


    ¡°Lao Xing, you dont scare me, this is serious. Is it okay if I use Martial Law in Yongchuan University?¡±


    Roughly because of the meaning in Xing Conglian''s eyes, Lin Chen pursed his lips, or said, "I suggest you don''t do this."


    "Why!" The suggestion was rejected twice. Jiang Chao patted the table and stood up, as if he felt in front of him there were two who are too cold-blooded, and said coldly: "We know that something is going to happen here,  and do we do nothing?"


    Xing Conglian didn''t even speak with Lin Chen.


    Seeing the two secretive appearances, Jiang Chao seemed to think of something, and suddenly realized: "In fact, you don''t want the black hand behind the scenes to know that you have checked this website and know that something more serious is about to happen?" He figured everything out in an instant. "What did you just say to have the Team Leader Ren pretend to investigate Fang Zhiming''s case and If he doesn''t pretend, would the behind-the-scenes broadcaster know that his plan is exposed and then give up the next action? Why do you have to see some blood to be happy, Wan If something happens, neither of you nor I can bear responsibility!"


    Jiang Chao said bitterly, but this kind of persuasion not only affects Xing Conglian, but also Lin Chen is unmoved.


    "It is better to face one possibility than to guess what will happen in the face of two possibilities." Lin Chen said.


    "Now is not the time to discuss philosophical issues."


    "Yes, if we are willing, the black hand behind the scenes may terminate the plan within 48 hours..."


    "Why not do it then!"


    "Jiang Chao, have you ever thought about it, he is taking such a big risk, even ready to sacrifice the ICPO¡¯s hidden stakes, just to delay a little time, what does this mean?"


    "This shows that the next live broadcast must make a fucking high and they can make a lot of Money!" Jiang Chao felt that the chill on his skin just now had completely transformed into anger, "This means that many people may die!"


    "But there is only one chance like this." Lin Chen tried to use something less scary. His tone calms the person in front of him.


    "Yeah, Lao Jiang, if we don''t catch them this time and let them stop, can you guarantee that they don''t try to make a bigger ticket next time?" Xing Conglian said, "And I promise, they dare to draw this timeline which means that after 48 hours, all the clues we can find will be cleared. You know there are such a group of people around you, you can¡¯t catch them, and you don¡¯t know when they will commit a crime, this can be much more uncomfortable, for example, choking in the throat."


    "But...but now is not the time to be a hero." Probably Xing Conglian''s words were too convincing, and Jiang Chao''s tone softened.


    "Don''t worry, we won''t risk the lives of students."


    "Then what should we do?"


    "First of all, you have to arrange for manpower to be deployed in Yongchuan University, but we can''t be sure that the location of the next live broadcast must be In this school, after all, there is too much noise right now, so it¡¯s best to have people watching the town..."


    "And then?"


    "Then I don''t know." Xing Conglian spread his hands and said, "We don''t have any obvious clues for now."


    It''s like knowing there is a bomb that is going to explode, but between you and it, there is an endless swamp.


    Xing Conglian continued: "It takes a lot of time to investigate the social relationships of the deceased. We can''t find the manipulator behind the website. The only method available is to find out the audience of this website through phishing. But whether it is successful, it can only be done by relying on fate." (T/N Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data)


    "Lao Xing, are you kidding?" Jiang Chao was so angry that his blood pressure soared again.


    Seeing an old friend who was about to die of high blood pressure and myocardial infarction, Xing Conglian turned his head, looked at Lin Chen, and said, "So, now I can only rely on Mr. Lin, after all, he is an expert."


    "You let me feel like a life-saving straw."


    "What are you going to do?"


    "I''m going to find a needle in the haystack."

 CH 68

    ¡°How are you going to do that? Are you going to screen everyone?¡± Jiang Chao sighed. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s enough time to visit and investigate everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so I need to find some people to come out and talk.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If we are sure that there will be a live broadcast, which means in this school or this city, there are still people who want to commit crimes. We can use a method to find out who these people are and talk to them.¡±


    ¡°The question is, do you have any quick ways to find someone psychologically?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, we¡¯re using math.¡±


    Lin Chen took out three pieces of paper from his pocket. Those were the three things he had been carrying around with him today, and now it seemed he was glad he hadn¡¯t thrown them away.


    ¡°Lend me Wang Chao,¡± he said to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Why are you being so polite? As long as you don¡¯t kill him, you can use him however you want,¡± Xing Conglian replied with a smile.


    The teenager sitting on the side raised his head from the front of the screen while chewing on a pen in his mouth, obviously still trying to figure out how to catch these perverts. ¡°Captain, you know I can easily mutiny, right?¡±


    Lin Chen spread three pieces of paper flat on the table and said, ¡°In fact, through the results of the MMPI, we found that Wang Shishi, Xu Haozhen, and Jiang Liu all have similar personality traits, so we can use this to screen for possible candidates who have similar characteristics.¡±


    ¡°Find people who might be interested in participating in the next live death broadcast.¡± Wang Chao leaned back on the table. ¡°There are 30,000 teachers and students at Yongchuan University, and you want to find three people who will participate in the next live broadcast? A¡¯Chen, this is truly a needle in a haystack.¡±


    ¡°You mean, first filter out people with introverted personalities greater than or equal to 70 points?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. After what happened just now, he didn¡¯t feel surprised that Xing Conglian actually remembered the key words and scoring criteria.


    He glanced at Wang Chao, causing the boy to spit out the pen in his mouth, and wiped the area that was bitten with his t-shirt.


    After taking the pen, Lin Chen drew a circle on the paper and explained, ¡°Suppose this is a group of people with introverted personalities in society¡­¡± Then, he drew a small circle intersecting it on the edge of the big circle. ¡°These are the possible perpetrators,¡± he said as he blacked out the intersection of the two circles. ¡°This is the potential group of people we may find.¡±


    ¡°I got it! You¡¯re asking me to hit the library first and get out the information about this test, then screen the students who scored more than 70 on it. How many people are there?¡±


    ¡°What library?¡± Xing Conglian knocked on Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°We can transfer the data through due process.¡±


    ¡°70 points is probably two standard deviations from the average, so it¡¯s conservatively estimated that there will be 4% abnormal people,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Then, if you only screen Yongchuan University, there will be only about 1,200!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed.


    ¡°Is there any way to narrow that down?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Chen answered. ¡°Have them take another personality test.¡±


    Several suicides in this case all showed characteristics of major changes in their personalities, which meant that if the student showed major changes in their scores on the second personality test, it would look suspicious.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°However, there¡¯s still a small problem.¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Assuming we conduct the personality test on the students with great fanfare, won¡¯t we spook the snake?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a big issue. Now that there¡¯s such a serious suicide incident at the school, isn¡¯t it normal to check on the students¡¯ mental health?¡± Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s concerns, Xing Conglian continued with a smile, ¡°And, when you really identify the suspicious students, doesn¡¯t this provide enough justification as an excuse to interview them?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s words made Lin Chen a little speechless. ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head helplessly.


    ¡°An old, crafty scoundrel. He¡¯s insidious, treacherous, and shameless!¡± Little comrade Wang Chao answered righteously.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem to care about these labels. He frowned slightly and asked, ¡°How long will it take you to complete the initial screening?¡±


    ¡°Very fast.¡±


    ¡°How much time does it take to implement a secondary application?¡± He asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°The test time will only take about an hour, but from organizing manpower, arranging the test location, to notifying the students, the process will be relatively long, and the student base is huge¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian glanced at the time. ¡°It¡¯s 16:37 right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s almost time for the university to close for the day. Even if the counselor is notified now and the test is arranged, it will probably be around 19:00 before the first batch of students are tested.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an estimate? Which department and grade are the students we are looking for most likely to appear in?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no significant difference in the scores of the students in each department, but the proportion of psychologically unhealthy students that are majoring in psychology is relatively high¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Isn¡¯t this self-criticism?¡±


    Lin Chen hooked the corner of his mouth and continued, ¡°According to the data of our school, there are also students from the school of medicine and the chemistry department¡­¡±


    ¡°About how many students total?¡±


    ¡°Reporting Captain, a total of 3,158,¡± little comrade Wang Chao quickly replied.


    ¡°It means that no matter what, the test can¡¯t be completed today, right?¡±


    ¡°Even if 20 classrooms are opened, only 800 students can take the test at the same time, which will take 5 hours to complete.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯ll be tomorrow morning at the earliest.¡±


    But even if it did take until tomorrow morning, 20 hours had already passed.


    Xing Conglian nodded and continued, ¡°Can you narrow it down even more?¡±


    ¡°From the grade level, freshmen have just taken the entrance test, so there¡¯s no need to take another one. Many senior students have started internships and are no longer on campus. They are directly excluded. Therefore, it¡¯s best if we target the sophomores or juniors.¡±


    As soon as the two of them spoke, they heard Wang Chao press a button.


    ¡°Yooooo, there are only 1,342 people total!¡±


    It was indeed extremely pleasant to work with efficient partners. ¡°I need to trouble you to pick out the sophomore and junior students from the psychology department, school of medicine, and chemistry department, and compile them into a list for me,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s but a trifle.¡± When the teenager heard this, he knocked on the keyboard a few times. He looked at the generated data for a while, then said to Lin Chen, ¡°A¡¯Chen, I have to say, your psychology department is really special, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been wondering about that too.¡± Lin Chen shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Send me the list of these people, their resumes, and their test results.¡±


    ¡°Sent.¡±


    Lin Chen probably understood why Xing Conglian had taken Wang Chao with him. His work was simply too outstanding.


    After the boy finished speaking, he took out a tablet from his backpack and handed it to Lin Chen. ¡°You can use this to look at it.¡±


    ¡°If we have this list in hand, can¡¯t we cross-compare the circles of friends of the six deceased in this case to see if there is any overlap?¡± Jiang Chao asked suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, we can.¡± Wang Chao pulled out a piece of candy and tossed it into his mouth. ¡°You can find someone to do it. I still have a lot of things to do.¡±


    Even though Wang Chao looked relaxed and carefree, it had been an extremely stressful investigation so far for him.


    Large-scale population screening with a tight time limit was naturally contradictory.


    He continued to connect to the dark web and pressed the refresh button every few seconds, irritably, as if he were waiting for a response from someone on the other end at any second.


    ¡°If Captain Jiang has a directory, can you help him with the comparison analysis?¡± Lin Chen patted the teenager¡¯s hand and spoke in a gentle voice.


    ¡°The comparison will take a while, and there hasn¡¯t been any response over there yet, so I have to keep an eye on the post.¡±


    It was rare that the teenager would refuse Lin Chen. He was probably eager to play a role as if he were trying to defeat something because his own abilities were almost useless in the dark web.


    As if seeing through the teenager¡¯s mind, Lin Chen shook his head and said, ¡°You should do more important things.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that? Let Ren Xian come and look at the post later. At any rate, since you were the one who taught him, his level shouldn¡¯t be bad.¡± It was rare for Xing Conglian to sound so tough. ¡°However, if we haven¡¯t received any response within half an hour, we need to take some more extreme measures.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Our current fishing nets are too small¡­¡± Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen. ¡°Mainly because you inspired me to find a needle in a haystack, assuming that the mastermind behind the scenes is using the live broadcast to make money, they can¡¯t be too exclusive to newcomers. There are many underground forums on the dark web. We can write some topic posts and¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say that I should imitate the tone of a psychopath, write a topic post, distribute it on major websites, and widen the fishing net?¡± Lin Chen keenly noticed the trap.


    ¡°You¡¯re more professional.¡± Xing Conglian looked a bit embarrassed, so he took the initiative to say, ¡°I can be responsible for the translation.¡±


    Although he was speechless, he had to admit that Xing Conglian¡¯s opinion was still reliable. He was just about to reply when he heard the other party say, ¡°Does Consultant Lin know where the bathroom in the office building is? Please take me there?¡±


    Even if he was probably looking to talk to Lin Chen alone, he had to consider the mood of everyone present in the room.


    Lin Chen went out with Xing Conglian. Sure enough, the captain of the criminal division didn¡¯t have any intention to solve his physiological issue at all. He walked towards the window, opened it halfway, and then lit a cigarette.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Lin Chen was a little surprise. He didn¡¯t expect Xing Conglian to specifically call him out to ask about Wang Chao¡¯s psychological problem.


    ¡°He must be nervous.¡±


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡±


    The question changed so quickly that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    The pale smoke rose as Lin Chen stared at it uncomfortably.


    ¡°No matter what, I hope you don¡¯t feel too much pressure. If you have any questions, you can tell me.¡± Finally, Xing Conglian spoke.


    At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly understood Xing Conglian¡¯s intention, and he shook his head almost helplessly. Xing Conglian really understood.


    From start to finish, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t ignore the most critical issue. He was aware that Zheng Dongdong and Butler Chen had grievances against him and was able to use these two people to set up a massive trap. Such a mastermind seemed to be too familiar with everything about him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re eager to know, you can buy me a drink after this case is over.¡± Lin Chen raised his head and looked into Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes as he said this.

 CH 69

    Towards the evening, the sky was overcast, which wasn¡¯t a good omen.


    After dealing with his men, Ren Xian returned to the conference room upstairs as promised.


    In fact, as a veteran of the severe crime squad, he knew that there was a set of internal procedures for dealing with a mole. Whether it was to kill them or use them as bait, there were different considerations, and it was hard for outsiders to ask.


    However, Lin Chen thought that Ren Xian would probably choose to keep everything that happened today in his heart because now he had a hard time trusting anyone else. At least in the case of Fang Zhiming, he had lost the ability to trust.


    It was like having to label seeds that were unsuitable for planting and seal them in a corner of the storage room, then wait for the spring breeze to bring suitable soil.


    This kind of thing, by and large, wasn¡¯t something that couldn¡¯t be told, but if it had never reached such an appropriate time, it had to be kept secret. Lin Chen knew this feeling all too well.


    Just like now, his conversation with Xing Conglian ended naturally after they finished talking about getting a drink.


    Xing Conglian, on the other hand, didn¡¯t confirm it and didn¡¯t even respond.


    After developing a deeper friendship with Xing Conglian, Lin Chen discovered that this person was extremely cautious, which was inconsistent with his appearance. This caution came down to small details, which showed it was difficult to detect any obvious attitudes or tendencies he had before he really started to deal with things, and it only made it difficult for others to guess what he was really thinking.


    The reason for this kind of caution was, of course, a secret.


    Lin Chen finished writing the last subject post and handed it over to the other party for review.


    After Xing Conglian finished reading it, he was surprised and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, with just these few subject posts, I have the urge to handcuff you.¡±


    His tone and expression were very natural, as if they hadn¡¯t had that private conversation earlier.


    Lin Chen almost sighed inaudibly.


    Although he said this, Xing Conglian quickly translated the dirty and morbid posts Lin Chen had written and entered them on the laptop. Ren Xian only had to complete the work by copying and pasting them.


    Before that, the captain of the criminal division had completed the planning and arrangements for the psychological test for thousands of people, including a series of tasks such as specific classroom arrangements and sequence. He seemed to be naturally good at arranging and organizing, and he was terribly efficient when he got down to business.


    So much so that when Fu Hao came after class, he almost had nothing to criticize about such arrangements, and this was someone who specialized in psychometrics and had presided over many large-scale joint tests, so one would expect him to have many words regarding the test plan.


    ¡°Computer testing and pen-and-paper testing are conducted at the same time¡­ Although it¡¯s not advisable to control the measurement error, it¡¯s not a big problem if you¡¯re in a hurry. I¡¯ll wait for our computer room to prepare, but why is there a detailed rule here that allows students who take the computer test to gather in the cafeteria first without notifying the test location in advance and then have me lead them to the computer room?¡±


    ¡°Just in case.¡±


    ¡ª-


    Just in case had almost become Xing Conglian¡¯s new motto recently.


    Rather, perhaps it was a catchphrase.


    When night fell, it began to rain.


    There was no regularity to the spring rain. From time to time, the entire campus was shrouded in thin rain and mist and exuded a quiet light.


    But for students in the psychology department, school of medicine, and chemistry department of Yongchuan University, their night was destined to be quite the opposite of quiet.


    After all, they were college students who were used to being undisciplined. No one wanted to go to the teaching buildings to answer 500 personality test questions when they should be heading back to their dorms to chase dramas or play games. They all had to fill out the answer carefully as well, which only added to the torment.


    The rainy night was cold and humid, and the air was filled with the sizzling sound of electronic equipment.


    For the purpose of concealment, Lin Chen could only sit in the surveillance room and observe every move in the 10 classrooms.


    Like a picture that had been copied and pasted, the scene in each classroom was almost exactly the same.


    At the front and rear of the classroom, there were grad students Fu Hao hired to preside over the test. After explaining and distributing the test papers, they began to play on their cellphones out of boredom.


    At this moment, most of the students were bending over and holding pens as they flipped through the test booklets page by page. Some of them were yawning, and others were answering the questions at extraordinary speed. The problem was, from the angles with their heads down and their backs curving, one couldn¡¯t tell who among them was different from the others.


    ¡°Hey, your school is really great. Even the classrooms are equipped with cameras.¡±


    The door of the surveillance room was pushed open. Lin Chen turned his head and saw Xing Conglian walking in slowly with two cups of coffee.


    ¡°Do you see anything?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°The angle isn¡¯t good. The cameras are mainly used to monitor the teacher¡¯s class, so they¡¯re all installed on the back wall. Just looking at their movements, it¡¯s difficult to see anything suspicious.¡±


    Lin Chen felt a little depressed looking at the neat backs of the students.


    ¡°Also, there are too many students,¡± Xing Conglian tried to comfort him. His voice was low, as if he were saying something casually.


    But when these words reached Lin Chen¡¯s ears, it was as if there had been a thunderclap in the middle of the night. He raised his head slightly and frowned, only to notice that the air around him was becoming irritating.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°You just reminded me just now the most dangerous part of the whole incident.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t see it.¡± He folded his hands on the table and stared at more than 500 students on the screen and said, ¡°Even if some students can be screened out, there will still be those that we can¡¯t see because they have perfectly transformed into another person.¡±


    It was like using a single fishing net and never catching any fish in the pond. What they were doing now was fishing out species that just matched the size of the fishing net, but the remaining fish would still be swimming freely.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find some people, but at least this is a breakthrough,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Have you ever thought that even if there¡¯s a breakthrough, it may be difficult for us to touch the essence of the problem? That is, what can cause them to do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°But you said it¡¯s not drugs or hypnosis. How can people lose themselves for no reason? This isn¡¯t some kind of curse, right?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen raised his head and was speechless for a while.


    The window of the surveillance room was half open. From there, they could see the vague lights in the teaching building in the distance.


    Unconsciously, the sound of rain gradually became dense, and their conversation seemed to be obscured by it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve given me a very bad idea. I hope I won¡¯t be caught by your unbelief.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, there¡¯s no need to turn to feudal superstition¡­¡± Xing Conglian shuddered and asked in a low voice, ¡°This isn¡¯t really sorcery, right?¡±


    ¡°Does psychological sorcery count?¡±


    Lin Chen had no intention of scaring Xing Conglian, but from the man¡¯s expression, he saw a trace of consternation that quickly blinked away. It was as if something illuminated his entire face, and when Lin Chen noticed it, it was due to a flash of lightning from outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good to say it now. Let¡¯s wait for the results to come out,¡± Lin Chen said before the thunder sounded.


    ¡°I hope things will be smooth sailing,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    In short, Lin Chen felt that Xing Conglian¡¯s recent rebellious spirit seemed too accurate.


    Because after Xing Conglian finished his ¡°praying for success¡±, the sound of thunder fell from the sky and was so loud that the glass window of the entire building seemed to tremble. He even heard some screams coming from the teaching building in the distance.


    Then the sound of rain became violent and fell indiscriminately.


    Spring rain and spring thunder were both unreasonable occurrences that came with incomparably powerful vitality. It overwhelmed the sky, and even the air began to stir.


    Lin Chen stood up, looked out the window, and after another strike of lightning, the lights suddenly went out.


    This was more unreasonable than a spring thunderstorm in a drama. There was no warning, as a large area of the campus in the distance was plunged into darkness. It was as if someone wiped out the chalk on the chalkboard. Including the teaching building where the psychological test was being conducted, dozens of other buildings all had their lights shut off, while other parts of the school were still brightly lit at this moment.


    Through the shimmering lights, Lin Chen said to Xing Conglian, ¡°After this matter is over, you really have to go bye-bye.¡±


    As he said this, he took out his phone.


    Due to the careful and thoughtful work from Xing Conglian, before organizing the personality test, those grad students, who were responsible for the specific implementation of the test were uniformly dragged into a WeChat group.


    [Calm the students and guard the front and back doors.]


    [No one is allowed to leave the classroom.]


    Lin Chen sent these two lines to the group.


    The students, who were still sitting in the dark classroom, were all stunned. There was a second or two of silence before cries sounded.


    Then thunder exploded again, causing the timid girls to start screaming. The shrilling sound began to tear through the entire dark building like a torrential rain.


    However, not all students were shouting. Most of them fell into silence as they listened to the shouts around them. First they looked left and right, and gradually, under the sharp screams, they started to anxiously whisper to each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    ¡°Not those who committed suicide¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this place haunted? Why did the power suddenly go out?¡±


    The students exchanged their unfounded theories, and in the heavy rain and darkness, these theories existed truthfully, as if they were three-dimensional.


    They even felt that the wind that passed through the hall became cooler, as if some sharp fingers had pierced the darkness and were about to strangle them.


    It seemed like countless ants were crawling all over them. The students started to protest one after another.


    ¡°It¡¯s so scary. Teacher, how can we do this with no power!¡±


    ¡°Can we go?!¡±


    ¡°Teacher, let us go!¡±


    Anxious and irritable voices slowly fermented and rose.


    Lin Chen stood in the surveillance room, overlooking the dark night in the distance.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian also put down the phone in his hand. ¡°It seems that just those few buildings suddenly lost power. School security is rushing to the power room now. This is quite strange.¡±


    Another thunder smashed through the sky, rumbling in the distance making it hard for Lin Chen to hear what Xing Conglian had just said.

 CH 70

    It was raining heavily outside the window. Although he couldn¡¯t hear what Xing Conglian was saying, the vibration on his phone grabbed all of Lin Chen¡¯s attention.


    He lowered his head. In just a few seconds, countless messages poured into the WeChat group, and new messages kept appearing one after another.


    [The students are leaving, and we can¡¯t stop them.]


    [When will the electricity come back on?]


    [They¡¯re starting to tear up the exam papers.]


    [I¡¯m scared too¡­ Why did the power go out all of sudden?]


    [Excuse me, what¡¯s going on? When will the electricity come back on?]


    [Shit, shit, shit. Too scary.]


    [Can we really not let them go?]


    [Our door is blocked. What do you want us to do next?]


    ¡ª-


    The screen showed a faint green light. Xing Conglian came over, took a look, and said, ¡°They¡¯re tearing up the exam papers¡­ Are these kids crazy?¡±


    ¡°But this kind of thing makes people¡¯s blood boil, no?¡± Lin Chen hugged his arms and looked coldly at the dark night in front of him.


    ¡°Blood boil?¡±


    Lin Chen put his fingers on his lips and motioned for Xing Conglian to be silent. ¡°Listen.¡±


    Outside the window were muffled screams, sometimes high, sometimes low, and sometimes completely silent, as if there were no sound at all.


    ¡°You mean the screaming?¡±


    As soon as Xing Conglian¡¯s voice fell, there was a loud bang that sounded in the rainy night.


    The sound was booming, as if something heavy had fallen from the sky, and the tail end had a metal-specific vibrato.


    Lin Chen shook his head and looked into the depths of the night, but there was nothing in the distance except for the rain curtain and the unextinguished streetlights that looked like duckweed under the heavy rain.


    The torrential rain was accompanied by roars that seemed to envelope the campus.


    The sound that was similar to a heavy object falling reminded the students of the suicide incident today. Those cries became more manic, like those of ghosts buried underground who were trying to overturn the soil so they could rush into the world.


    Lin Chen¡¯s phone began to vibrate non-stop, with continuous messages pouring in like it was cursed.


    [The door can¡¯t stop them!]


    [Did someone jump off the building again???]


    [Someone is calling for help!!!]


    [What should I do?]


    [What should I do???]


    [Is it okay to let them go? Besides, there¡¯s a power outage!]


    [I really can¡¯t stand it anymore!]


    ¡ª-


    The text on the screen flowed frantically as Lin Chen spoke as if he were talking to himself. ¡°Yes, the collective unconscious.¡±


    After he finished, he glanced at Xing Conglian and rushed out without even having time to explain.


    [Be sure to guard the door and prohibit any students from leaving.]


    [Tell the students that it¡¯s raining right now, so they need to wait to see if power will be restored.]


    It was just a three-story building but was so long. Lin Chen typed as he ran.


    The moment he stepped out of the eaves, the torrential rain instantly soaked him. Suddenly, a powerful force pulled from behind. Lin Chen staggered and was yanked back violently, stopping in his tracks.


    ¡°Is it useful for you to rush out right now? Calm down.¡± Xing Conglian held his hand tightly as he stressed his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m calm!¡± Lin Chen panted heavily. The rain felt as if it were hail at this moment. ¡°There¡¯s a power outage and the sound of falling objects. All the while someone is inciting students to rush out of the classroom!¡±


    ¡°You mean someone is trying to make the students riot? I doubt you alone can control those crazy students. Okay, tell me. If the students rush out of the classroom now, what are the worst consequences?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was as calm as ever. His breathing wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit chaotic.


    ¡°Casualties, stampede¡­¡± Lin Chen¡¯s mind spun as countless possibilities circled through his thoughts.


    Xing Conglian said suddenly, ¡°Stairs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the stairs. I¡¯m afraid someone has tampered with them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see. You go back for now. I¡¯ll send someone to check the stairs.¡±


    Lin Chen was about to speak when he felt his shoulder get heavy. Xing Conglian was pressing down on them as he said in an extremely calm voice, ¡°It¡¯s also possible that someone set up this trick to lure you out, so it¡¯s best if you give instructions here.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he let go of his hand and ran into the depths of the rainy night in Lin Chen¡¯s place.


    Lin Chen¡¯s vision was blurred from the rain.


    ¡°I understand,¡± he said this to Xing Conglian¡¯s back.


    The sound of rain continued. Lin Chen walked back and sat on the steps of the stairs. Although he was dripping wet, he couldn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of coolness.


    The sound of thunder and lightning still alternated, but perhaps it was because Xing Conglian¡¯s figure running into the rain curtain at the end was a bit too righteous that it made him feel a strange sense of calmness in his heart.


    He suddenly felt that the heavy rain seemed to be a blessing from God.


    [The teacher is in better condition now.]


    [Holy shit, that was too dangerous just now. Crazy.]


    [Can you believe that our class tore up all their exam papers?]


    [Luckily, it was raining, so they were hesitant. Otherwise, I definitely couldn¡¯t stop it.]


    Lin Chen took a deep breath. His breath was filled with the coldness of the rainy night. He wrung out his shirt and wiped his hands, then touched the phone screen and typed:


    [Inform the students who want to leave that it¡¯s raining too hard right now. If it doesn¡¯t get better after ten minutes, have them go downstairs in an orderly manner from class 1 to class 10.]


    ¡ª-


    When Xiao Conglian rushed to the bottom of the teaching building, he was greeted by paper scraps all torn up like confetti all over the floor.


    There were also scattered pieces of paper upstairs that were mixed with the rainwater.


    However, most of the students¡¯ cries had stopped, and what remained was a dark building that stood quiet and empty in the rainy night.


    Xing Conglian thought it was probably due to Lin Chen¡¯s arrangement that played a role in this.


    School security had already heard the news, and there were a few figures in the distance running through the rain curtain. It should be the police officers he called Jiang Chao to find just now.


    Because of the multiple suicides, the security guards were familiar with Xing Conglian, so he didn¡¯t even need to flash his police badge for them to recognize him and call out to him in the pouring rain.


    ¡°Captain Xing, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked up at the floor. The students were testing on the fifth floor, and some were poking their heads out looking at something. The teaching building had two staircases; one on the east and one on the west, and time was tight.


    He pointed to the five security guards in front of him and said solemnly, ¡°Have you checked this building? The five of you, check the first through fifth floor of the east stairs. Try to be as thorough as possible and strive to complete the inspection within five minutes. The rest of you will follow me¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he turned to the last security guard left behind. ¡°Give me your radio and headset.¡±


    In the corridor, only the emergency lights were on after the power failure. Standing on the bottom floor and looking up, the entire corridor was shrouded in a vague dark green light.


    The sound of hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Xing Conglian quickly turned around and made a silent gesture to the three police officers that rushed over.


    ¡°Five minutes to check the stairs. Silence your phone and keep the noise as low as possible¡­¡± After he finished speaking, his phone vibrated gently.


    Lin Chen had sent a text as if he had calculated it right on time.


    [If there¡¯s no electricity in 6 minutes, the students will start to leave the venue. Be careful.]


    Xing Conglian turned on the flashlight of his phone and bent down to touch the ground. The light in the upper and lower stairs were dim. Because of the rain, the ground was extremely slippery. He grabbed on to the handrail and walked upstairs.


    The touch of the handrail was stable. Xing Conglian shook it hard, and there still weren¡¯t any problems.


    A drop of cold water fell on his forehead. He frowned as he noticed fine drops of water condensing on the iron rail. He quickly looked down at the floor of the corridor, which was a common imitation marble color that became even more blurry in the dim light.


    He moved his flashlight down, and at the edge of the stairs, something vague had fallen there.


    He took a few steps forward, crouched down, and found two small plastic beads.


    One was yellow, and the other was pink.


    At this moment, a depressed and nervous voice came from the radio.


    ¡°There are nails on the ground. Everyone should be careful.¡±


    Although there was no wind, in an instant, Xing Conglian seemed to feel as if the air around him was so cold it could freeze.


    Nails, plastic beads¡­ If this was coupled with students running wildly down the stairs¡­


    He seemed to imagine blood covering the floors and the cries of painful screams as students wandered the corridor.


    After stabilizing his breath, he whispered on the radio, ¡°Pay attention to safety. Quickly clean up the stairs and leave in five minutes as originally planned.¡±


    After speaking, he leaned down, picked up the two plastic beads on the ground, and sealed them into an evidence bag.


    The crackling sound of heavy rain echoed in the empty corridor. Listening to the sound of rain, Xing Conglian felt lucky that they managed to avoid a catastrophe.


    ¡ª-


    For the students in the teaching building, tonight was just a small attempt to rebel against the school¡¯s occasional stupid decisions.


    Besides, it was dark, and everyone was making trouble together. The simplest truth was that the law would not blame the masses.


    Moreover, it was tearing a few papers, which wasn¡¯t a big deal. Who made the school mentally ill and summoned them out to take a psychological test on a rainy day?


    On top of this, the school was truly inept. From the time they started to leave the teaching building one by one, the power never came back on.


    Xing Conglian stood in the dark without an umbrella as he watched the last student leave the teaching building safely, then took out a cigarette and lighter.


    ¡°Captain Xing, don¡¯t you need to stop the students so we can investigate?¡± The police officer in front of him asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Can you stop 500 students?¡±


    Perhaps he was really unlucky. Despite flicking the lighter a few times, he was unable to ignite the sporadic flame from it.


    The police officers under Jiang Chao glanced at the backs of the students leaving; their eyes were looking at them as if they were terrorists. Xing Conglian frowned and patted one on the shoulder before reaching out his hand.


    ¡°Captain Xing¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t smoke¡­¡±


    After being tossed all night, he had completely lost his temper. Like his luck today, if a lighter appeared in front of him, he would be willing to thank God.


    He took out the sealed evidence bag from his pocket and handed it over. Then he said, ¡°Together with the things you found on the ground, take them for inspection and focus on fingerprints.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned and left.


    The rain was still falling. Despite being a spring rain, there was a sense of bleakness in the air. Xing Conglian was walking under a tree when suddenly his phone began to vibrate.


    On the other end of the line was Jiang Chao¡¯s tense voice.


    ¡°Lao Xing, the power failure was man-made. I just discovered a timed power failure device. It seems that the power can¡¯t be restored for a while. Are you okay?¡±


    Perhaps it was because Jiang Chao¡¯s voice was too loud, but Xing Conglian felt that the sound of rain around him became a bit quieter.


    ¡°Ah, okay for the time being.¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at the shimmer of the building in the distance. There seemed to be a thin figure sitting alone at the top of the steps.


    He put down his phone and walked to where he just came from.

 CH 71

    ¡°Sir, can I borrow a light?¡±


    A weak voice came from overhead. Under the dim light, Lin Chen looked at the leather boots on the ground, took out a box of matches from his pocket, and handed it upwards.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t smoke.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded a little surprised, which made it sound like teasing or flirting.


    ¡°Matches from the hotel. I took it when I went out.¡±


    ¡°Why would you take matches when you go out?¡±


    ¡°Convenience.¡±


    ¡°I thought you did it especially for me,¡± Xing Conglian muttered casually, then sat down on the steps next to him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it can still be lit¡­¡±


    After speaking, he casually drew a match and swiped it on the phosphorus strip on the side. With a flicking sound, the flame floated up, releasing a bit of smoke.


    ¡°Can I still count this as a transfer?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he stared at the flame.


    ¡°Your luck has always been good,¡± Lin Chen said helplessly. He could feel a warm atmosphere around him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, it was raining heavily, so the students hesitated to rush out of the classroom, and we were able to buy some time.¡± Lin Chen thought for a while, then asked, ¡°What did you find on the stairs?¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t sneak onto the scene?¡± Xing Conglian turned his head slightly and asked in a skeptical tone.


    ¡°No, I have always listened to the captain,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Tsk¡­¡± At the last moment, when the match was about to go out, Xing Conglian finally lit a cigarette. He took a deep puff of tobacco and spoke slowly. ¡°Plastic beads, glass, nails¡­¡±


    From Xing Conglian¡¯s voice, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t hear much emotion. At this time, the rain had eased so much that it was almost inaudible.


    ¡°Things like that.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel surprised. If he wanted to incite students to riot and cause a stampede, then sprinkling objects on the stairs would be the perfect choice. The constant emergencies of the past few days had stretched the students¡¯ nerves thin. After they suddenly relaxed, they didn¡¯t even have the strength to be afraid, leaving only tiredness.


    The state of affairs wasn¡¯t good, and time was tight. Even the time to breathe had become a luxury. Even so, he didn¡¯t talk and waited quietly for Xing Conglian to finish smoking his cigarette.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it. What¡¯s the collective unconscious*?¡± Xing Conglian put out the butt of his cigarette and turned to look at him.


    *Refers to the unconscious mind and shared mental concepts. It¡¯s generally associated with idealism and was coined by Carl Jung. You can read more about it by clicking the Wikipedia link.


    ¡°Why do you have such a good memory?¡± Lin Chen looked at the dark night sky, where there wasn¡¯t even a ray of starlight. It was dark to the extreme and seemed wider and far-reaching. If it weren¡¯t for the ground being too wet, he almost wanted to lie down on the steps.


    ¡°I remember a lot of what you say very clearly.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was so natural that it made Lin Chen laugh lowly and simply lay down on the steps. He rested his head on his hands and said, ¡°For example, under normal circumstances, would students resist the school¡¯s arrangements, yell loudly, and try to rush out of the classroom in complete chaos?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Then have you ever thought about what caused them to suddenly become like that just now?¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because it was dark, and someone took advantage of the chaos to deliberately incite them?¡±


    ¡°In fact, fans of rock concerts would also riot, and sports fans are also prone to riot after their team loses. This has nothing to do with time, environment, or location. It¡¯s only about people. If you look deeper, the question becomes this¡ªwhy do humans become easily instigated by trivial things and take extreme actions?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin~¡± Xing Conglian spoke as he suddenly lay down. He raised his pitch a few times higher as he listened lazily. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions. Just say it. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°This involves the issue of mob psychology*. We often find that in a group of passionate collectives, people dare to do many things they wouldn¡¯t do when they¡¯re alone. They will burn, kill, and loot. They have no shame, no sense of morality, and even no sense of law¡­ Because at that time, they have lost themselves¡­¡±


    *Also known as crowd psychology, is a branch of social psychology. Social psychologists have developed many theories for explaining the ways in which the psychology of crowds differs from and interacts with that of the individuals within it. Crowd behavior is heavily influenced by the loss of individual responsibility and the impression of universality of behavior, both of which increase with crowd size.


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he paused deliberately, waiting for Xing Conglian to follow his words.


    But this time, it was different from the previous situation. By his side, Xing Conglian was calmly breathing with his eyes closed tightly as if he had fallen asleep.


    The night was quiet, and the rain had stopped.


    Lin Chen had the illusion that he was being used as a hypnotic instrument. He raised his brows, sat up, and put his hands on his lap. He turned his head back and quietly looked at Xing Conglian as he spoke slowly. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t fallen asleep, you would probably say, ¡®Well, losing themselves. This seems similar to what Wang Shishi, Xu Haozhen, and Jiang Liu¡­¡¯¡±


    ¡°In fact, this is the case. The collective unconscious is a terrifying and real psychological phenomenon. Under normal circumstances, humans are rational and know how to think, but once rational humans enter a group, their individual personalities will quickly disintegrate. Reason and self-control will be gone, and the nature of human impulses will be released. The majority of genocide tragedies stem from this. If you have to find a term related to hypnosis, think of this as group hypnosis.¡±


    ¡°So, how similar is Wang Shishi¡¯s and the others suicide to what happened tonight?¡±


    Suddenly, Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian move his lips slightly as he spoke in a low voice that was like a cello string being plucked, poking the night away.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart inexplicably trembled. He felt like he was caught red-handed doing something bad. He rubbed his forehead and continued, ¡°Tragedies like this are largely similar because people are inertial in thinking. Even criminals will repeatedly choose the same technique to commit crimes. In fact, we should be grateful. At any rate, we have resisted this wave and found a lot of clues¡­¡±


    ¡°Wang Shishi and the others are in a certain group, and that group is controlled by someone, so that all the students in the group have lost themselves?¡± Xing Conglian concluded.


    ¡°Sounds like a fantasy novel, right?¡± Lin Chen said. He stood up from the steps and continued, ¡°If this is a group of students committing violence against another group of students, just like the atrocities of a foreign fraternity or sorority, it¡¯s easy to see that this is a brutality caused by the collective unconscious. But they chose to commit suicide, which can only mean that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°The faith and cohesion of the group they are in are far beyond our imagination, and we know nothing about those things.¡±


    ¡°So like a horror novel.¡± Xing Conglian seriously corrected him.


    Lin Chen sighed, stood up from the steps, and asked, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to take a nap?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you stay awake too?¡± Xing Conglian asked rhetorically with a smile as he leaned on the steps.


    ¡°But you overused your brain today.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, are you feeling sorry for me?¡±


    The surrounding area was silent and devoid of sound in the darkness of night.


    Xing Conglian was drenched all over and was basking in the lights from the corridor, which cast a thin layer on him. It was so faint that Lin Chen could hardly see his face clearly, but his voice and breath were all too clear.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lin Chen replied seriously.


    ¡°Hey, I feel sorry for Consultant Lin, but it seems we have to stay up all night tonight.¡± As Xing Conglian spoke, he stretched out a hand to Lin Chen.


    He pulled him up and then watched as Lin Chen rubbed his face indifferently, then said, ¡°The failure to lure students to riot tonight is more like a whim than a well-planned action. There are no casualties among the students today, which may lead to two situations tomorrow. First, they will abandon their original plan and stay dormant. Second, something big will happen tomorrow¡­ Which situation do you think is more likely to happen?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to gamble.¡± Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°There are less than 40 hours left, and something may happen every second after now.¡±


    ¡°Terrible¡­¡± Xing Conglian put his hands in his pockets and walked in front of Lin Chen. ¡°The only hope for finding the needle in the haystack has been destroyed. Is there any way to find the members of that group?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a complete failure.¡± Lin Chen looked up. There were still some lights in the teaching building in the distance. It was the computer test group that was specially arranged by Xing Conglian. ¡°Have you forgotten? We still have two classes of data available.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I brought it up specifically, waiting for you to praise me.¡±


    As Xing Conglian spoke, he took out his phone and shook it. ¡°Professor Fu just texted and said that the test is over.¡±


    Lin Chen frowned, quickly took out his phone, and wanted to make a call, but Xing Conglian moved faster. He pressed the call button on his phone and handed it over.


    ¡°Lao Xing, did something happen to you? I just heard a lot of noises.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Lin Chen said on the phone.


    ¡°Shixiong! Are you okay? I heard that there was a power failure in the teaching building and that there were students making trouble. Where¡¯s Lao Xing? What¡¯s going on with him?¡±


    On the other end of the phone, Fu Hao couldn¡¯t stop becoming a chatterbox.


    Lin Chen immediately interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m fine. He is too. Did the results come out yet?¡±


    There was a rustling voice from the receiver, as if someone snatched the phone away. After a while, a brisk voice came through. ¡°A¡¯Chen, I have processed the data according to the conditions you gave me before. The only one who meets your filter criteria is a girl named Jin Xiaoan. I think the name is quite cute.¡±


    ¡°Jin Xiaoan¡­ Is there any social connection with the deceased?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no obvious connection. After all, the departments are too far away. Jin Xiaoan has never participated in any school clubs as a medical student.¡±


    ¡°School of medicine?¡± Lin Chen thought for a while then said, ¡°When I was in college, the students from the psychology department and medical school students had common classes together. For example, we took ideological and political courses together. Check their schedule.¡±


    ¡°Okay, give me thirty seconds!¡±


    After the sound of keyboard tapping, Lin Chen heard Wang Chao suddenly take a deep breath.


    ¡°Shit, Jin Xiaoan and Jiang Liu took Politics 2 together. What the hell is Politics 2, A¡¯Chen?¡±


    ¡°The type of course that can easily foster friendship among classmates as well as extracurricular reading skills.¡± Lin Chen patted Xing Conglian as the two stood under the streetlight. ¡°Which dorm does Jin Xiaoan live in?¡±


    ¡°Building 7, 201.¡±


    ¡°Your captain and I are now in the open space downstairs in the computer room. You and Fu Hao come down together¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we going to the girls¡¯ dormitory to play? How fun!¡± Wang Chao said gleefully.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Mob psychology, or more commonly known as mob mentality, is the idea that individuals are influenced by larger groups. Regardless of their class, ethnicity, race, ect. anyone can be affected by it. Sometimes you can get caught in a mob mentality without even realizing it.


    What Lin Chen is proposing is a combination of the collective unconscious and mob mentality. The collective unconscious refers to the idea that a segment of the deepest unconscious mind is genetically inherited and not shaped by personal experience that mankind as a whole shares. For example, everyone (generally) longs for a mother or feels fear when they think of death.


    Mob mentality influences your action because, once you fall into that mentality, your personality is no longer yours but that of the mob. This is why when a group of people riot, others, who normally wouldn¡¯t break the law or destroy property, are compelled to do so because everyone around them is doing it. In this case, rather than rioting, these people are committing suicide.


    Personally, I just think these students joined a cult and got brainwashed into committing suicide. It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t plenty of examples in the past. The characteristics of the deceased also fit the bill (vulnerable people are usually more susceptible to joining a cult). They seemed isolated from others except members of the cult, and the cult uses groupthink (which is similar to mob mentality) on its members.

 CH 72

    Wang Chao was probably the kind of kid who could find excitement no matter what happened.


    Lin Chen looked at the teenager running towards him from afar with his backpack bouncing up and down. He was treating this trip to the girls¡¯ dorm as if it were a spring outing.


    Lin Chen gave the teenager a slightly apologetic look and then winked at Xing Conglian.


    Under the streetlight, the police captain grabbed his subordinate, who was about to run into the distance, and said with a smile, ¡°Where is Mr. Wang going?¡±


    ¡°To investigate the case!¡± The teenager froze abruptly.


    ¡°Where are you investigating?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the girls¡¯ dorms?¡± The teenager replied rhetorically.


    As the police captain spoke, he knocked the cap that was on backwards on the teenager¡¯s head clean off. ¡°What are you thinking of going to the girls¡¯ dorm at night?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not taking me?¡± The teenager¡¯s voice suddenly dropped.


    Wang Chao¡¯s expression was so aggrieved that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but look at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Adolescence, adolescence.¡± Xing Conglian explained to him with a smile, then knocked on the teenager¡¯s head again and ordered, ¡°Bring a pair of headphones and a pinhole camera.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wang Chao¡¯s eyes widened, and he slowly moved his head and stared at Xing Conglian, then said in shock, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re not thinking about secretly taking recordings in the girls¡¯ dorm, are you? I didn¡¯t know you were so perverted!¡±


    ¡°Extraordinary times require extraordinary means.¡± Xing Conglian paused, then continued, ¡°We can¡¯t enter the girls¡¯ dorm with great fanfare. It¡¯s too easy to arouse suspicion, and direct questioning may not be effective.¡±


    ¡°So you want to find an undercover agent to go in?¡± Wang Chao squatted down. Under the dim light of the streetlamp, he began to search for all kinds of messy gadgets in his backpack, and he muttered casually, ¡°Then who are you asking to collect the benefits?¡±


    At this moment, Fu Hao walked in front of them.


    After listening to this question, Lin Chen raised his brows and looked at his shidi.


    ¡°Shi¡­ Shixiong¡­ I¡¯m not suitable!¡± Professor Fu said stumblingly.


    ¡°Only you are suitable. It¡¯ll be too conspicuous for us to go, but it¡¯s appropriate for a teacher in charge of the psychological assessment to talk to students who are suicidal.¡±


    ¡°But when I lie, I blush, so I can¡¯t lie to anyone. How can I do this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to lie. After all, even if you induce her to confess, she won¡¯t let up. This should be just a visit to the girls¡¯ dorms.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Visit the dorm and take some footage!¡± Little comrade Wang Chao sprang up from the ground. He couldn¡¯t help but interject, then press a pair of miniature earplugs into Professor Fu¡¯s ears. He then casually handed over a file bag, stuck the miniature camera on it, and said, ¡°Take this file and clip it under your armpit and pretend you¡¯re using it.¡± As Wang Chao spoke, he dug into his backpack like he was digging into a treasure chest, pulled out a cigarette pack, and threw it to Fu Hao. ¡°Put the cigarette pack on the bookshelf. Try to find a high position so it can capture the little sister¡¯s face.¡±


    When he finished speaking, he casually snapped his fingers and asked, ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°How could I understand!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you taken small videos before? The cigarette pack takes the objective perspective, while the document bag takes the subjective perspective. Simple!¡±


    ¡°Then after I finish filming, do I take back the cigarette pack?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not making a spy movie, so of course you have to take back the things you planted. Can you have a bit more morals, alright?¡± Wang Chao interjected again and then slapped Professor Fu on the back, signaling the end of the undercover training.


    Lin Chen looked at his shidi¡¯s tearless face and said, ¡°Building 7, 201. Thank you for your hard work, Professor.¡±


    ¡ª-


    In short, although he didn¡¯t get to go to the girls¡¯ dorms, Comrade Wang Chao showed greater interest in seeing Professor Fu go undercover.


    They returned to the previous conference room. As soon as they entered, the teenager jumped into the back chair excitedly, turned on the laptop, and opened it for public view while he paid close attention to Professor Fu¡¯s every move.


    The office echoed with Jiang Chao¡¯s stumbling voice. Vice Captain Jiang seemed to be cleaning up the scene where a stampede had almost occurred. Seeing them enter, he only nodded to them and continued on his phone war.


    In the corner of the office, Team Leader Ren raised his head plaintively, showing heavy bags under his eyes. He shook his head depressingly as if he were no longer interested in anything happening in the world.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and looked down at the screen.


    From the conversation that came through, it seemed that Fu Hao had successfully finished dealing with the dorm auntie and entered building 7 of the girls¡¯ dorm.


    He was following the dorm auntie¡¯s footsteps. Perhaps because the lights in the corridor were too dark, the picture showed a dark gray color, like glass that hadn¡¯t been wiped for decades.


    Wang Chao opened a new roll of bubblegum and another bag of potato chips, then said with some regret, ¡°Without the night vision function, it¡¯s not sharp enough. Captain, when will you get some high-end goods?¡±


    Xing Conglian stood with his arms crossed and was too lazy to pay any attention to him.


    The teenager adjusted his sitting posture. As if he suddenly remembered something, he said, ¡°By the way, A¡¯Chen, I sent you Jin Xiaoan¡¯s file to your mailbox. You can take a look at it.¡±


    When Lin Chen heard this, he took out his phone. The electronic file wasn¡¯t actually that long. He quickly scanned it and found that it was nothing more than an unusual growth template, without any new ideas. Even so, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing.


    He retracted his gaze and looked at the laptop. Fu Hao was already standing in the girls¡¯ dorm.


    Three girls from the bedroom followed the dorm auntie to the outside room, while Fu Hao placed the cigarette pack on the bookshelf and stood next to the girl, as Xing Conglian had instructed.


    For about a minute, no one spoke. Only the sound of breathing and the vague sound of a drama being watched in the room next door were heard. The atmosphere was tense and awkward.


    On camera, Jin Xiaoan didn¡¯t have the same feeling as Xu Haozhen. She appeared to be the girl next door type. She slightly lowered her head and didn¡¯t say anything.


    The girl¡¯s face was round. Perhaps because of her short stature, it made her look a little chubby, and her skin was yellow. Her hair was neatly groomed, and her desk and bedding were tidy, without the slightest bit of dirt.


    ¡°Xiaoan, the school mainly sent me to have a chat with you. Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    Jin Xiaoan¡¯s head was still looking down, and she didn¡¯t react to Fu Hao¡¯s words as if she were a dying old man or an autistic child living in her own world. She didn¡¯t even have any changes in her breathing.


    Although Fu Hao had done many of these types of heart-to-heart talks with students, he had never done so with such impure intentions. His words didn¡¯t seem to get any response. As if he remembered something, he suddenly jerked his head and looked at the camera.


    Across the screen, Lin Chen started at his shidi. Xing Conglian stood beside him as if he were aware of something and suddenly said, ¡°Professor Fu is asking why there aren¡¯t any instructions from you.¡±


    Hearing Xing Conglian speak, Lin Chen hurriedly blocked the mic.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we couldn¡¯t spook the snake? If you ask any suggestive questions, Fu Hao¡¯s purpose will be easily exposed, and it¡¯ll be hard for us to predict what Jin Xiaoan will do. Besides, it¡¯s good to be like this now, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Not only good, it¡¯s also interesting.¡± Xing Conglian rubbed the stubble on his chin and then said maliciously, ¡°It¡¯s really rare to see such an innocent boy like Professor Fu.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty good now. In college, he would blush as soon as he talked to a girl.¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to care at all about Professor Fu, who was calling to them in front of the surveillance camera, and instead had a passionate talk about when Professor Fu would find a girlfriend.


    Fu Hao¡¯s intermittent voice came from the speakers. Professor Fu sounded awkward but was forced to take on the task of warming up. ¡°Xiaoan, how are you feeling today? Have you encountered anything? If there¡¯s anything going on in your life, you can tell teacher about it. Don¡¯t keep it bottled in¡­¡±


    However, no matter what Fu Hao said, Jin Xiaoan was completely silent. While it was strange, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what was strange about her.


    ¡°Fuck, these three sticks make me feel so suffocated. Why are they so similar to Cheng Weiwei?¡± After he finished his call, Jiang Chao stood behind Wang Chao as he looked at the picture on the screen.


    ¡°Cheng Weiwei was like this at the time?¡±


    ¡°No, after the jewelry robbery, we brought Cheng Weiwei back to the police station. She just kept her head lowered and didn¡¯t speak, as if she were dead. No matter what we asked, she didn¡¯t respond,¡± Jiang Chao replied.


    Lin Chen frowned. ¡°It seems that they have all received professional training to deal with interrogation. Once they are checked, it triggers their response mode.¡±


    ¡°What should we do? It took us several days to pry Cheng Weiwei¡¯s mouth open. How can we have so much time now!¡±


    On the screen, Fu Hao seemed to hear what was being said as he looked again at the camera. If he could speak, he probably wanted to say, ¡°Shixiong, you really pitted me. What should I do next?¡±


    ¡°It only takes a moment for people to let their guard down.¡± Lin Chen grabbed the topic and instructed Fu Hao. ¡°Well, your task is done for today. You can go now.¡±


    Fu Hao seemed to be confused about the situation, but he still breathed a sigh of relief and then said to the girl, ¡°We¡¯re here for you. Teacher will leave his business card here. You can come to me if you need anything.¡±


    As he spoke, he handed out a piece of paper and then walked to the bookshelf, preparing to take back the cigarette pack.


    Seeing this, Lin Chen suddenly said, ¡°Go directly to the door, open it, and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    The cigarette pack was still pointed at the girl¡¯s face. In the picture, she was still calm, but at that moment, the tension almost overflowed the screen.


    Fu Hao complied and walked to the door. Just as he was about to put his hand on the door handle, on screen, it could be clearly seen that the girl sitting in the seat had relaxed her shoulders and raised her head slightly.


    ¡°Jiang Lu!¡± Fu Hao suddenly turned his head and, following Lin Chen¡¯s instructions, suddenly called out a name.


    Jin Xiaoan seemed taken aback. Her eyes darted, but she quickly lowered her head again and returned to the previous silent posture.


    Although people were autonomous individuals, they could never escape some subconscious reactions. Those reactions weren¡¯t controlled by their minds, and often they could reveal hidden facts.


    The emotional reaction time was short, perhaps only a tenth of a second, but it was perfectly captured on video and could be rewound and watched repeatedly.


    ¡°Go back to where you were just now and talk about something casually.¡± After Lin Chen finished speaking to Fu Hao, he patted Wang Chao on the shoulder. Before he could speak, the boy had already rewound the screen to the moment Fu Hao called out the name just now.


    From the picture, it clearly showed the girl¡¯s gaze was subconsciously looking to the left of the camera.


    ¡°Did she find the cigarette pack?¡± Wang Chao asked incredulously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Her gaze is more to the left.¡± Xing Conglian leaned down and said, ¡°Cut the picture to the subjective position that Fu Hao just took.¡±


    Wang Chao moved according to instructions, and soon the desk by the bed and the bookshelf with the cigarette pack appeared in the center of the picture.


    ¡°There¡¯s something on the bookshelf¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian moved his fingers lightly, following the books on the bookshelf, then took the microphone in Lin Chen¡¯s hand, and said to Fu Hao, ¡°Lao Fu, go and take a picture of all the books on the second shelf of the bookshelf, behind the cigarette pack.¡±


    After a while, the picture came through. Professor Fu had smoothly scanned the bookshelf using the cigarette pack.


    Suddenly, Xing Conglian pressed the pause button causing the video to freeze.


    It could clearly be seen that the among all the books on there, there was one that was a bit worn out and was a copy of ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡±.

 CH 73

    ¡°Discrete mathematics is a mathematical discipline that studies the structure of discrete quantities and their interrelationships. Discrete mathematics can also be said to be the basic core discipline of computer science as it¡¯s the bridge between mathematics and computer science.¡±


    This was what Xing Conglian had read aloud when he was reading the explanation for ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡±, and then he was interrupted by Wang Chao.


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with discrete mathematics, Captain. Why do you still need to go to Baidu? Are you looking down on me?¡±


    ¡°Then do tell Mr. Wang, why did Jin Xiaoan look at the ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ on the bookshelf when Fu Hao called out ¡®Jiang Liu¡¯s¡¯ name?¡±


    ¡°How do you know she¡¯s reading ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯?! It could also be ¡®Everything Starts with an Encounter¡¯ that¡¯s next to it.¡± Wang Chao responded rhetorically.


    ¡°Because in Wang Shishi¡¯s dorm, we also found the same ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ book that belonged to Xu Haozhen¡­¡±


    ¡°What1?¡± Wang Chao shuddered. ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°Speak properly!1¡± Xing Conglian smacked the boy on the head.


    1Clarity: Wang Chao is saying (ÉñÂí) which is an internet buzzword that¡¯s a homonym for what (ʲô). The word Wang Chao is using is a reference to a flying god horse (Pegasus). Xing Conglian is telling him not to use slang (also, he says unbelievable in English).


    ¡°Shit, ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ isn¡¯t advanced mathematics. It¡¯s not a compulsory course at a university. They¡¯re not majoring in mathematics or computer science, right? Why are they suddenly interested in this?¡±


    Listening to the chatter in his ears, Lin Chen lowered his head and looked at Professor Fu, who was chatting awkwardly with Jin Xiaoan on the screen. What they were saying in the conference room was passed through the mic and fell into Fu Hao¡¯s ears, which made Professor Fu¡¯s facial muscles stiff as he didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    ¡°Professor Fu¡­ Guess, will Jiang Liu¡¯s name be written on the title page of Jin Xiaoan¡¯s ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯?¡± Lin Chen said this through the mic, which caused an obvious shiver from Fu Hao on the screen.


    However, the only way to verify the speculation was by hand.


    This time, he didn¡¯t tease Fu Hao anymore and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have that file bag under your armpit? Pretend to read the book ¡®Everything Starts with an Encounter¡¯ while holding the cigarette case in your other hand, and then act careless and pull out the ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯.¡± When Fu Hao was facing girls, he could only use about 0.1% of his usual speaking ability, so all Lin Chen could do was instruct, ¡°You can say to Jin Xiaoan, ¡®You have also read this mystery novel¡¯.¡±


    In short, the instructor¡¯s level wasn¡¯t high either. Fortunately, Fu Hao¡¯s movement had been awkward since the beginning, so whether he was to say this or take his next action of getting the books off the shelf, it wasn¡¯t unexpectedly abrupt.


    Several books fell to the ground, and Fu Hao squatted down, blocking Jin Xiaoan¡¯s sight. He first put a certain reasoning book back on the table and then said, ¡°This book is really good. Have you finished reading it?¡±


    Then, pretending, he inadvertently quickly flipped over the book ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡± and used his other hand to aim the cigarette pack to film the process of him flipping through the entire book in a dedicated manner.


    ¡°Is this ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ the same as Wang Shishi¡¯s?¡± Wang Chao manually slowed down the recording on screen and dragged the progress bar forward as he asked.


    ¡°The same.¡± Lin Chen stretched out his finger and gently drew a circle on the screen.


    In the lower right corner of the title page, the name ¡°Jiang Liu¡± was really there.


    ¡°Pay attention to the copyright information page and take a picture of it, then you can leave.¡± After Lin Chen finished speaking, he turned off the microphone.


    The conference room was silent. Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak, and neither did Xing Conglian. Even Captain Jiang, who was usually carefree, didn¡¯t dare speak.


    Therefore, the only one who still made a peep in this current situation was Wang Chao.


    ¡°Is this some kind of sorority where they send each other books and urge them to study hard?¡±


    The teenager¡¯s voice was still light and sweet. Although this question wasn¡¯t too useful, just listening to Wang Chao¡¯s voice made everyone inexplicably relaxed.


    ¡°Can you explain a little what Discrete Mathematics is?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain it to you. The subject is too big, and there¡¯s so much content that it¡¯ll be too difficult for you.¡± Although this state was equivalent to saying, ¡°You mortal have too low of an IQ¡±, the sincerity in Wang Chao¡¯s eyes made it hard for people to smack him in the head.


    While they were talking, Xing Conglian watched Fu Hao as he read the original Discrete Mathematics seriously and suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Look, this book is a bit worn, but there are no marks in it¡­¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the curled corner of the book and said, ¡°The book that Xu Haozhen gave to Wang Shishi was also in the same condition. Though it looks tattered, there were no obvious notes or writing in the book.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with no notes? A normal person can¡¯t stand reading more than 10 pages of this kind of book,¡± Wang Chao interjected.


    At that moment, the little comrade Wang Chao had a flash of inspiration and turned to Lin Chen and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, the Captain is asking you!¡±


    Lin Chen was amused by this. The original foggy situation suddenly became clear. ¡°Seeing that the book is worn on the edges only proves that it has been flipped through many times, but it can¡¯t prove anything else.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t prove what?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t prove that either Jin Xiaoan or Wang Shishi had read this book seriously.¡± Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and continued, ¡°Most people who read professional books like this would take notes while reading it¡­¡±


    ¡°But it may also be that this book is very precious to them and they¡¯re reluctant to write in it!¡±


    Seeing that Wang Chao was drawing inferences from this, Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction. ¡°That is indeed the case, so now there are two possibilities. The first is that they didn¡¯t read ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ seriously and simply just flipped through the book over and over again, so the subject matter that¡¯s in it doesn¡¯t make any sense to them. The second is that they have studied ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ seriously only because they cherish this book too much and have not written any notes in it¡­ Which one do you think is more likely?¡±


    Wang Chao scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know! But to be honest, I¡¯m not a math or computer major. It¡¯s too hard to learn Discrete Mathematics. The founders of set theory are crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°So you agree that it¡¯s the first point?¡± Lin Chen interrupted the teenager.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, I think everything you say is right!¡± Wang Chao said this to him shamelessly. ¡°So the answer is that they really don¡¯t understand shit and they are just flipping through the book?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°But how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah, because you just showed me Jin Xiaoan¡¯s file, which contains her college transcript. She flunked math in high school,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Upon hearing this, little comrade Wang Chao quickly took a breath and then said plaintively, ¡°A¡¯Chen, don¡¯t learn from the Captain. It¡¯s not good¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important to be careful in the process of handling cases.¡± Xing Conglian knocked on Wang Chao¡¯s head and continued, ¡°And there¡¯s nothing to brag about after learning discrete mathematics.¡±


    ¡°But why, ah, are they practicing qigong* or something? Are they flipping through the book to try and reveal its meaning?¡± Wang Chao asked depressingly.


    *A system of coordinated body posture movement, breathing, and meditation used for purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training.


    ¡°If you add a few other keywords in this case, such as the ¡®dark web¡¯ and ¡®drugs¡¯, do you see any association with this?¡± Xing Conglian continued to ask.


    In an instant, Wang Chao¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°Shit Captain, I¡¯m getting the creeps. What¡¯s wrong with you thinking about this kind of stuff at night!¡±


    After the teenager said this, the entire room fell into an unbearable silence.


    Lin Chen clenched his right hand and also fell silent.


    A tattered book, a group of college students, a controlled group, a dark webcast, drug dealing, a jewelry heist¡­


    If they connected these keywords in a series, it would look something like this: Someone has gained control of a group of college students through various means, not only using them to conduct various webcasts and make huge profits but also involving them in hundreds of millions of dollars¡¯ worth of stolen jewelry and transnational drug-related crimes. The only clue they had in their hands right now was that these students all have a strange ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ book.


    Then, the role of this book seemed obvious.


    ¡°What the hell is going on. I find that you don¡¯t like to explain things in plain words.¡± Jiang Chao finally couldn¡¯t help but break the tacit silence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, why did the mastermind behind the scenes use the dark webcast?¡± Wang Chao asked rhetorically.


    ¡°In order to not be found!¡±


    ¡°Yes, whether it¡¯s the onion server or the dark web, it¡¯s essentially a service to protect personal privacy. In other words, it¡¯s an encryption method. Then if someone controls a large group of students, that person needs to give instructions to these kids, so they have to ensure that the information they sent is safe, right?¡±


    ¡°No way. Do you think that book is a code book? What age is it now that you still play with this kind of thing, and we haven¡¯t found this book in the relics of the other deceased.¡± Jiang Chao reacted quickly, then continued, ¡°And don¡¯t they have the dark web? So wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient to have a dark forum or something to communicate on the internet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s simple. Don¡¯t organizations take back such important things before they die? Are criminal organizations so stupid that they leave such obvious clues for you to investigate? It¡¯s estimated that Wang Shishi¡¯s book must have been destroyed for a special reason! And in fact, although this encryption method is very simple, it¡¯s actually quite effective and elusive. First of all, even if your roommate sees it, few people would actually read a book like ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯, but if you¡¯re looking at a strange webpage on the internet, that¡¯ll make it look quite suspicious. Things like text messages and WeChat can easily be traced. As for this book, there are many formulas and strange characters. For example, if I report the number 1612, do you know if I¡¯m referring to page 16 line 12 or page 1 line 6 and the 12th word? If that word happens to be a minus sign, do you know if it means backspace, carry, or delete? Of course, in theory, this encryption method can be cracked, but it requires a lot of data and calculation analysis. Therefore, a math book can really be used as an ideal code manual¡­ The reason why I think it¡¯s ideal is because, except for my Captain, who the hell would associate a good book with underground cipher work!¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re complimenting me,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    Finally, Team Leader Ren, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly became interested in this topic. But it wasn¡¯t so much interest in itself but rather his biggest concern was¡­ ¡°You mean, they use this ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ as an encrypted manual to transmit information? I think the reason why you can think this is probably because this encryption method is used by underground criminal organization. To be precise, it¡¯s a method that drug dealers love to use, which means I can suspect that these students, in fact, are being used to covertly smuggle drugs?¡±


    ¡°You can suspect this, but such suspicion is basically useless right now,¡± Xing Conglian said callously.


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop my investigation just because of your own case!¡±


    ¡°I seem to have said that everything related to Fang Zhiming¡¯s drug factory case is not in the general direction of our investigation for the time being.¡±


    ¡°This is a major clue. We can follow it!¡± Ren Xian suddenly raised his voice.


    ¡°Oh, then has Team Leader Ren intercepted any codes?¡± Xing Conglian glared at him, and with this one sentence, he made Ren Xian speechless.


    ¡°Not yet, but I can review the file and maybe there will be clues¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re lucky enough to intercept a string of passwords, and your conclusion is verifies that someone is manipulating a group of students to carry out countless illegal and criminal activities, including using them to deal drugs, and then, you can use this to catch the mastermind behind the scenes or save these children?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was cold. He reached out his hand and pointed to Wang Chao¡¯s laptop. The picture was fixed on the girl in the seat with her head slightly bowed. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand. Is there a difference between this case and the homicides we have encountered before?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Ren Xian wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t understand the problem.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Jiang Chao interjected.


    Lin Chen looked at the captain of the criminal division, who was apparently angry at the two, and couldn¡¯t help but pat the back of his hand and explain for him. ¡°The difference is that in ordinary homicides, we only need to find the murderer, but in this case, even finding the person behind this isn¡¯t the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it important to catch the person behind it?¡±


    ¡°Compared with the imminent bloodshed and a group of manipulated college students, the question of who¡¯s behind it and what they are doing with these students isn¡¯t important. How to solve the current crisis is the most important.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he looked at Xing Conglian again.


    In fact, if he hadn¡¯t explained for him, he would not have discovered that Xing Conglian¡¯s thinking had always been clear and his priorities couldn¡¯t have been more precise.


    Quite honestly, it was so correct that Lin Chen had nothing to say.


    ¡°Then find the mastermind and stop him from acting. Isn¡¯t this the fastest solution?¡± Jiang Chao asked again.


    ¡°We now have two available clues, a book and a person. Assuming that Discrete Mathematics is really a cipher sheet, right now we haven¡¯t even intercepted any corresponding passwords. This clue is basically useless to us. As for Jin Xiaoan¡­ Didn¡¯t you try to pry open Cheng Weiwei¡¯s mouth that day? Seeing as how Jin Xiaoan is exactly like her, do you think you can get her to open her mouth and extract any useful information?¡± Lin Chen continued.


    Wang Chao raised his hand plaintively and asked, ¡°Then aren¡¯t we still at a dead end right now?¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡± Xing Conglian twisted Wang Chao¡¯s ears. ¡°First of all, we can compare Wang Shishi¡¯s Discrete Mathematics to Jiang Liu¡¯s to determine whether they are the same version, and then check the copyright page and find out the publisher to see the print run and outgoing records to find out how many books are out in Yongchuan. Do I need to teach you this kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°I can handle this kind of trivial matter¡­¡± Wang Chao patted his chest, and his hands started flying. ¡°First look at the edition!¡± As he spoke, he enlarged the copyright page picture on the screen, then said, ¡°Congratulations gentlemen, this book is the first printed version in 2001. The print run was 5,000 copies. In other words, it¡¯s really an antique!¡±


    ¡°The good thing about the old edition is that it probably hasn¡¯t been sold online¡­¡± The boy clanked on the keyboard and then clicked his tongue. ¡°Bingo, it really hasn¡¯t been sold online. I don¡¯t know how to evaluate your luck, sir.¡±


    ¡°So, is our luck good or bad?¡± Xing Conglian asked dryly.


    ¡°Since it hasn¡¯t been sold online, it means it went through the publisher¡¯s channel. The good thing is I can check the publishing house¡¯s outbound records. The disadvantage is that the time period is too long. It¡¯s very likely that multiple distributors have ordered this book in different batches, and any system can only find the primary distributor, no secondary ones, so¡­¡±


    The teenager¡¯s voice abruptly trailed off.


    Although he made a lot of assumptions, after setting the search criteria and once the search was finished, only one dealer¡¯s name appeared in all of Yongchuan.


    [Yongchuan Siyuan Inspirational Book Distribution Co., Ltd. Chang Wei 139XXXXXXXX]


    At this moment, Jiang Chao also handed the pictures on his phone to Wang Chao.


    The young man glanced at the photo, quickly copied the address of the bookstore, and sent it to his captain. ¡°The two books are the same version. I sent the address to your phone, Captain. You can go now. Bye bye!¡±


    The time was 8:31 in the evening.


    Lin Chen first looked at the time displayed on Xing Conglian¡¯s phone, and then looked at the address. He found that the location of the dealer happened to be in the bookstore of University City, so he said, ¡°Phoenix Book Mall usually closes at 9. If we drive a little faster, we should be able to make it.¡±


    Xing Conglian had already turned around and was ready to leave. When he heard what Lin Chen had said, he suddenly turned to Ren Xian. ¡°It¡¯s almost 9 here, which means it¡¯s probably morning in the time zone across the ocean. Please keep an eye on it, Team Leader Ren. If there¡¯s anything on the internet, just tell this kid to do it.¡± After he finished speaking, he pointed to Wang Chao¡¯s head, then, as if he wasn¡¯t at ease, instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t communicate with those people. If they provide useful information, we¡¯ll pay. This will be the fastest way.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematical structures that can be considered ¡°discrete¡± (in a way analogous to discrete variables, having a bijection with the set of natural numbers) rather than ¡°continuous¡± (analogously to continuous functions). Objects studied in discrete mathematics include integers, graphs, and statements in logic.


    It is the branch of mathematics dealing with objects that can assume only distinct, separated values. The term ¡°discrete mathematics¡± is therefore used in contrast with ¡°continuous mathematics,¡± which is the branch of mathematics dealing with objects that can vary smoothly (and which includes, for example, calculus). Whereas discrete objects can often be characterized by integers, continuous objects require real numbers.


    The study of how discrete objects combine with one another and the probabilities of various outcomes is known as combinatorics. Other fields of mathematics that are considered to be part of discrete mathematics include graph theory and the theory of computation. Topics in number theory such as congruences and recurrence relations are also considered part of discrete mathematics.


    The study of topics in discrete mathematics usually includes the study of algorithms, their implementations, and efficiencies. Discrete mathematics is the mathematical language of computer science, and as such, its importance has increased dramatically in recent decades.

 CH 74

    Xing Conglian was always like this. While he made it seem like it was free and democratic, in fact, it was completely hegemonic.


    In the process of making judgments and decisions, he would not be influenced by anyone. They only needed to follow his orders. Although when he gave those orders, his words were often soft and his eyes were gentle, the content of those orders could be disobeyed and could not change.


    For example, when he said not to follow the clues in the drug case, they must not touch it, or when he said not to make in-depth contact with the people on the dark web, they must not do so.


    Lin Chen was sitting in the car. The light from outside the window flowed like water. He suddenly felt that Wang Chao really owed Xing Conglian a sizable amount of money.


    He sighed almost inaudibly.


    For some reason, Xing Conglian seemed to have noticed something. He closed the car window, and the car suddenly became quiet.


    ¡°Do you think we can finally find those people?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was low and almost cold.


    Lin Chen suddenly felt that Xing Conglian was probably judging the situation again.


    If he was sure, then they would follow the existing path, aiming to try and wipe out the group behind this; if he wasn¡¯t sure, then Xing Conglian would probably choose to jump out and spook the snake after they visited the bookstore, forcing those behind the scenes to give up on their bloody plans.


    Option A was perfect, but it was also possible that they would end up with nothing, which meant not only would they fail to catch the murderer, but they would also be unable to stop the tragedy that would unfold. Although option B was conservative and stifling and had endless consequences, there was nothing more important than preventing possible deaths and injuries.


    If this were a series, they could drag the progress bar to take a peek at the end and then make the right choice, but in real life, once the choice was made, it was impossible to rewind and start over.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen felt someone patting him on the shoulder.


    He looked toward the front seat.


    There was a strange smile in Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. It¡¯s not time to make a choice between life and death.¡±


    Lin Chen was a bit speechless. It was obviously him who was thinking too much.


    ¡°But what if the Phoenix Book Mall clues are useless?¡±


    ¡°If it is, then it is. We¡¯ll just look for another clue if it doesn¡¯t work out. This is my responsibility. What does that have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing¡­¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, please speak?¡±


    ¡°Have you noticed that you¡¯re quite dictatorial sometimes?¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard this, he smiled without surprise. ¡°How can that be? I have always been democratic.¡±


    ¡°This time, it¡¯s different from before. I really have no certainty.¡± Lin Chen gripped his seatbelt as he continued, ¡°Time is limited, and the clues are lacking. We¡¯re basically taking a gamble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a gamble. At any rate, under the guidance of Consultant Lin, we quickly found Jin Xiaoan.¡±


    ¡°But even if we find 10,000 Jin Xiaoan, the probability of them loosening their mouths is almost zero. They won¡¯t tell us what will happen next. They won¡¯t reveal whether what¡¯s to come is going to be murder or arson, mass riots or mass suicide, a bank robbery or bus hijacking. Anything is possible, which makes it the most terrifying thing.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Consultant Lin¡­¡± Xing Conglian suddenly interrupted him. ¡°Can I ask why they are so desperate to serve the organization? Is it appropriate for me to use the word ¡®organization¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, because they¡¯ve been brainwashed.¡±


    ¡°Of course they¡¯ve been brainwashed, but most of them are highly educated students¡­¡± Xing Conglian turned the steering wheel right, according to the navigation instructions. The letters for Phoenix Book Mall had become visible in front of them.


    ¡°Groups, brainwashing, suicide, and violence¡ªhaven¡¯t you seen the pattern when combining these keywords before?¡± Lin Chen frowned as he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve seen it that it¡¯s all the more strange. How can the person behind the scenes be this successful in this and hide their identity so well that no one has ever reported these people all this time?¡± Xing Conglian thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Even if it¡¯s a pyramid scheme, there are warriors who would rather die than obey and finally escape from the nest, right? How are they able to pick such loyal victims? This is something that¡¯s akin to sorcery.¡±


    Xing Conglian stopped the car on the side of the road. He pulled on the handbrake and saw Lin Chen sitting in a stunned position, as if he had been struck by lightning; he wasn¡¯t saying a word.


    He leaned over and unbuckled the seatbelt for the psychologist.


    After a soft click, Lin Chen moved.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I said a pyramid scheme.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lin Chen patted Xing Conglian on the shoulder, then pushed the door open and got out of the car. ¡°That¡¯s why it takes three people.¡±


    Lin Chen walked quickly. Xing Conglian jumped out of the car and hurriedly ran to catch up with him.


    ¡°Why three people?¡± he asked as he followed Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer. He walked into the hall of the bookstore and then stopped on the left side of the entrance and casually wiped clean the whiteboard hanging in front of it. He picked up the marker from the stand and wrote down three letters without hesitation¡ªA, B, and C.


    The three letters were arranged in a triangle. Xing Conglian stood in front of the whiteboard as he stared at the letters Lin Chen had written.


    From the beginning, the whole case had one of the most conspicuous but also the most difficult circumstances to figure out. Why were there three people, and why did three people die together?


    Everyone knew that three had some meaning, but they had no idea what that meaning was.


    ¡°Although it¡¯s not a pyramid scheme, there¡¯s a classic operating model in all brainwashing procedures. We call this the ABC model*. A tricks B into the organization. A cannot do the ideological work of B. A is solely responsible for deifying and implanting C¡¯s ideas in B. Therefore, in this organization, activities are generally based on three people.¡± Lin Chen spoke slowly, enunciating each word solemnly.


    *It¡¯s a simplified framework used in REBT to change irrational beliefs into rational ones, thus prompting healthier reactions to situations. The idea behind the ABC model is that a person doesn¡¯t necessarily have to change their environment to feel better; instead, they can acknowledge and change their reactions to their environment.


    Xing Conglian quickly understood what he meant.


    ¡°You mean Xu Haozhen tricked Wang Shishi into joining the organization?¡±


    ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    A gentle voice came from the rear, which caused Xing Conglian to turn his head. He followed the sound and found that there was a publicity desk beside the bookstore. A young man sat behind the desk, twirling his pen and interjected in their conversation, looking bored.


    The young man was wearing a smoky gray suit with a light-colored striped shirt. His hair and eye colors were light, which gave him an elegant look. It was clearly night, but he was like a flower that was basking in the sun, making it impossible for one to look away.


    At the moment when Xing Conglian was in a daze, Lin Chen¡¯s plain and frosty face showed signs of melting ice. Before he could react, Lin Chen had dropped the marker, walked around Xing Conglian, and gone to the publicity desk.


    The young man in the suit stood up from his seat and then gently bent over and stretched out his arms as if to greet him. The next moment, Xing Conglian was shocked to see that Lin Chen had hugged the other party tightly.


    For about five seconds, time seemed to have frozen.


    Xing Conglian looked at the two people who were hugging tightly and watched Lin Chen put his hand around the other person¡¯s back. He was so surprised he couldn¡¯t close his mouth.


    In the end, what broke the frozen time was an extremely malicious smile from the young man in the suit. Xing Conglian saw the young man curving his lips and even winking at him, full of implications.


    Xing Conglian quickly regained his senses and moved towards the publicity table.


    When he got closer, he realized that it wasn¡¯t a publicity table, but a broken desk with flowery books on it with titles such as, ¡°The Thirteen Consorts of the Tyrant¡± and ¡°The Domineering General¡¯s Sweet Concubine¡± which creeped him out a little¡­


    In the middle of the desk, there was a name tag with the words ¡°Famous Writer¡ªSu Fengzi¡± written on it.


    So this was an autograph event?


    But how unpopular was it for this writer to set up a stall alone at night when there were no readers in front of the autograph desk? Given the book titles, it was normal that no one would care about it!


    At that moment, Xing Conglian felt that, compared with the young man in front of him, Wang Chao was really like a normal child.


    Just when he was seriously lamenting, the two people who were hugging tightly let go.


    Lin Chen quickly calmed down.


    Xing Conglian coughed in a low voice and, with a tone that he himself didn¡¯t expect, extended his hand to the ¡°famous writer¡±. ¡°May I ask who you are?¡±


    ¡°Su Fengzi.¡± Xing Conglian saw the young man¡¯s eyes darting to the name tag on the table and then looked back at him with a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t it written on the sign?¡±


    Not only was this person ill-mannered, but he also actually left Xing Conglian hanging and had no intention of shaking his hand.


    Xing Conglian withdrew his hand and felt he was starting to miss the little comrade Wang Chao even more.


    ¡°So, what did Mr. Su mean just now?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Oh, what I mean is that it wasn¡¯t Xu Haozhen who lured Wang Shishi into the organization. Xu Haozhen was the one who was deified. That¡¯s why Wang Shishi¡¯s Discrete Mathematics had Xu Haozhen¡¯s name written on it.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s thoughts turned as he quickly looked at Su Fengzi. The name on the book was an undisclosed detail in this case, so why did this person know about it?


    Just when Xing Conglian frowned and was lost in deep thought, Su Fengzi, as if unaware, said, ¡°Like Jin Xiaoan¡¯s book has Jiang Liu¡¯s name written on it. This kind of organization will give recognized members a little certification, just like being a member at a supermarket where you¡¯ll be given a loyalty card or getting your idol¡¯s autograph. Isn¡¯t this creative?¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian became less nervous. He glanced at Lin Chen and then asked, ¡°Who are you and why do you know the details of the case that hasn¡¯t been announced?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. I asked Professor Fu to keep me informed on the progress of the case at all times. If he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll post his nude photos all over the school windows.


    Xing Conglian felt that this was simply outside of common sense. ¡°Why do you have nude photos of Lao Fu?¡± Although he should focus on the case or condemn such illegal behavior angrily, he subconsciously asked the question he wanted to know the most.


    ¡°Photoshop¡­..¡± The person who answered was Lin Chen.


    Xing Conglian turned his head blankly, but he only saw a helpless expression on his consultant¡¯s face, as if something similar had really happened.


    Given that even Lin Chen had no power to parry this man named Su Fengzi, Xing Conglian suddenly felt his mood getting better.

 CH 75

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The speaker was Lin Chen.


    He patted Xing Conglian on the shoulder, who saw Mr. Consultant walk upstairs without turning back, as if the reunion had ended.


    Xing Conglian hurriedly caught up, as Lin Chen had already stepped onto the escalator.


    ¡°That was?¡±


    ¡°A friend.¡±


    Xing Conglian wanted to look back at Lin Chen¡¯s ¡°friend¡± again, but Lin Chen grabbed him in advance and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look. Ignore him.¡±


    ¡°So, that friend, why is he so interested in our case?¡± Xing Conglian asked tentatively. Although Lin Chen¡¯s friends were probably not a vicious guy, he didn¡¯t necessarily look like a good person either. At least Su Fengzi didn¡¯t seem to be.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if he wants to talk, naturally he will follow us.¡±


    Lin Chen seldom had a hostile expression on his face. After mentioning Photoshop, Consultant Lin suddenly thought of something and decided to get angry.


    Sure enough, when the escalator took them to the second floor, they caught a glimpse of his friend in the smoky gray suit, who was already standing at the bottom of the escalator, seemingly about to go upstairs.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a smile.


    ¡°We always thought that whether it was Wang Shishi or Xu Haozhen, or even Jiang Liu and Jin Xiaoan, they all met in school¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian probably wanted to ask Lin Chen why he suddenly turned his back to Su Fengzi, but the other party had cleverly prevaricated this question with another answer to avoid answering it.


    Xing Conglian had no choice but to follow along and ask, ¡°Is it not?¡±


    ¡°Su Fengzi is right. To apply the ABC model, Wang Shishi has always kept Xu Haozhen¡¯s signature book, indicating that the mythical C is Xu Haozhen. Then the person who tricked Wang Shishi into entering the organization can¡¯t be her.¡±


    Xing Conglian roughly understood where the problem was.


    Lin Chen continued, ¡°Xu Haozhen misled me before. She said that both she and Wang Shishi had participated in the literary club, and Jiang Liu was an officer of the student union, so they all knew each other¡­ It¡¯s natural for us to think that they met in school, but if this is a premeditated criminal organization, it¡¯s impossible for it to select its members so hastily, and¡­¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re just ordinary classmates. If suddenly one day someone mysterious said to you, ¡®Classmate, do you know XX?¡¯ this would seem like some kind of MLM scheme and would arouse some suspicion,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yes, you asked me before, how did they select loyal victims and why no one has mutinied or reported them for so long. To do this, they select members carefully, picking only people with certain types of personality traits.¡±


    ¡°But they can¡¯t always give everyone a personality test like you do¡­¡± Xing Conglian touched his chin and thought of another possibility. ¡°It¡¯s not like they could hack into the school¡¯s system and view the students¡¯ psychological files like Wang Chao, right?¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s stealing information or screening by other methods, this is just the first step. This isn¡¯t enough¡­ The best way is to first find the target group, trick them into coming to the trap, and then choose who takes the initiative to step into the trap.¡± Lin Chen increased his pace, bypassing two rows of shops and walking deeper into the store. ¡°Initiative is important.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s like waiting for the rabbit. This is a process of mutual attraction.¡± Xing Conglian followed Lin Chen¡¯s steps. ¡°In other words, somewhere in University City, there¡¯s a trap that a student will take the initiative to step into¡­ such as a bookstore?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bookstore.¡±


    Lin Chen stopped abruptly with a look of disappointment on his face after his speculation failed.


    The Siyuan Inspirational Bookstore was at No. 19, Area B, 3rd Floor, of the Phoenix Book Mall. Xing Conglian raised his eyes and looked at the target of their trip.


    At nearly 8:50, most of the rolling shutter doors had been pulled down, but the lights were still on.


    In front of the store were piles of unopened packages of various sizes that held new books shipped from major publishing houses. The situation inside the bookstore was much worse than outside.


    Xing Conglian pulled the rolling shutter door up a bit and bent over to enter, finding there wasn¡¯t even a spot to stand.


    The floor was covered with books piling up, some reaching the ceiling. There were colorful novels and magazines on and under a table. The inside of the shop was full of teaching aids ranging from ¡°Three-Year College Entrance Exam¡± to ¡°Cambridge IELTS Complete Solutions¡±. Xing Conglian was deeply concerned about the possibility of finding a clue here.


    Hearing that someone had entered the store, the employee who was cleaning up emerged from behind a pile of magazines and frowned. ¡°We¡¯re closed. Come back tomorrow if you want to buy anything.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t hesitate to show his badge, then said, ¡°There¡¯s some problems that we need your assistance with in our investigation.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What?¡± The shopkeeper hurriedly stood up, carefully maneuvered around the books, and stepped in front of Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Do you have a record of all the outgoing books in your store?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Xing Conglian patted the young man on the shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Help me check a book¡¯s outgoing record¡­¡± Xing Conglian then showed the book copyright information page sent to him by Wang Chao.


    The young man nodded and hurried to the computer.


    ¡°¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ by Ye Wenzhong, right?¡± he asked as he entered the search term, and a line of outbound records appeared shortly after.


    The outbound time was 17:44 on November 19, 2011.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze fell on the last line showing the outbound quantity, and he was stunned for a moment.


    Quantity: 300.


    ¡°More than expected.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s clear voice sounded from behind him.


    ¡°I just got hired this year. I don¡¯t know anything about this!¡± The young man quickly clarified himself.


    ¡°Can you find the person who picked up the goods?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    The young man shook his head. ¡°There are no records.¡±


    ¡°What about an invoice?¡±


    After Xing Conglian asked, he saw the young man raise his head and say with a sarcastic smile, ¡°Mr. Police Officer, unless our customers have special requirements, general retail doesn¡¯t really have invoices¡­¡±


    ¡°Call your boss,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    The young man hurriedly grabbed his phone to call his boss, and after briefly explaining the situation, he handed the phone to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Hello, let me make a long story short. Do you have any images of the batch of ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ that was released in November 2011?¡±


    ¡°Look, Mr. Police Officer, I have people coming and going every day here, and you¡¯re suddenly asking me about a batch of books that came out of a warehouse five years ago? I really can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re a regional distributor, it shouldn¡¯t be common for you to suddenly export 300 copies. What¡¯s more, this is ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ not ¡®Three-Year College Entrance Exam¡¯. Please recall carefully.¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I wasn¡¯t in charge of this shop before. My previous business partner and their family have immigrated, so I just took over¡­ And this is asking about a book from five years ago. Let alone telling you about it, I don¡¯t even remember who the staff at the store were at that time.¡±


    ¡°Send me your former business partner¡¯s number and contact information to this number.¡± After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he hung up and then shook his head at Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen¡¯s attitude instead looked relieved. ¡°It would be strange if that person would leave such an obvious clue.¡±


    ¡°They bought 300 copies five years ago. How long has this organization existed¡­¡± Xing Conglian started thinking about whether to tell the news to Captain Jiang, who had recently become extremely nervous.


    ¡°At most, it¡¯s something that happened in the last five years, which isn¡¯t too long ago,¡± Lin Chen suddenly said.


    ¡°What did you mean when you first said that it¡¯s not a bookstore?¡± Xing Conglian dropped the subject and continued the unfinished conversation with Lin Chen about the trap just now.


    ¡°What he meant is that this place is so shabby that it¡¯s hard to create a sense of love or trust at first glance. After all, whether they like it or not, it mainly depends on face.¡± A slightly lazy tone came from the door of the store. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even have to turn around to know who was speaking.


    It was just this time, Lin Chen didn¡¯t give the person who interrupted them any good face and didn¡¯t even bother looking back and responding to the other party.


    ¡°If I am the mastermind behind the scenes, in order to pick my targets, I¡¯ll first use the most scientific method to screen the people who are most easily controlled by me. The characteristics of such people are introverted, low self-esteem, and lacking friends, but at the same time, they have to have a strong yearning and longing for a better life in their hearts. In general, all pyramid schemes, whether they use a high level of brainwashing or not, exploit this yearning and longing. So, if I want to attract these people to take the bait, I¡¯ll definitely arrange a very beautiful place. The place will be dazzling and elegant but have a relaxing atmosphere without an unattainable sense of alienation¡­ It will not be too hidden and mysterious, as that would be too suspicious. Most likely, it will be located in an ordinary street or alley, leaving people unsuspecting. Members of the organization can easily lure victims here, and even those potential victims will take the initiative to come to their door¡­¡±


    ¡°A shop,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°This is just an assumption. If we¡¯re looking for a store, it must first be in University City. Its target audience is students, with the majority of them being female. In the major categories of food and entertainment, most likely it¡¯s a bourgeois beverage shop or a female clothing store or a bookstore¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian motioned for Lin Chen to pause and then called Wang Chao.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xing. I will serve you wholeheartedly.¡±


    Xing Conglian handed the phone to Lin Chen.


    ¡°Wang Chao, can you find the registration records of all shops within the scope of Yongchuan University City? I need to find a store within its boundaries.¡±


    ¡°So hacking into the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, right? That¡¯s trivial¡­ Come on, my broadsword is already hungry and thirsty!¡±


    ¡°This store doesn¡¯t have a specific name and address, so it¡¯ll be relatively difficult to retrieve. First, it may be a beverage shop, a clothing store, or a bookstore. If it¡¯s a beverage shop, exclude all milk tea shops and large coffee chains. The store area is about 50-150 square meters¡­ Clothing stores are more difficult. First, exclude all brand stores in shopping malls, and then exclude men¡¯s clothing stores. The store area is about 20-80 square meters¡­ And the approximate area of the bookstore is the same as the clothing store¡­¡±


    ¡°There is definitely no such bookstore in Phoenix Book Mall¡­¡± the smiling writer leaning against the doorway said.


    Lin Chen glanced at the entrance, then said to Wang Chao, ¡°Exclude all bookstores in the Phoenix Book Mall¡­ Tell me how many similar shops there are.¡±


    ¡°There are 12 beverage shops, 3 bookstores, and clothing stores¡­¡± Wang Chao paused and then said, with some embarrassment, ¡°92¡­¡±


    ¡°The book was purchased in November 2011. If someone planned it this early, then the time the store open would be¡­¡±


    ¡°The opening time and the book purchase time won¡¯t be too far apart.¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly leaned closer to the mic and said to Wang Chao, ¡°The opening time of the store should be between June 2011 and June 2012, and there hasn¡¯t been any register for suspension so far.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Captain, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier!¡± When Wang Chao was talking to Xing Conglian, he obviously wasn¡¯t well-behaved and obedient like he was to Lin Chen. Xing Conglian could hear the teenager¡¯s grumbling. ¡°There are 3 beverage shops total, no such bookstores, and 27 clothing stores.¡± After Wang Chao finished speaking, he suddenly shouted in surprise as if he had discovered a new world. ¡°Captain, do you know that the first floor of Phoenix Book Mall has the largest underground pedestrian street in Yongchuan University City¡­ There are 2 beverage stores and 20 clothing stores that are right under your feet. They close at 10. Do you want to try your luck?¡±


    ¡°I remember that Lao Jiang¡¯s subordinates watched Cheng Weiwei for a few months. Ask him to check their records and see if Cheng Weiwei has been to any of these stores. First, check to see if she had been to the pedestrian street in Phoenix Book Mall, then have him send me the address.¡± After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he hung up.


    ¡°It¡¯s already ten past nine,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°There are still fifty minutes left,¡± Xing Conglian replied, looking at Lin Chen.


    Before Xing Conglian could say anything, Lin Chen had already taken the lead and strode out of the bookstore. He glanced at the writer at the door and gave him a menacing look, then turned the corner, as if looking for a secluded place.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    ¡ª-


    Lin Chen stood still at the back stairway of the bookstore, turned around, grabbed the man behind him by the collar, and pushed him against the wall.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here!¡±


    ¡°If I want to come back, I will.¡±


    There was still a smile in Su Fengzi¡¯s eyes. Lin Chen was even more angry, ¡°Be honest, Fengzi. Why did you come here?!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me when I say I¡¯m here to help you solve the case?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe?¡±


    ¡°Criminal investigation is good material. A handsome criminal investigator and a cool psychologist¡ªisn¡¯t this quite interesting?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ You¡¯re so angry. Let me guess¡­ You¡¯re angry because you suddenly realized that I¡¯ve been interested in this case for a long time.¡± Su Fengzi spoke softly, and his tone was light, as if airy like freshly baked bread. ¡°You¡¯re angry, of course, because I suddenly appeared to find Fu Hao instead of looking for you and thought that I likely grasped the key evidence of this case much earlier, which is why I¡¯ve appeared at Phoenix Book Mall instead of telling you the clues that I knew in advance, right?¡±


    Lin Chen pursed his lips and said coldly, ¡°Speak properly.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Su Fengzi stretched out his hand and gently broke Lin Chen¡¯s fingers apart, then said, ¡°I can only tell you that the reason I came back and was paying attention to this case is because of some very personal reasons. The reason I know this is because these are all the clues you found. I¡¯m at the Phoenix Book Mall today for a book signing. You have to believe in fate. After all, I am a writer.¡±


    As Su Fengzi spoke to him, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, revealing a sly smile in his eyes.


    Seeing him smile like this, Lin Chen took a step back and suddenly had a bad feeling. He turned to leave only to hear Su Fengzi say behind him, ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect this. It¡¯s rare for me to come back, but it¡¯s so sad to see you empathize with someone else.¡±


    Lin Chen only felt the creeps.


    At that moment, he seemed to be suddenly illuminated by a beam of light in the dark night. The sudden light made him just want to find a place to hide himself. He didn¡¯t even have time to explore this inexplicable shyness¡ªall he felt was hiding was his first priority.


    Trying to control his emotions, he turned his head and said to Su Fengzi, ¡°Is this the time to talk about this?¡±


    As if he had titillated to a certain point and it was now time to call it quits, Su Fengzi straightened out his clothes and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, I was wrong. Can we go now?¡±


    Walking around the corner, Lin Chen saw the captain of the criminal division leaning against the handrail waiting for him.


    When Xing Conglian saw them, he swept his gaze up and down Su Fengzi, then removed his phone from his ear and said, ¡°Lao Jiang has confirmed. Cheng Weiwei has been to the pedestrian street below us.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he went downstairs without saying a word.


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t really familiar with the underground pedestrian street under Phoenix Book Mall.


    After all, when he was in college, the pedestrian street was still under construction, and all similar places in University City were aimed at girls. Guys would rarely go shopping here unless it was to accompany their girlfriends.


    When he reached the underground, Lin Chen found that this place was more exaggerated than he had imagined.


    Dazzling lights and all kinds of shops could be seen at a glance. The air pressure underground was low, making the atmosphere turbid.


    Although it was evening, students in twos and threes could still be seen walking, stepping on the bright tempered glass floor. Lin Chen thought for an instant that he had walked into some two-dimensional space.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a place of unique taste,¡± Su Fengzi said lightly.


    Lin Chen had no intention of speaking to him again. At this moment, Xing Conglian spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just contacted the administrator here. Let¡¯s go directly to the management office.¡±


    Xing Conglian had a good sense of direction. He walked through piles of colorful paving and took them directly to the management office.


    It was almost half past nine when they arrived, and there was only one employee on duty.


    The man seemed to have predicted the arrival of Xing Conglian in advance, as he quickly got up and said, ¡°Captain Xing, right? Our manager arranged for me to receive you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I need the floor plan of the entire underground pedestrian street.¡±


    ¡°The floor plan is hanging on the wall,¡± the employee said as he pointed to the wall.


    Xing Conglian turned sideways and made way.


    Lin Chen glanced at the floor plan, took note of the general layout, and wanted to find a marker. At this moment, Xing Conglian took a marker from the holder and handed it over.


    Lin Chen nodded, apologized to the employee, and then marked the locations of all the stores on the drawing one by one based on the information provided by Wang Chao.


    In an instant, many black dots appeared on the paper. As Lin Chen looked at the marked-out store, he began to think.


    If such a store truly existed, then it couldn¡¯t be in such an eye-catching location in the first place. It wouldn¡¯t be in a prime location, but rather a relatively hidden spot.


    He quickly crossed out all the popular stores located at the entrance of the street.


    The stores on the main street were also impossible because it would be too noisy and not comfortable enough. Thinking this way, he crossed out the four shops on both sides of the main street.


    As a result, the remaining stores became 10.


    Lin Chen stepped aside from the location in front of the map and said to the property management employee, ¡°Please take a look at these stores. Which one has a fresh and refined feeling? The decoration isn¡¯t necessarily luxurious, but it should be chic. Although there aren¡¯t many customers, they have been open for several years, and sometimes you wonder how this store makes a profit and why it is still open¡­¡±


    When Lin Chen said this, even he himself felt that such inexplicable speculation was a bit absurd. All of their reasoning was based on possible assumptions, and it was only Xing Conglian who would quickly help him look for such a store that even he couldn¡¯t even determine if it truly existed.


    ¡°Based on what you said, the store that was in D15 seems to match that description. Ah, I remember. It has a French name and is a coffee shop that also sells books. It¡¯s very quiet¡­¡±


    Like the dawn appearing before the horizon, when Lin Chen heard those words, he put down the marker, but when he took a step back, he suddenly stopped.


    ¡°You said¡­ was?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a few days ago, when I opened the office, the clerk of the store suddenly ran over and said that the store had been robbed and wanted to look at the surveillance. We went over and took a look. Holy crap, the entire store was empty. The robbers took everything. There wasn¡¯t a single thing left in the store.¡±


    ¡°Did you call the police?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Of course I reported it!¡±


    ¡°So, what about the surveillance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird. When the clerk and the boss watched the video, the entire D area was dropped.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean dropped?¡±


    ¡°Dropped means gone. Poof. I¡¯m not sure if there was a problem or maybe it was deleted by mistake, but anyway, it¡¯s completely gone¡­¡±

 CH 76

    Naturally, it was impossible for a store to be robbed for no good reason. It was even more unlikely that the surveillance would simply vanish from the computer for no apparent reason.


    The only possibility was that someone had cleaned up all possible clues before the crime.


    ¡°How many days ago was this?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he grabbed the poor employee.


    ¡°Three¡­ Three days ago. Yes, it was three days ago.¡±


    ¡°It was the day before teacher¡¯s birthday banquet.¡± Lin Chen paled slightly.


    If the previous investigation still made him feel as if he was groping in the dark, unable to see where they were going, then the situation now certainly was still dark, but he suddenly realized that they had actually been staying close to the sack. Someone had already tightened the sack, and their struggle was only within a very limited range.


    ¡°Before the kids committed suicide under the banyan tree, the other party had already set up to erase the evidence. They were well prepared.¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t show any dejection. He even thought that this was a matter of course. ¡°Oh, this can¡¯t be said to be well prepared, but rather the fundamental purpose was like destroying the corpse to not leave any traces?¡±


    An organization that had been hidden for several years and used students to make countless shady dealings and profit off them had always operated low-key. Why did it suddenly create big news with those collective suicides?


    They should know better than anyone; once surfaced, there was no turning back. No matter what their final goal was, as long as it was a major social event, the police would always track them down. It was only a matter of time before things would be thoroughly investigated¡­


    Well, in fact, Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t wrong. Six dead students, including Lin Chen¡¯s shimei, were simply discarded as a burden, just like the surveillance video. There was probably no better way to deal with it than to just ¡°delete¡± them.


    So all of this meant that the organization wanted to clear all evidence of their existence, but in this case, they haven¡¯t forgotten to take advantage of this last opportunity to profit from it. This was something that was beyond what cold-blooded could describe.


    Lin Chen suddenly remembered Wang Chao¡¯s question.


    Have you ever seen an extremely evil world?


    This really was too sharp a question.


    He rubbed his face vigorously, as if the brief darkness could wake people up, then he heard Xing Conglian¡¯s voice ringing in his ears.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go to the store and have a look.¡±


    The young man¡¯s voice was calm and relaxed, and there was no sense of frustration at being preempted.


    ¡°I have sent Wang Chao over to see if the surveillance can be restored, but three days have passed. ¡°The chances of the hard drive not being overwritten are slim, and they won¡¯t be so careless in doing things so that it can be recovered.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and stared at the shop marked with a star on the floor plan.


    It wasn¡¯t much different from what he had imagined.


    The empty coffee shop wasn¡¯t big. It was located in the corner of the underground mall, like a cold beauty isolated in a corner, and in fact, it was now truly cold.


    The glass door was closed, and it was dark inside the store. The light of the street illuminated a piece of the original wooden floor near the glass door and a wooden bar counter that couldn¡¯t be disassembled. The counter was empty; not even a single flier was on it. No matter how he looked at it, it really was as management had said. The store was ¡°robbed¡±, and there was nothing left.


    Except the store sign was still there.


    It was a very small wooden board, hung on the lintel of the door, with English letters written in cursive.


    Lin Chen frowned, then subconsciously looked at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°In French, it means knowledge.¡±


    The outstanding language skills of the captain of the criminal division once again made great contributions.


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes in contemplation and unexpectedly felt someone behind him smiling softly. He turned his head and saw Su Fengzi glancing at Xing Conglian and then at him, full of teasing in his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Lin Chen asked angrily.


    ¡°Hey, the police are handling the case. Is the crowd not allowed to watch?¡±


    Lin Chen felt that he couldn¡¯t communicate with this person at all.


    At the entrance of the coffee shop called ¡°Knowledge¡±, Xing Conglian took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and looked inside the shop. The walls that originally had hanging frames were now bare, with nails protruding from them. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling only had a few chains left, with its lightbulbs and lampshade completely gone.


    ¡°I have never seen such a hungry thief in my life.¡± Xing Conglian sneered. ¡°If I get forensics to scour this store, do you think I won¡¯t be able to find a single fingerprint at all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too clean.¡± Lin Chen returned to Xing Conglian¡¯s side and looked at the glass door that didn¡¯t have a single fingerprint on it.


    ¡°What the hell is in this store to make someone go through so much trouble to clean up all possible clues?¡± Xing Conglian complained indifferently, then squatted down and put on his gloves to briefly check the door lock.


    The lock core had been violently dismantled, which showed that even if the other party was acting, they were extremely meticulous in their plans.


    ¡°In fact, we can probably guess that it has records of people entering and leaving the store, some leaflets and other things, and even issues tasks from this store¡­¡± Lin Chen leaned against the wall of the opposite shop and watched Xing Conglian survey the scene. ¡°If only there were surveillance records.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xing Conglian raised his head and pointed to a black, teardrop-shaped camera in the southeast corner of the store. ¡°It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°How likely do you think it is that this camera is still operational and they have discovered that we found this store?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°The likelihood of it being operational is 100%.¡± Xing Conglian looked at the red dot that lit up on the camera. ¡°However, fortunately, if we don¡¯t enter the store, they won¡¯t be able to find us, since we¡¯re in a blind spot right now.¡±


    As Xing Conglian spoke, his movements became more careful.


    After checking the door lock, Xing Conglian started to inspect the exterior wall of the shop. He brushed his rubber-gloved hand across the wall and then stopped at an iron hook.


    He turned on the flashlight again to make the white wall clearer.


    Under the strong light, he could clearly see that there was an area on the white wall that was lighter in color than other places, like a trace left by something hanging for a long time.


    ¡°What did this say?¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to guess it?¡±


    ¡°This store?¡± Lin Chen looked at the light-colored area and thought for a while, then said, ¡°First, its purpose is of course to attract those potential targets to take the bait, so the store must have some type of flier. With regard to the function of releasing tasks, since it has a wide range of business, there must be an internal and external window¡­¡±


    ¡°Like a promotional board?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s fingers bushed the outline of the light-colored area, which happened to be the size of a children¡¯s blackboard. ¡°What thief would even steal a promotional board by the entrance?¡±


    ¡°This is too¡­¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings.


    While he was stunned, Xing Conglian turned around and opened the jewelry store opposite the coffee shop.


    It was already closing time, and the female shopkeeper was closing the window, preparing to lock up.


    Xing Conglian flashed his police badge and began to ask about the details of the shop opposite of where she worked.


    ¡°It appears that the shop across the street closed three days ago. No one has come since then¡­¡± The female shopkeeper tucked back her hair and lowered her voice. She leaned closer to Xing Conglian and said, ¡°I suspect it¡¯s not going to open anymore, and the owners deliberately ran away.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Who has nothing better to do but come here and drink coffee? The business was so bad that sometimes there would be no one there for an entire day. And all their staff was so strange and aloof!¡±


    ¡°Aloof?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That store there, right? Do you know them? When I first opened my store, I went there to place an order for coffee. It stands to reason that since we work in the same area, they would give me a discount and be courteous, but their waiter just ignored me. I sat there for a while and then just left. I¡¯ll never go back there again¡­¡±


    The female shopkeeper probably had a long-standing grievance against the store on the other side and began to gossip.


    The difference in attitude was completely understandable. After all, a female boss was definitely not the target the organization wanted to recruit. Lin Chen decisively interrupted the other party¡¯s complaint and asked, ¡°The property management said that they sold books there. Do you remember what type of books?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? I¡¯ve only been there once.¡±


    ¡°Since you sat there for a while before leaving, there must be something there that makes you feel uncomfortable. It may not just be the attitude of the staff, but perhaps another reason?¡± Lin Chen began to probe.


    ¡°When you put it like that, it¡¯s those books¡­¡± The female boss narrowed her eyes and fell into contemplation. ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite embarrassing to read them. It¡¯s all chicken soup for the soul-type. There¡¯s not even a normal magazine!¡±


    ¡°Chicken soup for the soul*?¡±


    *Refers to articles, posts, etc. that are motivational.


    ¡°Oh, you know the kind of things like ¡®Change Yourself in Ten Days¡¯, or ¡®Beautiful Inspirational Life¡¯. That kind of stuff.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, then pointed to the exterior wall of the coffee shop and asked, ¡°Was there anything hanging there?¡±


    ¡°A small blackboard. I also have it at my door.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian.


    The captain of the criminal division took out his notepad, wrote a few words, and asked, ¡°Do you perhaps remember what was written on that blackboard?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Police Officer, I really can¡¯t. Who cares what they wrote!¡±


    Lin Chen felt that Xing Conglian was glancing at him with an inquiring look. Although Xing Conglian didn¡¯t speak, Lin Chen could roughly guess what he was asking: ¡°Can you reawaken her memories?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head.


    Xing Conglian tapped on his notepad and asked, ¡°Then how about roughly telling me what was written on it. You can say whatever comes to mind. It doesn¡¯t need to be specific.¡±


    ¡°I think things like the today¡¯s specials that¡¯s free for students, take out calls. Things like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Does the price change?¡±


    ¡°Of course it changes, but it¡¯s kinda weird¡­¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s strange that there¡¯s always someone looking at the blackboard at the entrance¡­ but they never enter. They just look at the blackboard¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of people are they?¡±


    ¡°Who else can it be? It¡¯s only students who come and go there.¡±


    Lin Chen looked back at the iron hooks on the opposite wall and their distinctive gray and white outline.


    A blackboard, students who stopped by, and the D-zone erased surveillance¡­


    The content written on the blackboard may be more serious than they had guessed.


    He could almost imagine that every morning the clerk put on his uniform, casually glanced at his phone, and then slowly fastened his apron. He would open the door, pick up the chalk on the blackboard, and write down ¡°today¡¯s specials¡± and maybe something else.


    To the average person, those characters may be the slogan that determined whether they go in for a cup of coffee, but to others, it could be the difference between life and death.


    Students didn¡¯t need to enter the shop. As long as they passed by the entrance occasionally, they knew exactly what they were going to do.


    This approach seemed leisurely and light, but in reality it was so truly cold-blooded that it made people shiver.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath, hoping that it was all a result of his overactive imagination.


    As if thinking of something, Xing Conglian put down his pen and said to him, ¡°You¡¯re not thinking what I¡¯m thinking, are you?¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Lin Chen had just responded when he was dragged to the corner by Xing Conglian.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit exaggerated to say, but we now have a code book. If they are really bold enough to write instructions on the blackboard, wouldn¡¯t we be able to find out what the organization was instructing students to do?¡±


    Lin Chen was surprised by Xing Conglian¡¯s thinking.


    ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡± was the code book, but this was simply speculation. It was also speculated that the organization transmitted various commands to students through an encrypted form. The only way to prove these speculations was to find an exact instruction, which was exactly what they were missing now.


    Perhaps someone had taken a picture of the entrance of this coffee shop?


    Maybe someone would remember what was written on the blackboard?


    But that was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, and they, once again, were one step too late.


    ¡°If there¡¯s only a camera in this store that monitors that blackboard 24 hours a day,¡± Lin Chen said almost helplessly.


    ¡°There are in this store.¡± Xing Conglian was a man who had a deep understanding of cameras. He casually pointed to an inconspicuous camera at the corner of the store. ¡°How can you open a store without installing cameras?¡±


    As he spoke, he walked directly under the camera and then looked around. There were large and small glass mirrors hanging everywhere in the jewelry store, and even the back of the window was full of mirrors, making it look extremely bright.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze stop. Lin Chen followed his gaze and found that Xing Conglian was staring at the floor-to-ceiling mirror.


    ¡°Go and open the shop¡¯s door.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice suddenly became calm. Lin Chen did as he was instructed and opened the door.


    The captain of the criminal division hooked the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°What do you think? With so many mirrors here, how likely is it that one of them accidently reflected the small blackboard on the opposite side?¡±

 CH 77

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s possible, but the problem is, Captain, don¡¯t you think your brain is too big?¡±


    A minute ago, Wang Chao rushed to the underground mall at the urging of his boss.


    Perhaps the underground mall was too flashy for the likes of Lin Chen or Xing Conglian, but for little comrade Wang Chao, it was an extremely interesting place.


    He threw down his backpack excitedly and talked about the pirate figurine he had just seen.


    ¡°Pull up the surveillance video first!¡± Xing Conglian backhandedly smacked the teenager.


    Perhaps it was because he was too excited to get all the way here, but the teenager didn¡¯t make any rebellious remarks about workplace violence. He quickly climbed onto a small bench by the jewelry store and looked at the camera model, then muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a rhinestone-encrusted Ace*, Captain!¡±


    *A character in One Piece.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even think about it as he said casually, ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but glance at him.


    In the window of the jewelry store, the figure of a rhinestone-encrusted Ace ornament was hanging brightly. The female shopkeeper¡¯s face turned blue when she heard their conversation.


    ¡°Captain, not all love in this world can be solved with money.¡± Wang Chao jumped down from the bench and started tapping on his keyboard. ¡°Not bad. The surveillance in the store was saved for a week. If you have the money, you better start warming it up for me.¡±


    Since the time was past closing, the female shopkeeper closed up, picked up her bag, and left.


    It wasn¡¯t until little comrade Wang Chao looked up after pulling out a series of videos that he found that there was someone missing.


    ¡°Eh? Where did that lady go just now? I still want to ask her what time she opens.¡±


    ¡°Noon on weekdays, 10 AM on weekends,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Wang Chao made an OK gesture and found the exact time.


    ¡°Shit!¡± the teenager shouted as he zoomed in on the screen. ¡°Captain, the floor-to-ceiling mirror you mentioned does seem to reflect the corridor, but only at a specific angle. Also, when someone pushes the door, it blocks the sign, and the clarity is poor. I can¡¯t guarantee I can restore the image.¡±


    ¡°Work more, talk less,¡± Xing Conglian said naturally. ¡°Do your best. This is probably the only chance we have now.¡±


    Seeing that Xing Conglian¡¯s tone had become serious, Wang Chao didn¡¯t dare say anything else and began to hum as he watched the videos.


    His enthusiasm for work didn¡¯t last for more than two minutes when the laptop he brought suddenly went off with a fierce alarm.


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit, finally there¡¯s a response!¡± The boy excitedly turned the laptop screen. ¡°The original red entry on the reward site finally turned green, showing that someone finally answered the question we previously set.¡±


    Suddenly, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang.


    Team Leader Ren¡¯s voice sounded tired and apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain Xing. Although the other party responded back, I don¡¯t understand it very well, and I have to trouble you.¡±


    Since Ren Xian couldn¡¯t understand it, it meant that the reply wasn¡¯t a URL but a dialogue.


    Wang Chao hooked his fingers at his captain and then went back to his ¡°investigating¡± business.


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Conglian leaned closer and looked at the complicated statement, but couldn¡¯t answer Lin Chen for a while.


    The simple reply was mixed with alphanumeric characters and even emoticons. It looked extremely confusing and unsolvable.


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand¡­¡± he replied honestly.


    ¡°Even groups on the internet are exclusionary. Most likely, it¡¯s slang for those who watch the live video.¡±


    ¡°So, in their eyes, we appear to be the kind of na?ve and cute internet ninnies?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like an old grandfather trying to get in touch with the lives of young people¡­¡± Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on the youngest person in the vicinity. ¡°Do you understand it?¡± He rubbed Wang Chao¡¯s head as he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not BT1, not magnetic link2. It looks more like garbled code. I really don¡¯t understand what young people are playing nowadays, but some people on the dark web are criminal geniuses and some are pure idiots¡­¡± the 18-year-old adult said disdainfully while chewing gum.


    1BitTorrent, a communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing that enables users to distribute data and electronic files over the internet in a decentralized manner.


    2A de facto standard for identifying files by their contact via cryptographic hash value rather than their location. Although magnet links can be used in a number of contexts, they are particularly useful in peer-to-peer file sharing networks because they allow resources to be referred to without the need for a continuously available host and can be generated by anyone who already has the file, without the need for a central authority to issue them. This makes them popular for use as ¡°guaranteed¡± search terms within the file-sharing community, where anyone can distribute a magnet link to ensure that the resource retrieved by that link is the one intended, regardless of how it is retrieved.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If the other party is trying to profit from this, they wouldn¡¯t set up levels that are too obscure. After all, there are always more idiots than geniuses. Since things have almost reached their end, don¡¯t they want every psychopath on the entire network to spend money and see it?¡± Xing Conglian asked rhetorically.


    Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully and continued, ¡°If I hope to attract viewers around the world, then the so-called ¡®slang¡¯ will inevitably break through the limitations of language¡­¡±


    However, the so-called code cracking wasn¡¯t a category Lin Chen was good at, and judging from the appearance of Xing Conglian and Wang Chao, neither of them seemed apt in this area either. They didn¡¯t seem to understand what that passage meant.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t understand everything, just look at what you can read.¡±


    Suddenly, a soft voice came from the entrance. The lights of the jewelry store created an ambiguous atmosphere. Lin Chen turned his head and saw Su Fengzi holding two cups of coffee in his hand as he calmly pushed open the door.


    It seemed that Mr. Su had completely regarded the scene of the police case as his own field study. Lin Chen looked at the Americano he tried to hand over and frowned. He didn¡¯t know if he should accept the bribe.


    On the contrary, Xing Conglian seemed quite calm. He picked up the cup of coffee and added two packs of sugar. As he stirred the coffee with the wooden stick, he said, ¡°Mr. Su seems to know a lot of inside knowledge about this case?¡±


    ¡°Officer Xing, you¡­¡± Su Fengzi said, leaning closer to Xing Conglian¡¯s ear.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but glare at him.


    Su Fengzi didn¡¯t seem aware of it, but instead leaned even closer. His red lips seemed to say something, and at the end, he finished with a casual smile.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t hear what he said, but he felt that whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t anything good.


    Xing Conglian was still calm, neither showing shame or anger after being molested, nor any expression of surprise. He didn¡¯t know what Su Fengzi had said, but Xing Conglian actually let Su Fengzi go on the ¡°insider¡± issue, and even helped him pick up the topic that had been staggered before. ¡°Can Mr. Su understand?¡±


    Su Fengzi raised his coffee and didn¡¯t answer the question.


    He walked around Lin Chen and Xing Conglian, put down his coffee cup, and propped his hand in front of the cash register, unconcerned about his posture, then circled the person sitting in front of the laptop.


    Little comrade Wang Chao opened his pair of black and white almond eyes and, like seeing a perverted maniac, tried to shrink his body.


    Su Fengzi lowered his head, looked at the furry little head in front of him, and smiled. ¡°Very cute little friend. How old are you?¡±


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian tacitly looked at each other and ignored the teenager¡¯s pleading eyes.


    Su Fengzi finally moved. His long, slender white fingers gently scratched across the laptop screen, then he said, ¡°If you remove all the symbols and emoticons, there¡¯s still a string of thirty-four digits left¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Hearing this, Wang Chao finally moved. He ignored the person pressing against him and sat straight up, quickly processing the data. ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s a URL address!¡± After he finished speaking, he copied the entire string of digits and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a fucking QR code? Why is it so complicated? I have to pay to get the address, right? Why don¡¯t you open a Taobao store? Captain, what should I do? Should I send money to this account? What if it¡¯s not the account for the live streaming?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a paid account for the live streaming. You can offer a reward to the person who gave you this information. I¡¯ll pay for it,¡± Xing Conglian said frankly. ¡°The price isn¡¯t too high. Considering the average in today¡¯s market, you can try 5 bitcoins.¡±


    Wang Chao whistled and quickly did as he was told.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang again.


    Usually, everything would have a centralized breaking point.


    The caller was Jiang Chao.


    Vice Captain Jiang seemed quite irritable on the phone. ¡°The fingerprints on those small beads you picked up came out. We determined it belonged to a junior from Yongchuan University. Do I arrest him now? Is that little bastard crazy?!¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s fingers gently rubbed over the phone. Lin Chen saw him glance at him and then decisively say, ¡°No, not yet. Wait a while longer.¡±


    On the other end of the line, Jiang Chao was obviously dissatisfied with this order. In fact, he didn¡¯t know when it had started, but the real commander had long changed from him to Xing Conglian.


    It probably had something to do with some possessing natural abilities to make others trust and obey them. Although Jiang Chao was unhappy, he still answered ¡°okay¡±.


    ¡°They actually left fingerprints?¡± Lin Chen was standing next to Xing Conglian just now and had heard their conversation. He could naturally sense the irritability in Vice Captain Jiang Chao¡¯s voice. He repeated it in disbelief and looked at the coffee bar on the opposite side, which was so clean there wasn¡¯t a trace of fingerprints left. ¡°When did they change1 their behavior?¡±


    ¡°How can you call them transexuals1¡­¡± Su Fengzi stood beside Wang Chao and interjected with a smile.


    1Clarity: In the previous line Lin Chen uses the word transexual/transformation (תÐÔ) but in the context he¡¯s saying a change in behavior. Su Fengzi is making a joke by asking why he is calling them transsexuals.


    ¡°It could also be a mistake.¡± Lin Chen moved away from the cashier¡¯s counter stiffly and turned to look at Xing Conglian. ¡°In fact, using the collective unconscious to control a group is a very dangerous thing in and of itself.¡±


    ¡°It does not appear that the suicide incident and the rainy night riot were planned by the same group of people. The latter had too many loopholes. Although it¡¯s dangerous, there are too many uncontrollable factors, and there was also a heavy rainstorm. If you want to kill people, would you ignore the weather?¡±


    After listening to him, Lin Chen took a sip of coffee and fell into contemplation.


    The so-called personality test itself was an on-the-spot decision, so the time left for the mastermind to react was short, which meant that even if they had time to plan and create a stampede on the stairs, they wouldn¡¯t have time to broadcast the matter live. Being unable to broadcast meant that they couldn¡¯t make a profit. This was indeed not in line with the motivation of the mastermind¡­


    ¡°Perhaps the timed power-off device installed in the distribution station is their only purpose. In other words, they just want to stop the personality test for an unknown purpose but have no intention of planning a riot¡­¡±


    ¡°In other words, those nails, beads, and even those yells from the classroom were actually not the original intention of the mastermind, but some hot-blooded member did it out of their own accord?¡±


    ¡°I doubt that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hearing what you said, why don¡¯t I think this is bad news?¡± Xing Conglian finished his cup of coffee in one go and said readily, ¡°Can you give me a complete analysis of the group. For example, what was it like when it first formed and why did the entire organization evolve into what it is now?¡±


    ¡°You really are¡­¡± Lin Chen was speechless for a while.


    ¡°Captain Xing is really sharp.¡± Su Fengzi greeted Xing Conglian with the cup of coffee he was holding, as if it were a wine glass. ¡°It¡¯s amazing to ask him to use so few clues to describe the entire picture of a huge organization. I look forward to this.¡±


    Su Fengzi most likely had the ability to make everyone obediently shut up.


    At this point, no matter how difficult it was, a complete profile of that organization was necessary.


    ¡°This involves the issue of group psychodynamics¡­¡± Lin Chen walked out the door as if he had been chased away, took off the small blackboard at the entrance of the jewelry store, and brought it into the store. He then wiped off all the promotional information on it with his hands and drew a pyramid-shaped triangle.


    ¡°In the beginning, if I guessed right, the mastermind just wanted to use simple students to gain benefits. Its organizational structure is similar to a pyramid scheme. It attracts students to join the organization using bait, promising them change, money, and a better life.¡± Lin Chen painted the bottom of the pyramid white. ¡°There¡¯s a skill to this. First, the people they selected are all introverted individuals with low self-esteem. These individuals tend to have more yearning for a better life, so they are more eager than those with sound personalities. Although I haven¡¯t been to the coffee shop across the street, the owner of the jewelry store just told me that most of those books in there are inspirational. In fact, those kids were probably tempted to participate in the organization at first just so they could change themselves. They wanted to become better, more beautiful, and more attractive.¡±


    Perhaps it was due to the surroundings being so quiet and the shops around them gradually darkening that Lin Chen¡¯s voice softened unconsciously. He recalled Xu Haozhen¡¯s earliest appearance at the podium, introducing herself. His little shimei was so shy and timid. He wondered if this was what she was like when she walked into that coffee shop.


    Perhaps the clerk handed her some kind of card, or someone in the store took the initiative to strike up a conversation.


    She probably felt a deep sense of gratitude for a moment¡ªthat in this cold world, there was someone who would pay attention to her who was so inconspicuous.


    She then followed her guide and walked into that big, warm family.


    ¡°Once the victim joins, the mastermind has countless means to convince these simple people that they can only truly get that beautiful life within this organization. Other than that, the world was full of hypocrisy and darkness. The magical thing about the collective unconscious in group psychology is that the talents of all people are completely wiped out and will no longer be subject to moral and legal constraints. Moreover, unlike illusory pyramid schemes, those in this organization can earn money by completing tasks, gain love and a sense of belonging, and they do undergo a qualitative transformation, which increased their faith in the power of the organization even more. Gradually, the association between the benefits and the organization becomes inseparable.¡±


    Lin Chen drew a horizontal line in the middle of the pyramid and then painted it a second color.


    ¡°Once a crime occurs, the entire group has changed from a simple social group to a criminal organization, but such a criminal organization is far more terrifying than those gangsters who hack people. A more appropriate name should be ¡®criminal group*¡¯.¡±


    *Clarity: Lin Chen is using a different term than criminal organization. This term, criminal group (·¸×ïȺÌå), is defined by psychology terminology. It refers to a group of criminals with different degrees of connection composed of multiple people and usually classified according to: 1. Degree of contact between members, 2. According to age, 3. According to nature of criminal activities, 4. According to participation of criminal activities.


    A third color appeared on the pyramid. Lin Chen continued, ¡°Since it¡¯s a criminal group, it has its general characteristics. In general, criminal groups are easy to instigate and trust. They tend to go to extremes and use a combination of positive and negative reinforcement. They will show a morality that isn¡¯t usually present, for example, convincing their members that they have an important mission that can only be completed if they carry out a massacre. These missions may bring prosperity to the organization or perhaps benefit all of mankind. It¡¯s never personal self-interest that dominates the group, but the spiritual beliefs shared by the group.¡±


    ¡°So what kind of spiritual beliefs do those children hold that they can even commit suicide for?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t help but be moved a little.


    ¡°For the collective benefit, for a better future¡­ One that they will no longer have.¡± Lin Chen felt a bit uncomfortable, and he almost began to regret his analysis. In the end, those criminals who committed suicide were all just poor children who yearned for a better life and were fooled by a false beauty. Maybe one day, when this case was opened, all bystanders would say how stupid those children were and how they could be easily deceived, as if they were mentally retarded.


    And at that time, he couldn¡¯t explain the so-called collective unconscious or the fragility of human psychology to those disdainful people one by one.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath and said, ¡°In any case, no matter what they want to do next, they must be stopped. This entire organization is constantly evolving, and it¡¯s very likely that even the mastermind can¡¯t fully control it now.¡±


    ¡°But we still don¡¯t know what their next goal is. What do they want to do¡­¡± Xing Conglian once again brought the topic to its most critical point.


    ¡°In fact, if it weren¡¯t for the fingerprints, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine¡­¡± Lin Chen stared at the last blank space on the pyramid and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the person behind the scenes wanted to remove Cheng Weiwei, so they installed a belief in her and the other two, including Wang Shishi, that their deaths could benefit the entire group. In fact, when someone gives their life for the group, the entire group will sublimate to a more invincible stage, which is also the fundamental purpose of the mastermind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying Cheng Weiwei¡¯s and Wang Shishi¡¯s deaths were used as catalysts, but what exactly are they trying to catalyze?¡±


    ¡°Hatred.¡± Lin Chen put down the chalk and said lightly, ¡°They hate them, so they want to kill them.¡±


    The riot on the rainy night and the small traps by the stairs¡ªif that wasn¡¯t the intention of the mastermind, then it only showed that this was a spontaneous action by a member of the group that wanted to kill the classmates around them.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t understand the source of this hatred, which transcended logic and was completely irrational but was ever so sincere.


    Perhaps it was due to the contempt they have suffered or the thoughts that have been instilled in them for a long time that have convinced them that those seemingly excellent people had taken away their love, status, and money. Those people weren¡¯t sanctimonious bastards at all and didn¡¯t deserve to have those things. One day, they would get back what was lost¡­


    The deaths of Cheng Weiwei, Wang Shishi, and the others were not only to make the members of the group believe that gossip was what killed their members, but also that the world was ugly and they must unite against those ugly and evil people around them.


    All this, perhaps starting when Wang Shishi¡¯s mother saw her daughter¡¯s sex video, was probably all calculated.


    Due to gossip, the girl committed suicide as a result, leaving behind an angry mother and indifferent classmates¡­


    In the eyes of ordinary people, this was the process of a black-hearted mother squeezing the last trace of value from her daughter, but in the eyes of the members of the group, every word of Wang Shishi¡¯s mother was their voice, and the indifferent world once again showed a mocking smile at them¡­


    In this case, simple instigation and suggestion could make the entire group look like a collapsing wave, frantically lapping at the rocks until they shatter to pieces.


    The triple suicide of Xu Haozhen and the others became the horn of charge, which was a cry of defiance to the entire world.


    The real butcher¡¯s knife, which was about to be waved, would come next.


    Lin Chen held onto his coffee cup tremblingly. The coffee inside had become bitter and cold.


    In the small jewelry store, those rhinestones emitted a dark and bright light. No one spoke, and even the sound of breathing was inaudible.


    ¡°In fact, their goal has been exposed a long time ago. They want to kill people, and they want to kill a lot of people, right?¡± Xing Conglian finally spoke. His voice was unexpectedly calm.


    It wasn¡¯t Lin Chen who answered his question but little comrade Wang Chao who was hiding in the corner.


    ¡°Cap¡­ Captain¡­ A¡­ A¡¯Chen¡­ Come take a look¡­ this¡­¡± the teenager said as he turned the laptop around in horror. In the middle of the screen, a bright red advertisement almost dyed people¡¯s eyes red.


    A huge black X ran across the entire piece of bright red background, and the four areas separated by the lines were filled with various types of knives and pipes. Those stacked weapons exuded a cold light on the screen, as if indicating the upcoming howl and blood.


    Under the advertisement, there was a small URL and a date and time.


    2016.4.14.18:00


    Xing Conglian glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the laptop and said, ¡°There are less than 20 hours left. We need to determine the specific location.¡±


    ¡°This was just sent by the other party?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Five bitcoins. Ah, 10,000 yuan to buy this¡­ Captain, I really don¡¯t want to spend money on this,¡± Wang Chao said with extreme sadness.


    ¡°The above didn¡¯t imply any location, only the time, which means they may attack anywhere in University City,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian nodded and stared at Wang Chao and asked, ¡°Has the content on the blackboard been restored?¡±


    ¡°I only found two days of it, but, Captain, is there any point in cracking the code now?¡± Wang Chao said as he opened the picture. ¡°I know you¡¯re looking for clues about where they are going to end up, but look, the store closed three days ago, which means the last information was updated three days ago. Will there be a location on it? Can a small blackboard issue orders to everyone in University City? Captain, do you have that much brain power¡­¡±


    When Xing Conglian was serious, he didn¡¯t talk much, so he didn¡¯t bother responding to Wang Chao¡¯s questions.


    Two blurred pictures appeared on the screen.


    Wang Chao had used the best algorithm to process the patterns on the blackboard, and the chalk handwriting could vaguely be seen.


    It was strange that despite only being one day apart, on one day, the blackboard says: [Today¡¯s Special Offer] and on the other day, it changed to [Special Recommendation]. This change did seem a bit strange.


    Xing Conglian looked at the two blackboards carefully, but apart from the menu, he couldn¡¯t see anything else.


    ¡°The key problem, Captain, is that even if it¡¯s a code, it will take some time to crack it¡­ Our IQ couldn¡¯t even understand that small statement from the bitcoin account¡­¡± Wang Chao lay in front of the computer and sighed. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s giving me a headache just looking at these numbers.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t respond. After a while, he straightened up and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Send the picture of Jiang Chao. The book ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯ is in the conference room. Let him try to crack it.¡±


    ¡°No way, you¡¯re counting on Captain Jiang?¡± Wang Chao suddenly remembered something and turned his head suddenly to look at the man who was standing beside him drinking coffee.


    Lin Chen also raised his eyes and looked at his old friend, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.


    Xing Conglian raised his eyebrows.


    All their lines of sight converged.


    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t.¡± Su Fengzi raised his hands in surrender. ¡°However, this is an area with the highest concentration of higher learning in the country. Is it really that difficult to find someone to decipher the code?¡±

 CH 78

    The name of the person Su Fengzi found was Ye Yan, a professor in the mathematics department of T University.


    At 11 PM, Professor Ye hastily arrived at the underground mall with a door key in hand.


    Most mathematicians usually had an unruly image¡ªProfessor Ye could be considered one of the best looking in terms of said standard. He had messy, curly hair and was wearing a pair of cotton slippers. After opening the door and entering, he didn¡¯t talk much. He was panting as he threw the key on the table and asked, ¡°What code do you want me to solve?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Ye Yan¡¯s appearance. He could almost imagine what kind of hellish mood the other party was in when he received Su Fengzi¡¯s call. Although he probably wanted to hang up, at the thought that the caller was Su Fengzi, he could only obediently get up from bed, go out, and take a taxi.


    Wang Chao had stepped aside in front of the laptop, and Jiang Chao¡¯s subordinates had already sent over the book ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡±.


    Ye Yan quickly flipped through the book, glanced at the restored price list on the screen, and then said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really a code.¡±


    ¡°Professor, Professor, are you sure? How come when we just look at it, it¡¯s all just garbled code!¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t read enough,¡± Ye Yan said calmly, as if he didn¡¯t want to stay here for a second longer. He casually pulled out a notepad, wrote down a few words, then threw it on the table and asked, ¡°Is there anything else? If not, I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Su Fengzi, who was leaning against the window, lost in his own world. Su Fengzi then turned to look at the angry Professor Ye and said with a shallow smile, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Shall we have dinner together?¡±


    ¡°Am I sick to go have a meal with you?¡±


    Su Fengzi was probably used to this kind of attitude, as he didn¡¯t seem angry but smiled instead.


    Seeing that Ye Yan was about to leave, Xing Conglian hurriedly stepped forward. ¡°Professor Ye, please wait a moment. Our technician is still restoring some images. We have to trouble you later.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you call me here so early.¡± Although Ye Yan spoke rudely, he still sat down.


    Lin Chen picked up the notepad.


    There were two short sentences written on it.


    [4.10 Home Farewell Dinner]


    [Wir waren tot und konnten atmen.]


    In the dim light, the black and white characters became more blurred.


    Despite his rough appearance, Lin Chen had to admit that Ye Yan¡¯s handwriting was quite good.


    ¡°Hey, the book is in Chinese. Why is it deciphered in English?¡± Comrade Wang Chao began to ask questions again under the principle of asking if he didn¡¯t understand something.


    However, Professor Ye didn¡¯t have the patience to teach and educate others. He crossed his arms and said coldly in Su Fengzi¡¯s direction, ¡°Am I also responsible for teaching the police how to solve the case?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Su Fengzi replied.


    The atmosphere between these two was subtly weird, especially as long as Su Fengzi was present, it wouldn¡¯t be normal.


    Lin Chen looked at the last two sentences translated by Ye Yan and handed the notepad to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°What day was the first one taken?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°April 8th,¡± Wang Chao replied.


    ¡°What about the second one?¡±


    ¡°April 10th. I¡¯m very lucky, Captain. They cleared the venue on April 10th. That was the last message before they left.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lin Chen was listening when Xing Conglian suddenly asked him this. After pondering for a moment, he slowly answered, ¡°The first one is very easy to understand. It¡¯s more like a schedule. On April 8th, the itinerary for April 10th would be arranged. This should be the location, referring to their usual meeting place, so the farewell dinner¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more appropriate to translate it as a break-up dinner.¡± Xing Conglian took out his phone and called Jiang Chao again. ¡°Lao Jiang, have your men investigate the whereabouts of the six deceased on April 10th and see if there was a meeting point.¡±


    ¡°The second line¡­¡± Lin Chen turned his head and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°German. It should be a poem,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Fuck, poetry?! So high and literate!¡± Wang Chao looked up from the screen and interjected. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit sick? They¡¯re spending a lot of effort to encrypt a line in a poem so no one will suspect them, ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a different feeling,¡± Lin Chen interrupted the teenager.


    Not only Xing Conglian, but even Ye Yan looked at him with a puzzled gaze.


    The underground mall at night was so quiet that there wasn¡¯t even the sound of footsteps.


    Lin Chen said softly, ¡°What it creates is a beautiful illusion. A code word that everyone keeps chanting silently in their hearts. It will give everyone incomparable power.¡±


    After the dinner party, before the death began, they would recite it silently in their minds.


    ¡°We were dead and could breathe.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was low, and his melodious voice was like a cello echoing in Lin Chen¡¯s ears. Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment before realizing he was talking about the poem.


    Without indulging in the poem¡¯s intention about death, Xing Conglian typed in the keywords on his phone and quickly searched out the full text.


    [Memory of France]


    You, think with me: the sky of Paris, the great autumn crocus¡­


    We bought hearts from the flower girls:


    they were blue and blossomed in the water.


    It started to rain in our room,


    and our neighbor came, Monsieur le Songe, a thin little man.


    We played cards, I lost the pupils of my eyes;


    you lent me your hair, I lost it, he struck us down.


    He left by the door, the rain followed him.


    The author of the poem was Paul Celan*, a Jewish poet who had gone through hardships.


    *Was a Romanian-born German-language poet and translator. He became one of the major German-language poets of the post-World War II era.


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Ye Yan glanced at it and couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Lin Chen shook his head, a bit speechless.


    Anyone who had read this poem could appreciate the cool and beautiful artistic conception of death in it. For those students, this was too attractive; death wasn¡¯t bloody but was beautiful.


    This made him suddenly think of the scene of his little shimei jumping down from the transparent blue sky. She was so happy, as if death were just another form of life.


    That was the last message left by the organization to the believers before they cleared the venue. In addition to inspiring and instigating, it had to have a symbolic significance.


    Of course, Lin Chen knew that what Xing Conglian wanted him to infer was an exact address from the poem. At 18:00 tomorrow, that would be where the students would end their lives.


    But the problem was that the intentions in poetry were complex and changeable, and what made things more complicated was that different people had tens of millions of different understandings of the same poem.


    We were dead and could breathe¡­


    So what was their understanding?


    As the cellphone passed from person to person, Xing Conglian took out a cigarette and looked at Lin Chen.


    ¡°Buy a heart, or is it blue? The heart is blue, floating in the water? The water in spring is green, and the only blue is sea water, but Yongchuan is also by the sea¡­¡± In this atmosphere, the only person who could keep talking was Wang Chao. ¡°Playing cards? Is there a card game in University City recently? I don¡¯t think there is. The neighbor, Mr. Le Songe¡­ the rain that¡¯s following him¡­ Who is he?¡±


    As the boy kept asking, the captain of the criminal division couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and knocked him hard on the back of the head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the exclusion method first.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said to Wang Chao, ¡°Bring up the topographic map of Yongchuan University City.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The teenager¡¯s hand rose and fell, and a gray 3D satellite image spread out. ¡°But A¡¯Chen, why do you think it¡¯ll be in Yongchuan University City? Shouldn¡¯t we focus on Yongchuan University first?¡±


    ¡°Now, it seems that tomorrow¡¯s incident at Yongchuan University is no longer likely. If I were mastermind, I would use the first two times to collectively attract the attention of the police and arrange the final highlight in an unexpected place¡­¡± Lin Chen said as he looked at Xing Conglian, but he found that the other party just raised his brows and was lost in his thoughts. Without any response, he continued, ¡°Since the primary purpose of the mastermind is to broadcast it live and make money, then we can exclude all areas that aren¡¯t monitored or have relatively weak surveillance coverage.¡±


    Wang Chao quickly turned all unmonitored areas gray.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s easy to say it would be in a public area, but many school classrooms have cameras. What if they rush in and attack a teaching building?¡± Wang Chao worriedly looked at the areas that were still bright.


    ¡°Since the object of their hatred is the ordinary classmates around them, they will inevitably choose densely populated areas with a high concentration of students.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said to Wang Chao, ¡°Please organize a list of student activities for each university in University City tomorrow. Give me a list.¡±


    ¡°Already sorted.¡± Wang Chao took out a piece of paper from his backpack and smiled. ¡°The Captain asked me to do it, so I was prepared!¡±


    Lin Chen looked at dozens of activities, large and small, on the paper, and finally understood the pressure on Xing Conglian.


    Probably earlier on, Xing Conglian had already considered suspending various activities due to the issue of deployment and control, but even if collective activities on campus could be suspended, there were still classrooms, cafeterias, libraries, and other crowded places. The entire University City had more than 200,000 students, and it was impossible to clear it all out overnight.


    Lin Chen gazed at the satellite map and was lost in thought.


    He suddenly heard Xing Conglian ask him, ¡°What do you imagine is the most dangerous and uncontrollable situation?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking, if it were me, how would I kill the most people in this situation, right?¡±


    ¡°You can interpret it like that.¡±


    ¡°They are a group, and only collective activities can make them feel the short-lived and incomparable power¡­¡± Lin Chen took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I will choose to slaughter in a closed place that outsiders can¡¯t break through in a short period of time¡­¡±


    After he finished this, no one in the shop spoke.


    A rotating display stand was still turning gently, and the crystal ornaments on it reflected colorful light.


    ¡°Then you can exclude all open places.¡± Xing Conglian took a pen and scratched out all the outdoor activities on paper and continued, ¡°The cafeterias are unlikely. The flow of people in them is too dense. Unless they have firearms, it¡¯s difficult for a niche group to control the number of students who are several times larger than them, and¡­¡±


    ¡°The cafeteria isn¡¯t elegant and beautiful enough,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°If they¡¯re killing, do they have to do it gracefully? Are they trying to match the BGM*?!¡± Wang Chao said angrily.


    *Background music.


    ¡°Since it needs to be elegant and beautiful, if the place doesn¡¯t satisfy that criterion, there will be some resistance¡­¡± Xing Conglian seemed to think of something and then asked Lin Chen, ¡°How likely are they to carry out the killing according to the content of that poem?¡±


    ¡°That poem has existed for a long time. If it¡¯s a code word or a slogan, then they should hope that the final killing feast will conform to the artistic conception.¡± Lin Chen thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Did you just say control?¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his brows, obviously thinking along the same lines as him.


    The two suddenly looked at each other but did not speak. Comrade Wang Chao began to worry. ¡°Control? You mean how they can control those innocent students?¡±


    ¡°Colchicum*¡­¡± Lin Chen looked at Wang Chao and said, ¡°Search for it and you can find a picture.¡±


    *Clarity: Commonly known as naked lady, autumn crocus, and meadow saffron. The reason why this gave Lin Chen his flash of inspiration is because when Xing Conglian said ¡®control¡¯ [kong zhi] (¿ØÖÆ) the pronunciation is similar to the English pronunciation of colchi, which Lin Chen then connected to colchicum, which is mentioned in the poem (autumn crocus).


    Hearing this, the teenager quickly entered the keywords in the image search box. He looked at the flowers that instantly covered the entire screen. After a while, he said calmly, ¡°This is, blue heart?¡±


    ¡°Colchicum is roughly pink, but when the light is dim, it will appear blue-purple,¡± Lin Chen explained.


    ¡°So they want to set the killing time in the evening?¡± Wang Chao swallowed. ¡°But what¡¯s the blue heart floating in the water¡­¡±


    ¡°Colchicine* is extremely toxic, and a lethal dose is about 0.8 mg/kg,¡± Lin Chen said lightly. ¡°It tastes relatively bitter, so the students may not take it to the point where they die, but its effects will still make those who eaten it by mistake weak and less resistant.¡±


    *Medication used to treat gout and Behcet¡¯s disease. It¡¯s formed from colchicum. It is toxic, and an overdose can cause organ failure.


    ¡°Poi¡­ Poisoning?¡± Wang Chao almost exploded in fright. ¡°Fuck me, what should I do? Are they going to poison the drinking fountains? Do we have to thoroughly investigate all water sources overnight, including bottled water in the school classrooms and libraries and mineral water that will be distributed at the events? But that workload is too large. What if the problem lies in the source manufacturer of drinking water, which has already flowed into the market?!¡±


    The teenager¡¯s brain hole was becoming so big that Lin Chen had to stop him. ¡°It won¡¯t be so difficult. Let¡¯s analyze it first. First, we haven¡¯t received any reports of colchicine poisoning. Assuming there¡¯s a batch of problematic water sources, it hasn¡¯t flowed into the market yet, and the supermarket distribution and school water delivery don¡¯t run this late at night, so we have time to stop this part of the water problem.¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and continued, ¡°Second, if it¡¯s a poisoning incident aimed at student activities, it¡¯s very likely that the batch of water sources has been purchased and will only be distributed to students at the right time. It¡¯ll be relatively difficult to prevent the distribution of free drinks. However, the most difficult to control is the third point. If colchicine is in the hands of the organization members, then the school¡¯s boiling water room and drinking fountains in the classroom will all become targets¡­¡±


    ¡°The third point is scary enough, but all three together~¡±


    Su Fengzi¡¯s voice came around the corner.


    ¡°Colchicine is very bitter. It¡¯s easy for students to find that there¡¯s a problem with the drinking water after taking a sip. The poisoning of drinking water facilities can¡¯t control the amount of drinking done by the students. If there¡¯s a similar poisoning situation, it¡¯s most likely just an auxiliary effect. It¡¯s used to distract the police and create an atmosphere of panic¡­¡± Xing Conglian spoke with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°The teaching building and the library can be ruled out. This should be a targeted attack.¡±


    When Lin Chen heard this, he looked at the list of tomorrow¡¯s activities compiled by Wang Chao again. Although most school activities began after class ended at 5:30, the time limit of 6 p.m. could still help them exclude some daytime activities.


    For the poisoning to be successful, drinking plenty of water was essential, so things like knowledge competitions, group initiation ceremonies, college assemblies, and lectures could also be temporarily excluded¡­


    What remained was an after-school indoor basketball game, as well as a singing competition at A University and a dance festival at T University¡­


    Lin Chen circled these three activities with a red pen and then looked at Xing Conglian.


    Tonight, Xing Conglian had spoken very little, especially since just now he had spent most of his time in deep thought. Obviously, when it came to such a difficult decision, even Xing Conglian struggled to make up his mind.


    There was still time before the live broadcast tomorrow evening. If they reacted quickly and used tough tactics, it was entirely possible they could wipe out the organization. Opportunities and danger often went hand in hand.


    For example, the best way to deal with this situation was to set up control at the three specific locations and deploy the police to resolve the problem.


    However, once they chose this method, it meant they couldn¡¯t alarm the snake in advance and must quietly wait for the other side to act.


    Just waiting like this would put public safety at great risk. They not only had to watch unsuspecting students drink highly toxic liquids and wait for them to be poisoned; they also had to ignore any possible poisoning of the public water supply.


    In this process, if any deaths or injuries occurred, it would be a heavy responsibility that they couldn¡¯t bear.


    Or, they could choose the simplest and easiest way to solve the problem. Go out and smash the door of the coffee shop open, then flick off the surveillance camera there and write down all their speculations.


    But the problem was, then what¡­


    It was possible that the organization would order a halt to their plans, leaving the group members dormant. It was also possible that there was a second set of plans within the organization and that they would not be able to guess the location of the next dangerous incident.


    Or, the organization could let its members walk en masse to one place and drink the highly toxic water in front of the entire school.


    Corpses would litter the campus and create an atmosphere full of mourning. Wouldn¡¯t that be fun?


    ¡°We can¡¯t take risks.¡± Xing Conglian finally spoke up.


    Lin Chen had not anticipated Xing Conglian¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Is there any way to change the will of this group before 6 tomorrow night?¡± Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian ask him this in a very solemn tone.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    I¡¯m not a literary type of person, let alone poetry, so I can¡¯t really tell you what the meaning behind Memory of France is. That will be left up to your interpretation. However, given Paul Celan¡¯s background¡ªthe deaths of his parents and his experience in a concentration camp, which defined his poetry and use of language¡ªI highly doubt the meaning of the poem is whatever these cultists (frankly it is what they are) think it means.

 CH 79

    ¡°Captain Xing is a very thoughtful person.¡± It was Su Fengzi who reacted faster than Lin Chen. His slightly mocking voice came from the corner.


    Su Fengzi narrowed his eyes, as if he were judging Xing Conglian for being too whimsical, but perhaps his words came from pure admiration.


    Lin Chen thought about what Xing Conglian had thought of earlier.


    The problem now was that no matter how they dealt with this situation, they would have to pay a corresponding price, whether it be for public safety or the health of the students. These were all prices that had to be paid, but they weren¡¯t the people qualified to do this exchange.


    It was like solving a plane geometry problem. No matter how they solved it, those auxiliary lines had to be added.


    ¡°Now we seem to have reached a dead end?¡± Lin Chen shook his head as he asked.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xing Conglian lit his cigarette.


    Looking at his silent but firm eyes, Lin Chen suddenly felt relaxed.


    ¡°The road to life always comes from the path of death.¡±


    He turned around and leaned on the counter and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°In our minds, what is the most ideal way to solve the crisis?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I hope they come forward to me and say, ¡®Uncle Policeman, I was wrong¡¯, and then put down the butcher¡¯s knife and become a Buddha.¡± Xing Conglian exhaled a puff of smoke.


    ¡°I can try,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Xing Conglian was shocked. He knew very well that his request just now was an almost impossible task. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to reverse the will of a group of lunatics in such a short period of time.


    But Lin Chen thought about it seriously and gave an equally serious response. He would try.


    Truly, he was arrogant.


    ¡°Shit, anti-brainwashing?¡± Comrade Wang Chao suddenly became excited.


    ¡°The theoretical basis is this. The members of the group have lost their individual personalities and replaced their individual will with the collective will. This is a state of collective unconsciousness that lacks cognitive ability¡­ Since it¡¯s an unconscious state, there¡¯s one thing that becomes useful.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Eh, like collective hypnosis? Although that sounds very powerful, is it really feasible?¡± Even the little comrade Wang Chao was skeptical.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated.¡± Lin Chen petted the teenager¡¯s soft hair and said lightly, ¡°If you want them to calm down, warnings, threats, and rational persuasion will have no effect. They are crazy and paranoid. It¡¯s the mastermind that made them what they are now. So, if the mastermind can brainwash them, why can¡¯t we do the same?¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, I think it makes sense!¡±


    ¡°How do we do it?¡± Before Wang Chao¡¯s voice fell, Xing Conglian spoke up decisively.


    ¡°It needs to be done step by step. First, what we have to deal with is a group of avengers full of hatred. Your goal is to hope that they appear in front of you, not in front of those innocent students. Then the only way is to¡­ pull hatred.¡±


    ¡°Pulling hatred?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like playing a game. If your ally cut the boss and does 10 damage and I cut the boss and does 100, the boss hatred for me will be higher, right?¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Yes, you can think of that group as a pack of wolves. How can you make wolves not attack a weak flock but instead attack the target we set for them?¡±


    ¡°You hurt them,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    But before he could continue, Wang Chao interjected, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just going in circles? We don¡¯t know how many there are, who they are, where they are, or how we can hurt them.¡±


    ¡°Not knowing who they are doesn¡¯t prevent us from having some exchange with them.¡± Lin Chen raised his head and looked at the camera, seeing red dots flashing in the opposite shop. ¡°Guess how many people are watching behind that camera?¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, your brain is just as big as the Captain¡¯s! You want to use the surveillance camera to brainwash them, but will there be that many people watching?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many people are watching. The important thing is that someone is watching.¡± Lin Chen paused, then continued, ¡°There are two inferences. First, if there are 100 people in that group, it¡¯s impossible for all of them to come here every day to read the message board, so we assume that they have their own internal means of transmitting information. Second, look at the shop. Even though they evacuated the space, the entire shop is still tidy, without a single trace of clutter. Assuming that this shop is very important to the group members, even if it¡¯s not a holy land in their minds, it¡¯s still an emotional and spiritual source, so if something bad happens to this store, do you think they won¡¯t feel uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°How do we anger them?¡± Wang Chao asked expectantly, as if he were ready to handle the task by himself.


    ¡°Since they have lost their humanity, it has devolved into animalistic behavior. For any social animal, the most uncomfortable thing is that your own territory is occupied and trampled on by others¡­¡± Lin Chen tilted his head. There was even a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Imagine if someone approaches your room and puts your most beloved handicraft on the floor and tramples it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuck him up!¡±


    ¡°Then what if that person who crushed your favorite handicraft is someone you truly hate?¡±


    ¡°Captain, if BlackJack did this, can you lend me some money?¡± Wang Chao asked as he turned his head to face Xing Conglian.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Hire some mercenaries to kill him!¡± the teenager replied angrily.


    Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly and said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Lin Chen was left momentarily speechless but quickly brought the topic back. ¡°So, if you agree to this plan, we¡¯ll need to find a way to exploit their hatred.¡± After speaking, he turned to look at the captain of the criminal division and said, ¡°The police obviously can¡¯t.¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his hands and said, ¡°I know, but you¡¯re acting with the police, so you can¡¯t do it either.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t. My personal strength is limited.¡± Lin Chen looked around the room. ¡°So we still need a group, one they despise vehemently. Although it may be too biased to say this, just imagine, if you were a member of that group, what kind of person would you hate the most?¡±


    ¡°People who are better than me?¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Prettier than me?¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Smarter than me?¡± Professor Ye said.


    ¡°Not only better, prettier, and smarter, but they are also extremely intelligent. In short, they are those who are favored and could offset a hundred times the efforts of ordinary people,¡± Su Fengzi concluded with a smile.


    ¡°Shit, are we going to drag all the school flowers and grass* in University City into the water?¡± Wang Chao rubbed his palms together excitedly. ¡°That seems very interesting.¡±


    *Refers to the most beautiful/handsome girl/boy that¡¯s recognize by everyone in school (aka the school hunk/beauty).


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on Xing Conglian.


    The captain of the criminal division was still thinking. Suddenly, Lin Chen saw him raise his head and asked, ¡°Is it too late?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous, mainly because the layout takes time¡­¡±


    He wanted to continue to elaborate, but Xing Conglian stopped him with his sharp eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± was all that the captain of the criminal division said.


    Xing Conglian was a simple person.


    Lin Chen realized the meaning behind his simple response. It roughly meant, ¡°I decided we¡¯re doing it, and I¡¯ll take full responsibility. You just need to do it.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t say anything else. He nodded at Xing Conglian and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now almost close to midnight. Time was more constrained than he thought.


    His tone also became solemn. ¡°Professor Ye, I will have to trouble you.¡±


    ¡ª-


    Ye Yan was a person who was afraid of trouble.


    After all, most people who engaged in mathematics liked to nest in their own territory and think about problems that they were interested in.


    And these questions of interest obviously didn¡¯t include how to be a good actor.


    He looked at the row of red brushes and paint cans in front of him, extremely depressed.


    ¡°Does it really have to be me?¡± He scratched his head irritably, restraining his desire to kick over the paint bucket in front of him.


    ¡°Yes. Time is tight. It doesn¡¯t allow you to write down the calculation process and let us find students to recite it,¡± Lin Chen explained.


    Ye Yan always thought he was crazy, but he didn¡¯t expect anyone to be crazier than him.


    Just a few minutes ago, the police sent two buckets of red paint and a row of brushes. His task was to use these props to paint the process of unlocking their coded language with blood red characters all over the coffee shop, leaving a naked provocation at the end.


    How heartless could someone be to come up with such an idea?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can turn your back to the camera the entire time so they can¡¯t see your face.¡±


    ¡°Then why should I wear his clothes!¡± Ye Yan tugged at the smoky gray suit that didn¡¯t really fit him and made him uncomfortable all over.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ of all the people present, only my clothes looked the most expensive.¡± The owner of the suit reached out his hand and gently tidied up the hem of his shirt for him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to get my clothes dirty!¡± Ye Yan looked at Su Fengzi wearing his outfit and became even angrier. Why did the same clothes look like they were made for dogs on Su Fengzi¡¯s body?


    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Fengzi said as he tied the tie for him. ¡°Please pay attention to safety.¡±


    It was rare for Ye Yan to hear Su Fengzi speak so solemnly that he suddenly felt inexplicably moved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get my clothes dirty. It¡¯s really expensive,¡± Su Fengzi added.


    The empty coffee shop stood quietly in the corner of the underground world.


    A hammer had already been prepared. Wang Chao had calculated the range of the surveillance on the camera in advance, so everyone stood in its blind spot.


    Ye Yan was barefoot. He tugged at his tie, lifted the hammer, and took a step forward. He raised the hammer high and swung with all his strength.


    A loud crash sounded, and glass exploded as the hammer flew into the store.


    Ye Yan stepped on the glass ballast all over the floor and walked into the dark coffee shop.


    The floor was the color of pure wood, but at this moment it was stained with broken pieces of glass. The man who walked into the store threw down the paint bucket daintily, causing a few drops of bright red paint to spatter out and fall onto the floor like blood.


    Like all crazy character settings, once standing in the field in which he was confident, Ye Yan didn¡¯t need any acting skills to portray the contempt mortals had for geniuses.


    With one hand in his pocket and the other holding a paint brush, he tilted his head slightly and began to write casually and neatly on the walls as if there were rousing music playing. Ye Yan¡¯s strokes were moving faster and faster.


    The lights were dim, and his back looked rebellious and free.


    It was like a god writing runes or a painter splashing ink indiscriminately.


    Numbers one by one formed formulas, and they grew and spread on the snow-white walls at an alarming rate. More and more red paint dripped slowly along the walls, sprawling in tiny lines that looked like blood-red vines.


    Looking at the blood-red handwriting spreading in the shop, Xing Conglian said, ¡°A normal person like me would want to rush in and beat him up.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m getting goosebumps,¡± Wang Chao said as he rubbed his arms.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough.¡± Lin Chen stood with his hands in the air and spoke quietly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still like I said. The power of an individual is always limited. It¡¯s impossible for a group to turn their spreadhead because of an individual¡¯s resistance. The only thing that can attract a group is another group.¡±


    ¡°We want them to think that Professor Ye isn¡¯t alone and that there are others behind him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we want them to think that behind Professor Ye stand those whom they hate to the point of madness, those who can humiliate them and crush them without any effort and are completely out of their reach. We want to think that the people provoking them are those that are blessed by the heavens.¡±


    ¡°But how do we do that?¡±


    ¡°The group only accepts suggestions, so we can make up stories,¡± Lin Chen said, tilting his head slightly and looking at Su Fengzi.

 CH 80

    Whether one believed it or not, there were always people who were particularly good at making up stories. The stories they created seem bizarre, but they could make a three-year-old believe in them until they got much older.


    So starting from the Yongchuan University campus, where two terrifying mass suicides occurred, a mysterious rumor began to circulate throughout University City.


    At first, the rumor only appeared on the public forum of Yongchuan University City, and the entire topic post was decisively deleted by the administrator after a few minutes. If it weren¡¯t for the good people who quickly took screenshots, it was likely that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to see the content of the entire post.


    History was made through gossip.


    The time was 1:13 a.m. on April 14th.


    Most of the school¡¯s dorms had turned off their lights, but a majority of the students were still hiding under their blankets, glued to their phones as they browsed the internet.


    Therefore, when the students saw a blood picture in their Moments, it wasn¡¯t too late.


    From the small picture, it seemed to be a wall under dim lighting. The overall tone was as dark as the picture. The photo unfolded smoothly, and the bright red font caught the eyes of the students. It was just a wall that was covered in bright red paint.


    Countless numbers and unknown characters covered the entire wall, seemingly forming a collection of formulas, making the scene quite miserable.


    Where was this?


    What was going on?


    What kind of psychopath was doing math on the wall?


    Many students thought of this and naturally turned off the picture and continued to chat about school gossip in their smaller friend groups, discussing topics such as which certain department¡¯s grass was having an affair with which school flower or whether a certain celebrity was cheating again.


    Nevertheless, the unresolved question didn¡¯t disappear immediately.


    When the second photo appeared, it quickly swept through the student¡¯s circle.


    Someone shouted in the group: [Hurry up and look at Yongchuan University City BBS. Something happened to Phoenix Pedestrian Street!]


    Soon, the entire message with the address of the same forum was quickly copied and pasted into different WeChat groups.


    Even though the tone of the message was exaggerated, many students still followed the link and found the situation to be far less serious than what it was made out to be.


    It looked as if a shop in the underground pedestrian street of the Phoenix Book Mall was vandalized with a bunch of mathematical formulas.


    The glass door was smashed to pieces, covering the original clean wooden floor with glass and a hammer. Bright red characters were oozing under the green fluorescence of the ¡°Emergency Exit¡± sign. Other than that, it didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal.


    Therefore, students who were hoping to see gossip felt disappointed, and the replies below expressed their boredom.


    [Shit, who¡¯s painting someone else¡¯s shop red? Are they sick?]


    [The probability of those mentally ill in the mathematics department is pretty high.]


    [I thought it was a Uniqlo*. Uniqlo¡­]


    *Japanese clothing retail company. Most likely the commenter is jokingly referring to their logo, which is all red and white characters (based on the picture being posted).


    [LZ*, go to hell. This post should just die.]


    *Internet slang referring to original poster (of the thread).


    [Don¡¯t always post shit and try to blow it up!]


    Most people were too lazy to reply to the post, and those who were idle enough to fart, replied to the post and then closed the page.


    The first person to find the situation abnormal was the administrator of Yongchuan University City BBS.


    When he clicked to delete the post, he found that the forum system gave him an error, prompting him that there was a problem with the administrator account and kept reminding him that he didn¡¯t have the permission to do so. As a responsible forum administrator, he quickly called the school forum maintainer and reported the problem.


    However, just when he called, a ¡°marked red¡±, ¡°highlighted¡±, and ¡°refined¡± subject post floated swaggeringly on the homepage. The content was also ostentatious¡ªplease don¡¯t delete my post. If you try again, there will be consequences.


    The ID of the poster was the same as the owner of the poster in the photo building.


    Occasionally, some students returned to the homepage of the forum, saw the pinned post, and became confused about the situation for a while. When they clicked back to the ¡°building photo post¡± again and went down to the very last reply, they found that someone had summarized the key points of the entire thing.


    It was roughly as follows:


    [The poster with the ID SF9706 posted a bloody wall photo on the BBS of Yongchuan University City. After the post was published, it was quickly deleted by the administrator. This act of deleting the post seemed to have angered the poster, so the person went and posted another post of the same photo and arrogantly pinned a subject post on the home page, warning the administrator not to make any small moves.]


    Naturally, this wasn¡¯t something the administrator themselves would do¡ªto pin a post to the top¡ªso the only one who would do this was SF9706 himself.


    The ¡°building photo post¡± was still there, and the ¡°warning post¡± was pinned at the top. It seemed that the administrator of Yongchuan University City BBS was either asleep or had been hacked out of his permission.


    [The SB* administrator deleted my post a minute ago. It seems that someone has really removed their permission?]


    *Slang referring to ¡°dumb cunt¡±.


    A new reply soon appeared in the ¡°building photo post¡±. It was a screenshot of the time of deletion, which proved the fact that the administrator had lost their rights.


    If this had been an ordinary shop that had been smashed and vandalized, it might make the news, but now that the school forum had been captured by the enemy, things didn¡¯t seem to be so simple.


    The conclusion could only mean that behind this incident, there was a tech powerhouse that could kill the administrator¡¯s permission on the school forums in seconds.


    The question then arose, why did this technical powerhouse hack into Yongchuan University City BBS in order to post and prevent these two photos from being deleted?


    What was written on the walls? What did the person who wrote those things want to do? What did the person who posted the photo want to do?


    Everyone had different questions in their hearts, so the comments under the ¡°building photo post¡± immediately flooded in.


    [Holy shit, who¡¯s the landlord trying to fight with?]


    [LZ, what happened to that store? What are you doing?]


    [It seems that it¡¯s really the underground pedestrian street under Phoenix Book Mall. When I passed by after 9 tonight, it looked fine?]


    [Did LZ hack the forum?]


    [The Emperor of Mathematics and the Emperor of Computers have made a move?]


    [Does anyone understand what¡¯s written on the wall?]


    [Can LZ speak human language? My low IQ can¡¯t afford it!]


    The number of replies increased at a rate visible to the naked eye, and the onlookers gradually realized that cracking the content on the wall seemed to be key to understanding the entire gossip.


    [I can¡¯t see it very clearly, but it seems to be solving something?]


    [Reconsidering LZ, is this really cracking some kind of code?]


    [People still use codes? Is this espionage?]


    [It feels like some big news is about to spill!]


    It wasn¡¯t just the Yongchuan University City Forum that was lively.


    The police force of the second division of Yongchuan was also brightly lit all night.


    ¡°Dare to delete laozi¡¯s post. Hmph! Truly brave¡­¡± In the office, comrade Wang Chao opened another can of energy drink. After taking a sip, he refreshed the page again and reviewed the new comments.


    Sure enough, they didn¡¯t need to guide public opinion. The conspiracy theories in the picture post were already running rampant. The brains of the students had expanded from the mathematics department to an alien invasion of Earth, and they were still expanding.


    Though time was getting late, the number of people watching was increasing.


    ¡°You must hold on for a while! Don¡¯t go to bed so early!¡± The teenager, who was controlling the entire situation in front of the screen, murmured to himself.


    Before he could speak again, he heard someone ask, ¡°How¡¯s traffic?¡±


    ¡°The number of people online is 973, but the increase has slowed down,¡± Wang Chao replied. He thought for a while and then said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, do we have enough time?¡±


    After listening to Lin Chen¡¯s fully laid-out plans, Wang Chao, as the executor, wasn¡¯t worried that it wouldn¡¯t work. What he was worried about was the time it would take for it to take effect.


    After all, they were now using the Yongchuan University City forum to deliver the information they wanted to deliver to over 200,000 students in entire University City. In this process, the most uncontrollable thing was the time required for the transmission of this information.


    ¡°Large-scale information dissemination depends on accumulation and sudden outbreaks, which we often call the tipping point. As long as the tipping point is controlled, we still have enough time.¡± Lin Chen pinched the teenager¡¯s worried face and said, ¡°The number of online visitors has reached 1,000. Post the next content.¡±


    The students who frantically flocked to Yongchuan University City BBS probably wouldn¡¯t have thought that every reaction they had was the result of being artificially manipulated.


    The midnight blood letters not only kept gossip going all night, but they even alarmed the big shots in various fields in University City.


    The account of the most famous mathematics department on the BBS lit up, and the homepage of the forum was instantly swept with admirers.


    [Fuck, is Xuan Ge online???]


    [Xuan Ge, Xuan Ge, solve the problem!]


    [Xuan Ge, I love you. I love you. I love you.]


    [Xuan Ge is here to decode. What does the picture say?]


    Questions flooded in, but the account named CXUAN quickly went dark after being lit up and didn¡¯t leave any replies.


    Even so, the speculation of onlookers didn¡¯t stop there.


    There were rumors that CXUAN, the most talented student in the mathematics department of Yongchuan University, was Chen Xuan. The reason why Chen Xuan was so famous wasn¡¯t because of the dozens of math trophies he had won, but because of his face.


    Chen Xuan was incredibly handsome; the type that could be on the front page of a magazine.


    Soon, Chen Xuan¡¯s fanatical fans began to tout Xuan Ge¡¯s glorious deeds to onlookers who didn¡¯t know much about him. Of course, while praising him, it was also necessary to attach his speech as the president of the student union at the opening ceremony.


    Until the big shots of the fine arts department went online, most girls were focused on licking* their screens.


    *Slang basically referring to drooling over someone (they¡¯re so hot you can help but lick the screen of their picture).


    It was almost 1 in the morning, but the number of people online was as stable as a mountain.


    Naturally, the fine arts department¡¯s big shot was far superior to the icy department grass. She had deliberately clicked on the ¡°building photo post¡± that was covered with comments and then replied: [This signature¡­ I seemed to have seen it somewhere before?]


    Like digging a ditch to guide the water, the eyes of onlookers fell on a small area in the lower right corner of the wall.


    It was a strange figure composed of three semicircles with small marks on the front and back, like unfinished wavy lines, but after careful observation, it was found that, compared to the scribbled writing of the formulas, the three semicircles seemed to be drawn more seriously. Since the big shot of the fine arts department had identified the wavy lines as a signature, a person who would leave their signature on such a bloody work must be extremely arrogant.


    [I seemed to have seen this signature as well?]


    [LZ is it a code? SF???]


    [Can you stop being so mysterious upstairs? Is this a coded message? Give it to us straight.]


    [I don¡¯t think I need to sleep tonight¡­]


    The issue of signatures once again brought the discussion in the comments to a climax. Various speculations emerged in an endless stream in the increasing number of floors*, and soon someone asked the most critical questions.


    *Clarity: Floors refers to the replies under a comment. The original comment and the replies under it make up the ¡°building¡±. When someone refers to upstairs, it¡¯s referring to a previous comment above them.


    [The code the girl upstairs is referring to is talking about three graves?]


    It was as if dry wood had been ignited by fire or water had dripped into a pan full of oil.


    With everyone speculating what was in the post, a pattern and a simple keyword could instantly inspire many crazy associations, and even without deliberate guidance, the association Lin Chen wanted would naturally appear.


    [Shit, it¡¯s not related to the three corpses dug up at Yongchuan University, right? I¡¯m getting goosebumps!]


    Finally, someone said it.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    For those who read YRILGPED, which I translated, you know how much disdain I have for translating online comments. It just gives me a headache because there¡¯s so much slang, and it¡¯s also a pain. This chapter is giving me PTSD from those days again.

 CH 81

    The keywords that were coded were obviously patents for the small group, just like you need to show your membership card when walking into a high-end club; the threshold itself represented a status.


    When most people see a tall wall, they immediately fantasize about the world behind it, not to mention the laborious access controls required to open it. The more mysterious things were, the more they would stimulate interest in the discussion.


    Therefore, an hour and twenty minutes after the photos were posted, the number of replies grew wildly again.


    At first, everyone was just discussing the connection between the ¡°signature¡± and the ¡°three graves¡± to the buried corpses found on the Yongchuan University campus. The person who proposed this idea was sprayed* badly at first. After all, it was nighttime, and no one wanted to associate bedtime gossip with death.


    *Slang referring being scolded/cursed at (usually online).


    But perhaps the more bizarre the idea, the more intriguing it was.


    Soon, someone posted another photo, as if to prove that the signatures of the three semicircles had indeed existed.


    It was a document from many years ago. Because the person who posted deliberately cut off the large picture, people couldn¡¯t see the full text. They could only see the date, which was July 17, 2003, and in the signature line, there wasn¡¯t a name, but only three semicircles connected before and after, arranged from small to large.


    [What¡¯s going on? Did someone use this signature more than ten years ago?]


    [How scary. What exactly is that document?]


    [Ahhhhhh, I want to know so badly!]


    [I enlarged the picture and took a look. This seems to be a three-party written contract. One party seemed to be victims of medical fraud. This was signed in 2003, so it reminds me of a group of elderly people who collectively sued a pharmaceutical company for defrauding them out of a lot of money, but that company refused to admit it. For some reason, that case didn¡¯t seem to constitute a fraud case¡­]


    [Is 1378L a teacher? Do you remember everything in 2003?]


    [Hello teacher. Teacher almost hit the jackpot*!]


    *Referring to Fast 8 (¿ì°Ë), which is a welfare lottery in China (note that the term welfare here means that the government raises funds for social welfare through lottery revenue). This comment is saying that this poster (assuming 1378 is the person behind all this) almost hit the jackpot because he was part of this big fraud case (if he had won the lawsuit and got a big payout (jackpot)).


    [I seem to have found the news. It seems to show teacher 1378L, but there¡¯s no follow-up. What¡¯s going on?]


    [In the end, it seems the two sides reconciled, but I don¡¯t know how that happened.]


    [Oh, oh, oh. I searched according to teacher¡¯s clues. The last news was about the Anhua Pharmaceutical fraud case was on July 15, 2003. There seems to be now news after that, I guess the three-party contract on July 17th resolved the matter?]


    The story fell here, but there was another clue.


    It seems that in 2003, an unknown person, together with the elderly, signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company to resolve the medical fraud case.


    [Everyone, it seems there¡¯s something weird about this story. For some reason, there¡¯s a mysterious group in your University City. This gang has been lurking for more than ten years. Whenever there¡¯s a major incident in your city, these people will come out and help the weak?]


    [1501L, can you stop spouting such bullshit because of the recent Batman release? We¡¯re not living in the DC universe!]


    [According to 1501L, this group of people is going to come out now?]


    [Could it be the suicide case was a murder and there¡¯s a serial killer in University City?]


    [What the hell are you talking about upstairs? I won¡¯t be able to sleep at night¡­]


    [Shit, three people jumped at our school today. All of them committed suicide, so how can there be a serial killer?]


    [I don¡¯t know? Maybe they were forced?]


    [I also saw the police at night. In short, there are police everywhere in our school now. The more I talk about it the scarier it becomes. When will this case be solved? I dare not go out tomorrow!]


    [I feel sorry for the students of Yongchuan University.]


    Just when the chat content gradually turned to waxing and pity, someone finally couldn¡¯t help but jump out to reply.


    [Uh, actually, I once received an invitation to join a club with that signature painted on it, but I didn¡¯t get accepted in the end. I¡¯ll stop here. It¡¯s up to you if you believe it or not.]


    The reply wasn¡¯t long and was hidden among the various conspiracy theories that were swiping the screen.


    But soon, someone extracted this reply.


    [They really exist?]


    [Damn, I really don¡¯t know what to think.]


    [Think about what? There¡¯s some kind of gang in University City? How did you receive the application for membership? This isn¡¯t well edited at all, hahaha.]


    [I¡¯m 1501. I¡¯m just guessing!]


    [The original commenter said believe it or not. How come people can¡¯t KY*? Anyway, it¡¯s good to live in your little na?ve world.]


    *Comes from the Japanese term [Kuuki Yomenai] (¿ÕšÝ¤òÕi¤à) meaning ¡°read the air/room¡± as in understanding other people¡¯s emotions and thoughts in the room (or in this case this chat thread).


    [Does anyone feel the creeps like me? How deep is the water in this matter?]


    [Please add me.]


    [Add me too.]


    ¡ª-


    It was as if someone was pinching a watch and always putting out the most intriguing news at the most appropriate time. Despite it being nearly 2 a.m., the number of people online had only increased.


    A mysterious and unknown campus organization only appeared when the police couldn¡¯t do justice. This kind of speculation made people¡¯s blood boil and pushed this campus organization to a noble and mysterious pedestal.


    Various rumors continued pouring in like snowflakes.


    Some people broke the news that only true elite students could get an invitation letter from that campus organization. After that, they had to pass a series of tests before they could finally join. This was why most people had never heard of this organization; its mysterious existence was only known to the elite students.


    Later, there were replies that gradually confirmed the previous speculation, and some people even gave the criteria for membership in the organization: During the four-year tenure of university study, you must rank first in the first three years of your major, and you would receive an invitation in the fourth year.


    This threshold was also one of the reasons why that organization was so little known.


    For a while, rumors about the student organization were rampant. Some people even revealed its name. It wasn¡¯t called the ¡°Awesome Club¡± or the ¡°Elite Club¡± but ¡°Three Graves¡±.


    The appearance of the three graves that appeared on campus enraged the organization¡¯s leader, so they surfaced.


    Of course, all this was pure speculation.


    However, since the speculation existed, it both showed that people were constantly going through clues and chasing the truth behind the matter, and usually, people believe more in what they have unearthed with their own hands, whether it was the truth or not.


    Therefore, someone began to organize a list of the top-ranking students in all the schools of Yongchuan University City over the years since 2000. Such a feat would be a vast project, but they were in a university where there would be students with skills. Soon, someone wrote a small program to filter the list.


    Finally, it was concluded that there have been no more than 150 such gods over the past decade or so.


    With the list, naturally, those who were particularly gossipy would start reaching out to those on it. They called these seniors, who had ranked first for three years, in the middle of the night. One worked as a small clerk in a bank after graduation and didn¡¯t seem to have any special development in ¡°saving the world¡±, but the senior¡¯s words were quite vague, neither proving nor denying the existence of such an organization.


    In short, the story became even more mysterious.


    Gossip moved people.


    There was nothing more powerful than gossip, so the midnight gossip that took place on the forum spread into real life through the connections with real people.


    Some dorms even suddenly turned on their lights, while others had notification sounds suddenly ringing in their bedrooms. Other bedrooms had people who hadn¡¯t stopped talking all night. Naturally, there were those who thought this was purely a farce and turned off their computer and went to sleep.


    However, none of this prevented people from fantasizing about a hidden elite organization.


    The number of replies quickly passed the 2,000 mark, and the public¡¯s opinion seemed to be moving in the established direction, but Xing Conglian felt a bad feeling in his heart.


    Because on the list of the 150 people, he saw Lin Chen¡¯s name.


    It stood to reason that it would be strange if Lin Chen¡¯s name wasn¡¯t there. After all, Consultant Lin should be a top student, but in fact, the entire list had been adjusted by Wang Chao. Lin Chen¡¯s name could not have appeared on it, but it did, which meant that this arrangement was purposefully done at Lin Chen¡¯s behest.


    Xing Conglian looked to his left, full of hesitation.


    The incandescent lamp was too bright.


    Lin Chen leaned back in the office chair. His hand was carrying a pot of coffee, and his eyes were half-squinted, as if he were asleep. Xing Conglian leaned back in his chair and refreshed the page.


    A photo dropped in the latest reply.


    Xing Conglian sat upright without feeling too surprised. This was completely Lin Chen¡¯s style of doing things.


    The photo showed the crime scene. It was the vast rooftop where Lin Chen looked indifferently at the girl who jumped off it.


    About half a day ago, this photo caused an uproar in the Yongchuan University forum. After being forcibly suppressed, it had now appeared again.


    After the photo, Lin Chen¡¯s four-year college transcript and ranking were published with four ¡°1¡± that were extraordinaryly eye-catching.


    [Fucking hell. Is that person named Lin Chen really from ¡°Three Graves¡±? Did ¡°Three Graves¡± really have a person appear at the scene of the crime?]


    [I told you! ¡°Three Graves¡± must really exist. Please continue peeling* this building.]


    *Internet buzzword referring to publishing people¡¯s ugly photos and scandals. || In this case, it¡¯s saying to keep posting more information about ¡°Three Graves¡± in this comment section.


    [Me, me, me. I¡¯m going to start believing in this shit. It can¡¯t be that the person from ¡°Three Graves¡± discovered the problem of these suicide cases and then¡­]


    [Count me in. It feels like a battle between the Justice League and the Axis of Evil!]


    [Ahhhhhhhhh. Although it¡¯s fantasy, I don¡¯t think this matter is simple. I suspect the wall paintings is a declaration of war.]


    [What the hell is a declaration of war?]


    [Upstairs been reading too much comics, but I¡¯m believing it too? What should I do? I¡¯m so caught up in this that I don¡¯t want to sleep tonight¡­]


    The comment flow became crazy again, but suddenly, everyone who refreshed the page found that the forum had become [This page is not accessible], and the uppercase 504 made everyone¡¯s hearts sink.


    Wang Chao rang his finger and tapped the enter button again.


    Like a dam opening its gates and allowing the water to cascade down, the number of replies grew exponentially again.


    [What happened just now?]


    [Too many visitors that the forum couldn¡¯t handle it?]


    [Wait, look at the number of floors. This seems wrong.]


    [It seems that one floor has been evacuated. It happened during that 504.]


    [Wait, let¡¯s look at the number of floors. It seems a bit wrong.]


    [It seems that one floor has been taken out. It happened that at the 504 just now, one floor fell.]


    [What floor was taken out?]


    [Holy shit, my heart¡¯s going to stop. Fortunately, I was fast and took a screenshot, refusing to jump to another area¡­ How lucky¡­]


    [??????]


    [Screenshot +1]


    [Ahhhh, I didn¡¯t see it. What the hell is it? Can anyone share it? I¡¯ll give you my number xxxx]


    [My email is xxxx]


    [What exactly was erased? Is there any information about it?]


    [Uh, I can¡¯t say it. I¡¯m afraid the technology emperor who¡¯s monitoring this will block the IP. In short, I can only say that everyone¡¯s guess isn¡¯t wrong. I¡¯m so scared to even go pee!]


    [Use your cellphone to say it. Our dorm¡¯s IP has been blocked, so I can¡¯t touch it. In short, that picture really can¡¯t be posted¡­]


    [The great God is so cruel!!!]


    [Kowtowing to the great God. Praying to the Almighty that they won¡¯t block the IP.]


    [Increase the number so it won¡¯t fail!]


    [This feels divine. Should I pray too?]


    The floor was abruptly removed, data was erased, ID was banned, and IP was blocked¡­


    Couldn¡¯t speak about it, couldn¡¯t speak about it, couldn¡¯t speak about it¡­


    The sudden high-pressure policy made it no longer doubtful whether the so-called ¡°Three Graves¡± really existed.


    The entire story had been compiled to the present, and the replies had stopped speculating and discussing and turned to the development of a personality cult.


    The students gradually began to believe there was such an organization that guarded the tranquility of the entire University City. They began to believe that the elite student organization had appeared now precisely because of the successive suicides in University City. After collecting extraordinary evidence, they declared war on the evil forces before the police.


    This was probably the effect that Lin Chen wanted; a perfect effect.


    Xing Conglian furrowed his brows.


    The sound of friction coming from a chair scraping the floor resounded in the silent office.


    Xing Conglian looked up, saw Lin Chen stand up, and walked out of the room. Without even making eye contact, Xing Conglian stood up and followed him out.


    It was the same corridor with the windows that were still half open.


    Lin Chen waited for him, standing next to the pot of broad-leaved plants that were taller than a person. The first thing he said was, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t even get angry.


    ¡°So you arranged it and set only yourself as the target?¡±


    ¡°The story can only be made up like this. There¡¯s no better way. When the internet closes tomorrow, I must be present, because¡­¡±


    ¡°Because?¡±


    ¡°Because my bluffing skills are extraordinary,¡± Lin Chen said this sincerely. His gaze was clear and sober, without any kind of fanaticism that was common in the eyes of those patients who had thoughts of heroic endeavor. Xing Conglian also believed that he wasn¡¯t sacrificing the ego for the superego. Perhaps things could only go like this, and this was the only way out.


    Xing Conglian put his hands in his pockets and felt that he couldn¡¯t continue and wanted to walk away.


    Just in the moment he turned around, he suddenly realized that what he cared about wasn¡¯t Lin Chen¡¯s actions or risking his personal safety again, but that Lin Chen didn¡¯t tell him about this in advance.


    Thinking of this, he naturally turned back and spoke out his thoughts. ¡°Have you ever thought you could have told me this in advance?¡±


    But before Lin Chen could answer, Xing Conglian waved his hand and said, ¡°Actually, you knew well that if you told me that you¡¯re using yourself as bait again, I would definitely object, right? Then it was more straightforward to let me see the result of your perfect solution than to spend a lot of effort to convince me.¡± He paused and looked at Lin Chen¡¯s clear eyes and continued solemnly, ¡°You¡¯re too smart and know everyone¡¯s thoughts too well, so it¡¯s easy for you to give up your efforts to change the minds of others. But you know, this isn¡¯t a good thing.¡±


    He saw Lin Chen¡¯s lips tremble slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t give Lin Chen a chance.


    ¡°I hope that if something similar happens next time, you can try to convince me. Although I¡¯m indeed stubborn, I am also willing to listen¡ªat least willing to listen to what you have to say.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he walked away without looking back.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Please, no more passerby comments. I¡¯m dying here.

 CH 82

    Right now, it was an inappropriate point in time for him to respond, but in life, there were always moments where people would act inexplicably.


    It was like a flower with dew or a roasted potato on a winter¡¯s night; for Lin Chen, he spent too much time giving advice and making suggestions to others, so it came as a surprise to hear someone admonish him. While shock came first, he became deeply moved, and, finally, the only emotion he felt left was touched.


    The night breeze carried the wetness of the morning dew.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s back and gradually moved towards the light. The white light made the figure shaggy before it disappeared around the corner.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen felt a darkness in front of him. Someone had covered his eyes with a hand.


    ¡°Tsk, don¡¯t look back. Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Su Fengzi¡¯s playful voice sounded in his ears.


    Lin Chen grabbed Su Fengzi¡¯s wrist, turned around, and was flabbergasted. ¡°Is it time to talk about such things now?¡±


    ¡°What kind of thing? The thing where your unshakable heart finally begins to sprout or is it that your clear and restrained eyes are staring at your work partner?¡± Su Fengzi leaned over slightly. Lin Chen had the feeling that he was going to be seen through by him. Just when he wanted to interrupt, he heard Su Fengzi say, ¡°But no matter what it is, it¡¯s not just about when you get married. You still have to pick an auspicious date, no?¡±


    When it came to verbal fights, Lin Chen felt that Su Fengzi was invincible.


    ¡°Your use of metaphors is so bad, it¡¯s no wonder why your books don¡¯t sell.¡± Lin Chen had no choice but to quip back like so.


    Su Fengzi, on the other hand, was not one to tolerate interruptions.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll change my wording. You don¡¯t really like that officer, do you?¡± Su Fengzi asked bluntly.


    Lin Chen had also thought about the kind of scene when his emotions were revealed, but unlike the imagined nervousness or disorientation, when he heard Su Fengzi ask this question, he didn¡¯t have any anxiety or panic but was rather quite calm.


    After all, this moment would come eventually, and there was nothing wrong with it coming now. Then, since that was so, there was nothing wrong with telling him the truth.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he replied.


    Hearing this, even Su Fengzi was surprised. ¡°You could at least be reserved.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Chen put his hands in his pocket, not quite understanding what Su Fengzi meant.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re gay now. Shouldn¡¯t you have any sense of entanglement that violates worldly ethics or a sense of fear that your feelings won¡¯t be responded to? In short, shouldn¡¯t you be at least ashamed?¡±


    ¡°I like him. What does that matter to him?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Too often, the pain of love came from having your feelings unreciprocated, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t have this kind of problem.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Finally, even Su Fengzi¡¯s tone was no longer as teasing as before. He asked this solemnly, with the sincerest concern, for someone who was his friend. It was heavy, unlike the light wind from outside.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect him to ask this so seriously, which left him a bit speechless.


    In fact, he felt that he couldn¡¯t even answer this question.


    How much did he like him? Why did he like him? How could there be so many reasons?


    This kind of thing was just a feeling, and it was even more inexplicable to feel such a feeling.


    Perhaps it was when he saw him for the first time.


    Perhaps it was when he saw him for the second time.


    Perhaps it was when he left him, or maybe it was when they were reunited again.


    Perhaps it was because the weather was too good in the rest station that day, and he looked so handsome in that windbreaker, or perhaps it was when they were in the command center and his strategizing look made him feel reassured.


    Perhaps it was the half-withered look of the bunch of lilies in front of his tomb that was beautiful, or perhaps it was the way he lowered his head, looking too gentle as he planted flowers¡­


    There were so many possibilities, and as they accumulated, it became inevitable.


    At least, Lin Chen thought, there were really not many lucky things he had encountered in his life, so things that made him feel lucky had perhaps accumulated to the point where they became inevitable.


    ¡°He is like a piece of candy. Very sweet after just one bite that you¡¯re reluctant to spit it out.¡± Lin Chen thought seriously for a moment and decided to answer using a metaphor.


    ¡°You got a bit emotional when you said that.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s really sweet.¡±


    After Lin Chen said this, their conversation ended.


    This was an appropriate break. Among friends, the most valuable thing wasn¡¯t endless talk, but timely care and just stopping when it was right.


    Lin Chen walked back to the brightly lit office. All the arrangements had been completed.


    Some of the police officers in the second division were lying on the table and sleeping lightly; some began to shut down while others looked at him with uncertain and helpless eyes.


    They seemed to be asking, ¡°Is this really useful? Will they really take the bait tomorrow?¡±


    Lin Chen read a passage from the most famous book on popular psychology research.


    Roughly speaking, it said:


    As an individual, a person is rational, so good and evil can be used to move his emotions, to regulate his thoughts, and to restrain his behavior with interests¡­


    For example, because rationality can restrain sensibility, he will not provoke Xing Conglian because of his personal feelings. Unfortunately, this kind of rationality isn¡¯t effective in groups.


    To use an inappropriate metaphor, if he¡¯s in a fanatical fan club for Xing Conglian and is surrounded by other Xing Conglian¡¯s fans, he won¡¯t be able to control his love rationally.


    So, solving a group that¡¯s deeply embedded in the collective unconscious is about as difficult as disenchanting a group of rabid fans.


    First, time certainly works. Most people will lose their fanaticism and regain their sanity over time, but in the absence of time, to influence a group, it¡¯s necessary to use all kinds of tricks and dirty tactics.


    In fact, the theory was simple.


    Groups weren¡¯t restricted by reason and logic, but they had a wealth of imagination and pseudo-reasoning skills. They seemed to be inclined to believe in something impossible, something illogical, something that didn¡¯t exist, but they didn¡¯t believe in daily logic.


    For instance, in ancient times, people sincerely believed that shamans could summon heavy rain through sacrifices. For this reason, they were willing to kneel for three days and nights or kill women and children in other tribes and use their lives as an offering for the heavens.


    The beginning of these beliefs may have just been an occasional wind that blew when the shaman chanted or a sudden rain that fell in the days after he cast his spell.


    In short, the more connections that seemed to exist on the surface, the more group members could make people believe in them.


    Therefore, he just shaped the belief that a group of elites guarded the campus. Although an ordinary student would be skeptical about this, they would think, ¡®Is that document really a settlement agreement signed by ¡°Three Graves¡± to help the elderly and punish the bad pharmaceutical company?¡¯  They would suspect Lin Chen, who had appeared at the crime scene, and wonder if he was a member of ¡°Three Graves.¡± They would even consider that the three semicircles signature was really a logo of a certain campus elite organization, and since that logo had appeared, it could prove that the campus elite organization really existed.


    But it was different for the members of the group.


    Once they saw the superficial connection and the unreliable evidence, their imaginations would already be vividly running wild. They would imagine the faces of the members of ¡°Three Graves¡±; imagine a situation where tall and outstanding campus elites gathered together. Not only that, but they would also be convinced of the fact that the members of the ¡°Three Graves¡± were plotting to get rid of them. They could even clearly visualize the contempt and disgust those campus elites had for them.


    People often had paranoia about being victimized based on biological instincts of self-protection, and among them, the members of this group were more susceptible. Just as fans would hate anyone who spoke ill of their idols and regarded those people as enemies that had to be defeated, members of extreme groups would naturally dislike those who challenged them.


    While fans would only tap keyboards to fight with the bad guys, these members of that group would really take up arms and smash the heads of those who opposed them.


    What was more, Ye Yan vividly portrayed one of the most classic villain images; defiling the holy land in their minds and leaving the most disdainful words on it.


    Lin Chen could fully imagine that tomorrow¡ªno¡ªin just a few hours, that anger would accumulate into a kind of violent storm that would come barreling down towards him.

 CH 83

    Yongchuan University Female Dormitory, Building 7, Room 201, 4 beds, 6:30 a.m.


    When Jin Xiaoan saw the video, it was already the next morning.


    In fact, she didn¡¯t sleep well last night. Overall, her heart was still calm. After all, everything was finally coming to an end, so she deserved to spend the last night of her life in peace.


    But for some reason, there was always a feeling of uneasiness deep in her heart.


    She opened her eyes very early. At that time, there was barely any light outside the window. She felt as if she hadn¡¯t woken up this early in a long time. She turned around slightly, picked up the phone that was fully charged, and clicked on it as usual. This was the place she looked at every day after opening her eyes.


    It was like washing her face and brushing her teeth; such an act was like cleansing her heart as she chanted her scriptures. This was what she did every morning, and it had an important sense of ritual. At this time, she was in a mood for nostalgia or homage and thought about that place and wanted to take another look. After all, it was the most beautiful place in her memories.


    But the beauty was no longer there because she saw the video.


    The video was silent, but she could hear manic drum sounds beating in his ears, as if someone were roaring and screaming at her. In the midst of the chaos, there was a figure with an expression of indifference.


    She watched helplessly as the person ruined the beauty in her mind.


    Bright red blood dripped from the walls. The figure¡¯s writing speed wasn¡¯t fast, but in the dark space, those bright red characters were like countless ants devouring her world.


    Seeing the original white wall defiled like this, Ji Xiaoan¡¯s hand holding the phone trembled. Finally, the person¡¯s writing paused. Jin Xiaoan curled up abruptly and began to gasp in anger.


    She leaned against the cold wall, trying to calm herself down, but she discovered that the person in the video didn¡¯t have any intention of stopping.


    The figure just walked leisurely to the edge of the paint bucket, dipped his brush into the bright red paint, and then returned to the wall again.


    The red paint dripped from the brush onto the wooden floor. It was so dirty, and it took them a long time to wipe that floor clean¡­


    Seeing this, she subconsciously stretched out her hand and rubbed hard on the phone screen, trying to get rid of the stains, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t wipe the dirt away.


    Her fingertips became hot, and her anger burned like a flame¡ªat her fingers, in her eyes, in her chest. She sat straight up and smashed the phone, creating a loud bang.


    The sound of people waking up immediately filled the bedroom. At first, it was her roommates who woke up and didn¡¯t seem to know what had happened. A few seconds later, angry scolding could be heard.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    ¡°What idiot isn¡¯t asleep!¡±


    ¡°Get out if you¡¯re not sleeping!¡±


    Not only in the bedroom, but even next door, there were angry pounding on the wall.


    The voices rumbled in her ears as Jin Xiaoan tried her best to restrain the urge to kill. She gritted her teeth and crawled out of bed cautiously. She gathered the pieces of her smashed phone and reassembled them slowly, then tentatively turned over the phone again.


    The screen lit up, the webpage lit up, and the video lit up again. She dragged the video bar to the end in a daze.


    The picture was frozen in the empty room. Only red blood meandered down from the wall, but her gaze was frozen at the end of all the formulas, where there was an obvious message to them.


    Seeing that line of information, it was impossible for her to smash her phone again, so she opened the curtains and turned on the lights. She ignored the insults that sounded in the bedroom again, opened the book, and found the corresponding world.


    [Rubbish*]


    *Originally in English.


    It meant garbage. What other intention was there to leave this word on the wall than to curse, but specifically curse at people who could understand the word.


    You guys are rubbish.


    You¡¯re trash.


    You¡¯re garbage who lives in a dark corner.


    Countless words passed through Jin Xiaoan¡¯s mind. She pursed her lips. From beginning to end, she didn¡¯t see that person¡¯s face, but she could feel that person¡¯s condescending voice and contemptuous eyes.


    That person had smashed the door, cracked their code, and written out the formula all over the walls, just so he could call them rubbish?


    It truly made people want to kill.


    Ji Xiaoan tasted saltiness in her mouth and smelled rust. Perhaps extreme anger could also be calming. At least, this was what she thought. She didn¡¯t make any more noise. She closed the curtains, turned off the lights, and then sat down quietly at her desk.


    ¡ª-


    Some people were as angry as Jin Xiaoan. In a dormitory some distance away from Jin Xiaoan, specifically in Yongchuan University of Technology, which was adjacent to the Yongchuan University campus.


    In dorm room 6-601, the protagonist was a boy.


    Shen Ran woke up earlier than Jin Xiaoan. He was awakened by a sudden text message at around 5 a.m.


    He picked up his phone in a daze. The sender had no name, and the content of the text message was only one extremely short message: [Go to the Yongchuan University City forum.]


    Shen Ran was still sleepy and wasn¡¯t in the same tense mood as Jin Xiaoan. On the last night of his life, he had slept soundly. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he felt the number looked familiar, he would¡¯ve put down his phone and gone back to sleep again.


    Well, it didn¡¯t take much time to go to a website with his phone, so he opened the forum and immediately saw the top post at first glance.


    With bright red headlines, cool highlights, and thousands of replies, on such a deep night, the content inside must be quite sensational. This was, in fact, the case. When he clicked on it, he saw a wall covered with red paint.


    Probably because he had seen this place so many times that it was deeply engraved in his mind, although the original white walls were now covered in blood-red handwriting, he didn¡¯t even need to enlarge the picture to know where it was.


    At that moment, his reaction was the same as Jin Xiaoan¡¯s. He was angry. He wanted to kill. His drowsiness had disappeared without a trace, and he felt all his muscles trembling uncontrollably, but perhaps because the night was still deep or because different people reacted differently, he was able to restrain his anger and read the post carefully from start to finish.


    Finally, he opened his messaging app and sent a text back to the anonymous sender.


    [Who are you?]


    But the other end didn¡¯t reply to him in text but sent him a multimedia message. Because he had read the post, Shen Ran could identify the content of the MMS without any effort.


    This was the floor in the comment section that was forcibly removed from the entire long post, and someone had saved it in the form of screen shots.


    When Shen Ran downloaded the picture, his fingers were cramping nervously. Soon, like many sleepless students in University City, he saw the ¡°unspeakable¡± reply.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t seem like the reply was such a big deal. It was only the second half of a 150-person list indicating the school¡¯s top rankers in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The difference from the long list was that there were four names on the list that were circled. Other than that, there was nothing else in the screenshot.


    The problem, most likely, was the four circles¡ªor rather, the names that were circled.


    Shen Ran used the most unimaginative but effective way. He typed the names in the search box and pressed enter.


    In an instant, the search engine listed thousands of results for him, and the most important and closest result was impressively at the top.


    [The list of the 10th General Election of the Yongchuan University City Joint Association of Science and Technology Application is as follows:]


    With almost perverse excitement, Shen Ran clicked on the campus news. Sure enough, the news seemed to have been deleted, but a snapshot of the webpage captured by the search engine still existed.


    He saw the four names in it, and the president of the association was Chen Xuan, the owner behind the famous ID that suddenly went online and then offline.


    Probably the heavens had opened his eyes, or rather, those self-righteous idiots didn¡¯t expect that the power of the masses was so great that the things they were trying to hide were picked up in an instant.


    Shen Ran continued his search.


    As with the result of the conjecture, almost all information of the Science and Technology Association was almost wiped, but this kind of remedial measures taken under panic was full of loopholes.


    He quickly found the organizational structure of the association, the location of the event, and the arrangements for the event¡­


    What bullshit ¡°Three Graves¡±. This was simply a small student club that was completely unknown. They were pretending to be ghosts playing tricks, thinking that they were so refined and extraordinary, but in fact, they were just trash that didn¡¯t dare show their true colors!


    Shen Ran clenched the phone tightly and continued his search¡­


    He suddenly discovered that the group of people also had a routine meeting today.


    What a wonderful coincidence.


    With this in mind, Shen Ran edited the information he found into a text message and sent it out.


    ¡ª-


    Countless messages, together with the rising sun, spread rapidly throughout University City at a pace that was fast, but wasn¡¯t unstoppable.


    However, in this world, what humans really couldn¡¯t do was stop time.


    It was April 14th, 12:00 p.m.


    The sun was just right, and it wasn¡¯t affected by yesterday¡¯s rain in the slightest.


    Everything on the campus showed an undisguised sign of spring, such as flowers on the side of the road or the legs of girls; they all exuded warmth as if they had a sweet smell of chocolate.


    The bell just rang, indicating the end of class. Students were laughing happily around the cafeteria. Jin Xiaoan carried a plastic bag and walked out of the cafeteria against the flow of people.


    This was her lunch.


    The cafeteria at Yongchuan University sold a lot of delicious food, but her favorite was the 50-yen buns that came in a pack of three and were sold on the corner of the second floor. If it were like usual, she wouldn¡¯t eat the buns at noon, but since today was her last moment, she felt she deserved to treat herself to the best thing in life.


    So she carried the buns and walked to the lake.


    Because of the suicide two days ago, there were few people here. It was quiet under the banyan tree. The air was filled with the smell of candles, and the sound of water was inaudible.


    Her favorite place was under this banyan tree. She sat down by the tree, opened the plastic bag, and took a bite from her favorite bun.


    Everyone¡¯s preferences were different. After all, people were different.


    Shen Ran, unlike Jin Xiaoan, didn¡¯t believe there were any beautiful things in life worth remembering, so after class ended at noon, he skipped lunch and wandered through the entire campus until he came to the ruins by a playground.


    When everyone was running to the cafeteria, no one noticed what he was doing standing by the ruins. People in this world were always so indifferent that they would eventually die from it.


    Shen Ran¡¯s gaze swept across the ruins and found the mark he had made. He removed some bricks and pulled out something at the bottom.


    Under the banyan tree at Yongchuan University, the girl who had just finished gnawing on her buns stood up.


    In the campus kiosk, someone pulled up their hoodie and checked out their newly selected fruit knife in front of the cashier.


    In front of a car repair stall, someone stuffed an abandoned chain into their pocket.


    On the road, someone tightened their clothes as they walked slowly forward¡­


    In all people¡¯s lives, some people eventually walk on a completely different path than the rest.


    They were angry and determined and had started to gather from all directions.

 CH 84

    It was an inconspicuous small building¡ªat least compared to the many ancient buildings of Yongchuan University, that small three-story building wasn¡¯t eye-catching.


    Its exterior wall was red, and the architectural style had a clear taste of the Republic of China, so the windows were a collage of stained glass; a style that wasn¡¯t often seen in modern times.


    In Yongchuan University, most of these small buildings had their own public use. Some were reserved as offices for professors, some were labs, and others were used as exhibition halls. In any case, because these small buildings were precious, they mostly belonged to the university¡¯s exclusive use. For those that didn¡¯t flip through the materials specifically, few would know that in the depths of the path on the shore of the lake, there was a small red building that didn¡¯t belong to the school.


    The cherry blossoms outside the small building were in full bloom. Its pink petals reminded people of many wonderful and moving stories.


    At some point in time, young faces gradually gathered together outside the small building.


    The first person to approach the building didn¡¯t boldly push open the door. He just stood quietly at the entrance, tightening his grip on the cold weapon in his hand. After him, there were others who gathered. Girls in school uniforms, teenagers wearing caps, and girls in long skirts¡­


    Like attending a rally, more and more people started to gather outside the building, but unlike at a rally, they didn¡¯t have any communication with each other.


    The sun gradually moved, making everything look bright.


    Finally, the person standing in front acted. He slowly walked up the steps and pushed hard, causing the ochre-red door to suddenly open wide.


    At that moment, everyone outside of the small building wasn¡¯t in a rush to enter. They all took something out of their arms and pockets at the same time.


    Steel pipes, chains, knives¡­


    They held the weapons tight in their hands. With bloodshot eyes, they walked into the building one by one.


    Unlike the bright scene outside, the interior of the small building was dark. All the stained glass was covered with black cloth, and even the temperature had dropped abruptly.


    The door suddenly closed. The last person to enter wrapped the door handle with a thick chain, creating a tooth-aching creaking sound as he sealed the entrance shut.


    From light to darkness, their eyes needed time to adapt, so they could hardly see the environment inside the building.


    It stood to reason that when people lose their vision, they would feel a sense of fear, but they didn¡¯t experience it because they were with each other. When they were together, there was no voice to be afraid of in the world.


    They gradually heard, in that huge space, the sounds of echoes coming from all over, as if there were some nocturnal creature crawling on the floor in the dark night. Perhaps it was a rat, or maybe a cockroach, or maybe something else.


    Their vision gradually recovered, and everyone became excited.


    There were really people here!


    A chandelier hung from the old ceiling. When the dim light suddenly fell on them, they trembled.


    Before entering the building, they had fantasized about what kind of group the organization called ¡°Three Graves¡± was.


    They fantasized about how they looked when they were in this meeting, what they were talking about, and how they would look when they thought they were at their best, and they imagined beating them with steel pipes and watching as they wailed in a pool of blood¡­


    They had thought about so many things, but the appearance of those people in front of them was still beyond their imagination.


    There were no suits, no shirts, no words, not even eyes. Everything in the small building was silent and depressed.


    In front of them stood people dressed in all black. They were wearing black clothes that were enshrouded by the yellow light from the chandelier.


    What was creepy was that those people in black were like ghosts. They didn¡¯t even bother turning their gaze to the sudden intruders but continued to hold their thick brushes as they buried their heads on the floor and outlined a huge pattern¡­


    They then turned to look at the floor, which was soft ivory white with mountains of black lines all over it rather than the usual wood color. Those lines rolled up and down, surrounding each other, then splitting apart again.


    Suddenly one of them pointed to one of the figures in black and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    Looking in the direction of the finger, they saw an extremely handsome face.


    Although the lights were dim, and the person¡¯s face was blurred, they could still recognize that it was Chen Xuan, the mathematics department grass who could stir the entire forum by just going online.


    It was just that Chen Xuan¡¯s face was cold and didn¡¯t represent the repeated rumors of elegance and gentleness. He was just painting intently on the ground, as if he were enchanted.


    Perhaps it was due to the surroundings being too quiet, or maybe silence could awaken something, but the people who broke in finally recovered. They remembered what their goal was. They obviously came here to kill!


    Invariably, they scattered in all directions and stepped on the floor covered with dense lines in an encircling formation.


    As if foreseeing something, the movements of all the people in black stagnated. It felt like the air was suddenly sucked out, and all the figures in black suddenly dropped everything in their hands, like puppets whose strings broke, and sat down in unison.


    The figures in black stopped painting, and the intruders standing outside the encirclement stopped moving forward again. They set their sights on the ground again, and some even stood on their tiptoes. They saw a pattern composed of many lines. The pattern was like an ancient totem with terrifying magic power¡­


    The surrounding atmosphere was weird. They felt as if the pattern was a graveyard, with stone monuments and bones scattered about and the sounds of beasts roaring.


    In fact, it was extraordinarily quiet in the small building with no sound around, but suddenly there was a voice like a white light shattering the night. In the darkness of the small building, it echoed loudly.


    ¡°Books are the grave of knowledge.¡±


    Someone began to chant.


    It was a figure dressed in black that sat in the far corner. His voice was eloquent, and it had a mysterious power, as if it could enchant people.


    It was as if the believers were reciting doctrines. The rest of the people in black were chanting devotionally with him. Those vast voices seemed to be able to penetrate time and space, leading people into a barren and dark world.


    ¡°Blind obedience is the grave of wisdom.¡±


    The second chant sounded, causing the intruders to tremble again. They all stayed in place, not knowing what was going on.


    The grand chanting sounded again. This time, one of the intruders began to act. He clenched the handle of the knife and quietly walked towards the leader dressed in black.


    ¡°A prophet is the grave of future generations.¡±


    The last sentence ended abruptly, and the word grave hadn¡¯t been completely said.


    This wasn¡¯t because the leader suddenly realized that the group of intruders was surrounding them, but for a more serious reason. There was a snow-white knife pressed against his neck.


    Despite this, the atmosphere remained calm.


    The people in black didn¡¯t stop chanting because their leader was attacked. They remained still, and their breathing didn¡¯t even change.


    But in the eyes of some, it was a tense moment like when the heart was about to stop beating.


    In a room on the highest floor of the small building, people were standing in front of the screen with bated breath. They watch the blade close in on the neck of the leader in black. After a while, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Xing Conglian.


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t move. Although the sniper¡¯s requested instructions were coming through on his headset and the surrounding eyes were all eager, he didn¡¯t order to shoot.


    He looked at the person whose life was in danger on the screen without saying a word.


    Also not saying a word was a man who was held at knifepoint.


    The man was sitting cross-legged. His complexion was pale, and his hair color was soft. While he wasn¡¯t as handsome as Chen Xuan, the temperament he exuded was far better than that of the school grass that had not yet left campus.


    This was the reason why Shen Ran chose this person to start with.


    No matter where they look, this person was the leader of ¡°Three Graves¡±. Throughout history, it had always been the same principle that the king should be captured first.


    As long as he killed this person¡­ As long as he killed this person¡­


    Shen Ran thought this silently, but suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t think.


    Then what? Kill this person, and then what?


    At that moment, his heart suddenly became flustered, and he didn¡¯t know what he should do.


    Tap¡­ Tap¡­


    At this moment, in the silent space, calm footsteps suddenly sounded. The sound was getting closer and closer to him¡­


    Shen Ran raised his head abruptly and saw a man standing on the stairs.


    Unlike all the people in black, the man wore the most ordinary white shirt. The light that was falling from the ceiling seemed to penetrate through the man¡¯s thin body.


    Step by step, the man walked onto the totem on the ground. In an instant, as if someone had brushed away the flowing water, the man in black who had been stationary moved again. They all stood up, bowed to the man, and then retreated to the side.


    What was the use of retreating to the side? This damn person still had to die.


    Shen Ran pressed the blade tightly to the hostage¡¯s neck when he suddenly recognized the man in the white shirt that stood in front of him. ¡°Are you Lin Chen?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Chen looked at the boy in front of him. He was about the same age as Wang Chao, perhaps even a little older than him, but not by much.


    However, there was no youthful vitality that young people should have in that boy¡¯s eyes. How could he describe it? Those eyes were radiant, as if there was a flame burning inside. Although they were bright, they didn¡¯t have a beautiful feeling, but the eyes of youth should be beautiful. The gaze of teenagers should be youthful and lively, like the world was moving, but in those eyes, Lin Chen only saw flames and ashes after the flames had burned out.


    ¡°Are you the leader of the Three Graves?¡±


    When the boy asked this, he secretly glanced at the person he had taken hostage, as if he were unclear about the situation.


    ¡°Did you misunderstand something?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak. It was the person who was taken hostage who spoke.


    Lin Chen looked at Mr. Hostage, and Mr. Hostage blinked slightly at him.


    Looking at the blade on Su Fengzi¡¯s neck and his relaxed face, Lin Chen regretted his arrangement for a moment. After all, Su Fengzi was an uncontrollable person. No matter how he had previously admonished people like Su Fengzi, if they wanted to say or do something, there was no stopping them.


    Before the boy could respond, Su Fengzi reversed the grip on the knife that was placed against his neck.


    The boy didn¡¯t seem to expect him to be so bold. He jerked his hand hard, but the knife seemed as if it were held by iron pliers and wouldn¡¯t budge even an inch.


    Of course, there had to be a price paid when human flesh competed with an iron blade. Blood instantly stained the entire blade surface, and it fell, drop by drop, but Su Fengzi seemed unfazed.


    Perhaps it was the expression on Su Fengzi¡¯s face that was too cold, or maybe his unawareness of pain was too appalling, but the boy suddenly let go of the hilt of the knife and took two violent steps back, gasping in great fright.


    ¡°Who the hell are you people?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know?¡± Su Fengzi took the fruit knife in his hand and played with it as he asked rhetorically, looking quite indifferent. ¡°We¡¯re Three Graves. Three Graves are us¡­¡±


    ¡°You destroyed our home!¡± The boy¡¯s face suddenly stiffened as he accused the man sharply.


    ¡°Ah, is that your home? I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Although he apologized, with his slightly raised chin and the contempt in his eyes, he didn¡¯t even seem half-remorseful. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. We just thought it would be fun.¡±


    There was no explanation because he didn¡¯t think he needed to explain it to them. In fact, it wasn¡¯t a provocation. It was just fun, and that was enough.


    ¡°Fun?¡±


    Probably the most annoying people were the ones they hated, but the other side didn¡¯t care about them and smeared them, humiliated them, and defiled them, all for the sake of fun.


    The young people standing a little further away heard this and became angry again. ¡°Ran Ge, don¡¯t talk nonsense with them. We¡¯re here to kill them!¡±


    ¡°Do you have the right to open your mouth in this place?¡± Su Fengzi glanced at the noisy onlookers, then he said impatiently, ¡°The tour is over. Shouldn¡¯t you guys get lost?¡±


    The more disdain he showed, the more riled up people became.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll leave after we finish what we have to do!¡± the boy said coldly.


    ¡°What do you have to do here?¡± Su Fengzi suddenly laughed as if he thought the boy¡¯s words were too funny. He stretched out his hand and pointed to a figure in black behind him. ¡°This is the lowest IQ we have here, 141. Please, tell me. How high is your IQ, and how many trophies have you won? Are you a genius? If you¡¯re not, what qualifications do you have to stand here?¡±


    As he spoke, there was a sense of dominating arrogance.


    The boy was obviously blindsided by this sentence, and he didn¡¯t know how to answer for a while. His companions behind him reacted faster. They all raised their weapons in their hands and charged forward.


    Su Fengzi stood still, alone, and proud.


    Lin Chen, who was still in front of him, also remained quiet.


    On one side were armed and angry students, and on the other side were unarmed, speechless people in black.


    Like flames and seawater or man and the abyss, they were never compatible. One party would always devour the other.


    In the room upstairs, Jiang Chao finally couldn¡¯t bear it. He held down Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder and said angrily in a low voice, ¡°Lao Xing, I must ensure the safety of the other students!¡±


    He was of course referring to ordinary students who were dressed in black and were playing as members of ¡°Three Graves¡±.


    However, just like Lin Chen, who was quiet as water, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t speak. He put his hands together against his chin, but his gaze never shifted from the surveillance screen.


    This was either a speechless, tacit understanding or a much deeper trust.


    Just as Xing Conglian was about to gesture to Jiang Chao to keep quiet, Lin Chen moved. The students who were about to rush up were also frightened by his action.


    Everyone in front of the surveillance screens was sweating. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they accidentally saw that Lin Chen didn¡¯t actually mean to speak up. He just put his hands in his pockets, turned around, and made a gesture of leaving.


    ¡°Stop!¡± the students behind him shouted loudly.


    But Lin Chen didn¡¯t listen. At this moment, Su Fengzi took a step and stood in front of Lin Chen. He said it in a disdainful and arrogant tone, as if the world owed him millions. ¡°Get out of here. Haven¡¯t you caused enough trouble? Coming here to kill people¡­ What are you? Three? I just left a message on the wall, hoping you would restrain yourself. Do you really think you¡¯re invincible?¡±


    Hearing Su Fengzi¡¯s words, those young boys and girls all gasped as their eyes flushed with anger, as if they would turn rabid like a herd of beasts in the next moment.


    But perhaps it was because the wound on Su Fengzi¡¯s hand was too scary or maybe his face had an inviolable cold feeling under the dim light, that the intruders paused for a moment.


    Su Fengzi showed contempt and didn¡¯t give those people any reaction time. ¡°Digging a grave and watching people lie in it gets your blood boiling and makes you feel as if you¡¯re one of the most transcendent and mysterious collective? Do you think you have true faith and everyone else is just ignorant?¡±


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Lao Xing, what the hell are they doing? Are they not afraid of provoking a bunch of psychopaths and fucking looking for death?!¡± In front of the surveillance screen, Jiang Chao once again shrieked.


    Xing Conglian raised his head and looked around, only to find that everyone in the room was giving him an anxious look.


    ¡°Lao Jiang¡­¡± Xing Conglian finally spoke. He moved a teacup on the table to the side, ¡°Would you like to have some tea?¡±


    ¡°Drink your mom¡¯s tea! We have to hurry if something really happens!¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re performing official duties. Please be more civilized,¡± Xing Conglian said with a smile.


    Jiang Chao became extremely angry. ¡°Why the hell can¡¯t we rush down and catch all them at once?¡± While speaking, he made the gesture of catching a turtle with a jar.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze fell on Lin Chen on the screen again.


    What Lin Chen said to him during breakfast echoed in his ears.


    Specifically, it was probably something he said late last night that had some effect. When the police force distributed breakfast at 7 in the morning, Lin Chen specially brought him a box of yogurt and invited him to have breakfast together.


    The two of them squatted down next to the stone lion at the entrance of the second division and watched the street sweepers cleaning the ground.


    ¡°The next action will be a little dangerous¡­¡± Lin Chen said to him after watching the sanitation worker sweep up the streets for a minute.


    Xing Conglian probably guessed what he was going to say but still pretended not to understand. ¡°Of course it¡¯s dangerous. You have to pay attention to safety.¡±


    As he spoke, he saw Lin Chen¡¯s breathing stagnate. It seemed Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect him to play dumb. After all, Lin Chen was a far more thorough person than ordinary people. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry regarding what you said earlier. This is indeed my problem, so I want to try and correct it.¡±


    The other party was so sincere that it made Xing Conglian speechless. ¡°Why are you so polite?¡±


    ¡°Because there is a troublesome matter that needs your help.¡± Lin Chen took a deep breath and said, ¡°I hope you can delay the police¡¯s arrest time as much as possible. Unless someone is seriously threatened, I hope you can order the snipers not to shoot.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°When the members of that group walk into the building, it stands to reason that the police would make an arrest at the appropriate time, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°But after catching them, then what?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.


    ¡°Interrogate them severely, bully them to force them to give up the mastermind behind all this. Then we¡¯ll go arrest them¡­ You want to say that this is useless, right?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head.


    Although it was a serious conversation, Xing Conglian wanted to laugh. ¡°In fact, I suddenly found that you have been instilling this concept in us. That is, after catching them, our interrogation won¡¯t work, but in addition to interrogation, if we manage to catch them by surprise, they won¡¯t have time to wipe off the data on their communication devices or other clues. We can still follow the trail and find the mastermind behind this, can¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen said decisively.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s important to catch the mastermind behind the scenes?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Xing Conglian responded rhetorically.


    ¡°It is, but that person is far less important than those children. If we catch that person, we may lose the opportunity to save these children forever.¡±


    When he heard Lin Chen talking about children, he was confused for a moment, but he soon realized that the children Lin Chen was referring to were members of that group; those who had lost their humanity and were regraded by them as terrorists.


    Rescuing terrorists was indeed a fresh statement.


    In countless similar experiences in his life, he had never compromised with any enemy, let alone saved the hearts of criminals. This was what a saint should do, not the police.


    But he didn¡¯t refuse Lin Chen. He quietly listened as Lin Chen continued.


    ¡°Yes, we can catch the turtle with a jar, but when those children see the police rushing in, they will be shocked, but more so they will be angry because they have found that they have been betrayed by the world again. They will try their best to revolt, which will cause some people to be injured and others to be killed. They will really lose their sense of trust in everything in the world. They may go to prison or a detention center, and with some luck, some of them will realize their problems, but most people tend to be stubborn. After those people are released, they will be garbage and waste, the dregs of society. They will be desperate, feel pain, and abhor everything, and finally continue to retaliate against the world. Do you think this is the solution to the problem?¡±


    Xing Conglian was speechless when he was asked this.


    He could, of course, refute. He could say that there was very likely a no all-win situation ending in this world. It was very likely that a person could do everything right but still not get the happy ending that they desired. Those people were already broken, like organs eroded by cancer. Although it was painful and regrettable, it must be removed. There was no other option.


    Inexplicably, deep in his heart, he actually felt a little uncomfortable. In fact, he hadn¡¯t felt uncomfortable for a long time.


    Lin Chen was still talking. Perhaps his legs were so numb from squatting too long that he stood up and leaned against the stone lion.


    The shape of the stone lion was a bit funny, but Lin Chen¡¯s face was solemn.


    ¡°Some crimes come from malice, some from cowardice, and some from the inability to control themselves. To me, they are more like children suffering from mental illnesses. They are first and foremost individuals with low self-esteem and are introverted. Because of this characteristic, they are exploited by criminals and deceived by the people they once trusted and loved. That¡¯s a terrible hell. Do you think that when they enter that group, the first thing they experience is the welcome of love? No, the first thing they suffer is abuse¡ªthe abuse and destruction of their spiritual beliefs.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say that criminals are also victims?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was a bit cold.


    ¡°Do you think that no matter what kind of suffering they suffer, they should also stick to their hearts and not be swayed by criminals? But unfortunately, they are just ordinary students. They can¡¯t resist human nature. People tend to avoid pain. If pain is inevitable, they will choose to correct their perception to adapt to the pain. It¡¯s like a man imprisoning a woman. He desperately abuses that woman, and once the woman can¡¯t bear the abuse, she will begin to correct her cognition and regard the man¡¯s behavior towards her as love, and then fall in love with him. Psychologically, this process is called ¡®learned helplessness*¡¯.¡±


    *Behavior exhibited by a subject after enduring repeated adverse stimuli beyond their control.


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was as faint as ever, but Xing Conglian heard the unstoppable, cold meaning behind his words.


    ¡°They will gradually fall in love with that group and accept the concept instilled in them by the group. Once they truly integrate into it, there will be a phenomenon of de-personalization. The identity of the individual with the group drowns out their humanity, and then they begin to lose themselves¡­¡±


    ¡°Losing oneself means losing their humanity. They only accept the instructions of the group because, fundamentally, they are no longer them. Those sinful thoughts are only the will of the group, not theirs.¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian understood why Lin Chen had told him in the beginning why those children weren¡¯t real terrorists.


    Before they lost their humanity, they were just selected victims, and before they became victims, they were ordinary students who had beautiful fantasies about life but weren¡¯t ambitious, and in the identity of ordinary students, their previous identity was human.


    They were all living, breathing humans.


    Then, saving the lives of other students was as important as saving their lives.


    Xing Conglian suddenly had confidence in Lin Chen¡¯s plan, because he found that even he himself was convinced.


    Sure enough, Lin Chen was right. He was really persuasive.


    So maybe¡ªmaybe it was too na?ve¡ªtoo idealistic, too weird, but perhaps Lin Chen could really save those children¡¯s lives.


    ¡°What if I refuse?¡± Xing Conglian suddenly asked.


    After he finished speaking, he saw Lin Chen look at him impatiently as if saying, ¡°Why are you talking nonsense?¡±


    ¡ª-


    Su Fengzi¡¯s incessant words passed through the headset and into Xing Conglian¡¯s ears. Naturally, these lines were all written by Lin Chen, but the performance seemed quite personal.


    Lin Chen stated that he would allow Su Fengzi to repeat the entire process of brainwashing and attempt to wash them back.


    The first step was to force them to the extreme.


    Crowds were extreme; therefore, they would only be moved by extreme emotions. If he wanted to move them, he had to become more extreme than them¡­


    Xing Conglian looked at the stallion novel writer with first-class acting skills.


    Su Fengzi, like the great orators of ancient times, possessed demagoguery magic when he was eloquent.


    He said, ¡°You were tricked into this collective at the beginning, and then they locked you up, abused you, ridiculed you, and told you that this was a process of suffering that you must go through in the transformation of human nature. At that time, you were alone and helpless. There was no way to ask for help, and then a group of people ran to you and preached about the transformation they had undergone through tempering, telling you how they changed from an obscure ugly duckling to a noble swan. They said that as long as you believe in them and join them, you can do it too¡­ And you gradually believed it?¡± The corners of Su Fengzi¡¯s lips curled, and he gave a look of contempt at all the intruders. ¡°Did you go pick up vegetable leaves and eat rotten fruits together? Oh, they told you that this is called sharing joys and sorrows, and then you were satisfied and could suffer a little together. You feel that each of you were indispensable companions. Do you think it¡¯s good to go to bed together? Modern society calls this a hookup. Don¡¯t get distracted by how na?ve you really are.¡±


    With his words, those young faces gradually showed awkward and confused expressions. Su Fengzi¡¯s mockery skills were too great. He knew even their most secret things clearly, but how?


    In front of true elites, their low self-esteem and cowardly personalities reappeared.


    But this confusion only lasted for a short time before anger took hold again. After all, their privacy was discovered, and their faith was trampled on. This was an intolerable insult.


    Their faces were flushed, and the anger in their eyes seemed to burn everything to ashes.


    This was really an extremely dangerous situation. Facing a group of fanatics, defiling their group was even more unacceptable than killing them!


    ¡ª-


    The fierce changes in the emotions of the intruders were, of course, seen by the surveillance team upstairs. Two students were already very close. They raised their steel pipes and were about to bash Su Fengzi¡¯s head in.


    Jiang Chao finally couldn¡¯t bear it. ¡°Action, action,¡± he ordered through the wireless headset.


    But gunshots didn¡¯t sound, and there was no sound coming from his headset.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± He yelled at the microphone twice more but still didn¡¯t get a response. It was obvious now that his equipment was useless.


    He quickly remembered that earlier today, Xing Conglian had told him that because the police might be insufficient, he had also asked the Interpol snipers for help. At that time, he felt Xing Conglian meant well, so he agreed. The only problem was that ICPO used different equipment and systems than them, so in the end, for the sake of smooth action, they unified and replaced all the equipment with ICPO¡¯s more advanced wireless equipment.


    Unexpectedly, Lao Xing had set him up!


    ¡°Sir Jiang, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. Our Captain asked me to do this. If you¡¯re angry, just punch him twice to vent your anger?¡± In the corner, Wang Chao, who had been as quiet as a chicken, suddenly raised his head while holding a laptop and gave him a sneer.


    But Jiang Chao didn¡¯t have time to beat Xing Conglian. Su Fengzi was about to get his head bashed in, and he needed to hurry and call 120, but someone actually reached out and caught the pipe.


    In fact, rather than catching, it was better to say someone reached out and took away the pipe that was about to bash Su Fengzi.


    It was Lin Chen who stretched out his hand. The contact between the steel pipe and the flesh suddenly sounded. Just the clanging sound alone made his whole body ache.


    Lin Chen grabbed the steel pipe.


    ¡°Fengzi.¡± He stopped Su Fengzi from being hit and ordered, ¡°Apologize!¡±


    Su Fengzi¡¯s face was unwilling, but he obeyed Lin Chen rather abnormally. He bent his waist in an extremely elegant manner and solemnly apologized to the intruders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The intruders were shocked again.


    It wasn¡¯t only the young students who were shocked, but also the people watching the surveillance.


    Everything happening in front of the screen was nothing but bizarre.


    From beginning to end, Lin Chen showed that he was too lazy to say anything, but everyone knew he was the true leader of Three Graves.


    Although his clothes were ordinary and his expression was very plain, just standing there alone and indifferently, he seemed as if he stood on an unattainable cloud that couldn¡¯t be touched.


    ¡°What the hell are they doing?¡± Jiang Chao couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Jiang Chao and motioned for him to shut up.


    Vice Captain Jiang sat down beside him, extremely depressed. ¡°Lao Xing, really, what does he want to do? Talk to me. Otherwise, I¡¯m really going to rush out that door, yeah?¡±


    ¡°He is trying to impress them.¡± Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen¡¯s figure on the screen as he replied calmly.


    Of course, Jiang Chao¡¯s eyes were full of confusion. In short, he was trying to impress a group of brainwashed lunatics. Those who wanted to do so were probably not far from madness.


    ¡°Of course we can make arrests now, but don¡¯t you think there are too few people downstairs?¡± Xing Conglian curled his fingers and tapped on the screen. ¡°That is to say, some people in the organization are here, while others are still waiting to perform the night operation. The problem we face has not changed. Are you sure that¡­¡± Xing Conglian looked at his watch and continued, ¡°Within three hours, they will give up?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not fucking sure! What about Lin Chen? Will he find a way to make them give up?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s face fell on Lin Chen¡¯s left hand holding the steel pipe. The light wasn¡¯t good, so he couldn¡¯t see the specific injuries. He nodded and repeated some of what Lin Chen had told him during breakfast.


    ¡°For any extreme group, they won¡¯t listen to anything outsiders say. Then, if you want them to listen to you, you can only let them worship you. Just like animals surrendering to their leader, groups surrender to their leaders as well. This is something that¡¯s clockwork through the times¡­¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you explain to me that the ¡®Three Graves¡¯ organization that Lin Chen fabricated was obviously used to draw hatred, but now they¡¯re suddenly worshiping?¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled helplessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually very simple. Because these students not only belong to their mysterious collective, they also belong to ordinary student groups. When these student groups began to discuss the mysterious elite student organization and pushed up Three Graves by playing detective, they also imperceptibly affected those crazy kids downstairs. These kids¡­ Of course, that influence is only subconscious, so their worship is also subconscious. They themselves don¡¯t realize that although they hate ¡®Three Graves¡¯, who dare to provoke and trample on them, the root of their hatred is because ¡®Three Graves¡¯ is a superior being and a representation of their hatred of their classmates.¡±


    While Xing Conglian was speaking, Jiang Chao had already lit a cigarette.


    ¡°Then what?¡± Jiang Chao asked.


    ¡°Then, according to Lin Chen¡¯s words, the group is easily moved by the most vivid and extreme images, so, ah, he showed them the artistic process of the ¡®Three Graves¡¯¡¯ ceremony, and a foolhardier statement is that humans are always inexplicably shocked by some seemingly supernatural phenomena. Presumably, that¡¯s no different from ritual dancing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Lin Chen¡¯s friend, Su Fengzi?¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded. ¡°At the beginning, they would think Su Fengzi is the leader of ¡®Three Graves¡¯, and he¡¯s good at fooling people. He satirized and ridiculed them. In fact, this is to appear stronger than them in spirit and belief. At that time, Su Fengzi had already put them in a condescending position. Then Lin Chen made his move. He actually asked Su Fengzi to apologize. This was not only an act of gaining favor, but Su Fengzi¡¯s obedience allowed Lin Chen to step on his shoulders and instantly walk to the alter.¡±


    ¡ª-


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze wandered past the children in front of him.


    He looked at the faces of the young children. They were all so young¡ªmany younger than he thought. Some were restless, some were tense, some had grim expressions, some had makeup that was beginning to bleed from sweat¡­


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze finally fell on a petite girl in the corner.


    He knew who she was. It was Jin Xiaoan. She had a friend named Jiang Liu; a friend who was dead.


    ¡°For some reason, you hate the world. Regarding your hatred and the source of this emotion, I won¡¯t preach about it. There¡¯s nothing to say. If you think you have a reason to hate, then hate. This matter has nothing to do with me.¡±


    He spoke very slowly, without any emotion.


    In fact, at that time, his heart was indeed calm and indifferent. How could there be such understanding and empathy between people in this world?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Nothing matters! Stop acting like you care about us! Go to hell!¡±


    The boy holding the steel pipe yelled at him. His hair was shaved to an inch, and he wasn¡¯t tall. He was very thin and had beady eyes. Perhaps it was due to his figure that he was ridiculed and humiliated. He could have a girl that he liked, but perhaps she didn¡¯t like him back. He could have found someone to tell them about his inner pain, but maybe there wasn¡¯t anyone in this world who had ever listened to his heartfelt voice seriously.


    Or, rather, it should be said he may not have confided his heart to the world.


    In his life, he probably always lived in desperation. He longed for the beautiful, but the beautiful did not yearn for him.


    Then, he met the organization. He had struggled and hesitated, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t resist the most primitive human nature. He succumbed. He gained money, status, and women. He also discovered that loving and being loved were both truly beautiful things¡­


    So what reason did he have to reject that organization?


    Lin Chen wanted to laugh a little, but he suddenly realized that if it were him, it would probably be difficult for him to resist those beautiful temptations.


    ¡°I think you probably misunderstood. I don¡¯t want to control you. I just know some of your stories and feel pity. In fact, I don¡¯t think there was anything wrong with you before, and of course I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything good about you now. However, we can ignore my regrets because that has nothing to do with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The young people in the crowd suddenly shouted, but in front of Lin Chen, their chanting didn¡¯t seem righteous enough.


    ¡°Really?¡± As if to fulfill the young man¡¯s wish, Lin Chen closed his mouth, let go of the hand holding the steel pipe, and turned and walked away.


    Seeing that he was really leaving, even the elites present didn¡¯t have the will to stay, and they all wanted to disperse.


    ¡°Stop!¡± the crowd behind them couldn¡¯t help but chant.


    ¡°Do you really think that your power is enough to control everyone?¡± Lin Chen looked back and smiled coldly. ¡°You can¡¯t even control yourself.¡± As he spoke, he raised his wrist with some difficulty and looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s going to be 1 soon. If you can control yourself, you should know that it¡¯s time to go to class.¡±


    ¡°Why are we still going to class?¡±


    There was a mocking look on the young man¡¯s face. Lin Chen looked at his narrowed eyes and asked rhetorically, ¡°You asked me why you should go to class, and I should just tell you? Do you think there¡¯s no point in going to class, no point in reading, no point in even living? This person doesn¡¯t like you, that person doesn¡¯t like you, the whole world doesn¡¯t like you. You constantly think the world is ugly and filled with disgusting people, so why should you stay here?¡± Lin Chen took a step forward and looked down at the young man in front of him.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The boy with beady eyes suddenly became angry and almost hit Lin Chen with the steel pipe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you elites think. You look dignified, but in fact, you never even look at us. You think we¡¯re all ugly and brainless. You look down on all of us!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what you think. It¡¯s you who live in the grave of self-pity, not me,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°Just like I said!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    Su Fengzi, who had been standing aside, suddenly spoke. His tone was very high, with a trembling ending. The shrill sound echoed throughout the old building.


    No one spoke.


    No one dared to speak.


    ¡°I know Jiang Liu.¡± In the dark and depressing space, Su Fengzi¡¯s voice sounded again. His hand was still bleeding, but much of the blood had congealed around the wound, turning it into an ugly brown scar.


    When they heard the name Jiang Liu, all the young students holding weapons couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    ¡°My relationship with Jiang Liu, how can I put it¡­ She was actually my friend, or rather, my reader. She mentioned liking my books, but we had never met before she died.¡± Su Fengzi¡¯s voice was soft. He seemed to be trying his best to suppress himself, and his voice trembled a bit. ¡°When we first met, Jiang Liu wrote to them and told me she thought she looked ugly. She said her eyes were particularly convex and her nose was too flat. Her skin wasn¡¯t good and was full of pits and potholes, making her look like a toad. So the reason why she liked my books was also simple. She said she envied the girls I wrote about. They were so good-looking, and they were so happy to have handsome boys who liked them. She envied them deeply. She said she really wanted to be loved, but no one loves her. At that time, I didn¡¯t know how to comfort a sad girl. It was too difficult for me, as I always felt that it wasn¡¯t easy to be loved by others. As long as you dress up beautifully, naturally some boys will confess to you, but in fact, I forgot that people are different. Some are confident, and some have low self-esteem. I forgot that for some people, it¡¯s just something that can be done easily, while for others, it takes all their effort to muster their only remaining courage to do it. You see, the world is unfair. At that time, I couldn¡¯t appreciate the mood of a girl with extremely low self-esteem, and I couldn¡¯t imagine how much courage it took for her to show me a picture. When I saw her picture, I even thought she was being pretentious. She wasn¡¯t as ugly as she said. She was pure and cute. Perhaps it was for this reason that I didn¡¯t pay attention to her, but one day, she suddenly told me that her respected senior had brought her into a new world. She felt that she could really become a girl that many, many people loved, like in my writing, but I still ignored her, thinking she was crazy. Until one day, she suddenly contacted me and said that she wanted to invite me to her next performance. I didn¡¯t want to go, but I was a bit curious about what she had become now, so I arrived at the agreed place, but what I saw was her figure leaping down from the sky.¡± Su Fengzi paused and laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of person who will regret this kind of thing painfully, but I still have some remorse. She can¡¯t hear me praise her beauty. After all, I wouldn¡¯t agree to go meet a dinosaur.¡±


    Su Fengzi¡¯s voice floated gently in the ears of the students. He had already finished speaking, but no one spoke. Everyone was silent, and the first person to cry was the girl in the corner who had just finished eating her buns.


    ¡°Is this a good sign?¡± Jiang Chao pointed to the crying girl on the screen as he asked.


    ¡°Of course. Sincere tears mean that they feel sad, and it is people who can feel pain and sadness,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡ª-


    In that dark hall, Lin Chen was still calm, like a cloud in the night sky or a wind higher than the clouds.


    He said, ¡°In fact, when Jiang Liu jumped from the rooftop, I was also there, because my shimei also jumped from there. I don¡¯t really know her that well. She may have been in too much pain and wanted to seek relief through death, but for me, I have always regretted that I did not save her, because if possible, I still hope to have another drink with her.¡±


    Lin Chen stretched out his hand and gently rubbed the hair of the boy with beady eyes that was in front of him and said, ¡°You actually don¡¯t need the group to give you the illusion of being loved. There might not be many people in the world who like you, but there are always one or two who truly love you sincerely and unreservedly.¡±


    ¡°If you come out, you will see it.¡± He let go of the hand covering the boy¡¯s hair and said, half idly, half seriously, ¡°Although it¡¯s just my hope, and this hope has nothing to do with you, I hope that no matter how unbearable the world is, you can hold on, come out, and take a look at it again.¡±


    ¡ª-


    Su Fengzi wasn¡¯t a good person.


    To a large extent, he matched Fu Hao¡¯s comments about being a ¡°despicable, shameless, sinister, and nasty person¡±, but even Fu Hao couldn¡¯t deny that Su Fengzi was an excellent storyteller. He was elegant, full of passion, and possessed bewitching powers as he stood there telling a story.


    Because the half-true, half-false story told by Su Fengzi was too moving, those children really let go of the idea of burning the world in the end. Maybe even the people behind the scenes didn¡¯t expect that their seemingly invincible organization would fall apart in an instant.


    Su Fengzi was dragged away by an ambulance because of his serious hand injury, and Jiang Chao had already started a real net collection operation based on the many clues provided by the students. Xing Conglian, of course, was excluded because of certain ¡°betrayal¡± behaviors.


    At this moment, he and Lin Chen were sitting side by side in the corridor of Yongchuan University Hospital. Lin Chen¡¯s wrist was lifted high, and there was an ice pack that the nurse gave him pressing on it.


    Half an hour ago, Lin Chen refused to go to the hospital with Su Fengzi. Xing Conglian knew he probably wanted to be alone, so they had been sitting in the corridor for 20 minutes. He wanted to talk, but he didn¡¯t say a word.


    The school hospital of Yongchuan University didn¡¯t have the cold atmosphere of ordinary hospitals that they were used to. It was lively around them. Students always got sick or injured together, so sometimes it was quiet and other times it was clamorous.


    They appeared to be at a time when business was booming.


    Xing Conglian looked at the basketball players whose names had just been called in front of them, and he counted them. According to the doctor¡¯s current consultation speed, they would probably have to wait another half hour. Just as he was looking around, he suddenly heard Lin Chen speak.


    ¡°Today, thank you very much.¡±


    Xing Conglian suspected there was something wrong with his hearing. He turned his head to look at Lin Chen in disbelief, completely shocked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say those polite or self-depreciating words. I said thank you because I wanted to thank you. If you weren¡¯t here today and were replaced by someone else, there wouldn¡¯t be an all-win possibility.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he found that Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t responded for a long time, so he finally looked beside him.


    Xing Conglian lowered his eyes and took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. He held those two things in his hand without making any movement.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Smoking isn¡¯t allowed in the hospital,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Naturally, people like Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t be sad if they couldn¡¯t smoke. In fact, the word sad wasn¡¯t really suited for him. ¡°If you¡¯re in a bad mood, you can tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m in a bad mood, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve always thought people have the ability and must control themselves, but the longer I stay with you, the more I realize that it¡¯s really easy for people to lose control.,¡± Xing Conglian said as he stuffed the cigarette in his mouth but didn¡¯t light it. ¡°I want to smoke a cigarette really badly, so I took it out. It feels so natural¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s natural, then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Xing Conglian turned the cigarette pack over and handed it to Lin Chen. ¡°Look, it says smoking is harmful for your health, so should I not smoke?¡± He inserted the cigarette back into the pack. ¡°I have never had the idea of quitting, but just now, I suddenly thought of doing it, and it already made me feel uncomfortable. I think I probably won¡¯t be able to quit smoking in this life.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s annoyed face and wanted to say, ¡°If you can¡¯t quit, you can¡¯t. Besides, I don¡¯t care if you smoke or not.¡±


    However, he naturally knew what Xing Conglian really wanted to say.


    ¡°Do you feel pain?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful.¡±


    ¡°Then congratulations, you¡¯re still alive.¡± Lin Chen pressed the ice pack in his hand and grimaced in pain as he continued, ¡°And, congratulations, when you feel pain because you¡¯re trying to control yourself, it means that you¡¯re fighting against bad habits for a beautiful and healthy life.¡±


    ¡°Is this the tone you take when you do psychological counseling?¡± Xing Conglian curled his lips as if he disliked him for being too casual.


    ¡°If I adjust my tune, the fees are generally higher,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help laughing. He stretched out his hand and took the ice pack from Lin Chen¡¯s hand and applied it to him. ¡°I just suddenly understood what you said about being unable to control yourself because you have to control your greed, fear, vanity, and laziness to get better. Life is really too painful, so that¡¯s why those children chose a different path.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s relaxed, peaceful, and profound gaze and felt his heart tremble.


    Indeed, they were just ordinary people who yearned for a better life but were led astray because of their simple yearning.


    Perhaps because there were too many books that portrayed the beauty of life when, in fact, life was originally a painful journey.


    As for human nature, the reason it was great was because everyone was born with the nature of fighting against greed, fear, vanity, selfishness, stupidity, laziness, and cruelty. Even if sometimes the power of this kind of struggle was small and desperate, it always existed.


    People always suffered because of struggle, but they could also be called human because of these struggles.


    ¡°The hero of that story shouldn¡¯t be Jiang Liu.¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly remembered that if Su Fengzi had approached Fu Hao long before the jumping case, he didn¡¯t actually appear because of Jiang Liu.


    But if not her, then who?


    He also realized that the reason they were able to solve everything smoothly was because Wang Shishi left her book behind.


    It may have been that she forgot to deal with it, or it may have been a negligent mistake, but in the end, Wang Shishi still left that book behind in the last moments of her life.


    The author has something to say:


    Sentient beings suffer.

 CH 85

    The emotions of life were just emotions. After all, life was composed of trivial daily routines, and those thrilling and close calls were just accidental adjustments in life, and these adjustments should be as few as possible.


    When Lin Chen left the school hospital, he had a thick cast on his hand.


    Xing Conglian took out a cigarette with one hand while the other was holding a bag of medicines prescribed by the doctor for Lin Chen¡¯s hand. He lifted his pocket and examined the packaging of the medicine carefully, before he tentatively asked, ¡°Seriously, you really don¡¯t need to go to a big hospital? Is this really just a bone fracture?¡±


    Hearing what he said, Lin Chen looked back at the crowded hall of the school hospital and said, ¡°The one who just examined my hand is a retired old professor and an orthopedic expert from the school of medicine who¡¯s just enjoying his pension. That level should be okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s more than passable.¡± Xing Conglian quickly replied. He seemingly thought of something and asked again, ¡°But if your school hospital is so great, why is Su Fengzi still clamoring to go to the city hospital?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably afraid his dad will find out.¡± Lin Chen curled his lips as he said it.


    ¡°Huh, who¡¯s his dad?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know Fengzi is the prince of Yongchuan University?¡±


    ¡°Yongchuan University, Pr¨Cin¨Cce?¡± Xing Conglian reacted quickly and almost choked on the smoke. ¡°Mr. Su¡¯s son?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fengzi is the young master of the principal¡¯s family.¡± When Lin Chen said this, he also found it funny.


    Su Fengzi grew up in the campus family compound since he was a child. Even the little nurse who gave him his shots at the school hospital had been harassed numerous times by him. If he were to run to the school hospital to suture up his terrible wound, that would be equivalent to directly going to his father¡¯s office and saying, ¡°I did a big thing today!¡±


    Lin Chen was pleased to see Xing Conglian¡¯s confused expression, as if something wasn¡¯t quite right. When he first found out about this, his reaction was also relatively calm.


    After all, for his highly respected teacher to give birth to such a son, anyone would doubt something was amiss.


    ¡°There really is no resemblance,¡± Xing Conglian said with deep emotion.


    As the evening approached, the air was filled with the pleasant smell of spring grass and trees, which made people go silent.


    Unknowingly, people were drawn to the water, so it was strange that they once again arrived at the lake.


    At this time, the setting sun was setting westward, and the water surface was sparkling.


    Since Xing Conglian¡¯s phone hadn¡¯t rung, it meant there was no news, and that was probably the best news.


    He half-closed his eyes and sighed deeply.


    ¡°What?¡± Lin Chen asked.¡±


    ¡°It seems as if a generation has passed*.¡±


    *(»ÐÈç¸ôÊÀ) Idiom referring to a feeling caused by a great change in people or scenery. This comes from the travelogue ¡°Wu Chuanlu¡± written by Fan Chengda, a writer from the Song Dynasty.


    ¡°This idiom is too literary and artistic, so it¡¯s not suitable for you to say.¡±


    ¡°Counting things, three days ago, we came here to hang out yet we¡¯re unlucky enough to run into such a big case¡­¡±


    Although he spoke casually, Lin Chen could clearly see the lazy look on his face.


    Even Xing Conglian felt tired, so the experience in the past three days could be described as if a generation had passed.


    Lin Chen stood by the lake, looking at the sunset, which wasn¡¯t much different from when the sun rose that day. He wanted to say something, such as encouragement or relief, but even if he had thousands of words in his heart, he could only deeply sigh.


    ¡°What?¡± It was Xing Conglian who asked this time.


    ¡°I was thinking, I¡¯m very hungry now, and the cafeteria is not far from us¡­¡±


    ¡°Eat if you¡¯re hungry. Is there a problem? We¡¯ve been at your school for so long, and you haven¡¯t even invited me out for a meal yet.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring any money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a meal card or something?¡±


    ¡°I graduated from here long ago. How could I possess such a thing as a meal card?¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring any money¡­¡±


    Hearing this, they both looked at each other and said at the same time, ¡°Where¡¯s Wang Chao?¡±


    ¡ª-


    Wang Chao was still helping the second division.


    As a premier technician, comrade Wang Chao was sitting in an office at Yongchuan University. Together with two technicians that Jiang Chao had transferred from who knows where, he was monitoring the dynamics of the live broadcast on the deep web. It was different from when he was working with Xing Conglian. At this moment, he rested his legs on the table and had snacks brought to him by a young lady from the second division. Three minutes had passed since the agreed-upon live broadcast time, but the website was still all black. In the message bar at right, curses from various languages flooded the chat box.


    After all, these psychopaths from all over the world had been cheated out of a lot of money by this live broadcast website.


    Wang Chao stuffed a potato chip into his mouth and took a sip of orange juice.


    ¡°A bunch of spicy chickens*.¡±


    *(À±¼¦) Internet slang for garbage (because it¡¯s a homonym for it).


    As he said this, his phone suddenly rang. When he glanced at the caller ID, he almost choked on the potato chips.


    ¡°Hey Captain. Is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    Wang Chao thought his boss was calling to check in on the progress of the case, but instead of what he expected, he heard, ¡°Do you have money?¡±


    ¡°Captain, when have I ever gone out and brought money? Isn¡¯t my whole persona a maize weevil*?¡±


    *Rice worm. Basically, he¡¯s calling himself a mooch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a thousand in the second pocket of your backpack?¡± On the other end of the phone, there was a sneer from Xing Conglian. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that was prepared for when you can¡¯t suddenly handle my high-handed rule and you¡¯ll run away from home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my money. Don¡¯t even think about it. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ll really leave if you don¡¯t treat me better!¡± He quickly and justly refused. What a joke! There was no reason for him to give up this money.


    ¡°Your brother A¡¯Chen said he¡¯s hungry and wanted to eat¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll deliver it right away. Where are we meeting?¡±


    ¡ª-


    The call ended with the teenager¡¯s trailing voice.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s smiling face. The words ¡°brother A¡¯Chen¡± were still echoing in his ears¡­


    Due to Wang Chao¡¯s personality, when people talk to him, they invariably used a brisk tone, and at this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice had a slight nasal sound due to drowsiness. In short, it sounded husky and sweet, so there was a strange feeling of intimacy*.


    *Clarity: As explained before, usually when addressing someone with an A¡¯ in front of their name, it¡¯s a sign of intimacy that¡¯s normally reserved for your loved ones. Wang Chao is using it as more of a nickname, and it fits his persona. Given that Lin Chen is aware of his feelings, hearing Xing Conglian say ¡°A¡¯Chen¡± is very significant (especially given his husky voice right now, as if he had just woken up from a nap kind of voice), even if Xing Conglian isn¡¯t saying it in a romantic sense.


    Lin Chen looked at him for a while, only to see his gentle gaze, with just the right amount of haze in his eyes, like crumbling gold; it was brilliant and warm.


    Xing Conglian was truly handsome.


    The wind was soft and the sunset gentle, which naturally eased the mood.


    Lin Chen thought that this was already very good.


    ¡ª-


    When Wang Chao came, they already knew what to order at the cafeteria. So when the teenager arrived with his ¡°escape money¡±, they quickly charged 200 yen to the meal card and ordered a large variety of food.


    Chicken glutinous rice, caged steamed rice, pepper beef tenderloin, bibimbap, Shaxian wontons¡­


    In short, Xing Conglian basically ordered a whole slew of food that looked delicious.


    They weren¡¯t really that hungry, but it was interesting to see comrade Wang Chao¡¯s pained face, so they ended up ordering more.


    Lin Chen propped up his chin and observed Wang Chao carefully at the table as he held the change from the meal card full of heartache and thought it was quite amusing.


    ¡°Why did you withdraw it so quickly? I have to buy a pack of cigarettes from the commissary later,¡± Xing Conglian continued to tease him.


    ¡°Fuck me, you¡¯re not allowed to use my noble money to buy things like cigarettes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just borrowing 20 yuan.¡±


    ¡°You never pay back the money you borrow from me!¡± Wang Chao said as he put the banknotes in his pockets, as if he would never touch it again.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so stingy.¡±


    ¡°No, no. This is my capital to fight for a free life!¡±


    Lin Chen smiled and looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Why is he like this?¡±


    ¡°Probably because of poverty.¡± Xing Conglian shook his head and said helplessly, ¡°He¡¯s been especially stingy since he was a child. His interests in life are to play games, have fun, and save money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you pay him a salary and give him allowances?¡± Seeing Wang Chao¡¯s looking like Grandet*, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help asking.


    *Character from Eugenie Grandet, a novel by French author Honore de Balzac. He is portrayed as shrewd, vicious, frugal, and ruthless.


    ¡°Bah, he¡¯s a member of the staff. The state pays him, and often he swindles money from me!¡±


    ¡°Then how can he be poor?¡±


    Hearing Lin Chen ask him this, Xing Conglian just smiled. ¡°Probably because he¡¯s more special?¡±


    ¡°What do you use your salary for?¡± Lin Chen turned his head and asked the person in question.


    ¡°Saving the world,¡± Wang Chao answered rightfully.


    ¡°Saving the world?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually just donating money.¡± Xing Conglian chuckled.


    ¡°What do you mean, just donating money? I¡¯m investing in the future of mankind!¡± When the teenager talked about ¡°the future of mankind¡±, he almost raised his fork as he shouted it.


    ¡°What are you investing in?¡± Lin Chen rubbed Wang Chao¡¯s head with interest.


    ¡°The United Nations Capital Development Fund and the United Nations Children Education Foundation. They aim to help young people in less developed countries obtain equal educational opportunities. The most recent donation project, The Hour of Code, is to provide a platform for children around the world to learn programming. A¡¯Chen, would you like to donate some?!¡±


    Lin Chen was surprised.


    Before hearing what he said, Lin Chen always thought he was investing in projects such as ¡°Nuannuan Development Foundation¡± or ¡°100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams Development Association¡±, but he actually donated his salary to UNICEF every month. Wasn¡¯t this too enlightening?


    Logically, he should ask ¡°why¡± now, but he thought for a bit. A young man like Wang Chao was carefree. When he saw the rising sun, it was a sunny day, and when he saw the sunset, it was a starry night. He embraced the most beautiful thing in the world, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that Wang Chao would do this.


    ¡°Okay, you can help me donate this month¡¯s salary.¡± Lin Chen paused for a moment before responding.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    He sounded as happy as if someone had loaded 10,000 yuan onto his online gaming account. Wang Chao excitedly swept up the food on the table and grabbed a scoop of ice cream with Xing Conglian. ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re really a good person. 10,000 times better than the Captain!¡± He stuffed two-thirds of the ice cream scoop into his mouth as he said this sincerely.


    Although Xing Conglian seemed to have ordered a lot of food, the amount was perfect, as everything was cleanly eaten.


    Wang Chao was driven back by Xing Conglian to continue to monitor the live broadcast website. In the end, Xing Conglian still managed to wriggle out 20 yen from him and bought two packs of cigarettes.


    They continued to hang out as he smoked.


    When he walked into the basketball gym, Xing Conglian suddenly said, ¡°He was born in Africa.¡± He, of course, referred to Wang Chao.


    Lin Chen was taken aback. This was the first time that Xing Conglian told him about Wang Chao¡¯s past.


    But Africa? This was surprising.


    ¡°That¡¯s far away. How come he¡¯s here.¡±


    He remembered the teenager¡¯s milky white skin, so he shouldn¡¯t be the illegitimate son of some tribal leader.


    ¡°His parents were managers of a construction company aiding Africa. They were honest and ordinary people. During the genocide, they died protecting more than 100 local residents.¡±


    When he talked about this, Xing Conglian¡¯s face was calm, but his tone reminded Lin Chen of the fierce yellow sand in the vast wilderness, as well as guns and blood.


    Lin Chen frowned and wanted to ask more, but Xing Conglian¡¯s phone suddenly rang.


    As if foreshadowing something, the anxious voice of the teenager came from the mic.


    ¡°Cap¡­ Captain. The website is up again. Come quick. Quick. Hurry!¡±

 CH 86

    Xing Conglian stood still on the side of the road. ¡°Calm down and tell me. Can you locate where the live broadcast is?¡±


    His tone was cold as he opened the playback of the live feed. Lin Chen slightly lowered his head only to hear Wang Chao¡¯s voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The picture is very dark and blurred now. I suspect someone had specifically turned down the brightness¡­ Damn it! It seems to be in some kind of factory!¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded nervous as his last sentences became unstable.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian. A factory, for example, was not within their range of possible attacks, so where was this camera?


    At this moment, a soft voice sounded beside Wang Chao. ¡°This¡­ Our Jiang team just asked for statements from the students. They said that their usual meeting place is in an abandoned factory in the industrial zone behind University City.¡±


    ¡°Give the person next to you the phone,¡± Xing Conglian said decisively.


    ¡°Xing¡­ Hello, Captain Xing. I¡¯m from the second division. I¡­ I¡¯m Ma Han.¡± On the other end of the line, comrade Ma Han¡¯s timid voice sounded.


    ¡°No need to introduce yourself. Get the point.¡±


    It was rare for Xing Conglian to be so curt.


    Lin Chen glanced up at him again and saw that his expression was grim. Lin Chen was used to seeing him expressionless in the face of a mountain collapsing, but he was surprised to find that Xing Conglian had reacted so strongly. He roughly understood that this was probably Xing Conglian¡¯s self-blame.


    In fact, from the time they just handed over the case to Jiang Chao to the time they walked out of the cafeteria, Xing Conglian never once mentioned any details regarding the follow-up. He didn¡¯t even ask about it when Wang Chao was present, as if he had completely let go of the case. After all, at the end of the day, the case wasn¡¯t within their jurisdiction from the start.


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was the way of officialdom or if there was a limit to how much he could advance or retreat. In the end, this was someone else¡¯s case. If he got too pushy, he would look as if he was being greedy for merit, so when it was time to retreat, Xing Conglian did so. Still, he felt guilty for not handling the follow-up process well. This mindset was contradictory, but it was fueled by a strong desire for control; control over oneself, control over others, and control over everything.


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes and tried not to think about it but rather focus on the information being narrated by the little policeman on the other end of the line.


    About half an hour ago, a student confessed they organized a rally at their usual rally location, which was in an abandoned factory in the industrial area on the outskirts of the city. After Jiang Chao learned the news, he personally led a team and rushed there.


    After listening, Xing Conglian asked, ¡°When did they set off?¡±


    ¡°Let me call and ask?¡± Little comrade Ma Han¡¯s voice was timid.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Before Xing Conglian could say anything, Wang Chao had already begun to urge.


    ¡°Wang Chao, go downstairs with Ma Han. I¡¯ll pick you up. Call Lin Chen¡¯s phone.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he hung up. ¡°They are in office building No. 5. You go first. I¡¯ll go get the car, and then we¡¯ll meet downstairs.¡±


    The location where Xing Conglian parked was further away from where building No. 5 was located, which was why Xing Conglian asked Lin Chen to go on ahead.


    Lin Chen nodded. Xing Conglian patted him on the shoulder, then turned and ran away.


    The cheers of students came from the basketball gym, as if to celebrate a team making a shot. Laughter and cheer came overwhelmingly.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart sank. He took out his phone and called Wang Chao, then started running.


    The sound of wind buzzed across his ear as he ran. He almost bumped into a passing couple on campus along the way.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, Ma Han said the Jiang team set off about a quarter of an hour ago.¡± On the other end of the line, Wang Chao could be heard running downstairs. There was violent panting in his voice. ¡°I have calculated that it took almost a quarter of an hour from where the Jiang team left to the abandoned factory.¡±


    In other words, in theory, the start of the live broadcast happened to be the time when Jiang Chao and the others arrived at the abandoned factory. Could it be that Jiang Chao and his team¡¯s arrival triggered the live broadcast? But why?


    Lin Chen had many unpleasant conjectures in his heart. ¡°Have you contacted someone on the team? Have Captain Jiang and his team withdraw.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ma just said they can¡¯t contact the Jiang team. They may have already entered the factory area and turned or muted their phone during the operation so we can¡¯t get through!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he had already seen two little comrades rushing downstairs in the distance, and, further away, Xing Conglian¡¯s jeep also appeared.


    Xing Conglian came quickly and arrived at almost the same time as him. After getting in the car, Wang Chao was so anxious that he kept asking, ¡°A¡¯Chen, what should I do? It won¡¯t be another horror live broadcast, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s theoretically possible, but the possibility isn¡¯t great.¡±


    As soon as he heard the news of the live broadcast reopening, Lin Chen also wondered if the mastermind wanted to blow up the police raiders. After all, something similar had happened before.


    But after sitting down and thinking calmly about it, the mastermind¡¯s information wasn¡¯t equal to theirs. Unless they chose to blow up the factory from the start, it was difficult for them to sneak into the warehouse to install bombs, then evacuate after the police fully enclosed the area. This was uninsured behavior, since it was likely the police force would have already deployed control measures around the warehouse in advance.


    Therefore, this current live broadcast was more like a provocation.


    In other words, it was roughly saying, ¡°When you look at me, I¡¯m also looking at you.¡±


    Lin Chen took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. At that moment, Wang Chao suddenly shouted, ¡°There¡¯s a picture!¡±


    Lin Chen quickly looked to his side, then put the notebook on his lap. The live broadcast screen suddenly lit up. The factory gate was slammed open, and black-clothed special forces formed a tactical formation and were rushing in.


    Suddenly, the picture froze again, and the figures of the police officers became blurred because of the video jam.


    ¡°What can we do?!¡± Ma Han sat next to Wang Chao as he looked at the footage, almost in tears.


    ¡°Damn it! The wireless network coverage is too poor!¡± Wang Chao repeatedly slapped the laptop and began to quickly hack all the wireless networks in the surrounding area.


    ¡°Is it possible to connect to Jiang Chao¡¯s team communication channel?¡± Xing Conglian asked suddenly.


    ¡°Do you use a digital IP interconnection system?¡±


    Wang Chao turned his head and asked Ma Han, but comrade Ma Han¡¯s face had an expression of: ¡°I¡­ have to probably call and ask.¡±


    Wang Chao glared at him and decided to do it himself. ¡°Captain, park the car in front of the School of Science and Technology for a minute. I can¡¯t even connect to a wireless network when you drive so fucking fast!¡±


    Despite hearing the cursing, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bat an eye and quickly turned sharply right and slammed on the brakes.


    The Jeep stopped steadily at the gate of the school, and the digital stream on the screen scrolled quickly. As he was typing instructions, Wang Chao said to Ma Han, ¡°Call and ask your colleagues in the division if they can contact your boss.¡±


    When Ma Han heard this, he hurriedly disconnected the call, trying to reach Jiang Chao. Wang Chao saw the screen on his phone and was furious. ¡°You keep calling Vice Captain Jiang¡¯s squad. Don¡¯t you know the communication will be blocked?¡±


    Ma Han was scolded bloody by him. Although he was a lovely young man, his experience with Wang Chao was destined to be different from that of normal people when he encountered trouble.


    Lin Chen patted Wang Chao¡¯s head and said calmly, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but things won¡¯t be as bad as you think.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he looked at Ma Han and said, ¡°Listen to him and call your colleagues.¡±


    Ma Han¡¯s big eyes had turned red at this moment, but he still listened and called his colleagues again. Sure enough, the voice on the other end was even more anxious. ¡°There¡¯s no answer from the on-board system. Team Jiang should have all gone in so no one¡¯s answering the phone!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all in! I know they¡¯re all in! They¡¯re being broadcast live right now. You have to get them out quickly before something happens!¡±


    Hearing this, comrade Ma Han choked up again. Seeing him like this, Lin Chen quickly took out his phone and pressed the public release button.


    ¡°What is the distribution group number that Captain Jiang uses?¡±


    While Wang Chao was talking, the wireless communication center dispatch page was opened.


    Apparently, the police officers there weren¡¯t too clear about the operating principle behind the intercom equipment they were using, as there was a long ¡°errr¡± sound on the other end of the line, though truth be told, Lin Chen was completely ignorant about these things as well.


    However, Wang Chao was a strong player with many skills. If it weren¡¯t for their current emergency, Lin Chen would ask Xing Conglian what this child born in Africa ate while growing up.


    Soon, there was a sound of running coming through the mic, documents being flipped, before finally the person who answered on the other line said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a picture of the specific information and send it to you!¡±


    Lin Chen clicked on the photo and raised his cell phone in front of Wang Chao. Wang Chao glanced at it, brought up a series of communication devices from the central page, and then shouted at Xing Conglian, ¡°Captain, I¡¯m connecting it to the car¡¯s Bluetooth.¡±


    After a while, the sound of Jiang Chao arranging the task force came through from the stereo. ¡°A team on the third floor, B team on the second, take it easy. They are all evidence!¡±


    Jiang Chao¡¯s voice was as arrogant and unruly as ever. When the voice came from the stereo, everyone in the car breathed a sigh of relief.


    Lin Chen hadn¡¯t hung up the phone. The cheers of the police officers of the second division came through it.


    ¡°Jiang Chao, Jiang Chao, can you hear me?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Vice Captain Jiang Chao on the other end of the communicator was taken aback and shouted, ¡°Holy shit, how did you cut in Lao Xing? Don¡¯t play tricks on me again!¡±


    ¡°Listen to me carefully. You¡¯re appearing on the latest broadcast right now. Immediately notify your subordinates and evacuate the factory.¡±


    ¡°What live broadcast?¡± Jiang Chao still didn¡¯t understand the situation.


    ¡°The live broadcast on the dark web! Come out now!¡±


    ¡°What the hell?! Why are we on the live broadcast!¡± Jiang Chao shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°There¡¯s no bullshit here. Tell me where the camera is, and I¡¯ll take it out!¡±


    Jiang Chao was still reckless. Lin Chen raised his head suddenly and saw Xing Conglian¡¯s face as black as coal in the mirror. ¡°Cut the fucking crap and get out of there!¡±


    ¡°Lao Xing, are you sacred? Scared that there¡¯s going to be a bomb? If they wanted to blow us up, they would¡¯ve done it earlier instead of giving us time to have a chat!¡±


    Jiang Chao was still acting arrogant and disdainful.


    In the live broadcast, the vice captain who was holding down his headset turned around, and his entire face appeared on it. He said to Xing Conglian, ¡°I know what you¡¯re afraid of. That¡¯s how Lao Fang died. If you want to see laozi¡¯s face, let them see it. If they have the guts, they will come and kill me. Laozi is waiting!¡±

 CH 87

    Jiang Chao¡¯s voice echoed in the car through the stereo. His face was solemn and cold. Lin Chen could feel his anger, his suffocation, and all his resentment.


    However, without the need for verbal communication, he looked at the reflection in the mirror and saw Xing Conglian looking at him.


    In the next moment, Xing Conglian switched the car button and threw the Bluetooth headset to Lin Chen. Beside him, Wang Chao quickly understood and, at the same time, blocked off Jiang Chao¡¯s communication system from his team.


    Just before he opened the door and got out of the car, he heard Xing Conglian order the rest of the police force as he was facing the live broadcast, ¡°I am Xing Conglian, and I am now in charge of this operation. Please quickly cover your mouth and nose and evacuate the factory in an orderly manner.¡±


    Lin Chen slammed the car door and put on the headset. Jiang Chao¡¯s wireless communication equipment had been isolated and was connected to him.


    Jiang Chao¡¯s angry voice came from the headset. ¡°Fuck, Lao Xing. What the hell are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Captain Jiang, please forgive me for the urgent matter.¡± Lin Chen pressed on the mic as he spoke.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­ What do you mean¡­ That Lao Xing!¡±


    Probably hearing that it was Lin Chen on the line, Jiang Chao¡¯s voice softened significantly.


    Lin Chen leaned against the door of the car, remembering the dark eyes of Xing Conglian just now, and said, ¡°He¡¯s probably afraid of wasting time scolding you to death, so he directly handed the task of communicating with you to me.¡±


    ¡°Did Lao Xing cut off my authority again and then ask you to persuade me?¡± Jiang Chao huffed twice on the other end. Seeing that there was no response, he laughed at himself. ¡°It¡¯s really hard for him to take my feelings into account.¡±


    When Lin Chen heard this, he looked inside the car and saw Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes moving quickly, with his lips opening and closing, as if he were directing the police officers to avoid the cameras and evacuate in an orderly manner.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not advising you. I¡¯m just asking for your understanding.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head, looked at his feet, and then at the gray road.


    He certainly had many truths to say, but it didn¡¯t matter if it was worth speaking them or not. It was hard for him to say these truths to Jiang Chao because he knew very well why Jiang Chao didn¡¯t leave.


    In the headset, Jiang Chao¡¯s suppressed voice came through. ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m quite sober in my thinking. First of all, if there is a bomb, I¡¯ll stay here and buy them time so they can evacuate. Secondly, now that the dark webcast is online, those dirty bedbugs are watching us. If we were to retreat now, what will those bedbugs think of the Yongchuan police?¡±


    The reason Jiang Chao didn¡¯t leave was because he couldn¡¯t compromise.


    This made Lin Chen feel sad.


    Front-line police officers faced pressure not only from superiors and criminals, but also from social pressure. No matter when, where, or why, they must never show any signs of compromise to criminals.


    In front of them were those criminals, and behind them were countless ordinary people.


    Not only that, once they made any mistakes, like, for example, today¡¯s video being edited by someone with ulterior motives and uploaded again, showing the police force fleeing after being intimidated by criminals, the people in front of them would reign triumphant, while the people behind them wouldn¡¯t be able to understand. This was the greatest sorrow.


    ¡°I understand how you feel.¡± Lin Chen raised his head and looked at the sky, burned red by the sunset. ¡°But in our profession, courage refers not only to throwing your head in and spilling blood, but it also refers to the timely retreat and preservation of strength in the face of criminals. In the eyes of me and most of the people you protect, your life is 10,000 times more precious than the lives of garbage, bedbugs, and social scum, so please cherish it.¡±


    Jiang Chao didn¡¯t answer.


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Although I can¡¯t solve those contradictory social problems, I can still do my best for the current situation, so I assure you that the video broadcast today will never appear on any social network in the world.¡± Lin Chen recovered, looked at the teenager with a tense face, and said, ¡°Because Wang Chao is really capable.¡±


    Jiang Chao was still silent. Lin Chen felt that in his life so far, he had rarely encountered such a stubborn person.


    After a while, Jiang Chao spoke again. ¡°Well, my face has already been revealed. Isn¡¯t it meaningless to go or not? Whether it blows up or not, you still need someone to dismantle all these cameras. Let me do it.¡±


    Just then, the car window lowered.


    He saw Xing Conglian poke out his head and asked, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Jiang Chao out yet?!¡±


    In a rare instance, Xing Conglian had raised his voice at him.


    From the headset, Lin Chen could hear Jiang Chao whisper, ¡°I¡¯m being capricious, right?¡±


    Looking at Xing Conglian¡¯s frigid face, Lin Chen lowered his head and said to the person on the other end of the line, ¡°No, your choice is ultimately made from your own heart, not for others. I choose to respect it.¡±


    ¡ª-


    If this were a sad story, the next shot would be fire and smoke, and the last persistence and broken faces of their comrades-in-arms.


    But in this world, things were not always tragic. Occasionally, there would be some good luck.


    In the end, there weren¡¯t any bombs. Some of the shots closed with Jiang Chao¡¯s outstretched black gloves and the final picture of darkness.


    Without saying a word, Xing Conglian stepped on the gas. When his face was ugly, it made everyone present involuntarily silent.


    In the car, Wang Chao instructed Jiang Chao to remove the cameras. ¡°Boss Jiang, camera No. 2 should be on a tower crane. You can see it when you look up. The camera can¡¯t capture you. You should go to the third floor and dismantle it.¡±


    As he spoke, he probed through the mirror to observe Xing Conglian¡¯s expression, as if he were afraid of saying something wrong. As for comrade Ma Han, after the Jeep started again, he didn¡¯t dare say a word or even let out a cry.


    Naturally, Lin Chen knew that Xing Conglian was angry because he didn¡¯t approve of his final compromise with Jiang Chao, but because he made the decision, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t refute him on the spot. In short, this was Mr. Xing giving him some face.


    When they waited in front of the abandoned factory, Jiang Chao had just pushed the door open.


    The police officers outside the factory looked at each other, not knowing what was going on.


    Xing Conglian slammed on the brakes. After he got out of the car, he glanced at Jiang Chao from a distance, then turned around without saying a word and walked around the corner between the factory building and the factory room.


    Jiang Chao swallowed and followed suit.


    Lin Chen looked at the disappearing figures of the two of them and heard the teenager next to him secretly ask, ¡°Is he dead?¡±


    He turned his head and glanced at Wang Chao, thinking to himself, ¡®Don¡¯t you have more experience in judging this kind of thing?¡¯


    ¡°Have you ever lost your life?¡± Lin Chen thought for a bit but was still a little worried.


    ¡°To be specific, no, but broken hands and feet are a possibility.¡±


    ¡°So violent?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Sometimes it¡¯s hard to lead a big team. It¡¯s a big issue when you accidentally make a fool of yourself, so everything has to be controlled and balanced.¡± Wang Chao rubbed against Lin Chen with an expression of pull your ear closer for some juicy gossip. Lin Chen lowered his head and listened. ¡°Let me tell you. Our captain may seem indifferent to many things, but he¡¯s actually pretending. I have never seen a man with a stronger desire for control than him in my life.¡± As the teenager spoke, he slowly clenched his palms. ¡°It¡¯s scary. Be careful.¡±


    After the teenager finished speaking, he patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and quickly jumped away.


    Lin Chen looked at the corner in the distance. There didn¡¯t seem to be any particularly fierce quarrel. When he turned his head again, Wang Chao had already changed his expression into ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything¡± again.


    Previously, Xing Conglian had told him about Wang Chao¡¯s life experience, and now Wang Chao was telling him about Xing Conglian¡¯s.


    Are these two dating?


    Lin Chen thought helplessly.


    And the desire for control?


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t care too much about this matter before, but now it seemed that there have indeed been clues in the past. Xing Conglian¡­


    Lin Chen sighed and finally got out of the car.


    He walked slowly in the direction of where Xing Conglian and Jiang Chao had vanished. When he rounded the corner, he found Xing Conglian and Jiang Chao were standing at the end of the alley, whispering something.


    ¡°I feel fucking suffocated. Why can¡¯t you let me have a good time!¡±


    Jiang Chao lowered his head. His face looked flushed, and he couldn¡¯t help but refute.


    ¡°Cool, so cool. You think getting fucking blown up is cool? Do you know that in the case of Fang Zhiming¡¯s daughter, our Hongjing police force sacrificed three people in the end. Three people. Three lives!¡± With one hand in his pocket, Xing Conglian reprimanded Jiang Chao extremely forcefully. ¡°You can still stand here and talk to me now purely because of your good fate!¡±


    Standing in front of Jiang Chao, Xing Conglian gave Lin Chen the illusion of leading and educating his subordinate.


    In terms of level, although Jiang Chao was the vice captain, Yongchuan was the provincial capital. Jiang Chao¡¯s actual administrative level was slightly higher than that of Xing Conglian¡¯s. What was more, they were assisting in handling the case on the site of the Yongchuan police¡¯s jurisdiction. For Xing Conglian to reprimand other people¡¯s bosses in their own territory, it meant that he was truly furious.


    Lin Chen stood still behind them. Intellectually speaking, Jiang Chao had reasons why he couldn¡¯t leave and had to stay. Those reasons convinced him, but perhaps the same reason, in the eyes of Xing Conglian, was utter stupidity.


    He took a step forward and wanted to say something but heard Jiang Chao say, ¡°This case, from beginning to end, was solved by you and Consultant Lin. What did I do? Would it mean that if it weren¡¯t for you, there would be a shocking tragedy in my jurisdiction, in a place where I swore to protect, and I would have no way to prevent it because of my lack of ability? Why am I so useless?¡± Jiang Chao held his head high, and his voice was uncontrollably agitated.  ¡°The only thing I can do is stand there and tell them that we¡¯re not afraid and we won¡¯t take a step back even if we die. Can¡¯t I even do this?¡±


    Lin Chen stopped. He looked at Jiang Chao¡¯s flushed eyes and found that he was too sad to say anything.


    Indeed, if it were not for those who were always in the front lines protecting their lives, they would probably never be able to experience the fear caused by powerlessness. It was like a doctor who couldn¡¯t treat a patient, or a mother who couldn¡¯t hold her child¡¯s hand. No matter how much life and death they were used to seeing, no matter how numb they thought they had become, they would always tremble at such a certain moment because of self-blame.


    He raised his head and looked at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian was as calm as ever¡ªor rather, he was calmer than before.


    ¡°Do you have a misunderstanding about our profession?¡± Xing Conglian stood there, like a mountain, like the sea, and said, ¡°We never do these things for fun. Even when you bring those criminals to justice and watch them face the guillotine, you won¡¯t always be happy, because only you know how difficult the process is and how much you paid for it. And the most expensive cost of all is to endure all of this¡ªto endure their dirty sins as well as our powerlessness many times, and then preserve and endure even more.¡±


    ¡°This is our profession.¡± Xing Conglian ended.


    Lin Chen looked at him, feeling that all words had lost their effectiveness. He couldn¡¯t help but bow to him earnestly.

 CH 88

    ¡°In the end, you were sent to the hospital by him?¡± Su Fengzi laid on the hospital bed and yawned as he asked Lin Chen. Lin Chen felt as if Su Fengzi was about to roll his eyes to express his disdain.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Looking at his friend, who was injured and had to stay overnight, Lin Chen avoided his gaze at the injured hand.


    Just a moment ago, after finishing his ideological education on Jiang Chao, Xing Conglian ordered Jiang Chao¡¯s officers to take him to the hospital in order to have his hand re-examined. It seemed that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t believe the excuse about the orthopedic professor.


    While Lin Chen went, Xing Conglian and Wang Chao stayed behind at the scene to deal with the follow-ups.


    ¡°In other words, just because the live broadcast screen lit up again, you have been making a fuss all this time and now just came to the hospital to visit me?¡± Su Fengzi was clearly dissatisfied, as he said this in an aggravated tone.


    ¡°Your injuries aren¡¯t even a big deal. Do you have to be so plaintive?¡± Lin Chen looked up at the clock on the wall. It was only past nine. Ignoring the time he spent with Xing Conglian, there was still an hour left before visitation ended.


    ¡°How can you say it¡¯s not a big deal. If you don¡¯t come, who will peel apples for me?¡± Su Fengzi crossed his long legs and pressed the remote control in his hand. He changed the channel and then put the remote control down again, then took an apple from the bedside table and handed it to Lin Chen. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before.¡±


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of his injuries or because he came late, but Su Fengzi was full of resentment right now. As he spoke, he sadly raised his right hand, wrapped in gauze, to show his ¡°work injury¡±.


    Lin Chen tugged at the corner of his mouth, glanced at the plaster on Su Fengzi¡¯s hand, and then stuffed the apple back into the fruit basket. ¡°Of course, you know, I have already moved on.¡±


    Su Fengzi didn¡¯t expect this kind of response and was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Mr. Lin, honestly, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit shameless?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re too unfeeling for me.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°The cabbage I worked so hard to raise has been crushed by pigs*.¡±


    *Refers to a good thing ruined. || Basically, he¡¯s saying Lin Chen (the good thing) is ruined (because he¡¯s fallen in love with a pig (Xing Conglian)).


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°The water¡¯s been poured out by married children*.¡±


    *Metaphor refers to after a daughter gets married, she no longer has a relationship with her original family.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the entertainment news being broadcast on TV as he replied casually.


    It seemed to be news about a certain singer saying something inappropriate and angering some music fans. Lin Chen hadn¡¯t seen this kind of entertainment gossip in a long time and occasionally found it very interesting. After the anchor finished talking about the key points of the debate between the fans of both sides, Lin Chen realized that the person lying in bed hadn¡¯t spoken.


    He turned his head and found that Su Fengzi was looking at him solemnly.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t in this state after finishing a case before,¡± Su Fengzi said calmly.


    ¡°What state was I in before, and what state am I in now?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°You used to lock yourself up silently for many days and then lie to me, so I had to order food to be delivered to you. Now that you¡¯ve moved on, when will you pay me back those meals?¡±


    ¡°In the past, there were too many things that couldn¡¯t be figured out. What about now?¡± Lin Chen quietly changed the topic from the money owed for food.


    But how could a person like Su Fengzi do what he wanted. ¡°So, have you figured out anything about Huang Weiwei¡¯s death?¡± Su Fengzi asked.


    His gaze was rarely serious, as if someone had popped his balloon when he was happily playing with it in the playground or was walking down a street when he got splashed with cold water out of nowhere. Lin Chen lowered his eyes, staring at the snow-white floor tiles for about three seconds, and felt that cold water was stirring in his bones, giving him a chilling pain.


    He clenched his fist with difficulty and took a deep breath. Unlike when facing Huang Ze, when he suddenly heard the mention of that name again, those fragmented images emerged one by one and replayed those remorseful moments in his head. He once again held the fleeting thought about turning back the clock and changing the past.


    Of course, this was a delusion¡ªa very, unhealthy, delusion.


    Lin Chen discovered that he had to mobilize all his psychological adjustment knowledge before he could suppress those emotions again.


    ¡°Fengzi, I found that you have a very serious problem.¡± Lin Chen covered his eyes and tried to wrap up those pictures again.


    ¡°Are you trying to boast that I¡¯m too understanding?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, you really know which pot to close and which one to lift*.¡±


    *(Äĺø²»¿ªÌáÄĺø) Metaphor referring to one should not talk about other people¡¯s private shortcomings. You should know what should and shouldn¡¯t be said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your highly respected teacher teach you to forcibly suppress unpleasant memories without trying to solve them? Then it will always be there, and over time, it will cause you mental illness. At that time, it¡¯ll be hard to return. Even the best psychiatrists won¡¯t be able to cure you at that point,¡± Su Fengzi said solemnly.


    ¡°But how can I solve it?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.


    In this world or in life, there were always hurdles that couldn¡¯t be overcome or problems that couldn¡¯t be solved because they were too difficult, so what else could he do except bypass them?


    ¡°You never talked to your police officer about the kidnapping and murder case?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he never asked me.¡±


    Su Fengzi sat up straight in disbelief and asked again, ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so gossipy?¡± Lin Chen asked with a frown.


    ¡°I heard that you ran into Huang Ze, right? Don¡¯t you think Xing Conglian would find it strange the way Huang Ze treats you like a pervert? The way he torments you to get you to beg and plead? If he never asked about the case back then, there are only two possibilities. Either he¡¯s incredibly tolerant or he doesn¡¯t care about you at all¡­¡± Su Fengzi trailed off. His eyes flickered, as if there was something in them, and he ended with a smile. ¡°I think you really have to work hard for this unrequited love.¡±


    Lin Chen was speechless.


    In the end, Su Fengzi was Su Fengzi; too keen and sharp. He probably wanted to say and ask those things just now when they first met again, but they encountered a difficult case, so he could only hold back for a few hours before he could gossip. It was no wonder he held such deep resentment.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a third possibility.¡± Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, what?¡±


    ¡°Because secrets need to be exchanged with each other.¡± Lin Chen walked to the end of the bed, slowly adjusted Su Fengzi¡¯s hospital bed, turned off the TV, pressed the patient, who wanted to struggle to sit up, down on the bed, and finally covered him with a thin blanket. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make it complicated. The reason he didn¡¯t ask me is simple. Because he himself has too many secrets that can¡¯t be told.¡±


    Lin Chen sat down by the hospital bed again and dimmed the bedside lamp.


    Thinking about that room keycard, those inexplicable cameras, and Wang Chao¡¯s strange but gifted background, how could Xing Conglian be just an ordinary police officer?


    But right now, he was really just an ordinary policeman, but there must be many stories behind him¡ªmany that weren¡¯t told.


    Of course, Lin Chen also wanted to know those stories, but telling them and listening to them required the right timing. Perhaps it was over a glass of wine, or maybe over a cup of tea, or maybe when they went out late at night and one person turned left while the other went right, but somehow, they still ended up meeting. Unfortunately, such an encounter had yet to come. It wasn¡¯t the right time for them to meet yet, and it was possible that such a time would never occur in their lives.


    If they couldn¡¯t be honest with each other, then maintaining an appropriate distance from each other¡¯s privacy was the minimum respect. At the very least, he thought this was what Xing Conglian was doing to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not interesting seeing you guys like this.¡± It took a while before Su Fengzi replied.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the fun?¡±


    The interesting thing was that if he hadn¡¯t reached such a moment, he could always fantasize about Xing Conglian. That was all.


    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯ve really moved on. Are you going to pay me back for all the meals in college?¡± Su Fengzi rolled over and turned his back towards him.


    ¡°Why are you so philistine?¡± Lin Chen asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sad. What¡¯s so good about Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°Su Fengzi, how could you ask this when you write those novels for those little girls?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll change the question. What¡¯s wrong with Xing Conglian?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while but said, ¡°Well, he does have a strong desire for control.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a person with a strong desire for control must also possess quite strong abilities.¡±


    Lin Chen took a bite out of the apple and found that it wasn¡¯t surprising that this kind of thing came out of Su Fengzi¡¯s mouth. ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible, but I haven¡¯t yet experienced it.¡±


    ¡ª-


    When Lin Chen walked out of the hospital, he couldn¡¯t remember what he and Su Fengzi talked about in the dimly lit ward.


    It was some boring conversation that could be written in any third-rate romance novel.


    As the night wind blew, Lin Chen suddenly realized that Su Fengzi was probably using him as material, which was why he asked so many weird questions.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep was parked on the opposite side of the road. Across the long and empty road, Lin Chen saw him standing by his car, but he wasn¡¯t smoking.


    The night breeze brushed through his hair and clothes, blurring his face, but his figure stood out clearly.


    Lin Chen walked towards him and suddenly wanted to know how his story would end if it were written in Su Fengzi¡¯s book.


    ¡°How¡¯s Su Fengzi?¡± After getting in the car, Xing Conglian¡¯s first question was actually about Su Fengzi.


    Lin Chen fastened his seatbelt and saw Wang Chao sleeping crookedly in the back seat while holding onto his laptop. He thought Xing Conglian was afraid that the atmosphere in the car would be too depressing, so he deliberately found a topic to chat about.


    ¡°Seems happy. A nurse bought him some apples, but he complained that no one peeled them for him.¡±


    ¡°Your friend is very interesting.¡± Xing Conglian lowered the car window a little. The night breeze made him a bit more awake. ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡±


    ¡°I went to retake the x-rays. The doctor who showed me the x-rays looked at me blankly, as if there was nothing for him to do.¡± Lin Chen leaned back in his seat. It was close to midnight, and there was no one on the street. The entire city was calm, as if it was in a dream. He turned to look at Xing Conglian and said, ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t take the medical report written by Professor Zhang. Otherwise, the physician would probably scold me to death.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly. ¡°Consultant Lin, the organization is thinking about your health here. The bureau will reimburse you.¡±


    Lin Chen chuckled and shook his head. ¡°How¡¯s Jiang Chao?¡±


    ¡°Probably fine, except for having to write a report for three days and nights.¡±


    ¡°Then the follow-up matters?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be handled by the Yongchuan police. We have to go home tomorrow.¡±


    When he said the words ¡°go home¡±, Xing Conglian happened to stop the car outside the hotel. They were facing a wide lake, and the cool lake breeze blew across the car.


    Xing Conglian looked back at the teenager in the backseat, who was smacking his mouth, and asked with a smile, ¡°What do you think about us leaving him here?¡±


    He certainly meant it in an innocent way, but when those words reached Lin Chen¡¯s ears, his heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat.


    Sure enough, he should talk less with Su Fengzi¡­


    As Lin Chen was thinking this, he saw Xing Conglian suddenly open the door and get out of the car. He then walked around to his side and knocked on the window, smiled, then asked, ¡°Consultant Lin, do you have time to get a drink together?¡±


    Before Lin Chen could react, he saw Xing Conglian take out two cans of Yongchuan draft beer from his pockets, open them, and hand one over. ¡°But it seems that only the two of us can drink it.¡±


    The lake breeze was cool. Lin Chen held his beer can and gently touched it but didn¡¯t respond.


    In the distance, the lake was dark and quiet, with only scattered lights that dotted the shore.


    It was late at night.


    There weren¡¯t many words exchanged.


    ¡°A good drink to accompany a nice view.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡±


    ¡°Can we still get breakfast near your school tomorrow and bring Wang Chao with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be nice if I could take you to another place tomorrow.¡±


    Their small talk didn¡¯t have any deep meaning. He didn¡¯t know what was said or how much was said, but rather where it was said.


    ¡°Three Graves, is it really a non-existent organization?¡±


    Suddenly, Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian ask this.


    Lin Chen leaned on the bumper and shook the empty beer can. He looked to his side and met Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, which looked deep, as if they were profound.


    There was a light, sweet smell of alcohol leaving his breath. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but think what a clever man this person was. He raised his head and stared at Xing Conglian.


    Under the dazzling starlight, he wanted to kiss him.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Well, the key word is yet. Lin Chen will learn soon what a man with strong abilities can really do.


    This is it for arc 3. I¡¯ve been told that the next arc is supposedly the best, so look forward to that. This marks the end of the anniversary release. I will be taking a break for the rest of this month, so releases will be extremely sporadic until at least January. Thank you everyone for your support, comments, Ko-fi donations, and help throughout the past year. Here¡¯s hoping for more danmei in 2023. Wishing everyone an (early) happy holidays.

 CH 89

    The weather during the change of seasons was always strange.


    For example, when he left home in the morning, the sky was still clear, but it started pouring on the way home. This kind of thing was common.


    In front of the long convoy blocking the city, Xing Conglian knocked on the window next to the driver¡¯s seat with irritability. The window was covered with fog, and there was an endless electronic sound of a mobile game playing in his ears. The rain was still falling, and there was no sign of it stopping.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop for a while?¡± Xing Conglian turned his head and spoke impatiently to the teenager sitting in the front passenger seat.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you smoke less?¡± Wang Chao only raised his eyes and glanced at the cigarette in Xing Conglian¡¯s hand, then responded back disdainfully.


    Xing Conglian was about to explode, but he tried his best to tell himself not to care about the words of a rebellious teenager.


    He took a deep breath and followed the self-regulation method Lin Chen had taught him.


    Inhale¡­ Exhale¡­


    Then he smacked Wang Chao¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ow! Child abuse!¡±


    The teenager¡¯s scream was mixed with the electronic sounds coming from his mobile game, echoing in the car.


    On the way home from work, everything was irritating without Lin Chen¡­


    Xing Conglian pressed the car radio, and gentle piano music flowed out. He unbuttoned his collar, rolled up the cuffs of his shirt, and lowered the car window a little, ready to let the music soothe his irritable emotions.


    But soon, specifically at the moment when the red light in front turned green, the soft piano sound suddenly turned into raging rock music. The drums and roars were deafening, startling Xing Conglian. A feeling of hot steam rushed up the back of his neck to the top of his head. He hurriedly glanced at the car audio. Fortunately, the audio didn¡¯t explode. He studied the broadcast and the control panel and found there were no issues. Just when he wanted to summon Wang Chao to check out the problem, he found that Wang Chao¡¯s phone had been plugged into the car audio at some point, and the initiator himself, at this moment, was bouncing up and down to the grungy music at high volume.


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath again¡­


    Then he silently unplugged the cable.


    Wang Chao suddenly settled down and continued to stare at him with a look that said, ¡°Bro, what the hell are you doing?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to use violence too often, so as an adult, he could only look away.


    Naturally, the tastes in music of an older man and a teenager were usually vastly different, but usually this kind of contradiction could be reconciled. For example, Lin Chen would choose songs that suited Xing Conglian¡¯s taste from the cloud song list. Sometimes it was light music, and sometimes it was Cantonese. Lin Chen¡¯s taste was always good, so Xing Conglian naturally didn¡¯t have any objections.


    If Wang Chao got impatient after listening for a while and started to make noise, at that time, Lin Chen would plug in the audio cable on Wang Chao¡¯s phone, turn down the volume, and then accompany Xing Conglian to talk.


    Xing Conglian discovered that, in the end, the reason for his irritability now was that no one was talking to him while he was driving.


    Should he propose that Lin Chen take fewer days of sick leave¡­?


    He thought this silently, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Wang Chao¡¯s hand still secretly reaching for the connection wire.


    Then there was a crisp sound.


    In the next second, the bold brat finally shrank back to his seat with his hands covering his head and began to whine until his heart felt a bit better.


    ¡°Mr. Xing, do you know doing this makes it look like you¡¯re having a manic episode?!¡± Wang Chao hid in the corner as he yelled at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Your brother A¡¯Chen should know best whether I¡¯m manic or not.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you¡¯re addressing him now?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shameless!¡±


    ¡°Not only can I call him A¡¯Chen, I can also call him Chen. Can you?¡±


    ¡°Chen, Chen, Chen, Chen, Chen, Chen!¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, how old are you? So childish. Do you have the guts to go to your brother A¡¯Chen and call him that?¡±


    ¡°Xing Conglian, I¡¯m 18 this year and past the age where I would be so violently brain-dead!¡±


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you passed the age of rubbing against your guardian¡¯s car every day?¡±


    ¡°Because the word guardian is already past tense. I¡¯m rubbing against my boss¡¯ car. Do you have any comments?¡±


    ¡°As a democratic and considerate boss, I don¡¯t have any complaints about dropping off my subordinate on the way home, but I also hope that my subordinates will be conscious of being a passenger in my car and don¡¯t always provoke their boss.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re all in this car. Why should we listen to songs that only you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°Because this is laozi¡¯s car. If you don¡¯t want to sit in this car, go and walk.¡±


    In the end, any quarrel between him and Wang Chao would always come down to who had the money and who was the boss.


    Tsk. It¡¯s not bad to be rich. After all, you can buy a car.


    Xing Conglian turned the steering wheel and finally saw the parking lot outside of Yanjia Lane.


    ¡°Captain, you sure have a shitty car. Did you remember to bring an umbrella?¡±


    Suddenly, the annoying kid sitting in the front passenger seat began to make noise again.


    Xing Conglian recalled for a while. It seemed that, because of the rain yesterday, they took out the umbrellas with them when he got out of the car. It looked sunny this morning, and Lin Chen was still sleeping, so no one reminded them to bring an umbrella.


    In the end, it was because Lin Chen didn¡¯t remind him that they forgot to bring their umbrellas.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you remember to bring it?¡± Xing Conglian questioned.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s like this. The clothes I¡¯m wearing are waterproof, and I wear hats so I can just rush home in three minutes without fear of rain,¡± Wang Chao said as he pulled out a cap from his backpack and put it on. He then pointed to his backpack and said, ¡°The backpack is also waterproof. It¡¯s quite high-end, no? Unlike some people who have to live in a house deep in an old alley. What¡¯s the use of having a garden when you can¡¯t even drive the car to the door¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian continued taking deep breaths. After all, beating a child wasn¡¯t an honorable thing. He had to restrain himself¡­


    He controlled his hand, patiently followed the queue of cars forward, and finally drove into the parking lot. When the railing of the car was raised, he suddenly saw someone waiting under the willow tree by the parking lot.


    Lin Chen was wearing home clothes and had a simple coat on, holding a black umbrella while waiting for them in the rain.


    This was a very strange feeling, but the moment he saw Lin Chen, he suddenly felt as if there was a sudden wind in the air or someone had breathed into his heart, and all the irritability in it had suddenly disappeared.


    Even Wang Chao suddenly stopped talking.


    He pulled the car up to the parking space as Lin Chen walked towards them with an umbrella.


    Before Xing Conglian could stop the car, the annoying kid sitting in the front passenger seat unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and rushed out.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, A¡¯Chen, A¡¯Chen, why are you here? Have you been waiting for a long time? I have already scolded the captain for you. Who made him drive so slowly? Older men are so useless!¡±


    The teenager¡¯s voice was loud and clear, and it echoed through the parking lot. Xing Conglian had just lowered the car window and was about to greet Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen patted the boy¡¯s black hair and moved the umbrella over, then glanced up at Xing Conglian and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just say all older men are useless.¡±


    Tsk. As expected of Lin Chen. He¡¯s really good at educating children.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian pulled the handbrake with satisfaction, opened the door, and got out of the car.


    ¡°How long have you been waiting? Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡±


    Xing Conglian stretched out his hand and took the umbrella that Lin Chen handed over, then opened it.


    ¡°Not long. I checked the traffic conditions in advance and calculated the time you would get here.¡±


    Because of his hand injury, Lin Chen could only walk on the outermost side, while Wang Chao held the umbrella for him while blocking the middle.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re so smart, unlike the Captain!¡±


    After hearing what Lin Chen said, that brat Wang Chao quickly and doggedly flattered him and stole his lines.


    Xing Conglian held the handle of the umbrella and walked a little further away from them, then looked back at Lin Chen.


    However, Lin Chen didn¡¯t continue the conversation and instead glanced at him curiously, then asked Wang Chao, ¡°What happened on the way?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just that the Captain kept hitting me and threatened to kick me out of the car and walk!¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you the villain who sues his victim first*?¡±


    *(¶ñÈËÏȸæ×´) Proverb referring to a bad person being the first to tell or distort the facts.


    ¡°I¡¯m young. Don¡¯t you think I should be?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, although you grew up abroad, the traditional virtue of Chinese culture is to respect your elders and cherish the young. Let me emphasize, you need to respect your elders!¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re finally admitting that you¡¯re old!¡±


    Why were children like this nowadays? It made it impossible for him not to beat them!


    Xing Conglian curled his fingers and was about to smack Wang Chao in the head, but suddenly realized that the person walking beside him had changed to Lin Chen, or that he had subconsciously walked to Lin Chen¡¯s side and held his umbrella for him at some point.


    ¡°Proper quarrels help cultivate feelings.¡± Lin Chen raised his brows and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite interesting watching you two. You guys continue. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    Obviously, he didn¡¯t intend to stop them, but after Lin Chen finished speaking, Wang Chao shut up. He glanced at Lin Chen cautiously, and his eyes flickered.


    The surrounding area became quiet in an instant, with only the sound of raindrops splashing on the umbrella. The alley became tranquil, giving off a calm vibe as if there were a sweet aroma.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to talk anymore.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, what are we having for dinner?¡±


    Finally, Wang Chao seemed to have thought about something for a long time and then suddenly found something to talk about and spoke up.


    Xing Conglian finally caught the opportunity and smacked him. ¡°Can¡¯t you cook? Your brother A¡¯Chen still has a cast on his hand. Do you still want him to cook for you? How useful you are!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Wang Chao retorted.


    Lin Chen sighed almost inaudibly and asked, ¡°What about Chen Ji fried noodles?¡±


    ¡°No good.¡± Wang Chao and Xing Conglian spoke in unison this time.


    ¡°Or Auntie Zhou¡¯s wontons?¡±


    ¡°If I eat Auntie Zhou¡¯s takeout again, it¡¯ll be the 117th time I¡¯ve eaten at Auntie Zhou!¡± Wang Chao moaned.


    ¡°What about Master Kang¡¯s braised beef noodles? That¡¯s a classic.¡±


    ¡°I finished the last bag last night.¡± Xing Conglian silently raised his hands.


    ¡°Then what to do?¡±


    ¡°A new shopping mall has opened in the CBD. A¡¯Chen, shall we go there and get something to eat?¡± When Wang Chao said this, his eyes lit up. ¡°Captain, swipe your card!¡±


    ¡°Per capita can¡¯t exceed 100. I took a few days off this month, so my salary is a bit low,¡± Xing Conglian said bitterly.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Chen agreed.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Happy New Year.

 CH 90

    Yanjia Lane was long. It took about 1.5 kilometers to walk from one end to the other. Because the alley was so long and Hongjing was an old city, this alley almost became a bridge between classical and modern Hongjing. At one end of the alley was a quiet and ancient market, while at the other end was an upscale commercial district that looked like it was paved in gold.


    While it may look artistic now, a year ago, Yanjia Lane was just an ordinary, dilapidated street. Later, it was remodeled and transformed into a literary arts town.


    When he got to the door of his house, Xing Conglian said that he wanted to go inside and change first. It wasn¡¯t good for him to go to the mall in his officer¡¯s uniform. Lin Chen took Wang Chao to the shop opposite of the house to take shelter from the rain while they waited for him.


    Opposite their home was an antique shop.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know when he had gotten used to the concept of ¡°their home¡± or ¡°our home¡±. In fact, Unit 3 on Yanjia Lane wasn¡¯t his home. He was only a tenant who was temporarily living there and didn¡¯t pay any rent, but it was strange that since the first day he moved in, he and Xing Conglian seemed to be on the same level and the matter of rent had never been mentioned.


    Perhaps it was because they both felt strange about needing to pay each other.


    Lin Chen stepped into the shop and lifted up the feng shui curtain hanging at the door of the antique store. A fragrance wafted from the shop.


    Wang Chao was closing the umbrella when he smelled the slight fragrance. The teenager inhaled several times and then subconsciously licked his lips.


    The owners were an old couple in their seventies. Rather than saying they sold antiques, it was more appropriate to say they rented the store so they could casually have something to do. Therefore, there was nothing in the shop except for a few pieces of porcelain and an antique cabinet.


    The porcelain appeared to be very valuable, but it was possible that they were modern forgeries. Either way, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t assess the value of those things.


    Everything in the store, whether it was the antiques or the people, had a very casual feel to it, which was extremely suitable for being a neighbor to Xing Conglian.


    Usually, people would gather toward their likeness.


    Lin Chen put down the curtain and walked into the store.


    The shopkeeper was an old man who was sitting cross-legged by the bamboo table and drinking tea. When he saw them enter, the old man greeted them happily, patted the side of the bamboo table, and shouted to Wang Chao, ¡°Yo, Mr. Wang. Come to play some chess?¡±


    ¡°Not today. We¡¯re just hiding from the rain for a bit before we head out to dinner.¡± Wang Chao sniffled and waved his hand at the old man. He then wandered around the store familiarly; first pretending to look at the porcelain for a while, then walking straight to the corner of the shop.


    Under the window decorated with flowers, there was a small coal stove that had a pot of roasted meat and bamboo shoots bubbling from it.


    The heat and smell were dense in the dusky rainy season, which could especially stir the stomach¡¯s cravings.


    The shopkeeper¡¯s wife was sitting on a rocking chair by the fireside. The old lady was holding a fan in her hand as she gently fanned herself. When she saw Wang Chao enter the store, the corners of her mouth lifted and she was already smiling, but she pretended to close her eyes and kept fanning herself without speaking.


    Wang Chao circled the window twice like a headless fly and then simply squatted down by the pot.


    Seeing that he was focused on the pot, the old lady opened her eyes with satisfaction and asked, ¡°Want to eat?¡±


    However, Wang Chao didn¡¯t answer her and instead looked back at Lin Chen.


    The teenager¡¯s eyes were full of longing, which gave Lin Chen the feeling as if he was taking out a cub to ask for snacks. He looked at the old man helplessly, picked up the tea that the old man had just poured for him from the table, took a sip, and then nodded helplessly.


    After getting permission, Wang Chao hugged the old lady¡¯s thigh and said affectionately, ¡°Grandma Gao, I haven¡¯t eaten lunch. I¡¯m so hungry.¡±


    ¡°Go and get a bowl from the kitchen and help yourself!¡± The old woman happily patted Wang Chao on the head with her fan and sat up straight.


    The next second felt like lightning had struck or a whirlwind had passed through. In short, Wang Chao ran out from the kitchen with a bowl in his arms and held it up as the old lady selected the best cut of meat for him and served him a large bowl. Seeing this made the old man¡¯s heart ache.


    Then, the teenager quickly ate the entire bowl of roasted meat and bamboo shoots with outstanding speed until there was nothing left in the bowl. At the end, he ran to the kitchen again and washed the bowl before Xing Conglian came.


    Recalling that last time they managed to get a free meal from the shop, it probably succeeded because of Wang Chao¡¯s ability to sell meng and being so thick-skinned to the point of being shameless. In short, although it was a bit embarrassing, Lin Chen was still thankful.


    Lin Chen sighed, stood up from the bamboo mat, and bid goodbye to the shopkeeper.


    ¡°Thank you, Grandma Gao, Grandpa Gao. Your dishes are 10,000 times better than Auntie Zhou¡¯s!¡±


    As they left, the teenager blew a kiss to the old lady as he spoke.


    ¡°Then come back again and eat more next time! Grandma will save some for you!¡± The old lady was thoroughly coaxed as she looked at their backs with a grin from ear to ear.


    ¡ª-


    When Xing Conglian came out, the rain was a bit lighter.


    He changed into a long black windbreaker and wore a simple, smoky gray t-shirt. This was a common outfit, but it may be because Xing Conglian had gotten plenty of good sleep recently that he was in high spirits, or perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t usually wear casual clothes that the sight was a bit amazing, since it was so rare.


    Of course, Lin Chen thought to himself that it was also possible that it may just be himself who was in a good mood because he felt the man standing in front of the door holding an umbrella was particularly pleasing to the eyes.


    With black trousers and low-cut leather boots, Lin Chen looked at him from head to toe and felt it was rare for him to have an inexplicable sense of vanity.


    Wang Chao said in an impatient tone, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re just going to swipe your card. Do you need to dress like this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with laozi dressing like this? Isn¡¯t it just casual clothes?¡± Xing Conglian asked snidely as he brushed his hair.


    ¡°No, this outfit must be very expressive, right?!¡± Wang Chao leaned over and touched Xing Conglian¡¯s windbreaker as he smacked his lips.


    ¡°Last year¡¯s style. It was discounted, and I got it for only 500 yuan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡±


    ¡°Probably because of my good temperament?¡± Xing Conglian patted Wang Chao on the shoulder and said, ¡°You can¡¯t deny that there are people in this world who can wear ordinary clothes with high-end quality just because all you wear are ready-made children¡¯s clothes, kid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 179! Children¡¯s clothes, my ass!¡± Wang Chao retorted angrily.


    Like a man whose pride had been bruised, Wang Chao handed Lin Chen the umbrella, then jumped on Xing Conglian¡¯s back and forcibly looked through the collar of the windbreaker to find the label.


    Xing Conglian arched his back. Despite his dissatisfaction, he continued to support the boy¡¯s ass, fearful that the teenager would fall.


    The next moment, the teenager screamed.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s Golden Deer. Captain, how can this be? You¡¯re too miserable.¡±


    Wang Chao jumped down from Xing Conglian¡¯s back and took two steps back, holding a look of disbelief as he pointed to Xing Conglian¡¯s windbreaker. ¡°Captain, why are you living in such misery? Is it because of the sharp drop in international crude oil recently? Precious metals had plummeted, so that¡¯s why you¡¯ve fallen to this point?!¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him. He dusted off his windbreaker calmly and said cherishingly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Golden Deer? It¡¯s a famous domestic brand. They have thousands of stores. You better be careful when touching it!¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes as he looked at the two oily paw prints that had been left on Xing Conglian¡¯s clothes.


    Seeing that Wang Chao was still acting aggrieved, Lin Chen turned around and hid under the umbrella while shaking his head sadly, trying to stay as far away from Xing Conglian as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s too miserable. Too miserable. Later, I¡¯ll pick up a new outfit for you. You can think of it as condolences for a single old man.¡±


    Lin Chen was dragged by Wang Chao, who quickly hurried his steps. A short moment later, Xing Conglian¡¯s angry shouts soon came from behind. ¡°Wang Chao, did you put your handprint on laozi¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me. Which eye did you see me doing it?¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xing Conglian had grabbed the back of Wang Chao¡¯s neck violently.


    He dragged the teenager out from under the umbrella without hesitation and pointed to the surveillance camera at the entrance of the small road that they had just passed. ¡°Mr. Wang, please look carefully. What¡¯s there? Please don¡¯t quibble, alright?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can pull up the video?¡± Wang Chao glanced at the camera as he replied in disdain.


    Thinking of the teenager¡¯s uninhibited abilities, Xing Conglian glared at him. ¡°Why are your hands and mouth so greasy?¡± He looked at the boy¡¯s face as he suddenly pointed it out.


    ¡°I ate a bowl of roasted meat and dried bamboo shoots.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Grandma Gao gave it to me!¡±


    ¡°Grandma Gao from across our house?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?!¡± Xing Conglian felt heartbroken, wishing he could go back and eat a bowl.


    ¡°I deliberately didn¡¯t tell you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Another burst of argument commenced. Lin Chen held the umbrella as he watched them continue fighting.


    Although there was no one else on the old street in the evening but them, perhaps it was the sound of footsteps around him, or it might be that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian were being so noisy, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel the slightest sense of loneliness or desolation.


    How could he put it? It seemed that the cold, rainy season had become moist and gentle.


    The only problem was that their original 10-minute trip would be much longer, but there was nothing wrong with that.


    ¡ª-


    By the time they got to the other end of Yanjia Lane, it was completely dark.


    Because of the darkness, the high-rise buildings and neon lights in the distance complemented each other, making people feel as if they had entered another world.


    Wang Chao adjusted his cellphone navigation and showed Xing Conglian the location of the new shopping mall. Not long after, a shopping mall that had just opened appeared within their sights.


    Although it had just opened, there were already many customers coming in and out of the new mall.


    Inadvertently, Lin Chen looked up the name of the mall and was a little surprised.


    If he had known previously that the new shopping mall Wang Chao wanted to go to was called ¡°Ansheng International¡±, he would have probably tried to trick them into getting takeout rather than come here.


    However, when he looked at the people beside him, it seemed that they didn¡¯t know or care about it, and he was suddenly relieved.


    Besides, it was just a meal, so why care who owned the mall?


    Xing Conglian and Wang Chao, adhering to the good tradition of police officers who were not picky about their food, had no opinion on the selection of a restaurant based on review websites, so in the end, they settled for a Yunnan restaurant called Caiyunjian.


    ¡°Wow, wow! This phoenix looks awesome!¡±


    Comrade Wang Chao flipped through the menu and occasionally would burst into a gush of excitement.


    Lin Chen took the tea that Xing Conglian poured for him, took half a sip, and leaned over to look at the menu.


    This restaurant seemed to be taking the route of specialty dishes. The pictures of each dish on the menu looked exotic and gorgeous. The plates were huge and decorated with exaggerated peacock heads, making them look more expensive than delicious.


    Despite that, the price of each item was actually moderate, so it was no wonder the evaluation was fair.


    Lin Chen took another sip of tea and suddenly heard the soft voice of the waitress at his side. ¡°Since there are three people, I recommend you go with our special three-person set meal. Discounted, that would be 488 yen. If you add on dessert, it¡¯ll only be 500 yen, and we¡¯ll also add in two meet-and-greet tickets.¡±


    ¡°What kind of meet and greet tickets?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s eyes suddenly lighted up.


    ¡°It¡¯s front row seats for Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s fan meeting held tomorrow in the lobby of the first floor of our Ansheng International Mall¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, Li Jingtian. Isn¡¯t that the singer who had been badly scolded recently?¡±


    When Wang Chao heard it wasn¡¯t a beautiful girl group, he raised his head and replied with disappointment.

 CH 91

    In fact, when the waitress mentioned Li Jingtian, her eyes darted, indicating she felt a little guilty.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t have much idea about entertainment gossip, but he knew that Li Jingtian was a singer. A few days ago, because of some gossip, he was scolded by the fans of some big star.


    He didn¡¯t remember exactly why Li Jingtian was scolded. After all, when he was watching the news, he was sitting in Su Fengzi¡¯s ward, enduring the other party¡¯s long-winded ramblings that were far beyond any ordinary person. Gossip in the entertainment industry was nothing more than people being offended because someone said something, who was getting badly scolded by whose fans, or who and who did something bad and was photographed for it, causing an uproar among netizens.


    In short, it was things that had nothing to do with him but would unintentionally attract him.


    Lin Chen looked up and saw that the waitress was hesitant about trying to give out free tickets for a meal over 500 yen; he could only assume Li Jingtian¡¯s popularity wasn¡¯t very good.


    ¡°No, I still want this rice noodle platter.¡±


    At this time, Wang Chao had finished flipping through the menu and waved his hand. He didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of slaughtering Xing Conglian¡¯s wallet for a meal.


    As he spoke, he ordered the cheapest option on the entire menu, except for drinks, and then licked his lips, looking extremely happy.


    The waitress¡¯ face darkened. Only ordering staples at a restaurant was annoying behavior. However, seeing as the teenager had already closed the menu and had a firm attitude, she didn¡¯t try to sell to him any longer.


    Lin Chen was the next target. ¡°Then, sir, what would you like?¡±


    A certain someone with the most requirement for food had already made their choice, so following said person¡¯s best choice, Lin Chen put down the teacup and simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll have the same.¡±


    This time, the waitress couldn¡¯t hold back herself. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to order more? Our specialty is Caiyun Zhinan. I highly recommend it¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯ve already done some research. The other dishes in your store do not appear to be expensive, but the quality is quite low for the price. Simply put, it¡¯s more about presentation than taste.¡± It was Wang Chao who spoke up rather than Lin Chen. ¡°That Caiyun Zhinan is just some cut beef and sashimi that¡¯s rolled up on some lettuce leaves to look like a peacock¡¯s tail. What¡¯s the use in making it look so fancy, unless you¡¯re just trying to get reviews online¡­¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh. Being too smart made it really easy to get into trouble. He stretched out his hand and tapped on the teenager¡¯s head, motioning him to give the store some face.


    Seeing this, the waitress turned directly to Lin Chen and asked him awkwardly, ¡°Then, sir, would you like anything to drink?¡±


    ¡°A glass of orange juice,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also have the rice noodle platter with a Coke.¡± Before the waitress could ask, Xing Conglian had rushed to answer in advance.


    Seemingly defeated, the waitress didn¡¯t bother to say anything else. She nodded, wrote down their order, and turned around and left.


    Wang Chao was playing with the drinks menu. He opened and closed the transparent pages on both sides, seemingly having fun with it.


    Perhaps it was because the three of them entered a fancy restaurant but only ordered staples that the couple sitting at the next table began to whisper to each other.


    Anyway, it was mainly gossip.


    ¡°Are they saying that we¡¯re poor?¡± Wang Chao closed the drinks menu as he asked Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Why are your ears so good?¡± Xing Conglian smiled and took a sip of tea.


    ¡°Because I grew up with all kinds of discrimination. I¡¯m very keen on these kinds of cold remarks,¡± Wang Chao whispered.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re mentally healthy. Who brought you up so well, Mr. Wang?¡± Xing Conglian continued to tease him.


    ¡°While they haven¡¯t served the food yet, why don¡¯t we just cancel the order and leave?¡± Wang Chao put down the drinks menu and suddenly tugged on Xing Conglian¡¯s cuff.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Isn¡¯t it because you want to eat rice noodles that you made a fuss to come here?¡± Xing Conglian stopped smiling and asked him seriously.


    ¡°Shit, what do you know? Don¡¯t look into a teenager¡¯s privacy, okay?¡± Wang Chao clutched his chest and shrank into the corner.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one that was watching a TV commercial and said excitedly, ¡®Captain, that Caiyun rice noodle looks so good!¡¯¡±


    Xing Conglian vividly imitated Wang Chao¡¯s mannerisms, causing the teenager to blush. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m not that greedy!¡±


    ¡°If you want to eat it, just eat it. We¡¯re already here,¡± Xing Conglian said with a smile.


    Lin Chen had been sitting quietly, listening to Xing Conglian¡¯s comforting words. He raised his head and glanced at Wang Chao and asked, ¡°Why do you suddenly want to leave?¡±


    ¡°I suddenly found them annoying.¡± As he spoke, Wang Chao began to fold the napkins on the table. ¡°It¡¯s fine to promote things, but I just want to eat rice noodles. She didn¡¯t have to keep pushing it. Captain, I finally know why you like food stalls so much.¡±


    After hearing this, Xing Conglian was left speechless. ¡°Food stalls are good, but sometimes I want to eat with a bit of style, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why food stalls?¡± Lin Chen interrupted Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Food stalls don¡¯t have so many people who care about what you eat.¡± Wang Chao folded his napkin into a rose and then unraveled it. ¡°Captain, why don¡¯t we just skip it?¡±


    If this was an ordinary parent, they probably would have broken the baby bear¡¯s legs, but Xing Conglian was actually happy. He rubbed Wang Chao¡¯s head and said, ¡°Finally, you know how to save money for dad. Dad¡¯s very relieved.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off. Don¡¯t take advantage of laozi.¡± The teenager knocked away Xing Conglian¡¯s hand.


    Lin Chen wanted to laugh. Wang Chao was like a poor child who was making a fuss to go to the restaurant but found that everything was too expensive when he saw the menu. Although the situation was different, the general mood was pretty similar.


    Xing Conglian was also speechless. ¡°So you¡¯re now acting rebellious. Believe it or not, I will order every dish once.¡±


    Xing Conglian spoke with such confidence that it made Lin Chen feel a rare moment of wanting to touch his forehead. He hurriedly interrupted Xing Conglian again and patted the teenager¡¯s head. ¡°Why do you care what others say?¡±


    Wang Chao glanced back and said impatiently, ¡°This makes me feel uncomfortable, as if someone is forcing me to make a choice.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s forcing you? Isn¡¯t the right to choose in your own hands?¡±


    ¡°I just think¡­ Why do they care what I eat? If I¡¯m happy just coming here to order a glass of orange juice¡­ Why does it seem that if I order something less, I¡¯ll get looked down on? What¡¯s wrong with not ordering more?¡±


    Wang Chao couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°If you think you want to eat rice noodles, then just eat it. This is a reasonable choice. For example, I think orange juice is good, so I ordered a glass. It¡¯s the same principle. This is just eating, so just be casual about it.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°I say, Mr. Wang, have you been experiencing adolescent depression recently?¡± Xing Conglian tapped Wang Chao on the head with his chopsticks. ¡°This is essentially a matter of ¡®it¡¯s none of my business¡¯ and ¡®it¡¯s none of their business¡¯. Most trouble in the world could be solved with just these two sentences. Why are you so entangled with this kind of thing? Is it because you¡¯ve been reading less lately?¡±


    Lin Chen thought Wang Chao would retort again, but the teenager took the sentence seriously and built on it. ¡°So what you mean is, what I eat is none of their business, and what they say about me behind my back is none of my business?¡±


    After he finished speaking, Wang Chao seemed to suddenly realize something and patted the table lightly. ¡°Captain, how do you know I haven¡¯t been studying recently? Have I become a bit dumber?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Look at how long it¡¯s been since you borrowed a book.¡±


    The conversation between the two switched quickly. Lin Chen would be very confused now if he hadn¡¯t gotten used to this style a long time ago.


    The topic had shifted from rice noodles to library books.


    Lin Chen was quite surprised. In fact, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t really have any books at home, and Wang Chao seemed more into games than reading. Now that he heard them discussing the topic of books, he needed a moment to collect his thoughts before realizing that they were talking about reading.


    ¡°Are you monitoring my records on my library card?¡± Wang Chao suddenly sat up straight.


    ¡°I need to monitor it since all I see is you playing games. Every day and night, all I hear next door is pew pew pew,¡± Xing Conglian chided.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you haven¡¯t given me a book list in a long time?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blaming me?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    At this moment, Lin Chen noticed Xing Conglian looking at him. He held his water cup to meet Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°In the future, let your brother A¡¯Chen give you a book list. You¡¯re not under my control anymore.¡±


    Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Lin Chen raised his brows, indicating he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just seven books a month. That¡¯s it,¡± Wang Chao said.


    Seven books a month would be a little over eighty books a year. Although that number seemed like a lot, it was within a doable range. The key point was that this number was the upper limit of the number of books that could be borrowed with a single library card per month.


    ¡°Your captain made you a book list for you to borrow from the library?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Captain is stingy!¡± Wang Chao looked at his boss as if he had so many grievances that it couldn¡¯t be written down. ¡°But you can¡¯t blame him too much. It¡¯s mainly because we don¡¯t live in a place for very long, so buying books would be wasteful. Moving is troublesome, so I usually go to the library to borrow them, but now¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian coughed softly, interrupting Wang Chao¡¯s words. He lifted his chin to see the waitress from earlier bringing them rice noodles.


    Wang Chao rubbed his hands happily, reached out for the dish, and started eating, forgetting what he was about to say.


    Lin Chen looked at the captain of the police criminal division sitting opposite of him and saw that the other party had slightly bowed his head, as if his attention was completely fixated on the rice noodles. He was gobbling it up, seemingly unafraid that it was too hot.


    It was just that his actions weren¡¯t sincere enough, and that interruption was so obvious that it made things quite awkward.


    It was interesting that they had no fixed residence for several years, but he still thought about that child¡¯s education.


    Lin Chen shook his head. Everyone had their own secrets. No matter how close you were and how many friends you made, you would still have some things that you didn¡¯t want the other party to know.


    Perhaps this was the dark side of human nature, or maybe it was unspeakable desires. In short, having reservations didn¡¯t mean that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t trust him. If there was no trust, then they wouldn¡¯t have such a close relationship.


    Still, there were things that couldn¡¯t be said, and everyone had their reasons for it.


    Lin Chen was calm about this. He suddenly remembered that night at the lake. Xing Conglian still didn¡¯t ask him about Huang Ze and his past with the Chen family, let alone about the case back then.


    Although he said he would answer his questions when they go for a drink¡­


    But¡­


    Lin Chen suddenly felt that Su Fengzi was right in what he said.


    ¡ª-


    After the meal, the rain became heavier.


    It certainly wasn¡¯t a good choice to go home at that time. Unprecedentedly, Comrade Xiao Wang Chao didn¡¯t clamor to go to the Great World Amusement Park on the third floor but instead dragged them to the shopping mall.


    The smooth floor tiles reflected the soft light as they walked past spotlights in the glass window.


    Wang Chao seemed exhausted as he walked very slowly. He occasionally would look around, then lower his head like he was counting, trying to figure something out.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and asked.


    ¡°There are many possibilities¡­¡± Xing Conglian sighed helplessly. ¡°The first possibility is he¡¯s playing Assassin¡¯s Creed in his head. The second is that he¡¯s calculating how to capture this mall in the shortest time, and¡­¡±


    Truly, that kid couldn¡¯t rest for a moment. Lin Chen asked, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°And observing the cameras and calculating the coverage and blind spots.¡±


    ¡°Bingo. Captain, you¡¯re so smart!¡± Wang Chao suddenly stopped in front of a huge coconut tree in the hall and looked up at it as he spoke.


    The giant tree was under an atrium. The top of the tree reached the fourth floor. A huge poster was hung on it. On the poster was a man with a bright smile and an outstretched hand, as if greeting visitors from all over the world.


    ¡°On May 8th, Li Jingtian invites you to come and watch the opening ceremony of Ansheng International Shopping Mall.¡± Wang Chao read the words on the poster. ¡°It turns out this place is just in its soft opening¡­ So this fan meeting is actually a gimmick for the opening ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Probably. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that this poster is so big that it¡¯s blocking the wide-angle surveillance.¡±

 CH 92

    As policemen, they probably had the occupational disease that came with it. If it wasn¡¯t a professional habit, when one was idle, who would care about the coverage of surveillance cameras?


    Naturally, ordinary policemen didn¡¯t have such leisure. Except for Comrade Xiao Wang Chao, who couldn¡¯t stop his brain, no one would notice that a huge advertisement actually covered a wide-angle camera somewhere in the mall.


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, I find that you care very much about public facilities. This is something to be praised,¡± Xing Conglian patted Wang Chao¡¯s furry head and said with relief.


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± Wang Chao was a little puzzled listening to such relaxed words, so he tried to confirm as he looked at the camera above.


    ¡°Of course it matters.¡± Xing Conglian raised his head and circled around the huge coconut tree. ¡°However, this matter isn¡¯t in our jurisdiction. Then, now that you have this problem, Comrade Xiao Wang, think about it. Within the scope of your authority and responsibility, what is the solution to this matter?¡±


    It was probably true that people¡¯s mood would improve after eating. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t scold Wang Chao to mind his own business but instead humored him.


    After thinking carefully, Wang Chao replied, ¡°Send a rectification notice to the security department of the mall so they can fix it?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say something like, ¡°Captain, let¡¯s drag the chairman out and educate him¡± or ¡°Captain, let¡¯s hack into their system and send a notice to the security department¡±¡­


    Rectification notice¡­


    It was indeed an appropriate method in terms of procedures.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and saw him smile at Wang Chao affectionately. It was obvious he thought the result of his education wasn¡¯t bad, so he continued to ask Wang Chao, ¡°Well¡­ In whose name?¡±


    ¡°The safety supervision department?¡± Wang Chao answered tentatively.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t immediately rebuke but pondered for a while and then asked, ¡°What reason?¡±


    ¡°Uh, security risks?¡±


    ¡°What are the security risks?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Wang Chao started stammering. He held back for a long time and finally shouted to Xing Conglian, ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his head, looked at the smiling singer on the advertisement poster, and lengthened his tone. ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, look. There¡¯s going to be a large-scale gathering here tomorrow. Isn¡¯t the safety of the crowd a top priority? Shouldn¡¯t the shopping mall do its best to maintain order at the scene and protect the safety of the public? So, if the wide-angle camera that overlooks the hall is obscured¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a major security hazard for the gathering!¡±


    Wang Chao snapped his fingers.


    After he finished speaking, he happily followed Xing Conglian around, then suddenly stopped. ¡°But Captain, the security supervision department isn¡¯t under our control. Should I enter their system and send a notice?¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard this, he almost choked. ¡°What system are you entering? Can you be more civilized, Comrade Xiao Wang?¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Think about it. Which department oversees security for large-scale gatherings?¡±


    ¡°The local police station?¡± Wang Chao suddenly realized. ¡°We have to tell the local police station?¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and said, ¡°I happen to know the director of the dispatch office in the jurisdiction here, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ll call the director and ask him to tell the mall to take down the poster?¡±


    Xing Conglian rubbed his chin and shook his head. ¡°No, this problem was obviously discovered by Comrade Xiao Wang. Of course, I can¡¯t take away your credit.¡±


    Wang Chao pointed at his nose as he asked, ¡°Me?¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded. ¡°Of course you.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I don¡¯t want¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Comrade Xiao Wang. Give him a call later.¡± Xing Conglian patted him on the shoulder and then walked forward. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll even give you a pennant. In case you get a bonus, remember to invite me and your brother A¡¯Chen for a meal.¡±


    ¡°Captain, you weren¡¯t like this before!¡± Wang Chao was stunned for a second, then caught up to Xing Conglian. ¡°Why are you being like a mother-in-law all of a sudden?¡±


    Xing Conglian angrily responded, ¡°How am I being like a mother-in-law?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always nagging. Go through this procedure, go through that procedure¡­ You used to do things very quickly.¡± Wang Chao¡¯s complaints sounded from behind.


    Xing Conglian ignored him.


    Lin Chen suddenly felt someone standing beside him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the gentle male voice rang in his ears.


    Lin Chen withdrew his gaze from the huge poster and looked at the people beside him. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not some kind of bad intuition again, right?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Chen turned his head and looked at the troubled teenager behind him and said, ¡°Your captain just wants you to try to deal with problems by yourself and communicate with other people.¡±


    Wang Chao was momentarily shocked. ¡°Why should I communicate more with others?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re human.¡±


    ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± Wang Chao said seriously.


    ¡°People are social animals.¡± Lin Chen smiled and looked at him. ¡°But do you realize that in your life, there¡¯s only me and your captain?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also Uncle Wang and A¡¯Huang!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Lin Chen asked Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Uncle Wang¡¯s big yellow dog. He¡¯s our gatekeeper at the bureau. When you were off these days, he went to A¡¯Huang for lunch every day at noon and ignored me.¡±


    It seemed like such a thing existed.


    Lin Chen understood the helplessness of Xing Conglian. The issue of education still had a long way to go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. Perhaps it isn¡¯t appropriate.¡± Lin Chen paused, then continued, ¡°Maybe one day, you encounter something that makes you unable to use the abilities you¡¯re proud of, and your captain or I urgently need your help. You have to find a way to try and deal with other people for us.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°For example, if your captain and I were kidnapped by someone and you have to rescue us.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, are you putting up flags*?¡±


    *Foreshadows, hints. Basically, he¡¯s saying, are you foreshadowing something?


    ¡°Consultant Lin, it¡¯s not good for you to say such scary things, right?¡± Even Xing Conglian had to chime in.


    ¡°It¡¯s just an analogy.¡± Lin Chen thought for a moment and decided to change his words. ¡°Or maybe your captain was kidnapped, and you couldn¡¯t contact me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, this example doesn¡¯t seem to be any better, no?¡± Xing Conglian sighed.


    Wang Chao quickly answered, ¡°Oh, to hell with him!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Hey!¡±


    Xing Conglian reacted, but Wang Chao had already quickly ran ahead. Despite that, he was still caught by Xing Conglian after a while, and then there was another flurry of ¡°full-time education¡±.


    Lin Chen decided to ignore the two and looked back at the celebrity poster that stretched across the three-story building.


    He really hoped that it wasn¡¯t a flag.


    ¡ª-


    Although he was unhappy, on their way home, Wang Chao eventually asked Xing Conglian for the phone number and ran away alone, hiding under a small bridge, as he called it.


    The alley was peaceful. Occasionally, they could hear laughter coming from both sides or the dialogue from a film or drama. Those sounds were mixed with the incoherent voice of the teenager as he spoke on the phone, giving the night a down-to-earth touch.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say to me?¡±


    Lin Chen looked up at the moon and suddenly heard Xing Conglian ask him this.


    He raised his head slightly and looked at the handsome face of the person next to him. Xing Conglian¡¯s features were softened by the night, making Lin Chen a bit dazed.


    Then, Lin Chen realized that Xing Conglian was continuing the unfinished question in the mall just now.


    What¡¯s wrong?


    What were you thinking just now?


    Is something wrong?


    These simple words contained many questions. Lin Chen felt that he even wanted to say: ¡°You need to be more honest with me, and you can talk to me about any problems you have.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t being honest. He just didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    ¡°The mall where we ate just now is called Ansheng International Mall.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ansheng International Mall?¡± Xing Conglian still looked confused.


    ¡°Have you heard of Huang Ansheng?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Huang, An, Sheng.¡± Lin Chen said each syllable slowly.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Huang?¡± Xing Conglian was in disbelief.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    At this moment, Wang Chao hung up and ran back from the distance like a small animal, looking quite happy with himself. ¡°Captain, Captain, I finished calling them. Your friend is so nice. He¡¯s not like you at all. He said they would immediately notify the mall to rectify it!¡±


    When he ran in front of Xing Conglian, he suddenly stopped and stared at him for a while, then said, ¡°Captain, why do you look like you ate something bad? Was that rice noodle dish tainted?¡±


    Xing Conglian curled up his finger and flicked Wang Chao¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s your fault!¡±


    Wang Chao rubbed his forehead and shouted incomprehensibly, ¡°What¡¯s my fault?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who was clamoring to go get rice noodles.¡±


    ¡°But the rice noodles were delicious!¡± Wang Chao angrily said. ¡°You even finished all the soup.¡±


    Xing Conglian was speechless for a moment. He paused, then adjusted his tone and said slowly, ¡°Then do you know who opened that shopping mall where we ate the rice noodles just now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who opened it. I just wanted to eat rice noodles. Who cares about who owns the mall. Just like when I eat eggs, do I have to care who raised the chickens that laid them?¡± Wang Chao spoke confidently, as if this logic was common sense.


    ¡°Oh, that mall is opened by your dear brother Huang Ze¡¯s family.¡± Xing Conglian put his hand in his pocket and spoke righteously. He then patted the teenager¡¯s shoulder and continued walking forward.


    Wang Chao was momentarily stunned before he reacted. ¡°Fuck. Huang Ze, that big dumbass!¡±


    He took three steps forward and heavily slapped Xing Conglian on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t add the word ¡°dear¡± before that dumbass Huang Ze¡¯s name. Captain, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier! I feel like puking now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your brother A¡¯Chen who kept it from us.¡± Xing Conglian wanted to vomit blood when he was slapped so hard. He bent over and pretended to be seriously ill and coughed a few times.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, why didn¡¯t you say it earlier!¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the two people who were reacting as if they had just encountered a great catastrophe and said helplessly, ¡°But it¡¯s me who¡¯s hated by Huang Ze, no?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s that dumbass Huang Ze that¡¯s hated by everyone.¡±


    ¡°Your business is our business,¡± Xing Conglian agreed.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, you don¡¯t know, but it took a lot of effort for us to get rid of that dumbass Huang Ze. The captain is a scheming dog. He asked me to drive Huang Ze away¡­¡± Before Wang Chao could finish, Xing Conglian glared at him, which made him obediently shut up.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze wandered past the secretive faces of the two of them. They were obviously hiding something from him.


    Thinking of that day, he also asked Xing Conglian why Huang Ze would let him off so easily. Xing Conglian¡¯s response at the time was that he had possibly found a conscience.


    But how could ¡°finding one¡¯s conscience¡± just fall from the sky¡­


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s talk about the book list. A¡¯Chen, when shall we go to the library?¡±


    Seeing that Lin Chen was silent, Wang Chao hurriedly switched topics.


    Although it didn¡¯t feel good to be kept in the dark, the reaction of these two was unexpectedly cute. What was more, how many friends could he have that would share the same hatred with him and even secretly solve his annoying problems for him?


    Truly, he was thankful.


    Lin Chen looked at the two people bathing under the bright moonlight and decided not to delve further.


    ¡°Go tomorrow?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not tomorrow. We have to work overtime!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you off Saturday?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, Captain, we also have to blame that dumbass Huang Ze¡¯s family for having their mall¡¯s grand opening tomorrow and making us work overtime.¡±


    Xing Conglian touched his chin. ¡°It seems they are indeed to blame.¡±


    ¡°What a terrible coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Xing Conglian lamented.


    ¡ª-


    To put it another way, what should happen would inevitably happen in various forms.


    Before going to bed that night, as Lin Chen was making the bed, he suddenly heard a scream from the bathroom. When he opened his door, Xing Conglian had already kicked the bathroom door open.


    He saw Wang Chao squatting in front of the toilet, holding a toothbrush while crying.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Xing Conglian asked impatiently.


    ¡°My toothbrush¡­ My toothbrush has become like this!¡±


    Wang Chao was holding a green children¡¯s toothbrush with a small frog-shaped handle while he wailed.


    Lin Chen was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t know what the problem was. ¡°I went to the supermarket and thought this toothbrush was cute, so I changed it for you.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ A¡¯Chen Gege¡­ No¡­¡± The boy¡¯s posture had changed from squatting to lying down as he called out Lin Chen¡¯s name sadly.


    Lin Chen frowned and glanced at Xing Conglian. He wanted to say what constellation this little brother was born under because he was so nitpicky with the things in his daily life.


    ¡°Pisces, rising Virgo.¡±


    Before he could ask, Xing Conglian had already answered.


    ¡°The bristles of your toothbrush were already bald, so I changed them for you,¡± Lin Chen explained.


    ¡°My toothbrush belongs to Maji. There¡¯s no place in Hongjing that sells it, so I haven¡¯t changed it. My Maji!¡±


    Wang Chao was still shouting in despair, causing Xing Conglian to lose his patience. ¡°It¡¯s just a toothbrush. What kind of man are you to be so particular about a toothbrush?¡±


    ¡°But Captain, I have used Maji since I was a child!¡±


    ¡°Oh, then from today onwards, you can change it.¡± Seeing that he still wasn¡¯t getting up, Xing Conglian kicked Wang Chao in the ass. ¡°I remember you saying you wanted to be independent when you were 18, so you went out and lived alone. Letting you come back so you can mooch off the elderly is a great mercy. Your brother A¡¯Chen change your toothbrush for you, yet you¡¯re still being picky and whiny.¡±


    ¡°No, this was indeed my own fault.¡± Lin Chen interrupted Xing Conglian. ¡°Maji seems to have opened a shop in Hongjing. Shall I buy one for you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao resurrected quickly and with vigor. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go now?¡±


    ¡°Brother, have you seen the time? It¡¯s half past ten now. What shopping mall is still open?¡± Xing Conglian kicked Wang Chao¡¯s ass again, then turned to Lin Chen and said, ¡°The newly opened Maji shop, is it in Ansheng International?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. Not that dumbass Huang Ze!¡± Wang Chao shouted from the ground again.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian nodded solemnly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shopping mall. The shops that are open inside have nothing to do with Huang Ze himself.¡±


    ¡°But what if you get tainted by Huang Ze¡¯s stupid aura!¡±


    ¡°Do you still want it?¡± Lin Chen lowered his head and asked.


    ¡°Yes, A¡¯Chen Gege, please,¡± Wang Chao replied weakly.


    The author has something to say:


    I feel like people really don¡¯t trust me very much¡­


    Am I the kind of person who¡­ gets into trouble at the drop of a hat?


    Kinky Thoughts:


    I mean, mentioning flags in the chapter itself¡­ Can it be more obvious?

 CH 93

    Working overtime on a rest day was naturally painful, and it was even more difficult for normal people¡¯s biological clocks to overcome this pain.


    When Xing Conglian got up in the morning, he could clearly hear all the electronic equipment of his little colleague next door beeping.


    Rock music, electronic music, game soundtracks, and even the sound of sawing wood¡­


    Why was there even sawing wood?


    He walked out of the room in his slippers and was about to kick the door in when he saw another colleague standing in front of his room with his finger curled up and raised in the air, as if he was thinking about something.


    ¡°Are you going to knock on the door?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t knocked yet,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point in knocking.¡± Lin Chen pulled down his hand and answered back.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Xing Conglian glanced at his brand-new wooden door, looking it up and down, and felt that it wasn¡¯t cost-effective to kick it open. The ringing inside the room was still blaring to kingdom come, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any movement from the person inside.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my salary that¡¯s getting deducted, right?¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°So, breakfast?¡± Xing Conglian asked. He yawned and looked at Lin Chen, who was wearing neat clothes.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    The so-called breakfast naturally meant going out to eat.


    Even though the old streets and alleys in Yanjia Lane had been renovated, there were still many famous hole-in-the-wall places deep inside the alleyways, some of which had been passed down for several generations and were still bustling with people.


    The morning was all clear blue skies.


    After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Xing Conglian found that Lin Chen had already changed his shoes and was waiting for him at the door.


    Lin Chen had good living habits. Perhaps this was because he used to be a dorm manager and had to routinely get up at six every day. When he had a task, he would get up early and analyze cases with Xing Conglian. If he had nothing to do, he would organize files. In short, Lin Chen didn¡¯t like sleeping in.


    Well, this was probably the natural life of a self-disciplined single dog.


    ¡°Where are we going today?¡±


    Xing Conglian walked to the door and heard Lin Chen ask him as he stood under the eaves.


    ¡°It¡¯s Consultant Lin that has more say in where to eat for breakfast,¡± he replied.


    Thinking about what he thought earlier, Lin Chen¡¯s taste had always been good. Although he usually had no requirements for lunch and dinner, he was frighteningly picky when it came to breakfast. He frowned and didn¡¯t speak when he didn¡¯t like the taste, so this made Xing Conglian afraid to choose a place to go for breakfast for them.


    However, as a big fan of breakfast and a regular early riser, after Lin Chen had tried all the breakfast restaurants within two kilometers of Yanjia Lane, he no longer had to worry about where to go for breakfast as the person who led the way had already changed.


    ¡°Have something light?¡± Lin Chen asked as he walked.


    ¡°You decide. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. How about the bakery at the entrance on Lujia Alley?¡±


    After walking a few steps, they passed by a gallery. Lin Chen nodded at the unruly painter who was squatting at the entrance brushing his teeth, then looked back at Xing Conglian and casually said, ¡°Wang Chao likes their soymilk a lot.¡±


    ¡°Their soymilk does taste good, but why bring it to that kid?¡±


    ¡°Why else would we go so far?¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to take an early morning walk with me, Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed one of the reasons,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Although he was obviously teasing, upon hearing his answer, Xing Conglian suddenly felt his mood lighten.


    Last night brought some spring rain, so the streets and alleys were clean and tidy. Even the river on the side was much clearer and bluer. This was a peaceful and comfortable life that didn¡¯t make people feel bogged down by their lives.


    ¡°Are you really going to the mall to buy that toothbrush for that kid later?¡±


    ¡°Yes, is there a problem? After all, it¡¯s true that I touched his belongings without his consent,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°But why do you think he¡¯s so obsessed over a toothbrush? Is this considered a fetish?¡±


    ¡°Not so much. It probably gives him a special sense of security, or it¡¯s purely habitual.¡±


    ¡°No major issues?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can see for now.¡±


    As they talked, they saw an old man in front of them leading a big yellow dog out for a walk. Most likely, it was a golden retriever mix, and it was old. It was lazily lying under a tree by the river, and they weren¡¯t sure how the old man was going to drag it away from its spot.


    Xing Conglian yawned and saw Lin Chen quicken his pace. After greeting the old man, he stretched out his hand and scratched the big yellow dog¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Have you ever thought about what you¡¯ll do after retirement?¡± Seeing Lin Chen squatting under the tree and happily petting the big yellow dog, Xing Conglian suddenly felt he wanted to ask him this question.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it more important for a person like me, whose life isn¡¯t very good, to work hard to live until retirement?¡±


    When Lin Chen answered him, his expression was calm, as if he wasn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I find you¡¯re very pessimistic.¡±


    It probably had something to do with the surrounding environment.


    At that moment, under the willow tree, Xing Conglian listened to the sound of flowing water and the panting of the big yellow dog and looked at the calm and indifferent face of his friend and colleague underneath the rising sun. He suddenly wanted to ask him, ¡®What happened that made you lose your sense of being alive and make you so pessimistic?¡¯


    What?


    Why do you still insist on living now?


    However, that thought was fleeting, as Lin Chen had stood up and answered his question about ¡°retirement¡±.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°In fact, I think that my current life is my ideal retirement life.¡±


    ¡°Even if you have to go through cases and cases every day?¡± Xing Conglian found it interesting, so he inquired further.


    ¡°Well, even if my heart desires world peace, there won¡¯t be such a thing in the world.¡± While they were talking, they had already turned the corner, and the faint aroma of fritters filled the air. There were already many people lined up in the alley in front of them. Lin Chen squinted, as if he were smelling the fragrance, then said, ¡°So the cases that should happen will always happen. The things that should be handled by me will be dealt with. Things that are bound by fate will happen whether you retire or not.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed. ¡°Why are you still blaming fate?!¡±


    ¡°Because life is too hard. If you don¡¯t blame fate, you can only blame yourself, but blaming yourself will make you more prone to developing psychological issues, so it¡¯s better to blame fate.¡±


    Psychologists always had strange and reasonable theories of self-adjustment. Xing Conglian nodded and moved two steps forward to accompany Lin Chen as the line shifted.


    The line to the bakery looked long, but it moved quite fast. When it was their turn, Lin Chen paid twelve yuan familiarly. The owner of the bakery glanced at Lin Chen and asked, ¡°The usual?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Their conversation was familiar, and even the owner¡¯s movements were even more familiar.


    Xing Conglian suddenly remembered that sometimes when he didn¡¯t get up in the morning, occasionally he would see the same configuration on the dining table after he washed up. Although sometimes Lin Chen would buy some other breakfasts, the proportion of these four items was the highest. It seemed that he was just using what Wang Chao wanted to eat as an excuse.


    As he was thinking this, he saw Lin Chen sit down in the bakery with his meal.


    With the bakery full of the smell of oil and fried dough, which was quite strong, not many people would sit inside the shop to eat. After all, how many people would find the leisure to sit in the shop and have a relaxing breakfast?


    Except, of course, for those who had a special pursuit for breakfast.


    Xing Conglian carried the bag with his breakfast and sat down opposite Lin Chen. He reluctantly inserted a straw into the soymilk container and lamented, ¡°Consultant Lin, you really have a pursuit for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Because having a good breakfast will make you feel good throughout the day.¡±


    ¡°This is an old saying. We young people generally don¡¯t eat breakfast.¡±


    Hearing what he said, Lin Chen paused, then looked at him with dark, bright eyes and asked, ¡°Since Captain Xing thinks he¡¯s young, why did he ask about retirement just now?¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard this, he glanced at Lin Chen unexpectedly.


    Lin Chen was quietly tearing open his fritter while remaining expressionless, as if he were just asking a casual question at random.


    But his level of insight into the human heart was too high. If Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t careful about his answer, he could be seen right through.


    ¡°I just want to exchange life views with Consultant Lin and promote friendship,¡± he said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the result of the exchange?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I think it¡¯s quite coincidental in how we think.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I also think that, presently, this is my ideal retirement life.¡±


    ¡ª-


    Too bland of a retirement life could make people feel that there were no expectations. He certainly couldn¡¯t get through the days with just reading, drinking tea, playing chess, and walking the dog every day.


    Then it was a good choice to go to work and occasionally deal with social evils to realize the value of life.


    At least that¡¯s what Xing Conglian felt.


    That day, he didn¡¯t take Wang Chao with him to work. After all, he couldn¡¯t always spoil his children. Everyone had to pay a price for their actions and take responsibility for them.


    He felt that he really resonated with Lin Chen in this regard.


    When Wang Chao arrived at the police station, it was almost 10 a.m.


    Xing Conglian had just come out of drinking tea in the director¡¯s office when he saw the kid rushing into the office, groping at the fingerprint scanning machine, and finally almost passing out with a desperate groan.


    It seemed that after he left, Lin Chen really didn¡¯t wake Wang Chao up.


    Tsk, how cruel.


    ¡°Captain, you¡¯re too much!¡±


    Seeing him walk into the office with a teacup in hand, Wang Chao threw down his backpack and flew over, pulling on Xing Conglian¡¯s collar as he scolded him. ¡°Do you know how crowded 227 Road is in the morning? How clogged up Zhongshan Avenue gets? Why didn¡¯t you call me!¡±


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, you can¡¯t blame me for this. After all, your boss has to support a family, so I have to punch in on time.¡±


    ¡°Is there any connection between having to punch in on time and not waking me up? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?!¡±


    ¡°Your logic is good.¡± Looking at the flushed face of Wang Chao, Xing Conglian felt his mood got better. He took a sip of his hot tea and said, ¡°Your brother A¡¯Chen and I agree that a growing boy like you needs more sleep.¡±


    ¡°My brother A¡¯Chen wouldn¡¯t join forces with you!¡± Wang Chao said and took out the already cold fritters and sesame balls from his backpack. ¡°My brother A¡¯Chen still left me breakfast on the table.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you just don¡¯t know him too well¡­¡± Xing Conglian said as he patted the teenager¡¯s head.


    ¡°Piss off!¡±


    As Wang Chao cursed, he knocked away Xing Conglian¡¯s hand. Two patrolling officers had just walked into the room, saw Wang Chao fuming over the punch-in machine, and instantly guessed what had happened.


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang is late again. You young people are so energetic.¡± One officer patted Wang Chao on the shoulder.


    ¡°Lao Geng, what you said is wrong. It should be said that young people just need more sleep. When you get older, you can¡¯t sleep even if you want to!¡± The other officer echoed.


    This made Wang Chao even angrier.


    Xing Conglian greeted his two helpful colleagues with satisfaction and asked, ¡°How is it today?¡±


    ¡°Nothing big. What can happen in our area? However, I think the CBD is having difficulties.¡±


    Thinking about Ansheng International Mall made Xing Conglian uneasy. He frowned and asked, ¡°How difficult?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there some kind of celebrity fan meeting at their opening ceremony? It¡¯s said that the flow of people far exceeds expectations¡­¡±


    ¡°How could it exceed expectations? Isn¡¯t the number of people in each gathering estimated in advance and then approved?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I was just listening to part of it in the car, as if they were asking for support, but for the time being they haven¡¯t requested anything from us.¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly had a bad premonition. He turned around and was standing in front of Wang Chao, who had just punched in, and saw that his face had turned from red to blue.


    Seeing Wang Chao¡¯s reaction, he roughly knew, but he still held on to some sense of hope and asked, ¡°When you went out, did you go with Lin Chen?¡±


    ¡°I, A¡¯Chen¡­¡± Wang Chao started stammering.


    ¡°Speak slowly. Think clearly, then say it.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen and I went out together. He said he was going to buy me a toothbrush. I went out at a quarter past nine. Now it¡¯s 9:50. It takes 20 minutes to walk from our house to Ansheng International Mall. A¡¯Chen might be at the mall by now.¡± Wang Chao asked nervously, ¡°Nothing bad will happen, right Captain?!¡±

 CH 94

    When he received a call from Xing Conglian, Lin Chen was squatting in front of a shelf, staring at an entire row of toothbrushes.


    There seemed to be a DJ specially tuning music in the hall downstairs, as dance music could be heard. The electronic beats that were mixed with the screams of fans were so imposing that, despite being two floors away, Lin Chen almost couldn¡¯t hear what Xing Conglian was saying on the phone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded a bit cold.


    This shouldn¡¯t be a daily greeting. Lin Chen assumed that Xing Conglian was worried about something bad because of the tone of his voice and the meaning behind his words.


    ¡°Yes, for now. Is something wrong?¡± As Lin Chen replied, he carefully scanned the toothbrushes that were hanging on the shelves.


    As expected of Maji, they truly deserved to be the favorite daily necessity brand among the bourgeoisie. Even their toothbrushes were dazzling.


