Genius Club-Chapter 252 - 70: The Finishing Blow

"Zheng Chenghe."

In the Criminal Investigation Division office of Donghai City Public Security Bureau.

Officer Liu placed a stack of documents in front of Lin Xian and sat opposite him:

"That’s the name of the cab driver."

"I know."

Lin Xian answered calmly, without flipping through the documents in front of him.

"You know him?"

Officer Liu was somewhat surprised.

"I’ve seen him a few times in the hospital."

Lin Xian paused for a moment before continuing:

"Actually, it’s not just a superficial acquaintance, we had some interactions. I even celebrated his sister’s birthday and gave her gifts."

"I see, no wonder then."

Officer Liu suddenly realized:

"No wonder that cab braked so violently and swerved at the last moment, it was because he recognized you..."

Officer Liu smacked his lips, twisted open his thermos, took a sip of tea, and savored the softened goji berries that had steeped in the drink:

"This Zheng Chenghe is also a pitiful person... I just had colleagues from the neighboring province pull his file. Around ten or so years ago... around 2010, in the village where Zheng Chenghe was from, his parents were beaten to death over a dispute about a property boundary by the local tyrant... His mother died right before his eyes. In that era, in that kind of backward village, it was an unavoidable tragedy."

"When his parents died, Zheng Chenghe was very young, just a teenager entering adulthood, and his sister was even younger, barely out of swaddling clothes. The two of them were bullied relentlessly in the village. Honestly, that tyrant went too far, not even sparing the two children, frequently setting dogs on them. Once, when protecting his sister, Zheng Chenghe was severely bitten by a dog, the injury was so severe, and the infection nearly took his life. But fortunately, he pulled through."

"Afterward, he and his sister left the village and came to Donghai. It was only a few years ago that those village tyrants got their just deserts; they all died."

"Died?"

Lin Xian looked up:

"How did they die? Did Zheng Chenghe kill them?"

He seemed to remember seeing similar news... about a son taking vengeance for his murdered mother after many years.

"No, no, no, it’s not what you think."

Officer Liu hurriedly waved his hands:

"Zheng Chenghe is a law-abiding citizen, with no prior record or any illegal activities. He was diligent and honest at his job... At that time, the specifics weren’t clear, but it was driven by some situation, and the murder case from over ten or so years ago was reopened."

"After the case was reopened, the sham of a confession at that time was uncovered, and the people involved in the murder were retried. The males of the village tyrant’s family who were involved were pretty much all sentenced to death."

?

Hearing this, Lin Xian was somewhat surprised.

It seemed...

There was something off.

Firstly, Zheng Chenghe surely didn’t have the power to reopen a case that had been resolved over a decade ago; there must have been some powerful and influential people involved.

Secondly, for all the males in the tyrant’s family who took part to be sentenced to death... especially since it was a case from over a decade ago, Lin Xian didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t that he sympathized with those beasts; it was just that from a legal standpoint, the verdict seemed too extreme.

So, it was that feeling again...

There was definitely someone pushing from behind the scenes.

Thinking it all over, it goes without saying, the person most consistent with the characteristics of this series of events would be—

The influential and powerful Ji Xinshui.

"Officer Liu."

Lin Xian voiced his inner doubts:

"I have a question for you, and I’m not saying I think the village bullies and such villains shouldn’t get the death penalty. I’m just consulting from a legal standpoint... Based on your experience, for a heinous case like this one from over a decade ago, if it were retried now, would all the men involved really be sentenced to death according to the scale of the law?"

"It’s hard to say, Lin Xian."

Officer Liu took a sip of tea, smacking his lips:

"We can only see the final judgment. As for how exactly the case was adjudicated back then, without looking up detailed records now, it’s unclear. Although it should not result in a death sentence for all, but... a lot of matters are hard to say, what if these village bullies have committed other crimes over the years?"

"If convicted of multiple crimes, the death penalty could indeed be possible. You know, in the past few years, China has cracked down hard on criminal syndicates, and I rather think it’s not strange at all. For those accustomed to evil deeds, would they really stay out of trouble for over a decade? It’s highly unlikely."

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...

Listening to Officer Liu’s explanation, Lin Xian closed his eyes to think and didn’t say anything more.

"Innocent until proven guilty."

This was the biggest problem he was now facing.

In China’s law, if there’s insufficient evidence to prove the defendant guilty, yet also impossible to prove his innocence, he shall be presumed innocent.

This was the current situation.

Many things, he knew very well, the murderers were Ji Lin, Ji Xinshui, Zhou Duanyun, these men behind the scenes.

But there was not enough evidence to prove their guilt.

That included the case with Zheng Chenghe.

He was well aware that Ji Xinshui had backed Zheng Chenghe, and it was likely that Zheng Xiangyue’s medical expenses were also covered by Ji Xinshui, indicating a utilitarian relationship between the two. Clearly, Zheng Chenghe was a faithful servant cultivated by Ji Xinshui.

Lin Xian knew all this for sure.

But again, there wasn’t enough evidence.

Therefore, no conviction could be made, no trial could proceed.

"Lin Xian, we’ve hit a snag,"

Chu Shanhe walked in from outside at this moment. Upon seeing Officer Liu inside, they greeted each other; obviously, they were well-acquainted and on good terms.

Then, looking at Lin Xian, Chu Shanhe said:

"Since we forcibly arrested Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui last night, 10 hours have passed. But the problem is... they haven’t said a word. They not only refuse to admit to any criminal acts, they even refuse to cooperate with our questioning."

"This makes it very difficult, just like I told you before, ’If there isn’t enough evidence to link the two of them to the murder case, we can only detain them for a maximum of 24 hours before we must release them.’

