Chapter 69: Scare you to death, you old thing!

The quiet temporary interrogation room had only one desk lamp lit.

But the light from that desk lamp was enough to reveal Yin Tiesheng's changing expression. Once a master who called the wind and summoned the rain in Nanzhou's calligraphy circle, he now wore only a look of dejection.

The ticking alarm clock beside the table was like a death charm.

The quieter the environment, the more that ticking sound possessed an uncanny power, each tick making Yin Tiesheng's old heart tremble.

Lin Dongfan gave Yin Tiesheng only three minutes.

"Two minutes left."

Lin Dongfan tapped the alarm clock with his knuckle, not knowing if it had broken Yin Tiesheng's psychological defense; in any case, Yin Tiesheng showed a sorrow as great as heart-death.

Yin Tiesheng glanced at the ticking alarm clock, then at Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining sitting opposite him.

His heart rose to his throat.

He nervously asked the two opposite him: "In two minutes, what do you intend to do?"

"Rest assured, we are public servants of the people; we would never do things like torture to extract confessions." Lin Dongfan put on an appearance of serving the public impartially.

Jian Sining also nodded solemnly in agreement: "Yes, we love the people as our own children."

Upon hearing that, Yin Tiesheng's heart turned cold to a great extent.

He thought, "Is this what you call loving the people as your own children? You're fooling ghosts! If you're not trying to play tricks, why did you just say you'd give me only three minutes to consider?"

"Let me tell you, I, Yin Tiesheng, am also a dignified scholar! A scholar may be killed but not humiliated; if you really intend to humiliate me…… absolutely not! This is a society ruled by law."

Yin Tiesheng was so anxious his speech became incoherent.

Lin Dongfan frowned suspiciously: "You're sitting before me in handcuffs, and you talk about the rule of law?"

"Lin Dongfan, I knew you wanted to play tricks!"

As his tension rose, Yin Tiesheng shed two tears of weathered, murky sorrow, as if he had used his lifetime wisdom to expose a fatal secret, yet could do nothing about it.

He repeatedly bellowed:

"I warn you, I was born with a heart condition! In old age I also have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids! My whole body is full of ailments; a touch could kill me! This is no joke."

Lin Dongfan doubted: "Are you trying to intimidate me?"

"Now it's you who are intimidating me!"

Yin Tiesheng held up three fingers in accusation: "Three days! For three whole days you've let me sleep only six hours—is that something a person would do?! Not letting me sleep is bad enough, but now you want to upgrade your dirty tricks! I warn you, if you drive me to desperation I will really die before your eyes! Then let's see how you explain it to your superiors…"

"You have one minute left."

Before Yin Tiesheng finished shouting, Lin Dongfan tapped the alarm clock beside him with his knuckle again.

Seeing his tactics failing, Yin Tiesheng's two tears of weathered, murky sorrow welled even more, his tension making them ready to spill.

He glanced at Lin Dongfan, then at Jian Siyi: "Do you have elders in your family? Do you have parents? Do you still have compassion? Threatening a sixty-plus-year-old old man with such vile means—aren't you afraid of heavenly retribution?"

"You have 42 seconds left."

Lin Dongfan continued to strike the alarm clock beside him, his eyes fixed on Yin Tiesheng opposite, indifferent as a cold-blooded creature without feeling.

Yin Tiesheng tilted his head back.

It was unclear whether he wanted to hold back those two tears of weathered, murky sorrow, or to have a sudden enlightenment about life and death.

Jian Sining tapped the table: "Have you ever heard of suicide to avoid punishment?"

"You're the one who would commit suicide to avoid punishment!"

Yin Tiesheng's emotions completely collapsed.

He glared at Jian Sining and roared: "A person as beautiful as flower and jade, how could you have a heart of serpents and scorpions?! Tell me, are you trying to kill me? Are you? Do you really want to kill me and then pin the label of suicide to avoid punishment on me? You are knowingly breaking the law!"

Despite Yin Tiesheng's hands being cuffed.

Once his emotions erupted.

He still angrily pounded the table.

His whole body resembled a plateau pika, stretching its neck and letting out a sharp hiss, filled with the will to rage at the whole world.