    The rows of toothbrush heads in front of him were all different sizes, and they even had distinct softness and hardness on their bristles. He picked up the label of each toothbrush and read it carefully, finding that he was at a loss. Truly Wang Chao was a rising Virgo*, which was quite troublesome.


    *Describes people who have a strong ability to appreciate objects and discern subtle objects at a level far beyond what the average person can perceive.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the situation. Our colleagues just returned from patrol and heard that the mall crowd exceeded the standard, which could make the situation quite dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I came to the mall twenty minutes ago. Since I walked in, the flow of people hasn¡¯t reached the level of serious overcrowding. I can¡¯t say if it¡¯s a dangerous situation, but there are indeed a lot of people here.¡±


    ¡°Did you see anything suspicious?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Hearing this, Lin Chen stood up from the shelf and looked outside the store through the floor-to-ceiling windows.


    From his position, he could see a lot of people surrounding the handrails of the corridors on the third floor. There seemed to be a steady stream of people walking towards it.


    Because there were so many people gathered, they formed a dense human wall. His sight was completely blocked by this wall, so he could only vaguely see the green canopy on top of the coconut tree in the hall on the first floor.


    Looking at what was hanging under the canopy, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sank.


    ¡°Hand Wang Chao the phone first.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he heard silence on the other end, then the sound of the phone being handed over. ¡°A¡¯Chen, are you okay?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice was even more serious than Xing Conglian¡¯s. ¡°You must tell me if anything¡¯s wrong, and I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just want to ask you, what model of toothbrush do you want, and what are the requirements for the hardness of the bristles?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh! How can you still care about this?!¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    Lin Chen squatted down and said to the teenager, ¡°Well I would feel that it was pointless if I went through all this trouble and didn¡¯t buy the right toothbrush.¡±


    ¡°Size S, medium hardness,¡± the other end replied.


    After Wang Chao finished speaking, he let out another cry. It was obvious that he had been ¡°educated¡± by Xing Conglian again.


    Lin Chen plucked through the row of toothbrushes, then picked the one that Wang Chao designated and asked another question, ¡°Are there any requirements for the color?¡±


    ¡°Indigo! Indigo!¡±


    Sure enough, he guessed it right.


    He looked at the indigo toothbrush in his hand, turned around, and walked towards the cashier. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t return the phone to your captain just yet. I have something to ask you. What did you say to the police chief yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Captain, did you hear? A¡¯Chen asked me to answer something. Let go!¡± Wang Chao shouted on the phone. Lin Chen could hear a few running steps, as if he were avoiding Xing Conglian, and then he heard a gasp before a loud reply came through, ¡°You mean Director Zheng? Director Zheng is very nice. He said he would notify the mall and rectify it immediately. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lin Chen frowned.


    He handed the toothbrush to the cashier, who scanned the price tag and said, ¡°Hello sir. Your total is 99 yuan. Thank you.¡±


    What an extravagant child.


    Lin Chen took out a 100-yuan bill from his pocket to pay. He watched as the cashier gave him his change, then said to the person on the phone, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the effect of rectification isn¡¯t very good.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it good? Didn¡¯t Director Zheng call? Was the poster not taken off?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s rapid-fire questions emerged again.


    Lin Chen took the change handed to him by the cashier and put it in his pocket along with the toothbrush.


    He tilted his head slightly and looked once again at the canopy of the giant coconut tree. Several steel wires vaguely passed through the canopy, indicating that there was something under it.


    It was a huge poster that stretched across three floors. Lin Chen squinted his eyes and could even recall the face of the singer on the poster. He had many conjectures in his heart as he spoke to the person on the other end of the phone, ¡°I think, maybe for some reason, Director Zheng¡¯s order wasn¡¯t executed immediately.¡±


    There was another struggle for ownership on the other end of the line. After a while, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°The poster wasn¡¯t taken off?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    While he spoke, there was a dense sound of drums in the hall downstairs. He didn¡¯t know what the host had said or what the people had come to see, but the violent bass sound made his internal organs vibrate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check with Lao Zhang. If you can, try to get out first,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer him.


    The glass sliding door automatically slid open as he walked out of the shop. The oncoming people¡¯s voices made him feel that the floor seemed to be shaking. The air seemed to be filled with something boiling, exciting and lively, anxious and irritable. It seemed that the opening ceremony of Ansheng International Mall should have achieved the desired effect.


    ¡°Hey, why is it so noisy?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until he walked out of the Maji shop that Lin Chen discovered that his estimate of the flow of people had deviated.


    In fact, he recalled that in order to choose a toothbrush just now, he stayed in the store for more than fifteen minutes. Within these fifteen minutes, because the opening ceremony was approaching, the flow of people in the mall increased at an exponential rate.


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    Lin Chen walked a distance along the hollow corridor and chose a location with a better view.


    From where he was standing, the entire four-story hollow corridor surrounding the lobby was packed with people along the handrails. There were only a few spots on the fourth floor that were slightly empty. He couldn¡¯t see the situation in the lobby clearly because he couldn¡¯t reach the handrails. Judging by the constant upward flow of people along the escalator, the situation in the lobby would only get worse.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°I may not be able to get out for the time being.¡± He looked at a certain spot in the fourth-floor cloister that had a good view, then said, ¡°I can¡¯t get a handle on the situation in the lobby for now. I need to go upstairs.¡±


    If this were an ordinary person, he would probably say, ¡°Don¡¯t go. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Even Lin Chen heard Wang Chao yelling on the other end of the phone, but Xing Conglian was Xing Conglian after all. He pondered for a bit before replying, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up the phone. Stay safe.¡±


    Lin Chen chuckled almost inaudibly.


    He then continued to observe the situation on the scene. The escalator was severely overloaded, and judging by that, the situation at the elevator might be even worse. At this time, the emergency exit was the best choice.


    He looked up at the signs and continued forward. ¡°Just in case, please help me bring up a floor plan of the mall first.¡±


    ¡°Already done, A¡¯Chen!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s brisk voice came through.


    Although he couldn¡¯t hear the usual clacking keyboard sound because his surroundings were too noisy, he still imagined it. Just as he was looking at the signs to find a route, Xing Conglian had already thought of this in advance and switched the call to an audio power amplifier.


    ¡°Wait a minute. I have to bring up the camera. A¡¯Chen, how much power does your phone still have? If it¡¯s not good, go and buy a portable charger!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. Nothing has happened yet¡­¡± Lin Chen said calmly. He turned left along the corridor and walked into the emergency exit passage. ¡°And fortunately, I recharged my phone before I went out.¡±


    There were relatively few people in the emergency exit corridor, so the surrounding area instantly quieted.


    Lin Chen heard the sound of a tapping keyboard, and it gave him a strange sense of peace. ¡°A¡¯Chen, now¡¯s not the time for jokes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice cut in again. ¡°Consultant Lin, I just talked with Lao Zheng. He said that he had indeed notified the mall and it should be that the mall didn¡¯t rectify in time.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the lobby?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the cameras of several channels, the flow of people has indeed exceeded the standard. The wide-angle view of the lobby isn¡¯t clear because the poster covers up the stage. What the hell is with this Li Jingtian? I see a ton of fans wearing uniforms and holding something in their hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fan prop for support, Captain!¡± Wang Chao interrupted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this stuff either. Li Jingtian should be a famous singer, right? Are all the people at the scene fans?¡±


    ¡°Is he holding a concert in Hongjing? Why are there so many people?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lin Chen quickly walked out of the emergency exit corridor and headed to the location he had staked out.


    The feeling of his internal organs vibrating came again. As he got closer to the top of the hall, the feeling became more intense. Lin Chen touched his chest and clenched the phone tightly as he squeezed past several people and finally managed to touch the edge of a handrail.


    Looking down from the fourth floor, there were densely packed heads as far as the eye could see. A large area around the front stage was surrounded by a barrier, with security guards standing shoulder to shoulder in a full circle outside the barrier. Inside the barrier were full of fangirls in uniform.


    The girls had fair faces and were wearing uniformed red dresses. They looked like rose petals that were spreading out in separate layers as they chanted their idol¡¯s name. Because there were so many overlapping voices, all the noise became indistinct on the fourth floor.


    Most likely, they were shouting, ¡°Jingtian! Jingtian!¡±


    Due to the crowd inside the barrier being too large, the people outside couldn¡¯t see the performance on the stage clearly, so there was a constant flow of people rushing forward trying to break through the wall of security guards.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation around the stage?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Very bad,¡± Lin Chen said coldly.


    At this moment, the song ended, and the DJ on stage stopped moving as the host took the stage again.


    ¡°Is everyone high?!¡±


    ¡°High!¡± The fans in the audience replied frantically.


    ¡°Are you excited?!¡± The host pointed his microphone in the direction of the audience.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the fans replied in unison.


    ¡°Who are you here for today?!¡±


    ¡°Jingitan! Jingtian! Li Jingtian! Ahhhhh!¡±


    The shouts of the girls rang out in unison, causing the transparent roof of the mall to tremble.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this crazy? How many people are here right now?¡±


    The enthusiastic calls from the fans had already reached Xing Conglian¡¯s ear. It seemed that the fans¡¯ crazy voices alone were enough to frighten him.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to estimate. Does Zheng Suo have anything to say?¡± Lin Chen frowned. He raised his voice and was no longer speaking at a normal volume.


    ¡°Lao Zheng said that his men are already outside diverting the flow of people to prevent them from squeezing into the mall.¡± Xing Conglian paused. ¡°Lao Zheng hung up on me after saying this. He¡¯s probably overwhelmed right now.¡±


    Unknowingly, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice had also become louder, matching Lin Chen¡¯s volume.


    ¡°If the police divert the flow of people on the outside and stop them from entering the mall, it will easily cause congestion on the outside, which means the people inside the mall will also be unable to get out, right?¡± He asked.


    ¡°That seems to be the case. Tell me more about the situation.¡±


    Lin Chen could feel that more people were starting to crowd around him. He looked at the hollow cloister around the hall again. The places that were originally empty were now filled with people.


    The host was still on stage, firing up the crowd. ¡°I know who you are here for! Tell me, what¡¯s his name again? Say it loudly!¡±


    ¡°Jingtian! Ahhhhhh! Jingtian! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Just as the girls were shouting, Lin Chen was pushed onto the railing as the people behind him continued to push forward. His upper body had unknowingly leaned out of the railing, which caused him to grip the railing tightly so he wouldn¡¯t lean further forward.


    The temperature at the scene became so warm that a thin layer of sweat appeared on the palms of his hands.


    ¡°Okay, I hear you. I know who you¡¯re here for: Li Jingitan, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!!!¡±


    The voice of the host once again suppressed the screams of the crowd. He shouted, ¡°But today, before that person shows up, you still have to give our mall a little time and let us finish the opening ceremony, alright? Answer me loudly!¡±


    ¡°Okay!!!¡±


    The host¡¯s ability to mobilize emotions was truly good. After several back-and-forth questions and answers between him and the girls in the audience, the atmosphere of the scene reached a new level.


    When the girls finished shouting, the host held up his hand and made a quiet gesture, then said, ¡°I promise the time we spend will be very short!¡± After he teased, he suddenly stood up straight and said respectfully, ¡°Next, let us invite Mr. Huang Wei, General Manager of the Ansheng International Mall, to give a speech. Don¡¯t worry, everyone. I have just seen the Boss¡¯ speech. It¡¯s very short!¡±


    He made an invitation gesture to the bottom of the stage after he finished speaking. Following his gesture, Lin Chen saw, in front of the fangirls dressed in red, a row of elites wearing suits and ties. They looked like they were leaders and relevant people on the board of directors of the shopping mall.


    Then, it was like a premonition coming true or an inevitability by chance.


    Among the elites, he saw a figure in a suit that was very familiar to him.

 CH 95

    ¡°Hey, Lin Chen, what¡¯s the matter?!¡±


    Lin Chen was stunned for a moment until the anxious shout of Xing Conglian on the other end brought him back.


    ¡°Nothing. I just saw an acquaintance,¡± he replied as he looked at the straight and meticulous figure in the lobby.


    ¡°Who?¡± After asking this question, Xing Conglian paused.


    Judging from Xing Conglian¡¯s reaction, Lin Chen probably knew who Xing Conglian had guessed, but he still answered, ¡°Huang Ze.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xing Conglian raised his voice.


    ¡°Huang Ze.¡±


    It was the grand opening of his family¡¯s landmark building, so it was reasonable for Inspector Huang to be present.


    On the other end of the phone, Wang Chao hurriedly shouted, ¡°Damn it, A¡¯Chen don¡¯t greet that dumbass Huang Ze. His stupidity is contagious!¡±


    But Lin Chen didn¡¯t have time to reply.


    On the stage below, the general manager of Ansheng International put down his phone and walked on stage. The man had the iconic look of a typical middle-aged man, with a beer belly and signs of balding. Lin Chen wasn¡¯t sure if this was the manager the director of the police station in the CBD area communicated with, but judging by how the other party was acting, he was obviously obsessed with completing the opening ceremony.


    Huang Ze sat at the bottom of the stage with his usual arrogant and indifferent face, seemingly like he was reluctant to be here. Of course, it was also possible that the surroundings were too noisy and the air too dirty, which displeased the young master.


    ¡°Welcome to the opening ceremony for Ansheng International Mall. I am Huang Wei. Today, we are extremely honored that our special guests and fans have attended. Please allow me to express my warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to everyone!¡±


    Mr. Manager¡¯s lines were truly short, which was followed by a round of loud applause from the audience. He subconsciously glanced in the direction where Huang Ze was sitting and then made a quiet gesture and said, ¡°In order to repay you for your love, our shopping mall will strengthen management, standardize operations, and strive to make Ansheng International Mall a world-class, influential, elegant, and of course affordable shopping mall. I hope our service will satisfy everyone!¡±


    The applause from the audience became sparse. Although his speech was short, it was so terribly clich¨¦ that the onlookers didn¡¯t buy into it.


    Seeing this, Mr. Manager looked around and suddenly smiled. Seeing his smile, the surrounding teenage fans seemed to realize something.


    He paused again, then suddenly raised his voice. ¡°Finally, once again, thank you all for coming. Let us welcome our Ansheng International Ambassador, Mr. Li Jingtian!¡±


    The lingering sound was still there, echoing through the four walls as it rippled throughout the building.


    But in an instant, the scene calmed down.


    The girls around the stage seemed to sense something as they all took a nervous breath. Some even closed their eyes, leaving only the sound of electric waves in the air.


    A deep male voice emerged from the silence, as if he were singing a song that sounded like black velvet rubbing against the rim of a glass. The sound was moist, and the air was damp and cold, wrapped around a soundtrack that was thin, sounding like hoarse whispers, as if they were in a dark bar and everyone was whispering to each other with wine glasses in their hands, but they were all strangers.


    The pushing pressure behind Lin Chen suddenly became lighter, allowing him to stand up straight and listen carefully.


    Suddenly, it seemed as if a window was gently pushed open and the sound of singing poured into the room like the tide, soaking every pore in moist sea water. The light shone down from the surface of the water, swelling everything as the sea reflected endless clouds and tree branches shot frantically out of it towards the sky. Everyone was so immersed in the song that suddenly came on that no one noticed someone was slowly stepping onto the stage.


    It was an extremely thin-looking man. He was wearing a wide white t-shirt and simple light blue jeans, which was a stark contrast to his harsh and chilling singing just now. His face was soft to the extreme, and his body carried an aura of modesty and calmness, like a sparse wind or gurgling water, or rather, it was apt to describe him as a spring breeze.


    Unconsciously, with the singing, Lin Chen felt his mood, which had become irritable due to the surrounding environment, gradually calm down. He looked at the singer, who was controlling the audience on stage and the people mesmerized by him and felt faintly uneasy again.


    This was a very strange feeling.


    It seemed that there was a dark tide hidden under the calm sea or hail in the spring breeze. Taking advantage of everyone calming down, he took a few steps back and squeezed out from the railing.


    ¡°Lin Chen, are you still there?¡± When he left the crowd, he heard Xing Conglian¡¯s voice again.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he replied.


    ¡°What happened just now. Has Li Jingitan started singing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Seems like he¡¯s singing well. Has the crowd calmed down?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good, but also very good¡­¡± Lin Chen gripped the toothbrush in his pocket. There was no noise around him as all the fans seemed appeased, like a herd that was peacefully dormant.


    He didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings. If it was like usual, he would be silent and observe for a while, but the other party was Xing Conglian, who had told him he could tell him anything and he would always be happy to listen.


    ¡°Do you believe in a sixth sense?¡± Lin Chen turned around and continued looking around at the railings on the fourth floor to find a location with a better perspective.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you psychologists say that the sixth sense is the instinctive response of humans when they encounter danger since ancient times? It sounds reasonable¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no solid scientific basis to prove this, but my current sixth sense is telling me something will happen.¡± He thought for a while, then spoke truthfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what will go wrong. I don¡¯t have any evidence. This is purely a sixth sense. The only thing I¡¯m sure of is that this sixth sense started when I heard Li Jingtian sing.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, it wasn¡¯t this that made you worried about the opening ceremony, so you used the pretext of buying Wang Chao his toothbrush to go to the mall and have a look, right?¡± Xing Conglian pointed this out mercilessly.


    Lin Chen had no choice but to find an excuse. ¡°Well, a more scientific way of putting it would be that my subconsciousness prompted me to come back here again.¡±


    ¡°Then going by what you said, A¡¯Chen, my sixth sense started when I saw that poster?¡± Wang Chao suddenly inserted himself into their conversation.


    ¡°Then my uneasiness¡­¡± Xing Conglian suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Then, my uneasiness started from knowing that you were in the mall.¡±


    His voice was so gentle that it caused Lin Chen¡¯s heart to skip a beat.


    It was quite ill-timed.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian was sitting in front of the computer and found that Lin Chen hadn¡¯t replied. He swept his gaze over the dense flow of people in the mall. Although the mall was crowded, because of the excellent performance of the singer on stage, the crowd had become much quieter.


    His gaze then turned to the surveillance video of key passages outside the mall.


    It could be seen that the traffic police around the CBD had to rush in for support, and they were able to ease the pressure outside the mall.


    The crowd that had encircled the mall was gradually dispersing. Except for some girls in red shirts who still insisted on entering, the situation inside and outside the mall seemed to be moving in a good direction.


    Thinking of Lin Chen¡¯s words, he said to the teenager beside him, ¡°Wang Chao, check on this guy, Li Jingtian. Why did the opening ceremony of the mall suddenly flood with so many of his fans?¡±


    ¡°Twitter!¡±


    After a moment of silence, Lin Chen asked, ¡°Do you have any explanations from Director Zheng?¡±


    Although Lin Chen¡¯s tone was calm, Xing Conglian could sense hesitation in his words.


    The maintenance of order in public places was obviously not within the purview of the police criminal division. Furthermore, the situation on the scene didn¡¯t show any signs of deterioration. That meant they weren¡¯t in a position to speak, which was why Lin Chen phrased it like so.


    ¡°His phone is still busy.¡± Xing Conglian thought for a moment and then asked Lin Chen, ¡°If there was a problem in this mall, where do you think it will be?¡±


    ¡°In densely populated places, whether it¡¯s a sudden fire or any emergency, the highest fatality rate will be from a stampede¡­¡±


    ¡°Make an emergency response plan.¡±


    Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Lin Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks. He never expected that Xing Conglian would propose such an emergency plan so simply.


    It wouldn¡¯t be out of place if the situation was urgent, but since Li Jingtian appeared on the stage, it seemed as though water had flowed into the magma, and the boiling scene became much calmer. Lin Chen believed that the CBD precinct police wouldn¡¯t make such a judgment given the current situation.


    At this time, if a criminal division police captain from a different precinct suddenly ordered an emergency response plan, not only would it look arrogant, but it would also seem superfluous and stupid.


    Fortunately, only the three of them knew about this stupidity.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lao Zheng. Wait a minute,¡± he said to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen took two steps back and walked to a relatively quiet place. He didn¡¯t know what Director Zheng said to Xing Conglian and only heard Xing Conglian reply, ¡°I suggest you evacuate the crowd as soon as possible, Lao Zheng. In case there¡¯s a stampede, it¡¯s you who will be held responsible. You don¡¯t want to carry this pot for those businessmen, right?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation now?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was a little cold. ¡°It¡¯s okay now, but if it suddenly turns bad, can you control it? Ansheng International Mall has just opened. Have you organized emergency evacuation training for the employees there?¡±


    Anyone who was questioned this way would be angry. Lin Chen guessed that Director Zheng probably hung up quickly after being questioned by Xing Conglian. Soon, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice returned to their line.


    No longer seeking his opinion, Xing Conglian said to Wang Chao, ¡°Start estimating the flow of people and the overall load of the mall.¡±


    ¡°Fuck Captain, how can you be so rude? Aren¡¯t you being a little too nosy?¡± Wang Chao interjected.


    This time, Lin Chen didn¡¯t hear any wailing coming from Wang Chao, who quickly silenced himself. Lin Chen thought most likely that his captain¡¯s serious expression must be terrible right now.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I have to trouble you to stay longer until the pressure from the crowd drops to 60%, then I¡¯ll let you know when to leave.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said, ¡°Can you have Wang Chao tell me where the best view is or where the blind spots are? I¡¯ll go and fill in that position.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I found a spot A¡¯Chen!¡±

 CH 96

    Wang Chao was really good.


    This was something that Lin Chen felt many times. In fact, if there was no Wang Chao, they would spend a lot of time on useless data retrieval in the process of handling a case, and the efficiency would be much lower. But as long as there was a teenager with a high IQ who was always online, very often they only needed to ask questions or pose ideas, and they would quickly get an answer, which indeed was quite convenient.


    And this was probably one of the reasons why Xing Conglian always brought Wang Chao with him.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you see any milk tea shops over there? On the southeast corner, there¡¯s a Hong Kong-style milk tea shop. The perspective in front of that milk tea shop should be very good.¡±


    The teenager¡¯s brisk voice came through. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but look at the time. The time he spent thinking and searching was only about twenty seconds. He truly didn¡¯t know where Xing Conglian had found this African child.


    ¡°I see it,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I sent you a software to crack the Wi-Fi password to your email. If the owner of the milk tea shop doesn¡¯t give you the Wi-Fi password, you can crack it yourself!¡± Wang Chao added.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you from Africa? How does a milk tea shop do business if they don¡¯t provide Wi-Fi?¡± Xing Conglian scolded.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible they won¡¯t give it to you if you don¡¯t buy something!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough to show your ID?¡± Xing Conglian responded.


    Lin Chen quickened his pace as he walked toward his destination. Listening to the two voices on the other end, he suddenly felt that even if there was a problem, it could be solved.


    ¡°But if you crack it, wouldn¡¯t it be cooler and more technical?¡± Wang Chao retorted in dissatisfaction, and then proudly explained to him, ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you know why you need to connect to the Wi-Fi? In the event of a large-scale accident, with so many people at the scene, the cell signal would be easily clogged. However, if the internet facilities aren¡¯t violently damaged, their speed will be smoother to use. If your phone signal doesn¡¯t work, you can always use the internet. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think your worries are making me panic,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Aiya, A¡¯Chen, don¡¯t be afraid. No matter how dangerous the situation is, our Captain has experienced it. You have to believe that I will protect you in this kind of trivial matter!¡±


    Lin Chen tilted his head slightly and walked along the periphery of the crowd to the milk tea shop. Has Wang Chao ever been in a dangerous situation before?


    After thinking for a bit, he asked in a low voice, ¡°How dangerous?¡±


    ¡°For example, rescuing a group of precious cultural relics under the pressure of air raids, in the desert, or from terrorists all around the world!¡±


    ¡°What are you, writing a novel?¡±


    On the other end of the line, Xing Conglian had given Wang Chao a smack.


    Lin Chen smiled. It really was like a novel-like life.


    Suddenly, he felt Li Jingtian¡¯s singing stop.


    At the end of the song, the singer stabilized his breath, and his panting sounded rough.


    The audience began to scream, and the occasional excited shouts were particularly abrupt against the black background sound.


    When the singer let out a low laugh, the scene instantly stopped.


    He said, ¡°Thank you very much for coming today¡­¡±


    His voice was low. Although Lin Chen couldn¡¯t see the stage clearly, he could clearly feel an unusual sadness of the scene.


    Logically, he should have stopped now and listened carefully, but inexplicably, he began to jog towards the milk tea shop that Wang Chao had pointed out.


    ¡°Do you know which floor the mall¡¯s broadcasting room is on?¡± He asked Wang Chao. ¡°I need to get to the broadcasting room.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. According to their website, Ansheng International doesn¡¯t appear to have a broadcasting room. I¡¯m also looking for it, but it¡¯s either on the top floor or the negative first floor. Do we want to take a gamble?¡±


    ¡°Gamble what? Cut directly into the broadcasting system.¡±


    ¡°Captain, can you be more civilized? How can we just casually cut the broadcasting system? Do you think we¡¯re hackers?¡±


    The two of them continued to argue on the other end of the line again, but Xing Conglian obviously no longer had the intention of joking with Wang Chao. He said coldly, ¡°Do whatever I tell you to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. No need to get so fierce.¡±


    ¡°Transfer the floor plan of the mall to another computer. I¡¯ll take a look,¡± Xing Conglian continued.


    At this time, Lin Chen no longer had the energy to listen to them. He found that no matter where the broadcast room was, he might not have time to get there.


    Li Jingtian was still talking on stage, and he couldn¡¯t see the specific situation on the stage because of the crowd.


    ¡°I know something happened recently that made you worry about me. I¡¯m really sorry. Although the timing is out of place, I still want to come out and thank you all¡­¡±


    The singer on stage was showing his true feelings.


    Lin Chen looked around. Luckily, there was a row of dining chairs for people to rest on right outside the milk tea shop in front of him. He quickly dashed a few steps and climbed onto one of them. Because the shop assistants were all crowded around the railing to watch, no one stepped forward to try and stop him.


    What was even more fortunate was that the Wi-Fi password of the milk tea shop happened to be written on the door of the shop. He connected to the wireless network and glanced at the signal, which became full again.


    He hung up the phone and switched his communication method. As he stood on the chair, he looked down towards the lobby.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t be like that, Jingtian!¡±


    ¡°Come on, we all know Jingtian!¡±


    Taking advantage of his pause, the girls responded one after another.


    As their tender and sincere voices rang out, flashing lights on the scene exploded like fireworks.


    The singer suddenly looked up with a bright smile on his face. He grinned, showing a row of white teeth and a sweet dimple on his left cheek. He bowed sincerely, and said, ¡°Actually, it seems that I have said too much, that it might feel deliberate. I just want to say you¡¯re free to judge right or wrong. Thank you very much for your support. I love you, really.¡±


    ¡°Jingtian!!! Jingtian!!! We love you!!!¡±


    The girls frantically waved their props as they shouted and screamed. Some even burst into tears in excitement.


    The mall became noisy again as a brisk prelude sounded from the stereo. Unlike the previous two bitter songs, this seemed to be a light and sweet love song. Li Jingtian waved his hand to the audience and said with a smile, ¡°This song is dedicated to you. It¡¯s my confession.¡±


    He gave them another sweet smile, which caused the fans to scream again.


    The scene became loud. Some people were clapping in harmony with the rhythm, some bobbed their heads, while others continued taking pictures.


    Lin Chen pressed his phone against his ear. Wang Chao seemed to be reporting something to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s calculated. The flow of people on the scene is 200% over capacity.¡± The person on the other end of the phone paused, as if he had seen an incredible sight, and shouted, ¡°Shit, why is Director Zheng letting people in again?!¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze moved to the stage. The atmosphere on and off the stage was good. The fans were singing briskly to the music.


    Where is the problem?


    He looked at the row of black-clothed guests in the audience. Huang Ze and the others seemed to be getting up and preparing to leave. At the same time, the fans in the audience were waving support lights. There was a girl in a red dress standing on stage with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. She seemed to have been arranged by the staff to go on afterwards to dedicate flowers to the singer.


    It was a bouquet of green roses, wrapped in pure black and gold paper. The girl wore a mask, and most of her face was covered by her long hair, making it impossible to clearly see her.


    Wait a minute.


    Why is the girl who¡¯s offering flowers wearing a mask as if she didn¡¯t want to be photographed by others?


    Don¡¯t fans occasionally go on stage? Is it normal for them not to want to take a photo while hugging their star? How is it reasonable for her to cover her face at such a moment?


    ¡°Xing Conglian, call Director Zheng right away!¡± Lin Chen restrained the urge to jump down from the chair and rushed to the railing as he shouted to the other end of the phone.


    As he spoke, the girl in the red dress who was holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand stepped on the stage to the brisk melody.


    The singer on stage saw someone walking towards him with flowers. During the interlude, he whistled along with the melody and looked gratefully at the girl in a red dress. His eyes gleamed, looking a bit shy.


    The entire audience almost fell into the sweet atmosphere full of love.


    The distance between the two was getting closer. The breathing between them seemed clearly audible. Li Jingtian saw a bunch of green roses that covered most of the girl¡¯s face. He saw the girl¡¯s eyes glowing, full of enthusiasm. His gaze fell on the bow hairpin on the top of her head. He thought to himself, if he hugged her, his chin would rest right on top of the hairpin.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He took the bouquet of green roses handed to him by the girl and looked a little embarrassed in response. Before he could carefully observe the rose in his arms, he was hugged by the girl. As expected, his chin nestled right against the top of the girl¡¯s fluffy, soft hair. Between his nose came a rich scent of refreshing lemon shampoo mixed with roses, creating an intoxicating smell.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because of the sudden embrace of the two on the stage that there was a commotion under the stage. In the crowd, his fans began to scream. The way the girls expressed their excitement was only through screaming.


    He put his arms around the girl¡¯s back and felt that the person in his arms suddenly stood on their tiptoes. He was surprised to see slightly rose-scented lips approaching for a kiss. He wanted to avoid it, but it was too late.


    The next moment, he felt something wrong with his neck. The girl¡¯s white fingers slipped from his neck, and in a trance, he felt himself being pushed away by the girl. Despite being a big man, he became unstable when he was pushed.


    Under the stage, chaos erupted as screaming filled the air, but the emotions from the scream changed.


    No longer did they sound excited, but it shifted to fright and loss. The voices were harsh, like a giant hand was wrapped around those sweet throats, making the voice hoarse and scared.


    Is it fear of death?


    What happened?


    Li Jingtian regained his senses and looked for the girl who had presented the flowers to him just now, but he only saw the girl¡¯s figure jumping down to the back of the stage. Her black hair drew a graceful arc in the air, and then her figure disappeared into the emergency exit corridor.


    He gazed back at the flourishing roses in his hand while the other hand touched his neck. As if he had touched something wet and slippery, he wanted to open his mouth, but suddenly felt he couldn¡¯t make even half a syllable.


    His microphone fell heavily on the ground, creating a deafening roar from the stereo. Countless people covered their ears.


    A drop of bright red blood dripped down from his neck.

 CH 97

    When Zheng Cheng learned about the accident at Ansheng International¡¯s opening ceremony, it wasn¡¯t long after he received a call from his good colleague.


    In fact, he never thought that Xing Conglian was like a nagging mother-in-law, but when it came to Ansheng International, he felt that Xing Conglian was being too cautious.


    He held his phone and circled the office with some annoyance.


    First, regarding the poster covering up the wide-angle camera, Xing Conglian actually specially asked his subordinate to call him to inform the mall to rectify it; then, regarding the flow of people on the scene, Xing Conglian, a captain from the criminal police division, even called the director of the police station in his jurisdiction to give an order on how to control the flow of people. The tension he felt was as if there was going to be a major terrorist attack at the opening ceremony of Ansheng International Mall, which was simply too outrageous.


    So now, he had received a third call from Xing Conglian.


    On the phone, Xing Conglian no longer used a tone of discussion or inquiry. The captain of the criminal police division spoke straightforwardly. ¡°Lao Zheng, prepare to start evacuating the masses.¡±


    When Zheng Cheng heard this, he was initially surprised, then perplexed, and finally irritated. Although they had a good relationship with each other, in the end, his administrative level was higher and Xing Conglian¡¯s reach was too far.


    In fact, the reason he was unhappy was not only because someone was telling him what to do in his jurisdiction but also because he sensed the hidden thoughts behind Xing Conglian¡¯s action. Naturally, he knew that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t mean to accuse him of his abilities.


    In fact, regarding the poster, he had also notified Ansheng International to rectify it, but they didn¡¯t comply and refused to take it down. Instead, they said they would take it off immediately after the opening ceremony and asked that he be accommodating. What reason did he have for not being so? Regarding the crowd flow at the scene, he was clear that it exceeded the standard, but for the grand opening of a well-known shopping mall, it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. It was impossible for the shopping mall to hold a second opening ceremony. Did he really need to stop customers from entering? What was more, everyone in Hongjing knew that the mall was under the Huang family, so people were eager to greet them at their mall¡¯s grand opening. Zheng Cheng thought to himself that not everyone was solitary like Xing Conglian and was willing to do whatever without fear of offending others.


    So how did he answer?


    He said, ¡°Lao Xing, you¡¯re too easily excited. Isn¡¯t the situation at the scene fine?¡±


    Within a few seconds after he finished speaking, the door to his office was knocked on frantically. Before he could even say ¡°come in¡±, a police officer rushed in and reported nervously. ¡°Director Zheng, the situation on the scene isn¡¯t good. I think something has happened.¡±


    What do you mean by ¡°You think something has happened?¡±


    He was taken aback for a moment and then slammed the table. ¡°What do you mean ¡®you think¡¯ something has happened? Are you going to use ¡®you think¡¯ when your report involves a human life?¡±


    ¡°It seems that Li Jingtian was injured, but the scene is so chaotic that we can¡¯t assess the situation!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Both he and Xing Conglian blurted it out at almost the same time. However, his subordinate didn¡¯t respond. After Xing Conglian had asked the same question, it seemed that someone on his end was explaining the situation on the scene to him.


    In that short gap, he discovered that what he was most worried about was something else. He suddenly realized that the youngest Huang family member seemed to be present at the opening ceremony today. What if something bad happens to that young master?


    A few moments later, Xing Conglian paused, said ¡°Wait a minute¡± to the person on the other end, and then said to him, ¡°Lao Zheng, I¡¯ll make it clear. Organize the police officers to divert the crowd on the periphery. I¡¯ll be responsible for controlling the infield and evacuating the flow of people, so the traffic diversion of North 4th Road, He¡¯an Road, Xiangping Road, and Chun¡¯an Road will be handed over to you. We¡¯ll contact you later.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, the word ¡°Okay¡± was still hanging in his mouth, but the other party had already hung up. Zheng Cheng felt that he, as a director, seemed to be under the command of a captain.


    But there was nothing wrong with someone taking responsibility.


    He could only hope that everything was fine.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen stood on a wooden chair as if it were a raft in the waves. The situation had undoubtedly deteriorated.


    He tried his best to hold onto the wall so that he wouldn¡¯t fall as he tried to observe the situation of the scene again.


    On the stage in the lobby, Li Jingtian fell to the ground. His shirt was stained with blood, and a beam of white light shone on him like falling snow.


    Under the stage, Li Jingtian¡¯s fans screamed desperately. Some of the girls were trying their best to get on the stage. They didn¡¯t know what they could or should do. They just wanted to climb up the stage and rush to their idol. The first of them were the mall directors who were being escorted by security guards and wanted to leave. Among them was Huang Ze.


    The human wall of security guards was being pushed to the point of shaking. This was probably the most wretched moment in Huang Ze¡¯s life. Many pairs of teenage girls¡¯ hands were pressed on his head. The crazy fans didn¡¯t care about Huang Ze¡¯s police rank or how many stars he had. They just wanted to pass through those people in the front row and rush to the stage.


    At the same time, there were more people on the scene screaming frantically because of the sudden appearance of a knife and blood. Human instinct made them want to quickly escape from this terrible place.


    So the situation became one group of people wanting to rush forward while another group wanted to escape. The huge flow of people seemed to be like waves of an embankment or a fire sweeping through dead wood, and they all seemed to converge with force.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, is Wang Chao done?¡± Lin Chen asked coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯m already trying to work as hard as I can. Damn it, when something happens, it¡¯s not like it will give notice!¡± Before Xing Conglian could respond, Wang Chao shouted first. ¡°A¡¯Chen, it¡¯s probably too late to try to reach the broadcasting room. I¡¯ll cut the broadcast line to our side. What do you want to say to the Captain? I have about 30 seconds!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation on the stage?¡± Xing Conglian asked. ¡°What happened to Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡°His throat was cut.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s gaze immediately fell on Li Jingtian. He was lying on the empty red carpet. His face was pale, and it was unknown whether he was still alive.


    ¡°Holy shit! No wonder things got this crazy! Captain, what should we do? Can this be controlled?¡± The teenager¡¯s voice also tensed up. Because of the tension, his speed of speaking became more rapid. ¡°Shit, shit, shit. B4 and C5 are starting to hedge. Someone fell. What should I do? What should I do?!¡±


    In crowded places, the most terrifying situation is the hedging of the flow of people and the sudden fall of someone. Hedging meant trampling and falling meant death. This left them a very short amount of time to control the flow of people.


    Strangely enough, the more impatient Wang Chao¡¯s tone became, the calmer was Xing Conglian¡¯s voice. ¡°I can see. Work on your own thing and don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    He comforted calmly and even added ¡°don¡¯t worry¡± at the end.


    The low tone came through the airwaves, like running water infiltrating dry gravel, which gave people a sense of trust.


    ¡°Do you have any good advice, Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian asked him.


    ¡°A rioting crowd is no different from a rioting herd of animals. If you want to quickly control a group of animals, you can only use the most primitive instinctive reactions of humans. Then, in fact, there¡¯s a very dangerous, but very useful method.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem appropriate to be playing tricks right now, Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian even had a slight smile when he said it.


    This was probably a man who had done great things, so this kind of mental quality was incomparable to anyone.


    Lin Chen paused, then replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m just considering its suitability.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the result of your consideration?¡±


    Lin Chen stood high up and looked down. The hall was a mess and chaotic, as if it had been bombarded by many shells. People were pushing, shoving, and tearing; some had fallen, and others were trying to help them up; and those in the front kept getting pushed by the flow of people from behind.


    ¡°Have you heard of the freeze response*?¡± Lin Chen jumped off the wooden chair. The crazier the crowd was around him, the calmer he became. ¡°When human life is threatened, it will remain still for an instant. This is the most effective means of life preservation provided by our limbic system, but this freezing time is very short¡­¡±


    *A reaction to specific stimuli, most common observed in prey animals. When a prey animal has been caught and completely overcome by the predator, it may respond by ¡°freezing up/petrification¡± or in other words by uncontrollably becoming rigid.


    ¡°But you can control riots instantly, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Before he could continue, Wang Chao interrupted and shouted, ¡°Okay, Captain!¡±


    The mall broadcast made a soft sound when it was turned on, so no one seemed to notice it.


    Lin Chen took two steps back. Although he didn¡¯t know what method Xing Conglian would use, he still covered his ears and leaned close to the wall.


    Immediately afterwards, as if rocks were cracking and thunder roared, a deafening gunshot exploded in the audience.


    Lin Chen froze suddenly as the entire mall became silent.

 CH 98

    ¡°I know you want to scream, but please hold back your screams and keep your current movements as they are now. Give me 30 seconds.¡±


    After the gunshot that shook glass and trembled the audience, the voice of Xing Conglian came through.


    Perhaps because the gunshot was so intimidating, everyone at the scene was in a momentary panic, and because of this panic, no one made a sound.


    Lin Chen slowly put down his hand, covering his ears. His eardrums were hurting. Thinking about what happened just now, Wang Chao must have turned the volume to the max, and Xing Conglian had shot his gun through the broadcast microphone¡­


    However, he wasn¡¯t surprised that Xing Conglian would do this kind of thing. After all, he had a quarter of the blood of a fighting race, and he could indeed fight in a critical moment.


    He gently squeezed the lower side of his ear, trying to relieve some of the symptoms of tinnitus while continuing to hold the phone close to his other ear.


    The voice of Xing Conglian came out slowly from the earpiece and the broadcast.


    He said, ¡°My name is Xing Conglian. I am the captain of the Hongjing Criminal Police Division. I will be there shortly to ensure your safety, provided that you carefully listen to what I¡¯m about to say.¡±


    His voice was low and clear, with a bit of coldness and, more so, an irresistible, powerful aura.


    He first identified himself, then appeased the masses, and finally clarified his goal. In any case, it was strange that some people were better at persuading or even ordering others. Though Xing Conglian had been talking non-stop, there wasn¡¯t any panic after the gunshot sounded. Some people slowly got up, and more people started looking around for the source of the sound.


    Xing Conglian was speaking to the audience while Lin Chen was talking to him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a very important effect in social psychology called ¡®diffusion of responsibility*¡¯, which means that when a person is in a crowd, there will be too many bystanders, which reduces the individual¡¯s willingness to lend a hand. The only solution is to ask for help. Please clearly indicate the person you want to ask for help. For example, the gentleman in the blue shirt and glasses, please help him. Like that. Since there are such a large number of people at the scene, words like stop, freeze, and don¡¯t move are all meaningless. Please be sure to implement them to specific locations and address specific groups of people,¡± Lin Chen said quickly. He took a breath, then continued, ¡°The most important thing now is to find someone to go on stage and check on Li Jingtian¡¯s situation¡­¡±


    *A sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. Considered a form of attribution, the individual assumes that others either are responsible for taking action or have already done so.


    Before he could keep speaking, he heard Xing Conglian¡¯s voice resounding from the broadcast speakers again.


    It was just that he didn¡¯t hear Xing Conglian mention anything in the lobby of the first floor but heard him say¡­


    ¡°Friends in front of the Longyuan Milk Tea Shop on the fourth floor, please step aside. My colleague is at the scene. Please let him walk to the railing and survey the scene clearly so as to help everyone evacuate in an orderly manner¡­¡± Xing Conglian paused, as if he thought of something, then added, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the one behind you wearing a white shirt and has a cast on his arm, and he¡¯s on his phone.¡±


    At that moment, eyes like a tidal wave cast their gaze on Lin Chen. He even wanted to compliment Xing Conglian a bit.


    However, given the current situation, he naturally couldn¡¯t do this. The flow of people divided into two sides, forming a gap between them. Lin Chen walked to the guardrail and looked down.


    Wang Chao deliberately selected a location that had a really good perspective. Compared with standing on a chair, the angle now clearly allowed him to observe the situation in the lobby, especially the area around the stage. He saw Inspector Huang, who was pressed to the ground by several girls and was struggling to get up.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, let Huang Ze go on stage. Can you see him? He¡¯s directly in front of the stage. There are some girls in red dresses¡­ on him¡­¡±


    The voice over the phone answered him.


    ¡°The girls in front of the stage in the lobby on the first floor, please pay attention. Please step back. You¡¯re¡­ stepping on another colleague of mine. Yes¡­ the one in the black suit. I know you¡¯re all very concerned about Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s situation, but right now he needs professional help¡­ So, Inspector Huang, will you please get up and go on stage and check Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s condition? Thank you.¡±


    Lin Chen could feel Huang Ze¡¯s face as black as the bottom of a kettle when he heard Xing Conglian¡¯s voice coming from the broadcast, despite the fact that he was far away and couldn¡¯t see Huang Ze¡¯s expression clearly.


    Anyone who was saved by the person he hated most in his life would probably feel unhappy and depressed.


    The girls who were surrounding the stage helped each other up and retreated slowly.


    Huang Ze struggled to get up. His suit was crumpled, and his hair was a mess. Lin Chen saw that Huang Ze staggered a bit while getting up, as if his leg were injured. Most likely, it was a fracture. Huang Ze, however, didn¡¯t go directly on stage but braced himself, turned around in the direction Lin Chen was standing, and cast a deep look.


    Lin Chen stood by the handrail on the fourth floor, looking at Huang Ze¡¯s wretched face, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Huang Ze is about to go on stage.¡±


    While Huang Ze climbed with difficulty on the stage to reach Li Jingtian, Xing Conglian spoke again.


    ¡°In order to ensure that Mr. Li Jingtian seeks timely medical treatment, I hope everyone can cooperate with the evacuation process. The police promise that they will report Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s condition in a timely manner and do their best to arrest the culprit. So now, for your safety and others¡¯, including Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s life, please listen to my next instruction. After I say ¡®start¡¯, follow my request and leave in an orderly manner.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was calm and composed, firmly controlling the audience.


    Lin Chen suddenly felt that Xing Conglian seemed to be more experienced than him in dealing with emergencies; or rather, what he had were just theories, while Xing Conglian had a wealth of experience.


    ¡°First, please stay where you are and observe whether there are injured people who have been trampled on. If there are injured people, please help move them gently to the nearest shop. Please note that everyone else remains where you are and don¡¯t move.¡±


    The entire mall finally heard groans, or rather, the wailing of people around them.


    Immediately afterwards, the sound of movement came from all around. After a short period of panic, the crowd finally came to their senses and started helping each other, even without special instructions. They began to make their way to the injured in an orderly manner.


    Lin Chen felt relieved and looked away toward the stage again.


    Huang Ze kneeled beside Li Jingtian and saw him taking off his coat and pressing it tightly against the wound on Li Jingtian¡¯s neck. Then, Huang Ze turned around and gave a thumbs up to where he was standing.


    That meant that Li Jingtian was still alive.


    Lin Chen was taken aback. Is Li Jingtian still alive?


    He subconsciously glanced at the time on his phone. Three minutes had passed since Li Jingtian¡¯s throat was cut. The time of death from a ruptured carotid artery was within 3-5 minutes, but after two minutes, the injured person would become unconscious. Not only could Huang Ze instantly determine that Li Jingtian was still alive, but it also meant he could still be saved?


    ¡°Xing Conglian, Li Jingtian is still alive, and his injuries may not be fatal.¡± He covered the mic as he whispered.


    Although they were far apart and he couldn¡¯t see Xing Conglian¡¯s face, at that moment, Lin Chen seemed to be able to feel Xing Conglian nodding.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s calm voice sounded, and he said without any rush, ¡°The evacuation will gradually advance from the first floor to the fourth floor. Friends on the second, third, and fourth floor, please wait patiently as we evacuate the first floor. If you¡¯re in an empty hall on the first floor, please stay where you are and don¡¯t move. Next, please let friends who are in the four corridors of north, south, west, and east leave slowly and orderly¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, please start.¡±


    His instructions were short but concise. When Xing Conglian said ¡°start¡±, Lin Chen clearly saw the flow of people in the four passages begin to move slowly. At first, the flow was slow, but as people walked out of the gate, more people began to pour out of the shopping mall. Presumably, Xing Conglian had already contacted Director Zheng before evacuating the crowds in the shopping mall, so the evacuation process was much smoother.


    During the broadcast, Xing Conglian began to arrange for the most miserable spectators in the lobby to start leaving.


    ¡°All of you standing in the lobby, please make way for the passage between the ¡®Lisen¡¯ and ¡®C&M¡¯ shop. Medical staff will enter from this passage later, so please be sure to get out of the way and leave in an orderly manner from the remaining three passages.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice gently divided the flow of people like they were in the palm of his hand.


    As the crowd in the lobby decreased, the flipped seats and messy ground were gradually exposed, which meant that more people were leaving the hall. Medical staff carrying stretchers quickly entered from the only empty passage.


    They climbed on the stage and quickly carried the injured away from the scene after providing emergency treatment.


    Huang Ze pushed away a doctor who wanted to help him up and struggled to stand as he looked up.


    Lin Chen avoided his gaze and turned to look at the backs of those faces he couldn¡¯t clearly see that were exiting.


    Among the people who were slowly leaving at this moment were worried fans, frightened customers, and, of course, the culprit who hurt Li Jingtian in full view of the public.


    Perhaps the girl who was holding the bouquet of green roses and slit the singer¡¯s neck was mixed into the crowd laughing at their incompetence.


    However, this possibility was something they couldn¡¯t take into account right now.

 CH 99

    ¡°Parents with children at the entrance of the Good Decoration Specialty Store in Area C on the second floor, please pay attention and protect your children. Try to raise infants and toddlers above your head or have them ride on your neck so that the crowd behind you can see them.¡±


    ¡°The ambulance personnel are treating the wounded at the entrance of the TM supermarket chain in Area A on the first floor. Please pay attention and avoid that area.¡±


    ¡°For those who are going down from the escalator, please be careful not to push.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen would occasionally listen to the instructions and found that Xing Conglian¡¯s reminders were always spot on. It was very much like a professional guiding traffic in a crowded subway, meticulous and patient; although Lin Chen was sure Xing Conglian had never done this kind of thing before.


    Looking at the gradually empty venue, Lin Chen suddenly had a strange feeling in his heart that was similar to the joy felt after surviving a great disaster.


    After all, from the time of the incident until now, he and Xing Conglian were far apart, but perhaps it was because his voice was always coming through on the phone that he felt Xing Conglian seemed to be present. This feeling was comforting and made him feel safe.


    When he was thinking this, Lin Chen felt taken aback. He suddenly realized that he actually felt something like a sense of security.


    He suspected it was an occupational disease and pondered the psychological motivation. He then realized that what he enjoyed and what made him feel satisfied wasn¡¯t such a simple sense of security because someone was behind him, but what truly made him happy were some high-level needs that were gradually pursued after low-level needs were satisfied*. Generally speaking, they were a sense of belonging and love.


    *This is referring to Maslow¡¯s hierarchy of needs. Since he¡¯s met the first two levels at the bottom, he¡¯s now moved on to ¡°belonging and love¡±.


    People wanted to be with their companions.


    There were fewer people stranded in the shopping mall now. People were supporting each other as they slowly walked out of the turmoil.


    Lin Chen cast his eyes on the stage again. The police officers from the local precinct had already blocked off the scene, and there was a bunch of roses lying quietly on the scarlet carpet. Other than that, it was empty.


    The voice of Xing Conglian could no longer be heard on the broadcast.


    Soon, he heard Xing Conglian say ¡°hey¡± a few times on the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming right away. Wait for me. I¡¯ll be there in a quarter of an hour.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As he said this, he suddenly heard the sound of leather boots tapping on the floor tiles from behind. There was no one in the mall anymore, so it could only be one person who would personally seek him out.


    He turned around and saw Huang Ze walking slowly towards him from a distance.


    ¡°See you later,¡± he said as he hung up the phone.


    Probably because of his leg injury, Huang Ze was walking very slowly and trying his best to keep his posture stable, but his knees that couldn¡¯t be bent betrayed him.


    When Huang Ze got closer, Lin Chen could clearly see the dirt and wrinkles on his suit, but Huang Ze didn¡¯t stop and continued moving closer, forcing Lin Chen to take half a step back so that he bumped against the railing.


    Huang Ze narrowed his eyes slightly and finally stopped.


    He hadn¡¯t seen him for a month, but Inspector Huang was as cold and ruthless as ever. People like Huang Ze were used to waiting for others to greet them first.


    Lin Chen sighed and said, ¡°Inspector Huang, how are you?¡±


    ¡°You clearly know that if you live well, I won¡¯t be well.¡±


    Lin Chen laughed. ¡°Then I must be having a good time. I¡¯m very sorry.¡±


    Provoking a man who had been molested by so many girls was probably not a good idea. What was more, this was a man who hated him to the bone, and he just saved him. This kind of insult was probably more unbearable than killing him.


    Huang Ze suddenly raised his hand, causing Lin Chen to subconsciously close his eyes.


    However, he felt no pain on his cheek. Seeing as the plot wasn¡¯t moving as expected, Lin Chen opened his eyes only to see Huang Ze¡¯s hand was still raised in mid-air and remained frozen.


    He thought for a moment, then asked, ¡°Inspector Huang, are you planning to slap me? If not, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing well?¡±


    The current atmosphere became a bit strange. Lin Chen tried hard to bring the topic back to a less weird track, so he said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw you. To be honest, Inspector Huang, I thought you would say, ¡®Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be thankful to you for saving me¡¯. In fact, catching up isn¡¯t suitable for you.¡±


    Unexpectedly, even when he said this, Huang Ze didn¡¯t hit him.


    Huang Ze¡¯s face was tense, as if he were holding something back. In the end, he slowly lowered his raised arms and asked a very strange question, ¡°How did you break your arm?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the plaster and bandage in his hand and thought that because the Yongchuan case was still under investigation and the files were top-secret, Huang Ze wouldn¡¯t be privy to this information, so he had no choice but to answer, ¡°In order to protect people¡¯s lives and property¡­¡±


    ¡°Together with Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Why would he let you get hurt?¡± When Huang Ze said this, he actually seemed to be angry.


    The conversation showed signs of becoming nasty. Lin Chen sighed and said, ¡°Maybe because I prefer courting death?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already died once since you were connected with Xing Conglian, and now you have a broken arm.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°So you still want to be with him?¡± Huang Ze said this methodically, as if what he said was reasonable.


    And the meaning in his words made Lin Chen feel even more misunderstood. ¡°Inspector Huang, I can only realize a little of the value of my life when I¡¯m with him. After all, this is still slightly more important than survival.¡±


    He thought that this was a very ordinary explanation, but after he finished saying this, Huang Ze opened his eyes wide. ¡°You don¡¯t know who he is. You think he¡¯s just an ordinary criminal police officer. You think you can rest easy and just follow him, but you¡¯ll pay with your life one day!¡±


    ¡°This line sounds familiar, Inspector Huang.¡± Lin Chen looked around. Fortunately, there was no one around. Otherwise, this conversation would be quite embarrassing.


    Huang Ze took another step forward, forcing Lin Chen to lean back a little more.


    ¡°I checked on Xing Conglian¡¯s file.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what?¡±


    ¡°Then, there is no then.¡±


    ¡°Xing Conglian was parachuted into Fengchun a year ago and later transferred to Hongjing as captain of the police criminal division. His file only has this year.¡±


    Huang Ze probably really hated Xing Conglian so much that he would go to this extent to check his files.


    However, Lin Chen wasn¡¯t surprised that he couldn¡¯t find anything on Xing Conglian. Lin Chen even thought not only would he not find anything on Xing Conglian but even the files on Wang Chao.


    Sure enough, Huang Ze quickly mentioned Comrade Xiao Wang.


    ¡°Xing Conglian is very suspicious. Even the kid with him doesn¡¯t have any files. Do you think normal people are like this? Are you dumb? You studied psychology, yet you don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with this?¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s tone became more anxious. This kind of thing was actually not suitable for him to say. After all, Inspector Huang was always arrogant and cold, but suddenly he was anxious about matters like this. This was too unlike him.


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®Of course I know there¡¯s a problem.¡¯ After all, who would install cameras when they stay at a hotel? But to bring up such a topic would be too strange, so who would ask?


    Therefore, he could only answer, ¡°Isn¡¯t this great? I¡¯m very satisfied. Even you can¡¯t find his file. This shows he¡¯s quite powerful, right? I can¡¯t be sure, but perhaps he has done great things for the country or is a member of the hidden front.¡± Lin Chen paused, looked up at Huang Ze, and smiled. ¡°This means I should respect him more, no?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to provoke me?¡± Huang Ze suddenly raised his voice.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what was going on with Huang Ze today. Although the meaning in Huang Ze¡¯s words could be taken as if he cared about him, this attitude didn¡¯t seem like it, but was more like a strange, childish possessiveness. After all, for children, even if they hated the toy, if it was taken away by others, they would be unhappy, right?


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t really want to continue the conversation, but he still had to respond. ¡°Inspector Huang, I just want to remind you that, first, it¡¯s not honest and upright to investigate other people¡¯s files privately. Second, I don¡¯t think it makes sense for you to discuss the identity and background of Captain Xing with me here. After all, we¡¯re just colleagues. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re planning to get married. I don¡¯t need to know how many people are in his family or how much money he has in his bank account.¡±


    ¡°Honest and upright? Do you think he¡¯s honest and upright? You¡¯re so innocent and na?ve, Lin Chen.¡± Huang Ze didn¡¯t seem to hear his words at all and instead grabbed onto a word he said and sneered. ¡°If he¡¯s honorable, why didn¡¯t he tell you how he managed to get you the consultant position?¡±


    Despite Huang Ze¡¯s rising anger, Lin Chen was calm. ¡°Then Inspector Huang, should I say, ¡®Please quickly tell me¡¯ or should I say, ¡®I don¡¯t want to know¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care at all, do you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care, but it¡¯s easy to guess. There are only two ways that would force you to drop it and allow me to get official documents to approve my position. Either Xing Conglian smiled at you while holding the reporter¡¯s videotape of the ¡®Candy Bandit case¡¯ and threatened that if you don¡¯t drop it, he will publish the videotape on the internet and ruin your reputation, or Wang Chao sat in front of a laptop and showed you that he could break through various firewalls in a minute and make it so you can¡¯t hide any of your personal privacy¡­¡±


    Looking at Huang Ze¡¯s swollen face, Lin Chen thought he probably guessed it accurately.


    These two people really knew the law¡ªand also how to break it.

 CH 100

    Naturally, the two people who were being talked about didn¡¯t know that they had been ¡°criticized¡±.


    The strong wind swept across the car, giving Wang Chao the illusion that he was about to be blown away. He sat in the front passenger seat and tightened his seatbelt in fear as he tremblingly said, ¡°Captain, although we have police lights on and there¡¯s a case, can¡¯t you drive a little slower?¡±


    Xing Conglian was holding a cigarette and of course didn¡¯t answer his question.


    Because the car windows on both sides were lowered, the strong wind blew away the smoke pretty quickly. Wang Chao stared at the cigarette butt that was quickly burning to the end and gulped as he continued, ¡°Captain, are you afraid that dumbass Huang Ze will bully A¡¯Chen? Don¡¯t worry too much. He won¡¯t dare. He¡¯s like an ant in the palm of our hands that can be crushed at any moment!¡±


    Xing Conglian continuously pressed out the cigarette butt to extinguish it in silence.


    Seeing that his boss had just hung up the phone, it looked like he was in a bad mood. His aura was exuding ¡°don¡¯t mess with me¡±, which made Wang Chao extremely frightened. Currently, no matter how he persuaded him, Xing Conglian remained silent. The last time this happened, the extraterrestrial galaxy was destroyed¡­


    Well, of course it wasn¡¯t so exaggerated. Wang Chao desperately cleared the strange setting in his brain. Just when he was about to be suffocated by the wind, he finally found something more appropriate to say. ¡°Captain, can you drive slower? I can open my laptop and show you the scene, okay?¡±


    The traffic lights had just changed, causing Xing Conglian to slam on the brakes and stop steadily in front of the white line.


    Wang Chao took a deep breath and thanked himself for his resourcefulness.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll transfer the live video for you to watch, but it¡¯ll be a little slow. After all, you won¡¯t rent a satellite line for me to exclusively use to surf the internet!¡±


    After he finished speaking, Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to look at Wang Chao coldly.


    Wang Chao quickly shut up. Taking the 75-seconds gap between the red light, he pulled up Ansheng International Mall on-site surveillance at unprecedented speed.


    Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the video transmission was indeed choppy as it was stuck. After he entered the camera number where Lin Chen was standing, the picture was frozen at a strange moment.


    In the blurred surveillance footage, Lin Chen was leaning against the railing, holding one hand against it, as if he were trying to retreat, while someone was in front of him, bowing his head slightly. The back of the person¡¯s head blocked the angle of the surveillance camera, so¡­


    So it seemed that the man was forcibly kissing Lin Chen.


    The person who looked like he was kissing Lin Chen must, of course, be that dumbass Huang Ze!


    Fuck Huang Ze. You fucking dare!


    Wang Chao was petrified. Although he knew there must be something wrong, his young heart was severely traumatized. What the hell is he doing leaning over and bowing his head so close?!


    He slammed shut his laptop and carefully looked at the driver¡¯s seat. He saw that his captain was staring at the road ahead. Only the index finger of his right hand was gently tapping the steering wheel, and he seemed to have calmed down, as if he hadn¡¯t witnessed the scene just now.


    ¡°Captain, this¡ªInspector Huang and A¡¯Chen definitely don¡¯t have this kind of relationship. At first glance, it¡¯s just a strange angle¡­ I¡¯ll switch to a different camera, okay?¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t angry but instead lightly responded, ¡°No need.¡±


    It stood to reason that Wang Chao should breathe a sigh of relief, but, being a good dog¡¯s legs for over a decade, he immediately realized that there was a problem with the rhythm of Xing Conglian¡¯s tapping on the steering wheel.


    Two sections, one long, two long, one short¡­


    He silently recorded the rhythm, picked up his phone, and quickly sent the recorded content to his former colleagues: [Emergency!!! Urgent!!! Waiting online!!!]


    Soon, a text message responded in seconds.


    [Hey, the captain¡¯s so angry, but the earth isn¡¯t destroyed, and we¡¯re all still alive. What a miracle, Xiao Wang Chao!]


    Wang Chao continued to swallow his spit and took a peek at Xing Conglian¡¯s face, feeling extremely regretful.


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze took half a step backward. He felt he had nothing left to say to Lin Chen. When he looked at Lin Chen¡¯s slightly raised head and stared at his face, for a moment, he wanted to lean over again.


    However, reality didn¡¯t allow him to do so. After all, he should hate Lin Chen, and Lin Chen should also hate him.


    Ego was such a strange thing.


    Huang Ze turned around without looking back. He walked slowly downstairs without even remembering how he got there. The pain in his back had already lost its feeling. Suddenly, he felt someone pulling hard on him, trying to say something.


    He lowered his eyes and saw a fat face.


    It was the general manager of Ansheng International, also surnamed Huang, one of his uncles.


    Huang Ze pulled back his cuffs angrily. Although he didn¡¯t know why he was angry, in fact, if it weren¡¯t for this uncle who had called his father specifically, of course it wouldn¡¯t be him who would be at the scene today; the person who was pushed down and trampled over wouldn¡¯t be him; and the person whose life was saved by Lin Chen and Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t be him.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Young Master Huang, look at what happened today. The police had blocked the scene and our shopping mall¡¯s grand opening¡­¡±


    Although his uncle spoke intermittently, Huang Ze roughly understood the meaning of his words.


    There was such a big accident at the opening ceremony. Li Jingtian¡¯s condition was unknown. No matter what shopping mall it was, this kind of event would be viewed as extremely unlucky and would make it extremely difficult for Ansheng International Mall to recover from.


    But what the mall was most afraid of wasn¡¯t the anger of fans, but the determination of responsibility when the police did their investigation.


    The Hongjing police had sealed off the scene. If the mall was found to have any faults during the investigation, the results would be exposed online, and the mall¡¯s fate would be sealed. It would close down as major brands began to withdraw.


    Therefore, for the current plan, he hoped that the investigation party would be lenient¡­


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Huang Ze knew very well what his uncle wanted, but he still wanted him to say it.


    He saw that his uncle was sweating profusely, and the bruises on his face were almost twisted into a ball. He finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and plucked up the courage to say, ¡°Young Master Huang, the police force still needs you¡­ Can you please greet them a little.¡±


    Greet?


    Greeting naturally wasn¡¯t a big issue. Huang Ze felt that his principles weren¡¯t so strong, but before his eyes, Xing Conglian¡¯s annoying face suddenly appeared, and he frowned.


    Xing Conglian came faster than he expected. Before he had time to answer or make excuses, the man¡¯s calm and indifferent voice sounded behind him.


    It was so calm and indifferent to the point it made him want to vomit.


    ¡°Why is the person responsible for the accident still at the scene?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Huang Ze turned around and saw Xing Conglian coming from a distance.


    He didn¡¯t walk quickly or slowly. His little sidekick was trotting behind him, holding a laptop. He was followed by two other police officers, looking mighty and majestic.


    And the question he asked was, of course, to the two officers beside him.


    Hearing this, one of them glanced at Xing Conglian, and the other at Huang Ze¡¯s uncle, who was looking at them with fear.


    How arrogant.


    But Xing Conglian was more than arrogant.


    ¡°Do you still need me to teach you how to follow procedures?¡±


    Seeing no reaction from his subordinates, Xing Conglian added another sentence indifferently and finally walked in front of Huang Ze.


    Huang Ze stood straight. His gaze fell on Xing Conglian¡¯s police rank. Naturally, he was waiting for Xing Conglian to salute him.


    However, Xing Conglian was different from usual.


    Although Xing Conglian despised him to the bone, he would still be humble and polite on the surface, but now he didn¡¯t even see such courtesy.


    When Xing Conglian was about an arm¡¯s length away from him, Huang Ze saw him take out a cigarette with one hand and light it in front of him. Not only did Xing Conglian not salute him, but he also dared smoke right in front of him, as if he didn¡¯t exist at all.


    Smelling the choking tobacco smell, Huang Ze wanted to laugh.


    He originally thought that Xing Conglian was quite aware, but he didn¡¯t expect that in order to express his disdain for him, Xing Conglian would make such a mistake. He couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Captain Xing, police officers shouldn¡¯t smoke while performing official duties. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll have a bad influence, no?¡±


    ¡°Who are you, and what qualification do you have to talk to me like that?¡± Xing Conglian replied as he continued to smoke his cigarette.

 CH 101

    Huang Ze was stunned.


    He did envision what would happen when he would meet Xing Conglian again. After all, Xing Conglian had just rescued him and would naturally appear to lead the investigation, so they would end up running into each other.


    However, he thought Xing Conglian would either taunt or sneer, but among the things he thought would be said, they didn¡¯t include: ¡°What qualification do you have to talk to me like that?¡±


    How dare Xing Conglian ask him about his qualifications!


    The irritability that had been desperately suppressed during his encounter with Lin Chen had surged again.


    He thought, ¡®I have a higher police rank than you, a better family background than you, and I¡¯m younger than you. Who you are and what you have done before doesn¡¯t matter, as you are now just a small criminal police captain, so how dare he ask me about my ¡°qualifications¡±. It should be me who should be asking this. How dare he treat me like this!¡¯


    Huan Ze laughed.


    He really wanted to remind Xing Conglian that qualifications and strength didn¡¯t come from the mouth or the words that were said. Those qualifications and strength came from identity and status.


    And since his identity and status was higher, he wouldn¡¯t verbally argue with Xing Conglian. Rather someone else would speak on his behalf.


    ¡°Captain Xing, what do you mean by this?¡±


    Huang Wei dragged his fat body in front of Huang Ze and asked condescendingly.


    Although Huang Wei was filthy and smelly, and always had been irresponsible like a soft-legged shrimp* in his career, when he questioned Xing Conglian, most of this stain had been completely erased in Huang Ze¡¯s heart. Satisfied with his arrogance, Huang Ze began to consider if he should help him out.


    *Also can be referred to as a soft-legged crab (Èí½Åз/Ϻ) It¡¯s a derogatory term calling someone basically a wuss.


    Xing Conglian, on the other hand, didn¡¯t show any displeasure after being offended. He was still smoking a cigarette expressionlessly; his eyes weren¡¯t even cold or sharp. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the police officer next to him.


    What was strange was that, though the gaze looked calm, the police officer that was being stared at suddenly gritted his teeth, rushed forward, and twisted Huang Wei¡¯s arm and pressed him against the wall. In the next second, he was neatly handcuffed.


    ¡°Mr. Huang Wei, you are under arrest in accordance with the law on suspicion of endangering public safety,¡± the police officer said in a businesslike tone.


    Huang Wei was baffled for a while before he shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?! Why are you arresting me?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re under arrest in accordance with the law on suspicion of endangering public safety.¡±


    The police officer mechanically repeated what he just said, then another person stepped forward and twisted the manager¡¯s fat arm, preparing to drag him away from the scene and back to the police station.


    ¡°How is this any of my business? It¡¯s not like I asked someone to kill Li Jingtian! Why are you arresting me?!¡± The fat manager¡¯s legs became soft. He was sweating profusely, and his face started turning pale.


    Huang Ze saw him stiffly twist his head and looked at him with an expression like a tourist on a sinking ship trying to grab the last life jacket. ¡°Inspector Huang, help me. Help me!¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s face suddenly turned blue.


    He knew very well that the fact that Xing Conglian dared to detain Huang Wei meant that there was reason and justification. The incident that happened just now in Ansheng International could already be counted as a major public safety incident, so it was reasonable to detain the administrative person in charge of the mall.


    However, Huang Ze didn¡¯t expect Xing Conglian to be so merciless. This slap was not only a slap to his face but to the Huang family¡¯s.


    However, at this moment, he couldn¡¯t think of any way to fight back. ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, Captain Xing.¡± In the end, he could only grit his teeth and respond like so.


    ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± Xing Conglian still didn¡¯t bother to address him properly. He lowered his eyes slightly but looked at him with a gaze as if he were looking down at ants.


    Huang Ze felt all the contempt, disdain, and all kinds of condescending emotions from that gaze. How could a person like Xing Conglian have such confidence to possess these emotions?


    At that moment, Huang Ze felt that the person in front of him wasn¡¯t Xing Conglian at all.


    He stabilized his mind and then found that he seemed to have no means to crush Xing Conglian currently, which made it excruciatingly suffocating.


    ¡°Is this your attitude towards your superior, Captain Xing?¡± He raised his head and sneered at Xing Conglian. ¡°Xing Conglian, prepare to receive a letter of reprimand.¡±


    ¡°Superior? So Huang Ze, are you attending the opening ceremony of your family¡¯s mall in a capacity as an Inspector?¡± Xing Conglian asked slowly.


    This was not only a threat but a rebuke; not vicious but extremely lethal.


    Huang Ze thought about all the written reprimands he had given. After all, it was his job to find problems and point them out. However, among them, none were as severe as the one he had just received.


    What Xing Conglian brutally pointed out was his shamelessness in protecting his family business. How could he still think of himself as an Inspector?


    Huang Ze clenched his fists tightly. His nails embedded into the palm of his hand, giving him pain so he could stay sober.


    Every word Xing Conglian spoke was scolding him, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. If he reprimanded Xing Conglian for inappropriate behavior, it would prove that he was participating in his family¡¯s property ceremony in the capacity of an Inspector. But if he were to participate in the ceremony as a private citizen, then he wasn¡¯t an Inspector right now, so what qualification did he have to accuse Xing Conglian?


    Thinking of this, Huang Ze was livid, but because of it, he didn¡¯t have a reason to be angry. He could only grit his teeth and swallow back the blood.


    Without looking into a mirror, Huang Ze knew that his face was probably extremely ugly. He took a deep breath and wanted to speak, but Xing Conglian beat him to it.


    He saw Xing Conglian take a puff of his cigarette and added calmly, ¡°I said you aren¡¯t qualified, which means you aren¡¯t qualified.¡±


    Again, it was qualifications, and he wasn¡¯t qualified.


    At that moment, Huang Ze felt that it was too ridiculous. Indeed, Xing Conglian had the upper hand now, but did he intend to keep taking advantage of his words and tear his face apart?


    A slap in the face already hurts, and now there was another slap. At this point, Huang Ze realized that no matter what he said, it would be a useless counterattack. He took one last look at Xing Conglian, fighting back the anger in his heart, and said coldly, ¡°Xing Conglian, it¡¯s rare to see people like you who like to court death.¡±


    After speaking, he took a step forward. The moment he passed by Xing Conglian, he heard the other party say his name.


    ¡°Huang Ze¡­¡± Xing Conglian stretched his tone. ¡°Leave and don¡¯t let me see you again.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Although it was a few minutes, to Huang Ze, it was like a few years. In fact, the conversation between him and Xing Conglian was short; so short that Lin Chen was still standing in front of the milk tea shop. Before he could move, he saw Xing Conglian coming out of the sightseeing elevator.


    Lin Chen leaned on the railing and looked at Xing Conglian from head to toe, because Xing Conglian also did the same thing.


    Wang Chao came out of the elevator cautiously, stood behind Xing Conglian, and gave Lin Chen a wink.


    When Lin Chen received the signal, he couldn¡¯t help but observe the expression on Xing Conglian¡¯s face again.


    The face of Wang Chao¡¯s captain at the moment was extremely calm, as if it were a lake in complete stillness, or a more appropriate metaphor would be an ancient well without waves*. Therefore, even if he reluctantly used all micro-expression analysis methods, he couldn¡¯t guess what Xing Conglian was thinking about.


    *(¹Å¾®ÎÞ²¨) Metaphor referring to inner tranquility.


    Although he couldn¡¯t guess it, he could reason it out. Since Xing Conglian was downstairs just now, he probably bumped into someone.


    ¡°Did you run into Huang Ze?¡± he asked tentatively.


    As soon as he spoke, Wang Chao shook his head desperately from behind Xing Conglian.


    Was it just a simple encounter, or did they have a fight?


    They didn¡¯t really fight, right?


    He thought about it for a while and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Huang Ze didn¡¯t give you a hard time, did he?¡±


    After hearing this, Xing Conglian¡¯s face finally changed. Although he still couldn¡¯t guess what Xing Conglian was thinking, fortunately, Xing Conglian finally moved.


    He was holding a cigarette as he walked towards Lin Chen in great strides. He then stopped, crushed the cigarette with one hand, and lightly said, ¡°Come here.¡±

 CH 102

    Wang Chao was terrified when he heard Xing Conglian say, ¡°Come here¡±¡­


    Lin Chen was unable to guess what the hell was going on, but no matter what it was, he felt he should do as he was told, so he walked towards Xing Conglian.


    There was no explanation, no greeting. Seeing him approach, Xing Conglian turned around and walked in the other direction, towards the milk tea shop.


    He¡¯s not going to buy milk tea, right?


    Or was he taking him to apologize because he stepped on someone else¡¯s chair?


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but give Wang Chao a confused look, but at the critical moment, Wang Chao looked away while still standing by himself in the elevator, pretending that he didn¡¯t exist.


    Lin Chen had no choice but to follow Xing Conglian.


    There was a worker from the shop tidying up the seats by the door. Seeing them come, the girl¡¯s eyes flickered, and then she silently retreated to the counter without even asking, ¡°Sir, how can I help you?¡±


    Looking at the worker, Lin Chen felt there was nothing wrong with his intuition. It wasn¡¯t just him who felt Xing Conglian¡¯s aura.


    Naturally, a cup of milk tea couldn¡¯t cure anger, so of course Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to buy milk tea.


    Xing Conglian stood at the entrance of the milk tea shop, bent over slightly, dragged a plastic chair out, took two steps, and placed the chair beside a stone pillar.


    Lin Chen looked at the chair and fell into a state of confusion he had never seen before. What was Xing Conglian doing?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sit down.¡± It was as if Xing Conglian was cherishing his words like gold.


    Lin Chen thought there was something wrong with his hearing. He took him to the entrance of the milk tea shop just to ask him to sit down?


    He pointed to himself and made sure again, ¡°This is for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lin Chen inaudibly sighed as he slowly walked to the plastic chair and calmly sat down.


    But in the next moment, he was stunned.


    He saw Xing Conglian take out a cigarette, take a puff, and then slowly squat down in front of him with a careless attitude.


    Lin Chen sat on the chair, looking at the top of Xing Conglian¡¯s hair and face as if nothing had happened, and became extremely lost.


    A person like Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t ask for other people¡¯s opinions on what he wanted to do. He lowered his head slightly and his eyelashes drooped, as if he were too lazy to speak. After taking two puffs of his cigarette, he reluctantly said, ¡°Stick out your left hand.¡±


    Lin Chen had no choice but to comply.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze fell on his wrist that was covered with a plaster, and he then lightly said, ¡°Hold tight¡­¡±


    Lin Chen clenched his fist subconsciously.


    At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly understood that Xing Conglian was checking his injuries.


    This kind of cognition made everything seem to stand still.


    He looked at Xing Conglian, who was examining his hand.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze was focused. From his point of view, the man¡¯s face was almost hidden by the occasional rising smoke. He could only see a straight nose bridge, slightly pursed lips, and his thick eyelashes.


    Strangely, at this moment, Lin Chen was suddenly distracted and thought about Xing Conglian¡¯s mother. He thought she must be an extremely gentle and beautiful woman.


    Soon, Xing Conglian¡¯s light voice brought him back from his thoughts. ¡°Hold your hand flat,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen straightened his hand, and in the next second, his wrist was grabbed.


    Xing Conglian was holding the cigarette in his mouth, so his voice was muffled, but Lin Chen could clearly hear him asking, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Probably, among the irresistible romantic words in the world, there had to be such a simple question.


    ¡°Does it hurt¡±, ¡°Are you okay¡±, ¡°Is it uncomfortable¡±, ¡°Is this better¡±; such words were always irresistible. No matter how painful reality was, as long as someone asked you it, the pain would ease.


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®Of course it hurts.¡¯


    He even felt that just thinking about it made the smell of the mint tobacco that Xing Conglian normally smoked more pleasant. He remembered the description he gave to Su Fengzi. Xing Conglian was truly sweet.


    It was natural that if someone you like asked you this, of course you would start to think about it.


    It seemed that the originally tightly isolated part suddenly broke open through a gap, and water was leaking out along the chiseled breech and was slowly flowing to other parts.


    For the first time in his life, Lin Chen experienced a strange struggle with thinking. The rational part of his mind was telling him that Xing Conglian was just worried about him since he was pushed and injured a second time. This was a normal concern between colleagues. If something like this were to happen to Wang Chao, Xing Conglian would probably pull the kid¡¯s hair and drag him to a chair to check on him. But the other part of his mind that was irrational and emotionally manipulated was saying, ¡®What do you think? How can there be colleagues who care about you like this? Perhaps he might like you too¡­?¡¯


    ¡ªHe might like you too.


    If there was any magic statement in this world that could make people instantly happy, the line ¡°I¡¯ll pay for you¡± would assuredly be selected.


    Lin Chen thought it was funny that he would have such an irrational day.


    However, looking at the serious face and concerned gaze from Xing Conglian, he realized that if he were irrational for a second now, he would be happy all day long because of such irrationality.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    So he gave a response like so.


    Sure enough, Xing Conglian withdrew his hand and said coldly, ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Lin Chen looked down at Xing Conglian, feeling that a good attitude towards admitting mistakes must be the only way to win leniency, so he said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but at least it¡¯s not a big deal. I was careful¡­¡±


    But it may be that his apology wasn¡¯t sincere enough. When Xing Conglian heard this, he suddenly got up, crossed his arms, stood behind him, then straightened, extended, and rotated his arms in various directions before asking, ¡°Does it hurt from any angles?¡±


    His answer to ¡°pain¡± just now was obviously the wrong answer, so this time Lin Chen cleverly changed it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    He replied with great certainty.


    In short, this was probably the correct answer.


    After several seconds of silence, Xing Conglian finally dropped his arm and walked away.


    Lin Chen turned back inexplicably but saw that Xing Conglian had returned to the milk tea shop and asked the worker, who was pretending to clean the tables, ¡°Do you have mineral water?¡±


    How can a milk tea shop sell mineral water¡­


    Lin Chen wanted to speak but saw the worker nodding vigorously and then replied, ¡°Yes, yes. 2 yuan.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say much, but simply took out 2 yuan from his pocket, put out the cigarette in the ashtray on the trashcan, and walked back with the mineral water. He unscrewed the cap and handed it over to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen glanced at the bottle of water. He didn¡¯t need Xing Conglian to give him any more instructions. He consciously picked up the bottle and began to drink it.


    In order to show his sincerity and tell Xing Conglian how thoughtful he was to bring him this water since he was incredibly thirsty, Lin Chen quickly gulped down half the bottle. He realized that Xing Conglian kept leaning on the side of the stone pillar and didn¡¯t have any intention of moving.


    Does he want me to continue drinking or stop?


    Lin Chen glanced at the elevator. The teenager who had been hiding there shook his head at him.


    What does shaking your head mean?


    Continue to drink or not?


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen simply slowed down his drinking speed, hoping Xing Conglian would say something to him so he would have a good reason to put the water down.


    However, people¡¯s hearts were unpredictable. It wasn¡¯t until he finished the entire bottle that Xing Conglian finally spoke.


    In the end, he put down the empty bottle of mineral water with great difficulty. Only then did Xing Conglian come over and take the bottle from his hand and put the cap back on, then he threw it in the trash.


    Xing Conglian frowned slightly as he asked, ¡°Why are you so thirsty?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    What does it feel like to get your life back?


    This was probably how Wang Chao was feeling.


    The forensic department had finally arrived, so his captain was called downstairs after he finished throwing away trash.


    Wang Chao finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent a text message to his comrades who had been camping on the shore of a certain ocean: [The alarm has lifted!!!]


    [Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? I already bought a spaceship ticket to Alpha Nebula. Are you going to pay for it?]


    [Isn¡¯t it good that you¡¯re alive???]


    As soon as he finished replying to this text message, he heard Lin Chen¡¯s voice ringing in his ears.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Wang Chao wanted to say, ¡°Even though he didn¡¯t know what kind of illness Xing Conglian is suffering from, it¡¯s obviously not because of Huang Ze or you, but really it¡¯s because of Huang Ze and you!¡±


    He was extremely upset when he saw Huang Ze forcibly kissing you. This was most likely the reason for him to be so angry today, but how could Wang Chao say this!


    Wang Chao suppressed the words that were bursting in his heart. After three long, deep breaths, he smiled at Lin Chen and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, have you ever experienced the beauty of life?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Live well!¡± He patted Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder hard.


    ¡°I mean, what¡¯s wrong with your captain today?¡±


    ¡°Men have those few days every month!¡± Wang Chao made a very appropriate excuse.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you think I should buy some meditative oral liquids for the captain?¡±


    ¡°That has no effect on regulating men¡¯s mood, right?¡±


    The topic gradually developed in an academic direction, and as an academic, Wang Chao had to posture himself in front of A¡¯Chen. He quickly found an appropriate topic that he could fully control. ¡°A¡¯Chen, you were standing in front of the milk tea shop, then you must¡¯ve seen which passage the girl who slit Li Jingtian¡¯s neck escaped from.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. His expression turned grave. ¡°Although I was paying attention to the passages of the emergency exit on the 1st through 4th floors, I didn¡¯t see which one she took. The scene was densely crowded, and she was wearing a mask when she was on stage. As long as she simply changed clothes in the stairwell, she could instantly become another person, making it difficult for us to track.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m so angry when I talk about it. It¡¯s all because of that poster that the stage was blocked, and I can¡¯t even fucking track her through surveillance. Argh, I¡¯m so pissed!¡± As Wang Chao spoke, he was smacking the laptop in his arm and then suddenly paused. ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you think this was premeditated? Covering her face, slitting his throat, and blocking the surveillance? Did they take into account the complex flow of people on the scene in the first place? I can¡¯t believe that this isn¡¯t something that was meticulously planned ahead. So this means that fatty Huang is extremely suspicious!¡±


    The more Wang Chao spoke, the more he felt his deductions were correct. He sat down on the ground and said, ¡°Wait for me to pull up surveillance of that fatty Huang. A¡¯Chen, see if there¡¯s anything suspicious¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem likely that Huang Wei would murder his promotional guest at the opening ceremony of his shopping mall¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you say so, it must be true.¡± Wang Chao paused again. He raised his head and asked, ¡°Are you hungry? Should we go for noodles?¡±


    At this moment, a horrified scream suddenly came from the hall downstairs.


    Wang Chao jumped up abruptly and rushed to the edge of the railing.


    He looked at the stage and saw the forensic personnel on the scene step back and stand still on the edge of the cordon. They were staring sharply at the bouquet of roses on the ground as if they had encountered some extremely strange situation.


    The author has something to say:


    Huang Ze: ¡­¡­

 CH 103

    The person screaming in the lobby was a female employee who was tidying up the seats.


    Since this case happened in public view, it was inevitable that it was watched by others. When Xing Conglian glanced at her, the other party quickly quieted and silently backed away.


    However, it seemed she couldn¡¯t hold back the horror in her heart as the female employee quickly grabbed another female colleague and whispered, ¡°The bouquet of flowers moved just now. Did you see it? It moved! How scary!¡±


    Xing Conglian retracted his gaze and said nothing.


    He bent over, took out a pair of plastic gloves from the toolbox of the forensic pathologist, and put them on. He then walked to the stage and picked up the bouquet of green roses on the floor.


    The wrapping paper was a special mercerized cotton. When Xing Conglian picked it up, he noticed that there was something off about its weight.


    It was reasonable that any florist who wrapped a bouquet would put nutrient solution at the bottom in order to preserve the bouquet longer, but the bottom of this bouquet of roses didn¡¯t seem to be wrapped with moist nutrient solution, so the weight was light.


    Xing Conglian tightened the wrapping paper of the lower half of the bouquet, untied the string with one hand, and held the lower part of the bouquet packaging, trying to separate the packaging from the bouquet. The moment he touched the bottom, he froze.


    At that moment, Lin Chen came around from the corner.


    ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± Probably because he felt that Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t look right, Lin Chen asked keenly.


    Xing Conglian felt something soft and warm to the touch at the bottom of the bouquet. He thought for a while and said to Lin Chen, ¡°It¡¯s a very suitable case for you.¡±


    ¡°That must mean it¡¯s not a good case,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡¯s declaration is quite accurate.¡±


    Xing Conglian shook his head helplessly. He squatted down and beckoned the personnel from the pathology department to come forward.


    A piece of plastic paper was quickly spread on the stage. Xing Conglian gently put down the bouquet and slowly pulled it away from the bottom packaging.


    Several police officers stepped forward and put up a human wall behind him to block the view of some onlookers.


    At the moment the package was separated, it seemed that someone had cast a strange petrification spell, as everyone around them froze.


    Lin Chen frowned and glanced at the faces of the police officers beside Xing Conglian. Some of them turned their heads while others closed their eyes, avoiding the bouquet on the ground. It didn¡¯t matter if the faces of those officers were young or old¡ªit was obvious that they couldn¡¯t bear it, as if they had seen a rare, gruesome scene.


    So, what was the scene that could make these criminal police officers, who were used to homicide cases, feel so unbearable?


    The surrounding area, which had suddenly seemed quiet, became extremely noisy again. Time seemed to return when the girl was on stage. There were people applauding and screaming while Li Jingtian was singing.


    Lin Chen stepped on the stage and walked slowly to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian looked up at him, then lowered his head to look at the bouquet of roses.


    However, when Lin Chen saw the thing wrapped in the floral paper, his first reaction was ridiculousness, and soon after, he felt the temperature around him drop a few degrees.


    At the bottom of the bouquet of roses, where the nutrient solution should be, was a bird.


    As ridiculous as it may seem, it was indeed a small bird.


    The bird¡¯s wings were grayish brown. It looked like a sparrow but didn¡¯t seem like it. The beak was wrapped in scotch tape, and a black ribbon was tied to the bird¡¯s body. A small bow was tied at the end, as if it were a beautiful gift.


    It was just that this gift was too cruel.


    On the body of the little bird, there were a few rose stems embedded in it. Anyone who had bought roses would know that the store would prune the stems sharply so that the flowers could absorb more nutrients. Now those delicate roses were like sharp sword tips as each one pierced into the little bird.


    There wasn¡¯t much blood on the bird¡¯s body, so even if it was pierced all over, under the white light, the bird¡¯s grayish brown fluff was only covered with a few bloodstains that weren¡¯t deep or shallow.


    It seemed to perceive many people looking at it. Suddenly, the little bird twitched again, but it was more like an autonomic nervous reaction after death. This reaction also proved that the poor little bird had just died not too long ago.


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen once again looked at the black ribbon tied to the bird¡¯s wings. The ribbon was tied skillfully. Not only was it beautiful, but it also happened to be able to restrain the poor bird and those sharp rose stems. Forty minutes had passed since the girl came on stage. Logically, this bird should have died a long time ago, but just now, it twitched¡­


    In Lin Chen¡¯s heart, he suddenly had a bad guess. It was very likely that this bird was still alive when it was stuffed into the bottom of the rose bouquet. Although its wings and beak were bound, it could still struggle. Based on how loose the black ribbon had become, it could be speculated that it had actually struggled for a long time inside the bouquet. In the process of its desperate struggle for survival, when someone raised the bouquet, and when the bouquet fell to the ground, the rhizomes of those green roses would pierce into its body¡ªit was stabbed to death.


    As if icy water had submerged his heart, Lin Chen felt his limbs become cold and numb.


    He squatted down slowly beside Xing Conglian, wanting to say something for a while, but couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    ¡°Are Consultant Lin¡¯s thoughts the same as mine?¡±


    Suddenly, Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian ask him this.


    Although Xing Conglian only said ¡°thoughts¡±, he didn¡¯t need to ask further. He knew that Xing Conglian was asking him: ¡°Do you think this little bird was killed in such a cruel way?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.


    Xing Conglian sneered and said, ¡°It looks like we encountered a homicide?¡±


    With Li Jingtian¡¯s condition uncertain, the murder mentioned by Xing Conglian naturally didn¡¯t refer to his throat being slit, but the murder of the bird.


    This sounded ridiculous, but behind this murder that wouldn¡¯t be considered a murder, was an exquisite technique and extremely cruel intentions, perhaps from someone with an antisocial personality or abnormal psychology¡­


    Lin Chen could use many words to describe the person who killed this bird, but all of them were just simple descriptions. Descriptions were sometimes meaningless, because everyone knew that it was someone with a messed up head; an extremely dangerous psychopath.


    The meaningful question really was: Why did he or she do this?


    ¡°Although I know it¡¯s inappropriate to ask now, can you tell me why?¡±


    Sometimes, Xing Conglian telepathy was too good, and that wasn¡¯t a good thing. Sure enough, Xing Conglian was asking him why.


    Lin Chen looked at the blood-stained fluff of the little bird and slowly said, ¡°Of course I can¡¯t answer this question now, but the criminal left this special bouquet of flowers behind, obviously hoping we will inspect it¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, instead of saying that this bouquet is for Li Jingtian, it¡¯s more like that this bouquet and bird are for us.¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard this, he wasn¡¯t surprised. He nodded calmly, then put down the flowers and birds together and stood up.


    Lin Chen raised his head and saw Xing Conglian take off his gloves and stretch out his hand at him. He was taken aback before he put his hand on Xing Conglian¡¯s and was pulled up.


    They stood opposite each other. He, Xing Conglian, and even the surrounding forensic pathologists were speechless for a moment. It seemed that they had a lot to say and a lot of analysis to do, but because of something too sad and cruel, they lost the ability to speak for a short period of time.


    Finally, it was Xing Conglian who spoke again. ¡°Go for a walk?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    When he followed Xing Conglian down the steps, Lin Chen realized that Wang Chao had been standing under the stage alone for a long time. He reached out and rubbed the teenager¡¯s head before the other party turned around abruptly.


    It was obvious he was affected by the dead bird, but at this moment, he returned to his senses. His eyes were flushed as he said to Lin Chen, ¡°A¡¯Chen, please, we must catch her!¡±

 CH 104

    Lin Chen recalled the last time he saw Wang Chao this emotional, it was probably when he was tracing the Dark Web.


    Lin Chen thought children like Wang Chao were in fact not afraid of vicious villains but rather the dark side of the world¡ªor, more precisely, the dark side of the human heart.


    He knew the world was filled with goodness and kindness, but he was also clear that there were bad people as well, but they were convinced that justice and conscience would always overcome malice, which constituted their basic judgment of the world.


    However, sometimes, whenever there were scenes or events that would make Wang Chao lower his expectation of the world or human nature, he would find them unacceptable, such as when there was a person who loved to kill and the victim was a bird.


    Lin Chen had also dragged Wang Chao out, and before he knew it, they were walking out of the mall.


    The teenager looked sad as he squatted down directly under the sun.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, who shook his head at him, meaning that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to persuade.


    Lin Chen sighed, squatted down, and continued patting the teenager¡¯s head silently. He then took out a toothbrush from his pocket and handed it over.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen¡­¡± Wang Chao raised his head and called to him softly in an extremely sad tone.


    In fact, at times like this, many adults would say to their children: ¡°You always think the world is too beautiful, so I must show you how bad the world really is and how truly evil people are. What¡¯s there to be sad about? It¡¯s just a bird.¡±


    But whenever he saw those sincere eyes, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t say that kind of thing.


    ¡°You seem really miserable following us,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°In fact, these things aren¡¯t really suitable for you to see or experience. After all, you¡¯re still too young, and you¡¯re really too kindhearted¡­¡±


    Thinking of Wang Chao¡¯s parents, who died to protect citizens of another country, he thought Wang Chao really inherited this extreme kindness from them.


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s just¡­¡± The teenager was flustered for an instant. The excessive sunlight shone on his face, forcing him to cover it with his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to find any reason for you to persevere and say how great and amazing our work is. After all, the bad guys in this world are inexhaustible, and human nature is always worse than you think. I hope you have a deep understanding of this.¡±


    When Lin Chen finished saying this, he felt the obviousness of Xing Conglian¡¯s giving him a deep look. Perhaps he was blaming him for speaking too directly, or maybe he thought it was too reasonable. In fact, Xing Conglian¡¯s interaction with Wang Chao was quite interesting. He usually beat up the kid for nothing, but when it was critical, he was always soft-hearted. By the side of such a powerful person like Xing Conglian, Wang Chao would always be well protected.


    But this was black and white, and the world was never that clear. Any deliberate beautification or protection wouldn¡¯t seem sincere. Perhaps only Xing Conglian could raise someone like Wang Chao, or someone who was as strong-willed as him. If he wanted, he could make Wang Chao the happiest little prince in the world.


    Wang Chao said in confusion, ¡°What you¡¯re saying is, if we catch one person, there¡¯ll be another. If we catch a group, there¡¯ll be another group, because the speed at which we catch people will never keep up with the speed of their growth?¡±


    ¡°Growth¡­ may not be the right word, but this is true.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even comforting me!¡± Wang Chao suddenly said. ¡°Last time you said that as long as I have light in my heart, the world won¡¯t be dark.¡±


    ¡°Oh, those words are just made-up chicken soup for the soul1. In fact, there¡¯s another saying, which is roughly like this¡ªjust as malice will not disappear, kind and beautiful hearts will always be there.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said, ¡°But chicken soup2 tastes good, right?¡±


    1Refers to things, normally writings or articles, which affect motivation and make you feel good reading it.


    2Clarity: Double entendre. He¡¯s referring to the metaphor, but also to actual chicken soup. The metaphor arises from the fact that eating chicken soup soothes the soul (makes you feel good). He¡¯s now using it with both meanings.


    ¡°Hey!¡± It seemed he didn¡¯t expect Lin Chen to be so straightforward. ¡°In this case, shouldn¡¯t you hug and pat me? Why are you feeding me chicken soup?¡±


    Lin Chen raised his head and patted the boy¡¯s head. ¡°However, although these words are chicken soup, they must be made up by people who experienced those things. For those who haven¡¯t experienced them¡­¡±


    ¡°But even if there are indeed a lot of good people in the world, what¡¯s the use of doing these things? If we catch one, we can¡¯t catch the remaining 999. Although this killing and bird abuse are already seriously messed up, there must be worse people, right?¡±


    Hearing this question, Xing Conglian had already helplessly reached into his pocket and taken out a pack of cigarettes. After all, the biggest headache for all adults was the continuous problems of children.


    ¡°Yes, you understand it well.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Chao was plaintive.


    Lin Chen interrupted him and continued, ¡°On the topic of what¡¯s the use¡­ I can give you a lot of reasons, but I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Do you still love me or not? Don¡¯t you love me?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­¡±


    In fact, Wang Chao just wanted to be comforted by him. After hearing such an accurate answer of ¡°I do¡±, he suddenly became more energetic.


    ¡°But my answer must not be your answer. I hope you can find your answer by yourself,¡± Lin Chen concluded.


    ¡°So philosophical, A¡¯Chen! Why is it that the Captain talks bullshit when he speaks?¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    Before his voice fell, Xing Conglian had smacked him on the forehead. ¡°Is your sadness gone? Get back to work if it is!¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s illegal to abuse child labor!¡± Wang Chao stood up on the ground. The teenager¡¯s face was so bright in the sun that it seemed to be burning. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find the culprit and get the victims justice!¡±


    Lin Chen propped up his legs, stood up, and looked at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian looked like he was about to die of anger at this rebellious son. After taking a deep breath, he kicked Wang Chao¡¯s ass and said, ¡°Did you check on what I ask you to check?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what is it?¡± Wang Chao turned back and asked confidently.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, I find that you¡¯re slacking off in your work¡­¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, what do you want me to check now?¡±


    Lin Chen watched from the side. When he was suddenly asked, he felt like he had been shot inexplicably. The saying was true that children would start to rebel against their parents when they grow up.


    He subconsciously looked at Xing Conglian, but saw that he was simply smoking his cigarette while listening attentively. ¡°Tell him. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll listen,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    When Xing Conglian said this, his tone was sincere. Most leaders didn¡¯t like someone rushing in to express their opinions before them, but Xing Conglian was different.


    Lin Chen thought for a moment, then said, ¡°First, no matter how tragically the little bird in the bouquet died, the case we¡¯re going to solve now is still the case of Li Jingtian¡¯s assault, so the key problems still return to him. Now, there are three problems¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°First, we really don¡¯t know much about the entertainment industry, so we still need to figure out Li Jingtian¡¯s identity and background.¡±


    ¡°It depends on his coffee position*, right?¡± Wang Chao answered.


    *(¿§Î») Refers to the status of a star in the entertainment industry. A celebrity with status is called a big coffee. The higher the coffee position, the greater the influence and the higher the salary. Therefore, the coffee position is also a title that stars are keen to compete for.


    Lin Chen nodded reluctantly and continued. ¡°Second, no matter how big Li Jingitan¡¯s¡­ ¡®coffee position¡¯ is, the number of fans on the scene today seems far too excessive. This is too abnormal, so the second question is, why were there so many people here today. The few words he said on stage were also quite profound. I think there must be more to the story behind this, so we must investigate it.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll check on these two things. What about the third?¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Third¡­¡± Lin Chen addressed this to Xing Conglian. ¡°Third, and most importantly, is Li Jingtian¡¯s condition right now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, my phone hasn¡¯t rung yet.¡± Xing Conglian suddenly took out his phone and glanced at it.


    ¡°This is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, don¡¯t jinx it.¡± Xing Conglian looked at him as he called the number to a colleague who was at the hospital.

 CH 105

    Municipal Hospital, corridor on the first floor.


    The usual emergency department building always had an indescribably gloomy atmosphere, but today it was particularly lively.


    After Li Jingtian was taken to the hospital, some of his girl fans also followed. The girls cried, bleeding out their makeup, and their eyes were full of helplessness.


    Among the group of petal-like girls, one of them looked alert. She hid in the corner and looked around. Although her face wasn¡¯t much different from the girls around her, she was actually a police officer from the Hongjing Police Criminal Division. Her name was Zhang Xiaolong.


    When Zhang Xiaolong received the call from Xing Conglian, a girl at the scene had cried until she was completely exhausted and was immediately hooked up to an IV bag by a nurse. She looked at the anxious faces around her and pressed the answer button. ¡°Captain Xing. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°How is Li Jingtian?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice came through from the speaker.


    Zhang Xiaolong stepped around the corner and lowered her voice. ¡°Li¡­ Mr. Li was pushed into urgent care and hasn¡¯t come out yet!¡±


    In fact, as a police officer, it was quite humiliating to check on the situation so cautiously, but when someone was in such a precarious state, saving their life was naturally the most important thing!


    ¡°That is to say, there¡¯s no news yet?¡± Captain Xing paused, then asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation at the scene?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± She stood on her tiptoes and looked around, then reluctantly said, ¡°It¡¯s crowded.¡±


    The use of crowded was quite euphemistic. After all, about half the women in the hospital were around her, while the remaining half weren¡¯t present because they were unable to squeeze in.


    The entrance to the ward was no different than that of a farmer¡¯s market.


    The hospital security guards were constantly persuading fans to leave, but in a place like a hospital, they couldn¡¯t make a ruckus driving them away. Besides, everyone knew that Li Jingtian was injured. If his fans were expelled, who knew what the crazier ones would do?


    Therefore, the situation at the door to the emergency room where Li Jingtian was located seemed to have turned into a fan meeting. The security guards surrounded some of the fans at the entrance, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t make too much noise, and at the same time, they prevented more people in the periphery from entering the encirclement.


    To be honest, Zhang Xiaolong knew that Li Jingtian was coming to Hongjing a while ago. She had thought about asking for leave to go to his fan meeting, but in the end, she chose her lust for Captain Xing over Li Jingtian. After all, the former had the best-looking face!


    However, not long after she went into work, something seemed to have happened at the shopping mall where Li Jingitan was holding his fan meeting. Captain Xing quickly rushed to the scene. While anxiously waiting for news, she suddenly received a call from Captain Xing, who sent her to the hospital to wait for Li Jingtian¡¯s results. He further instructed her to wear normal clothing and told her to keep her mouth shut if she encountered the media.


    What the hell?!


    Why was Li Jingtian¡¯s throat slit? Oh my god, the sky in the entertainment industry was about to crack!


    Zhang Xiaolong shouted silently in her heart.


    Although she wasn¡¯t considered knowledgeable about the entertainment industry, she at least knew more than Xing Conglian.


    Who was Li Jigntian? Ten years ago, he debuted with the Illi group. A powerful lead singer, he won three Golden Melody Awards. Although Li Jingtian wasn¡¯t as popular as before because of his age, part of the reason was because he was humble and low-key and didn¡¯t like hype. Moreover, Li Jingtian was really enthusiastic about public welfare. It was reported that his total donations surpassed ten million. Even if someone wasn¡¯t his fan, they wouldn¡¯t have any ill feelings towards him. Even if he had bit of a scandal recently, WHO TM CARES*? How could Li Jingitan do that kind of thing? His status in the music scene was still the same¡ªas stable as Mount Tai!


    *Lingo basically meaning, ¡°Who the fuck cares¡±.


    Zhang Xiaolong rushed to the hospital with a heart full of gossip to witness the history of the entertainment industry. Because she arrived earlier, she was able to grab a better spot to watch, and gradually, more people started filling in around her. Most of them were Li Jingtian¡¯s ¡°fans¡±, while the rest were hospital patients who heard the news. Then there were also the media reporters who came to join the fun.


    Looking at those cameras occasionally flashing their lights, Zhang Xiaolong felt that Xing Conglian was quite farsighted. In fact, she could of course just walk through the crowd, handsomely flashing her police badge, and ask the doctor to report on the situation, but the result would be that she would never be able to return as she would be blocked by fans and reporters in the hospital.


    ¡°Did you say¡­ urgent care?¡±


    Captain Xing on the other end of the phone paused and asked again.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean the emergency room*?¡±


    *Clarity: The word Zhang Xiaolong said is ¡°¼±¾ÈÊÒ¡± which is referring to a place for emergency treatment and diagnosis, while Xing Conglian is saying ¡°¼±ÕïÊÒ¡± which is an emergency room for operations. Technically, they are both ¡°emergency room¡± as urgent care as how the US understands it may not be the most accurate translation, but there needs to be a distinction because this is important to the story. Generally, if you get your throat slit, you would just go to the ER (no distinction), but Li Jingtian is sent to ¡°urgent care¡± instead of ¡°emergency surgery¡±.


    Zhang Xiaolong was a little puzzled. She didn¡¯t know why Xing Conglian had specifically asked this question, but she could only try her best to explain. ¡°Yes, perhaps the situation is too critical to be sent to the operating room? Or maybe because there are too many people outside, so the doctor can¡¯t push Li Jingtian to have an operation¡­¡± she said quietly. She looked around and found that the girls were only immersed in their sadness and didn¡¯t notice her. She relaxed a bit and lowered her voice. Acting like a secret agent, she asked, ¡°Do you want me to ask the doctor about the situation? My college classmate¡¯s husband seems to be a doctor here.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I don¡¯t need it for the time being. Just keep me posted.¡±


    When Xing Conglian finished talking, he was about to hang up.


    Zhang Xiaolong felt sad. She felt that she seemed quite useless. It was rare to take on a task, and the captain also wanted to protect her and didn¡¯t let her pry for more information.


    At this moment, there seemed to be some movement at the outermost end of the crowd. The girls in the entire corridor suddenly separated from each other. They stood on tiptoe again and found someone passing through from the far end of the corridor.


    It was a lady in a plain dress with shoulder-length black hair wearing a thin layer of makeup. The lady wore sunglasses and met the media and fans in the corridor. She took off her sunglasses very politely and hung them on her neckline. She walked to the door of the emergency room, turned around, and faced all the fans. She then bowed deeply but didn¡¯t speak.


    When the girls saw the lady, they all choked up after being stunned, then shouted in a low voice, ¡°Liu Jie¡­¡±


    Only then did Zhang Xiaolong remember that this lady seemed to be Li Jingtian¡¯s manager, Liu Ying.


    Most likely how an artist really was, their manager would be the same. Li Jingtian¡¯s manager also seemed to be humble and polite. As the manager of a big star, while facing fans and the media, she didn¡¯t have the slightest arrogance.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Captain Xing seemed to hear some commotion on the other side and called out to her a few times.


    ¡°Captain Xing¡­ It¡¯s Li Jingtian¡¯s manager. She just arrived,¡± Zhang Xiaolong answered in a low voice.


    The situation at the door to the ward was chaotic again.


    At first, those reporters were just interviewing fans or harassing doctors on the periphery, but now they were pushing the onlookers in front of them, trying to squeeze to the forefront to interview Li Jingtian¡¯s manager, as if she held big news.


    ¡°Oh, did she say anything?¡±


    There were so many clicks and shouts that they drowned out Captain Xing¡¯s voice in Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s ear.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t started talking yet. She just bowed.¡± Zhang Xiaolong diligently reported. She then had a flash of inspiration and said, ¡°Captain Xing, I¡¯ll raise my phone higher. Don¡¯t talk. Just listen quietly.¡±


    There was an ¡°Nn¡± on the other end of the phone. Zhang Xiaolong pretended she was taking a picture and cut off the call screen, then she held her phone forward.


    At the same time, the lady at the door to the ward finally spoke. ¡°I am Li Jingtian¡¯s manager, Liu Ying. We all know that Mr. Li Jingtian suffered a terrible assault today, and currently his condition remains uncertain, but if he knew, during his struggle with life and death, how many people care for and love him this much, he would be relieved. So I must thank everyone for their concern for Jingtian. Thank you very much.¡±


    Liu Ying¡¯s face was dignified. Her speech was slow and had a vaguely mournful tone, which made it extremely touching.


    Hearing this, the girls at the door of the ward burst into tears, as if they were aggrieved children whose parents were willing to stand up for them.


    ¡°What should I do¡­¡±


    ¡°Liu Jie, what should I do¡­¡±


    ¡°Jingtian will definitely persist, right?¡±


    The helpless inquiries of the girls came one after another. In fact, they didn¡¯t want an exact answer. What they wanted was hope.


    And what a manager could say to the fans and media was, at most, nothing more than words of gratitude and conviction. Zhang Xiaolong sighed, intending to listen more, but suddenly, Ms. Liu bowed again. When she looked up, she had already cleaned up her sad face and made a solemn expression.


    ¡°You ask me what you can do?¡± She looked around at all the faces gathered at the door of the ward. Zhang Xiaolong glanced at her and hurriedly avoided her gaze. She clenched her phone and lowered her head.


    Ms. Liu¡¯s voice was stern as she quickly changed her tone and spoke seriously. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what to do, I share your concern, fear, and sadness. I know you want to save him. The doctors are doing their best, just like the police, who are trying to catch the killer. Right now, Jingtian has been injured, and his condition remains uncertain. You being here is affecting the work of the doctors and disrupting the hospital. If you love Jingtian, then at this moment you should believe that the doctors are doing their best. More importantly, even if you¡¯re worried, scared, and sad, you should not let others think that we ¡®Tian fans¡¯ are an unorganized and undisciplined group. Please, for Jingtian, don¡¯t affect the normal order of the hospital. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong was shocked.


    Looking at the stern-faced woman at the door to the ward, she instantly felt the queenly aura of Ms. Liu. However, she couldn¡¯t scream out loud, so she could only do it silently in her heart. Seeing that this manager was reasonable and was trying to control the fans in this kind of tragedy was just too incredible!


    She stood on her tiptoes again and tried to catch the queen¡¯s face more clearly through the gap between people.


    Zhang Xiaolong saw the queen¡¯s face frown. Her chin was slightly raised, and her gaze fell on the media reporters behind the crowd as she continued, ¡°Similarly, thank you very much for your presence, media friends. It would be a lie if I were to say I didn¡¯t want the media present. I hope that you will be here and that you can spread the news about this matter. I even hope you can hype it up because we have been swallowing our anger for too long. What about the artists? They are humans too. Why should artists suffer infamy for no reason and be powerless to fight back? Now Jingtian is like this. No matter what the result is, we hope to use this example to tell everyone in society that although we¡¯re part of the entertainment industry and are under the eyes of the public, we are also human and need our privacy. We need a safer environment. I don¡¯t want the tragedy of what happened to Jingtian today to happen to another artist. So please, hype it hard!¡±


    The queen¡¯s words were loud. She bowed again. Although she was only wearing a plain dress, her words were so humble and polite that they mesmerized everyone present.


    Zhang Xiaolong only felt the blood in her body getting hot. Indeed, Jingtian had received so many accusations for no reason. He was wronged, scolded badly, and now his throat was slit. This was too much. She even had an inexplicable feeling of anger. At this moment, she heard someone on the phone coughing lightly, summoning her back from her anger. She hurriedly took back the phone and heard Consultant Lin¡¯s light voice coming from the other end of the line.


    ¡°How amazing.¡±


    Consultant Lin only said this.


    ¡°I think it was pretty good.¡± Zhang Xiaolong felt her nose sour. She felt that Consultant Lin¡¯s statement sounded wrong, so she couldn¡¯t help but retort in a low voice.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Consultant Lin didn¡¯t say anything else. The scene was quiet, with only the clicking of flashing lights being heard. Hearing that there was no sound coming on the other end, she sent her phone forward again.


    This kind of thing felt like a slap in the face.


    As if to prove her innocence and cuteness, the queen looked at the flashing white light from the cameras in front of her and began to summarize her statement. ¡°Many people say that the media and artists always use each other, but in any case, I hope that we no longer oppose each other in this matter. I hope that our media friends can stand with us ¡®Tian fans¡¯ to help us through our difficulties, and finally, let us firmly believe the police can give Jingtian justice!¡±


    Applause rang out. Zhang Xiaolong followed the surrounding fans and nodded vigorously, but after nodding, she suddenly felt that the queen¡¯s words just now seemed weird. At this moment, the queen¡¯s voice suppressed all the applause and sounded again. She said, ¡°So, may I ask¡­ Is there a relevant police officer in charge here?¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    I smell a set up.


    Just to clarify on the emergency room thing, basically, Li Jingtian is sent to the ER but not to emergency operations. He¡¯s getting treated, but not surgery-wise (like under the table), which is something you would expect him to be in if he got his throat slit. This is most likely relevant to the plot, which is why two terms are being used here.

 CH 106

    Zhang Xiaolong shuddered. This elder sister truly knew which pot not to open and which pot to lift*.


    *Idiom referring to people shouldn¡¯t talk about other people¡¯s shortcomings (i.e. knowing what to and not to say).


    Consultant Lin was right. This woman was amazing!


    After Liu Ying finished speaking, the situation on the scene changed.


    The crowd at the ward¡¯s door all followed the queen¡¯s lead and began to look around, hoping to spot a police officer.


    However, the only police officer here¡­


    Zhang Xiaolong thought about it. It seemed like she was the only one there.


    ¡°It seems there are no police coming.¡±


    ¡°How can this be?! Jingtian is injured like this, and the police haven¡¯t come yet?!¡±


    Doubts and complaints came from all sides. Zhang Xiaolong understood it well. After all, their idol was injured, so they hoped that a police uncle would be present to state the situation and promise to arrest the culprit and bring her to justice.


    The problem was¡­


    Zhang Xiaolong lowered her head weakly. There were so many of them that she dared not go out!


    Although intuition told her she¡¯d become a target if she went out, if she didn¡¯t, who knew how the media would chastise the Hongjing police?


    ¡°So, after such a big incident, the police didn¡¯t send someone here?¡±


    Sure enough, finding that there really wasn¡¯t anyone related to the police around, the queen spoke indifferently.o


    Zhang Xiaolong shivered.


    With things at this point, she turned to her phone and asked in a pensive voice, ¡°Captain Xing¡­ should I go out?¡±


    The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Although no one spoke, the scene of Captain Xing and Consultant Lin looking at each other and exchanging ideas appeared in Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s mind.


    She asked since a normal leader would probably send one of their subordinates out to shoulder the blame.


    Soon, she heard what seemed like Xing Conglian approaching the phone again. His breathing sounded in Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s ears, making her nervous.


    Suddenly, she heard the person on the phone say, ¡°Don¡¯t go out. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    At that moment, she wanted to hopelessly cry.


    ¡­¡­


    At the entrance of Ansheng International Shopping Mall, under a camphor tree.


    Wang Chao had already rushed to search for various information. Lin Chen stood outside and was accompanying Xing Conglian on his call.


    After a few words of relief, Xing Conglian hung up the phone with a helpless expression.


    Although he didn¡¯t talk to the girl, based on Xing Conglian¡¯s expression, she was probably frightened at the scene. ¡°Is it Xiaolong?¡±


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s crying?¡± Xing Conglian shook his head as if he were saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s crying.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed inaudibly. He thought to himself, ¡®If you have a handsome boss who will shoulder the blame and protect you, naturally you will be moved. If you¡¯re a girl, it¡¯s more likely you will cry.¡±


    Xing Conglian made a gesture to take out another cigarette, but when he was halfway there, he paused. ¡°Speaking of which, why is Li Jingtian¡¯s manager so good?¡±


    Lin Chen replied, ¡°Women are amazing. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°But I suddenly felt the words of that powerful woman to be very heavy-handed. First, show weakness, then establish authority. First, share hatred, then fight against the enemy. Are people in the entertainment industry that thoughtful?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at him and saw that he was asking it seriously. Aren¡¯t you quite scheming yet you can¡¯t see through this setup?


    However, he could only say that in his heart. ¡°You mean, she has the ¡®same hatred¡¯ with the fans and media, so who is the ¡®enemy¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It seems that¡¯s now us.¡± Xing Conglian leaned against the newly planted camphor tree and started to question. ¡°A star suddenly encounters an accident, but his manager is targeting the police. So, if you¡¯re in the entertainment industry, why do you think this is?¡±


    Although Xing Conglian¡¯s suspicion seemed cold, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable.


    In fact, although Li Jingtian¡¯s manager¡¯s speech didn¡¯t put any blame, it was precisely because of that¡ªseemingly too calm and victorious¡ªthat it felt sketchy.


    Lin Chen said honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of setup this is. After all, playing with the mind hasn¡¯t been my strong point.¡±


    Hearing his answer, Xing Conglian was taken aback and couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Consultant Lin, why doesn¡¯t that sound right?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing is thinking too much,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Xing Conglian then approached him and continued, ¡°Tell me, in that ward Li Jingtian¡¯s in, do you think they are treating him for a ¡®serious injury¡¯? Are we falling into a hype plan in the entertainment industry?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t refute him. ¡°It¡¯s possible that if Li Jingitan and others are trying to hype this incident, then they may target us to prevent the police from investigating it.¡± When he said this, he shook his head. ¡°To be honest, this approach is too stupid. The police may be afraid of public opinion, but if they insist on investigating, it¡¯s not like the public can stop them. In fact, ever since Li Jingtian¡¯s throat was slit, I have had an indescribable feeling¡ªas if I¡¯m falling into a trap, but¡­¡± He stopped at this point. He really wasn¡¯t a person who liked to analyze personal emotions in the process of handling cases, but he really did feel weird. ¡°I think it¡¯s vexing¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian smacked his lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite refreshing hearing you say ¡®vexing¡¯. Why do you find it vexing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Chen shook his head, unable to describe this strange feeling.


    Vexing was indeed an imprecise word.


    But perhaps it was the same feeling Lin Chen had when he was standing on the upper floors of the mall, when he saw Li Jingtian fall to the ground, or even when Xing Conglian untied the bouquet of roses.


    If he had to choose a more appropriate and specific description, he could only say that being vexed came from a sense of powerlessness.


    Analyzing emotions didn¡¯t have much effect on solving the case. Lin Chen seriously thought about the questions surrounding Li Jingtian and finally cruelly stated, ¡°To judge whether this is hype or not, it will depend on Li Jingtian¡¯s final condition.¡±


    Thinking of the blood on the stage, he added, ¡°In fact, judging by the amount of bleeding at the scene, it¡¯s difficult to say the culprit didn¡¯t cut his carotid artery. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s very unlikely Li Jingtian can be rescued.¡±


    ¡°What Consultant Lin means is that if Li Jingtian is pushed out covered in a white cloth over his face, then we must admit that our thoughts are too pessimistic about people, but if Li Jingitan is pushed out as if he were saved on the verge of death, we have to consider the possibility of all this being a plot he devised on himself¡­ That is quite cruel.¡±


    ¡°Although both choices A and B are cruel, if C appears, it will be even more of a headache, so I hope that there isn¡¯t a third possibility,¡± Lin Chen said.


    In fact, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why all his bad premonitions usually came true.


    Two minutes after he spoke, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang again. Seeing that the ID showed ¡°Zhang Xiaolong¡±, he knew he was about to get his answer.


    Xing Conglian answered it and put the phone on speaker.


    ¡°Captain Xing, Li Jingtian is out!¡±


    The girl¡¯s voice sounded excited as it came out of the speaker. Such a soft and sweet voice was collided by the noise of traffic around creating a kind of illusory setting.


    Sure enough, it was option B¡ªself-inflicted and directed.


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°How¡¯s Li Jingtian¡¯s condition? Is he still conscious? What did doctors say?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong said, ¡°He¡¯s awake. How can he be unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Just after an operation, and he¡¯s still conscious?¡± Xing Conglian asked suspiciously.


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe it, Captain Xing. Li Jingtian actually walked out by himself!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Municipal Hospital, corridor outside Emergency Room No. 3.


    Zhang Xiaolong held up her phone and stared at the man standing at the door of the ward in disbelief.


    The singer himself wasn¡¯t much different from on TV. Compared with his slightly noble appearance, Li Jingtian in real life looked more approachable. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say he wasn¡¯t handsome. He was still elegant and good-looking, though his face was pale due to excessive blood loss. He stood slowly, with a thick gauze wrapped around his neck. After looking around, Zhang Xiaolong saw him slowly bowing, as if thanking the surrounding fans for their support.


    Seeing this scene, the surrounding girls began to scream and applaud desperately, as if it were the best celebration they had ever experienced.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face was full of gratitude. His eyes were a little moist, but he didn¡¯t speak.


    Naturally, Zhang Xiaolong was also extremely happy. She smiled and looked at the singer from top to bottom. The singer¡¯s shirt was covered with blood, and even his pants were soaked in it.


    She found it a bit strange. Zhang Xiaolong suddenly realized that Li Jingtian had his throat slit and lost copious amounts of blood, which dyed his shirt red. With this amount of bleeding, how could he still stand?


    At this moment, she heard Consultant Lin¡¯s voice coming through the phone.


    ¡°Quietly take a picture for me,¡± he said.


    Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolong stood on tiptoe and raised her phone, and with a click, she quickly withdrew her hand. The people around her gave her a nasty glare.


    The photo was quickly sent over.


    On the other end of the line, Consultant Lin¡¯s voice became hesitant. ¡°It¡¯s true. He has come out.¡±


    ¡°Is it option C?¡± Captain Xing asked.


    Zhang Xiaolong didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about, and even she was full of doubt.


    Why did someone rush on stage to try and kill someone, and the person who was attacked managed to come out of the emergency room alive?

 CH 107

    How was it that there was a murder but no deaths?


    There were many answers to this question.


    For example, the girl¡¯s hand trembled when she went in for the kill, or the biggest possibility was that the girl didn¡¯t actually plan to kill him. She simply used a knife to create a shallow cut on Li Jingtian¡¯s neck, allowing him to escape death and walk out of the emergency room alive.


    This possibility was, of course, option C, which seemingly looked happy but was quite intriguing.


    ¡°So, are we going to change the direction of the investigation?¡± Xing Conglian probably thought of this too. He looked a bit stressed as he finally lit his cigarette.


    Blue smoke curled under the dazzling sun.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t figure out this question for a while.


    If Li Jingtian planned this in order to hype the incident and attract public attention, why didn¡¯t he pretend to be more pitiful? He should know that walking out of the emergency room in front of the media would make it seem too self-directed and planned. Because of this, it was impossible for an experienced planner to do such a thing.


    To put it another way, if Li Jingtian was a victim, the question remained: why did the girl only cut his neck shallowly but did not kill him?


    Lin Chen recalled the scene on stage at that time. The microphone slammed to the ground as Li Jingtian tightly covered his neck. Blood was oozing out between his fingers. In any case, judging by the amount of bleeding, Li Jingtian shouldn¡¯t be able to walk out of that emergency room alive. There had to be something wrong.


    ¡°To be honest, I think this matter has violated the laws of human physiology. Normal people can¡¯t lose that much blood and still maintain the ability to act normally. This is too incredible.¡±


    Xing Conglian touched his chin. ¡°It seems we can only trouble the husband of Comrade Zhang Xialong¡¯s colleague to pry out more information.¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s manager had already called out the police. Rather than actively expressing a stance, Xing Conglian chose to secretly investigate.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to keep a low profile,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back and study the scene again?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When they returned to the air-conditioned hall, Lin Chen remembered to look at the time.


    Time was the most obvious clue. It was now 11:25 a.m.. When Li Jingtian was taken to the hospital, he stayed in the emergency room for at most half an hour.


    Naturally, a carotid artery treatment couldn¡¯t be done in that amount of time. The only possibility was that Li Jingtian¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t serious and the girl was indeed merciful.


    So the key question was the blood. Why did Li Jingtian bleed so much?


    Xing Conglian stood on the stage and was talking to his colleague from the forensic department. The other party nodded, squatted on the ground, and pointed to the large area of blood that had merged with the red carpet. ¡°Captain Xing, I was just about to look for you. I don¡¯t think this is human blood.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not human blood, then what is it? Animal blood?¡±


    ¡°Not likely either.¡± The forensic pathologist continued to shake his head.


    They had cut off a sample of the carpet and sent it for testing. At this moment, it seemed that the entire stage had been hollowed out. ¡°We have to wait for the test results to come out.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned. As if he had guessed something, he squatted down.


    He took off his gloves and gently pressed his fingers on the bloodstain. The forensic pathologist seemed to be aware of something and wanted to stop him, but he saw that Xing Conglian had already put his fingers in his mouth and tasted it.


    Lin Chen walked to the edge of the stage and saw that Xing Conglian had just licked his fingers. Xing Conglian turned his head and said to him, ¡°It tastes sweet.¡±


    Lin Chen was speechless. Licking a victim¡¯s blood in public was indeed a bit extreme.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem to care. He patted his butt and stood up. ¡°Cream with artificial coloring. The blend is just right.¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback as he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A kind of fake plasma prop. This formula is quite good¡ªbasically on the level of a Hollywood prop,¡± Xing Conglian said as he smacked his lips.


    The forensic pathologist on the side was also stunned. ¡°What the hell? Is this a self-planned throat cutting?¡±


    Anyone who had seen something like this would probably have a similar thought.


    Xing Conglian turned his head, pressed his index fingers to his lips, and motioned for the forensic pathologist to keep his voice down.


    Lin Chen pondered for a while. If this was a planned self-throat cutting to create hype, it would be too unwise to use a girl to pretend to be a fan to cut his neck on stage, then use artificial blood to create the illusion of a tragedy while leaving a bunch of cruel green roses on the stage. Although such an incident could be explosive, it was still a double-edged sword. If Li Jingtian was careless, it would cause great damage to his image.


    This was still a matter where the gain wasn¡¯t worth the loss.


    While Lin Chen was hesitating, he suddenly heard Xing Conglian ask, ¡°If this is artificial blood, doesn¡¯t it mean there¡¯s only one murder we need to investigate?¡±


    He was, of course, referring to that poor bird that was stabbed to death by the roses.


    Xing Conglian sighed. ¡°I have a headache.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Naturally, what could give Xing Conglian a headache wasn¡¯t the artificial blood or some singer staging a throat cut.


    The one that really could give him a headache was only a certain person¡ªa certain stubborn person.


    Wang Chao was sitting in an ice cream shop on the second floor of Ansheng International Mall and ordered a matcha-flavored smoothie. While sipping on his cold drink, he searched for the two questions Lin Chen had asked him.


    First: Li Jingtian¡¯s background.


    Second: Why were there so many fans supporting Li Jingtian today?


    The air conditioning in the store was fully turned on. The young waitress there was much more beautiful than others.


    After he set the keywords, he took a big gulp of his cold drink. Before he could finish a portion of it, the laptop beeped, indicating that the search had been completed.


    He stuffed all the remaining cold drink into his mouth, then sat down crossed-legged on the sofa. He dragged the scroll bar down as he read the search results carefully.


    Honestly speaking, he didn¡¯t really have much interest in gossip in the entertainment circle. It was probably due to straight men being naturally unfond of that kind of heart-wrenching story. However, the gossip about Li Jingtian was really bloodier than a dog-blooded* drama. The more he read, the more fascinated he became. He was so focused that he didn¡¯t notice someone had opened the glass door of the ice cream shop.


    *Melodramatic.


    ¡°So nice?¡±


    Wang Chao felt someone sitting down by his side. They leaned over and asked him this.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk.¡± He waved his hand, trying to swat the man away like a fly.


    When his head touched the other person¡¯s head, Wang Chao suddenly got a prickly feeling that was transmitted from his skin straight to his brain.


    ¡°Captain, why are you here?!¡±


    He jumped up and then sat down again with a bang. ¡°You didn¡¯t say a word. Are you trying to scare me to death?!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a hobby.¡±


    Xing Conglian took out a cigarette and looked at the explosive title on the screen as he curled his lips.


    On the screen was a piece of news, but compared to the explosive headline, the accompanying picture was even more eye-catching. It was a pair of women¡¯s lace underwear thrown on a messy blanket that was black.


    Wang Chao subconsciously tried to cover it up and then felt he was wronged. ¡°Captain, this is proper behavior. I¡¯m investigating the case!¡±


    Lin Chen sat opposite of him and looked at the appearance of the two in front of him. He always felt that the topic they were about to discuss wasn¡¯t going to be a good one.


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Xiao Wang, at your age, it¡¯s normal for people to have this kind of hobby.¡± Xing Conglian patted the teenager¡¯s head as if he understood it well.


    ¡°Fuck Captain, don¡¯t treat me like I¡¯m dirty!¡±


    Wang Chao tried to get away, but Xing Conglian had squeezed into the booth, cutting off his only way out.


    ¡°Well, well. I didn¡¯t know you had this kind of taste, though it is a bit heavy¡­¡± Xing Conglian said as he gazed up and down at Wang Chao, then turned his head and read out the headline. ¡°The princess in the private room earns 100,000 a day with all kinds of novel plays that shock reporters?¡±


    Hearing Xing Conglian read the headline aloud, Wang Chao¡¯s face instantly blushed. Although Lin Chen knew the young man probably was finding some key clues, his shy appearance was so cute that he couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Probably because he didn¡¯t want to talk to Xing Conglian, the teenager turned his head and looked at Lin Chen seriously. ¡°A¡¯Chen, it¡¯s really a clue related to Li Jingtian¡¯s case!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lin Chen dragged his tone, then slowly said, ¡°Actually, you can do whatever you like. After all, you¡¯re still young. You just have to pay attention to safety¡­¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen!¡± The teenager angrily interrupted him.

 CH 108

    Seeing that the teenager was about to reach the edge of shame and indignation, Lin Chen eased off and gave a soft cough. The captain of the police criminal division, who was originally resting on one hand, sat straight up in an instant and switched from teasing children to normal work mode.


    ¡°What does nightclub news have to do with Li Jingtian?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Probably after watching so much dog-blooded gossip, Wang Chao¡¯s tone became mysterious, as if he was about to reveal juicy details that would shock an entire town. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what Li Jingtian said while on stage?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Cheng slightly recalled what Li Jingtian said on stage.


    It was something like: ¡°Something has happened recently. Thank you for your support¡­¡±


    Then he said: ¡°I just want to say you¡¯re free to judge right or wrong.¡±


    Anyone would know the underlying suggestions of these words. Behind such implications was an obviously more complicated story.


    ¡°Why did he say that?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s involved in this!¡± Wang Chao whispered.


    The teenager gave him a look saying ¡°beg me to tell you¡± to Xing Conglian. The two had a staredown and both stopped talking at the same time.


    In fact, Lin Chen had guessed that if Li Jingtian didn¡¯t want to hype his popularity because of the downturn in his career, then he probably had encountered some incident in the entertainment circle, such as cheating or some kind of scandal, and urgently needed to create some accident to divert the public¡¯s attention and garner sympathy.


    As expected, seeing that neither of them was reacting, Wang Chao became depressed. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me what kind of case it is?¡±


    Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian wink at him as if he were saying, ¡°Does this kid want me to beat him?¡±


    He had to sigh and ask, ¡°What kind of case is it?¡±


    Before Lin Chen¡¯s voice fell, Wang Chao suddenly shouted, ¡°Li Jingitan is suspected of rape, shit!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Xing Conglian interrupted. ¡°Li Jingtian is suspected of rape?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, fuck Captain. This is so bloody. I have never seen such a dog-blooded story in my life!¡± As he said this, Wang Chao crossed his legs and showed a look of ¡°beg me¡± again.


    This was such obvious teasing that Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but smack the boy as expected. ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense!¡±


    Because of the gossip, the boy¡¯s eyes lit up, and he didn¡¯t care that he had just been smacked by his boss. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Two weeks ago, on a dark and windy night, a ragged woman rushed to the police station. Her face was bruised, and she was naked. An experienced police officer could tell immediately what had happened! Soon, the girl was brought into the police station lounge while the policewoman brought her a cup of hot water and a blanket. The girl seemed to be in a post-traumatic state and couldn¡¯t speak coherently. Under careful persuasion by the policewoman, the girl finally spoke!¡± The teenager paused at this point, then continued with cadence, ¡°The girl said that she was raped by someone, and the person who raped her was Li Jingtian, a well-known singer who was holding a tour in the local area!¡±


    When Wang Chao said this, he slapped the table lightly. His description was so lifelike that it was like they were watching a live broadcast.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why this kid was so interested in telling this kind of story. He glanced at Xing Conglian, who could only pat his forehead as if signaling to him saying, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I have nothing to do with it¡±.


    Lin Chen also felt helpless, but he didn¡¯t interrupt him and instead asked cooperatively, ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s the highlight of the main show!¡±


    As he said this, Wang Chao snapped his finger, which was a usual gesture to ask for a drink in a bar. Lin Chen saw the blue veins on Xing Conglian¡¯s temple about to pop out.


    He then glanced at the waitress behind the bar. The girl with the ponytail was engrossed in listening to the story. At this moment, when she heard the finger snap, she shivered and then took out a glass knowingly. After a while, she poured lemonade for Mr. Xiao Wang, who was telling the story, and brought it over.


    After pouring the drink, the waitress returned to the position where she had just stood and propped her chin up. She took out some potato chips as if she were looking forward to the continuation.


    Presumably this was information that could be found casually online and didn¡¯t involve any secrets, so Lin Chen and Xing Conglian didn¡¯t stop Wang Chao from continuing his story.


    Accompanied by the sound of crackling potato chips, Wang Chao took a sip of his drink. Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and smacked him on the back of his head again.


    The teenager who was just violently smacked almost choked on his drink and coughed. ¡°Comrade Lao Xing, judging by your attitude, do you not want to hear the rest of the story, huh?¡±


    Truly, there were those who just had a death wish.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even move his hands. He just turned his face and gently pressed out the cigarette butt.


    Wang Chao quickly shut up, and his expression turned cold. He quickly continued. ¡°When the local police heard this, it became a big case¡ªperhaps even huge. According to the process, they checked on the girl with a rape test kit, and the result came back quickly. The girl did undergo violent intercourse and had signs of tearing, but¡­ In the rape test, the presence of semen wasn¡¯t detected on the girl¡¯s body, so the suspect most likely used a condom.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen frowned. This was a tragic story about a poor girl who was bullied by a big star, yet the teenager had a sense of interest on his face when he was telling the gossip. He thought, considering Wang Chao¡¯s conscience, to treat a rape case with such an attitude, there had to be a reversal to this story.


    Sure enough, Wang Chao snapped his finger and continued, ¡°The victim was so pitiful, and it was confirmed she had undergone violent intercourse. Even if the police wanted to suppress this matter, they couldn¡¯t, so they could only quickly set up a task force to solve the rape case. They immediately sealed off the crime scene where the girl said the events took place¡­¡±


    ¡°And the crime scene?¡±


    ¡°Is the hotel that Li Jingtian was staying in!¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian said, ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°How is that not good?¡± Wang Chao asked rhetorically.


    Lin Chen thought for a bit and answered, ¡°The hotel will have surveillance records. If Li Jingtian wanted to do something to someone, he wouldn¡¯t choose a place where it¡¯s easy to leave evidence.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re so smart!¡± Wang Chao clapped his hands lightly, like a suckup but giving sincere praise. ¡°But it¡¯s still true. The victim also said that she was raped in the presidential suite where Li Jingtian was staying in!¡±


    ¡°So did the local police go?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Chao nodded. ¡°And there was no need to apply for a private search warrant for hotel rooms, so a group of heavily armed police rushed into Li Jingtian¡¯s suite carelessly. It was said that when they rushed in, Li Jingtian was taking a shower, and his manager was also in the room. Apparently, when she saw the police, the manager¡¯s face turned green!¡± Wang Chao quickly digressed. ¡°By the way, did you know that Li Jingtian¡¯s agent is a very beautiful woman?¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to know about this kind of shit?¡± Xing Conglian said impatiently.


    ¡°Hey, Captain, you don¡¯t understand,¡± Wang Chao said as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the picture of that girl and Li Jingtian¡¯s manager. You¡¯ll understand¡­¡± As he said this, he really started looking for photos while he kept talking. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s said that when Li Jingtian was taken to the police station, he was still wearing a bathrobe!¡±


    Wang Chao tapped on the touchpad and placed the laptop across the table. On the screen were two women; one was pictured on the right and the other one the left.


    The one on the left side was the victim who accused Li Jingtian of rape, while the one on the right was a photo of Li Jingtian¡¯s beautiful manager.


    Although the description may not be appropriate, compared with the dignified and beautiful lady on the right, the victim on the left seemed¡­


    Lin Chen searched for the appropriate words in his heart. It was like the gap between the brilliance of the sun and the moon and the light of fireflies.


    In fact, the victim wasn¡¯t ugly, but her skin was dark, and she looked dry and thin. Her hair was of poor-quality blonde and was curly. She had painted her eyes with heavy eyeliner that looked particularly enchanting. Just from the face alone, Lin Chen could sense a strong smell of wind and dust*.


    *Term used to generally describe women who look promiscuous (like a prostitute/whore/slut).


    ¡°Get it now?¡± Wang Chao said with emotion. ¡°Facing such a beautiful manager every day, compared to that, is she really that great in bed? Li Jingtian must have a really special taste. Otherwise, how could he?¡±


    ¡°Continue and don¡¯t comment,¡± Lin Chen reminded.


    Wang Chao was obedient this time. He didn¡¯t continue the topic of ¡°taste¡± and got back to the story. ¡°Since the victim said Li Jingtian¡¯s hotel room was the crime scene, of course the police started searching, but¡­¡± Wang Chao spread his hands. ¡°There was no evidence. There was no hair, body fluids, or other evidence of the victim. In short, there was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Has the room been cleaned?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°No. The hotel had no cleaning records, and the cleaners said they hadn¡¯t cleaned it.¡±


    ¡°What about the surveillance?¡± Xing Conglian asked again.


    ¡°The surveillance video¡­¡± Wang Chao sighed. ¡°The surveillance video within 24 hours shows that the victim has never been to Li Jingtian¡¯s hotel room at all. He is also staying in the presidential suite, so all entryways to the floor have to be swiped to enter. It¡¯s not like anyone can just show up there.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian both remained silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking weird, right?¡± Wang Chao sighed with emotion and started going off again. ¡°Speaking of this, Li Jingitan is pretty pitiful. Just when he was taken to the police station to assist in the investigation, someone leaked the news. A large group of reporters squatted at the door of the police station waiting for him and took a lot of embarrassing photos of him in a bathrobe.¡±


    The teenager had long been dissatisfied with telling stories, so he conveniently pulled up all the photos taken by the reporter at the time.


    In the photo, the originally light and elegant singer was handcuffed with both hands and brought to the police station. His hair was still wet, and he was wearing just a pair of simple slippers. He lowered his head desperately and tried to close his eyes. Even so, he couldn¡¯t avoid the flashing lights from the cameras of the reporters.


    Wang Chao flipped through the photos. One by one, they appeared before Lin Chen¡¯s eyes. The singer in the photos looked embarrassed, miserable, and even ashamed. All his privacy was forced to be disclosed to the public. At that moment, he had lost all human dignity.


    Lin Chen thought that if Li Jingtian¡¯s fans saw these photos, he didn¡¯t know how heartbroken they would be. He then understood why there would be so many fans who would frantically support their idol in the mall today.


    ¡°It¡¯s miserable, right?¡± Wang Chao sighed. ¡°Not only this, but did you know that just when Li Jingtian was taken to the police station in a bathrobe, a bed photo of Li Jingtian and the girl also circulated on the internet at the same time. Think about it. What kind of setup is this?¡±


    ¡°Was it planted?¡± Lin Chen paused. He felt something indescribable as he asked, ¡°Was the bed photo fake?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a dog-blooded story. I just analyzed the bed photo and confirmed it. It is indeed fake. There are obvious signs of photoshop!¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly raised his head. ¡°So, is it true that someone has designs to frame Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s framed or not, but it¡¯s true that Li Jingtian is pretty miserable.¡±


    ¡°Just keep talking, and don¡¯t make too much emotional evaluation. That¡¯s meaningless. What we want are facts and evidence,¡± Xing Conglian reminded.


    ¡°The truth is, there is no evidence¡­¡± Wang Chao took a sip of his drink again. He looked back at the young waitress standing behind the bar and said to them, ¡°You guys, there are so many capable people on the internet that can easily tell this photo is photoshopped. Of course it was quickly analyzed and determined to be fake. Li Jingtian¡¯s fans were originally confused, but now that the fake photo incident came out, they blew up! Then, they began to target the girl who accused Li Jingtian of rape.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Xing Conglian interrupted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the victim¡¯s information be kept secret?¡±


    ¡°It stands to reason that it should, but I don¡¯t know who leaked it. It¡¯s very likely that the doctor or nurse who did the rape kit test did it. Anyway, the result and the girl¡¯s personal information were put online.¡± As Wang Chao spoke, he started getting excited again. ¡°The power of netizens is truly great. Among Li Jingtian¡¯s millions of ¡®Tian Fans¡¯ all over the world, they can easily suss the girl out within minutes. Guess what that girl does?¡±


    ¡°Wandering warbler*?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    *[Liu ying] (Á÷ݺ) Term used to refer to sex workers/prostitutes.


    The so-called ¡°wandering warbler¡± was an alias for prostitutes and referred to those who had no fixed place of residence. They would run around or stand in the street to solicit customers. Some would look for work in hotels.


    ¡°Damn, Captain. Why do you know everything?¡± Wang Chao was taken aback. ¡°You seem quite experienced.¡±


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t realize what he had just said until he finished speaking. Before Xing Conglian could smack him again, he hugged Xing Conglian¡¯s thigh and said, ¡°Captain, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I withdraw that sentence. Although you¡¯ve been a single dog for thousands of years, you wouldn¡¯t recruit prostitutes. Though to be honest, I¡¯m quite concerned about how you solve your personal physiological problems. Do you want me to send you something good tonight, huh?¡±


    The teenager blinked as he spoke.


    When Lin Chen heard this, he glanced at Xing Conglian. In fact, he was also very interested in knowing about this issue.


    Xing Conglian coughed lightly and switched the topic. ¡°Is there any evidence that the victim is indeed a wandering warbler?¡±


    Before Lin Chen had time to savor Xing Conglian¡¯s reaction, he suddenly realized what the ¡°wandering warbler¡± that Xing Conglian was referring to meant.


    Roses and warbler¡­


    At that moment, Lin Chen felt cold all over.


    He raised his eyes and saw Xing Conglian look at him with a solemn gaze and shake his head.


    What Xing Conglian meant was: ¡°Don¡¯t say it in front of Wang Chao.¡±


    Lin Chen knew and stabilized his breath and tried to control the chill all over his body.


    Xing Conglian had a grave look as he said, ¡°Just because she¡¯s a wandering warbler doesn¡¯t mean Li Jingtian didn¡¯t commit rape.¡±


    ¡°Captain, of course you¡¯re right to say that, but don¡¯t you know how powerful fans are? They quickly pulled out the report.¡±


    ¡°The one that you were reading to us just now?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Wang Chao nodded. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how they were able to find it. In short, the lace underwear you just saw in the picture was actually the picture in the report. The reporter who reported that incident also attached a picture of him lying in a nightclub. In the photo¡­¡±


    ¡°There happens to be the victim?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°For fear of polluting your pure hearts, let me briefly tell you about the content of that report. A long time ago, there was a reporter who was very idle. He would go to local nightclubs with a very impure intentions. I mean, everyone knows why he would go to that kind of place¡­ shit. I don¡¯t know which newspaper would publish this kind of vulgar report, but anyway, in that report, he wrote a lot of strange things that are popular in nightclubs¡ªthey¡¯re generally related to sexual abuse. In short, it was very, very weird. Among the different types of ¡®plays¡¯, one of them was rape play. The report also said that some of the current guests especially like to play the game of pretend rape, so they would ask the wandering warblers to¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°The fans saw this report, so they found the reporter who reported on the incident at the time, which indirectly proved that the ¡®victim¡¯ had provided guests with this special sex service, right?¡±


    Wang Chao said, ¡°More than that. The victim not only provided it just once, but do you know how she became a ¡®wandering warbler¡¯? In fact, she originally had a nightclub job. However, in the last nightclub she worked at, she accused one of the customers of raping her, so she was driven away¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly raised his head. When the matter fell here, it seemed to become clear.


    A dusty wandering warbler that was repeated offender of false accusations who used a fake photo without any evidence accusing a singer with an excellent reputation of raping her¡­


    Anyone with common sense would know how to evaluate this matter.


    As Wang Chao spoke, he hooked his fingers at him and Xing Conglian and motioned for them to come closer. He lowered his voice and whispered, ¡°A¡¯Chen, Captain, let me tell you. I went through the files later. The wandering warbler confessed after being exposed by the fans. She was afraid that the police wouldn¡¯t believe her, so she lied and said that she was raped by Li Jingtian in his presidential suite. The real place of the crime was actually in a club, but the club she was talking about is an exclusive club in the area. The police felt that it was impossible for a wandering warbler like her to enter such a prestigious place, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So the local police didn¡¯t go to that club to investigate, right?¡±


    ¡°Who would believe such an incoherent statement? After knowing that her statement was false, the police quickly dismissed the case.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes. Although he would not make a subjective judgment based on the identity of the victim, in this rape case, the possibility of Li Jingtian being falsely accused was too great. Even if he subjectively wanted to sympathize with the girl, all the objective evidence pointed to: Li Jingtian is the real victim.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what to say. At this moment, Xing Conglian suddenly asked, ¡°Can you find out what city the crime took place in?¡±


    ¡°Captain, you should be familiar with it. It¡¯s in Fengchun.¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian¡¯s face sank. ¡°Based on my understanding of the police in Fengchun, they won¡¯t stop a final investigation if the victim revises their statement. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Hearing what he said, Lin Chen suddenly remembered what Huang Ze had told him. Xing Conglian had a brief resume, and his first entry was being parachuted into Fengchun.


    Come to think of it, if it was a team that had been associated with Xing Conglian, it was unlikely they would refuse to continue their investigation just because the victim had changed their statement.


    Wang Chao secretly glanced at Xing Conglian and then said, ¡°Captain, you may not know, but Li Jingtian¡¯s identity is actually a bit complicated.¡±


    ¡°Identity?¡± As Xing Conglian spoke, Lin Chen felt him glance at him. ¡°He¡¯s not some kind of heir to some big family, right? There doesn¡¯t seem to be a surname ¡®Li¡¯ in the four elite families.¡±


    Lin Chen understood Xing Conglian well. In fact, he wasn¡¯t obsessed with whether the girl framed Li Jingtian or not. What he cared about was whether his former colleagues did their best to investigate the case.


    Wang Chao winked at Xing Conglian, as if he were hinting at something. ¡°Speaking of which, it would be simpler if it was one of the elites. Li Jingtian¡¯s identity involves diplomatic issues. Hey, why don¡¯t you know anything? Li Jingitan isn¡¯t a singer from China. He¡¯s from Xinni.¡±


    When the matter came here, Lin Chen felt that he really couldn¡¯t keep up. Why did this matter involve Li Jingtian¡¯s status as an international friend?


    However, he also roughly understood the difficulties of the Hongjing police. Even ordinary people would give in slightly when they encountered foreigners. What was more, the evidence that Li Jingtian was framed was so obvious that if they didn¡¯t let him go, not only would Li Jingtian¡¯s fanatical fans be dissatisfied, but once it was handled carelessly, it would cause a diplomatic incident.


    ¡°Are foreigners so powerful?¡± Xing Conglian asked in an unpleasant tone.


    Wang Chao gave his boss a look of paranoia and said speechlessly, ¡°Fuck, of course you don¡¯t care!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but complain. ¡°But did you know that Li Jingtian¡¯s grandfather used to be the ambassador of Xinni? You should know this.¡±


    ¡°Li Lao?¡± Xing Conglian was surprised. ¡°Li Jingtian is Li Lao¡¯s grandson?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wang Chao spread his hands. ¡°This can be regarded as a famous family. You see, even with this identity, Li Jingtian didn¡¯t hype himself. In fact, I think he¡¯s pretty low-key. Look, with this kind of personality and identity, I also think it¡¯s impossible he would rape a wandering warbler!¡±


    The teenager seemed to have concluded his summary statement.


    He breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to raise his cup when he heard Xing Conglian say, ¡°Then we should continue to investigate.¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao suddenly lay down on the table and banged his head repeatedly against it. It seemed that he was unable to communicate with his boss, which made things quite suffocating.

 CH 109

    For a long time after that, the three of them didn¡¯t speak. Lin Chen knew well that Wang Chao had nothing to say, while Xing Conglian¡¯s ugly expression and silence revealed his dissatisfaction with the investigation procedures.


    Naturally, he himself didn¡¯t know what he could say.


    Now that he thought about it, the reason Li Jingtian¡¯s fans squeezed into Ansheng International Mall like crazy was simply because they wanted to support their wronged idol. The subsequent throat-slitting case was something no one expected. From this point of view, the stampede didn¡¯t seem like an arrangement but more like an accident.


    In fact, when Li Jingtian¡¯s throat was cut, Lin Chen thought it was a relatively straightforward murder case. With the appearance of what was hidden under the bouquet of roses, he would think that it was an emotionally cruel murder case. However, with the appearance of Li Jingtian¡¯s manager in front of the emergency room and Li Jingtian subsequently walking out, the case had become more complicated and confusing. If a rape case was added to this wounding case, then it would gradually slip into a weird abyss.


    Finally, it was the waitress at the bar who broke the tranquility of the store.


    Lively dance music suddenly sounded. The waitress didn¡¯t expect her phone to ring as she frantically connected the call, then suddenly squatted in the bar and tried her best to lower her voice. ¡°Lingling, I¡¯m doing a live broadcast for you. Why are you calling?¡±


    At the same time, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang.


    Lin Chen looked up.


    Xing Conglian showed him the word ¡°Zhang Xiaolong¡± in the caller ID, then pressed the answer button.


    The voice of the policewoman came out slowly.


    ¡°Captain Xing, I have already checked what you asked me to investigate. My classmate¡¯s husband helped with the investigation. Li Jingtian was cut in the neck. While the wound looked very long, it was actually pretty shallow. It didn¡¯t penetrate the artery. After a few dozen stitches, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Sure enough, the cruel throat-slitting that caused the riots in the audience just now was nothing more than a stage effect.


    ¡°I see. Thank you very much,¡± Xing Conglian said. He was about to hang up when suddenly Zhang Xiaolong, like the waitress in the ice cream shop, lowered her voice and said cautiously, ¡°Captain Xing, please don¡¯t hang up. When I was squatting at the door to the emergency room just now, I heard fans say that Li Jingtian seemed to have posted a new Weibo post, and the fans had blown it up. Hurry and take a look at it.¡±


    At this moment, the waitress behind the bar, who had been live broadcasting, suddenly shouted, ¡°Is Li Jingtian an idiot? What is he doing posting that kind of Weibo?¡±


    Before Xing Conglian could speak, Wang Chao had already sent him Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo post.


    Li Jingtian had tens of millions of followers, but the number of posts wasn¡¯t large. After sorting through chronological order, Li Jingtian¡¯s last Weibo post showed: [My account was hacked just now. The post sent isn¡¯t mine. Please be careful.]


    Wang Chao patted his forehead remorsefully. ¡°Ah, I forgot to monitor Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo!¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo account was stolen?¡± Xing Conglian asked incredulously. ¡°What stupid post did he post on Weibo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to know what he just posted. Captain, let me show my power to climb backstage of Weibo and show you the records!¡± Wang Chao took a sip of cold water as he spoke and looked at Xing Conglian, like a pet waiting for a compliment with shining eyes.


    Naturally, he was greeted with a ¡°violent beating¡±. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know? What background records do you need to dig through Weibo? People have already taken screenshots.¡±


    Wang Chao smiled. ¡°Captain, don¡¯t be angry. I didn¡¯t think of it.¡±


    He immediately started entering the keywords in the search box. After entering ¡°Li Jingtian¡±, countless results poured in.


    At this moment, the words Li Jingtian occupied the top position in the popular searches, and its popularity kept rising, which showed that at this moment, countless people were searching for news about him.


    Soon, they saw the screenshot of the deleted post.


    After clicking on the big picture, they discovered that the Weibo screenshot was actually pretty simple and bloody. It was a selfie of Li Jingtian after his wound was sutured in the emergency room.


    In the photo, the singer raised his head slightly, like a mourning white swan. The stitches on his neck were thin, like a red centipede lying on his neck. There were blood marks everywhere, so it looked terrifying.


    The matching words for the photo were simple: [Don¡¯t resent.]


    Although Li Jingtian¡¯s selfie looked scary, overall, this was a pretty concise post.


    After the star was injured, he informed the fans of his injuries and hoped they wouldn¡¯t resent. Although this attitude seemed too soft and deceptive, if a star posted this kind of thing in order to maintain his personal image and during a PR crisis, it would look harmless.


    The Weibo post itself wasn¡¯t surprising. What was strange was that it was deleted by Li Jingtian, and he also made a special announcement claiming that the selfie just now was the result of his account being hacked.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t figure out why someone would post such a normal-looking post after hacking someone else¡¯s Weibo account.


    Not only that, but in the deleted post, there was a more important issue, which was discovered by ¡°enthusiastic netizens¡±.


    @MeatMeatMeatChowder: What bullshit! This is your own selfie in the emergency room. Who would hack an account and post this kind of thing!


    @LittleTomatoSlicedNoodles: Fuck me, Li Jingtian. You really treat onlookers like they are mentally retarded, huh?


    @LongLongDuck: As expected from a blooming white lotus*. The persona never collapses!


    *Describes a person who is pure in appearance but is the exact opposite on the inside.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze swept over the retweets. Across from him, Wang Chao dragged the scroll bar irritably. He then heard the boy say something similar. ¡°How fucking embarrassing. Does Li Jingtian have a problem with his brain? He posted a selfie of himself in the emergency room, then deleted it saying his account was hacked?¡±


    Wang Chao smacked his lips as he scrolled through the retweets. He quickly found the name of Li Jingtian¡¯s manager.


    A minute ago, Liu Ying retweeted Li Jingtian¡¯s post about ¡°his account being hacked¡±.


    @LiuYing: What exactly do you want to do to Jingtian? Jingtian has been injured like this. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s enough?


    Under Liu Ying¡¯s Weibo, fans of Li Jingtian who didn¡¯t know what happened were asking about it.


    Wang Chao flipped through the comments over several pages as Lin Chen took a closer look. Except for people asking what happened, the rest of the replies or retweets were all along the lines of: ¡°Believe in Jingtian¡± and ¡°Fans unite¡±. There were some ¡°Bow to Queen Liu¡± comments, but they were quickly brushed down by Li Jingtian¡¯s fans.


    Looking at the constantly refreshing comments on Weibo, Lin Chen could fully feel how excited Li Jingtian¡¯s fans were.


    They first experienced the incident of their idol¡¯s throat being slit. At that time, they didn¡¯t know what to do except pray, but news probably hadn¡¯t had time to spread widely among the ¡°Tian Fans¡±. The news that Li Jingtian had walked out of the emergency room quickly followed. It was supposed to be a moment where they could let out a breath of relief as they had enough ups and downs for the day, but at such a moment, Li Jingtian posted a selfie of himself in the emergency room. Seeing the terrible wound on the idol¡¯s neck, they couldn¡¯t help but comfort each other, but before some of them could write their words of hope and comfort, the post was deleted, and their idol said that he didn¡¯t post the tweet just now and that his Weibo account was hacked¡­


    No matter how simple-minded the fans were, after encountering these things, they would start to doubt.


    Although it seemed that the things that happened to Li Jingtian, whether it was him getting his throat slit on stage or his Weibo account being stolen, weren¡¯t really breaking news, how could a fan accept these kinds of things that kept happening to their idol?


    What was more, all this looked as if there was some kind of huge conspiracy brewing behind it.


    The fan base was truly a strange group. They lacked cooperation on a regular basis, but if they really met someone who wanted to hurt their idol, they could quickly organize their extraordinary fighting force. This was the case when they clarified the rape case against him last time, and it would be the same this time.


    Lin Chen rubbed his forehead. In fact, when the matter came to this point, he couldn¡¯t clearly see what it was about. Sure enough, the intrigue of the entertainment industry didn¡¯t seem to be his strong point.


    Fortunately, Xing Conglian seemed to have a natural, keen sense of these things.


    After thinking for a while, he quickly grasped the most critical point of the matter and asked, ¡°Is it possible that this situation can occur? Did someone really hack Li Jingtian¡¯s phone photo and his Weibo account and post his selfie in the emergency room?¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao replied, ¡°Captain, you have to understand that this situation is certainly possible, but the premise is that the person has to be a master of current communication technologies, such as Bluetooth and password cracking technology. Although I¡¯m not sure what system Li Jingtian¡¯s phone uses, in order to steal a phone and send photos, they must also be masters of programming that phone system. People who know so many things are working for the computer industry giants. How could the streets be full of people like that? It¡¯s hard to find that kind of talent, okay?¡± When Wang Chao said this, he seemed to have thought of something and patted his head. ¡°Captain, I didn¡¯t do this, okay?¡±


    From the beginning, Xing Conglian was listening seriously until he heard the last sentence. He glared at Wang Chao as if he was going to get angry.


    It seemed that the dog blood story just now gave the teenager some excitement, and he lost his fear. Lin Chen sighed helplessly.


    As if hearing his sigh, Xing Conglian suddenly asked him, ¡°You¡¯ve said very little. Do you want to eat ice cream? I¡¯ll buy you some?¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly raised his head and was speechless for a while. He frowned, thinking that these two were far too out of the ordinary.


    ¡°I feel as if I can¡¯t keep up with your rhythm,¡± he admitted frankly. ¡°To be honest, this matter is getting weirder, but I can¡¯t find any clues or foresee the direction of its development.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find any clues either,¡± Xing Conglian replied. ¡°However, I believe in one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s strength in numbers.¡±


    As Xing Conglian said this, he turned his head and looked at the waitress who had been eavesdropping behind the bar. ¡°Do you have matcha-flavored ice cream?¡± After he asked, he turned his head back to Lin Chen. ¡°What flavor do you like?¡±


    Seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s smiling expression, Lin Chen had no choice but to reluctantly reply, ¡°Vanilla.¡±


    ¡°Vanilla isn¡¯t delicious.¡± Xing Conglian turned his head and forcefully said to the waitress, ¡°Another matcha.¡±


    Lin Chen was speechless. He thought to himself, ¡®If you¡¯ve already decided, why even ask me?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help turning his gaze, but he saw that Wang Chao had buried his face in the screen and was winking at him. While Xing Conglian went to pay, Wang Chao quickly raised his head and mouthed speechlessly to him.


    Lin Chen thought about it for a moment and then realized Wang Chao seemed to be saying, ¡°He, ge, mo, no, ism!¡±


    ¡®Quite apt,¡¯ Lin Chen thought and nodded to Wang Chao.


    Xing Conglian quickly paid and came back.


    He sat down again and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Find the Weibo post that Li Jingtian posted about being hacked.¡±


    Wang Chao let out an inexplicable ¡°oh¡±, and quickly brought it up. The number of retweets and comments on the official post was growing exponentially.


    ¡°Click to the comments,¡± Xing Conglian continued.


    Wang Chao did as he said.


    The waitress quickly brought the matcha ice cream.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t read the Weibo comments but moved to the back of the booth and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Get out.¡±


    Lin Chen looked up inexplicably and saw Wang Chao walk out of the booth with a confused expression on his face.


    Xing Conglian moved to the inside seat, patted the seat beside him, and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Sit over here.¡±


    Hearing him say that, Lin Chen found that the person who was truly lost had become himself.


    At this moment, the expression on Wang Chao¡¯s face changed from dumbfounded to ¡®What the fuck?¡¯.


    When Xing Conglian moved over to the laptop and started to read the comments while eating his ice cream, Lin Chen realized that Xing Conglian wanted him to come over so they could read the comments together.


    It was rare that he and Wang Chao would give each other a relieved look.


    Lin Chen stood up and sat down beside Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian pushed over the other serving of matcha-flavored ice cream, so naturally he started to eat it.


    Looking at the replies from fans on Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo, Lin Chen quickly understood what Xing Conglian meant by strength in numbers.


    All the popular retweets or replies were roughly divided into two groups. One was from Li Jingtian¡¯s fans, supporting their idol, and the other was scolding him. Compared with the blindly retweets by his fans, those who scolded Li Jingtian were more justified.


    @GeniusBakedPotato: [I can¡¯t stand Li fans¡¯ IQ. No one can match his ability to speak a hundred words with an empty mouth. Dad can only give a good analysis of why this is a self-directed and self-acted whitewashing incident. (1) Suppose that the person who slit Li¡¯s throat hates him. They had such a good opportunity to directly kill him, but instead they just gave him a minor scratch. Are you kidding me? (Let me tell you some news. I received a report from my friends at the scene. It¡¯s said that the blood Li Jingtian shed wasn¡¯t blood at all, but artificial blood.) So everyone, after making a small cut, he fell on stage as if he were about to die. Is he an actor? (2) It¡¯s even more ridiculous to claim your account was hacked. You can refer to a certain Weibo post Li made two weeks ago in the exact same pathetic tone. Oh, after all, Li Jingtian is famous for pretending to be pitiful. The reason why he deleted the Weibo post just now is simply because it was sprayed badly as soon as he posted it. He realized the taste was too heavy, so he could only delete it. (I have screenshots to prove it). (3) In summary, Li Jingtian is deliberately creating the illusion that he¡¯s being smeared. This is all an act he put on himself, pretending to be hurt so he could divert the attention away from his rape case!]


    This Weibo comment was long. Lin Chen read it word by word and only felt that this analysis seemed reasonable and well-founded, but in fact there were still many problems.


    He looked around, only to notice Xing Conglian¡¯s reading speed seemed faster than his. After reading the full comment, Xing Conglian¡¯s face turned ugly again. Thinking about it, Xing Conglian was probably displeased that the details of the case were leaked.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. There are so many people talking at the scene that it¡¯s hard to tell who was peeping and eavesdropping,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter of peeping and eavesdropping. Someone within our ranks leaked out the information on the case.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you look at the comment, all the information this commenter received was live news revealed by onlookers, then why didn¡¯t they mention the bouquet of roses at the scene? After all, that bouquet of roses was the most terrifying aspect of the scene. The owner of the comment has no reason to omit it. Think about it. The biggest possibility is that the person who leaked the news knows what to say and what not to say. Maybe he found some less important details and leaked them to make his little girlfriend happy.¡±


    After listening to this, Lin Chen was once again speechless. It seemed that Xing Conglian could no longer be described as simple-minded.

 CH 110

    ¡°What about the roses?¡± The teenager on the opposite side of the table suddenly raised his head and asked.


    It was probably because they had encountered too many cases recently that Wang Chao¡¯s reasoning was increasing day by day. In other words, when encountering too many things, even the purest mind would gradually become sharper.


    Lin Chen felt that the matcha ice cream in his mouth had a slightly bitter taste, and he thought that Xing Conglian probably felt the same way.


    ¡°Mr. Wang, you seem to be asking a lot of questions lately,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Rose, warbler?¡±


    It seemed like he finally connected the dots. After reading these two keywords, he grabbed the laptop and typed it.


    Although the laptop wasn¡¯t facing them, Lin Chen still guessed from the boy¡¯s stiff face that he probably discovered the thing they wanted to hide from him.


    ¡°Why are you hiding it from me?!¡±


    The teenager suddenly turned his laptop over, and photos of different sizes appeared on the screen.


    In each photo, there were various birds.


    Those birds had gray-brown feathers and equally gray-brown beaks. They were either flying in the sky or perching softly on branches, and one of them had been stabbed to death by rose stems.


    There was even an English writer who wrote a very sad and beautiful fairytale about the bird that was stabbed to death by a rose.


    Lin Chen moved his gaze to the search bar. Looking at the results that the teenager found, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that if this continued, Wang Chao could probably take charge on his own.


    There were only one word in the search bar, which was the name of a bird: [Nightingale*].


    *Clarity: Liu Ying/Wandering warbler/prostitutes are also known as nightingales.


    The nightingale generally wasn¡¯t a beautiful bird, but it had a very wide range of sounds. Unlike other birds, the nightingale was a rare bird that sang at night. Therefore, this was the reason why it was called a nightingale.


    In fact, if it were just a dead nightingale, it wouldn¡¯t give Lin Chen such a chill.


    He was shaken entirely because of a famous fairytale written by Oscar Wilde*, an English writer.


    *An Irish poet and playwright. The fairytale they are referring to is The Nightingale and the Rose.


    He hadn¡¯t read that story for a long time. Specifically, he had only read it once when he was young, but to this day, he could still clearly remember every detail of it.


    The story originated with a young student who wanted to invite his favorite girl to the dance.


    The girl¡¯s request was simple. She said that if he picked a red rose for her, she would agree to dance with him at the prince¡¯s dinner until dawn.


    But in the middle of winter, where could the young student find a red rose?


    As a result, the young student cried in his garden. Like most of Wilde¡¯s fairy tales, a little nightingale heard the object of his crying all night in the garden.


    Seeing his originally beautiful face so sad, the little nightingale thought, ¡®Your love is so deep, and you just want a rose. I¡¯ll find a red rose for you.¡¯


    The bird encountered white roses that were as white as the foam of the sea and yellow roses that were as yellow as the blond hair of a mermaid, but there weren¡¯t any red roses.


    In the end, the little nightingale came to a withered red rose.


    However, the red rose¡¯s rhizome had been broken by the storm, and the vessels had been destroyed by the winter¡¯s cold. The red rose wouldn¡¯t be able to bloom unless something horrifying was done.


    Lin Chen once again recalled the scene where Xing Conglian opened the bouquet of roses.


    The sharp rhizome of the rose pierced the body of the nightingale, which was the only way to make the red rose bloom in the story.


    Wilde was truly cruel yet tender.


    The red rose told the little nightingale that its singing in the night could bring it into being, and unless it was soaked in blood, the rose wouldn¡¯t turn red.


    Life was precious, the nightingale thought, but how could its small heart compare to that of a human¡¯s?


    Therefore, the nightingale agreed to the rose¡¯s request. When moonlight fell, it flew into the rose and pressed itself against the rose¡¯s spikes. It opened its beak and began to sing all night. The thorn pierced deeper into its body as the blood continued to pass through. In the end, the pain penetrated deep into its bone and finally into its heart.


    The little nightingale exchanged its life for a red rose for the one that it loved.


    But this was not the end.


    After all, the young student¡¯s love hadn¡¯t yet been explained.


    Lin Chen recalled that at the end of the story, the unsuspecting young student took the rose and sent it to the girl he loved.


    But the girl said, ¡°Your one rose can¡¯t compare to the many treasures I have received today.¡±


    The young student became angry and threw the red rose to the ground. The wheels of a carriage happened to pass by and crushed it, concluding the story.


    Lin Chen thought that this was an extremely beautiful story.


    He rubbed his brows and raised his head only to see Wang Chao¡¯s eyes moisten. The boy¡¯s eyes widened greatly as he stared at the person opposite of him.


    Perhaps when Wang Chao was young, he sat on his mother¡¯s lap as he heard this story, or perhaps on a rainy night after Xing Conglian adopted him, someone sat by his bedside and recited the fairytale to him.


    But fairytales were still fairytales. Only a true psychopath would try to turn this fairytale into reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding it from you.¡± Xing Conglian pushed away the ice cream bowl. He lit his cigarette with annoyance. ¡°I just thought it would be annoying if you found out. Besides, I didn¡¯t know much earlier than you did!¡±


    ¡°Captain, do you think this is protecting me?¡± The teenager noticed the key problem.


    As if he had been poked in the heart, Xing Conglian slammed the table. ¡°Why are you so bothersome?¡±


    ¡°We agreed to solve the case together, so how can you hide something from me!¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re not paying me, so why should I tell you?¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°Why do you still treat me like a child?!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Xiao Wang, do you not feel your elder¡¯s love?¡±


    The two of them had a tendency to quarrel fiercely. Lin Chen continued scooping up the matcha ice cream spoonful after spoonful as he carefully looked at the content on the webpage and didn¡¯t bother interrupting them.


    In the end, the arguing finally stopped.


    Lin Chen looked up and found that the two were looking at him with the same depressed eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked absentmindedly before returning his gaze to the laptop screen again.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, why aren¡¯t you persuading us?¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°No, I like to hear you quarrel. You guys can continue.¡±


    With this encouragement, neither of them had the desire to keep fighting.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded in his ears. ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡±


    Hearing ¡°Consultant Lin¡± sound more like a sigh made Lin Chen¡¯s ears a little itchy.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He responded.


    ¡°Are there any new discoveries?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen replied, ¡°All fairytales are particularly symbolic. Since she deliberately left the nightingale and roses for us, of course it has a meaning she wants to express.¡±


    Xing Conglian thought for a while and said, ¡°If the nightingale symbolizes the wandering warbler, then the person who ran on stage to cut Li Jingtian¡¯s throat can¡¯t be her. What did she want to express? She was hurt by Li Jingtian and used this dead nightingale to show her unyielding will. She wanted to commit suicide in order to retaliate against Li Jingtian?¡±


    Wang Chao shouted. ¡°That¡¯s so messed up. Captain, I¡¯m getting goosebumps!¡±


    As Wang Chao said, Xing Conglian¡¯s idea was indeed messed up, but it wasn¡¯t messed up enough.


    At least it didn¡¯t fit the psychology of a psychopath who could stab a nightingale to death.


    Lin Chen shook his head.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t see the scene because the camera was obscured, so he didn¡¯t witness the part where the girl walked on stage holding the bouquet of green roses with his own eyes.


    But Lin Chen was there, and he saw what happened.


    Under the circumstances at the time, Li Jingtian had no power to resist. She handed him the bouquet so gently and hugged him. She obviously could¡¯ve killed him, but she didn¡¯t.


    Could the girl who gave him the bouquet be the wandering warbler?


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t determine it, but the only thing he could judge was that the series of actions of the girl from going on stage to leaving were completely inconsistent with the body language of a rape victim being in contact with their rapist.


    He put down the silver spoon and began to refresh Weibo¡¯s keyword search page.


    Finally, he saw the inference he wanted to see.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    You can read the short story of The Nightingale and the Rose by clicking on the link.


    The summary provided in this chapter is quite accurate. Though there is a sense of irony behind it. The nightingale loves the Student and sacrifices her life to give him a red rose for the sake of his ¡°true love¡±. When the Student presented the rose to the girl, she rejected him, as she had been given jewels and other valuables that a single rose was incomparable to.


    Ironically, the Student calls her ungrateful and tosses the red rose to the streets, where it gets crushed by a carriage (not knowing the sacrifice that the nightingale made to give him such a rose). He then rejects love and prefers to stick with logic, which has more practical use.

 CH 111

    It wasn¡¯t so much an inference as a refutation of some previous things.


    Previously, onlookers had analyzed the incident of Li Jingtian¡¯s throat being slit as a farce directed and acted by him.


    Then, Li Jingtian¡¯s fans would inevitably refute this accordingly. In the debate between the attackers and defenders, it was easy for sparks of thinking to collide. They just need to sit down, eat ice cream, and watch as the fans quarrel.


    @BirdsInTheSky: Refuting two points: (1) If this was a self-directed and act of throat-slitting farce, why did Jingtian walk out of the emergency room by himself? Why didn¡¯t he pretend to be hanging on by a thread? Even if you suspect him of doing this, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s just too stupid? Why wouldn¡¯t he complete his self-acting? (2) The real and fake posts on Weibo are even funnier. You say that Jingtian posted the photos of his wound in order to gain sympathy and then deleted the post because he was scolded. Won¡¯t he know he would be scolded if he did this? (3) In summary: The person who planned the whole incident is behind the scenes, making everyone think Jingtian is hyping the incident of his throat being cut in order to frame him and ruin his reputation.


    Lin Chen looked at it for a while. When he stretched out his hand again, he realized that he had finished eating the entire cup of ice cream.


    ¡°It tastes pretty good, right?¡± Xing Conglian asked him from the side.


    ¡°It does.¡±


    Xing Conglian even looked at him with intriguing eyes, not because he had finished the ice cream, but because of the trend of the online comments.


    The matter had come down to this. Although it seemed complicated, like a mess without any leads, in fact, Xing Conglian¡¯s solution to the problem was quite enlightening. In such a complicated situation, they didn¡¯t need to guess who was behind what, because the goal of the mastermind behind the scenes would be reflected in public opinion.


    Now, the view of Li Jingtian¡¯s throat-slitting incident had become clear.


    First: There were some people who disliked Li Jingtian and believed that this was a farce and acted by him.


    Second: Li Jingtian¡¯s fans believed that there was ¡°someone¡± who was scheming to frame Li Jingtian.


    Next, Li Jingtian¡¯s fans discussed this ¡°someone¡±.


    @TianFan: Don¡¯t you get it? It¡¯s too obvious that someone wants Jingtian¡¯s reputation ruined. Since the police have done nothing, let¡¯s list the people who have wronged him recently. It¡¯s pretty clear who¡¯s behind it, right?¡±


    @GreenIsBrightGreen: Seeing Liu Jie protecting Jingtian so fiercely, it wouldn¡¯t be his brokerage company, Maodun. Our Jingtian is so popular in the circle. It can¡¯t be that whore, right?


    @RedIsOnFire: Impossible. How can that chicken be so powerful?


    @TianFan: Not true. That chicken can come up with a trick to slander our Jingtian and accuse him of rape. Who knows what else she can do!


    @RedIsOnFire: Speaking of that, how can normal person think of slandering other people with QJ*? Has she hated Jingtian for a long time? If one plan didn¡¯t work, come up with a different one?


    *Slang for rape.


    @TheSkyIsAFloatingCloud: That bitch is so disgusting. Is she even human?


    As soon as this conspiracy came out, some onlookers began to criticize.


    @CannedPeaches: Li fans talking about who¡¯s framing your Jingtian and coming up with a crazy scheme created by a rape victim in order to retaliate against him, huh?


    @LittleTomatoSlicedNoodles: Li fans are really dumping all the blame on the victim. Why aren¡¯t you tired of this trick?


    Lin Chen leaned back in his chair. The little girls¡¯ verbal abuse was uncomfortable to read, but the discussion or quarrel between the two sides had indeed gradually merged with the evidence they had.


    If the nightingale in that bunch of roses symbolized the prostitute herself, then it would be a symbol of her desire to retaliate against Li Jingtian at any cost and her deep-rooted resentment towards him. This seemed plausible.


    Then, on the surface, it seemed that this was indeed revenge against Li Jingtian for some unknown reason. First, falsely accuse him of designing a fake throat-slitting incident, then expose him for being the director of the scheme. This possibility was far more likely than Li Jingtian trying to whitewash himself. However, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but vaguely feel that something was off.


    Not to mention the hacking of other people¡¯s Weibo accounts and posting of the photo, the fake blood used at the throat-cutting scene was professional¡ªsomething that you could normally only get on a set. Could a prostitute accomplish all this?


    And more importantly, what kind of resentment could make a person do these things?


    Lin Chen rarely hesitated like this. At this moment, he suddenly heard the person next to him say with emotion, ¡°Hey, it seems that our image of ¡®inaction¡¯ has been deeply rooted in people¡¯s hearts?¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback. Xing Conglian¡¯s words seemed unfocused, but in fact, they were targeted.


    ¡°Yes, this incident may be more terrifying than we thought,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Wang Chao was drinking water from across the table. Hearing what they said, he scratched his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there any new progress?¡±


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem ready to deal with him and instead asked, ¡°Why is it more terrifying?¡±


    This was simply a knowing question. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and answered, ¡°Because it¡¯s weakening the credibility of the police.¡±


    Now, he finally understood why Liu Ying said those words at the entrance of the emergency room.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s manager didn¡¯t care if the police were at the scene or not. She said those things to make fans think that the police didn¡¯t actually care about Li Jingtian¡¯s case.


    This was creating a trend in public opinion.


    Then, once the results of the police investigation weren¡¯t favorable towards the side supported by public opinion, it would be considered that the police¡¯s position was biased. In Lin Chen¡¯s opinion, at that time, it seemed the police in Fengchun also experienced the same pressure.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too scary if the police have more or less credibility. At least not as bad as vigilantes.¡±


    What Xing Conglian was referring to were those children who were eagerly discussing the mastermind behind all this on the internet.


    Although those children now only suspect that someone was targeting Li Jingtian, if more people supported their arguments, they would subconsciously regard this suspicion as a conclusive fact.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed noncommittally and asked him, ¡°Consultant Lin, how are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to tell you the truth?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°It feels like we¡¯re fighting a 1,000-year-old fox spirit,¡± he answered truthfully.


    Hearing what he said, Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly.


    ¡°What fox spirit?¡± Wang Chao shouted again. The teenager¡¯s expression was so anxious that he almost climbed onto the table.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, why don¡¯t I buy you an ice cream to settle you down for a while?¡± Xing Conglian knocked on the table and motioned for him to shut up.


    Wang Chao became a little angry. ¡°Have you finished reading it?¡± he asked.


    Lin Chen nodded, indicating that he could take back his laptop.


    Wang Chao quickly snatched it back, looking like a fish that had been out of water for a long time or a traveler that was dying of thirst in the desert.


    As he snorted, his hands quickly flew all around as he tapped something on the keyboard, and finally, he slammed the back button three times. He suddenly raised his head. ¡°I see!¡±


    He slapped the table with a bang and glanced at the waitress behind the bar to make sure the other party couldn¡¯t hear his voice. He leaned his face closer to the two of them and whispered, ¡°Li Jingtian deliberately arranged his own throat-slitting case in order to completely turn his rape case into a revenge case against him by some mentally ill patient, right?¡¯


    During this time, there was about a second or two of silence.


    At least Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were stunned.


    In the end, it was Xing Conglian who pouted as if to say: ¡°How did this kid suddenly become so enlightened? Is there any hope of salvation?¡±


    Looking at the vibrant teenager in front of him, Lin Chen sighed slightly and asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you supporting Li Jingtian just now?¡±


    ¡°Hey, A¡¯Chen, don¡¯t you know I¡¯m sick?¡±


    Lin Chen looked back at Xing Conglian, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s a disease caught in middle school. The symptom is self-righteousness,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    As Wang Chao was speaking, he turned the laptop upside down.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Ah, yes. There¡¯s nothing like internet detectives thinking they¡¯re professionals. What could possibly go wrong there? See: Reddit accusing some innocent guy of being the Boston Marathon bomber.

 CH 112

    On the screen of Wang Chao¡¯s laptop, some seemingly complicated data analysis diagrams were listed.


    If he hadn¡¯t gone to college, Lin Chen would find it difficult to understand what he summarized. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that children nowadays are too powerful.


    Among the charts listed above, the first picture was a light green line chart. The line chart had climbed to a very high position in a short period of time.


    ¡°See this influence index?¡±


    Wang Chao excitedly pointed to the top left corner number that jumped from 61 to 63. ¡°Look, the heat is rising fast!¡±


    ¡°What does this number mean? Is 63 popular?¡± Lin Chen asked earnestly, in the spirit of asking questions when he didn¡¯t understand and in the principle of making children happy.


    Sure enough, Wang Chao excitedly replied, ¡°Of course it¡¯s high. This number represents the event influence index, which is calculated through a complex formula. The full score is 100 points.¡±


    ¡°About what specifically?¡±


    ¡°Specifically¡­ Do you know what the popularity of the Yongchuan University case that we dealt with before is?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Lin Chen still asked patiently.


    ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t be sad when you hear it, A¡¯Chen,¡± Wang Chao said while pulling up the public opinion monitoring data for the previous case.


    Although Lin Chen wasn¡¯t sure why Wang Chao was monitoring these things¡­


    He glanced at Xing Conglian inadvertently. This was presumably under another strange order from his boss.


    ¡°23?¡± Looking at the number on the screen, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised.


    Honestly speaking, although he never had the idea of boasting in mind, such a major regional criminal case like the one at Yongchuan University regarding mass suicide only rose to 23 in terms of popularity online, which seemed a bit low.


    But he quickly realized the true significance of a normal, unhyped regional case on the web.


    Regarding the Li Jingtian throat-slitting case, it was now close to the popularity value of 65, which obviously was related to the influence of him being a star, but was Li Jingtian really that popular?


    Before he had time to ask anything more, Xing Conglian suddenly interrupted them.


    ¡°Given how high this index is, people will think it¡¯s due to the police¡¯s ¡®inaction¡¯.¡± Xing Conglian smiled and patted Wang Chao¡¯s laptop.


    As soon as the teenager was about to yell, Xing Conglian gave him a glare, which made him quickly shut up.


    Lin Chen also stood up, looked back at the girl with ponytails who was stretching her neck behind the bar, and left the shop with them.


    ¡­¡­


    Naturally, Wang Chao didn¡¯t finish what he was about to say precisely because Xing Conglian felt they had reached the most important point, so he interrupted him.


    In the elevator, the teenager kept talking, filling the small elevator with his excited voice. ¡°A¡¯Chen, A¡¯Chen, let me tell you. The value has now soared to 65!¡±


    Xing Conglian had no excuse to buy more ice cream, so he played with his car keys in his hands and remained silent.


    Since no one was giving him a response, Wang Chao¡¯s long-winded nature was exposed again. He said, ¡°The current index is already as high as the popularity index of our country¡¯s internet when a new Xinni president was elected. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really high.¡± Lin Chen paused and said helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t put more pressure on us.¡± As he spoke, he glanced at Xing Conglian. ¡°You know, we¡¯re standing in the elevator right now discussing a case that is as influential as a major political event in another country. This image still seems not solemn enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, solemnity can¡¯t be eaten.¡± Wang Chao snickered as he walked out of the elevator first. Holding the laptop in his arms, he continued to walk into the underground parking lot. ¡°Actually, A¡¯Chen, you don¡¯t need to be so stressed. If you think about it, it¡¯s impossible. I have compared all the data similar to this kind of case where the heat has soared to 65 within an hour, and the only ones that are comparable are those of sudden major natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, so¡­¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly understood what the teenager was alluding to, so he asked, ¡°So behind this, there must be a powerful water army* pushing it?¡±


    *Group of users paid to post online comments with vested interests.


    Wang Chao snapped his finger.


    They had already reached the side of Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t react until they got into the car. He grabbed the front seat and asked his boss, ¡°Captain, where are we going?¡±


    Xing Conglian had just hung up a call about Li Jingtian¡¯s current location. He threw the phone in the storage box and put on a Bluetooth headset. ¡°Officer Xiao Wang, naturally, we¡¯re going to visit the victim according to police procedures, yeah?¡±


    ¡°What victim? Do you mean Li Jingtian?¡± Wang Chao leaned in his chair and pulled on his seatbelt discontentedly. ¡°He¡¯s not a victim.¡±


    The teenager opened his laptop on his lap and continued to talk about the topic he hadn¡¯t been able to finish.


    ¡°Where did we leave off, A¡¯Chen?¡± he asked.


    Lin Chen replied, ¡°We talked about the fact that behind Li Jingtian, there¡¯s a powerful water army pushing it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, A¡¯Chen, you have such a good memory.¡± Wang Chao always knew how to suck up in the strangest way.


    Lin Chen looked at the time. It would take about 20 minutes from where they were to the municipal hospital. He hoped that within these 20 minutes, the teenager would be able to finish his entire inference.


    ¡°In fact, the line graph is just a rough estimate, and it¡¯s not intuitive. A¡¯Chen, you might as well look at this,¡± Wang Chao said as he opened another chart.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he sorted out so many charts in a short period of time. Most likely abnormal children had their own advantages.


    He lowered his head and looked at Wang Chao¡¯s knee. Sure enough, the chart was more intuitive than the previous line graph.


    It was a pattern composed of countless dense dot matrices. The pattern was like a starry sky, or rather, more like a human neural network that was more vast than a starry sky. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a human neural network but just a network of human society. A microcosm of propagation dynamics of an event.


    Whenever a small dot lit up in the pattern, it meant another person on the network was spreading the ¡°Li Jingtian¡± incident.


    As could be seen from the map, although those flickering dot matrices seem to be irregular, most of the small dots were closely surrounded, as if they were a nebula, and formed several wonderful clouds that ranged from large to small.


    Wang Chao said, ¡°First of all, from this chart, you can see the progression of the event. The progression means how many times someone retweeted the Weibo post. The depth of spread regarding the Li Jingtian incident is now 6.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen frowned. Wang Chao seemed to see through his thoughts and added, ¡°It¡¯s very low, isn¡¯t it? At least it doesn¡¯t match its influence index of 65. This proves my first point. The heat of this incident is fueled by a water army, so there¡¯s only breadth, not depth.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and motioned for Wang Chao to continue.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, look. In all the information clouds here, the larger each cloud group, the more retweets it has around it. Then the center of each big cloud group, of course, represents the root node of communication, which is the initial Weibo post.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®tipping point¡¯ of public opinion?¡±


    ¡°Hey, tipping point is a great way of putting it. A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re amazing!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t invent this word.¡± Lin Chen was slightly embarrassed by Wang Chao¡¯s praise. ¡°It comes from a famous book that explores the spread of popular culture. As the name suggests, the so-called tipping point refers to the sudden, nuclear explosion-style spread of information.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m letting you read more books, and you don¡¯t even know this?¡± Xing Conglian unsympathetically poked the teenager.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you understand, captain, so I don¡¯t, okay?¡± Wang Chao shot back angrily.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m handing over the task of educating you to your brother, A¡¯Chen?¡± Xing Conglian stepped on the gas as he replied lightly.


    Hearing this, the teenager found himself unable to refute.


    He turned back and looked at Lin Chen with cool eyes and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re right. In this matter of Li Jingtian¡¯s throat-slitting case, there were indeed several tipping points. Uh, when the incident¡¯s key spokesperson appeared and dominated public opinion, the rest were primarily responsible for forwarding.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    The book Lin Chen is referring to is most likely The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. The book seeks to explain and describe the ¡°mysterious¡± sociological changes that mark everyday life.


    It¡¯s quite interesting. He proposes the theory of ¡°the Law of the Few¡±, which according to him is the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts. According to Gladwell, economists call this the 80/20 principle, which is the idea that roughly 80% of the ¡°work¡± will be done by 20% of the participants.


    Interestingly enough, the ¡°few¡± that Gladwell describes are 3 types:

 CH 113

    Lin Chen stared at the clouds that were constantly lighting up and gradually expanding on the pure black background and asked, ¡°So, who are the key spreaders?¡±


    Wang Chao answered seriously, ¡°The data show that in addition to ¡®Liu Ying¡¯ and ¡®Li Jingtian¡¯, the key spreaders are mainly Li Jingtian¡¯s fans: those on Weibo, Baidu forums, his ground fans, ect¡­. The second conclusion can basically be drawn by looking at the picture. Li Jingtian¡¯s fan community is closely united and is a very large group. Well, closer united than your average fan group. I suspect that this may be because of the rape incident. It has attracted a lot of attention from the fans, and the heat hasn¡¯t died down yet, so after the throat-slitting incident, these fans quickly united as a result.¡±


    ¡°Very enlightening.¡±


    Lin Chen continued to praise the teenager, which only made him happier. His ass swayed restlessly on the seat as he happily clicked on the key Weibo posts of those cloud centers. ¡°A¡¯Chen, let me show you the Weibo posts they are frantically retweeting!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Wang Chao turned the screen around.


    Lin Chen glanced at it. Among those key posts were statements by Liu Ying and Li Jingtian.


    The second was warm wishes from Weibo, and the rest were all refutations analysis that Li Jingtian schemed this throat-slitting incident. They had read similar contents earlier in the comments on Weibo.


    What was surprising was that among those key ¡°tipping points¡±, there were also posts questioning if Li Jingtian was self-hyping, but those posts¡ªhow to put it¡ªwere more like hot water being thrown into a frying pan. They only provoked more scolding and ridicule from Li Jingtian¡¯s fans.


    It could clearly be seen from the map that those doubts actually played a big role in driving the heat of the incident.


    ¡°There¡¯s even more!¡± Wang Chao clicked on another chart. ¡°These are the positive high-frequency words and negative high-frequency words in the comments and retweets of the event I pulled. Looking at the relative ratio of their appearance, you can instantly tell what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Lin Chen once again lamented that with Wang Chao around, their investigation was indeed too efficient.


    ¡°How do you define positive and negative words?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Wang Chao was suddenly stunned. ¡°I automatically classify it according to the lexical nature. Wait, since you asked, I feel like I did this wrong. Wait for me to change it!¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯ve been a big help.¡±


    Lin Chen stopped him, put the laptop on his lap, and started carefully reading the contents.


    Positive high-frequency words for the incidents were: victim, praying, get well, sympathy, cheer.


    Negative high-frequency words for the incident were: murderer, prostitute, wronged, revenge, throat slitting, hype.


    From the analysis of the high-frequency words, it could clearly be seen that the negative words, such as murder and prostitute, account for a large proportion of them.


    If Li Jingitan really hired a water army to guide public opinion, then the direction they wanted to guide, as Wang Chao stated, was indeed the direction of ¡°the throat-slitting incident is a revenge act from the prostitute¡±.


    Then the remaining inferences became simpler. In the case of Li Jingtian¡¯s throat slitting, the party with the most motivation to guide public opinion and benefit from it couldn¡¯t think of any other suspicious person except for Li Jingtian.


    Looking at it that way, whether he walked out of the emergency room after the throat-slitting case or posted on Weibo and deleted it, saying his account had been hacked, this meant that Li Jingtian had predicted what they would suspect him, so he deliberately used these means to clear his suspicion. Since he wanted to hype up the incident, it didn¡¯t matter whether it was positive or negative, as long as the positive comments that supported him overwhelmed the negative ones in the end. The question remained, why was Li Jingtian so confident?


    Moreover, they had to return to the most critical issue regarding the motivation in this case. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Li Jingtian was a superstar, so why did he need to hype such an incident just to create the illusion that a prostitute was retaliating against him? To whitewash himself of the rape case?


    Lin Chen suddenly thought about the facts surrounding this case. In this war of public opinion, there was a third possibility. That was, someone wanted to kill Li Jingitan and the poor wandering warbler.


    But did this possibility really exist?


    Inadvertently, Lin Chen raised his head and looked in Xing Conglian¡¯s direction. He found that Xing Conglian was also looking at him through the rearview mirror.


    Just now, although Xing Conglian had been driving, he actually controlled the speed quite well, giving Lin Chen enough time to clarify some of the contents he had found.


    ¡°There are still five minutes until we reach the hospital, Consultant Lin. Have you figured out what to ask our victim?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen felt a bit incredulous. ¡°Is Captain Xing sure he wants to send me for questioning?¡±


    ¡°Apart from Consultant Lin, who among us can judge Li Jingtian¡¯s psychological condition with some short questions?¡± Xing Conglian replied rhetorically.


    Although Xing Conglian expressed his trust in him in these words, Lin Chen thought for a bit before replying, ¡°But my questions may be extreme.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed as if he were satisfied with this response.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? As long as you don¡¯t stab him to death with a knife, I can still protect you from other things.¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but shake his head when he saw Xing Conglian¡¯s expression of indifference.


    Although he knew very well that Xing Conglian¡¯s words were just to reassure him, at that moment, he felt Xing Conglian was quite manly. It was rare that Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel embarrassed when he was mentioned as being protected and instead actually felt grateful to Xing Conglian, thinking he was extremely sweet.


    However, this sweetness only lasted for less than a second.


    The reason was, Wang Chao¡¯s laptop suddenly made a strange scream. There seemed to be a woman on the laptop who was singing a high note at the top of her lungs. The cry was extremely miserable. This shocked him so much that he almost dropped the laptop. Wang Chao¡¯s reaction was faster. The teenager quickly pounced on his knee, as if he noticed something strange, and cut the picture back to the information cloud map just now.


    From the chart, it could be clearly seen that among all the clouds, a point was rapidly lighting up, as if a human neuron were being transmitted, and around the lit-up dot, countless more dots started lighting up. They quickly formed a cloud and spread out, like a virus.


    This meant that a key tweet was spreading at an extremely terrifying speed and had detonated the entire information network. The singing just now was probably the tone set by the teenager to monitor abnormal information.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and saw that Wang Chao had opened Weibo in shock.


    Then, the young man, who was rarely frightened, quickly shouted, ¡°Fuck, shit. How is this possible?!¡±


    He pressed the trackpad a few times, and a large picture immediately appeared in front of them.


    That was the scene before the throat-cutting incident, when Li Jingtian was singing on stage.


    Despite the lack of on-site surveillance video, there were a large number of Li Jingtian¡¯s fans shooting their idol in 360 degrees, ensuring that there were no blind spots in the audience.


    Naturally, among the fans were those who possessed advanced professional photography equipment. That photo was a high-definition photo taken by one of the fans at the time of the assault.


    ¡°Since the police are useless, we have to do it ourselves,¡± the Weibo post said.


    Lin Chen stabilized his breathing and looked intently. The female fan holding the bouquet of roses was about to arrive. Although she was wearing a mask, her eyebrows could still be clearly seen. Though her hair color was different, those eyebrows looked like those of the prostitute who falsely accused Li Jingtian of rape.


    They didn¡¯t even need to bring up the original picture for comparison. The Weibo poster had already made a comparison picture. She enlarged the eyes of the throat-slitting fan from the upper part of the bridge of the nose to the forehead and did the same to the prostitute who accused Li Jingtian of rape.


    Though the color of the hair was different, at first glance, the two were almost exactly the same.


    So, the question now was, could it be that Wang Chao¡¯s inference was wrong? Was this indeed an act of revenge against Li Jingtian that the wandering warbler deliberately planned?

 CH 114

    At this time, Wang Chao finally remembered to get his laptop back.


    Lin Chen leaned back, and the teenager moved the laptop back to his lap. He opened the photo, enlarged it, and searched it at an alarming speed, using some strange software that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t name to filter out the photo on the stage.


    Finally, Lin Chen saw the teenager look up and shake his head, indicating, ¡°This is an original picture. There¡¯s no trace of Photoshop.¡±


    Like a punctured balloon, the teenager deflated and fell back to his seat in frustration. As if remembering something, he pulled out a black cap from his backpack that was thrown to the ground, put it on, and stopped talking.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xing Conglian asked in the front driver¡¯s seat. The loud noise they made in the back seat obviously caught the attention of Mr. Driver.


    ¡°Captain, why don¡¯t you scold me? Didn¡¯t I just waste our investigation time?¡± Wang Chao rolled down the car window and pulled the brim of his cap down. He looked depressed, like a big dog actively facing a corner after getting into trouble.


    ¡°Why is this kid¡¯s mood fluctuating so much in adolescence? Do you have some medicine we can give him, Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian turned around and asked.


    Lin Chen had no choice but to explain, ¡°A photo of the time the assault appeared on Weibo just now. Someone took a photo of the fan who came on stage to attack Li Jingtian. The assailant looks very similar to the wandering warbler that accused Li Jingtian of rape.¡±


    ¡°Oh, someone finally posted the photo.¡± Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t surprised. He glanced at them through the rearview mirror and asked with a smile, ¡°I was waiting for these photos to be posted online. So is there a clue? Why is that brat so depressed?¡±


    ¡°Probably he feels that his reasoning was wrong, so he¡¯s frustrated.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xing Conglian asked again.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s very interesting.¡±


    With tacit understanding, Xing Conglian also laughed. In the rearview mirror, his eyes seemed like an emerald river shining in the sun¡ªextremely cunning.


    ¡°Why is it interesting?¡± Wang Chao inserted himself into their conversation gloomily.


    ¡°This story is too bizarre with all its ups and downs. When we doubt something, evidence seems to appear to clarify our doubts.¡±


    When they suspected that Li Jingtian was pretending to be seriously injured, he walked out of the emergency room by himself. When they suspected that he hired a water army to hype up the heat, the fans found the culprit who slit his throat. The rhythm was well controlled.


    ¡°Someone is thinking very thoroughly,¡± Xing Conglian replied with a smile.


    Wang Chao was even more lost. ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, what do you mean? Did Li Jingtian do this? But wasn¡¯t it the wandering warbler who slit his throat? Isn¡¯t this her revenge against him?¡±


    Hearing his questions, Lin Chen could only answer honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Conspiracy theories are just conspiracy theories. Isn¡¯t it just a girl who looks like a wandering warbler? Li Jingtian deliberately arranged for her to slit his throat on stage, hype up the event, and then dump the blame on the poor prostitute, so when she tries to accuse him of rape, everyone will think she¡¯s just a psychopath. This scheme is as deep as the sea. Is he really sick? Why would he want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he is really sick?¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t answer this question now. He could only rub the head of the questioning teenager through his cap and comfort him. ¡°You know, you¡¯re really smart, so you shouldn¡¯t doubt yourself. Every analysis of yours is based on actual data, which is more reliable than inferences made out of thin air. You¡¯ve already deduced from the massive amount of data that there¡¯s a water army behind this event, promoting development in a specific direction. Then, haven¡¯t you thought about it? She¡¯s just a wandering warbler. How is she able to control a water army, let alone be able to steal Li Jingtian¡¯s phone photos and post them on his Weibo account. Isn¡¯t this too much for a prostitute who sells her body for a living to have so many high-end technologies? Regarding tech problems, this should be your strength, right?¡±


    Wang Chao suddenly became spirited again. ¡°So, I¡¯m right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with investigating the case.¡± Xing Conglian kept honking the horn continuously as he spoke. ¡°For us, there are only two kinds of mistakes. The first is sending an innocent person to prison, and the second is letting the real culprit go unpunished.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Wang Chao replied with some understanding. ¡°Captain, to be honest, you¡¯re quite handsome when you suddenly speak a little bit of truth.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, let¡¯s prescribe him some medication,¡± Xing Conglian said half-jokingly, then ordered Wang Chao. ¡°Kid, let¡¯s use your strengths. First, monitor those Weibo posts that make key statements and provide key clues. See if those people¡¯s position is consistent with their usual remarks. If there is a water army, I don¡¯t need to teach you what to do, right?¡± Xing Conglian turned the steering wheel.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Wang Chao stroked the non-existent brim of the cap on his forehead. ¡°But if we don¡¯t catch the culprit and run to investigate enthusiastic citizens who provide important clues, won¡¯t we be scolded to death, Captain?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, who¡¯s going to know what you¡¯re doing, huh kid?¡± Xing Conglian stepped on the brakes and said, ¡°Besides, who said we wouldn¡¯t catch any suspects? Since the wandering warbler is currently our prime suspect, naturally we need to monitor her ID and bank card information.¡±


    When Xing Conglian said this, he immediately called the deputy captain of the police force and assigned him the task of monitoring and searching for the suspect.


    Seeing Xing Conglian hang up, Wang Chao suddenly came to his senses. ¡°Captain, are you afraid that Li Jingtian and the others will do something to the wandering warbler?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m following procedure, Officer Xiao Wang. Please don¡¯t question your superior.¡±


    In the middle of the conversation, Xing Conglian had already turned the car onto a one-way street. The municipal hospital was within sight.


    Being the largest hospital in Hongjing, the municipal hospital was usually crowded, but today, the flow of people going in and out was particularly dense.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s iconic, red-clothed fans were squatting on the side of the road, chatting in twos and threes. There were vehicles that were obviously from the news network parked on the side of the street, making the crowded street even more congested.


    ¡°Shit Captain, there are a lot of people. I¡¯m afraid of reporters. A¡¯Chen, can you help me check to see if my hair is messy?¡±


    Wang Chao was a typical person who was born to see the world plunged into chaos. When he saw the reporters, he quickly forgot his previous conversation with Xing Conglian, and hurriedly sorted out the brim of his hat in the rearview mirror.


    Lin Chen stared at the reporters in front of him. Most of them who came were the local Hongjing media, so remembering the license plate of the local police captain was naturally a necessary homework for these reporters.


    When Xing Conglian drove the Jeep into the intersection, someone reacted. Many of them were ready to go and quickly swarmed around the gate of the hospital, waiting for them to hit the encirclement.


    Looking at the numerous reporters who were about to surround them, Lin Chen asked, ¡°Can we still get in?¡±


    Xing Conglian took out his phone with a smile and made a call.


    A reporter had already rushed to the front of their car. Lin Chen heard shouts of, ¡°They¡¯re here. The police are here!¡±


    At the same time, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone was connected. Lin Chen only heard him say to the person on the other end, ¡°Lao Chen, the municipal hospital is very congested. There are a lot of cars blocking the way, so we can¡¯t get in. It doesn¡¯t matter since we¡¯re here to investigate, but in case of an emergency, the ambulance can¡¯t get through, so that¡¯s quite troubling, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    More reporters started to encircle them, causing Xing Conglian to slow down his pace as a result. Under the guidance of the garage manager, Xing Conglian was finally able to park his car.


    Upon seeing this, the reporters swarmed the vehicle. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was watching a scene from a zombie movie.


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem worried about losing to such a siege. ¡°Lao Chen, sorry to trouble you.¡± After he finished speaking, he hung up and looked back at them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his brows.


    After speaking, Xing Conglian turned off the engine, pulled out the key, opened the car door, and walked out.


    The moment the car door opened, the reporters¡¯ questions bombarded him one after another. Their voices passed through the cracks in the Jeep, seeping inside.


    ¡°Captain Xing, how can the police explain the repeated attacks on Mr. Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, was there an issue with on-site security?¡±


    ¡°Now there are rumors on the internet that the attack on Mr. Li Jingtian was from a so-called prostitute who falsely accused Mr. Li Jingtian of rape. Are the two cases related?¡±


    Reporters¡¯ questions were always sharp, but in fact, they were probably more concerned about what kind of story would get the most social attention than tracking down the truth of the case.


    Lin Chen opened one side of the car door and was about to step out. Wang Chao was in full panic; he clutched his backpack and tightly pulled on his clothes.


    The moment Lin Chen got out of the car, Xing Conglian even blocked some of the reporters for him. Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian reply to the reporters, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The case is currently under investigation. No comment.¡±


    Other than that, Xing Conglian refused to say anything else.


    The media was annoyed by the police attitude. One bold reporter holding a microphone with the logo of Hongjing TV station stepped forward and yell. ¡°Then we have to write that a police spokesperson said the police investigation is going nowhere.¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Then you must tell us some information so we can also report on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± Xing Conglian prolonged his tone. On the far side of the road, the siren of the traffic police sounded.


    Someone among the crowd shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t ticket us. We¡¯ll move right now.¡±


    The reporters who were originally surrounding them recovered one after another and looked at the side of the road outside the courtyard. After all, businesses were all about increasing income and cutting costs. Most of the reporters present were responsible for their own vehicles. Seeing that they were going to get ticketed, they all hurried to their cars and shouted as loudly as they could, ¡°Please wait a moment!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll move my car. Don¡¯t ticket! Don¡¯t ticket!¡±


    For a moment, the number of people besieging them decreased by more than half.


    While the reporters were distracted, Xing Conglian deftly fended off the rest of the reporters, took them out of the encirclement, and entered the hospital building.


    ¡°Captain, I must remember Li Jingtian for this grudge!¡±


    Even though Xing Conglian had already handled more than half of the reporters, Wang Chao¡¯s black t-shirt was still caught in the mess. His beloved black cap would most likely not have survived if he hadn¡¯t grabbed it ahead of time.


    When they entered the inpatient building, it got much easier to handle. The security guard would block off the reporters on the grounds that they were disturbing the patients.


    Standing in the elevator, Lin Chen felt a lingering fear.


    Although they were only blocked by the local media, there were more people waiting for the progress of the case, both online and in real life. They were constantly discussing, debating, and expressing their views on the matter.


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen once again felt those invisible external pressures would likely become a real obstacle to the progress of their investigation.

 CH 115

    Municipal hospital, intensive care ward.


    Comrade Zhang Xiaolong, the undercover who was arranged by Xing Conglian, was waiting for them at the elevator entrance.


    Seeing them, the policewoman said nervously, ¡°Captain Xing, Captain Xing¡­ You¡¯re finally here¡­¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong was extremely panicked. Xing Conglian patted her on the shoulder and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiaolong? What happened?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong didn¡¯t even have time to greet them and just blurted out, ¡°I found out in the doctor¡¯s office that Li Jingtian is transferring to another hospital!¡±


    ¡°Where is he transferring to?¡± Xing Conglian asked calmly after he walked out of the elevator without revealing anything in his expression.


    Zhang Xiaolong looked around. It seemed her ¡°undercover¡± career had left a shadow, since she kept feeling as if someone was eavesdropping.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There are no outsiders here,¡± Lin Chen comforted.


    Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolong walked with them and lowered her voice. ¡°It said that Li Jingtian is going to the Xinni Embassy.¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian was still calm. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the medical facilities at the Xinni Embassy are better than the municipal hospital.¡±


    ¡°No, Captain Xing. It¡¯s said that Li Jingtian is afraid of being attacked again, so he¡¯s staying there for protection.¡± Zhang Xiaolong was confused. ¡°Who the hell is Li Jingitan? I only know that he¡¯s from Xinni, but I didn¡¯t know he could actually stay inside the embassy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s from a privileged class.¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but sneer as his old and new hatred for Li Jingtian collided.


    ¡°What privileged class?¡± Sensing gossip, Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°His grandfather is the former Consul General of Xinni to our country. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a privilege class?¡± Wang Chao said angrily.


    ¡°Wow, Li Jingtian¡¯s family is actually that good!¡± Most likely because girls were the same, once she heard Li Jingtian was the son of a diplomatic family, coupled with his status as a singer, Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s mood immediately turned turbulent.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite troublesome.¡± Xing Conglian rubbed his chin.


    ¡°What¡¯s troublesome?¡± Zhang Xiaolong asked.


    Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but interject. ¡°Ah, are you dumb? According to international conventions, personnel of the resident country aren¡¯t allowed to enter the embassy and take action or implement legal procedures. As long as Li Jingtian stays in it, the Xinni Embassy will shield him, and we can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong suddenly realized something, and her expression became more frightened. ¡°What? Captain Xing, are we going to arrest Li Jingtian? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the prince broke the law and committed a crime against the common people,¡± Wang Chao said sternly, although in fact, he couldn¡¯t explain clearly what Li Jingtian had committed.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem to want to deal with his two little comrades anymore. ¡°What ward is Li Jingtian in?¡±


    ¡°Room 907,¡± Zhang Xiaolong hurriedly replied.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian nodded to Comrade Zhang Xiaolong. He took two steps forward, then, as if remembering something, turned his head and made a silent gesture to Zhang Xiaolong.


    Zhang Xiaolong understood and quickly zipped her mouth, indicating that she knew to keep them shut.


    The intensive care ward, also meant, the high-end ward.


    The floor tiles in the aisle here were whiter than those in other parts of the hospital. Lin Chen heard his footsteps echoing in the corridor as they walked. There were few people around, so this was a good place to come and rest.


    Xing Conglian walked without hesitation. When he passed the nurse¡¯s station, Lin Chen felt him look at him and suddenly asked him, ¡°Is there any strategy, Consultant Lin?¡±


    It was rare for Xing Conglian to be so cautious.


    Lin Chen frowned.


    In fact, they all knew very well that if Li Jingtian was truly an innocent victim, then all was fine. If not, he may be both the event planner and the culprit behind the scenes. He was protected by the diplomatic system, which meant his mind was much more treacherous and different from ordinary people. The most important thing was that they didn¡¯t know what Li Jingtian wanted to do.


    In this case, ordinary play by the ear actions may not be enough, which was why Xing Conglian had specially asked him if he had a strategy in mind.


    Lin Chen shook his head gently. Many images appeared in his mind.


    The singer whose throat was slit, the nightingale who died tragically, the boiling internet situation, a case that attracted worldwide attention¡­


    While he was thinking, they had reached the door of room 907.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t respond, Xing Conglian was about to knock on the door. Lin Chen suddenly held down his hand and raised his head. ¡°I do have an idea.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk to Li Jingtian.¡±


    After three knocks on the door, the door opened in response, letting out the light from the bright sky. There were only three people in the room. Ignoring the other two women, the only man in the room was half leaning against the hospital bed and looking at them with a light and elegant smile, as if they were old friends who had learned of the news and came to visit him, not the police or anyone else.


    After more than an hour, they finally met Mr. Li Jingtian face-to-face.


    With only a glance at Li Jingtian, Lin Chen turned his gaze away from the famous singer.


    The ward was clean, and there was a slight smell of disinfectant in the air, but the smell was faint¡ªcovered up by the scent of a bunch of pink lilies on the bedside table.


    Although they did hear that Li Jingtian planned to leave the hospital, even so, there was no shortage of flowers at the head of the bed or fruit baskets on the dining table.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on the two ladies in the room.


    He had previously only felt the strong aura of Li Jingtian¡¯s beautiful manager through photos and her voice on the phone. Now seeing the real person, Lin Chen only felt that she was more awe-inspiring than a flat image.


    The woman was wearing a plain dress. Her long hair was lightly tied up, and she was leaning against the window. She stood with crossed arms and slightly raised brows, giving off a calm, majestic demeanor.


    Seeing them, the elegant and beautiful lady raised her head slightly with an indifferent expression. ¡°Mr. Police Officer, you¡¯re finally here. We¡¯ve been waiting for quite some time.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian¡¯s acting skills were better than his. As he had instructed, Xing Conglian never looked at the singer on the hospital bed from start to finish but instead walked a few steps quickly and stood in front of the beautiful woman and stretched out his hand with a gentlemanly demeanor to shake hands with her, then he quickly let go. ¡°Sorry, sorry. We are indeed late. The main reason is that the chaos in Ansheng International Mall was so large that it was a lot of trouble cleaning up. Please forgive me.¡±


    Xing Conglian was a smooth talker. Since he alluded to Li Jingtian¡¯s trouble in Hongjing, making it troublesome for the police to clean up, it was hard to find fault with the police¡¯s attitude towards the victim.


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re here now. May I ask, when is the Hongjing police going to start their investigation?¡± Liu Ying asked.


    Although it sounded like an ordinary inquiry, the tone behind Liu Ying¡¯s words was more like a manager reviewing their subordinate¡¯s work.


    Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t someone who would get angry because of this kind of attitude. Instead, he humbly replied, ¡°The police now have certain clues¡­¡±


    Before his voice fell, the beautiful lady interrupted. ¡°Those are the clues provided by our Jingtian¡¯s fans, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only part of it. We¡¯re here this time mainly to¡­¡± He paused. Lin Chen saw the obvious smile in his eyes. ¡°Check Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s phone.¡±


    At that moment, Liu Ying was taken aback for a second, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she had heard. Then, like an elegant long-haired cat with its tail stepped on, her haughty face finally showed cracks. ¡°Captain Xing, I know that police procedures are different in various countries but respecting the victim should be the minimum of professional ethics of the police. Now that you have come to us, not only do you not express any sympathy for the victim, but your first reaction is to check Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s phone?¡±


    ¡°Sympathy¡­¡± Xing Conglian stared at the woman in front of him with calm eyes. ¡°How can we not sympathize? Not only the police, but anyone with humanity will sympathize with the victim¡¯s plight. However, I hope you understand that compassion doesn¡¯t solve problems. Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s phone was hacked by someone, and they were able to steal his pictures and number and hack into his account. For us, this is probably no longer a simple case of assault.¡±


    ¡°I feel that you don¡¯t respect us,¡± Liu Ying said. ¡°Looking at your attitude, if it weren¡¯t for the wound on Jingtian¡¯s neck, I would think that we¡¯re being treated like criminals¡­¡±


    Liu Ying¡¯s tone rose higher. At this moment, someone called to her softly.


    ¡°Liu Jie.¡±


    The voice was hoarse and low, like kneaded velvet. Although it wasn¡¯t loud, it was enough to interrupt the angry manager.


    In this room, naturally, the only one who could interrupt Liu Ying was Li Jingtian.


    Hearing this, Liu Ying hurriedly rushed to the edge of the hospital bed and said to Li Jingtian with concern, ¡°Speak less!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Li Jingtian slowly coughed. It was obvious that the wound on his neck made it difficult for him to speak. ¡°Let them check. I also want to know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    After Li Jingitan finished speaking, he looked at Xing Conglian and nodded.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s persistence made Liu Ying unable to say anything. The female manager stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine to check, but Jingtian¡¯s phone can¡¯t leave out sights.¡±


    ¡°Of course. After all, we have to protect the privacy of an artist.¡±


    When Liu Ying said that, she was trying to give Xing Conglian a hard time. Unexpectedly, Xing Conglian relented submissively.


    As if receiving some signal, the teenager that was nestled in the corner hurriedly jumped out. ¡°No problem. Can I check it here?¡±


    While speaking, he sat cross-legged directly on the floor in front of Liu Ying. He opened the laptop on his lap, then stretched out his hand with an expectant gaze to the lady next to the bed.


    Liu Ying didn¡¯t expect that Xing Conglian actually brought a technician with him. Her face suddenly turned ugly, but Wang Chao was different from ordinary police officers. He wasn¡¯t timid despite facing a big star and their manager. To be precise, Wang Chao was quite good at maintaining his facial expression, except in the face of Xing Conglian.


    Seeing Liu Ying stunned, the teenager thought she was worried about something, so he rubbed his hands together and said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t scan the photos and videos on the phone. You can also rest assured that there won¡¯t be any pornographic photos leaking out. I guarantee it on my honor and with my bank account number¡­¡±


    Liu Ying¡¯s face suddenly turned black like the bottom of a pot. ¡°Captain Xing, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Children are ignorant. Adults have to be more open-minded*. Forgive me.¡±


    *Adults have a lot (´óÈËÓдóÁ¿) Idiom derive from a folklore that refers to being open-minded and kind when dealing with people.

 CH 116

    Wang Chao smiled brightly¡ªor at least he felt himself do it as the corners of his mouth seemed to be grinning ear to ear.


    After all, it had been a long time since his boss had taken such a strong stand to cover for him. It felt great to have someone cover for him so he could do whatever he wanted.


    He was in a good mood as he raised his hand a little higher. Just when he was ready to grab a big job, he felt his hand sink, and something cold touched his palms. The sudden metallic texture made him shudder before he realized someone had put a phone in his hand.


    After realizing this, he looked up sharply and saw Li Jingtian¡¯s gentle and elegant face. Or rather, it was more appropriate to say ¡°a gentle scummy face¡± to describe him. In short, Li Jingtian¡¯s face was as white as a ghost. He didn¡¯t believe in the excuse of excessive blood loss. At some point, Li Jingtian was already sitting at the edge of the bed, hanging his slender legs on the side. A large piece of gauze was wrapped around his neck. They didn¡¯t know what kind of disinfectant the hospital used, but most of the gauze was still oozing with blood. The singer was staring at Wang Chao with an extremely gentle look. When Wang Chao looked at those bottomless eyes, despite searching through his guts, he couldn¡¯t find a suitable adjective to describe them. The fact was, Li Jingtian¡¯s eyes were too gentle, so gentle that they gave him goosebumps.


    At that time, he wanted to say something to interrupt, but when he was about to speak, Lin Chen¡¯s reminder echoed in his ears.


    A¡¯Chen had told them not to talk to Li Jingtian.


    So he won¡¯t say anything.


    He didn¡¯t plan to make any more eye contact with Li Jingtian, so he quickly looked away. He hurriedly looked at the phone he just got, turned it over, and looked at the phone jack.


    Then he gave a soft snort.


    Naturally, Lin Chen noticed Li Jingtian looking at Wang Chao with a strange gaze. But in the end, Mr. Singer wasn¡¯t doing anything, so he couldn¡¯t interject.


    When he heard Wang Chao snort, Lin Chen saw an obviously weird smile on Liu Ying¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hey, this phone model is pretty popular in Xinni¡­¡± Wang Chao quickly explained.


    The teenager looked at the phone jack again and casually said, ¡°Oh, let me look for the cable for this phone.¡±


    As he spoke, he slammed his red backpack on the ground and began to rummage through it.


    Wang Chao¡¯s backpack was no different from a treasure chest. Lin Chen once saw him take out some surveillance cameras and signal blockers from it, so if he took out a special adapter for a phone made in Xinni from his backpack, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise.


    However, Liu Ying didn¡¯t have this knowledge. When Wang Chao pulled out the adapter and connected Li Jingtian¡¯s phone to his laptop, Ms. Liu¡¯s face darkened once again.


    The teenager kept knocking on commands with his usual terrifying hand speed as data streams began to flow on the computer screen.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Not long after, Wang Chao¡¯s hand stopped.


    ¡°Well?¡± Unknowingly, Liu Ying had squatted down and looked at Wang Chao¡¯s laptop screen.


    ¡°This phone is indeed infected by a virus.¡± Wang Chao ignored the manager next to him and nodded to Xing Conglian. ¡°A kind of network phone worm called Cabir. It¡¯s not particularly high-tech, so you can buy it on those shady forums.¡±


    ¡°How did that virus get into our Jingitan¡¯s phone?¡± Liu Ying asked.


    ¡°Have you guys connected to the wifi recently?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s question was directed toward Liu Ying, but Li Jingtian took the initiative to answer. ¡°No, because I know that the wireless network isn¡¯t very secure, so I¡¯ve been using my phone network.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re quite rich.¡± The teenager spoke suddenly, as if he had found something unusual, and rubbed his nose. ¡°This virus is transmitted via Bluetooth. It¡¯s a variant of Cabir and can scan the Bluetooth systems of nearby phones. If a vulnerability is found, the virus will automatically be transmitted.¡±


    ¡°In other words, anyone who has been in contact with Jingtian may have sent this virus?¡± Liu Ying asked.


    ¡°Hey, sister, are you interested in solving this case?¡± The teenager¡¯s moe was usually effective against short-skirted beauties, not queenly sisters, so he spoke with a gentle tone towards Liu Ying. ¡°Wait, I can find out how this virus got implanted.¡±


    He curled his lips and took out a Mentos from his backpack and popped one in his mouth, but his eyes kept staring at the screen.


    Soon, as if he had discovered something incredible, he glanced at Xing Conglian with a rare solemnity on his face. ¡°This virus was implanted at 10:03 today.¡±


    When Li Jingtian heard this, he suddenly said, ¡°10:03 is¡­ the time when my throat was slit?¡±


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t speak and just nodded, agreeing with that assessment.


    ¡°Could it be that the culprit used the opportunity when she was approaching me while giving me flowers?¡± Li Jingtian asked.


    This time, Wang Chao had no self-doubt. At least the teenager didn¡¯t have any hesitation on his face. He just stared at the computer screen solemnly and said, ¡°I found that the Bluetooth on your phone is turned on. If it¡¯s implanted through the Bluetooth system, then she really needs to be very close to you to do it, but in theory, the first row of spectators under the stage can also do it.¡±


    ¡°I remember. When she came on stage and hugged me, she seemed to want to get very close to me on purpose. Is it because she was implanting the virus? Why?¡± Li Jingtian¡¯s tone became lower and more terrified, with the curiosity of finding out more. Unfortunately, his tone didn¡¯t sway Wang Chao, who wasn¡¯t interested in solving that case.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe you offended her somehow.¡±


    ¡°How terrible.¡± Liu Ying couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth. ¡°You must arrest that perverted prostitute and bring her to justice,¡± she said to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian raised his brows and took a noncommittal stance.


    It seemed that the last suspicion about Li Jingtian had been cleared. He did have his throat slit, and his phone was indeed infected by a virus. It seemed that someone was setting him up. They now seemed to have no reason to doubt Li Jingitan, but obviously Xing Conglian and Lin Chen didn¡¯t think so.


    In fact, the moment they entered the ward, Lin Chen didn¡¯t have any verbal communication with Xing Conglian, but based on his understanding of his friend¡¯s consistent behavior, Xing Conglian knew well that Lin Chen hadn¡¯t started yet.


    So, at such a moment of no progress, he glanced at Lin Chen, who started to make his move.


    ¡°I have a question I want to ask you in private,¡± Lin Chen said.


    The girl hurriedly shook her head and looked at Ms. Liu, who was standing by the window, as if asking for help.


    Liu Ying smiled as she said, ¡°What question do you have, Mr. Officer, that you can¡¯t ask in front of us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really a bit inconvenient,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Liu Ying was speechless. Lin Chen¡¯s reticent attitude was difficult to deal with. Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sympathetic for those who insisted on fighting against Consultant Lin.


    ¡°No, you must ask in front of us. We have to listen, in case you try to induce a confession or something!¡±


    ¡°Have you been reading too many detective novels?¡± Lin Chen turned his head and gave her a light, mysterious look.


    However, he didn¡¯t dwell on Liu Ying for long. Instead, he looked at Li Jingtian¡¯s female assistant, gave up on the private conversation, and gently said, ¡°This is just a routine inquiry. Please don¡¯t think too much and answer truthfully.¡±


    The assistant reluctantly nodded, but the girl still held her head down desperately, as if she didn¡¯t dare look Lin Chen directly in the eyes.


    ¡°I want to ask, have you been following Mr. Li Jingtian today?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was soft like a mosquito, to the point where it was almost inaudible.


    Lin Chen took another step closer and asked seriously, ¡°But Ms. Liu Ying didn¡¯t follow you. I know that she arrived at the hospital later. Basically, were you responsible for the meet and greet at Ansheng International Mall?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I just helped with the luggage. I¡¯m not responsible for it¡­¡± The girl¡¯s face flushed.


    ¡°I had to meet with an important guest in Hongjing today, so that¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t there with Jingtian. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you.¡± Lin Chen turned his head and interrupted the manager.


    Liu Ying stared wide-eyed and was speechless again.


    Lin Chen refused to give Liu Ying a chance to question him. He turned his head and continued to look at the little assistant, who was almost lowering herself into dust in the room, and gently said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. This is just a simple question. Who arranged for the female fan who came on stage to give flowers?¡± He paused. ¡°A lot of evidence now shows that the fan who came on stage was the prostitute who accused Mr. Li Jingtian of raping her a few days ago, including you. Now you¡¯re all confident about it, right? But, as Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s assistant, you should be very clear on the person¡¯s appearance. You shouldn¡¯t be unable to recognize her. So, who was it that arranged for her to bring flowers up?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s question was sharp. This was one of the biggest doubts in the entire case. The assistant who was staring at him bit her lip. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was arranged by the mall, but it seems to be someone from the fan club. I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be the fan club. There¡¯s no way the fan club members can¡¯t recognize the person who framed their idol.¡±


    The girl was so confused. She looked around the room, trying to find someone who could give her an idea, but there was no one in the ward who could help her.


    The ward fell into silence.


    Liu Ying wanted to save the scene, but Lin Chen seemed to possess eyes on the back of his head. The moment the manager was about to speak, he stretched out his hand and patted the girl¡¯s head and softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. If you can¡¯t remember, you don¡¯t have to think about it. It¡¯s okay.¡± Despite being the target of his questioning, Lin Chen had shut it down uncharacteristically. His gaze still remained on the top of the girl¡¯s head, never changing from beginning to end.


    ¡°Okay, then can you repeat Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s itinerary for today?¡± Lin Chen continued.


    Just then, the singer, who had been silent on the hospital bed, finally couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°If you have any questions, you can ask me directly. There¡¯s no need to hassle Xiao Ke.¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and said to the singer in a disdainful tone, ¡°Why should I ask you?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were clear, revealing an unspeakable arrogance, as if the person sitting on the hospital bed wasn¡¯t a superstar who could cause a stampede in a shopping mall, but just an ordinary suspect¡ªor rather, not an ordinary suspect. His eyes were as if he were looking at scum or garbage on the ground.


    Anyone who was looked at by Lin Chen with that kind of gaze would only have two reactions: either anger or fear.


    But for Li Jingtian, who could enjoy Lin Chen¡¯s special treatment, their reactions were always more special.

 CH 117

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to influence your investigation, nor am I accusing you of anything.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Li Jingtian was still humble and kind. His eyes were a little red, as if it were because Lin Chen¡¯s attitude was too aggressive, which hurt his feelings. He stabilized his breathing and continued, ¡°I just think your attitude toward my assistant is a bit too much. After all, I know that you¡¯re not that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person I am seems to have nothing to do with you.¡± Lin Chen finally turned around and continued to look down at Li Jingtian.


    ¡°Theoretically, it¡¯s true. In fact, I understand that you should have prejudices against me.¡± As Li Jingtian spoke, he lay back on the hospital bed again. He put the blanket on himself again and said weakly, ¡°Just now, I¡¯m really sorry for causing such a big riot in the shopping mall, but I¡¯ll never forget that it was you who saved my life. I just want to say thank you to you.¡±


    His words were extremely sincere; a stark contrast to Lin Chen¡¯s appearance, which looked as if he was looking at someone who owed him 30 million.


    No matter who encountered such soft words, they would weaken; at least they wouldn¡¯t be so cold, but Lin Chen was still Lin Chen. Xing Conglian looked at his friend and colleague with interest, who was still looking at the singer on the bed as if he were looking at an ant. There was no sign of shaking in the other party¡¯s hands. He heard Lin Chen say in a calm tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t save you, or rather, my intention wasn¡¯t to save you. In that case, your life isn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still my savior,¡± Li Jingtian insisted.


    The current situation was extremely strange. It looked like Li Jingtian was desperately trying to attract Lin Chen¡¯s attention with his good words and actions, but Lin Chen was completely dismissive of it.


    This situation was so obviously abnormal that even Wang Chao noticed the strange atmosphere in the air and froze all his movements.


    Just as Lin Chen was about to turn his head and seem to ignore Li Jingtian again, Xing Conglian saw a strange, irritable look suddenly appear on Li Jingtian¡¯s face. The expression was fleeting¡ªit seemed the singer¡¯s level of control over his expression was truly first-class.


    Li Jingtian became downcast and said to Lin Chen in a hoarse and sad tone, ¡°I think, no matter what I say, you won¡¯t change your opinion of me, right?¡±


    As if he had reached the appropriate point, Lin Chen finally turned his head after several seconds of silence, and after ten minutes of them walking into the ward, Lin Chen finally looked Li Jingtian right in the eyes.


    ¡°Do you really want me to talk to you?¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he walked closer to Li Jingtian, step by step. When he was a few steps away from the hospital bed, Lin Chen stopped in his tracks.


    Xing Conglian thought it was because there was a chair with a backrest to the left of Lin Chen. As expected, Lin Chen withdrew his gaze from Li Jingtian and looked at the chair. The next moment, he grabbed the back of the chair and casually dragged it to the bed.


    The chair legs scraped against the tiles on the floor, creating a harsh sound. The sound reminded Xing Conglian of the screams of some young creatures when they were pierced by the tip of a needle, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it. He dragged the chair smoothly with his hand and finally threw the chair in front of Li Jingtian¡¯s hospital bed, then sat down calmly.


    Li Jingtian looked grateful when Lin Chen sat in front of him. After taking a deep breath, he slowly spoke. ¡°I just don¡¯t want my savior to have any prejudice against me. If there¡¯s a problem that I can explain, I¡¯ll do my best to make it clear.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m prejudiced against you?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s hands naturally fell to his knees. In fact, according to normal customs, he should have placed them in a more comfortable position on Li Jingtian¡¯s bed, but Lin Chen acted as if he was afraid of touching germs and deliberately kept his distance from Li Jingtian.


    ¡°Your attitude towards me, including your posture, is telling me that you regard me as a suspect,¡± Li Jingtian explained patiently.


    ¡°Then do you think you have committed a crime?¡± Lin Chen still maintained his straight sitting posture like an evergreen tree.


    ¡°The only mistake I made today was causing chaos in the Ansheng International Shopping Mall. I caused so much trouble, and many people were hurt because of it. I¡¯m really, very sorry.¡± When he talked about the accident, Li Jingtian¡¯s gaze turned sad.


    ¡°It¡¯s not some people. The Ansheng International trampling accident had a total of 12 victims who suffered different degrees of injuries. Three of them were seriously injured, including a 6-year-old girl.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Jingtian was shocked. He looked at Lin Chen with mournful eyes and said, with guilt, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. If I can, I like to bear part of their medical expenses.¡±


    Lin Chen leaned back on his chair. ¡°Well, the problems that can be solved by money are trivial matters.¡± He interrupted Li Jingtian impatiently, ¡°You desperately wanted me to question you just now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to clear my name,¡± Li Jingtian insisted.


    ¡°My questions might be unbearable. Are you sure you want to answer it?¡± While speaking, Lin Chen suddenly leaned forward. He propped one hand on the bedside table and looked at Li Jingtian with a leisurely gaze, like a hunter watching his prey step into the encirclement.


    ¡°If my answer can reverse your prejudice against me, then I¡¯m naturally happy to answer them.¡±


    Li Jingtian continued to stare at Lin Chen with a gentle gaze. He almost burst into tears just now, so his eyes were still moist. Looking at the soft and wet eyes, Xing Conglian felt the singer was violating Lin Chen with those eyes.


    This kind of perception made him feel strangely irritable in his heart, but at that moment, Xing Conglian suddenly understood Lin Chen¡¯s intention. In fact, he had never seen the same gaze in the eyes of any mentally sound person.


    ¡°Well, let me ask you. Have you offended anyone recently?¡±


    Lin Chen obviously noticed the singer¡¯s issue, or rather, he knew what the problem was from the very start.


    ¡°Mr. Police Officer, you may not know much about it, but I really am a person who likes to be kind to others, so, no. I haven¡¯t offended anyone.¡±


    At this time, Lin Chen had no expression on his face. There was no ridicule or sneering. He just looked at Li Jingtian calmly, but this calmness was terrifying.


    ¡°What you said is almost, in fact, laying the groundwork for the next turning point. Let¡¯s move on. I don¡¯t have much time,¡± Lin Chen continued casually.


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t want to make any turning points. There is only one thing that bothers me, and I don¡¯t know why¡­ Well, you¡¯re right. I do have a point to make. The only person I have offended recently is a girl named Xu Ran.¡±


    Li Jingtian was extremely polite. Although his noble agent was more crude, Li Jingtian still referred to the person who accused him as a girl, rather than a whore. This was simply being cultured on an indescribable level.


    ¡°Oh, you finally mentioned that girl.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s face was hidden under the bunch of pink lilies, making him look even colder. ¡°Actually, you enjoyed it quite a bit, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Li Jingtian¡¯s tone became weak again.


    ¡°Well, let me be clear about what I¡¯m trying to say. What I mean is, you really enjoy the feeling of being exposed to the media as a rapist, right? Those flashes, those rebukes on the internet¡ªin reality, these make you extremely excited. Am I right?¡± Before Li Jingtian could respond, Lin Chen cut him off. ¡°Needless to say, you¡¯re a poor, pitiful victim. You know very well that there are some people in this world who are born enjoying the feeling of being victimized. What¡¯s more, you know better than anyone else that no one will believe that girl¡¯s words because you¡¯re a famous person from nobility, while she¡¯s just a whore¡­ That¡¯s all.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was as calm as ever, without any sharp cadence, but when he finished speaking, even the manager who was by the window was speechless. The ward was completely silent, truly like a ward.


    After being so humiliated, ordinary people would resist, but Li Jingtian simply lowered his head strangely. In the next moment, a drop of crystal tears flowed down his face, which was quite unbearable to look at.


    His lips were stained with traces of tears, moist as a rose covered with dew in the early hours of dawn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault, but I really didn¡¯t do anything to her.¡±


    Lin Chen seemed satisfied with the scene in front of him, and he even laughed.


    One person was crying sadly, while the other was laughing faintly. The scene around the hospital bed was becoming so disconnected that even the sun rays that sprinkled in from the window felt as cold as snow.


    ¡°Do you have a special sexual fetish?¡± Lin Chen suddenly seemed to remember something as he slightly leaned forward and asked solemnly.


    An embarrassed expression appeared on Li Jingtian¡¯s face.


    Seeing the singer on the bed didn¡¯t answer, Lin Chen suddenly stood up. He leaned down, about an arm¡¯s distance from Li Jingtian, and asked seriously, ¡°Do you like bondage or anal sex? Things like wax dripping aren¡¯t to your taste. You only pursue the sense of control that comes from being restrained. I think you like that kind of thing very much.¡± As Lin Chen spoke, his face got closer to Li Jingtian.


    Suddenly, Li Jingtian raised his head. His expression was still gentle and downcast, but in the very short tenth of a second, there was a strange sense of excitement in his eyes, as if there were a monster growing in the most sinister swamp and finally revealing its ugly tail.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t seem to notice this as he kept asking questions. ¡°Does raping a dirty whore give you extra sexual pleasure? You smashed her head against the wall, and when you saw her crying and begging for mercy, you were so excited that you couldn¡¯t control your desire and came right on the spot?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing!¡± Liu Ying almost screamed. ¡°Are your subordinates here to humiliate us? I¡¯ll file a written complaint with the embassy and the Hongjing police. Just you wait!¡±


    Xing Conglian noticed that while the woman was shouting, her hands couldn¡¯t help trembling. It seemed as if Lin Chen¡¯s words just now had left a shadow in her heart.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t respond because he was waiting for Lin Chen.


    At this time, Lin Chen finally stood up. He ended the inquiry with a gesture that looked like he was throwing Li Jingtian away as if he were trash, then walked to Xing Conglian¡¯s side and nodded to him.


    This meant, ¡°I¡¯m done. You can cover for me¡±, which only made Xing Conglian feel helpless.


    ¡°How could this be humiliation?¡± Xing Conglian shook his head slightly at Lin Chen, turned to look at the manager, whose face was distorted by panic and anger, and gave her a smile. ¡°What you said, about a written complaint, I suggest you don¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Then, please, Captain Xing, have your colleague immediately apologize to Mr. Li Jingtian. Now! Such a request isn¡¯t too much, right?¡± The woman responded coldly.


    ¡°No, I think you misunderstood me.¡± He put his hand on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°I mean, if you dare write a complaint, you¡¯ll bear the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Liu Ying¡¯s expression was cold. She once again looked like a hissing cat that just had its tail stepped on. She raised her volume and took out her phone.


    At this moment, the door to the ward was suddenly knocked on.

 CH 118

    Women were probably good at changing their expressions.


    Lin Chen could clearly see Liu Ying¡¯s expression change from nervous to arrogant in an instant, as she seemed to know exactly who was behind that door.


    Going by a guess, those who would knock on the door to Li Jingtian¡¯s ward would be the staff of the embassy who were rumored to be coming to pick up Mr. Li Jingtian for his ¡°transfer¡±.


    Just as he had just finished humiliating Li Jingtian and the situation hadn¡¯t subsided, the staff of the embassy appeared. The timing wasn¡¯t very good. Lin Chen could only look at Xing Conglian apologetically.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem to care. He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, indicating he didn¡¯t need to worry.


    However, since Xing Conglian was comforting him, most likely he also guessed who was behind that door.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother entangling with Liu Ying any longer. He looked down at the teenager, who had been sitting on the ground, and said, ¡°Pack your things and get up.¡±


    Hearing Xing Conglian intent of leaving, Liu Ying felt wronged. She arrogantly ordered the little assistant in the corner of the room. ¡°Xiao Ke, go and open the door.¡±


    The little girl shuddered, ran to the door tremblingly, and opened it.


    There were four people standing outside.


    It looked like a classic scene in a European or American spy war movie. The four at the door were all dressed in black uniforms; even their leather shoes were pure black. They wore sunglasses, and there was a headset cord that extended from behind the neckline of their suits. Their waists were bulging; it was obvious they were equipped with guns, which was covered by the hems of their suits.


    Comrade Wang Chao looked at the four black-clothed men who were tightly blocking the door, stunned. The word ¡°fuck¡± was almost written all over his face.


    However, the four bodyguards or agents seemed to be accustomed to this sense of attention. They all walked into the ward and stood at the four corners of Li Jingtian¡¯s hospital bed. One of them walked to the bedside table, turned around, and said respectfully to Li Jingtian, ¡°Mr. Li, we were ordered by Ambassador Zhaohua to protect your personal safety in China.¡±


    At least they didn¡¯t address him with a weird term like young master, Lin Chen thought. Suddenly, he heard a sibilant sound coming from the room.


    When he looked down, he discovered that the sound had been made by someone else. The teenager who was squatting on the ground was stuffing a power cord, laptop, and his Mentos candy into his backpack. Because he was moving so quickly, it created a lot of noise.


    Wang Chao was naturally carrying out the arrangement of his boss, but as far as the situation was concerned, he didn¡¯t seem to put those heavily armed agents from the embassy in his eyes at all.


    With the cluttering noise in the background, the originally frozen atmosphere that was brought on when the black-clothed agents entered was slowly melting.


    Upon seeing this, Liu Ying¡¯s face turned ugly again, as if all the momentum she had gained had been lightly pressed back.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. If you hadn¡¯t come, Jingtian would¡¯ve been forced to death by these Chinese police.¡± Seeing this, she walked up to the four embassy agents and reached out and pointed at Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen was a little surprised. He thought Liu Ying would accuse him, but now it seemed that Xing Conglian would have to shoulder the blame.


    Xing Conglian just stood there indifferently. Suddenly the weak singer on the hospital bed spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a simple inquiry. Although the police officer¡¯s words were a bit excessive, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    Li Jingtian seemed to have recovered from his humiliation. He gathered his mood and seemed to excuse Lin Chen, but such an excuse was obviously provocative.


    Naturally, those who could work in the embassy were people who could understand subtext. Hearing this, a man in black standing beside the hospital bed saluted Li Jingtian, then turned around and walked in front of Xing Conglian.


    Looking at his aggressive attitude, it was obvious he wanted to warn Xing Conglian, but before he could speak, the teenager who had been packing things up interrupted.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice was clear and crisp.


    The embassy agent didn¡¯t expect that someone would dare ask such an arrogant question given the current circumstances, but the teenager sitting on the floor was even more arrogant than expected. After all, this was a young man who dared to scold an idiot in front of the ICPO, so just asking for his name was already quite polite.


    The black-clothed man who was about to ¡°settle accounts¡± with Xing Conglian seemed greatly offended. He took off his sunglasses and looked at the teenager who dared speak out. He thought his gaze was iron-blooded and cold, but the young man sitting on the floor that was packing his thing didn¡¯t have any look of panic or fear.


    ¡°What¡¯s your ID number?¡± The teenager on the floor asked; his tone was even elegant. ¡°I¡¯m asking you now as a Chinese police officer. This is to protect the safety of Mr. Li Jingtian. What if you¡¯re fakes pretending to be from the embassy and wanted to kidnap Mr. Li Jingtian? My god, if this happens, we don¡¯t know what kind of scolding we¡¯ll get!¡±


    ¡°No need to act so hypocritical. As if you really cared about our personal safety,¡± Liu Ying interjected. ¡°I know them. They are indeed from the Xinni Embassy.¡±


    Wang Chao snickered and tugged at the corners of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that, but what if you¡¯re also a bad person, Auntie~¡±


    Hearing her referred to as an auntie poked Liu Ying¡¯s spore spot. The manager finally removed her condescending look and angrily pointed at the teenager on the ground and scolded. ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Liu Ying was about to lose her temper, but Wang Chao took a page out of Xing Conglian¡¯s book and ignored her. Instead, he looked up at the ¡°all black¡± in front of him and continued to raise his chin. ¡°I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    The face of the man in black darkened.


    Although he really wanted to step on this noisy and annoying kid, it was clear that what that noisy and annoying kid was saying was reasonable. Since it was reasonable, he couldn¡¯t be too excessive.


    ¡°Shen Chenggong, ID number: 30697012,¡± the agent spat out. Rather than feeling anger, Shen Chenggong could only feel that this was too unbelievable. China was always a state of etiquette, and their attitude towards them had always been courteous, but since when did a small technician from the local police force dare to provoke them like this?


    ¡°Did I ask you for your name? I just asked you for your ID number. Hey, I thought you would be called 007. Shen Chenggong doesn¡¯t sound cool at all. Lao Zhao¡¯s ability to name his agents is as bad as ever.¡±


    Shen Chenggong was taken aback. If he understood correctly, this Lao Zhao that came out of this little policeman¡¯s mouth was referring to his immediate boss, Mr. Zhaohua, the current ambassador of Xinni to China.


    What kind of rank did this little policeman have to dare call the ambassador directly by his name and even refer to him as ¡°lao*¡±. For those not in the know, they would really think this little policeman was quite familiar with the ambassador.


    *Clarity: As a reminder, adding a Lao in front of someone¡¯s name when addressing them is a sign of closeness.


    Shen Chenggong narrowed his eyes but saw the little policeman below just smiling. The little policeman squinted his eyes into a slit, and then, in front of everyone, he took out a laptop that had been stuffed in his backpack and turned it on. He entered a series of numbers in the search box that Shen Chenggong was quite familiar with, as they were the ID number he had just given.


    Shen Chenggong didn¡¯t know what search system the teenager used, since it didn¡¯t look like a system that belonged to the Chinese police and was even more unlikely to be the system used by the Xinni Embassy, but soon, all his personal information was retrieved.


    He saw a photo at the top of the page at first glance. It was taken when he first joined the Xinni embassy. Although that was half a year ago, this was indeed his most recent official photo. It could be seen that the information update speed of this system in the hands of this little policeman was quite fast.


    Shen Chenggong became vigilant.


    However, as if threatening him, the little policeman dragged the scroll bar at an extremely slow pace. From what kindergarten he attended to what awards he received in high school, from what army he served in, to what operations he participated in, his most intimate personal details were revealed one after the other.


    Even when the scroll bar was about to end, he saw that his most private family information was attached to the end of the profile.


    Despite the fact that he had faced threats before, this little Chinese cop was quite daring to threaten him in broad daylight. After realizing this, Shen Chenggong became furious and wanted to say what that manager had just said: ¡°Who are you and how dare you threaten me?¡±


    Thus, with anger in his heart, he asked, ¡°This police officer, I don¡¯t think you have permission to read these records. I take it that you¡¯re threatening me?¡±


    ¡°Eh, why do you think so? Oh, I¡¯m really just doing some casual research. It¡¯s all for Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s personal safety. Who knows who you are? What¡¯s wrong with being a bit more careful?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your boss and your boss¡¯ boss will agree with what you¡¯re saying to me now.¡±


    The implication was that this kid¡¯s status was too low, and if they were to log a dispute, who knew what would happen? So, it was better if he kept his mouth shut.


    However, the little policeman, whether it was because he didn¡¯t know, was really too stupid or pretending to be stupid to know, ignored his warning. ¡°Yo, Mr. Shen Chenggong. Are you actually the deputy military attach¨¦ of the Xinni embassy?¡± The young man whistled as he gave a nonchalant look at the singer on the bed. ¡°Your family is not bad. So powerful that a deputy military attach¨¦ came to get you.¡±


    Shen Chenggong sneered. ¡°Perhaps you look down on my status as a deputy military attach¨¦, but since I have this status, I can do many things without having to bear any consequences, including killing you.¡±


    When Shen Chenggong said this, he wanted the little police officer to understand the stakes, since it was impossible for a person like him to remain indifferent after witnessing his family¡¯s information being exposed.


    After he said this, Shen Chenggong turned to look at the boss of the little policeman¡ªthe one who had been standing at the end and witnessing his subordinate provoking him but remained unconcerned.


    He glanced at Xing Conglian from head to toe and was surprised. The appearance of the other party showed he wasn¡¯t pure Chinese. Despite that, this person was still able to hold a high position under the Chinese system. Most likely he had some background, but this had nothing to do with him. He had seen many Chinese policemen who looked like mighty men but were actually soft-legged shrimps. He raised his brow at Xing Conglian and took his sunglasses from his shirt¡¯s front pocket, ready to put them on.


    Just as Shen Chenggong moved, Xing Conglian also followed suit.


    In the next second, he felt a pain in his wrist. The police officer was already in front of him. Before Shen Chenggong could react, severe pain hit his knees and elbows, and he was knocked to the ground by the other party.


    He couldn¡¯t even tell what skills Xing Conglian had used. Before he could consciously fight back, his face was already stuck to the tiles on the floor, and his waist and arms were being severely restrained by the other man.


    Then, there was a crisp click in his ear. Shen Chenggong looked with difficulty towards the sound and found a black mess on the ground. It was his sunglasses that the other man had crushed.


    The black lens shattered on the floor, and a leather boot stepped on it.


    Despite his situation, Shen Chenggong wasn¡¯t angry. He didn¡¯t even need to look up to know that there were three black guns pointed at the man who dared press him to the ground at this moment.


    No matter how good the other¡¯s skill was, what was the use? After all, this was no longer the age of cold weapons.


    Shen Chenggong was waiting for the moment when the other party stiffened due to the threat of the guns but was only met with severe pain on his wrist and waist; the other party had increased his strength. Then, Shen Chenggong felt the man approach his ear and say, in an extremely calm tone, ¡°Mr. Deputy Military Attach¨¦, you should also know that when your words have killing intent on our country¡¯s administrative law enforcement officers, that allows me to act. After all, we have the right to self-defense.¡±


    Shen Chenggong laughed dumbfounded. ¡°Mr. Police Officer, I admire your courage and strength. You may be very skilled, but if I order them to shoot, do you think you have a chance?¡±


    This was a threat and a retaliation, but Xing Conglian had no intention of letting go. His leather boots were still stepping on the sunglasses, and his knees were still pressed against the deputy military attach¨¦¡¯s waist. His face was still calm, and his tone remained relaxed. He lowered his head a little and leaned closer to the military attach¨¦¡¯s ear, as if he wanted to retaliate with something more severe, but then, everyone in the ward was shocked.


    It was as if he had been hit by a bus, but Xing Conglian simply apologized. He dragged out his tone and then lazily said to the man on the ground, ¡°Alright, stop talking and get out.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he let go of the military attach¨¦ that was on the floor.


    Mr. Deputy Military Attach¨¦ didn¡¯t expect the matter to end so easily.


    He got up from the ground and patted the nonexistent dust off his clothes. His men were still holding their guns, but Shen Chenggong thought he and the policeman knew each other well. It was impossible that there would be any gunshots.


    He looked at the Hongjing policeman, who could subdue him in an instant. The policeman had a shallow smile on his face. However, what made Shen Chenggong wary wasn¡¯t the policeman¡¯s skills, but his attitude of treating a diplomatic dispute that could occur at any time as a joke. Ordinary police officers wouldn¡¯t have such confidence.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Shen Chenggong asked.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, captain of the Hongjing Police Criminal Division.¡±


    The other man stretched out his hand generously. Shen Chenggong looked at the hands that had subdued him just now and gritted his teeth as he shook them.

 CH 119

    A disaster disappeared into thin air¡ªor rather, there was no possibility of a disaster. Who would really fight with the local police in the territory of another country for the sake of a singer? The attitude of the military attach¨¦ was just to posture a little.


    Unfortunately, Xing Conglian had seen through this act long ago. His response was also obvious. Regardless of what Shen Chenggong would or wouldn¡¯t do, since he had said those words that rubbed Xing Conglian the wrong way, he would act on them.


    In short, this was similar to the methods commonly used in diplomatic negotiations. When one retreated, the other advanced. The two sides would then mediate and negotiate. Apart from ¡°enhancing friendship¡±, there would be no other consequences.


    However, Liu Ying didn¡¯t think so. Naturally, she thought the Xinni Embassy ¡°bodyguards¡± were forced to back down because of Xing Conglian.


    ¡°I assure you, you will be reprimanded,¡± the woman said angrily.


    It was almost like her last dying resistance.


    However, before her voice fell, she received a very indifferent look from the deputy military attach¨¦. His meaning was: ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Shen Chenggong bent down, as if nothing had happened just now, picked up the broken sunglasses on the floor, and put them back into his pocket, looking nonchalant.


    Liu Ying¡¯s face was indignant. The little assistant in the room was confused, while Li Jingtian finally got up from the hospital bed.


    Since the other party told him to go, naturally he would follow. He methodically picked up his leather shoes and put them on. He moved slowly, like a young man with a good family background; no matter what kind of battles were around him, such an atmosphere couldn¡¯t affect his movements.


    Seeing that Li Jingtian was getting up, the assistant, Xiao Ke, also began to frantically organize Li Jingtian¡¯s remaining luggage. Since Li Jingtian was suddenly hospitalized, there weren¡¯t many things to pack.


    Li Jingtian didn¡¯t seem to notice any abnormalities in the room. He was just doing his own thing at his own pace.


    After he finished putting on his shoes, he walked to the bedside table, picked up a glass of cold water at the head of the bed, and took a sip. The sound of a luggage bag being pulled resounded in the ward when he finished this series of slow actions.


    Hearing it, Li Jingtian put down the glass of water, walked back to his assistant, and personally picked up the bulging backpack. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he carried it on his own; there was no arrogant aura that came from being a big star.


    Li Jingtian was still the low-key and humble Li Jingtian as rumored.


    The four agents from the embassy also started to move and prepared to escort Li Jingtian out.


    When he was about to walk to the door, Li Jingtian suddenly stopped and turned around. The blazing sun outside the window fell right on his face, making it white like light.


    Lin Chen understood and walked towards the door.


    ¡°I may return to China for recuperation in the near future. This is my personal number.¡± Li Jingtian bowed slightly, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Chen with both hands.


    When Lin Chen was about to reach for it, Li Jingtian suddenly grabbed his hand. Although it seemed to be just a polite handshake and farewell, the moment Li Jingtian raised his head, Lin Chen clearly saw the beast-like gaze from his eyes.


    Although the gaze was fierce and cruel, it was also gentle and seductive. Lin Chen had seen the same gaze in the eyes of wild beasts that had bitten the necks of their prey and sucked on their blood. This kind of feeling was creepy because of how inhuman it felt.


    Lin Chen met Li Jingtian¡¯s gaze and lightly said, ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­


    After Li Jingtian left, there were only the three of them left in the room.


    Wang Chao was the first to react. The teenager suddenly got up from the floor, laid down on the sofa, and groaned. He said in horror, ¡°My god, Li Jingtian is crazy. He must be a big pervert. Now that he¡¯s at the embassy, we can¡¯t arrest him anymore. What should we do? What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen stood by the window and didn¡¯t answer. From his view, he could clearly see the reporters and fans waiting anxiously at the gate of the hospital.


    After a while, a black car slowly drove out of the underground garage.


    The car had a yellow license plate with a special traffic sign on it, indicating that it was the car sent by the Xinni Embassy to pick up Li Jingtian.


    Fans were screaming everywhere as reporters quickly reacted to what was going on. They wanted to come forward and get some exclusive news.


    However, perhaps it was because the car drove too smoothly, or maybe because the glass windows were tinted on all sides, but it was impossible for anyone to see what was going on inside. The reporters who had previously chased and blocked them didn¡¯t dare to do the same and instead maintained a distance from the car while they kept pressing their cameras at the embassy vehicle.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s fans, probably because they were still scarred from the previous stampede, only dared to quietly follow the car while they silently recited their idol¡¯s name and sent him off.


    This scene was quite comical. Li Jingtian seemed to be a hero who was about to return to his hometown. Under the farewell of flashing shutters and surrounded by fans, he disappeared at the end of the road.


    Lin Chen finally retracted his gaze and finally answered Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Li Jingtian is sick.¡±


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s sick,¡± Xing Conglian said solemnly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mental illness mixed with histrionic personality disorder*,¡± Lin Chen said.


    *A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive attention-seeking behaviors, usually beginning in early childhood, including inappropriate seduction and an excessive desire for approval. People diagnosed with the disorder are said to be lively, dramatic, vivacious, enthusiastic, extroverted and flirtatious.


    ¡°He was born with the natural love to act?¡± Wang Chao suddenly asked. ¡°Eh, does that mean his modesty, politeness, gentleness, and actions are all a performance? Shit, doesn¡¯t he get tired of it?¡±


    Lin Chen slowly walked to the teenager and sat down on the sofa, then shook his head. ¡°Normal people can¡¯t understand or recognize people with personality disorders. You infer things about them using common sense. People like Li Jingtian have the primary characteristic of ¡®highly self-centered¡¯. They desperately need the attention of others. Therefore, they regard playing with others as a means to achieve their goals. They are warm, smart, and attractive on the surface, but in fact, they completely disregard their human needs and interests. That is, as long as they can get attention, they will do anything, such as coercion, lying, deceit, flattery, and even manipulative suicide threats. If you ask if they get tired of it, it¡¯s like asking if a fish is tired of living in water. They rely on it to live.¡±


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°So you asked us not to talk to Li Jingtian before was to judge whether Li Jingtian is really sick?¡±


    ¡°If Li Jingtian has a serious histrionic personality disorder, as I inferred, he desperately needs the attention of others. When we entered the ward, no one paid attention to him but instead talked to other people. It would inevitably make him extremely uncomfortable. He will keep trying to attract our attention. This was the case. He really couldn¡¯t stand being neglected by others. As you found, Li Jingtian¡¯s emotional reaction wasn¡¯t sincere but more like being separated by a layer of cellophane, which is also a main feature of histrionic personality disorder. Just like a fish must live in water, patients with personality disorders also have obstacles they can¡¯t cross. You can often get a glimpse of his true psychological state from his obstacles.¡±


    ¡°So he did all that in the mall just to make himself look like a victim and get the attention of society? What about the rape case? Is it legit? But A¡¯Chen, how do you know Li Jingtian has histrionic personality disorder¡­¡±


    ¡°First, when I saw him on stage, I thought there was something wrong with him, but at that time, I didn¡¯t understand what it was. I just thought he was a smooth talker. He was too humble and affectionate, which can give people a weird and indescribable feeling. Then, we saw the bouquet of roses and the dead nightingale. Regardless of who gave the bouquet, that person must have an antisocial personality disorder. There¡¯s no doubt about this. Following this, you told me about the rape case.¡± Lin Chen continued, ¡°Since the rape case has occurred, there are only two possibilities: true or false. Of course, either situation would be terrible. However, in theory, it¡¯s impossible. Although it hasn¡¯t been proven that the girl named Xu Ran¡¯s accusation is true, if the rape was real, we can infer that Li Jingtian¡¯s own mental state is extremely unstable to the point where his sexual behavior becomes too extreme. On the other hand, this shows that he will use sex to seduce the object he wants in order to win their attention. This means he has strong predatory tendencies in his sexual behavior and a strong desire to manipulate, showing that he has extreme sexual fetishes. Linked to what he said to his fans on stage, he actually enjoys the feeling of being a victim after hurting others. This gives him an intoxicated feeling.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t relate to this,¡± Wang Chao said honestly.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you a little so you¡¯ll understand that in the classification of personality disorder, antisocial, narcissism, histrionic, and borderline personality disorders are all closely related. Some studies have pointed out that two-thirds of those with histrionic personality disorder also meet the diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder. There are even theories that point out that histrionic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder may be different manifestations of the same internal cause in people of different genders. That is to say, women tend to have histrionic personality disorder while men are more inclined to show antisocial behavior.¡±


    Lin Chen quieted down. Xing Conglian suddenly realized why Lin Chen was talking like this. If Lin Chen¡¯s deduction was correct, then this case seemed too cruel, and there was a feeling of helplessness and suffocation.


    He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Consultant Lin, you actually have a deduction that integrates the entire case, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Lin Chen looked up at him with deep, bottomless eyes. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cutting right to the chase, Lin Chen¡¯s voice became calmer as he spoke slowly. ¡°If Li Jingtian has a serious histrionic and antisocial personality disorder, then Xu Ran became his prey. After he wantonly trampled on her to satisfy his unspeakable dirty desires, he knew exactly what Xu Ran would do. After all, anyone who was forced to the extreme would resist, but how could the world believe that a dirty, stupid prostitute would accuse a big star, with a solid reputation, of raping her? No one would believe this kind of story. Although I haven¡¯t read the file, my guess is that the rape case was designed by Li Jingtian from the start. He just played with her again and again. It¡¯s impossible for a smart and cunning person like Li Jingtian to leave any evidence. Whether it¡¯s the fake Photoshop photo or the wrong location of the crime, this was all done by Li Jingtian to weaken Xu Ran¡¯s credibility. Under his arrangement, she would definitely lose, and at that time, he can enjoy the pleasure of being a victim. Unexpectedly, Li Jingtian didn¡¯t think that this rape case would make Xu Ran the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. The attention that should¡¯ve belonged to him was taken away by a prostitute, which made him extremely angry. That¡¯s why he planned this second incident. He needed to pull everyone¡¯s attention away from Xu Ran and back to him. So the story looks like this: A whore designed a series of incidents in order to get her revenge on a big star. The big star had his throat slit and was accused of self-directing this whole thing to whitewash himself. Just when online public opinion had turned against him, his fans posted pictures of the culprit during the time of the assault and returned his innocence. Once again, he has replaced Xu Ran as the focus of everyone¡¯s attention and sympathy. Just the thought of this probably will give him an orgasm.¡±


    Xing Conglian was almost speechless.


    A high-ranking individual repeatedly destroyed another individual who was crawling in the dust. This incident was already extremely cruel, but Xing Conglian thought there was a worse possibility. ¡°So, Li Jingtian¡¯s throat was slit, but the wound was extremely shallow. He didn¡¯t pretend to be seriously injured, but walked out of the emergency room by himself because this was the best way to clear up suspicion around him. However, the police aren¡¯t fools. As long as we find Xu Ran, which we definitely will, won¡¯t all of Li Jingtian¡¯s arrangements go wrong? But he seems pretty confident of himself, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because of his diplomatic protection. Why is he so sure?¡±


    Before Xing Conglian could continue, he saw the obvious pale face of Lin Chen. He even found that Lin Chen¡¯s knuckles were clasped on the armrest of the sofa and were trembling slightly.


    ¡°Because, he will kill her.¡± Lin Chen suddenly looked up at him. ¡°Find Xu Ran right away. I¡¯m afraid her life is in danger.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Li Jingtian go to the embassy? How can he kill her?¡±


    ¡°How can he?¡± Lin Chen responded rhetorically. ¡°Not all killing needs to be done with your own hands. Rumors can kill. Gossip can kill. Even the pain of despair can slowly kill.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Breaking down the disorders mentioned in this chapter:


    Personality disorder: Class of mental disorders characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts, and deviating from those accepted by the individual¡¯s culture. These patterns develop early, are inflexible, and are associated with significant distress or disability. The definitions vary by source and remain a matter of controversy.


    Antisocial personality disorder: Predominantly affects men (three times more common). A personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of disregard of, or violation of, the rights of others as well as a difficulty sustaining long-term relationships. Lack of empathy and a contemptuous attitude are often apparent, as well as a history of rule-breaking that can sometimes include law-breaking, a tendency towards chronic boredom and substance abuse, and impulsive and aggressive behavior.


    Borderline personality disorder: Predominantly affects women (three times more common). also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong emotional reactions. Those affected often engage in self-harm and other dangerous behaviors, often due to their difficulty with returning their emotional level to a healthy or normal baseline. They may also struggle with a feeling of emptiness, fear of abandonment, and detachment from reality.


    Histrionic personality disorder: Equally affects men and women (though diagnostic rates favors women). A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive attention-seeking behaviors, usually beginning in early childhood, including inappropriate seduction and an excessive desire for approval. People diagnosed with the disorder are said to be lively, dramatic, vivacious, enthusiastic, extroverted and flirtatious.


    Narcissistic personality disorder: Favors men. A personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, a diminished ability or unwillingness to empathize with others¡¯ feelings, and interpersonally exploitative behavior. Narcissistic personality disorder is one of the subtypes of the broader category known as personality disorders. It is often comorbid with other mental disorders and associated with significant functional impairment and psychosocial disability.


    These are just four personality disorders that were mentioned by Lin Chen, but there are still a few more.

 CH 120

    Lin Chen had never met Xu Ran. He¡¯d only seen her in a photo on Wang Chao¡¯s laptop. However, compared to a prostitute or a wandering warbler, her identity was first and foremost a girl.


    No matter how society changed, since she was a girl, she should be loved, and not mercilessly trampled on again and again.


    Lin Chen was worried as he looked at Xing Conglian. He didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt powerless thinking about how he could intervene in Li Jingtian¡¯s machinations towards the girl.


    However, Xing Conglian was tenacious and different from ordinary people. He looked back at him and then shouted to the teenager next to him without hesitation, ¡°Wang Chao?¡±


    ¡°Checking records.¡± The teenager began tapping the keyboard again as he replied anxiously. ¡°Captain, I can¡¯t shoulder the burden of the police force alone. What did Deputy Captain Chen say?¡±


    Earlier, on their way to the hospital, Xing Conglian had asked his men to check on Xu Ran¡¯s whereabouts. Perhaps there was news now.


    As Wang Chao was speaking, Xing Conglian was already on the phone. It connected quickly. When the person on the other end heard him inquire about ¡°Xu Ran¡±, they seemed surprised.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Wang Chao tell you to investigate?¡± Xing Conglian raised his voice. After he finished speaking, he put the phone on speaker.


    ¡°Captain, you asked me to check too many things. I didn¡¯t know if it was that urgent. We really haven¡¯t found where Xu Ran is, but she did take a train this morning at 6. The train arrived at Hongjing Station at 7:03. The train number is G137. We haven¡¯t found any other news yet. Do you want to send someone to the train station to check the network?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see. Continue.¡± Xing Conglian hung up.


    ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m really starting to doubt myself, Captain. Why is she in Hongjing? How could she be in Hongjing?¡± Wang Chao was becoming more anxious as he talked. He even started to doubt his previous deduction. ¡°If she arrived at 7:03, she had plenty of time to commit the crime at Ansheng International Mall. There¡¯s no issue with the timeline.¡±


    Indeed, they had just deduced that the throat-slitting case had been arranged and manipulated by Li Jingtian from the start. He did all this to gain social attention and then pin all the blame on Xu Ran. But then another incredible thing happened. Xu Ran had come to Hongjing from Fengchun. She had arrived early enough that she had plenty of time to commit the crime.


    ¡°Alright, think less and work more.¡± Xing Conglian knocked on the teenager¡¯s forehead, waking the young man out of his stupor. ¡°Do you think a woman who has the ability to plan all this is an idiot? If she was going to kill someone, why would she take the high-speed train? Isn¡¯t she afraid the police will find out?¡±


    Xing Conglian was right. For a murderer to commit such a crime across cities, it was extremely stupid to take a high-speed train that made it easy to leave evidence of travel. Whether it was a long-distance bus or a small taxi, it was far easier to hide their whereabouts than a high-speed train. However, if Li Jingtian wanted to turn Xu Ran into the assailant, he could naturally arrange for her to come to Hongjing. But it was abnormal that she did come.


    Lin Chen¡¯s bad premonition in his heart became stronger. Although they believed Xu Ran was innocent, all the clues indicated she was in Hongjing. The photograph of the assailant during the assault looked similar to her, and she had sufficient motives to commit the crime, so how could they prove that it wasn¡¯t her?


    Lin Chen suddenly realized why Li Jingtian was so confident in his smile.


    ¡°Captain, you have a point. I think this must all be Li Jingtian¡¯s conspiracy.¡± Wang Chao became energetic again. ¡°But A¡¯Chen¡¯s right. We have to quickly find Xu Ran.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any thoughts?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I found her cell phone number.¡± Wang Chao pressed the enter key, and a Fengchun number appeared on the screen. Xing Conglian glanced at the number and quickly dialed it.


    After a long time of waiting, the phone didn¡¯t connect.


    The ¡°no answer¡± tone was mechanical and cold, and the blank time after the phone hung up was hopelessly long.


    Xu Ran didn¡¯t answer her phone, which gave them a bad feeling.


    ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t hear it, or it could be on silent. By the way¡­¡± The teenager suddenly thought of something. ¡°If someone comes to a city that they¡¯re unfamiliar with, they very likely will turn on the GPS navigation. I¡¯ll try it.¡±


    After speaking, he began to get busy in front of the laptop again; the clacking sounds of the keyboard seemed to bring some hope.


    But the more Wang Chao searched, the more his brows furrowed. He kept operating the touchpad with one hand while checking records with the other. However, his series of searches didn¡¯t help. ¡°Xu Ran didn¡¯t turn on the GPS. I¡¯ll try her bank card or something. Maybe she bought something using her card¡­¡±


    The teenager¡¯s voice was becoming weaker. They all knew that it was unlikely that Xu Ran would leave any traces.


    At this moment, another scream erupted on Wang Chao¡¯s laptop. It was the alarm tone he had set before. The system would automatically alert if any information about Li Jingtian went viral.


    Wang Chao switched back to the previous information statistics page as if he had seen a ghost, and looked at the new cloud clusters emerging on the data map, then he quickly clicked on the root directory.


    The same thing happened a second time.


    It was still a Weibo post made by Li Jingtian¡¯s fans. The main content of the post was still a photo, and the protagonist of the photo happened to be Xu Ran again.


    Through coincidence, or rather, because all this had been so coincidental, there were traces full of artificial arrangements.


    Xu Ran was dressed in red and was standing on a sidewalk at the fork in the road as a vehicle passed by her. Her face was blank, as if she was unaware of what was going on.


    ¡°This intersection is too familiar, right, Captain? We seem to have passed by it just now?¡± Wang Chao asked as he looked at the photograph.


    Before his voice fell, Xing Conglian had already turned around and opened the door of the ward. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They quickly went out and followed Xing Conglian through the white aisles and into the quiet elevator. When they were about to reach the parking space, Xing Conglian quickened his pace.


    There were reporters who hadn¡¯t left yet, squatting around. Seeing the trio, twice as many people swarmed them as before.


    Microphones and recorders flood their vision.


    ¡°Captain Xing, I heard that there were traces of the suspect found near the hospital. Did you go to arrest the suspect?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, Captain Xing¡­ The internet is now saying that the Hongjing police are relying on netizens to solve the case. Do you have any comments on this?¡±


    Xing Conglian opened the car door with a cold face. He first protected them as they entered the back seat; then, he sat in the front seat and slammed the door without saying a single word to the reporters.


    He quickly started the engine and, for the first time, took out the police light from the glove box and installed it.


    As the siren sounded, the reporters were all left in shock.


    Xing Conglian lowered the window of the car and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and get out of the way.¡±


    His aura was too impressive, and his arrogant words and tough posture were directly captured by the reporters¡¯ cameras.


    After the flash of light, the reporters backed away with joyful smiles on their faces, as if they had received their headlines for the day. Looking at those excited smiles, Lin Chen seemed to be able to guess what they were: ¡°The captain of the Hongjing police force was unable to investigate the case and angrily scolded reporters¡±.


    But now they had no time to care about this.


    The Jeep drove out of the gate of the hospital. After Wang Chao got in the car, before he could put down his backpack, he was searching frantically for those Weibo posts.


    Human flesh was one of the most reliable and terrifying ways of transmitting information in the world.


    Many of Li Jingtian¡¯s fans were originally near the hospital. Now that they had learned the news, many started providing various information based on the location of the photo, and some even took the initiative to look for Xu Ran.


    What Xing Conglian had said earlier had come true again. Vigilantes were the most troublesome type for the police.


    @EatDrinkSleep: [I was just on Dongzheng Road and saw that woman! Come on, everyone!]


    The location of the Weibo post was at the intersection of Dongzheng Road and 4th West Road.


    Wang Chao turned on the navigation, glanced at the real-time road condition, and said, ¡°Captain, she turned on West Fourth Road. If you continue forward, there¡¯s going to be a traffic jam. Go around North Heping Road.¡±


    Xing Conglian turned the car and drove sharply away in the direction Wang Chao pointed out.


    ¡°Adjust the real-time surveillance camera and find her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already adjusted, but, Captain, you have to hurry. There are some fans of Li Jingtian nearby, and they already went over.¡± Looking at the frantically lit dots on the array, Wang Chao was simply overwhelmed. ¡°A¡¯Chen, take the tablet out of my backpack and monitor the real-time progress on Weibo,¡± the teenager quickly urged.


    Lin Chen nodded and took out the tablet. He kept refreshing the latest posts, and all kinds of dirty words were refreshed before his eyes.


    @EatDrinkSleep: [Fuck, hurry up and catch that idiot.]


    @TomatoRiceNoodlesIsTiansFavoite: [Forwarding this post. 1,000 yuan from Alipay for each person. Whoever catches that chicken and takes a photo for me will get it!]


    @BeefWithEggplantSauce: [I was at the entrance to a shop on West Fourth Road and saw the chicken. Please help me!!!]


    ¡°West Fourth Road, McDonald¡¯s.¡± Lin Chen patted the teenager on the shoulder and reminded him.


    Wang Chao nodded and began to pull up the surveillance. He dragged and dropped the timeline. Several teenage girls appeared on the dark-toned surveillance screen. They were wearing red clothes with the rose logo of the Li Jingtian fan club on their chests. They were stretching their fingers and necks, as if they were pointing at someone across the road.


    ¡°Across the street,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Wang Chao quickly turned the screen around. Finally, they saw a figure in a red dress.


    The woman across the road seemed to realize that someone was shouting at her. She looked around in panic, and after being momentarily stunned, she began to run.


    At this time, they had already driven onto West Fourth Road. Wang Chao hurriedly said, ¡°Captain, there¡¯s a red light at the intersection and a parking space 30 meters in front of you. Stop the car. It¡¯ll be faster if we run on foot.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. Xing Conglian glanced at him and then slammed on the brakes.


    Lin Chen opened the car door and quickly rushed out. West Fourth Road was a commercial district in a prosperous area. With a few girls chasing, it caused some commotion.


    Because Xu Ran was wearing a red dress and black high heels, she couldn¡¯t run fast at all. Realizing that someone was chasing behind her, she stumbled forward in fear, and even pushed over two newsstands on the side of the road.


    Lin Chen increased his speed and rushed forward. The wind was whistling past his ears, with sounds from people and traffic accompanying it. The violent movement was making his mind go blank.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°The one in the red dress.¡±


    ¡°Everyone help catch the bad guy!¡±


    The teenage girls¡¯ cold voices poured into Lin Chen¡¯s ears.


    He suddenly looked up and saw the woman being chased at the front running faster. Her black hair was scattered, and her skirt was flying. Many pedestrians finally reacted. Some realized that she might be a bad person so they stopped in their tracks and surrounded Xu Ran.


    When Xu Ran saw this, she became even more flustered. She looked around, but there was no place for her to escape.


    Lin Chen ran with all his strength. He passed by Li Jingtian¡¯s fans, who were still chasing, and the next moment, as soon as he caught up with Xu Ran, everything slowed down.


    He saw that Xu Ran was looking at him with horrified despair before she rushed into the oncoming traffic without hesitation.


    The woman was like a bird that generously went to her death. She first cut off a bus, then jumped over the guardrail. The traffic lights in front of her had just changed, causing a large number of vehicles to accelerate forward. The sharp sound of a horn echoed so loudly that it made his eardrum hurt.


    As if frightened by it, Xu Ran looked at the oncoming truck in a daze, which then crashed straight into her.


    It was like a scene from a poor-quality horror movie. On the dark background, a woman dressed in red floated into the sky, like a flower being blown up and down by the wind, before landing heavily. The truck had no time to brake and rolled over her body.


    Crack.


    Lin Chen seemed to hear the sound of something breaking. Although the scene in front of him was changing, all he could see was blackness. However, it wasn¡¯t because he had fainted, but because a pair of hands had covered his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s solemn voice sounded in his ears.

 CH 121

    A long time after that, Lin Chen was thinking, ¡®If the person who got out of the car and chased Xu Ran was Xing Conglian, what would happen?¡¯


    Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be as silent as he was. With his skills, he probably could¡¯ve reached Xu Ran as early as when she knocked over the newsstands and detained her, or perhaps he would have shouted at the people in front of him to stop chasing wildly. Would he say, ¡°Don¡¯t move¡± or ¡°Stop¡±?


    If it had been Xing Conglian, perhaps the outcome would¡¯ve been better¡­


    And if it had been better, perhaps Xu Ran would be sitting opposite of him now. She would cry to him about Li Jingtian, and he would hand her a tissue or a glass of water and tell her that everything would pass. He would catch the bad guy.


    But now, all Lin Chen could see was the inside of an intensive care unit.


    In fact, he was in a face-to-face situation right now, but he was standing outside a window while Xu Ran was lying on the bed.


    There were catheters and wires connected to Xu Ran¡¯s body. She laid there lifelessly. A light-yellow liquid medicine was slowly injected into her body, drop by drop, along the hose. Her heartbeat, blood pressure, and respiratory index on the monitor were temporarily stable, but it was only temporary. No one knew when the alarm for her disappearing vital signs would sound again.


    Lin Chen looked at Xu Ran¡¯s face, which was mostly covered by the ventilator. The lines of her brows and eyes were deep. She had a typical look of a tormented life. She was only 25 years old, but it looked as if she was aging in reverse.


    Because of the car accident, Xu Ran had high intracranial pressure, so a flap of her skull had to be removed. There were brown blood stains and traces of yellow vomit on her face, as if she were the aftermath of a crudely made doll after children had fought over it and in the process had broken it to pieces.


    Unfortunately, dolls were different from people. The doctor said it was unknown whether the patient would wake up; she was facing internal organ failure at any moment because she had been run over twice by the truck.


    In short, the classic plots of those movies and dramas were always like this. Doctors would always say it would depend on the patient¡¯s will to survive, because in the eyes of screenwriters and directors, they had to be such a hopeless and yet desperate person in those stories. Only passages of full hope could highlight the dramatic conflict.


    However, Lin Chen knew well that for Xu Ran, there might not be such a hopeful moment.


    The saline mixed with the liquid medicine slowly dripped, as if the life of the girl on the bed was slowly passing.


    Lin Chen felt someone patting him on the shoulder. He turned his head and saw Wang Chao. The teenager¡¯s eyes were tender and sad. He saw Wang Chao open his mouth to say something to him, but it was all inaudible.


    Strangely enough, seeing Wang Chao¡¯s face made the scene on the sidewalk resurface. At that time, Wang Chao was delayed getting out of the car because he had to put down his laptop, but he felt that the teenager wasn¡¯t far behind him. The wind wasn¡¯t that cold, but when it blew on his face, he could smell the blood. This sense of clarity was terrifying, because he could recall every detail of the scene, such as the few newspapers that were floating in the sky or the plush pendant that smacked a passerby¡ªand, of course, the moment that Xu Ran¡¯s body was crushed. Such scenes replayed back and forth, giving him a headache.


    Lin Chen closed his eyes. The ringing in his ears made him unable to hear anything around him.


    He knew well that this was a post-traumatic stress response. In fact, the thing about pain was that it was fair to everyone. No matter how many books he read, how many psychotherapy techniques he mastered, and how many great truths he could say, when the time came when he should feel pain, that pain would not diminish.


    When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, he realized what Wang Chao was saying to him.


    He saw Xing Conglian and the forensic pathologists coming from the end of the corridor. He looked as if he were watching a crime drama that had nothing to do with him. He watched the uniformed policemen push open the door and enter the intensive care unit. They were solemnly doing forensic work as flashes of light would flicker from time to time. Some of them were taking pictures, while others were taking Xu Ran¡¯s fingerprints. Some were checking Xu Ran¡¯s bag, while others had put her bloody clothes that the doctor had taken off during the operation and put it into an evidence bag. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, as methodically as time passing.


    Finally, Lin Chen saw someone hand over a cellphone with a broken screen to Wang Chao.


    He didn¡¯t look up, but based on the calluses on the slender knuckles and joints formed from holding a gun, he knew it was Xing Conglian¡¯s hand.


    Lin Chen lowered his head. He didn¡¯t know if Xing Conglian had spoken yet, but the symptoms of his tinnitus had temporarily disappeared, and the ward was eerily quiet.


    Later, the visitors retreated like the tide, and there was no one in the corridor again.


    Lin Chen began to hear the hissing sound of the ventilation fan.


    He felt that he should do something¡ªat least not stand here in a daze, deeply immersed in a plot of PTSD, muddled by those flashbacks that made him powerless.


    He took out his phone and wanted to see if there was any news or content online; even if it was just some strange entertainment news.


    Although he thought so, he subconsciously knew that what he wanted to see wasn¡¯t that. Since it was the top trending post, he once again saw on Weibo the photos of the scene of the car accident.


    The annoying asphalt road, the clogged traffic, and the hordes of people¡­


    The faded scene became vivid again as he looked at the photos of Xu Ran lying in a pool of blood, one after another. Although the photos were mosaiced, his memories filled in the blur, and the scene became complete again.


    Lin Chen even saw himself in the photos.


    It was quite comical. He looked at himself at the scene of the car accident, showing blank, empty eyes from a distance, as if he hadn¡¯t recovered from his inexplicable actions. For the first time, Lin Chen discovered how truly fragile and incompetent he was. People were always fragile and incompetent.


    When Xing Conglian exited the intensive care unit, this was what he saw.


    Lin Chen was looking at his phone with a mocking gaze. The screen emitted a bluish-white light, which made his face pale.


    Xing Conglian clenched the paper cup in his hand and walked towards him.


    When he got close, he realized Lin Chen was looking at his own photo at the scene of the car accident. He could see the ridicule in Lin Chen¡¯s eyes, which held some contempt. Lin Chen was mocking himself¡ªat his own incompetence.


    Xing Conglian felt he should say something. In fact, from the time he rushed to the scene of the car accident to after Xu Ran was carried into the ambulance, he should¡¯ve said something to Lin Chen.


    But he searched his guts and found that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who was suitable for consoling people. After all, Lin Chen had been doing that job, and he did it well. Just by standing there, as if he were blessed with a soothing aura, he could make anyone temporarily forget the pain.


    Xing Conglian thought about it. Of course he could tell Lin Chen not to be sad, that it wasn¡¯t his fault, and all kinds of flowery words, but they were all nonsense. No one wouldn¡¯t feel pain watching a life fly away at their fingertips, even Lin Chen.


    He sighed and raised the paper cup in his hand and touched Lin Chen¡¯s cheek.


    Lin Chen could feel his cheeks burn.


    He raised his head, only to find that Xing Conglian had come back at some point, and they were the only two standing in the corridor. Wang Chao had gone off somewhere; most likely to check on Xu Ran¡¯s phone.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Xing Conglian asked him as he handed him the paper cup and leaned against the glass window.


    Lin Chen stared into Xing Conglian¡¯s dark green eyes as he almost blurted out his answer. ¡°I was wondering why you covered my eyes.¡±


    Such thoughts were obviously abnormal¡ªeven unprofessional, given that the victim was lying behind the wall they were next to¡ªbut he still asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me look at the accident scene?¡±


    This was a fragile test. A kind of test that was common among people who were in love. People who were carried away by love used these questions to test the other¡¯s mind, hoping to get something that would suddenly make them feel happy. In the past, he wouldn¡¯t be so na?ve, but now, like those little girls who were dazzled by love, he wanted to use this test to gain hope and was eager to get a response of love from Xing Conglian.


    Even if he saw traces of wavering or love in Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, it would give him great comfort. The desire for love that only little girls had could make him forget the pain, because love was the greatest refuge.


    But, alas, this was Xing Conglian, and such a response would be out of character for him.


    His gaze was still calm and peaceful, like a deep pool in the mountains. He said, ¡°Because, this time, you don¡¯t need to look at it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s only me.¡±


    In an instant, Lin Chen understood what Xing Conglian meant. When Xu Haozhen committed suicide in the previous case, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t have time to rush to his side to witness the tragedy on his behalf. Now, he was here, and he should have seen it.


    Although it wasn¡¯t romantic, it was better than romantic.


    Lin Chen found it funny. He brought his hot drink towards him and found it was hot cocoa, the kind he had ordered for Wang Chao.


    ¡°A friend of mine said that sweets can release dopamine in the brain, which can make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Your friend is very wise.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xing Conglian looked at him as he responded solemnly.


    Lin Chen took a sip of his hot cocoa, feeling a little embarrassed. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to be like this. I¡¯m not the kind of person who never forgets and continues to torture myself whenever I witness a tragedy. I don¡¯t have such lofty ideas of saving the world¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard similar words last time. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s words didn¡¯t sound harsh at all, but it was probably more like he was reprimanding a subordinate. There was no emphasis in his tone. Just looking at his eyes when he said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± was enough to make Lin Chen honestly explain clearly.


    ¡°Some PTSD. I just need to take it easy,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re blaming yourself, very badly.¡±


    Xing Conglian was serious. He was sharp and saw right through the problem.


    ¡°Self-blame is inevitable. If I didn¡¯t blame myself, I¡¯d have antisocial personality disorder.¡±


    Lin Chen gently turned the paper cup in his hand. He still had a pretend relaxed smile.


    However, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t smile. He had never seen Lin Chen like this.


    Lin Chen was wearing the same white shirt he had always worn for ten years. His cuffs were rolled up, and the collar buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his clavicle, which made him look a little thin. He was leaning against him in a disheveled manner, holding a paper cup with his head lowered, and he didn¡¯t even dare to look him directly in the eyes. Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t tell what was on Lin Chen¡¯s mind.


    He remembered that after Xu Haozhen committed suicide, Lin Chen told him that he knew he wasn¡¯t a saint and couldn¡¯t save everyone in the world, so he wouldn¡¯t blame himself too much, but this current situation was completely different from that day. Lin Chen was blaming himself, severely. He blamed himself so deeply that it made his bones ache. If he could exchange his life for the girl lying on the hospital bed, it was possible he would be willing.


    ¡°You have no obligation to assume this kind of responsibility,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Lin Chen almost laughed, though it could hardly be considered a laugh. This was the first time Xing Conglian had seen that Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°This is completely my fault. It¡¯s different from when Xu Haozhen committed suicide. Her psychological problems were something I couldn¡¯t judge at the time, but Li Jingtian is different. After knowing what he had done to Xu Ran, I should have read the file immediately, but I didn¡¯t. What am I doing? Sitting in a store eating ice cream and getting confused by all those comments online. I didn¡¯t understand what was going on at all¡­¡±


    Although Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were flushed, he spoke every word calmly, as if he were expounding facts from a distance. The object of his accusation seemed not to be himself, but a stranger in a parallel world.


    At this time, saying anything was useless. Xing Conglian shook his head. He took the paper cup in Lin Chen¡¯s hand and pulled him in for a hug.


    Of course, hugging was a form of comfort and encouragement between comrades-in-arms, but Lin Chen was completely different from the other comrades he had hugged before. Lin Chen leaned against his arms respectfully; his body was ridiculously cold, like a piece of ice or an inorganic substance. He just heard him mumbling about his mood, like on repeat, about his feelings.


    ¡°And then what? I was completely entranced by Li Jingtian. You know, for psychologists, this kind of perverted, abnormal individual seems to be extremely attractive to us by nature. Yes, I looked at Li Jingtian and kept analyzing him over and over again. From his fingertips to every strand of his hair. I was excited. I felt that I had caught all the key points, and this proud excitement made me completely ignore Xu Ran. I ignored the real victim. How could this not be my fault? This is my fault¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s dull voice sounded in his ears. He heard Lin Chen keep talking, and those whispers seemed to penetrate his heart. It was strange that Lin Chen was clearly blaming himself and confessing to the mistakes he thought he made, but Xing Conglian felt those words were beautiful, just like a rose that was red like fire, a rose that was white like snow. Kind people were truly kind to their bones, and Lin Chen was so beautiful that it almost broke his heart.


    Finally, after Lin Chen had apologized multiple times, the hoarse confiding stopped.


    Xing Conglian felt strange. The lights were bright, and the surroundings were silent. He was hugging someone of the same sex as he stood in an empty corridor. This hug that was supposed to comfort comrades became complicated. It was mixed with heartache, pain, despair, self-blame, and other unspeakable emotions, and, at the time, he didn¡¯t notice, love.


    Xing Conglian felt his shoulder get wet. He lowered his head and looked at Lin Chen¡¯s black hair.


    Many times, later on, when Xing Conglian recalled this scene right now, he realized that at this moment, he should have lowered his head and kissed the top of Lin Chen¡¯s head.


    But at that time, he just said, ¡°We¡¯ll catch him. I promise.¡±

 CH 122

    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how effective Xing Conglian¡¯s guarantee was. Under the circumstances at the time, after hearing those words, he was simply enjoying Xing Conglian¡¯s hug.


    Being held by the object of his love, even the roots that were frozen to the point of withering would slowly recover. He gradually felt the numbness leave him, and his thinking returned to its normal sequence.


    Then, he noticed that he could smell the scent of clear mint smoke from Xing Conglian¡¯s uniform. The atmosphere was touching. Before he had a chance to finish his cocoa, it was taken from his hand and exuded its sweet scent in the air.


    He leaned on Xing Conglian¡¯s neck, and only when he was close did Lin Chen realize that though Xing Conglian looked cynical, he was actually extremely calm, deep to his bones. Like now, he stood firmly, and the hand that was holding his shoulder was also stable. Lin Chen really couldn¡¯t see through Xing Conglian.


    Finally, he patted Xing Conglian on the back and retreated from his embrace. ¡°Xing Conglian.¡±


    It seems, I really love you.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    When Wang Chao came back, there were no signs of their closeness. They were sitting on a bench outside the ward. The teenager¡¯s eyes bounced between them, before he said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re crying.¡±


    Lin Chen covered his eyes and looked at Xing Conglian sadly. ¡°What¡¯s with this kid¡¯s emotional intelligence?¡±


    Xing Conglian let out a small cough and said, ¡°You really can¡¯t blame me.¡±


    ¡°Blame you for what? Captain, did you scold A¡¯Chen?¡± Wang Chao squatted down in front of Lin Chen with the laptop in his arms and said with righteous indignation, ¡°A¡¯Chen, if the captain scolds you, just ignore him. He¡¯s just a naturally grumpy maniac who has been single for dozens of years. You have to forgive him.¡±


    Probably, compared to the embrace of one he loved; this cute teenager¡¯s smile could also alleviate the frost-like pain.


    Lin Chen stretched out his hand and rubbed the top of the teenager¡¯s head. It was shaggy to the touch, and Wang Chao smiled awkwardly, as if he didn¡¯t know why Lin Chen was patting him on the head. ¡°A¡¯Chen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I cried,¡± he replied honestly.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For many reasons. First, I think I made mistakes in this matter. Second, I have encountered similar things several times. For a while, many traumatic scenes flashed back, and it overwhelmed me. Lastly, for someone like me, shedding tears to vent my emotions at certain times help make me less psychotic.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Wang Chao looked at him blankly. After digesting what he said for a long time, he suddenly asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen, are you feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good that you¡¯re better.¡±


    Wang Chao was a typical example of a sunny person who could brighten anyone¡¯s day. He jumped up excitedly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s catch Li Jingtian together, okay?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and remained silent.


    Wang Chao started to get confused again. When he saw that Lin Chen was responding, he looked at Xing Conglian, who simply just leaned back on the bench and also remained silent.


    ¡°Captain, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Officer Xiao Wang,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you; in what name do you want to bring Li Jingtian to justice?¡±


    ¡°In the name of the law?¡±


    ¡°Speak properly,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    Wang Chao winced, and only then did he get serious. ¡°Captain, are you asking me on what charge I want to use to arrest Li Jingtian, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer and maintained his previous posture and expression.


    Wang Chao hurriedly continued. ¡°The crime of assault?¡± He thought for a while, and then backtracked. ¡°The crime of assault doesn¡¯t seem to work. Li Jingtian was the victim. Then, the crime of endangering the public?¡± Then added, ¡°But we have no evidence of this.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ This isn¡¯t my area of expertise!¡± Wang Chao finally relented.


    ¡°The existing evidence proves that, whether it was assault or endangering the public, our biggest suspect is the girl in the ward. How do you want to prove that Li Jingtian is behind all this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Captain¡­¡± Wang Chao put his laptop aside, squatted on the ground, and began to scratch his head.


    ¡°Keep thinking.¡±


    ¡°Although Xu Ran is suspicious, we haven¡¯t found the assault weapon yet. The first thing we need to do is find it?¡± Wang Chao sat down crossed legged and continued, ¡°Then, Xu Ran is wearing that red dress. We have to see if it¡¯s been stained with Li Jingtian¡¯s blood. Captain, I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s Xu Ran, but it¡¯s really weird. Why is she wearing the same exact outfit as the fan who slit his throat on stage? If she has the ability to escape from the scene and dispose of the murder weapon, shouldn¡¯t she also change her clothes as well? Why is she still wearing the clothes at the time she committed the crime?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, do you have any explanation?¡±


    ¡°I think Li Jingtian arranged this matter!¡±


    ¡°But you have no evidence.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do have a little evidence!¡± Wang Chao said as he turned the laptop around. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just give me Xu Ran¡¯s phone? I checked her call history and found someone suspicious had called her using a disposable phone. The first call was at 15:13 yesterday afternoon, and the second call was at 12:13 today¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian frowned and asked, ¡°Can you track who made the call?¡±


    Wang Chao shook his head. ¡°This kind of disposable phone doesn¡¯t even have the location of the base station. It¡¯s used by criminals, okay?¡±


    ¡°12:13?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°About. It happened when we were on our way to Li Jingtian¡¯s ward,¡± Wang Chao said mysteriously. ¡°Captain, this is really not my conspiracy theory anymore¡­ Do you think it was Li Jingtian who called and asked Xu Ran to meet in Hongjing?¡±


    ¡°Whether it was Li Jingtian or not, you can¡¯t prove this,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen suddenly remembered that if the call had been made by Li Jingtian, then when they met with him in the hospital just now, the phone was most likely on him. If they had searched his luggage at that time, the truth might have been revealed.


    However, they let the evidence slip away right from under their noses, making this even more unbearable.


    Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Wang Chao was close to collapsing again. ¡°Ahhh, what should I do!¡±


    ¡°Is there any evidence in Xu Ran¡¯s phone that can prove she stole Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo account?¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao looked depressed again. ¡°Captain, have you seen Xu Ran¡¯s phone? It¡¯s no different from those old phones. It doesn¡¯t even have Weibo on it. The highest technology on it is the snake game. Do you think this kind of outdated machine can scan for loopholes and transmit viruses?¡±


    ¡°In other words, we have no clues, right?¡±


    ¡°I can try to identify Xu Ran¡¯s face in the surveillance video of the mall to see if she has been there, but that¡¯s no different than finding a needle in a haystack. If you¡¯re conscious of it, it¡¯s not difficult to avoid the cameras.¡±


    The assault case at Ansheng International Mall had almost reached a dead end, so Xing Conglian asked him, ¡°Consultant Lin, do you have any ideas?¡±


    Lin Chen closed his eyes and recalled the sidewalk and the scene at that time again. Many times he guided witnesses to recall the situation of what they saw, but when it was his turn, he realized that this matter was more difficult than he thought.


    He tried his best to calm down, and the scene that had happened reappeared again.


    The small shop on the street, the flashing signal lights, and the girl running in front of him.


    ¡°Xu Ran saw those people chasing her and ran away in a panic. Even regardless of the danger to her life, she rushed into traffic to avoid them.¡± Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Why was she trying to avoid Li Jingtian¡¯s fans?¡±


    ¡°She knows that those people are Li Jingtian¡¯s fans and was afraid of being chased by them. Then, if Xu Ran was truly afraid of seeing Li Jingtian¡¯s fans, why would she be seen walking around the city in broad daylight? Moreover, there¡¯s also another question. How is it that Li Jingtian¡¯s fans are so powerful that they were able to find her faster than the police?¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, you have a point. It¡¯s very likely there¡¯s a problem with the first Weibo post that located Xu Ran. Let me check into it!¡±


    As he spoke, he was about to turn the laptop around, but Xing Conglian held his hand down to stop him. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the police station first. You can check it later when we get in the car,¡± he said to Wang Chao.


    It was around noon when they entered the hospital. When they walked out, it was already completely dark.


    Lin Chen glanced at the flowing lights of the city and felt a sense of desolation.


    It was rare that the police station at night was this lively. After all, there were a lot of parents.


    After Xu Ran¡¯s accident, the girl fans who had chased her were brought back to the police station to assist in the investigation.


    Under normal circumstances, when encountering a similar accident, the police would only take back the main perpetrators to the station to deal with them, while they would take statements from the rest and release them. Only Xing Conglian would dare to suddenly detain over seven girls at once.


    The girls¡¯ parents came from all directions with their inquiries. Middle-aged men and women surrounded the police station, adamant that they would not leave without their child.


    ¡°My daughter didn¡¯t do anything. Hurry up and let her out!¡±


    ¡°What is with this attitude? Don¡¯t you dare think I wouldn¡¯t complain to your city leaders!¡±


    The parents were on the verge of irritation. Any child who had been detained for more than four hours would be exhausted, and such girls that could chase stars generally had good family conditions, so when the parents threatened to call the city leaders, it wasn¡¯t an empty threat.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and saw him walk through the corridor as if nothing were wrong and walk right past the parents.


    It seemed that Xing Conglian had no plans to release these children in advance. After all, he was a man who dared to directly beat up an embassy military attach¨¦. Locking up a few girls for a few hours was something he would do without even blinking.


    Comrade Zhang Xiaolong stood in front of the parents, trying to dissuade them. The police officer seemed quite annoyed by this group of parents. She was rarely tough, but she knew what had happened. ¡°Our leader hasn¡¯t come back yet. There¡¯s been a big incident today, and there¡¯s not enough manpower at the station right now. Your children need to be interrogated one by one. After all, this is a murder case, and the victim is in the hospital with an unknown fate. This matter must be investigated clearly.¡±


    Hearing this, some parents suddenly became nervous, but they refused to relent.


    A middle-aged woman with wavy curls and fine eyeliner suddenly sat on the ground and cried. ¡°What kind of murder! Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know. It was a car accident. That person ran across the road by herself. The police are now blaming it on my girl. You¡¯re bullying people!¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong raised her eyes. She saw Xing Conglian come from behind the crowd and immediately grew some backbone. She said to the parents righteously, ¡°This is normal investigation procedure. We are following what needs to be done. Please wait patiently.¡±


    ¡°What procedures? Is there a reason? The police are just helping that woman. Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been reported in the news. Bah, it was just a prostitute who was hit and killed. This is called divine punishment, don¡¯t you understand? Just some son of a bitch.¡±


    The middle-aged woman cursed and crawled on the ground, grabbing Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s pant leg, refusing to let go. The female officer staggered and almost lost her balance.


    ¡°Zhang Xiaolong,¡± Xing Conglian suddenly said.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The police officer seemed to be waiting for this moment. She quickly stood at attention and saluted. ¡°Captain Xing.¡±


    ¡°How do we deal with those who are obstructing the normal work order of the police station?¡±


    ¡°Lightly, they will be punished with detention for more than 3 days and less than 5. If it¡¯s serious, criminal charges.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know well¡­¡±


    The middle-aged woman on the ground was stunned and even forgot she was crawling. Another middle-aged man beside her hurriedly said, ¡°We¡¯re just here to ask for an explanation. Why are the police going around arresting people casually?!¡±


    As he spoke, he wanted to reach out and point his fingers. Lin Chen saw this and took a step forward. Just as the man was about to point at Xing Conglian, Lin Chen stepped out in front.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s finger jabbed heavily into his shoulder. Lin Chen covered his shoulder and let out a muffled groan.


    ¡°You will be held criminally responsible for assaulting a police officer!¡± Wang Chao excitedly shouted from behind.


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he immediately panicked. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. He stepped forward by himself. It¡¯s not my fault!¡±


    Naturally, because they had a tacit understanding from being partners, Xing Conglian knew what Lin Chen¡¯s intentions were.


    With a cold face, he pretended that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with these parents anymore and waved his hand. He pointed to the visitor chairs on the side and said lightly, ¡°Alright, go and wait. Stop talking. We¡¯ll let your daughter out later.¡±


    One after another, the parents fell silent. Seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s face, they felt that he was being serious and that he would really act on what he said. The crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble would depend on how the police characterized them, so they all went to the corner and sat down anxiously.


    Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes fall on him.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, let¡¯s go,¡± he said.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian to the office, where the parents couldn¡¯t see them when Xing Conglian suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡¯s position was very accurate just now,¡± Xing Conglian said to him.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Xing, for the rescue.¡± Lin Chen saluted him.


    ¡°No, I have to thank you for the rescue. Is this a new type of porcelain* rescue¡­¡±


    *Reference to scams in the old days where gangsters would bump into people while holding fragile porcelain in their hands, then drop it and blackmail the pedestrian to pay up.


    Xing Conglian had a playful look in his eyes.


    Under that gaze, Lin Chen had no choice but to rub his shoulders and say, ¡°It still hurts a bit.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Lin Chen is now picking up bad habits from Xing Conglian and Wang Chao.

 CH 123

    The girls were detained together. Xing Conglian wanted his police officers to arraign them, but Lin Chen stopped him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just question them in the detention room.¡± Lin Chen thought for a bit before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go in alone.¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his brows. He obviously didn¡¯t expect him to say this. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The detention room of the police criminal division was on the negative first floor. Hongjing was originally a humid and rainy city, so there was always a musty and rancid smell in the detention room. Most of the prisoners held there were petty thieves and traffic offenders. The surrounding area was filled with whispers and people retching.


    It was thanks to Xing Conglian¡¯s hands that these dainty little girls were held here for more than four hours.


    Lin Chen used a key to open the iron door. When they heard the sound of the door opening, all the girls in the room stood up.


    But unlike Lin Chen¡¯s imagination, in the dim underground space, those little girls looked furious. Their faces weren¡¯t repentant, and they spoke to him condescendingly. ¡°Okay, Uncle Policeman, can we go now?¡±


    Lin Chen was familiar with the faces of those girls. After all, in his memories, their faces had appeared repeatedly. He still remembered that one of them was wearing pink earrings and the other had a Mickey Mouse doll attached to her satchel. Seeing them again, those memories resurfaced.


    Lin Chen glanced at them and sat down on the only bed in the detention room in the same posture as he sat in front of Li Jingtian¡¯s hospital bed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not yet.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think you can keep us for so long?¡±


    The girls began to chatter again. ¡°We didn¡¯t force her to jaywalk.¡±


    ¡°Because Xu Ran is in the hospital and isn¡¯t out of danger,¡± he said to the girls.


    The girls were stunned. They seemed to have no idea who Xu Ran was.


    Suddenly, someone responded, ¡°That¡¯s the chicken?¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s none of our business. If she dies, she deserves it.¡±


    ¡°That bitch committed suicide. That has nothing to do with us!¡± The girl wearing pink earrings said. ¡°Hehe, this is truly divine punishment. It¡¯s retribution, I tell you.¡±


    Suddenly, a short-haired girl said coldly, ¡°Officer, I remember you were also at the scene. Why don¡¯t you think it was you who forced that whore to commit suicide?¡±


    Those words poured into Lin Chen¡¯s ears, but he didn¡¯t feel any anger; just sadness.


    He wasn¡¯t prepared to talk about useless nonsense such as love and kindness. ¡°I certainly have an inescapable responsibility for Xu Ran¡¯s serious injury, so I¡¯ll take the responsibility I should bear. For example, making you guys talk.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ What do you want?!¡±


    The girls were quite imaginative. There were some that pulled their shirts and hid by the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We¡¯ll play a game of questions and answers. The person who gives me the most satisfactory answer can leave first, and the rest will stay here for the night.¡±


    As if to match his words, a drunk driver in the next cell began to vomit, and the violent criminal opposite their cell began to shake the iron door frantically.


    The girls were shocked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell my parents. I¡¯ll report you. This is abuse!¡±


    Lin Chen thought, if Xing Conglian was here, he would probably take out a cigarette, narrow his eyes slightly, and say to the girls, ¡°You can try.¡±


    So, he said the same thing.


    Without giving the girls time to react, he took out his phone and opened Weibo. He pointed to the post that first appeared, indicating Xu Ran¡¯s location, and asked, ¡°Who is this @EatDrinkSleep?¡±


    The girls looked at each other, as if trying to figure out how to respond.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds. Three, two¡­¡±


    When the count reached two, the girl wearing pink earrings suddenly raised her head and said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s me. So what?¡±


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t even look at her and instead looked at the remaining girls. ¡°She got the first point.¡±


    ¡°Why did you happen to find Xu Ran¡¯s trail?¡±


    As soon as the girl was about to speak, Lin Chen interrupted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear words like ¡®it was a coincidence¡¯. I want to hear the truth.¡±


    ¡°Someone sent a private message to @EatDrinkSleep and she asked us to go together,¡± another girl said.


    Humans were very strange individuals. The seemingly unbreakable alliance disintegrated in an instant.


    ¡°One point.¡±


    ¡°Someone did send me a private message.¡± The girl wearing pink earrings named ¡°EatDrinkSleep¡± gritted her teeth as she responded, looking extremely unhappy that her opportunity was robbed.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of private message that gets deleted after reading. I forgot the name. She said that she saw a bad woman at the intersection and asked me to find her quickly and that she was waiting for me over there.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that person?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I¡­ There are so many Jingtian fans on Weibo. How could I know them all?¡± EatDrinkSleep looked back at the other girls in the detention room and said, ¡°But it¡¯s not any of them. I know all of them.¡±


    ¡°In other words, none of you knows exactly who the person was who first found Xu Ran?¡±


    ¡°It could be someone from the fan club. Who knows?¡± EatDrinkSleep grumbled.


    The expressions on the girl¡¯s face didn¡¯t seem to be fake. Lin Chen nodded and said to her, ¡°You can leave if you can write down the name of the person who sent you the private message.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he took out a pen and paper and handed them to the girl. After the other party finished writing, she headed towards the door.


    Just as she was about to reach the door, the girl who was performing well suddenly stopped and walked back to her companions.


    ¡°We¡¯re in this together, so we¡¯re going together!¡±


    This sudden sense of loyalty surprised Lin Chen. He turned his head and looked at the fair-skinned girls in front of him again and said, ¡°Then answer my question.¡±


    His gaze finally fell on the fan club logo on the girls¡¯ chest as he asked the stupidest question ever, ¡°Why?¡±


    Why do you want to do this? Why do you want to hurt Xu Ran? Why can you love someone so much yet hate another equally at the same time?


    Hearing this, the girls looked at him as if he were an idiot. Their eyes were filled with the flame of faith.


    ¡°We agreed to protect Jingtian until we grow old!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not wrong!¡±


    When people were young, they would firmly believe in their own opinions and views, as if their love and hate were incomparable.


    Lin Chen shook the key in his hand and walked away from the interrogation room without closing the door.


    He walked out to the stairway and found Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t waited for him in the previous place.


    He raised his eyes and looked at the police officers that were rushing around. He grabbed one of them and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°In the lounge.¡± The police officer had an angsty expression on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Captain Xing was just on the news. He seems to have shut himself in the lounge to watch TV. Do you want to go see him?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen raised his head and looked at the clock on the wall. It was exactly 7:15 p.m.. It shouldn¡¯t have been long since the Hongjing Night News started.


    Lin Chen nodded, thanking the other party, and walked to the police lounge.


    Of course, Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t the type to sulk alone in the lounge over trivial things like being on the news. When he walked to the door, he could hear an anchor¡¯s sharp voice coming out of the lounge.


    Lin Chen knocked on the door and pushed it open. He saw Xing Conglian leaning on the sofa bed while watching the news. His uniform was spread out, his shirt collar was unbuttoned, and he was holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand. There was no light in the room, which made it a bit eerie.


    Wang Chao was checking on things on the desk behind him. When he saw Lin Chen enter, he hurriedly made a quiet gesture to him.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t go up to Xing Conglian but instead walked to the teenager, showed him the Weibo name written by the girl just now, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He didn¡¯t deliberately lower his voice, so this wasn¡¯t considered snooping behind someone¡¯s back.


    ¡°The captain was reprimanded by the director just now. Most likely Li Jingtian¡¯s complaint has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Your captain doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would be unhappy because they got reprimanded.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all trivial. An ant can¡¯t shake a tree*, hmph.¡± Wang Chao carefully opened a post on Weibo and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what that old man¡¯s thinking, but it could be the online investigation news just now that made him unhappy.¡±


    *(ò·òݺ³Ê÷) Idiom referring to a futile effort. || In this context, basically saying these things wouldn¡¯t shake Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the news, which showed an opinion poll. The choices were simple: Who do you think is responsible for the stampede in Ansheng International Mall?


    The options were: The police, the murderer Xu Ran, Li Jingtian, or Li Jingtian¡¯s fans.


    The poll results were obvious. The murderer Xu Ran won with an overwhelming ¡°advantage¡± of 68.12%, followed by the police with 16.01%, while Li Jingtian¡¯s fans and Li Jingtian ranked third and fourth.


    The total number of votes was 15,000. The public appeared to have already made up its mind about the case.


    ¡°So, are you using mineral water to relieve your worries?¡±


    Lin Chen looked back at the man on the sofa. Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes had never moved away from the TV screen.


    ¡°Good use of that idiom.¡±


    Xing Conglian finally spoke.


    Lin Chen walked over and sat down beside him.


    The previous news criticizing the work of the police force had passed, and now people were discussing Li Jingtian¡¯s case.


    The male anchor was sitting upright as he spoke solemnly. ¡°In fact, regarding today¡¯s stampede at Ansheng International Mall, things are very clear. This is Xu Ran¡¯s retaliation against singer Li Jingtian. In this regard, we randomly interviewed some passersby to hear their views on the case.¡±


    The location of the interview happened to be on the road outside of the municipal hospital.


    In the background of heavy traffic, a hurrying old auntie was stopped by the reporter.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s there to say about this? Let me tell you, this kind of unclean woman is the guilty one. Can the police hurry up and arrest her already!¡±


    ¡°What? A car accident during the arrest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s retribution!¡±


    Within this day, they had heard too many similar words. Just like the fans who guarded their idols and had a clear love and hate, passersby who understood the background differences between Xu Ran and Li Jingtian had come to their own judgments as well.


    But now, Lin Chen was almost immune. Those positive and negative analyses, other people¡¯s opinions and views, hardly affected him.


    At this moment, the reporter caught a person who looked like a female college student.


    ¡°Excuse me, classmate. What are your thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding singer Li Jingtian?¡±


    The girl had a ponytail, and her face was bright. She asked the reporter rhetorically, ¡°Are you sure you want me to express my opinion?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You can speak frankly.¡±


    The girl nodded, faced the camera, and said solemnly, ¡°If a prostitute is sexually assaulted, it is considered self-inflicted or unbelievable. This is a huge challenge in our social legal system. I hope the police can thoroughly investigate it. Even if the prostitute is a criminal suspect in another case, she should be treated with the same fairness under the law¡­¡±


    The reporter¡¯s face showed embarrassment as the picture was cut off, falling on the girl¡¯s serious face.


    Xing Conglian turned his head to the side and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Is this girl also surnamed Lin? Your sister? How come the tone is exactly like yours?¡±


    ¡°I have never said anything so sensible.¡±


    ¡°But you say it in your heart.¡± Xing Conglian turned off the TV and asked again, ¡°How was the interrogation?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t find any useful clues,¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°But it seems that someone did lead those girls to Xu Ran. This isn¡¯t a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°How likely do you think that person is Li Jingtian, his manager, or even that little assistant?¡±


    ¡°90% probability with 0% evidence,¡± Lin Chen said honestly. ¡°They are all at the embassy, so we have no way to search their electronic devices.¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao stepped in. ¡°A¡¯Chen, I checked the Weibo account you just gave me. It was newly registered today. The number bound to it is also very strange. It belongs to an 88-year-old lady. At first glance, it looks like someone used another person¡¯s ID card. In other words, the true identity of the account owner can¡¯t be traced.¡± Wang Chao paused. ¡°I smell a conspiracy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very smart.¡± Lin Chen tapped the armrest of the sofa lightly with his knuckles. ¡°In fact, even if Li Jingtian induced his fans to chase Xu Ran, it would be difficult for us to hold him criminally responsible for Xu Ran¡¯s accident, unless the driver was also arranged by him.¡±


    ¡°I have reviewed the driver. He¡¯s an honest man with no issues,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡°If all this was arranged by Li Jingtian in order to use Xu Ran as a scapegoat, the only question is, how can he be so sure that something will happen to her?¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Indeed, the car accident happened very well and coincidentally. As long as Xu Ran remains quiet, all clues will be broken, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°You speak first.¡±


    Seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes looking at him with a burning gaze, Lin Chen thought they were probably thinking the same thing.


    ¡°The passerby just told me one thing. In fact, what we have on hand is more than one injury case, and an accident case. There is another case that I think we should continue to investigate.¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian¡¯s sexual assault case?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Since Xu Ran can¡¯t speak currently, if we want to nail Li Jingtian, I¡¯m afraid we can only start investigating the previous case.¡±


    ¡°Your reason is more than that, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Because I want to reverse the case for her,¡± Lin Chen said solemnly.


    The author has something to say:


    June 1st Small Episode


    ¡ª-


    Children¡¯s Day was on June 1st and was considered an international holiday.


    In other words, no matter where you were in the world, as long as you had a child by your side, you had to give him this holiday.


    And the most hateful thing was that the United Nations had set the standard for children under the age of 18. Xing Conglian turned his head from side to side and looked at the ¡°child¡± playing games on the front passenger seat, resisting the urge not to drive him out of the car.


    He asked calmly, ¡°Wang Chao, how do you want to celebrate the holiday tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. In the morning, go to Uncle John¡¯s Pizzeria and eat a 12-inch turkey pizza. After eating, I want to go to the amusement park for a while. In the afternoon, go to the zoo. In the evening, go see the new X-men. Then, watch the fireworks.¡±


    Xing Conglian lowered the car window, took a deep breath of the smog, and calmly asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say you were going to the UN headquarters to hold a celebration?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Captain, we can do that? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡±


    Xing Conglian was irritated. ¡°Do you not understand sarcasm?¡±


    ¡°But tomorrow is my holiday, and you asked me to make a request, so why are you mocking me?¡±


    The child¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t move away from the game at all. It seemed that he had no desire to seriously answer his question. Xing Conglian parked the car, feeling he shouldn¡¯t have any in-depth discussion with Wang Chao on the issue.


    ¡°Hey, are we there yet?¡± When he had just stopped the car, the child put down his phone in a daze and looked out the window as he asked excitedly.


    It was an ordinary house, located in an ordinary and calm community, with a small courtyard with pink and blue daisies on the fence, trying to poke their heads out.


    It seemed like there was nothing special about this house.


    Xing Conglian looked at his watch. The child had already arranged his ¡°equipment¡± on the front passenger seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s 15:00 New York time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± The child followed him, right on time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xing Conglian opened the door and got out of the car.


    The next day, when the task was completed, it was deep into the night of Children¡¯s Day, but it wasn¡¯t yet midnight.


    The pizzeria, amusement park, and zoo were probably closed. The movie theater did have late-night showings, but looking at the child¡¯s sleepy face in front of the laptop, it seemed like he didn¡¯t have the strength to watch movies anymore.


    The night news broadcast on the radio had just finished reporting on a gunfight on the outskirts of the city and was interrupted with breaking news of two child sex trafficking victims under the age of 14 who risked their lives to report a terrorist organization that had imprisoned them at the United Nations General Assembly.


    Xing Conglian lowered the volume of the broadcast and looked at the dark street ahead.


    Although this was a beautiful holiday, not all children were happy in this world. There were children who didn¡¯t have clothes, children who were suffering, and even some children that were fighting with guns at the moment. This had never been an overly beautiful world.


    However, he could still try to make the children around him feel some happiness.


    Xing Conglian got out of the car, bought popcorn and two cans of Coke, then made a phone call and drove to the top of a mountain.


    Wang Chao was awakened by the sound of an explosion.


    He opened his bleary eyes and looked at the fireworks in the dark sky in the distance, then shouted excitedly in the car. His cry almost broke through the roof. ¡°Wow, Captain. I want to make a wish.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Xing Conglian opened a can of Coke and clinked it with the child¡¯s.


    The teenager closed his eyes and really made a serious wish.


    He then opened his eyes and looked at Xing Conglian with a solemn and sincere gaze and said, ¡°I wish, ah, for you to marry a good person so we can be a family.¡±


    At that time, Xing Conglian remembered he was smoking a cigarette as he responded loudly, ¡°Stop reading romance novels.¡±


    But now¡­


    Xing Conglian looked back at the person sitting in the front passenger seat and asked, ¡°How do you want to spend June 1st?¡±


    The man turned his head and looked at the boy in the backseat, who was still playing games, and said, ¡°Listen to him.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Aww, that small episode made my heart melt¡­ Not so much the main story.

 CH 124

    In terms of the process, in the absence of any substantial evidence, he identified Li Jingtian as a suspect based on his personality alone and then tried to find clues to prove Li Jingtian¡¯s guilt. Lin Chen was well aware of the potential problems, but people had opinions. In this case, he felt he had no choice.


    Work started quickly.


    He asked Wang Chao for all the files in the rape case against Li Jingtian. In fact, these things required some cumbersome documents to be obtained from the Fengchun police.


    However, since Wang Chao was here, it took less than a minute from when he asked to see the files to when he actually saw them.


    There were printers and shredders in the police lounge. Wang Chao printed hundreds of pages of files at once. Lin Chen sat by the desk lamp and finished sorting out the papers without rushing through them.


    ¡°Judging from Li Jingtian¡¯s pathological personality, it¡¯s impossible that he didn¡¯t commit such a similar rape case for the first time, since that would be going against one¡¯s innate desire for someone like him. If so, there must be clues in his files.¡± Lin Chen looked at the teenager who was motivated in front of the computer and said, ¡°Wang Chao, I need you to thoroughly investigate all files related to Li Jingtian, including his files in Xinni and those in our country. Records, ranging from smoking fines to traffic accidents, including any criminal records that haven¡¯t been officially filed, need to be thoroughly checked to see if there are any cases that have been ignored. Those records may be able to help us crucify Li Jingtian.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The teenager nodded and turned around to search. He had just typed a few words in when he suddenly turned to ask, ¡°What is the Captain doing?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the man sitting next to him. Thinking Xing Conglian was his immediate superior, there was no reason for his subordinates to arrange work for his superior.


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­¡± But, after some thought, he still said to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Consultant Lin?¡±


    ¡°When is it convenient for us to go to Fengchun?¡± He asked tentatively.


    ¡°Anytime.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    As a result, his file-reading work and Wang Chao¡¯s research were quickly moved from the police lounge to Xing Conglian¡¯s car. Within a quarter of an hour, they had already started to drive towards Fengchun, which was hundreds of kilometers away.


    Lin Chen always felt that whenever they encountered a case, they probably spent more time in Xing Conglian¡¯s run-down Jeep than their beds at home.


    Because there were too many files at hand, he sat in the back seat and switched with Wang Chao, who was sitting in the front passenger seat next to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian drove so steadily that he could put a glass of water on the dashboard, and it wouldn¡¯t spill a drop of water.


    By 8 in the evening, the flow of people on the road had gradually decreased. Naturally, a city like Hongjing was completely different from Fengchun.


    The surrounding lights were silent. The hustle and bustle during the day and the scolding and cursing online didn¡¯t play much of a role in this city. The road was dark, and the more one walked outside the city, the darker it became. At this time, Lin Chen started to believe that, just as day would always come, night would as well. No one in this world could really turn black and white.


    ¡°Is it okay for us to go to Fengchun so suddenly?¡±


    Although he proposed to go to Fengchun, and Xing Conglian firmly supported it, Lin Chen suddenly remembered that their sudden actions might still cause trouble for Xing Conglian.


    Again, what they were supposed to investigate was the assault case at Ansheng International Mall, but now they uncharacteristically went to investigate a suspected sexual assault case of Li Jingtian¡¯s victim that was already closed. If this matter was exposed online, and he believed it would, let alone Li Jingtian¡¯s fans, even ordinary netizens would criticize the Hongjing police for this.


    Xing Conglian glanced at him through the rearview mirror of the car and said, ¡°Since Consultant Lin said we¡¯re going, then we¡¯ll go. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Is there any problem with the Ansheng International Mall¡¯s case?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Someone is doing the trace test, and there are others checking on the artificial blood used by the assailant, including the source¡ªthe nightingale and the rose. There are people following orders. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Xing Conglian seemed to see through what he was thinking. He said lightly, ¡°Besides, when we go to Fengchun, we¡¯re also investigating the social relations of Xu Ran. Wang Chao also gave me the phone records of her two closest friends. This is serious work.¡±


    Lin Chen was a little speechless. This person was more shameless than he thought.


    Although he was worried about Xing Conglian¡¯s situation, they really did have to go to Fengchun.


    The reason was because of what Li Jingtian said to him when he left.


    He left him his number and said he would return home to recuperate.


    Obviously, Li Jingtian was provoking him. He was confident that he wouldn¡¯t be caught.


    Even though they found a crime that could nail Li Jingtian, with him at the embassy, he could enjoy diplomatic protection. What was even scarier was that if the problem was serious, Li Jingtian could immediately book a plane ticket to return to his country. Once Li Jingtian left China, they could only watch as the other party escaped sanctions.


    So now, every minute was important.


    Lin Chen rubbed his brows, turned on the reading light above his head, and looked through the files of Li Jingtian¡¯s sexual assault case page by page.


    He saw the examination conducted by the Fengchun police on Xu Ran and saw the densely terrible scars that covered her body and the bloody wounds on her chest. Unfortunately, because Xu Ran was a sex worker, considering her background, the scars on her body could easily be interpreted as self-inflicted or the result of a money transaction, which in itself was incredulous.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath and turn to the next page.


    When they approached a rest stop, the teenager sitting in the front passenger seat suddenly let out a long ¡°Ah!¡±


    Xing Conglian was so startled that he almost slammed on the brakes and reprimanded the restless co-pilot. ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°Captain, how can there be a person like Li Jingtian in this world? He¡¯s obviously a pervert, but there¡¯s not a single criminal record at all. This is truly unscientific!¡±


    Wang Chao put his laptop on the driver¡¯s dashboard, stretched out for a while, then turned his head and said to Lin Chen, ¡°A¡¯Chen, let alone any sexual harassment records, Li Jingtian doesn¡¯t even have a parking violation ticket!¡±


    In the dark car, Lin Chen was astounded. ¡°Did you really look through it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, after checking, Li Jingtian is crystal clear, just like a fully plucked chicken. I suspect his files are even cleaner than ours!¡±


    ¡°If everyone¡¯s like you, their files would be full of stains,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°Captain, it takes one to know one. Scolding others just reveals the stains you have.¡± Wang Chao quickly countered.


    Lin Chen frowned and interrupted them. ¡°This is unlikely. Antisocial personality disorder like Li Jingtian would manifest during their early childhood. Were there any juvenile criminal files that were sealed?¡±


    Wang Chao started mumbling. As if recalling something, he lowered his head and searched Li Jingtian¡¯s files again, then said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, wait¡­ If you say that, there might be something wrong with Li Jingtian¡¯s files.¡±


    As he spoke, he put the laptop through the gap between the seats and handed it over. ¡°Look, aren¡¯t these files a little too clean? It¡¯s as if they all have the same format.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the scanned copies of Li Jingtian¡¯s files when he was young. The more he looked at them, the more frightened he became.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what kind of standard of records Xinni had, it was clear that the person who wrote Li Jingtian¡¯s 7-year-old primary school admission file was exactly the same person who wrote his 13-year-old junior high school file. After six years, even the handwriting of the person would change, not to mention that Li Jingtian attended different schools. How could the file writer be the same?


    Lin Chen¡¯s finger slid on the screen. He flipped through the series of scans and found the records of Li Jingtian between 7 and 16 were probably rewritten.


    He also looked at the electronic files that were the standards of Xinni. The electronic file was brief, just stating what significant experiences Li Jingtian had in a certain year and month. The matter fits with the contents of the scanned paper. Apart from the handwriting issue, in fact, this forged file was beautifully made. If it weren¡¯t for careful investigation, the abnormality wouldn¡¯t be found.


    Furthermore, if there was no accident involving a ¡°law-abiding citizen¡± like Li Jingtian, why would Xinni investigate his childhood files?


    For a police officer from another country to see this file, they must first submit an application to the ICPO and then spend a lot of effort waiting for the Xinni police to agree to submit it, and even then there was a high probability it would be rejected, so¡­


    Lin Chen looked at the teenager in the front passenger seat. He probably understood where the ¡°stain¡± in Wang Chao¡¯s file came from.


    ¡°It seems that Lao Li has really worked hard for his grandson.¡± After listening to his narrative, Xing Conglian dropped another cigarette and spoke calmly.


    Perhaps only Xing Conglian would use such a peaceful tone to evaluate a privileged class protected by a family of high status. It seemed that Li Jingtian was more difficult to deal with than they imagined.


    ¡°What are we going to do next, A¡¯Chen?!¡± Wang Chao stretched his waist, but he wasn¡¯t the slightest bit frustrated.


    ¡°Li Jingtian is smart. Since his files have been modified, let¡¯s expand the scope of the search. It¡¯s impossible for him to act seamlessly. Check on those around Li Jingtian¡ªformer classmates, relatives, and friends. See if any of them have ever reported anything unusual.¡±


    Lin Chen handed the laptop back to Wang Chao.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Chao nodded vigorously.


    The car became calm again. Xing Conglian opened the windows slightly to let out the smoke. The smell in the car was filled with his usual mint cigarettes mixed with the smell of the grass and trees at the turn of spring into summer, which made him feel a little sleepy.


    At some point, Xing Conglian had turned on the radio.


    A soft voice from the male anchor flowed out into the night. ¡°The bloodshed that happened today has filled everyone¡¯s hearts with trauma. Although we don¡¯t know what the truth is, we still hope that music can comfort you. The following song is the most famous single from Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s group, Illi, called Peaceful. I hope you will like it.¡±


    The voice of the male anchor gradually disappeared, and a soft singing voice flowed out.


    On top of the background noise of the rustling radio, the sound of a guitar suddenly resounded. The rhythm was gentle and seemed to pull people¡¯s heartstrings.


    Then, Lin Chen heard a clear male voice. It wasn¡¯t Li Jingtian¡¯s voice, because his singing was soft with a terrible explosive power hidden within it, whereas this singer¡¯s voice had a sharp aura that a young person should have. Come to think of it, there should be another person in Illi.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s voice appeared later. He hummed the melody softly, blending it with the lead singer¡¯s voice almost perfectly.


    Before they knew it, they had all put down their work. Lin Chen was carefully distinguishing the meanings of the lyrics, while Wang Chao listened carefully to the song. Xing Conglian was, of course, still driving.


    In a very calm atmosphere, the sound of the song suddenly changed. It was an extremely abrupt climax, like the handover of night and day. Various roaring noises in the background sounded like painful resistance, like people suffering in a war or suffering from ordinary life.


    There was almost no libretto in that climax¡ªonly screaming, which was so uncomfortable that it was incomprehensible.


    Lin Chen put his hand on his chest. He could feel the despair and pain in the scream, as if it were a true scream. From the mirror of the car, he could clearly see Xing Conglian¡¯s frowning brows. Wang Chao reached out to turn down the volume.


    But at the moment when Wang Chao was about to touch the knob, the melody gradually softened again. The arrival of that moment was like a mouth blowing on a painful wound, soothing it. The wounds were still clear and painful, but love bloomed, like roses from the muzzle of a gun.


    This made Lin Chen suddenly remember what happened in front of Xu Ran¡¯s ward. Xing Conglian was holding him tightly.


    He didn¡¯t know when the singing would end.


    During the unbearable blank time, Wang Chao looked back at him. The teenager¡¯s eyes were filled with tears at some point. ¡°This song is really hard to listen to, but it is indeed very good.¡±


    Lin Chen put his hand down from his heart.


    In the front passenger seat, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem affected by such emotions. He suddenly asked, ¡°What happened to Li Jingtian¡¯s former group?¡±


    Wang Chao was startled by him before he began tapping on the keyboard and quickly replied, ¡°It seems they were around nine years ago. Jingtian used to be in an underground band called Illi. At that time, Li Jingtian was still a newcomer. CA Entertainment discovered them at the time, but it seemed they were short-lived. They disbanded eight years ago, and Li Jingtian went solo.¡±


    Wang Chao flipped through the news records, and suddenly, a piece of information seemed to attract his attention.


    The sound of the young man tapping the keyboard became much louder. He pressed enter twice and suddenly turned his head and said, in an inconceivable tone, ¡°A¡¯Chen, I seem to have found it. You asked me to look into it. The abnormal reports of people around Li Jingtian were recorded, but¡­¡±

 CH 125

    ¡°Don¡¯t just leave us hanging. I¡¯m going to have a heart attack,¡±


    Wang Chao paused for a long time, so Xing Conglian urged him impatiently.


    ¡°No, Captain, this, I¡ªbut the perpetrator of this crime wasn¡¯t Li Jingtian. The case has been closed, and the criminal was sentenced to ten years in jail,¡± Wang Chao said, then paused again. ¡°I¡­ Are you really sure Li Jingtian is the bad guy?¡±


    As if he had seen something that couldn¡¯t be explained in words, Wang Chao spoke intermittently.


    ¡°What stupid thing are you talking about?¡± Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao.


    ¡°I¡ªI seem to have discovered another terrible case. Oh god, I¡¯m going crazy!¡±


    ¡°What kind of case?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help asking, seeing that Wang Chao was as impatient as if his butt was on fire.


    The young man¡¯s ass writhed restlessly in the seat. ¡°Fuck!¡± He was grabbing his hair with one hand as he was desperately checking something with the other.


    In the end, Wang Chao seemed to have determined something. Seeing Lin Chen staring at him blankly, Wang Chao turned his head and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, I seem to have discovered a shocking injustice!¡±


    Lin Chen thought that, although he didn¡¯t know what Wang Chao had experienced, it was clear that he had met many people in the world. Then, in that young man¡¯s heart, what would the story be like for him to consider it a shocking injustice?


    Without leaving them hanging further, Wang Chao sorted out his thoughts and asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you know Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Lin Chen was stunned.


    He didn¡¯t expect Wang Chao would mention Song Shengsheng, because that was such a resounding name.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t know much about the entertainment industry because that world was too far away from him. For example, when he heard Li Jingtian¡¯s name for the first time, he tried his best but couldn¡¯t match the name to the face. However, probably no one who came from his era would not know who Song Shengsheng was.


    After all, nine years ago, as Wang Chao said, while Li Jingtian was still a rookie, the news was filled with Song Shengsheng on the entertainment page.


    Compared with a reputable star like Li Jingtian, Song Shengsheng was completely opposite, filled with negative stories.


    He smoked, drank, got into fights, went clubbing, and wore earring studs and nose rings on his face. He was the kind of person one¡¯s typical grandmother would say to their teenage grandson, ¡°Good child, you must not be like this person.¡±


    But at the same time, he was indeed talented, with a good voice that could span several octaves. He had written many good songs that were passed around through word of mouth. At the same time, boys and girls loved his rebellious nature.


    The reason why Lin Chen knew so much about Song Shengsheng was because Song Shengsheng himself was really good at causing trouble. One day he would quarrel with a certain female celebrity or a certain rich second-generation, the next, he would dress up as a beggar and sing on the street. Truly a strange performer.


    The media liked such restless stars the most, so news about Song Shengsheng appeared weekly.


    But suddenly one day, an explosive, earth-shattering piece of news caused an uproar across the country.


    A newly debuted male singer accused Song Shengsheng of sodomizing him for more than 20 hours.


    Lin Chen¡¯s memory of this incident ended here.


    Whether it was the specific investigation process or the trial process, too much time had passed for him to recall it. He only remembered that during that time, piece after piece of heavy evidence was exposed, crucifying Song Shengsheng to the pillar of shame.


    Ten years ago, society¡¯s acceptance of homosexuality was very low, not to mention Song Shengsheng¡¯s reputation was quite bad. After this incident, Song Shengsheng went to jail, like a stone thrown into the sea, and no news about him had surfaced since. Even his former singles were banned nationwide.


    As time progressed, no one knew who Song Shengsheng was anymore.


    Today¡¯s darling would become tomorrow¡¯s trash. A person like Song Shengsheng wasn¡¯t even considered trash. Unless he died, he would never be mentioned again.


    As he could see, the public was like this, Lin Chen thought. Even he, who was an ordinary person, after so many years, despite Song Shengsheng being a star who once swept across the country and would occupy the front page every time; he no longer had any impression of him.


    ¡°Oh, so where is the injustice?¡±


    Xing Conglian seemed to have never heard of Song Shengsheng. After listening to Wang Chao¡¯s story, he commented like so.


    And Wang Chao, although he had been excited before, was now also beginning to regain his emotions, saying in his usual relaxed and lively tone, ¡°Captain, guess who was the person that accused Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Whenever this happened, Lin Chen felt that he wasn¡¯t living in the same world as them, as their past had nothing to do with him.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°It can¡¯t be Li Jingtian. It seems that no one online has mentioned anything like this.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not Li Jingtian, but¡­ Oh, guess who it is. Aren¡¯t my hints obvious, huh?¡±


    ¡°The one who was in the same group as Li Jingtian?¡± Xing Conglian guessed.


    Wang Chao snapped his fingers. ¡°Bingo. It¡¯s another member of Illi¡ªMu Zhuo.¡± Wang Chao said excitedly, ¡°Could it be that the person who sexually assaulted Mu Zhuo wasn¡¯t Song Shengsheng, but Li Jingtian, and he made a mistake and accused Song Shengsheng? There has to be such a possibility, right?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    There was nothing wrong with Wang Chao¡¯s reasoning. In fact, it was entirely his idea that Wang Chao could track down this case nine years ago, but now, with a case that was nine years old resurfacing, Lin Chen felt there was a deeper problem.


    But if, as Wang Chao inferred, Song Shengsheng was wrongfully imprisoned, then this must be a shocking injustice that could once again stir the entire country.


    Lin Chen felt his hands tremble a little involuntarily as he said, ¡°Even if it¡¯s Li Jingtian, without any evidence, we can¡¯t speculate what he did and didn¡¯t do.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°I need to see Song Shengsheng¡¯s file, and¡­ If I can find My Zhuo or Song Shengsheng, it would be better to talk to them in person.¡±


    When he said this, Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Guess what, A¡¯Chen? What a coincidence. Mu Zhuo is holding a concert in Fengchun today. They¡¯re currently celebrating the afterparty. The paparazzi have photographed it. They¡¯re celebrating it at Fengchun Royal One¡­ Are you familiar with the name Royal One?¡±


    Lin Chen thought this was unbelievable. ¡°Is it where Xu Ran changed her confession to?¡±


    ¡°This is such a coincidence. Does this count as God giving us a chance to nail Li Jingtian?!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Sometimes, the harder one tried to track something down, the more coincidental the moments became to the point where you would believe in ghosts.


    Whether it was a divine blessing or not, they appeared to have discovered some new clues and restored some hope in Li Jingtian¡¯s case.


    At some point, Lin Chen had fallen asleep.


    When Xing Conglian was about to get off the highway, he looked at the rearview mirror and saw his consultant leaning against the car window, fast asleep.


    A thick stack of files was placed on the seat next to Lin Chen, and a tablet was on his knee. It seemed Lin Chen had accidentally fallen asleep while reading the files in Song Shengsheng¡¯s case that Wang Chao had just sorted out.


    Generally speaking, the only one who would fall asleep while reading files was Wang Chao, but today, it was Lin Chen. From this, it could be seen that Lin Chen was truly exhausted.


    Wang Chao also seemed to sense something and quickly looked back. ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen Gege* is asleep!¡±


    *Brother (¸ç¸ç) Address towards men who are older than you and are close to you or your actual older relatives.


    Xing Conglian rolled down the window and asked rhetorically, ¡°So, only you¡¯re allowed to sleep in the car normally, but not your A¡¯Chen Gege?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t think A¡¯Chen Gege usually sleeps while you¡¯re driving. He must have suffered a heavy blow to his heart today and is so exhausted that he fell asleep. You have to comfort him. Do you hear me¡­¡±


    Wang Chao kept babbling words like ¡°comfort¡± and ¡°talk more¡±. After a few absent-minded ¡°Nn¡±, Wang Chao suddenly stopped talking. After a while, he heard the chattering teenager let out a long sigh and said to him, ¡°I really feel that A¡¯Chen Gege seems to be holding onto something all the time, living a very, very tired life.¡±


    Hearing what Wang Chao said, Xing Conglian felt a little funny. ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, why did you suddenly express this?¡±


    Wang Chao lowered his voice and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? We used to be regarded as people who did great things, right? But the things A¡¯Chen Gege did seems to be completely different from us. The people and things he encounters always make it feel so easy to fall into despair. A¡¯Chen Gege was crying today. God, my A¡¯Chen Gege actually cries!¡±


    Sure enough, Wang Chao was prevaricated when he asked Lin Chen why, so now that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t hear him, he made a lot of guesses, but actually, he just wanted to gossip and find out why Lin Chen was crying.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know why this child was like this now.


    ¡°People will cry. When they¡¯re sad, feel pain, or hopelessness. It¡¯s normal,¡± he said.


    ¡°Captain, that¡¯s a bit cold-blooded of you to say that.¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s enough that he¡¯s a psychologist who can interpret people¡¯s minds. We don¡¯t need to be like him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wang Chao opened his mouth wide, as if he couldn¡¯t understand what Xing Conglian was saying.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to be sympathetic forever, and he doesn¡¯t need us to sympathize with him, so rather than spending your time sympathizing with him and the world, think about how to protect them and share the responsibility for them.¡±


    It was late at night, so there wasn¡¯t a single car on the ramp.


    This was purely a conversation between men, so Xing Conglian didn¡¯t expect Wang Chao to grasp it quickly.


    Sure enough, Wang Chao said, ¡°Huh?¡± in confusion.


    ¡°Your IQ is really terrible.¡± Xing Conglian knocked on Wang Chao¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Then how can we assume the responsibility of protecting this world? For example, if we can¡¯t bring Li Jingtian to justice, should we kill him secretly?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Can¡¯t you be more civilized? This is a society ruled by laws.¡±


    ¡°Have you given a few similar orders?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to have a proper chat? What¡¯s with all your quips? I¡¯m obviously teaching you how to be a man.¡± Xing Conglian almost wanted to beat the brat next to him.


    ¡°Seriously, Captain, don¡¯t get off topic. As far as Li Jingtian¡¯s background is concerned, if we really find empirical evidence, most likely we¡¯ll go head-to-head with Lao Li. You haven¡¯t seen the fake files that his family and Lao Li have made for him. If this kind of thing can be done, Lao Li won¡¯t hesitate to cause a real diplomatic dispute to protect his grandson. What are you going to do then?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao,¡± Xing Conglian said heavily. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the prince committed a crime towards the common people when he broke the law?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Then you know what should be done.¡±


    ¡°Captain, ah, I mean, if a short-sighted madman like Lao Li knows you¡¯re messing with his grandson, won¡¯t it become troublesome to deal with protecting your current identity?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Xing Conglian gave a long sigh.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang¡­ Li Jingtian isn¡¯t the only prince in the world.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°I have more experience as a prince than him.¡±

 CH 126

    When Lin Chen woke up, he thought it was already dawn.


    There was a misty white light in his vision as he opened his eyes slightly, and it took him a while to realize that they had arrived at the first stop of their trip¡ªthe ¡°Royal One¡± clubhouse.


    Unlike the Tianren Club, where they went when they were in Yongchuan, ¡°Royal One¡± was truly a place that matched its name. After all, the preferences of the rich would also be different. It was resplendent here, with white Roman pillars, gilt lintels, and fountains that sparkled under the ambient lights.


    If decoration was just the hardware of a club, the ¡°software¡± here was also quite good.


    There were two rows of people standing around the golden revolving door in the hall. A row of ¡°princesses¡± on the left and a row of ¡°young masters¡± on the right. The princesses and young masters were so tender that you could easily pinch out water*. Judging from their attire, Royal One was probably not that serious of a place.


    *(Æþ³öË®À´) Idiom referring to immature.


    Lin Chen retracted his gaze and looked at the two people in the front passenger seat.


    Xing Conglian looked forward a few times, apparently noticing the two rows of people in the hall dressed scantily. He turned his head and said to the teenager, ¡°Wait for us to go in. You¡¯ll act as backup in the car. Take out two wireless headsets.¡±


    Wang Chao looked at the rows of stilettos and puffy dresses when he heard this and gave Xing Conglian an aggrieved look. ¡°Why?!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xing Conglian smacked him on the head. ¡°Have some class, okay?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this!¡± Wang Chao stated grudgingly. As he spoke, he moved his gaze back to his boss¡¯ face and seemed to sober up. ¡°Wait, Captain, what back up?! Do you mean you¡¯re going undercover? You¡¯re going clubbing to pick up girls, right? Why aren¡¯t you taking me?!¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s more important things for you to do in the car. Very important things,¡± Xing Conglian heavily emphasized.


    Wang Chao was coaxed and became happy again. ¡°What is it? Let me at it!¡±


    ¡°First, check on the surveillance records of this club the night Xu Ran was sexually assaulted. If there¡¯s no video, try to find the on-duty records or work logs around that time. Since Xu Ran changed her testimony and said Royal One was the scene of the crime, if she didn¡¯t lie this time, judging from the scars on her body, Li Jingtian¡¯s actions must not be small, so even if we can¡¯t prove she was tortured here, at least we can find some witnesses to prove that Li Jingtian and Xu Ran were here at the same time on the night of the crime.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Chao was stunned. ¡°It¡¯s been half a month. It¡¯s highly unlikely that they kept the surveillance records.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I also ask you to find the work logs.¡±


    ¡°You mean anyone that was working on the night of the incident?¡± Wang Chao was still confused.


    When Lin Chen heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but glance at Xing Conglian as he said to Wang Chao, ¡°He¡¯s asking you to find out if anyone related to Li Jingtian opened a private room here on the day of the incident and what ¡®special services¡¯¡­¡±


    Wang Chao was stunned again. ¡°A¡¯Chen, you understand well!¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin seems quite experienced,¡± Xing Conglian added.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial social experience.¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and said, ¡°Moreover, my experience tells me that it¡¯s not very appropriate for Captain Xing to make an ¡®unannounced visit¡¯ to this club in such an outfit.¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled and pulled down the rearview mirror to look at his face. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if I¡¯m born upright and awe-inspiring.¡±


    At that time, Wang Chao was already clacking on the keyboard to check the things that Xing Conglian had instructed him to do. Hearing this, the teenager glanced up at him and said, ¡°Captain, your shameless words today are a bit over-the-top. Restrain yourself.¡±


    Xing Conglian ignored Wang Chao.


    Lin Chen saw him touch the stubble on his chin and then turned his head and asked through the gap between the seats, ¡°Does Consultant Lin have any good ideas?¡±


    The neon lights outside the car were shining with various colors, but the light inside was dim, causing Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes to shine like jewels.


    Xing Conglian was looking at him seriously.


    Lin Chen sat forward a bit and grabbed his shirt collar perplexingly. Xing Conglian moved slightly at that time when Lin Chen had already unbuttoned the first collar button, so he whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he unbuttoned the second button.


    They were so close that Xing Conglian¡¯s breath brushed against his ear. When he lowered his head, he could feel the warmth from Xing Conglian¡¯s body through his shirt as the ends of the fingers touched his skin.


    In fact, the time it took to unbutton three collar buttons wasn¡¯t long, but Lin Chen wished that time would pass more slowly. After all, there weren¡¯t many opportunities to take advantage of his sweetheart so openly like this.


    ¡°Put out your hand.¡± After unbuttoning the collar, Lin Chen said this to Xing Conglian with some intent.


    Xing Conglian stretched out his hand generously. Things like cufflinks could be undone by him, but at that time, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian probably weren¡¯t thinking about it.


    Lin Chen held Xing Conglian¡¯s wrist with one hand as he slowly unbuttoned the cuff links and carefully rolled it up.


    ¡°Found it!¡±


    Suddenly, Wang Chao roared.


    Lin Chen withdrew his hand as Xing Conglian unbuttoned his other cuff, rolled it up naturally, and turned around and asked, ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°I found some clues on the day when the crime happened!¡± Wang Chao said while raising his head. He looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s open neckline and was stunned. ¡°Captain, why are you unbuttoning your shirt? Did A¡¯Chen Gege help you unbutton them so you¡¯d look better?¡±


    Lin Chen sighed.


    Xing Conglian pulled the rearview mirror to take a look again and said with satisfaction, ¡°He did. I also think, with the angle of the neckline, it makes me look quite good, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s particularly immodest.¡± Wang Chao concluded. He then returned to his work. ¡°First, I checked, and the surveillance was deleted that day. Second, on the day of the incident, there¡¯s a record of a credit card of a PR director from Li Jingtian¡¯s company, CA Entertainment, that was used at Royal One, totaling 184,115 yuan.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yeah, then I checked all his credit card records. It seems that Royal One is a designated consumer merchant of CA Entertainment, and a man named ¡®Li Gaoqiang¡¯ is the one that pays the bill, so it¡¯s very possible that this person is waiting to pay for Mr. Mu Zhuo¡¯s celebration. You can find him!¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao and asked, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Oh, also, the salary records at Royal One are quite detailed. I have read them. On the day of the crime, Li Gaoqiang opened an extra-large private room No. 441. They ordered five princesses and two young masters. One of them has a work number of 3341 and is named Lily. Who is now standing at the door.¡±


    As he spoke, he pointed his finger at the girl, who was near the end of the row.


    Xing Conglian nodded, took out an electric shaver from the glovebox, and started to shave. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why this person kept almost all the necessities of life in the glove box but never cleaned himself up.


    He watched the stubble covering the cheeks and lips be neatly trimmed. The moment Xing Conglian looked back at him again, just like in a novel where a scruffy young man with heavy bangs covering his eyes took off his heavy, thick glasses, and changed into a well-tailored suit, turning into a completely different person.


    Although this was a bit exaggerated when putting it into words to describe Xing Conglian, the sudden sense of amazement didn¡¯t change.


    At this time, Wang Chao had just dug out two sets of transparent headsets from his backpack. When he saw Xing Conglian¡¯s clean-shaven face, he was stunned again.


    After a while, he murmured, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re really here to pick up girls, right? A¡¯Chen Gege is at a disadvantage with you looking so handsome and coquettish!¡±


    Lin Chen took the headset, pressed them to his ears, and then looked at Xing Conglian from top to bottom. ¡°As the chauffeur of the young master, I¡¯d better keep a low profile.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he got out of the car, opened the door for Xing Conglian, and made a gesture of invitation.


    Xing Conglian understood and happily stepped out of the car.


    ¡­¡­


    Probably, because they were acting, they couldn¡¯t take it too far.


    As they walked into the revolving door, before they could finish enjoying ¡°Hello Boss¡± from both sides in unison, two heavy, thick security guards stepped forward and stopped them.


    It seemed that they weren¡¯t regular customers, or perhaps when they walked in from the parking lot, the security guards noticed that the Jeep they were driving wasn¡¯t high-end, so they got suspicious.


    Lin Chen saw one of the security guards press their headset, glanced at them, and said, ¡°Sir, we¡¯re a members-only club. Please show me your membership card.¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback. He really didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a ¡°threshold¡± here.¡±


    ¡°You still need a membership card for a lousy place like this?¡± Xing Conglian reacted quickly, and he spoke arrogantly.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because of Xing Conglian¡¯s performance or if he was born with an aura of a dandy that looked down on everything, but in short, after Xing Conglian said that, the security guard didn¡¯t throw them out but changed his tone, emphasizing more respect. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, we¡¯re a membership only club. Please show your membership card, or please complete the membership application after being recommended by two members and making a purchase.¡±


    ¡°So troublesome?¡± Lin Chen looked at the ¡®young master¡¯s¡¯ face and wondered if he should retreat first.


    However, Xing Conglian just raised his chin and said to him, ¡°You wait here.¡±


    After saying that, Xing Conglian went out, leaving him alone in the glorious hall to stare at Mr. Security Guard.


    This period of time was quite difficult. Lin Chen felt that Xing Conglian might have left him and just ran away, but the young master was true to his word, and soon, the familiar footsteps sounded again.


    He turned his head and saw Xing Conglian with his neckline open, walking gracefully to the front desk in front of the two security guards, took out a thick stack of things from his pocket, slapped it on the table, and slowly wiped it away.


    Lin Chen looked over and saw Xing Conglian had opened various cards, large and small.


    There were gold, silver, and black cards among them, and even some cards that didn¡¯t have any logo on the surface, but judging by the texture of the card¡¯s surface, it didn¡¯t look like a cheap supermarket membership card. One category, without exception, no matter how the color of the cards changed, the identity on the card surface was top-level, Super VIP; diamond cards, black gold cards, and so on that it created a dazzling spread.


    ¡°Go on~ Find your membership card yourself.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice rang out slowly and methodically.


    Lin Chen looked up, completely dumbfounded.


    The author has something to say:


    Lin Chen: ¡­¡­

 CH 127

    All in all, things went smoothly.


    The security guards successfully found the membership card to their club among the pile of cards taken out by Xing Conglian. It was a golden card that matched the style of Royal One.


    At first, the security guards were a little hesitant because there were no markings on the card, making it hard to identify. Then, one of them took out the card reader and scanned it.


    ¡°Welcome, distinguished Super VIP member.¡±


    The card reader recited in a very doggy, mechanical tone.


    In an instant, the drop of a pin could be heard in the hall. The young masters and princesses looked at Xing Conglian as if he were a gold mine.


    The stunned security guard came back to his senses as exclamations sounded in the hall.


    Xing Conglian acted as if nothing had happened, like taking out a bunch of top membership cards for the elite clubs was as casual as paying bills in a supermarket.


    He still acted like a dandy and ordered two beautiful ¡°princesses¡± in the hall, including, of course, the pure and lovely Miss Lily.


    Although the two charming young ladies pestered Xing Conglian to go to the private room, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t have the slightest pity for jade*. He smacked his mouth and said impatiently, ¡°Why are you talking so much nonsense? Like I said, take me to where it¡¯s lively.¡±


    *(Á¯ÏãϧÓñ) Idiom referring to being tender towards women.


    He dragged his tone and spoke languidly.


    Finally, due to Xing Conglian¡¯s perfect acting skills, they sat down in the luxurious hall of Royal One. When they arrived at this place, Lin Chen was at a loss for words.


    Surrounded by bright purple lights and misty smoke, various changing spotlights dye the huge space with strange colors. On the stage was a blood-tingling erotic dancer. The floor under their feet trembled as laughter and sounds of kissing could be heard mixed among the explosive dance music, which was so loud it made their internal organs tremble.


    It wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. In fact, Lin Chen admitted that he relied on his imagination for the laughter and kisses around him. The sound of the music was so deafening that he couldn¡¯t hear what was being said near him, and because the surrounding lights were too dim, he couldn¡¯t see Xing Conglian¡¯s face clearly.


    Of course, this was also because Miss Lily, whose tutu was so short that it didn¡¯t cover half her thigh when she sat down, was squeezed between him and Xing Conglian. Miss Lily stuck to Xing Conglian as if she were an extension of his body.


    Sure enough, the treatment of distinguished Super VIPs was indeed different.


    Lin Chen raised the iced water that the waiter had just brought over, took a sip, and then realized what kind of drink it really was; a highly alcoholic drink.


    He put down the glass and rubbed the space between his brows.


