Chapter 162

Once again someone clapped, and this time their palms were clapped red.

"This person, this person who killed someone—shouldn't they die, shouldn't they be spurned by society, shouldn't they turn themselves in of their own accord? Listen to the applause."

This time, everyone was almost shouting as they clapped.

Chen Fan nodded and said, "Mm, not bad, go get on with it."

Everyone nodded.

Wait, that doesn't seem right.

Old Liu was the first to come to his senses. Looking at his own raised hands, then at Chen Fan, he said, "What did you just do?"

"Nothing."

Chen Fan was squirming and hemming and hawing.

Too embarrassed to say it.

The audience gradually came back to their senses at this point.

Holy shit, that's sorcery, that's sorcery, my Lord.

Sorcery! Police, hurry up and arrest this guy! What he just used was sorcery, definitely sorcery!

The director, looking at the operator, said, "Did you just clap?"

"Director, you clapped too just now. What—what's going on? Why couldn't I control my own head?"

The director said, "How would I know? Besides, I also find it absolutely absurd."

The two took a deep breath.

Oh my, this is too scary. This Chen Fan—isn't he just a bit too awesome?

This thing, they've actually seen it before.

The director had seen some so-called trashy film and TV drama directors go over to Hengdian to trick college students, and pull the casting-couch routine on them.

But those people could still fail. It's just that what Chen Fan said here really makes people easy to convince.

"Chen Fan, stop showing off your half-baked tricks here. I admit, you're great at brainwashing people, at running a pyramid scheme on them. But if you're so awesome, get this person to turn himself in right now, can you?"

"Let's bet on something."

"Sure. If I win, you shave my head for me. If you win, I'll introduce Old Song's daughter to you."

"Pfft, I already know Old Song's daughter. We chat every day."

"You idiot, you know the wrong person. That girl is a friend of Old Song's daughter. The one you took a photo with isn't Old Song's daughter."

Damn, that's brilliant.

Can't guard against it. This Old Song really—has too many tricks up his sleeve.

At this point, Li Tian's phone rang.

Chen Fan said, "Pick it up, pick it up for me, hurry up."

"Don't need you to remind me. You make it sound like someone's turning themselves in."

The call connected, and Li Tian stared at Chen Fan, dumbfounded.

Chen Fan said, "Take a look, right?"

"Just you wait, I'll come find you and ask about this later."

"Remember, don't forget the bet. Really, the bet still has to be carried out."

"I know, I know, honestly."

Chen Fan continued flipping through the book in his hand, looked up at everyone, and said, "What's going on?"

Everyone shook their heads vigorously, not looking at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan sidled up to Xiang Qinqin and said, "Qinqin, what are you all hiding from me?"

"I'm not listening, I'm not listening. When you talk to me, I'm afraid you'll sell me out."

Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "Then if one day in the future I run out of money, would you be willing to support me?"

"Uh, my monthly salary is only four thousand yuan. I have to send two thousand home. So, I'll give you fifteen hundred, okay? Five hundred for me is actually enough."

"Can't you give me a bit more?"

"Seventeen hundred, then. My parents need money—I have to give my parents money. Three hundred for me, I can actually still live on that."

Chen Fan laughed uproariously. Old Liu, annoyed, smacked Chen Fan on the back of the head and said, "You write the wrap-up."

In the observation room, Teacher He said, "It's truly miraculous—he really got the other party to turn himself in."

Qin Ming said, "Mm, how should I put it. I admit Chen Fan is very persuasive when he speaks, but I think this person turned himself in because the path he'd been firmly following went wrong—his own morality went off the rails."

Sister Jing Tian said, "A murderer is a murderer. What's all this about going off the rails?"

Qin Ming shook his head.

"It's actually not what you think. Let me put it another way. Do you remember what Li Tian said when Chen Fan was reading in the old man's room?"

Sister Jing Tian tried hard to recall. At this point, Zhang Xinyu jumped in to answer, saying, "It was telling Chen Fan not to commit crimes and stuff."

Qin Ming said, "I think everyone would assume Chen Fan is a born criminal—that if someone like that really became a criminal, it would be terrifying. But has anyone thought about another question: where exactly is the terrifying part?"

Teacher He said, "Is it the pulling-down-pants thing?"

Hu Ge said, "The big shot is indeed impressive, and cheating is also impressive."

Liu Yan said, "The dissection was scary. It felt like—there wasn't any emotional fluctuation at all."

Zhang Xinyu thought for a long time and said, "Actually, Teacher Qin Ming, what you're getting at is morality, right?"

Qin Ming snapped his fingers and nodded.

Everyone was puzzled, looking at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming explained, "It's simple. Because he has morality, this person has constraints, has principles, and there's no possibility of any guilt. Why has this person's case, over so many years, only resulted in this many deaths? Because in this person's own cognition, he himself is the judge, he himself is the executioner, and the people who died are the ones who truly erred. So normally, this person simply can't be caught—and there's no way to catch him."

Once these words were spoken, would anyone actually believe them?

But at that moment, beside him, an earpiece by Teacher He's ear crackled to life—someone had given a reply.

"Let's take a look at the interrogation footage."

In the interrogation room, a young man wearing glasses sat down inside the interrogation room.

Li Tian didn't shout or scream. He said, "Why did you choose to turn yourself in?"

"Because I committed a crime."

"What do you consider to be a crime?"

"I feel I killed the wrong person. The one I should have killed was that man, not this old man. Oh right, that woman—I actually should have killed her too."

Li Tian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Killed her too?"

The man pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, no, I wouldn't. I would have some Ma Feng appear beside that woman, then give that woman some punishment. As for the kid who did the killing, he should have been executed."

Once those words were spoken, they were truly shocking—everyone present felt a chill creeping up their backs.

This person really does have his own morality and worldview.

That bleak smile really is the sort of thing that easily gives people nightmares.

"Why insects?"

"Don't you think insects are beautiful? Their social hierarchy, the way they're put together, even the power they transmit to me—it's really easy to feel at ease with it."

"Since insects are the most beautiful, then, to punish evil, naturally one needs insects..."

"Why do you think insects kill people? What's the problem with that?"

Li Tian chuckled and said, "You just wait for me. I'll find someone."

In the observation room, the lawyer said, "This person is very clever—he's evading legal punishment."

??? Evading punishment.

The lawyer said, "Yes. Haven't you noticed—this person keeps talking about other things? He's trying to make himself seem mentally unsound. That way, if a psychiatric evaluation holds up, everything this person has said can be overturned. When the time comes, the presiding judge will have a very hard time handling it, and the opposing lawyer will seize on that point to argue for a lighter sentence for this person."

Damn, this guy is shameless—even now he's scheming about other things.

After Chen Fan entered the room, he stood in front of the man and said, "Do you know me?"

"I do. A handsome guy."

Chen Fan stared at the man.

At that moment, a voice rang out.

"Mama saw it, right? The bugs I like are really amazing, Mama."

Chen Fan froze, then looked at the man with utter contempt and said, "You still have a case you haven't accounted for."

"A case? What case?"

Chen Fan said, "Let me try reasoning like Li Tian for a moment. You like insects, you've done research on them, you've become an entomologist, and you've published papers in many magazines."