Genius Club

“Lin Xian? Where are you going?”

Chu Shan He’s voice echoed through the tense atmosphere of the Donghai Police Department, his eyes wide with concern as he watched Lin Xian stand up to leave.

At such a critical moment, where could Lin Xian possibly be heading?

Just a few days earlier, Lin Xian had discreetly requested Chu Shan He to mobilize national forces from beyond Donghai City for an ambush. Lin Xian’s mistrust of the local police was the primary reason for this.

Initially, Chu Shan He hadn’t understood Lin Xian’s intentions. But once Lin Xian revealed that the primary suspects were Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui, Chu Shan He immediately got it.

Ji Xin Shui’s high status and international reputation, coupled with Ji Lin’s favored guest status with the Donghai police due to his assistance in solving numerous cases, made it clear. If the local police were involved, Ji Lin would likely uncover Lin Xian’s plans.

Ten hours ago, in the early morning, the capture operation had taken place successfully. Chu Shan He had used his personal connections to enlist the help of a significant figure from the capital, who took the series of murders targeting scientists very seriously. This person’s subordinates fully cooperated with the operation. Everything went smoothly.

Unfortunately, obtaining evidence of motive and proof of murder proved problematic. Due to Ji Lin’s last-minute hesitation and the skid marks left by a taxi driver, the final result of the capture operation became unclear.

Chu Shan He wasn’t worried about losing face or looking foolish. He was furious at the killers of Professor Xu Yun and wanted nothing more than to see them dead. If they escaped, he would feel he had let down Xu Yun and the other great scientists who had died.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Chu. I’ll be back soon,” Lin Xian said, pausing at the door and looking back at Chu Shan He.

“I have an idea to make them talk. Please continue to monitor Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui. Don’t let them meet. We’ll take action once I return.”

Leaving the Donghai Police Department, Lin Xian took a taxi directly to MX Company. At the front desk, he inquired and found out that Zhao Ying Jun was out attending a meeting. The office was empty, saving him a lot of trouble. He took the elevator and pressed the button for the 22nd floor.

Ding—

When the elevator doors opened, he headed straight to Zhao Ying Jun’s office door with the keypad lock. He entered the code and successfully got in—only the two of them knew the password to this office.

“Phew…”

Lin Xian closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Ying Jun’s office was just as it had always been, unchanged. A fine layer of dust had started to settle on the sofa and coffee table due to the lack of recent cleaning.

Zhao Ying Jun didn’t trust anyone else, not even the cleaning staff, and didn’t allow anyone to enter her office without permission. So, this spacious office had to be cleaned by herself whenever she had the time.

As for Yellow Finch… You use this place like an ATM, coming and going as you please, couldn’t you at least clean up a bit while you’re at it?

Lin Xian went to the filing cabinet in the corner. Zhao Ying Jun was terrible at organizing documents. If Lin Xian didn’t help her tidy up, she would stack all her documents on the table until there was no more space.

And that’s why Lin Xian had hidden the fake Genius Club invitation here before heading to the Donghai Police Department to confront Ji Lin. He was glad he hadn’t thrown away or destroyed the fake invitation, despite his hesitation.

Creak…

He opened the filing cabinet, took out the bottom layer of the file box, and opened it. Inside lay a dark red card, exactly as he had left it. Lin Xian took out the folded invitation, flipped it over, and saw five gilded characters on the back: “Genius Club.”

In one corner of the file box, there was also a wax seal, embossed with the Genius Club logo—a right hand pointing straight up to the sky. This invitation was forged by Yellow Finch, completely fake, even absurdly so. The QR code inside led to a live stream of an Apple event.

But the wax seal was real. As long as the invitation wasn’t opened to read the contents, it looked convincingly authentic.

Given the current situation… Lin Xian smiled slightly, took out a lighter, and softened the wax seal’s adhesive, making it sticky again. He then pressed it tightly onto the fold of the invitation, resealing it.

“Perfect.”

Lin Xian looked at the now “originally sealed” invitation with satisfaction.

“There’s a line in the movie ‘Project Gutenberg’… sometimes, a fake is more useful than the real thing. Moreover, since no one has seen the real invitation, this fake one is real enough.”

Lin Xian placed the invitation in a file folder and took a taxi back to the Donghai Police Department, joining Chu Shan He and the others in the interrogation monitoring room. The monitoring room had screens showing the status of each interrogation room. Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui were in separate interrogation rooms. Both were seated in iron chairs. Their hands and feet were shackled to prevent any aggressive behavior.

“They still aren’t talking?” Lin Xian asked.

Chu Shan He shook his head. “Not only are they not talking, but they’re also being very arrogant.” He pointed to the surveillance footage of Ji Xin Shui. “This old man isn’t worried at all. He’s even confidently saying he’ll be out soon.”

“What about Ji Lin?”