    Xing Conglian finally made room. He took out his noble membership card from his shirt¡¯s front pocket and threw it on the table. He said to the two girls around him, ¡°Go get some drinks.¡±


    Anyone with common sense in a nightclub knew that the majority of income for hostesses depended on the corkage fee. With Xing Conglian¡¯s lax attitude, it seemed he didn¡¯t care at all about how expensive the drinks were, so they could order as much and as expensive as they wanted.


    The two girls were so happy that they jumped up abruptly and grabbed the card as if they were grabbing diamonds. They ran out, but didn¡¯t forget to look back and blew a kiss at Xing Conglian, but Master Xing remained impatient. He leaned on the leather sofa and glanced at the two of them, causing the two girls to take a half step back with great interest before happily running away.


    ¡°Where did you get so many cards?¡±


    Seeing the girls run away, Lin Chen stroked the rim of the cup, feeling a little dizzy.


    However, the person who answered his question wasn¡¯t Xing Conglian, but Wang Chao through the headset. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, don¡¯t you see the nature of our captain?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I have some understanding,¡± Lin Chen replied with a low smile.


    ¡°Cut the crap. Did you find that Li Gaoqiang?¡±


    Apparently, Xing Conglian also heard Wang Chao¡¯s words. Within a second, his tone changed back to the serious and calm tone of a police officer. However, after he reprimanded his little subordinate, Xing Conglian said to him in a gentle and joking tone, ¡°It¡¯s all necessary stuff to handle cases.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, don¡¯t believe it. Let me tell you, the maintenance box in the trunk of the Captain¡¯s car is full of all kinds of things covered in gold. You have to look through it when you have time!¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao¡­¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was sluggish. ¡°The limited edition of Magneto¡¯s helmet is gone.¡±


    ¡°No!!!¡± The headset exploded with the teenager¡¯s scream. ¡°No way!!!¡±


    The teenager¡¯s scream was so miserable that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help rubbing his ears.


    ¡°Where is Li Gaoqiang?¡± Xing Conglian asked again.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t swiped his card yet, so I don¡¯t know what room they are in. Moreover, there¡¯s a problem with the surveillance layout of this club. There are many blind spots. The surveillance on the 9th and 10th floors isn¡¯t turned on at all. So, you¡¯ll have to rely on yourself, muah.¡±


    After Wang Chao finished speaking, he simply shut up.


    ¡°Trunk?¡± Lin Chen recalled the clues that Comrade Xiao Wang had provided earlier.


    Xing Conglian coughed dryly and said, ¡°Just let go of unimportant things.¡±


    When he finished speaking, the girls that he had sent away came back. They reluctantly returned the valuable membership card to Xing Conglian.


    Afterwards, the waiters brought over two trays of drinks, which were all foreign wines. The bottles looked expensive, but there weren¡¯t that many, so the bill shouldn¡¯t be too high.


    Indeed, a big boss like Xing Conglian made even a hostess who was used to seeing all types of people yearn for him, so they weren¡¯t willing to go too far all at once and possibly cut off future contact.


    People were like this. When the temptation was great enough, everything could be changed.


    The waiter wanted to open the red wine and brought over the decanter. Xing Conglian waved to him and asked the waiter to take it away. He opened the bottle himself and took two sips from the opening. It looked like he was drinking a five yen bottle of beer on the street, and he definitely didn¡¯t think there was any difference between the two.


    ¡°Do you have any exciting things here?¡± Xing Conglian put down the wine bottle and asked the girl next to him.


    The girls looked at each other, as if they thought rich people were too straightforward, and were eager to talk.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to have fun, but I¡¯m not having fun,¡± Xing Conglian said with a smile, but his eyes remained indifferent. Under the enchanting light, there was a hint of cruelty and bloodthirstiness, just like a rich man who pursued the ultimate cruelty and lust.


    Lin Chen picked up the glass of alcoholic drink that looked like ice water and watched the young master perform.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we fun?¡± Lily and the other girl spoke tentatively.


    Xing Conglian glanced up and down at the two girls with a smile on his lips. ¡°How much for one night?¡±


    ¡°Five¡­ Five thousand¡­¡±


    ¡°Your life is only five thousand?¡± After he finished speaking, he picked up another bottle of wine and took a sip, then put it down again. He said to the two girls, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I may be a little heavy-handed, but don¡¯t worry. I can usually save your life.¡±


    The two girls were so scared by what he said that they couldn¡¯t control the expressions on their faces. Their entire body language indicated that they wanted to stay as far away from this gold master as possible.


    Lin Chen thought this was really interesting. He never knew that Xing Conglian¡¯s acting skills were so good.


    ¡°Sir, we don¡¯t provide that kind of service you need here,¡± Lily said to Xing Conglian with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xing Conglian seemed less interested, as expected.


    He then took out a stack of things from his pocket and slammed them on the table. Lin Chen looked around and found it was a stack of fixed checks, each with a face value of 10,000 yuan.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but take another sip of his drink to suppress his shock. He even felt that he would have a psychological scar on Xing Conglian taking things out in the future.


    However, the man who was immersed in acting didn¡¯t feel there was anything wrong with taking out a checkbook casually. He leaned on the table and said lazily, ¡°Okay, tell me where to go to have fun, and the rest of the checks are yours. My patience is very limited.¡±


    He moved quickly, and after speaking, he really started to tear off the checks one by one and stuff them back into his pocket. After a while, the checkbook on the table was one-third less.


    The two girls watched the checks fly away, both longing and shrinking, but more so expressing their distress for the checkbook that was slipping away through their fingers.


    Xing Conglian sighed and stopped suddenly. ¡°I have a friend who said that your place is very good. He¡¯s a little star.¡± He picked up the wine bottle on the table and took a few swigs, then stared at Miss Lily.


    Miss Lily¡¯s eyes fluttered, and she looked at half the checks on the table. Finally, she swallowed and said, ¡°You¡ªif you¡¯re his friend, you should know.¡±


    ¡°A little star like Li Jingtian isn¡¯t worthy of talking to me,¡± Xing Conglian said indifferently.


    Lily¡¯s face changed. When she heard Xing Conglian directly say the name, the girl changed from anxiety to nervousness. She looked around, covered her mouth, and looked at Xing Conglian in disbelief. Her entire body was completely frozen, like a sculpture.


    After a long while, Xing Conglian started tearing up the checks again. Lily shuddered and said, ¡°I¡ªyou¡­ Let me ask for you.¡±


    As she spoke, she took out her phone and sent two WeChat messages. After a while, the response over there seemed pretty good. The girl smiled as she showed Xing Conglian a number and said, ¡°This is Lu Ge¡¯s number. You can just call him.¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at the number, nodded, and got up and left, leaving the checkbook on the table.


    ¡­¡­


    Walking out of the door, Xing Conglian quickly reported a series of numbers in an empty space. ¡°1893706XXXX.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, indicating that he remembered.


    ¡°Received!¡± The teenager, who had been listening to the entire scene, also reacted quickly.


    Xing Conglian reeked of alcohol. He looked around and walked straight to the bathroom.


    ¡°Is the Captain pretending again?¡±


    Lin Chen followed behind him, listening to Wang Chao¡¯s question.


    ¡°Well, the young master probably spent about half a million just now,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s a lot of money, Captain. Why don¡¯t you buy me Magneto¡¯s helmet!¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian with a smile.Xing Conglian slowed down and said to him with a sore face, ¡°It¡¯s just a prop. A prop. They cost five yuan, and you can buy them on Taobao. They can¡¯t be reimbursed, making them especially troublesome.¡±

 CH 128

    ¡°Why can¡¯t they be reimbursed?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but ask with a smile.


    ¡°Contraband products. The finance department won¡¯t reimburse you for those, so I have to pay for them myself.¡±


    Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Lin Chen felt both funny and annoyed. At any rate, he was a man who took out a bunch of membership cards casually, but he was so brokenhearted by the fake checks that were five yuan a piece. It was terribly confusing.


    They chatted, and while talking, he followed Xing Conglian into the remote bathroom at the end of the corridor.


    Xing Conglian became cautious. As an experienced policeman, he pushed open every bathroom stall to check and then nodded at Lin Chen. ¡°No one.¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao?¡± Hearing this, Lin Chen called to the teenager listening on the other end in a low voice.


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded in their ears again inside the bathroom, where it was only the two of them.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, I just checked the strings of numbers given by the captain. The owner of the phone number is Lu Xu. He was imprisoned for three years for organized prostitution. After he was released from prison 12 years ago, he¡­¡± The teenager paused and then said, in disbelief, ¡°Has never had any social records.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean there are no social records?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Just after inspecting the stall, Xing Conglian was leaning against the marble wall by the window. When he heard Wang Chao say that Lu Xu didn¡¯t have any social records, he couldn¡¯t help but ask rhetorically.


    Wang Chao said, ¡°That is to say, there was no payment information for housing, medical care, or social security when Lu Xu was released from prison. Not only that, but he also doesn¡¯t even have bank card records, let alone Alipay. It feels like he¡¯s a ghost!¡± Wang Chao specially lowered his voice and said, ¡°Captain, this damn Lu Xu is so terrible. He doesn¡¯t have any social records after being released from prison, which probably means all his transactions are cash-based. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s not doing shady business!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Xing Conglian nodded. He rubbed his hair and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Lu Xu lives so cautiously. It¡¯s very likely he¡¯s a small boss of a prostitution ring. He introduced Xu Ran to Li Jingtian, so it¡¯s very possible that he¡¯s a ¡®key person¡¯ that we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    The door to the bathroom where Xing Conglian and Lin Chen were suddenly pushed open as soon as Xing Conglian¡¯s voice fell.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen from a distance and saw him nodding at him, so he turned around and pretended to walk inadvertently to the wall-mounted urinal in the corner. After he reached the position, he opened his zipper and casually looked towards the sink again.


    He saw Lin Chen standing in front of the sink, gently turning on the faucet as he slowly rolled up his cuffs. Lin Chen bent down, splashed a handful of water on his face, and rubbed his face twice, as if he were in a state of drunkenness and trying to sober up. In short, the level of their performance was superb.


    Like all men who were bored when they were relieving themselves, Xing Conglian moved his eyes to the man who had just entered the door.


    It was a middle-aged man who had a fat belly. He had a wide forehead and convex eyes, but he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking like a bloated toad. He was so fat that the belt on his pants could hardly hold up his pants. Xing Conglian noticed that the man¡¯s black suit cuffs were stained with blood and his knuckles had hard brown smudges that looked like caked blood.


    Xing Conglian saw him walk towards Lin Chen, turn on the faucet, and begin to wash his hands. The other party seemed to notice him and glance at him. Instead of looking away immediately, he shrugged at the man indifferently and finally turned his gaze back.


    The space in the bathroom became quiet again, leaving only the sound of gurgling water echoing.


    Just now, Wang Chao didn¡¯t hear either one of them respond and quickly shut up.


    In fact, if the middle-aged man had pushed open the door later and hadn¡¯t interrupted Wang Chao¡¯s report, they would have heard him say, ¡°Captain, I found a picture of Lu Xu when he was in jail. I¡¯ll send it to your phone.¡±


    If Wang Chao could¡¯ve finished speaking or sent the photo directly to them without saying anything, they would realize that the person in question had just walked into the men¡¯s bathroom where they were.


    Amazingly, sometimes things were so coincidental, it was as if there was a screenwriter or some brain-dead author behind the scenes, arranging these coincidences. If Wang Chao hadn¡¯t been interrupted, Xing Conglian would know that the ¡°key person¡± they were looking for was five meters away from him and was having some unclean thoughts about his consultant.


    Obviously, Lu Xu didn¡¯t walk into this bathroom because he knew in advance that two police officers were investigating him, and it wasn¡¯t because Miss Lily tipped him off either, because at this moment, she was fighting with the other girl over the distribution of the check book, and there wasn¡¯t time to check its authenticity.


    Getting down to business, when Lu Xu received Lily¡¯s message just now, he thought it was just an ordinary guest who wanted to have fun. He stopped in the restroom to wash the blood off his hands since he just finished educating two disobedient girls. This just happened to be the closest men¡¯s restroom to him.


    Lu Xu turned on the faucet, rubbed his hands, and looked around boredly. When he saw the man standing by the sink, he almost instantly forgot about washing his hands.


    It was a young man who looked very indifferent. The other party was thin, but not like a matchstick. He had a beautiful back and a thin waist, and a very handsome and noble aura that gave him a sense of unattainability. In short, the young man washing his hands was unlike the other young masters in this place and was the type he preferred.


    Lu Xu thought he might be some rich man¡¯s plaything, well-bred and favored, so he couldn¡¯t be blasphemous.


    The reason Lu Xu came to this conclusion was because he analyzed Lin Chen¡¯s clothes. Lin Chen had rushed from Hongjing to Fengchun overnight, so he was still wearing a white shirt that was soaked from the day¡¯s sweat. The shirt looked dirty and a little old, and of course, cheap.


    After mixing in here for a long time, Lu Xu could tell who was wearing big brand-name clothes and what year style. The clothes of this young man next to him obviously didn¡¯t belong to any luxury brand. It was ordinary, cheap clothing from a typical mall. It had the obvious signs of having been washed many times, as there was a natural fragrance of detergent. Lu Xu became itchy thinking of this.


    In fact, if he hadn¡¯t drunk so much alcohol, he would have thought more deeply. If the people around him were just playthings raised by rich people, how could they be dressed so poorly?


    But at that time, Lu Xu didn¡¯t have time to think so deeply because Lin Chen had put his wet hands down and stood up.


    The spotlight on the sink was bright, and Lu Xu smelled the clean scent of detergent.


    Lu Xu watched as a crystal-clear drop of water flowed down the young man¡¯s cheek to his jaw. Lu Xu wiped his wet hands on his shirt twice, then put his arms around the waist of the young man beside him.


    Unlike the young man¡¯s hands, his body appeared flexible and warm. Lu Xu reached out and touched the other¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Looking at the handsome and angular face of the young man, Lu Xu leaned down. He felt the scent of fresh green leaves that was mixed in the air, which made him want to bury his head in the other man¡¯s neck and sniff his body.


    From the time the fat, middle-aged man moved his gaze toward Lin Chen, Xing Conglian had already felt the sordid desire from that gaze. He quickly zipped up his pants and walked towards them, but his steps weren¡¯t as fast as Lu Xu¡¯s hands. The distance from his position to the sink was too far. Before he could reach Lin Chen, the fat palm of the middle-aged man had already touched Lin Chen¡¯s cheek. This made Xing Conglian furious. People like him rarely get angry. At that time, he was about five steps away from Lin Chen and had already clenched his fists and sketched in his mind the most painful way to take this bastard out without killing him. He was ready to swing his fists fiercely, but suddenly, everything seemed to have entered a state of slow motion.


    He clearly saw Lin Chen at the sink, pulling his hand out from under the running water, turning off the faucet, and then turning around. Lin Chen¡¯s left hand was holding the fat palm that touched his face, while his right hand was raised high and pressed on the back of the middle-aged man¡¯s head. Then, he saw Lin Chen¡¯s hands, which usually held pens or books, grab the middle-aged man¡¯s hair and pull. He held the other party¡¯s bloated head back as he pressed it down abruptly. Lin Chen immediately took a step back, and at the same time, his knee hit the lower part of the middle-aged man¡¯s ribs. When he connected to the middle-aged man¡¯s stomach, Lin Chen let go and watched as the man covered his abdomen as he kneeled to the ground, slowly falling down.


    Although Lin Chen¡¯s movements were broken down slowly in Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, in fact, his set of movements to his knee strike was completed within a second.


    It was precisely because Lin Chen¡¯s movements were fast and ruthless that the middle-aged man¡¯s scream wasn¡¯t heard immediately. Experienced people knew that a hard blow from the knee to the stomach would be so painful it was impossible to breathe, let alone scream.


    At that moment, Xing Conglian felt the preciousness of life for the first time.


    He slowly shifted his gaze from the middle-aged man on the ground to his advisor.


    However, Lin Chen acted as if nothing had happened just now. He turned around calmly, turned on the faucet again, pressed on some soap, and continued to wash his hands. Xing Conglian felt that he couldn¡¯t see through Lin Chen¡¯s psychological reaction to what just happened.


    The water washed over the lavender soap on Lin Chen¡¯s hands, over his slender fingers, and then flowed down from his slightly clear fingernails.


    Xing Conglian swallowed.


    It was quite frightening to see him wash his hands as if nothing had happened after beating someone.


    It wasn¡¯t until Lin Chen finished washing his hands and turned off the faucet again that the unfortunate middle-aged man on the ground finally began to scream. Xing Conglian quickly came over and knocked him out.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He finally searched his guts and found a response that he could express concern without being too over the top.


    However, hearing what he said, Lin Chen raised his brows at him as if to say, ¡°How could something happen to me? What nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    No matter where they were, of course, when they hit someone, they had to leave as soon as possible. Although they were the police, they were conducting an unannounced visit, so they couldn¡¯t make a big ruckus.


    Xing Conglian felt regretful walking out of the restroom because he couldn¡¯t take a swing at the unconscious man.


    After leaving, Lin Chen took out his phone and dialed the string of numbers they just got.


    As if it were too coincidental, the moment the phone connected, the sound of extremely vulgar electronic dance music came from the door behind the men¡¯s restroom that they had just left.


    Lin Chen stopped in his tracks and looked at Xing Conglian in bewilderment.


    ¡°Tell me, when I was calling just now, how likely is it that someone else called that idiot at the same time?¡± Lin Chen looked back at the restroom¡¯s door and asked.


    God knew that even if Lin Chen called someone an idiot, he really didn¡¯t want to kill them.


    ¡°Small,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen curled his lips, turned around, and walked back to the restroom just now.


    Perhaps, nothing could be more refreshing than letting someone go, but fate forced you to continue your uncompleted mission.


    Xing Conglian walked to the sink.


    Lin Chen had already turned the faucet on again, picked up a handful of water, and sprinkled it on the head lying on the ground.


    The middle-aged, fat man lying unconscious was stimulated by the cold water and instantly woke up.


    Lu Xu, who was as heavy as a few sacks of lead, seemed a little unclear about what just happened. He bowed toward the sink and braced himself to get up.


    The moment he raised his head, Xing Conglian obviously saw the look of horror in his eyes, and this look reached its peak when Lin Chen turned back as he locked the restroom door.


    ¡°Who are you and what do you want!¡± Lu Xu shouted in panic.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer.


    Xing Conglian grabbed Lu Xu by his collar and dragged him into the nearest stall.


    Although he admitted that he was being a bit heavy-handed, he wasn¡¯t too fierce. Despite that, the middle-aged, fat man in front of him slid directly from the toilet seat to the ground. ¡°You two, I¡¯m really sorry. I drank too much just now and was out of my mind. I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Lu Xu changed his face as quickly as flipping a page in a book, almost to the extreme. He sobbed and begged for mercy, then began to slap himself in the face.


    This was a typical hob* begging for mercy. Once they realized that they were in trouble with someone they couldn¡¯t afford to mess with, they would start frantically begging for forgiveness, disregarding all human dignity.


    *Internet term refers to someone who¡¯s arrogant and unreasonable.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen and saw him just leaning against the wall opposite the stall, with his arms crossed and without any expression on his face.


    This meant: What happens here is not my responsibility.


    Xing Conglian felt that he was a grunt collecting accounts for his boss. He squatted down and continued to hold the back of the middle-aged man in front of him by the neck and said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you. Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    As soon as he said this, Lu Xu cried even more miserably, causing Xing Conglian¡¯s eardrums to hurt.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll beat you again if you keep crying.¡±


    As soon as Xing Conglian¡¯s voice fell, Lu Xu stopped crying. This kind of slick guy was really difficult to deal with.


    Xing Conglian pointed to the toilet and then said to Lu Xu, ¡°Open the lid.¡±


    The fat middle-aged man wiped off his snot and tears, turned around carefully, knelt on the ground, and opened the toilet lid.


    Then, unexpectedly, Lu Xu actually stuck his head into the toilet.


    Xing Conglian was shocked to see this. What¡¯s wrong with this guy?


    At this moment, Lin Chen finally spoke up.


    Xing Conglian listened to his consultant click his tongue impatiently and said slowly, ¡°What are you thinking? I didn¡¯t want you to drink toilet water. Answer a few questions I have.¡±


    Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s voice, Lu Xu suddenly wanted to push his head out of the toilet, but because he had stuffed himself in too tightly, he bumped the back of his head when he pulled out.


    He groaned in pain, then quickly shut up and sat down on the toilet extremely obediently. It seemed that Lin Chen¡¯s education just now had improved his memory.


    Xing Conglian retreated behind Lin Chen. Obviously, what Mr. Lin said now would be more effective than him.


    Lin Chen stood with his arms crossed and pursed his lips slightly, looking as cold as ice.


    ¡°Do you know Xu Ran?¡± Lin Chen asked directly.


    Lu Xu suddenly raised his head.


    At that moment, a very stern look flashed in Lu Xu¡¯s eyes. Xing Conglian saw the cruelty, indifference, and unsympathetic look in them. He believed that Lin Chen probably saw the same thing.


    However, Lin Chen didn¡¯t say much. He just took another step forward and said, ¡°I ask. You answer. It¡¯s very simple. I don¡¯t want to repeat the same question a second time.¡±


    Lu Xu changed back to his timid appearance again and said, ¡°I¡­ I know Xu Ran.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with her?¡±


    ¡°Who are the two of you?¡± Lu Xu asked curiously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give you the right to ask questions,¡± Lin Chen said loudly. ¡°On Sunday night, three weeks ago, did Xu Ran come to Royal One?¡±


    Lu Xu¡¯s eyes darted twice, as if he had guessed something. He clasps his hands into fists, showing great panic. ¡°Mr. Policemen, this really has nothing to do with me!¡±


    ¡°How long is the sentence for organized prostitution?¡± Xing Conglian heard Lin Chen ask him.


    ¡°Fixed-term imprisonment of more than ten years or life,¡± he replied.


    When Lin Chen heard this, he turned to the middle-aged man on the toilet. ¡°Did you hear that? People like you usually have no way of coming out alive if they go in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not my fault!¡± Lu Xu began to cry. ¡°This was all voluntarily done by that little bitch, Xu Ran. She came here that night but was working normally. I don¡¯t know why she was like a chaste woman that day and refused to obey. Later, she was beaten badly by the guests and thrown out through the back door.¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian was shocked. He looked at Lin Chen, but Lin Chen still had an indifferent, otherworldly look.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Lin Chen asked again.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lu Xu replied.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me who the guest was.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Police Officer, I really don¡¯t know who they are. Look at the people who come here. Everyone pays attention to privacy. How can a little ass like me know who the guests are? I¡¯m responsible for telling the girls the room number and letting them in.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, before Xu Ran entered the room, she didn¡¯t know what kind of guests she would face, right?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Hearing this, Lu Xu suddenly regained his energy, and his tongue became slicker. ¡°Mr. Police Officer, I know you have good intentions, but think about it. How long has that little bitch been in this business? How can she not know anything? Don¡¯t be deceived by her¡­ Later, that little bitch said it was Li Jingtian who raped her. She really wanted to blackmail him. I guess that didn¡¯t work out for her in the end, so she went to sue someone else. Haa, bitches like her use such tricks all the time. I¡¯ve seen a lot of it before¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Lu Xu¡¯s words stopped, because Lin Chen walked extremely close to him. He leaned down and grabbed the back of his head again, causing Lu Xu to scream in pain.


    Lin Chen put a slight force on his hand and raised the middle-aged man¡¯s fat face. ¡°I told you to answer what I asked, so why aren¡¯t you listening?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI¡­¡±


    ¡°Answer my question. Before Xu Ran entered the door to that room, did she know who the guest would be?¡± Lin Chen continued to apply force to his hand.


    Seeing his consultant leaning over slightly, Lin Chen¡¯s thin back and arms had become taut due to the exertion. Xing Conglian swallowed again.


    ¡°Yes, she didn¡¯t know!¡± Lu Xu replied.


    ¡°Which room¡­ Which room did you send Xu Ran into?¡±


    ¡°Room 03, on the 11th floor,¡± Lu Xu replied without hesitation.


    ¡°One last question. Where is the private room booked by CA Entertainment today?¡± Lin Chen said calmly, without giving Lu Xu another chance to speak. ¡°I think you¡¯re very used to taking CA¡¯s business, so I don¡¯t want to hear you say you don¡¯t know where, okay?¡±


    ¡°9th floor! 901!¡± Lu Xu quickly replied.


    Lin Chen nodded as if satisfied. He let go of Lu Xu and walked out of the bathroom without turning back.


    Upon seeing this, Xing Conglian walked to where Lin Chen was just standing, took out his phone, and shook it in front of Lu Xu. ¡°I recorded all that just now. Watch your mouth. If anyone knows that we¡¯ve been here, then¡­¡± he said as he made a motion of slitting his throat.


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he heard the sound of the restroom door opening and closing.


    He rushed out the door and followed Lin Chen. Lin Chen was walking in front but was obviously staggering, so he rushed up to support him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Lin Chen shook his head and said, ¡°I seem to have drunk too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just half a glass of absinthe,¡± Xing Conglian said in disbelief.


    ¡°What¡¯s the ABV?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xing Conglian thought for a while, then replied, ¡°The one you drank just now seemed to be 55%.¡±


    At that moment, Lin Chen¡¯s mind churned up countless curses.


    What ¡°just half a glass¡± and what ¡°only 55% ABV¡±? 55% already belonged to the category of spirits. Half a glass of that stuff could completely make people intoxicated, which was equivalent to getting locked up until sober and fined for drinking and driving.


    Does everyone drink vodka like wine in your country?


    Holding back all kinds of nausea and dizziness that were churning up, he said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the 9th floor.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already in the elevator, and I have already pressed 9 just now.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded uneasy around him.


    Lin Chen continued to rub his brows and forcibly focus his attention. ¡°That Lily has a problem. She must know something. We¡¯ll go find her later¡­ Wang Chao¡­¡±


    After he finished shouting, the nervous voice of the teenager sounded from the headset again, as prompted. ¡°A¡¯Chen, I¡¯m here. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Lin Chen paused before he continued, ¡°Thoroughly check the identity and background of Miss Lily. Just now, even Lu Xu, who runs the prostitution ring, didn¡¯t know who Xu Ran was going to face. Why did Lily hand over his contact to Xing Conglian after he mentioned Li Jingtian¡¯s name? She should know something. There¡¯s something up here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, okay, A¡¯Chen Gege!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded exceptionally well-behaved.


    Soon, with a soft ding, the elevator door opened again.


    When he walked out of the elevator, Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian ask with concern, ¡°Can you hold on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said.


    Although he said he was fine, he felt as if he was stepping on clouds instead of soft carpet. He looked at the room numbers next to him and calculated according to the order of the rooms. Room 901 should be at the end of the long corridor. Lin Chen had never felt that a corridor could become this long.


    His head was getting heavier. Through the doors of the private rooms, he felt he could clearly hear many shouts and laughter coming from inside. Some people were singing, and some were screaming. Everything around him seemed to be fragmented like a reflection after the glass shattered.


    Fortunately, Xing Conglian was by his side. He tried to guide Lin Chen¡¯s body with his hands.


    Just as he was about to walk to the end of the long corridor with great difficulty, suddenly, a nervous call from Wang Chao came through his headset. ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, the security system of Royal One seems to have issued an alarm. The alert is aimed at you!¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly sobered up.


    ¡°Speak clearly.¡± Xing Conglian lowered his voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know for the time being. There are too many blind spots in the surveillance here. I just saw a large number of security guards rushing out of the lounge. Their destination is the 9th floor. Did you threaten Lu Xu just now? He dares to seek death?!¡±


    Wang Chao prattled on.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, but the other party just turned his head and said to him, ¡°I just hit him lightly.¡±


    ¡°Lu Xu is more courageous than we thought.¡±


    Standing at the door of Room 901, Lin Chen noticed that his tone had become cold.


    Through the thick, frosted glass, he could see some lights and figures coming from his head.


    Perhaps Mu Zhuo was inside, and maybe even Li Gaoqiang. Perhaps there were more clues just a door away from them, but now they had no way to get in.


    Although they were separated by a door, it was like a gap in the sky.


    Lin Chen retracted his gaze and heard Xing Conglian ask Wang Chao, ¡°How¡¯s the surveillance situation?¡±


    ¡°A security guard is going to the 9th floor. Captain, there¡¯s an emergency exit on your left.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    As he spoke, Xing Conglian led Lin Chen into the emergency exit.


    As soon as he walked from the bright area into the dim space, his eye had a short period of discomfort. Lin Chen squinted and continued to listen to the unusually calm dialogue between Xing Conglian and Wang Chao.


    ¡°You just said there¡¯s no surveillance on the 8th and 9th floors here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But this building has more than 20 floors. What¡¯s upstairs?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be a hotel upstairs, called the Oho Hotel!¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Is there any surveillance?¡±


    ¡°Let me check it out. Captain, what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Just now, Lu Xu said he sent Xu Ran to room 1103, so if I¡¯m not mistaken, there should be close ¡®business contacts¡¯ between the hotel rooms upstairs and the clubhouse downstairs¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit, Captain. Are you saying the upstairs is the prostitution den of the club? Wait, do you want to go upstairs?¡±


    ¡°Open a room for us in the hotel on the 11th floor,¡± Xing Conglian said decisively.


    Lin Chen realized that Xing Conglian had asked him to hold on to the cold iron handrail as he led him up.


    ¡°Huh? Captain, are you kidding me? You want to hack the system, so you¡¯ll just hack it. You want to open a room, so you¡¯ll just do it? How can you be so domineering and cool!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s hands were flying. The more nervous the teenager got, the more talkative he became. Suddenly, the button clacking sounds stopped. Wang Chao said nervously, ¡°I just saw a security guard on the 7th floor walking into the emergency exit. I suspect they will come from downstairs to outflank you, so you have to hurry and get to the 10th floor in 20 seconds.¡±


    Sure enough, before Wang Chao¡¯s voice fell, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed in the emergency exit beneath them.


    Lin Chen tried his best to follow Xing Conglian, making his steps as inaudible as possible.


    The sound of door panels opening and closing quickly filled the emergency exit on the 9th floor. In the dimness, Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian nod at him, and they started running to the 11th floor.


    ¡°Wang Chao!¡±


    The exit was within reach as Xing Conglian shouted.


    ¡°I took a look at the 11th floor. Room 5 happens to be empty. Go out from your passage, then turn left. The penultimate room is there. The good news is that although there¡¯s surveillance on the 11th floor, I found it to be false surveillance, which means it won¡¯t pick up anything. I wish you good luck and hope you don¡¯t get caught!¡±


    After Wang Chao finished speaking, he quickly hit the Enter key.


    Xing Conglian slammed open the door of the emergency exit.


    There was soft carpet under his feet and a long passage in front of him. Lin Chen walked in the corridor with Xing Conglian.¡±


    ¡°The third door. It¡¯s open for you.¡±


    As Wang Chao spoke, the door lock in front of them lightly flashed. With a soft click, Room 1105 opened in response.


    Xing Conglian quickly opened the door to the room, and Lin Chen followed in a flash.


    The moment the door closed, Xing Conglian stood at the entrance, habitually wanting to turn on the lights.


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°Captain! Wait, I suggest you don¡¯t turn on the lights and go quickly to bed¡­¡±


    In the dim space, Xing Conglian pressed the headset repeatedly, thinking that there was something wrong with his ears. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain, I¡¯m not joking.¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded a little awkward. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me if there¡¯s surveillance on the 11th floor? It¡¯s fake monitoring, but there are pinhole cameras installed in every room. Shit, well, to be honest, I saw a lot of discord going on in many of the rooms. I suspect the hotel is secretly recording pornographic videos for their guests. Captain, I think I need my eyes stabbed by needles after watching these.¡±


    Xing Conglian was confused. He digested it for a while and then asked a somewhat idiotic question, ¡°So, we also have them in our room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s pitch black now. If you turn on the lights, you¡¯ll be in trouble!¡±


    At this moment, Xing Conglian heard Lin Chen¡¯s voice. ¡°So what about room 1103? The room of Xu Ran¡¯s incident. Are there any records?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    After Lin Chen entered the room just now, he sat down on the carpet while leaning against the wall. He tried to stand up but obviously failed.


    Xing Conglian hurriedly squatted down and helped him sit down again.


    Wang Chao obediently checked the records, then replied apologetically, ¡°There should be, but I checked and found that room 1103 doesn¡¯t have any video records since three weeks ago. The video from then was obviously deleted, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So, our trail is broken again,¡± Lin Chen whispered.


    ¡°These people are really courageous.¡± Xing Conglian suddenly became alert. There were all kinds of elites and dignitaries at Royal One. In the face of wealthy and powerful people, the club actually dared to secretly record them. Then this wasn¡¯t simple boldness. Obviously, they had other plans for these secretly recorded videos.


    Xing Conglian thought of this and found another problem. If Li Jingtian dared to accept a girl from Lu Xu here, it would show that he was comfortable here. In other words, Li Jingtian didn¡¯t know that he was secretly being recorded.


    So if he didn¡¯t know that the guest rooms of Royal One would secretly record videos, how could he spend the effort to clear all video files in his room afterwards?


    There were obviously more questions that deserved a deeper investigation, but at this moment, they had no way to pry further.


    ¡°Wang Chao, you try to gather some ¡®evidence¡¯ of their backstage.¡±


    ¡°What evidence, Captain? The opening record or something?¡±


    At this time, Lin Chen spoke. He patiently said to Wang Chao, ¡°He¡¯s asking you to find some sex videos of dignitaries in the background records¡­¡± Lin Chen spoke bluntly. He took a breath and continued. ¡°After all, we¡¯re not the local police of Fengchun. Our hands and feet would be tied, and for places like Royal One, it¡¯s very likely they wouldn¡¯t work on non-priority activities. Then, fighting fire with fire is the best way.¡±


    Xing Conglian was a little surprised that Lin Chen was so drunk, yet he could clearly explain his thoughts for him in an organized manner.


    ¡°I understand. A¡¯Chen, Captain, what you mean is, take the opportunity to get some videos and post them online. If the local tyrants who patronize here see their ugliness being secretly recorded, they will be furious and will do their best to kill Royal One. This club will definitely be finished in Fengchun by then.¡±


    ¡°You know, so do it quickly,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    He thought things had been thrilling enough, but Wang Chao screamed again.


    ¡°Captain, I saw some security guards coming to outflank the parking lot. Fuck me, I¡¯m just the support. Why should I be responsible for pulling agro!¡±


    In this case, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t criticize Wang Chao. The sound of movements came from the headset.


    Wang Chao seemed to have moved to the driver¡¯s seat. The engine sounded, and the teenager¡¯s voice became excited. ¡°I¡¯m going to drive! Go, go, go!¡±


    ¡°He can drive?¡± Lin Chen asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Yes. He has a driver¡¯s license since He was 16 years old.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you let him drive the car occasionally.¡±


    ¡°Because his driving¡­ is really bad.¡± Xing Conglian admitted to Lin Chen.


    Sure enough, the sound of a vehicle collision and alarms after the impact sounded.


    He could tell from the indistinct engine sound coming from the headset that at this moment, Wang Chao was driving his Jeep at a speed of 100 kilometers an hour on the urban road.


    Although it was already late at night and there were relatively few cars on the road, it seemed like it was an exciting night.


    Xing Conglian rubbed his temples and wanted to sigh helplessly, but the irritating voice of this brat sounded in his ears again.


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice was hoarse, like he had swallowed a hundred cough syrups. ¡°Captain, I forgot to tell you. You have to go to bed and put on a show. Although I opened the door for you, if there¡¯s no one on the bed in the video, those perverts watching the small video screen will definitely become suspicious!¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian finally began to look at the room.


    Although the light wasn¡¯t turned on, there was a glimmer of light from the gap in the curtains, which allowed Xing Conglian to roughly see the outline of the room.


    In the middle of the room was a round, fun bed. Xing Conglian felt that, judging from the nature of the room, it was likely to be a waterbed.


    Above the waterbed, there were two handcuff-like things hanging from the ceiling.


    A whip and a fun chair were placed on one side of the room. Xing Conglian dared to imagine that there must be a plethora of sex toys stuffed in the bedside table on the opposite side of the waterbed.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, are we going to bed?¡± He retracted his gaze and asked Lin Chen in a low voice.


    Lin Chen was probably drunk. Although it was difficult for Xiang Conglian to see his expression clearly, after hearing him say that, Lin Chen struggled to stand up again by himself. As he leaned against the wall, he said, ¡°Cut the crap and help me up.¡±


    People would say that a person could easily become another person after drinking, but Lin Chen seemed to become a bit violent when he drank.


    Xing Conglian thought this, and recalled the scene of Lin Chen beating Lu Xu severely just now. It was rare for him to be a little timid, but he still helped Lin Chen up and brought him to the bed.


    Sure enough, the fun bed was indeed a waterbed. When they lay down, occasionally they would roll together.


    Xing Conglian drew a thin blanket from the pillow and covered the two of them from head to toe. While Lin Chen was lying next to him, a warm breath came.


    Xing Conglian discovered that he hadn¡¯t had experience lying on the same bed with someone else in a long time.

 CH 129

    The air in the thin blanket quickly became sultry due to the dense carbon dioxide they exhaled.


    In the quiet love suite, in the middle of the night, under a blanket, both Xing Conglian and Lin Chen panted and lifted the blanket at the same time.


    Perhaps because they were panting too loudly, or maybe it was because they were breathing too much together, but Xing Conglian once again heard Wang Chao¡¯s high-pitched voice ringing in his ears.


    ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen! What are you doing?! You can¡¯t treat A¡¯Chen Gege like that, you beast!¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Xing Conglian felt that the situation wasn¡¯t right, but he still steadied his mind and asked, ¡°Where did you drive the car?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m at Heping Avenue, YOYOYO*!¡±


    *Slang for LOL.


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice became even louder.


    The sound of the night wind clashed with the sound of the crazy engine, mixed with the hearty laughter of the teenager came through the headset. Xing Conglian said coldly, ¡°Park the car at Heping Avenue and tell us the current situation.¡±


    However, Wang Chao had fallen completely into the extreme excitement of drag racing. ¡°The situation? The situation is very cool! Hahahahaha, Captain, are you asking me? Beg me!¡±


    Xing Conglian rubbed his temples and began to regret, deeply.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not let him touch the steering wheel in the future.¡± Immediately, Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded close to his ear.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± As he said this, he could hear the sound of the car rubbing against some cement surface through the headset again, so he looked at the ceiling and couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°Consultant Lin, according to your experience, interpret what¡¯s wrong with this. How the hell can touching a steering wheel be no different than smoking marijuana?¡±


    ¡°The reverse-upgraded version of road rage.¡± From Lin Chen¡¯s voice, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t hear any traces of drunkenness, but he was convinced Lin Chen was still inebriated. Although he didn¡¯t lose his ability to think and act, his thinking and logic weren¡¯t as clear as usual.


    ¡°Some people, when they encounter some ¡®trigger points¡¯, will become another person.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s clear and drunken voice sounded.


    Xing Conglian would like to ask, ¡°For example, if you encounter alcohol, is that the same?¡±


    However, Wang Chao had interjected into their conversation with interest. ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, what are you doing? Are you just purely chatting underneath the blankets? Fuck, at least pretend a little. Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯ll get caught? Get high*!¡±


    *Org. written in English. It¡¯s netizen language referring to enlivening the atmosphere (get excited, get happy).


    As soon as Wang Chao finished speaking, before Xing Conglian had time to ask what he wanted, he suddenly felt the person next to him move.


    Lin Chen lifted up the blanket and suddenly rolled over onto him.


    Naturally, laying shoulder to shoulder was completely different from this current posture. Although Lin Chen had just straddled him in the darkness, at that moment, Xing Conglian could clearly picture the position they were in.


    Lin Chen had sat down from his waist, and his legs were spread apart. His feet were covered by a cotton blanket, with his ankle exposed.


    In fact, the word slender may not be appropriate because, while Lin Chen was thin, he was well-proportioned, which was a typical example of someone being thin but not delicate. However, in Xing Conglian¡¯s opinion, Lin Chen¡¯s ankles were still slender and fair.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know why he was imagining these kinds of things right now, but when he thought of Lin Chen¡¯s legs that were further up, suddenly it became Lin Chen¡¯s hands.


    Lin Chen¡¯s hands were now gently propped up on his chest, shaking lightly as he breathed.


    He looked at Lin Chen¡¯s face. Right now, his consultant¡¯s eyes had changed from indifferent and emotionless to misty; distinctly gentle from the loss of focus.


    It was too gentle.


    Xing Conglian opened his mouth lightly, trying to say something, but before he could speak, Lin Chen slowly leaned down, pressing their stomachs and chests together¡­


    Then, at the moment when their lips and teeth were about to intertwine, Lin Chen turned his face, buried his head in the crook of Xing Conglian¡¯s neck, and breathed gently.


    Because he was very close, Xing Conglian discovered that Lin Chen was indeed drunk. His body was hot, and he smelled full of absinthe, with the unique sweetness and warmth of alcohol.


    Although Xing Conglian believed the gasping was just Lin Chen¡¯s uncomfortable groaning due to alcohol, those warm breaths that sprayed in his ear, side, and neck had an unexpectedly seductive effect.


    In the deep night, next to one of his ears, the breathing of one of his same-sex friends sounded, while his other ears picked up the sound of the night wind and a teenager¡¯s wanton laughter. When he was almost about to pull out the headset and put his arms around Lin Chen¡¯s waist, there was a sound of braking, an engine stalling, and the laptop opening and closing from the headset. In an instant, those sounds became clear.


    Lin Chen must have heard it too, because his voice was calm as it rang in Xing Conglian¡¯s ears. ¡°Wang Chao, continue to check on Lily.¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t tell how he felt right now, but he thought it was truly like Lin Chen. Under such circumstances, he was still focused on investigating the case.


    ¡­¡­


    In the Jeep, Comrade Wang Chao heard Lin Chen¡¯s voice assigning him a mission, but he didn¡¯t immediately start looking for information.


    As a professional and upright electronic information practitioner, he naturally carried more than one laptop with him.


    After stopping the car, the first thing he did was quickly open a small video in Room 1105 of the Oho Hotel, and then, after carefully placing the tablet and adjusting it to a perfect angle, he began to search for what Lin Chen asked him for.


    ¡°Lily doesn¡¯t sound like a real name,¡± he muttered as he hacked into Royal One¡¯s system. After flipping through a few pages in boredom, he looked up and saw two vaguely overlapping figures in the dark picture. He thought to himself, ¡®My god, it¡¯s a pity there are no potato chips here!¡¯


    Comrade Wang Chao sighed regretfully, then lowered his head and looked through the photos of the background page by page. God knew why normal people would want to make themselves into such a ghastly look. Their almost indistinguishable faces flashed before his eyes, suddenly dazzling him. Going through the photos was useless and only made him want to vomit. He quickly turned off the webpage depressingly and obediently looked at the salary records.


    Sure enough, how could a shady place like Royal One put money on the salary records!


    He looked through all the records and found that none of the princesses or young masters in Royal One had any salary records or social security records. Wang Chao recalled the magnificent building and suddenly felt it was like a dark, cannibalistic cave.


    He touched the goosebumps that appeared on his arms and continued to report. ¡°A¡¯Chen, I haven¡¯t found Lily¡¯s real name yet, because there¡¯s nothing in their system that can prove Lily¡¯s identity. The social security and medical insurance records of all the staff don¡¯t include the young masters and princesses who accompany customers at the table.¡± As Wang Chao replied, because he was too busy looking for the blank records, he didn¡¯t have the mental energy to continue to observe the dynamics between the two on the tablet.


    ¡°What about medical records?¡±


    At this point, he was startled to hear his boss¡¯ voice, which was deeper than usual. It was even a little hoarse, with a hint of forced calmness.


    Wang Chao grinned, and then he heard his brother A¡¯Chen speak again.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Yes, clubs like Royal One must have regular medical examination records presented to customers to prove that their people are clean and problem-free, and hospital medical exam records are supposed to be difficult to falsify.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Wang Chao became aware of this and immediately began retrieving medical examination records from all large and small hospitals in Fengchun. Sure enough, he found the regular medical examination reports of Royal One.


    However, although he found the report, he also stumbled upon a bigger problem. He looked at the names and photos of the reports woefully and said to the two on the other end, ¡°I found the records, but Captain, A¡¯Chen, you have to wait a bit. The photos of these people here are all liquefied into a mess. I can¡¯t use the photo retrieval function, so I have to compare each medical record one by one!¡±


    ¡°How long will it take?¡± Xing Conglian asked suddenly. As if he thought of something, he said, ¡°Wait, if the alarm is because of Lu Xu¡¯s snitching, they will most likely go to Room 1103 where Xu Ran¡¯s incident happened, so keep an eye on it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m keeping an eye on it,¡± Wang Chao hurriedly replied. He looked up at the erotic pornographic video, pressed the recording button, and then pulled out another tablet and brought up the full surveillance of the elevator and emergency exit.


    The moment the picture appeared, Wang Chao¡¯s heart almost jumped out of his throat. As Xing Conglian said, a group of heavily armed security guards had just taken the elevator up to the 11th floor.


    At the same time, he looked at the video recorded by the pinhole camera in the room again. He returned to the main interface of the other party and found that someone was turning on the video in room 1105 to view it. He quickly said, ¡°Captain, someone really went to it. Ahh!¡±


    Because there was no corridor surveillance, Wang Chao felt like a blind man.


    ¡°Captain, a team of security guards just went to the 11th floor, and there are people watching the video in your room. Hurry up and act! Don¡¯t just be still. If you¡¯re exposed, you¡¯ll be caught!¡±


    He shouted nervously, but after he finished speaking, he heard his brother A¡¯Chen¡¯s weak and calm voice. ¡°Wang Chao.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, A¡¯Chen Gege!¡±


    ¡°Turn off the video of our room and don¡¯t watch it, then delete the ones you just saved.¡±


    Shit. What are you doing that you don¡¯t want to be watched!


    Wang Chao shuddered and couldn¡¯t help but look around the Jeep. The surroundings were pitch black, but why was his back so cold!


    ¡°No, A¡¯Chen Gege, how can I record your video? Later, I can also help you delete it. Believe me. I¡¯ll take care of it!¡±


    ¡°Turn off the surveillance,¡± Lin Chen repeated solemnly.


    ¡­¡­


    With the end of Lin Chen¡¯s last words, Xing Conglian heard the clear sound of the door opening and many people entering the room to search in Room 1103 next door.


    Lin Chen obviously discovered that too, because his consultant raised his head and put a little distance between them as he stared at him in a daze.


    The tips of their noses touched each other. Lin Chen was obviously hesitating.


    But soon, Lin Chen seemed to have made a decision. Xing Conglian felt Lin Chen¡¯s body start to slide backward, and at the same time, he arched his back.


    Xing Conglian guessed what Lin Chen wanted to do in an instant. He grabbed Lin Chen¡¯s wrist and said softly, ¡°No need to do this.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he pushed his knees hard, protected Lin Chen¡¯s neck with his other hand, turned over, and pressed Lin Chen under him.


    Because of the sudden inversion, Lin Chen was lying on the bed with his head up. Xing Conglian looked at the person under him quietly and found that Lin Chen was still staring at him. His eyes were gentle and serious.


    His hand was still between Lin Chen¡¯s neck, which made Xing Conglian recall what Lu Xu had said when he approached Lin Chen.


    He said, ¡°You smell good.¡±


    At that time, Xing Conglian felt this sentence made him sick, but at this moment, he leaned on Lin Chen and couldn¡¯t help but think of it.


    Although there was no incense smell in the love suite and Lin Chen didn¡¯t smell of soap or shower gel, Xing Conglian still felt Lu Xu¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. The smell on Lin Chen¡¯s body was clean and refreshing, which was quite comforting¡­


    And it was really fragrant.


    Footsteps came out of the next room, one after another. The security guards obviously didn¡¯t find them there, but perhaps the next moment they would knock on the door to the room where they were.


    It was truly a tense moment right now. One door away were the security guards who were chasing them, but he was quietly lying on the body of his friend and colleague.


    Xing Conglian felt that he hadn¡¯t been this stimulated in a long time, but, although his senses were stimulated, he suddenly felt he needed to calm down.


    Because Lin Chen was calm.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He reached out and caressed Lin Chen¡¯s face, and then started to move.


    When Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian apologize, he felt choked up for a while. It was truly a bittersweet moment.


    Lin Chen looked at the man on top of him.


    The surroundings were dark.


    This may be the only opportunity in his life, and a person who was as unlucky as him may not be able to get the same opportunity a second time.


    He would not get drunk again; not forced to enter an erotic love suite with Xing Conglian after being drunk; he would not be pressed down under Xing Conglian to avoid the chasing security guards; and be as close to Xing Conglian as he was now.


    The current situation was the result of numerous coincidences.


    Now he only needed to simply raise his head and kiss Xing Conglian¡¯s lips. Xing Conglian might push him away or he might respond to him, but it was more likely that Xing Conglian would regard this as just common drunken promiscuity, and he could even explain that there were some drugs added to the drink he had consumed.


    He would definitely be able to find an excuse for this gaffe.


    But Lin Chen knew exactly where his physiological response came from. When normal men experience movements such as theirs, even if they were facing a wall, they would still react a little. What was more, this was the Xing Conglian he loved. Even if he were hugged by him, this would make him happy.


    How normal all this was.


    It was normal enough that he could reach out and put his arms around Xing Conglian¡¯s neck, kiss him, confess to him, and seriously state his physiological response.


    However, this was the wrong time, the wrong place; everything was wrong.


    Because more than half a month ago, Xu Ran suffered inhumane abuse in the room next door, and there was probably someone who had suffered just like Xu Ran on the bed they were lying on, perhaps even more inhumane things.


    But in the final analysis, it was because Lin Chen was clear that it was the most irresponsible behavior to use being drunk as a cover-up, so that he could use it as an excuse if his test failed. At least, Lin Chen thought he didn¡¯t want to use such an excuse. He wanted to respect Xing Conglian more.


    Lin Chen stared at Xing Conglian¡¯s dark eyes. He didn¡¯t know whether he was drunk or not. If he was really drunk, it turned out that people could still be sober and rational even after being drunk.


    Desperately sober.


    ¡­¡­


    It took a long time before Wang Chao¡¯s voice sounded in their ears again.


    ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, the security guards are gone.¡±


    Xing Conglian finally stopped.


    That was a really awkward moment. Lin Chen nodded at him and tried to control his expression as usual.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the next room. Open the door for us.¡± Xing Conglian rolled off of him. His voice instantly switched to a calm, clear state. He acted as if nothing had just happened.


    However, Lin Chen still saw traces of panting on his chest.


    ¡°Holy shit, Captain. Are you guys seeking death?¡± Wang Chao shouted. ¡°You¡¯ll be discovered!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. When they come to outflank us, we¡¯ll have a chance to leave. Can you control an elevator? I remember there¡¯s another elevator next door to room 03. We¡¯ll go to the basement parking lot. Can you help us find a way to leave safely?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at him and commanded logically and clearly.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea! The elevator is computer-controlled, so I have no problem opening it for you,¡± Wang Chao responded solemnly.


    ¡°By the way, call us a taxi at the exit of the parking lot.¡± Xing Conglian raised his watch and glanced at it. ¡°It¡¯s 1:05 a.m.. After five minutes, open the door to the next room.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°But Captain, I can also drive and pick you up!¡±


    ¡°I want to live a few more days,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly, and Wang Chao sensibly shut up.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± After Xing Conglian arranged everything, he turned his head and asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash my face.¡± Lin Chen sat up in his bed and fumbled out of it in the dark. However, because he was probably too restrained just now, his muscles were tense, so his legs suddenly twitched when he stepped on the ground in pain, and he staggered violently. Just as he fell to the bedside table, thinking he needed more calcium, his waist was supported by a broad and strong hand. Xing Conglian had wrapped his arm around his waist and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±


    This was really an afterthought.


    Lin Chen felt that his face must be red.


    In the end, it was Xing Conglian who helped him to the bathroom.


    Lin Chen turned on the faucet, lowered his head, and let the water wash over the top of his head and the ends of his hair. The biting cold made him suddenly sober up.


    For a minute, none of them spoke. There was only the sound of water flowing through the porcelain sink. When Lin Chen raised his head again, he saw Xing Conglian standing with his arms crossed. As he calmly puffed out rings of smoke, there was a faint odor of smoke in the air.


    Now it was more like an afterthought.


    Lin Chen pulled out a towel and wiped his face, adjusted his mood, and finally said, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one minute and three seconds left.¡± Xing Conglian looked at his watch as he responded.


    Then, there was silence between them again.


    Lin Chen dried his face and looked at his eyes in the mirror, which had become red from the alcohol. He said, ¡°Xing Conglian.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Your skills should be good, right?¡±


    ¡°Is Justice Bao satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Uh, do you need me to recuse myself?¡± In the quiet bathroom, the joking voice of Wang Chao sounded.


    Lin Chen suddenly thought that if he hadn¡¯t known that Wang Chao was listening and that someone was watching them, he might really have made a move on Xing Conglian.


    It seemed he wasn¡¯t such a righteous man either.


    Thinking of this, he laughed with relief. Sure enough, everything was wrong.


    He put the towel back on the shelf and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Wang Chao was always the typical example of efficiency taken to the extreme.


    When they walked out of the love suite, the door of the next room opened in response.


    There was no need to be reminded. At the moment when Xing Conglian opened the door, Lin Chen thought that the security alarm of the entire building would sound again.


    After all, their purpose was different. After entering, Xing Conglian turned on all the lights in the room.


    However, when Xing Conglian wanted to take out his gloves and inspect the room, they both were stunned¡­


    Because the furnishings, though they looked the same as the one next door, were completely different.


    This room was very new and seemed unused.


    The carpet was spotless, and the cabinets still had burrs. Under the bright light, the bed and cabinets, and even the handcuffs hanging from the ceiling in the room, seemed to glow with a shiny luster.


    Lin Chen sniffed the air, which was filled with formaldehyde and the smell of banana water that would only be found in newly renovated rooms.


    It seemed that someone had just completely remodeled this room.


    Indeed, if they remembered the deleted video records, how could they not clean up all the physical evidence.


    It would be strange if any evidence could be found here.


    Beside him, Xing Conglian squatted down and touched the carpet, then raised his head and said to him, ¡°The carpet is also new.¡±


    ¡°It seems they are much more meticulous than we thought,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, the taxi has arrived¡­ What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. We just reached a dead end again.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, Xing Conglian took out his phone and took a few photos of the scene from multiple angles.


    Afterwards, Xing Conglian quickly put it away, glanced at his watch, and then asked, ¡°Wang Chao, report the current situation.¡±


    ¡°A group of security guards is rushing down from the 13th floor, and another wave is outflanking from the emergency exit on the 7th floor. Hurry!¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded.


    As if he had timed it perfectly, Xing Conglian went to the back door and glanced at his watch again.


    About ten seconds later, he suddenly opened the door, and almost at the same time, the indicator light for the elevator that had just reached the 11th floor lit up.


    At the moment when the elevator closed, Lin Chen seemed to hear a team of security guards shouting out from the emergency exit.


    As the elevator slowly sank, Lin Chen didn¡¯t have the slightest fear of being chased; rather, he felt quite calm.


    If Xing Conglian knew what he was thinking at that time, he would probably hold his hand and say, ¡°What a coincidence. When I was on the bed just now, I looked at you with the same calmness.¡±


    However, they were now in an after-the-fact state and couldn¡¯t communicate with each other.


    Therefore, the two of them simply faced the smooth inner wall of the elevator, waiting silently for the moment when the door would open again.


    ¡­¡­


    The process of escaping from the parking lot was smooth.


    Wang Chao¡¯s ability to command was quite good, and Xing Conglian¡¯s sense of direction matched it frighteningly well.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian through hordes of luxury vehicles, listening to the footsteps that were chasing them from far behind. At the moment when the security guards were almost close enough to smash their baton into the car window, they got into the taxi that Wang Chao had called in advance.


    The taxi driver stepped on the gas and looked at the angry, nervous, and disappointed faces of the security guards. Lin Chen actually felt like he was escaping from ascension.


    The driver was also frightened. Although he subconsciously stepped on the gas, he still shook his hands nervously when he saw the security guards waving their batons while rushing towards him. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Police. Handling a case.¡±


    Xing Conglian quickly flashed his badge.


    The moment the driver saw the badge, he seemed to have powered-up and slammed on the gas again. The taxi smashed through the guardrail of the parking lot, flying like an arrow released from a string, and flew frantically into the distance.


    ¡°Police. It¡¯s great you¡¯re the police. I really want that place checked out. It¡¯s best if it gets shut down!¡±


    After the taxi driver said this to them, the taxi started zooming down the wide road at a speed of no less than 100 kilometers an hour.


    Xing Conglian put his hand on the car window. He glanced at the name on the badge and praised the taxi driver. ¡°Master* Guan, there are very few men with a strong sense of justice like you. Ordinary men can¡¯t wait to soak in there all day.¡±


    *He¡¯s addressing him as shifu (¹Øʦ). It¡¯s a term frequently used for cab drivers or other skilled laborers in modern times.


    The driver blushed and said honestly, ¡°I can¡¯t afford to go. It¡¯s too expensive.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed heartily.


    ¡°What case are you investigating?¡± The driver asked again.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and heard him reply, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to speak of it.¡±


    The driver gave a long ¡°Oh¡± and said, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s no wonder those security guards are like mad dogs. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a top-notch driver. They won¡¯t be able to catch up!¡±


    ¡°Do you often come here to pick up customers?¡± Xing Conglian suddenly asked.


    ¡°Occasionally, but who hasn¡¯t come to Royal One to pick up a few people if you¡¯re working the night shift.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then do you know where the princesses of Royal One usually live?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Master Guan laughed shyly again. ¡°I¡¯ve come here to pick up guests a few times, but I can¡¯t tell who the young masters and princesses inside are.¡± As Master Guan said this, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He smacked his forehead and said, ¡°Wait, wait, let me ask for you. We have a radio station. I can ask about it!¡±


    Before Xing Conglian had time to refuse, Master Guan had already pulled out his walkie-talkie and shouted, ¡°Hey, which one of you often does business at Royal One? Do you know where the princesses and young masters usually live?¡±


    Soon, chattering voices from many night shift drivers sounded on the radio.


    Someone said, ¡°Lao Guan, what¡¯s wrong with you? Are you dissatisfied with your wife?¡±


    Another person said, ¡°Yes, Lao Guan. Finally, you want to have some fun!¡±


    The middle-aged man named Lao Guan coughed twice, pretending to be righteous, and interrupted them. ¡°Be serious. Right now, I have two police comrades who are handling a case. I¡¯m asking for them.¡±


    ¡°Are they real cops?¡±


    Lao Guan looked back at Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian nodded, took the walkie-talkie, and said to the drivers, ¡°I¡¯m Xing Conglian. My police badge number is 20151014xxx. You can verify it.¡±


    Following that, more chaotic sounds erupted from the radio station.


    ¡°It¡¯s really Mr. Police Officer!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Police Officer!¡±


    ¡°I hope everyone can provide clues to what Master Guan asked just now. It will be very helpful for us in solving the case.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s relaxed voice quickly calmed the commotion on the radio.


    Taxi drivers were probably the most enthusiastic group in the city. When they heard there was a police investigation, the drivers immediately began to give ideas. Some said the girls lived on the east side of the city, while others said they lived on the west, but there was no accurate number.


    Finally, a Mr. Driver who seemed to have received the notification suddenly said loudly, ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI¡ªI know, uh. Just now, Master Chen called me in a hurry and asked me to listen to the radio. I know. Royal One, uh, I usually pick up a few ladies there every night and send them home. Most of them lived on Red Street, but cars can¡¯t be driven in, so I don¡¯t know where they live!¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian again.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Xing Conglian said sincerely to the drivers.


    On the subsequent drive to Red Street.


    Master Guan chatted with them. Most of the time, Mr. Driver was telling them about his heroic experiences and those of his old buddies who had rounded up thieves or transported supplies to rescue teams.


    Although they couldn¡¯t exchange the same stories with him, listening to his pleasant boasting voice, because of the effect of alcohol, Lin Chen fell asleep again.


    By the time he woke up, Master Chen had already driven the car smoothly to the location of Red Street.


    He and Xing Conglian got out of the taxi, only to find that, at some point, it was slightly drizzling. The rain hardly wetted their clothes, but it plunged the entire city into a misty fog.


    Xing Conglian took out his wallet to pay, but Master Guan pushed it away. ¡°You¡¯re the police handling a case. It¡¯s appropriate for citizens like us to assist. I don¡¯t want your money!¡±


    Xing Conglian was used to paying, and rarely did he encounter a situation where someone would refuse payment. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite enlightened, but money still needs to be collected for services rendered. We also have our own rules.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not charging you anything, or else I¡¯ll be teased to death by those guys later!¡±


    Seeing the 100-yuan bill about to be crushed by them, Lin Chen stepped forward and said to the driver, ¡°You can accept it. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll report him for not paying a taxi driver when I go back.¡±


    Lin Chen thought that his face must have looked serious, since after he said it, Master Guan finally accepted the money.


    Xing Conglian had already gone ahead, and Lin Chen followed after him.


    ¡°Mr. Police Officer.¡±


    Suddenly, the hoarse voice from smoking too much of the middle-aged driver sounded from behind them.


    ¡°Royal One isn¡¯t really a good place. Can you shut it down?¡±


    The streets in front of them were dark, and behind them was an ordinary citizen who was making a selfish request.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s figure paused under the streetlight, before it turned back. He stopped in front of the taxi, bowed forward solemnly, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Just like Royal One was named Royal One, Red Street was exactly as it was named.


    From beginning to end, there were endless spa parlors with most of the doors closed. They walked slowly inward and found that there were still a few shops open. The air was filled with a dirty smell that came from the sewers. The alley was narrow but just wide enough.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked side by side, bathed in the veil-like drizzle and fog in the alley.


    The shops were glowing with pink light, and some of it flowed out from the cracks in the doors while others leaked from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lin Chen looked at the shops that were still open and saw that most of them were filled with ladies lying in various promiscuous positions. Some were extremely old, while others looked as if they had just become adults.


    It was really late. Most of these ladies were lying on sofa beds and didn¡¯t even have any desire to attract guests.


    The problem had become clear again.


    How were they going to find Miss Lily¡¯s residence in this long street full of alleys?


    ¡°Wang Chao, did you find it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The teenager responded angrily.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian. Apparently, Xing Conglian¡¯s order had prevented him from driving again, which made Wang Chao angry.


    However, Wang Chao could only voice it, as Lin Chen heard the sound of him clicking on a mouse. ¡°I just checked the medical examination records of the hospital. You don¡¯t even know what I saw. God, just now, I¡¯ve seen five cases of AIDS, not to mention countless cases of herpes and genital warts. A¡¯Chen, I feel like I¡¯m going crazy. I feel so uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I know,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    ¡°Why is this happening? Why do they have to do that kind of thing? Can¡¯t they make good money!¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao,¡± Lin Chen stretched out his hand to hold back Xing Conglian and stood with him under the quiet light. ¡°Not everyone is entitled to choose their own life.¡±


    ¡°But¡ªbut why are they so unclean? Wear a condom? Is it that difficult?!¡±


    ¡°Actually, you can look at these people from two points of view. First, they are indeed engaged in illegal industries. From this perspective, you can despise them and spurn them without any problem, but you can also imagine what kind of family they grew up in and what kind of life experience they have, which caused them to live such a life of selling their bodies. Of course, it¡¯s true that they broke the law, and their life experience is just our speculation, but I think¡­ Among those girls, there must be people who wanted to go to a good college and make a decent living by working in an office. I think some of them want such a life, but, really, not everyone in the world is qualified to choose their own life trajectory, and even some do not know they have the right to choose.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian.


    The other party did not speak, but instead placed his hand between his neck and gently shook it.


    This was a slightly intimate and familiarly comforting action.


    But at that time, neither of them noticed that this action was not only intimate but also ambiguous.


    Probably because they had slept together just now, even Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel anything strange, as if this were normal and natural.


    After a long silence, he finally asked, ¡°Well, did you find Lily yet?¡±


    Perhaps it was because of what Lin Chen said, Wang Chao¡¯s voice had some choking in it, but the teenager quickly adjusted his emotions and said to him, ¡°Found it, A¡¯Chen. Lily¡¯s name is Zheng Wenli, female, 21 years old.¡±


    ¡°Any information on her residence?¡± Xing Conglian quickly asked.


    ¡°Wait for me to check her records.¡±


    After a while, Wang Chao said, ¡°Damn, I found it. It¡¯s really in Room 502, No. 3-117, Red Street. Zheng Wenli¡¯s card paid the utility bills for that place. God, that old driver is really experienced!¡±


    The teenager sincerely sighed.


    Lin Chen stopped and looked at the house number. They were about to reach it.


    In fact, he was a little surprised. He thought that a princess like Lily, who worked in a high-end club, should have enough income to provide her with better housing, but there was obviously no so-called better housing on this street.


    No. 3-117 was an old-fashioned residential building with mottled walls. The corridor door was open, revealing a rusty door frame. Lin Chen looked up, and there were all kinds of dazzling underwear hanging from the balcony. Some windows were lit with pink and purple lights, which looked quite ostentatious. Lin Chen thought they had found the right place.


    However, the process of finding Miss Lily was quite difficult. They stood in front of the locked, old-fashioned iron door and fell into trouble again.


    Xing Conglian rubbed his nose and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Is it illegal to break into a private residence?¡±


    Lin Chen leaned against the handrail of the stairs, feeling a little dizzy. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Can you not report me?¡±


    Lin Chen silently turned around.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Keep in mind that Wang Chao is only a teenager, so the things he says sometimes can be immature, but as an 18-year-old raised by Xing Conglian and given his experience with the police force, I would¡¯ve imagined he would be more worldly.


    Personally, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with prostitution, and it shouldn¡¯t be looked down upon. Unfortunately, many people who go into it are often victimized and exploited, and some are even forced. As Lin Chen says, it¡¯s best not to judge others, especially when you don¡¯t know their circumstances.


    Just some food for thought.


    Oh, and in case you missed it, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were pretending to fuck in this chapter.

 CH 130

    Naturally, sneaking into the residence of a single woman was wrong, but since it was more inconvenient for two men to stand in the corridor of the lewd apartments, after Xing Conglian quickly unlocked the door, Lin Chen flashed into the residence with him.


    So, when Miss Lily arrived home and opened her door, she saw two men sitting on her sofa.


    One of them was looking at the photo frame on the coffee table. Lily quickly recognized the other person as the man who gave her fake checks, which caused her serious trouble today.


    When the two heard the door opening, they both turned to look at her.


    Lily didn¡¯t say anything. She picked up her handbag and rushed over and smacked it at the fake rich man. ¡°Fuck, you still have the face to come here and do this to me?!¡±


    Listening to Miss Lily¡¯s shouts, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even fight back and was firmly beaten a few times.


    ¡°Asshole, using fake checks. If you¡¯re poor, don¡¯t go looking for whores!¡±


    As if she felt it was useless to keep hitting, after venting, Lily took out her phone and was about to make a call.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes flashed, and he quickly took the phone from her hand.


    ¡°Still trying to rob me, huh?¡± Lily¡¯s cry became louder.


    Lin Chen looked at the girl with heavy makeup and put down the photo frame. ¡°We¡¯re here because of Xu Ran. I know you know her.¡±


    Hearing what he said, the anger in Lily¡¯s eyes quickly dissipated. She subconsciously looked at the photo on the coffee table, which showed two girls hugging each other.


    Lin Chen also looked at the photo frame.


    Although girls loved beauty and often exaggerated themselves, he could still clearly tell from the photo that the person who was making the peace sign on the left was the one standing in front of him, while the one on the right was Xu Ran.


    Lin Chen glanced back and saw Lily¡¯s eyes covered in sadness, which she couldn¡¯t hide.


    After taking two deep breaths, Lily trembled and asked, ¡°Xu Ran¡­ Is she dead?¡±


    ¡°Her life remains uncertain,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I know she must be dead! I persuaded her not to go or she would definitely be killed!¡±


    Lily covered her mouth, trying her best to hold back her tears. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the ground.


    ¡°We¡¯re here because of her, so I hope you will trust us.¡± Lin Chen took out a tissue from the table and squatted in front of the girl, wiping her tears.


    The snow-white tissue gleamed with the eyeshadow sequins.


    The tears turned Lily¡¯s entire face into a palette of colors. She suddenly looked up, showing bruises around her mouth and under her cheekbone, and said to them, ¡°Are you good people?¡±


    Her eyes were suspicious but innocent, showing a look of distrust towards everything in the world.


    ¡°I said, you can trust us.¡±


    Lily sobbed a few more times, then calmed down. She said to them with tenacious restraint, ¡°Xiao Ran, she left a letter.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Before walking into the room, Lin Chen never thought they would get a letter left by Xu Ran.


    If Xu Ran didn¡¯t have the ability to predict the future, how could she leave behind a letter?


    He followed Lily into the narrow bedroom by the living room.


    The old-fashioned apartment was filled with a musty smell from the damp walls. Lily squatted down in front of the closet and found an old shoebox under the closet.


    ¡°Xiao Ran¡­ They smashed up Xiao Ran¡¯s room, but she gave me something important for safekeeping, so¡­¡± Lily¡¯s voice suddenly became gentle. She sobbed and looked up at Lin Chen. ¡°So she has a lot of things with me, but in fact none of them are really important. Then she gave me a letter, saying if she died or if the police came to Royal One to investigate her case again, to have me secretly hand them her letter. If there¡¯s a police officer that¡¯s willing to go to Royal One to check her case again, then they must be a good person, but if not, then forget it.¡±


    Lily tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°Actually, I think that¡¯s just wishful thinking¡ªas if there were that many good people in the world¡­¡±


    She opened the lid of a shoe box and took out a plastic bag from it, then sat down on the bed.


    Lin Chen dragged a chair from the desk and sat next to her.


    Lily carefully opened the plastic bag and took out the stack of things inside.


    Those were all things like photos and postcards, as well as a sticker book and two posters.


    Those things looked old. Some of the photos had an obvious trace that they were removed from a photo frame, showing trim marks. The backs of the posters were still sticky with some adhesive. After Lin Chen asked for Lily¡¯s permission, he felt for a while that he couldn¡¯t read the letter. He picked up the sticker book and opened the first page.


    Sure enough, the records of these things belonged to the same person.


    Lin Chen held the sticker book for a long time, silently. There was a lone lamp on the bedside table, which was so bright that it made him feel extremely sour.


    Finally, he raised his head.


    Xing Conglian was standing at the door frame, facing the bed full of photos, and was relatively speechless.


    Everything had a reason.


    For example, why did Xu Ran fight fiercely when facing Li Jingtian despite having worked in this industry for so long?


    Or, why did she go to the police and accuse Li Jingtian, knowing that it was impossible for her to take him down?


    And after that, why did she still insist on going to Hongjing knowing the dangers it possessed?


    Although Lin Chen still didn¡¯t understand what the connection between these things was for the time being, looking at the young singer on the bed who was laughing, singing, posing in various funny ways, and giving his middle finger to the camera, Lin Chen knew that the reason was here¡­


    Because it was Song Shengsheng.


    Nine years ago, the unruly young man was imprisoned for rape.


    ¡°Xu Ran¡­ She¡­¡± Lin Chen finally came back to his senses. He looked at Miss Lily on the bed and realized that he was choking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Xu Ran likes Song Shengsheng. She has liked him for a long, long time. She always believed that Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo, those bastards, framed Song Shengsheng. But what¡¯s the use? Song Shengsheng is already finished.¡±


    Lily took out the letter left by Xu Ran and handed it to him.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and looked at the snow-white letter paper in front of him. For the first time, he felt a little scared.


    He slowly opened the letter when suddenly his hands were pressed.


    Xing Conglian had appeared at some point behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll read it,¡± he said to him.


    Lin Chen pressed Xing Conglian¡¯s hand, remembering that when they were on the same bed, the other party took the initiative to take on the embarrassing role.


    Xing Conglian always took the initiative to take on the responsibility.


    But, Lin Chen thought, he had things he should bear, and no one could replace that.


    ¡°Let me do it. This is what I should see.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s worried gaze and pushed his hand away. He felt that although he had never said a word to Xu Ran and they were complete strangers who had never crossed paths, he seemed to have depicted Xu Ran¡¯s appearance countless times in his mind.


    The moment he opened the letter, he seemed to see Xu Ran¡¯s appearance quietly writing this letter a few days ago.


    Hello,


    I don¡¯t know how to call you, so let me just talk to you.


    If you¡¯re reading this letter, then it means I¡¯m probably dead.


    Many letters or suicide notes will say this at the beginning. I thought it was hypocritical before, but now that I¡¯m writing this, I find that it¡¯s quite a suitable way to start.


    My name is Xu Ran. A woman who¡¯s 28 years old.


    Three weeks ago, I received a job. The job I¡¯m talking about is sex trading. Yes, I am a prostitute. In more popular terms, I¡¯m a chicken¡ªthe kind of woman who¡¯s dirty to the bone. I can¡¯t deny this.


    So when I walked into that door, I knew very well that I was going to provide services to men.


    But behind that door, the man sitting there was indeed a person I¡¯ll never forget.


    I hate him. Hate him to the bone. I used to like a person very much, and that person was ruined by him, never to be reborn.


    The person I hate is Li Jingtian.


    And the person I like is Song Shengsheng.


    In fact, before entering the door, I didn¡¯t know exactly what Li Jingtian had done to Shengsheng, although I always suspected that Mu Zhuo¡¯s false accusation against Shengsheng was planned by him.


    So, when I saw Li Jingtian, I was angry. I couldn¡¯t control my anger, but what could I do to him? I can only tell him I didn¡¯t want his business because he¡¯s too disgusting.


    After I told him this, I slammed the door and wanted to leave.


    But he didn¡¯t let me leave. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head on the door.


    I told him to get out. I don¡¯t want his business. I don¡¯t want to do those things with him.


    You see, although I¡¯m a prostitute, sometimes I turn down clients.


    But Li Jingtian didn¡¯t give me a chance to refuse. At that time, I was so angry that I kept scolding him. I scolded him for being disgusting and treacherous. I told him I didn¡¯t want to sleep with him.


    When he heard Shengsheng¡¯s name, Li Jingtian suddenly laughed, excitedly.


    He grabbed my hair and pushed me to the ground. He was jubilant. He said to me, ¡°So there are still people who like Song Shengsheng.¡±


    Later, I don¡¯t really remember much of it. I was dragged to the bathroom by him. He stomped on my head, then shoved it into the toilet. He beat me, humiliated me. He didn¡¯t treat me like a human, but like an animal. I shouted for help, but no one cared about me.


    I don¡¯t know if such a situation can still be considered rape.


    You see, a prostitute took the initiative to deliver herself to the door, but refused a client, and was beaten to death by him.


    This should be deserved.


    Then, as I was submerged in the toilet, he entered me.


    It hurts. It really hurts.


    When he raped me, he whispered next to my ear, ¡°The Song Shengsheng you like was also fucked by me like this. He likes it very much. He¡¯s dirtier than you.¡±


    Then, he beat and abused me repeatedly and kept telling me how he tortured Shengsheng in the same way. He said that Shengsheng was a masochist and liked to be fucked by him.


    Shengsheng loves him to death and even volunteered to go to jail for him.


    Those words are still swirling in my ears now.


    At that time, I felt that the sky was falling. I really regretted that I couldn¡¯t record his words and show them to everyone. Li Jingtian himself admitted that Shengshemg was innocent.


    At that time, I felt I had to live. I wanted everyone to know that Li Jingtian isn¡¯t human.


    Later, I really didn¡¯t die. When Li Jingtian left, he threw me into the bathtub and washed me many times.


    He told me there was no evidence now. If I want to call the police, I can report it, but he said the police will never believe a whore. Who would believe a woman who sells her body would be raped at a place like Royal One?


    Yeah, he¡¯s right. No one will believe me, but I want to try. I think I should try.


    The policewoman who received me was a very nice person. She really believed me. She took me for an examination. At that time, I felt Li Jingtian wasn¡¯t necessarily right.


    But I made a mistake. I regret it. I really, deeply regretted it.


    When they asked me where the crime scene was, I remembered Li Jingtian¡¯s words. If I said it was at Royal One, the police wouldn¡¯t believe me, so I lied. I told them I was raped at his hotel.


    I don¡¯t know why I said that, but I really lied. Everyone scolded me, and they all sympathized with Li Jingtian. Then I realized that it was impossible for me to defeat him.


    Because I lied, I lost the opportunity to get justice for myself and even the chance to seek justice for my voice. No one will believe what I say anymore. I screwed up, and I only have myself to blame. It¡¯s all my fault.


    This afternoon, Li Jingtian called me and asked me to meet in Hongjing. He said he wanted to compensate me.


    I know he must want me to die.


    But if I die, will someone look into my case?


    Will I meet a good police officer, like that female police officer who trusted me and gave me another chance?


    If my life can be exchanged for another chance to let you read this letter, then why don¡¯t I die?


    In fact, I didn¡¯t have much hope, but I thought, ah, if I¡¯m going to die, I might as well create some fantasies, right?


    I know very well that it¡¯s difficult for you to have the opportunity to get justice for me, but I hope that in any case, you can get justice for Shengsheng. He¡¯s really innocent.


    Please, believe me.


    ¡­¡­


    There was no final signature for this letter.


    It started with a hello and ended with believe me.


    Xu Ran didn¡¯t know whether someone would eventually read this letter, but she still clearly stated what happened. She just wanted justice.


    For the first time, Lin Chen felt that the word ¡°justice¡± was so heavy¡ªas heavy as Mount Tai¡ªthat it made people despair.


    Unconsciously, Lin Chen found that his fingers were trembling. He knew very well that his eyes were frighteningly red now, but he thought, he really couldn¡¯t cry.


    His hand brushed over the snow-white letter; it was immaculately clean. Although Xu Ran¡¯s handwriting was childish, the paper was really clean.


    When Xu Ran wrote this letter, she didn¡¯t shed a tear.


    Every sentence in this letter was strong. Lin Chen raised his head and looked at the other girl sitting by the bed.


    Although the girl had loose hair and messy makeup, she was looking at him with firm eyes.


    Yes, they were all girls with the tenacious vitality of weeds. Although their lives were gloomy, the beliefs in their hearts were sometimes firmer than others.


    Xing Conglian placed his hand on his shoulder.


    He stood behind him and read the letter with him.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at the man who had been silent this entire time.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang.


    Xing Conglian kept his hand on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder as he picked up the phone with his other hand.


    The call was short.


    The person on the other line probably only said one sentence.


    Xing Conglian only replied with, ¡°I see.¡±


    But Lin Chen clearly felt Xing Conglian¡¯s hand on his shoulder begin to tremble. The tremor was short, but such a thing was impossible for someone like Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen looked into his eyes and understood everything in an instant.


    ¡°Xu Ran is gone,¡± Xing Conglian said calmly.


    After he finished speaking, the room suddenly became quiet.


    This was the inevitable ending, and this was also the ending she prayed for.


    Lin Chen looked out the dark window.


    There was continuous rain. It was fine and soft, like a girl¡¯s soft hair, like a girl¡¯s insignificant life.


    The night was dark, and it must equally be as dark in Hongjing.


    Lin Chen looked at the dark night sky. He suddenly thought if people¡¯s faith could really break through time and space, then Xu Ran should know they have read this letter.


    So, she had persisted until now, and finally she could end her not-so-long, not-so-good life.


    Xing Conglian patted Lin Chen lightly on the shoulder.


    Lin Chen looked back at the man he loved deeply.


    He suddenly wanted to ask a question, so he naturally did. ¡°Your guarantee is very effective, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly squatted down in front of him.


    He stared at him with deep but serene eyes and then answered him.


    ¡°Please, believe me,¡± he said.


    ¡­¡­


    Wang Chao came later on.


    When he arrived at Red Street, Lin Chen had already sorted out all the photos and letters with Xing Conglian.


    When they left, Miss Lily was sleeping soundly in the room. They closed the dilapidated iron door and walked into the drizzle.


    The teenager held his head and squatted under the streetlight where they were standing.


    Seeing them approach, Wang Chao jumped up excitedly and shouted in a low voice, ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re finally here. This place is too scary.¡±


    Wang Chao really had a strange magic power. When they looked at the boy¡¯s eyes that would never dim, it was like meeting a flame that would never go out in the endless night. He would make you believe that everything would be fine.


    Lin Chen walked over, rubbed the boy¡¯s wet head, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Probably because they were so close, Wang Chao noticed their abnormality.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, what¡¯s wrong? You¡­ You were crying again?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It¡¯s really not this time.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡±


    Lin Chen found that when Wang Chao asked this, he was unable to answer.


    ¡°Xu Ran is dead.¡±


    Xing Conglian walked up to him and answered it for him.


    Wang Chao instantly became shocked, and he asked incredulously, ¡°Then, do we have no case?¡±


    Looking at the teenager¡¯s disappointed but not sad gaze, Lin Chen began to understand why Xing Conglian was always protective of Wang Chao.


    Lin Chen thought that although the night had many ups and downs, the luckiest thing was that Wang Chao didn¡¯t read the letter.


    This arrangement was probably their only good luck tonight.


    ¡°No, now we can start investigating the murder case,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t Xu Ran dead? Could it be that you found some important clues from Miss Lily?¡± Wang Chao sharply asked.


    ¡°Yes, we found clues.¡± Lin Chen pinched Wang Chao¡¯s face.


    ¡°But this clue makes you very uncomfortable, right?¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking and thinking so much? Do you want to learn psychology from your brother A¡¯Chen?¡± Xing Conglian abruptly cut in.


    As they talked, they started walking out of the alley.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked side-by-side, while Wang Chao faced them, briskly walking backwards. ¡°Then what about the investigation of the murder case, Captain? Did you find evidence that Li Jingtian is suspected of murdering Xu Ran?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no evidence,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Then, how can it be called murder?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang, do you have a misunderstanding about the murder?¡± Xing Conglian asked seriously. ¡°It¡¯s not like Li Jingtian stabbed Xu Ran to death with a knife. That¡¯s murder. Those who persecute, trick, or incite others to commit suicide are all punished according to the crime of intentional homicide. You really should study harder.¡± Xing Conglian concluded.


    ¡°So now, are we going to investigate the evidence chain of how Li Jingtian caused Xu Ran to commit suicide? Wait, did Xu Ran commit suicide?¡± When they reached the entrance of the alley, Wang Chao finally turned around. ¡°What are we going to do next?¡±


    ¡°We have to prove one thing first,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°We have to prove that Xu Ran isn¡¯t the culprit who took to the stage and tried to slit Li Jingtian¡¯s throat.¡±


    Lin Chen thought about how Xing Conglian would arrange their next move, but he never thought Xing Conglian would say that.


    He didn¡¯t understand for a moment, but then he got it in an instant.


    This was Xing Conglian.


    ¡­¡­


    Xu Ran¡¯s suicide note was written too early, and she didn¡¯t mention what happened after she went to Hongjing. She just said that Li Jingtian asked her to go there.


    As for why she wore that red dress, dressing exactly like the culprit who slit Li Jingtian¡¯s throat, Xu Ran didn¡¯t explain these things.


    Therefore, the contents of the letter were all unilateral statements by Xu Ran. Even Xu Ran herself stated at the end of the letter that she had no evidence to prove those statements.


    In other words, they still couldn¡¯t rule out that possibility¡ªthe possibility that all the incidents were committed by Xu Ran. In order to avenge Song Shengsheng and herself, Xu Ran planned all this and used her own death as the final touch of the entire conspiracy.


    Although it was impossible for anyone to believe in the possibility that Li Jingtian was innocent after reading that letter, a fact-based investigation of the case had nothing to do with Xu Ran¡¯s plea; it could only include factual evidence.


    Even an extremely terrible monster like Li Jingtian or Xu Ran; both had the right to a fair and impartial investigation.


    And the most critical breakthrough point of this investigation was whether the person who slit Li Jingtian¡¯s throat was Xu Ran.


    In fact, the identity of the throat-slitter had always been the primary focus of the investigation in Li Jingtian¡¯s case.


    Lin Chen was grateful for Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian trusted his judgment on Li Jingtian, so he took him to Fengchun before the investigation report from the forensic department was released.


    But it was necessary to investigate the truth of the whole matter, so it was impossible to bypass the threshold of the throat-slitting case.


    It was 16 hours after the incident, which meant it had been 6 hours since they left Hongjing.


    Lin Chen thought that Xing Conglian was stretched for time. During this period, Hongjing¡¯s forensic department could release the investigation report of the throat-slitting case, while at the same time, during this blank period, Xing Conglian was able to bring him to Fengchun to investigate Li Jingtian¡¯s sexual assault on Xu Ran.


    The conditions for going out to handle cases were difficult, and the time was really late¡ªor rather early.


    The Jeep wasn¡¯t around, so they found an internet caf¨¦ next to Red Street. Naturally, the place was chosen by Wang Chao because of its internet speed.


    After Xing Conglian sat down in the small cubicle, he started making phone calls.


    Lin Chen went out and ordered instant noodles. When he came back, he heard Xing Conglian speaking on the phone to another police officer who was in charge of the blood test.


    ¡°Status?¡± Lin Chen put down the instant noodles and asked Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian put it on speaker, and the voice of the police officer responsible for the blood test sounded.


    ¡°Captain Xing, the blood test has just been completed. The blood on Xu Ran¡¯s dress only contained her DNA. There are no other people¡¯s blood samples mixed in. I really have no way to prove whether Xu Ran was or wasn¡¯t the assailant. Shall we test for other things, like hair samples on the stage, and see if we can prove that Xu Ran was there?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Xing Conglian hung up and remained silent.


    Sitting across from him, Wang Chao took a big mouthful of noodles and sighed. ¡°Captain, don¡¯t you feel uncomfortable being a police officer? You have to give evidence for everything!¡±


    ¡°Check on your stuff.¡± Xing Conglian knocked on the teenager¡¯s head.


    Wang Chao was dissatisfied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say things like, Wang Chao, have a good meal first. I¡¯m still a kid!¡± Wang Chao slurped up another mouthful of noodles unhappily but didn¡¯t forget to move the mouse with his other hand.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother talking nonsense with him. He made another call. Lin Chen glanced at the number. It was another police officer who was in charge of the scene investigation.


    ¡°Captain Xing, Captain Xing, please don¡¯t rush me, okay? Do you know how many things are on that stage? I have to test everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Has any DNA sample belonging to Xu Ran been detected?¡±


    On the other end of the phone, the on-site police investigator seemed to be checking through documents. After a while, he replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t detected any DNA of Xu Ran for the time being¡­¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡± Xing Conglian hung up again.


    The third call was to the officer in charge of trace inspection.


    But the result was still disappointing.


    ¡°Captain¡ªCaptain Xing, don¡¯t mention fingerprints. The outer surface of the bouquet was covered with fabric, so there wouldn¡¯t be any left behind. The footprints were also checked, but they¡¯re basically useless. You know how many people were at the scene. All I can say now is that the assailant¡¯s height is similar. There are photos floating around on the internet everywhere, but hey, it¡¯s the same as if I¡¯m not saying anything.¡±


    Xing Conglian hung up the third call.


    Everything was returning without success and without evidence. Despite that, it was actually a good thing.


    Although the test results they got were no use in solving the case, at any rate, they cleared up some suspicions on Xu Ran.


    After contemplating for a moment, Xing Conglian was about to start calling again, but he stalled and didn¡¯t dial out.


    Lin Chen pushed the instant noodles in front of Xing Conglian and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat something first.¡±


    At this time, he really couldn¡¯t find any breakthroughs, so Xing Conglian put the phone down.


    Lin Chen opened the instant noodle bowl with him.


    The noodles were soaked just right.


    The smell of cigarettes in the room was strong, and the rain outside the window gradually turned from light to heavy. Inside the room, except for the slurping sound of instant noodles, there was only the hissing noise from the computer fan.


    Wang Chao was the first to finish his bowl. He drank the soup, wiped his mouth, and said, ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, I have taken all the photos of the crime scene that were taken by the fans that I could find online. They have been sent to you. Hey, at such a critical moment, you still have to rely on me!¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t respond.


    As if feeling lonely, the teenager started to chatter again. ¡°Captain, don¡¯t ignore me. I looked at all the photos and videos of the fans for you. There are not many photos where you can see the assailant¡¯s face clearly. It seems that Li Jingtian¡¯s brain dead fan group called for deletion of the bloody and violent photos of the scene, so no one posted pictures. That is to say, only the first photo that was posted showed a clear picture of the assailant. I suspect that the person who posted the post was arranged by Li Jingtian, but unfortunately, there¡¯s no problem on Weibo¡¯s end. It really is a Li Jingtian¡¯s die-hard fan¡­ You said that it would be nice if the surveillance wasn¡¯t blocked, but let me tell you, Captain, it¡¯s useless even if it wasn¡¯t. You also know that face recognition algorithms are based on feature points. The assailant only showed their eyes. There are not enough feature points, so it won¡¯t help you. Don¡¯t blame me for talking too much. The assailant really looks very similar to Xu Ran. When she was caught on the street, she looked fearful, like she committed a crime, and ran to the streets and was hit by a car. There really is no proof. What should we do if we can¡¯t find evidence proving Xu Ran wasn¡¯t at the scene of the crime?¡±


    ¡°That can only be done by pulling a net and seeing if someone has seen Xu Ran within the time of the crime, so we can establish her alibi.¡±


    Listening to what Xing Conglian said, Wang Chao was stunned, and the fork in his mouth fell to the table with a thud.


    Lin Chen turned his head and looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s face, which was hidden under the dim light. Xing Conglian ate his noodles carefully, neither fast nor slow; extremely methodically.


    He suddenly realized that Xing Conglian¡¯s attitude towards Xu Ran was actually more determined than his.


    In fact, after stumbling into a dead end at the clubhouse and after reading the letter, Lin Chen subconsciously felt despair for Xu Ran¡¯s sexual assault case because there was no evidence. Someone had wiped it all out in advance.


    But after experiencing these things, Xing Conglian¡¯s attitude towards this case was clear on who was innocent and ambiguous results couldn¡¯t be accepted. If there was no evidence, then he would continue to look for evidence.


    Lin Chen recalled what he thought. If people¡¯s beliefs were strong enough to break through time and space, then they must also be able to break through bad luck.


    Even if Li Jingtian¡¯s calculations were foolproof, there would still be oversights.


    People like them had to embrace faith.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen pushed away the noodle bowl and checked all the photos and videos of Ansheng International Mall that were sorted by Wang Chao together with Xing Conglian, trying to find any omissions.


    Those fan photos were either clear or blurry, but the protagonist in all of them was Li Jingtian. To be honest, even if he forced himself to look at these photos with the mentality of proving Xu Ran¡¯s innocence, Lin Chen still felt nauseous every time he saw Li Jingtian¡¯s hypocritical face.


    Moreover, he was in a terrible state today. The hangover made his vision gradually blurry. He lowered his head, rubbed his eyes, and noticed that Xing Conglian had patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Go and help Wang Chao find out more about Song Shengsheng¡¯s case. I can look at these things myself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, A¡¯Chen. Stop looking at that disgusting idiot!¡±


    Lin Chen habitually wanted to be polite, but since it was Xing Conglian saying this, there was no need to. He nodded, changed his seat, and sat beside Wang Chao.


    ¡°Okay, A¡¯Chen Gege, my big sword is hungry and thirsty. Tell me what I need to check!¡±


    Wang Chao was full of vigor.


    In fact, there were as many as three cases they needed to investigate.


    Lin Chen sorted out his thoughts and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the files for Song Shengsheng¡¯s case. In fact, files that can be closed have been heavily reviewed, so the possibility of any issues isn¡¯t high. However, Xu Ran believed that Song Shengsheng was innocent. So, I think there must be a lot of his former fans that also insist on this, and among them, some may have evidence, which may exist in previous fan debates or forums. Please try to search for them.¡±


    But what Lin Chen didn¡¯t tell Wang Chao was that Xu Ran also revealed in the letter a piece of information that Song Shengsheng and Li Jingtian might have been in a relationship, and the relationship between them was quite distorted.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, what are you talking about? Why are you being so polite to me? Don¡¯t you love me anymore?¡±


    Wang Chao was focused on the wrong point.


    Lin Chen had no choice but to rub his head and say, ¡°Of course I love you, good boy.¡±


    Xing Conglian coughed softly.


    ¡°Captain, what¡¯s wrong with you? Jealous?¡± Wang Chao snickered and then said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you want to sleep for a bit? It¡¯ll take a while for me to check these things, and there¡¯s still some time before dawn. You should rest for a while.¡±


    Wang Chao pointed to the sofa at the corner of the room.


    Being polite would look hypocritical. He really needed sleep. ¡°Okay.¡± After Lin Chen replied, he laid down on the sofa.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± he said before closing his eyes.


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me anymore!¡± Wang Chao continued to draw out his whining.


    Lin Chen quickly closed his eyes.


    Sleepiness covered him like a tide.


    In fact, before going to sleep, Lin Chen wanted to tell Wang Chao to wake him up in an hour, but before he could, he had already fallen asleep.


    He had a dream.


    The dream began on an extremely long, red street. The neon lights that washed over him turned into thin shades of red and green lights on the ground; as thin as the eyeliner on Lily¡¯s face.


    Then he saw Lily crying to him, and soon, Lily¡¯s cries turned into the laughter of the taxi driver, Master Guan. It was equally loud and full of emotions.


    The scene reverted to the dark basement of Royal One, where Xing Conglian was pulling him to run, then the two of them were lying in the same bed, with Xing Conglian on top of him, jerking him around.


    While on the bed, he turned his head sideways and saw Xu Ran¡¯s face.


    Xu Ran stared at them with her face covered in blood as she fell into a pool of blood and a truck ran over her.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face suddenly appeared. His eyes were vicious, staring with excitement at the person in the pool of blood. The scene seemed to be rewinding, frame by frame, going back to the beginning of everything.


    The surroundings were noisy. People crowded over each other as Li Jingtian was singing. Through the gap between people, Lin Chen saw someone walking onto the stage.


    It was a girl in a red dress; not tall, very thin, holding a bouquet of roses in her hand. She handed the flowers to Li Jingtian, who hugged her.


    Bright red blood seeped out of Li Jingtian¡¯s throat.


    Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes.


    He got up from the sofa. Before he knew it, the sky outside the window was already bright.


    Wang Chao had fallen asleep at the table, while Xing Conglian was steadily clicking his mouse. He looked at him but said nothing.


    Lin Chen closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead vigorously.


    If every dream revealed something, Lin Chen thought, his dream must also be indicating something.


    Li Jingtian hugged Xu Ran.


    He opened his eyes again, stood up from the table, and walked over to Xing Conglian¡¯s side. Xing Conglian was looking at a photo. It was the first photo that was posted, accusing Xu Ran of being the assailant.


    The picture was clear.


    For them who had lost on-site surveillance, this was the clearest of all the photos.


    In the photo, Li Jingtian turned his back to the camera and seemed like he was about to hug the fan holding the bouquet. His hand was raised high to put his arms around the assailant¡¯s shoulder.


    Xing Conglian kept zooming in on the photo to see the position of Li Jingtian¡¯s hand.


    Xing Conglian turned his head and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Do you remember where Li Jingtian¡¯s hand ended up?¡±


    ¡°On the shoulder,¡± Lin Chen replied with great certainty.


    His gaze finally fell on a very unusual place in the photo.


    On the shoulders of the red dress, there were two leather decorative straps.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This was a fairly heavy and graphic chapter.

 CH 131

    This was a matter of thinking about the case. Previously, they had been looking for traces of whether Xu Ran was at the crime scene. Through testing for bloodstains, fingerprints, or even footprints, it was all to prove this point. If they couldn¡¯t find evidence, they couldn¡¯t prove that Xu Ran was there, and since she wasn¡¯t a criminal, the typical presumption was that she was innocent.


    But this case was different. From the beginning, the emergence of online public opinion has presumed Xu Ran¡¯s guilt. The people believed she was a criminal, which forced them to find an alibi for Xu Ran; otherwise, she would be considered guilty.


    While it was hard to say, Li Jingtian had designed it almost seamlessly. With Xu Ran dead, naturally, she could no longer argue her case.


    The only loophole in this was, coincidentally, Li Jingtian.


    Xing Conglian slowly raised his phone and dialed the number for the trace inspection officer.


    ¡°Captain Xing, please. I really haven¡¯t finished yet. You¡¯re killing me here!¡±


    Before Xing Conglian could speak, the police officer was the first to cry. His voice was a little hoarse, obvious that he had stayed up all night like them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to check these things,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Ah? What, can we call it a day?¡± The police officer asked in amazement.


    ¡°No, check for fingerprints.¡±


    ¡°Fingerprints where?¡±


    ¡°Clothes,¡± Xing Conglian said slowly. ¡°Check Xu Ran¡¯s bloody clothes.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Captain Xin, the fabric absorbs water so well that it¡¯s almost impossible to find any fingerprints on it. And whose fingerprints are you looking for on Xu Ran¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°Xu Ran¡¯s bloody coat has two decorative straps on the shoulders. Check to see if Li Jingtian¡¯s fingerprints are there,¡± Xing Conglian stated clearly.


    After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, there was an excited shout. ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI get it! Great!¡±


    After the police officer on the other end of the line finished yelling, there was the sound of tables and chairs colliding, doors opening and closing, and echoes of running in the empty corridor. For any police officer handling a case, there was nothing more exciting than finding a clue.


    Xing Conglian silently hung up and turned off the computer. His expression was calm and cold.


    In the room, there was dead silence again.


    Lin Chen sat next to him, only to feel mixed feelings in his heart. At this moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    However, Xing Conglian was the first to speak. ¡°Go and wake up Wang Chao.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at him hesitantly.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Time is running out. We have to hurry. We¡¯ll go to CA Entertainment to find Li Gaoqiang later and check to see whether Li Jingtian was at Royal One on the day of the incident. We¡¯ll also meet with Mu Zhuo, who should give us an advance breakthrough in Song Shengsheng¡¯s case.¡±


    ¡°An old case from nine years ago?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Consultant Lin have confidence?¡±


    It was rare for Lin Chen to feel relieved. ¡°How can that be?¡±


    After he finished replying, he stood up and looked at the teenager, who was asleep on the opposite side, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Carry him to the sofa and let him sleep for a while.¡±


    Xing Conglian was taken aback for a moment, and then showed a disgusted expression, but he still walked over and picked up Wang Chao and slowly put him on the sofa.


    The moment Xing Conglian withdrew his hand, Wang Chao suddenly woke up. He opened his eyes wide and looked at Xing Conglian with frightened eyes. ¡°What the fuck, Captain?¡±


    At that time, Xing Conglian was still holding Wang Chao in a princess carry. He quickly pulled his hand away and angrily said, ¡°Shut up and go to sleep.¡±


    Wang Chao groaned and fell asleep again.


    Lin Chen found a coat and covered Wang Chao before walking to the teenager¡¯s computer. Before he sat down, he heard slight snoring coming from Wang Chao.


    Looking at the teenager¡¯s soft face and long eyelashes covered by black hair, Lin Chen said to Xing Conglian, ¡°The story from last time isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    Xing Conglian quickly understood what he was referring to. It was rare that they could pick up on things that the other said in just a few words during extremely tense moments without the need for further padding. ¡°When I arrived, half the people had been killed, and the ground was littered with corpses and blood. In a place like Africa, the temperature is relatively high, so the corpses rot quickly. Wang Chao was protected by a group of workers. At that point, a child of his age already knew the truth that people who die will no longer come back, so the first thing he asked after he saw me was: Can I no longer talk to my mother and father?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian again. In an instant, he was struck by great sadness, but he didn¡¯t regret asking about this; neither then nor now.


    ¡°How did you answer?¡± he asked.


    ¡°This question was too difficult to answer. If it were you, Consultant Lin, what would you say?¡± Xing Conglian asked rhetorically.


    Lin Chen thought for a while, then replied, ¡°I would say: Yes, but look, you can still talk.¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled lightly as he lit a cigarette. ¡°Consultant Lin, don¡¯t you think your answer is too esoteric for a ten-year-old child?¡± He took a puff and exhaled a ring of cyan smoke. ¡°Although your parents are dead, you¡¯re still alive, and you¡¯re still fortunate to be able to speak. More importantly, because you¡¯re alive and able to speak, you have the opportunity to be heard by others¡ªby those who are still alive. They can hear your words that tell the stories of your parents¡­¡±


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°Then what did Captain Xing say at that time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I said, yeah kid, so you¡¯re going to hang with me in the future.¡±


    ¡°So he obediently left with you?¡± Lin Chen asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course not at first, but then I took him to the biggest local electronics store and bought him the latest computer. Then he was convinced.¡± Xing Conglian acted like he was rich.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Chen asked suspiciously. ¡°Did you really answer him like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have to analyze the words I say very carefully because there are things that can¡¯t be said.¡± Xing Conglian coughed shamelessly.


    ¡°Did he understand?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. He¡¯s stupid¡­¡± Xing Conglian sighed. When he told the story, his tone was relaxed from start to finish, as if he were talking about something irrelevant.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t ask about what came next. He thought that would be the next part of the chapter.


    He clicked on the information compiled by Wang Chao and began to look at it.


    Although the dead couldn¡¯t speak, the living still had the opportunity to tell their unfinished story for them.


    ¡­¡­


    When Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang again, Wang Chao woke up.


    The teenager abruptly jumped up from the sofa, as if he wanted to defend his family and country with a heroic sacrifice.


    Xing Conglian motioned for Wang Chao to be silent and turned his phone on speaker.


    It was a tense moment. The result of the appraisal determined the direction of their subsequent investigations, and even the direction of the entire unfinished story.


    ¡°Captain Xing! No! It¡¯s really not!¡±


    The police officer on the other end of the line had obviously finished everything as he was panting heavily.


    ¡°What¡¯s not?¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°The two leather decorative straps of Xu Ran¡¯s bloody clothes didn¡¯t have Li Jingtian¡¯s fingerprints!¡±


    The moment he learned the truth, the air suddenly froze.


    They all became silent; even the police officer on the other end of the line stopped talking. Wang Chao knew that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to speak now.


    After a while, the frozen air turned gel-like and began to flow slowly.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s fingerprints weren¡¯t found on the decorative strap on Xu Ran¡¯s shoulders, which proved that she wasn¡¯t the fan that was hugged by him. This further proved she wasn¡¯t at the fan meeting and that she wasn¡¯t the person who slit Li Jingtian¡¯s throat. Further, it proved she was indeed mistaken for the true culprit, and she had died innocently and tragically under the pursuit of Li Jingtian¡¯s fans.


    Although they had expected these results, the moment they found evidence to prove it, it was too sad to speak.


    It was Wang Chao who finally spoke first. ¡°Then, Xu Ran¡¯s suspicion has been cleared, and she wasn¡¯t at the scene?¡± The teenager asked with some difficulty.


    Lin Chen nodded to him.


    ¡°Then what are we going to do next?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Even the police officer on the other end of the line said, ¡°Captain Xing, with the results out now, what are we going to do?¡±


    In fact, the questions they wanted to ask were all the same. Although the words and expression were different, the underlying question was, with the fingerprints clearing Xu Ran¡¯s suspicion, what should they do with the results?


    If this was an ordinary case, the police could just issue a report, but the problem was that the case report for Li Jingtian¡¯s throat slitting case wasn¡¯t so easy to write. First, the police hadn¡¯t determined the true culprit, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate to release this report¡¯s result. It could backfire and become proof of the police¡¯s incompetence or become a problematic position.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, who was also looking at him.


    ¡°What does Consultant Lin think?¡±


    ¡°Release it,¡± Lin Chen said.


    It was rare for Xing Conglian to raise the corners of his mouth. Though he was half-smiling, his eyes remained cold. He said to the police officer on the other end of the line, ¡°I¡¯ll notify the PR department to make an announcement. Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°But, Captain Xing¡­ This!¡± The police officer on the other end wanted to say more, but Xing Conglian hung up.


    ¡°Captain, what the hell?!¡± Wang Chao still had a look of confusion. ¡°If we release this result, what if Li Jingtian buys a plane ticket and returns back to his country?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I need you to immediately monitor movements on his passport,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    ¡°What?! Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s just a problem between us and Li Jingtian right now?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°The question now is, who has more credibility.¡±


    ¡°Is it that complicated?¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian is a singer who usually has a good reputation. He has many fans and is good at controlling public opinion. We have no tangible evidence to prove his crime right now, so his innocence remains high, while we, the police, have been in an embarrassing situation. Our investigation result is often scrutinized by the public, so how do we win this war of public opinion against Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Wang Chao thought for a while but was still confused. He turned around and asked, ¡°Captain, you have a bad mind. What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to force him to buy a plane ticket to return home.¡± Xing Conglian gave him a look as if saying, ¡®Why are you so stupid?¡¯


    Lin Chen explained, ¡°It¡¯s simple. When we issue the notice proving Xu Ran isn¡¯t a criminal suspect, it¡¯ll have a huge effect on public opinion, pushing Li Jingtian back into the limelight. If Li Jingtian buys a plane ticket to return home at this time, what will that look like?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­absconding due to guilt?¡± Wang Chao stared wide-eyed. ¡°You¡¯re so insidious. But will Li Jingtian really leave? If he buys a plane ticket to return home, won¡¯t it be difficult for us to catch him?¡±


    ¡°Which is why this is a double-edged sword.¡± Lin Chen patted the teenager¡¯s head. ¡°But for us, the benefits of doing so still outweigh the disadvantages. In this kind of thing, we have to take a gamble.¡±


    ¡°Okay! A¡¯Chen, how do we want to bet?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°What does Captain Xing intend?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to CA Entertainment and find the only possible witness to Xu Ran¡¯s rape case, Mr. Li Gaoqiang.¡±


    ¡°So, is this to force Li Jingtian again?¡± Wang Chao snapped his fingers as if he finally understood something. ¡°Are you afraid he won¡¯t buy a ticket to return home?¡±


    Xing Conglian picked up his phone and coat on the table but didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen always felt that the reason why Xing Conglian dared to make such dangerous moves was because he was emboldened, as if whether Li Jingtian was hiding in the Xinni embassy, sitting on a flight back home, or even after Li Jingtian stepped into Xinni¡¯s territory, he had the ability to bring him to justice. Although Lin Chen didn¡¯t know where Xing Conglian¡¯s confidence came from, it was always good to be confident.


    It was 7:30 in the morning. They took a taxi from the internet caf¨¦ on the side of Red Street to CA Entertainment.


    There were advantages to not having a car. For example, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t need to drive fatigue after staying up all night. For example, they could listen to Mr. Driver, who had nothing better to do than gossip.


    After getting in the car, Xing Conglian sat in the front passenger seat and only said one sentence to them before he fell asleep¡ªa deep sleep that couldn¡¯t be shaken.


    Wang Chao glanced forward, excitedly twisted his butt, and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, how about we get out of the car and dump the Captain?¡±


    Lin Chen pretended not to hear. There were gradually more vehicles outside the window. The road was completely different from what it looked like in the middle of the night. Fengchun was much larger than Hongjing, and in terms of scale, it was only slightly worse than Yongchuan. The headquarters of many multinational companies in China were located here, such as CA Entertainment.


    When passing by the city center, a huge poster that flashed outside the window attracted Lin Chen¡¯s attention.


    The poster showed a young man holding a microphone. He had dyed blonde hair and was lying on the grass, which seemed to extend infinitely, and was laughing. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know if this was intentional or not by the photographer, but the most impressive thing in the entire picture was the small dimples on Mu Zhuo¡¯s cheek.


    The infinite magnification of the giant outdoor poster seemed to also infinitely magnify the vigor of the young man. He was so enthusiastic and energetic that it burned one¡¯s eyes.


    At the bottom of the huge poster was the line of the same slogan. As the vehicle moved, Lin Chen turned his head and read it softly. ¡°Century Nianhua Stadium, May 6th, Mu Zhuo is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, are you talking about that poster?¡± Wang Chao asked after turning his head around.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Chen looked back, always feeling an inexplicable emotion. When he turned his head to look at the poster again, he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°I found there¡¯s something seriously wrong with CA Entertainment. They like to make everything so big. Even their concert posters are so exaggerated,¡± Wang Chao said angrily, probably because he remembered Li Jingtian¡¯s huge poster in Ansheng International Mall.


    ¡°Hey, sir, are you going to Mu Zhuo¡¯s concert?¡± Mr. Driver suddenly asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ no. I¡¯m just curious about it,¡± Wang Chao replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve picked up a lot of music fans these days. Isn¡¯t the Watermelon Music Festival going on? Many people come to our concerts every spring. I also picked up a group of little girls who came for Mu Zhuo¡¯s concert. Is this Mu Zhuo famous?¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Yes, the little girls I picked up were quite noisy. They told me a lot about him while I was driving them,¡± the driver said as he gave a thumbs up. ¡°They said he didn¡¯t have it easy. He was raped by a man before, but still persisted and is now quite popular?¡±


    ¡°It seems so,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°This is worthy of respect. His struggles,¡± Mr. Driver said with some emotion.


    Hearing what Mr. Driver was saying, the young man laughing indulgently on the grass appeared in Lin Chen¡¯s mind again. When he was investigating the case of Song Shengsheng, he also more or less saw the news about Mu Zhuo at that time. Public opinion showed infinite sympathy for him, which was completely different from the treatment Xu Ran was getting now.


    This was social prejudice. It was always easy for people to hold an unfair and unreasonable negative attitude towards a certain kind of person or a certain type of group. This was both unreasonable and deeply rooted.


    Lin Chen once again remembered the strong singer the driver was talking about. Although it was appropriate to sympathize with the victim in any case, Lin Chen felt something inexplicable when it came to Mu Zhuo. Somehow, he felt that the face gradually coincided with Song Shengsheng¡¯s face.


    Due to the traffic jam on the road, it was 8:30 before they arrived. In fact, the timing was quite good, since it gave Xing Conglian more time to rest. At the same time, this was exactly the time when work hours started up.


    Xing Conglian opened his bleary eyes and quickly woke up. After getting out of the car, he lit a cigarette, looked at the office building towering into a courtyard, and without saying a word, walked straight in.


    Just as he walked through the revolving door, he took out his phone and dialed the number for the PR department of the municipal bureau.


    During the time when they got into the taxi and got off, Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t reached out to the PR department once. He seemed to be waiting to strike at the right time, which was the moment when he walked into CA Entertainment.


    He said dryly, ¡°Make a statement on the case report of the wounding case in Ansheng International Mall on May 6. The general content is that Xu Ran, the deceased rumored on the internet, was not at the scene of the crime, thus clearing up all rumors¡­¡±


    The person on the other end of the line didn¡¯t know what to say. What Xing Conglian requested was quite difficult, as they didn¡¯t even have a clear suspect now. If they issued this clarification announcement, it would make the police seem incompetent.


    However, Xing Conglian insisted. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Weibo, newspapers, major news outlets¡ªissue it to all of them. Anyway, it¡¯s me who they will scold. What are you afraid of?¡±


    When they reached the front desk, Xing Conglian hung up, gripped the phone, and knocked on the table of the front desk. He then took his badge from his pocket with his other hand and flashed it. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Li Gaoqiang.¡±


    The lady at the front desk was a little startled. She hurriedly put down her powder puff and asked out of habit, ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡±


    Xing Conglian put down his badge and said with a smile, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Then I will call and ask.¡±


    Xing Conglian stared at the little girl¡¯s face and faintly said, ¡°Wang Chao?¡±


    Comrade Xiao Wang Chao was extraordinarily clever and said directly, ¡°The office of the Public Relations Department is on the 25th floor.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and walked in.


    The lobby security had already noticed them, but in broad daylight, no one dared to stop a policeman who came to handle a case, not to mention an entertainment company was much different than an entertainment club. After reporting to the front desk, they went to the elevator entrance unhindered.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian gave a wink to Wang Chao.


    Comrade Xiao Wang Chao quickly understood. He obediently pressed for the other elevators, and when they opened, he stopped the door gracefully. This was obviously to prevent Manager Li on the 25th floor from escaping in advance.


    Xing Conglian then walked into another elevator with a swaggering appearance, as if he was afraid everyone in CA Entertainment wouldn¡¯t know of their arrival. When they got to the 25th floor, there were already public relations staff waiting at the elevator entrance.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your manager?¡± Xing Conglian glanced at the name tags on the female staff members that were around the elevator exit. It clearly had the words CA Entertainment Public Relations Department printed on it.


    ¡°Our manager hasn¡¯t been at work today. I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Police Officer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can go to his office and wait.¡±


    How could a person like Xing Conglian be fooled by words like ¡°Our manager isn¡¯t at work¡±? After he finished speaking, he stepped forward and walked towards the office.


    The female staff in the office all looked at each other, wondering what was going on. In the spirit of watching the excitement, many took out their phones and started taking pictures, creating an array of flashing lights in the room.


    When Xing Conglian walked past the wall placard of staff members, under the manager¡¯s column, they saw Mr. Li Gaoqiang, whom they hadn¡¯t gotten to meet yesterday.


    When Lin Chen looked at the photo embedded on the staff wall, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    What a coincidence that Mr. Manager Li looked very familiar, and even more coincidentally, last night, this gentleman was named Lu Xu.

 CH 132

    It was no wonder that Lu Xu didn¡¯t have any record of his identity for four years. Because, after he was released from prison, his name was no longer Lu Xu.


    Lin Chen guessed that Xing Conglian had already figured things out by having Wang Chao wait downstairs, but his face was like usual. Before entering the general manager¡¯s office, he took a roll of plastic tape from the secretary¡¯s desk by the door.


    The office was indeed empty.


    Xing Conglian seemed to have expected this. He slammed the door and locked it, ignoring the shouts of the secretary outside.


    At the moment when the office door was slammed shut, there was a brief silence, followed by the subtle sounds that echoed in the office.


    Lin Chen looked around, and his eyes fell from the half-open glass window to the wine cabinet at the corner of the office, and finally landed on the European-style leather sofa on the other side of the room.


    In fact, people like Li Gaoqiang or Lu Xu weren¡¯t particularly smart, but they had rich life experiences. They lived in the dirtiest pit of society and were best at veiled compliance. In order to survive, they have done many ugly things in the world.


    And, because they spent so long in the pit, they often mastered strong survival skills and could live well.


    However, if their opponent was Xing Conglian, even foresight wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Lin Chen walked to the wine cabinet and made himself a cup of hot coffee. He stirred in some sugar cubes with a small silver spoon, and then sat down on the leather sofa.


    Xing Conglian turned around the office for half a circle. When he walked to the data cabinet, he kicked the iron door.


    After a loud noise, a sibilant sound came from inside the cabinet.


    ¡°Come out,¡± Xing Conglian said lightly.


    The door of the data cabinet opened abruptly, and a fat man rolled up like a small mountain and was lying on his back on the ground.


    Sure enough, it was Lu Xu.


    There were bruises and swelling on Lu Xu¡¯s mouth and nose. He repeated the same trick and directly hugged Xing Conglian¡¯s thigh and began to cry. ¡°Captain Xing, I really didn¡¯t know your true identity yesterday, so I did some bad things. Adults don¡¯t really care about such small trifles. Please forgive me!¡±


    Lin Chen took a sip of his coffee.


    ¡°Raise your head,¡± Xing Conglian said faintly.


    Lu Xu raised his head obediently. His entire face looked like a mangy dog. As he looked up, he blinked nervously, as if his mouth would never snap back.


    Xing Conglian took out the tape and easily sealed Lu Xu¡¯s mouth.


    Lu Xu opened his eyes abruptly, completely unaware of what was going on. He screamed twice, and then, seemingly like in those classic cop dramas, he widened his eyes and showed real fear in them. However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t have the mind to care about this. Before Lu Xu could reach out and tear off the tape, Xing Conglian had used a beautiful grappling technique to hold him back and drag the middle-aged man towards the window.


    What happened next was somewhat frightening.


    Xing Conglian first pushed the glass window that was on the 25th floor a little higher, then lifted Mr. Lu Xu and pressed him out the window.


    In fact, this wasn¡¯t really a dangerous action since, due to Mr. Lu Xu¡¯s physical attributes, he really couldn¡¯t fall out of the window. However, with the high-rise roaring wind pounding against him like a knife and the blaring honking noises from below, once he looked down, against all reason, it gave him the illusion that he would plummet 25 stories down.


    Lu Xu struggled fiercely, slamming his body against the edge of the window, but Xing Conglian¡¯s hand held him firm.


    ¡°Mr. Lu,¡± Xing Conglian got close to his ears and whispered. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, even if I really push you out today, I¡¯ll only sit in jail for a few years at most, but in your situation, you¡¯ll certainly die.¡±


    Naturally, to deal with a hob, they had to be ruthless. Lin Chen took another sip of his coffee.


    Lu Xu shouted something and then nodded desperately. Finally, as if the window outside had blown enough, Xing Conglian let go, and Lu Xu fluttered to the floor.


    He shivered, and his face was as white as a sheet of rice paper. He was so terrified that he couldn¡¯t even make those disgusting groveling gestures.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian squatted down and patted Lu Xu on the shoulder and said politely, ¡°What I ask, you answer, just like the game you played last time.¡±


    Lu Xu nodded his head fiercely as if he were pounding garlic. Xing Conglian stretched out his hand and took off the tape. Lu Xu panted suddenly and didn¡¯t even dare to scream.


    Xing Conglian took out his phone and started to read something.


    ¡°Three weeks ago, on the evening of April 15th, as Li Gaoqiang, you spent a total of 184,115 yuan using a credit card at the club named Royal One. May I ask if this credit card consumption was used to pay for all the entertainment consumption activities of CA Entertainment artists and employees at Royal One that night?¡±


    Lu Xu kept his mouth shut. At this moment, all he would do was nod his head, as if he had lost his ability to speak.


    ¡°Was any money used to pay for sex services provided by Royal One?¡±


    Lu Xu¡¯s eyes rolled in half a circle, and he hesitated. ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes or no. Got it, Mr. Lu?¡±


    ¡°It was all normal alcohol consumption. You have to believe me. Although you know my background, our company¡­¡±


    Lin Chen finally put the white porcelain cup down on the coffee table. He leaned forward slightly, staring at the fat face on the ground not far away, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°The answers just now are all lies.¡±


    Xing Conglian shrugged and, without saying a word, pulled Lu Xu up and dragged him back to the window. Lu Xu was so scared that he hugged Xing Conglian¡¯s waist and refused to let go.


    Xing Conglian said with annoyance, ¡°I say Mr. Lu, can you stop taking advantage of me?¡±


    Lu Xu hurriedly let go, extremely frightened. He limped to the ground and no longer had any devious thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Actually, it¡¯s not¡­ The money wasn¡¯t paid by CA Entertainment¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian was quite surprised.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°That¡­ That CA¡­¡± Lu Xu looked up at Xing Conglian cautiously and said wretchedly, ¡°It¡¯s little artists from CA, sell¡­ money from selling.¡±


    Xing Conglian tugged at his ears and asked incredulously, ¡°Money from selling?¡±


    ¡°Sell¡ªselling their asses.¡±


    In a rare moment, Lin Chen was also surprised. He looked at Xing Conglian and saw him point at the fat man who was spread out on the ground as he asked him, ¡°Is there something wrong with my hearing?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Xing Conglian said as he irritably kicked Lu Xu. ¡°Speak clearly.¡±


    ¡°You see, it¡¯s the unspoken rule of the industry. In such a big entertainment company, there are dozens of men and women, and there are those who don¡¯t want to work hard but still want to get ahead, so of course¡­¡± Lu Xu shivered. The thumbs on his hands did a kissing motion. ¡°There are some trainees who are resourceful. They can make a little money and get to know a big boss. It¡¯s a win-win. But this isn¡¯t rape. We¡¯re not forcing them since they are willing to do it, really.¡±


    Lu Xu finished.


    What he meant was that he was actually introducing CA artists to provide sexual services to Royal One¡¯s customers while earning an intermediary service fee.


    Lin Chen felt that his worldview was a little shaken.


    Although he had heard of the unspoken rules inside the industry, those things were far from his life. Even if he had seen breaking news about a certain artist being caught at a hotel in newspapers and on TV, it was just a flash of news that didn¡¯t affect his reality, making it seem unreal.


    In short, it was probably because the entertainment industry was too glamorous that it separated itself from normal life with an unbreakable film.


    On one side of the film were the stars, and on the other side were people watching the drama.


    But now, because of this whole case, they seem to have gradually touched the other world. Although they couldn¡¯t break the membrane, they had touched strange things in it.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s reaction was faster. ¡°Mr. Lu sure is busy. It¡¯s not easy matching both ends every night, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about making a living,¡± Lu Xu laughed.


    But even if Lu Xu was the matchmaker for both ends, why was this so-called prostitution fund paid by Lu Xu to the club?


    ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between CA Entertainment and Royal One. Is it a subsidiary of the same company?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°This, how can we match CA? They are a large multinational company that¡¯s particularly successful in the entertainment industry. Compared to them, we¡¯re just a small business here. It¡¯s a matter of mutual benefit. Who doesn¡¯t do it?¡±


    ¡°Why are you paying for it?¡±


    ¡°You see, this is actually an account. I don¡¯t know how you found it. If CA directly pays Royal One, won¡¯t it be obvious what¡¯s going on? I¡¯m a middleman. The bosses give me the money, I transfer it there, and then it gets transferred to someone else. The water runs deep. I can go undercover for you if you really want me to look into it.¡±


    Perhaps seeing Xing Conglian suddenly had a good attitude, Lu Xu became weaselly again.


    Xing Conglian glanced at him and said, ¡°Financial crimes are not my responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re here because of Xu Ran¡¯s case. I deserve my bad luck in Xu Ran¡¯s matter. You shouldn¡¯t have asked about Xu Ran. I really didn¡¯t betray you last night.¡±


    Xing Conglian was still polite. ¡°Then I violated a taboo?¡±


    ¡°Xu Ran is a taboo.¡± Lu Xu got up from the ground, trying to get closer to Xing Conglian, but in the end, he supported himself at the table and didn¡¯t dare to get up again. ¡°Think about it. Although I¡¯m not the boss, what¡¯s the most important thing to a boss that opens such a big club?¡±


    ¡°Please enlighten us, Mr. Lu.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the privacy of the guests!¡± Lu Xu shook his head as if what he was saying was profound. ¡°You have to make your guest feel safe before others will come to spend their money, right? But Xu Ran actually went to sue a customer. This touched the bottom line. If a club can¡¯t even protect the privacy of a customer, how can the boss keep his doors open?¡±


    Lu Xu¡¯s look became deeper as he fawningly looked at Xing Conglian, as if he knew everything while saying nothing.


    However, Xing Conglian already had a clear idea and didn¡¯t dwell on these details. He simply asked, ¡°Answer me directly. Was Li Jingtian at Royal One that night?¡±


    Lu Xu shook his head and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want me to answer yes or no?¡±


    Like the wise saying, a dog can¡¯t change eating shit*.


    *(¹·¸Ä²»Á˳Ôʺ) Idiom referring to nature is hard to change.


    ¡°Tell the truth.¡±


    ¡°The truth is that I really don¡¯t know who ordered her, but if you want me to testify in court, that¡¯s not a problem. I promise that I can lie seamlessly and help you nail that little bitch, Li Jingtian.¡±


    Looking at Lu Xu¡¯s cunning and oily face, Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian in disappointment and shook his head.


    The reason why he shook his head was because all of Lu Xu¡¯s reactions were saying: I¡¯m telling the truth. I really don¡¯t know who was waiting for Xu Ran in the room that night.


    Although all clues pointed to Li Jingtian, the club had already cleared all possible evidence for the so-called business in order to protect the privacy of their guests, so they still didn¡¯t have anything substantial that could crucify Li Jingtian.


    Lin Chen suddenly felt that Lu Xu¡¯s suggestion just now was very enticing.

 CH 133

    Although tempting, Lu Xu¡¯s suggestion was obviously not taken into account.


    Xing Conglian frowned and asked Lu Xu, ¡°How can you not know who the customer who placed the order is?¡±


    ¡°Because now, customers all use their phone apps to place orders!¡± Lu Xu¡¯s tone was inscrutable. ¡°Rich people like to play like this, you know?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by phone apps?¡± Xing Conglian asked calmly, as if he really didn¡¯t understand the inner workings, but Lin Chen knew Xing Conglian was as excited as he was now.


    Because if Li Jingtian had used his own phone to place the order, then there must be some records of it on his phone, and Wang Chao had gone through that phone because his Weibo account was ¡°hacked¡±.


    Since it was Wang Chao, naturally, there was an absolute possibility that he secretly backed up Li Jingtian¡¯s phone data and usage.


    ¡°It means the customer uses their phone to order, and then a text message will be sent to my phone, telling me what kind of girl and which room to send her to. Isn¡¯t this safe? It is said that when the guest departs, arrangements will be made to avoid meeting. Rich people love to do such nasty things all day long, so naturally they would pay attention to personal privacy, especially when they¡¯re shameless.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and called Wang Chao. After explaining the situation, Wang Chao asked him something, to which Xing Conglian turned back and asked Lu Xu, ¡°Do you have that ordering software on your phone?¡±


    Lu Xu sighed and said regretfully, ¡°How can I have it? This is a treatment that can only be enjoyed by members who have paid a certain amount of dues and are very trustworthy. I hear that if the client isn¡¯t satisfied after the order, they can leave a bad review and the lady who served them will have her salary deducted. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told anyway.¡±


    ¡°Truly keeping up with the times. Copy your text messages and send them to me later,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly to Lu Xu. He then asked Wang Chao to meet in the basement and hung up the phone.


    Xing Conglian sighed regretfully and quickly switched topics, asking, ¡°Do you know where Mu Zhuo is?¡±


    Lu Xu didn¡¯t react for a moment. ¡°Who are you talking about? I don¡¯t seem to have a lady under me named Mu¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°Mu Zhuo.¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the advertisement on the large LED screen in the commercial plaza opposite of the building they were in. The image of a young man roaring on stage flashed away. ¡°Is he here?¡±


    ¡°Oh him.¡± Lu Xu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Ah, Mu Zhuo should be in Tianqing Lake on the outskirts of the city right now. Isn¡¯t the Watermelon Music Festival coming up? He¡¯s probably rehearsing there. Why are you looking for Mu Zhuo? Is it possible he¡¯s also one of the guests?¡±


    Lu Xu thought about it for a while.


    ¡°Why are you talking so much?¡± Xing Conglian walked out the door, hooked his finger at Lu Xu, and motioned for him to come out with him.


    Lin Chen put down his coffee cup and stood up from the sofa.


    When they walked out of the office, there was an instant change. Xing Conglian and Lu Xu seemed like good friends. Xing Conglian hooked his arms around Lu Xu¡¯s shoulders as he faced the concerned eyes staring at the office. Lu Xu had to smirk, as if he were having a normal conversation with the police, and the events of being tortured to extract a confession and almost being shoved out the window never happened.


    When they reached the elevator entrance, Xing Conglian shook Lu Xu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I really appreciate Manager Li¡¯s strong cooperation with our police work. If everyone could actively provide clues to the police like you, then our work would be so much easier.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Lu Xu finally noticed Xing Conglian¡¯s abnormal attitude. He wanted to withdraw his hand but was still dragged into the elevator by Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen silently followed them.


    After the elevator door closed, Xing Conglian instantly changed his expression. He let go of Lu Xu¡¯s hand and wiped it on the neckline of his shirt. ¡°Mr. Lu, look. If something happens to Royal One, will everyone suspect that you¡¯re a mole?¡± After asking, he took the liberty to answer for him. ¡°I think this is very likely.¡±


    Just when Lu Xu thought everything would pass, he was so frightened his legs went limp again. ¡°Captain Xing, what do you want? I told you everything you wanted to know!¡±


    ¡°Borrow your car to take it out for a spin,¡± Xing Conglian said casually.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The elevator door opened with a ding, allowing the cool air of the parking lot to rush to their faces.


    Wang Chao was at the elevator entrance, like an ant on a hot pan*. Seeing them, the teenager said anxiously, ¡°Captain, Captain! Big news!¡±


    *(ÈȹøÉϵÄÂìÒÏ) Idiom describing the appearance of irritability, anxiety, and restlessness.


    Xing Conglian raised his chin to Lu Xu and motioned for the other party to lead the way to the car, then asked Wang Chao, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian bought a flight leaving Yongchuan at 15:30 to Xinni. He¡¯s going to run away!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? How?!¡±


    ¡°Are you the only one who can surf the internet? There are only two flights a day from Yongchuan to Xinni. One at 9:50 and the other at 15:30 in the afternoon. Of course, I want him to leave during this period.¡±


    Wang Chao turned his head and looked at Xing Conglian in disbelief. ¡°I thought you were just talking about letting him go. What should we do now? Li Jingtian will leave in 6 hours!¡±


    ¡°Naturally, during this time period, we need to find key evidence to convict Li Jingtian.¡± Xing Conglian spoke nonchalantly.


    While talking, they had already reached Lu Xu¡¯s car.


    Lu Xu drove a Mercedes-Benz S200. When Xing Conglian saw the car, he let out a ¡°huh¡± in surprise.


    Lu Xu was about to habitually sit in the driver¡¯s seat when Xing Conglian patted him on the shoulder and motioned for him and Wang Chao to sit in the backseat.


    Wang Chao showed a look of great reluctance, but under Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze, he could only squeeze into the back seat with Mr. Lu, who was over 200 kg.


    Lin Chen fastened the seatbelt on the front seat and heard Wang Chao shout from the back, ¡°Captain, you still need to adjust for the time to get back to Yongchuan. If my math is right, that means we actually only have four and a half hours left to find evidence!¡±


    Xing Conglian was fumbling with the Mercedes-Benz driving system, looking quite interested in the luxury car. ¡°Mr. Wang¡­¡± He suddenly backed the car out of the parking space and slammed on the gas pedal.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation on the internet now?¡± Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t following Wang Chao¡¯s line of thinking at all.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it still crazy from yesterday to today?¡± Wang Chao leaned towards the door on the other side and insisted on keeping his distance from Lu Xu.


    Although the speed at which the car was going was a bit crazy and there was a time limit, Xing Conglian was still calm and relaxed. He rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and said to Wang Chao, ¡°When you report to your boss, it¡¯s best to be specific.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI¡ª¡± Wang Chao suddenly blushed and quickly admitted his mistake. ¡°Sorry, Captain. So far in 20 minutes, the ¡®Report on the Xu Ran incident¡¯ has received 3,000+ retweets and 700+ comments. Online comments are still roughly divided into two factions. Although there are signs of an increase in netizens who suspect that there¡¯s something wrong with Li Jingtian, they are still overwhelmed by the vast number of fan comments. Li Jingtian¡¯s fans are organized and planned to get people to give praise and attention to any comments that support Li Jingtian, pushing them to the forefront. They also are saying Xu Ran¡¯s death was completely an accident during the police pursuit of a suspect and has nothing to do with the behavior of the fans¡­ and¡­¡± Wang Chao paused for a moment before hesitating to speak.


    ¡°And what?¡± Xing Conglian asked impatiently.


    ¡°And, the hot comments are all conspiracy theories saying someone ordered the police to frame their idol and that the police are instructing others to target Li Jingtian all along.¡±


    ¡°Huh, the eyes of onlookers are indeed discerning.¡± Xing Conglian lamented.


    Although Wang Chao was only summarizing, the online remarks would obviously be more heated than what he summed up. Of course, fans would continue to bite others in order to protect their idol, and they have less than six hours.


    Lu Xu pulled on his seatbelt, looked at the scenery outside the elevated road, and suddenly said, ¡°Captain, this road is going to Tianqing Lake. You¡ªyou just asked me where Mu Zhuo is. Are you really going to search for him?¡±


    ¡°Why? Does Mr. Lu have any objections?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±


    Lin Chen raised his eyes and looked at the rearview mirror to where Lu Xu was sitting with an uncertain gaze.


    ¡°Mr. Lu, do you have any other clues that you want to provide to the police?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that I have a clue. I¡¯m just worried about the captain!¡± Lu Xu leaned forward and said very doggedly, ¡°Based on what I just heard, you plan to fight with Li Jingtian. In this case, if you go to Mu Zhuo, CA Entertainment may not be happy about it¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian held his cigarette and asked with a smile, ¡°Whether they are happy or not, what does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ still has something to do with you.¡± Lu Xu acted like a loyal dog. ¡°CA Entertainment isn¡¯t like other entertainment companies. In fact, compared to them, CA Entertainment is much more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu, can you please speak clearly?¡± Xing Conglian dusted off the soot from his cigarette as he asked.


    ¡°CA is a veteran in the entertainment empire. For an entertainment company, what they are known for best is to make stars, right?¡± Lu Xu swallowed and continued, ¡°But what is the essence of making a star? Isn¡¯t it spreading layers upon layers of communication? Let a person or thing become popular¡ªeven the bad ones can be good for you. And CA is best at hyping and manipulating public opinion, and they have a very good relationship with the media that they could make an ugly monster reach the top 100 voted most handsome male stars. If you want to go head-to-head with CA, that¡¯s like hitting a stone with an egg*.¡±


    *(ÒÔÂÑ»÷ʯ) Metaphor for underestimating one¡¯s own strength leading to self-destruction.


    ¡°They¡¯re that powerful?¡± Xing Conglian seemed to have thought of something as he replied casually.


    ¡°More than that. Didn¡¯t you just say that those fans on the internet are desperately attacking the police¡­ CA must be involved. I know, you have been investigating Xu Ran¡¯s case, but honestly, a beast like Li Jingtian can be whitewashed*, like now. See, his fans are still loyal to him. Isn¡¯t it quite amazing the efforts that CA has put in?¡± When he said the worst beast, Lu Xu gritted his teeth.


    *In terms of the entertainment industry, whitewashing is deliberately misleading people in various ways, causing them to forget a celebrity¡¯s bad past.


    ¡°According to Mr. Lu, CA Entertainment is really scary,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    In fact, from the start, a large-scale cleansing of online public opinion on the Li Jingtian incident wasn¡¯t something an individual could do. It wasn¡¯t surprising that there was a large company behind it.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen heard Xing Conglian ask, ¡°Consultant Lin, can someone who confounds black and white* remain invincible in public opinion forever?¡±


    *(µßµ¹ºÚ°×) Metaphor for distorting facts and confuses right and wrong.


    Lin Chen thought for a bit and replied, ¡°This involves the issue of communication. Although in theory, there¡¯s no possibility of manipulating every public opinion by 100%, it¡¯s still possible to guarantee an approval rating of more than 70% if done properly.¡±


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t this be a good time for us to find Mu Zho?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The person who asked was Wang Chao, so Lin Chen answered patiently. ¡°The reason is simple. Now that Li Jingtian is planning to leave China, either Li Jingtian or CA Entertainment will have to find a proper reason for this matter in order to avoid looking guilty. From current online public opinion, the reason is probably us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, A¡¯Chen? What¡¯s wrong with us?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find Mu Zhuo and ask about Song Shengsheng. If I were CA Entertainment, I would probably realize that we have hit a dead end regarding Xu Ran¡¯s case, so we now want to overturn an old case and crucify Li Jingtian. For this kind of established entertainment company, how can such a good opportunity not be used?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Hongjing police persecuted a well-known singer in Xinni. The singer was forced to return to his country after being overwhelmed by humiliation¡¯. Mr. Wang, what do you think of this headline?¡± Xing Conglian added another knife.


    Wang Chao took a deep breath. ¡°Fuck, shameless!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Xing Conglian pressed out the cigarette butt and solemnly asked, ¡°What about the ¡®ordering¡¯ software? Is there any trace of usage on Li Jingtian¡¯s phone?¡±


    Wang Chao frowned and shook his head. ¡°There may be traces of installation and deletion, but I still don¡¯t know. If Li Jingtian¡¯s phone is in my hands, I can restore the data, but I don¡¯t have it.¡±


    He looked annoyed, as if he wished he could travel back a day ago. If he could have completely restored the data on Li Jingtian¡¯s phone at that time, they would probably be sitting in the police station drinking tea underneath the blowing air conditioning by now.


    But perhaps there was some unknown reason that made them have to see Mu Zhuo, and this in itself was Xu Ran¡¯s wish.


    ¡­¡­


    In fact, before meeting Mu Zhuo, Lin Chen still didn¡¯t understand the meaning of such an arrangement.


    The time was 9:10 a.m. on May 7th and the location was on the outskirts of Fengchun, on the banks of Tianqing Lake.


    Because of the music festival, a magnificent steel stage was built on the vast grassland by the lake. From a distance, there was an inexplicable sense of awe.


    There were music fans stationed on the grass who had come to camp early. They had set up an outing. Some were playing cards, others were chatting, and some were heavily asleep, most likely hungover, but most people in the venue were happy men and women. They were laughing or singing and dancing for self-entertainment, making it seem like this place had become paradise.


    There were also some small booths that were selling souvenirs outside the venue. Because it wasn¡¯t time for the performance, the booths selling support gear were half-closed.


    Wang Chao walked there curiously and stood in front of a booth. He looked up at the two cartoon characters hugging each other printed on the banner and then became dumbfounded.


    Lin Chen also raised his head. If he guessed correctly, the two villains hugging each other are Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo. In addition, the cartoon avatars were encircled by a heart, and the words ¡°T&M¡± and ¡°Forever Illi¡± were marked at the bottom. Although they didn¡¯t know much about current pop culture, it was obvious that this should be something like a fan CP*.


    *Couple. You can think of them as ¡°shippers¡± who pair up two people (usually celebrities or fictional characters) whom they imagine are in a relationship.


    ¡°What the hell? Didn¡¯t Illi dissolve long ago?¡± Wang Chao asked incredulously. ¡°Is this Mu Zhuo¡¯s and Li Jingtian¡¯s gay booth?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t have time to cover the teenager¡¯s mouth.


    A girl who was dozing off in the booth heard this and suddenly woke up. She glared at them with a strange look.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Lin Chen nodded to the other party and apologized.


    He wanted to pull Wang Chao away, but the girl in the booth jumped up excitedly and shouted, ¡°Wait!¡±


    Wang Chao looked strangely back and saw the girl pick up a brochure at the booth, run up to them, and stuff it into his hands. ¡°Young man, you have a good eye. I¡¯ll give this to you. I hope you study hard!¡±


    After the girl finished speaking, she patted Wang Chao on the shoulder.


    It was probably the first time he met someone who was more into 2D than himself. The strangeness in his eyes turned into horror. He looked down at the brochure in his hand, neither tossing it nor reading it.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡± Xing Conglian casually took the brochure from Wang Chao and then flipped through a few pages. Sure enough, his eyes also changed. ¡°What kind of relationship do Mu Zhuo and Li Jingtian have?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cute! So cute! Isn¡¯t TianMu so cute*?!¡± The girl jumped up and asked enthusiastically.


    *Clarity: She¡¯s saying isn¡¯t it meng (moe). TianMu = Li Jingtian x Mu Zhuo.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s cute.¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even know what ¡°TianMu¡± was, but he lied smoothly.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the legendary Uncle Fan.¡± Upon hearing this, the little girl happily grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°Yeah, he has liked these two for a long time, since they were in Illi,¡± Lin Chen seriously lied for Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Oh my, you still like Illi. That¡¯s great! It¡¯s really rare to see such a discerning straight guy! Well, this year is Illi¡¯s 10th anniversary, so maybe we can still expect Jingtian and A¡¯Mu to make a comeback on the same stage, but now that Jingtian is in such big trouble, they may not have the opportunity to go on stage together again. It¡¯s a pity.¡±


    The little girl chattered nonstop. From her words, Lin Chen knew that Mu Zhuo and Li Jingtian had a very good relationship and often went out together, especially after Mu Zhuo was sexually assaulted by Song Shengsheng. Li Jingtian gave him great support. Their friendship had thus been maintained to the present.


    Naturally, the public liked this kind of story about relying on and supporting each other to overcome difficulties together. This also made the fan groups of Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo overlap a lot because their popularity complemented each other. Although the group disbanded, their performances after flying solo were much better than when they debuted.


    Listening to what the fan was saying was far more useful than looking for hours of information elsewhere.


    ¡°It seems that CA is quite powerful. It¡¯s rare for individuals to develop so well after their group disbanded.¡± Xing Conglian was dragged by the little girl for a long time before he finally managed to break free. He yawned and looked around. On the empty stage, there were only sporadic staffers debugging equipment. ¡°Mu Zhuo is really dedicated. Didn¡¯t he perform late yesterday and now he¡¯s rehearsing?¡±


    ¡°This is what makes CA so great. Artists have the same working hours as employees and they need to be strictly followed,¡± Lu Xu said.


    Xing Conglian smiled. ¡°A company with strict rules¡ªwe generally call them a criminal syndicate.¡±


    Lu Xu only nodded and smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Then please tell Mr. Lu, where are we going to find Mu Zhuo?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. What are you talking about?¡± Lu Xu hurriedly answered. ¡°I¡¯ve already called ahead and asked about it. Mu Zhuo is backstage right now, but there¡¯ll be rehearsal soon.¡±


    Before his voice fell, the lights on stage in the distance began to change, and after a cluster of violent, intense flashing lights, a person who they had only seen in advertisements so far suddenly appeared on stage.


    Mu Zhuo was nearly 30, but he still looked like a young man. He had blond hair and a tender face. Although he was wearing plain clothes, he had infinite charm when he was holding the microphone.


    The sound wasn¡¯t turned on, so Mu Zhuo just walked around holding the microphone with his backup dancers. On the huge, elevated stage, he was as small as an ant, but such a small ant seemed to cast a spell over the audience.


    The fans on the lawn also noticed him on stage and started cheering. Even if they couldn¡¯t hear any sound, they were as excited as if they were listening to a real concert.


    From start to finish, the cheers swept across the lawn without pause.


    At the end of the rehearsal, Mu Zhuo stood panting on stage. The weather was hot, and he was sweating profusely. He seemed a little tired. At this moment, Mu Zhuo¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t help but grip the microphone tightly. Then, his finger began to gently scratch on the microphone¡¯s non-slip sleeve, again and again. After a certain moment, he couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes.


    Mu Zhuo¡¯s action was very brief, but Lin Chen saw all this clearly. He looked at Xing Conglian, and like countless times of tacit understanding, Xing Conglian was also looking at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    For a while, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t answer Xing Conglian¡¯s question, but the scene in front of him reminded him of many things. ¡°Did Wang Chao bring a bug?¡± He suddenly asked Xing Conglian rhetorically.


    When they looked at the stage again, Mu Zhuo was already laughing and joking with the dancers as he walked down the steps. When he was with his dancers, he didn¡¯t have any celebrity status and was acting as if he were the normal boy-next-door.


    Although they had previously lamented how powerful CA Entertainment was, seeing the stars from CA revealed how strict and regular their training system was. Even Li Jingtian or Mu Zhuo were really different from those high-strung little stars.


    Furthermore, such a system was evident not only in artist training but also in internal management.


    Backstage security was extremely strict. If they didn¡¯t have a ¡°traitor¡± like Lu Xu, it would have taken a lot of effort for them to see Mu Zhuo.


    Mu Zhuo looked like he was in excellent spirits. He had a ruddy complexion. He was drinking water at the moment after he just got off the stage. When he saw them enter his dressing room, he even winked at them.


    ¡°Manager Li?¡± Mu Zhuo politely put down the water cup and greeted Lu Xu. ¡°You had free time to come here?¡±


    Although Mu Zhuo responded well, the attitude of the manager in the lounge wasn¡¯t as polite. ¡°Manager Li, isn¡¯t it clearly stated in the company¡¯s regulations that you shouldn¡¯t bring strangers casually in and out of the backstage?¡±


    Unphased, since Lu Xu was a veteran at dealing with this kind of manager, he said, ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? See these three? They are all police officers and came to Mu Zhuo to ask some questions.¡±


    ¡°What questions?¡± The manager instantly became vigilant.


    It was probably because the role of a manger was like a lioness protecting her calf. Whether it was Liu Ying or Mu Zhuo¡¯s manager, after hearing their identities, they stopped in front of Mu Zhuo and told them to leave immediately.


    ¡°I want to ask Mr. Mu Zhuo something about Mr. Li Jingtian.¡±


    Lin Chen took a step forward, raised his eyes, and took a close look at this flamboyant and unbridled rock and roll youth.

 CH 134

    In traditional folklore, there was face reading, and in psychology, there have been studies on first impressions.


    Psychologists often say that the first impression of someone would determine the direction of your subsequent interactions, and the influence of this first impression was often greater than subsequent impressions.


    For example, when he first met Xing Conglian, Lin Chen¡¯s first impression was that he was really a good-looking and interesting person. Then, when he saw Mu Zhuo, his first impression was that he was a very simple person.


    Mu Zhuo had short blond hair, big eyes, and a dimple on his left cheek. Like many rock and roll youths, he wore a lot of strange metal accessories and had sporadic tattoos on his body and arms, but he was still a simple person.


    This was reflected in his eyes, and it was also reflected in his messy dressing table. His keys, phone, and wallet were just thrown casually everywhere. Magazines and snacks were spread all over the table, and there were even half-eaten potato chips under the magazines.


    It was natural to use the simplest method to deal with simple people.


    Lin Chen said bluntly, ¡°The rape case of your former band member Li Jingtian is very suspicious. We suspect that the person who sexually assaulted you wasn¡¯t Song Shengsheng but Mr. Li Jingtian, so now we need you to cooperate with our investigation.¡±


    He spoke in a very businesslike manner, which only made Mu Zhuo¡¯s reaction more typical.


    The expression of the young rocker changed drastically. He jumped off the dressing table, grabbed Lin Chen by the collar, and violently shoved him to the wall.


    With a loud crash, Lin Chen felt as if his internal organs were about to be displaced.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?! You don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve been through!¡± Mu Zhuo roared in his ears.


    Xing Conglian was about to step forward and pull Mu Zhuo away, but Lin Chen slightly shook his head at him.


    Being scolded by the victim was a novel experience. Lin Chen carefully observed Mu Zhuo¡¯s face, analyzing every trace of Mu Zhuo¡¯s emotional reaction as he spoke.


    He said, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been through, but you should know it well.¡± He spoke calmly. ¡°At that time, Song Shengsheng was convicted because the key evidence was male semen fluid that remained in your body, but what I find strange is that there was also lubricating fluid from a condom also detected in the semen. The question is, since Song Shengsheng used a condom, how could it be that you have his semen inside your body?¡±


    Mu Zhuo was taken aback when he heard this. His eyes then flushed like those of an angry little lion. Lin Chen suspected that his crazy roar could be heard in the corridor outside the dressing room. ¡°Are you trying to humiliate me?¡±


    As Mu Zhuo spoke, he clenched his fists tightly.


    Before Mu Zhuo could swing, Lin Chen kindly reminded him, ¡°If you hit a police officer, you are suspected of obstructing justice, and you will be detained for not more than 15 days or fined.¡±


    The fist brushed past Lin Chen¡¯s ears and hit the wall beside him. Lin Chen could clearly hear the crisp sound of bones colliding with the wall.


    Mu Zhuo said, ¡°Nine years have passed, and I have finally moved on. Why are you trying to force me? Why!¡± After Mu Zhuo roared, his voice gradually lowered. ¡°Whether it¡¯s A¡¯Tien or me, we¡¯re both victims. Why should we victims be treated like suspects by the police? Is this what you call impartial law enforcement?¡±


    Mu Zhuo finally backed away as tears flowed down his face. Seeing this, the manager raised her phone angrily. ¡°Even if you¡¯re the police, get out, get out! If you don¡¯t get out of here, I¡¯ll post this on Weibo and expose you!¡±


    They didn¡¯t know when it had started but public opinion had become a means of pressure or game. However, Lin Chen didn¡¯t pay attention to her threats. He looked at Mu Zhuo¡¯s face and felt sad.


    In fact, before walking into the dressing room, he had also guessed what the stories of Mu Zhuo, Li Jingtian, and Song Shengsheng would be like. Perhaps Mu Zhuo was really a victim, and he misidentified Song Shengsheng because of some misunderstanding, but now Mu Zhuo¡¯s reaction has told him that the real victim in this case should be the man who has been imprisoned for nine years now.


    Sometimes real stories were bizarre. Some people who were murdered couldn¡¯t get justice, while others who were innocent went to jail.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t even know how this story would end.


    Mu Zhuo¡¯s voice was still echoing in his ears. His eyes were full of anger and timidity.


    Lin Chen took a steady breath and said to Mu Zhuo, ¡°You must know that the reason why I dare say these things in front of you means that I¡¯m confident. No matter what, no matter how much time has passed, the truth will eventually come to light.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he patted Mu Zhuo on the shoulder, then turned around and left. Xing Conglian shrugged and exited with him, while Lu Xu stayed inside to deal with the aftermath.


    After leaving, Xing Conglian was by his side. They silently walked through the long passageway backstage, and only after they reached the sunlight did Xing Conglian speak. ¡°There seems to be something wrong with Mu Zhuo¡¯s reaction.¡±


    Lin Chen took a deep breath. ¡°His emotional reaction is too exaggerated. The acting is terrible, and he actually showed a guilty expression when he was angry. If Li Jingtian really has any loopholes, it must be Mu Zhuo.¡± Xing Conglian recalled how Lin Chen wasn¡¯t an expert at micro-expression recognition but could still detect Mu Zhuo¡¯s false emotional reactions just now.


    When a rape victim¡¯s victimization experience was brought up to them, their first reaction would often be shame and guilt, rather than anger.


    The shame of being sexually assaulted was also the reason why victims often choose not to report the crime. Even a large proportion of victims would blame themselves after being treated inhumanely. They may be angry, but that anger came from shame, not from ¡°Why don¡¯t you sympathize with me¡±, like Mu Zhuo¡¯s.


    ¡°So, Song Shengsheng¡¯s rape case¡­¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what happened back then, I think it should be an injustice.¡± Thinking of the big star who was once wanton and unrestrained, he didn¡¯t know what has become of Song Shengsheng in these past nine years.


    ¡°If Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo jointly designed Song Shengsheng, why did Xu Ran¡¯s letter say that Song Shengsheng took the blame for Li Jingtian¡¯s crime? Have you ever thought about this question?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long, so it¡¯s hard to sort out the clues. Now we can only rely on Mr. Mu Zhuo to help us.¡± Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you lied hard to Mu Zhuo just now. You actually said you have confidence, meaning you have evidence?¡±


    Lin Chen curled his lips. ¡°This is a gamble. Although Li Jingtian cleaned up the evidence in Xu Ran¡¯s case cleanly, letting us hit dead ends wherever we turn, for a rapist like him, it¡¯s impossible he was this meticulous since birth. The earlier the time, the greater the possibility of him making mistakes.¡±


    What he was betting on was that Mu Zhuo had a simple mind and would nervously call Li Jingtian and confirm something under blackmail.


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen raised his head and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Did you install the bug?¡±


    Xing Conglian gave him an OK gesture, but his tone was a little worried. ¡°But the location isn¡¯t good. If Mu Zhuo doesn¡¯t choose to make the call in his dressing room, we won¡¯t be able to monitor it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mu Zhuo is a very, lazy, person and simple-minded.¡± It was rare for Lin Chen to sneer. ¡°As a lazy man, how can he leave a place that makes him feel safe and go to a strange place to make a very insecure call?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± Xing Conglian suddenly said.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I found that you¡¯re quite good at calculating people.¡±


    ¡°As are you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Wang Chao had already set up the listening platform on the grass. The sun was shining brightly, and there was still laughter all around.


    When they walked over, the teenager raised his head and said in a serious tone, ¡°Captain, A¡¯Chen, you guys should think carefully. This is unapproved surveillance. No matter what you hear next, it¡¯s inadmissible to the courts as evidence. That is to say, even if you hear Mu Zhuo confide in Li Jingtian the truth about the events of that year, it will have no legal effects. You have to think clearly on this.¡±


    The answer to Wang Chao¡¯s warning was a rhetorical question from Xing Conglian, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°9:40,¡± Wang Chao replied.


    9:40, which meant their 6-hour time limit was getting closer.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Xing Conglian sat down crossed legged and took one of the wireless headsets. Lin Chen sat next to him and picked up the other.


    According to his prediction, a simple and impulsive person like Mu Zhuo, after learning that things might have been exposed back then, would certainly be eager to call those in the know to confirm things. Such an interval didn¡¯t even exceed 10 minutes.


    Through the monitoring, Lin Chen heard Mu Zhuo impatiently dealing with Lu Xu¡¯s appeasement. He no longer had the previous humility and courtesy but exposed his irritable nature.


    Mu Zhuo cursed at Lu Xu, then told the fat man to get out.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s bug worked well. He could even hear Lu Xu muttering ¡°bitch¡± in a low voice after being reprimanded by Mu Zhuo.


    In short, the dressing room had gone through a period of turmoil.


    Afterwards, when Lu Xu slammed the door and went out, Mu Zhuo¡¯s manager started cursing again.


    Ms. Agent first called the upper management of the company to report the situation and said that she hoped the PR department would make a stink of it, but this wasn¡¯t their goal. Although they couldn¡¯t see the situation in the room, with the sound of a chair being thrown, Lin Chen probably guessed Mu Zhuo was venting his anger. After venting, fear would prevail, and Mu Zhuo would start to worry.


    After the manager finished making her call, Mu Zhuo impatiently dropped something that sounded like a water bottle, which seemed to stop the manager.


    ¡°Get out and leave me alone!¡±


    Mu Zhuo¡¯s acting skills were really bad, to the point that he would use the most old-fashioned rhetoric to send people away.


    When his manager wanted to say something more, Mu Zhuo yelled at the other party, ¡°Get out!¡±


    The sounds of footsteps and the door opening and closing followed, indicating the manager had left the room.


    The background became quiet all of a sudden.


    Mu Zhuo circled the room, seemingly waiting and thinking, and finally, he went to the dressing table, rifled through the messy pile of things, and picked something up.


    The sound of buttons being pressed sounded.


    Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian glancing at him, as if saying, ¡°Here comes the main attraction.¡±


    After a period of blankness, Mu Zhuo¡¯s anxious voice sounded again. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t hang up. Listen to me!¡±


    Since it wasn¡¯t a phone bug, they didn¡¯t know who the person on the other end of Mu Zhuo¡¯s call was or what he was saying, but what they could infer was that the person on the other line wanted to hang up the moment the call was connected.


    Mu Zhuo whispered. ¡°The police just came to me just now and asked me about Song Shengsheng¡¯s case. Didn¡¯t you fucking say you cleaned it up? Why are the police coming to ask me this?¡±


    The person on the other end seemed to say something that made Mu Zhuo choke. Suddenly, he raised his voice. ¡°I¡¯m stupid? It¡¯s my fault? Who told you not to control your lower half and make such a thing happen, you stupid rapist? What kind of woman do you want? Why are you recruiting prostitutes, you fucking dick!¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This is an extremely heavy subject, but to expand on the psychology aspect of this chapter, studies show that the most common effect of rape victims is self-blame, and with this comes shame and guilt.


    There are two main types of self-blame: behavioral self-blame and characterological self-blame. Those who experience behavioral self-blame feel they should have done something differently, and therefore feel at fault. Those who experience characterological self-blame feel there¡¯s something inherently wrong with them, which has caused them to deserve to be assaulted.


    There are also many reasons why a rape victim doesn¡¯t come forward, including sociological impact (negative views about them because of what happened to them), victim blaming, and not being believed or taken seriously, among myriad of other reasons.


    The effects and aftermath of rape differ among victims, and many develop coping mechanisms that either benefit them, such as social support, or inhibit their recovery. It is best to seek support and professional resources (like counseling) to assist in recovery.

 CH 135

    The call was short-lived and ended with Mu Zhuo smashing the phone.


    No matter who Mu Zhuo called, it was obvious the person on the other line was vigilant and didn¡¯t give Mu Zhuo a chance to say much.


    Naturally, they knew that the person on the other end of the phone could only be Li Jingtian.


    Verifying this was also simple. Wang Chao quickly checked the call history and nodded at them.


    Xing Conglian put down his headphones and said to him, ¡°Consultant Lin, the current situation is a bit ridiculous. We have confirmed the criminal facts of Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo, but there¡¯s no evidence to convict them. Tell me, what do you think we should do?¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and looked at the banner on a booth from a distance. The two cartoons embracing each other seemed to be laughing mockingly at him. He turned his head and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°How many years can I be sentenced for a false accusation?¡±


    ¡°Those who cause serious consequences shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but no more than ten years,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡°It seems a bit too light.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xing Conglian paused, then asked, ¡°Does Consultant Lin have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Just as Captain Xing said, let¡¯s crucify Li Jingtian.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Lu Xu ran over angrily from the other end of the lawn and shouted before he reached them, ¡°Mr. Police Officer, you must teach that little bitch Mu Zhuo a good lesson. It¡¯s best to lock him up for eight to ten years, so that those guys in prison can make his grass bloom!¡±


    Lin Chen rarely agreed with this kind of thing, but, although he frowned at Lu Xu¡¯s request, in a rare moment, he nodded.


    If they wanted to convict Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo, they couldn¡¯t rely on passion or hatred. Lin Chen began to analyze the information revealed in Mu Zhuo¡¯s call. Although the conversation between Mu Zhuo and Li Jingtian was disgusting, this was almost the most important clue they had obtained in the investigation so far.


    First, there was no doubt that Song Shengsheng was wrongly imprisoned.


    Second, there was no doubt Li Jingtian did rape and treat Xu Ran inhumanely when he was soliciting for a prostitute.


    Most importantly, their luck was good. In the phone call, Mu Zhuo revealed that there may actually be critical evidence.


    But they didn¡¯t know what key evidence could make Mu Zhuo so terrified.


    Lin Chen looked at the time on Wang Chao¡¯s laptop. Before he knew it, he and Xing Conglian had been frequently paying attention to the time. This was a normal reaction that people would make under the pressure of a time limit, just as Mu Zhuo chose to call and question Li Jingtian under pressure.


    The pressure he exerted on Mu Zhuo was about Song Shengsheng, so what Mu Zhuo was worried about could only be evidence from that case. But if Song Shengsheng¡¯s case was an injustice due to a false accusation, why was Mu Zhuo worried about the evidence being revealed? The unjust case was nothing more than perjury, so what exactly was it?


    As Lin Chen thought about it, he found that there were more people around him. He looked at Lu Xu, who was naturally sitting next to them, and then at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian understood and said to Lu Xu, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Manager Lu have to go back to work?¡±


    Lu Xu coughed dryly, and his face flushed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. This is my presumptuousness. Since the police are handling the case, I, as an outsider, shouldn¡¯t be here, right?¡±


    Lu Xu slapped himself lightly, and his eyes began to wander again, and his face became bitter. ¡°Captain Xing, I want to go back, but you see, I have already offended the company¡¯s cash cow in order to solve the case. What¡¯s there to go back to?¡±


    ¡°Then resign. With Mr. Lu¡¯s ability, you will certainly be able to find another job,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Ha, it¡¯s not as simple as that. You don¡¯t know how powerful Royal One and CA are. If I go back like this, I might just be sunk directly,¡± Lu Xu continued to plead.


    ¡°What does Mr. Lu want?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a smile. ¡°Have me collect your body or take care of your family?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, don¡¯t joke.¡±


    Suddenly, Xing Conglian said in a serious tone, ¡°Lu Xu, I don¡¯t have time to play games with you. Since you know very well that you only have two paths, stop talking nonsense and tell me whether you want to go back to die or continue to cooperate with the police.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to cooperate with the police!¡± Lu Xu almost kowtowed to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Then explain clearly the inside story of CA Entertainment and Royal One and strive to be a tainted witness*.¡±


    *In which a criminal admits guilt and testify as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m just a little minion, but I¡¯ll tell you everything I know!¡±


    ¡°Lu Xu, this is meaningless. Is it really because you¡¯re a pimp that you can sit in a high position at CA Entertainment?¡± Xing Conglian asked sharply.


    Lu Xu¡¯s face suddenly paled. In fact, Xing Conglian never gave him a chance to choose from the very start.


    ¡°I took a look at your file. Before you organized a prostitution ring, you were in jail for robbery. You stole a backpack and broke the other party¡¯s camera. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the target of your robbery should be a certain reporter. He gathered some evidence that wasn¡¯t conducive to an artist of CA. As Lu Xu, you have been responsible for dealing with some shady things for CA, right?¡± Xing Conglian said casually, ¡°So, Mr. Lu, have you ever committed murder?¡±


    Lu Xu was already sweating profusely. Even before Xing Conglian pressed him outside the window, he was still glib after recovering. Now, he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    The current scene was like a hunter who had cast his net and, after catching his prey, dragged the net a long distance before finally pointing a gun at the head of the prey. This would catch people off guard, not allowing them to give birth to any idea of resistance.


    ¡°You¡­ What do you want?¡± Finally, Lu Xu asked.


    Xing Conglian lit a cigarette and handed it over. ¡°Give me some clues. Mr. Lu, help us nail Li Jingtian. If he doesn¡¯t go to prison, believe me, you will have a very hard time.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I said I can commit perjury, but you don¡¯t want it¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, Lu Xu. The biggest difference between people like us and people like Li Jingtian, Mu Zhuo, and even you is that we still have something to fear. You don¡¯t believe there¡¯s a god three feet above your head, but I do, so I don¡¯t dare do unseemly things.¡±


    Lu Xu had lowered his head so low that Lin Chen no longer could see his expression. However, Lin Chen thought that people like Lu Xu probably wouldn¡¯t wake up because of Xing Conglian¡¯s words. He was at most thinking about whether it would be worthwhile to cooperate with Xing Conglian.


    But as the unhurried hunter said, Lu Xu actually had no chance to choose.


    ¡°You want evidence of Li Jingtian¡¯s rape of Xu Ran, but I really don¡¯t have any. All I can say is that Royal One and CA Entertainment are scarier than you can imagine.¡± Lu Xu still kept his head lowered. In a rare instance, his voice was actually calm and stern. ¡°But I just heard Officer Lin mention Song Shengsheng. In fact, you¡¯re too late. If you found me nine years ago, maybe you can really recover something. But now, it¡¯s really too late.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what the hell is going on.¡±


    Lu Xu picked up the cigarette handed to him by Xing Conglian, took a deep puff, and slowly revealed a corner of this monstrous conspiracy.


    As Xing Conglian said, nine years ago, Lu Xu was a small-time ¡°fixer¡± of CA Entertainment. The most he usually did was either discipline disobedient trainees, or attack reporters who target artists under CA Entertainment by putting a dead mouse at their front door*.


    *Term used basically means threatening them.


    Regarding the real inside story in Song Shengsheng¡¯s case, grunts like him wouldn¡¯t know any details at all. However, at the time, news of Song Shengsheng¡¯s rape case was overwhelming. As a fixer, he felt something odd about the company¡¯s policies. The situation would be different if CA was trying to protect Li Jingtian, but at the time, CA directly gave up the opportunity to control public opinion for Song Shengsheng. They didn¡¯t even get a lawyer for Song Shengsheng and instead promoted Mu Zhuo¡¯s image as a strong and unyielding idol singer.


    Looking at the company¡¯s attitude, it seemed they were throwing Song Shengsheng away, like useless garbage. From the incident to the actual sentence, Song Shengsheng never once had the opportunity to defend himself in front of the media.


    After disclosing his thoughts on the matter, Lu Xu extinguished the cigarette butt on the lawn. Lin Chen knew that the highlight was coming.


    ¡°Then what?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°About a week after the crime, the company sent us to go to the crime scene again,¡± Lu Xu said.


    ¡°Sent you guys to do what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Lu Xu took a deep breath. ¡°At that time, I was mainly responsible for being the lookout. It wasn¡¯t me who did the job.¡±


    ¡°So, were you trying to erase evidence or trying to find something?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Lu Xu shook his head again. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Who was the person who did the job?¡± Xing Conglian asked decisively.


    ¡°Lao Quezi, my brother. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    Hearing that the key witness was dead, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t show any frustration. He asked, ¡°Did your brother say anything or take anything when he came out of the crime scene?¡±


    Lu Xu looked at the sky and narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to recall something.


    ¡°My brother brought a big bag at the time. When he came out, the bag was stuffed. It really seemed to contain a lot of things, but he didn¡¯t show it to me.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell what¡¯s in it?¡±


    Lu Xu continued to shake his head. His expression didn¡¯t seem fake.


    ¡°All right.¡± Xing Conglian stood up from the ground. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Mr. Lu?¡±


    ¡°Xing¡­ Captain Xing¡­¡± Lu Xu was at a loss. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Of course, to the crime scene nine years ago.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After listening to Lu Xu¡¯s recount, when they got back in the car, Lin Chen recalled how he felt when he learned that Song Shengsheng was accused of sexually assaulting Mu Zhuo.


    His emotions didn¡¯t seem to fluctuate. For onlookers like him, major news happened every day, and sexual assault was just one of them. Compared to other things, Song Shengsheng¡¯s case wasn¡¯t even that important.


    But even though the case wasn¡¯t important, news about Song Shengsheng was everywhere at that time. Even those around him who didn¡¯t like to gossip would talk about the progress of Song Shengsheng¡¯s case in their spare time.


    Some people with a strong sense of justice would angrily scold Song Shengsheng, calling him a beast and wishing to tear him apart, whereas idlers with a weak sense of justice would talk about the recent explosion, wondering what positions Song Shengsheng held Mu Zhuo in during the assault.


    Lin Chen thought the voices of those conversations, discussions, and anger were already detached from him. He thought he should have forgotten what happened at that time, but as they got closer to the truth behind Song Shengsheng¡¯s case, those voices suddenly became clear.


    Every sentence was crystal clear.


    He even clearly remembered what he himself said: ¡°This rape case is pretty standard, but the social effects caused by it are very interesting.¡±


    Thinking about it now, he was actually no different from every onlooker. They all watched the show and thought they were outsiders. This matter was none of their business, so they could evaluate it arbitrarily without fear.


    Being fearless was the scariest thing.


    In Song Shengsheng¡¯s case, the only ones who felt heartbroken were probably his fans, and Xu Ran was one of those countless heartbroken fans.


    In the materials compiled by Wang Chao, Lin Chen also saw that Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan forum was still in operation, and some people would even check it every day, looking forward to the day when their idol would be released after serving his sentence.


    Of course, some of those people, like Xu Ran, hoped their idol would be able to seek justice one day. Though originally this was a hopeless prayer, one day, it became possible due to a series of accidental coincidences.


    Lin Chen thought that not everything in the world made sense and that not every thought would have an echo, but it was still good to have faith.


    Thinking of the bed full of photos that Xu Ran kept until the end and Song Shengsheng¡¯s unrestrained and indulgent smile, Lin Chen suddenly realized he had read so much information about Song Shengsheng, but he didn¡¯t know where this person was now, so he asked, ¡°How is Song Shengsheng doing now?¡±


    The teenager, who was sitting in the backseat chewing on fruit candy, answered his question. ¡°Song Shengsheng¡¯s sentence got commuted last year, and he was released from prison¡­¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t know where he is.¡± Wang Chao shook his head. He typed down a line of text and then turned the screen around. ¡°It¡¯s very strange. There are no records of Song Shengsheng since he left prison. There¡¯s no rental history, taxes haven¡¯t been paid, and there¡¯s been no movement on his bank card. It may be because he feels ashamed of being discovered by others, so he¡¯s choosing to lay low.¡±


    On the screen was a photo of Song Shengsheng, taken when he was released from prison. Looking at that photo, a strange familiar feeling flashed in Lin Chen¡¯s heart.


    Compared to the rocker youth who was number one in the world a few years ago, Song Shengsheng, who spent eight years in prison, had no semblance of what he looked like back then. He was as skinny as wood, his face was yellow, and his muscles were thin. The light in his eyes had been extinguished, just like that of a dying old man whose flame would go out from a gust of wind.


    Recalling what Wang Chao told him, Lin Chen suspected that this person may no longer be in this world.


    But in any case, he hoped he could hold on for another six hours.


    ¡­¡­


    Lu Xu¡¯s car stopped at the entrance of the high-end residential area and the scene of the sexual assault case: Song Shengsheng¡¯s home.


    According to Wang Chao, Song Shengsheng¡¯s parents died, and his property remained in his name and had never changed ownership. In other words, although nine years had passed, the crime scene was likely to remain the same as it was after Lu Xu¡¯s brother¡¯s raid.


    Unless, Song Shengsheng came back here after he was released from prison.


    Xing Conglian took measures to pick the lock. Lin Chen opened the door with some small hope. Sure enough, not all hopes came true. Song Shengsheng had indeed never returned.


    After the door of the room opened, there was a stale and decaying smell. The air was dirty and musty.


    Song Shengsheng¡¯s home was covered in dust. Every time he stepped, it seemed to splash dust and smoke, making it difficult to breathe.


    As soon as Wang Chao entered the door, he couldn¡¯t help but rush to the window and open it as wide as it could go. The sunlight outside suddenly penetrated the house, basking the entire living room in a layer of bright light.


    Facing the oncoming light, Lin Chen walked to the window and looked around the living room.


    The living environment best reflected a person¡¯s personality.


    Despite the furnishings in Song Shengsheng¡¯s home being searched by the police¡ªthe utensils were crumbling, the furniture was in disarray, and there were fluorescent labels on the walls and ground, which were probably reminders to collect fingerprints and footprints¡ªafter these traces were wiped away, Song Shengsheng¡¯s home wasn¡¯t as messy as it seemed on the surface.


    This didn¡¯t look like a home that belonged to a rocker.


    The floor was the color of wood, and there weren¡¯t many dark decorations or ironwork in the living room. There wasn¡¯t any graffiti on the walls, and the furnishings were soft and low-key. There was a guitar in the corner and thick stacks of DVDs next to the TV. Lin Chen walked over, ignoring the fact the DVDs were scattered all over the floor, and took a rough look at the DVDs, finding that most of them were cartoons or science fiction movies. Song Shengsheng was probably a person who didn¡¯t have many requirements in life.


    For example, he would choose to use the photo wall as a background decoration for the sofa rather than an exotic painting that fringe artists like or how his DVDs were stacked randomly. Lin Chen didn¡¯t find any TV cabinet, or a storage case dedicated to storing them.


    Looking at everything in front of him, Lin Chen could imagine how Song Shengsheng casually took off his coat after returning home, went to the refrigerator with bare feet to get a bottle of beer, and then sat in front of the TV and casually flipped through cartoons.


    He didn¡¯t care too much about the stigma of watching cartoons as an adult. He was willing to watch the things he liked dozens of times and never grow bored of them.


    Lin Chen took out a DVD that looked quite old from the box and turned the disc over. There were many deep and shallow scratches on the back of it.


    This seemed to be a film that Song Shengsheng loved.

 CH 136

    The weather was excellent today. Lin Chen was able to find this DVD box due to the bright sunshine from outside.


    There was fine dust floating in the air as a beam of dazzling light hit the DVD. Half of the writing on the cover was completely invisible due to the reflection of the plastic cover, while the other half had the words: Oscar Wilde.


    Oscar Wilde.


    <Best Animated Collection of Oscar Wilde>.


    Lin Chen looked through the DVD a few more times and found that this DVD wasn¡¯t a Blu-ray disc, unlike the other DVDs in Song Shengsheng¡¯s collection. It was probably something cheap bought at a street stall. Unsurprisingly, he saw the story of <The Nightingale and The Rose> in the catalog.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s slight exclamation sounded in his ears.


    Lin Chen turned his head and saw the teenager craning his neck, peeping at the DVD in his hand.


    ¡°This¡ªwhat¡¯s going on? Why does Song Shengsheng have the complete works of Wilde?¡± Wang Chao gave a slightly embarrassed cough as he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lin Chen replied honestly. There were, of course, numerous explanations for such a phenomenon. For example, why did Song Shengsheng have an animated collection of Wilde¡¯s work at home, and this collection seemed to be Song Shengsheng¡¯s favorite DVD. And, why was it that, when Li Jingtian was singing on stage, someone correctly matched the bouquet they gave to <The Nightingale and the Rose>? What was the relationship between the two?


    ¡°Song Shengsheng has already been released from prison¡­ He¡¯s not the one that sent the flowers, right?¡± Wang Chao said casually. ¡°Maybe this DVD belongs to Li Jingtian? Is it possible that this is the key evidence we¡¯re looking for?!¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Lin Chen was noncommittal. He walked to the DVD player and pressed the on button. Then he realized that this room had been vacant for nine years, so, naturally, no one had paid the electric bill.


    Wang Chao quickly took out his phone and paid the electric bill for the house. After a while, the power light turned on and Lin Chen put the DVD into the DVD player and retreated to the sofa.


    The TV screen began playing the disc slowly. The pictures that appeared gave the teenager a guess. It was really a cartoon, and the picture quality was slightly yellowed and old looking.


    The first story was <The Happy Prince>, which was a typical Oscar Wilde fairy tale. The dialogue was extremely beautiful, but when it came to the animation plot, it wasn¡¯t as interesting. Wang Chao watched it for a while and began to squirm his butt from side to side in discomfort. Naturally, for a teenager who liked One Piece, this kind of thing wouldn¡¯t really resonate with him.


    However, to Lin Chen¡¯s surprise, Xing Conglian sat beside him quietly and was watching solemnly.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen¡­ Isn¡¯t time tight? Do you need me to fast forward?¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but make a suggestion.


    ¡°It¡¯s boring, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s boring. Why does Song Shengsheng like this kind of stuff? Are these really his things? Were all rock and roll kids that weird back then?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Wang Chao. How old are you to be saying this kind of thing?


    ¡°What?¡± Wang Chao looked at him inexplicably.


    ¡°This is indeed Song Shengsheng¡¯s stuff.¡± Lin Chen felt helpless, so he could only answer the teenager¡¯s question.


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°This should be your specialty.¡±


    He handed the DVD box over. The teenager looked at it, turning it upside down several times, and finally smacked his head. ¡°This is a VCD!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that should be a disc that Song Shengsheng watched when he was a kid, right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Although this DVD was obviously from a street stall, as there was no clear barcode on it, they could infer its recording medium based on the time it was released.


    The popularity of VCDs peaked roughly around 1995¨C2000, and based on how old this DVD looked, it probably indicated that it was from that era. Li Jingtian was still in Xinni in the 1990s, so naturally it was impossible for him to buy a Chinese-made VCD.


    ¡°But, I still don¡¯t understand.¡± Wang Chao rubbed against Lin Chen as he handed the DVD box back. ¡°Song Shengsheng likes this kind of boring cartoon, but what does it have to do with Li Jingtian and <The Nightingale and the Rose>?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao,¡± Lin Chen said slowly.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°This should be your specialty,¡± Lin Chen reminded him. ¡°Search for the keywords: Song Shengsheng, Nightingale, and Rose.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡± As he said it, he picked up his laptop and went to the dining table, bringing up a cloud of dust.


    Not long after, a piece of audio echoed in the room.


    Lin Chen muted the TV and let the cartoon continue to play. He walked to the dining table and looked down. It was an interview clip of Song Shengsheng. The video was short. After a lapse of nine years, Lin Chen saw an image of Song Shengsheng again.


    The unruly young man still looked so uninhibited. He had a badass hairstyle of that era, wore a black motorcycle leather jacket, and had non-mainstream accessories all over his body. He even revealed a tongue ring when he spoke.


    The reporter asked him about the source of inspiration for his new album.


    The picture flickered as Song Shengsheng crossed his legs, saying it was from Oscar Wilde¡¯s fairy tales. His tone was casual, but the look in his eyes was serious. Then the reporter asked him which of Oscar Wilde¡¯s fairy tales he liked most. Song Shengsheng replied, ¡°What I like is, of course, for the fans to listen to the album. If I tell you now, won¡¯t that be boring?¡±


    In short, Song Shengsheng was like that. He was never lovable, but he was very good at talking. The reporters who interviewed him loved and hated him. The picture froze on the reporter¡¯s stiff face.


    Then the interview ended.


    Wang Chao turned around and asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen, what do you think Song Shengsheng likes the most?¡±


    Lin Chen patted Wang Chao¡¯s head and said, ¡°Since you can find this video from the keywords, isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so stupid,¡± Xing Conglian added sarcastically.


    Wang Chao depressingly closed the video from full-screen and returned to the webpage. Only then did Lin Chen discover that this clip was shared by a fan. The website where this video was recorded was Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal website, which fans would still visit every day¡ª¡±Be With You.¡±


    The title of the post was ¡°The Nightingale and The Rose¡±, which was how Wang Chao was able to find it. The content was roughly composed of fans trying to guess what Song Shengsheng¡¯s favorite Wilde¡¯s fairy tale was. The original poster posted the inner page of the album¡¯s lyrics. The title song was a song that had nothing to do with The Nightingale and The Rose. The content was full of words like ¡°fuck off¡± and ¡°fuck¡±, which were completely inconsistent with Mr. Wilde¡¯s aesthetics, but the poster said the lyrics of the title song were composed of white, yellow, and red, which coincided with the three rose colors in the original fairy tale, so Song Shengsheng¡¯s favorite fairy tale should be this one.


    The discussion below was very lively. Some people said that the poster was just being whimsical, while others agreed with their thoughts.


    Those who agreed thought that Song Shengsheng¡¯s title song was about idiots who were desperate for love, which matched the metaphor represented by the poor nightingale in the fairy tale.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, what do you think?¡± The curious Comrade Xiao Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°It should be right,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Hey, then, if this is Song Shengsheng¡¯s favorite fairy tale, Li Jingtian¡­ Why did Li Jingtian bring a nightingale and roses to the scene of his throat-slitting case? Is Li Jingtian not afraid we would find out about Song Shengsheng based on this?¡± Wang Chao started rambling. As if he thought of something, he hurriedly said, ¡°Is this a bit off topic for me to ask this now?¡±


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Lin Chen patted the teenager¡¯s shoulder reassuringly and said, ¡°At least your question is meaningful to me. Although these cases are covered in fog, as long as the crime is committed by someone, then there must be a personal mark in it. Whether it¡¯s the murderer or the victim, each of them has genes, family, growth, and experience, which lead them to make corresponding choices when encountering problems. Corresponding choices will affect their growth experience. Therefore, everything a person does may seem erratic, but in fact, there must be traces in their growth experience, which allows us to see a clear path in the fog.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Chao shouted seemingly incomprehensibly. ¡°Then, what is the path to this case? Is it the fairy tale?¡±


    Lin Chen looked back at the animation that was still being broadcast slowly on the TV.


    The animation just reached the end of the Happy Prince. The swallow died at the feet of the prince, and there were snowflakes floating in the sky. This was truly an ending fit for Wilde.


    Lin Chen said to Wang Chao, ¡°In fact, fairy tales are very interesting things. In psychological analysis, psychologists who study the effects of fairy tales believe that these stories that touch us tell us the desires, dreams, and human behaviors we identify with and the people we want to be¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what kind of person is Song Shengsheng, and what kind of person is Li Jingtian? From a story, can the different psychological states of these two people be inferred?¡±


    ¡°You see, this is the interesting thing about fairy tales. It¡¯s precisely because the narrative of fairy tales uses symbolic techniques that its nature is closer to dreams and to the human subconscious. If myths reflect the collective experience of humans, then fairy tales reflect personal issues. That is to say, fairy tales are more personal.¡± Lin Chen looked at Wang Chao¡¯s lost gaze. He leaned on the table and spoke as he faced the snow-white sky outside the window. ¡°During this time, I have read some analysis on Wilde¡¯s fairy tales. Although many critics will analyze the social reality reflected in Wilde¡¯s fairy tales repeatedly, in fact, Wilde¡¯s aesthetic philosophy is that art doesn¡¯t express anything except itself. He believes that reality is the enemy of art, and what he pursues is true, pure beauty. Then, what do you think is the difference between Song Shengsheng¡¯s and Li Jingtian¡¯s views?


    ¡°I think¡­ Although Song Shengsheng looks very arrogant and cool, he seems to be a very pure and innocent person. He should appreciate Wilde more, and you said earlier that the VCD is what Song Shengsheng has been watching. He just likes this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you pretend to not understand, just a little?¡± Lin Chen asked with a smile. ¡°How can I go on?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand Li Jingtian¡­¡± Wang Chao muttered.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    You can read The Happy Prince by clicking on the link. It¡¯s a short story. I won¡¯t give you the analysis just yet until the end of this arc to avoid any spoilers.

 CH 137

    ¡°Li Jingtian deeply loves Song Shengsheng,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    After he finished speaking, the room fell into a dead silence. A breeze blew up the curtains by the window, as if it were the sigh of the owner of the house.


    After a long time, Xing Conglian asked slowly, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said love.¡± Lin Chen looked into Xing Conglian¡¯s deep eyes as he said it.


    Just saying it made it sound so strange, so Lin Chen had to pause for a bit before he continued, ¡°That kind of love, of course, can¡¯t be called love. It can only be labeled as desire made of dirty emotions. You see, many people in the world can say ¡®I love you¡¯, but how many can call it love given what he has done to the other person?¡±


    ¡°No, this dance is a bit too fast. Li Jingtian is deeply in love with Song Shengsheng? Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°I told you, that¡¯s not love.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s this dirty desire?¡± Xing Conglian took the initiative to correct his statement.


    ¡°Actually, as far as the fairy tale <The Nightingale and The Rose> is concerned, Song Shengsheng¡¯s and Li Jingtian¡¯s completely different attitudes towards it reflect their different psychological states. For example, Song Shengsheng loves this story very much. Although I have never heard Song Shengsheng explain his opinions on it, I can see the most superficial point in his love for this story. He agrees with Wilde¡¯s spiritual appeal as an aesthetic. If we have to use the perspective of psychoanalysis, the nightingale itself is the embodiment of Song Shengsheng. He lives and dies for love. He¡¯s not afraid of love and can even sacrifice his life for it. He appreciates the tragic complex. He lives wildly and unrestrained. This is Song Shengsheng¡­¡± Lin Chen stood up straight and looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°So, when you see that bouquet of roses and the dead nightingale¡¯s corpse, what do you think is Li Jingtian¡¯s view of this fairy tale?¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian probably thinks Song Shengsheng, the nightingale, is a moron,¡± Xing Conglian stressed each word. ¡°No matter how beautiful things are, what¡¯s the use? Aren¡¯t you just being played by me?¡±


    Xing Conglian was extremely blunt. Lin Chen nodded and continued, ¡°Though psychoanalysis is generally related to sex, it¡¯s appropriate to use it here to analyze Li Jingtian¡¯s psychology. Have you ever wondered why the nightingale was stabbed to death by the rhizomes of the roses instead of being burned to death and suffering by other crueler methods?¡±


    When Xing Conglian heard what Lin Chen said, he immediately made a grim expression. Obviously, he had thought of the metaphor.


    ¡°In psychoanalytic theory, such sharp blades and slender objects will be regarded as symbols of a sexual organ. If that bouquet of roses is really Li Jingtian¡¯s masterpiece, then Song Shengsheng is the stupid nightingale in Li Jingtian¡¯s mind. Analyze in turn what Li Jingtian¡¯s desire for Song Shengsheng is, and the mystery should be clear, right?¡±


    When he finished speaking, the room was so silent again that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.


    Since Wang Chao was present, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t elaborate.


    He was able to make these inferences all because of what Li Jingtian said when he raped Xu Ran.


    Li Jingtian said: ¡°Song Shengsheng is a masochist, and he loved him so much that he even volunteered to go to jail for him.¡±


    For a personality disordered patient like Li Jingtian, the facts he expounded could only be facts that came from his distorted mind and weren¡¯t really objective facts.


    Therefore, after restoring Li Jingtian¡¯s delusions, all Lin Chen could see was Li Jingtian¡¯s extraordinary love for Song Shengsheng. For a person with antisocial personality disorder like Li Jingtian, he couldn¡¯t correctly understand such emotions. He admired Song Shengsheng, wanted to vent his desires on him, and he had to vent those desires. The key problem was that he actually fantasized that Song Shengsheng loved him. Didn¡¯t this sound ridiculous?


    ¡°Captain¡­ Is this topic forbidden to those under 18? Should I recuse myself?¡± In the end, Wang Chao trembled as he spoke.


    ¡°I recall that you¡¯re already an adult,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°But, it¡¯s terrible. I¡¯m already about to be hurt by his perverted energy.¡± Wang Chao rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and said, ¡°So Li Jingtian is chaotic evil1, while Song Shengsheng is chaotic good2. Li Jingtian likes Song Shengsheng to death, and because he can¡¯t have him, he could only destroy him?¡±


    1Comes from Dungeons & Dragons. Someone who¡¯s chaotic evil has no respect for rules, other people¡¯s lives, or anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They place a high value on personal freedom but have little regard for the lives or freedoms of other people.


    2Someone who is chaotic good does what is necessary to bring about change for the better, disdains bureaucratic organizations that get in the way of social improvement, and places a high value on personal freedom, not only for oneself, but for others as well.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, that should be the case. While debatable, Li Jingtian¡¯s feelings for Song Shengsheng are very complicated or extremely antagonistic. Li Jingtian¡¯s own personality defects make him unable to understand his emotions for Song Shengsheng. At the same time, don¡¯t forget that Li Jingtian is a patient with performance personality disorder. Going back nine years, Song Shengsheng¡ªwho was so dazzling and attracted almost everyone¡¯s attention¡ªwas also the object of his extreme hatred.¡± Lin Chen took a deep breath and continued, ¡°Extreme love is intertwined with extreme hatred. Normal people can¡¯t stand it, let alone Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡°So, did Li Jingtian choose to destroy Song Shengsheng?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°His destruction of Song Shengsheng is just a result¡ªa result that we¡¯re seeing now¡ªof his love and hate for Song Shengsheng. This is the beginning of everything, and the process of this beginning and the result are what we need to deduce.¡±


    ¡°In between this ¡®process¡¯, there¡¯s something that makes Mu Zhuo flustered, which is the evidence we are looking for,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s back to square one, A¡¯Chen. What the hell is this evidence?¡± Wang Chao scratched his head.


    Lin Chen patted him reassuringly and said, ¡°You asked me just now if what Li Jingtian thought was off topic. Of course it¡¯s not. Once you understand Li Jingtian¡¯s feelings for Song Shengsheng, everything he did to Song Shengsheng will become traceable.¡±


    ¡°For example, Li Jingtian joined forces with Mu Zhuo to frame Song Shengsheng.¡± Wang Chao asked, ¡°Can you see anything there?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. If Song Shengsheng is innocent, why did his semen appear in Mu Zhuo¡¯s body? In other words, where did this semen come from?¡±


    ¡°This topic has become banned again, A¡¯Chen,¡± Wang Chao said timidly.


    ¡°Look. Fact one, Mu Zhuo conspired with Li Jingtian to frame Song Shengsheng. Fact two, Li Jingtian loves Song Shengsheng to death. So, would Li Jingtian really let Song Shengsheng touch Mu Zhuo?¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that Li Jingtian got Song Shengsheng¡¯s sperm by himself, right?¡± Wang Chao asked tentatively. ¡°Shit, Li Jingtian¡¯s a pervert. He didn¡¯t really hurt Song Shengsheng, right?¡±


    ¡°I have a question for you. Do you know when Li Jingtian and Song Shengsheng met?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Wang Chao was taken aback.


    Lin Chen no longer tried to be vague. ¡°It took three years from Li Jingtian joining CA Entertainment to Song Shengsheng¡¯s case. Among the information you compiled for me, the ¡®Fengchun Festival Gala¡¯ in August 2005 published a picture of the two of them attending the same event. In the photo, even if they met in August 2005, there is still more than a year between August 2005 and Song Shengsheng¡¯s case in 2007. Is it possible for a person like Li Jingtian to endure his desires without being able to vent for more than a year?¡±


    Wang Chao was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth wide but couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, who was looking at him with eyes full of unspeakable sadness. Obviously, like him, Xing Conglian remembered the letter.


    Li Jingtian said to Xu Ran: The Song Shengsheng you like was also fucked by me like this. He likes it very much. He¡¯s dirtier than you.


    Apart from Li Jingtian¡¯s saying that Song Shengsheng liked it, the other information he revealed may be true. Song Shengsheng should have suffered cruel and inhumane torture that no one knew about.


    So the question was, how could Li Jingtian control Song Shengsheng?


    ¡°What one person can threaten and control over another person is always what they think is the most important thing. The problem is, since Song Shengsheng loves Wilde, he¡¯s most likely not afraid of death. What is he afraid of?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid of losing his love forever,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Could it be that there¡¯s someone Song Shengsheng loves deeply, and Li Jingtian used that person to threaten him? This seems to be getting more and more complicated. The story between A, B, and C suddenly has a D?¡±


    ¡°D always existed.¡± Lin Chen slowly walked to the photo wall behind the sofa, raised his head slightly, and looked at the dusty photo frames in front of him.


    After a while, he knelt on the sofa and wiped one of the photos little by little with the back of his hand.


    There weren¡¯t two people in the photo, but many.


    The photo was faded and turned yellow due to age. It was probably a fan meeting or concert by Song Shengsheng. The dark background was densely covered with many fluorescent green lights, like a sea of stars in the night sky. In the middle of the picture was a young girl who had her eyes closed. The girl¡¯s eyelashes were long, and a tear hung from the corner of her eye.


    This was the picture.


    ¡°The fans?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fans,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Song Shengsheng was so unrestrained. He always maintained relationships with those supermodels and actresses that transcended ordinary people, so it seemed difficult for him to fall in love with someone, but he agreed with Wilde¡¯s tragic view of love; he agreed with his unswerving love until death. This seemed contradictory, but when Lin Chen saw the entire photo wall, he suddenly felt relieved.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what chaotic good was, Song Shengsheng was probably this type.


    Pursuing freedom, hating restraints, and acting in accordance with one¡¯s own moral principles; it was a combination of a free spirit with a good heart. This was Song Shengsheng, the Song Shengsheng that was a stark contrast to Li Jingtian.


    ¡°Could it be that Li Jingtian has a sex tape of Song Shengsheng or some dark history that he can¡¯t talk about? Li Jingtian threatened to make it public, so Song Shengsheng succumbed because he¡¯s afraid it will hurt his fans. Is that what we¡¯re looking for, right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Xing Conglian pondered for a moment, looking very calm. ¡°Assuming there is such a thing, it should be in Li Jingtian¡¯s hands. Where are we going to find it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we¡¯re going to Li Jingtian to find it,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.

 CH 138

    While Lin Chen was talking, Lu Xu was in the living room. He was sitting on the armchair in the corner. Because the position was far away, the policemen were talking to themselves, and no one paid attention to him.


    This dark corner was like a protective cover that could keep him from touching the bright world over there. Lu Xu felt quite at ease.


    After listening to Lin Chen¡¯s analysis of Song Shengsheng and Li Jingtian, Lu Xu didn¡¯t feel touched. He felt the story Lin Chen put together was quite ridiculous. A successful singer was easily overwhelmed by another person? This was too unreasonable. When did God become that unreasonable?


    However, when he thought of God, he felt that the story had a semblance of truth. Ah, when did God start talking in the corridor?


    There would be good people who would die early in the world, and there would be bad people who wouldn¡¯t. Of course, he hoped to be the latter.


    He rubbed his face with both hands and felt the room become quiet again. He raised his head abruptly before realizing that everyone in the living room was staring at him.


    ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu, tell me. What kind of person is your brother?¡± Lu Xu heard Lin Chen ask.


    Lu Xu was blindsided for a moment. He could only look at the man standing against the light from a distance.


    ¡°My brother?¡±


    ¡°Tell us.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes looked serene. When listening to what he was saying just now, Lu Xu felt there was a sadness in Lin Chen¡¯s tone, as if he were about to cry, but he didn¡¯t see any redness under Lin Chen¡¯s eyes.


    When looking at Lin Chen, Lu Xu had no reason to think of his brother. Of course, his brother wasn¡¯t the same as Lin Chen. They grew up in the slums since he was a child. His parents had died early. In order to eat, his brother taught him how to steal. He didn¡¯t think his brother was evil, and even sometimes felt that he was actually a good person¡ªthe kind who would steal ten yuan, give him eight, keep one for himself, and donate the other one to a beggar. But after he gave the beggar uncle the money, they saw him in another place. The uncle was standing at a crayfish stall getting food to go; he was eating and wearing clothes much better than them.


    So at that moment, Lu Xu understood it was pointless to be a good person because nice guys always finish last.


    ¡°My brother¡­ Well, look at me. He¡¯s not much different, yeah?¡± Lu Xu stood up from the chair, not wanting to talk about the issue.


    But he heard Lin Chen¡¯s voice coming through like water. ¡°You and your brother should have a good relationship. When we first asked you about him, you gave us his nickname, and seemed disdainful towards him, but in actuality, you respect him very much. So tell me, how did your brother die?¡±


    When he first heard Lin Chen ask about his brother, Lu Xu wanted to scold them and say, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business¡±, but when Lin Chen finished speaking just now, Lu Xu felt a terrible chill go down his spine.


    He had no choice but to answer obediently. ¡°Lung cancer. He didn¡¯t have the money to see a doctor and just died like that.¡±


    ¡°Did he like smoking?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°He did. Such is fate. Even though he likes to smoke, he would never smoke more than two cigarettes a day. He was so afraid of death, yet he still died early.¡± Lu Xu laughed.


    ¡°Recall, how long did it take your brother to go in and out of Song Shengsheng¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lu Xu looked lost for a moment. Why did this question suddenly return to the case and his brother?


    ¡°The time when CA Entertainment sent you here to look for something¡­¡± Lin Chen added.


    ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­¡± Lu Xu interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s been too long. How can I remember it?¡±


    He really couldn¡¯t keep up with Lin Chen¡¯s rhythm. This feeling of being stripped naked was too uncomfortable that he didn¡¯t want to continue the topic.


    But Lin Chen kept talking. ¡°Lu Xu, did you smoke? You and your brother came to Song Shengsheng¡¯s house under CA¡¯s orders. Your brother sneaked in while you kept watch outside. I think you should be pretty anxious and irritable. When you¡¯re irritable, it¡¯s hard for an old smoker like you not to smoke¡­ so, how many cigarettes did you smoke?¡±


    Lin Chen kept probing.


    Lu Xu couldn¡¯t help following his question and recalled the scene at that time.


    Indeed, he was annoyed at that time, mainly because sneaking into Song Shengsheng¡¯s house was quite dangerous. After all, Song Shengsheng¡¯s case was on the cusp at that time. If his brother was accidentally seen by the neighbors, it would be over, so he couldn¡¯t help but take out a cigarette and smoke, one after another¡­ It seemed he smoked two. After smoking, he wondered why his brother still hadn¡¯t come out. Then, when he put out his cigarette, his brother came out, which meant he wasn¡¯t in there for that long¡­


    ¡°I¡­ smoked two cigarettes during that time my brother went in, so it should be less than ten minutes,¡± he replied reluctantly.


    ¡°I see.¡± Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± Lu Xu asked rhetorically.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°First, your brother should be a strict and disciplined person. If CA sent him to deal with the scene, then he wouldn¡¯t take away extra things. His purpose was clear. Some people who enter a big star¡¯s home would touch things out of curiosity, but your brother didn¡¯t. You said he only stayed there for less than ten minutes, but at that time you were anxious and tense. When people feel like that, days would seem like years. Therefore, your brother¡¯s exact entry and exit times should be discounted. That is to say, he was probably there for about five minutes.¡±


    Lu Xu was stunned, not knowing how to respond.


    Soon, Lin Chen asked again, ¡°Tell me, how big was the bag your brother was carrying at that time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the size of an ordinary backpack.¡±


    After he said this, Lin Chen nodded. He opened the door on the left and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Start what?¡± Lu Xu asked blankly.


    ¡°Start looking for what your brother took from the house, stupid!¡± Wang Chao patted Lu Xu on the shoulder and smiled triumphantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is. No one knows, so how could you!¡± Lu Xu couldn¡¯t help but raise his voice.


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone was still calm as he patiently explained to him, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t know. In fact, according to the formal process, we have to find someone from the forensic department to test for fingerprints and footprints and then roughly establish that your brother was here. Then, we could build a model of your brother¡¯s actions and infer what your brother did and what he took, but we don¡¯t have that much time right now, so we¡¯ll have to guess.¡±


    Lin Chen stood at the door of the room as he spoke. Wang Chao rushed in first and drew the curtains and opened the window.


    The bright sunlight penetrated the room. Its light was so bright on the furnishings that every detail could be seen. There was still a lot of dust floating in the air. Lin Chen stretched out his hand and waved off the oncoming dust, then he looked into the room.


    This should be the master bedroom.


    There was an iron bed in the middle of the bedroom and a messy blanket on it. Because of the rape case, the comforter and the bed sheets had been removed by the police. There were no photos or picture frames on the bedside table. It seemed that Song Shengsheng was a simple person.


    There was a straw mat next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a guitar at the other end. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.


    After Lin Chen looked around, he walked towards the closet that connected to the bedroom.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it here?¡± Lu Xu asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°How do you know it wasn¡¯t something in this room that was taken away by my brother?¡±


    ¡°Because the room looked harmonious. It doesn¡¯t look like something is missing.¡±


    ¡°What harmony?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Lu Xu. ¡°Because I have seen the photos of the scene. This room is exactly the same as the photos taken by the police at the time. Nothing is missing here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Xu said, ¡°Then why did you ask me so many questions? Don¡¯t you already know if you have a picture comparison?¡±


    Lin Chen ignored him and instead turned on the light in the closet.


    Song Shengsheng¡¯s closet was more complicated than his bedroom. There were various punk and rock outfits hanging in two rows. There were colors everywhere that didn¡¯t seem to match any pattern at all.


    What was more frightening was that the closet must have been the focus of the police search, so all the clothes and accessories were scattered about, looking like a disaster scene.


    Wang Chao patted Lu Xu on the back heavily and shouted, ¡°Fatty, don¡¯t question others casually if you don¡¯t understand, especially my A¡¯Chen Gege!¡±


    This feeling of being touted was bizarre. As Lin Chen continued to observe the closet, Xing Conglian stood beside him and turned to the two of them and said, ¡°Okay, shut up.¡±


    ¡°Have you found any important clues?¡± Wang Chao ran to them in a flash. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, do you need me to show you the photos of the scene?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Wang Chao dashed to the living room, then rushed back to the laptop. He was always reliable in this regard and had also sent a copy to Xing Conglian¡¯s phone.


    Lin Chen looked at the photo once again.


    In fact, although the police had taken live photos of the scene, they couldn¡¯t possibly capture all the details, and even fewer of those photos would actually be included in the file.


    Fortunately, the closet had a simple structure that was similar to a hotel¡¯s.


    He looked at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°Captain Xing?¡±


    ¡°One person takes each side,¡± Xing Conglian replied with a smile.


    Lin Chen nodded. Without delay, he and Xing Conglian turned their backs to each other and began to compare the photos with the current closet. They slowly walked from one end of the closet to the other, and finally, they met at the end.


    Xing Conglian shook his head and put his phone in his pocket. Lin Chen sighed. He looked at the time in the upper right corner of the laptop. It was now 11:05. They really didn¡¯t have much time.


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Wang Chao craned his neck as he asked anxiously when he saw the two of them exiting the closet.


    Lin Chen handed the laptop back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s actually not very likely that Lu Xu¡¯s brother took any clothing items. We¡¯re doing this as a just in case.¡±


    ¡°What could it be?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Lin Chen walked out of the bedroom, glanced at the layout of the house, and walked to the room at the end of the corridor.


    He gently put his hand on the door and turned the doorknob gently.


    The room was pitch black.


    Probably because he felt he had been standing at the door for too long, Wang Chao rushed in and wanted to open the window, but suddenly slammed into something. The teenager screamed in pain as a chain of clanging noises sounded in the room.


    Lin Chen raised his hand and pressed the light switch.


    With a soft click, warm yellow light covered the room like water, as gentle as music.


    When looking at the photos of Song Shengsheng¡¯s house just now, Lin Chen suddenly saw a small room in the photos at the scene, so he walked over.


    It was a simple recording studio, and this room was that.

 CH 139

    Naturally, a private home recording studio was different from a regular recording studio, but with Song Shengsheng¡¯s decent income, the equipment he could afford was quite good. Though the recording studio wasn¡¯t large, it actually had everything it needed.


    There was a thick layer of carpet on the ground, and the walls were professionally soundproofed with noise-absorbing sponges. Because of the need for quiet, there were no windows. A wall separated the recording studio into two parts: the studio and the control room.


    The air was turbid, and the floor outside was full of things that were knocked down by Wang Chao. There were two chairs and some large musical instruments stacked on them. They look scattered and seem to have no use.


    As a result, the outside looked extremely chaotic. It was a far cry from Song Shengsheng¡¯s clean and tidy living room and bedroom. Nine years later, the smell of smoke still lingered, and there were still obvious traces left by heavy instruments on the walls and floors.


    Lin Chen withdrew his gaze from the wall and looked through the glass window of the control room to the studio.


    The scene inside the room was completely different from the outside. The studio was very clean and tidy. There was even a microphone stand in the corner. The music stand was neatly arranged in a row.


    Xing Conglian nodded to him, twisted the doorknob, and walked into the studio.


    Lin Chen was still standing in the control room. He turned around and continued to observe the rest of the room. Finally, his gaze fell to the back wall of the recording studio.


    There were two certificate-like objects hanging in the frame on the back wall, and then in the corner next to the frame, there were two dark gray, semi-open lockers.


    The lockers were about one person tall, and there were several baskets in the lower part that weren¡¯t covered by the cabinet door. Lin Chen walked over and moved one of them out.


    He found that there were small musical instruments in the baskets, such as maracas, triangles, and the like. There were corresponding labels on each basket. Although a long time had passed and the musical instruments were dusty, the labels were faded, and the handwriting was blurred, Lin Chen could still feel Song Shengsheng¡¯s careful attitude towards these piecemeal instruments.


    Then he looked at a pile of things in the corner of the room.


    Whether it was a guitar with broken strings, a dilapidated bass, or even things like drum parts, those large musical instruments were thrown randomly at the corner, as if Song Shengsheng suddenly had a split personality, resulting in two different attitudes.


    Lin Chen put the basket back in its original position, stood up, and opened the cabinet door.


    The moment he opened the cabinet, his hand rested on the handle for a long time.


    He thought this was probably what he was looking for.


    Rather, it wasn¡¯t correct to say that because what he wanted wasn¡¯t behind the door.


    Footsteps sounded from the studio and stopped beside him. Lin Chen felt a hand on his shoulder.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything. He just put on his gloves, gently brushed the dividers in the cabinet, and said, ¡°Lu Xu¡¯s brother took some CDs from here?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Lin Chen replied lightly.


    There were three layers of CDs neatly stacked behind the cabinet door. Lin Chen¡¯s eyes moved to the bottom layer, which was empty.


    For people who collected books, they should understand that when a certain cabinet became suddenly emptied after being filled with books for so long, the place where the books were taken would be obviously brighter than other places. So what Xing Conglian brushed over was the light-dark boundary of what was missing.


    The CDs on the bottom layer had obviously been cleaned up, and the person who did this was most likely Lu Xu¡¯s brother.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s finger fell on the label on the side of the cabinet door. He read softly, ¡°From 2003 to¡­¡±


    There was nothing after ¡°to¡± because nothing was written on the label.


    ¡°2003¨C2007,¡± Lin Chen continued.


    After he finished speaking, he took down a CD from the top shelf and opened it. The label on the CD shows: ¡°2000.1.3, snow, garbage.¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao?¡± Lin Chen turned his head and shouted softly.


    ¡°Here!¡± The teenager stood up straight and shouted back in response.


    ¡°Can you put this CD in?¡± Lin Chen handed it over.


    Wang Chao snapped his fingers, fiddled with Song Shengsheng¡¯s equipment for a while, and then a singing voice immediately flowed through a pair of high-end speakers.


    Although the singing voice sounded distant and ethereal, Lin Chen confirmed that it was Song Shengsheng¡¯s song the moment he heard it.


    After all, Song Shengsheng¡¯s voice was truly unique.


    Of course, Li Jingtian was a good singer, but he couldn¡¯t match Song Shengsheng. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know whether it was because of temperament or something else that made the difference between them.


    Although on this CD, Song Shengsheng seemed to be humming casually, the moment his voice appeared, it seemed to light up the entire room.


    Such a metaphor might sound exaggerated, but the moment the singing reached Lin Chen¡¯s ear, he suddenly felt very happy, as if all sadness, melancholy, and bittersweetness had been erased, leaving only pure bliss.


    Listening to Song Shengsheng gently humming, Lin Chen looked at the dark gray cabinet in front of him again.


    If the CDs contained Song Shengsheng¡¯s songs, then the three-tier cabinets should be regarded as music samples or other music materials that Song Shengsheng made during the five years he was active. There were no years following ¡°2003-¡°.


    So 2007 should be the time of the unfilled label.


    If this was ten years ago, this cabinet of things would probably be a treasure fans would flock to in droves. Singers and musicians might even fight for any songs in this cabinet.


    But now, ten years later, the CDs were worthless. Except for those fans still checking in on Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal website, no one would take a second look at these demos.


    Those neat plastic CD cases were shining under the light, and the things in the box could be rare treasures or garbage. The value of music depended on Song Shengsheng¡¯s reputation. Thinking of this, Lin Chen felt all this was still a bit absurd.


    ¡°CA Entertainment sent someone to take away some of Song Shengsheng¡¯s demos, but they didn¡¯t take them all. They still left some. Why?¡± Xing Conglian questioned.


    Lin Chen replied, ¡°There could be many reasons. For example, if they take these demos, they can replace the music made by Song Shengsheng with someone else¡¯s name. Of course, that¡¯s a business motive. But it¡¯s also possible that Song Shengsheng¡¯s demos recorded something unspeakable, so after CA found out, they had to send someone to steal it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it!¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal for you not to understand, because I don¡¯t understand it very well either.¡± Lin Chen took a deep breath.


    Perhaps it was because the singing floating in the dust was so soothing that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes. Song Shengsheng slowly appeared in his mind, and he began to imagine him wandering in this recording studio.


    Song Shengsheng would sometimes lean in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his bedroom to write songs. If he felt that his new writing was good, he may rush into the recording studio in his pajamas to make a demo. Sometimes he would feel dissatisfied with his work, so he would turn on the table lamp and take out a pen to make some changes to the music score. Among them, the things that satisfied him or had the most commercial value would be included in the album for his fans, while the rest of the music would be thrown into this cabinet and shelved.


    Occasionally, during special times, he would take out a CD from the cabinet and listen to it, then ignore it for a long time. This kind of Song Shengsheng was the one that fans would never see, but was absolutely the real him.


    Song Shengsheng¡­


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®If music can really guide people, then this wonderful music now¡ªtell me. What exactly am I looking for? How exactly should I turn over this case? Please tell me.¡¯


    At that moment, the recording studio became quiet. There were no sounds; the music and vocals stopped.


    Lin Chen opened his eyes. The blue fluorescent characters on the CD player were still jumping, indicating the CD was still playing.


    Then, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Someone walked into the room and was talking to Song Shengsheng about tomorrow¡¯s itinerary. Song Shengsheng was a little angry. He said he was recording and asked the other person to get lost. After the other party apologized, they left.


    That person who entered was probably Song Shengsheng¡¯s manager¡­


    There was a long blank period before the sound of a door opening and closing sounded. Song Shengsheng walked back to the studio and took something out. After some subtle tuning, a pleasant guitar sound emerged. Song Shengsheng began to accompany himself and continued humming the tune of the previous song.


    After that, a beautiful piece of music was played, which could be considered a finished product. At least Lin Chen couldn¡¯t tell the difference.


    Accompanied by Song Shengsheng¡¯s song, he once again looked at the pile of broken musical instruments in the corner.


    The old musical instruments were illuminated by a very dim light.


    Lin Chen suddenly understood something. He searched stiffly for Wang Chao and then said, with difficulty, ¡°Among the materials you compiled for me, has any media reported that Li Jingtian has been to Song Shengsheng¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t seem to have seen such a report¡­ but¡­¡± Wang Chao paused, as if he wanted to stop talking.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°This large community used to house many artists under CA Entertainment, and CA¡¯s staff apartments are here too, including Li Jingtian¡¯s and Mu Zhuo¡¯s dorms.¡±


    ¡°So it was very likely that Li Jingtian would often go in and out of Song Shengsheng¡¯s home that year and it wouldn¡¯t be suspicious, right?¡±


    Wang Chao nodded vigorously.


    Lin Chen leaned back, propped up the mixer, and looked inside through the glass.


    The floors were log-colored, and a microphone stand stood on them. In addition, it was clean without a speck of dust¡­


    Despite their investigation into this case until now, Lin Chen suddenly had the urge not to continue, as if he had gone completely crazy.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Xing Conglian instantly noticed his abnormality and held his hand to give some reassurance.


    ¡°Wang Chao.¡± Lin Chen tried to control his voice so that it wouldn¡¯t tremble too much.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, tell me what you want.¡±


    ¡°Bring your laptop and play a song.¡±


    ¡°What song?¡±


    ¡°Last night, the song we listened to in the car. The one sung by Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo; Illi¡¯s most famous single.¡±


    Wang Chao was stunned and didn¡¯t know why Lin Chen had requested this.


    Xing Conglian yelled at him, ¡°Go!¡±


    The teenager rushed out like the wind. Song Shengsheng¡¯s singing suddenly stopped, and after a while, the voices of Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo sounded.


    Mu Zhuo was singing in a low voice, while Li Jingtian was backing him. The music was melodious and gentle. After a few seconds, the style suddenly turned, and unbearable screams sounded; agonizing, depressing, and desperate. It was such a realistic scream that it made people no longer believe that there could be any bright screams in the world. Among those screams, there were men, women, old and young, mixed in, as if all the malice in the world instantly poured out leaving only pain.


    Tears welled and fell from Lin Chen¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lin Chen felt someone gently rubbing his cheek with his finger. He looked up and saw the worried, dark green eyes of Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen responded, ¡°Among those screams, there are voices that belong to Song Shengsheng. Li Jingtian mixed Song Shengsheng¡¯s scream into his own song and played them to the world.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This arc¡­ is really tough to get through.

 CH 140

    Lin Chen felt he was about to lose control. This didn¡¯t mean he would do something violent or strange. He just felt like he was going crazy.


    His eardrums hurt, as if someone had whacked him in the head with a shovel, giving him tinnitus that was so painful it was impossible for him to think. Although he could see Xing Conglian¡¯s face, Wang Chao¡¯s pale face, and everything in the recording studio, when he lost control, these things seemed to lose any meaning; even if it was Xing Conglian, whom he liked so much. Nothing was making sense.


    It was like something had drained all the happiness and joy from the world, so that even the air that people breathed freely had turned into thick malice like ink, and there was a fishy smell in the air¡­


    No. There was no air. Where was he smelling these smells?


    So, the luckiest thing about this was that he knew he was losing control, just like if he were sober and knew that he was mentally ill.


    Lin Chen recovered quickly. He used all his strength to restrain these emotions. Although no psychologist would agree with the view of suppressing emotions, he didn¡¯t have the time to think about such things now.


    The original faded picture was gradually stained with some colors. What caught his eyes were the straight bridge of Xing Conglian¡¯s nose and his handsome face because he had shaved. Xing Conglian¡¯s hand covered his cheek, and his thumb was pressed tightly behind Lin Chen¡¯s ear. He was so close to him that Lin Chen suspected Xing Conglian had been calling his name for a while, and when that didn¡¯t work, he took a slightly ambiguous posture to try and wake him up.


    Lin Chen stepped back a little, wiped away his tears, and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned, but he didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen felt the rough calluses on Xing Conglian¡¯s finger and the heat of his palm, but he couldn¡¯t understand Xing Conglian. Frankly, if there were people in this world who sometimes couldn¡¯t understand, one of them would be Xing Conglian.


    Sure enough, as soon as he opened his mouth, Xing Conglian¡¯s face became as gloomy as dripping water. Xing Conglian let go and returned to the stereo to turn off the music. He then turned around to the other two people in the recording studio and said, ¡°Get out.¡±


    Wang Chao was exceptionally resourceful this time. The teenager didn¡¯t say a word as he dragged Lu Xu out without looking back, and also remembered to close the door on his way out.


    The noise of a door slamming sounded.


    Xing Conglian pointed to the sofa next to the stereo and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Come here. Sit down.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the dusty sofa and hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile.¡±


    Xing Conglian stood there, ignoring him. He gave Lin Chen a gloomy look as if he were saying, ¡°Come here and don¡¯t make me repeat it a second time.¡±


    Lin Chen thought about the possibility of Xing Conglian saying this next, so he walked over obediently. He moved to the side and took just half a seat. However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t intend to let him just sit. He looked down at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you just now?¡±


    Xing Conglian also asked him this in front of the ICU after he witnessed Xu Ran¡¯s accident, but his tone this time was much worse than before.


    After asking, Xing Conglian added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you say you need to take it easy or use any scientific name to prevaricate me. You¡¯re in a very bad state right now.¡±


    Lin Chen bowed his head slightly, feeling ashamed. Xing Conglian was sharp and more like a psychologist than himself at this time.


    Lin Chen replied calmly, ¡°It may be a panic attack. It should be the sequelae from witnessing Xu Ran¡¯s accident. It was triggered after suffering moderate emotional trauma.¡±


    But Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t soften because of his answer, as if he were judging Lin Chen¡¯s situation and whether he was concealing anything from him. After a while, Xing Conglian squatted down and was at eye level with Lin Chen. He stared at him with a cold face and a worried expression.


    ¡°Captain Xing,¡± Lin Chen leaned forward and whispered.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡± Xing Conglian showed no signs of softening. ¡°You have suffered too many traumas recently. No matter how healthy a person is, it¡¯s easy to develop problems in your situation. So now, please use your absolute professional ability to do the most objective self-evaluation and tell me, are you still able to continue and persist?¡±


    Lin Chen was grateful for such a tough and merciless tone, which made him understand that Xing Conglian regarded him as a comrade-in-arms rather than a pitiful object that needed protection because of his psychological fragility. If Xing Conglian comforted him with soft words at this time, it would only embarrass him.


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°What if I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    When Xing Conglian said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it¡±, his eyes were cold, as if there was no emotion involved. Lin Chen didn¡¯t even have any doubt that if he had said ¡°No¡±, Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take out his phone and send out some kind of death star and directly eliminate Li Jingtian. Of course, this would be a plot that Wang Chao would make up, but Xing Conglian¡¯s expression made it clear to Lin Chen that he would really do something similar.


    ¡°The situation may be worse than I estimated. Psychological trauma is indeed different from the trauma of a stab wound, but as long as the police reimburse me for the cost of counseling after closing this case, there shouldn¡¯t be a big problem,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian still stared at him, trying to see if he was lying from his expression. Lin Chen didn¡¯t dare look away. In fact, he certainly didn¡¯t dare tell Xing Conglian that one-third of patients with panic disorder* often suffered from severe depression. Although it wasn¡¯t that serious, human understanding of mental diseases was far less than that of obvious physical diseases. Even he couldn¡¯t judge how his own problem would develop.


    *Mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is going to happen.


    Xing Conglian nodded, as if he approved of his explanation, and finally stood up and sat down next to him on the sofa.


    Lin Chen felt the depression of the sofa.


    If this were normal, Xing Conglian would light a cigarette now, but since this was a crime scene, he obviously couldn¡¯t. ¡°Now tell me, why did you make that inference, and what do you need me to do.¡±


    Lin Chen leaned on the sofa. Every trace of the air here made him uncomfortable. He stabilized his breath, pointed to the musical instruments that Wang Chao had knocked down, and said, ¡°First of all, I have seen the guitar in Song Shengsheng¡¯s room. It¡¯s in a completely different state from the pile of garbage in the recording studio. With Song Shengsheng¡¯s serious attitude towards musical instruments, it doesn¡¯t look like those were used by him.¡±


    ¡°So you suspected it was used by Li Jingtian. He came and used Song Shengsheng¡¯s recording studio?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a suspicion, but even if we find Li Jingtian¡¯s fingerprints or DNA on it, it¡¯s not enough, and I really hope we don¡¯t detect Song Shengsheng¡¯s blood on it.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and said, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°With Li Jingtian¡¯s extremely distorted attitude towards Song Shengsheng, he must do everything he can to humiliate him. What could be more exciting than humiliating Song Shengsheng in his most private and proudest place?¡±


    ¡°Right here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Chen looked at the clean and tidy recording studio, feeling a bit unbearable. He hoped that the inferences he made were all delusions and that Song Shengsheng had never experienced what he was thinking. ¡°The control room is a mess, but the recording studio is clean and tidy. All the microphones and instrument stands have been moved aside. If I¡¯m not mistaken¡­¡±


    ¡°The inside is clean and tidy because Li Jingtian often tortures Song Shengsheng inside.¡± Xing Conglian had a rare tremor in his voice.


    Lin Chen looked away but couldn¡¯t help wondering what Song Shengsheng had experienced in that small room. ¡°I know that such inferences are wild, but I have seen the photos of the scene. The brackets were placed like this before the police did their search. Of course, it may also be that Song Shengsheng had cleaned it the day before¡­¡±


    When Lin Chen said this, he couldn¡¯t continue.


    How he wished it was because Song Shengsheng had cleaned the recording studio on a whim the day before.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Li Jingtian recorded the whole process while torturing Song Shengsheng, and he also intercepted Song Shengsheng¡¯s screams and mixed them into his own song. When CA Entertainment realized this afterwards, but couldn¡¯t find the master tape or were afraid there was a copy, they sent Lu Xu and his brother to Song Shengsheng¡¯s home to take away all the tapes during that time?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Lin Chen felt his eardrums tingle again. The entire recording studio seemed to be surrounded by Song Shengsheng¡¯s heart-wrenching cries for help. Although it was extremely uncomfortable, he had to finish. ¡°Song Shengsheng has a habit of recording music tapes at home. He may be alone when recording, so he wouldn¡¯t press pause in time. Perhaps occasionally Li Jingtian would come and find that Song Shengsheng was recording his songs, so he raped him on a whim, and those voices happened to be recorded. Li Jingtian left the tape, or¡­¡± Lin Chen took a deep breath. ¡°Li Jingtian specially dragged Song Shengsheng by the hair into the recording room and tortured him over and over again. He forced Song Shengsheng to scream in the bleakest voice and then recorded it. He would play those screams of Song Shengsheng to him over and over again¡­ and even¡­ put those screams and begs for mercy in his album to play to Song Shengsheng again and again.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Xing Conglian quickly interrupted him. ¡°Stop thinking about those things just to explain them to me.¡±


    Lin Chen knew his concern, but he still said, ¡°It¡¯s not like if I don¡¯t think about it, they would never appear again.¡± He looked at the cold floor. ¡°If they happened and really existed, they would always be there.¡±


    ¡°Until justice is sought,¡± Xing Conglian stated.


    ¡°Yes, until justice is sought,¡± Lin Chen said calmly. ¡°But I have no evidence. Even if the screams in Li Jingtian¡¯s song are really mixed with Song Shengsheng¡¯s screams, as I guessed, those sounds may have been processed by tuning or other mixing methods, so it¡¯s difficult to identify them as Song Shengsheng¡¯s voice. Even if the identification is successful, Li Jingtian can easily say he didn¡¯t know the source of those materials.¡±


    ¡°So the only evidence that Li Jingtian cannot turn over is the complete original tape he recorded when he raped Song Shengsheng.¡± Xing Conglian said, ¡°And Mu Zhuo is worried that Li Jingtian didn¡¯t destroy that original tape.¡±


    Finally, Lin Chen showed a very cold smile. ¡°Yes, I suspect it¡¯s very likely that CA Entertainment didn¡¯t find the original tape in the end, and even if they did, Li Jingtian must have a copy in his hand.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at his watch and said, ¡°Then, Consultant Lin, we need to get it out of Li Jingtian¡¯s hands within three and a half hours.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Now we first need a voiceprint identification expert to confirm that there is indeed Song Shengsheng¡¯s voice in Li Jingtian¡¯s album, but¡­¡± Lin Chen was a little worried. ¡°The time is too short. Voiceprint identification is a very complicated process, and we may not even be able to find such an expert in time.¡±


    ¡°Coincidentally, I know such a person, and he must have time,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen wanted to ask who it was, but before he could speak, there was a knock on the door.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t push the door directly in, but said anxiously through the door panel, ¡°Captain, Li Jingtian is holding a press conference at the entrance of the embassy. Come out and watch!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen was startled and couldn¡¯t help standing up and walking to the door. The moment he put his hand on the doorknob, he felt his other hand being grabbed suddenly. His figure swayed as Xing Conglian pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.

 CH 141

    Xing Conglian patted him on the back with some force and then let him go. The process was short.


    Lin Chen even had a hard time understanding the meaning of this hug. It was probably encouragement, support, or worry. It wasn¡¯t until now that Lin Chen realized Xing Conglian was a typical example of someone who didn¡¯t display his emotions. He couldn¡¯t even figure out why Xing Conglian gave him this hug, but naturally, this hug came too suddenly, and the posture was ambiguous. There was still the slight heat that Xing Conglian left on his body, which made his ears red.


    Lin Chen thought this reaction was normal, but when they opened the door and saw the strange eyes of Wang Chao examining them, he felt inexplicably guilty.


    The TV in the living room was turned on, and the chaotic background sound of the live broadcast filled the entire room.


    The noise of people, the same broadcasting sound of new reporters, and the occasional sound of cars driving into the embassy fill the entire picture, creating a complex scene that made people feel excited, like they were witnessing history in the making.


    The embassy of Xinni stood against such a complicated background of sounds. The main building of Xinni was standard Xinni architecture, with red walls and gray tiles. Because it was an equatorial country, the rainforest atmosphere gave off a calm feeling, much like the rainforest nations¡¯ guardians protecting the people of that land from the evil that it bred.


    After the panoramic view of the street, the director finally cut the screen to the reporters at the scene. Lin Chen looked at the sign and saw Yongchuan Satellite TV doing a live feed.


    ¡°In response to yesterday¡¯s uproar over the throat-slitting case and the previous case of sexual assault, singer Li Jingtian will hold a press conference at the entrance of the Xinni Embassy at 12:00. Previously, Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s manager, Ms. Liu Ying, revealed to reporters that due to multiple instances of unfair judicial treatment suffered in China, Mr. Li Jingtian will choose to return to Xinni at 15:30 this afternoon under the protection of embassy personnel. We will contact Inspector Huang Ze, the Inspector of the Supervision Department of the Police Department, on this matter.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed inwardly. What a coincidence.


    A moment later, Inspector Huang¡¯s gloomy face appeared on the TV screen. He was wearing a plaster cast. Obviously, he was injured in the stampede accident yesterday. The interview location isn¡¯t in the hospital but in the office building of the police department. Behind Huang Ze was a huge golden police badge. Presumably, they made too much noise yesterday and today, so Inspector Huang had to end his sick leave early to deal with this mess.


    Naturally, this was what Lin Chen was guessing was in Huang Ze¡¯s mind.


    Facing the reporter¡¯s microphone, Huang Ze¡¯s face was livid.


    ¡°May I ask if the Hongjing Police have determined that Mr. Li Jingtian committed sexual assault against Xu Ran, and therefore the investigation on that case has been reopened? At the same time, what is the official position of the Supervision Department regarding the unauthorized cross-provincial investigation by the Hongjing Police and the threat to Mr. Mu Zhuo, an artist of CA Entertainment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the case is still under investigation, so I have no comment.¡± Huang Ze¡¯s voice was so cold that it seemed to freeze everything as it dripped to the ground. He looked deeply into the camera. Lin Chen had the illusion that this was a warning to him.


    Because Huang Ze was difficult to deal with and seemed too lazy to deal with them, the director deftly cut the picture and switched to the previous interview with Mu Zhuo.


    On the bustling lawn, Mu Zhuo faced the media alone. It seemed to be a routine interview before the Watermelon Music Festival. The youthful rocker on camera looked angry. He complained, ¡°Why are we artists always in a vulnerable position? The pervasiveness of entertainment journalists has robbed us of our dignity and privacy. Usually, when we call the police, we don¡¯t see them investigate so seriously. Why do the police have to hold so tightly when it comes to artists? The point is, the questions they asked me about Jingtian blew me away!¡±


    A reporter asked, ¡°Is the Hongjing Police still investigating the sexual assault case of Mr. Li Jingtian against Ms. Xu Ran?¡±


    ¡°Yes! They tried forcing me to say that Jingtian was guilty, but Jingtian is not that kind of person. I swear on my character!¡±


    That was the end of the lawn interview recap.


    Lin Chen could imagine how crazy the audience in front of the TV, especially the female fans, would be when they hear these words, but he felt calm. Mu Zhuo had such a smug look on his face when he said ¡°character¡±, as if no one in the world would ever find out what he had done.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± Lu Xu, who had been coaching, bit the coffee table, and suddenly looked up.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can I throw up?¡±


    Lin Chen frowned. Lu Xu was expressing dissatisfaction with Mu Zhuo¡¯s speech. Even a person like Lu Xu felt disgusted and wanted to vomit, which showed just how revolting Mu Zhuo was.


    Although the live broadcast was still in progress, the flashing pictures could no longer arouse Lin Chen¡¯s interest.


    Sometimes, a photo of Xu Ran would appear on TV, and sometimes it would cut to the stampede in the shopping mall yesterday. His and Xing Conglian¡¯s names were repeatedly mentioned.


    The news briefly mentioned their contribution in dealing with the stampede in Ansheng International Mall and then sorted out the context of their cross-provincial pursuit of Li Jingtian¡¯s case overnight. They were like two vicious dogs chasing Li Jingtian, determined to put him to death, which was actually the reality.


    Interestingly, in the timeline compiled by the reporters, the section regarding Royal One was erased. It wasn¡¯t difficult to guess who was behind the promotion of these news reports.


    In fact, Lu Xu was right. CA Entertainment was more powerful than they thought.


    The live broadcast footage once again returned to the entrance of the Xinni Embassy in Yongchuan. The sky was blue, and the clouds were white. The tall ginkgo and camphor trees around the embassy were lush. The reporters surrounded the embassy in an orderly manner. The official press conference was about ten minutes away. The reporters who were still outside the embassy were probably those who were not invited because the media behind them weren¡¯t big enough.


    The real location of the press conference was a two-story assembly hall next to the Xinni Embassy, which technically wasn¡¯t within the scope of the Xinni Embassy, so photography and recordings were allowed.


    The director finally cut the picture to the door of the assembly hall.


    People holding protest signs surrounded the garden outside the two-story building. They wore red t-shirts and black masks, which were the standard outfits for Li Jingtian¡¯s fans.


    The slogans on the protest signs they held roughly showed things like ¡°Defend¡±, ¡°Jing*Tian¡±, ¡°Police Injustice¡±, and ¡°Equal Treatment¡±. The slogans were painted on pure black cardboard in blood red or white by fans, which particularly showed a bleak scene.


    A similar situation probably only occurred where there was a major territorial dispute. In any case, it seems quite odd that such a thing would appear at a singer¡¯s press conference.


    To be honest, Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect that things would develop into such an uproar. Theoretically, no matter what the attitude of Xinni was towards Li Jingtian, while they could provide him with diplomatic protection, they shouldn¡¯t show such a clear attitude towards protecting him. But now, not only had the Xinni Embassy done so, but they also had the momentum of protecting him all the way to the end, to the point where an ordinary criminal case was about to escalate into a diplomatic dispute.


    However, the term ¡°diplomatic dispute¡± may not be appropriate, since both foreign and domestic fans were actually supporting Li Jingtian, while they were the enemy.


    Lin Chen thought that for Li Jingtian, just imagining the attention cast on him from their country and abroad, he was probably in an orgasmic state.


    It could be said that Lin Chen was probably the person who knew Li Jingtian the best in the world.


    Li Jingtian was indeed extremely happy now.


    He was sitting in a dressing room backstage at the assembly hall, holding a glass of lemonade while biting the straw carefully. The reason he was careful was that the makeup artist had just applied the last layer of powder on him, making his lips paler. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t destroy such an outstanding work of art.


    He put down the cup and let the makeup artist adjust his final makeup. The person in the mirror looked weak and haggard, like crystal glass that could break at the slightest touch. If he appeared in front of the public, even onlookers who didn¡¯t like him would be sympathetic.


    After all, as a poor artist who was coerced by the police, after experiencing so many things, he was disheartened and was ready to leave. Was there anything more explosive than this?


    He didn¡¯t know what kind of medicine those two policemen had wrongly taken when they wanted to investigate an old case from nine years ago, so much so that the company executives, who originally wanted to calm things down, finally decided to fight back. The counterattack strategy had nothing to do with him. Whether they would win or not, na?ve people would always believe that good always prevails over evil, which was quite laughable.


    And as long as he enjoyed the benefits during this period¡ªthe thought of his face appearing in streets and alleys, the thought of his voice filling the big screens in commercial squares, the thought of drivers in every car on the road waiting to hear him speak¡ªLi Jingtian was so excited that his groin had hardened to the point where he could cum at any moment.


    Just when he was immersed in such a pleasant fantasy world, a worried woman¡¯s voice suddenly sounded beside him. ¡°Jingtian, is this really okay?¡±


    Li Jingtian almost trembled. He wanted to pick up the chair and smash the woman on the head, but he held back. Of course, the news he wanted wasn¡¯t that a top star had killed his manager, so it wouldn¡¯t happen. He must not get too excited.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Li Jingtian pushed away the makeup chair and stood up. He patted Liu Ying on the arm and said softly, ¡°Everything is arranged at home. We¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°But do we really have to make things so big? Anyway, we¡¯re leaving soon. Wouldn¡¯t it be causing too much trouble holding a press conference?¡±


    The woman raised her head. Under the exquisite makeup, she revealed a timid gaze. This face, especially the cautious eyes, made Li Jingtian almost unable to contain his anger. He took a breath to control his emotions and said, ¡°We have backed down. If this was just about my reputation, I could leave it at that, but now this matter is related to the reputation of my family. Grandpa called specifically, so I really can¡¯t back down anymore. Sorry.¡±


    He said this with such emotion that the idiot woman in front of him really looked like she was moved.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡± He put down his glass as he said this to her.

 CH 142

    ¡°It¡¯s time!¡±


    At the entrance of the assembly hall on the south side of the Xinni Embassy, someone said something similar to Li Jingtian.


    Only compared to Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s excited and impatient tone, the person who said this was quite anxious. He looked down at his watch and then shouted to his companion, ¡°It¡¯s really too late!¡±


    The other person who was urged didn¡¯t feel the slightest tension. His hair was soft amber, and his eyes were gentle. At this moment, he was standing contentedly under the camphor tree, holding a camera in his hand, and shooting at the crazy female fans around him, like a dedicated reporter.


    Seeing that his companion was so addicted to the long legs of the girls without a care, the one who was a bit short and fat finally took out his phone anxiously. ¡°If you don¡¯t call shixiong, then I will!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Finally, the man put down his camera and leaned against the camphor tree as he replied slowly.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Why didn¡¯t you tell shixiong? Maybe he needs our help. There must be something wrong with Li Jingtian.¡±


    ¡°Since he has use for you, why are you in such a rush?¡± the other party asked rhetorically.


    ¡°I¡­ I have to help!¡±


    ¡°Help with what? Fate?¡±


    After saying this, the man looked at the live video of Yongchuan Satellite TV from a distance and smiled slightly at the camera.


    At this moment, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know there were strange people trying to communicate with him through the live broadcast. He was standing in front of Song Shengsheng¡¯s TV, staring at the live news in silence.


    The anchor was doing the final background introduction before the live broadcast. Yongchuan Satellite TV¡¯s in-field camera was installed at the end of the venue, giving a huge panoramic view of the entire area.


    The assembly hall of the exchange center wasn¡¯t very large. It was filled with dark green tables and chairs that were occupied with journalists whispering to each other. The background cloth on the podium had the words ¡°Mr. Li Jingtian¡¯s Press Conference¡± written on it. Although time was tight, Li Jingtian¡¯s team still remembered to make this backdrop. Obviously, it meant this press conference wasn¡¯t just a whim.


    It was five minutes past noon. The host finally walked out of the backstage. It was only when the host, wearing a standard suit, stood on the podium that the reporters in the audience stopped talking and whispering. Such standard actions weren¡¯t normally seen at a celebrity press conference and were usually reserved for serious government press conferences, where journalists had to be obedient.


    As a result, the venue fell silent, giving off quite an unpleasant atmosphere.


    The host, probably realizing that there were countless pairs of eyes watching him, coughed lightly and said proudly, ¡°The conference is about to begin. Please adjust your phones to silent and abide by the corresponding venue etiquette. After Mr. Li Jingtian speaks, everyone will be given ten minutes to ask questions. Please prepare your questions beforehand. The candidates for questioning will be selected by Mr. Li Jingtian. Thank you for your cooperation.¡±


    Looking at the host¡¯s high-strung face, Lin Chen felt this was all unbelievable. The criminal suspect was holding a press conference with great fanfare, but they, the so-called police, could only stand in front of a TV to watch the live broadcast. They allowed Li Jingtian to turn black and white; not to mention seeking justice for the victims, they couldn¡¯t even do the most basic thing and be present there. This sense of powerlessness was excruciating.


    He had never wished to appear on the live broadcast as much as he did now, but Fengchun was hundreds of kilometers away from Yongchuan, and technology like space teleportation was still being developed, so naturally he couldn¡¯t be there now.


    Just as Lin Chen was making this unspoken wish, the director once again gave Li Jingtian¡¯s support, holding their banners outside the venue for one last broadcast.


    The camera swept across the excited crowd under the scorching sun. Everyone¡¯s eyes were flushed with anger. They chanted the slogan ¡°Protect¡±, as if they were forming an unstoppable torrent. Among this angry crowd, the only ones who were calmly smiling became particularly eye-catching.


    Lin Chen thought he was hallucinating.


    He closed his eyes subconsciously, and when he opened them again, the TV screen had cut back to inside the venue.


    He looked around and saw that both Wang Chao and Xing Conglian were in a daze, just like he was now. Lin Chen knew it wasn¡¯t just him who was seeing things.


    ¡°I¡­ Did I just see a big pervert?¡± Wang Chao asked tentatively.


    Ever since he had experienced someone¡¯s mental torture in Yongchuan, Wang Chao was used to calling Su Fengzi by that name. When thinking of him, Lin Chen had an inexplicable feeling. Are you kidding me? Why is Su Fengzi on the sidelines?


    ¡°The one next to him¡­ is that Professor Fu?¡± Xing Conglian inquired, as if he hadn¡¯t fully grasped the situation.


    However, no one answered his question.


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, the two of them took out their phones at the same time, as excited as a lottery player who just saw they had won the jackpot on TV and was planning to call the lottery center immediately. In fact, this feeling was really no different from winning five million.


    The moment the phone connected, Lin Chen almost couldn¡¯t help yelling, ¡°Su Fengzi, are you kidding me? Why didn¡¯t you call me earlier?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fun to hear you get angry.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you actually cursed. Are you upset that I¡¯m here? Why do you want me to fuck off?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very happy.¡± Lin Chen gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Is he happy too?¡± Su Fengzi asked.


    Lin Chen subconsciously looked at Xing Conglian, who was obviously talking to Fu Hao. Professor Fu was talking non-stop, most likely complaining about Su Fengzi.


    ¡°He¡¯s also very happy.¡± Lin Chen said it with extreme emphasis.


    ¡°Just be happy¡­¡± Su Fengzi laughed. Lin Chen was about to speak, but he interrupted, ¡°Then, please ask that kid next to you to get on the line.¡±


    When Wang Chao heard him talking to Su Fengzi, he had already shrunk to the far corner of the sofa. Lin Chen turned it on speaker and forcefully pushed the phone over.


    ¡°Wang Chao~¡­¡± Su Fengzi stretched his tone.


    ¡°Why are you looking for me?!¡± Wang Chao shouted boldly.


    ¡°I¡¯m now walking towards the entrance of the press conference hall, about 300 meters away from the security guards checking the invitation letter. If your A¡¯Chen Gege needs my help, then please prepare an invitation letter for me and Professor Fu to attend the conference within 60 seconds¡­¡±


    Wang Chao looked at the phone and was stunned. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You see, the press conference was so sudden that there was no time to send paper invites, so the reporters only got¡­¡±


    ¡°Electronic invitations!¡± Wang Chao replied.


    ¡°Yes. There are only 50 seconds left.¡±


    The next moment, the teenager dropped the phone, jumped from the sofa as if he were flying, and rushed frantically to the laptop on the dining table. He began to tap the keyboard at an unprecedented speed.


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring him.¡± Lin Chen turned off the phone from speaker.


    ¡°Hey, listening to you say that, it sounds like you already got married and became a stepmother to others.¡± Su Fengzi laughed.


    Lin Chen almost had the urge to drop the phone.


    Su Fengzi changed the subject and said seriously, ¡°Okay, tell me. What is going on with Li Jingtian?¡±


    When Su Fengzi asked this, he didn¡¯t want the details, so Lin Chen only said to him, ¡°The crime is heinous.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Fengzi said.


    The background sounds on the phone gradually quiet down. He could hear Su Fengzi walking up steps. He seemed to have reached the security checkpoint.


    He took a deep breath and then said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. We came as soon as we received the call from the agency, but the traffic jam on the road was too severe. I¡¯m not too late yet, right?¡±


    ¡°Sir, please show me your ID and electronic invitation,¡± the security guard said in a businesslike tone.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Su Fengzi put down his phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s in my email.¡±


    After he finished saying this, he hung up the phone.


    He exited the call interface and the moment he opened his email, the prompt of +1 mail lit up.


    Su Fengzi laughed, clicked on the scan code in the email, and handed it over with his ID.


    He turned his head and saw Fu Hao running up the steps, panting.


    ¡°I also have a colleague. So sorry,¡± Su Fengzi leaned slightly toward the security guard as he said this.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen could no longer hear Su Fengzi¡¯s voice.


    Since the time he hung up, the director had fixed the TV screen at the podium. Because Li Jingtian had just walked out of the backstage area and onto the podium, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.


    The anchor said excitedly, ¡°After weeks of the sexual assault scandal and yesterday¡¯s throat-slitting incident, Mr. Li Jingtian is finally holding a press conference to face the public and answer their questions for the first time. Regardless of the truth, let us first applaud such courage.¡±


    The anchor¡¯s voice was spoken to the audience in front of the TV, but the applause inside and outside the venue was exactly the same. Some people even blew whistles off the stage as flashes kept blinking, brightly illuminating the venue.


    Lin Chen watched as Li Jingtian walked on stage amidst the applause.


    The moment he saw Li Jingtian again, Lin Chen found that he was much calmer than he thought.


    The singer maintained a humble and decent expression, as if to show respect for this occasion. He wore a suitable light gray suit and had his hair combed back, which was held together by hairspray and revealed his smooth forehead. His face was pale and blue; a complexion that was completely different from when Lin Chen met him yesterday. Presumably the makeup artist had put in much effort to make the singer look haggard and pitiful.


    Li Jingtian slowly took to the stage. After he stood up on the stage, the first thing he did was bow to everyone at 90 degrees. There was a burst of applause from the audience, which seemed like they were welcoming a hero¡¯s commendation, which just made everything all the more ridiculous.


    But Lin Chen was no longer angry by these applause, because that kind of anger was meaningless other than occupying emotions.


    He keenly noticed there were two groups of black-clothed security personnel on both sides of the podium. That was the same group of people who picked up Li Jingtian from the hospital. He thought of these embassy staff who had diplomatic immunity and were armed.


    Lin Chen thought that what Su Fengzi was going to do next might be a bit dangerous.

 CH 143

    The applause stopped and Li Jingtian finally took his seat.


    He nodded to the host and dragged the microphone in front of him. He looked weak, but his temperament was neither too humble nor overbearing. He didn¡¯t even need a script. He faced the camera and spoke slowly.


    ¡°Today, I specially invited everyone to come here because of my business. I¡¯m really sorry. Before I went on stage, I thought about a lot of things to say, including how to correctly state that I have proven my innocence. To tell you the truth, I even thought about how to say things that would make me appear more credible. For this reason, my company has drafted a great speech for me. Believe me, it was written professionally, but the moment before I got on stage, I felt I didn¡¯t need it. My fans, including you, didn¡¯t come to listen to some formulaic report, so I came here to say two things. First, I did not rape Xu Ran, and second, I didn¡¯t have any role in the Ansheng International Mall throat-slitting case.¡±


    After Li Jingtian made his two points clearly, he got up and bowed again. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    No one expected Li Jingtian¡¯s speech to be so concise and straightforward.


    It was also because of the simplicity that there was an unspeakable strength.


    ¡°How amazing,¡± Lin Chen said coldly.


    ¡°Have you figured out what to do?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Eh, A¡¯Chen Gege, don¡¯t you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°What plan can I have?¡±


    ¡°But Professor Fu and that pervert have entered the venue. What do we want them to do? No matter what, we have to fight back since Li Jingtian is so arrogant!¡± Wang Chao clenched his fists.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any substantive evidence so far.¡± Lin Chen emphasized the word ¡°substantive¡±.


    ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Wang Chao pointed to the tough and confident singer on TV and said, ¡°He¡¯s right there. We have to do something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lin Chen nodded.


    Following Li Jingtian¡¯s brief speech, the press conference entered the question session.


    Li Jingtian was familiar with the major media platforms. Most of the reporters who could enter were good friends with CA Entertainment, so the first reporter he picked naturally asked a question that suited him best. ¡°Hello, Mr. Li Jingtian. I¡¯m a reporter from LA International TV. My question is, it¡¯s true that you experienced a very difficult few weeks after being accused of rape, but during that time, you didn¡¯t hold any press conferences. What prompted you to come to the stage today and face the public?¡±


    Hearing this question, Li Jingtian¡¯s face was serious. He put down the cup of water and slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m very happy to answer your question. If you ask me why, I can tell you it¡¯s because of my own selfishness. I am also a human. After all these kinds of unfair investigations, I will also feel resentful and don¡¯t want to bear it any longer. Why should I bear these trumped-up charges? Of course I have to come out and explain everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid your purpose is not so simple. You just mentioned ¡®unfair investigation¡¯. Are you protesting the investigation of our country¡¯s police?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it can¡¯t be called a protest.¡± Li Jingtian and the reporter matched each other tacitly, as if they were dancing in perfect harmony. ¡°I know that the police in your country are only doing what they are supposed to do. To be honest, my reputation has been ruined after this incident. I¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry in the future, but what did I do wrong? Just because some prostitute accused me of raping her, do I have to be humiliated hundreds of times? Is this the so-called judicial justice of your country? Because, compared to a vulnerable prostitute, I¡¯m a glamorous foreign star, so the police must think that I¡¯m at fault. No, I don¡¯t believe this is the so-called fairness and justice.¡± Li Jingtian took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t think the police should look at everyone with colored glasses, let alone identify us as criminals based on our identities. No matter if your status is high or low, you are entitled to the same investigation. This is true. This is the justice we all deserve.¡±


    After Li Jingtian finished speaking, the audience was silent.


    A criminal was talking about justice on stage. Was there anything more ridiculous than this? However, what was even more unbelievable was the reactions of everyone in the assembly hall, which showed that they seemed to be convinced by Li Jingtian¡¯s words. Indeed, what Li Jingtian said made sense.


    The person who interrupted the tranquility of the house was Lu Xu.


    ¡°That¡¯s a beast wearing human skin,¡± the manager of the PR department of CA Entertainment, who had never done anything good, said.


    Lu Xu¡¯s words made Lin Chen recover from an emotion that questioned the rationality of the world. He took out his phone and made a call.


    ¡­¡­


    The phone rang abruptly. It was an absurd ringtone of agricultural heavy metal music, which was commonly used in the repertoire of square dancing by aunties or fringe drag racers in urban-rural areas.


    Everyone in the entire conference looked at the source of the sound. Before the conference started, the host had warned everyone to silence their phones, so they all looked at him with anger and contempt. This kind of unqualified reporter was simply embarrassing all his colleagues.


    However, the reporter-like person didn¡¯t immediately stop the ringing. He pushed his seat away and stood up. What was unexpected was that he not only stood up but also walked up the aisle leading to the podium.


    The music singing, ¡°I love you. You don¡¯t love me, you big bastard¡± was still playing. The host finally reacted and quickly picked up the microphone and shouted, ¡°Sir, please abide by the venue etiquette!¡±


    However, the other party didn¡¯t have any intention of stopping. That person walked at an unhurried pace, as leisurely as if he were walking down a street covered with fallen leaves.


    ¡°Security, please escort this gentleman out of the venue,¡± the host angrily said.


    As soon as his voice fell, the perpetrator happened to walk up to the reporter who had asked Li Jingtian his question earlier. He took the microphone from the dumbfounded reporter, nodded to the other party, and said, ¡°Your question just now is really shameless!¡±


    The embassy¡¯s security had already rushed over. Just as they were about to capture the man, everyone suddenly heard the man speaking leisurely into the microphone. ¡°Wait~ Actually, someone wants Mr. Li Jingtian to answer the phone.¡±


    The first reaction of the security personnel was to snatch the microphone out of the reporter¡¯s hand, but the man held it with a strange force. The moment he was pressed to the ground, everyone heard him say, ¡°Hongjing Police is calling. Is Mr. Li Jingtian really unwilling to answer it?¡±


    The venue fell into a deathly silence again. Even Mr. Li Jingtian, who had always behaved decently, had a frigid expression on his face.


    The phone was still ringing.


    Lin Chen held the phone and watched the live broadcast.


    It was a completely deadlocked situation. The man who changed the situation was a man named Sheng Chenggong, because he did nothing.


    It was hard to understand, given that, from another angle, Su Fengzi should have been taken down by Xinni¡¯s security personnel before he even made it halfway to the stage, but he managed to walk safely under the podium and pick up the microphone from the first row of reporters.


    Truthfully, for the staff of the Xinni Embassy, it was shameful for them to come forward to protect a citizen of their country who may have violated the law. For example, Mr. Shen Chenggong, the embassy military attach¨¦ who was previously subdued by Xing Conglian at lightning speed, thought so. At his level, there was no need to stand up for a noble son, but the orders of his superiors couldn¡¯t be disobeyed. In short, it was difficult for a child from an aristocratic family to win goodwill wherever he went.


    So when the phone rang just now, Shen Chenggong just chewed gum as he stood on the sidelines and didn¡¯t give any orders, perfectly pushing the situation to a neutral point again.


    Because of Shen Chenggong¡¯s inaction, Su Fengzi had the chance to add one more sentence before the microphone was snatched away from him. ¡°If you dare not talk to the police directly, it¡¯ll look very suspicious on live TV.¡±


    Li Jingtian finally recovered from his consternation. He was always good at hiding his emotions. He responded with a good temper, ¡°Actually, you really don¡¯t need to do this. If the Hongjing Police want to talk to me, they can do it at any time, but your attitude and methods just now are a bit rude.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you going to pick up¡­ or not?¡± Su Fengzi asked indifferently. He was really good at dealing with people like Li Jingtian.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face stiffened again. Everyone¡¯s eyes were burning, as if expecting something.


    Finally, Li Jingtian could only grit his teeth and say, ¡°Of course. Please connect the phone.¡±


    After the phone connected, there were about three seconds of silence.


    Su Fengzi pointed the microphone at the phone¡¯s speaker, but neither Li Jingtian nor Lin Chen spoke first.


    Lin Chen took a step back and sat down on the sofa. He looked at the silent singer on the TV screen, and finally, just before Li Jingtian wanted to speak, he said, ¡°Mr. Li Jingtian, hello.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s calm voice came through the speaker of the phone, then through the microphone. It wasn¡¯t clear, but anyone at the scene could hear the solemnity in it.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, long time no see.¡± Li Jingtian nodded at the live broadcast camera with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so polite. It hasn¡¯t even been 24 hours since we last saw each other.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it really hasn¡¯t been long. I still remember the humiliation you inflicted on me yesterday, so, choosing to talk to me at my press conference¡ªdo you want to humiliate me again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, because you just asked us a question, I have to answer.¡±


    ¡°What question did I just ask?¡±


    ¡°You asked us, what did you do wrong?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s tone was full of sarcasm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Li Jingtian said.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s impossible for people like you to understand that anyone has the right to say no when it comes to sex. This power has nothing to do with gender, status, or identity. Whether it¡¯s an intimate lover or a husband and wife, even a decent prostitute has the right to say no, and any sexual intercourse against their will is rape.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was calm, as if he had transcended time and was expounding a kind of innate human power. Xing Conglian looked back at his friend sitting on the sofa and saw Lin Chen slowly open his mouth while bathing under the sun. He¡¯d never felt stronger than he did now. Lin Chen was good¡ªreally good.


    Whether it was in front of the TV or inside and outside the venue, many people were silent.


    A woman knitting a sweater stopped her needle motion in her hand, and a girl wandering on the streets stopped and looked up at the big screen on the square. The reporter stopped their shutters, and the photographer stopped shaking their heads. Even the embassy security personnel restraining Su Fengzi let go.


    Su Fengzi held up the microphone and stood upright.


    Everyone was silent; everyone was no longer silent.


    After Li Jingtian finally pinched the palm of his hand to the point of pain, he slowly said, ¡°Consultant Lin, I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view, but I hope what you just said is not implicitly alluding to what happened between me and Xu Ran.¡±


    Lin Chen interrupted Li Jingtian with a tone as if he couldn¡¯t care less about what he had to say. ¡°I¡¯m just talking about the things you did to Xu Ran. It¡¯s 12:10. Before we actually meet, you still have about an hour to consider turning yourself into the police for a lighter sentence.¡±


    Li Jingtian frowned slightly, not feeling happy or angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. No matter how hard you force me, I won¡¯t admit to these false charges. Because of your prejudices against me, for my own personal safety, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face tightened. ¡°I thought we were having a good exchange. Did you just threaten me?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Huh, put away your hypocritical rhetoric. After an hour, there will be no need to maintain your facade. If I were you, I would carefully think about it in the next hour. Among the despicable, nasty, and disgusting crimes I have committed, did I accidently miss something, and it was found by others? Of course, you can also eat and drink and find a woman or two. After all, that may be the last two hours of your freedom. I hope you can cherish it.¡± Lin Chen paused and added, ¡°Please understand, this is really a kind reminder.¡±


    Li Jingtian wanted to retort, but Lin Chen had already hung up.


    The media inside and outside the venue was in an uproar. They didn¡¯t know what was going on, but just a phone call made them look at Li Jingtian differently.


    Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t hold back his expression anymore. He got up angrily from his seat and rushed off the stage, even forgetting to bow.


    Shen Chenggong raised his brows, yawned, and waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to temporarily detain the fake reporter who made a scene.


    The sun was still shining on Song Shengsheng¡¯s house. Lin Chen slowly put down his phone and was silent.


    Wang Chao suddenly asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen, won¡¯t it take us an hour and a half to reach the Yongchuan Embassy?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°Then why did you tell Li Jingtian he only has one hour left?¡±


    ¡°Because a long-delayed guillotine is frightening, anxiety-provoking, and brings out desperation. There¡¯s no similar suffering in the world that can make people more likely to make mistakes.¡±


    Hearing Lin Chen finish his words, Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen and stretched out his hand to him. He knew very well that their siege on Li Jingtian had already begun the moment Lin Chen decided to make that call.


    Although there was no chance of winning, they had to move forward.


    Lin Chen put his hand lightly on Xing Conglian¡¯s palm and stood up.

 CH 144

    One stone stirred up a thousand waves.


    The conversation between Lin Chen and Li Jingtian at the press conference was brief, but the information it disclosed was rich in layers. This kind of plot was like a TV series that had exploded one after another. The reporters and the media were going crazy with joy. After all, this kind of police confrontation with a singer was actually far more exciting than any TV series.


    But in reality, there weren¡¯t many people who were really excited, because countless people were experiencing the pressure of that hour.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s fans almost stopped their work. While frantically refreshing WeChat and Weibo to get the latest developments, they released various support messages for their idol through the media. And there was a resurgence of people who didn¡¯t like Li Jingtian. They launched a scolding war with Li Jingtian¡¯s fans with a resolute attitude.


    In the torrent of public opinion, everyone felt that what they said was deafening enough, as if it could really turn things around.


    Among all the tense, excited, and crazy people, the one who felt the most pressure right now was, naturally, Mr. Li Jingtian.


    As soon as the call was over, he was escorted back to his guest room on the third floor by the embassy staff. Looking out the window from his perspective, he could only see a pool of swimming fish and a few stalks of bamboo. The place was so clear that he couldn¡¯t hear the voices of the people surrounding the embassy.


    But he felt that every corner of the room was full of people. The slogans of those fans and the broadcasts of reporters kept echoing in his ears. He could hardly restrain his desire to drag up a chair and smash everything in the room to pieces, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do that. On the way back, he clearly noticed a change in the way the embassy staff looked at him.


    Those eyes had changed from sympathy to disdain and suspicion. With just a few words, Lin Chen had turned him into a criminal suspect again. He didn¡¯t even need evidence to destroy the image he had worked so hard to build.


    Lin Chen¡­ Truly, he was amazing.


    Li Jingtian bit his fingers hard until the strong taste of blood appeared in his mouth. He was finally able to suppress the voices in his ears.


    He looked out the window again. Although he knew in his heart that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t get past the heavy guards, let alone arrest a protected distinguished foreign guest in another country¡¯s embassy, he couldn¡¯t stop the panic in his heart. He stood up abruptly and took out his phone.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s phone suddenly rang. At that time, they had just gotten into the Jeep and were about to set off for Yongchuan.


    Because the ringtone was special, he could already tell who was calling before the call was connected. Without hesitation, he pried the phone away from his ears. Lin Chen heard the old director¡¯s furious voice sputtering out of the speaker.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, are you fucking crazy? You made such a big mess for laozi!¡± the old director, who only liked to drink tea and walk birds*, roared.


    *Activity where you literally take your birds out for a walk. It¡¯s generally associated with the elderly.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Chief, isn¡¯t this the proper procedure for handling a case?¡±


    ¡°Due process? You made our entire group appear all over the news at noon!¡±


    Xing Conglian protested, ¡°This is the oppression of public opinion on our front-line police officers!¡±


    ¡°Oppression my ass! So it¡¯s fine for you to oppress others?!¡±


    Xing Conglian held the phone further away. Lin Chen took it from him and said softly, ¡°Director Wu.¡±


    ¡°Let me speak to Xing Conglian!¡± The old man was enraged. No matter what he says, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    Lin Chen lowered the volume to its lowest setting and bitterly handed the phone back to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Give me the bottom line, Captain Xing!¡± The old director¡¯s voice suddenly became serious. ¡°What do you want to do next, and do you need me to do something?¡±


    Lin Chen was a little moved. He knew well that the old director didn¡¯t make this call to rebuke them, but he really wanted to help. If they wanted to break into the Xinni Embassy, it would inevitably involve a series of complex diplomatic consultations and could even lead to a diplomatic dispute. All those who wanted to help could be under extraordinary pressure. Given his position, he was well aware of the challenges, but he still called them without hesitation.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian.


    He couldn¡¯t see any emotion on the captain of the criminal police division¡¯s face. Xing Conglian opened a cigarette pack and glanced at it, then said, ¡°I¡­ I want to buy a pack of cigarettes. Can you transfer me some money through Alipay, old man?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he let the old director roar for a bit, then hung up.


    ¡­¡­


    Of course, the old director wasn¡¯t the only one who was mad. Mr. Li, who was far away in Xinni, was also on the verge of panic.


    Everyone in the Li family knew that although the old man had a really bad temper, he always showed a trace of the demeanor of a master of the family outwardly. For example, when scolding, the old man would only say a few sarcastic comments at most. Rarely was he so angry that he would smash things.


    But just now, after the old man received a call from the young master, he directly dropped off a custom-made tea set by Gu Jingzhou*.


    *A famous ceramic artist from China who specializes in teapots. His works are highly valued and can sell for as much as $2 million USD.


    They didn¡¯t know what the young master said on the other end, but the old man¡¯s expression was both distressed and angry. He hung up the phone and directly dialed the number for the current Xinni ambassador to China.


    At this time, the servants were awed. After all, not everyone in the country could scold Mr. Ambassador bloody.


    The old man shouted, ¡°Luo Qiusheng, I don¡¯t care what you are thinking, but today, you dare let people humiliate the citizens of our country in public. Have you abandoned your duties? Whether you intended it or not, you have lost face for our country!¡±


    After a while, Mr. Ambassador seemed to have promised something, as Mr. Li¡¯s anger finally subsided. He lowered his voice and said slowly, ¡°Qiusheng, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m selfish. I¡¯m really doing it for your own good. Think about it. If you really cause any serious diplomatic disputes due to your improper handling, it¡¯s not just you who will suffer. With this stain, it will be very difficult for you to make further progress in your future career¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Mr. Ambassador looked at the bustling crowd outside the embassy and said calmly, ¡°Li Lao, please advise me?¡±


    ¡°What advice can an old man give, but since it has come to this, if I were you, I wouldn¡¯t let the two Hongjing policemen have the opportunity to step into the embassy gate. As long as they don¡¯t meet, when Jingtian returns to the country, you¡¯ll be clear of any faults. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to do this, right?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Mr. Ambassador hung up the phone and looked at the secretary standing at his desk silently.


    ¡°Sir?¡± the secretary said with concern.


    ¡°Is there any movement from China?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡±


    ¡°The China¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hasn¡¯t consulted with us yet. The Hongjing Police haven¡¯t submitted any applications. Could it be that the police are just bluffing?¡±


    Mr. Ambassador pondered for a moment, then slowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see what happens.¡±


    Although Mr. Ambassador did not issue any direct orders, Fu Hao, who was standing at the Xinni Embassy¡¯s gates, noticed that the security personnel guarding outside had been doubled.


    Su Fengzi, who was ¡°invited¡± in, hadn¡¯t come out yet. He anxiously held his phone, but he didn¡¯t know who to call.


    His shixiong just said that he would be there in half an hour, so he didn¡¯t want to call him again, but now that the one-hour time limit had passed, the group of fans around the embassy gate were getting crazy, as if they had turned into maniacs.


    The sun was scorching hot at noon. Reporters squatted on the side of the road in groups of two and three, eating their lunch. Impatient expressions had already appeared on their faces. If his shixiong did not arrive, this group of reporters would most likely be harshly critical of him.


    Lin Chen was unaware of Fu Hao¡¯s irritability. He was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Jeep. Outside the window were the iconic green reeds on the Yongchuan Freeway.


    Xing Conglian had adjusted the air conditioning of the car to the lowest setting. Wang Chao and Lu Xu were sleeping in the backseat, with their heads resting against each other. Lin Chen looked away and gazed at Xing Conglian, wanting to speak, but he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He hesitated because, during the past hour of driving, Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t spoken once after he finished his joke with the old director.


    Lin Chen wanted to ask him, ¡°Did I cause you trouble¡±, or ¡°What are you planning?¡±, but he thought for a second. Since this was Xing Conglian, he probably had a way, so such questions were superfluous.


    Then Lin Chen realized that he just really wanted to talk to Xing Conglian.


    At this moment, his phone rang softly. When he took it out, the ringing stopped.


    Lin Chen looked at the number and was surprised.


    While still shocked, the ringtone sounded again. Envisioning the tangled caller on the other end, Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer.


    Xing Conglian, who was driving, seemed to have guessed who was on the other end. He suddenly stretched out his hand. Looking at the arm that was outstretched to him, Lin Chen naturally handed over his phone.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t pick up and didn¡¯t even bother looking at the caller ID. He casually said, ¡°Wang Chao.¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± The teenager in the back suddenly woke up.


    Xing Conglian threw the phone back at him. ¡°Add a blacklist number for your A¡¯Chen Gege.¡±


    Wang Chao happily said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡±


    Seeing the tacit cooperation between these two, Lin Chen even suspected that if Wang Chao added the blacklist, Huang Ze¡¯s number might never appear in his phone address book for the rest of his life.


    ¡­¡­


    Inspector Huang Ze was sulking because he couldn¡¯t connect the call, while Professor Fu was squatting at the intersection two blocks away from the embassy, waiting for Xing Conglian¡¯s iconic Jeep, which had finally arrived.


    As soon as he got into the car, he shuddered from the cold air blowing into his face. He shouted anxiously, ¡°Shixiong, what the hell is going on with Li Jingtian? Su Fengzi, that psychopath, dragged me to the gates of the embassy without saying anything. Now he¡¯s being detained inside. What are you going to do? The armed forces of the embassy aren¡¯t messing around. How do we get in?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen replied calmly.


    ¡°Then, if you can¡¯t see Li Jingtian, are you going to publish the evidence directly on the internet?¡±


    ¡°There is no evidence,¡± Lin Chen replied calmly again.


    Fu Hao had an expression that was saying ¡°what the fuck?¡± on his face. He turned stiffly out the window, feeling that this world was too unreliable.


    Suddenly, as if seeing something, Fu Hao leaned forward, patted Xing Conglian¡¯s chair, and shouted, ¡°Lao Xing, you¡¯re going the wrong way. This isn¡¯t the way to the embassy.¡±


    On the side of the street were two rows of sycamores. There were no bustling crowds of people around. In early summer, when the branches and leaves were dense, the shade of the tree covered the sidewalks.


    Xing Conglian slowly parked the car by a sidewalk and braked.


    ¡°Lao Xing, what are you going to do? Don¡¯t you know that time is tight?¡± Fu Hao continued to question.


    But at that time, Xing Conglian had already opened the door and gotten out of the car. He walked through the shade of the trees into a stall on the side of the street.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Professor Fu!¡± Wang Chao patted Fu Hao¡¯s back to comfort him. ¡°Captain has a plan.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen looked towards the stall. It was an ordinary, run-down store. The shop looked dim, and there was an old lady sitting by the window.


    Lin Chen raised his head and saw the sign written in large letters: [Panpan Duoyan Mart]. The red paint on the name of the store was almost invisible due to fading.


    The appearance of an old mart on a street that was close to the embassy, where land was quite expensive, seemed a bit suspicious. Lin Chen read the name carefully, and found that under the name of the store, translations in six languages could vaguely be seen¡­


    He then looked at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian had already reached the store. The golden sunlight fell on his straight back through the gaps between the leaves.


    He knocked on the glass window of the store and handed in some money. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t hear what Xing Conglian said, but when the old lady took the money, she looked uneasy. She was staring at the banknotes for a while. Finally, the old woman took out a pack of cigarettes from the shelf and casually threw it at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian took the cigarette, didn¡¯t take any change, turned around, and left. The process was short, as if he deliberately took a detour just to buy a pack of cigarettes.


    ¡°Lao Xing, you really just bought cigarettes?!¡±


    Because of this, after Xing Conglian got into the car, Fu Hao was full of complaints.


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian unwrapped the plastic packaging of the cigarette case, stuffed a cigarette into his mouth, and remained silent.

 CH 145

    The Jeep drove through Wutong Avenue and turned into an alley.


    The alley could only accommodate two cars at most. Central air-conditioning units of the surrounding buildings hung on either side of the alley, making it even narrower.


    Lin Chen looked out the window and could see the iconic main building of the Xinni Embassy from a distance. From the route, they had roughly entered the living area behind the embassy.


    Sewage was flowing, with discarded newspapers occasionally flying in the air. There were scattered cast iron parts thrown on the ground at random. Besides the air conditioners, the most common thing in the alley were doors.


    Those were side doors in various sizes and different national styles.


    They stood on both sides of the alley. Sometimes there would be people sitting by the door, and sometimes it was empty. Most doors were closed, while those that were open looked as if there was a bottomless void inside them.


    Xing Conglian finally stopped at a random door.


    It was an ochre-colored iron door that opened to a dark green wall. There was an old man smoking a cigarette in the concierge¡¯s position. The old man was dressed in an ordinary yellow-gray plaid shirt, and he was wearing a hat that didn¡¯t match his shirt.


    Xing Conglian unbuckled his seatbelt. He looked back at the people in the car and said, ¡°Professor Fu, I have to trouble you to drive Mr. Lu to a coffee shop to rest later.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he picked up the cigarette case and his phone, then got out of the car.


    Wang Chao began to pack up his backpack without saying a word. Fu Hao looked at Lu Xu in disbelief and finally asked, ¡°Shi¡­ Shixiong¡­ I always think you¡¯re brave and righteous. If you don¡¯t come out in two hours, should I call the police?¡±


    Fu Hao started rambling, but Lin Chen only said to him, ¡°Be good.¡±


    After speaking, he and Wang Chao nodded and opened the car door, respectively.


    When they got out of the car, Xing Conglian had already walked to the edge of the ochre-iron gate. Half of his body was obscured by the shadow from the concierge¡¯s awning.


    Xing Conglian knocked on the window. The old man in the concierge¡¯s office glanced at him impatiently, as if he were evaluating whether it was worth opening the window to let the air conditioning out.


    Before the old man could make up his mind, Xing Conglian had already casually opened the window. The old man became irritated due to the influx of heat and slammed down a cigarette pack. Lin Chen thought the old man was going to curse, but he didn¡¯t.


    The old man pressed the brim of his hat, put his thumb and index finger together, and rubbed them lightly.


    Lin Chen was stunned for a moment because he also saw Xing Conglian do a similar action before.


    This was an obvious way of asking for money. Lin Chen estimated that the asking price from the concierge wouldn¡¯t be low. The next moment, just when Lin Chen thought Xing Conglian would take some membership cards out of his pocket, Xing Conglian only took out a pack of cigarettes.


    The half-removed plastic packaging was still wrapped around the pack, which was the pack Xing Conglian had just bought.


    Xing Conglian opened the cigarette pack, took out a slender cigarette from the inside, and casually threw it at the window.


    The old man frowned and picked up the cigarette nervously. He held the cigarette filter with his rough, callused fingers and turned it clockwise for half a circle. As if it were inlaid with a silver edge, there was a subtle gleam between the filter and the rest of the cigarette, like it was a high-end cigarette adorned with decorations.


    Under the sun, when the old man turned the cigarette to a specific location, he turned it counterclockwise in half a circle. As if some special magic was activated, the old man put down the cigarette and looked up again, with a completely different expression from before.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t smoked such a fine cigarette for a long time.¡± The old man opened a drawer, took out a lighter, and lit the cigarette. After taking a puff, he asked, ¡°What are your requirements?¡±


    At that moment, determination and perseverance shown in the old man¡¯s eyes.


    Xing Conglian gave a sideways glance at the iron gate and casually said, ¡°I heard that Mellonella is eating and just waiting to die at your place, so bring him to see me.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen knew Xing Conglian had secrets from the start, but that didn¡¯t mean they would involve some confidential events beyond his comprehension.


    Just now, Xing Conglian had used a menthol cigarette that was priced at 5 yuan to successfully break through the heavy guards of the Xinni Embassy. If normal logic were to be used, it would take several years to complete such a task. Ten calls from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consultations of various levels, not to mention that they were probably the number one target of the Xinni Embassy right now. But Xing Conglian managed to lead them into the corridors of the Xinni embassy with only a single menthol cigarette.


    The area was surrounded by tall and dense subtropical plants with lush vines.


    After the old man opened the iron door for them, he sat back in his place again. He didn¡¯t even forget to close the small concierge window, as if nothing had happened.


    Lin Chen recalled the scene when the old man sat back in his seat and picked up the phone. He felt that whatever secrets were involved, they might be more incredible than he had thought.


    For example, he just barely managed to search for the word Xing Conglian had said in English, and found it should be a code name, which originally referred to a moth with excellent hearing*.


    *Clarity: Mellonella is a moth found throughout the world. Males are able to generate ultrasonic sound pulses, which, along with pheromones, are used in mating. They are equipped with a sensitive tympanic hearing organ that allows them to perceive high frequency sounds.


    As another example, after they entered the Xinni Embassy, Xing Conglian acted like he was the owner of the entire embassy, leading them to an office on the ground floor.


    It was more appropriate to describe this office as more of a cellar. It was surrounded by hard lead plates. The biggest role of lead used as a metal for protection, was to isolate radiation. The reason Lin Chen was able to judge this was because when he walked into the room, Wang Chao let out a cry from behind, indicating that all his communication tools had lost signal.


    It was also cold all around, revealing a kind of absolute chill. The air smelled like metal from the lead plates, and because the metal layer was so thick, there was no sound in the surrounding area.


    This place was like a secret room that every spy novel would have. The moment they walked into the room, the iron door automatically locked and closed.


    Lin Chen sat crossed-legged against the corner of the wall. Xing Conglian walked to him and sat down with him.


    ¡°Captain Xing,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    Xing Conglian took out another cigarette and lit it in front of him.


    ¡°May I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can always ask me anything.¡±


    Xing Conglian stared at him with dark green eyes, without any concealment.


    But Lin Chen still chose a less poignant question. ¡°What is Mellonella?¡±


    ¡°At the Ridan Peace Conference 15 years ago, there was a very famous eavesdropping expert who reversed the entire peace talks by himself. The codename of that eavesdropper was Mellonella.¡±


    ¡°How did he do it?¡±


    ¡°At the time, all heads of state participating in the Three Rivers Basin stayed at the central hotel in Ridan to negotiate a ceasefire agreement. In fact, this isn¡¯t a secret. Before the opening of important international meetings, the intelligence agencies of various countries would carry out intense espionage activities. After all, at the international negotiating table, everyone hopes to be a roundworm in the stomach of the other party, knowing exactly what they want and thus being able to take the initiative in the actual negotiation process. At the time, spies from Xinni sent an eavesdropping expert named Mellonella to eavesdrop in the hotel rooms where the president of Fuxuli was staying.¡±


    ¡°Quite amazing, no?¡±


    ¡°Through some method, Mellonella managed to infiltrate the room for a full 48 hours. He used his brain to record all the sound details of the Fuxuli president¡¯s room, such as which floor would make a sound or when the wind blew on the curtains. Not only that, he also recorded the sound frequency. At night, in the pitch-black room, he tried not to make any sound as he walked around the room.¡±


    ¡°Like a bat.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s Mellonella. They have sharper hearing than bats.¡±


    ¡°What happened after?¡±


    ¡°You see, in fact, for spies, installing bugs in hotels isn¡¯t for eavesdropping on intelligence, because national leaders wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to talk about state secrets in a hotel. Their purpose is to eavesdrop on something else, like some trivial information from scraps, and hope to infer the mood or physical condition of the people attending the summit.¡±


    ¡°Physical condition?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Very coincidentally and fortunately, on the night of the third day of the talks, Mellonella discovered the breathing rate of the Fuxuli¡¯s president had a small change when he was asleep, which was almost undetectable. The change was probably caused by the change in climate, but Mellonella didn¡¯t let this go. He reported it to his superiors, and finally, Xinni passed this message along to the Fuxuli¡¯s intelligence agency in a clever way. From this, they were able to find a small dose of chronic poison in the president of Fuxuli¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone wanted to kill him and ruin the peace talks process?¡±


    Xing Conglian took a puff and exhaled a ring of smoke. ¡°Incredible, right?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, ¡°So, are you bringing me to find this real expert in soundprint identification?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not an expert. He¡¯s a genius.¡±


    The heavy lead door was pushed open forcefully. The hinges creaked, accompanied by brisk footsteps that eventually came to a heavy halt.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on the visitor¡¯s feet, then slowly moved upwards. From the black leather shoes to the black trousers and then the black sunglasses, his gaze finally fell on the visitor¡¯s face. After being as stiff as the other person for a few seconds, he slowly turned his head to Xing Conglian and said, ¡°This is the genius you mentioned?¡±


    Xing Conglian was stunned until the cigarette burned his finger. He grimaced and shook off the cigarette butt and asked tentatively, ¡°Mellonella?¡±


    The other party had a depressed expression. He stood at the door and thought for a while, then turned around and left.


    ¡°Shen Chenggong, stop!¡± Xing Conglian shouted.


    ¡­¡­


    Although Shen Chenggong didn¡¯t like Li Jingtian, he never thought he would become a key figure in convicting a noble son of a diplomatic family.


    He looked at the Hongjing policeman in front of him, who had beaten him mercilessly, and reluctantly sat down in the cold cellar. He didn¡¯t know how this policeman found his true identity. After all, this kind of thing had never been recorded in any file, but obviously, he had no right to refuse anyone who walked in through that door.


    ¡°I want you to distinguish whether the victim¡¯s screams are really included in Illi¡¯s famous single.¡±


    A laptop computer was spread out in front of him.


    Shen Chenggong looked up at the laptop in front of him, knocked on the metal case, and said angrily, ¡°In public? At least give me a pair of headphones, captain.¡±


    Well, since he had beaten Shen Chenggong mercilessly, Xing Conglian could only politely say, ¡°Sorry, it was our negligence.¡±


    Wang Chao quickly pulled out some headphones from his backpack, knelt on the ground, and tried to plug it in.


    Shen Chenggong immediately made the same gesture to Wang Chao. He said depressingly, ¡°Please don¡¯t be so polite to me. It¡¯s creeping me out. Why don¡¯t you just beat me up again to vent your anger?¡±


    ¡°This is important.¡± Xing Conglian nodded to Wang Chao, who clicked on the video of Song Shengsheng¡¯s interview.


    ¡°The victim¡¯s name is Song Shengsheng, who was once a very famous singer in our country. We believe Li Jingtian sexually assaulted him, recorded his screams, and included them in his album. Time is running out, so we can only ask you to help confirm whether our speculation is true.¡±


    Xing Conglian spoke solemnly.


    Shen Chenggong was shocked when he heard this. He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Okay, let me hear it. But first, let me explain. You can¡¯t force me to give a false testimony.¡±


    ¡°Please rest assured. This is the biggest difference between us and Li Jingtian.¡±


    With this guarantee, Shen Chenggong didn¡¯t hesitate to plug in the headphones and click on the two pieces of audio.


    ¡­¡­


    The expression on Mellonella¡¯s face changed from suspicion to solemnity. Finally, the moment he turned off the audio and put down the headphones, his expression was already the same as when he heard the frequency change of the middle-aged president of Fuxuli. He reported his findings in an extremely calm and sober tone. ¡°Captain Xing, if you believe my judgment, then I¡¯m pretty sure Song Shengsheng¡¯s screams were mixed in Illi¡¯s famous single, and I¡¯m even more sure that it should be a whole cry that was cut into 15 parts and mixed into the climax of the song. The screams contained the breathing sounds of two people, so I suspect your speculation isn¡¯t wrong. It is indeed possible that Song Shengsheng¡¯s screaming was recorded during the sexual assault.¡±


    Shen Chenggong worded it carefully. He didn¡¯t even mention Li Jingtian at all.


    Their heavy breathing echoed in the heavy isolation room.


    Finally, Shen Chenggong yanked up his headphones and smashed them to the ground. He turned around and grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s collar and said gratingly, ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are or what your identity is, but since you can walk in here, you must have the ability to bring Li Jingtian, that beast, to justice, so please!¡±


    After Shen Chenggong finished speaking, he bowed to Xing Conglian respectfully.


    There was no sadness or joy in Xing Conglian¡¯s face. Lin Chen saw him turn his head, looked at him deeply, and said to Shen Chenggong, ¡°It¡¯s not me who can bring Li Jingtian to justice. You should bow to him.¡±


    Shen Chenggong looked at Lin Chen hesitantly. Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I need to get Li Jingtian to confess.¡±


    Xing Conglian quickly realized what he wanted to do, so he said, ¡°If it¡¯s secretly recorded evidence of your private conversation with Li Jingtian, it can¡¯t be used in court.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so I need a room, four high-definition broadcast cameras, and of course, Li Jingtian himself.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It should be said that the embassies of various countries abroad always assume the heavy responsibility of foreign exchange. They often held various press conferences in the embassies, but even so, no sovereign country had ever opened its embassies to the judicial departments of other countries as an interrogation room, let alone broadcast the entire interrogation process nationwide.


    So when Ambassador Luo Qiusheng received this request, his first reaction was to prevaricate. No matter how much he disliked Li Lao¡¯s style, the old man wasn¡¯t wrong. If he allowed this to happen in the embassy, he would never advance in parliament or have any opportunities for further career advancement.


    But sometimes, people had to face difficult choices.


    Luo Qiusheng looked out the window at the demonstrators, who were about to disperse. As long as he shook his head now, all disputes would disappear in two hours. But unfortunately, diplomacy itself was a game, and the winner was the one with the biggest chips.


    Luo Qiusheng pondered for a moment, shook his head in distress, and said to his secretary, ¡°Does the other party have any other requirements?¡±


    ¡°The other party needs us to invite Li Jingtian into that room, Mr. Ambassador.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Luo Qiusheng pushed aside his chair and stood up from behind his desk.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Since they ask for this, then I must personally handle this matter.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The moment the live TV screen came on, Mr. Li, who was far away in the capital of Xinni, couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    He looked at the black room on the TV screen. As an old man who worked for the Xinni Embassy in China for many years, he recognized the location of that room instantly.


    It was the attic on the fourth floor of the embassy dorm area, which was just above the room where his grandson was staying now.


    In the attic, a chandelier hung in the middle of the room. Dim light spread out in a complete circle, illuminating the floor.


    Two simple wooden chairs were placed under the lamp; one had a backrest, and the other was a simple square stool. They were placed opposite each other. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.


    The anchor of the Xinni TV station broadcast the report in a calm tone. ¡°In response to many controversies caused by our citizens, the Chinese police have decided to adopt a live broadcast method to broadcast the interrogation process of Mr. Li Jingtian to the entire country. There are still five minutes left before the formal interrogation will begin.¡±


    Mr. Li trembled and dialed the number of Mr. Luo Qiusheng, the ambassador of Xinni to China.


    The long, ringing tone coming from the receiver made the old man¡¯s hand gradually tremble.


    The reason why Ambassador Luo didn¡¯t answer the phone immediately was because he was preoccupied with an important matter.


    He walked on the red steps inside the embassy, and behind him followed the initiator of this series of events.


    ¡°Uncle Luo, where are we going?¡±


    Li Jingtian suddenly had a very bad premonition in his heart. He almost wanted to flee downstairs immediately.


    But when Mr. Ambassador stepped on the last step, he suddenly turned his head and stared at him with an indifferent gaze, which made him dare not make any movements.


    ¡°We?¡± Mr. Ambassador pointed to the dark, red wooden door with the same floor color as the steps. ¡°There is no we, only you.¡±

 CH 146

    The moment Li Jingtian opened the door, he almost thought he was hallucinating.


    He never thought he would see Lin Chen again in this way.


    The ambient light in the attic was extremely dim. The small chandelier on the ceiling shook gently when the door was pushed open. Someone was sitting under the small chandelier, reclining on a dark brown chair. Li Jingtian looked at the person sitting under the chandelier and didn¡¯t immediately react to the danger.


    The reason was probably because Lin Chen¡¯s reclining chair looked too peaceful, or perhaps it was because Lin Chen rarely wore glasses. The slender, black frame was really suitable on him. Coupled with the warm yellow light and his movements of lowering his head and flipping through some documents, this made Li Jingtian suddenly feel an impulse.


    Of course, he was always impulsive, but he was also good at restraining them, so he was extremely vigilant after entering the room. He didn¡¯t immediately slam the door and leave or say anything rude, leaving himself in a passive situation.


    After all, he was a professional singer, and the habits of maintaining a good demeanor were already seared deep into his bones.


    He looked around and quickly noticed that four professional 4K high-definition cameras were set up at the top of the four corners of the room. The cameras were lit up in red, indicating that they were working.


    Li Jingtian inadvertently looked at the window again, only to realize that the window of the attack was covered by a professional studio black veil, in order to create a subtle atmosphere, regardless of day or night.


    Although it wasn¡¯t clear what Lin Chen was doing, all the atmosphere showed that he had just stepped into a trap. Li Jingtian smiled. Fortunately, he still maintained his good tongue and actions just now, having been born the son of a noble family and was a famous singer.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I didn¡¯t expect we would meet again in this way. I thought you wouldn¡¯t come.¡± He stood by the door but didn¡¯t close it as he greeted Lin Chen in an amicable tone.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just because you haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± Lin Chen was still staring at the paper in his hand and responded without even raising his head.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re really so aggressive toward me,¡± Li Jingtian said with emotion. He looked at Lin Chen¡¯s slender neck, which was exposed when he lowered it to read. His skin was fair and delicate, like fine China, making him wonder what it would taste like if he took a bite.


    Li Jingtian swallowed carefully and became more vigilant because of his instinct.


    Although Lin Chen was pretending to be a seductive prey, he knew better than anyone else what kind of experienced hunter his opponent was; steady and precise. Once he locked onto a target, he would never let go of the trigger.


    Li Jingtian glanced at Lin Chen¡¯s calm face again, feeling more creeped out. He realized that his best choice now was to leave immediately¡ªat least not step into this room¡ªbut when he was thinking this, Lin Chen raised his head.


    ¡°Please close the door, Mr. Li Jingtian,¡± Lin Chen said in an imperative tone.


    Li Jingtian laughed instead and asked, ¡°Are you restricting my personal freedom?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. He pointed to the corners of the room as he spoke in a voice that was as calm as water. ¡°As you can see, there are four high-definition cameras mounted in the four corners of this room. These four cameras belong to Yongchuan Satellite TV, Central News, CATV, and MeTube, the world¡¯s four largest media stations. Now, these four media giants will broadcast the entire process of my conversation with you, so you can make a conservative estimate of how many people are watching your conversation with me¡­ If you don¡¯t want to look too guilty, then say hello to our audience friends in front of the TV first.¡±


    Following Lin Chen¡¯s words, Li Jingtian raised his eyes and looked at the four cameras. The space was filled with a buzzing sound from the cameras. His back was cold, and he could only feel the four cameras suddenly turning into countless empty eyes, staring at him at this moment.


    He understood that Lin Chen was intimidating him to increase his psychological pressure, but he couldn¡¯t move his feet because of these words.


    The live broadcast, countless viewers, and the caring eyes of hundreds of millions of stars were all temptations that he couldn¡¯t refuse.


    He thought for a while, then turned his head and asked Lin Chen, ¡°Conversation? In fact, isn¡¯t it more appropriate for you to say interrogation? First of all, I don¡¯t know what crime I have committed and need to be interrogated by the Chinese police. Secondly, since it¡¯s an interrogation without any formal procedures, naturally I can refuse, no?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can refuse, but you should know first of all, it¡¯s difficult for a person like you to find a better opportunity to be watched by the public in this lifetime¡­ Secondly, let me remind you that if you turn around and leave, this behavior will be very suspicious in the eyes of the audience. I advise you not to do this,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    Li Jingtian looked at the four corners of the room again. He knew better than anyone else that when he walked into the room, there was no chance of escape.


    With a long sigh, he walked up to Lin Chen helplessly and sat down on the stool opposite him.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you can ask anything you want, but I have a plane to catch, so I hope you can complete the interrogation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen nodded, then fell silent.


    For the first time, Li Jingtian felt the silence was a bit uncomfortable. He discovered that he was feeling uneasy because he was sitting on a small square stool that was extremely uncomfortable, whereas Lin Chen was sitting comfortably with his legs crossed on a chair with a backrest. The distance between them was also awkward. They were about two meters apart¡ªa distance that wasn¡¯t too short nor too far, and there was nothing in the middle. The feeling of facing each other was extremely nerve-wracking.


    ¡°That half an hour was hard just now, right?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked him.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt he had fallen into Lin Chen¡¯s trap again, but he had to pretend to answer calmly. ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t. I was simply packing my luggage and felt that time passed by quickly.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just remind me you have a plane to catch and for me not to delay you too long?¡± Lin Chen paused, then continued, ¡°In fact, you can bluntly tell me what you¡¯re thinking. If you¡¯re too pedantic, the audience will think you¡¯re being hypocritical.¡±


    Li Jingtian had never met such a person as Lin Chen. He adjusted his thoughts, leaned forward slightly, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to be guessed by you. If you can be considerate of my eagerness to go home, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Che nodded. Then, to Li Jingtian¡¯s great surprise, Lin Chen actually clapped his hands.


    The crisp sound of clapping echoed in the attic.


    The next thing he knew, the door behind him creaked open.


    Li Jingtian suddenly turned his head and saw that the wooden door of the attic was violently pushed open, and two people walked into the room carrying a long table.


    Li Jingtian recognized one of them. It was Shen Chenggong, the embassy military attach¨¦ responsible for protecting him during this trip.


    Shen Chenggong looked at him with cold eyes full of anger. Li Jingtian didn¡¯t know what tricks Lin Chen had used to make him follow his orders, but this scene gave him intense psychological pressure. This was probably another one of Lin Chen¡¯s tricks.


    However, Li Jingtian thought mockingly that even if it was, it didn¡¯t matter. No matter what, the initiative was in his hands, and it was impossible for Lin Chen to get anything out of him in a short conversation.


    More importantly, Li Jingtian felt that after sitting face-to-face with Lin Chen for a while, he had gradually calmed down. He thought that Lin Chen was right. Thinking of the millions of eyes watching him, he actually had a crepey sense of excitement.


    It could be said that the person who knows you best will always be your nemesis.


    He looked up at the quiet psychologist opposite him and felt that he was about to fall in love with Lin Chen.


    ¡­¡­


    The old man who lived in the Li mansion in the capital of Xinni was also stimulated.


    But his kind of stimulation wasn¡¯t due to excitement, but because of tension. Looking at the picture of his grandson sitting opposite of the Hongjing policeman, Mr. Li felt that his blood vessels were about to burst.


    He called Ambassador Luo Qiusheng¡¯s number for the third time; his fingers trembling with anger.


    Several long waiting sounds passed, and this time, the phone finally connected.


    The moment it was connected, Mr. Li yelled into the phone with all his might, ¡°Luo Qiusheng, are you crazy? Why is Jingtian in that room? You let him out. You must let him out right away!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Mr. Li. I can¡¯t do it,¡± Luo Qiusheng replied calmly.


    ¡°You are selling out our country. You¡¯re trampling on the dignity of our country!¡±


    Mr. Li, who was far away in the Xinni Capital, threw his cane hard at the living room clock. The clock rang as glass shattered. The loud noise echoed in the empty hall, making people dizzy.


    The servants were all silent. Mr. Li restrained his urge to smash the phone. He took a deep breath and threatened in a very calm tone, ¡°Luo Qiusheng, don¡¯t forget who has supported you and brought you to the position you¡¯re in now. How dare you say that to me? You can¡¯t do it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± Ambassador Luo replied humbly. ¡°You have always been kind to me.¡±


    ¡°You recognize my kindness? Yet you¡¯re repaying me with this? That is my only grandson of the Li family. Why don¡¯t you just come to my doorstep and stab this old man to death? Isn¡¯t that more straightforward?¡±


    Ambassador Luo stood by the window and moved the phone away from his ear.


    Although the old man who went crazy for the sake of his future generation still remembered his status, he left all righteousness and benevolence behind. Mr. Ambassador rarely showed a mocking look on his face and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Li, but I can¡¯t refuse because the ¡®door¡¯ is open.¡±


    After Luo Qiusheng finished speaking, there was a long pause on the phone. Luo Qiusheng even suspected that Mr. Li might have had a heart attack because his breathing had become stagnant.


    Thinking of this, the mock on his lips became more intense. He felt that overwhelming others wasn¡¯t too bad.


    After a while, the old man began to question him with the same tone as if what he said was a joke. ¡°Luo Qiusheng, you don¡¯t need to find such an excuse to prevaricate with an old man. Not to mention that my grandson was falsely accused of raping a Chinese, if Jingtian really killed her, the door wouldn¡¯t open because of some small incident the size of a bean!¡±


    ¡°But the door really is open,¡± Ambassador Luo Qiusheng rebutted calmly.


    The other end of the line fell silent again. Mr. Li thought for a while and finally seemed to make up his mind. He said solemnly, ¡°I want to talk to the ¡®knocker¡¯!¡±


    On the other end of the phone, Ambassador Luo Qiusheng looked at the man standing in front of him but didn¡¯t immediately agree to Li Lao¡¯s request.


    However, the other party had guessed what he was thinking. Not only did he look away from the screen, but he also stretched out his hand towards him.


    Hearing the breathing sound at the other end of the line becoming quieter, Mr. Lu used honorifics for the first time in the countless calls he made today. ¡°Hello.¡±


    But the person on the other end of the phone didn¡¯t respond. Not even the rhythm of his breathing changed. Perceiving that the other party might hang up in the next moment, Mr. Li made up his mind and hurriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, but please believe me that Jingtian has really been wronged. Please let him go. As long as you let him go, it¡¯ll be a great favor to our Li family. If you make a condition, I will accept it. Anything can be discussed. All of it can be negotiated!¡±


    The old man¡¯s tone became more anxious, until the person on the other end of the line finally responded.


    ¡°Mr. Li, what did I just say?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You didn¡¯t say anything,¡± the old man said humbly.


    ¡°Since I didn¡¯t say anything, why do you think there¡¯s room for negotiations between us?¡±


    ¡°What do you want? No matter what, name the price!¡±


    There was no sadness or joy in the man¡¯s face¡ªno contempt, ridicule, or emotions.


    He said, ¡°First of all, there are really not many people in this world who are qualified to bargain with me. You obviously don¡¯t belong in that category.¡± As he spoke, he looked down at the people sitting on either side of the long table on the screen. Looking from the surveillance camera, they both had calm faces under the dim chandelier light, giving off a mysterious feeling.


    And his existence was just to prop up some possibilities.


    ¡°Please!¡±


    Hearing this, he said to the old man on the other end, ¡°And you should know, in fact, if I want to deal with Li Jingtian, there are many ways to make his life worse than death, but now, I have chosen the most upright method. You should be happy.¡±


    After saying this, the man moved the phone away from his ear and casually hung up.


    ¡­¡­


    The attic was dim but calm.


    There were some things on the long table that had been newly moved into the room.


    From left to right, there was a clock, a deck of cards, and a square wooden box.


    The wooden door was shut again as the personnel retreated.


    Lin Chen put his hand on the wooden table, picked up the deck of playing cards, and pushed it face up and sideways.


    Like facing an old friend, he casually said to Li Jingtian, ¡°I have always liked Xinni¡¯s cards. Although it¡¯s not much different from the cards that are common all over the world, I always think that the design of Xinni cards is very interesting, and people can¡¯t help but delve into its meaning.¡±


    Lin Chen drew out five cards at random, as if showing them inadvertently, and continued, ¡°I once flipped through a research book on Xinni cards. It¡¯s said that the designer of Xinni cards was to commemorate the Red Sun War, so he designed five different suits, among which ¡®house¡¯ symbolizes homeland, ¡®people¡¯ symbolizes the warriors, ¡®bird¡¯ symbolizes freedom, ¡®sun¡¯ symbolizes victory, and ¡®flower¡¯ symbolizes heroic spirit. This kind of symbolism is something I have never seen in gambling systems in other countries.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, since you took cards out, do you want to gamble with me?¡± Li Jingtian interrupted.


    Lin Chen acted as if he didn¡¯t hear Li Jingtian¡¯s question. He put the five cards of different suits back into the deck, then began to shuffle the deck. ¡°And I heard that in Xinni¡¯s underground bars, they play cards in a very interesting way. This kind of card game was born out of the most primitive way of betting, and influenced by the bar¡¯s quick knife and finger game, and evolved into what it is now.¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he knocked on the table and asked Li Jingtian, ¡°What suit do you like best? Just pick one.¡±


    Li Jingtian was taken aback, as if he suspected there was something hidden in this question. After careful consideration, he finally answered, ¡°Sun.¡±


    Lin Chen laid out the deck again and took a golden sun ace out of the pile. ¡°This game is very simple. It¡¯s mainly about luck. Both sides will draw one from the ten inverted cards from 1-10. The person who draws the highest number wins. Of course, the game of pure ratio is a little stupid, but the interesting thing about this game is the bet. The winner of each round may ask the loser any questions. The game stipulates that the loser must answer truthfully. If you really don¡¯t want to answer, you can cut yourself with a knife to show your determination.¡±


    Lin Chen opened the wooden box on the table with his other hand.


    A short knife lay quietly inside, against the backdrop of black velvet. The blade of the dagger shone with dazzling silver light.


    Li Jingtian laughed. He could hardly restrain the corners of his mouth, but he had to maintain an innocent attitude. ¡°This game is too dangerous for you. We can play a match, but can we not bet?¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to tell the truth, this game isn¡¯t dangerous at all.¡±


    Li Jingtian shook his head, as if he felt Lin Chen¡¯s proposal was too outrageous. ¡°But how can we tell if the other party is answering truthfully?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. All the viewers in front of the TV and computer can help us check.¡±


    Li Jingtian almost burst out laughing. He pushed away the wooden stool and stood up and said in an apologetic tone, ¡°Although I think this game is quite interesting, I do have a plane to catch so I can¡¯t accompany you. If possible, Consultant Lin is welcome to come to Xinni one day, and I will entertain you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know you have a plane to catch. Your flight takes off at 15:30. Suppose you need to go through security checks 40 minutes in advance, plus the time to reach the airport from the Xinni Embassy¡ªit¡¯s estimated that if you leave the embassy at 14:00, you can still catch your flight.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s almost time now.¡± Li Jingtian tapped on his watch, looking helpless.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s still a quarter of an hour left, which is enough for five rounds. Whoever wins three out of five matches wins.¡± Lin Chen picked up the clock on the table, twisted it, and set the timer for fifteen minutes.


    His gesture was irresistible. The ticking of the old-fashioned alarm clock immediately began to echo through the room.


    Li Jingtian turned his head slowly, staring at the clock on the table. His expression changed instantly.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Come back. The door is locked, and it won¡¯t open until fifteen minutes later.¡± He looked at Li Jingtian and dragged his tone as he said, ¡°Of course you can choose not to play, but the audience in front of their TVs will definitely be very disappointed¡­¡±

 CH 147

    Ten cards that symbolized victory were arranged one after another on the long table.


    It was just fifteen minutes¡ªa five-round game. No matter what, the world couldn¡¯t change in fifteen minutes. Li Jingtian looked at the closed wooden door, put down his hand from the doorknob, turned around, and walked back to the long table and sat down again.


    ¡°Then, please start,¡± he said humbly.


    Lin Chen bowed his head slightly and no longer talked nonsense.


    The calm psychologist that was sitting across the table folded up ten sun suit cards with his slender fingers, casually shuffled them on the table, and then laid them out.


    Under the light, the pattern on the back of the card was exactly the same, laid out in a horizontal row. Li Jingtian narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, ¡°Who will draw first, Consultant Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen made a gesture of invitation.


    Li Jingtian smiled slightly, casually tapping a card with his fingertips and dragging it out of the pile. ¡°Shall we turn over our cards together, or should I turn over mine first?¡±


    Lin Chen pointed to the camera behind Li Jingtian and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it together, lest you say I¡¯m cheating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m becoming more convinced that this is a fair game.¡± Li Jingtian¡¯s fingers were still pressed on the card.


    Lin Chen also picked one out and said, ¡°I heard that the people of Xinni pay most attention to the first hand in gambling. They think that if they can win the first hand, they are likely to win. In fact, this habit isn¡¯t just reserved for all Xinni people. Gamblers in general have this common understanding, but I find it very strange, Mr. Li Jingtian.¡± Lin Chen raised one of his hands and looked up at him. ¡°Whether it was choosing the sun suit that represents victory, or winning the first hand¡ªeven the fact that the pressure of your finger on the card in your hand shows that you really want to win. In this game, what is it that you cannot afford to lose?¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s first reaction was to let go, and then he realized that he had reacted too much to Lin Chen¡¯s words, so he sat with his arms crossed. ¡°Maybe because I have been an artist for a long time, so my competitive spirit is strong. I hope Consultant Lin doesn¡¯t overinterpret it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not interpreting anything. You see, I was just explaining some background knowledge of Xinni card games.¡± Lin Chen tapped the card in front of him with his hand and asked, ¡°Then as a Xinnian, how would you feel if you lost the first match in a best-of-five rounds without incident?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he quickly turned over his card.


    Li Jingtian looked intently and found that Lin Chen had the ¡°Sun 9¡± in his hand. In a card game where the cards ranged from 1-10, he only had a very small chance of drawing a card that was higher than this number.


    He frowned slightly. Obviously, this game was set by Lin Chen, and the environment was inside the embassy. Everyone knew the reason the embassy staff had diplomatic immunity was because the embassy had always been a den of spies. All kinds of spies and countless tools for ¡°cheating¡± lurked here. It was entirely possible for Lin Chen to find the tools to deal with him. He even secretly made up his mind that if Lin Chen wanted to win, he would just let him win. It wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    Thinking of this, Li Jingtian flipped over his card and looked at the number. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    Unbelievably, despite the small probability, he had turned over a ¡°Sun 10¡± which symbolizes extreme brightness and victory. Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t control his expression for an instant, He was ecstatic inside and laughed. ¡°Consultant Lin, it seems that your luck is pretty bad.¡±


    It was part of human nature to attribute victory in gambling to luck and think it was God¡¯s blessing, so they would feel as if they were invincible.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s doubts disappeared in an instant.


    Lin Chen turned the cards back upside down and stuffed them into a pile. Although he looked surprised, he still raised the corners of his lips provocatively and said indifferently, ¡°Please ask your question.¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s fist tightened slightly under the card table.


    In fact, he could ask a simple question such as ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± or ¡°Are you in a good mood today?¡± to let the round pass quickly, but seeing Lin Chen¡¯s indifferent expression and calm appearance, he suddenly didn¡¯t want this matter to end so easily. When he thought of this, he glanced at the clock. The first round of the game took longer than he thought. Two minutes and thirty seconds had passed, so as long as he delayed time a little, the fifteen minutes would pass in no time.


    ¡°Mr. Lin, I¡¯m afraid my question will be a little candid. You see, you have already pushed me so hard today. Can¡¯t I also fight back a little?¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to pave the way for your own filth. Just ask whatever you want. However, I suggest you restrain your nature. In case you can walk out of this room intact, you still have to maintain your status as an idol singer and a moral role model.¡±


    ¡°You have already poured sewage on me like this; how can I have any morals to be a role model to speak of?¡± Li Jingtian leaned back and suddenly realized that there wasn¡¯t a backrest behind his chair, so he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. This sudden gaffe displeased him. He said, ¡°In fact, the content you satirized me wasn¡¯t too wrong. Having humility, decency, and kindness was imposed on me by the company. Over the years, every time I encountered ridicule or maliciously fabricated scandals, I had to deal with things with a nonchalant attitude because this is what the public requested of us. But we artists aren¡¯t really saints. I¡¯m truly tired that everyone wants me to just endure it, but since we¡¯re being honest with each other now, I suddenly don¡¯t want to endure it any longer. I can honestly say that although I¡¯m indeed not as noble as how I usually act, in any case, I¡¯m not as bad as you say.¡±


    ¡°Can you cut the crap?¡± Lin Chen knocked on the alarm clock and interrupted his tirade.


    Li Jingtian suddenly leaned forward.


    Although Lin Chen controlled his expression very well, he still showed an irritable look. Li Jingtian saw this and said slowly, ¡°Are you gay, Consultant Lin?¡±


    If Lin Chen could watch the live broadcast on the big screen in the square or in any crowded place at this moment, he would definitely be able to hear the involuntary exclamations of the audience.


    ¡°Oh my god, he¡¯s gay.¡±


    ¡°How gross.¡±


    Similar words rang out among many people watching the live broadcast across the country.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s move was absolutely clever. He easily transferred the audience¡¯s curiosity about him to Lin Chen.


    Everyone in front of the TV waited for the answer with bated breath.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t have much expression on his face. Li Jingtian was being stared at by these cold eyes and felt so excited that he was about to get an erection.


    The second hand ticked three times before Lin Chen moved.


    He got up slightly and took the dagger from the wooden box. A silver glint flashed, and blood overflowed. He didn¡¯t hesitate to cut his arm.


    All the viewers in front of the TV exclaimed again. They look at the knife wound on the hand of the psychological consultant with the police. The wound wasn¡¯t deep, but blood was slowly oozing out. They silently thought, ¡®Is he really gay? Is that why he decided to cut himself instead of answering?¡¯


    Li Jingtian looked at the knife wound on Lin Chen¡¯s arm and was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized that the question he asked offhandedly probably really poked at Lin Chen¡¯s weak spot. It wasn¡¯t natural for a person like Lin Chen to choose self-harm over answering the question.


    ¡°Consultant Lin seemed to have accidentally exposed his sexual orientation just now. Since it¡¯s already exposed, why don¡¯t you admit it frankly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a second question.¡±


    Lin Chen allowed the blood to ooze from his wound and didn¡¯t take any measures to stop the bleeding. He didn¡¯t even have an expression of pain on his face.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, to be honest, I don¡¯t understand why you insist on playing this game with me.¡±


    ¡°This Xinni card game contains an excellent collective subconscious. The game of drawing cards seems simple, but whether it¡¯s tarot cards or other divination games, fortune is predicted by drawing cards. But for a psychologist, divination isn¡¯t so much a mystery as it is a study of the human subconscious¡­ So, when playing cards, remember to hide your fox tail, Li Jingtian.¡± Lin Chen raised his head and smiled slightly at Li Jingtian.


    ¡°Consultant Lin is really a master of serious nonsense.¡± Li Jingtian laughed dumbfoundedly, seemingly unconvinced by what he was saying. ¡°Moreover, if cards can really be used for divinations, does this indicate that the Goddess of Victory is on my side?¡±


    ¡°You can try and test if she will stand by you forever.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Jingtian picked up the cards on the table, shuffled the ten cards, and then spread them out upside down.


    11 minutes and 30 seconds.


    Li Jingtian took out a card.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak. He picked the one on the left side of Li Jingtian¡¯s hand with calm eyes.


    His arm was still bleeding, and a stream of blood dripped down his elbow onto the table. The table was dotted with beads of blood, creating a shocking sight.


    Without counting down, they both turned over the cards at the same time.


    ¡°Sun 5¡±. ¡°Sun 6¡±.


    Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t hold back his ecstasy again. He even forgot to maintain his expression.


    ¡°It seems the Goddess of Victory really is on my side.¡± He threw his card back into the pile. ¡°May I ask a second question?¡±


    Li Jingtian stared at the person sitting opposite of him. Even under the warm light, Lin Chen¡¯s face was gradually turning pale. Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t control himself not to look at the wound on Lin Chen¡¯s arm. Blood really did make him extremely excited.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Li Jingtian stared at Lin Chen¡¯s dark pupils and said softly, ¡°Since you¡¯re gay, have you ever slept with any of the police officers?¡±


    After Lin Chen heard this question, his eyelashes drooped slightly. Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t see his expression well. Just when Li Jingtian thought Lin Chen would speak, he actually reached out to draw the knife again.


    Li Jingtian grabbed Lin Chen violently.


    This feeling was too good. Under his palm was the back of Lin Chen¡¯s hand. Lin Chen¡¯s bones were distinct, and his skin was delicate. To his surprise, Lin Chen¡¯s skin wasn¡¯t cold but warm. He could almost feel the gurgling blood under the thin layer of skin that was burning¡­


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m sorry to ask you another question that you can¡¯t answer and embarrass you like this. You don¡¯t need to answer or self-harm. I take back the question just now,¡± Li Jingtian said apologetically. He believed that the expression he made was sincere, and the audience in front of the TV would be moved by his performance. He was also convinced that when he finished his lines, Lin Chen and the criminal police officer behind him should be unable to explain their way out. He even began to fantasize that Lin Chen would lose his job, and he would use any means to seize him.


    ¡°You go back on your words so easily. Your character must be bad,¡± Lin Chen said coldly.


    Li Jingtian withdrew his hand.


    Lin Chen took out the knife from the box without hesitation and slowly cut his arm again. The knife slit open his skin, and blood overflowed from the wound. Finally, Lin Chen put down the knife that was stained with dark, red blood, and laid it quietly on the table.


    Li Jingtian looked at the two knife wounds on Lin Chen¡¯s arm and was surprised by Lin Chen¡¯s principle. Wasn¡¯t this just a game with causal lies?


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Lin Chen, pay attention to your hand strength. Wound infection is no joke. I remember you¡¯re allergic to broad-spectrum antibiotics.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s deep, metallic-like voice came through the miniature headset in his ears. Perhaps it was because the embassy¡¯s equipment was so advanced that Xing Conglian¡¯s voice seemed to be flowing gently into his ear clearly. Lin Chen was surprised that Xing Conglian did not blame him for destroying his reputation, but instead warned him about his wound.


    But this was all planned. What could be done?


    Lin Chen glanced at Li Jingtian and said, ¡°Continue.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Jingtian naturally gathered the ten cards on the table and began to shuffle them again. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that cutting yourself with the knife is basically admitting your relationship with Captain Xing? Why would you rather hurt yourself than just give an answer?¡±


    ¡°Because for psychics, blood will make divinations more effective,¡± Lin Chen replied seriously.


    Li Jingtian sniffed lightly. He didn¡¯t know if it was the dim atmosphere deliberately created around him or for some other reason, but the smell of blood was mixed with a hint of sandalwood. Of course, it could be because of the old furnishings here that just gave him such an illusion.


    Li Jingtian shook his head and said to Lin Chen, ¡°You really know how to joke. Are you going to use this set of cards for divination?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for something.¡±


    Li Jingtian was taken aback for a moment.


    Lin Chen knocked on the table with his knuckles and said to Li Jingtian, ¡°Continue. Don¡¯t waste time.¡±


    Li Jingtian arranged the ten cards one by one on the table. He took one for himself. ¡°If we follow the conventional best-of-five system, if I win the third round, we can end the game early, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you will definitely not win.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he heard Xing Conglian whisper into the headset, ¡°The third from the left.¡±


    He pulled out the card according to Xing Conglian¡¯s instructions and flipped it over.


    It was the ¡°Sun 9¡±.


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face changed as he turned over the card in his hand.


    Coincidentally, they drew two adjacent card numbers this round.


    Li Jingtian flipped over a ¡°Sun 8¡±.


    ¡°It seems that my luck isn¡¯t very good this round.¡± Li Jingtian shook his head.


    9 minutes and 40 seconds.


    Lin Chen finally got his chance to ask a question. All the audience members in front of the TV held their breath, waiting for him to ask.


    Lin Chen said simply, ¡°My question is as follows: Li Jingtian, among the countless crimes you committed in our despicable life, did you retain the original material because of your arrogance?¡±


    Li Jingtian remained expressionless. Ever since Mu Zhuo made that phone call, he certainly knew that Lin Chen was looking for the master tape. Now that Lin Chen had finally raised this question, he was certainly not surprised, so he was able to control his expression well.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t know,¡± he said sincerely. ¡°What material?¡±


    However, what he didn¡¯t expect was that Lin Chen didn¡¯t entangle more on this issue. Lin Chen simply smiled at him and let him go easily.


    Li Jingtian became vigilant.


    This round only took 30 seconds, and they had already entered the fourth round of the game with 9 minutes and 10 seconds remaining.


    Lin Chen¡¯s arm was still bleeding, so he could only hold the cards with one hand; thus, Li Jingtian had to gather the cards and shuffle them.


    Li Jingtian began to think carefully about Lin Chen¡¯s movements. He had no idea what Lin Chen wanted to do. There were only two rounds left. Lin Chen only had two chances left to ask him a question about the master tape, but how could that be possible?


    While thinking of this, he realized he had subconsciously shuffled the cards and laid them out again.


    He looked up suddenly.


    However, Lin Chen was looking at him with a profound gaze and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s strange? You were lost in your thoughts and weren¡¯t even thinking about shuffling the cards, yet you had already shuffled the deck and laid them out. Do you really think your consciousness can control your behavior? As long as you don¡¯t speak, I won¡¯t know where you hide your things?¡±


    ¡°Is this a question, Consultant Lin?¡± Li Jingtian thought for a moment before he shot back.


    ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t count.¡± Lin Chen suddenly sat straight up.


    ¡°I always draw first every time, so I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s Consultant Lin¡¯s turn, right?¡± Li Jingtian finally started having doubts.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°1, 3, 5, 9, 8, 7, 10, 2, 6, 4.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his brows and sat upright. Xing Conglian was revealing the sequence of the cards to him through the mini headset. After he reported the sequence, Xing Conglian said, ¡°I suggest you choose the fifth on the right. That¡¯s number 7, which is safer, but the question is, how can you make the number Li Jingtian draws be lower than yours?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t act immediately. After thinking for a while, he pressed his finger on the second card on the left but didn¡¯t immediately flip over the card. His pale fingertips slid across the cards in the middle, one by one, and finally stopped on the second card on the right.


    He pulled out the card and flip it over in one go.


    Xing Conglian sat in front of the high-definition monitor and looked at the Sun 6 on the card table that Lin Chen just pulled out. There was a sense of tension accompanied by a rapid heartbeat. Lin Chen was really bold.


    When Lin Chen explained the entire game to him earlier, he said that the fourth round of the game was the most difficult to grasp because the only thing he couldn¡¯t control was the order of who drew the cards this round.


    Lin Chen said that as a Xinnian, Li Jingtian would want to take the lead. He even suggested that if Li Jingtian won first, based on his personality, he would take the initiative to draw first. Li Jingtian wouldn¡¯t have any doubts if he won the first two rounds, but once he lost the third round, according to his personality, he would inevitably suspect them of cheating. At that time, Li Jingtian would make him draw first, so he had to draw a card that wasn¡¯t high enough that Li Jingtian would suspect they were cheating.


    But just now, Lin Chen gave up the ¡°Sun 7¡± and chose the smaller ¡°Sun 6¡±. Xing Conglian found that even he couldn¡¯t figure out what Lin Chen was thinking.


    If Lin Chen could talk to Xing Conglian right now, he would tell him that because of his actions just now, the cards Li Jingtian would choose would only be out of four cards; the first from the left, the second from the left, the first from the right, and the third from the right. He was vigilant and was likely to choose the left at the end.


    In the attack, Li Jingtian turned his gaze to the card table. Because of Lin Chen¡¯s actions just now, he had various doubts in his heart.


    He first put his finger on the ¡°Sun 3¡± that was second to the left and found that Lin Chen had no change in his expression. Then he put his hand on the first on the right. Lin Chen had a slight frown on his face. The pattern on the cards was exactly the same, so there were no hints. Li Jingtian was about to flip it over. When his fingers touched the card, he quickly returned to the left and flipped over the ¡°Sun 1¡±.


    When he saw the unique bronzing sun pattern on the card, Li Jingtian felt dejected. He leaned back in his chair and staggered again.


    Many viewers in front of the TV laughed out loud, and Li Jingtian seemed to feel their laughter. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot. After adjusting his breathing, he said, ¡°Consultant Lin, you may ask your question.¡±


    Lin Chen took out a pencil from the pocket of his shirt, then the pages from the file he was reading just now, and randomly pulled a page out and shoved it towards Li Jingtian together with the pencil. Because of the motion of him stretching his arm, blood dripped onto the surface of the card, making the scene particularly hideous.


    Lin Chen sat back and said to Li Jingtian, ¡°Please draw on this piece of paper the five elements of house, people, bird, sun, and flower of the Xinni cards suits, and then use this drawing to tell me where you stored that item.¡±


    Li Jingtian was still holding the pencil that Lin Chen handed him, but after hearing what Lin Chen requested, he threw the pencil away. ¡°What Consultant Lin said was just questions and answers. You didn¡¯t say I need to draw, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, as psychologists, the way we ask for answers may be a little different. Please forgive me,¡± Lin Chen said casually.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t explain this in advance, so I decline.¡± Li Jingtian pretended to be helpless.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t draw it, I won¡¯t let you go in 15 minutes.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said, ¡°Moreover, it would be very suspicious if you didn¡¯t do it. It¡¯s just a picture. Do you really believe I can guess your black and dirty heart from a picture?¡±


    Li Jingtian observed Lin Chen for a long time before realizing that Lin Chen wasn¡¯t joking with him from the beginning. He wanted to refute, but he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He suddenly remembered that person. In the same dim recording studio, that person was lying on the ground, looking at him with the same tenacious eyes as Lin Chen. In the background was the song he made. He pulled that person¡¯s hair and forced him to listen to that song over and over again, but no matter how many times he listened to it, the person would only say, ¡°Trash¡±.


    Trash was obviously referring to both himself and the music he created.


    Thinking of this, Li Jingtian collected himself. Somehow, under Lin Chen¡¯s guidance, he really started thinking of Song Shengsheng. This wasn¡¯t good. He couldn¡¯t think about it anymore. Otherwise, he would likely be exposed.


    He picked up the pencil that he had thrown on the ground. No matter what, Lin Chen was right. If he didn¡¯t do it, it would look suspicious.


    Finally, he started to draw the first stroke on the blank piece of paper. ¡°How do you need me to draw?¡±


    ¡°You can draw whatever you want, but first draw me a person.¡± Lin Chen stretched his neck and glanced at the content drawn by Li Jingtian, then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t draw a stickman. At least draw a person doing something.¡±


    When Li Jingtian heard this, he really drew it on the paper.


    On either side of the card table, one person was drawing vigorously, while the other was leaning back in his chair leisurely watching as he nagged. ¡°Don¡¯t reveal the information to me, Li Jingtian. I can guess things if you make it too accurate.¡±


    ¡°I have a suggestion. You better block out where you put that thing in your mind. Otherwise, it¡¯s easy to project it onto your drawing.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing,¡± Li Jingtian raised his head and responded irritably.


    ¡°Okay, you can draw the house now.¡± Lin Chen spoke in an almost teasing tone, switching from the norm. ¡°Pay attention when you draw the house. The things you draw in the room can easily show whether you are hiding what I¡¯m seeking indoors or outdoors. It¡¯s recommended that you just draw something simple. My request isn¡¯t that troublesome¡­¡±


    Li Jingtian reluctantly started drawing the house according to Lin Chen¡¯s words, followed by flowers, sun, and birds¡­


    Every time he drew something, Lin Chen kept talking, so that by the time he finished, his forehead was actually covered in a thin layer of sweat.


    ¡°Draw me another tree, Li Jingtian,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡­¡­


    In the surveillance room, Wang Chao looked at Li Jingtian, who was drawing obediently, with his mouth wide open, almost forgetting to observe the data on his screen.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege is so amazing. Li Jingtian is drawing innocently.¡±


    However, Xing Conglian¡¯s face was serious, and he remained silent.


    He knew better than anyone that the reason Li Jingtian was obediently drawing on paper was because Lin Chen deprived him of the possibility of making other choices. This was the exchange for the two knife wounds on Lin Chen¡¯s arm.


    Lin Chen had told him a lot before the start of this gamble, including analyzing the physiological characteristics of people with antisocial personality disorder. Lin Chen said that people like Li Jingtian had a very low level of cerebral cortex excitement. This was the reason that prompted Li Jingtian to constantly seek abnormal stimulation in order to maintain the excitement level of the cerebral cortex. It also made it difficult for him to feel fear or panic. People with antisocial personality disorder were best at hiding it, so it was difficult for the police to break through his mind in a normal interrogation situation to infer the truth from their reactions.


    The reason he wanted to set up a bet with Li Jingtian was to excite him. The victory and blood in the first two rounds would stimulate Li Jingtian and activate his cerebral cortex, and the subsequent defeat would make him flustered. Of course, this panic wasn¡¯t comparable to the helplessness of ordinary gamblers, but it was enough to make Li Jingtian start to doubt. He would doubt their motives and the purpose of the bet, and of course, the most important thing was that he would begin to doubt his luck.


    For anyone, once they lost their faith, they would become easy to deal with.


    Not only that, but the wonderful thing about this game was the option of refusing to answer. In normal interrogation, Li Jingtian could prevaricate by relying on the questions, but since Lin Chen lost the first two rounds, this induced him to ask more offensive questions. Lin Chen¡¯s refusal to answer and cutting his hand twice made Li Jingtian realize that rejection was tantamount to admission, so no matter what Lin Chen asked, Li Jingtian would not refuse to answer. He only had two choices: to answer positively or to lie. But what if he encountered a question that he couldn¡¯t lie but also couldn¡¯t answer?


    For example, drawing a picture¡­


    Lin Chen had reported these processes to him. When he heard that Lin Chen had set so many traps on a simple bet, his first reaction was that, fortunately, Lin Chen was on his side, and he usually treated him well. However, when he saw the knife wound on Lin Chen¡¯s arms, Xing Conglian suddenly became extremely irritated.


    It was better just to kill Li Jingtian, was what he thought at that time.


    ¡­¡­


    The moment Li Jingtian stopped drawing, there were 7 minutes left.


    He handed the drawing to Lin Chen with both hands, and Lin Chen stretched out his hand to take it.


    Li Jingtian looked at the card table and asked, ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±


    Lin Chen stared at the drawing Li Jingtian handed in and waved his hand casually.


    ¡°Did you see anything?¡± Li Jingtian asked in a good-tempered manner while shuffling the cards. He then took out a card and put it in front of him without flipping it over.


    Lin Chen put down the drawing. The white paper was underneath his wound. His blood stained the paper and swelled, dyeing the drawn figurine red.


    Lin Chen sat upright and slowly said, ¡°10 years ago, you used illegal means to imprison Song Shengsheng and subjected him to inhumane sexual abuse for months or even years. You raped him, beat him, and regarded him as a plaything for your lust. After you felt things couldn¡¯t go on like this, you conspired with Mu Zhuo to accuse Song Shengsheng of raping him. Song Shengsheng was wrongfully convicted and spent 8 years in prison in vain. When you were at Royal One three weeks ago, you met Xu Ran, a longtime fan of Song Shengsheng. Xu Ran refused to provide you with sexual service, so you used the same cruel methods you used on Song Shengsheng and raped her¡­¡±


    Lin Chen spoke slowly, word by word, tearing apart the dark past from nine years ago with an extremely calm voice.


    Both inside and outside the room, as well as outside the building, and the entire world fell into silence.


    Everyone thought they heard it wrong. What¡¯s going on? What is Song Shengsheng? Who is Song Shengsheng? Xu Ran was a fan of Song Shengsheng, and Li Jingtian raped them? What the hell was going on?


    The audience watching the live broadcast felt that they didn¡¯t know what to expect. First, it was a gambling game in which the policeman self-harmed himself because he didn¡¯t want to admit his sexual orientation. Then the policeman was looking for something, and now it changed to Li Jingtian raping Song Shengsheng.


    After the silence, everyone started whispering. They asked each other what was going on, so their second action was to take out their phones and open a webpage. They started to frantically search for the words ¡°Song Shengsheng¡±.


    ¡ª¡ª¡±The young star that lost his voice. Song Shengsheng¡¯s cruelty finally exposed.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±The famous singer who went to jail, now looks like a skeleton.¡±


    Various news headlines appeared in a flash. It didn¡¯t take long for people to fully understand the situation. Song Shengsheng became the champion of Weibo keyword searches with an unstoppable trend.


    As for Song Shengsheng¡¯s only remaining tenacious fans, as early as when Lin Chen said ¡°Song Shengsheng¡± they burst into tears.


    Mu Wenhua was such a girl. Nine years ago, she was a student who had just finished her college entrance exam in Hongjing. Because of her good grades, her parents knew how badly she loved Song Shengsheng, so they specifically rewarded her with a front-row ticket to his concert. Her father not only said he would personally take her to Yongchuan Stadium for the concert, but because it would be too late to return home, they would stay in Yongchuan for a night, so he even booked a hotel.


    Mu Wenhua had been looking forward to this day¡¯s itinerary since the ticket was issued. She would buy lots of merchandise at the concert. Just looking at the exquisite booths would take up her whole day. When the concert started, she would enter and sit down. Everyone would be spontaneously singing. Then at eight o¡¯clock sharp, Shengsheng would dazzlingly appear on stage.


    But these were things she had fantasized about for a long time and were broken by the rape case. There was no Yongchuan, no concert, and even the sound was gone. She cried, yet she was mocked by her friends and scolded by her parents. They all said she was blind to actually like a rapist. Her parents tore up all her posters and threw away all her CDs. Song Shengsheng had never appeared in her life since that summer.


    Until now¡­ Until that person on TV said Shengsheng was wrongfully accused and imprisoned.


    She covered her mouth tightly. Tears flowed involuntarily. Her two-year-old daughter sat next to her, tugging at her clothes, for unknown reasons.


    Mu Wenhua¡¯s heart was broken.


    However, Lin Chen¡¯s narrative stopped.


    After he finished his words, a handwritten letter appeared in the middle of the screen. Xu Ran¡¯s tearful accusation moved everyone on the TV.


    Thick and dark clouds enveloped everyone¡¯s hearts. After reading Xu Ran¡¯s letter, many people couldn¡¯t help but cover their eyes and stop watching. They obviously came to watch entertainment gossip. Why did it become like this?


    Yet the game in the dim attic continued.


    Li Jingtian was silent for a long time. He put his hands on the table and said to Lin Chen, ¡°So you¡¯re just adding insult to injury.¡±


    Lin Chen pointed to his ears and said, ¡°Now all the audience will hear a song. That is your Illi¡¯s famous single, ¡®Peaceful¡¯. At the beginning of the climax of this song, at 1 minute and 31 seconds, you inserted a large scream as background music, including Song Shengsheng¡¯s screams of pain when you violently abused him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s material from a music library. I don¡¯t know the source,¡± Li Jingtian said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not material from a music library but instead full audio of Song Shengsheng that you personally recorded, does it mean that if a master tape exists, it can prove all this?¡± Lin Chen finally pressed on the wound on his arm and didn¡¯t give Li Jingtian a chance to speak. ¡°Li Jingtian, do you know that although you¡¯re worse than a beast, you still at least belong to a species called humans. If you¡¯re human, then you can¡¯t escape the innate inferior nature of humans¡ªa nature we have cultivated in tens of thousands of years of survival and reproduction. No one is immune to it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Li Jingtian glanced at the clock, as if waiting for the moment the alarm would go off. ¡°Is the game going to continue?¡±


    ¡°This nature includes one thing. You think you can hide your crimes, but in fact your brain activity time is three seconds faster than the time you feel you have to make a decision.¡± Lin Chen tapped his temple with his fingers. ¡°In other words, no matter how restrained you are, your brain still precedes your consciousness and exposes lots of things¡­¡±


    Li Jingtian interrupted him, ¡°Consultant Lin, are you giving me a popular science lecture in psychology? I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m advising you. It¡¯s better to close your eyes and walk to the corner with your back to me going forward, so that I won¡¯t notice any abnormalities in your reaction, and I may not guess where the master tape is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not guilty, so I won¡¯t go,¡± Li Jingtian said firmly.


    ¡­¡­


    In the surveillance room, Wang Chao touched the goosebumps all over his body and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege nailed Li Jingtian to that chair and cut off all his escape routes. So cruel. I¡¯ll never fight against A¡¯Chen Gege in the future!¡±


    Xing Conglian turned his head to face Wang Chao. ¡°Don¡¯t be distracted. Look at your own stuff.¡±


    Wang Chao hurriedly turned his head. In front of him were two other display screens.


    In the center of one display screen was a three-dimensional dynamic graph. The data flow in the lower corner of the graph was constantly changing, while the other screen in front of Wang Chao displayed a series of data such as Li Jingtian¡¯s heartbeat, body temperature, and pulse. Naturally Li Jingtian wasn¡¯t aware that most of his physiological data was hidden in the table and turned into specific model diagrams for analysis.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Very good.¡± In the attic, Lin Chen smiled at Li Jingtian. ¡°You just said that you¡¯re not interested in psychology. In fact, I advise you to learn some relevant knowledge. For example, there¡¯s a famous term called the ¡®rebound effect*¡¯ in psychology. To the effect that the more you suppress certain thoughts, they will emerge in a more violent manner. The simplest example is that if I tell you not to think of ¡®a white bear¡¯, then the reaction in your mind is ¡®a white bear¡¯. You see, this is what I¡¯m saying when I tell you about the uncontrolled state of people.¡± Lin Chen raised the corner of his mouth and continued. ¡°It¡¯s like when I repeatedly ask you to hide the clues on the master tape. It will appear in your mind in subtle ways that you will not notice. Then those images that appear repeatedly would be reflected in your drawing.¡±


    *Refers to suppression of a particular thought often result in subsequent increased return of the unwanted thought.


    After he finished speaking, he held up the drawing so that all the audience in front of the TV could see it.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what master tape you¡¯re talking about. After all, there¡¯s no such thing, so how can it be reflected in my drawing?¡±


    ¡°Because the drawing you drew is a bit special.¡± Lin Chen put Li Jingtian¡¯s drawing back on the card table and said calmly, ¡°The reason why you chose the Sun suit is simple. Among the five suits, Sun contains two elements of psychology¡¯s most famous ¡®House-Tree-Person Test*¡¯. The House-Tree-Person Test is a personality test commonly used in psychotherapy. It can systematically release your subconscious, including your motivation, perception, insights, past experiences, and the like¡­¡±


    *(HTP) is a projective test intended to measure different aspects of personality. Test takers are asked to draw a house, a tree, and a person. The interpretation of these drawings is used to create a picture of the person¡¯s cognitive, emotional, and social functioning.


    ¡°So, did you see anything from my House-Tree-Person Test just now?¡± Li Jingtian maintained a decent and humble smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that I¡¯m a national licensed psychiatrist and have forensic authority. Based on this drawing, I can identify that you have full civil capacity.¡± Lin Chen pointed to the simple white paper on the table. ¡°You see, this is like a baseline. When your legal team wants to defend your innocence in court on the ground of mental illness, it will never cross that threshold.¡±


    A crack finally appeared on Li Jingtian¡¯s fake calm face. Seeing this situation, Lin Chen continued, ¡°But mental appraisal is an afterthought. Now, please wipe out the white bear in your mind. Let¡¯s talk about this drawing of yours.¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear more about it.¡±


    ¡°First of all, the intermittent brushstrokes in your drawing indicate that you¡¯re impatient. You have difficulty controlling your impulsiveness; the roof of the house you painted has sharp corners, indicating that you are impulsive and have an abnormal interest in morbid things. The horizon line on the right side of this tree is deepened and emphasized, indicating that you¡¯re afraid of what¡¯s coming; the eyes of the person you painted are very round, showing that you have a strong desire to control, are willful and selfish¡­¡±


    ¡°You can just call me a rotten person. Anyway, what you¡¯re doing is just lip service.¡±


    Lin Chen smiled. ¡°Mr. Li Jingtian, this is a scientific analysis based on test norms, and I am a professional.¡±


    ¡°So, Consultant Lin. Is it your specialty to create fictitious things? Where is that master tape that you¡¯re talking about?


    ¡°Your provocation towards me is tiresome.¡± Lin Chen stained his fingertips with some blood. He circled the house drawn by Li Jingtian with bloodstains and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to the point. I have always suspected that you hid the master tape at home, but after looking at the house you drew, I think this is unlikely. The line on the left side of the house is particularly unstable, indicating that your family relationship is bad, not to mention the distorted walls. In your mind, your family, and thus your home, is an unreliable place, so you wouldn¡¯t hide things in your own house or someone else¡¯s house..¡±


    While Lin Chen spoke and observed Li Jingtian¡¯s expression, Wang Chao kept reporting Li Jingtian¡¯s physiological index to him through the headset.


    Li Jingtian was worthy of being a top psychopath. Under such circumstances, he was still able to stabilize his heartbeat.


    Lin Chen moved his gaze to the exterior of the wall of the house on the paper. ¡°You were very relaxed when you heard what I said just now, so the master tape really isn¡¯t indoors. Where did you hide it?¡±


    ¡°Wait A¡¯Chen, when you said ¡®isn¡¯t indoors¡¯ just now, Li Jingtian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen stared at the door and windows drawn by Li Jingtian, then questioned, ¡°Actually, the master tape isn¡¯t ¡®in your home¡¯, but it¡¯s still indoors?¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian is beginning to panic,¡± Wang Chao whispered.


    ¡°The master tape isn¡¯t in your home, but it¡¯s certainly inside a building?¡± Lin Chen looked at the trees and flowers in the picture and continued, ¡°The flowers and trees you painted are far away from the building, which shows that there¡¯s very little vegetation around that place. It shouldn¡¯t be a cemetery or a wilderness. There are clusters of buildings in the cities, so you wouldn¡¯t hide it at CA Entertainment headquarters, right?¡± Lin Chen glanced at Li Jingtian, then shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not at the headquarters of CA Entertainment. What kind of building is it?¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s complexion was getting worse.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about the beauty of the Xinni cards again. One of the five suits is a bird, and in your subconscious, the bird is a symbol of Song Shengsheng. Of course, this kind of psychoanalysis is more abstract, so you don¡¯t need to refute me. It¡¯s a pure coincidence that I just observed that you originally planned to draw the bird on the roof of the house, but your strokes suddenly changed midway. Instead, you drew the bird in the sky and then drew lots of clouds around the bird. These clouds show that you subconsciously want to hide things better, and it also means that there are many things wrapped around the master tape. So did you hide that tape high up in a building with many things around it?¡±


    Accompanied by the ticking sound, Li Jingtian was losing control of his muscles.


    ¡°What are you nervous about? This limit is for me.¡± Lin Chen finished speaking and stared at Li Jingtian¡¯s drawing again. ¡°The door of the building you painted is very large, and the windows are very small. There¡¯s a problem with this ratio¡­ The door is huge and will reflect the proportions of the building. Based on the ratio of the person you drew compared to the building, it should be a very large building. This should be correct. It¡¯s a building with a big door but no windows?¡±


    Lin Chen stopped after saying this.


    Li Jingtian clasped his hands and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Because the following content doesn¡¯t use this picture, it is purely a guess. If you keep a piece of incriminating evidence, it means that it¡¯s of great significance to you. A pervert like you will always keep something that you think is a trophy. If you don¡¯t have the master tape by your side, then it must be in a very meaningful place. It¡¯s a place that can prove you¡¯re stronger than Song Shengsheng and can continue to humiliate him after he¡¯s in jail.¡±


    A large building, huge door, area away from vegetation¡­


    Lin Chen looked up in shock. He felt some fear for his guess. He couldn¡¯t think of how devastated Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan would be if his guess was true.


    ¡°You hid that master tape in a certain building where Song Shengsheng held a concert?¡¯


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, Li Jingtian¡¯s heartbeat has obvious signs of acceleration.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an ordinary concert venue. It should be a place where Song Shengsheng once graced the stage, and you also held concerts there later. In that venue, you experienced extraordinary power. That place tells you that Song Shengsheng is already a thing of the past, and you are the greatest singer now¡­ And you hid that master tape there to show off to all of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans, thinking the idol they like is a bitch who moans under you.¡± Lin Chen felt uncomfortable, but he still had to go on. ¡°So, tell me, Li Jingtian. Where did you hide it? Of the four places, is it Zheliu Mesa Performing Arts Center, Fengchun Anhe Stadium, Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center, or Yangcheng Tianli Stadium?¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Li Jingtian slammed his fist on the table.


    The second hand counted down to 30 seconds.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough. Of course not.¡± Lin Chen finally held down the headset. He took a step back, pushed the chair away, and stood up. ¡°Is it at the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center?¡±


    Li Jingtian finally showed a completely crazed expression on his face. It was insane, bloody, and hideous, as if only a repulsive, primitive creature in the mud could display.


    Lin Chen still didn¡¯t let Li Jingtian go. He said condescendingly, ¡°Do you want to know why I guess so accurately? Because the table in front of you is loaded with the most sophisticated pressure detector. And the reason why you had to sit on that square stool is because people subconsciously seek support in a state of tension, so without a backrest, you will definitely put your hands on the table. This table will accurately record your pressure reading when you hear every word I say. I said earlier that your body¡¯s response will be more honest than your mouth¡¯s, so Li Jingtian¡ªthe Christine Cultural Center. You¡¯re finished.¡±


    The next moment, Li Jingtian suddenly grabbed the knife on the table and stood up abruptly.


    ¡°Performing a murder in front of audiences all over the world?¡± Lin Chen actually laughed.


    The next moment, Li Jingtian moved the knife across his neck. ¡°Consultant Lin, why are you pushing me so hard?¡±


    ¡°If you die now, you¡¯ll never return to your country.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the alarm clock on the table.


    The second hand returned to its place, and the alarm rang through the air.


    Li Jingtian consciously threw away the knife and rushed to the door, vigorously pulling it open.


    The moment he saw light, Lin Chen walked in front of the table and flipped over a card. The card was covered with dazzling golden sunlight.


    Sun 10.


    Pass, kill.


    ¡°Li Jingtian, remember to run faster,¡± Lin Chen said softly.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This is probably my favorite chapter of this novel.

 CH 148

    14:00 sharp.


    A pure black car with an embassy license plate drove out of the main gate of the embassy right on time. The moment the car drove out of the iron gate, flashes of cloud-like lights lit up. All the cameras were running, and reporters were taking pictures non-stop, but other than that, no one spoke.


    The street in front of the embassy was deathly silent. The fans in red clothes were like crushed petals falling all over the ground. They sadly helped each other up. Some had covered their mouths and turned around, still immersed in extreme sadness and shock.


    Of all the people present, no one dared take a step closer to the black car. It seemed like it was the shadow of death in motion. Everywhere it passed, it left behind ultimate malice in the world.


    Under the blue sky, under the piled-up cotton-white clouds, a whistling siren broke the tranquility of the entire embassy street.


    A team of mounted police officers came from a distance. They were wearing navy blue uniforms and driving snow-white motorcycles with red and blue police lights flashing.


    The car stopped slowly, and the captain of the mounted police just parked his vehicle next to the car window as it was lowered.


    The captain saluted earnestly and said in a businesslike tone, ¡°The Yongchuan Traffic Police received a call from the Hongjing Police for help to specially escort Mr. Li Jingtian to the airport.¡±


    The driver didn¡¯t know whether to salute or nod. In short, there was no conversation between them. The captain of the mounted police turned the car around. Then, four motorcycles escorted the black car with extreme understanding and dedication.


    The car drove toward the end of the street.


    ¡­¡­


    14:05.


    Xing Conglian walked into the attic.


    The live broadcast had long since ended. The embassy staff had begun dismantling the cameras installed in the four corners. The black curtains covering the window were removed, allowing the bright sky to illuminate everything in the small room.


    Lin Chen was still sitting at the table, looking at the drawing Li Jingtian had made.


    The cards on the table were a mess. Seeing him enter, Lin Chen suddenly raised his head. His eyes suddenly flickered, like those of a child who had done something wrong and was now facing the dean. ¡°Why are you here? Are we going to the cultural center to find the evidence now?¡¯


    Lin Chen casually opened up a topic.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer him. His gaze fell on Lin Chen¡¯s arm. Lin Chen had pressed one of the wounds with his hand, so his fingers were covered with reddish-brown, dry blood.


    The real scene was always more shocking than live TV.


    ¡°Take the drawing and follow me,¡± Xing Conglian said to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why, but he was taken aback for a moment. He bid goodbye to the operators who were dismantling the equipment and walked out of the bloody and murderous room calmly and firmly, just as he did when he first entered.


    Even though such a big event happened, it was still difficult to see any staff coming and going in the embassy. The corridors here were long and covered with vines that wrapped around the upper end of the corridor, enveloping the large area in dark, green shadows.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian from behind. Along the way, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything to him, but judging by the direction they were heading, he guessed that Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t taking him to the scene, as they were heading deeper into the complex.


    Just when Lin Chen thought Xing Conglian would take him to appreciate the magic of this land again, Xing Conglian had brought him into the infirmary at the end of the corridor.


    There was no one in the infirmary. Wang Chao wasn¡¯t there either.


    The small room was filled with all kinds of medicines, and there was even a simple operating room. The air was filled with a strong smell of disinfectant. Here¡­


    How could he describe it? Except for a simple hospital bed by the window, which was fairly clean, the rest of the place looked like it had been severely ruined by someone. Most likely, the people who came and went in this infirmary were in a hurry and didn¡¯t care too much about the cleanliness of the medical facility.


    ¡°Sit down first.¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the hospital bed as he said this to him.


    After saying this, Xing Conglian turned around and found iodine, alcohol, gauze, tweezers, slotted needles, and silk threads for suturing among the chaotic pile of medical supplies. Lin Chen¡¯s eyes straightened.


    ¡°I think I still need to go to a professional hospital in this situation.¡± Lin Chen loosened the fingers and pressed on the wound, and some blood seeped out. The knife wound looked bad, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t that serious.


    Xing Conglian took apart a pack of gauze and walked up to him with the medical tape. Lin Chen hadn¡¯t reacted yet, and the wound was already covered by the gauze.


    The next moment, Xing Conglian took his hand and pulled him to the edge of the sink.


    Lin Chen felt the cold and powerful palm of Xing Conglian¡¯s hand, and he felt that he should find something to talk about. ¡°Where is the military attach¨¦ Shen? When are we going to the cultural center? If Li Jingtian is allowed to leave the country, it¡¯ll be very difficult to arrest him.¡± Lin Chen looked at the sink and frowned. When he was speaking, Xing Conglian had just opened a bottle of iodine and poured it down his arm.


    Lin Chen woke up from all the pain, but he didn¡¯t dare scream. He shouted in a low voice, ¡°Captain Xing, it hurts a little.¡±


    ¡°Bear with it.¡± Xing Conglian picked up the soft brush on the side, dipped it in the sterile, soapy water carefully, and began to clean the skin around the wound.


    The feeling of the brush cleaning his wound was both painful and itchy. Lin Chen was surprised by Xing Conglian¡¯s professional actions but seeing that he still had a cold face and was silent, it made him a little uneasy.


    Finally, Xing Conglian finished cleaning his wound. Lin Chen subconsciously held Xing Conglian¡¯s arm for a moment before the other party picked up the saline water again.


    The other party glanced at him and then said, ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m also a professional, so please, don¡¯t doubt my professionalism.¡±


    Lin Chen felt that what Xing Conglian said sounded very familiar.


    ¡­¡­


    14:20, Yongchuan Airport Expressway.


    Two live news broadcast vehicles were flanking the embassy convoy heading to the airport.


    Inside the Yongchuan Satellite TV live broadcast car, the reporter was narrating in a solemn tone. ¡°Now, an escort team composed of Yongchuan traffic police is escorting the embassy vehicle that Li Jingtian is in to the airport. Please understand that this is an escort operation. Now, there is still one hour and fifteen minutes before the plane takes off, which means the police in our country need to find the key evidence that can detain Li Jingtian in time. Time is running out. Let us quickly connect with our reporters who are rushing to the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center¡­¡±


    In the back seat of the black car.


    The singer in a light gray suit was also watching the live broadcast at the same time. He held his phone tightly and turned to look at the mounted police outside the window with a neurotic smile on his face.


    ¡°Drive faster. I¡¯m running for my life,¡± he said to the driver.


    ¡­¡­


    14:25, Xinni Embassy Infirmary.


    The cold hydrogen peroxide was poured down again, washing away the fine floating foam and residual blood clots. Strands of blood flowed into the drain.


    Lin Chen pursed his lips, not daring to raise his head.


    Xing Conglian looked at the person in front of him, who seemed to swallow the pain for fear of his anger. Looking at the other party¡¯s supple black hair and pale face, he felt the irritability in his heart when he saw Lin Chen hurt, and the tension he had when he saw Li Jingtian draw the knife suddenly disappeared.


    He suddenly realized that all his emotions now were because he was blaming himself.


    To be honest, he rarely blamed himself. Since he was young, his family taught him that men should not blame themselves or feel sorry for themselves. If they had time, it was better to use that time to think about how to remedy it or what they can do if the situation ever arises again. In short, when one gradually handled many things properly, they gradually moved away from self-blame because they knew well that the choices they made were the only, necessary, and the best. But Lin Chen¡ªhe didn¡¯t belong to those things, so he couldn¡¯t handle it well, because Lin Chen could handle everything by himself. He was smart, wise, courageous, and strong. He was simply so good that there was no one better. Such a teammate, colleague, and friend should be what everyone dreams of, but when he was sitting in front of the monitor and thinking over and over again about whether he could make a better choice so that Lin Chen wouldn¡¯t have to injure himself or be put in a dangerous situation, he found he had no way to do it.


    Of course, if Lin Chen heard what he was thinking now, he would say that necessary sacrifices were okay, and he was sure that Li Jingtian wouldn¡¯t really use the knife on him. The scene was just a little tense, that was all.


    However, multiple-choice questions were always the most difficult propositions in the world.


    Xing Conglian thought for a while, dried his hands, rubbed the tips of Lin Chen¡¯s hair, and sincerely said, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s my fault.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze was hesitant, but it contained a kind of tenderness, as if he had guessed what Xing Conglian was thinking, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡­¡­


    14:30, Yongchuan Airport.


    Li Jingtian got out of the car and entered the VIP counter to go through the check-in procedures.


    There were many reporters around him, taking pictures. Everyone passing him seemed to be pointing at him, as if they were conjuring up a scourge or a virus that would kill him as soon as it touched him.


    But so what?


    As long as he could get on the plane, get out of customs, and see his family, those damn Chinese police couldn¡¯t do anything to him. Grandpa had promised him repeatedly on the phone just now.


    Moreover, the cultural center was enormous. Even if those stupid policemen were looking for it, it would take them a very long time.


    He raised his head and saw that the TV in the airport lobby was also repeatedly showing the picture of him pointing the knife at Lin Chen. His face looked so hideous that everyone looked at him.


    Lin Chen was right. Now, everyone was watching him. The feeling of being feared by the world was even better than being worshiped.


    ¡°Mr. Li Jingtian.¡±


    The voice of the staff brought his thoughts back.


    The little girl standing at the check-in counter looked crisp and delicious. When she looked at him, her body seemed to tremble uncontrollably.


    Li Jingtian took the boarding pass, pulled down his sunglasses, and smiled at the little girl. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. All that on TV are all lies.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    14:35, Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center.


    Wang Chao finally arrived here with Shen Chenggong. The Yongchuan police had already removed everyone from the vicinity and blocked off the scene in advance, but there were still many staff members who were watching and taking pictures.


    He and Shen Chenggong successfully raised the cordon and took the elevator to the highest point of the stage.


    Early on, the police had started searching from the top floor to the bottom. Standing in the auditorium on the top floor, Wang Chao looked around and could feel what A¡¯Chen had said.


    Indeed, Li Jingtian was here to show off his evil deeds to all of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans.


    ¡­¡­


    14:40, the infirmary of the Xinni Embassy.


    Warm sunlight poured on the hospital bed through the window edges. The interior was bright.


    The suture work had come to an end. Xing Conglian had spent a long time with his head lowered, meticulously stitching Lin Chen¡¯s wounds.


    Lin Chen looked at the person sitting in front of him. Maybe it was because of the lush and fresh vegetation outside the window, or because he felt good about being treated carefully but he wasn¡¯t thinking about Li Jingtian or Song Shengsheng. He was just thinking about Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s fingers pressed on his skin. His eyelashes were thin and curled, and he had an extremely serious expression when he lowered his head. Looking at Xing Conglian, Lin Chen always felt that the other party did have rich experience in wound suturing, but this experience shouldn¡¯t have come from a hospital internship, but more like the skill was naturally acquired after experiencing hardships like going through blood and fire.


    Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts drifted further.


    Outside the window, there were a few but clearly audible cicadas chirping.


    Sometimes, Xing Conglian was really kind to him, so kind that it was easy to misunderstand.


    Like now, in this tense moment of chasing a suspect, the first thing Xing Conglian thought of was to disinfect and treat his wound. Although he could guess that this probably had nothing to do with Xing Conglian¡¯s worry that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use antibiotics after the wound was infected, no matter what he thought, they were just framed by Li Jingtian in front of the entire country as an adulterous couple, and now they were sitting intimately in an infirmary, which didn¡¯t seem appropriate.


    But when he thought of this, Lin Chen felt aggrieved. If something really happened between him and Xing Conglian, it would be fine, but right now he didn¡¯t have the guts, afraid it could make things worse.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone suddenly rang.


    As soon as Xing Conglian finished disinfecting Lin Chen¡¯s arm, he suddenly stopped impatiently, stood up, and turned his left side trouser pocket to face him.


    Lin Chen felt embarrassed that someone had broken his obscenity. He looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s lower body and then saw him reach his hand in.


    ¡°Captain, Captain, can you give A¡¯Chen Gege the phone for a bit? We can¡¯t find the master tape. Ahhh, begging here!¡±


    Lin Chen held the phone and put it close to Xing Conglian¡¯s ear. Xing Conglian was holding tweezers and was about to tie the final knot of the suture wound when Wang Chao¡¯s excited voice came out ahead of time.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Tell me.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t ask Xing Conglian; he simply put the phone to his ear.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you said the master tape is in a high spot at the cultural center, but the staff here said that if there¡¯s such a thing, they would have found it a long time ago. It¡¯s impossible for Li Jingtian to hide a CD here quietly for so long without it being discovered!¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Lin Chen turned the phone over and put it on his lap. Then he took out Li Jingtian¡¯s drawing from his pocket. The blood on the drawing had already dried. He looked at the painting for a while, frowning. It was impossible that the object wasn¡¯t in a high spot at the cultural center.