"Furthermore... Ji Xinshui has a very powerful backer, with strong influence. Now there’s a lot of pressure on the Donghai police. I’m afraid that if we can’t find any evidence within the next 14 hours, or if they keep denying their crimes, we will have no choice but to let them go."

After hearing this, Lin Xian nodded.

This was exactly what was troubling him...

Actually.

10 hours earlier, at 00:42, things hadn’t gone as Lin Xian had planned during the incident.

He had painstakingly placed a bomb under a manhole cover, just to save himself at the last possible moment and thereby prove the taxi driver’s "intention to commit murder."

But here’s where the problem arose.

Maybe it was Ji Lin’s shout that made Zheng Chenghe recognize him, which caused Zheng to slam on the brakes and swerve... leaving behind a very noticeable set of black tire tracks.

In legal terms, determining whether a vehicle-related incident was intentional or not, the brake marks and the swerve tracks are crucial evidence.

And now, because of Zheng Chenghe’s sudden emergency braking and swerving, it’s impossible to determine that he intended to murder me... because the tire tracks show he tried to avoid at the last moment. Moreover, since the man is now dead, it’s his word against no one’s.

And that’s one point.

But there’s another.

The second point... was something completely unexpected that Ji Lin did.

It was something Lin Xian could never have anticipated, that just when Ji Lin was about to push him into the road to his death, he suddenly pulled his hand back.

This unforeseen turn of events almost ruined all of Lin Xian’s plans.

If only Ji Lin hadn’t withdrawn his hand.

He threw himself directly onto the road.

In that case, the act of intentional murder would be something he could never wash away no matter what.

But the problem lies in the fact that Ji Lin stopped himself and didn’t push himself out.

So, as far as the existing evidence goes,

Ji Lin is also innocent, free from guilt.

Even if his motives and actions are further questioned,

when in doubt, acquit; the law cannot punish him.

Could it be...

After finally catching Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui, are they going to be let go without any payoff?

Lin Xian was absolutely unwilling to see this happen.

If they were released, his own safety would sooner or later be compromised.

For people who have been duped once, they’re not fools; they definitely won’t fall for it a second time.

Especially now, when all their secrets have been laid bare before him, it’s a matter of life and death; to dare release them both could mean that by tomorrow, his own catastrophe might arrive, and he could end up dead somewhere in Donghai City.

Since it had come to such a dire state of affairs, Ji Xinshui was likely to forgo the 00:42 car ramming killing method and use other means to quickly dispose of him.

So...

[They absolutely cannot be allowed to go free.]

Not only that...

[Ideally, they should vanish forever, leaving no troubles behind.]

Then,

What should be done?

How to ensure they receive the death penalty?

Lin Xian picked up the water pen from the desk, placed it between his fingers, and began to spin it rapidly.

There is no doubt.

The acts already committed by Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui were more than enough for several death penalties.

Murdering Xu Yun, killing Tang Xin, killing Academician Lyon... Particularly Xu Yun and Academician Lyon, world-famous and great scientists whose heinous crimes warrant the death penalty in any country.

But the problem is,

there’s no evidence now, and they haven’t confessed to the crimes.

If they were willing to confess... that would make things a lot easier.

In the laws of China, a confession alone cannot be used as direct evidence for conviction.

But there is a special case—

If the criminal himself admits to the fact of the crime, then his confession can be regarded as direct evidence, part of the chain of evidence.

Therefore...

The most effective method at present

is to get Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui to confess with their own mouths!

"Is there any good way to do this?"

The water pen spinning on Lin Xian’s fingertips grew faster, his mind raced with thoughts, with various clues emerging, dispersing, converging, overlapping—

On a rainy night, Huang Que lounged on the sofa with his legs crossed:

"This invitation is fake."

In the van, Big Face Cat bit on the end of a cigarette:

"I have no other way, I can only try... to possibly get an invitation to the Genius Club."

Outside the villa, Ji Lin leaned against the door:

"Lin Xian, have you ever heard of... the Genius Club?"

Lin Xian’s brows furrowed.

Almost there...

Think more.

Think harder!

Ji Lin had said that the murders at 00:42 might have involved two groups of people.

Group A (Genius Club), and Group B (Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui).

And Group B was a poor imitation of Group A, or in Ji Lin’s words, they wanted to prove something to the Genius Club.

What are Ji Xinshui and his group trying to prove?

Why do they need to prove these things?

What is their ultimate goal?

Ji Xinshui already belonged to that small group at the very apex of the world’s pyramid... he stood at the pinnacle, above countless others.

What else was he unsatisfied with?

What else was there left for him to aspire to?

All things mundane and all things real were within his easy reach; he could even easily override laws and rules.

For a man this powerful...

If he still had a pressing pursuit, something he was eager to obtain...

It would definitely not be as simple as power, money, or status!

It would have to be something more powerful, more mysterious, more capable of influencing human destiny!

Whoosh!

Lin Xian’s eyes suddenly snapped open!

Perhaps...

Whether it was Ji Lin or Ji Xinshui, their goal was the same—

[To join the Genius Club!]

"It’s worth a gamble."

Lin Xian stopped spinning the pen and clenched his fist.

At least...

Ji Lin and Ji Xinshui were definitely aware of the existence of the Genius Club.

And about this extremely secretive organization,

he might not have less intelligence than them.

Right now, there were only 14 hours left before the police station released them; if he didn’t get them to admit their crimes now, all his efforts would have been in vain.

So... he must take a gamble!

"I’m going out for a bit."

Lin Xian stood up and walked towards the door, then turned back to look at Officer Liu:

"Please continue to keep an eye on Ji Xinshui and Ji Lin, don’t let those two have any contact... wait for my return."