“The same,” Chu Shan He said. “Ji Lin is willing to communicate but denies all the crimes we’ve accused him of. He’s smart enough to know we can only hold them for 24 hours without solid evidence. So, if we can’t find evidence linking them to the murders, or get them to confess, they’ll walk out of here triumphantly.”

“They won’t. I have a plan,” Lin Xian shook his head, looking at Chu Shan He and Officer Liu in the monitoring room. “But I’ll need everyone’s cooperation.”

“No problem,” Officer Liu spoke up first. “Lin Xian, after everything you’ve done, the entire department trusts you completely. As long as it doesn’t break any rules or regulations, we’ll follow your lead. Even if it means bending the rules a little, we can discuss it.”

“I’ve already talked to Shan He. If they are indeed the killers of Xu Yun and Tang Xin, we must bring them to justice, no matter the cost! The law may be lenient, but it’s not blind. I don’t care how the people of Donghai view us flipping back and forth. Our duty is to find the real culprits and bring them to justice! Lin Xian, whatever your plan is, just tell us. I’ll take full responsibility!”

Lin Xian nodded and briefed everyone on his plan. He didn’t mention the Genius Club or any specifics, only that: “When I go in to talk to them, please turn off all recording and monitoring devices. Traditional interrogation isn’t getting us anywhere. I need to gain their trust. They’re both smart, so we can’t use any tricks. Make sure all the recording and monitoring devices are genuinely off. Just trust me. I won’t let you down.”

After explaining to everyone, Lin Xian looked at the surveillance footage of Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui. Which one to approach first? After some thought, Lin Xian decided to target the elderly Ji Xin Shui. Lin Xian believed that since he didn’t know Ji Xin Shui well, and vice versa, this unfamiliarity would make it easier to deceive him.

In contrast, he and Ji Lin knew each other too well. They were too familiar with each other’s thought processes, speech habits, and behaviors. It’s hard to deceive someone who knows you so well. Lin Xian didn’t have the confidence to fool Ji Lin, whose intelligence he had to admit was formidable.

Also, there was another reason to choose Ji Xin Shui. In order to catch the thieves, you must first capture their leader. Ji Xin Shui was likely the boss or a key figure in their group, possessing the most information. If Lin Xian could trick Ji Xin Shui, it would be equivalent to uprooting their entire gang and catching them all.

“I’ll go see Ji Xin Shui first. Watch for my signal to turn off all monitoring,” Lin Xian instructed Officer Liu and the staff, then took the file folder and headed to Ji Xin Shui’s interrogation room.

Since his arrest last night, Ji Xin Shui had been here the entire time. This might be his only chance.

Creak.

Lin Xian pushed open the heavy door of the interrogation room and walked in, facing the elderly man sitting in the iron chair. This was his first time meeting Ji Xin Shui in real life. A fateful encounter, and it happened in such a place.

Ji Xin Shui looked even older than Lin Xian had imagined. The photos in the news must have been taken years ago. The old man had very few strands of white hair left, his scalp shiny, wrinkled like a worn cloth. He was incredibly old. Judging by his age, he must be over eighty, but his physical and skin condition made him look even older.

But his spirit was strong. Even shackled in the chair, his expression remained confident, disdainful, relaxed, and… arrogant. As if it was Lin Xian who was shackled, not him.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” Ji Xin Shui sneered as Lin Xian entered. “You’re a tough one to kill, aren’t you?”

Bang. Lin Xian didn’t respond, his expression unchanged as he gently closed the door, silently taking a seat opposite Ji Xin Shui. Ji Xin Shui straightened his back, leaning back, looking down on Lin Xian with a scornful gaze.

“Give it up. I’m not saying anything. It doesn’t matter who you send.”

Snap.

Lin Xian snapped his fingers. Thud, a dull sound. The one-way glass darkened, turning into a black screen. The corner cameras’ power indicators went out, retracting. The recording systems’ indicator lights on the table and walls also went dark, signaling the end of recording.

Ji Xin Shui looked around, frowning in surprise. He didn’t understand what was happening. Lin Xian was just an ordinary employee; he shouldn’t have the authority to turn off all the surveillance equipment. Besides, he wasn’t a police officer and had no right to interrogate.

“What are you trying to do?” Ji Xin Shui looked at Lin Xian warily. Would the Donghai police dare to resort to violence in this closed room?

“No need to be nervous,” Lin Xian finally spoke. He unwrapped the seal on the file folder as he spoke. “All monitoring devices are off. Our conversation stays between us.”

“So what?” Ji Xin Shui snorted. “What do you want?”

“I’m here to deliver something,” Lin Xian said, unwrapping the seal. Then, in Ji Xin Shui’s astonished gaze, he pulled out the dark red invitation! The wax seal faced up, and the words “Genius Club” glinted arrogantly under the fluorescent light. Lin Xian pressed the invitation with two fingers, slowly sliding it toward Ji Xin Shui.

“Congratulations, Ji Xin Shui,” Lin Xian said, looking up and smiling at Ji Xin Shui’s shocked eyes. “This is your… invitation!”