    Thinking of this, he looked at the time on the phone. It was getting closer to boarding time¡­


    Suddenly, he felt Xing Conglian squeezing his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Xing Conglian simply said.


    Lin Chen glanced at the painting again, then suddenly said to Wang Chao, ¡°Go to the lighting area above the stage and look for it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°According to Li Jingtian¡¯s anxious state of mind when he drew this, those clouds should be blackened or accentuated, but they are white and clear. The master tape should be¡­¡±


    ¡°But there are many places with bright white lights!¡± Wang Chao shouted loudly before hanging up.


    Lin Chen picked up the phone and also hung up helplessly.


    When he recovered, Xing Conglian was still holding his hand.


    ¡­¡­


    14:50, Yongchuan Airport, VIP waiting room.


    As the boarding time approached, Li Jingtian gradually became nervous. He felt he was about to get away with his crimes, but was afraid of the sudden drop of the guillotine, which made his muscles tremble uncontrollably.


    He would be able to enter the passage and board the return flight in ten minutes. There were no annoying Chinese police around him. The embassy staff also left after sending him out of customs. The elites dressed in suits and ties in the VIP waiting room didn¡¯t care who he was.


    He was about to be free soon, but as the minutes and seconds passed, as Lin Chen¡¯s bright red blood dripped on the table, he felt the steel wire that was wrapped around his neck get tighter, that he could hardly breathe, but he couldn¡¯t see the shadow of the steel wire¡­


    He would be exonerated, and no one could stop him.


    At least, that was what Li Jingtian thought.


    ¡­¡­


    15:20, Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center.


    Wang Chao commanded a group of police officers to carefully search all the light stands.


    A lighting engineer who was in charge of Li Jingtian¡¯s concert at the time stood next to him with a tangled expression. ¡°I seem to remember that Li Jingtian rehearsed very late the day before the concert. He seemed to have told us he wasn¡¯t satisfied with the lighting on the stage. I don¡¯t remember if he put anything in the light stands because we had left work and he was still here rehearsing¡­¡±


    Dense police boots stepped on the high-altitude steel plate, making clacking sounds.


    ¡°Found it!¡± Someone shouted, and everyone stopped their work.


    ¡­¡­


    15:30.


    At the moment the flight took off, Li Jingtian breathed a sigh of relief. This was simply the most thrilling, turbid breath he had ever exhaled in his life. He shouted with all his strength.


    He had never experienced this kind of refreshing feeling in his life¡ªmore refreshing than when he entered Song Shengsheng¡¯s body over and over again.


    Lin Chen, no matter how awesome you are, you still can¡¯t catch me.


    He pounded on the armrest of the first-class seat and laughed maniacally.


    ¡­¡­


    At 18:00 in the evening, it was a beautiful time for all families to happily have dinner together.


    Mu Wenhua put her little daughter in the dining chair and served a bowl of simple vegetable noodles, but she forgot to put in a fork.


    The girl simply grabbed the noodles with her bare hands and stuffed them into her mouth. The soup dripped down, but Mu Wenhua didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    On the TV in the living room, the live broadcast of Yongchuan Satellite TV wasn¡¯t over yet.


    The tarmac of Xinni International Airport.


    Li Jingtian walked out of the plane and down the gangway.


    Except for the busy airport staff and shuttle buses, there was no one else around. Even the expected flashing lights weren¡¯t there.


    The sky was full of deep indigo, and the city lights were faintly visible in the distance.


    There were no police, no reporters. He was really free¡­


    Li Jingtian took a deep breath of the fresh air. There was nothing more pleasant than freedom.


    He put on his sunglasses, followed the passengers, and slowly walked out of the checkpoint.


    He had already seen the old housekeeper waiting outside the crowd not far away, and he waved his hand to him.


    Li Jingtian wanted to rush to him, but suddenly, just as he was about to walk out the passage, someone kicked him hard in the knee and he fell to the ground; his face smashing into the marbled floor.


    His face was in severe pain, and warm liquid oozed from his mouth and nose. He looked at the old housekeeper running from afar. It was as if someone had smashed his head with a heavy hammer. He struggled violently. ¡°Let me go. Who are you? Why are you arresting me? This is Xinni! This is Xinni!¡±


    The person who pressed on him said in a very businesslike tone, ¡°Mr. Li Jingtian, you have been arrested in accordance with the law for committing a number of serial rape crimes in China with conclusive evidence.¡± After saying this, the man added, ¡°Uh, the police from China also asked me to tell you this, although it¡¯s secondary, but¡­ Li Jingtian, game over.¡±


    Mu Wenhua was fixed in front of the TV with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    In a school cafeteria, in a commercial center square, and on countless big screens, everyone stopped and watched as Li Jingtian was pressed to the marble floor.


    The once famous singer was now disheveled and blood-stained. His eyes were crazy as he spat out all kinds of dehumanizing words, no longer having any dignity as a human.


    Truly like a lunatic.


    The picture gradually darkened.


    The anchor recited in an unprecedented, excited tone, ¡°The master tape hidden by Li Jingtian was in the ceiling of the lighting area of the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center. It was then identified by Mr. Shen Chenggong, a famous sound pattern expert from Xinni. It is indeed the audio file recorded by Li Jingtian during the violent assault against victim Song Shengsheng. The Xinni police have arrested the suspect Li Jingtian in accordance with the law and will extradite Li Jingtian back to our country at a later date. Let us thank the Xinni government for its profound sense of justice and for the justice that came late but finally arrived.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The TV turned off.


    ¡°Did you make arrangements early on?¡± Lin Chen looked at the table full of takeout, and finally understood why Xing Conglian would calmly let Li Jingtian leave. The despair of ¡°rebirth and death¡± would drive people crazy.


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s an allied country, so we have to give Xinni a chance to regain face.¡± Xing Conglian rolled up his cuffs and began to serve the porridge.


    ¡°It¡¯s still Captain Xing who has such foresight.¡±


    ¡°Same to you.¡±


    Lin Chen put down his chopsticks, looked at the blood-replenishing flood in front of him, and fell into contemplation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to detain Su Fengzi at the embassy for another hour.¡± Xing Conglian put down his porridge bowl and said with relief.


    Lin Chen raised his head as he asked, ¡°No, I was thinking, where is Song Shengsheng?¡±

 CH 149

    Where is Song Shengsheng? This was the first question that needed to be solved urgently.


    In addition, there were complicated issues about the girl who slit Li Jingtian¡¯s throat. Why did Xu Ran run away and then get hit and killed? What role did CA play in Song Shengsheng¡¯s unjust imprisonment? These questions needed to be resolved, but before that, they had more important things to do, and that was to rest.


    This time they came to Yongchuan on official business, so according to accommodation standards, they checked into an express hotel near the embassy street. The triple hotel room had an extra bed in the double room, so the space was a bit cramped.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian sat on both sides of the simple desk. After they finished eating the takeout, it was already nine in the evening. For nearly 48 hours without sleep, though Xing Conglian looked as energetic as when he was getting enough sleep, his bloodshot eyes still betrayed him.


    Looking at the newly grown stubble on Xing Conglian¡¯s chin, Lin Chen pointed to the bathroom and said to him, ¡°I¡¯ll clean up. You can take a shower first.¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Leave it. Wang Chao will come back and clean it up.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the time again. That young kid was busy all afternoon while they were like two retirees waiting to die. Now they were leaving leftovers for children to clean up, which seemed inappropriate. ¡°It¡¯s so late¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his sentence.


    The doorbell rang hurriedly. Lin Chen knew that it was Wang Chao based on the rhythm of the doorbell.


    Xing Conglian pulled back the safety bolt and opened the door. Wang Chao rushed into the room, quickly took off his shoes, threw himself face down on the pillow, and then let out a long cry. ¡°I¡­ am¡­ dead¡­!¡±


    After shouting, he began to mumble in a low voice, similar to the sound of a pig rolling in a haystack.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian glanced at each other. Suddenly, Wang Chao sprang up from the chair, rushed to the table, and began to eat. The teenager broke apart a pair of bamboo chopsticks and wiped out the remaining leftovers on the table.


    Lin Chen finally knew what Xing Conglian meant when he said to leave it to Wang Chao.


    For the first five minutes, the only sound in the room was the boy¡¯s desperate slurping of food. Five minutes later, when he started to drink his soup, Lin Chen had the time to ask, ¡°It¡¯s so late. Didn¡¯t the Yongchuan police give you something to eat?¡±


    ¡°They did, but I don¡¯t want to eat it.¡± Wang Chao started to gnaw on a duck leg.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to come back to see you sooner.¡± Wang Chao put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, is your hand okay?¡±


    The teenager¡¯s eyes were so sincere that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help laughing. He always felt that Wang Chao¡¯s sweet-talking skills might have something to do with Xing Conglian.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯ll heal in a few days,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Then you still have to pay attention. Don¡¯t get it wet, avoid meat, and don¡¯t drink carbonated drinks or alcohol. They say that food with a lot of soy sauce isn¡¯t good because it will color your wound¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Dr. Xing has already ordered it.¡±


    Xing Conglian slapped the back of Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°Eat your food. Why are you talking so much!¡±


    Wang Chao put down his chopsticks and raised his head. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m done, but I¡¯m not full yet!¡±


    Sure enough, all the takeout boxes were empty. Xing Conglian glanced over with a little shock. ¡°Did the Yongchuan police abuse you?¡±


    ¡°I did a lot of physical work today. Advanced technicians like me have to eat more to replenish their brain power when they do physical work.¡± Wang Chao knocked on the table and emphasized the word ¡°advanced¡±.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes and asked.


    ¡°I want to eat at Bali Crayfish¡­¡± The teenager¡¯s tone suddenly became flattering. ¡°I know, there¡¯s a chain not far from here!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Captain¡­ also, can you go out and buy me a set of pajamas, t-shirts, and underwear? I¡¯m all smelly!¡± As the teenager spoke, he fanned the wind. Sure enough, there was a faint smell of sweat. He laid on the table and said weakly, ¡°I really can¡¯t walk anymore. Please.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you buy them when you were coming back?¡± Xing Conglian said it coldly.


    ¡°I was in a hurry to see A¡¯Chen Gege!¡± Wang Chao replied smoothly.


    A perfect logical chain.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother to talk to him anymore. He turned and walked to the door. When he opened it, he stood at the entrance and suddenly glanced back. ¡°Consultant Lin?¡±


    Looking at the gentle questioning eyes of Xing Conglian, Lin Chen could probably translate his intentions: Are you tired? If not, let¡¯s go for a walk together?


    He couldn¡¯t refuse.


    Lin Chen nodded, stood up, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It¡¯s already late at night. If they went out at this time in Hongjing, they would probably only see empty streets and lonely streetlights glowing peacefully.


    However, they were in Yongchuan. The nights in major cities were always bustling. There was a long river outside the express hotel where they were staying. On one side of the river were old and new buildings and food stalls, and on the other side was a peaceful trail through a forest along the river.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian across the bridge. In the early summer night, there was a cool breeze blowing by the river. The opposite bank of the river was bustling with people, but the forest was so quiet that frogs croaking could be heard.


    The tree shadows were still, and the ink-like river surface rippled with floating lights.


    Walking side by side with Xing Conglian, he felt at peace. Most of the malice and fatigue from facing Li Jingtian today seemed to have dissipated.


    He suddenly understood why Xing Conglian asked him if he wanted to go with him. Walking was indeed a great way to rest, especially after a thrilling day. Taking a walk with the person you like, even if it was just casually walking by the river without saying anything, was extremely comfortable and relaxing.


    ¡°Consultant Lin,¡± Xing Conglian said suddenly.


    ¡°Captain Xing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always necessary to chat for a bit while walking,¡± Xing Conglian said slowly.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lin Chen was a little surprised. ¡°To be honest, I am very worried about Song Shengsheng.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t center your life around cases. You have to live more,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll have news on Song Shengsheng.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen looked to the other side.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see clearly what was being broadcast on TV in the food stall opposite him, he could vaguely hear the words Song Shengsheng coming from the news across the banks.


    Many diners were drinking beer while watching the news. They were talking to each other. It might be difficult for the police to find Song Shengsheng alone, but the power of people was a bottomless ocean. If Song Shengsheng was still living freely in this world, then he should be found by tomorrow at the latest.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen nodded. He suddenly looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Is Captain Xing doing my ideological work?¡±


    ¡°That is better done by Consultant Lin.¡± Xing Conglian replied. ¡°I obviously just wanted to talk to you.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. When Xing Conglian was coaxing people, it was really heartwarming and unobtrusive.


    Some old songs came from the other side of the river that sounded like they were sung by Song Shengsheng. There was another gust of wind by the river, blowing rose-red petals onto Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder. Lin Chen subconsciously reached out to wipe off the petals, then said, ¡°I found that Captain Xing is really a loyal lover of walking.¡±


    Whether it was early in the morning or in the evening, whether it was before breakfast or after dinner, Xing Conglian was always happy to walk; sometimes with him, sometimes with Wang Chao, and sometimes the three of them together. They would talk about work, the weather, or how food prices had increased recently. In this place, Xing Conglian always showed an easy-going side that wasn¡¯t in line with his temperament.


    Xing Conglian laughed and continued to walk forward. ¡°When I was a kid, no matter how busy my parents were at work, as long as they were home, they would take me for a walk. Therefore, I always feel that walking is a very pleasant thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very good research,¡± Lin Chen murmured.


    ¡°What research?¡±


    ¡°For example, research on family walking time and the happiness index.¡± Lin Chen looked at the couples or groups of friends sitting close to each other on the opposite bank.


    Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly. ¡°Does it matter?¡¯


    ¡°Family happiness and personal growth are always closely related,¡± Lin Chen said as he walked. ¡°You must have grown up in a strong, loving, free, and democratic family, while Li Jingtian probably has an unfortunate family. Although he was spoiled, he lacked true love and correct guidance. His family relationship is tense. Both his parents, especially his father, are likely to have personality disorders or mental illness¡­¡±


    ¡°Listening to what you say, it made me think that Li Jingtian is quite pitiful, and it was out of his hands, so he became what he is now,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted him.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not excusing Li Jingtian.¡± Lin Chen lowered his head slightly. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the river. He looked at the ripples on the dark water and said, ¡°But humans are really not as rational and powerful as people think. Even the simplest stone thrown into the water will cause ripples on the entire water¡¯s surface. The influence of parents on their children¡¯s lives is the same. Even the casual words and actions of an ordinary person on any mundane day may affect others to a greater extent.¡±


    ¡°A very profound statement,¡± Xing Conglian said with emotion. ¡°Didn¡¯t we come for a walk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling a lot lately. Can¡¯t you let me say a few words?¡± Lin Chen said helplessly.


    ¡°Of course, truthfully, it¡¯s a good walk when there¡¯s Consultant Lin talking by your side.¡± Xing Conglian also picked up a stone from the side of the road and threw it into the river.


    This was almost like hot milk with honey. It wasn¡¯t sweet, and it wasn¡¯t expensive. Lin Chen thought for a moment and could only say, ¡°Thank you, Captain Xing, for your compliment.¡±


    They were about to reach the end of the trail. The voices of people came through the trees beside the road.


    Only then did Xing Conglian speak again. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I don¡¯t like that kind of argument very much. For example, people can¡¯t choose their origin, can¡¯t control themselves, and then commit those despicable choices¡ªI feel like it¡¯s shirking from responsibility.¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°I did a thesis when I was in college. It was a study on the creativity of painting. Basically, we gave the subject a proposition and asked them to paint, and then we asked them to explain what they saw based on the painting we gave them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ then?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°That was the first time I realized how fantastic and magnificent human thinking was. The same proposition would never have the same answer. Among those people, there are those who are morbid and dark, those who are kind and beautiful, some who are rigid in their thinking, and some who are full of whimsical ideas. To be honest, although we always emphasize the proposition of individual differences, it was only then that I really discovered that everyone¡¯s mind is so different. We must admit that there are indeed people in this world who cannot control themselves, and the pain of mental illness lies in this. But we must also admit that among those who are fully capable of behavior, there are people like Li Jingtian and people like you. Some shirk from responsibility, some take responsibility; some people choose to use harm to others to solve problems when facing a desperate state of mind, and some people have ordinary lives, but in desperate situations, they shine the greatest and brightest light of human nature. The world is like this, so the key to the problems is, in this world, what you agree with, what you choose, and what you have done¡ªall of these, in the end, determine how you will affect the entire world.¡±


    While talking, they had already walked off the trail.


    Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t spoken for a while. At the end of the water bank was a night market street. There were various stalls full of various stalls, and the smell of fireworks suddenly reached their noses.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xing Conglian said earnestly. ¡°I thought about it for a while, and I think Consultant Lin was praising me just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I spoke so euphemistically. You can hear it?¡± Lin Chen was a little surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m smart. I want to express my gratitude to Consultant Lin. I¡¯ll buy you a drink.¡±


    As Xing Conglian spoke, he walked to a small stall on the street. He stood in front of the counter and observed the selection of drinks in the cupboard.


    Standing in the night outside the store, Lin Chen watched Xing Conglian carefully order a drink in the small shop and pay for it. He thought the feeling of having someone take you on a walk and buy you a drink was really a joyful thing.


    Suddenly, Xing Conglian turned his head and gazed at him deeply, with a gentle smile in his eyes.


    Lin Chen also smiled back.

 CH 150

    After they finished buying the crawfish, they returned to the night market street.


    They still needed to buy a change of clothes for Wang Chao, which could be solved by finding a small supermarket. As Lin Chen walked along the street, he suddenly saw a small street stall.


    The stall owner was a young college student who was taking a nap. He was listening to music on his phone and seemed to have no intention of doing business. There were two simple iron racks beside him. On one rack were two rows of scattered clothes. Lin Chen glanced at the playback track on his phone and found that he was listening to an early album by Song Shengsheng.


    Probably at the moment when Lin Chen passed by, the young college student glanced at him, then held up his phone and stood up excitedly. ¡°Lin¡­ Mr. Lin Chen?¡±


    Lin Chen stopped. It was the first time he had been stopped by a bystander, and he was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I¡­ I like Shengsheng very much. I¡¯m a big fan. Thank you, for today¡­¡± The little boy said with eyes flushed. ¡°Although it¡¯s uncomfortable, thank you very much.¡±


    Under the streetlight, the young college student¡¯s eyes were red, and his expression held some excitement. In the night, he was covered by the faint light of the streetlight, and behind him was the smoke rising into the sky from a barbeque stall next door.


    Lin Chen was stunned.


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not mistaken, am I?¡± The college student looked at him in a daze, and suddenly became timid.


    Lin Chen thought for a while. It was the first time he had been thanked in person. Looking at the student¡¯s young face and hopeful eyes, he felt he should say something, but he couldn¡¯t say anything.


    He suddenly remembered Song Shengsheng. The singer¡¯s face when he was young gradually coincided with the student. He suddenly wanted to know what the other party would say to him if he faced Song Shengsheng one day. If it was Song Shengsheng, he might thank him for avenging him or blame him for meddling in his business. Song Shengsheng was such a strange alternative.


    In the end, it was Xing Conglian who put his hand on his shoulder to break the deadlock.


    Xing Conglian greeted the student and said, ¡°It¡¯s so late, and you¡¯re still setting up a stall?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ To earn tuition money!¡± The student became excited again. ¡°Do you want to buy any clothes? I can pick them out for you. Really¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say. I¡¯m kinda brain dead right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lin Chen turned around, embarrassed.


    His actions probably made the college student think he was buying clothes, so the boy¡¯s excited voice rang in his ears. ¡°Are you buying men¡¯s clothes? I have a summer style in the small commodity market. It¡¯s pretty hot right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Men¡¯s clothing¡­ Hm¡­.¡± Lin Chen picked up a large pink t-shirt with a small strawberry pattern from a simple hanger. He thought about how Wang Chao would look wearing this and glanced at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°Is it cute?¡±


    ¡°Cute,¡± Xing Conglian said with satisfaction.


    Lin Chen nodded, took out his wallet, and paid.


    Then a round of tug-of-war over paying ensued. In the end, Xing Conglian secretly stuffed the money into the student¡¯s pocket and settled the matter.


    This was, of course, a small matter. When they returned to the express hotel, it was past ten.


    Wang Chao had already showered and was wrapped in a thin blanket, soundly asleep.


    Xing Conglian stood by the bed, carrying a large basket of crayfish takeout, as if he wanted to wake him up.


    Lin Chen grabbed him, put the strawberry t-shirt by Wang Chao¡¯s bedside, and said helplessly, ¡°He didn¡¯t sleep all day yesterday, so he¡¯s probably really tired.¡±


    ¡°What about the crayfish?¡± Xing Conglian irritably asked.


    Lin Chen glanced at the pot full of peppers, then at the knife wound on his hand, and said naturally, ¡°I¡¯ll watch you eat it.¡±


    In order to appease Xing Conglian, he smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want to go downstairs and buy some beer?¡±


    As a loyal lover of spicy crayfish, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t refuse this request.


    There were a pair of small sofa chairs by the window. Xing Conglian put the crayfish on the coffee table, then, as if thinking of something, suddenly turned to Lin Chen and said, ¡°It¡¯s late. Consultant Lin should shower first.¡±


    Seeing that Xing Conglian was going to be munching on crayfish all night, Lin Chen nodded and agreed.


    Before he could even take off his clothes, Xing Conglian turned around again and said, ¡°Wait, the wound has to be kept from water. Will it be inconvenient for you to shower by yourself?¡¯


    ¡°Of course it will be.¡± Lin Chen opened the bathroom door. When he heard him say that, he had already entered the bathroom. He rarely got the chance to tease Xing Conglian, so he stuck out his head and said, ¡°Is Captain Xing going to help me wash?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very willing to serve you.¡± Xing Conglian made a gesture to get up.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go together?¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian with a smile, then turned around and locked the bathroom door.


    When he came out after showering, Xing Conglian had already eaten a third of the crayfish.


    Naturally, an express hotel wouldn¡¯t have tall floor-to-ceiling windows like the Cohen May. The floor where they were staying was also very low, so there was no sense of grandeur from a panoramic view of the city with its thousands of twinkling lights. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s back, who was sitting on a round stool; one person, with a beer, and crayfish. Under the dim light, he felt Xing Conglian had gone through a thousand sails. At that time, Lin Chen suddenly thought, ¡®Who could enter Xing Conglian¡¯s heart?¡¯


    He wiped his wet hair with one hand and sat down beside Xing Conglian.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit inconvenient, right?¡± Xing Conglian took a sip of his beer and asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that troublesome.¡± Lin Chen glanced at the coffee table. At some point, while he was taking a shower, there was an extra bottle of Yongchuan draft beer.


    Xing Conglian put down his cup and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out again, he directly took the towel from Lin Chen¡¯s hand and began to dry his hair for him without looking at it. Xing Conglian moved gently. Lin Chen could feel the strength of his hand holding the towel around his head. His ears were touched by Xing Conglian¡¯s rough palms from time to time. Lin Chen suspected that they had probably turned red, but luckily they were covered up under the dim light.


    ¡°When you saw that student just now, did you regret doing the live broadcast?¡± Xing Conglian suddenly ask out of nowhere.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s thoughtful and serene face in the reflection of the glass window and said honestly, ¡°Yes, I was thinking just now. What if what Song Shengsheng wanted wasn¡¯t revenge but a peaceful life? Did I instead violate his wish?¡±


    ¡°This is not something you can decide.¡± Xing Conglian finished drying Lin Chen¡¯s hair and started to fold up the towel. ¡°Similarly, this is something he can decide.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. Xing Conglian¡¯s words were powerful. Truly he deserved to be Xing Conglian.


    Because Xing Conglian could easily resolve his knot. Lin Chen suddenly remembered his other friend, who also wanted to resolve his knot. ¡°Where is Su Fengzi?¡±


    Having said that, Lin Chen realized his phone hadn¡¯t rung all night. With Su Fengzi¡¯s temperament, it was difficult for him not to call him after being locked up for a day¡­


    ¡°That man of God¡­¡± Xing Conglian put the towel back in the bathroom. His voice gradually became smaller. Footsteps sounded as he walked out of the bathroom again and stopped by the table. Lin Chen heard the sound of the electric kettle, he turned his head, and saw that Xing Conglian was opening the tea bag and putting it into a porcelain cup.


    He quietly made a cup of tea, then brought it over and put it in front of Lin Chen and said gently, ¡°Jasmine tea. It doesn¡¯t have caffeine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Lin Chen picked up the teacup. The tea bag gently floated, and the aroma wafted. It seemed that Xing Conglian was going to continue chatting with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that when the staff at the Xinni Embassy went to release him, the room was already empty,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, but after thinking about it, this kind of thing was indeed similar to Su Fengzi¡¯s style.


    ¡°Your friend is really incredible.¡± Xing Conglian picked up a crayfish and began to peel it.


    Lin Chen really wanted to say, ¡°You¡¯re more incredible than him¡±, but of course this kind of thing could only be hidden in his heart.


    ¡°Fengzi, to be honest, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing.¡± Lin Chen blew on the tea. It was just common jasmine tea, but because Xing Conglian was by his side, Lin Chen felt that this cup of tea was sweeter than the ones he drank in the past. ¡°When we were in college, he often skipped classes, so we sometimes wonder if he has a secret identity like Superman, who is saving the world, or part of Overwatch*. In short, he¡¯s very mysterious.¡±


    *FPS game. Members of Overwatch are kind of like protectors of the world.


    Xing Conglian pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°How interesting.¡±


    After that, he talked with Xing Conglian about Su Fengzi¡¯s life in college. He planned to go to bed early, but instead he sat on the sofa by the narrow window of the express hotel, watching Xing Conglian eat crayfish while continuing to chat.


    Xing Conglian would sometimes say some strange regional knowledge, and Lin Chen would listen carefully. Sometimes he couldn¡¯t help but insert a sentence or two, and then occasionally talk about some patients he had encountered. In short, it was a chat between men, so he involuntarily talked about experiences that made him proud.


    At that time, Lin Chen thought this was actually good. There was no need for any more changes between him and Xing Conglian. He was already satisfied.


    If there was no Song Shengsheng, then the time between him and Xing Conglian would have passed through decades without a trace, like tonight.


    But fortunately, Song Shengsheng was in the world.


    ¡­¡­


    The next day, they were completely woken up by the sudden ringing of Xing Conglian¡¯s phone.


    When he sat up from the bed in a daze, Xing Conglian was already awake and had picked up the phone.


    ¡°Jiang Chao?¡± Xing Conglian scratched his head and said in a surprised tone.


    ¡°Fuck, Xing Conglian. Can you not come to Yongchuan? Every time you come here, there¡¯s always big news!¡± Vice Captain Jiang¡¯s loud voice came through the phone¡¯s speaker.


    Lin Chen covered his head and realized the caller was the deputy captain of Yongchuan¡¯s second criminal investigation division, whom they assisted in investigating the case of the mass suicides. His heart sank, and he woke up instantly. Lin Chen sat straight up and looked at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you calling me so early?¡± Xing Conglian asked solemnly.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡¯s there too, right? The group case we investigated last time has made progress. I want to talk to you for a bit. I know you¡¯re busy with what¡¯s going on yesterday. I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. Are you free this morning?¡±


    The room was too quiet, and Lin Chen was very close to Xing Conglian¡¯s bed, so Jiang Chao could clearly hear his movements.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Downstairs,¡± Vice-Captain Jiang replied naturally.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath, while Wang Chao didn¡¯t seem to hear the phone at all and was still sleeping soundly.


    The quality of the teenager¡¯s sleep was so good that it was quite envious. Xing Conglian got up and removed Wang Chao¡¯s shirt that was soaking in the sink. Lin Chen could only express his appreciation for Xing Conglian¡¯s mannerisms.


    Although he only slept for 6 hours, it was always good to have breakfast.


    Jiang Chao sent them a location and waited for them at a beef noodle shop near the express hotel.


    As soon as they entered, the enthusiastic Captain Jiang patted the table and said, ¡°This beef noodle shop is really good, famous only in Yongchuan. I just ordered a bowl for you guys. If it¡¯s not enough, you can just order more.¡±


    Lin Chen pulled out a chair. As he was sitting down, Xing Conglian whispered to him, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a similar shop like this near our house?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the name of the store on the menu, determined not to tell Jiang Chao that this famous Yongchuan noodle shop was actually an ordinary national chain store.


    The waiter served them large bowls of beef noodle soup. The soup was clear, the meat was red, and there was a lot of cilantro as garnish. Xing Conglian broke open a pair of bamboo chopsticks, carefully removed the wooden thorns on them, handed them over to Lin Chen, then said to Jiang Chao, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    Lin Chen squeezed the bamboo chopsticks. These casual gestures from Xing Conglian were like torture to his heart. Xing Conglian was an excellent model for a lover.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch the mastermind behind it,¡± Jiang Chao swallowed his noodles and said very depressingly.


    ¡°What?¡± Although the police of the two precincts were communicating about the progress of the case, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know that Jiang Chao had actually carried out an arrest operation on the mastermind behind their previous case. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the progress coming from Jiang Chao¡¯s mouth would be so depressing.


    ¡°Hey, Consultant Lin, you also know that those children were brainwashed very thoroughly, so the interrogation process was extremely troublesome. Later, if it weren¡¯t for you asking a few psychology professors from Yongchuan University for help, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this valuable information.¡±


    ¡°Nn, continue.¡±


    ¡°According to the confessions of some students, we confirmed that the main messenger behind the scenes was a middle-aged man around 40 years old who called himself ¡®Mr. Meijing¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Meijing?¡± Lin Chen paused his chopsticks and interrupted Jiang Chao.


    ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t this name particularly sick*? Like an island, but it shouldn¡¯t be his real name but a code name.¡±


    *Clarity: [Meijing] (ÃÀ¾°) Means beautiful scenery, which is why Jiang Chao made this comment, as the meaning doesn¡¯t match his insidious actions.


    ¡°A beautiful sight on a fine day*,¡± Xing Conglian suddenly said. ¡°How cultured.¡±


    *(Á¼³½ÃÀ¾°) [Meijing] is part of the idiom underlined. Xing Conglian is saying the full idiom [liangcheng meijing] which means a beautiful day and scenery.


    ¡°Hey, Lao Xing. Can¡¯t you not interrupt and let me continue?¡± Jiang Chao waved his hand.


    Xing Conglian shook his head helplessly and continued to bow his head to drink his soup.


    Jiang Chao said, ¡°Then the technician of our bureau drew a picture of Mr. Meijing based on the student¡¯s description. We plastered an arrest warrant all over the city. Just four days ago, a local newspaper reported that someone had seen ¡®Mr. Meijing¡¯ in a new village in the Honghu district. The people in our bureau went to squat for a while and decided to carry out an arrest operation yesterday. But when we rushed in¡­ he was gone.¡± Jiang Chao waved his chopsticks.


    Hearing what Jiang Chao said, Lin Chen had a subtle sense of fear in his mind. The mysterious Mr. Meijing and Song Shengsheng, who they haven¡¯t heard from in more than a year¡ªcould it be these two people were the same person?


    But considering the age, Song Shengsheng wasn¡¯t that old¡­


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen took a deep breath. Xing Conglian stopped his movements and frowned at him. Obviously, they seem to have the same thought again.


    Lin Chen said to Jiang Chao, ¡°Can you show me that picture of Mr. Meijing?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking? Isn¡¯t this why I called you guys out?¡±


    As Jiang Chao spoke, he took out the warrant from the information file.


    Lin Chen opened it and looked at the sketch on the white paper. He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt that his nervousness just now was simply an unexplained occupational disease.


    If Song Shengsheng was Mr. Meijing, Jiang Chao would have reacted a long time ago. How could he come to them to inform them now?


    Lin Chen looked at the middle-aged man on the white paper again, only to feel that it matched quite well with Mr. Meijing, who had committed such heinous crimes.


    The middle-aged man was wearing a checkerboard scarf around his neck and black-rimmed glasses. His appearance looked bland, but when combined, he had a special charm, like that of a scholar who has years of wisdom.


    He was gentle and could give guidance. Whether it was a boy or girl, they may have prayed that their father was like this in their sleep; he would hold a child on his knees, and, with a vivid and gentle tone, tell them a fairy tale; he would take them to the countryside and explain to them all the wild animals and plants; while he knew many things, he never showed off, yet he was perfect from ordinary people.


    In short, only a person as charming as this could make people put their lives aside for him.


    Lin Chen retracted his gaze and handed the sketch to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian glanced at it, folded up the warrant indifferently, and stuffed it under the soup bowl as if that was just some ordinary criminal.


    ¡°Do you know Mr. Meijing¡¯s real name?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Lao Xing, if I did, would I still come to see Consultant Lin?!¡± Jiang Chao¡¯s tone changed. ¡°I¡¯m really at a dead end here. I don¡¯t know anything. That Mr. Meijing is like a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a new village, there should be fingerprints left behind. Have you done a fingerprint inspection and recorded it?¡±


    ¡°There are no records!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it really is a ghost.¡± Xing Conglian finished speaking and continued to sip on his soup. ¡°Don¡¯t be too anxious. You will catch him eventually.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Consultant Lin. Look at him. There¡¯s no friendship between colleagues at all,¡± Jiang Chao grumbled.


    Lin Chen pondered for a moment, then said seriously, ¡°But it¡¯s just one picture. I don¡¯t have a better way.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you dig a pit for him like you did with Li Jingtian?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too risky. Mr. Meijing is cautious, cunning, and an extremely clever criminal at first glance. He¡¯s far more dangerous than Li Jingtian,¡± Lin Chen said solemnly. ¡°You must be careful. You can¡¯t be as reckless as last time.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I have to catch him even if I die,¡± Jiang Chao said unsteadily.


    If he had to divide temperament by types, Jiang Chao would be the hot-blooded; lively and enthusiastic but also quite thick-headed. Lin Chen glanced at him deeply and didn¡¯t know what to say. In the end, he had to poke Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian understood. He put his chopsticks across his bowl and said, ¡°Jiang Chao¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of death, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you afraid that your colleagues will die one by one as a result of your recklessness?¡±


    Xing Conglian was serious, majestic even. The temperature in the small shop had dropped a few degrees.


    Jiang Chao glanced at him and became timid.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to act without authorization next time. If you have any questions, you will notify me and Consultant Lin first.¡± Xing Conglian settled the matter.


    Sometimes, Lin Chen felt that Jiang Chao was like the older version of Wang Chao. Unfortunately, Wang Chao was a child raised by Xing Conglian, while Jiang Chao obviously didn¡¯t have such a blessing.


    The beef noodle soup was eaten quickly. Jiang Chao didn¡¯t dare refute what Xing Conglian had said, but because of the silence, the otherwise beautiful breakfast became bland.


    Jiang Chao thanked them and hurriedly left.


    They walked to the hotel, and after opening the door to their room, they found that Wang Chao was already awake.


    The teenager had the little strawberry t-shirt in his hand; not wearing a shirt and had turned on the TV at some point.


    He looked at the picture on the TV with confused eyes, then turned his head and said to them, ¡°A¡­ A¡¯Chen, Captain¡­ Song Shengsheng has been found.¡±

 CH 151

    On TV, a reporter was interviewing a resident.


    It was a gray-haired old lady wearing a red armband. The old lady was very excited and said to the reporter, ¡°Oh, I watched the news yesterday. Aren¡¯t you all looking for that big star? When I saw him, I thought he kind of looked familiar! I thought about it and seemed to have seen him somewhere. Guess what? Before I went to bed, my old man told me what we¡¯re having tomorrow morning, and suddenly, I knew where I had seen this big star you were looking for.¡±


    The old woman finished speaking and began to walk while the reporter was asking her dozens of questions.


    The camera followed her steps, sweeping past a pink wall. There were green bricks and a slated bridge recorded by the camera. A turquoise river was on the side of the road, and the bricks and tiles that appeared on TV gave Lin Chen a familiar feeling.


    He was like Wang Chao. He turned his head blankly and looked at Xing Conglian for a while, speechless.


    Because the old lady was walking through what was Yanjia Lane, the same street he would walk through every day.


    Song Shengsheng was living in a place that was close to them?


    How was this possible¡­


    The old lady walked along the river for a while, then turned left into another alley, and finally stopped in front of the entrance to a large bakery.


    The camera lens moved to the signboard of this breakfast shop, and Lin Chen was so shocked he almost forgot to breathe. He clearly remembered that it was the morning before yesterday; on the day before the accident at Ansheng International Mall, he and Xing Conglian were at this shop.


    They sat opposite each other and had breakfast in the shop, which had a strong smell of oil.


    The cameraman recorded the steaming fritters and snow-white soy milk and finally pointed the camera at the shop owner.


    All of a sudden, there were so many people in the shop, and many of them were holding microphones and cameras. The boss was very surprised. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is my Lao Chen¡¯s fritter finally famous?¡±


    ¡°Boss Chen, who is the little kneader in your family? Who¡¯s in the back of your kitchen? Can he come out?¡± the old lady asked mysteriously.


    As soon as the old lady said this, Lin Chen almost bit himself. He finally remembered why he felt Song Shengsheng looked familiar.


    He should indeed have seen Song Shengsheng. The old lady was right. It was the person working in the back of the bakery¡ªthe worker who was kneading dough and never spoke.


    Sometimes, Boss Chen didn¡¯t have enough dough at hand, and he was too busy to go get it himself, so he would shout, and someone would come out from the back kitchen and deliver the dough to him, then he would bow his head and walk to the back again¡­


    The appearance of the worker gradually overlapped with the picture of Song Shengsheng after he was released from prison.


    Lin Chen thought that in that bustling shop, he must have had the opportunity to pass by Song Shengsheng once or twice. Maybe Song Shengsheng glanced at him, maybe he glanced at Song Shengsheng. Why didn¡¯t he remember this earlier?


    But was it really Song Shengsheng?


    Without all the rivets all over his body and his unique silver hair, the kneader¡¯s face was pale, and his skin was dry and chapped. He appeared to be an overworked small worker at the city¡¯s lowest level. Except that he looked much older than those people and didn¡¯t have any traces of what he had used to look like before.


    Lin Chen had many ideas about how Song Shengsheng should look now, and he even preferred that Song Shengsheng become a crazy executioner to exact revenge on Li Jingtian, as he had feared, rather than this: ordinary, introverted, and lifeless¡­


    Would the once proud soul that was dragged to the depths of hell really become humble and rickety, to the point of being almost unrecognizable?


    Lin Chen covered his face with both hands, feeling extremely uncomfortable.


    He felt his shoulder sink. At some point, Xing Conglian had put his hand on his shoulder. Lin Chen raised his head, and Xing Conglian added more pressure, as if to comfort him.


    Xing Conglian looked at him and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Wang Chao, find Boss Chen¡¯s number right away.¡±


    The teenager, who was bare-shirted, nodded, then rushed to the table and opened his laptop. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, do you know the full name of Boss Chen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, ¡°The bakery must have records in the Bureau of Industry and Commerce and the Department of Health. You can check there.¡±


    During the live TV broadcast, the boss nimbly took the cash. When he was looking for change, he thought about answering the old lady¡¯s question just now. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°What? Gone?¡± The reporter raised his voice and asked, ¡°Are you sure? When did he leave?¡±


    ¡°Gone. He left after getting off work yesterday. What¡¯s the matter? Is this a TV show looking for people?¡± The boss wiped his hand on his apron and asked perplexingly, as if unaware of the situation.


    ¡°Lao Chen, you didn¡¯t watch the news yesterday? It¡¯s a big deal!¡± The old lady shouted at the top of her lungs in exasperation.


    ¡°My little grandson hogs the TV all day watching bears. What kind of news can I watch?¡± The boss lowered his head and continued to roll out the dough.


    The old lady batted the boss¡¯ arm. ¡°That¡¯s Song Shengsheng! A formerly famous big star. Did you check his ID card when you hired him? Was that his name? Is it Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Boss Chen burst out laughing. ¡°What big star? How could our A¡¯Guan be a star? It¡¯s not like you have seen A¡¯Guan¡­¡±


    Hearing what the boss said, the reporter was a little disappointed. ¡°Is it true that his name is A¡¯Guan? But why did he leave yesterday after he got off work? Do you know the details?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± The boss stopped suddenly and looked at the reporter suspiciously. ¡°He said his name is A¡¯Guan, but now that you mentioned¡­ He left in a hurry yesterday. He said he didn¡¯t want the rest of his salary. Later, I chased him down, but he got into a big Benz¡­¡±


    Hearing this, the reporter¡¯s eyes lit up, and he became excited again. ¡°Did you really check his ID card? Isn¡¯t he really Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Boss Chen smacked his mouth and waved his hand. ¡°Our small shop doesn¡¯t want trouble. We only need someone who is honest and willing to work hard. He¡¯s been working here for three months and is very honest and responsible. How does he look like those stars on TV?¡±


    ¡°In other words, you don¡¯t know who he is?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. He¡¯s A¡¯Guan!¡±


    The reporter then turned around and looked at the live broadcast camera and said very excitedly, ¡°Dear audience, the trail of Mr. Song Shengsheng is becoming more confusing. Whether the bakery worker is the former King of Music, please keep watching Hongjing TV station as we track the clues down for you.¡±


    The boss looked confused. He scratched his face, then leaned into the camera and suddenly said, ¡°Oh, by the way, the person who drove the big Benz left me a number. Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°I want it! Thank you!¡± The reporter almost lost his composure in front of the TV because of the upcoming exclusive.


    At the same time, Wang Chao shouted in front of the computer. ¡°Captain, I found it!¡±


    ¡°Call,¡± Xing Conglian said heavily.


    Wang Chao hurriedly dialed the number. During the live news broadcast, the boss was strangely taking out a note from his pockets when suddenly a ringtone sounded. He first handed the note to the reporter before answering the call.


    ¡°Hello, Boss Chen. I am the captain of the Hongjing Police. My name is Xing Conglian. Please take back the note and don¡¯t reveal anything to reporters. Later, our colleagues will pick you up and escort you to the police station to get your statement. Please rest assured, this is just a routine inquiry.¡±


    In the picture, the reporter had just opened the note.


    Hearing this, Boss Chen hurriedly reached out his hand and snatched the note back. As if in an absurd comedy, he said to Xing Conglian carelessly in front of the camera, ¡°Captain Xing, I snatched the paper back. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t give it to anyone except the police!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and please send me the number on the paper as soon as possible.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he hung up the phone and also took out a piece of paper from his pocket. There was a circle left by the soup bowl on the paper. That was the warrant that he had previously placed under the bowl. He slowly opened it, and the sketch of the strange-named Mr. Meijing was smiling at them.


    Lin Chen frowned tightly. Someone driving a Mercedes to pick up Song Shengsheng. Who was it? He hoped it wasn¡¯t that terrifying person.


    Xing Conglian turned his head and looked at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not worried about the same thing as me, are you?¡±


    Lin Chen could only nod.


    ¡­¡­


    Song Shengsheng worked at the bakery, where they would occasionally go for breakfast. This was almost an incredible coincidence, but if this wasn¡¯t a coincidence, then this matter had begun to approach the scope of a thriller. Lin Chen didn¡¯t dare make any speculations about it.


    They packed up quickly. Xing Conglian and Wang Chao stuffed everything into their backpacks at lightning speed. During the packing period, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t disconnect the phone once. He kept assigning tasks to their Hongjing colleagues. First, he sent someone to Yanjia Lane to pick up Boss Chen, and then he said to the colleague on the other end of the line, ¡°Take people from the forensic department to the bakery and see if there are any fingerprints left by that A¡¯Guan, and scan them for inspection. Also, I have a picture here. When you see Boss Chen, ask him if he recognizes this as the person who picked up Song Shengsheng.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone again, took a picture of the wanted warrant, and sent it over.


    After doing all this, Xing Conglian¡¯s text message notification buzzed. He clicked on the message, and a phone number consisting of 13 digits appeared, which was sent by the owner of the bakery.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, should we make this call right now?¡± Xing Conglian asked him as he stared at the number.


    Lin Chen fell into contemplation. This was a really difficult question to judge, so even Xing Conglian hesitated.


    Judging from the other party¡¯s action of leaving a number, it was obvious they hoped someone would call them. This showed that the other party wasn¡¯t afraid of them knowing they had picked up Song Shengsheng, and Song Shengsheng also voluntarily left with them. This shouldn¡¯t be a kidnapping, so why?


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    Xing Conglian called to him again.


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Anyway, that reporter has seen the number, so he might already be calling now, so let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded, as if agreeing with his judgment.


    Soon they got into Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep and rushed back to Hongjing.


    Lin Chen sat in the back seat with Wang Chao, who didn¡¯t care anymore about the cute pink strawberry t-shirt that he was wearing.


    The vehicle started. Wang Chao put his hands on the keyboard, but he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I¡­ What should I check?¡±


    Lin Chen pinched the bridge of his nose and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the situation on the internet first, then search the peripheral surveillance. Can you make sure that the A¡¯Guan from the bakery is Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Xing Conglian turned on the car radio channel to Hongjing broadcasting. The host¡¯s magnetic and gentle voice flowed out. He said with some excitement, ¡°The news about Song Shengsheng, the former King of Music, has affected the hearts of hundreds of millions of fans. Just now, the host of our Hongjing TV station has called the number of the mysterious gentleman who took Song Shengsheng away. Our director has cut to the audio. Let us hold our breath and wait quietly.¡±


    The host said this in an almost chant-like tone. He was full of reverence when he spoke the name Song Shengsheng. It was always the nature of the media to follow the trend1 and praise high and step low2.


    1Red top white (¸úºì¶¥°×) Cantonese slang referring to following the trend.


    2(°Ç¸ß²ÈµÍ) Idiom refer to flattering/clinging to the superior while bullying and suppressing the inferior.


    The tone of the call ringing sounded, one after another. Finally, the line was connected, and everyone¡¯s hearts had reached their throats.


    A very calm and humble voice came from the car stereo. He said, ¡°Hello, may I ask who this is?¡±

 CH 152

    The voice didn¡¯t belong to Song Shengsheng.


    But if a voice could reflect the personality of the speaker, then the person who just picked up was a typical gentleman. His voice was low, magnetic, and academic. In short, he didn¡¯t sound like a vicious kidnapper.


    Perhaps it was because the voice on the other end was so calm that the reporter who dialed the number was a little speechless. ¡°Ah¡­ Hello.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, is there something I can do for you?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m a reporter from Hongjing TV.¡±


    ¡°Really? A reporter?¡±


    ¡°I am indeed a reporter. Can I take the liberty to ask what your name is?¡±


    ¡°Xiang Ye,¡± the person on the other end replied.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiang. Well, I¡¯m calling you to ask if you took someone from Yanjia Lane at six yesterday afternoon. Before leaving, you left your number with the owner of Chen Ji Bakery?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man¡¯s response was concise and simple.


    ¡°So, is the person you took away Mr. Song Shengsheng?¡±


    The air suddenly stagnated, and everyone was waiting for his answer.


    ¡°Heh.¡± The man gave a low chuckle. ¡°How fast.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! A¡¯Guan is Mr. Song Shengsheng, right? You took him away, right?¡± the reporter asked eagerly.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    ¡°You left a number!¡± The reporter was confused.


    ¡°How can you be sure that my number is left for you?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The reporter began to become irritated. ¡°What do you mean? Now everyone is very concerned about the safety of Mr. Song Shengsheng. You¡­¡±


    ¡°Where were you a year ago, two years ago, five years ago, nine years ago?¡± The man¡¯s tone was merciless. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn to care about his safety?¡±


    ¡°Please understand, Mr. Xiang, the truth didn¡¯t come out until yesterday. Before, I, including the majority of our audience watching now, were completely blinded by Li Jingtian.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± Xiang Ye¡¯s tone became stern. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. In fact, you just want an interview under the premise of caring. You want to know how he was tortured by Li Jingtian. You¡¯re even thinking dirty, like if he¡¯s in a good mood, he will give you some good material about his painful life in prison. That¡¯ll complete your headlines, right?¡±


    When the reporter was questioned by him, he started to stutter. ¡°You have completely misinterpreted our motives. There are many fans and friends who silently support Mr. Song. We are all worried about Mr. Song.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so are you his fan or a visitor with wretched curiosity?¡± The man¡¯s tone became colder. He paused and interrupted the reporter, who wanted to respond. ¡°Don¡¯t answer me. Let the police captain who should have gotten the note call me.¡±


    After the person on the other end of the phone finished speaking, he hung up the line decisively.


    Because Xiang Ye¡¯s speed of speech was clean and neat, it took less than a minute and a half before the entire call ended.


    Xing Conglian turned the volume down without the slightest irritation at being named.


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    Lin Chen spoke in a low voice. It was actually him who decided to wait for the reporter to call first, but this decision obviously caused dissatisfaction from the person on the other end of the line.


    Xing Conglian interrupted him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re right.¡±


    As he said this, he took out a cigarette and stuffed it into his mouth but didn¡¯t light it. ¡°Okay, time is running out. Now let¡¯s talk about what we know. First, Song Shengsheng was released from prison with a reduced sentence more than a year ago. During this period, his whereabouts became a mystery, and even Wang Chao couldn¡¯t find a trace of him. It wasn¡¯t until three months ago that he started working at the Chen Ji Bakery in Hongjing. Second, according to the information revealed by Mr. Xiang Ye, who left the number, he should be someone like a friend who supported Song Shengsheng for many years.¡±


    ¡°Captain, your summary is accurate!¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Wang Chao¡­¡± Xing Conglian said, ¡°Check the background of this Mr. Xiang.¡±


    As soon as Wang Chao was about to move, Lin Chen held the teenager¡¯s hand and said, ¡°No, I know who it is.¡±


    ¡°Ah! What A¡¯Chen? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the agent who discovered Song Shengsheng, Mr. Xiang Ye.¡±


    ¡°An agent again?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and recalled the information he had read before. ¡°It was from one of the interviews. Xiang Ye had a chance a few years ago to attend a campus concert of his sister¡¯s high school. He originally thought it was boring, but during the concert, Song Shengsheng performed a heavy rock song on stage. Although all the teachers and students in the audience wanted to cover their ears, Xiang Ye felt that Song Shengsheng¡¯s music was wonderful, and when he learned afterward that it was his own original music, the famous agent belonging to CA Entertainment was determined to sign the 16-year-old. Xiang Ye supported Song Shengsheng for his debut and managed him during his rookie period, the most difficult time for Song Shengsheng. It could be said that Song Shengsheng was able to reach the top of the music scene because of the vision and courage of his agent.¡±


    After Lin Chen repeated the report, Xing Conglian asked him, ¡°So this Mr. Xiang Ye, is he still working at CA Entertainment?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened after that. I need Wang Chao to check that out.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, I¡¯m already on it!¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    The young man pressed the enter button and then said, ¡°Reporting to leader, Xiang Ye hasn¡¯t worked in CA Entertainment for a long time. After Song Shengsheng was unjustly imprisoned, he resigned from CA. After several twists and turns, he now seems to be working as a manager of the Yasheng Performing Arts Group.¡±


    ¡°It seems that this Xiang Ye is quite a kind and righteous person?¡± Xing Conglian murmured.


    In fact, Lin Chen could fully understand Xing Conglian¡¯s feelings. They were very suspicious before. First, they suspected that the person who took Song Shengsheng away was Mr. Meijing, and now they suspect that the motives of Xiang Ye taking away Song Shengsheng were impure, but facts proved that their two conjectures were complete bullshit.


    ¡°What does Consultant Lin think?¡±


    Xing Conglian was asked for his opinion.


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°It may not be appropriate for me to say it, but we still have to plan for the worst.¡±


    ¡°You mean, Song Shengsheng is being controlled by this man named Xiang Ye?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°But Song Shengsheng got in the car by himself. How can he be controlled?¡± Wang Chao interjected.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know, so I can only say we need to plan for the worst.¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Your intuition for planning never comes for no reason¡­¡±


    ¡°No, in fact, my intuition has already been irrational.¡± Although he said this, he really suspected that his intuition was wrong.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Xing Conglian sighed.


    ¡°However, the crux of the problem this time is, why do we want to find Song Shengsheng? If the fans want to know if their beloved idol is safe, and the media wants to get news and hits, then why are we also disturbing his current life?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be said to be a disturbance. After all, there are still doubts in this case. One recording can prove that Li Jingtian forced Song Shengsheng to have sex, but Song Shengsheng¡¯s detailed confession is also required. The other is that the false accusation case and the rape case aren¡¯t actually within our jurisdiction. That is the duty of the Fengchun police. When I contacted the Fengchun police yesterday, they only invited Mu Zhuo for an inquiry. They don¡¯t have any evidence to detain him. Therefore, we have to wait for Li Jingtian to be extradited back before we can re-interrogate him. Song Shengsheng¡¯s cooperation is also required. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid Mu Zhuo can get off scot-free.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the false accusation¡­¡± Lin Chen said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Consultant Lin is thinking of something again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange? Why doesn¡¯t anyone know that Li Jingtian committed those crimes against Song Shengsheng? I have read the file. After being falsely accused by Mu Zhuo, in the police station and court, Song Shengsheng stated that there are many opportunities for the world to know the true face of Li Jingtian, but he never mentioned it. Even in the case of Mu Zhuo¡¯s false accusation against him, he just denied it until the very end without ever mentioning more details. This is one of the reasons why his innocence plea failed.¡±


    Xing Conglian stared at him deeply in the rearview mirror. ¡°Is there something else hidden here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a hidden story. It¡¯s possible that Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t mention what Li Jingtian did to him due to mental trauma and shame. This situation is also common among rape victims. It¡¯s even possible that Li Jingtian threatened that if Song Shengsheng reveals the true story, he¡¯ll release sex videos or audio to the public. There are many similar possibilities, so I still have to wait for Li Jingtian¡­¡± Lin Chen paused and asked Xing Conglian. ¡°How long will it take to extradite him?¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian frowned. He didn¡¯t seem to expect that his decision to let Li Jingtian return to Xinni would bring these follow-up uncertainties. ¡°If it goes well, it¡¯ll take two weeks at the earliest. The premise is that the Li family won¡¯t be a hindrance.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t ask any more questions.


    Just like Xing Conglian didn¡¯t blame him for calling Xiang Ye right away, there were too many uncertain factors then. All they could do was make the best choice at the time.


    He said to Xing Conglian, ¡°I¡¯ll make the call.¡±


    ¡°But the other party wants to talk to me.¡±


    ¡°This is the strange thing. Obviously, it was me who was in the limelight yesterday, but he wants you to contact him.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said, ¡°Moreover, do you agree with everyone who wants to talk to you?¡¯


    Hearing what he said, Xing Conglian was stunned at first, then smiled. ¡°Consultant Lin has a point.¡±


    Seeing that Xing Conglian agreed, Lin Chen looked at Wang Chao. ¡°Can you build a signal tracker platform? Let¡¯s see where Xiang Ye is now.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded. ¡°His phone should be easy to track. Wait a bit.¡±


    The teenager moved fast.


    Lin Chen rubbed his phone case. He knew very well that what he was doing now was being paranoid to the extreme, but since he knew that Song Shengsheng had been working at that bakery where he occasionally went to eat for three months, he developed a strange thought in his heart. He reasoned that if he hadn¡¯t been a primary school teacher for three years, he would not have had such a thought¡­ This was completely delusional thinking, but if it was really those people in the past, why did they let Song Shengsheng work beside them? This was against common sense and logic.


    So, this should be a coincidence¡­


    ¡°A¡¯Chen.¡±


    The soft voice of Wang Chao called him back from his thoughts. The teenager signaled to him that he could make the call.


    Lin Chen nodded and dialed the string of numbers.


    The ringing tone on the phone lasted for 50 seconds. It wasn¡¯t picked up until it almost hung up automatically.


    ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡± The voice coming from the speaker was the same as what they heard on the radio, but the cold words revealed an irritability that they didn¡¯t have before.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiang Ye. My name is Lin Chen, and I¡¯m a subordinate of Police Captain Xing Conglian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know you. Thank you very much for what happened yesterday. Thank you,¡± Xiang Ye said, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel any gratitude from his words. After all, he just received an accidental but sincere thank you last night.


    ¡°This is my duty, so please don¡¯t be polite.¡± Lin Chen knew exactly how fast Xiang Ye¡¯s speech and reaction were, so he continued, ¡°Although it is a bit abrupt to say so, I want to talk to Mr. Song Shengsheng.¡±


    For some reason, after making this request, Lin Chen felt his heart beating violently. He was nervous.


    But the expected voice didn¡¯t sound.


    The person who spoke was still Xiang Ye. ¡°Your request is indeed very abrupt. I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you to ask Mr. Song for his opinion?¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, don¡¯t you understand why I specifically asked to talk to your boss instead of you?¡±


    ¡°First, I really don¡¯t, and second, I really need to talk to Mr. Song Shengsheng to determine his personal safety.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Xiang Ye sneered. ¡°So, what you mean by that is, you want repayment for your kindness and to appear in front of Shengsheng as his benefactor?¡±


    The deeper the hostility on the other end of the line, the calmer Lin Chen became. ¡°I don¡¯t know where your prejudice is coming from. I just want to confirm Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal freedom.¡±


    ¡°Freedom?¡± Xiang Ye sneered again. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the police that deprived him of his freedom and gave him his freedom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lin Chen said sincerely.


    Xiang Ye was speechless for a while before he said, ¡°Lin Chen, if you can put yourself in another¡¯s place, you should understand why Shengsheng doesn¡¯t want to see you. You have made his most unspeakable things public, and now you¡¯re like those media reporters coming here to skin him again?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t speak. Xiang Ye¡¯s words seemed as if they were wet cotton stuffed down his throat, which blocked him so firmly he couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    Yes¡­


    What was the use of fans¡¯ gratitude? If Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t want this to be brought up again, his aggressive action might have hurt Song Shengsheng again.


    He raised his eyes and looked at the rearview mirror. Xing Conglian¡¯s dark green eyes were staring at him firmly as he nodded at him.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath and said to the other end of the line. ¡°Please don¡¯t question my compassion or my purpose. If my actions hurt Mr. Song Shengsheng, I¡¯m really, truly sorry. But please understand that rape is a public prosecution case, and the direction of the case will not depend on the will of the criminal or the victim. Even if Mr. Song Shengsheng does not seek legal redress against Mr. Li Jingtian, the police and public prosecution agency will pursue criminal charges in accordance with the law.¡±


    Lin Chen suppressed the extremely uncomfortable emotions in his heart. It was very difficult to finish the last passage. If this case had progressed to the present, there was someone he wanted to protect, and he didn¡¯t want the other party to suffer any more harm. That person was first Xu Ran, and now it became Song Shengsheng. But it was very possible that what he was doing now caused just the same harm as the media reporters in the eyes of Song Shengsheng. He forcibly and willfully revealed a privacy that Song Shengsheng did not want to be exposed under the sun, and because of his duties, he must continue to do so.


    Xiang Ye pondered for a moment, but his voice remained cold. ¡°I see. We will go to the Fengchun police station to report what happened, but if you have any trace of compassion, I sincerely ask you not to forcefully come see us. Thank you.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Controversial as it is, once a crime is committed, it will be up to the prosecutor to press (criminal) charges or not. This goes both ways, in terms of whether the victim wants to or doesn¡¯t want to. It¡¯s usually dependent on how much evidence they can gather and how likely they are to get a conviction based on that. This is generally the case, but I don¡¯t know much about China¡¯s judicial process.


    Though, TBH, in this case, slim evidence like a master tape probably won¡¯t be enough for the prosecutor to press charges, especially given that the victim isn¡¯t willing to testify, and even then, that¡¯s still really slim evidence (especially since 9 years have already passed and most likely all conclusive evidence has been erased or is gone). To actually hope to convict Li Jingtian, they would need Mu Zhuo and other witnesses (assuming there were other corroborators) to testify against him.


    But, we are reading a fictional novel, so just go with it.


    Also, I¡¯m not a lawyer, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. If any lawyers or law experts are reading, do chime in.

 CH 153

    The phone was suddenly disconnected. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help rubbing his brows.


    Xing Conglian kept driving, and didn¡¯t say much to comfort him.


    Because the car was relatively quiet, Wang Chao, who was sitting next to him, should have heard what Song Shengsheng¡¯s former agent said just now. He had a look of indignation on his face as he said, ¡°Damn, A¡¯Chen Gege, I finally know what good intentions are like a donkey¡¯s liver and lungs* is. How can Song Shengsheng¡¯s agent do this? Although there¡¯s nothing wrong with what he said, I think he¡¯s really worse than Liu Ying. It makes me want to punch him.¡±


    *It¡¯s a saying basically meaning your good intentions are useless (because a donkey¡¯s liver and lungs are unpalatable and often discarded and not eaten).


    Lin Chen soothed his emotions and patted the teenager¡¯s head. ¡°What is Xiang Ye¡¯s address?¡¯


    ¡°Uh¡­ He¡¯s in Fengchun, so I think Song Shengsheng went back to Fengchun.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Xiang Ye is from Fengchun, as is his company. The car also had a Fengchun license plate.¡±


    ¡°They said they would go to the Fengchun police station to give their testimony,¡± Lin Chen said to Xing Conglian.


    ¡°In other words, they told us not to intervene anymore?¡± Xing Conglian accurately grasped the key point.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°Just because he asked, do we have to agree?¡±


    This sounded familiar. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help rubbing his brows again.


    Xing Conglian said disapprovingly, ¡°At least you have to confirm that Song Shengsheng is indeed safe and that his personal freedom isn¡¯t restricted.¡±


    ¡°Then are we going to Fengchun again now?¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help wailing.


    ¡°Not for the time being.¡± Xing Conglian drove the car onto the ramp in the direction of Hongjing. ¡°We still have some things to go back and deal with.¡± He thought for a while and then said, ¡°You and your A¡¯Chen Gege can monitor movements online first.¡±


    Wang Chao opened his software and naturally began to summarize the current public opinion index. He asked while doing it, ¡°But why do I have to organize the online forums now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Wang,¡± Xing Conglian said lightly.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°A brain is a good thing to have. I hope you have it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    Lin Chen had to explain it to the young man. ¡°In any case, we still have to be careful before things are clear. Online public opinion can help us infer the direction of events, and sometimes, it¡¯s difficult for you to know if the things you occasionally pay attention to one day will suddenly save the world.¡± Lin Chen patted the teenager on the shoulder. ¡°At least don¡¯t be as careless as I am.¡±


    Wang Chao opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he probably felt whatever he was about to say wasn¡¯t useful, so he lowered his head and began to focus on his work.


    In the end, a public opinion data analysis chart similar to that at the time of Li Jingtian¡¯s incident appeared in front of Lin Chen.


    Wang Chao said, ¡°A¡¯Chen, the detonation must be at least the level of a nuclear bomb!¡±


    Although Lin Chen knew well what kind of influence Song Shengsheng¡¯s case would have after the live TV broadcast, he was still shocked by the bursting nebula of public opinion in front of him.


    The comments and retweets of related incidents on the internet had grown to astounding levels. Lin Chen patiently read through it and found that all the comments online were roughly divided into several categories.


    A group of people were accusing the police of being biased. They focused on the Fengchun police officers who handled the case in the past and strongly demanded that they be strictly investigated for their conduct.


    Another group was demanding severe punishment for Li Jingtian. Under the merciless offensive of online public opinion, Li Jingtian, a former superstar, had now become a street rat that everyone was cursing at and beating. All of Li Jingtian¡¯s once arrogant fans no longer dare to defend their former idol.


    The last category probably included fans who didn¡¯t participate in the melee on either side and only cared about Song Shengsheng silently.


    Those fans who once were dormant have sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain. Many of them had written posts reflecting nostalgia and paying homage. They hoped that the person they once liked would be well, no matter   what, and also hoped that Song Shengsheng would appear on stage again one day.


    Looking at the chaotic scuffle on the internet, Lin Chen only felt that there didn¡¯t seem to be a problem¡ªat least he couldn¡¯t find any clues from it.


    ¡­¡­


    In a residential district.


    In order to track Song Shengsheng¡¯s recent situation, Mu Wenhua had left the TV on at home for two consecutive days.


    After her husband went to work, she sat with her little daughter on the crawling mat in the living room but didn¡¯t have much mind to play with her daughter. She knew that this situation was wrong, but she couldn¡¯t stop watching the TV news.


    When those reporters went to the bakery and when they called Mr. Xiang Ye, she was also sitting in front of the TV. Her mood gradually changed from excitement to irritability and then depression. Yes, Mr. Xiang Ye was right. Those reporters were simply following the trend of gossip and were completely different from her.


    She stood up from the crawling mat, grabbed her laptop, and opened the Song Shengsheng personal website she used to go to every day¡ª¡±Be With You¡±.


    There was a time when, after Song Shengsheng was imprisoned, she never dared to come here to read any news about Song Shengsheng¡¯s situation, but yesterday, she actually found her long-sealed account that lurked on this website. In the member¡¯s online section, she saw the friends who used to chase stars with her. Seeing their bright avatars lit up one by one made her gradually happy.


    She really didn¡¯t know how many years it had been since she had seen so many people appear on the forum. The mouse scroll was reeling, with replies dripping down like flowing water. Among those who were new or old, there were many people begging for the old files of concerts, and there were many veterans who had been guarding the forum. The veterans worked tirelessly to upload all kinds of interviews that they thought would never see the light of day again.


    When she saw all this, Mu Wenhua¡¯s restlessness suddenly calmed down. Mu Wenhua thought that the biggest difference between the fans and spectators was that they really loved Song Shengsheng.


    Suddenly, a post caught her attention because it had been moderated with red text.


    The theme of the post was¡ª[They can¡¯t compensate, we will accompany].


    At Mu Wenhua¡¯s age, posts with similar titles like these seemed numb to her, but she still clicked on it.


    After looking at the main post, she roughly understood what the poster meant, and she was even a little moved.


    Due to yesterday¡¯s shocking reversal, the internet was now full of complaints against media reporters and the police and investigators at that time. Many people were saying how could they afford to compensate for the glamorous life that Shengsheng used to have?


    The post she was reading now was mainly written with similar remarks.


    The poster wrote quite a bit.


    [In fact, like everyone else, I¡¯m also very concerned about where Shengsheng is now and how he¡¯s doing, but I think that as fans, the difference between us and ordinary people who care about the ¡°Song Shengsheng incident¡± should be that we must restrain our inner curiosity. Although we really want to see him and know how he¡¯s doing, we can¡¯t affect his current life. We have to give him space and a chance to recover. Maybe he¡¯s recovering well now and is preparing to surprise us, or maybe he¡¯s traumatized and doesn¡¯t want to see us again, but in any case, we agree to protect him for the rest of his life. Those things that they can¡¯t afford, we will accompany him and return them to him.]


    The poster added: [In the same way, we can¡¯t accuse and insult others like Li Jingtian¡¯s fans. Yes, it was the police who put Shengsheng in jail, but it was also them who revealed the truth. Ah, we can only trust that the police will give him justice. In the past, Shengsheng would rather bear it himself than hurt us, so we have to be a good person for him¡­]


    For some reason, reading this made Mu Wenhua tearful.


    [To love someone is to become a better person for them.]


    The poster ended it with that.


    [Although it may be too selfish to say this, I still hope that one day, Shengsheng can overcome the pain and return to the stage. I hope he can become that proud 18-year-old boy again. I hope this day will come soon.]


    Just as Mu Wenhua was reminiscing, Lin Chen also saw this post, but the location he saw it was not on Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal website, but on Weibo.


    Just when he and Wang Chao were observing public opinions on the internet, a new nebula was rapidly forming. Wang Chao quickly opened this initial Weibo. Just when they thought something big was going to happen, they saw this long article of sincere text.


    Amidst countless accusations, insults, and quarrels, this long article seemed to pass like a clear stream. It was so calm and serene, that, although people were arguing back and forth violently, when there were truly neutral and calm remarks, people were still willing to listen.


    This post on Weibo was retweeted more than a thousand times in a short period of time. It had spontaneously brought topics such as #Accompanyyouforyourcomeback and #WaitingforShengsheng to spawn.


    Song Shengsheng¡¯s long-standing but leaderless fans seemed to have found a backbone. This simple, long post was like a clear spring rushing through the sludge, allowing a clearly visible thought to appear in front of the fans.


    Many people abandoned their fights one after another and began to forward this long article.


    Wang Chao closed his laptop.


    Lin Chen looked away. There were still long reeds that seemed unchanging outside the window.


    He thought that, in any case, no matter how cruel the story was, there would always be calm afterwards. Everything would be fine, and he shouldn¡¯t worry about it anymore.


    ¡­¡­


    As if to show him that things weren¡¯t always as bad as he thought, when they returned to the police station, they encountered an unprecedented welcome.


    Lin Chen thought they didn¡¯t seem to notify too many people of the news of their return to Hongjing, but when he opened the door to the station, he saw a large group of people waiting for them inside. Even the old director, who rarely came downstairs, deigned to walk down from the second floor.


    There was no sound in the office. Looking at their serious faces, Lin Chen wondered if they were going to be fired in front of everyone.


    He glanced at the director tentatively. The old director walked out behind everyone with a stern face while holding a teacup in his hand. The police officers in front separated into two sides. When Director Wu walked in front of them, the first thing he did was kick Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Your boss is old that you almost caused him to have a heart attack and sent him to the hospital!¡± the old director roared.


    Xing Conglian staggered with a face full of grievance. ¡°Boss Wu¡­ the situation was compelling¡­¡±


    ¡°Compelling¡­¡± The old director shook his hand vigorously as if he wanted to smack Xing Conglian, but the direction of his hand abruptly shifted from the back of Xing Conglian¡¯s head to his shoulder, and he patted Xing Conglian vigorously. The teacup he was holding in his other hand didn¡¯t spill a single drop.


    He said, ¡°Xing Conglian, you really did a great job this time!¡±


    Xing Conglian was stunned. As if he didn¡¯t expect the rebuke to turn into praise halfway through, he was unprepared.


    ¡°Are you okay, old man?¡± Xing Conglian asked tentatively.


    But before his voice fell, a very light round of applause rang out. Then, everyone in the entire office began to applaud. The applause wasn¡¯t loud or eager, but every face that applauded was solemn.


    Lin Chen stood beside Xing Conglian and was patted on the shoulders or back by those hands that stretched out from all sides. Many of them just patted him, but they didn¡¯t say much in the way of congratulations or appreciation because there were no congratulations on this matter. Only people with the status of the old director could say to them, ¡°Well done.¡±


    Lin Chen felt he should have some emotion, but at that moment, he suddenly no longer regretted the choices he made.


    This was enough. Indeed, it was enough.


    As if the wind had passed without a trace, something similar that could be called a welcome party only lasted for a very short time. After the old director left, Xing Conglian coaxed everyone else away. He directly asked his subordinates about the status of the owner of the bakery where Song Shengsheng worked part-time.


    Comrade Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s face flushed. After all, as a police officer who had investigated the Li Jingtian case, she should have enjoyed the moment just now.


    Lin Chen patted the police officer on the shoulder and said, ¡°Good work¡±.


    The police officer¡¯s face turned redder. ¡°Consultant Lin, Boss Chen is waiting in the lounge.¡± She led the way as she spoke. ¡°Oh, by the way, Boss Chen said he didn¡¯t recognize the person on the warrant. That person wasn¡¯t the person who took Song Shengsheng away.¡±


    The police officer stopped in front of the door, suddenly turned around, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Who is that person in the photo?¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at her and didn¡¯t answer.


    The bakery owner in the office had been waiting for a long time.


    Seeing them, the owner of the bakery immediately got up. ¡°Oh, Mr. Police Officer. You won¡¯t believe it, but I¡¯ve received countless calls for interviews ever since my shop was filmed by that TV station!¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t respond but sat down directly opposite of the boss.


    The boss glanced at him and was suddenly surprised. ¡°Mr. Police Officer, have we met before?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen, I often go to your shop for breakfast,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Oh, yes. You guys do come here often.¡± The owner of the bakery was completely relaxed when he saw an acquaintance. ¡°On my way here, I heard some news. So our A¡¯Guan is really that big star, Song Shengsheng?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Oh, then do you think I should ask A¡¯Guan for an autograph and hang it in our shop? No, no, I have to get a picture! A picture!¡± Uncle Chen said happily.


    Seeing him so happy, Lin Chen was suddenly relieved. This kind and simple shop owner might be the reason why Song Shengsheng chose to work there.


    ¡°You said earlier in the interview that Song Shengsheng started working in your shop three months ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember it clearly. It happened to be my old lady¡¯s birthday that day.¡±


    ¡°So, can you tell me what happened at that time?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing really special. I posted a job ad, and the young man came over and said he wanted to work, but he had no experience. He asked me if I was okay with it. He looked like an honest kid, so I hired him.¡±


    The employment in ordinary small shops was casual. Lin Chen thought for a while and asked, ¡°Can I take the liberty of asking if you checked his ID at the time?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I remember. He said he came to Hongjing to work, and his wallet was stolen at the train station, so I didn¡¯t look at his ID card. I mean, I still have some security awareness¡­¡±


    Uncle Chen took a sip of tea.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian looked at each other. ¡°Are you sure he came by himself and didn¡¯t look like he was forced?¡±


    Uncle Chen didn¡¯t seem to understand what they were saying. He was taken aback for a moment and answered rhetorically. ¡°Force? Of course, A¡¯Guan did it of his own volition. He doesn¡¯t have a family or home and sleeps in the store as soon as it closes at night. He basically never goes out. Ah, it makes me quite envious.¡±


    ¡°But is there even¡­ a place to sleep in your shop?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a small bed in the back kitchen. Since A¡¯Guan lived there, he could also watch the shop.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and wanted to ask more, but a knock came from the small door of the office.


    Xing Conglian walked to the door and opened it. Outside was Zhang Xiaocong¡¯s excited face. ¡°Captain Xing! Song Shengsheng came out!¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t care to ask Uncle Chen further questions and rushed directly to the TV in the police lounge with Xing Conglian.


    There were a lot of people in front of the TV, and several colleagues moved aside to give them some space. Lin Chen looked at the TV screen and found it was the entrance of the Fengchun police station.


    There was a very large crowd of onlookers outside the black iron gate, and naturally, all the media reporters were there as well. Lin Chen was pretty sure he and Xing Conglian didn¡¯t reveal to anyone that Xiang Ye would take Song Shengsheng to the Fengchun police station, but most likely these media outlets found out when they called Mr. Xiang Ye.


    The cameraman moved the camera to the gate. A black Mercedes-Benz stopped at the entrance of the station. The driver got out and opened the door.


    Lin Chen finally saw the polite gentleman that he spoke to over the phone.


    He was wearing a fitted gray shirt, a navy-blue striped tie, and his cuffs were pinned with sterling silver cuffs. He got out of the car, walked to the back, and bent over to open the door.


    On the screen, Xiang Ye reflected the posture of a social elite. The most important thing was that he didn¡¯t look like Meijing.


    But Lin Chen had no time to observe Xiang Ye. His gaze was completely focused on the person who walked out of the passenger door.


    Clouds of flashing lights suddenly lit up. In the first few seconds, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t see the figure of the person who got out of the car. Xiang Ye used his hand to block the reporters who surrounded him, almost covering the person¡¯s body tightly.


    After the officers of the Fengchun police station removed the reporters, the area around Xiang Ye was cleared up, allowing Lin Chen to see the figure of the man clearly.


    Although he was wearing a mask, although his eyes were lowered, and although he no longer had the iconic earrings and nose ring, it was Song Shengsheng. It was indeed Song Shengsheng who seemed to be living freely.

 CH 154

    At least this was what it looked like.


    For example, that person looked like Song Shengsheng. For example, he looked as if his personal safety wasn¡¯t restricted. For example, Xiang Ye seemed like a kind person.


    Xiang Ye¡¯s hand was placed on Song Shengsheng¡¯s back to protect him. The picture of the two in front of the camera flashed away, and all that remained were their backs crossing the field into the police station. Finally, the door opened, and Xiang Ye put his hand down from Song Shengsheng. It didn¡¯t look like Song Shengsheng was being coerced. Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief.


    This was the end.


    It was only a short-lived broadcast, but even the police officers in front of the TV had a nervous feeling of witnessing a major event.


    Lin Chen stood by the window and looked out.


    He felt he had no reason to doubt Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal safety. After all, Xiang Ye dared to take Song Shengsheng to the police station openly, which meant that Song Shengsheng should be free and safe. After all, if Song Shengsheng was really being controlled by others, he could ask the police for help when he walked into the station, let alone in those three months that he was working in that bakery full of oily smoke, where he could have asked any passersby for help.


    Or maybe Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t dare ask for help because he was being coerced, but he was alone and didn¡¯t have any family or a lover. The previous information didn¡¯t show he didn¡¯t have any serious relationships with anyone, so what could Xiang Ye use to threaten Song Shengsheng?


    Besides, what reason did Xiang Ye have to control Song Shengsheng? So he could return to the music scene and earn high profits?


    If this was the case, it would go back to the original point. Unless Xiang Ye used something to coerce Song Shengsheng, why would he cooperate?


    There was also a possibility the person wasn¡¯t Song Shengsheng at all, but since Song Shengsheng had been in jail, his fingerprints were in the database. It was impossible for Xiang Ye to not know this. It would make no sense to find a substitute.


    Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts were running wild. In the distance were stretches of blue roofs. The river was glowing with the clear and quiet colors of the early summer light. Lin Chen looked at the city where he lived, and in the distance was a peaceful life within his reach. Everything looked fine.


    He felt the worries in his heart could only be chalked up to suspicion and should be stopped. The world wasn¡¯t always full of conspiracy, and this was simply an occupational disease¡­


    At least he persuaded him so, until the faint smell of tobacco suddenly wrapped around him.


    Lin Chen turned around and saw Xing Conglian standing beside him.


    ¡°Worried about Song Shengsheng?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°How can I not?¡± Lin Chen said with a wry smile. ¡°This is really the first time I have encountered a situation. In fact, I can understand why Song Shengsheng would rather return to the Fengchun police station than see me. If someone forcibly revealed my unspeakable tragic past, I would also be angry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think like that.¡± Xing Conglian took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s too pessimistic.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    Xing Conglian took a puff of his cigarette. The blue-gray smoke billowed up. ¡°You have to believe that Song Shengsheng isn¡¯t that kind of person. Maybe he has a knot in his heart now, maybe he has a hard time saying something, maybe what he needs now is your seemingly meaningless but never giving up effort.¡±


    Lin Chen felt that Xing Conglian seemed particularly handsome right now.


    ¡°Xing Conglian,¡± he called out his name.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any ideas now.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I still do.¡±


    As Xing Conglian spoke, he held up a statement, shaking it at him.


    ¡­¡­


    Apparently meaningless effort, in other words, meant that some things would not necessarily bear fruit no matter how much effort was put into them.


    The statement that Xing Conglian brought was something similar.


    It was a statement that Xing Conglian instructed the other police officers to make to the planner of Ansheng International Mall and the person in charge of Li Jingtian¡¯s fan club. The core question was: Who arranged Li Jingtian¡¯s assailant at that time?


    Unfortunately, when Lin Chen read the statement, he found it was still a dead end.


    The planner said that the assailant was arranged by the fan club, but the person in charge of the fan club denied this. After the planner showed the text messages to prove their innocence, facing the text message marked with her own number, the person in charge of the fan club denied she ever sent those texts. In short, it was unclear who was responsible.


    ¡°Do you remember Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo post?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Are you saying that someone hacked into the phone of the person in charge of the fan club, just like they did with Li Jingtian¡¯s Weibo account?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer but instead dialed Wang Chao¡¯s number.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m just downstairs. Why are you calling me specifically?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s tone was brisk.


    ¡°Your sentence isn¡¯t good. Change it,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Sir, your assistant, Xiao Wang, will serve you wholeheartedly!¡± Wang Chao doggedly said.


    Lin Chen raised his brows and glanced at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian said to the person on the other end of the line with satisfaction, ¡°How can the text message I send to you display your A¡¯Chen Gege¡¯s number?¡±


    ¡°My lord, you can do it with any dumb software that can be casually downloaded online, over.¡± When Wang Chao finished speaking, he added, ¡°Honestly, you have to learn advanced scientific and cultural knowledge well¡­¡±


    Before the teenager finished talking, Xing Conglian had mercilessly hung up. He put the phone on the table and fell into contemplation.


    Lin Chen looked at the dim screen on the table. Li Jingtian said his photo was posted after his Weibo was hacked. ¡°So, what if Li Jingtian didn¡¯t lie?¡±


    ¡°This is a conspiracy theory, and similar conjectures have approached the direction of thrillers.¡± Xing Conglian changed the subject. ¡°But we can still check this thread.¡±


    ¡°Liu Ying?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible for a big star like Li Jingtian to do these things by himself, so there must be a specific person in charge.¡±


    ¡°So, where is Liu Ying?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, as a citizen of our country who is not under diplomatic protection, Liu Ying is also a suspect in this criminal case, so she¡¯s¡­¡±


    Lin Chen opened his eyes wide. ¡°Here? Downstairs?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know when Xing Conglian had arranged this matter, but Xing Conglian always had the ability to consider all details thoroughly.


    That night, they had interrogated Li Jingtian¡¯s fans in the basement detention room, and now it was Li Jingtian¡¯s manager¡¯s turn.


    Ms. Liu Ying no longer had the aura she had previously. Her hair was messy, and her face was haggard. On the small bed in the detention room, she only sat at a small corner since she disliked the bedding.


    Hearing the sound of the door opening, Liu Ying rushed to it excitedly.


    Xing Conglian walked in first. Liu Ying grabbed his cuffs and said forcefully, ¡°Captain Xing, when can I leave? I really can¡¯t stay anymore!¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­¡± Xing Conglian looked at her kindly. He patted Liu Ying¡¯s hand and found a chair. ¡°Do you want to be released on bail?¡±


    Lin Chen entered behind Xing Conglian. The moment she saw him, Liu Ying¡¯s face turned pale. Seeing this, Lin Chen finally knew who the stick and who the carrot should be.


    ¡°Not possible.¡± Lin Chen sat down in the chair and said to Xing Conglian. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t explain clearly, I won¡¯t agree to bail.¡± He looked at her coldly.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Ms. Liu, you see, your current problem is really serious. Li Jingtian fled back to Xinni by himself, completely pinning the blame on you. You also know how serious the Ansheng International Mall incident is. Throat-slitting is a trivial matter. The key is the accidents caused by the stampede. This is something that isn¡¯t just punishable for three to five years, but on the scale of ten to twenty. What else can you explain?¡±


    ¡°I already talked!¡± Liu Ying looked like she wanted to spill everything. ¡°All this was planned by Li Jingtian and has nothing to do with me!¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and said to Liu Ying, ¡°Li Jingtian will be escorted back to China soon. Don¡¯t think you can just push it all on him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really him. I didn¡¯t know he was so crazy.¡± Liu Ying gritted her teeth. ¡°Before the fan meeting at the mall, he told me that it was because of the influence of the rape case. In order to eliminate the influence, it was good to abuse the fans.¡±


    ¡°Abuse the fans?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like making something happen so the fans can feel sorry for you. As long as they¡¯re abused, the cohesion of the fan group will rise¡­ Besides, fans are braindead. They will defend you indiscriminately. As for the public, with a new event, it would attract their attention, and no one would be paying attention to the rape case anymore.¡±


    ¡°Good method.¡± Lin Chen sneered. ¡°Was this Li Jingtian¡¯s idea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he asked me to arrange for a girl to go on stage and pretend to slit his throat, and he said that in order to clear the suspicion, he would put the blame on the person who framed him¡­¡±


    ¡°So the text message received by the mall planner?¡±


    ¡°It was sent by me,¡± Liu Ying whispered.


    Sure enough, his suspicions were still wrong. Li Jingtian did lie.


    Lin Chen only felt shocked when he recalled the chaos from a few days ago. A huge poster suddenly appeared in his mind with Li Jingtian¡¯s hideous smile on it.


    ¡°So, that huge poster in the mall was also Li Jingtian¡¯s idea?¡±


    ¡°Our company posters are all that size, but Jingtian did say that his picture must be hung at the highest point, so I emphasized this to the mall manager.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After listening to Liu Ying¡¯s statement, Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel relieved.


    The story was consistent with his reasoning, and there was no problem, so he decided to go in a different direction. ¡°So, what about Xu Ran? Did you call her to come to Hongjing?¡±


    At the moment he asked this question, the woman who was still holding on suddenly looked miserable, and her face finally showed a desperate expression. ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m going to jail, right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Liu Ying¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°That incident is true. I should pay for her life.¡± Liu Ying covered her eyes with her hands and lowered her head deeply. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know¡­ I, like everyone else, didn¡¯t think how Li Jingtian could possibly touch a dirty chicken¡­¡±


    Lin Chen took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it over.


    Liu Ying took the tissue, endured the pain, and narrated in a whisper. ¡°Jingtian asked me to call Xu Ran and let her come to Hongjing so they could meet. So I lied to Xu Ran and said that I had been raped and defiled by Li Jingtian. I wanted to help her and asked her to put on the outfit of the fan club and said I would take her to the fan meeting to reveal Li Jingtian¡¯s true face¡­¡± At this point, Liu Ying started crying. ¡°I pretended to go to the bathroom and threw her at a McDonald¡¯s. I told her not to be seen by anyone, and then I went to the hospital. She must have waited for me for a long, long time before she went out. She believed in me so much. She called me sister and treated me as a good person, but I lied to her. I killed her¡­¡±


    But I lied to her. I killed her¡­


    Liu Ying repeated this sentence over and over again. Lin Chen walked out of the detention room with her words of sorrow and self-blame echoing in his ears.


    Behind the iron gate, the lady who always held her head high looked empty as she sat on the bed and cried tearfully.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked upstairs again from the dim, damp underground. The sunlight coming from the windows made him uncomfortable.


    He lowered his head and stretched out his hands to block his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try and get Li Jingtian extradited as soon as possible.¡± Xing Conglian stopped him by the shoulder and was about to say something more when his phone rang.


    Xing Conglian signaled to wait a moment, then picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Captain Liu.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what the person on the other end said, but Xing Conglian was silent the entire time. He finally spoke up, only saying, ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±


    He hung up the phone and only said, ¡°Captain Liu of the Fengchun police force said that he has checked the fingerprints. It is Song Shengsheng.¡±


    Lin Chen once again had a nervous feeling, as if his heart was being tugged.


    Perhaps it was because his gaze was too eager that before he could ask, Xing Conglian said, ¡°He made his statement. There are no problems with Xiang Ye. The story is roughly consistent with what we inferred.¡±


    ¡°Song Shengsheng¡­ Why did he work there?¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°He said the reason he went to work at the bakery was because the psychiatrist Xiang Ye found for him advised him to slowly get in touch with society.¡±


    ¡°Psychiatrist?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Lin Chen thought that if he gave Song Shengsheng psychological treatment, then in the middle to late stages of the treatment, he would also encourage Song Shengsheng to try to re-connect with society and live a normal life. This was the normal treatment process carried out by every psychiatrist.


    It was just that the worries in his heart didn¡¯t dissipate. ¡°Can you find out what kind of psychological treatment that psychiatrist did with Song Shengsheng?¡±


    He regretted it after asking this question. Although he really wanted to see the psychiatrist¡¯s treatment records, knowing he would be truly relieved if he saw them, he was clear that this was something he shouldn¡¯t read, because one of the first rules of counseling was: Psychological counselors are responsible for keeping the privacy of their clients and shall not disclose it unless the person agrees or has special needs.


    This was the moral bottom line of psychotherapy.


    Finally, he held back the impulse in his heart and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Please pretend I didn¡¯t ask that question just now.¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at him deeply and said, ¡°They should be out soon. Let¡¯s go watch.¡±


    They stood in front of the TV again.


    In these two short days, they had watched too many live TV broadcasts and experienced too many moments of seeing others from afar.


    On the TV screen, the Fengchun police station stood majestically with lush green grass under the blazing sun.


    A reporter was standing in front of the camera with his phone. While looking down at something, he broadcast the report excitedly. ¡°Dear audience, just now, the media have received a letter signed by Mr. Song Shengsheng. Right now, the electronic file of this letter is on my phone.¡±


    A moment later, the reporter read the full text, then suddenly raised his head and said, in an uplifting tone, ¡°Mr. Song Shengsheng said that he has been actively receiving psychological treatment since he was released from prison and has been doing restorative training with the goal of being able to return to the stage. Even in the darkest time of his life, he has never given up. Today, since the truth has come out, he sincerely thanks the many fans who have always trusted him and supported him wholeheartedly. At the same time, he hopes everyone will not care too much about his private life, but instead pay attention to his next activities. The darkness of the past has passed, and he will continue to work hard for a bright future. He will not succumb to bad luck. Fans and friends, please wait patiently!¡±


    Before the reporter¡¯s voice fell, a flash of light lit up.


    The camera suddenly shifted as the gate of the Fengchun police station suddenly opened. Facing the bright lights, Song Shengsheng and Xiang Ye walked out of the police station.


    Reporters flocked to the front and spat out all kinds of crazy questions to Song Shengsheng.


    ¡°Shengsheng, Shengsheng, will you file a claim against the police?¡±


    ¡°Did the police reveal when Li Jingtian will be extradited back to China for trial?¡±


    ¡°Shengsheng, how do you feel after going through so many things?¡¯


    ¡°Shengsheng, is there anything you want to say to your fans?¡±


    At that moment, Song Shengsheng stopped.


    Xiang Ye put his hand on his back, as if he wanted to say something as well.


    Lin Chen looked at the slim figure wearing a white t-shirt on TV.


    Song Shengsheng looked at the camera.


    He took off the mask that had been covering his face. His eyes were resolute, like fire. He looked deeply at the camera, then bent over and bowed.


    But he didn¡¯t say a word.


    Lin Chen stared at Song Shengsheng¡¯s bent back. Time seemed to have frozen at that moment. He said to Xing Conglian, ¡°No matter what, I still want to see him.¡±

 CH 155

    Seeing Song Shengsheng was originally just a matter of going to the bakery for breakfast, but now it had become a huge problem, and the complicated public relations matters involved were beyond Lin Chen¡¯s imagination.


    When he got off work, he and Xing Conglian stopped by to take Uncle Chen home.


    It was already evening, and the people at the entrance of the shop had scattered.


    The alley was quiet as Uncle Chen opened the rolling shutter door. He had left in a hurry, so the tables and chairs weren¡¯t wiped clean, and the pot of soy milk in the shop had already spoiled.


    Xing Conglian took out money to compensate for the loss, but Uncle Chen refused to accept it. Xing Conglian had no choice but to help Uncle Chen clean up his shop.


    Lin Chen wanted to help, but he was pressed to a chair.


    This was a rare scene. Xing Conglian had rolled up his cuffs, revealing his fair, strong arms, and began wiping the tables and chairs.


    Outside the shop, the slanting sun hung on the eaves and was gradually sinking west. Lin Chen watched Xing Conglian doing the most ordinary labor under the warm sunset light. After he finished his drink, he said to Uncle Chen, ¡°Can I go see where Song Shengsheng slept?¡±


    ¡°Feel free. It¡¯s in the back,¡± Uncle Chen replied.


    The back kitchen was cleaner than imagined, with neat utensils and bright countertops. Lin Chen stroked the long table, imagining Song Shengsheng wiping every tile here.


    There was a small room separated from the innermost side of the back kitchen, which should be where Song Shengsheng had lived for three months.


    But the compartment was too small¡ªso small that it was impossible to put anything else down after setting up the bed. Luckily, there was a window.


    Lin Chen sat down on the bed.


    The air was clean, with the smell of lemon detergent. He stroked the soft and clean bedding. If he had doubted whether Song Shengsheng was really working here before, when he sat on the bed, he was sure that Song Shengsheng indeed did stay here.


    When the sun finally set, he took off his shoes and laid down on the bed in a smooth manner.


    He was certainly not such a casual person, but when he sat on the bed where Song Shengsheng once slept, he felt that he needed to lie down.


    It was quiet all around as he lay down, one hand resting on his head and the other leaning on the edge of the bed. The sound of water could be heard from a distance. Lin Chen gradually closed his eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t comfortable, but it was quiet enough. He only needed to work in the back kitchen every day. Except for the shopkeeper, who would sometimes nag, no one could disturb him. No one could disturb him¡­


    Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts gradually drifted far away, until the sound of creaking and the door being pushed open brought him back.


    ¡°What, too tired?¡±


    Xing Conglian stood at the door with a broom in his hand.


    Lin Chen opened his eyes and held the edge of the bed to stand up, but suddenly, he was stunned.


    Probably seeing him suddenly awake and in a strange posture, Xing Conglian squatted down in front of him and asked, ¡°Cramp?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head, sat up straight, then stared at his hand for a long time, and then said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Go a little outside the door.¡±


    Xing Conglian was confused, but he still backed out the door. Lin Chen squatted down and gently stroked the edge of the bed with his hand, then he stopped suddenly. Sure enough, what he touched just now wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    The room was dim. He was just about to take out his phone from his pocket when Xing Conglian had already turned on the flashlight on the cellphone.


    With that bright light, Lin Chen could clearly see that there was a clear scratch on the edge of the wooden bed where Song Shengsheng slept. The mark was very deep. It looked like it had been carved with just nails. Only after countless tracings would it form such a deep impression.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian also came over. The two of them squatted in the narrow aisle, looking at the symbol carved by Song Shengsheng. They had a creepy feeling it was an ¡°&¡±.


    The symbol ¡°&¡± logically meant that the two were indispensable, and it could also mean one person and another person, which was synonymous with ¡°and¡±.


    In order to figure out what this symbol meant to Song Shengsheng, Lin Chen chose the fastest and easiest way. He asked Wang Chao to log into Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal website ¡°Be With You¡± and register a new account to post for help¡ª[Newcomer here asking for help on what & is and what it means.]


    The post written by Wang Chao attracted too many two-dimensional fans, and soon, many enthusiastic sisters responded to the post.


    In the living room, when Mu Wenhua saw the post, she smiled lightly and posted a video.


    In the old house on Yanjia Lane, Wang Chao slid over the mouse wheel. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really a meme.¡±


    Lin Chen sat beside him and read the replies carefully. Sure enough, the symbol & was of great significance to Song Shengsheng and his fans. Rock musicians always invent something with special symbolic meaning, and this symbol was something like that.


    [The name of our website comes from this symbol. I will be with you forever~]


    Wang Chao continued to refresh the page, and a video appeared in the replies. He clicked on it, and Song Shengsheng¡¯s panting voice came from the speaker.


    It was a grand concert stage. Song Shengsheng sat crossed-legged on the edge of the stage during the break between songs.


    He looked very young on the video. He had silver-dyed hair that was drenched in sweat. He obviously looked tired and was still smiling. His brows were glowing, like the brightest star in the night sky.


    The girls in the audience were screaming, shouting some slogans together.


    ¡°You said you¡¯ll protect me forever?¡±


    Song Shengsheng held down the headset and held up the microphone with a smile.


    The girls screamed louder. ¡°Yes!¡±


    They shouted excitedly.


    The singer in the black leather jacket tipped his head slightly, listening quietly to every word the girls were shouting.


    After a long time, the surroundings gradually quieted down. He suddenly held the microphone and laughed. ¡°Because I¡¯m more handsome, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    The girls were so excited that they screamed again. Their bright smiles seemed to blend into the sea of bright lights in the background.


    Song Shengsheng tilted his head to the outside of the stage. As if he had heard something wrong, he raised the microphone to his ear again. ¡°Well, let¡¯s make an agreement.¡± He waved his arms and casually drew a symbol in the air. ¡°Because I¡¯m stronger, every time you draw this symbol, I¡¯ll come to you and give you good luck and strength.¡±


    The young man on the stage smiled so brightly. His eyes were firm and powerful, as if he could shatter all darkness.


    All the fans in the audience followed his movements.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but also draw an & on the desk.


    The picture ended with Song Shengsheng¡¯s handsome figure standing up. ¡°In English, it means I will be with you forever, so the following song is dedicated to me, who¡¯s the strong. If one day I die, please sing this song for me.¡±


    Song Shengsheng laughed.


    For a long time after the video ended, the room was quiet.


    Lin Chen remembered that during the rehearsal of the Watermelon Music Festival, Mu Zhuo kept drawing symbols when he was almost out of strength on stage.


    If he guessed correctly, Mu Zhuo should¡¯ve been drawing this &.


    So, even Mu Zhuo was willing to join in on this belief.


    Lin Chen thought that even people who hated Song Shengsheng, framed him, and plunged him into the abyss of hell were still trying to draw powerful energy from him. What kind of person was Song Shengsheng?


    Wang Chao asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, so what does the symbol next to Song Shengsheng¡¯s bed mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he wants to remind himself to persevere for the sake of people who once loved him.¡±


    Lin Chen sat on the shores of the riverbank, looking at the stars in the sky as he said this.


    In the two days since then, he had been watching Song Shengsheng¡¯s interviews and had commissioned Wang Chao to get all of his concerts on Blu-ray through special channels.


    When he had time for leisure, he would sit on the balcony by the river, watching Song Shengsheng sing over and over again as he gazed at the starry sky dyed with the colors of the setting sun.


    In fact, he had very little free time these past few days. He and Xing Conglian were extremely busy. After all, they had made a huge mess. They not only have to accept questions from various departments but also write a small mountain of reports regarding the case. Even the matter concerning Li Jingtian¡¯s extradition needed numerous phone calls and written reports to be completed.


    Only at very late hours could he and Xing Conglian occasionally sit down face to face.


    Xing Conglian brought a cup of tea, set it down on the coffee table, and then sat opposite of him.


    The sound of water on a summer night was intoxicating.


    Lin Chen took a sip of tea and found that today¡¯s drink had been changed to chrysanthemum tea. He put down the cup and looked at the person sitting opposite of him.


    Xing Conglian had a low smile and said, ¡°Those grandma and grandpa from across the street asked me if Wang Chao finally disliked those songs sung by sticky little girls and had changed to men.¡±


    Lin Chen turned down the volume and asked him, ¡°How did you answer?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I said yes,¡± Xing Conglian replied naturally.


    Lin Chen raised the teacup and clinked it lightly with Xing Conglian¡¯s. ¡°Thank you, Wang Chao.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Xing,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen looked at the night. The river breeze blew across the face of the other person as he smiled and drank half his cup of tea.


    Xing Conglian put down his teacup, crossed his legs, and asked, ¡°What is Consultant Lin¡¯s fan experience today?¡±


    ¡°I like Song Shengsheng very much,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    Xing Conglian raised his brows. ¡°Are you being empathetic?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect him to use such a psychological term, and he was stunned for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s empathy, because Song Shengsheng is really cute.¡±


    Although Song Shengsheng had been tough for the past two days and refused to see him, and even Lin Chen felt that he shouldn¡¯t bother him anymore, it shouldn¡¯t be too much just to look at his video materials. As Lin Chen spoke, he turned the laptop over in front of him so Xing Conglian could also see it.


    On the screen was the campus concert when Xiang Ye discovered Song Shengsheng. This was extremely precious information. According to the veterans of Song Shengsheng¡¯s personal website, it took a lot of effort to find it in the archives of Song Shengsheng¡¯s high school.


    Lin Chen turned up the volume. Perhaps because the singing was too noisy, Xing Conglian covered his ears as if he had a headache.


    In the dark, yellowish picture, a young man was holding a guitar. The young man had dyed blond hair and a row of shiny earrings, giving him the standard look of a bad student. He stood on the stage of the school gymnasium, singing loudly and playing his guitar. He jumped up and down on the stage, roaring and shouting, looking arrogant and domineering but smiling brightly.


    At the end of the song, the teenager panted on the stage and winked at all the female students in the audience.


    The campus host in a suit looked like he had the same headache as Xing Conglian. He walked up to the teenager and put the microphone in front of him. ¡°Classmate Song Shengsheng, how do you think you did today?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Song Shengsheng raised his voice and asked the girls in the audience.


    Several groups of girls screamed.


    ¡°It seems that Classmate Song is very confident in himself, so what if the judge doesn¡¯t let you advance?¡±


    Song Shengsheng proudly gave the middle finger to the old men in the judging panel and said, ¡°So what? I¡¯m not singing for them. Only those who are beautiful can understand the songs I sing.¡±


    As he said this, he continued to wink at the audience.


    Song Shengsheng, who was only 16 years old at the time, already knew how to release his charm.


    Lin Chen pressed the pause button.


    Xing Conglian gave him an incredulous look. ¡°So you like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really cute,¡± Lin Chen said with emotion.


    ¡°So, if Song Shengsheng has a concert, do I need to book tickets for Consultant Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and said very seriously, ¡°Captain Xing, you shouldn¡¯t be able to get them. You must recruit Wang Chao.¡±


    ¡°So scary?¡±


    Lin Chen opened the Be With You webpage and pointed to the thousands of high-rise buildings for Xing Conglian to look at. ¡°Related news revealed that Song Shengsheng may be holding a fan meeting in the near future with no entry for the media as the first stop of his comeback. Of course, this is just internal gossip. It¡¯s even very likely that this fan meeting won¡¯t be announced to the public.¡±


    ¡°Just because of this rumor, fans are discussing it this much?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Lin Chen pointed to another post with 3,000+ replies and showed it to Xing Conglian. ¡°That¡¯s the building where the meeting is being discussed, and this is the building where the discussion on how to grab tickets.¡±


    ¡°What are they talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not talking. It¡¯s arguing.¡±


    Lin Chen said helplessly. ¡°Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans are arguing with Xiang Ye¡¯s performing arts company. That is to say, if Shengsheng really wants to hold a fan meeting, the way to grab tickets online is too unfair. Maybe there will be people with ulterior motives mixed in. There are so many die-hard fans who have supported Shengsheng for more than ten years. It¡¯s not appropriate for them to compete with those new fans. So, they were arguing about these things. Later, the performing arts company put out a notice to reassure everyone. Xiang Ye said that what Shengsheng wanted to see was the people who have always supported him, so he might not be able to use the method of online ticketing at this time, but rather they will distribute the tickets directly from Shengsheng¡¯s personal website, Baidu, and the fan club. In short, it will satisfy everyone.¡±


    ¡°So in order to get a ticket, you want Wang Chao to create a fake identity as a senior fan club member?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Ah, this is what he should do,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian suddenly asked, ¡°But isn¡¯t the fan meeting still undecided?¡±


    ¡°Planning ahead.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you want to meet Shengsheng now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shengsheng.¡±


    Hearing what he said, Xing Conglian reluctantly took a sip of his tea. ¡°I think your purpose of wanting to see Song Shengsheng is now impure.¡±


    Lin Chen laughed. ¡°I really hope that he can stand on stage again.¡±


    The waterside was peaceful, and the wind was calm under the serene starry sky. When Lin Chen remembered what happened in those days much later, he still felt it was all too unreal.

 CH 156

    In the end, Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting still adopted the internal ticketing model. Of all the 1,116 tickets for the meeting, 90% were allocated proportionally to the major support clubs, while the remaining 10% were open to the public.


    And all the ticket revenue would be donated to a public charity that helps victims of sexual assault.


    Although ordinary people were dissatisfied with the lack of public tickets, most of them still admired Song Shengsheng¡¯s decision. The fans were even happier because, according to the detailed rules given in the ticket announcement, internal tickets would be allocated according to the number of years the fans have been at the fan club. Members who had been registered for more than 10 years were more likely to get tickets than those who had been registered for just 1 year. Specifically, it involved a complex proportional allocation method. In short, after Lin Chen listened to Wang Chao¡¯s explanation, he asked, ¡°Can you get them?¡±


    Wang Chao stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you actually doubt me!¡±


    Later, it turned out that Wang Chao had managed to snatch more than a hundred tickets within a second after the tickets were issued. Xing Conglian had to twist the teenager¡¯s ears and force him to relinquish the tickets he had snatched, and then beat him severely. He was also fined half of his allowance money after everything was settled.


    Lin Chen looked at the electronic ticket he had just been sent on his phone.


    The venue of the meeting was at the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center, the place where they found the key evidence to convict Li Jingtian.


    Their positions were in row 7, seats 11/12/13.


    The start time of the meeting was June 1st, which was the day they negotiated with the Xinni Embassy to extradite Li Jingtian to China.


    Later, Lin Chen discovered that all this was perhaps the result of God¡¯s machinations in the dark.


    ¡­¡­


    The popularity of the Li Jingtian case online had gradually declined. After all, major events that could affect the history of the world happen every day. The attention of ordinary netizens would always be quickly attracted by these things. Except for Song Shengsheng¡¯s name and the topic of his fan meeting, which started trending on Weibo the day when his tickets were issued, his name seemed to be fading away, which may be what Song Shengsheng wanted.


    And in order to prepare for the fan meeting, Song Shengsheng had even more reason not to see Lin Chen.


    According to the police officer who passed over the message to Xing Conglian, when Song Shengsheng went to the police station to make his statement, they had privately asked his opinion, but Song Shengsheng still refused to see him.


    Lin Chen finally stopped clinging to this matter.


    During the time they spent waiting for the fan meeting, he and Xing Conglian did other things. Of course, they would never admit that this matter had anything to do with them. After all, it was all done by Wang Chao.


    On May 15, it was Xu Ran¡¯s seventh day*.


    *Clarity: According to Buddhist traditions, many mourning periods last 49 days, with prayers conducted every 7 days for 7 weeks. They believe that rebirth takes place within 49 days after death, so these prayers are used to facilitate the deceased¡¯s journey into the afterlife. It is thought that 7 days after death, family members would gather as it is thought the departed returns home.


    Xing Conglian worked overtime at the police station. In the morning, Lin Chen and Wang Chao went to the suburban cemetery first.


    Because Xu Ran didn¡¯t have any relatives, Lin Chen took the initiative to buy her a small plot in the beautiful cemetery.


    On the tombstone, Xu Ran was smiling brightly. She was painted with light makeup, like a carefree little girl that had neither pain nor worry.


    Lin Chen put down the lilies in his hand, stroked the tombstone gently, and then stretched out his hand to Wang Chao.


    The teenager hurriedly took out a piece of paper from his backpack. It was the ticket to Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting. When Wang Chao grabbed tickets that day, he also grabbed one for Xu Ran. Not only did he print out the electronic ticket, he also used very thick cardboard to make it look like a real ticket.


    Lin Chen looked at the picture of the girl on the tombstone, took out a lighter, and lit the paper.


    The flames swallowed the ticket, which rolled up in gray burrs. As the embers fell, Lin Chen turned and left with Wang Chao.


    They took a break that day. After going to the cemetery, Lin Chen took Wang Chao to the public library. The teenager finally recovered from some indescribable sadness. He carried his bag in the library hall and excitedly chatted with him, but after only walking for a while, Wang Chao refused to leave again. He lay outside the public rest area of the library with his backpack in his arms and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I just remembered that I have an appointment with the trade union to form a group. You can pick me up later.¡±


    Lin Chen understood and went into the library.


    He remembered that more than a week ago, he and Xing Conglian were still discussing youth education issues with a relaxed attitude. Xing Conglian said he would give him the burden of choosing books for Wang Chao. He was thinking about bringing Wang Chao to the library on his next day off, but only after a week, when he really brought Wang Chao here, did he feel as if that was a lifetime ago.


    He stood in front of the lined bookcases and walked aimlessly through rows of books. He would take one out, turn it over, and look at the strange drawings, then proceed to the next shelf.


    In the rest area of the library, Wang Chao had found a place with his back towards the camera and sat down next to a long table.


    The teenager pressed the brim of his hat, threw the red backpack full of various odds and ends on the table, pulled out his laptop from it, and pressed the power button.


    But in fact, Wang Chao didn¡¯t open Battle.net but clicked on a certain video website.


    Lin Chen had already picked out a fifth book.


    The progress bar on the computer screen in front of the young man was slowly advancing. Finally, when the file was uploaded to 100%, he quickly pressed the enter key, slammed down his laptop, and hurriedly walked out of the lounge.


    Lin Chen¡¯s phone vibrated slightly. He glanced at the text message he had just received, picked up the seventh book, and walked to the librarian¡¯s counter.


    The weather was hotter this summer than in previous years.


    Lin Chen waited for the bus at the bus stop with Wang Chao.


    In the many air-conditioned rooms, netizens who had just opened MeTube, the most famous online video platform in the world, found that a newly uploaded video appeared on the homepage of the website.


    Someone clicked on it and was so shocked they couldn¡¯t speak. They watched the video twice, quickly downloaded it, and then uploaded it to another domestic video website. The initial secondary uploader changed it to be a more sensational headline than the original uploader¡ª[Fengchun Royal One Surprising Underground Prostitution Den. Tragic Scene Like Hell on Earth.]


    It had to be said that the second uploader was a born master of social media because the headline was too provocative. Within just half an hour, the video¡¯s click rate had exceeded 500,000.


    Countless netizens watched this brutal video on their phones, desktops, and tablets.


    The video was dark and didn¡¯t have any dubbing.


    However, despite the picture being taken with a pinhole camera, they could see a fat, middle-aged man torturing a thin-looking girl on a water bed.


    The girl was dragged by her hair, and her head slammed into the bedside table. The man kept punching her in her stomach. Though the girl¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be clearly seen in the video, the man¡¯s excited and cruel expression made many people unable to bear to look at it again.


    It was precisely because this video was too challenging to the bottom line of human morality that it aroused the monstrous anger of all netizens in an instant. Soon, the identity of the perpetrator was revealed. It was a famous entrepreneur in Fengchun who always played the role of a good husband.


    What happened next was beyond anyone¡¯s control.


    When Xing Conglian connected the call to the captain of the Fengchun police force, Lin Chen and Wang Chao were eating curry rice in a small shop 3 kilometers away from the library.


    The teenager was happily flipping through the books Lin Chen had borrowed.


    When he saw <Tractor Maintenance Guide> he explained even more excitedly, ¡°A¡¯Chen, how did you know I like tractors!¡± He spoke as he stuffed a spoonful of curry rice into his mouth. ¡°When I was young, I told my dad that my dream was to be a tractor driver.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Then my father said okay,¡± Wang Chao said happily.


    Inside an office of the police station.


    Xing Conglian pulled the phone one meter away from his ears, desperately denying that the lewd video that had just occupied the top spots on major video sites and was spreading virally in his circle of friends was his masterpiece.


    ¡°Lao Chen, how could this be me? It¡¯s really not. I¡¯m at the station right now. Do you know how high the reports are piling up in front of me? Life is really hard!¡±


    ¡°Lao Xing, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know how capable your technician under you is. Who else could it be if it wasn¡¯t you? You¡¯ve made a huge mess, you know!¡±


    ¡°I swear to God, there are many capable people in this world. You can¡¯t wrong me just because someone under me is capable. Where¡¯s the evidence? I also want to know who did this. It¡¯s so great. Though, if you want me to think that you can tolerate this kind of cancer like Royal One for so long, I¡¯ll start to doubt the purity of your team¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian kept talking, and finally, the person on the other end of the line abruptly hung up, as if he were extremely annoyed.


    Xing Conglian looked at the phone screen and smiled coldly.


    Inside the curry shop.


    Lin Chen just finished his drink that came with the meal. He hadn¡¯t touched the lunch in front of him. He handed the teenager a napkin when his phone screen suddenly lit up.


    He picked up the phone. Out came the pleasant voice of Xing Conglian. ¡°Have you had lunch yet?¡±


    ¡°Eating.¡±


    Opposite him, Wang Chao suddenly stopped his movements with his spoon and made an O shape with his mouth. The curry that was stuffed in the boy¡¯s mouth almost fell out.


    Lin Chen hummed a few times on the phone, then set it down and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Your captain was indiscriminately reprimanded by the captain of the Fengchun police force. He¡¯s very angry.¡±


    ¡°What, was my action that remarkable? This is simply a windfall!¡± Wang Chao excitedly.


    Lin Chen nodded and continued, ¡°At the beginning, the internet surveillance department wanted to ban that video, but it didn¡¯t. Now the entire network has exploded.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± The teenager raised his Coke and clinked glasses with Lin Chen lightly.


    Lin Chen put down his Coke and said in a low voice, ¡°However, the matter involved was so wide-ranging that even the high-level officials were shaken. It is said that they are already looking into the uploader.¡±


    Wang Chao smiled and waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The advantage of public libraries is that even if they are powerful enough to find the real IP, it¡¯s still useless. At any given time, hundreds of people are online in the library, so only a ghost can be found. Also, I chose to delay the upload time. When the video was uploaded, we were on the bus, and there¡¯s also surveillance evidence, though that wasn¡¯t particularly planned!¡±


    Lin Chen raised his drink again to clink lightly with the teenager. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Although there was only a short video about Royal One, this short video had become a fulcrum to pry open the above-ground and underground worlds of Fengchun, and not only Fengchun but the entire country was shocked by it.


    Xu Ran¡¯s case was reopened. Although Lin Chen and Li Jingtian confronted each other in the attack, and the audience had seen Xu Ran¡¯s handwritten letter, there was no clear evidence in the letter that Xu Ran had been assaulted in Royal One. Therefore, after investigation, the clubhouse had strangely escaped, but now the situation was different.


    The police department once again formed a task force to investigate Royal One. The scale of such an investigation was no longer something an individual could stop.


    As the investigation gradually unfolded, names were unearthed one by one. The police then claimed that they had mastered the secret account books of Royal One and began to investigate the relevant people involved.


    In those few days, gossip flew all over the country, and everyone in Fengchun and its surrounding cities was at risk.


    The relationship between Royal One and CA Entertainment was unearthed, and some trainees at CA, including senior executives, were investigated. The public was most happy to see this kind of serial drama and was fascinated to see such ups and downs from it.


    As a tainted witness, Mr. Lu Xu played an important role in the investigation process. Through his testimony, the police were finally able to investigate the communication equipment of the people involved.


    Although most of the people involved in the case had already deleted the shady software on their phones in advance, if the prostitution software mentioned by Lu Xu really existed, then this kind of software would inevitably leave traces on the user¡¯s phone and server. As long as the user wasn¡¯t smart enough to throw their phone into the ocean, where it could no longer be salvaged or burn the memory, the existing data could always be restored.


    Xing Conglian then used some means to get Fengchun to pass on that piece of data.


    Wang Chao sat in front of the computer and stretched. He held up the lemon black tea he had just bought with one hand while he was typing on the keyboard with his other hand.


    Lin Chen looked at him as he sat at the desk beside him and continued filling out reports.


    Because the investigation into Royal One gradually deepened, he and Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t hide the fact that they had sneaked into Royal One to investigate. Thus, a new round of questioning and detailed reports ensued. He felt that he was back to that painful career of scribing in high school again.


    The sun was shining outside the window. After writing for a while, he let go of the pen and rubbed his arm. Suddenly, he saw the knife wound on his arm again.


    The two cuts he made on his arm at that time had gradually healed and scabbed. The wound still looked a bit hideous, but when those scabs fell off, they would only leave shallow scars.


    Lin Chen once again flipped out the electronic ticket for Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting on his phone. ¡®I hope you are alright,¡¯ he thought silently.


    At this moment, Wang Chao suddenly began to tap the keyboard frantically.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± The teenager shouted.


    Before Lin Chen could react, the boy pushed his chair away like crazy, rushed out of the room, and began to dash to the police station compound. Lin Chen was stunned for a while, then hurriedly sent a text message to Xing Conglian, who was in a meeting, and followed after him.


    Wang Chao ran very fast. Looking at the crazy back of the teenager, Lin Chen decided to stand still and wait for him to come back after a lap.


    Xing Conglian quickly pushed the door open. He was out of breath as he looked around. Wang Chao had already run away, but the roar of the teenager could still be heard in the wind.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that kid? Did he become crazy looking at codes all day?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen frowned. He was worried.


    Finally, Wang Chao¡¯s figure running wild appeared again. Without saying a word, Xing Conglian outflanked him. Wang Chao seemed completely lost in his running and didn¡¯t seem to care about the figure in front of him. When he reacted, he had no time to brake and slammed into Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian took two steps back, failed to hold his ground, and was knocked down. However, he didn¡¯t forget to protect the teenager¡¯s neck and waist before he fell.


    There was a muffled bang. Wang Chao was lying on Xing Conglian¡¯s chest. He rubbed his head and didn¡¯t react for a while. When he saw who he had bumped into, he immediately sat back in fright. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±


    Lin Chen hurried over and squatted down beside the two of them.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian simply propped his body up without any expression on his face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± he questioned sternly.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s back. It seemed that he had scratched a large area of his back.


    Wang Chao sat on the ground, dumbfounded, and was afraid to speak.


    Lin Chen patted him on the back lightly. When Wang Chao was touched, he finally said, ¡°Captain, I thought it looked familiar, but I can¡¯t remember it.¡±


    ¡°What looks familiar?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he reached his hand out. Lin Chen understood and helped him up.


    Xing Conglian patted the dust off his uniform pants.


    Wang Chao said, ¡°It¡¯s the restored version of the prostitution software that Fengchun passed over. I think I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before.¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly stopped bending over. ¡°Speak clearly.¡±


    Even though he asked the teenager to speak clearly, there was no way to explain clearly what he felt.


    Wang Chao sat back in front of the computer and pointed to the source code of Royal One¡¯s self-made prostitution software and said to him, ¡°Every programmer has his own style when writing programs, just like everyone has their own style of speaking and writing. For example, the code you write is different from the code I write.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t write code,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean, Captain. Although programming language is relatively fixed, such as variable names and comments, everyone¡¯s habits of writing things are different. What I mean when I say I think this source code is very familiar is that I have seen something similar written by the creator.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned. ¡°There are so many mobile software programmers across the country that write thousands of codes every day, and you can tell?¡±


    ¡°I just think I¡¯ve seen it!¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but raise his voice.


    Xing Conglian still wanted to speak, but Lin Chen glanced at him, so he stopped.


    In fact, Xing Conglian was right. Not counting web pages, the source codes of phone software programming that Wang Chao have seen were astronomical. It was simply impossible for him to tell which codes were written by the same person.


    But looking at the teenager¡¯s sad face, he had no choice but to say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can try to recall it slowly.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember now.¡± Wang Chao clicked on various software irritably and kept turning it off.


    ¡°Is there a search algorithm that can be used?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what to search for, so I can¡¯t search for it. If it¡¯s an article, I can use the audio link to establish a statistical model for comparison, but I really can¡¯t think of the source code, and it¡¯s impossible to store all the phone source code I¡¯ve ever read on my computer.¡± Wang Chao kept scratching his head with anxiety. ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re right. Why didn¡¯t I pay attention? This may be my chance to save the world!¡±


    The words of the teenager made Lin Chen feel a strange premonition.


    He and Xing Conglian looked at each other and said to Wang Chao, ¡°In fact, our brains are far more powerful than any computing machine we know now. If this is an unimportant piece of source code written by the same person, you¡¯ll definitely not have such a big reaction. You¡¯re even likely to ignore it, as you have done countless times before, but just now, your subconscious reminded you that the source code in front of you is very important, and the writing pattern reminded you of another code that the same person wrote that is important, which meant that the previous source code must have left a very deep impression in your mind. You can start from here.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Wang Chao said weakly. ¡°But I¡¯d better try searching or using keywords first, but do you know how many people in the world like to name variable names as food-related? Freaking foodies!¡±


    Lin Chen patted the teenager¡¯s head soothingly and went out with Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Is your back okay?¡± Lin Chen asked with a frown.


    Xing Conglian leaned against the wall carelessly, lit a cigarette, and said, ¡°What are you worried about?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±


    ¡°I have a bad feeling. No matter what, try to use a tough approach. I must meet with Song Shengsheng.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why he thought about Song Shengsheng after seeing the familiar source code from Wang Chao. It was a knot in his heart that he couldn¡¯t untie. He was afraid that if he couldn¡¯t see Song Shengsheng, then the moment the wind sways the grass*, he would worry.


    *(·ç´µ²Ý¶¯) Idiom referring to extremely small changes.


    14 hours before Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting.


    May 31, 11:00 p.m..


    Lin Chen sat on the wooden sofa at home, watching the rehearsal. Song Shengsheng had entered the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center earlier today.


    Wang Chao was still thinking about the source code of the prostitution software sold by Royal One in his room. Even in the living room, Lin Chen could hear the teenager¡¯s collapse.


    The incident at Royal One was becoming more troublesome as there were some high-level figures involved, so Xing Conglian was invited to have some tea by the task force, so he hadn¡¯t returned despite how late it was at night.


    Lin Chen held the remote control and turned up the volume a little.


    The towering, giant building stood on the outskirts of Yongchuan. The camera moved forward. There were reporters who came to interview, and fans who heard the news crowded in the square of the convention center. The fans held various solidarity banners and lined up in a disciplined row. They looked more like a well-trained brigade than fanatical groupies. Only when Song Shengsheng¡¯s van drove by did they start screaming.


    The reporter was very excited and said, ¡°Did the audience hear the shouts behind me? After going through many tribulations, Mr. Song Shengsheng finally decided to hold a small fan meeting to give back to the hardcore fans who have always supported him. Although the meeting refused media interviews, our TV station will still broadcast live the entrance of the arts center for everyone. Please lock in to Yongchuan Satellite TV.¡±


    Before the reporter¡¯s voice fell, the van drove into the VIP passage and stopped.


    Xiang Ye, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, got out and opened the door for Song Shengsheng and his female assistant.


    Song Shengsheng was styled up today. He wore a skull burnout t-shirt, and his hair was slick back. He still wore a mask, and he just glanced at the fans on the sidelines before he withdrew his eyes and walked towards the entrance.


    The picture flashed away, but the screams were endless.


    Lin Chen¡¯s brows furrowed tighter. He didn¡¯t know if he was seeing things. Although Song Shengsheng looked very good, he didn¡¯t have the firm look of that day in his eyes when he was looking at the camera.


    The media reporter said, ¡°We see that Mr. Song Shengsheng seems to be recovering well. We sincerely hope that tomorrow¡¯s fan meeting will go smoothly.¡±


    The reporter then put the microphone in front of the fans behind him and said, ¡°Are you excited?¡±


    ¡°Excited!¡± The fans shouted in unison.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to say to Mr. Song Shengsheng?¡± As if infected by that happy atmosphere, the reporter asked with a smile.


    The fans looked at each other, then one of them made a gesture of counting down to three, two, one.


    The girls, who were different in age and appearance but all equally happy, shouted in unison, ¡°Shengsheng, no matter what happens, we will always protect you!¡±


    Lin Chen would never forget such a bright and brilliant voice for the rest of his life.


    The entertainment news began to broadcast different content.


    There was a creaking sound from the door opening outside the house. Lin Chen put down the remote, opened the door, and went out.


    Xing Conglian was at the door with a haggard face.


    Lin Chen looked at his slightly smiling face and asked from a distance. ¡°Looking at your expression, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s good news, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian walked towards him and said, ¡°Song Shengsheng said he will meet you, but the time will be after the fan meeting.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be before the meeting?¡± Lin Chen asked suddenly.


    Xing Conglian stopped.


    Lin Chen knew his request was excessive. He knew how hard Xing Conglian worked to get Song Shengsheng to agree to see him. According to Xing Conglian¡¯s style of doing things, he might have entrusted the Fengchun or Yongchuan police to apply pressure on Song Shengsheng.


    But he still looked at Xing Conglian firmly. ¡°I have to see him before the fan meeting.¡±


    Xing Conglian stared at him with tired eyes and then nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go right away. You go and call Wang Chao.¡±


    Countless times later, Lin Chen deduced what happened in those days, trying to find a possibility to prevent it from happening.


    For example, he should believe more in his feelings and block Song Shengsheng from the start to question him about what was going on, instead of being blinded by some seemingly good appearances; or he shouldn¡¯t have planned action against Royal One in those precious ten days, so that most of his and Xing Conglian¡¯s time were filled with never-ending official investigations and paperwork; even, if Xing Conglian could drive the car faster that day, maybe everything would end in a completely different way.


    However, in the words of Xing Conglian, the occurrence of established facts couldn¡¯t be changed by human will. They weren¡¯t gods, let alone having the ability to reverse time. They were truly ordinary humans, so the only thing they could do was to move forward with sadness and gratitude.


    ¡­¡­


    Although they set off quickly, it was almost 4 a.m. when they arrived in Fengchun.


    Along the way, Lin Chen forced Xing Conglian to play Song Shengsheng¡¯s songs in the car. Wang Chao was singing along as he recited codes while he was half asleep.


    Even in the early hours of the morning, Yongchuan was still brightly lit. Lin Chen looked down at the entire city from the bridge and suddenly felt heartfelt despair at a certain moment.


    The light was still there, but the thick blackness spread from the ground, as if it were about to devour all living things, and everything would never get better. At that time, he felt boundless despair.


    He covered his eyes and burst into tears for no reason.


    4:13 a.m..


    He would always remember the time when Xing Conglian stopped the car at the entrance of the Yongchuan Lihao Hotel.


    Downstairs in the hotel, there was the sound of deafening sirens, and the ambulance and four police cars lined up in turn. The night sky was strangely purple, with miserable red and blue. He looked around blankly. He didn¡¯t know how he was able to walk to the door of the hotel.


    In the lobby of the hotel, Xiang Ye had his back to him, but his body was hunched over. He was talking with a policeman and looked exhausted, while another girl beside him was desperately crying. A few hours ago, Lin Chen had seen that girl on TV. She was Song Shengsheng¡¯s assistant.


    The bad premonition that had lingered in his heart for many days finally came true. Lin Chen walked towards Xiang Ye, step by step. He directly reached out and grabbed the social elite by the collar and said, in a trembling voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Xiang Ye¡¯s eyes cracked. Lin Chen was, in turn, yanked by his neckline by the other party.


    Xiang Ye roared, ¡°Lin Chen, how do you still have the face to come here. Shengsheng is dead. You killed him. He said he didn¡¯t want to see you. Why did you have to force him over and over again!¡±


    Xiang Ye¡¯s shouts were loud. Someone around him was secretly filming with a camera, but all Lin Chen could feel was as if someone had bashed him with a hammer.


    At this moment, a powerful arm stretched out and gripped Xiang Ye¡¯s arms with his backhand.


    Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian.


    Xiang Ye howled in pain and screamed miserably, but he kept talking. ¡°I protected him, and I didn¡¯t want him to get hurt again. Why do you keep pushing him? Yes, you did him a favor, but why did you keep putting pressure on him when he doesn¡¯t want to see you? He said that if he sees you, he¡¯ll think of Li Jingtian. He¡¯s right in the end. You¡¯re all the same.¡±


    The dazzling light from the crystal chandelier caused countless emotions to surge in Lin Chen¡¯s chest. He could no longer distinguish the colors in front of him, but after hearing what Xiang Ye said, he forced himself to calm down. He said in a cruel tone that even he felt was inhumane, ¡°First, I did not murder Song Shengsheng. Because I was on my way here, I have a sufficient alibi. Second, I have never had contact with Song Shengsheng. The person who could¡¯ve forced him to die could be you. Finally, tell me how he died.¡±


    Beside him, the girl¡¯s sharp cry was about to pierce their eardrums. Lin Chen turned his head and glanced coldly at the source of the sound. The girl stopped crying instantly.


    ¡°If your boss doesn¡¯t answer, it¡¯s up to you to answer me personally and tell me how Song Shengsheng died.¡±


    ¡°Shengsheng¡­ Shengsheng¡­¡± the girl sat on the ground sobbing. ¡°Shengsheng¡­ in the bathroom¡­ in the bathroom¡­slit¡­slit his throat.¡±


    Hearing these words, Lin Chen could hardly stand still. He staggered violently. At this moment, Xing Conglian held his back firmly.


    He suppressed the bloody feeling in his throat, pinched his palm hard, and looked around, forcing himself to stay awake.


    ¡°Take me to the scene,¡± he said to the police officer next to him.


    ¡°Why are you going? Shengsheng didn¡¯t even want to see you when he was alive!¡± Xiang Ye shouted almost frantically, unlike his gentlemanly persona.


    ¡°Mr. Xiang Ye, please cooperate with the police investigation. Otherwise, I will arrest you for obstruction of justice.¡±


    Under this situation, Xing Conglian still maintained a transcendent calmness. He quickly showed his credentials to the police officers in the hotel lobby and said in a businesslike tone, ¡°Hongjing police force, Xing Conglian.¡±


    The policeman nodded quickly. ¡°I know. I know you and Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Now take us to the scene.¡±


    Seeing that the police officer looked hesitant, Xing Conglian nodded and continued to say, ¡°You can refuse me, but believe me. I will call everyone at the scene, and there will always be someone who will nod, so don¡¯t waste time.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    The fuck? What is going on here? Why are all the people who don¡¯t deserve to suffer being killed, while those that should suffer are still alive? I didn¡¯t sign up for this dog abuse.

 CH 157

    Song Shengsheng would not commit suicide.


    No one would die before their wish was about to be fulfilled.


    Lin Chen thought so before walking into that bathroom.


    But when he really walked through the door of the bathroom in the face of the flashing lights of the forensic camera, the scene inside still made him almost kneel to the ground. He forcibly pulled the door frame so that he wouldn¡¯t lose his composure when he met Song Shengsheng for the first time.


    He had never seen such a scene of death. The scene in front of him was too miserable, too astounding, that his five senses seemed to shut off. He watched everything in front of him coldly, as if he were a ghost in another world.


    At the end of the dark green tiles, there was an ivory-white bathtub. There was a man sitting quietly in the tub. He was resting his hands on the tub. Because he hadn¡¯t seen the sun for so long, his skin was pale, and the corners of his mouth seemed to have a tinge of a na?ve smile. The withered but soft short hair stuck to his cold forehead. He really didn¡¯t look young anymore. Eight years of imprisonment had tortured him to the point where he had lost his human form. He was like a skeleton that had a thin layer of skin covering him, but even so, at the moment of his death, he seemed to return to his 18-year-old appearance.


    He was so relaxed and at ease. Although the bathtub was full of blood, he seemed to be lying in snow-like light, and all his suffering had disappeared.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath, walked into the bathroom, and went up to Song Shengsheng.


    This was the first time he had met Song Shengsheng, and it was also a meeting he had been looking forward to for a long time. However, this meeting came too late, and they were already separated by life and death.


    Lin Chen bent down, trying to touch Song Shengsheng¡¯s cheek.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian grabbed his hand. The moment the warm palm touched his skin, the surrounding scene instantly took off its transparent shell, and all the colors, smells, and sounds rushed into his mind frantically. The strong scent of blood submerged his entire body, choking him, and he wanted to vomit, but he still endured.


    He stood straight and looked at Song Shengsheng¡¯s body carefully.


    There was a bloody gash on Song Shengsheng¡¯s neck. It was an extremely ugly wound, like a black hole that could absorb all light.


    The blood was half-dry, and his head fell limply to the edge of the bathtub, like a long-dead white swan in a pond under the pure blue sky that illuminated the transparent lake water; it was heartbreakingly beautiful.


    ¡°What is the preliminary determination of the cause of death and time of death?¡± Lin Chen stood in front of Song Shengsheng¡¯s body, not knowing how he could still speak.


    ¡°Suicide,¡± the medical examiner who was beside him said. ¡°The time of death was around 3:30 in the morning on June 1st.¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have committed suicide,¡± Lin Chen said categorically.


    ¡°Are you questioning my professional ability?¡± Mr. Medical Examiner asked rhetorically.


    Xing Conglian interrupted them, ¡°What did he use?¡±


    ¡°Razor blade.¡± The medical examiner squatted down, unfolded Song Shengsheng¡¯s curled hands, and showed it to them. ¡°Mr. Song Shengsheng removed the blade from the razor and cut his throat vigorously. The scars on his fingers can prove this.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze fell on Song Shengsheng¡¯s throat again. The wound was bloody, but he could still feel Song Shengsheng¡¯s decisive attitude from the depths of the incision.


    Song Shengsheng was determined to die without hesitation.


    ¡°Give me a pair of gloves,¡± Lin Chen said to the police officer next to him.


    The other party quickly brought a pair of rubber gloves. Lin Chen put them on and began to examine Song Shengsheng¡¯s body.


    The moment he pulled Song Shengsheng¡¯s finger, there was a shout from behind him. ¡°Lin Chen, what are you doing? Why are you touching him?!¡±


    He turned his head and saw that Xiang Ye was standing at the bathroom door. He looked angry. If the police officer hadn¡¯t stopped him, Lin Chen felt that Xiang Ye¡¯s fist would have swung at his cheek.


    Lin Chen looked at Xiang Ye coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t get emotional. I¡¯m just looking for evidence that he won¡¯t commit suicide.¡± After saying this to Xiang Ye, he looked at the two police officers opposite the door and said, ¡°Please remove all idlers from the crime scene.¡±


    After saying this, he no longer cared about Xiang Ye¡¯s yelling and began to carefully check Song Shengsheng¡¯s fingers.


    Although Song Shengsheng¡¯s fingers were covered with blood, the nails of his right index finger were shorter and flatter than his other four fingers, and there were thick calluses growing from there.


    He still remembered that on the edge of that small bed in the Yanjia Lane bakery where Song Shengsheng slept, there was also a very deep & engraved on it. That & was caused by his countless tracings. It represented his agreement with the fans. It contained countless meanings, such as persistence, faith, and protection. If Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t die by suicide, if he had faith, this symbol would definitely appear around him, and he had a blade in his hand, so he would carve something on the inner wall of the bathtub¡­


    With such thoughts in his mind, Lin Chen checked Song Shengsheng¡¯s hand over and over again, then he checked the inner lining of the bathtub. The inner lining was indeed filled with countless small scratches, but there were no nicks of any shape resembling an ¡°&¡±.


    The more he couldn¡¯t find it, the more flustered Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts became. It must have been blood that covered this last symbol, or for some other reason. How could Song Shengsheng lose his faith? How could he suddenly commit suicide?


    He and Song Shengsheng were so close, as if he could pull the person in front of him back from the shadow of death with his hand, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. He looked at Song Shengsheng¡¯s face and thought solemnly, ¡®What should I do? I don¡¯t even have evidence to prove that you won¡¯t die so easily.¡¯


    Lin Chen gradually felt desperate, and he could hardly control his movements.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian grabbed him.


    The man¡¯s metallic voice sounded in his ears. ¡°Enough.¡±


    Lin Chen propped his hand on the bathtub. He hung his head and slowly turned it. He saw the police officers around him looking at him like a madman. He looked at Xing Conglian again, only to hear the other party say, ¡°Let¡¯s go out and take a breather.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze was so firm that it was like his dark green eyes were burning with some kind of flame, and that indestructible, firm emotion made Lin Chen instantly wake up.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he replied.


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian out of the bathroom and handed over the scene to the on-site police officers.


    Song Shengsheng was staying in a luxury suite on the top floor of the hotel. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire city seemed to be in a deep sleep. The scattered streetlights were like tears, and the place farther between the sky and the earth was showing a dark blue that could only be seen at dawn.


    This was the third time he had been to Yongchuan recently. Although the mood was different every time, whether he was facing the collective subconscious of those students or Li Jingtian, he always believed he could overcome everything. Not only did he no longer have faith, he also lost hope.


    Xing Conglian put his hands on his shoulders, overlooking the entire city with him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen stared blankly at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The responsibility for Song Shengsheng¡¯s death should be borne by me. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Xing Conglian looked at him deeply and didn¡¯t give him any chance to counter. ¡°In fact, your hunch wasn¡¯t wrong, but I didn¡¯t fully believe and support your judgment. Specifically, I had many ways to help you see Song Shengsheng in advance, such as by forcibly breaking into Song Shengsheng¡¯s residence. It was my failure to do my best that caused this consequence.¡±


    His tone was gentle but sad. It was the first time Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian speak with such regret, but it wasn¡¯t self-blame. In his own words, he was taking responsibility.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t pay attention to what Xing Conglian said, but when he looked into Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, he realized that Xing Conglian was also deeply sad at this moment. It was only then that he discovered that, in his mind, he had always believed that Xing Conglian was unparalleled and invisible, but in fact, Xing Conglian was also human and could be sad. Lin Chen thought that for Xing Conglian, he needed to be a little stronger.


    He suppressed those painful emotions again and turned to Xing Conglian and said, ¡°The two of us should not rush to take responsibility.¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at him hesitantly, as if he were trying to find his true emotions in his eyes, but Lin Chen thought he was still more professional. ¡°I don¡¯t think Song Shengsheng committed suicide.¡±


    He quickly used the topic to deflect Xing Conglian¡¯s attention.


    ¡°So, what were you looking for just now¡­¡± Xing Conglian frowned and asked, ¡°That symbol?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°Have you seen Song Shengsheng¡¯s finger? He kept drawing that symbol repeatedly to the point where he developed calluses. He kept reminding himself to persevere. Even in that dark prison life, he persisted. Why would he die before he got what he wanted?¡± Lin Chen looked back. There was no one around them, but he still lowered his voice. ¡°I think there¡¯s a problem here.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t find that &.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is what I can¡¯t grasp.¡± Lin Chen continued, ¡°Although I have never met him, I am probably the person who knows him best in the world. People who choose to commit suicide mostly do so because they want to use death to relieve the pain, but Song Shengsheng has already experienced Li Jingtian¡¯s painful torture and a hopeless life in prison. If he¡¯s capable of enduring that kind of suffering and pain, then I don¡¯t know what other pain there is in this world that he can¡¯t bear?¡±


    ¡°In other words, there are two possibilities now. First, someone forced him to commit suicide. Second, there is something more painful than his prison life that he could no longer endure, and this pain overcame his remaining love for the world¡­¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t bear what Xing Conglian said and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether he was forced to commit suicide, but I think it¡¯s not because he couldn¡¯t bear the pain that he chose to die.¡± He gently put his hand on Xing Conglian¡¯s neck, wiped it, and said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling, but you see, choosing to slit your own throat is one of the fastest ways to die. If it goes well, he will die within ten seconds. No matter what the cause of his suicide was, his determination was unmatched.¡±


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Then let¡¯s change the question. Apart from the shortest death time, why did he choose to slit his throat? This really makes me think about what Li Jingtian did.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Chen felt a splitting headache again. Everything seemed to be inextricably linked, but he couldn¡¯t see through the thick blood. ¡°Li Jingtian will arrive today. Of course, we have a chance to ask him face to face, but, no matter why he chose to die, I suspect there¡¯s something wrong with Xiang Ye.¡±


    From the earliest phone call, Xiang Ye had an unwarranted and inexplicable hostility towards him.


    Although he also agreed in his heart that the reason for Xiang Ye¡¯s dissatisfaction with him was because he forcibly opened Song Shengsheng¡¯s painful past, he still suspected that it was Xiang Ye who prevented him from meeting Song Shengsheng.


    Xing Conglian glanced at him and said, ¡°Song Shengsheng is dead. The hotel surveillance also proves that Xiang Ye was in his room when Song Shengsheng died. We don¡¯t have any evidence to prove that there¡¯s something wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, not only do we have no evidence, we also don¡¯t have any direction to find evidence,¡± Lin Chen said, then he paused for a moment. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t seem that there¡¯s no direction at all. The reason why I think Xiang Ye is problematic is that just now, Xiang Ye wanted to put the blame for Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide on me.¡± Lin Chen smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to take responsibility. In fact, I¡¯m probably the only person in the world who wants to take responsibility for his death besides you, but at least it¡¯s not time for us to make our closing statements and condemn ourselves.¡±


    ¡°As of now, on the surface, Xiang Ye treated Song Shengsheng pretty well. To prove your point, the first thing to do is to prove he isn¡¯t as good as he appears. He either hurt Song Shengsheng or forced Song Shengsheng, which indirectly led to his suicide.¡± Xing Conglian raised another critical question. ¡°How do you prove this?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There may be problems that we can¡¯t imagine now, but I know that if Xiang Ye wants me to take responsibility, he will definitely find witnesses to prove that Song Shengsheng¡¯s death was my fault and then set off a huge PR offensive, making me the target of the public. Then, when he starts to act, it may also be the time he starts making mistakes.¡±


    ¡°For example, finding the psychiatrist who treated Song Shengsheng?¡± Xing Conglian asked.

 CH 158

    According to Xiang Ye, the reason why Song Shengsheng was working at the bakery at that time was because the doctor who counseled him suggested he try to make contact with society for restorative treatment. But now that Song Shengsheng chose to commit suicide, even if Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t proficient in psychology, he felt that the level of the psychiatrist must be extremely problematic.


    And what they were discussing was seemingly happening below.


    Even before the police finished the on-site investigation, the police officer who had just come upstairs quietly sent a message that a lot of people had gathered downstairs. Of course, the first of them were the reporters who came with inquiries. Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans also arrived, and it was also said that Song Shengsheng¡¯s psychiatrist also came.


    They didn¡¯t even have to go downstairs; instead, they turned on the TV. The live broadcast at the entrance of the Lihao Hotel caught their eyes.


    Compared to when they came, the vehicle downstairs had grown astronomically, with all kinds of light shining and reflecting the dawn.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen worriedly, but Lin Chen just watched with a cold face and crossed arms without saying a word.


    ¡°Breaking news!¡± A female reporter stood in front of a police car with a serious expression. ¡°Our reporter on scene just got news that Song Shengsheng, a famous singer who was unjustly imprisoned for eight years and suffered in the past, committed suicide in the Lihao Hotel in Yongchuan that¡¯s behind me. Next, we¡¯ll interview Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s agent, Mr. Xiang Ye, the current general manager of the Yasheng Performing Arts Group.¡±


    As the reporter¡¯s camera moved around, Xiang Ye¡¯s figure appeared in the live broadcast.


    ¡°Mr. Xiang Ye, did Shengsheng really commit suicide?¡±


    Xiang Ye looked sad. His suit was wrinkled, and he covered his mouth and nose with his hands as he nodded to the camera with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°How is this possible? Isn¡¯t Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting about to be held soon?!¡± The reporter shouted loudly. ¡°Do you know what caused Mr. Song Shengsheng to choose to commit suicide before the fan meeting?¡±


    Xiang Ye shook his head, as if unwilling to answer the question.


    ¡°Mr. Xiang Ye, the public and fans alike need your answer,¡± the reporter said forcefully.


    ¡°Because of psychological reasons,¡± Xiang Ye replied reluctantly.


    ¡°Do you know what psychological problem?¡±


    ¡°Depression.¡±


    At this moment, a calm voice sounded behind Xiang Ye. The cameraman hurriedly pointed the camera at the visitor.


    It was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His clothes were neat and meticulous, giving him a scholarly look.


    ¡°Excuse me, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Song Shengsheng¡¯s psychiatrist. My surname is Tan.¡±


    The reporter became a little excited. She didn¡¯t expect her question to be answered. ¡°Hello, Doctor Tan. Can you tell me more about Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of patient privacy. It¡¯s inconvenient for me to disclose the specifics. I¡¯m very sorry. In the end, this was a choice he made.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting about to be held?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has always been his wish to see his fans again. He has been going through very difficult psychological struggles, and he wasn¡¯t able to overcome his mental illness. I regret this.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t Mr. Xiang Ye say before that Shengsheng has already reconnected with society under your guidance and that he was recovering well to the point he could hold a fan meeting? How could he suddenly couldn¡¯t overcome his depression?¡±


    ¡°The reasons for this are very complicated, but Mr. Xiang Ye has always wanted to keep the noise and distraction away. But we couldn¡¯t maintain this. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Looking at the solemn face of the psychiatrist on TV, Xing Conglian looked at the person beside him. Lin Chen stood still with his arms crossed, rubbing his chin with his knuckles, looking extremely irritated.


    ¡°Xiang Ye¡¯s fox tail is exposed,¡± he said to Lin Chen. ¡°And what does he mean by, ¡®failing to keep him away from the noise and distractions¡¯?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how this sentence poked Lin Chen. Before his voice fell, Lin Chen ran out of the room, rushed to the elevator entrance, and was desperately pressing the elevator¡¯s down button. When Xing Conglian followed out, the elevator door just opened, and he squeezed in with Lin Chen. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Defend myself.¡± The floor was dropping rapidly. Lin Chen said, ¡°Xiang Ye accused the media of caring too much about Song Shengsheng¡¯s privacy a few days ago, but now that Shengsheng is dead, he actually called his psychiatrist to analyze Shengsheng¡¯s state. Sure enough, he really wants to put the blame for Shengsheng¡¯s death on us. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°It proves that Xiang Ye has never been sincere with Song Shengsheng,¡± Xing Conglian answered.


    Lin Chen nodded with a firm gaze. Although Xing Conglian thought that given Lin Chen¡¯s state, he would be blaming himself for not seeing through Xiang Ye¡¯s impure motives earlier, his gaze this time seemed to be saying: ¡°You have to hold on. Hold on until the end.¡±


    When the elevator reached the bottom floor, they walked out. The psychiatrist and Xiang Ye were answering reporters¡¯ questions about Song Shengsheng¡¯s condition.


    He didn¡¯t know what the two said in front of the media reporters, but the moment Lin Chen rushed out of the hotel lobby, he became the protagonist under the spotlight.


    Flashes of light were directed at his face.


    ¡°Mr. Lin Chen, do you have any opinion on what Mr. Xiang Ye said?¡±


    ¡°Did you really keep harassing Mr. Song Shengsheng?¡±


    ¡°For what purpose did you want to meet with a victim of sexual assault?¡±


    ¡°Do you regret the live broadcast?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiang Ye is accusing you of making Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s painful past public without his consent, so that it came to a point where he could no longer bear it and chose to commit suicide. What do you think of this matter?¡±


    Xing Conglian wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Lin Chen had already been targeted by all the cameras. Just when Xing Conglian thought Lin Chen would refuse the interview, he said, ¡°Come, one by one.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± The reporters were stunned.


    ¡°I said I will answer your questions one by one.¡± Lin Chen stood calmly under the focus of the media. ¡°You asked me what I thought of what Mr. Xiang Ye just said. Although I was going downstairs just now and didn¡¯t hear what he said, I can guess from your questions that Mr. Xiang Ye and Doctor Tan must have been explaining the cause of Shengsheng¡¯s suicide just now, right?¡±


    The reporters nodded.


    ¡°First, the police did not make any judgment on the cause of Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s death, yet an agent and a psychiatrist are telling you that he died of suicide. Don¡¯t you think this is odd?¡±


    It was obvious to Xing Conglian that the faces of Xiang Ye and the doctor darkened when he said this. Lin Chen had never lost a fight to anyone.


    ¡°Second,¡± Lin Chen turned to look at the psychiatrist, ¡°I don¡¯t know where your qualification came from, but anyone who has studied psychological counseling knows that protecting the privacy of patients always comes first. I have never seen a psychiatrist explain his patients¡¯ psychological problems to the media with great fanfare after the patient¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guilty, Consultant Lin?¡± Xiang Ye suddenly asked. ¡°Are you trying to gag us?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± When Lin Chen heard this, he took a half step back, turned around, and looked at Xiang Ye, showing a cold smile. ¡°But I suddenly wanted to ask a question. Did Song Shengsheng¡¯s death catch you by surprise?¡±


    Xiang Ye was stunned for a moment. It was impossible for him to escape the panic of being poked at the center for a short time. Lin Chen didn¡¯t even need to hear his answer, but said clearly, ¡°Thank you, I understand.¡±


    Xing Conglian turned back to the hotel with Lin Chen.


    In fact, Lin Chen¡¯s last question was hardly a meaningful one. Song Shengsheng committed suicide suddenly. This was normal for Xiang Ye, as an agent, to be caught off guard.


    However, Xiang Ye¡¯s reaction still allowed them to eliminate a possibility. Xiang Ye didn¡¯t force Song Shengsheng to commit suicide. Song Shengsheng died voluntarily.


    After avoiding the camera, Lin Chen leaned against the door of the stairwell and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Light a cigarette, Xing Conglian.¡±


    Without asking why, Xing Conglian took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath of smoke in the air, then said in a calm tone, ¡°Look, now that our speculation has come true and there is indeed something wrong with Xiang Ye, we can deduce the motives of his behavior. The reason why he¡¯s uncharacteristically asked a psychiatrist to explain the reason for Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide, and even wanted to put the blame on me¡ªit seems he¡¯s trying to cover up the real reason why Song Shengsheng committed suicide in front of the public. So, what do you think is the real reason?¡±


    ¡°For whatever reason, Xiang Ye imprisoned Song Shengsheng so he couldn¡¯t speak out. Song Shengsheng chose to commit suicide in order to get rid of him.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head and nodded with difficulty.


    Xing Conglian thought for a while, then said, ¡°But there¡¯s still a problem with your speculation. Even if Xiang Ye imprisons Song Shengsheng, Song Shengsheng has countless opportunities to ask for help. Why didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this problem goes way back then. Song Shengsheng silently endured Li Jingtian¡¯s torture, and even after being falsely accused by the other party, he didn¡¯t defend himself, let alone accuse the other party of rape. Why?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something shady here,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°So, we have to start investigating this case again,¡± Lin Chen responded.


    Thinking of the cruel and terrifying scars on Song Shengsheng¡¯s neck, Xing Conglian suddenly said, ¡°I feel the reason why he chose to cut his throat to die was because he¡¯s trying to guide us to find Li Jingtian?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen always had an inexplicable feeling. Although Song Shengsheng never said a word to him, and even though he said he didn¡¯t want to see him, Lin Chen always felt that Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t actually hate him. Rather, it seemed as if Song Shengsheng had something to tell him.


    If Xing Conglian guessed correctly, if Song Shengsheng really wanted him to find Li Jingtian, he would do as he wished.


    The arrival time of the flight escorting Li Jingtian was 10:00 a.m. on June 1st.


    The sky towered over the tarmac, and the traffic in the terminal hall was weaving.


    The news of Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide was circulating on the big screens at the airport. Xiang Ye stood in front of the Lihao Hotel and announced to all the fans that the fan meeting scheduled for 1:00 pm had been canceled.


    Everyone around him looked at the news, and many travelers were sighing.


    But Lin Chen just looked steadily in the direction of the exit. He once hoped that Song Shengsheng could see Li Jingtian stand on the trial bench with his own eyes, but it was a pity that Li Jingtian was still alive while Song Shengsheng was dead.


    For this reason, he didn¡¯t believe Song Shengsheng would commit suicide due to depression on the day Li Jingtian would be extradited back to China.


    He hadn¡¯t returned to the stage yet and hadn¡¯t avenged his grievances. Even if he wanted to die, he should have done it after his wish was fulfilled.


    The flight landed, and the sign turned green.


    Far away, Lin Chen saw Li Jingtian¡¯s inhumane face.


    Li Jingtian, who had been in prison for more than ten days, no longer looked like a noble son of that day. His back was hunched, and there was no disguise on his face. There was no previous decent smile or humble expression. There wasn¡¯t even any look that could even be considered human. That look was completely that of an ugly body filled with malice from hell.


    When he saw him, Li Jingtian smiled slightly. He said, ¡°Consultant Lin, you care about me so much that you came to pick me up? Do you want to be fucked by me?¡±


    Lin Chen swung his arm and punched him without hesitation. Li Jingtian stroked the corner of his mouth and laughed happily.


    Xing Conglian greeted the guards escorting Li Jingtian, and they took him directly to the interrogation room at the airport.


    The moment the door closed, Xing Conglian directly pinched Li Jingtian¡¯s neck with his backhand and pressed him against the table.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hands were extremely strong, and it caused Li Jingtian¡¯s face to flush, but his mouth kept talking. ¡°Captain Xing, are you jealous? Then you have done Consultant Lin? Is he particularly energetic? Does he moan when he gives you a blowjob and wraps his legs around your waist like a bitch, begging you, please hurry?¡±


    While listening to Li Jingtian¡¯s words provoking Xing Conglian, Lin Chen walked up to him, dragged a heavy iron chair, and sat down in front of him.


    ¡°Li Jingtian, Song Shengsheng is dead. He committed suicide.¡±


    He said this to Li Jingtian.


    Before his voice fell, Li Jingtian laughed. ¡°Really, that¡¯s great. I¡¯ll go to hell and find him sooner. You let him escape faster.¡±


    If possible, Lin Chen would never want to say another word to Li Jingtian in his life, let alone personally tell him of the news of Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide.


    This seemed to make him personally admit to a criminal like Li Jingtian: ¡°Yes, you won.¡±


    But sometimes, there weren¡¯t that many truths in the world, and the so-called truths were just fabricated by people in search of beliefs.


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°Do you know why he committed suicide?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me for advice, Consultant Lin?¡± Li Jingtian¡¯s eyes were excited. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you give me a blowjob.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s movements became more forceful. Lin Chen glanced at him and motioned for Xing Conglian not to kill him.


    He crossed his legs, leaned on the back of the chair, and just looked at Li Jingtian coldly. ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t need to use this kind of language to attract my attention. It¡¯s all on you now.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    ¡°In fact, you still haven¡¯t learned to be smart. You can¡¯t control yourself. I told you the news of Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide. You¡¯re not surprised. Why?¡±


    Li Jingtian didn¡¯t answer his question and instead reached towards the zipper of his pants.


    ¡°Antisocial personality disorder is not the same as exhibitionism. Don¡¯t lower your perverted style,¡± he said. ¡°Since you refuse to speak, then we can only continue to play the game of ¡®it doesn¡¯t matter if you answer or not¡¯. I can always guess, anyway.¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face sank.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just start from the beginning.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t care about Li Jingtian¡¯s uncomfortable position. He just stared at his eyes and said to him, ¡°You controlled Song Shengsheng, tortured him repeatedly, and raped him. This is an undeniable fact. You don¡¯t have to say that you haven¡¯t done it. What I want to know is, how on earth did you do it?¡±


    Li Jingtian laughed triumphantly. ¡°He loves me!¡±


    ¡°We all know this is impossible. He didn¡¯t suffer from Stockholm syndrome*. If he loves you, why did he choose to go to the police station after you were arrested to state your criminal history instead of jumping out and telling the world that he did it voluntarily?¡±


    *Condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors.


    Li Jingtian paused.


    Lin Chen felt relieved. ¡°You also think it¡¯s strange, right? Yes, why does he dare walk into the police station to report a crime now but not nine years ago?¡± He observed Li Jingtian¡¯s expression and continued, ¡°Your reaction tells me that you also think it¡¯s a bit strange that he chose to acquiesce after being falsely accused by you and never mentioned to the police that you raped him, right?¡±


    ¡°He loves me so much that he would rather go to jail than report me.¡±


    Lin Chen ignored Li Jingtian and continued, ¡°I think, at the very beginning, you should have threatened him to submit to you with a sex tape or something. I can barely understand that he didn¡¯t report the crime, but later, he was framed by you, and there was no way for him to get out of it. Why didn¡¯t he tell the police the truth? However, since you¡¯re not so clear about the reason why he chose to be silent, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s expression was uncertain.


    Lin Chen said lightly, ¡°You may not know, right? Rather than provoking me, telling me what happened to him can torture me more. So, Li Jingtian, do you want to see my pain? Tell me, what happened back then?¡±

 CH 159

    ¡°Song Shengsheng is the stupidest person I have ever seen.¡±


    Li Jingtian was finally able to sit down properly. He asked Xing Conglian for a cigarette, which Xing Conglian handed over, although his face was full of displeasure.


    Lin Chen always felt that he had seen evil in the world, but the story told by Li Jingtian still made him unable to feel any light.


    According to Li Jingtian, the first time he saw Song Shengsheng was at a global concert tour. At that time, Song Shengsheng sang high on the stage, tore off his shirt, and then winked in his direction. Li Jingtian felt that Song Shengsheng was seducing him.


    What happened later was that one party was deliberate while the other was unaware.


    For Song Shengsheng, Li Jingtian joined CA Entertainment as a trainee, but his status was far from Song Shengsheng. At that time, Song Shengsheng was the darling of the media, blessed by the gods. He was chic and willful and even dared to kiss female models directly at cocktail parties. Seeing these things every day, Li Jingtian had the urge to cut Song Shengsheng¡¯s throat directly and watch him lie in a pool of blood and bleed to death, but he knew he couldn¡¯t, not because of his conscience, but because he hadn¡¯t gotten Song Shengsheng yet.


    Later, Li Jingtian was able to make inroads into the company and was about to make his debut. He finally got a little closer to Song Shengsheng¡¯s circle of friends. Their singing practice room was downstairs from Song Shengsheng. He could always see Song Shengsheng talking or laughing with someone, but occasionally, when passing in front of him, he never glanced at him once. He even deliberately tried to walk up to Song Shengsheng once, bending over and bowing, greeting ¡°Senior Song¡±, but Song Shengsheng just nodded slightly at him, said nothing, and didn¡¯t even ask his name. This was the most unbearable thing for him. Song Shengsheng had completely touched his bottom line.


    Li Jingtian couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He inquired about an underground bar that Song Shengsheng often went to. It was a place that the paparazzi didn¡¯t even know about. It was secretive. Li Jingtian used some methods and started working at the bar. He slowly observed and understood Song Shengsheng, knowing that there were always different girls around him, knowing that although he liked to play with girls, he was always alone when he went home, and knowing that he liked to drink a lot and would black out after getting drunk.


    Sure enough, the roles of a bartender and customer were the easiest to cultivate. He and Song Shengsheng slowly became familiar. Song Shengsheng sometimes would get tired of playing and would sit down alone in front of the bar, squinting in the dim light while drinking ordinary soda water, and would chat with him. When they first met, he unabashedly told Song Shengsheng that he was also an artist at CA Entertainment. Because he couldn¡¯t accept the company¡¯s unspoken rules, he had a hard time, and it was difficult to make a living, so he was forced to work in a bar.


    ¡°He actually believed the story I made up casually and said he admires me very much.¡± Li Jingtian laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s stupid?¡±


    ¡°What happened later?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Later, later on, he started to work hard for the company¡¯s senior management to let Mu Zhuo and I make our debut as soon as possible. He also recorded a video with us. He actually helped me.¡± Li Jingtian narrowed his eyes. When he recalled that time, he actually showed a sarcastic smile on his face. ¡°Then I thanked him, and we became friends. Sometimes, when he gets drunk at the bar, I will send him home. He was defenseless against me. He thought I was poor and would often secretly bring me delicious food. Why do you think there are such innocent and lovely people in this world?¡±


    Lin Chen sat opposite Li Jingtian, unable to restrain himself from imagining the scene at that time.


    Maybe at the bar, maybe under the streetlight, Song Shengsheng would confidently talk to Li Jingtian from the bottom of his heart and take care of him like a junior brother in class. He would pat Li Jingtian¡¯s head, looking casual about it, but he actually cared about Li Jingtian¡¯s feelings. He protected him and took care of him, but he never knew what kind of beast he was facing.


    ¡°Then one day, Song Shengsheng got drunk in the bar again. He hugged a woman and refused to let go. He would always ignore it when he drank happily. I took him away from the woman and sent him home. I think that time was simply given to me by God.¡± Li Jingtian hooked the corner of his mouth proudly and looked at them. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re smart. Can you guess what happened after?¡±


    Lin Chen took a deep breath and said slowly, ¡°For a person like Song Shengsheng, it¡¯s impossible for you to imprison him in chains, because even if you break his legs, he will desperately climb out as long as he¡¯s still breathing. Then, to control such a person, you can only use his kindness.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he could maintain such a calm tone. ¡°He was drunk that night, and you made him mistakenly believe that he hurt you. Only in this way will he be firmly controlled by you. Am I right?¡±


    Hearing what he said, Li Jingtian suddenly choked on the smoke and burst into tears of laughter. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re really the smartest person I have ever seen. The next morning, I deliberately made a lot of noise and spread blood everywhere. I sat on the bed and cried and told Song Shengsheng that he had raped me. I desperately said no, but he forcefully held me down and inserted it. I didn¡¯t expect he would actually believe it. Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s an idiot?¡± Li Jingtian wiped away his tears from his laughter and continued, ¡°Actually, as long as he turned me around and looked at my ass, he would know it wasn¡¯t blood that came from my anus, and the bruises were done by me knocking into things, but for a dumbass like him, how could he know to check?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t dare stop and think about the scene at that time. As long as he thought of the deception Song Shengsheng had suffered, he wished he could go back decades ago, dragging Song Shengsheng from back then to look at exactly who Li Jingtian was¡­


    But now it was decades later, and he didn¡¯t have the ability to travel through time, so he could only ask coldly, ¡°Then, I think if a person like Song Shengsheng found out he raped you, he might actually impulsively go to the police station and surrender himself. How could he obediently be controlled by you?¡±


    ¡°I praise you for being smart just now, yet you¡¯re being stupid again? At that time, I begged him not to call the police. I still wanted to make my debut. An undoubted trainee who was sexually assaulted by a big star would definitely be abandoned by the company.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head slightly, then raised it and stared at Li Jingtian. ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, it¡¯s not easy for you just now. This is just the appetizer. The content behind is quite heavy.¡±


    ¡°I pretended to be recuperating and lived in his house for a while. I faked having a mental illness, and sometimes I started to self-harm or lock myself in my room all day without saying a word. He was very worried and afraid that I had developed psychological issues, so he sent me to a psychiatrist. In fact, this was just ordinary acting. The me who saw him for the first time was the real me, but he thought I was crazy. I pressed him against the tiles of the bathroom. He resisted desperately, but he didn¡¯t dare to hurt me. I said to him over and over again, ¡®I love you¡¯ as I entered him again and again. His body was really soft and hot. His blood dripped on my feet and his eyes¡ªyou should¡¯ve seen it¡ªit was so sad and heartbreaking.¡±


    The cigarette in Li Jingtian¡¯s hand had already burned out, but he still took a puff through the filter without tobacco.


    ¡°You made him mistakenly think you were mentally disturbed because of his violation, so he felt guilty and let you do whatever you want?¡± Lin Chen was a little suspicious.


    ¡°Yes, after I fucked him, I hugged him and said I was sorry. I left him disappointed and started to self-harm. I told him the psychiatrist said it was post-traumatic stress disorder. I asked him to stay away from me, and he softened again.¡± Li Jingtian chuckled. ¡°How can there be such a soft-hearted and easy-to-deceive person in this world?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a problem,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°What problem?¡±


    ¡°Since you completely controlled him, why did you frame him for raping Mu Zhuo and send him to jail later? Did you get tired of him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him looking for death by himself, okay? If he obediently listened to me, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. I still ¡®love¡¯ him well¡­¡±


    ¡°How was he looking for death?¡±


    ¡°He went to seduce others in front of me. He was lewd and went around making waves. At that time, he was on tour, and the news was all about him getting a room with someone else. He had the smell of another woman on him. He also provoked me and said that if I can¡¯t get him up, he¡¯s going to find another man.¡± Li Jingtian smiled cruelly. ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s courting death?¡±


    ¡°He noticed something was wrong, and he was testing you.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Song Shengsheng¡¯s IQ is that high? You can say whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he was testing you, and you did expose your crazy nature under his persecution at that time. He knew what kind of person you were, and he said he was going to the police, but you did it first.¡±


    Li Jingtian shrugged. ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t think much of it and took some videos and warned him that if he said anything, I would put them on the internet and let all his fans know what a slut he is. But then, suddenly one day, he had the guts to tell me I could make it public, and he didn¡¯t want to play with me anymore. He was really courting death~¡±


    ¡°So, you acted ahead of time, and together with Mu Zhuo, falsely accused him of rape?¡± Lin Chen spoke slowly, word by word. ¡°You used the same method to frame him twice.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I amazing?¡± Li Jingtian asked with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s still wrong.¡± Lin Chen looked up at Xing Conglian. ¡°If he already knew your true face at that time, he would have no reason not to tell the police what kind of person you are.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wanted to go to jail and get fucked by more men?¡± Li Jingtian said.


    Lin Chen ignored him and glanced at Xing Conglian, then continued, ¡°Li Jingtian, let¡¯s sort out the clues. First, Song Shengsheng mistakenly believed he hurt you and was controlled. Then, after a period of patience, he realized that you have a problem and noticed your true face by testing you. Then, you threatened him with a sex video and the like, forcing him to submit to you. Finally, he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and expressed his desire to go to the police, but before he could, you conspired with Mu Zhuo to get him ahead of time. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Basically.¡± Li Jingtian smiled again. ¡°I¡¯m taking the initiative to report the crime and have a good attitude. Can I ask for leniency?¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned and said, ¡°Two questions. First, why didn¡¯t he call the police immediately after he noticed your true face, and even gave you a second chance to coerce him. Second, when he finally couldn¡¯t stand you anymore, he still gave you the opportunity to turn yourself in, and even didn¡¯t tell the police what you did to him in the end.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very strange, which is why I said he loves me, but you don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xing Conglian asked Lin Chen. ¡°Why did Song Shengsheng do this?¡±


    Song Shengsheng tested Li Jingtian for the first time and discovered his true face, but in the end, he didn¡¯t go to the police. Something must have happened during this time that forced him to give up this idea.


    The only possibility was that Song Shengsheng¡¯s idea of calling the police was known to someone, and the other party used some method to stop him, and that person was most likely Xiang Ye, who brought him to his debut and whom he had always trusted deeply. Assuming Xiang Ye represented the will of CA Entertainment and forced Song Shengsheng to give up the idea of calling the police in order to protect Li Jingtian, who had a powerful family background, then Xiang Ye was truly terrifying.


    Lin Chen pondered for a moment and drove all emotional thoughts out of his mind. He asked Li Jingtian, ¡°In fact, there¡¯s another question. When such a big thing happened, CA Entertainment protected Mu Zhuo and gave up on Song Shengsheng. Was it your family that put pressure on CA?¡±


    Li Jingtian said, ¡°Consultant Lin, use your brain. Song Shengsheng raped Mu Zhuo. What does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°This is strange.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s mind turned. ¡°CA has no reason to give up a superstar to protect a pawn, unless¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Unless, Song Shengsheng¡¯s imprisonment is what CA Entertainment wanted to see, and they are the ones who silenced him.¡±


    ¡°But this still doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°The proportions of the two sides are too different. If I were a senior executive of the company, I would definitely put Mu Zhuo, who dared to make trouble, to death. Why would I abandon Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the power behind Mu Zhuo, there could be only one possibility.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Song Shengsheng was out of control,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Lin Chen suddenly woke up.


    That¡¯s right. They always regarded Song Shengsheng as being weak and easy to deceive. Since Song Shengsheng dared to test Li Jingtian, he wasn¡¯t a soft persimmon who could be squeezed by others. Indeed, Song Shengsheng was too kind, but that didn¡¯t mean he was really stupid. Smart and kind were not contradictory words.


    Looking back at all this, the motivation behind Song Shengsheng¡¯s deliberate provocation of Li Jingtian for the second time and causing him to go to jail was completely different.


    Lin Chen suddenly realized that if he were in Song Shengsheng¡¯s situation, he would have to face a perverted rapist and a company that firmly controlled him. If he wanted to get rid of this terrible darkness, he could only choose to die or hide in a place where their tentacles were difficult to reach, such as a prison.


    It was even very likely that he was provoking Li Jingtian and also his own company at the same time in order to force both parties to the extreme and see what they would do. If he still wanted to survive, then going to jail was his best choice at the time.


    Lin Chen thought that if he were Song Shengsheng and lived in such a hopeless and painful situation, he might have chosen to commit suicide much earlier, rather than insisting on looking for a ray of freedom in the darkness of despair. Lin Chen suddenly felt so uncomfortable that he couldn¡¯t help it. Song Shengsheng, I think I have started to respect you even more. I really want to talk to you.

 CH 160

    Some people could always talk non-stop, while others were unable to speak due to bad luck.


    Although Lin Chen didn¡¯t know exactly what means the other party used to prevent Song Shengsheng from going to the police, there were dark forces at play that had many ways to make them shut up obediently.


    Xing Conglian put his hand on Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder and gently pressed it. Then he asked Li Jingtian, ¡°Li Jingtian, was it really your idea to ask Liu Ying to trick Xu Ran into doing those things?¡±


    Li Jingtian raised his head suddenly, seemingly inexplicable, but the shock hidden in his eyes couldn¡¯t be concealed.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t grasp Xing Conglian¡¯s question, so he turned to look at him.


    ¡°Answer me.¡± Xing Conglian slammed his hands on the iron table, leaned forward, and stared at Li Jingtian.


    After a while, Li Jingtian pinched the cigarette butt tightly and casually said, ¡°It¡¯s really interesting for you to ask that.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, does his answer represent ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°No direct denial means acquiescence.¡± After Lin Chen finished speaking, he suddenly came to a realization and was frightened. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and spoke to Li Jingtian with a sneer. ¡°Nine years ago, your grandfather was the ambassador here. CA Entertainment might have shut Song Shengsheng up to protect you, but nine years have passed now. Your family is just at the end of its strength in Xinni. Have you ever thought that this time, the abandoned son has become you, and the person who is replacing your high position is Song Shengsheng?¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s face showed uncertainty.


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t plan to let him go. ¡°You know, Xiang Ye asked Song Shengsheng to work in a bakery near our place as early as three months ago. He did this just to let us relax our vigilance. He had been planning Song Shengsheng¡¯s comeback as early as three months ago. Looking back now, in those three months after you raped Xu Ran, all you needed to do was calm down and keep your mouth shut. You can still be a big star and enjoy the admiration of passersby and the screams of fans. But you planned that throat-slitting case at Hongjing Ansheng International Mall and bumped into Consultant Lin.¡±


    Li Jingtian suddenly pushed the table and chair away frantically and yelled at Xing Conglian. ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the person who could shut me up hasn¡¯t been born yet.¡± Xing Conglian smiled and took out a cigarette, lighting it. He took a puff and narrowed his eyes as he blew out the smoke. ¡°You have chosen a good meeting place and a good candidate. Where did you find that girl who was superb at acting and looked like Xu Ran? It also happened in Hongjing¡­ Tsk, it¡¯s a suicidal attack.¡±


    Li Jingtian¡¯s hideous face finally appeared to crumble.


    With a cigarette in his hand, Xing Conglian walked step by step toward Li Jingtian. ¡°No matter who the person behind you is, they just need to give you a little guidance that even you won¡¯t notice was guiding you into an abyss of self-inflicted crimes. Then, they just needed to gently push you. For example, they could just give us some tips in time, then it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for you to not die.¡± Xing Conglian paused, pinched the cigarette butt, and said to Li Jingtian, ¡°Of course, this is all my personal speculation. So, does this person really exist, Mr. Li Jingtian?¡±


    Li Jingtian raised his head violently. Aroused by fierceness, he actually reached out to grab Xing Conglian¡¯s neck but was easily kicked to the ground.


    Xing Conglian seemed to think he was too dirty to even touch, so he lightly kicked Li Jingtian¡¯s leg and feet. ¡°Someone has done a lot of harm to you. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t make that person feel better. So, tell me, who is that person, okay?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When they walked out of the airport interrogation room, the narrow room was filled with Li Jingtian¡¯s screams. The cry was like the wailing of a wild boar that had been grabbed by the neck at the last moment of its life. With a strong sense of unwillingness and resentment, the escorts wrestled with Li Jingtian in the room.


    Lin Chen walked out of the airport with Xing Conglian amidst the sounds of those screams and tables and chairs colliding.


    The sky was blue and still high, and the scorching sun made people unable to keep their eyes open.


    In fact, things were simpler than they thought. Although simple, they completely grasped Li Jingtian¡¯s true feelings.


    According to Li Jingtian, that person was one of his ardent fans. By chance, the other party added him on WeChat and sent him nasty and fanatical confessions every day, sometimes praising his songs and sometimes scolding the occasional attacks on him online. After Xu Ran¡¯s incident, the other party made it clear that no matter what he thought, she would do a great thing for him, so the bitch who dared wrong him would taste the feeling of being reviled to death, and she would use this method to help clear his grievances.


    A fanatical fan with unspeakable reverence. What Li Jingtian did was just simply push the boat along the water and let Liu Ying deceive Xu Ran to come to Hongjing.


    ¡°What the hell can I do? If I can¡¯t get Xu Ran here and she pretends to be her on stage, those stupid mad dogs online will say I made it all up!¡±


    Similarly, Li Jingtian wouldn¡¯t have anything to lose if the rabid fan hadn¡¯t come on stage and slit his throat. Besides, with a great opportunity to attract everyone¡¯s attention, Li Jingtian was obviously tempted.


    In the whole plan, the only thing Li Jingtian didn¡¯t expect was that the other party planted a nightingale in the bouquet of roses.


    Lin Chen stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the airport. The sunlight shining on him was hot, but he actually had a cold, biting feeling.


    The roses left at the scene of the crime were nothing more than clues created by those behind the scenes for him. One hinted at the wandering warbler, Xu Ran, and the other hinted at Li Jingtian¡¯s psychological condition. If he guessed correctly, the other party simply induced him to track down Li Jingtian¡¯s rape on Xu Ran, and they were sure if he had followed the trail, he would stumble upon Song Shengsheng¡¯s old case back then.


    If so, it was no accident that Xu Ran walked into that room; someone deliberately arranged it through the prostitution app.


    After that, with Li Jingtian¡¯s reputation in ruins, the effects of a short-term news outbreak would be terrifying, and Song Shengsheng could naturally recover his reputation quickly. Lin Chen remembered the public opinion data that Wang Chao had summarized. The second information outbreak was far more terrifying than the first.


    And the person behind the scenes wasn¡¯t afraid that he would find out someone was behind Li Jingtian¡¯s instigation, because if Song Shengsheng wasn¡¯t dead, Lin Chen would naturally suspect all this was planned by him for revenge.


    At that time, Song Shengsheng, under the control of others, could only remain silent again.


    Proficient in the media, hype the entertainment industry, and have a possible vested interest in this case; it seemed it could only be Xiang Ye and not CA Entertainment. CA was already exposed to being involved with Royal One in this case and compromised two of their big names, Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo. Song Shengsheng, who hadn¡¯t been in the news for ten years, wasn¡¯t worth this kind of loss at all.


    Lin Chen clenched his fists tightly. The question now was, how did Xiang Ye control Song Shengsheng. Who was he and why did he plan these series of events for Song Shengsheng¡¯s comeback?


    And the only way they could make things clear was to ask Xiang Ye himself.


    Xing Conglian bought two cans of iced coffee from the vending machine. He opened one and handed it to Lin Chen and asked, ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    Of course, this regret was referring to whether he regretted clearing Song Shengsheng¡¯s name and bringing Li Jingtian to justice, just as Xiang Ye had hoped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Lin Chen found that he didn¡¯t hesitate when he answered Xing Conglian¡¯s question. He would never regret this kind of thing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the end?¡±


    Xing Conglian pressed the iced coffee to his cheek, and the sudden cold and refreshing feeling made Lin Chen raise his head.


    ¡°It may be cruel to say these things to you now, but it¡¯s not over. Please keep your chin up, Consultant Lin.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s calm and resolute eyes and nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± He turned and leaned on the floor-to-ceiling window and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°This is almost an exhaustive plan, and even the retreat has been thoroughly thought out. If it weren¡¯t for Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide, Xiang Ye¡¯s plan might not have been exposed.¡±


    Lin Chen once again remembered the man who ended his life with a blade in the bathtub. Only then did he realize that the deeper he investigated the case, the more reluctant he was to let Song Shengsheng leave.


    But as Xing Conglian said, it wasn¡¯t over yet. Xiang Ye still hadn¡¯t faced the law, so now wasn¡¯t the time to reminisce.


    They quickly rushed back to the police station.


    While on the road, Xing Conglian called the Yongchuan police officers and told them that Xiang Ye was a suspect and they had to detain him, but when they arrived at the police station, Xiang Ye wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a frown.


    ¡°Our people are with Mr. Xiang and have detained him, but the entire line at the Ludi Lake Tunnel is blocked by traffic, and the road development in that zone isn¡¯t smooth, so they haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart was slightly relieved. At this moment, the police officer said, ¡°The autopsy of the deceased, Song Shengsheng, has been completed. Do you want to go and have a look?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen walked to the front of the autopsy room with Xing Conglian.


    He was about to push open the door, but Xing Conglian held his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve seen a corpse,¡± he said as he was about to enter.


    ¡°Lin Chen, this isn¡¯t the crime scene. You going in now will just be purely torturing yourself.¡±


    This was probably one of those rare moments when Xing Conglian called him by his name.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t think of any words to refute Xing Conglian. He quickly woke up, took a step back, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Then, let¡¯s ask Mr. Medical Examiner to come out and talk about it in detail.¡±


    He sat on the bench outside the autopsy room and watched Xing Conglian¡¯s figure enter the door. When the door panel closed, it made a soft squeak.


    Song Shengsheng¡¯s cause of death was obvious. At that time, the medical examiner had already stated it clearly. He slit his throat without hesitation with a blade.


    The reason he committed suicide was to let them find Li Jingtian and tear off Xiang Ye¡¯s mask, but deep down in Lin Chen¡¯s heart, he always felt that Song Shengsheng¡¯s death wasn¡¯t that simple.


    Song Shengsheng¡­ Song Shengsheng¡­


    You have persisted for so many years. None of them have been able to make you succumb. You have said so many things with your death. So, is there anything I haven¡¯t heard yet?


    After Xing Conglian entered the autopsy room, he walked out again shortly after. Lin Chen could smell the scent of formalin floating on him.


    Xing Conglian walked quickly towards him. Lin Chen stood up and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°There are not many suspicious things about the autopsy. It was suicide.¡±


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®Sure enough.¡¯ Before he had time to think of what to say, Xing Conglian said, ¡°But there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Song Shengsheng is missing a tooth.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly raised his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡®The second molar tooth of his lower jaw. According to the medical examiner, he could have lost it more than ten years ago. It was pulled out from the root. At the same time, there are obvious signs of dentures installed there.¡±


    Lin Chen still didn¡¯t know what Xing Conglian meant by this. Xing Conglian said, ¡°I know a little bit about this kind of device. If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is why Song Shengsheng couldn¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but grab the cuffs of Xing Conglian¡¯s uniform.


    ¡°This method is commonly used in espionage. Many things can be installed in a small denture, such as bugs, positioning devices, and the like. More than ten years ago, this technology had already matured.¡±


    Lin Chen felt as if lightning had struck him. ¡°You mean, Xiang Ye pulled out Song Shengsheng¡¯s tooth and installed an eavesdropping device on him, so no matter what he said, he would be monitored, and he couldn¡¯t take off this tooth because Xiang Ye would find out? So, are you telling me that Song Shengsheng has lived under 24-hour, non-stop surveillance for nearly ten years?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s more than that. Because even so, there¡¯s still no way to avoid other forms of communication.¡±


    ¡°You mean writing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Song Shengsheng has a lot of time to be interrogated separately at the police station. He could write on paper and tell the police what happened. So, how on earth could Xiang Ye make him obedient when he¡¯s unable to write?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of it. Please tell me.¡±


    Every word that Xing Conglian was saying was so cruel that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t imagine the experience behind this cruelty.


    ¡°In fact, the tooth itself is meaningless, but it¡¯s like a sword of Damocles* hanging high on top. It¡¯s telling Song Shengsheng, don¡¯t step out of line. This is all I know. To find out how he could control a person to the point of no resistance, you still need to go from here.¡± Xing Conglian raised his finger and poked his heart.


    *Commonly used as an allusion to imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power.


    ¡°So, Xiang Ye was threatening Song Shengsheng with someone.¡±


    Lin Chen thought about this issue, but he thought about it for a long time and couldn¡¯t come up with a correct conclusion. How could Song Shengsheng have so many important people worth caring about? At that time, he couldn¡¯t figure out this question. It was simply too evil to think about.


    Besides his fans, who else did Song Shengsheng care about?


    Lin Chen raised his head, and Xing Conglian was staring at him with clear eyes.


    Xing Conglian was one step ahead and said the most difficult thing on their minds. ¡°If I were Xiang Ye and wanted to control Song Shengsheng, I just need to install a bug on him and tell him as long as he dares take it out or disclose any information to the police, I¡¯ll kill one of his fans. There are thousands of fans out there. Please believe me and the forces behind me that we have ways to kill many fans before the police can act.¡±


    Lin Chen really wanted to deny Xing Conglian¡¯s guess, but he searched his guts and found that it was the most suitable shackle for Song Shengsheng. The other party could even tell him that as long as he dared to die, he would kill his fans as well, so he could certainly try it.


    Anyone under such torture either would become a lunatic or would choose to die, but Song Shengsheng even lost the right to die freely. He had an arduous psychological struggle and may have been on the verge of collapse, but he was still sober and alive until he died.


    Song Shengsheng remained silent. He walked into prison and gave up any chance that anyone would like him again, and Lin Chen finally knew what kind of belief was behind the symbol Song Shengsheng drew.


    He looked at Xing Conglian and asked solemnly, ¡°If you guess right, why did he choose to commit suicide today?¡±

 CH 161

    What he asked was, if their hypothesis was true, what was the real reason Song Shengsheng chose to commit suicide a few hours before the fan meeting started?


    He couldn¡¯t continue to bear it and wanted to get rid of Xiang Ye¡¯s control and use his death to expose these shady things?


    The more he learned about Song Shengsheng¡¯s experience, the more Lin Chen believed that he would not easily choose to die.


    Although he and Xing Conglian had no evidence in their speculation on many past details of the case, such as the tooth or the reason why Song Shengsheng was unable to speak, it was even more likely that their reasoning was fundamentally untenable. There was no bug in that tooth, and no one threatened the lives of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans. Song Shengsheng just didn¡¯t want to live anymore, and he died of world weariness.


    But what if they were lucky enough to guess it correctly?


    Song Shengsheng, who lived under the shadow of Li Jingtian, didn¡¯t commit suicide, nor did he do it despite all the grievances he suffered and went to prison. He was monitored every day and didn¡¯t choose to commit suicide on any of the days he was being monitored. Then why did he commit suicide nine years later?


    Why was it on the early morning of June 1st?


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Apart from Xiang Ye threatening Song Shengsheng with the lives of fans or some other person so he couldn¡¯t seek help from the police, is there any other reason he couldn¡¯t go to the police?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other reason,¡± Xing Conglian said bluntly.


    Lin Chen thought that if even Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t figure it out, then the people behind the scenes most likely couldn¡¯t either.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°According to what you said, he lived to protect those whose lives might be threatened. Then he chose to commit suicide. Did he give up protecting those people? Are we ignoring the most fundamental problem?¡± There was a very terrifying speculation in his heart. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and continued to ask, ¡°If he¡¯s not dead, what will happen next?¡±


    ¡°What will happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Everything is the same as arranged before. Later, his fan meeting will be held, and he will return to the stage to meet with people who have insisted on loving him for many years¡­¡± Xing Conglian suddenly paused as if he thought of something.


    Lin Chen nodded and continued, ¡°Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t hesitate to cut his throat. It happened to be in the early morning hours before the fan meeting. It was neither too early nor too late, so Xiang Ye had to cancel the meeting at the last minute. Song Shengsheng is strong. He survived to protect certain people. Then, I think he chose death to protect those people. If my analysis is correct, his death is most likely to prevent something terrible. The fan meeting was to be held on June 1st. That¡¯s to say, a terrible thing will happen at the fan meeting, and he could only use his death to stop it.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly had a realization. ¡°Song Shengsheng won¡¯t suddenly give up on his beliefs. He chose to commit suicide, which meant that the chips that were threatening him with had been upgraded. Please tell me, what does this mean?¡±


    Xing Conglian replied, ¡°People will die at Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting. Therefore, after he knew this, he could only prevent the worst from happening by committing suicide.¡±


    This was simply a fantasy hypothesis. However, the analysis that was often regarded as fantasy was truth. Even if Lin Chen didn¡¯t want to think about it, he still quickly captured another possibility¡ªXiang Ye didn¡¯t want to make Song Shengsheng popular again because he wanted to use Song Shengsheng to make money.


    Lin Chen turned around, pushed open the door of the autopsy room, and rushed in.


    Just as Song Shengsheng¡¯s body was about to be put in the freezer, he grabbed the medical examiner and shouted, ¡°Wait!¡±


    The oncoming cold air chilled him. Song Shengsheng¡¯s eyelashes drooped, and his face was serene. There was no trace of despair, grief, or unwillingness in his death. He sat in the bathtub, looked up at the vast starry sky outside the window, and didn¡¯t hesitate to slit his throat.


    It happened in the early morning hours before the fan meeting. It was neither too early nor too late, so Xiang Ye had to cancel the fan meeting at the last minute.


    This wasn¡¯t due to depression, world-weariness, or a last-resort resistance. This was the most sober choice, the most precise calculation, and the most magnanimous death.


    Because he only had this path and no other options.


    Lin Chen wanted to touch the terrible wound on Song Shengsheng¡¯s neck but was stopped by the medical examiner. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Song Shengsheng had done so many things with his death that he must have also used it to point out the real culprit.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and asked in an extremely calm tone, ¡°Suicide, mass murder. What does that remind you of?¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned and pondered, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at him. ¡°The dark web live broadcast?¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, they both rushed out the door at the same time.


    Xing Conglian ran down to the first floor and shouted in the hall of the police station. ¡°Wang Chao! Wang Chao!¡±


    He shouted so loudly that everyone around him turned their heads and looked at him. Finally, the teenager¡¯s depressed voice came, ¡°Here, Captain.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice floated out from some random office.


    ¡°Get out and go to the parking lot, now!¡±


    Xing Conglian was running towards the parking lot outside while he was speaking. Lin Chen could understand his anxiety, but he couldn¡¯t understand why his first reaction was to go to the car under such circumstances. But he still trusted Xing Conglian¡¯s determination and followed him out.


    12:30.


    Under the scorching sun, the interior of the Jeep was so hot it was difficult to breathe. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even hesitate to start the engine. When he turned the car around and returned to the entrance of the police station, he happened to catch Wang Chao, who was rushing out.


    Wang Chao climbed into the car panting, and before he could close the door, Xing Conglian had already stepped on the gas and driven out.


    ¡°What the hell, Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and listen to me,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted. ¡°We now suspect that the reason Xiang Ye planned Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting is to carry out a new round of live death broadcasts. First, tell me the latest news of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting progress.¡±


    Wang Chao was so shocked that it looked like his body would explode. He grabbed the back of his seat and asked, ¡°Captain, this is a motherfucking god unfolding*. Why is Xiang Ye planning a live death broadcast? This is impossible. He took the initiative to cancel the fan meeting!¡±


    *Term used to describe when there¡¯s a huge leap in the plot that develops in an extremely fast direction.


    ¡°He wants to cover it up,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly. ¡°Just check on whatever I ask you to check, and cut the crap.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly came to his senses. He thought of Mr. Meijing, who had disappeared without a trace. From the beginning, Xiang Ye was just an illusion to attract their attention. Because he canceled the fan meeting on his own initiative, it was difficult for them to realize the problems behind it. Xiang Ye also actively cooperated with the police investigation, and he was already detained. It was easy for them to relax their vigilance due to being tired of investigating the case.


    But, fundamentally speaking, if this was a live death broadcast, then Xiang Ye couldn¡¯t do it alone. Including Mr. Meijing, who was still at large, anyone else could appear at any time.


    But this time, where did Xiang Ye find so many brainwashed students?


    Wang Chao quickly began tapping the keyboard, and after a while, his hands suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Captain, it seems that Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan meeting was never canceled.¡±


    ¡°Finish speaking in one breath,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°Song Shengsheng¡¯s website, Baidu forums, and individual websites have all collectively issued a new announcement.¡±


    Wang Chao quickly dragged the mouse and handed the laptop over. ¡°This is a joint statement issued by 7 major fan websites.¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and quickly glanced at the content of the statement.


    The joint statement of the 7 major fan websites stated that even though Xiang Ye and the Yansheng Performing Arts Group had canceled the meeting, the 7 fan websites had discussed with Yansheng Performing Arts after collecting fans¡¯ opinions and decided to temporarily change the fan meeting into a memorial service and would hold it as usual.


    The statement also said that although Shengsheng committed suicide due to depression, it was his wish to return to the stage. Even when he was suffering from depression, he wanted to come back and see them again. So, although Shengsheng had fallen before the concert, the fans couldn¡¯t. Besides, many girls flew from other provinces and even abroad, and there were even more fans who didn¡¯t manage to get a ticket, camping outside the performing arts center early. Whether it was for Shengsheng or these girls, the meeting had to continue. This was for Shengsheng and the wish of everyone who loved him.


    In order to realize everyone¡¯s wishes, the 7 major fan websites discussed it with the person in charge of the Cultural Center and the Yansheng Performing Arts Group and made a new decision. As long as all fans abided by the order, they would arrange for as many people as possible to enter the venue.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but sneer. This seemed to be the result of a joint discussion between fans, but it was most likely Xiang Ye¡¯s will. Xiang Ye was Song Shengsheng¡¯s first agent, so naturally he had all the publicity resources related to Song Shengsheng, which of course included the relevant account numbers of the initial high-level managers of all of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan sites.


    He didn¡¯t need to call on Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans through mass media platforms. As long as he controlled the high-level accounts of influential fans, he could, of course, control most of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans.


    Xiang Ye had no intention of giving up the plan from the start.


    Just as Lin Chen was thinking, Xing Conglian had already driven them to the subway station.


    He quickly stopped the car and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Take all your things and get three sets of wireless headsets out.¡±


    Wang Chao hurriedly opened his backpack. ¡°Captain, where are we going now?¡¯


    ¡°The subway.¡±


    Wang Chao shook out three miniature headsets from the pile of scraps in his backpack, spread out his palm, and handed it to them. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a traffic jam in the Lake Ludi Tunnel.¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and connected all the details again.


    The Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center was located in the Xining Development Zone, surrounded by water on all sides. It was a huge island in the inner lake. Except for the tunnel at the bottom of Lake Ludi, there was only one access channel to Yongchuan Ave, and Yongchuan Ave was the main road of Yongchuan that was always jammed day and night.


    Xiang Ye¡¯s choice of the Christine Cultural Center was premeditated. Even the current traffic jam in the Lake Ludi Tunnel was probably Xiang Ye¡¯s handiwork. Song Shengsheng used his own death to make things clear, but they didn¡¯t think about it earlier.


    Xing Conglian sensed his anxiety. He stretched out his hand and pressed his neck, then leaned in front of him and said slowly, ¡°We¡¯ll take care of this matter together. Trust me. Believe in yourself and also believe in Song Shengsheng.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly came back to his senses. ¡°Okay,¡± he said.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t know where Xing Conglian¡¯s transcendent confidence came from when he told him this. On a normal day, Xing Conglian would walk and gossip with him with squinted eyes, but deep down in his heart, he knew very well that Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t an ordinary police officer who liked to drink beer and eat peanuts.


    After learning that Xiang Ye might attack the cultural center, Xing Conglian¡¯s first reaction wasn¡¯t to stop and investigate the problem first, but to go there; after learning that the fan meeting would continue on a larger scale, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t waste time investigating Xiang Ye¡¯s motives, gathering related evidence, or calling his superiors to report the situation, and instead called Jiang Chao first.


    As Xing Conglian was running, Lin Chen could hear his breath through the headset, which wasn¡¯t disturbed at all.


    They descended into the subway station through the turnstiles, and the long wind howled from the far end of the tunnel.


    After giving a brief overview of the situation, bright train lights soon appeared from the distance of the tunnel.


    ¡°Yes, mobilize the police and rush to the Christine Cultural Center. Abandon the use of police cars and take the subway. At the same time, notify fire and medical staff that there¡¯s a traffic jam in the Lake Lidu Tunnel and be sure to take Yongchuan Ave. Please cooperate with the traffic police department to divert traffic and set out as soon as possible. The sooner, the better.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what Jiang Chao said on the other end, but it was probably along the lines of ¡°Lao Xing, won¡¯t this create a big fuss without clearly investigating?¡± or ¡°If nothing happens, we have to take responsibility.¡± These words would be what anyone would say in front of a conspiracy theorist who lacked evidence. Xing Conglian aggravated his tone and said mercilessly, ¡°Shut your mouth. Now, we are worried about the lives of thousands of people at the cultural center. This is a great responsibility that we can¡¯t afford, so tell your boss and your boss¡¯ boss exactly this.¡±


    The subway train door opened, and they stepped into the carriage and sat down side by side.


    Lin Chen glanced at the road map. Their location was 6 stops away from the Christine Cultural Center, which would take them about 15-20 minutes.


    ¡°Wang Chao,¡± Xing Conglian shouted.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Give me the floor plan of the Christine Cultural Center.¡± At this moment, even the 18-year-old Wang Chao showed extraordinary calmness. He took out his spare tablet and handed it to Xing Conglian and added, ¡°The internet speed on the subway is too poor, so it will take a while.¡±


    Soon, a floor plan of the original construction of the Christine Cultural Center slowly unfolded. The picture was slightly stuck when it was rolling out. Taking this opportunity, Xing Conglian took the tablet and said, ¡°Before calling the cultural center to evacuate the crowd, we must first come up with a plan. Otherwise, the crowd will panic, and a stampede could easily occur.¡±


    Lin Chen realized again that a similar situation had happened before.


    Perhaps the Ansheng International Shopping Mall incident itself was a rehearsal at that time. Xiang Ye planned the accident to calculate the reaction time of the relevant police forces. If this speculation was true, then he was afraid they would encounter a more detailed plan this time.


    And when they began to evacuate the masses, it would alert Xiang Ye. This was why Xing Conglian didn¡¯t call the cultural center first, but it was simply impossible to evacuate everyone quietly.


    ¡°Wang Chao.¡± Lin Chen said to the teenager, ¡°First, adjust the surveillance cameras so we can grasp the flow of people inside and outside the cultural center.¡±


    The teenager said with pain, ¡°I tried just now, but the internet on the subway is really bad, so I can¡¯t tap into the surveillance.¡±

 CH 162

    Yongchuan, Xining Development Zone, Christine Cultural Center.


    Just when Wang Chao was frustrated trying to connect to the wireless network, a middle-aged man with a gentle temperament had just pressed the elevator of the cultural center. The basement was filled with a gloomy coolness that was completely different from above ground. The middle-aged man smiled slightly at the surveillance camera, as if he were greeting the people in the surveillance room.


    The elevator went straight to the negative second floor and stopped.


    Carrying a backpack, the middle-aged man walked out of the elevator entrance and walked towards the entrance of the central auditorium.


    The flow of people attending the fan meeting¡ªah, no¡ªthe memorial service was constantly crowding towards the cultural center¡¯s central auditorium.


    The central auditorium could accommodate nearly 5,000 people. In the public area at the entrance of the hall, there were many girls who hadn¡¯t entered yet with particularly sad expressions. Some of them were squatting on the wall and crying, and some were gathered in small groups to comfort each other.


    The middle-aged man passed between them. His backpack happened to scratch a pendant on one of the girl¡¯s backpacks. The two became entangled, and the middle-aged man was forced to stop.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He apologized to the girl first.


    The girl wanted to take off her backpack but was stopped.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just do it myself.¡±


    He asked the girl to turn her back, and he slightly unzipped the girl¡¯s backpack, then undid the tangle and gently restored it to its original form.


    Perhaps it was because the voice of the middle-aged man was clearer and more melodious than the violin music playing on the speakers, or perhaps it was his casual outfit that gave off a strong artistic temperament, but the girl suddenly really wanted to talk to the man in front of her, who looked like he could be her father¡¯s age. But before she could speak, the middle-aged man bowed to her in advance, showed a modest and polite smile, then turned and left.


    The girl reluctantly turned her head and thought, with some regret, that it was probably someone from the orchestra who was about to perform in the center.


    ¡­¡­


    At the entrance of the Christine Cultural Center.


    Mu Wenhua hurriedly ran up the stairs. Her hair was a mess, but she didn¡¯t have time to comb it. When she went to bed last night, her daughter gave her a sweet good night kiss. She fell into a deep sleep with a beautiful vision, but when she got up in the morning to make breakfast, it was as if lightning had struck her.


    After broadcasting today¡¯s weather, there was breaking news that was said in a serious and sad tone by the anchor.


    When Mu Wenhua heard the news, she almost knocked over the pan on the gas. He committed suicide because of depression? How is this possible?


    In the living room, her husband and her daughter were laughing at the dining table, but the laughter stopped quickly because of the news. She was incredibly happy that she managed to get tickets for that day. Her husband was also considerate and said he would take care of their daughter so she could rest assured and go to the fan meeting, but now, Shengsheng was dead. What was she going to see?


    Mu Wenhua squatted on the kitchen floor in a daze. She didn¡¯t cry at first, until the sound of footsteps and the gas being turned off came. Then she broke down.


    A pair of wide palms touched her back. She was tightly hugged by her lover as she let her tears fall. She sobbed loudly.


    She remembered that she cried for a long time. She had experienced the pain of being awakened just as her dreams were about to come true. She had experienced it many years ago. Now it seemed like she was back to that summer when she was 18 years old. The same cicadas and the same hot summer, but this time, the people who once scolded her changed and instead was now her lover.


    Her husband said to her, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll accompany you. No matter what, you still want to go, right?¡±


    Mu Wenhua wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.


    They drove from Yongchuan Ave to the Xining Development Zone. The traffic was heavy along the way. The car radio announced the cancellation of the meeting and talked about depression for a while. Feeling uneasy, Mu Wenhua used her phone to log in to Be With You. She saw the discussion post at the top and replied resolutely: [Even if the meeting is canceled, I want to go.]


    Later, she received a text message from the fan club confirming that the meeting would still be held as scheduled. There was a bitter sense of satisfaction in her heart. In any case, the wish she had failed to achieve during her summer vacation when she was 18 could only be fulfilled today.


    Her husband sent her to the entrance of the cultural center and told her he would take their daughter to the bookstore nearby to play for a while. He asked her to rest assured and finally gave her a soothing kiss.


    She quickly ran up the steps. Because she was too eager, she didn¡¯t notice  a person passing in front of her and found it too late to stop, so she slammed into him.


    The other party took two steps back, supported her, and said softly, ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Only then did she realize that she had just bumped into a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The middle-aged man was carrying a black backpack and had gentle eyes. Sad violin music was playing in the hall. She stood up straight and watched the middle-aged man walk away into the darkness in the distance, amidst the sounds of strings.


    ¡­¡­


    Heng Xiao was an ordinary secretary who worked for the general manager of the Christine Cultural Center. When he received a call from the police, he was still secretly chatting with his girlfriend on WeChat.


    Before putting down the phone, his last reply was: [Don¡¯t join the fun. The main hall can¡¯t fit anyone else.]


    He picked up the phone as the sound of the violin suddenly became passionate.


    The person on the other end of the phone claimed to be a criminal police officer and had received a report that someone had installed a bomb at the cultural center. Although it may be a false alarm, for safety concerns, he still needed to understand the relevant situation at the center and required that the cultural center immediately start their emergency protocol. The plan was to start evacuating the crowd in an orderly manner.


    When he first heard the news, Heng Xiao panicked, but he still couldn¡¯t help but think this might be some kind of prank. There were lots of news stories about bomb claims that turned out to be false alarms. Perhaps this was one as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call our general manager¡¯s office.¡± He stood up and looked at the densely packed flow of people downstairs as he said this.


    ¡­¡­


    The middle-aged man carrying a backpack walked for a long time until he finally sat down slowly in the rest area at the end of the corridor. To his left was the last emergency exit on the entire floor. Compared to the scene in front of the hall, there wasn¡¯t a person here.


    He put down his backpack, took out a sandwich, and patiently ate it.


    The auntie in charge of cleaning looked at the man eating his sandwich inexplicably as she dragged a mop towards his feet.


    The middle-aged man moved his feet good-naturedly and took another bite of his sandwich, revealing the bright red ham inside.


    The cleaning auntie asked, ¡°Did you send your daughter to the concert?¡±


    The middle-aged man laughed and showed a warm smile. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t the singer dead?¡±


    ¡°My daughter likes him, so I can¡¯t help it.¡± He stood up helplessly, took a last bite, and threw the sandwich wrapper into the trash can. Then he walked down the emergency exit passage.


    ¡­¡­


    A reminder that the train was about to arrive at Xining Square Station was broadcast in the subway train.


    Lin Chen raised his head and glanced at the indicator light. They were two stops away from the Christine Cultural Center.


    Just now, news came from Jiang Chao that most of the police force at Lake Ludi had been mobilized to deal with a series of accidents caused by spontaneously combusting vehicles in the tunnel under the lake. The leader of the squadron said that to transfer another squadron, there must be sufficient evidence to prove that there may be an attack. Otherwise, the random deployment of firefighting forces was detrimental to fire safety in other areas of the city. What if this was to lure the tiger out of the mountains*?


    *(µ÷»¢Àëɽ) Idiom referring to tricks used to make the other party leave the original place in order for them to take advantage of the opportunity (AKA a diversion).


    This was what the other party said.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian had just finished his phone call with the general manager of the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center. The general manager on the other line had similar sentiments. Of course, the bomb attack was just something he made up, but he couldn¡¯t think of another reason that would make the other party relatively nervous without causing them to panic too much.


    The manager had a relatively good attitude. He said in a cooperative tone, ¡°Yes, I understand. I will report the traffic data you want immediately, but I really don¡¯t know you. Do you have any way to prove your identity? Or can you ask any superiors in the development area to give me a call? I will quickly act if I receive a call from a superior.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he hung up.


    While looking at the floor plan of the cultural center, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but dial Jiang Chao¡¯s number again.


    ¡°Can you contact the leaders of the Xining Development Zone? Ask them to call the manager of the cultural center and help me confirm my identity.¡±


    ¡°Lao Xing, Lao Xing, are you seriously using me as a secretary? I¡¯m currently divided in 18 pieces right now. Do you know how many superiors have called me to ask if my brain is broken? If nothing happens in the end, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re not escaping this with just a warning. They might even force us to resign.¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Laozi just got on the subway, and I just notified all levels of the city, but the opinions of the superiors are unified. You have to have evidence. It¡¯s not sufficient to speculate that the dark web will do a live death broadcast twice based on Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide. As long as you have sufficient evidence, the power of the city will be deployed by you!¡±


    Lin Chen heard these words in his mind. Wang Chao had been searching for live content on the dark web non-stop since they stepped on the Jeep. Lin Chen glanced at the time. It was 15 minutes before the meeting started, which made it impossible to confirm and collect evidence within this short time.


    ¡°You once said that you¡¯re very familiar with the source code of the app that Royal One uses. Have you compared that code to the live broadcast website?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help asking Wang Chao. Although he also knew well that it was most likely impossible for Wang Chao not to have done so, at this critical moment, he could only ask this.


    ¡°Of course I have compared A¡¯Chen, and I even compared it with Yang Dianfeng¡¯s foot-binding system. It shouldn¡¯t be written by the same person.¡±


    Xing Conglian hung up the phone and continued to look through the drawings before asking, ¡°Consultant Lin, with your understanding of these people, how will they act this time?¡±


    ¡°Our last operation destroyed their stronghold, so it¡¯s impossible for them to organize enough manpower in a short period of time, so this operation is more like revenge. If you¡¯re not wrong in your judgment of that bug, then the power they possess can¡¯t be underestimated. What we¡¯re facing isn¡¯t a small criminal organization, but more like a medium- or large-sized crime syndicate.¡±


    ¡°In other words, our opponent¡¯s technological power may be above us, such as the ability to control cyber networks?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Captain, although it¡¯s urgent now, I¡¯m still very upset when you say that!¡±


    Xing Conglian held down the tablet with two fingers and zoomed in on the drawing of the culture center. ¡°When you were looking for evidence in the Li Jingtian case, did you look at the management system of the Christine Cultural Center?¡±


    Wang Chao took a sharp inhale. ¡°I seem to have seen it once or twice!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, Captain!¡± The teenager wanted to hack into the network system of the cultural center while talking, but for some unknown reason, he couldn¡¯t open the homepage of the cultural center¡¯s website.


    ¡°I want to get off this train. I want to get off!¡± Wang Chao smacked his laptop out of irritability and almost dropped it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t connect to the cultural center¡¯s intranet anymore.¡±


    ¡°The firewall is too great?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­¡± Wang Chao said in extreme panic, ¡°There¡¯s only one possibility for this situation¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Someone manually disconnected the network, either by cutting the optical cable or destroying the telecommunication distribution box.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t Wang Chao who first discovered there was a problem with the cultural center¡¯s network, but Heng Xiao, the secretary of the general manager¡¯s office. He found that the last message on WeChat he wanted to send to his girlfriend failed to deliver.


    The sound of many employees desperately clicking the mouse immediately sounded in the office and whispering gradually followed.


    Mr. General Manager rushed out of the office and said to him, ¡°Notify all the staff to take up their posts at once and prepare for emergency protocol. We need to start evacuating the audience.¡±


    Heng Xiao looked at his boss and was stunned. ¡°Did you say, evacuate?¡±


    Mr. General Manager glanced around the office and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you just standing there blankly? Do you not have ears?¡±


    ¡°Manager, our network is disconnected¡­¡± Heng Xiao said timidly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of telling me our network is down?¡± After the manager finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something, and his face turned pale. He quickly took out his phone and called the police officer back just now.


    ¡°Mr. Police Officer, our network is down, and we can¡¯t get traffic data for the time being. I¡¯m going to the surveillance room now.¡± The manager rushed out of the office while speaking. The moment he ran out the door, he didn¡¯t forget to yell at his subordinates. ¡°Get to work! We have people to save!¡±


    The violin music in the hall was about to reach its climax, giving an ominous feeling of a turbulent sea rolling in.


    ¡­¡­


    Mu Wenhua finally squeezed into the main auditorium and found her seat.


    There were three floors in the performance hall. It was said that only half the floor was open to the fan meeting, but now, Mu Wenhua saw that even the corner of the third floor was filled.


    She put down her bag and sent her husband a text that she had arrived safely, then she opened her bag where she kept an old CD that she planned to get Song Shengsheng¡¯s autograph.


    At this moment, a broadcast sounded. ¡°Due to circuit failure and other reasons, the Christine Cultural Center is about to close. Please find the nearest emergency exit and leave the venue in an orderly manner.¡±


    Mu Wenhua couldn¡¯t help clenching her purse strap tightly. She suddenly thought of her daughter.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian and Wang Chao and rushed out of the subway entrance. The towering Christine Cultural Center appeared in view.


    The people from the Xining Development Zone police station had arrived. The captain was giving orders to his team. When he saw Xing Conglian, the sweaty police captain hurriedly said, ¡°Lao Jiang has already told us the situation. We came as soon as we received the news. Now the first step is to evacuate the crowd, right?¡±


    Before his voice fell, there seemed to be a muffled sound from inside the cultural center not far away.


    People in the venue had already followed the instructions of the staff and started to evacuate one after another, with a steady flow of people rushing out. However, the sudden noise caused them to settle on the spot and look back.


    Following the sight of those people, facing the dazzling sun, Lin Chen looked in the direction of the cultural center. If he heard right, it was a dull sound just now, which sounded like a small explosive device.


    They didn¡¯t have time to breathe and ran against the flow of people to the top of the steps.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang again, as if with some kind of reminder. Lin Chen had never felt that running nonstop could be so exhausting.


    As soon as they rushed into the hall, the deafening sound of the alarm bells ringing echoed. He couldn¡¯t see any fire, but the bell slamming into the eardrums was enough to make their vision dazed. There were terrified faces and crazy screams. A girl with long hair was throwing up while a boy¡¯s gray sneaker lay on the floor. Everything was like a palette that kept stirring, making Lin Chen so dizzy that he had to stop and gasp for breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation inside?¡± Xing Conglian grabbed a boy who didn¡¯t look too flustered and asked.


    Perhaps it was because his extraordinary calmness was contagious that the boy followed his instructions and replied clearly, ¡°As soon as the staff started to evacuate us, a trash can exploded on the second floor. I heard people say that there¡¯s a fire somewhere inside!¡±


    The slight sound of the violin came from the building. The strings trembled and the music was high, as if flames were spewing out.


    The police officers of Xining police station rushed into the hall against the flow of people. Lin Chen was about to follow but was pulled by Xing Conglian. ¡°Where do you think that Mr. Meijing will be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not in this cultural center.¡± Lin Chen stood up straight and quickly understood the meaning of Xing Conglian¡¯s words. His heart suddenly became clear. ¡°If I was deliberately trying to create a tragedy, I would definitely not be far from it. I would watch the turmoil happen with my own eyes.¡± He looked around. The Christine Cultural Center was surrounded by construction sites, and there were only three completed buildings nearby. Then, from the building with the best view, someone might be looking at the chaos with a gratified smile.


    ¡°Wang Chao, do me a favor and calculate which of the three buildings has the best view here.¡±


    The teenager¡¯s gifted space imagination was once again exerted to the extreme. He looked at the three high-rise buildings around him, then pointed to one of them and said, ¡°That one.¡±


    While they were talking, water suddenly poured down from the ceiling. Many people screamed again when they were sprayed by the cold water. Lin Chen looked up and found that the automatic sprinkler at the cultural center was still working, but there was no fire in the lobby of the first floor. The firefighting system in place at the Christine Cultural Center was top-notch. However, he suddenly remembered that the network had just been disconnected, and he could only become more worried.


    Whether it was the fire-fighting system or a building intelligence control system, these weren¡¯t his areas of expertise.


    ¡°I¡¯m going there.¡± He pointed to the high-rise building outside and said to Xing Conglian decisively.


    ¡°Lin Chen!¡± Just as he turned around, Xing Conglian called out to him.


    Lin Chen turned around suddenly, and an explosion sounded. The violin abruptly stopped as the water splashing from the ceiling reached its end. Lin Chen was shocked to find the fire-proof rolling gate that was originally used to separate the large space beginning to lower slowly.


    The crowd started screaming again.


    Everyone frantically wanted to run out before the rolling gate descended, but at that moment, Lin Chen found that the faces of everyone around him had disappeared, and he could only see Xing Conglian.


    Even though the crowd was pushing like waves hitting the shore, Xing Conglian still stood firm, like an unwavering rock.


    Lin Chen watched him take something from his waist and throw it hard. He stretched out his hand to catch it. When he touched it, it felt cold. He lowered his head only to find that Xing Conglian had thrown him a gun.


    When he looked up again, the rolling gate fell. The cold and ruthless silver-gray separated them.


    The screams around him were still the same, but he could no longer see Xing Conglian.

 CH 163

    ¡°The sudden fire at the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center affected the hearts of all citizens. It¡¯s reported that more than 3,000 infatuated fans who were originally going to attend Mr. Song Shengsheng¡¯s memorial service are trapped in the fire, including the staff of the cultural center, who didn¡¯t evacuate in time, and dozens of police officers who rushed to the fire to participate in the rescue.¡±


    ¡°According to the trapped personnel who fled the scene, they revealed to reporters that there were many fire points in the center, most of which were located around trash cans, and the fire protection system in the art center was damaged due to unknown reasons.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, relevant news said that the Lake Ludi Tunnel and Yongchuan Avenue were severely blocked, causing delays for rescuers to enter the Xining Development Zone.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Countless messages spread through countless phones and calls. Many people were crying and asking for help, and some were hugging each other.


    Lin Chen looked around from a distance. His phone hadn¡¯t rung since the rolling gate fell. Many people around him were making calls, but it seemed no one could successfully connect them.


    If it weren¡¯t for the sound of him running while communicating with someone, getting into a car, then panting violently through the headset, he would¡¯ve felt as if he were on an isolated desert island. All the surrounding scenes would be the same as those filmed in any disaster movie.


    After the initial panic, the desperate cries for help came next.


    Some people slammed on the door repeatedly, while others tried smashing windows. In the same way, some people continued to rush down from the second floor. Obviously, even though the windows were smashed, the escape speed couldn¡¯t keep up with the flow of people.


    What was more, the floor plan for the Christine Cultural Center once again appeared in Xing Conglian¡¯s mind. Although they were now on the first floor, they were equivalent to the fifth floor of an ordinary residential building, so it was extremely dangerous to escape from the window.


    Small explosions, fires, network disconnections, blocked communication, difficulties in escaping, and failures in the firefighting system were all the dilemmas they were facing¡­


    Moreover, he looked at the performance information board that originally stood upright. The screen was completely black, and the scrolling subtitles disappeared, so now there was another problem¡­ Power failure¡­


    He quickly analyzed the situation. There were indeed many problems, but that didn¡¯t mean that they were really in a desperate situation. There was always a source of all problems, and they could always be solved. He looked to his side and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the communication?¡±


    Wang Chao was drenched all over. Water was dripping from his hair, but there was no despair in his eyes. He took his laptop out of his backpack energetically. The first thing he said was, ¡°Fortunately, I bought a waterproof backpack. Comrade Xiao Wang is so smart.¡±


    Although this was out of place, it was rare that Xing Conglian felt relieved.


    The current situation was indeed more difficult to deal with than that of the Ansheng International Mall that day. The power failure and loss of wireless connectivity meant that they couldn¡¯t use the broadcasting system to appease the masses. Looking at the phone screens that were lit up in the darkened space, Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Can I send a group text?¡±


    ¡°Mass distribution is no problem. The key is who to send it to?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked out the window and said decisively, ¡°Use the base station to send text messages to all phone users in the signal coverage area.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same as a spam text?!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Alright, easy-peasy.¡±


    There were only sporadic, light drips of water coming from the ceiling. White smoke was faintly wafting out the window. The fire on the second floor was getting bigger. The captain of the Xining police station wanted to take people to rush upstairs against the flow of people.


    Xing Conglian pulled him back and said calmly, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°We have to go up and investigate the situation!¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the anxious faces of the captain of the Xinni police station and several police officers and nodded. He took out Wang Chao¡¯s tablet, adjusted the floor plan, and said to them, ¡°This is our current situation. This is the second floor. For convenience of description, the locations of the fire rolling gates and emergency fire hydrants are divided into areas A1¨CA10 from south to north. There must be a huge backlog of people. Be sure to pay attention to safety.¡± After he finished speaking, he took out four sets of wireless headsets from the backpack. ¡°Sorry, I only have four. Also, this is my number. Please keep in touch at all times after communication is restored.¡±


    He immediately entered a string of numbers into his phone, and several people nodded solemnly to him. Xing Conglian would never forget that kind of look without hesitation for the rest of his life.


    ¡­¡­


    When Lin Chen received the text message, he had just gotten out of a car. He passed by an anxious father holding his daughter as the owner of the car lowered his window and wished him luck.


    He looked up at the skyscraper in front of him, then looked back at the towering cultural center in the distance. Wisps of green smoke began to surround the building. The fire brigade of Xining Development Zone had already driven the only two remaining firefighting vehicles to the scene, but compared to the giant building and the wide square in front of it, the two fire trucks looked like a drop in the bucket.


    [The police have received the alarm. For the sake of smooth communication, if there is no emergency, please do not use your phone and do not make repeated calls for rescue.]


    Lin Chen rushed into the elevator entrance, pressed the button, and managed to finally read the text he just received.


    The elevator door opened, and he stepped into it.


    [The fire situation is unknown. Please try to stay in a safe area. Because the floor is too high, please do not try to escape from the window. If you encounter thick smoke, please lie low and keep crawling away from it as you wait for rescue.]


    The elevator was climbing rapidly as the scarlet letter kept changing.


    [Don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t push. The police will do everything they can to protect everyone¡¯s safety. Please trust us.]


    Ding. The sound of the elevator arriving sounded.


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the rolling gate.


    The voices of everyone else reporting the fire continued to ring from Xing Conglian¡¯s headset, but there was no voice from Lin Chen.


    ¡°Captain Xing, ahem¡­ The fire situation in the A1 and A2 areas isn¡¯t serious. Due to the fall of the rolling gate, we¡¯re temporarily unable to reach A3 and A4.¡±


    ¡°The fire spread from the nearby fire escape, which made it difficult to evacuate the masses.¡±


    ¡°According to the people who escaped from A5 and A6 just now, the fire is most serious near the central hall, which has the densest flow of people, but the situation inside is unknown.¡±


    Xing Conglian held down the headset and looked at Wang Chao. ¡°Can you contact the fans in the central hall?¡±


    Wang Chao pulled up the numbers from the ticket list of the fan club and dialed them.


    ¡­¡­


    Mu Wenhua¡¯s phone suddenly rang.


    At that time, she was sitting in the front position of the central hall and was writing a text message to her husband. After thinking about it, she deleted the words [Take care of our daughter.].


    The screams all around had subsided, and there weren¡¯t many cries. The people who were trying to find the exit also retreated. The surroundings were dark. Except for the green lights from the emergency exits, there was only the light of people¡¯s phones. Looking down from above, it was like a sea of stars shining brightly.


    Just now, the backpack of a certain girl in the front row exploded, and flames spread from there. Fortunately, another person next to the girl reacted quickly and happened to be sitting next to a fire extinguisher. They were able to protect the girl and the fire was successfully put out. Except for the few people nearby who had varying degrees of burns, it didn¡¯t cause too serious injuries.


    There was already a faint burnt smell in the air, and now the burns weren¡¯t too serious.


    Mu Wenhua looked around and pressed the answer button.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen was still climbing up. The elevator didn¡¯t go to the highest floor. Although Mr. Meijing could be anywhere in this high-rise building, in fact, in a practical sense, he would only be at the highest point, which was the rooftop.


    The voice of Xing Conglian kept ringing in his headset. While comforting the fans in the central hall, Xing Conglian quickly grasped the fire situation and recounted it to him.


    Firefighters had already started breaking through the door, and the rest of the area wasn¡¯t a big problem. However, the fire started from outside the central hall, so all the fans attending the meeting were trapped by it.


    ¡°This is the most serious problem.¡± Xing Conglian paused. Lin Chen seemed to hear the sound of a cutting machine grinding on the rolling gate. ¡°The building¡¯s own fire protection system has completely stopped.¡±


    ¡°This is impossible. Didn¡¯t the sprinkler system turn on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the first floor has run out of water from the reservoir, so the sprinkler system on the second floor can¡¯t access it due to a lack of water. If I¡¯m not wrong, there¡¯s a power outage that caused the problem with the fire pump, which can¡¯t pump in more water.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Lin Chen ran up the last floor, holding the handrail. The iron gate that blocked the roof was in front of him. ¡°The fire protection system has two backup power sources, and power won¡¯t be cut off even if the gate is closed.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, the intelligent control system of this building has been artificially destroyed.¡±


    ¡°You just said that because of the sprinkler on the first floor coming on, the water reserves of the sprinkler system on the second floor were used up. This means that the culprit didn¡¯t intend to create a fire on the first floor. His target has always been the fans in the central hall on the second floor.¡± Lin Chen put his hand on the iron gate as his mind was turning. ¡°Xing Conglian, there¡¯s a problem here. Why must it be Song Shengsheng¡­¡±


    Lin Chen wanted to say something more, but he felt a light pat on the back.


    In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen drew his gun and loaded it. Then he turned and raised his hand, but the man behind him didn¡¯t hide or dodge. At that moment, Lin Chen could only see a gentle smile hidden in the man¡¯s eyes.


    It was a middle-aged man in a gray suit and black backpack. He had a pair of earplugs in his ears, as if he were listening to some brisk music. Lin Chen aimed the gun at the man¡¯s forehead, but the man didn¡¯t waver and instead kept smiling at him. ¡°Lin Chen, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why did you come here?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen had never been called in such a way.


    It was very intimate and kind, with a slight upturn at the end, as if it were a parent calling their beloved child or an owner calling their pet to go home.


    His gun was firmly placed between the brows of the middle-aged man. The eyes of the middle-aged man were slightly bent, revealing a gentle smile. There was no fear; only harmony in those eyes. The next moment, the other party moved. Lin Chen¡¯s hand pressed on the trigger, but he couldn¡¯t fire. The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and touched his head gently, then pinched his earlobe. In the end, he felt no fear. He quickly moved his head away from the muzzle of Lin Chen¡¯s gun, turned slightly sideways, and pushed open the iron door behind him. ¡°Want to see? Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    There was a strong breeze on the rooftop. The closer one got to the sky, the more dazzling the sun became.


    The sky was clear and blue. Lin Chen put away his gun. The other party¡¯s meaning was clear. Even if you have a gun, I can do anything, and you still won¡¯t dare shoot me.


    He had to admit that the judgment of this gentleman in this situation was completely different from that of a pure pervert like Li Jingtian.


    Lin Chen followed the other party and stood facing the cultural center.


    The square was crowded with people. Looking down from the sky was like watching countless ants fight for their lives.


    Under the blue sky, he couldn¡¯t see any fires from the silver-white building in the distance, but there was vague white smoke floating above. Lin Chen knew very well that when the raging fire could be seen from his position, it was when the entire building would return to heaven.


    The middle-aged man stood next to him, looking down at the chaos under his feet with relief. He suddenly seemed to think of something, retracted his gaze, and stretched out his hand to him. ¡°Lin Chen, it¡¯s our first-time meeting. Let me introduce myself. My name is Liang Meijing. You can call me Mr. Meijing.¡±


    Lin Chen bowed to the other party politely and shook hands with him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Meijing.¡±


    The other party shook his hands, as if he were extremely happy that he was addressing him so politely. ¡°In fact, after the last incident, I wanted to meet you, but I¡¯ve been busy with a lot of things recently, so I didn¡¯t come to greet you in time. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡±


    Lin Chen turned the gun around for half a circle and stuffed it back into his pocket. Mr. Meijing seemed to appreciate this gesture. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rare for us to have a chance to chat. It¡¯s better to face each other with sincerity than weapons.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and asked, ¡°Shall we sit down and talk?¡±


    When he asked this question, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression was slightly surprised, but he quickly recovered. ¡°Where do you want to sit?¡±


    Lin Chen answered his question through practical action. He sat down crossed-legged on the rooftop. Although the cement surface was scalding hot at noon, he still sat comfortably. Then he raised his hand and patted the area beside him, signaling the other person to sit with him.


    Upon seeing this, Mr. Meijing smiled slightly. He took out a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket, spread it on the ground, then sat down. He looked at the fire scene from a distance. The fire was spreading quickly. In a short time, the orange-red flame had already burned through the glass curtain wall and was threatening to show its teeth and claws in mid-air.


    ¡°I remember at that time, your shimei jumped to her death?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the crow¡¯s feet on the corner of the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes next to him and said calmly, ¡°Yes, the distance between me and her at that time was almost as close as we¡¯re now, but I still couldn¡¯t save her.¡±


    ¡°So when you saw Song Shengsheng¡¯s body, did you feel the same way?¡±


    ¡°What does it feel like?¡±


    Mr. Meijing¡¯s eyes seemed to glow. ¡°Like someone who wants to die. Someone who blames themselves. Why couldn¡¯t I come sooner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a heart-wrenching pain, but that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for causing you so much pain, but in fact, you shouldn¡¯t blame yourself too much. Your shimei really died willingly. She even gave me a blowjob the morning before she died. A girl of that age, her father complex was too serious, even for me, so it was difficult to parry. You know, she was also pregnant with my child, but in the end, she miscarried. It¡¯s a pity.¡±


    Meijing gave a wry smile, but Lin Chen could see only ridicule in that smile.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Lin Chen pointed to the earplugs in his ears. ¡°This whole thing is being recorded. Can I treat it as a confession?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Mr. Meijing smiled and said, ¡°Lin Chen, my child. I just want to talk to you before you die.¡±


    Lin Chen supported his chin with one hand, propped his knees, and easily pointed to the people around him, then pointed to himself. ¡°Why do you think it must be me who will die between the two of us?¡±


    ¡°Because I have the ability to foresee. Later, you will willingly jump off this building and fall into a bloody mess. I have seen that scene with my own eyes. When you die, it¡¯ll be beautiful.¡±


    Lin Chen tilted his head slightly. The scorching sun was burning him all over. He asked earnestly, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to die yet. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as not wanting to die in this world.¡± Meijing laughed. ¡°Song Shengsheng didn¡¯t want to die either. He has lived like a dog for so many years. In order to survive, I don¡¯t know how many people have raped him, but then what? He still died in the end.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Lin Chen raised his head suddenly, looking at Mr. Meijing¡¯s helpless face, and said seriously, ¡°If you really think so, I suddenly feel that I have a slight chance of getting out here alive.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The fire spread faster than expected.


    As the first member of the fire squadron to rush to the scene, Li Chongyuan felt despair in the face of the behemoth in front of him. The scene was constantly blocked by fire doors. He had been involved in more than ten years of fire rescue, and he would be able to retire honorably in half a month. In his more than ten years of firefighting experience, it wasn¡¯t that he had never seen a fire that was more serious than the disaster in front of him, but at no point was there a shadow of death this intense than now.


    He held the cutting machine and used all his strength to cut open the rolling gate in front of him. His teammates had already gone up to the more dangerous fire on the second floor to evacuate the crowd. The flames burned through the glass curtain wall, and there was a violent explosion. According to his experience, even if they gathered 30 firefighting vehicles, it was barely enough to contain the fire. Now that he looked back at the square full of desperate expressions, he continued to hold the machine in his hand tightly.


    At the moment the rolling gate was cut open, someone kicked the door open, and a flood of people swarmed out.


    He didn¡¯t have time to help the people evacuate, but he looked at the gap in the door and saw two people who were calling non-stop in the corner. He remembered the emergency task assigned by the squadron leader just now and hurried over and saluted. ¡°Hello, Captain Xing. Li Chongyuan of Xining Squadron. I have been ordered to assist you in dealing with the fire.¡±


    The person didn¡¯t pay attention to him immediately, but instead kept listening to the phone with his head down. After a while, he hung up the phone. His tone was calm, without any panic. ¡°Let me briefly report the current situation of the fire to you. The trapped people on the first floor have basically been evacuated through the underground parking lot by the emergency exit. Only our area and the same area on the opposite side have no emergency passage for evacuation, but the main problem now is that it¡¯s difficult to rescue the fire site on the second floor. All emergency exits are blocked, and because of the rolling gates, the fire areas got divided with sporadic people trapped between.¡± As the man spoke, he showed him all the fire points with his tablet. After he finished speaking, he drew a circle on the largest hall on the three-dimensional map. ¡°The fire is surrounding the central hall. There are 3,000 people in it. Due to the failure of the fire fighting system, the smoke exhaust equipment stopped working. It¡¯s expected that the trapped people will be able to persist for at most 10 to 15 minutes. They¡¯ll die from smoke inhalation.¡±


    Li Chongyuan raised his head suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s too fast. We have too little manpower. It¡¯s impossible to evacuate 3,000 people in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°In your experience, what¡¯s the only possibility for the 3,000 people in the hall to survive?¡± the man asked.


    Li Chongyuan raised his eyes and filtered all the firefighting information from the Christine Cultural Center in his mind. He raised his head and said decisively, ¡°Our follow-up squadron will arrive at the scene in 10 minutes at the earliest. The cultural center adopts an R-level intelligent linkage fire fighting system. We need the fire fighting system to resume operation to reduce the fire for a short time, but it¡¯s not clear what the problem of the fire system failure is exactly.¡±


    ¡°Power distribution room.¡± Beside Xing Conglian, a young technician said, ¡°I just calculated that the fire fighting system was never activated. There are many fire monitoring points in the building. No one can destroy all the monitoring points at the same time. The fastest way to make the fire fighting system of the entire building fail in a short period of time is to cut off the main power supply. I suspect that the power distribution room has been blown up.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the backup generator?¡±


    He and Xing Conglian asked in unison.


    ¡­¡­


    The glass curtain wall was constantly cracking.


    Everyone stayed away from the building to avoid being hit by splashes. Every small explosion caused the crowd in the square to scream. The turbulent flow of people was constantly pushing and shoving, and no one knew where the next cluster of flames would rise from.


    Firefighters raised ladders to rescue the trapped people inside and continued to evacuate as many people as possible. In the end, only the police officers in the navy-blue uniforms continued to rush towards the fire.


    Lin Chen looked at the purgatory-like scene under him. Xing Conglian¡¯s voice, deploying on-site personnel, kept coming out of his headset. He gradually calmed down and listened to Xing Conglian¡¯s voice.


    As the wind blew across the sky, he pressed the headset and looked at the calm, middle-aged man beside him. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear what you just said.¡±


    ¡°I said, there¡¯s no possibility that you can walk out of this building alive.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurry. Since you were waiting for me here and said that I¡¯d be willing to jump off the building to commit suicide, you probably have the confidence to say this because you have many people¡¯s lives in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, you really amaze me.¡± Meijing had a look of approval on his face. ¡°So are you going to kneel down and beg me?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that I¡¯d jump from here willingly? My life is in your hands, so there¡¯s no need to kneel down,¡± Lin Chen said sincerely. ¡°Then before I die, is there any room for redemption?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Mr. Meijing laughed heartily. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you ask three questions, just like the game you played with Li Jingtian, but it¡¯s a little more exciting than that.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate further details.¡±


    ¡°Look, we¡¯re now very close to the edge of the rooftop. You can ask me three questions. Every time I finish answering one, you will take a step back. When I finish answering the last question¡­¡± The middle-aged man spread out his palm and breathed softly, ¡°You¡¯ll turn around, disappear from here, and go with the wind.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting.¡± Lin Chen patted the dust off his body and stood up from the ground somewhat casually. He turned his back to the distant fire and stared at the middle-aged man in front of him.


    ¡°You seem very confident?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m really good at guessing, so you must remember to hide your thoughts.¡±


    As he said this, he took a step back. ¡°My first question. Why Song Shengsheng?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Xing Conglian heard Lin Chen ask this question, he was wearing a heavy fire fighting suit.


    According to the staff who escaped from the negative second floor, the fire there was also very large, and unless they passed through the fire, there was no way to enter the central control area to find the backup generator controls.


    ¡°There¡¯s also an electronic door. I¡¯ll give you the access control card. You must keep it safe and don¡¯t let it get burned.¡±


    A young man who claimed to be the secretary of the general manager of the Christine Cultural Center handed him an access card. He nodded and took it. The light voice from his headset made him hold the card tightly.


    He could hear the sound of the wind whistling past the top of the high-rise building. Lin Chen¡¯s voice was almost inaudible due to the wind, but he knew very well that Lin Chen was standing on the edge of the roof, and had taken a firm step towards the line of death.


    At that moment, Xing Conglian wanted to get rid of everything and rushed upstairs to grab Lin Chen. He raised his head and looked up at the top of the building, which was more than 100 meters high. He then turned around, put on an oxygen mask, and walked towards the basement.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Lin Chen, I¡¯m really surprised that you used such a precious opportunity to ask why I chose Song Shengsheng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die anyway. It¡¯s more important to untangle the knot in my heart.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Mr. Meijing sighed softly. ¡°I chose Song Shengsheng because I know exactly what kind of talent is most attractive to you.¡±


    ¡°What you mean is, Song Shengsheng is just bait to lure us, and the fire in the cultural center is to retaliate against us?¡±


    ¡°How can you say it¡¯s revenge? It¡¯s more appropriate to say it¡¯s a gift,¡± Mr. Meijing said sincerely.


    ¡°Because we arrested Yang Dianfeng and disrupted your live broadcast. Why didn¡¯t you target us directly?¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, my child, you¡¯re so na?ve.¡± Meijing shook his head helplessly. ¡°Turn around and look at those people who are crying so sadly below. The heart-wrenching pain you have tasted, they will soon understand. What do you think they will think when they see the charred corpses of their loved ones and hear that their loved ones are the victims of revenge?¡±


    Lin Chen asked disapprovingly, ¡°Why should I care what they think?¡±


    ¡°Then let me tell you. Many of them must feel that if the police hadn¡¯t fought against us, these people wouldn¡¯t have died. It¡¯s you who they will blame for killing their loved ones.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Well, when these people speak out to condemn the police, you can contribute to making this voice gradually become the mainstream of society. In the future, law enforcers will not dare speak out and will start doing things with their hands tied. Is this the result you want?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. In fact, you should know better than me how easy it is to manipulate the public¡¯s psychology. People are ignorant and follow the crowd. With a little manipulation, the innocent victims who died in this fire can become brain-dead groupies. Many people will say that they wouldn¡¯t have died if they hadn¡¯t chased stars, so they deserve it¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Although I think you¡¯re a little na?ve and flustered, after hearing what you said, are Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans dead?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cheat. Isn¡¯t this a second question? You have to step back.¡± Meijing pointed his finger to the ground behind Lin Chen.


    ¡­¡­


    Mu Wenhua was sitting in the central hall, unaware that a discussion had been started about her regarding the social evaluation after her death. In fact, everyone may have considered this already. Being trapped and burned to death because of chasing a star didn¡¯t sound glorious.


    However, Mr. Meijing probably wouldn¡¯t have thought that what she was thinking about now was similar to what Consultant Lin, who wanted to save her life, was. There were many idiots in the world. If one had to listen to every idiot¡¯s words and remember them, it was better to just die early.


    In life, it was more important to love yourself and your loved ones. These were almost the heartfelt words of a mother and groupie who were about to be choked to death by smoke. She completely maintained a posture of crawling on the ground, looking at the photos of her daughter, husband, and her favorite, Mr. Song Shengsheng, in her phone album.


    She hummed a very light tune, and then she heard the girl who was lying next to her humming too.


    The temperature of the air gradually increased, and a clearly visible flame was ejected from the emergency exit. Although the fire hadn¡¯t completely burned through the walls of the hall, it looked to be coming fast.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen took another step back.


    He didn¡¯t have eyes behind his head, but he could still feel the crumbling feeling caused by the violent wind and the 100-meter drop. Those weren¡¯t hallucinations but real pressure.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s extremely heavy gasping sound came from his headset. Although he didn¡¯t know where the other party was, he could tell that Xing Conglian should have entered the deepest part of the fire just from his breathing. It should be dark there, extremely hot, and it would take all the strength in his body just to breathe. Xing Conglian¡¯s mask should be covered with water vapor. When he wiped them away, he should be able to see those dark, green eyes like a pool of water.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t have to die.¡± Mr. Meijing sat on the ground and looked at his watch. ¡°Lin Chen, in fact, as long as you jump off this building to atone for your sins, I guarantee that most of them will be able to survive.¡±


    ¡°1 life for 3,000?¡± Lin Chen felt incredulous. ¡°That¡¯s too good of a deal. Since when did you start making bad deals?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a loss at all. The legendary Consultant Lin is still very valuable. In fact, you see, it¡¯s the same to me whether you die or those people down there.¡±


    ¡°I see. If I jump as you say, it will tell many people in this world that evil can prevail over those chicken soup for the soul words. People will have to succumb to a stronger party.¡±


    Mr. Meijing stroked his hands and began to applaud. ¡°So, Lin Chen, you still have 10 minutes at most.¡± Mr. Meijing took out a pack of small cookies from his backpack, unwrapped it, and stuffed a piece into his mouth. ¡°But this should be difficult for you. After all, your indecision killed Song Shengsheng. You obviously had an entire month to save him, but what were you doing at that time? Grabbing tickets? If you used a tough attitude to demand a meeting with Song Shengsheng, perhaps he would have mustered up the courage to tell you everything. Our plan wouldn¡¯t succeed, and the people below you wouldn¡¯t have to die¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dying, so don¡¯t lie to me. Song Shengsheng was missing a tooth. You installed a bug on him, and you used the lives of his fans to threaten him, so he wouldn¡¯t tell me about it.¡± The wind on the top floor was suddenly strong. Lin Chen sat down as he spoke helplessly.


    ¡°You know about the dentures?¡± Mr. Meijing finally showed some surprise on his face.


    ¡°Yes, I just asked you why Song Shengsheng. In fact, there should be some reason it¡¯s him, right?¡±


    Mr. Meijing took out a thermos and unscrewed the lid. Gurgling tea flowing into a cup sounded. He breathed in the tea and had a smile of reminiscence on his face. ¡°Song Shengsheng, when I first met him, I thought he was like an expensive large dog with bright fur. When I go out, the little girls who love him would point and scream. I really love him as my own child.¡±


    Lin Chen asked patiently, ¡°Then why destroy him?¡±


    ¡°When he went to Xiang Ye for the first time, I happened to be there that day. I was very distressed when I heard he was being abused by Li Jingtian over and over again. But as you know, Li Jingtian is the grandson of Mr. Li. We operate in Xinni and still need to rely on Lao Li for our business, so Xiang Ye persuaded Song Shengsheng to be patient. But Shengsheng disagreed. I have seen the injuries on his body. It was terrible. He was so miserable, but he actually still had the strength to slam on Xiang Ye¡¯s desk. His entire body was full of fighting spirit, as if he were inflamed.¡±


    ¡°What happened later?¡±


    ¡°He was really disobedient, so we had no choice but to tie him to a chair. Xiang Ye opened his mouth and took pliers and pulled out his teeth¡­¡± Meijing said as he leisurely took a sip of tea. ¡°You should really see the scene at that time. He bled profusely, and his voice was broken from screaming so much. We also spent a lot of effort to stop the bleeding and install the fake tooth. But in the end, the way he looked at us was still burning, and he didn¡¯t give in at all. It was quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°Since he¡¯s that kind of person, how did you get him to submit?¡±


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s most interesting to break a hound¡¯s leg and watch him lie in his kernel.¡± Mr. Meijing bit off a piece of cookie. ¡°Actually, in the beginning, he kept making small movements behind our backs, thinking we wouldn¡¯t know, but in fact, we really knew everything. One day, he was looking through Xiang Ye¡¯s bedroom when I walked in and caught him.¡±


    ¡°You punish him?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be called punishment. After all, the next day happened to be his record signing event. Before the meeting, Xiang Ye took him to stand on a high place, looking at the signing event, and showed him a piece of news. The news of two girls at Fengchun University being involved in a car accident. One of them, Song Shengsheng, knew. She was one of his female fans who had a heart attack. He donated a lot of money to that fan, and she was successfully saved and has gone back to college. Because of his risky actions, we had to kill two people overnight. It was truly exhausting.¡±


    It was hard for Lin Chen not to follow Mr. Meijing¡¯s voice back to that moment ten years ago. Everything that Song Shengsheng experienced was crueler than he imagined.


    He couldn¡¯t live or die. It was probably nothing more than that.


    ¡°He cried.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he punched Xiang Ye and cried. It¡¯s said that was the first time he shed tears. He cried terribly, like a virgin who was preparing to cut her own throat to protect her chastity.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t let him die?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we told him that if he dares die, I promise to kill many, many more of his fans.¡± When Meijing said this, his eyes turned to the fire in the distance. The white smoke had turned blue, and everything looked like hell. ¡°I always keep my word.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Mu Wenhua was singing¡ªspecifically¡ªthe girls in the entire central hall were singing softly.


    [There¡¯s no eternal love in this world, and no one can live forever, so let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!]


    She didn¡¯t know why, but everyone chose the same song. They all gathered together as the fire raged. The mothers were keeping the younger girls in a place further inside, away from the flames, but everyone knew that they couldn¡¯t escape today, so they started singing.


    That was Shengsheng¡¯s favorite song. Although the song¡¯s lyrics were explicit, it had a wonderful name: <I¡¯ll Be With You Forever>.


    I¡¯ll Be With You Forever.


    She didn¡¯t know if she was hallucinating, but when she turned her head, she seemed to see Shengsheng standing on stage. His body seemed to be glowing.


    He was saying, ¡°Because I¡¯m more handsome, it¡¯s better for me to protect you~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Traveling in the underground space was more difficult than he imagined. The backlog of smoke made searchlights useless. Xing Conglian was sweating like rain, and it was difficult to breathe. Perhaps it was because the underground space was too quiet that he could clearly hear the conversation at an altitude of 100 meters.


    He could hear the calm and joyful voice of Meijing, and he could hear the painful trembling in Lin Chen¡¯s voice when he asked the last question.


    But now, he had to drive those pictures out of his mind and listen carefully to the instructions in the headset.


    ¡°Captain, Captain Li, there should be a staircase 5 meters in front of you. Walk down the stairs and you will be able to see the central control room.¡±


    ¡°Copy that.¡±


    ¡°The girl in the central hall said that the fire has broken through the walls and the smoke is getting heavier. They may not be able to hang on for much longer.¡±


    ¡°I checked the information on the cultural center. The central control room adopts the RM5 electronic door. The back door should be automatically opened when the power is off to ensure the safety of the personnel. If it¡¯s not opened, I¡¯m afraid that the server has failed, so the access card won¡¯t work, and you need to enter the code directly.¡±


    ¡°You must pay attention to safety, Captain. No one will give me my allowance if you die.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen pressed the headset. When he heard the last words of Wang Chao, he felt relieved.


    The child raised by Xing Conglian was truly fearless.


    It was almost time. He patted the dust off his clothes and stood up from the ground.


    Seeing him get up, Mr. Meijing¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Oh, have they already reached the electronic door?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°Not yet. So you also tampered with the electronic door?¡±


    Meijing smiled. ¡°Is this the last question?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head but still took a step back. The strong wind blew against him fiercely as he suddenly sneered. ¡°My last question is, have you ever heard this very famous saying?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Villains die because they talk too much.¡±


    Mr. Meijing laughed. He covered his mouth to prevent the cookie crumbs from spraying out indecently. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t hesitate to take out the gun. He pulled the safety, loaded the gun, and pointed it at the middle-aged man on the ground. ¡°After talking so much, you¡¯re actually just going in circles. You keep leading the topic to the argument that I¡¯m the same as Song Shengsheng. Because we provoked you, that¡¯s why you were forced to kill.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a fact. It¡¯s a typical technique using motive A to cover up motive B. It boils down to the fact that your motive was never to take revenge on us. You just wanted to kill Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans. You just said you knew about me grabbing tickets. It means you have been monitoring the voting system of the fan meeting, and the ticket grabbing rules at that time were very interesting. It shows that every fan in the venue is carefully selected. You deliberately selected the most veteran fans of Song Shengsheng. There must be a reason. Song Shengsheng gradually realized your actions and chose to warn us by committing suicide. The timing of his death couldn¡¯t have been more appropriate. Xiang Ye was arrested, and we¡¯re able to get here in time because of him.¡±


    Meijing just smiled and shook his head speechlessly.


    ¡°Song Shengsheng is the toughest person I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. Since you put that tooth on him, I¡¯m afraid he hasn¡¯t said anything for many years. Probably even you haven¡¯t thought about it, but dead people do speak.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, I¡¯m the one who has known Song Shengsheng for many years. Not you. Why do you think he didn¡¯t want to meet you? Because he didn¡¯t dare. His bones have been broken, and even his tendons were pulled out one by one. You don¡¯t know how much he wants to return to the stage. Even if he had to kneel and crawl, he would. So he didn¡¯t want to die at all. If he was as smart as you said, he would have known what we wanted to do, and he would have committed suicide. Why did it have to be today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also want to know why it must be today.¡±


    The sky was clear, and the sun was blazing. Lin Chen glanced at the bright universe as he asked this solemnly.


    Song Shengsheng, what else is there that you want to say but I haven¡¯t heard?


    ¡­¡­


    In the underground space, in front of the sturdy electronic door, a tone indicating that the password had failed kept ringing.


    Xing Conglian turned his head, and behind him was a flood of hot, black smoke, but he couldn¡¯t see any flames. Beside him, the firefighter who descended into the fire with him was repeatedly trying to open the door with the access card.


    But fail, fail, still fail¡­


    Finally, Li Chongyuan threw away the access card and took out the tools from his toolbox that he was carrying with him and prepared to pry off the electronic control board directly.


    ¡°Wang Chao, is there any other way? The door can¡¯t be opened. Is it possible to pick the lock? Or hack it?¡±


    ¡°Fuck me, Captain. It stands to reason that this kind of electronic door will automatically open after it¡¯s powered off, and you don¡¯t even need a password. Tell me, is the mode of the electronic display board fail safe or fail security?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at it immediately. ¡°Fail security.¡±


    Wang Chao roared. ¡°What idiot put the door in fail security mode. Does he think the door to the central control room is a vault? Captain, tell Captain Li not to try to break the door. In fail security mode, the security level is the highest. If you break the door forcibly, it will automatically lock. I promise you, you won¡¯t be able to open it again in a short time!¡±


    Li Chongyuan stopped immediately. The voice in his headset was still talking, but Xing Conglian suddenly felt that the surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that he could only hear Lin Chen¡¯s slow breathing.


    ¡°Lin Chen, we need a password,¡± he said to him.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen raised his gun and took a step forward.


    Probably discovering the change in his face, the middle-aged man sitting on the ground said, ¡°The door isn¡¯t easy to open, right? Well, leave me a number, and after you commit suicide, I¡¯ll tell them the password. Don¡¯t worry, I always keep my word.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed the code on the electronic door?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Bingo. So, do you want to save those people or not?¡±


    Lin Chen found this quite comical. ¡°I just said, Mr. Meijing, villains often die because they talk too much. In fact, this is also a psychological problem. Villains like you are proud, arrogant, and think they are always in control of the overall situation, so when it comes to the final moment of victory, you can¡¯t help but brag. It¡¯s always so easy to talk so much shit. If you talk too much, you¡¯ll lose. I suggest you shut up now. This was my sincere advice to Li Jingtian. Don¡¯t give me any chances to guess the password.¡±


    ¡°Even if you want to guess, you¡¯ll still have to know my biographical information, but you don¡¯t even know who I am¡­¡± Meijing whispered softly.


    Looking at Mr. Meijing¡¯s arrogant and cunning smile, Lin Chen said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t need to know who you are. You¡¯ve already said so much to me just now. I know enough.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re cynical and have obvious antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders. You regard human lives as nothing and think all beings are evil. You look down on all ordinary people and treat human life as a joke. You always feel like this is some kind of game set up by you, and everyone is just a pawn in your hand. You ridiculed the fans¡¯ stupid love for Song Shengsheng. Of course, you also think Song Shengsheng is stupid, and you look down on him very, very much.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really a dog.¡±


    ¡°As I said just now, your biggest problem is that you think Song Shengsheng is a plaything under your control. I think it¡¯s his hypocrisy and obedience to you that gave you this impression. Every day, he¡¯s under your control, but he¡¯s full of fighting spirit. This battle will not end until he reaches the end of his life, and since he chose death, it means that he has ushered in the final victory with his death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to blush with you praising Song Shengsheng so much.¡±


    ¡°So, did you really set that password?¡± Lin Chen sneered as he took another step forward.


    After he asked that question, he saw an obvious crack in the originally decent smile on Mr. Meijing¡¯s face.


    ¡°No need to answer. Your expression has already told me the answer.¡± He gently pressed his fingers on his lips and made a quiet gesture. ¡°People like you like to play those cruel human games the most. Let Song Shengsheng know that his resistance killed his fans or force me to commit suicide to save others. You will always have the greatest malice towards the world, but you like to play with meaningless and symbolic things the most. If you want to set up a password for a door that will never be opened and kill those fans who love Song Shengsheng, pray tell, who would you use to come up with it?¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he took another step forward. He was getting closer to the malicious manifestation on the ground. ¡°Your expression tells me that that person is Song Shengsheng. You wouldn¡¯t be stupid to ask Song Shengsheng casually what number he likes so you can use it to kill the fans that love him the most.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t give Meijing a chance to speak, because he finally knew why Song Shengsheng chose to die today. ¡°Yesterday, he came here for rehearsal. Of course, he didn¡¯t know your plans, but he¡¯s a smart person. When he came here, he finally connected the dots. He knew what you were going to do. You were going to kill people¡ªmany, many people¡ªso he had to use his own death to stop all this. He knew the password. He knew how evil you were and knew that you might not necessarily use the string of numbers he provided when you asked him that day. But if he committed suicide, you were more likely to use the number he was thinking of. After all, a password set by a living person will always have the possibility of being cracked, but a password thought up by a dead person wouldn¡¯t, right?¡±


    Mr. Meijing¡¯s face turned ashen. Finally, there was no trace of humility or gentleness left on his face. He laughed cruelly. It was as if an ancient evil had been resurrected, mouthful of blood and devouring goodwill wherever he went.


    Lin Chen knew he had guessed right. ¡°Are you wondering what on earth you overlooked that allowed Song Shengsheng to pass on the password? But he obviously didn¡¯t use words. You haven¡¯t thought about it, have you? That old dog that you despise can stab you in the back even after death.¡±


    Meijing grinned. ¡°No, you guessed wrong. It¡¯s a password I set up. The old dog Song Shengsheng doesn¡¯t know anything at all.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s the number he wanted.¡±


    The scorching sun was dazzling as the strong breeze blew through the sky.


    Lin Chen spoke slowly. ¡°Song Shengsheng entered showbiz too early. He hasn¡¯t read too many books. If he set the password and wanted to pass it on, it wouldn¡¯t be too complicated, but only those who love him can guess it. You should know that Song Shengsheng likes to paint the symbol & very much, but I didn¡¯t see that symbol in the bathtub where he died. I¡¯ve been thinking, why didn¡¯t a person like him, who was full of faith, draw that symbol?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Song Shengsheng once said at a concert, if I die one day, please sing a song for me. It was a song full of explicit words, but the name was unexpectedly touching. This song comes from his beloved fairy tale, and only a veteran fan will know that in the lyrics of that song, there¡¯s a decorative & after each line, except for one. That line of the lyrics is as long as a foot wrap, but because of a typesetting error, there was an & missing at the end.¡±


    ¡°So the password he set was in that line of the lyrics.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how the man who had his teeth pulled out, was blackmailed, and lived in the shadows of a hanging sword all day did all this. He didn¡¯t even know what Song Shengsheng relied on to choose to commit suicide before taking the stage and realizing his wish.


    But Song Shengsheng, who was rebellious, indulgent, and should have had a life like fire¡ªwas full of fighting spirit, and he never gave up.


    Lin Chen once asked himself whether suffering and pain would make a soul humble, and he thought that Song Shengsheng had given him the answer.


    He seemed to see the 18-year-old Song Shengsheng smiling heartily as he said to him, ¡°Hey. I¡¯m so proud. How can I bow my head to a shit like fate? I will never bow to fate.¡±


    He took the last step and pressed the muzzle of his gun firmly between the middle-aged man¡¯s brows. ¡°Checkmate.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The water curtain was overwhelming.


    Mu Wenhua was helped out of the fire. Although she had been waiting inside for a long time, and her body was hot, the moment she walked into the sun, she discovered for the first time how warm the sun could be.


    Separated from countless people, she saw the man she loved the most in her life rushing towards her with her daughter in his arms. Then she hugged her lover tightly with unprecedented strength.


    She kissed her daughter¡¯s soft cheek and wiped away the tears on her cheek with her smokey fingers.


    ¡­¡­


    There were people everywhere in the square.


    Although Wang Chao had sent a text in advance to remind everyone to lay low, stay away from the fire source as much as possible, and pay attention to the high-temperature water vapors before the power was turned on, some people who were too close to the fire got burned by the heat, though it was just a minor injury that could be easily treated. Anyway, as long as people were still alive, there was hope.


    At least this was what Comrade Xiao Wang thought.


    Many long-legged nurses got out of the ambulances that started to arrive one after another, and they were doing simple bandages for the wounded.


    He was finally able to sit comfortably in the police car with the air conditioning blowing. He looked at his laptop, guessing his boss¡¯ roar would soon come out of the headset, telling him to go do this and that. In case his boss asked him to repair the server, repair the network, or something else, he felt he had to charge a high price. In short, he would go to Battle.net and buy the Digital Collector¡¯s Edition of Overwatch.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he got down the stairs.


    There was a scattered corpse on the ground. Just now, Meijing had jumped down from the high-rise building. He didn¡¯t even have time to pull the trigger when the other party chose death.


    It turned out that 1 was exchanged for 3,000, but the person who committed suicide by jumping off the building in the end became Mr. Meijing.


    He walked around the body of the man on the ground and pushed away all the police officers who tried to help him.


    Maybe it was because he had been in the sun for too long, but he only felt a splitting headache and severe pain in his eardrums, as if someone were constantly talking in his ear. For a while, it was Song Shengsheng singing, and for a while, it was Xing Conglian¡¯s last ¡°Okay¡±. The beeping sound of the electronic door failing to unlock kept ringing in his ears, which was incessant and desperate.


    He felt that he could no longer tell the chronological order of things. Pictures all became blurred, but he clearly remembered the last scene before Meijing jumped off the building in his mind.


    The gentle middle-aged man got up in front of the muzzle, moved his lips, and said to him with a smile, ¡°Please give my regards to Captain Xing.¡±


    After saying these words, Meijing quickly ran to the edge of the rooftop and gracefully jumped down.


    For some reason, after he tried to call Xing Conglian, he got no response. He felt the gun in his hand was so heavy that he could barely hold it. If the two of them were the target of Meijing¡¯s revenge, Xing Conglian might also be in danger. With his gun in his hand, any shots fired in the fire would be extremely dangerous.


    He ran towards the square, surrounded by people clinging to each other. Men and women were hugging and kissing, with happy smiles on their faces after escaping death. There was water sprinkling in the sky. The fire had gradually extinguished, but there was still the sound of sporadic beeping and glass cracking.


    But he couldn¡¯t find Wang Chao or Xing Conglian. There was no familiar face as far as he could see. He kept asking everyone where Xing Conglian was but got no response. Some people even asked him strangely, ¡°Who is Xing Conglian and who are you?¡±


    Yes. Who is Xing Conglian, and what¡¯s his relationship with him?


    He stepped into the fire and saw the silver-gray security door that had been cut wide open. It was empty behind the door; the person he was looking for wasn¡¯t there.


    He wanted to yell, but found that his throat was too tense to make any sound.


    The ground was wet¡ªextremely wet¡ªand everything was falling apart. He occasionally passed by some firefighters who were rescuing people. Someone asked him where he was going and who he was looking for, but he couldn¡¯t answer. A lot of voices sounded in his ears again, as if someone was singing in the square. It was the same song¡ªSong Shengsheng¡¯s song. The singing was like a bright light penetrating the night, dyeing the surrounding chaos with a bit of color.


    Someone sang, ¡°There¡¯s no eternal love in this world.¡±


    He walked to the basement. There was only the green light of the emergency exit on. The surroundings were dark, and water was dripping from the ceiling.


    He gradually heard the sound of footsteps. It was a firefighter with heavy steps. He grabbed him and asked the question again, ¡°Where¡¯s Xing Conglian?¡±


    The other party scratched his head, then took off his mask and said to him, ¡°You¡¯re looking for Captain Xing? He¡¯s just downstairs.¡±


    He let go of the man and ran downstairs. He opened every door in the underground, but he didn¡¯t find the person he was looking for.


    The singing in the square seemed to have passed through the layers of concrete, but it might also be his auditory hallucination.


    And no one can live forever¡­


    Someone was harmonizing the song, ¡°And no one can live forever¡­¡±


    He was about to push open the last iron door at the end of the corridor, and at this moment, someone patted him lightly on the shoulder.


    He suddenly turned his head, drew his gun, and pressed it firmly against the man¡¯s forehead.


    Then, he saw a pair of green eyes, as if they were the clearest spring water in the forest, or a very light wind blowing across the corners of his eyes and brows.


    The man looked ashen. His face was blackened and covered in soot, but with a smile in his eyes, he said to him, ¡°It¡¯s me. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly heard the countless voices pouring into his ears. Many people were clamoring, ¡°So let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!¡±


    There¡¯s no eternal love in this world, and no one can live forever, so let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!


    So let loose. Be wonton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!


    Lin Chen dropped the gun, grabbed the man by his hair, and pushed him hard against the wall, then kissed him heavily.


    The author has something to say:


    I was born in the sky, grew up in the scorching sun. I soar in the wind, but never gone.


    My dears, please don¡¯t cry for me.


    ¡ªSong Shengsheng


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This marks the end of the fourth arc. So many things I wanted to express, but I held out until the end so there wouldn¡¯t be any spoilers.


    First, the importance of Oscar Wilde¡¯s work in this arc. Two of his works were specifically mentioned: The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and The Rose. There¡¯s plenty of symbolism of self-sacrifice embodied by Song Shengsheng throughout this arc, as you can see, which reflects the theme of these two stories.


    In both The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and The Rose, you have characters who give up everything in a selfless deed to protect those they love. The prince strips off everything he has to give to the poor, which eventually leads to his death. Likewise, the Nightingale sacrifices herself for a red rose so the one she loves can be happy. Song Shengsheng is very similar in this aspect, as he sacrificed his life to protect his fans.


    Speaking of Song Shengsheng, it¡¯s quite ironic that his name [Shengsheng] means sound, but he does not actually speak once throughout this arc (except for events in the past that¡¯s recorded). This was purposeful on the author¡¯s part.


    I admit I struggled to get through this arc. The subjects were quite heavy and not to my taste (I really can¡¯t stand rape), but it also has one of my favorite chapters: Lin Chen¡¯s showdown with Li Jingtian, and the overall question about Song Shengsheng kept me anticipating.


    I¡¯m quite sad that Song Shengsheng died, which I have personal gripes about. I feel that his death felt forced by the author to make it seem more dramatic and tragic than necessary.


    On my first read when I was translating it, I thought everything was too convoluted (including Song Shengsheng¡¯s suicide) to push the tragedy that he will not live. When I read over this arc again for a second time during the proofread, I changed my opinions on the matter.


    There¡¯s a reason why Oscar Wilde is so heavily referenced in this arc. Song Shengsheng embodies the two stories that I mentioned above. To many people, the actions of the Happy Prince and the Nightingale might seem stupid (and likewise Song Shengsheng¡¯s). I certainly couldn¡¯t comprehend why he could put up with all this for a decade and still find no way to tell the police what¡¯s going on without having to resort to a suicide, especially after the showdown between Li Jingtian and Lin Chen. He must have witnessed it and know how capable Lin Chen is and the fact that Lin Chen wanted to see him desperately would give him a chance to spill everything.


    At least this is what I thought during my first read, but then after analyzing the arc after my second read when proofing, I factored in a few things. First, Song Shengsheng¡¯s age. He was scouted at 16 and became a mega star at 18. At such a young age, he probably didn¡¯t have the education and life experience yet to deal with such complicated issues that he was facing. Hell, probably even as an adult one probably would find it tough to make a decision. You can see this in real life where child stars go down a dangerous path without proper guidance from a caring and wise adult. Unfortunately for Song Shengsheng, the person he trusted the most, his first agent who brought him to his debut, was an evil person and manipulated him.


    Second, due to his naiveness given his age, when faced with threats that his fans were going to be killed if he gets out of line, he resolved to suffer in order to protect them. To Song Shengsheng, his fans represent the student who was looking for the rose, or the poor, dying people in the Happy Prince. Seeing that their threat is very real and afraid of even a single one of his fans dying if he goes to the police, he chooses to submit. I would say this was where I had the most problem with as you can never trust an evil person to actually keep their word. However, Song Shengsheng couldn¡¯t take the risk because he loves his fans too much and he knows that if he tries to tell the police, many fans will die before things get solved, and there¡¯s also a fear that they won¡¯t believe him (no evidence).


    As indicated by the author, Song Shengsheng is kind and I think this kindness is to the extreme to the point where his love for his fans supersedes everything else, including himself. While Li Jingtian and Meijing think this is stupid, I think it does match his personality. We know he grew up watching Oscar Wilde¡¯s works and regards those stories as his inspiration. His favorite is The Nightingale and The Rose and so after thinking about it for a while, I did find that it does make some sense in why Song Shengsheng acted the way he did.


    Personally, I think the author made Song Shengsheng¡¯s character way too altruistic, but it is backed up by the things mentioned in the arc. On my first read, I was too annoyed to really analyze these factors because I just find Song Shengsheng¡¯s action inexplicable, but after letting my emotions settle, I came to a more rational conclusion.


    Anyway, I could probably go on and write an entire thesis on this, but I¡¯ll spare you. At the end of the day it is a work of fiction so not everything has to be sensible as they are in real life. Perhaps I¡¯m just being too critical (but common, I¡¯m still pissed that Shengsheng died).


    I would say the arc is good but I didn¡¯t enjoy it because of the heavy subject in it and the fact that the one person you wish to have his redemption¡­ kinda did but like died in the process¡­ was just too painful (and I had to read this arc at least twice!).


    However, don¡¯t let my thoughts influence your opinions on the story. You¡¯re welcome to join my Discord server to discuss or leave a comment.


    At least we finally have movement in Lin Chen¡¯s and Xing Conglian¡¯s relationship.

 CH 164

    As Lin Chen kissed Xing Conglian hard, his fingers dug deeper into Xing Conglian¡¯s hair, pressing his head down. It was pure emotional venting. At this moment, he didn¡¯t need to care about Xing Conglian¡¯s feelings or the ethics and morality of the world. He just wanted to kiss the person he had liked for a long time. He really couldn¡¯t help it, because only Xing Conglian¡¯s lips and the breath he sprayed onto his face could make him feel that there was warmth in this world. It felt as if he had walked on an ice field for a thousand years, and couldn¡¯t help but pounce on the creature that made him feel warm, absorbing its heat.


    He didn¡¯t dare to open his eyes to observe Xing Conglian¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to pry open Xing Conglian¡¯s lips and teeth. The breath they exchanged was scorching; it was so hot that it could burn all his shackles; it was so hot that it could make him gradually float from the cold, deep sea.


    The singing gradually became louder and filled his ears.


    The sudden high notes seemed to heat up with the kiss. The pain that had penetrated deep into his bones was gradually broken by the scorching tingling. He kissed deeper and deeper, trying to draw the power that could keep him alive from Xing Conglian¡¯s body. Their lips and teeth were glued to each other and couldn¡¯t be separated. He raised his other hand and forcefully hooked Xing Conglian¡¯s neck, holding him tightly.


    The slow and lengthy kiss shattered the ice, blood, illusion, and pain on his body. The scalding temperature that was gradually rising seemed to evaporate all the tears. He wished that time would pass more slowly. It would be great if he could stay in this moment forever.


    Lin Chen continued kissing Xing Conglian. He seemed to see a vision of Xing Conglian standing at the door frame the first time they met, smiling at him with bad intentions.


    He seemed to have returned to that moment. He took the other party¡¯s hand and gave him a light peck on Xing Conglian¡¯s beautiful eyelashes at that time.


    At that moment, he felt Xing Conglian move. Xing Conglian¡¯s palm gently touched his cheek. Lin Chen could feel the rough calluses and hot temperature from his hands. Xing Conglian was wiping away the tears that were falling down his cheeks.


    It was a gentle gesture, but Lin Chen really understood the meaning of it.


    That¡¯s enough. You can stop.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and separated his lips from the other. He pushed Xing Conglian away, took a half step back, and gasped gently.


    Only the sound of the two of them panting at different frequencies remained in the air.


    At the moment he kissed Xing Conglian just now, he clearly saw the shocked look on the other party¡¯s eyes, like an emerald that was green to the extreme when it shattered, but now, he could no longer find that look on Xing Conglian¡¯s face.


    Now, Xing Conglian had a calm expression, and he looked at him with deep and distant eyes, remaining silent.


    The underground space was dark and quiet. The singing in his ears gradually stopped, and the previous hallucinations disappeared. Lin Chen¡¯s heart started to become clearer, and because of the clarity, he could already foresee what would happen in the future. The relationship between him and Xing Conglian would change. With Xing Conglian¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t pretend to be blind and deaf and whitewash this incident. Either he or Xing Conglian would leave. They would soon part ways, with no further communication.


    But it was too good. Xing Conglian was just too good, which made Lin Chen reluctant.


    Lin Chen raised his head, straightened his back, and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was a unique opportunity in my life just now, so please consider me. I¡¯m a good candidate.¡±


    After saying this, Lin Chen took another half step back, bowed his head sincerely, then turned and left.


    ¡­¡­


    Wang Chao was sitting in the police car.


    The surrounding singing had stopped. For some reason, the sky had darkened inexplicably, and there were thick clouds covering the sun.


    The fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances were pouring into the square one after another, while many cars were driving away from the fire. Those vehicles made beeping noises that resounded in the sky, causing his scalp to go numb as he sat in the car. There were water stains everywhere on the ground as the water kept flowing.


    Wang Chao changed the direction of his cocked legs, but he still didn¡¯t feel comfortable enough. He looked at the car¡¯s air conditioning. It clearly showed that it was working, but the inexplicable suffocation was truly unpleasant.


    He put down his laptop, leaned against the car window, propped his head with his hands, and tried to adjust to a more comfortable sitting position, but he still felt uncomfortable.


    He inadvertently glanced away while adjusting his position. Through the dense crowd, he saw a figure coming from the other side of the square.


    The man was wearing ordinary army green plastic rubber boots. His lower body wore the same style army green trousers and were pulled up high. There was a large area of dry mud at his ankle. Wang Chao¡¯s gaze slowly moved up, seeing a blue and white striped T on the man¡¯s body that looked to be from the 1970s, and he was carrying a red and white striped snakeskin bag. Then he finally looked at the man¡¯s face.


    He opened his mouth wide, thinking he was hallucinating.


    In the next second, Wang Chao quickly closed his eyes, hoping to use the restart action to adjust his brain¡¯s visual system. In short, anything was fine, as long as the illusion would quickly dissipate.


    He counted down from three seconds, and when he opened his eyes again, that figure and that terrifying face really disappeared.


    He breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly took out his phone and sent a text: [Fuck, A¡¯Kang Ge, I just saw a person who looks very similar to you, and it almost scared the piss out of me. I should¡¯ve taken a picture for you to see.]


    The other quickly replied to the text message: [Really?]


    [*Nodding vigorously like a pecking chicken!* If I didn¡¯t know you were on a mission in Niger, Java, or some extraterrestrial galaxy, I would¡¯ve thought I was in hell!]


    [Hehe]


    Another short reply came back without even punctuation. But soon, another text message came: [You know where the Boss is? I can¡¯t find him.]


    [Boss¡ªthe Boss and I have just experienced a test of life and death. It was truly enduring. You really should come to the scene and see our mighty figure!]


    Wang Chao was eager to finish sending this message when he realized that he hadn¡¯t answered the question in the text. When he wanted to send a follow-up, he focused on the last few words: [I can¡¯t find him.]


    It was as if he were at the scene¡­


    Wang Chao muttered silently. He touched the phone screen and was about to reply when another text message popped up.


    It was still short: [I¡¯m here.]


    The surrounding was silent for a moment, then Wang Chao felt goosebumps all over his body.


    Tap, tap, tap¡­


    At this moment, the slight sound of the car window being tapped was heard. Wang Chao shuddered and turned around slowly like a ghost.


    Sure enough, the man wearing the 1970s shirt with a snakeskin bag was standing at the window, bending slightly and looking at him with a grin, showing a row of snow-white teeth that were so bright, they glistened.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen¡¯s distant back, gradually regaining his composure from his violent heartbeat. Until Lin Chen¡¯s figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, he was still staring in a daze.


    Lin Chen had just desperately kissed him. This was obvious. And he was completely shocked, which was also obvious.


    Although he wanted to think about when Lin Chen had started to develop feelings for him beyond friendship, at this moment, his mind was full of Lin Chen¡¯s expression when he kissed him; pure, hot, desperate, scorching like fire. He could feel the pain in Lin Chen¡¯s soul, and he could also feel the deep love Lin Chen expressed in that kiss.


    That kind of love actually made his heart burn, like honey flowing from a beehive with an amber-translucent luster that was both beautiful and sweet.


    He also discovered in a very short moment that being loved by others was just like that beautiful and sweet honey.


    However, Lin Chen actually pushed him away¡­


    Xing Conglian sighed, realizing that kissing just once wasn¡¯t enough. He wanted to experience it again.


    But since Lin Chen kissed him, that meant he should like him. When he confirmed this, he was surprised to find that all the methods he had learned to deal with problems were useless. To make matters worse, he found that his turbulent life was such a mess that he hadn¡¯t had time to learn how to deal with emotional problems correctly. He really wanted to grab Lin Chen and ask him if this was an emotional defect.


    However, since Lin Chen made his statement, naturally, he must also make his own. Therefore, he was thinking about whether he should go up, grab Lin Chen, and kiss him again, or whether he should carefully consider their future and various risks after being together before making a decision.


    Since Lin Chen had been by his side, he should be able to figure out these contents quickly. In short, he couldn¡¯t let Lin Chen wait too long.


    With such a happy thought, he walked slowly upstairs. The crowd at the scene of the fire had been evacuated. The next step was a series of heavy follow-up work. Whether it was to assess the damage, the follow-up investigation, or even the motivation mentioned by Meijing, all of these must be investigated again.


    He raised his eyes and looked around. He didn¡¯t know where Lin Chen had gone. The weather was a bit gloomy, and the sudden dark clouds brought a lot of dampness. He took a deep breath and felt the sudden coolness in the air. The next moment, he saw Wang Chao frantically packing things in a police car, looking like he was trying to escape. He didn¡¯t know what was going on in that kid¡¯s head.


    Xing Conglian started walking towards Wang Chao¡¯s position.


    At this moment, he heard someone calling him. The voice seemed familiar. When he looked back with difficulty, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.


    Not far behind him stood a young man dragging a snakeskin bag. The man¡¯s skin was dark, but his teeth were as white as silver.


    Xing Conglian turned his body around.


    The man walked towards him and made a very standard salute.


    Xing Conglian was just about to say something, when he saw the other party quickly took out a box of inferior ten-yuan cigarettes from his pocket and handed one out. The swift movement seemed determined not to give him any chance to react.


    ¡°Boss, Kang An, the door knocker, was ordered to ask you for help.¡±


    His former subordinate said so.


    Xing Conglian looked at the circle of fine gold threads inlaid on the edge of the cigarette under the sun. His first reaction was to turn around and leave.

 CH 165

    At least that was what he thought, and he certainly did, but not before he took a step forward.


    ¡°Boss!¡± The man behind him shouted loudly.


    ¡°Damn it, I retired a long time ago.¡± Xing Conglian kept walking forward irritably.


    ¡°Coordinates (7¡ã11¡¯S, 24¡ã45¡¯W), Kang An, the knocker, was ordered to ask you for help.¡±


    His former subordinate emphasized solemnly.


    Xing Conglian suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked, ¡°Dana Region?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He examined the stubborn-faced subordinate in front of him, and his gaze finally fell on the cigarette the other party was handing out.


    At that moment, all he could think about was Lin Chen, but he still stretched out his hand to take the cigarette. He took out a lighter, lit it, stuffed it into his mouth, and took a puff.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± he glared as he said solemnly.


    ¡°The Gaomeng Tribe has imprisoned thousands of people and is preparing to start a massacre. We have no way to find the exact location where they¡¯re being held, and negotiations have reached a deadlock. Please leave immediately. The direct flight from Yongchuan Airport is on standby.¡±


    Kang An kept whispering in his ears. When he heard the coordinates, he knew exactly how urgent the situation was, but he didn¡¯t want to say a word now. Xing Conglian raised his eyes and began to search for Lin Chen¡¯s figure among the people moving around in the square. He saw girls sitting on the ground with frightened faces and firefighters who were still rushing towards the fire, but he didn¡¯t see Lin Chen.


    After an inefficient search, he thought he could still call him. He took out his phone and dialed Lin Chen¡¯s number, but the long disconnected tone made him feel at a loss.


    ¡°Boss, the flight is on standby,¡± the annoying voice urged in his ear.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I have a little privilege?¡± He started running towards Wang Chao.


    ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then give me five minutes.¡±


    The voice behind him became more irritating. Xing Conglian opened the door of the car. Wang Chao had already packed all his luggage and was looking at him with a sad face. ¡°Boss, can I not go?¡±


    ¡°Quickly locate the location of your A¡¯Chen Gege¡¯s phone. I can¡¯t find where he is.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Can we really take A¡¯Chen Gege with us?¡±


    ¡°Dana Rainforest, Gaomeng Tribe. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate?¡±


    Wang Chao quickly lowered his voice. ¡°Then¡­ Then don¡¯t do it. It¡¯s too dangerous. A¡¯Chen Gege is allergic to antibiotics, so he can¡¯t go to that kind of place¡­¡± Wang Chao became more discouraged. ¡°Do you know what happened, Boss?¡±


    Hearing this, Kang An interjected. ¡°Boss, this is a top-secret operation. It¡¯s forbidden to leak to outsiders of the system, and who is this A¡¯Chen?¡±


    ¡°The regulations are written by laozi. You think laozi doesn¡¯t understand better than you?¡± After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he knocked on Wang Chao¡¯s head irritably. ¡°I told you to find someone, so stop talking nonsense.¡±


    Wang Chao quickly opened his laptop and began to search for the GPS location of Lin Chen¡¯s phone while muttering, ¡°Boss, what should we do about A¡¯Chen when we leave? It¡¯s so sudden, and I feel like A¡¯Chen isn¡¯t in a good mental state. Will it be hard for him if we¡¯re not there¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s brows furrowed tighter. He remembered Lin Chen¡¯s despair and pain when he kissed him. If it weren¡¯t for being forced to the extreme, how could Lin Chen suddenly erupt just now? Since Lin Chen¡¯s attitude was clear, it was obviously very irresponsible for him to suddenly leave now. If there was enough time, he really wanted to pull Lin Chen aside and tell him everything, but he didn¡¯t have enough time, and he didn¡¯t have a way to tell Lin Chen where he was going, what he was doing, when he would be back, or the possibility that he may never return.


    The geographic location of Lin Chen appeared on the screen. Xing Conglian glanced at it, confirmed the location, and ran there, but before he could run two steps, he found Kang An was following him.


    ¡°Are you this fucking annoying?¡± He turned around and cursed with a cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Boss, there are two minutes and eleven seconds.¡± His former subordinate, dressed as a bricklayer, tapped the children¡¯s electronic watch on his wrist and urged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. Give me two minutes.¡± Xing Conglian changed his tone and requested politely.


    ¡°No,¡± Kang An replied without hesitation.


    Xing Conglian was speechless. He even wanted to beat him up.


    There were too many people in the square, which really hindered his movements. He had to avoid many people carefully. When he saw Lin Chen, Kang An counted down behind him telling him there was only thirty seconds left.


    In the distance, Lin Chen was squatting near the wounded area to comfort a little boy. Some golden sunlight shone through the dense clouds and fell on Lin Chen¡¯s side. Lin Chen had a peaceful face and gentle eyes as he was talking to the crying little boy.


    Looking at Lin Chen¡¯s side face, at that moment, Xing Conglian had a feeling of unwillingness for the first time in the world. It was enough to leave the world fucked.


    Lin Chen rubbed the little boy¡¯s head. When he turned his head, he happened to see Xing Conglian running. Lin Chen squatted on the ground, looking at him blankly.


    Xing Conglian ran to Lin Chen. He just wanted to say goodbye at that time, but the moment he saw Lin Chen, he didn¡¯t hesitate to pull him up from the ground and hug him tightly.


    At the moment of being pulled up by Xing Conglian, Lin Chen felt dizzy for a short time. It may be because he squatted for too long or Xing Conglian used too much force, but when he reacted, he had already leaned against Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder. Xing Conglian was embracing him with his other arm.


    When he kissed Xing Conglian just now, the other party was calm, but now, he didn¡¯t know why Xing Conglian¡¯s emotional reaction was so intense. Was this the manifestation of too long of a reflex arc?


    What made Lin Chen even more confused was the meaning of this hug. He didn¡¯t know why Xing Conglian suddenly rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. He lowered his head slightly, and at first sight, he saw the golden thread wrapped around the edge of the cigarette that Xing Conglian was holding. He looked up and saw an eager stranger standing behind Xing Conglian. He saw the other party¡¯s green shoes and the cigarette pack in his hand and instantly understood something.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He leaned on Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder and asked faintly, amidst the occasional cries of pain from the wounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± The next moment, Xing Conglian replied in his ear.


    Lin Chen was taken aback and took half a step back. This wasn¡¯t the answer he expected. There was no agreement or rejection in this answer. This may not even be a response to his confession.


    But what exactly are you sorry for? He really wanted to ask Xing Conglian bluntly like this.


    If you don¡¯t like me, don¡¯t. If you don¡¯t want to accept my feelings, don¡¯t. Don¡¯t force your feelings either. How can you be sorry?


    Just when he decided he would ask clearly, Xing Conglian took a deep look at him and then turned around without hesitation, so that he didn¡¯t get a chance to even say a word.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s receding back disappeared into the crowd as the dark clouds covered the last ray of sunlight. Lin Chen looked up that sky and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian left, and so did Wang Chao.


    They left so suddenly without saying anything to anyone, so when Jiang Chao found Lin Chen cleaning up the scene, he swore at those two.


    ¡°Fuck, they just leave whenever they want. That¡¯s too irresponsible!¡±


    Jiang Chao pulled out his phone and called Xing Conglian¡¯s number but he only got ¡°The number you have dialed has been disconnected.¡±


    ¡°It should be something urgent.¡± Lin Chen replied with some simple speculations. In fact, he didn¡¯t blame Xing Conglian and Wang Chao for not telling him. After all, he was convinced that something that could make Xing Conglian act this way was far more important than finishing up the aftermath of this case. Xing Conglian had never been an irresponsible and ignorant person.


    He looked at Jiang Chao seriously and said, ¡°Please take back what you just said. It¡¯s very excessive to use ¡®irresponsible¡¯ when evaluating Xing Conglian and Wang Chao.¡±


    Jiang Chao hurriedly apologized. ¡°Sorry, Consultant Lin. I¡¯m sorry. I just have a bad mouth, but, Consultant Lin, don¡¯t you live with Lao Xing? You have such a good relationship. How can you not know where they went? It must be really urgent then.¡±


    Lin Chen bowed his head slightly. Jiang Chao¡¯s words were truly lacking in tact.


    Indeed, although he was living in Xing Conglian¡¯s home, he didn¡¯t know where Xing Conglian and Wang Chao were going or what they were doing. In fact, their previous acquaintance was probably an illusion after a mutual whitewash. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know his past, and he didn¡¯t know Xing Conglian¡¯s. He even wondered if he should even return to Yanjia Lane.


    After all, what was a home without its master?


    Rarely was Lin Chen so confused. He felt as if his heart had been hollowed out.


    He silently followed Jiang Chao to deal with the follow-up matters on the scene. After all, human attention was a limited resource. When he was busy, he wouldn¡¯t have to think about too many things for the time being.


    For example, where did Xing Conglian and Wang Chao go, whether they would be in danger, when they would return, or whether they would really come back. Although these questions occasionally appeared in his thoughts, they would soon be suppressed by the matter at hand, but the scenes that occurred in that dim underground space would continue to flash before his eyes. Sometimes it was the blackened face of Xing Conglian, and sometimes it was when he wiped his tears away with his hands. Lin Chen looked down at the time. Xing Conglian had only been gone for about five hours, and he had probably already thought about him hundreds of times.


    The night was sultry. The surroundings were dark, and the mosquitoes were dense. The dark clouds that had been smoldering for the whole day didn¡¯t turn into thunderstorms. The people at the cultural center had gradually dispersed.


    Lin Chen closed his notebook and put the ballpoint pen into his pocket. He thought about some details of the case and walked towards the police car with Jiang Chao.


    ¡°It¡¯s still necessary to investigate the backgrounds of all victims in detail to find out the common ground. Meijing and Xiang Ye must have a more secret purpose behind this,¡± he said as he walked.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you haven¡¯t heard anything from Lao Xing yet?¡± Jiang Chao began to touch subjects he shouldn¡¯t be touching.


    ¡°Yes, no.¡±


    Lin Chen got into the car and found that he could already calmly answer this question.


    On the return trip, he specifically asked Jiang Chao to take him to the entrance of the subway station, where Xing Conglian had parked his Jeep. Sure enough, the vehicle he was very familiar with was parked alone in the parking space at the entrance to the subway. Wang Chao¡¯s pillow, snacks, and comic books were randomly thrown in the back seat. The location of the sundries was the same as when they got off, which showed that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even have time to return to the car to get necessary items.


    After Jiang Chao saw all this, he became a little nervous. ¡°Consultant Lin, Lao Xing didn¡¯t even take the car. Could it be that something happened? Do you think we should report a disappearance?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Lin Chen replied with great certainty.


    ¡­¡­


    Thousands of miles high.


    Through the porthole, Xing Conglian looked at the red sunset outside the window, a little distracted.


    He was still wearing the sweat-soaked shirt after the fire. When he got on the plane, he just washed his face and started his new job.


    Kang An kept explaining the latest situation opposite him, but his voice had completely disappeared as he was distracted. He could only feel that someone was talking on the opposite side, but he automatically blocked out the sound. This was naturally unprofessional behavior, but when he looked at the increasingly bright sky outside the window, he couldn¡¯t help but think about something else.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen said goodbye to Jiang Chao but didn¡¯t intend to check into his hotel room immediately.


    The hotel Jiang Chao booked was an express hotel where he and Xing Conglian stayed last time. The river at the entrance was still quiet, and the snack street was still bustling.


    Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street at will. There were countless people drinking and partying in the food stalls. Whether they were lovers or friends, they were happy clinking cups and drinking merrily. Those people were talking and laughing. Then, their voices were mixed in with the smoke from the stove, like countless clouds of joy steaming up from the long street.


    The streetlights were dim, and the night was getting darker. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how long he had been walking. When he came back to his senses, he was standing in front of a crayfish shop called ¡°Reunion¡±.


    The meaning of the name of the shop was really good. He looked at the store sign and walked in.


    He ordered a serving of spicy crayfish and a plate of roasted peanuts but didn¡¯t order beer.


    When the dishes were served, heavy rain started falling outside the shop.

 CH 166

    The Dana Rainforest was located in the middle of the Titan Basin. It covered an area of about 2.3 million square kilometers and was the second largest tropical rainforest in the world ten years ago. However, ten years later, due to the destruction of the forest caused by mining, the area of the rainforest was greatly reduced. All this content could be found by opening an encyclopedia, but there was only a small mention of the status quo of the rainforest, which was divided up by major armed factions that fought endlessly year round. Even the large and terrifying numbers of refugees weren¡¯t mentioned.


    Of course, the Dana area was listed as one of the six no-fly zones in the world by the FAA. Not only were there militants and refugees, but there were all kinds of ferocious beasts and uncivilized, primitive cannibal tribes. Most terrifying was the raging epidemic of infectious diseases due to the low level of medical and health care.


    A virologist once joked that the area with the deadliest virus samples in the world wasn¡¯t the central virus database of any country but the Dana Rainforest. This was actually not a joke, as he almost failed to get out alive.


    Xing Conglian was keenly aware of the danger of this mission that he couldn¡¯t give Lin Chen any promises. After all, the cruelest thing was to give up and let it be shattered.


    Lin Chen shouldn¡¯t have to experience such cruelty.


    The flight was about to land in an hour. Kang An had sorted out all the materials on the table very doggedly, looking extremely guilty. Wang Chao was desperately stuffing pure water into his backpack while Xing Conglian just sat on his seat and kept tapping the table repeatedly.


    He suddenly thought of Lin Chen again for no reason. If Lin Chen were here, he would definitely use a peaceful tone to analyze why Kang An was so anxious and kept hesitating to speak. But now that Lin Chen wasn¡¯t here, he could barely guess what was going on in his subordinate¡¯s head. Kang An¡¯s request for help might put their lives in danger, so it made him uneasy.


    In front of him, Mr. Kang was sorting out materials at a terrifying speed, as if he wanted to devour all the materials. Xing Conglian glanced at his subordinate and stopped tapping the table.


    Kang An was so frightened that he wanted to throw out all the materials in his hands. Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao and said, ¡°Go to the bathroom for a while.¡±


    Wang Chao looked at them blankly for a moment, then suddenly shivered and fled to the bathroom as if he had sprouted wings, not forgetting to plug his ears as he ran.


    ¡°Mr. Kang, tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The next moment, Kang An kneeled to the ground with a thump, refusing to look up at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Mr. Kang, we are a formal department. Don¡¯t engage in the underworld, okay? The scenes of deep relationship between a master and apprentice and guilty pleas are not very useful in modern dramas. My time is precious, so I¡¯ll go back if there¡¯s nothing major.¡± Although he said this, in fact, he knew better than anyone else that Kang An wouldn¡¯t come to a retiree like him for help if he hadn¡¯t encountered an extremely difficult problem that couldn¡¯t be handled.


    Finally, his subordinate raised his head, and his eyes were red. ¡°Captain, this matter is all my fault. Xiao Wu and A¡¯K might be crazy.¡±


    ¡°Go to a doctor if they¡¯re crazy. Why come to me?¡±


    ¡°They disappeared along with thousands of people who were about to be slaughtered by the Gaomeng Tribe.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re missing, find someone to look for them. Do I look like I¡¯m a professional person finder?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Captain. Something happened in the rainforest, and no one knows what. Xiao Wu and A¡¯K suddenly went insane during the investigation process, and we lost contact. As far as I know, a similar situation has already occurred in the Dana Rainforest. Dozens of incidents occurred in major armed groups nearby, and some are saying it¡¯s a curse¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about the paranormal. I still can¡¯t do anything about curses and witchcraft.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡± Kang An kneeled solemnly with his back straight. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m with Xiao Wu. Please save him.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at his subordinate, who was kneeling on the ground, in disbelief that he had almost spilled the water on the table.


    ¡­¡­


    Naturally, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know that Xing Conglian was going through the biggest test of his career, which was how to correctly deal with the love problems of two former subordinates of the same sex. In face of this matter, any mysterious incident in the Dana Rainforest or the entrapment of thousands of people were suddenly pushed back a bit.


    For Lin Chen, after the initial loss, there was a long and difficult period of worry.


    The sky was getting brighter outside. Earlier today, Xiang Ye was in the detention center. Although the guards were already extremely strict, Xiang Ye still found an opportunity to cut this femoral artery. If a person wanted to die with all his heart, he would always find a way. He didn¡¯t go to the scene, but according to Jiang Chao, Xiang Ye¡¯s blood was splattered everywhere; seemingly, he died a miserable death.


    For him, Xiang Ye¡¯s death was an inevitable outcome, like the struggle between two people since ancient times.


    However, Jiang Chao was still brooding over Xiang Ye¡¯s death. For this reason, he was dragged by Jiang Chao to work overtime on another night shift. The second division of Yongchuan was filled with the sweet and bitter taste of instant coffee. The police station at night was still busy with official duties, and there were constant phone calls and the sound of police officers rushing in and out.


    Lin Chen felt it was quiet, however. There was no sound of Wang Chao chewing potato chips or eating any snacks around him, and Xing Conglian would not suddenly make him a cup of tea and set it on the table, then pull him away from a case to relax and chat for a bit.


    The handwriting on the computer screen began to blur. He was just checking the personal files of all members of the Song Shengsheng fan club. In fact, he suspected that some filtering procedures were embedded in Xiang Ye¡¯s and Meijing¡¯s ticketing system for the Song Shengsheng fan meeting. Only certain members were selected. Because for Meijing, he had to strive to obtain the maximum benefit from any action. However, looking at more than 3,000 different materials, Lin Chen once again became confused.


    Only when he manually investigated the case would he find that he missed Comrade Wang Chao even more. For this kind of thing, if he gave it to Wang Chao, he would get the exact result in half an hour.


    He looked at his phone. It had now been more than 50 hours since Xing Conglian and Wang Chao suddenly left, which meant that Xing Conglian and Wang Chao had reached any point on the earth. And yet, so far, his phone hadn¡¯t rung once. Although he knew that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian had their reasons for not telling him, wasn¡¯t it reasonable to tell him that they were safe or that they would be leaving for a bit after landing? Since they hadn¡¯t reported their safety, it meant what they were doing wasn¡¯t safe.


    He wanted to call Xing Conglian, but when he picked up his phone, he put it down again.


    After all, Xing Conglian had said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡± before he left, and he didn¡¯t even add ¡°Wait for me¡±. After the irritating period when he heard this, Lin Chen gradually calmed down. He began to analyze the relationship between him and Xing Conglian and started to think about the deep meaning contained in what Xing Conglian had said to him.


    If Xing Conglian said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Let¡¯s talk when I come back¡±, then the problem shouldn¡¯t be serious and he would do as he said.


    And if Xing Conglian had said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. Wait for me.¡±, then the problem should be relatively serious, but it wasn¡¯t unsolvable.


    But he only said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡±, which meant that the situation may be out of Xing Conglian¡¯s control, so he couldn¡¯t make any promises to come back.


    Perhaps after watching the computer for so long, Lin Chen felt pain in his eyes. He propped his elbows on the table and covered his eyes with both hands. He really rarely had this kind of moment where he was at a loss and felt powerless. He didn¡¯t even have a direction to find someone. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, he didn¡¯t know who the man was who was wearing the rubber green boots, and he didn¡¯t know why Xing Conglian would suddenly make up his mind to give up his peaceful life and leave resolutely. Now the only clue he could grasp was the cigarette Xing Conglian was holding in his hand.


    He was considering whether he should go to that small shop next to the Xinni Embassy to find out more about that pack of cigarettes. Thinking of this, he had already grabbed his coat and stood up.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± Just as he stood up, a long call sounded behind him.


    Lin Chen turned around and saw Jiang Chao¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°Captain Jiang, is there something wrong?¡±


    Jiang Chao rubbed his hands, then his face, and said excitedly, ¡°Consultant Lin, your hunch should be right. There really is a specific list filter module on the ticket distribution system for the Song Shengsheng fan club, but we can¡¯t grasp what it is yet.¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback and was unable to recover from his thoughts just now. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Jiang Chao¡¯s eyes glowed, which was the look that police officers would have when they reached a breakthrough during an investigation. ¡°Meijing and Xiang Ye should have wanted to kill certain fans of Song Shengsheng. You¡¯re right. Their attack was premeditated and well organized. Most likely the motives aren¡¯t just to retaliate against us police!¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder a little absentmindedly. ¡°Mm, a major breakthrough. Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, where are you going?¡± Jiang Chao asked suddenly.


    ¡°Out for a break.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ have you finished reading Song Shengsheng¡¯s fan club information? What do they have in common? The members of my other two groups have also been studying, but there has been no breakthrough yet.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished reading it yet. I¡¯ll tell you if I have news.¡± Lin Chen was about to bypass him and go out.


    ¡°I know, I know you¡¯re tired and in a bad mood because Lao Xing left. Then do you think I can accompany you for a walk? Just around the police station compound. The scenery there is quite good. Later, you can get a few hours rest in the lounge, and I¡¯ll give you a call,¡± Jiang Chao said earnestly.


    Lin Chen glanced at the position at the door without nodding.


    ¡°I¡¯m mainly afraid that I haven¡¯t found out the exact motives of the criminals. What if they want to organize another attack on Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans? This is an urgent matter.¡±


    Indeed. Compared with the thousands of fans who could be in danger again, he didn¡¯t need to worry too much about his two extremely capable friends.


    Lin Chen sighed. He put down his coat and sat down again in front of the computer.


    I hope you guys return safely.


    He tilted his head to look at the sinking sun outside the window.

 CH 167

    As long as hard work was put in, anyone could make progress quickly.


    Lin Chen read dozens of pages of materials again, took advantage of the tea break, and went to the network department. The two police officers inside were working overnight shifts as well. They took turns lying down on the table to rest, as if they couldn¡¯t bear it anymore.


    Seeing him push the door and enter, the one who was still awake looked at him blankly as he waved to him.


    After all, this wasn¡¯t the police station where he worked, so Lin Chen didn¡¯t know the name of the other party. He could only nod his head and drag a chair over and sit down.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± he said to the police officer, who was still awake.


    ¡°Not as hard as you. How many hours have you not had a good rest? Just look at your face.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head and took a sip of tea. Jiang Chao¡¯s subordinates made him speechless, just like him.


    But to be honest, since Xing Conglian and Wang Chao left, he really hadn¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep. Every time he wanted to close his eyes and rest for a while, countless pictures would flash in front of his eyes, one after another. For a while, it was a picture of Xu Ran being hit, and for a while, it was the scene of Song Shengsheng¡¯s death. In short, those images that left the deepest impression in memory were also the easiest to emerge from the subconscious when the consciousness was relaxed. The one he thought about the most was Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wake himself up from this bad state.


    Only the sound of the computer case was left in the office. The police officer smiled awkwardly a few times, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°There hasn¡¯t been any progress so far, right?¡± Lin Chen held his teacup as he asked.


    The other party nodded. ¡°After cross-comparison, all the fans of Mr. Song Shengsheng seem to have nothing in common. Whether it¡¯s age, life experience, locations, and the like, the only thing they have in common is gender.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they want to select victims, they will always use some statistical method to make it less easy for us to find the problem.¡± Lin Chen thought for a while and suddenly looked up at the police officer in front of him. ¡°There¡¯s another possibility. The personal files stored on the internet are still relatively simple. There should be something that isn¡¯t on the file that¡¯s very important, but we haven¡¯t found it until now.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a good question.¡¯ Lin Chen fell into contemplation.


    There were too many things that weren¡¯t counted in the archives, such as what they bought on Taobao or if they had bought a book today¡­ But the reason why Meijing and Xiang Ye chose Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans was most likely because Song Shengsheng had influence over his fans, and most of the singer¡¯s influence on the fans would be reflected through works and advertising endorsements.


    Lin Chen remembered that Wang Chao had once made him a collection of Song Shengsheng¡¯s MVs and advertising works. He patted the police officer next to him on the shoulder and asked the other party to open up his email and bring up the documents Wang Chao had sent.


    Then he discovered that because too much time had passed, the files sent by Wang Chao had expired and couldn¡¯t be downloaded.


    Lin Chen subconsciously took out his phone, then realized he couldn¡¯t call the teenager now. There would no longer be that sweet voice on the other end of the line.


    He looked at the contact number in a daze for a while, until the voice of the police officer next to him called him back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The information has expired, so I have to trouble you to collect it again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯ve been helping us.¡± The other party scratched his head embarrassedly and suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just transfer over here?¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback. He didn¡¯t know where Jiang Chao¡¯s men could come up with such whimsical ideas.


    ¡°I¡¯d better not. My original unit is quite good.¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Jiang Chao¡¯s applause suddenly came from the door.


    Lin Chen turned his head and saw Vice Captain Jiang clapping his hand twice. He patted his subordinate¡¯s shoulder heavily and said to him, ¡°Seriously, Consultant Lin, you should think about it. Hongjing is a small city. I know you and Lao Xing aren¡¯t the types who pursue higher glory and officialdom, but as you can see, Yongchuan is a big city with a dense population. Criminals especially like to commit crimes here. Besides, don¡¯t worry. You and Lao Xing have solved so many cases together. If Lao Xing is transferred, his rank will probably be just as high as mine.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed inaudibly. He couldn¡¯t tell Jiang Chao that the reason Xing Conglian chose Hongjing was because he wanted to live a less exciting retirement life. But speaking of it, Xing Conglian¡¯s position in his retirement career may have undergone some deviations since he appeared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when he comes back.¡± Lin Chen could only evade like so.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    Jiang Chao sighed heavily as he pulled over a chair and sat down beside him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked the police officer, who was looking at information.


    ¡°Consultant Lin gave me a direction. I¡¯m looking for some information.¡± As he spoke, he looked over again. ¡°Consultant Lin, it will take me some time to find the materials. Would you like to take a break first?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and took another sip of tea. ¡°No, I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± He paused and then said, ¡°I thought for a while. What Xiang Ye and Meijing planned should be a relatively slow-acting thing. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t spend more than ten years waiting. This, of course, is most likely related to Song Shengsheng¡¯s imprisonment. I¡¯m afraid there are reasons for the time I just mentioned.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very reasonable, but it really takes some time to check the materials from ten years ago.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. He rested his head on one hand and thought about the MVs and commercials he had seen. The pictures in his mind were switched frame by frame, and he felt the answer should be obvious, but in the last two days, almost all his thoughts were occupied by Xing Conglian, and any remaining thoughts were distributed to Wang Chao, so there wasn¡¯t much energy to think about the problem.


    What Jiang Chao said earlier wasn¡¯t wrong. The real motivation of Xiang Ye and Meijing was an urgent matter, while he had more time to clearly think about the rest.


    Thinking of this, the pictures in his mind suddenly stopped.


    Song Shengsheng¡¯s appearance in an advertisement appeared before his eyes. At that time, Song Shengsheng was still young. He was wearing a cap and huge sunglasses, and his collar was pulled extremely high, as if he were hiding someone. Subsequently, the ad screen gradually cleared. Lin Chen remembered that it should be in a hospital space. He carefully avoided the doctors and patients passing by, making people think he seemed to be up to no good. After a very thrilling period of time passed, he suddenly opened the door of the ward, then took something from his pocket and sprayed it into the air.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡±


    He shouted.


    As the ribbons fell from the sky, everyone in the ward was stunned. At this moment, the first person to react was a little girl lying on the hospital bed. The little girl covered her face and cried, looking very excited.


    Song Shengsheng hurried over to hold the little girl in his arms and comforted her, like a prince charming in a fairy tale. He said to her in a gentle tone, ¡°Sorry, my princess. I¡¯m late.¡±


    The subtitles then appeared, which showed: [AIH Insurance. Protecting you for a lifetime.]


    A chill ran down his spine, and the porcelain cup in Lin Chen¡¯s hand crashed to the floor.


    The police officer lying on the table suddenly straightened up and shouted, ¡°What happened!¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The other police officer looked at him worriedly.


    ¡°Insurance¡­ Have you checked the insurance of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans?¡±


    ¡°Yes, most people are on social security, so there are no problems there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about social security. It¡¯s commercial insurance.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not in the file, so you have to go to the major insurance companies to compare the lists.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go to the major insurance companies. Just go to AIH.¡±


    The police officer nodded. Although he had many doubts on his face, he immediately called the Yongchuan branch of AIH and communicated with the operator on the other end of the line.


    Jiang Chao sat aside and listened inexplicably. His face was gloomy as he asked in a low tone, ¡°Consultant Lin, what does this mean? Could it be that Meijing and the others wanted to burn thousands of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans to defraud the insurance company? Isn¡¯t this something we can find out as soon as we check the beneficiary of the insurance?¡±


    When Jiang Chao was talking, Lin Chen was squatting down to pick up the broken porcelain. Hearing Jiang Chao¡¯s question, he couldn¡¯t help but clench the porcelain in his hand uncontrollably.


    No matter which part of AIH Insurance Xiang Ye and Meijing tampered with, using Song Shengsheng¡¯s appeal to induce fans to buy insurance and then kill those fans, the sinister intentions were beyond normal logic. This was more like a ruthless mockery: Look, in the end, it¡¯s not your favorite person who makes you buy things you shouldn¡¯t buy but kills you.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t confirm whether it was an insurance issue or not, if Meijing managed to kill Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans in the end, he couldn¡¯t imagine what the public and media would say after learning about it.


    And it was only now that he realized what Meijing said. The innocent victims in this fire would become brain dead fans. Many would say that if they didn¡¯t chase stars, they wouldn¡¯t die, so they deserved it.


    How many people could clearly realize that there was no necessary causal connection between fans buying goods endorsed by idols and their deaths? It wasn¡¯t Song Shengsheng who killed them; it wasn¡¯t the insurance products that killed them; it was the malice of the forces behind the scenes that killed them.


    But how many people who adhere to the true concept of right and wrong would clearly recognize this?


    Lin Chen lowered his head and released his hand. His palms were flushed. Jiang Chao gasped violently in front of him but didn¡¯t dare say a word.


    Some people would say, ¡°So that¡¯s what happened. Who made them rush to buy things endorsed by idols.¡±


    Some people would say, ¡°I told you before that you shouldn¡¯t buy things endorsed by stars. It¡¯s all a waste of money, but this time it wasn¡¯t just a waste of money but also a waste of life.¡±


    Some people would say, ¡°Maybe Song Shengsheng conspired with his agent to kill fans for money.¡±


    Seeing such a similar statement would make anyone who was kind from the bottom of their hearts despair for human nature¡ªand this was probably what Xiang Ye and Meijing wanted.


    He suddenly thought of the question Wang Chao had asked. ¡°Have you ever seen an extremely evil world?¡±

 CH 168

    The similar malice smelled familiar to Lin Chen.


    Once upon a time, someone planned a similar incident in order to play with human nature, arouse the malice of bystanders, and at the same time prove to all the well-meaning people in the world that the ordinary people around you would always be more vicious than you think, and the world was truly bad.


    In fact, Lin Chen also thought about the significance of similar games in human nature, but the questions about morality and good and evil in human nature were themselves the ultimate questions for humanity. Countless philosophers, scientists, and psychologists have debated this extensively since ancient times, and with so many people discussing it in their daily lives, it should be meaningful.


    However, with Xing Conglian not around, Lin Chen didn¡¯t bother to think too deeply in this direction. He wasn¡¯t engaged in philosophical research. He was just a lovelorn person who was left behind by his crush. Even if he did understand these ultimate questions about mankind, it wouldn¡¯t make Xing Conglian come back a day earlier.


    Lin Chen¡¯s mood suddenly faded. He stood up and threw the bloody, broken porcelain in the trash.


    Jiang Chao kept yelling in his ears, saying, ¡°This wound is so deep¡±, ¡°Consultant Lin, you mustn¡¯t¡±, ¡°Consultant Lin, you have to bandage it¡±, and so on.


    Lin Chen looked back at him and said lightly, ¡°I know. Is there any gauze here? I¡¯ll stop the bleeding first.¡±


    ¡°How can you stop the bleeding? We have to go to the hospital right away.¡±


    Looking at Jiang Chao¡¯s appearance, Lin Chen thought of Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian really knew him.


    At the embassy that day, after he finished his interrogation with Li Jingtian, Xing Conglian took him directly to the infirmary for bandage, because he knew he didn¡¯t like hospitals.


    But Xing Conglian never pointed this out and embarrassed him; instead, he dealt with it thoughtfully and meticulously.


    Lin Chen spread out his hand. He saw the bloody wound on his palm that was cut by the porcelain and felt he was really done for.


    He looked back at the police officer, who was tapping on the keyboard quickly after hanging up the phone, and said to Jiang Chao, ¡°I think the result will come out soon, so it¡¯s fine to go later.¡±


    Jiang Chao wasn¡¯t Xing Conglian, so he couldn¡¯t explain to him why he was being so tough. Seeing that he was persistent, Jiang Chao could only nod his head and then immediately run out to get him the medicine box.


    Lin Chen sat down next to the computer again and said to the police officer, ¡°AIH Insurance has opened up the inquiry authority for you. Why is this so simple?¡±


    ¡°I said there might be insurance fraud, so the person in charge got nervous. Speaking of which, Consultant Lin, why do you think these criminals wanted to murder fans for insurance? Could it be that all the fans have listed the same beneficiary? Then isn¡¯t it easy for us to find out who that beneficiary is?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a moment, then replied, ¡°Assuming there¡¯s a common beneficiary¡ªlet¡¯s call him Mr. A¡ªhow can we prove that Mr. A planned the fire at the Christine Cultural Center? You can¡¯t just say he was going to kill people and defraud the insurance because he¡¯s the beneficiary, right?¡¯


    ¡°Then let¡¯s dig deep into the relationship between Meijing, Xiang Ye, and the beneficiary, Mr. A. There will be clues.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and said, ¡°First, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult for you to find empirical evidence. Second, I think when you find the relationship, it¡¯s very likely you¡¯ll dig up a huge criminal network. At that time, you must pay attention to your personal safety.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me.¡± The police officer was a little terrified.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± Lin Chen patted the police officer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But don¡¯t be afraid. There are many people around you, including me.¡±


    The police officer let out a laugh that was as absentminded as Jiang Chao. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not afraid of death.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head and smiled, patted the other¡¯s head, but didn¡¯t speak again.


    The computer issued a notification that the calculation was over, and the policeman hurriedly turned his head. Lin Chen followed suit. Colorful contents appeared on the comparison form. Although he couldn¡¯t sort it out, he still understood something based on the increasingly frightened expression of the police officer.


    Seeing that the police officer finally pushed the keyboard away and turned his head to look over in a daze, Lin Chen asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, the direction you mentioned seems to be correct. It¡¯s very likely that the fire set by Xiang Ye and Meijing was really for insurance,¡± he said as he held down the form and dragged it to the middle position. ¡°There are three groups of insurance beneficiaries in the same situation. The first group should be a pair of sisters, and the beneficiary should be their own mother. The second group should be a couple whose beneficiary should be their own daughter. The last group is the most suspicious. There are 21 fans who filled out the personal accident insurance for a Doctors Without Borders* organization.¡±


    *A charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It¡¯s a non-governmental organization of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.


    ¡°Doctors Without Borders?¡± Lin Chen was surprised. ¡°Can a beneficiary be an organization?¡±


    The police officer took a deep breath, then said, ¡°It depends on the type of insurance, but since the beneficiary is listed here, it means that AIH Insurance approved of the purchase.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°What you said makes sense, and I¡¯m about to ask a dumb question.¡± He paused. ¡°I just find it strange why these fans uniformly filled in the beneficiary for Doctors Without Borders¡­¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he set his sights on the full name of the organization: [MSC Doctors Without Borders].


    Lin Chen said to the police officer, ¡°Can you calculate the total insurance amount first and then please check the relationship between Song Shengsheng and this organization and whether he has ever called on fans to donate to Doctors Without Borders?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll check right away!¡± The police officer started to work.


    Listening to the clacking of the keyboard, Lin Chen fell into contemplation again.


    Could it really be that Meijing intends to murder more than 3,000 people just for the insurance claim of 21? The payoff was hardly proportional to the cost.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I figured it out. Each person had a payout of 1 million, for a total of 21 million.


    ¡°US dollars?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ The unit is our country¡¯s currency.¡±


    Lin Chen frowned. The amount was beyond his expectations. He was just about to say something when Jiang Chao finally came back with the first aid kit.


    Lin Chen took the medicine box and, at the same time, informed Jiang Chao of the results of their investigation just now.


    Vice-Captain Jiang patted his knees and said excitedly, ¡°I know this organization. This is the oldest Doctors Without Borders organization in the world. My wife joined this organization before and also participated in a year-long medical aid operation in Africa. How could an organization like Doctors Without Borders scam people? I think it¡¯s unlikely, right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded again. Jiang Chao¡¯s words actually made sense. There was no reason for a Doctors Without Borders organization to do this. He opened the first aid kit Jiang Chao handed him and casually rummaged through it, looking for something.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t saying anything, Jiang Chao began to ramble again. ¡°But this beneficiary unit is too strange. I think there does seem to be a problem with it. I¡¯ll investigate it later. Consultant Lin, what do you think is going on?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer. He opened the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and poured some on his hand nonchalantly. Jiang Chao was dumbfounded. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re being too rough.¡±


    Lin Chen grimaced in pain, then looked at the technical officer and asked, ¡°Have you found the relationship between Song Shengsheng and MSC?¡±


    The other party nodded and clicked on the news report. ¡°You guessed it right. Mr. Song Shengsheng did donate a lot of money to this MSC organization ten years ago. Although he didn¡¯t directly call on fans to donate to Doctors Without Borders, since he took the initiative to do so, it still made a huge appeal. The so-called insurance beneficiaries may be decided through internal discussion within small fan groups. We won¡¯t know the specific situation until we find these victims and ask them about it.¡±


    ¡°In other words, it may be just coincidence that the beneficiary of the personal accident insurance of the 21 fans is Doctors Without Borders?¡± The severe pain made Lin Chen sober. He picked up the gauze to wipe the blood from his hand.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± The police officer said, ¡°But 21 people, isn¡¯t this much?¡±


    21 was indeed a clever number. It wasn¡¯t so prominent among the more than 3,000 victims, but it would definitely become a clue for the police. Lin Chen finally realized that what Meijing and Xiang Ye were planning might be far beyond their imagination.


    He thought again about the problem that Meijing kept constantly tricking him on the rooftop. Meijing himself wanted to use the revenge theory to cover up the insurance problem of AIH. What if this 21 was also a trap?


    Lin Chen wiped away most of the blood clots and then changed the piece of gauze and pressed it on the wound. ¡°First answer me this. Is there a high proportion of Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans who buy AIH Insurance?¡±


    ¡°Among 3,021 people, a total of 1,922 have purchased insurance from AIH. Although I haven¡¯t done a specific difference analysis, this ratio is relatively high.¡±


    ¡°Nearly two-thirds?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°So, if we put aside the beneficiaries, it should be AIH Insurance that will suffer the most economic loss if their action was successful.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Xiang Ye and Meijing aren¡¯t trying to bring down AIH, are they?¡± Jiang Chao said.


    Lin Chen frowned. Although Jiang Chao was just asking a rhetorical question casually, Lin Chen felt this might be the answer. ¡°First calculate the total amount of insurance that AIH Insurance needs to pay.¡±


    When the police officer heard this, he stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°That¡¯s probably an astronomical figure. Even if it were 2,000 people at 1 million each, it would total up to 2 billion.¡±


    ¡°Is it enough to bring down AIH?¡±


    Jiang Chao took a deep breath. ¡°Consultant Lin, your speculation is too scary, but AIH is a multinational insurance giant. Compensating such an amount shouldn¡¯t be enough to bankrupt them, right?¡±


    ¡°The total amount is 4.5 billion,¡± the police officer said.


    Jiang Chao almost bit his tongue. ¡°So high?¡±


    ¡°I remember that a certain country once experienced a terrorist attack. The amount of fire insurance claims after the attack directly led to its bankruptcy. The total amount of claims that the company had to pay is about 3.5 billion.¡±


    ¡°But I still don¡¯t think this number can really hurt AIH¡¯s foundation,¡± Jiang Chao insisted.


    ¡°Whether the injury is foundational or not needs to be judged by carefully studying AIH¡¯s financial report. If the company is in a period of internal losses, there may be some problems.¡± Lin Chen pressed the gauze on his palm tighter. ¡°But I really don¡¯t know anything about financial matters. This is just simple speculation.¡±


    ¡°No, no, your speculation does give us a general direction!¡± Jiang Chao said with emotion. ¡°Hurry up. I¡¯ll send you to the hospital right away. Don¡¯t get caught up in the sequelae. I can¡¯t have Lao Xing cut me to death!¡±


    Lin Chen barely heard Jiang Chao¡¯s words. He fell into contemplation again, but this time he wasn¡¯t thinking about Xing Conglian, but another thing. Since it took up to ten years to plan behind the scenes for this incident, their purpose couldn¡¯t be just simple revenge or targeting a certain Doctors Without Borders organization. It may not even be that they wanted to bring down a certain multinational insurance company. The three purposes may be mixed together, so what if there was a fundamental purpose that they weren¡¯t aware of?


    When thinking of this, Lin Chen felt chills all over again. At the same time, he also felt they were lucky. If the people behind the scenes had made any mistakes in the past ten years, it must be that they chose the wrong person to implement their plan.


    Fortunately, Song Shengsheng persisted.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help thinking like this. This was really an extremely fortunate outcome, but it was also awfully sad.


    He seemed to see that blond young man standing in front of him again, patting his chest proudly, and looking at him with a big smile.Looking at Song Shengsheng¡¯s figure, Lin Chen thought, ¡®It¡¯s amazing that you persisted for so many years. Just leave the rest to me.¡¯

 CH 169

    All issues pointed directly to AIH, but it still took a lot of time to investigate the true motivations of Xiang Ye and Meijing, which was something they couldn¡¯t rush.


    Besides, until now, all they could do was inform AIH to pay attention to financial risk and dissuade Song Shengsheng fans from attending large-scale gatherings. In addition, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t think of what else they could do in this short time.


    After the inquiry work was over, Jiang Chao forcibly drove him to the Second People¡¯s Hospital next to Yongchuan¡¯s Second Bureau. According to Vice Captain Jiang, his beautiful wife worked in the neurosurgery department. Naturally, a wound suture like his wouldn¡¯t need the deputy chief physician of neurosurgery to address it, so Lin Chen went to the urgent care department by himself.


    The one who stitched up his wound was a young doctor. As soon as Jiang Chao sent him to the treatment room, he slipped away under the pretext of buying water.


    Lin Chen suspected he was just taking this opportunity to greet the leader of his family, but a good relationship between husband and wife was still enviable.


    He sighed softly and suddenly heard the doctor ask, ¡°How did you get hurt?¡±


    Lin Chen was distracted and was just about to speak when the doctor poured hydrogen peroxide to wash his wound. This was probably the standard procedure for the hospital, but the disinfectant was so painful that he couldn¡¯t even scream.


    ¡°Cut myself on porcelain pieces,¡± he reluctantly replied.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s pretty bad,¡± the doctor said as she began to use a soft brush to clean up the debris that might still be stuck in his wound.


    It still hurt. Compared to this doctor¡¯s skills to Xing Conglian¡¯s, Xing Conglian¡¯s could be considered gentle.


    Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked at the two scars on his arm. The knife wounds had healed, and new flesh had grown out. Some of the red scab hadn¡¯t yet fallen off, and it was mixed with the white of his skin, looking a bit off putting.


    Most likely, it was because he was looking at the knife wound on his arm that the doctor also looked over. The doctor then raised her voice as she asked, ¡°What do you do?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and answered truthfully. ¡°I do consulting work for the police.¡±


    The doctor breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°No wonder. I thought you looked too gentle, and this didn¡¯t seem like it was due to a fight.¡± She paused, picked up the needle and thread with tweezers, and prepared to sew his wound. ¡°Police work is very dangerous.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and said nothing more.


    At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the room. The door wasn¡¯t closed, so the sound floated in from the corridor. A team of security guards were running through the halls, causing all the surrounding patients to stare.


    Lin Chen frowned. At the same time, his phone suddenly rang.


    The ominous premonition in his heart became stronger. The doctor was busy stitching up his wound, so he glanced at the other party and picked up the phone with his other hand.


    Jiang Chao¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end. ¡°Consultant Lin, Consultant Lin!¡± There was an easily detectable tremor in his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My wife is being held hostage with a knife on the fifth floor in the neurosurgery department. Can you be a negotiator?¡±


    The clinic room was too quiet, so Jiang Chao¡¯s words were easily heard by the doctor. ¡°What¡­ How could this happen?!¡± the doctor said anxiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± After Lin Chen finished speaking, he hung up the phone. ¡°Cut the thread,¡± he said to the young doctor.


    ¡­¡­


    10,000 kilometers away in the Republic of Angodo, which was adjacent to the Dana Rainforest, Xing Conglian was looking at the Xazi Mountains to the southwest. Thick, dark clouds covered the mountain tops, and the entire Dana Valley seemed to be shrouded in a humid shadow of death.


    Of course, the so-called shadow of death was just his inner thoughts. After all, since he was sitting in a small bar hundreds of kilometers outside the rainforest and witnessing mercenaries with live ammunition wandering around outside, it would bring him an inexplicable sense of displeasure. He had been away from such a life of gunfire and explosions for too long, and now he had just returned to his old job, so it was inevitable that he would need time to adapt.


    The lights in the bar were dim. Unlike the luxurious bars in developed countries, Dana¡¯s bars only needed to provide three things: alcohol, sex, and, of course, drugs. These three things were also the most common payment methods here, besides gold. Piles of beer were stacked behind the bar, and the wooden shelves were filled with spirits in simple packaging. A kerosene lamp was the only light source in this bar. The decorations in the bar were all ivory, and the precious ivory was crudely carved. Seeing the precious ivory being roughly carved and hung on the wall so casually, Xing Conglian only felt pain.


    Across from him sat the owner of the bar named Garstini. Garstini meant python in Dana, which wasn¡¯t a good word. Usually, bars were always equipped with beautiful and flirtatious proprietresses and tough thugs, but the rules in Dana were different. The owner of the bar was a mighty and majestic Gaomeng man with a shaved head and mustache, which didn¡¯t match his body shape, while his bodyguard was a thin girl who wasn¡¯t any taller than 1.6 meters. Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze swept over the muscle lines of the female bodyguard as well as the guns fixed with black belts to her arms, waist, and thighs. It was clear that a woman who could survive in Dana must be extraordinary.


    Behind him, Kang An put down his backpack, took out three gold bars from it carelessly, and patted them on the table.


    Gold touched people¡¯s hearts, and it didn¡¯t need any verbal guidance. The bright color emitted by the gold alone made the idle mercenaries outside the window look over subconsciously. The soldiers showed a malicious, bloodthirsty gaze, but when they saw the Gaomeng man sitting across from them, they quickly narrowed their gaze, changed from a jackal to a wilting mole, and left bitterly.


    The bar owner also retracted his gaze from out the window. The interesting actions of the mercenaries obviously satisfied his vanity. He glanced at the gold on the table again; his eyes revealing clear satisfaction, but he said, ¡°Boss Xing, usually this amount is enough, but now, it¡¯s not.¡±


    Xing Conglian had fought many times with the most cunning people from the Gaomeng tribe in Dana for a long time, so he didn¡¯t say a word but looked back at Kang An. In the short time he stood up, Mr. Kang had already stuffed the gold bars back into his backpack.


    The next moment, the boss¡¯ female bodyguard drew her gun and pointed the muzzle at Xing Conglian¡¯s chest. Xing Conglian lowered his head slightly and glanced at the slender woman in front of him, avoided the muzzle indifferently, and continued to walk out.


    ¡°Stop!¡± he heard the female bodyguard shout in the Gaomeng language.


    Before her voice fell, Kang An had already grabbed the bodyguard¡¯s gun with lightning speed and pulled the trigger.


    The bullet passed through the woman¡¯s ear and shot out the window. The floor-to-ceiling window of the bar cracked in response, and the glass shattered. The bar owner hugged his head in despair, but his bare head was still pierced by some of the glass fragments.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but glare at Kang An and scold, ¡°Why are you so violent?¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡­ This is not¡­ I¡­ got angry when I saw her pointing the gun at you!¡± Mr. Kang shouted righteously.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything else to Kang An. He pointed to the stool at the other table and motioned for Kang An to bring him another one.


    He sat down opposite the bar owner again. Although the situation had reversed, the bald Gaomeng man still raised his head. ¡°Boss Xing, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not good for you to be so violent at my place, right?¡±


    ¡°I can do as I want. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it.¡± Xing Conglian glanced at the wound on the top of the other man¡¯s head as he spoke casually.


    ¡°Even if you kill me, I can still guarantee that neither you nor your subordinates will be able to get out of this area safely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to buy things, not kill people. Are you Gaomeng people so delusional?¡±


    Hearing what he said, the owner seemed to have misunderstood. He slammed the table heavily and said arrogantly, ¡°You don¡¯t have the attitude of buying things. Double the price or there will be no discussion!¡±


    Doing business in this kind of three-way zone was so troublesome.


    Businessmen had no integrity, and they would never negotiate if they could grasp it clearly.


    Xing Conglian leaned back in his chair and glanced at the young man who had been hiding in the corner.


    Wang Chao swallowed and emerged from the shadows timidly. ¡°Boss, can you not speak with such harsh words?¡±


    Xing Conglian knocked on the armrest impatiently, causing Wang Chao to bow his head to the bar owner and look like a meat mountain. He spoke in fluent Gaomengnese. ¡°Hello, Mr. Moda Nar. I am the chief secretary, attendant, and sidekick of Boss Xing. I¡¯m ordered by my boss to inform you that your eldest son, who¡¯s studying finance in Italy, and your younger son, who¡¯s in his sophomore year of high school, are under our control. We know that you have lost your fertility due to an infectious disease, so the two of them are your only offspring. If my great boss and his two subordinates can¡¯t reach your tribal settlement smoothly, you can say goodbye to your family.¡± As he said this, he took out his phone and brought up two candid photos. Two equally majestic and might Gaomeng teenagers appeared on the phone screen.


    The face of the bar owner turned blue at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Xing Conglian let out a low cough. Wang Chao hurriedly put away his phone, bowed, and said, ¡°I sincerely wish your family all the best.¡±


    The laws of the jungle were as such. Unreasonable people could live longer than reasonable ones.


    After Wang Chao retreated, the bar owner, who was the second son of a distant cousin of the leader of the Gaomeng tribe, quickly changed tune. His eyes were full of anger, but his mouth was as sweet as honey. ¡°Handsome Boss Xing, the son of Qi Naer of the Gaomeng tribe, is willing to help.¡± While speaking, he clapped his hands and said to his bodyguard, ¡°Kanachal, go get my most expensive wine. I want to have a drink with our most distinguished guest.¡±


    The moment the bar owner bowed his head and softened his attitude, his bodyguard instantly turned into a tender little woman.


    Hearing that she was going to get the wine, the woman with muscles as hard as iron gave him a meaningful look, then swayed her figure and walked towards the bar.


    The owner of the bar spoke again. ¡°Honorable Boss Xing, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to lead the way for you, it¡¯s just that today¡¯s rainforest isn¡¯t like yesterday¡¯s. The god of the rainforest has sent down a punishment from heaven. Anyone who trespasses will not be spared.¡±


    Hearing this, before Xing Conglian could speak, Wang Chao said ¡°so stupid¡± behind him.


    Fortunately, Wang Chao spoke Chinese. Otherwise, if the Gaomeng man heard this, they would most likely have another fight.


    Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned back in his chair, and asked, ¡°Can you tell me specifically what this ¡®divine punishment¡¯ is?¡±


    The bar owner trembled. He leaned over quietly and said gloomily, ¡°It¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°There has to be a way to die or some form of death?¡±


    ¡°No one knows. No one knows¡­ The world falls into madness, and dead bodies pile up like mountains. Ashes will be everywhere, and even the Xazi Mountains will turn snow-white.¡± The bar owner clutched his chest devoutly, closed his eyes, and recited, ¡°This is a prophecy¡ªa prophecy of the end of the rainforest.¡±


    When the Gaomeng people talked about things like death, they revered it as mysterious and mystical. Xing Conglian curled his lips, but Kang An and Wang Chao were visibly nervous.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Kang An grabbed the shoulders of his shirt tightly.


    Xing Conglian thought for a moment and frowned. ¡°What does madness mean? Does it mean that many people in the forest have gone crazy and disappeared? And what does it mean that corpses are burned to ashes? Did the Gaomeng people give up on burial?¡±


    The bar owner closed his eyes tightly and kept his mouth shut, refusing to say another word.


    When Xing Conglian wanted to press the issue, a sweet female voice came from his side.


    ¡°Distinguished sir, your drink.¡±


    The bodyguard put down the wine tray, and there were two glasses of pure black spirits in the goblet. Before he could react, the woman took one of the glasses and turned around to sit on his lap.


    The other party hooked his neck, pressed on his shoulders with her plumb breasts, and gently rubbed her ass between his legs.


    The owner of the bar laughed loudly. ¡°Mr. Xing, my Kanachal rarely likes someone. You might as well stay a little longer. I¡¯ll let her accompany you. I guarantee that her skills in bed are some of the best in Dana.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the woman snuggled in his arms. He looked into her amber eyes and said lightly, ¡°Get off.¡±


    His words were straightforward. The woman in his arms leaned back, spilling half of the spirits in the goblet and splashing it on his snow-white shirt. Xing Conglian looked at the stain on his chest and said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it again.¡±


    The woman who had been softened into a puddle of spring water instantly turned back into a tough female bodyguard. She slammed the goblet down so hard that Xing Conglian suspected she would pull a gun from somewhere on her body and shoot him in the head.


    But he didn¡¯t care about it. He bypassed the spilled glass of wine, picked up the glass belonging to the bar owner, and took a big sip.


    The strong wine was extremely spicy. Mixed with the long, wet breeze from the window, Xing Conglian let the wine pass through his mouth. Such a strong taste made him think of Lin Chen when he kissed him hard. He could clearly feel Lin Chen¡¯s hot body under his shirt, as if it were about to burn.


    He looked at the liquid in the cup as deep as night. The dark color was like Lin Chen¡¯s beautiful eyes.


    He suddenly wanted to recklessly take Lin Chen to his side, in spite of everything. He didn¡¯t know how Lin Chen was doing; whether he would encounter new dangers in dealing with the follow-up issues, and he didn¡¯t even know if that idiot Huang Ze would harass Lin Chen again while he was away. Simply put, the reason he wanted Lin Chen to be here was only because he needed him to, not because Lin Chen needed his protection or for some other reason. This kind of thing that was beyond his reach and seemed to be out of his control hadn¡¯t happened to him for many years.


    In the distance, sporadic crossfire sounded, and further away, was the sound of mortars.


    Xing Conglian sighed. He certainly couldn¡¯t bring Lin Chen.


    In a field of glass ballast, amidst the sound of gunfire, he took another sip of wine. He subconsciously looked to the southwest, but his vision was obscured by the Xazi Mountains.


    ¡®I hope you are well in my absence,¡¯ he thought as he gently set down the goblet of pure black liquid.


    ¡­¡­


    While Xing Conglian was wishing him well, Lin Chen¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t good.


    This wasn¡¯t because he was forced to cut the suture short and rush up to the fifth floor after he just got stitches, nor was it because of the hostage situation he had to deal with that involved Jiang Chao¡¯s wife, but because the hostage-taking situation itself was far worse than he imagined.


    Although Vice Captain Jiang Chao was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, urging him to enter the neurosurgery doctor¡¯s office to start the negotiations, Lin Chen stubbornly stood outside, listening in detail to the interns who had just escaped from the office.


    There was no Xing Conglian and no Wang Chao, so he didn¡¯t have the invisible wireless headset or surveillance that could be retrieved at any moment. He could only use the most primitive method of inquiry to get a better grasp of the situation.


    In front of him, a male intern looked so nervous as if he was about to be overwhelmed.


    ¡°Let me sort out my thoughts. Just now, a man with a knife entered the office and just started slashing for no reason. Then he took a hostage at the entrance. Director Li took the initiative to replace herself with the other hostage. The other party followed her suggestion, so now the current hostage is Director Li, right?¡±


    The intern covered his face in shame, and his eyes flushed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m useless¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m not a man at all. I actually let Director Li take my place¡­ my¡­¡±


    Lin Chen patted the man on the back and said with relief, ¡°It¡¯s Director Li¡¯s will as your teacher to replace you. We all hope to rescue her smoothly, but only if you can answer my question calmly. First, has the hostage-taker made any demands? What I mean is, has he made it clear what he wants?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ He said someone put a bug in his head and asked us to dig that thing out!¡± the intern said seriously.


    Lin Chen frowned slightly and asked, ¡°So is the hostage-taker a patient you have treated before?¡±


    Several interns looked at each other and couldn¡¯t answer this question for a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have seen him.¡±


    ¡°Me neither, but I¡¯ve only been here for half a year.¡±


    ¡°Where are the nurses?¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and asked.


    The nurses who were huddled together also shook their heads one after another. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen him before. He¡¯s not a patient in our department!¡±

 CH 170

    Hearing this, Jiang Chao pulled him aside. ¡°Bug, Consultant Lin?¡± Jiang Chao paused, then asked nervously, ¡°This isn¡¯t Xiang Ye¡¯s and Meijing¡¯s group messing around again, is it?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like that. Listening to the expressions in their words, it seems to be a typical type I schizophrenia* symptoms. The symptoms are primarily hallucinations and delusions. If he¡¯s not a patient at Yongchuan¡¯s Second People Hospital, then check the recent medical records of Yongchuan Guangwen Hospital.¡± After he said this, Lin Chen found that there was no response around him. He turned his head only to realize that Wang Chao wasn¡¯t by his side at this time and that no one would give him an immediate answer. He wanted an answer, but conventional investigation methods still required a lot of time, and he was afraid Jiang Chao¡¯s wife wouldn¡¯t have that much time.


    *Schizophrenia is categorized by various types. Type I schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and formal thought disorder, with a presumed underlying dopaminergic dysfunction.


    ¡°Is he mentally ill?¡± When Jiang Chao heard this, he became even more nervous. ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t my wife be in more danger? Do you want to enter the negotiation right away? But talking to a mentally ill person may not be all that useful!¡± As Jiang Chao was speaking, he thought of something, took out his Bluetooth headset from his pocket, and handed it over. ¡°The special police should arrive within 10 minutes. Wear this headset so we can communicate.¡±


    Looking at the oval Bluetooth headset handed over by Jiang Chao, Lin Chen refused. ¡°The hostage-taker suspects that he has a bug in his head, so he¡¯ll be afraid of something that looks similar.¡± After he said this, Lin Chen took out his phone and called Jiang Chao¡¯s number. Jiang Chao pressed the answer button subconsciously. ¡°We¡¯ll use our phones. You can hear the conversation between me and the hostage-taker.¡±


    ¡°But Consultant Lin, how should we coordinate our actions?¡±


    ¡°Two plans. First, wait for the special forces to get the micro-headsets. Second, I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Lin Chen glanced out the window. The building opposite the hospital was covered with a navy-blue glass curtain wall. ¡°At that time, the sniper positions of the special forces should be placed on the upper floor of that building. The telephone communication may have poor sound quality, but you should be able to see me from there.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have binoculars. You won¡¯t be able to see us!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to see you.¡± While speaking, Lin Chen walked towards the office entrance and made a secret gesture to Jiang Chao in the corridor. ¡°When you see this gesture, kill the suspect immediately. Do not hesitate.¡±


    Jiang Chao was taken back. ¡°Please handle with caution. It¡¯s my wife inside. The last time our bureau dealt with a hostage-taking crisis, a police officer shot and killed the hostage taker but was questioned for his action by the media. In the end, the officer was reprimanded.¡±


    Lin Chen knew Jiang Chao was reminding him for his own good, so he replied seriously, ¡°If you choose to appoint me as an expert in negotiation, then please trust my judgment in this matter on whether to kill the hostage taker or not.¡±


    Jiang Chao nodded and stopped talking.


    ¡°Please give me a gun,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Just in case.¡±


    Jiang Chao was stunned again.


    Suddenly, the hostage-taker roared in the office. ¡°What are you holding in your hand? Put it down! Put it down!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Lin Chen urged.


    Jiang Chao immediately took out his gun and handed it over.


    Lin Chen patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder and loaded the pistol. ¡°Please rest assured. I am a professional, and I will rescue your wife.¡±


    Jiang Chao was still as nervous as before, but when he heard this, his eyes suddenly flushed, and he nodded vigorously.


    Lin Chen turned and walked to the neurosurgery office, surrounded by a circle of security guards at the front of the entrance.


    After he approached, he discovered that it was the walkie-talkie in the hand of the security captain that stimulated the hostage-taker. The walkie-talkie would make noises from time to time, which frightened him.


    He patted the security captain on the shoulder, showed his ID, and said, ¡°I am Lin Chen, a psychology consultant for the police. I will be in charge of this negotiation. Take your people and withdraw immediately.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t loud enough for the encircled security guards to hear clearly. At this moment, the hostage-taker by the window also realized he was there.


    ¡°Who are you? Go away! Go away! All of you, go away!¡± the hostage-taker shouted.


    The security guards withdrew one after another. Lin Chen took a step forward and finally saw the appearance of the kidnapper clearly.


    What was different from his imagination was that it looked like a social elite around 40 years old. He was still wearing his business suit and an ash-colored plaid tie. His hair was combed back and held with gel, revealing his forehead. Although his clothes were messy, his entire body looked shiny and smooth. The only thing that didn¡¯t match his entire outfit was the long-handled watermelon knife in his hand. The blade was stuck to the neck of a white-robed female doctor. That should be Mrs. Jiang.


    Lin Chen nodded at the other party. Although the tables and chairs in the office were overturned and looked chaotic, Mrs. Jiang didn¡¯t seem panicked. She had her hands in her pockets and looked extremely calm.


    ¡°Negotiator?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lin Chen,¡± he replied.


    Lin Chen saw Mrs. Jiang¡¯s eyes light up. She wanted to say something else, but at this moment, the hostage-taker became manic again when he heard them speaking. He used the watermelon knife and pressed it against Mrs. Jiang¡¯s neck and angrily said, ¡°Who let you talk?! Who?!¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the watermelon knife, then scanned the office again, but he didn¡¯t find anything like a briefcase. The hospital security guards were neither blind nor stupid. It was impossible to miss a mentally ill person wielding a watermelon knife without stopping him. This showed that the ¡°elite¡± in front of him used some special method to bring in the knife.


    Lin Chen frowned. The other party showed obvious criminal intent, organizational behavior, and even certain concealment, which was somewhat inconsistent with the symptoms of patients with schizophrenia.


    Only then did he realize that the current situation in the office could have some problems compared with his previous speculation.


    He looked at the clock. Two minutes had passed.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just confirming the safety of the hostage,¡± he said to the hostage-taker. ¡°I am the police negotiator in charge of this negotiation. My name is Lin Chen. You can tell me anything you want. I will try my best to meet your requirements.¡±


    ¡°Negotiator? You¡¯re not here to negotiate with me. I don¡¯t want to talk to you. It¡¯s you police who put it in my head. I know you¡¯re here to kill me!¡± The hostage-taker stuck the blade together to Mrs. Jiang¡¯s neck. ¡°Back, back, back to the door.¡±


    Lin Chen was unmoved. His tone changed as he said sternly, following the words of the hostage-taker, ¡°Since you¡¯re clear that we police installed a bug, then you should know that only we can take it out. If I leave now, you won¡¯t be able to take that thing out for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re threatening me. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll kill someone and then commit suicide. I¡¯ll commit suicide!¡±


    ¡°I advise you to cooperate with the police.¡± While Lin Chen was talking, he took two more steps forward. The hostage-taker backed away again and was forced to take a position close to the window. ¡°We all know what you¡¯re thinking. You can¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t come closer!¡± The hostage-taker exerted force on his hand, causing Mrs. Jiang to groan in pain. Traces of blood finally appeared on her neck.


    Although her life was threatened, Mrs. Jiang was still calm and composed. Lin Chen could clearly see that at the moment when a trace of blood appeared on her neck, Mrs. Jiang narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly at him.


    Of course, the chief doctor of the neurosurgery department also had the ability to judge and identify schizophrenia. Lin Chen thought that Mrs. Jiang had already noticed something.


    He looked at the time again. It would take five or six minutes for the special forces to arrive at the fastest. He was afraid it would be too late.


    Upon seeing this, he pretended to be successfully intimidated. He backed away again and said to the hostage-taker, ¡°Since I can¡¯t come closer, can I back up?¡±


    The hostage-taker breathed a sigh of relief, then quietly looked out the window.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°You¡¯re really the smartest subject I have ever seen. When did you find out that we installed a bug in your head?¡±


    ¡°Half a month ago. I heard your secret call. You said that you want to control me and steal our company¡¯s secrets!¡± While speaking, the hostage-taker began to beat his head violently with his hands.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Lin Chen smiled slightly. ¡°We installed a bug in your head, not a microphone. How can you hear us?¡±


    Hearing this, the hostage-taker was obviously stunned. His eyes rolled slightly, then he suddenly raised his voice and said nervously, ¡°Radio waves. I can receive your radio waves!¡±


    ¡°Your ability is really beyond my imagination,¡± Lin Chen mocked.


    At this moment, he saw the window on the opposite side finally open. Jiang Chao had poked his head out. Even though he couldn¡¯t see Jiang Chao¡¯s expression, he was pretty sure that if he were wearing a Bluetooth headset at this moment, Jiang Chao would probably be desperately telling him not to irritate the hostage-taker.


    Lin Chen withdrew his gaze, spread his hands, and comforted him. ¡°But, if we want to take away the bug, we have to operate on you, and the neurosurgeon you¡¯re holding hostage is the best neurosurgeon in this hospital. How about you let Director Li go and we take you for surgery?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± The hostage-taker moved another step back and finally sat on the window. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You can take it out as you put it in. If I let this woman operate on me, how will I know you¡¯ll really take it out or you might just kill me on the operating table!¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Lin Chen nodded. He put his hand in his pocket and took a few steps forward. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll help you take the thing out now, okay?¡±


    Before the hostage-taker could speak again, Lin Chen quickly took out the gun from his pocket.


    The moment the hostage-taker saw the gun, there was an obvious moment of shock.


    ¡°We usually inject it with a hand-held gun. If you shoot yourself in the head, the bug will be destroyed, and you¡¯ll no longer be under our control.¡±


    He held the handle of the gun, pointed the muzzle towards the hostage-taker¡¯s position, and looked at him.


    There was a moment of hesitation in the eyes of the elite.


    Lin Chen was getting closer to the hostage-taker. He made a gesture to hand over the gun, and the hostage-taker also stretched out his hand suspiciously.


    However, at the moment the other party¡¯s hand was about to touch the gun, he clearly saw an extremely fierce look in the eyes of the hostage-taker, and the silver blade swung in an instant. Lin Chen grabbed the other party violently and pulled the trigger decisively, shooting the elite in the temple.


    ¡­¡­


    Within about three minutes after he shot, he felt that the person who died was him. His thinking and consciousness seemed to be detached from his body and dissolved into the surrounding environment.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know whether he was standing, sitting, or kneeling, or whether the color of his sight was blood red or dark black. It took a long time for screaming, vomiting, and whispering to return, but those sounds were very indistinct to him. The gunfire caused severe tinnitus. His eardrums were ringing, and he was in a state of confusion.


    But when he could feel pain, it meant that he was alive.


    Lin Chen shook his hands gently, and then realized that his resilience was stronger than he thought. He began to be able to see the bloody wound in his palm that was shaken by the recoil of the gun. It had opened up and was bloody and disgusting.


    He looked around. Surrounded by snow-white walls that had posters of things like human anatomy diagrams and operation instructions pasted on them, he realized that he seemed to be sitting in some kind of office.


    The sound of running water from a water dispenser bucket sounded. Lin Chen looked around and found a lady pouring water. After he looked carefully, he found that it was the hostage that he had rescued just now.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, drink some water first.¡±


    Mrs. Jiang put one hand in her pocket and walked towards him, holding a paper cup.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    The beautiful and strong lady nodded. ¡°Thank you for saving me, but I feel that your problem seems to be more serious than mine.¡±


    Lin Chen took the water cup. The smell of blood coming from him made it impossible for him to swallow anything. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    So he held the water but didn¡¯t drink it. The temperature from his palm made him recover gradually, and he found himself covered with a thin blanket at some point.


    At this moment, the door to the office was pushed open. Before he could see the figure clearly, Jiang Chao¡¯s voice came ringing in his ears. ¡°Consultant Lin, that was too dangerous just now. Thank God for your quick action!¡±


    Although he usually felt that Jiang Chao occasionally talked too much, such a familiar voice now sounded extremely warm.


    ¡°Mm,¡± he said lightly.


    ¡°I thought you would have a good negotiation with him, but I didn¡¯t expect you to provoke him again and again. This is a bit different from your style.¡±


    ¡°Because I made a mistake in my judgment at the beginning. I¡¯m afraid the hostage-taker target has always been your wife. He just wanted to use schizophrenia to escape legal punishment after murdering your wife.¡±

 CH 171

    Hearing this, Jiang Chao became very nervous. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a mentally ill person? He said he had a bug in his head, but he was just putting on a show?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I first heard he went to the neurosurgery department to ask the doctors to remove the bug from his brain, I also thought it was typical delusional schizophrenia, but in fact, I ignored one of the most critical details.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why would he agree to exchange hostages?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.


    Mrs. Jiang seemed to agree with what he said and nodded accordingly.


    Lin Chen looked at the other party. ¡°Mrs. Jiang, how did you persuade him to exchange hostages?¡±


    Mrs. Jiang replied, ¡°I said I was the director here and I would be more valuable as a hostage.¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with that, honey?¡±


    ¡°This is a conclusion based on statistics. The vast majority of the crimes committed by the mentally ill have no prior plans and little preparation. They usually happen suddenly and are crazy in nature, such as randomly killing people on the street. Of course, there are also a number of mentally ill people who can commit premeditated and planned crimes effectively, but the number is extremely low and generally only happens to paranoid or delusional mental patients. However, often the target of the delusional mental patient is their ¡®enemies¡¯.¡± Lin Chen propped his head to one side, held the paper cup between his fingers, and turned it gently for half a circle. ¡°He showed ¡®craziness¡¯ when he raised his knife and slashed wildly, but whether he hid the watermelon knife and entered the hospital to commit murder, or allowed the exchange of hostages, or even asked to take the bug out, they all showed meticulous ¡®premeditation¡¯. There¡¯s a certain contradiction between ¡®madness¡¯ and ¡®premeditation¡¯. He even revealed that the police were the ones he believes implanted the bug, so the target of his revenge should be us, right? Why is he looking for a doctor? What¡¯s more, he went to a doctor specializing in neurosurgery and didn¡¯t ask for treatment. He simply held the doctor at knifepoint, which meant his preparation wasn¡¯t thorough.¡± Lin Chen showed a cold smile on his lips. ¡°To summarize, I think the assailant who took Director Li hostage was pretending to be mentally ill to commit a crime in order to escape legal sanctions.¡±


    After Jiang Chao listened to him, he didn¡¯t speak for a long time. In the end, Mrs. Jiang patted the back of her husband¡¯s hand. Vice Captain Jiang shivered. ¡°Fortunately, you were there, Consultant Lin!¡± After he finished speaking, he hurriedly looked to his side. ¡°Honey, have you offended anyone recently?¡±


    Mrs. Jiang was calm. ¡°We¡¯re doctors, so there¡¯s always someone that will be offended.


    Jiang Chao opened his mouth as if he didn¡¯t understand, so Mrs. Jiang pinched her husband¡¯s earlobes and said softly, ¡°We see many patients begging us to save them, but we¡¯re not miracle workers. We¡¯ll always offend some patients and their families.¡±


    ¡°But do you know the deceased, honey? Is it a family member of a patient you once treated?¡±


    Mrs. Jiang shook her head. ¡°Even if it is, I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to be careful. Do you want to take a few days off?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to protect me at home if I ask for leave?¡±


    ¡°I will, honey. Trust me!¡±


    Lin Chen listened to their meaningless but happy conversation. The sunlight from the window fell on the couple, who had almost experienced life and death. He finally took a sip of the warm water in the cup he was holding.


    ¡°Jiang Chao.¡± He spoke suddenly.


    Jiang Chao was taken aback. ¡°Consultant Lin, yes?¡±


    ¡°Protect Mrs. Jiang well.¡±


    ¡°I know Consultant Lin. You also think that those who want to target my wife won¡¯t give up, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to investigate the identity of the deceased first. This will allow us to clarify his motives.¡± Suddenly, Lin Chen felt a stabbing pain in his head, as if someone had picked up a hammer and smashed it into his temple. After a while, he reluctantly said to Jiang Chao, ¡°Sorry, my condition isn¡¯t very good. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t follow this case.¡±


    Jiang Chao said nervously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll send someone to stitch up the wound.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Lin Chen stood up, supported himself on the wall, and walked out of the office.


    Mrs. Jiang grabbed him and said, ¡°You¡¯re injured badly. I¡¯ll sew up your wound immediately. Where are you going?¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and replied calmly, ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian was sitting in an open-top Jeep when he suddenly looked forward. They were driving on the vast loess at the moment, heading southwest to the rainforest.


    There were sporadic huge advertisements standing on the loess. At the top of the huge advertisements was the gray-blue sky. In the distance, there were light gray clouds on the top of the Xazi Mountains, as if a torrential rain was brewing, ready to sweep over the world.


    The humid and hot monsoon at the edge of the rainforest hit his face, but the wind couldn¡¯t blow away the irritability in his heart. He felt something bad was happening, but he couldn¡¯t explain why. As if by telepathy, Wang Chao also looked over at him. They looked at each other and instantly understood each other¡¯s concerns.


    Wang Chao spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t you feel it too?¡±


    Xing Conglian pressed his hand on his phone, almost impulsively making a call, but he also knew very well that this wasn¡¯t the best choice.


    ¡°Wang Chao¡­¡± he said lightly. ¡°There¡¯s surveillance at home, so bring up the real-time monitoring.¡±


    Wang Chao was holding his laptop with a sad face and didn¡¯t respond to this request for a while. Soon, the teenager understood what he meant and abruptly slapped his thigh. ¡°Boss, although it¡¯s a bit perverted, that¡¯s a really good idea!¡±


    While speaking, Wang Chao quickly brought up the surveillance video at their residence, Unit 6 on Yanjia Lane. If Lin Chen was present, he would be surprised at the kind of surveillance that had no blind spots.


    The rags in the kitchen, the fruit tray in the living room, the fish swimming in the courtyard, and the bedding in the room; everything in the house was intact, but no matter how time kept changing, the scene in the surveillance was completely fixed.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao. Wang Chao was desperately changing feeds at different angles as his frown became tighter.


    At this moment, Kang An also leaned over and asked, ¡°Boss, what are you looking at?¡±


    Xing Conglian got annoyed hearing Kang An. ¡°Get away,¡± he said to his former subordinate.


    However, Kang An seemed to have filtered his words and moved even closer, even blocking his sight. ¡°Hey Captain, is this your house? The flowers on the balcony are almost dying in the sun. How long has no one lived there?¡±


    Wang Chao froze the picture on the coffee table in the living room and then zoomed in. The water glass on the coffee table was still the one that Lin Chen drank before they set off to Yongchuan that night. The table was dusty, and the flowers and plants were withered. It was obvious that Lin Chen had never returned home.


    ¡°Damn that Jiang Chao! Did that bastard leave my A¡¯Chen Gege in Yongchuan to investigate the case?!¡± Wang Chao turned to Xing Conglian and asked.


