Lin Dongxue knew her brother very well. He had never done anything wrong in his life, and he would never resort to vigilante justice. This was just his usual method of intimidating suspects.
As expected, Chen Shi wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, he wore a disdainful smile and slowly clapped his hands. "So, Captain Lin is an advocate for low-carbon energy? Realizing that this interrogation is pointless, you turned off the cameras."
"If you want to laugh, keep laughing while you can. Soon, you won't be able to laugh anymore," Lin Qiupu said, picking up a stack of printed papers and walking up to Chen Shi, slamming them down in front of him. "Your history is really colorful, isn't it?"
Chen Shi glanced at the papers and said, "These are things I did in the past. So what? Is that the reason you're suspicious of me?"
"A criminal with a notorious past, released from prison, picking up a beautiful female passenger at 2 AM, verbally harassing her, and then the next day, her body is found with clear signs of sexual assault. If you were in my shoes, what would you think?"
"I completely disagree with your statement. The purpose of prisons is to rehabilitate people like me. A person who made mistakes in the past and has been reformed by the state, returning to society and supporting themselves without stealing or robbing, should be a positive example. Why is that suddenly a reason for suspicion? According to your logic, should people like me, once released, immediately return to our old ways?"
"Stop dodging the question. Tell me, what did you do that night?"
Chen Shi furrowed his brows in irritation. "I've already said everything I need to say. You don't believe me, and I understand your skepticism. In our country, the justice system works on the premise of proving guilt, but you're using that strategy in an interrogation room, which will only lead to wrongful convictions. Even if I walked into the station and confessed to a crime, you'd still need to find concrete evidence to convict me. What I see now is that you have no solid evidence, but you're here threatening an innocent citizen to confess. How is that right? Do you feel you're upholding justice for the country, wearing that uniform, or for the people?"
"You!" Lin Qiupu was so furious that he started pacing back and forth, his teeth grinding.
"Brother!" Lin Dongxue quietly reminded him, worried that Lin Qiupu might do something rash out of anger.
Chen Shi, completely unaware of the danger of angering Lin Qiupu, continued, "If I confess today, first of all, I would be harmed, and my family would suffer too. Secondly, the victim would never be avenged. Lastly, the real killer would remain free and might kill again soon. Do you know how many people you would hurt in one stroke? Captain Lin, a drop of ink on the case, a thousand drops of blood from the people. You must think carefully!"
"I won't see you shed tears until you see the coffin!" Lin Qiupu raised his hand in anger.
Both Lin Dongxue and the stenographer were scared. Just then, Chen Shi suddenly slammed his head against the steel gearshift with a loud thud, leaving a red mark. He looked up with a sly grin.
"What are you doing?" Lin Qiupu froze in place.
"Someone's hitting me! Captain Lin is hitting me!" Chen Shi started shouting.
"Shut up! Don't shout!" Lin Qiupu shouted angrily.
Chen Shi smirked with a sinister smile. "There's no camera here. The mark on my head, how are you going to explain it when I go outside?"
"Absurd!" Lin Dongxue couldn't stand it anymore and stood up. "We're both here, do you still want to frame us?"
"Do you think your testimonies are useful? One's a subordinate, the other's a sister. Our legal system values physical evidence over witness testimony. With the principle of avoiding conflicts of interest with relatives, when this goes to court, do you think you can win against me?"
Lin Dongxue and the stenographer exchanged glances. This guy was too sharp, turning the situation around in an instant.
Lin Qiupu yelled, "Do you think this is some kind of joke?"
"A police station, a place where laws and reason should prevail! No evidence for compulsory detention and interrogation; violating interrogation regulations by turning off the cameras; and now I have a bruise on my head. These three things alone—without needing the best lawyer—just a fresh graduate, you'd be in trouble! As law enforcers, you often overlook one thing: the law doesn't only restrict people sitting in this chair, it restricts all of you!"
There was a moment of silence. Lin Qiupu was sweating, and his fingers tugged at his collar in frustration.
Lin Dongxue spoke up, "Brother, there's something I forgot to mention…"
"What is it?" Lin Qiupu looked at her in disbelief and then glanced at Chen Shi, who was still smiling. "During the arrest, he actually took your gun?"
"Yes... yes!" Lin Dongxue admitted, feeling embarrassed. "So I think, maybe he really isn't the one."
Chen Shi grinned with satisfaction. Changing someone's mind was difficult, just as several things had been added together to create suspicion against him. The things he had done had slowly shifted Lin Dongxue's perspective.
From common sense, men are often more stubborn than women.
Lin Qiupu took a deep breath, walked to the desk, picked up the phone, and ordered, "Release him!"
As Chen Shi left the police station, the special investigation team was in chaos. It was the first time they had encountered a suspect that even Captain Lin couldn't handle. To save face, Lin Qiupu muttered to himself, "No matter how cunning the fox is, it can't outsmart the hunter. He'll be back here again!"
Unexpectedly, five seconds later, Chen Shi returned. Lin Qiupu was startled. "What do you want now?"
"My car?"
Lin Dongxue said, "It's parked in the underground garage. I'll take you to get it."
"Thanks!"
Lin Dongxue led Chen Shi to the garage. To her surprise, he thoroughly checked the car inside and out. Lin Dongxue chuckled. "You really think too much. What could we possibly do to your car?"
"If there's a scratch or something, who do I talk to?" Chen Shi lit a cigarette and leaned on the car, flicking his fingers.
Lin Dongxue thought to herself that this guy had no manners but still walked over. Chen Shi lowered his voice mysteriously. "I can help you solve the case."
"What!?" Lin Dongxue couldn't believe her ears.
"I said I can help you solve the case. Do you want it? There's no shop like this one after this village."
"Forget it. Solving cases isn't about talking. You've never had professional training…"
"Listen to me, my intuition tells me that this case has an unusual twist. It's very likely a premeditated murder."
"Have you been reading too many detective novels?"
"Your brother hit a wall here. The next thing he'll do is check the other vehicles that passed the crime scene that night, widen the scope of witnesses, and investigate my friends. I'll tell you, these directions are a complete waste of time. You'll miss the best time to solve the case and let the real killer escape. If I'm right, bring the autopsy report to me tonight!"
Chen Shi flicked his cigarette butt, opened the car door, and, before leaving, nodded his chin at Lin Dongxue. "See you tonight!"
Lin Dongxue was completely stunned. It wasn't until the car disappeared at the garage entrance that she stomped her foot and cursed, "He's so full of himself!"