Genius Club

In the office of Donghai City’s Criminal Investigation Department, Officer Liu laid a stack of documents in front of Lin Xian before sitting opposite him.

“Zheng Cheng He, that’s the driver’s name,” Officer Liu started, breaking the silence.

“I know,” Lin Xian responded coolly, not even glancing at the papers.

“You know him?” Officer Liu asked, surprised.

“I’ve seen him a few times at the hospital,” Lin Xian explained. “We’ve actually met more than a few times. I’ve been to his sister’s birthday party and even gave her gifts.”

“That makes sense,” Officer Liu nodded, understanding better now. “No wonder that taxi braked and swerved so suddenly at the last second. He must have recognized you.”

Officer Liu clicked his tongue, opened his thermos, took a sip of his tea, and savored the goji berries it contained.

“Zheng Cheng He has had a tough life… I just had my colleagues in the next province pull his file. About ten years ago, in 2010, his parents were killed by a local thug over a land dispute. His mother died right in front of him. Back then, in those small, backward villages, there was little anyone could do.”

“When his parents died, Zheng Cheng He was just a teenager, barely an adult, and his sister was just a toddler. They faced a lot of bullying in the village. That thug was ruthless, even setting dogs on them. Once, when Zheng Cheng He was trying to protect his sister, a dog bit him on the face, and he nearly died from the infection. But luckily, he survived.”

“Eventually, the siblings left their village and moved to Donghai. It wasn’t until a few years later that the thugs met their end. They all died.”

“Died?” Lin Xian looked up, interested. “How did they die? Did Zheng Cheng He kill them?”

He recalled seeing a news story about a son who avenged his mother’s murder years later.

“No, not at all,” Officer Liu quickly corrected. “Zheng Cheng He is a law-abiding citizen, never been in trouble with the law. He’s a hard worker and honest… The case was reopened a few years ago. The investigation showed that the wrong person had been punished initially. The real culprits, the main men from the thug’s family, were found guilty and executed.”

Lin Xian was puzzled. First, it was unlikely that Zheng Cheng He could have influenced the reopening of such an old case. Clearly, someone powerful had helped. Secondly, the decision to execute all the male members of the family seemed extreme, even for a severe crime, hinting at powerful forces at play.

“Officer Liu,” Lin Xian shared his thoughts, “I’m not questioning whether those men deserved their fate. I’m just curious, from a legal standpoint… Is it normal for a decade-old case to be reopened, and all the male culprits given the death sentence?”

“It’s hard to say, Lin Xian,” Officer Liu replied, taking another sip of tea. “We only see the outcome. Without accessing the full records, it’s difficult to know all the details. However, these men might have committed other crimes since then, which could have contributed to their sentences. With the government’s strict policies against organized crime, it’s not too surprising.”

Thinking over Officer Liu’s words, Lin Xian closed his eyes. The principle of innocent until proven guilty was his biggest hurdle now. Under Long Country’s laws, without sufficient evidence of guilt, the accused is presumed innocent. Lin Xian knew Zheng Cheng He was used by Ji Xin Shui, probably to cover Zheng Xiang Yue’s medical costs. Zheng Cheng He was definitely Ji Xin Shui’s tool, but without solid proof, they couldn’t convict him.

“Lin Xian, we’ve got a problem,” Chu Shan He entered the room, greeted Officer Liu, and then turned to Lin Xian. “Since we arrested Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui last night, it’s been ten hours. They’re not cooperating, denying all charges, and refusing to talk.”

“That complicates things. Without enough evidence, we can only hold them for 24 hours before we have to let them go,” Chu Shan He added. “Plus, Ji Xin Shui has powerful backers, putting a lot of pressure on the Donghai police. If we don’t get evidence or a confession in the next 14 hours, we’ll have to release them.”

Lin Xian nodded. This was his predicament. Ten hours earlier, at 00:42, not everything had gone as planned. He had placed a bomb under a manhole cover as a last resort to save himself, intending to show the taxi driver’s intent to kill. But the plan backfired when Zheng Cheng He recognized him and braked suddenly, leaving skid marks. This indicated an attempt to avoid hitting Lin Xian, complicating the proof of attempted murder.

Moreover, Ji Lin did something unexpected. He didn’t push Lin Xian into the street as intended, which would have clearly demonstrated attempted murder. Ji Lin’s hesitation made it difficult to prove his guilt with the existing evidence. Despite his suspicions about their motives, the law required clear evidence for a conviction.

Could he just let Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui go? Lin Xian couldn’t accept that. If released, they would pose a threat to his safety. They wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Knowing his secrets, they would surely try another method to eliminate him. Lin Xian knew he couldn’t let them go.

He needed a strategy to secure their conviction. Lin Xian picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers, lost in thought. Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui had committed enough crimes to warrant multiple death sentences. The murders of Professor Xu Yun, Tang Xin, and Academician Leon, particularly high-profile figures like Xu Yun and Leon, justified execution in any jurisdiction. But without evidence and their confessions, a conviction was impossible.

In the law, confessions alone are not direct evidence. However, if the suspect admits to the crime, it becomes part of the evidential chain. Thus, the best strategy was to get Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui to confess.

“Is there a good way to make that happen?”

Lin Xian’s pen spun faster as he went over all the clues and knowledge he gathered thus far:

On that rainy night, Yellow Finch lounged on the sofa and told him, “This invitation is fake.”

In the dream world, Big Cat Face was smoking a cigarette in the van, “I need to try… to get a Genius Club invitation.”

Ji Lin leaning against a door at the villa, “Lin Xian, have you heard of the Genius Club?”

Lin Xian furrowed his brow at the last thought.

Ji Lin had mentioned two groups involved in the 00:42 incident: Group A, the Genius Club, and Group B, Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui’s team, who were imitating Group A to prove something to the Genius Club.

What were they trying to prove?

Ji Xin Shui, already at the pinnacle of success, still sought something—something beyond power, money, or status. It had to be something more potent, more mysterious, something that could manipulate human fate.

Lin Xian’s eyes snapped open. “Perhaps, Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui both aspired to join the Genius Club. It’s worth the risk,” he decided, stopping the pen and clenching his fist.

Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui were aware of the Genius Club, and Lin Xian’s intelligence might match theirs. With only 14 hours left before they had to be released, he had to make them confess. He decided to take the risk.

“I need to step out,” Lin Xian stated, standing and heading for the door. He turned back to Officer Liu. “Please keep an eye on Ji Xin Shui and Ji Lin. Don’t let them interact… until I return.”