    Although he knew that this was of course the only possibility and that, with Lin Chen¡¯s personality, it was difficult for him to give up clues and continue to track them down, when he thought of Lin Chen¡¯s mental state when he left, Xing Conglian became angry.


    Are you kidding me? What Lin Chen needed most was rest and complete psychological treatment. If he continued tracking down Song Shengsheng¡¯s case, Lin Chen would collapse, even if he had an iron will.


    ¡°Verify your guess,¡± he said to Wang Chao.


    ¡°Yongchuan Second Bureau, right?¡± Wang Chao immediately began invading the surveillance system of Yongchuan Second Bureau. They were abroad, so there was no psychological burden, so Wang Chao was even quicker than before. When he pressed enter, the image lit up.


    Wang Chao quickly dragged and dropped the timeline, and as expected, Lin Chen¡¯s figure appeared in the big office of Yongchuan Second Bureau. The light outside the window turned from dark to bright and then dark again. Xing Conglian counted the time. Lin Chen hadn¡¯t slept for over 48 hours.


    Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen, seeing him sitting quietly in front of a computer checking information. He would raise his glass of tea from time to time and then put it down. Xing Conglian wished he could put some sleeping pills in the glass so Lin Chen could quickly go to sleep.


    ¡°Boss, who are you looking at?¡± Kang An¡¯s voice sounded again.


    Xing Conglian had the urge to kick this guy out of the Jeep. ¡°Get your head away from my sights,¡± he said aggravatingly.


    Kang An hurriedly moved his head away. The moment the annoying head was cleared, Xing Conglian saw Lin Chen get up.


    Lin Chen seemed to be checking something. He stood up with a determined expression, holding a water cup, and walked to another office.


    Wang Chao immediately switched the monitoring angle. He watched as Lin Chen walked into the Network Surveillance Department and talked to the police inside. The police officer suddenly became energetic and started tapping on the keyboard. After a while, Lin Chen seemed to have thought of something as he shook his head suddenly, causing the porcelain cup to smash into the ground. The video only had images and no sound. Although they didn¡¯t know what happened, he could guess from Lin Chen¡¯s painful expression that their new discovery must be related to Song Shengsheng¡¯s case.


    Lin Chen squatted down, trying to pick up the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, but suddenly he gripped one of them tightly in his palm. He watched as the blood dripped from Lin Chen¡¯s hand, watched as Jiang Chao nervously brought the medical kit, and watched as Lin Chen unconsciously poured disinfectant on his hand.


    Lin Chen¡¯s face showed a calmer expression after the pain became numb. Xing Conglian calmed down and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Can you find the file records of that computer? What exactly did they find?¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute!¡± Wang Chao snapped his fingers and quickly opened one of the documents. The results were horrifying. He finally knew the reason for Lin Chen¡¯s gaffe. The murder motives of Xiang Ye and Meijing turned out to be related to MSC Doctors Without Borders and AIH Insurance.


    Xing Conglian raised his head. They were sitting in a Jeep at this moment, and they happened to pass by a huge roadside billboard for AIH Insurance.


    When he looked back, Lin Chen was no longer in the video.


    ¡°Boss, do you want to keep watching?¡± Wang Chao tentatively asked.


    ¡°Continue,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°But what are we looking at?¡±


    Xing Conglian recalled the last scene. ¡°Did Jiang Chao take him out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Switch the monitoring to Yongchuan Second People¡¯s Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chao¡¯s wife is a doctor there. He most likely took Lin Chen there to suture his wound.¡±


    Although Wang Chao was doubtful, he still pulled up surveillance of the hospital. The number of people in the emergency hall was large, which made it difficult to distinguish Lin Chen¡¯s figure in the vast sea of people.


    ¡°Boss, do you know what department Lieutenant Jiang¡¯s wife belongs to? Will he directly take A¡¯Chen Gege there for treatment?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°Neurosurgery,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Wang Chao nodded, and the screen switched to a shocking scene.


    The corridors of the neurosurgery ward were a mess, and there were security guards surrounding the door of an office. The doctors and patients looked panicked, and Lin Chen¡­


    Lin Chen stood in the corner of the corridor. He took a gun handed over by Jiang Chao and loaded it without hesitation. He walked out of the picture and walked into the office, surrounded by security guards.


    ¡°Fuck me, why did that idiot Jiang Chao give A¡¯Chen Gege a gun? Can¡¯t he do this himself!¡± Wang Chao was so enraged that he couldn¡¯t help but raise his voice. ¡°I¡¯ll try to adjust the camera on the opposite floor to see if I can see this office clearly¡­¡±


    ¡°Negotiation,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Before his voice fell, the screen switched. Sure enough, someone in the office was holding a female doctor hostage with a blade in his hand, and Lin Chen was holding a gun as he slowly walked step by step towards the hostage.


    Because of the distance, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t see Lin Chen¡¯s face clearly, but he only felt that his heart was about to stop beating. In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen decisively drew his gun and shot. Blood splattered everywhere. Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but yell and cover his eyes.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t look away. He kept his eyes open and watched as Lin Chen lowered his hand, as if nothing had happened. He turned around and walked out of the office.


    The picture cut back to the corridor again. Lin Chen¡¯s expression was numb, like an old man who was dying. There were many people around him. Whether it was the police who came to deal with the incident or the doctors, nurses, and patients in the hospital, it created a noisy scene. At the moment, Xing Conglian clearly felt that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t perceive what was happening around him. His consciousness had been completely separated from his body, as if he were dead.


    He just watched Lin Chen pass through the horrified crowd and be taken into an office.


    Because of the reflection of the glass in the other office, they couldn¡¯t see what was going on inside.


    Time passed minute by minute. Wang Chao wanted to fast forward, but Xing Conglian stopped him.


    There was silence all around, as if he were experiencing a long silent movie. The picture was then fast-forwarded. A group of medical staff rushed from the end of the corridor to the office. When the office door opened, Lin Chen was being carried out on a stretcher.

 CH 172

    Lin Chen¡¯s face was pale. His eyes were shut tightly. One hand was hung down on the stretcher, and the other was placed by his side.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart tightened when he saw the blood spattered on his shirt. It could be blood from the hostage-taker, but it also could be from him being injured.


    The stretcher flashed past the camera for a short time. Wang Chao quickly took a screenshot and zoomed in on the image. They coincidentally carefully observed the shapes of the bloodstains on Lin Chen¡¯s shirt and finally confirmed that it was stained later and Lin Chen wasn¡¯t attacked in the office.


    Xing Conglian calmed himself a little, but words such as overworked and illness flashed in his mind again, and the heart that had just relaxed tightened again.


    ¡°Check the case and see what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was too cold that the guide sitting in the front passenger seat noticed the abnormality. The bald bar owner turned around and asked, ¡°My distinguished guests, why are you so flustered?¡±


    The words of the clan relative who left the bar were full of a strong pseudo-aristocratic accent, which might have some connection to the fact that the Angodo Republic was once a French colony. At this time, Xing Conglian felt that Kang An, the bald head in front, or even the woman who was driving frantically were all extremely irritating. He simply didn¡¯t know why he had to run to this shithole and left Lin Chen alone in Yongchuan. Not only did he leave the case follow-up, but the emotional matters were also unclear. Now, Lin Chen was being carried out on a stretcher.


    He glanced at the nosy bald head faintly. The bar owner turned around bitterly, not daring to say a word.


    Lin Chen¡¯s case quickly appeared on the screen.


    Words such as ¡°neurasthenia*¡± and ¡°insufficient blood supply to the brain¡± were shown.


    *Medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance.


    The diagnosis was clearly stated: The patient fainted due to being overworked.


    Xing Conglian looked at the doctor¡¯s prescription. In addition to ¡°mannitol1¡± and ¡°betahistine2¡°, the doctor also prescribed a large dose of tranquilizing drugs, which showed just how bad Lin Chen¡¯s mental state was.


    1Medication that helps enhance the flow of water from tissues, including the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, into the interstitial fluid and plasma. || In this case, it¡¯s to alleviate Lin Chen¡¯s brain swelling.


    2Anti-vertigo medication commonly used to alleviate vertigo symptoms.


    The only thing that satisfied him was the doctor issuing a one-week hospitalization order. He thought that with Jiang Chao¡¯s ability, Lin Chen wouldn¡¯t be discharged from the hospital within this week.


    The ward number was marked on the hospitalization form, so Wang Chao adjusted the surveillance video of the corresponding floor without him giving further instructions.


    Unfortunately, when the scene appeared, no matter how Wang Chao adjusted the monitoring angle, they could only see the door plate on Lin Chen¡¯s ward and a small area of the beige tile inside the ward. The white wall blocked their sight, with the visitor rules hanging on them as if they were mocking him.


    At first, they could still see medical staff entering and leaving the ward; soon, they couldn¡¯t see any staff members, which indicated that Lin Chen¡¯s condition should have stabilized.


    But this was just ¡°should¡±.


    Lin Chen ¡°should¡± be on an IV drip. Lin Chen ¡°should¡± have his wound on his hand sewn up. Lin Chen ¡°should¡± be sleeping. Lin Chen ¡°should¡± have a calm expression¡­


    All these ¡°should¡± were just speculations. There was no substitute for the fact that Lin Chen was lying on the other side of the wall and he couldn¡¯t see him.


    In fact, he knew Lin Chen was probably lying on the other side receiving treatment, and he was also comforted by the fact that Mrs. Jiang was working at Second People¡¯s Hospital. The ward arranged for Lin Chen by the medical staff shouldn¡¯t be bad. However, he suddenly discovered that a wall was more like a rift in a valley that was separating him and Lin Chen by 180,000 miles. In short, it was annoying as hell.


    Emotions were blocked in his chest, making it difficult to relieve.


    ¡°Smoke.¡± He stretched out his hand to Kang An. The other party carefully put the cigarette pack in his hand with a lighter.


    Xing Conglian pulled out a cigarette and was about to ignite it when he crumpled it up irritably and threw it out of the car.


    Wang Chao turned his head and asked him eagerly, ¡°Will it be boring for A¡¯Chen Gege to be lying alone?¡±


    ¡°Turn it off,¡± Xing Conglian said as he gave one final glance at the surveillance screen.


    Just as they were peeping at Lin Chen, the surrounding sand was no longer grayish-brown. The Jeep gradually drove into a green pasture. They were about to reach the last stop in the Dana Region¡ªRival, a border city of the Angodo Republic.


    Compared to the Dana Region, the Angodo Republic was relatively peaceful. Although the former president of the Angodo Republic was a powerful man with 18 wives, his son, the current president, was still a good president who was ambitious and dedicated to the welfare of his people. He wasn¡¯t only committed to reselling oil but also promoted universal health care and free education and paid more attention to consolidating the border defense, which had effectively prevented invasion of the country by crazy warlords who suddenly wanted to expand their territory in the Dana Region.


    Looking at the rich pastures that gradually appeared around him and the old French wooden houses dotted among the cattle and sheep, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even know how a killer who drank human blood could give birth to such a good son.


    Suddenly, the Jeep accelerated for some unknown reason, and the woman¡¯s crazy laughter came from the front seat.


    The female bodyguard who was driving the car became extremely excited when she entered the pasture. Xing Conglian had found a person whose driving skills were comparable to Wang Chao¡¯s.


    The speed was so fast that Wang Chao became nervous and stuffed his laptop back into his backpack.


    ¡°Drive slowly and pay attention to safety,¡± Xing Conglian instructed in Gaomengnese.


    Perhaps it was because the noise was so loud that the driver didn¡¯t hear him.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian keenly noticed a herd of horses running towards them from the side and rear. The sound of nearly a hundred horses¡¯ hooves was as powerful as thunder in a rainstorm.


    The sound of the horses stimulated the driver¡¯s wildness even more. ¡°Wow~~¡± the female bodyguard shouted and continued to slam on the gas.


    ¡°Distinguished guests, don¡¯t worry. Rival¡¯s cattle and horses never hurt people.¡± The bald head laughed and looked back to comfort them.


    ¡°What¡¯s on the right side!¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the front of his right and shouted. A bison had appeared and was rushing towards them.


    ¡°Brake quickly!¡± The bar owner¡¯s face changed drastically. The female bodyguard finally noticed the abnormality, but there were galloping horses from behind and a bison in the front. She slammed on the steering wheel in desperation, barely managing to avoid the horses, but the front passenger seat was swiped by the bison.


    The Jeep bumped violently. Xing Conglian slammed into the car window. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kang An flying out while Wang Chao bumped into the front seat.


    After a while, the sound of horseshoes gradually dissipated, and the surrounding area finally returned to quiet.


    Xing Conglian rubbed his neck and opened his eyes. He looked to his sides and found Wang Chao¡¯s eyes were closed, and he had lost consciousness.


    Xing Conglian hurriedly checked his vitals and found he had a slight concussion, but he was generally fine.


    Kang An had rough skin and thick flesh. He rolled a few laps on the grass, then got up by himself and walked towards the Jeep.


    On the front passenger seat, the bald bar owner¡¯s hand that was close to the car door hung limply. His arm was profusely bleeding, and he was groaning at the moment. It was obvious that he had been hit by the wild bison just now.


    The most seriously injured person was the female bodyguard who was driving. Kanachal had slammed her head against the windshield. Xing Conglian laid Wang Chao flat on the seat and got out of the car to check on the female bodyguard. Her pulse was weak, and her face was covered with blood.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the nearest hospital?¡± Xing Conglian asked the bar owner.


    ¡°There is no hospital, but I seem to remember¡­ MSC Doctors Without Borders has set up a medical station that¡¯s not far from here.¡±


    Xing Conglian made a simple fix on the female bodyguard and Wang Chao, then sat in the driver¡¯s seat. The car swung around and set off in the direction directed by the bar owner.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he fainted. To be precise, before opening his eyes, he had no impression of fainting at all.


    He only remembered that he seemed to have said he wanted to go home, and then his eyes turned dark. It turned out that this kind of thing as mindfulness only had a reverse effect on him.


    The cold sensation of the IV entering his vein came from the back of his hand. He opened his eyes slightly and looked around. Sure enough, he was now lying in a hospital bed and had changed into a hospital gown. Although the smell of disinfectant was pungent, it was far better than the smell of blood.


    Honestly, it was embarrassing to say that he fainted because he killed a suspect.


    Lin Chen moved his other hand. When he raised it, he realized that he was wrapped in thick gauze, making it difficult to move.


    He really didn¡¯t want to lie down anymore. He stretched out his hand with difficulty and touched the help bell at the head of the bed.


    Soon, a little nurse rushed in.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?¡± the nurse checked nervously.


    ¡°When can I be discharged from the hospital?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    The nurse was stunned. She opened her mouth and wanted to chide him, but she suddenly remembered something and gave him a look, then she ran away.


    Not long after, a beautiful lady in a white coat stepped into the ward.


    Mrs. Jiang sat down at the head of the bed.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you,¡± Lin Chen said as he tried to get up, ¡°but I really want to go home.¡±


    Hearing what he said, Mrs. Jiang rolled her eyes and acted like a chief doctor reprimanding a patient. ¡°If Lao Jiang hadn¡¯t said you don¡¯t have a girlfriend, I would think you were lovelorn or something.¡±


    Lin Chen was halfway through sitting up when he suddenly stopped. He remembered a sentence from a certain book he read¡ªthe best doctor could see a patient¡¯s state of mind at a glance. These words weren¡¯t absolute, but they seemed quite apt to Mrs. Jiang.


    ¡°My current emotional state is a little more subtle than lovelorn,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Mrs. Jiang said cruelly. She stood up and forcibly pressed him back into bed.


    Lin Chen laid down helplessly. ¡°I seemed to have saved your life just now. Can you please be a little gentle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saving lives every day, and I have never had any favors returned.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed and decided to admit defeat.


    ¡°Lie down for a week. Don¡¯t make me repeat it again,¡± Mrs. Jiang warned.


    ¡°My current psychological problems are more serious. Lying in a ward is not conducive to recovery.¡±


    ¡°You mean to say that it¡¯s boring to lie alone, right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll chat with you,¡± Mrs. Jiang said bluntly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about your emotional problems.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own job to do?¡± Lin Chen finally knew what it meant to not die if you don¡¯t seek death* as he asked this with a wry smile.


    *(²»×÷ËÀ¾Í²»»áËÀ) Internet slang referring to looking for trouble (AKA fuck around and find out/play stupid games, win stupid prizes).


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a shift today. My operation was completed this morning.¡± Mrs. Jiang crossed her legs, leaned on the bedside table, and looked at him with gossipy eyes, as if she were looking forward to the ¡°emotional problems¡± he spoke of.


    Lin Chen avoided her gaze and looked out the window, trying to search for a way to change the subject.


    ¡°I heard that you served in MSC Doctors Without Borders in the early years?¡± he asked suddenly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really related to the case.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when I was a sophomore in college.¡±


    ¡°Can you talk a little bit more in detail, such as where you went?¡±


    ¡°West Africa.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the doctor bathed in the sun in front of him with some admiration.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? I was participating in medical assistance in the Angodo Republic, which is very close to the Dana Region, so sometimes our medical team will go deep into the Dana Rainforest. However, while the Angodo Republic is a complete country, the Dana Region¡­¡±


    ¡°The legendary unregulated zone?¡±


    Mrs. Jiang smiled. ¡°I participated in medical assistance because I felt that the international community can ignore many people dying of illness every year, but we as doctors can¡¯t.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Mrs. Jiang was a little dissatisfied. ¡°What do you mean by nodding? What I said just now is obviously great, so there should be applause.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his scarred hands, expressing his helplessness.


    ¡°Actually, for us doctors, going there was truly an experience.¡± Mrs. Jiang leaned back in her chair and started reminiscing.


    ¡°If you go there for the first time, what you see at the beginning is a vast expanse of sandy soil, followed by a huge mountain range across West Africa. Even the cattle and sheep raised by humans are wild. After crossing the border of the Angodo Republic and entering the Dana Region, there are thin women and children everywhere. Dilapidated vehicles and shabby homes littered the roadside. There¡¯s a lot of reclaimed land under the mountains. Because of the terrain, various anti-government armed forces, drug cartels, and terrorists set up stations from the bottom to the top of the mountains, but these people have a good attitude towards doctors. When you climb over the mountains to the peak, you can see the Dana Rainforest sweeping the world. If you go there, you will find that the rainforest is completely different from what it looks like on the surface. There are not only a large number of hidden militants but also various primitive tribes and legendary man-eating pythons, as well as a large number of poisonous plants. Among them, there is an herbal medicine that is a hundred times more magical than meth. The synthetic stuff isn¡¯t even comparable. There are also some diseases that are extinct in our country but very common there. In short, it¡¯s a very sentimental place.¡±


    The more Mrs. Jiang spoke, the more excited her eyes became. ¡°I really want to go back and have a look.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly asked, ¡°You liked it so much, why did you come back in the end?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because the handsome guy on our medical team told me that the skills I¡¯ve learned could help more people in big cities that have a complete basic medical facility. There are no such good medical facilities in the Dana Region. I certainly can¡¯t open a patient¡¯s skull under a kerosene lamp. He said it was too wasteful for me to spend all my day in the rainforest treating headaches and brain fever, and it was better if I left quickly.¡±


    ¡°So you went back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mrs. Jiang tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°What a pity.¡±


    ¡°It must be a very handsome doctor.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡¯


    ¡°Because you have a girlish look in your eyes right now.¡± Lin Chen smiled slightly.

 CH 173

    The MSC medical service station was located in a herdsman¡¯s village on a tributary of the Rival River.


    There were domed thatched huts and potholes on the auburn mud road everywhere. Sometimes, under the baobab trees on the side of the road, they could see children drinking milk under women¡¯s wary eyes. However, Xing Conglian found that when he looked around, there weren¡¯t any strong men anywhere.


    Perhaps the men went out herding, or there were some activities in the village that didn¡¯t allow men to participate. Of course, it was also possible that the men in this village were forcibly mobilized to the front lines. Any of these scenarios were possible, but Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care for the time being. Wang Chao had already woken up in the back seat and was retching out the car door. This was a normal reaction after getting a slight concussion. It seemed that he should be fine, but the situation of the female bodyguard wasn¡¯t optimistic.


    Kang An probed the bodyguard¡¯s breath with his hand and said, ¡°Boss, have we arrived yet? She¡¯s going to die.¡±


    Xing Conglian stretched out his hand and slapped the bar owner, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. He was getting drowsy due to blood loss. ¡°Where is this place?¡±


    The bald-headed bar owner looked around with blurred eyes but couldn¡¯t answer.


    Xing Conglian had no choice but to avoid the potholes on the road as he searched for a building that resembled a hospital or health service station, relying solely on intuition. Finally, three connected small buildings appeared in front of him.


    The small buildings were an open, sun-drying field covered with army-green pergolas. After getting closer, Xing Conglian discovered that there were mats under the pergola, and dozens of local residents who were receiving treatment were lying on them. Passing through the mats was the emergency room. Many people were sitting on wooden benches, waiting quietly. There were doctors in white coats working hastily inside and outside the ¡°hospital¡±.


    Xing Conglian jumped out of the car and slammed the door. What surprised him even more was that, except for the obvious black people, the doctors here were all black-haired and yellow-skinned Asians. He tentatively shouted ¡°Doctor¡± in Chinese.


    All the Asians turned their heads together, and one of them hung up their stethoscope and ran towards him.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the man began to ask questions from a long distance away.


    Hearing a reply in his native language made Xing Conglian excited. He quickly answered, ¡°We were involved in a car accident. The lady is in the worst condition. She slammed into the windshield, and her chest was hit hard by the steering wheel. I suspect she has a few broken ribs and severe internal bleeding. The bald man sitting in the front seat was swiped by a bison, and his arm is broken. The young man in the back seat has a slight concussion. The remaining person is fine.¡±


    After Xing Conglian reported the situation as fast as a cannonball, he found the doctor had frozen in place.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just touching to hear Chinese all of a sudden.¡± The young doctor stretched out his arms to hug him, then quickly let go. He called another doctor over to bring a stretcher, carried Kanachal out of the backseat, and immediately sent her to the small gray cement building for surgical treatment.


    Kang An helped Wang Chao out of the car.


    The doctor pointed to the mat on the ground and said to the dizzy young man, ¡°Lie down and I¡¯ll check on you.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Wang kept his eyes wide open during his illness and resisted the desire to vomit. He said resolutely, ¡°I¡¯m going to die! I! No!¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the mats on the ground and thought that these Chinese doctors must¡¯ve brought them. However, the mat was so completely blackened that he couldn¡¯t bear to let Wang Chao lie on it.


    He went back to the trunk and took out a floor mat and spread it on the ground. Only then was Wang Chao reluctantly willing to lay down.


    The doctor poked Wang Chao on the forehead and said, ¡°I let you lie here for your own good. Usually, those who enter the back buildings are the seriously ill patients, like those who have AIDS or Ebola¡­¡±


    Wang Chao was so frightened that he wanted to throw up even more.


    The doctor broke Wang Chao¡¯s delusions and said solemnly, ¡°Normally, we would do an MRI, but we don¡¯t have such a machine here. All we could do is have you lie here all night. If you don¡¯t die, you can be discharged tomorrow.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he straightened up and was about to leave.


    Xing Conglian finally couldn¡¯t help but shout at the other party, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he need an infusion?¡± He pointed to a patient receiving an infusion in the distance as he asked.


    The doctor responded, ¡°Disposable needles and anti-inflammatory drugs are very precious, and they should be reserved for those who need them the most.¡± He poked the young man on the ground with his thumb. ¡°He¡¯s fine. Observe him overnight, and he¡¯ll be good tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xing Conglian said seriously.


    The other party looked at him, scanned him from head to toe, and then, as if he suddenly thought of something, asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the rainforest,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    The doctor wanted to say something else but was suddenly called to attention and immediately turned his head and ran back into the small building.


    The small ¡°hospital¡± was busier than he thought. It wasn¡¯t until the evening that Xing Conglian saw the young doctor who had helped them again.


    Wang Chao had fallen asleep on the floor mat and refused to use the blanket that a nurse had brought over.


    Kanachal¡¯s operation was successful. A rib had pierced her lungs, but her life was no longer in danger. The bald bar owner was with her. It seemed their relationship was deeper than that of an ordinary boss and underling, but Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care about that.


    The starry sky on the grassland was beautiful late at night. Kang An was taking a nap by the Jeep. He stayed with Wang Chao, resting his head on his hands as he lay on the ground.


    ¡°Missing your girlfriend?¡± Xing Conglian suddenly heard Chinese from behind. He turned his head and saw the Chinese doctor walking leisurely from the small building.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer his question.


    The young doctor laughed and squatted down in front of him familiarly. ¡°I used to want to bring my girlfriend to Africa. I thought it would be romantic to lie on the grassland and watch the starry sky, but after I came here, I thought it would be better to forget such thoughts.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked back at the small cement building that couldn¡¯t be considered a hospital and nodded. ¡°Is it because the conditions are too bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than bad; it¡¯s worse. Does this look like a place for people to stay¡­¡± He looked around as he muttered.


    Xing Conglian lit a cigarette and thought it was comical. ¡°Then why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my call of duty!¡±


    ¡°Speak sensibly.¡±


    The doctor glared at him with a look of youthful vigor on his face. ¡°When I graduated from university, I saw an ABC report that a Chinese doctor had stayed in the Dana Region for ten years. Together with MSC Doctors Without Borders, he completed the establishment of a basic medical system in the most difficult part of the world. I was deeply inspired and decided to follow the example of my predecessor and support the construction of Africa.¡±


    Xing Conglian took a puff from his cigarette. ¡°Very idealistic.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so too.¡± The doctor began to babble again. ¡°Actually, there are so many Chinese doctors here, and all of them were bewitched by Dr. Duan. Probably it¡¯s because he¡¯s so handsome that it¡¯s almost magical. My brain was telling me to run away as I regretted it as soon as I came, but I couldn¡¯t leave.¡± As he spoke, he knelt beside Wang Chao and continued to check on him.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you leave?¡± Xing Conglian found this funny.


    ¡°I have been here for two years and studied general medicine. At that time, my parents had already found me a structured job at a health service station in my hometown, but after I came here, I told myself, fuck the health service station. There is no place in the world that needs me more than here.¡±


    Xing Conglian blew out a ring of smoke and narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°It really does sound like a call of duty.¡±


    The young doctor put down his stethoscope and listened to Wang Chao¡¯s heart and lungs. He then pointed to the small cement building and said, ¡°No, no, I¡¯m bewitched by a treacherous man. I once doubted my sexuality. Why else am I still here because I saw a photo of Teacher Duan? He is indeed a remarkable person. See that concrete building behind me? The aseptic operating room just saved your friend¡¯s life. She wouldn¡¯t have survived tonight due to her injuries if it wasn¡¯t for that, and this is all thanks to Teacher Duan!¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at him and finally noticed the abnormality in the conversation. ¡°You¡¯ve talked quite a bit, and every few sentences you touted Teacher Duan. What are you aiming at?¡±


    The little doctor said nervously, ¡°We lost contact with Teacher Duan a week ago. We¡¯re afraid something has happened to him. When we last contacted him, he was in the Gaomeng tribe. I heard that bald man say you are going there. Could you please try and see if you can find him? If something has happened to him, please help him!¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°After all, we¡¯re in a foreign country and can only count on compatriots of our own nation.¡± The little doctor patted him on the shoulder, then sat on the ground dejectedly. ¡°Actually, we also want to send some people to find him, but the situation in the rainforest is a bit complicated right now. Many people are unwilling to go, and those who have agreed haven¡¯t responded. We don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    Looking at the little doctor with his hands clasped in front of him, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know getting into a car accident had led him to shoulder the strange mission of saving the founder of the basic medical system in the Dana Region.


    ¡­¡­


    Just when Xing Conglian had taken on another mission and was about to head into the rainforest, Lin Chen also encountered something strange, so much so that he had to escape from Mrs. Jiang¡¯s control and slip back to Hongjing without even paying the hospitalization bill.


    Of course, to get to the bottom of the key reason for his escape, although it wasn¡¯t unrelated to the fact that Zhang Xiaolong had called him and told him that someone had sent an anonymous letter to the police station, the fundamental reason was because Mrs. Jiang had asked the sharp question of ¡°Are you lovelorn for Xing Conglian?¡± the night before. Lin Chen felt that if he stayed any longer, it wouldn¡¯t be conducive to his physical and mental health.


    He returned to Hongjing by taking the high-speed railway from Yongchuan. When he arrived at the Hongjing police station, it was still during working hours.


    Zhang Xiaolong screamed when she saw him. She rushed over and stared at him for a long time. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re really back. I¡¯m not just hallucinating, right?¡±


    Lin Chen smiled and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± After he said this, he deliberately paused to give Comrade Zhong Xiaolong time to collect herself. He then heard her say, ¡°Xing Conglian and Wang Chao haven¡¯t come to work for several days, and they haven¡¯t asked for leave. Do you know where they went?¡±


    He felt Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s ability to open a can of worms was equally matched to Jiang Chao¡¯s, but he had no choice but to lie for his two colleagues, who he had no idea where they were. ¡°They are temporarily doing something. I¡¯ll ask for leave on their behalf¡­ for a month. I was in the hospital for a few days and forgot about it.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolong took a deep breath. ¡°Are you okay, Consultant Lin? Why were you hospitalized, and how did you hurt your hand again?!¡±


    Lin Chen found a chair and sat down. He rubbed his ears as he said, ¡°I¡¯m standing in front of you, aren¡¯t I? This means I should be fine, right?¡±


    Seeing the police officer wanting to continue nagging, he hurriedly interrupted, ¡°What¡¯s going on with this anonymous letter?¡±


    ¡°Oh! That!¡± After Zhang Xiaolong finished, she ran away in a hurry and came back after a while. ¡°This morning, the guard received an anonymous letter addressed to you. In the white sand case, didn¡¯t someone keep sending you letters? We were all scared to death and didn¡¯t dare open it, so I could only call you.¡±


    When he received the anonymous letter, Lin Chen¡¯s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He knew that he was expecting the sender to be Xing Conglian, who had been missing for many days, but soon, when he saw the handwriting on the courier slip, his heart rate dropped from its highest peak to its lowest in an instant. The handwriting obviously didn¡¯t look like it belonged to Wang Chao or Xing Conglian.


    He flipped through the front and back of this anonymous express mail. It was a standard express envelope from the Shunshui Express Company. Although there was no obvious identification of the sender, it might be from someone in Hongjing who was asked to send it by Wang Chao or Xing Conglian. With a glimmer of hope, he took out a knife from the pen holder on his desk.


    Just when he wanted to cut the letter open, Zhang Xiaolong held him down. ¡°Consultant Lin, what if there¡¯s anthrax in it?!¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback. He didn¡¯t know where Comrade Zhang Xiaolong got such whimsical ideas, but things like anthrax were too far away from their daily lives. He shook his letter and said with a smile, ¡°Then you keep your distance.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he carefully cut open the seal of the envelope with the knife.


    Of course, there was no powdered anthrax; only a thin sheet of A4 paper was inside.


    He pulled out the letter and unfolded it. Zhang Xiaolong gasped beside him.


    Lin Chen was very surprised by the content in the letter. It was printed in standard Arial No. 5 font: [I am a reporter from the Hongjing Evening News. I know the truth about Director Li¡¯s being taken hostage. If you want to know too, please call me.]


    [TEL: 18934567890]


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Well, in fact, Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s thoughts aren¡¯t so whimsical. There was a series of anthrax attacks in 2001: the 2001 anthrax attacks.

 CH 174

    ¡°Who¡¯s Director Li?¡± Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s curious voice sounded.


    ¡°The wife of Vice Captain Jiang of Yongchuan Second Division. She¡¯s a neurosurgeon.¡± And the woman who locked me up for two days¡­


    Lin Chen glanced back at the police officer, put the letter on the table, copied down the order number of the courier envelope, and said, ¡°Call a colleague from the forensic department and see if they can extract fingerprints.¡± After speaking, he handed the envelope to Zhang Xiaolong. ¡°Check the recipient of the courier number and ask them to identify the sender. Also, look up to see who¡¯s the owner of this number.¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong was a little confused. ¡°Is something wrong, Consultant Lin? What is this hostage-taking incident?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t explain all the ins and outs of what went down given the time, so he could only answer, ¡°I hope nothing will happen.¡±


    The tasks he assigned were simple enough. Even without the help of others, Comrade Zhang Xiaolong completed most of them before getting off work.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, this person is really weird. You have to be careful.¡±


    The police officer handed over the results. Lin Chen took the information in hand, read it carefully, and frowned involuntarily.


    He nodded to the police officer and thanked her, then folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket as he headed out.


    Zhang Xiaolong called to him, ¡°Consultant Lin, are you going out to work by yourself? Do you want someone to accompany you?¡±


    Lin Chen looked around. Normally, Xing Conglian would probably have gone to the parking lot and driven the Jeep around, but now, there were only police officers packing up and getting ready to get off work. He said, ¡°No, I¡¯m relatively free, so I don¡¯t mind going alone.¡±


    Although he said this, without a full-time driver and the chatter of others, it was indeed a bit boring.


    He was walking along the hot street to the overwhelming sounds of cicadas and the noise from the traffic. After walking for a while, he sat down on a bench and then called the number.


    About half an hour later, a young man wearing a cap got off the bus stop across the road and hurriedly ran into a snack bar.


    Lin Chen saw that the other party was looking for someone calmly at first and then became anxious. He stopped a clerk, as if asking some questions. After finding nothing, he rushed out of the store and started making a call.


    Lin Chen felt his phone, which he had placed on the bench, start to vibrate. He looked at the young man across the road, picked up the phone, and pressed answer.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± A young man¡¯s voice came from the other end.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak and instead stood up.


    The moment he stood up, the young man looked over. Seeing the sign of the other party rushing towards the side of the road, Lin Chen calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll come over. Go into the store and find a seat by a window.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he hung up. The young man was at a loss for a moment, but he obediently followed his instructions. He turned around and walked back into the shop.


    The place he chose was close to Hongjing No. 3 High School. It was just after school, so there were many students in the shop coming to fill their stomachs after class. When he entered the store, the young man was wiping the table with some disinfectant wipes he had carried with him. The moment he saw him, the young man subconsciously wanted to stand up, but Lin Chen pressed on his shoulder and sat down opposite of him.


    At the beginning, they didn¡¯t speak. Lin Chen just carefully looked at the appearance of the person in front of him.


    Although he had already seen the photo of the other party from the information Zhang Xiaolong handed over, the feeling of meeting each other in person was different after all. The young man¡¯s cap was placed on the table. He had a crew cut and was wearing black-rimmed glasses. How could he describe the gaze under the glasses? It was completely different from every reporter he had seen. There was no shrewd look in his eyes trying to explore everything. On the contrary, he was more like a high school student who had just walked out of Hongjing No. 3 High School. He had clear eyes with a strange determination.


    ¡°Please introduce yourself,¡± Lin Chen said to the young man. He put his hand on the table and felt slightly wet from the back of his hands. When he looked down, he found that the young man had actually wiped down his side of the table as well.


    ¡°Hello, Consultant Lin. I¡¯m a reporter from the Hongjing Evening News. I know that you handled that hostage-taking situation in Yongchuan Second People¡¯s Hospital two days ago. I want to report a clue to you.¡±


    The other party spoke proficiently, as if he had recited these lines many times.


    ¡°Please tell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in danger right now.¡± The young man leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t have much reaction to this. ¡°I would like to hear the details.¡±


    Just as the young man was about to speak, a waiter in the shop happened to come over.


    ¡°Two servings of clam soup.¡± He raised his head and asked the young man, ¡°Is it okay if it¡¯s slightly spicy?¡±


    The young man was taken aback and nodded blankly. The waiter then turned and left. Probably because the young man felt that his attitude was too rude just now, it only made the young man more anxious. ¡°Now Zhourui Pharmaceutical has joined forces with major media to hype you as a murderer of the mentally ill. Why don¡¯t you know anything!¡±


    Lin Chen sighed. He couldn¡¯t explain to the other party how he had been living a life of imprisonment for the past two days, so much so that he really didn¡¯t know anything about the progress of the hostage-taking case.


    ¡°It seems that you know a lot more about the case than me. Can you talk about it?¡±


    The young man swallowed and plucked up his courage. ¡°The name of the deceased who was killed by you is Li Ming. He¡¯s a deputy director of Zhourui Pharmaceutical who¡¯s in charge of submitting new drugs for review.¡±


    ¡°New drugs?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The reason why they wanted to kill Director Li is because Director Li is one of the medical experts in charge of drug marketing approval at the Drug Evaluation Center of the State Food and Drug Administration. All experts have passed the approval except for Director Li, who sent a rejection letter.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Lin Chen was startled. This case was simply unbelievable. ¡°You mean, it¡¯s because Director Li tied up the approval of this new drug that Zhourui Pharmaceutical is about to promote to the market, so they are trying to kill her?¡±


    The young man nodded solemnly. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of whether Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s motives for murder are established or not, there is an even bigger question: Why didn¡¯t Zhourui Pharmaceutical choose a more secretive way of killing Director Li but instead chose a supervisor pretending to be mentally ill to kill her? Are they not afraid they will be listed as suspects?¡±


    ¡°Because no matter how Director Li dies, as long as the police investigate, Zhourui Pharmaceutical will be a prime suspect. Instead of being suspected secretly, it¡¯s better to just jump out. Moreover, the deceased Li Ming did have a history of mental illness. If you hadn¡¯t shot him dead, he¡¯s very likely to be identified as having a sudden mental disorder¡­ And the reason for his sudden mental disorder is, of course, because Director Li rejected the new drug approval that he was in charge of, thus putting him under immense pressure at work, which would lead him to kill Director Li because of this. Zhourui Pharmaceutical has arranged a series of evidence. After the death of Director Li, these things will gradually show up in front of the media and the police. Although it¡¯s not foolproof, you should be very clear that sudden mental disorder is hard to explain. If there¡¯s a psychiatrist that can be bought by them during the judicial appraisal process, the success rate of this matter would be greater than 95%. And¡­¡± The young man paused before continuing, ¡°This would also be an example to all other parties who dare hinder the launch of this new drug, as they will think twice about their safety.¡±


    The inside story described by the young man was too shocking. Lin Chen suddenly regretted choosing to talk to him about these bloody shady things inside a snack bar. He thought carefully about the possibility that the young man had told him. In fact, remembering the final, decisive gaze of the deceased, if he hadn¡¯t shot first, Mrs. Jiang would¡¯ve died. Even so, he still thought there was something wrong with this. ¡°This is too bold, and the cost is not proportional to the benefit. I¡¯m not convinced.¡±


    ¡°But it is! Consultant Lin, you have no idea how much money is invested in the research and development of new drugs. That is billions of dollars and tens of billions of profits. There is no successful pharmaceutical company that doesn¡¯t step on human life. Do you know how many people have died due to adverse drug reactions? Do you think these pharmaceutical companies are socially responsible? They never are!¡±


    The young man¡¯s tone was heavy and impassioned. Lin Chen knew well that he was trying to persuade him, and he carried the passion that was unique to the young who hadn¡¯t been smoothed by the world.


    Lin Chen had tested this young man for a while. He was punctual, well-educated, and didn¡¯t seem to be scheming. From the bottom of his heart, he was willing to believe the young man who had just appeared out of nowhere and given him a very strange clue. But the most critical question that needed to be asked was, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I found it,¡± the young man replied without hesitation.


    Lin Chen was a little disappointed to hear the young man¡¯s answer.


    At this moment, the waiter came by to serve the clam soup. Lin Chen took out 50 yuan from his pocket and handed it to him, then stood up from the table and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Where are you going?!¡±


    The young man raised his voice and grabbed him.


    ¡°You know, the premise of cooperation is trust. I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t trust me, so I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough trust that I came to see you?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the gradually empty school across the street and asked, ¡°Was this store open when you went to school here?¡±


    The young man¡¯s pupils suddenly shrank. ¡°You investigated me?¡±


    ¡°Because I live quite cautiously, Mr. Duan Yang.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what the young man in front of him was thinking. He came to him pretending to be a reporter from the Hongjing Evening News. Wouldn¡¯t this identity be revealed by the police once they checked? Although he wanted to leave, the shame and pain in the young man¡¯s eyes at this moment forced him to sit down in front of him again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a reporter for the Hongjing Evening News, so don¡¯t say that there aren¡¯t any lies in this matter. To be honest, how did you even know about this matter?¡±


    The young man pursed his lips and finally made up his mind. ¡°The reason why Director Li sent the rejection letter is precisely because I sent her an anonymous letter. In fact, I sent an anonymous letter to all the experts in charge of the approval process. Only Director Li believed me, so I can¡¯t bear to see what might happen to her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Lin Chen had reviewed this young man¡¯s file. He resolutely said, ¡°You¡¯re just a veterinarian in a pet shop. Why do you know such inside information?¡±


    ¡°Because that kind of drug wasn¡¯t developed by Zhourui. The real discoverer was my teacher. They just stole my teacher¡¯s unfinished research result. My teacher is Duan Wanshan, and he has been engaged in the medical treatment of the Dana Region. You can search any official website of any major foreign media and find reports on him. I¡¯m not lying!¡±

 CH 175

    This was the second time Lin Chen heard the keyword ¡°Dana Region¡±. If it weren¡¯t for Mrs. Jiang¡¯s relationship, his knowledge of this area would be limited to ¡°don¡¯t ever go even if your life depended on it¡±. But now, because of Doctors Without Borders, he found his psychological distance from the Dana Region seemingly getting closer.


    It seemed that one day he would set foot there.


    He looked at the young man in front of him again.


    Before entering the shop just now, he had been sitting across the road, observing him.


    After all, there were too many bad people nowadays, and he had to use some method to confirm that this young man wasn¡¯t someone with evil intentions. Based on his resume, Lin Chen specifically chose a meeting place near the high school the other party attended, which the young man wasn¡¯t even aware of. When he couldn¡¯t find him, the young man didn¡¯t become angry but was just anxious and seemed at a loss.


    These reactions made Lin Chen feel that this young man, who didn¡¯t have much heart, was simple and persistent.


    This was his current judgment.


    However, for a person who didn¡¯t have much heart, he just confided in him in a snack shop about the shady plot of a pharmaceutical company¡¯s intention to kill approval experts and steal other people¡¯s research results. Lin Chen felt he needed time to digest this information.


    He lowered his head, picked up the spoon, and sipped on his hot soup.


    ¡°Consultant Lin!¡±


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t speaking and was just drinking soup, the young man urged again.


    ¡°The clam soup here is delicious. I used to come here with my friends. You should try it,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I¡ª!¡± The young man wanted to say more, but in the end, he became obedient. He bowed his head and sipped on the soup.


    In the next moment, the young man almost spat out the soup. Lin Chen looked up and saw that he had barely swallowed a mouthful, yet tears were about to flow out of his eyes. Lin Chen looked down at the soup bowl in front of him, feeling as if they weren¡¯t eating the same amount of spiciness.


    The young man continued to cough. Lin Chen took a napkin from the table and handed it over, but his kindness was rejected.


    ¡°This kind of inferior napkin has excessive bacteria and fluorescent agent content. You should never use it.¡± As the young man said this, he coughed and took out his own tissues from his backpack. He handed one to Lin Chen and then covered his mouth.


    Lin Chen looked at the tissue in his hand helplessly. From many details, it could be seen that this young man had a meticulous and considerate character. Although he had a slight obsession with cleanliness, a doctor would always prefer things to be cleaner.


    The number of people in the shop gradually increased. When there were too many people talking, no one would pay attention to what they said.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and took a sip of the soup. When he raised his head again, the young man¡¯s cough gradually stopped. ¡°Mr. Duan Yang, what does this matter you mention have to do with me?¡±


    Hearing him ask this, there was obvious disappointment in the young man¡¯s expression.


    Lin Chen knocked on the table and was unmoved. ¡°Regarding the clues about Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s deliberate murder of Director Li, I¡¯ll inform Vice Captain Jiang of the Yongchuan Second Division. He¡¯s Director Li¡¯s husband and will be the one who¡¯s more concerned about her safety than you or me. I also killed the murderer. Zhourui Pharmaceutical will launch a PR offensive to deal with me. At most, it was just for the sake of their corporate image. If I don¡¯t care, then there¡¯s no point.¡± Lin Chen glanced at the young man sitting across from him. ¡°As for the theft of your teacher¡¯s research results or what¡¯s wrong with the drug, first, I have no power, and second, medicine is not my specialty. I really don¡¯t think I can help you.¡±


    The young man lowered his head slightly. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know if it was because the soup was too spicy or something else, but the tips of his nose and eyes were a little red. ¡°Yes, as you said, you can¡¯t help.¡±


    He said this to himself, then picked up his backpack and stood up.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t stop him.


    But when he walked to the door, he suddenly turned back and bowed to him, then said, ¡°Consultant Lin, before you refuse me, please go somewhere with me.¡±


    Looking at the bright eyes of the young man, Lin Chen finally felt some relief.


    ¡­¡­


    The municipal hospital was probably the place that Lin Chen really didn¡¯t want to visit again, especially since he just killed a hostage-taker at a hospital. When he saw the whitewashed walls and smelled the scent of disinfectant, he became a little uncomfortable.


    Duan Yang took him to the neurology ward on the tenth floor.


    Without saying a word, the young man pulled him to sit down on the bench facing the ward. He was forced to look at an old man who was stumbling in the corridor of the opposite ward but insisted on holding onto the handrail as he struggled to move forward.


    The old man walked slowly. His uncoordinated limbs showed that he had just experienced a stroke that almost took his life. The left half of the brain was infarcted or hemorrhaged, so his right side was completely useless.


    At this moment, Duan Yang said softly, ¡°Consultant Lin, I used to be a resident doctor here. There are a total of 150 beds in the neurology ward of Hongjing Municipal Hospital, which receives over 130,000 outpatients every year. Nearly 5,000 people are hospitalized here, and more than 50% of their hospitalization is due to cerebrovascular diseases. This proportion is more than 1.7 million in the country. When an elderly person lives here, it means that their life is gradually coming to an end. Please look at that grandpa across from you and imagine if, at this time, a new drug appeared on the market that claimed to gradually stimulate the repairs of neurons in his brain so that he could move normally as before he had a stroke. Do you think this drug is of epochal significance?¡±


    Lin Chen was a little shocked. ¡°This is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Duan Yang asked rhetorically.


    ¡°So far, scientific research has concluded that brain neurons will not continue to grow and cannot repair themselves, unlike skin, after minor damage. Moreover, cutting-edge technology in nerve repair research is now focused on neural stem cell transplantation. I doubt any drugs can achieve this effect.¡±


    Duan Yang was a little surprised. ¡°Consultant Lin, you have knowledge in this field?¡±


    ¡°Psychology is an interdisciplinary subject. Although I do not specialize in cognitive neuroscience, I have read a few books for my exams.¡±


    Duan Yang said softly, ¡°I also find it incredible that this new drug breaks through the traditional neurotropic drugs such as ganglioside1 and cytidine disodium triphosphate2 and directly claims that it can stimulate neuron repair. If such a drug appears, many elderly people will risk losing everything for this new drug.¡±


    1Drug used in many countries and is thought of as a promising alternative treatment for preventing several neurological diseases, including cerebral ischemic injury. However, clinical efficacy in patients with ischemic strokes is still uncertain.


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say that your teacher discovered this drug?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help asking. Although he hadn¡¯t been to the Dana Region, he could slightly guess the research conditions there. It would be an incredible thing in and of itself if someone managed to discover this epochal new drug there.


    ¡°Actually¡­ This is the problem. The drug discovered by my teacher doesn¡¯t have the effects claimed by Zhourui Pharmaceutical. It¡¯s more similar to ganglioside, but it¡¯s more effective than similar drugs.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you think that Zhourui Pharmaceutical stole your teacher¡¯s research results? Maybe they are two different types of things?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the chemical formula of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s drug. It¡¯s almost the same as the one my teacher discovered.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, there¡¯s still a difference?¡±


    Duan Yang nodded. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t the difference. It¡¯s not that they may have copied my teacher¡¯s research result, but that my teacher said this kind of drug has serious side effects. In fact, he was in the process of studying common diseases in the Dana Region when he discovered this drug by accident.¡±


    Lin Chen felt a terrifying feeling approaching. ¡°You mean, if Zhourui Pharmaceutical forcibly promotes this drug on the market, it may lead to large-scale adverse drug reactions?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s possible.¡± Duan Yang leaned on the bench a little dejectedly. He scratched his hair in irritation. ¡°Even large-scale adverse drug reactions are only a possibility. There could be subtle changes in the molecular formula of such a drug that can cause adverse reactions. What¡¯s more, I have no way to prove that the new drug developed by Zhourui Pharmaceutical did steal my teacher¡¯s research results. Their related papers were published earlier than those of my teacher. Professor Tan Kang, who presided over the development of this new drug, has a much higher academic status in the industry than my teacher. If it weren¡¯t for the anonymous letter I sent to Director Li, which was followed by a murder attempt on her, I wouldn¡¯t have found there might really be a dark inside story to all this.¡±


    Lin Chen listened carefully to the young man¡¯s narration. He listened to his confusion and struggle and looked at the old man who was struggling to walk while holding onto the railing and asked, ¡°Tell me first, what are the so-called side effects?¡±


    ¡°Long-term use can cause cognitive impairment and emotional problems.¡±


    ¡°Zhourui¡¯s new drug has entered the approval process, indicating that they have passed Phase III of clinical trials. Not to mention early animal trials, didn¡¯t they find this side effect?¡±


    ¡°Which is why I suspect the results of their clinical trials were falsified,¡± Duan Yang said solemnly.


    Lin Chen fell into deep thought.


    Now the problem had changed from pure scientific research plagiarism to the falsification of experimental results. If the former was still a moral issue, the latter involved the safety of patients. If Duan Yang¡¯s suspicions were true, it would be a major public safety issue. But the problem was that the young man sitting next to him was questioning the research results of an academic giant and a famous pharmaceutical company. This in itself was a fantasy. If researchers in related fields could hear what was being said, they would probably get up and point at the young man¡¯s nose and ask, ¡°What qualification do you have to question this?¡±


    At this moment, a similar voice sounded behind them.


    ¡°Yo, our great scientist is back!¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and saw a young resident doctor with greasy hair and a pink face walking towards them.


    When Duan Yang heard this, he was like a little leopard that was fiercely aroused. He immediately clenched his fists and stared at the man with wide eyes.


    However, to Lin Chen¡¯s surprise, after the man taunted Duan Yang, he walked up to him arrogantly and said, ¡°That guy was fired from our department. I suggest you don¡¯t believe what he¡¯s spouting. He has a pretty bad reputation around here.¡± As the man spoke, he tapped his own head and sneered, ¡°He¡¯s always thinking he knows some big scientific secrets and doesn¡¯t do his job. Always thinking about trying to save the world. Ha ha.¡±


    Lin Chen held down the angry young man who seemed to want to punch the guy and looked at the resident doctor standing in front of him and asked, ¡°What do you mean by brain problems?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a mental illness.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡±k


    ¡°I mean that he¡¯s not mentally ill.¡± Lin Chen stood up and said to the resident doctor in front of him, ¡°As a doctor of neurology, you need to improve your medical literacy a bit.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lin Chen turned around, gently pulled Duan Yang up from the bench, and asked him, ¡°Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    Duan Yang nodded.


    Lin Chen pointed to Duan Yang and said to the resident doctor with oily hair, ¡°He understands, but you don¡¯t. Who do you think has a problem with their brain between you and him?¡±


    Things like trash-talking must be said and then immediately walked away from, as one must never give the other person any chance to strike back.


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he immediately pulled Duan Yang out of the municipal hospital. It was finally dark. The long street was full of traffic and was brightly lit, but the young man next to him didn¡¯t say a word.


    Lin Chen had already read Duan Yang¡¯s resume in advance. It was clear that the young man next to him was expelled due to medical malpractice when he was promoted from resident physician to attending physician last year. Now it seemed there may be another inside story to this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, thank you just now.¡±


    ¡°That is not an answer to the question,¡± Lin Chen said coldly.


    The young man scratched his head and looked embarrassed. ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical has a very good relationship with our hospital. I was careless before and have been posting articles questioning Professor Tan Kang¡¯s experimental results. It seems they found out it was me, so they maliciously retaliated.¡±


    Seeing the young man¡¯s indifferent face, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t speak for a while. In the end, he could only say, ¡°Why were you being stupid and getting so easily discovered?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the water here was so deep at first.¡±


    ¡°So why are you pretending to be a reporter to lie to me?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± The young man didn¡¯t expect him to mention this matter again, which made him feel ashamed. ¡°I was fired from the hospital, and now I¡¯m working at a pet hospital. I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°You thought that your background didn¡¯t have enough strength to speak, and it would be easier for me to believe you if you pretended to be a reporter.¡±


    Duan Yang nodded.


    The young man¡¯s eyes were dark and clean.


    Lin Chen said to him solemnly, ¡°Status doesn¡¯t mean much. Even if you become a beggar on the street, as long as you have a clear conscience about what you say, you can say it openly. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    The young man suddenly stopped. He rubbed his eyes, turned around, and strode forward.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how Duan Yang had been suppressed for more than a year, but when he saw the pet shop where the young man was working, he realized something.


    It was a dilapidated two-story building very close to Yanjia Lane.


    As soon as he entered the store, he was greeted by cats and dogs that barked in various volumes. There were more than a dozen cages in the small shop, which only made it seem more crowded as a result.


    Duan Yang first let out the cats to relax, then hugged a long-haired puppy and led him up to the second floor.


    ¡°Actually, I sometimes think being a veterinarian is much easier than working in a hospital. You can charge 300 yuan for neutering, and I can even mark it up by 150. When it comes to spaying female cats and dogs, I can even earn more¡­¡±


    Lin Chen listened to what the young man was saying casually while observing the structure of the room on the second floor.


    ¡°Are you doing drug testing here?¡± He was surprised.


    Duan Yang opened his bedroom door and said, ¡°No, no. I was doing it before but didn¡¯t make any progress, so I just kept it as a pet for fun.¡±


    The young man¡¯s bedroom was the smallest of the three rooms. With a bed and desk taking up most of the space, there was only room for a beanbag. Lin Chen put on indoor slippers and walked into the room. At first glance, he was attracted by the whiteboard on the wall. It was covered almost entirely with dense pharmacological formulas, which made his scalp feel numb.


    He subconsciously looked at the desk. Just as his gaze swept past, Duan Yang subconsciously wanted to cover something up. Lin Chen turned his head sideways; he had already noted all the things on the desk clearly. If he read it correctly, what the young man wanted to cover up seemed to be a picture frame on the table.


    There were two men in the photo frame. One of them was a little older, and the other was Duan Yang when he was younger. He had his arms around the slightly older man and was smiling brightly.


    ¡°Is that your brother or father?¡± Lin Chen asked casually.


    Probably even Duan Yang realized how guilty his actions were just now. After hearing this question, the young man became even more embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s my teacher.¡± The young man blushed as he answered.

 CH 176

    In front of the student¡¯s computer desk, there was an intimate photo of Duan Yang and his teacher. While Lin Chen still had some puzzlement, most likely this ¡°teacher¡± Duan Yang mentioned was probably Mr. Duan Wanshan*, who supported the medical construction facilities in Africa. With reverence, Lin Chen carefully observed the older man in the photo.


    *Note: Duan Wanshan (¶ÎÍòɽ) and Duan Yang (¶ËÑô) are not related. They are different Chinese characters.


    Mr. Duan Wanshan looked like a typical scholar. In the photo, he was wearing a beret and a checkered scarf. Perhaps because he was holding an umbrella in his hand, it gave Lin Chen the impression that he once studied in England, revealing an elegant academic aura and making him even more admirable.


    Thinking of this, Lin Chen turned his attention to Teacher Duan¡¯s student.


    The young man¡¯s face looked a little red under the desk lamp. He had already retreated to the chair and sat down.


    Lin Chen thought for a bit, then asked, ¡°Do you or do you not want me to ask about your relationship with your teacher?¡±


    The kitten in Duan Yang¡¯s hand gave a gentle meow; its eyes were as blue as the sky, as if it were answering his question.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask,¡± Lin Chen replied seriously.


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I think?¡±


    Duan Yang was so tongue-tied at the moment that he couldn¡¯t speak. Lin Chen smiled. Unexpectedly, he was in a good mood. He sat on the beanbag casually.


    Duan Yang looked even more depressed than before. ¡°Teacher Duan was my undergraduate tutor. Originally, he only supervised graduate students, but he made an exception and brought me in. During summer vacation of my junior year, he suddenly resigned and joined Doctors Without Borders in Africa. When he left, he didn¡¯t even send me a text message.¡±


    ¡°How weird.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s hand hung to the ground as he sat on the beanbag. He knocked on the floor and looked at Duan Yang.


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡±


    ¡°Since your teacher didn¡¯t say goodbye and didn¡¯t send a text message, why did he suddenly contact you about adverse drug reactions many years later. Does your teacher have no former colleagues or friends? How can he leave such an important matter to a student?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I!¡± Duan Yang¡¯s face turned red again, looking extremely cute under the light.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I secretly inquired about it. How could teacher leave this kind of thing to me? He wouldn¡¯t say a word to me.¡±


    Seeing that Duan Yang¡¯s gloomy expression wasn¡¯t fake, Lin Chen started to get confused over this twisted relationship. ¡°Inquired?¡±


    ¡°My former shijie went to work as a teacher in the Dana Region. I asked her to tell me some news about my teacher from time to time. She secretly told me stuff on and off. It was probably at the end of last year or the beginning of this year that my shijie and the others accidentally found that a paper by Professor Tan Kang was very close to a drug that my teacher had studied. At that time, Professor Tan Kang had already published his paper, so it¡¯s difficult to prove that he may have plagiarized my teacher. They thought it was just a coincidence, but later, they realized that it might really be teacher¡¯s research results that were leaked. Because the experimental conditions of the Dana Region were too poor, they would regularly send things to laboratories in big cities for analysis¡­¡±


    ¡°And some of those labs belong to Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. It could just be a laboratory that Zhourui invested in, but there¡¯s no way to prove that my teacher¡¯s research findings were actually stolen from a lab.¡±


    ¡°Unless you find a key person and admit that he leaked something, but even then, the other party has already obtained the drug¡¯s patent rights, and patent ownership is difficult to verify.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s very hard.¡±


    ¡°What happened after?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Hearing this, Duan Yang suddenly laid down on the bed and let out a long sigh.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened afterwards. My shijie didn¡¯t stay in the Dana Region for long.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she stay there for long?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ Because my shijie kept sending me secret messages about teacher and when he found out, he drove her out and back to the country.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly dragged out his tone. ¡°Student Duan Yang¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a word called idiot. Do you think this suits you?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡± Duan Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me, okay? Don¡¯t you have anyone you care about? You miss them all the time, but you never hear from them, so you have to beat around the bush to get news about them.¡±


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®I can¡¯t even beat around the bush to get news now.¡¯ He suddenly didn¡¯t want to talk to Duan Yang about caring or worrying any longer. He continued with his unfinished question from earlier. ¡°I still think there¡¯s a problem here. According to what you said, you¡¯re actually a nosy person. Since your teacher is aware that this new drug with serious side effects is about to enter the market, why didn¡¯t he personally step forward? Even if communication problems exist in the Dana Region, he should have entrusted this to a third party.¡±


    ¡°This is also where I¡¯m worried.¡± Duan Yang looked solemn. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what happened later, but I have been paying attention to academic journals at home and abroad. No one has published papers of an opposing nature. In academia, we still have to rely on experiments and data. I always feel that teacher¡¯s experiment hasn¡¯t been completed, so he hasn¡¯t published his paper. I can only guess he didn¡¯t expect Zhourui Pharmaceutical to complete Phase 4 of clinical trials so quickly, but I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    The problem now was that Zhourui Pharmaceutical intended to launch a new drug that may cause adverse reactions. The person involved was in the Dana Region making him difficult to reach. All that was left was a current veterinarian who was fired from a hospital trying to prevent this from happening, but that was like a mantis trying to stop a car.


    ¡°So why exactly did you invite me to your residence?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked.


    ¡°I have something I want to give you. Can you get up for a bit?¡± Duan Yang said softly.


    Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the young man had hidden something inside the beanbag he was sitting on.


    ¡°Why are you so careful?¡±


    Lin Chen felt his legs were a little numb, so he didn¡¯t immediately stand up.


    ¡°Just last month, I found that my computer seemed to have been moved. In the evening, there was a collective barking from the pets in the pet store. I went downstairs and found that the door was open, as if someone had snuck in. Since then, I have used a desktop computer to connect to the internet and kept all the data on a laptop that¡¯s not connected to the internet.¡±


    ¡°So, what I¡¯m sitting on¡­¡±


    ¡°Is my laptop,¡± Duan Yang replied.


    Lin Chen hurriedly got up, but the moment he stood up, he suddenly felt dizzy. He held onto the wardrobe, but his knees softened, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.


    Later, he was awakened by something licking him. The back of his hand was tingling, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on Duan Yang¡¯s bed. He looked down and realized that it was the kitten that Duan Yang was holding that was licking his hand.


    Lin Chen tried to sit up, and found it wasn¡¯t difficult. When he sat up, he saw a needle in his arm, and Duan Yang was hanging up an IV bag.


    Seeing him wake up, the young man hurriedly said, ¡°Why are you in such poor health?!¡±


    ¡°I was in a hospital when you called me out.¡±


    Hearing what he said, the young man said embarrassingly, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡± He paused, and his expression changed, like a doctor looking at an indefatigable patient. ¡°Your neutrophils are seriously decreasing. Did the hospital check on this? Can you show me your medical records?¡±


    ¡°Did you give me a blood test?¡± Lin Chen was speechless.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a pet hospital. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t do simple tests.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the liquid that Duan Yang gave him. ¡°Then this is?¡±


    ¡°Glucose. The ratio is fine. It can be used on humans.¡±


    Lin Chen resisted the urge to pull out the needle. He was afraid that if he did this, the young man in front of him would beat him.


    In awe of the doctor, Lin Chen replied obediently, ¡°I had my whole body checked. There¡¯s nothing serious and the primary illness is slowly decreasing.¡±


    ¡°Then you must pay attention. The decrease in neutrophils can easily lead to repeated infections. It¡¯s been hot recently, so make sure you don¡¯t catch a cold or something. Also, what¡¯s with that injury on your hand?¡±


    Lin Chen looked down at the gauze around his palm. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what you want to give me first.¡±


    Duan Yang was someone who was easily distracted.


    Hearing what he said, the young man let out an ¡°oh¡± and took out a small SD card from the bedside table. ¡°This is all the relevant data about the new drug. Some are the contents that my shijie passed on to me, and some are the results of my own animal experiments. There is also some scattered data from Zhourui Pharmaceutical that a friend obtained.¡±


    Lin Chen frowned. ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s in management at Zhourui. He revealed a lot of inside information to me, but I can¡¯t tell you who he is. Otherwise, his life may be in danger.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the small SD card in Duan Yang¡¯s palm and said solemnly, ¡°But I can¡¯t take this.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There may be evidence obtained through illegal means. If I read it, then the relevant chain of evidence may not be admissible to the court.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡± Lin Chen put his feet down from the bed, lifted the adhesive tape that was fixed to the back of his hand, pulled out the needle, and then pressed the bleeding point with his other hand. ¡°Have you given this thing to anyone else?¡±


    ¡°My friend also has one.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let others know that you have this material. Also, I suggest you make fake data and put them on your computer, then hide this SD card.¡±


    ¡°Because other people already know that I have this material, so the previous infiltrator was looking for this?¡±


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°Do you have anything else of value?¡±


    Duan Yang shook his head. ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of.¡±


    While speaking, Lin Chen had already put on his shoes and began to walk to the door.


    Suddenly, the young man realized something and tried to stop him. ¡°Consultant Lin, if you don¡¯t want to look at it, fine, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can go home now. You must show me your medical records tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°There are no records.¡± Lin Chen started walking downstairs.


    ¡°How can that be if you¡¯ve just been hospitalized?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, because I escaped.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Lin Chen was stopped by a huge tabby cat, allowing Duan Yang to grab his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the doctor tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor?¡± He turned around and asked the young man incredulously.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come see you tomorrow. I¡¯m really tired now and want to go home and rest.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you back. I¡¯m worried about you when you¡¯re like this.¡± While Duan Yang was talking, he started to look for his keys.


    ¡°No need,¡± Lin Chen said to Duan Yang. ¡°We don¡¯t know each other well. If you¡¯re a bad person, wouldn¡¯t I have revealed my address to you?¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s mouth dropped open, unsure how to respond.


    ¡°Look, I just don¡¯t like people coming into my residence. I live close by.¡± Lin Chen shook his phone and walked towards Yanjia Lane. ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I get home. Don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    After he finished speaking, Lin Chen walked into the expansive night.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t lie to Duan Yang. When he left Duan Yang¡¯s pet shop and turned left, he could hear the sound of water. After walking along the river for about eight minutes, he had reached home.


    It was very late, so there was almost no one in the alley.


    Perhaps it was because he just had an IV infusion or had lain down for a while, but he no longer felt dizzy. Rather, he was completely sober, so he could think seriously about the time he left home and whether he needed to change the sheets. At least before he saw the person waiting for him under the eaves, he felt he was still clear-headed.


    In the night, the man standing under the eaves was neatly dressed. It was obvious he had been waiting for a long time.


    Lin Chen suddenly regretted that he didn¡¯t let Duan Yang take him home, because the person who was waiting for him on Yanjia Lane and was standing in front of Xing Conglian¡¯s house was quite a troublesome man.


    And this troublesome man happened to be named, Huang Ze.

 CH 177

    Lin Chen thought about the possibility of turning around and leaving. If it didn¡¯t look cowardly, he would¡¯ve turned around without hesitation.


    However, Huang Ze¡¯s cold and quiet gaze had already swept over, reminding him of the small river in front of his bedroom window in winter. There were even snowflakes floating in the sky, indicating just how cold it really was.


    He put his hand in his pocket and walked towards Huang Ze.


    Perhaps it was because Huang Ze had been standing still at the door for so long that the door light had dimmed, so when he walked to the door, his footsteps knocked on the brick pavement, causing the door light to come on, illuminating everything brightly, as if to welcome him home.


    Lin Chen stood in front of the vermillion door, but Huang Ze remained silent and kept examining him from head to toe.


    Although he wanted to go in and get away from Huang Ze, Inspector Huang was quite skilled at blocking the door lock, so he could only stand in front of Huang Ze and be watched like a stone statue.


    Finally, when the door light dimmed again, Huang Ze said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my call?¡±


    In order to avoid being pursued by Jiang Chao and his wife and the bombardment of calls after he escaped from the hospital, Lin Chen had turned off his phone. Naturally though, the reason why he didn¡¯t answer Huang Ze¡¯s call wasn¡¯t because of this. ¡°Oh, because I blocked you, so I didn¡¯t get it.¡±


    There was an obvious fluctuation in Huang Ze¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why?¡±


    Lin Chen was surprised that Huang Ze would ask why.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re too annoying.¡± He could only answer him truthfully.


    Huang Ze was so shocked by this answer that it rendered him speechless. In the end, Inspector Huang eased his tone and pointed to the wooden door behind, giving himself a way out. ¡°Won¡¯t you invite me in?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s fingers twirled half a circle on the key ring in his pocket and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to invite guests into other people¡¯s homes.¡±


    Huang Ze sneered. ¡°Really, you also know that it¡¯s someone else¡¯s home, yet you have the nerve to stay here for so long?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, I found that I haven¡¯t chatted with you for a long time, and you have become even more shameless than before.¡±


    ¡°How shameless is it to stay as a guest?¡± Perhaps because he had rested for a while and gotten a recent infusion, he actually had the strength to talk to Huang Ze. ¡°The housing prices are so high, so I try to save wherever I can.¡±


    ¡°Staying as a guest in a place like this?¡± Huang Ze turned around and pointed to the door plate of Unit 3 on Yanjia Lane. ¡°Do you know how much this old house is worth? Even an ordinary police officer can¡¯t afford to live in a place like this. Use your brain!¡±


    ¡°Too lazy to move.¡± Lin Chen felt that this conversation with Huang Ze kept going in a weirder direction, and it was embarrassing to quarrel with another man in front of his home. ¡°You can say whatever you want but keep your voice down. The neighbors are asleep.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the result of your laziness?!¡± The sound of frogs croaking could be heard in the air. There were hardly any lights on in Yanjia Lane. In such a tranquil environment, Huang Ze was surprisingly angry. ¡°Are you pretending that the owner of this house is still inside? In reality, did they not want to just leave? Are you going to stubbornly wait here for them until they come back?¡± Huang Ze paused, then said coldly, ¡°Do you know what you look like?¡±


    The most miserable place in his heart was poked, making it difficult for Lin Chen to calm down, but when he looked up and saw Huang Ze¡¯s angry eyes, he felt there was no need to get upset. ¡°Do you know where Xing Conglian went?¡± He frowned. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Huang Ze became even angrier. ¡°As captain of the criminal police force, Xing Conglian has been absent from work for no reason. Of course I have to check his whereabouts.¡±


    Lin Chen rubbed the door key and said solemnly, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it instead of beating around the bush. If not, please leave quickly and don¡¯t be so off-putting.¡±


    ¡°At Yongchuan International Airport, a special plane came to pick him up. The flight number and the route are confidential.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed. ¡°So you don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Huang Ze suddenly seemed to have found something to attack his weakness. ¡°What does ¡®also¡¯ mean? In fact, he didn¡¯t tell you where he went either, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After he finished replying, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he had offended Huang Ze again, but Huang Ze got so angry that his expression turned livid, and he raised his voice. ¡°I knew it. Does it look like he cares about you? He¡¯s just playing with you. When he gets tired of playing with you, he will throw you out like garbage. Even your job was given to you by him. You will have nothing at that time, so how will you gain a foothold in society?¡±


    The meaning behind Huang Ze¡¯s words seemed to regard him as some kind of plaything for Xing Conglian. Lin Chen thought about it carefully and felt that the days of being taken care of by Xing Conglian weren¡¯t bad. Still, he had to reply. ¡°What can I do? Maybe go back and continue being a dorm manager.¡±


    ¡°You can obviously live with dignity. Why choose this kind of path?¡±


    ¡°What path?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already admit it on national television? You and Xing Conglian! You¡ª¡± When it came to this point, Huang Ze couldn¡¯t continue.


    Only then did Lin Chen realize that Huang Ze actually believed the questions that Li Jingtian asked to humiliate him. He found this quite incredulous. ¡°Huang Ze, I didn¡¯t admit to anything.¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze was taken aback, and then his eyes widened. They appeared to have regained some joy. He looked down at Lin Chen and calmly asked, ¡°You have never slept with Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Chen paused. Seeing Huang Ze¡¯s lips curl, he continued, ¡°Although I really want to.¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Huang Ze had raised his hand abruptly. He put his fingers together, about to slap Lin Chen. Lin Chen raised his hand to hold back Huang Ze and took a step back, feeling pain in his wrist from the impact. Even a clay figure had a bit of anger. He sneered, ¡°Inspector Huang, slapping someone is too girly.¡± He pointed to the surveillance camera mounted on the porch and added, ¡°Pay attention to the consequences.¡±


    In front of him, Huang Ze¡¯s chest rose and fell, seemingly without any intention to calm down. It seemed that his mania was getting worse, so Lin Chen didn¡¯t bother to say anything. He didn¡¯t even look at Huang Ze, but turned around and left.


    The next moment, he felt his arm being grabbed by Huang Ze, who then pulled him back and abruptly pushed him against the door. The back of his head slammed into the door panel as he stared at Huang Ze in a daze and was speechless. His lower back also painfully hit the copper nails on the door. He didn¡¯t expect Huang Ze to forcibly pull his hands above his head and press himself against him.


    ¡­¡­


    Just as Huang Ze was about to lose his mind, neither he nor Lin Chen noticed the surveillance camera that was mounted under the eaves of Unit 3 on Yanjia Lane slightly moved.


    As if they were watching a live broadcast, on the Dana River thousands of kilometers away, someone witnessed the events at the same time.


    Wang Chao thought this matter was really fucking scary. In fact, just a few minutes ago, he was still swaying on a boat, quite scared by the rushing river on both sides. The banks of the Dana River, which cut through the rainforest, were lined with tall tropical palm and olive trees. Vines were intertwined along their trunks, forming a huge network. Occasionally, chimpanzees would swing back and forth on the vines. The atmosphere was hot and humid, giving off a fishy smell.


    There were creatures such as water snakes or river eels in the swaying river. Their scales would brush against the dark green water, which made his hair stand on end.


    Probably because he was so frightened by this unique ecological scene that he lay down on the boat and suddenly said to his boss, ¡°Boss, do you want to check up on A¡¯Chen Gege?¡±


    At that time, Xing Conglian gave him a look of relief, as if he were saying, ¡°This child has finally become more mature.¡±


    As the water calmed, Wang Chao turned over and sat up. He took out his laptop from the waterproof bag and quickly pulled up the surveillance of the door where Lin Chen¡¯s ward was in Yongchuan Second Municipal Hospital. At this time, it was quite late in China so there wasn¡¯t anyone in the corridor, and they were basically staring at a wall thousands of miles away.


    However, after staring at the ward for a while, Xing Conglian suddenly said, ¡°He¡¯s not in the ward.¡±


    Wang Chao almost shouted, ¡°Boss, what kind of special ability do you have?!¡±


    ¡°Switch the surveillance.¡± His boss coldly ordered.


    In line with the principle of serving people, Wang Chao obediently began to switch through surveillance like a madman.


    However, what he didn¡¯t expect that Xing Conglian did was see Vice Captain Jiang¡¯s beautiful wife suddenly rushing out of the ward in a panic, pulling a little nurse as if she were looking for someone.


    He hurriedly adjusted the playback sequence to normal. Some time before that, his A¡¯Chen Gege had changed out of his hospital gown and was dressed neatly. He then walked out of the ward graciously while there was no one in the corridor.


    Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by his boss¡¯ intuition!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with A¡¯Chen Gege? He doesn¡¯t like being in the hospital that much?¡± Wang Chao criticized solemnly.


    But his boss just frowned, then he took out a cigarette and stuffed it in his mouth. Because the rainforest was too damp, the cigarette needed to be lit twice before it caught. At this point, Wang Chao realized his boss had become more irritated.


    In the spirit of serving his leader, Wang Chao made the decision that he regretted for two hours and five minutes. He switched the surveillance to the door of their home as he said to his boss, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think A¡¯Chen Gege will return home. We¡­¡±


    Before he got the chance to finish, Wang Chao was so frightened that he felt his soul would pop out of his body. Not even scary movies could scare him this much.


    In the dark night, his A¡¯Chen Gege, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for many days, was indeed standing in front of the vermillion door of their house, but his posture couldn¡¯t exactly be considered ¡°standing¡±¡ªbecause his A¡¯Chen Gege was being pressed against the door and his hands were being locked above him head.


    Thanks to the high-definition surveillance camera, from the side, he could clearly see the person who was holding his A¡¯Chen Gege¡­ The biggest dumbass in the world¡ªHuang Ze.


    Lines of barrage such as ¡°Midnight affair¡±, ¡°Why is a lonely young man kissing a stranger when his husband isn¡¯t at home?¡±, and so on appeared in Wang Chao¡¯s head.


    However, he quickly returned to reality. ¡°Boss, this shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    As he was speaking, he was about to turn off the laptop, but at this moment, the picture changed drastically.


    His A¡¯Chen Gege somehow broke free from Huang Ze¡¯s shackles and punched him with the hand that was still wrapped in gauze.


    In the dark night, Huang Ze staggered back two steps and almost fell down the steps. He covered his cheek with one hand and looked ahead in disbelief.


    On the other hand, His A¡¯Chen Gege was calm and was standing upright, not at all like a boss who had just beaten up his boss, looking awe-spiring and invincible.


    Without saying a word, or even a ¡°fuck off¡±, the person who was forcibly kissed just stood on the steps, watching the dumbass Huang Ze, who was just injured, turn around and roll off into the darkness of the night.


    The passionate scene was finally over. It took a long time for Wang Chao to calm down. He swallowed desperately for a while before he dared to look around.


    From the position next to him, his boss took a deep puff of his cigarette and pressed it out on the edge of the boat. The feeling of anger had reached an unprecedented level, as if it were burning through the rainforest.


    Wang Chao began to worry about the fate of the earth.


    At this moment, Kang An, who apparently didn¡¯t know the meaning of ¡°death¡±, suddenly asked, ¡°Wang Chao, Wang Chao, quickly step back and see if that was a kiss just now.¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Wang Chao sincerely swore he had never seen such a blind person as Kang An in his life.


    Sure enough, the face of his boss, who had just calmed down, turned livid again. He said in a cold tone, ¡°Kang An, get off.¡±


    Kang An glanced at the river in horror, then raised his head and said, ¡°Boss, there are giant pythons in the Dana River. I¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°I want you to die,¡± Xing Conglian scolded.


    ¡°Boss, calm down!¡± Wang Chao said as he rushed over and hugged the angry man¡¯s waist, preventing him from kicking Kang An into the river.


    ¡°Get my phone,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    Comrade Xiao Wang was taken aback and hurriedly said, ¡°Damn, Boss, please don¡¯t use that kind of tone like ¡®bring me my dragon-slaying sword¡¯. What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to find someone to do something.¡±


    The author has something to say:


    Wang Chao: Boss, what are you looking for someone to do?


    Xing Conglian: Can you guess?


    Kinky Thoughts:


    My theory behind Huang Ze is that the author originally planned to write him as Lin Chen¡¯s ex who had a falling out to do the incident that killed his sister which hasn¡¯t been revealed yet, but decided not to or change it due to fans displeasure¡­ since it seems the danmei fandom prefers pure first love (unrealistic really).


    Because how can Huang Ze¡¯s actions be explained? Even if Huang Ze likes Lin Chen, his actions so far are too inexplicable unless he¡¯s really Lin Chen¡¯s ex.


    That or basically he¡¯s the cannon fodder to stir up Xing Conglian¡¯s feelings, which is a trope I¡¯ve grown tired of. Maybe this will be explained later¡­


    Speaking of pure first love, I really dislike how so many danmei always has to be the MC and ML never had any past relationships despite their age (I mean Lin Chen and Xing Conglian are close to 30 if I recall) before falling for each other (oh and how the gong is a stallion in bed with 0 experience). Perhaps I¡¯m too old now and find this aspect not as romantic as my teenage heart used to envision. But I digress.

 CH 178

    It had been a long time since Wang Chao had seen his boss get so angry.


    Are you kidding me?! That dumbass Huang Ze actually dared kiss his boss¡¯ person in front of his boss¡¯ house, by his boss¡¯ front door. If this wasn¡¯t being tired of living, then what was?


    Wang Chao cautiously raised his head and glanced over. He felt that his boss¡¯ gloomy face could summon hundreds of thousands of dark clouds from the Dana Rainforest, turning them into a violent storm.


    He pulled at his collar, inexplicably feeling that the air pressure around him was decreasing and becoming stuffy, as if it were being blown out by a steamer. It seemed like it was going to rain again.


    At this time, even that idiot Kang An felt the abnormality and pulled Wang Chao over and asked, ¡°Damn, what¡¯s going on with the Boss? The last time he had this expression, I seemed to have some bad memories.¡±


    Of course it¡¯s not good, damn it!


    Wang Chao hugged his laptop tightly and glared at Kang An. ¡°Are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Kang An scratched his head.


    ¡°No, the fact that you¡¯re alive is an illusion.¡±


    When he said this, his boss¡¯ cold eyes had already swept over him.


    Wang Chao hurriedly shut up, while Kang An unknowingly inquired, ¡°Boss, were those two people a couple just now?¡±


    God knew how much Wang Chao wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. The world was truly terrible. He really didn¡¯t want to be in the same camp with this idiot.


    At this time, the coldness in his boss¡¯ eyes could already solidify. It seemed as if he was holding back an evil fire that had nowhere to vent and could easily be ignited by anything.


    ¡°Why are you still on the boat?¡± His boss lit a cigarette as he asked Kang An.


    Kang An grabbed the side of the boat tightly. ¡°Boss, after we find Xiao Wu, we¡¯ll never bother you again!¡±


    Wang Chao simply suspected that Kang An simply had hearing problems. What the hell was Kang An doing, showing off his affection right in front of the boss?


    The next moment, his boss immediately got up and kicked Kang An without hesitation. Wang Chao forcibly grabbed his boss¡¯ waist and shouted, ¡°Boss, Boss, I have pulled out all the surveillance. Do you want to see what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Only by mentioning his A¡¯Chen Gege would his boss calm down a little. Having said that, his boss took a deep breath and sat back in the cabin.


    As the wooden boat cut through the waves, Wang Chao pulled him to the cabin and called up the surveillance at their front door. He turned his laptop away from Kang An and said, ¡°Boss, I won¡¯t let that idiot Kang An watch.¡±


    His boss didn¡¯t even look at him and just stared at the screen.


    Wang Chao slowly began to adjust the screen. Huang Ze slowly appeared on the monitoring screen.


    At the beginning, the sky was still bright as Huang Ze simply stood under the eaves of their home, waiting for a long time¡ªfrom sunset to twilight, until there were no pedestrians left wandering the streets. He simply stood there, like a statue.


    His A¡¯Chen Gege had returned home after nightfall. The moment he saw Huang Ze, his A¡¯Chen Gege expression showed a clear sense of annoyance.


    Wang Chao cautiously peeped at his boss¡¯ face. It seemed to have eased a little.


    After that, his A¡¯Chen Gege walked up the steps, but Huang Ze had insidiously blocked the door. The two of them were talking, and Huang Ze¡¯s expression looked angry.


    Although he couldn¡¯t read lips, he still managed to easily recognize his boss¡¯ name based on the mouth movements. Seeing his boss¡¯ sullen face and looking at Huang Ze¡¯s appearance, it seemed most likely that Huang Ze had reported some wrongdoing to Lin Chen. What a despicable person.


    His boss bit the cigarette butt and looked at Huang Ze as if he were looking at a dead man.


    Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. His A¡¯Chen Gege had said something that made Huang Ze angrier. Huang Ze dared to raise his hand to slap his A¡¯Chen Gege.


    Seeing Huang Ze raise his hand to slap Lin Chen, Wang Chao felt the weak flame in his heart was about to start a prairie fire. Huang Ze was no longer stepping on his boss¡¯ bottom line, but also hitting him with a combination of punches. When A¡¯Chen Gege and Huang Ze were about to leave, he hurriedly pressed the pause button. He was really afraid that his boss would watch the video again and immediately call a helicopter to take him back so he could kill Huang Ze.


    At this moment, his boss suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Rewind back a bit.¡±


    What his boss said was inexplicably strange, and his face wasn¡¯t as cold as it was just now. Wang Chao obediently obeyed his order and worked as quietly as a chicken.


    They watched the scene before Huang Ze started his actions. Although he couldn¡¯t read lips, his boss obviously knew!


    Wang Chao tentatively asked, ¡°Boss, what did A¡¯Chen Gege say that made Huang Ze so mad?¡± However, his boss just held his cigarette and said nothing. He felt that A¡¯Chen must have said something cruel¡ªafter all, he had never seen anyone surpass A¡¯Chen in terms of ability to anger people to death.


    However, he only received a one-word reply. ¡°Continue.¡±


    Wang Chao obediently played the same picture more than a dozen times as his boss watched it.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what A¡¯Chen said to rile up Huang Ze, in the picture, his A¡¯Chen Gege was calm and unabashed, that he even thought it was kind of cute.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°Cut off this section and delete everything else. Delete the hard drive and throw it into the river.¡± Suddenly, Xing Conglian pointed to the two cut-off points.


    ¡°What¡ªwhy throw it in the river?¡± Wang Chao was taken aback.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was something he said or what problem had arisen ahead, but suddenly, the boatman they hired screamed from the bow.


    The man squatted down with his head in his arms and looked extremely frightened.


    Wang Chao sat up straight and looked up, only to see pieces of abandoned wooden boats appear on the river in the distance. All boat types were wide between ends and wooden, indicating they were the typical boats used by the indigenous people of the rainforest. Pieces of jet-black wooden boats floated on the wide water like countless deadwood, creating a horrific scene. Judging from the terrain, they should have arrived at the dock of the Gaomeng Tribe, but for some reason, something had happened, causing all the boats to capsize and the entire dock to be abandoned.


    He looked towards the location of the dock and finally knew why the boatman was holding his head in horror. On a small boat on the shore, there were two shabby-dressed armed men pointing two submachine guns at them. Looking at their gestures, it seemed they were preparing to let them dock, then rob them, and if they didn¡¯t directly surrender, they would be killed.


    Kang An had already keenly held down his gun and concealed it close to the side of the boat.


    However, his boss stood up generously, kicked the gun in Kang An¡¯s hand, and said coldly, ¡°Who told you to shoot?¡±


    ¡°But what should I do if I don¡¯t shoot, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao.¡±


    It seemed that Xing Conglian was too lazy to talk nonsense with Kang An and decided to use Wang Chao instead.


    Wang Chao shuddered and whispered, ¡°Kang An, you pig. It¡¯s obvious that something happened here, and now that there are two survivors we can interrogate. How are we going to investigate if we kill them?¡±


    Kang An scratched his head and thought this made sense, so he put his gun down.


    The boatman shook his head while the bald bar owner hung up his phone. Wang Chao¡¯s boss glanced at the other party and said, ¡°Sail to the dock.¡±


    The bald-headed bar owner just got off the phone with his girlfriend and was reluctant. ¡°My dear Boss Xing, why do you want me to do these dangerous jobs?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s boss just stood up straight, like a javelin, and gave the bar owner a glance.


    In short, Wang Chao knew what kind of look his boss gave, and the bald bar owner didn¡¯t hesitate to climb to the bow and take over the job of the boatman.


    The ship sailed towards the dock, bringing them closer to the two militants. As they got closer, they gradually detected a fishy smell in the air. It was about half an hour from the dock to the Gaomeng Tribe¡¯s camp. The bazaar that was supposed to be lively was now desolate.


    The stalls were overturned, and the ground was full of dead fish and shrimp. There were no aborigines stationed on the dock or in the thatched huts along the shore. Everything seemed abandoned and eerie.


    Following his boss¡¯ gaze, Wang Chao¡¯s eyes finally landed on the two armed men.


    The firearms used by the militants were about twenty years out of date. The barrels looked rusty, and their outfits didn¡¯t look like they were from the Gaomeng Tribe. They were camouflaged uniforms, but their upper and lower bodies didn¡¯t match, looking more like bandits.


    The ship was getting closer.


    His boss just stood in front of the two gun barrels unabashedly and asked in the common language of the Dana Region, ¡°What happened here?¡±


    The other side rambled a bunch of nonsense, something along the lines of handing over their valuables.


    A look of impatience flashed across his boss¡¯ face, causing Wang Chao to hurriedly grab the side of the ship.


    At the moment the ship hit the dock, his boss jumped ashore, grabbed one of the muzzles, and raised it up while smoothly kicking the other person in the chest. The next second, his boss had restrained one of the bandits with his backhand and pulled the trigger. Gunshots sounded like beans popping on a piece of turf. The person who was kicked to the ground didn¡¯t dare move rashly.


    ¡°Last chance,¡± his boss said coldly.


    There was another burst of Dana language, which was along the lines of the two being mercenaries that were just passing through. When they came, the dock was already empty. They were just looking for valuables and weren¡¯t deliberately there to rob them.


    Sure enough, his boss didn¡¯t want to listen to the nonsense of these two Dana men any longer. He directly punched the one he had restrained, knocking him unconscious, and then kicked the two rusty guns into the river. Then, without hesitation, he stepped on the body of the other bandit and headed towards the shore.


    Wang Chao and Kang An looked at each other. Following their boss¡¯ actions, they both stepped on the body of the bandit obediently and followed their boss into the depths of the rainforest.


    ¡­¡­


    In the courtyard of Unit 3 Yanjia Lane.


    Lin Chen closed the wooden door and locked it carefully. Because he had been away from home for too long, everything in the yard seemed unfamiliar at first glance.


    He lifted the bamboo tube by the door and walked to the edge of the fish pond.


    All the koi in the water had swum to the edge. He took out a handful of fish food from the bamboo tube and sprinkled it into the water. The koi surfaced, and the sound of them competing for food made the house a little livelier.


    Lin Chen changed into his indoor slippers and walked into the main hall. Although he tried not to pay attention to the furnishing of the room, it was obvious that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t returned home.


    On his desk were a few books he borrowed from the library with Wang Chao at that time. One of them was the tractor maintenance book that the young teenager liked the most, which he had thrown on the carpet so he could read it at any time. There was also a cup of iced lemon black tea beside the book that had been sitting there for who knew how long.


    Lin Chen walked over to pick up the book and put it back in place, then threw the empty cup into the trash can.


    The kitchen counter was covered with a thick layer of dust. He wanted to take a rag to wipe them, but when he opened the faucet, he realized that one hand was wrapped in gauze.


    It was also under the light that he discovered the wound on his hand had reopened because he had punched Huang Ze too hard just now. A spot on the suture had cracked. The blood had stained half the gauze red, and it seemed that if he didn¡¯t restitch the wound, it wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding.


    He threw down the rag, poured some water into a watering can, and walked to the balcony.


    Sure enough, the daisies and geraniums had dried up. Except for the heartless growth of mint and weeds, everything else showed the pitiful appearance of being exposed under the scorching sun.


    Lin Chen symbolically poured some water on the plant in hopes of saving it, then called Duan Yang.


    The little doctor at the pet hospital answered his call in seconds. ¡°Consultant Lin, have you just arrived home?¡¯


    Lin Chen held the phone between his shoulders and poured the rest of the remaining water onto the mint leaves, then replied, ¡°Something happened on the way, so I got delayed.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Duan Yang became nervous.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to ask you, do you scold badly when you sew up wounds?¡± He put down the watering can and spread out his palm as he asked this.


    Naturally, it was a fantasy to want a doctor who wouldn¡¯t scold their patients who were wayward and reckless.


    It took Lin Chen five minutes to walk back to Duan Yang¡¯s pet hospital.


    The little doctor began to ramble the moment he saw Lin Chen¡¯s wound had opened up again.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯ve never seen a person like you who doesn¡¯t take their body seriously. You just went home. How did this happen? Do you know that you can easily cause repeated wound infections like this? Did you take any anti-inflammatory drugs?¡±


    A poodle in a cage also barked in response to Duan Yang¡¯s words.


    Lin Chen turned around and looked at the poodle and was reminded of Huang Ze again. He could only say, ¡°I¡¯m allergic to broad-spectrum antibiotics, so I can¡¯t take them.¡±


    The little doctor suddenly turned his head. ¡°You know your body, yet why aren¡¯t you careful? Are you trying to court death?!¡±


    The poodle barked again.


    Lin Chen sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°If I were your attending doctor, I would be incredibly pissed off!¡± The little doctor had already picked up the suturing equipment and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°There are too many pets here. Let¡¯s go upstairs and finish the IV. I¡¯m locking the door, and you¡¯re not allowed to escape!¡±


    Lin Chen nodded solemnly, expressing that he would be obedient.


    To be honest, although Duan Yang liked to ramble, he was a professional doctor with strict medical training. His suture work was meticulous, and the stitches were more refined than those of Xing Conglian¡¯s.


    Because of the anesthesia, the wound didn¡¯t hurt much. Lin Chen casually looked out the window. The air was humid and rainy, which unexpectedly made him feel a tightness in his chest.


    Finally, Duan Yang finished his stitching.


    Just as Lin Chen was about to speak, there came a piercing howl from downstairs.


    As if the door were suddenly opened, someone was walking into the store in the dark of night, stepping onto the wooden stairs with messy footsteps.


    Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the door was locked?¡±

 CH 179

    Lin Chen looked at the stairs.


    Slight footsteps were approaching as two figures slowly appeared on the stairs in the pitch-black darkness.


    The other party didn¡¯t seem to expect that they were here. Their bodies shook and suddenly rushed forward. In an instant, cold metal was pressed against their chests, and a stronger sense of threat stimulated every hair on their body like lightning.


    Lin Chen slowly turned his gaze, glanced at the gun pressed to his heart, and slowly raised his hand.


    Now that it was an era of peace, guns were banned in the country. Except for police officers and military personnel, the only ones who would use guns so openly were gangsters. In the dim light, both of the figures had their faces covered and wore ordinary everyday clothes and a cap. The only thing revealed were two pairs of cruel and bloodthirsty eyes.


    The movements of the two were concise and effective, with a sense of oppression. It was obvious they were experienced.


    The barking of the dogs downstairs had changed from a loud howl to a low, suppressed whine that seemed it could explode at any time.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heartbeat was fast, but his expression was still calm. He glanced at Duan Yang reassuringly, raised his head, and asked the visitors, ¡°Are you here to kill us?¡±


    The other party didn¡¯t understand what he meant. They quickly looked at each other and pressed their guns closer.


    Since the safety was still on, it indicated that the other party wasn¡¯t ready to do anything in the house; the barrel of the gun was cold, which meant the other party hadn¡¯t shot the gun for a period of time. Lin Chen looked straight ahead and calmly explained. ¡°This is a question, not an imperative statement. I want to know if you want our lives or something else.¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± A cold and hoarse voice came through the mask.


    ¡°Well, if you want to kill us, then I¡¯ll try my best to seize our maximum value and make you give up on this idea.¡±


    The barrel of the gun against his chest moved along his neck to his cheek and finally stopped at his temple.


    Lin Chen raised his head and looked directly into those gloomy eyes. ¡°What value do you think you have?¡¯


    ¡°The purpose of coming here is our greatest value.¡±


    ¡°If you know our purpose, why don¡¯t I just kill you.¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t look like you do. When you walked up the stairs and saw us just now, you didn¡¯t choose to shoot first. Your companion gave you a look that told you to exercise restraint. You must have a task to complete. Until that task is accomplished, we shouldn¡¯t be in danger.¡±


    After he finished speaking, the cold muzzle of the gun began to poke his temple repeatedly. ¡°Do you know that smart people die faster?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and replied, ¡°Although smart people may die faster, so do idiots.¡±


    The other party laughed and asked, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Lin Chen quickly became vigilant.


    It was obvious these intruders were follow-ups from last time. When the other party asked who he was, it meant they knew Duan Yang¡¯s identity. Duan Yang was their target, and he was just an accessory they accidentally encountered during their operation. For vicious gangsters, once they learned that he wasn¡¯t their target, they were likely to kill him.


    Lin Chen once again felt his fate was truly bad. To get his wound sewn, he had to encounter this kind of crisis where a slight mistake could lead to a fatal outcome. Among all the dangers he had encountered in his life, such an irrational situation was quite rare.


    Now was the time to take a gamble. He must show his worth. ¡°I¡¯m his shixiong.¡± He lowered his eyes toward Duan Yang as he said this.


    Hearing what he said, the young man¡¯s hands trembled, but he still resisted his fear and didn¡¯t look up. At this moment, Duan Yang didn¡¯t forget to tie the knot on the sutured wound and even carefully wiped his palm with iodophor as he tore off the adhesive tape and fixed the gauze covering the wound. He finally raised his head and looked at him. ¡°Shixiong, it¡¯s done. How do you feel?¡±


    Lin Chen felt that Duan Yang¡¯s mental quality had potential to be a field doctor.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said indifferently.


    But then, Dr. Duan regained his nature. He raised his head cautiously and looked at the two gangsters and stammered, ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Who are you?!¡± As he spoke, he still held his medical scissors tremblingly, doing a futile defense.


    Lin Chen motioned for Duan Yang to put down his ¡°weapon¡± and raised his hands. ¡°We want to live, so do as you please. You can even blindfold us if necessary.¡±


    Before he finished speaking, a thunderbolt struck outside the window. He looked up at the suddenly lit sky and stopped talking.


    The two gangsters looked at each other as if they were judging his value. Then, one of them took out a rope and tied him up forcefully, while the other held his gun and aimed at them silently.


    Although he wasn¡¯t proficient in knotting, Lin Chen could tell the other party¡¯s skill was obviously beyond that of an ordinary gangster. His wrist was being strangled painfully, and he couldn¡¯t move. He looked at the person holding them at gunpoint. The other party was calm and stable, aiming the gun at them with an unwavering gaze. Apart from knowing he had killed before, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t see any clues in that gaze. These two were more like well-trained mercenaries than common gangsters on the streets, but since when did mercenaries start taking on the business of kidnapping people in pet hospitals?


    Duan Yang was also aware that something was amiss. The young man wanted to talk to him, but Lin Chen shook his head and motioned for him to be quiet.


    They performed well from start to finish, so they didn¡¯t suffer any physical pain. They were tied up tightly, blindfolded, and had their mouths covered with duct tape. The other party even put on noise-canceling headphones on their ears. In an instant, Lin Chen felt completely separated from the world. The air was humid and hot, extremely sticky, and then a cool breeze came, indicating that it was most likely raining heavily.


    With his five senses sealed, Lin Chen¡¯s sense of touch became more acute. He laid his legs flat and felt the floor vibrating. The other party was obviously searching for something in the room. It should be the medical materials related to Duan Yang. They were light in their movements, with no preoccupation as they performed their task concisely.


    The other party¡¯s search ended quickly.


    About ten minutes later, Lin Chen felt he was lifted up, and the cold barrel of a gun was pressed against his back. He and Duan Yang stumbled and were guided downstairs.


    It was late at night. The moment he walked out of the door of the pet hospital, the oncoming heavy rain made him suddenly tremble. When he stepped into the rain, the cold water instantly penetrated his clothes. The coolness seemed to have drilled into his heart along his blood vessels. He couldn¡¯t see anything. The headphones had blocked most of the thunder, and he could only feel the tremor of the surrounding air and then guess the moment the sky was suddenly lit up by lightning.


    He hoped that some residents would get up at night and see this scene in the alley that was illuminated by the streetlamps or lightning.


    After walking for a while, they were pushed into a van. At first, he didn¡¯t lift his leg high enough, and his knee slammed into the van, making a loud noise.


    The other party seemed to be aware of his intentions and grabbed his hair. He pressed the barrel of his gun against Lin Chen¡¯s forehead and whispered, ¡°Watch it.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head and was obediently pushed into the van. The door closed, and the vehicle started, carrying them an unknown distance.


    Lin Chen was still guessing their destination at first, but gradually the loss of senses made his brain numb. Psychologists have done similar experiments. After isolating the subjects from external stimuli, most of them would report pathological mental states, including emotional stress, mental dullness, hallucinations, and the like. The cruelest punishment in the world was sensory deprivation.


    Lin Chen felt that he couldn¡¯t calculate the time, and his thoughts began to drift. In a very short period of time, many scenes that he had suppressed suddenly erupted.


    Blood and fire interweaved, and the faces of the dead and killers appeared in a loop.


    He kept trying to expose the skin on his hand to more things. The tingling sensation of his wound sobered him, and finally he lay down in the car.


    Most likely because he moved too much, Duan Yang squeezed to his side and snuggled up to him, as if relieved.


    He didn¡¯t know whether the young man understood Morse code, but he touched the back of the other¡¯s cold hand and tapped it casually so as not to slow down his brain.


    He slowly typed out the words ¡°Zhorui Pharmaceutical¡±. It took a while for Duan Yang to react.


    The young man whimpered and wrote back on his hand: [What did you say?]


    Only then did Lin Chen realize that there was a real problem with his thinking. Why did he choose something like Morse code when he could just write?


    He wrote the key words again and put a question mark at the end.


    [I don¡¯t know.]


    Duan Yang¡¯s words were written quickly. Presumably, the young man was also at a loss to his own kidnapping.


    However, this meaningless communication was like a lifeline for Lin Chen. He wrote whatever came to mind to the young man, and eventually it had little to do with their kidnapping. He was soaked, but it was like finding a lifeboat in a sea covered with icebergs.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the van finally stopped.


    The door of the car opened, and he smelled seawater in the air. Then there was the sound of waves slapping the shore, as if someone were using a bamboo broom to sweep broken glass on the floor.


    The rain had stopped.


    He and Duan Yang had been taken to the seaside. A broken fishing boat was parked at the pier, bouncing up and down with the dark waves.


    The other party held their gun and forced them to board the boat.


    Lin Chen suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart. They still had a glimmer of hope if they were in China, but if the other party smuggled them out of the country, then they truly were dead.


    Soon, an open gap in the cabin of the fishing boat confirmed his conjecture.


    Looking inward along the wet wooden board, the bottom of the cabin was crowded with more than a dozen people. Lin Chen glanced at the armed gangsters and then at the doctor, who was so shocked he couldn¡¯t speak, and said nothing. He just obediently climbed down.


    The people at the bottom of the fishing boat didn¡¯t show any fear of being imprisoned. They were all in high spirits, as if they were talking about something. This reminded Lin Chen of the legendary stowaways.


    But if these people were stowaways who wanted to leave the country, why would the kidnappers detain them with these people?


    After they walked into the cabin, the sound of impact drills and nails followed. Someone had nailed a board and sealed them at the bottom of the small fishing boat.


    They were now in a real desperate situation. Duan Yang helped him and found an empty spot in the cabin to sit down.


    In the darkness, Lin Chen felt someone pushing him and asked, ¡°Are you going to work in Dana too?¡±


    The author has something to say:


    Lin Chen: Sorry, I¡¯m going to look for someone.

 CH 180

    Lin Chen followed his voice and looked at the middle-aged man beside him, but the cabin was so pitch black that he couldn¡¯t see the other person¡¯s appearance at all.


    When he was driven into the cabin just now, he caught a glimpse of the ¡°passengers¡± inside under the dim light of the fishing boat. They were all ordinary villagers who were around 30 to 45 years old and generally characterized by a strong physique. According to what the other side said, it seemed that they were going to the Dana Region for ¡°gold panning¡±.


    ¡°We¡­¡±


    As soon as Duan Yang spoke, Lin Chen held him down.


    He squeezed the palm of the young doctor¡¯s hand to prevent him from saying more to the villager beside him. ¡°No, we came here accidentally.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t owe Boss Hei money and were sold to repay your debts, right?¡±


    ¡°The situation is a bit complicated, but it¡¯s probably similar.¡± Lin Chen gave a vague reply. He thought for a bit, then asked, ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°Man, you really shouldn¡¯t mess with people you can¡¯t mess with.¡± The villager sighed with emotion, then said, ¡°We¡¯re just here to work.¡±


    ¡°Going to work in the Dana Region?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you know there are gold and diamond mines over there, but they have a shortage of people digging them, so the pay is really high.¡±


    Although Lin Chen couldn¡¯t see the face of the villager beside him, the excitement in his voice couldn¡¯t be concealed, as if he was expecting mountains of gold and silver waiting for him thousands of miles away.


    ¡°The pay is good, but it¡¯s also dangerous, right?¡± Lin Chen leaned on the deck, a little tired. There was a roaring motor sound in the cabin, so it took a lot of effort for him to speak to these stowaways.


    ¡°What can I do? My wife has given birth to six cubs. How much can I earn if I go to work in the city? I can earn ten times as much if I go abroad.¡±


    ¡°You can earn 20,000 to 30,000 a month in Dana?¡± he tentatively asked.


    ¡°More than that! Fa Ge of our village went to Dana and came back with a lot of money. He said that if you do a good job, you can get 10,000 a month, all paid in US dollars. Don¡¯t you know how much that is?¡±


    ¡°So high?¡± Lin Chen exclaimed, half-believing and half-jokingly. ¡°But I heard that it¡¯s very chaotic there, and you said those people above aren¡¯t easy to mess with. What if¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of seeking wealth and taking risks. Besides, Fa Ge has been there and came back with a lot of money. His family used to be the poorest in the village, but now they have built a three-story building. Who wouldn¡¯t be envious?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    He had heard of frequent examples of acquaintances entrapping their village in coastal fishing communities. Usually, someone who had been missing for a long time returned home from a foreign country, flaunting his wealth to the entire village. They would hold a big feast to show off their riches, and during the meal, they would constantly talk about their experience working abroad, tricking those who hoped to improve their lives into falling for their schemes. In the end, they would deceive their fellow villagers, and even those who were related to them, into going abroad to do the lowest and most difficult job.


    This was the most primitive form of human trafficking. Once upon a time, countless black people were trafficked all over the world, and now such dirty and bloody transactions still occur in many places.


    But what made Lin Chen feel incredulous was that now he himself had become one of the trafficked people. Such a sudden fate arrangement made him unable to react. However, no matter how much disbelief he was in, he was sitting in the bottom of a cabin on a fishing boat, talking to a group of trafficked people who didn¡¯t know their fate.


    Duan Yang also picked up on the clues. The young doctor kept pulling his arm, as if urging him to explain the situation to these villagers. However, for an ocean-crossing voyage, in an enclosed space, even cannibalism could happen. Those gangsters who kidnapped them and locked them up with these stowaways showed that they weren¡¯t afraid of them telling the truth to these villagers.


    However, just as he was thinking about these things, the lights in the cabin suddenly lit up.


    Duan Yang was so frightened that he suddenly backed away. Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Only then did he see the dark faces in front of them. The villagers were very close to them, as if they wanted to listen to him. Everyone surrounded them. Under the dim light, there was neither good intention nor malice in those eyes, as if they were searching for something.


    The oncoming breath and fishy smell of the bottom cabin of the fishing boat were suffocating. They were underwater, so the air pressure was extremely low, and the heat was unbearable. He had been soaked by the rain before, but now his body was sticky and greasy, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.


    Of course, the person who was more uncomfortable than him was the doctor next to him.


    Duan Yang had a serious obsession with cleanliness. When the lights came on, he immediately fidgeted after seeing the situation in the cabin.


    ¡°Young men in the city are so squeamish,¡± someone whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, they are so pitiful,¡± someone else chimed in.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lin Chen showed a look of bitterness and stopped talking. He and Duan Yang were obviously out of place with the villagers. The people around them gradually lost interest and dispersed. They sat down against the bulkhead of the fishing boat in twos and threes and began whispering to each other or closing their eyes to rest.


    The sound of the ship¡¯s motor covered most of the whispers. Except for the two who were close to them, they couldn¡¯t hear any other voices at all. Duan Yang leaned into Lin Chen¡¯s ear and spoke. His first sentence was full of trembling. ¡°Consultant Lin, do you know how high the mortality rate of ocean-crossing smuggling is?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but glare at him.


    However, Duan Yang still rambled on. ¡°You see, the smell here smells like the place where the catch should be stored. Dead fish and shrimp carry all kinds of bacteria and microorganisms. And it¡¯s sweltering here. It¡¯s like a huge petri dish!¡±


    ¡°Doctor Duan.¡± Lin Chen felt dizzy from the waves as he spoke softly.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m worried about you. You are in poor condition; you were just exposed to the rain, and your hand is still infected. You¡­¡±


    ¡°In the dark space, a doctor who¡¯s desperately suggesting that their patient has a certain disease¡ªwhat do you think the chances of the patient surviving and walking out of this ship are?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡­¡± Duan Yang hugged his knees depressingly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the one who dragged you into this. I just don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you.¡±


    ¡°How did you come to this result?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That you dragged me into this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. This should be on Zhorui Pharmaceutical¡¯s head. I feel that their goal was to search through my home. Is it because I offended them, they are now selling us to Dana to do hard labor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Lin Chen loosened the neckline of his shirt.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because killing us directly wouldn¡¯t be as good as kidnapping us and selling us off to avoid leaving any trouble behind. This way, no one can find our bodies.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so good at reasoning?¡±


    ¡°I just think they were too blatant. Are they a pharmaceutical company or the mafia? Consultant Lin, do you think we still have a chance to escape?¡±


    ¡°This is the ocean. Since we¡¯re locked up with these stowaways, I think it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll be able to escape in a short time.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to be sold to Africa to do hard labor for the rest of our lives? Then why didn¡¯t you tell these villagers the truth just now? Don¡¯t we have a better chance if we unite them rather than just sit and wait to accept our fate?¡±


    ¡°Because right now they won¡¯t believe anything we say.¡± Lin Chen said it bluntly. ¡°Even if they have regrets or doubts, they won¡¯t show it now. Anyone who dares point out a problem will only be attacked by the mob. This is human instinct.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°We can only wait.¡±


    ¡°For how long.¡± Duan Yang sat down and looked up at the ceiling as he covered his face. ¡°This environment will only weaken our physical strength. It¡¯ll be difficult for us to survive.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the young man. Although he was indeed uncomfortable now, he and Duan Yang needed to encourage each other. Otherwise, the situation would only get worse. ¡°Anything difficult can be solved. Besides, this isn¡¯t your fault. No matter what you¡¯re involved in, you don¡¯t have yourself to blame.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it great to go to Dana?¡± He tried to find something to cheer up the youth.


    ¡°What¡¯s great? That hellhole isn¡¯t as safe as this boat full of stowaways.¡±


    ¡°But you might be able to see your teacher.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­ You¡­ You don¡¯t have to.¡± Under the faint light, Duan Yang¡¯s face flushed again in an instant. ¡°This is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely be sold to do hard labor with them. We can¡¯t escape. How can we meet my teacher?¡±


    ¡°As long as you will it, there¡¯s a way,¡± Lin Chen said seriously. ¡°So, do you want to see your teacher?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a lie? There are many things in the world I wish to see, but this isn¡¯t some cultivation novel,¡± Duan Yang muttered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a classic called <The Secret*>. Have you heard of it? It contains the most famous principles of success. That is, as long as you firmly believe something will happen, it will happen.¡± Lin Chen raised his injured hand and wanted to pat Duan Yang¡¯s head, but the tingling pain in his palm made him subconsciously switch hands. ¡°Your belief should be stronger. When you¡¯re invincible, you¡¯ll be able to achieve anything because no one can stop you.¡±


    *Self-help book by Rhonda Byrne. It¡¯s based on the belief in the pseudoscientific law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a person¡¯s life directly. The book alleges energy as an assurance of its effectiveness. Scientific claims made by the book have been rejected by a range of critics, pointing out that it has no scientific foundation.


    The young man blushed. ¡°It means that as long as I want to see Teacher, I¡¯ll definitely be able to see him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then you must firmly believe that your resistance is strong enough not to get infected. Even if you are infected, you can resist!¡±


    Lin Chen sighed as a chill came over his body. He regretted going down this scam route. However, he could only nod and say, ¡°I will.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    As explained in the footnotes, the things mentioned in the book don¡¯t have any scientific merit, but thinking about one¡¯s outlook can change your mental state. Lin Chen was simply trying to cheer up Duan Yang by basically saying, ¡°Keep a positive outlook and don¡¯t fall into despair¡± (as that would only hamper their situation even more), but Duan Yang totally missed the point and actually bought into the bullshit.


    One thing I will say, though, is that the saying ¡°fake it until you make it¡± can be applicable and could give you a boost in confidence.

 CH 181

    Just as Lin Chen used the principles of success to fool Duan Yang, Wang Chao also felt he needed to be taught something.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t because he was also trapped in a desperate situation. He just wanted to drink something warm¡ªthe scene in the village in front of him was too weird.


    It was hot and humid in the rainforest, showing signs that heavy rainfall was coming. The village was covered with a layer of white, gauze-like mist. The surrounding mist had the same color as milk, but the taste wasn¡¯t as sweet and instead had a fishy smell.


    They stepped forward on the fallen leaves all over the ground, unable to move forward for a while.


    The front was empty.


    The tawny land was overgrown with weeds. Plants grew especially fast in the rainforest. Some green vines had entangled thatched huts unique to the Gaomeng people, as if they were forbidden territory.


    There was no one inside the huts. Sporadic thatches fell to the ground, and they found in one of the huts a little girl¡¯s pink blanket that was hanging on the fence.


    There was no one in the hotel. All that was present was a dilapidated wooden sign that was swaying with the empty wind, which showed ¡°Accommodations¡± in the Dana language.


    Walking along the village, they saw a simple elementary school with a construction aid sign and a medical station for Doctors Without Borders. Wang Chao followed Xing Conglian into the medical station and walked around. There were no people or doctors, but the medicine inside the cabinets was gone, leaving only empty white hospital beds that gave off a cold feeling.


    Next to the medical station was a trendy shop that had its doors open. Many things on the shelves were scattered everywhere, looking like a mess.


    Xing Conglian walked out of the medical station and turned towards the shop.


    Wang Chao followed him in light steps and suddenly accidentally stepped on something slippery that he almost fell. Because the surroundings were too quiet and weird, he didn¡¯t dare yell out loud and could only swallow his scream back down his throat. He covered his mouth and lowered his head. There was a clump of brown fungi on the ground. The fungus he trampled on looked like a horrific animal limb.


    He raised his head and saw that his boss had already walked into the shop. After glancing at the things on the shelves, his boss squatted down and began to look through the messy goods thrown on the ground.


    Wang Chao hurriedly followed and almost tripped again over the debris on the floor. He took a closer look and found that the ground was littered with everyday items such as condoms, paper cups, and soap, leaving no place for him to stand.


    He peeked at his boss¡¯ face again and saw the anger in his boss¡¯ expression was fading and had turned rather cold.


    ¡°Boss?¡± he asked tentatively. ¡°What the hell happened here?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he noticed Xing Conglian¡¯s sharp gaze sweeping towards him, so he quickly fell silent.


    ¡°What do you think is missing here?¡±


    Wang Chao carefully bypassed the things on the ground and walked to Xing Conglian¡¯s side, where he looked at the pile of colorful items on the ground.


    ¡°There¡¯s no food?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no drinking water, sweets, or alcohol¡­¡±


    ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°It means¡­ someone took away the necessities to sustain life, but what about the alcohol?¡±


    ¡°To survive in the wild, alcohol is extremely important,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Kang An and Moda Nar, the Gaomeng bar owner, walked at the end. The bar owner looked at everything around him as his eyes changed from suspicion to shock, and then from shock to horror. Finally, he took a few steps forward and stepped on the plastic bags all over the ground. He grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s collar and said angrily, ¡°What the hell is going on here? What did you do to my people?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at Moda Nar¡¯s expression as if he were saying, ¡°Excuse me, are you mentally ill?¡± He stretched out his hand and pulled the bar owner back, picked up a box of cigarettes on the ground, opened it, took one out, and lit it. He then said to Kang An as he raised his chin, ¡°Go back and get those two just now.¡±


    ¡°Why Boss?¡± Kang An was unsure of Xing Conglian¡¯s intention.


    Xing Conglian let out a puff of his cigarette and simply said, ¡°Go.¡±


    Perhaps because his boss was in a bad mood and was too scary, but Kang An stopped talking nonsense and quickly turned around and ran away.


    ¡°Where is your tribe¡¯s ammunition depot? Do you know?¡± After he finished ordering Kang An, Xing Conglian lowered his head and picked out a pack of red things from the corner of a pile of debris, threw it to Wang Chao, and then walked out of the store without looking back.


    Wang Chao took a closer look, only to find that his boss had just thrown him a bag of Skittles. He followed happily after. ¡°Boss, Boss, didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t take a single needle or thread* from the masses?¡±


    *(Ò»ÕëÒ»Ïß) Idiom referring to something very small.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Xing Conglian said impatiently.


    As the distant relative of the leader of the Gaomeng Tribe, Moda Nar was privy to some tribal secrets. He took them to the jungle outside the village and searched for a while before he mysteriously opened a giant tree and then walked in.


    Wang Chao followed him into the tree, stunned. The trunk was hollow and hot. The stagnant air smelled strongly of gunpowder. Sure enough, there was a small cellar under the trunk.


    When the lights came on, the scene in the cellar made the bald bar owner scream.


    All the neatly placed ammunition boxes were overturned, and all the army-green iron boxes were empty, as if they had been looted. Just standing there, they could imagine the chaotic scene when the soldiers of the Gaomeng Tribe were fetching ammunition.


    Moda Nar fell to his knees, covered his face, and started crying, only to receive a kick from Xing Conglian.


    The bald bar owner looked at him with red eyes. ¡°We¡¯re late. My people are all missing!¡±


    ¡°Why are you being so emotional?¡± Xing Conglian said irritably.


    Wang Chao whispered, ¡°Boss, are the Gaomeng people so fierce? Did the entire village set off to fight some other tribe? Which tribe provoked them to this point? This must be some kind of revenge for killing the chief and taking the princess, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± Xing Conglian bit into the cigarette butt as he said lightly.


    ¡°Not likely. I heard the Gaomeng Tribe is more civilized and doesn¡¯t have the position of a princess,¡± Wang Chao said regretfully. ¡°But isn¡¯t that what Kang An¡¯s intelligence says?¡±


    ¡°Heh, usually the men go out to kill, but there aren¡¯t even any old people or children left behind the village?¡±


    ¡°Then why did the people here suddenly disappear?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they ran to save their lives,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Thinking of the medicines and the life-sustaining necessities that were taken, Wang Chao took a deep breath. ¡°Even the ammunition was taken away. Someone is chasing them, so they have no choice but to leave the village. Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then where did they flee to? The radius of their action in a week is too large. Where can we find them, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    After responding, Xing Conglian walked out of the underground ammunition depot with a cigarette in hand. Without saying a word, he stepped on the rotten leaves all over the ground and returned to the dock.


    On the wide river in front of the dock, a good show was being staged.


    Wang Chao hurriedly brought a wooden stake. In the distance, Kang An was chasing after the two poor militants who had just been beaten by his boss until they spat blood.


    Kang An grabbed the side of the boat in the water, turned over, and punched one of them into the water with a left hook. The other man swung his oar at him, but Kang An quickly grabbed onto it and used his strength to pull the other man into the water as well. At this point, Kang An had already occupied the high ground and had decisively taken an oar and struck twice, leaving the two armed militants dizzy and helpless on the water¡¯s surface. Perhaps feeling that his previous actions weren¡¯t fierce enough, Kang An then dove into the water and dragged the two unconscious militants back as if he were dragging dead dogs from the river.


    Wang Chao kept observing Xing Conglian¡¯s face and saw that his boss took a last puff of his cigarette expressionlessly and stamped out the cigarette butt.


    In front of Xing Conglian were the two militants lying on their stomachs. Kang An had woken them up. When they saw the scene in front of them, the two militants looked as if they had seen a ghost. They crawled back but were blocked by Kang An from behind.


    Xing Conglian asked angrily, ¡°Tell me, where are the people?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ We don¡¯t know¡­ We were just passing by!¡± One of the militants, probably European or American, replied in stumbling Dana.


    ¡°Do you mean to tell me that in such a big rainforest, you have nothing to do but leisurely pass by here?¡± Xing Conglian stepped on one of the militants¡¯ shoulders and sneered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of being hung up by the Gaomeng Tribe to dry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯re just passing by by chance. Please believe us!¡±


    ¡°How boring.¡± Xing Conglian tapped the militant¡¯s shoulder with his toe. ¡°You came here on a whim, so you must have known that the Gaomeng Tribe had left in advance. And the reason you know this is because either someone tipped you off or you witnessed the entire tribe being hunted down. So, tell me, where are the people of the tribe?¡±


    The two militants on the ground trembled. They looked at each other and exchanged a look. ¡°We can¡¯t say. The other party is too powerful. If they find out that we leaked information, we¡¯ll die without even a grave.¡±


    Xing Conglian took out a gun and put it to one of the militants¡¯ foreheads. ¡°Alright, if you don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯ll die now.¡±


    When it came to showing off and intimidation, Wang Chao only admired his boss.


    ¡°Three days ago, we met a large group of the Gaomeng people. It was already dark at that time, so we rushed through the rainforest and found a big tree to rest on. Gunshots rang out in the second half of the night, and a dense group of Gaomeng people ran past us with a group of terrible soldiers chasing after them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, those soldiers were so well equipped that we dared not speak up at all and just hid tremblingly in the trees.¡±


    ¡°They were incredibly cruel. The ones from the Gaomeng tribe who fell behind were instantly killed.¡±


    Xing Conglian interrupted the two. ¡°Okay, just say it directly. Where are those soldiers from?¡±


    ¡°We saw a sign of a python entangling a jaguar,¡± one of them answered.


    ¡°Zaratul?¡± Xing Conglian frowned.


    The other person¡¯s hands started to tremble. ¡°Can you say that name in a low voice. My heart is pounding just from hearing it.¡±


    When he heard the name, even Wang Chao felt his stomach churn.


    The three things: python, jaguar, and Zaratul¡ªthese things represented the Dana Rainforest Liberators Alliance. They were the most brutal militants in the Dana Region. Although the name of this organization sounded democratic, it was only in name. In the past ten years, the leader of the arm group and the tyrant of Zaratul had massacred nearly 50,000 people in Dana. The United Nations had repeatedly tried to intervene, but all their attempts failed. After all, the situation in Dana was too complicated. No matter which forces intervened from the outside world, they would be attacked by all the primitive tribes, militants, and mercenary organizations here.


    It was precisely because dealing with Dana brought fewer benefits than costs that it had created today¡¯s three-way zone.


    Listening to the vivid account of the two militants describing a scene of bullets flying and blood splattering as if killing people was as easy as cutting melons, Kang An¡¯s face immediately turned green. ¡°Boss, Xiao Wu, and the others must be in great danger!¡±


    Xing Conglian ignored Kang An and said, ¡°Wang Chao, bring up a map.¡±


    Wang Chao immediately turned on a tablet and brought up a three-dimensional topographic map of the entire Dana Rainforest. ¡°Boss, please look.¡±


    Xing Conglian handed the tablet to the two militants and said, ¡°Where did you see the Gaomeng tribe three days ago?¡±


    The two militants were still lying on the ground. They stared at the vast green on the tablet, studied it for a long time, and finally delineated an area northwest of them. ¡°It¡¯s probably here.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded after connecting the tablet.


    Kang An came over anxiously and asked, ¡°Boss, this is where they were three days ago. Where would they be now?¡±


    Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes and kept zooming in on the entire area. ¡°The first question you should ask is, Zaratul wants to kill people, but why haven¡¯t they killed all of them in a week?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because they don¡¯t want to kill everyone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it!¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t speak anymore. He first marked the location of the Gaomeng Tribe¡¯s garrison, and then marked the location where the entire tribe appeared three days ago. He connected the two points together, glanced at the tablet, kept zooming in on the picture, and moved the position of the map. Finally, he leaned back slightly, pointed to one place, and said, ¡°Here.¡±


    Wang Chao looked at the map and found that the location pointed out by Xing Conglian was an abandoned mine located in the rainforest.


    ¡°Boss, what does Zaratul want to do?¡±


    ¡°Drive the herd away and enter the designated trap,¡± Xing Conglian said flatly.

 CH 182

    Wang Chao didn¡¯t understand.


    However, he looked up the mine pointed out by his boss, which was indeed once one of Zaratul¡¯s industries. In recent years, all the rare metals there had been dug up, and the mining area was abandoned as a result.


    He didn¡¯t know how his boss deduced that Zaratul would drive the entire Gaomeng Tribe to the mining area. This matter was essentially unreasonable, but what was reason in a broken place like Dana? Perhaps Zaratul just wanted to take their men to play with human lives on a whim, so they decided to flatten the Gaomeng Tribe, which wasn¡¯t impossible.


    In short, it was right to trust his boss¡¯ judgment. As a good dog leg, Wang Chao began to search for the fastest route to the mining area.


    There were two ways to get to the abandoned mine from where they were. One was the water route, and the other was the land route that was roughly reclaimed by various forces in order to cut down trees to open paths to the mines.


    But no matter which route they took; they would encounter the heavily guarded Zaratul Tribe.


    Comrade Xiao Wang Chao looked at the vast river of the rainforest in the distance and didn¡¯t understand. He was playing games at home a few days ago and ordering lemon black tea for takeout. Why did he suddenly have to go to the rainforest dungeon to defeat Zaratul the Great Demon King?


    He finally looked up at the cloudy sky. Life was truly unpredictable¡­


    However, his boss obviously didn¡¯t have these thoughts. As soon as he could figure out the target location, he immediately jumped back onto the boat, setting off on the water route.


    Compared to the land route, the water route had no cover, which wasn¡¯t conducive for concealment, but seeing his boss look like he couldn¡¯t wait to go home, Wang Chao didn¡¯t even dare let out a fart.


    The further they went, the more turbid the water of the Dana River became. It was full of muddy sludge, turning brick red. The scene on both sides of the river wasn¡¯t as green and pleasing as before, and a large number of trees had been cut down. The Dana Rainforest was rich in expensive wood species, such as mahogany, ebony, and rosewood. Whenever expensive wood species grew, there were a large number of laborers and armed men with guns.


    Every time Wang Chao saw these places on the banks of the river, he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his throat.


    Perhaps it was the intimidating force that made the whole world retreat on his boss¡¯ sour face; surprisingly, they didn¡¯t encounter any recklessly armed militants along the way.


    Thank goodness.


    At night, they tied the boat to the shore and camped by the river.


    They didn¡¯t expect to see any starry skies in the rainforest. It had already rained a while ago, and now it seemed like it was going to rain again. Wang Chao had killed all the mosquitoes in the tent and looked towards the river. In the dark night, his boss was barefoot, sitting alone on the banks of the river, smoking a cigarette. It was unknown what he was thinking.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the boss recently? He looks kind of weird.¡± Kang An leaned over to Wang Chao and asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Wang Chao said succinctly.


    ¡°Is it lovelorn?¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao gave Kang An a blank look. ¡°How could that be?¡±


    ¡°Then what else?¡±


    Wang Chao turned around, put his hands on Kang An¡¯s shoulders, and shook him. ¡°You dare ask what¡¯s wrong? How dare you ask this? If you didn¡¯t bring the boss to this place where birds don¡¯t shit*, why would he be so weird?!¡±


    *(Äñ²»À­Êº) Metaphor used to describe a barren and remote place where birds rarely fly by.


    ¡°But there¡¯s a lot of bird shit here.¡± Kang An pointed to a pile of something that was pulled down from the top of the tent by a macaw or some other kind of bird as he said this.


    Comrade Xiao Wang hurriedly dodged to the side and almost spat out.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not lovelorn, then the boss is in love,¡± Kang An said suddenly.


    Wang Chao opened his mouth wide, wanting to marvel at Kang An¡¯s reflex arc.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Mr. Lin you¡¯re always peeking at, isn¡¯t it? The boss turns out to be gay.¡±


    Kang An¡¯s tone was so calm that Wang Chao pounded the ground and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you talk about the boss¡¯ sexual orientation without using that tone of ¡®oh, so the boss likes men¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal to be gay. After all, I¡¯m gay.¡±


    Wang Chao looked up at the sky and sighed, wanting to return to normal society and speak with people with normal brains.


    ¡°But Mr. Lin doesn¡¯t seem to be the type that the boss likes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I always thought a guy like the boss would like someone who is na?ve and sweet, like those soft boys and girls who are like cakes,¡± Kang An replied.


    ¡°You perverted. Why am I discussing this topic with you!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lin is different. Mr. Lin looks aloof and indifferent. When you take a bite, it¡¯s like biting into crystals, making your teeth ache. It turns out that the boss¡¯ taste is so hard that he truly lives up to his reputation.¡± Kang An sighed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. What¡¯s wrong?!¡±


    ¡°Two people who are in love should complement each other. Look at me, I¡¯m a smelly and hard stone in a toilet while your Xiao Wu Ge is like a blooming flower in the wind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what Xiao Wu Ge sees in you.¡±


    ¡°Hey. But the boss and Mr. Lin look more like the same type of person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it. How do you know? Have you met before?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s just a feeling that one is strong and the other is stronger. It¡¯s okay when things are good, but if they have conflict, given our boss¡¯ personality, do you think he might directly confront and overpower the other person?¡±


    ¡°Kang An.¡± Comrade Xiao Wang looked at his boss smoking by the river and suddenly wanted to light a cigarette.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Comrade Xiao Wang kicked him to the ground and grabbed Kang An by the neck as he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking set up a flag* for laozi!¡±


    *Foreshadow.


    ¡­¡­


    On the vast sea, the dilapidated fishing boat was still adrift.


    In the dark cabin at the bottom of the fishing boat, Lin Chen didn¡¯t know that he had become the object of gossip.


    He was incredibly thirsty, and his lips were peeling. He was so hungry that his chest was pressed to his back. The cabin smelled of dead fish and excrement. With the lurching of the waves, he estimated according to his own biological rhythm that the fishing boat had been traveling on the sea surface for more than 12 hours. They had most likely arrived in the territorial waters of another country. Experienced smuggling groups must have relatively safe routes, so the likelihood of being intercepted by the coastal guard of another country was slim. They could only leave their fate to chance.


    He leaned against the bulkhead and sat in the most energy-saving way. Duan Yang was taking care of a patient not far from him.


    During the 12-hour voyage without seeing the sun, the wound on his palm became painful and itchy, and there was no sign it was healing, but it wasn¡¯t he who fell ill first, but the middle-aged man who had talked to them before.


    A few hours ago, the middle-aged man had sudden, acute abdominal pain. The cry of pain almost overwhelmed the roaring fishing boat motor. The first reaction of the villagers who were locked in the bottom of the cabin was to knock on the cabin ceiling. However, the people above deck simply asked ¡°What¡¯s the matter¡± and left.


    There were still footsteps above their heads, but the sealed deck showed no sign of opening again.


    The villagers beat on the deck angrily, but got no response. Without food for 12 hours, they quickly lost the strength to riot. Their emotions changed from anger to panic, and they realized that this gold rush wasn¡¯t as good as they imagined.


    Without any medical equipment, Duan Yang could only make a simple diagnosis for the villagers. The preliminary judgment was that it was an acute gastric perforation. Although he didn¡¯t know the cause of the disease, in the vast sea, even if he knew, it would be meaningless.


    The middle-aged man curled up in a ball. His face was as white as a dead body, and his expression looked like he was in extreme pain. His previous cries had exhausted all his strength, and he was in so much pain that he could no longer shout.


    Two villagers, together with Duan Yang, stayed by his side. One of them grabbed Duan Yang and said anxiously, ¡°Doctor, please save my brother. Can you save him?¡±


    Dung Yang¡¯s fingers kept resting on the middle-aged man¡¯s neck, while the other hand lightly pressed his abdomen without saying a word.


    The villager knelt down in front of Duan Yang and banged his head on the floor, kowtowing. ¡°You¡¯re a doctor, so you can save people. My brother has five children. If something happens to him, his cruel wife will throw them all away and remarry. You must save him!¡±


    Perhaps hearing mentions of children, the curled-up middle-aged man suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Duan Yang with tears. Not knowing where the strength came from, he grabbed Duan Yang¡¯s arm with one hand and held it tightly.


    Seeing this situation, Lin Chen finally stood up. He leaned against the bulkhead as he walked to Duan Yang and sat down beside the seriously ill middle-aged man.


    Someone in the cabin began to sob softly because of his movement.


    Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang, and to his surprise, the young man¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t red. His expression was calm and solemn as he let go of the fingers holding the middle-aged man¡¯s neck, which felt like bitter bark, and took his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired.¡± In the next moment, the middle-aged man was relieved. Lin Chen saw a hint of hope appearing in his gloomy expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to die?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a relief,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°My child will still grow up.¡±


    ¡°Even if your wife is unwilling to raise them, our country¡¯s welfare system will ensure that they grow up to the age of 18 safely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. My parents are still alive, but I can¡¯t be filial anymore.¡±


    ¡°They might think you made a lot of money in Dana and don¡¯t want to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they probably will.¡±


    The middle-aged man laughed, and at the last moment of his life, he kept a smiling face as he let go of everything.


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he put his hands on the middle-aged man¡¯s face and gently closed his eyelids.


    The soft sobs in the cabin turned into howls, and the death of the middle-aged man seemed to make everyone foresee their own future.


    Lin Chen pulled Duan Yang back to their previous positions and sat down.


    Duan Yang touched his forehead first, then simply measured his heartbeat. He pulled Lin Chen¡¯s hand to check the wound and finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    Lin Chen kept looking at him. Probably because he stared at him for too long, Duan Yang touched his face and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not as I imagined.¡±


    ¡°Why so different? Do you think I¡¯ll cry bitterly?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°After all, I am a doctor. I have seen deaths that are much more tragic than this. Compared to you police officers, I¡¯m the one who deals with death every day.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Very early on, the first time I went to the hospital for an internship, it was teacher who took me.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Duan?¡±


    The young man was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt relieved. He scratched his head. ¡°It was. I like him very much. No. To be precise. I love him.¡±


    Lin Chen was surprised by the confession that came so suddenly. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hide. I just like him. I remember the first time I saw a patient die. I was very sad, and I rushed out of the ward crying. I still remember the feeling of heartache. I thought it was my fault that I couldn¡¯t save that person. My teacher, who was in the ward at that time, knew about it.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Then teacher transferred me to the ICU and asked me to face critically ill patients every day.¡±


    Lin Chen was surprised. ¡°So strict?¡±


    ¡°During that time, I probably cried every day, and I didn¡¯t want to be a doctor anymore. But then it was fine. After a long time, it was almost the end of my internship period when teacher suddenly came to me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°He took me to the morgue.¡± Duan Yang grimaced. ¡°Teacher asked me what I have experienced during this time.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said numbness, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable.¡± Duan Yang sighed. ¡°Teacher looked at me solemnly when he heard this. He said that a person who is numb to death can¡¯t become a good doctor and wanted me to change my major as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t. After all, I still want to be a good doctor. At that time, I thought, if doctors aren¡¯t numb to death, how can they endure so many separations of life and death every day? So I asked my teacher this.¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes were beautiful as Lin Chen looked at them quietly.


    ¡°Teacher told me that doctors cannot be numb to death. What doctors have to do is respect death. What we respect is not the result of death but the entire life process of human beings, from birth to death. People always want to live longer and avoid death, but there must be death in life. This is the law of nature. A painful but also a beautiful process. As doctors, we must look up to the course of life, straighten our waists, and face every challenge that death poses to us.¡±


    After the young man finished speaking, there was still crying in the cabin. The speed of the fishing boat gradually slowed down, but the sound of the motor was still loud.


    He looked at the sole electric light in the cabin and said, ¡°It¡¯s great.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    What Duan Yang is talking about is compassion fatigue or burnout, which is basically what he experienced by witnessing so much death.


    People who experience compassion fatigue may exhibit a variety of symptoms, including lowered concentration, numbness or feelings of helplessness, irritability, lack of self-satisfaction, withdrawal, aches and pains, or work absenteeism.


    According to studies, between 16-85% of healthcare workers in various fields develop compassion fatigue.

 CH 183

    After the little doctor finished speaking, the ship they were on suddenly touched something.


    Everyone in the cabin shook violently.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did we hit some rocks?¡± Duan Yang grabbed Lin Chen¡¯s hand and instantly changed back to the nervous little doctor he was familiar with.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    The sound of the motor stopped, and the footsteps above their heads became clearly audible, making everyone silent.


    Suddenly, a piercing sound of drilling rang out on the deck above their heads. In the dark space, the sound seemed to echo in everyone¡¯s head, causing all the stowaways to shrink back to the corner in fright. Duan Yang raised his head subconsciously as Lin Chen said, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    The next moment, there was a loud clicking sound, followed by the wooden boards being opened. The bright light from the sky poured down from above their heads.


    The sudden light after more than ten hours of darkness made Lin Chen¡¯s eyes sting. He covered his eyes and heard someone walking down to the cabin from the deck.


    ¡°Wake up. We¡¯re getting off the boat,¡± the visitor shouted in a drawn-out tone.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were barely opened when he saw someone holding a gun and kicked the middle-aged man who had passed away. There was no response from his feet. The man reached out his hand and tried to slap the middle-aged man to see if he could wake him, but was hugged tightly by a frightened villager.


    ¡°Please, save my brother. My brother could still be saved!¡±


    ¡°What, he¡¯s dead?¡± The gunman probed the middle-aged man¡¯s nose and then pressed against the middle-aged man¡¯s neck, then suddenly stopped. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s really dead. What bad luck.¡±


    There was no other emotion in his tone except impatience. It sounded like he was regretting that an animal had died early before the sale rather than a living person.


    Some people in the cabin began to sob softly again. Their voices were low, but no one dared ask, ¡°Why are you treating us like this?!¡±


    At this time, any question would seem foolish as the breath of death was spreading like a virus.


    Another person went down from the deck to the cabin. The person was wearing a loose-fitting green military uniform with shoulder insignia loosely fastened. He kicked the middle-aged man on the ground, cursed something, then bent down and forcefully lifted him onto his shoulder. The middle-aged man¡¯s relative kneeled beside the body and wailed loudly, but someone hit him on the shoulder with the butt of a gun and told him to quickly catch up with the rest of the group.


    Lin Chen deliberately fell behind with Duan Yang. The red-eyed, dark-skinned villager stumbled to their side and sobbed. ¡°My brother¡¯s life is too hard. How did he end up in such a mess like this?¡±


    The salty, wet, and bright sea breeze slowly poured in. Lin Chen felt himself being pushed to stand up and followed the group to the deck.


    Sure enough, the ship had already docked on the pier. He looked around. On one side was the long coastline. On the other side was the blue transparent sea with white seagulls in the sky, looking as if they had landed on some kind of expensive resort island. However, they saw the obvious dilapidated military vehicles and barricades on the distant coast, as well as the soldiers lazily basking in the sun, which indicated this wasn¡¯t in fact a resort island. In their neighboring country, Xinni, there had been a group of idle rebels occupying a small area of the coastal region from south to north of Xinni for more than ten years. For various reasons, Xinni hadn¡¯t yet been able to capture this area. It turned out that they had arrived in Li Jingtian¡¯s home country. Lin Chen looked at the darkened reef ahead and sneered.


    The villager was talking behind them. Suddenly, Lin Chen stopped. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t say anything?¡±


    At this time, Duan Yang asked, ¡°You just said, that uncle just now, his parents have already passed away?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they passed away a long time ago. My poor brother is probably confused due to illness, so he thought my uncle and aunt were here.¡±


    Hearing this, Duan Yang seemed to think of something. He put his hand in his pocket and grabbed Lin Chen. There was some commotion on the starboard side of the deck. The dead body of the middle-aged man was exposed to the sun on the deck. Two fishermen had spread a large net, wrapping the body from head to toe, then casually threw it into the sea, with one person holding the head and the other the legs. Seeing this scene, Lin Chen felt a ringing in his ears. He could hardly hear the loud wailing, but the moment the body was thrown into the sea, it left a deep impression on him.


    There were stones tied to the fishing net that were wrapped around the body. As the body that had lost its soul flew into the sea, it made a parabola and then sank straight into the water.


    Everyone on the boat looked towards where the body was dumped, and at this moment, Duan Yang took Lin Chen¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, did you know that only a simple operation is needed to save that uncle?¡±


    His words were somewhat inexplicable, and what was even more inexplicable were Duan Yang¡¯s actions.


    He looked at the young man, and the other party gave him a bitter smile. After he said this, Duan Yang let go of his hand and walked forward as if nothing had happened.


    Lin Chen was terrified. There was a small and warm ring clinging to his palm, which was quietly handed over by Duan Yang just now when he took the opportunity to speak to him.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t dare look at it in the crowd. God knew what Duan Yang suddenly handed over. Taking advantage of the opportunity to line up to go ashore, he and Duan Yang fell to the end again.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just found it in my pocket.¡±


    ¡°Is it yours?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember having it in my pocket. It was probably stuffed into it by the dead uncle before he died.¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I remembered that when the uncle was talking about his parents, he seemed to put his hand on my trousers. What do you think this means, Consultant Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen thought, ¡®How could I possibly know what this means? Being kidnapped is bad enough, but encountering a sudden death of a stowaway in the cabin and the weirdest thing was the stowaway told a lie before he died and quietly stuffed a circular, round thing that resembled a ring into your pocket. To make matters worse, you even gave me the thing. Why do I always stumble into these kinds of things?¡¯


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a psychologist? Can¡¯t you speculate on the dying psychology of that uncle?¡±


    Lin Chen felt that his temper wasn¡¯t very good since Xing Conglian left. Otherwise, he shouldn¡¯t be as impatient as he was now when he heard what Duan Yang had just said. ¡°I¡¯m not a fortune teller.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Think of it as the deathbed of a stowaway with delusional memories who handed you his family heirloom.¡±


    ¡°But you obviously know that this isn¡¯t the case. That uncle¡­ that uncle is very strange.¡±


    ¡°Why strange?¡±


    ¡°Perforation of the stomach is not a common disease in ocean voyages. How could he have a sudden perforation?¡± Duan Yang murmured.


    ¡°Stowaways, stomach perforation¡ªwhy is it so uncommon?¡± Lin Chen asked back.


    Duan Yang frowned. He lowered his voice and put his mouth close to Lin Chen¡¯s ears. ¡°Do you think there are drugs in his stomach, or he swallowed something hard before he left, which caused his stomach to perforate?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This should be your judgment as a doctor, but it shouldn¡¯t be drugs.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you think traffickers who own this line still need to smuggle drugs through human flesh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already guessed it!¡± Duan Yang gave him a depressed look.


    ¡°A person who still remembers to leave clues for you before he dies is mixed in with a bunch of stowaways. If it¡¯s not a drug dealer, then who is he?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be an undercover agent, right?¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s voice was so loud that Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but kick his calf. The young man staggered, and suddenly there was a strange look in his eyes. ¡°What did he give me?¡±


    ¡°The size is either a family heirloom or a positioning device.¡± Lin Chen held the ring tightly in his hand. ¡°This is just speculation, mainly to give you some confidence in your survival. Remember not to tell anyone about this thing. Fortunately, he secretly stuffed it into your pocket. If he had given it to you openly, would you have shouted it out loud for the whole world to know?¡±


    As they spoke, they had already been taken to what looked like an 18th¨C or 19th¨C century transit station for human trafficking rather than a customs office. The two-story building by the small seaside had a few wooden tables where office workers sat with their feet up, while ceiling fans spun above. The room was crowded with smuggled immigrants from all directions, including men, women, and even people who looked like beggars. The officials inspected each person like they were inspecting livestock, and cries and resistance could be heard constantly. They would tear open women¡¯s clothes, pinch their breasts, and haggle with the smugglers.


    After a transaction was reached, the office staff took out a stamp and would stamp their ¡°goods¡±; sometimes it would be on the face and sometimes on the back of their hands, indicating ownership.


    Lin Chen and Duan Yang were taken out separately and sent to a table in the corner. There were python and jaguar flags on the table, and the office worker was sleeping there.


    The person escorting them woke up the office staff and communicated in an unknown language for a long time. Suddenly, the office staff nodded, picked up the seal on the table, and stamped the backs of their hands.


    Duan Yang rubbed the seal that had a python and jaguar pattern on his hand vigorously, only to find that the thing couldn¡¯t be rubbed off. He said to Lin Chen with a sad face, ¡°Consultant Lin, we have become pork in a meat factory.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still the kind that passed quarantine.¡±


    ¡°Please stop joking.¡±


    They were taken out of the small building individually and finally came to a dilapidated military airfield.


    A transport helicopter with rusty wings was waiting there, but the people sitting there weren¡¯t the familiar people that were sitting in the cabin. On the contrary, there was a group of heavily armed mercenaries instead. Their eyes were sharp, and they raised their chins to look at Lin Chen and the others. Obviously, they were going to be transported to an unknown place with these mercenaries.


    This showed two points. First, the place they were going was extremely dangerous. Second, the person who kidnapped them wanted them to arrive at their destination as soon as possible, so they chose helicopter transportation, which was much more expensive than sea transportation.


    Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang¡¯s face. He was afraid this young doctor, who had covered his mouth and nose because he was dissatisfied with the air in the cabin, didn¡¯t know just how terrible the situation he was in.


    He glanced at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window. Holding onto the relic of the middle-aged man who didn¡¯t leave any name for him, his gaze finally fell on the blue stamp on the back of his hand.


    ¡­¡­


    Just as Lin Chen was scratching his head and thinking about the meaning of the python and jaguar pattern on the back of his hand, Xing Conglian was stepping on a tree stump, holding his binoculars, and looking coldly at Zaratul¡¯s arrogant golden banner in the distance.


    The python wrapped around the jaguar symbolize Zaratul¡¯s own ambition to swallow an elephant, but this wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that all entrances and exits around the mines were heavily guarded, and this place wasn¡¯t like the rumored abandoned mines from long ago.


    In the distance, smoke and dust rose, and low cement factories stretched endlessly, with some of them partially collapsed, revealing rusted cranes inside. Some intact factories seemed to have people coming in and out. There were even helicopters hovering from afar that landed within the mining area.


    It was true that the abandonment of the mines was a fact, but the scale of vehicle access here within an hour showed that it wasn¡¯t exactly as stated in the intelligence.


    ¡°Boss, this is¡­ Is Zaratul engaged in a secret factory here?¡± Kang An¡¯s uneasy voice sounded.


    ¡°Are the Gaomeng people really here? Is this a trap, like you said? Why did the militants in Zaratul drive all the Gaomeng people here?¡± These questions belonged to Wang Chao.


    ¡°Does it look like your boss is a fortune teller?¡± Xing Conglian impatiently.


    ¡°Boss Xing, where are my people? Are they dead? Why can¡¯t I see them?¡± The bar owner also pulled on him and asked.


    ¡°There.¡± Xing Conglian stretched out his hand and replied casually, pointing at a dilapidated factory building in the distance.


    Moda Nar snatched the binoculars and looked at them for a long time. ¡°It seems there are many soldiers surrounding that factory building. Why do you think my people are locked there?¡±


    ¡°The places we passed along the way have already indicated the route of your people. They were driven here from east to northwest. They will inevitably encounter the long-awaited resistance of the Zaratul militants. Now that they have encountered resistance, your people will choose to find a bunker. If they aren¡¯t killed, they will enter the factory to hide,¡± Xing Conglian answered.


    ¡°Fuck, does that mean those Zaratul bastards are besieging my people? I¡¯m going to fight them!¡±


    After the bar owner finished speaking, he rolled up his cuffs and rushed over.


    Xing Conglian kicked the bar owner to the ground. ¡°Sir, if you walk another fifty meters, you will be stepping on a minefield. Can you go court death on your own and not drag laozi into it?¡±


    The bar owner was so scared that he hurriedly crawled back.


    ¡°Boss, what are we going to do now? If the Gaomeng people are really trapped in that factory, what¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°God knows. Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Xing Conglian glanced at Kang An, who took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

 CH 184

    ¡°Boss, can you please not speak with a tone that suggests any restaurant would do for dinner tonight?¡± Wang Chao took two steps back, almost wanting his boss to see how many armed militants were surrounding the factory building.


    Zaratul¡¯s men were not grazing sheep. They were all bloodthirsty, inhumane individuals. Although those militants were now picking their feet and smoking behind the bunker, Wang Chao had no doubt that as soon as they revealed any trace of their presence, they would be shot into pieces by their assault rifles.


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Xing Conglian exhaled a mouthful of smoke and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go in, we can leave now.¡±


    ¡°But boss, why do we have to go in by ourselves? Can¡¯t we think of other ways?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± Xing Conglian shook the ashes from his cigarette. ¡°The Gaomeng Tribe has been besieged there for at least 48 hours. Why don¡¯t you think Zaratul just rush in and kill them?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kang An asked. ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t understand this matter anymore. Why did the high-ranking Gaomeng Tribe, who were once killers, become the target of massacre? How did the Gaomeng Tribe provoke Zaratul and be driven here? Why is Zaratul besieging and trapping the Gaomeng people here instead of attacking them?¡±


    His boss looked at Kang An and pointed to his face and asked, ¡°Do I look like an encyclopedia?¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m really confused. Please tell me,¡± Kang An said stubbornly.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Zaratul spent so much time driving the Gaomeng people here for only one reason. Their boss wants to catch them alive.¡±


    ¡°Boss, it feels like you have a long-standing relationship with Zaratul,¡± Wang Chao suddenly said.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Xing Conglian even had a layer of frost on his brows. He seemed to have the momentum of quickly flattening Zaratul, then leaving.


    Comrade Xiao Wang, who was glared at, didn¡¯t dare speak again. ¡°Find the blueprint of that factory.¡± His boss changed his foot on the stake and hooked his fingers at him.


    There were only four of them; a useless technical dog, a brainless bar owner, and a mentally ill person who only had love on his brain. Only his boss, the lovelorn dog, was all the combat power left. But how could one person be worth a thousand? He could only say, ¡°Boss, this is an illegal building at first glance. I might not be able to find blueprints online!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡±


    Comrade Wang Chao swallowed his saliva and didn¡¯t dare talk nonsense anymore. His hands were flying, cackling the keyboard for a long time, until he finally dared to say, ¡°Boss¡­ I really can¡¯t.¡±


    Hearing this, his boss raised his binoculars, scanned the abandoned sign at the entrance of the factory, and said, ¡®This should be a mine built by the British. It has the style of a Bredensen Mine. Look online for a similar model.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Comrade Xiao Wang¡¯s eyes lit up. Soon, a similar factory floor plan was laid out in front of him. Looking at the similar factory layout on the drawing, he almost wanted to kneel and call his boss dad. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s really there!¡±


    As he spoke, he turned the screen around and looked up at his boss.


    In short, he didn¡¯t know what his boss was looking at. After about ten seconds, his boss nodded, turned his head, and walked back.


    Wang Chao hurriedly closed the laptop, but Kang An had followed after Xing Conglian before him.


    ¡°Boss, how do we get in? You can¡¯t just leave us like this. Xiao Wu may be with the Gaomeng people inside there!¡±


    When Wang Chao heard this, he wanted to pick up his notebook and smack Kang An unconscious.


    Soon, they were back at the Dana River again. His boss glanced at the river, then tilted his head and said to Kang An, ¡°Go down.¡±


    As expected, there would be casualties!


    Kang An let out an aggrieved sigh and said, ¡°Me¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask how we¡¯re going to get in?¡±


    While speaking, his boss also began to take off his shoes slowly. ¡°The mines have sewage treatment systems, and the drainage outlet is in the Dana River. We¡¯ll enter through the drainage outlet.¡±


    ¡°Boss, what you say makes sense. Why didn¡¯t I think of it?¡± Hearing this, Kang An began to take off his clothes without hesitation.


    Wang Chao looked at the wide and turbid river in front of him. The sound of rumbling water rushed toward his face. He then looked back at the Zaratul militants patrolling in the sun in the distance. Those dark guns were illuminated coldly under the sun, but he felt as if the two men undressing in front of him were completely dismissive of it.


    ¡°Boss, I¡­ I¡¯m not going in, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s answer was straightforward.


    Just as Wang Chao wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard his boss say, ¡°There are no wolves in the rainforest, so you won¡¯t die.¡±


    Comrade Xiao Wang trembled with fright. Thinking of the many sinister legends of the Dana Rainforest, he wept. He took out his waterproof bag from his backpack and began to pack his electronic equipment. His boss and Comrade Kang An, who was mentally handicapped, each picked out some lightweight firearms and packed them in waterproof bags. In the end, when the three of them had finished packing their things, the Gaomeng man, who had been watching the entire thing, stared at him bewildered.


    ¡°Boss Xing, are we going to sneak into the factory from the water?¡±


    ¡°Oh, keep up and don¡¯t get lost,¡± Xing Conglian said as he picked up his backpack and carried it on his back.


    Kang An was also ready to make final preparations before going into the water. ¡°Boss, I only have one last question. If the Gaomeng people are besieged by Zaratul, why don¡¯t they ask for help? Why didn¡¯t anyone come save them?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they ask for me?¡± Xing Conglian sneered.


    ¡°Who would they call?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    Before his voice fell, his boss had already jumped into the water first.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen developed a fever before arriving in Dana that evening.


    The gauze attached to his palm had been torn off by Duan Yang long ago, and the sutures began to fester. It was no longer itchy, leaving only the pain of corroding flesh behind. The wound was exposed to the rain and passed through a cabin full of bacteria. With little sleep in the past few days, it wasn¡¯t surprising that it became infected.


    Before the helicopter landed, there was a vast expanse of greenery outside the porthole. He remembered the words Mrs. Jiang used to describe the Dana Region and felt that she was indeed a student of science. Her choice of words wasn¡¯t exaggerated, but he didn¡¯t expect that he would set foot on this land one day and in such a bizarre way.


    As Duan Yang helped him out of the helicopter, the propeller fanned the reddish-brown sand all around them, causing them to choke and cough involuntarily.


    What was even more bizarre than kidnapping them to Dana was that there was still an abandoned factory in the rainforest area. Lin Chen looked around, and through the gaps in the dust, he could see armed men with guns. There were things around the abandoned factory buildings that he couldn¡¯t name, so he considered them to be rockets.


    With guns pressed against them, they bypassed two factory buildings and were escorted to a place close to the river.


    Lin Chen looked up. Half of the factory building had collapsed, and the corroded and rusted tower cranes traversed the middle of the factory building.


    Just when he was worried about sheltering from the rain, someone casually pulled the planks off the ground and pushed them into the cellar.


    Their trip was probably related to dark, confined spaces.


    There were only two dim wall lamps in the cellar, illuminating the entire long corridor. On both sides of the corridor were iron cages for holding wild animals. Some cages were empty, while others had people locked up. The lights were too dim, so he could barely see the blurry figure crawling in the cage along with some dried things that he didn¡¯t know were blood or vomit.


    The sound of iron chains was heard as someone opened an iron door. It seemed he and Duan Yang were confined together in the same cage.


    They sat on a pile of haystacks. The surroundings were damp and sultry, and he could hardly see Duan Yang¡¯s face clearly.


    He leaned against the cage. The previous short walk had exhausted his last trace of physical strength. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know if it was because he was suffering from a fever, but he felt the air he sucked into his lungs was terribly hot.


    Duan Yang pushed him, measuring his heartbeat with one hand and stroking his forehead with the other, as he did to the unidentified middle-aged man in the dark cabin of the fishing boat.


    Lin Chen gently touched the iron ring in his hand and heard Duan Yang¡¯s voice full of worry. ¡°Consultant Lin, close your eyes and rest for a while.¡± The young man stretched out his leg and said to him, ¡°It¡¯ll be more comfortable for you to use my lap as a pillow.


    Lin Chen finally knew that getting sick couldn¡¯t be avoided by being mentally strong. He didn¡¯t refuse and laid down. The moment his body touched the cold iron bars, he felt a throbbing pain all over.


    He coughed lightly.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you told me about your ¡®tips¡¯, but in fact, you don¡¯t believe in it at all, do you?¡± Duan Yang asked.


    Since they were in a foreign territory, naturally they couldn¡¯t talk about the conspiracy of a multinational pharmaceutical company or the undercover encounter on the fishing boat. They could only say irrelevant things casually. Of course, the most critical issue was that, in a desperate situation, the details of right and wrong weren¡¯t really important.


    ¡°Of course. Do I look like the coaxing type?¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°No, but I think what the book says may make sense. Why don¡¯t you try to believe it, and if you persist, I think we can escape?¡±


    ¡°Duan Yang.¡± Lin Chen looked at the wrinkled face in front of him and said, ¡°You make me feel as if my life is in danger, but it¡¯s not that easy for me to die.¡±


    ¡°After listening to the tips you told me, I have always had a very strong feeling.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re going to see your teacher?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Duan Yang¡¯s tone was firm.


    ¡°Using hints with your intuition isn¡¯t effective on me. I¡¯m not the type that¡¯s easily influenced by suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡± Duan Yang was suddenly discouraged, and his scowling face got tighter.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so difficult?¡± Duan Yang said almost at a loss.


    Lin Chen laid on the ground and laughed. Duan Yang was really cute. If he could stay with such an interesting person in the last period of his life, it wouldn¡¯t be too boring. At least it was better than trying to avoid thinking about things that would make him feel regret, such as Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Your expression is wrong,¡± Duan Yang said.


    Lin Chen changed his posture and laid on his side. ¡°If your wound hurts to death like mine and you have a high fever and can¡¯t get treatment, your expression will be the same as mine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being too negative, Consultant Lin. There¡¯s no one you especially want to meet? Can¡¯t you persevere?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then think about that person, okay? As long as you will it, they might show up!¡±


    ¡°Not good.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯d rather he not be here and not know these things,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.

 CH 185

    Xing Conglian walked through the dark underground pipeline. At that time, he didn¡¯t know that at a certain moment, Lin Chen and he were only separated by a wall.


    As if he were aware of something, he stopped and raised his flashlight to illuminate the passage in front of him. The mining factory built by the British wasn¡¯t so difficult to traverse. Most of the areas have maintained their appearance from the original blueprint, except for some creatures that were not within the scope of the plan.


    In the damp and dark abandoned pipeline, a three-colored spearhead viper nestled in front of it.


    Wang Chao was so frightened that he almost screamed.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hand was stuck to the wall of the cement pipe, touching a greasy moss. He looked above his head and suddenly felt palpitations. A chill began to permeate his entire body from his chest, and a layer of goosebumps soon appeared on his arms.


    He paused for a while, and Kang An squeezed in front of him and asked, ¡°Boss, should I go?¡±


    Xing Conglian ignored him. He recovered, drew out his dagger, and took a half step forward.  He stepped on the tail of the snake with one foot and pinched the slippery snake¡¯s body with his other hand. The knife fell and blood spattered, then they continued to move forward.


    ¡­¡­


    In the cellar of the mine.


    When Lin Chen¡¯s consciousness was about to blur, he vaguely felt that someone was looking at him.


    At that time, he was resting on Duan Yang¡¯s lap. Duan Yang had already fallen asleep. His breathing was rapid as various chaotic images filled his head. Most of the images were related to Xing Conglian, as his consciousness no longer had the strength to restrain his subconscious.


    There was a sound of breathing around that didn¡¯t belong to him or Duan Yang. He could only open his eyes slightly. Through the thin, dim light, he saw someone standing in front of the iron cage and staring at them.


    He woke up instantly.


    The person outside the cage was wearing a long robe, and only after he looked closely did he realize it was a white coat, but the uniform was too long, as it went all the way down to the ankles. The person wrapped in the robe was too thin, making him look like a child who had stolen the clothes of an adult.


    Lin Chen rubbed his forehead and moved his eyes with difficulty to the face of the visitor. At first glance, he simply wanted to curse. The other party was wearing a pure white mask on his face, and there were two drops of bright red blood that resembled tears falling from the eye socket, making him look like some kind of ghost.


    Probably because he moved too much, Duan Yang also woke up. The moment he saw the figure outside the cage, the young man screamed, ¡°Ah, what the hell?!¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s voice seemed to awaken the sleeping beasts underground. Suddenly, many cages around them roared, and the iron cages shook, making loud clanging sounds.


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    The masked man moved his index finger closer to his lips. What came from behind the mask was a pure electronic sound, with an inorganic coldness but also a sense of lightness that mocked everything.


    Lin Chen sat up straight. He felt that Dana was a place full of insanity. Although he was dressed like a ghost, the one in front of him was still human.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± he asked.


    After he finished speaking, he felt that it was stupid. This wasn¡¯t China. Speaking Chinese to the other party was equivalent to him talking to a duck.


    But suddenly, he really heard the long-lost, pure Chinese. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time. Come¡­ Come with me¡­¡±


    The cell opened, and militants guarding the cellar pulled them out of the iron cage and walked out.


    ¡­¡­


    From the sewer to the designated location, they only traveled for about 15 minutes.


    Very faint light poured down from the drain, and there was a rotten smell in the air that was different from that of underground water pipes.


    They were blocked by iron fences. Kang An took out tools and wanted to remove the fence. Xing Conglian pushed the man behind him and kicked away the rusty railing in front of him with one foot.


    The iron railing flew out and slammed to the ground, causing dust to kick up. Then they proceeded to crawl out of the pipe.


    After a loud noise, there were running sounds on the floor, as if someone had heard movement and rushed down.


    The floor was shaking non-stop. Taking advantage of the gap before an encounter, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t choose to take out his gun. Instead, he took out a cigarette case from his wet, waterproof pocket and lit it.


    The sound of dense footsteps came from around the corner and were approaching quickly. When it approached the door, a black barrel from a gun went through the door first.


    After tracking the Gaomeng people for a whole week, they finally saw a bewildered rainforest warrior.


    Wang Chao was holding his laptop to cover his chest and said to the Gaomeng man who was holding a gun in front of him, ¡°Ah¡­ Good afternoon!¡±


    Xing Conglian took a puff of his cigarette, shook the ash, and said in Gaomengnese, ¡°Take me to see your chief.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen¡¯s footsteps were soft, but he had to pretend that he wasn¡¯t in a terrible state.


    With one hand on Duan Yang¡¯s shoulder, he examined the scene in front of him.


    To be honest, if he hadn¡¯t been quite so sure that he was kidnapped deep into the Dana Rainforest, he would have thought he was visiting some kind of national laboratory.


    There was only white in front of him, and under the incandescent lights was a space about the size of two basketball courts. Many people in white lab coats were busy inside the automatic door. No one would have thought that in the depths of the dilapidated and collapsed abandoned mine there would be such an advanced laboratory.


    There was a weird smell of plastic in the air.


    The staff of the laboratory handed over a full set of dust-proof suits. Lin Chen¡¯s eyes kept staring at the ghostly masked man. The other party turned around and looked at them through the door, as if he were smiling at them.


    He and Duan Yang were forced to stop at the door and put on light blue dust proof clothing. The moment he put on the mask, the blocked breathing made him feel as if his whole body was burning.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, where is this?¡±


    Only then did Duan Yang recover from shock, as he asked tremblingly.


    ¡°A laboratory.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a laboratory, but where is there such a huge lab here? Who¡¯s funding this?¡±


    The sliding door opened. The staff in the laboratory were obviously of high caliber. They just buried their heads in their work without even looking at them.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me, so who should I ask?¡± Lin Chen coughed lowly as he gave a rhetorical reply.


    ¡°I¡­ Then what are they doing with us?¡± After Duan Yang finished his sentence, he hurriedly covered his mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t ask. I won¡¯t ask.¡±


    While talking, they passed an experimental table with some testers analyzing some kind of pure powder.


    ¡°Do you recognize these testing equipment and what they are used for?¡± Lin Chen grabbed Duan Yang¡¯s arm and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°It seems they are meteorological chromatography, mass spectrometers, distillation towers¡­¡±


    ¡°What type of lab is this probably?¡±


    ¡°This should be a chemistry lab.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Chen paused. Thinking of the reason why Duan Yang was kidnapped, he asked, ¡°Drug research lab?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There are no centrifuges here¡­¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. He looked at the focused gaze beside the lab table and realized that his previous cognition was actually a little problematic. This place that looked like a laboratory might not actually be one. It should be a chemical factory.


    Given that it was a chemical factory deep in the three-way zone, Lin Chen didn¡¯t need to look at the scientific names of those powders to guess what they were.


    He gently rubbed the ring with his hand as he thought of the middle-aged man who died unexpectedly and tragically as a stowaway, and the identity of the other party gradually became clear.


    However, he was probably confused. He felt that although things were gradually being revealed, it was too confusing.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian had seen many miserable scenes, so the corpse in front of him wasn¡¯t so terrifying.


    In a warehouse on the first floor of the factory, there were more than a dozen corpses on the floor, most of which were young men whose bodies had been mutilated. Because the rainforest climate wasn¡¯t conducive to storing corpses, many of them were already covered with white maggots and had a foul smell.


    Wang Chao covered his mouth and nose in fright. He pressed his face tightly into his backpack. Xing Conglian looked away and then looked at the soldiers, who were pointing submachine guns at them.


    The other party looked like he was going to kill them here and add them to the corpse pile.


    ¡°Bo¡­ Boss¡­¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s voice was tinged with sobs. Xing Conglian looked towards the corner where the teenager was pointing, only to find a young, naked Gaomeng boy sleeping in the corner of the corpse pile.


    Xing Conglian sighed inaudibly.


    The bald-headed bar owner started to go crazy at the door of the warehouse. He howled and wanted to rush in like crazy, causing the soldiers of the Gaomeng Tribe armed with firearms to nervously point their muzzles at them.


    Kang An unlocked the safety of his gun and stood at the front.


    ¡°How many people are there upstairs?¡± Xing Conglian asked, throwing down his cigarette butt and stamping it out.


    He didn¡¯t know how he had offended these barbarians. In short, the other party became angrier, and their dark fingers tightened on the trigger.


    At this moment, a weak voice came from the end of the dilapidated corridor in the distance. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Following the sound of footsteps, Xing Conglian looked in that direction and saw a person walking slowly against the sunlight.


    ¡­¡­


    After a short walk through the laboratory, Lin Chen and Duan Yang came to the last office area.


    The style of the office was completely different from the cleanliness of the laboratory. It was full of all kinds of garbage. There was an old tire on the desk, paper scraps were everywhere, and a white magnetic board that was covered with black ink that scribbled out various complex chemical formulas that, at Lin Chen¡¯s level, he couldn¡¯t understand.


    Therefore, he could only look at the masked man in front of him with more focus. The two traces of blood tears on the other¡¯s mask were even more glaring under the incandescent light.


    With a height of about 160 cm, a weight of 45 kg, and a shoe size of 6.5, he should be left-handed. Apart from this, Lin Chen found he couldn¡¯t see any other characteristics of the other party, including gender.


    He looked at the handwriting on the whiteboard again, then at the masked man, and couldn¡¯t help frowning slightly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hee hee.¡± A mechanical cold laugh came from behind the mask. The man turned his head and pushed open the back door of the office.


    Duan Yang couldn¡¯t help screaming again and grabbed Lin Chen¡¯s hand vigorously.


    Lin Chen narrowed his eyes and looked into the dim space. Behind the door were countless small iron cages that he couldn¡¯t see the end from a glance.


    Inside the cages were taupe wild monkeys. Those monkeys had pink faces. When he was in college, Lin Chen had specially studied this kind of monkey. Their scientific name was rhesus macaque, and they were an important species used in scientific experiments in various countries around the world. A single rhesus monkey costs more than 10,000 yuan in the international market, so the value of nearly a hundred experimental monkeys in this lab alone was worth millions. Probably only in places like the Dana Rainforest could there be such an unscrupulous supply of monkeys.


    The thin, masked man stopped in front of a cage.


    The light shone on his pale mask. ¡°Giving you a choice. Do something for me or be chopped into feed and fed to my babies.¡±

 CH 186

    Xing Conglian gently waved away the smell of rotting corpses in the air and looked at the person walking at the end of the corridor.


    The setting sun in the rainforest fell from the ceiling, and the orange-yellow light brought by it sprinkled on that person, giving the figure a strange sense of sacredness. However, Xing Conglian felt it was probably due to the person¡¯s identity having some kind of bonus.


    Because the visitor was actually in tatters and was leaning on a wooden cane. He had dark skin and looked more like a farmer returning from the fields than an expert scholar, but this was indeed the second purpose of his trip.


    In the ranch medical station, he was entrusted to find someone; a respectable and handsome doctor who was a resident of the Gaomeng Tribe. The doctor¡¯s name was Duan Wanshan, and he was the legendary founder of the basic medical system in the Dana Region. Because he was so handsome, countless doctors from all over the world were inspired by him to come to the Dana Region and assist in healthcare.


    But¡­


    Xing Conglian looked at the person standing in front of him and felt that this person seemed to be a little bit too far from the word handsome; just like the gap between a buyer¡¯s expectation and reality on Taobao.


    But at this moment, the man who looked like a farmer walked up to him, stood up straight, bowed slightly, and extended a hand to him. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Xing Conglian had a cigarette in his mouth. He reached out his hand to shake hands with the person. As the sunlight fell, there was a feeling of a successful reunion after a long journey of thousands of miles.


    When Xing Conglian retracted his hand, the doctor in front of him staggered slightly, barely managing to maintain his standing position.


    Xing Conglian looked down and noticed that the doctor¡¯s pant legs were in tatters; the left leg was rolled up to the knee while the right was completely down, making it difficult to see the condition of his legs, but Xing Conglian was sure he saw faint dark brown stains adhered to his right ankle.


    There was even some viscous liquid dripping down his ankle.


    Xing Conglian frowned and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen felt that what he heard just now was unbelievable.


    To summarize, the weirdo wearing the white ceramic mask that was standing in front of him and Duan Yang explained that the reason why he kidnapped them to Dana was because he needed them to complete an unfinished research on a neurotoxic drug. The time limit was three days, and if they couldn¡¯t complete it, then they would become food for the rhesus monkeys, just like their predecessors.


    The rhesus monkeys in the cages squeaked horribly, as if welcoming them as food. Factually speaking, rhesus monkeys were basically vegetarians, so eating human flesh may not be so pleasant for them.


    As they continued on their journey, the kidnapping case became increasingly bizarre, as if it were a scene from a spy thriller movie. If they added in underground passage crossing or special forces helicopter rappelling, then for just 9.9 yuan, he could watch this strange and bizarre film through group purchasing.


    But this time, Duan Yang¡¯s reaction was faster than his.


    The young man asked, ¡°How did you find us, and why do you think we can complete this research?¡±


    Lin Chen felt relieved as these questions hit the bullseye.


    The masked weirdo laughed, making the inorganic electronic sound harsh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know this.¡± He stretched out his hand and pointed to the vast monkey cage around him. ¡°The materials are all here.¡±


    Duan Yang showed a sick look in his eyes. ¡°Even if you want to make us the drug, are you going to give us the chemical composition analysis?¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing,¡± the masked weirdo responded and chuckled.


    Duan Yang asked incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re asking us to create a drug out of thin air?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t all scientific research start from scratch? Besides, you have my babies.¡±


    Duan Yang frowned, thought for a moment, then replied, ¡°You mean, some of the monkeys here have been fed poisonous products, but some have not. We need to find out which ones have been fed the poisonous products and analyze their blood composition?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not responsible for answering your questions.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we can do it, but there is a requirement,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re qualified to make a request?¡±


    ¡°My shixiong is injured. He¡¯s the leading figure in drug research, so I want hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and aztreonam to save him¡­¡± Duan Yang heavily emphasized. ¡°If something happens to my shixiong, I¡¯ll definitely not be able to complete the research, and you¡¯ll need to find someone else.¡±


    Lin Chen watched the young man lie without even blinking.


    The masked man stood there and looked at them solemnly for a while. ¡°Write down what you want.¡±


    Duan Yang immediately pulled out a piece of paper from the side of a cage and quickly wrote down those life-saving items. He tore off the paper and handed it over.


    The masked weirdo looked at the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. ¡°I hope we have a happy cooperation.


    Duan Yang nodded. ¡°But where are we going to experiment? I don¡¯t see any centrifuges inside the lab. I need a complete medical laboratory.¡±


    The other party threw a key over, pointed to the door at the end of the monkey room, then turned around and left.


    Lin Chen saw a contemplative flash on the young man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Suddenly, he spoke again and stopped the masked weirdo.


    The other party didn¡¯t look back.


    Duan Yang raised his voice. ¡°Even if I extract the corresponding toxin ingredients from the monkey blood, that doesn¡¯t mean it can be used by humans. Drug research itself is a very complicated process.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I have someone.¡± The ending tone of the masked man slightly rose. ¡°We have everything you need.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian saw many people.


    In the large space on the second floor of the factory building, there were densely packed Gaomeng people. The windows of the factory building were covered with curtains, and those curtains looked more like patchwork or various colorful clothes and scraps of fabric.


    Xing Conglian looked away. The number of people present was about five to six hundred, and everyone had reached the end of their strength. Men and women were naked, and everyone had a decayed expression and a dead silence on their faces. The air on the second floor was cleaner than that of the ¡°morgue¡± on the first floor, but it wasn¡¯t much better. The smell of so many people who haven¡¯t bathed for a few days was terrible enough, not to mention that most of the men present had injuries on their bodies, and the air was filled with the sour smell of rotting flesh.


    However, when they saw outsiders like them, the Gaomeng people became vigilant, and their faces showed the hateful eyes that those gun-wielding soldiers had shown before, with an obvious will to prefer death to surrender.


    Xing Conglian pushed on the door with one hand, looked at the gray-faced doctor beside him, and said, ¡°Mr. Duan, as I said just now, I¡¯m here to find someone.¡± He continued, ¡°Mr. Duan, I have already made it clear that I came here primarily to find my people, not to save lives or treat the injured.¡±


    Duan Wanshan said, ¡°I know. I¡¯m also taking you to find your subordinate, but I just need to pass by here.¡±


    As he spoke, he leaned weakly on his crutch and limped into the crowd. ¡°I know you don¡¯t care about the Gaomeng people at all since you haven¡¯t asked us how we were forced into this situation, but the truth of the matter may be different from what you think.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the painful but persistent faces and then at the back of the doctor in front of him.


    Although Duan Wanshan looked seriously injured, he was full of energy when he spoke. Xing Conglian was forced to follow him and listen to his nonsense.


    ¡°First, it¡¯s fake news saying that the Gaomeng people organized a massacre.¡±


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s fake news?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Because I released the news,¡± Duan Wanshan replied simply.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    While speaking, they had already passed through the crowd and walked to the window. Duan Wanshan lifted a pair of trousers from the window, then quickly moved out of the way.


    Suddenly, a whistling bullet blasted through the air, shattering the glass and piercing where he originally was before finally embedding itself into the opposite wall.


    ¡°What¡¯s why.¡±


    Even Xing Conglian was startled. He raised his brows and instantly understood the other¡¯s meaning. However, it was still unpleasant to have someone suddenly tear off this veil of shame in front of him.


    ¡°I have been in Dana for many years. I understand the rules of the game in the international community too well. Zaratul is just a puppet for big countries to control the Dana Region. In 1998, 2006, and 2013, Zaratul held three confrontations here. Did anyone care about the massacre of the aborigines?¡± Duan Wanshan said calmly. ¡°Maybe the international community will pay a little attention to the massacre of aborigines, but if it¡¯s Zaratul¡¯s doing, they will just brush it under the rug, right?¡±


    When he said these words, Duan Wanshan didn¡¯t feel like that old farmer. The knowledge and insight revealed in his bones couldn¡¯t be faked. Xing Conglian rarely felt like being held by the neck and being told to ¡°just stand by and watch¡± by someone. He irritably spat out the cigarette he had just lit and stepped on it. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not secretary general of the United Nations. It¡¯s not my job to deal with things like genocide.¡±


    Duan Wanshan leaned on his crutches, tapped the ground, turned around, and walked towards the room on the other side.


    ¡°But you have to take care of this matter.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Two reasons.¡± Duan Wanshan¡¯s voice became low and steady this time. ¡°First, I save your men, so you have to repay me.¡±


    ¡°Former subordinates,¡± Xing Conglian emphasized. ¡°The problem is that if it weren¡¯t for you, my former subordinates, including myself, wouldn¡¯t have come here in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have another reason.¡± Duan Wanshan took him to the doors of several rooms. He took out a key, unlocked the chain on the first door, and walked in.


    There was a small light in the room. Naturally, it was impossible to have such a thing as an electric light in a place like an abandoned mine, so the light came from a field military lighting equipment that Xing Conglian was somewhat familiar with.


    The light illuminated most of the indoor space, and there were only two people in the room. One was sitting, and the other was lying flat on the ground.


    The moment he saw the man lying on the ground, Kang An, who had been following him, suddenly rushed over like crazy, but before approaching the other party, he suddenly braked and became cautious. He only dared touch the other¡¯s cheek lightly with his fingers and softly call, ¡°Xiao Wu¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian was angry to the point that he wasn¡¯t able to speak.


    The two people in the room opened their eyes at the same time. Xing Conglian obviously saw that the faces of the two invariably showed a ¡°gone through hell¡± expression.


    Xiao Wu, who was lying on the ground, jumped up and pushed Kang An away. He rushed up to Xing Conglian and said in a daze, ¡°Boss, why are you here?!¡±


    ¡°You ask laozi, so who am I supposed to ask?¡± Facing the pale and concerned face of his former subordinate, Xing Conglian finally felt relieved.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t do a good job and bothered you,¡± Xiao Wu said respectfully.


    ¡°Boss, I thought I would never see you again in my life.¡± Xing Conglian lowered his eyes and found another person tugging at his pants while crying. ¡°Why are your clothes so wet?¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but kick him. ¡°There are people outside. How do you think I got in?¡±


    ¡°From the river?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother to answer. He beckoned with his hand at his subordinates and turned to walk outside the room.


    There was no movement from the people in the room.


    Wang Chao¡¯s weak voice sounded. ¡°Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, let¡¯s go.¡±


    But the two people in the room stubbornly stood still.


    Xing Conglian stopped and looked at the doctor standing by the door. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know much, but I really don¡¯t like people forcing me to do things.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to hear my second reason why I¡¯m asking for your help.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m about to die.¡±

 CH 187

    Xing Conglian naturally wanted to say, ¡°It¡¯s none of my business if you¡¯re going to die.¡± However, upon seeing Duan Wanshan¡¯s graying temples, he swallowed back his irritable words.


    He looked at the other and knew well that if he turned around now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to return home in a short while.


    Although the two reasons mentioned by this Doctor Duan weren¡¯t discussed at length, each of them made sense.


    It was right to pay off a debt, and since the debt owed was to a dying man, it made his reasons more meaningful.


    This attitude reminded Xing Conglian of Lin Chen.


    So he turned around and went back to the room and kicked the subordinate, who was stubbornly sitting on the ground and refused to leave. ¡°Tell me, how did you get saved? Is it true that I have to pay off your debts?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    At the same time, in the monkey room, Lin Chen endured the aches and pains all over his body. He barely managed to raise his spirits as he said to Duan Yang, ¡°Tell me your plan.¡±


    Duan Yang was holding the key as he opened the door to the innermost laboratory.


    The air from the air conditioner was blowing in his face.


    There was a complete set of professional medical experimental equipment in front of them, which was different from the pure drug production factory outside. According to Duan Yang, there were more centrifuges and reactors¡­ There was even an anatomy table separated inside. Of course, the dissecting table should be purely for the rhesus monkeys.


    Overall, it was well equipped. The only problem was that the whole lab looked like it hadn¡¯t been used for a while, as there was a thin layer of dust on the bench.


    Duan Yang carefully swept the table with his hands, glanced at the surveillance camera hanging in the corner of the lab, and asked, ¡°Consultant Lin, do you think it¡¯s bugged here?¡±


    With the cold air blowing from the air conditioner, Lin Chen shivered from the cold. For him, the current environment may not be as good as the sweltering cellar. He looked at Duan Yang and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if there is or not. Besides, we will die in two days.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Duan Yang let out a long sigh, feeling helpless.


    ¡°There are no bugs here.¡± Lin Chen decided to change the topic.


    Duan Yang was stunned. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer directly. He hooked his fingers at Duan Yang and pointed to several lab coats hanging on the wall.


    Duan Yang understood immediately and tore off all coats and wrapped them around him.


    The sudden warmth made Lin Chen feel comfortable. He put on a lab coat, barely opened his eyes, and asked Duan Yang, ¡°How many coats are there?¡±


    ¡°Six¡­ It seems like six?¡±


    ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°That there were six people doing experiments here?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily, but there are signs that there were people here before. So that begs the question, where are they now?¡±


    Duan Yang swallowed. ¡°Chopped up by¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why chopped up?¡±


    ¡°Because they didn¡¯t finish the research, so they were killed?¡±


    ¡°If the research isn¡¯t complete, then why were you able to deduce from the masked man¡¯s words earlier that he wanted you to analyze the drug components from the monkeys¡¯ blood?¡± Lin Chen paused. ¡°What kind of blood would the monkeys have to be fed to contain drug components?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s poison,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°Since there are toxic chemicals, why has the research not been completed?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, what are you trying to say?¡± Duan Yang was confused. Of course, he wasn¡¯t like Xing Conglian, who knew everything.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start from the beginning.¡± Lin Chen asked him, ¡°Why do you think you were kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Because I offended Zhorui Pharmaceutical?¡±


    ¡°To be more specific, what is your inference about the cause and result of your kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°Because I accidentally exposed myself during the investigation of Zhorui Pharmaceutical, so I was kidnapped by them to do research in the Dana Region?¡±


    ¡°That is to say, you think this entire laboratory is part of Zhorui Pharmaceutical in the Dana Region, right?¡±


    ¡°Is it not?¡±


    Lin Chen laughed. ¡°Classmate Duan Yang, I think you¡¯re much more confident than I thought.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°After all, you think that your personal ability can replace the entire R&D department of Zhorui Pharmaceutical. Otherwise, why would they kidnap you and send you thousands of miles away?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s not what I mean. I really think it¡¯s strange that they kidnapped us to come here.¡± Duan Yang¡¯s face was about to blush. ¡°Then¡­ Consultant Lin, why do you think they kidnapped me?¡±


    ¡°Because you may be the one closest to the results of the study.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Duan Yang frowned.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, how can you expect me to?¡± Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang, motioned to the other party to turn his back to the camera. ¡°Don¡¯t look like you¡¯re chatting with me so obviously. Anyway, pretend to be working.¡±


    Duan Yang hurriedly turned around, and the first thing he did was take a cloth and start wiping the test bench. This kind of cleanliness obsession was beyond saving.


    ¡°I have some guesses, but it¡¯s not complete yet.¡± Lin Chen lowered his eyes slightly. The high fever made him look at everything as if it had double shadows. He gently unfolded the wrapped white lab coat, looked at the cuffs and pockets where the edges were easy to wear, and then looked at the label. Finally, his gaze fell on the offset logo on the chest of the lab coat. It was still a jaguar and python symbol, but the golden offset print was cracked. Obviously, this lab coat had been worn and washed many times.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, what¡¯s wrong with the lab coats?¡± Duan Yang asked upon seeing this.


    ¡°This coat has been worn by people for a long time.¡± He emphasized the last two words.


    ¡°Yes, you have already made it clear just now. This means that there have been people in this laboratory who have been doing experiments, but now those people are gone. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t explain much. You can think about it from another perspective. There used to be a laboratory related to Zhorui Pharmaceutical deep in the rainforest, but now there are no people in this lab. This is the result we¡¯re seeing now.¡± Lin Chen coughed twice in a low voice. He resisted the desire to cough violently and continued, ¡°From the result to the reason, I think there are two possibilities. The first may be that, as you said, the successive drug researchers here have not completed their work, so they were chopped up for feed.¡±


    ¡°What about the second?¡±


    ¡°The situation in the Dana Region is complicated, and Zhorui Pharmaceutical shouldn¡¯t have much energy to expend armed forces here. So the only possibility is that they found militants in the Dana Region as partners. That is, the leader of this jaguar and python symbol. In connection with Professor Duan¡¯s drug research, it was highly possible that Zhorui Pharmaceutical had conducted their new drug development here. After completing the research, they left without a trace, leaving their ¡®partners¡¯ at a loss, forcing them to act recklessly and randomly kidnap people everywhere. Finally, they stumbled upon you, who ventured into this matter haphazardly.¡±


    ¡°This is impossible!¡± Duan Yang said immediately. ¡°Zhorui Pharmaceutical develops drugs, not poisons. As you said, they found many people, so why me?¡±


    Lin Chen felt a splitting pain in his head and finally couldn¡¯t hold back from coughing violently.


    Duan Yang hurriedly squatted down in front of him. ¡°I won¡¯t interrupt. I won¡¯t. You can continue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the relationship between drugs and medicines. This is not my specialty. It¡¯s up to you to find out, but if your professional level is not enough, then forget I said anything.¡± Lin Chen looked up and glanced at Duan Yang. ¡°As for why they found you, there could be many possibilities. Maybe it¡¯s because you are particularly handsome. But you should think about where you posted those reports and research results on the new drug that made them discover you,¡± Lin Chen said sternly.


    Duan Yang¡¯s face tightened, as if he were aware of something and suddenly said, ¡°If what you say is true, then the new drug launched by Zhorui Pharmaceutical this time really has a very serious problem. It may be a new type of neurodegenerative drug or a corresponding derivative. The R&D personnel of Zhorui Pharmaceutical withdrew from the country after the experiment was completed, leaving only the experimental animals. So they probably played a trick on the militants in the Dana Region?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°This is just an inference, and there may be loopholes and irrationality.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. According to what you said, the researchers who conducted the research here before were employees of Zhorui Pharmaceutical, so why did they kidnap me instead of the previous researchers? Also, who is that masked person? Since Zhorui Pharmaceutical completed the research in this laboratory, the previous researchers should also have relevant research materials. Why did the masked person go to such lengths to kidnap us and say that all our research materials are only the monkeys here¡­ Ah, no, he also mentioned people. Where did they come from?¡±


    Duan Yang asked too many questions, which gave Lin Chen a headache. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why they kidnapped you. It¡¯s very likely you were an easy target and that your research results were more relevant. Zhorui Pharmaceutical needed to find a partner in the Dana Region, but given their strength in the country, hiding a few researchers would be easy.¡± Lin Chen propped up his head with one hand, looking at the young man in front of him with a smile on his face. ¡°And I can answer your second question as well, because all my deductions are based on the answer to your second question.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± Duan Yang said depressingly. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you like to keep people in suspense.¡±


    ¡°No, I just give you a certain amount of time to think about the problem,¡± Lin Chen said softly. ¡°Well, the answer is, you have never seen a real psychopath.¡±


    Duan Yang shuddered.


    ¡°In fact, the masked weirdo you just saw is a fraudster,¡± Lin Chen curled his lips as he said with disdain.


    Duan Yan was momentarily stunned before he said, ¡°Frau¡­ A fraudster?¡±


    ¡°Specially, the more ignorant and backward the area, the easier it is for scammers to succeed. Often some small trick can convince others, so the primitive tribe¡¯s rituals and shamans have a lot of say.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Why do you think he¡¯s a fraudster?¡±


    ¡°A person wearing a white ceramic mask and using an electronic voice changer¡ªdo you think he¡¯s very scary?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it feels mysterious. Could he be our acquaintance and don¡¯t want us to recognize him?¡±


    ¡°What you said is one possibility. But you can see that everyone here is familiar with him, which means he has always been dressed this way, so this kind of mystery is the feeling he deliberately created, mainly supported by acting and costumes, not by his own character.¡±


    Hearing this, Duan Yang plucked up the courage and said, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±


    Lin Chen found it funny. Few people distrusted his judgment so much, but he still nodded and said, ¡°Do you remember the office outside that we just passed by?¡±


    ¡°Is that his office?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Looking at the young man¡¯s puzzled face, he took the initiative to say, ¡°There¡¯s a photo of him and probably the leader of the militants hanging on the wall of the office, so I can basically be sure of this.¡± Lin Chen coughed lightly and continued, ¡°But what I want to talk about is not his office, which looks like a pig¡¯s nest, but the whiteboard on the wall.¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°Can you understand what was written on the whiteboard?¡±


    Duan Yang shook his head and said honestly, ¡°It should be something like a chemical formula for calculation, but I¡¯m not a chemistry major, so I can¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not his calculation formula, but a formula he found somewhere, copied it on the whiteboard, and pretended to bluff people on purpose,¡± Lin Chen explained to Duan Yang, who was still squatting in front of him. ¡°The flow of writing when copying and writing normally is different. Generally, if we do a fluent calculation, pauses will appear at the end of each formula, but he often stops after writing half of a chemical formula and lets the pen stay on the whiteboard for a while to look at what he wants to copy before continuing to write. If you have a chance to walk out of this lab, you can pay attention to some prominent ink marks.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Duan Yang pondered for a moment, then suddenly became serious. ¡°If that is indeed a fraudster, then it all makes sense. The fraudster must have used some method to make the leader of the militants believe in him, so he was put in charge of the entire laboratory. He had been working smoothly before, but one day, the militant leader decided to collaborate with Zhorui Pharmaceutical to research a new type of drug. Originally, the research results should have been shared, and the armed group would certainly have sent someone to supervise the entire research. However, driven by the huge profits from drugs and pharmaceuticals, the people at Zhorui Pharmaceutical saw that the person sent to supervise them was a fool, so they decided to deceive their partner. As the person behind the research, the mask man could only resort to desperate measures and keep abducting people to complete the drug research.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Even you can make up stories.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, don¡¯t make fun of me.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m really complimenting you,¡± Lin Chen said seriously. ¡°Some investigations are carried out meticulously in order to find clear evidence and gradually piece together the truth. But sometimes, you don¡¯t have any evidence. All you have are scattered fragments. In that case, you have to look for a possibility that connects all the pieces and roughly reconstruct the truth of the event.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same as our doctor diagnosing intractable diseases,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°I¡¯m very pleased that you can understand my analogy,¡± Lin Chen said half-jokingly. ¡°But there is another important reason why he looks for people from China instead of other countries.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s also from China. In this place full of Dana language, he¡¯s the only one who can communicate with us, and basically doesn¡¯t have to worry about us snitching on him.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Duan Yang was stunned for a moment. ¡°But you suddenly mentioned this because it¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°But Mr. Duan, I¡¯m still a patient. I have to sleep for a bit before I tell you why this is important.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Well, that explains why the mask guy thinks they can reverse engineer a drug in 3 days. Also, Lin Chen needs to stop speaking in tongues. No normal human can follow that train of thought, my dude.

 CH 188

    In the dim hut of the dilapidated factory building, Xiao Wu recounted what had happened as Xing Conglian continued to smoke. The green smoke was like a fog, suffocating and depressing the entire room.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t sit on the ground but stood upright, like a javelin, without even leaning against the wall.


    The voices of the two people who were telling the story on the ground became lower. At the end, Xiao Wu raised his head slightly and looked at him with a silent and focused gaze.


    Xing Conglian squeezed the cigarette pack and found that he had exhausted all the cigarettes inside. He held the shriveled cigarette package tightly in his palm.


    He glanced at the doctor standing by the door, and his first words were, ¡°Dr. Guan, please go outside and wait for a bit.¡±


    Duan Wanshan looked at him, then nodded and left.


    The wooden door creaked shut, and Xiang Conglian squatted down, looking directly at Xiao Wu.


    In Xing Conglian¡¯s memory, Xiao Wu had always been a young and shy boy. Xing Conglian was already in a bad mood, and now the child he raised was suddenly stolen by that pig, Kang An. When Xiao Wu was speaking, he would hide his feelings, giving Xing Conglian the bitter sense of a parent unable to control their child after they grow up and leave home.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sort through everything,¡± he said slowly.


    Xiao Wu nodded.


    ¡°A week ago, you received a request to arrive in the Dana Region to investigate the Gaomeng massacre. When you passed through the village of the Gaomeng Tribe, the Gaomeng people disappeared. You followed their tracks and encountered the Gaomeng Tribe being besieged by Zaratul¡¯s forces. You accidentally fell into a trap set by Zaratul, and after being injured, you were rescued by Dr. Guan and protected until you arrived here?¡±


    Xiao Wu reluctantly said, ¡°That¡¯s correct, boss.¡±


    Xing Conglian sneered. ¡°Such garbage. Don¡¯t call me boss.¡±


    Instantly, Xiao Wu¡¯s face became ugly. Kang An was also too scared, and he could only hold back his anger.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± Xiao Liu said weakly.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The two people in front of him were silent and cautious, and their posture had changed from sitting to kneeling. Looking at the faint scars on their faces and bodies, Xing Conglian became even more angry and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Come on, you two, tell me. If I¡¯m not senile yet, according to regulations, you¡¯re just here to conduct an observational survey in the Dana Region, which means you¡¯re only supposed to observe if anything is wrong here. If you find something is wrong, you will call back and report it, then fly home. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Boss, you wrote the charter, so of course you are right,¡± Xiao Liu said obsequiously.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even say a word to this shaved-headed subordinate. He continued to look at Xiao Wu and said solemnly, ¡°Then may I ask, Mr. Lu Zhengyan, you two observers got accidentally swept up in this incident and even stepped on a trap by Zaratul. Is this too much for me to call you useless?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our fault, boss. We were greedy and wanted to find the matter out clearly. We accidently strayed into Zaratul¡¯s encirclement trap¡­¡±


    The words were so fake that Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t bear to listen anymore. He stood up to leave, but his legs stiffened, and he froze in place.


    Someone hugged his leg vigorously. The person holding it was Xiao Wu, the young man whom he had raised just like Wang Chao. He reluctantly turned his head and saw Wang Chao trembling as he put down his laptop and squatted beside the three of them. ¡°Boss, although I don¡¯t know what happened, I just saw everyone kneeling, so it doesn¡¯t feel appropriate to stand¡­¡±


    Looking at four people in a row kneeling on the ground, Xing Conglian missed Lin Chen even more. If Lin Chen encountered such a situation, he would probably cross his arms coldly and leave without turning his head. Once he thought of Lin Chen, he became even more irritable. ¡°What with all this apologizing set? Laozi¡¯s not a gangster!¡±


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s really miserable. We feel guilty in our hearts,¡± Xiao Liu said.


    Through the door, Xing Conglian pointed at the hundreds of Gaomeng people outside and suddenly became quiet. ¡°In the Dana Region, I have never seen the principle of saving people just out of pity. Since you¡¯re here to observe and investigate, you have to get out after observation. Understand this and don¡¯t cause trouble for others!¡± Xing Conglian said solemnly. ¡°If you don¡¯t have the ability, don¡¯t take on the work. Otherwise, you¡¯ll just drag others down.¡±


    When his voice fell, the room was silent.


    ¡°When we arrived, Zaratul was killing people.¡± At this moment, Xiao Wu spoke up slowly. ¡°There were the elderly and children. When they fled the village at the beginning, their formation wasn¡¯t good. The young were at the back, while the old were still at the front. Then Zaratul ambushed them in the front. There was a burst of machine gun fire, and many people were shot¡­ When we arrived, this was the scene we saw.¡± Xiao Wu was injured, so as he spoke, his voice became lighter.


    Thinking about it, massacres were like this, and these were words that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to hear. When he heard such inhumane stories, it also meant that his conscience would overcome his reason and prevent him from ¡°minding his own business¡±. ¡°And then what? You guys copied them and picked up your weapons and attacked?¡± he said sarcastically.


    Xiao Wu shook his head. ¡°Not at first. We also wonder why the intelligence was so different from the actual situation, so we just helped them behind the scenes.¡±


    Xiao Wu said it tactfully, but the help they provided wasn¡¯t that simple. Xing Conglian had already listened enough to their nonsense and didn¡¯t need to listen to it again. ¡°Okay, Mr. Lu Zhengyan, no need to keep repeating yourself. You have said so much, you¡¯re circumventing a problem.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Kang An said you went crazy and lost contact with him. What the hell happened?¡±


    Xiao Wu lowered his head. He was quiet for a moment and was just about to speak when the wooden door was pushed open.


    Duan Wanshan appeared at the door on crutches. He looked at the two people kneeling on the ground and said, ¡°I appreciate your kindness, but it looks like your boss is more difficult than you think.¡±


    After he finished, he slightly turned and bowed to Xing Conglian and slowly said, ¡°If you want to know the truth, please come with me, Captain Xing.¡±


    Duan Wanshan walked in front, and Xing Conglian followed behind. He had already walked through most of the factory, and now Duan Wanshan took him out again and walked to the warehouse in the corner of the floor. He suddenly realized that Duan Wanshan¡¯s arrangement for the crowd gathering area in the factory seemed to have a deeper meaning.


    ¡°Just now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Those are all patients with mild symptoms.¡±


    ¡°What about here?¡±


    ¡°Intensive isolation.¡±


    Before Duan Wanshan¡¯s voice fell, he opened the heavy iron door in front of him.


    Because the door was too heavy and the chain was too old, it made a sound like an earthquake when opened. Xing Conglian quickly realized that the muffled sobbing sound that followed the roar didn¡¯t come entirely from the door in front of him but from something behind the door.


    Behind the door were rooms in which some people were locked up, or rather, could be considered people.


    Xing Conglian followed Duan Wanshan and looked at all the rooms. Everyone in the room was bound by heavy cotton gauze. In addition, each of them had an iron chain tied to their feet to limit their range of activities. If it weren¡¯t for knowing that this was an abandoned factory deep in the Dana Rainforest, Xing Conglian would have thought he had stepped into a mental hospital.


    Of course, psychiatry wasn¡¯t his specialty, but the situation in the room may far exceed ordinary mental problems.


    It was difficult for Xing Conglian to describe the people he saw.


    Some of their feet were worn by the iron chains, but they were gnawing on their ankles in an extraordinary, twisted position. When Xing Conglian walked by, they raised their heads and showed him their teeth full of gaps and their bloody lips.


    Others tried their best to rush to the door, but because of the chain restrictions, they could only maintain a one-foot-forward posture. The distance between their legs grew larger and larger until they tripped and fell with a clatter, then they quickly got up again.


    However, most of the people in the room were looking at them with vigilant eyes. That kind of vigilant eye was different from that of humans, looking more like a natural beast. Some of them curled up in a ball, while others squatted in a corner, posing like an animal about to attack.


    Xing Conglian had seen many distorted humans, but he never even imagined that normal human joints could be folded to such a point. People whom he couldn¡¯t identify by gender were entangled together in twisted poses, seemingly as if they¡¯d been dead for a while now.


    Xing Conglian stared at everything in front of him in a daze, and finally his gaze moved to the doctor, who had been silently walking in front of him on crutches. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t separate them. Although it¡¯s inhumane, we¡¯re almost at the point of cannibalism now, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Duan Wanshan stopped walking, turned around, and explained to him with a determined expression. ¡°The man¡¯s name is Kachu and the woman¡¯s is Soren. They were a pair of ordinary fisherman couple from the Gaomeng tribe. I won¡¯t talk about how happy their lives used to be, because their happiness is insignificant to outsiders. When I saw them, they were arguing endlessly. Their neighbors had put up with them for three days and were about to take an ax to chop them up. At that time, I happened to be investigating at the residence of the Gaomeng Tribe. Their neighbors came to me and asked me if there was any medicine that could poison them.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I told him that an ax was more useful.¡± Duan Wanshan looked at the two people in the room and continued, ¡°But an ax doesn¡¯t work either. The actual situation is that as long as he leaves Soran, Kachu will quickly grab something on the ground and bash his head in.¡±


    Duan Wanshan paused, then said calmly, ¡°Captain Xin, I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush anymore, as I don¡¯t have much time left. About a little over half a month ago, I became aware of a strange madness in the Dana Region, and during my epidemiological investigation of the cases, I found that the source may be in the Gaomeng Tribe¡¯s settlement. By the time I arrived here, the situation had already become uncontrollable. Roughly ten percent of the population of the Gaomeng Tribe has varying degrees of mental abnormalities. When this happened, my first consideration was food and drug factors. However, at that time, the Gaomeng Tribe¡¯s outpost had learned that the Zaratul Tribe was going to encircle and suppress them. For various reasons, the Gaomeng Tribe decided to migrate as a whole. Before the migration, my investigation wasn¡¯t yet complete. After discussing it with the tribal chief, we decided to bring along those mentally ill patients.¡±


    Xing Conglian titled his head and said seriously, ¡°The kindness of women*.¡±


    *Phrase used to describe a situation where a person shows excessive mercy or compassion, to the point of neglecting practical considerations or even causing harm to oneself or others.


    ¡°Of course. I am a doctor, and doctors are like this,¡± Duan Wanshan said confidently. Perhaps he spoke too strongly when he said ¡°I am a doctor¡± and didn¡¯t sound at all like a dying person, so the sobbing sound in the space was completely suppressed by this strong tone, and the surroundings became very quiet.


    The doctor continued, ¡°Taking mentally ill people is actually a big part of the army¡¯s itinerary. During the march, we also considered giving up those people, but when the Zaratul Tribe asked us to hand over all mentally abnormal patients and they¡¯d let the rest of us leave, I was very surprised. It turns out that the reason for their big fight was actually that they wanted the patients. Considering the current situation, I suspect that all patients with mental abnormalities have ingested high-purity drugs.¡±


    ¡°Drugs?¡± Xing Conglian interrupted him.


    ¡°Specifically, drugs referring to all chemicals that can cause harm to the human body.¡± Duan Wanshan¡¯s thoughts were clear, and he didn¡¯t end his narrative because of the interruption. ¡°Therefore, I cross-examined some patients with mild symptoms about their diet and medication. The people of the Gaomeng Tribe said that before I came, a group of Doctors Without Borders would regularly come to examine them and distribute vitamins. However, some of the users didn¡¯t have mental problems, while others had severe problems.¡±


    Xing Conglian was shocked. ¡°There were people pretending to be Doctors Without Borders who used the rainforest nation to conduct illegal drug experiments?¡±


    ¡°This is also my guess,¡± Duan Wanshan said solemnly. ¡°I met your men after that. After learning that they were investigating officials, I asked them to return to the village and destroy all the drugs we didn¡¯t bring out, because there may be poisonous drugs mixed there, and those poisonous drugs are exactly Zaratul¡¯s goal. In fact, your subordinate, in the process of helping me destroy the drugs, had a fight with the Zaratul Tribe and accidentally ingested high-purity drugs, but his intake was very small. After a simple withdrawal treatment, he¡¯s no longer affected.¡±


    From start to end, Duan Wanshan¡¯s tone was calm, without much change in feelings. The processes of blood and fire, death and pain that came from his mouth were said as if they weren¡¯t such a big deal.


    Xing Conglian thought that most likely Duan Wanshan also used this tone when he announced to a patient that their life was coming to an end, which was why he could treat his own death in such a calm manner.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xing Conglian said lightly.


    There was no clear statement in his words, but a gratifying smile suddenly appeared on Duan Wanshan¡¯s deathly gray face. He said, ¡°I can understand why you blame your subordinate. Because if my student kept doing CPR for an hour after I told him that the patient was already dead, I would also have a similar attitude as yours. In any case, they are indeed helping me. They made up the lie by saying I saved them. They probably just know you very well and want to stay to help solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted Duan Wanshan. ¡°Didn¡¯t you give them withdrawal treatment?¡±


    This time, Duan Wanshan finally smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s just a simple treatment.¡±


    ¡°What happens if they weren¡¯t treated?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I see.¡± Xing Conglian waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s only natural to pay off debts. I¡¯ll pay off the debts they owe you before you die.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because his words were too simple, but before his voice fell, there was a renewed noise around him. Xing Conglian pursed his lips and listened carefully for a while before realizing that the noise wasn¡¯t coming from the space where they were located but from outside the factory building in the open space.


    Duan Wanshan looked at his watch. His face suddenly sank, but there was no expression of grief, only disgust.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± While Xing Conglian spoke, he walked towards the window, following the sound.


    ¡°During our migration, some tribal residents were captured by Zaratul as captives. They would kill one person in front of us every day to force us out of the building,¡± Duan Wanshan said calmly. ¡°Now, it¡¯s the killing time.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Duan Yang heard the noise outside the laboratory, he was inspecting the monkey room. The monkeys seemed to sense something and suddenly squeaked like crazy.


    Cruel laughter came through the walls. It should be human laughter, mixed with a language he couldn¡¯t understand. He walked carefully to the window and looked out. In the open space downstairs, the militants dragged a black woman to a dilapidated factory building.


    For the first time in his life, Duan Yang saw such an inhumane scene.


    Someone put a gun against the woman¡¯s head.


    The woman was dying, and her nose was pinched, forcing her to open her mouth¡­


    Duan Yang looked away. The scene downstairs was too cruel and terrifying. Then he heard someone appear to be counting down.


    He looked back at Lin Chen, who was asleep in the laboratory, hesitating whether he should wake Lin Chen up.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian was also standing by a window. He tried to hide himself as much as possible to avoid being discovered by the not-so-outstanding snipers on the opposite floor.


    Duan Wanshan stood beside him against the wall, as if he had watched this scene for many days, and lightly closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to watch the scene downstairs.


    Gunshots rang out as blood splattered, followed by resounding laughter that filled the sky.


    But the air around them seemed to drain in an instant, and all sound disappeared. Xing Conglian looked at the corpse downstairs, then slowly raised his head and glanced at the transparent blue sky in Dana.

 CH 189

    Duan Yang didn¡¯t wake Lin Chen up in the end.


    The militants downstairs seemed to think it wasn¡¯t enough and kept torturing the poor woman¡¯s body. There was no more painful pleading. Duan Yang could only hear cruel laughter that was so unbridled that it pierced the sky.


    He silently closed the curtains, feeling that it was enough for him to witness alone.


    Lin Chen was still asleep at the other end, while Xing Conglian retracted his head back at the same time.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian returned to his subordinates and kicked open the door.


    Xiao Wu and Kang An were sitting together, while Wang Chao and Xiao Liu were muttering about something.


    ¡°Boss!¡± The four of them stood up.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother talking nonsense with any of them. ¡°Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, go determine the number of available combatants among the Gaomeng people and what¡¯s left of the ammunition reserves. We¡¯re going to evacuate¡­¡±


    ¡°Take¡­ How many people are we going to take to evacuate?¡± Xiao Liu asked anxiously.


    ¡°Everyone in this building and all the Gaomeng people who were captured by the Zaratul tribe.¡±


    ¡°But where are we going to evacuate? Zaratul wants the Gaomeng people, and I¡¯m afraid that no one in the entire Dana Region, including neighboring countries, would dare accept them.¡±


    ¡°Do you know now?¡± Xing Conglian sneered coldly.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± Xiao Liu laughed.


    ¡°At the mouth of the Dana River, in the port of Kagasi. I¡¯ll arrange a boat to take them to a country that¡¯s willing to accept refugees.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help it. He raised his hand and asked, ¡°Then Boss, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. What can you do? Can the five of us cover the evacuation of so many people? Of course, we have to find more people,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Wang Chao rolled up his cuffs and his eyes lit up. ¡°Are we calling for some help to bring weapons? How many people should we call? I remember there are still many secret militant bases of various countries nearby. There is also a branch of the Black Hawk Security, a mercenary organization. Boss, which one should we call? I¡¯ll handle it!¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Xing Conglian was annoyed. ¡°Check who has recently traveled and find three of them.¡±


    ¡°Three?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°A sniper, a heavy firepower, and a bomb expert.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Wang Chao quickly took out his phone, clicked on the chat group, and sent a group message. Soon, the pinging prompt sounded like popping beans. ¡°Boss¡­ They said they are all free¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t bother to care about how many tasks those people skipped so that they were ¡°free¡±. He simply said, ¡°Since they¡¯re all free, let Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and Ye Zhu come. I¡¯ll give you the equipment list later for you to tell them what to bring.¡± He looked at his watch. ¡°I want to see someone before noon tomorrow, Dana time.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded vigorously.


    As soon as his voice fell, Kang An raised his hand abruptly and said actively, ¡°Boss, what do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Do me a favor,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    ¡°What kind of favor, Boss? Just ask!¡±


    ¡°Stay out of my sight and don¡¯t let me see you!¡±


    Kang An made a bitter face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°All right. Get out and grab two of Zaratul¡¯s soldiers and interrogate them about the layout of the mine, then scout their troop arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Kang An finally recovered from the state of a wilted eggplant and rushed out the door like the wind after speaking.


    ¡°You have terrible judgment.¡± Xing Conglian glanced at Xiao Wu as he said coldly.


    ¡­¡­


    When Lin Chen woke up, he saw Duan Yang¡¯s quiet face, which looked quite different.


    The young man was wearing a mask and was standing in front of a test bench, staring at a blood sample in front of him. Lin Chen wondered what he was doing.


    He coughed softly, causing Duan Yang to hurriedly turn his head. He put down the work at hand, squatted down after washing his hands, and put his cold fingers on Lin Chen¡¯s wrist. He briefly measured his body temperature and heartbeat, then carefully checked his eyes.


    Perhaps because Duan Yang was wearing a mask, Lin Chen felt he seemed a bit colder, but soon, the coldness in his brows was replaced by deep worry. ¡°Consultant Lin, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I feel uncomfortable all over,¡± Lin Chen said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you very seriously.¡±


    ¡°I also answered very seriously. It really hurts all over. If you really develop a new type of poison, please give me the first shot.¡±


    ¡°Please stop joking,¡± Duan Yang said with a serious expression.


    Lin Chen struggled to get up, and the doctor began to get angry. As a patient, he should be more obedient.


    Lin Chen nodded and looked at the experiment table again. ¡°Are you really studying the drug?¡±


    Duan Yang felt a little embarrassed. ¡°You were sleeping just now, so I checked a few of the rhesus monkeys that were locked up. There is indeed a problem with the monkeys here.¡±


    ¡°Of course there would be a problem if they were injected with a high-purity drug.¡±


    ¡°New drugs are always different.¡±


    ¡°The drugs injected into the rhesus monkeys here are different from common drugs. Typically, addiction comes with severe psychological cravings, but some of these monkeys, despite being agitated and restless, don¡¯t seem agitated because they are unable to obtain something. They seem to still be in a normal state after being injected with drugs. How long has it been? It¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Duan Yang muttered to himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand before how the new drug developed by Zhorui Pharmaceutical was related to this kind of drug, but it may indeed affect some substance in the brain¡­¡±


    ¡°It is indeed strange.¡± Lin Chen struggled to stand up. ¡°Help me take a look.¡±


    ¡°You¡ªyou, don¡¯t get up.¡± Duan Yang pressed Lin Chen back to the ground. ¡°I put the monkey in the lab window to show you, so just lie down and watch.¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°No need. I should trust your judgment.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing just now?¡±


    ¡°I see that there is a sliding phase column here. I want to use the most primitive method to separate the drugs from the blood and see if we can recover it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lin Chen nodded. ¡°But after you¡¯re done, remember to destroy the results. Only you can know it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Where were we?¡± He asked Duan Yang.


    Duan Yang had an expression of annoyance at being interrupted, but he still answered seriously. ¡°You said that the masked man captured us because only he could communicate with us here without worrying about us informing anyone else. You emphasized that this was important, and then there was no further mention of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course this is important. It reminds us that when making an escape plan, we must take the language barrier into account. In other words, we only have one option, which is to kidnap the masked man and escape with him. We must also make sure to control his weakness beforehand, forcing him to take us out alive.¡±


    ¡°Escape?¡± Duan Yang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are we going to escape?¡±


    ¡°What else? Sit still?¡± Lin Chen opened some of the experimental coats covering his body and asked rhetorically.


    ¡°But how can we kidnap him?¡± Duan Yang thought for a while. ¡°There are a lot of knives in the dissecting room. If all else fails, I can even load a glass slide!¡±


    Lin Chen said coldly, ¡°The surveillance system here tells us that once you rush to draw a knife to restrain him, soldiers will soon rush in and beat you into a bloody pulp with their AKs.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Duan Yang shuddered, and his face wrinkled. ¡°You mean, just the two of us, we have to quietly subdue the masked man under surveillance and force him to take us out? How can this be done?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one general direction.¡±


    ¡°What direction?¡±


    ¡°For example, are you making a love potion right now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Duan Yang showed an incredulous look.


    ¡°What I mean is, I need a drug that will make him forget who he is and obediently follow our orders after he takes it. For example, a hallucinogenic spray that can make people give up all their possessions after a single spray.¡±


    ¡°There is no such drug. It¡¯s all a lie,¡± Duan Yang said with a serious expression.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re being too honest,¡± Lin Chen said regretfully. ¡°Then we are screwed.¡±


    Duan Yang suddenly said, ¡°You mean, a knife isn¡¯t good, but it¡¯s okay to drug him?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°The reason why a knife won¡¯t work is simple. We only have one chance. It¡¯s very difficult for you to covertly control his lifeline with a cold weapon under surveillance.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a needle?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°A small syringe¡­¡± Duan Yang said suddenly, looking at the monkey outside.


    Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts turned, and he understood Duan Yang¡¯s meaning. ¡°I think, let¡¯s give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll just die. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    Duan Yang took a long breath, unable to laugh or cry. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re so sick. Can you stop joking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to joke. At least it can cover up my true mood right now.¡±


    ¡°What are you covering up?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid that you will lose your faith in perseverance if you know that I¡¯m dying of illness.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± The young doctor frowned again.


    ¡°Duan Yang.¡± Lin Chen suddenly raised his voice.


    The young man in front of him shuddered.


    ¡°If you want to get out of here alive, stop putting any emotion on your face.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The setting sun of the rainforest gradually descended from the side of the Xazi mountain range, and darkness gradually covered the entire forest.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s former subordinates had already scattered and worked separately while he sat alone in the room smoking.


    Outside, there was the sound of hungry Gaomeng people sharing the only dry food left. The charcoal fire crackled, mixed with the voices of parents comforting their children, couples consoling each other, and, of course, the voice of the doctor checking on the patients¡¯ condition. In short, those soft Gaomeng words fell on Xing Conglian¡¯s ears, which made him irritable.


    He flicked the cigarette butt away and fell asleep on the haystack.


    The door of the room was pushed open, and Duan Wanshan¡¯s stumbling figure appeared.


    Xing Conglian opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Duan Wanshan closed the door. At the moment the door closed, Duan Wanshan¡¯s entire body seemed as if it were being pulled from his spine as he visibly collapsed, falling to the ground with a thud.


    Xing Conglian stood up and helped the man to the haystack to lie down. Duan Wanshan laid on the haystack, like a candle that had burned the last of its remaining life and had exhausted all his strength. He opened his eyes slightly and stared at Xing Conglian with a weak but serious gaze, as if he had a lot to say.


    Xing Conglian felt unpleasant. ¡°Professor Duan, you look as if you¡¯re going to leave me with something, but I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a consignment.¡± Duan Wanshan struggled to reach into his pocket. ¡°I have a bottle of liquor in my pocket. Take it out and see if it¡¯s broken.¡±


    Xing Conglian lowered his head and saw Duan Wanshan¡¯s right hand trembling. He hadn¡¯t pulled the zipper of his jacket open even halfway. He raised his eyebrows and helped out. Sure enough, there was a palm-sized bottle of liquor in Duan Wanshan¡¯s arms. ¡°It¡¯s Erguotou, from my hometown, Niulanshan.¡±


    Duan Wanshan was lying on the ground, struggling to sit up.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore, so he leaned the person against the wall.


    Duan Wanshan handed him the bottle.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t take it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°A gift as thanks.¡±


    ¡°This gift is too light.¡±


    ¡°But the sentiment is heavy.¡±


    Duan Wanshan held it in his hand persistently and said, ¡°I took the trouble to ask a friend to bring this from Taipei and never drank it. It has been put away for a whole decade.¡±


    ¡°Then I can¡¯t accept it even more, because the next thing you¡¯ll surely say is that you won¡¯t have a chance to drink it in your life anyway.¡± Xing Conglian curled his lips and responded coldly.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha.¡± Duan Wanshan laughed heartily. His laughter was weak, but he seemed to have a carefree attitude towards life and death. He mustered up the strength to twist off the bottle cap and took a big swig, saying, ¡°I still have a chance to drink.¡±


    Under the moonlight, the doctor¡¯s face was pale, perhaps signifying he was close to death. Surprisingly, from the old-farmer-like face of Duan Wanshan, Xing Conglian saw some traces of his youthful handsomeness. Actually, the word ¡°youthful¡± wasn¡¯t appropriate, as Xing Conglian had seen Duan Wanshan¡¯s resume. This doctor was just in his forties, and according to the existing age classification of the United Nations, people in their forties were still considered young. But perhaps the years in Dana had aged Duan Wanshan beyond his true age.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You can¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has to die.¡±


    ¡°Your current state makes laozi feel like I went through all this trouble to come to Dana to save you, but as soon as you see me, you give up and say you¡¯re going to die. It makes me feel like helping you is what¡¯s going to kill you.¡±


    Duan Wanshan shook his head. He bowed his knees and rolled up his trouser legs layer by layer. Only then did Xing Conglian see the wounds that had been covered under the trousers and had been festering for many days. It should be a gunshot wound. The wound was blocked by a wooden stick. In the rotting wound, muddy and smelly blood was still oozing out. Duan Wanshan seemed to have applied herbal medicines to the wound, but for a gunshot wound, this kind of treatment was simply a drop in the bucket.


    Xing Conglian raised his eyes and looked at the doctor¡¯s slightly flushed face after drinking, but he knew very well that this flush was more like a return to the light.


    ¡°Sepsis*. The toxins have already spread throughout my body. Even amputation won¡¯t help. But I¡¯m not trying to make a point. I¡¯m just telling you that I¡¯ll die whether you come or not,¡± Duan Wanshan said. ¡°But it just wouldn¡¯t be worth it.¡±


    *Also known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body¡¯s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. It requires immediate treatment. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s worth it for you to die now?¡± Xing Conglian asked rhetorically.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Duan Wanshan¡¯s chest rose and fell with a mixture of laughter and pain. ¡°I just have to face it head-on since there¡¯s nothing else I can do. What else can I do?¡±


    When Duan Wanshan responded with the rhetorical question, ¡°What else can I do?¡±, upon hearing it, Xing Conglian suddenly realized that there was no other choice for someone like Duan Wanshan but to face the situation head-on. Abandoning over a thousand people and escaping alone wasn¡¯t an option.


    He sneered again and found that the number of times he sneered had increased day by day since he came to Dana.


    ¡°Have you ever thought that if you lived, with the rest of your remaining life, you might be able to save ten or even twenty times more people than those that are out there?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was going to die either until I got shot.¡±


    ¡°What if you knew you were going to die?¡± Xing Conglian insisted.


    ¡°Do you have to ask such harsh questions?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a very interesting proposition, and it makes sense to ask these questions to someone who is going to die.¡±


    Duan Wanshan lowered his eyes, as if in deep thought, but Xing Conglian clearly saw the various emotions that flashed on the doctor¡¯s face. Finally, after careful consideration, Duan Wanshan looked up at him. ¡°I should still help.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because no one can tell what will happen in the future. The 10,000 people in the future have their own people who can save them. And I¡¯m pretty sure that if I see these Gaomeng people die without reaching out, then I will live in regret and guilt for the rest of my life, which is more painful than death. I think your subordinates think so too,¡± Duan Wanshan said slowly.


    ¡°Why do you want to be a peacemaker when you¡¯re dying?¡± Xing Conglian felt that when Duan Wanshan talked about regret and guilt, he was just stating facts without any emotions. ¡°Do you really feel regret?¡±


    Duan Wanshan said bluntly, ¡°This matter is weird. I haven¡¯t investigated it clearly yet, so I don¡¯t want to let it go. But I¡¯m still sorry to involve you in it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xing Conglian glared at him. ¡°Do I look like someone who will be irritable because of such trivial things?¡±


    Duan Wanshan shook his head and sighed. ¡°Because you have been angry with your subordinates.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t scold my own men?¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry because of them. When they came to find me, and even when you finally found me, I didn¡¯t feel anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°As long as the reasons are justified, solving these problems that make you guys suffer is just a piece of cake for me.¡± As Xing Conglian spoke, he took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a snap of his lighter.


    Duan Wanshan opened his mouth slightly and looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°This is the meaning of the existence of people like me,¡± Xing Conglian said quietly.


    The rainforest was excessively bright as the silver moon rose.


    After a long time, Duan Wanshan spoke. ¡°But you¡¯ve been constantly cranky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m cranky because of a personal matter.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone turned sour again.


    ¡°A person like you would still be bothered by personal matters?¡± Duan Wanshan leaned against the wall and took another swig of the bottle.


    Xing Conglian felt that Duan Wanshan was probably really nearing the end of his life, becoming less and less like the old farmer he was before. After all, an old farmer wouldn¡¯t be so sharp-tongued towards his benefactor.


    ¡°If someone is waiting for you to go home, but you can¡¯t return for the time being, won¡¯t you feel irritated?¡±


    ¡°Your wife?¡± Duan Wanshan asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ friend, but probably a future boyfriend,¡± Xing Conglian said decisively.


    ¡°Future?¡±


    ¡°Because before we established our relationship, I was suddenly reeled in by an idiot to deal with your pile of shit. I don¡¯t know if he will accept me when I return.¡±


    Duan Wanshan almost choked on the liquor. ¡°Wait, boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Are you homophobic?¡±


    As soon as he spoke, he saw Duan Wanshan laugh absentmindedly. The doctor picked up the bottle and took another small sip, looking at the moon outside the window, silent for a long time.


    Seeing Duan Wanshan look as if he was missing someone, Xing Conglian hurriedly stepped back. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to hear your love history.¡±


    Duan Wanshan smiled. ¡°Just listen to it. Listen to the feelings of a dying man. Maybe it will inspire you.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright.¡± Xing Conglian thought about it, then responded solemnly.


    ¡­¡­


    In the laboratory, Duan Yang was hungry.


    Because Lin Chen had fallen asleep again and the masked man hadn¡¯t arrived, he continued to complete the extraction work he had previously done earlier and also checked on all the samples he had taken from the rhesus monkeys.


    He put down the lab test tube, stretched, and looked at the ground beside the experiment table.


    Lin Chen had wrapped himself in a few lab coats and fallen asleep again.


    Although Lin Chen was constantly joking, Duan Yang knew very well that the time Lin Chen spent awake was decreasing. He had previously diluted the anhydrous alcohol solvent in the lab to 75% and given Lin Chen a simple disinfection treatment, but it was clear that what Lin Chen needed now was a large dose of antibiotics to help  him fight the infection in his body.


    He looked at the time, squatted down with the alcohol, and took out Lin Chen¡¯s injured hand from the layers of lab coats.


    Due to the infected wound on his palm, Lin Chen¡¯s originally pale and thin hand became swollen, and his fingers were also red and swollen, doubling in size. Duan Yang used cotton soaked in alcohol to clean the wound, and yellowish pus flowed out along the wound.


    The wound disinfection should have been extremely painful, but Lin Chen only slightly restlessly struggled in his sleep. He didn¡¯t even open his eyes, which only made Duan Yang worry even more.


    He capped the bottle of alcohol, stood up again, put things back in place, and only after a while did Lin Chen reluctantly wake up.


    Duan Yang looked down.


    Lin Chen, who had just woken up from a semi-comatose state, braced himself to open his eyes. The moment he saw him, the festering focus in Lin Chen¡¯s eyes gathered in a very short time and instantly regained clarity.


    Duan Yang thought that Lin Chen¡¯s willpower was probably one of the strongest he had ever seen.


    ¡°Did you kill the monkey?¡± Consultant Lin, who was lying on the ground, sniffed the smell in the air and looked at the location of the dissection room.


    Duan Yang squatted down. ¡°I¡¯m preparing for tomorrow¡¯s great escape.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you, Doctor Duan,¡± Lin Chen said with forceful cheerfulness. ¡°But if by then there¡¯s a chance that my physical condition doesn¡¯t allow you, I want you to go alone.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Duan Yang trembled. He looked at the psychological consultant, who had rapidly weakened due to infection but had been continuously using various words to stimulate him to cheer up. He kneeled on the ground, and put his hand on Lin Chen¡¯s hot forehead.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I have been thinking about <The Secret> you mentioned. Although you have been talking about dying, you have never given up, have you?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t speak. He just lay on the ground, gasping weakly.


    Duan Yang became a little anxious. He felt that he couldn¡¯t understand Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts more and more, so he could only try to awaken his will to survive. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that someone like that exists? Someone you want to persevere for and try to hold on until the end?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course there is.¡± There was a smile at the corner of Lin Chen¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Duan Yang asked smoothly.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the person I love, idiot,¡± Lin Chen said lightly.

 CH 190

    Duan Yang turned off most of the lights in the laboratory. He then turned on a table lamp and sat down beside Lin Chen.


    He was afraid that Lin Chen would suddenly not last in the middle of the night, so he could only use the most primitive method to disinfect Lin Chen¡¯s wounds regularly. Fortunately, there was enough anhydrous alcohol in the lab. Although it wasn¡¯t much use, he still cut open a lab coat, dipped it in diluted alcohol, and let Lin Chen clip it under his armpits and apply it to his forehead to lower his body temperature.


    Surprisingly, Lin Chen cooperated.


    There was a faint smell of alcohol in the air. Duan Yang felt that he was almost drunk. Thinking of Lin Chen¡¯s previous words, he looked at the haggard face of Mr. Consultant lying next to him. He actually asked subconsciously, ¡°Consultant Lin, what kind of person do you love?¡±


    After speaking out, Duan Yang felt regret. He would surely be scolded by Lin Chen again for asking such a question.


    ¡°A very handsome person.¡±


    What Duan Yang didn¡¯t expect was that Lin Chen actually answered him.


    ¡°Eh? Handsome? I thought you would use some other adjective.¡±


    ¡°Is it too vulgar?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Duan Yang thought to himself, ¡®Lin Chen¡¯s taste is really different that he actually likes handsome girls*.¡¯


    *Clarity: Lin Chen isn¡¯t using any specific gender pronouns when he¡¯s talking to Duan Yang, so Duan Yang doesn¡¯t know that person is a man.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Handsome for everyone to see, but only I know their inner beauty,¡± Lin Chen added.


    ¡°Then¡­ Do they know that you love them?¡± Duan Yang felt a bit tangled, but he still tried asking.


    ¡°Yes, I confessed.¡±


    As if seeing through his thoughts, Lin Chen opened his eyes slightly and looked askance at him. ¡°Is the next thing you want to ask is: Consultant Lin, how did you confess?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ asking.¡± Duan Yang hesitated.


    ¡°At that time¡­ it was basically an accident. I forcibly kissed them,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    Duan Yang was shocked again. ¡°Didn¡¯t the girl get scared by that?¡±


    ¡°What girl? He¡¯s a man.¡±


    Hearing this, Duan Yang almost bit his tongue. ¡°What¡­ What do you like about men?¡±


    ¡°You have a crush on your Teacher Duan yet you don¡¯t allow me to like men?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Duan Yang hurriedly shook his hand. ¡°But is the person you like also a policeman?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My superior.¡±


    Lin Chen was quite ill, but he was still talking to him in a decisive tone, as if his physical illness couldn¡¯t affect his will.


    Duan Yang asked, ¡°Will there be any problems, such as disagreement from your leaders or gossip among colleagues?¡±


    ¡°A lot of people talk nonsense every day. Do I have to listen to everything they say and keep it in my heart?¡±


    ¡°You really are¡­¡± Duan Yang couldn¡¯t help leaning against the experiment table and stretched out his legs. ¡°Amazing.¡±


    ¡°What kind of evaluation is this?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, Consultant Lin, I really want to be someone like you¡­¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Is the following sentence: If I were like you, I might already be with Teacher now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible¡­ It¡¯s impossible for Teacher to be with me,¡± Duan Yang interrupted.


    ¡°Just say what you want. I won¡¯t ask why.¡±


    Duan Yang lowered his head and looked into Lin Chen¡¯s dark, calm eyes. ¡°Because I did something very excessive to Teacher.¡±


    Lin Chen frowned, and his expression became serious. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Duan Yang gently covered his face with his hands as he recalled that night. The feeling of remorse submerged him again like sea water. ¡°That day, our laboratory was involved in a big project, and everyone stayed up for many days and nights, but the seniors were excited. Yes, Teacher also came by that day. There was something wrong with the experiment. Teacher stayed late and said he would sleep in the lounge. If there was any problem, we could call him at any time. There weren¡¯t enough beds in the lounge, so originally I slept on the floor next to Teacher¡¯s bed, but Teacher asked me to sleep on the bed so I wouldn¡¯t catch a cold, so I went up. I¡­ I slept on the same bed as Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ and then what?¡±


    ¡°Then, we fell asleep. I really like Teacher, so I couldn¡¯t help but hold him and kiss him while he slept next to me. Teacher must¡¯ve known. After that, he seemed very upset. When the experiment ended, he never came back that summer. Later, we received news that he had resigned to participate in medical assistance work. He must¡¯ve known that I had kissed him and disliked me, but didn¡¯t want to affect me, so he left¡­¡± Duan Yang paused, took a deep breath, then continued, ¡°At the beginning, I called him every day and sent countless messages. I wanted to apologize to him and say sorry, but his phone was always off, and he never replied to my messages. Later, I heard news about him from an older student who followed in his footsteps. I asked her to ask Teacher for me, and he clearly expressed that he didn¡¯t want me to come to Dana and that I should stay in China. Looking back now, I realize that I wasn¡¯t brave enough. I should have bought a plane ticket and gone there. It¡¯s only a short distance away, and I could have apologized to him face to face after taking a few more trips.¡± Duan Yang¡¯s mood became more depressed. He couldn¡¯t speak when he thought about all the emails that he sent that went unanswered. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Come here,¡± Lin Chen said suddenly.


    Duan Yang looked at him with red eyes.


    ¡°Lower your head a little.¡±


    Following Lin Chen¡¯s instructions, he lowered his head inexplicably. The next moment, a thin palm gently covered the top of his head and then rubbed his hair fiercely.


    ¡°Stupid. If it¡¯s because he hates your kisses and hugs, he can think of 10,000 ways to punish you. Why would he leave on his own?¡±


    Duan Yang heard Lin Chen say.


    ¡­¡­


    When Duan Wanshan began his story, Xing Conglian already felt regret.


    Since Duan Wanshan was dying, no matter how sweet the story he told, it would naturally be a tragedy. Although the tragedy was thought-provoking, he was still in a bad mood as he listened to it.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not that great. I gave up my high paying medical job in China and came here to the Dana Region to aid in medical care because I fell in love with one of my students.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s cigarette just burned out, almost burning his fingers. He looked at the doctor sitting against the wall on the haystack and asked, ¡°So scandalous? A teacher-student relationship?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s a boy,¡± Duan Wanshan said frankly.


    Xing Conglian stared at Duan Wanshan with wide eyes.


    Probably seeing his reaction, Duan Wanshan said, ¡°At that time, I felt like falling in love with a male student was like a bolt from the blue. He was such a na?ve young man who was taller than me and surrounded me every day, calling me ¡®Teacher, Teacher¡¯, wholeheartedly respecting and admiring me. But all I could think about were things beyond a teacher-student relationship. Social norms told me that this was called a teacher-student romance, which was slightly better than other improper relationships. I felt like something wasn¡¯t right about it. Anyway, falling in love is just like taking drugs; both stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain. I felt happy when I saw him and thought I liked him very much. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t explain what ¡®liking¡¯ meant. There¡¯s no reason for liking someone anyway. So, compared to others, I paid special attention to him. He thought I was targeting him, so he always looked at me with fawn-like eyes as he ran around me every day, just to make me a little happier.¡±


    Duan Wanshan¡¯s tone, when he talked about this matter, was indifferent. He didn¡¯t even have the slightest painful reaction and seemed happy even.


    ¡°From when you like someone to when you make up your mind to leave them, something must have happened between now and then, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. At first, it was my own inability to let go. Although I liked him, I didn¡¯t dare pursue him. I also thought about confessing my feelings to him, but I felt embarrassed and just let it drag on. Until one day, I heard that he got a girlfriend. I watched as that girl walked into the school holding his hand. He reached out and rubbed her head. It was a beautiful sight¡­ That¡¯s when I realized that I could finally let go.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t call this letting go.¡±


    Just as Duan Wanshan put the bottle on the ground, he couldn¡¯t find it even after searching for a while. Xing Conglian looked at him with unfocused eyes, afraid that the toxins from sepsis had invaded his optic nerve, causing his vision to gradually deteriorate. Xing Conglian reached out and picked up the bottle of ¡°Niulan Mountain¡± Erhuotou, handing it to Duan Wanshan.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not called letting go if you¡¯ve never had it, right?¡± Duan Wanshan took a sip of the alcohol. ¡°At that time, I happened to see the introduction to the Dana Region and the recruitment notice from Doctors Without Borders, so I went to participate. Looking back now, I was probably angry because I saw him with a girlfriend, but I had no reason to be. I could only torture myself. Now that I¡¯ve risked my life here, I do have some regrets when I think back on it. Why couldn¡¯t I think clearly back then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really stupid,¡± Xing Conglian commented.


    In a daze, Xing Conglian seemed to see Duan Wanshan flipping him off with his middle finger. This kind of action was done by a man who looked like an old farmer and had the air of a suave scholar. It was so incongruous that he didn¡¯t have time to react before he heard Duan Wanshan continue.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to stand and talk less. When it comes to relationship problems, not everyone can be like you; having determination, perseverance, and even full ability to pursue what they love. Many people don¡¯t even know their feelings and let go of true love in hesitation¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not in pain because I have encountered someone with determination and perseverance, who even dares to pursue what they love,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Duan Wanshan almost spat out the alcohol he just swallowed. His face was flushed, and he turned his head as he angrily said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much to show off your affection to a dying person?¡±


    Xing Conglian spread his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°I envy you very much.¡± Duan Wanshan raised the alcohol bottle and saluted him from afar.


    ¡°I envy myself too,¡± Xing Conglian said solemnly.


    That night, Duan Wanshan probably really regarded him as a confidant and told him many things.


    He hoped to spread the news and let his colleagues at the Dana General Hospital temporarily act as the dean and manage the hospital affairs. While on the topic, Duan Wanshan also mentioned that the hospital was currently lacking funds and that it would be great if someone could invest more.


    Xing Conglian always felt that the other party was taking the opportunity to rob the rich to help the poor, but people like Duan Wanshan had wishes before they died that weren¡¯t so simple. He even asked if he knew any wealthy people and hoped that someone could invest more money to facilitate the establishment of a pre-observation station for the Dana Rainforest viruses. Duan Wanshan said that if such an observation had existed at that time, HIV might not have had a chance to spread from the African rainforest and kill tens of millions of people worldwide, so it was quite important.


    Duan Wanshan really talked too much. In the end, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help it and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much to ask for so much from someone you just met?¡±


    ¡°What can I do? I¡¯m dying and there are still so many things unfinished. What¡¯s wrong with just telling someone about it?¡± Duan Wanshan said.


    Probably because he was too righteous, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t find the words to refute. ¡°You might as well talk about you and your student and if you need me to bring anything to him.¡±


    Duan Wanshan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too deliberate to specifically let him know that I¡¯m dead and bring him my relics.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯d make a great doctor.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian walked out of the room and closed the door gently.


    Many of the Gaomeng people in the factory were instantly awoken and looked at him with vigilant but questioning eyes.


    Without words, Xing Conglian glanced at the door and nodded to everyone, indicating that Dr. Duan was still alive, but his life was only temporary.


    Xing Conglian looked around. Wang Chao was operating the laptop in the corner, and everyone else was gone.


    Xing Conglian walked over, patted the young teenager on the shoulder, and said to him, ¡°Pull up the surveillance at home. I want to see him.¡±

 CH 191

    Wang Chao thought it was a good thing his boss suddenly realized and took the initiative to see his A¡¯Chen Gege.


    In line with the principle of respecting the privacy of adults, Comrade Xiao Wang turned on the 360-degree surveillance cameras in their home without any blind spots, and he even thoughtfully chose a location near the bathroom. He thought he understood this very well.


    Unfortunately, when the picture appeared, he thought the surveillance at home was broken, because no matter how he adjusted the timeline, no one had ever entered or left the bathroom. What was more terrifying was that the corridor light in front of the bathroom was never turned on. He swallowed, turned his head cautiously, and said, ¡°Boss, it may be that something big happened. Either A¡¯Chen Gege is living at the police station or he doesn¡¯t like to shower!¡±


    God knew how he came up with such a reason as not liking showering, but Xing Conglian¡¯s face turned ugly.


    He instantly pulled up the shot of the foyer on the screen. No one, no one, no one¡­


    As the timeline rewound, the final scene captured by the hallway surveillance camera was actually the footage of A¡¯Chen Gege leaving the house on the night when that dumbass Huang Ze came to their home.


    Thinking back to the passionate scene he witnessed that day, Wang Chao¡¯s mind was in turmoil. He hoped that Huang Ze, that idiot, wouldn¡¯t play any tricks like ¡°if I can¡¯t have you, no one can,¡± and after running through countless scenarios of imprisonment in his mind, Wang Chao¡¯s body was electrified.


    Xing Conglian still didn¡¯t speak. When Wang Chao looked back, his boss¡¯ face was so cold that it could freeze the entire rainforest.


    He trembled and said, ¡°Boss, take a deep breath first. Things may not be what you think!¡±


    Xing Conglian stretched out his hand and pointed to Lin Chen¡¯s hand on the screen. ¡°Zoom in here.¡±


    Wang Chao followed his orders. There were almost no clues from the picture, but it was faintly visible that the gauze on Lin Chen¡¯s palm seemed to be bleeding.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Boss?¡±


    ¡°He went out to bandage his wound.¡±


    ¡°And then didn¡¯t come back?¡±


    When Wang Chao said this, he regretted it. When he mentioned the words ¡°didn¡¯t come back¡±, he felt like he had fallen into a freezer. If he knew that A¡¯Chen Gege would disappear, then the Dana Rainforest was nothing. His boss would probably tie A¡¯Chen Gege to his belt even if he went to Mars.


    ¡°Do you need me to check the surveillance at the entrance of the alley that day?¡± he asked worriedly.


    ¡°No need.¡± There was no discernible emotion in Xing Conglian¡¯s tone. ¡°Just check the missing persons record.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s heart trembled as it overflowed with a bad premonition that he couldn¡¯t press the keyboard. ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asked to check, then check it.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded and opened the database. He entered the name and pressed the Enter key tremblingly. The progress bar quickly ended. In the list of missing persons, Lin Chen¡¯s name suddenly appeared. His photo was still the same as when he joined the police force. In a white shirt with a blue background, his face was calm, as if it were just yesterday.


    Wang Chao choked so much that he couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Huang Ze, Meijing, and Xiang Ye; he has offended so many people. It¡¯s my fault for being too careless,¡± Xing Conglian said indifferently.


    Although there wasn¡¯t much emotion in his boss¡¯ tone, Wang Chao had been with Xing Conglian for so many years that he instantly sensed a deep regret in the tone. In short, his boss had always been in control of the overall situation, so regret seemed like the kind of thing that was impossible for him.


    Wang Chao turned around, but he didn¡¯t know how to comfort him.


    However, to his surprise, his boss took out his phone and called the police station.


    On the other end of the line.


    Comrade Zhang Xiaolong hadn¡¯t closed her eyes for three days and nights. With Wang Chao absent, they lacked the main force for checking electronic materials, so even she was dragged to watch videos. However, no matter how hard they tried, the minivan disappeared on an unmonitored path like a ghost. So many days had passed that Consultant Lin could be tied up in any corner of the world. According to the on-site investigation, the kidnapper¡¯s methods were so professional that Zhang Xiaolong couldn¡¯t help but think of a bad outcome.


    Therefore, when her phone vibrated and the caller ID flashed, she thought she was seeing things that were caused by a few days of sleeplessness.


    She picked up the phone tremblingly and heard Captain Xing¡¯s low, hoarse voice coming from the other end.


    ¡°Lin Chen is missing?¡± Was the first thing that Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Xing¡­ Captain¡­¡± The police officer shuddered and instantly raised her voice. ¡°Where have you been?!¡± As she said this, tears flowed out involuntarily.


    ¡°On some other official duties. Tell me what happened and send the relevant materials to Wang Chao.¡± The voice on the other end of the phone was so calm and crisp that she thought she was talking to some robot. But it was probably because the voice on the other end of the line was emotionless that it allowed her to gradually calm down. She talked intermittently for a while, mentioning the weird appointment letter and the staff at the pet hospital who disappeared together with Lin Chen, and finally, there was only the sound of even breathing coming from the other end of the line.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably it,¡± she said.


    ¡°I see. Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Xing Conglian hung up the phone.


    Wang Chao had received the relevant materials from the police officer. The police in Hongjing had launched a search force that spanned two provinces, but to no avail. They were far away in Dana, so how could they find clues so quickly?


    Xing Conglian was so anxious that he watched the surveillance video outside the pet shop over and over again, but he could only watch Lin Chen¡¯s bound hands in the dark night and the moment he was pushed into the rain curtain. The heavy rain was pouring as Lin Chen¡¯s thin figure disappeared at the end of the alley.


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes were red. He turned his head and saw that his boss had been staring at the screen with a cold expression. His dark green eyes were solemn, but he couldn¡¯t perceive any emotions at all.


    ¡°Boss, what shall we do?¡± Wang Chao rubbed his nose as he asked.


    ¡°Let Zhang Long bring twice as many bombs and have him show up before 9 tomorrow. Tell him don¡¯t come if he¡¯s late.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Xing Conglian turned and walked into Dr. Duan¡¯s cabin.


    At that time, Kang An and Xiao Wu were walking in from outside. Wang Chao rubbed his eyes and tried to hide his emotions.


    ¡°Xiao Wang Chao, why are you crying? Where¡¯s the boss?¡± Kang An asked carelessly.


    Wang Chao looked up and saw the obliviously happy and relaxed face of Kang An, and punched it.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian was standing in the hut.


    The moon was still clear and cold. Duan Wanshan was asleep on the haystack. Probably because the runned-down room in this dilapidated factory was too quiet, he always felt like the words he had just said to Duan Wanshan seemed to be floating in his ears.


    All that ¡°I¡¯ve met someone with determination and perseverance, who even dares to pursue their love¡± speech now seemed like boastful words coming from a fool.


    Xing Conglian clenched his fists and punched the wall.


    Powder puffed out, and the noise outside the cabin rose. Xing Conglian was standing by the window. Not far away was the afterimage of the yellow searchlight column sweeping across Zaratul¡¯s camp, and farther away was the eternal night in the rainforest.


    Like some slow silent movie, Lin Chen¡¯s thin figure was finally pushed into the rain curtain. He was blindfolded, but he still raised his head and looked around blankly, as if looking for someone.


    Xing Conglian unclasped his fists. Originally, he thought that a lifetime was ample time, but now it seemed that things were quite tense.


    He was thinking that if the ¡°sorry¡± he had said to Lin Chen in the square at that time would be the last thing he said to Lin Chen in this life, then how should he live his life in the future?


    Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t imagine that scenario. With no Lin Chen at home on the balcony drinking tea, no Lin Chen in the police station in front of the desk reading documents, and no Lin Chen to go out together to eat breakfast, there was no one to lead the way, which made life dark and meaningless.


    He finally understood why Duan Wanshan was so indifferent to death¡­ because there was no point in living.


    Xing Conglian glanced at the calm face of Duan Wanshan, who was lying on the haystack after letting go of everything, and walked out.


    Wang Chao was pressing on Kang An¡¯s body as he beat him fiercely, while Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu only dared to stand by and watch.


    Naturally, with Kang An¡¯s strength, he could easily control Wang Chao, but he only dared to cover his head, afraid that Wang Chao would punch the ground and injure himself even if he dodged.


    Looking at the two people on the ground, Xing Conglian said lightly, ¡°Get up.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t the only thing that became red due to excitement and anger; his whole face turned red.


    ¡°Boss.¡± The young teenager lowered his head slightly, and a tear hung on his lower eyelashes. Xing Conglian stretched out his hand, patted him on the head, and said calmly, ¡°After tomorrow, we¡¯ll go back.¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong, Boss?¡± Xiao Wu asked anxiously.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡­¡­


    7 a.m..


    Lin Chen slept soundly, but Xing Conglian stayed up all night. The Gaomeng people who were preparing for the great escape were already making final preparations. Wooden boards secured the broken bones of the wounded, and everyone had divided all the remaining food.


    Xing Conglian and his former subordinates had their own independent space.


    The police captain¡¯s side face was chiseled and covered with growing stubble. His gaze was cold enough to drop ice chips. While everyone in the room was still asleep, he folded up the mine terrain map and the communicator¡¯s red light flashed.


    At the same time, a ghostly figure appeared on the banks of the Dana River.


    Because the dense branches and leaves blocked most of the light, it was almost impossible to see the face of the person. Only a lean figure could be seen quickly taking off their coat, revealing the matte custom wetsuit inside.


    The figure squatted down but didn¡¯t go into the water. Instead, they carefully folded the clothes that had just fallen on the soil and even their socks meticulously. Finally, they carefully stuffed all their clothes into a waterproof bag, looked excitedly at the humid and dark sky of the rainforest, then jumped into the dark Dana River.


    ¡­¡­


    Langli Bay was located on a tributary of the Dana River. A reinforced concrete and steel bridge built by the French in 1912 spanned the river. The bridge was primarily built to facilitate the transportation of precious wood species and rare metals from the depths of the rainforest. However, control over Langli Bay changed hands several times. Eventually, the rising rainforest overlord, King Zaratul, managed to gain control over Langli Bay Bridge, thus controlling the transportation hub leading deeper into the rainforest.


    10 minutes past 7.


    The air was filled with the fishy smell unique to the rainforest. Even the rough river water under the bridge couldn¡¯t blow away the stagnant smell.


    The soldiers on bridge guard duty began to wait for the shift change as usual. To be honest, although the rainforest was remote, the equipment of the Zaratul Tribe wasn¡¯t too bad. At least in the Dana Region, where second-hand Polish AKs had become standard, the weapons owned by King Zaratul, who acted as a proxy for a great power and had not rusted, were enough to make him dominate this area.


    15 minutes past 7.


    There was still a quarter of an hour before it was time to change shifts. The soldiers, who had been standing for three hours, had reached their most sleepy moment. One was physical hardship, while the other was psychological slack. After all, in the Dana Region, no one had dared rush into King Zaratul¡¯s military facilities for many years.


    The people waiting to cross the bridge had already formed a short queue, when a modified military Hummer attracted the attention of the soldiers guarding the bridge.


    There was a cocky young man wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. The seasoned soldier recognized the watch on the young man¡¯s hand as a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which was extremely valuable and the most important hard currency. Several soldiers guarding the bridge looked at each other and quickly let the refugees blocked in front of them pass through the bridge and onto the iron fence before stopping the Hummer.


    The young man driving the car was still cocky. His short hair was fixed upright with hairspray. Facing a dozen AKs, he didn¡¯t lift his head. The first thing he said turned out to be foul-mouthed. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The soldiers guarding the bridge were scolded in a daze. How could anyone come to Dana dare be so arrogant?


    The arrogant young man wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses in the driver¡¯s seat was very casual when faced with the cold barrel of a gun. He lifted his sunglasses over his head and pulled out a pass from the partition, along with some US dollar bills that were also tucked in the partition, which scattered on the ground. The young man impatiently waved away the bills in front of the car and spoke in broken Dana language, ¡°Idiot, have you heard of Anda Mining? Your boss wants to ask my dad to buy biomineral mining technology. Get the hell out of laozi¡¯s way.¡±


    The words ¡°Anda Mining¡± and ¡°biological mining technology¡± were like a foreign language to ordinary bridge guards, but it seemed that this was a prince of a certain company that had business dealings with Zaratul. Someone took the pass and immediately reported it to check the identity.


    The quick-eye soldier had already opened the car door and retrieved two shiny guns from the trunk. The streamlined gun god and the black, cool gun body made the soldier holding the gun handle cheer happily.


    ¡°Poor bastards. Never seen a gun before?¡± The young man cursed.


    The soldier in charge of verification quickly returned, and the excitement of catching a fat sheep was no longer there. He returned the pass and then saluted in an informal manner.


    The young man flipped his middle finger to all the black guards guarding the bridge and honked the horn to signal them to open the iron gate.


    As the young man stepped on the gas, just before the modified Hummer passed the checkpoint, for some unknown reason, the arrogant prince in the car had a thought, and he grabbed the stack of US bills on the dashboard and threw them out of the window.


    ¡°Kneel and call me Dad!¡± the young man shouted in Chinese.


    The picture finally ended with the arrogant laughter of the young man and the smoke and dust rushing out of the exhaust pipe.


    So much so that no one noticed that, while all the soldiers were scrambling for the money, a small and inconspicuous directional mine flew out from under the Hummer¡¯s chassis, as if remotely controlled, skimmed across the bridge deck, and closely stuck to the pier.


    ¡­¡­


    When Xing Conglian saw his neatly dressed subordinate, he was sitting next to Duan Wanshan.


    A few minutes ago, the Gaomeng people on night watch reported the news that Duan Wanshan refused to evacuate together.


    Sitting next to the doctor, Xing Conglian was no longer as irritable as before and was extremely arrogant and cold. He stopped talking nonsense, took out a pistol from his pocket, loaded it, and pointed at the Gaomeng man in front of him as he said to the doctor, who was more concerned with the Gaomeng peoples safety than helping them, ¡°I know you have many reasons not to want to be a burden to us, but I also have a reason to try to get you out alive. Cooperate well. Otherwise, none of the Gaomeng people here will leave alive.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Xing Conglian¡¯s attitude was so resolute that it was like hardened steel. Even Duan Wanshan, who was about to die, was also aroused with a trace of bloodlust. ¡°I understand.¡± The doctor nodded hard.


    Comrade Zhao Hu had pushed open the door and entered the room in this situation. He saw his boss holding a gun, his eyes full of murderous intent. The first thing he said was, ¡°Boss, whoever you want us to take care of, we¡¯ll take care of them!¡±


    Xing Conglian put down his gun and looked at the equipment on Zhao Hu¡¯s back and said lightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to come here to talk. Follow me.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Duan Yang got up early. At 5 in the morning, he had already gotten up. The lights weren¡¯t turned on in the lab, so it was still dim. He washed his face with cold water. After checking Lin Chen¡¯s condition, he began the final preparations before their kidnapping operation.


    Inside the dissecting room, he turned his back to the surveillance and took out plasma extracted from the body of the rhesus monkey he killed yesterday. Just like the chicken and duck blood cubes in the market, he added sodium chloride to the plasma, which made the blood of the rhesus monkey coagulated into clots. Duan Yang carefully crushed it with force, turning it into a disgusting semi-solid state. He drew a tube of it with a syringe, attached the needle, and remained calm, as if he were conducting the most ordinary scientific experiment.


    After doing all this, he began to pretend to be busy. When it was five minutes short of eight, the outermost door opened, and a thin white figure slowly passed through the dense monkey cage. The unlucky monkeys were frightened, causing them to yell.


    When the last door opened, Lin Chen groaned in pain before waking up.


    The weirdo wearing the porcelain-white mask stood in front of them.


    After Lin Chen¡¯s analysis yesterday, Duan Yang suddenly felt that the weirdo, who looked like he could eat human blood raw, was just an unorthodox cheat.


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress?¡± the inorganic electronic voice rang out.


    ¡°Because you haven¡¯t seen a real psychopath, the truly terrifying people are always those who seem harmless.¡±


    Duan Yang meditated on what Lin Chen had said to him. According to the original plan, he said to the masked man, ¡°I need to see a paper to study a new purification method.¡±


    He pointed his finger at the computer in the corner of the lab and asked, ¡°Can I use the computer?¡±


    Although he couldn¡¯t see the masked man¡¯s expression clearly, he still sensed that the other party was looking at him up and down with hesitant eyes.


    ¡°This is important. No researcher¡¯s work should be conducted without consulting relevant literature,¡± Duan Yang emphasized.


    Finally, the masked man nodded and walked to the computer desk in the corner. ¡°Tell me what you want me to check.¡±


    Duan Yang hung his hand to his side, followed the masked man, and stood with his back to the surveillance.


    ¡°Close your eyes!¡± The masked man sitting in front of the computer said coldly.


    Duan Yang turned around as he spoke, and after hearing six simple keyboard tapping sounds, Duan Yang turned his head and put his hand on the masked man lightly.


    The masked man trembled suddenly, and a chill ran down his spine to the back of his head. Just as he wanted to move, he felt a needle about to pierce his skin.


    The idiot young man, whom he didn¡¯t even want to look at before, was now speaking to him in a very cold and heartless tone. ¡°Don¡¯t move. In fact, the coldness you feel on your back is from a needle.¡±


    The young man paused, then continued to calmly say, ¡°The needle is a disposable product in the lab, but the contents inside are quite special. I guarantee that as soon as you show any reaction to being kidnapped or shout for help, the contents of the needle will be injected into your body within one-tenth of a second. Of course, you¡¯re probably asking, what¡¯s so terrible inside? I can only say, Mr. Masked Weirdo, have you ever heard of Ebola*?¡±


    *A viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after infection. The first symptoms are usually fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches. These are usually followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash and decreased liver and kidney function, at which point some people begin to bleed both internally and externally. It kills between 25% and 90% of those infected ¨C about 50% on average. The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as blood from infected humans or animals.


    The masked man thought, ¡®I¡¯ve been in the rainforest for so long. Of course I have heard of Ebola. How the hell haven¡¯t I heard of this deadly virus that has ravaged Africa and killed tens of thousands of people?¡¯ But in order to maintain the advantage, he still asked in an extremely calm tone, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that stupid? This laboratory is completely under my control. Where did you get the Ebola virus from? If you want to make up a story, at least make it more believable.¡±


    ¡°According to your request, when I checked the monkeys yesterday, I found a group of strange sick monkeys. Those monkeys had congested eyes and were dying. Based on some experience, I performed a dissection on one of the monkeys. Of course, your dissection room can¡¯t achieve the level of a Level 4 biochemical protection, so when I found that the monkey¡¯s blood was almost coagulated after it was cut open, it was too late, and I was exposed to the virus. You should know that the blood of the deceased is semi-coagulated, which is a typical feature of the Ebola virus.¡± There was a faint resentment in the young man¡¯s tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have been infected with the virus, but if I get it, I will drag you down with me, understand?¡±


    The trembling and anger in the young man¡¯s voice made the masked man terrified. He raised his head and subconsciously looked at the dissection room. The door was closed, but through the glass, he could see the horrible monkey corpse lying on the dissection table. As the man said, the rhesus monkey¡¯s blood showed a coagulated dark red color, which was disgusting.


    ¡°Calm down!¡± he said reluctantly. ¡°It may not be Ebola. It can¡¯t be just a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± The young man raised his voice and leaned closer to the masked man¡¯s ear. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to believe it, but in any case, we¡¯ll die together!¡±


    The masked man swallowed, and his voice became cautious. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to make a deal.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can get out of here alive by killing me with a virus?¡±


    ¡°If we can¡¯t get out of here, you¡¯ll immediately be injected with a needle full of Ebola. The astronomical number of viruses in it will completely swallow you within a week. You¡¯ll bleed and die miserably. Even the shit and urine flowing out of your body will carry coagulated plasma. You can certainly take a gamble,¡± the young man responded.


    There was an imperceptible tremor in the electronic sound. The masked man took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive. Everything can be discussed.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about,¡± the young man said simply. ¡°Answer my question. Who do you serve? Don¡¯t try to lie.¡±


    ¡°Zara¡­tul.¡±


    ¡°The armed militants of the Dana Region?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes.¡±


    ¡°Find the official website of this armed organization online and show it to me,¡± Duan Yang said.


    The masked man trembled violently and opened the NoFacebooK homepage of the Zaratul Tribe.


    Duan Yang compared the patterns of the python and jaguar above and nodded.


    ¡°Next, take out your phone and record a video.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°In order to cooperate happily, we must have the appropriate bargaining chips,¡± Duan Yang said coldly. ¡°Please admit in English that you slept with Zaratul¡¯s wife.¡±


    The masked man felt incredulous. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    At that moment, a weak but rather calm voice sounded from his side. Lin Chen at some point had stood up and was leaning against a table as he explained, ¡°He means that because we don¡¯t speak the same language in the Dana Region and are very afraid of being easily betrayed in the process of being taken out with you, we have to find some leverage on you. I¡¯ll store it in a timed email that, if not resolved within 24 hours, will reveal a video of you and Mrs. Zaratul having an affair with the organization¡¯s official email and message board. If we can successfully escape from this place under your protection, I¡¯ll fulfill my promise to cancel the scheduled email.¡±


    Although the black-haired young man in front of him looked extremely weak and seemed about to collapse, the threat in his calm tone was even more threatening than the one who was holding him hostage with the needle.


    ¡°The countdown is three seconds,¡± the black-haired young man said. ¡°Three¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll record it. I¡¯ll record it!¡± The masked man replied hastily.


    With the press of the Enter key, an email that might take his life lay quietly in the mailbox, waiting to be sent out.


    The cold needle was finally withdrawn from his back.


    ¡°Where is the medicine I asked you to find? Did you bring it?¡± The doctor holding the deadly virus asked.


    ¡°I was just about to say that the Langli Bridge was blown up so the car delivering the medicine¡­ couldn¡¯t get in,¡± the masked man said in horror.

 CH 192

    In the Hummer, Zhang Long was driving the vehicle at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour on the potholed road in the Dana Rainforest. The primeval forests on both sides regressed, and even the chimpanzees with cubs came out to make trouble. Of course, he didn¡¯t know that he thought there was a slight flaw in his very arrogant and perfect action, but he couldn¡¯t be blamed for this incident.


    Comrade Ye Zhu was sitting next to him. He had just crawled out of the chassis and was dozing off at the moment, with no intention of helping him be vigilant.


    Except for the intimidating name, Ye Zhu* looked like an ordinary college student next door who was cultured and harmless. Only a few people knew his true nature. Zhang Long dared to have Zaratul¡¯s subordinates call him ¡°dad¡±, but he didn¡¯t dare wake up the person sitting next to him.


    *His name translated is Wild Boar.


    At this moment, the communicator sounded.


    Ye Zhu opened his eyes gently with a clear expression as if he had never fallen asleep. ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°Ship?¡±


    ¡°There are still 50 minutes until it docks.¡±


    ¡°Where are the goods?¡±


    Ye Zhu glanced at the towering forest in front of him and said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯ll be delivered soon.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what Xing Conglian said at the other end, but Ye Zhu looked like usual, and at the end he said, ¡°Roger that.¡±


    Zhang Long said nervously, ¡°How did Zaratul anger the Boss? This is simply a dragon¡¯s wrath!¡±


    Ye Zhu only said two words, ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian released the fingers pressing the headset and stood on the highest point of the whole building with a stiff waist.


    In the alleyway of the dilapidated factory building outside the window, Zaratul¡¯s soldiers started a new day of aimless vigilance. The soldiers behind the bunker began to smoke habitually. The curling smoke rose with the wind, mixed with the laughter and discussion about the dead woman yesterday.


    Bullets could fall from the sky at any moment and hit their foreheads, but these soldiers didn¡¯t seem aware of it at all. This was also normal. In the area controlled by Zaratul, no one would dare to snipe.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s cold gaze swept across the main warehouse, and finally landed on the power plant of the mine.


    Behind him, Zhao Hu was installing a military sniper rifle with a gentle touch that felt like he was caressing a woman. The sniper took out a 12x scope from his backpack and carefully wiped the gun barrel with a lavender-embroidered silk scarf from his pocket before quickly installing the scope with a decisive hand. Then he continued to wipe the gun barrel with the same silk scarf.


    Xing Conglian frowned but didn¡¯t say much.


    In the underground space under the mine, where he couldn¡¯t even see his fingers, Kang An, with a bruised nose and a swollen face, was sneaking towards the designated location carrying C4 plastic explosives ¡°smuggled¡± in by Comrade Zhao Hu. How to escort hundreds of people to migrate with a 7-member team may be a headache for ordinary commanders, but similar actions weren¡¯t unfamiliar to him. In the depths of the rainforest, where there was little interference from external armed forces, directly destroying the target force was obviously the most straightforward way.


    He bit the flashlight, unscrewed the screws at the mouth of the lower pipe with a light technique, quickly climbed out, took out a hand-drawn sketch from his pocket, and installed it on the marked load-bearing wall according to the instructions of the explosives expert who was currently on the way.


    At this moment, there was a slight commotion in the communication channel.


    ¡­¡­


    The sniper was still wiping the body of the gun as Xing Conglian held down the headset. He heard Xiao Wu¡¯s voice coming from it, and the background sound was filled with the low-pitched yells of the Gaomeng people.


    ¡°Boss, I think the people of the rainforest haven¡¯t seen the sun all year round, so their brains are really muddled.¡± The sniper looked up at him.


    Xing Conglian retracted his gaze, turned around, and left.


    In the factory space covered with colorful clothes, Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, who were distributing weapons, had a dispute with the Gaomeng people.


    The sturdy and muscular rainforest warriors glared at them, trying to ask Xiao Wu for an M16 rifle with a C-MORE light shotgun system. Comrade Xiao Wu, who had established friendship with the rainforest people, didn¡¯t know how to solve this problem.


    After seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s figure appear, Xiao Wu snatched the gun and aimed it at the muscular man who had taken the gun. Behind that man stood seven or eight of the most combat-effective Gaomeng people; tall rainforest warriors standing in a row like stout trees.


    ¡°They killed our people!¡±


    ¡°We are going to take revenge!¡±


    ¡°Please let us charge in!¡±


    The Gaomeng people were all talking at once, and because they had been exposed to the wind and rain for several days, their voices weren¡¯t as loud as they had shouted.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s calm gaze swept across the faces of those who were carried away by hatred.


    ¡°Oh, here,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°The M16 rifle without the shotgun system is worth $5,000 USD. Counting the complete set of accessories, you¡¯ll be charged $30,000 USD, which is a cheap price. Do you have the money?¡± Xing Conglian asked lightly.


    ¡°We can repay with our lives!¡± the Gaomeng people said.


    Xing Conglian thought it was funny, so he laughed. His thin lips curled a little. ¡°Is your rotten life worth so much money?¡±


    The Gaomeng people became enraged again. They clenched their fists as if they were going to fight their opponents with their bare hands.


    The next moment, a Gaomeng man with an ivory pendant that was covered in blood fell to his knees. He raised his head and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°My wife was raped and killed by them downstairs in this building yesterday. Please allow me to avenge my wife.¡±


    Another Gaomeng man raised his pendant to his chest, revealing the photo of a little boy embedded in the pendant. ¡°My child too. Please allow me to avenge him.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze was still cold and hard. He glanced at the riled-up Gaomeng people and said, ¡°After walking out of this building, it will be a combat zone. If you don¡¯t listen to my command, you will be killed.¡± Speaking in Gaomengnese, Xing Conglian said to the rainforest warriors, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point in reasoning with you. If you believe that killing a few Zaratul people is more important than protecting your own people and leaving safely, then I respect your choice.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The long, gentle wind blew through the primeval forest, causing the tips of every leaf to tremble.


    The commotion started suddenly without warning. The shockwave caused by the explosion made the entire land tremble.


    At that time, Duan Yang was pretending to pack up the laboratory while the masked man¡ªah, no¡ªthe Chinese named Lu Jia had just transferred a helicopter through security to send them off. Through Lu Jia¡¯s example, Duan Yang deeply understood the importance of eloquence and acting skills.


    He inserted the last test tube into the test tube holder and looked at the laboratory floor worriedly.


    Lin Chen was curled up in the most sheltered corner of the entire laboratory. The turquoise blood vessels under his neck were vaguely visible. He was so weak that it seemed he could be crushed by just a pinch of snow.


    Earlier, Lin Chen suddenly fell to the ground. After Duan Yang checked, he found that the high fever had finally put Lin Chen in a semi-comatose state. He was burning up like a soldering iron. Given Lin Chen¡¯s situation, Duan Yang forced Lu Jia to change to a vehicle that could leave as soon as possible and demanded that Lu Jia find a helicopter. For this, they waited another forty minutes. While Lu Jia made a phone call in Gaomengnese that they didn¡¯t understand, Duan Yang couldn¡¯t help but admire Lin Chen¡¯s meticulous thinking. If they hadn¡¯t grasped Lu Jia¡¯s weakness, just a simple phone call in Gaomengnese might have pushed them into hell.


    However, just after Lu Jia hung up the phone, an explosion sounded. Duan Yang squatted down and pushed Lin Chen into the space under the experimental table. Just as he followed in, an incandescent lamp brushed past his back and crashed into the floor. The broken lamp tubes and powder made the floor a mess.


    Not far away, the masked man hid under the table in distress.


    In a short period of two or three seconds, there was only the stern roars of the rhesus monkeys in the entire space.


    ¡­¡­


    The people in the laboratory weren¡¯t the only ones who were at a loss due to the explosion.


    The Zaratul army, which was guarding the gate of the mining area from afar, was also subconsciously looking for a bunker to hide in. Then they started looking for the source of the explosion. When they turned on the communication channel, there was a chaotic buzzing sound, making it impossible for them to contact each other.


    Even though Zaratul¡¯s subordinates fought against primitive tribes in the rainforest year-round, it took a while to realize the problem of electromagnetic interference. In the area visible to the naked eye, the power plant building of the mine had been razed to the ground, and the broken bricks and soot rising into the sky had created a perfect smoke bomb. Beside the power plant building, two unprepared barracks were also riddled with holes.


    Soldiers with blood on their faces crawled out of the barracks while more people were buried in them.


    At this moment, a plume of smoke and dust also appeared on the road facing the door. The soldiers on the watchtower had just been stunned. Before they could accurately report the target, they were hit precisely by eight sniper bullets. The silver bullets made a beautiful arc mixed with red and white plasma as the soldier fell straight down while pulling the tarpaulin covering the machine gun down with him.


    At a certain window on the upper floor, the sniper took out a lilac silk scarf from his pocket and kissed the scarf, signifying the successful completion of his first kill.


    The modified Hummer crashed straight into the gate of the mines. Zaratul¡¯s subordinates raised their rifles and began to fire back. No one expected that the driver of the Hummer wouldn¡¯t slow down but would blatantly slam against the gate, moving at a fearless speed.


    The iron gate suddenly opened, and at the same time the roof of the Hummer opened as well. A most primitive and reliable M2 machine gun poked out its life-harvesting head.


    The man who manipulated the machine gun wasn¡¯t one of those beefy machine gunners but a slim, svelte young man. His face was pale and wooden, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to pull the heavy trigger of the M2 machine gun. As a classic weapon used for robbery during World War I, the M2 machine gun was commonly used to attack lightly armored targets and low-altitude air defense, and its killing power was evident.


    Accompanied by deafening gunfire, a long steel whip quickly swept out from the muzzle of the machine gun, and flames and bullets hit all the surrounding moving targets. The M16 rifle was utterly useless under such heavy firepower suppression, and even the dilapidated factory building that was swept by the machine gun¡¯s tail was instantly missing a corner and had a tendency to collapse.


    Soon, the soldiers at the gate were cleaned up. The remaining soldiers hiding in the bunker looked up at the sky and prayed that the follow-up force wouldn¡¯t be too terrifying.


    No one expected that there would only be two men in a Hummer that brazenly challenged the Zaratul drug factory.


    What was even more unexpected was that a light ferry with an Angodo Republic tourist company license plate and a capacity of 1,000 people quietly entered the mining area like a ghost.


    On the light screen that displayed the location, the ferry entered the designated area. Ye Zhu released the trigger and, taking advantage of the gap, whispered into the communicator, ¡°Area A1 cleared.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The Gaomeng tribe, which had been besieged for many days, finally stepped out of the crumbling machine repair factory.


    The rainforest warriors, armed with shotguns, rushed to the front. Zaratul¡¯s subordinates hiding behind the sandbag bunker never dreamed that those Gaomeng people, whom they had been teasing like mice for many days, really dared to rush out of the factory and fight them to the death.


    The fierce firepower collided with each other. Two rainforest warriors instantly fell. At the same time, ghostly sniper bullets shot from the sky again, and two Zaratul machine gunners with heavy weapons were instantly killed.


    The Hummer had already rushed to the gate of the factory. The suppressed firepower of the M2 made Zaratul soldiers behind the sandbag bunker extremely suffocated. What was even more unexpected was that the bullets of the M2 machine gun easily penetrated the fragile bunker. Flowers of blood splashed on the sandbag.


    More Gaomeng people poured out of the factory building. In the chaos, someone picked up an ivory pendant on the ground and gently closed the eyes of a dead warrior.


    ¡­¡­


    A second explosion sounded, and the earliest gravel factory in the mine fell, instantly blocking the remnants of Zaratul¡¯s troops who wanted to pursue the Gaomeng people.


    In the laboratory, where the power supply had been cut off, the successive explosions and deafening bullets caused everyone to fall into an extreme panic.


    Duan Yang hid under the laboratory table and shivered slightly. He couldn¡¯t see Lin Chen¡¯s face clearly, but a hot hand kept holding his wrist tightly, as if relieved, causing Duan Yang to calm down.


    This area wasn¡¯t within the range of the electromagnetic interference. In the dark space, suddenly there was the passionate sound of a phone beeping. Lu Jia hurriedly connected the phone. On the other end of the line, a helicopter operator was roaring. The saying ¡°where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way¡± probably referred to such a situation. The C4 explosives installed by Kang An were gradually leveling the entire mining area, but miraculously, the helicopter landing site was preserved and intact.


    What was even more fortunate was that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t immediately order the launch of two smart bombs to destroy it since he saw through his binoculars that it wasn¡¯t equipped with any ammunition compartment.


    The light ferry docked at the pier.


    Most of the soldiers stationed at the pier had already rushed to the front line to provide support, and the remaining sporadic soldiers who tried to attack the ferry with rocket launchers were mysteriously killed by a machine gun out of nowhere.


    The heavy-firepower Hummer had cleared the way ahead, and the first batch of Gaomeng people ran frantically, arriving at the pier.


    The captain of the ferry, named Bao Feng, had a full beard. He gently tidied up his suit and bowtie and walked politely to the deck to greet his guests.


    The hatch opened.


    ¡­¡­


    In the laboratory, Lu Jia hung up the phone. The ceramic mask on his face had at some point fallen off. He hid under the laboratory table and shouted, ¡°The helicopter is coming! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The tooth-aching sound of bullets outside the window finally stopped temporarily.


    Lin Chen¡¯s slightly calm voice sounded. ¡°Duan Yang, will I still have 12 hours if there¡¯s no medicine?¡±


    The young doctor looked stiff and said angrily, ¡°What are you worrying about? Of course you do. Am I the doctor or you?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen smiled slightly, nodded, and released his hand from his wrist. ¡°Go and assess the situation first.¡±


    Duan Yang nodded. He plucked up the courage, crawled out from under the experiment table, and cautiously opened the door to the monkey room. The monkey cages had collapsed everywhere, and the screams of the rhesus monkeys almost pierced his eardrums.


    Duan Yang stumbled and used a little glimmer of light from behind the curtains to figure out a way to the outside. His hands were constantly scratched by the monkeys¡¯ sharp claws that were sticking out of the cages, but he didn¡¯t make any cries of pain.


    ¡­¡­


    In the alleyway, a small group of Zaratul soldiers cut in from the rear, and bursts of machine gun fire quickly hit them at the end.


    ¡°Go ahead and leave me alone.¡±


    Xing Conglian stood at the end of the migrating crowd. He said something briefly into the communicator, left the end of the team, and flashed into the factory building.


    The police captain, armed with a gun, quickly climbed up to the fourth floor. Looking through a scope, a large number of Gaomeng people were still gritting their teeth as they ran hard. The depression in the middle of the group came from a pair of pure white stretchers. On the stretcher, Duan Wanshan¡¯s eyes were closed, completely unaware of his surroundings.


    Xing Conglian retracted the muzzle of the gun and pointed it at the Zaratul soldiers, who were gradually approaching the large group.


    ¡­¡­


    Duan Yang pulled down the curtains hanging horizontally on the wall of the monkey room letting the sunlight spill in, causing him to cover his eyes.


    He looked back at the laboratory. Lu Jia had already followed him out of the innermost room, but Lin Chen¡¯s figure didn¡¯t appear.


    Duan Yang rushed back again.


    The sunlight from the monkey room caused a faint light to appear in the innermost part of the lab. Lin Chen was leaning against an experimental bench as the dim light cast a layer of blue-gray on his face.


    Duan Yang tried to pull him up, but Lin Chen put his hand on his wrist and shook his head.


    Although Lin Chen didn¡¯t say a word, Duan Yang instantly understood what the consultant meant.


    ¡°No. Impossible!¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze was still clear and firm. There was a trace of tenderness in his eyes that made him immediately relax, as if agreeing to his request.


    Duan Yang stopped talking nonsense. He carried Lin Chen on his back and was about to run outside.


    Lin Chen suddenly said, ¡°Are you asking me to be a target on your back?¡±


    Duan Yang stood in place, panicking, as Lin Chen slipped off him.


    Mr. Consultant supported himself on a lab bench and couldn¡¯t even stand, but still said, ¡°Help me walk out.¡±


    Regarding Lin Chen¡¯s sudden and willful request, Duan Yang didn¡¯t doubt him. He could only hug Lin Chen¡¯s armpit and drag him out.


    When he was about to step through the door, Lin Chen suddenly coughed violently, bending his body. He said in pain, ¡°Wait a minute. You pressed my wound.¡±


    Duan Yang hurriedly let go. At the moment he let go of his hand, Lin Chen somehow mustered up enough strength to push him outside and quickly slammed the wooden door of the lab as quick as lightning.


    Duan Yang fell heavily to the ground as the rhesus monkey near him screamed.


    He climbed up desperately. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Lin Chen, but he clenched his fist without hesitation, trying to punch and shatter the glass upper part of the wooden door.


    Lin Chen¡¯s weak figure was crumbling at the door. Looking at the calm face of this young man who wasn¡¯t even a few years older than him, Duan Yang couldn¡¯t help shouting, ¡°Motherfucker. Don¡¯t say you¡¯ll drag me down. Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    Lin Chen had already calculated Duan Yang¡¯s thoughts. He stood with difficulty, holding the wooden door. In his other hand, a cold glint from a scalpel appeared at some point. He easily pressed the scalpel to his neck.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s tears flowed instantly.


    With a second punch, the glass suddenly shattered. Lin Chen took a half step back and fell to the ground, but still held the scalpel firmly in place. He calmly said, ¡°First, if you take me with you, you won¡¯t reach the helicopter smoothly under the hail of bullets.¡±


    ¡°Second, I just discovered that the sound of the explosion from the factory is gradually coming towards the building we¡¯re in. I briefly estimated the detonation time, and the building where we are will be blown up in about five minutes. With me, you¡¯ll never be able to escape the explosion range in such a short period of time. There¡¯s even a greater possibility you¡¯ll be killed by someone. Be mature. Live and avenge me.¡± He blinked as he said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. Get out, now.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian, who was in charge of covering the retreat, stood tall on the fourth floor of the factory building. He killed the last soldier in sight and prepared to evacuate.


    He pulled the wooden table away and used the scope to lightly draw an arc, trying to confirm that all the targets had been cleared. It was this tiny arc that made his heart beat to its highest speed in an instant. All his blood rushed to his heart in such a short time that his limbs fell into extreme cold numbness, which made him feel as if his soul had popped out of his body.


    He saw Lin Chen. Why the hell did he see Lin Chen?


    Lin Chen was bent over and coughing. He had pushed away the man next to him and was leaning against the wooden door as he held a blade at his neck, as if he were talking to the person outside the door¡­


    Xing Conglian thought it was an illusion after thinking about him day and night, so he bit the tip of his tongue hard to wake himself up. Lin Chen¡¯s figure was gone. The young man gritted his teeth, turned his head, and left with tears streaming down his face, leaving only broken glass behind.


    Xing Conglian felt that he was trembling all over. He pulled his collar and pointed the microphone at him as he tremblingly said, ¡°Stop the detonation. Stop all the detonations. Stop the fucking detonation. Do you hear me!!!¡±

 CH 193

    There was a mess of noise coming from the headset. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t have time to worry about whether it was a communication failure or something else. His brain was completely occupied by Lin Chen¡¯s appearance, filled with countless possibilities that seemed like they would explode.


    And one of the most terrifying possibilities was: If he couldn¡¯t save Lin Chen, if Lin Chen had already sliced his neck with that blade, what should he do?


    At that moment, Xing Conglian felt a fear he had never experienced in his life. He was as nervous as when he held a gun for the first time and killed someone. However, reality didn¡¯t allow him to think about emotions or possibilities because he suddenly heard news from the headset.


    ¡°Boss, that¡¯s a C4 explosive that detonates at a fixed time. It can¡¯t be stopped.¡± In the headset, Ye Zhu¡¯s voice held an imperceptible tremor.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Xing Conglian instantly regained his senses. He immediately put away his gun, ran downstairs, and said to the person on the other end of the headset in an extremely calm tone, ¡°Zhao Hu, I¡¯m going to T2 floor. Cover me.¡±


    In the attic, the man who had just finished killing was folding his silk scarf. When he heard this, he almost tore the lilac silk scarf in his hand. ¡°Boss, what¡¯s the situation? Don¡¯t take risks! Can you escape now if you rush over there?¡±


    The same sound was transmitted simultaneously to several places where others were carrying out their missions.


    Wang Chao was already sitting in the cabin, but Xing Conglian¡¯s words made him stand up abruptly in shock.


    There was a light screen in front of him, and there were changes in the 7 dots representing each person¡¯s position. The red dot representing Xing Conglian really began to rapidly move towards the most dangerous area that was about to detonate. ¡°Boss, calm down. What the hell happened? It¡¯s over!¡±


    The primeval forest, alarmed by the explosion and gunfire, began to tremble uneasily. Dark, cloud-like birds rushed to the sky, covering the sky.


    Wang Chao looked at the factory area covered by a sky of smoke and dust in the distance. In his earphones, he heard the sound of wind, bricks, occasional gunshots, and the stable voice of Xing Conglian. ¡°Lin Chen is in that building.¡±


    In an instant, Wang Chao also experienced the feeling of having his heart stop after being electrified. After a moment of shock, he suddenly shouted, ¡°How is this possible? This can¡¯t be happening. Boss, don¡¯t be impulsive!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s inside.¡±


    The deep voice of Xing Conglian sounded like a cello playing in the darkness of night. Wang Chao instantly sobered up. He gripped the edge of the table tightly and tried to calm himself down, but how could he calm down? His muscles were tense and trembling all over. Why did this kind of thing happen?!


    ¡°Wang Chao, find someone to assist me. The others retreat according to the original plan.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice sounded again. Wang Chao didn¡¯t know how his boss could still speak in such a firm tone in this situation. He took a deep breath and looked at the screen, saying word by word, ¡°Kang An, maintain your current position. Move to T4 in 3 minutes and assist the Boss.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The race against time was more exhausting than imagined.


    A burst of gunfire sounded from the back of his head. Xing Conglian slammed down and rolled over a piece of rubble. The bullet caused a series of smoke and dust behind him, and a broken shrapnel slammed into his calf. In the case of extreme chaos, any small detail was enough to kill, but any attention to detail would slow him down.


    ¡°Zhao Hu!¡± Xing Conglian jumped up and continued to run.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Boss.¡± The gunman lying on the high-rise building pulled the trigger at an unprecedented speed. He didn¡¯t even calculate the ballistics anymore and purely used instinct to kill all men in the space who dared to block the man running for life and death.


    ¡°Four minutes left.¡± Ye Zhu¡¯s voice sounded again.


    More and more Gaomeng people crowded into the ferry, causing the light ship to shake.


    Wang Chao was still holding the corner of the table tightly. He was motionless, staring at the red dot on the light screen that was rushing towards the factory building that was about to explode without any tactical cover, wishing that time would slow down just a little, but he had long known that such physical phenomena in this world could never be shifted by human will. He could only watch and wait for the result.


    After countless brushes with death, Xing Conglian finally came downstairs in the building. He was too calm to be calm any longer because he realized that it was also a good choice to die with Lin Chen. All the previous burning emotions were completely suppressed.


    The entire factory area turned into cold, inorganic lines in his eyes. He knew very well the function of the factory that Lin Chen was in, which was the reason why he chose to blow it up in the end. Buried downstairs was enough explosives to blow up the factory building and kill all soldiers who tried to rescue it.


    Sure enough, a small group of heavily armed Zaratul soldiers were trying to rush into the building.


    Two of them had sharply turned their guns, but before they could pull the trigger, their foreheads had been pierced with blood holes.


    Xing Conglian pulled the trigger. The gun fired bullets like whips, and the sound of flesh piercing suddenly sounded. At the same time, he was also hit on the shoulder by a bullet.


    The intense secretion of adrenaline made him feel no pain. He finally reached the front of the building. Facing the corpses all over the floor, he looked up at the building with broken windows and rushed in without hesitation.


    The floor plan of the factory building in the mining area quickly unfolded in his mind. He jumped to the last floor and found the laboratory at the end of the corridor, among the continuously extending lines.


    ¡°3 minutes.¡±


    The countdown was broadcast again on the communication channel. No one spoke after.


    Xing Conglian kicked the door open, and all he could see was darkness. With the faintly visible glass sliding door across his eyes, he raised his gun. Not giving a damn whether it was bulletproof or not, he pulled the trigger as he swept the muzzle from left to right.


    The glass suddenly shattered, making a tooth grinding noise.


    He rushed through the glass rain curtain, seeing an erratic mess of tables and chairs and collapsed experimental equipment. He calculated Lin Chen¡¯s final position and kicked open a door.


    Sunlight suddenly poured in. The group of monkeys roared, but the sounds and lights all disappeared. All he could see was the door at the end; the pure white wooden door with broken glass in its upper half.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen was lying on the ground. The floor of the laboratory was a bit cold. Although the air conditioning had stopped, it was still cold.


    He couldn¡¯t help but curl up, thinking for a moment that he might be dead, but the feeling of being alive and dead was still different. At least it seemed like he could still think.


    Of course, his thinking stopped completely as soon as he drove Duan Yang away. Now it had turned into a puddle of mud, everything about Xing Conglian once again filled all the corners of his mind.


    Sometimes it was Xing Conglian who was smoking, sometimes it was Xing Conglian who was cleaning the room, and more often, it was Xing Conglian who was looking at him with his handsome face. His eyes were deep and calm, but he didn¡¯t say a word. Those pictures glowed with some light; each frame was so clear that he could touch it, which made his fingers tremble slightly.


    He always felt as if he were saying something to Xing Conglian. Maybe it was ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± or ¡°I love you¡±.


    And until now, he had no time to think about whether Xing Conglian would accept his question when he came back.


    It should still be possible.


    He spent probably the most precious 30 seconds at the end of his life thinking about this question carefully and gave himself an answer as a form of self-comfort, thinking it was quite good.


    But when he answered this question, the remaining questions followed.


    ¡ªAfter Xing Conglian comes back, what will happen when he finds out about all this?


    Although it was the best result to make Xing Conglian think he was missing and would never be found, given Xing Conglian¡¯s personality, it was really possible he would follow all the clues to this abandoned mining area.


    ¡ªSo what if Xing Conglian finds his body?


    For a moment, Lin Chen hoped that the ruins of this factory building would completely bury his body, so that the corrosion rate of the rainforest would quickly turn him into a pile of bones that no one would recognize. After Xing Conglian or Wang Chao found this place, he might not be found. Even if he were found, it wouldn¡¯t be too sad.


    He felt that he couldn¡¯t imagine Xing Conglian being heartbroken. After all, in his concept, people like Xing Conglian shouldn¡¯t be heartbroken, and he shouldn¡¯t be the one who makes the other party heartbroken.


    Lin Chen suddenly began to regret why he confessed his love at that time. If he hadn¡¯t exposed these things, it might not have caused the person he loved so much pain.


    Time couldn¡¯t be turned back, and the decision made couldn¡¯t be changed. Since he was a man, how could he be so irresponsible?


    Although he was about to die, he suddenly discovered that he really didn¡¯t want to die. He wanted to live.


    If this world was really as <The Secret> said, then he wanted to live.


    He braced himself against the ground, trying to stand up.


    ¡­¡­


    This was what Xing Conglian saw when he opened the pure white wooden door.


    Although before that, he was even afraid of what would happen if Lin Chen wasn¡¯t behind the door.


    But the moment he saw the laboratory floor, all the scenes flooded in like a tide.


    Lin Chen was curled up on the ground. His cheeks were slightly sunken, but his eyes were frighteningly large. His face, elbows, and all his exposed skin had abrasions of varying degrees, and shocking amounts of blood were dripping on the ground, but it wasn¡¯t these wounds that worried Xing Conglian the most.


    After seeing him, Lin Chen turned his head slightly and squinted his eyes. His out-of-focus eyes were full of doubts. He then let out a laugh. Xing Conglian clearly saw Lin Chen¡¯s self-deprecating smile in his eyes, and his heart seemed to be tightly clenched by some external force.


    He walked over step by step and squatted down, at a loss of how to pick Lin Chen up for a moment.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen stretched out his hand and put it on his wrist. The temperature of the palm of his hand made him shudder. Xing Conglian slowly lowered his head and looked at the pale fingers resting on his wrist, like a struggling soul unwilling to enter hell, grasping its only lifeline.


    The urging sound in the headset finally poured back into his ears.


    ¡°Boss, is it really A¡¯Chen Gege?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°There are two minutes and thirty seconds left. Hurry up, Boss!¡± Ye Zhu let out a rare roar.


    However, Xing Conglian¡¯s movements were still slow. He held the back of Lin Chen¡¯s neck with one hand while the other hand plunged into Lin Chen¡¯s knee socket, holding the person in his arms with force. It was only at the moment he picked up Lin Chen that he felt the hot temperature of a soldering iron. How could a normal person have such a high body temperature?


    At this moment, Lin Chen¡¯s dark eyes, which had been staring at him, flickered slightly.


    He heard Lin Chen ask in a hoarse voice, ¡°Although it¡¯s too much like a movie, am I dreaming?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Xing Conglian stood up while holding Lin Chen.


    With just two words, he clearly saw Lin Chen¡¯s eyes flushed and tears overflowed. As if to hide his sudden, fragile emotions, Lin Chen plunged his head into his chest. Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t even tell whether the heat in his chest came from his emotions or Lin Chen¡¯s tears.


    He lowered his head and kissed the top of Lin Chen¡¯s head. The smell of blood, dirt, salty sweat, and the clean and cold breath of Lin Chen¡¯s mixed together, as if to soak into his soul.


    He hugged Lin Chen tightly, turned around, kicked the monkey cage under his feet, and began to run out.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    This chapter is everything.

 CH 194

    Lin Chen felt that he should have fainted because that would be in line with the logic of the movie.


    But he was always sober; whether it was the appearance of Xing Conglian, the movement of hugging him, or even the sentence ¡°it¡¯s me¡±; he clearly experienced it.


    Because he had to stay awake so that his dreamlike reunion wouldn¡¯t be fleeting. He clung to the collar of the rough combat uniform of Xing Conglian tightly, watching the blood flow out from the other party¡¯s shoulder. His ears were extremely quiet, filled with the background noise of various gunfire and explosions. All these details seemed to be stretched infinitely.


    Xing Conglian hugged him tightly and jumped down the stairs. They flashed around the corner, dodging a bullet, and then continued to run. From beginning to end, Xing Conglian¡¯s face was as stable as his arms. The bitter wind, broken bricks, and dust blew across his cheeks. They rushed out of the factory building as smoke and dust filled the sky. He didn¡¯t remember how far they ran, but for a moment, the entire space trembled, as if someone had pressed the pause button and all substances were backlogged, then suddenly released.


    Xing Conglian seemed to perceive this, or perhaps the countdown in his earpiece had reached its final moments.


    He held onto Lin Chen tightly and then suddenly rushed behind a pile of bricks, completely shielding Lin Chen underneath his body. He even used his arm as a cushion for Lin Chen¡¯s head and neck to prevent him from being injured.


    Facing Xing Conglian, Lin Chen only heard him say in a gentle tone, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Then came a deafening explosion. It was only at this moment that Lin Chen realized that when he was so close to the explosion site, the sound could be this loud; as if everything in the world was collapsing and the shockwave seemed to shatter all his flesh and blood. Lin Chen held onto Xing Conglian¡¯s back tightly, feeling the force of the shockwave knocking over the pile of bricks that fell onto Xing Conglian. This only made him cling to him even tighter.


    At no time did he believe more than at this moment that they could survive.


    ¡­¡­


    When the factory exploded, Kang An was performing his cover mission in the designated area.


    The countdown sound in the headset kept ringing, and he wished he could sprout wings and rush over to catch the man who was running fast, but he could only stay where he was, constantly pulling the trigger.


    The time was getting shorter, but the distance wasn¡¯t too close. The countdown sound finally stopped. After a loud explosion, the factory building collapsed, and most of the floors were blown into the sky. The shockwave and smoke forced him to fall to the ground. It took a long time before he could gradually hear the anxious voices in the headset.


    ¡°I see no one. Kang An, quickly report!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Boss?! Have you seen the Boss?!¡±


    ¡°Are they safe? Kang An, you dumbass, talk to me!¡±


    The sharp voice of Wang Chao was about to pierce his eardrums. Kang An vomited blood and barely propped up his body as he looked at the misty ruins.


    The brown-gray smoke and dust made him almost unable to open his eyes. He could only narrow his eyes into a squint. One minute passed, then two, then five¡­


    There was dead silence in front of him, and even the anxious voice in the headset channel became silent. Kang An covered the blood flowing between his lips and teeth, shouted, and rushed forward frantically.


    At this moment, he saw a tall figure in a daze, slowly penetrating out of the layers of smoke and dust, walking out of the restricted area of death.


    After seeing the figure clearly, Kang An took two steps back and almost fell on his ass.


    Xing Conglian looked at his subordinate, who had almost rushed in front of him, and said to everyone in the channel in a calm tone, ¡°Okay, laozi is still alive. Continue your work.¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re okay, but is my A¡¯Chen Gege okay too? Is it really A¡¯Chen Gege?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice of concern came through.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head while Lin Chen¡¯s face was covered in gray dust, but he still gazed at him with dark eyes. Xing Conglian held onto his collar tightly, as if he were afraid Lin Chen would disappear if he let go.


    Xing Conglian answered Wang Chao at the end of the channel, ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±


    However, his answer seemed to make Lin Chen guess something. He obviously saw Lin Chen frowning and asked him, in a hoarse voice that seemed to have not drank water for days, ¡°Is Wang Chao here too?¡±


    After darting behind a wall, Xing Conglian took a breath and realized that Lin Chen was clearly worried about Wang Chao¡¯s safety. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know what to say, so he weighed the person in his arms, who was almost weightless. He spoke coldly. ¡°Stop worrying about others. Everyone is better than you.¡±


    But if it were Lin Chen, as long as he was alive, he would think about these things all the time. Next, he heard Lin Chen nervously say, ¡°Did the helicopter take off yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Can I trouble you to save someone else?¡±


    This sentence made Xing Conglian extremely dissatisfied. First, Lin Chen¡¯s tone was too polite, and second, he immediately thought that the person Lin Chen wanted him to save must be that young man he had just forced away.


    Probably because Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer and he felt that he was asking too much at this time, Lin Chen¡¯s eyes flickered as he added, ¡°Please.¡±


    At this time, a sniper bullet passed them and hit an ambush point in the right rear.


    The bullet hit the wall and made a tooth-aching sound. Lin Chen closed his eyes abruptly. Xing Conglian put him down, put one arm around his shoulder, took out a light gun, and began to use the brick wall as a bunker to fight back. After a few gunshots, there was no sound of bullets any longer. Xing Conglian turned his head, and for some reason, he saw the black ring on Lin Chen¡¯s left ring finger at first glance.


    Xing Conglian felt that the most glaring scene he had ever seen in his life, apart from Huang Ze¡¯s stupid forced kiss on Lin Chen, was the black ring on Lin Chen¡¯s ring finger.


    ¡°Who gave it to you?¡± After he asked this, he said to the channel, ¡°Kang An, go and save someone.¡± After he spoke, he took off the headset and stuffed it into Lin Chen¡¯s ear as he picked him up and continued to retreat.


    Lin Chen was obviously taken aback.


    ¡°Tell them who you want to save.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze fell to the ring that Lin Chen was wearing as he heard Lin Chen say to the person on the other end of the headset in an extremely calm tone, ¡°Chinese. Name is Duan Yang. About 185 cm, big eyes, short hair. He just went toward the helicopter landing pad. It hasn¡¯t taken off yet. Something might have happened. Please confirm whether Duan Yang is alive or dead.¡±


    It was really Lin Chen. He was always sober, no matter what the situation was. Xing Conglian continued to retreat with Lin Chen in his arms. The path ahead had been cleared. Except for the sporadic bullets, they didn¡¯t encounter too many obstacles along the way.


    The smoke and dust were still heavy. Xing Conglian held his breath, but he heard Lin Chen say a few words into the headset. It was nothing more than soothing sentences such as ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± and ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon¡±. It must be Wang Chao he was talking to.


    Xing Conglian looked at the person in his arms with dissatisfaction. Finally, Lin Chen seemed to notice his dissatisfaction. Suddenly, he put his hands around his neck, leaned on his shoulders, and said weakly, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Xing Conglian pursed his lips, as if concentrating on running, without saying a word.


    Soon, the sound of water was clearly audible. The ferry was within reach. He could even see the uncontrollable excitement on Wang Chao¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Just before boarding the boat, he suddenly heard Lin Chen continue to speak softly on the side of his neck.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s expression condensed as he stepped into the cabin with Lin Chen in his arms.


    The first floor of the ferry had long been occupied by the terrified Gaomeng people. Wang Chao had already rushed forward, as if he had thousands of words to say to them. Xing Conglian shot a deathly glare at the teenager before going straight to the second floor. He kicked open the captain¡¯s quarters and slammed the door shut, locking the chattering teenager outside.


    He took off the headset from Lin Chen¡¯s ear and threw it out, then put him down on the bed. With just such a simple action, he could clearly see the painful expression on Lin Chen¡¯s face.


    Lin Chen was so weak that he could hardly speak. Xing Conglian leaned down and got close to Lin Chen. He could feel the other party¡¯s hot breath falling on his face. Xing Conglian felt that this was too much like a line that would be said in a third-rate TV series, but he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡±


    Lin Chen barely opened his eyes, and after thinking about it, he replied in a serious tone, ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. I shouldn¡¯t have let your men risk their lives to save my friend, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen.¡± Xing Conglian called the other party¡¯s name solemnly. He did his best to suppress all his emotions of fear, worry, tension, and heartache from the past ten minutes. He looked at the sky obscured by smoke and then down at the person on the bed who had become so thin and deformed in just a few days. He reached from Lin Chen¡¯s waist to his shoulder blade with one hand, carefully but tightly embracing him, and said, ¡°These are all small things. First, don¡¯t talk to me in a pleading tone. I would do anything for you. You should take it for granted. Second¡­¡± He took a deep breath and said calmly, ¡°When you pushed that something¡ªDuan Yang¡ªout of the door and locked yourself in to wait for death, did you ever think about what I would do?¡±


    Lin Chen choked for a moment. His eyes were red, and the tears that had stopped flowing flowed from the corner of his eyes to his hair. He looked at Xing Conglian blankly and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    As Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen¡¯s pale and bloodless face, the bloodstains caused by the abrasions on his face, and the tears rolling down Lin Chen¡¯s soot-covered cheek, leaving a clear trail, he felt everything around him suddenly become quiet. All the smoke and gunshots seemed to freeze as Lin Chen hugged him tightly with both arms.


    ¡°Please think about one thing before you want to give up your life next time¡­¡± Xing Conglian kissed the hot skin on the side of his ear and said slowly, ¡°What should I do if you die?¡±


    Lin Chen instantly panicked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian just hugged Lin Chen tightly, trying to make his heart beat slower to a less deadly speed. Neither of them spoke.


    ¡°Why did you lose so much weight?¡± he asked softly.


    ¡°Because I miss you.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?


    ¡°You¡¯re really thin.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I really missed you.¡±

 CH 195

    Xing Conglian¡¯s body was full of the smell of gunpowder, coming from firearms and from the explosives that blew up the entire mine. This was probably the closest moment in Lin Chen¡¯s life to the iron-blooded truth that was inherent in Xing Conglian. However, now, saying anything or asking any questions seemed redundant. Xing Conglian¡¯s breathing gradually slowed down in Lin Chen¡¯s ears, like hot milk soaked in honey, making him drowsy.


    Lin Chen¡¯s fingers gradually loosened, but when he was about to fall into a deep sleep, there seemed to be something in his heart reminding him. He shook his injured hand vigorously, and the pain made him suddenly awake. ¡°Where¡¯s Duan Yang? Is he still alive?¡±


    He suddenly opened his eyes and asked.


    Lin Chen¡¯s subtle movements couldn¡¯t escape Xing Conglian¡¯s perception. Xing Conglian released his embrace and sat up on the edge of the bed, lifting Lin Chen¡¯s swollen and almost rotten hand. His face immediately turned cold, but it wasn¡¯t just because of the irritating metal ring on Lin Chen¡¯s left finger. At least, that was what Xing Conglian told himself.


    Lin Chen curled his fingers slightly. Although his movements were still nervous, he looked at Xing Conglian tenderly. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Wait for me to explain.¡±


    Yes, damn love. Xing Conglian felt that Lin Chen¡¯s skills were simply self-taught. In short, when Lin Chen looked at him with such a calm but affectionate gaze, he could only obediently pick up the headset he had just thrown on the ground to find out the latest progress.


    At this moment, a violent pounding sounded on the door.


    Although it was very clear that Wang Chao must¡¯ve been eavesdropping outside, now that the teenager dared to pound on the door desperately, it meant there was an emergency.


    ¡°Boss, Boss, open the door!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s weak voice came through the door.


    Lin Chen also supported himself on the bed and wanted to sit up. Xing Conglian glared at the person on the bed, giving him a warning look, and went to open the door. Before he could speak, Wang Chao said, ¡°Boss, Doctor Duan is dying.¡±


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath. Although he knew that death might be a relief for Duan Wanshan, at this moment, he still felt that death was too fucking cruel that it let no one escape.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen¡¯s weak voice came from behind. ¡°Doctor Duan¡­ Which Duan?¡±


    Xing Conglian turned around, only to see that Lin Chen¡¯s face was two degrees paler than before. Even the blood in his lips had drained and looked no different than a sheet of paper.


    He saw fear again in Lin Chen¡¯s eyes¡ª¡±Duan Wanshan?¡±


    Lin Chen asked.


    When hearing this name come from Lin Chen¡¯s mouth, Xing Conglian also had a creepy feeling. After all, it was Lin Chen, and he had already guessed the answer just by looking at his expression.


    ¡°Take me there.¡± Lin Chen finally sat up with difficulty.


    Wang Chao ran to the ground beside Lin Chen¡¯s bed and squatted down in an instant, looking at a loss. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, why are you so badly injured? What are you going to do?¡±


    Of course, Xing Conglian was unwilling to take Lin Chen to see Duan Wanshan. Lin Chen¡¯s current situation was obviously not suitable for experiencing any kind of sad parting.


    ¡°Take me there.¡± Lin Chen insisted again. ¡°If Duan Yang is still alive, please tell me to come back soon. Hurry up¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice trembled, but he forced himself to be calm. Obviously, he would stay wide-eyed and conscious even if someone held a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. Xing Conglian¡¯s expression darkened again. He walked to the head of Lin Chen¡¯s bed and asked, ¡°What if I say no?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t respond. He just grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s cuffs. Because he held it extremely hard, the blood mixed with pus flowed out of his palm.


    Kang An¡¯s voice came out of the headset. Xing Conglian listened for a moment and looked at Lin Chen, then said to the person at the other end of the headset, ¡°Dr. Duan is dying. Under the premise of ensuring safety, take Duan Yang and withdraw as soon as possible.¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Lin Chen spoke again. ¡°For the time being, don¡¯t tell Duan Yang that Dr. Duan is about to die.¡± Lin Chen spoke in a calm yet angry tone. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he will go crazy on the way, and it will be unsafe. Let them just withdraw as soon as possible.¡±


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, he began to cough violently as he pulled himself up to get off the bed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Dr. Duan Yang the news about this. Just retreat as soon as possible.¡± Xing Conglian ordered according to Lin Chen¡¯s request. Although he wanted to knock Lin Chen out immediately, he could only bend down, pick up the person, and rush out the door.


    ¡­¡­


    Duan Yang felt that something was happening.


    He couldn¡¯t quite describe the feeling, as if someone had hit him hard on the top of his head with a sledgehammer. Just a few minutes ago, the masked man who had kidnapped him all the way to Dana was neatly and cleanly killed by a stray bullet.


    When Lu Jia died, he was lying on his back with his eyes wide open and had an unwilling expression. But the bullet took effect quickly, and he died before he could even say any last words. Without Lu Jia, Duan Yang was obviously unable to board the helicopter. At that moment, he looked up at the sky, completely bewildered. He had no idea what all this was for. The blast from the factory explosion knocked him to the ground. He lay there among the rubble, looking up at the indescribable sky, too lazy to even move a finger.


    Now it seemed that Lin Chen¡¯s death was meaningless, and he would perish as well.


    Then, he heard a distant voice. Someone was calling his name.


    He felt it was an auditory hallucination. He even thought it was his teacher calling him. The smoke in the sky seemed to converge into a face that was always serious and handsome at that moment. His teacher was wearing a formal, smoky gray suit and checkered cashmere scarf. He put his hand on his hand and corrected his less standardized stitching movements.


    It was at this time that Duan Yang felt as if he had been hit hard by a hammer. He struggled to sit up from the ground. Because of the explosion, everything around him was quiet, leaving only the sound of the wall rumbling and collapsing. The next moment, he was pulled up by someone.


    A face mixed with colorful paint appeared in front of him. The man showed a mouthful of snow-white teeth and asked him, ¡°Are you Duan Yang?¡±


    Duan Yang opened his mouth and found that he couldn¡¯t speak, so he could only nod his head reluctantly.


    ¡°All right, come with me.¡± While talking, the man grabbed him and started running away. Duan Yang wanted to ask such questions as ¡°Who are you¡± and ¡°Why are you rescuing me¡±, but when there was a glimmer of hope, such bullshit questions weren¡¯t important. He used all his strength to roar, ¡°I still have a friend in that building. Can¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid?!¡± The other party turned around. ¡°Consultant Lin, right? Of course it¡¯s him who asked me to save you!¡±


    While running wildly, Duan Yang said excitedly, ¡°Is Consultant Lin okay? He¡¯s not in good health. Be careful not to let him get hurt again¡­¡±


    Duan Yang rambled all the way, but as soon as he ran to the collapsed factory building, he obviously saw the person who led him to escape pause. The man gave him a deep look with strange eyes, and Duan Yang once again had a bad premonition in his heart. When the man was about to say something, he suddenly shut up and just said, ¡°Hurry up. The boat is about to leave.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Lin Chen saw the dying patient on the bed in the room, he didn¡¯t know how things had become like this. Someone must be playing a huge joke on him somewhere. Other than that, there was no explanation.


    Wang Chao quickly dragged a backrest chair, and Xing Conglian laid him onto it. In fact, he really didn¡¯t have any energy to maintain the sitting position at this time. Xing Conglian had no choice but to wrap his hands around Lin Chen again so that he could barely maintain his sitting posture.


    At the beginning of everything, he had already heard their detailed description of Dr. Duan from Mrs. Jiang and Duan Yang. Lin Chen always felt that it should be a handsome doctor, gentle and polite, and maybe even the type that would make female patients blush when he looked at them. The person on the bed was really far from such descriptions in his memory.


    Although he could barely see the handsome facial contours under the thin skin of the other person¡¯s face, the teacher that Duan Yang dreamed of obviously shouldn¡¯t be like this.


    He bent down slightly and held Duan Wanshan¡¯s withered fingers.


    Duan Wanshan seemed to sense something. He forced his eyes to open and looked at Lin Chen with a gentle and calm look.


    Although Duan Wanshan probably didn¡¯t have the strength to speak, Lin Chen had the illusion of being looked into the depths of his soul with just his gaze at that moment.


    He was so sad in his heart that he didn¡¯t even know if he should tell Duan Wanshan about Duan Yang. This was a really difficult situation to deal with. If Duan Wanshan didn¡¯t know about it, wouldn¡¯t it be fine?


    He looked at Xing Conglian helplessly, and Xing Conglian nodded at him.


    Lin Chen turned his head and said to Duan Wanshan, ¡°Duan Yang has been with me these days. We were kidnapped here by mistake, so¡­ please hold on for a while longer. He will be here soon.¡±


    The man on the snow-white sheet blinked, showing a wise and calm gaze. Lin Chen clearly saw the joy in his eyes for a moment, but the joy was replaced by despair and helplessness. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really¡­ unfortunate.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what to say. He could only hold Duan Wanshan¡¯s hand and say, ¡°He loves you dearly. Along the way, we were kidnapped¡­ I have been using a book to trick him into having more faith. I told him that when a person¡¯s faith is strong enough, he can do anything. And then he really believed it and kept talking and urging me to think of someone and to keep on living, repeating this topic over and over again.¡± Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and said, ¡°I think he did this because he thought it was effective. Whenever he thought of you, he was filled with the determination to survive.¡±


    Duan Wanshan blinked, as if he understood everything. He looked at them with a smile. ¡°Your pseudoscience¡­in my case¡­won¡¯t work.¡±


    Lin Chen found it difficult to breathe. ¡°I know. Life and death are bound by fate, but please see him one last time.¡±


    At this time, Xing Conglian stuffed the headset into his ear. The sounds of running and heavy breathing came clearly through the headset. Kang An was reporting their specific location at the other end.


    At this moment, Lin Chen heard Duan Wanshan slowly say, in an extremely helpless tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you think¡­meeting like this¡­is too difficult¡­for¡­for¡­a dying person like me?¡±


    Of course Lin Chen understood the difficulties Duan Wanshan was referring to. When he mentioned Duan Yang, the look in Duan Wanshan¡¯s eyes already said everything.


    He didn¡¯t know what kind of twists and turns had led to this point, but when two people who were in love were forced to face separation and experience death without having the chance to express their feelings, any talk of ¡°seeing each other for one last time¡± was meaningless and nothing but regret, so how could they not regret it?


    Duan Wanshan seemed to see what he was thinking. He squeezed Lin Chen¡¯s hand gently and said, ¡°I won¡¯t regret it. My life was very meaningful. Even if it¡¯s Duan Yang, I believe I have taught him well.¡± Duan Wanshan looked at them and said, ¡°Mr. Xing knows.¡±


    Xing Conglian said coldly, ¡°I know shit.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­Then¡­what about my requests?¡± Duan Wanshan asked with a smile.


    ¡°Why are you threatening me before you die?¡±


    Lin Chen frowned and coughed in a low voice.


    For some reason, Xing Conglian immediately said, ¡°Okay, I promise you. Do you want to see your student for one last time?¡±


    Duan Wanshan didn¡¯t answer his question. He retracted his gaze and looked up at the ceiling. His thoughts seemed to float far away. Some very slight words overflowed from his mouth. After Lin Chen carefully identified them, he realized it should be a psalm.


    Shall I compare thee to a summer¡¯s day?


    Thou art more lovely and more temperate:


    On one side were the sighs of Duan Wanshan, on the verge of death. On the other side were the sounds of bullets, running, and rapid breathing. Lin Chen felt like he was being torn apart.


    He once again tightly held Duan Wanshan¡¯s hand, but it seemed like no matter what he said, he couldn¡¯t stop Duan Wanshan¡¯s eyes from gradually closing.


    Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,


    And summer¡¯s lease hath all too short a date:


    ¡°Second floor, 204.¡± Lin Chen looked at Duan Wanshan¡¯s face and informed the people on the other end of the headset.


    The people at the end had already rushed into the cabin and were desperately pushing aside all the people in their way.


    Duan Wanshan¡¯s voice was getting lighter and lighter¡­


    Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,


    And often is his gold complexion dimmed;


    The sound of frantic footsteps was finally getting closer. Duan Wanshan¡¯s voice was fading into nothingness.


    The door opened wide, and Lin Chen felt a lightness in his hands.


    He turned his head towards the door and looked. Duan Yang¡¯s face was blurred in his vision¡­


    Kinky Thoughts:


    The psalm that Duan Wanshan was quoting is Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. You can read the full sonnet by going to the Wikipedia.


    The sonnet is ultimately about how beauty will eventually fade, as in nature, everything beautiful will decline due to nature¡¯s course because it¡¯s always changing. However, that beauty will be immortalized in the lines of the poem, as long as they are read.


    I will leave it up to you how to interpret the poem in this chapter. My interpretation of it is that what Duan Wanshan is trying to convey is that, though he will die, Duan Yang won¡¯t forget him as long as he remembers and thinks about him, just as when your loved ones die, they are not gone forever as long as they remain in your thoughts.


    So don¡¯t be too sad because of the parting.


    Still, this chapter made me cry, nonetheless. Lin Chen and us readers really can¡¯t catch a break, can we?

 CH 196

    The stubborn figure stood still at the door, hesitant to take a step over the threshold.


    Xing Conglian moved his gaze upward. The young man at the door had a numb, shocked expression on his face, and time seemed as if it were frozen with his speechless movements.


    It wasn¡¯t until his arm was heavy that Xing Conglian recovered from an unspeakable emotion. He looked down and saw that Lin Chen had fallen into his arms and lost consciousness.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he said coldly to the person at the door while standing with Lin Chen in his arms. He made room and gave him the chair.


    However, to his surprise, the young man who walked in slowly wasn¡¯t as upset as he expected. Although the young man kept staring at the middle-aged doctor on the bed, he gradually recovered from the shock. As if guessing something, the young man¡¯s face showed a bitter smile at what was going on.


    Xing Conglian wanted to explain; at least he felt that if Lin Chen was sober, he would try to say something to this young man, but at this moment, any words seemed superfluous.


    The young man named Duan Yang knelt down in front of the hospital bed and took his teacher¡¯s thin hand. Although Xing Conglian obviously saw the frightening redness in Duan Yang¡¯s eyes, he was surprised not to see a single tear fall.


    Duan Yang first subconsciously and procedurally checked Duan Wanshan¡¯s heartbeat and pulse, and then he gently closed his eyes.


    He lowered his head and kissed Duan Wanshan¡¯s fingertips carefully and cautiously, as if any more little movement would cause the dream in front of him to shatter.


    Xing Conglian felt unbearable watching this scene. He hugged Lin Chen and turned around, trying to give space to the two in front of him. However, at this moment, he suddenly heard a very calm voice from behind him. ¡°Please wait a minute.¡±


    Xing Conglian turned his head and saw Duan Yang standing up with difficulty but decisively. Duan Yang couldn¡¯t even bear to look away from Duan Wanshan as he said calmly, ¡°Is there a medical room on board? Consultant Lin must receive treatment immediately.¡±


    Xing Conglian was taken aback and saw Duan Yang leaned down. Like a dragonfly, he kissed the forehead of the middle-aged man on the bed, then resolutely got up and walked towards him.


    At that moment, Xing Conglian only felt that this was truly a fucking student of Duan Wanshan.


    Duan Yang didn¡¯t even look at him. Xing Conglian obviously saw him holding back his grief as his lips pursed into a line like he didn¡¯t want to leave if he looked back again, but even so, Duan Yang still checked Lin Chen¡¯s heartbeat with calm and stable hands.


    It was only then that Xing Conglian realized that the person in front of him was a doctor; the only person on this ship who could save Lin Chen. In fact, before Duan Yang told him about Lin Chen¡¯s condition, Xing Conglian had no idea that his condition was not much better than the Duan Wanshan he saw 24 hours ago. He thought it was just a lack of nutrition or some random illness that made him weak, and not sepsis. In the rainforest, where medical conditions were lacking, severe sepsis undoubtedly meant death. He suddenly looked at Lin Chen¡¯s swollen hand. He remembered very clearly that when he first met Huang Ze, the latter clearly told him that Lin Chen was allergic to antibiotics.


    Now, when Duan Yang explained everything, Xing Conglian could obviously feel Lin Chen¡¯s life gradually passing in his hands; something that even he couldn¡¯t save.


    Wang Chao, who was standing at the door, was already flustered and at a loss. Xing Conglian kicked the teenager. ¡°Where¡¯s the medical room? Lead the way.¡±


    Wang Chao bit the back of his hand hard and then desperately ran to the other side of the cabin.


    ¡°Tell me what you need,¡± Xing Conglian said to the young doctor who hurried out of the cabin beside him.


    Duan Yang¡¯s face was frozen, trying to keep himself from being affected by the pain. ¡°I need a hospital with complete facilities and medicines. Do you have one?¡±


    As he looked at the person in his arms who had completely lost consciousness, Xing Conglian thought to himself that it was fucking ironic that he had the best hospitals at his disposal, but now he had nothing! What was even more ironic was that just because he had recently blown up Zaratul¡¯s territory, he now knew without any detection tools that the air defense level of the Dana Rainforest must have been raised to the highest level. Any helicopter that dared to take off would be seen as a provocation by Zaratul and had a high probability of being shot down. Therefore, he had no way to send Lin Chen to a hospital in such a short time. He suddenly realized that he had nothing and could only ask the doctor, like all powerless relatives of patients, ¡°How much time does he have left?¡±


    As he spoke, Wang Chao, who was running in front, had already pushed open the door of the medical room. It was a relief that this light-duty ferry was equipped with a medical room, but there was no need to expect any remarkable medical conditions.


    Xing Conglian put Lin Chen down on the hospital bed, only to hear Duan Yang say to him, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    The next moment, Duan Yang began to examine Lin Chen¡¯s hand wounds, eyelids, and the ends of his limbs. He looked at the rash and bleeding spots on Lin Chen¡¯s hands and told him, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense for you to ask me how much time he has. If he doesn¡¯t receive treatment now, he will die.¡±


    This was really a cruel diagnosis.


    While speaking, Duan Yang had already regained his senses and began searching through the entire medical room. The doctor opened a cabinet and dug through a large pile of medicines used for preventing and treating snake and insect bites. From there, he found a large number of antibiotics. Xing Conglian took a quick glance and saw that almost all of them were penicillin, with a small amount of azithromycin and some other medication that he couldn¡¯t even name.


    ¡°He¡¯s allergic to many antibiotics.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Duan Yang said coldly. ¡°I also want to avoid broad-spectrum antibiotics and give him other medicines if that damn bridge hadn¡¯t collapsed!¡± Duan Yang checked all the medicines, stood up quickly, and asked him solemnly, ¡°Are you a family member of the patient?¡±


    Xing Conglian was once again stumped by the question. He couldn¡¯t even spare a thought about the issue of the bridge because he never imagined that he would not only experience the most brutal thing in just one day but also be asked the world¡¯s cruelest question.


    ¡°I am,¡± he replied.


    There was obviously an incredulous look on the doctor¡¯s face.


    ¡°If you insist on complying with some damn medical regulations, I can tell you that we are now in the Dana Region, which means that there¡¯s no marriage law here. I can unilaterally declare my marriage with Lin Chen is established. Do you have any more questions?¡± Xing Conglian retorted.


    Duan Yang¡¯s calming emotions flared up again. Xing Conglian saw the doctor rubbing his eyes, then forcefully held back his grief and said, ¡°Family, do you have the case of Consultant Lin?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao!¡± Xing Conglian shouted.


    Before his voice fell, the young man seemed to have checked everything and had already pushed the laptop over in advance. ¡°Here it is.¡±


    Xing Conglian felt that this quiet moment was simply maddening.


    Finally, Duan Yang looked up and asked him calmly, ¡°I have two questions. First, how soon can you get a large dose of other types of antibiotics?¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Answer the first question first.¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao!¡± Xing Conglian shouted again.


    The teenager was already crying, but he still took out his laptop and retrieved the large medical sites before telling him. ¡°Boss, we are now heading towards the most deserted part of the rainforest. Through the rainforest and then to the port, counting the speed of the boat trip, unless there¡¯s a helicopter to deliver medicine¡­¡±


    ¡°No helicopters,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    Wang Chao choked back a sob, unable to answer the question at all.


    ¡°Speak!¡± Xing Conglian looked at the teenager.


    ¡°It will take more than six hours to mobilize manpower as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Xing Conglian looked at Duan Yang.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be too late. His condition is deteriorating too quickly. So here¡¯s the second question. Right now, there¡¯s enough penicillin to meet the therapeutic dose, and the remaining drug therapeutic dose isn¡¯t enough. The only treatment plan I can give is to take a risk and perform a 3-hour penicillin desensitization treatment on Consultant Lin, gradually increasing the penicillin dose every half hour, starting from the smallest dose of penicillin until the therapeutic dose is used. If successful, it may save his life, but it may also cause acute shock followed by the patient¡¯s death.¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s tone made Xing Conglian unable to even say ¡°Are you kidding me¡±. This kind of plot only happened in the bloodiest movies. He was forced to face the moment of deciding the life of his lover, but unlike a movie plot where one knew the result by dragging the progress bar, no one could give him the correct answer. He suddenly felt that no matter how many things he had done and how many things he possessed in life; he couldn¡¯t match this moment when he had no choice. He really failed to the extreme.


    Xing Conglian looked at the person on the hospital bed who had been hugging him just a few minutes ago and telling him how he missed him. He bent down and took off the black ring on Lin Chen¡¯s hand, then turned around and said to the doctor, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered it clearly?¡± Duan Yang asked him.


    ¡°With me around, he¡¯s not willing to die,¡± Xing Conglian said lightly.


    There was no sterile operating room, no large number of medical staff, no oxygen machine, no monitor, and no reliable technological means. The detection of Lin Chen¡¯s life could only be relied on the most primitive stethoscope.


    After almost all preparations were made, Duan Yang¡¯s movements stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Without epinephrine*, if there¡¯s an allergic reaction, he¡¯ll have to tough it out with his willpower, but there¡¯s almost no chance he can endure it.¡±


    *Also known as Adrenaline, it is a hormone and medication. It plays an essential role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, heart output by acting on the SA node, pupil dilation response, and blood sugar level. As a medication, it is used to treat several conditions, including allergic reaction anaphylaxis.


    The doctor¡¯s mind turned. He looked at the camouflage uniforms on them and said, ¡°If you¡¯re on a mission, you should carry an emergency medical kit with you. Take a look.¡±


    Soon, all his life-saving kits were unfolded in front of the doctor. Xing Conglian knew exactly what was inside. After Duan Yang checked carefully, he took out some of the medicines and nodded at him.


    Afterwards, Duan Yang opened the penicillin, and Xing Conglian watched as Duan Yang sucked up the medicine that might take Lin Chen¡¯s life into the needle tube. ¡°If he has an allergic reaction, it may be serious and painful. You have to be mentally prepared.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and watched as Duan Yang sterilized Lin Chen¡¯s skin with iodine and then plunged the needle in extremely cruelly.


    The liquid was quickly injected into Lin Chen¡¯s body.


    Living a day like a year* probably felt like this. Lin Chen lay there calmly for a minute, five minutes, ten minutes¡­ He wasn¡¯t awake, but he didn¡¯t have any adverse reactions. Xing Conglian felt a little happy.


    *(¶ÈÈÕÈçÄê) Idiom referring to a long, tedious, and agonizing wait.


    Nearly half an hour later, Duan Yang began to prepare the second penicillin dose, then the third and fourth¡­


    For the first two hours of the three hours, Lin Chen was just lying there quietly, but probably all bad things would only come suddenly. When the fifth injection was injected into Lin Chen¡¯s body, Xing Conglian soon witnessed for himself how serious the so-called allergic reaction really was.


    First, a large bright red rash spread over Lin Chen¡¯s white limbs like paper. It seemed like some kind of monstrous creature was gnawing away at his life, and the itching sensation even caused Lin Chen, who had already fallen into a coma, to suddenly open his eyes.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart suddenly sank. Duan Yang immediately injected the epinephrine used for first aid into Lin Chen¡¯s body.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were full of confusion and pain. He opened his mouth wide to yell, but only some slight whimpers came out.


    Xing Conglian could only hold Lin Chen¡¯s limbs down to prevent him from scratching his skin. Lin Chen had really lost too much weight, as if there were only bones under his skin.


    However, as time slowly moved forward, Lin Chen¡¯s reaction became more serious. He opened his eyes wide, and the skin reaction caused by the suffocation and allergies made him want to scratch every inch of his body.


    Xing Conglian pressed him tightly on the bed. He stared at Lin Chen¡¯s dark eyes and saw his cold face.


    ¡°Do you love me?¡± He leaned into Lin Chen¡¯s ear and asked word by word.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Lin Chen turned his head with great difficulty. His lips moved, insistently trying to answer this question with all his strength, as if it were something extremely important.


    ¡°Then hang in there.¡±


    At that moment, some tears overflowed in Lin Chen¡¯s calm and dark eyes, as if accusing him of cruelty but also more like helpless tolerance. It was only now that Xing Conglian knew that there was really a gentle and affectionate gaze that could pierce a person¡¯s heart like a sharp blade.


    As time passed, Lin Chen¡¯s body trembled violently due to the pain and allergic reaction. Gradually, Lin Chen even lost his last bit of strength and stopped shaking. Xing Cong watched as Lin Chen¡¯s eyes were about to gently close, as if in the next second that faint spark of life would truly slip away from his hands.


    ¡°Do you want to hear me say I love you?¡± Xing Conglian leaned close to Lin Chen¡¯s ear and shouted, waking him up once again.


    Lin Chen opened his eyes slightly with a smile at the corner of his mouth and then blinked slowly.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart was filled with extreme bitterness. It was the first time he knew what it meant to be unable to return someone¡¯s deep love and affection. But the only thing he could do now to repay Lin Chen was to use his extremely crude means.


    ¡°Hang on. If you die, you¡¯ll never hear it.¡±


    He pressed against Lin Chen¡¯s nose as he said it blankly.

 CH 197

    In the face of illness, any attempt to hold on was like a praying mantis trying to stop a moving car*.


    *(ó«±Ûµ±³µ) Idiom referring to a futile attempt to stop something much stronger or more powerful than oneself, akin to an insect trying to stop a vehicle.


    Lin Chen no longer struggled. His breathing gradually stabilized, and the soft-packed saline water was injected into his body drop by drop. He seemed to have passed the most severe shock period, but Xing Conglian knew that the matter was far from over.


    He brushed the wet locks of black hair on Lin Chen¡¯s forehead with his hand, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t even have the strength to react.


    Duan Yang patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, ¡°Captain Xing, please come out.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know whether this was a necessary ceremony that every patient¡¯s family member had to go through. They could clearly speak in the ward, and, given Lin Chen¡¯s condition, he wouldn¡¯t even hear them. Yet, he must be called out by the doctor and, through a thin door panel, make decisions that would determine the life and death of the patient.


    He and Duan Yang walked out the door numbly. Every step he took was like stepping into a winter¡¯s night that only got colder.


    The hatch closed gently.


    The people waiting at the door also looked concerned. He had seen those familiar faces one by one, whether it was Wang Chao or Xiao Wu, Zhang Long or Kang An¡­ Those subordinates and friends who had fought side by side with him now seemed meaningless to him, making him unable to feel any sense of affection.


    Wang Chao cautiously called out to him. The expression on his face seemed to hope that he would bring some good news. Xing Conglian turned his gaze to Duan Yang, and the doctor shook his head.


    Zhao Hu handed over a pack of cigarettes. ¡°They have been notified, but Zaratul is crazy. The entire area west of the Xazi Mountains is blocked. Those who deliver medicine can only come from the seaside, and the fastest way is to go against the current. It will take a day and a night.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the warning ¡°Smoking is harmful to your health¡± on the cigarette pack and didn¡¯t pick it up. He stretched out his other hand and cut the cigarette in advance. He saw Duan Yang¡¯s calm and lifeless face.


    The young doctor looked at the stern of the boat and then walked over to him.


    Duan Yang had obviously never smoked a cigarette before, so when he walked to the stern of the boat with the cigarette, he only stood there awkwardly. Xing Conglian took out a lighter and threw it over.


    The hot and humid wind blew across the young man¡¯s face. Duan Yang trembled with both hands as he lit the cigarette. After taking only a puff, he choked and coughed violently. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care about him. He just stood there against the stern guardrail, letting Duan Yang kneel on the ground, coughing desperately as if he were crying.


    Xing Conglian turned his head and looked at the constant green trees on both sides of the river. He suddenly realized that they were actually beasts cornered by this terrifying greenery, struggling to find a slim way out.


    Duan Yang was quiet. Although he trembled all over, he covered his face from beginning to end, and not a single tear flowed. He was just immersed in deep pain and helpless confusion, and Xing Conglian knew this feeling very well, because he was now almost only one foot away from falling into the same abyss as Duan Yang.


    Now, he really needed someone who could tell him clearly that Lin Chen could survive through this.


    Even if someone opened a horoscope and told him that Lin Chen would be in danger today, he would definitely turn misfortune into good luck. He would take it as a lifeline, but it was a pity that there was no such thing. They could only get through it by themselves, and no one would help.


    Half of the cigarette in Duan Yang¡¯s hand burned, and the wind was strong, speeding up the burning of the second half.


    Xing Conglian squatted down, took out a cigarette, and flicked it into the dirty river.


    Duan Yang took his time to glance at him with only dead silence in his eyes.


    ¡°Duan Yang.¡± Xing Conglian spoke slowly, calling the young man¡¯s name for the first time. ¡°No matter what you want to say next, I can only say that I don¡¯t want to give up yet, and neither does Lin Chen. Therefore, I won¡¯t accept any verdict-like words. Can we still think of a solution¡­doctor?¡±


    Duan Yang clung to the railing tightly. When he heard the word ¡°doctor¡±, Duan Yang suddenly looked up at Xing Conglian. After calming his emotions, Duan Yang sobered up and spoke with extreme difficulty. ¡°Consultant Lin¡¯s allergic reaction is too serious. Using penicillin again will inevitably lead to a more serious acute shock than just now, and he will die immediately.¡±


    ¡°So now what?¡± Xing Conglian asked quietly.


    ¡°Now, I still have a small amount of erythromycin* available.¡± When Duan Yang said these words, he didn¡¯t bring any hope, but a deep sense of despair.


    *Antibiotic used for treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes respiratory tract infections, skin infections, chlamydia infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and syphilis.


    ¡°Sounds pretty deadly,¡± Xing Conglian sneered then laughed.


    ¡°First of all, penicillin is almost always the best choice for sepsis. Erythromycin is generally only used as an adjuvant medicine, and the dose I have now is too small to reach the amount required for treatment. This is why I didn¡¯t choose erythromycin in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Now, Consultant Lin¡¯s immune response has been triggered. Almost all literature guidance will say that the medication should be stopped immediately and similar drugs should be avoided to prevent further serious immune chain reactions. And his case clearly states that he¡¯s also allergic to erythromycin, which means that if I try to use the desensitization method I just mentioned to treat him with erythromycin, there is a high probability he will immediately go into acute shock and die¡­¡± Duan Yang paused and looked at him solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ve just used up the last dose of epinephrine. If he goes into acute shock again, I will definitely not be able to save him.¡±


    Xing Conglian quietly listened to Duan Yang¡¯s narration. The doctor told him the cruelest facts in the simplest and most understandable terms. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°What if we don¡¯t use antibiotics?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already had the incision on his hand, and I¡¯ll do a drainage procedure on it later. Without antibiotics, he might not make it through the day, unless a miracle happens. Of course, if your people can bring the medicine earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be no miracles, right?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he looked at Duan Yang¡¯s bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Do you think I will still believe in such a thing?¡± Duan Yang asked rhetorically.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t answer. He thought the decision was difficult before, but it turned out to be just the beginning. Now the question of choice had become: should he let Lin Chen die immediately, or watch him slowly die in front of him?


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t answer for a while, Duan Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Consultant Lin. I also need to respect the patient¡¯s opinion¡­¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted. ¡°The choice is in my hands. Let¡¯s try again.¡±


    Duan Yang looked at him with deep shock. They all knew that whoever made the choice would have to take responsibility for the death and live with the heart-wrenching regret that may come in the future.


    ¡­¡­


    When Lin Chen regained some consciousness from his severe allergy, he felt that there was a lot of crowding around him.


    It was strange that in the short period of time when he was in a coma or fell asleep just now, he didn¡¯t dream and there were no chaotic visions of dead people. He seemed to just be a traveler after a long journey. He saw a very comfortable and soft bed at the end of the desert, so he laid down and took a nap for a while.


    It wasn¡¯t too hot or too cold around; just a little crowded.


    He opened his eyes slightly and looked around him. He saw someone lying on the other side of his narrow hospital bed with his head resting on his hand. Naturally, it was Xing Conglian.


    He glanced at the hanging IV bag. The remaining amount in the pack and the sky outside the window told him that the scene he had imagined of sleeping and waking up cured of his illness had not happened and that only a short amount of time had passed.


    ¡°When can you stop being so smart?¡± The low, hoarse voice of Xing Conglian came from his left. ¡°I was even thinking of tricking you into thinking you were better just now.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, who was still lying carelessly, while he could only express his dissatisfaction with a very slight and almost imperceptible voice: ¡°I am a patient¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sleeping here¡­and I sleep¡­where?¡±


    ¡°In my arms.¡±


    Before he could react, Xing Conglian turned around, gently grabbed his waist, and dragged him into his arms with an attitude that couldn¡¯t be rejected.


    Lin Chen subconsciously wanted to struggle, but Xing Conglian clung to him tightly. He leaned behind his ear and said only two words in an extremely cold tone, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Lin Chen shuddered and calmed down in Xing Conglian¡¯s arms.


    Xing Conglian really did what he said.


    He still had his cold lips pressed behind Lin Chen¡¯s ear, trying to talk to him. ¡°Where did you pick up such a kid?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and asked him, ¡°Duan Yang?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to hear it either.¡±


    The strange jealousy in his tone was quite cute. Lin Chen shrank into Xing Conglian¡¯s arms a little more, recalling the things they experienced together, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°He¡¯s very good, but¡­ just unlucky.¡±


    ¡°His brain isn¡¯t very good either.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was obviously poor.


    ¡°Do you need me¡­ to intercede for him?¡± Lin Chen asked tentatively.


    ¡°No.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was extremely cold. ¡°Consultant Lin, I think we really need to deepen our understanding. Please believe that no matter how good a person is, if you put the lives of others before your own safety next time, I¡¯ll definitely lock you up in chains, and you¡¯ll never have to think about walking out the door again.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why the topic had shifted back here again, but if there was really another time, that would be really nice, so he said, ¡°Well¡­ be sure to lock me up.¡±


    ¡°You can only be by my side.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He felt that if he were physically allowed, they would probably talk together for a long time like they used to, as if it would never end.


    When Xing Conglian was talking, he kept kissing Lin Chen¡¯s ear. When Lin Chen said ¡°no¡±, he lightly bit his earlobe. Lin Chen felt his ears were hot and his whole body was numb, so that he couldn¡¯t move any longer.


    He blinked, but Xing Conglian¡¯s embrace was too warm, making him want to sleep again.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian spoke slowly, and Lin Chen knew the most critical part was coming.


    But there was no seriousness in Xing Conglian¡¯s voice. He just said lightly, ¡°Duan Yang said that penicillin can no longer be used, so we have to try again. But the next drug may provoke a more serious immune response. Once the desensitization fails, you will die immediately. However, you have no choice. I will let him come in for the medicine later.¡±


    Lin Chen was stunned for an instant. He didn¡¯t know where Xing Conglian had the courage to make such a decision on his behalf. It was too difficult. His lips trembled, and he could hardly speak.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hands around his waist were tight. He turned around with difficulty, trying to reach out to hug Xing Conglian, but the moment he raised his head, Xing Conglian¡¯s kiss fell.


    The back of his neck was gently hugged, and the man smelled of mint tobacco. His lips and teeth were clean and chilly, like the coldness of the forest.


    However, the kiss was soft and warm, like feathers brushing across the water or grass soaking in the sun. Lin Chen thought of the daisies and geraniums on their balcony and the scene when the petals slowly unfolded when the sun rose.


    Xing Conglian sucked his lips gently, without making any further aggressive movements. Because they were so close, their breaths entangled, and even their heartbeats were almost audible.


    Finally, Xing Conglian let him go.


    ¡°Lin Chen, come with me.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was so calm and indifferent, as if he were just asking him what they were going to have for dinner tonight.


    Stay with me, live with me, and die together.


    Lin Chen looked at him quietly without shedding any tears.

 CH 198

    After getting off the bed, Xing Conglian called the doctor in and told him that treatment could begin. Then he leaned against the low cabinet next to the hospital bed.


    Dr. Duan Yang checked Lin Chen¡¯s heart and lungs with a stethoscope, then skillfully opened an injection and injected a small but potentially life-taking dose of medication into Lin Chen¡¯s body. The process was very quick.


    According to Duan Yang, the next allergic shock would kill Lin Chen in a short time, so the medication injected into Lin Chen¡¯s body this time was essentially no different from a highly toxic drug. Unlike the situation in movies, where the patient would always be in a coma for a few days and nights, Lin Chen was awake the entire time through the short but long treatment process. Although he was weak, he insisted on not going to sleep.


    So much so that Xing Conglian asked Lin Chen, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dizzy?¡±


    ¡°Seeing you, I can¡¯t bear to faint.¡± Lin Chen opened his dry and chapped lips and answered him with a smile.


    Lin Chen seemed to want to say all the love words of his life, not sparing any of his feelings, to the point where, for the first time, Xing Conglian realized that he seemed to be losing to Lin Chen in some aspect.


    But whether it was due to physical exhaustion or the effects of the medication, after he finished saying this, Lin Chen gently closed his eyes.


    Xing Conglian became nervous for an instant and suddenly checked Lin Chen¡¯s pulse. Fortunately, although the beating under his fingers was weak, it still existed, and Lin Chen just fell asleep.


    He leaned against the bedside table again. Whenever such moments came, people always began to reminisce about the past. But strangely enough, with Lin Chen breathing evenly, he felt very calm inside.


    He felt that his life had been smooth sailing, which was probably related to the many fortune tellers who had calculated his destiny when he was born. He didn¡¯t understand those complex metaphysical systems at all, but that didn¡¯t stop him from enjoying the benefits that good fortune brought him.


    For example, when he was very young and drew lots, he knew to choose the gun instead of other things like the abacus. This allowed him to escape from certain systemic training in his family that he wasn¡¯t interested in and embark on a relatively free career. Another example was that he often had strange near-death experiences, such as leaving a building a few minutes early because he felt the air was bad, and then the building exploded. Such things that made him break out in a cold sweat afterwards always happened.


    And on the bottom floor of that dim building, the moment Lin Chen kissed him, he did feel the benefits of good fortune again. Although at first he was just shocked and at a loss¡ªthere weren¡¯t many things that could make him at a loss these days¡ªbut soon he became happy. Anyone who was adored by someone they highly admired would have the urge to show it off to the world.


    In any case, he never felt any sense of rejection towards Lin Chen during this process. The only thing that took him some time to think about was how to continue to interact with Lin Chen. Whether to be friends or to date, he had passed the age where he could follow his heart without thinking, and he needed to think more and plan for the future in order to ensure control over it. At that time, he even thought that it wasn¡¯t a bad thing for Kang An to take him away on purpose¡ªat least that was how he felt then¡ªgiving everyone space to think things through and then interact well. This was also acceptable.


    Then he discovered there was nothing he could control, and the things that happened in this world would never make sense.


    When he left Lin Chen, he began to miss him. When he saw Lin Chen being kissed by Huang Ze, he was furious. He couldn¡¯t help but think of being with Lin Chen all the time. These emotions were completely natural and uncontrollable. Not to mention, when Duan Wanshan insisted on telling him the story that now he considered to be purely coincidental, he was immersed in a thick feeling of anxiety, and all things from that moment on slid into an abyss that was fundamentally out of his control.


    The joke of fate was incredible to say, but he still felt that his fate wasn¡¯t too bad. At least Lin Chen was sent to his side after being kidnapped instead of any hellish corner in the world. Since he was able to find Lin Chen at the last moment, this was a sign that, although the situation was difficult, Lin Chen could always survive.


    When people were in despair, they usually needed to find some faith to move forward, telling themselves that everything would be alright.


    Around him were recitations coming from the lower decks of the ship, composed of the very tongue-twisting Gaomeng language, which were eulogies that roughly meant sentences like ¡°may your soul enter the world of bliss.¡± Xing Conglian listened carefully for a while and suddenly realized that it should be the Gaomeng people mourning for Duan Wanshan.


    He couldn¡¯t help but move his gaze to Duan Yang. The doctor was looking at the clock carefully, calculating the time and amount of medicine with a calm expression, as if he weren¡¯t affected in any way.


    Listening to the Gaomeng¡¯s buzzing eulogy, Xing Conglian watched the last shot of antibiotics injected into Lin Chen¡¯s body, then asked Duan Yang, ¡°What are you going to do with your teacher¡¯s body?¡±


    When he heard the word ¡°teacher¡±, Duan Yang¡¯s hand showed an obvious tremble. The young man pursed his lips into a thin line, threw all the disposable needles into the trash can, and looked at him with dark eyes. ¡°Cremate as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the course of their escape, it wasn¡¯t particularly wise for them to stop the ship to cremate a body, but Xing Conglian still ordered it to be done.


    There were many reasons. One, because Lin Chen¡¯s savior made this request, and two, because in a place like the Dana Rainforest, a corpse started to smell after three hours. He himself didn¡¯t want Duan Wanshan¡¯s body to rot and turn into a terrible appearance.


    After Lin Chen¡¯s situation temporarily stabilized, the boat stopped, and most of the Gaomeng people were ordered to stay onboard. They carried Duan Wanshan¡¯s body off the boat. At that time, Xiao Wu wanted to climb a tree and pick some fresh green leaves to lay under Duan Wanshan¡¯s body, while the Gaomeng people also wanted to dress him up with many ivory and gold ornaments, but were stopped by Duan Yang.


    ¡°We¡¯re doctors. We don¡¯t care about the things that we can¡¯t bring with us when we¡¯re born or take with us when we die.¡±


    That was what the young man said.


    In fact, not many people present knew about Duan Yang¡¯s and Duan Wanshan¡¯s relationship, but probably because of his indifferent and fearless temperament, even the Gaomeng people who didn¡¯t speak his language didn¡¯t dare to speak out against it. They looked at the young man¡¯s expression, and everyone naturally stopped talking.


    Duan Wanshan laid on a thin blanket. His eyes were tightly closed, and he had a calm expression of neither pain nor concern.


    He was sprinkled with some ingredients made of white phosphorus, and a gasoline barrel was placed on the ground, but no one had the heart to take it. At this moment, Duan Yang went straight over, opened it without hesitation, and splashed it on his teacher with extremely gentle movements.


    Duan Wanshan¡¯s shirt became almost transparent when he was doused with gasoline, making it look as if his body was melting.


    Duan Yang took out a lighter and said to everyone, ¡°Stand back.¡±


    The moment the flame ignited, it almost soared into the sky. The Gaomeng people kneeled on the ground, and their prayers became louder. Xing Conglian even had the illusion that his soul was about to be shattered.


    Gasoline kept pouring as he continued to watch the flames devour the doctor¡¯s body, bit by bit.


    He remembered the first time he heard this name, when the young doctor at the medical station introduced him to Duan Wanshan. So, seeing this scene, he always felt that this kind of cremation shouldn¡¯t be the ending that someone like Duan Wanshan deserved. He should have had a large family or grown old with his silly student, enjoying the blessings that Mr. Duan Wanshan, who had done so much, deserved.


    But seeing Duan Wanshan gradually turning into bones and then dust in the skyrocketing fire, he felt that the true nature of life and death was just like this.


    Death could come suddenly one day, like a huge wave crashing down, making it impossible to resist. When it came, it didn¡¯t take your life into account and make a choice based on it; it was never like this.


    Too many people think that there was always time in the future, and he used to be one of them, but the truth was often much more brutal, and he realized this very clearly and deeply today.


    The flames gradually extinguished, and most of the people were driven back to the boat. Xing Conglian thought that Duan Yang might need time alone, and he was also ready to leave.


    At this moment, there was a soft click of a lighter behind him.


    Xing Conglian was startled. He suddenly turned his head, only to find that Duan Yang had just lit a cigarette.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be a martyr. Please rest assured,¡± Duan Yang said as if he knew what Xing Conglian was thinking.


    Xing Conglian raised his brows as Duan Yang threw the lighter and cigarette pack at him. For the sake of the sad young man in front of him, he took out a cigarette and smoked one with the other party.


    Duan Yang¡¯s smoking posture this time was different from his previous appearance, where he almost choked to death. He looked like an experienced smoker, taking a drag, holding it in his mouth for a moment, and then exhaling. Seeing this, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but have a newfound respect for the young man¡¯s ability to learn.


    Duan Yang held the cigarette in his mouth and began to clean up Duan Wanshan¡¯s ashes.


    He was holding an urn he brought off the ship. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t an urn but a relatively large candy box made of iron, square-shaped, and originally filled with mixed flavors of Eclairs candy. Now it still smelled like a sweet kiss of toffee.


    The young man was holding such an urn and carefully picking up the ashes of his teacher. Looking at his back, Xing Conglian spoke slowly. ¡°I thought you would say that as doctors and materialists, we don¡¯t have the habit of preserving ashes. After all, the person has truly passed away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a thought, but it¡¯s really not important,¡± Duan Yang said, shaking his cigarette to the side as he replied. ¡°And if Teacher didn¡¯t die of sepsis, then he should be very happy to donate his body for science. He once said this.¡±


    ¡°This is indeed like what Duan Wanshan would say,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Quite persistent, but also chic.¡±


    Duan Yang still had his back to him and was doing things silently. Xing Conglian watched the young man¡¯s back and spoke slowly. ¡°Although Lin Chen is more suitable to say some things than I am, given his physical condition, I think it¡¯s okay for me to take his place. There are some things you should know.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Your teacher actually likes you¡­¡± Xing Conglian wanted to continue telling the story he had heard from Duan Wanshan, but was interrupted by Duan Yang.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Duan Yang looked at him with a resolute but gentle expression. ¡°There are some things that will be very clear when you reach the end and look back. This I know.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡±


    When he asked this, he was ready to hear the young man say, ¡°Please avenge Teacher for me¡± but to his surprise, Duan Yang just said, ¡°I want to stay here, find out what happened, and seek justice for all the dead to comfort Teacher¡¯s spirit in heaven.¡±


    In similar words, Xing Conglian seemed to have heard Lin Chen say this a long time ago, when he wanted to seek justice for Xu Ran.


    But of course, Lin Chen and Duan Yang were different. He frowned and looked at Duan Yang. ¡°To try to stop a speeding car with just your arms is foolish. You should be thankful to still be alive and standing here. Seeking justice? There¡¯s no justice to be found in this world.¡±


    Duan Yang looked at him solemnly. ¡°If Consultant Lin didn¡¯t survive in the end, what would you do?¡±


    Although Duan Yang¡¯s tone was gentle, Xing Conglian had the illusion of being pointed at his nose and scolded. ¡°Of course go and kill Zaratul.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I do the same?¡±


    ¡°Do you have this ability?¡±


    Duan Yang laughed. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m a doctor, so I can¡¯t kill people.¡±


    ¡°What kind of logic is this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m different from you.¡± Duan Yang closed the lid of the urn and stood up. ¡°To put it simply, each of us can only do what we are capable of doing within our own limitations. For example, even if I now know that my teacher¡¯s death and the displacement of the Gaomeng Tribe were all caused by illegal human experiments conducted by Zhourui Pharmaceutical using Zaratul¡¯s influence in the rainforest, I am indeed powerless to do anything about it. My personal strength cannot kill Zaratul, nor can I provide enough evidence to make this multinational corporation bankrupt. Therefore, all I can do is stay here and wait for an opportunity to arise that will allow me to bring down these two giants.¡±


    ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡± Xing Conglian interrupted Duan Yang.


    ¡°Do you want to hear it?¡± Duan Yang hugged the urn and stepped back onto the boat with Xing Conglian, looking like he would hold the listener responsible for everything they heard.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to, but if it involves a Chinese company breaking the law, it is indeed my duty,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Duan Yang turned around and stared at the urn in his hand. After a while, he slowly said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

 CH 199

    When Lin Chen opened his eyes, it was very dark.


    The first time he woke up, he couldn¡¯t feel the existence of time and space.


    There was a pattering sound in his ear, like rain or clouds passing by.


    When his consciousness became a little clearer, he knew he should be floating somewhere. It could be in the clouds or perhaps on water.


    But if he had such consciousness, he knew that he shouldn¡¯t be dead.


    Slowly, everything around had a vague outline.


    At first it was a halo of light, but gradually it condensed into the shapes of walls, cabinets, and people.


    Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian.


    At that time, Xing Conglian was bending over and wiping Lin Chen¡¯s dry and peeling lips with honey water.


    He felt Lin Chen¡¯s lip quiver, and his eyelids slowly opened, looking as if he were in a daze, before quickly waking up.


    The moment Lin Chen¡¯s eyes opened, it was a beautiful sight, like an unpolluted night sky. Although this metaphor was cheesy, Xing Conglian truly felt like it was at that moment.


    There was nothing more beautiful than this.


    ¡°Good evening.¡± Lin Chen smiled and blinked gently at him.


    On the bedside table was a lamp with Dana characteristics. The warm light spilled over Lin Chen¡¯s face, softening the contour of his jagged face caused by illness.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t speak. He still held the bowl in his hand while approaching Lin Chen, and he lightly licked his honey-sweet lips.


    However, Lin Chen didn¡¯t kiss him back. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he stared blankly at him, a little dazed, as if he didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of their relationship.


    Xing Conglian was wondering whether sepsis would cause memory rewind or something. He put down the bowl and lifted his head slightly away from Lin Chen¡¯s lips. He looked at the weak person on the sickbed and said gently, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    Lin Chen was obedient. He opened his mouth according to instructions, and Xing Conglian lowered his head and kissed him without hesitation.


    Probably because the high fever hadn¡¯t subsided, Lin Chen had a bitter taste of medicine in his mouth, but he still felt good.


    Xing Conglian obviously saw Lin Chen¡¯s pupils dilate, and then the other party finally reacted. Lin Chen hooked one hand around Xing Conglian¡¯s neck and began to try hard to respond to him.