"Ten, nine, eight…"

Lin Dongfan still ignored Yin Tiesheng's roar and began the countdown.

He also took out a pack of medical-use silver needles and placed them on the table.

Yin Tiesheng instantly seemed to have seen a life‑taking divine weapon; his eyeballs widened in shock, his heart rate shot up straight, and the feeling of imminent suffocation showed on his face.

Silver needles!

This made Yin Tiesheng think of his old buddies squatting in prison—Zhang Zhong, who used to run an acupuncture clinic, usually needling people and applying cupping.

Last year, because he needled the wrong point, Zhang Zhong drove a middle‑aged woman into her grave.

The key was that after killing her, no specific cause of death could be found.

He just paid some money and the matter was settled.

Zhang Zhong ended up in prison because later, while helping someone remove cupping, he ruined the person's back, causing extensive burns; the evidence was overwhelming, and that couldn't be talked away.

In Yin Tiesheng's eyes, Old Zhang was a quack doctor.

And the silver needles were murder weapons.

When Lin Dongfan counted to three, Yin Tiesheng broke down and shouted: "Enough! What era is this, still playing this fake trick? I've lived over sixty years, I've seen all kinds of scenes—I, Yin Shengtie, am not someone easily scared! You just want me to answer the question? Hurry up and ask; I never said I wouldn't cooperate, for goodness' sake!"

Upon hearing that, Jian Sining frowned speechlessly; having lived this long, she had never seen such a shameless old thing—are all rich people greedy for life and afraid of death?

For things she couldn't figure out, Jian Sining also couldn't be bothered to think, she bent over the desk to prepare the record.

Lin Dongfan still maintained an indifferent, unfeeling demeanor.

Staring unblinkingly at Yin Tiesheng, he said: "First, tell me—what is the relationship between those buyers of your calligraphy works and your daughter Yin Qiuhong?"

"No relation at all!"

Yin Tiesheng replied decisively.

Lin Dongfan's sword‑like brows furrowed slightly: "You're playing tricks again; I kindly remind you that my patience is truly limited."

"It's not a problem to begin with; are you asking me to fabricate a connection? Making up nonsense like that—you should go find those who write web novels, I can't play along!"

Yin Tiesheng spoke with righteous confidence.

Lin Dongfan said: "Last June, the Luojia Mountain stone quarry in Jinling District encroached on forest land, suspected of illegal mining, causing extensive damage to forest areas. The Forest Public Security Bureau ordered the quarry to suspend operations for rectification. Later, the quarry's boss, Lu Weilin, spent 1.2 million buying a calligraphy from you, allowing him to continue mining."

He paused briefly.

Lin Dongfan again smiled and asked Yin Tiesheng: "Explain to me why, after Lu Weilin bought a calligraphy from you, his stone quarry could be exempt from all penalties and continue mining?"

"How would I know? It has nothing to do with me."

Yin Tiesheng, steeling himself, protested: "He bought my calligraphy because he appreciates my work; my work has collectible value! This has nothing to do with whether he mines or not."

Lin Dongfan neither rushed nor argued.

He continued laying out the facts:

"Also, the Yunfeng Nickel Mine discharges excessive acidic heavy-metal wastewater that fails to meet standards, flowing down the mountain ditches. This not only caused widespread forest vegetation to die but also polluted downstream water quality, which originally should have been rectified and heavily fined. After the mine's boss, Xu Yunfeng, spent 2.8 million buying a calligraphy from you, the penalty was waived."

Hearing this, Yin Tiesheng broke out in a cold sweat.

Lin Dongfan calmly pressed on: "Why are those who spend heavily to buy your calligraphy not calligraphy collectors, but entrepreneurs who have destroyed forest resources?"

"Nonsense! They are entrepreneurs who also love collecting." Yin Tiesheng protested urgently.

Lin Dongfan chuckled lightly: "Lu Weilin and Xu Yunfeng have already been arrested, and everything that needed to be confessed has been confessed. I'm asking you now—this is your chance to confess frankly for leniency."

"That's them framing us!"

The saying "no tears until seeing the coffin" was tailor-made for someone like Yin Tiesheng—even at death's door he remains stubborn, only realizing how cold it is when a knife stabs his heart.