    The kiss lasted a long time, and no one spoke.


    Finally, Xing Conglian saw Lin Chen¡¯s flushed face and watery eyes. He walked around him slightly, raised his head, and left his lips, but he couldn¡¯t bear to take his gaze away from Lin Chen¡¯s face.


    ¡°Your technique isn¡¯t very good.¡± He kissed Lin Chen¡¯s forehead as he commented.


    ¡°Teach me a few more times, and it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lin Chen said seriously.


    ¡°How many times do you want to learn?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a straight face.


    Lin Chen looked at him with a serious expression. Xing Conglian leaned over and kissed him again. Finally, he raised his head and looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ll never learn, so you have to get lessons every day.¡±


    Lin Chen laughed and nodded, ¡°Okay, Teacher Xing.¡±


    In short, this was probably what it felt like to be in love. If Duan Yang hadn¡¯t knocked on the door and come in, Xing Conglian would probably press Lin Chen down on the bed and kiss him endlessly, but of course this was impossible in reality.


    He wiped Lin Chen¡¯s lips, which had turned from red to purple, with his fingers and sat down.


    Duan Yang looked at them coldly as he checked Lin Chen¡¯s heartbeat and blood pressure, then said, ¡°You haven¡¯t passed the dangerous period yet. Pay attention to rest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Dr. Duan.¡± When he said this, Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, who then reluctantly got up from his chair and sat on the hospital bed to let Duan Yan sit down on the small square stool at the head of the bed.


    Lin Chen looked calm. He noticed Duan Yang¡¯s stubble-covered face and asked, ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing has already talked to me,¡± Duan Yang said.


    The atmosphere became tense for a while. Lin Chen seemed to have guessed something and said to Duan Yang, ¡°He¡¯s not as good at talking as I am. If you need it, you can still come to me. After all, I am a professional.¡±


    Duan Yang glanced at Xing Conglian and calmly said, ¡°Captain Xing said you like to worry. At first, I didn¡¯t believe it. Don¡¯t ask me about the case. He said that none of us are allowed to discuss it until you¡¯re feeling better.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyelids twitched, and he glared at Duan Yang. ¡°Are you tattling now?¡±


    Before Xing Conglian could finish speaking, he felt Lin Chen put his hand with needle marks and gently rest it on his own. Lin Chen said to Duan Yang, ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll do as he says.¡±


    Xing Conglian felt like he¡¯d hit the jackpot with this relationship. Hearing Lin Chen¡¯s softened voice due to his high fever, he felt a gentle warmth spreading through his body, like soaking in a hot bath.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about my condition. When will my illness get better?¡± Lin Chen spoke again.


    ¡°The medicine that Captain Xing had someone bring has been used on you, so you¡¯re not in danger for the time being. As for when you¡¯ll recover, it¡¯s not up to me to decide. It all depends on your own recovery. Captain Xing said that the entire journey still has two more days, and then you¡¯ll return home immediately. The specifics depend on the assessment of the doctors in China.¡±


    ¡°Returning to China right away?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Do you still want to get sicker in the rainforest?¡± Xing Conglian asked sarcastically.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, obviously thinking about how he could talk about the case without talking about it.


    Xing Conglian hurriedly interrupted the other party¡¯s thinking. ¡°Take a good rest and use less of your brain.¡±


    ¡°Where are the Gaomeng people on board?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked. ¡°How are they arranged? Since Zaratul was able to kidnap us from China, the Gaomeng people won¡¯t be too safe anywhere.¡±


    ¡°There will be a cruise ship at the port. Captain Xing said he would arrange a job for everyone on the cruise ship. He¡¯ll keep it floating at sea for 365 days a year, and it won¡¯t return here. Unless Zaratul joins forces with pirates, it¡¯ll be impossible to meet them,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you think about something better?¡± Xing Conglian was speechless.


    Suddenly, Lin Chen glanced at his fingers. As if thinking of something, he asked, ¡°Where is the ring on my hand?¡±


    Xing Conglian glared at him with a cold face. ¡°The topic keeps turning abruptly. Your acting skills are quite poor. Do you know what it means to wear a ring on the ring finger of your left hand?¡±


    Lin Chen smiled slightly and said to Duan Yang, ¡°Dr. Duan, I¡¯m very tired. Can I rest first?¡±


    Duan Yang understood and immediately walked out of the cabin.


    Lin Chen lay down a little bit more outside the hospital bed, looked at the empty space beside the bed, and then glanced at Xing Conglian, saying, ¡°Captain Xing, can you turn off the lights?¡±


    Xing Conglian felt that Lin Chen was simply amazing. He turned off the desk lamp and took off his shoes, then got into bed, using his hand as a pillow. Lin Chen still had one hand hanging on the drip, so he had to struggle to turn over and snuggle up to Xing Conglian, kissing his chin as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll buy you one next time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. What¡¯s up with you accepting someone¡¯s ring and wearing it on your ring finger?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer his question.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy a big diamond ring for you,¡± Lin Chen said instead.


    ¡°How big?¡±


    ¡°As big as it needs to be,¡± Lin Chen said with certainty.


    Xing Conglian suddenly turned around and kissed Lin Chen hard.


    But Lin Chen was still a patient. Xing Conglian turned on the desk lamp and got up. He turned over and got out of bed in a somewhat disheveled manner.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyes brimmed on the bed, and his chest rose and fell gently.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, this is a bit too much.¡± Xing Conglian checked the needle in Lin Chen¡¯s hand. Luckily, it didn¡¯t break the skin. He had to warn him in a low voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m also a man. I can¡¯t help it when you¡¯re by my side.¡± Lin Chen held Xing Conglian¡¯s hand persistently as he softly said, ¡°I thought before that I would always be your colleague and friend for the rest of my life. Even though I like you, I don¡¯t want to disturb your private life.¡±


    Outside the window was the faint sound of the ship¡¯s engine and water. Xing Conglian thought for a while, then said to him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have known earlier.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. After all, my acting skills were good enough. If I don¡¯t want you to know, you¡¯ll never know, even for the rest of your life.¡± Lin Chen laughed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want me to know? Why don¡¯t you give me a choice?¡± Xing Conglian frowned.


    ¡°Perhaps, deep down in my heart, I always thought that you would always be by my side. But when Song Shengsheng died and Meijing committed suicide in front of my eyes¡ªwhen the communicator failed, and I couldn¡¯t contact you¡ªI suddenly felt that maybe my life was too comfortable. I thought you would always be by my side, but that was just my delusion. In reality, it wasn¡¯t like that.¡± Lin Chen gasped lightly and continued, ¡°You will leave too. You may get married and have children, and although we¡¯ll still be good friends and colleagues, you¡¯ll really leave me. When I think about that moment, I suddenly realize I couldn¡¯t accept it. So, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t bear it anymore. Not even for a minute longer.¡±


    Lin Chen had been speaking very slowly, with weakness from being seriously ill, but his tone remained gentle and firm.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head and kissed the back of Lin Chen¡¯s hand as he listened to Lin Chen continue.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, I thought it through very clearly. I¡¯m really good, and I¡¯ll be good to you. I will treat you better than any lover you will ever meet in your life. I love you dearly, and I want you to experience such a beautiful love in this world. Please believe me.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked into Lin Chen¡¯s serious eyes. Although he had heard countless confessions in his life, and many had better voices and rhetoric than Lin Chen¡¯s, none of them were as affectionate. Such a sense of cherishing even made Xing Conglian feel a great shock. He lowered his head again and kissed the place where Lin Chen had worn someone else¡¯s ring.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy the ring.¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Then shall we buy a pair for each person?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s my salary card.¡±


    ¡°Why do I need this?¡±


    ¡°And my bank card is also yours.¡±


    ¡°What do I need your money for?¡±


    ¡°Because my mother told me that in Chinese culture, handing in a bank card is the sincerest confession.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s actually no need to exchange diamond rings. Let¡¯s just exchange bank cards?¡±


    ¡°No need. Just consider it as me paying tuition.¡± Xing Conglian kissed the corner of Lin Chen¡¯s mouth. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite good a sweet-talking.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°But when I met you, I became speechless.¡±


    ¡°So from now on, just listen to me.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right. You have to teach me more, so you have to go to class every day.¡± Xing Conglian kissed him earnestly.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll never learn, so you can attend class every day,¡± Lin Chen said between kisses with a smile.


    ¡°I understand, Teacher Lin.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Yes. Gimme all this dog food after almost 200 grueling chapters of pain and suffering.

 CH 200

    If it weren¡¯t for Duan Yang¡¯s constant reminders about the dangerous period, Lin Chen would have felt like he was on a cruise on vacation.


    After all, his journey to Dana was due to being kidnapped.


    He was riding a helicopter that was about to fall apart with a high fever, so he didn¡¯t have time to appreciate the vast primeval forest.


    Although many places in the Dana Forest had been destroyed to some extent, as the light ferry boat went deeper, he was still amazed by the magical power of nature.


    At that time, the words that Mrs. Jiang had told him would always come to mind from time to time. However, the reality was much more exaggerated than what she said. As a person who had never seen the world, he saw real trees and blue waves. In short, he had experienced all the beautiful words used to describe the forest.


    Of course, the most amazing thing in this process was still a Dana python.


    It was by chance.


    The reason was that the light ferry he was on would rely on fishing to obtain food supplements during their escape. The Dana python crashed into the net while it was lowered. Although ordinary fishing nets couldn¡¯t catch such a big thing, the python that crashed into the net couldn¡¯t get out. The net and python became entangled, and the python tumbled around, arousing crazy water sounds.


    Lin Chen was half-lying in the cabin, and Xing Conglian was sitting by his bedside, peeling a banana.


    Although Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why Xing Conglian insisted on doing such a simple task as peeling bananas, Lin Chen wasn¡¯t the stubborn type, and it felt good watching Xing Conglian do these things for him.


    Suddenly, he heard the excited and terrified shouts of the Gaomeng people from the side of the ship, followed by the voices of Wang Chao and Xing Conglian¡¯s subordinates calling ¡°Boss¡±.


    There was the sound of rapid pattering footsteps, followed by the hatch slamming open. Wang Chao poked his head in and said excitedly, ¡°Boss, Boss, there are really giant pythons in the Dana River!¡±


    This was the first time he had seen Wang Chao since he woke up from his coma. After Wang Chao opened the door, he blinked at him, looking extremely alert.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t quite understand why Xing Conglian excluded everyone from the cabin. Except for Dr. Duan Yang, even Wang Chao wasn¡¯t allowed in. Xing Conglian¡¯s reason was that too many people would affect his rest. After hearing this reason, Lin Chen probably had a little personal experience of what Wang Chao called ¡°controlling desire.¡± In fact, he could probably guess why Xing Conglian did this. As long as he lay in this cabin, on this hospital bed, everything outside the room had nothing to do with them.


    They didn¡¯t need to pay attention to how many people Zaratul sent to hunt them down, nor did they need to worry about what was behind all this. Even the aftermath didn¡¯t concern them, and of course, it wasn¡¯t his job to worry about it in the first place.


    Before Xing Conglian could react, Wang Chao had already snuck to his bedside and taken his hand nervously; his eyes were red.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Xing Conglian glared at Wang Chao as he spoke coldly.


    ¡°Boss, if you do this, my A¡¯Chen Gege will get sick!¡±


    ¡°First of all, correction. He is mine. And secondly, he will only get sick when he sees you!¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s face suddenly flushed. ¡°Boss, aren¡¯t you shameless?!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Xing Conglian took a bite of the peeled banana, then handed it to Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian¡¯s burning gaze as if he were trying to force him to show affection or something. He had no choice but to bite the spot where Xing Conglian had just bitten.


    Wang Chao was stunned again. Before the teenager could yell out any astonishing remarks, Lin Chen asked, ¡°What happened outside?¡±


    Wang Chao was easily distracted. He said excitedly, ¡°Python! Python! Python! A¡¯Chen Gege, do you want to come see the python?! It¡¯s a python!¡±


    Xing Conglian glared at him again. ¡°Do you think my A¡¯Chen¡¯s body is suitable for going out to get some fresh air?¡±


    Wang Chao dug into his ear as if he hadn¡¯t heard clearly what his boss had just spat out. ¡°You¡ªwhat did you just say?¡±


    Xing Conglian crossed his legs and shook them, as if he had finally found an advantageous position in their usual bickering. He happily said, ¡°Let me deepen your impression of my A¡¯Chen!¡±


    Wang Chao blushed. Lin Chen had no choice but to interrupt the two of them again and ask Wang Chao, ¡°Is the python big?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really big. Its body is quite thick. Did you feel our boat shaking as if it were being dragged?¡±


    ¡°Stop exaggerating. It depends on your own perspective. Now, get out!¡±


    Wang Chao sat down on the side of the bed and said, ¡°But the Gaomeng¡¯s elder¡ªwhether he¡¯s a high priest or a fake¡ªwith terrifying big earlobes said it was a thousand-year-old golden python with special spirituality. You can make a wish in front of it, and it will come true. A¡¯Chen Gege should do it since he¡¯s sick.¡±


    ¡°Can wishing make water flood the mountain with gold? How old are you? Do you believe in this kind of African stuff?¡± Xing Conglian said incredulously.


    At this time, Duan Yang, probably seeing that the cabin door was open, also walked in. The doctor was probably going to give him an IV. Now, looking at the appearance of Xing Conglian, Duan Yang said, ¡°It¡¯s okay to get some air. It¡¯s been stuffy in the ward, which isn¡¯t conducive to recovery.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been bored for three days!¡± Xing Conglian said dissatisfied.


    Duan Yang looked at Xing Conglian and just crossed his arms without speaking.


    Lin Chen reluctantly opened the thin blanket and stepped out of the bed with one foot. ¡°Just endure it, and it¡¯ll be fine. I want to go and have a look since it¡¯s a rare opportunity.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so rare about this!¡±


    ¡°You have to buy a ticket if you go to the safari park,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°And the safari park isn¡¯t as big!¡± Wang Chao added.


    Just before Lin Chen got off the bed, Xing Conglian gave Wang Chao a smack in dissatisfaction.


    Then he turned his head and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Do you need me to hug you?¡±


    Seeing the two of them in the sickroom crossing their arms and watching, Lin Chen could only grab Xing Conglian¡¯s shirt collar and whisper softly in his ear, ¡°Not now. I¡¯ll hold you tonight.¡±


    Hearing this, Xing Conglian nodded contentedly and waved his hand. ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡±


    In fact, Wang Chao¡¯s words weren¡¯t exaggerated. Lin Chen did feel the slight shaking of the ship during the short distance from the medical room to the second deck.


    Looking down, Lin Chen saw many dark-skinned, scantily-clad Gaomeng people gathered on the first level to watch the golden python. Most of them were already kneeling on the ground and beginning to recite prayers about similar things. This was also the first time he had truly seen these Gaomeng people who had been saved by Dr. Duan since he regained consciousness.


    Actually, he had only been able to read about these primitive tribes in travel magazines before and didn¡¯t have a very tangible feeling about them, but now that these living people appeared in front of him, he suddenly had a deeper appreciation for the diversity of human life forms. This appreciation was something that he couldn¡¯t experience when sitting at home flipping through a magazine.


    Of course, this small emotion only lasted for a short period of time. Xing Conglian pressed his neck with his hand and gently turned his head toward the river further away. ¡°Look at the python, not the people.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t refute. He leaned on the railing and looked over. The giant python on the water¡¯s surface was still churning, splashing waves several meters high. The captain directed the men, who were probably Xing Conglian¡¯s subordinates, to try to loosen the fishing net, but because the python struggled so fiercely, it became more entangled in the net.


    The Gaomeng people let out exclamations as the boat was pulled further, slightly tilting it.


    Xing Conglian grew tired of watching and shouted downstairs. ¡°Kang An, cut the fishing net.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I was just about to catch it to show it to you, and now I have to let it go!¡± The young man below, who was pulling the fishing net, turned his head and responded.


    Lin Chen looked down and nodded to the young man, but the moment the other party saw him, he was stunned and stopped talking.


    At that moment, a foot wearing black leather boots suddenly stretched from behind Kang An and violently kicked him in the calf.


    ¡°Zhang Long, are you crazy?!¡± Kang An turned his head and scolded angrily.


    ¡°Keep looking, and I¡¯ll pluck your eyeballs out to feed to the crocodiles,¡± a rather arrogant voice responded.


    Lin Chen saw another black-clothed man with a slightly cool hairstyle come out from behind. He took off his sunglasses, bent over, and bowed in their direction, showing great courtesy.


    ¡°Your friend?¡± Lin Chen asked Xing Conglian with a smile.


    Before he finished speaking, as if playing some kind of whack-a-mole game, another young Chinese man emerged from behind and looked up at them, then waved.


    At that time, Xing Conglian¡¯s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, even darker than the night sky, to the point where it couldn¡¯t get any darker.


    ¡°How interesting,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Finally, looking at him and then at the few people below who were curious to the extreme, Xing Cong Lian said, ¡°Cut the rope and come up.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen received these individual ¡°friends¡± in his ward.


    He leaned on the hospital bed while Xing Conglian sat at the head of the bed with legs crossed, remaining silent. Wang Chao squatted on the ground at the end of the bed.


    A group of six people stood in a row beside the bed. This was the first time he saw Xing Conglian¡¯s former subordinates. Regarding the team that had taken down Zaratul¡¯s drug factory in front of him, other than being low-key and restrained, he couldn¡¯t think of better adjectives to describe them.


    He glanced at the grumpy man next to him and introduced himself to the people standing in front of his bed. ¡°Lin Chen. I¡¯m currently a consultant majoring in psychology.¡±


    As if counting, as soon as his voice fell, the six people in front of the hospital bed shouted in turn.


    ¡°Kang An!¡±


    ¡°Ye Zhu!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Liu!¡±


    ¡°Zhang Long!¡±


    ¡°Zhao Hu!¡±


    As each of them reported their name, Lin Chen found it more amusing. Finally, the teenager weakly said from the end of his bed.


    ¡°Wang Chao!¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian helplessly. ¡°What kind of sadistic humor is this?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯s not my business.¡± Xing Conglian kicked Wang Chao. ¡°Explained to A¡¯Chen Gege. Your father¡¯s surname is Wang.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, my father¡¯s surname is Wang!¡±


    Lin Chen raised his brows and glanced at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Seniority is determined by Wang Chao,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Seriously.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he hurriedly shouted to the six people standing in rows in front of him. ¡°Okay, enough. You can get out now!¡±


    At this time, to Lin Chen¡¯s great surprise, Kang An, who was standing at the front of the team, suddenly knelt down and said to him loudly, ¡°Consultant Lin, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback.


    Kang An¡¯s face was full of sorrow. ¡°I¡­ I really didn¡¯t know it would be like this¡­. If I had known that the Boss leaving would put you in danger of being kidnapped and almost killed, I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have invited the Boss in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Get out. Do you hear me?!¡± Xing Conglian said coldly.


    Xiao Wu pressed on Kang An¡¯s shoulder and knelt down.


    Lin Chen roughly knew the story, but quietly watching them kneel side by side in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Is this some feudal patriarchal system? Why are you kneeling at every turn?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not good in the head. Just ignore them.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, turned to look at the two people kneeling on the ground, and said lightly, ¡°If you kneel like this, it¡¯s just making things embarrassing.¡±


    A look of bewilderment flashed across Kang An¡¯s and Xiao Wu¡¯s faces. They wanted to stand up, but they didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°The reason why I¡¯m embarrassed is because, by doing this, you have turned me into the type of person who needs protection and can only cling to others,¡± Lin Chen said slowly. ¡°But in terms of my self-awareness, I don¡¯t seem to be so useless yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean that, Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s not what you meant, then your logic just now isn¡¯t valid. For example, if you had invited your boss to leave, it wouldn¡¯t have caused me to be kidnapped and almost killed. His departure was just an accident, and my kidnapping was also an accident. It was a matter of bad luck, and the real culprit has already paid the price. So it¡¯s inappropriate for you to blame yourselves for it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But I still think I was too selfish,¡± Kang An replied as he scratched his head. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t explain it well. It¡¯s my fault for not handling this matter properly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me who¡¯s useless,¡± the thin young man named Xiao Wu said solemnly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lin Chen said softly.


    As he spoke, he felt Xiao Wu look up at him. There was no resentment in his gaze, only a strong sense of self-reproach.


    Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian put his hand on his wrist. He looked at him, then said, ¡°This is the meaning of his existence.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xing Conglian leaned over to his ear and whispered softly, ¡°I¡¯ve said the same thing before. Pretty cool, huh?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but laugh, then he turned to the two people on the ground and said, ¡°I¡¯ve also encountered the kind of situation that you both encountered, which is completely impossible to solve. Fortunately, we have your boss to lend a helping hand, which makes many impossible things possible. That¡¯s probably the meaning of his existence. At least with him around, we know that even if the sky falls, there will always be someone taller to hold it up, and even the most difficult things give people a glimmer of hope.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s tears were about to flow.


    After experiencing too many life-and-death situations, Lin Chen felt that his ability to inspire people had improved. ¡°Therefore, I hope that you will not be afraid of things that you think are right, no matter how difficult or impossible they may seem. If all else fails, there will always be someone to support you. And if that person is not there, then strive to become that person.¡±


    Kang An was so straightforward that he immediately nodded hard and said, ¡°I will really try my best to handle it myself next time!¡±


    ¡°Then please, get up, you two,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Kang An and Xiao Wu quickly stood up, and as if unable to hold back any longer, Xing Conglian chased them away like shooing flies. ¡°I knew you guys were up to something. Get out of here. You¡¯re annoying the hell out of laozi!¡±


    The two were immediately expelled from the room. Xing Conglian looked at the four people still standing at the bedside and said, ¡°What are you staring at? Are you waiting for me to invite you to dinner?¡±


    ¡°Not you, Boss. I think what Consultant Lin said was really good. Consultant Lin, you¡¯re so professional. Can you take a look at me?¡± Mr. Zhang Long, very arrogantly, approached the hospital bed and said to him, ¡°They keep saying that I have bipolar disorder*. Do you think I¡¯m really sick? Should I take some medication?¡±


    *A mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that each last from days to weeks. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with psychosis, it is called mania; if it is less severe, it is called hypomania.


    At this point, Xing Conglian picked up the medicine bottle from the bedside and was about to throw it. ¡°Scram!¡±


    Zhang Long hurriedly rushed to the door. ¡°I may not be the only one with mania!¡± Zhang Long said while scowling at them. ¡°I¡¯ll come and visit you again!¡±


    Probably seeing that Xing Conglian¡¯s face had reached its patience limit, the group of people left in a hurry. In the end, Xing Conglian threw his slipper at Wang Chao¡¯s ass. The teenager left with a look of being exposed and embarrassed, scurrying out the door.


    The hatch finally closed again, and everything calmed down.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? They were just saying a few words¡­¡±


    Before Lin Chen could finish, he was pressed by the back of his neck and pressed down as Xing Conglian kissed him hard.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s movements were slightly impatient, and Lin Chen didn¡¯t react for a while. He couldn¡¯t breathe after being kissed.


    He gently stroked the man¡¯s back, but he couldn¡¯t stop Xing Conglian from making further aggressive movements.


    Xing Conglian stuck close to him, sucking his lips hard while prying open his teeth without hesitation and teasing his tongue.


    After the kiss, Lin Chen found that his hospital gown was almost completely unbuttoned, and most of his skin was exposed. He gasped and looked at Xing Conglian, trying to calm himself down.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so good¡­¡±


    Lin Chen touched Xing Conglian¡¯s ear and felt that the atmosphere was good, so he didn¡¯t respond.


    Xing Conglian lightly nibbled on his collarbone and finally looked up and said, ¡°You need to get better soon. I¡¯m getting older, and my endurance may not be as good as it used to be.¡±


    ¡°As long as your endurance is good,¡± Lin Chen kissed his forehead and said with a smile.

 CH 201

    That night, not much happened.


    Of course, this was thanks to Xing Conglian¡¯s restraint, but in the final analysis, the reason was that Lin Chen still had a fever and was still hung up on anti-inflammatory drugs all night. Although there was appropriate medical support, in such a harsh medical environment, it was almost impossible to recover in a short period of time.


    The hull shook lightly. Lin Chen listened to the sound of water, half dreaming and half awake.


    At some point in the night, Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian leaving the beach bed on the side of the room. In fact, he probably had a feeling in his heart that every time he fell asleep, Xing Conglian would always leave for a while.


    After they escaped from the life-threatening danger, they didn¡¯t encounter any further obvious pursuit by the rainforest armed groups. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to describe the journey as a sightseeing trip for tourists. Whether it was due to Mr. Zaratul having a change of heart or some issues in his organization that rendered them unable to continue their military operations, regardless of the reason, it likely required some effort and arrangements.


    He rolled over a little but couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    After a while, the hatch opened again, and the smell of the person coming in was soft and sweet. Naturally, it could only be Wang Chao.


    Seeing him open his eyes, Wang Chao seemed a little frightened and took a step back. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, why are you awake? The Boss said you were fast asleep!¡±


    Lin Chen reached out to turn on the desk lamp, preparing to sit up. Wang Chao quickly grabbed a pillow from behind the bed and placed it behind his waist.


    ¡°So, were you sent to monitor me?¡± Lin Chen asked with a smile.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m not the only one. There are still two generals standing at the door!¡± Wang Chao said and sat down by the head of the bed. Only then did he realize he had spilled too much. Seeing the teenager¡¯s reaction, Lin Chen felt that this problem was probably different from the previous one.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    Wang Chao had a hard-to-tell expression on his face. Looking at his appearance, Lin Chen didn¡¯t want to ask, but he also wanted to tease him.


    ¡°Do you want to play a guessing game with me?¡± He paused and stretched his tone. ¡°If you do, I don¡¯t need to test your physiological indicators. I can guess just by looking at your expression.¡±


    Wang Chao let out an ¡°Ah¡± and shouted, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you can¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask, so you can turn your head away and don¡¯t let me see it.¡±


    ¡°You have to take good care of your illness. What the hell are you worrying about? You can rest assured that nothing will go wrong when we¡¯re here!¡± Wang Chao patted his chest and turned around.


    ¡°Zaratul.¡±


    The young man took two steps.


    ¡°Duan Yang, Duan Wanshan¡­¡±


    The young man¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Hongjing, Yongchuan¡­¡±


    The boy¡¯s hand was already on the doorknob.


    ¡°Something happened on the boat?¡±


    Wang Chao looked back with a sad face. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you can¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°What happened aboard? The Gaomeng people¡­?¡± After he asked, Wang Chao¡¯s reaction explained everything.


    Lin Chen accepted it as soon as he saw it and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Come back. I won¡¯t ask.¡±


    The teenager walked back depressingly. ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to lose to you like this!¡±


    ¡°Okay, be good and tell me. What brings you here specifically?¡± Lin Chen rubbed the boy¡¯s head and spoke gently.


    Wang Chao was the type that could be coaxed. He quickly pulled something out from behind him and handed it over.


    Lin Chen was surprised because he had handed over a cellphone.


    ¡°You stole this kind of contraband and came in. Does your boss know?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s little face was full of horror, and he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°A¡¯Chen, there needs to be more trust between us. I just thought you were too bored resting, so I want to give you my phone for you to play with. You can¡¯t blame me.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the phone, stretched out his pinky, and hooked it with the boy¡¯s.


    However, when he turned on the phone and was ready to surf the internet, he realized that he might have been tricked by the other party.


    Most of the webpages on the phone were useless to open, leaving only strange communication software and Tetris which was the default game on the phone.


    Lin Chen clicked on the messaging software, and there were only two people on the contact list: Xing Conglian and Wang Chao.


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang.¡± Lin Chen put down his phone and looked intently at the young man in front of him. ¡°When did you become like this? I think we need to talk.¡±


    Wang Chao snickered. ¡°A¡¯Chen, don¡¯t be angry. I just thought you could use some entertainment and play with it. Once you return to China in a few days, you won¡¯t need it anymore.¡±


    Almost at the same time he opened the software and saw Xing Conglian¡¯s avatar, Xing Conglian actually sent him a smirking emoji through the chat software.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what kind of play this was. They were just a few steps away, yet they had to use their phones to chat and solve the problem.


    Xing Conglian: [Did that brat wake you up?]


    Lin Chen glanced at Wang Chao and asked in a low voice, ¡°What kind of black technology is this? How did he know that I was awake?¡±


    ¡°Because the Boss¡¯ requirements are quite perverted. When you open this software, the front camera will automatically turn on.¡±


    The corners of Lin Chen¡¯s mouth twitched as he replied back to Xing Conglian: [No, I didn¡¯t fall asleep¡­]


    Xing Conglian: [I¡¯ll be back in a while.]


    Lin Chen: [Don¡¯t worry. Let Wang Chao talk to me for a while.]


    Xing Conglian: [No, he talks too much, which will affect your rest.]


    Lin Chen: [So¡­ why did you ask him to give me his cellphone?]


    Xing Conglian: [So you can put it on the bedside. I¡¯ll watch you sleep.]


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Probably because he was smiling happily, Wang Chao had an expression of disdain for them.


    Wang Chao also lowered his head and took out his phone. After a while, Lin Chen received a notification to join a group chat: [You are invited by the ¡°#1 Thug Wang Chao¡± to join the ¡°Exclude the Boss and Go for the Small Red Envelope Group¡±.]


    Wang Chao put his index finger on his lips and made a silent gesture. Lin Chen looked away and clicked on the red envelope group.


    Sure enough, the group had already started swiping red envelopes.


    Zhang Long first sent a red envelope called [To Consultant Lin. Prepaid medical treatment fee.]


    Lin Chen looked at Wang Chao and asked, ¡°Why are you excluding the boss?¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Wang Chao had already taken the lead in opening the red envelope. Lin Chen leaned over and took a look. Mr. Zhang Long made an extraordinary move. The entire red envelope was worth 1,000 yuan, and Wang Chao won 2.3 yuan.


    ¡°This is unscientific!¡± Wang Chao stared at his phone, dumbfounded, and shook it, thinking he was hallucinating.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± After a moment of confusion, Wang Chao answered his question just now. ¡°Because we usually don¡¯t bring the Boss when we snatch red envelopes. He has such good luck that he always manages to grab the biggest one, which makes others envious and resentful¡­¡±


    Before Wang Chao¡¯s voice fell, a record of ¡°Xing Conglian has received a red envelope¡± appeared in the chat log. Lin Chen took the opportunity to open the thousand-yuan red envelope Zhang Long had just sent.


    Looking at the numbers that appear on the screen, he also shook the phone, thinking he was seeing things.


    In the chat group, Xing Conglian angrily said: [Wang Chao, did you fucking upgrade the system or something?]


    Wang Chao stared at the red envelope collection details displayed on the screen and looked up at him again, then began to tap the phone frantically.


    Wang Chao: [It¡¯s completely randomly allocated. Boss, do you think I¡¯m mentally retarded? If I were to change the system, why wouldn¡¯t I just increase my own share? I only got 2.3 yuan from 1,000 yuan. 2.3 yuan! What a joke!]


    Zhang Long: [Fuck me. Fuck me. It¡¯s a miracle! Consultant Lin actually got 888* yuan! The Boss only got 0.01 yuan!]


    *Clarity: The number 888 is considered lucky in Chinese culture because its pronunciation, ¡°ba ba ba¡± (°Ë°Ë°Ë), sounds similar to the phrase ¡°·¢·¢·¢¡± (fa fa fa), which means ¡°get rich, get rich, get rich.¡± It is often used in business and personal life to convey good luck and prosperity.


    Zhao Hu: [Am I seeing things? The Boss only got a penny?]


    Ye Zhu: [Hehe. Karma.]


    Looking at the reaction of everyone in the Red Envelope Group, Lin Chen could probably guess how terrifying Xing Conglian¡¯s dominance over red envelopes was. As if he didn¡¯t believe in bad luck, Kang An immediately sent another red envelope. ¡°I wish Consultant Lin a speedy recovery!¡±


    Everyone quickly snatched it all within three seconds.


    No one in the group spoke. Lin Chen frowned and clicked on the section to check the details of the red envelope collection. He was shocked again.


    Kang An¡¯s entire red envelope had a face value of 100 yuan, and he received 66.8* of it, while Xing Conglian once again finished at the bottom with 0.01 yuan.


    *Clarity: In Chinese culture, the number 6 is associated with smoothness, and 8 is associated with prosperity and wealth. Therefore, the number combination 668 is often considered a lucky number that represents smooth and prosperous progress.


    Seeing this detail, Lin Chen seemed to be able to feel the laughter outside the door and in all corners of the ship while sitting in the cabin.


    Xing Conglian: [Wang Chao, come to the first floor. Your boss hasn¡¯t had a heart-to-heart with you in a long time.]


    Wang Chao: [Boss, I swear that the system hasn¡¯t been touched. Trust me!!! Do I have to prove my innocence myself?!]


    As he said it, he quickly sent out a red envelope that looked like a huge denomination.


    ¡°Should I still swipe it?¡± Lin Chen asked Wang Chao in a low voice.


    He asked, forgetting that the front camera was still on.


    Xing Conglian: [Take it! Take it! Good fortune shouldn¡¯t flow to outsiders*.]


    *Fertilizer should not flow into someone else¡¯s field (·ÊË®²»Á÷ÍâÈËÌï) Idiom referring to the resources, benefits, or profits should be used by those who have contributed to them and should not be taken away by outsiders who have not participated in the work or investment.


    Lin Chen nodded and opened the red envelope again.


    The amount of the red envelope that popped up on the screen was 5.01 yuan, making Lin Chen breathe a sigh of relief.


    However, before he could react, information prompts for the Red Envelope Group suddenly popped up on the phone screen one after another.


    [¡°Xiao Wu¡± has withdrawn from the Exclude the Boss and Go For The Small Red Envelope Group, ¡°Kang An¡± has withdrawn from the Exclude the Boss and Go For The Small Red Envelope Group, ¡°Ye Zhu¡±¡­]


    In an instant, everyone in the group left, leaving only him and Xing Conglian.


    Lin Chen opened the red envelope inexplicably. What he never expected was that the total amount of Wang Chao¡¯s red envelope turned out to be 8 yuan, and Xing Conglian once again was at the bottom with a penny.


    ¡°Why are you so stingy?¡± Even Lin Chen was speechless.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I mainly spend my money on new mobile games,¡± Wang Chao said as he quickly shut down and restarted his phone, as if this way could solve the universal problem of bad luck. But before his phone screen lit up again, there was a rapid sound of footsteps outside the cabin, and the frequency of these footsteps could only belong to Xing Conglian.


    When Wang Chao heard the sound, he anxiously jumped up from the chair and began to look for places to hide in the room.


    The hatch slammed open, and Xing Conglian¡¯s angry face appeared at the door.


    Wang Chao was caught as soon as he opened the medicine cabinet that he wanted to hide in. The young man had no other choice but to pounce on his boss¡¯ legs. ¡°Boss, believe me. I¡¯m really innocent!¡±


    Xing Conglian lifted his legs twice and found he couldn¡¯t¡¯ get away. ¡°Laozi believes in your evil!¡±


    Lin Chen picked up the phone and gently pressed it twice.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s phone message prompt sounded. ¡°You sent it?¡± he asked as he opened it, then asked in surprise. ¡°Why did you transfer all the money you grabbed to me?¡±


    ¡°Raise you¡­ Keep you.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed, as if he had lost his anger in an instant. He kicked Wang Chao¡¯s foot. ¡°Disappear within a second.¡±


    The teenager grimaced, once again showing a disgusted expression on his face, but he probably thought about it and decided that his life was important, so he quickly disappeared without a trace.


    Xing Conglian locked the door and walked slowly to the bedside. He threw his phone on the bedside table and said seriously, ¡°Consultant Lin, it¡¯s easy to get into trouble like this¡­¡± As he spoke, he bent down and kissed him.


    The kiss was just a brief one, and soon he withdrew and sat at the bedside. ¡°If you ever transfer me a red envelope again, I¡¯ll add a zero and return it to you,¡± he said.


    ¡°How can this be?¡± Lin Chen lowered his head, and Xing Conglian actually transferred the money to him.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m happy about it,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°When I used to grab red envelopes, they usually didn¡¯t let me play because my luck was too good, and I always grabbed the one with the highest amount.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on today?¡± Lin Chen asked, ¡°Did your good luck spread to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m happy,¡± Xing Conglian said, and then rubbed his face again, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can rest assured.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was very plain, and his words were concise. But Lin Chen remembered the topic they had discussed before about luck, and he felt that this was probably Xing Conglian¡¯s most sincere wish from the bottom of his heart. He sighed, hooked Xing Conglian¡¯s collar, pulled him in front of him, kissed his neck, and finally let him go.


    Xing Conglian stood up, and somewhat reluctantly used his thumb to touch his lips. ¡°You, open the camera and let me watch you rest. I still have to go out.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, Lin Chen decided to break the mood at this moment. ¡°What happened on the ship?¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned, and he became serious. ¡°What nonsense did Wang Chao say to you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he said anything or not,¡± Lin Chen said softly. ¡°There¡¯s a smell of disinfectant on your body, and Duan Yang hasn¡¯t come for two and a half hours. What happened to the Gaomeng people on the ship?¡±


    Xing Conglian thought about it and finally decided not to hide it from him. ¡°Two people died.¡±

 CH 202

    When Xing Conglian talked about the matter of the deaths, there wasn¡¯t a heavy expression on his face, indicating that it shouldn¡¯t be a terrible thing like an infectious disease.


    During the Gaomeng people¡¯s escape, they were already heavily injured, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that a few would suddenly pass away due to their injuries. Lin Chen frowned, suddenly realizing that the value of life had changed in his concept since he deviated from civilization, which wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    However, the cause of death for the two Gaomeng people slightly exceeded Lin Chen¡¯s imagination.


    They died in a fight.


    At that time, dinner was being served on the ship, and one person suddenly had a dispute with his neighbor. He used a butter knife to stab the neighbor¡¯s body directly, causing blood and flesh to splatter. The neighbor wasn¡¯t easy to deal with and held the man¡¯s neck tightly before hitting the iron table corner.


    The two people fought too fiercely and too fast, and the other Gaomeng people didn¡¯t even have time to stop them. They had already died together.


    Lin Chen listened with horror and found it difficult to accept. According to the schedule, they would arrive at the port tomorrow morning, and all the Gaomeng people facing the threat of death would regain their freedom. And now, they were fighting to death, which wasn¡¯t worth it¡­ He thought for a moment and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°Duan Yang said it might be the sequelae of drugs.¡± Xing Conglian sighed for a moment and talked to him about the possibility that the entire Gaomeng tribe might have been taking illegal drugs or being used as test subjects for a new drug that had a subtle connection with schizophrenia.


    Thinking of Zhourui Pharmaceutical and everything involved, Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian. Before he could say anything, Xing Conglian seemed to see through his thoughts and directly said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his hand and pulled Xing Conglian, freeing up the position on the inside of the bed. ¡°Then don¡¯t go. Sleep with me.¡±


    Xing Conglian widened his eyes and looked at him incredulously. ¡°Are you pulling another trick?¡±


    Lin Chen smiled. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±


    Xing Conglian suddenly sat down and stroked the side of Lin Chen¡¯s face with one hand. His eyes darkened. ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s tone sounded a bit wrong at this moment. Lin Chen felt the rough touch of his skin on his palm and shuddered slightly, then he said seriously, ¡°Yes, Captain Xing?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that you are still not well?¡± Xing Conglian slightly leaned over to the corner of his mouth, but didn¡¯t make any kissing movements.


    ¡°Not only am I not well, but my condition seems to be quite serious now.¡±


    Before Lin Chen finished speaking, he heard Xing Conglian say word by word, ¡°So, are you sure you can handle it?¡±


    ¡°Why are you like this?¡±


    Xing Conglian gently bit his earlobe and said in a low and deep voice, ¡°Because I miss you.¡±


    Lin Chen felt that the difference between being a talker and a doer might lie here. The next moment, Xing Conglian had already put him down on the bed. Although there was no action, he had a creepy feeling.


    The man narrowed his eyes slightly, threateningly saying, ¡°You may really not be able to get out of bed for a few days, so¡­¡±


    Lin Chen quickly hugged the other¡¯s neck and said sincerely, ¡°I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°What did you do wrong?¡±


    ¡°My body is not well yet.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯m feeling better, I need to find a vacation where I don¡¯t have to work, and I can¡¯t stay at home.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you stay at home?¡± Xing Conglian asked, rubbing his stubble against his face in satisfaction.


    ¡°Wang Chao is too annoying.¡±


    ¡°Shall I kick him out of the house?¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a moment, feeling a little hesitant. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s just book a domestic five-day trip for two instead¡­¡± He trailed off, testing Xing Conglian. ¡°Is five days enough?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    Lin Chen chuckled. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll talk about it next time.¡±


    ¡°But next time, we can¡¯t just talk about it¡­¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    In any case, these two never seemed to have enough time together. In the end, Xing Conglian chose to respect Lin Chen¡¯s wishes and led him downstairs.


    There weren¡¯t many decent clothes on the boat, so Lin Chen draped a thin blanket over himself and followed Xing Conglian to the first floor cabin.


    The sound of water was clearer here, and outside the porthole was a dark rainforest where water and sky merged seamlessly without boundaries.


    After the chaos, most of the Gaomeng people were ordered to stay in the inner cabin.


    Therefore, the so-called scene of the crime was only occupied by the elderly tribal leader, who was called a ¡°great trickster¡± by Wang Chao, accompanied by two strong men.


    It was said that the Gaomeng tribe leader had died in battle long ago, so in reality, there weren¡¯t many people left in the tribe.


    The cabin was empty and terrifying, with the river wind blowing through it. The ground was a mess, and the rainforest bananas were trampled into a pulp mixed with blood, giving off a putrid smell.


    The only doctor on the boat was squatting beside the corpse, performing an autopsy. Duan Yang was now quite versatile. Lin Chen stood beside the young doctor, watching as he examined the wounds on the deceased¡¯s face.


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Duan Yang suddenly looked up and frowned when he saw Lin Chen standing there. ¡°Why are you here? Take care of yourself and be careful not to get too hot again.¡±


    Lin Chen crouched down beside him and said, ¡°I came to see if I could help.¡±


    Duan Yang took off his plastic gloves and shook his head. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t understand this either. It would be best to find a forensic doctor to perform a craniotomy and pathological examination, but¡­¡± He looked at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that difficult?¡±


    ¡°All of that can be solved. Tell me your thoughts,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Throughout the whole process, they had an argument that led to death too quickly. Suddenly, they became restless and violent, and then suddenly died. It seems like a sudden manic episode¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not sudden,¡± Lin Chen interrupted, looking at Xing Conglian. He reached for a pair of plastic gloves and put them on, then gently touched the victim¡¯s face. ¡°He must have been angry for a while.¡±


    Duan Yang looked at the victim¡¯s forehead. ¡°Are there any expression lines?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen pursed his lips. ¡°Their skin is too rough. That can¡¯t be used as evidence.¡±


    ¡°But when people are angry, they tend to curl their fingers and toes,¡± Lin Chen continued. ¡°This brings up the scientific study of innate human emotions versus learned behaviors. Is it beyond race and rooted in human genes?¡± As he spoke, he reached for the victim¡¯s right hand and examined the palm. There were very clear marks where the nails had pinched. He wanted to stand up and check the victim¡¯s feet, but Xing Conglian beat him to it. He took off the victim¡¯s grass shoes and lifted them up to show him.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°The condition of this African victim tells us that anger is an innate emotion that transcends race. A more scientific psychology experiment would be to take photos of various facial expressions of Caucasians and Asians and see if these rainforest people can identify different emotions¡­¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, I don¡¯t quite understand. Is this research meaningful?¡± Duan Yang asked.


    Lin Chen shrugged. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just afraid of burning out, so I¡¯m talking nonsense.¡± He stood up, looking down at the people who were tragically dead and still angry on the ground, and said lightly, ¡°But with scientific research, how can we always predict how the seemingly inconspicuous results will affect the human process?¡±


    Duan Yang solemnly said, ¡°I understand.¡± He thought for a moment and added, ¡°We really need to determine more carefully what type of medication Zhourui Pharmaceutical has given them. This is probably the reason why Teacher insisted on saving those patients. It may not seem worthwhile for him to sacrifice his life, but maybe it is.¡±


    Lin Chen took off his gloves and rubbed the young man¡¯s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. That was his decision, and we don¡¯t have the right to say much, but these cases are really strange.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Duan Yang said, ¡°Most drugs that can cause brain damage or mental problems require long-term use, which will accumulate in the human body. But most of the Gaomeng people here seem fine, and many of them suddenly get sick without any warning. For example, Mr. Xing¡¯s subordinates had mental abnormalities after accidentally coming into contact with the drugs. But today¡¯s case is different. Does it mean that the Gaomeng tribe had taken many different types of medication?¡± Duan Yang turned to look at the elder and his entourage, who were vigilantly watching them. ¡°Are there still possible new cases among the Gaomeng people on the ship?¡±


    Lin Chen kicked Duan Yang¡¯s heel and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so obvious. Talking behind someone¡¯s back while looking at them isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Duan Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°Consultant Lin, now I can tell that you are really recovering.¡±


    ¡°It seems¡­ that even healthy Gaomeng people can¡¯t be allowed to work on the cruise ship?¡± Xing Conglian frowned and was quite annoyed. ¡°Do I also need to encircle these people like Zaratul?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Lin Chen asked Duan Yang.


    ¡°This involves medical ethics.¡± Duan Yang¡¯s brow furrowed deeper. ¡°If we know that some of these people may harm others when they leave, should we temporarily detain the healthy people who can¡¯t be judged like the sick¡­¡±


    Looking at the young man whose temperament had changed significantly from their first meeting, Lin Chen said, ¡°The sentence you just said is a bit scary.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°First, I will point out that this incident may be solved in the rainforest, but what if it happened in a densely populated city?¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and said to Duan Yang, ¡°Second, after you raise this point of view, it will make it very difficult for him to act.¡±


    Duan Yang immediately apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it. Sorry.¡±


    Lin Chen sighed slightly, and Xing Conglian put his hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s find a relatively isolated manor. We won¡¯t restrict their personal freedom, but those who are already sick must receive treatment. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I have no objection.¡± Duan Yang said, ¡°But the cause of the disease has not been completely identified yet. Whether it is medication or psychoactive drugs, we still need to find out the real reason that caused them to become like this.¡±


    ¡°What you mean is that you should preside over the entire project¡­¡± Xing Conglian said in the night.


    Duan Yang suddenly looked up.


    The crime scene may not be the appropriate time to discuss these matters, but Xing Conglian still said to Duan Yang, ¡°The ship will arrive at the port tomorrow, and we will handle the Zhourui Pharmaceutical matter back in China. However, someone needs to take care of things here in the rainforest. Before his death, Duan Wanshan made many requests to me. Since he was someone I admired, I will give you money to fulfill his wishes. Whether you want to spend the money freely or complete your teacher¡¯s unfinished business, such as trying to treat the Gaomeng people, it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian in surprise. Xing Conglian placed his hand on his shoulder, speaking as he led him towards the cabin, and whispered in his ear, ¡°You have blown enough wind. Don¡¯t think that I will let you stay outside for too long.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xing!¡±


    Duan Yang called out to Xing Conglian from behind.


    The young man was completely stunned, with a mixture of panic, pain, confusion, and the restraint to try to manage these chaotic emotions.


    Xing Conglian turned around and looked at the young doctor crouching on the ground, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why ten thousand times. I just saved some money by not giving it to you earlier.¡±


    Many words were stuck in Duan Yang¡¯s throat. He lowered his eyelashes, then raised his head with a clear expression, without any hesitation, as if he had already made up his mind. He said very solemnly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already said that. No need to say it again.¡±


    Xing Conglian waved his hand, and Lin Chen stood beside him, being pulled inside by him.


    ¡°Why did you only tell him these things now?¡± Lin Chen asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Two days ago, you still hadn¡¯t gotten out of danger, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate to give him the diagnosis fee so soon,¡± Xing Conglian said as a matter of fact.

 CH 203

    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how much ¡°medical fees¡± Xing Conglian paid, but the amount of money that could support Duan Wanshan¡¯s wish was probably not a small number.


    Normally, after hearing such an answer, most people would probably ask him, ¡°Where did you get so much money?¡± while ordinary couples and spouses might also ask the other party, ¡°Did you spend so much money with my consent?¡±


    But Lin Chen thought the relationship between him and Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t destined to be ordinary like this. Speaking of which, he didn¡¯t know Xing Conglian¡¯s exact background, experience, and life, but he fell in love with this person and decided to be with him. This in itself was a ridiculous thing, but¡­ Lin Chen turned his head to look at the man who was already sleeping soundly on the narrow sofa bed on the side of the cabin¡ªlove itself was quite ridiculous.


    After thinking about these things for a while, Lin Chen also fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡­¡­


    China, Hongjing.


    Dr. Tan Kang, who was in charge of the research and development of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s new drug, suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to feel a simple discussion about his company in the rainforest deep in his mind, and suddenly felt a strange palpitation.


    At this moment, he was sitting in the conference room on the 20th floor of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s headquarters, and his ears were full of fierce arguments. As the head of the laboratory responsible for the development of the new drug ¡°Nordren¡±, he was urged by dozens of calls to participate in the EIF meeting in this office, but the so-called ¡°discussion¡± was purely a quarrel.


    A few days ago, after a key employee in the promotion department died, the Food and Drug Administration finally issued a license for ¡°Nordron¡± to be listed, but this didn¡¯t ease the tense atmosphere within the company.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened, the CEO¡¯s gloomy expression on his face said it all.


    In any case, this revolutionary new drug that should have been smooth sailing, was always like a turbulent undercurrent. It was like a thin and vicious chain, tightly wrapped around the neck of every insider.


    Dr. Tan Kang looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the 20th-floor window. For a small moment, he was thinking about what it would feel like to open the window and step out, but his thoughts were limited by the glass window that could only be opened up and down.


    He shifted his gaze to his notebook, gently opened it, and saw his daughter¡¯s photo attached to the inner page.


    He carefully thought about it. How long had it been since he saw his daughter since he came to China to work? 105 days, and this number was likely to continue to increase.


    At that moment, he suddenly realized that it was ridiculous to choose to end his life for some salvageable things. Family always changed one¡¯s mindset when they least expected it. Dr. Tan Kang pressed the ballpoint pen on the notebook, making some decisions.


    Finally, the meeting ended. Dr. Tan Kang hugged his notebook, squeezed through the angry people, gave up taking the elevator with the other employees, and prepared to walk back to the R&D laboratory on the 10th floor.


    The pharmaceutical company was always so bright and clean; even in the emergency passage, there was a clean smell of disinfectant, and he himself was very used to this atmosphere.


    He slowly walked down from the 20th floor to the 19th floor when suddenly he heard a slight creaking sound from the safety corridor door on a certain floor.


    Not sure if it was due to the anxiety caused by the new drug on the market or for some other reason, he had a vague feeling that someone had walked into the emergency corridor.


    Therefore, he deliberately stopped and listened carefully for a moment, but there were no footsteps, and no sound of footsteps could be heard either above or below the hallway.


    He pretended to step down two floors, making a clear sound of the leather shoes rubbing against the tiles.


    Just then, the sound of leather shoes hitting the ground suddenly came from above his head, once or twice, making him shudder.


    As if making some kind of decision, Dr. Tan Kang grabbed his phone and pressed the alarm button. He held onto the railing, turned around, and walked up. What was even more strange was that the footsteps upstairs stopped in tacit understanding.


    Soon, a slowly moving mop appeared in his field of vision, and he also saw the black rubber boots of a cleaner.


    In that moment, he even had a sense of escaping death. He closed his eyes gently and let out a long sigh.


    ¡­¡­


    When Lin Chen woke up, it was already the next morning.


    The daylight outside the window was bright, and the sky was blue, as thin and transparent as melting glass. He subconsciously covered his eyes with his hand, but Xing Conglian leaned down and placed his hand on his forehead, smiling. ¡°So, you want me to accompany you to sleep to reduce your fever faster?¡±


    Lin Chen lazily held Xing Conglian¡¯s hand and kissed it. When he raised his head, he saw that Xing Conglian was already dressed neatly and was clean-shaven, which surprised him. ¡°We¡¯re here already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±


    ¡°Seeing off the Gaomeng people isn¡¯t as important as you sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so cute?¡± Lin Chen smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Watching you sleep is more beautiful to me than watching a hundred Hollywood classic movies in a row.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s sweet words were really entertaining, but Lin Chen sat up, not letting him disrupt the rhythm. ¡°How do we go back?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Although I was originally planning a resolute Atlantic Circle tour without Wang Chao, given your physical condition and the matters we need to handle when we return home, we can only take a plane,¡± Xing Conglian said with a disappointed expression on his face.


    Lin Chen let out a long sigh. ¡°Please don¡¯t tempt me with these luxurious trips. We law enforcement officers can¡¯t possibly have such a long vacation.¡±


    ¡°Then we can only go home, Consultant Lin¡­¡± When Xing Conglian said the words ¡°go home¡±, Lin Chen felt an extremely comfortable and pleasant feeling.


    He nodded, about to say something, but saw Xing Conglian hand him a set of clean clothes from somewhere and asked him with meaningful intentions, ¡°Do you want to take another bath?¡±


    Earlier, they had also engaged in some friendly and harmonious two-person bathing activities on the ship, mainly because his wound couldn¡¯t touch water, and Xing Conglian had to help, but now it seemed inappropriate to take a bath again at this moment.


    Lin Chen looked at him and said, ¡°Is anyone waiting?¡±


    ¡°Only me,¡± Xing Conglian said without hesitation.


    Lin Chen looked at him suspiciously, then looked out the window. From his angle, he could see a clear harbor, a blue sky with white clouds different from the rainforest scenery, and a long coastline. The port in Kaga was located on the western estuary of the Dana River and was under the control of the United States. It was also the endpoint of their rainforest escape.


    There were cruise ships, containers, and occasionally landing helicopters, giving people the feeling of entering modern society from the barbaric era. But modern society wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing because there were also warships and soldiers guarding the port here.


    In the end, Lin Chen refused Xing Conglian¡¯s proposal to take a bath. Xing Conglian pulled the curtains and closed the door, helping him change his clothes. The process was, of course, a bit long, and after changing, both of them were a little breathless.


    They walked out of the ferry side by side, and the sea breeze and brilliant sunshine greeted them as if washing away the gloom of the rainforest.


    There was no trace of Gaomeng people in the cabin, and the bloodstains from yesterday had been cleaned up. Duan Yang was standing on the dock with his hands in his pockets, alone.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s two subordinates, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, were squatting on the dock with Wang Chao, boredly watching seagulls. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, thinking what a joke that no one was actually waiting for them.


    ¡°The others sent the Gaomeng people on their way. I¡¯ll let these two stay here with Duan Yang until things are resolved,¡± Xing Conglian whispered.


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t really worried about Xing Conglian¡¯s arrangements.


    Duan Yang walked towards them, as if he had undergone some contemplation, and slowly said, ¡°Consultant Lin, Mr. Xing¡­¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    In fact, during the time when he couldn¡¯t sleep last night and throughout his fugitive journey, he also thought about what to say when he parted with Duan Yang. After all, they had gone through life and death together, but when it came to the moment of saying goodbye, he suddenly couldn¡¯t come up with anything profound. Looking at the slightly longer hair of the young man in front of him and his resolute and calm expression, Lin Chen suddenly realized that Duan Yang, who was now in front of him, was no longer the young man who needed constant encouragement from him to have a firm belief.


    Growing up was so painful, but people had to grow up.


    Lin Chen reached out to Duan Yang. ¡°We will meet again.¡±


    Duan Yang opened his mouth, his expression full of a thousand words, but in the end, he just reached out his hand, shook hands with him, and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    China, Hongjing.


    The weather was again at that time of year when it was very unstable, with pouring rain one moment and clear skies the next.


    After a whole day of contemplation, Tan Kang finally made a complete plan.


    He sat in his office, nervously clicking a ballpoint pen.


    It was 6:30 p.m., and most of the employees had already gone home. The lights in the large office outside had been turned off. His personal secretary had knocked on his office door over half an hour ago, asking if he needed dinner. At that time, he was pretending to be sorting out files on his desk and refused the offer, citing that he would finish work soon.


    Time passed second by second.


    Tan Kang sat in his office, trying to make himself look busy.


    It wasn¡¯t until the last person outside turned off the lights and left that he stopped all his movements instantly.


    He stared outside for a while, then quickly pulled open the second drawer of his desk, where a small USB flash drive was neatly placed.


    He moved the computer mouse gently, and the computer screen instantly lit up.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen leaned back in the soft cabin seat. This flight spanning ten time zones had made his circadian rhythm completely confused.


    In a daze, he could feel Xing Conglian covering him with a blanket. Besides the sound of the engine, the only noise in the cabin was the snoring of Wang Chao. Lin Chen opened his eyes slightly. Although it felt like he had slept for an entire night, it was still daytime outside the window. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, and Xing Conglian habitually reached out to touch his forehead to check his temperature. He rolled over and woke up.


    On Xing Conglian¡¯s side table was a cup of coffee that looked extremely bitter, and Wang Chao¡¯s laptop was propped up on the table with the screen still lit. From his angle, Lin Chen could only see a bright white light.


    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Xing Conglian withdrew his hand and asked gently.


    Just now, in his dreams, he thought he was still in the dark and sunless hold of a small fishing boat, where the smell of fish mixed with the odor of the middle-aged man¡¯s body made him shiver. Perhaps because he subconsciously curled up his body, Xing Conglian covered him with another blanket.


    Lin Chen¡¯s vision gradually became clearer, and to his surprise, when he thought of the small fishing boat and the middle-aged man, he saw the black ring that had been taken from him by Xing Conglian on his desk.


    Previously, he had used some technical means to make Xing Conglian give up investigating how he accidentally obtained this iron ring, which he wore on his left ring finger. Now that he saw this thing again, he couldn¡¯t help but have a headache. He then asked in a businesslike tone, ¡°Have you found out anything?¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t specify the exact object, they had a tacit understanding. Xing Conglian turned the ring half a circle and replied, ¡°You guessed it right. It¡¯s indeed a locator.¡±


    ¡°Can you find out who issued it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s difficult, but this thing is not easy for individuals to obtain. It should belong to the government. After we return to China, Wang Chao should be able to find out.¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head to look at the teenager sleeping upside down in his seat and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Did Duan Yang tell you the whole process of our kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°Did he mention the origin of this ring?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Xing Conglian looked at him and continued to stare at the ring. ¡°How come you always run into this kind of thing when you get kidnapped? Drugs, human trafficking, or something else? And do you think the investigation he was conducting is related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡±


    As he spoke, Lin Chen felt like he was turning into Duan Yang.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡± Xing Conglian turned his head and looked at him helplessly.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Have you noticed that you get into investigation mode too quickly?¡±


    Lin Chen looked out at the vast sea outside the window and admitted frankly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I had a not-so-good dream just now.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The climate at sea was changeable, but the city of Hongjing was covered in brilliant summer sunshine.


    Mr. Tan Kang lowered his hat and wrapped his coat tightly as he walked slowly into Hongjing Amusement Park.


    Perhaps because his outfit looked out of place, the staff at the entrance checked him twice with a metal scanner.


    Mr. Tan Kang coughed lightly.


    ¡°Sir, are you not feeling well?¡± the staff member asked.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not feeling well, you still have to go on a date, right?¡± Mr. Tan Kang smiled and replied.


    This amusement park had been built for about 20 years, and the furnishings were outdated. Hongjing itself was too comfortable, so there were no crazy sights in the park. Citizens conventionally thought that even the carousel, the less intense roller coaster, or even the slightly squeaky pirate ship were suitable.


    Today was Sunday and also a summer holiday, so there were more visitors in the park than usual, mainly parents with children. The children were holding cotton candy with bright faces, chattering and laughing, making Mr. Tan Kang feel like he was back in his childhood.


    A violin tune that he couldn¡¯t name began to play on the park¡¯s broadcast, and the music was melodious.


    Walking under the sun, he felt that the dirty haze on his body evaporated from his pores. Mr. Tan Kang gradually loosened his tightly wrapped clothes and felt relaxed. He didn¡¯t buy cotton candy but instead spent ten yuan to buy a bottle of Coke. Junk food and the smiles of young people could soothe the soul.


    On the grass by the lake, not far away, gray or white pigeons walk on the lush green lawn. A balloon vendor was selling red balloons to a cute pair of twins. There were many colorful balloons tied to his booth, and many people surrounded him¡ªno child disliked balloons. After selling those two red balloons, many parents also handed him money. For a moment, piles of balloons of various colors were flying away, looking very cute.


    Mr. Tan Kang smiled, bypassed the carousel area, and the violin tune became cheerful. Music always had such a strong infectious power. He walked up the bridge with small steps. Looking around, there were crowds of people everywhere. The magic show on the water stage not far away was about to start. Only when he walked to this crowded place did he regret his earlier choice.


    People were crowded in front and behind, and many people still had balloons of different colors floating above their heads. The cute things that looked lovely earlier now made him inexplicably nervous. He clenched his fists, went against the crowd, and watched the road ahead with vigilance.


    Going against the grain, the oncoming people were like hard rocks. Even children just above the knee could give him enough force of impact. Each time an elbow rubbed against his shoulder, it made his heart tighten by a few points. The Coke bottle had been squeezed to deformity at some point, and the liquid inside was covered with brown foam, which seemed it could spray out at any moment when it accumulated at the mouth of the bottle.


    Tan Kang was hit by people continuously. For some reason, more and more people came from the right side. He was almost pushed in the direction he came from by the crowd against the current. He could only protect his chest with his hands, and he tried his best to walk faster. In order to avoid the oncoming tall man holding a child, he squeezed to the side but stepped on a female student¡¯s leather shoe. The girl screamed, and he had to apologize in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I¡¯m very sorry. Can you let me through.¡±


    The mixture of sound and noise in the air was so loud that the girl didn¡¯t hear him, and no one around even noticed him.


    Tan Kang finally avoided the stocky man and breathed a small sigh of relief. He had not yet exhaled the turbid air in his mouth when his pupils suddenly shrank, as if he saw something. Colorful balloons floated in front of his eye, and the plastic film gently collided.


    Then, he sensed something.


    The sound of the piano crossed a high note, then suddenly fell, and the fountain in the distance splashed white waves.


    It was a thin knife that was not too long. The tip of the knife pierced his clothes and skin, and the blade pierced into his internal organs. After stirring it, the knife was quickly pulled out. The hand holding the knife suddenly let go of the handle, and the blade seemed to be attracted by some kind of suction as it suddenly retracted into the assailant¡¯s sleeve.


    All this happened within the blink of an eye.


    Parents with children in their arms, boys and girls who came to hang out, and old people who took their grandchildren out to play continued moving. No one noticed that Dr. Tan Kang, who was in the crowd, clutched his ribs and slowly fell to the ground next to a sign that read: [Crowded. Please be careful.]


    The sun was still shining on the grass, and the violin music became light and beautiful again after the climax as the crowd finally passed through the narrow area of the bridge.


    On the lakeside path, a man in a dark blue jacket slowly and methodically took out a small black bag from his sleeve and tied the bag tightly with three balloon strings in his hand.


    The balloons floated up with the bag, and he looked up and watched as they flew into the blue sky before he heard the screams of panic coming in the distance behind him.


    He didn¡¯t turn around and instead slightly rolled up his bloodied cuffs, then straightened his dark blue coat.


    Ten paces away from him stood a little boy, about five or six years old. The little boy was so fat that his t-shirt was stretched out several times its original size, looking like a fat doll made of lotus roots. The fat boy¡¯s big black eyes stared at the last balloon in his hand.


    The man went to the fat child, tied the string of the last balloon on his lotus-root-like wrist, and patted the boy¡¯s head. Perhaps he was feeling very good, as there was a hint of laughter in his breath.

 CH 204

    When they walked out of the cabin, it was raining heavily outside in Hongjing.


    It wasn¡¯t the usual light rain in the city, but a torrential downpour. It seemed to have started after they landed and showed no signs of stopping.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath of the damp air mixed with the scent of airport fuel and earth, which still felt comforting to him.


    Xing Conglian held his hand, and they looked at each other, unable to express the thousand words they felt.


    Wang Chao stumbled and collided with their shoulders. Xing Conglian turned around and caught him. The young man was so exhausted that he looked like he could sleep through the whole planet¡¯s destruction if given a bed.


    Xing Conglian pinched Wang Chao¡¯s nose and ears repeatedly for a while, but eventually gave up and carried him on his back towards the exit.


    After passing through the immigration checkpoint, Lin Chen noticed that Xing Conglian had pressed the button for the parking lot on the minus one floor.


    ¡°Are we going home first?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Conglian turned his head and glanced at him, smiling. ¡°Are you trying to test me, Mr. Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how Xing Conglian suddenly became a psychologist, but under his gaze, he felt a sense of guilt. ¡°No one has lived at home for so long, so why not go to a hotel first?¡±


    He deliberately raised his tone at the end, but all he got was a faint ¡°Hmm?¡± from Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian had an expression of ¡°tell me the truth¡±, so Lin Chen had no choice but to hold his hand and say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. I have some psychological trauma.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Xing Conglian said seriously. ¡°Mr. Lin can use his expertise and do some treatment¡­like the desensitization therapy?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so difficult to deal with? No wonder I had such a hard time chasing you,¡± Lin Chen joked.


    Xing Conglian laughed out loud. They got off the elevator, and Wang Chao hiccupped on his back.


    ¡°You can also find something to do that makes me unhappy, and I¡¯d be more than happy to back you up,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen thought this was a really good idea. He stopped the person and reached into their pocket. Of course, when his hand reached down, Xing Conglian¡¯s face had a moment of subtlety. Lin Chen coughed lightly, took his hand out, and in his hand was Xing Conglian¡¯s work phone, not the one used in Dana.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s face immediately looked unpleasant. ¡°Consultant Lin, we don¡¯t have to go to the hospital.¡±


    But before he finished speaking, Lin Chen had already turned on the phone. Xing Conglian showed an unusually ashen expression.


    At the moment they entered the parking lot, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone immediately started ringing continuously, and the message tone continued to ring like it would never stop until they reached Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep. Lin Chen glanced apologetically at Xing Conglian and then realized that the Jeep was the one parked at the Yongchuan subway station. It was unclear why it was now in the underground parking lot of the Hongjing Airport.


    Xing Conglian opened the car door, threw Wang Chao into the back seat, and the teenager turned around as if he had found a comfortable place to lie down and began to snore.


    ¡°You had someone bring the car back?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t immediately sit in the driver¡¯s seat but leaned against the car door and looked at his phone.


    ¡°After flying on a plane, you still have to drive home yourself. Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡± Lin Chen opened the passenger door and fastened his seat belt.


    ¡°It¡¯s tiring, but there are important things in the car that can¡¯t be left elsewhere.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what he meant by ¡°important things¡±, but he remembered the dozens of diamond VIP cards that Captain Xing took out of the trunk, so he decided to keep quiet.


    Lin Chen sat in the car for a while and found that Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t entered the car yet.


    He didn¡¯t know what Xing Conglian saw on his phone, but after a long time, he finally opened the car door and sat in it. He rested his hand on the gear lever and didn¡¯t move for a long time.


    Lin Chen looked up and saw that Xing Conglian¡¯s expression was gloomy. There were probably some not-so-good things in the text messages he received just now.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡± Xing Conglian handed him the phone, which showed the usual briefings from the police station.


    ¡ª¡ªAt 10:07 a.m. on June 10th, the identity of the unnamed male body stabbed to death in Hongjing Amusement Park has been confirmed. The deceased is Dr. Tan Kang, the senior president of the R&D department of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡­


    In the dim space of the car, the phone screen glowed with a faint white light. When he saw the words ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡± and ¡°Tan Kang¡±, he thought it was an illusion caused by the long flight and thinking about the case day and night, but it was obviously not the case. As the key R&D personnel and insider of the Zhourui Pharmaceutical case, Tan Kang was stabbed to death by someone before their plane landed.


    Lin Chen¡¯s mind turned over countless speculations, but in the end, he could only say, ¡°They move quickly.¡±


    He glanced at the clock on the car and saw that it was exactly 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. He was afraid that the police officers investigating the scene hadn¡¯t left yet, so he asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Shall we go and take a look?¡±


    Before Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze swept over, he added in advance, ¡°I¡¯ve recovered from my fever. It should be fine to stay there for a while.¡±


    Seeing that he insisted, Xing Conglian nodded reluctantly and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the window was the familiar scenery of Hongjing¡¯s streets. Lin Chen leaned against the front passenger seat.


    They had only been gone for less than half a month, and the students had not yet started their vacation. There was no change in the surroundings; not even in the configuration and speed of their journey to the scene of the crime.


    Wang Chao turned over again in the back seat. Perhaps because he was starving or perhaps because he felt the familiar atmosphere, the teenager suddenly opened his eyes. Hearing the rustling sound coming from the back seat, Lin Chen turned his head and saw Wang Chao taking out a half-opened package of Pocky from the car door storage box and started to eat without hesitation.


    Those were the snacks that the teenager had left in the car half a month ago.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°It¡¯s been stored for too long. Don¡¯t eat it now. I¡¯ll buy you some when we get out of the car.¡±


    Wang Chao was still in a half-dream state, mechanically nodding his head but still stuffed the snack into his mouth.


    ¡°Just eat it. It¡¯s all preservatives. It won¡¯t go bad, and it won¡¯t kill you,¡± Xing Conglian said indifferently.


    ¡°Wait, where are we going?¡± Suddenly realizing something important, Wang Chao woke up abruptly and asked, ¡°Are you kidding me? We just came back from such a scary place. Don¡¯t we need to take a break for ten or twenty days before starting work again?¡±


    Xing Conglian withdrew his gaze from looking at Comrade Wang Chao in the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°What does he mean?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s been spending too much money on in-game purchases lately, so he wants to scam overtime pay,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Wang Chao shouted, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you can¡¯t do this to me. Are we still good friends?¡±


    Xing Conglian pretended to suddenly realize, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Lin Chen pretended not to hear Wang Chao¡¯s protest and said, ¡°There¡¯s no other way. If he doesn¡¯t want to go, just forget it. Let¡¯s get out of the car now?¡±


    They were driving on the elevated highway, and Wang Chao looked outside in horror, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and complained, ¡°A¡¯ChenGege, when did you become like this?¡±


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang¡­¡± Xing Conglian dragged on, ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand yet?¡±


    ¡°Understand what?¡±


    Xing Conglian spoke in the tone of a sociologist. ¡°When a person¡¯s identity changes, his behavior and way of doing things will also change accordingly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s different about my A¡¯Chen Gege?¡± Wang Chao was very confused.


    Lin Chen had already guessed what Xing Conglian was going to say and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.


    But Xing Conglian still smiled and said, ¡°Your A¡¯Chen Gege is now the head of the family, so we have to listen to him, understand?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    On the way from the highway to the amusement park, Wang Chao kept studying the term ¡°head of the family¡±.


    The teenager¡¯s face was mixed with various expressions such as ¡°flattering¡±, ¡°admiration¡±, ¡°speechless¡±, and ¡°flunky¡±, and kept changing. Just before they arrived at the scene, Wang Chao stopped him and asked a very important question, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, if I want to call you Boss from now on, do I have to call Captain Xing sister-in-law?¡±


    In any case, this question received a warning from Captain Xing himself in the form of a knock on the head.


    Lin Chen was very clear that Xing Conglian brought up the topic of the head of the family just to make Wang Chao not too depressed.


    The rain was still falling. Xing Conglian tilted the umbrella towards him, and Lin Chen looked ahead.


    In front of him was a familiar, bright yellow warning sign. They were standing outside the waterside gallery where the victim¡¯s body had been taken away. The scene-of-crime officers were hiding under the eaves, looking up at the clean crime scene washed by the rain with a sigh.


    The ground markings were washed away very lightly, and the direction and position where the victim fell could be vaguely seen. There was no trace of blood on the small path paved with square bricks. The heavy rain was probably the best way to wash away the evidence.


    They stood outside the crime scene for a while, finally catching the attention of the police officers under the eaves.


    Two pairs of eyes swept over, and at first, the two officers just stared at them. Suddenly, a shout pierced through the rain curtain.


    The voice grew louder and louder, and several people rushed towards them. Lin Chen thought they still underestimated the sudden appearance of horror.


    In such a short time, Comrade Zhang Xiaolong had already rushed to their side.


    What surprised Lin Chen was that the policewoman didn¡¯t look at Xing Conglian but instead dreamily touched his shoulder with tears in her eyes and her voice trembling. ¡°Lin¡­ Consultant Lin¡­ You¡¯re still alive. That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Thanks to Captain Xing¡¯s help, I¡¯m still alive,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Xing Conglian nodded in acknowledgment.


    Perhaps because the umbrella covered Xing Conglian¡¯s face earlier, Zhang Xiaolong didn¡¯t even realize someone was standing next to her. She was completely absorbed in her own excitement. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back¡­ It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back¡­ Just like last time, why do you always encounter these kinds of situations?!¡± But before she finished her sentence, she seemed to sense something and looked towards his side in disbelief.


    ¡°Captain¡­Captain Xing!¡±


    Captain Xing raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back?!¡± Zhang Xiaolong was even more incredulous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see that?¡± Captain Xing said.


    ¡°You saved Consultant Lin?¡±


    Xing Conglian was very satisfied with the policewoman¡¯s insight and proudly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong¡¯s face turned red. It seemed like if Xing Conglian continued speaking, she would get too excited and faint.


    Their colleagues arrived one after another, and they chatted for a while before Lin Chen interrupted and turned his gaze towards the crime scene, asking, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong had grown a lot and quickly took out her notebook from her pocket and got into work mode.


    ¡°The victim¡¯s name is¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian interrupted her. ¡°It¡¯s in the briefing you gave me. Let¡¯s briefly talk about the situation at the time of the crime.¡±


    ¡°This is a vicious murder that took place in a crowded area. According to eyewitnesses, the footbridge was packed with tourists who were going to watch the water magic show. The victim was walking in the opposite direction, from south to north, on the footbridge. After walking less than 10 meters, the victim suddenly fell down. A man holding a child was the first to notice the victim¡¯s abnormality and called on the surrounding crowd to avoid trampling. At first, they thought it was an acute heart attack, but then they saw a large amount of blood flowing out of the victim¡¯s chest¡­¡± The female officer spoke softly, and Lin Chen looked towards the water. Even in the rain, he could feel the screams that erupted from the dark footbridge when blood seeped out.


    Zhang Xiaolong tapped her ballpoint pen twice and handed her notebook to Xing Conglian. ¡°This is the forensic report from the crime scene.¡±


    [Puncture wound under the third rib on the left side. The wound is about 2.5 cm long. The victim¡¯s heart ruptured, and he died on the spot.]

 CH 205

    ¡°A single stab?¡± Lin Chen was surprised. It wasn¡¯t easy to kill with just one stab, especially in a crowded area. It required considerable technical difficulty to find the target¡¯s heart and avoid stabbing it into the hard ribs.


    Zhang Xiaolong said seriously, ¡°Only one stab.¡±


    ¡°Very clean and sharp.¡± After reading the forensic scene record, Xing Conglian flipped through the notes back and forth, frowned, and asked, ¡°Was the murder weapon not found at the scene?¡±


    ¡°The murderer took it away,¡± Zhang Xiaolong said. ¡°The forensics department has started rummaging through the garbage cans.¡±


    ¡°This experienced killer probably has 10,000 ways to dispose of the murder weapon. Don¡¯t waste your time searching the garbage cans,¡± Xing Conglian said. He raised his umbrella, opened the cordon, and walked into the scene with Lin Chen.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°If there was only one stab, we can first rule out a crime of passion,¡± Lin Chen said, pausing and standing beside Xing Conglian. ¡°Impulsive criminals won¡¯t stop until they make a bloody mess of the body and the scene.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a robbery either.¡± Xing Conglian put his hands in his pockets. ¡°The victim¡¯s wallet and phone were still at the scene.¡±


    Lin Chen looked up unconsciously, and Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes were cold and mocking.


    After thinking for a moment, he still asked, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a good chance that Zhourui Pharmaceutical knew about the incident in Dana and killed the key witnesses in advance?¡±


    Rain splashed on the umbrella surface, making a rustling sound. Their conversation was also limited to within the umbrella¡¯s range.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, we¡¯re all well aware of the probability,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°But it¡¯s a pity that we¡¯ve experienced the darkness of the rainforest, the bloody drug factories, and the Gaomeng people who were used as illegal drug test subjects, but they haven¡¯t. It¡¯s even harder for ordinary people to imagine that, based on many reasons, what happened over there can only be temporarily sealed.¡± He turned his head and looked at the staring police officers, then continued, ¡°Firstly, we have no evidence linking Zhourui Pharmaceutical to the illegal human experiments in the Dana Rainforest. Secondly, even if we find such evidence, it would still be very difficult to punish Zhourui Pharmaceutical within the international legal conventions for the crimes committed in the three unregulated regions. The lawyers of big pharmaceutical companies won¡¯t take it lightly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Chen sighed. As they spoke, they had already reached the location where Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s body had fallen. Looking at the markings on the ground for a long time, Lin Chen finally said, ¡°But they panicked. Murder cases are always within our jurisdiction.¡± He looked up, and the spires of the European-style buildings in the distance were looming in the rain curtain. The scene from back then floated before his eyes. Tan Kang squeezed out of the corridor from the south to the north, and the crowd flowed mainly from north to the south. There were really a lot of people at the time, and most of the people were rushing to the water magic stage trying to seize a favorable spot, so Tan Kang was particularly annoying as he went against the flow. He struggled to get out of the crowd and resolutely walked towards his goal until he met the person and the knife that ended his life¡­


    ¡°The crime scene is intriguing. He chose to kill in crowded places, which is smart, but also risky,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°For the killer, he had to do it. If he missed the opportunity, it would be too late.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed too risky.¡± Xing Conglian pursed his lips and continued, ¡°And why did Tan Kang come here?¡±


    ¡°He came alone, without family or children. If it wasn¡¯t for him suddenly wanting to relax, it could only mean he was here to meet someone.¡± Lin Chen spoke up.


    ¡°Meeting someone¡­¡± Xing Conglian said meaningfully. ¡°So the killer had to take the risk of killing him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a possibility,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s based on the things we can¡¯t talk about and our deduction.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded, half-sincerely and half-jokingly said, ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a good crime drama, but we have to bring in spy routines. If he¡¯s here to meet someone, his movements in the park must reveal something¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and picked up a map of the park, which was placed outside a store in the corridor.


    The layout of Hongjing Amusement Park was nothing special. Most amusement parks were divided into several areas. Lin Chen looked down, and Xing Conglian¡¯s finger moved from the entrance to the location of the corridor, then he called out, ¡°Xiaolong, come here.¡±


    Comrade Zhang Xiaolong was talking to Wang Chao. Upon hearing this, the two of them ran over.


    ¡°Do we have on-site surveillance?¡±


    ¡°Report to Captain Xing, basically none.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®basically none¡¯?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong looked apologetic. ¡°This angle is not easy to set up. We only have a vague long shot.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t clearly see the scene at the time of the crime?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and the park¡¯s surveillance is too old. It¡¯s black and white¡­¡± Zhang Xiaolong replied. ¡°Just now, Lao Wang and the others have removed the surveillance, saying that the killer was still holding a bunch of balloons to block the view.¡±


    ¡°Balloons?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain Xing. Lao Wang has already started investigating the balloon seller, but the park said that there were about 5,000 people today, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s unlikely that the seller can remember everyone who bought balloons. Do we have any eyewitnesses to make a portrait of the perpetrator?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve looked for them, but no one really noticed what the attacker looked like.¡± Zhang Xiaolong pressed the ballpoint pen and looked helpless.


    Xing Conglian nodded and looked at Wang Chao. ¡°Wang Chao and Xiaolong, collect all the surveillance videos from the park from the opening to the closing today, and check Tan Kang¡¯s movements in the park.¡± He thought for a moment and added, ¡°Since the killer was holding a distinctive balloon, it should be relatively easy to track his movements, but still be careful of any tricks he may use with the balloons.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Captain Xing!¡± ¡°Understood, Boss!¡± Zhang Xiaolong and Wang Chao said enthusiastically.


    After speaking, the two young comrades ran off as if they were flying.


    Lin Chen thought he had escaped unscathed, but apparently not.


    Lin Chen raised his head, and Xing Conglian shook his head in the direction of the exit. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the scene. Can we go, Consultant Lin?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen thought he could escape, but obviously he didn¡¯t.


    Xing Conglian only kept him at the scene for about ten minutes before rushing him to Hongjing Hospital.


    Because of the rain and the sky was dark, the streetlights on both sides of the road had already lit up, enveloping the entire city in a misty rain. Lin Chen leaned back in his seat while Xing Conglian was driving intently. The soothing melody of a violin flowed out from the stereo, making him feel drowsy.


    ¡°Feeling sleepy?¡±


    At a red light, Xing Conglian stopped the car and patted Lin Chen¡¯s head.


    Lin Chen responded with a faint ¡°Mm,¡± continuing to look down at the map of the amusement park in his hand, but he still felt sleepy, so he half-opened his eyes.


    Xing Conglian stared at him for a while and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, I noticed you spent more time looking at that map than at me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s to make you aware of the potential danger,¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°But still, don¡¯t sleep in the car. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    Lin Chen sat up straight reluctantly and said, ¡°Captain Xing means that I¡¯m going to be in the hospital bed for a few days, and I shouldn¡¯t sleep now.¡±


    Xing Conglian chuckled. ¡°Consultant Lin, are you throwing a tantrum?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his hand, then let go of it. ¡°Just focus on driving. I won¡¯t sleep.¡±


    ¡°What I meant was, can you not be completely absorbed in the case?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not completely absorbed. Just now, I thought you looked really handsome while driving, so I stole a glance for a while.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen¡­¡± Xing Conglian sounded very helpless, as if he had guessed his thoughts. He continued, ¡°This is a common trick. I won¡¯t be fooled multiple times.¡±


    ¡°Can you ask Wang Chao to send me a copy of the crime scene video? I want to see it.¡± Lin Chen decided to confess and thought his next request might be a bit too much. ¡°I want to watch the full surveillance video during that time period.¡±


    Xing Conglian spoke up. ¡°Consultant Lin, where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°To the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Why are we going to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Because I almost died of sepsis in Dana, and although I am gradually recovering and out of danger, I still need a full-body checkup and proper rest.¡±


    ¡°It seems you know it well.¡±


    ¡°But you see, Captain Xing, proper rest and watching surveillance videos are not contradictory. You can control my daily viewing time. As a public servant, I still hope to contribute what I can to solving the case.¡±


    ¡°Tell the truth¡­¡± Xing Conglian interrupted him.


    Lin Chen felt that since he had kissed Xing Conglian, the latter seemed to have picked up some of his bad habits, such as speaking too sharply.


    ¡°I think this case is very strange. Although from the perspective of a simple case, the killer¡¯s methods are simple and straightforward. At first glance, it seems that a large corporation killed to cover up its crimes in the process of drug research and development. But do you remember why I got involved in this case?¡±


    ¡°You killed a Zhourui Pharmaceutical employee who pretended to be mentally ill and wanted to kill Jiang Chao¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s also why Duan Yang found me. Let¡¯s not talk about what happened later, but let¡¯s look back at this. The new drug, Nordren, has already been approved for market release while Vice Captain Jiang¡¯s wife is still alive. So, I don¡¯t understand why they took the risk of killing her. ¡± Lin Chen lowered his eyes.


    ¡°Are you afraid that they will kill innocent people indiscriminately?¡± Xing Conglian frowned. ¡°Why do you suddenly have this idea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a person who doubts myself. I¡¯m sure that my judgment at that time was correct. But you see, just saying so is not enough. This is too subjective. I need sufficient real evidence to prove this.¡±


    ¡°With Tan Kang stabbed to death suddenly, could this mean that Zhourui Pharmaceutical may have resorted to extreme measures, including murder, to ensure the smooth launch of the new drug?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if a company is a collective, then Zhourui Pharmaceutical as a whole gives me the feeling that they are already too crazy. They can calmly retreat from Dana, and even dare to play tricks on Zaratul. Why are they doing things so recklessly now? Although Duan Yang explained to me the problem of the entire drug industry chain, including R&D investment and the necessary cost recovery in the later period, I still feel that they could have slowed down and sought other ways out. Why must they push for the launch of the drug at all costs like they are doing now?¡±


    ¡°Good question, Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Based on the above considerations, I believe that we must quickly solve the case of Tan Kang¡¯s murder and find the core breakthrough of the whole case.¡±


    Xing Conglian thought carefully for a long time and turned the car onto the street of Hongjing Hospital before finally saying, ¡°I understand, but you still have to be hospitalized and follow the doctor¡¯s orders.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen stopped speaking.


    As they were about to enter the hospital area, Xing Conglian slowed down the car and finally said slowly, ¡°To be honest, for me, those trivial matters of Zhourui Pharmaceutical may not be as important as your pinky. It may sound a bit cheesy, but this is my true feeling. I don¡¯t want to see you waste your energy on these things during your recuperation.¡±


    Lin Chen wanted to speak, but Xing Conglian held his hand to stop him.


    ¡°I am very serious about wanting to be in a relationship with you, appreciating your achievements in the professional field, and respecting your independent personality. But in fact, I also know very well that in the process of our relationship, we are transitioning from one relationship to another. We need to be good colleagues and good lovers at the same time. I am not as broad-minded as you think. My current thoughts are to keep you in a private sanatorium with strict 24-hour care, but of course, this is not possible. This is not respectful enough to you and ignores your original intentions. I understand all of these, so choosing Hongjing Hospital is almost my last bottom line after psychological adjustment. I admit that there are reasons behind this, but after you were kidnapped, I need to do some psychological construction before I can let you go out again. Please give me some time to adjust my mindset.¡±


    Xing Conglian parked the car in the parking space and ended the conversation.


    The twilight outside the window was hazy, and the whole hospital looked less cold in the slanting wind and rain and the gradually brightening lights.


    ¡°Sorry, I should be more understanding of your feelings.¡± Lin Chen was silent for a long time before finally saying this.


    Xing Conglian reached out his hand to him. ¡°So, happy cooperation, Consultant Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen put his hand on it. ¡°Happy cooperation, Captain Xing.¡±


    Xing Conglian seemed to have received some kind of guarantee and had a relieved expression. ¡°So, if I have something else to tell you, you will be understanding, right?¡±


    The turning point came too quickly. Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian suspiciously. He saw Xing Conglian open his umbrella, get out of the car, walk over, open his car door, and politely invite him out.


    ¡°Except for you telling me that you¡¯re already married, I can try to understand everything else as much as possible.¡±


    Seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s hesitant tone, Lin Chen hugged him and could only half-jokingly respond like so.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Xing Conglian said seriously. ¡°It¡¯s some things that I wanted to tell you a long time ago. Although you haven¡¯t asked, I have to explain clearly.¡±


    Xing Conglian took him to the back of the Jeep, took out the key, and gently pressed the trunk unlock button.


    The trunk door slowly opened. Although Lin Chen had seen this scene many times before, he still had to say that the trunk of Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep was really messy.


    Drinking water, snacks thrown around by Wang Chao, various electronic equipment accessories, piles of cleaning rags, scattered paper materials, and of course, the toolbox lying upside down.


    Xing Conglian leaned over and opened the toolbox, then dragged it out a bit to make it clearer for Lin Chen to see. ¡°My mother said that according to Chinese tradition, when a man has money, he becomes bad. I don¡¯t know where she got her fallacies, but anyway, you can consider it my secret money¡­ uh, is there such a thing as secret money?¡±


    Listening to Xing Conglian¡¯s explanation, Lin Chen looked at the toolbox that he had just opened, which still continued the style of Xing Conglian¡¯s trunk.


    There were scattered repair tools, wrenches or screws, and all kinds of colorful VIP cards pressed on a stack of papers. These VIP cards were the ones that Xing Conglian took out last time. In short, there were no gold bars or diamonds inside. Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Why are you so cute, letting me confiscate your toolbox?¡±


    But just as he relaxed and turned to look at Xing Conglian, he suddenly heard the other party say in a rare solemn voice, ¡°I need to reintroduce myself¡­¡± Xing Conglian paused, slightly bowing to him, ¡°Consultant Lin, my surname is Xing1.¡±


    ¡°I know your surname is Xing1¡­¡± he hadn¡¯t finished speaking yet when he suddenly looked at the other party.


    1Clarity: Xing (ÐÏ) the elite family of China vs his current identity Xing (ÐÌ).


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyebrows and eyes were somewhat blurred in the twilight, but his back was straight, and his demeanor was stern. The noble aura emanating from him couldn¡¯t be concealed by the vague night.


    Lin Chen felt a loud noise in his ears for a moment, but Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was still very clear and powerful.


    He said, ¡°It¡¯s not Xing using the radical from sword but from beside the right ear*. My father¡¯s name is Xing Liyuan, and my mother is from the Zhou family in southern Anhui. In order to respond to the one-child policy, they only gave birth to me.¡±


    *Clarity: The Xing he¡¯s currently using used the radical from sword (½£) while the other Xing used the radical (Úâ) which is commonly known as ¡°beside the right ear¡± as the radical looks like a human ear (but has nothing to do with ears).


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart trembled, and he couldn¡¯t speak for a while.


    The two names that Xing Conglian mentioned were really shocking.


    Although some clues before vaguely gave him the feeling that Xing Conglian might be related to the Xing family, he always felt that Xing Conglian might be some distant relative who just got a small share of the family business. When it came to inheriting the family, he didn¡¯t think there was any connection at all with his lover, who liked to eat crayfish by the roadside.


    During the five minutes or even longer, Lin Chen had all kinds of thoughts in his mind. He felt like he had found a gold mine, so he should be laughing, but he couldn¡¯t really laugh out loud. Xing Conglian was now glowing all over, but this was really troublesome. Why was the Xing family so self-willed to send their eldest grandson to be a police officer? From Xing Conglian¡¯s appearance, he didn¡¯t seem to have a falling out with his family. How did Boss Xing feel about his only son having a boyfriend¡­?


    In the end, Lin Chen could only look at the other person and ask seriously in the same tone, ¡°Do we have to have this important conversation about your identity in front of your car trunk?¡±


    Not only in front of the trunk but also in the corner of the hospital parking lot, which was a bit too casual.


    Xing Conglian smiled lightly with a genuine sense of joy.


    Lin Chen felt the other person put his hand on his waist and pull him into his arms, saying slowly, ¡°I want you to know these things, not because they are particularly important, but essentially, these things are not a big deal to me. And I am very aware that these things are not a big deal to you either. They will not affect your view of me or change our relationship in any way. The reason why I want to tell you is that I don¡¯t want to appear to be deliberately hiding anything from you over something that is not a big deal. I just want you to know, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The main idea of Xing Conglian¡¯s words was that the content wasn¡¯t a big deal, and the important thing was the attitude of him reporting it. This was what he wanted Lin Chen to see.


    Lin Chen leaned on Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder, looking at the streetlights in the distance gradually lighting up, coloring the rainy night with a gentle hue. Perhaps it was really quiet around them, that his heartbeat, which had just sped up due to Xing Conglian¡¯s words, quickly calmed down.


    As Xing Conglian said, the fact that his family was very wealthy didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal either. Although he thought so, he still had to emphasize, ¡°You think too highly of me. It will definitely affect my view of you.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Xing Conglian held the umbrella, covering both of them.


    Lin Chen felt the low laughter coming from the other side, ¡°Such as¡­¡± he thought for a moment but couldn¡¯t come up with any extravagant ideas because he was poor. In order to save face, he could only reluctantly say, ¡°Such as I don¡¯t want to eat hospital dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to eat, from which country. I will notify them to airlift the chef and ingredients over.¡±


    Lin Chen shuddered. ¡°Sorry, just forget what I said.¡±


    ¡°Well, airlifting takes too long. It¡¯s not appropriate if you go hungry. For dinner tonight, there is only one three-star Michelin restaurant in Hongjing. Shall I notify them to close and let us go there?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll eat the hospital¡¯s nutritious meal properly. Can we talk about something else?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to chat about? Is there anything else you want to know?¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity and asked, ¡°What exactly is in the toolbox?¡±


    After some thought, Xing Conglian reported, ¡°All kinds of bank cards, checks¡­ not the kind bought on Taobao, some land deeds, and possibly some company stock contracts. I didn¡¯t look at them closely¡­¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly looked up, moved away from Xing Conglian, and tried to calm himself down. ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep these things in a bank vault?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just loose change. I¡¯m too lazy to put them away. It¡¯s fine just keeping them close¡­¡± Xing Conglian said naturally.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t bear to hear any more and interrupted Xing Conglian, ¡°I have a headache. Let¡¯s go to the hospital for a check-up.¡±


    He tried to pull Xing Conglian towards the hospital, hoping to get away from the Jeep as far as possible, but Xing Conglian remained in place and did not move.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen turned around and asked.


    ¡°You forgot something,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°What?¡± Lin Chen was afraid that the other party would bring up the toolbox again and was very alert.


    Before he could finish speaking, Xing Conglian turned his head, leaned in close to his lips, and whispered, ¡°Sir, this is where we should kiss.¡±


    His hot breath sprayed on Lin Chen¡¯s face, and before he could answer, Xing Conglian¡¯s lips had already covered his.


    Lin Chen closed his eyes.


    In the darkening sky, with the sound of rain falling quietly, everything was just right.

 CH 206

    The ward arranged by Xing Conglian was on the top floor of Hongjing Hospital. Other than that, there was nothing special.


    After completing the admission procedures, Lin Chen had some blood drawn from his arm. He followed Xing Conglian through the long ward while holding the cotton ball on the inside of his arm.


    The rooms on both sides of the corridor were mostly single rooms, occupied by elderly people. Some of them sat upright on the sofa with serious expressions, as if they were educating their dejected subordinates on the opposite side. Others relied on a series of tubes and ventilators to sustain their lives, while experienced nurses dozed off by their bedsides.


    This should be the special care ward of Hongjing Hospital, where retired officials of a certain rank or people with special relationships live. But Xing Conglian¡¯s suggestion for him to stay here should have nothing to do with privilege. It seemed that Captain Xing thought that the single rooms here met his requirements.


    Xing Conglian pushed open the door. The sky outside the window was already completely dark. The hospital gown that he had to change into was folded on the bed, and there were a bunch of sunflowers on the bedside table.


    Lin Chen took a whiff of the smell of disinfectant in the ward and obediently sat on the bed. He pulled down the tabletop by the bed and patted the empty space next to him, indicating for Xing Conglian to sit opposite him.


    In the quiet ward, where one could hear a pin drop. The two of them sat facing each other under the bright lights.


    After sitting face-to-face for about two minutes, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Is Consultant Lin trying to talk to me and hold a family meeting?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the table and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Do you notice what¡¯s missing here?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked around and said, ¡°Black-suited bodyguards and beautiful female caregivers?¡±


    Lin Chen knocked on the empty table and said, ¡°Captain Xing, we are facing a very serious situation now. It¡¯s already 6:30 in the evening, and our dinner hasn¡¯t arrived yet. After learning about your identity, I think we need to celebrate a bit.¡±


    Xing Conglian breathed a sigh of relief, looking like he was afraid of being scared to death. Then he took out his phone and asked, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°KFC,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian paused his action of dialing the phone. ¡°Consultant Lin, let me give you a chance to correct your answer.¡±


    ¡°I want to eat KFC,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a capricious request.¡± Xing Conglian raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your wound hasn¡¯t fully healed. Can you eat something so greasy?¡±


    ¡°After surviving in the wild rainforest, I need some modern industrial food to help adjust my body and mind.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at him very puzzled. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I just want to eat it. If I had a phone that I could use in China, I would have made an excuse to go to the bathroom and secretly called Wang Chao for delivery.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed out loud. ¡°Why call Wang Chao? Can¡¯t you just order from a delivery service directly?¡±


    ¡°A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant-hole*. No matter how big your family business is, you still have to save money. You use mobile coupons, member points, and even save on delivery fees when you buy on-site.¡± Lin Chen replied.


    *(ǧÀïÖ®µÌ»ÙÓÚÒÏѨ) Proverb referring to even a small problem or seemingly insignificant issue can lead to catastrophic consequences if it is ignored or left unaddressed for a long time.


    Xing Conglian stared at him for a while, then lowered his head and dialed Wang Chao¡¯s phone. Before the call was connected, he nodded and said to him, ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When the dynasty arrived, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were leaning against the sickbed watching <Boonie Bears>.


    A young man pushed the door open, half-wet, carrying a big bag of fried chicken and a few hard drives in plastic bags.


    Seeing their cuddling state, Wang Chao was very dissatisfied and threw the KFC takeout and hard drives on the coffee table before sitting down.


    As if not stimulated enough, Xing Conglian lifted the bed table, tapped the tabletop, and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Hand it over. Do I have to go and get it myself?¡±


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re too much!¡± Wang Chao shouted. ¡°Leaving me alone in the amusement park is one thing, but why are you watching cartoons on the sickbed?¡±


    ¡°Well done with the emphasis sentence, not bad,¡± Xing Conglian half-seriously commented.


    Wang Chao was again upset, but he still picked up the takeaway bag and put it on the bed table.


    After looking at them for a while, Wang Chao finally found an attack point and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Big Boss, what¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re sharing a bed with A¡¯Chen Gege, who is sick!¡±


    Lin Chen was opening the paper bag of the finger-licking original flavor chicken. He couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and laugh when he heard this question.


    Sure enough, Xing Conglian answered with a chicken wing in his mouth. ¡°Oh, you still don¡¯t know? A¡¯Chen and I are in love¡­¡± He finished and pretended to glance at Wang Chao casually and said, ¡°Sorry, I forgot. You¡¯ve never been in love¡­ tsk, tsk¡­¡±


    Hearing this, the teenager was so angry that he couldn¡¯t find any words to refute, so he could only grind his teeth.


    Seeing this, Lin Chen picked up the remote control and ended Bald Victor¡¯s pursuit of Briar*, then said to Wang Chao, ¡°Come and sit down and eat. Watching cartoons is meant to relax.¡±


    *Clarity: Characters from Boonie Bears.


    Wang Chao was the type who was easily coaxed. Three seconds later, the teenager took off his shoes and squatted in front of them, happily munching on the chicken nuggets.


    Lin Chen got off the bed, went to the bathroom, and brought a towel, throwing it on Wang Chao. ¡°Dry off first. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡±


    Wang Chao was moved. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you¡¯re a good person. There is genuine affection in the world.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the surveillance?¡± Lin Chen sat back on the bed, tore off a piece of meat, and asked.


    Wang Chao almost choked on a piece of chicken. He looked at the chicken in front of him, then at Lin Chen¡¯s face, and almost cried, ¡°Why am I so unlucky¡­¡±


    Teasing Wang Chao was really fun. Lin Chen rubbed the young man¡¯s wet head with a clean hand and said, ¡°Talk while you eat. I didn¡¯t tell you to put down the food.¡±


    But Wang Chao stopped very seriously. ¡°Let me report briefly. First, the surveillance quality of Hongjing¡¯s Amusement Park is too poor¡ªthe old black and white type. When we zoom in on the monitor, it¡¯s hard to see anything. Second, I have taken out the hard drive. We can connect it to the TV in the ward and watch it, but the video footage of the incident is still very poor after being processed.¡±


    Xing Conglian spat out a bone next to him, feeling depressed that his entire plan was falling apart. He said to Wang Chao, ¡°Excuse me, sir, who allowed you to use the TV in the ward?¡±


    ¡°Oh, then should I use my computer? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not convenient for A¡¯Chen Gege to watch. Shall I go get it now?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Xing Conglian was furious. ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, this is a place for A¡¯Chen Gege to recuperate. Don¡¯t fall for his tricks and get misled easily.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re right. I almost fell for it,¡± Wang Chao realized and said firmly.


    Anyway, the three of them were often easily separated into two alliances, so Lin Chen looked slightly helpless as he saw the two of them now united against him. ¡°I really think that Tan Kang may have come to the amusement park to meet someone, so the video footage of the scene where he was stabbed is important.¡±


    Wang Chao asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen, do you think the person Tan Kang wanted to meet will be near the scene?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily nearby, but if there is such a person, when they find out the person they are waiting for hasn¡¯t come for a long time and a homicide has occurred in the park, they will come take a look,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll adjust the video for you,¡± Wang Chao said.


    Wang Chao rolled off the bed and started tinkering with the TV and computer cables. Soon, the screen turned blue, and then a high gray-scale scene appeared.


    As Comrade Zhang Xiaolong said at the beginning, the video was very blurry. When zoomed in on the 27-inch LCD TV in the hospital, there were countless noises. From the black and white images, only a vague chaos at the scene could be seen.


    However, the image quality had already been processed by Wang Chao, and two arrows with different colors appeared above Tan Kang and the murderer¡¯s heads, barely indicating their positions.


    Tan Kang walked across the bridge and passed by a man wearing a duck-billed cap and holding a balloon. The man only slightly raised his arm, and there was no abnormality visible at the time until Tan Kang leaned against the sign and lay down.


    ¡°Repeat from 3 minutes and 10 seconds to 3 minutes and 30 seconds a few times,¡± Lin Chen said to Wang Chao after watching for a while.


    The scene began to repeat, from Tan Kang holding his chest to being bumped into by someone and finally falling down next to the sign¡­


    By the end, Wang Chao couldn¡¯t eat anything in front of him anymore.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege¡­¡± the young man called out softly.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Lin Chen suddenly said.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t react in time and pressed the pause button a little late. On the screen, Tan Kang had already fallen to the ground.


    ¡°A little further back,¡± Lin Chen said.


    The TV screen finally paused at the moment when Tan Kang was about to fall and was suspended in mid-air.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian exchanged a glance, understanding each other¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this screen?¡± Wang Chao asked tentatively.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Tan Kang¡¯s posture on the ground is very twisted?¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°The murderer used a weapon about 2.5 cm wide to stab Tan Kang¡¯s heart. The internal pressure of the heart was extremely high. When he pulled out the blade, the blood gushed out instantly. The oxygen content in his brain would immediately decrease, and he would lose consciousness in a very short period of time. There was basically no possibility of survival¡­ ¡°


    Lin Chen nodded, ¡°In other words, he used his remaining willpower to maintain this very twisted angle before dying. Of course, you can also say that this is because his pain caused his body to twist, but I still think that the reason why he fell in this way is because he subconsciously and persistently looked at a certain place in the amusement park before he died.¡±


    ¡°The location of the person he was meeting?¡± Wang Chao suddenly realized. He quickly brought up the map of the amusement park, and, according to Tan Kang¡¯s perspective when he fell, he could basically determine that he was looking at the west side of the park.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Wang Chao marked out a rough, fan-shaped area on the map. ¡°The carousel, European Castle, Candyland¡­¡± The teenager sighed deeply. ¡°This area covers several thousand square meters.¡±


    ¡°Are there any other angles to the recording?¡± Lin Chen asked. ¡°When he entered the unfamiliar area and had to choose a route, he might have first looked for the target¡¯s location and then made a choice.¡±


    Wang Chao adjusted as instructed, and sure enough, Tan Kang had also looked up in the same direction before that.


    ¡°This angle¡­¡±


    ¡°He should be looking at something high?¡± Xing Conglian murmured.


    Lin Chen thought of the moment when he stood at the same angle and suddenly realized. ¡°The European castle.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°So, if I check if there was any suspicious person lingering around the castle when the incident occurred, we can determine that Tan Kang came here to meet someone, and we can find that person?¡±


    ¡°If this suspicious person didn¡¯t participate in any amusement activities when he arrived and left in a hurry, or even went to the scene of the crime, it would further explain the problem,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Yes sir*!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed excitedly.


    *Said in English.


    Xing Conglian clapped his hands and suddenly interrupted their conversation.


    ¡°Understand what you need to do and take your crispy chicken sandwich and leave,¡± he said to Wang Chao. ¡°Remember to continue working overtime at home, not only to confirm the contact person but also to confirm the routes of both the killer and Tan Kang himself.¡±


    Wang Chao rubbed his ears, stared blankly at the TV screen, then turned to look at the pouring rain outside the window. Finally, he asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Boss, where should I go?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home today?¡±


    Wang Chao was very surprised. ¡°Boss, is this what you call burning bridges after crossing the river*?¡±


    *(¹ýºÓ²ðÇÅ) Idiom referring to being ungrateful or turning against someone who has helped you in the past.


    ¡°Let me correct you, Comrade Xiao Wang. Asking you to go home is not called burning bridges, it¡¯s called being merciful. After all, I still have the option of kicking you out of the door,¡± Xing Conglian said proudly.


    ¡°But no one has lived there for half a month!¡± Wang Chao looked horrified.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t get paid every month, and you can live wherever you want if you think my house is dirty.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    This question once again hit Xing Conglian right where it hurt.


    Xing Conglian said proudly, ¡°My boyfriend is in the hospital, and I have to stay with him.¡± Then, looking at Wang Chao vigilantly, he said, ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, I hope you¡¯re not planning to stay here. You¡¯re like a third wheel and an eyesore.¡±


    Wang Chao stepped back and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°Boss, did you leave your face on the plane? Should I go get it for you?¡±


    ¡°Whatever. As long as you leave the ward, you can do whatever you want.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s face was already red with anger. Seeing this, Lin Chen had to intervene and say, ¡°This is really not good¡­¡±


    Upon hearing this, Wang Chao looked up at Lin Chen with the innocent expression of a small pet, while Xing Conglian also turned his head.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Find him a trustworthy housekeeping service to clean up the house so he can go back to live there.¡±


    Xing Conglian laughed out loud and almost rolled on the bed. ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, I¡¯ll arrange for the most capable auntie for you. You can go downstairs now, and I¡¯ll call a taxi for you. Isn¡¯t that thoughtful enough?¡±


    Wang Chao was so angry that he stood up from the sofa and started packing his bag.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and asked.


    Xing Conglian smiled and said, ¡°Nothing, nothing! I just really like your style as master of the house right now.¡±


    Wang Chao was picking what food he wanted to eat from the KFC bag when he heard this. He glared at Xing Conglian, didn¡¯t take the sandwich on the table, and walked out of the ward in anger.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± the teenager stood in the doorway against the light and said angrily to them.

 CH 207

    The next morning, before eight, Wang Chao came to report.


    With the intention of scaring them, the teenager burst in without even knocking on the door.


    But the scene inside wasn¡¯t as bad as he had imagined.


    As Wang Chao snuck in like a thief, Lin Chen was reading an uninteresting magazine with the bedside lamp on. He looked up at the quietly approaching youngster and saw him petrified in front of the sofa.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked softly.


    The young man recovered from his shock and disappointedly pointed at the dismantled sofa bed.


    On the sofa bed, Xing Conglian had covered himself with a thin blanket and slept with his clothes on. He was sleeping deeply and didn¡¯t even wake up when Wang Chao pushed the door open.


    Lin Chen explained, ¡°He went back to the police station for overtime yesterday and didn¡¯t return until five in the morning.¡±


    Hearing this, Wang Chao snapped out of his shock.


    The teenager sat down at the bedside table with a breakfast bag, feeling hesitant to speak. But the mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. The Boss actually slept on the sofa?¡±


    Lin Chen put down the magazine and started to look into today¡¯s breakfast delivery. He asked Wang Chao, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Wang Chao whispered into his ear and looked at the sleeping gentleman on the bed, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, is there something wrong with Sister* Xing? You can quietly tell me.¡±


    *The term he¡¯s using is (´óÉ©) which is sister-in-law (Lin Chen¡¯s wife).


    Lin Chen calmly grabbed the disposable bamboo chopstick, opened the box of preserved egg and lean meat porridge from the best Xu Ji porridge shop nearby, and then replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Wang Chao grinned and asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know when this little comrade had become so gossipy. He took a sip of porridge and said leisurely, ¡°Wang Chao¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Stop asking.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it will shock you,¡± Lin Chen replied as he opened a bowl of porridge for Wang Chao and handed him a pair of chopsticks.


    Wang Chao opened his mouth in surprise and looked disapproving. He had a confused expression on his face as if he was questioning life. In the end, he had no choice but to obediently start drinking the porridge.


    The fragrance of breakfast porridge wafted over, and Lin Chen took a light sniff. He felt that something was off in the air. He looked at Wang Chao, only to realize that the young man was still wearing the same black punk burnout cotton T-shirt with a few patches from yesterday, and he had a faint smell of smoke all over him.


    So Lin Chen asked suspiciously, ¡°You didn¡¯t go home last night?¡±


    ¡°No, I went to an internet caf¨¦ last night,¡± Wang Chao replied happily.


    Lin Chen frowned. ¡°Wasn¡¯t anyone cleaning the house?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but I didn¡¯t go back to check. The internet caf¨¦ serves food, has a place to sleep, and even has League of Legends. What¡¯s not good about it?¡± Wang Chao said while taking out three portions of crispy beef cakes from the breakfast bag. ¡°Besides, the internet caf¨¦ I went to even has a bathroom. Hehehe, it¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep at the internet caf¨¦ in the future. At least get a hotel room¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, A¡¯chen Gege, don¡¯t worry. I mainly went to the internet caf¨¦ to watch surveillance videos. I can open ten computers to watch simultaneously. It¡¯s awesome,¡± he said excitedly, patting his thighs. ¡°And A¡¯Chen Gege, you were right. There really is such a mysterious man in a hoodie!¡±


    Lin Chen looked up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the story with the mysterious man in a hoodie?¡±


    ¡°During the incident, a suspicious-looking man in a hoodie lingered around the European Castle area of the Hongjing Amusement Park. Afterward, he went to the scene of the crime and quickly left!¡±


    Wang Chao jumped out of bed, biting his chopsticks, saying one thing and doing another, and quickly connected the computer and TV again.


    Lin Chen held his chopsticks and stared at the monitor.


    Indeed, there appeared to be a strange figure sitting on a bench outside the European Castle of the Hongjing Amusement Park, seemingly playing with his phone. The person wore a hoodie and kept his head down, never looking up at anyone else. He seemed deeply absorbed in the content on his phone. At a certain point in time, the man suddenly stood up and left the bench without hesitation.


    Lin Chen noticed the time displayed at the bottom of the screen, which was exactly 10:15, eight minutes after Tan Kang was stabbed to death.


    It seemed that this was the appointed time. Lin Chen thought to himself.


    But¡­how should he put it? Lin Chen looked at the figure of the man in the hoodie that Wang Chao had just mentioned and couldn¡¯t explain the strange feeling in his heart.


    Although the case did seem like Tan Kang had come to the park to secretly meet with someone, once they found the evidence to support the inference, the inference itself gave people a sense of inexplicable absurdity.


    In modern society, there were countless ways to convey information. Why did Tan Kang choose the most primitive way of meeting?


    Seeing that he had been silent for a long time, Wang Chao suddenly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, A¡¯chen Gege?¡±


    Lin Chen held his bowl of porridge and said, ¡°This is too simple.¡±


    ¡°Ah, where is it simple?¡± Wang Chao didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Our process of finding this intermediary person is too simple,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°But, but if it weren¡¯t for your analysis of his falling motion, I might not have been able to find this ¡®mysterious man in a hoodie¡¯!¡±


    Wang Chao was very persistent in giving the mysterious figure a nickname.


    Lin Chen nodded and asked, ¡°But have you ever thought about why they chose this mysterious spy-style means of meeting?¡±


    ¡°Because all of Tan Kang¡¯s electronic communications were being monitored, whether it was his phone or computer, he had to meet this person in person?¡±


    ¡°But in any case, since they agreed to meet here, they must have had first contact with each other. How did he contact this person for the first time?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Chao was speechless for a moment. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Two possibilities: First, the intermediary person is an acquaintance of Tan Kang, and they had face-to-face conversations and agreed to meet here; second, he knew a middleman who conveyed the message and got in touch with this intermediary person through him; third¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the third possibility?¡±


    ¡°The third possibility is that he called this person directly without going through anyone else and agreed to meet here.¡±


    At this moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°The first possibility hardly exists. Hongjing Amusement Park has surveillance cameras and requires tickets. If acquaintances want to meet up, it¡¯s not good to choose places without surveillance cameras, and it¡¯s not as if they¡¯re dating.¡±


    Lin Chen turned around and saw Xing Conglian getting up from the sofa bed, rubbing his face in a daze.


    Xing Conglian looked at the screen and beckoned to Wang Chao while speaking. Perhaps he had just spoken ill of Xing Conglian, so this time, Wang Chao very flatteringly served up the food.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep a little longer?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I have an appointment with Zhourui Pharmaceutical at 9:30,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen was about to speak, but Xing Conglian added, ¡°You have a full-body examination at 11 today, so behave and stay at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do the full-body examination alone, so don¡¯t rush back,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Wang Chao interrupted them. ¡°It might necessarily be about dating¡­ After all, times are changing. Maybe the mysterious hoodie man is Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s secret lover!¡±


    Lin Chen helplessly glanced at the young man. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this mysterious hoodie man had been to the Tan Kang murder scene?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Retrieve the crime scene video.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded. When the person arrived at the scene, the police and amusement park security were already there, and the cordon had been raised, with most of the crowd on the periphery.


    The mysterious hoodie man mentioned by Wang Chao had indeed been to the cordon, but he only stayed at the scene for a short period of time, confirmed the situation, and then left.


    ¡°What¡¯s your feeling?¡± Lin Chen asked Wang Chao.


    ¡°Uh¡­I can¡¯t say for sure,¡± Wang Chao replied.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a lover, when one party dies, the other only pauses and is shocked for less than 10 seconds without the usual grieving gesture like covering their mouth with their hand. Is this reasonable?¡± Lin Chen counted the seconds the hoodie man had looked at Tan Kang¡¯s body and continued, ¡°And, moreover, the body language is not that of someone grieving.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Wang Chao was confused again. ¡°Is the person I found really the one Tan Kang wanted to meet? Why did Dr. Tan Kang have such an obsession until his death, while this person left so casually?¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Comrade Xiao Wang. You have finally discovered the problem!¡± Xing Conglian laughed, ¡°And the video you found not only shows that the person who made contact isn¡¯t very concerned about Tan Kang¡¯s life and death, but also that this contact person is not very professional.¡±


    ¡°Boss, what do you mean by not being professional?¡±


    ¡°It means that spying activities that can be captured by surveillance cameras are not professional.¡± Xing Conglian took a bite of beef pancake and asked, ¡°Did you capture his face?¡±


    ¡°He kept his head down and his hoodie covered him, so we didn¡¯t capture it. Isn¡¯t that professional enough?¡±


    Xing Conglian did not comment on this. ¡°It¡¯s probably because the amusement park¡¯s surveillance is poor. Haven¡¯t you encountered someone who can avoid surveillance cameras all the way?¡±


    Wang Chao was speechless with the rebuttal. ¡°Then why did Tan Kang come to the amusement park to meet this unprofessional person secretly and even die in the process?¡±


    ¡°Then we need to investigate based on the two or three possibilities suggested by your A¡¯Chen Gege. First, filter through Tan Kang¡¯s recent communication records and see if he made any calls that he had never made before. If there are no results, then expand the search area a bit and see if he has used any public phones or the like¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s blood was boiling as he shouted, then fell back down again. ¡°But if he used a public phone, isn¡¯t that like looking for a needle in a haystack? We would have to analyze Tan Kang¡¯s daily activities to come to any conclusion.¡±


    ¡°So my point is that if there is no significant progress in this project, we can end it, because if Tan Kang was murdered, then which of the three possibilities do you think is the most likely?¡±


    ¡°The second one. There may be a middleman who leaked information, leading to Tan Kang being stabbed to death,¡± Wang Chao replied.


    ¡°What does Consultant Lin think?¡± Xing Conglian turned to him and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely accurate.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Rather than there being a leaker, it¡¯s possible that this was a loyalty test in and of itself,¡± Lin Chen said as he looked at the dim TV screen. ¡°The killer was able to calculate Tan Kang¡¯s movements yesterday, intercept him accurately, and be prepared enough to kill him with one blow and then escape smoothly. This couldn¡¯t have been done without sufficient preparation. And that so-called middleman is likely just a lure. Someone dug a pit, put in some tempting bait, and Tan Kang jumped in without suspecting anything, only to be stabbed by the blade in the pit.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice grew colder and colder.


    Wang Chao took a sharp breath.


    Xing Conglian lightly ran his index finger across his throat, revealing a very cautious and vigilant expression.

 CH 208

    Since Tan Kang was killed, he must have done or prepared to do something that crossed the killer¡¯s bottom line.


    There were, of course, psychopathic killers who would just kill if they didn¡¯t think you were pleasing to the eye, but obviously this was an extreme example that didn¡¯t apply to Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s murder. He was killed in a premeditated conspiracy, and they were all sure of that.


    But being sure of this didn¡¯t mean they had solved the case. It was just a direction; they still had to investigate who the killer was and why Tan Kang was killed.


    Xing Conglian went with Wang Chao to search for clues before Tan Kang¡¯s death at the Zhourui Pharmaceutical headquarters, while Lin Chen stayed alone in the hospital. The office wasn¡¯t a place where one would want to hide secrets. The slightest movements and changes in emotions would be noticed, remembered, and discussed secretly. This wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. This was how social interaction works.


    The staff at Zhourui Pharmaceutical had already prepared tea early on.


    Xing Conglian sat alone in the reception room, listening to the other party politely offer to replace the green tea with coffee or any other beverage if necessary.


    He didn¡¯t seem eager to investigate the case, but instead smiled and asked if they also provided an alcohol menu.


    The female employee in professional attire suddenly turned red when she heard this. Just then, the office door was pushed open again, and the female employee suddenly stood at attention and reverted to her professional routine look.


    From the sound of the sharp high heels stepping into the office, Xing Conglian could probably guess that the person coming must be a cold and arrogant lady who didn¡¯t tolerate nonsense. He took a sip of tea and said to the female employee in front of him, ¡°Just green tea,¡± before turning to look behind him.


    The fragrance of cold perfume, tall and styled black hair, high heels over 10 cm, and the pure black professional suit of the lady coming towards him were more terrifying than he had imagined.


    Yesterday, after the case was reported, some police officers from the bureau had already conducted a round of investigations at Zhourui, and the two who came back told Xing Conglian that the manager of the public relations department, Zhang Min, was particularly¡­


    They couldn¡¯t think of any adjectives to describe her after saying ¡°particularly¡±. Xing Conglian could now fill in the missing adjectives for these two people.


    Manager Zhang of the public relations department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical was particularly precise, particularly meticulous, and particularly tough like a well-oiled machine on the assembly line.


    Xing Conglian stood up and shook hands with the other party.


    ¡°Hello, Captain Xing, can the child who came with you wait in the lobby?¡± The first thing Manager Zhang asked was this.


    Xing Conglian sighed secretly, knowing that the investigation work from Zhourui Pharmaceutical was really well done. He and Wang Chao entered the door one after the other, and the other party even knew that Wang Chao came with him. He sighed and half-jokingly replied, ¡°Yes, my wife is not feeling well, and the child has no one to take care of, so I had to bring him to work with me.¡±


    Manager Zhang didn¡¯t look at him suspiciously but pointed out the problem directly. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be old enough to be the father of a high school student.¡±


    ¡°Mainly because I have a baby face.¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    A normal person would probably be choked and unable to speak after hearing such an obviously evasive answer, but Manager Zhang insisted on making herself clear. ¡°If you¡¯re here to investigate Zhourui Pharmaceutical with some secret personnel, there¡¯s no need to do this. Everything in our company is open to the police.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°Of course, except for some commercial secrets. You need a search warrant from the court to see those.¡±


    ¡°Why bother?¡± Xing Conglian raised his voice. ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceuticals pays so much tax to our city every year, and the higher-ups have already explained it to me. We must not be too difficult on our taxpayers. This is a routine investigation. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    Manager Zhang crossed her arms and smirked coldly.


    ¡°So, Captain Xing, how do you plan to investigate?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go to Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s office first and see if his secretary is available to accompany me,¡± Xing Conglian said, thinking for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll also need your cooperation to talk to the office staff and ask for their cooperation in the investigation. I might find some clues and need to ask someone a few questions¡­¡±


    ¡°Please rest assured that Zhourui Pharmaceuticals will definitely cooperate with the investigation,¡± Manager Zhang said confidently, gesturing to the side.


    Xing Conglian tilted his head and smiled. ¡°Then, would you please lead the way, Manager Zhang?¡±


    With just a few words exchanged with the head of the public relations department, Xing Conglian was already missing Lin Chen. Without Lin Chen by his side, he could only deal with these difficult people himself during the investigation.


    Xing Conglian walked along the corridor in the office area, smelling the faint scent of disinfectant in the air, and casually remarked, ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical has had a lot of trouble recently. There was even an employee who held a doctor in Yongchuan hostage before and was killed¡­¡±


    Manager Zhang suddenly stopped in her tracks, and Xing Conglian almost ran into her.


    ¡°Captain Xing, please speak plainly if you have something to say. Don¡¯t beat around the bush,¡± Manager Zhang turned around and said coldly.


    ¡°Hey, hey. I was just talking casually. Don¡¯t get excited. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    ¡°As a Zhourui employee, how could I not get excited? Captain Xing, aren¡¯t you implying that our company has some shady dealings in the process of promoting our new drug, or even maliciously attacking the experts from the Food and Drug Administration during the review process? But have you ever thought about how this would have a more negative impact on our company than benefits? Do we have any reason to tarnish our new drug in this way? If we¡¯re not careful, the drug could be permanently banned, and the billions of dollars in initial investment would be wasted.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± Xing Conglian rubbed his chin. ¡°But now, your new drug¡ªwhat¡¯s it¡¯s called¡ª¡¯Nordron¡¯, has already been approved for marketing. It doesn¡¯t seem to have a big impact, does it?¡±


    ¡°Nordren,¡± Manager Zhang said directly. ¡°Your conversation just now was full of ridicule. I can feel your bias against our company.¡±


    In Xing Conglian¡¯s impression, those in charge of the public relations department were usually soft-spoken and easy to talk to. Zhourui Pharmaceutical had a unique taste, since they had hired such a strong-willed person in charge.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it bias. Look, for the sake of a drug, several people have died in your company. Even if I¡¯m not a detective, ordinary people would be suspicious, right?¡±


    ¡°If you have any doubts about our company¡¯s medication, you can apply for intervention from the Food and Drug Administration to investigate¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have any suspicions for now!¡± Xing Cong interrupted her. ¡°Chemical medicine is something that really gives me a headache. Don¡¯t make me look into that. What I mean is, you¡¯ve been working here for so long, you must have a good eye for things, yet you didn¡¯t find anything unusual, especially with Dr. Tan Kang¡­¡±


    The female manager was about to speak, but Xing Conglian interrupted her again, his tone serious. ¡°Think carefully before you answer. Answering too quickly will make it seem rehearsed.¡±


    After speaking, he walked straight to the large office of the research and development department, not saying anything more to Manager Zhang.


    As he walked into the office, at least a dozen pairs of eyes looked at him. Xing Conglian smiled and looked back at the most cautious-looking pair of eyes in the corner. The person quickly looked away, and Xing Conglian noted the position of that desk before he came to the door of Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s office.


    There was still a nameplate with ¡°Tan Kang¡± on the door, and a police seal was posted on the side of the door.


    In fact, this seal didn¡¯t quite meet the standards, but Xing Conglian was mindful of it before the forensic police officers came here to do their work yesterday. He instructed the officers not to touch anything inside after collecting the evidence, put all the items back in their original places, take photos of the scene, and then post the seal before leaving.


    He tore off the seal, walked into the office, and closed the door. There were no signs that the seal had been removed, and the office didn¡¯t look like someone had sneaked in. This indicated that there might not be any important clues in Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s office that the killer was interested in, which disappointed Xing Conglian. He put on gloves and sat in Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s office chair.


    The same was true of the desk. Lin Chen would probably make some character evaluations if he were here. In fact, with Lin Chen¡¯s restless personality, he was probably lying in bed now, looking at the photos of the office taken by the forensic police officers yesterday¡­


    Sure enough, just as he thought this, Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded in his ear. ¡°Tan Kang¡¯s is left-handed.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to focus on the medical examination?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he scanned the layout of the entire desk. There was a photo of Tan Kang working on the desk, and Dr. Tan Kang did indeed hold his pen with his left hand. The lighting and the placement of some important items on the desk all indicated this. Finally, his gaze fell on the mouse next to Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s keyboard.


    ¡°Is it reasonable to have a left-handed mouse on the right side?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lin Chen said.


    This situation could only mean that after Mr. Tan Kang last used his computer, a right-handed person had also used it.


    Thinking of Dr. Tan Kang being murdered, Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Do you think the people from Zhourui Pharmaceutical deleted important information from his computer, or did they come over to check if Dr. Tan Kang had ¡®smuggled¡¯ company secrets out?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we need to investigate to find out. I hope the forensics department has collected fingerprints from the mouse.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice came through the earphones, making him feel itchy. Since he started dating Lin Chen, Xing Conglian felt that his enjoyment of life had been increasing day by day.


    ¡°Of course, we¡¯ve collected them¡­¡± Xing Conglian was about to speak but was interrupted by a light cough on the earphone channel.


    ¡°Boss, there are two black-clothed bodyguards from Zhourui sitting ten meters away from me, monitoring me. Can you stop dating for a moment? Do you think they will do something to me?¡±


    Only then did Xing Conglian remember that Wang Chao was still in the channel. He thought the teenager was probably playing games on the sofa in the lobby, and he was angry. ¡°Do you look like you are worth someone doing something to you? I need to check the computer usage records of Tan Kang¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m being monitored now.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±


    Wang Chao dragged his tone. ¡°First, please turn on the computer.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xing Conglian bent down to turn on the computer. The office door was pushed open by Manager Zhang, who was accompanied by Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s secretary. Manager Zhang said sharply, ¡°Captain Xing, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Tying my shoelaces.¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡°I thought you were secretly checking the office computer of our company¡¯s important developer,¡± Manager Zhang sneered. ¡°This computer belongs to the company¡¯s property. Its owner was the most senior R&D personnel of our company. Unless you confirm that there is evidence or clues closely related to the murder of Dr. Tan Kang, and obtain a search warrant from the court, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled and raised his hand, ¡°No, no¡­¡±


    However, the computer¡¯s startup sound betrayed him.


    The screen suddenly lit up, and Xing Conglian glanced at the main interface. The only hope was that Wang Chao¡¯s hand speed was fast enough. Zhang Min stepped on her high heels hard and rushed over at lightning speed. Xing Conglian had to pretend to stand up with too much movement and swept the mouse to the ground. In that instant, Zhang Min almost impossibly picked up the mouse; her gaze cold.


    Xing Conglian took a step back and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡±


    Although he said so, there was no hint of remorse on his face. The female manager bent down to pick up the mouse, and Wang Chao¡¯s comment ¡°It¡¯s done, but your acting skills are too poor, Boss¡± came through Xing Conglian¡¯s earphones.


    The computer was turned off again, and Xing Conglian began to wander around the office as if nothing had happened. He wore gloves, and his fingers swept across Tan Kang¡¯s bookshelf.


    Zhang Min was still emphasizing to him, ¡°Captain Xing, the state has given us taxpayers the right to accept fair and just investigations. Our company has opened Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s office to you, which shows our sincerity.¡±


    Xing Conglian turned around and asked the female secretary, who had been standing by silently, ¡°Why is Manager Zhang so nervous? Is there anything particularly strange on your boss¡¯s computer?¡±


    The female secretary rubbed her clothes¡¯ corners with her fingers, hesitant to speak.


    Xing Conglian shifted his gaze to Zhang Min. ¡°Manager Zhang, this is still a problem for us police.¡±


    ¡°If you have anything to say, Mr. Police Officer, ask it,¡± Zhang Min said solemnly.


    ¡°No, Manager Zhang is very nervous because there are indeed some company secrets on the boss¡¯ computer. Basically, all the materials from the R&D department and the medical department are collected by the boss. It¡¯s really not because we don¡¯t want you to see it.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Do you have things like Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s schedule? I want to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The secretary ran out quickly and came back in a hurry.


    Zhang Min stood with her arms crossed and supervised their conversation.


    Xing Conglian flipped through the schedule book. Sure enough, Tan Kang¡¯s schedule for yesterday was originally full of meetings, but suddenly it was canceled and changed to a day off.


    ¡°The boss suddenly proposed to take the day off. It was about 7 p.m. the day before yesterday. He suddenly called me and said that he had a severe cold and would take a day off tomorrow, canceling all his schedule.¡±


    ¡°Did he come to work on the day he asked for leave? Was there anything unusual happening?¡±


    ¡°The boss came to work that day. As for unusual things¡­ there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything¡­ except that he left a little late.¡± Ms. Secretary fell into deep thought. ¡°There was nothing special except that.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and suddenly asked, ¡°Seeing that Manager Zhang is so nervous about the computer, I suppose Mr. Tan Kang¡¯s office is off-limits to outsiders, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if the boss is not here, we cannot enter. There are also surveillance cameras at the entrance. Indeed, there are too many commercial secrets involved here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Xing Conglian put away the schedule book and asked, ¡°Can I take this book with me?¡± He handed the notebook to Zhang Min. ¡°Does Manager Zhang want to check it again to see if it involves any of your company¡¯s commercial secrets?¡±


    Zhang Min shook her head and handed it back, saying, ¡°No need. Our company is not that secretive.¡±


    Xing Conglian put the notebook in his pocket and walked around the office again. He suddenly stopped in front of a small book on the desk and flicked it with his hand. A loose-leaf notebook with the logo of Zhourui Pharmaceutical was scattered.


    He pressed the notebook with his finger and asked the secretary, ¡°Is this notebook exclusively for your boss? I see that the cover is the same as yours.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are all distributed uniformly by the company.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at Zhang Min, casually flipped through the notebook, looked at the photo of a little girl inside, and silently put it back.


    He symbolically looked around the office a few times and finally smiled and said to the two people in the office, ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing¡¯s efficiency is indeed high.¡±


    ¡°Well, as I said, it¡¯s just a routine matter, but Manager Zhang is so uneasy.¡± He walked to the door and said, ¡°I¡¯m very interested in Mr. Tan¡¯s notebook. If Manager Zhang thinks the content is inconvenient, I can leave it, but can I take the shell?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen sat on the hospital bed, very surprised to hear Xing Conglian¡¯s words.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± he asked.


    Xing Conglian took a while before answering, ¡°That woman is very powerful.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t be afraid of women just because you¡¯re gay!¡± Wang Chao said.


    Then Lin Chen heard the usual sound of pulling hair and a scream, followed by the sound of the car door opening and closing.


    He calmly peeled off the grape skin beside him and waited for the two to finish their war.


    Finally, the voice of Xing Conglian sounded. ¡°Have you ever seen a manager of a public relations department who can fight better than your brother Zhang Long?¡±


    ¡°So powerful?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know when arrogant Comrade Zhang Long became a benchmark for fighting, but Xing Conglian added, ¡°That kid is actually a coward.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°That Manager Zhang¡¯s reaction is too agile, and her posture and demeanor indicate that she is quite skilled,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Boss, do you suspect that this terrible woman is the murderer who killed Dr. Tan Kang?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, but I remember that large pharmaceutical companies have global security departments, and Wang Chao¡­¡±


    Before Xing Conglian finished speaking, Wang Chao said, ¡°Zhang Min, 2001 to 2016, served as a staff member, deputy director, and director of the security department of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡­¡±


    ¡°So they specially found the head of the security department to deal with us police. Why are those in public relations never satisfied with their work?¡± Xing Conglian laughed. ¡°What is Zhourui Pharmaceutical afraid of¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss, can you not laugh so sinisterly?¡±


    ¡°Can we access Tan Kang¡¯s computer now?¡±


    ¡°I just set it to automatically turn on, and it should have already turned on.¡± Wang Chao paused and said timidly, ¡°Boss, what do you want to check?¡±


    ¡°Only check the usage record of this computer. Are there any abnormal emails and external device usage records in the three to five days before Tan Kang¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Boss, it¡¯s not easy for you to use the term ¡®external device¡¯!¡± Wang Chao made a deadpan, sarcastic remark again.


    Lin Chen stuffed the peeled grapes into his mouth and saved the teenager before he was beaten again. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s hand was still¡­


    ¡°Boss, there were no abnormal email and external device usage records.¡± Wang Chao said.


    Lin Chen was very surprised. Although no one had mentioned it before, everyone was guessing in their hearts that Tan Kang was likely to have been killed because he had stolen company-related information and was ready to hand it over to relevant parties, just like in movies. But now, Tan Kang hadn¡¯t used his office computer to steal any information, which was hard to understand.


    There was silence in the communication channel. In the end, it was Wang Chao who spoke. ¡°It¡¯s also possible that Mr. Tan Kang used a lab computer, and the key information is not here?¡±


    ¡°Should we change our thinking?¡± Wang Chao said, ¡°Maybe Mr. Tan Kang was a loyal person and was killed by a traitor. It¡¯s like the game Legends of the Three Kingdoms*!¡±


    *Chinese card games based on the Three Kingdoms period of China and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the game, one of the roles is a traitor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t guess for no reason,¡± Xing Conglian angrily said. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, ¡°Who entered his office after Tan Kang left two nights ago, and what did that person do on the computer?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you who it was.¡± Lin Chen heard Wang Chao munching on potato chips in his earphones. ¡°Because all the company¡¯s surveillance cameras were out of order during that time. How unlucky.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the answer to the second question?¡±


    ¡°From the time Tan Kang turned off the computer and left two nights ago until the day he was murdered, there was only one record of turning on the computer at 9:03 p.m. two nights ago. Oh, that big brother or sister did the same thing as us and checked the usage of external devices.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Xing Conglian dragged his tone.


    ¡°Someone also suspected that Tan Kang had stolen company information?¡± Wang Chao exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang¡­¡± Xing Conglian began to speak.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡±


    ¡°We should thank the computer for changing human life¡­¡± Xing Conglian said proudly.


    ¡°But how can you determine who the last person was that operated the computer?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°The mouse will leave fingerprints,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Thank you fingerprint identification technology.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of fingerprints if you don¡¯t have a comparison object?¡± Wang Chao began to pour cold water on it.


    Lin Chen thought to himself, then said, ¡°Did you get Zhang Min¡¯s fingerprint¡­ from the schedule book?¡±


    ¡°Hey, why are you so smart?¡± Xing Conglian said with satisfaction.


    Perhaps it was Xing Conglian¡¯s proud tone that left Wang Chao speechless.


    Lin Chen continued with the first question, ¡°Why did you suddenly stop the search just now? What¡¯s wrong with Tan Kang¡¯s own notebook?¡±


    ¡°Tan Kang¡¯s notebook is a spiral notebook with loose-leaf pages.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s left-handed. Left-handed people, because writing in a spiral notebook is uncomfortable, are more likely to get used to starting from the last page of a notebook and writing from left to right.¡±


    Lin Chen was very surprised. ¡°Are you saying that someone tampered with Tan Kang¡¯s notebook but put the paper in the wrong order?¡±


    ¡°Thank you to the lefties. Even after death, they can leave so much evidence.¡± Xing Conglian changed the subject, and said very seriously to him, ¡°Consultant Lin, your appointment for a physical examination should have started by now.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m putting on my shoes.¡± Lin Chen looked at the time and felt that Xing Conglian was really sharp.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the police station to deliver the physical evidence. It will take a while before I can come and accompany you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a small matter, and you¡¯ve mentioned it several times already.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a small matter for me. The proof of passing the physical examination is very important¡­¡± Xing Conglian raised his tone lightly, emphasizing the word ¡°passing¡±.


    Lin Chen understood the implicit meaning in his words and laughed.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like using his hands or mouth would put Lin Chen at risk¡­ or vice versa. Just saying¡­

 CH 209

    Lin Chen had certainly thought before that if one day he could be lucky enough to be with Xing Conglian, they would definitely have a very interesting life. As it turned out, his speculation was correct.


    After saying ¡°goodbye¡± to Xing Conglian, Lin Chen took out his headset and walked out of the ward with a thick stack of medical examination reports that needed to be filled out by a doctor.


    At the moment the door opened, the medical staff pushing the hospital bed whizzed past, and Lin Chen stepped back and stood back in the doorway.


    In a moment of surprise, he saw an old man lying on the hospital bed, feeling that fate was unpredictable, often just like this moment.


    He remembered yesterday walking through the special care ward and seeing the old man full of energy educating his subordinates, but now he lay on the hospital bed without any awareness, as if only one breath remained.


    The elevator door opened in the distance, and the hospital bed was quickly pushed in. The iron gate closed, and the floor numbers on the elevator sign quickly descended.


    Slow footsteps sounded behind him, and Lin Chen turned his head and was surprised to see the young subordinate who had been reprimanded by the old man yesterday.


    They looked at each other, and the young man in a suit and leather shoes avoided his gaze. It seemed he didn¡¯t intend to chase after the hospital bed.


    Lin Chen held the medical examination report and took a brief look at the other person. He turned his feet and walked towards the other person.


    The young man¡¯s hair was very soft, as if deliberately highlighting a fierce temperament, and his hairstyle was cut very short, making him look out of place. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and an ill-fitting suit, looked dejected, and had no pain or resentment on his face, only confusion.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Lin Chen greeted the other person.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect the other person to answer like this. ¡°Troubled? ¡°


    The young man lowered his head even more. ¡°When I was scolded by the chairman yesterday, you just happened to pass by.¡±


    Lin Chen was even more surprised. With such short eye contact yesterday, the young man could remember him, and now he mentioned this embarrassing thing specifically. Following the principle of saying what was on his mind, he asked strangely, ¡°Why suddenly bring this up?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± The young man hesitated. Although he looked like he didn¡¯t know whether to speak or not, he continued, ¡°I thought¡­you wanted to talk to me about something. I thought that this would be¡­the beginning¡­¡±


    He patted the other person¡¯s shoulder calmly and explained to him, ¡°Would you feel that such a beginning is suited for starting an intimate conversation?¡±


    The young man rubbed his face with his hand, shook his head, and turned to leave.


    Lin Chen was helpless. Why did he always encounter such vague and unclear things when he just went out for a medical examination? After the young man took a step out, he stopped him. ¡°I¡¯m going for a medical examination now. It will take about an hour. If you have time, would you like to accompany me?¡±


    The young man turned around and nodded vigorously.


    Lin Chen stood at the elevator entrance, and the young man beside him politely pressed the elevator button for him as if he were used to doing this. When the elevator door opened, the other person even held the door and let him go in first.


    ¡°The chairman is sick. Don¡¯t you have to go and keep him company?¡± Standing in the elevator, Lin Chen found a topic to chat with the other person.


    ¡°I made the chairman sick. He told me to fuck off and never show up in front of him again.¡±


    The young man¡¯s voice was thin and soft, as if it could be cut off at any moment. Lin Chen thought about this sentence in his heart. Normally, when a chairman met a disliked subordinate, he would only say ¡°you don¡¯t have to come to work tomorrow¡±. Saying things like ¡°fuck off¡± and ¡°never show up in front of me again¡± didn¡¯t seem quite right.


    ¡°Then resign.¡± He thought for a moment and replied.


    The young man looked at him resentfully.


    ¡°He¡¯s not your father, so you don¡¯t need to be so subservient.¡±


    The young man smiled bitterly.


    Lin Chen suddenly understood something. ¡°Is he really your father?¡±


    The young man lowered his head again and pecked like a little chick.


    ¡°Are relationships in rich families always so twisted that the son has to call his father the chairman¡­¡± Lin Chen said, thinking of Xing Conglian for no reason.


    In fact, since Xing Conglian revealed his wealth, he had always avoided thinking about this kind of issue. Who knew what the Xing family would do because the eldest grandson of the main branch married a homosexual. Although he subconsciously believed that Xing Conglian¡¯s parents wouldn¡¯t come to him throwing a check, it was hard to predict the thoughts of the rich.


    Just as Lin Chen was getting lost in his strange thoughts, the young man who had been following him finally couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°The chairman¡­ has always disliked me¡­ He thinks I¡¯m too weak¡­ And I made a big mistake recently¡­ I failed a bidding project¡­ and the chairman got sick because of anger¡­ Isn¡¯t that my fault?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Chen turned his head to look. He suddenly realized that since he met Duan Yang, he might have a special physique that attracted confused young people. Why was this stranger already telling him about his personal struggles?


    Lin Chen sighed, and the elevator door opened.


    He walked out first, and the young man followed like a lost little duck.


    ¡°What kind of illness does your father have?¡± Lin Chen stood at the elevator entrance and asked, looking at the floor indicator in the lobby.


    ¡°Hypertension, but the doctor said there might be a cerebral hemorrhage¡­¡±


    ¡°If there is a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, the patient should be sent for an MRI first, right?¡± Lin Chen followed the indicator and walked to the right.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but when I see you, I want to talk. I¡¯m really sorry¡­ It¡¯s not good for someone like me to be so forward, right?¡±


    ¡°I can only say that your personality is not suitable for the job you are doing now, such as being in charge of the bidding case, right?¡± Lin Chen said as he walked.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too direct.¡± The young man couldn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not really your personality that¡¯s the problem, but rather your temperament. You seem to have a typical phlegmatic temperament. You can remember me after a brief eye contact, which indicates that your intelligence and memory abilities are quite good. You are better suited to be a scientist or an artist, rather than managing a factory. The factory has wasted your potential,¡± Lin Chen comforted him.


    ¡°How do you know that I work at a factory?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a suit with the logo of ¡®Guanghua Chemicals¡¯ embroidered on it.¡±


    The young man nervously touched his pocket and said embarrassedly, ¡°I used to work in chemistry, but the chairman said I had to take over the factory in the future and couldn¡¯t do research anymore, so I was transferred to management. But I really don¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already not easy for you to know what you can and cannot do,¡± Lin Chen comforted him and led him to turn right.


    At the end of the hallway was a closed magnetic resonance imaging room, and the door reflected a metallic silver light.


    The young man also saw it, and his words trembled. ¡°You mean¡­me?¡±


    Lin Chen folded the medical report and put it in his pocket. ¡°Since he is your father, let me accompany you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with his words, but the young man¡¯s eyes turned red in an instant.


    Many people came and went outside the MRI room every day. Lin Chen stayed outside with the young man for a while, watching the patients and their families come and go, and listening to him talk about things related to the chairman.


    The young man said his name was Zhan Tianming, only one letter away from a famous railway expert. He hoped his father could survive, because he was worried that he would have to take on the heavy responsibility of managing the entire factory, but he also felt that such a mentality was too selfish. He wanted to become stronger, but his personality issues became a deep problem for him. He really couldn¡¯t manage people.


    Zhan Tianming didn¡¯t have deep feelings for his father, which stemmed from the constant criticism and lessons he received during his upbringing. His father controlled everything in his life, including his choice of major in chemistry in college and his current transfer to management. All of these decisions were made with the factory in mind.


    Lin Chen listened silently, building a psychological profile of this young man. Zhan Tianming¡¯s case was all too typical, and distorted father-son relationships often have similarities. He also quickly understood why Mr. Zhan would vent his inner emotions to anyone he could find because, in his life controlled by his father, he really didn¡¯t have anyone to talk to.


    Not long after, the isolation door of the MRI room opened again, and Mr. Zhan¡¯s attending doctor walked out. Zhan Tianming rushed up to him.


    ¡°The patient¡¯s brain hemorrhage is still relatively severe, but there should be no immediate danger to his life. I still recommend conservative treatment¡­¡± The doctor said a lot.


    After listening for a long time, Zhan Tianming finally asked, ¡°The chairman, will he recover?¡±


    ¡°You know, the brain is very difficult to predict. The specific damage situation depends on the absorption of the hematoma. I will still lower the blood pressure in the early stages and cooperate with some drugs that can absorb brain hematoma. However, brain damage is irreversible, and there are many drugs to choose from. The specific treatment plan will be determined after consultation¡­¡± The doctor wore a mask. When he said this, he suddenly stopped and said, ¡°I remember Mr. Zhan is in the pharmaceutical industry?¡±


    ¡°We are a chemical company and also produce pharmaceutical-related chemical additives. But strictly speaking, we cannot be considered a professional pharmaceutical company,¡± Zhan Tianming answered very honestly.


    ¡°If you can get some Nordren through special channels, Mr. Zhan¡¯s recovery may be better.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhan Tianming¡¯s expression visibly lowered. ¡± Nordren¡­?¡±


    Lin Chen had been sitting outside the MRI room all this time. When he heard the word ¡± Nordren¡±, he looked at the doctor in surprise. The doctor was about forty years old, and his expression when he mentioned Nordren didn¡¯t seem fake. He seemed to recommend the drug because its efficacy was indeed significant. And according to the doctor¡¯s words, Nordren hadn¡¯t yet been officially mass-produced, so it could only be obtained through special channels. Therefore, he had no great interest in making recommendations for his own benefit.


    ¡°Do you¡­ know about Nordren?¡± Lin Chen stood up from the bench and asked the doctor.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The doctor hesitated.


    ¡°I¡­ am a friend of Mr. Zhan.¡± Lin Chen looked at Zhan Tianming and answered.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t ask much and answered very straightforwardly. ¡°This drug is closely related to our neurology department, so I have been tracking and observing it. Its clinical effect is indeed good, but it is a later-stage treatment. The early stage is still mainly drugs that promote hematoma absorption.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly remembered the scene when Duan Yang first took him to the hospital. They were at the door of the neurology department, watching the elderly people who were unable to move due to brain damage, and Duan Yang explained to him what a revolutionary drug it was.


    ¡°Is this drug really that good?¡± Suddenly, a nearby patient¡¯s family member approached.


    The auntie¡¯s voice was very loud, and there were many patients¡¯ family members at the door of the MRI room. When they heard the word ¡°drug¡±, more people crowded around.


    ¡°In the pharmaceutical industry, it is difficult to define good or bad standards,¡± the doctor said frankly.


    The auntie grabbed the doctor and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say it¡¯s good? My husband also had a brain hemorrhage last time, and now he is paralyzed. Can this drug cure him?¡±


    ¡°Specific circumstances depend on your husband¡¯s medical case. It¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t understand what you doctors are saying!¡± the auntie complained. ¡°Just tell me the truth.¡±


    Seeing more and more family members of patients around prick up their ears, Lin Chen said slowly, ¡°But I remember the listing process for Nordren was quite complicated, and it caused fatalities.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that.¡± The doctor put his mask back on. ¡°I¡¯m just suggesting an option. I remember Zhourui will be holding a new drug presentation at a hotel tomorrow. You can go check where it is and learn more for yourself. It should be better than just listening to me.¡±


    After the doctor finished speaking, Mr. Zhan¡¯s hospital bed was pushed out, and the doctor left with it after nodding to them.


    However, the family members outside the MRI room were in an uproar.


    The auntie with sharp ears grabbed Mr. Xiao Zhan. ¡°Do you have connections? Can you get this medicine? Tell me, how did you manage to get it?¡±


    Lin Chen backed away and avoided the onslaught of the patients¡¯ families. He watched as Mr. Xiao Zhan became a small boat in a storm, being pulled and tugged until his clothes were all wrinkled. The people around him finally let him go, probably because they felt he was too inky in his speech.


    Zhan Tianming stood there in silence, looking depressed from the moment Lin Chen mentioned ¡°Nordren¡±.


    Seeing this, Lin Chen walked over, patted his shoulder, and asked, ¡°Does your failed bidding project have anything to do with Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡±


    Upon hearing this question, Mr. Xiao Zhan was about to cry.


    ¡°Can I go see the chairman first?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan looked around. ¡°Where did they take the chairman?¡±


    ¡°Just now, the doctor said that Chairman Zhan will be sent to the intensive care unit. No visitors are allowed,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan hesitated. ¡°I see. Are you still going for the physical examination? Shall I accompany you?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go see your father in the ICU,¡± Lin Chen said as he walked forward, and Mr. Xiao Zhan followed closely behind.


    After walking for a long while, Mr. Xiao Zhan finally asked, ¡°Why do you want to know about the bidding project, and¡­ What is the Nordren fatality case all about?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care,¡± Lin Chen turned around and said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan hesitated for a moment and continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t ignore your question just now. I just didn¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    ¡°You can start anywhere,¡± Lin Chen said.


    But about five minutes later, Lin Chen deeply regretted what he had just said.


    To be exact, although Mr. Xiao Zhan spoke slowly, it didn¡¯t mean he spoke less.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan was a bona fide chatterbox, starting from the entire process of a drug going to market and explaining in detail the complex process of a drug ultimately being used by patients.


    Lin Chen frowned and listened. On the pharmaceutical company side, there were a series of processes such as early project selection, product research and development, animal experiments, and clinical trials. It was rare to obtain approval for a drug to be marketed, and there were still many problems in drug production, promotion, storage, transportation, and other aspects.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s father¡¯s factory mainly provided an emulsifier to Zhourui Pharmaceutical in the long term. The specific chemical terms made Lin Chen¡¯s head spin, but he still summarized the key information in Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s words. Guanghua Chemicals had been providing emulsifiers to Zhourui Pharmaceutical for years, but they lost to another relatively unknown company in the bidding meeting for the new year.


    What was originally well arranged suddenly changed, but business losses were secondary. The main issue was that Chairman Zhan doubted Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s ability.


    Today, Chairman Zhan heard from an insider in Zhourui¡¯s procurement department that the reason why Guanghua Chemicals failed in the bid wasn¡¯t because of the price but because abnormal impurities were detected in the emulsifier they previously provided. Fortunately, the pharmaceutical factory¡¯s quality inspection personnel were responsible and discovered the problem. However, the company¡¯s senior management was furious and put Guanghua Chemicals on the blacklist.


    Lin Chen and Mr. Xiao Zhan walked to the vending machine, took out three coins from their pockets, and bought a bottle of chilled Coke. Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s voice was so gloomy that it could squeeze out water. ¡°I was in charge of production before, and Chairman Zhan thought¡­I didn¡¯t manage production well and caused the problem. But I¡­I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±


    The Coke rolled out, and Lin Chen bent down to take it.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan continued, ¡°But if there is a problem with our product, why didn¡¯t they come to us for compensation? Both the business process and the legal process can be followed, but they just kicked us out without giving us a chance to make things right. This is just unreasonable.¡±


    Lin Chen had been silent all along, but when he heard this, he handed the Coke to the young man in front of him and said calmly, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan looked up and refused his Coke. ¡°I don¡¯t drink carbonated drinks.¡±


    Lin Chen showed him his injured hand and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m asking you to help me open it. It¡¯s not convenient for me.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan was embarrassed again and quickly helped him open the can.


    Lin Chen took a sip of the Coke, thought about something, and asked, ¡°Can your father¡¯s internal relationship with Zhourui Pharmaceutical tell you what type of impurity it is?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan shook his head vigorously. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how the chairman got this information, and he didn¡¯t tell me. If I knew, I would definitely go and ask him!¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan pushed his glasses up and rolled up his sleeves.


    Now that Chairman Zhan was in a coma and the matter involved an insider, it was unlikely they could find the specific person for the time being. Lin Chen pursed his lips and said to Mr. Xiao Zhan, ¡°Are you a chemical expert?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert in chemical engineering. I just studied it¡­¡±


    Lin Chen interrupted him. ¡°I suggest you go back and check your factory¡¯s emulsifier products yourself, and it would be better to have a report from a reputable professional institution. At the same time, check all the supply reports for previous batches, and if there are samples left, it would be even better to preserve all the evidence.¡± Lin Chen put the Coke bottle on the windowsill and took out his phone. ¡°In short, do it as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to do that, and I¡¯m going back now!¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan said as he was about to leave, but he suddenly stopped, feeling uneasy. ¡°But¡­ what about the chairman?¡±


    Looking at him, Lin Chen asked, ¡°Do you think the factory is more important to your father, or his own life?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the factory is more important,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan answered without hesitation.


    ¡°So, do you understand what you should do?¡± Lin Chen asked in response.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian was in the forensic science department, waiting for the fingerprint identification results.


    Around him were forensic police officers coming and going. Some were examining the blood-stained clothes from when Tan Kang was stabbed yesterday, but more were doing knife comparison work.


    The crime scene where Tan Kang was stabbed, and the surrounding garbage bins didn¡¯t reveal the weapon used by the killer. They could only determine the type of knife used to stab Tan Kang from his wounds. The forensics lab was filled with all kinds of knives of various sizes purchased from the market, but so far, they hadn¡¯t found a weapon that matched the size.


    There were very few leads available, with only a pile of blurry surveillance videos left. Wang Chao and the other officers were tirelessly reviewing the videos.


    Xing Conglian took out a cigarette, and just then, his phone rang.


    As he answered the phone, Xing Conglian felt inexplicably nervous. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is the medical checkup result not good?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice came through the phone.


    Hearing the hesitation in his voice, Xing Conglian suddenly had a strange suspicion. ¡°You haven¡¯t gone for the checkup yet, have you?¡±


    ¡°I was planning to, but something came up,¡± Lin Chen said.


    If Lin Chen were in front of him, Xing Conglian would have the urge to knock him down, take off his pants, and spank him, but this was Lin Chen. He couldn¡¯t do that, so he just imagined the scene in his mind and patiently asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I met someone strange.¡± Lin Chen paused and said, ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s a lead that can¡¯t be called a lead.¡±


    Xing Conglian switched the phone to his other hand and listened to Lin Chen¡¯s simple description of the supply problem at Guanghua Chemicals. After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical suddenly changed its supplier because of impurities in the raw materials?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly sudden, but it did happen recently,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a problem here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It may be because I¡¯ve been listening to too many complicated issues in the drug marketing process that I suddenly feel that we may have jumped to conclusions at the beginning, and this matter may not be as we thought.¡±

 CH 210

    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Xing Conglian stood up and walked to the corner, whispering back.


    There was some uncommon hesitancy in Lin Chen¡¯s tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think. There are too many tangled background clues in this case. The upcoming new drug launch by Zhourui Pharmaceutical, the drug factory in the rainforest, the Rainforest ethnic group used as illegal drug test subjects, Dr. Tan Kang, who was suddenly killed, and even the supplier kicked out by Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Putting all these things together makes one dizzy. And it¡¯s hard to say whether these things are related to each other, independent, or combined in pairs¡ªthere are too many possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xing Conglian paused and asked back, ¡°But what does it have to do with you not getting a medical checkup?¡±


    Lin Chen choked and said, ¡°Can you give me a hint before suddenly changing the topic in the future?¡±


    Xing Conglian said seriously to Lin Chen, ¡°Okay, as long as we establish a rule that if you don¡¯t do what you¡¯re supposed to do, should you accept punishment?¡±


    ¡°A fine?¡± Lin Chen tentatively asked.


    ¡°No, Consultant Lin, I¡¯m actually quite rich. I don¡¯t need that,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen immediately understood. ¡°Captain Xing, I¡¯m still a patient.¡±


    ¡°No rules, no standards.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°You can choose to be billed by the number of times or by time.¡± Xing Conglian thought for a moment and said sincerely, ¡°I suggest you choose by time.¡±


    ¡°Xing Conglian.¡±


    In a rare instance, Lin Chen had called out his full name.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I never realized that you were so ambitious.¡±


    Xing Conglian finally couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    After a while, Lin Chen¡¯s voice came out. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your advice and charge by time, but can I owe you first?¡±


    ¡°Three hours added for each mistake,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Xing Conglian!¡±


    Lin Chen raised his voice for the first time, and Xing Conglian could almost imagine what he looked like with his ears turning red on the phone in the hospital.


    ¡°Two hours then.¡± His family ran a business, so he knew what it meant to quit while you¡¯re ahead.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you expecting too much now?¡± Lin Chen was a little angry. ¡°What if we are not harmonious?¡±


    ¡°Harmony or not depends mainly on technique,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the case.¡± Lin Chen finally had to admit defeat.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯ve agreed?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a smile.


    ¡°Tomorrow, Zhourui Pharmaceutical has a new drug presentation, and I think we need to go and listen.¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°So all the preamble just now was for this condition?¡± Xing Conglian pointed out.


    ¡°We know very little about Nordren. Since everything seems to revolve around this upcoming new drug, we really need to fully understand this drug and see what Zhourui is planning.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable.¡± Xing Conglian dragged his tone. ¡°But without a medical report, Mr. Lin, how can I take you there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get a medical checkup now,¡± Lin Chen said, and was about to hang up the phone.


    At this moment, the fingerprint test report was handed over.


    Xing Conglian held the phone and said to the other side, ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t hang up yet.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°The fingerprint results are out.¡± Xing Conglian glanced over.


    ¡°Who touched the mouse?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Guess?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Min?¡± Lin Chen asked tentatively.


    ¡°You really are a smart consultant.¡± Xing Conglian laughed.


    ¡°What about the fingerprints on Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s notebook?¡±


    ¡°Guess again.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re asking means that the fingerprints on it don¡¯t belong to Zhang Min.¡±


    ¡°Smart.¡±


    ¡°Then whose are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lin Chen was almost choked, but after a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that there is a mysterious third person¡¯s fingerprint on the notebook that does not belong to Zhang Min or Tan Kang?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although theoretically, the fingerprint on the notebook could belong to many people, such as anyone who happened to touch the notebook. But unfortunately, there are only two people¡¯s fingerprints on the whole notebook¡ªDr. Tan Kang himself and that mysterious third person.¡± Xing Conglian added, ¡°We compared the notebook with the schedule book, and the unidentified fingerprint does not belong to Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s secretary.¡±


    ¡°I see, so if it wasn¡¯t Dr. Tan Kang intentionally tampering with his notebook, then it is confirmed that only that mysterious third person touched it, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so smart, I really want to lock you up in a room and not let anyone else see you.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing, that¡¯s a bit twisted. I¡¯m already at the medical center now,¡± Lin Chen said seriously.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot about that. Why did you suddenly bring it up?¡± Xing Conglian laughed.


    ¡°Because I think you¡¯re a bit scary.¡±


    The nurse¡¯s voice came through the phone, directing Lin Chen to the exam room.


    As the surrounding noisy voices gradually diminished, Lin Chen asked, ¡°Why do they need to check my vision?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a full-body check,¡± Xing Conglian said, folding the fingerprint report in his hand and putting it aside. Lin Chen should have entered the vision exam room, but neither of them had any intention of hanging up the phone.


    Xing Conglian felt that falling in love really changed a person.


    He watched the police officers bring in a large number of knives and begin a new round of comparisons. Looking at those flashing silver knives, Xing Conglian said, ¡°I suddenly have an idea.¡±


    ¡°To the left.¡± Lin Chen was probably really checking his vision obediently, and only then asked, ¡°What idea?¡±


    ¡°That fingerprint¡ªcould it belong to the murderer?¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too imaginative.¡± Lin Chen said ¡°thank you¡± to someone on the other end of the line and walked out of the exam room. ¡°But anything is possible. Maybe it was Zhang Min who did it. If you can find the murder weapon, you can nail her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very troublesome. Not to mention the murder weapon, we haven¡¯t even determined what type of knife it is.¡± Xing Conglian sighed. ¡°The forensic department has already brought in all the props that can be bought on the market that match the size, and it may take a few more days to find something.¡±


    ¡°The range of the murder weapon is too wide, so for now the most useful clue is still the surveillance. We can only start with that,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Let¡¯s first determine the killer¡¯s whereabouts in the amusement park. Although I also think that a professional killer is likely to take the murder weapon away and not leave any obvious physical evidence that can be found.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Xing Conglian gently. ¡°Put your phone away.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Conglian covered his phone¡¯s microphone and shouted loudly, ¡°Wang Chao!¡±


    There was no response from the forensic department, so Xing Conglian increased the volume again and shouted, ¡°Anyone, bring Wang Chao to me!¡±


    After shouting, he put the phone back to his ear and asked softly, ¡°How is your eyesight?¡±


    ¡°Both eyes are 20/20, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the next checkup subject?¡±


    Lin Chen hesitated and said, ¡°Urology.¡±


    Xing Conglian widened his eyes and looked at the phone incredulously. ¡°Is that a thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the item you requested for me when I went in.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Xing Conglian quickly said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen was indifferent. ¡°It seems there¡¯s also a digital rectal exam. I saw it on the list.¡±


    Xing Conglian heard the sound of flipping through papers.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    Lin Chen laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? It¡¯s when they use their hands¡­¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t go!¡± Xing Conglian suddenly woke up and felt a creepy sensation.


    ¡°But if we¡¯re missing a few items, can the medical examination still be considered passed?¡± Lin Chen asked back.


    Xing Conglian felt like he was caught in a difficult situation. ¡°I¡¯ll be responsible for those items.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s low laughter came through the phone. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Wang Chao gasped for breath as he ran up from the ground floor to the forensic department. What he saw was his boss holding the phone and laughing.


    He wanted to turn around and leave, but his boss noticed him in advance and beckoned him over with a finger.


    Wang Chao walked over to the corner and slapped his boss¡¯s shoulder hard. He said with a serious tone, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m on your side. Can you please tone it down a bit?¡± He glanced around at the colleagues passing by. ¡°Although your corner is quite secluded, haven¡¯t you noticed that everyone is looking at you?¡±


    Xing Conglian hung up the phone. ¡°What are they looking at?¡±


    ¡°Your teenage boy¡¯s crush looks suspicious, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m in love. It¡¯s normal.¡± Xing Conglian patted his head amiably and suddenly felt very apologetic. ¡°Sorry, I forgot again. You¡¯ve never been in a relationship, so you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Wang Chao turned around to leave.


    ¡°Come back here.¡± His boss shouted behind him.


    Driven to desperation by poverty, Comrade Xiao Wang stamped his feet and obediently returned to his original position.


    ¡°How¡¯s the surveillance going?¡±


    ¡°I have some leads.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®some¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed 70% of the killer¡¯s activity route and found a very strange detail.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go with you to take a look.¡±


    Comrade Xiao Wang widened his eyes. ¡°So, why did you specifically call me to run over earlier?¡±


    ¡°To pick you up. Don¡¯t you even understand this?¡± Xing Conglian patted his head lovingly.


    Wang Chao turned his head and left. Xing Conglian jumped off the table and hooked his neck. ¡°What did you find in the surveillance?¡±


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t even listen to what was said, still immersed in sadness. ¡°Boss, why are you in love, but you¡¯re not nice to me at all?¡±


    ¡°How am I not nice to you?¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that I haven¡¯t been in love.¡±


    ¡°Well, you really haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you that I haven¡¯t been in a relationship.¡±


    ¡°Blaming me?¡±


    ¡°You always make me do this and that, so I don¡¯t have a personal life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. You can choose to run away from home and find your own personal life.¡±


    ¡°No, I have no money.¡±


    ¡°So what? If you¡¯re poor, you shouldn¡¯t be in love. Can¡¯t you just make money?¡±


    ¡°Asshole!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know how to curse now.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s heart hardened, and he asked, ¡°Can you introduce me to a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, it¡¯s the 21st century. Parents don¡¯t arrange marriages anymore.¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really tempted to destroy the hard drive of the surveillance right now!¡±

 CH 211

    Of course, Comrade Xiao Wang was just talking. After all, he couldn¡¯t afford to even date when he was poor, so how could he really upset the boss?


    Wang Chao sat down in front of the desktop computer, and a light cough came from behind him. He stood up suddenly and gave his seat to his boss.


    His boss wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all and sat down in front of the computer with great ease, forcing Wang Chao to bend over and manipulate the mouse aggrievedly.


    Wang Chao moved the screen to the last scene where the suspect was holding a balloon and leaving the crowd and said, ¡°This is the scene when the suspect left.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Xing Conglian said lightly.


    Wang Chao dragged the mouse, and the timeline was moved to a later position. The suspect could be vaguely seen walking past the amusement park restaurant and out of the surveillance screen.


    Afterwards, Wang Chao rubbed his fingers and excitedly said, ¡°The moment of witnessing a miracle has come!¡±


    Xing Conglian gave him a slap and said irritably, ¡°Stop chanting slogans.¡±


    But after he finished speaking, even Xing Conglian was surprised.


    In the surveillance video, the suspect was walking on the main road of the amusement park, heading towards the exit, passing by many cute girls who were dressed up and holding balloons.


    ¡°This is five minutes later.¡± Wang Chao pressed the pause button and spliced the scenes five minutes before and after together. ¡°Let¡¯s find the differences!¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the object in the suspect¡¯s hand on the left side of the screen and then looked to the right side of the screen. ¡°The suspect¡¯s four balloons in his hand are missing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, is it popular to kill people and release balloons to make wishes now?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Can you find out where the suspect went during the missing five minutes?¡±


    As Wang Chao spoke, he snapped his fingers and called up a 3D stereoscopic image. Xing Conglian looked at the restaurant and exit positions, recalled the direction in which the suspect left the surveillance range, and finally looked at the amusement park¡¯s vast artificial lake.


    ¡°He went to the lakeside?¡±


    ¡°Surely he went to the lakeside to release the balloons!¡± Wang Chao said.


    Xing Conglian ignored him and asked with a frown, ¡°Is the lakeside a blind spot in the surveillance?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Retrieve the surveillance records from here and here.¡± Xing Conglian looked at the 3D image and clicked twice on the screen.


    Wang Chao did as he was told, and the screen began to move. These two surveillance points were the only way the suspect could have taken from the lakeside to the exit. The suspect walked slowly against the crowd, disguised very well and looking down.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Xing Conglian said it coldly. The screen froze.


    Looking at the suspect¡¯s balloons floating in the air on his head, Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Damn, why did he keep one balloon in his hand, and then none at the end?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer but pressed the enter key to slow down the following scene.


    From the surveillance footage, it was clear that after passing by the same couple, the suspect bent down and tied his last balloon to the hand of a very chubby little boy. In the end, he even kindly patted the little boy¡¯s head.


    The sun was shining. The little boy looked up with confused eyes, not knowing exactly why the other party gave him the balloon.


    For a moment, no one spoke in front of the computer screen.


    Wang Chao shuddered and spoke with some difficulty. ¡°Boss, is this a pervert?! Should we call A¡¯Chen Gege?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the little boy on the screen and felt a sense of familiarity, but the image was blurry. He said to Wang Chao, ¡°Can you choose a clearer camera angle and process the boy¡¯s face?¡±


    Wang Chao immediately perked up. ¡°Boss, do you know him? Is he your illegitimate child?¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but give him another slap. ¡°Can your A¡¯Chen Gege give birth?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s face froze with an expression of ¡°Boss, you¡¯re a beast¡±, then he turned his head stiffly and quickly processed the black and white surveillance footage.


    After a while, the blurry grayish image gradually became clear through calculations, and the fat on the little boy¡¯s face changed from mosaic into smooth lines.


    Looking at the screen at the bewildered chubby face, Xing Conglian took out his cigarette and phone, and dialed Lin Chen¡¯s number. Taking advantage of the gap before connecting the call, he said to Wang Chao, ¡°It looks like we can only ask him for help.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen walked out of the ear examination room, leaving only one X-ray to be taken before he could finish his entire medical examination.


    His phone vibrated, and he smiled helplessly when he saw the caller ID. ¡°I just hung up not long ago¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come pick you up.¡±


    In fact, before answering the phone, Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect the lead to come so suddenly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve found a clue about the suspect.¡±


    ¡°So fast.¡±


    ¡°Somebody had contact with the suspect after the crime.¡± Xing Conglian seemed to be talking while walking; his voice was urgent.


    ¡°Who?¡± Lin Chen suddenly realized the purpose of Xing Conglian¡¯s call. ¡°Do I know them?¡±


    The sound of Xing Conglian opening the car door came through the phone. ¡°Not only do you know them, but you might be the only one who can talk to them¡­¡±


    Lin Chen was even more surprised, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The little fatty who wanted to eat KFC.¡±


    ¡°Zheng Xiaoming?¡±


    Remembering the little kid who asked Xing Conglian to exchange KFC for a handful of sand, Lin Chen quickly reacted. He widened his eyes, looked down at his phone screen, and was immersed in a strange feeling of how small the world was. He was speechless for a long time before speaking, ¡°This is too¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bizarre, right?¡± Xing Conglian started the engine and stepped on the gas. ¡°But, isn¡¯t that little fatty our matchmaker?¡± Xing Conglian sighed and then hung up the phone.


    Lin Chen stood at the entrance of the medical examination building, wearing a hospital gown and a wristband. He got into the passenger seat and asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Have you contacted Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents?¡±


    ¡°School is in session today.¡± Before Xing Conglian could reply, Wang Chao interrupted. ¡°So Xiaoming is still at Shishi Elementary School. His parents will pick him up this afternoon, which is just in time for us to go there!¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, still a bit dazed. ¡°Are we sure it¡¯s Zheng Xiaoming?¡±


    ¡°Who else could be that fat?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was also vague.


    Wang Chao handed Lin Chen the tablet. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, take a look for yourself.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his head, and the face of the child on the tablet was somewhat blurry, but he had a chubby face and a somewhat dull look in the eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s really him,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a good clue?¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer the question quickly. His gaze fell on the balloon floating on Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°This balloon?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing, A¡¯Chen Gege. This balloon was given to Zheng Xiaoming by the killer,¡± Wang Chao said.


    Lin Chen felt the air in the car was a bit cold.


    Wang Chao leaned over and pulled up the surveillance video to show him.


    Lin Chen carefully watched the slowly advancing picture. When he saw the killer who had just stabbed Tan Kang tie the balloon to Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s wrist and gently pat his head with his hand that had just killed someone, Lin Chen felt shivers down his spine.


    ¡°He¡¯s disturbed. Why did he take the risk of exposing himself and give the balloon to the chubby kid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°I remember he had four balloons in his hand before. Why are there only three now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I find strange. He had balloons before he went to the lake, but when he came back, he didn¡¯t have them anymore. If he didn¡¯t give all the balloons to the kid by the lake, then he released the balloons! Is he doing something romantic?¡± Wang Chao shivered. ¡°Isn¡¯t this killer too cold?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the gate of Shishi Elementary School, Lin Chen saw Zheng Xiaoming and his parents, whom he had not seen for more than a year.


    Zheng Xiaoming had grown taller. Before Xing Conglian¡¯s car had even stopped, he had broken free from his parents¡¯ hands and ran in the direction of the Jeep.


    Lin Chen got out of the car and squatted down. Zheng Xiaoming, like a heavy missile, rushed into his arms. If he had not leaned against the car door, Lin Chen suspected he might have been knocked down directly, but even so, he still felt pain in his chest.


    Xing Conglian hurriedly got out of the car and pulled the little fatty from his arms.


    Only then did Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents arrive, looking at him with the same embarrassed expression as a year ago.


    Wang Chao reached out, and Lin Chen helped the young boy up. He coughed lightly and nodded to the two adults.


    ¡°Teacher Lin¡­ Long time no see. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s mother only reacted after a while.


    ¡°Well, there are some minor health problems, but they are not contagious. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± Lin Chen rubbed the boy¡¯s head and said to Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents, ¡°I came to see you today to ask about some clues related to a case. Can we go eat lunch together?¡±


    On the way from the school gate to the restaurant, Zheng Xiaoming, the chubby child, clung to Lin Chen¡¯s arm, unwilling to let go.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lin Chen rubbed the soft hair on the child¡¯s head. ¡°Do you like a girl but dare not confess?¡±


    Zheng Xiaoming suddenly looked up and shook his head hard.


    The parents coughed slightly and said, ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    Xiao Ming¡¯s parents coughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Actually¡­we don¡¯t know how to communicate with him. Since you left, he has¡­¡±


    ¡°He even squatted outside our house for a while,¡± Xing Conglian added.


    Looking at the child whose eyes were turning red, Lin Chen suddenly realized the so-called ¡°when he left¡± referred to the time when he left Hongjing by feigning death. Although Xiao Ming¡¯s parents didn¡¯t seem to know that he had disappeared, there should have been some sporadic reports when he fell into the river. Xiao Ming was smart, so he must have noticed.


    Lin Chen felt a little guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡± He rubbed the kid¡¯s chubby face. ¡°And when I came back, I should have let you know.¡±


    Xiao Ming still held his hand tightly and shook his head desperately, then looked at the pedestrians rushing by outside the window.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go?¡± Xing Conglian guessed the meaning behind Xiao Ming¡¯s gaze before Lin Chen did, and he pursed his lips. ¡°Comrade Zheng Xiaoming, you can¡¯t be too ambitious in life!¡±

 CH 212

    Upon hearing this, Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, who immediately stopped talking and began to pour tea for Xiao Ming¡¯s parents.


    Xing Conglian said politely, ¡°Originally, I wanted to invite your family of three to the police station to assist in the investigation, but since we know each other quite well, I thought we could have a meal together first and discuss some matters related to a case.¡±


    ¡°What case?¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s parents became quite nervous. ¡°It has nothing to do with Xiao Ming, right?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Xing Conglian hurriedly interrupted the nervous parents and said seriously, ¡°I just wanted to ask if you went to the Hongjing Amusement Park with Xiao Ming yesterday.¡±


    Xiao Ming¡¯s parents became even more nervous. ¡°I heard that someone died at the park yesterday. We¡¯re not that unlucky to be involved, are we?¡±


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian exchanged a glance, confirming their previous judgment.


    ¡°During the time from 10:00 to 12:00, were you and Xiao Ming both in the park?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Xiao Ming¡¯s mother recalled, ¡°We arrived at the park at 9:30 in the morning and left around 5:00.¡± She patted her son¡¯s head and said, ¡°He likes to stand under the roller coaster and watch the tracks, but he refuses to ride it.¡±


    ¡°Talented children are like that.¡± Wang Chao sighed. ¡°When I was young, I liked to watch the tracks of the roller coaster. I thought the curvature was particularly beautiful.¡±


    Xing Conglian patted Wang Chao¡¯s head like Xiao Ming¡¯s mother did, asking him to be quiet, then said to the parents, ¡°So I wonder if you remember if a stranger gave something to Xiao Ming?¡±


    Xiao Ming¡¯s mother poked Xiao Ming¡¯s father and whispered, ¡°I knew that person was suspicious!¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°What kind of person was he, and where did you meet him?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember exactly where we met him, but he was a strange person who gave our Xiao Ming a balloon and then left¡­¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother said.


    Xing Conglian gave a signal to Wang Chao, who quickly handed over his tablet. The screen showed the moment when the stranger with a duckbill hat tied a balloon to Xiao Ming¡¯s hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother said excitedly, as if finally recalling something. Suddenly, she changed her tone, ¡°The person who gave the balloon to our Xiao Ming isn¡¯t the murderer, right?¡±


    At this, Xiao Ming¡¯s father poked Xiao Ming¡¯s mother again, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. The police are here.¡±


    Xing Conglian found it difficult to answer the question and could only say, ¡°The specific situation is still under investigation.¡± He paused and continued to divert the parents¡¯ attention with another question. ¡°By the way, do you still have the balloon that was given to Xiao Ming?¡±


    ¡°We threw the balloon away long ago. We didn¡¯t drive that day and took the subway instead. You can¡¯t bring balloons on the subway,¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother said with some disdain. ¡°And we always thought that person was too strange.¡±


    Xing Conglian sighed quietly.


    Lin Chen picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. He asked Xiao Ming¡¯s mother, ¡°You just mentioned that the person was strange. What did you mean by strange?¡±


    ¡°Well, how should I say this¡­¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother tried to remember again. ¡°Have you ever seen anyone who covers themselves up so tightly in the middle of summer, wearing big sunglasses and a mask? It was terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that he tried hard to hide his face from others?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Yes, his sunglasses were very big, covering half of his face, and I remember his collar was flipped up high,¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother said.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll have to trouble you and your husband to come with Xiao Ming to the police station to create a simulated portrait.¡±


    ¡°Is it a criminal suspect?¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s father interrupted. ¡°But it¡¯s been so long. We really can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°The police have officers dedicated to drawing portraits who can help you recall¡­¡±


    Before Lin Chen finished speaking, suddenly, Zheng Xiaoming, who had been holding onto his arm tightly, jumped up and snatched the tablet from his mother¡¯s hands.


    Xiao Ming¡¯s mother was about to scold her son, but Lin Chen shook his head and stopped her with his eyes.


    He looked down and saw Zheng Xiaoming, who was familiar with the device, return to the main interface of the tablet and open the drawing app. He took out the stylus and began drawing on the blank canvas.


    As Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s strokes became faster and faster, the image on the blank paper gradually became clearer.


    The shape of a face gradually appeared, followed by sunglasses and a mask. Lin Chen noticed that before drawing the mask, Zheng Xiaoming drew a raised corner of the mouth and then covered the lower part of the face with a mask.


    Wang Chao leaned over and admiringly rubbed Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s head. ¡°Holy shit, you¡¯re so awesome. Can I recognize you as my little brother*?¡±


    *[Didi] (µÜµÜ) Basically like [gege] but referring to younger brother.


    Xing Conglian covered the teenager¡¯s mouth and dragged him back.


    Soon, Zheng Xiaoming stopped drawing.


    Lin Chen had been placing his hand on Xiao Ming¡¯s head the whole time. The child looked up at him and tentatively probed with his eyes.


    Lin Chen looked at the picture, then at the child¡¯s face, and softly said to him, ¡°You drew it well. The details are very comprehensive.¡±


    The chubby child had a soft face with big, watery eyes, like a young and inexperienced animal. If it weren¡¯t for Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s weight issue, Lin Chen would have liked to hold him on his lap. Now he could only lean in close to the child¡¯s soft face and ask him, ¡°Did the person who gave you the balloon seem very happy at that time? Is that what the smiling face you drew means?¡±


    Xiao Ming nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Why was he so happy? Did something happen before that?¡± Lin Chen asked again.


    Xiao Ming looked at him, picked up his pen again, and lowered his head to create a new canvas.


    Wang Chao hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Wait, wait, little brother, save it first. Damn, this is such an important clue. If Teacher Zhang sees it, he¡¯ll definitely kneel down and ask you to be his apprentice!¡±


    ¡°Who is Teacher Zhang?¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°The police station¡¯s portrait expert,¡± Lin Chen answered for Wang Chao.


    Xiao Ming scrambled to save the paper that was almost deleted, then began drawing on the blank canvas again.


    Soon, a lawn and a vast lake appeared on the screen, followed by the shapes of children playing by the lake and flocks of flying pigeons.


    Then, a man appeared on a bench by the lake, looking up at the sky. Lin Chen noticed that the man on the bench had only one balloon left in his hand. Afterward, Zheng Xiaoming started drawing in the sky.


    One, two, three¡­


    Three hydrogen balloons appeared in the air above the lake.


    Wang Chao took a deep breath, and before the young man could speak, Xing Conglian reached out and covered his mouth.


    The private room of the restaurant was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was waiting silently for Zheng Xiaoming to finish his drawing.


    In the picture, three hydrogen balloons were tied to a black, ribbon-shaped object that wasn¡¯t very clear, slowly rising into the air. Looking at the picture, Lin Chen¡¯s palms began to sweat.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Wang Chao finally had the chance to speak, and his voice was tinged with panic.


    The atmosphere in the room tensed up again.


    ¡°What did my son draw?¡± Xiao Ming¡¯s mother asked. ¡°Did the murderer really give the balloons to my son?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still under investigation, and we can¡¯t be sure.¡± Lin Chen rubbed Xiao Ming¡¯s head. He had no choice but to avoid talking about topics that weren¡¯t convenient to discuss in front of him. ¡°Xiao Ming is really talented. He has a gift for painting, but he still needs you to take him to the police station and make a more detailed portrait.¡±


    Wang Chao also chimed in, ¡°Yes, yes, little fatty is a genius! He¡¯s like Picasso reincarnated! He¡¯s amazing!¡±


    When Xiao Ming¡¯s mother heard someone praising her son, her nervousness temporarily subsided. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Teacher Lin saying he¡¯s a genius¡­ we¡¯ve always treated him like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°So you sent him to learn to paint?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xiao Ming¡¯s mother became excited. ¡°Yes, how did you know? Mainly, we couldn¡¯t communicate with him, so we thought maybe if he could draw more, he¡¯d have a way to express himself. That¡¯s why we did it¡­ Right?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Xiao Ming does have some language deficiencies, and he can¡¯t communicate normally in many situations. But his talent for painting is related to his visual-spatial ability. In this regard, it seems that it is his strength.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Teacher Lin, can you please give me your WeChat so we can keep in touch.¡±


    For almost an hour, Lin Chen had been chatting with the parents of the gifted child about education issues, until they arrived at the police station. Xiao Ming¡¯s family of three was then sent to Teacher Zhang¡¯s portrait room. Only then did he and Xing Conglian have time to sit down and discuss the problem of Xiao Ming¡¯s drawing on Wang Chao¡¯s tablet. They were all silent as they looked at the bizarre-shaped object floating in the air with three balloons tied to it.


    ¡°Is this something the suspect released?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit. What the hell is this dark lump under the balloon?¡±


    Lin Chen pursed his lips and said lightly, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, it should be¡­¡±


    ¡°The murder weapon,¡± Xing Conglian finished.


    Upon hearing Xin Conglian¡¯s answer, Lin Chen fell into deep thought. The police didn¡¯t find the murder weapon at the crime scene or in the surrounding area. They speculated that the perpetrator who assassinated Tan Kang was an experienced criminal who was very clever in choosing to either take the weapon away from the scene or dispose of it in a better way. However, they never imagined that the perpetrator would tie the murder weapon to three balloons and release it into the sky.


    ¡°He must be crazy to release the murder weapon like that. What if someone sees it? It¡¯s very easy to spot,¡± Wang Chao said, not understanding.


    ¡°For criminals, the longer they carry the weapon, the more likely they are to make a mistake. Knowing how to quickly dispose of the weapon is a must for every criminal,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Wang Chao suddenly had a thought and asked, ¡°Does the fact that the suspect released the weapon mean that there are clues related to him on the weapon, such as fingerprints, so he had to dispose of it immediately?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a high possibility of that,¡± Xin Conglian said.


    ¡°But why did he release it? Couldn¡¯t he have just thrown it into the lake?¡± Wang Chao asked, puzzled.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer.


    Xin Conglian continued, ¡°Does he think we¡¯re fools? If he threw it in the lake, it would be easily found.¡±


    ¡°But even if he released it, it¡¯s still easy to find,¡± Wang Chao said, looking relaxed.

 CH 213

    Wang Chao moved fast.


    When Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents walked out of the portrait room with their son feeling dizzy, the little chubby kid was snatched away by a scary teenager running towards them.


    Lin Chen held back Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents and gently said, ¡°They may have some problems that need¡­ private communication¡­¡±


    Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents were confused, so Lin Chen had to invite them to the rest area and make two cups of tea for them.


    Through the glass window, they could see Wang Chao facing Zheng Xiaoming and having a conversation that was incomprehensible to the latter. Wang Chao kept talking while Zheng Xiaoming looked up with a confused expression as if he couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about.


    Seeing the two of them, the surrounding police officers surrounded them curiously.


    ¡°Xiao Wang Chao, are you speaking Chinese? Why can¡¯t I understand a single word?¡± a nearby officer joked. ¡°The little guy will faint because of you.¡±


    Wang Chao glared at him and waved his hand. ¡°You mortals, don¡¯t disturb our communication!¡±


    After a moment, a very strange scene happened. Comrade Zheng Xiaoming pulled Comrade Wang Chao and sat on the office chair filled with cushions. He faced the computer in front of Wang Chao without feeling intimidated and typed a few Chinese characters, and then a large number of high-rise building images appeared. Zheng Xiaoming looked at one of the buildings, took a piece of paper, wrote down a string of numbers, then obediently jumped off the chair, put his hands on his stomach, and looked up at Wang Chao again.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Zheng Xiaoming nodded.


    All the police officers around them surrounded them, but no one dared to speak.


    Wang Chao howled and quickly jumped into the chair to operate the computer.


    Lin Chen nodded to the two adults in the rest area and walked to the crowd.


    Several police officers made way for him, and Lin Chen stood behind Wang Chao¡¯s office chair, with the chubby boy quickly rubbing against his leg.


    Lin Chen had never understood Wang Chao¡¯s computer interface. The young man typed a long code and then turned around to see a large crowd of people behind him. He said in horror, ¡°What are you all doing around me? It¡¯s so scary!¡±


    ¡°I heard that the murderer tied the murder weapon to a balloon and released it?¡± one officer asked.


    ¡°I heard that you are planning to retrieve the murder weapon?¡± another officer asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see you act cool,¡± a third person said.


    Wang Chao cursed and was then slapped by Xing Conglian on the head. ¡°Speak properly. How are you going to find it?¡±


    ¡°The most primitive search method is to cast a net over the entire city. We¡¯ll put out the news, determine the final location of the balloon based on witness reports, and then judge based on the direction of the wind that day. As long as the murder weapon hasn¡¯t fallen into the water or been picked up by some auntie who washed it and is using it to chop vegetables, it can always be picked up by the public or searched by us. It¡¯s just a matter of time, right?¡±


    ¡°Cut the nonsense,¡± Xing Conglian said, seemingly annoyed.


    ¡°I have a faster way. I can calculate the approximate landing point of the murder weapon and narrow down the search area to the size of five football fields. If everything goes smoothly, we can find the weapon before dark today!¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Well, in meteorology, there is a mathematical model specifically for finding the landing point of meteorological balloons and baskets after they are cut. We can use this model to determine the possible landing range of the murder weapon after the balloons pop in the air.¡±


    ¡°But how do you determine where the balloons pop? There are too many possibilities¡ªfrom the gas inside the balloon, the weight of the weapon, and the material of the balloon¡¯s surface¡ªthey all have a significant impact.¡± Xing Conglian paused and asked, ¡°Do we need to conduct experiments?¡±


    ¡°Boss, this is also a primitive way of searching. Of course, we need to conduct experiments.¡± Wang Chao grinned. ¡°Xiao Ming¡¯s mother said that the balloon the murderer gave to Xiao Ming was the kind sold in the amusement park. So we will also buy a few, tie them with weights and fly them, and use this to find the possible landing point of the weapon. Here are the calculations my friend just made about the weight of the tool,¡± the teenager said, handing over a bunch of values written by the little fatty just now.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my little brother just calculated the weight of the object tied to the balloon. That¡¯s the possible weight range of the weapon.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the numbers on the paper and asked, ¡°How did you calculate this?¡±


    ¡°High school physics and estimation. I just taught my little brother in class just now, and he understood it. Impressive, right?¡±


    Lin Chen frowned and looked at Wang Chao skeptically, ¡°Really?¡±


    Wang Chao felt embarrassed by the gaze. ¡°Uh¡­I just wanted to see if he could understand it. In fact, there are not many knives that can be lifted by three balloons and still be able to kill people. They must be light and sharp, and I just asked the forensic department. They have determined the type of knife. I just had my little brother calculate it using physics as a reference. In fact, these weight errors can be ignored when they are in the air.¡±


    ¡°So it was just for show?¡± Lin Chen looked at the chubby kid next to Wang Chao and was speechless.


    Xing Conglian took the paper handed to him by Wang Chao and ignored the teenager¡¯s constant reference to ¡°my little brother¡±. He waved his hand and asked the officers to arrange an experiment at the amusement park lakeside.


    The crowd around Wang Chao¡¯s computer reduced by one-third.


    Wang Chao shouted loudly at the departing officers, ¡°Remember to install GPS up there!¡±


    Xing Conglian twisted his neck back to the front of the computer, and continued, ¡°The experiment is okay, but the wind speed changes every day. What is your solution to cover all possible scenarios?¡±


    ¡°Boss, now I¡¯m going to tell you about another search method,¡± Wang Chao said excitedly. ¡°You just said that the difficulty in calculating the final landing point lies in the time when the balloons pop in the air, and there may be multiple cases where one or two balloons pop, so the trajectory will be very erratic. So, how can we calculate the erratic trajectory of the balloons?¡±


    Comrade Xiao Wang dragged out his tone, but no one paid attention to him. He had to increase the volume of his voice and answer himself loudly, ¡°Radar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°How could such a small balloon and its attachments be detected by radar? Meteorological balloons can be detected by radar because they are 10 to 20 times larger than normal balloons in size.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of airport bird detection radar?¡± Wang Chao asked in return.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Xing Conglian stopped talking.


    ¡°All radars are the same. I won¡¯t go into the specifics of the principle. Commonly used moving target radars can detect high-speed moving targets while suppressing fixed useless targets such as buildings, mountains, and clouds. However, they cannot identify small reflective cross-sections and low speed moving objects. In order to detect and filter low speed flying objects with small reflective cross-sections through radar, an improved filtering algorithm is needed, which is worth tens of billions.¡±


    Xing Conglian gave him a glance. ¡°Your A¡¯Chen Gege has been listening to your nonsense for ten minutes here, so there¡¯s no condition for negotiation.¡±


    Wang Chao deflated and could only suggest, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Civil Aviation Administration and request the radar data from yesterday¡¯s incident. I¡¯ll filter it, but the algorithm is not for sale.¡±


    The time they found the murder weapon was not too far off from Wang Chao¡¯s estimate. The police could always manage to find what they were looking for, barring any unexpected circumstances.


    Before that, Lin Chen had been sitting in the lounge, not saying much, and had refused Xing Conglian¡¯s offer to take him to the hospital. He sat barefoot on the couch, watching everyone in the police station busy at work.


    Zheng Xiaoming was sitting next to him, doing his homework. The parents of the chubby boy still had to go to work in the afternoon, but since their child refused to go back to school, they had no choice but to leave him at the police station.


    Lin Chen watched the little boy grip his pencil tightly with his fleshy fist, writing Chinese characters stroke by stroke in his notebook. The thing about geniuses wasn¡¯t that they were scary; it was that they had strong willpower, which could basically destroy the earth.


    When Xing Conglian came in for a break, Lin Chen was patting the little boy¡¯s head, telling him to study hard at school.


    ¡°I thought you would suggest to his parents to send him to a class for geniuses to be with his peers.¡± Xing Conglian handed him a cup of warm water.


    ¡°Is there such an elementary school in Hongjing?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xing Conglian squeezed in beside him and smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start one?¡±


    Lin Chen held the cup of water and smiled.


    ¡°Your smile seems forced, Consultant Lin,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°It¡¯s not like the kind of smile that sweetens my heart when I see it.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t respond to the joke.


    ¡°Since we found out that the suspect released the weapon, you haven¡¯t said much,¡± Xing Conglian finally said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just hard to explain.¡± Lin Chen took a sip of water. ¡°I still feel like it¡¯s an unnecessary thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Using balloons and releasing the weapon. The target is too big. Would a savvy killer do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. It depends on the killer¡¯s personality. Some are born with twisted minds and get extremely excited after killing someone, even wanting to strip and dance,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I think it¡¯s difficult to explain this matter clearly.¡± Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°If he is a professional killer, he shouldn¡¯t be unaware that the police would find the discarded murder weapon. If he did it purely to get rid of it quickly, I can understand. But I can¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯t tie the last balloon to the weapon and instead took it with him to give to Xiao Ming.¡±


    ¡°There is a theory that murderers should quickly release the evidence related to their crime in batches, but it¡¯s not reasonable to explain why he gave the balloons to Xiao Ming.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what to say. In the end, he could only tell Xing Conglian, ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing for me in this murder case, so I have to find some meaning for myself.¡±


    Xing Conglian said seriously, ¡°Blame Wang Chao for being too capable. I¡¯ll go back and beat him up.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiaoming, who had been doing homework all along, looked up with a frightened expression and shifted his butt to the other side of the chair.


    This was so cute that Xing Conglian went over and kissed the little boy¡¯s face.


    Zheng Xiaoming and Wang Chao were probably similar in some ways. After Xing Conglian kissed him, Zheng Xiaoming stood up without saying a word, walked to the tissue box, took out a tissue, folded it neatly, and carefully wiped the spot where Xing Conglian had kissed him on the cheek.


    Xing Conglian was stunned.


    Just then, there was suddenly an excited celebration outside the lounge.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian looked at each other.


    A police officer rushed in and shouted, ¡°Captain, they found the black bag!¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± Xing Conglian stood up, surprised.


    ¡°It happened to fall on a lawn in the suburbs, and it was very conspicuous. Xiao Wang calculated the address, contacted the local police, and they used a metal detector to find it right away.¡±


    About forty minutes later, the black plastic bag and the murder weapon wrapped inside it, along with the remnants of the burst balloons and ropes, were delivered to the Hongjing Criminal Investigation Division.


    Because the process of finding the weapon was so exciting, most of the forensic department and forensic doctors had gathered around by the time the evidence was delivered.


    The black plastic bag was carefully unpacked layer by layer, finally revealing the silver-white, blood-stained blade inside.


    Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.


    Xing Conglian stepped back and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get to work. First, let¡¯s confirm that this weapon was used by the suspect.¡±


    Samples of blood on the blade were extracted, and the forensic doctor began examining the fingerprint traces on the plastic bag and transparent tape wrapped around it.


    When the test results came out, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were eating in the cafeteria with Wang Chao and Zheng Xiaoming.


    Zheng Xiaoming preferred the braised chicken legs cooked by the chef at the police canteen. To show his good virtue of brotherhood, Wang Chao made an exception and bought five chicken legs with 30 yuan from his small coffers and gave them all to Zheng Xiaoming.


    Lin Chen watched as Zheng Xiaoming had already eaten three whole chicken legs and was preparing to eat the fourth. He felt that this wasn¡¯t good, so he quietly moved the dish to a place where Xiao Ming couldn¡¯t reach it, in front of Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian glanced at the fingerprint report and asked in surprise, ¡°The fingerprints on the tape and the notebook I brought back from Tan Kang¡¯s office are from the same person?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the officer nodded, and he handed the second piece of paper to Xing Conglian. ¡°Then we analyzed the blood sample on the knife and confirmed that it belonged to the victim, Tan Kang.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded and sighed, raising his chopsticks to put the chicken leg in his own bowl.


    Suddenly, the officer continued, ¡°At the same time, another set of DNA samples not belonging to the victim, Tan Kang, was found on the murder weapon, and a match was found in the database with the second set of DNA samples.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly looked up, and Xing Conglian¡¯s chopsticks stopped in midair.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    The officer handed over the last piece of paper and said, ¡°His name is Duan Wanshan.¡±

 CH 214

    When Xing Conglian loosened his chopsticks, the chicken leg that he just picked up fell down with a loud bang. Soup splashed all over, leaving Wang Chao stunned and Zheng Xiaoming confused as he looked at them.


    Lin Chen felt uncomfortable, but he still comforted Zheng Xiaoming by patting his head, stood up, and instructed Wang Chao, ¡°We may not be able to come back for a while. Please wait for Zheng Xiaoming¡¯s parents to come and pick him up.¡± Even after Lin Chen finished speaking, Zheng Xiaoming still held onto his hand.


    Lin Chen touched the little fatty¡¯s face and said, ¡°Your mother has my phone number. If you want to see me, you can ask her to call me.¡±


    Saying so, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian left the cafeteria and headed for the forensic department together.


    As they walked side by side, the officer who came to deliver the test report was very excited and kept saying, ¡°Captain, this is a major discovery. The forensic doctor suspects that the suspect accidentally cut himself while committing the crime, leaving his blood sample on the weapon. Although it was wiped clean, DNA samples can still be found.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Xing Conglian had no reaction and just faintly responded.


    The officer was even more excited, ¡°So the reason he had to dispose of the weapon was also because it had his blood on it, and he had to destroy it to get rid of the evidence?¡±


    Xing Conglian remained silent, and the officer continued, ¡°Speaking of which, Duan Wanshan is also very strange. I just briefly looked at his personal information. He used to be a famous university medical professor, but he resigned and went abroad. There has been no record of him since. He is still a citizen of our country, but why did he suddenly enter the country and want to kill Dr. Tan Kang? I¡¯ll go check his entry records later.¡±


    Xing Conglian was still silent, while Lin Chen followed behind.


    The sky outside the window had already turned dark, and the air conditioning in the corridor was turned up high, making it very cold. Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but cough lightly.


    Seeing that he looked unwell, Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Is your wound hurting?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to the hospital first. As soon as we find out, I¡¯ll let you know the results,¡± Xing Conglian said, looking worried. If there weren¡¯t other officers around, Xing Conglian might have stopped and hugged him.


    Lin Chen knew that he wasn¡¯t in very good condition right now, but he still insisted, ¡°We¡¯ve been here for so long. It won¡¯t matter if we go to the forensic department first.¡±


    Xing Conglian reached out and placed his hand on Lin Chen¡¯s forehead, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s a little hot.¡±


    ¡°I feel okay. I just finished eating, so my body temperature is naturally a little high.¡±


    ¡°Have you had your X-rays taken yet?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only test left,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it when we get back. I¡¯m afraid you have a lung infection,¡± Xing Conglian said seriously.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    The officer who was leading the way ahead turned around again and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, you need to stay in the hospital if you¡¯re not feeling well. The case has made a breakthrough now, and you don¡¯t have to be so tightly focused. Take care of yourself. Your health is the foundation of everything.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head, not knowing how to respond.


    ¡­¡­


    The entire forensic department still had more than half of its staff working, and the lights were on in the office.


    Because the results had just come out and a DNA sample match had been found, many people had heard the news and were in good spirits.


    Xing Conglian greeted the officers inside, found a chair to sit down on, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the progress?¡±


    The forensic officer replied, ¡°The DNA results from the forensic doctor have come out, and we are now preparing to compare the fingerprints on Tan Kang¡¯s notebook and those extracted from the tape with the fingerprints of the suspect, Duan Wanshan.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the fingerprints on the notebook unidentifiable from the beginning? And since we don¡¯t have Duan Wanshan¡¯s fingerprints in our database, where did we find the comparison object?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°We just called Duan Wanshan¡¯s former employer, Yongchuan Medical University, to see if they have any relevant records.¡±


    ¡°After so many years, can Yongchuan Medical University still keep fingerprint records of former employees?¡±


    ¡°You never know, right Captain?¡± the officer chuckled.


    Suddenly, the fax machine in the forensic department rang.


    Someone picked up the contents of the fax and shouted, ¡°Comrade Xiao Zhang, your fingerprints are here!¡±


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian looked at each other.


    Officer Xiao Zhang ran excitedly to the fax machine, took a look at the content, and turned to say, ¡°Captain, Yongchuan Medical University still has the fingerprint records of Duan Wanshan¡¯s laboratory that he used to lead. It¡¯s only the thumbprints, but that should be enough.¡± As he spoke, Xiao Zhang opened his own email, and an email lay quietly there.


    Officer Xiao Zhang quickly operated his computer to compare the fingerprints in the email with the two sets of fingerprints found on the notebook and plastic bag.


    Lin Chen lowered his head, and for some reason, his heart was beating a little fast.


    The results soon came out, and the printer made a crunching sound as Officer Xiao Zhang took out the paper and walked toward them.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Officer Xiao Zhang smiled, showing his teeth, and happily reported, ¡°Captain, 14 characteristic points matched. It can be determined that the fingerprints found on the victim¡¯s notebook and the bag containing the murder weapon belong to Duan Wanshan himself!¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly raised his head as his heart trembled.


    Duan Wanshan was already dead in the Dana Rainforest. He had witnessed it himself. Now, his DNA sample and fingerprints had reappeared. What is going on?


    There was a whisper in the forensic department, as if they were overjoyed to have identified the suspect.


    ¡°Captain, what should we do next?¡± Officer Xiao Zhang asked.


    Xing Conglian rarely had such moments when he was tongue-tied, and the surrounding eyes seemed to be waiting for him to give the command to arrest the suspect. ¡°Wait a minute, I have a few questions.¡± Xing Conglian sorted out his thoughts and then spoke.


    ¡°The first question is, why were there two DNA samples found on the murder weapon?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The second DNA sample was found on the handle of the knife,¡± another person answered, ¡°so we suspect that the suspect accidentally cut his hand while committing the crime¡­¡±


    ¡°I know this.¡± Xing Conglian interrupted the other person. ¡°Are you sure the DNA sample is from blood, and not from any other tissue?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The officer who brought the report nodded.


    Xing Conglian turned to the other person and asked, ¡°The second question is, why do we have a DNA sample from Duan Wanshan and quickly got a comparison result? Did he commit any previous crimes?¡±


    ¡°It seems not¡­¡± the person answered. ¡°I¡¯ll go check again later.¡±


    Lin Chen frowned. It was indeed very strange because citizen DNA samples were considered personal privacy, and the testing cost was high. Unless there was a crime or some special circumstances, they couldn¡¯t be recorded. Thinking about the possibility of Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA sample appearing in the citizen gene bank, he asked, ¡°Or is he a victim of some case?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not clear. I¡¯ll go and ask now.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡±


    There was a light sound at the door, and Lin Chen looked over and saw Wang Chao standing at the door with his phone.


    After the teenager said ¡°no need¡± very handsomely, he bent over and trotted over. He first reported to him, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, Xiaoming¡¯s father has taken my little brother away.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Oh, A¡¯chen Gege, you¡¯re being too polite again. That¡¯s my little brother,¡± Wang Chao said. He grabbed the test report, took out his phone, and quickly answered Xing Conglian¡¯s question just now. ¡°The reason why Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA sample appeared in the citizen gene bank is because¡­¡± He suddenly looked up, ¡°The Thousand Genome Project?¡±


    ¡°Say it in plain language,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand it myself.¡± Wang Chao was unusually humble. He licked his finger and began to tap the screen of his phone quickly, and then read word for word, ¡°On January 22, 2008, the ¡®International Collaborative Group¡¯ composed of scientists from various countries, announced that the international ¡®Thousand Genome Project¡¯ was officially launched. This grand plan will determine the genomic DNA sequences of at least 1,000 human individuals selected from around the world and draw the most detailed and medically valuable human genome genetic polymorphism map to date.¡±


    Xing Conglian interrupted him. ¡°So it means that Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA sample appearing in the gene bank has nothing to do with any case. It is only because of a medical plan.¡±


    ¡°It should be like this.¡± Wang Chao nodded, still looking at the messages on his phone. ¡°It seems that Professor Duan was one of the first medical experts to respond to the plan. At that time, some people opposed the plan, saying that genetic information is the privacy of citizens and that large-scale scientific investigations by the government are a violation of citizens¡¯ privacy. So Professor Duan took the lead in participating in this plan.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like something Lao Duan would do,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    The officer who came to deliver the information earlier and had been standing next to them suddenly seemed to have guessed something. He suddenly said, ¡°Oh, Captain, do you know each other?¡±


    ¡°I do. We used to be¡­very good friends,¡± Xing Conglian calmly said.


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s your friend.¡± The police officer couldn¡¯t help but lower his tone. After all, he had already identified Duan Wanshan as a criminal suspect, and now he was thinking about how to pivot. He awkwardly said, ¡°So¡­ do we need to invite your friend to assist in the investigation? There are actually quite a few possibilities for why his blood sample appeared on this knife, like if he accidentally got some blood on it and gave it to someone¡­¡± He began to try to explain some other possible reasons.


    ¡°I can¡¯t bring him here,¡± said Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I know he¡¯s been abroad for many, many years and hasn¡¯t come back to the country.¡± Xing Conglian spoke lightly but didn¡¯t mention that Duan Wanshan had already passed away.


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes.


    The police officer next to them gasped. ¡°This¡­ This can¡¯t be, with the bloodstains and fingerprints, the evidence is relatively substantial.¡±


    ¡°Is there any recent record of Duan Wanshan¡¯s entry into the country?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Wang Chao had already found a computer in the forensic science department and logged into the entry and exit management center to search for Duan Wanshan¡¯s name.


    He turned the computer at an angle and said to everyone, ¡°Come take a look.¡±


    Xing Conglian and Lin Chen didn¡¯t move, but many people around them gathered.


    ¡°The last time Duan Wanshan entered the country was on August 10, 2007¡­¡± someone read, ¡°and he exited on September 1st of the same year. There have been no entry records since then¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Someone touched their nose and said, ¡°Did the entry and exit management make a mistake? That shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°This can only mean that Duan Wanshan didn¡¯t enter the country through regular channels, and it¡¯s possible that he snuck in,¡± someone else said.


    ¡°But if Duan Wanshan has been abroad all this time, how did he become enemies with Tan Kang, and why did he kill him?¡± Finally, someone asked this question.

 CH 215

    Speculations rose one after another while Lin Chen and Xing Conglian remained silent.


    Indeed, all the physical evidence was there, but only testimonial evidence was lacking. Lin Chen didn¡¯t even doubt that there could be witnesses who saw Duan Wanshan in the next few days.


    The current situation was interesting. Their colleagues and comrades who had always supported them surrounded them, but they couldn¡¯t tell them that Duan Wanshan was really dead, and all their guesses were wrong.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help coughing. The feeling of having enemies in the dark and them in the light was really uncomfortable, and the fact that these conspiracies were centered around the dead Duan Wanshan made it even more difficult to accept.


    Xing Conglian looked at him with concern, and Lin Chen looked at the dim eyes under the bright light and said, ¡°Shall we go to the forensic room?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The forensic doctor at Hongjing Police Station was a woman with bright, curly red hair.


    When they arrived at the door, the forensic doctor was holding milk tea, carrying a bag, and preparing to leave work. Xing Conglian went over and pressed the door, pushing her back into the office.


    ¡°Hey, I like women. Stay away from me,¡± the forensic doctor shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I like men,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen pushed open the door and saw Xing Conglian holding the forensic lady in the chair, taking the boba milk tea from her hand, and accurately throwing it into the trash can.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, what the hell?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡± Xing Conglian asked sharply.


    ¡°Fuck, brother, it¡¯s already 7 in the evening, and I¡¯ve been working overtime for two hours!¡± Forensic Doctor Yu was very impatient.


    ¡°Then sit for a while longer.¡±


    Xing Conglian dragged a chair over, and Lin Chen sat down and greeted the beautiful lady in front of him, ¡°Forensic Doctor Yu.¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to falsify DNA evidence?¡± Lin Chen asked straightforwardly.


    ¡°Consultant Lin!¡±


    The forensic doctor¡¯s face sank. ¡°It¡¯s one thing not to let me leave, but why did you suddenly ask such a strange question?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°We suspect that the DNA sample on the murder weapon in the Tan Kang case belonging to the suspect Duan Wanshan was forged.¡±


    For a long time, the forensic doctor didn¡¯t speak. The smell of formalin and the fresh gel water from the forensic doctor¡¯s red hair floated in the air.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The forensic doctor leaned back in her chair and asked seriously.


    Lin Chen replied, ¡°Duan Wanshan has been abroad all this time, and there¡¯s no record of him entering Hongjing, so he cannot suddenly appear here and commit murder.¡±


    ¡°You guys are criminal investigators. You should be able to find hundreds of ways and possibilities for him to come back,¡± the forensic doctor said.


    Lin Chen replied concisely, ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Okay, according to what you said, then someone falsely accused him by stealing his blood sample and stained it on the knife handle.¡± As Forensic Doctor Yu spoke, she crossed her legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The female medical examiner leaned forward suddenly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re driving me crazy.¡± Forensic Doctor Yu leaned back in her chair, looking like she was saying, ¡°Well, it looks like you already tested it, so what do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°So we need a possibility that there¡¯s no relation between Duan Wanshan and this matter, but there is a possibility that the blood sample containing his DNA could appear on the knife handle.¡±


    The red-haired female forensic doctor¡¯s expression suddenly froze, and her eyebrows arched high. ¡°I understand. You want me to tell you if there¡¯s a way to fake DNA evidence, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever thought that if a typical case of DNA evidence forgery appears, it will create a lot of pressure on the prosecution in future court debates, and countless defense lawyers will use this to attack the reliability of forensic appraisal?¡± Forensic Doctor Yu countered.


    ¡°But this is an unavoidable problem. In this case, I am very sure that there is evidence of forgery,¡± Lin Chen persisted.


    Finally, Forensic Doctor Yu sighed and said, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s very simple.¡±


    ¡°How simple?¡±


    ¡°Suppose I can get your DNA sample¡ªI don¡¯t need much. Even a single strand of your hair is enough. Amplify a large amount of DNA through certain techniques, then draw a tube of Lao Xing¡¯s blood, separate the white blood cells containing DNA using a centrifuge, and then add your DNA to Lao Xing¡¯s blood¡­¡±


    Lin Chen looked directly at the medical examiner. ¡°If the blood is subjected to forensic examination, it will only belong to me, not him.¡±


    The beautiful female medical examiner nodded solemnly. ¡°This is just the simplest method that even a biology undergraduate can complete.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen stood up and thanked her.


    ¡°You doubted my appraisal results and want to run away after saying thanks?¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes and said to Forensic Doctor Yu, ¡°Actually, there is something else I want to know.¡±


    ¡°You have a very questioning look.¡± Forensic Doctor Yu crossed her arms and looked at him.


    ¡°I suddenly realized that you didn¡¯t explain something to us clearly. Although I¡¯m not sure about the specific division of the gene bank, I¡¯m still surprised that you were able to quickly identify that it was Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA.¡±


    ¡°What the hell? Are you suspecting me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m seeking answers.¡±


    Forensic Doctor Yu stared at him for three seconds, took a deep breath, took off the hair tie from her left wrist and tied up her hair, then took out her laptop from her backpack and opened it with a snap. ¡°Do you know about the Dingyuan Forum?¡±


    Lin Chen frowned. ¡°A medical forum?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the largest medical-related forum in China.¡± Forensic Doctor Yu turned on her laptop. ¡°I¡¯m a sub-forum administrator there, so I basically go there every day to deal with site-related issues.¡± Forensic Doctor Yu paused. ¡°I¡¯m explaining this to tell you that I¡¯m not looking for trouble.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be pursuing this if it wasn¡¯t for this kind of situation.¡± Forensic Doctor Yu clicked open the forum, typed in ¡°Tan Kang plagiarism¡± into the search bar, and hit enter. ¡°About a month ago, someone posted a thread implying that Tan Kang had plagiarized Duan Wanshan¡¯s research results. Because both of them are academic giants, there was quite a heated discussion. But the original poster didn¡¯t provide any conclusive evidence, so it was dropped.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart trembled, finally realizing where his unease was coming from. If the other party had designed to falsely accuse Duan Wanshan, they would have made a complete chain of evidence, including not only physical evidence but also the motive for murder. And now, with this thread¡¯s existence, the motive for murder was becoming apparent.


    Duan Wanshan, harboring a grudge against Tan Kang¡¯s plagiarism of his research results, returned to China and murdered him.


    ¡°After Tan Kang¡¯s death, someone else resurrected this thread,¡± Forensic Doctor Yu said with a meaningful look. ¡°You know what I mean¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian leaned over to look at the various conspiracy theories on the webpage and shouted, ¡°Wang Chao!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier?¡± Lin Chen asked Forensic Doctor Yu. ¡°You knew about this thread¡¯s existence, so you deliberately searched for Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA in the citizen¡¯s gene bank, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t give me that look!¡± Forensic Doctor Yu widened her eyes. ¡°Obviously, I was standing on Duan Wanshan¡¯s side, which is why I concealed this thread. It¡¯s an obvious motive for murder. But if I really found his DNA, how could I not report it?¡±


    The young man quickly pushed open the door and seeing the three people in the forensic doctor¡¯s office, especially the red-haired woman, he took a step back. ¡°Do you want to talk first?¡±


    ¡°Come over here,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Wang Chao also walked over to the forensic doctor and saw the laptop on the table and the contents on the computer screen. He quickly rushed over to move the mouse and carefully checked everything.


    Finally, the young man apologized to them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Boss A¡¯Chen. I didn¡¯t realize this involved an online debate.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t joke with him and only said, ¡°Check the IP.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded and quickly got to work. For a while, there was only the sound of rapid typing and the clicking of the mouse in the office. Lin Chen looked at the constantly changing computer screen and had a worse suspicion.


    ¡°I found it,¡± Wang Chao said, pulling off a slip of paper and writing down a string of numbers.


    ¡°The specific address of the poster,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Wang Chao turned back to continue working, and before long, his brow furrowed tightly. ¡°The poster¡¯s address is in Hongjing, very close to our home¡­¡±


    Lin Chen raised his eyes suddenly.


    Wang Chao stared at the screen and read, ¡°At 7 Yanjia Lane, the Guai Guai Pet Shop.¡±


    As soon as he heard the words ¡°pet shop,¡± the blood drained from Lin Chen¡¯s face, and he began coughing violently. Xing Conglian noticed and quickly patted his back. Holding Lin Chen¡¯s hand, he felt the heat in his palm and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital first, and then we¡¯ll go to the pet shop.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Lin Chen interrupted him, suppressing the discomfort in his lungs, and looked up at Forensic Doctor Yu.


    ¡°So can I get off work now since it seems you have some private matters to discuss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lin Chen nodded.


    Forensic Doctor Yu pointed to her laptop. ¡°Don¡¯t use it to look at porn.¡±


    ¡°You can take it with you,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°You should have said that sooner.¡± The beautiful forensic doctor glared at them, picked up the laptop, and walked out. When she was near the door, she turned back and gave them a worried look.


    The door closed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s a post written by Duan Yang.¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t describe how he felt right now. Perhaps because he was running a fever again, he felt chills all over his body.


    In fact, after experiencing everything in the rainforest, he would never doubt Duan Yang¡¯s feelings for Duan Wanshan. If possible, Duan Yang would be willing to die for Duan Wanshan.


    So since Duan Yang had no intention of framing Duan Wanshan¡ªperhaps a long time ago¡ªthis matter had turned into a scheme that someone had been deliberately using Duan Yang to frame Duan Wanshan.


    Every step that Duan Yang took to avenge his teacher and every trace he left on the Internet may have been designed by the mastermind behind the scenes to push Duan Wanshan into the abyss.


    If Duan Wanshan hadn¡¯t died, all of this would have happened as planned, and Duan Yang¡¯s well-intentioned actions would have harmed his teacher.


    Unfortunately, Duan Wanshan died¡­


    This kind of arrangement may be small malice, but it was as strong as ink, and the smell was extremely fishy.


    Lin Chen¡¯s mind was in chaos for a while, but no matter what, there were some things that had to be done. ¡°We need to confirm two things.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded.


    ¡°First, in order to confirm the true purpose of the person who forged the DNA evidence, we need to confirm with Duan Yang whether there are other people besides us who know about Professor Duan¡¯s death.¡± Lin Chen paused, then continued, ¡°Second, we must ask Duan Yang about the entire process of Tan Kang¡¯s plagiarizing Professor Duan¡¯s academic research results. If the murderer didn¡¯t improvise to frame Duan Wanshan after seeing Duan Yang¡¯s post, then this is a deliberate conspiracy. In my opinion, the latter is more likely.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But do we have to tell Duan Yang about this?¡± Wang Chao started with difficulty. ¡°How much pain will he feel?¡±


    ¡°He has the right to know,¡± Lin Chen said, looking at the teenager¡¯s conflicted face.

 CH 216

    There was a time difference between China and Dana. When the video call connected, Lin Chen was startled for a moment when he saw the blinding sun shining all over the sky.


    Then, Duan Yang¡¯s face appeared, with a very short crew cut and skin that had tanned charcoal black in just a few days, and his eyes were even brighter and more determined.


    After seeing him, Duan Yang¡¯s first words were, ¡°Consultant Lin, you don¡¯t seem to have been taking your medicine and resting properly.¡±


    At that time, Lin Chen had already finished his X-rays and was lying on a hospital bed. During that time, he had also been scolded by the attending doctor for a suspected lung infection. So now, he confidently moved the camera to the IV bag and his striped patient gown and said to Duan Yang, ¡°I¡¯ve been in a semi-quarantine state and have been very obedient.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice interjected, ¡°He¡¯s been obedient for the past five minutes.¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s gaze became stern. ¡°Consultant Lin, I believe you¡¯ve been through a near-death experience, so you should recognize the importance of good health¡­¡±


    Lin Chen came to his senses and interrupted Duan Yang. ¡°Hold on, I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Have you found the problem with Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡± Duan Yang asked.


    Lin Chen shook his head and looked at the young man, who was now very different from before. He didn¡¯t know if what was coming next would push him into another abyss, but he still spoke up. ¡°No, but it¡¯s still related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical and your teacher.¡±


    Duan Yang narrowed his eyes. ¡°Something happened?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer his question but said, ¡°Before that, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Related to my teacher?¡± Duan Yang insisted on not following his line of thought.


    Lin Chen sighed, remembering the young doctor who used to stutter in front of him over half a month ago. Xing Conglian squeezed his hand, as if to say that if he found it difficult to speak, he could do it for him. Lin Chen held Xing Conglian¡¯s hand and looked at Duan Yang¡¯s dark face on the screen, asking, ¡°Have you told anyone else about the news of Teacher Duan¡¯s death in Dana?¡±


    When he heard this, there was no obvious grief in Duan Yang¡¯s expression. He looked calm and replied in an overly calm tone, ¡°No, we arrived at this estate the day before yesterday, and we¡¯ve been cleaning and making arrangements these past two days. We haven¡¯t had any contact with anyone other than you guys.¡±


    After Duan Yang finished speaking, he just looked at Lin Chen, as if waiting for what he would say next.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have gone through such a long introduction before telling me if it were good news,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°Tan Kang is dead,¡± Lin Chen said directly.


    For a moment, Duan Yang didn¡¯t speak. The background consisted only of the sound of the wind and the laughter and running of children, rising and falling.


    After about 30 seconds of silence, Duan Yang finally spoke. ¡°How did Tan Kang die?¡±


    ¡°Stabbed to death at Hongjing Amusement Park. Died with a single blow,¡± Lin Chen answered.


    ¡°Such an unsophisticated technique?¡± Duan Yang asked. ¡°Did Zhourui Pharmaceutical silence him in public? Why?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Chen pursed his lips and chose to get straight to the point. ¡°All evidence now points to someone else¡ªyour teacher, Mr. Duan Wanshan.¡±


    Duan Yang¡¯s calm face shattered quickly. In that moment, his face showed joy, doubt, pain, and confusion. But in the end, when Duan Yang¡¯s excited emotions subsided, all of this was hit by the reality of grief, leaving nothing but debris.


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Duan Yang asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s some clich¨¦ of twins or clones, is it?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA was found on the murder weapon, and his fingerprints were also found on items related to Tan Kang¡¯s relics,¡± Lin Chen said.


    As he spoke, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze never left Duan Yang¡¯s face from the beginning. Even now, after finishing this sentence, he was still staring at Duan Yang¡¯s face, wondering how Duan Yang would respond and how he should respond in turn.


    But Duan Yang blushed, and only a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he looked at him seriously and said slowly, ¡°If it¡¯s true, that would be great.¡±


    If it¡¯s true, if it¡¯s Teacher¡­


    It would be great if Teacher was still alive¡­


    When Lin Chen heard Duan Yang say those words in a calm voice, he didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t control his emotions for a moment, and his eyes felt sour.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, don¡¯t be sad.¡± Suddenly their positions switched, and Duan Yang comforted him. ¡°Everyone has to die. It¡¯s good to understand that. Before my teacher died, he had no regrets or remorse. We don¡¯t need to have regrets either. In his lifetime, he lived a life that was much more meaningful than most people.¡±


    ¡°Just ten days ago, you weren¡¯t like this,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Growing up so fast can be annoying sometimes.¡±


    Lin Chen saw the children running barefoot behind Duan Yang. In the camera, he could vaguely see Zhang Long and Comrade Zhao Hu standing like bodyguards in the back, watching over the children. In the distance, there was a monkey bread tree and a messy field of grass, and of course, there was the pleasant plantation beyond the grass. The surviving more than 500 people from the Gaomeng Tribe should be living there. Looking at the scenery there, he suddenly felt that there were also things in the uncivilized society that people longed for. At least, good and evil, life and death, were very pure. Killing was also done with real knives and guns, without so much intrigue and exhaustion.


    Duan Yang laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the case. How did my teacher¡¯s DNA end up on the murder weapon that killed Tan Kang?¡±


    ¡°Through special techniques of forgery.¡± Lin Chen paused and added, ¡°I think.¡±


    ¡°Then the person who could get my teacher¡¯s DNA should have had contact with him before or had a very close relationship with him?¡± Duan Yang paused and asked him, ¡°Can I make such an inference?¡±


    ¡°Your reasoning process was a bit fast, but basically without problems.¡±


    ¡°Teacher had no children in his lifetime. The most likely people who could obtain his DNA were his students and colleagues around him. Moreover, we, these people, have the skills to forge a sample of Teacher¡¯s DNA,¡± Duan Yang said quickly and clearly. When he said this, he suddenly realized something, stopped, and asked them, ¡°But why did the killer need to forge Teacher¡¯s DNA sample on the murder weapon and falsely accuse him with such great effort?¡±


    Lin Chen was about to speak but was interrupted by Duan Yang.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you asked me whether anyone else besides us and the Gaomeng knew about Teacher¡¯s death because you had to confirm the real motive of the person who forged Teacher¡¯s DNA sample. If no one else besides us knew about Teacher¡¯s death, it means that the killer¡¯s purpose was clear. He did it just to shift the blame for the murderer to Teacher,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°We also have this suspicion now,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°But why? Why did he do this?¡± Duan Yang frowned, as if thinking could make him feel better. ¡°Teacher was in Dana, and the killer couldn¡¯t possibly not know. Even if falsely accused, the Chinese police couldn¡¯t possibly arrest Teacher across the border. This kind of false accusation is a meaningless move.¡±


    ¡°You make sense. So there are two possibilities. First, the other party knows that Teacher Duan is in Dana and can¡¯t return home. He may not be contacted for a good two or three months, making him a perfect candidate to be a scapegoat. Second, the other party doesn¡¯t care whether this matter can ultimately lead to Teacher Duan¡¯s conviction. He only wants the process.¡±


    ¡°Why is Teacher a perfect candidate to be a scapegoat? There must be a motive for killing. Are the police so foolish as to believe this unfounded slander?¡±


    ¡°Because your teacher¡¯s research results were plagiarized by Tan Kang,¡± Lin Chen answered word by word. ¡°The other party is very likely to have used his research results to obtain huge profits.¡±


    Duan Yang fell silent again.


    ¡°Duan Yang¡­¡± Lin Chen spoke softly.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it,¡± Duan Yang said with a calm expression but with a brief moment of disappointment. ¡°I thought I could get closer to Teacher through this matter and do something for him. It turns out that I¡¯m still helping the killer make up a motive for murder¡­¡± But Duan Yang quickly pulled himself out of this emotion, or rather, he tried to make himself think logically instead of getting carried away. ¡°So, now it seems that the person who spread the news of Tan Kang¡¯s plagiarism is very suspicious?¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes and said to Duan Yang, ¡°Wang Chao has just confirmed through keyword searches that the IP of the primary disseminator of the news about the plagiarism is at the Guai Guai Pet Shop. In other words, that person is you.¡±


    Duan Yang suddenly looked up. ¡°Only me? The other party is using me? Why?¡± Duan Yang spoke quickly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it ridiculous? When the police investigate the clues, they will find me. Won¡¯t that person be exposed quickly?¡±


    Earlier, Lin Chen had already pondered over this question, so now he could quickly and cruelly answer Duan Yang. ¡°Have you ever thought that if you were kidnapped, it wouldn¡¯t be just a coincidence, but someone deliberately planned it?¡± Lin Chen asked him. ¡°That person used armed groups in the Dana Region to carry out cross-border kidnappings. That person knows very well that you will die in Dana.¡±


    Duan Yang was stunned for a moment, then grinned with his mouth wide open. His lips were lifted high, but there was no trace of laughter in his eyes. Instead, they were icy cold to the extreme. ¡°So, it¡¯s the one who should have died but didn¡¯t, and the one who should have lived who died?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think that way,¡± Lin Chen interrupted him.


    ¡°Then how should I think?¡± Duan Yang asked back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fate,¡± Lin Chen said very cruelly.


    ¡°That¡¯s superstition¡­¡± Duan Yang laughed. ¡°Consultant Lin, you don¡¯t seem like someone who believes in fate.¡±


    ¡°I do, really.¡± Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang and said, ¡°I believe in fate, but I don¡¯t believe in justice prevailing. God is never kind, and everything about good and evil eventually has a reckoning. It¡¯s just deceiving the minds of children to think otherwise. I only believe in those who are still trying to practice justice and righteousness.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Duan Yang calmed down.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°So, the second thing I want to ask you to confirm today is to tell me the name of the person who informed you that Tan Kang was suspected of academic plagiarism. This includes the high-level executives of Zhourui Pharmaceutical who leaked the information to you, as well as the senior sister who informed you of the plagiarism incident at the time. At the same time, I also need you to provide a list of the specific names of people who have studied under Teacher Duan in Dana in recent years. Among these people, there is a very high possibility that they can obtain Teacher Duan¡¯s DNA, and those who know that you have a crush on Teacher Duan are the most suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I will find out as soon as possible and send it to you by email,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°Okay, then that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll contact you if there¡¯s anything else,¡± Lin Chen said as he was about to close the communication.


    ¡°Consultant Lin.¡±


    Before the call was about to end, Duan Yang suddenly stopped him.


    Lin Chen looked up. ¡°Please speak.¡±


    ¡°Everything you told me today means that even after Teacher¡¯s death, there are still people using his genes for evil and even trying to blame him for everything. I can¡¯t accept it,¡± Duan Yang said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t accept it either,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I never understood the feelings of victims¡¯ families before, but now I suddenly have a strange understanding.¡± Duan Yang looked at him. ¡°Although Teacher has passed away; although it seems meaningless to find the real murderer who killed Tan Kang for the teacher, I still ask you to bring that person to justice.¡±


    The young man stood up, took a step back. ¡°Because I really loved him. So even if he died, I don¡¯t want him to suffer any unjust treatment.¡±


    This was what Duan Yang said, and the scene ended with the figure of him deeply bowing to Lin Chen.

 CH 217

    It wasn¡¯t raining outside the ward. Tonight, the view outside the window was pitch black and unusually dry. Even inside the room, there was no sound of clattering keyboards or rapidly clicking mice. They were all waiting for Duan Yang¡¯s email.


    Lin Chen sat on the hospital bed, resting his other hand on the table next to the bed, with a pen placed nearby. He had just asked Wang Chao for a sheet of paper, but now he sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the blank page.


    Since Duan Yang¡¯s deeply bowed back disappeared from view, the atmosphere in the ward had become heavy. Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t even express his own emotions and could only lean on the sofa, looking at Lin Chen¡¯s indifferent profile under the light in the ward. Lin Chen was a typical person whose features made people feel comfortable. None of his features were particularly outstanding, but when combined, they were quite handsome, with an inexplicable chill and calmness. Xing Conglian knew he shouldn¡¯t be thinking about these things while looking at Lin Chen¡¯s face. They were currently handling a very dangerous case, whose exact danger was impossible to pinpoint. That was the scariest part.


    ¡°Let¡¯s reorganize this case,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen still looked down at the blank A4 paper on the table, not even lifting his head.


    ¡°The murderer¡¯s modus operandi is simple. They first fabricated the motive of academic plagiarism, then killed Tan Kang, and finally falsified Lao Duan¡¯s DNA and fingerprints, pushing everything onto Lao Duan. The train of thought is clear, but the question is: why?¡±


    Wang Chao looked very anxious as he looked at his computer, not even listening to what Xing Conglian was saying.


    Lin Chen seemed to have finally come to his senses and said, ¡°Yes, why.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a critical question. Did the murderer use Duan Yang from the beginning to complete the framing process?¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian thought about it and answered, ¡°Suppose the murderer didn¡¯t know Duan Yang and only occasionally saw the academic plagiarism incident on the internet. They thought that someone like Duan Wanshan was a good scapegoat and happened to have Duan Wanshan¡¯s fingerprints and DNA on hand, so they set up this trap. Although this possibility exists, the chance is just too small. Duan Wanshan has been abroad for so many years. Who would still keep his DNA and fingerprints?¡±


    ¡°Right, the cost and benefit don¡¯t match up, and high-IQ criminals aren¡¯t stupid enough to act so recklessly.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice was very calm. ¡°In fact, the first possibility didn¡¯t exist from the beginning¡ªthe killer couldn¡¯t have been looking for a scapegoat after killing Tan Kang and then planted the blame on Duan Wanshan.¡±


    ¡°So, he chose Duan Yang from the beginning,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen, listening to him continue in a calm tone. ¡°I can understand why he chose Duan Yang. Duan Yang used to be very simple and pure, easily hot-headed, and deeply loved Duan Wanshan. When he learned that his teacher¡¯s research results, which had serious side effects, had been plagiarized and turned into a new drug on the market, he would definitely try his best to solve the problem for his teacher. Therefore, he was the most likely person to leave all kinds of traces that the police could follow on the internet. Duan Yang was the perfect choice because he wasn¡¯t like others who might stand by and do nothing, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, but¡­¡± Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°I feel like there are still problems with this.¡±


    ¡°But why did he have to use Duan Yang?¡± Lin Chen continued sharply.


    Xing Conglian replied, ¡°For criminals, isn¡¯t it easier to expose themselves the more steps they take to achieve their goal? Although he later kidnapped Duan Yang through the hands of others to make up for the loophole, to be honest, wasn¡¯t it easier for the police to discover the problem when Duan Yang disappeared?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°The next question is whether Duan Yang¡¯s kidnapping was a coincidence, or a necessary arrangement made by someone. I used to think it was a coincidence, like Zaratul¡¯s men finding Duan Yang, who had posted online and had a lot of information, and then bringing him back to Dana to continue research. But this was only a possibility inferred under certain conditions at the time. Now it seems too coincidental.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There are so many experts out there. Why bother to catch a small doctor like Duan Yang?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°In other words, the greater possibility is that the other party specially used Lu Jia, a fake expert responsible for researching drugs under Zaratul. He¡¯s now dead, so we have no way to investigate the process. However, this person may have mentioned Duan Yang to Lu Jia and praised him greatly, which led Lu Jia to send someone to kidnap Duan Yang from China. The purpose of doing so is simple¡­ To kill two birds with one stone¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really ruthless to Duan Yang.¡± Xing Conglian understood why Lin Chen had been silent all the time. This matter was too cruel to both Duan Yang and Duan Wanshan, especially considering that they loved each other deeply. He continued, ¡°It seems that the murderer¡¯s target may have included three people from the beginning: Duan Yang, Duan Wanshan, and Tan Kang, who may only be an accessory. He used Duan Yang to create a chain of evidence to frame Duan Wanshan, then killed Duan Yang, and finally killed Tan Kang to blame Duan Wanshan. This process can be basically confirmed. So we have to go back to the original question: Why did he do this?¡± If it weren¡¯t for being in a hospital ward, Xing Conglian would have wanted to light a cigarette. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think falsely accusing Duan Wanshan of murder because of academic plagiarism can hurt him in any substantial way. He¡¯s been meticulously trying to throw dirt on Duan Wanshan, but this dirt can¡¯t even cross the Pacific Ocean.¡±


    ¡°So, this matter is even more devastating, and the murderer only wanted the process.¡± Lin Chen hadn¡¯t changed his posture from the beginning until now. ¡°The murderer¡¯s feelings towards these three people are different. He killed Tan Kang cleanly and decisively, like throwing away useless garbage. Xiao Ming felt that the murderer was very happy. What made the murderer happy was the process of releasing the balloons¡ªthat is, the process of throwing out the murder weapon that framed Duan Wanshan. I don¡¯t even think his ultimate goal was to turn Duan Wanshan into the real murderer of Tan Kang or to send him to jail, because, as you just said, this matter can¡¯t cause any substantial harm to Duan Wanshan. This is also where I don¡¯t understand¡­as for Duan Yang¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze was obviously dim and flickering.


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Duan Yang?¡±


    ¡°Duan Yang is like a subtle chess piece. The killer used him to lay clues to Duan Wanshan and then didn¡¯t hesitate to let him die, which is strange,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°It depends on whether the killer, like us, understands the secret love between the two. If the answer is yes, then he used Duan Yang, who deeply loved Duan Wanshan, to lay out Duan Wanshan¡¯s motive for murder, and separated them forever before Duan Wanshan learned the truth¡­ Even the motive for sending Duan Yang to Dana is very subtle, isn¡¯t it? They obviously love each other and are on the same land, but they can¡¯t meet. And you can imagine how sad Duan Wanshan would be if he knew all this if he hadn¡¯t died. So I think the killer probably really hates and loves Duan Wanshan, who loves Duan Yang¡­¡±


    ¡°So, that person is likely to know the relationship between Duan Yang and Duan Wanshan?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I think so. So now the suspect¡¯s range is very small. He must know Duan Yang, be able to get Duan Wanshan¡¯s DNA samples and fingerprints, know the relationship between the two, have been to Dana, and understand the inside story of Zhourui Pharmaceutical and Tan Kang¡¯s plagiarism¡­¡±


    Before Lin Chen¡¯s words fell, Wang Chao¡¯s computer made a light sound of receiving a message.


    ¡°Has the list been sorted out?¡± Xing Conglian asked sharply.


    ¡°Yes, according to Duan Yang¡¯s email, the senior sister who has been giving him information is named Cheng Jing, and the person who provided information for him within Zhourui Pharmaceutical is named Li Fengping. In addition, he has temporarily sorted out 14 suspicious names,¡± Wang Chao said quickly, and then began to retrieve everyone¡¯s information.


    ¡°Is there a problem with Cheng Jing?¡±


    ¡°After returning to China, Cheng Jing worked at the Third People¡¯s Hospital of Yongchuan City, and there seems to be no contact with Zhourui Pharmaceutical. The information has been sent to the tablet. Please take it out from my backpack, Boss,¡± Wang Chao said quickly.


    Xing Conglian took out the tablet and sat on the bed with Lin Chen to watch.


    Lin Chen¡¯s fingers quickly scanned Cheng Jing¡¯s personal information. In the photo, Cheng Jing was wearing a white robe and looked gentle and quiet. She was a pediatrician with a happy family and a clean resume.


    ¡°It¡¯s not her. What about Li Fengping?¡±


    The teenager frowned, suddenly picked up the Coke can next to him and poured it into his mouth, but he didn¡¯t expect that there was no carbonation left. The teenager clenched the can body violently and made a cracking sound.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one named Li Fengping.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Otherwise, where did Duan Yang get the internal information of Zhourui Pharmaceutical? Duan Yang isn¡¯t a fool. How could he believe someone with an unknown identity?¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly spoke. ¡°This Li Fengping should have sent an email to Duan Yang. Check Duan Yang¡¯s mailbox.¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he dialed Duan Yang¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, have you found the person?¡±


    ¡°There is no one named Li Fengping in Zhourui Pharmaceutical. How do you know him?¡±


    On the screen, Duan Yang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had reached a sudden understanding of everything. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he spoke. ¡°Am I just a fool being played in the palm of someone¡¯s hand?¡±


    ¡°No, to me, you¡¯re just a young doctor with a sincere heart and kind intentions.¡±


    ¡°Kindness that is used by others is foolishness, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and said seriously, ¡°You are attributing criminals¡¯ malice to people¡¯s pure kindness. I think this is an incorrect attribution, although many people make this mistake.¡±


    Duan Yang took a deep breath, and his eyes turned red. ¡°You¡¯re always so convincing, Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good at it,¡± Lin Chen said softly.


    Duan Yang said seriously, ¡°It was my former classmate named Shen Lian. She should be working in the medical department of Zhourui Pharmaceutical now, and she also knew about Teacher¡¯s plagiarism incident. She said she felt there was a problem when she was responsible for conducting clinical trials for the new drug, so she introduced me to a friend who could get first-hand information from within Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Actually, that friend may have been her all along, pretending to be someone else.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Wang Chao, who quickly typed in a search query and reported several keywords. ¡°Shen Lian, from Hongjing, former associate researcher of the R&D department, former deputy director, and director of the medical department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡­ Went abroad in January of the same year and returned to China in September of the same year. Since five years ago, Shen Lian has had multiple records of leaving the country for short-term or long-term stays ranging from three to five months, ostensibly for business trips, but it is very likely that she was secretly sent to Dana by Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡­¡±


    After Wang Chao finished his report, he looked up at them.


    Xing Conglian looked at Duan Yang on the screen who had been listening all along, and finally heard him ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We will find out,¡± Xing Conglian said, nodding at Duan Yang and ending the call.


    From the moment Shen Lian¡¯s name appeared, Lin Chen had been silent, listening like an old monk in meditation, as if he had fallen into an inexplicable emotion.


    Xing Conglian was keenly aware of the problem and said, ¡°Wang Chao, find Shen Lian¡¯s address and notify the bureau to put out a warrant. Go out now and give me a minute.¡±


    Wang Chao packed up quickly and brushed past him. The sound of the teenager making a phone call came from the hallway.


    Xing Conglian walked over and turned off the lights in the ward, then walked back to Lin Chen¡¯s bedside and kissed him hard.


    For about the first thirty seconds of the kiss, Lin Chen was in a state of silence, but then he began to respond to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen asked softly, looking up.


    Xing Conglian pulled away from Lin Chen¡¯s lips. The bitter taste of Lin Chen¡¯s mouth lingered on his lips and teeth as he touched his face and looked into his eyes in the darkness. He asked seriously, ¡°What are you thinking about? Your emotions suddenly seemed off.¡±


    ¡°I just suddenly felt that this feeling wasn¡¯t good,¡± Lin Chen said slowly and seriously. ¡°If Teacher Duan hadn¡¯t died, we might have taken a very long time to notice the problem here and finally locate Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°But now?¡± Lin Chen asked. ¡°I was thinking about profiling the killer earlier, but I don¡¯t need to do that because I know I can¡¯t make any difference here. The killer will easily be revealed. But we achieved this result through a series of unfortunate events, including the death of Teacher Duan. The cost is too high, really too high.¡±

 CH 218

    20:47, at the Hongjing Drum Tower Community.


    The middle-aged and elderly people who were out for a stroll or square dancing started to head home. The props used for the square dancing, in various shades of red and green, were swept past Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep from the roadside. The vendors at the street-side stalls also began to pack up.


    The deputy captain of the Hongjing police force, Zhang Ping, sat in the jeep, observing a resident on a certain floor of building 3, block 6 of the Drum Tower Community.


    The curtains were tightly closed, and the lights were still off.


    Zhang Ping pressed the wireless headset and asked, ¡°Lao Shu, any movement?¡±


    The officer with the code name ¡°Lao Shu¡± was standing in a small convenience store downstairs of building 3, observing the movements at the entrance. After two groups of returning residents had passed by, the entire community was now quiet and deserted.


    ¡°The target hasn¡¯t appeared yet.¡±


    ¡°Keep watching.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Zhang Ping retracted the binoculars and looked at the captain, who was smoking in the passenger seat. He had just arrived home before 8 in the evening and hadn¡¯t even had the chance to hug his daughter, who was doing her homework, when he was called out by the captain to prepare for the arrest of a suspect. Although he wasn¡¯t clear about what had happened during the time, he was commuting home from work, the criminal suspect had changed from a man to a woman and from a teacher to a student, which was somewhat confusing. What was even more important was that the captain only mentioned that they had to detain the person in secret, and even the evidence wasn¡¯t sufficient. It would have been more reasonable if they were asked by the higher authorities to cooperate with the investigation. He thought for a moment, then quietly turned off his headset and couldn¡¯t help but speak privately with his captain, ¡°Captain Xing, are we being too hasty in arresting this person?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Then should we wait a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Zhang Ping took the cigarette from the dashboard of the Jeep and lit it for himself. ¡°Lao Xing, are you hiding something from us? Tell me what¡¯s going on. How dangerous is this woman named Shen Lian? The people you have called in are almost as equipped as the special forces for catching bandits.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so troublesome? Are you possessed by Wang Chao?¡± Xing Conglian gave an impatient click of his tongue and extinguished his cigarette.


    It wasn¡¯t like Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t answer Zhang Ping¡¯s question, but he really didn¡¯t know whether it was right to arrest so hastily. He simply thought that this woman named Shen Lian sounded dangerous; not to mention that she was likely to be involved with the Zaratul drug factory. What was most crucial was that many times, many things simply made no sense.


    The words spoken by Lin Chen just now were still echoing in his ears. Although they weren¡¯t clear about Shen Lian¡¯s motive and the complex ramifications, they had directly located Shen Lian herself through a shortcut. Essentially, it was a shortcut obtained by exchanging the life of Duan Wanshan. They knew information that the murderer didn¡¯t know, so they could take the initiative and be one step ahead. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t let this shortcut go to waste.


    At exactly 21:00, Shen Lian still hadn¡¯t returned home.


    The personnel on the roads inside and outside the community had all cleared out, and a wild cat darted into the bushes. As soon as Shen Lian stepped into the encirclement, there would be no chance of escape.


    The inside of the car was dimly lit and filled with smoke. Xing Conglian rolled over and looked at his phone. He wondered if he should call Lin Chen, but he didn¡¯t know if he accidentally pressed the lock button or for some other reason, but the screen suddenly went dark.


    Xing Conglian reached out and turned off the overhead light in the car, leaving only the faint light of Wang Chao¡¯s laptop screen in the entire space.


    Zhang Ping frowned at him, as if wondering why he suddenly became so nervous. The deputy squad leader began to look around, and Xing Conglian also looked up. There was no one at the end of the road, and all the police officers were guarding key positions as usual.


    There was a faint rustling sound on the communication device, and Zhang Ping began to inquire about the situation at the mouth of the road. The wind brushed the leaves, and a light came on in the distance.


    ¡°What car? Is there anyone in the car? Report quickly,¡± Zhang Ping asked.


    There was only the same rustling sound on the communication device. Xing Conglian loaded the gun without hesitation and pushed open the door to get out of the car. Just then, a completely black private car quickly drove towards him. Xing Conglian stood in the middle of the small path and looked into the car.


    Two seconds later, the driver suddenly realized that something was wrong and slammed on the brakes, the sharp sound echoing through the night sky.


    The distance was close enough. With the help of the streetlamps and car lights, Xing Conglian could clearly see the driver cursing wildly in the car. There was no one in the front or back seats, and the black leather seats gleamed with a warm luster.


    The darkness around them once again became quiet, and Xing Conglian watched the driver ranting and raving in the car like he was watching a silent play. Two households turned off their balcony lights, making the streetlamps turn into gentle veils. Wild cats sprinted past, and the wind rose again, followed by a suppressed gasping sound.


    Xing Conglian pressed his headset and confirmed that the gasping sound was indeed coming from his earpiece, like a wild beast being strangled or a dying animal caught in a trap. The sound went from coarse to fine, like a steel knife scraping across the scalp, and finally became extremely mournful.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s causing the interference in the channel!¡±


    Zhang Ping¡¯s anxious inquiry came from the channel, and the undercover police officers on the scene reported one by one. Xing Conglian made a hand gesture to Zhang Ping to have the driver detained and started running.


    ¡°Mouse here!¡±


    ¡°Lion here!¡±


    Xing Conglian ran past bushes and flower beds, and the wind brushed past his ears. The barbecue stall at the mouth of the road became increasingly clear.


    ¡°Camel here!¡±


    ¡°Wild Horse here!¡±


    The smoke from the barbecue rose, and the fan blew all the smoke and dust into the night sky. The sound of noise and laughter drifted through the night, and people waved their beer, laughing and shouting like it was the most beautiful summer night in the city. If Xing Conglian had not seen the next scene.


    All sound disappeared in the space, as if he had walked into an absolutely silent vacuum environment.


    The barbecue stall owner pulled a large skewer of grilled meat from the grill, and the pointed tip of the iron skewer emitted a cold light. The gaps between the meat skewers were filled with red-hot iron rods.


    The next moment, the owner¡¯s face lit up with a smile as he grabbed the skewer and turned to hand it to a nearby customer.


    At that moment, without hesitation, Xing Conglian pulled out his gun as the old, wrinkled hand reached out to hand over the skewer.


    The owner still maintained his posture of grabbing the iron skewer, his elbow bent, and all the iron skewers in his hand stabbed towards the open mouth of the young man sitting at the table.


    Gunshots rang out.


    A spray of blood splattered into the night sky, and the skewers scattered and traced chaotic arcs in the air, finally landing on the ground.


    ¡°Anomaly detected at the alley entrance. Requesting backup!¡± The chaotic voices in the earpiece sounded again, and Xing Conglian ripped off his headset.


    Screams pierced the night sky, from both men and women, as chaotic footsteps trampled on the sticky black oil and various shellfish waste on the ground. Some people fell, but more people stood still, staring at the horrifying scene in front of the grill.


    ¡°Police investigation! Irrelevant people leave the scene!¡±


    A police officer guarding the other side of the entrance shouted from a distance to the diners at the barbeque stall while waving his arms. Xing Conglian scanned all the nearby faces, some showing fear, some showing numbness, and even some showing a terrifying smile. But among all these faces, there was not one that belonged to Shen Lian.


    In the brief moment that he searched for the suspect, no one noticed that the young man who had been stabbed by the barbecue stall owner had regained his senses.


    The young man¡¯s eyes flashed with an unusual excitement, as if the wildest blood in his veins had been ignited. He pushed hard with his legs and pounced on the barbecue stall owner. The grill collapsed, and charcoal rolled all over the place as the two rolled in it. The air was filled with the smell of grilled meat and the sizzling sound of burning. However, neither of the two in the charcoal felt any pain. The owner grabbed a burning piece of charcoal and stuffed it into the young man¡¯s mouth, and the young man bit down on the middle-aged owner¡¯s face without hesitation.


    With a piercing sound, a large chunk of flesh was torn off. Blood flowed down the young man¡¯s white teeth as he continued to grin widely. The owner picked up a piece of charcoal and stuffed it into his mouth, along with the blood and shredded flesh that flowed down his wrist. The partially cooked, crispy, sweet smell was tantalizing. The owner looked at his hand and bit down, still smiling.


    Smoke rose into the night sky, and the fallen fan spun weakly on the cement floor.


    Xing Conglian stood still, as if someone had suddenly shot him in the head, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He just felt like all his thoughts were scrambled, and the air was no longer filled with the scent of the city but with the putrid smell of the rainforest; everything was bloody and primitive, making him almost vomit.


    A male student sitting at the same table as the young man also stood up. He wore a gold-embossed skull hoodie and picked up a piece of white porcelain shard from the ground. He turned around and walked toward the trembling guests huddled in the corner.


    A police officer who had crossed the street suddenly pounced on the male student in the skull hoodie, but the male student raised the porcelain shard and held it tightly against the officer¡¯s throat.


    Xing Conglian started running again, and the air around him became scorching hot. He yelled at the guests who were still lingering near the barbecue restaurant, ¡°Go, hurry up and leave!¡±


    The stunned guests screamed again; their eyes filled with terror. Xing Conglian ran at his fastest speed, scanning the scene of the brawl, 20 meters, 10 meters¡­


    The male student in the skull hoodie used some unknown force to push the police officer to the ground. Xing Conglian fired his gun again, hitting the male student¡¯s shoulder, causing blood to flow out, but the frenzied male student seemed unaware of the injury.


    Just as Xing Conglian was about to pull the trigger for the third time, the porcelain shard had already plunged into the police officer¡¯s throat.


    At the moment the porcelain shard was inserted into the throat, the night sky paused, and the background faded away. The bloody scene became bright, and Xing Conglian saw his colleague struggling to turn his head, saw his eyes wide open in the dark, and saw the bright red blood spurt out along the white porcelain shard.


    He saw the young man¡¯s hand still desperately gripping the porcelain shard, as if wanting to stab deeper.


    Xing Conglian finally rushed to the two of them. He pulled the assailant away and stepped heavily on the hand that was holding the porcelain shard, knocking him out. Then he quickly took off his coat and covered his colleague¡¯s throat with it.


    Xing Conglian pressed his clothes tightly against the wound, but blood spurted out like an open tap, soaking his coat in no time. ¡°Hang in there! Hang in there! Can you hear me?¡±


    He shouted with all his strength, but the police officer lying on the ground only opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but eventually closed his eyes slowly.


    Someone burst out laughing, and the whole Drum Tower Community under the night sky seemed like hell on earth.

 CH 219

    The slight sound of high heels could be heard. Tap, tap, tap¡­


    Lin Chen suddenly sat up in his ward, which was pitch black. He listened carefully and heard faint weeping coming from somewhere, drifting in and out.


    He unlocked his phone and checked the time: 9:11 p.m.. Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t called since they started their operation, indicating that they hadn¡¯t caught Shen Lian. It wasn¡¯t normal for a single woman to not return home after 9.


    Lin Chen felt increasingly uneasy.


    Suddenly, he discerned the sound of an ambulance coming from outside the surrounding space.


    One, two¡­ It seemed like more and more ambulances were driving into the hospital.


    He looked at the drip bag, which only had a little bit of saline left. Without hesitation, he pulled out the needle and walked to the window to look down.


    There weren¡¯t too many people gathered outside the emergency building, but he could vaguely see uniformed police officers and some frightened onlookers. Because he was on a high floor, it was difficult to tell exactly what was happening down below. Shortly after, another police car drove into the hospital. Lin Chen recognized the figure and the bright head from the person who got out of the car.


    He immediately turned around and left the room. The corridor in the special care ward was empty, and the light at the nurse¡¯s station not far away was blinding.


    As he passed by the nurse¡¯s station, someone called out to him.


    ¡°Hey, patient! It¡¯s rest time now. You can¡¯t walk around freely. Go back to your room.¡±


    As the young nurse spoke, Lin Chen¡¯s phone began to vibrate furiously. The number on the screen didn¡¯t belong to Xing Conglian or Wang Chao. Lin Chen gestured for the nurse to wait and answered the call.


    ¡°Lin Chen. Please speak.¡±


    ¡°Are you at the hospital? The operation has gone wrong¡­ The director has arrived, and we need you to come down immediately.¡±


    ¡°Where are you guys?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at the emergency building. The media is probably going to show up soon, so please hurry.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Lin Chen ended the call and quickly explained the urgent situation to the nurse before sprinting towards the elevator.


    When he reached the emergency building, the first thing he heard was crying. Of course, crying was normal in a hospital, but this sound was too sorrowful, as if someone¡¯s heart and lungs were being ripped out. During a break in the sound of the emergency room door opening and closing, Lin Chen looked inside and could only see a large number of blood-stained gauzes. He almost collided with a nurse holding blood plasma as he backed out. Using the flow of people as a guide, he found the old director in a doctor¡¯s office.


    Director Wu was retiring in less than half a year and had always been calm and relaxed. Lin Chen had never seen him look so serious before.


    ¡°What happened? Where¡¯s Xing Conglian?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Director Wu looked up at him and visibly frowned at the mention of Xing Conglian¡¯s name. Lin Chen steadied himself by holding onto the desk and remained surprisingly calm. Several doctors were sitting across from him at the desk, and he glanced at their badges: brain surgeon, neurology¡­


    Something must have happened for all of the brain science-related experts in the hospital to have been called in.


    Seeing that the director didn¡¯t say anything, the assistant police officer beside him spoke to Lin Chen. ¡°Wait a moment, Consultant Lin. We¡¯re waiting for the Criminal Investigation Department to arrive and have a brief meeting with the experts.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Just then, chaotic footsteps were heard in the hallway outside the office. The door swung open, and Xing Conglian appeared with his deputy captain, Zhang Ping. Wang Chao wasn¡¯t with them.


    Xing Conglian was covered in blood from his chest to his collar, his hands were red, and his coat was nowhere to be seen. Lin Chen met his gaze, and Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes remained numb for a few seconds. Then he looked at him with grief in his deep eyes.


    ¡°Come over here and explain what happened today!¡± Director Wu slammed the table, and everyone in the office was shocked.


    Lin Chen turned around and calmly looked at the angry director, saying, ¡°You need to calm down.¡±


    ¡°I lost a police officer under my command, and you want me to calm down?¡± The director¡¯s face became stern. He stood up, pointed at Xing Conglian, and cursed, ¡°Xiao An¡¯s girlfriend and parents are coming here soon. You need to explain to them why a routine arrest turned into this. And why did you randomly shoot in the downtown area? Who gave you permission to do that? Have you considered the consequences?!¡±


    Lin Chen replied for Xing Conglian. ¡°He was carrying out his duties on the front line, and only he knows whether or not he should have fired his weapon. It¡¯s unfair to hold the front-line officers responsible without understanding the specific situation.¡±


    He then dragged over two chairs from the corner of the room and motioned for the two who had just entered the room to sit down.


    Director Wu was so angry that his veins were popping, but he didn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡°Did Officer An die in the line of duty?¡± Lin Chen sat down on a chair and asked.


    Xing Conglian looked at him and nodded.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart sank as he looked at Xing Conglian, who was covered in blood. He immediately understood where the blood came from. ¡°Was it because of Shen Lian¡¯s refusal to be arrested?¡± he asked Xing Conglian.


    ¡°No.¡± Xing Conglian finally spoke up but didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Zhang Ping said, ¡°We didn¡¯t even see anyone associated with Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°What happened at the scene? Why did it turn out like this?¡± Crying and footsteps were heard in the hallway outside, but the office was completely silent, with only the faint flicker of the fluorescent lights.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xing Conglian said clearly, one word at a time.


    ¡°You fucking don¡¯t know?!¡± Director Wu slammed the table again.


    Ignoring the furious director behind him and everyone else in the room, Lin Chen grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s hand. His hand was trembling, but he still tried to calm himself down and said softly to Xing Conglian, ¡°The hospital experts are all here. The sooner we figure out what happened, the sooner we can solve the problem.¡±


    Xing Conglian pursed his lips. For a moment, he showed a look of extreme indifference, and then his focus gradually converged, and he said, ¡°We really don¡¯t know where the problem came from. Around 21:00, there was interference in our communication channel, and then there was a disturbance at the barbecue stand in the alley. The stall owner and customers who were dining fought each other, and a police officer died in the line of duty while protecting the residents.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s report was concise and to the point. ¡°During this process, I fired two shots, one hitting the barbecue stand owner and the other hitting the suspect who was attempting to kill the police officer. The ballistic evidence and eyewitness testimony at the scene can confirm this.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts raced, and he quickly figured out what the problem was.


    He had faith in Xing Conglian¡¯s marksmanship, but with Xing Conglian on the scene and clearly stating that he hit the suspect, the police officer still died. It was clear that this wasn¡¯t a simple issue that could be explained away.


    Xing Conglian seemed to be lost in deep memories. He said, ¡°This was my mistake. I should have chosen to kill the suspect from the beginning instead of merely disabling him.¡±


    ¡°So your bullets didn¡¯t disable him?¡± Lin Chen asked, looking up.


    ¡°No,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°They seemed to have no pain response and acted solely on instinct. The incident happened too suddenly, and we still haven¡¯t figured out what went wrong.¡±


    ¡°How is it possible that the bullets didn¡¯t disable them?¡± a department head who had been very quiet in the office asked. ¡°Did they turn into zombies?¡±


    ¡°The scene has been completely sealed off. People from the Food and Drug Administration and the Epidemic Prevention Center have arrived, and only then did we come back,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°The Epidemic Prevention Center?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Because there were reports of people biting others at the scene of the incident, some members of the public were unable to control their own emotions, so they reported it to the Disease Control and Prevention Center,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Is this a biohazard crisis?¡± Director Wu couldn¡¯t contain himself and said, ¡°We were just trying to catch a person. Why did it suddenly turn into people eating people?¡±


    ¡°How could this situation suddenly arise?¡± another expert said. ¡°We haven¡¯t had a case like this in our city in recent years.¡±


    ¡°You are all neuroscience experts and should know that the possibility of this situation occurring still exists,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It could either be a brain disease or effects from a drug,¡± another person said. ¡°Rabies?¡±


    ¡°I believe effects from drugs are more likely,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The experts discussed it in a flurry. ¡°But we need to do a detailed examination to determine which specific drug it is.¡±


    ¡°However, the approach taken by the Disease Control and Prevention Center is correct. I believe it is necessary to implement level-one biohazard isolation, and all personnel who have come into contact with the patient should be isolated and observed,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian pursed his lips. When he heard the other side talking about isolation, he interjected forcefully, saying, ¡°I suggest finding other reasons for isolation and observation to prevent public panic. After all, this case has already been sensational enough, and it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to use the phrase ¡®mandatory isolation¡¯ again.¡±


    ¡°This is understood, but how specifically should we phrase it?¡± the doctor asked.


    ¡°We should explain it as drugs. If we can confirm that those involved in the fight and violence didn¡¯t have a history of subjectively taking drugs, then they must have involuntarily ingested the drugs. As the incident happened at a barbecue stand with heavy smoke, it can¡¯t be ruled out that other bystanders may have also involuntarily ingested drugs. For the health of everyone involved, we hope that those involved can accept observation in the hospital,¡± Lin Chen continued to explain to the other party. ¡°If the media asks you about the patient¡¯s condition, you can use relevant cases that have occurred in the United States to explain. ¡®A few years ago, in a town in the United States, there was a similar case where a homeless person turned into a zombie and attacked residents, biting their faces. The local police eventually determined that the homeless people were affected by a drug called ¡®bath salts¡¯, causing them to exhibit uncontrolled panic and attacking behavior.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard of that, but if the media asks how drug users suddenly appeared at the barbecue stand and how those crazy bystanders ingested the drugs, how should we answer?¡± asked another expert.


    Lin Chen remained surprisingly calm from beginning to end. ¡°Experts, please tell the media that this part of the problem should be investigated by the police. You don¡¯t know the specific progress of the investigation, so just push it to us,¡± Lin Chen answered calmly.


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go see the patient first.¡± Several experts stood up, one after another.


    The office door opened, and the flashing lights and questioning voices of reporters could be heard outside the emergency center in the distance.


    ¡°I heard there were reports of cannibalism?¡±


    ¡°Is this a real biohazard?¡±


    ¡°Is the government hiding relevant information from the public?¡±


    Several doctors walked to the door, and suddenly someone turned around and asked, ¡°Why are you wearing our hospital patient¡¯s clothes?¡±


    Listening to the voices of the reporters, Lin Chen froze for a moment, then looked at himself from head to toe, and said, ¡°I think I should go change my clothes now.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    The incident Lin Chen is referring to is the Miami cannibal attack, where a homeless man was attacked. The assailant was Rudy Eugene, who bit off the homeless man¡¯s face. Police sources speculated that he was high on ¡°bath salts¡± which might¡¯ve been a factor in his actions, but why he attacked remained unclear.


    This is different from what Lin Chen is describing, as the homeless man is the victim, not the assailant.

 CH 220

    After all the hospital specialists had left, only five people remained in the office.


    For about half a minute, no one spoke.


    The director touched the doctor¡¯s desk and was the first to speak. ¡°Zhang Ping, you and Xiao Chen¡ªthe two of you go out.¡±


    The person who was named felt relieved and stood up to prepare to leave.


    Lin Chen rubbed his forehead and said to Secretary Chen, ¡°Could you please help us find two sets of clean clothes? I have them in my ward.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do, Lin Chen?¡± The director blew his beard and stared, suddenly understanding. ¡°You want to involve yourself in the interview with the reporters?¡±


    ¡°You easily catch on,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    ¡°Is this the tone you use to talk to your boss¡¯ boss?¡± The director angrily said. ¡°This was originally my job, and you want to take over everything.¡±


    ¡°At the barbecue stall, crazy diners bit each other, and even a police officer was killed. Have you ever thought that if this is not handled properly, it could easily become a serious crisis of public trust? Do you think the killer¡¯s goal isn¡¯t related to this?¡± The director¡¯s face was uncertain, but Lin Chen seemed not to have noticed and was only observing Xing Conglian¡¯s expression. He said to Xing Conglian, ¡°The reason why government crisis public relations are important is that rumors themselves may be more terrifying than the case.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of you talking if you can¡¯t persuade anyone? Maybe you¡¯ll offend all the media as soon as you appear!¡± The director continued to mutter. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, just issue a gag order.¡±


    ¡°This is different from a normal case. The more it is silenced, the more the public¡¯s imagination will run wild,¡± Lin Chen continued.


    ¡°Are you saying that only you can handle this?¡±


    ¡°Please trust me.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, I¡¯m old, and my heart isn¡¯t good. Take it easy.¡± The director finally relented and asked, ¡°How do you plan to deal with the details of the case when the media asks?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still under investigation.¡±


    ¡°Why were so many police officers carrying out arrests in the Drum Tower Community and suddenly encountering such a situation? Why didn¡¯t the police stop the tragedy from happening in advance?¡±


    ¡°Your questions are tricky, and I don¡¯t know how to answer them for now.¡±


    ¡°Is this your response?¡±


    ¡°I will ask Captain Xing for the specific details.¡± Lin Chen turned to the old director and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t say no, so don¡¯t argue with him.¡±


    Xing Conglian had no emotions on his face earlier, but with these words, he finally came to his senses. ¡°Wait, when did I agree?¡±


    Lin Chen touched his face and just said, ¡°Be good.¡±


    Xing Conglian pursed his lips and looked fierce. He was a typical figure of great dignity when serious, and now he appeared even more imposing.


    Just then, the old director¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He was very annoyed and picked it up to see the screen flashing the two words ¡°Huang Ze¡±.


    When the old director was in a bad mood, he wasn¡¯t very friendly towards Young Master Huang either. Huang Ze said something on the other end of the phone, and the old director shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with firing two shots during a disturbance? If you don¡¯t shoot, the number of people who die will have a zero added to the end. Are you taking responsibility, or am I?¡±


    Huang Ze seemed to be saying something else, but the old director continued, ¡°What¡¯s the use of coming? I feel like your inspectorate is like a hunting dog that barks at the smell of blood. Our front-line police officers are charging ahead, while behind them is a pack of hounds and eagles chasing and biting at them. It¡¯s chilling just to hear about it!¡±


    After finishing his words, the old director hung up the phone without giving Huang Ze any face.


    Hearing this, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but turn to Xing Conglian and say, ¡°It¡¯s okay to beat up Huang Ze, but don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Xing Conglian had already been holding back, and he was about to speak when the office door was pushed open again. Secretary Chen quickly brought two sets of clean clothes from somewhere, handing them to Xing Conglian as he said, ¡°Captain, Officer An¡¯s family has arrived.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart sank. Director Wu had already gotten up, and Xing Conglian was also about to stand up. Seeing this, the old director stared at Xing Conglian. ¡°Do you have to be in front of everything? This is something I need to handle!¡± He looked at the bloodstained clothes on Xing Conglian¡¯s body and blocked everything Xing Conglian was going to say. ¡°Are you going to see Officer An¡¯s family covered in blood? Hurry up and change your clothes.¡±


    After speaking, the old director left in a hurry, and Secretary Chen followed suit.


    The old director acted decisively, as if everything had happened in the blink of an eye. When the office door closed, Lin Chen took a deep look at Xing Conglian, then turned around and locked the door to the doctor¡¯s office and turned off the lights.


    ¡°Change your clothes,¡± Lin Chen said to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t move. Lin Chen looked around the room and saw a curtain surrounding a medical bed. He pulled Xing Conglian over and brushed the curtain shut before forcibly pressing him onto the bed.


    As he got closer, the strong smell of blood from Xing Conglian¡¯s body hit him. In the faint light coming through the glass on the door, he began to unbutton Xing Conglian¡¯s shirt without hesitation.


    Xing Conglian held down his hand.


    Lin Chen broke away from Xing Conglian¡¯s hand and unbuttoned the second button of his shirt without hesitation. ¡°Because of the lighting, the bad guys in the corridor can hardly see what¡¯s happening in the dark, so don¡¯t worry about anyone seeing us.¡±


    Xing Conglian remained silent.


    Lin Chen placed his hand on Xing Conglian¡¯s chest but suddenly didn¡¯t know what else to say. At that moment, Xing Conglian¡¯s hand gently enveloped his stiff fingers.


    ¡°Lin Chen,¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s low voice rang out in the space where they could barely see each other¡¯s faces.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Your hand is shaking.¡±


    Lin Chen finally stopped and couldn¡¯t help taking a deep breath. He withdrew his hand and took a step back, then started to unbutton his patient gown.


    The sound of fabric rubbing against fabric filled the room as Xing Conglian quickly took off his shirt. Lin Chen reached for the clean clothes on the bed, but Xing Conglian¡¯s hand covered his again.


    ¡°Lin Chen, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Lin Chen turned his head and looked in the direction where Xing Conglian was speaking.


    Xing Conglian was about to speak when Lin Chen suddenly pushed him onto the bed and leaned over him, his hands passing through Xing Conglian¡¯s armpits to hold him tightly.


    They were both naked. Lin Chen felt the many scars on Xing Conglian¡¯s skin, thick and thin. They didn¡¯t kiss, but Lin Chen just held Xing Conglian tightly, his fingers almost embedding themselves in Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulders. He could feel Xing Conglian¡¯s icy body gradually warming up, and his stiff muscles relaxing. Finally, Xing Conglian¡¯s hand gently rested on his waist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything about how this is inappropriate right now,¡± Lin Chen propped himself up a bit and said to Xing Conglian, nose to nose. ¡°The world won¡¯t be missing these five minutes even if it ends.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t have time to call you just now.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice became more relaxed.


    ¡°Why apologize? Are you apologizing because you think you scared me or for some other reason?¡± Lin Chen asked. ¡°Am I that fragile?¡±


    Xing Conglian just stared at him and said, word for word, ¡°I¡¯m just very worried about you.¡±


    Lin Chen quickly replied, ¡°Worried about me? When I heard the news that the arrest had gone wrong and saw you covered in blood in front of me, I was almost scared to death. And professionally speaking, for about half a minute, I didn¡¯t have the time to think about anyone else. I thought of hundreds of sentences to make you feel better, but suddenly I became clear-headed and remembered that I was facing Xing Conglian, not a patient or a visitor. He¡¯s very powerful and doesn¡¯t need any comfort from me. Then I became confused again. I¡¯ve been trying to stay calm, like I am now, but you can see that my hands are trembling, and my speech is faster than usual. I¡¯m telling you all this to make you understand that¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Lin Chen¡­¡± Xing Conglian gently stroked his back.


    Lin Chen paused for a moment and began to speak in an extremely calm tone to Xing Conglian. ¡°That everyone will have a corresponding stress response after trauma. There are almost no humans who are completely unaffected, even if they are psychopaths or those with anti-social personality disorders.¡± He turned Xing Conglian¡¯s head and forced him to listen to every word he said. ¡°I will become unprofessional and lose my calm because of you, and you will also not be able to handle everything perfectly in some sudden situations. This is all normal, and we must face it rather than telling ourselves that we are strong and can get through it, which is meaningless.¡±


    Xing Conglian blinked; his curled eyelashes covered by a faint light.


    Lin Chen lowered his head and kissed the eyes of the person on the hospital bed, whispering, ¡°Listen, we are not omnipotent.¡±


    Xing Conglian was no longer as numb as before. He took a deep breath and pointed to his ear, saying in a slow voice, ¡°I understand, Consultant Lin.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, ready to climb off Xing Conglian¡¯s body, but Xing Conglian suddenly pressed his back and pushed him against his chest.


    Xing Conglian held him tightly, to the point where he could only maintain this posture, leaning against Xing Conglian¡¯s flat chest, listening to the sound of Xing Conglian¡¯s heart beating more and more slowly, although this calmness may also be his illusion. However, Lin Chen still felt that it was good; even if it was the end of the world, they could get through it.


    ¡°Lin Chen.¡± Xing Conglian sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡±


    ¡°I want to say thank you, but I feel like it¡¯s too cheesy,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen suddenly felt like laughing, it was so difficult, yet so funny. He stroked Xing Conglian¡¯s face, climbed off him, and as he was about to grope for the clothes on the bed that might have been messed up by them, he suddenly heard the person lying on the hospital bed say in a very quiet voice, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t move, and Lin Chen thought he was hearing things. He looked down at the person on the bed, who just sat up, reached out to touch the back of his neck, gently kissed his lips, and said again in an ordinary tone, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Lin Chen struggled to describe his feelings at that moment. It was so sudden and yet so ordinary. He picked up the clothes on the bed and put them on, calmly saying, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    All the hugs and confessions ended quickly. Lin Chen had imagined that it would take about five minutes, but when Xing Conglian let go of him, only about a minute had passed. This gave Lin Chen the illusion that he wanted to give back the minute Xing Conglian had left.


    They sat on a hospital bed and quickly changed into clean clothes. The noise and clamor from the corridor seemed to rush back into the office as soon as they separated.


    Lin Chen buttoned up his shirt. He had thought many times about what love was or should be and why humans needed such a thing.


    But as he looked at the person next to him carefully buttoning up his clothes, he suddenly understood.


    Perhaps it was because there were too many unexpected difficulties in life, it was good to have a companion to support each other.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Note: Xing Conglian did say [wo ai ni] (ÎÒ°®Äã).

 CH 221

    They changed their clothes quickly.


    The shirt that Secretary Chen brought wasn¡¯t quite the right size, so Lin Chen rolled up the cuffs. However, he had difficulty moving his hand due to the wound in his palm. Without hesitation, Xing Conglian held his hand and took over.


    When Xing Conglian¡¯s rough and calloused fingertips brushed over his wrist, Lin Chen¡¯s fingers trembled slightly.


    Xing Conglian chuckled and said softly, ¡°Why so nervous? You took off my clothes so easily earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    In the darkness, Lin Chen could only vaguely see Xing Conglian¡¯s hands, which were steady when holding a gun, carefully rolling up his sleeves. Lin Chen said in a low voice, ¡°Maybe because I prefer to take the initiative.¡±


    Xing Conglian pretended not to hear and took his other hand. After he finished rolling up the sleeve, he suddenly leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll take the initiative.¡±


    Lin Chen smiled helplessly, feeling more composed. They didn¡¯t have much time alone, so he quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°What about Wang Chao?¡±


    Xing Conglian replied, ¡°There was strange interference in the communication system at that time, and Wang Chao stayed at the scene to investigate what happened.¡±


    Lin Chen found it hard to understand. ¡°Interference? The killer is so smart that they can even hack into the police communication system? And was the arrest operation leaked in advance? Otherwise, how could Shen Lian react so quickly and create such chaos in such a short time?¡±


    Xing Conglian shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We have to wait for Wang Chao¡¯s investigation¡¯s results. However, I think our channel was being monitored, so when we reacted, Shen Lian¡¯s reaction would have been faster than ours.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The swift response process couldn¡¯t be simply explained by being prepared. He continued to ask, ¡°So, do you think Shen Lian really caused the trouble at the barbecue stand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but we all know what those Gaomeng people who received drug trials are like. Today¡¯s sudden madness among the barbecue customers is similar to that of those Gaomeng people. And both are involved. Besides Shen Lian, it¡¯s either Duan Yang or us. I can¡¯t think of any other suspicious person for now.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and quickly asked, ¡°The next question is, how did the poisoned drugs get into the crazed customers?¡±


    ¡°It happened suddenly, and I didn¡¯t think it through at first. But I suddenly realized that when the incident occurred, all the people who went crazy were very close to the barbecue stand¡­ If it wasn¡¯t food, then¡­¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly realized, ¡°Was it smoke?¡±


    Xing Conglian neither confirmed nor denied it. ¡°We still need to examine the scene to determine, but most of the smoke was blown into the sky. So when you explain it to the media later, you may need to remind nearby residents that if they feel any physical or emotional abnormalities, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it,¡± Lin Chen interrupted. ¡°If we hastily notify the public of this news, it could easily cause panic. Human imagination is endless, and we¡¯re not even sure if the problem really lies in the smoke from the barbecue stand. Should we wait for the relevant test results to come out before making a decision?¡±


    Xing Conglian said solemnly, ¡°We may not have time to wait for the test results. Since it may be a new type of drug that we have never seen before, the chemical substance will be difficult for us to detect. It will take a lot of time to determine the exact composition of this drug. If it were that simple, Lu Jia wouldn¡¯t have gone through so much trouble to kidnap Duan Yang to Dana.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but let me think about it.¡± At this point, Lin Chen suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, we may have something else that could be useful.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Since Shen Lian once sent research data on the new drug to Duan Yang, there must be a backup at Duan Yang¡¯s place. Regardless of whether it¡¯s true or false, the original data at that time may help us figure out what Shen Lian is up to.¡±


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°So where is the original data? After Duan Yang was kidnapped, didn¡¯t Shen Lian go to clear the scene?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I asked Duan Yang to hide his stuff in the beanbag on the second floor of the pet store where he used to work. Hopefully, the owner didn¡¯t just throw it away.¡±


    ¡°I hope not.¡± Xing Conglian leaned in again and kissed Lin Chen on the forehead, then sighed. ¡°Why are you so clever?¡±


    Lin Chen was stunned. Xing Conglian¡¯s sweet gestures were irresistible, and he could only steady his mind and say, ¡°We still need to find an expert who can understand and analyze these things. Can we ask Mrs. Jiang Chao?¡±


    ¡°I will find someone who is relatively trustworthy. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°But this won¡¯t help you solve the problem you are about to solve now. The responsibility is on me.¡±


    Xing Conglian was referring to the issue of the swarm of media. Lin Chen frowned. Since Duan Yang¡¯s appearance, all the problems kept piling up and turned into a very complex mess. The death of Professor Duan was more like a sharp sword, directly cutting through the tangle and leading them to the culprit. Unfortunately, they missed the best opportunity to catch Shen Lian during this process. Lin Chen could understand why Xing Conglian was so rarely frustrated and even self-blaming. He patted Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m not saying this just because I love you, but I think your judgment from beginning to end was correct. Shen Lian is extremely dangerous, and we must arrest her as soon as possible without hesitation. If there were problems during the arrest, that¡¯s unpredictable¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian lifted his head slightly and looked at him. ¡± Consultant Lin, what you¡¯re actually saying is you¡¯re blinded by love and think that I¡¯m always right. That would make me even happier, really.¡±


    Lin Chen felt that his worry just now about Xing Conglian being under too much pressure was a bit unfounded. But he couldn¡¯t help but hug Xing Conglian again for what he had just said. ¡°So, I¡¯ve decided not to solve the problem you mentioned for the time being,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xing Conglian asked bluntly.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°I have decided not to disclose any information about Shen Lian to the media, pretending that we have not identified the suspect.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Xing Conglian straightforwardly.


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t know what Shen Lian is up to,¡± Lin Chen said calmly, though he felt increasingly uneasy. ¡°She used Duan Yang to set up a chain of false evidence against Professor Duan Wanshan, assassinate Tan Kang, and falsify Professor Duan¡¯s DNA and fingerprints. While these actions might have been motivated by personal grievances, listening in on the police radio, poisoning people in a crowded market, and endangering public health have turned this into a highly complex social event. Assuming that Shen Lian was powerful enough to set up all these schemes in advance, it means that she was fully aware that the police would eventually find out and was prepared to escape while throwing us off her trail. Her modus operandi reflects her inner state; if she was behind the barbecue stall incident, it means she has a deep-seated hatred for society and is ruthless. Therefore, she is extremely dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If Shen Lian is so dangerous, shouldn¡¯t we make the public aware of how dangerous she is and warn everyone to be on guard?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I believe that the public¡¯s right to know is a delicate matter,¡± Lin Chen said seriously. ¡°Everyone claims that they have the right to know the truth, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have to report every step we take to the public. The key is that even we, the police, don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. How can we explain it to the public? In uncertain situations, we must weigh the pros and cons. Let¡¯s analyze the benefits of telling the public the name of the suspect, Shen Lian. First, we have a target to alleviate the pressure, and everyone will focus on Shen Lian rather than the police. Second, we can use the usual tactic of swarming people, drowning Shen Lian in the sea of the masses, and exposing her whereabouts. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°It can be said so,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Lin Chen nodded and asked, ¡°We don¡¯t need to release pressure, but what about the latter? Shen Lian not only managed to assassinate Tan Kang under the surveillance of the amusement park but also evaded police surveillance. It shows that her counter-detection ability is not only advanced but also sophisticated. I¡¯m afraid that even using the usual tactic of swarming people, we can¡¯t find Shen Lian in a short time. Moreover, if we make her feel tremendous pressure, she may suddenly use the toxic drugs in her possession to create a greater public safety event. What should we do?¡± Lin Chen paused, stood up, opened the curtain covering the hospital bed, and turned to Xing Conglian. ¡°I remember that you used code names during the arrest operation, right? Therefore, we probably never explicitly mentioned the name ¡®Shen Lian¡¯ from beginning to end, did we?¡±


    Xing Conglian was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°As far as I remember, that¡¯s right. We never mentioned ¡®Shen Lian¡¯ specifically from start to finish, but Lao Zhang whispered ¡®Shen Lian¡¯ to me in the police car. He turned off the microphone and spoke softly, so it¡¯s unlikely that it was transmitted from my microphone.¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I think we should hold off for now. First, we need to try and deceive Shen Lian, making her doubt that the police aren¡¯t targeting her as the suspect. If we can¡¯t do that, I need to see what Shen Lian is planning to do next.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gambling!¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice rose slightly.


    ¡°Psychologists are all game masters.¡± Lin Chen pulled Xing Conglian up from the bed. ¡°If the enemy doesn¡¯t move, I won¡¯t move. Even if she does move, I can choose not to. Trust me. Otherwise, how could I have won you over?¡±


    Lin Chen attempted to evade the issue with his last sentence, but Xing Conglian suddenly realized the problem. ¡°Wait a minute, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that by choosing not to disclose information about Shen Lian, you¡¯re taking responsibility for any problems that arise.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian in confusion. ¡°What responsibility do I have? Don¡¯t you have my back?¡±


    Xing Conglian was at a loss for words.


    Lin Chen continued, ¡°So, during the time we can barely deceive Shen Lian, we need to first analyze the specific composition of this new drug or poison, and secondly, quickly track down Shen Lian¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Consultant Lin,¡± Xing Conglian said helplessly.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s settled¡­¡± While speaking, Lin Chen was about to leave the hospital bed to open the door, but Xing Conglian grabbed his wrist.


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He thought it was some kind of farewell kiss or something, but Xing Conglian remained silent for a moment before asking in a calm tone, ¡°One last question. Do you think this case has anything to do with the White Sand case? I mean the fruit vendor who went crazy and started attacking people.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart skipped a beat again. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. There is no evidence to prove any connection between these two cases. In the White Sand case, the fruit vendor¡¯s body had a clear presence of stimulant ingredients¡­ If you¡¯re not sure, we can also compare the test results from back then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not unsure,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°What I mean is, they¡¯re both incidents of going crazy, and they both happened in Hongjing. If a journalist asks about Feng Peilin, how will you answer?¡±


    ¡°Occam¡¯s razor*,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    *Problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible elements. It advocates that when presented with competing hypotheses about the same prediction, one should prefer the one that requires the fewest assumptions, and that this is not meant to be a way of choosing between hypotheses that make different predictions. || In this context, he¡¯s basically saying, even if the White Sand case is related, he¡¯s treating them as if they are not, as he¡¯s choosing the path with the least number of variables. It will make the current case less complicated and easier to solve (in a sense).


    ¡°If there are no necessary entities, do not increase them?¡± Xing Conglian paused. ¡°Philosophy can be more convincing than your psychology.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Chen agreed.

 CH 222

    The emergency building of the hospital was surrounded by a swarm of media reporters.


    It may be exaggerated to say so, but in the age of new media, many people could do live broadcasts with just their phones, and it was difficult to discern who had a greater influence between these people and traditional reporters. Reporters and photographers holding microphones with logos squeezed in the front, while some people holding recording pens were at the back, and the outermost circle was a crowd of onlookers who were not quite clear about what was happening.


    Secretary Xiao Chen was surrounded like a flat boat in a stormy sea. Before Lin Chen approached, he heard someone holding a recording pen asking, ¡°Have the director and the city leaders arrived? When will the press conference be held?¡±


    Secretary Xiao Chen said, ¡°The director is currently consoling the injured and overseeing the investigation of the case. Please be patient.¡±


    The reporter asked again, ¡°How are the injured doing? What is the casualty situation?¡±


    Secretary Xiao Chen hesitated and showed a bewildered expression on his face. The reporter quickly captured this moment with a flash.


    Lin Chen quickly took a couple of steps, rolled up his sleeves a little higher, patted Secretary Chen¡¯s shoulder, stepped in front of him, and answered on his behalf, ¡°In the violent incident that occurred at the barbecue stall in the Drum Tower Community, three people were injured, including two seriously injured victims, and one police officer, who was killed in the line of duty.¡±


    As soon as he spoke, the flashing lights swarmed around him. Lin Chen squinted, scanning the faces of all the people on the steps, most of whom had excited or serious expressions as reporters, while a small minority showed curiosity, but no one showed a triumphant or extremely indifferent expression¡­


    So obviously, the perpetrator didn¡¯t mix in with the crowd of interviewees.


    ¡­¡­


    It was probably at the moment when Lin Chen walked out of the emergency building and stood in front of the media that Huang Ze happened to drive into the hospital parking lot.


    The black night was the best background, and the hospital¡¯s snow-white corridors were more like reflectors, allowing him to clearly see Lin Chen¡¯s face, which was even more gaunt than when he left that day. However, in the sea of flashing lights, Lin Chen didn¡¯t appear pale and weak but had a kind of unconventional, proud beauty.


    Huang Ze knew very well that his current gaze, in ordinary terms, was pathetic, but honestly, he couldn¡¯t let go of these feelings, and this tearing and struggling feeling was driving him crazy. Huang Ze looked at the flickering lights in the distance with a cold expression, but his hands tightly gripped the steering wheel.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t see Inspector Huang and his car close by, because the reporters in front of him were like a pack of wolves, fierce and aggressive.


    ¡°Is the police hiding the real cause of the injuries from the public?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen answered promptly, but without any further explanation.


    The journalist who asked the question was taken aback for a moment, obviously not expecting him to refuse to elaborate.


    ¡°But eyewitnesses claim that the barbecue stall owner and customers turned into zombies and were crazily biting each other!¡± The journalist continued to ask loudly, directly hitting the most explosive question.


    ¡°It is true that there were fights and biting among the diners. You already know the situation at the scene very well, so why do you think the police are hiding something?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is zombies. Are there any zombies in Hongjing?¡± the journalist excitedly asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got such an idea.¡± Lin Chen remained calm and unsurprised. ¡°But I think the families of the injured wouldn¡¯t want to hear such speculation. Apart from the police officer who died, all injured individuals showed normal vital signs, according to the life detection equipment. Therefore, it does not fit the definition of zombies in science fiction stories.¡±


    Lin Chen emphasized the science fiction aspect.


    At this moment, another journalist standing on the other side spoke up. ¡°Excuse me, Officer. May I interrupt you for a moment? I heard your answer just now, and I think you have been avoiding the question. You haven¡¯t answered the question that the media and the public are most concerned about.¡± This journalist had a gentler tone than the previous one but was also more difficult to handle.


    ¡°Please go ahead,¡± Lin Chen nodded to the other journalist and spoke gently.


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze couldn¡¯t hear what Lin Chen said exactly, but he just looked at Lin Chen¡¯s calm demeanor and that serene face that didn¡¯t change even when faced with a crisis. In fact, he couldn¡¯t quite figure out his emotions towards Lin Chen, whether it was love or hate. To be precise, he even thought that he hated Lin Chen so much that he always remembered this person. When a person appeared too frequently, it was easy for one to have misconceptions. Huang Ze forced himself to look away from Lin Chen¡¯s face and started to search for the irritating figure of Xing Conglian in the crowd, but he also had no success.


    At this moment, the passenger door suddenly opened, and Huang Ze looked abruptly to the side, seeing a figure with a strong smell of smoke entering the car.


    Huang Ze realized who the person was, clenched his fists, and veins popped on his forehead.


    ¡°Inspector Huang.¡±


    The person who got into the car without permission leaned back against the seat and gave him a cold, green-eyed glance, but smiled.


    Huang Ze said, ¡°It¡¯s not good for Captain Xing to come in without an invitation, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than Inspector Huang going crazy in front of reporters later. Of course, the main reason is that he doesn¡¯t want to see you either.¡±


    Of course, Xing Conglian was referring to Lin Chen, and especially when he emphasized ¡°he¡±, it was more intimate than other words. From this detail alone, Huang Ze realized that Lin Chen and Xing Conglian got together.


    Huang Ze immediately realized he had lost his composure. His expression became slightly cold, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to say to Xing Conglian, ¡°Get out of the car.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Inspector Huang,¡± Xing Conglian said, taking out a cigarette to light up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it again.¡±


    ¡°If I get out of the car, what will happen to your business? Your shareholders are not easy to please lately, are they?¡± Xing Conglian pressed the lighter, and the flame flickered.


    Thinking of the sudden increase in white hair on his father and elder brother, Huang Ze suddenly looked up and glared at Xing Conglian. ¡°Xing Conglian, don¡¯t you think your methods are too low? For example, messing with my family¡¯s business?¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. The business world is like a battlefield.¡±


    Xing Conglian spoke with the face of a spoiled child that was saying, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your family has less money¡±, making Huang Ze want to punch that smug face.


    ¡°So what exactly do you want to do?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything. He just took out a transparent earphone from his ear, placed it on the car dashboard, and looked at it, saying, ¡°Listen.¡±


    Although hesitant, Huang Ze still put the earphone in his ear.


    ¡­¡­


    At the entrance of the emergency building, on the steps, Lin Chen pressed his earphones and heard intermittent voices from the other end. However, these people in front of him made it impossible for him to focus on what Xing Conglian and Huang Ze were saying.


    Earlier, a journalist asked in a sharp tone, ¡°Why did the diners go crazy and fight each other, even causing a police officer to sacrifice his life?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and used the most common response of media language to reply. ¡°It¡¯s been only one hour since the incident, so the police are still investigating the specific reason.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean the police don¡¯t know anything?¡± The journalist showed a cunning expression like a hunter who had caught its prey, and continued, ¡°But as far as I know, many police officers from the Hongjing Police Station were nearby before the incident, and even a police officer fired a warning shot at the time of the incident. Therefore, the police were able to quickly control the situation and prevent it from worsening, is that correct?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°So why did the police suddenly appear near the Drum Tower Community? Can I assume that the police had received some information beforehand but didn¡¯t inform the local residents?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t get too excited about this heartless question, and he still answered calmly. ¡°The police were conducting a routine arrest operation and encountered this unexpected situation in the Drum Tower Community.¡± Lin Chen took a step forward and said honestly, ¡°If we had known in advance that this kind of heinous incident would happen in the Drum Tower Community, we would have deployed more sufficient police force rather than watching our colleague die in the line of duty.¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, it seems that the police are fundamentally incapable of ensuring the safety of the people. So where is the taxpayers¡¯ money going?¡± The journalist pushed his black-framed glasses forward, like an excellent hunter who could capture the prey¡¯s weakness. If he was not careful, he would fall into the trap that he had already laid out.


    Lin Chen paused for a moment, then asked seriously, ¡°Where do you work?¡±


    The journalist with black-framed glasses was stunned, and then opened his mouth in disbelief, sarcastically saying, ¡°Are you preparing to come after me for accountability later?¡±


    Lin Chen replied lightly, ¡°No, I just want to know your basic salary and bonus every month.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to answer that question.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen looked the other person up and down and said, ¡°From your age and the TV station logo on your microphone, I can guess you work for Hongjing TV station and is around 35 years old. When you questioned me, you had a strong demeanor, indicating that you are the type of person who is proactive in their work. So, according to the standard salary of a Hongjing journalist plus your personal ability bonus, I estimate your annual salary to be around 220,000 yuan, and your annual tax payment to be about 38,000 yuan.¡±


    ¡°This is my personal privacy!¡± The journalist raised his voice and appeared very nervous, which confirmed that Lin Chen¡¯s guess was accurate.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to tell you that the police officer who sacrificed their life tonight is An Guo. According to national standards, his pension is 20 times the per capita disposable income of urban residents in the previous year plus 40 months of his own salary. The per capita disposable income of the entire country was 31,195 yuan last year, which means that the compensation is around 620,000 yuan. An Guo¡¯s basic salary for his position was 4,200 yuan per month, and 40 months of his salary is less than 180,000 yuan. This means that because he died in the line of duty, his family can receive compensation of about 800,000 yuan. This is the final value of a criminal police officer¡¯s life, which is probably equivalent to your four years of salary.¡± Lin Chen paused. ¡°To put it another way, his life is worth your total tax payment for 21 years of employment.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you the truth about where your tax money is going.¡± Lin Chen looked at the high-rise buildings in the distance and the deep night sky above them and said calmly, ¡°But in reality, I think these things can¡¯t be measured by money.¡±


    No journalist spoke again, and the night fell silent once more.


    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± Lin Chen finally asked.


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze took out his earbuds, wrapped them in his palm, and looked at Xing Conglian, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Huang Ze handed over the earbud and asked directly, ¡°I¡¯ve listened to it all. Can you tell me clearly what you want to express?¡±


    Xing Conglian shrugged and didn¡¯t immediately plug in the earbud. Instead, he said in a relaxed tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to express anything. I just wanted to show off how good my boyfriend is to you.¡±


    Huang Ze stared at Xin Conglian, thinking he must be hallucinating. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care at all. He opened the car door, ready to step out. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something, turned around, patted Huang Ze¡¯s shoulder, and said, ¡°He¡¯s really good, so I can understand how frustrated you are, really.¡±


    Huang Ze really wanted to shake off Xing Conglian¡¯s hand, but that would have confirmed what Xing Conglian said. The hand on his shoulder quickly pulled away. Just as the car door was about to be slammed shut, Huang Ze spoke, ¡°Xing Conglian, I thought the same as you four years ago, really.¡±

 CH 223

    The press conference held at the entrance of the emergency building was hasty and brief. Of course, there was no live broadcast on the scene, but in the era of information technology, even people in the outskirts could quickly learn about relevant news through their phones and major platforms.


    Under the same night sky.


    The night wind swept over the large fields. Huihe Nursing Home wasn¡¯t too remote; it was located on the outskirts of Hongjing. It was nearly 10 in the evening, and most of the elderly in the nursing home had fallen asleep, leaving only the guard room and the lights in a few rooms still on.


    The stray dogs in the field were barking madly, but the nursing home remained quiet.


    Most of the elderly in the rooms were already sound asleep, except for a few who suffered from severe insomnia.


    There was a strange sense of tranquility in the air, but of course, there was also the peculiar musty smell of decay that was unique to nursing homes, although it wasn¡¯t too strong.


    A small cart rolled over the white tiled floor of the nursing home corridor, making a slight creaking sound.


    A masked nurse had just come out of a room, closing the door gently and walking slowly. The pocket of her white coat bulged, and the screen of her phone faintly lit up through the thin fabric, as if she had received some message.


    There was no electronic sound in the corridor, not even the vibration of a phone. However, the nurse seemed to have a strange sense of perception. She took out her phone and swiped her slender thumb lightly across the screen.


    One picture after another appeared on her Weibo.


    There was a barbecue stand covered in blood, people covered in blood, and a policeman covered in a white sheet¡­


    Of course, the policeman was an undercover officer, and there was only one casualty in the entire riot, so the identity of the deceased was obvious.


    The nurse slightly curled her lips, and her fingers continued to move at a steady pace. Her gaze was still focused and serious, and the screen finally stopped at a picture of the entrance to the municipal hospital emergency building.


    The lights of the media reporters were like clouds under the steps, and a young man with rolled-up sleeves stood on the steps. He showed his porcelain-white neck and jade-like face, and his expression was calm, which made people want to smash it.


    The nurse squinted and smiled, putting down her phone and taking the ward round board from the hook on the side of the cart. She looked at the names on it, showing a happy expression like that of a young girl.


    She pushed the cart and headed toward the next room.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen was sitting in the doctor¡¯s office, waiting for Xing Conglian to return, which took about ten minutes.


    His gaze fell on Xing Conglian¡¯s hands, which didn¡¯t have any obvious bloodstains, indicating that he hadn¡¯t beaten Huang Ze too badly.


    Perhaps his gaze was too obvious. Xing Conglian raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    As soon as Xing Conglian finished speaking, Huang Ze walked into the office with a pale face.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lin Chen asked flatly.


    Huang Ze looked disdainful, with a cold and aloof manner, standing straight as if he were aloof.


    Xing Conglian kicked a chair over and said impatiently, ¡°Stop pretending.¡±


    Huang Ze frowned as if the chair were covered in billions of germs, making it impossible for him to sit down.


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian inquiringly, not understanding why he had come in with Huang Ze, given that he had already dealt with him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t drive him away,¡± Xing Conglian said impatiently.


    Huang Ze still chose to stand, ignoring Xing Conglian.


    Sitting with crossed arms, Lin Chen felt that this scene was quite strange. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I want to join the task force,¡± Huang Ze said bluntly.


    Lin Chen put his arms down and looked up at the Inspector, who had just walked in. ¡°Why? You must be uncomfortable here, Huang Ze. This isn¡¯t a fun game of cops and robbers.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, did you always think that I became a police officer because I thought it would be fun?¡±


    There was a hint of sadness in Huang Ze¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not interested in why you became a police officer, but I¡¯ve said years ago that you¡¯re not suitable for this job.¡±


    ¡°A few years ago, you also told me that we weren¡¯t suitable to be in a relationship.¡±


    Xing Conglian interjected, interrupting their conversation, ¡°Huang Ze, stop flirting with my boyfriend.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian and saw that he had walked over to him, leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, and stopped talking.


    ¡°I persisted just to find out one thing.¡± Huang Ze stared at him and said, ¡°I want to know how Weiwei died.¡±


    Lin Chen realized that, probably because he was seeing Huang Ze more frequently lately, or perhaps because he had really gone through the gate of hell and back, he was no longer as uncomfortable as before. He could even answer this question calmly. ¡°I killed her.¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze was obviously provoked again. He opened his right hand and went for Lin Chen¡¯s neck.


    Xing Conglian acted quickly and kicked him in the knee.


    Huang Ze fell heavily to the ground, his knee hitting the marble floor.


    This was roughly what Wang Chao saw when he entered the room.


    The teenager was dumbfounded. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Inspector Huang? Even if you propose now, my A¡¯Chen Gege won¡¯t accept it!¡±


    The atmosphere in the office didn¡¯t lighten up because of the usual jokes from the teenager.


    Huang Ze struggled to get up from the ground, laughing. ¡°Lin Chen, you might have misunderstood. I used a declarative sentence, not a question. I have to join, and if not me, someone more severe than me will be sent by the higher-ups.¡±


    ¡°Enough with the threats. You¡¯re acting crazy,¡± Xing Conglian said as he blew out a smoke ring. ¡°Because we disappeared for a while before, the higher-ups need to find someone to investigate. That, and Zhourui Pharmaceutical has been exerting pressure. It¡¯s a small problem, but it can be solved.¡±


    In other words, if Lin Chen thought Huang Ze was a problem, they could just throw him out.


    Lin Chen was speechless.


    He looked at Huang Ze seriously and asked, ¡°You really have to follow us?¡±


    ¡°Believe me, if it¡¯s not me, there will definitely be a more severe inspector to replace me,¡± Huang Ze said.


    ¡°Are you a masochist?¡± Lin Chen could only ask.


    ¡­¡­


    The voices in the corridor outside the office gradually faded away as the reporters left without getting any good news. Now, only the sound of medical staff coming and going could be heard.


    Wang Chao sat down in the office, looking uncomfortable, with Huang Ze beside him. He tried his best to move closer to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian gave the boy a slap on the head. ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy, I¡¯m even more unhappy.¡±


    Helplessly, Wang Chao had to move to the other side.


    Lin Chen put his hand on the teenager¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just pretend he doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Huang Ze snorted but didn¡¯t say much.


    Wang Chao cleared his throat and reported, ¡°I checked, and our communication channel was indeed hacked.¡±


    ¡°Does Shen Lian really have that ability?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Huang Ze interrupted, ¡°Who is Shen Lian?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not an undercover agent, are you?¡± Wang Chao suddenly covered his laptop as if he were guarding against Huang Ze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be,¡± Huang Ze said coldly.


    Wang Chao hesitated. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just say that¡¯s a nickname.¡± He turned to answer Xing Conglian¡¯s question. ¡°Boss, as long as it¡¯s a walkie-talkie system that uses radio transmission, it can be hacked, but the police have made it more difficult. It¡¯s very likely that she learned about our communication frequency in advance. I don¡¯t know how it was leaked, but to be honest, the confidentiality isn¡¯t that good. Director Wu might need to apply for an equipment upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian is a genius, extremely capable. She can even forge DNA samples, and her computer skills aren¡¯t bad. Do you remember the camera outside Tan Kang¡¯s office? It didn¡¯t record anyone coming or going. I suspect she had something to do with it.¡± Wang Chao grinned proudly. ¡°But of course, if I were to do something illegal, she couldn¡¯t compare to me.¡±


    Huang Ze coughed, pretending not to have heard the second half of Wang Chao¡¯s sentence.


    ¡°Can you also forge DNA samples?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked.


    Wang Chao froze and stammered, ¡°I¡­I just¡­just said that casually.¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± said Xing Conglian coldly.


    ¡°I just asked, no other meaning.¡± Lin Chen pursed his lips, picked up the paper cup on the desk, took a sip of water, and said to Wang Chao, ¡°I just suddenly realized that Shen Lian¡¯s mentality and abilities can¡¯t be analyzed based on normal people¡¯s standards.¡±


    ¡°A psychopath?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°In biology, the term you used refers to morphological changes during individual development, while in psychology, it refers to a deviation of a person¡¯s psychology from the normal value of the majority of people,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Huang Ze interrupted him. ¡°In your eyes, all criminals are psychopaths.¡±


    Lin Chen thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that simple, but explaining it to you doesn¡¯t make much sense.¡± Lin Chen said to Wang Chao, ¡°I want a detailed biography of Shen Lian, preferably in paper form, from the archives management center.¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect that Shen Lian has altered online information?¡± Wang Chao asked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s quite impressive.¡±


    ¡°I just want to be safe,¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°because I have something I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian¡¯s motive?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Putting aside why she caused such chaos before escaping today, we have thought about this question many times. Why did Shen Lian kill Tan Kang and frame it on Professor Duan?¡±


    ¡°Did she hate Lao Duan and want to ruin his reputation?¡± Xing Conglian added. ¡°Zhourui¡¯s new drug, Nordren, has some problems. If there are problems after it¡¯s on the market and Tan Kang copied from Lao Duan, Lao Duan might end up taking the blame.¡± Xing Conglian furrowed his brow as he spoke. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s too convoluted and pointless. Of course, framing Lao Duan didn¡¯t make sense either. Lao Duan isn¡¯t the type of person who cares about this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°We may have been too focused on Shen Lian¡¯s motive. For someone like Shen Lian, what is meaningful in her eyes may not be meaningful to us¡­¡± Lin Chen trailed off, unable to continue.


    This was the most difficult moment.


    After the chaos and media questioning, they sat down to discuss the case and found that everything was an incomprehensible mess. Shen Lian was on the run and had incredible skills in electronics and biomedicine. She might even have an extremely dangerous poison, but they had no idea what Shen Lian was really up to.


    It seemed like they had the upper hand, but in reality, they could only defend passively and wait for Shen Lian to launch an attack from the shadows.


    Xing Conglian broke the silence. He stood up, and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to the pet store to find the thing in the beanbag and look for someone to check the information. You rest in the hospital and be obedient.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head helplessly at the words.


    ¡°You were hospitalized?¡± Huang Ze asked.


    Xing Conglian looked at Huang Ze in disgust and pointed his thumb towards the door. ¡°You come with me, and don¡¯t make any trouble.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Later that night.


    The Huihe Nursing Home was still quiet, and even the barking of the yellow dog on the embankment was hidden.


    The chest of the old man on the bed rose and fell. His figure could only be vaguely seen in the hazy night, but the whole room was filled with the old man¡¯s deafening snoring.


    The door was gently pushed open.


    Small black wheels rolled over the ground and stopped at the head of the old man¡¯s bed.


    The nurse walked around the side of the car and walked to the window. She looked at the huge figure on the bed, squatted down, and stared affectionately at the sleeping face of the old man.


    Like a kitten attached to its owner, she gently took the old man¡¯s hand out of the quilt, held it in both hands, lowered her head, and rubbed her face against it.

 CH 224

    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know when he fell asleep or if he had slept at all, but he was awakened by a phone call.


    In a daze, he picked up his phone and glanced at it. Outside, the weather was gloomy, casting a hazy blue hue.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer the phone right away because he didn¡¯t recognize the number. He checked the time and realized that Xing Conglian, Wang Chao, and Huang Ze still hadn¡¯t returned.


    He suddenly became alert and hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button and sitting up in his hospital bed.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Lin¡­ This is Zhan¡­ Zhan¡­ The person you left your number with yesterday.¡±


    Lin Chen quickly pictured the young man¡¯s anxious face and rubbed his eyes, exhaling deeply. ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhan, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve run into a problem, but I don¡¯t know who to talk to. I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it a problem with your factory¡¯s emulsifier?¡±


    There were noises and voices in the background of the phone call, including footsteps and car honks.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I checked our factory¡¯s emulsifier last night, and I couldn¡¯t find any impurities. I want to talk to Zhourui¡¯s people about this problem to find out what¡¯s going on and how we can solve it.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know why Mr. Zhan called him specifically for this issue, but he patiently replied, ¡°It¡¯s only 7 in the morning. Even if you contact the person in charge now, it¡¯s unlikely that the problem can be solved so quickly. You might have to wait a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°No, no, Mr. Lin, I¡¯ve been calling Zhourui¡¯s Pharmaceutical contacts all night. I even went through my dad¡¯s contact list, but no one told me what¡¯s going on. Some people blocked me after I called them twice. There must be something wrong, right?¡±


    ¡°It could be related to business reasons. It¡¯s hard to say. Also, did you call them in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I really don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan hesitated, and Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how to advise him either. He felt that Mr. Xiao Zhan calling him about this matter was already awkward enough.


    Sighing, Lin Chen asked, ¡°So, why did you call me specifically for this matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Mr. Lin¡­ Today, there¡¯s a promotion event for Zhourui¡¯s Pharmaceutical¡¯s new drug, Nordron. Can you¡­ Can you help me by accompanying me to the event?¡±


    Lin Chen was even more surprised by this request. Although he had called Xing Conglian yesterday to express his interest in attending the event, after everything that happened with Shen Lian and last night, he had almost forgotten about it. So now, Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s sudden request caught him off guard. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°I saw what you said at the hospital gate¡­ It was online¡­ I just thought you¡­¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m good at talking and can help you argue?¡± Lin Chen felt that this reason was too reasonable.


    ¡°No, no, I really can¡¯t find anyone. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s voice was almost crying. ¡°Although Zhourui is not our biggest customer, I¡¯m really afraid that Zhourui Pharmaceutical will sue us. With Chairman Zhan already like this, I really need to know where the problem is before they will replace us suppliers.¡±


    Xiao Zhan¡¯s tone was servile, but it didn¡¯t make people feel any disgust. Lin Chen sighed deeply, but suddenly thought of something. He felt that at that moment, there seemed to be something that could connect everything together.


    Lin Chen raised his voice slightly and said, ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical replaced their suppliers? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. Before, I called several uncles and aunts to help us talk to Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡­¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°One of the uncles specializes in raw materials, and he said they had been replaced by Zhourui a long time ago. We were the last supplier to be replaced.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s heart was beating very fast. Although he didn¡¯t know where the problem was as it was understandable to switch suppliers, but if they started replacing suppliers a long time ago, then there must be some unspeakable problems¡­


    ¡°Do you know how to drive?¡± Lin Chen suddenly asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Come to the Municipal Hospital and pick me up.¡±


    Lin Chen hung up the phone.


    He got up and walked around the ward for two laps, picked up his phone, and dialed Xing Conglian¡¯s number.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby? Are you awake?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was overly sweet, and he had never called him those words before*. But Lin Chen suddenly realized that Xing Conglian was probably with Huang Ze now, so he was acting mushy.


    *Clarity: He¡¯s calling Lin Chen baby/babe/darling/sweetie/ect. [baobei] (±¦±´) which is generally used between couples or children.


    ¡°What about Wang Chao?¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao has been helping to adjust vehicle data at the Transportation Department. The files you wanted will be delivered later.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°That big idiot Huang Ze and I are conducting surveillance at the bureau.¡± It seemed Xing Conglian had no scruples towards Inspector Huang¡¯s feelings as he said ¡°idiot¡± so straightforwardly.


    ¡°The information in the Duan Yang beanbag?¡±


    ¡°We found it last night,¡± Xing Conglian answered decisively.


    Lin Chen hesitated for a moment and finally asked, ¡°Wang Chao is still at the Transportation Department, and you¡¯re still conducting surveillance, so Shen Lian¡­¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t caught her yet.¡±


    ¡°How is it possible to have no clues?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°It seems she planned for this day a long time ago, so she has already prepared her escape route,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°If she really planned so far ahead, then although the route may be hidden, there should be traces that can be followed. She should have a destination and can¡¯t just escape aimlessly. People like Shen Lian should know that the longer they stay exposed to the sun, the more likely they are to be discovered.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but now the capture of Shen Lian is being carried out in secret. According to your statement, we still have a chance to make her let her guard down and think that we are not targeting her, and then see if there is a chance to trick her into exposing her tail,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lin Chen hesitated for a moment, and finally said, ¡°I want to go to the new drug promotion conference of Zhourui Pharmaceutical later.¡±


    The other end of the phone fell silent, with only noisy background sounds. It was apparent that Xing Conglian was presiding over the entire surveillance operation. He considered for a moment and said, ¡°I can¡¯t leave right now, but I¡¯ll arrange for a police officer to accompany you.¡±


    Lin Chen appreciated Captain Xing¡¯s straightforwardness and smiled. He lowered his head and said to the person on the other end of the phone, ¡°No need. He¡¯s the son of a raw material supplier of Zhourui that I met yesterday. He just called me and revealed a situation. Zhourui Pharmaceutical has been gradually replacing suppliers for a long time, so there may be some problems involved, which is why I want to go to the promotion conference and see what¡¯s so special about Nordren that Zhourui has put so much effort into promoting.¡±


    ¡°Okay, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Although Mr. Xiao Zhan was soft-spoken, he was highly effective.


    After a quick wash downstairs, Lin Chen saw Mr. Xiao Zhan waiting for him in a dusty gray Jetta parked outside the hospital.


    ¡°Mr. Lin, my¡­ My car isn¡¯t good. Please don¡¯t hold it against me.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the dust on the car, which looked exactly like the dust on Xing Conglian¡¯s Jeep, and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s new drug promotion conference was held at the Hongjing Intercontinental Hotel.


    The conference was supposed to start at exactly nine, but half an hour before that, the lobby of the hotel was already bustling.


    There were industry elites dressed neatly, as well as elderly residents from nearby neighborhoods who looked quite ordinary.


    Some of the elderly people were limping with crutches, but with hopeful eyes, they looked at the guide signs of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s new promotion conference in the lobby. This reminded Lin Chen of the scene when he first met with Duan Yang, who took him to the hospital to see some things.


    Mr. Xiao Jan touched him and asked puzzledly, ¡°Mr. Lin, what¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s go this way.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Mr. Xiao Jan¡¯s face and felt a sense of unspeakable nostalgia. ¡°Nothing, just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that suddenly I realized that drugs are a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Of course, drugs are good.¡± Mr. Xiao Jan became excited when it came to his profession. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for generation after generation of drug research and development, it would be impossible for Chairman Zhan to survive his problems ten years ago. But now, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problem with maintaining his life.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They walked and talked, quickly arriving at the promotion hall. To be honest, this was the first time Lin Chen had attended a pharmaceutical enterprise promotion event. The atmosphere was similar to that of a common academic conference, with scholars, doctors smelling of disinfectant, and even some college or graduate students.


    However, when they arrived at the entrance, Lin Chen realized one of the most important issues.


    Two security personnel were checking invitation letters at the entrance of the promotion event. Lin Chen looked at Mr. Xiao Zhan and then at the entrance.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan said in confusion, ¡°Why are we not going in, Mr. Lin?¡±


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°How do we get in?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lin Chen said helplessly, ¡°Did you bring your invitation letter?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan suddenly realized. ¡°Consultant Lin, even if I¡¯m stupid, I won¡¯t forget this!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please keep your voice down.¡± Lin Chen shook his head and led him to a corner.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan quickly took out the crumpled invitation letter, and Lin Chen noticed a woman standing in the corner of the promotion event, who looked quite domineering.


    The woman was wearing professional attire, casually scanning the room, but her eyes were sharp like a hawk¡¯s, indicating that she had extraordinary strength. She was the former head of security and current public relations manager at Zhourui Pharmaceutical, and the troublesome woman that Xing Conglian had encountered before. Even around the entire promotion event, there were seemingly casual security personnel who guarded the entrances and exits, as if they were guarding against something.


    Even earlier, when Lin Chen and Mr. Xiao Zhan entered the event, they encountered bag checks and metal detectors.


    For a normal pharmaceutical promotion event, this level of security was somewhat intriguing

 CH 225

    Lin Chen and Mr. Xiao Zhan found a seat and sat down.


    The large screen in the conference hall kept playing the Zhourui Pharmaceutical promotional video on repeat, and the booming voice echoed through the speakers.


    The aerial camera scanned over the Zhourui Pharmaceutical building and focused on the company¡¯s logo; a blue peace dove.


    ¡°We are Zhourui Pharmaceutical, dedicated to curing lives and improving the quality of life for all mankind¡­¡±


    A righteous male voiceover began to speak. The doors to the Zhourui Pharmaceutical conference hall opened. Following the camera, the audience could see the energetic employees inside the pharmaceutical company. The camera continued to move upward, passing through the research and development laboratory, where employees wearing light blue dustproof suits worked on either side of the workstations. The scene looked organized, orderly, bright, and clean.


    This made Lin Chen think of the dirty mining area deep in the rainforest, which was a stark contrast.


    The male voice in the promotional video continued to speak with a reciting tone. ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical has the most advanced global R&D team and world-class R&D capabilities. We are forging ahead, with an annual investment of over 10 billion yuan in R&D on new drugs every year. As of June this year, we have launched a total of 52 drugs on the market¡­¡±


    The screen displayed many charts showing Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s R&D investment and related achievements.


    In short, the press conference was also an enterprise promotional event, and these things were necessary. Lin Chen glanced briefly and felt that Zhourui Pharmaceutical had made some contributions in recent years.


    After dozens of deafening enterprise promotional videos, it finally stopped.


    Lin Chen noticed that some elderly people with white hair were obviously accompanied by Zhourui Pharmaceutical staff to the front row, as well as some young and middle-aged people, who should be key members of hospitals or research institutes.


    Suddenly, Mr. Xiao Zhan pinched Lin Chen¡¯s arm. He looked over and saw the second-generation chemical factory owner Xiao Zhan excitedly saying, ¡°Oh my god, Mr. Lin, did you see it? Did you see it? Oh my god, Academician Zhang is here too!¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t understand and looked towards the front row, but he couldn¡¯t see anything from those backs. However, he seemed to have seen the doctor who invited them to the promotional event among the experts in the front row just now.


    As excited as Mr. Xiao Zhan was, the scene naturally became restless.


    Without asking, Mr. Xiao Zhan explained to him, ¡°That¡¯s Academician Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Pharmaceutical Research Institute! A top expert among experts!¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan suddenly felt embarrassed, and his excitement subsided. ¡°I¡­ I wanted to do my Ph.D. under Academician Zhang, but I didn¡¯t pass the entrance exam.¡±


    The fact that a top expert from a pharmaceutical research institute was invited to endorse a pharmaceutical company overturned Lin Chen¡¯s understanding.


    ¡°Is this appropriate?¡± Lin Chen asked, ¡°Would academicians be willing to go on commercial tours?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan pushed him and said seriously, ¡°This is not a commercial tour, Mr. Lin. Keep your voice down.¡±


    People around them cast their gaze on them, so Lin Chen shut up. Obviously, in such a place, saying too much would only lead to trouble.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You may not understand these issues in the pharmaceutical industry.¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan lowered his voice. ¡°Look, when a new drug is promoted and marketed to cure patients, who should use it and who should give it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is the doctors who give the medicine to the patients.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lin, you are absolutely right¡­ but there are so many types of drugs on the market. Even for something as simple as antipyretics, there are numerous options. So how do doctors gain information about new drugs to make informed decisions and choose the right medication for a specific patient?¡±


    ¡°Well, doctors have their own ways to stay informed¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, but doctors are busy, and there are too many types of drugs. So, one of the main ways for doctors to learn about drugs is through the promotion of drug manufacturers. When a new drug is launched, the first thing drug companies do is conduct large-scale promotional activities to explain the therapeutic mechanism, efficacy, and clinical trial results of the drug¡­ The experts¡¯ presence is, of course, the result of the pharmaceutical company¡¯s invitation, but it is also the best opportunity for doctors to learn about new drugs. In fact, the thinking in the medical system is very stubborn, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to promote a new treatment approach and drug before it can completely replace the previous drug and be accepted by people. If the replacement is successful, it can truly achieve a mutually beneficial process and ultimately benefit patients,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan said.


    Lin Chen sighed lightly. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. After all, fundamentally, without the commercial benefits of using drugs on patients, there would be no funding for the next round of research and development¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lin, it¡¯s impressive that you can think like that. At least you¡¯re not like those who believe that doctors and drug companies collude to make money off patients. In fact, if pharmaceutical companies can¡¯t make money from a certain disease, they are unlikely to invest heavily in developing new products. For example, there are few people who develop vaccines for rare viruses and drugs for brain damage rehabilitation like Nordren, which is produced by Zhourui Pharmaceutical alone and has been updated many times¡­ ¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan continued to talk endlessly.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Zhan,¡± Lin interrupted him.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I must say, when you talk about your expertise, you suddenly become less nervous.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ not nervous¡­¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan blushed, and at the same time, the lights in the venue dimmed and someone walked slowly onto the stage. It was a middle-aged man with a big belly, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and was balding. He was the chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    ¡°We would like to welcome all experts and friends from all walks of life to our promotional conference of our new drug Nordren. There have been many things happening recently regarding the launch of Nordren, and Zhourui Pharmaceutical has also been questioned conservatively. Nordren has had a lot of setbacks, and even we ourselves thought that this drug might never make any contributions to curing diseases. But it is a groundbreaking new drug, and we firmly believe in its therapeutic effects. It should serve all patients. Therefore, we have made a lot of effort recently so that it can finally be launched. Here, I also want to thank friends from all walks of life for their help.¡±


    There was thunderous applause from the audience. It seemed the chairman didn¡¯t shy away from the recent issues surrounding Nordren but rather brushed over them lightly.


    Lin Chen calmly watched everything on the stage.


    The chairman waved his hand. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t talk much nonsense. Please watch the promotional video for Nordren.¡±


    The big screen suddenly brightened, and the configuration of a new type of drug appeared, and the model on the screen rotated 360 degrees.


    Several people were flipping through the promotional materials placed on each seat, with Mr. Xiao Zhan paying particular attention, while Lin Chen began to observe the reactions of the people on stage and in the audience.


    ¡°Nordren is a new type of brain science drug that abandons the previous common treatment approach of unclogging and patching up leaks, and instead focuses on repairing neurons. Its active ingredient is Ton, which was discovered by our company¡¯s scientists decades ago in the Dana Rainforest. Researchers designed and synthesized various derivatives to enhance the drug¡¯s lipid solubility and allow it to pass through the blood-brain barrier. Once it enters the brain, the derivative drug of Nordren quickly undergoes metabolic changes and becomes a new active ingredient. The clinical trial evidence is included in the materials in your hands, and according to the relevant results¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you found anything?¡± Lin Chen turned his head and asked.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan was confused. ¡°Found what?¡±


    It dawned on Lin Chen that Mr. Xiao Zhan wasn¡¯t Xing Conglian, who was investigating the case with him, but rather a chemical engineering expert who simply wanted to restore the reputation of his father¡¯s company.


    ¡°Is Nordren really as amazing as they say?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Amazing?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan put down the materials. ¡°It¡¯s pretty impressive, with a new approach, but¡­ I wouldn¡¯t necessarily call it amazing.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say it was a completely new approach?¡±


    ¡°Well, Nordren is actually a fixed-dose combination of the company¡¯s previous-generation cardiovascular drug Tern and the antiplatelet agent ADP, with Tern changing its structure and introducing the Ton component mentioned earlier. The new drug resulting from the restructuring is a very innovative approach that I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s tone was very casual and relaxed, but Lin Chen felt a chill run down his spine.


    He rubbed his forehead, feeling that Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s words contained extremely important and crucial information that had been hidden in plain sight due to their lack of expertise in the field of medicine.


    He clenched his fist and finally made up his mind.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± He patted Mr. Xiao Zhan on the shoulder.


    ¡°What? The conference isn¡¯t over yet,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan asked, confused.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Lin Chen emphasized.


    Outside the conference hall, the hotel corridor was filled with the unique scent of hotel incense, and as usual, they were subjected to routine checks by the guards.


    Lin Chen took Mr. Xiao Zhan for a casual walk in the corridor before finally speaking up. ¡°I have a question, and I was wondering if you could help me analyze it.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so polite?¡±


    ¡°On stage just now, the chairman of Zhourui mentioned the problems their company encountered before Nordren was launched. What do you think about that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°What I mean is, do you think there¡¯s a problem with Nordren?¡±


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a problem with Nordren?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s expression revealed that he had remembered Lin Chen¡¯s rebuttal with the attending physician at the MRI room door yesterday.


    ¡°If it can pass the testing by the Food and Drug Administration, then there shouldn¡¯t be any problems, and after so many clinical trials, unless Zhourui Pharmaceutical intentionally falsified the data, the efficacy should indeed exist.¡±


    ¡°What about the side effects? Will Nordren have strong side effects?¡±


    ¡°Side effects are hard to predict. For example, Herceptin, a breast cancer treatment drug, was found to cause symptoms and signs of decreased heart function in patients during later stages of treatment. We always say that medicine has three parts poison, so it¡¯s unlikely that a certain drug has no side effects¡­¡±


    Lin Chen listened quietly to Xiao Zhan¡¯s explanation without interrupting the young man.


    ¡°Side effects are acceptable within a controllable range, meaning that within a certain range of data, they can be accepted. Moreover, Zhourui Pharmaceutical isn¡¯t stupid. If they knew that Nordren had strong side effects, why would they promote it? Just the patient compensation claims alone would ruin them.¡±


    Lin Chen fell into deep thought.


    Xiao Zhan¡¯s point was something they had discussed repeatedly. Now, considering all the information they had gathered over the past few days, they could see some things more clearly.


    First, Nordren itself shouldn¡¯t have any major problems. Otherwise, Zhourui Pharmaceutical wouldn¡¯t have heavily promoted the drug.


    Second, Zhourui Pharmaceutical had encountered some inexplicable internal problems, to the extent that they had replaced all of their suppliers.


    Third, as the head of Nordren¡¯s research and development, Tan Kang should have discovered something and wanted to expose it. However, he was killed by Shen Lian before he could do so.


    Fourth, Shen Lian had been using lies to prevent Nordren from entering the market.


    The problem was, what conclusion could be drawn from this information?


    Lin Chen looked at the young man beside him and asked, ¡°If someone is going to great lengths to prevent Nordren from entering the market, what do you think that person¡¯s motive is?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about¡­ Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s competitors?¡± Xiao Zhan nervously asked.


    ¡°Competitors?¡±


    ¡°Because Nordren¡¯s approach is indeed very innovative. If it can be successfully promoted on a large scale, it will squeeze out the old drugs of other manufacturers without any room for survival. Besides competitors, I¡­ I can¡¯t think of anyone who wouldn¡¯t want Nordren to enter the market.¡±


    ¡°But what if it¡¯s an internal member of Zhourui Pharmaceutical who doesn¡¯t want a certain drug to succeed?¡±


    ¡°That could also be due to competition within the internal team, such as if the company promotes your drug, then the predecessor drug under development will be slowly phased out of the market, or my new generation drug project that I¡¯m developing might be canceled¡­¡±


    ¡°Predecessor drug?¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly had an extremely terrifying feeling. ¡°Did you just say that there is a relationship between Nordren and Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s predecessor cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs?¡±


    ¡°Nordren is a new type of drug produced by reconfiguring the predecessor drug Tern and adding a new ingredient, Ton,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan said with confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nordren is an improvement over the predecessor drug?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than just an improvement¡­ It¡¯s not a simple inheritance relationship¡­¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Speaking of which, I know this varies by country, but in the United States, pharmaceutical companies can commercially advertise directly to consumers despite the fact that their drugs will need a doctor¡¯s prescription. This has been criticized, as the ordinary layman doesn¡¯t have the education and knowledge of drugs and health to make an educated decision on what drugs they should take for what illness they have.


    On another note, speaking of medical and drug breakthroughs, with the rise of COVID, biotech companies Moderna and BioNTech made a breakthrough in their COVID vaccine through mRNA technology, which is different from the usual vaccines we normally take.


    With this breakthrough, developers are now looking to use this technology to develop vaccines for such things as cancer and HIV. It¡¯s quite exciting.

 CH 226

    Mr. Xiao continued to chatter on, but Lin Chen was no longer paying attention to the rest of what he was saying.


    He immediately called Xing Conglian and requested to meet up.


    ¡°Why do you suddenly want to come over? Is something wrong?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I just attended the new drug launch event by Zhourui Pharmaceutical, and suddenly realized that we may have been misled by Shen Lian all along. This matter is indeed related to Nordren, but Shen Lian¡¯s goal has never been about Nordren. Nordren is more like a huge shadow covering the truth, obscuring the details we should have seen.¡±


    ¡°What details?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± Lin Chen paused and asked, ¡°Where is the memory card taken from Duan Yang¡¯s home? I have a reliable friend who can take a look.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at the University of Pharmaceutical Science,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡°Does Wang Chao have a backup?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If there isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll drag him out and give him a beating.¡±


    Xing Conglian quickly connected Wang Chao to the conversation, and the young man¡¯s cheerful voice rang out.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, your personal assistant, Wang Chao, is at your service.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the Hongjing Hotel, you¡¯re at the Transportation Bureau, and your boss is at the police station. How can we meet conveniently?¡± Lin Chen asked, ¡°You may also need to search for some things, so bring Duan Yang¡¯s memory card with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home! Let¡¯s go home!¡± Wang Chao was very excited.


    Thinking of Inspector Huang, who was still with Xing Conglian, and what happened a few days ago, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t answer for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll follow your boss¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°We must go home!¡± Xing Conglian said happily.


    Lin Chen shook his head helplessly, hung up the phone, and dragged Mr. Xiao Zhan away.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan was very reluctant and kept turning his head as he drove his car. ¡°Mr. Lin¡­ can¡¯t we still talk to someone from Zhourui?¡±


    Lin Chen saw that the young man was truly pitiful. When he approached the door, Xing Conglian happened to come down from the steps.


    Lin Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the figure of the gentleman at the door, and said to Mr. Xiao, ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°How much is a single order from Zhourui Pharmaceutical? You need to have a long-term vision,¡± Lin Chen said to Mr. Xiao Zhan while pointing to Xing Conglian.


    People like Mr. Xiao Zhan had crawled and worked under Director Zhan¡¯s hands for a long time, so they knew how to be subservient, but sometimes they could be overly subservient.


    In short, after seeing Xing Conglian in the courtyard, Mr. Xiao Zhan kept calling him ¡°Director Xing¡±, leaving Xing Conglian at a loss.


    Lin Chen hadn¡¯t been home for a long time, but everything was unchanged.


    The flowers and plants were flourishing, and the koi in the small pond didn¡¯t look thin at all. The house was cleaned, and there were prepared fruits in the refrigerator.


    Huang Ze sat on the sofa in the living room, observing his breath and pretending not to notice anything. Wang Chao was happily teasing Inspector Huang while setting up the projector and introducing his new games to him.


    Lin Chen subconsciously opened the door to his room, then exited and looked at the room¡¯s location before opening the door again.


    ¡°Where are my things?¡± Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but ask as he grabbed onto Xing Conglian¡¯s arm.


    His room was empty, not just in terms of furniture but also his bedding, books, and even his clothes were missing.


    Xing Conglian looked at him as if to say, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± and pulled him to the master bedroom door, pushing it open. ¡°Consultant Lin, this is your room.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at the double bed that replaced Xing Conglian¡¯s single bed, which had a very simple checkered sheet on it. His books had been put away in Xing Conglian¡¯s bookcase, who had also added a desk to the room. Though the room was still overly simple despite these additions, the fresh smell of the new bed sheets lingered. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    Xing Conglian pushed him into the room, hooked the door with his foot, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Why did you act so quickly?¡± Lin Chen walked to the desk and asked.


    Xing Conglian hugged him, then reached out to put his hand on the hem of his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m a man who¡¯s always prepared.¡±


    Lin Chen sat on the desk and laughed. ¡°But there is already a study room in the house. Why do we need another desk here?¡±


    Xing Conglian leaned over to his ear and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, imagine this: you¡¯re wearing a white shirt, sitting at this desk working, with the lamp on, and it¡¯s night outside the window¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m lying on the bed watching you, of course.¡±


    ¡°Lying down?¡± Lin Chen kissed Xing Conglian on the cheek.


    Before Xing Conglian could answer, Mr. Xiao Zhan shouted outside the door, ¡°Director Xing, we¡¯re ready.¡±


    Xing Conglian distanced himself a little and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with this ¡®Director Xing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I told Mr. Xiao Zhan that you could offer his family¡¯s factory a big order.¡±


    ¡°I thought he was interested in me.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s interested in your money.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re interested in my money too.¡± Xing Conglian said, ¡°That way, I can use money to keep you tied to me forever.¡±


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but turn around and hug him, saying, ¡°But I prefer to earn money to spend on you.¡±


    Just then, Huang Ze¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Xing Conglian, have some professionalism!¡±


    Xing Conglian moved a little distance away again and asked, ¡°Am I not professional?¡±


    ¡°Your kissing skills are very professional.¡± Lin Chen jumped down from the desk. ¡°But I haven¡¯t verified other things yet.¡±


    As Lin Chen said this, he opened the door and went out.


    It seemed that Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t happy to be interrupted by Huang Ze. He walked to the living room and impatiently said, ¡°Huang Ze, go wash the fruit plate.¡±


    Huang Ze looked puzzled. ¡°Xing Conglian, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My Boss means that since we are the hosts and Mr. Xiao Zhan is our guest, and you are the only one with nothing to do, so naturally you should go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already enough to let you sit here.¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the refrigerator. ¡°Hurry up, or I¡¯ll drive you out.¡±


    Huang Ze stood up in anger and walked to the kitchen.


    ¡°Why does he listen to you so much?¡±


    ¡°Probably because he has done something wrong here before,¡± Xing Conglian said disdainfully. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± He turned to Wang Chao.


    Comrade Wang Chao rushed to pull the curtains, and the projector was turned on, projecting the relevant content onto a white wall. The wall displayed the composition formula for Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s new drug, Nordren.


    ¡°What¡­ What do you want me to see, Mr. Lin?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan was confused.


    ¡°Yes, A¡¯Chen Gege, what did you find out at the press conference?¡±


    Looking at the rotating drug structures on the white wall, Lin Chen slowly spoke. ¡°I suspect that the problematic drug is not Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s new drug, Nordren, but its predecessor. Nordren was only created by Zhourui Pharmaceutical to cover up the problems of the previous drug.¡±


    After he finished speaking, there was silence in the room, except for the sound of running water as Huang Ze washed the fruit.


    Huang Ze brought the fruit bowl out and slammed it on the coffee table. Seeing that everyone¡¯s faces were serious and silent, he couldn¡¯t help but say in a bad tone, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡±


    Wang Chao finally came back to his senses and asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, do you have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°From the very beginning, why did Shen Lian use Duan Yang to spread unfavorable evidence about Nordren¡¯s launch?¡±


    Wang Chao replied, ¡°To frame Dr. Duan, Shen Lian used Duan Yang to create a motive for Dr. Duan to possibly kill Tan Kang¡ªthat is, the fake academic plagiarism incident.¡±


    ¡°What if it was killing two birds with one stone?¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°Creating public opinion pressure to delay Nordren¡¯s launch. After all, people are more accustomed to the predecessor drug than the new one that was just promoted.¡±


    Wang Chao: ¡°But¡ªbut why did Shen Lian do this? Is she actually a good person?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I brought you here. All the information we have about Nordren at present comes from the fake information fabricated by Shen Lian. The so-called adverse reactions of Nordren may very well come from the predecessor drug.¡±


    Lin Chen took a pen and walked to the whiteboard in the room, wrote the word Nordren and put a checkmark beside it. He circled the word and drew an upward arrow with a question mark beside it.


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°How did you know that Zhourui Pharmaceutical has long known about the problems with the predecessor drug?¡±


    ¡°Why did Zhourui begin to replace suppliers a long time ago? Why would a pharmaceutical company do this?¡±


    ¡°You mean?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°There¡¯s a problem with their drugs, but they can¡¯t identify where the problem is. They can¡¯t even be sure if it¡¯s their own drugs that have problems, so they can only conduct layer upon layer of self-inspection.¡±


    ¡°Does this include Dana¡¯s human experiments?¡±


    ¡°That way they can get results faster, right? What could make a big pharmaceutical company have to secretly conduct experiments and take risks?¡±


    ¡°It must be something that is not allowed in civilized society and difficult to talk about,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we¡¯ve been completely deceived by Shen Lian and Zhourui Pharmaceutical all along?¡± Wang Chao scratched his head frantically.


    ¡°¡®Nordren¡¯ is like a huge sun, emitting dazzling light from beginning to end, obscuring all the details behind it,¡± Xing Conglian said calmly. ¡°Shen Lian messed around with the previous generation drug, and Zhourui Pharmaceutical discovered the problem. Zhourui developed Nordren to make up for the loopholes in the previous generation drug. As the head of Nordren¡¯s R&D, Tan Kang discovered what Shen Lian was up to and was killed by her. Shen Lian then pinned the blame for the murder on Lao Duan¡­¡± Xing Conglian paused. ¡°This does reflect that there may be problems with Nordren, but how do we prove your point?¡±


    ¡°First, the false information that Shen Lian gave to Duan Yang was probably based on the previous generation drug. Later, please ask Mr. Xiao Zhan to search for information with a targeted approach, which should reveal some clues. Second, if Zhourui Pharmaceutical confirms that the problem lies with the previous generation drug, they will certainly take action to reduce their shipments. A large-scale shutdown would easily arouse suspicion, or there may be other reasons. Third, we know that if there are really adverse drug reactions, the side effects will certainly be reflected in the medical records of patients who use the previous generation drug. We just need to search for targeted patient case records to find any anomalies.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s highly likely that a large number of elderly people have already taken this drug. What Shen Lian has been doing is probably delaying our discovery of the truth. She may be waiting for the day when a large-scale outbreak occurs¡­¡±

 CH 227

    Countless dust particles floated in the light projected by the projector. In the darkness, it looks like a vast universe, mysterious and intangible.


    No one in the room wanted to speak.


    Lin Chen stared at the rotating drug molecule structure on the wall for a long time.


    Finally, it was Xing Conglian who said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Our time may be running out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by time running out? I don¡¯t understand at all.¡± Wang Chao scratched his head desperately. ¡°Why did Shen Lian do this? Is she crazy? Those are all cardiovascular drugs, and over 90% of users are elderly people. Why would she go through all this trouble to make grandparents take this medicine? Why?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s big hand pressed on the young man¡¯s head. ¡°Xiao Wang, with your intelligence, trying to guess a criminal¡¯s thoughts is just asking for trouble. As your A¡¯Chen Gege said, the urgent thing we need to do is find evidence, prove that the previous generation drug has problems, identify the user population, and find a solution.¡±


    Lin Chen thought that perhaps only Xing Conglian could remain calm and say the words ¡°find a solution¡± in this situation, because they all knew that if this was a type of neurotoxic drug, it was very likely that there was no so-called solution.


    ¡°So what exactly is this previous generation drug?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    At this moment, all eyes in the room turned to the young man who had been trembling in the corner, including Huang Ze.


    Xiao Zhan sat on the sofa, looking confused. ¡°What¡­ What have you been talking about? I¡¯m just a chemist, and I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying¡­ but¡­ can there be toxic substances in this? If so, how come the Food and Drug Administration hasn¡¯t found anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen replied, ¡°but you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Please explain to them the previous generation drug and the composition of Nordren.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan stood up in a state of bewilderment, rubbed his clothes with his hands, took the whiteboard pen Lin Chen had just used, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. ¡°The previous generation drug is Cerebralcon, a cardiovascular drug mainly composed of a fixed dose combination of Tern and ADP antiplatelet agents. As for Nordren, I don¡¯t know much about this drug. From the promotional meeting just now, it is mainly composed of three components.¡±


    Xiao Zhan wrote on the whiteboard:


    Nordren: ¡°Tern variant¡±, ¡°ADP¡±, ¡°Ton¡±


    Cerebralcon: ¡°Tern¡±, ¡°ADP¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan continued, ¡°Ton is a newly introduced component, which is said to be obtained from the cultivation of a certain soil bacterium in the Dana Rainforest. Since you think there is a problem with the previous generation drug, this new component, Ton, can be excluded, right?¡±


    When he heard ¡°Dana Rainforest,¡± Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, and the other person also met his gaze.


    ¡°Ton¡­ this should be the component discovered by Lao Duan, right?¡± Xing Conglian called out. ¡°Wang Chao.¡±


    ¡°Ding, Wang Chao is online. What can I do for you, sir?¡± Wang Chao looked at Xing Conglian with a very intelligent and understanding gaze.


    ¡°Show Mr. Xiao Zhan the information taken from Duan Yang.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The young man quickly responded and handed the tablet to Mr. Xiao Zhan.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan was almost in a daze. ¡°What am I supposed to be looking at?¡±


    ¡°You only need to confirm if the ingredient causing serious side effects mentioned in these materials is Ton,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I¡­ I need to look at it for a while.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan flipped through the material and asked, ¡°Can you adjust the Ton component published by Zhourui for me to see?¡±


    The slide on the white wall changed to another compound with a smaller structure.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan looked up and down, and his brow furrowed tightly. ¡°According to the information on this tablet, the animal experiments with Ton did indeed have problems.¡±


    ¡°From this, it seems that Shen Lian has been providing false information to Duan Yang, and Ton is the culprit that has diverted our attention from the beginning to the end.¡± Lin Chen looked at Mr. Xiao Zhan. ¡°The new Ton drug has passed the test and wasn¡¯t present in the previous generation, so let¡¯s eliminate Ton from the problem first, okay?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan happily struck out the word Ton on the whiteboard. ¡°If we can confirm that Ton is not the problem, then we are left with Tern and ADP, right?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan frowned, lost in thought. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Tern, but ADP is a composite antiplatelet agent developed by Huihe Pharmaceutical a long time ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Twenty-three years ago,¡± Comrade Xiao Wang, who had just finished searching for information, replied.


    ¡°So, among the three, only Tern has a problem, and it also changed its configuration?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Tern was independently developed by the R&D department of Zhourui Pharmaceutical, mainly used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases¡­¡± Wang Chao began to recite encyclopedic knowledge.


    ¡°Was Shen Lian part of the research team?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Shen Lian had just graduated from college and had just returned from the Dana Rainforest at that time. Let me check the timeline¡­¡± Wang Chao quickly compared the timeline. ¡°Got it. At that time, Shen Lian submitted a proposal to improve the production process of Tern compounds to save production costs!¡± Wang Chao snapped his fingers and said to Mr. Xiao Zhan, ¡°My friend, the proposal has been sent to your tablet.¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan asked in confusion, ¡°How did you find this so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we copied the hard drive of Tan Kang¡¯s computer before¡­¡±


    Upon hearing this, Huang Ze coughed lightly, and Wang Chao gave Huang Ze a disdainful look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re the most useless one here. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡±


    Huang Ze glared at Wang Chao.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted Wang Chao. ¡°How much do we know about the Tern ingredient?¡±


    ¡°Tern, Tern, Tern¡­¡± Wang Chao kept muttering as he scooped half an orange from the fruit basket, biting into it while he searched. Suddenly, he froze, his actions halted a drop of juice that was dripping on his lips, causing it to land on the laptop. Wang Chao quickly swallowed the juice and looked very nervous as he said, ¡°Boss, I know why Zhourui Pharmaceutical couldn¡¯t solve the problem by stopping production. They had to update and replace the drug completely to eliminate the impact! This¡ªthis¡ªthis¡­ Shen Lian is simply wicked. Tern was developed by Zhourui, but not only their cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs used Tern¡­ ¡± Wang Chao became flustered and was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Explain clearly. Calm down.¡± Xing Conglian tapped the table.


    ¡°Boss, A¡¯Chen Gege, look here. At the bidding meeting in September 2009, a bidding group consisting of five pharmaceutical companies, including Huihe, Yingmeng, and Kang Taidelin, won the right to use Tern and developed multiple new cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs based on this. Zhourui Pharmaceutical couldn¡¯t stop production directly because too many partner companies were involved. If they found out that Tern was the problem and wanted to solve it, they would need a reasonable reason to update and replace the main components, so they had to push Nordren to market.¡±


    ¡°This is too exaggerated. Why are so many companies suddenly using it?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan said. ¡°For patented products, big companies sometimes pay for usage rights. It¡¯s like many type-2 diabetes drugs are stilbene class¡­ There may be several drugs on the market that use Tern as an ingredient.¡±


    ¡°But if all of these drugs have problems, why haven¡¯t there been any reports of mass adverse reactions until now?¡± Huang Ze questioned.


    Lin Chen quietly spoke up, ¡°Yes, this is probably a matter of timing. Whether it¡¯s using Duan Yang, shifting the focus from Professor Duan, or even using hard-to-find methods to release the murder weapon¡­ Shen Lian is delaying time, and what she may be waiting for is just a large-scale outbreak.¡±


    ¡°But the timing shouldn¡¯t be too far away.¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, summarize all drugs that have used Tern and start searching for the names of all personnel who have taken these drugs in major hospitals, and compare their relevant medical records later¡­¡± Xing Conglian said, looking at him.


    Lin Chen understood and said to Wang Chao, ¡°Pay attention to personnel who have taken related drugs and whether the following keywords appear in their medical records: aggression, irritability, cognitive impairment, intellectual decline, mental abnormality, and logical confusion.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it right away!¡± Wang Chao crossed his fingers and stretched his muscles before starting to search. ¡°But major hospitals are not connected to the internet, so I¡¯ll need a lot of time¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Lin Chen nodded at Wang Chao before getting up and heading to the restroom.


    He turned on the tap and washed his face. As the restroom door opened, Xing Conglian walked in.


    Lin Chen looked at the reflection of Xing Conglian¡¯s face as the other¡¯s deep eyes stared at the mirror. ¡°Half a day ago, I thought using Teacher Duan¡¯s death to expose Shen Lian was too heavy a price, but just now, I suddenly felt fortunate¡­ Originally, Teacher Duan was just an outsider who was used as a pawn, but he accidentally saved the Gaomeng tribe, who were being used as test subjects. Although he sacrificed his life for it, his death has now cut through all the black curtains. Whether it¡¯s Shen Lian¡¯s purpose or the things that Zhourui Pharmaceutical has concealed, everything has been exposed in broad daylight.¡±


    ¡°This is fate. All those who try to manipulate fate will be manipulated by fate.¡± Xing Conglian leaned against the wall covered with white tiles with one hand and spoke in an extremely plain, solemn tone. ¡°Lao Duan would be happy about this.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded, unable to refute the last sentence. He hugged Xing Conglian with his wet arms and patted his back, as a way to encourage each other.


    ¡°Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Suddenly, Wang Chao¡¯s scream came from the living room. Xing Conglian¡¯s face changed, and he turned and pushed the door out. Lin Chen followed behind and ran into the living room, only to see Wang Chao typing frantically on the keyboard at an unbelievable speed. Lin Chen had never seen the boy look so terrified.


    At a certain moment, all of Wang Chao¡¯s movements stopped, and he pushed the laptop away and rushed outside. He flipped the circuit breaker and cut off all the power.


    Lin Chen went outside and saw the boy crouched on the ground, covering his face with his hands, looking very confused.


    Lin Chen squatted down and patted his back. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Wang Chao bit his thumb, looking anxious and restless. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable. There¡¯s a trap program in the prescription databases of the top three hospitals in major cities across the country. When anyone starts searching for information on the use of Cerebralcon, the tracking program automatically activates.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Xing Conglian kicked Wang Chao¡¯s butt upon hearing this.


    ¡°I thought it was just a matter of checking prescription information, so I set up two virtual machines to get past the tracking program. But when I was downloading the prescriptions just now, I may have been exposed. If the other side is skilled enough, they might be able to track our real IP address. It¡¯s my fault.¡± Wang Chao was very upset, rubbing his hair.


    Lin Chen patted the boy¡¯s back again, not feeling too nervous. He suddenly remembered what Xing Conglian had said earlier. ¡°It may not necessarily be a bad thing, because according to what you said, no matter who set up the trap, they have the opportunity to know that ¡®we¡¯ have discovered the secret. Is that right?¡±

 CH 228

    Wang Chao was stunned. He looked at Lin Chen with a look of innocence and disappointment. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, why aren¡¯t you scolding me?¡±


    Only Wang Chao would ask such a question.


    ¡°Do you want me to say it¡¯s because everyone makes mistakes, or because I don¡¯t want to scold you?¡± Lin Chen pinched the teenager¡¯s face.


    ¡°The latter, the latter!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s face immediately lit up. He jumped up from the brick floor, turned on the power switch, and rushed back inside like he had been resurrected.


    The first thing he did was turn on the laptop, and the second thing was to start peeling an orange.


    ¡°Who do you think could set a trap in the hospital¡¯s prescription database to track the location of anyone searching for Cerebralcon use?¡± Lin Chen walked to the window and re-tied the curtains, letting the bright sunlight shine into the living room. There were two cushions on the ground and a fruit plate on the coffee table, floating and dancing. Everything looked peaceful and quiet, but everyone knew that the truth wasn¡¯t like this.


    ¡°Other than Zhourui Pharmaceutical, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone else, right?¡± Wang Chao stuffed his mouth full of oranges, and his face was still pale with anxiety. ¡°You need both technical expertise and money, and someone has to keep an eye on it all the time¡­ Of course, it could also be Shen Lian, but if she¡¯s that capable, then that¡¯s quite terrifying.¡±


    Wang Chao put his hand on the keyboard as if he were about to start working, but Xing Conglian stopped him. ¡°Wait, why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Boss, shouldn¡¯t we investigate who did this right now?¡±


    Lin Chen stood at the window and looked at Xing Conglian. He quickly understood what he meant.


    Although everything was extremely urgent right now, with the possibility of a large-scale adverse drug reaction event, a pharmaceutical company hiding the truth, and a woman with an inscrutable mind making it hard to predict her actions, they could only sit down in this room and think before they figured out how to handle these things.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sort out our thoughts first. What is the most urgent thing to do now?¡± Xing Conglian closed the door and locked it.


    ¡°The most urgent thing¡­ Isn¡¯t it to immediately warn everyone to stop taking drugs that contain the original Tern ingredient and then go to the hospital for a check-up?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°What are they checking for? Do you have a treatment plan?¡± Xing Conglian was sharp. ¡°Then why warn people? Don¡¯t forget, when we issue a warning, Zhourui Pharmaceutical and Shen Lian will react, and Shen Lian may have access to many dangerous substances. What if she starts poisoning people?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s catch Shen Lian first and issue a warning to the public later?¡±


    ¡°Where do we catch her, and what if we can¡¯t catch her?¡±


    ¡°According to what you¡¯re saying, this is a dead end!¡± Wang Chao was very frustrated as he scratched his head. ¡°And it¡¯s all because of me that things have become such a mess.¡±


    Huang Ze reacted quickly. ¡°Xing Conglian, what do you mean? Are you really not going to report to the authorities to find a solution, issue a warning to the public, and launch a large-scale manhunt for the culprit, Shen Lian?¡±


    ¡°You, calm down,¡± Xing Conglian said impatiently, trying to pacify Huang Ze.


    ¡°Xing Conglian!¡± Huang Ze raised his voice.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Huang Ze, have you considered the problem here? If we issue a warning to the public rashly without understanding the truth, it will cause a huge social panic. And what if this panic is exactly what the culprit wants to see?¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s expression froze, as if he had understood some of the key points. He knocked on the coffee table and said coldly, ¡°So when you accepted the media interview, you didn¡¯t mention the issue with Shen Lian because you were afraid that the public would panic? Lin Chen, do you know that you will be responsible for concealing information from the public without notifying them if something goes wrong!¡±


    ¡°I will take responsibility no matter how big it is,¡± Lin Chen replied calmly.


    ¡°You are too conceited!¡± Huang Ze was very angry.


    ¡°Inspector Huang, did you come here to argue?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone didn¡¯t reveal any emotions. ¡°How about I let Wang Chao argue with you for a while?¡±


    ¡°Why me, Boss?¡± the teenager said unhappily.


    In this tense atmosphere, Mr. Xiao Zhan shrank weakly in the corner and raised his hand. ¡°I¡­ Can I go first?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Huang Ze and Xing Conglian said in unison.


    ¡°Then¡­ Then can I express my opinion?¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan spoke again.


    ¡°Please do,¡± Xing Conglian said politely.


    ¡°I just think that from a scientific point of view, your suspicion about the original Tern is just speculation. Don¡¯t forget that Cerebralcon also passed inspection by the Food and Drug Administration. So¡­ do you have a laboratory we can rely on to prove¡­ prove¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want to prove.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded. ¡°Mr. Xiao Zhan is an expert in chemical engineering and relatively familiar with the case. We would like to ask you to lead the TERN detection work. We also extracted some related substances at the crime scene last night, and we hope you can complete the comparison as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t mean that. My skills are not good enough, and there are so many experts here¡­¡± As he spoke, Mr. Xiao Zhan suddenly became dumbfounded. ¡°Wh¡­ The crime scene from last night¡­ You mean the barbeque stall where zombies were biting people?¡±


    As Mr. Xiao Zhan spoke, he sat on the ground and leaned back, almost losing his balance, and fell to the ground.


    Xing Conglian looked at the young man and smirked at Huang Ze, meaning: Do you see how a normal person would react?


    Huang Ze¡¯s face was ashen, and he got up in anger and walked towards the bathroom.


    Xing Conglian ignored Huang Ze and pondered for a moment before saying to Wang Chao, ¡°Regardless of who made the move in the hospital prescription database, all they wanted was a warning when someone found out about the drug problem. It¡¯s most likely still Zhourui Pharmaceutical that did this. Follow the plan we just discussed and start downloading the cases. Since they want to know who found out, we¡¯ll tell them clearly.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to trace the person who tampered with the hospital prescription database?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°For this small matter, you can handle it yourself. Don¡¯t ask me for permission.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Wang Chao interrupted, as if suddenly remembering something. ¡°But Boss, what if Zhourui Pharmaceutical finds out that we have targeted them and starts erasing all the criminal evidence on a large scale?¡±


    Xing Conglian replied seriously, ¡°You have to understand that even if we didn¡¯t discover the problem with their previous generation drug, Zhourui Pharmaceutical wouldn¡¯t leave us any handle. Moreover, they can completely push the problem onto Shen Lian¡¯s shoulders, play the sympathy card, and maneuver their way out of trouble. Therefore, in order to sanction Zhourui Pharmaceutical, we must prove that their management knew about the problems with Tern and didn¡¯t report it to the Food and Drug Administration in a timely manner, didn¡¯t stop production, and allowed toxic drugs to circulate, while attempting to cover up the problem with the old ingredients through a new drug.¡±


    ¡°But how do we prove this?¡± Wang Chao began to bite his thumb again.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t say anything; he just glanced at the teenager¡¯s laptop.


    Wang Chao took a sharp breath. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to set a trap for Zhourui Pharmaceutical, are you?¡±


    ¡°How could we? Your A¡¯Chen Gege and I are not those kinds of people,¡± Xing Conglian replied coldly.


    Wang Chao reluctantly swallowed his saliva and asked, ¡°But even if we can dig a pit for Zhourui Pharmaceutical, how do we dig out Shen Lian?¡±


    From the beginning until now, Lin Chen had been thinking about this problem: How to find Shen Lian. This woman was like a thorn that was hard to pull out of his throat, as if she were almost invisible. Of course, they could, as Huang Ze suggested, issue a nationwide wanted order to search for Shen Lian using the crowd tactics. But the problem was that what happened at the barbecue stall was too horrifying, and they had no idea what Shen Lian would do before she was truly arrested.


    The most difficult thing in life could only be a choice.


    Lin Chen took an apple from the fruit plate and said lightly, ¡°Shen Lian has her own demands. For someone like her who does big things, those demands are most likely grandiose. We need to figure out what her demands are.¡±


    ¡°But, since we have discovered the problem with the drug, should we really not issue a warning? Grandparents and parents will still continue to take the drugs. Isn¡¯t this what Shen Lian wants? What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Of course we should issue a warning¡­¡± Lin Chen held the apple but didn¡¯t take a bite. He looked around and suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°Where¡¯s Huang Ze?¡±


    Lin Chen asked.


    ¡­¡­


    In the restroom.


    It was the same place where Lin Chen had hugged Xing Conglian earlier. Huang Ze, the police inspector, was saying goodbye on a phone call that was nearing its end.


    ¡°Director Liu, the situation is roughly like this. I will report the details to the bureau when I return later.¡±


    The person on the other end of the phone had a solemn tone. Huang Ze replied with a few ¡°yes¡± before he hung up. Just as he was about to hang up, the restroom door was pushed open.


    Someone like Huang Ze, of course, wouldn¡¯t squat on a toilet to make a secret phone call. He was standing in front of a sink, dressed neatly, with one hand still on the faucet, letting the water flow down.


    Lin Chen stood face-to-face with Huang Ze. He looked at the calm inspector and immediately understood what Huang Ze had been doing just now.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°The crazy one is you, Lin Chen! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to. Neither you nor Xing Conglian can bear the responsibility for this kind of thing.¡±


    Lin Chen found this amusing. ¡°So, based on the consideration of the mental state of us frontline investigators, you decided not to consult with us and directly report to your superiors?¡±


    ¡°Watch your words. This is a normal situation report,¡± Huang Ze said.


    Lin Chen couldn¡¯t be bothered to discuss the nature of the incident with him any further. ¡°How much did you reveal to your superiors? Tell me the details.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, watch your own identity. The case of Zhourui Pharmaceutical will soon be taken over by a higher-level department¡­¡±


    Huang Ze was about to say more but was interrupted by Xing Conglian.


    And it was indeed an interruption. Xing Conglian used a simple grappling technique to flip over Huang Ze¡¯s wrist and, with a snap, took his phone away. Before Huang Ze could react, Xing Conglian shouted, ¡°Wang Chao, get the surveillance footage from the restroom, and let¡¯s listen to what Huang just said in our bathroom.¡±

 CH 229

    ¡°Xing Conglian, are you a pervert? Why are you installing such things at home!¡± Inspector Huang¡¯s face was livid.


    ¡°Oh, this seems to be my home, Inspector Huang. Even if I install a camera, it has nothing to do with you, right? It¡¯s just having some fun with my boyfriend,¡± Xing Conglian sneered.


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t surprised about Xing Conglian installing a listening device in the bathroom. After all, having experienced the hotel room surveillance incident, installing a listening device only in the bathroom was already considered protecting the user¡¯s personal privacy.


    However, he still looked at Xing Conglian with a slightly suspicious look. Xing Conglian tilted his head and said in a very gentlemanly tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t install a camera. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°What do I have to worry about?¡± Lin Chen sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you should or shouldn¡¯t have seen, you¡¯ve already seen it,¡± Xing Conglian added sincerely.


    Lin Chen shook his head helplessly, and Huang Ze was speechless.


    In the living room, Wang Chao shouted loudly, ¡°Boss, do you want me to play it for you or do you want to come out?¡±


    ¡°Play it. Turn it up louder,¡± Xing Conglian said coldly, standing in front of the sink.


    The sound gradually grew louder through the hallway, echoing in this simple and unadorned bathroom.


    The voice was very low.


    ¡°Yes, Director Liu, I want to report a situation to you. The problem here in Hongjing is quite serious.¡±


    ¡°The local police suspect that the relevant drug of Zhourui Pharmaceutical and other manufacturers may have serious adverse reactions, and the relevant results have been concealed by the pharmaceutical company.¡±


    ¡°We may need to take emergency measures.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is a very serious public health issue.¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s face became more and more ugly with each sentence recorded, but in the end, although his face was as white as paper, he was extremely calm.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything wrong. This is my duty,¡± Inspector Huang said after the recording ended.


    Lin Chen looked at the young inspector standing opposite him and at Huang Ze¡¯s delicate face, which was not much different from the past.


    He didn¡¯t feel disappointed or angry because he was probably the person who could understand Huang Ze¡¯s feelings the most now. He, like Huang Ze, felt very relaxed and calm.


    Because this was Huang Ze. He always had his own stance and would always insist on it; always extremely stubborn.


    Huang Ze didn¡¯t disappoint him.


    In fact, Lin Chen didn¡¯t care much about right or wrong issues, because right or wrong really didn¡¯t matter.


    The inspectorate where Huang Ze worked was like a disciplinary committee for all police officers, and it wasn¡¯t realistic for him to conceal the situation. Although Huang Ze didn¡¯t reveal too many details over the phone, he had essentially reported the case of Zhourui Pharmaceutical to his superiors. According to Lin Chen¡¯s inference, no leader would choose to hide the truth from the public after learning about this matter, so relevant departments would start taking action within a few hours at the earliest. In other words, they had very little time left to find out Shen Lian¡¯s motive, arrest the person, or find a possible solution to the problem.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian and said, ¡°It seems that we have no choice now.¡±


    ¡°We can only go with the flow,¡± Xing Conglian said as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.


    Their conversation was brief, and only they could understand each other.


    Huang Ze seemed somewhat unwilling and asked back, ¡°What would you have done if I didn¡¯t make that call?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°You always seem to have a clear idea.¡±


    ¡°Although I have ideas, it doesn¡¯t mean I always know what to do. In this regard, I am indeed not as good as you,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    After speaking, he grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s hand and was about to leave, returning the privacy to Inspector Huang.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know where his casual attitude was wrong, but at the moment he turned around, Huang Ze became very angry and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to repeat the danger of this case. You are just a law enforcement officer and have no authority to make any decisions!¡±


    ¡°I know. You¡¯ve reminded me many times already,¡± Lin Chen paused, fearing that Huang Ze might not understand the meaning behind his words, and added, ¡°If possible, I hope you can give us three hours. In these three hours, please don¡¯t mention any information you know about drug side effects to anyone. You can tell your superiors that there is a serious problem or serious adverse reaction in Hongjing, but don¡¯t point out the specific drug or specific adverse reaction type. After all, we haven¡¯t completely investigated the matter yet. This should not violate your principles, right?¡± Lin Chen said sincerely.


    Huang Ze stood still and didn¡¯t give any answer, but Lin Chen could tell from his eyes that if the inspector didn¡¯t curse at him in his face, then he was acquiescing.


    Lin Chen nodded to Inspector Huang in acknowledgment and turned to leave.


    In the living room, Xing Conglian patted Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s shoulder. The young man, who was already somewhat fragile, didn¡¯t know why there were differences within the investigating team. The argument just now probably scared him badly. He was now crouching in the corner, asking Xing Conglian in a weak voice, ¡°Cap¡­ Captain Xing¡­ when can I¡­ go?¡±


    ¡°Now. I¡¯ll take you.¡±


    ¡°No need to trouble yourself. I can go on my own. I have a car!¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say much, but he held onto the young man¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Wang Chao, pack up.¡±


    At this point, Huang Ze emerged from the bathroom.


    Because Inspector Huang¡¯s private recording had just played, Wang Chao froze in place. He buried his face in the pile of wires and pretended to be an ostrich.


    But Huang Ze didn¡¯t seem to notice anyone in the room and left with a very cold and arrogant attitude.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian essentially escorted Mr. Xiao Zhan to his own black Jeep with an attitude as if he were escorting a prisoner, which made Mr. Xiao Zhan, who was forced to accept a substitute driver, very confused.


    Wang Chao held the laptop and sat beside the young man. Xing Conglian drove at a very high speed, and the scenery outside flowed past like water.


    After a sharp turn, Wang Chao pressed his face against the window and complained in dissatisfaction, ¡°Boss, slow down. Your driving speed is almost as fast as mine!¡±


    ¡°The time is urgent. Put on your seat belt.¡± Lin Chen turned his head and comforted him.


    ¡°Why is it urgent again?¡± Wang Chao was confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t that dumbass Huang Ze go to tattle on us? What are we doing now? Aren¡¯t we disobeying orders from our superiors?¡±


    ¡°Your A¡¯Chen Gege bought us three hours. Within these three hours, we¡¯d better find a solution to the problem that convinces everyone. Otherwise, the initiative will never be in our hands.¡±


    ¡°Is my IQ the problem here? Why can¡¯t I understand what you¡¯re saying?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Just then, Mr. Xiao Zhan spoke up, looking annoyed. ¡°Just now¡­ Didn¡¯t you have the listening device on? You heard what they said. Cap¡­ Captain Xing¡¯s meaning is that the fierce inspector will help stabilize the upper management for three hours, so your leaders won¡¯t take action for three hours.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did I just have an out-of-body experience? When did Huang Ze go help us stabilize the upper management?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Lin ask for it?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s because that dumbass Huang Ze snitched. A¡¯Chen Gege had no choice but to say that!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you have to ask Mr. Lin about that, but if Mr. Lin really doesn¡¯t want Inspector Huang to know these confidential information, he could not have said them in front of Inspector Huang.¡±


    After listening to the discussion between the two people in the back seat for a while, Lin Chen looked at Mr. Xiao Zhan through the rearview mirror. Although he appeared weak and indecisive on the outside, Mr. Xiao Zhan was actually a very intelligent person.


    Lin Chen coughed and admitted, ¡°If the other party feels guilty towards you in their heart, they are more likely to agree to your request.¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud.


    Wang Chao, sitting in the back seat, was even more puzzled. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, did you plan to have that dumbass Huang Ze bring this matter up from the beginning? Why? Isn¡¯t it difficult for us to do things this way?¡±


    ¡°You have to understand that no matter how unacceptable Huang Ze¡¯s attitude may be, when we know that the Zhourui Pharmaceutical case does involve a major public medical safety issue beyond our imagination, we have no way of concealing it from our superiors. It doesn¡¯t matter who takes responsibility. This is the process, the procedure, and the only way forward. Those systems and emergency plans are all designed to better solve problems when they arise.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t understand your second half of the sentence.¡± Wang Chao looked puzzled but suddenly seemed to have figured something out and said excitedly, ¡°So you scared Huang Ze by saying that you would take responsibility, and he immediately went to the bathroom to snitch?¡±


    Lin Chen shrugged. ¡°That was his choice and has nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°But you know he will definitely snitch, right?¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s Huang Ze.¡± Lin Chen sighed. ¡°And we really don¡¯t have time to report these things to our superiors. Let Huang Ze do it. It¡¯s the best option.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, wait a minute. Although you said that, why do I feel like you¡¯re taking advantage of that dumbass Huang Ze?¡± Wang Chao slapped his thigh and said happily, ¡°And although Lao Huang seems to be like a stone in the toilet*, he will feel guilty after snitching. At that time, no matter what you say, he will easily agree, right?¡± The young man became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally burst out laughing alone in the back seat. ¡°Damn, you and the Boss are playing mind games together. I really feel sorry for that dumbass Huang Ze!¡±


    *Refers to someone who is unresponsive, unemotional, or uncommunicative.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for too much,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°I just want him to give us three hours.¡±


    ¡°But how do you know that Huang Ze will definitely give us three hours?¡±


    ¡°Did Huang Ze ask you for a specific list of drugs involved before he left?¡± Lin Chen asked cryptically.


    ¡°Oh! Right! Huang Ze didn¡¯t ask!¡± Wang Chao suddenly realized. ¡°Information is like water flow, and Huang Ze¡¯s the water pipe. It¡¯s not right if we don¡¯t say too much, but it¡¯s also not right if we say too much, so you just let Huang Ze say it while controlling the flow rate, right?¡± Wang Chao scratched his head. ¡°Wait, A¡¯Chen Gege, I don¡¯t understand again. Why did you specify that Huang Ze should conceal the types of adverse reactions and specific drug names involved during this period, and how do you know that he won¡¯t say these things during the first time he reports?¡±


    ¡°Because Huang Ze doesn¡¯t have your photographic memory, and he¡¯s a cautious person. If he wants to report these details to his superiors, he will definitely ask you for a detailed document.¡± Lin Chen patiently explained.


    After hearing this, Xing Conglian finally said impatiently, ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, I think you¡¯re quite attached to your Lao Huang. Shall I turn the car around and send you to his car?¡±


    ¡°Boss, food can be eaten casually, but words can¡¯t be spoken casually!¡± Wang Chao excitedly jumped up. ¡°Huang Ze is a big dumbass!¡±


    ¡°I think you still miss him quite a bit if you keep asking questions,¡± Xing Conglian said disdainfully.


    Wang Chao choked and couldn¡¯t speak for a while.


    ¡°Can I ask one more question?¡± The young man hesitated in the back seat for a while before speaking again.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why three hours?¡±


    ¡°This deadline is for us.¡±

 CH 230

    Wang Chao didn¡¯t dwell on the three-hour time limit issue. For him, since time was tight, they had to make the most of it, and the logic was simple.


    The teenager opened his computer and found that the program was still running. He imported some node files into his tablet and said to Lin Chen, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, didn¡¯t you ask me to check some adverse reactions to the drug? Here are some of them.¡±


    Lin Chen took the tablet.


    Since the State Food and Drug Administration didn¡¯t notice these cases, it meant that these adverse reactions were still within a reasonable range. After all, any drug would list the possible types of adverse reactions in the instructions. Even some penicillin allergies may include hallucinations, mental abnormalities, and the like. Therefore, it was normal for adverse reactions such as cognitive impairment or emotional mania to occur when treating brain diseases.


    Lin Chen looked at all 11 relevant adverse reaction cases as of February 2014, and only one case was severe.


    The patient was a 73-year-old woman who was admitted due to a stroke and had organic dementia due to brain atrophy. In January 2012, she had a manic episode, injured medical staff, and accidentally fell from the stairwell.


    The forensic autopsy results proved that the elderly woman had diffuse cerebral sulcal widening and cystic expansion in her brain, indicating that organic brain damage caused the mental abnormalities, thus ruling out the hospital¡¯s responsibility.


    Looking at the case, Lin Chen saw the prescription for ¡°Cerebralcon¡± from Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    As always, Wang Chao was thoughtful and also attached the police investigation report to the back of the case.


    In the photo, the hospital corridor was stained with blood.


    According to the case information, the 73-year-old woman grabbed the nurse¡¯s needle during an infusion, stabbed the nurse, and escaped into the corridor. She used a medical cart to hit two other elderly patients frantically, causing one of them to die on the spot and the other to be declared brain dead after an unsuccessful rescue three days later.


    For an elderly person over 70 years old, this was a completely crazy act.


    Three lives were lost in this case, and perhaps the victims¡¯ families were still immersed in grief and self-blame and hadn¡¯t yet realized that it wasn¡¯t their fault.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen put down his tablet and leaned his hand on the car window with an indifferent expression, not sure what he was thinking.


    Xing Conglian was clear about why he came up with the idea of a deadline. People like him often treat themselves harsher than others, striving for perfection and accustomed to pushing themselves to the limit and finding a way out in desperate situations.


    Xing Conglian stepped on the brake, and the Jeep stopped at the red light.


    In a brief moment, Xing Conglian saw Lin Chen quickly glance down. It was a completely subconscious movement. He was looking at the phone in the storage box on the car door and then awkwardly moved his gaze back. He obviously wanted to make a phone call but didn¡¯t do so.


    Looking at Lin Chen¡¯s always calm and composed face, Xing Conglian suddenly realized that Lin Chen was different from them. He and Wang Chao didn¡¯t have to worry about their grandfathers mistakenly taking dangerous drugs made by Zhourui, while Lin Chen was probably now dealing with some elderly relatives. He handed his phone over and said, ¡°If you want to make a call, go ahead. Three hours won¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    Lin Chen took the phone, and his fingertips were very cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s my teacher.¡± Lin Chen guessed what Xing Conglian guessed and answered very candidly. ¡°My teacher¡¯s cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems have always been bad. He was hospitalized last year and has probably been taking Zhourui¡¯s medicine all along. This kind of medicine is too widely used.¡±


    He didn¡¯t show any sadness, but Xing Conglian could feel his inner conflict.


    Although Lin Chen had had countless teachers since he was a child, only one person¡ªPresident Su of Yongchuan University¡ªhad been referred to as his teacher.


    When Lin Chen took the phone, he obviously breathed a sigh of relief. He dialed the number without even looking it up. Looking at Lin Chen¡¯s face as he waited for the phone to connect, Xing Conglian was glad he didn¡¯t stubbornly stick to his principles.


    Xing Conglian drove the car forward a bit and stopped on the side of the road near the municipal bureau. Lin Chen held the phone and looked at him for guidance. Xing Conglian waved his hand, indicating that he was waiting for someone.


    The phone connected, and Xing Conglian could barely hear President Su¡¯s cheerful voice from the receiver at arm¡¯s length.


    ¡°Teacher, it¡¯s me.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice was rarely so relaxed, even with a hint of playfulness toward the elderly.


    Xing Conglian remembered the file he had peeked at. When Lin Chen was young, all of his older relatives had already passed away. Now, thinking back, President Su probably acted as both a teacher and a friend to him, fulfilling his desire for elder care.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hand rested on Lin Chen¡¯s delicate neck, waiting for his next words.


    ¡°I have encountered a problem.¡± Lin Chen held the phone calmly and said so.


    The old man probably asked something like, ¡°What kind of problem have you encountered?¡± And then added, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem with your relationship with that captain, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian only heard a general idea and stared at Lin Chen with his eyes wide open. Why are people surnamed Su so astute nowadays?


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. We¡¯re together.¡±


    Lin Chen said this casually in a cool voice, causing Xing Conglian¡¯s hand on his neck to tighten a bit. After all, this was him coming out of the closet, so he felt he should give Lin Chen some encouragement, but Xing Conglian was disappointed again.


    Elder Su¡¯s voice on the phone became two tones brighter, and Xing Conglian didn¡¯t hear any nervous or worried tone coming out but instead heard a lot of fragmented gossip questions, making him feel at a loss for words.


    The old man asked all sorts of questions, and Lin Chen only mentioned trivial matters. This made Xin Conglian mistakenly think that this phone call wasn¡¯t about Lin Chen telling the old man about the medication issue but rather a special report to the elders at home about his love life, and that they were unusually open-minded.


    Lin Chen talked on the phone for a while, and Xing Conglian felt as if cold sweat was about to drip down his back, fearing that the old man would suddenly want to talk to him, but it seemed that the old man hadn¡¯t yet reached that level of gossip.


    ¡°We¡¯re done talking about your relationship. Now tell me, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± the old man suddenly asked.


    Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen and saw him squinting in the distance. He paused, pulled his hand down from his neck, and then clasped Lin Chen¡¯s fingers. ¡°Something big has happened, but I can¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t say it, why did you call me? You¡¯re going to drive me crazy!¡± the old man exclaimed.


    ¡°It really can¡¯t be said for the time being, Teacher. Just watch the news, and when I can say it, I¡¯ll call you first thing.¡±


    Xing Conglian could feel Lin Chen¡¯s hand trembling lightly, but he was still pretending to speak in a relaxed tone.


    ¡°Quick, tell me. What was the life principle I taught you guys when you graduated?¡±


    Lin Chen smiled and answered, ¡°Don¡¯t show off, and surrender when you need to.¡±


    Xing Conglian could no longer laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no savior in this world,¡± Elder Su comforted.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t the meaning of the second half of The Internationale* that one must rely on oneself to be a good person?¡± Lin Chen countered.


    *An international anthem; it has been adopted as the anthem of various anarchist, communist, socialist, democratic socialist, and social democratic movements.


    ¡°Hey, hey, how come you¡¯re back-talking your teacher just because you¡¯re in love? Your teacher is getting old,¡± Elder Su hummed discontentedly. ¡°But you are indeed stronger than many people, so I¡¯d rather entrust my life to you than anyone else.¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice was very relaxed, but Xing Conglian shuddered. Lin Chen hadn¡¯t revealed anything from start to finish, but Elder Su¡¯s words were saying, ¡°I know everything. You can go ahead and do it with confidence.¡±


    Lin Chen was also silent, holding the phone with a straight back, as if he were holding a heavy load.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°When you have time next time, come home for dinner and bring that person along.¡±


    On the phone, Elder Su said a few more words casually and was about to hang up.


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Lin Chen suddenly spoke up as if waking up from a dream, stopping the old man before he hung up.


    ¡°Hmm, is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lin Chen said, unsure if he said it before or after hanging up the phone.


    This casual chat was really idle, like a beautiful conversation between a teacher and a student on a sunny afternoon. However, now it felt heavy.


    Lin Chen handed back the phone as a police officer ran over from the distance. Xing Conglian lowered the car window, saluted the officer, and was handed a thick stack of files.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Xing Conglian asked as he closed the car window and started the engine.


    ¡°My feelings are no different from those of other family members of patients. They didn¡¯t have the opportunity to give notice in advance, and neither should I.¡± Lin Chen paused and added, ¡°Most importantly, if I did, my teacher would scold me to death.¡±


    Xing Conglian started the engine and asked, ¡°Then why did you make the call?¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted to hear my teacher say, ¡®Go ahead and do it with confidence¡¯.¡±


    Xing Conglian stepped on the accelerator and prepared to send Mr. Xiao Zhan back to the factory. He placed the files he had just received on Lin Chen¡¯s lap. The file bag had ¡°Shen Lian¡± clearly written on it. Xing Conglian added, ¡°Just do what you¡¯re good at. I¡¯ll take care of everything else.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The Jeep headed toward the outskirts. Fields and factories passed by like flowing water outside the window.


    Lin Chen fumbled through the thick stack of materials. He had called his teacher because he realized that he was really not good at this case. He lacked an adequate knowledge base about drugs, couldn¡¯t understand molecular formulas, and was always led by the nose by Shen Lian or Zhourui Pharmaceutical. He didn¡¯t know what kind of impact long-term medication would have on patients, didn¡¯t know Shen Lian¡¯s true intentions, and didn¡¯t know what to do next. Precisely speaking, he just didn¡¯t know.


    Fortunately, although people had many areas where they didn¡¯t excel, they also had their own fields to be proud of. Lin Chen opened the file and began to truly understand Shen Lian for the first time.


    In her childhood file, the girl had two braids and was smiling with her mouth open, but her eyes were devoid of warmth.


    Shen Lian grew up on the most ordinary old street in Hongjing. Lin Chen only remembered that the noodles with pickled vegetables and shredded pork in a shop on that street were particularly good. Apart from that, there was nothing beautiful about it. The low bungalows and slightly cold and narrow streets always seemed to be in the shade, even in the height of summer.


    He first flipped through Shen Lian¡¯s childhood academic records. She didn¡¯t choose a prestigious school, and her elementary and junior high school performances were mediocre. According to her old report cards, except for two perfect scores in the first and second grades of elementary school, there was no sign that this girl would have extraordinary intelligence, enough to manipulate a multinational pharmaceutical company more than ten years later.


    As Lin Chen flipped through page by page, he suddenly paused.


    Xing Conglian turned the car onto a rarely traveled road with an abandoned chemical plant on both sides. Guanghua Chemicals was standing at the end of the road.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xing Conglian noticed his sudden pause.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. Shen Lian¡¯s grades suddenly improved in the second year of junior high school. In the third grade of junior high, she managed to place first and was admitted to Hongjing No.1 High School.¡±


    ¡°She had an awakening?¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian scored 697 points in the high school entrance exam, ranking 9th in the city. Even Wang Chao¡¯s intelligence level would find it difficult to get this score.¡±


    Wang Chao interjected from the back seat, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you can¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°Why not? Xiao Wang from Lao Huang¡¯s family, I remember you didn¡¯t get first in the city in the high school entrance exam either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t take the high school entrance exam!¡± Wang Chao angrily pulled on Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s collar. ¡°Are you the same age as Shen Lian? What did you get in the exam that year?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I got first place?¡±


    Wang Chao choked for a while and couldn¡¯t speak. Finally, he said, ¡°After we finish this, give me a test paper. I want to prove myself!¡±


    While Wang Chao was making a fuss, no one responded to him in the car because Lin Chen was silent.


    Xing Conglian looked over to his side and saw Lin Chen bowing his head slightly, with his fingers resting on the old file paper. A beam of sunlight fell beside his ear, but it didn¡¯t bring any warmth.


    ¡°Did something happen to Shen Lian¡¯s parents?¡± Xing Conglian asked, following the principle that all abnormal psychology may have childhood trauma.


    Lin Chen flipped through the file for a while, pulled out the part about Shen Lian¡¯s parents, and then turned to her junior high school years, answering, ¡°Her parents are alive. Her father is a security guard at the Hongjing Department Store, and her mother is an ordinary salesperson at the store. It seems that they are busy with work and their family isn¡¯t wealthy, but they¡¯re not destitute either.¡±


    ¡°Do her parents have criminal records?¡±


    ¡°No, they seem to be honest and hardworking people.¡±


    ¡°Are there any extramarital affairs, child abuse, or childhood trauma?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So, what caused Shen Lian to be so abnormal?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Is this ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ a good thing or a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a good thing.¡± Lin Chen replied.

 CH 231

    Everyone¡¯s changes had reasons behind them. These reasons could be as simple as the breakfast they wanted to buy being unavailable due to heavy rain, so they had to settle for a bun they didn¡¯t like. Or it could be the determination to study hard and excel academically after being ridiculed at school. However, if it wasn¡¯t for an alien swapping Shen Lian¡¯s brain, her sudden leap in academic performance would undoubtedly be due to her strong internal drive for learning.


    Although Lin Chen could ignore this change and attribute it to a genius girl suddenly developing a passion for studying, he instinctively believed that the reason behind Shen Lian¡¯s transformation was very important.


    ¡°Did anything happen during Shen Lian¡¯s transition from junior high to high school?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°What aspect are you referring to, A¡¯Chen Gege?¡± Wang Chao asked, holding his computer.


    ¡°Involving changes in relatives or schoolmates, such as homicides, car accidents, major illnesses, especially mental illnesses, and so on.¡±


    Time was running out. Xing Conglian got out of the car to escort Mr. Xiao Zhan into the entrance of the chemical plant, appearing very cautious. Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian patting the other person¡¯s shoulder and saying something before quickly returning to the car.


    As Lin Chen turned his head, before he could speak, with just a glance, Xing Conglian answered on his own, ¡°I told Xiao Zhan that someone would come to protect him later.¡±


    ¡°He must be scared to death.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite timid,¡± Xing Conglian said helplessly.


    The teenager sat in the back seat, continuously talking while checking some records. ¡°Parents are healthy, only mother had a cold once. As for relatives at home¡­ That¡¯s a broad range. Are you referring to several generations of relatives?¡±


    Thinking of Shen Lian¡¯s ¡°attack¡± target, Lin Chen said, ¡°Grandparents.¡±


    Xing Conglian had already restarted the car. His driving speed wasn¡¯t as urgent as before. Instead, he seemed relaxed. He even turned on the car stereo and played a serene violin piece.


    There were many abandoned construction sites on the outskirts, overlayed with long grass basking in the perfect sun. The violin music mixed with the sound of Wang Chao typing on the keyboard made Lin Chen feel drowsy. He suddenly remembered that a similar scene seemed to have occurred before.


    They were driving down the highway with dense reeds all around as time was tightening¡­ What did Xing Conglian do back then? It reminded him of when they had a bowl of braised beef noodles together, sitting on the car hood, enjoying the breeze.


    Lin Chen abruptly woke up. Xing Conglian was still in the driver¡¯s seat, saying, ¡°Hey, what do you feel like eating later?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian helplessly. The more urgent the situation, the more relaxed Xing Conglian seemed to be.


    ¡°Wang Chao, how about going to a restaurant?¡±


    ¡°No, no, we¡¯re in a hurry. Boss, don¡¯t add to the chaos,¡± Wang Chao said anxiously. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, it seems like there weren¡¯t any significant incidents, as you mentioned, during that year. Shen Lian¡¯s grandparents were still alive that year, and there were no major events at school¡­¡±


    Wang Chao incessantly began recounting the suspicious accidents that occurred at Shen Lian¡¯s school, while Lin Chen gradually closed his eyes, his face calm and serene.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, what should we do next? Should we continue investigating Shen Lian¡¯s past experiences during that period? What if she suddenly had a miraculous improvement in her academic performance due to taking some divine elixir?¡±


    Xing Conglian cleared his throat, and Wang Chao immediately fell silent.


    The temporary investigation hitting a dead end left the young man restless. In reality, Lin Chen knew what Wang Chao wanted to say but didn¡¯t verbalize it. Now that they only had three hours left, did they really need to delve too deeply into Shen Lian¡¯s past? Moreover, even if they discovered why Shen Lian had changed so drastically, would it truly help them resolve the crisis they currently faced?


    Looking at the grassy roadside ahead, Lin Chen said to Wang Chao, ¡°The reason I think we should investigate Shen Lian¡¯s past and the reasons behind her psychological transformation is simply because it¡¯s the only area I excel at in this case. Besides that, I can¡¯t find any other breakthrough points.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, A¡¯Chen Gege, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I never said you were useless!¡± Wang Chao hurriedly clarified.


    Lin Chen said seriously, ¡°Perhaps I didn¡¯t express myself clearly. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m useless. What I meant was that with enough proficiency in any field of study, you can find your own breakthrough points. For example, computers for you or psychology for me.¡±


    Wang Chao was dumbfounded.


    Xing Conglian laughed as if he was satisfied with his statement. ¡°No, no, he is still far behind you.¡±


    Surprisingly, Lin Chen felt more at ease and smiled, saying, ¡°It¡¯s always good to be modest.¡±


    ¡°What should we do next?¡±


    ¡°I want to investigate everything that happened to Shen Lian during her transition from junior high to high school,¡± Lin Chen said decisively.


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t Wang Chao already investigating all of that?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I want to focus on the events that occurred at Shen Lian¡¯s school; with her teachers, classmates, relatives, neighbors, the bus she frequently took, the route she took home, and even the bookstore she often visited. We need to investigate every place and person related to Shen Lian.¡± Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked firmly at the astonished Xing Conglian.


    However, after the brief astonishment, Xing Conglian became surprisingly relaxed and at ease. He calmly called the teenager¡¯s name, ¡°Wang Chao!¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao is online. Sir, may I ask what you need?¡± Wang Chao responded promptly.


    ¡°Follow your A¡¯Chen Gege¡¯s orders,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Wang Chao quickly replied, ¡°I can search the police network for all the files related to Shen Lian¡¯s activities within her scope. It¡¯s a small matter. However, some things can only be obtained through interviews, which I can¡¯t do!¡±


    As soon as Wang Chao finished speaking, he began typing rapidly on the keyboard.


    Xing Conglian said to Lin Chen, ¡°Investigating the internal network alone won¡¯t be comprehensive enough. I¡¯ll assign some people to conduct on-the-ground investigations.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Try to be discreet and not alert anyone¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian made several phone calls, assigning tasks. The investigation would involve Shen Lian¡¯s former teachers, classmates, friends, and neighbors, covering almost all of Shen Lian¡¯s social network from that period.


    Ground investigations were time-consuming and resource-intensive work, and Lin Chen was well aware that they might not yield immediate results for the investigation he desired. In this extremely tense situation, Xing Conglian was still willing to listen to him and undertake this task. Setting aside personal feelings, the trust Xing Conglian bestowed upon him was the utmost trust a superior could give to a subordinate. Lin Chen leaned against the car window, contemplating many of Xing Conglian¡¯s strengths, but the most prominent one was undoubtedly his unwavering trust in people. Even when they were complete strangers, Xing Conglian dared to trust Lin Chen¡¯s judgment. The same was true when he sent Mr. Xiao Zhan and spoke to the young man. Perhaps even earlier, Xing Conglian had placed trust in many people he wasn¡¯t familiar with, including Wang Chao.


    Therefore, it didn¡¯t take long for Wang Chao to naturally lean against his seatback and proudly say, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I¡¯ve found all the information you requested¡ªover 280 files. Do you want to take a look?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at the time; not much time had passed since Xing Conglian made the calls.


    Xing Conglian seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the number of leads. ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, how did you manage to find over 280 files? That¡¯s a lot. Your professional skills seem to have declined a bit.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you should quickly tell the boss how many cases can be found when investigating regional crime records. This quantity is unpredictable!¡± Wang Chao retorted.


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Wang Chao looked at his boss and continued proudly, ¡°Do you want to review them later, or should I show you now? I¡¯ve organized them in chronological order.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s face revealed an expectant expression, hoping for praise.


    But Xing Conglian remained silent. Lin Chen placed his hand on Xing Conglian¡¯s right arm and gently patted it. ¡°What do you think, Captain Xing?¡±


    Finally, Xing Conglian said, ¡°Wang Chao, have someone retrieve the written case files and bring them to the office. Mobilize some officers to review the files.¡±


    ¡°We still need to review the written case files?¡± Wang Chao took a deep breath. ¡°Over 280 files¡ªthat¡¯s an enormous workload!¡±


    ¡°Well, who found so many cases?¡± Xing Conglian countered.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°It¡¯s necessary. The digital archives from that time might not be complete, and without reviewing the physical case files, we might miss important clues.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Approximately twenty minutes later, they arrived at the police station.


    Over 280 case files were brought to the police office. Due to the manhunt for Shen Lian, the police force was already short-staffed. However, Xing Conglian still assembled a team of ten officers at the police station to review the case files.


    Xing Conglian pushed open the office door, with Lin Chen and Wang Chao following behind.


    Inside the office, apart from the officers who were urgently assigned, there were over a dozen large boxes of case files.


    Lin Chen nodded to the officers and got straight to the point. ¡°Today, I¡¯ve called you all here to review some case files. We¡¯ll use a pass-and-screen method. Please form a circle and sit down, maintaining an arm¡¯s distance between each other. If you come across a case file that you find suspicious, place it on your right side. If you think the lead is useless, place it at the back. And so on.¡±


    Xing Conglian solemnly said, ¡°Go and find chairs.¡±


    The ten officers went out one after another and soon returned, seating themselves in a circle according to Lin Chen¡¯s instructions. Wang Chao began distributing the case files. At that moment, one officer spoke up, asking, ¡°What kind of case file would be considered suspicious?¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°This search is likely different from the traditional method of finding case files based on leads. We don¡¯t have specific leads; only general keywords. Please identify case files that might be related to these keywords: ¡®Shen Lian¡¯, ¡®murder¡¯, ¡®cruelty¡¯, ¡®violence¡¯, ¡®drugs¡¯, ¡®alcohol¡¯, ¡®mental abnormalities¡¯, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Cases possibly related to mental abnormalities?¡±


    ¡°Not only that, we need to search more meticulously,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian opened the case file in his hand and sternly scanned the faces of each subordinate. ¡°Be serious. We don¡¯t have much time to start over.¡±


    The officers nodded heavily, indicating their understanding.


    In the spacious office, the ten or so people sat in a circle, and not a single word was spoken. The silence in the room was palpable. The only sound was the rustling of paper as thick pages were turned, like waves crashing against the shore, endless and infinite.


    Lin Chen also sat within the circle, focusing on the case file in his hand. It detailed a violent assault that occurred late at night during that year, in a location near Shen Lian¡¯s residence.


    He examined it carefully, from the time the police were dispatched, the responding units, the forensic examination report, and even the chain of evidence. He meticulously filtered every word in the case file with his eyes. Afterwards, he placed the case file behind his chair.


    Xing Conglian sat to the right of Lin Chen, and as Lin Chen placed the case file, he caught a glimpse of the case file in Xing Conglian¡¯s hand. It was a burglary that took place on a street where Shen Lian had previously resided. The burglar had the misfortune of entering the home of a retired boxer, with predictable results.


    The number of case files on the right side of the chairs kept increasing. The second, third, and more case files were passed along. Lin Chen placed another excluded case file behind his chair and casually picked up a new one from the right side. He opened it¡ªunexpected death, unidentified victim.

 CH 232

    Although they had also undergone proper preservation, the archive papers were still yellowed and aged, resembling a buried history.


    Lin Chen touched the papers of the case file and flipped through them page by page.


    It seemed to be an accidental incident, with a very simple sequence of events.


    The deceased was a homeless man. According to the resident who reported the case, it was a very cold day, with an unprecedented cold wave in decades. When they went out in the morning to buy groceries, they saw the homeless man who had been living in their neighborhood for years lying dead in the cold rainwater outside.


    The residents suspected that due to the cold and slippery conditions, the homeless man had slipped and fallen, hitting his head on the stone steps of the bridge, resulting in a skull fracture and death.


    The person who reported the incident was a resident of that street. After the police arrived at the scene, they questioned many neighbors, and the results proved that the homeless man¡¯s death was purely accidental.


    Lin Chen turned to the third page, which recorded the eyewitnesses and their statements that the police had questioned at the time, including their addresses, names, and other basic information.


    Chen Jianguo, residing at 3 Xiaolin Lane, stated that he did hear shouting outside his house that morning at around five, but the sound was very brief, and he turned over without paying much attention. Little did he expect that someone had actually died outside, and he regretted not getting up earlier to check.


    Next, the police questioned the residents around 5, 7, and 9 Xiaolin Lane, as well as 2, 6, and 8¡ªall of whom provided similar testimonies.


    Lin Chen quickly turned to the fourth page and looked at the names recorded one by one, along with the statements signed by the interviewees. The sequence of events in the accidental death case unfolded in his mind.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen¡¯s reading became slower and slower. The pile of case files on his right side grew taller. Finally, the subtle change on Lin Chen¡¯s calm face caught Xing Conglian¡¯s attention.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen composed himself and said, ¡°Stop and call the people you sent over.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned, his gaze falling on the case file in Lin Chen¡¯s hand. ¡°You found it so quickly?¡±


    Lin Chen pointed at the case file with his finger and calmly said, ¡°It should be this one.¡±


    Xing Conglian immediately clapped his hands, catching the attention of all the officers who were immersed in reading the case files. He announced loudly, ¡°Everyone, stop. Organize the case files in your hands, put them back in the boxes by year, and you can leave.¡±


    All the officers had just immersed themselves in their work for less than half an hour. The trivial and bizarre old cases seemed to pull them back to that era, leaving them with a bewildered and confused expression. Each person hoped to find some answers from Lin Chen¡¯s expression, but Lin Chen¡¯s gaze remained calm and thoughtful, giving no clue.


    Soon, the boxes filled with case files were filled up again, and the officers exited the office one by one, then the office door closed.


    Wang Chao, sitting on the sofa licking a lemon-flavored lollipop, couldn¡¯t wait to rush over to Lin Chen¡¯s side. Xing Conglian sat down beside Lin Chen, and Wang Chao squeezed himself between them like a little pet, crouching down to look at Lin Chen curiously. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with this case, A¡¯Chen Gege?¡±


    Lin Chen handed over the case file and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes slightly.


    Wang Chao actually started to look through the file on his own. Xing Conglian snatched the case file from the teenager¡¯s hand and flicked him on the forehead. ¡°You¡¯re so nosy. Can you even understand what you¡¯re reading?¡±


    Wang Chao exclaimed, ¡°Boss, this case file just passed from your hands!¡±


    Xing Conglian then snatched the case file and unhesitatingly gave the troublemaker another flick.


    ¡°Wang Chao.¡± Lin Chen finally spoke slowly. ¡°Can you retrieve the layout map of Xiaolin Lane from back then?¡±


    Wang Chao snapped his fingers and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. I can draw it for you.¡±


    Lin Chen tilted his head and said, ¡°Please mark the specific names of each household.¡±


    Wang Chao got up to get some paper, but upon hearing the request, the young man couldn¡¯t help but freeze. ¡°I haven¡¯t come across that yet, but I¡¯ll mark it after I finish searching.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll tell you. Just mark it.¡± Lin Chen said.


    Soon, the geographic map of the small bridge where the homeless man fell appeared on the paper. Lin Chen recited the house numbers of the households mentioned in the witness testimonies, and Wang Chao gradually marked them.


    ¡°Li Wanru, 8 Xiaolin Lane¡­¡±


    After Lin Chen finished reciting, there was a long pause. Wang Chao still held the pen, waiting for what he would say next, because there was still one empty spot on the paper. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, what about 4?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s face remained as calm as water as he simply stared at the young man. Through the lens, the summer sun outside was bright and vibrant. Lin Chen spoke faintly, ¡°Guess.¡±


    Wang Chao took a sharp breath. ¡°Shen Lian¡¯s house?¡±


    A homeless man had died, and the police had made a record and visited all the surrounding households except for Shen Lian¡¯s family. It seemed like there was no problem with this omission. Maybe something had happened in Shen Lian¡¯s household during those days, or perhaps the Shen family happened to be traveling. There were countless reasons to explain this small detail. But the more Xing Conglian looked through the record, the more he understood where Lin Chen¡¯s certainty came from.


    For example, Li Wanru¡¯s testimony from 8 Xiaolin Lane. The homeless man had been living on their street for many years. Except for a period when the staff of the shelter, during the construction of the city, had temporarily removed this scruffy dog-like man, no one had bothered him since then. Now that he was dead, people couldn¡¯t exactly celebrate, but they still felt a sense of relief. When asked about what happened when the homeless man died, Li Wanru also said that it was so cold outside, and she was still sleeping at that time, unaware of what was happening outside.


    At the end, Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze landed on the name of the outbound officer¡ªBian Yuan.


    He stood up, draped his police uniform over his arm, and said to the other two in the office, ¡°Hungry? Want to eat dumplings? I¡¯ll treat you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lao Bian Dumplings was located just outside the city¡¯s Criminal Investigation Division.


    The Bian family name was already relatively obscure, and it was said that their ancestors had been imperial chefs, hence the inheritance of their culinary skills. Lao Bian was the one who took a different path within the family. When he was young, he worked as a police officer, and after retiring, due to his grandson¡¯s special love for the dumplings he made, he decided to open a restaurant, catering specifically to his colleagues in the police station.


    When Xing Conglian entered the restaurant, the air conditioning was already at its lowest, but because of the steaming hot dumplings and the constant flow of officers, the place felt like a steamer. Familiar officers greeted Xing Conglian, and he pretended to look at the menu posted on the wall. Wang Chao couldn¡¯t contain his anxiety and whispered, ¡°Boss, with such limited time, why did you bring us here to eat dumplings? Is there a clue here?¡±


    Upon seeing the signboard of the dumpling restaurant, Lin Chen seemed to have understood everything. Therefore, he calmly said, ¡°Three Delicacies*, no garlic in the vinegar.¡±


    *Refers to the filling used in Chinese cuisine, particularly dumplings. The filling typically consists of a combination of three ingredients, such as minced meat (commonly pork), finely chopped vegetables (such as cabbage or chives), and sometimes shrimp or other seafood.


    The one who came to tally the bill was the owner himself. Xing Conglian patted the shoulder of the officer sitting next to him and said, ¡°Put it on my tab.¡±


    The officer understood and immediately got up to leave.


    Of course, those who operated a dumpling restaurant outside the police station were well aware of this situation. Lao Bian took a seat at the vacant spot and said, ¡°Lao Xing, let me tell you, ever since I opened this dumpling restaurant outside the police station, it has become an information hub. If you have any questions, just ask.¡±


    Lin Chen placed the case file on the table and pushed it towards Lao Bian. ¡°I would like to ask you for some information regarding this case.¡±


    Lao Bian put down his small notebook and took out reading glasses from his breast pocket. When he opened the first page, his expression changed.


    Xing Conglian knew that they might be getting closer to the answer.


    ¡°This case¡­¡± Lao Bian dragged his tone and sighed. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Why is there no testimony recorded from the Shen family who lived at 4 Xiaolin Lane in the transcripts?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Lao Bian pushed his glasses up and looked at Lin Chen, saying with emotion, ¡°Impressive, Consultant Lin. But before I answer, can you tell me what exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Regarding the incident involving the little girl from the Shen family,¡± Lin Chen hesitated, ¡°at that time, she was probably in junior high.¡±


    A sharp expression flashed across Lao Bian¡¯s face as he shook his head and said directly, ¡°Are you talking about Shen Lian?¡±


    The second floor of the dumpling restaurant was Lao Bian¡¯s residence. The retired police officer led them upstairs and pulled out a stack of files from a wooden shelf, flipping through them in chronological order. He then took out a thin file and handed it over.


    Lowering his head, Xing Conglian looked at it. Specifically, it seemed to be a single-page document that wasn¡¯t included in the main file.


    Lao Bian said, ¡°The reason the Shen family didn¡¯t provide a statement is that during those few days, they had returned to their hometown.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you find it suspicious?¡± Xing Conglian felt the temperature in the room drop.


    ¡°Take a look at this record first.¡± Lao Bian avoided giving a direct answer.


    On February 26, about a month and a half after the death of the homeless man, a resident from Xiaolin Lane voluntarily approached the police and provided information about the case.


    The resident who provided the information refused to reveal her name, but she appeared to be a junior high student.


    The junior high student told the police that her home was very close to the scene of the incident, so she was well aware of the true sequence of events. The death of the homeless man who slipped and fell on the stone bridge was not an accident but rather the result of being pushed and hitting the steps.


    The junior high student provided several names, including Li Wanru, Chen Jianguo, and Li Guoqing, and described some of the events that occurred on the night of the incident.


    According to the junior high student who provided the information, it was a stormy night. She witnessed a dispute between the resident, Chen Jianguo, and the homeless man as she was returning home from her evening study session. The homeless man injured Chen Jianguo by hitting him, and Chen Jianguo, in turn, pushed the homeless man, ultimately resulting in his death.


    Many residents of Xiaolin Lane witnessed the tragedy, but everyone was covering up for Chen Jianguo, and no one was willing to come forward and tell the truth. The junior high student wanted to report the incident at that time but was dragged back to her hometown by her parents. Now, she mustered up the courage to come to the police.


    Xing Conglian lifted his head from the file.


    ¡°Did you investigate it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That girl couldn¡¯t provide any solid or even indirect evidence. We reconstructed the crime scene based on her account, but we didn¡¯t find any suspicious points or the bloodstains she mentioned. We conducted multiple inquiries and questioned the surrounding residents, and all their statements were consistent with no anomalies. We conducted a total of four investigations, and all the results indicated that the girl who came to us was lying.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned and finally asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you include this investigation record in the official main file?¡±

 CH 233

    ¡°She begged us not to let anyone know that she came to the police. If her parents found out, they would kill her,¡± Lao Bian recounted the incident that happened many years ago in a clear and usual tone.


    ¡°Because you listened to her, you didn¡¯t include this record in the final main file?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Lao Xing, it wasn¡¯t an official report, and¡­¡± Lao Bian shook his head. ¡°There were inconsistencies in her account, but we still conducted an investigation.¡±


    ¡°What was the issue?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°The time of death.¡± Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes.


    According to the forensic report in the file, the old homeless man¡¯s time of death was around 4 a.m..


    But according to Shen Lian¡¯s statement, she witnessed Chen Jianguo pushing the homeless man when she returned home from her study session, and that time should have been between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., which didn¡¯t match the actual time of death.


    Lao Bian nodded. ¡°Although the girl¡¯s testimony had issues, we still conducted four investigations, and there were no suspicious points. Finally, we looked into the identity of the middle school student.¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lao Bian nodded. ¡°Regarding this matter, although she kept her identity secret, we definitely investigated her background, and we quickly discovered that she was the daughter of the Shen family at 4 Xiaolin Lane. Later, we contacted the director of the local neighborhood committee and indirectly mentioned the matter, without mentioning the girl¡¯s name, but the director immediately guessed it was Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian¡­¡± Lin Chen murmured softly. ¡°How did the director guess it was her so quickly?¡±


    Lao Bian tapped his head with his finger and said, ¡°The director said that they had suspected for a long time that Shen Lian would go to the police again regarding the homeless man¡¯s death. Shen Lian had caused many disturbances at home before, and the relationship between the Shen family and the Chen family had also become very strained. The director said that the girl¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t right, that she had issues.¡±


    When the retired police officer referred to her not having a right mind, he was, of course, referring to mental issues.


    ¡°But Shen Lian doesn¡¯t have any medical records for mental illnesses,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but back in those days, if a child had slight mental issues, many parents would hide it and keep it to themselves. And as for Shen Lian¡¯s mental problems, they weren¡¯t that severe, so her parents didn¡¯t take her to the hospital,¡± Lao Bian explained.


    Lin Chen keenly perceived the issue in Lao Bian¡¯s words. ¡°How do you know that her parents didn¡¯t take her to the hospital because her mental issues weren¡¯t severe?¡±


    Lin Chen emphasized the word ¡°parents.¡±


    ¡°We discussed this issue with her parents,¡± Lao Bian said.


    In the room, Wang Chao gasped. ¡°Didn¡¯t she ask you not to let her parents know? Why did you disclose it?¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Could it have been leaked by the street office director?¡±


    Lao Bian felt helpless and wanted to touch his cigarette. Xing Conglian took one out of his pocket and handed it to him. Lao Bian bit the cigarette, and Xing Conglian lit a lighter and brought it close.


    The retired police officer said, ¡°In small streets and alleys, there are no secrets between neighbors. The street office director had a conversation with Shen Lian¡¯s parents. The couple came to the police station one day and explained their daughter¡¯s issues. Their intention was that their daughter witnessed a dead body on the street on her way to school in the morning and was highly disturbed. Shen Lian kept feeling that the death of the homeless man was related to her for various reasons. So, they took their daughter to the countryside to keep her away from the source of stimulation. Shen Lian¡¯s parents begged us not to leave a record of their daughter¡¯s involvement.¡± Lao Bian exhaled smoke. ¡°How can we even leave a record? It was just a simple investigation.¡±


    ¡°So, you simply believed Shen Lian¡¯s parents¡¯ statement?¡± Xing Conglian sharply asked. ¡°They left after the incident, and their daughter started displaying abnormal behavior. There are issues with both parents.¡±


    ¡°Her parents weren¡¯t at home that evening; they were working the night shift. Their alibis were solid, which proved they weren¡¯t present, so their statements weren¡¯t included. And it was basically the same as what Shen Lian¡¯s parents said. Since Chen Jianguo wasn¡¯t arrested, Shen Lian came to us again. This time, the girl¡¯s testimony changed.¡±


    Because the retired police officer was smoking, the second floor was filled with smoke, and combined with the sun shining on the top floor, the room became as hot as a steamer.


    However, on that night, it was bone-chillingly cold.


    Because her parents were on the night shift and didn¡¯t come home, Shen Lian, while still in middle school, was accustomed to occasional nights spent alone. But that day, due to the cold wave, freezing rain started falling, and the temperature outside had dropped below zero degrees Celsius. Inside the house wasn¡¯t much better. She did witness the altercation between the old homeless man and Chen Jianguo, but the time wasn¡¯t when she returned from her study session; it was at midnight. After finishing her homework and getting ready for bed, she heard a woman¡¯s faint cries from outside. The voice was soft, but the whimpering sound, muffled by someone¡¯s hand and accompanied by sexual desire, was exceptionally clear on that winter night with drizzling rain.


    She struggled for a while, then mustered up the courage to quietly pull open the curtains and crack the window slightly. By the dim light of a streetlamp, she saw an extremely disgusting and vile scene.


    She saw Chen Jianguo under the eaves, with half of his pants removed, engaging in something with Auntie Li Wanru from next door.


    As a teenager, she peeped at the midnight affair and had been watching from the window. But neither she nor Chen Jianguo, not even Auntie Li Wanru, could have expected that a fourth person would appear on that cold winter night.


    The old homeless man returned with leftover food from a hotel, accidentally entering the secluded alley where no one should have been. In the dark night, the old man, wearing tattered clothes, seemed to descend like a god, exposing the two people in the alley. Li Wanru panicked and fled, while Chen Jianguo killed the old homeless man to silence him.


    This was the second version of the story, which was more detailed than the simplified structure of the first version.


    After listening, Wang Chao just flipped his phone and said, ¡°I checked the historical weather records for that day. It was -1 to 4 degrees Celsius, and there was light rain. Wasn¡¯t Chen Jianguo afraid of freezing his thing off?¡±


    Xing Conglian gave Wang Chao a slap on the head as usual. ¡°Is that all you think about? And watch your language. It¡¯s so uncivilized.¡±


    After he said that, no one continued the conversation. The room fell eerily silent, as if the shadow of the deceased in the winter night was gently hovering.


    Lin Chen sat in the corner while his brows were locked in contemplation. When Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze shifted towards him, Lin Chen happened to raise his eyes and asked, ¡°Is there a third version of the story?¡±


    Having completely guessed the sequence of events, Lao Bian suddenly looked up, staring at Lin Chen in astonishment, then rubbed his face and continued.


    After the version of the midnight affair, Shen Lian found the police for the third time and once again changed her eyewitness testimony.


    This time, she told the police that it wasn¡¯t Li Wanru who was involved in the affair with Chen Jianguo, but Chen Jianguo. On that night, Chen Jianguo intended to sexually assault a young girl, but the girl was saved by the old beggar and spared from harm. However, Chen Jianguo was furious and secretly went to bother the old beggar very late at night, resulting in the beggar¡¯s death by the bridge.


    Perhaps this case had left a deep impression on Lao Bian, as the retired police officer spoke about the details without any confusion.


    Lin Chen sat back in his chair, legs crossed, and lowered his head to look at a shadow on the wooden floor, lost in thought.


    Finally, Lin Chen spoke, ¡°There should be one more version of the story, right?¡±


    Lin Chen asked this way.


    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Lin Chen was wrong this time. Lao Bian didn¡¯t nod but flatly denied, ¡°No, this is the final version that Shen Lian told.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his head abruptly. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lao Bian, who had been talking for so long, was now a bit off in his emotions. He inexplicably questioned Lin Chen.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right. After that, did Shen Lian really never come back to you?¡± Lin Chen asked again.


    Lao Bian extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and said, ¡°I¡¯m an old man, and I don¡¯t understand what you mean, Mr. Lin.¡±


    Lin Chen stated clearly, ¡°What I mean is, I don¡¯t think Shen Lian revealed the truth of the matter, and she should come back to you again.¡±


    ¡°She did come once,¡± Lao Bian said.


    ¡°The last time?¡±


    ¡°The last time.¡±


    ¡°What happened that made her leave without changing her eyewitness testimony?¡±


    Lao Bian let out a long sigh. ¡°Because my partner finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and exposed the girl¡¯s lies to her face.¡±


    Lao Bian explained that his partner was different from him, having a naturally hot temper. Being deceived repeatedly by a little girl with false stories and wasting the manpower and resources of the police, his partner was already very dissatisfied.


    When Shen Lian approached them for the fourth time, his partner directly told her to focus on studying and that going to the police wasn¡¯t a game. None of the fabricated stories she came up with matched the actual time of the old homeless man¡¯s death.


    ¡°And then?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°And then Shen Lian left.¡±


    Lin Chen furrowed his brows. ¡°Could you please recall carefully what special event happened at that time that made Shen Lian never come back to you again?¡±


    Lao Bian scratched his eyebrow, sinking into painful recollections.


    ¡°It must have been something your partner said that caused her to have intense emotional fluctuations. Her reaction should have been obvious.¡±


    ¡°It was when they talked about the time of the homeless man¡¯s death!¡± Lao Bian slapped his leg. ¡°My partner said the homeless man didn¡¯t die in the middle of the night but rather just before dawn the next day. The girl kept saying ¡®impossible¡¯ repeatedly and became extremely agitated. She almost attacked my partner in response, a girl in her teens.¡±


    ¡°Attacked?¡± Wang Chao exclaimed.


    ¡°She tried to strangle him, but my partner managed to block her.¡± Lao Bian shook his head repeatedly. ¡°After that, we truly believed she wasn¡¯t normal. What normal young girl repeatedly comes to the police and fabricates stories? It was too paranoid.¡±


    Lao Bian continued rambling on; the old police officer was forced to revisit events from over a decade ago, recounting them once again. By the end, as the story was finished, the old man seemed unable to stop reminiscing about the past.


    While Xing Conglian engaged in sporadic conversation with the old man, he kept observing Lin Chen¡¯s expression.


    Since hearing about Shen Lian¡¯s agitation over the actual time of the old homeless man¡¯s death, Lin Chen maintained a pensive look. In the end, Xing Conglian clearly saw a trace of sadness on Lin Chen¡¯s face.


    The expression on Lin Chen¡¯s face flickered and disappeared. He slowly blinked, as if he had completed the missing pieces of the puzzle, and everything became clear.


    Lin Chen stood up and bid farewell to Lao Bian.

 CH 234

    The police officers dining downstairs hadn¡¯t decreased in number.


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian descended the stairs quietly. They crossed the misty and stuffy dining area, lifted the plastic curtain, and walked outside the restaurant.


    The summer sunlight was bright, and the gloom of the winter night had dissipated slightly.


    If they counted the unfinished last story, Shen Lian changed her testimony a total of four times.


    From the perspective of criminal investigation, Shen Lian wasn¡¯t considered an adult at that time, but she was also not a child. The factors influencing the truthfulness of her testimony were likely internal physiological factors and external motivational factors. For example, trauma-related suppression of memory, memory retrieval failure, or external factors that confused her memory were internal physiological factors, while external motivational factors could be simplified as the presence of certain motivations that led her to provide false testimony.


    Lin Chen sat down by the small flower bed outside the restaurant and didn¡¯t immediately answer the question. Instead, he said to Wang Chao, ¡°Are the dumplings we ordered still in the restaurant? Can you go and get them?¡±


    ¡°Ah! A¡¯Chen Gege, do you want to eat outside? It¡¯s too hot, and there¡¯s a lot of dust.¡± Wang Chao shuddered, as if suddenly awakened from the previous cold atmosphere.


    Lin Chen looked at the police cars speeding by from time to time and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me again.¡±


    Xing Conglian kicked Wang Chao and said, ¡°Hurry back inside and do your job. Who gave you the right to question?¡±


    Wang Chao ran back into the restaurant in a gloomy manner. Xing Conglian also sat down, and the shade from the trees wasn¡¯t very dense, so most of their bodies were bathed in the scorching sunlight.


    Xing Conglian let out a long sigh. ¡°What a mess.¡±


    ¡°In fact, when you asked that question, you already had a sense of what kind of situation this is,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°So, why did Shen Lian repeatedly modify her testimony and entangle the death of the old homeless man?¡± Xing Conglian leaned against the tree trunk, pretending to know nothing, as he asked.


    ¡°Clearly, Shen Lian is paranoid, but the reason behind her actions isn¡¯t simply because she¡¯s paranoid. Shen Lian has much more serious issues than that. She is adept at lying and has a habit of using deception to manipulate others in order to achieve her own desires,¡± Lin Chen tilted his head slightly and looked at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°It reminds me of Li Jingtian.¡±


    ¡°The people we have to face have always been a certain type, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Based on your analysis, what exactly happened that night, and what was Shen Lian trying to achieve?¡±


    ¡°The purpose she was trying to achieve was undoubtedly to protect her personal interests,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Of course, you might ask why she didn¡¯t directly tell the police the truth of the matter and instead chose a very roundabout way to gradually correct her testimony. That is because the truth conflicted with her personal interests, and she chose to conceal it for the sake of her own interests.¡±


    Xing Conglian asked, ¡°Then why did little Shen Lian still go to find the police uncle?¡±


    ¡°Because concealing the truth would allow the people she hated to go unpunished, which would also contradict her personal interests.¡±


    ¡°It seems like a struggle between the evil in human nature, pushing people to worse outcomes,¡± Xing Conglian said, pulling out a cigarette.


    ¡°Your statement is very consistent with the life experiences of most antisocial personalities.¡± Lin Chen redirected the topic. ¡°But regardless of how many times Shen Lian changed her testimony, we can separate the truth from lies through certain techniques.¡± Lin Chen shook the case file in his hand.


    Just as Lin Chen finished speaking, Wang Chao happened to come out of the restaurant holding a disposable lunch box. The teenager stood by the plastic curtain and grinned at them, making everything feel warm.


    However, Wang Chao quickly became immersed in his impending heavy workload.


    SVA* was a procedure used to assess the truthfulness of statements. It was based on the assumption that memory statements from real experiences were different in content and quality from those based on creation or imagination. Although it was commonly used to determine the truthfulness of testimonies, it required a structured interview with Shen Lian to be conducted face-to-face. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to focus on these standard procedures. Using the recorded testimonies that Shen Lian gave to Lao Bian back then, they could still achieve the goal of separating truth from lies, albeit with some difficulty.


    *Statement Validity Assessment. It¡¯s a tool designed to determine the credibility of child witnesses¡¯ testimonies in trials for sexual offenses. You can read more about the methodology here. Overall, they conduct interviews with the child and assign scores based on what they think is true or false.


    Wang Chao squatted by the flower bed and opened his laptop while Lin Chen flipped to the first page of the testimony. He said to Wang Chao, ¡°We will divide the events described by Shen Lian into several parts and analyze the corresponding contents of these testimonies based on standard foundational content analysis. We will use a scoring system to calculate the truths and lies within them.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s so scientific. I like it!¡±


    Lin Chen turned to the first page. ¡°First, all of Shen Lian¡¯s testimonies are obviously disorganized narratives. She first describes the core event of ¡®Chen Jianguo killing the old homeless man¡¯ and then goes back to describing what happened at the beginning. Victims who have been sexually assaulted tend to present their accounts in an unorganized and incoherent manner.¡±


    Wang Chao paused at that moment. ¡°What the hell? Shen Lian was sexually assaulted?!¡±


    ¡°Now that you brought it up, let¡¯s look at Shen Lian¡¯s description of the main triggering event in the case,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Wang Chao nodded vigorously.


    ¡°In the second version of the testimony, Shen Lian described the encounter between Chen Jianguo and Li Wanru like this: ¡®The two of them were hugging against the wall. I don¡¯t know what they were doing. Chen Jianguo took off his pants, and Li Wanru was moaning.¡¯ However, in the third version, this part of the testimony changed to ¡®The girl told Chen Jianguo to back off, but Chen Jianguo covered her mouth tightly and smiled. The girl¡¯s pants button was undone, and she started crying.''¡± Lin Chen spoke calmly. ¡°The latter version includes more descriptions of interactions between the victim and the perpetrator, which can be deemed relatively truthful and given a score of 1.''¡±


    ¡°Why is it 1 point instead of 2 points?¡± Wang Chao was puzzled.


    ¡°Because this is not her eyewitness testimony. She claims to have witnessed Chen Jianguo doing those things to the girl, but her perspective is subjective.¡±


    Wang Chao pushed the laptop away. ¡°Shen Lian was the victim of assault by Chen Jianguo?!? Why didn¡¯t she report it to the police?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s no evidence.¡± Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°Next, let¡¯s evaluate her next statement. Regarding the details of the old homeless man interrupting Chen Jianguo¡¯s attempt to harm the girl. Shen Lian said she was very scared, and luckily the old homeless man arrived, dropping his bag of garbage like a god descending. The old man had a dirty face and smelled of leftover food, but it made her feel safe.¡± Lin Chen paused and continued, ¡°In this segment of the testimony, there are many details, including the sense of smell, and many aspects of her subjective psychological description that score 2 points.¡±


    ¡°So, Chen Jianguo didn¡¯t succeed because the old homeless man saved Shen Lian?¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°Shen Lian wasn¡¯t truly harmed, so she didn¡¯t tell anyone that Chen Jianguo wanted to harm her that night?¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes. ¡°In fact, I really think she didn¡¯t tell anyone that Chen Jianguo wanted to molest her that day. I also think that no matter how many times she repeated this incident, no one believed her. Therefore, when faced with the police at the end, she changed her testimony.¡±


    As they spoke, Lin Chen felt a weight on his shoulder as Xing Conglian rested his hand there. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± he said.


    Lin Chen nodded and continued, ¡°Now we come to the most crucial point: how did the old homeless man die? I¡¯ll give you the conclusion directly. Shen Lian mentioned that many neighbors witnessed the dispute between the two, which is true. It¡¯s difficult to determine whether Chen Jianguo intentionally sought revenge and killed the old homeless man. It¡¯s also difficult to determine whether Chen Jianguo accidentally pushed the old homeless man and caused his death. But among all the possibilities, there¡¯s one thing that is true¡ªshe did see the ¡®corpse¡¯ of the old homeless man that night.¡±


    ¡°So we can¡¯t determine for sure if Chen Jianguo actually committed murder?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°I would say that I can¡¯t determine that from Shen Lian¡¯s testimony. I tend to believe that she only knew the outcome of the old man¡¯s death but didn¡¯t witness the actual crime taking place.¡±


    Xing Conglian rubbed his chin and said, ¡°That makes more sense. The old homeless man had a dispute with Chen Jianguo, and neighbors heard the commotion and came out to watch. In such situations, adults would surely send children back inside. So Shen Lian didn¡¯t know who actually killed the old homeless man, and she could only deduce, based on her own reasoning, that Chen Jianguo was the culprit¡­¡±


    Lin Chen continued, ¡°Therefore, the reason why Shen Lian became so agitated upon learning the true time of the old man¡¯s death also has an explanation. She thought the old man had died, but in reality, he didn¡¯t die on the spot; he lay in the cold rain for several hours before finally succumbing.¡±


    When Lin Chen finished speaking, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything more. They looked at each other, and all the speculation came to a halt. No one wanted to ask the next question.


    However, in that moment, they both forgot that Wang Chao was there, a vibrant teenager who, unlike them, didn¡¯t have such a keen sense for these ugly and dark matters.


    ¡°What the heck! Did the residents of Xiaolin Lane intentionally ignore and not save him? That¡¯s too cruel! Why?!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed.


    Lin Chen raised his hand, wanting to tousle the teenager¡¯s hair, but in the end, he didn¡¯t, as Xing Conglian pulled his hand away.


    Surrounded by bustling police officers, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care about the gazes around him when he wanted to do something.


    So, Xing Conglian held Lin Chen¡¯s hand and answered Wang Chao¡¯s question on his behalf. ¡°Because all the residents of Xiaolin Lane are the culprits.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was low and hoarse, tinged with sorrow.


    ¡°Yes, of course, they are all culprits!¡± Wang Chao shouted, but he suddenly stopped at the last syllable.


    Xing Conglian patted the teenager¡¯s head with his other hand. ¡°You just helped us find so many files about Xiaolin Lane, but you didn¡¯t read them yourself. Many of them are complaints about that old homeless man. The old homeless man, you see, likes to sing in the middle of the night and shout at thin air. His makeshift dwelling often emits a foul smell and has scared passing children. There¡¯s even a history of him throwing bricks at residents¡¯ windows when he¡¯s in an agitated state. Imagine if someone like that lived near your home and even the police had a hard time dealing with him. How would you feel?¡±


    Although the sunlight was the same, with Xing Conglian¡¯s narration, Lin Chen felt the surroundings gradually becoming colder. The damp and chilly atmosphere of a southern winter night emerged once again.


    That day, Shen Lian was sent back into her house, and no matter what the little girl said before, none of the adults believed her.


    One was a well-regarded and helpful neighbor, and the other was a mentally unstable old homeless man. When these two had a dispute, all the neighbors knew whose side to take. Except for the parties involved, no one knew what had really happened at that time. But the only possibility that could align everyone¡¯s testimony was if these people became a community of fate. Perhaps Chen Jianguo pushed the old homeless man, or maybe it was Li Wanru who pushed him. It was even possible that the meddlesome old lady from next door, who was getting on in years, became the killer. No one knew who truly struck the blow, but when everyone came to their senses, the old man was already lying in a pool of blood.


    The water in the river emitted a foul stench, black like ink.


    People started to blame each other, shifting responsibility, but no matter how they argued, no one could clarify who had actually acted.


    Silence fell upon these people, and at this moment, the most influential person would express their opinion.


    They would say, ¡°Since everyone dislikes this old man so much, and now we can¡¯t determine who did it, let¡¯s disperse. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll report to the police, and we¡¯ll all agree that the old man fell on his own, and we were all sleeping, unaware of what happened.¡±


    This was just a suggestion, and with a suggestion came choices, and the subsequent choices would question human nature.


    Numerous psychological studies have shown that, under immense social pressure, people tend to choose conformity.


    Some agreed to the choice of distancing themselves from the incident, and as a result, no one made the choice to continue living for this annoying, mentally unstable old homeless man.


    Wang Chao grabbed Xing Conglian¡¯s pant leg with a grim expression as if he was about to cry. ¡°But I can¡¯t just let him slowly die in the cold rain just because I dislike this old man.¡±


    ¡°Even if it was an accident and you accidentally pushed him, so you would have to bear the legal responsibility and hefty medical expenses?¡± Lin Chen interrupted the conversation between Wang Chao and Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Chao said firmly.


    The shadow of the tree fell on the teenager¡¯s face, and the bright spots on his face resembled tears.


    ¡°So, you know.¡± Lin Chen wiped away something that might not have been tears beneath the teenager¡¯s eyes and said to him, ¡°You¡¯re a good kid. There are many people like you, so don¡¯t be too sad.¡±

 CH 235

    ¡°I¡¯m not sad about that.¡±


    Wang Chao interrupted the conversation.


    Lin Chen was taken aback and asked, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®that¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That refers to what you just said to comfort me. You mentioned that although there are bad people in this world, there are also many good people.¡± Wang Chao sighed, sitting in the shade of the camphor tree, holding the plastic lunch box, and staring at the dumplings inside. ¡°I don¡¯t have the tendency to generalize. It¡¯s meaningless to judge the moral level of society based on a small-scale event.¡± The teenager spoke with a proud tone.


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian in surprise. Just a second ago, this teenager seemed on the verge of tears, but now he was analyzing social psychology. Before Xing Conglian could react, Lin Chen directly flicked the back of Wang Chao¡¯s head and prevented the teenager from using his dirty hands to pick up the dumplings.


    ¡°You have chopsticks.¡±


    Wang Chao rubbed the back of his head and looked at him with an extremely incredulous expression. Then he said word by word, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you hit me! You hit me!¡±


    ¡°What else should I do? Kiss you instead?¡± Lin Chen said irritably.


    ¡°You can only kiss me.¡± Xing Conglian chimed in.


    With the two gentlemen causing a commotion, Lin Chen felt that the previously brewing atmosphere of sadness had dissipated a lot.


    Of course, Lin Chen didn¡¯t truly believe that these two individuals were unaffected by the hidden secrets of decades ago.


    Clearly, the smile on Xing Conglian¡¯s face wasn¡¯t genuine. His eyes were cold and devoid of amusement, and even Wang Chao, holding the bowl of dumplings with trembling fingers, seemed to be trying to conceal his true emotions.


    Lin Chen unwrapped a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to Wang Chao, then asked, ¡°So, what is the reason you¡¯re actually feeling sad?¡±


    ¡°I think Shen Lian is a pervert.¡± Wang Chao paused before emphasizing, ¡°a psychologically disturbed one.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Lin Chen emitted a short and concise syllable. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°But according to your analysis, so many people indirectly caused the death of the old man. Why is it that, in the end, it was Shen Lian who mustered the courage to reveal the truth? It doesn¡¯t feel right. Shen Lian should have been the worst one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still simplifying things by categorizing people as either good or bad. In reality, humans are complex beings, and there are no simple categories of good or bad people, simply right or wrong people, especially in this case.¡± Lin Chen patted the back of Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°One simple question, even if she was truly sexually assaulted, why did she never mention it, even when facing the police?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s strange. Why did she lie?!¡± Wang Chao slapped his thigh. ¡°Because she said it before, but her parents didn¡¯t believe her?¡±


    ¡°I tend to believe that Shen Lian didn¡¯t tell the truth from the beginning in order to protect her own interests, indirectly leading to the death of the old homeless man,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Wang Chao opened his mouth, his expression turning from confusion to panic.


    Just then, Wang Chao¡¯s phone rang.


    The teenager scrambled to retrieve his phone, seeing an unfamiliar number. He paused for a moment, quickly searched the caller on the laptop, and nearly threw the phone away.


    ¡°Why would that dumbass Huang Ze call me?¡±


    ¡°Because we both blocked him,¡± Xing Conglian stated matter-of-factly.


    ¡°You guys are setting me up!¡±


    Wang Chao held the phone as if it were a hot potato, unsure whether to answer or not. In the end, Lin Chen said, ¡°Answer it. Put it on speaker.¡±


    Sure enough, Huang Ze¡¯s gloomy voice came through the receiver.


    ¡°I heard you guys were chatting outside the dumpling restaurant?¡±


    The atmosphere in the high-level office of the city bureau was obviously tense. Led by the provincial department, an official task force had been formed.


    The round table in the meeting room was filled with laptops, and the room was filled with suffocating smoke. In just two hours, the ashtray on the table had been emptied several times. Not to mention the numerous phone calls and video conferences, countless leaders wanted to hear the details of the case that even he regretted reporting the incident for a moment.


    He couldn¡¯t reveal what he knew, so he could only talk about some trivial details and claim that a large number of police forces were already conducting a thorough investigation. At that moment, he mentioned Xing Conglian and Lin Chen.


    Due to the wide-ranging and far-reaching implications of the case and the need to consider various opinions, he could only use ¡°under investigation¡± as an excuse. But just a moment ago, a certain officer he wasn¡¯t on good terms with mentioned that the so-called investigators were leisurely chatting outside a dumpling restaurant. This made Huang Ze burn with anger, but he couldn¡¯t express it.


    The previous meeting had come to an end, and he walked out with his phone in hand. What was even more infuriating was that Lin Chen and Xing Conglian had blocked his number, so he had no choice but to call Wang Chao¡¯s phone.


    This was no longer a simple matter of frustration.


    Lin Chen sat on the flower bed, quietly listening to Huang Ze vent his anger and drift off-topic on the phone. It had turned into obvious complaints. Lin Chen felt that Huang Ze had vented enough, so he interrupted him.


    ¡°We came here to investigate the case. Doesn¡¯t Inspector Huang want to hear the latest progress in our case report?¡±


    Huang Ze was stunned, and there was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. Huang Ze sarcastically said, ¡°You¡¯re still willing to talk to me?¡±


    The statement carried an ambiguous meaning.


    Xing Conglian propped his legs up and took out a cigarette, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Lin Chen handed the phone over to Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian took the call without greeting Huang Ze and simply summarized the key points of their investigation, including the tragedy that happened in Xiaolin Lane years ago.


    On the other end of the phone, Huang Ze sneered again. ¡°So, this is Lin Chen¡¯s way of handling the case. You dig into Shen Lian¡¯s past, but does it help with dealing with the most difficult current situation?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian.


    Xing Conglian made a gesture to him, indicating that this person was too annoying.


    ¡°Shen Lian is also psychologically unstable.¡± Lin Chen stared at the bustling street not far away. The more Huang Ze questioned these meaningless analyses, the calmer and more meticulous he became. ¡°Not only Shen Lian¡¯s parents, but even other adults on that street believed that Shen Lian had ¡®mental issues¡¯ before. And based on Shen Lian¡¯s current condition of retaliating against society, she was likely born this way. People like her probably have a probability of 2% among the general population.¡±


    Wang Chao shuddered. On the other end of the phone, Huang Ze remained stubborn. ¡°And then? Does labeling Shen Lian as a psychological abnormality have any meaning for us in apprehending her?¡±


    Lin Chen patted the back of the teenager¡¯s head and continued, ¡°This is a normal phenomenon within the entire human race. Since birth, Shen Lian¡¯s brain functions, serotonin, dopamine, and monoamine neurotransmitters have naturally been at an abnormal level, different from ordinary people. This predetermined her to exhibit obvious differences from normal children in many sudden moments, causing panic in her parents.¡±


    Lin Chen paused, remembering Shen Lian¡¯s appearance with double ponytails when she was a child. Although she stared into the camera, it was as if she was looking into the distance through it.


    Although he couldn¡¯t gather too much specific information about Shen Lian¡¯s upbringing from the data, even from small details, it was evident that Shen Lian¡¯s parents were not the type to care for and protect their child diligently and unconditionally. And in school, her peculiarities led to her being out of sync with the overall environment.


    As a result, Shen Lian¡¯s academic performance had always been average.


    That was the basic state of Shen Lian before experiencing that cold winter night.


    And then¡­


    ¡°At that time, the homeless man who saved Shen Lian from danger must have had a conflict with Chen Jianguo. The argument escalated. As the person involved and a middle school student with full narrative ability, if Shen Lian had clearly stated what exactly happened at the time, there wouldn¡¯t be so many people in the world that would blindly defend a neighbor who tried to molest a young girl.¡± When he thought of this, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill, and he said, ¡°So the most likely possibility is that on that night, Shen Lian didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Although Huang Ze kept urging, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t help but ponder.


    What was Shen Lian thinking in her mind?


    First of all, she couldn¡¯t have been frightened. Based on Shen Lian¡¯s repeated statements to the police about the incident while deliberately avoiding mentioning the molestation, it could be seen that Shen Lian was intentionally hiding this fact. Therefore, she made the choice that was most beneficial to herself after weighing the pros and cons.


    The old man was shouting, and the silent Shen Lian was taken away. It was originally an incident caused by people who were only trying to maintain neighborhood harmony but ended up inflicting harm on others due to certain irreparable flaws in human social behavior, resulting in an extremely dehumanizing event.


    When Lin Chen reached this point, he finally couldn¡¯t continue.


    He stopped and felt that the summer sunlight seemed to have lost its effect. Under the camphor tree, the wind felt cold and piercing.


    But Xing Conglian continued the topic. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that everything Shen Lian did was only to protect her own interests?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    Xing Conglian sneered, ¡°She wasn¡¯t seeking justice for the old man; she just wanted to punish those who had hurt her. As Lao Bian just mentioned, the relationship between the Shen and Chen families was strained, which indicates that Shen Lian¡¯s target for revenge was always clear¡ªChen Jianguo. When she realized that her personal power was insufficient, she began seeking external help. First, her parents, and then the police. She persisted tirelessly until she suddenly discovered that she herself had become one of the murderers. She¡¯s like an extremely dangerous combustible material ignited by a spark and has been burning ever since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡± Lin Chen nodded, looking at Xing Conglian approvingly. ¡°Captain Xing, if you keep going like this, I might end up unemployed.¡±


    ¡°Unemployment is good. I¡¯ll support you.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head helplessly. Police officers began to enter the dumpling restaurant, but Xing Conglian nonchalantly hooked his shoulder, with a comforting expression. If they weren¡¯t discussing an extremely dangerous individual and dark matters, Lin Chen would even have the illusion that they were enjoying aimless love under the sun, with the wind blowing

 CH 236

    Since it was an illusion, it was always short-lived.


    Huang Ze coughed heavily on the other end of the phone; the sound was loud enough to drown out their conversation.


    ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t know how all this you¡¯re talking about is useful in locating Shen Lian.¡±


    Huang Ze stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the municipal bureau, with a subordinate behind him who mentioned that even the higher-ranking officials wanted a briefing on the situation. In the background, the sound of opening and closing doors and hurried footsteps could be heard nearby. What was more, the number of reporter vehicles outside the municipal bureau was visibly increasing.


    It felt like something big was about to happen.


    The entire corridor fell silent, starting from the far end. Huang Ze knew that time was up, and in the end, he could only say curtly, ¡°Alright, Lin Chen, you have twenty more minutes.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze hung up the phone decisively.


    At the entrance of the dumpling restaurant, under the camphor tree, the box of dumplings in the hands of the teenager was nearly empty.


    The abrupt sound of the hang-up made the teenager look up cautiously, and he asked, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, I don¡¯t understand how we¡¯re supposed to find Shen Lian. Is that my fault?¡±


    Lin Chen had already sorted out his thoughts. ¡°For Shen Lian, she has limited options during her escape. Since she has achieved her goal, the only possibility is that she¡¯s in hiding. Tracking the whereabouts of an ordinary criminal might be difficult, but for Shen Lian, she would choose a place that makes her feel extremely safe.¡±


    ¡°Li Jingtian chose to hide in the embassy, which is quite safe, but what kind of place would make Shen Lian feel safe?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°When she¡¯s with ¡®her people¡¯,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s look back at the cases we have. There¡¯s one question that has yet to be answered: Why did Shen Lian drive the elderly people to madness?¡±


    ¡°Could it be related to the old man who died? That old man also had mental issues, right?¡± Wang Chao suddenly realized. ¡°Lao Bian just mentioned that Shen Lian got excited when she heard about the old man¡¯s time of death! But at the time of the incident, she didn¡¯t speak up for the old man, didn¡¯t tell the truth to the police afterwards, and only reported it after a month and a half. Why did someone so lacking in sympathy break down when she discovered the issue with the old man¡¯s time of death?¡±


    ¡°Specifically, it¡¯s not sympathy but empathy*,¡± Lin Chen corrected. ¡°Empathy develops during childhood and is an emotional state that involves anticipating others¡¯ suffering and wanting to help them. She had a hard time sensing the old man¡¯s pain and helping him, but that doesn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t sense her own pain. In fact, even the most cold-blooded violent criminals have a strong sense of empathy, but they only protect their own comrades and disregard the lives of others.¡±


    *Clarity: Empathy is how much compassion and understanding we can give another, while sympathy is the feeling of pity for another. Empathy is our ability to understand how someone feels, while sympathy is our relief at not having the same problems. Empathy is understanding, while sympathy is sharing.


    ¡°What does this imply? Who are Shen Lian¡¯s companions?¡±


    Lin Chen paused.


    The wind blew through the camphor trees along the road, casting swaying shadows on them, but there was no sound.


    ¡­¡­


    Huihe Nursing Home was also eerily quiet.


    But this kind of silence, rather than being described as peaceful or serene, was better characterized as deathly stillness.


    Like in the night, there was no one in the corridors of the nursing home during the day. The clean and bright tiles indicated good cleaning, but their pristine condition also meant that there was little foot traffic.


    This wasn¡¯t normal because anyone who had been to a nursing home knew that the elderly liked to sit in the shaded corridors and chat. However, this scene was completely absent here.


    The stray dogs on the embankment were barking again; their barks rising and falling with the undulating terrain.


    A lady who appeared to be a caregiver stood in front of a mirror, tidying her clothes. The water flowed steadily, and the lady¡¯s damp fingers left water stains on her collar.


    This was a standard double occupancy ward, and the room was extremely dim. The light in the bathroom was on.


    Two elderly people still lay on the hospital beds. In the dim light, one could vaguely see their frail frames covered by white sheets. One hand was placed outside the sheets, while the other remained beneath.


    On their chests, the thin blankets had clearly been carefully tucked in, and above that were the wrinkled necks resembling tree bark. Their lips dried into two lines, and their eyes, covered in a large amount of sclera, hollow and lifeless.


    Yes, both elderly people on the hospital beds had their eyes open. They gazed at the ceiling, looking at some long-standing mold spots that grew along the ceiling cracks.


    Footsteps echoed in the ward again as the caregiver walked to the window. She pulled back the curtains, allowing the bright sunlight to pour into the room. However, even this sudden brightness couldn¡¯t make the two elderly people on the hospital beds blink.


    The slight rise and fall of their chests indicated that the elderly people hadn¡¯t passed away, but compared to a corpse, there wasn¡¯t much difference.


    At that moment, the caregiver turned around, pulled back the covers, and laid down.


    ¡­¡­


    Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant.


    Wang Chao asked what could have caused Shen Lian to be unable to accept the old homeless man¡¯s death being related to herself.


    Lin Chen pondered over various possible causes, but the simplest and most likely reason was only one.


    ¡°For Shen Lian, she couldn¡¯t accept becoming a murderer like the residents of Xiaolin Lane.¡±


    Not only Wang Chao, but even Xing Conglian was stunned. Police officers in the distance mounted their motorcycles and sped away.


    ¡°This is just my speculation, and we¡¯ll have to wait until we meet Shen Lian to understand the specifics.¡± Lin Chen steadied his breath and said calmly, ¡°Normal people, when faced with extreme stimuli, employ various defense mechanisms or cognitive adjustments to alleviate psychological stress. But for Shen Lian, her psychological issues mean that she can¡¯t alleviate the pressure like a normal person when confronted with these situations.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Xing Conglian asked. He had stubble on his chin, a sharply defined face, and wise eyes that could easily see through people¡¯s hearts.


    Lin Chen withdrew his gaze, suppressing the emotions in his heart, and said calmly, ¡°In simple terms, Shen Lian initially believed that the old man accidentally died during a scuffle with the residents of Xiaolin Lane, and she didn¡¯t feel any psychological stress because the old man¡¯s death had nothing to do with her. But when she suddenly discovered that the old man hadn¡¯t died that night, but gradually died from severe injuries in the cold rainy night, her knowledge of this fact without even glancing at the old man turned her into one of the murderers.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded, and Lin Chen continued, ¡°Normal people in similar situations might simply think it¡¯s the responsibility of others present, deflecting blame and letting the matter pass. But Shen Lian couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Lin Chen said, ¡°There are three types of aggressive psychological defense mechanisms: displacement1, projection2, and introjection3. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Shen Lian¡¯s subconscious mind chose the latter. Introjection refers to incorporating objects of love and hate symbolically into one¡¯s own self. In Shen Lian¡¯s case, she absorbed the mentally disturbed elderly person as part of herself.¡±


    1Redirection of an impulse (usually aggression) onto a powerless substitute target. For example: You¡¯re angry, and you kick the dog to vent your anger.


    2Attributes unwanted thoughts, feelings, and motives onto another person. For example: You hate someone, but you feel that it¡¯s wrong, so you tell yourself they also hate you, solving the issue.


    3Sometimes called identification, involves taking into your own personality characteristics of someone else, because doing so solves some emotional difficulty. For example: A child left alone frequently may try to become ¡°mom¡± in order to lessen their fears.


    He made a joke, saying, ¡°It¡¯s like a part of the deceased¡¯s soul entered her body.¡±


    With a light sound, the food container in Wang Chao¡¯s hand fell to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s too twisted!¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, Shen Lian changed, and is her remarkable academic performance also related to this?¡± Xing Conglian asked astutely.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a speculation. After all, we don¡¯t know the specifics of that particular elderly person. But you should know that sometimes schizophrenia is synonymous with geniuses.¡±


    Wang Chao shuddered and realized something. ¡°So elderly people with mental illnesses are her kind? What is she trying to do, turn all the grandpas and grandmas in the country into lunatics? And what does this have to do with Teacher Duan?¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyes and patted Wang Chao¡¯s head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not a god. How could I know so much? So, since Teacher Duan helped us find Shen Lian, let¡¯s find her and ask.¡±


    ¡°How do we find Shen Lian!¡± Wang Chao blurted out the question, feeling foolish. He turned around quickly, squatted in front of the flower bed, and opened his laptop to search for institutional information.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Psychiatric rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, or shelters. Hongjing isn¡¯t a metropolis, so there won¡¯t be too many of these institutions in the vicinity. Excluding large institutions under the national civil affairs department, private centers will be even fewer¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The scorching summer wind rolled over the lush green fields, over the large expanse of melon sheds, and rolled all the way to the city center along the embankment.


    The overwhelming heat wave swept past the various tall and low buildings, rolling across the square in front of the Hongjing Police Station.


    A Lincoln drove along the Municipal Government Street and slowly stopped at the entrance of the police station.


    The reporters who arrived upon hearing the news gathered at the entrance of the police station like sharks smelling blood, occupying advantageous positions. They didn¡¯t dare to go too far, but naturally, they didn¡¯t want to give up their front-row spots.


    Compared to the bustling reporters at the entrance, the atmosphere inside the actual conference room was solemn, and everyone was exhaling smoke.


    At the head of the room sat the superior whom even Huang Ze bowed to.


    The superior had a serious expression, and the room fell silent. Finally, he slammed the table. ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s a major incident, but so far no one can make sense of it?¡±


    Perhaps due to the boss¡¯ anger, the thick smoke in the air trembled.


    At that moment, the door to the conference room was knocked.


    Huang Ze abruptly looked towards the door.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant.


    Under the glaring sunlight, Wang Chao¡¯s laptop reflected a blurry white light that was almost indiscernible.


    Lin Chen sat quietly beside him, with a calm expression. Sweat stains appeared on his fair and delicate neck due to running around and sun exposure, like a layer of glaze on porcelain. He wasn¡¯t looking at the screen, but more like thinking aimlessly about something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much,¡± Xing Conglian said to Lin Chen.


    This sentence was somewhat cryptic, but for Lin Chen, it should be more straightforward.


    Lin Chen gazed into the distance with no intention of concealing his thoughts. ¡°I just find the human psyche fascinating. For someone like Shen Lian, a natural psychopath, it¡¯s actually the remaining trace of kindness in her humanity that drove her to madness.¡± Lin Chen paused and added, ¡°I wish I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    Xing Conglian was suddenly startled, looking at Lin Chen, but the latter didn¡¯t meet his gaze.


    Xing Conglian stood up, putting his hand in his pocket, and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, come with me.¡±


    Lin Chen looked up, and Xing Conglian took out his car keys, pointing in the direction of the Jeep parked under the shade of the roadside tree.


    Lin Chen followed him to the car as instructed.


    Xing Conglian habitually opened the driver¡¯s side door but found Lin Chen standing behind him. He twirled the keys in his hand and turned around to look at Lin Chen.


    ¡°You want to talk to me alone, but I don¡¯t feel like talking,¡± Lin Chen said to him.


    Xing Conglian nodded, instantly understanding Lin Chen¡¯s meaning. ¡°Right, the driver¡¯s seat is a bit cramped.¡±


    He opened the back door and went in first, with Lin Chen following, stepping into the car.


    Thanks to the new car tint, the interior of the car was extremely dim, and sunlight filtered through the shade of the trees illuminated a small section of the seats. Although it was midsummer, the coolness from the car¡¯s air conditioning hadn¡¯t dissipated completely, leaving a slight chill in the air.


    Lin Chen placed his other foot in the car, and Xing Conglian held his wrist, half-jokingly saying, ¡°Actually, the driver¡¯s seat isn¡¯t bad. You can sit on my lap.¡±


    Before he finished speaking, the car door slammed shut.


    Xing Conglian felt Lin Chen intertwine his fingers with his own, and in the next moment, Lin Chen followed his suggestion, spreading his legs and straddling him.


    Xing Conglian felt his chest tighten. Lin Chen¡¯s warm body pressed against him without any gaps, and Lin Chen¡¯s willingness to comply sometimes scared him.


    Without even looking down, he could imagine Lin Chen¡¯s posture.


    At this moment, Lin Chen was half-kneeling on the seat, with his canvas-shoed feet protruding from the cushion. The shoelaces hanging in the air were gently swaying.


    A similar scene had appeared in Xing Conglian¡¯s memory before. At that time, the air was filled with a tantalizing sensuality. But now, even though their relationship had progressed so far, it had become a matter-of-fact calmness.


    However, he didn¡¯t have time to ponder over what this calmness meant. After all, Lin Chen was leaning against his shoulder, his cool breath falling on his neck. Through the fabric of his shirt, Xing Conglian gently caressed Lin Chen¡¯s sweaty back. He could clearly feel the contours of Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder blades, the protrusion of his spine, and the supple skin covering them.


    Lin Chen had made it clear earlier that he didn¡¯t want to talk; he just wanted to sit quietly together.


    In this serene process, Lin Chen¡¯s breathing rhythm remained unchanged. But because the cabin was so quiet, they gradually became aware of each other¡¯s heartbeats. As their breaths intertwined and the temperature rose, there was an indescribable ambiguity, but more importantly, perhaps because of the weight of Lin Chen on his legs or the strong beat of his heart, Xing Conglian felt a sense of complete trust.


    A deeply precious and unrestricted emotion.


    After a while, a short enough time for Xing Conglian to not fully savor this feeling, he heard Lin Chen say, ¡°Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re using my full name. This must be serious.¡± Xing Conglian kissed Lin Chen¡¯s ear.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Before Lin Chen could continue, Xing Conglian interrupted him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re not that fragile. You don¡¯t need me to constantly monitor your mental state, and the moment I notice any signs of trouble, I have to stop you and have a conversation?¡±


    ¡°No, I am fragile, and I really need you.¡±

 CH 237

    In that instant, Xing Conglian¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    He touched the back of Lin Chen¡¯s neck and forced him to look up.


    Lin Chen had a gentle expression and moist eyes, but of course, he wasn¡¯t crying.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head, and at that moment, not far from outside the car, a young man¡¯s voice erupted in excitement, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the Jeep, and then the knocking on the door. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, we found it. It should be right!¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly flipped off him and sat upright.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s emotions didn¡¯t break, and he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply held Lin Chen¡¯s wrist and kissed the top of his head.


    ¡­¡­


    The back door opened, and Lin Chen appeared calm.


    Wang Chao looked suspiciously at the two faces that were saying, ¡°We were discussing official matters.¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡± Xing Conglian urged.


    Wang Chao was startled and looked down at his laptop screen. He immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s a rural nursing home in Hongshu Village on the outskirts of the city.¡±


    After saying this, Wang Chao paused.


    ¡°And then?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    The teenager flipped the laptop towards them and showed them, saying, ¡°And then, I couldn¡¯t find any information about available beds in this nursing home. They only have an empty website.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Lin Chen narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°The nursing home doesn¡¯t have internet access, which means it¡¯s an isolated information island.¡± Wang Chao paused, then continued, ¡°This Huihe Nursing Home is also a designated institution that cooperates with the government and accommodates a group of homeless people every year. But there¡¯s no indication that Shen Lian has any connection with this institution. The investor is a company that deals with agricultural products, and the owner of the agricultural product company passed away three years ago. Shouldn¡¯t we investigate that company¡­¡±


    Wang Chao was about to start rambling again, but Lin Chen interrupted him, saying decisively, ¡°This is it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right!¡± Wang Chao immediately shut up, shouting excitedly, ¡°Should we inform that dumbass Huang Ze?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the office, Huang Ze sat alone in his seat with a sense of solitude. Most of the people around him had already left, and the office was mostly empty.


    Due to the sudden situation that just occurred, the director from the provincial department urgently ordered all police officers in Hongjing City to return to their posts. After receiving their respective tasks, the people who were originally crowded in the office dispersed, and it was the personnel from the Inspector Office who now found themselves with nothing to do.


    A subordinate who had been standing behind Huang Ze approached him and whispered, ¡°Inspector Huang, Director Dong is asking for you.¡±


    Huang Ze looked up, incredulous, and glanced behind him.


    ¡­¡­


    Huihe Nursing Home.


    The girl who had been lying on the bed suddenly opened her eyes. It might have been because the sunlight outside was too strong, or perhaps the cicadas were chirping too loudly. She stared at the black mold spots on the ceiling, then reached and took out her phone from under the covers.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant, a wave of scorching heat swept through the street.


    The trees on both sides of the road swayed violently, as if sensing something. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t immediately answer Wang Chao¡¯s question; instead, he looked towards the entrance of the small restaurant.


    The street fell silent, and the police officer who had been standing at the door, playing games on his phone, suddenly stopped. A new message notification appeared on his screen, and he reached out, opened it, and read it for a while.


    The next moment, he put his phone back in his pocket. As if the pause in magic had ended, he turned and quickly walked towards the police station¡¯s entrance.


    Subsequently, the sound of ringing phones came one after another, and Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant became like a boiling bathhouse. Everyone put down their food, some read text messages on their phones, and others answered calls.


    An officer who had rushed to the door looked like an athlete who took off after the starting gun went off.


    The light blue plastic curtain at the entrance of the restaurant was pulled aside, and the next moment, all the police officers inside swarmed out, like a wave crashing towards the street.


    Xing Conglian sat in the car, watching Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant empty out in a short period of time. He knew very well that just now, a notice had been sent out for all departmental police officers to immediately return to their posts.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Ping was a news anchor at Hongjing TV Station.


    Due to certain coincidences, he shared the same surname as a certain lady who was currently causing a stir among the higher-ups. Their names even sounded somewhat sibling-like.


    But Shen Ping had no relation to Shen Lian whatsoever. In fact, he had no idea who Shen Lian was until he received that press release.


    The press release came from Zhourui Pharmaceutical, a major taxpayer in the city. It was directly sent to his email after a phone call from the head of the public relations department, whom he was acquainted with.


    At that time, he was preparing to record the top-of-the-hour news. The phone rang, and he keenly sensed the seriousness of the situation from the tone of the person from the public relations department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    When he hung up the phone and opened his email to read the press release, he realized in an instant that this was definitely a major case that would shock the entire country.


    Shen Ping put down the script, glanced at the female anchor beside him, and rushed towards the direction of the control room.


    ¡­¡­


    Under the shade of the trees, inside the Jeep, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian simultaneously took out their phones and looked down. However, there was no vibration or incoming call displayed on their phones¡ªnot even an unread message.


    This unusually calm situation made Xing Conglian¡¯s expression solemn. His eyebrows slightly raised, but quickly returned to normal. Only those who knew Xing Conglian well would understand what this meant.


    In theory, Xing Conglian could get out of the car and grab any police officer nearby to ask or make a phone call to find out what had happened to his subordinates. However, his first reaction was to step out of the backseat and say to the teenager standing outside the car, ¡°Get in and sit down.¡±


    After saying that, he walked straight to the driver¡¯s seat, started the vehicle, turned on the air conditioning and the car radio.


    The top-of-the-hour news on Hongjing TV Station happened to begin.


    The anchor¡¯s horrified voice came through the speakers and echoed inside the Jeep.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Ping sat in the anchor room.


    Before going on stage, he changed into a black-and-white striped tie to appear more solemn.


    The countdown sound came through the headphones. Shen Ping closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and tried his best to calm himself down.


    Three minutes ago, the director rushed down from the station manager¡¯s office and shouted at him across the studio, gasping for breath, ¡°Shen Ping, broadcast the news!¡±


    Shen Ping knew he had made the right bet.


    The young male anchor opened his eyes and clenched his fist; the bright lights in front of him dazzled his vision. He looked at the teleprompter in front of him and said in the most serious tone:


    ¡°The following is urgent news¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°We have received news that Zhourui Pharmaceutical recently reported a severe case of drug poisoning through our station, as well as through other TV stations, including Yongchuan, Changping, and Fengchun, as well as online platforms, to the entire society¡­¡±


    A neurology ward at a hospital.


    The television hanging in the rest area outside the ward had been silent all along, and a person who looked like a nurse was sleeping on a bench. However, someone hurriedly ran out of the ward and turned up the volume of the television, causing a continuous flow of sound.


    The deep blue studio made the male anchor in a well-tailored suit appear particularly solemn, but what made one¡¯s throat tighten even more was the information mentioned by the anchor in the news.


    ¡°It is reported that the drugs involved may include Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s Nao Kangning, Huihe Pharmaceutical¡¯s Shu Naoping, Yingmeng Pharmaceutical¡¯s Liti Niping, and Kangtaidelin Company¡¯s Pu¡¯er Kangning, among various types and batches of drugs. Zhourui Pharmaceutical reminds all patients and friends who have taken these drugs that they may be contaminated with other chemical components or may cause various adverse reactions of the nervous system. If you experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, depression, or mania, please stop taking the medication immediately and seek immediate medical examination. Zhourui Pharmaceutical also urges all middle-aged and elderly patients who have taken the aforementioned drugs to immediately stop taking them and not hold any wishful thinking.¡±


    Because the TV volume was too loud, more and more people walked out of the wards and stood motionless in front of the television. It wasn¡¯t only the patients¡¯ family members, but also elderly people being supported and even those who stood alone with a cane, trembling as they leaned against the wall.


    The TV screen paused for a moment, with black text on a white background, listing all the drugs involved in the case.


    The ward fell into silence.


    A doctor in a white coat stood in front of the television. Seizing this opportunity, he looked back at the bewildered patients behind him but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°My father¡­ My father seems to have been taking that medication all along!¡± a patient¡¯s family member tentatively cried.


    ¡°Doctor, what does this mean? Has my mother been poisoning herself all this time?¡± An emotionally unstable patient¡¯s family member¡¯s eyes turned red.


    More and more people crowded around the doctor, and the once quiet ward became noisy.


    At that moment, an elderly person standing alone in a corner suddenly spoke, and their old and hoarse voice cut through the chaotic voices of inquiries, causing everyone to fall silent.


    ¡°Doctor, can we¡­ can we still be cured of this illness?¡±


    The old man opened his mouth and asked in such a manner.


    A shiver ran through everyone present, and a sense of panic gradually spread along with this mournful question.


    ¡­¡­


    Principal Su sat on a small stage by the balcony.


    The old man didn¡¯t have the habit of watching the news, and he didn¡¯t use outdated things like radios. Unfortunately, his wife was a professor of political science and ordered that the news be played continuously in the house. So, when the anchor from Yongchuan TV Station, in a tone almost identical to Shen Ping¡¯s, solemnly spoke about the severe drug issue related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs, he only heard a sound of intense rummaging through boxes and cabinets.


    His wife was tidying up the storage cabinet, her trembling hands picking up the medicine bottles anxiously. She said with a worried expression, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Thinking of Lin Chen¡¯s recent phone call, Principal Su easily connected the dots, but he still casually said, ¡°My dear, let¡¯s analyze this problem using philosophical methods and divide it into two¡­¡±


    His politically astute wife immediately interrupted him, ¡°Did Chenchen call you because of this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The old man waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s also possible that he just missed his mentor.¡±


    ¡°Stop that.¡± His wife¡¯s face was filled with worry. ¡°The situation is so troublesome that Chenchen had to call you. It¡¯s probably serious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Even if the sky falls, there¡¯s someone tall to hold it up.¡± The old man touched his chin. ¡°For example, Chenchen is taller than me, and I¡¯m definitely taller than you.¡±


    His words didn¡¯t calm his wife¡¯s mood. The woman in an apron rubbed her eyes and took a couple of steps forward. She held his hand, half-squatted down, and tremblingly asked, ¡°Or¡­ should we call Fengzi back?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Similar scenes were happening in many ordinary households.


    Some elderly people were furious, some were reluctant to throw away the medicine in their cabinets, and some were already lying in bed. There were even those who hurriedly turned off the television and prepared to go to the hospital.


    But most ordinary families didn¡¯t have the same reckless attitude as Mr. Su. Just like there were many parents who loved their children in the world, there were also many filial sons and daughters who respected their parents.


    Golden Harvest Tower, located near the city government¡¯s CBD, was one of the top commercial office buildings in the city. At this busy time of the afternoon, all the usual office scenes came to a halt due to the breaking news.


    The office manager¡¯s computer was on, and Shen Ping¡¯s voice echoed through the only speaker in the office. By the time it reached the corners, it was no longer very clear, and more employees were refreshing their web pages.


    ¡°According to sources from Zhourui Pharmaceutical, the suspect in the poisoning case is named Shen Lian. She was a former employee of the R&D department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Due to certain reasons, Shen Lian abused her authority and contaminated the medicine with special chemical substances for several years. Zhourui Pharmaceutical is issuing a public appeal through our station, warning that Shen Lian is extremely dangerous and currently carrying a large amount of highly toxic drugs. She is currently on the run, and we earnestly request the police to apprehend Shen Lian.¡±


    Inside the office building, the sound of web pages being refreshed constantly filled the air.


    On the internet, keywords such as ¡°poisoning¡±, ¡°Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡±, and ¡°Shen Lian¡± skyrocketed in popularity at an alarming rate. Everyone held their breath and focused, trying to obtain the latest information.


    Some clever netizens even linked ¡°Shen Lian¡± to the tragic incident at the barbecue stall in Hongjing last night. In an instant, a bigger wave of public opinion spread.


    ¡­¡­


    The hotline of Zhourui Pharmaceutical was inundated with calls.


    However, since the company had already made up its mind and prepared comprehensive crisis public relations, the incoming calls were handled with professionalism.


    Sweet-voiced women answered the calls, offering apologies first and then expressing that the company would take responsibility. The soft and gentle voices calmed the tempers of many callers.


    The women who answered the hotline had received the most professional training. After soothing the emotions of the callers, they would also express that Zhourui Pharmaceutical was also a victim and hoped that the police would apprehend the culprit soon.


    By using a skillful approach, the pharmaceutical company transformed itself into a victim with a strong sense of social responsibility, while the party that had not fulfilled its duty became the police, which allowed the dangerous criminal to remain at large for over 12 hours.


    Shen Ping paused, symbolically flipped over a page, and faced the camera to continue speaking. ¡°Below is the official announcement just received from the police¡ªthe Hongjing police have issued an A-level warrant, publicly seeking the fugitive Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the office lobby of the Municipal Police Station.


    All the working police officers on the first floor became nervous and busy. The arrest operation, which had been quietly initiated by Xing Conglian, was forcibly brought to the forefront.


    Countless orders were issued from higher-ups, including traffic control at key points, community investigations, and online searches. The sounds of computer keyboards, printers, and typing filled the air. Almost everyone was busy with their tasks.


    On the platform railing on the second floor, the top leaders of the Provincial Public Security Department and the CEO of Zhourui Pharmaceutical stood side by side, surrounded by leaders from various departments, from the province to the municipal bureau.


    The two individuals in front of the railing shook hands as a gesture of courtesy.


    The impeccably dressed CEO of Zhourui Pharmaceutical, expressed regret, saying, ¡°The relevant materials have been submitted to the task force. It was a management mistake on our company¡¯s part, which has caused a lot of trouble for our police comrades.¡±


    Dong Hua turned around, looked at the busy subordinates below, and didn¡¯t directly respond to that statement. His expression didn¡¯t reveal any emotions.


    Just when the meeting was at a deadlock, the CEO of Zhourui Pharmaceutical suddenly arrived with a large amount of information and reported a severe case of poisoning to the police.


    The perpetrator¡¯s name was Shen Lian, and for reasons, such as revenge on society, she had been releasing toxic substances in a series of brain recovery drugs produced by Zhourui Pharmaceutical for several years.


    No one knew what kind of toxic substance it was. But as far as he knew, that maddening chemical component had caused an extremely terrible incident at a barbecue stall in the city last night, resulting in the death of a police officer.


    However, even the pharmaceutical company itself couldn¡¯t confirm the exact nature of that chemical substance. Based on the CEO¡¯s brief remarks, it should be a new type of neurotoxic drug.


    Dong Hua sneered in his heart. After the events of last night, they both knew that it was no different from a biochemical weapon, but no one dared to draw such a conclusion.


    What made him feel even more embarrassed was the content of Zhourui Pharmaceutical¡¯s public announcement through the news media.


    In fact, the local police in Hongjing had already taken action last night, but during the operation, they failed to warn the public about personal safety and didn¡¯t issue a formal arrest warrant for Shen Lian. Although he understood that frontline officers had their own considerations when handling a case, it was precisely because of these considerations that the pharmaceutical company, which should have been the main culprit, took the initiative and gained an advantage over the police. It was difficult to accept such frustration.


    He tapped the railing and glanced back.


    As the culprit¡¯s immediate boss, Director Wu, the head of the Pharmaceutical Bureau, stood at the outermost edge, observing with detachment, like a dissident who didn¡¯t fit in.


    Dong Hua withdrew his gaze and looked at the CEO of Zhourui Pharmaceutical, nodded, and simply said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Our company will do its best to cooperate with the police operation.¡± The CEO bowed deeply, showing utmost sincerity. ¡°I won¡¯t disturb the work of the police any further, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    After speaking, the middle-aged man who effortlessly stirred up a huge storm completely withdrew himself. He turned around, about to leave, but after taking a step, he turned back as if suddenly remembering something. A humble smile appeared on his face. ¡°Regarding the accusation made by the Captain of the criminal division against me for dereliction of duty and soliciting bribes from our company, I request that the police handle it impartially.¡±


    Instantly, a hushed silence fell over the crowd, followed by murmurs and whispers.


    No one expected that the content of their secret conversation just now would be this.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there someone from the Inspector Office present?¡± The senior leader paused, scanning the crowd. ¡°Isn¡¯t this your responsibility?¡±


    Huang Ze raised his eyes sharply but could only take a deep breath and salute. ¡°Yes, Director.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the Jeep parked outside the Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant, the atmosphere was absolutely calm and undisturbed by external forces.


    The radio news had already moved on to the next topic, but neither Xing Conglian¡¯s nor Lin Chen¡¯s phone rang.


    No one spoke inside the vehicle.


    Wang Chao looked around, deeply shocked by the previous news. What did it mean? Zhourui Pharmaceutical voluntarily admitted the medication issue to the public but completely absolved themselves of the responsibility of concealing the truth. They even directly targeted Shen Lian and pushed her to the forefront as the mastermind.


    In the end, the teenager couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Are they all fucking idiots?¡±


    Lin Chen and Xing Conglian exchanged glances; their lips curling into a cold, mocking smile. ¡°How can you say they¡¯re idiots? They¡¯re obviously incredibly clever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an exemplary public relations move for a crisis,¡± Xing Conglian added.


    But whether it was his boss or A¡¯Chen Gege, neither of them made any further moves after saying that.


    Wang Chao anxiously shifted on the seat. ¡°Now that Shen Lian is wanted by the police, should we still report her possible hiding place?¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian is such an alert person that even the presence of a police officer nearby would make her escape immediately. Now that she¡¯s being wanted with the highest level warrant on TV, how could she not react?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was unexpectedly calm, but the calmer he was, the more it alarmed Wang Chao.


    ¡°What should we do now? Should we keep Shen Lian¡¯s hiding place a secret? Zhourui Pharmaceutical has already alerted her, so could Shen Lian suddenly go mad and start poisoning people? If Shen Lian escaped from the nursing home, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Of course, we¡¯ll solve each problem one by one.¡± Xing Conglian turned his head and glanced at Lin Chen.


    As if understanding his thoughts, Lin Chen nodded and said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go to the outskirts first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for people to be on surveillance in the surrounding area. It¡¯s better not to act rashly until the main force arrives. Stay safe.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he made a motion of making a phone call. Lin Chen nodded, organized all the materials about Shen Lian on his side, held them under his arm, and pushed open the car door to get out.


    Wang Chao became anxious. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the location you found. Hopefully, there¡¯s still time.¡± Lin Chen got out of the car while speaking.


    ¡°Are you going alone? What about the Boss and me?¡±


    Wang Chao sat in the car, shouting at the man sitting in the driver¡¯s seat while looking at Lin Chen¡¯s back.


    ¡°You go to Xiao Zhan¡¯s place and see if there¡¯s anything you can help with. Try to protect him and don¡¯t let Zhourui¡¯s people get there first.¡±


    ¡°But how can I protect Mr. Xiao Zhan when I¡¯m powerless?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± Xing Conglian said decisively, ¡°Take a taxi by yourself.¡±


    His Boss¡¯ voice was so intimidating that Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but get out of the car. When he stood on the hard asphalt road, he couldn¡¯t help but turn around and ask, ¡°And what about you, Boss?¡±


    However, the engine had already started, and the Jeep backed up half a parking space, turned the front, and disappeared into the distance.


    Wang Chao was sprayed with exhaust and took a few steps forward, holding onto Lin Chen¡¯s sleeve in frustration. ¡°Where is the Boss going in such an urgent situation?¡±


    ¡°With such a big incident happening and no one informing us, Zhourui Pharmaceutical probably did some action behind the scenes. He¡¯s going to handle those matters.¡±


    ¡°Why would Zhourui Pharmaceutical suddenly take action? Did something happen?¡± Wang Chao opened the ride-hailing app on his phone. There weren¡¯t many vehicles around, and he jumped up and down on the road in frustration. ¡°But what can Zhourui Pharmaceutical do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s reassuring voice came, and when Wang Chao looked up again, he could only see Lin Chen¡¯s back as he walked straight across the road.


    He hailed a taxi directly and shouted, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, should I call a taxi for you?¡±


    With his back turned, Lin Chen just waved his hand and stepped onto the sidewalk. After walking a few steps, he stood in front of the entrance of Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant.


    There, a retired police officer who had changed careers stood at the door curtain, looking at him with a solemn expression.


    Lin Chen looked at the old man and calmly asked, ¡°I need to go somewhere. Are your driving skills still good?¡±

 CH 238

    The top office of the Municipal Police Bureau.


    Director Wu, the immediate superior of Xing Conglian, stood side by side with Director Dong in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.


    The elderly man, nearing retirement, held a lukewarm teacup in his hands. His eyes were half-closed, seemingly drifting off to sleep, oblivious to the commotion downstairs.


    The entrance of the municipal bureau was already crowded with reporters, capturing every movement of the officers coming and going on camera.


    Dong Hua looked down. His previous question got no response, so he had no choice but to raise his voice. ¡°Teacher, you shouldn¡¯t underestimate the situation.¡±


    Yes, everyone knew that he came from the provincial capital, representing the highest authority, but in reality, among the people present, he still had to listen to the other¡¯s opinion.


    Once a teacher, always a father figure*. That was probably the meaning behind it.


    *Proverb that conveys the idea that the role of a teacher goes beyond mere instruction and extends to a lifelong responsibility and care for their students, similar to that of a father and his child.


    ¡°I¡¯m just closing my eyes, not underestimating it.¡±


    The old man standing beside him half-opened his eyes, held the cup, and symbolically took a sip.


    ¡°Just now, when I wanted to detain him, why didn¡¯t you let me do it?¡±


    Dong Hua stood with his hands behind his back. He lowered his head as he asked that. It was obviously uncomfortable to have the CEO of Zhourui Pharmaceutical show off his power in front of him and leave.


    Director Wu shook his head. ¡°After so many years, you still like to exert your energy in these matters.¡±


    ¡°Since Zhourui Pharmaceutical is a company involved in this case, and their person in charge came to the police station to turn themselves in, isn¡¯t it only natural for us to detain the relevant personnel?¡± Dong Hua furrowed his brows. He didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°It is within reason, but that doesn¡¯t mean it should be done.¡± Director Wu Lao¡¯s half-bald head had no hair left, making it a bit dazzling in the sunlight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°The person in charge of the company voluntarily came to you to admit the problem. Isn¡¯t this what you wanted? On one hand, he is responsible for the issue, but on the other hand, he is also a conscientious member of the public who provided leads for solving the case and a victimized company. It wouldn¡¯t look good if such a person is detained on the spot by the police.¡±


    Dong Hua frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Take it slow. By now, the people from the Drug Administration should have arrived, right? Since Zhourui¡¯s people like to make the news, then we, on the other hand, can make a big splash.¡± Wu Tianming looked at the other side. ¡°But before that, let¡¯s make some space for our grassroots detectives.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the Jeep¡¯s cabin.


    The in-car radio was still broadcasting news updates. The news had now shifted to sporadic follow-up reports, including analysis from pharmaceutical experts and strategies for families to cope.


    As he listened to the information, Xing Conglian¡¯s thoughts were focused on how to ensure the safety of everyone while successfully controlling the situation at the nursing home.


    It was highly likely that Shen Lian had already escaped, but there was also a possibility that she had chosen to stay there.


    If she had left, which main roads should the local police guard or focus their control on?


    Finally, he lowered the volume of the radio and dialed the phone number of the police officer in charge of the Hongshu Town Police Station, which Huihe Nursing Home belonged to.


    ¡­¡­


    The Huihe Nursing Home in Hongshu Town was about 25 kilometers away from Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant. According to the navigation software, it would take about 30 minutes to drive there.


    Fortunately, the traffic wasn¡¯t heavy at the moment, so they encountered no obstacles along the way.


    The advantage of having an experienced old police officer by his side was that he knew all the roads in the city, including the towns, like the back of his hand. He could quickly find the best driving route.


    Lao Bian had a serious expression as he stepped on the accelerator with a determined gaze. His face bore the distinct lines of a seasoned detective who had weathered the wind and sun over the years.


    Lin Chen glanced at the old police officer who was driving and knew that he must have a lot of questions after the commotion in the shop and the subsequent news, but due to his stubborn nature, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    The traffic light ahead turned red, and the old police officer slammed on the brakes. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and then reached out, fumbling on the dashboard as if looking for a lighter. Lin Chen handed him a lighter from his pocket.


    ¡°You don¡¯t smoke, do you?¡± Lao Bian turned his head and asked.


    Lin Chen shook his head and simply said, ¡°It¡¯s for someone else.¡±


    Lao Bian lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and after making up his mind, he spoke with his arm trembling slightly. However, the hand gripping the steering wheel remained steady. Lin Chen listened quietly as the other person said, ¡°Shen Lian didn¡¯t lie back then, did she?¡±


    Lao Bian¡¯s arm trembled, but his grip on the steering wheel remained steady. Lin Chen listened quietly. ¡°After talking with all of you, I¡¯ve been thinking about that girl from back then. If I had been more patient with her, would none of these things have happened afterwards?¡±


    Lin Chen pondered for a moment, looked ahead at the road, and answered, ¡°There are things that we don¡¯t know until we apprehend Shen Lian. But there¡¯s one thing I am certain of, and it¡¯s also something that has struck me deeply recently.¡±


    ¡°What kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°I suddenly realized that in this world, good-hearted people always rush to take responsibility, while the selfish ones prefer to shirk it. If they can escape unscathed with no damage to themselves, they consider it even better.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know if his words could console the old police officer who was burdened by guilt. All he knew was that this might not be comforting at all; it was something that was happening all the time.


    ¡­¡­


    When Li Nuo received a call from Xing Conglian, he felt both nervous and excited.


    He was a police officer on the outskirts of Hongjing, usually dealing with trivial matters in the neighborhood and countryside, such as minor thefts and disputes.


    When he was first transferred here, he was full of passion and wanted to make a difference. But in less than six months, he had already realized the reality before him. Unless he was transferred elsewhere, he would never be able to achieve any significant accomplishments or receive any commendations in his lifetime.


    Not long ago, news of the events happening in Hongjing reached him, and he was worried about his grandfather. His grandfather had always had cardiovascular problems, and he seemed to be taking medication similar to Zhourui¡¯s. According to the news, there was a high possibility that something might happen to his grandfather¡­ Li Nuo dared not think further.


    As a result, Xing Conglian called.


    Li Nuo knew who Xing Conglian was.


    He was the captain of the city¡¯s criminal investigation division, and in recent years, he had solved several major cases in a row. Li Nuo had gathered as much information as possible on each case and carefully studied them, becoming more and more impressed.


    Then, this idol-like figure told him that the wanted suspect Shen Lian might be in his jurisdiction. At that moment, Li Nuo felt a surreal sensation, as if he had been struck by a meteor. After all, the chances of this happening were definitely much lower than winning a five-million-dollar lottery ticket.


    Li Nuo hung up the phone and looked at the farmland outside the window, seeing an old dog basking in the sun on the field bank, and a small hill situated by the lake in the distance.


    The terrain there was higher, with complex small paths and densely populated residential areas at the foot of the mountain, while higher up, it was a quiet nursing home. In his memory, that nursing home was very peaceful. He had been there during some fire inspections. It housed seriously ill elderly people, and the director was a middle-aged woman with a compassionate heart. There weren¡¯t many caregivers, but everything was well organized.


    How was it possible that Shen Lian was there?


    The summer afternoon sun was unbelievably gentle, casting a golden veil over everything.


    Li Nuo shivered and knew that all of this was not an illusion but a truly beautiful sight, and because of its beauty, it would inevitably become very fragile.


    The young police officer put his phone back in his pocket and silently recited the instructions Xing Conglian had just given him.


    He picked up the walkie-talkie from the table, adjusted his police cap, and rushed outside.


    ¡­¡­


    When Xing Conglian received the call from Huang Ze, he had just parked his car in the Municipal Police Bureau¡¯s parking lot.


    Due to the presence of reporters, the vehicles were congested here, and it took him some time to find a parking space. Huang Ze¡¯s voice was as cold as shattered ice.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, you need to report to the Inspection and Supervision Department of the Municipal Police Bureau within an hour without fail.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Xing Conglian¡¯s movements slowed down. He turned off the engine, sat in the quiet car, and glanced at the pale lights in the parking lot. He asked, ¡°Inspector Huang, is there something wrong?¡±


    His frivolous tone seemed to anger Huang Ze, whose voice became slightly louder as he questioned, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what you did wrong?¡±


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± Xing Conglian repeated those words playfully, leaning back in his seat. He said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. How about you tell me, Inspector Huang?¡±


    There was an audible intake of breath from Huang Ze on the other end of the phone, followed by a deep exhale as if he were adjusting himself. ¡°No matter where you are or what you¡¯re doing, report to the Inspection and Supervision Department of the Municipal Police Bureau immediately. You have been temporarily suspended, and I will be the one to oversee and investigate your actions.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Xing Conglian chuckled lightly and said with certainty, ¡°It seems this time it¡¯s about me and not Lin Chen. What kind of trouble has Zhourui Pharmaceutical caused that gives you such confidence to come after me?¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s voice grew colder. ¡°Remember, within an hour.¡±


    ¡°No need for an hour.¡± Xing Conglian got out of the car and slammed the door shut, the loud sound echoing in the parking lot.


    He calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m already here.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Lin Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the car door handle.


    The car was speeding, and the scenery outside had already changed.


    The fields were vast, the sky was high, and the car zoomed through the road amidst the lush green rice fields. Approaching the direction of Hongshu Town, they encountered two police cars coming from the neighboring town. It was obvious that these were the reserve forces assembled by Xing Conglian.


    The three cars drove in a convoy, without stopping to greet each other, but their destinations were very much aligned.


    At the foot of the small hill at the end of the world, Li Nuo stood beside a low house. He crouched down and greeted an old lady who was sitting in the shade of a tree, enjoying the coolness.


    According to Captain Xing¡¯s instructions on the phone earlier, he shouldn¡¯t approach the vicinity of the nursing home but instead maintain surveillance from a distance on the road. However, for some reason, Li Nuo had an extremely bad premonition. So he changed into plain clothes, arranged for others to guard the main roads, and went up the mountain alone.


    ¡°Xiao Li.¡± The old lady squinted her eyes and looked at him for a while before recognizing him. ¡°Is there another fight at Lao Zhang¡¯s house?¡±


    The Lao Zhang she mentioned was a rather rowdy family in the village. Mrs. Zhang was fierce and would get into a physical fight with her husband at the slightest provocation. Out of the ten times Li Nuo came here, eight times it was because neighbors of the Zhang family had called him to mediate. As a small local police officer, he usually dealt with such trivial matters. Now, suddenly having to apprehend some A-class fugitive, it would be fake to say that Li Nuo wasn¡¯t feeling anxious. But he still asked in a low voice, ¡°Grandma Wang, have you been sitting here all this time? Have you seen anyone suspicious coming down from the nursing home on the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been sitting here to cool off after having a meal.¡± The old lady fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan, sitting up straight and highly alert. ¡°What happened? Is there a thief?¡±


    Li Nuo shook his head. ¡°Something came up. Could you think about it for me?¡±


    ¡°Someone from the nursing home¡­ No, I haven¡¯t seen Auntie Chen today.¡± The old lady shook her palm-leaf fan again and suddenly tapped her leg. ¡°Now that you mention it, I think I just saw the small van that the nursing home uses for groceries pass by.¡±


    Li Nuo became alert and turned around, immediately dialing a friend at the county¡¯s traffic department to request verification of the vehicles belonging to the nursing home and the surveillance footage at the intersections.


    ¡­¡­


    When Xing Conglian received the photo of Shen Lian driving the van out of the main road in Hongshu Town, Huang Ze was standing in front of him saying something like, ¡°Xing Conglian, you are now being officially interviewed by the Inspector¡¯s Office. Please turn off all communication devices.¡±


    He didn¡¯t quite catch the details as he carefully examined the surveillance photo.


    In the photo, Shen Lian remained calm, like an expressionless mannequin on a shelf, as if going to a prearranged appointment.


    The timestamp indicated that it happened twenty minutes ago, which meant that, based on the timing, Shen Lian had taken action almost simultaneously with the appearance of the news.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s emotions were momentarily complex. On one hand, he once again admired Lin Chen¡¯s accurate judgment and positioning. On the other hand, he was furious. If it weren¡¯t for Zhourui Pharmaceutical interfering, they would probably have already come face-to-face with Shen Lian.


    And for people like him, the angrier they became, the calmer they grew.


    Instead of angrily shouting at Huang Ze, he lowered his head and sent a few arrangements through text messages. After finally sending the phone number of the officer in charge to Lin Chen, he had a moment to raise his head and look at the Inspector in front of him.


    Perhaps at that moment, he didn¡¯t control his gaze well, or maybe Huang Ze saw the contents of the photo on his phone. In any case, the Inspector slammed the table in anger and said, ¡°Xing Conglian, the authority to handle the case is no longer in your hands. What you need to do is explain the situation clearly!¡±


    Xing Conglian surveyed his surroundings and only asked, ¡°Where are the people from Zhourui Pharmaceutical?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a matter you¡¯re entitled to be concerned about!¡±


    Xing Conglian dragged a chair and sat opposite Huang Ze at the table. ¡°If there¡¯s a situation that requires me to explain it clearly, there should at least be a face-to-face confrontation.¡± He smirked, took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, and asked, ¡°Where is Lao Wu?¡±


    Huang Ze hesitated for a moment, only then realizing who he meant by ¡°Lao Wu¡±.


    ¡°I want to talk to Lao Wu. Bring him to me, whether he¡¯s upstairs or downstairs.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Li Nuo walked down from the small hill just as Lin Chen¡¯s car arrived.


    He had seen this psychology expert on TV broadcasts before, and now that he saw him in person, he felt like he was just an ordinary person. Lin Chen was wearing a brick-red checkered shirt and light-colored casual pants, unlike typical experts who wore glasses or had a scholarly air to them. Apart from his fair skin and calm gaze, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.


    But in a way, when Li Nuo shook hands with Lin Chen, whether it was the strength in his palm or his calm tone that could dispel any tension, Li Nuo felt that this person was highly trustworthy.


    ¡°Tell me about Huihe Nursing Home,¡± Lin Chen said directly, without engaging in small talk.


    The police officers who had come to assist from the neighboring town also got out of their cars. However, most of the police force had been deployed to the main roads for surveillance, as the surveillance footage showed that Shen Lian had already left the nursing home. Only the basic 10-person team remained.


    Among them, the highest-ranking officer had the rank of a Third-Level Police Superintendent, but in front of Lin Chen, no one interrupted or gave any random orders.


    Li Nuo briefly described the situation at Huihe Nursing Home, and Lin Chen didn¡¯t immediately respond.


    At that moment, someone spoke up. ¡°Since there is evidence showing that Shen Lian left the nursing home from above, it is necessary to conduct a basic search.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t the notice say that the woman was carrying highly toxic substances? Could there be a trap up there?¡± another person said.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a female fugitive, and she¡¯s already gone. Are we, the police, going to be scared at the foot of the mountain? What kind of image does that give?¡±


    Li Nuo swallowed nervously and looked at Lin Chen.


    It was then that the psychology consultant finally spoke. ¡°Did any villagers mention that they haven¡¯t seen anyone from the nursing home coming down the mountain all day?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it was only Mrs. Wang who said that,¡± Li Nuo cautiously added.


    Lin Chen¡¯s expression visibly grew colder, but he quickly lifted his gaze and said to him, ¡°Do you have the nursing home¡¯s phone number? Make a call.¡±


    It felt like the simplest test or something of that sort, but when Li Nuo took out his phone, he felt that the object in his hand was as precious as gold. He flipped through his contacts and found the number, then looked up. Lin Chen¡¯s resolute gaze met his, and he took a deep breath before pressing the call button.


    Everything around became quiet.


    The wind coming from the open field blew past him, but Li Nuo couldn¡¯t feel it. His heart was beating fast, and his nervous hands were trembling.


    The first beep sounded, and he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.


    Beep¡­


    The second prolonged electronic tone slowly followed.


    It showed that the phone at the nursing home was still connected, and the line hadn¡¯t been cut off. Li Nuo didn¡¯t know why he was worried about these things, but perhaps there was something he feared deep inside.


    He clenched his fist tightly, praying that someone would answer the phone, even if it was just a simple ¡°Hello.¡±


    Every second passed by, and although the waiting tone on the phone wouldn¡¯t last more than a minute, it felt like an eternity to Li Nuo.


    However, the call was automatically disconnected by the telecom company before he could even hear that simple ¡°Hello.¡±


    Li Nuo instinctively raised his head and felt as if the golden veil of sunlight that covered the top of the nursing home had turned black, like a shadow casting over everyone¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°Go up the mountain.¡±


    Lin Chen lowered his eyelids but spoke with a resolute tone to them.


    ¡­¡­


    For a long time after that incident, Lin Chen¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t very clear.


    Although he was confident that he had walked up that hill and had a visual concept of the layout of the houses on either side and the appearance of the trees, even the way the hens strolled in the fields or the colors of the vegetable fields halfway up the mountain, he didn¡¯t have a logical sequence of the details of how they reached that nursing home or what they experienced during the process in his mind.


    However, at that time, he was certain that when they were about 100 meters away from the nursing home, he sensed something unusual in the air.


    Earlier, experienced veteran police officers had already arranged for some of the team to flank from the rear in a roundabout manner, while others approached through the neighborhood. Only he and another police officer named Li Nuo walked openly on the cement road directly leading to the nursing home¡¯s gate.


    When he smelled that scent, he and Li Nuo exchanged glances, quickened their pace, and rushed towards the iron gate of the nursing home.


    When they could see the gatehouse clearly, they were certain that there was no one inside.


    The seats were empty, and there was an old-fashioned beige telephone on the table. A visitor registration form hung in a corner on the wall, and aside from that, there were various crooked and scattered items.


    Lin Chen looked up, and the surveillance camera in the corner of the gatehouse turned towards him. He stared at the pitch-black camera lens, as if he had seen the vertical pupils of a demon, and he felt a chill run down his spine.


    Without wasting any time looking for reinforcements or waiting for backup, the police officer beside him swiftly climbed over the iron movable fence and rushed into the gatehouse to press the open button.


    The electric gate slowly moved aside, revealing the panoramic view of the nursing home, bit by bit.


    Lin Chen took a deep breath as the scent in the air became even stronger amidst the gray and dilapidated buildings before him.


    The young police officer named Li Nuo had turned completely pale, a color that no ordinary human could mistake.


    Calls from other police officers came through their walkie-talkies, crackling with static. But at that moment, neither Lin Chen nor Li Nuo had the strength to press the answer button.


    It was the young village police officer who reacted first. Li Nuo said nothing, clenched his fist, and turned around, rushing towards the main building of the nursing home.


    Lin Chen watched the young man¡¯s back and followed him, stepping heavily with each stride.


    The old wooden doors opened, revealing a long corridor.


    On one side of the corridor, it was as dark as a shadow, like a ghostly presence. On the other side, sunlight painted it a dazzling but unreal white.


    Step by step, Lin Chen walked on the clean and bright porcelain tiles, advancing deeper into the corridor.


    On either side of him were rows of standardized ward doors, each closed with an obsessive-compulsive-like habit, resembling tightly sealed coffins that made people not have the courage to touch.


    An increasingly heavy odor seeped out from the gaps above and below each door, lingering around him.


    The scent was so thick that it permeated through every pore, saturating every corner of the space. It felt like soft ropes tightened around his neck, suffocating him. But he knew very well that this feeling wasn¡¯t suffocation, but despair.


    Yes, it was the smell of blood.


    Lin Chen took another deep breath, feeling as if he were immersed in viscous plasma. The surroundings were damp and sticky, and he could only manage to place his hand on the doorknob to support himself.


    Through the thin door panel, countless images flashed in his mind. Each image appeared as simple black lines against the backdrop of thick blood, twisting and turning, breaking apart and reassembling, becoming more and more distorted and bizarre.


    Finally, it was the sound of inconsolable sobbing coming from one of the rooms that awakened him.


    The cries were heart-wrenching, carrying a genuine and profound grief.


    Lin Chen calmed his mind, and with a wooden expression, he looked out the window. He saw the aged face of Lao Bian and other police officers rushing into the nursing home.


    Someone desperately gestured at him, but he couldn¡¯t recognize who it was, so he just nodded in response.


    After completing this simple gesture, he turned around, pushed open the door, and walked inside.

 CH 239

    It was hell.


    Although Lin Chen had never had a precise imagination of such an unreal concept, he thought that if hell truly existed in the world, it should look like this.


    The entire room was quiet and tidy, like an ordinary room in a nursing home. The window was half-open, and the curtains were partially drawn, with a gentle breeze lifting the hem of the curtains. Bright sunlight fell on the coffee table beside the bed, seemingly without any dark areas, except for the two elderly people on the bed.


    However, to be precise, they were neither living nor human, but two corpses.


    The bodies were covered by two thin white sheets neatly tucked, aligning perfectly with the collarbones of the elderly.


    And a little higher up, there were necks resembling dead tree bark.


    Of course, the description of ¡°dead tree bark¡± was Lin Chen¡¯s imagination, as the necks of the two elderly people had been slit open, forming deep and dark gashes. Blood flowed out from the wounds, soaking their necks and trickling down, staining the snow-white bedsheets, forming a large and vibrant red ink blot. Under the sunlight, the brownish-red blood appeared to emit steam, as if it could evaporate the shape of their souls.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t know how he managed to approach the bedside, but it seemed that human potential was always greater than he had imagined.


    As he got closer, he realized why he could still sense the presence of the living.


    Because the eyes of the deceased were open, and the two elderly people gazed peacefully at the ceiling. The whites of their eyes were tinged with a yellow-brown color, while their pupils were completely black, devoid of any emotions, hollow as if they could consume one¡¯s soul. It was as if the cut at their throat wasn¡¯t lethal; the real cause of death was the long-lasting, impoverished, and tasteless life they had endured. They should have died long ago but were forcibly kept in this world.


    The wind from the lakeside and the fields blew in through the window, carrying a faint, scorching scent that could only come from long exposure to the sun. Lin Chen didn¡¯t know if he stumbled, but he forcefully grasped the bedside table, standing in front of the two elderly people, looking at them intently.


    At that moment, all of Lin Chen¡¯s senses were extremely sharp, even magnified several times.


    The police officers, who arrived a bit later, rushed in with their footsteps resounding like thunder.


    Doors from the end of the corridor were being opened one after another, with brief pauses between each door, and then another one would follow. Gradually, the sound of doors opening became slower and slower, as if no one had the courage to continue.


    In the end, all footsteps stopped outside the door of the room where Lin Chen stood.


    Lin Chen lifted his head and saw many pairs of shocked, incredulous, and desperate eyes at the door. The emotions in those gazes were too complex. They hesitated for a moment, and each person¡¯s throat seemed choked, unable to speak first.


    What happened? How could things turn out like this¡­


    And what really snapped Lin Chen back to reality was the sound of footsteps that came last. It was the young officer, the one who had rushed into the nursing home ahead of everyone else. Lin Chen remembered that his name was Li Nuo.


    Li Nuo¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he covered his mouth. The intense smell of blood was obviously too overwhelming for an ordinary patrol officer. Lin Chen momentarily thought that Li Nuo might run out and vomit. However, to his surprise, Li Nuo managed to hold himself together. With a hoarse voice that indicated he had already cried for a while, Li Nuo said to him, ¡°Consultant Lin¡­¡±


    Li Nuo¡¯s voice sounded helpless yet determined to the extreme.


    Lin Chen shuddered, regaining his clarity. He looked at the many eyes at the door once again and realized that Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t there, so he had to do something.


    He lowered his head, covered the eyes of the elderly with his hands, gently closing their eyelids. Then, he walked towards the door and said in a clear voice, ¡°Check if there are any survivors inside the nursing home, notify the hospital and emergency department, and report to the city bureau.¡±


    After finishing his instructions, Lin Chen nodded to everyone and walked straight out.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± someone called out to him.


    ¡°Me?¡± Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets, turned back, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to find her.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Before the incident occurred, Huang Ze was sitting on one side of the long circular office desk, with Xing Conglian on the other side.


    Xing Conglian lit a cigarette, adopting a tough attitude. His phone was placed on the corner of the table, and he didn¡¯t hand over his communication devices as requested.


    Huang Ze held a pen and spoke to Xing Conglian in the coldest tone he could muster, ¡°Xing Conglian, you have been temporarily suspended. Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s better for everyone if you clarify the situation as soon as possible.¡±


    As he spoke, he looked directly into Xing Conglian¡¯s dark eyes. Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze remained calm, and only he knew why he still had such composure at a time like this. But Huang Ze was well aware that Xing Conglian had no intention of answering his question.


    The ash of Xing Conglian¡¯s cigarette fell bit by bit, and smoke rose lazily in the silence. With a steady pace, Xing Conglian finished smoking before the cigarette was extinguished.


    Before that cigarette was finished, Xing Conglian even took a glance at the phone on the table, which remained as calm as ever. Huang Ze knew that Lin Chen hadn¡¯t called him.


    When this thought crossed his mind, Xing Conglian suddenly stood up. He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, picked up his phone, kicked the chair backward, and grabbed his coat that was thrown over the chair before walking towards the door.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s attitude made Huang Ze realize that he had only been waiting for ¡°Lao Wu¡± during the time it took to smoke a cigarette.


    Caught off guard by Xing Conglian¡¯s swift actions, Huang Ze didn¡¯t have time to react before he reached the door. His subordinate stood there, but how could a clerk who struggled to pass the physical exam be a match for an officer like Xing Conglian? Before the two of them could exchange any words, Huang Ze¡¯s subordinate winced in pain, clutching his arm, and the door was easily opened.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, stop right there!¡± Huang Ze stood up and slammed the table.


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t even look at him and took out his phone to make a call, as if all the warnings and admonitions from earlier were meaningless words, and as if Huang Ze himself didn¡¯t exist.


    Huang Ze wanted to say something more, but Xing Conglian had already disappeared from his sight. Holding the phone, Huang Ze chased after him, regretting his choice of sitting in the wrong position in the office just a few steps away.


    This was the main office area of the Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, where most of the officers worked. With so many people coming and going, it was clear that most of them were familiar with Xing Conglian.


    As Xing Conglian walked down the long corridor, busy officers on both sides either nodded in acknowledgment or stopped and saluted him. For a moment, whispers of ¡°Captain Xing¡± or similar words filled the entire office.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, you are being disrespectful!¡±


    Huang Ze almost ran to catch up with him.


    At that moment, Xing Conglian put down his phone, evidently having not connected the call. Instead, he grabbed someone and asked, ¡°Where is Director Wu?¡±


    The officer quickly pointed out the direction to Xing Conglian. He accelerated his pace and walked towards the temporary command center at the end of the hall.


    ¡°I was just disrespectful towards Inspector Huang,¡± Xing Conglian replied with both hands in his pockets, using a nonchalant yet remarkably steady tone. ¡°Does Inspector Huang represent the rule of law?¡±


    Huang Ze was frustrated. ¡°You should know that I am giving you face right now. I could arrest you on the spot.¡±


    As they spoke, they reached the entrance of the command center. Suddenly, Xing Conglian stopped and turned back to look at Huang Ze. ¡°You can try.¡±


    Huang Ze realized for the first time that, besides Lin Chen, there were others in this world who excelled at verbal sparring.


    He took a deep breath, and just as Xing Conglian placed his hand on the door handle, Huang Ze held his wrist, preventing him from opening the door.


    But this simple action seemed to trigger a terrifying signal.


    In the next moment, the office was filled with the continuous ringing of phones. Then, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed throughout the building as many people started running. There was an overwhelming sense of tension, as if a stampede of a thousand horses was taking place.


    Everyone¡¯s face showed an expression that something terrible was happening, but no one had the courage to speak up about what had actually occurred.


    Many officers crowded at the entrance of the command center, obviously trying to enter or exit to deliver reports, but they couldn¡¯t because Huang Ze and Xing Conglian were blocking the way.


    In that instant, Xing Conglian seemed to realize something. His gaze turned cold, and with a disdainful expression, he turned to Huang Ze and said, ¡°Let go.¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s breath hitched, and the command center door was pushed open from the inside out.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s immediate superior, Director Wu, was standing in the doorway.


    Seeing his subordinate, Director Wu abandoned his previously reserved demeanor. Clearly, whatever had just happened had also left this old man feeling overwhelmed. He said to Xing Conglian, ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Xing Conglian stood at the doorway, responding with a bold and steady posture.


    The old man nodded.


    Xing Conglian continued, ¡°I have two things to discuss, so I¡¯ll be brief.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°First, what crime have I committed?¡±


    The old man hesitated for a moment, not expecting Xing Conglian to come in such a forceful manner, and the first question was surprisingly simple. Nevertheless, he succinctly answered, ¡°Bribery, involving Zhourui Pharmaceutical.¡±


    A look of disbelief briefly flashed across Xing Conglian¡¯s face. After a moment, he furrowed his brow, as if suppressing a feeling of disgust deep within, yet remained calm as he said, ¡°You know I couldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Director Wu nodded solemnly, then took a step back, pointing towards the room where the ringing of phones persisted, signaling for Xing Conglian to enter. He said, ¡°So, it¡¯s yours now.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t decline; only asked while walking. The officers blocked at the door followed with their respective materials and crowded into the room.


    ¡°Huihe Nursing Home. None of the 38 elderly residents survived.¡± The old director stopped in his tracks, speaking each word distinctly.


    In an instant, the entire office seemed to be under a spell as everyone froze, and everything turned icy cold.


    Xing Conglian also came to a halt. Huang Ze clearly saw a multitude of emotions flicker in Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, and he was certain that many of those emotions were related to Lin Chen. But what surprised him was that Xing Conglian didn¡¯t immediately take out his phone to call Lin Chen. Instead, he contemplated for a moment and then decisively said, ¡°Find the person in charge of the Transportation Department. Report on the surveillance situation at the checkpoints and the last known location of Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°Yulin District, Zhongming Road intersection, south to north lane.¡± One of the officers near the door stood up swiftly and reported to Xing Conglian without any hesitation.


    ¡°The Yulin District officers will secure the southwest position, while the remaining personnel stay on standby.¡± Xing Conglian paused and asked again, ¡°What is the specific situation in Hongshu Town?¡±


    ¡°Reporting, Captain Xing!¡± Another officer stood up. ¡°Currently, nine officers, including the consultant from the Criminal Investigation Team, have arrived at the scene in Hongshu Town. The situation is as follows¡­¡±


    The voices of inquiries and the subsequent responses echoed rapidly, as Xing Conglian seemed to have no need for contemplation. Command after command fell swiftly and with extreme clarity.


    Huang Ze lowered his head, lost in thought.


    ¡°Captain Xing must undergo an investigation. It is a direct order from the Department!¡± A voice of admonishment came from behind him at that moment.


    Huang Ze turned around and found his subordinate, who had been pulling at his arm, urgently speaking.


    At that time, Xing Conglian had just finished answering a question from an officer about whether he would be heading to Hongshu Town.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go for now,¡± was Xing Conglian¡¯s response.


    Huang Ze¡¯s heart shook violently because of his subordinate¡¯s question, and the entire office fell silent as everyone looked toward his position.


    Finally, he made up his mind, raised his head, looked at Xing Conglian, and asked, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

 CH 240

    ¡°What can I do, Consultant Lin?¡±


    Just before Lin Chen left, he specifically asked him to come down the mountain together. Li Nuo was both excited and at a loss for what to do.


    He stood at the foot of the small hill, breathing rapidly to take in the fresh air around him, but the nauseating smell of blood and gore from earlier still lingered. He didn¡¯t even dare to close his eyes because once he quieted down, the overwhelming fear of death would come rushing back. So he could only desperately follow closely behind the person in front of him, fearing he would be left behind.


    ¡°Help me find a place to stay.¡± Lin Chen reached the car at the foot of the mountain and turned around, saying so.


    Li Nuo was stunned for a moment. The consultant before him seemed completely unaffected by the brutal and inhumane scene from earlier, except for his pale complexion. But there were moments when Li Nuo felt that grief was engraved in his bones, that it could easily find outlets for emotional expression, and it couldn¡¯t be considered nothing.


    He quickly sniffed and hurriedly asked, ¡°What kind of place are you looking for?¡±


    At the same time, an elderly officer in the car at the foot of the hill hurriedly opened the door and nervously asked Lin Chen, ¡°Did you catch the person?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head at the old officer first, then turned to him and said, ¡°Anything will do.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the old man seemed to have guessed something, and a look of terror quickly appeared on his face, accompanied by deep guilt that seemed to weigh him down. Li Nuo didn¡¯t know what had happened between them, but it definitely wasn¡¯t something good.


    Just as Li Nuo thought Lin Chen would coldly nod to the old man and pass by him, he was very surprised to see Lin Chen deliberately stop in his tracks.


    The young police consultant stood in front of the old man, appearing tall and imposing. He slightly bowed his body, one hand holding the old man¡¯s weathered hand, while using the other hand to pat his back forcefully. His tone was gentle but carried a comforting power. ¡°Do you remember what I said earlier? I was serious. It¡¯s not your fault. There are many people who should bear responsibility for this, but it¡¯s not your turn for now.¡±


    The old man trembled at his words, looking up towards the direction of the mountaintop with a distant and teary gaze.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t say anything more. He opened the rear door of the car and took out a stack of files enclosed in a leather document bag from inside.


    Li Nuo noticed that the name ¡°Shen Lian¡± was written on the paper bag. He shivered once again, only to see Lin Chen quickly turn his gaze back. That look instantly brought him back to his senses. It turned out that when the consultant said to find a place, he meant immediately and without delay.


    He hurriedly turned back up the mountain. Though the mountain breeze was gentle around him, he became nervous. The images of the elderly people with brown bloodstains on their necks resurfaced in his mind one after another. But now wasn¡¯t the time. He suppressed the urge to vomit once again, looked around, and realized that the elderly lady who had been sitting under the tree enjoying the breeze had disappeared. Perhaps she had gone up the mountain to see what was happening.


    In his memory, there was a small shack where villagers stored thatched grass and miscellaneous items. So he ran up the path on the right side and indeed saw that shack. However, unlike his memory, this makeshift brick house was extremely dilapidated and didn¡¯t even have a door.


    He turned back to Lin Chen once again and asked, ¡°Should I go find a resident¡¯s house instead?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head. ¡°This place will do.¡±


    Li Nuo didn¡¯t know what Lin Chen intended to do, but he rushed into the house ahead of him. However, the foul smell of the thatched grass inside made him take a step back.


    With a snap, a dim yellow light bulb lit up, but the light only illuminated a small area of the broken brick floor, leaving the rest of the space in a gloomy haze.


    At some point, Lin Chen was standing in the doorway with a calm expression. He let go of the switch on the wall, and, for a moment, Li Nuo felt that this rundown and drafty house was a true reflection of this psychology consultant.


    But Lin Chen¡¯s actions quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. The consultant entered the shack and swiftly took out the papers from the document bag, placing them casually on the pile of grass, the broken cabinet, and the floor.


    Those were all the materials related to Shen Lian saved in her personal file, from birth records to medical reports, from report cards to teacher evaluations. There were even a few crayon drawings and handcrafts that were probably submitted for the school¡¯s comprehensive education assessment.


    Each item represented a clear trace of important events in a person¡¯s life. With each bend of Lin Chen¡¯s body, they were slowly presented in this stuffy and damp old house.


    Finally, a large expanse of white paper formed a sea of documents before Li Nuo¡¯s eyes. When the wind blew, ripples seemed to appear under the dim yellow light.


    Lin Chen took a step back, leaned on a low brick, and sat down.


    Li Nuo tried his best not to associate the low brick wall with a fence of a livestock pen, nor did he recall the previous purpose of this dilapidated house. He followed Lin Chen¡¯s gaze and looked back at the uneven sea of paper materials, contemplating whether he should go out and return this space to Lin Chen.


    He silently took two steps back, accidentally stepping on a piece of broken brick that produced a clanging sound, breaking the silence.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze followed the sound, and Li Nuo quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Consultant Lin. I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment¡­¡±


    Li Nuo suddenly looked up, but when he looked towards Lin Chen, Lin Chen wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    The consultant sitting on the pile of bricks lowered his head slightly, subconsciously holding his phone in his hand. His black hair hung down, revealing a fair nape above his collar. His pale fingers lightly brushed over the call records, as if he was about to dial someone¡¯s number. A trace of vulnerability or longing appeared on his face, and then he paused for a few seconds. Unexpectedly, Lin Chen put away his phone and looked at him again.


    With his dark and calm gaze, Lin Chen said to him, ¡°Stay, and let¡¯s talk.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The command center at the Municipal Bureau.


    Xing Conglian still maintained the same position as when he entered the room, holding his phone. The content of the previous call was that the traffic police in Yulin District had already found the abandoned van left by Shen Lian, and forensic officers were now on their way there. In the brief moment he took the phone away from his ear, he inadvertently glanced at the call records. Lin Chen¡¯s name was the last entry on the phone¡¯s screen, with the bottom half obscured by the number keys, only revealing half of the name.


    An inexplicable emotion welled up in Xing Conglian¡¯s heart; an emotion that he didn¡¯t even have time to carefully ponder at that moment. His fingertip gently touched the half name of Lin Chen, but in the end, he didn¡¯t dial the number.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°What¡­ do you want to talk about?¡± Li Nuo carefully avoided the papers on the floor and didn¡¯t dare to get too close to Lin Chen.


    ¡°Ask me questions. Anything will do.¡±


    Lin Chen sat on the fence like this, with his toes touching the ground. There was a bit of distance between his heels and the floor, looking like an ordinary student.


    ¡°Why do you want me to ask questions? Won¡¯t it disturb you like this?¡± Li Nuo gathered his courage and asked.


    ¡°No, because asking questions is the best heuristic strategy for problem-solving,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Li Nuo squatted down, finding it difficult to understand what a heuristic* strategy was; it was probably something related to psychology. But since Lin Chen asked him to ask questions, and he had a lot of questions in his mind, why not ask?


    *Any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a tactical method that¡¯s not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, short-term goal or approximation. Such techniques include trial and error, a rule of thumb, or an educated guess.


    ¡°Why did you lay out Shen Lian¡¯s files? What are you trying to do?¡± In the quiet and dilapidated shack, Li Nuo pointed to the vast sea of paper materials and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Shen Lian¡¯s past in front of you. I want to deduce her future.¡±


    ¡°How can you deduce that? Can you really know what she¡¯s going to do next just based on Shen Lian¡¯s personal files?¡± Li Nuo was astonished, but he suddenly remembered how Lin Chen was able to pinpoint the exact location of the nursing home on the mountaintop. He immediately wanted to swallow back the question he had just asked. However, to his surprise, Lin Chen patiently answered him, ¡°By understanding her past to speculate on her personality traits, and by using her personality traits to judge her thinking logic and behavioral characteristics in a given environment. Human choices seem random and irrational, as if each of us has free will, but in reality, it¡¯s just an illusion created by the one above.¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he raised his index finger and pointed at the ceiling. Li Nuo knew that the one above referred to a higher power. He shivered, feeling dizzy from the flickering of the light, and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I¡¯m a materialist. This sounds too mystical.¡±


    ¡°Who said it wasn¡¯t?¡± Lin Chen replied calmly.


    Just then, Li Nuo noticed several drawings that Shen Lian had made as a child in the corner. He suddenly remembered the scene from the live stream when Lin Chen and Li Jingtian faced each other across the wooden table. He had watched the entire live stream, and the summary was that Lin Chen asked Li Jingtian to draw a picture, and then miraculously guessed the exact location where Li Jingtian had hidden the incriminating evidence.


    Thinking about this, he asked, ¡°What about those drawings? Can you tell where Shen Lian might go now based on those drawings?¡±


    Lin Chen also looked over. ¡°Those are works from Shen Lian¡¯s childhood. Art can indeed reflect a child¡¯s inner world, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t.¡± Stepping down from the pile of bricks, Lin Chen walked through the narrow path between papers and picked up the drawings from the floor, as if he could see through people¡¯s hearts. He looked back at Li Nuo and said, ¡°The success of the drawing test I gave to Li Jingtian relied heavily on modern scientific methods that you didn¡¯t see, such as pressure sensors, and so on. Now that Shen Lian is not in front of me, I can¡¯t stimulate her to react by asking various questions.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying it¡¯s more difficult now than it was back then?¡± Li Nuo scratched his head.


    ¡°Yes, and Shen Lian is far more dangerous than Li Jingtian. That¡¯s the difference between a terrorist and an ordinary psychological deviant,¡± Lin Chen answered decisively. Then he looked at Li Nuo as if waiting for the next question.


    Li Nuo took a deep breath, and the scene of the frenzied massacre in the nursing home once again surfaced in his mind. Those images kept looping in his head, like a nightmare that he couldn¡¯t escape for a lifetime. He shook his head desperately, trying to calm himself with a question. He pointed to the image in Lin Chen¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°What was Shen Lian¡¯s inner world like when she was a child?¡±


    It was a sketch, depicting a group of children sitting inside a house. It seemed like Shen Lian had drawn a birthday party, with a messy cake on the table. The picture appeared dark and made people feel very uncomfortable.


    ¡°She was very talented. She drew this when she was eight years old.¡± Lin Chen casually placed the drawing on a stack of grass and stared at the paper. ¡°Her drawings of houses were not two-dimensional, and she used overlapping strategies, omitting invisible lines. She even used perspective when depicting the structure of the house, showing that the objects she drew extended in three-dimensional space. She is a genius, or rather, her spatial thinking ability surpasses that of children her age.¡± Lin Chen continued, absorbed in his own thoughts. ¡°This reflects her high intelligence quotient. That¡¯s why I doubted her low academic performance before the second year of middle school. After eighth grade, her grades improved significantly. I deduced from this abnormal period that Shen Lian might have experienced something that caused a major transformation.¡±


    ¡°Is her bad experience related to the nursing home then?¡± Li Nuo asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more complicated than that,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    Li Nuo felt a bit stuck, but then the profound and penetrating gaze of Lin Chen hit him again. He could only continue asking questions. ¡°The picture she drew seems very isolated and terrifying. Could her poor academic performance be due to being ostracized at school? Would she seek revenge on teachers and classmates?¡±


    After Li Nuo blurted out all his questions, he realized his presumption. How could Lin Chen not have thought of things that even he could guess? Lin Chen must have already ruled out this possibility! As he thought this, he saw Lin Chen turning around and saying seriously, ¡°Is that what you think?¡±


    Li Nuo nodded, not knowing how he became the one answering questions.


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°If I told you that the person Shen Lian despises the most is her former neighbor Chen Jianguo, would you speculate that she wants to seek revenge on Chen Jianguo?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely her seeking revenge on the neighbor. Where does her neighbor work? Should we notify the parties involved to be cautious?¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t Shen Lian possibly seek revenge on Zhourui Pharmaceutical? After all, they ruined her plans, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    Li Nuo was once again caught off guard. ¡°That¡¯s also a possibility¡ªa very likely one!¡±


    As he finished speaking, Lin Chen suddenly turned around and stared at him intently.


    Li Nuo was startled and quickly apologized, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I really don¡¯t understand this.¡±


    ¡°No, you understand the psychology of the masses very well. Thank you.¡± Lin Chen lowered his head, took out his phone from his pocket, and made a call.


    ¡°Do you know where Shen Lian might go?¡± Li Nuo asked.


    ¡°To a place that she thinks, and I think, she wouldn¡¯t go.¡±

 CH 241

    Wang Chao was pacing around in the Guanghua Chemical Factory.


    He didn¡¯t understand why the boss had thrown him here to assist a junior chemical engineer. Even though he was obviously younger than the busy engineer, he felt that he might be more useful at the crime scene.


    Xiao Zhan was busy in front of the gas chromatograph, surrounded by a bunch of beakers and various complex chemical instruments that were incomprehensible to Wang Chao. Wang Chao sighed heavily and shifted his gaze. Suddenly, Xiao Zhan stopped his work and glanced at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Comrade Xiao Wang stood up straight and turned to ask.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan hesitated, struggling with his words. After a while, as if he had made a decision, Mr. Xiao Zhan silently walked to the desktop computer at the other end of the lab bench and began typing on the keyboard slowly.


    His typing speed was incredibly slow, and it was only then that Wang Chao realized that Xiao Zhan had wanted him to look up some information.


    ¡°Wait, wait, why don¡¯t you let me do it? If I¡¯m here, you don¡¯t have to do it yourself. Isn¡¯t this underestimating me?¡± Wang Chao swiftly opened his own laptop.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lab report, mainly in English, and I¡¯m afraid¡­ afraid that you¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you need? Just tell me!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed loudly. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had shouted too loudly or what, but in the next second, his phone rang, and seeing Lin Chen¡¯s name on the caller ID almost made his hand tremble.


    Excitedly, Wang Chao answered the call. Of course, he knew about the news regarding the nursing home and the unfortunate incident. He was deeply concerned about Lin Chen, but the feeling of being completely useless was driving him crazy. Now that Lin Chen was calling, he finally had a chance to talk to him. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, what happened? Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?¡±


    On the other end of the phone, Lin Chen¡¯s calm voice came through the waves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. I need you to do something for me.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, tell me!¡± Wang Chao held the phone between his shoulder and cheek, gesturing to Mr. Xiao Zhan to search for the information on his own. Then he grabbed a pen and paper, adding, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, you can speak now.¡±


    ¡°First, I need the driving route map from the nursing home to the abandoned car location; second, I need a map of the current locations of the roadblocks set up by the police; third, I need the current locations of Chen Jianguo, Shen Lian¡¯s middle school teacher, the old police officer who received Shen Lian along with Lao Bian at that time, Shen Lian¡¯s middle school, and¡­ Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Fourth, please compile the above requests on a map of Hongjing and send it to me. Fifth, do we have an alternative communication network that is not easily monitored?¡±


    Wang Chao quickly jotted down the information and suddenly realized something. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, what are you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°Preparing a chessboard.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Like Wang Chao, Li Nuo also had a vague understanding of the consultant¡¯s final words, but that didn¡¯t prevent him from following Lin Chen¡¯s orders.


    He was driving with the car window halfway open, and Lin Chen sat beside him. Their destination was a small police station close to the nursing home. With the wind blowing through the open window, they appeared as if they were leisurely going for an outing rather than embarking on something of life-and-death importance.


    Li Nuo¡¯s palms were slightly sweaty, and after Lin Chen finished the phone call, the atmosphere in the car became heavy once again. The sound of the engine was clearly audible. Li Nuo had a strong feeling that whatever Lin Chen was about to do was extremely dangerous, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask. He remained silent and focused on driving.


    They soon arrived at the police station.


    From getting out of the car to entering the building and turning on the computer, it took no more than three to five minutes; a brief moment that could almost be ignored. But the moment Lin Chen opened his email, a complete map of Hongjing appeared on the old computer screen at the police station.


    On the blue and white base map, a yellow line indicated Shen Lian¡¯s driving route from Hongshu Town to Yulin District. In addition, there were several colored markers on the map. Li Nuo was amazed that such detailed map markings could be made in such a short time. The person who did this was truly terrifying.


    Li Nuo could recognize the red circular markers, most of which represented intersections and roadblocks set up by the police.


    Standing beside Lin Chen, he watched as Lin Chen clicked on one of the green markers. A note popped up, clearly indicating specific individuals, locations, and brief descriptions of those places.


    Li Nuo realized that it was the information about Chen Jianguo¡¯s workplace that Lin Chen had been looking for.


    Chen Jianguo was a security guard who worked at the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall. According to the shift schedule, he should be on duty at the moment. The straight-line distance from the abandoned car location to the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall was about 5 kilometers.


    Following Lin Chen¡¯s clicks on the markers, Li Nuo looked at the information one by one. Each marker represented a predetermined chess piece strategically placed on the map. And in that moment, he finally realized what Lin Chen meant by the ¡°chessboard.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where she¡¯s going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ are you planning to¡­ lead¡­ Shen Lian?¡± Li Nuo stared at Lin Chen in shock.


    Lin Chen, as if finishing reviewing all the markers, leaned back in his chair and spoke in a calm tone. ¡°Mm, thank you for your reminder earlier. I want to try guiding Shen Lian to a predetermined location.¡±


    ¡°What did I say earlier?¡± Li Nuo quickly waved his hand. ¡°I just said something casually. I really don¡¯t understand criminal psychology.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t require too much specialized knowledge. What¡¯s more important is the analysis of human nature. It¡¯s actually quite simple. You reminded me that Shen Lian had too many potential targets for attack, and the incident happened suddenly. She wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to decide on a final target. Therefore, her choice has a high level of randomness. Since it¡¯s random, we can manipulate her choices.¡±


    ¡°Attack?¡± Li Nuo took a step back, accidentally bumping into the desk behind him, causing a long and jarring noise as the desk legs scraped against the floor.


    ¡°She killed everyone in the nursing home. With such madness, how could she continue to live as a lone individual?¡±


    ¡°Do you think she wants to make sure she gets enough victims before she dies and uses more people as shields?¡±


    Li Nuo instinctively asked, but at the same time, Lin Chen¡¯s phone rang.


    The office was very quiet, and Li Nuo could hear the crisp sound coming from the other end of the phone.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, the boss asked if you¡¯re planning to trap Shen Lian!¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s face showed a serene expression of understanding as he responded to the person on the phone. ¡°Mm, that¡¯s the plan.¡±


    ¡°Did you see the map I sent? Did it help? You asked me to mark so many locations earlier. Where exactly do we plan to trap Shen Lian? And the new secure communication channel will be set up quickly. What should we do? You tell me, and Mr. Xiao Wang will take care of it for you!¡±


    The rapid-fire words came through the receiver, which was, of course, the question Li Nuo wanted to ask.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve chosen a location.¡±


    When Lin Chen answered the call, he supported his cheek with one hand and tilted his head slightly, looking at a specific spot on the map.


    Li Nuo followed Lin Chen¡¯s gaze and once again looked at him with disbelief.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Is¡­ Is Consultant Lin insane?¡±


    Inside the Municipal Bureau Command Center, Wang Chao¡¯s voice came through the speakerphone, and everyone gathered around the square table listened intently. When they heard the location, someone couldn¡¯t help but interject.


    Xing Conglian sat at the edge of the table, furrowing his brows in contemplation, and didn¡¯t immediately respond. Another officer spoke after hearing the comment. ¡°If we really lure Shen Lian to that location, the media and public will definitely condemn us!¡±


    Xing Conglian listened silently, as if he didn¡¯t notice the inquiring gazes around him. He turned his head, and on the display screen behind him was a map of Hongjing, compiled according to Lin Chen¡¯s requirements.


    He looked at the various colored markers on the map, imagining the pros and cons that Lin Chen had considered in that brief moment. Despite having various personal emotions, in the end, all he could do was silently marvel; indeed, it was Lin Chen, truly worthy of being Lin Chen.


    At that moment, another officer ventured, ¡°No matter the outcome, Consultant Lin¡¯s arrangement will undoubtedly implicate public safety. The other side is quite capable of causing trouble, and they might even accuse us, the police, in the end!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xing Conglian calmly spoke, posing a question in return, ¡°Then, should we let Shen Lian target the middle school?¡± He turned to the first officer who had raised doubts. ¡°Nearly two thousand teachers and students.¡±


    The person was instantly rendered speechless.


    ¡°Or the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall?¡± Xing Conglian looked at the second person. ¡°It¡¯s a workday today, and the mall has relatively low foot traffic. But the problem is, we know this, and Shen Lian is well aware of it too. Similarly, if she appears during the peak hours after work when the foot traffic is high, the danger level in the mall is clearly no less than that of the school.¡±


    ¡°What about the Louyuan Community? Can¡¯t we use that place?¡±


    On the speakerphone, Wang Chao suddenly explained, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege said that the area that needs to be monitored there is too large. It¡¯s a very remote and modern residential area, and it¡¯s unlikely to satisfy Shen Lian¡¯s psychological desire for ¡®massive harm¡¯. The chances of her choosing that place are very low.¡±


    ¡°The office building isn¡¯t remote, but there are too many people!¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen¡¯s intention is actually quite simple. He wants to choose an area that appears to have a dense crowd, which can attract Shen Lian, and at the same time, it should be convenient for us, the police, to set up surveillance and implement the arrest.¡± The old director, who had been silently drinking tea in the background, suddenly spoke up. ¡°A large building with a single entrance and exit is certainly preferable.¡±


    ¡°But is there really no other way? No matter where Shen Lian appears, as long as Consultant Lin¡¯s plan is revealed, it will be seen as a sign of incompetence on the part of the police.¡± A policewoman spoke up. ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s really unfavorable for your team, Captain Xing. It will be seen as¡­ retaliation.¡±


    The policewoman emphasized the last word, and Xing Conglian looked at her and nodded, expressing gratitude for her concern. Then he looked at everyone present and calmly said, ¡°You should all be aware that whether we are seen as competent or not is the public¡¯s evaluation of us. But many times, what we need to care about is not these hypocritical praise or malicious criticism, but whether we have done our best within our capabilities for each case.¡±


    After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he stood up from his chair.


    ¡°Captain Xing!¡± The surrounding officers spoke up one after another.


    However, Xing Conglian seemed not to hear them and decisively said, ¡°Mobilize all available police forces in the city and divide them into three groups: A, B, and C. Group A will maintain their original communication devices and follow Consultant Lin¡¯s arrangements; Group B and Group C will use more secure communication systems. Group B will be responsible for surveillance at the following locations, and Group C will accompany me to the final possible location where Shen Lian may appear for surveillance.¡±


    Xing Conglian laid out the specific arrangements in great detail, and for a while, the office was filled with the sound of writing.


    At the end, someone suddenly raised their hand and asked, ¡°Captain Xing, everything you said is fine, but how can Consultant Lin guarantee that Shen Lian will really go there?¡±

 CH 242

    Hongshu Town Police Station. Lin Chen also heard Li Nuo asking the same question.


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee.¡± Lin Chen replied.


    The police officer in front of him was startled. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­ This isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°A gamble, right?¡± Lin Chen stood up, pushed the chair, picked up his phone, and calmly said, ¡°This is a gamble.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he walked out again. Li Nuo took the car keys and quickly caught up, as if he wanted to say something but found that he was speechless.


    ¡­¡­


    Almost every big city had a Zhongshan Road, just like every city had landmarks such as Renmin Road and the Drum Tower Community.


    But Zhongshan Road in Hongjing was somewhat special. It was the central hub of Hongjing from south to north. Whether you want to enter the city from the suburban Hongshu Town or go from the location of the city government to the Huihaodi shopping mall, you may pass through here.


    It was a weekday afternoon¡ªa little after two¡ªand there weren¡¯t many vehicles on the road.


    The driver of bus route 18 yawned and stopped at the bus stop. A few scattered passengers boarded from the front.


    The driver had received a notice from the police beforehand, so when the passengers boarded, he responsibly turned his head to confirm if any of these people were the suspected criminal that was rumored.


    However, there were very few passengers getting on the bus heading north on Zhongshan Road. Apart from two boys wearing earphones, there was only an elderly lady with mobility difficulties. The old lady was holding a bag from Bai Fu Supermarket, and it seemed like the supermarket was running some special promotions, so she was desperately trying to grab things even in this hot weather.


    The driver turned his head, and as the traffic light at the intersection turned red, a row of traffic police on motorcycles whizzed past.


    He yawned again, pressed the vehicle startup prompt, and started the vehicle.


    ¡­¡­


    Traffic officer Xiao Lin had just parked his motorcycle at the roadside booth when the opposite bus on route 18 started moving.


    Just at that moment, a Santana drove from south to north through the intersection. It happened to be when the green light turned red, and the brief yellow light stayed for a few seconds. A motorbike was crossing the east-west non-motorized lane diagonally.


    The sunlight was dazzling, and the hot air distorted the asphalt road, causing the driver of the Santana to have a flushed face and a drunken look. He was instantly awakened, but it was too late. It was as if something had streaked across the vast mirror of the world, with the sound of brakes piercing the sky, shattering eardrums.


    Compared to the sound of braking, the sound of the impact was barely audible.


    When Xiao Lin regained his senses, the motorbike¡¯s red and blue fragments and the Santana¡¯s headlight pieces were already scattered on the ground. An injured person was thrown more than 10 meters away, and those colorful fragments shimmered on the ground, creating a shocking sight.


    The owner of the Santana, covered in blood, was unconscious in the driver¡¯s seat. Xiao Lin cursed, ¡°Damn it, driving under the influence at a time like this is asking for death!¡± He ran over there while reporting through his earpiece, requesting an ambulance.


    The momentarily still four-way intersection resumed operation, and pedestrians cast concerned glances at the accident. The bus maneuvered around the debris and continued to the next stop.


    The victim¡¯s injuries turned out to be more severe than expected. Blood flowed out of the victim¡¯s body as if it didn¡¯t cost a thing, soaking the grayish road surface.


    Just then, Xiao Lin heard an inquiry over the radio. He pressed the earpiece and replied, ¡°Report, there has been an accident at the intersection of Heping Avenue and Lihe Road. The injured person¡¯s condition is critical.¡±


    However, the instructions coming through the earpiece surprised him. Xiao Lin was stunned for a moment and incredulously asked, ¡°Why should we handle the accident slowly? It will cause a traffic jam at this intersection, and nearby roads will most likely be congested!¡±


    ¡°Get the injured person to the hospital as soon as possible. As for the tasks arranged by the city, why are you asking so many questions?¡± The voice of the deputy squadron leader on the other end of the earpiece rose in volume.


    Xiao Lin wanted to ask more, but the squadron leader¡¯s voice suddenly lowered and became hoarse. ¡°Set up roadblocks and capture the fugitive.¡±


    Xiao Lin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly responded, ¡°Yes, understood!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Li Zhipeng and Xiao Lin both belonged to the Heping District Traffic Police Brigade, but they received tasks that were the opposite.


    Currently, Li Zhipeng was rushing at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour along the elevated road toward the intersection of Anning Avenue to provide reinforcement. However, his objective was to regulate traffic at the entrance that directly led to the Experimental Primary School, ensuring it didn¡¯t get congested.


    Tall buildings flashed by outside the window. The wailing siren echoed in a prolonged tone as vehicles on the road separated to the sides, allowing the police car to speed through the cleared path.


    The sky presented a bright deep blue, and the air conditioning was turned up high, but Li Zhipeng¡¯s inner restlessness and anxiety were growing.


    The in-car radio transmitted various ambiguous orders from the traffic police department. Some patrol officers were instructed not to issue tickets in a certain area, while other duty officers were notified of reassignments, and everything was in complete chaos.


    He was about to press the communication button and say something to his colleague on the other end when he suddenly remembered the instructions he received earlier. He was strictly prohibited from communicating his location with his colleague through the radio equipment.


    He quickly withdrew his hand from the walkie-talkie, feeling even more frustrated. If he hadn¡¯t already confirmed the authenticity of the information with his superiors, he would have doubted that this was some new plan to disrupt the normal order of the entire city.


    What the hell is going on? It¡¯s just the capture of a female fugitive.


    Li Zhipeng thought to himself.


    ¡­¡­


    Not only on the main roads, but Lin Chen¡¯s actions also caused a huge uproar in the Municipal Transportation Bureau.


    The central air conditioning seemed useless as the previously calm and orderly hall was in complete chaos. Employees were walking through office desks and chairs everywhere.


    Printers clattered, footsteps were incessant, and phone rings were continuous. Internal and external inquiry calls kept pouring in, to the extent that the staff answering the calls didn¡¯t even have time to take a sip of water.


    Traffic volume, violation situations, road conditions, and police deployment¡ªall the information was presented in various forms on large screens.


    Zhongshan Road, Heping Avenue, Nanhuang Elevated Road¡ªtwo-dimensional data, three-dimensional simulated graphics, and complete surveillance videos kept refreshing.


    In the lower corner of the screen, there was a complete map of Hongjing. The numerous colored marks on the map were dazzling, and they were constantly being updated.


    The employees of the Transportation Bureau could hardly understand the symbols on the screen. They only knew that the man sitting in front of the monitoring screen was causing chaos throughout the entire hall.


    What made it even more infuriating was that the mastermind behind all this chaos sat calmly in front of the enormous monitoring screen, as if nothing had happened.


    The man had an earphone in his left ear and one finger holding the microphone on the earphone cord, seemingly in conversation with someone. The remaining idle ear, however, seemed to serve no purpose at all.


    Li Nuo had a feeling that Lin Chen¡¯s auditory system might have some special construction that could block out all noise.


    For example, the incessant voice of the second-in-command in the command center behind them was driving him crazy, but this voice simply couldn¡¯t enter the ears of Mr. Consultant.


    The second-in-command shouted at them, ¡°We all have the duty roster. Taking so many police forces to Zhongshan South Road¡ªwhat about other places? It¡¯s utter chaos!¡±


    Lin Chen remained indifferent, speaking into the microphone, ¡°Yes, deploy half of the police forces from the Liuxing Brigade in Yulin District to set up roadblocks near Hesheng Square¡­ Mm, maintain a certain distance from Huihaodi¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t work!¡± The second-in-command roared again, slapping Li Nuo¡¯s shoulder heavily, splattering all his saliva on Li Nuo¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re clearly disrupting the normal order of the city!¡±


    Li Nuo wiped his face, and just then, he felt Lin Chen poke his hand on the back. Li Nuo looked down, quickly crossing out a detail he had recorded incorrectly on the paper and rewriting the content that Lin Chen instructed him to record.


    This one detail was like the spark that ignited a firecracker, and the second-in-command exploded instantly, shouting at Lin Chen¡¯s back, ¡°Stop it, all of you!¡±


    The voice was so loud, like a bomb going off, and everything fell into sudden silence.


    Because it was so quiet, Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded exceptionally clear in such a solemn atmosphere.


    ¡°Yes, every vehicle must stop for inspection,¡± Lin Chen said, word by word.


    The second-in-command¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be any worse. It seemed like Lin Chen sensed something, as after finishing that sentence, he finally slowly took out his earphone and handed it over.


    ¡°I have already explained to you just now. This is to apprehend the suspect,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°As the price for inconveniencing the lives of the citizens?¡± the second-in-command questioned.


    Li Nuo took the earphone handed to him by Lin Chen, shocked and unable to speak. Lin Chen looked up and made a gesture at him, so he quickly put the earphone into his own ear. He heard the voice of the sunny teenager that he had heard before. He remembered Lin Chen calling him Wang Chao. Lin Chen pointed at the earphone and said to him, ¡°Answer whatever he asks.¡±


    ¡°Li Nuo, right? Has Li Ziyuan¡¯s Sub-Bureau Traffic Police set off?¡± Wang Chao asked smoothly through the earpiece, seemingly not paying attention to Lin Chen handing over the headset.


    Li Nuo looked around, finally finding the information on the large screen.


    ¡°They have already set off,¡± he replied.


    Things seemed to be going smoothly on Li Nuo¡¯s end. Lin Chen turned to look at the leader, who had reached the peak of accumulating emotions, and calmly said, ¡°The price is necessary. The suspect is extremely dangerous. Evidence shows that the suspect has received professional counter-surveillance training, making it difficult for us to capture her through conventional surveillance. We can only take risks.¡±


    ¡°Even if she is dangerous, she is just a woman. Are you making such a big fuss to put on a show for the public? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s exaggerated?¡± the second-in-command asked again.


    ¡°That¡­ Is that drug real? Does it really cause confusion?¡± A cautious female voice came from the corner.


    This time, Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer anymore.


    Li Nuo listened tensely, recalling the gruesome and bloody scene he witnessed in the nursing home earlier. He felt a chill run through his body and was about to speak on behalf of Lin Chen when he heard a crisp sound of something being put down from the earphone.


    ¡°Such a hassle.¡± Li Nuo heard Wang Chao murmuring to himself, followed by the sound of typing on a keyboard in the earpiece.


    Li Nuo pressed the earphone tightly, wanting to hear clearly what Wang Chao was saying. Suddenly, a cry from the hall made him raise his head abruptly.


    At some point, a section of the road surveillance footage on the screen turned black, like a dead pixel on a huge white canvas.


    Then he realized that it wasn¡¯t entirely black; it was a segment of surveillance footage from that night.


    The surveillance was recorded at a bustling night market near a new district. Under the night sky, people mingled, laughing and chatting, with the lingering scent of sunlight in the air. The sudden turn of events came in the next second without any warning. The diners in the footage ruthlessly fought each other, inflicting brutal harm with the most merciless means.


    The timid female police officer in the hall had already covered her eyes. Although it was a silent black-and-white film, the screams and blood in the footage seemed so real that they were about to splash out of the screen.


    ¡°The night market barbecue stall incident!¡± Li Nuo instantly realized what the replayed footage in the surveillance was about.


    He had seen this footage before, and now, as it played again, he still felt a chill running up his spine. Despite being in the lively and noisy police hall, in that instant, he felt like he was immersed in cold water.


    The playback on the large screen quickly stopped, and the hall returned to a deathly silence.


    The first one to react was still Lin Chen. Li Nuo heard him say, ¡°Focus on your own tasks; I will handle things here.¡±


    Li Nuo didn¡¯t understand what Lin Chen was talking about, but he suddenly heard Wang Chao¡¯s voice in the earpiece, ¡°Got it!¡±


    Only then did Li Nuo realize that Lin Chen wasn¡¯t talking to him but was educating Wang Chao. Li Nuo tightened his grip on the earpiece and subconsciously asked, ¡°Was it you who did it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was nothing,¡± Wang Chao modestly replied from the other end.


    Although the voice in the earpiece sounded very relaxed, the people present were clearly scared by that short video.


    The second-in-command, who had harbored resistance towards Lin Chen just a while ago, had calmed down. His face turned pale as he asked, ¡°Is the lethality of the drugs held by Shen Lian really that great¡­ Can they still be considered drugs?¡±


    Lin Chen glanced over the faces in the hall and finally nodded.


    In the brief seconds that followed, the hall fell silent again, and one could hear the sound of a pin dropping.


    Li Nuo took a deep breath and heard the second-in-command finally regain his senses, saying to everyone in the hall, ¡°What are you looking at? Disperse and return to your positions!¡±


    After that sound, the hall became busy again. The officers answering phone calls continued to do so, and the officers responsible for relaying Lin Chen¡¯s instructions continued to pass on the orders. Everything returned to the same chaotic state as before, but Li Nuo felt that something was different.


    The interlude quickly passed, and Lin Chen sat back in his position. Li Nuo glanced at him and saw the serious expression on the consultant¡¯s face, wondering what he was thinking.


    He could only comfort him, saying, ¡°Actually, the other units don¡¯t have any intimidating intentions. Just explain things clearly to them when you meet with them, and they will cooperate.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze followed, and his expression was unreadable. It certainly had nothing to do with the word ¡°relaxed¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Nuo became a little nervous. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Some things are not suitable as examples for clarification,¡± Lin Chen replied vaguely.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Nuo asked in return.


    ¡°Because fear, while it can make people obey, is also the most dangerous virus.¡±


    Until they encountered later events, Li Nuo didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind Lin Chen¡¯s ambiguous words.


    All he knew was that when they left the monitoring hall, the city¡¯s traffic had been twisted and rearranged by Lin Chen into an unclear and ambiguous state.


    But if you could stand at a high point in the city, or if you could integrate the city¡¯s traffic data like the young man on the other end of the phone, you would discover that a clear path was opening up in a deliberate and methodical manner, leading the aimless criminal.

 CH 243

    Shen Ping had just finished a program broadcast. He held the TV station¡¯s microphone and wiped the sweat off his forehead, tiptoeing to look around. At this moment, he was excited but also a bit annoyed.


    He absolutely loved the current grand scene¡ªafter all, the density of the crowd represented the explosiveness of the news. However, it would be even better if there were no flashing lights around and he could have the headline all to himself.


    On the large screen opposite, displaying the Ansheng International Mall, the minute hand had moved halfway, making Shen Ping even more restless. When he turned his head, he saw a convenience store in the corner of the square, filled with cunning reporters who were enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioning. What was even more infuriating was the bald reporter from a rival TV station, holding a microphone and interviewing the store employee.


    Shen Ping secretly blamed himself for not being quick-witted enough and became even more annoyed. He took out his phone in frustration. In the WeChat group for his interview team, someone was posting emojis, which made him even angrier. He pressed the button on the microphone and shouted, ¡°Give me some news, any news! Just something!¡±


    At the moment he released the button, an unexpected screeching sound of emergency brakes rang out on the road in front of the square.


    Shen Ping shivered, quickly retracted his phone, and felt the atmosphere of a big news story approaching. He desperately stood on tiptoe, but the entire small square in front of the skyscraper was crowded with journalists and onlookers, and all he could see were heads moving about.


    Shen Ping looked around, and the surrounding crowd was squeezing towards the road where the braking sound came from. He made a bold decision, turned around, and ran away from the crowd, rushing up the steps at the entrance of the office building. Dozens of companies, including Zhourui Pharmaceutical, shared the entire skyscraper, and people were constantly coming and going at the entrance, leaving hardly any space to stand.


    However, when Shen Ping turned around to look at the origin of the commotion again, the scene before him made him feel as if he was witnessing a scene from a police action film.


    Five pure black SUVs were lined up in a row on the road; their bodies shining with a cold gleam under the sunlight. Behind them were law enforcement vehicles from the Drug Administration, the Safety Supervision Bureau, and other departments, followed by official vehicles with the logo of the Environmental Protection Bureau. Heaven knew why they had also joined in the excitement.


    After setting up this formation, the door of the driver¡¯s cabin of the leading pure black SUV was forcefully pushed open, and a pair of black leather boots stepped on the ground.


    From bottom to top, the trousers were impeccably straight, the gloves were so white they reflected light, and the uniform had not a single wrinkle. Going up further, a silver star shone on the shoulder epaulet, and the visitor¡¯s face was mostly covered by pitch-black sunglasses. That face showed no emotion; only tension and seriousness could be sensed from the tightly pursed thin lips.


    Shen Ping took a deep breath, wanting the photographer to quickly capture the scene, but he found that he and the other person had already been dispersed by the crowd.


    With the sound of the door slamming as the person arrived, all the vehicles following them seemed to have received instructions. At once, the doors of dozens of official cars swung wide open, and dozens of officials wearing uniforms from various departments stepped out of the cars one after another. Some of them carried briefcases, some began driving away the onlooking journalists, and others unfurled banners directly at the entrance of the office building¡­


    The flashes erupted once again, filling the small square with excitement. Which journalist wouldn¡¯t love such a grand scene?


    Shen Ping wiped the sweat off his face again, gritted his teeth, and prepared to find his damn cameraman. But at this very moment, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of someone walking out of the Zhourui Building. It was clearly the head of the security department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    The security guard was dressed in a suit, with muscles bulging all over his body. Such a figure was a waste to be concealed under a suit. At the same time, the officials on the square were clearing a path. The police officer, who was obviously the commander of this operation, was slowly climbing the steps, stopping in front of the security guard. The angle was perfect, and Shen Ping couldn¡¯t help but secretly take out his phone and start recording. In the era of new media, all fresh, explosive, and timely news would be accepted, and no one cared too much about quality.


    To Shen Ping¡¯s surprise, the first one to speak turned out to be the captain of the security team at Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    ¡°This is a private area. It¡¯s not convenient to invite the police inside,¡± the powerful security guard said, sounding extremely arrogant.


    After that, Shen Ping heard a sneer.


    It was a genuine, mocking laugh.


    Huang Ze didn¡¯t say a word, didn¡¯t take off his sunglasses, or remove his gloves. It was as if the person in front of him wasn¡¯t qualified to have a face-to-face conversation with him. He raised his right hand and made a simple gesture, and someone behind him handed him a piece of white paper, which unfolded with a swish.


    From Shen Ping¡¯s perspective, it was very clear that it was a search warrant issued by the court with a bright red stamp on it. After Zhourui Pharmaceutical made a move against the police, the police retaliated, and they did so with such pomp and disregard for public opinion! This was definitely big news! Shen Ping¡¯s blood was boiling.


    At this moment, Shen Ping¡¯s phone vibrated. He lowered his head and saw a reply on the screen: [Boss, my friend at the Traffic Bureau said things aren¡¯t that simple. It seems like the police are arranging something¡­]


    ¡­


    ¡°Have the police gone mad? How dare they be so arrogant toward our company!¡±


    In the top-level office of Zhourui Pharmaceuticals, the vice chairman¡¯s office. The infuriated man slammed his hand heavily on the mahogany desk in front of him, and the managers looked at each other, thinking that it was the police, the power of the state, and they could do anything without being excessive. But when facing their immediate superior, they could only echo their indignation.


    ¡°How is the finance department doing?¡±


    ¡°The audit team has arrived and is conducting an investigation.¡± The CFO reported.


    The vice chairman slammed the desk again, causing the crystal glass on the desk to tremble violently. ¡°I¡¯m asking about the accounts! Will any problems be uncovered?¡±


    The CFO cowered and said, ¡°It¡­ it shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    This statement seemed to console the vice chairman a little, and he calmed down a bit, muttering, ¡°Drug inspection, safety supervision, auditing, health¡­ everyone who can come has come.¡± He sneered. ¡°I wonder if the fire department will also come to inspect whether our fire facilities are up to code?¡±


    At this moment, the logistics department supervisor in the corner raised his hand silently. ¡°Chair¡­ Chairman¡­ The fire department¡ªhave arrived.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Not only the on-site journalists and the top management of Zhourui Pharmaceutical were shocked by Huang Ze¡¯s sudden appearance, but also the people who were watching the scene through various channels.


    ¡°Boss, you actually let Huang Ze steal the limelight in such a good opportunity. I really don¡¯t know what to say!¡±


    Wang Chao sat in the laboratory, with three computers in front of him. One of them displayed the surveillance footage in front of the Zhourui Building, freezing at the moment when Huang Ze made a beckoning gesture. The angle wasn¡¯t particularly good, but the image quality was sufficient.


    Comrade Xiao Wang wasn¡¯t watching the surveillance with the posture of watching a soap opera; instead, he took a quick glance in the midst of his busy work to confirm that the data was smooth, then continued to focus on his tasks.


    On the computer screen directly in front of him, the traffic map of the entire city of Hongjing was displayed. The blue and white background was densely covered with red and green lines like blood vessels. This was the basic work that had already been completed, so he only needed to observe it briefly. What he was really doing was the task assigned to him by the man on the other end of the earpiece.


    ¡°What about the building¡¯s structural diagram? Is it confirmed?¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was extremely cold.


    Wang Chao trembled all over and stopped daydreaming, quickly inspecting the three-dimensional model of the building in front of him and comparing it with the actual pictures. Finally, he swiftly compiled the two sets of documents and pressed the Enter key.


    ¡­¡­


    One colorful image after another quickly appeared in the dim space of the underground parking lot. The quiet compartments were filled only with the faint sound of electronic devices, and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air.


    Xing Conglian sat in the command vehicle, silently swiping the screen. Beside him were half of the high-level members of the operation team, waiting quietly.


    Flat, three-dimensional, black and white, color¡­ countless lines intertwined with each other, gradually forming a complete three-dimensional model of the entire building.


    Zhourui¡¯s headquarters was a skyscraper that integrated a commercial center and office building. It covered an area of about 10,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 180,000 square meters, a structural height of about 188 meters, and a total height of 282 meters, spanning 43 floors. Zhourui Pharmaceutical occupied the 20th to 43rd floors, while the floors below the 20th were separately rented office spaces.


    A chaotic noise came from the communication device¡ªfootsteps, shouting. Xing Conglian could almost imagine the commotion caused by Huang Ze right above his head.


    ¡°Captain Xing, everyone is inside.¡±


    The deputy team leader held his earpiece and reported to him.


    Xing Conglian nodded and handed over the tablet. The three-dimensional model of the Zhourui building was still rotating.


    The person on the other side glanced at it and said, ¡°The floors are too high. It¡¯s difficult for us to set up actual surveillance at every staircase entrance.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to,¡± Xing Conglian just responded.


    The deputy team leader hesitated for a moment. ¡°But if we don¡¯t guard the key entrances and exits, it will be difficult for us to monitor the movements of every person inside the building.¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer immediately. He just leaned back in his seat, cigarette in hand, with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Should we still assign personnel to all the key entrances and exits of the building?¡± the deputy team leader said, pointing to several safety exits on the ground floor of the building, and added, ¡°We also need to monitor the entrances and exits of the parking lot.¡±


    ¡°I have encountered Shen Lian.¡±


    Finally, Xing Conglian spoke. He looked at each person in the vehicle and believed that his voice would be transmitted to all the operatives through the radio communication devices. After a few seconds of silence, he calmly said, ¡°But I failed to apprehend her, and an officer lost his life during the operation.¡±


    The deputy team leader called out, ¡°Captain,¡± and then hesitated to say something comforting, but felt it was inappropriate.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling all of you this so that you understand. First, Shen Lian is a desperate criminal. When facing her, never take it lightly. It¡¯s never too cautious. Second, what I have planned next may seem very risky to you, but please trust my judgment.¡±


    After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence on the communication channel.


    Then, the repeated voices of ¡°Understood¡± came through the earpieces.


    Subsequently, Xing Conglian straightened his body and said seriously, ¡°My plan is that no personnel will be assigned to the entrances and exits of the entire building. No surveillance will be conducted. All personnel will guard one specific location¡­¡±


    His calloused fingertips drew a circle on the map.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Ping touched his phone, trying to disguise himself as an employee of another company to enter the building.


    To his surprise, the passing police officers paid no attention to him, treating him like an ordinary employee and not stopping him.


    Shen Ping opened his phone again and found a quiet corner of a men¡¯s restroom, crouching down to view the traffic information sent by his subordinates.


    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t an expert in traffic matters. Even after so many years in Hongjing, he sometimes relied on navigation when traveling. But even for him, looking at the real-time map now, he realized how strange the traffic in Hongjing had become.


    There were several road sections where the police had set up temporary barriers, requiring all passersby to stop for inspections. As a result, the surrounding traffic wasn¡¯t smooth at all. Shen Ping silently observed those key areas and had a feeling that there might be something wrong there. It seemed like the police were conducting surveillance or arranging something in those areas. They were treated as high-priority monitoring zones, as if something big was about to happen.


    Shen Ping regretted not obtaining the traffic map earlier. If he had, maybe he could have chosen a different location and tried his luck to get a big exclusive scoop. But now, as Shen Ping looked around, no matter what, this place was filled with police officers. Would the fugitive really come here and walk into their trap?


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Inside the speeding car, Li Nuo asked Lin Chen this question.


    The car radio was broadcasting the news of the police raid on Zhourui Pharmaceutical, and the host¡¯s tone seemed to hope that the police and the giant Zhourui Pharmaceutical would clash. Li Nuo felt annoyed and lowered the volume, looking at Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen cleared his throat, his face not looking too good. ¡°Shen Lian is a lunatic. How do you catch a lunatic?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Li Nuo abruptly turned the steering wheel to avoid a car that was aggressively trying to cut in due to the chaotic traffic in the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You have to be crazier than her.¡±


    Thinking about the experiences he had gone through with Lin Chen, Li Nuo couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°We¡¯re already crazy enough!¡± He waved his hand towards the congested elevated bridge, where all the vehicles had their red tail lights flashing, clearly stuck in traffic. ¡°The entire city¡¯s traffic is like this just to trap Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°We use the police communication system to make Shen Lian think that our surveillance locations are outside of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. We use the traffic to create convenience for her. But that¡¯s not enough because the most crucial part is the trap itself.¡±


    ¡°But if we don¡¯t have any surveillance or controls at the entrances and exits, what if Shen Lian successfully enters the building?¡±


    ¡°Even if Shen Lian arrives at Zhourui Pharmaceutical according to our plan, any detail could make her change her plans, like a government official who appears to be sealing off Zhourui Pharmaceutical but is closely observing pedestrians passing by. What if she opens the medication right then and there and we can¡¯t stop her in time? What then?¡± Lin Chen countered.


    Li Nuo was instantly at a loss for an answer. As if to match Lin Chen¡¯s words, the radio inside the car started playing a chaotic live broadcast.


    Just from the radio broadcast, one could sense the terrifying crowd inside and outside the building. The host spoke rapidly, ¡°According to our on-site reporter, a large number of electronic devices related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical have been seized by the police, and many materials are being removed from the building. The scene is in chaos.¡±


    Li Nuo suddenly woke up. ¡°On one hand, we use the investigating officers involved in apprehending Shen Lian to enter the building, but on the other hand, we also use them as bait to lure Shen Lian. But¡­ but¡­ what if we can¡¯t control Shen Lian and she succeeds? What about all the people in the building?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it won¡¯t happen?¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t succeed.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Nuo anxiously asked. ¡°You¡¯re too confident. There are too many uncontrollable factors in a live arrest operation.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± Lin Chen interrupted Li Nuo and looked out the window at the building that was getting closer to them. ¡°But I believe in him.¡±


    Lin Chen spoke calmly.


    ¡­¡­


    An Xu wasn¡¯t the person Lin Chen trusted, but right now, he was the one entrusted with an important task by ¡°that person¡±.


    He was a sniper, but at this moment, he had become a member of the building¡¯s property management team, slowly and covertly making his way to the upper floors of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    Thanks to the commotion caused by Inspector Huang, their entire team encountered no obstacles as they dispersed and made their way up. They appeared just like ordinary company employees, busy at their respective positions, maintaining order amidst the chaos throughout the entire building.


    The icy elevator doors opened with a swoosh, revealing a cold corridor. This was the central hub of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    Normally, personnel like him wouldn¡¯t be able to take the elevator to this location, but that was the advantage of a modern, intelligent building. He walked past a surveillance camera, nodding to the person monitoring it, and the camera responded with a slight up and down movement.


    An Xu walked calmly, pushing open two doors, scanning his fingerprint, and then entering a completely different area from the beautifully decorated building.


    This area was unfinished, with the raw structure of steel and concrete still exposed.


    Just then, he heard a faint conversation up ahead.


    In an instant, An Xu stopped in his tracks and quickly hid behind a wall.


    He took a deep breath, and the scene before him made his heart race uncontrollably. In the area designated for him by Xing Conglian, two janitorial staff members were chatting casually. Around them, plastic bottles were piled up densely.


    What had not been reported in any of the surveillance images was that the critical area where he was supposed to snipe Shen Lian had been treated by the janitorial staff as a storage area for empty water bottles.


    An Xu took a step back, returning to the empty corridor, and reported back to Xing Conglian through his earpiece, ¡°Captain Xing, this is Fox. There¡¯s a problem in the target area¡­ Should we change the sniper position?¡±


    He briefly described what he had just seen, and there was a tense exchange of questions and answers on the other end of the earpiece.


    Finally, a definite command came through the earpiece.


    But that voice furrowed An Xu¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Captain Xing¡­ The linear distance from the Jin Sui Building to the designated target location exceeds 1,000 meters, and it¡¯s very difficult to calculate the wind speed at such a high altitude.¡±


    The person on the other end said a couple more things.


    ¡°Okay, I understand, but¡­¡± After pondering for a moment, An Xu decided to give a direct response, ¡°With my abilities, I cannot guarantee the completion of this sniper mission. I request consideration for a replacement sniper.¡±


    There was a slight noise in the earpiece, and then a very certain answer followed.


    An Xu suddenly looked up, but in the end, he could only respond in the calmest tone, ¡°Understood.¡±


    That was what he said.


    ¡­¡­


    Some time later, on the same floor.


    ¡°Inspector Huang¡­ The personnel from the drug inspection team have all entered the laboratories of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.¡±


    Huang Ze sat in the office of the Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical with his legs crossed as the voice of his subordinates¡¯ reports came through his earpiece.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± Huang Ze asked.


    ¡°The investigators have smoothly entered the premises without encountering any obstacles,¡± the subordinate replied.


    ¡°Nephew.¡± The middle-aged man across from him spoke up.


    Huang Ze tried to maintain his composure, but in the presence of the man before him, he couldn¡¯t help but curse Xing Conglian and his entire family in his mind. Yes, indeed. After he had very amicably inquired what he could do to help Xing Conglian, the other party mercilessly sent him to lead the team to investigate the secrets of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    ¡°Nephew, isn¡¯t it a little inappropriate for you to show no mercy?¡± The vice chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical, to be precise, the father-in-law of a distant cousin, said so.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face was filled with fake smiles and sincere threats, and Huang Ze once again grew tired of the intricate web of alliances between large families.


    ¡°When have you seen me show mercy?¡± Huang Ze retorted.


    After he said these words, a distant chime rang out in the square.


    Ding¡­ Ding¡­


    Huang Ze shivered suddenly, thinking it was an illusion. Although the sound was faint and the soundproofing of the building wasn¡¯t too bad, Huang Ze couldn¡¯t help but feel that each distant chime struck his heart.


    Ding¡­ Ding¡­


    It was the end-of-work chime, and it seemed like a sign of something else.


    Unconsciously, he looked out the window, completely shutting out the incessant voice of the person who could barely be considered his uncle behind him.


    Sitting in his seat, he lowered his head and could just see Ansheng International Mall across the street. Several months ago, a serious public security incident had occurred in that mall, and ironically, it was Lin Chen who had saved him at that time, and then Xing Conglian had told him to scram. But now, Huang Ze told himself that it wasn¡¯t the best time to reminisce about the past.


    Ding¡­ Ding¡­


    But the more he thought about it, the stranger the memories became. He saw the musical fountain in the square opposite the mall spring to life. He suddenly remembered a family meeting where, it seemed, he had made a proposal that all the family¡¯s shopping malls should have iconic musical fountains in front of them. He didn¡¯t know why he had made such an arrangement at the time, perhaps for artistic purposes or maybe because he had a problem with his mind when he was young.


    But as he watched the fountain in the square shoot water high and low, clear and transparent, Huang Ze¡¯s expression grew solemn, overwhelmed by a strong sense of foreboding.


    Because the instruments playing for the musical fountain in the square were from Johann Strauss Jr.1, and the piece was called <The Blue Danube>2. And there was not a single piece of music by Johann Strauss Jr. played inside or outside Ansheng International Mall, because he detested the Vienna waltzes that were so sticky.


    1Was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well as a violinist. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as ¡°The Waltz King¡±, and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.


    2A waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. It has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire.


    Huang Ze stood up and walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window. His hand involuntarily tapped lightly on the handrail in front of the window as the musical fountain sprayed a mist of water into the air under the sunlight.


    At the same time, a pair of white canvas shoes with gray footprints stepped onto the final step in front of Zhourui Pharmaceutical Building.


    Huang Ze looked around and saw the insignificance of humanity beneath his feet, like ants.


    In that instant, the diverse expressions on the entire square transformed into pure, flat lines. The expressions dissolved into circular shapes of varying sizes for the eyes and lips, making the world appear very singular, yet the edges were exceptionally vivid and sharp.


    The waltz music was light and cheerful, as if dancing to a joyful rhythm. Employees who were finishing work on time stepped out of the elevator and happily rushed towards the vast world outside the building.


    Huang Ze¡¯s gaze wandered over the heads of the small figures on the square.


    Cleaners emptied various garbage from trash bins, sorting plastic bottles and cardboard together. Janitors wearing masks drove garbage trucks out of the underground parking lot. Secretaries in high heels continued to shuttle back and forth between the inside and outside of the building, holding documents in their hands.


    Some people were answering phone calls on the square, others were chatting with friends nearby, and someone angrily threw what they were holding to the ground, venting their anger at the government officials in front of them.


    But inside the building, more people remained busy, forced to stay at their posts.


    Huang Ze took a deep breath, pressed his earpiece, and uttered the most chilling words to everyone on the channel.


    ¡°She¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    An Xu stood in the descending elevator, and those words were transmitted through his earpiece.


    His heart trembled, and as he looked around, he felt the entire lobby fall silent, without a single sound.


    The elevator in which he stood was completely transparent, swiftly descending, and he scanned the floors from top to bottom.


    In his eyes, all the images converged into the calmest and clearest lines and data.


    As far as the eye could see, there were countless offices and company employees who hadn¡¯t yet left work. On the higher floors, all the government officials inspecting Zhourui Pharmaceutical were busy. The situation on the lower floors of the companies varied, with some people looking at their watches, others turning off the lights and leaving, and some seemingly still immersed in their work¡­


    Looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the companies with different logos, the myriad appearances of people made one¡¯s throat tighten. But An Xu was certain that among all the people he had scanned, none of them were Shen Lian.


    The numbers on the LCD display in the elevator, indicating the floor, continued to decrease. An Xu steadied his breath. Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the ding sound rang again as the doors opened.


    Another wave of girls in vibrant skirts entered the elevator. The girls had radiant smiles, as if spring had returned and the ice had melted. They stood in front of him, and he caught a whiff of their perfume.


    The glass doors closed again, and the floor indicator continued to descend.


    One of the girls in the elevator let out a low exclamation.


    The male employees in the elevator turned their heads to look at the sky, with smiles on their faces.


    An Xu also followed their gaze, and through the transparent elevator and glass curtain wall, he saw the building where he had told Xing Conglian that he couldn¡¯t complete the sniper mission there.


    In the distance, the sunset glowed like fire, as if burning above their heads.


    In the moment when the descending elevator crossed paths with the ascending elevator, a pair of black high heels flashed past in his field of view.


    ¡®Hope everything goes well,¡¯ An Xu silently thought in his heart.


    ¡­¡­


    The elevator continuously stopped and then started again. After numerous dings, the elevator finally stopped on the first floor.


    Dressed in the building¡¯s property uniform, An Xu followed the girls out of the elevator.


    Just as they were walking out of the elevator, he felt someone brush past him, causing him to involuntarily stop in his tracks.


    Although he tried his best not to turn around, he couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and reluctantly look back.


    He saw a pair of white canvas shoes, and the owner of those shoes, following various types of leather footwear, calmly stepped into the elevator.


    The elevator doors closed, and the elevator went up.


    An Xu took a few steps forward and, once he reached a safe distance, couldn¡¯t help but turn around to look.


    In the ascending elevator that he had just stepped out of, the police consultant lowered his cap. His face was serene as he squeezed among the crowd of various people and nodded at him.


    ¡­¡­


    An Xu walked out of the building, following Xing Conglian¡¯s previous instructions. He sat down on the second bench on the left side of the square.


    Through his earpiece, he heard the quiet breathing of the entire action team. No one was assigning tasks or reporting positions. He seemed to have entered the quietest moment of radio silence.


    He took a deep breath of the fresh air outside the building, and everything was silent on the communication channel. However, he had a feeling of escaping and ascending to the heavens.


    He unscrewed the mineral water in his hand, took a sip, and then heard the sound of the elevator doors opening again.


    Someone was walking out of the elevator, moving slowly in the quiet corridor.


    The person walking was the consultant who had brushed past him earlier.


    An Xu silently counted the footsteps he heard through the earpiece, calculating the number of steps to infer the person¡¯s approximate location in the building. But this tranquility lasted for a very brief moment. With the accompaniment of light music, he suddenly heard someone on the team¡¯s shared channel just answer a phone call.


    Before anyone had a chance to scold the person who dared to answer a call during the operation, a very anxious female voice came through the entire channel. The woman¡¯s voice choked up, sounding somewhat gentle yet filled with suppressed sadness.


    ¡°Chenchen, Lao Su¡­ He just went to the hospital, and his condition isn¡¯t good. What happened all of a sudden?¡±


    An Xu held his breath, and there was silence on the channel. The woman¡¯s voice seemed to have plunged into complete darkness, unable to stir any ripples.


    An Xu unexpectedly felt a lump in his throat and couldn¡¯t find any words to say because he suddenly realized who had answered the phone call.


    There was still no one speaking on the channel, only a soft click, like a pebble falling into a dark world, silently ending the call.

 CH 244

    The black high heels stepped out of the elevator into the brightly lit corridor.


    Bright floor tiles, bright sunset, bright floor-to-ceiling skylight.


    The waltz on the square had reached such a height that it was difficult to discern the complete melody. However, the saccharine tune became even sweeter due to the playful wind, evoking memories of things like syrup on a child¡¯s lips, cherry blossoms falling from branches in spring, and the graceful curves of a woman¡¯s legs.


    Their meeting seemed ordinary, without any tension in the air.


    Lin Chen stood with his hands in his pockets, stopping at the corner. Someone happened to walk past the corner and stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°Miss Shen Lian, hello,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    There were more than twenty tiles between them. The woman standing opposite him had a serene expression. When she saw him, there was neither a smile nor anger on her face; she appeared like a ghost.


    However, in that moment, Lin Chen was keenly aware that she didn¡¯t belong to this civilized society. She was a hybrid created by evil and abhorrence, with no regard for human life.


    But Lin Chen also understood that Shen Lian¡¯s current attitude was just her own, and it didn¡¯t affect the stability of the sniper rifle aimed at her. This gave him time to carefully assess his opponent.


    Shen Lian had fair skin, slightly wide-set eyes, and delicately arched eyebrows that exuded a gentle and faint sense. She wore a black dress, and her jet-black hair cascaded lightly over her shoulders. Her hand, adorned with black leather gloves, lightly held a black bag, and the pointed tips of her black high heels firmly pressed against the line dividing the floor tiles. Despite being on the run, she appeared unruffled, as if she was attending a banquet rather than about to kill. Of course, for someone like Shen Lian, killing was more exhilarating than attending a banquet.


    Shen Lian remained silent. Her gaze was gentle, her feathery lashes flickering, as if piercing through him and aiming at the void behind him. Of course, what was behind him wasn¡¯t emptiness but a door.


    In the next moment, Shen Lian continued to move forward. The tips of her high heels lightly tapped the ground, followed by her heels landing elegantly, as graceful as a swan. Only death could make her stop.


    At that moment, a red light broke through the air and pierced Shen Lian¡¯s chest.


    Shen Lian lowered her head slowly, and her footsteps momentarily paused.


    Lin Chen realized that there were still 12 tiles between him and Shen Lian.


    The communication channel was filled with intense inquiries, and the footsteps approaching from a distance grew more frequent. It would take less than 10 seconds for the elite team that had emerged from the corner to successfully capture or kill Shen Lian. Everything would go smoothly and simply, and they would soon be able to go home.


    Shen Lian lifted her bag, lightly resting her hand on the clasp. It was a subtle movement that typically indicated she was about to draw a weapon.


    Even though victory was within sight, Lin Chen suddenly reevaluated Shen Lian¡¯s attire and felt a chilling sensation.


    He seemed to see a chess game at its most exquisite moment, with the crucial black piece about to reach her position.


    He raised his hand abruptly.


    Time stood still in that instant.


    ¡­¡­


    Over 400 meters above, the wind was unpredictable.


    Xing Conglian was crouched on a makeshift desk, and due to Lin Chen¡¯s simple gesture, his earpiece was filled with a flurry of tense inquiries.


    ¡°What is Lin Chen doing? Why did he suddenly abandon the operation?¡± Huang Ze exclaimed.


    The deputy team leader said, ¡°Xing Conglian, do you have confidence in this?¡±


    The strong wind cut across his face like a knife, and Xing Conglian¡¯s fingers remained on the trigger. Through his scope, he only saw Shen Lian¡¯s figure, but he was well aware that, a kilometer away, the person standing in front of Shen Lian was someone else.


    Xing Conglian slightly tilted his head and uttered four words to everyone on the communication channel:


    ¡°Stay calm. Don¡¯t panic.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Time lasted only for a few brief seconds.


    Shen Lian¡¯s action of placing her hand on the clasp was incredibly delicate, but it flooded Lin Chen¡¯s mind with countless thoughts.


    Shen Lian looked beautiful today. A psychologically disturbed person who wanted to die in a beautiful way in her final moments¡ªno problem with that.


    But the dress she wore was too conspicuous.


    Being overly conspicuous indicated that Shen Lian wasn¡¯t afraid of being discovered. Of course, she held the medicine with confidence and without fear, and that was also not a problem.


    However, the problem was that just a moment ago, in the instant when she knew the sniper rifle was aimed at her, Shen Lian acted without hesitation.


    She even wanted to open the bag, making a dangerous move that anyone would have shot her without hesitation upon seeing it.


    This indicated that Shen Lian was seeking death.


    Shen Lian wanted to die at the hands of the police. Why?


    Lin Chen realized that he didn¡¯t know the answer. An uncontrollable chill ran down his spine.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Lian¡¯s footsteps came to a halt.


    She lowered her head slightly, but there was no blood splatter, as she had expected. She could still see everything with her eyes, indicating that she hadn¡¯t been shot in the head and was still alive.


    Her hand rested on the clasp of her bag, and with her peripheral vision, she saw the reflection of the gun barrel behind her. She lifted her head again, finally focusing her gaze on the person in front of her.


    It must be said that the sunlight was just right today, casting a calm and natural glow on the young face bathed in the evening sun, radiating with the vitality of life.


    That was Lin Chen, and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to describe him as someone whose name was well-known and heard everywhere.


    This made Shen Lian squint her eyes slightly, and she couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath of the surrounding air.


    In fact, after Lin Chen had pondered so much, it was now her turn to think about many things. In the end, all she did was nod in acknowledgment to him.


    ¡°How does it feel to be alive?¡±


    Suddenly, she heard him ask such a question.


    Shen Lian recalled someone once saying that Lin Chen always asked questions that made you really want to answer them. Even if you sewed your mouth shut with a needle and avoided any eye contact with him, he could still guess this or that, making him incredibly difficult to guard against. He was truly annoying.


    So it was practically a golden rule not to say anything to Lin Chen.


    Shen Lian continued forward, taking two steps, and the number of tiles between her and Lin Chen was reduced to 10.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian remained motionless, as if he had returned to a moment in the Dana Rainforest.


    In his mind, he could vividly recall the scene when his heart pounded explosively upon seeing Lin Chen through the scope. But now, his heartbeat was no longer racing, but rather calm.


    ¡°Wang Chao,¡± Xing Conglian whispered.


    The communication channels, intricately connected like a spiderweb, instantly filled with the anxious and helpless voices of the young teenager. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a riot at Yongchuan University in the third cafeteria. It¡¯s said that students got into a fight over queuing issues, and the situation on-site is quite severe. Mr. Su was dining in the cafeteria at the time!¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s breath hitched, but he didn¡¯t say anything. The communication channels erupted in an instant.


    Those who could speak now were the ones who had the authority to act.


    ¡°Shen Lian is here. Why is there a riot at Yongchuan?¡± someone asked in the channel.


    ¡°Could Zhourui¡¯s drugs not only target the middle-aged and elderly? What¡¯s going on? Shen Lian has an accomplice, and there are others poisoned at Yongchuan University?¡±


    ¡°Wait, let¡¯s clarify first. Is the riot at Yongchuan University really related to Shen Lian?¡±


    The questions kept coming, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere. Xing Conglian knew very well that these voices would reach Lin Chen¡¯s ears as they were, and all the pressure would fall directly on his shoulders.


    The distance between Shen Lian and Lin Chen was getting shorter.


    Someone else spoke up, saying, ¡°Captain, the distance between Shen Lian and Consultant Lin is too close. Consultant Lin might be in danger.¡±


    Huang Ze shouted, ¡°Xing Conglian!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Of course, Lin Chen could hear those voices in the channel.


    He heard many people¡¯s subconscious questions, the warnings about his safety, and even the nervousness in Huang Ze¡¯s voice when he called out Xing Conglian¡¯s name.


    But in the end, those voices became completely unimportant because Xing Conglian said two words: Trust me.


    Although the tension was overwhelming now, and the woman in front of him was like a puzzle, and the time he had to solve it was incredibly short, Lin Chen suddenly felt relaxed and serene because of those two words from Xing Conglian.


    With one hand in his pocket, his other hand remained suspended in the air, not coming down. He didn¡¯t speak; he was waiting for Shen Lian to speak.


    Finally, Shen Lian stood still in a position five tiles away from him and spoke up.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, what are you doing here?¡± Her tone was different from what Lin Chen had imagined. It was surprisingly¡­ very straightforward.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Why are you waiting for me?¡± Shen Lian asked in return.


    ¡°I have a question I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Have you watched too many movies?¡± Shen Lian asked curiously. ¡°Do all the villains have to candidly express their thoughts and feelings before they die? Why should I answer your question?¡±


    However, Lin Chen wasn¡¯t angered by Shen Lian¡¯s frank words. He shook his head slightly and told her, ¡°Actually, this is a normal psychological phenomenon. People always like to show off, especially the side that has the advantage. In the end, they can¡¯t help but boast in front of their opponents. After all, time is running out.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Lian looked down at the red dot on her chest, then turned to look at the guns pointed at her. She said, ¡°So, Consultant Lin, what do you want to boast about?¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head again. ¡°The one who has the advantage right now is clearly you. I¡¯m standing here just to listen to you speak.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was calm and gentle, and Shen Lian suddenly smiled. In that moment, she looked like the dealer who had finally revealed her winning hand in a gamble, overwhelmingly dazzling.


    Tilting her head slightly, Shen Lian looked around as if by chance she spotted a bench by the floor-to-ceiling window.


    She said, ¡°I think you have bad manners. Why don¡¯t you invite me over to sit?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°I apologize for my rudeness.¡±


    He finished speaking and made a gesture of invitation, slightly bowing and pointing to the wooden bench Shen Lian had looked at earlier.


    The evening sunlight bathed the wooden chair in a brilliant glow, with a potted flower nearby, reminding people of many words associated with flames.


    Shen Lian walked over slowly, sat down at one end of the bench, and elegantly placed her handbag by her side. Then she patted the empty space next to her.


    It meant: Come and sit with me.


    In Lin Chen¡¯s earpiece channel, there were, as expected, voices of dissuasion, and some suggested restraining Shen Lian. The following team members could clear Shen Lian¡¯s handbag in a matter of seconds, rendering it harmless. These were all things they had prepared in advance.


    Lin Chen glanced at the woman¡¯s back on the bench, sighed almost imperceptibly, and then walked over and sat down obediently.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they annoying?¡± Shen Lian pointed to the device in his ear and asked bluntly.


    ¡°They can be,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°Then take it off.¡±


    Looking at Shen Lian¡¯s lustrous black hair, Lin Chen earnestly said, ¡°Even if I take it off, they can still hear it. There are also bugs under the chair you¡¯re sitting on, so if we want to keep our conversation private, we need to do a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so troublesome?¡± Shen Lian said. ¡°If they hear it, they hear it. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t say anything more. Like an officer surrendering his weapon to a criminal, he took out the transparent and tiny earpiece and placed it on the wooden board between them.


    Shen Lian didn¡¯t spare another glance at the item. In the next moment, she opened her handbag with swift and forceful movements, sounding like a warrior drawing her sword. The sound reverberated through the quiet corridor.


    Shen Lian unexpectedly glanced at the heavily armed SWAT team at the far end of the corridor, then looked at her own chest. She was still alive.


    All these actions were captured by Lin Chen¡¯s eyes. The opening of the bag revealed a gap, and he peered inside, seeing vials emitting a cold gleam. Even though he couldn¡¯t hear any sound from the channel now, he was certain that Xing Conglian must be ordering all departments to remain calm.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Shen?¡± Lin Chen asked with concern.


    Shen Lian brushed away the nonexistent dust from her chest and said, ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re putting yourself in a passive position. Now that I know you won¡¯t kill me, I can rush through that door and kill everyone in this building!¡± Shen Lian raised her voice, her eyebrows furrowing in anger, and she appeared extremely fierce.


    Lin Chen remained unresponsive, breathing steadily and maintaining a calm gaze as he looked into Shen Lian¡¯s eyes.


    In the next moment, Shen Lian burst into laughter, a wildly crazy laughter that shook the heavens, exuding a sense of unrestrained freedom, like a true madwoman.


    Shen Lian laughed for a long time, during which she patted Lin Chen¡¯s back twice heavily. While laughing, she shouted, ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re great! I really like you!¡± When someone like Shen Lian said she liked someone, it definitely wasn¡¯t a good thing. In the meantime, the woman pulled out a dozen vials from the opened bag and placed them on the bench with a resounding thud. She cheerfully said, ¡°Let me treat you to a drink!¡±


    ¡­..


    Those things were tiny needles encapsulated in transparent vials, each containing about 10 ml.


    In the hospital, when getting an injection, the nurse would take out one vial, break the slender glass bottle neck by hand, draw the liquid with a disposable syringe, mix it with powdered medication, and then inject it into the patient. It was roughly something like that.


    Under the evening sun, the liquid inside the small vials shimmered with a touch of golden hue. Looking through Xing Conglian¡¯s scope, the liquid in those twelve vials emitted a deadly gleam.


    Shen Lian picked up one vial, pressed her thumb against the narrow neck of the vial, and with a crisp sound, skillfully broke it open.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart rate finally uncontrollably sped up, as he saw Shen Lian handing the vial to Lin Chen.


    Although Lin Chen had removed his earpiece, he could still clearly hear his calm and distinct voice.


    Lin Chen asked, ¡°Is this for me? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Glucose,¡± Shen Lian¡¯s tone carried a hint of sweetness.


    Everyone knew that what a killer carried with them couldn¡¯t possibly be glucose. Urgent voices resounded in Xing Conglian¡¯s earpiece channel once again.


    In his current position, he could choose to pull the trigger directly, but at that moment, he saw Lin Chen look up and deliberately cast a deep glance in his direction.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gentle yet affectionate gaze made Xing Conglian¡¯s finger stiffen like never before.


    He watched as Lin Chen unhesitatingly took the vial and was about to drink from it. However, Shen Lian interrupted him and asked, ¡°Have you ever played Russian roulette?¡±


    Lin Chen paused for a moment and answered, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a life-or-death game. Each person points a gun at their own head, and there¡¯s only one bullet inside. Whoever gets shot dies.¡± Shen Lian pointed at the twelve vials between her and Lin Chen and said, ¡°Here, there are twelve vials, but only one of them contains a potion that can turn a person into a beast.¡±


    Shen Lian¡¯s voice caused all the listeners on the channel to involuntarily gasp for breath.


    Then came Lin Chen¡¯s voice.


    He said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, have you gone crazy? Don¡¯t you care about your life anymore!¡±


    Huang Ze stepped out of the office door and blurted out.


    However, once the words were spoken, the communication channel fell silent, and regret followed in the next second.


    At this moment, Wang Chao spoke up. ¡°Lao Huang, we all care about A¡¯Chen Gege¡¯s safety. Now is not the time for you to be stubborn.¡± The young man¡¯s voice sounded very nervous, and there weren¡¯t many things that could make Wang Chao nervous. ¡°There has been an attack in Meichuan City, which is very close to Yongchuan¡­ The scene is¡­ extremely horrifying¡­¡±


    The entire communication channel fell into a complete vacuum, as if it were a void universe devoid of sound.


    Huang Ze clenched his fist, allowing himself to slowly recover from the moment when he was soaked with cold water. He finally realized why Lin Chen had to agree to Shen Lian. This woman seemed unarmed and posed no threat at all, but she held the most crucial and deadly thing¡ªthe lives of many ordinary people.


    Among these people, Lin Chen¡¯s teacher happened to be included.


    Upon hearing Lin Chen¡¯s prompt acceptance, Shen Lian nodded. She casually took out a vial, broke the bottle neck, pressed her thumb and index finger together, lightly holding the vial, and said, ¡°Cheers?¡±


    ¡°Cheers.¡±


    Under the evening sun, the two slender vials touched each other, emitting a soft sound of ¡°ding¡±.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Why are you so compliant?¡±


    Even though he knew it might be a dangerous substance, Lin Chen swallowed the potion without hesitation, which Shen Lian couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Because I have a teacher.¡± Lin Chen tilted his head slightly and looked at Shen Lian.


    Speaking of which, Lin Chen¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t particularly attractive, but his pupils were very dark. In that instant, Shen Lian inexplicably felt a chilling sensation, as if her entire thoughts were being read.


    However, Lin Chen quickly averted his gaze, looking towards the distant sky, and said, ¡°My parents passed away, and I don¡¯t have any older relatives. But there isn¡¯t any overly tragic story behind it; it¡¯s just a normal case of death from illness. My teacher, who was also my mentor during university, is someone who can be described as having excessive sympathy. Perhaps because he himself hasn¡¯t enjoyed the joys of having children and family, he treats every student as his own child.¡±


    ¡°Why should I listen to you talk about this?¡± Shen Lian asked.


    ¡°Because my time may be running out,¡± Lin Chen replied. In the midst of speaking, he casually took out another vial from the remaining ten, lightly tapped it against the empty vial in Shen Lian¡¯s hand, and quickly consumed the liquid inside with one gulp. This caused Shen Lian¡¯s fingers to twitch involuntarily, but she quickly suppressed it.


    Lin Chen seemed oblivious to this and continued, ¡°That¡¯s how my teacher is, and his wife is even more terrifying. She is the gentlest woman I have ever seen in my life, still very youthful at sixty-something, and she loves everything pink. She enjoys cooking, gardening, taking care of the weak, and watching us read and hold meetings in her study, where she prepares tea and is pleased when we praise her for her ingenuity.¡±


    ¡°That sounds scary,¡± Shen Lian said as she finally took out a vial, broke the bottle neck, and drank the liquid in one go.


    Then, Lin Chen calmly picked up a small vial but didn¡¯t immediately break the bottle neck.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Now, my teacher lies on a hospital bed with an uncertain fate because of your medication. Before I met you, his wife cried and asked me what was going on,¡± Lin Chen lowered his head and chuckled self-mockingly. ¡°I thought I knew what was going on, but now¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Shen Lian asked.


    ¡°Answer me one question, and then I¡¯ll continue playing your game.¡± Lin Chen didn¡¯t wait for her consent but immediately followed up. ¡°Is there a corresponding antidote for the drug you developed?¡±


    Shen Lian didn¡¯t expect Lin Chen to be so direct. ¡°You went on and on with all the preamble, but in the end, you ask this?¡± Shen Lian laughed. ¡°You know I won¡¯t give you the answer.¡±


    Lin Chen smiled and revealed a meaningful smile. He broke the glass neck and raised his cup to her. ¡°Thank you, I already know the answer.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s confident smile left Shen Lian speechless. She suddenly felt that sitting down and talking with Lin Chen was a mistake.


    The next moment, Lin Chen unexpectedly took out two new vials at once, broke the bottle necks recklessly, and was about to drink them in one gulp.


    Shen Lian glared at him and also took out two vials. ¡°Why are you so greedy?¡±


    In an instant, there were only three vials left in the box.


    ¡­¡­


    In front of the surveillance screen, Wang Chao¡¯s heart was pounding. There were originally twelve vials, but by the time he realized it, only three were left.


    It seemed that A¡¯Chen Gege and Shen Lian hadn¡¯t gone mad, indicating that the poisonous vial mentioned by Shen Lian should be among the last three ampoules.


    He was panting heavily and couldn¡¯t even utter words like ¡°What should we do?¡± or ¡°Boss, save A¡¯Chen Gege.¡±


    He turned around and saw the chemist in the laboratory glancing at the screen and then engrossed in some calculations.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you nervous at all?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°Do you have Shen Lian¡¯s medical records?¡± At that moment, Mr. Xiao Zhan suddenly looked up and asked him.


    ¡­¡­


    By the floor-to-ceiling window, Lin Chen opened two vials at once, like a generous drinker, and decisively finished both vials in one go.


    The two glass vials fell to the marble floor with a loud crash, shattering into fragments.


    In the midst of speaking, he was about to reach for another vial on the chair, but Shen Lian couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and slapped his hand away.


    Lin Chen looked at Shen Lian and asked, ¡°What? Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand ¡®ladies first¡¯? Are you trying to die first?¡± Shen Lian blurted out.


    Lin Chen lowered his brows and looked at the vial of liquid by his side as if he was looking at his lover. He asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that one of them will cause madness?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death,¡± Shen Lian said.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t delve further into it but instead made a polite gesture.


    Shen Lian took out two vials, but she said to Lin Chen, ¡°You took one less just now. This is for fairness. The last vial is yours.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Lian¡¯s actions were blatantly obvious. It was equivalent to saying that the last vial was the poison, and all her talk about it being a similar neurotoxic drug was a complete lie. This was a deadly poison, and he should drink it.


    In the high altitude, the voice urging him to shoot once again filled Xing Conglian¡¯s ears. The voice came from Huang Ze.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking action, Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°Just wait a little longer.¡± After saying that, he extended his hand, lowered the volume of his earpiece, and continued to calmly observe what was happening in the distance.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Lian opened the third-to-last vial and drank it all in one breath.


    ¡°You asked me a question earlier, and I have a question as well. I¡¯ve been curious, and if you answer truthfully, you can use one of the vials in your hand and exchange it for another one,¡± Shen Lian said.


    ¡°That¡¯s too cheap for me,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Shen Lian seemed reluctant to argue with him and asked directly, ¡°The police officers outside my house that night¡ªwere they really there to arrest me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Chen added slowly, ¡°Your company probably found out that we had located you, and that¡¯s why they connected the dots and found you. Before that, you had been hiding perfectly.¡±


    Shen Lian quickly finished the vial in her hand and sneered, ¡°Where exactly are my flaws?¡±


    The setting sun in the distance resembled blood as Lin Chen uttered words, ¡°Duan Wanshan.¡±


    Shen Lian suddenly raised her voice. ¡°He¡¯s back?¡±


    Lin Chen abruptly stopped speaking, picked up the last vial from the bench, and didn¡¯t answer.


    Shen Lian bit her lip suddenly. Just hearing that name made her engage in intense contemplation. ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible. He can¡¯t be back. It¡¯s been too short a time, and you couldn¡¯t have contacted him so quickly in such a short time. So why were you able to quickly eliminate Duan Wanshan as a murder suspect?!¡±


    Among the entire communication channel and the entire territory of China, there were only three people who knew the answer.


    Lin Chen was contemplating.


    Xing Conglian remained silent.


    Even Wang Chao seemed to have a premonition, and his nerves were so tense that he couldn¡¯t even breathe.


    At this moment, everyone finally heard Lin Chen¡¯s answer. He said, ¡°Because he¡¯s my friend.¡±


    Shen Lian forcefully broke the vial, seemingly taken aback by this answer. She angrily retorted, ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°I have good judgment of character, and I¡¯ve always believed in my friends. Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t kill Tan Kang over an academic dispute.¡±


    There was a brief moment of silence, lasting about two or three seconds.


    Suddenly, Shen Lian burst into mad laughter, her laughter resounding through the air, to the point where she couldn¡¯t even stand up straight. ¡°Hahaha, what did you just say?¡±


    Shen Lian found Lin Chen¡¯s words extremely amusing. She couldn¡¯t believe the current situation she found herself in. It was all because someone was Duan Wanshan¡¯s friend and had great faith in him?


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Lian¡¯s laughter didn¡¯t bring any relief to the police officers inside and outside the building. Her piercing and resolute voice was filled with a murderous intent.


    At that moment, a voice suddenly came through the channel, overpowering Shen Lian¡¯s laughter.


    Xiao Zhan had taken Wang Chao¡¯s earpiece at some point and shouted into the microphone, ¡°Shen Lian is attempting suicide! We can¡¯t let her drink the last vial!¡±


    However, communication channels naturally had a propagation delay, not to mention the interval between human thought and giving orders.


    In the footage, Shen Lian had already lifted the tiny vial to her lips, her fair and slender wrist shining like jade. There was a hint of anger and relief in her eyes.


    But all the police officers who heard those words fell into a momentary daze. Even if Xing Conglian gave the order now, he couldn¡¯t stop her in time.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t have an earpiece, so they couldn¡¯t transmit the message to him in such a short amount of time. Everything seemed to be too late.


    Suddenly, a hand appeared from below and swiftly grasped Shen Lian¡¯s wrist.


    Shen Lian was startled, and after two seconds, she realized that her wrist was tightly held. The hand was fair and symmetrical, with calluses between the knuckles that indicated long hours of writing, making it look robust and powerful.


    The last vial in Lin Chen¡¯s hand had fallen to the ground at some point, and the liquid mixed with broken glass flowed on the marble floor.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege!¡± Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but shout at the sight of the hand that suddenly prevented Shen Lian.


    The young man¡¯s voice filled the channel and brought everyone back to their senses.


    It was only then that they realized that even in a critical moment, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t pull the trigger.


    ¡­¡­


    Shen Lian¡¯s gaze shifted slightly downward and fell upon the person¡¯s face, finally recognizing who had stopped her at the last moment.


    Who else could it be? At this critical juncture, only Lin Chen could react in time.


    Lin Chen¡¯s eyelashes were long and trembled slightly in the sunset. Then his eyebrows lifted slightly as he gazed at her.


    In that instant, Lin Chen resembled the kind of white-shirted senior in university who attracted female students the most¡ªclean and neat, but with certain moments that could make one¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    Shen Lian stared at Lin Chen for a long time. It was also the first time she had carefully observed him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Shen Lian asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t believe that you would allow yourself to become a crazed lunatic. So unless you were certain which vial among those twelve contains the poison, I wouldn¡¯t risk playing this game with you,¡± Lin Chen said with a resolute tone, just like when he said, ¡°I believe my friend wouldn¡¯t kill.¡±


    This made Shen Lian laugh coldly. ¡°But how does that relate to you sabotaging my game now?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯ve been deceiving me from the beginning,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been deceiving me, I can only rely on hypothesis testing to deduce the true intention behind you coming all this way to play this game with me. Speaking of which, the intentions hidden behind complex actions are often very simple.¡± Lin Chen paused and continued, ¡°We studied the formation of concepts and reasoning in psychology class during college. It happened to be a very cold day, so we were all studying at my teacher¡¯s house, and we learned it very well.¡±


    Lin Chen stared deeply at Shen Lian, who felt her hidden thoughts being exposed once again, causing an indescribable discomfort in her heart.


    But Lin Chen didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak. He slowly began, ¡°When we drank the first two vials, I took the initiative to randomly select the third one. You had the impulse to stop me in that instant, but you held back. You see, instinctive reactions are always faster than thoughts.¡± Lin Chen continued, ¡°If one of the twelve vials is poisonous, you must ensure that I drink the poison. But I didn¡¯t follow the rules of the game, where you choose one and I choose one to drink. My assumption broke the pattern of your game. Therefore, based on this analysis, ¡®Hypothesis One: Why did you want to stop me in that instant?¡¯ You couldn¡¯t possibly be genuinely worried that I would drink the poison, right?¡±


    Shen Lian pursed her lips and refused to answer.


    ¡°In fact, in the process of reasoning, it always requires two factors: ¡®because¡¯ and ¡®therefore.¡¯ Because of Hypothesis One, I need to reanalyze the true purpose of this game, which leads to the derived Hypothesis Two. This is actually a very simple question, like two three-year-old children eating candy. There are a total of twelve candies, with one of them being milk-flavored, while the rest are tasteless. The more candies I eat, the higher the chance of getting the milk-flavored one, and you would stop me because the more I eat, the fewer chances you have to get the milk-flavored one. The same logic applies to the vials. So, the answer to Hypothesis Two is ¡®quantity,''¡± Lin Chen said to Shen Lian. ¡°By the way, I didn¡¯t have this medical knowledge originally, but I almost died from penicillin desensitization, which made me realize the importance of dosage.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice transmitted through the earpiece lying on the bench, slowly reaching Xing Conglian¡¯s ears. Through the scope, Lin Chen¡¯s face was vividly clear. When he angered someone, Lin Chen always had an air of calm confidence, as if he held all the winning cards.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s tone became weak again, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that Consultant Lin had already guessed¡­ I¡­ I meddled too much.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is going on with Shen Lian?¡± Wang Chao seemed to be shaking the chemist¡¯s body with force.


    ¡°Shen Lian¡­ Shen Lian has severe hyperkalemia* in her medical records, but she might also be allergic to some potassium medication. In any case, I suspect that those syringes are high-concentration potassium supplements. When Shen Lian reaches a certain concentration by taking this medication, she might have an instant cardiac arrest,¡± Xiao Zhan explained.


    *A medical problem in which you have too much potassium in your blood. Too much of it can be dangerous and can cause serious heart problems.


    But Xing Conglian could barely hear these voices. When he heard Lin Chen talk about death, his memories didn¡¯t go back to the scene of Lin Chen lying in a hospital bed. In that moment, he found it extremely funny, realizing what Lin Chen was about to do, and it filled him with uncontrollable anger.


    ¡­¡­


    As if her thoughts had been suddenly pierced, Shen Lian suddenly wanted to withdraw her wrist, but Lin Chen firmly stopped her movement.


    ¡°Starting from the third round, I drank the fifth vial first, then took the sixth and seventh vials. In comparison, the number of vials you could drink decreased. And indeed, you were quite nervous, but you didn¡¯t even notice it. You were only focused on getting more vials than me, or at least an equal amount, so you took the eighth and ninth vials at once. What interested me was that you cared that I drank one more than you did. So, in the end, I drank five vials and you drank six, clearly confirming my Hypothesis Two. You care about the dosage,¡± Lin Chen explained.


    Finally, Shen Lian¡¯s gaze was filled with murderous intent, and she looked at Lin Chen with intense hatred. ¡°Consultant Lin, you¡¯re truly clever. So is it fun for you to play me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m really not playing you. It¡¯s mainly because you have your guard up against me and refuse to be open with me, so I can only use hypothesis testing to infer your thoughts,¡± Lin Chen said sincerely.


    ¡°What thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I want to know why you proposed playing this game with me and how I can make you give up the idea of suicide through this game,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°You¡¯re determined to die, and today you must die. But why did you choose such a complicated method to seek death? I thought about it, and it¡¯s probably because you still have unresolved issues before your death. However, you use too many appearances to conceal your inner turmoil. That¡¯s why I accelerated the pace of taking the medication, wanting to hear your lingering thoughts before you die.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze stood at a corner close to Lin Chen and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. ¡°Lin Chen¡­ This is very dangerous. Xing Conglian, if necessary, be prepared to shoot Shen Lian. We can find another way.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Lin Chen won¡¯t let me do that.¡± Xing Conglian spoke up. ¡°This is a chess game. The on-site investigation report from the nursing home just came back. The victims had different injuries on their necks, indicating that Shen Lian had at least two or three accomplices. Moreover, all the key caregivers at the nursing home are missing. The evidence shows that Shen Lian, with her personal power alone, couldn¡¯t have simultaneously poisoned multiple locations. She is merely a pawn placed before us to lure us into making mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Mistakes? Are you suggesting that the police should kill Shen Lian?¡± Huang Ze questioned.


    ¡°Otherwise, why would Lin Chen ask Shen Lian about the antidote at such a crucial moment? If such antidotes exist, what if Shen Lian is the only person in the world who knows the formula for the antidote?¡±


    Huang Ze shuddered all over. ¡°Can¡¯t we capture Shen Lian alive, restrain her limbs, and isolate her from any dangerous items? In short, keep her alive?¡±


    ¡°First of all, Inspector Huang, your suggestion is illegal. Secondly, someone like Shen Lian, if they only want to die, will certainly be willing and able to die.¡±


    ¡°So how the hell is Lin Chen planning to keep this key person alive?¡± Huang Ze asked loudly. ¡°Is it Duan Wanshan? Can Lin Chen make Duan Wanshan return to the country and make Shen Lian wait for a while?¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s words made Xing Conglian feel sad, his fingers tightly gripping the trigger.


    Just like Lin Chen, once they understood Shen Lian¡¯s obsession, there was only profound despair.


    Fate was indeed cruel.


    ¡­¡­


    However, in reality, Lin Chen wasn¡¯t in despair. He said to Shen Lian, ¡°I was thinking about whether Lao Duan could delay you for a while, but since you¡¯re already prepared to die, then you don¡¯t really care about him.¡±


    ¡°So, Consultant Lin, I truly have no attachment to this rotten world. Please stop blocking me, okay?¡± Shen Lian drawled, sounding bored. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I will bite my tongue and end my life right in front of you?¡±


    ¡°I have a proposal,¡± Lin Chen suddenly interrupted her.


    ¡°Any proposal is meaningless to me¡­¡±


    ¡°You still have that medicine that can drive people crazy and turn them into lunatics. Use it on me and see how I can live with that. How about it?¡± Lin Chen asked.

 CH 245

    Lin Chen¡¯s voice exploded in Huang Ze¡¯s ears, causing him to experience a brief ringing sensation. He even suspected that he was having auditory hallucinations or some kind of mental illness.


    Lin Chen actually dared to make such a proposal to let Shen Lian live?


    Numerous thoughts surged in Huang Ze¡¯s mind. He wanted to yell and curse at Lin Chen through the earpiece channel.


    But he knew that the person sitting on the bench by the window wouldn¡¯t listen to any of his opinions. Even if he yelled, there was no guarantee that both Lin Chen and Shen Lian could hear him.


    The channel once again filled with noisy and chaotic dissuasive voices, but Shen Lian¡¯s gentle voice overpowered everything in the next moment.


    The woman was indifferent and even said without hesitation, ¡°Why should I watch you turn into a lunatic? What benefit does it bring me?¡±


    The channel instantly fell silent, and everyone felt relieved for the first time because of Shen Lian¡¯s words.


    However, ¡°what benefit¡± was obviously completely different from the wording of ¡°no benefit¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been studying psychotropic drugs your whole life. Don¡¯t you want to see what kind of monster I become when I have an episode?¡±


    Lin Chen shattered their sense of relief with very concise words.


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was gentle, with a hint of charm. His hand slowly enveloped Shen Lian¡¯s tightly held vial, looking into her eyes as he continued, ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting all this time, patiently lurking, never giving up until the last moment. Why are you giving up so quickly now?¡±


    ¡°Give up on what?¡± Shen Lian countered. ¡°Life has no meaning for me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Chen looked at Shen Lian. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you die after almost being raped by Chen Jianguo, why didn¡¯t you die after the death of the old beggar, why didn¡¯t you die after being driven away by Duan Wanshan? Why do you have to die now?¡± Lin Chen slowly pulled out the fine tube from Shen Lian¡¯s hand, though slowly. It was very determined. ¡°Don¡¯t say such things like life has no meaning for you. You are a psychopath. You don¡¯t have such a strong sense of sacrifice. Personal interests are above everything for you. It would be better for you to keep an eye on everything yourself. Are you really sure that after you die, your group can fulfill your wishes?¡±


    Shen Lian suddenly raised her eyes, and a terrifying smile appeared on her face. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, if people don¡¯t act for their own sake, heaven and earth will exterminate them.¡±


    Shen Lian¡¯s fingers suddenly loosened, and Lin Chen held the ampoule bottle in his hand.


    ¡°Consultant Lin is indeed a skilled negotiator.¡± The woman changed her posture and crossed her legs. ¡°But how can you guarantee that after you take my medication, I won¡¯t immediately tear up the contract?¡±


    Lin Chen remained close to Shen Lian, but only shook his head, appearing confident. He didn¡¯t continue the conversation with Shen Lian but presented another irresistible benefit. ¡°If you don¡¯t think about it, what will happen when all the patients¡¯ families know about our deal?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Lian¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Please clarify, Consultant Lin.¡±


    Lin Chen also crossed his legs as Shen Lian did and said calmly, ¡°Your hands are covered in blood, full of evil deeds. All the victims¡¯ families wish for your death, and you have chosen this path for yourself. However, the police saved you. Aren¡¯t you curious about the public¡¯s reaction when they find out about our deal?¡±


    He pointed his finger towards the commercial square across the building and the crowds gathered there. Looking down from a higher level, one could probably understand what a vast array of beings meant.


    The square was filled with people, and most of them would casually glance at the large screen on the high-rise building. Starting from six o¡¯clock sharp, the news anchor on the two-story-tall screen had been broadcasting hourly news. When Shen Lian sat with Lin Chen, she had also seen her name displayed on the screen, and the feeling was truly amazing. The only thing she was slightly dissatisfied with was that so many people below were unaware of the explosive news happening behind them in the heights.


    When she thought about it, Shen Lian admitted that she was truly tempted.


    The sun had descended further, and the golden-red color had become even deeper and more magnificent, even carrying a sense of grandeur.


    Lin Chen¡¯s clear and calm voice sounded in her ear. ¡°They would say that it¡¯s not worth exchanging a criminal¡¯s life with police officers. They would also say that it¡¯s unacceptable for the police to bow down to criminals. They will make moral judgments and evaluate the proposal I made to you. Such evaluations might force me to stand on your side. Don¡¯t you want to see it?¡±


    That voice was clear and pleasant, and Shen Lian greedily looked at the screen. Then she suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Lin Chen. ¡°Consultant Lin, you really refuse to be at a disadvantage.¡±


    At that moment, Lin Chen had already poured out the liquid from the entire ampoule bottle. There was a small red cut on his finger from snatching the glass bottle. He gazed at the crowd in the distance, gently swaying the small bottle on his finger. For a moment, the bottle balanced perfectly on his finger.


    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of contract it is,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°I take the medication, and you stay alive, going into detention. I guarantee that you can see the latest updates on all events every day. If you die, you won¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In that instant, Huang Ze felt as if he had become Shen Lian. Lin Chen¡¯s words were enticing, both in tone and content.


    But he immediately snapped out of it, becoming extremely flustered. His palms were sweating, and a chilling sensation filled his muscles.


    He took two steps back, then lowered his footsteps and walked to the other corner, afraid that Shen Lian would agree to the insane agreement with Lin Chen one second too late. He breathed heavily into the earpiece. ¡°Xing Conglian!¡±


    Then he realized that Xing Conglian had remained silent from the moment Lin Chen made that proposal, and the channel was dead silent.


    Just then, a high-frequency noise splattered through the earpiece, causing everyone to gasp in cold air.


    Soon after, Shen Lian¡¯s gentle voice came through, ¡°Hello, hello, sorry, I¡¯m not very good at using this.¡±


    A woman in black clothes, wearing an earpiece, asked with a smiling face. ¡°Hey, what do you all think of Lin Chen¡¯s proposal?¡±


    She crossed her legs, displaying a victorious posture.


    ¡°You have three seconds left to save him,¡± the woman said.


    Huang Ze clenched his back teeth tightly, almost biting them off.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    Shen Lian¡¯s voice carried a bright smile.


    ¡°Two¡­ Hey, why is no one speaking up?¡±


    Huang Ze clenched his fist and looked in the direction where the two were. He took a deep breath and was about to shout, ignoring everything.


    At that moment, Lin Chen spoke up. ¡°They won¡¯t refute the decision I¡¯ve made.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how cowardly. Sacrifice yourself and make millions of families happy. Tsk tsk.¡± Shen Lian pursed her lips. ¡°But honestly, Lin Chen, your proposal is really intriguing. It¡¯s indeed better to stay alive than to die, allowing me to easily manipulate all of you in the palm of my hand! But do you know why any negotiation expert would say never to compromise with terrorists? It¡¯s because they easily take advantage. For example, right now, if I want your entire team to take the poison, otherwise, I¡¯ll commit suicide, do you think they would agree?¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian.¡± Lin Chen elongated his tone. ¡°Maintaining balance is the key to continuing the game. You do have value, but not that much value.¡±


    Shen Lian raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m a psychopathic killer. I don¡¯t know the meaning of boundaries!¡±


    Lin Chen raised his hand again, calmly informing Shen Lian. ¡°Now, as soon as I let go, you will be immediately shot, and your head will explode. Your brain matter will flow out, and you will quickly lose your life. But in that final moment before death, you will deeply regret not agreeing to my proposal.¡±


    Shen Lian turned her head. She didn¡¯t expect the person who had seemed somewhat compromising a second ago to suddenly become so ruthless. Lin Chen¡¯s demeanor remained gentle and calm, but his pitch-black pupils were filled with an icy coldness.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Shen Lian raised her hand with a smile and slapped it against Lin Chen¡¯s, readily saying, ¡°One!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian had been staring at Lin Chen¡¯s raised hand, not paying much attention to the expression on his face.


    Lin Chen¡¯s wrist was slender, and his fingers appeared slightly long and delicate. The sunset passing through his fingers had a perverse and strange beauty.


    If that hand were to come down, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. But throughout the entire time, that moment never occurred.


    He saw Shen Lian and Lin Chen slap their hands together, saw Shen Lian start rummaging through her bag, and saw Lin Chen¡¯s gaze deepen as he looked at him.


    The earpiece was still on Shen Lian¡¯s ear, so Lin Chen wouldn¡¯t hear anything he said at the moment.


    During this silent time, Xing Conglian had even prepared a long string of confessions. He wanted to tell Shen Lian through the entire channel that Lin Chen was his lover. He would say that he didn¡¯t want his lover to lose control, that he himself had more value, and that he could take Lin Chen¡¯s place. This was what any romantic or heroic person would do.


    But those words only ran through his mind once before being decisively rejected. Reason was clear, telling him that he couldn¡¯t do it.


    In fact, he could completely follow Huang Ze¡¯s advice and pull the trigger, killing Shen Lian. But his reasoning was clear, telling him that he still couldn¡¯t do it.


    Therefore, at this moment, he could only watch helplessly as Shen Lian took out a small vial containing pure white powder from her bag.


    In the instant he saw the medication, all of Lin Chen¡¯s expressions froze. It was only at that moment that Xing Conglian was very clear that Lin Chen didn¡¯t have complete confidence in what was about to happen, and he was also afraid.


    But in the next moment, Lin Chen completely restrained all emotions, as if fear or any similar emotion had never existed within him. He extended his arm, placing it in front of Shen Lian, and pleaded, ¡°Please control the dosage. If I die, no one will uphold the agreement with you.¡±


    There was only a smile on Shen Lian¡¯s lips. She opened the ampoule and sucked the liquid into the syringe, injecting it into the vial of pentobarbital. Then she slowly drew out the mixed liquid, and finally shook the syringe.


    Shen Lian said, ¡°You seem very confident, but I won¡¯t show you any mercy. If you haven¡¯t found a solution before we finish researching, this liquid might turn you into a lunatic for the rest of your life. Or maybe it won¡¯t take effect quickly, but it will make you restless, not knowing when it will strike.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Please do as you wish, according to your preferences.¡±


    A small amount of the transparent liquid splashed out from the needle. Lin Chen gazed at the medication, and in the next moment, the needle harshly punctured his vein. Even Lin Chen himself trembled with pain.


    Shen Lian slowly pushed the plunger with her hand, her excited voice echoing in everyone¡¯s ears through the channel.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, how noble you are. But don¡¯t you think your spirit of sacrifice will make others feel embarrassed?¡±


    Lin Chen looked at Shen Lian and replied, ¡°First of all, it¡¯s not noble. Nobility refers to being far beyond ordinary people. But in reality, whether it¡¯s inside this communication channel, this building, or even the entire planet, most ordinary people sitting next to you would be willing to make the same choice as me, to fight for a glimmer of hope for others.¡±


    Two-thirds of the liquid in the syringe had already been pushed in.


    Shen Lian shook her head with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where your confidence in human nature comes from.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not confidence, but determination,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°It¡¯s the determination of people like us to defeat people like you.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, and it even sounded somewhat distant to Xing Conglian. The strong wind suddenly howled in the high altitude, relentlessly pounding against the window frames.


    But in that moment, Xing Conglian felt that all sounds had disappeared and all distances had turned into nothingness. Even his previous anger and helplessness seemed to fade away completely because this was probably the most powerless but proudest moment of his life.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen sat on the bench, and the last rays of sunlight vanished into the outskirts of the city.


    It wasn¡¯t until Shen Lian abruptly pulled out the needle that he realized the transaction had been completed. The plunger had been pushed quickly, but he hadn¡¯t felt any pain from beginning to end.


    It was very quiet around him, and the city in the distance exuded a beautiful sense of haze. The only regret he had now was that he had listened to Shen Lian¡¯s arrangement to remove the earpiece. At such a moment, he really wanted to sit here with Xing Conglian and say something.


    He wanted to say that he was starting to panic about what he would become, that he loved him, that he was grateful, and that in that brief moment just now, Xing Conglian had shown him more respect for his personality and for his life-and-death choices than anything else.


    He looked at the tall building in the distance and nodded gently.


    Thank you, really, thank you very much.

 CH 246

    In a dim and dilapidated residence, the clock hand pointed to five o¡¯clock.


    A pair of bony hands trembled as they held the mouse, rapidly clicking on the hidden software icon buried deep within a folder.


    After a moment, a crude image appeared on the screen.


    It was the kind of low-resolution graphics seen in primitive pixelated games. Black background, red lines, and a simple square-shaped cottage in the center of the screen. In the bottom right corner, there was a cluster of golden flowers. The interior of the cottage appeared empty at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could spot a pitiful silver coin in the corner.


    Upon seeing this, a look of despair covered his face, and his trembling lips revealed rotten teeth.


    He desperately covered his mouth and looked back down at the bottom corner of the screen. There, six lines of text written in the lingua franca of the United Nations filled the space, and among them was a line in Chinese:


    Account balance: 1 bitcoin.


    The occupant of the room stood up aimlessly and began walking. He bumped into the coffee table in the middle of the room, overturning it. The remaining white powder of a drug on the table dispersed into the air. He hurriedly crouched down to clean it up, but there was so little left that after a couple of licks, there was nothing left.


    This caused him to stand up again, unable to resist gnawing at his own wrist.


    The creaking of the wooden floor grew increasingly urgent, echoing the sounds of a distressed bed behind the partition. The entire space became more and more restless. Unable to bear it any longer, he walked to the table and picked up a syringe, intending to pierce it into his temple.


    At that moment, a light tinkling sound came from the speakers.


    He thought he was experiencing auditory hallucinations and searched aimlessly for the source of the sound. The room remained dark and chaotic, and he didn¡¯t even notice the silver coin slowly descending from the ceiling of the cottage on the computer screen.


    With the syringe pressed against his temple, he could end his own life with just a little force.


    Suddenly, that small silver coin seemed to trigger something, and numerous shining silver dots fell from above. Those dots grew larger and larger, fluttering down like snowflakes and eventually turning into piles of silver coins at the bottom of the screen.


    Likewise, six lines of text slowly descended and hovered above the stack of money.


    The occupant of the room grinned, revealing bright red lips and teeth yellowed to the point of blackening. He laughed maniacally, silently.


    Round Two: The target is still alive. The game continues.


    ¡­¡­


    In a glamorous and decadent bar, a blue-eyed girl with green hair lazily sat on the sofa. The expensive red wine in her glass was reduced to a mere trace.


    This themed bar was entirely in a distorted gothic style. The soaring electronic music and the intertwining beams of cross-fading lights filled the air with the scent of alcohol and drugs. The haze of smoke drifted through the air.


    The girl¡¯s gaze wandered vaguely over her companions, and she reached out to pull a chubby middle-aged man beside her. With an air of sensuality, she bit down on his earlobe. Strange tastes of the wealthy were nothing out of the ordinary.


    Onstage, the stripper had reached the most thrilling stage of the performance, and the sound system by the glass stage exploded. But in the next moment, the girl¡¯s expression underwent a peculiar change. It was because her phone emitted a strange and eerie sound, both resembling agony and boundless pleasure. The girl leaned forward abruptly, grabbing her phone eagerly and tapping on an icon.


    A crude pixelated image flashed on the screen. It was a vault, with countless coins piled up like mountains. However, soon a swarm of black bugs crawled in, devouring the coins with abandon. At the same time, the number below was fiercely changing¡ª from eight digits to seven, then to six, five¡­ until it became just two digits.


    The black bugs disappeared, leaving only a meager few dozen coins in the vault, scattered haphazardly on the floor, looking extremely shabby¡ªespecially compared to before.


    The man stared with wide eyes, disbelief evident on his face.


    Prompts appeared in six different languages¡ª


    Round 2: The Target Is Alive. To be continued¡­


    The girl grabbed her phone and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.


    The carpet was thick, and the phone was of good quality, so it only bounced a few times before coming to a stop.


    Beneath the pixelated screen, a clump of equally crude golden flowers swayed as if drifting with the wind.


    ¡­¡­


    In a luxurious building, a singer emerged from the recording studio, immediately surrounded by a group of people, showering him with attention and inquiries. The singer responded with a gentle smile, and the faces of those in front of him lit up with joy.


    Five minutes later, the singer entered the restroom on the same floor. As soon as he closed the door, a look of extreme weariness appeared in his eyes reflected in the mirror.


    He glanced disdainfully behind him, leaned against the sink, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.


    Amidst the swirling smoke, a sudden sound resonated¡ªa strange and eerie sound. The singer froze and took out his phone.


    After a moment, he frantically ruffled his own hair, waved his hand, and forcefully smashed the phone against the mirror in front of him!


    In the loud crash, the mirror shattered into pieces, and the fragments briefly reflected the last image on the phone¡ª


    Behind the six lines of text in different languages, in an empty and crude room, the only gold was the gently trembling petal below.


    ¡­¡­


    In an inconspicuous noodle shop in the city, the sky had completely darkened.


    A ceiling fan hung overhead, whirring as it blew air. White porcelain tiles covered half of the wall, and a circle of tables was arranged facing the wall, separated by partitions.


    Most of the customers were focused on their bowls of noodles, paying little attention to the content playing on the LCD TV. For the solitary office workers, having to share a table with strangers after a tiring day of work felt like torture. Therefore, despite the average taste of the food here, the owner¡¯s layout was unusually considerate.


    The TV was placed directly opposite the kitchen, broadcasting news of the police escorting a suspect.


    ¡°According to our sources, the criminal suspect Shen Lian was successfully captured by the Hongjing police this evening. The police spokesperson declined to reveal any details related to the case¡­¡±


    The towering figures of the surrounding officers obstructed the view of the slender woman in the middle, her face covered with a black blindfold, making it impossible for the reporters to capture anything.


    The volume of the small noodle shop¡¯s TV was set very low, barely drowning out the sound of slurping noodles.


    In the footage, the police car departed from the square of the Zhourui Building flashed away, while the reporters¡¯ camera flashes seemed to illuminate the night sky.


    However, the man sitting in the corner of the noodle shop didn¡¯t raise his head to watch the news. His laptop was still open, and his fingers tapped on the keyboard, resembling an office worker diligently working overtime.


    He lifted the vinegar bottle and poured some into his bowl, revealing a cuff of a shirt sleeve and slightly antiquated sapphire cufflinks.


    At that moment, the owner happened to bring a bowl of spicy oil-splashed noodles. The busy customers finally looked up, casually glancing at the TV but paying careful attention to the owner. With a touch of humility and respect, the man asked, ¡°How¡¯s business been lately?¡±


    The owner wiped his hands on the glaringly white apron and shook his head helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s been a disaster.¡±


    The customer opened his mouth, slurping the noodles, and glanced at the computer screen, sighing with a hint of regret. ¡°It¡¯s truly unexpected.¡±


    By that time, the owner had already walked into the kitchen and didn¡¯t hear this remark.


    Meanwhile, a new customer entered the shop, loudly requesting two bowls of spicy oil-splashed noodles.


    In the partially open kitchen, a large pot on the coal stove floated with animal parts. The owner held an iron ladle and scooped up a spoonful of blood-red oil, pouring it over the noodles with a graceful and traditional elegance, creating a tantalizing sizzling sound that filled the space.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not bad. Quite interesting,¡±


    The owner murmured, bowing slightly, as if talking to himself or responding to something.


    ¡­¡­


    It was night.


    Outside the Hongjing Police Station, the scene was bustling with cars and people, as if a market was set up. Whether it was due to the rumored effects of the medication or the significant activities in the city today, even small fights and altercations were more numerous than usual. What was even more terrifying was the continuous arrival of officers from various levels and investigators from related departments across the country who came to assist with the investigation. Even clerks like Zhang Xiaolong were forced to work overtime, handling reception and registration tasks at the front desk.


    The summer night was still hot. People came and went in the front hall, but there was a silence in the air that was completely different from the heat. Footsteps were subdued, conversations were rare, and the police officers in their uniforms had solemn and serious expressions, as if mourning something.


    Zhang Xiaolong was well aware of what all this was about, and it felt like something was stuck in her throat, making it difficult for her to speak. Fortunately, she was busy and could temporarily avoid thinking about these matters. She directed a department head from the Drug Administration who had arrived overnight to the relevant office, and just as she did, the telephone rang. She hurriedly picked up the receiver, taking out a notepad to jot down the information conveyed over the phone.


    At the same time, another phone started ringing. Zhang Xiaolong had a pen and paper in her hand and was still recording when she suddenly didn¡¯t know what to do. Just as she was feeling quite distressed, a hand reached out and effortlessly answered the phone for her.


    Thinking it was a colleague helping out, Zhang Xiaolong continued to lower her head and write down the information from the phone call. She wrote two lines and suddenly felt that the voice beside her wasn¡¯t quite right. The male voice sounded too relaxed and pleasant, even with a hint of bored leisure. This made the policewoman, who had been serious all day, feel uncomfortable.


    ¡°Well, you should contact the Environmental Protection Bureau directly.¡±


    The other end of the line was quickly hung up, and Zhang Xiaolong even heard a protesting voice from it.


    She suddenly looked up and saw a completely unfamiliar young man standing in front of her, smiling meaningfully.


    For about three to five seconds, Zhang Xiaolong was completely taken aback, displaying a normal stunned reaction upon seeing a handsome young man.


    The young man was dressed in a simple black shirt, matching trousers, and leather shoes of the same color. His tie was slightly loosened, secured by a sleek silver tie clip in the middle. Although this young man appeared a bit disheveled, his clothing and the expression on his face when he nodded were elegantly appropriate.


    Zhang Xiaolong opened her mouth, intending to ask a question like ¡°Who are you¡±, but, to her surprise, before she could speak, the person introduced himself.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the new psychological consultant for the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.¡±


    Su Fengzi¡¯s voice was loud, and many people around heard it, casting incredulous glances at them.


    Once again, Zhang Xiaolong felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her first reaction was anger. Why did they bring in a replacement so soon after something happened to Consultant Lin? This was going too far and showed a lack of consideration.


    She took a deep breath, steadying her emotions, and picked up the office phone to find someone. She dialed two numbers but suddenly realized something was off. How could the Criminal Investigation Department find a replacement for Consultant Lin so quickly?


    She looked up in shock, glanced at the person in front of her, and cautiously asked, ¡°May I ask who you are and where you were transferred from?¡±


    The young man seemed to have anticipated that she would ask such a question. He took out a cardholder from his pocket and pulled out a card, placing it on the table and pushing it towards her.


    Zhang Xiaolong lowered her head somewhat slowly and saw that the card was written in simple Song font: [Renowned Writer: Su Fengzi.]


    Below were densely packed words arranged under quotation marks, which she realized were the titles of his works, mostly something like <The General¡¯s Spoiled Empress¡ªDon¡¯t Run Away from the Overbearing President>.


    The policewoman was immediately enraged but still had to suppress her anger and explain to the person politely, ¡°Sir, the police station is busy with official matters. This is not the place for jokes.¡±


    The young writer named Su Fengzi remained unfazed and continued to push the card toward her with a polite yet non-negotiable attitude, saying, ¡°Call Xing Conglian and read him the contents on the card.¡±


    In reality, Zhang Xiaolong could have refused, but at that moment, she felt that the person in front of her was somewhat familiar, which made her, inexplicably, pick up the phone.


    She briefly explained the situation at the front desk, but the captain on the other end of the line fell into silence.


    Zhang Xiaolong couldn¡¯t help but prompt him, and it was only then that Xing Conglian said, ¡°Tell him to wait,¡± before hanging up.


    Although the captain¡¯s instructions weren¡¯t particularly clear, it seemed like he wanted the other person to stay. Zhang Xiaolong hung up the phone, and the young man was already carelessly leaning on the front desk, his phoenix eyes raised slightly as he casually scanned the lifeless lobby. His gaze was probing, yet he had shed the carefree attitude, appearing gentle and profound.


    Xing Conglian arrived quickly.


    When he and his team came down from upstairs, everyone in the lobby raised their heads, and the atmosphere cooled a few degrees.


    ¡°Captain Xing¡­¡±


    Voices from other officers greeting Xing Conglian intermittently sounded.


    Wang Chao froze on the stairs, pointing at Su Fengzi with an expression as if he had seen a ghost, but his eyes were red.


    At this moment, the young man finally looked up and glanced at the stairs, his first words being, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did Lin Chen die?¡±


    Su Fengzi¡¯s words instantly silenced the entire lobby. All eyes turned toward him with restrained expressions that were filled with anger. But the young writer seemed oblivious.


    The first one to react was Wang Chao. The young man quickly ran down the stairs and pointed his finger at Su Fengzi, cursing, ¡°What the hell are you talking about!¡±


    Su Fengzi looked at Wang Chao¡¯s pointing finger, reached out to shake his hand, and then casually ruffled Wang Chao¡¯s hair, leisurely saying, ¡°Tsk, since you didn¡¯t hit me, it means Lin Chen hasn¡¯t played himself to death yet. He really has some ability.¡±


    Wang Chao was even more furious. He pushed Su Fengzi¡¯s hand away, but his language skills were no match for Su Fengzi¡¯s. He could only sulk in anger.


    ¡°Please respect Consultant Lin!¡± Zhang Xiaolong had been watching from the side and couldn¡¯t help but speak up.


    ¡°How am I disrespecting him?¡± Su Fengzi didn¡¯t even look at her directly, casually asking.


    ¡°You said Consultant Lin died!¡± Zhang Xiaolong said seriously, realizing that her words didn¡¯t hold much weight in the current situation. But after everything Lin Chen had done, his successor turned out to be this kind of person, which left Zhang Xiaolong with a lump in her throat.


    ¡°That¡¯s because all of you are wearing mournful faces, as if Lin Chen is already gone.¡± Su Fengzi slightly bowed and pinched Wang Chao¡¯s cheek, saying, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°So, you mean we should be happy?¡± Another officer who had been silently standing by spoke up. ¡°When Consultant Lin made that kind of exchange with his life to ensure the survival of the suspect, are we supposed to be happy about Consultant Lin¡¯s self-sacrifice?¡±


    Su Fengzi pondered for a moment and questioned the other person. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Probably assuming that Su Fengzi was here to take over Lin Chen¡¯s position, the officer stood at attention and answered, ¡°Zhang Xingguo.¡±


    Su Fengzi raised his thumb slightly and pointed casually at the officer who stood like a rock, asking Zhang Xiaolong, ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Zhang Xiaolong replied solemnly, ¡°He¡¯s Deputy Captain Zhang, who has received two individual second-class merits and one collective third-class merit*.¡±


    *Clarity: These are basically medals awarded to individuals and units in the Chinese military. The reward levels are divided into 5 levels (going from high to low): 1. Honorary, 2. First-class merit, 3. Second-class merit, 4. Third-class merit, and 5. Regular awards. || To be awarded a second-class merit, he must¡¯ve made important contributions, while a third-class merit means he made outstanding achievements or great contributions.


    ¡°Oh¡­ a hero, I see.¡± Su Fengzi¡¯s voice was relaxed and abrupt. ¡°So, Zhang Xingguo, after being a police officer for so many years, what¡¯s the most dangerous situation you¡¯ve encountered?¡±


    This question left Zhang Xingguo in silence.


    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang has handled the 721 major gang robbery case!¡±


    ¡°Was it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°We seized 22 firearms on the spot, with over a thousand rounds of ammunition,¡± Zhang Xiaolong answered.


    ¡°Oh, then Zhang Xingguo, when you faced the suspects with a gun, did you make sure you could survive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the middle-aged officer broke his silence and spoke again.


    ¡°Then why did you risk your life to do these things?¡±


    Zhang Xingguo saluted once again and answered, ¡°It¡¯s my duty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so risking your life is your duty, but Lin Chen doesn¡¯t have his duty?¡±


    Zhang Xingguo was momentarily at a loss for words and could only say, ¡°Consultant Lin is not a front-line officer.¡±


    Su Fengzi finally stood up straight, looking at Zhang Xingguo and seemingly addressing everyone. ¡°Even if he¡¯s not a front-line officer, I know that negotiation experts often say, ¡®Let me exchange this hostage in your custody.¡¯ Do they have a hundred percent certainty that they will survive when they say those words? I don¡¯t think so. The same thing happens every day. Why does it make Lin Chen appear particularly worthy of respect and make you all so uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°But, but A¡¯Chen Gege is different!¡± Unable to hold back any longer, Wang Chao shouted loudly.


    Seeing the teenager reach into his pocket, take out a candy, tear open the wrapper, and swiftly stuff it into his mouth, Zhang Xiaolong couldn¡¯t help but pinch his face and laugh. ¡°Young man, you¡¯re so good at getting caught up in trivial matters. Is it because you don¡¯t have a girlfriend?¡±


    Although Su Fengzi was teasing, the entire hall fell into silence once again, with no one speaking.


    Su Fengzi glanced at Xing Conglian, who was standing in a high place, and then looked at everyone present. He said, ¡°If any of you wouldn¡¯t make the same choice as Lin Chen, please step forward.¡±


    Seconds ticked by, and Zhang Xiaolong looked up. In the vast hall filled with dozens of people, not a single person moved.

 CH 247

    The night scene outside the window was pitch black. Xing Conglian and Su Fengzi stood at the window on the second floor of the police station. Xing Conglian lit a cigarette and asked, ¡°Why did you come here?¡±


    Su Fengzi casually inserted one hand into his pocket and rested the other on the windowsill, casually gazing at the night scene. ¡°Your opening remark is quite polite. At least you should address me as Shixiong along with Lin Chen.¡±


    The person beside him still hadn¡¯t responded. Su Fengzi turned his head to look. Xing Conglian remained silent; his face dark, clearly in a bad mood.


    He could only helplessly continue, ¡°Mrs. Su feels guilty and worried, thinking she did something wrong. She asked me to come and see if I could help in any way.¡±


    ¡°How is his teacher?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, calling him teacher so smoothly,¡± Su Fengzi half-jokingly said, then continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know. The old man is at such an age, life and death are predetermined.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned, and the atmosphere became awkward and silent once again.


    Su Fengzi wanted to say something, but Xing Conglian¡¯s sharp and slightly self-mocking gaze swept over. ¡°He knew you would come to clean up the mess for him, so he was at ease and made a bet with Shen Lian.¡±


    Clever people were so troublesome since they couldn¡¯t be deceived with random excuses. But considering Xing Conglian¡¯s mood, Su Fengzi decided to keep quiet. He loosened his tie a bit, saying, ¡°Alright, I want the negotiation video between Lin Chen and Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°I thought you knew everything,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have control over everything, so how could I know everything?¡± Su Fengzi retorted to Xing Conglian with a smile.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s face darkened once again, and he remained silent. Instead, he took out a pair of headphones and placed his phone on the windowsill, stepping back two steps and leaning against the back wall.


    Xing Conglian trusted him so much, probably to give Lin Chen face. Su Fengzi directly put on the headphones, opened the video, and lowered his head to press the play button.


    The air was filled with the smell of smoke, and after watching for a while, Su Fengzi couldn¡¯t help but turn around and ask Xing Conglian for a cigarette and a lighter. He anxiously held the cigarette in his hand, lit it, and took a deep drag.


    Then he turned to Xing Conglian and said, ¡°Promise me, when he regains consciousness, be gentle with him.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain he will regain consciousness?¡± Xing Conglian seized the most critical point.


    ¡°He won¡¯t do something purely reckless. Shen Lian knows very well that she can only continue playing when Lin Chen is alive and regains consciousness. So, you see, your Consultant Lin has tightly connected their fates using a small technique.¡± Su Fengzi turned around and looked at the screen, speaking admiringly.


    Xing Conglian had finished his cigarette and was now looking at him with an extremely cold gaze. Feeling the gaze behind him, Su Fengzi helplessly turned back and patiently explained to this man who had just been abandoned by his lover and was extremely unhappy. ¡°I¡¯m not just making excuses for Lin Chen. Making a bet with Shen Lian is a classic negotiation technique. If the other party agrees to one small thing, it¡¯s easier for her to agree to the subsequent requests. He did it for the sake of the next arrangement.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I care about all this?¡± Xing Conglian interrupted him decisively and retorted, ¡°Why he did it, how clever and correct he was, how much he suffered and had no other choice¡ªdo you think I care?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was very calm, with a hint of hoarseness as if he had just finished smoking, making it extremely suppressed. The corridor was dimly lit, and Su Fengzi didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°What do you care about then?¡± Su Fengzi asked involuntarily.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head slightly, and his eyelids lifted. His gaze was dark and deep as he looked at him. Just when Su Fengzi thought Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t answer, he heard him say, ¡°I care about him.¡±


    The complete meaning of this sentence was that even if Lin Chen didn¡¯t care about him, he still cared about him.


    Su Fengzi¡¯s breath hitched; he didn¡¯t expect Xing Conglian to be so straightforward and direct. Thinking about how difficult it must have been for Xing Conglian to restrain himself throughout the negotiation process, he could only take another deep drag of his cigarette and say, ¡°There are too many difficulties in this world, and unfortunately, he encountered some particularly tough ones.¡±


    As if confirming something, just as he finished speaking, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang.


    Su Fengzi looked at the screen with the words ¡°Dr. Wang from Tzu Chi Hospital¡± and instantly understood what was happening.


    But Xing Conglian reacted even faster.


    The police captain stepped forward and quickly answered the phone, even forgetting about the fact that it was connected to his headphones.


    On the other end of the line was a police officer or a doctor arranged by Xing Conglian at the hospital, anxiously informing him that Lin Chen¡¯s condition had deteriorated after falling ill, and the first treatment plan had failed, among other things.


    Xing Conglian just listened quietly, and for a moment, he seemed helpless and desperate.


    Su Fengzi silently took off his headphones, and Xing Conglian also hung up the phone.


    They stood facing each other, and Xing Conglian spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to Zhourui Pharmaceuticals.¡± Su Fengzi turned around and waved his hand at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Zhourui?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t really think I came to help because of Mrs. Su, did you?¡± Su Fengzi turned back and smiled.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t care about what Su Fengzi was going to do. He quickly drove to Tzu Chi Hospital.


    Located in the southeast corner of Hongjing, the hospital primarily dealt with mental illnesses and psychological problems, and it was the treatment location that Lin Chen himself had chosen while still maintaining his sanity.


    Late at night, some patients fell into a deep sleep after taking medication, while others refused to take their medication and fought a grueling battle against the mental torment that normal people couldn¡¯t experience, such as hallucinations and anxiety.


    But Lin Chen chose to suffer the pain of the latter.


    In the ward, two doctors were securing the struggling patient to the bed with restraints.


    Xing Conglian stood by the window, and the soundproofing effect of the hospital was so good that he felt like he was watching a silent film, quiet and illusory.


    The diagnosis room was partially covered by medical curtains, creating a dim and gloomy atmosphere. Lin Chen¡¯s upper body was completely obscured by a light blue medical curtain. He saw some hazy lights and shadows. Lin Chen arched his neck in pain, and his shoulders were forced down as a three-finger-wide restraint tightly pressed against his shoulder, securing him firmly to the bed.


    Next came his arms. The restraints were ruthlessly fastened around Lin Chen¡¯s elbows, followed by his wrists. The doctor¡¯s movements were skilled and unrelenting.


    Lin Chen¡¯s hand was exposed outside the gaps of the medical curtain. Through those openings, he could catch a glimpse of his own hand¡ªthe hand he was so intimately familiar with. However, at that moment, Lin Chen¡¯s fingers contorted into twisted shapes, completely beyond his control, as if reflecting his current state of anguish and torment.


    Xing Conglian marveled at the fact that he could even stand there. It truly felt like a miracle.


    The doctor produced a new dosage of medication, preparing to administer it to Lin Chen via injection.


    Perhaps due to the unnerving silence surrounding them, there were moments when he felt as if his soul was splitting into two or even multiple entities.


    One part of him barged into the ward, frantically driving everyone else out, gripping Lin Chen tightly and pulling him close, just like the desperate and passionate men portrayed in television dramas. Meanwhile, another part of him existed in a different space, where he suddenly realized that he had experienced a similar scene before.


    It was as if they were in a rainforest filled with the acrid smell of decay, obscured by the dense smoke of battle. Lin Chen stood on the brink of death, and Xing Conglian exerted all his strength to pull him back.


    He held Lin Chen in his arms, making it clear that he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to threaten him. If Lin Chen ever prioritized the safety of others over his own again, Xing Conglian vowed to use a chain to bind him, preventing Lin Chen from taking a single step outside ever again.


    He vaguely remembered Lin Chen expressing how much he missed him at that time, or something along those lines. It evoked both sweetness and heartache within him.


    However, he soon realized that his supposed threats held no power over Lin Chen when similar situations arose. Lin Chen would always act magnanimously, stepping forward with great valor, while subjecting him to the same pain and sense of helplessness in an extraordinarily cruel manner.


    Such moments had occurred before, and undoubtedly, they would happen again.


    In a fleeting moment, Xing Conglian felt as if someone was speaking to him, suggesting that breaking up with Lin Chen might be for the best. After all, Lin Chen was strong and didn¡¯t need his protection. His mere presence seemed to burden him.


    That voice must have belonged to the most agonizing part of his own psyche. Alternatively, it could have been a result of auditory hallucinations triggered by the opening and closing of the ward door as the doctor went in and out.


    In any case, within this brief span of time, right at the entrance of the ward, everything he experienced felt completely unreal.


    He could still hear Lin Chen¡¯s voice¡ªa voice he never knew Lin Chen possessed.


    That high-pitched, ear-piercing scream seemed to transcend human capabilities, as if his vocal cords had been forcibly torn apart and haphazardly reassembled, rendering the words indistinct. Nonetheless, he could still barely decipher that Lin Chen was shouting phrases like ¡°get away¡± with an extreme sense of anguish.


    Lin Chen¡¯s hand flailed desperately, as if trying to break free from the bed. However, the doctor¡¯s hand held the syringe firmly and relentlessly pierced Lin Chen¡¯s arm. The needle penetrated deep, and the liquid was injected, gradually calming the struggling figure on the bed.


    The doctor emerged from the door, as if intending to say something to him. However, he could only barely see the movement of their lips without hearing any sound.


    Only then did he recall why he was standing there.


    A few hours earlier, when they had come out of the Zhourui Building, the crimson glow had faded, leaving only a faint line of light on the horizon.


    Lin Chen lay in the ambulance, requesting to be alone with him for a while.


    His subordinates had thought that Lin Chen probably wanted to report some confidential information or make final arrangements to him. But only he knew that it was a moment of Lin Chen¡¯s remorse and desire to make amends.


    Sitting in the vehicle, Lin Chen held his hand and spoke to him with a gentle and affectionate tone, saying, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Regardless of the circumstances, you have to walk through this with me. I also need to receive treatment like an ordinary patient, to see if conventional psychiatric medications can effectively address the mental disturbance caused by this drug. You need to focus on your work and handle things well, but also remember to come and visit me.¡±


    There was nothing wrong with that statement¡ªlogical and clear.


    If it weren¡¯t for the lack of reflective film on the ambulance window, he believed that at that moment, Lin Chen would have kissed him.


    And he just watched Lin Chen, feeling that something was off, but unable to articulate why.

 CH 248

    Xing Conglian was snapped back to reality by a tap, emerging from his jumbled and confused memories.


    He lowered his head and heard the doctor say, ¡°The second treatment option involves a large dosage of chloropromazine. However, this type of medication for psychiatric disorders may affect brain or cardiac functions, and the side effects are quite apparent. Nevertheless, it is one of the most effective medications for addressing similar issues¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hear the rest of the conversation, probably because Lin Chen was whispering in the ward, babbling all sorts of incoherent words.


    Xing Conglian carefully tried to discern what he was saying, but the air was too quiet. The fragmented and muffled voice seemed to fill the entire space like cotton, perhaps saying ¡°don¡¯t hit¡± or ¡°please¡±. These voices, laden with pain, became increasingly oppressive, causing turmoil within him.


    ¡°¡­Consultant Lin didn¡¯t reject this treatment option¡­¡±


    Those crucial words brought him back to his senses once again. Yes, after they had finished their conversation, Lin Chen had explicitly requested to be treated at the Tzu Chi Hospital and had even selected a former professor at his university as the attending physician.


    Lin Chen, like an outsider, swiftly discussed each treatment plan and detail with the doctor. He even chose a specialized department and room specifically for patients with schizophrenia, as he was an expert in that field.


    However, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t comprehend how, in such a moment, Lin Chen could still handle everything so clearly, as if nothing was amiss.


    He rubbed his face, forcing himself not to look into the ward or listen to Lin Chen¡¯s voice. He asked the doctor, ¡°You are the doctor. I want to hear your opinion.¡±


    ¡°After all, this is a new type of drug, and there is no literature available. Although it is indeed possible to proceed with the initial treatment plan as a trial, it is also undoubtedly risky. Honestly, I think we can wait a few more days, collect treatment plans from other cases, and then make a judgment.¡±


    Xing Conglian interrupted the doctor, saying, ¡°He wants to regain consciousness quickly. He must regain consciousness.¡±


    The doctor¡¯s face clearly displayed a fleeting expression of disappointment, but it was very subtle, quickly fading away. After all, this was a hospital specializing in the treatment of mental disorders, and the doctors were accustomed to dealing with harsh and demanding family members. Xing Conglian self-deprecatingly thought that he was merely an ordinary, harsh boss hoping for his subordinates to recover quickly and get back to work.


    But what else could he do? Lin Chen had made it clear that he wanted to receive treatment like any other person. He had also said, ¡°Remember to come and visit me,¡± hoping that Xing Conglian would urge the doctor to treat him.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian finally realized that when it came to any decision made by Lin Chen, he had only one path to take¡ªto accept and support it.


    Because Lin Chen was always so clear, so correct, so exceptional, and always selflessly throwing himself into every situation, leaving others unable to resist.


    That was the Lin Chen he loved.


    Yet, a profound sense of disappointment and frustration overwhelmed him once again. Even though there were people around him speaking all the time, Xing Conglian felt as if he stood in a dark and desolate world. The frigid wind howled around him, making him feel more isolated than ever.


    He took a deep breath, unsure of what to do. Lin Chen was inside, and he was outside. They were so close, yet it felt like an infinite distance separated them.


    Just then, his phone rang.


    He hadn¡¯t put it on silent, so when the piano melody played in the cramped space, he even felt a sense of relief.


    When one was lost and bewildered, something always reached out with an olive branch to save you, like work.


    Xing Conglian apologized to the doctor and retreated to a dim corner, leaning against the wall as he answered the call.


    Huang Ze¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Xing Conglian, why did Su Fengzi come here?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected Huang Ze to sound annoyed, even slightly fearful. There were sounds of someone smashing a glass in the background. Ultimately, such ¡°power struggles¡± were no different from quarrels among children, with the expected anger and irrationality.


    ¡°He came because he wanted to. I can¡¯t control him,¡± Xing Conglian replied.


    ¡°Do you know what he¡¯s up to?¡± Huang Ze was furious. ¡°He has no official position, but he¡¯s forcing himself into the investigation!¡±


    Huang Ze, as always, emphasized procedural justice.


    ¡°Well, you can just arrest him,¡± Xing Conglian said casually.


    There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, and Xing Conglian frowned. The next moment, a very casual and cheerful voice came through the phone. ¡°Lao Xing, how¡¯s my shidi doing?¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his eyelids and looked at the ward not far away. The doctor was administering new treatment medication to Lin Chen. The busy figures appeared hazy and ethereal, as if veiled in a layer of black gauze.


    ¡°He¡¯s temporarily stable,¡± he replied.


    Su Fengzi didn¡¯t ask any further questions but changed the subject. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s something interesting happening at Zhourui¡¯s place. Do you want to join?¡±


    Xing Conglian instinctively wanted to refuse Su Fengzi.


    He believed that he should be sitting outside the ward, going through this difficult time with Lin Chen, as Lin Chen had suggested, as any considerate lover would do.


    But his rationality told him very clearly that he should leave. Staying would just torment the both of them. After all, his love was still too short-lived, and this torment would continue to erode the love between them.


    Outside the hospital, the night was silent and still. Xing Conglian hung up the phone, took out his car keys, and walked away.


    ¡­¡­


    The car window was rolled down low, and the darkness of the night rushed in.


    With one hand on the steering wheel, Xing Conglian held a cigarette in the other.


    The sparks flickered.


    Around eight or nine o¡¯clock was another peak hour in the city, and the main roads were still crowded with vehicles. Neon lights outside the window surged like a tide, gliding across the car body.


    He turned on the car radio, keeping the volume low. The radio host didn¡¯t mention anything related to the case anymore; nighttime radio shows mostly played emotional songs.


    The female host¡¯s affectionate words flowed out, but due to the noise of passing traffic outside, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t clearly hear what she was saying. It was probably something along the lines of ¡°he loves her, but she doesn¡¯t love him,¡± a content he had never heard before.


    It was only then that Xing Conglian recalled why he had rarely listened to similar emotional midnight radio programs in the past.


    When Lin Chen wasn¡¯t around, he sneered at these sentimental programs. Honestly, deep down, he never believed that he could have such a beautiful love. Whether it was due to pride or loneliness, he, a person who inherently rejected many things in the world, believed that ending up lonely was the most suitable outcome for himself.


    Now, looking back, he realized how foolish that self-set image of a solitary hero was, because he had met Lin Chen.


    After getting to know Lin Chen, the passenger seat had always belonged to him.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t talk much, but their casual conversations were more soothing to Xing Conglian than the mellow jazz music in the night.


    In his memory, there was a time when they returned from a business trip, driving through the night.


    In the early morning hours, even the night traffic on the highway had become sparse. Wang Chao was snoring in the back seat while Lin Chen, wearing a seatbelt, nestled in his seat, exhausted but still chatting with him.


    Both of them were tired, but they would lightly and cheerfully discuss the scenery of the city they had just passed, reflect on touching details from the meetings, and occasionally mention a broken light bulb at home that needed to be replaced when they returned.


    He couldn¡¯t remember the specific details anymore, but he remembered that they had talked a lot. It was all because Lin Chen was afraid that he would get drowsy while driving, so he kept talking.


    Those voices, relaxed and comfortable, accompanied by yawns and sleepiness, kept sounding, both ordinary and considerate. Now, with those voices suddenly gone by his side, Xing Conglian felt a disturbing emptiness in the car. Unconsciously, he unbuttoned his shirt collar and rolled down the car window to the lowest point.


    The night breeze flowed into the car, and memories of that journey resurfaced in Xing Conglian¡¯s mind.


    Later, they drove into a rest area. Xing Conglian smoked in the parking lot while Lin Chen went to buy two cups of hot coffee. The highway rest stops rarely had freshly ground black coffee, so it was mostly instant coffee.


    There were only a few trucks in the surrounding parking lot, and the stars in the night sky were bright and brilliant. Lin Chen came back holding two steaming paper cups, handing one to him.


    The coffee had a layer of foam on top, and the liquid was rich and flavorful. Some steam dispersed into the air, much like the gaze Lin Chen had on him at that time.


    They both took a sip of coffee without saying a word, gazing at the velvety night sky. Perhaps they felt warmth and tranquility in each other¡¯s presence, so neither of them spoke.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but glance at the passenger seat. He always felt like he could still see Lin Chen¡¯s lower lip stained with coffee, carrying a sweet scent, and his eyes gleaming brightly.


    It was in that moment that Xing Conglian suddenly realized that whenever he drove at night, Lin Chen hardly ever slept. Those words and coffee, hot tea, and the waiting while he smoked¡ªthey were the most ordinary yet extraordinary companionship.


    He hadn¡¯t been aware of this before, and now that he had suddenly lost it, he realized how terrifying habits could be, making his whole body tremble.


    Xing Conglian felt panic once again. He picked up his phone and started scrolling through his contacts without any specific purpose, trying to distract himself from the memories by focusing on work.


    But before he could find someone to talk to, he received a call from Guanghua Chemicals.


    Wang Chao sounded excited because Xiao Zhan had made some progress in the drug research.


    As Xing Conglian answered the call, Wang Chao spoke a lot, using lengthy technical terms. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to listen to them, but in order to avoid thinking about Lin Chen randomly, he forced himself to take note of the contents and repeatedly confirm his understanding.


    This phone call consumed the duration of about seven or eight traffic lights. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Chao asking at the end, ¡°How is A¡¯Chen Gege doing?¡± Xing Conglian might have truly escaped from his memories.


    However, his efforts had clearly failed. Lin Chen was right¡ªthere was so much work, and he couldn¡¯t finish it all in his lifetime.


    He hung up the phone and turned up the volume of the car radio.


    The ambient sound reverberated loudly, yet he felt the car cabin becoming even quieter.


    Lin Chen was good to Wang Chao, not because he had a secret crush on him or was influenced by a herd mentality. Xing Conglian was well aware of this, just like with the chubby kid who introduced them. Lin Chen had a strong protective instinct toward these innocent beings.


    They had also discussed Wang Chao¡¯s education when he couldn¡¯t hear them.


    In the face of Lin Chen, Xing Conglian had asked him in confusion whether Wang Chao was too naive, as his mental age seemed too childish.


    At that time, Lin Chen furrowed his brows, deep in thought, and didn¡¯t immediately answer his question.


    Xing Conglian thought that perhaps Lin Chen was reluctant to criticize him directly. But maybe it was a few hours later, deep into the night, when Lin Chen handed him a book titled <The Psychology of Abnormal Children>.


    The book was filled with various colored tabs, and many paragraphs inside were marked with special annotations.


    They sat by the window, and Lin Chen flipped through the book page by page, explaining about gifted children and teaching him to understand the concept of mental age, among other related topics. Like a devoted scholar, he was both serious and adorable.


    The desk lamp cast a dim yellow light, the spring breeze was gentle, and the reflection of the river water fell on Lin Chen¡¯s face. Xing Conglian wondered if, at that moment, he had already developed feelings for Lin Chen without even realizing it.


    He kept thinking and thinking, his mouth dry and tongue parched, only to realize that the cigarette in his hand had burned out without him noticing. There was a pile of scattered cigarette ash on his pants.


    He flicked away the cigarette butt and thought of lighting another one, but just as the traffic light turned green, he happened to turn into a small road sandwiched between residential areas.


    Many of the shops on both sides had already closed, but the late-night snack shops had just opened.


    This place was very close to their home. Countless mornings, he and Lin Chen had come here side by side to have breakfast.


    Their shared memories were as pervasive as the morning mist permeating the South.


    Lin Chen always knew where to find the best breakfast spots, even though he loved to sleep in. Every once in a while, in the early morning, he would wake Xing Conglian up without being so considerate.


    They would traverse through bustling streets and alleys, arriving at lively markets, joining the old men and women who had risen early to wait for soy milk or buy noodle soup.


    For example, on Nanlin Street, there were the best buns in the entire Hongjing. Lin Chen liked the rose bean paste ones, while Xing Conglian preferred curry beef. They would each buy two and eat them as they walked.


    On the side of the road, there were camphor trees with a light fragrance, and the river flowed gently through the shops along the street. Near the end of the street, wooden signs advertising houses for rent would hang from the trees¡ªall of these images appeared vividly in his mind.


    At that time, he thought it was normal for good friends to walk together to find breakfast. Now, he realized how foolish he had been.


    Why did Lin Chen always know where to find delicious food? Why didn¡¯t Lin Chen call Wang Chao? And why, no matter how far the distance, was Lin Chen willing to walk with him rather than take a car?


    The answers to these questions made Xing Conglian¡¯s heart ache with bittersweetness.


    It was because Lin Chen loved him and just wanted to spend a little more time with him; that was all.


    Xing Conglian dared not smoke. He even felt that any movement would shatter the scene before his eyes.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t like spicy food but was willing to accompany him to eat spicy crayfish. Lin Chen had a good daily routine and disliked staying up late, yet he would stay up all night with him to watch soccer matches. Lin Chen always reminded him to fasten his seatbelt, and when Xing Conglian was parched and didn¡¯t even notice it himself, Lin Chen would hand him a bottle of water with the cap already unscrewed¡­


    All these details were too vivid and apparent. He enjoyed the love and care that went beyond friendship, but he remained completely unaware, like a complete fool.


    The Zhourui Building was now within reach, but Xing Conglian felt that he couldn¡¯t continue thinking any further. Otherwise, he would definitely abandon everything and turn the car around to rush back to Lin Chen¡¯s side.


    He stubbed out the cigarette and found a parking spot by the side of the road, deciding to walk.


    The night in the bustling city was also coming to an end.


    Milk tea shops were closing, bakeries displayed signs with an 80% discount on all items, and bus stops were crowded with couples.


    He was surrounded by pedestrians preparing to return home; the flow of people bustled and supported each other. Under the bright neon lights of the shops, every face wore an expression of exhaustion and happiness, radiant and lively.


    Xing Conglian walked forward with his hands in his pockets, constantly brushing shoulders with countless couples.


    Girls coquettishly hooked their arms around boys, boys hugged girls and kissed them, and close friends bantered with each other. People talked about various topics¡ªclothes, shoes, work, loved ones. The cacophony of voices filled the entire night, but Lin Chen¡¯s voice was absent.


    He received another phone call. His subordinate was reporting the latest progress on the drug investigation. Zhourui Pharmaceutical refused to cooperate, and they couldn¡¯t find any breakthroughs for the time being.


    Xing Conglian responded half-heartedly, informing the person that he would be there soon.


    But in that instant, as he looked around, he suddenly realized that the entire world had lost its colors. Loneliness had penetrated his bones, and it was terrifying.


    He even felt that no matter how much Lin Chen loved him, he might not be able to endure a similar moment again. It was too bleak, too lonely, too unbearable. He felt like a patient going through withdrawal, losing the meaning of life.


    He reached into his pocket and found that the cigarette box was empty. He was forced to walk to a small cigarette stall on the street.


    An old man opened a trunk under a streetlamp, displaying various kinds of cigarettes. The dim light from the streetlamp scattered down, casting everything in a dull yellow hue.


    He squatted down to choose a cigarette, with couples beside him selecting jewelry. The girl was sweet-looking, and the boy appeared to be an athletic type, tall and handsome, the kind who never lacked attention from girls.


    The boy questioned why the girl made him wait for so long, and the girl replied that she had to wait for her parents to fall asleep and finish applying makeup before sneaking out.


    ¡°I love you no matter how you look,¡± the boy said, lowering his head.


    ¡°Without colored contacts or false eyelashes, you wouldn¡¯t like me,¡± the girl responded cheerfully.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but turn his head. The girl beside him had glamorous makeup, long eyelashes, and her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness.


    Perhaps he had been staring for a bit too long. The girl pointed at him and said to the boy, ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about trust, but my own vanity. I want to appear beautiful in front of you every day.¡±


    Xing Conglian averted his gaze, feeling that such a conversation would never occur between him and Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen always tolerated and cared for him like a polite stranger. What was happening around him was what normal conversations between couples would sound like.


    He didn¡¯t want to listen any further, so he picked up a cigarette, asked for the price, and started to take out money.


    The boy was still concerned about the issue of makeup and asked the girl, ¡°So, if you¡¯re sick, can¡¯t I come and take care of you? What if you get old and take medication that drives you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m sick, I¡¯ll still put on makeup. If I get old, I¡¯ll just die. If I take medication that turns me into a lunatic, you better not come see me. The farther away you stay, the better!¡±


    The girl stomped her feet, frustrated, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hand, in the process of receiving change, froze. He looked at the old man¡¯s withered fingers, feeling as if his whole body had turned to stone.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to come see me.¡± The girl beside him had said those words. What about Lin Chen? How would Lin Chen say it?


    Xing Conglian felt as if he had returned to the ambulance. It was already dark outside, and Lin Chen¡¯s face was blurry in the evening sun, but his voice was firm and gentle.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°You have to walk with me.¡± He said, ¡°You need to focus on your work and solve the problems.¡± He also said, ¡°You have to remember to come see me.¡±


    He kept recalling every word Lin Chen said, over and over again. That incomprehensible feeling, that sense that something was off, resurfaced, like the immense shadow of an iceberg beneath the water¡¯s surface, suffocating.


    It wasn¡¯t the girl saying, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to come see me,¡± but rather, ¡°You have to remember to come see me¡±¡­


    Xing Conglian finally understood what was wrong with that statement.


    He had always been aware of Lin Chen¡¯s love for him. When Lin Chen kissed him, he loved him. When Lin Chen was gravely ill, he loved him. Even when Lin Chen chose to inject Shen Lian¡¯s medication, he still loved him¡­


    But the depth of love was too difficult to measure. He used to think it was deep affection and love that he couldn¡¯t repay.


    Yet in this moment, under this ordinary streetlamp, as he listened to the most ordinary story of a couple, he suddenly realized just how profound Lin Chen¡¯s love for him truly was, like a roaring wave crashing down upon him.


    There was a time when he felt a ringing in his ears, and Lin Chen¡¯s voice kept echoing in his mind.


    If he were to turn into a crazed, inhuman figure, the first thing he would do is drive Lin Chen away, refusing to appear before his loved one in such an ugly state.


    And yet, Lin Chen cared too much for him. Even in such moments, Lin Chen would restrain his instinctive fear of exposing his own ugliness, carefully considering how to better support him. Not pushing him away, but finding ways to mentally support him during the remaining time they had together.


    Lin Chen wanted him to be better, to give him hope. That¡¯s why he appeared so incredibly strong. Lin Chen chose treatment plans solely aiming to make him less miserable. Lin Chen was even willing to completely expose his own flaws in front of him, dignity becoming completely irrelevant.


    All of this was because in Lin Chen¡¯s mind, his feelings were more important.


    But how was that possible? It was Lin Chen, and how could dignity not be important?


    This kind of intelligence, rationality, and care, even striving to become stronger for him in his most vulnerable moments, made Lin Chen completely irresistible. Xing Conglian stood under the streetlamp, going insane as he rushed towards his car.


    At that time, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze was too tender and affectionate, softer than the fading red glow on the horizon. He couldn¡¯t see the fear, the unease, and the overwhelming love hidden within it. He only felt that Lin Chen was too rational, too clear-headed. He felt abandoned, he felt too lonely, so he overlooked that simple and ordinary statement.


    His oversight was only natural because Lin Chen had always loved him like this. Lin Chen tried to do his best, while he simply immersed himself in it, enjoying it as a matter of course.


    But how many things in the world could be taken for granted?


    Xing Conglian stood in place for a long time, his ears buzzing as everything rushed past him. It wasn¡¯t until the silhouette of that young couple completely disappeared under the streetlamp that he snapped back to reality, crazily rushing back along the same road he came.


    Against the flow of people, pushing through the crowd, his hands trembling like never before. He even struggled to insert the key into the car¡¯s ignition.


    He ended the call, stepping on the gas pedal like a madman, only hoping that he hadn¡¯t left that hospital ward.


    The night had become pitch black. He had turned into a frantic, irrational beast. Everything about Lin Chen filled the space around him, and apart from running wildly, he saw no way out.


    As vehicles raced on the streets, he ran down the corridor as countless frames of images roared past him.


    Lin Chen laughing, Lin Chen crying, Lin Chen speaking, Lin Chen walking, Lin Chen handing him documents, Lin Chen walking out the door, Lin Chen hugging him and saying ¡°thank you¡±, Lin Chen holding his hand and saying ¡°I love you¡±¡­


    The simplest scenes were the most unforgettable, resurfacing from the depths of his memory, compressing time and space infinitely.


    He locked the door, turned off the lights, and pulled down the curtain. When he realized what he was doing, he was already standing in front of the hospital bed, and everything came to a sudden stop.


    All the sights in the world receded like the tide, leaving only the solitary bed in space.


    The surroundings were extremely dark, with moonlight slanting through the window, like drifting snow, about to bury the person on the bed completely.


    Xing Conglian vaguely saw the familiar face, but at the same time, he felt like he didn¡¯t recognize the person at all. He wanted to reach out, but he was like a person trapped in a nightmare, using all his strength but unable to move.


    Time passed aimlessly until a faint, unconscious moan cracked the frozen space.


    Xing Conglian looked at the hospital bed again, finally seeing Lin Chen clearly.


    Lin Chen was in a dazed state, unable to speak clearly due to the medication¡¯s side effects. His throat was swollen, and saliva even dribbled down from the corner of his mouth. He looked nothing like the clear-headed and composed person before.


    Xing Conglian tried to move his fingers, recovering some control, but this recovery made his heart ache to the extreme.


    ¡°Why are you treating me like this?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart painfully ached and the pain made him climb onto the bed without hesitation. He bit Lin Chen¡¯s neck and with his other hand untied Lin Chen¡¯s restraint.


    The person on the bed soon struggled, as if wanting to beat him, even kill him. But Xing Conglian would rather have Lin Chen kill him. Dying together would be the best relief.


    He forcibly pulled Lin Chen¡¯s hands over his head and tied him tightly to the iron frame at the head of the bed.


    Lin Chen¡¯s upper body contorted in pain, but Xing Conglian felt it wasn¡¯t enough, so he forcibly pulled down Lin Chen¡¯s hospital trousers and underwear. He untied one after another of the white restraints that bound Lin Chen. Lin Chen¡¯s instincts made him struggle frantically, like a true psychiatric patient.


    Xing Conglian pulled Lin Chen¡¯s underwear to his legs, and it pressed against Lin Chen¡¯s ankles. He knew that there was no point in suppressing a madman except by pure force.


    Lin Chen¡¯s whining filled the space. Xing Conglian finally untied the bound around Lin Chen¡¯s mouth, tore off his shirt, and kissed him vigorously.


    Lin Chen was biting wildly causing their teeth to collide, which made the pain all the more unbearable. This chaos was too wild that it didn¡¯t look like a kiss at all.


    ¡°Get¡­ Get away!¡±


    Lin Chen shouted with a slurred voice. His body became hot under Xing Conglian.


    ¡°Who do you want to get away?¡± Xing Conglian leaned in close to Lin Chen¡¯s ear and took off his pants. He raised his voice and asked again, ¡°Who am I? Who do you want to get away?¡±


    ¡°Get¡­ Get away!¡± Lin Chen could only utter incoherent syllables.


    Xing Conglian felt like he had completely turned into a madman himself, trying to find a definite answer in this irrational world. ¡°Who am I? Why do you want me to get away?¡±


    Lin Chen trembled all over, reciting mechanically in a tone buried deep in his mind that he dared not forget: ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    He pressed his penis against Lin Chen¡¯s and grinded twice. Both of them were hot and hard.


    Lin Chen trembled all over and mechanically yet in a tone that was buried deep in his mind that he didn¡¯t dare forget, said, ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    Clear and distinct words came from Lin Chen¡¯s mouth, each one choking Xing Conglian up. He didn¡¯t understand the mind and brain, didn¡¯t comprehend the human soul. He had no idea how important he was to Lin Chen, to the point where even in the depths of Lin Chen¡¯s mental chaos, he couldn¡¯t forget his name.


    Xing Conglian reached toward the head of the bed and grabbed the cream used to help heal the wounds on Lin Chen¡¯s body. He indiscriminately squeezed it on his finger and forcibly inserted it into Lin Chen¡¯s hole.


    Lin Chen was in intense pain. His body was tensed up, and his head kept shaking. He heard Lin Chen say, ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian, get away¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian knew that he couldn¡¯t leave now. He had a question that he must ask, an answer that was heart-wrenching, but he had to get that answer.


    He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to look into Lin Chen¡¯s eyes. Once again, he forcefully held onto Lin Chen and leaned in close, speaking in the coldest and most ruthless tone, ¡°With me, you can be willful, selfish, unreasonable. I would even die with you if you didn¡¯t want to live anymore. I just need you to answer my question, just tell me the truth.¡± He spoke, but soon he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and his voice choked. ¡°Please, tell me the truth.¡±


    It seemed that his pleading had worked, or perhaps it was the tears falling on Lin Chen¡¯s face that truly brought him back to clarity.


    Lin Chen¡¯s movements came to a halt as he looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°What do you think of me?¡± He pressed his penis against Lin Chen¡¯s hole as he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± In that moment of stillness, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze was heartbreaking.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want to see you?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian don¡¯t look at me¡­ Xing Conglian don¡¯t look at me like this!¡± Lin Chen sobbed, like a child who had made a mistake, extremely agitated and desperate. ¡°Xing Conglian won¡¯t like me. Xing Conglian can¡¯t not like me¡­¡±


    Every syllable uttered by Lin Chen stabbed into his heart like a knife. Indeed, it was just like that.


    All of Xing Conglian¡¯s movements ceased, and even his heart felt like it stopped beating. He had completely stripped himself and Lin Chen. They were facing each other, naked, and the surrounding was a mess, but he had lost all ability to act.


    Perhaps it was half a minute, or maybe an infinitely long time, Xing Conglian felt the blood slowly flow back to his limbs. He didn¡¯t understand what he was doing anymore.


    He propped himself up on his elbow and kissed Lin Chen¡¯s cheek, releasing the restraints on the bed, and got up. At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly yanked him violently and said to him, in a voice that was clear, unequivocal, unambiguous, and agonizing, with an instinctive human desire for love and sex, ¡°Enter me¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was full of fear, but his eyes were crazed with love.


    Xing Conglian was once again filled with overwhelming grief, tightly embracing Lin Chen.


    It was an incredibly painful and firm world, just like Lin Chen¡¯s heart. Besides bleeding and forcibly tearing open, there was no other way.


    Lin Chen gasped in pain writhing out of shape as he groaned, roared, and shouted ¡°go away¡± and ¡°please¡± incessantly.


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t experience any sexual pleasure but felt that such a painful union was too suitable for lunatics like them. He kept thrusting inside Lin Chen¡¯s, going deeper and deeper.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Nn¡­¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice had long since become hoarse, unable to form complete sentences. ¡°Love you¡­ I¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian kissed his neck vigorously, thinking if he wrecked Lin Chen¡¯s belly*, they would no longer have to face such difficulties.


    *Figuratively as in his dick is so large it makes his stomach bulge.


    He had never truly understood Lin Chen, starting from the moment Lin Chen appeared at his doorstep. He had never really understood Lin Chen.


    ¡°Tell me the truth. Tell me what you¡¯re thinking!¡± He pulled out and suddenly grabbed onto the roots of Lin Chen¡¯s hair, questioning Lin Chen forcefully.


    ¡°I, I¡­ it hurts¡­ it hurts.¡± Tears overflowed from Lin Chen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ Xing Conglian¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± he roared in anger.


    Lin Chen shouted almost mournfully, ¡°I love you. I don¡¯t want to be your friend or colleague. I want to be with you.¡±


    ¡°Go on!¡± He pulled out again and thrusted his dick back into Lin Chen¡¯s insides.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like me? Why don¡¯t you know that I love you? My luck is so bad. I encounter so many bad people, I could die at any time. Please fall in love with me, because if I¡¯m not careful, I might not live to see that day.¡± Lin Chen was in complete pain, and he couldn¡¯t feel any erotic pleasure. His words were jumbled and illogical. ¡°I will die. I will die soon¡­ If I die, you won¡¯t know that I loved you¡­ That¡¯s good¡­ It¡¯s good this way¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian understood very well that he would never hear these words from Lin Chen when he was clear-minded. This filled him with immeasurable heartache, and he couldn¡¯t find any other outlet for his emotions. He could only continue to embed Lin Chen with his penis.


    ¡°I love you, but you can¡¯t know. But Song Shengsheng died. He was such a good person, and he died. I can¡¯t help it. I really can¡¯t help it¡­ I want to give it a try. I really want to try¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have done that, but I really couldn¡¯t control myself. I love you!¡± Lin Chen bit into his shoulder in pain.


    Xing Conglian tasted the bitterness of blood and tears in his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ I really didn¡¯t know¡­¡± He held Lin Chen tightly. He felt more helpless and terrified than Lin Chen. Besides continuously saying ¡°I love you¡± and ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, he was at a loss for what to do.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do that. I didn¡¯t abandon you. Shen Lian can¡¯t die¡­ Even if I die, she can¡¯t die. But I have no way out. I really can¡¯t think of any solution¡­ Why am I so stupid¡­ Why am I so stupid¡­¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know what Lin Chen was thinking. He started to desperately hit his head with his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, don¡¯t be upset. It¡¯s my fault, I¡¯m so stupid, so stupid.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ I¡¯m sorry, truly sorry¡­ I know you tried your best¡­¡± Xing Conglian held onto Lin Chen¡¯s hand, feeling ashamed for the momentary thought of breaking up. ¡°But I really don¡¯t know what to do. I have nothing good about me. I¡¯m not good at all. I¡¯ve killed many people. I¡¯m foolish and selfish. Thank you¡­ really, thank you¡­¡±


    It was so difficult for Xing Conglian. Clearly, he should be cherishing Lin Chen, treasuring him, and loving him endlessly. But no matter what he did, he could never match the love Lin Chen had for him.


    He stopped all his movements and gently kissed Lin Chen¡¯s eyelashes. He tried to slow down his movements, but he felt that only pain could resolve everything.


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Lin Chen shouted with the last of his strength with his hoarse voice, and the pain pierced through his heart.


    At that moment, Xing Conglian realized that he had already lost himself when it came to Lin Chen. He was in complete disarray.


    Apart from staying with Lin Chen through life and death, he had no other path to take.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Okay, I didn¡¯t realize that there was actually smut in this novel. When I first translated it, I was extremely confused as a few chapters after this, there was mention of them having sex and I was baffled as nothing of that nature was mentioned at all. It wasn¡¯t until much later that I found out all the sex scenes were cut out in the JJ version, so I had to do a little bit of dicktective work and find the uncensored version. To replace the uncensored version, the author added bits to the censored version, so this chapter is actually a combination of both the uncensored and censored version.


    I tried my best to combine them as smoothly as possible, but there might still be some areas that¡¯s a bit disjointed. Still, it¡¯s a lot better than reading and finding out they fuck and is completely lost as that was never mentioned (like I did in my first go).


    For those concerned, there is one more sex scene chapter that was cut, but that¡¯s not until the extras. As far as I can tell, no other smut was cut out.

 CH 249

    Lin Chen lay on the hospital bed, seemingly deep asleep or in a semi-comatose state.


    Xing Conglian wrapped his arm around Lin Chen¡¯s waist, with one hand encircling his side and the other holding onto his lower back. Delicate sweat covered Lin Chen¡¯s skin from his neck to his shoulders. They pressed tightly against each other; their touch was sticky, damp, and warm, giving a real feeling.


    Equally real were the scents of sweat, blood, and the air.


    Xing Conglian pushed aside strands of Lin Chen¡¯s black hair and leaned over, resting his chin in the crook of Lin Chen¡¯s neck. He kissed Lin Chen¡¯s cheek repeatedly, from behind his ear to his temples, from his neck to the crown of his head. Honestly, neither of them had taken a shower today, so the scent wasn¡¯t pleasant, but this messy imperfection made it feel real.


    Xing Conglian inexplicably thought of the time he cried in despair for the first time in his memory.


    He couldn¡¯t remember the exact cause of the specific event, but the underlying reason was that his parents felt that he needed to separate from the stuffed duck toy he had been hugging since childhood.


    Because that duck was dirty and old, with exposed cotton and many repairs.


    But he felt that he could only feel safe when he hugged that dirty and worn-out duck while sleeping.


    For this reason, his parents read many books on child attachment, tried numerous methods mentioned in those books, and even took him to see a psychologist, but no method could solve his attachment to a tattered duck.


    As time went by, one day, probably due to him beating up a classmate or some similar reason, his father couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and made him throw away the duck.


    Of course, there was no direct connection, but for angry parents, finding the most crucial thing to punish their son was essential.


    It was a very dim evening when his father took him directly to the lakeside, with his mother present as well. They rowed to the center of the lake, with his mother holding him while his father smashed the duck into the water.


    That was an utterly heart-wrenching scene for him. The autumn and winter cold winds, the blue and gloomy lake water, and his beloved possession gradually sank into the water. He still remembered every ripple of the water at that moment.


    Losing a sense of security was extremely painful for every child, especially when it came to their most beloved toy. At that time, he almost wished to jump into the river together with the duck. If it weren¡¯t for his mother holding him, he might have died right there.


    What was even more extreme was that when they returned to the shore, his father slapped him and told him things like:


    ¡°You will have many things and people you love in your life, but one day they will all leave!¡±


    ¡°Even your parents will die, so you must learn to take responsibility for your mistakes!¡±


    ¡°Besides yourself, you cannot depend on anything or anyone!¡±


    His father said many similar randomly stitched-together words, forcefully trying to educate him. For a six- or seven-year-old child, it was like a profound philosophical question. He grabbed at his runny nose and tears, not understanding any of it, only feeling pain. For a long period of time afterward, he was immersed in this pain.


    Recovery was very slow, but eventually, he did recover. His father later apologized for his outburst, and his mother said she had wanted to do it a long time ago.


    He later told Lin Chen about this incident. At that time, they weren¡¯t in a romantic relationship yet, so of course, he wanted to hear Consultant Lin¡¯s advice to untie his emotional knot or provide a proper psychological analysis of the matter.


    However, Lin Chen remained silent for a long time and finally said that there aren¡¯t so many explanations in the world, but for the human mind, growth was always accompanied by pain.


    This was Lin Chen¡¯s consistent theory. Sweetness made people numb; only pain gave a sense of reality.


    Actually, Xing Conglian had long felt that he didn¡¯t need to grow anymore. After all, he was retired, and society shouldn¡¯t demand too much from senior citizens.


    But now, as he recalled Lin Chen¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but hold the person in his arms tighter.


    Just a moment ago, after enjoying the long-lasting sweetness and happiness of love, he finally experienced the unbearable pain that ordinary people endure.


    The pain of separation, the pain of understanding, and even enlightenment all carried a sense of pain.


    But all the intolerable experiences were also constantly expanding the boundaries of the mind. This matter had no meaning, yet it was full of meaning. Xing Conglian thought that if Lin Chen were awake and they were chatting, Consultant Lin would surely educate him like this. It would be dull, scholarly, and clear-headed, making him unable to resist the urge to kiss him.


    Xing Conglian kissed Lin Chen¡¯s dry and cracked lips, which still had a hint of a bloody smell. He got up and began to dress Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen obediently acted like a puppet. Xing Conglian hugged him and couldn¡¯t help but laugh helplessly and self-mockingly. In reality, there weren¡¯t so many twisted and absurd theories. All those soul-healing words were meant to give a glimmer of hope to those in despair.


    It was difficult to keep going, but they had to keep going.


    ¡­¡­


    Late at night, taxi driver Xiao Zhang received a strange request outside the Tzu Chi Hospital.


    The passenger stood by the roadside, and only after getting into the car did he mention that he wanted to go to the seaside in the neighboring province.


    For any driver, hearing this kind of long-distance trip would initially bring joy, but the second thought was often to decline.


    Long-distance meant high income, but encountering a situation where a man was holding onto another person in front of a psychiatric hospital was definitely abnormal.


    However, Xiao Zhang made the mistake of letting the passenger get in the car first before asking for the destination. The time difference gave the passenger an opportunity to quote a price, and the down payment alone was enough to make Xiao Zhang unable to refuse.


    After all, being in the taxi business, one saw and experienced a lot. Without courage, one couldn¡¯t drive the night roads. Xiao Zhang took the money and made up his mind that if the passenger mentioned any remote side road, he would absolutely refuse.


    But throughout the journey, the person in the back seat didn¡¯t cause any trouble. Besides providing the address, the man with a buzz cut seemed immersed in his own world, dark and withdrawn. He would occasionally lean down to kiss the person in his arms, and other times he would gaze out of the window aimlessly. His eyes carried a hidden worry, uncertainty, and an inexplicable sense of composure.


    The night grew darker, and the number of vehicles decreased.


    Xiao Zhang even had a momentary suspicion that the person the man was holding in his arms might be a corpse, as the wrapped figure in the blanket hardly moved.


    But he was also very aware of the faint and painful sounds coming from the backseat, unable to discern whether they were from a man or a woman. The sounds were desperate, like the alternative music that would only be played on late-night radio. Whenever the person in the man¡¯s arms began to struggle, he would hold them close, almost helplessly comforting them with kisses. Apart from that, it seemed like there was nothing else he could do.


    The eerie situation in the backseat continued throughout the journey.


    When they exited the expressway and arrived in Louhai City, Xiao Zhang even considered whether it would be better to stop the taxi directly in front of the police station. However, as they passed by the police station, the man in the backseat seemed to have anticipated his intention and showed him his police badge.


    In that instant, when Xiao Zhang saw the badge, the tension he had been feeling throughout the journey finally eased. The police always gave people a sense of security and could explain any strange and silent phenomena.


    He couldn¡¯t help but initiate a conversation with the person in the backseat, asking why they were traveling late at night and not using an official vehicle.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡±


    That was how the gentleman in the backseat answered, cool as ever.


    Xiao Zhang rolled down the window. On one side was the pitch-black sea, while on the other side were various dazzling resort hotels. He blew a whistle, carried by the sea breeze.


    But suddenly, he heard a deep voice from the backseat say, ¡°Please close the window.¡±


    Instinctively, he glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed that the blanket in the backseat was fluttering in the night breeze. Taking this opportunity, he finally saw the person the police officer had been holding all along¡ªit was a man.


    Xiao Zhang almost wanted to whistle again. He had transported a mentally ill person from the entrance of a psychiatric hospital to the seaside, traversing hundreds of kilometers. The experiences of a night shift taxi driver were truly rich, and he might even encounter some melodramatic stories like lovers jumping off cliffs. Should he save them or not when that time comes?


    Bored, Xiao Zhang thought to himself. Following the navigation instructions, he made several turns and finally arrived in an area without even streetlights. The sound of the wind became more vast, covering the sound of the waves. Besides the narrow strip of road illuminated by his headlights, he could see almost nothing.


    But based on his assumptions, this couldn¡¯t be considered a remote side road because there wasn¡¯t even a road here.


    Xiao Zhang couldn¡¯t help but turn around and say, ¡°Sir, this road is too secluded. Are you sure you want to continue? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll run out of gas.¡±


    The other person seemed to instantly understand what he was thinking and simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can refuel once we reach our destination.¡±


    Who knows which gas station will be found in the middle of nowhere! But turning back would be too timid. Xiao Zhang could only grit his teeth and continue.


    After driving for a while, Xiao Zhang suddenly realized that his phone¡¯s navigation hadn¡¯t made a sound for a long time.


    Feeling a chill run down his spine, he looked down and saw that there was no signal in the top right corner of his phone. He inwardly cursed his luck. It seemed like his calls to heaven went unanswered, and his calls to earth were ineffective.


    Xiao Zhang broke out in a cold sweat and said, ¡°Sir, I have a family to support. Is there something you can¡¯t figure out¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.


    ¡°Up ahead is a sanatorium,¡± the gentleman in the backseat said. ¡°It¡¯s quite special and has corresponding security measures, so the cellphone signal in this area is blocked.¡±


    Xiao Zhang was dumbfounded. ¡°T-This¡­ It must be at a high-level, right?¡± After speaking, he felt that something was off. Who would just reveal the location of a classified place right away? It didn¡¯t match the scenes depicted on TV. So, he thought carefully and attempted to test the waters. ¡°Can I still go back home? Will I be¡­¡±


    The gentleman in the backseat furrowed his brow. Xiao Zhang also felt that his question was quite nonsensical, but the other person still maintained composure and patiently answered, ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡±


    Though it was only a short reply, the solemn tone made Xiao Zhang feel much more at ease. The tension that had been gripping his mind loosened. After holding back his talent for chattering as a taxi driver throughout the entire trip, he stepped on the gas pedal, took out a cigarette, and tucked one behind his ear as well. He didn¡¯t dare to light it, afraid that the person in the backseat wouldn¡¯t like it. ¡°You really scared me, traveling so late at night. Are you taking your loved one for medical treatment? What happened? Is that place like the ones in novels with renowned traditional Chinese medicine experts?¡±


    He glanced at the rearview mirror. The gentleman in the backseat shook his head, denying his speculation. Then, he naturally extended his hand toward Xiao Zhang. Instinctively, Xiao Zhang handed over the cigarette tucked behind his ear before he worried that the other person might find it distasteful.


    But the gentleman didn¡¯t mind at all and lit the cigarette himself.


    The flickering spark illuminated the man¡¯s profile, making him appear incredibly desolate. Xiao Zhang noticed that his other hand remained tightly gripping the blanket, causing his knuckles to turn white and even tremble.


    ¡°So why are you going there?¡± Xiao Zhang repeated the question from earlier.


    ¡°Because I can.¡±

 CH 250

    Xiao Zhang felt that wealthy people never spoke properly. There was simply no way to continue the conversation.


    When the fuel gauge neared the critical zone, Xiao Zhang saw a guard booth. Perhaps due to the darkness, the booth seemed to have sprung up out of thin air, emitting a dismal white light in the desolate wilderness.


    He abruptly stepped on the brakes, but the gentleman in the backseat, as if anticipating his reaction, had already held onto the handle, remaining perfectly still.


    Xiao Zhang looked into the distance and saw hazy shadows of buildings merging with the darkness, making them indistinguishable. Various urban legends instantly popped into his mind, making his foot on the gas pedal tremble.


    At that moment, the sound of roaring engines suddenly filled the empty plain. Xiao Zhang quickly released the gas pedal, and through the rearview mirror, he saw two trails of dust rapidly approaching. As they drew closer, he could clearly see that they were two imposing black SUVs. The taxi was sandwiched between the two heavily modified vehicles, like a thin filling in a hamburger, looking quite pitiful.


    Only then did Xiao Zhang recall the mention of security levels by the gentleman in the backseat. He realized that the order of security and guards had been swapped, and the difference in severity was simply night and day. Xiao Zhang almost cursed out loud. He was just a nighttime taxi driver who stopped at a wave of the hand. He had hoped to earn some milk money for his child with this long-distance fare. Why did he have to experience this counter-terrorism operation in the middle of the night?


    However, to his surprise, the two SUVs showed no intention of stopping, nor did they plan to conduct any security checks. Xiao Zhang looked left and right, feeling utterly perplexed.


    Then, a soothing voice came from the backseat.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Keep driving.¡±


    Casually, his passenger said.


    Xiao Zhang swallowed hard. He still felt that driving off so nonchalantly wasn¡¯t appropriate, but when the boss speaks, you either comply or die. He forcefully stepped on the gas pedal. After he accelerated, the two security vehicles didn¡¯t attempt to catch up. They simply followed at a distance. Xiao Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly felt a strange sense of confidence.


    The next checkpoint was a guard booth, manned by heavily armed security personnel, standing upright.


    Through the crossbar and illuminated by the streetlights, Xiao Zhang could clearly see a stretch of villas in the distance.


    The villas had different designs and ages, some built against the mountains, others near the sea, varying in height and lacking any semblance of order. It resembled an ordinary suburban town with no distinctive features.


    Just as the front of the car approached the crossbar, the bright yellow pole automatically lifted high up. They entered as if in a deserted place, without encountering any obstacles.


    Xiao Zhang glanced at the rearview mirror, where the security personnel in the guard booth saluted them. The black vehicles continued to follow, like phantoms.


    His courage grew, and he decided to treat it like a tour, continuing to drive forward along the road.


    As they passed those buildings, he occasionally saw bronze plaques hanging on them, indicating various institutional sanatoriums or certain types of residences.


    The roadside was filled with lush flowers and trees, and the scenery was serene. There were even stray cats dozing off by the road.


    Xiao Zhang let out a yawn and suddenly felt a bit drowsy.


    ¡°Just stop up ahead.¡±


    The passenger in the backseat said.


    Xiao Zhang looked up and saw a building in the distance unexpectedly brightly illuminated. The main entrance was wide open, with a line of people standing at the entrance as if welcoming someone.


    They had indeed stopped at the entrance of a hospital, or at least what appeared to be a sanatorium-like facility.


    After the series of events they had experienced, Xiao Zhang had become numb. He smoothly pulled the car up to the entrance and stopped the meter.


    The ticket machine began to clatter, and the customer in the backseat opened his wallet as if he were about to pay.


    At that moment, someone opened the back door, and to Xiao Zhang¡¯s surprise, it was the person who had come out of the black SUV that had been following them. They appeared extremely respectful. Xiao Zhang suddenly realized who exactly the so-called security personnel were protecting.


    He trembled and looked out the car window. The medical staff at the entrance had also gathered around, and even a mobile bed was placed in the most suitable position.


    The gentleman in the backseat didn¡¯t say much. He emptied his wallet and handed the money to Xiao Zhang, including several one- and five-yuan bills.


    ¡°I still owe you 1,200 yuan. I¡¯ll give it to you later. Please wait.¡±


    After saying that, the passenger stepped out of the car and carefully placed the person he was holding onto the mobile bed.


    A nurse pushed the bed, walking alongside the doctor and the gentleman as if they were discussing the patient¡¯s condition. The security personnel followed behind.


    Everything proceeded naturally, and Xiao Zhang didn¡¯t even need to say anything. Everything was taken care of by someone else.


    Xiao Zhang watched everything happening outside the car. The building appeared bright and clean, giving a very comfortable feeling. The lobby had a suspended structure, with a glass ceiling that allowed one to look up and see the stars in the sky, making him feel like he was in a dream.


    When he snapped back to reality, the group of people had already entered the building in an imposing manner. Xiao Zhang tapped his forehead, glanced at the dangerously low fuel gauge, but hesitated when he saw the heavily armed security personnel at the back. He decided to wait until they left before quietly getting out of the car to ask questions.


    To his surprise, someone actually turned back. Xiao Zhang rolled down the car window, and the person politely bowed, showing no trace of arrogance. They handed over the remaining unpaid fare with both hands and said, ¡°Let me take you to refuel, this is the remaining fare, please keep it.¡±


    Xiao Zhang was pleasantly surprised. He accepted the money, speechless for a moment. Finally, he asked a silly question, ¡°Is that your boss? Are they very wealthy?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Zhourui Building, 3 a.m.


    The executive office resembled the aftermath of a bomb explosion. Every qualified Zhourui employee sitting in the office wore an expression of anger and frustration. Their faces were pale and twisted, as if they wished they could tear the man sitting at the other end of the circular conference table into pieces.


    Huang Ze observed the scene, rubbed his temples, and took a sip of the black coffee on the table.


    Just as he put the coffee cup down, The vice president of Zhourui slammed the table opposite him, shouting frantically and recklessly, ¡°It¡¯s clearly the incompetence of your police investigation, yet you want to shift all the blame onto our company! We won¡¯t accept it! Tomorrow, there will be a press conference!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s not bad.¡±


    A leisurely tone sounded beside him. Su Fengzi opened his eyes, still half-drowsy, and continued speaking. ¡°Your company has finally decided to confess its crimes in public. Admirable courage.¡±


    Huang Ze glanced beside him and couldn¡¯t help but raise his cup, focusing on his own thoughts, pretending he hadn¡¯t heard anything. After Su Fengzi¡¯s manipulations throughout the night, the entire Zhourui upper management had turned into a firework waiting to explode.


    ¡°Stop talking bullshit!¡±


    As expected, the vice president of Zhourui finally crossed the line and cursed.


    Su Fengzi rested his chin on one hand, pointed his index finger at the vice president of Zhourui, and waved his hand casually as he said lightly, ¡°You¡¯re incapable. Next, quickly explain and sign off on the Nordren matter so you can leave.¡±


    Everyone in the office had been pushed to their mental limits. They scratched their heads and faces, trying every method to leave, but Su Fengzi didn¡¯t relent. Even Huang Ze didn¡¯t dare disobey this lunatic beside him.


    In fact, even in moments of anger, he wouldn¡¯t even have the thought of laying a finger on Lin Chen in Su Fengzi¡¯s presence, subconsciously aware of the consequences.


    People always bullied the weak and feared the strong.


    Inspector Huang looked at the people in front of him and felt that they probably wished Lin Chen was here to reason with them.


    ¡°We really don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    The head of the R&D department nearly collapsed, shouting in despair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know what?¡± Su Fengzi turned his head and asked.


    This was almost Su Fengzi¡¯s favorite rhetorical question. At first, the Zhourui employees would respond to his questions, but as time went on and the same question was asked a hundred or two hundred times, this seemingly simple question became pure mental torture.


    The head of the R&D department tried to open his mouth but seemed to lack the mental capacity to answer the question. He could only slump back in his chair, panting heavily.


    The atmosphere became heavy once again, not because of emotions, but because it was the early hours of the morning. After an entire night of mental torture, nobody had the mental or physical capacity to deal with an interrogator who knew exactly how to make you uncomfortable.


    Huang Ze glanced at Su Fengzi once again and could only massage his temples.


    To be honest, after a whole night of interrogation, he finally realized that Su Fengzi had no intention of extracting any information from Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Even a novice knew that separate interrogations were the most effective, but Su Fengzi insisted on keeping everyone in the same room, using anxiety, crowded space, and repetitive and infuriating words to provoke each person. It seemed like he wanted to mentally torture these people repeatedly, rather than solve the case.


    Thinking of Lin Chen being tortured in the hospital, Huang Ze understood that this was revenge.


    He lowered his head and scrolled through his phone. The emotions in the room affected him, making him restless, but he forced himself to concentrate.


    The Zhourui executives were like tightly closed clamshells, refusing to cooperate.


    There were numerous suspicious aspects in the entire case, such as why Zhourui Pharmaceuticals didn¡¯t discover the drug issue in the early stages, and why they spent a significant amount of manpower and resources to cover up the truth after the discovery. Why were they able to anticipate police actions and expose themselves when the investigation was approaching the truth, destroying all of Lin Chen¡¯s previous plans?


    But the most crucial question here was what Shen Lian had done with the medication and how much Zhourui Pharmaceuticals knew about the drug itself.


    Under normal circumstances, they would have had plenty of time to investigate. However, the materials related to Nordren were vast and endless, and new cases were constantly emerging. The time they had to solve the case was getting shorter and shorter.


    They needed to swiftly pry open the mouths of these interest groups with a sharp knife.


    However¡­ Xing Conglian had turned off his phone.


    Huang Ze looked down and read the text message that had just arrived, furrowing his brows even tighter.


    The officer who had just gone to Tzu Chi Hospital replied to him, stating that Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t at the hospital, and Lin Chen¡¯s ward was empty as well.


    Huang Ze couldn¡¯t help but grip his phone tightly and handed it to Su Fengzi.


    Just then, his uncle, who hadn¡¯t spoken the whole night, asked with an extremely concerned tone from the corner. ¡°Nephew, why hasn¡¯t Captain Xin arrived? Could he have fled out of fear?¡±


    The vice president next to him, like an uncontrollable mad dog, stood up and slammed the table. ¡°Yes, why don¡¯t you go and ask that corrupt cop who took the bribe what he really knows!¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s heart trembled. Hearing such implications at this time wasn¡¯t a good sign. But on the other hand, he was deeply disappointed. Even at this stage of the development, this family company, this building, almost everyone here was still trying to shift the focus by smearing the police, in a desperate and frantic struggle¡­


    Huang Ze had no doubt that after dawn, all the morning news would push the Xing Conglian bribery case to a climax. When faced with a tainted police officer, the public¡¯s hatred was always greater.


    He lowered his gaze, almost unable to contain the anger in his heart.


    Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Su Fengzi handing the phone back to him, casually crossing his legs, and saying to the middle-aged man in the corner, ¡°You better not seek death. I¡¯ve been so gentle in chatting with you. You should cherish it.¡± He smiled; his tone leisurely as he pondered. ¡°If he arrives, you will certainly have no way out. That would be terrifying.¡±


    The Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical paused for a moment, feeling that Su Fengzi was exaggerating the consequences of Xing Conglian¡¯s arrival with such words. He responded with a half-mocking tone, disdainfully saying, ¡°Is that so? Then I¡¯ll be here, eagerly awaiting Captain Xing¡¯s grand entrance.¡±

 CH 251

    When Xing Conglian opened his phone, numerous messages flooded in.


    The busy medical staff had already left the room, leaving Lin Chen peacefully sleeping on the bed, covered like a fluffy cloud. A floor-to-ceiling window stretched across the room, with the sea just a short distance away.


    In the far distance, where the sea and sky met, it was no longer pure black. The sea appeared in a deep blue color, tranquil and profound, like the most soothing lullaby.


    Lin Chen¡¯s face was calm. His black hair obediently fell to the sides of his ears. There were kiss marks and accidental bruises on his neck, but they held no sexual implications.


    Or perhaps, standing outside this room and looking at Lin Chen, he repeatedly recalled the events that had just taken place. There were no sexual motives in his heart, and of course, nothing to regret.


    The taxi driver had repeatedly asked him why he had spent three and a half hours bringing Lin Chen here, but Xing Conglian truly couldn¡¯t answer. Considering various reasons, perhaps it was because this place at home was quiet and undisturbed, or maybe it was to keep Lin Chen in a place within his control so that he could feel at ease. Of course, there was also the reason that he had lived in this room before and the view from the window was nice. However, Xing Conglian was well aware that these reasons were not entirely accurate.


    He had spent three and a half hours taking a taxi to bring Lin Chen to this sanatorium simply because he felt lost. He couldn¡¯t be like Lin Chen, always knowing exactly what to do to be right.


    Until now, he could only act according to his primal instincts; in other words, being willful.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head to look at the screen.


    The result of his willfulness was countless missed calls, one progress report after another regarding the case, and even Huang Ze¡¯s final ultimatum.


    He scrolled through the phone, hastily reading through these things.


    The morning light was gradually rising, casting a hazy golden hue, making one side of Lin Chen¡¯s face even brighter. Bathed in the morning light, his eyelashes were distinct. A bunch of daisies sat on the bedside, looking beautiful.


    Everything was filled with vitality, giving Xing Conglian the illusion that at any moment, Lin Chen would sit up on the edge of the bed and greet him with a ¡°Good morning.¡±


    But the high dosage of sedatives meant that this scene could only exist in his imagination. Also existing in his imagination was the peaceful life he fantasized about having with Lin Chen.


    There was no one in this world who could be absolutely capricious and free.


    Xing Conglian put his phone back into his pocket and turned to leave.


    ¡­¡­


    Standing in the underground parking lot of the sanatorium, Xing Conglian realized the troubles that would follow after he spent three and a half hours bringing Lin Chen here.


    There was no other reason but the fact that this was the family¡¯s sanatorium, naturally inhabited by many friends of the family.


    One minute ago, he was ready to randomly find a car and drive back to Hongjing.


    Suddenly, the corner of the underground garage erupted with the roar of an engine, and the car lights flashed. Before he could react, a sports car had already reversed out of the garage and was racing towards him.


    The sports car was an extremely flashy bright yellow color, with a low body, scissor doors, and sleek streamline. It was like a hot and noble young girl, bold yet full of elegance. It was probably a flagship supercar from a certain brand, maybe even a limited edition worldwide. However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t understand these things, so he couldn¡¯t tell how much the car was worth.


    A few seconds later, the sports car came to a steady stop in front of him.


    The car door opened, and someone sitting in the driver¡¯s seat flashed a smile, revealing a set of white teeth. The first thing they said was, ¡°Take me out to have some fun, and I promise not to tell your parents about you liking men!¡±


    Sitting in the car was an old man who looked withered all over, thin to the point of being unrecognizable, completely mismatched with the high-tech interior.


    One pant leg on the old man¡¯s accelerator pedal was empty, revealing a metal leg brace. He had an extremely long scar on his arm, a Fu Manchu mustache, and a catheter bag hanging from his waist. However, his eyes were sharp and piercing. What was even more excessive was that the old man had a smoking pipe in his mouth, puffing out clouds of smoke.


    It took Xing Conglian a moment to remember who he was looking at. He looked coldly at the old man sitting in the high-tech driver¡¯s seat, and the old man happened to exhale a mouthful of smoke.


    ¡°You¡­ You haven¡¯t told them already, have you?¡± The old man stared at him with wide eyes, blowing his mustache.


    ¡°What if I did?¡± he retorted.


    ¡°Then I wish you all the best!¡± The old man reluctantly placed his bony hand on the steering wheel, feeling grumpy.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation. He bowed to the old man.


    In the corner of the garage stood helpless medical staff. Xing Conglian signaled to them with his eyes, and soon someone came over and swiftly snatched the smoking pipe from the old man¡¯s mouth, preparing to escort him out of the car.


    ¡°Wait! Wait! You gay people have no compassion!¡± The old man struggled and shouted.


    The garage guard also approached him and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you planning to take this car?¡±


    ¡°This is my car! Mine!¡± The old man shouted with all his strength, sounding almost like he was about to cry.


    ¡°Find me a rental car,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Why rent? I¡¯ll drive you!¡± the old man exclaimed.


    By then, most of the old man¡¯s body had been dragged out of the car. Something hanging on his side waist caught his attention. Xing Conglian carefully looked at it and realized it was a transparent catheter bag. He stopped the medical staff on the scene.


    During this gap, the old man swiftly climbed back into the car, holding onto the steering wheel and refusing to let go. ¡°The doctor said I only have three months to live.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re allowed to bring back a man in the middle of the night like King You of Zhou*, but I can¡¯t go out for a short stroll?¡± The old man rubbed his face and then became excited again. He patted the emblem on the steering wheel, happily saying, ¡°This is my newly purchased car. I haven¡¯t even test-driven it yet. If I die, I won¡¯t be able to step on the gas pedal!¡±


    *Twelfth King of the Zhou Dynasty, who is infamous for his indulgent lifestyle and neglectful behavior towards his kingdom. One of his most famous references in literature is trying to please his concubine Bao Si, who wouldn¡¯t laugh no matter what he did. King You then tried to amuse her by lighting the warning beacons and fooling his nobles into thinking the Quanrong nobles were about to attack. When the nobles arrived, they found themselves laughed at by Bao Si. King You continued to do this and eventually lost his nobles trust until the Quanrong really attacked. Unfortunately, his nobles didn¡¯t answer the warning beacon¡¯s call, thinking it was all a ruse. (However, this story seems to be fabricated, but now it is often tied to King You as a metaphor for a ruler who prioritizes personal desires over the welfare of his subjects.)


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze sat in the conference room, feeling completely exhausted.


    In front of him were all the evidence presented by Zhourui Pharmaceutical regarding Xing Conglian¡¯s bribery: including two villas in Anshan Scenic Area, records of an 8 million cash transfer, and some unsigned Zhourui equity transfer agreements.


    These pieces of evidence were laid out in front of him. Except for the unsigned equity agreement, everything else seemed to be genuine. However, apart from the clearly accounted-for money, the remaining evidence wasn¡¯t direct. The other party¡¯s argument was that Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to sign, and the company decided to expose this corrupt cop without being coerced.


    ¡°Inspector Huang, you have been looking at these pieces of evidence for over an hour,¡± someone reminded him. ¡°Captain Xing probably won¡¯t come, right?¡±


    Huang Ze gritted his teeth.


    If Xing Conglian didn¡¯t show up, Zhourui Pharmaceutical would insist that Captain Xing was a dirty cop. It was almost time for work to start, and they couldn¡¯t continue detaining everyone present.


    What made it even harder for him to accept was that Su Fengzi, after causing a commotion throughout Zhourui¡¯s upper management all night, was now sleeping with his head on the meeting table, while his arm pressed on a real estate document, emitting a faint snoring sound.


    Huang Ze¡¯s face turned cold. He packed up everything on the table one by one and slammed them back onto the table. ¡°You consider these as evidence, but I believe they are fabricated to frame someone.¡±


    He spoke with righteous indignation, but what he didn¡¯t expect was that the following scene would become extremely awkward.


    At first, the roaring sound of an engine from outside the building drowned out the arguments in the conference room.


    Everyone in the office looked bewildered. Some instinctively walked to the window, their mouths agape, unable to utter a word.


    The thunderous noise from the high-performance sports car¡¯s engine shook the floor-to-ceiling windows.


    Huang Ze furrowed his brow. From the sound, it seemed like the sports car had stopped downstairs at Zhourui. A sense of foreboding flashed through his mind.


    At that moment, Su Fengzi, as if feeling uncomfortable in his position, turned over and continued to sleep. Huang Ze clearly saw a strange smile on his lips.


    ¡°This¡­ This is a sports car! Whose car is it from our company?¡± Someone at the window exclaimed at a loss for words.


    Huang Ze immediately stood up and took a few quick steps to the window.


    A bright yellow Lamborghini sports car arrogantly raised its door. Its sleek body, front and rear double wishbone suspensions, and even a somewhat wild and audacious rear spoiler made the car shine under the sunlight.


    Huang Ze¡¯s heartbeat quickened, and in his mind, he instantly recalled all the data about the entire car. Men always loved luxury cars, and this was the car model he had always dreamed of but couldn¡¯t afford. His mind became heated, and he even had the impulse to go downstairs and get closer.


    However, the figure stepping out of the sports car made him feel as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.


    The wrinkled clothing, scruffy facial hair, and those weary eyes that seemed as if they had just returned from a long journey¡­


    Although Huang Ze recognized him at a glance, it took him a long time to confirm that he wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    He clenched his fist, took out his phone, dialed a number, and looked downstairs.


    The person standing in the center of the square stood still and answered the phone.


    A cold and deep voice came from the other end.


    It was Xing Conglian, looking decadent and arrogant¡ªeven more like a dirty cop than those portrayed in TV dramas!


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Huang Ze struggled to restrain himself, feeling that everything he had argued on behalf of Xing Conglian just moments ago had become a joke.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like attending the meeting,¡± Xing Conglian replied indifferently.


    ¡°Do you even realize how dangerous your situation is?¡± Anger surged in Huang Ze¡¯s mind. He wished he could rush downstairs immediately and grab Xing Conglian by the collar to question him if he knew what a critical moment, public scrutiny, and keeping a low profile meant!


    Upon hearing this, the police officers in the square instinctively turned their heads and glanced at the flashy sports car.


    At the same time, an old man with a limp quickly climbed down from his seat, still holding his bright yellow catheter bag, and looked at the building with great excitement.


    Xing Conglian turned back and impatiently said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a taxi out in the countryside earlier, so I had to call for this car.¡± After speaking, he abruptly hung up the phone.


    Huang Ze stood by the window, his face turning pale as the glass reflected his anger. At the same time, in the silent corner of the office, a long, cold snort could be heard.


    He turned his head to look, and his Uncle Shi pushed up his glasses on his nose and smiled like a victor.

 CH 252

    The wait was excruciating. Time ticked away, but the doors of the conference room remained unopened, and Xing Conglian was nowhere to be seen.


    Most of the people grew restless once again. A mixture of annoyance and unease started to rise. Zhourui Pharmaceutical had already gained the upper hand by pinning everything on Xing Conglian, so why were they still so anxious?


    Huang Ze sneered, and at that moment, his phone vibrated lightly. Su Fengzi, who seemingly hadn¡¯t been asleep at all, acted swiftly, checked his phone, and then stood up before everyone else. He said to everyone in the conference room, ¡°Let¡¯s go. He¡¯s waiting for us in Room 303.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Room 303 was another conference room.


    The reason for moving the Zhourui executives from one conference room to another was simple¡ªroom 303 downstairs was larger and could accommodate more people.


    Reluctantly, Huang Ze led the Zhourui executives downstairs. Along the way, he had to use some means to suppress the dissenters, but when they pushed open the door, everyone inside and outside froze in shock for a few seconds.


    The office was packed with people. Xing Conglian had managed to gather almost all the mid-level and higher-level management personnel of the company, including a few elderly individuals with snow-white hair. Huang Ze recognized one of them as a renowned chemist who oversaw one of Zhourui¡¯s pharmaceutical laboratories.


    Everyone in their seats looked at each other, unable to comprehend the situation. Finally, Xing Conglian¡¯s voice broke the frozen state.


    He sat at the head of the table, pointing to the empty seats and saying to everyone outside the room, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Huang Ze took the first step, noticing that Xing Conglian¡¯s tone was the same as when Su Fengzhi said ¡°let¡¯s go¡±¡ªcasual and self-assured, as if victory was already in his grasp.


    Huang Ze surveyed the entire room.


    Room 303 was filled with many people, and all the seats were occupied. The conference table was split, with chairs featuring deep blue cushioned backs facing each other, resembling a courtroom. However, the number of seats on each side was unequal. The left side of the conference room was crowded with nearly one hundred and eighty chairs, while the other side had¡­


    Huang Ze quickly counted. The right side had only twenty chairs.


    He looked toward the end of the conference room. Xing Conglian¡¯s assistant had set up a table in the upper left corner of the room, and both Xing Conglian and Xiao Zhan sat in front of their computers, resembling court clerks. Xing Conglian himself was the presiding judge of this courtroom.


    Huang Ze couldn¡¯t understand what Xing Conglian was up to, but that didn¡¯t prevent him from glancing coldly at his Uncle Shi.


    As the middle-aged man entered the conference room, everyone who had been whispering among themselves in their seats stood up simultaneously, showing a respectful demeanor. This simple gesture revealed the hierarchy within this large conference room.


    And Uncle Shi seemed to enjoy this emperor-like treatment. Zhourui employees stepped aside, clearing a path for him to the center seat.


    The Chairman entered slowly, and the employees on either side of him bowed respectfully. He humbly exchanged greetings with many employees, creating a friendly atmosphere as if it were an ordinary daily meeting within the company.


    A group of people left the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division sitting at the head, ignored. Huang Ze glanced at Xing Conglian and noticed that he was leaning back in his chair, one hand resting on the table, in a casual posture. However, he seemed to be in a very unpleasant mood.


    In that moment, Huang Ze didn¡¯t know why he disregarded everyone else but was concerned about Xing Conglian¡¯s expression. After all, in various respects, he was Xing Conglian¡¯s superior.


    But, to be honest, in this crowded conference room, he didn¡¯t have much time to figure out his own mindset. Just as the middle-aged man in a suit was about to take his seat, Xing Conglian suddenly spoke up, interrupting the lively atmosphere on the left side. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to sit.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.


    The Chairman adjusted his suit collar and didn¡¯t show any anger. He turned his head to face Xing Conglian, slightly lowered his head, and looked down at him with a smile. He said, ¡°Captain Xing, you seem a bit impulsive.¡±


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t seem interested in having a good conversation with anyone from Zhourui. He didn¡¯t even bother to look up and simply said to the hundred or so Zhourui employees standing in a line, ¡°Anyone willing to cooperate with the police and provide evidence of your company¡¯s deliberate concealment of the side effects of Nao Kangning and disregard for public safety can sit over there.¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the twenty vacant seats on the right side of the conference room and paused before adding, ¡°There are twenty spots.¡±


    His tone was calm, but everyone, including Huang Ze, was stunned.


    Quick and direct¡ªthere were no better words to describe it.


    However, the only response to Xing Conglian came in the form of the light sound of chairs being occupied. The Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical took the first seat, his chair gliding across the floor, and the rest of the employees followed suit, sitting down in an orderly manner, displaying unity.


    Xing Conglian appeared composed, but there was a profound coldness in his gaze. He looked at the hundred or so people on the left side of the conference room and asked, ¡°Has the development team of ¡®Nao Kangning¡¯ all arrived?¡±


    Xing Conglian played his cards quickly, and everyone looked at each other. The Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical placed his hand on the table and lightly tapped it.


    Employees scattered throughout the room raised their hands, of different ages, some even still rubbing their eyes, as if they didn¡¯t understand why they were summoned to the scene.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a poisoning incident? The mastermind has already been caught. Why mention Nao Kangning¡­¡± someone straightforwardly asked.


    Xing Conglian raised his hand to interrupt the person¡¯s questioning and nodded at the two young individuals sitting in the role of court clerks, who appeared nervous.


    Wang Chao received the signal and displayed a rotating molecular structure on the projector.


    As if they had rehearsed it beforehand, Xiao Zhan recited, ¡°Through investigation, it has been found that the substance injected by Shen Lian to Consultant Lin Chen shares consistency with the neurotoxic drug that caused the riot at the barbecue stall the previous night, namely the base component TERN in your company¡¯s Nao Kangning.¡±


    Xiao Zhan finished speaking in one breath, and everyone in the conference room looked in a daze at the rotating molecular structure on the screen. He cleared his throat, turned his head, and pointed at the screen, saying, ¡°This is it.¡±


    At that moment, Xing Conglian casually put his hand down, and the back door opened, allowing a team of police officers to enter.


    ¡°Take all those who raised their hands back to the police station, verify the list, and issue arrest warrants for those who didn¡¯t attend.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s tone remained unchanged, as if he were describing the most ordinary thing.


    As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere became intense, and many people took out their phones to take pictures. Someone even shouted loudly, ¡°We don¡¯t know anything. You can¡¯t just arrest us without any reason!¡±


    Xing Conglian had been observing coldly all this time until a member of the Nao Kangning development team solemnly said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any relevant evidence. He¡¯s just asking us to assist in the investigation. There¡¯s nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°Let me correct you on two points.¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t stop the arrest operation but said, ¡°First, this is not assistance in the investigation. The detention order has already been signed by the bureau chief. Second, instead of wasting time taking photos, it would be better for you to use your phones to search for keywords and see how many casualties have been caused by the medication your team has developed up until now. I suggest you don¡¯t take it lightly.¡±


    This was probably the longest sentence Xing Conglian had said since entering this office. He was serious, and when someone like Xing Conglian became serious, even if his tone was calm, it carried an irresistible authority.


    As he spoke, several team members were already being escorted out of their seats. Most of them looked bewildered and didn¡¯t seem to be feigning ignorance.


    ¡°There must be some problem here. Our Nao Kangning has undergone numerous animal experiments and several years of clinical trials. Since it passed the approval of the drug regulatory authority, it means the medication is completely safe. This is impossible. It¡¯s impossible for the composition to be exactly the same!¡± A woman spoke rapidly, expressing her deep concern and nervousness. She appeared to be in her forties, perhaps a mother. ¡°And even if you want an internal investigation, you need to give us some time!¡±


    Upon hearing this, everyone in the team nodded in agreement, still holding onto a glimmer of hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you haven¡¯t understood the current situation,¡± Xing Conglian interrupted all protests once again. ¡°I will reiterate: among you, some have known or heard about adverse reactions related to Nao Kangning, reported responsibly to their superiors, but received no response. Or some of you have received inquiries about the medication but couldn¡¯t draw any conclusions and were required to keep it confidential. If any of these circumstances apply to you, you can choose to sit over there.¡± Xing Conglian finally revealed the truth about the twenty vacant seats. ¡°The prosecution offers an opportunity for reduced punishment for the twenty individuals responsible for the related incidents. You all know how severe the impact of this event is. Following the precedent of cases of adverse reactions to vaccines, I guarantee that those responsible for the incidents will be sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison, not to mention the prohibition of employment. Are you all willing to jeopardize your livelihoods by sinking with this pharmaceutical company?¡±


    Huang Ze suddenly looked up. He had thought Xing Conglian was genuinely investigating the case, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be a direct retaliation against Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    Starting from the bottom and toppling the top, Xing Conglian¡¯s strategy couldn¡¯t be clearer.


    All the employees present began to look around, some focusing solely on themselves, others feigning indifference while keeping a close eye on their own thoughts. Some whispered to each other and secretly observed the twenty vacant seats. Each person had their own thoughts, contemplating and making judgments. In a subtle manner, Xing Conglian managed to unsettle the seemingly united employees.


    Now, all that was left was for a leader to stand up, and the facade of false unity would crumble.


    Huang Ze shifted his gaze to his Uncle Shi, knowing that his uncle wouldn¡¯t let Xing Conglian have his way.


    After contemplating for a few seconds, the ultimate decision-maker of the company finally spoke up, ¡°Captain Xing, are you trying to incite our company¡¯s employees to expose their superiors?¡±


    Xing Conglian showed no intention of responding and simply leaned against the back of his chair, watching the Chairman.


    His attitude was both unreasonable and arrogant, ultimately making everyone extremely uncomfortable.


    However, in front of all the elite employees of the company, the Chairman of Zhourui showcased excellent acting skills. He let out a long sigh, stood up, and looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Since we have reached the point of whistleblowing, in the end, it is I who bears the responsibility. Captain Xing, just take me into custody directly and spare the others from any trouble.¡± The Chairman paused, then turned to address all the employees. ¡°During our time working together at Zhourui, I want to express my gratitude for the dedication and hard work you have shown for the company, striving to overcome human diseases through research. I believe that none of you would turn a blind eye to the side effects of Nao Kangning. But I trust in all of you, while the police may not trust, or rather, cannot trust, because they need someone to hold responsible, and that someone can only be me. I have one request for all of you: please refrain from unnecessary infighting and damaging the relationships between colleagues and yourselves.¡±

 CH 253

    The Chairman was slightly overweight, wearing a dark golden tie and meticulously styled hair. His speech was full of reason and emotion, which made him appear persuasive.


    Every word he spoke seemed reasonable and heartfelt, but Huang Ze felt nauseated.


    However, after that, Xing Conglian uttered only one word, with a very short tone.


    He said, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Huang Ze was stunned, as were the Chairman, and all the employees present.


    Xing Conglian remained calm and confident, overlooking the struggling ants at his feet without needing to make any unnecessary reactions.


    The Chairman stood awkwardly in place. After a brief moment of silence, the Chairman extended his hand, revealing his wristwatch, and said with righteousness, ¡°Captain Xing, please handcuff me.¡±


    The entire room fell silent. Zhourui¡¯s employees sat down, each harboring their own intentions, all looking at Xing Conglian, waiting for his response.


    The current situation seemed to have turned into a competition of who could say the right words and gain the trust of the employees, as whoever succeeded would emerge victorious.


    However, Xing Conglian had no intention of winning. He adjusted his posture, leaned forward, and looked at the police officers present. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said earlier?¡±


    The police officers responsible for the arrest swiftly escorted the members of the Nao Kangning team away from their seats.


    At that moment, a deep male voice cut through the chaotic atmosphere.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    In the corner of the room, a middle-aged man stood up. He was wearing a white lab coat with a pen tucked into his front chest pocket, displaying the demeanor of a traditional scholar. Moreover, his hair was mostly gray, which didn¡¯t match his age.


    A smile appeared on Chairman Zhou¡¯s face as he also looked towards the source of the voice.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Xing Conglian calmly asked, seemingly unsurprised that someone like Li Zheng would stand up.


    ¡°I¡¯m Li Zheng. I led the development of Nao Kangning,¡± the man said seriously. ¡°I am the head and chief engineer of the Coreda Laboratory under Zhourui.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Li.¡± Xing Conglian paused, giving him the opportunity to continue.


    ¡°If there are indeed any problems with Nao Kangning, the main culprit should be me,¡± Li Zheng said. ¡°I led the development of this drug that you refer to as a psychotropic substance. It turns people into uncontrollable demons, and yet I failed to discover its strong side effects. I cannot shirk my responsibility¡­¡±


    As Li Zheng spoke, he walked towards the center of the conference room and stood in the vacant seat, facing Xing Conglian. Huang Ze furrowed his brow tighter and tighter. They needed to investigate the case thoroughly, not find a scapegoat. If a second company executive voluntarily confessed, it could inadvertently turn into the police pressuring Zhourui¡¯s employees to admit guilt, which would be very unsightly.


    Xing Conglian leaned against the back of his chair, raised an eyebrow, and asked, ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡± Li Zheng pushed his glasses up, hands in his pockets, and stared at the rotating compound on the projection screen, as if organizing his thoughts.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fully understand earlier. Are you saying that the substance that drives people crazy is TERN? It¡¯s identical to it? Are you sure?¡±


    Xing Conglian glanced at Xiao Zhan, signaling him to answer the question.


    Mr. Xiao Zhan¡¯s response was unexpected. He pointed to the 20 vacant seats, mustering his courage, and said, ¡°I won¡¯t speak to you while you¡¯re standing here.¡±


    Li Zheng didn¡¯t expect this move. He followed Xiao Zhan¡¯s pointing finger and looked over.


    In the next moment, Li Zheng took a step forward and walked towards the 20 vacant seats, as if it was a very easy decision.


    Watching Li Zheng¡¯s figure, cracks finally appeared on Chairman Zhou¡¯s meticulously maintained face.


    The morning sun outside had fully risen, casting a brilliant path. The scientist with graying hair didn¡¯t look back.


    Sitting in the sunlight, Li Zheng first spoke to Xing Conglian. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t have any inside information to share. If it is indeed my responsibility, you don¡¯t need to reduce my sentence. I¡¯m sitting here because I want to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at him and nodded in agreement.


    The slightly overweight Chairman clenched his teeth and restrained himself as best he could.


    ¡°Chairman Zhou, I¡¯ll just sit for a while. Once I understand the issue, I¡¯ll come back. You can take a seat for now.¡± Li Zheng realized this and politely addressed his boss before finally turning to Xiao Zhan. ¡°Can you answer my earlier question now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. The two compounds do indeed have exactly the same structural formula,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan said.


    A faint worry finally appeared on Li Zheng¡¯s previously calm face. He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°But I am equally certain that in numerous clinical trials, TERN itself didn¡¯t have such powerful toxic side effects. How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ but that¡¯s what the analysis results showed.¡± Xiao Zhan became hesitant again, as it was part of his nature.


    ¡°Speaking of which, there are so many types of problematic drugs, involving hundreds and thousands of compounds. Why did you specifically compare it to TERN?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the result of deduction,¡± Xiao Zhan felt somewhat embarrassed, as if he had copied the answer in advance. ¡°From comparing the old and new components of Nordren and Nao Kangning, I found that you had exclusively modified TERN, so I thought the problem lay here.¡±


    Xiao Zhan¡¯s voice was soft and timid, but the accusation in that statement was clear and severe, sending shivers down people¡¯s spines.


    Li Zheng remained silent for a long time. Fear and anxiety filled his expression as he looked at the many people in front of him¡ªhis colleagues, superiors, and, of course, his boss. The scientist¡¯s hand, resting on the table, tightly clenched into a fist, as if considering countless possibilities to absolve his company, but ultimately defeated by this simple and straightforward statement.


    He finally turned to his own boss and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the so-called drug problem in the news was Shen Lian poisoning our company¡¯s medication during the production process?¡±


    ¡°The internal investigation results of the company do confirm that,¡± Chairman Zhou replied.


    ¡°But how did you find out about Shen Lian¡¯s involvement in the poisoning so quickly?¡± Li Zheng persisted in a posture as if he were the true presiding judge.


    Xing Conglian had been listening with his arms crossed the whole time, remaining quiet.


    ¡°We have already submitted the relevant information to the police. Whether we can disclose it publicly in such a setting still requires the approval of the police,¡± the chairman humbly responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Chairman Zhou took a deep breath and spoke slowly. ¡°Dr. Tan Kang has a smart pen that automatically records writing data and converts it into electronic documents. After his death, his notebook was stolen, but we found that pen. It recorded his suspicions of Shen Lian¡¯s poisoning. Afterward, our company conducted an internal investigation. The surveillance records from the day before Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s death were erased, but we managed to restore all the entry and exit surveillance records, which revealed Shen Lian¡¯s presence. Finally, we submitted this as evidence to the police and issued a public warning.¡±


    Chairman Zhou deliberately emphasized that the final document was a converted electronic document, not handwritten. In other words, the content of the document was actually very easy to forge. This line of reasoning had likely been nested repeatedly within the upper levels of Zhourui, even among the staff, and had been confirmed before being presented.


    Wang Chao kept his head lowered, apparently not finding any issues in the statement.


    Li Zheng took a pen out of his pocket and casually grabbed a shopping receipt, writing and doodling on the back. Finally, he tapped the table, saying, ¡°Since TERN has a problem, let¡¯s reverse engineer it in three stages. The first stage is the safety period when Nao Kangning was approved for clinical trials and market release; the second stage is a blank period, which involves tracking the repeated clinical data; the third stage is the Nordren modification phase. Chairman, please tell me. Why did you change the structural formula of TERN in the new drug Nordren?¡±


    ¡°That was Dr. Tan Kang¡¯s suggestion.¡± Chairman Zhou paused, then said, ¡°You are the pharmaceutical experts I rely on, while I am merely a manager. You can find out the purpose behind changing the structural formula of TERN by looking through the reports. I am only responsible for signing off.¡±


    Chairman Zhou¡¯s attitude was sincere and quite convincing, shifting the blame to the late Dr. Tan Kang. Although it seemed suspicious, no one could point out any problems with this.


    ¡°Does anyone on the Tan Kang team know about it?¡± Li Zheng tapped the table and looked at the crowded seats across from him. ¡°Xiao Chen, you were part of my team and later went to Tan Kang¡¯s team. Speak up.¡±


    Li Zheng now completely resembled a meeting in the laboratory or a mentor guiding students, casually singling out people.


    The researcher who was called upon stood up, looking very awkward. ¡°Professor Li, what do you want me to say?¡±


    ¡°Just speak freely. Tan Kang discovered that there was a problem with the medication I supervised the development of, and they adjusted the TERN structural formula. Although the internal research and development progress of the team was kept confidential, there should have been discussions internally. There must be meeting records of when and why the change was made, right?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Tan Kang did independently propose changing the structural formula of TERN, but I don¡¯t remember the specific reasons. However, all the meeting records and project progress copies were taken by the police yesterday,¡± Xiao Chen answered.


    Li Zheng looked at Mr. Xiao Zhan and asked, ¡°So all the information is with you. Have you sorted through it?¡±


    ¡°The reason was improvement,¡± Mr. Xiao Zhan replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s too abrupt.¡± Li Zheng frowned and contemplated. ¡°Is there a specific time frame?¡±


    Mr. Xiao Zhan said, ¡°I had the same thought and summarized it yesterday.¡±


    Wang Chao opened a new document, and a clear timeline appeared on the screen.


    2011.1 Nao Kangning improvement project initiated


    2011.6 New ingredient introduced


    2012.2 TERN structural formula modified


    2012.3 Entered animal experimentation phase


    2013.2 Entered clinical trials


    2016.2 Completion of three-year monitoring period for the improved drug, entered approval process


    2016.10 Obtained approval and market authorization


    ¡°After the modification of the TERN structural formula, animal experiments were immediately conducted?¡± Li Zheng pressed his lips together. ¡°That¡¯s too fast. Was Tan Kang so confident?¡±


    Everyone present was an industry professional, and this timeline, clearly summarized by Mr. Xiao Zhan, finally sparked low murmurs and discussions throughout the room.


    ¡°The purpose is too specific,¡± someone said.


    ¡°The approval process followed the procedure for modified drugs, so no wonder it was so fast¡­¡± someone else commented.


    But finally, someone asked the most crucial question, ¡°Why was this project suddenly initiated?¡±


    As soon as this question was raised, the noisy conference room fell silent once again, and everyone looked at Chairman Zhou, who had a firm grasp of the situation.


    Chairman Zhou had endured until now and had to continue to endure. He tapped his head and suddenly realized. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, could Tan Kang be an accomplice of Shen Lian? They conspired together, and Shen Lian killing Tan Kang was an internal conflict?¡±

 CH 254

    ¡°You stay out of this,¡± Li Zheng impatiently reprimanded. The chief engineer of Zhourui¡¯s most renowned laboratory seemed completely immersed in the investigation of the drug issue and didn¡¯t even notice his boss¡¯s dark expression.


    Chairman Zhou didn¡¯t speak further; he simply looked deeply at his once most trusted research staff.


    The atmosphere in the room became even more somber, and some of the pharmaceutical researchers followed Li Zheng¡¯s lead and began to think quickly.


    The more silence there was, the more the management team sensed the unfavorable atmosphere in the room. Some perceptive employees rushed to defend their boss. ¡°Professor Li, I¡¯ll say something blunt. Chairman Zhou didn¡¯t mention it, wanting to save face for you, but in this three-stage analysis and the problem with TERN, aren¡¯t you the most suspicious one?¡±


    This was a very serious accusation, but Li Zheng didn¡¯t care at all. He didn¡¯t even have the interest to argue.


    The person wanted to say more but was interrupted by a female researcher from the Nao Kangning team. ¡°Manager Wang, Nao Kangning is a project from more than a decade ago. To thoroughly investigate the development issues, there are hundreds of thousands of compounds involved in the initial screening alone. The specific experimental process is incredibly complex, and it involves hundreds or thousands of researchers. Do we have so much time now?¡±


    ¡°Thorough investigation?¡± The person known as Manager Wang, sneered. ¡°Feng Zhenzhen, you really have a simple mind. Didn¡¯t you understand what the chairman said earlier? If everyone starts attacking each other, the company will surely collapse. We can only overcome this difficult situation by uniting.¡±


    ¡°Manager Wang¡¯s words are quite interesting. So if we investigate the problem thoroughly, the company will collapse. No wonder you want everyone to stay silent¡ªto hide what can be hidden, and when it can¡¯t be hidden, find a scapegoat.¡± The female researcher sneered, standing up. She patted the shoulders of her two colleagues next to her and said, ¡°Make way, I¡¯m going out.¡±


    ¡°Feng Zhenzhen¡­¡±


    Chairman Zhou, sitting in the center, looked at Li Zheng across from him and softly called the female researcher¡¯s name, with a serious tone that increased the pressure.


    ¡°Chairman.¡± The female researcher imitated Li Zheng¡¯s manner from earlier and said to her boss, ¡°I¡¯m just going to sit for a while. I don¡¯t have any leverage against you, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    She was wearing a pair of mismatched sports shoes and sat next to Li Zheng with a light and brisk pace. Now, there were 18 empty seats out of the original 20.


    The calm captain of the criminal investigation division, who seldom spoke, maintained his composed attitude. ¡°And who are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Feng Zhenzhen. I was previously involved in the initial screening of compounds and later worked in the Nordren team,¡± Feng Zhenzhen said decisively, pointing at the manager who had just berated her. ¡°Before you all arrived, Manager Wang warned us, the lower-level employees, not to speak recklessly in front of the police.¡±


    ¡°Feng Zhenzhen, please refrain from attacking others indiscriminately.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, you wouldn¡¯t say it like that, but that¡¯s how it sounded to me,¡± Feng Zhenzhen said contemptuously.


    The female researcher¡¯s gaze wandered over her colleagues sitting across from her. Each person had a different expression, and amidst the crowded seats, some looked at her coldly, some showed disdain, and others stared at the timeline on the wall as if reminiscing about something.


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting!¡±


    Rebels naturally provoke strong collective hostility.


    A woman with curly hair couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and coldly said to Feng Zhenzhen, ¡°How is it possible that they won¡¯t find any problems if they continue investigating? The police just want to arrest a group of people and quell the public¡¯s anger. Manager Wang and Chairman Zhou have already made their intentions clear! By stepping forward now and sacrificing the interests of other colleagues to satisfy your own sense of justice, you think you¡¯re so great? So remarkable? Have you ever considered other people?¡±


    These words also stirred up the indignation of others. The crowd became fervent, and Feng Zhenzhen became the target of criticism.


    Huang Ze instinctively looked at Xing Conglian, but apart from initially arranging the 20 empty seats and announcing the rules of the game, Xing Conglian had not controlled the situation. He had been observing the development of events with a cold eye. Huang Ze felt anxious because he realized he couldn¡¯t grasp the other¡¯s thoughts, just as he had never been able to understand Lin Chen¡¯s thoughts.


    Feng Zhenzhen¡¯s voice rang out, overpowering everyone else. ¡°I¡¯m the troublemaker who disregards collective interests. Compared to whether you all go to jail or the company goes bankrupt, what matters more is my own conscience.¡±


    ¡°Hypocrites always act so righteous!¡±


    ¡°So what? We are pharmaceutical researchers. I have to take responsibility for the products I develop and for the health of the patients who use these drugs. I don¡¯t have time to consider you right now!¡±


    At this point, Professor Li Zheng, who had been immersed in his thoughts, finally interrupted the female researcher next to him. ¡°Enough. Arguing with them is meaningless. You should also think about what exactly went wrong with TERN.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, but I can¡¯t figure it out. I believe that Dr. Tan Kang must have discovered something, which is why he changed the TERN configuration and mentioned in his notes that Shen Lian was poisoning people. So there must be more detailed information in his notes. What exactly did Shen Lian do, and how did she do it?¡± Feng Zhenzhen¡¯s gaze fell on Comrade Xiao Wang, who was operating the computer.


    Wang Chao looked frustrated as he said, ¡°The smart electronic pen contains fragmented text. I¡¯ve been sorting through it for a while, and it subtly mentions the drug issue and Shen Lian¡¯s poisoning¡­ And who the hell knows if it¡¯s true or not¡­¡±


    ¡°What if we change our approach?¡± Perhaps Feng Zhenzhen¡¯s words had an effect, as someone else spoke up in the crowded seats of Zhourui¡¯s side. ¡°If we investigate what Shen Lian did in the Nao Kangning and Nordren related project teams, maybe we can understand how she poisoned and what methods she used to turn our clinical trial drugs into ones with toxic side effects?¡±


    Upon hearing this, many hostile gazes were directed at the young man who interrupted.


    Researchers were either silent or very distinctive. Upon seeing this, the young man said, ¡°Do we have to go over there to speak? Then I¡¯ll go.¡±


    As he spoke, he turned to a few people beside him and asked, ¡°Do you want to come with me?¡±


    Several young people around him stood up in unison, led by a chubby young man. He pushed past the Zhourui executives sitting on the outside and led the group to the empty seats opposite.


    After they sat down, the chubby young man proactively said to Xing Conglian, ¡°We¡¯re not part of the Nordren team, but it¡¯s interesting to seize the opportunity to reduce their sentences.¡±


    Wang Chao looked at these energetic young people with his mouth agape, and muttered to himself, ¡°The young delusion of saving the world¡ªthe ancients don¡¯t deceive me*.¡±


    *This a sarcastic comment that basically says how young people¡¯s actions are somewhat delusional and overly idealistic (which is ironic since it¡¯s coming from him).


    But the other people in the meeting room completely ignored him.


    Feng Zhenzhen said, ¡°I also think so. In the three stages Professor Li just mentioned, I believe the problem lies in the second stage¡ªspecifically, the stage from obtaining approval for Nao Kangning to when the company decided to improve the drug. The work done during this stage involves collecting and tracking clinical data, which Shen Lian could have tampered with it.¡±


    Small beads of sweat formed on Xiao Zhan¡¯s forehead. In the presence of the beautiful female researcher, he became somewhat hesitant and stammered. ¡°I¡­ I also think so, but¡­ Shen Lian submitted a lot of things, and she might have submitted proposals in the name of the team, so¡­ I can only compile a rough timeline. I¡¯m not really an expert in pharmaceuticals, so I can¡¯t understand it very well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already amazing,¡± Feng Zhenzhen said to Xiao Zhan.


    Mr. Xiao blushed and quickly displayed the timeline on the large screen.


    2008.1 Nao Kangning receives approval


    2008.1 Shen Lian joins Zhourui Pharmaceutical Factory and is responsible for the production of Nao Kangning


    2008.3 Shen Lian and her team propose a series of process improvement documents, involving hundreds of reports and suggestions


    ¡ý


    2011.1 Nao Kangning improvement project initiated


    Li Zheng asked, ¡°Can we take a look at the production process improvement proposals submitted by Shen Lian and her team?¡±


    Feng Zhenzhen interjected, ¡°Do you want them printed? I can go and make a few copies.¡±


    At this moment, Wang Chao inexplicably glanced at Xing Conglian. He pulled out his heavy backpack from under the table, unzipped it, and revealed rows and rows of materials inside. ¡°We¡¯ve prepared this a long time ago.¡±


    The young man struggled to lift the bag onto the table, and Xiao Zhan began distributing the materials. Those who received the materials quickly started reading.


    The conference room was filled with the sound of flipping papers. The heated argument session unexpectedly turned into an internal discussion meeting within Zhourui.


    Chairman Zhou crossed his arms and looked at Xing Conglian, as if saying, ¡°Captain Xing, you have great tactics.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. This compound is indeed TERN,¡± Feng Zhenzhen said again. ¡°Should I go back to the laboratory and check again?¡±


    Li Zheng first stopped Feng Zhenzhen and asked Xiao Zhan, ¡°What kind of tests did you perform?¡±


    ¡°Gas chromatography* and liquid chromatography. The fragmented pieces produced matched exactly,¡± Xiao Zhan replied.


    *A laboratory technique for separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the mobile phase, which carries it through a system (a column, a capillary tube, a plate, or a sheet) on which a material called the stationary phase is fixed. Because the different constituents of the mixture tend to have different affinities for the stationary phase and are retained for different lengths of time depending on their interactions with its surface sites, the constituents travel at different apparent velocities in the mobile fluid, causing them to separate.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®matched exactly¡¯? Did you simply isolate TERN from Nao Kangning, or did you reconstruct it?¡± asked the chubby researcher.


    Suddenly caught in the crossfire, Xiao Zhan became even slower in his speech. He said, ¡°I¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t have enough time. I¡­ only compared it based on the structure you provided.¡±


    ¡°You were too hasty. A more reliable approach would be to conduct batch tests on the drug¡¯s issues. After all, there are still many possibilities, such as interactions between various components, resulting in the formation of new toxic compounds,¡± Feng Zhenzhen added.


    Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the representatives from Zhourui improved significantly. If the police rushed their investigation, they would soon have a chance to turn the tables.


    However, at that moment, Li Zheng stopped everyone from arguing and said, ¡°Our approach to discussing the problem should not be like this. What if we accept two premises? First, the substance with severe side effects is indeed TERN, and second, there were no such severe side effects when Nao Kangning obtained approval in 2008. Assuming these two premises, we can draw a conclusion that Shen Lian did something after 2008 to cause the compound with the same structure to have toxic side effects. Let¡¯s reason out what Shen Lian might have done.¡±


    Under the sunlight, a young person seemed to have realized something and asked, ¡°Professor Li, are you suggesting¡­¡±


    The chubby researcher¡¯s voice was somewhat eerie as he said, ¡°Could it be an isomer*?¡±


    *Are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula¨Cthat is, same number of atoms of each element ¨C but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomers do not necessarily share similar chemical or physical properties. Two main forms of isomerism are structural or constitutional isomerism, in which bonds between the atoms differ; and stereoisomerism or spatial isomerism, in which the bonds are the same but the relative positions of the atoms differ.


    ¡°The mass spectrometry fragments are the same. If TERN is really the issue, then the possibility of an isomer is the highest!¡± Feng Zhenzhen said with a shudder.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Usually I provide some supplement knowledge when needed, but I was pretty bad at chemistry to the point of failing, so this might not be the most accurate explanation.


    An isomer is a molecule that has the same number of atoms of each element, but its chemical structure is different. For example, hydrocarbon C3H4 has three structural isomers:


    While they have the same number of atoms (carbon and hydrogen), their structures are different, making them different compounds. This can result in different physical and chemical properties.


    Relating to this case, TERN has its own chemical structural compound, but Shen Lian changed the structural compound while still keeping the same amount of atoms in TERN. This change in structure completely changes the element.


    As for how to detect whether an isomer is present, I¡¯m not sure if chromatography can do it. That¡¯s too much science for my brain to handle.


    Anyway, I¡¯m not a chemist, so if anyone¡¯s more knowledgeable in this area, do chime in.

 CH 255

    The seminar had finally reached a crucial point. Xing Conglian found it hard to sit up straight and looked at Xiao Zhan.


    Wang Chao also nudged Mr. Xiao Zhan and asked, ¡°What is an isomer?¡±


    Xiao Zhan initially flipped through the previous test data in a panic, but when he was suddenly called upon, he began reciting somewhat hesitantly, ¡°Isomerism refers to the phenomenon where compounds have the same molecular formula but different structures. Isomers with the same molecular formula but different structures are called structural isomers. For example, the molecular structure of optical isomers* is very similar to the compound itself, to the extent that their melting and boiling points are often the same. They can usually be observed using physical methods.¡±


    *Two or more forms of a compound which have the same structure but are mirror images of each other and typically differ in optical activity.


    ¡°After mixing isomers, can the effect of a drug change?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. For example, chiral isomers are widely present in nucleic acids and proteins within the human body, and most drugs also exhibit chirality*,¡± someone explained to Xing Conglian. ¡°There is a drug called levodopa used for Parkinson¡¯s disease, and its D-isomer can cause optic neuritis and lead to blindness.¡±


    *When two isomers that are mirror image of each other. They have the same chemical properties except when reacting with other chiral compounds.


    Furthermore, the young man who had walked out earlier added, ¡°Several decades ago, an isomer incident involving thalidomide* caused severe teratogenic reactions in pregnant women.¡±


    *Drug use to treat a number of cancers and many skin disorders (mainly leprosy). When it was first released in 1957 in West Germany, it wasn¡¯t tested on pregnant women and resulted in major birth defects and the deaths of many babies, leading to its removal from the market in 1961. This led to greater drug regulation and monitoring in many countries.


    ¡°But during our TERN experiments, no adverse isomers were produced. It shouldn¡¯t be our fault.¡± Feng Zhenzhen pushed Li Zheng and grew anxious. ¡°Professor Li¡­¡±


    Li Zheng remained silent for a long time, and his silence caused all the researchers around him to quiet down.


    In contrast, the other Zhourui employees opposite of them looked at the researchers who had taken the initiative with a gaze that seemed to say, ¡°We knew this would happen.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, I still find it unbelievable that such a thing occurred.¡± Li Zheng pushed his golden-rimmed glasses, and his face became filled with disappointment and weariness.


    Wang Chao anxiously looked at the scientist who was the first to speak out, unsure of what to say. ¡°Well, this¡­ it¡¯s not your fault either.¡±


    ¡°In fact, the absence of a TERN isomer suggests there may have been some oversight in our development process, but I¡¯m not trying to shift the blame because I¡¯m certain that, according to the pharmaceutical formulation we provided, it would be impossible for adverse isomers to appear.¡± Li Zheng finally looked up, his gaze becoming calm and cold. ¡°Considering the series of process improvement proposals put forward by Shen Lian, it¡¯s likely that our company ¡®optimized¡¯ the pharmaceutical process to save costs, resulting in the production of a small amount of optical isomers in TERN through the optimized process. However, due to negligence in quality control or deliberate concealment by the factory, these isomers were not discovered.¡±


    ¡°Li Zheng, speak with evidence. Are you trying to shift the blame onto our production team?¡± The supervisor in charge of pharmaceutical production at Zhourui Pharmaceutical angrily rebuked.


    The chubby researcher next to Professor Li stood up abruptly and slammed the process optimization report on the table. He was visibly angry and pointed at the other person. ¡°Then tell me, with your chest held high, that you thoroughly checked the purity of each batch of drugs after process optimization. Dare you say that there are absolutely no optical isomers in Nao Kangning?!¡±


    ¡°Just because you¡¯re being aggressive doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re right!¡± The deputy general in charge of production also stood up and slammed the table.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Feng Zhenzhen, sitting with her legs crossed, sneered, ¡°Then please clearly tell us, does it exist or not?¡± Before the other person could respond, Feng Zhenzhen didn¡¯t give him a chance. ¡°Let me come up with an excuse for you. Either you didn¡¯t conduct isomer testing at all, or when the drug problems arose, you detected the isomers, but their quantity was minimal. Separation and purification would require substantial costs. So, you simply conducted simple drug tests during production, found no major issues, and covered up the matter. However, as adverse reaction cases increased and TERN was shared through patents, you were afraid of being held accountable, so you came up with the method of replacing the old drug with a new one.¡± The female researcher continued, putting down her leg and sitting up straight. ¡°Although we now know that TERN has a problem and can quickly deduce the presence of isomers, the pharmaceutical process is very complex. Even if you investigated it accurately while being deliberately concealed, you had a whole eight years. If anyone among you had the courage to come forward and say we should cut off the limb rather than choose concealment, how could the situation have evolved to what it is now?¡±


    Wang Chao was stunned by everything he had heard so far and interjected, ¡°But I remember that we were able to discover the issues with the old and new drugs because Zhourui was replacing the manufacturer. Doesn¡¯t that imply they also didn¡¯t know how the isomers were produced? Otherwise, Shen Lian wouldn¡¯t have been able to hide until now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one explanation.¡±


    A deep voice resounded. Xing Conglian, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke.


    Wang Chao turned to look at his boss, and his boss¡¯s cold gaze fell upon the chubby figure of the chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. In that instant, it was as if the most cunning hunter had finally caught sight of his prey¡¯s vulnerability.


    Xing Conglian spoke slowly, composedly, and unrushed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s hear Chairman Zhou¡¯s answer. Is it true that the person responsible for secretly conducting investigations into the issues with the Nao Kangning drug is Shen Lian?¡±


    Wang Chao was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the question at hand.


    Zhourui Pharmaceutical knew there was a problem with Nao Kangning, but they had never discovered that Shen Lian was the one behind it. If it wasn¡¯t due to the incompetence of the investigator, then the most likely explanation was that the person in charge of the investigation was Shen Lian herself.


    Her boss had posed an extremely tricky question, implying: If you admit that the person conducting the investigation is Shen Lian, then it means your company had discovered the adverse reactions of Nao Kangning long ago but failed to report it, allowing a toxic drug to circulate in the market.


    ¡°I am not aware of any investigation regarding the Nao Kangning drug mentioned by Captain Xing.¡±


    Chairman Zhou could no longer control his facial expression, and Wang Chao couldn¡¯t fathom how this cunning old man could still attempt to argue.


    It seemed as though Xing Conglian had been waiting for this moment.


    His sharp gaze fell upon the faces of the high-level Zhourui executives who had dared to stand out and berate others. He casually said, ¡°Since the chairman is unaware, then let those below speak up.¡±


    He pointed at the production supervisor. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the production department. Did you ever discover the issue with isomers? Did you choose to conceal it for the sake of your own job security without reporting it to the company¡¯s higher-ups?¡±


    The production supervisor and deputy general never expected Xing Conglian to so easily bypass the chairman and target them directly. They dared not look at anyone, and beads of cold sweat seemed to drip from their foreheads.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated. There are two choices: to shoulder the responsibility or not.¡± Xing Conglian maintained his calm tone, but his meaning was thought-provoking.


    Upon hearing this, the anxious man instinctively looked up, glancing at the remaining ten empty seats. He subconsciously placed his hand on the table, as if about to stand up.


    His action was noticed by another executive sitting beside him, who immediately stopped him.


    The person shook his head gently.


    ¡°They won¡¯t say anything, will they? They¡¯re all in cahoots! Everything is documented in the meeting records. With cross-examination, we¡¯ll be able to find out the truth!¡± This reaction somehow ignited Li Zheng¡¯s anger. The scientist picked up a pen and pointed at someone who had spoken during the previous discussion. ¡°You¡¯re right. The key question is why the project for improving the drug was suddenly initiated. If it was a normal project for drug improvement, and Tan Kang changed the TERN configuration for the purpose of improving its ingredients, without the company¡¯s knowledge, then it was solely Shen Lian¡¯s doing. Our company would also be a victim and bear the responsibility for regulatory oversight. On the contrary, if our company collected clinical feedback, became aware of the drug¡¯s issues, and concealed the truth for certain reasons, allowing a harmful drug to spread¡­¡± Li Zheng looked at the chairman, even expressing some pain. ¡°From 2008 to 2016, a whole eight years, all of you were accomplices in covering up the crime for personal gain. You are murderers!¡±


    Li Zheng¡¯s words were like the final straw that broke the camel¡¯s back, causing the production supervisor mentioned by Xing Conglian to tremble like a sieve.


    Witnessing this reaction, Wang Chao believed a confession was within reach, and Zhourui was about to collapse.


    However, Wang Chao watched helplessly as the man wiped the sweat from his forehead, his smile filled with extreme bitterness. In the most desperate tone, he said, ¡°What can I do? It¡¯s just that I failed to report it upward. I¡­ I had a secret romantic relationship with Shen Lian¡­ I was her accomplice¡­¡±


    The meeting room exploded, and everyone looked in shock at the production supervisor, who had voluntarily confessed.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Feng Zhenzhen was the first to curse.


    In the chaotic environment, no one noticed the abnormality on a few seats scattered among the hundred-member team of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Some people appeared crestfallen but clenched their hands into fists as if determined.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Wang Chao frustratedly cursed.


    At that moment, another executive stood up as well. ¡°I am also guilty. I failed to fulfill my supervisory duties, resulting in such serious consequences, yet I chose to conceal the truth. I cannot absolve myself of blame.¡±


    Wang Chao looked at the madman-like gaze shifting to the person who had just confessed.


    However, the admission of guilt by the senior executives at Zhourui didn¡¯t stop there. Along with the production supervisor¡¯s confession, several other responsible individuals stood up, confessing their own crimes. Some even walked up to the police officers after speaking, extending their hands to be handcuffed.


    Meanwhile, some higher-ranking individuals remained silent, observing their subordinates confessing with cold eyes.


    The police officers exchanged looks, somewhat bewildered, and could only turn to Xing Conglian, awaiting guidance from the one in control.


    ¡°You¡­ Why are you all so stupid!¡± Wang Chao nearly overturned his computer in frustration.


    At this point, a triumphant smile finally appeared on the chairman¡¯s face. He curved his chubby lips slightly and looked at Xing Conglian. The previously feigned anxiety and nervousness were gone. He seemed to have a complete grasp of the situation, as if he had already prepared for every possible outcome. Everything was developing in the direction he had anticipated.


    Ever since entering the office, Xing Conglian had been relatively silent. Now, faced with the chairman¡¯s true provocation, he didn¡¯t argue or persuade. He simply picked up his phone and sent a text message.


    Before long, the back door of the conference room was kicked open with a bang.


    An old man, holding a urinary bag, stood at the doorway, shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°Young nephew, what do you want from me? Is everything settled? My urinary bag is almost full. I¡¯ll have to go to the hospital later.¡±


    Everyone in the conference room looked toward the door as if they had seen a ghost, laying eyes on a thin, elderly man with a prosthetic leg.


    The old man also noticed that there were so many people in the conference room, and his tone immediately changed when he spoke to Xing Conglian. He became extremely obsequious and said, ¡°Boss, what can I do for you?¡±


    Only then did everyone recall that this old man was seemingly the driver of the sports car from before. If he was indeed Captain Xing¡¯s driver, then this police captain had an incredibly formidable background.


    Faced with those questioning and puzzled gazes, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t explain much. He politely asked the old man, ¡°I have a question to ask you.¡±


    ¡°I will speak all that I know without reservation!¡± the old man said. ¡°If you let me play outside for a couple more hours, I¡¯ll even tell you my bank card password.¡±


    ¡°The current situation is like this: I offered lenient punishment to some middle-level employees who made mistakes. But why do they prefer to take the blame for the highest level of the company rather than accepting my goodwill?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Upon hearing this question, the old man looked at Xing Conglian as if he had seen a ghost, wearing an expression that seemed to say, ¡°You clearly know the answer, so why are you asking me?¡±

 CH 256

    Xing Conglian looked at the old man with a determined gaze, making it imperative for him to answer.


    ¡°How many senior executives change jobs every year and get accused by their previous employers under various pretexts? Look into the name ¡®Liu Chunning*¡¯.¡± The old man, holding the urinary bag, smiled ambiguously at the guilt-ridden executives from Zhourui. ¡°The most likely scenario is that these naive kids have been squeezed. They probably have some shares of Zhourui themselves. If the company goes bankrupt and they end up in jail, they might as well come forward now to protect the company. Who knows, the chairman might have promised to take care of their wives and children and give them more money every year. That¡¯s how it goes when it comes to taking the blame.¡±


    *Alibaba¡¯s vice president who was arrested for bribery and corruption.


    No one had expected Xing Conglian to publicly expose this hidden truth, let alone the fact that this ¡°bum-like old man¡± he brought along would be able to point it out and dare to do so.


    ¡°How should it be resolved then?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± The old man¡¯s gaze suddenly became shrewd and sharp. ¡°You can tell them that even if they take the blame, the company may not necessarily be saved. When disaster strikes, it¡¯s every man for himself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that reasoning won¡¯t convince them,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Behind pharmaceutical companies are complex financial conglomerates, and the days of rebels are probably not going to be easy.¡±


    The old man took two steps forward and stood facing Xing Conglian, and he replied, ¡°That makes it even simpler¡­¡±


    He dragged out his tone, and in an instant, all the high-ranking executives who were prepared to take the blame turned to look at the old man, instinctively awaiting his answer.


    ¡°The highest bidder wins,¡± the old man casually said, as if he were casually buying a pastry.


    Everyone in the conference room was dumbfounded, as if they had heard the most nonsensical plot twist.


    The first one to burst into laughter was the chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.


    He took off his glasses, lowered his head, and smiled helplessly. ¡°With such a mess, if you want to buy it, we can discuss the price.¡±


    ¡°Who wants to buy your pathetic company?¡± The old man hunched over, limping his way to the chairman, and seemed to be pointing out the way forward. ¡°But just because I don¡¯t want to buy it doesn¡¯t mean no one is interested in it.¡±


    Before the chairman could speak again, the old man affectionately patted his head, which was shiny with hair gel, and said, ¡°You¡¯re promising them a possibility for the future, but not the greatest possibility. In a sense, you¡¯re deceiving them.¡±


    The old man snapped his fingers and said directly, ¡°Comrade Xiao Wang, show these uncles the case of the hostile acquisition* of Anlijie Pharmaceutical by Canadian pharmaceutical company Wali.¡±


    *Also known as a hostile takeover, it is when a company (the acquirer) takes control of another company (the target) without the approval or consent of the target company¡¯s board of directors. This is usually done when the acquirer goes directly to the shareholders or fights to get management replaced to get their acquisition approve.


    Since the old man entered the room, Wang Chao seemed to have figured something out. He had been making gestures at his boss for a while, but Xing Conglian remained inscrutable, giving him no hints. When he heard the old man¡¯s request, he looked at Xing Conglian with surprise, and then, as if he had been prepared all along, he clicked on the document on the desktop, and a well-detailed acquisition process appeared on the large screen.


    Except for the research and development personnel, everyone in the room had some understanding of business acquisitions, so they had no trouble following along. The executives¡¯ gazes became evasive and no longer as resolute as before.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s very difficult for your company to survive.¡± The old man stood with his hands behind his back and said, ¡°When I was taking a dump, I read some news about your company. In early September of this year, you initiated the acquisition of Li Nanquan Pharmaceutical. On September 7th and 8th, you acquired 19.5% of Li Nanquan¡¯s shares through secondary market transactions.¡±


    The old man paused, and as soon as he mentioned the acquisition, everyone became tense. The old man comforted them. ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. It¡¯s a normal hostile takeover. With an additional 0.6%, your company will become the largest shareholder of Li Nanquan Pharmaceutical. But the problem is, isn¡¯t your company already in big trouble? Li Nanquan could easily adopt the common poison pill defense plan* in the industry to counter the acquisition. Then your company, not only invested a significant amount of money in a doomed acquisition but also faced the dilemma of a major criminal case, along with issues such as bank loans coming due. With multiple pressures, things will be miserable. Oh, wouldn¡¯t you end up bankrupt and undergo restructuring? In that case, the big shots in the capital market will definitely step in to acquire Zhourui. If you were the boss, what would you do?¡± The old man walked and talked, and finally casually patted the shoulder of a high-ranking Zhourui executive who was ready to take the blame, whispering to him, ¡°You¡¯ll be the one to go to jail for him, and he¡¯ll sell the company and run away. If he¡¯s kind-hearted, he might fulfill the promises he made to you. But if it were me¡­ You¡¯ve already admitted guilt, so what does it have to do with me?¡±


    *A defense tactic also known as the shareholder rights plan. It allows existing shareholders to buy newly issued stocks at a discount if one shareholder has bought more than a stipulated percentage of stock, resulting in dilution of the ownership interest of the acquiring company (hostile company trying to take over). Usually, the buyer who triggered the defense is excused from the discount. This basically aims to make the company a less attractive target (thus why it¡¯s called a poison pill). You can learn more about hostile takeovers here.


    The impeccably dressed industry elite trembled.


    Although the old man intentionally lowered his voice, in the completely silent conference room, his voice, filled with sarcasm and amusement, was enough to deeply shake people¡¯s hearts.


    He implied that the high-ranking executives of Zhourui would definitely refuse to take responsibility and face protests.


    ¡°With such a big mess caused by our company, who would be willing to take it over? Won¡¯t bankruptcy be the only way out?¡± someone asked, feigning concern.


    ¡°Zhourui is indeed in a mess, and in a sense, you¡¯ve made a mess of it. But is that really the case?¡± The old man spoke as if listing cherished treasures. ¡°Zhourui is not only the largest pharmaceutical company in the country, but also one of the world¡¯s largest producers of vaccines and blood products. The R&D institutions under Zhourui have more than 30 patents for the production processes of various major disease vaccines. The sales revenue from vaccines and blood products accounts for 39% and 29% of the total pharmaceutical sales business, respectively. This means that even if your pharmaceutical department is completely ruined, the profits from the vaccine and blood product departments alone would be enticing enough.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°Such a good company. If I had some money, I¡¯d really like to dismantle it and swallow the most valuable parts.¡±


    The old man dragged out his sigh for a long time and made chewing sounds with his mouth wide open.


    The comical sound echoed in the silent conference room, and everyone continued to contemplate the seemingly random words of the old man.


    Before long, it was evident from their gazes that the Zhourui employees who were prepared to take the blame were now seriously wavering in their thoughts. They just needed some assurance, and they would change their minds.


    At this moment, a female researcher sitting with crossed legs in the sunlight shook her long wavy hair and asked the question that concerned everyone the most. ¡°Even if they choose to cooperate with the police and avoid punishment, and we end up being acquired, they will still be treated as expendable. But if they take the blame for the chairman now, they can immediately receive a large sum of money. How can we say that the former choice is necessarily better than the latter?¡±


    ¡°You must be a research scientist to have such a lack of understanding of finance, little sister.¡± The old man laughed out loud and didn¡¯t answer Feng Zhenzhen¡¯s question.


    Feng Zhenzhen widened her eyes and almost wanted to argue with this old man who was teasing them.


    Seeing this, Xing Conglian intervened and spoke up.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    The old man was delighted to hear the word ¡°thank you¡±. He pretended to bow to Xing Conglian and even made a gesture of removing hair.


    The production supervisor withdrew his gaze from the screen, swallowed hard, and made a determined decision as he walked up to the old man, bowing and asking, ¡°Are you suggesting that our company will ultimately be acquired by a more powerful party, and they will choose to directly acquire our shares or terminate our positions, and at that time, we will receive a severance package. So the best choice is to cooperate with the police?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me? How should I know?¡± The old man widened his eyes and looked at the young production supervisor as if he were looking at a lunatic. ¡°In life, who can guarantee anything for you? It all depends on whether you have the courage to take risks.¡±


    The production supervisor nodded at the old man and then turned to bow to Chairman Zhou, saying solemnly, ¡°Chairman, thank you for your years of cultivation.¡±


    After saying that, he walked toward the empty seat in the sunlight.


    His posture was so upright, as if he had never been so dignified in all these years.


    Just like the most classic domino effect, as the production supervisor took the 11th seat, there was suddenly a clattering sound in the meeting room¡ªthe sound of chair legs rubbing against the floor.


    The employees who had been observing from their seats realized the gravity of the situation as the old man exposed the truth. They immediately rushed out of their seats like hungry wolves, trying to occupy the remaining nine vacant seats. Even the previously unmoving top executives of Zhourui Pharmaceuticals shifted in their seats, as if having different thoughts.


    However, the seats were instantly taken.


    The employees who missed the last opportunity looked as if they had lost their souls, standing in the vacant space in front of Xing Conglian, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Captain Xing, can you give us another chance?¡±


    ¡°We are willing to testify.¡±


    Similar pleas kept ringing out, and in that instant, the once unshakable alliance of Zhourui Pharmaceutical turned into scattered dust under the sunlight.


    However, Xing Conglian remained unmoved. He looked through the gaps in the crowd and locked eyes with Chairman Zhou.


    Chairman Zhou stared back at him expressionlessly, but then he suddenly let out a cold laugh and raised his hands, applauding sarcastically.


    ¡°Captain Xing, you came prepared,¡± he exclaimed loudly. ¡°I now understand that what Captain Xing is interested in is not the case itself but our Zhourui Pharmaceutical!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Wang Chao was stunned. He had encountered ruthless businessmen before, but he had never seen someone so malicious and unrepentant.


    Comrade Xiao Wang¡¯s anger surged, possibly influenced by Zhourui Pharmaceuticals¡¯ habit of banging the table. He also stood up and cursed, ¡°Damn, what did you just say? Watch your language!¡±


    ¡°Getting all worked up because you¡¯ve been exposed; there¡¯s no need for such embarrassment,¡± the Chairman sneered.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I must say, even though it¡¯s vulgar. First, you accused our boss of bribery, and now you¡¯re accusing our boss of investigating your company to sabotage it for an acquisition. Even a clay figure has three points of anger. If you continue to be so shameless, we¡­ I¡¯ll!¡± Wang Chao paused abruptly as he realized that he couldn¡¯t say, ¡°I¡¯ll just arrest you and beat you up.¡± It was inappropriate due to his public position. Comrade Xiao Wang pursed his lips, searching for the right words but finding none that sounded quite right. In the end, he could only mutter, ¡°Damn it, if A¡¯Chen Gege were here¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it seems that law enforcement agencies don¡¯t allow people to speak the truth anymore.¡± Seizing this opportunity, Chairman Zhou continued his counterattack. ¡°Captain Xing, you casually travel in luxury cars, and your driver used to be the former CEO of Morgan Stanley*. If that¡¯s not coming prepared, then what is?¡±


    *An American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the firm¡¯s clients include corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley ranked No. 61 in the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

 CH 257

    Upon hearing these words, the people sitting or standing in the conference room were stunned, but their first glance wasn¡¯t at Xing Conglian but at the old man with a limp leg and a urine bag.


    There was no doubt that Morgan Stanley was the largest global financial services company, involved in all industries related to money. And the fact that the old man was the former CEO of Morgan Stanley indicated that he had held a prominent position in the world of finance.


    The old man grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth without any modesty. ¡°What are you looking at? That¡¯s how I roll!¡±


    ¡°So, what about Captain Xing¡­?¡± someone tentatively asked as their gaze shifted to Xing Conglian with a similar intensity as if they were looking at a bank vault.


    ¡°Come on, do you really think I¡¯m his chauffeur?¡± The old man was also exasperated. ¡°With my status, how could I be his driver? After the retirement of the President of Metti, he can only be a gardener for our master. Even the Governor of Yueqiu has to wait in line to visit our home¡­¡±


    The previous look of satisfaction on the face of Chairman Zhou gradually faded as he listened, finding these words increasingly bizarre and suspicious. At first glance, they seemed like nonsensical ramblings, but considering the old man¡¯s identity, he had to play along with the act to cover for Xing Conglian. Therefore, Xing Conglian¡¯s identity was not merely described by the simple phrase ¡°a kid from a rich family¡±.


    Furthermore, all these theatrics conveyed one message: Zhourui Pharmaceutical, you think you¡¯re valuable, but we don¡¯t really care. Therefore, the accusation of bribery is akin to a beggar accusing a wealthy person of extortion¡ªnothing more than a joke.


    Chairman Zhou clenched his teeth. The old man didn¡¯t directly insult him, but every word felt like the ultimate humiliation.


    His emotions fluctuated wildly, and his face turned from red to blue to pale. He began to ponder the causes and consequences of the entire story and where he had ultimately lost. But in the end, as he lifted his head and looked at the employees in the entire conference room, he realized that from the very beginning, he had no chance of winning.


    Why did it turn out like this?


    His gaze fell outside the window. The current floor they were on was relatively low, with only a narrow strip of sky visible between buildings.


    Suddenly, in that moment, he seemed to have thought of something very interesting, and a trace of understanding appeared on his face.


    The expression was extremely relieved, even carrying a sense of satisfaction from avenging a great enmity.


    In reality, there were no winners, only a prearranged storyline.


    He finally stood up slowly, with a hint of a smile appearing on his face. It was as if he had just realized that there was no one around him anymore.


    In that instant, Xing Conglian keenly captured this reaction. Since entering the conference room, it was the first time he had stood up from his seat.


    ¡°Inspector Huang,¡± Xing Conglian called out.


    Huang Ze stood against the wall and looked over.


    ¡°Please proceed with recording.¡± Xing Conglian paused, then addressed everyone. ¡°I want to have a private conversation with Chairman Zhou.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, within two minutes, everyone in the conference room had cleared out completely.


    As soon as this statement was made, everyone in the meeting room cleared out within two minutes.


    Xing Conglian stood by the window, with the influential figure from the pharmaceutical company approaching him slowly, dragging his heavy steps.


    From the third-floor window, he could clearly see the bustling scene downstairs.


    Office workers hurriedly rushed out of the subway exit, and young people ran quickly on the square, fearing they would be late for clocking in. Everything was a typical scene of a normal workday, thriving and bustling.


    In just a dozen steps, the chairman seemed to have aged by over ten years.


    The middle-aged man finally stood beside him, hunching his body. This figure of authority finally shed all the cunning, maliciousness, and worldliness, speaking candidly and sincerely. ¡°I have investigated your background. You are just an ordinary detective. To target you was the best choice for me at the time.¡±


    Xing Conglian listened to this explanation, and although he knew that people could be very bad and foolish, he still felt angry when such things kept happening.


    Zhou Shi continued, ¡°Because of the information asymmetry, I underestimated you. Captain Xing, you effortlessly dismantled our company, using various means. I, Zhou, willingly admit my defeat.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the office workers rushing around downstairs, and for a brief moment, he remembered the scene from yesterday when he overlooked everything from a tall building.


    At that time, Lin Chen sat beside Shen Lian, and they both made the most difficult decision of their lives.


    Thinking of Lin Chen, Xing Conglian calmed down, suppressing the anger in his heart, and said to the businessman beside him, ¡°Chairman Zhou, everyone makes mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Please go on.¡± Chairman Zhou bowed respectfully, showing his humility.


    ¡°I once witnessed a scene.¡± Xing Conglian turned his head, his gaze falling on the crow¡¯s feet at the corner of the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes. ¡°On the road, one dog bit another dog, and the bitten dog turned around and attacked a passerby.¡±


    A trace of chill flashed across Chairman Zhou¡¯s face as his thoughts were struck, but he still lowered his head and said obediently, ¡°Dogs are extremely foolish.¡±


    ¡°So, do you still think that I am the one who brought down your Zhourui Pharmaceutical until now?¡± Xing Conglian didn¡¯t like playing games, especially not with someone like Zhou Shi. He continued, ¡°Out of millions of compounds, the TERN miraculous substance appeared, possessing strong healing properties, while the isomer is an unheard-of poison. As the boss, please estimate how many experts and teams you would need to develop such a compound?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. All scientific research actually involves luck.¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°Is that so? Then, at the beginning of TERN¡¯s development, before Shen Lian joined your company, who introduced this compound into Nao Kangning?¡± Xing Conglian said coldly, ¡°How could Shen Lian alone accomplish such a massive plan? From the initial compound screening to the final production and release of the drug, it took over a decade. Over a decade ago, someone secretly planted a seed, and countless people watered it tirelessly over the years. It only fully erupted yesterday, causing your pharmaceutical empire, built through countless days and nights of hard work, to collapse overnight. But you are shortsighted, only seeing me standing here, and you fail to see the person who planted the seed over a decade ago.¡±


    The middle-aged man suddenly looked up at him, but Xing Conglian raised his hand to stop Zhou Shi from explaining and firmly said, ¡°Just half a minute ago, you wanted me to give up pursuing the bribery through preemptive explanations and meaningless flattery. So now, please answer me two questions. First, since you never suspected Shen Lian of wrongdoing in Nao Kangning for a long time, why did you suddenly discover yesterday that she was the mastermind? Second, within the entire administrative department, you had countless options to choose as scapegoats, so why did you solely target me? Is it a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement?¡±


    The commercial district buzzed with voices as office workers carried their breakfast and streamed out of convenience stores. It was an ordinary morning.


    Zhou Shi¡¯s body finally completely slumped, and the intense struggle in his heart seemed about to overwhelm him.


    Finally, he raised his head and looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°I guess I am truly very foolish.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze had been standing outside the meeting room.


    Although Xing Conglian instructed him to take people for interrogation, as an Inspector, it felt strange to be ordered by a subordinate like Xing Conglian.


    Apart from him, the old man who had just wreaked havoc in the meeting room was also there.


    To be honest, he couldn¡¯t connect this bald, emaciated old man with the former high-flying executive of a major corporation, especially when the old man was carrying a urine bag, constantly hopping and complaining that his urine was about to leak out.


    However, apart from them, the first scientist who stood up against Zhourui Pharmaceutical was also present, along with the young members of the team led by the scientist.


    Li Zheng was persistently pestering the old man, constantly inquiring about the follow-up matters of the company¡¯s acquisition.


    The old man became impatient with the questioning and directly threw the urine bag at the other party¡¯s hand. ¡°How would I know if the acquirer is reliable? Look, I can¡¯t even hold my urine. How could I have the capability to buy your company?¡±


    Li Zheng became even more anxious. ¡°What will happen during the period of turmoil? Will the production and sales of our company¡¯s regular drugs be affected? Will many research projects be immediately interrupted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The duration of the acquisition can range from weeks to a year. Moreover, the upper management of your company is deeply involved in a criminal case, so trading will be halted tomorrow. The best choice, of course, is to wait until the stock price plummets after trading resumes and then make the acquisition.¡± The old man twirled his mustache and glared. ¡°Do you know how much it costs to consult someone like me for a similar question?¡±


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t have that much money.¡± Li Zheng held the old man¡¯s urine bag with great sincerity. ¡°But I must ask you this question, and I implore you to answer it. It not only involves my research project but, more importantly, I cannot become a criminal. As you mentioned just now, in addition to vaccines, our company also produces some rare medicines with extremely low profits. Only we have the capability to produce them. If our company really falls into turmoil, there may be serious problems with the supply of certain drugs and even vaccines. It could lead to situations where patients suddenly fall ill and are unable to receive medication, which is a societal issue that affects everyone.¡±


    Li Zheng earnestly pleaded.


    ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± The old man snatched his urine bag back and turned to leave.


    Li Zheng said firmly, ¡°Can you use your resources to buy our company in the shortest possible time?¡±


    The old man was surprised to hear this, and Huang Ze frowned while looking at Li Zheng.


    Just then, the doors of the meeting room were pushed open, and sunlight poured in like water.


    Xing Conglian stood in the doorway; it was unclear how long he had been standing behind the door.


    The old man seemed to have not noticed that the chairman of the pharmaceutical company was standing behind Xing Conglian. He pointed at Li Zheng and spoke to Xing Conglian as if no one else was present. ¡°Are all the researchers sick? They have no understanding of economics. He actually asked me to buy Zhourui at the fastest speed?¡±


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    To Huang Ze¡¯s surprise, he heard Xing Conglian ask such a question.


    ¡°Of course I can¡­¡± The old man began, but suddenly he stared at Xing Conglian. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Just then, Xing Conglian¡¯s phone rang. He answered the call and hung up. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, and a relieved look, as if everything was destined, appeared on his face.


    Huang Ze knew that Lin Chen had probably woken up.


    ¡°Take action.¡±


    Xing Conglian raised his head and uttered those words with a determined gaze.


    Wang Chao, who had been sitting on the ground playing with his laptop, suddenly stood up, causing the laptop to fall to the ground. ¡°Fuck me Boss!¡±


    The young people looked at Xing Conglian in confusion, not understanding why things had suddenly taken this turn.


    And at that moment, Huang Ze seemed to see the figure of Lin Chen overlapping with Xing Conglian.


    It was only then that Huang Ze realized how much Xing Conglian resembled Lin Chen.

 CH 258

    When Lin Chen woke up, he was surprised by the environment he found himself in.


    As he realized that he could react with surprise to his surroundings, it indicated that he had recovered somewhat from his disordered mental state.


    He lay on a hospital bed that was as white and soft as a cloud. Outside the window, there was a vast blue sea, and the morning sunlight turned the surface of the sea into a flawless, pure color. Everything seemed boundless and immense, making humanity appear tiny like specks of dust and allowing many important matters to drift away with the wind.


    This magnificent scenery was perfect for relaxation and recuperation. However, Hongjing wasn¡¯t located near the sea, and apart from Xing Conglian, no one else could find a similar privileged place. But Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t the type to go against his own will in urgent situations.


    So, what had happened during the time when he had experienced mental problems? Lin Chen pondered for a moment, feeling a splitting headache. It was a very melodramatic ailment, but it was undeniably real. He felt that he couldn¡¯t concentrate his thoughts, so he exerted some effort to force himself to avert his gaze from the view outside the window.


    He rubbed his forehead and attempted to sit up, but soon realized that something was off with his body.


    The soreness in his muscles and joints couldn¡¯t be faked. What was more, just because he hadn¡¯t eaten pork didn¡¯t mean he hadn¡¯t seen a pig run*. In any case, Lin Chen¡¯s initial reaction was that Xing Conglian was a bit beastly or had some peculiar preferences. The key issue was that his technique really wasn¡¯t good¡­


    *Proverb referring to not having experienced things personally but have heard of them, seen them, and have a little understanding.


    As Lin Chen thought about this, even the simple act of sitting up felt unbearable.


    The entire hospital room was spacious, and Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t present. The sunlight outside the window became glaring, and he couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes.


    ¡­¡­


    Zheng Gong was the doctor in charge of monitoring Room 801. From the moment Lin Chen woke up, he had been observing the patient¡¯s reactions.


    To be honest, Lin Chen appeared surprisingly calm for someone who had just arrived here for the first time.


    He watched as Lin Chen woke up and looked towards the sea, showing a relaxed and serene expression. Zheng Gong knew that the mental state of this important patient had improved somewhat.


    He ticked off a few boxes on his tablet, then looked up, realizing that the patient was attempting to sit up.


    As trained professionals, they wouldn¡¯t rush in like enthusiastic healthcare workers to help someone sit up quickly. Zheng Gong carefully observed Lin Chen¡¯s body movements and found that, apart from slightly delayed reactions, there was no coordination issue with Lin Chen¡¯s physical movements.


    Just as he made this judgment, he saw Lin Chen suddenly close his eyes.


    The young man on the hospital bed furrowed his brows, gripping his forehead tightly, as if experiencing fragmented flashback scenes, appearing confused and in pain.


    Zheng Gong immediately entered the room, wearing a stethoscope as he approached Lin Chen¡¯s bed. He tentatively called out to him twice, but Lin Chen didn¡¯t react immediately.


    ¡°Lin Chen, can you hear me?¡± he repeated.


    At this moment, the patient on the bed opened his eyes, appearing clear-minded and determined.


    ¡°I can hear you clearly,¡± Lin Chen managed to squeeze out these words with some difficulty.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m handling some matters, and I will take care of you,¡± Zheng Gong concisely stated. ¡°Now, I need to conduct some examinations for you.¡±


    To his surprise, Lin Chen didn¡¯t show any resistance or ask for a detailed account of the cause and result. He simply nodded, appearing very calm and understanding.


    ¡°Understood, thank you,¡± Lin Chen said, lying back down and looking up at him. ¡°Could you please hand me my phone?¡±


    Zheng Gong nodded and noticed an ordinary-looking phone next to the flower vase on the bedside table. The color of the purple daisies was beautiful.


    He picked up the phone and placed it in front of Lin Chen. ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Chen took the phone, nodded in gratitude, and moved his fingers on the screen. Zheng Gong thought that he was probably going to call the big boss.


    But just then, he noticed that Lin Chen¡¯s fingers suddenly paused, as if he had seen some important message. Lin Chen¡¯s gaze became resolute.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian quickly descended the stairs.


    Whether it was Wang Chao or Huang Ze, or even the old man carrying the urine bag, they annoyingly followed behind him, constantly asking where he was going. But Xing Conglian didn¡¯t want to listen to any of them.


    The text message on his phone showed that Lin Chen had woken up over two hours ago, but he had been busy dealing with Zhourui and hadn¡¯t seen this message.


    The fact that Lin Chen woke up when he wasn¡¯t there was completely unexpected.


    He was now extremely agitated, and the voices behind him became even more unbearable.


    ¡°Boss, wait for me, I have something to tell you!¡± Wang Chao shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know, Xing Conglian. Why do you want to buy Zhourui!¡± In the empty stairwell, Huang Ze asked him loudly, ¡°Why are you doing this? Do you know that your behavior is unbecoming?¡±


    Not only that, but the old man he casually brought along had also become a big trouble as he hurried to reach Lin Chen¡¯s side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it if you want me to, but you¡¯ll have to allocate funds for personnel. Give me your Xiao Liu. I¡¯ve had my eye on him for a long time,¡± the old man said, chasing after him like this. ¡°But first, you have to take me to the hospital. I didn¡¯t bring any money when I left!¡±


    Xing Conglian was being chased by these three individuals, and when he reached the fire door in the stairwell on the first floor, he suddenly stopped and turned around, looking at the three people behind him.


    He patted Huang Ze¡¯s shoulder first. ¡°Does it have anything to do with you what I¡¯m going to do? Moreover, I just realized that, Inspector Huang, you have a strong old lady attribute. In that case, please take care of this old man for me.¡±


    He looked at the old man and pointed at Huang Ze, saying to the old man, ¡°If you need anything, ask him. His family is very wealthy.¡±


    ¡°What about me, Boss!¡± Wang Chao interrupted. ¡°Give me a chance to speak.¡±


    ¡°As for you¡­¡± Xing Conglian looked at Wang Chao. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the end of the world or an alien invasion, you better have something important to say.¡±


    ¡°I really do have something¡ªno wait, it¡¯s not me, something is happening on the internet!¡± Wang Chao was so flustered that he couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    Xing Conglian opened the fire door in the stairwell and stepped into the lobby. ¡°You have one minute from here to the outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, Boss,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°I¡¯ve been monitoring the Deep Web. Although it¡¯s difficult to monitor, well-known underground forums are within my control¡­ ¡± Comrade Xiao Wang proudly stated.


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Just now, I discovered that these underground forums have seen a surge in new users. They seem to be inquiring about something, and there may be a major event happening in the Deep Web.¡± Wang Chao swallowed his saliva but didn¡¯t dare to pause for too long. ¡°More importantly, in some reply threads, there are regional maps of Hongjing and neighboring provinces in our country. I don¡¯t understand the language, and the translations are a mess. Can you take a look and see what¡¯s happening, and if it¡¯s related to our case here?¡±


    When Wang Chao said the last sentence, Xing Conglian knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to rush to Lin Chen¡¯s side immediately.


    He turned around, grabbed Wang Chao¡¯s ear, and questioned him, ¡°You¡¯re not usually this proactive in your work. What would happen if you told me a minute later? Would the world be destroyed?¡±


    But Wang Chao¡¯s reaction surprised Xing Conglian. The young man wasn¡¯t looking at him but seemed to be staring in astonishment behind him at the lobby lounge.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something happening again?¡± Xing Conglian furrowed his brows. ¡°Can you stop being so jumpy?¡±


    Wang Chao opened his mouth, pointed behind him, but couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Xing Conglian slowly turned around and saw a slender figure.


    Wearing a white shirt, black pants, and matching canvas shoes, the person stood by the sofa in the lobby, calmly looking at him.


    It was Lin Chen.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s first reaction was embarrassment. After the first night with a lover, everything should be normal, from kissing to saying ¡°I love you¡±. There was nothing wrong with the script.


    Moreover, he had put Lin Chen through so much trouble. The floor-to-ceiling window he had prepared, and the vast sea view were all meant to alleviate the awkwardness of this moment when Lin Chen woke up.


    But in the current situation, he certainly couldn¡¯t rush over and embrace Lin Chen for a kiss. Besides, the way Lin Chen was looking at him now, calm and indifferent, made it difficult for him to determine what kind of attitude Lin Chen had toward him.


    Xing Conglian had never felt so uncertain before. The fear of losing something must be one of the side effects of being in love.


    His heart was beating very fast, and there were only a few dozen meters between him and Lin Chen, but for him, it was undoubtedly one of the most anxious moments in his life.


    But in the current situation, he certainly couldn¡¯t rush over and embrace Lin Chen for a kiss. Moreover, the way Lin Chen was looking at him now, calm and indifferent, made it difficult for him to determine what kind of attitude Lin Chen had toward him.


    Xing Conglian had never felt so uncertain before. The fear of losing something must be one of the side effects of being in love.


    His heart was beating very fast, and there were only a few dozen meters between him and Lin Chen, but for him, it was undoubtedly one of the most anxious moments in his life.


    He was extremely nervous, but unconsciously, he had already started walking towards Lin Chen.


    Just then, he suddenly felt that something was amiss around him. He stood still and turned around, almost colliding with Wang Chao behind him.


    Not only that, Huang Ze and the old man were also following closely behind him, one on each side.


    These three individuals simply wouldn¡¯t leave him alone.


    Xing Conglian took a step back, creating some distance between himself and these people. He pointed at them and warned, ¡°Stay right here. Don¡¯t move, don¡¯t follow.¡±


    After saying that, he turned to leave, but he still felt uneasy. He abruptly turned back, staring at the three individuals behind him who were leaning forward, ¡°Dare to come closer, and I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Zheng Gong stood by Lin Chen¡¯s side and experienced a similar awkward situation as Xing Conglian.


    He saw the boss preventing others from approaching and felt that he should take the opportunity to leave, like the driver, Master Li, who had already disappeared.


    But if he left now, would it seem too obvious?


    Just as he hesitated, the boss was already standing in front of him.


    He quickly lowered his head, only to hear the boss ask in a gentle voice, dripping with tenderness, ¡°Why did you come here? Is your body alright?¡±


    Of course, these words weren¡¯t meant for him, but he couldn¡¯t help but shiver uncontrollably. That soft voice made goosebumps rise all over his body.


    Zheng Gong took a step back, feeling that he shouldn¡¯t hesitate and should slip away immediately. But just then, the boss¡¯s tone changed, coldly saying, ¡°Did you bring him here?¡±


    Such a cold remark was undoubtedly directed at him. The boss could change his demeanor in an instant. But in the current situation, anything he said would be wrong.


    He stiffly raised his head, wanting to explain, but Lin Chen took a step forward, stood in front of him, and said very chivalrously, ¡°I asked them for help.¡±


    Zheng Gong felt like the current situation was simply repeating in a cheesy TV drama. It seemed amusing when he watched it while eating melon seeds and watching TV, but going through it himself was agonizing.


    Sure enough, Lin Chen still looked weak. Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t get angry with Lin Chen; he would only take it out on them.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me before coming here!¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Because I told them that I am the one in charge of family matters,¡± Lin Chen said gently.

 CH 259

    ¡°This¡­ This is true¡­¡±


    In the back seat of the car, Xing Conglian held Lin Chen¡¯s hand.


    Just a moment ago, after Mr. Lin, the head of the family, suddenly descended on Zhourui Pharmaceutical and disrupted all his plans, he started to deal with the situation swiftly.


    Lin Chen first handed the old man over to Dr. Zheng, asked Huang Ze to take the two of them to the hospital, and gave Wang Chao twenty yuan to take a taxi back to Yanjia Lane. Then, he and Xing Conglian got into the nursing home car that brought Lin Chen here.


    As soon as they got in the car, Lin Chen took off his shoes and leaned against him, frowning lightly. It seemed that the discomfort in his body made it difficult for him to sit still. Xing Conglian felt unexpectedly soft-hearted and swallowed the second half of his sentence.


    But Lin Chen didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention to that statement. Instead, he simply said ¡°Please¡± to the driver.


    The extremely astute driver didn¡¯t look sideways and raised the front and rear seat partitions and window blinds, making the backseat space dim.


    Before Xing Conglian could react, he heard Lin Chen¡¯s soft voice saying, ¡°Come here.¡±


    That phrase sounded somewhat familiar. Xing Conglian slightly lowered his head and turned towards Lin Chen¡¯s position, only to be forcibly pulled by his neck and pressed down.


    Lin Chen¡¯s breath sprayed against his cheek, followed by warm lips. Lin Chen decisively pried open his teeth and kissed him earnestly.


    Xing Conglian embraced Lin Chen¡¯s waist, responding to his kiss while feeling that the situation was a bit off.


    Taking advantage of the moment when the angle changed, he skillfully switched positions with Lin Chen, laying him flat on the seat. Then, he consciously unbuttoned Lin Chen¡¯s shirt, caressed his earlobe with one hand, and kissed from behind his ear to his neck.


    Lin Chen¡¯s breathing became rapid, and his pulse raced. His gasps carried a hint of sweetness.


    However, Xing Conglian keenly noticed that Lin Chen¡¯s hand, which was originally hooked around his neck, had moved to his chest, as if ready to push him away at any moment of uncontrollable circumstances.


    Detecting this, Xing Conglian grabbed his wrist, licked his ear, and blew gently.


    Lin Chen shrank sensitively. Taking this opportunity, Xing Conglian quickly pulled his hand over his head. He then leaned close to his ear and said, ¡°Mr. Lin, resisting and welcoming is not a good idea.¡±


    Lin Chen raised his legs to gently touch his lower body that was being pressed down, and then he kissed the tip of his nose, saying very gently, ¡°Captain Xing, it¡¯s about enough.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still far from enough.¡± Xing Conglian held onto Lin Chen¡¯s waist and prepared to kiss him again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say one word, and you¡¯ll let go of me.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice became wet and ambiguous amidst the kiss.


    ¡°You can try.¡±


    ¡°Pain.¡±


    Indeed, one word was enough.


    Xing Conglian immediately released him, sat back in his own seat, and reached out to turn on the reading light.


    Lin Chen lay on the black seat while his chest rose and fell. His lips were kissed red, and his neck and collarbone were adorned with love marks and damp spots, making him look¡­ enticing¡­


    Xing Conglian looked at him and couldn¡¯t help but bend down to kiss the corner of his mouth.


    Lin Chen retracted his legs, sat up while holding onto the car door, and began buttoning up his shirt.


    With his head lowered, his neck elongated under the pale yellow light, displaying a graceful posture.


    Xing Conglian held his hand and placed it beside him, then pinched the shirt front and meticulously buttoned up each button that he had previously undone.


    After finishing all this, when he looked up, he found Lin Chen gazing at him, with a calm and affectionate look in his eyes.


    ¡°Why did you spend three hours bringing me to the recuperation center?¡± Lin Chen asked him under the reading light.


    This opening question felt a bit like an interrogation. Xing Conglian was unsure how much Lin Chen remembered from last night¡¯s events, but he could only honestly answer, ¡°Because I was angry.¡±


    ¡°Angry at whom?¡± Lin Chen¡¯s serene voice sounded in the dimly lit space.


    Xing Conglian opened his arms and embraced Lin Chen. His chin rested against Lin Chen¡¯s neck, and his voice was muffled. ¡°Of course, myself, Consultant Lin.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Xing Conglian simply held onto Lin Chen, feeling his body become softer in his embrace.


    ¡°Take your time, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s gentle voice was irresistible, and there was almost no environmental noise in the car, creating a very quiet atmosphere.


    ¡°Suddenly, I realized that you love me more than I imagined,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°I feel foolish and regret missing out on so much time.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t miss out if you¡¯ve experienced it,¡± Lin Chen interrupted him.


    ¡°I feel guilty,¡± he said.


    ¡°And then you go and torment me like that?¡± Lin Chen created some distance between them and looked at him with a smile.


    Xing Conglian felt like an inexperienced youngster, unable to provide the correct answer to his lover¡¯s questioning. What did the online guides say? He should immediately bow his head and apologize, but it seemed that apologizing wasn¡¯t the right thing to do either. Xing Conglian racked his brains, almost resorting to asking for advice from internet users on his phone.


    Finally, Lin Chen let out a long sigh, looked at him, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Xing Conglian was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect the answer to be like this. He didn¡¯t believe that Lin Chen needed to apologize at all. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Chen looked directly into his eyes and said, ¡°Although my memories are jumbled, I still remember a little from last night. Regarding what happened last night, I want to address two main points.¡±


    ¡°Please, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°First, even though your techniques may not be very strong and all over the place, we still have to take responsibility for each other and practice diligently in the future.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s words were spoken slowly, making Xing Conglian¡¯s heart feel like it was on a roller coaster, fluctuating between highs and lows, almost getting thrown off by a drift.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you have to listen to my explanation,¡± Xing Conglian immediately said, but he felt it wasn¡¯t right and could only continue, ¡°I will work hard. Please provide me with more opportunities to practice. Don¡¯t always act sickly and make me feel like a beast.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded solemnly and replied, ¡°Approved. The organization will also make efforts for rehabilitation.¡±


    Xing Conglian smiled, rubbing the back of Lin Chen¡¯s head, finding him incredibly adorable.


    But Lin Chen looked at him with deep eyes. The words Xing Conglian wanted to say got stuck in his throat as he heard Lin Chen say, ¡°The second matter, I genuinely apologize to you. Please accept it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me.¡± Lin Chen paused and insisted, ¡°Although I love you very much and always want to do my best, in reality, by doing so, I have been increasing your burden.¡± Lin Chen created some distance between them, maintaining their conversational posture. ¡°You are a very good person. The reason you are in so much pain is that you suddenly realize you owe me too much. You feel like you haven¡¯t fully understood my intentions, and you constantly see me making sacrifices for you, but you may not have time to repay me. The accumulation of these things has caused you to lose control.¡±


    Lin Chen analyzed the situation very calmly, and Xing Conglian stopped smiling and simply listened to him speak.


    ¡°However, looking at it from a different perspective, all of this is caused by me. Sometimes, being too kind to others without giving them the chance to reciprocate can indeed create a significant psychological burden for kind-hearted people.¡±


    ¡°I always feel like you¡¯re forcefully defending me,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°No, I believe this is a problem that both of us have.¡± Lin Chen kissed the back of his hand and said, ¡°When we¡¯re in a relationship, we¡¯re always too polite to each other.¡±


    Xing Conglian was taken aback. He had never considered the issue of being ¡°polite¡±.


    ¡°While it¡¯s good to show respect, it can also create too much distance. We dare not express our true feelings, always wanting to take good care of each other. Accepting a little love makes us feel like it¡¯s a huge need for repayment, which is not entirely correct.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the clear and serene gaze hidden beneath Lin Chen¡¯s eyelashes. Every word he said was a heartfelt confession, and Xing Conglian fell into contemplation. Lin Chen¡¯s words were meant for him to hear, but he was also speaking for himself.


    ¡°So how should we solve it, Consultant Lin?¡±


    ¡°I think we both need to be a bit willful.¡±


    Lin Chen was very serious, and upon hearing this, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°For example, you bringing me to the seaside recuperation center in the middle of the night, spending three hours on it¡ªI think that¡¯s very willful, and it¡¯s good.¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°You didn¡¯t treat me as a stranger. You felt that you could make better choices for me, and it was necessary for me to receive better care. I really like such gestures.¡±


    Xing Conglian was speechless. Honestly, he didn¡¯t think there was anyone in the world who could be so eloquent when facing Lin Chen.


    He could only nod awkwardly and then say, ¡°So, Consultant Lin, are you also using willfulness to repay me?¡±


    ¡°I really wanted to wait for you there, but I encountered some unexpected circumstances and had to come find you. But we can discuss that matter when we get home. Bringing it up now would ruin the atmosphere,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°So I used your car and medical personnel. I don¡¯t think I need to inform you about that. The driver is good, and I want to keep Dr. Zheng by my side to take care of me. I probably won¡¯t be able to return to that bed for a short time.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you have the final say,¡± Xing Conglian said without hesitation. ¡°What else do you need? Shall I buy Tzu Chi?¡±


    ¡°Money can solve small matters,¡± Lin Chen finally smiled and replied. ¡°No need. I want to go home. Please try to avoid leaving me in the hospital in the future.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone had a hint of commanding manner, but Xing Conglian felt extremely content listening to him. He understood a bit about the significance of Lin Chen¡¯s conversation regarding ¡°politeness¡± and ¡°willfulness¡±. But all he could do was hold Lin Chen tightly once again, grateful for his good fortune.


    The car had slowly come to a stop, and Xing Conglian felt reluctant to leave the warmth of the moment. He even wondered if, in accordance with the willful approach, he should dismiss the driver and continue the actions from before when Lin Chen pushed him away.


    However, Consultant Lin clearly understood the essence of ¡°willfulness¡± better than he did. Lin Chen grabbed his hair, gave him a kiss, and casually opened the car door, starting to put on his shoes.


    The bright sunlight poured in, highlighting Lin Chen¡¯s refined features and giving him a commanding appearance as the head of the household.


    As expected, the driver seemed to have received some signal and slowly lowered the partition. Xing Conglian stared at him through the rearview mirror, but the driver, wearing sunglasses, acted as if he hadn¡¯t seen his protesting gaze at all.


    After putting on his shoes, Lin Chen quickly got out of the car. However, as if he remembered something, he suddenly turned back and looked at Xing Conglian. ¡°Xing Conglian.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xing Conglian promptly responded.


    ¡°Although I am the head of the household,¡± Lin Chen leaned halfway into the car, saying straightforwardly, ¡°You can have complete authority.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen¡¯s face and had a strong desire to go back and buy Zhourui Pharmaceutical all over again.

 CH 260

    Inside the old house on Yanjia Lane, Lin Chen placed his phone on the coffee table.


    They hadn¡¯t put away the arrangement they made earlier for discussing Zhourui Pharmaceutical, and there was a pile of cushions on the carpet.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t want to go to bed and casually sat down on the floor. Xing Conglian had no choice but to stuff many cushions behind him.


    However, as soon as he entered the house to get a blanket, Wang Chao barged in and carelessly threw his backpack next to Lin Chen, as if he were going to pounce on the pile of cushions.


    ¡°Stay away from your A¡¯Chen Gege,¡± Xing Conglian held the blanket and sternly warned Wang Chao.


    Wang Chao was still panting heavily, his face turned pale from intense running. He didn¡¯t care about Xing Conglian¡¯s tone and replied while resting his head on one of the cushions near Lin Chen, lying down and shouting at the ceiling, ¡°Fuck me¡­ damn¡­ Boss, do you have no humanity¡­ I¡­ I took a taxi back¡­ sprinted a hundred meters!¡±


    ¡°Are you tired and causing trouble by coming near?¡± Xing Conglian interrupted him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know your A¡¯Chen Gege¡¯s health isn¡¯t good? What if you¡¯re pressing on him?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Wang Chao immediately sat up, panting, and carefully examined Lin Chen. He asked seriously, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, do you have any physical discomfort? Is the effect of that drug still present?¡±


    Xing Conglian was afraid that Lin Chen would feel embarrassed, so he rushed over to pick Wang Chao up and take him away. But just as he was about to grab the back of Wang Chao¡¯s neck, he heard Lin Chen say, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m normal. It¡¯s just the usual discomfort after same-sex intimacy.¡±


    Wang Chao was thunderstruck by his words. He stared at Lin Chen with his mouth wide open, almost letting the gum in his mouth fall out.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen reached back and petted the teenager¡¯s hair.


    Only then did Wang Chao snap out of it, and his face turned bright red. He stood up abruptly and couldn¡¯t even speak properly. ¡°I-I-I¡­ A¡¯Chen Gege, the Boss is a beast!¡±


    Xing Conglian was bewildered by his sudden outburst. He saw Wang Chao rush into the bathroom like a gust of wind, and then, as if he had gone to the wrong place, he immediately rushed out and ran to the kitchen sink to drink water.


    Finally, Xing Conglian bent down and had the opportunity to spread the blanket over Lin Chen. He half-knelt in front of Lin Chen and whispered, ¡°Why are you so straightforward?¡±


    Lin Chen hooked his neck, kissed him lightly, and smiled. ¡°Why are you so shy?¡±


    The gaze of his lover was calm and gentle, with long eyelashes that made people want to kiss them. Seeing him lying on the blanket was undoubtedly a very beautiful scene. Although they had already done what should and shouldn¡¯t be done, at this moment, Xing Conglian also wanted to rush into the bathroom to calm down.


    After Lin Chen finished speaking, perhaps feeling that if he continued, something would go wrong, he let go of Xing Conglian and called out stiffly to the young man drinking water in the kitchen. ¡°Wang Chao, wait to drink water. I have something important to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Wang Chao howled halfway in the kitchen, then rushed out like a little pet and obediently crouched next to Lin Chen.


    Without need for any preamble, Lin Chen said directly, ¡°After I woke up this morning, I received a text message.¡±


    As he spoke, Lin Chen reached for the phone on the coffee table and lit up the screen.


    A text message appeared on the white smartphone screen, still unopened and displayed in red letters.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head to look. The sender was a long string of numbers that didn¡¯t look like a phone number. The content of the message was also a string of characters.


    ¡ª¡ª30:1103-1126


    Wang Chao leaned in and glanced at the phone. He changed his sitting position to a cross-legged one, as if he was still feeling embarrassed. He deliberately kept a little distance from Lin Chen and said, ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, is it a scam message? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make that jerk regret ever existing.¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head and pushed the phone in front of the teenager. ¡°Take a careful look, but don¡¯t open the message yet.¡±


    Wang Chao picked up the phone and looked left, right, up, and down. He almost put the phone in his mouth to taste it, but he still looked very puzzled. ¡°Then, should I scan the phone for viruses or trace the source of this message?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xing Conglian held his hand, but Lin Chen withdrew it, a subconscious physiological reaction that made Xing Conglian feel that Lin Chen was afraid of something. He immediately felt a sinking feeling in his heart.


    The text message that made Lin Chen fearful and drove three hours back, disregarding his arrangements, must be something out of the ordinary.


    Lin Chen held his hand back; even though his palm was cold, he remained emotionally restrained.


    He looked at Wang Chao and asked slowly, ¡°The content of this string of characters and the numbers displayed as the sender¡¯s name¡ªdo they have any specific meaning in your field¡­ In the field of technology? Can they be transformed into directly downloadable files, for example?¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s face wrinkled, and he leaned on the table to observe carefully. ¡°It¡¯s not a magnet link, and it¡¯s not a Bitcoin account address either. But now that you mention it, this string of numbers does seem strange. It doesn¡¯t match the usual meaning of a phone number, nor does it look like a code from mass messaging software. It seems to have been tampered with¡­ Should I try to decrypt it?¡± The young man hesitated slightly. ¡°But there are many things to do right now. Are you sure you want me to decipher it? It¡¯s possible that I¡¯ve tried countless methods, and it¡¯s just random data from a prank.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s rambling might have been a bit excessive, and Lin Chen suddenly rubbed his forehead.


    Xing Conglian noticed that at this moment, Lin Chen seemed to be forcing himself. He didn¡¯t know why Lin Chen¡¯s mental state suddenly worsened, but the drug given by Shen Lian clearly couldn¡¯t be completely metabolized overnight. He squeezed Lin Chen¡¯s hand but didn¡¯t receive the expected response.


    ¡°Do you need to rest for a while?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not for now.¡± Lin Chen suddenly raised his eyes sharply. ¡°Under what circumstances could I receive an unidentified message, with the possibility of the sender¡¯s number being tampered with?¡±


    ¡°Ah, then it must be a fake base station,¡± Wang Chao replied. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult technologically. You just need a host and a laptop. The other party doesn¡¯t even need to stay near you; they just need to slowly drive through a certain area.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the time the message was received, which clearly showed 21:27.


    At that time last night, Lin Chen was at Tzu Chi Hospital receiving treatment.


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°If someone knows your phone number, they can completely use an anonymous app to send you a message, but with the use of a fake base station, they can tamper with the sender¡¯s number and turn it into a special string of digits. So, this string of numbers must have some meaning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think too.¡± Lin Chen nodded and asked Wang Chao with keenness, ¡°Why did you immediately associate it with a Bitcoin account?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Chao scratched his head and pulled out his laptop from his backpack. ¡°Because this morning, there was some activity on the Deep Web, and I was just about to ask the boss if we should monitor it.¡±


    ¡°Open it. Let me see,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Wang Chao snapped his fingers and placed the laptop flat on the table, quickly lighting up the screen. ¡°I was going to tell the boss about this today, but he didn¡¯t even listen to me. A¡¯Chen Gege, you tell him, how can someone be so irresponsible with work just because of love!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lin Chen said calmly.


    Wang Chao, for the first time, gave Lin Chen a resentful look and said in a desolate tone, ¡°A world without love¡­ I think¡­ it¡¯s time for me to move.¡±


    Lin Chen patted his shoulder and pointed to the now illuminated computer screen, saying to Wang Chao, ¡°Get to work. What¡¯s happening on the Dark Web?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking if there was a large-scale betting activity, but I have no idea what these sickos are playing with.¡± Wang Chao gritted his teeth in anger and continued, ¡°But A¡¯Chen Gege, in one of the related posts, I saw a map of the three provinces around Hongjing. I¡¯m afraid this event is related to us.¡±


    Wang Chao, like completing a game level, delved deeper into the website, and finally, he managed to bring up a simple page with a black background and green letters.


    The page was filled with various money symbols, exuding a predictably bloody and festive atmosphere.


    Wang Chao quickly scrolled down the page until he reached the reply that he was particularly interested in.


    The grammar used by the person who replied was complex and difficult to understand, clearly indicating a lack of proper education. Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze shifted to the outline of the map in the reply.


    With just one glance, he recognized that it was indeed a map of the three provinces surrounding Hongjing.


    The map displayed the coastal provinces of Jiangxia and Zhelin, as well as the neighboring province of Yong¡¯an.


    The specific city names and roads were erased from the white-based map, replaced by numerous small black dots connected by lines, resembling a network radiating outwards.


    Xing Conglian took out his phone, found a map of the three provinces, quickly zoomed in to a similar size, and compared it to the burnt-looking white-based map on the computer screen. Then he glanced at Lin Chen.


    The dots and lines on the map didn¡¯t represent specific cities or roads; they seemed to be meaningless grids.


    Wang Chao was also very perplexed. He pointed to the words in the reply and asked, ¡°Boss, what does this passage mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Russian, roughly meaning ¡®a balancing game on a wire¡¯,¡± Xing Conglian glanced at the post and said coldly.


    Wang Chao retreated back into the pile of cushions. ¡°What the hell is this? Is the Chuunibyou syndrome* so severe across countries?¡±


    *Japanese colloquialism describing early teens who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers (AKA eight-grader syndrome/teenager syndrome).


    Xing Conglian noticed that as he heard his answer, Lin Chen¡¯s gaze became colder and seemed to freeze on the map.


    A touch of pain flashed across Lin Chen¡¯s face, and his complexion turned pale.


    Xing Conglian held Lin Chen¡¯s hand again, and Lin Chen returned the grip. He said briefly, ¡°Give me some time.¡± He spoke solemnly, pressing his temple and looking at Wang Chao. ¡°I¡¯m just speculating on the possibilities of the sender because if you¡¯re not familiar with it, the only person who is familiar with it can only be me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Wang Chao looked at Lin Chen in bewilderment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just hoping to get some other possibilities from you out of sheer luck.¡± Lin Chen smiled bitterly at Wang Chao. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, in fact, these numbers represent citations from a particular publication,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Wang Chao bent down again and began typing on the keyboard, as if he wanted to immediately search for the literature.


    Lin Chen stopped him. ¡°The specific publication and citations can only be found by me. It would be a waste of time for you to search. But decrypting the sender¡¯s identity will be your responsibility. We¡¯ll work together.¡±


    ¡°Who could it be?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    Lin Chen¡¯s gaze grew deep, and he furrowed his brows in silence.


    Xing Conglian feared that at this moment, Lin Chen already had a speculation in his mind.


    The person who took the opportunity to send him a message when he was mentally disturbed, after preventing Shen Lian from committing suicide¡ªthe identity of that person had become clear as day.

 CH 261

    Lin Chen returned to the room to find a spare phone to replace the one he was currently using, and he handed the latter to Wang Chao for further research.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t get up, allowing Lin Chen to enter the room alone.


    After closing the door, Wang Chao put down the pretense of typing on the keyboard and looked at him with a worried expression. ¡°Is A¡¯Chen Gege really okay now?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t answer immediately.


    Even Wang Chao could tell that something was off with Lin Chen. How could Xing Conglian not notice it?


    From the beginning of their meeting, he could sense that Lin Chen was in a hurry, whether it was his urgency in talking to him in the car or the matter he entrusted to him regarding the text message.


    Lin Chen now felt like a timed bomb that could explode at any moment. The more relaxed he appeared on the surface, the less one knew when the bomb¡¯s timer would reach its designated point.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xing Conglian asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I just feel that A¡¯Chen Gege recovered too quickly. Is there anything else he needs to check?¡±


    ¡°Do you think he would be willing to go back to the hospital?¡±


    Wang Chao whispered, ¡°Damn it, Boss. As a man, he¡¯s already slept through it all. You need to have some courage!¡±


    Xing Conglian, for the first time, patted Wang Chao¡¯s head. The young man¡¯s hair was light and soft. He silently stood up and walked to the doorway.


    When he opened the door, he found that Lin Chen didn¡¯t appear to be anxiously rummaging through things, as he had expected.


    Lin Chen sat quietly on the empty bed board, gazing at the sunny blue sky outside the window, so quiet that it seemed excessive.


    The anticipated side effects of the medication seemed to have taken Lin Chen to another extreme.


    Xing Conglian walked over slowly, and his shadow was outlined on the floor in the sunlight.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t instinctively turn to look at him. He resembled a mannequin in a shop window, pure white and flawless, yet in that moment, he seemed to be immersed in a strange space known only to himself.


    There were two phones on the bedside table, with the SIM cards removed but not inserted, just placed there. Lin Chen had clearly stopped working on them midway through.


    Xing Conglian sat down beside him, and the empty bed board made a creaking sound.


    Only then did Lin Chen slowly turn his head back, and a faint gleam flashed in his deep black eyes. He smiled at him.


    Before Lin Chen could greet him, Xing Conglian spoke on his own. ¡°The way you are now reminds me of someone.¡±


    Lin Chen looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to use this as an opening line.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother.¡±


    As he spoke, Xing Conglian lay horizontally on the empty bed board, leaving Lin Chen sitting there in a daze.


    He patted the empty space beside him and then reached out to hook Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder, pulling him down.


    With his unsteady balance, Lin Chen fell onto him, and Xing Conglian naturally held onto his waist, forcing him to stay on top of him.


    After a while, Lin Chen¡¯s body finally softened, returning to the same level of tenderness they had when they embraced in the car.


    ¡°What happened to your grandmother?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Baby, you¡¯re ruining the mood.¡± Xing Conglian kissed the top of his head and spoke slowly. ¡°My grandmother was a strong woman with a warrior bloodline. She hunts bears in the summer and takes vodka baths in the winter.¡±


    ¡°The Tsar¡¯s princess is extraordinary.¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian laughed, feeling that lying on the bare bed board, embracing Lin Chen, and not saying or doing anything else, was already more than enough. ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated. My grandmother isn¡¯t from a prestigious family. She¡¯s just an ordinary, beautiful girl from a warrior tribe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s good to have traditions.¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°What traditions?¡± Xing Conglian asked with a smile.


    ¡°After all, not all prestigious families would marry commoners. Your family has this tradition, and I feel relieved¡­¡± Lin Chen paused suddenly.


    He seemed to be afraid that it was inappropriate to bring up the topic of marriage with Xing Conglian so abruptly, but he also felt that further explanation and elaboration would be inappropriate.


    In that momentary pause, Xing Conglian had already perceived something. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to be willful?¡± He helplessly held Lin Chen tighter. ¡°You can just say it now: Xing Conglian, marry me, and I would even agree without a diamond ring.¡±


    ¡°No, we still need to buy the diamond ring,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°We both need to contribute to the down payment for the house, take out a loan to slowly repay it, so we won¡¯t buy a car. Since you have one, let¡¯s save some money.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone of voice sounded old-fashioned, and Xing Conglian loved it.


    It made him think that they had so much time before to talk and share about love and express their feelings, but he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it.


    Now, even stealing moments to embrace each other felt precious, and every second was so sweet that it made him overwhelmed.


    He put his hand behind his head, rested his head on it, and told Lin Chen, ¡°The old man you saw earlier is a friend of the family. I asked him for a favor.¡±


    ¡°What favor?¡±


    ¡°I asked him to help me buy Zhourui Pharmaceutical.¡±


    This news was too shocking, and Lin Chen struggled to sit up. Xing Conglian wouldn¡¯t let him have his way and instead held onto Lin Chen¡¯s waist like a pair of iron pliers. ¡°Don¡¯t move. What do you think you¡¯re doing? I won¡¯t let you go out.¡±


    ¡°I need to ask for help from online friends with my phone.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded gentle, tinged with a hint of worry. ¡°My wife loves shopping too much; what should I do? Urgently waiting online.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would ask why. You¡¯re always so clever. How can I trap you?¡± Xing Conglian blinked, rubbing Lin Chen¡¯s head. ¡°Originally, I was imagining something like Su Fengzi, to ruthlessly retaliate against Zhourui and dismantle them completely. Because if they weren¡¯t so foolish, you wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this, and we would probably have already resolved these matters and be looking at the voyage of The Rose May.¡±


    ¡°The name sounds like your family¡¯s ship. Instead of looking at the voyage schedule, why not just come and pick us up?¡± Lin Chen patted his chest, speaking in a tone of ¡°that¡¯s settled then.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible.¡± Xing Conglian dragged out his tone. ¡°Hongjing isn¡¯t by the sea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone was calm, but he stopped there, waiting for him to continue. However, it was apparent that their notions of impossibility didn¡¯t stem from the same reason.


    Xing Conglian continued to recall the retaliatory meeting earlier. He didn¡¯t have the intention of coaxing Lin Chen to be happy. To be honest, he was quite adept at such things.


    He didn¡¯t have to say or do anything, and he could still make Zhourui¡¯s situation chaotic, and then deliver a final blow, causing the entire building to collapse and crumble.


    But as he gradually approached his intended goal, he felt that perhaps this wasn¡¯t entirely correct. A vague clue seemed to connect everything together.


    Shen Lian couldn¡¯t be alone, and she couldn¡¯t have independently developed a drug like TERN, with such clear and powerful contrasting effects. Behind her was a hidden plan spanning over a decade, with countless people secretly cooperating.


    Everything could be summed up in one word: ¡°Why?¡±


    To induce social unrest with drugs, to turn healthy elderly into psychiatric patients, to destroy countless happy families?


    These were all reasons, of course, but they were all insufficient.


    Xing Conglian still didn¡¯t know why all of this was happening, just like how Lin Chen didn¡¯t fully understand why Shen Lian had to actively seek death at the hands of the police.


    Some vague intuition told him that they had experienced similar things before, and what they needed to do was stand in the immense shadow cast by the puppet master behind the scenes, waiting for the other side to reveal a vulnerability, and then strike back.


    However, the existence of a puppet master behind the scenes was merely a hypothesis.


    To verify this hypothesis, he asked Chairman Zhou two questions and received concrete answers.


    Zhourui did indeed receive a blackmail email. Although they didn¡¯t know who sent the email, the sender clearly knew that they were covering up the adverse reactions of the Nao Kangning drug and using it to manipulate them.


    After paying the bribe, Zhourui Pharmaceutical received the exact video of a murder at an amusement park.


    In the blurry cellphone recording, it captured the moment when Shen Lian assassinated Tan Kang. Although the perpetrator wore sunglasses and pulled up their collar high, disguising themselves as a man, there was a moment when they turned their head, revealing a resemblance to Shen Lian.


    The email provided related clues, pointing the finger at Shen Lian.


    The email contained subtle hints that led Zhourui to believe that the sender was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team in Hongjing.


    However, later on, negotiations between Zhourui and ¡°him¡± reached a breaking point. Zhourui took preemptive action, bravely severing ties before ¡°he¡± could expose everything and accused him of forced extortion.


    Then, the grand operation to besiege Shen Lian began.


    The most interesting game was always the one that quietly began, observing the fight between tigers and benefiting from it.


    But Shen Lian didn¡¯t follow the planned script and died. Just like in Shen Lian¡¯s plan, Duan Yang didn¡¯t die, and the deceased became Duan Wanshan.


    The plot took an uncontrollable path as a result.


    In that email, there was obviously a hidden foreshadowing. The sender hoped that Xing Conglian would become angry and retaliate fiercely against Zhourui after being bitten by them. But Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t do that.


    When sitting in that meeting room, Xing Conglian felt countless times that Lin Chen was right beside him.


    He despised Zhourui, and that was only natural. However, as he looked at the scientists standing up one by one, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was a better choice than just watching the largest domestic pharmaceutical company go bankrupt.


    Clearly, there was.


    Money was truly good.


    Xing Conglian felt this countless times.


    While he spoke, Lin Chen leaned quietly against him, so silent that Xing Conglian thought he found the story boring, and Lin Chen had fallen asleep.


    However, when he stopped, Lin Chen fittingly continued, ¡°I understand. This is probably one of the purposes of this message.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The sender hopes that this message will divert our attention from Zhourui Pharmaceutical and quickly move us into the next stage they have predetermined.¡± Lin Chen paused, then said, ¡°But they probably don¡¯t know that, firstly, you don¡¯t have the habit of checking my phone, and secondly, something unexpected happened last night, resulting in a time gap. So, as the saying goes¡­¡± Lin Chen spoke lightly with a calm voice. ¡°Those who attempt to manipulate fate will eventually be controlled by fate.¡±


    Every word Lin Chen said made sense.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xing Conglian paused, feeling somewhat guilty. ¡°But actually¡­¡±

 CH 262

    Len Chen was very sharp. Upon hearing the words, he rolled over and propped himself up to look at Xing Conglian. With Xing Conglian¡¯s handsome face very close to his nose, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and keenly remarked, ¡°So, did you peek at my messages?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a unified security process in place. The system filters the messages you receive, and if any abnormal information is detected, there will be an alert.¡± Xing Conglian pulled Lin Chen down and laid back in their previous position. ¡°Look, it¡¯s for your safety, baby. You have to trust me; I would never peek at your messages, and the keywords are definitely not something like ¡®darling¡¯ or ¡®see you at the usual place tomorrow night¡¯. But this message looked too much like spam, so it slipped through.¡± Xing Conglian joked, ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t know if that little brat Wang Chao told you, but later, I¡¯ll go bear that kid up to vent my anger.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t mind if you peek at my messages,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t peek.¡±


    ¡°For others, reading someone¡¯s messages implies a lack of trust or something like that, but for me, if you actually did it, I would be happy,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°It would mean that you care about me¡ªthat you lack a sense of security in our relationship, afraid that I might run off with someone else. It¡¯s a sign of insecurity. Honestly, I¡¯m not someone who feels very secure either. I also need these normal and ordinary details that come up in a relationship to ascertain that you love me.¡±


    The sound of flowing water outside the window became clearer and clearer. Lin Chen¡¯s breath fell on his neck and chest, while the tone of their conversation flowed like clean and clear water, with each word hitting him in the heart.


    Xing Conglian let out a long sigh. Lin Chen always spoke so straightforwardly, making it impossible to resist. He once again found himself in a situation where, no matter how hard he tried to love Lin Chen, it never seemed enough.


    But he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they could still lie down together and talk when they grew older. It would be a truly fortunate life for him if he could still hear Lin Chen¡¯s views on love.


    ¡°I love you. I¡¯m very certain of it,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen rested his head on Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder.


    The bed had no soft mattress or bedsheet, and the rough feeling was very uncomfortable.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s shoulder joint was stiff, and his chest was wrapped in strong muscles underneath the shoulder. Lin Chen had to lean against this position, which was quite uncomfortable.


    Seeing Xing Conglian¡¯s posture, Lin Chen knew that he hadn¡¯t had much experience in relationships. His movements were stiff, but luckily, the feeling of his voice constantly passing through his chest and into his ears was pleasant. Therefore, he changed his strategy.


    He turned to his side and reached out to embrace the other person¡¯s waist. Feeling like it wasn¡¯t enough, he also pressed his leg on top.


    This action wasn¡¯t aesthetically pleasing, but it was very comfortable and reassuring.


    Because of the comfort, they could talk more and go deeper.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t finished talking about your grandmother,¡± Lin Chen patted Xing Conglian¡¯s buttocks and said softly.


    Xing Conglian kissed his ear and calmly said, ¡°My grandmother ultimately committed suicide.¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s voice was long and distant. ¡°She ate a bullet and died a heroic death.¡±


    Lin Chen wasn¡¯t surprised. From the moment Xing Conglian mentioned it, he believed this was the inevitable outcome.


    The clouds outside the window glided by in a soothing and unpredictable manner. Lin Chen closed his eyes and asked in a low voice, ¡°Some kind of mental or psychological illness?¡±


    ¡°Alzheimer¡¯s*. I was still young back then and didn¡¯t understand much,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°But even then, I wondered, why is the human brain so strange? My grandmother had such a grand and magnificent life, but as she grew old, she became like an extremely immature child, gradually forgetting everything. I remember when she saw me for the last time, she mistook me for her childhood playmate and pulled me, wanting to ride a black bear.¡±


    *Neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60¨C70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, and behavioral issues. As a person¡¯s condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.


    As Xing Conglian spoke of this past, his tone carried confusion and puzzlement, but Lin Chen was certain that Xing Conglian had a purpose in telling this story.


    However, at this moment, he just wanted to listen to Xing Conglian talk about his past.


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°And then¡­ there was no ¡®then¡¯. The family couldn¡¯t do anything about it because it¡¯s an incurable disease. And since my grandma had the highest seniority in the family, all they could do was bring her a docile black bear. It had to be ensured that the bear wouldn¡¯t harm anyone, had a gentle temperament, and also prevented the old lady from shooting the bear. In short, those years were chaotic in our household. Then, one day, the old lady regained her consciousness, or rather, her condition worsened. But we preferred to believe the former¡ªthat she was very clear when she made that choice. Though it was just a brief moment, she chose a bottle of vodka in her left hand and a revolver in her right hand, and in an extremely heroic and interesting way, she ended her life.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t sorrowful, and Lin Chen didn¡¯t feel it was a sad story either.


    ¡°To live brilliantly and die with dignity¡ªmany people long for that,¡± he said.


    ¡°I thought you would comfort me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that conventional,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°And by the way, your family¡¯s pet is really creative.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing. Next time, I¡¯ll take you home to see the little creatures I¡¯ve raised,¡± Xing Conglian proudly said.


    Lin Chen knew that the words ¡°take you home¡± were heartfelt and sincere.


    But at this moment, he still had to break this atmosphere.


    ¡°The story is good, with a cruel beauty, but did you misunderstand something?¡± He forcefully sat up, patted Xing Conglian¡¯s abs, and said, ¡°My situation is not the same as your grandmother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Although the specific directions may be different, the problems here are fundamentally connected.¡± Xing Conglian raised his hand very knowingly and pointed at the center of Lin Chen¡¯s brows. ¡°So, Consultant Lin, I will do everything I can, but the only one I have been powerless against is you. What is your current condition? Please perform a self-diagnosis. I¡¯m making this request as your lover and as your superior.¡±


    ¡°I have been asking myself that question too.¡± Lin Chen held Xing Conglian¡¯s fingertip and kissed it, then let go of his hand and got off the bed.


    Xing Conglian looked at the wrinkles on Lin Chen¡¯s shirt, revealing a glimpse of his waist that was exposed when Xing Conglian lifted it.


    He watched as Lin Chen bent down and took two bottles of lemon-flavored soda from the cupboard, unscrewed the caps, handed one bottle over, and sat back on the bed, speaking in an extremely calm tone. ¡°In fact, Shen Lian needs something. It becomes a shackle around my neck¡ªthat¡¯s when it becomes interesting.¡±


    Lin Chen said this.


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°So this involves the essence of the medication, the underlying purpose of the puppet master.¡± Lin Chen paused. ¡°We know that this medication¡¯s side effects make people become manic and lose themselves, but Xiao Wu¡¯s recovery, including my temporary clarity, also tells us that high doses of the drug taken in a short period of time won¡¯t drive people completely insane. It metabolizes quickly, allowing temporary recovery. That¡¯s why this medication needs to be taken long-term, right?¡±


    ¡°You can say that.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded and took out his phone. A message from Su Fengzi appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Fengzi just went to Hongjing Hospital and obtained similar results¡­¡±


    He said up to this point, but Xing Conglian interrupted him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such an elusive person. So, does Three Graves really exist? Is Su Fengzi the leader of Thee Graves, or is it you?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up that which doesn¡¯t need to be brought up.¡± Lin Chen glared at him and bent down to give him a punishing kiss. ¡°Listen to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiss me again, and I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Xing Conglian was extremely stubborn, and taking advantage of Lin Chen¡¯s distraction, he pulled him back onto the bed, seriously threatening him. ¡°Please, Consultant Lin, continue speaking in this posture. If you move around again, I¡¯ll change positions.¡±


    Lin Chen had no choice but to adjust his sleeping position, resting his head on Xing Conglian¡¯s chest, lying on his side, and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Fengzi also reviewed the cases from Yongchuan Hospital. We can observe that a small number of patients have regained their consciousness. This indicates that although the same medication has different effects on different individuals, overall, everyone is improving.¡±


    ¡°Then what is the shackle, Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian asked sternly.


    ¡°Most psychiatric drugs work by affecting the brain¡¯s neurotransmitters, which in itself is quite amusing. We always think we can control ourselves, but in reality, whether it¡¯s dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, norepinephrine, or others, these subtle changes in neurotransmitters can fundamentally alter a person. It can lead to addiction or a range of psychiatric disorders. It can make you a saint or a madman,¡± Lin Chen said while gently stroking his furrowed brow, his voice unusually gentle.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart felt as though it had been tightly squeezed, and he shuddered all over, even more fearful because of Lin Chen¡¯s calmness.


    But in this tender yet chilling moment, he, in a fleeting instant, felt that he had grasped the key to the entire situation. He seemed to realize what the puppet master behind the scenes truly wanted to achieve, but he couldn¡¯t quite capture that crucial point.


    He believed that Lin Chen must understand more, but at this moment, Lin Chen couldn¡¯t verbally tell him the truth of the whole matter.


    ¡°It¡¯s like when you¡¯re in a dream; it¡¯s difficult to realize that you¡¯re dreaming,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°All human thought processes rely on the coordinated action of brain neurons and these neurotransmitters. If you ask me what changes Shen Lian¡¯s medication will bring to the brain, I can tell you with certainty that it likely affects monoamine neurotransmitters*. Like all drugs, it has different stages. In the initial stage, it can cause a loss of rationality and agitation. In the relaxation phase, it can induce a sense of ease and calmness. And in the declining phase, after the neurotransmitter levels in the brain have fluctuated, it can trigger a series of physiological compensatory or antagonistic reactions. I don¡¯t know exactly how it works.¡±


    *Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that contain one amino group connected to an aromatic ring by a two-carbon chain, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. They are used in monoaminergic systems, which regulate the process of things like emotion, arousal, and certain types of memory.


    Lin Chen¡¯s tone was calm as he lay there on Xing Conglian¡¯s chest, gazing serenely at him. But just speaking these few sentences seemed to drain all the strength from Lin Chen¡¯s body. ¡°Xing Conglian, I lied to you just now. I¡¯m feeling very uneasy right now, and I really want to go find Shen Lian, truly.¡±

 CH 263

    Xing Conglian felt as if cold water had been poured over his head.


    Lin Chen¡¯s deep black eyes held no tears, appearing calm and hopeless, devoid of vitality.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s mind went blank for a moment, and it took a while for his rationality to return, but the sense of panic still lingered.


    However, he was well aware that if he lost control now, Lin Chen would have no one to rely on.


    Therefore, he slowly sat up and pulled Lin Chen up as well. They sat cross-legged facing each other on the empty bed board, with an arm¡¯s length between them, like adults who had no romantic relationship, engaging in conversation.


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath and spoke seriously, ¡°Setting aside our romantic relationship, Consultant Lin, you must understand that I am your superior.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Chen tried to gather his strength, but Xing Conglian knew that his current state was very strained.


    ¡°At such a critical juncture, I must have a clear understanding of your mental condition to determine if you can continue in your position.¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. Sitting cross-legged, he exposed a pale ankle in the sunlight. ¡°I understand, Captain Xing.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, based on my trust in your professional abilities, I now, in my capacity as your superior, request that you perform a self-diagnosis of your mental state.¡±


    Lin Chen had already guessed that he would make such a request. He slowly turned around, picked up the phone from the bedside table again, and opened another page before handing it over.


    Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen, then lowered his head and slowly scrolled through the page¡¯s information.


    Beck Depression Inventory* (BDI-21)


    *Created by Aaron T. Beck, is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory, one of the most widely used psychometric tests for measuring the severity of depression. Its development marked a shift among mental health professionals, who had until then, viewed depression from a psychodynamic perspective, instead of it being rooted in the patient¡¯s own thoughts.


    Test Instructions:


    Please carefully read each item and select the appropriate response based on your actual situation (in the past week, including today) from the four options provided after each question¡­


    Question:


    ¡­¡­


    As Xing Conglian followed the selections made by Lin Chen, he continuously scrolled down the page. Each line of options brought him closer to understanding Lin Chen¡¯s true mental state.


    By the end, he didn¡¯t even need to look at the score to understand why Lin Chen had laid such a long foundation earlier.


    Item 1


    Factor Name: Total Score


    Factor Score: 41.00*


    *Clarity: A score of 41 means severe depression (which is within the worse range 30-63).


    He put down the phone, and when he looked up, Lin Chen¡¯s mind seemed to be wandering, lost in thought.


    ¡°41 points. According to the standard in our country, I should go see a psychologist. But luckily, I am one myself,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that I have depression. I just assessed my short-term state.¡±


    Xing Conglian pondered for a moment and calmly asked, ¡°So, how long will this condition last? Do you need medication, and to what extent will it affect your work?¡±


    ¡°As soon as I woke up, I felt this abnormality, and this state of mental depression has been worsening over time.¡± Lin Chen maintained a sharp and professional posture, but his tone was slow. ¡°Just before you came in, the instant I found my phone, I suddenly wondered why I was doing all this. We cannot achieve victory. I felt an overwhelming darkness in life, and everything became meaningless.¡± He paused for a long while before continuing, ¡°So, I stopped and found the SDS scale, and I did a self-assessment. The results weren¡¯t good.¡± Lin Chen finished speaking and looked up at Xing Conglian. ¡°You should also sense that I have signs of psychomotor retardation. And when we were lying on this bed just now, I had a strong desire to continue lying there, doing nothing, until death.¡±


    Lin Chen spoke with utmost seriousness, as if reporting his work to a superior, but it was more like the most brutal self-analysis. ¡°I feel very down and depressed right now. I desperately want to experience the joy that normal people feel and make life full of hope, so I want to go find Shen Lian.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Xing Conglian replied. He paused and continued, ¡°I won¡¯t agree to you seeking help from Shen Lian for the purpose of obtaining relief through medication. Similarly, if you were to go to Xiao Zhan to obtain TERN isomers, I would stop you as well.¡±


    Lin Chen suddenly looked up, and Xing Conglian watched as his lover became visibly choked up. This was not the emotional response that Lin Chen would have under normal circumstances.


    But then, Lin Chen forcefully composed his emotions. If the concept of a soul truly existed, the part belonging to Lin Chen himself would undoubtedly be incredibly resilient and persistent.


    Lin Chen said, ¡°Thank you, but you also know very well, Captain Xing, that you don¡¯t have any other choice. I have to go find Shen Lian, although not right now.¡±


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°All of this is based on the premise that you still have the ability to continue.¡±


    ¡°I have two reasons to prove that I can and should continue,¡± Lin Chen said clearly and precisely. ¡°First, this is the normal acute withdrawal symptom during the detoxification phase. Xiao Wu experienced a period of time after stopping the medication and has already made a significant recovery. This case proves that I should also have the ability to overcome the effects of the medication. Second, if I stop working now and wait for research to progress to alleviate the physiological condition, then it might truly be too late.¡±


    Lin Chen presented his arguments in a formal report-like manner, and Xing Conglian watched him, longing to pull him close and hold him tightly in his arms. But he also understood that Lin Chen didn¡¯t need that kind of sympathy.


    Therefore, he maintained his professional attitude and asked, ¡°On the second point, why will it be too late?¡±


    ¡°During our conversation just now, I suddenly realized that the person orchestrating this grand situation, I think, I might know them.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s voice sounded buzzing and somewhat low. ¡°I need to go to the library, translate that message, and verify this.¡±


    After saying those words, Lin Chen bowed down, as if he had used up all his strength.


    Xing Conglian felt Lin Chen¡¯s forehead against his shoulder, and he lowered his head to see Lin Chen¡¯s black hair. He then opened his palm and firmly held the back of Lin Chen¡¯s head, embracing him tightly.


    He kissed the top of Lin Chen¡¯s head, abandoning all sense of responsibility as a superior.


    ¡°Thank you, Xing Conglian,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen was always at the world¡¯s leading level when it came to persuading people.


    After the conversation, Lin Chen seemed to have regained some composure, but Xing Conglian was certain that it was a facade to reassure Wang Chao when they walked out of the door.


    The Hongjing Library was very close to their home, about a ten-minute walk away.


    Although time was tight now and using a computer for literature retrieval would be faster, since Lin Chen wanted to go to the library, Xing Conglian was more than happy to accompany him for a walk outside.


    For a total score of 41, it was recommended Lin Chen should confide in someone or vent appropriately when feeling depressed, make an effort to recall past happy experiences, and engage in activities that bring joy. It was also advised to set goals and make plans for one¡¯s life and work. It was recommended to seek professional psychological counseling and treatment as soon as possible.


    Xing Conglian recited the advice he had just read once again, and when he looked up, Lin Chen had already walked ahead of him.


    At noon, there weren¡¯t many elderly people strolling in the alley, and the shop owners either gathered together for lunch or dozed off at their counters.


    Xing Conglian quickened his pace, wanting to catch up and walk side by side with Lin Chen.


    Just then, an old man from a nearby souvenir shop came out to bid farewell to a customer. Lin Chen took a quick step forward, deliberately keeping a less intimate distance from him.


    Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes, recalling many similar situations in his mind. They had walked this road together many times, but it was the first time he noticed this kind of detail about Lin Chen.


    Taking advantage of the moment when Lin Chen nodded and greeted the old man, he brushed against Lin Chen¡¯s side, took his hand, and held it tightly.


    Lin Chen¡¯s body visibly tensed, but the old man seemed to have not noticed the scene and turned back into the shop.


    ¡°Consultant Lin, how come I didn¡¯t notice when you were pursuing me? Your attitude towards same-sex relationships is unexpectedly conservative.¡± Of course, he was referring to the moment when Lin Chen pushed him against the wall and kissed him forcefully. Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t pull his hand away but instead held it back and simply said, ¡°Society¡¯s acceptance hasn¡¯t reached a level where everyone takes it for granted. There¡¯s no need to deliberately challenge anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, if it were still a feudal society, all of these people would be tenants. Have you ever seen a feudal novel where the landlord considers the feelings of the tenants?¡± Xing Conglian held Lin Chen¡¯s hand. His skin was delicate, and his knuckles were well-proportioned. Xing Conglian held it with great satisfaction, to the point where his tone became natural.


    When he said this, Lin Chen finally turned his head and glanced at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hide it from you. I told you the first time I took you home,¡± Xing Conglian interjected, ¡°Where else can you find an honest man like me?¡±


    Hearing this, a helpless expression finally appeared on Lin Chen¡¯s face. However, he didn¡¯t refute him with words, which greatly satisfied Xing Conglian¡¯s vanity.


    They had walked this path together many times, with gentle sunlight and the late summer river presenting a lush green color of aquatic plants, creating a sense of tranquility.


    When he initially chose to live here, it was because the area was peaceful and had a high level of sophistication, making it suitable as a quiet residence for retirement. However, now the words ¡°retirement¡± had become a dreadful curse.


    Xing Conglian had considered more than once that when Consultant Lin and he pooled their money to buy a new house and pay the down payment, they should first consider things like feng shui. And it would be better to buy a commercial property with only two rooms¡ªa master bedroom and a study¡ªbecause if there were more rooms, Wang Chao would want to move in too¡­


    But as these thoughts wandered in his mind, they were dispersed by the breeze. Their palms pressed together, and the warmth grew.


    Xing Conglian glanced to his side, with Lin Chen walking on his right. His footsteps were light, and his figure was slender yet powerful. His profile was particularly handsome, with his hair growing slightly longer since he hadn¡¯t had time to trim it, covering his ears a bit but still revealing their contours, making people itch to pinch them.


    Being the proactive type he was, Xing Conglian immediately raised his other hand and gently brushed away Lin Chen¡¯s dark hair, lightly touching his ears.


    Lin Chen immediately turned around; a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes, but he didn¡¯t resist, just appearing somewhat bewildered.


    In any case, he looked incredibly adorable.


    No pedestrians passed by around them. Xing Conglian took a step back, leaning against a willow tree by the water. He pulled Lin Chen closer, cradling the back of his head, and lowered his head to lick Lin Chen¡¯s lips, feeling a slight dryness, yet they were incredibly soft.


    Lin Chen still had his eyes open, looking up at him. The sunlight seeped through the gaps in the leaves, and perhaps because of this, Lin Chen¡¯s previously slightly stern features softened.


    Xing Conglian carefully traced the contours of Lin Chen¡¯s face, then lowered his head again and kissed him.


    Their teeth touched gently, their mouths warm and sweet, like a dream.


    As the breeze blew, Lin Chen closed his eyes and finally embraced him.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Generally speaking, even if one is a professional psychologist, they really shouldn¡¯t treat themselves. While as experts they can identify their illness and issues, they have their own biases of themselves, which could affect treatment. There are things (such as the test Lin Chen did) that can help bring some clarity and give them some objectiveness, but it¡¯s still best to see another professional to treat oneself.


    Though, many don¡¯t as they fear the stigma (ironically).

 CH 264

    Hongjing Library hadn¡¯t undergone renovation and still retained the style from the early days of the country¡¯s founding, with lush greenery and abundant flowers and trees.


    In the early years, thanks to the assistance of certain social philanthropists, the library¡¯s collection of books was rich, comparable to some provincial-level major libraries or renowned university libraries, especially in terms of periodicals, reaching an astonishing quantity.


    Lin Chen held his hand as they entered the library. At the front desk, he let go and casually introduced him to the situation of the Hongjing Library and the reason for coming here to find periodicals.


    Xing Conglian was taken aback, feeling that this matter sounded familiar.


    Lin Chen quickly noticed and glanced at him, helplessly shaking his head. He took a step back, assuming an attitude of ¡°if you know it, you handle it.¡±


    Xing Conglian also felt helpless, so he stepped forward and showed his police officer badge. They were soon led to the collection of periodicals on the top floor.


    As soon as the door opened, a unique and heavy atmosphere of volumes filled the air.


    The hanging lamps lit up one after another, but they couldn¡¯t fully illuminate the vast bookshelves that seemed to stretch endlessly. The collection of books was vast, like clouds, with only a faint glimmer of light coming through the windows at the top. Despite it being late summer, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but shiver from the chill in the air.


    However, Lin Chen seemed unfazed and moved among the bookshelves like a fish in water. Soon, he stopped in front of the two rows of shelves belonging to the field of psychology.


    Xing Conglian followed his gaze, looking up until the very top.


    Each level of the massive iron shelves was filled with collections of documents, with different shades and conditions, some new and some old. It was evident that, relying solely on their strength, finding something like ¡°30:1103-1126¡± from here was like looking for a needle in a haystack.


    So he asked Lin Chen if they needed help but received a negative answer.


    With his hands in his pockets, Lin Chen maintained a prolonged upward gaze. His profile was blurred in the massive shadow of the bookshelves. He seemed to be immersed in deep thought, but at certain moments, he appeared extremely alert. This made Xing Conglian feel as if he was competing with some unseen opponent. Although they had never met, the shadow was real.


    Finally, Lin Chen spoke. ¡°If these numbers truly represent references from an academic journal, then ¡¯30¡¯ stands for a certain year¡¯s issue or volume of a publication, and ¡®1103-1126¡¯ generally represents the corresponding page numbers.¡±


    Xing Conglian was astonished and couldn¡¯t help taking a step back. ¡°Are we supposed to flip through them one by one? There are just too many.¡±


    Lin Chen glanced at him, and from his gaze, Xing Conglian realized his frustration.


    ¡°I might not be well-educated, but you can¡¯t do this without me!¡± He quickly interpreted the meaning from Lin Chen¡¯s eyes and retorted.


    However, Lin Chen turned away without a word, leaving him with his back.


    Xing Conglian widened his eyes, about to say something, but then realized that Lin Chen¡¯s target was the few old computers by the innermost bookshelf.


    Those computers were probably the oldest models one could find in the city, with heavy monitors and trackballs in the mouse. Post-00s would probably never have seen such huge devices.


    But Lin Chen seemed to be familiar with them. He tapped on each keyboard, finding that none of the screens lit up. So he bent down and plugged in one of the computers, then waited with some delay for the even slower boot-up process.


    Xing Conglian walked over and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get Wang Chao to handle this?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s simple enough not to need him,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    They waited for quite a while until the computer finally turned on.


    Lin Chen opened a scholarly search software and casually entered the string of numbers. He sorted the documents based on the number of citations.


    The computer screen was very dim, as if it was about to lose power, and then the page slowly unfolded.


    Xing Conglian stood beside Lin Chen, looking down.


    On the screen were densely packed paper titles, with ¡°30:1103-1126¡± highlighted in red. These numbers mostly appeared in the references section, indicating that Lin Chen¡¯s direction was correct.


    Mortality associated with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in the United States.


    ¡­¡­


    Communication system having unified messaging¡­


    The papers covered various fields, but Lin Chen¡¯s speed was very steady. He kept scrolling the pages up and down. During this process, Xing Conglian saw two papers related to psychology and wanted to stop Lin Chen. However, when he looked at Lin Chen, he noticed that his gaze was calm and composed. He decisively skipped those two papers, as if he had a clear goal and was just looking for something specific.


    Due to Lin Chen¡¯s clear direction and purpose, Xing Conglian had a bad feeling. Lin Chen seemed too familiar with this process, as if he had experienced it before.


    The document library was extremely quiet, and only the desktop computer hummed softly. Xing Conglian felt as if he was watching Lin Chen enter another realm, and he couldn¡¯t help but want to interrupt the process and pull Lin Chen out of it.


    ¡°How can you be sure that this economic paper is not what we¡¯re looking for?¡± He pointed to a paper and asked Lin Chen.


    ¡°Because there is no hyphen between the keywords ¡®1103¡¯ and ¡®1126¡¯,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°What exactly are you looking for, and can I help? Is it possible that the paper you¡¯re looking for is not in English but in French, Russian, Chinese, or something else?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lin Chen interrupted him, and his hand, which was dragging the mouse, came to a halt.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because English is the most widely used language in the world,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Xing Conglian really wanted to ask what it meant for a language to be the most widely used, but Lin Chen had already opened one of the papers and mumbled to himself, ¡°Found it.¡±


    ¡ªOn the conflicts between biological and social evolution and between psychology and moral tradition.


    The author was Doland T. Campbell1, and it was published in the <American Psychologist>2. Xing Conglian noticed that the publication date of this paper was 1975.


    1Was an American social scientist. He is noted for his work in methodology. He coined the term evolutionary epistemology and developed a selectionist theory of human creativity.


    2A peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Psychological Association. The journal publishes articles of broad interest to psychologists, including empirical reports and scholarly reviews covering science, practice, education, and policy, and occasionally publishes special issues on relevant topics in the field of psychology.


    1975, that seemed quite ancient.


    ¡°Is this the one?¡± he asked uncertainly.


    But Lin Chen had already taken out a ballpoint pen from his pocket and copied a series of numbers in his palm. Then, he shut down the computer and returned to the iron bookshelves, beginning to search through the thousands of bound documents using the labels.


    Xing Conglian could barely keep up with this sudden change of pace. The library was so empty that he had to fill the silence with his voice. ¡°Can¡¯t we just download it directly? Do we have to go back to find the original?¡±


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t answer him but mechanically moved his gaze, scanning through rows of new and old books and magazines. Finally, he stopped at a certain spot.


    ¡°Is it here? Are we looking for 1975?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    But Lin Chen stood rigidly in place, opening his palm, glancing at the numbers, and then raising his head, but he suddenly froze.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s bad premonition grew stronger. He noticed that the ballpoint pen in Lin Chen¡¯s palm was even soaked with sweat.


    Following Lin Chen¡¯s gaze upward, Xing Conglian looked at the row of <American Psychologist>: 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977¡­


    1974, 1976¡­


    He finally realized why Lin Chen was so tense. Among this row of journals, there was no volume for 1975.


    Perhaps someone had taken it early, or there might be some other reason for its disappearance. But no matter what, the missing volume seemed to be related to the person who sent them the message to come here.


    And the missing 1975 volume answered his previous question¡ªwhy they couldn¡¯t download the original directly.


    Xing Conglian patted Lin Chen¡¯s shoulder, and the latter trembled. He finally clenched his fist and said, ¡°Xing Conglian, put on your gloves and take down these volumes.¡±


    Lin Chen spoke while clearly padding his foot, using his fingertips to glide over several volumes from around 1975.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t know what Lin Chen was going to do, but he still found a ladder leaning in the corner as instructed, climbed up, and retrieved those few books.


    The moment he pulled open the heavy periodicals, he understood why Lin Chen asked him to do this. It was another extremely precise judgment.


    Among the four volumes he took out, the missing 1975 bound volume lay there.


    In the light, dust floated, and the thick collection lay quietly in the space behind the books. Xing Conglian was motionless for a moment until Lin Chen¡¯s voice awakened him.


    ¡°Did you find it?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Xing Conglian lowered his head, and Lin Chen looked up at him from below, his brows showing anxiety.


    ¡°It¡¯s back there,¡± he said.


    Lin Chen¡¯s face turned deathly pale at a visible speed. Xing Conglian put the four volumes back in their place, climbed down the ladder, nodded at Lin Chen, and then looked at the desk by the window, gesturing for Lin Chen to go there and talk.


    Lin Chen slowly dragged a backrest chair; his clothes were thin, and he sat down like an elderly person on the verge of death. The summer sunlight outside couldn¡¯t warm him.


    ¡°Can you tell me what we¡¯re going to find here?¡± Xing Conglian asked while pressing his gloved hand on the book.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°But you knew to come here, knew that a simple online database search wouldn¡¯t work, knew how to find the exact paper with just a few numbers in this vast library. You even knew where this ¡®missing¡¯ periodical was hidden. I think you should know what you¡¯re looking for here,¡± Xing Conglian asked very calmly.


    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll find a word,¡± Lin Chen answered simply.


    ¡°What word?¡±


    ¡°Blind arbiters.¡±


    ¡°What does this word mean?¡±


    ¡°Blind arbiters can be translated as ¡®blind arbitrators¡¯. It has nothing to do with sports or politics and is commonly found in books about human morality and human evolution. It probably refers to the fact that the natural environment has no intention when selecting species. The work of nature is purely mechanical, so the role nature plays is more like that of a blind arbitrator.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Xing Conglian said straightforwardly.


    ¡°Because nature is blind, it is not as meticulous, cautious, and careful as early humans thought. We cannot find any sense of fairness and spiritual comfort in the blind nature. This also leads to a consequence¡­¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s profound gaze shifted over, and even though it was a very dull and stereotypical academic topic, Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t help but shiver along.


    ¡°What consequence?¡±


    ¡°So, both the formation of the natural world and the formation of human society are merely terrible accidents. The world has no ultimate purpose, no so-called order and reason, and of course, there is no ¡®good¡¯ or ¡®evil¡¯ that we humans create.¡±


    Lin Chen stopped talking.


    Xing Conglian thought of the ¡°Moral Tradition¡± at the end of the paper¡¯s title and also thought of the choice Lin Chen had made before. This association had no logical basis, but he didn¡¯t ask further. Instead, he chose to open the journal in front of him and flip to page 1103.


    The white paper reflected the dazzling sunlight, and each English character looked uneven. Before him lay an area he had never touched before; a territory belonging to Lin Chen.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes quickly scanned the page and stopped soon after because he saw that someone had written a sentence in very small pencil letters within the book¡¯s seams.


    The handwriting was gentle, and the tone was like a whisper, but it made one feel like falling into an abyss.


    ¡ªMy Dear, did you make the right choice?


    Someone asked like so.

 CH 265

    This was a very simple question, and no matter where it appeared in the corners of any magazine or book in this library, it wouldn¡¯t catch people¡¯s attention.


    But it happened to be here.


    Countless possibilities flashed through Xing Conglian¡¯s mind, such as some unlucky kid casually writing a sentence, and they happened to stumble upon it by accident. But in reality, he was very clear that those so-called other possibilities weren¡¯t valid.


    From the moment Lin Chen received the text message, to their gradual guidance here, searching the shelves, finding the hidden periodical, and seeing this sentence, all indicated that someone deliberately wrote this question here, and that person was certain that Lin Chen would see it.


    This was obviously related to Lin Chen¡¯s past.


    After roughly figuring out what was going on, Xing Conglian was no longer worried.


    ¡°What is this?¡± He calmly spread the book open, turned it around, and faced it towards Lin Chen. Then, he pointed to the question about choice in the seam of the book page, as if asking a very ordinary question.


    ¡°This is a question, and also an answer.¡±


    Lin Chen replied still with his distinctive style. Xing Conglian didn¡¯t feel like he was hiding anything.


    ¡°What kind of question is it?¡± Xing Conglian looked straight into his eyes and asked.


    ¡°The last time I was forced to answer this question was when I met Feng Peilin on the Taiqian Bridge last year.¡± Lin Chen paused and spoke clearly and systematically. ¡°He asked on behalf of someone else: In this world, in the confrontation between the infinitely small and the infinitely large, which side would I choose to stand on?¡±


    ¡°Why is it so literary?¡± When he heard the name ¡°Feng Peilin¡±, Xing Conglian¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. Although this name was an expected one, it completely represented a part of Lin Chen¡¯s past that he had never touched before.


    Now, this part of the past suddenly jumped out without warning. Lin Chen straightened his back, his gaze calm and cool, clearly ready to uncover the scar.


    Xing Conglian felt a bit reluctant, steadied his breath, and continued to ask, ¡°Infinitely small, infinitely large¡ªwhat do they refer to? And what does the so-called ¡®choice¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure either. ¡®Infinitely small¡¯ refers to individual consciousness, ¡®infinitely large¡¯ probably refers to the entire social morality and legal system. Translated, Feng Peilin¡¯s entire question was asking me if they were going to be anti-social and if I would help them. But don¡¯t interpret this as a request; it was a boast.¡± Lin Chen rubbed the table with his finger somewhat irritably. ¡°It¡¯s really annoying,¡± he emphasized.


    At this moment, Lin Chen finally had a living presence. He wasn¡¯t sad; he simply detested these things.


    ¡°Since we¡¯ve brought up this matter, there¡¯s a question I must ask. Why did you leave back then?¡±


    ¡°Because Feng Peilin died,¡± Lin Chen answered. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m very clear that his last step was to kill someone and then commit suicide. It shows that he couldn¡¯t swim at all, and there was no reason for him to survive after falling into the river. I designed this situation, luring him to commit suicide with my own actions, but I didn¡¯t tell you about it. It didn¡¯t comply with legal procedures, and morally, it was flawed. To be honest, I feel guilty about it, so I chose to leave.¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean you didn¡¯t like me at that time?¡± Xing Conglian suddenly asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t love at first sight?¡±


    ¡°Why are you becoming more like Wang Chao, always going off-topic?¡±


    ¡°This is a very important question, more important than those shitty matters.¡±


    ¡°At that time, I just thought you were handsome¡ªthe type I liked¡ªbut I didn¡¯t see your inner beauty.¡±


    Lin Chen answered sincerely, leaving Xing Conglian unsure whether to laugh or cry.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Lin Chen also paused and asked him.


    ¡°At that time, I thought you had inner beauty, a kind of mysterious aura that attracted me. But now¡­¡± Xing Conglian gestured to Lin Chen, who instinctively leaned closer. Under the warm sunlight, Xing Conglian kissed Lin Chen¡¯s ear and said, ¡°Now, I think you¡¯re handsome.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s face clearly blushed, even though they had already done everything together. Yet, Lin Chen could still be shy in some unexpected moments. Xing Conglian enjoyed this moment.


    Perhaps after teasing Lin Chen, the atmosphere became less heavy, and under the warm sun, it felt somewhat drowsy.


    He closed the book, and the question and answer had come to the most crucial moment. He spoke seriously, ¡°Since Feng Peilin is already dead, then who left this message here? Who sent you the text message and led you to see it?¡±


    ¡°Xing Conglian¡­¡± Lin Chen drawled, gazing at him.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°You really haven¡¯t seen the file from that year,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°I mean, the thing that Huang Ze held a grudge about¡ªthe incident where I killed his sister.¡±


    ¡°Although I haven¡¯t seen the file, I have a general idea of what happened when Huang Ze first came to Hongjing looking for trouble.¡± Xing Conglian honestly shifted the blame. ¡°It was Fu Hao who told me.¡±


    Lin Chen was taken aback, clearly not expecting this. ¡°You knew the whole story from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°No, Fu Hao only said that it was a trolley problem*. You were forced to make a choice between four people and sixteen people, but he didn¡¯t tell me what kind of choice you made.¡±


    *See chapter 15 for the explanation.


    ¡°He¡¯s really troublesome,¡± Lin Chen said, lowering his head, looking gloomy. He seemed to have no energy for any teasing. But that was Lin Chen. After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind. He raised his head, looked directly into Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes, and asked firmly, ¡°So, do you want to hear my version?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    To hear the story, alcohol was needed¡ªthat was the agreement Lin Chen made with him initially.


    Xing Conglian rushed downstairs, bought two cans of Yongchuan beer from the convenience store, and then returned. This time, Lin Chen didn¡¯t run away again. Instead, he leisurely placed two chairs facing the window and propped his feet up on the windowsill. On his knee lay the 1975 edition of <American Psychologist> they had just found.


    As Lin Chen flipped through the collection, his back in a white shirt looked like the kind of senior most popular among girls on campus.


    Xing Conglian felt at ease and didn¡¯t mind whatever story he was about to hear.


    He walked over, used the beer can to lightly touch Lin Chen¡¯s face, and Lin Chen kissed the back of his hand. Then, he reached out to take the beer, opened the can with a ¡°pop¡±, and took a big sip.


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say anything and just sat down on the nearby stool. He hooked his arm around Lin Chen¡¯s back and, like Lin Chen, propped his feet up on the windowsill.


    After drinking some beer, Lin Chen¡¯s cheeks were slightly flushed, but he wasn¡¯t drunk.


    ¡°Fu Hao told you about the trolley problem.¡± Lin Chen asked, ¡°How did he describe it specifically?¡±


    ¡°He said there were 20 children playing on the tracks for some reason. Four people suggested to the other 16 that they should go to the other side of the tracks because a train was coming on the path they were on. But the remaining 16 children didn¡¯t listen and chose to stay where they were. At that moment, a train passed and crashed into those 16 people. You were the one who had the chance to pull the lever to change the direction of the train and sacrifice the few to save the majority.¡± Xing Conglian summarized concisely. ¡°Fu Hao probably presented the problem like this, but he didn¡¯t tell me the outcome.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to know the result?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°I think the result doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Xing Conglian answered.


    Lin Chen didn¡¯t expect him to say that and looked at him strangely, but then almost whispered to himself, ¡°How can the result not matter?¡±


    ¡°Because this is a dilemma with almost no correct answer.¡± Xing Conglian took a sip of beer. ¡°I remember this should be an ethical problem?¡±


    ¡°In fact, it is the most famous thought experiment in the field of moral philosophy, first proposed by Philippa Foot* in 1967. It was aimed at critiquing utilitarianism and attacking Kant¡¯s moral duty theory. The original version was not like this, and now this experiment has been transformed into various versions, but it still holds profound significance.¡±


    *English Philosopher and one of the founders of contemporary virtue ethics, who was inspired by the ethics of Aristotle.


    ¡°Philosophers always play with fire; this is a very dangerous question,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°In this problem, it explores the duty and responsibility of the trolley operator, as well as the value of life between the majority and the minority. However, once the debate reaches its end, it¡¯s easy to fall into moral nihilism. Both the proponents and opponents of pulling the lever will be stubborn, insisting that their viewpoint is inevitably correct. At some moment during the confrontation, everyone suddenly realizes that there is no such thing as morality or immorality, right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Your perspectives are always so unique.¡± Lin Chen raised his beer can and lightly touched it against Xing Conglian¡¯s. ¡°I want to hear more details from you.¡±


    ¡°Choices represent different value systems. Taking the lever as an example, if the trolley operator pulls the lever and directs the train to collide with fewer people to save the majority, then he indirectly acknowledges the value system that considers the lives of the majority more important than those of the minority. Moreover, in modern society, this action is equivalent to violating social rules, depriving others of their right to life¡ªin other words, killing.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t make any choice?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    ¡°Not making a choice is also a choice,¡± Xing Conglian replied. ¡°He believes he must abide by the social rules and cannot save some people¡¯s lives by depriving others of theirs. In this choice, there is also a trap. He is essentially admitting that, after following social rules, the lives of the minority are more worth protecting than those of the majority. If each person¡¯s life is of infinite value, unable to be measured by a cumulative quantity, then why, after adding social rules, does this become measurable?¡±


    ¡°But it sounds like the latter choice is better?¡± Lin Chen smiled, with a peaceful expression. ¡°After all, if we generalize it, rules and justice are superior, and rules maintain the normal operation of human civilization.¡±


    Xing Conglian paused, not expecting Lin Chen to respond like this. ¡°If that¡¯s really the inference, then the former choice¡ªupholding the interests of the vast majority of humanity and ensuring human survival¡ªhappens to be the reason for establishing social rules and maintaining social normalcy in the latter choice.¡± He felt that the questioner was being unreasonable. ¡°So, in essence, both choices are forms of moral utilitarianism¡ªthe former is situational utilitarianism, and the latter is rule utilitarianism. They lead to the same conclusion, so this kind of questioning is meaningless.¡±


    ¡°No, I still think it is full of significance.¡± Lin Chen unusually opposed his viewpoint. He took a sip of the beer, slightly tipsy, and said, ¡°Philosophers design such questions to contemplate human past experiences and future fate, through speculation to explore human¡¯s intrinsic moral thinking and external social systems. This itself is an incredibly elegant thing.¡± He spoke with determination and raised the plain green beer can towards the sun as if he were paying tribute to someone from afar.


    At this moment, the sun¡¯s warmth was no longer as scorching as at noon; it seemed gentle and affectionate.


    Outside the window, the trees were verdant, and everything was green, creating a pleasant view.


    Xing Conglian raised his beer can and took a big gulp, feeling that within the questions and answers, Lin Chen had led him to the core of the issue. However, he found contemplating and answering such hypothetical questions to be irritating and difficult.


    But Lin Chen had genuinely experienced such a moral dilemma, and yet, such an experience didn¡¯t fundamentally destroy him. He remained steadfast in his beliefs and had great respect for the world.


    As Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen¡¯s profile while he toasted, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out and touch his face.


    Lin Chen turned his head, with a hint of surprise in his expression.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Chen used his thumb to wipe his nose as he asked.


    ¡°So, Lin Chen, what choice did you make at that time?¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    There are a lot of philosophical ideas discussed in this chapter. Kantianism, named after Immanuel Kant, is the theory that in order to act morally, people must act from duty. He further argues that it¡¯s not the consequences of the actions that make them right or wrong, but the motives of the person who carries it out.


    You can read more about it, and how deontology was formed by going to the Wikipedia. Modern deontology explains that the morality of an action is based on whether the action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules and principles rather than the consequences of the action.


    The Trolley Problem presents a criticism in that whatever decision the trolley operator makes, it¡¯s hard to say whether that decision was ¡°morally correct¡±.

 CH 266

    Lin Chen fell silent.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian was afraid that he might ask in return, ¡°What choice would you make?¡±


    However, Lin Chen said, ¡°Fu Hao set a trap for you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Xing Conglian felt dizzy. ¡°Fu Hao was so secretive at that time, not saying this or that. Can I still catch up with him now and confront him?¡±


    Lin Chen touched his hand, signaling him to calm down.


    ¡°Situational questions have their situational nature, but due to the influence of perceptual gestalt, people tend to subconsciously consider macroscopic issues in the cognitive process, neglecting the obscured details. However, in real situations, the details often determine everything.¡±


    Xing Conglian frowned, becoming nervous. ¡°For example, why were those children on the railroad tracks? Why couldn¡¯t they freely leave the tracks, and how did you become the person who had to pull the lever?¡±


    Lin Chen interrupted him, ¡°The real trolley problem is as follows: A madman has tied five innocent people to the trolley tracks. An out-of-control trolley is coming towards them, and it will crush them in a moment. Luckily, you can pull a lever to switch the trolley to another track. However, the problem is that the madman has also tied one person to the other track. Considering the above situation, would you pull the lever?¡±


    ¡°I would pull it,¡± Xing Conglian answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Congratulations, your choice aligns with approximately 89% of people. The survey results come from psychologist Mark Hauser¡¯s test conducted on 200,000 people worldwide,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°Now, you can understand why the details are crucial. Now, I¡¯ll complete the missing details for you.¡± Lin Chen closed the book, his tone firm without any hesitation.


    He said, ¡°Four years ago, I worked at a provincial police station, and Huang Ze was my superior. On November 11th, we received reports from four families, reporting that someone in their homes had gone missing. They were all outstanding young people, including Director Chen¡¯s younger brother, Chen Yujun, Director Wu¡¯s nephew, Wu Shanshan, a young master from the Zhou family, and Huang Ze¡¯s sister, Huang Weiwei. I knew Huang Weiwei from before, and she used to call me Lin Gege.¡±


    ¡°Children from influential families,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°Kidnapped?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°My experience at that time was similar to today. During the investigation, we were led to the library¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian froze; the current scene was too similar to what happened back then.


    Lin Chen continued, ¡°I found a book in the gap of a bookshelf, and the words ¡®Blind Arbiters¡¯ were circled on the pages, leaving a clue.¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°Due to some of the criminals¡¯ schemes, in the end, the only one who appeared in the factory was me, and I was stripped of my positioning and communication devices. What Huang Ze, including Fu Hao, saw was the result. None of the case files recorded the truth of the event because I concealed the truth.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Upon hearing this, Lin Chen glanced at him. ¡°Your trust is based on your understanding of my morals and character. In fact, this story conceals the truly dark, despicable, cowardly, and helpless parts of my humanity. I have wanted to gather the courage to tell you countless times, but I failed. I hope you can hear the whole story and then draw your conclusions.¡±


    Lin Chen was very sincere, and Xing Conglian sat up straight, nodding.


    ¡°After arriving at the factory, I followed the instructions and entered the first room. There was a note posted on the door.¡±


    ¡°What did the note say?¡±


    ¡°Experimental instruction.¡± Lin Chen lowered his eyelids, self-deprecatingly saying, ¡°To be honest, I have participated in countless experiments and devised many of them myself, but I never thought that one day someone would conduct such a test on me.¡±


    Lin Chen choked for a moment, trying to stay composed, but Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t sense any abnormality in his tone.


    He continued, ¡°The instruction was as follows: ¡®Sincere thanks for participating in this experiment. Please read the instructions carefully. This is a decision-making experiment. In the following tasks, you will have the opportunity to enter three rooms, each containing some materials. Please read the materials carefully and then make a choice. After understanding the above instructions, please enter the experiment. Good luck:)¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You went in,¡± Xing Conglian stated.


    ¡°Yes, I went in,¡± Lin Chen replied. ¡°Behind the door was an ordinary factory room with countless photos and materials on the walls. Apart from the four kidnapped individuals, I saw 16 other people.¡±


    ¡°16 criminals?¡±


    ¡°No, since it¡¯s a difficult problem, the question wouldn¡¯t be so straightforward and crude.¡± Lin Chen squinted at the sun. Until today, he seemed to recall the life stories of each of those 16 people effortlessly.


    Lin Chen continued, ¡°Among the 16 people, five had minor theft-related records, five were ordinary workers from various industries, and the remaining six were social idlers.¡±


    ¡°On one side were a few elites and wealthy children, while on the other side were mostly the disadvantaged in society.¡± Xing Conglian took a deep breath. ¡°Devious.¡±


    ¡°Later, I went to the second floor and entered the second room, where I saw two video recordings.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s tone remained calm, as if he had completely detached himself from the whole event. He spoke like a ghostly figure recalling a distant past. ¡°The first video showed the scene of the abduction of the four elite children. The criminals must have observed them for a long time, so they were swift and accurate when they struck.¡±


    ¡°What about the second video?¡±


    ¡°The second video was long and explained why the remaining 16 people appeared in that factory. It was quite consistent¡ªall of the remaining 16 people came due to their greed and were lured there, believing that the criminals were just conducting a psychological experiment.¡±


    ¡°So, the reason why the remaining 16 people didn¡¯t listen to the advice was because they didn¡¯t believe it?¡± Xing Conglian shivered, unable to imagine how Lin Chen continued after seeing the first room. He couldn¡¯t fathom Lin Chen¡¯s state of mind.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to immediately jump to the third room,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°What else is in the second room?¡±


    ¡°A choice.¡±


    ¡°A choice?¡±


    ¡°At the end of the video, there was another prompt. The gist was that I could now choose to leave the room and seek help on my own, and no one would stop me, but the consequences would be on me. Alternatively, I could choose to go to the last room and complete the experiment.¡±


    Xing Conglian held Lin Chen¡¯s hand, and the latter turned to look at him, only saying, ¡°You actually had no choice¡ªyou knew.¡±


    ¡°I knew,¡± he replied.


    ¡°The third room was on the third floor, and there was a black cloth in front of the room. As I climbed higher, I could probably guess what I would see.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°Before pulling the black cloth away, I saw the final video.¡± Lin Chen paused for a moment; his breath steady. ¡°The last video was very blurry, the camera was shaky, and the image was dark. All I could hear was the voiceover.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the part where they try to persuade the participants?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°The person speaking should be the younger brother of Director Chen¡¯s family, the one you¡¯ve met before. He¡¯s quite different from his brother; Young Master Chen is a mechanical engineer¡ªvery talented¡ªand an intelligent tech enthusiast. That¡¯s probably why the culprit chose him. He told the others that they must move to the other side because it was dangerous here.¡±


    ¡°But except for the elite children who knew him, no one else believed him?¡±


    ¡°You can totally imagine that the 16 people lured here believed they were only participating in a psychological experiment, and the examiner asked them to stay in this position until the experiment was over. They naturally regarded those four extremely panicked young people as part of the test.¡±


    ¡°I finally understand why you said details are crucial.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the most important thing I learned in college. No matter what research results you see, trace their sources, subject selection, experimental processes, data processing methods, and so on, instead of just looking at the results.¡± Lin Chen pursed his lips and laughed. ¡°But this brings about a problem¡ªonce you understand the whole process, you¡¯d rather not have seen anything from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡± Xing Conglian was afraid that Lin Chen might be affected emotionally, so he asked cautiously.


    ¡°Like all psychological experiments, after the video ended, a final instruction appeared, but this instruction was broadcasted through a loudspeaker. The voice was clear and calm, and I still remember every word to this day.¡± Lin Chen crossed his legs, sitting on the stool, imitating the tone he had heard back then, even with a slightly eerie smile. ¡°Congratulations on reaching the final phase of the experiment. You have five minutes to think. Behind the black cloth, you will see two groups of people. Based on the materials you obtained earlier, pull the lever and choose the group that you believe should survive. If you give up the choice, the group with more people will be executed immediately. I sincerely wish you good luck again.¡±


    ¡°After the voice stopped, the factory was initially very quiet. As the black cloth was pulled away, the echoes in the empty factory amplified the screams infinitely,¡± Lin Chen said almost without any pause. ¡°There were two platforms suspended in mid-air. On one platform stood the four young people I was supposed to rescue¡ªthe ones who had been kidnapped. On the other platform lay the other 16 people.¡±


    ¡°Lying down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, one group could speak and beg for help, while the other group was completely unconscious.¡± Lin Chen blinked slowly. ¡°How fair it was, because they were outnumbered, they got a chance to persuade me using words.¡±


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What else happened?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Lin Chen looked up at the sun in the sky, speaking calmly, ¡°You know, it¡¯s a steel plant, so there was enough molten steel to wipe everyone out. It couldn¡¯t be described as scalding hot anymore.¡±


    Lin Chen tried to maintain calmness from beginning to end, but at this point, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself any longer, and his voice trembled. ¡°It was a balancing system, and my task was to spend five minutes contemplating who to pour the molten steel over. But who, among them, deserved to die?¡±


    Xing Conglian looked sharply at Lin Chen. Since he had heard Fu Hao¡¯s story, he had also tried to simulate the situation Lin Chen faced. However, the reality was always crueler than any simulation.


    ¡°To be honest, I really wanted to leave at that moment. The countdown in the broadcast continued, and the numbers were ticking away. I had already listened to terrified cries for almost half a minute. Then, someone¡¯s voice overwhelmed all the others, and he was the first to speak,¡± Lin Chen said lightly. ¡°The one who spoke first was the young master from the Zhou family. Young Master Zhou is a lawyer, and his persuasiveness was evident at that moment. He pleaded for me to save them, and he had also listened to the instructions. He said those 16 people were supposed to die anyway, and if I pulled the lever, I would be the one killing them. He said that Chen Yujun had already advised them, but they didn¡¯t listen, and they had to take responsibility for their choices!¡± Lin Chen said, ¡°I felt he made a compelling argument. Why should a few people pay for the foolishness of the majority? But, those were 16 living human beings. Just because they had a lower education, couldn¡¯t understand bearing systems, and were easily misled, did they deserve to die? Young Master Zhou¡¯s words made sense, but I didn¡¯t agree. I truly couldn¡¯t agree with that perspective.¡±


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t intervene and could only say quietly, ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°He talked about the law, the social system, rules, and human nature. He said so much¡­ You could call him selfish, but I don¡¯t think it was selfish. Everyone has the right to survive, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian felt as if he too was standing high in the factory, watching those young people standing in mid-air, desperately begging for survival. ¡°This is the ultimate moral test. No matter how you choose and no matter which side dies, once the video of the scene is released, it will trigger a massive public outcry. Everyone will start discussing rules, morality, good, and evil. If the elites survive, it will show that the lives of the privileged are more precious than those of the common people. If the majority of commoners survive, it will demonstrate that life can be measured by quantity, not quality.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so at that time, my mind was in chaos. I couldn¡¯t even calm down. I knew what the culprit was trying to do, so I was very panicked. At that moment, I even turned around.¡± Lin Chen analyzed himself calmly. ¡°My nature isn¡¯t as strong as you think; I¡¯m really a coward. I thought it would be great to stay out of it. I wouldn¡¯t violate the law, and it would seem like I wasn¡¯t responsible for anyone¡¯s death.¡± Lin Chen looked at him with a mix of despair and desolation, yet still clear-headed. ¡°But as you said, not making a choice is also a choice. If it wasn¡¯t for Young Master Wu starting to curse, I would probably have collapsed and run away.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Wu scolded you?¡±


    ¡°No. Young Master Wu pointed at Young Master Zhou¡¯s nose and called him an idiot, telling him to shut up. They were forcing me to make a decision. Once they miraculously survived, they would become murderers, and their consciences would haunt them for the rest of their lives.¡± Lin Chen paused for a moment, somewhat relieved. ¡°I read Young Master Wu¡¯s profile; he is an athlete, full of youthful vigor. Even at that moment, he was fighting for fairness for the other side. He¡¯s kind-hearted and will have a very good and fulfilling life. Such a young person shouldn¡¯t die in such a cruel and unreasonable situation.¡±


    Xing Conglian corrected him, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, at that time, you were also very young.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m different; I held a public office,¡± Lin Chen said firmly.


    Xing Conglian thought Lin Chen probably felt this way.


    The sun outside the window had descended further, and the green trees swayed in the wind. It should have been a beautiful afternoon, but because of the story that could only be told while drinking, it became brutal and bloody.


    At this moment, neither of them spoke. They just raised their beer cans to each other and lightly tapped them, as if encouraging each other so they could finish telling and hearing the story.


    ¡°So, after this, what happened to you as a public official, Consultant Lin?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Time was slow, yet fast; the passage of time in physics isn¡¯t affected by the perception of time in psychology. By then, it had been about three minutes, and the molten steel in the sky began to tilt towards the unconscious 16 people,¡± he self-derisively said. ¡°The experimenter was forcing me to make a choice, and I was forced to walk up to the lever and reach out my hand for the first time¡­¡±


    Xing Conglian realized that the molten steel in the sky was the train rushing towards the 16 people, and at this moment, Lin Chen was truly in the operator¡¯s position. He thought for a moment and said to Lin Chen, ¡°The story you¡¯ve told so far is very similar to what Fu Hao said. So, what happened next that even he didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°You can guess,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Up to now, two people haven¡¯t spoken, Chen Yujun and Huang Weiwei,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Chen nodded. ¡°Chen Yujun and Huang Weiwei had been sitting quietly in the corner, not saying a word. At the moment I touched the lever, Young Master Zhou grabbed Huang Weiwei and made her answer a question.¡±


    ¡°What question?¡±


    ¡°He pointed to the unconscious people on the other side and raised a possibility. He said it¡¯s possible that the culprit had already killed those 16 people with the so-called sleeping pills. So even if I killed a few to save the majority, it would be in vain. He asked Huang Weiwei to tell me that those people were already dead.¡±


    Xing Conglian finally sensed something abnormal and became nervous. ¡°Why did Young Master Zhou single out Huang Weiwei to ask?¡±


    ¡°Because Weiwei is a doctor.¡± Lin Chen¡¯s tone was gentle, like an older brother addressing an adored younger sister.


    Xing Conglian¡¯s hand holding the beer can couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Lin Chen said that he and Huang Weiwei were old acquaintances, and Lin Chen mentioned that she called him ¡°Lin Gege¡±.


    Of course, Xing Conglian knew that there was only a pure sibling relationship between Lin Chen and Huang Weiwei, but precisely because of its purity and affection, it made everything even more difficult.


    ¡°Since I appeared in front of them, Weiwei didn¡¯t say a word to me, and I was like a coward, even afraid to look at her.¡± Lin Chen sniffled, then laughed. ¡°Actually, we had a lot of fate together. She was my classmate in elementary school, and later, we attended the same university. I got to know Huang Ze because of her. Of course, I¡¯m gay and not Weiwei¡¯s type. She likes guys who are obedient like little dogs, have good muscles, and treat her well. She¡¯s probably the most assertive girl I¡¯ve ever seen. Her parents wanted her to study business and inherit the family business, but she insisted on becoming an obstetrician because she said she loved the joy of welcoming new life. She is very capable and has become a resident physician, so when Young Master Zhou asked her that way, she stood up and clearly told me that the chests of those people were still rising and falling, indicating they were still breathing. Those 16 people were still alive.¡±


    When Lin Chen spoke of Huang Weiwei, he became a bit chatty. Xing Conglian even felt a moment of envy, but he was also happy. A girl whom Lin Chen admired would undoubtedly be upright and brave, making others admire her.


    ¡°What a great opportunity to survive! If the molten steel were poured down, who could tell if she was telling the truth? She¡¯s so stubborn, as expected of Huang Ze¡¯s little sister,¡± he said.


    ¡°Huang Ze is probably worlds apart from her.¡± Hearing this, Lin Chen curled his lips. ¡°For example, if the kidnapped person was Huang Ze, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed the abnormality of the only person who didn¡¯t speak after answering the question.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Chen Yujun?¡±


    ¡°In fact, there is a loophole in the culprit¡¯s experiment, and as a mechanical engineer, Chen Yujun knew exactly where the loophole was. So he sat in the corner the whole time, and I think at that moment, he must have been struggling internally.¡±


    ¡°Did Huang Weiwei also notice the loophole?¡± Xing Conglian recalled Lin Chen¡¯s experiences.


    The balancing game, the suspended platform, and the thousand-degree molten steel overhead. The culprit had to ensure that everyone would obediently play the game. Therefore, there must be something intimidating the clear-minded young elites, making it difficult for the police to save them in a short time, even if they arrived on time.


    Xing Conglian felt an icy chill throughout his body and suddenly understood everything.


    He looked at his lover, sitting cross-legged beside him, and no longer wanted to hear any more.


    He stood up abruptly and said to Lin Chen, ¡°Alright, I already know. You don¡¯t need to say anything more. Now let¡¯s go solve the clues left by the culprit or anything else. You must not speak of this anymore; it¡¯s all in the past!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not in the past, and it can never be in the past.¡± Lin Chen gazed into the distance, almost speaking to himself. ¡°When there was one minute left, Huang Weiwei crouched down and patted Chen Yujun¡¯s face. Just like Young Master Zhou asked her a question, she also asked Chen Yujun a question. This question was short, she asked him, ¡®Are we standing on a landmine?''¡±


    ¡°Lin Chen, stop talking!¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he sternly interrupted.


    ¡°The experimenter must have an antisocial personality; he may never experience human emotions like love and kindness in his lifetime. Therefore, he inherently has a mistaken estimation of human nature, and that¡¯s where the loophole lies.¡± Lin Chen looked straight at the sun in the sky without even blinking. ¡°Human nature¡ªthe loophole is merely in human nature. There are too many people in this world who are inherently kind; they are willing to sacrifice their own lives for strangers.¡±


    When Lin Chen reached this point, he finally turned his head. His eyes were red, but he held back his tears firmly. ¡°You keep asking me about the choices I made back then. So, now I tell you, back then, I was a complete coward. I didn¡¯t step forward to take the responsibility I should have borne; instead, someone stepped up and stood in front of me, protecting me with her life and soul. When there were 48 seconds left, Huang Weiwei jumped down from the sky, the balance board shifted, the landmines were triggered, and the molten steel fell from the sky, merging the four of them together¡­¡±


    ¡°Huang Weiwei pulled the lever for me.¡±


    Lin Chen enunciated clearly and decisively, completing his statement word by word.


    Xing Conglian wanted to take out a cigarette, but his hands trembled, and he couldn¡¯t control himself. No matter how the truth was covered up, no matter what choices Lin Chen made, none of it mattered at all. He regretted listening to this story and regretted making Lin Chen relive the events of that year.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a coward,¡± he said firmly, but he found himself choked up for the first time.


    Lin Chen laughed at himself, finished the last sip of his drink, and looked up at the sky. ¡°Huang Ze always asks me why I didn¡¯t die. At the beginning, I was also thinking, yes, the one who should die should be me.¡± He clenched the beer can tightly but spoke calmly. ¡°Huang Weiwei is also my sister, but I not only failed to fulfill my responsibility to protect her but also was taken care of by her. She didn¡¯t even say a word to me until her death because she knew that whatever she said would become the words echoing endlessly in my nightmares. So, the smart girl smiled at me before she died, put a finger to her lips, telling me to keep my mouth shut, and then she jumped.¡±


    Lin Chen turned his head and said with certainty, ¡°That¡¯s the covered-up truth. The radiant brilliance of human nature, both foolish and magnificent, shattered my desperate situation, broke the culprit¡¯s carefully planned schemes. The video cannot be made public, and the hoped-for public opinion frenzy that the culprit wanted cannot continue¡ªall because of human nature, which is truly beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much time she spent thinking and making up her mind, but it must have been very brief. But she even thought of the best way to handle things after this. It was something I couldn¡¯t refuse and could only do it this way,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°So, I put my hand on the lever and replaced her as the murderer. I was criticized by four families, but I luckily escaped legal punishment. But only in this way, Weiwei wouldn¡¯t become a saint in the eyes of the rational, nor would she become the noble murderer who callously deprived others of their lives to fulfill her own righteousness. She could quietly die as she wished, and this was what she wanted¡ªthe only thing I could do for her after being protected.¡± Lin Chen paused and calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s why the truth was covered up.¡±


    Kinky Thoughts:


    We¡¯re getting into Saw territory here¡­

 CH 267

    The Hongjing Library, although old, had quite a few floors.


    Wang Chao rushed to the rooftop with his notebook, panting heavily. He pushed open the heavy wooden door of the journal repository, and the heavy smell that greeted him caused him to sneeze.


    Looking around, he couldn¡¯t see any figures, so he called out loudly, ¡°Boss, A¡¯Chen Gege, where are you guys?¡±


    The teenager¡¯s clear and melodious voice echoed among the shadows of the floating bookshelves. Perhaps this was the moment when Xing Conglian was closest to Lin Chen¡¯s inner thoughts, except for when they were lying in bed.


    He finally understood why Lin Chen always risked his life in many situations; he probably no longer wanted to leave the decision-making power to others.


    And now, he still had a chance to ask Lin Chen what landmines were¡ªwhether they were metaphors, actual existing bombs, or just a hypothesis proposed by Huang Weiwei to put him at ease. But all the truths had already merged into the molten steel that fell from the sky, and no one could know.


    He thought this was the end.


    He gazed at Lin Chen¡¯s back, determined, and said loudly, ¡°Over here, by the window.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Chen made a slight and almost imperceptible motion, as if wiping away tears, but his hand quickly dropped.


    When Wang Chao ran up to them, it was as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Boss, A¡¯Chen Gege received that message, and it indeed points to a certain part of the dark web¡­¡± The young man¡¯s words suddenly stopped as his gaze swept over the two of them, as if sensing the strange atmosphere. His voice faltered. ¡°Uh¡­ Did I come too early? I can go out and wait for you guys to get ready¡­¡±


    He was about to turn around and leave, but Xing Conglian¡¯s frown persisted, and his emotions didn¡¯t ease for a moment. He just kept staring at Lin Chen.


    ¡°Come back.¡± Lin Chen spoke at this moment.


    Wang Chao¡¯s figure abruptly halted, and he turned around awkwardly. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege¡­¡±


    In this short moment, Lin Chen had already regained his composure.


    Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen, but the latter lowered his head, showing no desire to meet his gaze.


    Lin Chen stood up, walked to Wang Chao, as if seeing through the teenager¡¯s thoughts, and said calmly, ¡°Rest assured, I didn¡¯t quarrel and break up with your boss.¡±


    He once again restored his usual clean and bright appearance. Xing Conglian finally understood that all the qualities present in Lin Chen were the result of being tempered to the extreme in darkness.


    ¡°Oh, I knew it! Where does the Boss get such audacity!¡± The teenager¡¯s smile was radiant as he made noise and sat down at the desk, looking fearless as if he could dispel all the gloom.


    Lin Chen sat opposite Wang Chao, holding the thick periodical, and said, ¡°The sender¡¯s number points to a certain website on the dark web, right?¡±


    All the pain and anger from just now had disappeared completely. Lin Chen, as always, was succinct and decisive as he discussed the main topic with Wang Chao.


    ¡°Yes, A¡¯Chen Gege. I used brute force to crack it!¡± Wang Chao opened his laptop and turned it towards Lin Chen.


    In the center of the screen was a red countdown, and the lower right corner showed a cluster of golden flowers.


    The website was overly simplistic, with coarse pixelation. Although it didn¡¯t deliberately create a bloody feeling, its indifference conveyed a chilling disregard for life, and indifference was always scarier than passion.


    This familiar scene made Xing Conglian retract his gaze and connect the cause and effect. He looked at Lin Chen again, afraid that Lin Chen had sensed it earlier than him. Therefore, no matter how difficult it was, Lin Chen would have to finish telling him the story.


    ¡°A¡¯Chen, are they¡­ the same group we encountered before?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Lin Chen furrowed his brows, pondering deeply, and didn¡¯t answer immediately.


    ¡°There¡¯s only a countdown on the website. What does it mean?¡± Xing Conglian changed the topic and asked Wang Chao.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a countdown!¡± Wang Chao clicked the countdown at the center of the screen, and an equally rudimentary pop-up window appeared instantly.


    Below was a familiar scene often seen in movies; since there was a website and a pop-up window, there must be a place to input a password.


    On a white background, there was only a box and a line of a simple word¡ª¡±password¡±.


    The countdown continued to go backward, showing 12:32:31. However, the units weren¡¯t in hours but in minutes. If they couldn¡¯t crack the password within 12 minutes, who knows what would happen.


    ¡°Everything before this is just a gimmick! We need a password to enter the website¡¯s inner world!¡± Wang Chao knocked on the keyboard. ¡°A¡¯Chen Gege, the password¡­ that should be your part to decipher.¡±


    Xing Conglian coldly retorted to Wang Chao, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a master?¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m a master, I can¡¯t defy the laws of nature. With a supercomputer and half a day, I can crack it for you. But within twelve minutes, I can¡¯t do it!¡± Wang Chao looked like he couldn¡¯t do it, and he was about to say something else when Lin Chen finally spoke up.


    Lin Chen slowly flipped through the journal in his hand and turned it to the page with over a thousand pages. He gently touched the page and said to Wang Chao, ¡°On the dark web, did you see the map of the three provinces nearby?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±


    ¡°On the internet, how frequently does our map appear?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite frequent, but most of them are accompanied by that sentence!¡±


    ¡°A balancing game on a tightrope,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Chao paused for a moment and asked, ¡°Should I try entering this phrase?¡±


    ¡°How many characters are in the password?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°11!¡± Wang Chao answered.


    Xing Conglian quickly ran through this set of words in his mind and then said, ¡°No language in any country can match this set of 11 characters.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t try. Otherwise, three wrong attempts might have caused the website to self-destruct.¡± Wang Chao mumbled.


    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Lin Chen interrupted.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t it? Why?¡± Wang Chao was still excited, asking repeatedly.


    ¡°Because this is a large-scale game involving the entire internet, and the website won¡¯t be destroyed.¡± Lin Chen paused and continued. ¡°You can print out the map¡ªuse A4 paper. If it¡¯s not enough for A4, enlarge it to fit.¡±


    Wang Chao was stunned. ¡°Okay, but what map do you want? The three provinces around us?¡±


    Lin Chen nodded.


    ¡°Do you want a satellite topographic map, or a regular 2D map? Google, Baidu, or¡­?¡± Wang Chao spoke as he moved.


    ¡°I want the map you found on the dark web.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s hand was faster than his brain. He casually clicked on the saved map on the computer desktop. The red and blue lines were intertwined like blood vessels, as if indicating something.


    Lin Chen glanced at the map and said sternly to Wang Chao, ¡°Go and print out this map, immediately!¡±


    Wang Chao was clever and could hear the difference in Lin Chen¡¯s tone. He quickly searched for the internal network printer and rushed out like a gust of wind.


    Xing Conglian walked behind Lin Chen and looked at the image displayed on the screen.


    It was just an ordinary flat map, showing the neighboring provinces of Cheng¡¯an, Jiangxia, and Zhelin, which were the surrounding cities they were all very familiar with.


    The map was covered with dense dots. Xing Conglian counted the number of dots on the map¡ªclearly more than fifteen.


    All the black dots were connected by straight lines. If it weren¡¯t for the improper timing and location of this map, it would easily be ignored as something ordinary, like a signature in an ordinary forum.


    Xing Conglian took a deep breath, placed his hand on top of Lin Chen¡¯s head, and pointed to the collection of periodicals on the table, asking Lin Chen, ¡°Password book?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±


    Just like in the Yongchuan University suicide case, the mastermind clearly didn¡¯t change their usual methods.


    ¡°Then, Song Shengsheng¡­¡±


    ¡°He should also be under their control.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s heart trembled.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said, things will never be over.¡± Lin Chen stared at the screen, but his tone wasn¡¯t sorrowful or weak; it sounded determined and composed.


    Xing Conglian bent down, with one hand still on Lin Chen¡¯s head and the other hooking around his neck, embraced him, and whispered in his ear, ¡°I¡¯ll be here for you from now on.¡±


    This was probably more like a hug between comrades than between lovers. Lin Chen nestled in his arms, finally turned his head and rubbed against his cheek. His gentle breath carried warmth. ¡°That day on the Zhourui Pharmaceutical building, I¡¯m very sorry, and also for many things before. But if we encounter similar situations in the future, I¡¯ll probably still do the same. The past has left too strong a mark on me, which determines who I am now, and that will never change.¡± Lin Chen paused, rare hesitation showing in his words. ¡°But I still hope that you can accept¡­ accept me as I am,¡± Lin Chen said earnestly.


    Xing Conglian remained silent for a few seconds. He let go of Lin Chen, stood up, and held his shoulders, solemnly repeating, ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be here for you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Wang Chao came back in, Xing Conglian had already settled next to Lin Chen.


    Outside the window, a gentle breeze blew, and the morning sun shone brightly, accompanied by the chirping of birds.


    There were still 8 minutes left on the countdown.


    Wang Chao rushed in like the wind and slammed the printed map on the table. Lin Chen had already taken out a ballpoint pen from his pocket and pressed it open. He circled all the black dots at the intersections of the lines on the map and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this should be a point code. Overly complex and modern encryption tools are not conducive to widespread information dissemination for the mastermind, and he is an old-school person with special interests.¡±


    As Lin Chen spoke, he began to overlay the printed map on the page of the journal with pencil writing. ¡°The point code requires everyone to have the same decryption alphabet. This paper is the alphabet. And these maps widely spread on the dark web are encrypted ciphertexts. The so-called maps and all the intersections of the lines are there to conceal the point code ciphertexts, eliminating them directly.¡±


    Lin Chen meticulously aligned the map with the journal page, and some letters from the journal were indeed faintly visible. Just as Lin Chen had said, those tiny black dots were perfectly aligned with specific letters.


    Lin Chen pressed the ballpoint pen on the black dots of the map paper, gently lifted the blank paper, and pierced the surface with the pen tip, making light marks on the next page of the journal.


    Xing Conglian counted. He had poked exactly eleven times.


    Finally, Lin Chen lifted the paper and, in order, reported all the blue dots he had marked as letters, saying, ¡°The password is: I, N, T, O, T, H, E, D, A, R, K.¡±


    INTO THE DARK.


    Into the dark, in the dark.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    Just for some clarity, the last part in capitalized letters is in English while the last line is in Chinese (basically explaining what the English code means).

 CH 268

    On the paper was the password Lin Chen copied down. The blue ink of the ballpoint pen shimmered as if it wanted to emit light under the sun.


    Wang Chao shivered, took a deep breath, and opened the crude pop-up window again. He slowly entered the characters one by one.


    When he reached the end, a rare solemn expression appeared on the teenager¡¯s face. He moved the mouse to the confirm button and asked them again, ¡°Should I confirm?¡±


    Outside the window, the warm sun bathed everything in tranquility.


    Xing Conglian looked at the countdown, still 6 minutes remaining.


    He nodded and set a countdown on his watch.


    With a crisp click, the sound of pressing the mouse button suddenly rang out.


    Wang Chao turned the screen towards them, wanting them to watch together. But at that moment, the progress bar instantly reached the bottom, and the page surged out like a waterfall in a frenzy. Wang Chao no longer paid attention to them. He quickly turned back to the screen, his expression becoming tense as his hands quickly tapped the keyboard to process the data.


    Thinking of the glimpse of the scene just now, Xing Conglian and Lin Chen exchanged a glance and stood up unconsciously. They walked around the long table from both sides and stood behind Wang Chao.


    Looking over the top of the teenager¡¯s head, they finally realized why they had the illusion of seeing a deluge of torrents when they saw the webpage just now.


    It was an endless stream of gold coins pouring down like waves, surging and billowing with an incredibly evil and crazed aura, continuously accumulating below the screen.


    The sound effect of the coins descending from the sky echoed in the journal reading room, sending shivers down people¡¯s spines.


    But to be precise, it was a data stream that was made to look like gold coins, with a pixelated quality similar to those found in the oldest game consoles. Each pixel particle was so large that it instantly made people feel like they were back in the 90s. Moreover, the waterfall of gold coins was made into a three-dimensional appearance, twisting and turning like a Mobius strip or some other weirdly symmetrical figure, making the sturdy screen seem to twist in space.


    Xing Conglian finally understood what it meant to be old-school and have special taste.


    Suddenly, Wang Chao leaned back in his chair, stopped all his work, and angrily slapped the table. He turned off the computer¡¯s volume abruptly and shook his head at them. ¡°Untraceable.¡±


    5 minutes and 20 seconds remaining.


    At this moment, Lin Chen suddenly leaned forward, pointing his finger at the bottom of the screen, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Xing Conglian narrowed his eyes, only to see that not all the coins that descended from the sky fell into the abyss. Instead, they transformed into another form, like rain falling into a black ocean on a stormy night, floating and sinking below the screen.


    Following Lin Chen¡¯s indication, Wang Chao moved the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen.


    Just as the white arrow touched the edge of the ocean, the ¡°ocean¡± instantly surged backward, sweeping the coins from bottom to top, and spread horizontally like a scroll on the screen.


    The technical level of this website was clearly not as crude as its pixelated appearance suggested.


    It was a map¡ªa topographic map of the three provinces surrounding Hongjing that they were familiar with.


    ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Wang Chao almost wanted to press his face against the screen. He dared not touch the screen with the mouse but used his hand to trace the waves on the map. ¡°What¡¯s this? A gold coin map?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t say a word but took out his phone and pulled up a 3D topographic map for comparison next to the laptop screen.


    The raised peaks, the sunken rivers, and the urban areas reclaimed due to industrial modernization¡­


    The topographic map of the three provinces on the phone didn¡¯t match the undulating waves on the computer screen but presented a completely opposite trend.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Chao murmured. ¡°Are they showing off special effects?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s face turned serious. He pointed to several high peaks in the waves and said, ¡°Are these cities?¡±


    Xing Conglian zoomed in and compared the satellite map on his phone before saying, ¡°Yes, Yongchuan, Hongjing, Fengchun, Meicun, Shifang¡­¡±


    As he mentioned each city¡¯s name, he confirmed it by pointing at the screen with his finger, and his tone grew colder.


    All the cities represented not only cold geographical features but also the real people living in those cities.


    Wang Chao took a deep breath, unable to help but say, ¡°Damn, are these all the major cities around us? What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they are putting a price on us,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°They¡± referred to the lunatics on the dark web, and ¡°us¡± naturally meant the ordinary people living in the real world. Xing Conglian¡¯s heart trembled, and his first reaction was to look at the countdown on his watch.


    4 minutes and 40 seconds remaining.


    ¡°A price? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Wang Chao moved the mouse pointer to a certain high peak in the ¡°gold coin waves¡± and clicked lightly. Indeed, a small window popped up without any prompt. ¡°Do I need to enter an amount here?¡± He asked.


    Xing Conglian bent down and faced the continuously surging gold coin ocean on the computer screen. He didn¡¯t have time to explain to Wang Chao but asked, ¡°Can you determine where the highest point is?¡±


    Wang Chao looked puzzled, but without hesitation, he copied the scroll on the screen and overlaid it on a geographical satellite image.


    The two images on the screen gradually overlapped, and all the wave peaks fit perfectly with the centers of each city, including the highest peak, undoubtedly located in the cosmopolitan city¡ªYongchuan.


    ¡°Try entering 1 bitcoin into the pop-up window,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    After hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly stopped him. He quickly understood the meaning of Lin Chen¡¯s gaze, which meant not to act impulsively.


    He said, ¡°I just wanted to confirm your speculation, and I¡¯m not foolish enough to let the mastermind profit from it.¡±


    Lin Chen readily let go, and then patted Wang Chao¡¯s shoulder, giving him the go-ahead.


    Wang Chao had never done such a thing before and nervously entered the payment like an old lady using electronic payment for the first time.


    With four minutes remaining, a tiny gold coin descended from the sky, like an inconspicuous water droplet, falling into the ¡°peak¡± area he had clicked. Because it was so small, it couldn¡¯t even produce ripples. But this did prove that the entire sea of gold coins was indeed a huge market. On the dark web, countless people were betting money on the ¡°favorite¡± cities.


    Thinking of this, Xing Conglian saw a wave of bets represented by the peak in Meicun surging, and he didn¡¯t know which crazy player was spending a fortune on Meicun, which was next to Yongchuan.


    In a short period, the wave rose like a sudden high peak, and the ¡°sea level¡± centered around Meicun rapidly surpassed Yongchuan after a few seconds.


    Lin Chen¡¯s guess was indeed accurate, but Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t feel the slightest joy.


    What they saw was just a completely virtual betting image. In fact, it represented billions of real funds being poured into this crazy auction, ready to use money to wash away something.


    Wang Chao was unusually biting his thumb joint. ¡°Damn, did I succeed? They actually treat cities as auction items. This is so crazy?!¡± Wang Chao muttered nervously. ¡°Now Meicun has the highest bid. What will happen in Meicun?¡±


    ¡°They are not treating cities as auction items but rather treating the lives of people in the cities as commodities,¡± Lin Chen said. ¡°The highest bidder wins, and the city where the lives are most valuable is the one they will harvest.¡±


    ¡°Harvest? What do you mean by harvest?¡± Wang Chao stared at them with wide eyes and then realized that he had asked an extremely foolish question.


    Lunatics, money, the dark web, and that kind of neurotic drug¡ªthere could not be a worse combination in the world.


    Xing Conglian quickly dialed the number for the detention center. ¡°Strictly guard Shen Lian. No visits allowed, including all levels of police officers!¡±


    After hanging up the call, Xing Conglian immediately dialed the phone number of the Meicun Municipal Police Bureau. He asked Wang Chao to package the dark web address, internet tools, passwords, and other related items and send them over.


    As he finished all this, the time ran out.


    At the moment of resetting, it was as if someone had applied an ice-cold effect to the tide of gold coins. The surging waves solidified from one corner to another, covered in darkness, bringing an eerie silence.


    Of course, the wave representing Meicun¡¯s highest point was an exception.


    The entire Meicun, including the surrounding towns and areas, was marked in red. Xing Conglian roughly estimated that it covered an area of exactly 4,126 square kilometers.


    No mocking or provocative icons appeared. The sound effect stopped, and the screen displayed only a white banner from the upper left corner to the lower right corner, with the words: TO BE CONTINUED¡­


    The last point of the ellipsis slowly appeared, and the picture came to an abrupt end.


    Afterward, for a long time, Wang Chao didn¡¯t even dare touch the keyboard with his hands.


    It was only when Lin Chen moved that he finally remembered to breathe again. On the one hand, he felt that the sudden auction was too thrilling, and on the other hand, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with the abrupt ending. ¡°This¡­ This is it?¡±


    Lin Chen returned to his seat under the sun, but Xing Conglian knew that the sunlight couldn¡¯t warm him up at all.


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Chen uttered a single, concise syllable.


    Both of them knew that this couldn¡¯t be the end; this wasn¡¯t even the beginning.


    Long before, this game or moral test, or even the doomsday revelry of antisocial individuals, had already begun.


    What Lin Chen had experienced; they would also experience together.


    The reading room fell silent once again.


    Xing Conglian threw his phone on the table. After making the call, the screen hadn¡¯t lit up again. It was evident that Meicun needed a long time to verify, report, and make arrangements. Nobody knew what awaited that city.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Wang Chao was fidgeting. ¡°Wait for something big to happen in Meicun?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to implement a major plan, there will inevitably be a loading time after the gold backers place their bets. It could be ten minutes or even ten hours, because it¡¯s fun to watch the city police force in a state of panic and helplessness,¡± Lin Chen said.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    As soon as Wang Chao finished saying this, his own phone rang frantically. He picked up the call, and it was a Meicun network technician on the other end.


    The indifferent expression on the young man¡¯s face disappeared in an instant. He held the phone between his cheek and shoulder and began to work and respond.


    The clattering of the keyboard and the technical jargon that Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t understand kept coming. It brought back many fragments of crazy memories; each fragment of the story seemed to be falling apart, yet there seemed to be something that could connect everything.


    He asked Lin Chen only one question, ¡°What does he want?¡±

 CH 269

    Afternoon, Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau.


    The electronic induction doors slid open on both sides, and officials wearing different uniforms were busy coming and going. At the same time, vehicles from various provinces and departments continued to enter the parking lot, and their gray-blue exhaust fumes appeared vast under the sunlight.


    The scene here was even more overwhelming than the city-wide operation to capture Shen Lian yesterday.


    A group of fully armed special agents passed by as Huang Ze stood by the stairs. He withdrew his gaze from the doors and nodded to the special agents. After that, he hurriedly said a few words to the leader of the Hongjing political department who was in front of him.


    ¡°Director Chen, in all honesty, I don¡¯t know much about the specific details of the case.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s a special situation, you really need to inform me in advance so that I can make arrangements.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Huang Ze responded ambiguously.


    Director Chen turned and walked upstairs, and the person in charge of the special agents department was already waiting on the side.


    Another series of questions followed, leaving Huang Ze unable to answer. He didn¡¯t even know why he was standing here.


    For the past half hour, his phone had barely stopped ringing.


    His superiors were questioning what exactly he was up to, while his subordinates were asking what had happened.


    Shen Lian had been arrested and brought to justice, and the top brass of Zhourui Pharmaceutical had already confessed. The speed of solving the case couldn¡¯t be described as anything other than miraculous.


    At the same time, detailed research on TERN was proceeding methodically, and with the help of insiders from Zhourui and relevant information, it was only a matter of time before they cracked this drug.


    Of course, the key to quickly solving this deadly drug was Shen Lian. Although it was difficult to say out loud, Huang Ze greatly admired Lin Chen¡¯s choice when confronting Shen Lian. Next would be the interrogation¡ªLin Chen¡¯s area of expertise. As long as Shen Lian cooperated with the police, all the problems would be solved instantly.


    However, half a minute after the chairman of Zhourui appeared in the hall, Lin Chen and Xing Conglian suddenly disappeared. By the time he received news from the two, Xing Conglian had already gathered all the city departments for a large-scale meeting, which was happening right now.


    If it weren¡¯t for a friend from Meicun discreetly inquiring whether Xing Conglian was trustworthy, Huang Ze felt he wouldn¡¯t have known that a group of lunatics on the dark web was bidding on their surrounding cities.


    It was quite ludicrous.


    Thinking of this, Huang Ze couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists.


    Just then, the hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone stopped their ongoing discussions and turned to look at the main entrance of the hall.


    People instinctively followed the actions of others, and Huang Ze unconsciously turned his gaze toward the glass doors. Someone was taking off their sunglasses and walking toward them, covered in dust and dirt from below the steps.


    It was Xing Conglian. Of course, he was accompanied by his small follower carrying a shoulder bag.


    Huang Ze took a deep breath.


    Xing Conglian stepped onto the last step, and the glass door slid open again. At that moment, the hot air from outside and the clamoring voices from inside collided.


    ¡°Captain Xing, what exactly happened!¡±


    ¡°Will Meicun really face a terrorist attack?! What about us in Hongjing?¡±


    ¡°What are the criminals demanding?¡±


    As the doors closed, Xing Conglian stood in the hall and raised his left hand.


    His clear and solemn voice overwhelmed all the overwhelming questions, slowly saying, ¡°Everyone, please calm down!¡±


    His voice was clear, serious but composed, inspiring trust, and the room quickly quieted down.


    Xing Conglian lowered his hand and continued, ¡°In five minutes, there will be a brief case briefing in Room 201. I hope everyone enters in an orderly manner. After the briefing, there will be a short Q&A session, and we will be responsible for answering your questions.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s words were concise and to the point.


    ¡­¡­


    White projection screens and laptops were set up in front of the podium.


    Each computer¡¯s video function was fully activated, connecting various departments from the three provinces.


    Wang Chao quickly ran to the stage and set up the projection equipment. He connected the microphone, opened the laptop, adjusted the projection screen, and just managed to finish within the five-minute time frame.


    The audience below immediately fell silent, and no one made a sound.


    At this moment, Wang Chao took off the hat that had been covering his head, bowed, approached the microphone, and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll begin.¡±


    There was a commotion in the crowd; no one had expected Xing Conglian to entrust the important case briefing to an inexperienced young boy. However, Xing Conglian just stood with his arms crossed below the stage, not saying a word.


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t mind the doubts from below; he had a serious expression as he opened a screenshot of a webpage on the projector. On a black background was a sea of gold waves that looked like a three-dimensional wave pattern. Huang Ze noticed that the website had the suffix ¡°.onion¡±.


    Calm and composed, Wang Chao said, ¡°Based on relevant intelligence, forty minutes ago, our bureau discovered an unknown website on the deep web. The website displayed maps of three provinces, including Cheng¡¯an, Jiangxia, and Zhelin.¡± As he spoke, he clicked on a map of the three provinces and overlaid it.


    It was clear that the city boundaries perfectly matched between the two maps. Wang Chao didn¡¯t pause and continued, ¡°This website uses Bitcoin betting to attract members of the dark web to place bets on the cities of the three provinces. You can simply understand it as using money to vote, and the one with the most votes wins. The winner in this round is Meicun. According to the usual modus operandi of the criminals, we have reason to suspect that Meicun will be attacked.¡±


    Wang Chao concluded the case briefing concisely.


    After his speech, there was silence in the audience for a while. Everyone looked at each other with grave expressions, but also somewhat bewildered.


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Although no one really questioned it, everyone¡¯s faces were filled with similar questions.


    ¡°Do you have any questions? I¡¯ll answer any doubts related to the network and information technology aspects of this case,¡± Wang Chao said seriously, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°How did you confirm that the website¡¯s Bitcoin betting and the map are not a prank animation, and that the criminals did not create this website to cause public panic?¡±


    ¡°I verified the betting process with an account.¡±


    ¡°Are there really so many users on the dark web?¡±


    Wang Chao seemed to have anticipated similar questions, and a screenshot of an English website appeared on the projection screen. It had various classified items for sale, resembling a regular shopping website, but upon closer inspection, it was selling illegal firearms, dangerous drugs, and, of course, human lives.


    ¡°Take the famous dark web ¡®Silk Road¡¯ as an example. The website has nearly a million registered users, a complete forum community, and an anonymous transaction system. It has sold illicit goods amounting to a billion dollars worldwide. Despite several FBI crackdowns, there are still continuous iterations of the website. Although I cannot currently analyze the traffic, based on the estimated betting amount, the number of visitors and bettors on this website should be over 50,000.¡±


    The projector screen displayed several simple screenshots and quickly flashed through them.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the network monitoring detect it before, and how did it attract a large number of users to place bets?¡± someone asked.


    Wang Chao put the case aside and explained, ¡°Promoting dark web websites is more like word-of-mouth marketing compared to the surface web. This website adopts password access and uses point code encryption in the information dissemination process. We don¡¯t have enough resources to monitor every corner of the dark web, so it escaped our surveillance during promotion. However, we believe that there should be a large forum deep in the dark web distributing the website¡¯s address and password. Users who gain the trust of the administrators can obtain the password.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, I have a question.¡± Someone interrupted Wang Chao and spoke up. ¡°So, people are betting on our surrounding cities, and the city with the most bets will be attacked. Am I understanding this correctly?¡±


    Wang Chao nodded. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Can all the betting users profit from this?¡±


    ¡°The website operator can profit, but whether the bettors can profit, we are not sure yet.¡±


    ¡°Are these people crazy? Are they spending a lot of money just to see more deaths in Meicun?¡± The person continued, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. How could there be such people in the world?¡±


    Standing in front of the stage, Wang Chao held the microphone and said coldly, ¡°If you have studied the dark web¡¯s websites related to pedophilia and the prices for those resources, you wouldn¡¯t ask such a question.¡±


    The young man stood tall, and in that moment, he revealed an experience and responsiveness far beyond his age, very much like Xing Conglian.


    After that, there was a period of whispers in the audience, and no one asked Wang Chao any more questions.


    ¡°Does anyone else have any other questions?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    At this moment, someone raised their hand and said loudly, ¡°Since this website initially escaped detection, how did you later discover it? Also, where did the tip-off you mentioned come from?¡±


    This question was very sharp. Upon hearing it, Wang Chao couldn¡¯t help but steal a glance at Xing Conglian.


    It was just a slight reaction, but Huang Ze understood clearly that the tip-off had indeed come from Lin Chen.


    However, just as he was prepared to hear Xing Conglian¡¯s perfunctory answer to the question, the police captain walked up to the stage and took the microphone from Wang Chao¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll answer the questions related to the case details.¡±


    Huang Ze was stunned at the words, and what Xing Conglian said next surprised him.


    He said, ¡°Our bureau consultant, Mr. Lin Chen, received an anonymous message, and, after cracking the message¡¯s password, we found this website.¡±


    ¡°So, the criminals personally delivered the clue to you?¡± someone said incredulously.


    ¡°More accurately, it wasn¡¯t a clue but a taunting letter from the criminals,¡± Xing Conglian said calmly.


    The audience below was in an uproar again, and questions were raised one after another:


    ¡°Are you sure about the target suspects?¡±


    ¡°Even if you confirm the authenticity of the dark web betting, how do you know that Meicun will be attacked and not something else will happen in Meicun?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a joke by the criminals to cause public panic? We have mobilized most of our forces to handle this. What if it¡¯s the criminals¡¯ plan?¡±


    ¡°If you determine it¡¯s true, how do we effectively protect ourselves from the attack?¡±


    Xing Conglian stood on the stage, attentively listening to each question.


    ¡°We need to understand the entire process and specific details of this case.¡± Someone participating in the video conference finally spoke up and summarized all the questions.


    Xing Conglian looked at the person and nodded. ¡°Sure, what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°My first question is, since Lin Chen received the message, where is he right now?¡± the person asked.

 CH 270

    Hongjing Municipal Detention Center, Female Interrogation Room, Ground Floor.


    Shen Lian was beautiful¡ªthat was Lin Chen¡¯s first impression when he saw her again.


    Outside the iron railing was a large expanse of concrete ground, looking dull and gray with only a few scattered green trees in random corners, far from the high walls. Further away, the sky above the high walls was divided into regular strips by the electric fence, just like a prison.


    Lin Chen averted his gaze, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table.


    Shen Lian¡¯s fair wrists were shackled by slender iron handcuffs. Against the gray background, even wearing the pale blue prison uniform, her bright and beautiful features couldn¡¯t be concealed.


    Lin Chen nodded to her and placed his phone on the table.


    Shen Lian smiled and asked, ¡°Lin Chen, how do you feel?¡±


    Her tone was sweet, like a doctor caring for a patient, but Lin Chen was well aware that she must have spoken in a similar manner when caring for the lab mice.


    ¡°No need to worry. I can get through it,¡± Lin Chen replied.


    ¡°The acute withdrawal symptoms aren¡¯t easy to bear, right?¡± Shen Lian asked.


    ¡°Better off dead,¡± Lin Chen answered.


    ¡°You were conscious for a bit longer than I expected. It seems individuals have varying tolerances to the drug,¡± Shen Lian summarized in a tone like writing a paper.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lin Chen replied with just two words.


    Shen Lian was taken aback by his response. The heart of a woman seeking revenge was always strong. Her face stiffened, then she said, ¡°When will you fulfill your promise to me?¡±


    Shen Lian was referring to his promise to report on how public officials used their lives to prevent criminals from committing suicide.


    Lin Chen replied directly, ¡°The fairness of the deal lies in the fact that I promised to do something for you, and you also promised to do something for me. But I¡¯m afraid someone like you might suddenly drop out of the game, so I need something from you to ensure that your promise is meaningful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not qualified to negotiate conditions with me,¡± Shen Lian retorted.


    ¡­¡­


    Hongjing Municipal Police Department, Conference Room.


    Before answering the questions, Xing Conglian looked down at his watch and then said directly, ¡°He¡¯s conducting an intensive interrogation with Shen Lian.¡±


    With this statement, the room fell silent again.


    Recalling the scene of Lin Chen injecting the drug yesterday, many people had doubts in their hearts.


    ¡°Can Lin Consultant¡¯s current physical condition sustain a prolonged interrogation?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Barely,¡± Xing Conglian answered truthfully.


    Some officials couldn¡¯t bear the expression on their faces.


    But others who were stubborn, like Huang Ze, began to whisper to each other.


    Seeing this, Huang Ze decided to voice what these people wanted to say to Xing Conglian directly. ¡°What Lin Chen is doing now is a bit like a lone hero.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s cold gaze swept over. ¡°Detective Huang, why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°All departments are cooperating in the case, and yet Consultant Lin is the one charging into the front line. Can¡¯t anyone share the burden for him?¡± Another person spoke ambiguously.


    ¡°Because this case is indeed related to him.¡± Xing Conglian paused and said coldly, ¡°To be precise, according to his own words, he is regarded as a typical target by the criminals. Everyone here, I¡¯m afraid, has the same ¡®honor¡¯ as him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by typical target?¡± A detective from the Serious Case Department asked.


    ¡°He represents a certain type of rational and self-proclaimed righteous individual,¡± Xing Conglian answered. ¡°In other words, he is the epitome of all of you here.¡±


    The slender earphone wire passed behind Xing Conglian¡¯s ear as he stood on the stage. With his short-cropped hair and a calm gaze sweeping across the audience, he exuded an air of authority without anger.


    His words were like stones thrown into a pond. Everyone, whether the detectives in the front row or the members of the Serious Case Department, as well as the Special Operations team and other public officials in the back, fell silent but trembled in their hearts.


    Finally, it was a high-ranking officer among the laptops in front of Xing Conglian who broke the silence and said, ¡°Tell us more specifically.¡±


    Xing Conglian withdrew his gaze, looked at the officer, and answered, ¡°I have a complete chain of clues proving that an unknown criminal organization has planned a series of recent incidents in Hongjing and nearby cities. The same group of criminals from four years ago has returned.¡±


    Huang Ze¡¯s heart trembled violently. He looked at Xing Conglian almost incredulously. The events from four years ago that were related to Lin Chen could only be that case.


    Xing Conglian met his gaze, and every word he spoke seemed directed at Huang Ze.


    ¡°The bizarre murder case that occurred in Hongjing last year was the prelude to their return.¡±


    On the projection screen, timely photos of white sand and Feng Peilin appeared, but Huang Ze couldn¡¯t spare the effort to look at them. He clenched his fists tightly and stared at Xing Conglian¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The accidental death of drug enforcement officer Fang Zhiming was proven to be related to the tampering of the backend time of the highway emergency call system by Yang Dianfeng. The suspect, Yang Dianfeng, also died in an explosion during transportation.¡±


    Xing Conglian pressed the control button in his hand again, and a large amount of data was displayed on the projection screen. Several records were highlighted in red boxes, making them particularly eye-catching. ¡°We checked the backend data of the system and found over a dozen instances of tampering with driving records, including the major highway robbery case at Yaqin Jewelry 723. The only survivor of the case, Cheng Weiwei, subsequently died in the Yongchuan University suicide case.¡±


    There was an uproar among the crowd, but Xing Conglian¡¯s statement didn¡¯t stop. He continued, ¡°In the Yongchuan University dark web live-streaming incident, the organizer identified by the students, Mr. Meijing, was found to be involved in the planning of the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center fire incident. After the incident, Meijing committed suicide.¡±


    ¡°Another suspect, Xiang Ye, also committed suicide in the detention center.¡±


    Death, death, and more death. Xiang Ye¡¯s and Meijing¡¯s bodies in the pool of blood were particularly terrifying.


    But it was not just them; every person involved in the related cases chose to end their lives in an extremely cruel and loyal manner.


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen leaned back against the back of the chair. The setup in the detention center was hard and uncomfortable. He looked at Shen Lian. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of death anymore. There¡¯s nothing left in this world that scares you.¡± Lin Chen thought for a moment and asked calmly, ¡°Is that what it means?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not necessarily true. I have another view.¡± Lin Chen leaned slightly forward. ¡°They say the dead don¡¯t talk because all their secrets are buried with them. So, do people choose death to bury their secrets, or because they are afraid of the day their secrets are exposed?¡±


    ¡°Consultant Lin, you talk so much. Is it to force yourself to keep talking and distract yourself from the discomfort?¡± Shen Lian smiled playfully, completely evading his question.


    Lin Chen shook his head and got straight to the point with Shen Lian. ¡°Shen Lian, let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we already chatting?¡± Shen Lian replied.


    Before she could finish speaking, Lin Chen interrupted her. ¡°Tell me first, do you know him?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°How can you confirm that there is a complete and unified mastermind behind this series of cases?¡±


    The person asked, adding, ¡°I mean, we understand the connection between these four cases, but how can you be sure that there is a relationship between the online betting targeting our region, these four cases, and Shen Lian?¡±


    One of the detectives from the Lin City Major Case Unit asked.


    Xing Conglian pressed the control button of the projector again.


    The pattern on the screen flashed, and a very old photo of the book ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡± appeared.


    ¡°This is the codebook used by the criminals and students to communicate during the collective suicide incident at Yongchuan University,¡± Xing Conglian explained. ¡°The final code was cracked by Professor Ye from the Mathematics Department at Yongchuan University. Now, similar encryption methods have also appeared in the text message photos that Lin Chen received.¡±


    Huang Ze saw the photo of the mobile phone message that Lin Chen received, and his mind was in chaos. He could hardly hear any other sounds.


    But each word spoken by Xing Conglian forcibly penetrated his mind.


    ¡°We found the information left by the criminals in the journal room of Hongjing Municipal Library. There was a similar codebook to ¡®Discrete Mathematics¡¯, but with some differences in usage.¡±


    Huang Ze suddenly looked up, and on the screen, a row of gentle handwriting entered his sight: ¡°My Dear, did you make your choice?¡±


    With each stroke, Huang Ze seemed to smell the strong scent of iron, and countless discarded memories flooded like a torrent. Completely red, it was piercingly painful.


    However, very soon, almost without needing any adaptation time, Huang Ze was surprised to find that, although his current state was almost as if someone had hit his temples with a heavy hammer, his thoughts and consciousness were surprisingly clear.


    After Xing Conglian provided his ideas, a brief silence followed. He could clearly hear the speculation rising around him.


    Another person beside him suddenly said, ¡°I have read the case file. At the beginning of the White Sands case in Hongjing, the fruit vendor went on a rampage and attacked people on the street. At that time, stimulant drugs were detected in his body. But could it be that the drug that truly triggered his violent outburst was the one developed by Shen Lian?¡±


    ¡°Has Captain Xing communicated with Interpol? Since the perpetrator wanted to silence Fang Zhiming, is it possible that the drug manufacturing factory he went undercover in is developing and producing this new type of drug?¡±


    ¡°So, were the previous live-streamed deaths and the jewelry robbery all to raise funds for the organization?¡±


    ¡°But what does this have to do with them setting the fire and trying to murder Song Shengsheng¡¯s fans?¡±


    ¡°We need to do a lot of work to confirm¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we can prove that the text message Consultant Lin received is connected to the collective suicide case in Yongchuan and the old case from four years ago, it still doesn¡¯t prove that this matter is related to Shen Lian¡¯s involvement with drug poisoning and the newly discovered drug. The dark web bets on our surrounding cities and the drugs on Shen Lian¡¯s side may be completely separate cases?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Various speculations continued without stopping. Everyone present was skilled in their field, naturally connecting all the clues together. Huang Ze¡¯s mind was in a mess; he felt that he urgently needed concrete evidence to link all the details, but at the same time, he instinctively felt that something was off.


    Therefore, after listening for a while, Xing Conglian interrupted the escalating discussion. His metallic voice sounded incredibly clear in the noisy space as he said, ¡°You¡¯re all experts in solving cases, but at the moment, we need to change our approach.¡±


    The discussion in the room came to a halt, and everyone looked up at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°There is a simple way to verify the connection you all seek. As long as the criminals use the isomer of TERN to attack Meicun, and we find that component after the incident, we will have the evidence you need for ¡®the connection exists¡¯.¡± Xing Conglian then asked, ¡°But does that make sense?¡±


    Huang Ze frowned; this was also the instinctive reaction of everyone present.


    However, Xing Conglian ignored them and continued forcefully, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to confirm the connections between each detail now, so we must cut off the branches. In terms of handling the problem and investigating the truth, finding evidence to convict the criminals is no longer our primary task. We must make predictions and prepare for everything that lies ahead.¡±


    He looked at everyone in the room and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s difficult and may not be foolproof, the road ahead will leave us with no reliable options to choose from.¡±

 CH 271

    Hongjing Detention Center.


    After hearing Lin Chen¡¯s question, Shen Lian smiled. She raised the corners of her eyes, revealing her lips in a pleasant and mocking smile.


    Lin Chen sat in front of her. Although he appeared to be a seasoned hunter, the slight hunch in his back and the lackluster look in his eyes delighted Shen Lian.


    After all, no one understood better than her how terrifying the effects of drugs could be. People were merely puppets controlled by their brains.


    She said, ¡°Lin Chen, is this how you conduct interrogations? Being so straightforward and trying to trap me with simple questions? It¡¯s not up to your usual standards.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a trap; I just ask whatever comes to mind. My style has always been more direct, as you know,¡± Lin Chen replied with a friendly tone.


    However, before she could respond, Lin Chen suddenly leaned forward and nervously repeated the previous question, emphasizing his tone, ¡°So, have you seen him?¡±


    Shen Lian was a little displeased. Lin Chen had always been courteous to her, and for people like them, engaging in a conversation required some verbal fencing and skilled exchanges. Experts could duel with both real and feigned moves, but Lin Chen¡¯s direct approach was simply insulting to her.


    She was about to retaliate when Lin Chen leaned back comfortably in his chair. There was no luster in his black eyes, and his gaze seemed vacant, as if he were focusing on nothing in particular. He slowly said, ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯ve seen him.¡±


    Shen Lian furrowed her brows. Lin Chen¡¯s response made her feel strangely uncomfortable. She decided to seize the opportunity to attack his sore point, ¡°How is your teacher doing?¡±


    Lin Chen showed no signs of distress and maintained his leisurely attitude, saying, ¡°Before talking to you, I called my teacher. He¡¯s still in the ICU.¡±


    ¡°Is he out of danger?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know, unless it¡¯s really bad, doctors won¡¯t directly tell the patient¡¯s family to prepare funeral clothes. So, I guess we can wait a bit longer.¡±


    Lin Chen answered truthfully. Shen Lian continued to observe his every reaction. Looking at his pale face, he now resembled a paper man that could collapse at any moment.


    She felt that she should be satisfied with this result. She even had the confidence to make Lin Chen vomit on the spot, but she also felt that she should be cautious.


    As expected, during the brief pause she gave Lin Chen, after he talked about his teacher with an indifferent tone and his gaze seemed to be placed nowhere in particular, he continued, ¡°By the way, is your teacher Duan Wanshan or someone else?¡±


    Lin Chen knew exactly how to ask questions that could make people most uncomfortable.


    He said, ¡°I know Feng Peilin. I¡¯ve also talked to Xiang Ye and Meijing. In my opinion, all of you are exceptionally intelligent people. People like you would willingly follow him, which means he must have a strong personal charisma, or his ideas must deeply resonate with you. You all believe that you are dedicating yourselves to truth and ideals because, at this level, the typical idol worship doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡± After saying this, Lin Chen briefly glanced at her with a casual look and continued, ¡°It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it? The leader of a criminal organization doesn¡¯t use common criminal methods; they prefer to brainwash people with things like ideology and ideals. One of the benefits of brainwashing is that even if you are secretly controlled by him, you all believe it¡¯s ¡®my¡¯ own firm belief rather than ideas he has instilled in ¡®me¡¯.¡±


    Shen Lian blinked but didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been curious about why your academic performance skyrocketed after the second year of junior high. At that time, I didn¡¯t connect you with a case I dealt with before. But now that I think about it, it¡¯s probably because of a certain special and stubborn dark side of you that attracted him. He used some methods to transform you into a completely different person from the cowardly and powerless you of the past. I think you must be addicted to his special charm; he can simplify the painful process of transformation, even though the pain is still there. However, he will make sure that your soul no longer endures any torment. My shimei once chose to avoid such life pain and submitted to a larger collective, even willing to die for what she believed in. But in reality, the only difference between you two is the different positions you hold in his heart. My shimei was the stepping stone he trampled upon, but you are the knife he holds in his hand.¡±


    ¡°After hearing you say that, I feel really miserable. I might as well just die,¡± Shen Lian said with a smile, not angry at all.


    ¡°It is indeed miserable, but you shouldn¡¯t go and die.¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s attitude was like that of an old lady advising her granddaughter not to fall in love too early. Shen Lian coldly responded, ¡°You talk so much; you might as well show me some pictures of elementary school students helping old ladies cross the road. Maybe that could convince me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to convince you. I just want to tell you that the ideas he instilled in you, including what you think is your independent thinking, are now beyond your control. You are under his control; you just haven¡¯t realized it yet.¡±


    Shen Lian found it quite amusing. ¡°You still haven¡¯t noticed it until now, Lin Chen? I am just one of his dogs, and I¡¯m willing to bark. Do you even have the right to interfere?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t actually want to be like this. I¡¯ll prove it to you, but before that, please don¡¯t die,¡± Lin Chen said.


    At no time had Shen Lian been more annoyed by Lin Chen¡¯s attitude of trying to influence people. She said irritably, ¡°You can shut up now. Until I see your promised program on TV and achieve the effect I want, I refuse to say another word to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lin Chen leaned back on his chair, looking at the sky outside.


    The wind came from the vast sky, making the air feel hot and dry.


    ¡­¡­


    Meicun Train Station was old yet bustling with people. This wasn¡¯t because Meicun was highly developed, but because of its unique geographical location. Throughout history, it had been a transportation hub, where travelers from the south and north would rest in Meicun. Although its urban status had gradually been replaced by the neighboring coastal city Yongchuan, in the minds of some foreign visitors who weren¡¯t familiar with the national situation of the country, Meicun was still considered a major metropolis.


    Therefore, it was understandable that some people might have the whim to cause trouble in Meicun instead of Yongchuan.


    But for the ordinary people of Meicun, it was just another boring and lazy afternoon.


    Outside the train station, the underground passage was crowded with people, and the air carried a musty and rusty smell from the ventilation system. As the several incandescent lamps, which were much older than many people, gradually descended into the underground, it felt like entering a deep cave.


    Travelers pulling their suitcases moved slowly, while women carrying children bent down to kiss their sleeping faces. Only those carrying single-shoulder bags walked quickly. They pushed and squeezed their way forward, slowly crossing the underground passage and heading upstairs.


    Each person was oblivious to what was happening in the virtual world. This was the life of ordinary people¡ªordinary and mediocre, yet at any moment, they could be faced with a disaster.


    However, the employees working in the train station today were more nervous than any other day. This nervousness stemmed from a sudden and highest-level security alert in the afternoon. The authorities demanded all station staff strengthen inspections, monitor all incoming and outgoing people, and conduct strict baggage checks, especially for powder-like substances in luggage.


    Just now, a whole team of fully armed special police also entered the train station.


    Liu Xiaotian¡¯s father ran a detective agency that was on the verge of collapse. As a result, he had some knowledge about firearms, and this was the first time he had seen all the inspection station officers opening the safety catch of their revolvers.


    But at this moment, he sat at the identity verification checkpoint, with thick steel bars on both sides and glass that could probably only be broken by bullets. After checking each ID card, he would glance at the steel plates, desperately comforting himself that it had nothing to do with him.


    Although he reassured himself like this, he nervously scanned left and right through the glass, instinctively observing the state of each passing traveler.


    Perhaps it was because of his father¡¯s usual teachings, or maybe it was just his extraordinary intuition as a detective¡¯s son, at around 4:30, he saw a pot-bellied middle-aged man. The middle-aged man wore a slanted business bag with gold-rimmed glasses and a shiny belt buckle, standing in the last line of the crowd entering the station.


    With one hand on the phone and the other holding his ID card and recently retrieved train ticket, he appeared to be extremely busy, which was consistent with the typical characteristics of a businessman.


    However, for some reason, Liu Xiaotian felt that there was something off about the man.


    Of course, there were nearly a hundred people between him and the middle-aged man, so the distance wasn¡¯t close, and he couldn¡¯t see clearly.


    Thinking back to the notice he had received earlier and the instructions from his superiors before starting the job, Liu Xiaotian felt that his nervousness might just be due to being overly sensitive. He shifted his gaze away and stamped another traveler¡¯s ticket. But suddenly, he felt that the flow of people entering the station had slowed down.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look towards the security checkpoint, where there was a crowd of people around two large X-ray machines. At this moment, he heard a garbled voice from the intercom¡ªsomeone had reported a situation at the security checkpoint. It seemed that someone from the countryside had brought a live chicken through the X-ray machine, and the train station security personnel had discovered it and were arguing with the person.


    During this sensitive time, the station police were very vigilant, and the intercom was filled with busy instructions.


    ¡°Lao Wang, take Xiao Chen over there to handle the situation.¡±


    ¡°The rest of you hold your positions and don¡¯t act recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Liu Xiaotian continued checking the ID cards while inexplicably thinking of the phrase ¡°Sound in the East, strike in the West*¡±. He then cast another glance at the middle-aged man at the end of the line.


    *(Éù¶«»÷Î÷) Idiom referring to making a feint in the east but attacking in the west. Basically, concealing one¡¯s intention by diversion.


    The middle-aged man had already hung up the phone.


    Finally, Liu Xiaotian realized what was wrong.


    Most of the wealthy middle-aged men liked to speak loudly in public places, but this middle-aged man was different. Although he looked loyal to his outward appearance, there was an inexplicable depth and restraint to him. He was on the phone and seemed to be very busy, but after the call, he calmly put the phone back into his business bag. Nowadays, what kind of man would put his phone in his bag?


    Liu Xiaotian could certainly find examples to refute himself, but in such a special period, he took a deep breath and without hesitation picked up the intercom to report, ¡°Suspicious person spotted at Entrance B of the westbound station¡­ Well, there¡¯s a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him. I feel he¡¯s suspicious. Can you send someone over to question him?¡±


    After quietly saying these words, he casually put down the intercom and pretended to be busy checking tickets and verifying identities. His heart was racing, and he felt dry in the mouth. On the one hand, he worried that his superiors might not care about his opinion, and on the other hand, he feared that he might identify the wrong person, leading to misunderstandings and embarrassment.


    However, just when he was feeling anxious, the middle-aged man¡¯s position was getting closer and closer to him. The distance between them was delicate, neither too close nor too far, neither advancing nor retreating, and according to the direction of the wind today¡­


    He didn¡¯t know why he suddenly thought about the direction of the wind. It was as if his subconscious told him that the man would take dangerous items out of his bag and spray them on the crowd.


    Plainclothes officers were coming from inside the station. If the middle-aged man passed by his position and walked a few steps further into the crowd, he should meet the undercover police.


    But at that moment, all the sounds around Liu Xiaotian suddenly quieted down. The voices of people talking, children crying, scolding for lost tickets, and farewells all disappeared in an instant.


    He felt as if he had entered a state of extreme silence, yet his thoughts were incredibly clear. He stamped a small red inspection seal on the ticket and handed it back to the old lady in front of him. As the old lady moved forward, the middle-aged man moved one step closer. Liu Xiaotian inexplicably felt his blood boiling, and he abruptly opened the window, leaned out, and tightly wrapped his hands around the middle-aged man¡¯s hands.


    In the blink of an eye, there was no look of astonishment on the middle-aged man¡¯s face, but Liu Xiaotian knew that something in the middle-aged man¡¯s hand had broken. The faint sound of a glass bottle being crushed was deeply imprinted in his mind.


    But he couldn¡¯t let go. He knew he couldn¡¯t let go. It was a very strange and brief moment.


    He even felt like he had become a detached soul, watching as a young man suddenly burst into action, stretching out of the window in an eerie posture, entangling with another middle-aged man. The surrounding passengers were puzzled and simply stared at them in a daze. Two plainclothes police officers in the distance pushed through the crowd and rushed swiftly towards them.


    The struggle between him and the middle-aged man seemed frozen in a state of stillness, yet within this absolute stillness, there was movement. The middle-aged man¡¯s face slowly revealed a smile that completely contradicted his appearance, resembling blood dripping into clear water and slightly cracked lips.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes showed an extremely cruel gleam, and the feeling of the glass embedded in his palm was excruciating. Liu Xiaotian couldn¡¯t breathe, but he dared not let go. He even thought of death. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he struggled to swallow his saliva. In the next moment, the stillness ended, and motion resumed.


    Screams, shouts, and the creaking sound of people pushing and shoving erupted like a burst of fireworks, making him feel dizzy and disoriented. Fortunately, he was certain that his hands still firmly grasped the middle-aged man¡¯s hand, and he was sure he had exerted all his strength.


    As for what happened next, Liu Xiaotian¡¯s memory became extremely blurry. He only remembered the plainclothes officers arriving, and he gasped for breath as he collapsed against the window, hitting his head on the frame, looking incredibly foolish.


    In a daze, he looked up at the large screen inside the station, amidst the bustling crowd. Instead of advertisements, there was the news from Meicun TV station. The face of the anchor flashed by, and he saw a scene of chaos somewhere. Shelves collapsed, and many clothes were scattered on the ground, vibrant and colorful but hard to discern clearly.


    He seemed to see burlap sacks and people lying on them, as well as girls with blood on their fair cheeks.


    Then, he knew nothing else.

 CH 272

    Hongjing Municipal Bureau, Command Center.


    The sound of ringing phones echoed throughout the room as nearly thirty police officers sat in rows, answering the latest news from various sources.


    ¡°Understood, is it on the main road in Meicun?¡±


    ¡°Connecting you to hotline three.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this information is currently classified. We will inform you of any updates in a timely manner.¡±


    They were like weavers sitting on a dense web of information, gathering and refining countless pieces of information, condensing them into concise and useful reports, and submitting them upward once again.


    The hall was filled with bustling voices as the officers weaved and shuttled around. So much so that when the Provincial Bureau Chief accompanied by others arrived, no one paid excessive attention to him either.


    The visitor was dressed in the simplest iron-gray overalls, with the cuffs and collar washed to a pale white. Paired with gray hair and the most ordinary gold-rimmed reading glasses, he looked no different from an old man taking care of his grandchildren on the street.


    The only difference was that the old man looked weary, with traces of exhaustion around his eyes and brows. Yet, even so, you could still sense the authority characteristic of someone in a higher position from the gaze hidden behind the reading glasses.


    In fact, if there were no special circumstances, the officers present would only be able to see this level of leadership on television throughout their entire lives.


    Behind the old man were police experts, emergency response department specialists, medical department professors, and even Mr. Zhang¡¯s dream mentor, Academician Zhang, following closely behind.


    In the entire hall, the first to notice the situation was Comrade Zhang Xiaolong, the deputy head of Xing Conglian. A female officer stood up from her seat and saluted. She was about to inform the Chief of the situation when the old man waved to them, saying, ¡°Please sit, do whatever you need to do,¡± before leading the massive entourage across the entire hall and arriving at the entrance to the command room on the innermost side.


    A floor-to-ceiling glass partition separated the hall from the command room, like two separate worlds.


    The noise from outside and the quietness inside formed a sharp contrast. In the spacious room, there was only Xing Conglian, sitting quietly in front of the TV, smoking and watching the news about the impending attack on Meicun.


    The Provincial Bureau Chief thought of knocking on the door, but the old man stopped him. The group of people stared at the screen through the glass, as if watching a silent film.


    The TV screen showed the tragic scenes from the Meicun clothing market. The incident happened during the peak period of shipping in the afternoon. The escalators were crowded with workers carrying large and small packages. Due to many blind spots in the surveillance, it was impossible to determine the exact location of the incident. Someone rushed to the escalator and madly rushed downward. As a result, the crowd pushed and fell off the escalator, resulting in trampling and crushing. The uninformed crowd desperately tried to escape but never made it out.


    The camera panned across a brown blood stain from top to bottom, and children¡¯s sandals were left on the railing.


    There were no casualties in the footage, and the scene had already been cleared. Under the hazy white incandescent light, there were only large patches of disarrayed, colorful clothing, like soulless shells, drifting gently in the air.


    The news footage ended, and only then did the old man push open the door.


    On the LCD screen, the TV had already switched to the hospital. The host was reporting on the list of casualties and missing persons, and each name sounded extremely heavy.


    Xing Conglian stood up to inquire, but when he turned around to see the old man, there was no surprise or shock in his gaze. He furrowed his brows, and his eyes were as deep as a pond.


    ¡°Minister Shen,¡± he calmly saluted the old man and then put his hand down. This attitude surprised many people around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time. We have already seen the latest briefings on our way here. Can you catch the criminals within 24 hours?¡±


    Unexpectedly, the Minister was straightforward. He sat down with his entourage of experts around the circular table in the command room and spoke to Xing Conglian in such a manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡± Xing Conglian only replied with two words.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The old man suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp. ¡°Facing so many victims, you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s difficult? If you can¡¯t do it, get out of this position, and I¡¯ll replace you with someone else!¡± The old man slammed the table, scolding him angrily.


    Xing Conglian stood in front of the glass curtain wall covered with densely packed strategies and didn¡¯t become fearful because of the old man¡¯s anger.


    The news was now interviewing eyewitnesses at the clothing market. A middle-aged woman covered in blood looked traumatized as she said, ¡°I told them not to push, not to push, but nobody listened; everyone went crazy.¡±


    Xing Conglian raised the remote control and lowered the volume.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a simple attack case,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    The old man was impatient and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear the difficulty. When can we get Shen Lian¡¯s confession?¡±


    ¡°Shen Lian¡¯s confession may not be as simple as catching a criminal,¡± Xing Conglian said, showing no respect for the senior leader in front of so many people.


    ¡°Xing Conglian!¡± Minister Shen didn¡¯t raise his voice, but real anger finally appeared in his eyes.


    The chief secretary hurriedly signaled to the police captain in front of the glass panel.


    However, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t accept it. ¡°There is no point in getting angry with me here.¡± He paused and said very clearly, ¡°The criminals are just creating a time gap between us fully researching the drug and the huge social impact it causes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the current social impact bad enough?¡± Minister Shen said coldly.


    ¡°Compared to what they want to achieve, what we have now is just an appetizer.¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s voice had a metallic and deep quality, and he didn¡¯t deliberately make the statement eerie, but it still sent a shiver down the spines of many present.


    ¡°What exactly are the criminals demanding? So far, no organization or individual has claimed responsibility for this matter.¡± Fearing that the old man might get a heart attack from Xing Conglian¡¯s fearlessness, the head of the provincial department intervened.


    ¡°Demands?¡± Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze turned cold. He turned around and wiped off a large area of useless water-based pen marks on the glass panel behind him, then wrote down the words in red.


    The edges of the writing looked blurred, and the old man squinted.


    Xing Conglian stopped and looked down at all the experts in the office. He said in an unprecedentedly cold tone, ¡°Killing¡ªwhat¡¯s so remarkable about killing? His goal is to destroy people¡¯s hearts.¡±


    Many experts who were well-prepared with disciplinary knowledge were shocked by his words, but they quickly understood.


    ¡°The blind arbitrator talks about the purposelessness of natural selection¡­¡± Academician Zhang looked at the glass panel and said, ¡°And¡­ human evolution¡­ morality, and genes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, genes.¡±


    Xing Conglian calmly recounted Lin Chen¡¯s views to them, saying, ¡°More and more research has shown that antisocial personalities or some criminals may be born with criminal genes. For example, the warrior gene codenamed MAOA affects people¡¯s brain neurotransmitters, making them emotionally abnormal, irritable, and difficult to control; or the mutant gene that produces a large amount of 5-H2TA receptors weakens the prefrontal cortex function, causing emotional disorders and impulsive behavior.¡±


    Xing Conglian hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he was interrupted.


    ¡°Genetic determinism is the most powerful argument for exculpating criminal behavior. How can a police officer like you endorse this view?¡± an irritable medical expert said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t endorse it, but it is a view accepted by the criminal. Therefore, we believe that the mastermind behind all these events represents the criminal group and conveys two perspectives. First, all human behaviors defined as crimes are influenced by the brain, and the criminals do not need to take responsibility for their actions. And this is why he wants to develop and spread this drug that deprives people of their humanity.¡±


    It was as if Xing Conglian was speaking on behalf of Lin Chen, who should have been the one to explain all this.


    Emergency room footage appeared on the TV.


    Even though the TV volume was already lowered to the minimum by Xing Conglian, the inhuman roar still seemed to permeate the screen and reach beyond the curtain.


    ¡°If the TERN isomer affects the human brain and causes people to commit crimes, can they avoid responsibility for their criminal behavior?¡± Xing Conglian asked, but he didn¡¯t give anyone time to answer. ¡°The answer is yes because we now classify all drug-influenced individuals as victims.¡±


    He continued, ¡°Furthermore, if a criminal takes the TERN isomer again and commits a crime, would they be exempt from punishment? The answer is very likely, as we cannot discern the details of how everyone is affected by the drug.¡±


    ¡°And if you think this is already a malicious intent, then the hidden problem of the criminals is even more deadly. In the mass panic incidents, a third scenario inevitably arises: many individuals not affected by any drug commit violations against others simply to protect themselves. Should they be held responsible for this?¡± Xing Conglian pointed to the TV screen and asked the most thought-provoking question. ¡°If our answer is that we cannot determine or convict, then the criminals will ask this world¡ªwhy should they be held accountable for their criminal actions?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s presence was imposing, and his eyes revealed a cold and cruel gaze.


    Someone immediately retorted, ¡°The premise is flawed. The TERN isomer causes a specific situation, but under normal circumstances, people can control their behavior.¡±


    ¡°They believe they can¡¯t; they are inherently psychopaths.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sophistry. The law constrains human behavior, regardless of individual will. Whether you can control yourself or not has nothing to do with whether the law can constrain you!¡±


    ¡°Why should the law constrain me?¡± Xing Conglian questioned.


    ¡°Natural law, social contract¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about society. I am an independent individual!¡±


    ¡°The essence of a person lies in their social nature!¡± an expert who argued with Xing Conglian shouted.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian suddenly stopped.


    He withdrew his previous aggressive momentum, lowered his raised finger, and looked into the distance as if peering through the long history. Calmly, he asked, ¡°Then, what if social morality itself¡­ is wrong?¡±


    No one answered this question.


    The room fell into a silence as dark as night, reminiscent of his mood when Lin Chen asked him this question.


    Xing Conglian knew bringing up Lin Chen at this time was inappropriate, but it was also reasonable.


    At that time, Lin Chen sat in the library with a calm gaze, explaining to him the terrifying thoughts behind all these events.


    Lin Chen asked him, since people always like to dig deep and ask about the ultimate answer to the question of ¡°why someone becomes a criminal¡±, what exactly is the ultimate answer?


    Xing Conglian couldn¡¯t answer, and he didn¡¯t even want to hear Lin Chen¡¯s response to this question.


    Because Lin Chen¡¯s contemplation on this question clearly pervaded the three long and gloomy years after Huang Weiwei¡¯s death. It was the question that the mastermind raised and tormented his soul day and night.


    What is morality?


    Why are laws based on morality formed?


    Why do people become criminals when they violate legal rules?


    ¡°If this were just an ordinary criminal, when he proves that we lack an objective standard for defining criminal behavior, he has already achieved his purpose,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°But obviously, the criminals we are facing this time are ambitious. They are anti-society, not against the social system but against the moral principles that each of us relies on for survival.¡±


    Since Xing Conglian had been confrontational, Minister Shen remained silent until now. The old man raised his head and slowly spoke. ¡°If¡­ social moral principles¡­ are not trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, since everything is the result of random choices, there is actually no morality, no justice, no goodness, and no moral standards that we have constructed. Human nature is inherently selfish, and we can do whatever it takes for our self-preservation, so actions that align with our nature cannot be considered wrong and should not be punished.¡±


    Though this idea was grand and terrifying, it also appeared ludicrous due to its grandiosity.


    One of the strategy research experts sitting down couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°A fool¡¯s dream, like ants trying to shake a tree. How can he prove human nature is selfish by spreading chaos and poisoning everywhere?¡± The middle-aged man pursed his lips and pointed at the TV. ¡°The more he does, the more people stand up to prove he¡¯s wrong.¡±


    The news had moved on to the next stage, no longer reporting the chaos at the Meicun clothing market, but instead, it began to narrate the act of heroism that occurred at Meicun Train Station.


    A young train station intern named Lu Xiaotian prevented a poisoning incident at the train station. However, due to ingesting too much of the drug, Lu Xiaotian suffered acute brain failure and was in critical condition.


    The news report used extremely touching language, and in the corridor outside the hospital room, the reporter almost used all the honorable and righteous words to describe this young person who was only 22 years old.


    While many in the command center showed pity in their eyes, Xing Conglian didn¡¯t turn to look. He coldly interrupted the moment, saying, ¡°You¡¯re so stupid,¡± to someone.


    A strategy expert slammed the table and stood up. His level was higher than Xing Conglian¡¯s, so he confidently scolded, ¡°Xing Conglian, who do you think you are? Until now, you haven¡¯t explained anything logically. You¡¯re just talking nonsense, and no wonder you can¡¯t catch the criminals or extract confessions!¡±


    With one hand in his pocket, Xing Conglian looked down at the strategy expert who questioned him not far away.


    Actually, how could the culprit be without reason? With just a few words of verbal infringement, they managed to divide people who should have been united. Then, when it comes to life-and-death interests, who can guarantee that the moral values held by this society will not be shaken?


    Xing Conglian said, ¡°I call you stupid because you have seen the briefing, and you should know about the voting incident that happened on the Dark Web. So, do you think the culprit is just inciting chaos everywhere merely to satisfy the desires of some internet perverts who want to see violent and bloody events?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The strategy expert was rendered speechless by the question. He then retorted, ¡°And you also said he wanted to prove that people don¡¯t need to be responsible for their criminal actions. But this kind of proof is meaningless in reality. The force of law is not determined by him. Even if he¡¯s dissatisfied, he has to accept it!¡±


    ¡°I said this was just an appetizer.¡± Xing Conglian turned around and drew a map of the three provinces on the glass panel with a bright red water-based pen. ¡°The appetizer proves his ability to threaten our social security. After widespread coverage in the news media and causing a sense of insecurity in all the masses, he can move on to the second stage.¡±


    Throwing away the pen, Xing Conglian pointed to the map on the glass panel and asked, ¡°Suppose this voting didn¡¯t occur on the Dark Web. Suppose that in the real world, everyone has the right to vote. Each resident of the three provinces has the power to select the next target for the attack. What do you think would happen then?¡±


    It was like a gale blowing or a thunderbolt striking.


    This was Xing Conglian¡¯s mood when he heard Lin Chen¡¯s question. And now, in this simple command room, in front of the scrolling TV news, everyone finally understood his feelings at that time.


    Shock, followed by being at a loss.


    But Lin Chen¡¯s questioning didn¡¯t end there. He asked Xing Conglian, ¡°Xing Conglian, have you ever thought that the problem I faced back then was just a tiny human nature experiment with no great social significance? But what if now, he wants every person to face the same human nature experiment? If every resident in the three provinces has the power to choose the next attack location on a city-based level, do you think this really won¡¯t shake the moral principles that our society relies on?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s voice was calm and slow. Now, Xing Conglian also repeated Lin Chen¡¯s words to the people at the highest level of this country.


    However, just like back then, Xing Conglian was at a loss, and the weathered old man in front of him also began to panic.


    Xing Conglian thought, yes, each of them always claimed to believe in human nature. But deep down in an area that was hard to speak of, they didn¡¯t believe that justice could overcome evil, that goodness could defeat ugliness, or that some people could eventually triumph over others¡­


    In fact, they didn¡¯t even believe in human nature itself.


    ¡°This is a balancing game on a tightrope,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Kinky Thoughts:


    There are a lot of philosophical ideas here. The question of whether morality is inherent or learned is one of the main points, and such a question has been debated and theorized by countless philosophers and social scientists.


    Personally, I think morality is simply a social construct. We have law and order only because there¡¯s an inherent system already set up to satisfy the basic needs of human nature (food and shelter, which ultimately means survivability). Stability for these things supersedes everything else, so we can easily accept laws established through morality (in order to maintain the stability of our survival).


    That is not to say that some people aren¡¯t more ¡°moral¡± than others. Chemicals in the brain and personality play a huge factor as well. Due to chemical imbalances, they can affect how people see morality and their actions.


    Thus, the question is, can these people be held accountable for their actions if what they are doing is inherently because of their genes. In a moral and civilized society, yes, since they pose an inherent risk to others and, by extension, the stability of our survivability. The bigger question now is, due to criminal actions, innocent people are now driven to act irrationally, which is outside their control. Can they still be held accountable when they commit crimes during such acts? Such is the gray area¡­


    But I digress¡­

 CH 273

    Inside the Hongjing Detention Center, the police officers were installing a television.


    Lin Chen had agreed to something with Shen Lian, and from the very beginning, he had no intention of avoiding it.


    Shen Lian sat with her legs crossed, looking like a lovely little girl, eagerly anticipating the black screen to light up.


    ¡°Where was I¡­?¡± Lin Chen got a little distracted by turning his head, so he asked suddenly.


    Shen Lian raised her handcuffed hands, pinched her thumb and index finger together, pretending to pull out a long thread, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Lin Chen nodded. ¡°In the beginning, after facing a true moral dilemma, I was lost. To fill my state of ignorance, I read many books discussing the origin of morality and human psychological evolution. But the more I read, the more bewildered I became. The things I firmly believed in, such as fairness, justice, freedom, reason, kindness, and goodness¡­ were they truly existing, or just constructs invented by people to maintain human society?¡±


    He spoke eloquently and didn¡¯t shy away from this experience. In fact, at that time, he believed that in order to defeat the opponent, he must unravel the answers. However, everyone knew that no one could unlock the real answers.


    Shen Lian, on the other hand, sat with her arms crossed, her contempt evident in her gaze. Being someone with such strong beliefs, she naturally looked down on the indecisive Lin Chen.


    ¡°Some philosophers might choose suicide, probably for the same reason, as the purposeless chaotic state can easily make people feel lost.¡± Lin Chen placed his hands on the table and casually continued, ¡°In principle, I should have committed suicide too. But one day, I suddenly realized, why do I have to find definite answers?¡±


    He looked at Shen Lian and smiled. ¡°You see, this is where he and I fundamentally differ.¡±


    ¡°Social contract, natural law, collective subconscious, selfish genes¡­ I can recognize and understand many viewpoints, and I also understand the criticisms against these views. Therefore, I am confused, as I cannot find something absolutely correct. But he is different. He is obsessed. He surveys the history of human evolution, finds something he approves of, takes it as a life-saving straw, as the ultimate truth, and instills it in all of you. He desperately needs the recognition of those he considers as his kind, and he even needs the society he rebels against to accept his views. Faced with such a madman, all I, an ignorant and powerless person, can do¡­¡± Lin Chen paused and looked at Shen Lian, saying, ¡°All I can do is figure out what he believes in, what he is thinking, and what he is planning in my area of expertise, and then¡­ defeat him.¡±


    The interrogation room was really small, with gray-white walls, and his voice dissipated completely upon hitting the walls. Outside the iron window, the flowing clouds seemed to freeze, and there was not a single sound in the silence.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    Shen Lian laughed.


    The woman looked at him as if watching a pitiful insect. Lin Chen thought it was normal for her to do so.


    ¡°He used the isomer of TERN to prove the physiological inevitability of so-called criminal behavior. He used the trolley problem presented to everyone to demonstrate the widespread selfishness among humans. He wants to prove that the morals held by most people in this society regarding matters of personal interest are false and fragile. That¡¯s an obvious motive, but¡­ then what?¡± Lin Chen lightly tapped his fingertip on the broken tabletop between him and Shen Lian and said, ¡°Even if he proves it, so what? The stable social contract established among people in this society won¡¯t shatter into pieces because of a madman¡¯s game. So until I saw the term ¡®balancing game on a tightrope¡¯, I couldn¡¯t understand what he really wanted.¡± Lin Chen paused, and his expression suddenly froze. ¡°In fact, he is even crazier than I imagined.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, Command Room.


    Xing Conglian wasn¡¯t very good at doing this kind of thing, but at this moment, Lin Chen was struggling to break Shen Lian¡¯s spiritual belief. Therefore, he had to take on some other tasks.


    He tapped the glass panel and said, ¡°The original meaning of this term is a hypothesis that specifically refers to subtle moments in the evolution of human morality. Let¡¯s take an example. Forget all the concepts about modern society¡ªno skyscrapers, no luxurious living. Let¡¯s go back to Africa 45,000 years ago when anatomically modern humans existed.¡± He paused and continued, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, modern humans just like us.¡±


    Xing Conglian pointed at everyone in the room and said, ¡°We were all together, but at that time, we didn¡¯t have any moral or legal concepts like we do now. We were no different from chimpanzees. If you encroached on my territory or took my woman, I would kill you without any problem. Some theories suggest that it was the selfishness of genes that led to our selfish behavior. Each one of us was a born ¡®egoist¡¯ back then. But as time went on, more and more people lived in tribes, and mistakes started to appear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m physically strong and capable of arbitrarily killing others, posing a serious threat to your safety. I also have supporters behind me, leading to a confrontation. At this point, the highly respected Minister Shen stepped forward and said that I should be killed. As other members of the tribe, you couldn¡¯t tolerate me any longer, so you united and killed or expelled me and my followers. Those who responded to Minister Shen¡¯s call to confront me were warriors with qualities like loyalty, bravery, and empathy; they are ¡®altruists¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Waves of extremists were eliminated, and the tribe gradually stabilized. Stability made the tribe more competitive, which allowed for better reproduction and growth. This is the result of natural selection. The definition of morals gradually solidified through the reproduction of altruists, and rules, laws, and social contracts emerged. This is the group selection theory* of the origin of morality.¡± Xing Conglian looked at everyone present and said solemnly, ¡°But, is all of this truly the inevitable result of natural selection?¡±


    *Proposed mechanism of evolution in which natural selection acts at the level of the group, instead of the level of individual or gene.


    He didn¡¯t give everyone time to ponder. He asked directly and decisively, ¡°Did a dangerous moment exist during the process of human evolution when the forces of ¡®egoists¡¯ like me and the forces of ¡®altruists¡¯ like you reached a delicate balance? It was a life-or-death moment. Once either side gained the upper hand, society would take on two completely different forms. If you won, society would become what you desired. But if I succeeded, the descendants carrying my genes would lead the entire human society into the abyss I expect.¡±


    With his hands in his pockets, Xing Conglian spoke extremely coldly. ¡°This is the balance on the tightrope¡ªa truly great moment that will determine the future form of human society.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    A remote control was placed in front of Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen picked up the remote control, nodded to the police officer in thanks, and asked Shen Lian, ¡°So, what is his real purpose?¡±


    He asked and then answered, ¡°I think his purpose is not to immediately create this moment. He has a much deeper plan; he wants to plant a seed of selfishness in everyone¡¯s hearts.¡±


    ¡°This seed is planted in the hearts of the choosers, the abstainers, and even the observers. Through generations of human reproduction, the seed grows and gives extreme egoists like you, who are not accepted by society, a possibility in the future.¡±


    ¡°One day, the egoist population will eventually grow to a terrifying scale, and at that moment, humanity will once again face the balancing game on the tightrope, getting another chance to make a fateful choice.¡±


    ¡°That is what he truly aims to achieve.¡±

 CH 274

    All was silent, as eternal as the dark night.


    The cold and damp air from the central air conditioning blew down, carrying a strong scent of coarse-grained bloodiness.


    If it weren¡¯t for the footsteps and voices from outside, bringing a bit of vitality, the elderly people in the room would probably take a very long time to recover.


    However, there was another advantage of being elderly¡ªthey were not easily swayed by others. The life experiences of the elderly made them stubborn and resistant to novel and radical ideas.


    Xing Conglian thought that this was probably why that person wanted the elderly in society to die thoroughly.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    After listening to Xing Conglian¡¯s long theoretical explanation, Minister Shen paused for a long time before raising his aged head and answered disdainfully.


    ¡°Yes, do they think they can decide the future of humanity with just a vote?¡± Another elderly person was also finally awakened and joined in. ¡°I think the most likely outcome is that this matter will be forgotten in a few years. Why does he think he can change the future genetic direction of the entire human race? Is he crazy?¡±


    ¡°Professor Zheng is right. The worst-case scenario is that he will eventually prove that everyone is selfish, and people will start killing each other for their own interests again. But in the end, society will return to stability because the number of psychopaths is too small to make a significant impact.¡±


    ¡°2%,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°In the Hale Psychopathy Checklist, the most extreme psychopaths account for 2% of the total population, and this figure remains constant across various racial and ethnic groups.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s only 2%. How much impact can they make?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to argue with me, Xing Conglian?¡±


    ¡°The extreme tendencies in psychological scales are based on statistical significance. But what if the mental state of the population has already deviated?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of any deviation, society needs to develop through cooperation and dedication. When individuals in a population are always ready to sacrifice themselves for the collective interest, that population becomes more competitive. In a society where people kill each other, human populations will gradually perish and cannot achieve victory. Nature has never been a blind arbitrator¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the majority oppressing the minority. Those psychopaths affecting population stability are the ones being abandoned by nature!¡±


    The elderly people were arguing back and forth, but Xing Conglian interrupted them.


    ¡°You lost.¡± He looked down at these ¡°elderly¡± people condescendingly.


    At this moment, Xing Conglian seemed possessed by Lin Chen¡ªsharp, cold, and ruthless. Of course, he was also standing here on behalf of Lin Chen.


    The elderly people were taken aback by his sharp remarks, and some of them even started coughing.


    ¡°When you start considering the practicality and likelihood of his ideas and try to find reasons to criticize him, you have already fallen into his trap,¡± Xing Conglian said. ¡°What he wanted was discussion. With discussion, there would be different opinions, and he would gain more and more supporters because of this incident¡ªthe supporters you thought didn¡¯t exist but actually do.¡±


    The director of the Provincial Public Security Department had been patient with Xing Conglian until now, but even he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°So, what do you suggest? Block the news and ban discussions?¡±


    ¡°Blocking the news is the worst way to handle a crisis.¡±


    ¡°Then shut down the internet and ban the voting website.¡±


    ¡°In the long term, we can thoroughly study the TERN isomer, but in the short term, it¡¯s impossible. So, the hostages in his hands represent the safety of all citizens. If he really makes demands on us and forces the voting website to go online, do you dare to prevent that page from displaying?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    ¡°Xing Conglian, you¡¯re really wicked.¡± The expert from the Network Department suddenly remembered something and slapped the table. ¡°From the very beginning, it was you who led us into this predicament! Even if the Dark Web is currently a blind spot for our monitoring, once this voting game dares to go online, we have a thousand ways to monitor it, track the criminals¡¯ IP addresses, and even manipulate the results. All of that can be done!¡±


    ¡°Yes, even if he wants people from every city in three provinces to vote, why should we do as he says? We can make plans in advance and direct the results to what we find acceptable, right?¡±


    ¡°Public opinion on the internet can also be manipulated. It¡¯s not that difficult,¡± said the public opinion expert.


    ¡°So what? Which city are you ready to sacrifice?¡± Xing Conglian asked.


    A cold shower poured down again, and the enthusiastic discussion in the command room stagnated and solidified. Unwilling sacrifice and strategic analysis after voluntary dedication were completely different concepts.


    Even if they could seamlessly execute this plan, they were still stepping into a pre-arranged trap. That person had a way to expose the ugly core beneath all the beautiful decorations.


    ¡°It¡¯s not feasible here, and it¡¯s not feasible there. Can you provide a solution then?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lin Chen turned on the TV.


    Before this, he had been busy in the interrogation room, and the young officer responsible for installing the TV belonged to the prison¡¯s technical department.


    The boy hadn¡¯t experienced any truly cruel events, but after hearing the terrifying information casually mentioned by Lin Chen, his face turned pale. It was a state of ¡°I¡¯m about to throw up, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    After Lin Chen nodded at him, he was finally allowed to leave the small gray room.


    Shen Lian raised the corners of her mouth again, looking contemptuously at the closed door.


    Lin Chen picked up the remote control and turned towards the TV, asking her very gentlemanly, ¡°Do you need any special proof to confirm that this news is indeed from a live broadcast and not edited to deceive you?¡±


    The woman shook her head, appearing to trust him.


    He then increased the volume a bit and put down the remote control.


    Finally, there was a bit of modern civilization in the room. The news program had progressed to the next stage, and the female anchor was summarizing all the events that had occurred in the past few days. From Nordren to Tan Kang, from the nursing home to Zhourui Pharmaceutical, the news summarized the sequence of events from beginning to end, and Shen Lian was finally allowed to leave proudly.


    The previous attack incidents were terrifying enough, and the news only dared to mention ¡°ongoing intensive research¡± regarding the TERN isomer.


    Probably, because the director also thought that they couldn¡¯t continue to scare people like this, the next phase of the news finally became somewhat reassuring.


    ¡°The police have made a breakthrough in the case investigation. It is reported that the number one suspect named Shen Lian was apprehended by the police yesterday evening,¡± the female anchor said with composure and paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°The police spokesperson stated that the interrogation against Shen Lian has been swiftly and orderly underway, and they believe a breakthrough will be achieved soon. Now, let us follow the footage to review the situation at that time¡­¡±


    The scene faded in, and the background music started playing first. It was a fast-paced tune often used in movies during the final counterattack of the righteous side. With the breaking news reported by the news anchor, all the city¡¯s police officers were mobilized, and the red and green lights flickered as police cars weaved through the streets.


    The signboard of the nursing home appeared next, but it only received a symbolic shot. The scene then transitioned to the map of Hongjing, with traffic cleverly diverted. This depicted the situation when Lin Chen set a trap to catch Shen Lian.


    Finally, numerous police cars stopped in front of the Zhourui building.


    The camera kept moving up, reaching the top floor, and suddenly stopped.


    The background music also came to an abrupt halt.


    There was no more background music, nor were there fast-paced editing shots. The corridor was pristine, and the atmosphere was unusually calm.


    At this moment, the figures of Lin Chen and Shen Lian appeared on the TV screen.


    The news footage switched to the surveillance video from yesterday afternoon, which would not have been obtained by ordinary media if the police hadn¡¯t released it.


    The evening sunlight was gentle, and the police consultant in the video was talking to the number one suspect.


    They each held a vial and lightly tapped the bottle caps, as if they were old friends.


    ¡­¡­


    The high-level officials in the Municipal Police Bureau command room also saw this news at the same time.


    The news narration was, ¡°At that time, the suspect Shen Lian attempted suicide. In order to stop her, the police negotiator finally agreed to administer a high-dose drug to save her life and create an opportunity for further negotiations.¡±


    After this segment ended, the screen switched back to the broadcasting center. The female anchor looked to her side and said, ¡°Next, we will invite special guest commentator Editor-in-Chief Zhang to analyze the intentions behind the police¡¯s actions.¡±


    The camera shifted, and a man in a polo shirt appeared next to the female anchor. After pondering for a moment, he pretended to be considering the question and said, ¡°Honestly, I currently cannot fathom the intentions behind the police¡¯s behavior. But I¡¯m afraid that for the public, the police¡¯s compromise with the criminals isn¡¯t good news.¡±


    ¡°We need your specific analysis,¡± the female anchor requested.


    Editor-in-Chief Zhang pushed his glasses up. ¡°I suspect that the police made their judgment based on certain intelligence. They believe that Shen Lian herself is of great importance, so in order to gain her cooperation, the police consultant had to risk his life.¡±


    ¡°In other words, the police don¡¯t have an exact way to counteract the drug used by the criminals?¡± the female anchor asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Unless internal core personnel reveal relevant data, it¡¯s impossible to thoroughly research a compound in a short time, let alone find an immediate treatment method.¡±


    ¡°But can the negotiator¡¯s act of exchanging his own safety for the chance of the suspect surviving be compared to capitulating to terrorists? This behavior seems like self-sacrifice, but in reality, it might boost the criminals¡¯ morale. Is it truly an effective strategy?¡±


    While the Editor-in-Chief Zhang was still explaining, the people in the small glass room had already reacted.


    The ¡°elderly¡± naturally wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to think that Lin Chen¡¯s appearance in the news was an attempt to ¡°take credit¡±.


    ¡°Are you all crazy?¡± The head of the provincial department was the first to slam the table with his fist.


    ¡°Who allowed you to act on your own without approval?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to!¡±


    Xing Conglian was the first to be criticized. ¡°This was something Lin Chen had promised Shen Lian a long time ago,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know Lin Chen¡¯s personality. The conditions he agreed to at that time and what he¡¯s doing now are completely different in nature!¡± The head of the department was furious. ¡°You could have simply fabricated fake news to deceive Shen Lian, but instead, you released it openly. Isn¡¯t it just to stir up social discussion?¡±


    Xing Conglian shrugged, remaining non-committal.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already speculated on the sinister intentions of the criminals, shouldn¡¯t you be more cautious in controlling public opinion? Now you dare to pour oil on the fire, afraid that the current panic isn¡¯t enough?¡±


    Another person chimed in, ¡°Ha, they¡¯re just telling the criminals: we know what you want to do, and we¡¯re not afraid of your tricks!¡±


    ¡°But if it really triggers a large-scale social discussion, wouldn¡¯t that fulfill the intentions of these anti-social individuals even more?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that their motives aren¡¯t that profound at all; they just want to kill people¡­ just like¡­¡±


    The public opinion expert was about to say more when Minister Shen raised his eyes, interrupted him, and said to Xing Conglian, ¡°In the end, your speculations about the future development of the case are just guesses.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded. ¡°Indeed, they are speculations.¡±


    The elderly man interrupted him. ¡°In other words, there¡¯s also a possibility that the second round of city voting may not happen at all, right?¡±

 CH 275

    After the elderly man finished speaking, an electric tricycle drove against the flow of people towards the direction of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.


    Although it was late afternoon, the sunlight outside the building was still bright, and there was no shortage of police officers coming and going at the entrance of the Municipal Bureau.


    ¡°Lao Zhang, time to check the packages!¡±


    The delivery guy from Shunshui Express stopped the tricycle, knocked on the window of the Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau¡¯s gatehouse, and shouted.


    ¡°Take it easy,¡± the gatekeeper, Lao Zhang, said slowly as he flipped a newspaper.


    The delivery guy immediately fell silent, nervously glancing into the courtyard of the Municipal Bureau, and started unloading the packages one by one from his tricycle. ¡°This case is huge! Do you have any insider information, Uncle Zhang?¡±


    Lao Zhang had been the gatekeeper of the Municipal Bureau for ten years and had rich counter-surveillance abilities. He wouldn¡¯t disclose any insider information just because of a delivery guy¡¯s inquiries.


    He pushed his rattan chair, walked out of the gatehouse with his hands behind his back, and said as he walked, ¡°That¡¯s not true. There are big cases every day.¡±


    He squatted down and checked each package for suspicious names and phone numbers, just like a king inspecting his soldiers. If he found any problematic items, he had the authority to call the person out or put the mail through an X-ray machine.


    Especially at times like this critical moment, his inspections were even more meticulous.


    The Shunshui Express delivery guy finally finished moving all the packages. The weather was still scorching hot. He wiped his sweat while humming a tune and returned to the black-painted electric tricycle. He took several letters from the package hanging on the front of the tricycle, used them as fans, and handed them to Lao Zhang with a leisurely sway.


    The gatekeeper¡¯s hand had thick calluses. If the Shunshui delivery guy observed carefully, he would notice that these calluses were caused by firearms, not any kind of manual labor. However, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t have such keen perception.


    When the letters were handed over, the cheerful expression on the gatekeeper¡¯s face changed. Among the four printed letters, which were reminders from the Social Security Center and credit card repayments, there was one that looked different from the uniform machine-printed ones. The gatekeeper took out a handkerchief from his front pocket, placed it between his fingers, and slowly pulled out the letter.


    The envelope was made of cowhide paper, and the back was sealed with a blood-red wax seal. In elegant calligraphy on the front, it was written, ¡°To Xing Conglian, Hongjing Municipal Bureau.¡± Under the sunlight, some parts of the letter were reflecting light, making it blurry.


    ¡­¡­


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t receive the letter immediately. The reason wasn¡¯t that he was in a meeting with senior officials, but rather that the situation hadn¡¯t yet reached his area of control. What arrived before the letter was the first wave of public opinion frenzy.


    In the network department area of the hall, things exploded without any regard for diplomacy.


    The first person to jump up was Wang Chao.


    Although he was still wearing a baseball cap indoors, he displayed an entirely mature level of control beyond his age in his area of expertise.


    Chewing on lemon-flavored gum, he glanced at several screens around him, his eyes sweeping through the surging data streams. He didn¡¯t even need to input any commands, yet he had already made a preliminary judgment on the situation.


    Despite furrowing his brow, there was no sign of nervousness or anxiety in his eyes.


    He patted the shoulder of the person beside him, indicating that they could temporarily take over his position, then he headed straight for the small glass room at the end of the hall.


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s movement online!¡± Wang Chao didn¡¯t care how many provincial-level officials were in the glass room. He didn¡¯t even knock; he just pushed the door open and reported directly to Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian hesitated for a moment, giving Minister Shen the opportunity to ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Wang Chao pursed his lips.


    Xing Conglian nodded to him in agreement. With the instructions received, Wang Chao rushed to the computer in the corner of the glass room and opened his laptop, which was connected to the main screen.


    Another screen embedded in the wall beside the glass panel lit up with an icy blue light, causing a moment of discomfort.


    Unfazed by the others in the room, the teenager immersed himself completely in his cold and precise world of calculations. He gathered the data from the control room, and on the screen appeared several bar charts, which belonged to the government¡¯s public opinion monitoring software¡ªclumsy in appearance but easy to operate.


    Wang Chao selected the section with ¡°harmful words¡±, and in the next second, all the bar charts became colorful and continuously climbed, resembling the body of a snake.


    ¡°Thirty seconds ago, the combination of keywords ¡®betting¡¯ and ¡®poisoning¡¯ on the internet has exponentially increased.¡± Wang Chao explained as he quickly dragged the mouse to the next screen.


    Instantly, a nebula-like scene appeared with countless bright white dots on a deep blue background.


    Wang Chao clicked on the source data in the center of the nebula. It was a Weibo post, and the sender¡¯s IP was located in a shopping mall in a certain city with a massive crowd, making it difficult to determine who actually sent the Weibo in a short period of time. The post contained only three images, without any text, indicating that the sender was well-versed in evading network monitoring.


    The first image was a screenshot of the hidden result of the dark web vote, displaying the time in the lower right corner.


    The second image showed the scene of a riot in Meicun¡¯s clothing market from a peculiar angle, and in the lower left corner, a person raised their wrist to reveal a steel watch, with the focus of the entire photo on the watch¡¯s time while the crowd surging into the clothing market in the background was entirely blurred.


    The third image didn¡¯t have any time information; it was a cold and programmed security inspection notice sent by higher authorities to various subway entrances in Meicun.


    Clearly, these three images were put together to imply a message: before the tragedy in the Meicun clothing market occurred, the government¡¯s higher-ups had already known about the impending attack, made various preparations, and even successfully avoided problems at the train station. However, they concealed this information from the public, leading to the tragic incident at the clothing market.


    There was no denying that the sender of this Weibo post was a master of public opinion manipulation.


    They directly aimed the blame at the government, implying that they were concealing information from the public. After all, what could generate more public interest than criticizing the government?


    After completing everything, Wang Chao looked up with sharp eyes, and only asked three words, ¡°What to do?¡±


    ¡°Do you still need to ask? Of course, it¡¯s controlling the situation under guidance!¡±


    ¡°How to control?¡± he asked, as if he were challenging the public opinion experts of the higher authorities. He effortlessly pulled up several typical remarks.


    ¡ª¡ªDamn, this is too insane.


    ¡ª¡ªIsn¡¯t this a terrorist attack? Damn, all they do is shit, and when something happens, they don¡¯t dare to even fart.


    ¡ª¡ªAre they crazy, these people!


    ¡ª¡ªWhat¡¯s the website? I¡¯m voting to destroy Hongjing. I¡¯ve been annoyed by those idiots in Hongjing for so long.


    As Wang Chao adjusted the data, the nebula on the screen expanded even more.


    The public opinion expert slammed the table. ¡°Explain to the public that the government did indeed receive information in advance about the attack and had made preparations. In order to prevent social panic and aid the investigation, they did not inform the public of the overall situation. The relevant details are still under investigation. Please believe that the police have the ability to solve the case. Besides official announcements, do not believe any rumors¡­ And¡­¡± He thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°We also need to shut down this source and trace the individuals involved. Do I need to teach you how to handle this kind of situation?¡±


    Wang Chao didn¡¯t follow orders; his attitude was evident. In the entire glass room, he only listened to one person. Xing Conglian faced Minister Shen directly, and from the moment Wang Chao entered, the elderly man¡¯s face had turned very unsightly.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but making premature judgments without concrete evidence can be intimidating to the public and threaten social stability. What if the criminals take advantage of this?¡± The old man paused and said, ¡°Xiao Liu¡¯s plan is the most secure. You focus on solving the case¡­¡±


    Before Xing Conglian could speak, Zhang Xiaolong became the second person to interrupt the meeting. The female officer held a bag of evidence, no longer as timid and shy as before. ¡°Captain Xing, the gatekeeper received a letter addressed to you.¡± She picked up the envelope and continued, ¡°We¡¯ve checked it, and there¡¯s no powder-like substance inside.¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded calmly and accepted the bag of evidence. Meanwhile, on the embedded screen behind him, Wang Chao opened the last message:


    ¡ª¡ªPo Master* gave me the method for online voting. Let¡¯s all vote to destroy Yongchuan!


    *It refers to people who publish posts, videos, audios, and pictures on the internet. Generally, referred to as the landlord or Weibo blogger on forums.


    ¡­¡­


    At the same time Xing Conglian received the letter, the same letter was also sent to Fengchun TV station.


    The only difference was that the mail wasn¡¯t delivered through traditional means of dispatch.


    The letter appeared in the email inbox of every employee in the news editing department at Fengchun TV station, sent through a mass mailing list.


    Some people treated it as junk mail and didn¡¯t open it, but others were compelled by the subject and clicked to open the entire email, which was designed to look like an animated letter.


    Like magic being instantly lifted, the sealing wax fell off, and the animated email popped up and then automatically opened itself. The black calligraphic letters landed on every pair of pitch-black pupils.


    In the first two minutes, after many people were eager to open the letter, no one spoke. But the confusion and bewilderment after reading it were quickly engulfed by an icy and horrifying atmosphere.


    The sound of chairs and tables being pushed open echoed in the open office, and those with quick reflexes had already taken screenshots and saved the email, and some even lifted their phones to take pictures.


    The editor-in-chief rushed out of his private office and shouted loudly to the entire office, ¡°What are you doing? Taking pictures and screenshots to upload to social media? Do you think the police won¡¯t come knocking on your door?¡±


    But in the next moment, the flashlights and camera shutters clicked, like the best mockery.


    The editor-in-chief¡¯s face turned pale. Seeing this, the editor, who couldn¡¯t resist taking the photo, courageously raised his hand and said, ¡°Boss, this is huge news. Even if we don¡¯t report it, other media will. And it¡¯s not the police who will give us bonuses¡­¡±


    The editor-in-chief was taken aback. His face became gloomy, but it seemed like he couldn¡¯t find the right words to refute at that moment.


    Just then, a journalist in the corner, who had been refreshing Weibo, shouted, ¡°BAS TV station has already sent out a ¡®Breaking News¡¯ post!¡±

 CH 276

    At the time of the incident, Mu Wenhua was working.


    In a sense, Song Shengsheng once again changed her life.


    She gave up being a housewife and chose to send her daughter to daycare, trying to be a little braver and open a new chapter in her life.


    She took on a receptionist job at a children¡¯s playground in the mall. Although the job wasn¡¯t great and the pay was low, she had to shuttle back and forth every day. Nevertheless, it was her first brave step to face life after being away from society for over two years.


    At first, she didn¡¯t realize what was happening. She bent down to take off a child¡¯s shoes while a grandmother wiped the boy¡¯s sweat with a large towel. Suddenly, Mu Wenhua noticed the old woman¡¯s ears twitching as if she heard something. The grandmother¡¯s actions to comfort her grandson came to a halt.


    The elderly always had keen senses, and Mu Wenhua followed the direction of the sound to realize that the commotion was coming from a chain electronics store diagonally across the children¡¯s playground.


    Since it wasn¡¯t yet mealtime, the mall was relatively empty, but a crowd had gathered at the entrance of the electronics store. People were standing on tiptoes, looking like something magnetic was attracting each passerby¡¯s footsteps.


    Mu Wenhua couldn¡¯t help but rise on her toes as well. She saw the distinctive red mark of breaking news flashing on the window display TV, but she couldn¡¯t hear any sound. She felt lost and didn¡¯t know what to do, thinking to herself, ¡®If the world has become this bad, what else could be terrifying?¡¯


    So, she just furrowed her brows, took a deep breath, and turned around to take out the clothes for the children from the cupboard.


    Around that time, her phone rang.


    ¡°Honey, quickly take a leave and pick up our daughter from daycare. They said all public places are dangerous!¡± Mu Wenhua answered her phone, and her husband¡¯s voice was trembling and loud, catching the attention of the elderly lady nearby.


    ¡°What happened, dear? Calm down and tell me slowly,¡± she said apologetically to the old lady, lowering her voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s an attack. They announced that they will attack all public places. Online, they said that malls and schools are high-risk areas.¡± The man¡¯s words were urgent and incoherent. ¡°I still have a meeting now; there¡¯s no time. Go and pick up our baby; just listen to me! I also need to call my parents!¡±


    ¡°Honey, what¡¯s going on exactly?¡± Mu Wenhua¡¯s heart tightened, but she felt lost and didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°What happened?¡±


    However, the man had already hung up the phone, and the rapid ¡°beep¡­beep¡­¡± sound seemed to signify something.


    The old lady snatched the coat from her hand with a look of distrust in her eyes, but Mu Wenhua didn¡¯t hesitate and wrapped up the child before leaving.


    As she looked around, more and more people gathered at the entrance of the electronics store, and those stuck inside were trying to get out while those outside were trying to peer inside for news. The mall¡¯s transparent roof cast a grayish light, making the vast space feel both noisy and ominous.


    ¡­¡­


    Hongjing Municipal Bureau.


    After Xing Conglian put down the handwritten letter, the heavy tone he had while reading the letter seemed to reverberate in the small glass room.


    After listening to the entire content of the letter, the public opinion expert who had been challenging Xing Conglian no longer had time to say another word to him.


    He looked at Minister Shen, and the old man nodded. With permission granted, Xing Conglian immediately turned and left, arriving at his most proficient battlefield within thirty seconds.


    The most elite online public opinion monitoring team in the entire Jiangxia Province was by his side, with Wang Chao still in the small glass room. The intensity of the online events continuing to escalate gave these officers no spare time to adapt to the change of command.


    They seemed to act like machines, following each order one by one, but a gloomy cloud gradually spread across everyone¡¯s faces.


    Within a few minutes, there was a qualitative change in the public opinion situation compared to when Wang Chao discovered the anomaly and reported it.


    ¡ª¡ªListen to me, I¡¯m an insider. Don¡¯t go to public places. The more crowded the place, the more likely it is to become a target of attack!


    ¡ª¡ªThat thing is as dangerous as mustard gas. The government has been hiding the truth from us. They have no solutions at all!


    ¡ª¡ªWhat should we do then? Can we only compromise? The government won¡¯t really agree to their demands, right? There are so few of us in this small place, we¡¯ll be doomed!


    Online discourse had already taken a very frightening turn.


    The public opinion expert calmed his breath and quickly deployed the tasks. Deleting posts, banning accounts, controlling large-scale internet water armies to flood major forums, gripping the sources of information, and preventing false information from spreading in a short time¡ªthis was what he excelled at.


    ¡°Notify all major provincial and municipal television stations and online media for a video conference.¡± He glanced at the time. ¡°In three minutes.¡±


    The telephone conference started quickly.


    The video conference screens of the emergency contact persons from various major media gradually lit up.


    The public opinion expert sat in front of the display screen, watching one image after another and one face after another, and his expression grew colder and colder.


    Clearly, even though the police had issued orders again and again, private television stations didn¡¯t care about administrative prohibitions.


    The video window of BAS TV, the first to release the news, was pitch-black, and they didn¡¯t even bother to send representatives to attend the conference, displaying an arrogant and infuriating attitude.


    The emergency contact persons for each media outlet were visibly agitated and anxious.


    With a stern face, the public opinion expert cleared his throat, but before he could speak, the local television station, which had taken the lead in the video conference, began a series of attacks against him.


    ¡°Our news hotline is about to explode!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how to report this. The anti-social elements are sending their messages to our mailbox!¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t let us broadcast, online self-media is already making a huge fuss about it.¡±


    Chaotic voices rang out, and the public opinion expert slammed the table. ¡°Quiet!¡±


    The water glasses on the table shook, and the screens followed suit.


    And at that moment, he suddenly noticed something. In the upper left corner of the telephone conference screen, the video grid that originally belonged to the National Yongchuan Satellite TV was also pitch-black from beginning to end, with no response.


    ¡­¡­


    The public opinion expert¡¯s intuition wasn¡¯t wrong; something indeed happened at the National Yongchuan Satellite TV.


    The atmosphere in Studio 1 of the TV station was tense. Every staff member present had turned off their phones and all other communication devices. The emergency contact person who should have been coordinating with the police stood grimly behind the camera. To prevent any unforeseen situations, they even locked the studio door from the inside using a rusty key found on the spot.


    The previously energetic female anchor, who had been exchanging arguments with the expert, now seemed like a different person. She sat upright at the anchor desk as the makeup artist was busy giving her a more solemn look.


    At this moment, solemn applause echoed in the studio.


    Everyone, who had been busy in the hall, instantly turned their gaze to a chubby man standing under the spotlight.


    He was the Vice Director at the National Yongchuan Satellite TV, named Zhao Ren. Several months ago, it was he who went against public opinion and decided to broadcast the confrontation between Lin Chen and Li Jingtian via satellite.


    Zhao Ren held a rusty key in his hand.


    ¡°Anyone unwilling to do this can raise their hand now.¡±


    The hall fell silent, and everyone looked at the chubby man with a gaze as if they were looking at someone with a mental disorder.


    ¡°Boss¡­ that¡¯s enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop acting,¡± said the No. 1 camera operator.


    ¡°Anyway, at most, we¡¯ll receive administrative punishment, and if someone has to go to jail, it¡¯ll be you,¡± the female anchor said earnestly.


    ¡­¡­


    The sense of panic continued to spread, and the invasion of the realm of consciousness was always silent but irresistible; it was human nature.


    In the entire area of the three provinces, the only government department that remained quiet was probably the Hongjing Municipal Detention Center. There was a glass of water on Lin Chen¡¯s desk, and there was no tense atmosphere between him and Shen Lian.


    The news on Yongchuan Satellite TV came to an end.


    While other television stations were actively following the latest developments in the event, Yongchuan Satellite TV was playing a very light and pleasant potato chip advertisement.


    Shen Lian hummed a tune to the familiar music and seemed very satisfied after seeing Lin Chen¡¯s manipulation of public opinion.


    ¡°Consultant Lin truly keeps his promise.¡± Miss Shen Lian¡¯s toes gently swayed under the table, filled with the joy of a young girl.


    Lin Chen took a sip of water, put down the cup, and said, ¡°The attack in Meicun happened as scheduled. After proving his abilities, he¡¯s probably going to declare the next phase of action to the whole society?¡±


    Shen Lian didn¡¯t even look at him. Her full attention was completely absorbed by the piles of potato chips.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s about right,¡± she casually replied. ¡°You have a phone, why ask me? Just make a call or check Weibo.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean he¡¯ll directly start a public opinion frenzy online and declare war?¡± Lin Chen asked.


    Shen Lian glared at him, showing her dissatisfaction with his clich¨¦d question.


    Lin Chen smiled calmly and explained, ¡°The continuous series of events will cause a domino effect in public opinion. The ubiquitous self-media and grassroots opinion leaders will replace the government as the voice. Their evaluations will lead to a ¡®diffusion effect¡¯ of panic. In the process of public opinion spread, netizens act as detectives, continuously analyzing and summarizing the hearsay information, leading to a greater ¡®inflation effect¡¯. Finally, the government becomes the center of all pressure and tends to make some mistakes, ultimately igniting the explosive emotions in everyone¡¯s hearts¡­ Suspicion, distrust, and hatred, the darkest and most distrustful emotions in human nature will be aroused again. At that time, all he has to do is extend a helping hand to these people, and he might be seen as a benefactor. It¡¯s somewhat like Stockholm syndrome. This is probably the pattern. Am I right?¡±


    Lin Chen¡¯s explanation was a bit long that the advertisement for the potato chips had already ended. Yongchuan Satellite TV moved on to another very quiet and atmospheric kitchen and bathroom advertisement.


    Shen Lian didn¡¯t respond to him. Her eyes shone brightly as she admired the half-naked handsome man on the TV. Lin Chen knocked on the table, and she reluctantly glanced at him, saying, ¡°If you know so much, go and command the public opinion battle to save the country and the people. Why are you standing in front of me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to accompany you to watch TV,¡± Lin Chen said straightforwardly.

 CH 277

    Mu Wenhua was also watching TV.


    A kind-hearted colleague covered her shift, allowing her to get away. Before going downstairs, she passed by the entrance of the opposite electronic chain store.


    The crowd had already dispersed a lot, but as she passed by the row of shop windows, it felt as if she had stepped into a surrealistic story. The characters on each TV screen were moving in a uniform manner. The anchor seemed to be trying to connect to a mysterious network, and a large block of text appeared on the screen.


    Although the flow of people in the mall didn¡¯t visibly decrease, there was an eerie silence around her, and she could only hear the sound of her hurried and quiet footsteps.


    She stepped onto the escalator, and the black steps moved slowly downward. During this time, she kept checking her phone and saw thousands of messages in the WeChat group for her child¡¯s class. Although the teacher had repeatedly explained that their kindergarten was very small and the children were very safe, many parents kept asking about their children¡¯s well-being.


    Mu Wenhua held her phone and even saw some forwarded messages in the WeChat group about detoxification methods. She felt it wasn¡¯t right, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to say anything. In special times, people could only take care of themselves. She put her phone away and looked up. For some reason, she felt that everyone in the mall was whispering.


    The cashiers were huddled close together, and customers were talking in hushed tones.


    Although she couldn¡¯t hear the exact words, it seemed like everyone in the world was discussing drugs and poisons¡ªthings that were once distant but suddenly became dangerously close.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes gleamed with panic, fear, excitement, and fanaticism. This scene finally made her feel scared.


    She stuffed her phone in her bag and rushed down the escalator in her sneakers. She ran past the corner, then descended another level, repeating this process until she finally reached the mall¡¯s exit. However, when she looked up, she saw a large screen on the square directly in front of her. Under the logo of Yongchuan TV station, a simple letter was being slowly opened.


    A grand and splendid female voice descended from the sky¡ª


    ¡°Dear fellow citizens. I hope this letter finds you well.¡±


    The same female voice gradually echoed in subway stations, on buses, on passersby¡¯s phones, and inside the small shops at the school entrance.


    It belonged to the female anchor of Yongchuan TV station.


    ¡°I apologize for meeting you all in this manner. I have no intention of introducing myself because who I am is not important. You can call me a sociopath or a terrorist, as I represent a portion of abnormal individuals who cannot integrate into society.¡±


    These voices had the same frequency and identical pace, yet they presented different textures through various electronic devices. When combined, they collided and resonated like blooming flowers, reverberating between the small cities in this vast universe.


    ¡°Here, we announce our responsibility for the riot at Meicun Clothing Market; we take responsibility for the attempted attack at Meicun Train Station; we take responsibility for the recent sporadic incidents of violence in Yongchuan; and we take full responsibility for the collective adverse reactions to Nao Kangning.


    Our actions disturb your daily lives, but they are necessary. We hope for your understanding. However, throughout human history, there have been moments that arrived without warning, appearing as misfortune in incomprehensible ways, yet, to a great extent, they changed the world.


    Since the 6th century B.C., the Greeks established the earliest democratic system through voting. Now, the group I represent hopes that even in our resistance against society, you can obtain such rights as well.


    To ensure the fairness of the game and uphold your spirit of freedom and democracy, if your government agrees, we will grant each resident the right to choose the next target for our attack. The specific process of granting this right can be supervised by representatives from both sides.


    If your government chooses not to let you have this right, I have no choice but to follow our interests in determining your fate.


    I look forward to your response and wish you an enjoyable game.


    Best regards.¡±


    The last note lingered in the air, dissolving into the vast horizon. The contact information on the letter was shown on the screen, and then the image faded away.


    The whole process was quick and straightforward, yet it felt slow enough to require a long time to regain one¡¯s composure. As the letter was put away, the female anchor¡¯s face reappeared. One could imagine how many people were left in shock and bewilderment in front of countless screens, big and small.


    Hongjing Municipal Bureau, inside a glass-walled room.


    Someone raised the remote control and turned off the TV with a snap. The entire transparent room felt like it was made of solid ice, emanating a cold and stern atmosphere filled with icy shards.


    Xing Conglian looked up, gazing at the elderly man who had turned off the TV. Each of Lin Chen¡¯s stages of deduction had been realized one after another, and for those long-standing figures in power, it was nothing short of a challenge.


    The old man¡¯s gaze, hidden behind his glasses, was deep and meaningful, but none of them spoke first.


    Therefore, the public opinion expert who rushed into the glass room from the outside became the first person to break the ice. ¡°Captain Xing, Yongchuan TV station may have been bought off by the other side. We must send someone to take control.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at this Director Chen and, for the first time, felt that most people were overly kind-hearted. He put one hand in his pocket, and Minister Shen pointed to an empty seat, gesturing for Director Chen to sit down and close the door.


    ¡°Private stations like BAS are one thing, but Yongchuan TV station, without our approval, broadcast the letter from a sociopath under the guise of a national TV station, causing social panic and shifting the pressure of dialogue onto us. It is a huge challenge to the government¡¯s authority¡­ We can¡¯t tolerate it; otherwise, other online media will be even harder to control¡­¡± The public opinion expert explained while walking, and Minister Shen listened thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand, glancing at Xing Conglian.


    ¡°No need,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    At this, the elderly man with a profound expression said, ¡°I thought so too. It¡¯s not easy to explain so much to us.¡±


    Xing Conglian knew that, in that instant, the old man probably understood all of his thoughts. Indeed, while explaining to these people, he was also delaying them, preventing them from interfering with Lin Chen¡¯s plan.


    But it had come to this point, and no one could turn back time to when they entered this glass room.


    He and Lin Chen never intended to control the situation in such a dark way.


    Because since this was about igniting the fire of human nature, Lin Chen wanted that fire to burn even more brightly and majestically. That was Lin Chen, more audacious than anyone else.


    And he stood here only as a representative of Lin Chen, and naturally, that was what he thought.


    ¡°Captain Xing, Yongchuan TV¡­ It was you?¡± The public opinion expert asked in shock.


    ¡°It was my idea,¡± Xing Conglian said.


    Several glances in the glass room darted towards him. Some were suspicious, some were contemplating, and some were restraining their anger.


    Suddenly, another government strategy expert who rarely spoke slowly spoke up, ¡°I also agree with Captain Xing¡¯s approach.¡±


    That young man sat in the shadow of the light, and Xing Conglian could only see the several drafts spread out on his desk, covered in dense lines and paths. ¡°Since this matter will inevitably erupt into a public opinion frenzy, it¡¯s better for the national TV station to step forward and represent the government in releasing information openly and effectively. Moreover¡­¡± He paused, ¡°This is why Captain Xing and Consultant Lin previously reported the news of Shen Lian¡¯s arrest. The psychological exposure effect means that people are more likely to have a natural favorability toward familiar people. I think¡­ Captain Xing and Consultant Lin probably have a series of response plans prepared, right?¡±


    Xing Conglian admired the calm and composed strategy expert in the corner. In a certain sense, when he looked at the other, he seemed to see Lin Chen.


    But he also knew that this person could never be Lin Chen.


    Minister Shen lightly tapped the table and asked his subordinate sitting in the corner, ¡°You tell us your thoughts and handling suggestions for the current situation.¡±


    The person nodded and said, ¡°Captain Xing¡¯s analysis just now reminded me to pay attention to the deep motivation of these sociopaths. Although I¡¯m skeptical about whether he can achieve his ultimate goal, the letter indicates that they have several objectives in creating the poisoning case.¡± He paused for a moment and continued, ¡°First, they want to attract some deeply hidden sociopaths in society to join their frenzy. Second, they want to design it so that every voter who has no choice becomes the murderer. Third, they aim to use bystanders to accuse residents of the three provinces, intensifying internal conflicts among the people. The fourth and most important point is to prove that selfishness and ugliness are the true nature of humanity. All those self-righteous moral standards are just decorations that hide ugliness, causing contradictions and distrust among people.¡± He asked, ¡°Am I right, Captain Xing?¡±


    Xing Conglian nodded.


    ¡°In that case, to achieve this series of objectives, although he appears to be manipulating ¡®medicine¡¯ as a tool, he is actually influencing people¡¯s minds through planning the direction of public opinion. And public opinion is the public¡¯s perception of the events.¡± The seasoned strategy expert said, ¡°His brilliance lies in the fact that when the first person votes, a sense of mistrust has already arisen. And if you abstain from voting, you pass the fate-deciding opportunity to someone else. Therefore, in the short term, since voting cannot be avoided, we must manipulate public opinion.¡±


    ¡°Captain Xing didn¡¯t communicate with me and acted on his own; this part of the work is difficult for me to carry out.¡± The public opinion expert still felt uneasy.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with Director Chen¡¯s approach of controlling and guiding public opinion to avoid the public¡¯s distrust towards society and human morality; of course, this is something we must do,¡± the young man in the corner said solemnly, ¡°but the premise of all manipulation lies in the viewpoint. What kind of public opinion do we want to guide? What kind of views do we want to instill in the public to prevent the achievement of the sociopath¡¯s goals?¡±


    Xing Conglian felt the dark yet faintly burning gaze from the corner and calmly said, ¡°I would like to hear the details.¡±


    Then, he heard the word.


    ¡ª¡±Sacrifice.¡±

 CH 278

    Hongjing Detention Center.


    In the dreary interrogation room, the program of the open letter recitation by the female anchor from Yongchuan TV came to a temporary end.


    A fresh glass of water was refilled in front of Lin Chen.


    ¡°Your government is even ¡®braver¡¯ than I imagined,¡± she almost admired. ¡°I can¡¯t tell anymore who the real sociopaths are.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s still you guys.¡± Lin Chen could only respond helplessly, using a tone of not daring to compete with her.


    ¡°What¡¯s your next move?¡± Shen Lian asked curiously, then smiled. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, it seems you have no intention of leaving, which means you have been prepared from the beginning.¡±


    Lin Chen held the glass of water without giving any committal response.


    ¡°Wow, let me guess, are you so hypocritical that the next step is to play the sacrificial tactic?¡±


    This was probably the most relaxed and exciting moment for Shen Lian since she met Lin Chen again. When a woman was excited, she tended to be talkative. ¡°I have an idea; do you want to hear it?¡±


    ¡°Please speak.¡±


    ¡°In this way, considering various economic and population factors, select one city from nearly 20 cities in the three provinces that is most suitable for sacrifice and control. Manipulate the accounts to disguise them as willing sacrifices from the local residents and induce everyone to cast their votes for that poorest and most backward city. When the results are out, wow, the spirit of voluntary sacrifice of humanity triumphs over the wicked sociopaths, successfully breaking the deadlock. And after the incident, you can write some brilliant reports¡ªit will be so magnificent. What do you think?¡±


    Shen Lian asked Lin Chen this way.


    Holding the water glass, Lin Chen looked at the lady in front of him, who rarely showed her claws. He replied with four words, ¡°This is not beautiful.¡±


    He answered.


    ¡­¡­


    Not beautiful.


    It referred to the means not being beautiful, the matter not being beautiful, and human nature, which was also not beautiful.


    Lin Chen was an idealist, and this was a fact that Xing Conglian had long understood clearly.


    Therefore, when he heard the solution he had once proposed being spoken by this strategy expert, Xing Conglian felt himself being severely mocked. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t find the words to respond.


    ¡°Will this plan be seen as the government compromising with the sociopaths?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s feasible, and it can turn the tables on them.¡±


    ¡°But after the voting ends, won¡¯t the sociopaths become desperate?¡±


    ¡°They will only ruin themselves by breaking the rules they set. They will become a laughingstock.¡± The strategy expert spoke coldly. ¡°I¡¯m 70% sure.¡±


    Everyone in the small glass room started to discuss this plan seriously.


    Xing Conglian knew better than anyone the feasibility of the plan. The only way to counter selfish human nature was through the great spirit of voluntary sacrifice.


    If they manipulated a batch of accounts using Wang Chao, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the risk of exposure.


    But Xing Conglian thought it was indeed not beautiful to do it this way.


    He looked at the people in the glass room and also at those outside the glass room, who seemed to have sensed something and cast clear gazes at him. He felt as if he had returned to his earliest and youngest days, when he hadn¡¯t seen so much darkness and bloody killings, when he was full of passionate persistence and trust in this world.


    Trust, that was extremely important.


    Xing Conglian finally made up his mind.


    He raised his left hand, not too high, and looked at everyone. He spoke his words with solemnity. ¡°I don¡¯t agree.¡±


    All the eager discussions in the glass room came to a halt.


    Except for Minister Shen and a young man fiddling with a computer, the others in the room couldn¡¯t fully comprehend the unwavering determination contained in this short phrase.


    Shen Heming fell silent.


    However, since the young man standing in front of the glass panel raised his hand to express his stance, he had to stop and listen to the other person¡¯s words seriously.


    So, he also raised his hand and said to the others in the glass room, ¡°Everyone, leave, except Xing Conglian.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    National Yongchuan Television Station.


    The skyrocketing viewership ratings and the banging on the door complemented each other. Deputy Director Zhao Ren stood in the main control room outside Studio 1.


    In front of the main control station, dozens of televisions were playing various programs, and the dense electrical noise made people¡¯s heads ache. Zhao Ren picked up the intercom on the table and shouted inside, ¡°Tell the security not to knock randomly. I haven¡¯t been kidnapped!¡±


    His irritable voice was transmitted through the earpieces to every staff member. Soon, Zhao Ren heard a chorus of complaints through the earphones.


    ¡°Are you going through menopause, boss?¡±


    ¡°Lower your volume; I¡¯m going deaf.¡±


    Zhao Ren didn¡¯t bother responding to these insolent remarks. He lowered his head to watch Yongchuan TV, which was broadcasting weather news, and then glanced up at the clock above the main control station. Only five minutes left until the agreed time, but his phone remained silent.


    To make matters worse, his assistant came over with an urgently prepared video file and asked anxiously, ¡°The things that Consultant Lin requested are all ready, but there¡¯s still no word from the higher-ups. Are we really going ahead with the original plan?¡±


    ¡°And what else?¡± Zhao Ren replied with impatience.


    ¡°Although the satellite broadcasting truck and positions are set up at the Min River, should we ask them to withdraw if it doesn¡¯t work out?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Zhao Ren cursed.


    However, his assistant, as stubborn as a rock, refused to leave. ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t Consultant Lin say that if they can¡¯t persuade the higher-ups, we shouldn¡¯t take matters into our own hands? This is a big responsibility we¡¯ll be taking!¡±


    Zhao Ren raised an eyebrow and said coldly, ¡°Responsibility, huh? I love taking responsibility the most.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    People left quickly.


    During the process, there were some slight doubts, but both he and Xing Conglian had such expressions that no one dared to speak up.


    The glass door closed again, and Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian and asked, ¡°Conglian, do you really want to stand and talk to an old man like me?¡±


    Xing Conglian didn¡¯t sit down immediately. He casually reached into his pocket, took out a flattened box of cigarettes, and then sat down next to Shen Heming, offering him the cigarettes.


    Shen Heming didn¡¯t care about the row of ¡°wooden stakes¡± standing outside the glass room. He picked up the cigarette, and Xing Conglian took out a lighter and respectfully lit it for him.


    Then Xing Conglian began to speak in a low voice, speaking quickly and systematically. Shen Heming listened silently throughout.


    After 15 seconds, Xing Conglian stopped narrating.


    15 seconds. Indeed, it was very short.


    But within this time, Shen Heming felt unprecedented ups and downs in life.


    At first, he thought Lin Chen¡¯s plan was really clever, avoiding traps and minimizing losses. He should have readily agreed without hesitation.


    Then he felt anxious; at his age, there were few moments when he was overwhelmed by fear in an instant.


    He began to speculate on possible outcomes and then realized the source of his anxiety: he and the young strategist both fundamentally lacked a deep sense of trust in people.


    This was their biggest difference from Lin Chen.


    Shen Heming took a deep breath and finally felt a sense of inexplicable shock. He didn¡¯t know where this shock came from, but he hoped that Lin Chen was right.


    After blowing out a smoke ring, Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian with a burning gaze, as if he were eagerly waiting for his answer.


    ¡°Is this not the same brand of cigarettes?¡±


    Holding the cigarette butt, Xing Conglian slowly turned it around, and it was empty, with only a very ordinary white cigarette.


    Xing Conglian was stunned, as if he didn¡¯t expect Shen Heming to play him like this. So he said somewhat irritably, ¡°That brand is expensive.¡±


    The young man had moss-green eyes, deep and serene. This was the impression Shen Heming had of him when they first met.


    At that time, Xing Conglian was still very young, but of course, he wasn¡¯t considered old now either. Shen Heming had asked for assistance from the international organization that Xing Conglian represented during the evacuation of nationals. They effortlessly completed the communication work that would have cost countless manpower and resources.


    He stood on the deck of the returning ferry, looking at the devastated foreign territory ahead and the fellow countrymen huddled together on the ferry behind him. At that time, Xing Conglian stood on the coastline and waved at him.


    Shen Heming could never forget that scene.


    Amidst the blue sea and sky, a handsome mixed-race youth stood tall in the wind, covered in dirt, looking exhausted, but his green eyes were deep and calm, like mountains and seas.


    At that moment, Shen Heming thought that despite humans constantly fighting against each other, there was still goodwill between them. Malice was real, and so was goodwill.


    As Shen Heming recalled this memory, Xing Conglian interrupted him, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Shen Heming said, ¡°In theory, I should trust your judgment since you have a lot of experience dealing with difficult problems. But while your plan seems to minimize losses, it also has the potential to lead to irreparable consequences. I need to ask, why did you agree?¡±


    ¡°The reason I agreed is the same as yours,¡± Xing Conglian said firmly.


    Shen Heming sneered, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xing Conglian searched for words and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°According to Lin Chen, his plan minimizes losses, and it is easier for superiors like you to accept.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel uncomfortable hearing you say that?¡± Shen Heming asked.


    ¡°You feel uncomfortable because, deep down, you don¡¯t agree with the term ¡®superiors¡¯. It often implies a lot of coldness and calculation, deception, and the use of state force to maintain social stability. In short, it¡¯s not a good term.¡± Xing Conglian paused. ¡°Lin Chen said that too.¡±


    ¡°What else did Lin Chen say?¡± Shen Heming asked, somewhat annoyed.


    ¡°He said that if you feel uncomfortable with the term ¡®superiors¡¯, it means you don¡¯t truly agree with the other plan deep down. You have an idealistic nature, and you hold immense trust and goodwill towards the world. Because of that trust, you dare to take a risk. Of course, I don¡¯t entirely agree with his view, but whatever he said, it applies to me too.¡±


    Shen Heming furrowed his brow, ¡°He is indeed better at talking than you.¡±


    Xing Conglian earnestly nodded. ¡°He also wanted me to tell you that if you doubt that the sociopath won¡¯t agree to his plan, it¡¯s because he understands him better than you. What the man wants is not killing or bloodshed; all he wants is to expose the ugly side of everyone¡¯s hearts, to make people lose hope in human nature. So, a fairer and more effective game that aligns with his goals is bound to be accepted.¡±


    Shen Heming fell into contemplation; what Lin Chen said was indeed enough, yet still not enough to persuade him.


    He turned around and saw Wang Chao, who was ready with a laptop in hand, standing outside. He also noticed the various expressions on the faces of the people around the young man¡ªexcitement, earnestness, worry, and determination. Suddenly, he realized that he really wanted to find something beyond ¡°benefits¡± and ¡°gains¡±.


    With this in mind, Shen Heming finally countered Xing Conglian, ¡°You¡¯ve said it all. What else can I say?¡±


    Xing Conglian gazed at him, gradually unfolding a smile, and said firmly, ¡°You can say, let¡¯s go with this plan.¡±

 CH 279

    It was a river meandering through the green hills.


    During the rainy season, the river surged and roared, but between the narrow green mountains on both sides, it appeared as a turbid and narrow stream.


    Like an old man¡¯s runny nose, it exuded decay and a pungent smell.


    This was the initial impression of the Min River, not because of the river itself, but due to the surrounding buildings.


    Looking up, one could see the crisscrossing power lines spanning the sky and the towering concrete walls. Approaching the prison, the only thought that filled one¡¯s mind was awe. This was the Min River No. 1 Prison, where over 95 percent of the province¡¯s serious offenders were incarcerated. Most of them would never breathe the air of freedom again.


    However, Yan Guiqiu was different from those people; he was among the fortunate five percent. He was a thief, to be precise¡ªa habitual thief, and being in and out of detention centers was nothing new to him. But being locked up in the Ming River No. 1 Prison was a first for him.


    To be honest, he was skilled at his craft, and he never got too greedy while stealing. Getting caught this time was purely due to bad luck. While trying to evade the owner of the house he was robbing, he had the sudden idea to jump onto the outdoor air-conditioning unit. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell from the fifth floor, only breaking his leg.


    The judge probably thought that if he could survive such a fall, they might as well give him the maximum sentence and let him ¡°recuperate¡± in prison.


    Today marked Yan Guiqiu¡¯s 350th day in No. 1 Prison, which meant that in less than a week, he would be released after completing his sentence. Perhaps due to excitement, he ate a bit too much for lunch and couldn¡¯t fall asleep during nap time. In the afternoon, during outdoor time, he limped around the playground.


    The most formidable troublemakers in the entire prison were at the parallel bars in the northeast corner, while the second most difficult character, the black boss, was at the base of the southwest wall. Yan Guiqiu took one glance and decided on his walking route. Prisoners of his rank needed to be discreet and cautious during their outdoor time, trying their best to go unnoticed, much like black mice.


    Around the tenth minute of his walk, a commotion appeared at the parallel bars in the northeast corner. Two prison guards were talking to a troublemaker there. Yan Guiqiu watched for a moment, then changed his direction.


    He lowered his head and massaged his leg, but when he looked up again, he suddenly realized that the black boss was nowhere to be seen from the southwest corner.


    Yan Guiqiu had a bad feeling about this; two big shots being taken away without any apparent reason wasn¡¯t a good sign. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder.


    He turned around and saw someone standing behind him¡ªsmartly dressed, with cold and stern eyes.


    It was a face he had never seen before.


    ¡­¡­


    The more people there were, sometimes, the quieter it got.


    The subway carriage was packed with commuters and students returning from school, crammed together with the distinct smell of egg waffles, leather, and resin seats. The air was stifling, and the atmosphere in the carriage seemed to have been crushed by some earth-shattering news, leaving it in absolute silence. No one was talking, and everyone was glued to their phones.


    The sound of the television mounted on the wall was turned extremely low, leaving only the suppressed noise of the train wheels rolling on the tracks.


    A girl wearing a Fengjing school uniform was squeezed into the corner by a group of commuters. She tried to make herself smaller between the door and the seats.


    Although they all took the same subway, her classmates kept their distance from her. After all, no one wanted to commute with a ¡°criminal¡± like her.


    Her face was pressed against the closed subway door, and outside the window was a dark tunnel. She closed her eyes and seemed to doze off. With her short black hair trimmed thinly, she looked more like a cool young boy, but she was indeed a girl.


    The silence and oppressiveness continued.


    After passing through a dark and gloomy tunnel, shiny billboards appeared on both sides. The girl¡¯s fair face was illuminated with various colors.


    Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of bright lights, or maybe because the train had finally stopped, bringing a trace of flowing air into the stuffy subway carriage.


    The silent carriage started to stir again. The commotion had no specific reason; it arose from the restlessness of each individual.


    The high school students, squeezed into the aisle, began to talk, whispering and exchanging messages on their phone screens.


    You didn¡¯t even need to listen; just by looking at their expressions, you could tell what they were talking about.


    ¡°Do you really have to vote? Where would you choose to go?¡± The girl with a ponytail finally finished scrolling through her Weibo and pulled the handrail while asking the person next to her.


    ¡°Fuck me, why are you so loud? And why are you asking me before telling me your own answer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking, but I think the most correct way is to abstain from voting.¡± With the gradually noisy atmosphere in the train compartment, the girl¡¯s voice grew louder. ¡°If everyone abstains from voting, then everything would be fine.¡±


    The other person lowered their voice and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t vote, you¡¯re giving the decision-making power to the psychopaths. That¡¯s what he said.¡±


    ¡°Do you just believe everything he says? Do you really want to vote? Making a choice means indirectly killing someone. No one has the right to decide on someone else¡¯s life.¡± The girl¡¯s voice grew louder again, impassioned.


    As if someone pulled the emergency brake on the noisy atmosphere, the surroundings suddenly quieted down. The passengers pretended to be busy with their own things, but it seemed like they were all stealing glances at the girl who was speaking. Perhaps sensing the attention of those around her, the girl became even more courageous, and she continued her advocacy. ¡°This is a moral game; he wants us to kill each other. It¡¯s impossible to solve, so the best choice is to do nothing and avoid making mistakes!¡±


    In the stuffy and oppressive subway space, the girl¡¯s words resonated.


    Every person who heard her words on the subway had their own thoughts, but nobody would discuss morality and law with a young girl on the subway, as it didn¡¯t concern them. So, the only one who would challenge the girl was another girl¡ªa confident and sharp young girl.


    In the next moment, someone in the corner between the seat and the train door spoke up.


    She said, ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡±


    Her voice was calm yet refreshing, and the passengers instinctively turned to look, only to see a slim girl pressed in the corner.


    Her hair was very short, and her eyes were amber-colored. When she slightly narrowed her eyes and lifted the corners of her lips, you couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of warmth.


    The girl with the ponytail who was criticizing pursed her lips, as if she felt insulted. ¡°Fang Aizi!¡±


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s me,¡± Fang Aizi said while straightening her posture and adjusting her backpack hanging lazily on her arm.


    The girl with the ponytail shivered, as if feeling some kind of conspiracy or something else in the air. She mixed her words, saying coldly, ¡°What were you saying just now? I didn¡¯t hear clearly!¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯re wrong,¡± Fang Aizi repeated.


    ¡°Why am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the qualifications.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say I don¡¯t have the qualifications?!¡± The girl with the ponytail was still angry. ¡°Everyone has the freedom to express their opinions. Why don¡¯t you let me speak?¡±


    ¡°Because not everyone has the qualifications to make others stop and listen to what they have to say,¡± Fang Aizi paused and said calmly, ¡°at least you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you have the qualifications. Who do you think you are, a bad girl who has been in a juvenile detention center?¡±


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t.¡± Fang Aizi felt bored quarreling with this girl. ¡°But I believe that if she makes a choice, it¡¯s her choice. You can¡¯t criticize others for indirectly killing someone just because it doesn¡¯t align with your views. Killing is a serious accusation.¡±


    ¡°You make such a good point. Then what do you suggest we do in the current situation?¡± The girl with the ponytail gritted her teeth and asked again.


    The train announcement sounded, indicating that the train was about to arrive at the station, knocking on everyone¡¯s stifling and suppressed hearts.


    All eyes turned to the girl again, but this time, it wasn¡¯t out of gossip or curiosity. They genuinely wanted to hear something useful from her.


    However, they were disappointed.


    The girl furrowed her brows in thought, and in the end, she shook her head earnestly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know!¡± The girl with the ponytail retorted, raising an eyebrow.


    Fang Aizi didn¡¯t say anything further.


    Their hope of getting an answer was shattered, and the passengers¡¯ moods became somber and gloomy once again.


    They were just ordinary people.


    As ordinary people, they had ordinary loved ones, friends, and mentors. They had various ordinary concerns and ties to this city or that city. Therefore, when faced with the need to make a decision, they truly didn¡¯t know how to choose, not even as resolutely as a high school girl.


    The dilemma of indecision tormented everyone; the air grew tense again, but the areas outside the train windows finally started to brighten.


    The train came to a stop, the guardrail opened, and the doors opened. The girl with short hair, carrying her backpack, slowly walked off the train, following the somber crowd.


    But suddenly, as if realizing something, she didn¡¯t look back, nor did she look at anyone else. She just gazed up at the old-fashioned lights on the old subway platform and said, ¡°But I think there will always be someone who knows what to do.¡±


    The girl¡¯s voice was as clear as water, and in the dim underground space, the television screens slowly lit up.


    On Yongchuan TV, the female anchor sat quietly at the news desk and slowly pulled out a piece of ordinary stationery from an old leather envelope, bearing the header of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.


    She lowered her head to look at the stationery, then raised her head, and with slightly parted lips, she calmly said, ¡°Hello, I hope this letter finds you well.¡±

 CH 280

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t know your name, I can only use ¡®you¡¯ to address you.


    I represent the provincial governments of Jiangxia, Zhelin, and Cheng¡¯an. As per your request, I am officially responding to your letter in an official capacity.¡±


    The female anchor spoke in a calm and not very loud voice, yet in the old and dim underground space, it swept through like a breeze. The people slowly moving in the subway station seemed to be inspired, as they all simultaneously lifted their heads. In the bright studio, the female anchor also lifted her head. With a solemn demeanor, she steadied her breath before saying, ¡°We agree to some of your demands.¡±


    The people in the station couldn¡¯t believe their ears, and the quicker ones started exchanging surprised looks with others around them.


    In fact, those who were protected by the government every day found it difficult to believe deep down that the organization meant to ensure their well-being and prosperity would one day compromise and remove their protection, leaving them exposed to the sinister intentions of the opposition. Naturally, some people began to vent their anger.


    ¡°Motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re spineless!¡±


    However, just as the crowd was about to get excited, the female anchor¡¯s voice sounded just right again.


    ¡°But please do not misunderstand. By ¡®some¡¯, we mean that since you possess the ability to arbitrarily take innocent lives, we agree to participate in the voting game arranged by you, to decide certain matters by public opinion. However, we cannot agree with the way you¡¯ve constructed the game. Therefore, I have a new proposal.¡±


    After emphasizing the word ¡°I,¡± the news footage changed accordingly.


    It revealed a much brighter landscape than the studio, with green mountains and muddy rivers. You could almost feel the long wind brushing through the mountains. As the wind blew, the camera descended and focused on a majestic and solemn cluster of dark gray buildings.


    Surrounded by green mountains and with muddy water in the front, it was the Min River No.1 Prison.


    Many viewers couldn¡¯t immediately recall the name of the prison, but they could still recognize it from its distinctive architectural style. The dim subway station erupted in suppressed gasps, resembling the sound of the murky waters of the Min River hitting the rocks.


    Fang Aizi also looked up; the young girl had already found a seat to sit cross-legged. At this moment, she had taken out a roll of lemon-flavored hard candy from her pocket and put two pieces in her mouth.


    The old-fashioned hanging color TV displayed the pace of a movie as the scene faded out and then faded back in.


    The magnificent scenery became tiny, and the smallness originated from the pale-yellow light source in the dim space. It was a pitch-black and narrow room, with walls built from square cement bricks, smooth and well-lit, exuding the cold and ruthless atmosphere typical of a prison¡¯s solitary confinement cell.


    In the room, there was a small hanging lamp, and beneath it sat four men.


    One was burly, another was dark-skinned, one had tattoos covering his head, and the last one resembled a thin black cat.


    All four men were wearing prison uniforms, sitting silently under the lamp, facing the camera with indifferent expressions.


    The off-screen voice of the female anchor resounded once again as she continued to read the letter.


    ¡°These four individuals were randomly selected from prisoners at Min River No. 1 Prison, and coincidentally, they symbolize four very emblematic criminals: a swindler, a robber, a thief, and a murderer. I have no intention of explaining in detail the reasons for their imprisonment, but if the game proceeds smoothly, all their case files will be made public online, and anyone can freely access them. Therefore, my proposal is as follows: in order to avoid causing greater harm and casualties, I suggest that the three provinces concentrate their voting on these four individuals. Each person with a registered residence and residence permit in the three provinces will have the right to vote with their real names¡ªone person, one vote¡ªto decide the life or death of these four individuals. The voting period will be 24 hours. If, after 24 hours, the voting result indicates that the four individuals should be executed, I will personally carry out their executions, as a substitute for the planned poisoning operation in any city. If the result is the opposite, you may continue your poisoning activities in the manner you desire.¡±


    The female anchor paused after reading the letter while her cold gaze scanned the audience below, giving everyone a moment to think. She struck the right balance, as if she had practiced it a thousand times, suppressing any foul language that might have been uttered by the people.


    ¡°I believe that the minority replacing the majority scheme is more reasonable for the following reasons: First, as previously mentioned, it can gradually reduce unnecessary casualties. Second, your proposed plan could easily lead us to sacrifice a certain city, guiding the votes towards that city. However, once you accept my proposal, my government and I will not interfere with the citizens¡¯ choices. Second, quality is more important than quantity, and extreme situations can better expose problems and raise awareness of deeper issues.¡±


    The female anchor¡¯s tone remained calm, reciting the reply letter with the ordinary tone of reading an instruction manual. ¡°Of course, I think a fairer approach would be to raise the stakes. I wonder if you would consider changing it to: If the four criminals are voted to be executed, you will provide a complete treatment plan for the neurotoxin and related agents to our side.¡± At this point, she once again gazed significantly at the camera, though her tone was as calm as the person who wrote the letter. She continued, ¡°These proposals are merely my humble opinion, and all decisions should be made by you. If you agree to some of my proposals, please launch the new voting system on your website at exactly 12:00 GMT. We will synchronously launch the online and offline voting procedures one minute later, and voting will be conducted in a real-name system¡ªone person, one vote. The voting results will be broadcast live to ensure fairness.¡±


    ¡°Please believe in our sincerity, and I hope you will carefully consider and reply.


    Sincerely,


    Lin Chen.


    September 3, 2016.¡±


    Without giving the audience any time to comprehend their emotions, the female anchor calmly turned the letter over and displayed it in front of hundreds of millions of viewers.


    Indeed, it was a handwritten letter, with the words ¡°Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, Jiangxia Province¡± written in red at the top of the stationery. The entire content of the letter was handwritten with a fountain pen, just the length of a high school student¡¯s essay.


    The handwriting was elegant, just like the person himself. The director also happened to focus the final live shot on the two words ¡°Lin Chen¡± and the personal seal.


    If the original letter was like blazing fireworks, then this reply was like a refreshing breeze in the mountains.


    The entire letter was well-organized, well-reasoned, and without any provocative tone. Even the text format matched the one used by the sender, making it appear more like a straightforward instruction manual.


    However, only a small group of people who knew Lin Chen¡¯s whereabouts were aware that this letter wasn¡¯t an instant reply. Long before Lin Chen entered Hongjing Detention Center, this handwritten letter had been sent urgently from Hongjing and arrived at Yongchuan TV Station before the Meicun Clothing Market incident occurred.


    In other words, several hours ago, Lin Chen had already made a corresponding reply to a letter he would never have seen.


    Therefore, when the National Yongchuan TV Station ended the BREAKING NEWS broadcast, most viewers¡¯ first reaction was to start counting down. However, the officials in the Hongjing Municipal Bureau were different. Xing Conglian stood in the glass room, and everyone outside looked at him incredulously, as if they wanted to burn holes in his old face.


    This made Xing Conglian want to stay in the glass room, but Shen Heming patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out together.¡±


    As soon as the glass door was pushed open, all kinds of miscellaneous inquiries squeezed in through the gap.


    ¡°Lao Xing¡­ Is Lin Chen¡­¡± the public opinion expert probed.


    ¡°Still in the detention center?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Did someone else write the reply letter?¡±


    ¡°He wrote it himself.¡±


    Xing Conglian said indifferently, but before he could finish his words, the entire hall erupted into incredulous exclamations again.


    ¡°Consultant Lin¡­ knew in advance?¡±


    ¡°This is too incredible.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Four prisoners¡­ This is too audacious!¡±


    ¡°Minister Shen?¡±


    The police officers whispered to each other, discussing the matter among themselves.


    This should have been a moment that made Xing Conglian proud, but as he looked at the officers, who seemed visibly relieved, his brows involuntarily furrowed.


    This was the change brought about by Lin Chen¡¯s letter, relieving everyone from the dilemma they were facing temporarily and taking the burden off their hearts because someone had taken responsibility in their place.


    However, he knew very well that this was just the beginning¡ªa brief calm before the storm. When everyone woke up to the reality of the situation, they would understand the magnitude of the problem.


    At this moment, the usually cold and strategic expert suddenly spoke up. ¡°How does he know that the other side will agree?¡±


    Xing Conglian¡¯s gaze pierced through the crowd and fell on the person¡¯s face. Smart people always grasp things earlier.


    The person paused and added, ¡°He also revealed our backup plan. Although this might facilitate the other side¡¯s acceptance of his plan, fundamentally, it still confines us to a passive position, which isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Xing Conglian looked at the cold and confident eyes, not saying anything.


    ¡­¡­


    While the discussions within the police station were concerned about Xing Conglian¡¯s reputation and Lin Chen¡¯s accurate predictions, on the crowded platform of the underground subway station, no one cared about such matters. It was always terrorists holding hostages to threaten the government, but now the situation seemed to have reversed, with the government holding hostages to threaten the terrorists. This sudden reversal of the plot unexpectedly swept away the oppressive atmosphere, as if the old ventilation system had been reactivated. People picked up their backpacks and resumed their activities and conversations.


    ¡°Is that Lin Chen a member of the police?¡±


    ¡°It seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Is he crazy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°What level is the police at now? Is that reply letter a joke?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The bad guy wants us to pit all the cities in the three provinces against each other. Focusing on these four criminals, isn¡¯t this a distraction tactic? Do they really think the bad guy will agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Passersby ignored the short-haired girl sitting cross-legged nearby and didn¡¯t even spare her a glance. This time, the girl didn¡¯t refute anything; she simply crushed the hard candy in her mouth.


    The same discussion was taking place in the subway carriage that had already departed the platform.


    A girl with a ponytail wearing the Fengjing School uniform gritted her teeth, as if she hadn¡¯t recovered from the humiliation she had just experienced. She had to say something to ease her anger.


    ¡°Hmph, the government¡¯s think tank can only come up with such a rotten idea. They really believe that just by changing the plan, the mastermind will agree? I never thought they could be so stupid,¡± she said coldly. ¡°Besides, this is a morality war, or even a battle for public opinion. If they really go through with this, the law will be nonexistent. Innocent people will be executed, and anyone can be sacrificed. It makes me sick.¡±


    The girl next to her, who had been meekly nodding, also added, ¡°But I think¡­ it¡¯s not a bad idea to have just four criminals. After all, one of them is a murderer. To put it bluntly, if they die, they die.¡±


    The girl with the ponytail raised an eyebrow half-heartedly and said nonchalantly, ¡°Think about it this way, even you think it¡¯s no big deal for four criminals to die, not to mention others. Do you really think the bad guy won¡¯t realize something so simple? How could he agree?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I also think it won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re really dumb. It would have been better to go with that ¡®induced voting¡¯ plan. They are just a bunch of clueless pigs, wasting opportunities!¡± The girl with the ponytail was deeply disappointed and wished she could criticize them for thousands of words.


    However, she didn¡¯t realize that, within the time it took to read a letter, the atmosphere on the subway train had returned to normal.


    People chatted, read novels, pointed at their phone screens, and whispered to each other, no longer troubled by the difficult choices they were forced to face.


    ¡­¡­


    The television was still on, but Shen Lian was focused on observing Lin Chen.


    She could see it in his serene gaze¡ªthe hand that held the water glass, the hand that wrote that letter. Because she was a lunatic, only she could truly comprehend the madness concealed within that seemingly ordinary letter¡ªa madness that even made her shudder.


    ¡°You really betrayed your own teammates, Lin Chen. I really underestimated you. I¡¯m sure those fools are now relieved after being deceived by you.¡±


    Lin Chen took a sip of tea, shaking his head helplessly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re really going to play it like this?¡± She knocked on the table unusually, asking Lin Chen with surprise.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re really capable of killing those four prisoners?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the prison is equipped with a lethal injection drug.¡±


    ¡°Why, why can you come up with such a simple and interesting thing? It¡¯s too interesting.¡±


    Shen Lian sighed, the chains on her wrist jingling with her movement.


    But what surprised her even more was that Lin Chen actually answered her question seriously.


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve considered too many solutions. Whether it¡¯s public opinion control or induced voting, there are many ways to unite people. The power of the state authorities is stronger than I imagined.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you use those methods to pass this off easily?¡±


    ¡°Because no matter how I think about it, it feels wrong.¡± Lin Chen gently stroked the edge of the cup. ¡°The choice should not arise from inducement; it should come from the heart to be sincere. Since our fundamental difference lies in our differing views on human nature, I shouldn¡¯t lose my courage.¡±


    ¡°Seeking courage from a low-probability event, you¡¯re so naive and cute.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned probability, and that¡¯s right.¡± Lin Chen spoke slowly but sincerely. ¡°After all, psychology is a science, and in a way, the game he designed is a psychological test. Since it¡¯s a test design, I¡¯m more professional in this aspect than him.¡±


    Although Lin Chen said ¡°more professional¡±, Shen Lian understood very well that he meant a lot more professional.


    She sarcastically smirked and patiently listened as Lin Chen continued, ¡°The problem with his test design lies in the insolubility of the results. It¡¯s unsolvable for us, but isn¡¯t it the same for him? Therefore, I changed the test structure to better detect the psychological traits of the group targeted by this test and eliminated the significant interference from the government¡¯s influence. I thought I did a decent job, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Looking at Lin Chen¡¯s confident and frank expression, Shen Lian smiled. ¡°Indeed, not bad.¡±


    Upon receiving praise, Lin Chen¡¯s face, which had been slightly lowered, suddenly lifted, and his eyes were clear, as if he could see through people¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°So, do you think he will agree with my changes?¡±


    In that moment, Shen Lian felt as if she was being pierced by that gaze, and she finally realized that Lin Chen had been looking at her all along, but he wasn¡¯t really looking at her.


    She was just a pawn, a chessboard, a springboard, a link¡­ She was the medium through which Lin Chen and that person engaged in their remote confrontation.


    He was looking at him through her; as long as she was here, Lin Chen would never leave this small room.


    Realizing that she had the privilege of witnessing such a great battle, Shen Lian trembled with excitement.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he? Thank you for coming up with such a despicable game. This is exactly what he wanted!¡±

 CH 281

    Noon, 12:00 GMT, which was 8:00 PM local time in China.


    Around this time, ordinary working-class families had just finished dinner, and most of them were enjoying happy family time together. Fathers were washing dishes or helping their children with homework, while mothers tuned the TV to the primetime drama channel.


    However, today, Yongchuan TV suspended the airing of its usual xianxia* drama and started uninterrupted live coverage of the latest developments in the Nao Kangning adverse reaction and the follow-up mass poisoning case.


    *Basically Chinese fantasy involving immortals heavily inspired by Chinese mythology.


    In the studio of Yongchuan TV, more than ten experts and professors had appeared to analyze and comment on the letters from the sociopath and Lin Chen¡¯s reply representing the government. Even the four criminals selected by Lin Chen were thoroughly investigated, and without the need for official disclosure, reporters had already dug into their personal backgrounds and criminal histories.


    The well-built man named Zhao Yi was the leader of a criminal gang, involved in running illegal gambling establishments, and had forced debtors to their deaths. He had also injured a police officer during an arrest. He represented the most traditional kind of crime boss.


    The dark-skinned man named Qian Bao was involved in fraud. He had a small storefront in a market and ran a P2P fundraising scam, which resulted in an elderly person¡¯s death due to a stroke caused from being swindled.


    The man with tattoos all over his head was named Sun Zhen, a murderer who accidentally killed a shop owner during a dispute at a barbecue stall. Before that incident, Sun Zhen¡¯s frequency of visits to the detention center had been alarmingly high.


    To be honest, except for Yan Guiqiu, the other three were indeed criminals with a long history of wrongdoing. But among the four, there was Yan Guiqiu, a skinny and foolish petty thief.


    The woman leaned back on the sofa and didn¡¯t feel any annoyance at the interruption of her favorite drama. She was genuinely engrossed in the news content.


    The female anchor, who had previously read the letter and reply, had taken a break as her on-duty time was too long and was temporarily replaced by a male colleague.


    The male anchor said, ¡°Up until now, the police have not received any formal response from the responsible party in the poisoning attack. However, there have been no further cases of poisoning in various cities.¡± The host continued, ¡°With fifteen minutes left until the appointed time, let¡¯s focus on the latest visit to the online voting website that the police launched at 18:00 sharp.¡±


    The LCD TV displayed a website ending with .ORG, with simple white text on a black background, indicating that it was a simple voting website to decide the life and death of the four criminals. It didn¡¯t belong to the dark web; instead, it was a voting website purely made by the police, and anyone could open their browser and access it.


    The host had already demonstrated the specific process of real-name registration and voting to the audience, but since it wasn¡¯t yet the appointed time, they could only report on the real-time visitor count displayed at the bottom of the website.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s 7:48 PM in China, and we can see that the real-time visitor count mentioned in the police¡¯s reply has reached 256,000. As we approach 8:00 PM, the number of visitors is increasing rapidly.¡±


    Just as the host was speaking, the visitor count reached 3 at the beginning, and even the highly professional male anchor widened his pupils and revealed a shocked expression upon seeing this scene.


    However, he quickly adjusted his emotions, steadied his breath, and said seriously, ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next news.¡± The handsome male anchor looked at the teleprompter and reported, ¡°As of 7:50 PM in China, the Goose Forum website¡¯s public opinion survey shows that over 65% of the people believe that innocent civilians have more reason to live than hardened criminals. The remaining 31% of people cannot decide, and only 4% of people chose the option that the criminals should be allowed to live.¡±


    The man washing dishes in the kitchen was dissatisfied with this and couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°I knew there are so many perverts in this society, actually thinking that innocent people have more reason to live than criminals!¡±


    ¡°Why is your voice so loud? Our son is doing his homework. Can¡¯t you lower your voice?¡± The woman lowered the TV volume and warned the man in the kitchen in a hushed tone.


    However, she didn¡¯t realize that her son, who was doing homework in the study, didn¡¯t obediently follow her words. Thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys were at an age when curiosity was at its peak, and coupled with such a major social event, how could he resist the urge to secretly browse social media?


    The boy switched to the mobile browser screen and quickly typed a line of text.


    @MugglesEatEggs*: [Excited, excited! Only eight minutes left.]


    *I¡¯m pretty sure the Muggles is referencing Harry Potter.


    @ComingAndGoing: [Really? Do you guys really think the big boss will agree with the police uncle¡¯s proposal?]


    @MugglesEatEggs: [Even if the police are making a fuss, it¡¯s quite fun. In any case, the results will be out soon, and we¡¯ll know in eight minutes.]


    @TomatoFriedEggs: [I¡¯ve been squatting on the dark web already (don¡¯t doubt the word order because it¡¯s censored).]


    @ComingAndGoing: [OMG, how do you know the specific website address? Great expert, please teach me, I also want to witness history!]


    @TomatoFriedEggs: [No.]


    ¡­¡­


    Similar or completely different discussions were taking place on various social platforms, converging into a massive information flow, pouring into the command center of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.


    19:55.


    At this moment, the entire wall of the command hall was filled with projected screens displaying the continuous live broadcast from Yongchuan TV and various major online streaming platforms.


    The main part of the screen was all white, but one could still tell it was a full-screen browser window. After all, everyone was familiar with the words ¡°This page cannot be displayed¡±, which was the web address that was previously used to bet on in the dark web for their surrounding cities¡ªthe agreed location between Lin Chen and the other party.


    Within a few hours, nothing happened, indicating the other party was also thinking.


    However, the browser address part was covered with a thick mosaic.


    The officer in charge of the live broadcast was named Zhou Quan, a key member of the Jiangxia Provincial Public Security Department¡¯s Information Technology Division.


    After checking the connection lines and systems, ensuring his code was thick enough, he synchronized the system time with the Greenwich Observatory time again and fell into a restless waiting mood as the countdown began.


    He rubbed his hands and looked around, realizing that there were still five minutes left. People in the hall were still whispering to each other.


    Different discussions filled the room. He nudged his colleague responsible for the live broadcast next to him. ¡°Have you ever thought about why Consultant Lin used Greenwich time*?¡±


    *Is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a consequence, it cannot be used to specify a particular time unless a context is given.


    ¡°Because the other party may be in a foreign country. Having a unified time point is better,¡± his colleague replied casually, still focusing on the main screen.


    ¡°What kind of reason is that?¡± Zhou Quan shrugged and scanned the entire hall with a prolonged neck. The atmosphere on-site wasn¡¯t too heavy¡ªat least much better than when they were ordered to enter the command center.


    The operators were assigned to another area, and the higher-ups were all waiting in glass rooms. One minute passed, and the footsteps in the hall gradually stopped.


    Because of the silence, Zhou Quan finally realized what was missing.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that kid?¡± He remembered the teenager who had been instructing them in internet monitoring. He couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since he last saw the other person. ¡°His name is Wang Chao, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the one from the Network Division of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau,¡± his colleague from the same department replied casually.


    Zhou Quan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°He was here earlier. Why isn¡¯t he on duty now? How long has he been gone? Is he on a secret mission?¡±


    Before his ¡°Ah¡± could be fully spoken, he received a heavy scolding.


    The public opinion expert in charge of commanding the entire live broadcast operation glared at him as a warning, making him instinctively shrink his neck and remain silent. But Zhou Quan thought that this seemingly unrealistic guess couldn¡¯t be blamed on himself.


    After all, Consultant Lin¡¯s plan was so simple and straightforward. If the mastermind behind the scenes was still playing a magnificent killing game, then Lin Chen was directly handing over a sharp knife gleaming with cold light and asking the mastermind, ¡°Do you want to use it to kill the four criminals?¡±


    Who would be foolish enough to accept?


    Zhou Quan¡¯s thoughts drifted far away, filled with various random ideas, and he almost amused himself. He leaned back in his chair. It was 60 seconds away from the agreed time, and there was no sound in the command hall anymore.


    Even the busiest people temporarily put down their work and looked up at the coarse-grained image on the display screen.


    The air was extremely quiet, which made it seem even more grand.


    As the second hand went halfway around the clock, Zhou Quan found that he couldn¡¯t laugh anymore. He had always thought that his mentality was strong, but in these short 30 seconds, he found that his facial muscles were sore from clenching his teeth.


    He couldn¡¯t help but relax his jaw, and at that moment, the second hand also passed number 11 without any mercy.


    Zhou Quan quickly shifted his gaze to the main display screen, and the atmosphere of the image weighed heavily on his chest.


    Clearly, nothing had happened, yet why did it still feel heavy?


    As he thought this, the second hand dutifully completed the last grid, and the web page refreshed automatically at its fixed frequency. Zhou Quan blinked lightly.


    The words ¡°This page cannot be displayed¡± were gone.


    Unlike the countless scenes they had imagined and anticipated before, the transition of the webpage was very calm and serene, as if the first drop of rain had fallen from the sky, revealing an entirely new picture.


    It was a short video, and people didn¡¯t have time to carefully observe what the webpage carrying the video had transformed into. They instinctively stared at the screen.


    In the video, there was a fast-forwarded footage showing a patient going crazy on the bed but completely regaining consciousness after being injected with some kind of medication. The hospital room was clean and white, and the video was relatively short and quick, with no significant changes in the lighting outside the window.


    Anyone who watched the video could quickly understand its significance¡ªit clearly implied that the detoxifying agent mentioned in Lin Chen¡¯s reply was a real thing.


    Zhou Quan¡¯s mind exploded, and a myriad of information raced through his thoughts. He needed strong self-control to eliminate emotional interference and understand what this really meant.


    Did it mean that the other side had actually accepted the new voting proposal that even a fool would refuse?


    The other side even provided a short video, leaving no room for ambiguity: The four criminals needed to die, and the antidote would be theirs.


    But¡­


    Who could prove the authenticity of this video and the effectiveness of the antidote?


    Zhou Quan even disregarded the live broadcast signal. He dragged the mouse and thoroughly checked the .onion ending website on his own small screen.


    There were no specific descriptions of the therapeutic effects or any experimental reports, nor were there any fancy retro gold coin effects.


    Besides this opening video, the website only had a simple multiple-choice question on a black background with white text, written in six languages:


    ¡ªI believe that sacrificing the lives of four criminals in exchange for a drug that can save more people is worth it.


    A. Yes


    B. No


    The webpage froze at this point.

 CH 282

    Just like the second hand of a clock passing by without any care, the voting began in a moment of intense anticipation yet silent tranquility.


    At least when the broadcasting journalist switched the screen back to the .org-ending website, the real-time visitor count at the bottom had already surpassed five hundred thousand, rapidly increasing at a rate too fast for the naked eye to discern.


    Somewhere along the line, a small button labeled ¡°View Voting Data¡± appeared on the website.


    Many people instinctively moved their cursors over the slightly raised button, but when it came to actually clicking it, their fingers hesitated over the left mouse button, feeling an unexplained palpitation.


    I support the execution of the criminals ¡ª 88.5% ¡ª 905 votes.


    I do not support the execution of the criminals ¡ª 11.5% ¡ª 118 votes.


    ¡°These are the real-time voting results five minutes after the official voting started, which isn¡¯t surprising.¡±


    This was what the male anchor in the live broadcast room of Yongchuan TV news said.


    ¡­¡­


    Min River No. 1 Prison.


    Yan Guiqiu was getting restless; he felt like he had been locked up for at least a day and a night.


    If it weren¡¯t for the dim light emitted by the extremely simple light bulb on the ceiling, he would have thought he had entered a grave.


    At the beginning, he tried to talk to the other three bosses, but no one responded to him. After all, the prison was a place with a strict hierarchy.


    Then he attempted to knock on the iron door of the small dark room, but the police officer surnamed Huang who brought him in had only said, ¡°Shut up and wait¡±, and ignored him after that.


    He could only crouch in the corner of the small dark room, maintaining a not-so-obvious distance from Zhao Yi on the lower bunk, Qian Bao on the upper bunk, and Sun Zhen leaning against the corner.


    But this did nothing to alleviate his anxious mood. It was said that those who had committed homicides carried a murderous aura with them, something he didn¡¯t have much understanding of before. However, as time passed meaninglessly, he felt the palpable hostility in this small dark room growing more substantial.


    The bosses couldn¡¯t bear it much longer¡­


    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder.


    Just at that moment, Zhao Yi, who had been sitting like a king all along, stood up.


    Before Yan Guiqiu could react, a pair of large hands descended from above, firmly gripping his neck.


    Zhao Yi¡¯s movements were too fast, and Yan Guiqiu¡¯s vision went black as he was lifted up like a little chick and thrown against the iron door with a thud.


    His head hit the door hard, causing pain to shoot through him. He couldn¡¯t breathe, and his mind went blank. He couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to struggle; he just felt like he was going to die.


    Suddenly, the pressure on his back lessened, and the tightly closed iron door finally opened.


    Yan Guiqiu fell to the ground, and Zhao Yi let go of him. His vision was still blurry, and he could only cover his neck and gasp for breath heavily.


    In a daze, he saw a pair of black leather boots in front of him, their surface polished to a shine, even reflecting his disheveled appearance after the ordeal. Yan Guiqiu raised his head and saw the cold and indifferent police officer standing there.


    The officer held four white envelopes and handed one of them to him.


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    He heard the officer say to him.


    Huang Ze stood in this small dark room permeated with the smell of cement and faint traces of blood, trying his best to remain calm.


    He was well aware of how many citizens were watching the live broadcast through the installed cameras. Every action of his represented the highest position of the police, and it would be reviewed over and over again by the media and the public.


    Even he himself would be scrutinized just like these four criminals, and he truly loathed this feeling, but he had no choice. Lin Chen had requested him to be here, executing the most crucial part of the plan: preventing these four individuals from dying inexplicably during the voting process and, after the voting results were out, taking them out of the dark room or executing them.


    Of course, Huang Ze never believed that the former result would happen. Therefore, this task was destined to be extremely cruel, and it was suitable for him to carry it out.


    Huang Ze sneered inwardly but showed no expression on his face. He took two steps in the dim prison cell and then handed out the remaining three envelopes one by one.


    He didn¡¯t understand the meaning of Lin Chen playing this kind of trick with these similar-looking envelopes. Before coming here, he had already opened and read all four letters, and they were exactly the same content.


    Perhaps, to show respect for the sacrificial offering, Lin Chen didn¡¯t use a photocopier but copied the letters by hand four times.


    In the letters, Lin Chen explained to the four individuals why they were chosen and what would happen to them within the next 24 hours. He even briefly explained the voting rules and fairness guarantee in the letters, which Huang Ze felt was merely adding fuel to the fire.


    As expected, during the time he waited for the four to read the letters, someone had already started tearing the paper.


    Huang Ze glanced up slightly, and the swindler on the upper bunk exposed his fat head with a cold and evil look. He casually tore Lin Chen¡¯s handwritten letter into pieces and threw the white paper shreds onto Huang Ze¡¯s face.


    ¡®Are you looking for death?!¡¯ Huang Ze thought, but he politely warned Qian Bao, ¡°If I were you, I would try to be gentler and more frugal, seeking the audience¡¯s forgiveness in front of the TV. Maybe they¡¯ll give you a chance to survive.¡±


    He dared to say this because he was completely facing away from the camera, and Lin Chen specifically asked for no audio recording in the small dark room.


    The chubby swindler burst into loud laughter, but his tone was terrifyingly cold. ¡°If you have the guts, just kill me.¡± He faced the camera and flipped his middle finger. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll look down on you all.¡±


    Hearing this, Huang Ze shrugged; criminals were indeed unreasonable.


    However, just as Qian Bao¡¯s arrogant laughter echoed in the dark room, Huang Ze heard a faint voice at his feet.


    ¡°This¡­ Officer, this must be a mistake, right?¡± The voice was high-pitched and thin, something you wouldn¡¯t expect from a normal man.


    But when Huang Ze looked down at the creature that looked like a black rat at his feet, he could understand why this man¡¯s voice sounded that way.


    Greed, cowardice, timidity, terror¡­


    These words almost filled the man¡¯s face, making it disgusting. He believed that the viewers in front of their TV screens would have the same opinion.


    Yan Guiqiu held the letter while his hands trembled, and his eyes became teary. He tentatively asked him, ¡°Huang¡­ Officer Huang¡­ Why was I chosen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stated in the letter. It was completely random sampling, and your number happened to be drawn.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not¡­ Why me? How did it end up being me?¡± Yan Guiqiu seemed to still be immersed in enormous disbelief, not accepting his fate. He looked at the letter upside down several times in a hurry and urgently said, ¡°I¡­ I was going to be released on parole in a few days. How could I have been chosen? This must be a mistake.¡±


    Huang Ze lowered his head to look at him but remained silent.


    ¡°I¡¯m just unlucky. I didn¡¯t steal anything valuable, and I even broke my leg. Why am I so unlucky?¡± Yan Guiqiu was close to crying, as if he had suddenly thought of something. He grabbed Huang Ze¡¯s pants leg, as if holding onto a lifeline, and pleaded, ¡°Can you change it? Mr. Police Officer, draw again. Please draw again, I beg you!¡±


    The skinny man¡¯s voice was pitiful, but the little bit of sympathy that arose in Huang Ze¡¯s heart vanished after hearing this plea. He didn¡¯t know what hope Lin Chen had left, but he genuinely felt that using these four trash individuals to save other innocent people was the most cost-effective deal in the whole world.


    ¡­¡­


    Huang Ze wasn¡¯t the only one who shared the same sentiment.


    At least on the official website ending with .org, the ratio of ¡°life or death¡± was approaching 2:8 as the number of voters increased.


    Although it seemed like there were more people opposed to killing the criminals to obtain the antidote, considering the rapid expansion in the number of participants, this was still an extremely frightening and significant ratio.


    Many citizens were even more shocked to discover that the police, or, more precisely, the government, weren¡¯t joking. Around 8:30 in the evening, some citizen squares and public spots that should have quieted down once again lit up with lights and became lively.


    At that time, some aunties and uncles hadn¡¯t completely left the square after their square dance. Some small delivery trucks came to the edge of the square, and well-trained staff who didn¡¯t look like ordinary construction workers carried tents off the trucks and set up several large ones in just five minutes.


    These tents looked like they were taken from the government¡¯s reserve supplies, brand new and unopened, and the rainproof fabric shone brightly under the lights.


    After setting up the tents, the staff unloaded a few tables and chairs from the truck and then orderly left as if hurrying to the next location.


    After seeing the staff leave, the children, who were still strolling around, held their parents¡¯ hands and came to the side of the tent.


    Some of them extended their chubby little hands to tentatively poke the iron pole, while the bolder ones had already lifted the curtain and were going in and out of the tent, playing with great delight.


    Similar scenes were continuously unfolding in the three provinces. The reason the public sometimes needed the government was because they could be truly powerful.


    Many activity centers that had already closed their doors also lit up almost simultaneously. Some people were organizing tables and chairs, while others received thick sealed boxes, looking tired and uncertain as they looked inside at the thousands of blank ballots.


    In the dark night, the crowds outside each tent grew larger. Some residents even came downstairs in slippers to see the facilities built within five minutes.


    The police hadn¡¯t officially announced the specific process for offline voting through Yongchuan TV, but looking at these tents, many residents could connect them with what had happened today.


    ¡°Damn, pinch me, am I dreaming? Seriously?¡± A white-collar worker who had just gotten off work pushed his friend next to him and looked incredulously at the tent under the tree through the gaps in the crowd.


    ¡°Are you crazy? Online voting is one thing, but doing on-site voting is like a presidential election. It¡¯s a big deal.¡± His colleague was swiping on his phone, looked up indifferently, and continued chatting with his girlfriend.


    In the WeChat chat window, the girl replied: [These are a few bad guys. The police can¡¯t catch them, which is already pathetic. Who could come up with such an idea? Trading four criminals¡¯ lives for an antidote is just losing face!]


    [You¡¯re right, honey.] The man typed quickly. [Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Let¡¯s talk about where you want to go for vacation this weekend¡­]


    As he pressed the send button, some noise seemed to be coming from the front, but it couldn¡¯t attract him to look up again.


    A new reply appeared. [My mom has gone crazy. She asked me when she can go downstairs to vote. These middle-aged women in their fifties love to join in the fun.]


    [If she really wants to join the fun, you should teach her to vote online.]


    Then, an eye-rolling emoji appeared in the chat window, fully expressing the girl¡¯s displeasure. The man playing on his phone smiled in the dark and opened the government¡¯s official website to access the online voting address they had announced.


    Outside the park, a completely different set of government vehicles parked.


    This time, government office personnel in suits and leather shoes got out of the cars. They wore the national emblem on their chests, each carrying large cardboard boxes as they walked in groups from a distance.


    In the dark night, their young faces appeared exceptionally solemn, as if they were about to carry out some tasks that must be completed with strictness. The man who had just registered for online voting inadvertently looked up and saw this scene.


    His phone emitted a soft sound, indicating the arrival of a text message with the real-name authentication verification code: 7086, a simple set of four digits.


    After entering these four digits and pressing the confirmation button, he would gain the qualification to vote. However, at that moment, in the darkness outside the crowd, he felt his fingers grow heavy, lacking the courage to input the verification code.


    The young people in uniform suits opened the tent flaps, shooed away the children, and carried the cardboard boxes inside.


    With their movements, the entire area around the tent fell into silence. Everyone stood still, staring blankly as the lights inside the tent suddenly lit up. Then, they realized that the voting was real, and the government wasn¡¯t joking. And precisely because they weren¡¯t joking, it felt even more like a joke.


    However, gradually, no one could find it in themselves to laugh.

 CH 283

    Hongjing Municipal Detention Center.


    As a place where the government managed prisoners, it should naturally have a well-regulated routine, much like a psychiatric hospital.


    Late into the night, the television broadcast news with a low hum. It was already midnight, and the voting had been ongoing for four hours. In the room where Lin Chen and Shen Lian were having their conversation, the LCD TV continuously displayed the voting results, while Lin Chen kept on drinking water.


    During this time, many other news events occurred across different locations. For instance, there was a collective student protest against the arbitrary execution of criminals, and a big fight broke out among powerful inmates in the dark room of Min River No. 1 Prison, which eventually ended with Inspector Huang intervening to break it up.


    However, overall, nothing major occurred that night that could overshadow the opening of the voting.


    But perhaps due to the lateness of the hour, the voting pace slowed down, and some minor fluctuations appeared. The government¡¯s official website still maintained a high ratio of 1:4, and no one was surprised by this result.


    According to a certain statistician, when the sample size was larger, the data tended to stabilize. In other words, by the time one-sixth of the voting time had passed, the final result could be determined with a high degree of certainty.


    Shen Lian wasn¡¯t surprised by this outcome. Although she didn¡¯t know the exact ratio that the final result would have, she knew that most people would choose to sacrifice the lives of the four criminals to obtain the antidote, which would save more people. The overwhelming majority would support this decision.


    So, what she was most curious about now was what Lin Chen was up to.


    ¡°Do you know, Consultant Lin¡­¡± She suddenly spoke, causing Lin Chen to pause in his action of holding the water cup.


    During this period, their roles seemed to have reversed. She became the one constantly talking and asking questions, while Lin Chen had taken a folding stool, propped himself up on the back of a chair, and was dozing lightly.


    Lin Chen raised his eyelids slightly to look at her. His face was extremely pale, showing signs of mental exhaustion.


    ¡°You¡¯re thirsty and keep wanting to drink water. It¡¯s also a form of acute withdrawal reaction,¡± she told Lin Chen.


    Lin Chen gave a slight smile, tapping the glass with his fingertips, and his smile seemed forced. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t you cooperate and give me the antidote so I can rest?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Shen Lian chuckled happily. ¡°No way, I find this version of you quite cute. Weren¡¯t you full of confidence earlier?¡±


    Lin Chen coaxed her like one would to a little girl. ¡°I¡¯m still very confident.¡±


    Shen Lian frowned and said, ¡°I really suspect now that you wanted to kill those four people from the beginning to get the antidote. When you guys get ruthless, it¡¯s sometimes even more brutal than us.¡±


    Lin Chen tapped the glass with his fingertips and made a crisp sound. He suddenly looked at her earnestly, his pitch-black eyes full of inquiry. ¡°You always use ¡®you guys¡¯ and ¡®we¡¯ to separate the human species. What basis do you have for doing that?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Shen Lian felt surprised. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it ¡®you guys¡¯ who separated ¡®us¡¯ in the first?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a tongue twister.¡± Lin Chen shook his head.


    ¡°Criminologists have spent hundreds, even thousands of years studying why a person becomes a criminal, from the earliest phrenology to the present genetic determinism. Aren¡¯t they making great efforts to identify potential criminals?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just humans exploring the unknown about themselves,¡± Lin Chen said.


    His face was calm, and this attitude irritated Shen Lian. ¡°Yeah, just like studying human diseases. We need to correct, treat, and, if necessary, remove the parts. You guys treat us as¡­ What exactly do you see ¡®us¡¯ as? You already know in your hearts!¡±


    ¡°What do you think it is, hm?¡± Lin Chen asked rhetorically.


    Shen Lian suddenly choked, finding herself unable to come up with the right adjective at the moment.


    ¡°Potential criminals, objects that must be eliminated?¡± Lin Chen struggled to pull the clothes covering his legs and turned to point at the television. ¡°So now, I¡¯ve selected four real criminals. In a more extreme situation, you can see what we really consider you guys to be.¡±


    Although Lin Chen was as weak as an addict, he still spoke so firmly that it left Shen Lian wondering where his confidence came from. ¡°It¡¯s 1:4, bud. You can¡¯t possibly win!¡±


    ¡°In your eyes, what does my so-called winning mean?¡± It was at this moment that Lin Chen seemed to grasp onto something crucial and, with a somewhat suspicious demeanor, answered his own question, ¡°If I win, those four people won¡¯t die in the end, right?¡±


    Lin Chen stopped tapping the glass, and this pause annoyed Shen Lian even more. But Lin Chen always knew how to provoke her. ¡°You see, Shen Lian, it¡¯s just a very ordinary idea from you, but if I were your therapist, I¡¯d tell you that you¡¯re not even aware of the cognitive issues behind this question.¡±


    ¡°Too bad you¡¯re not,¡±


    Before Shen Lian could continue, Lin Chen interrupted her.


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid, yes. It looks like you¡¯re confident, standing there as if you¡¯re about to be the winner and mocking me. But what if I win? How will you handle that? You don¡¯t really care about winning or losing; you care about the ideas symbolized behind it. If you win, it means your previously held beliefs were completely correct. Humans are selfish creatures, and you are just a kind closer to your true nature. But what if I win?¡± Lin Chen finally revealed a genuine smile, radiating an extremely bright aura. ¡°If I win, what does it mean? Have you truly thought about this question?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Do you think there¡¯s even a possibility of that happening?¡± Shen Lian said coldly.


    ¡°¡®Denial¡¯ is the most basic and primitive psychological defense mechanism. If I were your therapist, I would seize this opportunity to say a few more words. Although ¡®winning¡¯ and ¡®losing¡¯ are just simple words, from my perspective, this term actually reflects your basic cognitive ability for moral evaluation. You actually have a clear understanding of what opinion you would hold about me. You even fully comprehend the social moral evaluation system. But it simply doesn¡¯t move you, so you choose not to follow, let alone respect it. But deep down inside, you really know what kindness is.¡±


    For a long time, Shen Lian couldn¡¯t find the words to respond, feeling genuinely disgusted and nauseous by Lin Chen¡¯s words. ¡°Lin Chen, congratulations, you¡¯ve succeeded in disgusting me.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure,¡± Lin Chen said.


    Following the usual flow, when Lin Chen finished his concluding statement, the conversation should have come to an end.


    But perhaps Lin Chen¡¯s previous words really struck a nerve with her, or maybe it was just some psychological therapist¡¯s technique, she couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Come on, my point was simple. From both the perspective of human selfishness and human conformity, they would vote to execute those four criminals.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±


    Lin Chen only replied like this, and regardless of how much or how little he said, it annoyed Shen Lian.


    ¡°Previously, I always thought you would create a batch of accounts online to spread grand virtues and goodness, to influence foolish people to make choices, thus reflecting what you call the brilliance of human nature.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not beautiful. As I¡¯ve said before, since it¡¯s each individual¡¯s choice, then it should be determined by each person¡¯s free will.¡±


    ¡°But you not guiding doesn¡¯t mean others won¡¯t guide. In group environments, people tend to conform, especially online. Once someone expresses an opinion early, loudly, and it sounds very reasonable, many foolish people will be influenced, keep spreading it, and form fixed ideas.¡± Shen Lian paused and continued, ¡°And often, those who are eager to express their own views, tsk¡­¡±


    Lin Chen shook his head, and his feet followed with a little sway, as if expressing his helplessness.


    Shen Lian knew that, in a sense, Lin Chen had a clearer understanding of this matter than her, so she had nothing more to say.


    Just as she was about to continue, Lin Chen¡¯s phone rang. Although there was no ringtone, Shen Lian clearly heard the vibration sound.


    This was the first time Lin Chen¡¯s phone rang since he entered the interrogation room for so long. Shen Lian knew something must have happened.


    However, when she subconsciously stared at Lin Chen, the weak man who had been half-leaning on the chair suddenly stood up, pointed to the hidden door in the interrogation room, and coaxed her, ¡°I need to use the restroom. You stay here for a while, be good.¡±


    It was simply telling a blatant lie, and Shen Lian was infuriated.


    ¡­..


    The interrogation room¡¯s built-in bathroom was very small.


    It only took two steps to reach the end, and when standing to urinate, your back would press against the cold back wall.


    The flush toilet and sink were of the lowest quality to prevent any impulsive actions¡ªeven the mirror on the wall was covered with a simple layer of cellophane to avoid any danger.


    Therefore, when standing in front of the sink and looking at himself, Lin Chen always felt as if he was seeing a ghost.


    He turned on the tap and aimlessly let the water flow over his fingers while using his other hand to answer the phone. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Why is your voice so hoarse? How much nonsense did you say?¡± Su Fengzi¡¯s voice sounded in the earpiece, slightly mocking, and Lin Chen finally heard the tone of a normal person, which made him feel a little warmth.


    ¡°I was discussing psychological defense mechanisms with Shen Lian, and then got into the topic of group psychology. If we went deeper, we would probably get into the field of mirror neurons. Fortunately, you called.¡±


    Su Fengzi was obviously not a conventional normal person. He only said, ¡°Are you interrogating or dating? Does Xing Conglian even care about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a person with my own opinions; he can¡¯t control me.¡± Lin Chen laughed helplessly again. He turned off the tap and sat on the toilet with his knees against the wall. It was an uncomfortable posture, but for some inexplicable reason, it made him feel safe.


    Su Fengzi probably knew that he had sat down, so he changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s already so late. Your dear Inspector Huang almost shot someone in the cell. Fortunately, the director cut off the signal in time. Have you found a breakthrough with Shen Lian?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t discussed anything about her personally yet,¡± Lin Chen honestly replied.


    ¡°There are still 20 hours left, Lin Chen. You can¡¯t just be direct with Shen Lian?¡± Su Fengzi said, a little impatiently.


    ¡°I¡¯m always gentle with girls.¡±


    ¡°So you asked me to come to Yongchuan Medical College to find something related to Duan Wanshan and can break through Shen Lian¡¯s defenses, but you¡¯re chatting about poems, songs, and life ideals with a little beauty?¡±


    Su Fengzi rarely sounded annoyed like this, and Lin Chen could almost imagine him standing alone under a streetlight, sulking. Although he knew that Su Fengzi deliberately said this to make him relax, he still couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°After all, I¡¯m counting on you, Shixiong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already looked into it. After so many years, who can remember a small detail from many years ago? You don¡¯t even tell me what aspect the detail might be related to. It¡¯s as difficult as finding another planet with life in the universe.¡±


    ¡°Your analogy is really beautiful, Shixiong.¡±


    On the other end of the phone, Su Fengzi let out a long sigh and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m very worried.¡±


    Lin Chen knew that this wasn¡¯t a joke. He looked at the suppressed wall in front of him and listened as Su Fengzi continued, ¡°If more people really believe that those four should die, will you kill them in exchange for the antidote?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Pay them for their lives.¡±


    ¡°That is meaningless,¡± Su Fengzi said.


    ¡°But what else can I do?¡± Lin Chen replied calmly.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Fengzi said solemnly. ¡°Although I think it¡¯s not worth it, I respect your choice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±