Chapter 348: Extraordinary

Quiet!

A quiet so quiet it was eerie.

Lin Sicheng sat opposite, his expression very calm, his gaze very gentle, his body leaning slightly back, his posture very relaxed.

But the woman felt that those clear eyes hid electricity, piercing straight into her heart.

Gradually, the woman's breathing became rapid, her heartbeat faster and faster. Her five fingers were tightly clenched together, the veins on the back of her hands bulging.

Her body trembled incessantly; she wanted to control it, but the harder she tried, the more violently she shook.

Beside them, Sun Liancheng and Han Xin stared with wide eyes, four gazes nailed straight onto the woman's face.

Having been Police for half a lifetime, having caught and interrogated countless suspects, they couldn't even count them themselves.

Their experience was as rich as it could possibly be, and they knew perfectly well why the woman was like this: because she was in a state of extreme fear, extreme terror, and extreme emotional tension; never mind controlling her expression, she couldn't even control her body.

They understood even better what this meant: the secret the woman hid deepest, the one she was most afraid of others knowing, had been laid bare by a single word from Lin Sicheng.

She was not Wang Chun, just a body double.

But how was that possible?

Look at that face, look at the features, look at the height and build; they were exactly the same as in the files.

They were trained in this, and they did this for a living; the two Experts knew more than the two Captains. For a moment, the two were dumbfounded, with expressions like they had eaten poisonous shit: not only disgusting, but damnably fatal.

Interrogating for so long, had they actually been interrogating a fake?

Then, how much credibility did the things interrogated and the evidence provided still have?

Even if everything this woman confessed was true.

In an instant, sweat seeped onto the foreheads of the two Experts; they looked at Lin Sicheng, then at the woman, then at Lin Sicheng, then at the woman.

His gaze was as clear as a child's.

Wu Qiuhua was even worse; her expression management was not even as good as that woman's: mouth agape, eyes wide, the flesh on her face twitching uncontrollably.

Just as she was about to say something, Sun Liancheng stepped forward and pointed a finger at her, his thick finger less than two centimeters from her nose.

His gaze was full of fury, warning, and threat: You dare make a sound, you damn bitch?

Relying on your connections, you don't know a damn thing, yet you insisted on being the lead interrogator.

Come on, look now, what did you interrogate? A "pre-interrogation expert," you interrogated jack shit.

Thinking about what would have happened if Lin Sicheng hadn't come today and this woman had been allowed to continue being interrogated, Sun Liancheng's heart couldn't stop pounding:

On the final day, when this woman and all the suspects were brought to Court: including Qi Song, Ren Danhua,

Yu Jichuan, Yu Jiyao, as well as the two bosses, and even all the moles.

Then, the trial ends, and the moment the Judge drops the gavel and pronounces the verdict in court, the woman suddenly says: I am not Wang Chun!

Imagine that scene.

Believe it or not, the whole damn thing would explode: including the Police, the prosecution, and the Court.

Believe it or not, it would make international news?

Anything this woman confessed, anything she provided—all the testimony, all the evidence—even if everything she said was true, not a single bit could be accepted.

Consequently, none of the conclusions could hold up.

And sentencing? You'd sentence jack shit.

The more he thought, the angrier he got, and Sun Liancheng shivered. It was no exaggeration: if Wu Qiuhua dared to interrupt Lin Sicheng, he would absolutely slap her across the face.

I don't care who your father is————

Branch Captain Han felt a lingering fear, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. A group of Police, including doctors and nurses, were all like they had been hit by a freezing spell; they didn't dare move, let alone breathe.

What was a botched job compared to that?

They could imagine with their toes: if that final scene happened, how many people here would still be able to wear the uniforms they were wearing now?

Wu Qiuhua could imagine even better what the consequences would be; in an instant, not a trace of blood remained on her face.

She trembled her lips, wanting to offer a defense: I just arrived, I didn't know.

You at least saw Wang Chun in person, and you've been investigating for so long. I only saw Wang Chun's photo, so you can't blame me————

But the words reached her lips, and meeting Sun Liancheng's gaze, which was exploding with fury, she didn't dare utter a single word.

Regret surged like a tide, wave after wave: she had originally come to share the credit, but not only did she not get any credit, she ended up carrying a massive scapegoat————

Suddenly, a "creak."

The sound wasn't loud, but it made everyone tremble: Lin Sicheng pushed back his chair and stood up.

No, why are you standing up?

Strike while the iron is hot and keep interrogating, right?

In astonishment, Lin Sicheng handed over the transcript notebook: "Thank you!"

His tone was very light, and he still had a smile on his face, but it felt as if the thin transcript notebook were a venomous snake baring its fangs; Wu Qiuhua's hand suddenly recoiled.

As if involuntarily, her body stepped back. Only when her heels hit the ground did she realize: everyone was staring at her, their gazes strange and inexplicably complex.

There was surprise, mockery, and even more contempt———— "Whoosh," Wu Qiuhua's face turned red to the roots of her hair.

When it came to grabbing credit, you were the fastest; when it came to difficulties, you were also the fastest to run away.

The problem is, you made this mess yourself, yet you actually have the nerve to hide?

In an instant, Wu Qiuhua regretted it until her intestines turned green.

But now was not the time for resentment; Sun Liancheng calmed his mood and whispered a reminder: "Little Lin!"

Why call Little Lin?

Naturally, to let him continue the interrogation.

But Lin Sicheng didn't know how to continue.

To be able to act so convincingly that even the most professional Police and doctors were fooled, one could imagine how much effort Wang had spent and how long she had prepared.

Three years, five years, or perhaps eight years, ten years?

The meaning of this woman's existence before his eyes was for this very day. Impersonating Wang Chun was her only mission for which she lived so hard and was able to sit here. That was why, the moment she spoke the truth, she was so afraid, so agitated.

It was not that Lin Sicheng wanted to deliberately embarrass this Deputy Branch Chief Wu or deliberately refuse to interrogate, but he knew: nothing could be asked out of her.

He sighed and looked at the woman: "You are indeed very similar; expressions, tone, pitch, and habitual movements—these can all be trained later, but facial features and physique cannot be trained, and blood type cannot be changed; it can only be innate. Therefore, even if you are not twin sisters, you should at least be from the same mother—"

"And your hands. Wang Chun must have let you handle glassware and Gold-gilding artifacts for a long time. These types of Cultural Relics contain sufficient lead sulfide; long-term contact leads to heavy metal deposition, permanently covering your fingerprints."

"At the same time, she also had you handle and polish Bronze and murals containing azurite. Both contain arsenic, which causes palmoplantar keratoderma, causing palm prints to fuse and disappear. Moreover, it can also forge traces of long-term Grave-robbing."

"But after all, you have never truly engaged in Grave-robbing. Even if you have gone down, it was only a few times. And only by frequently opening coffins and frequently coming into contact with corpses will sufficient corpse wax alkanes precipitate, causing the skin to wax and thicken—"

"Oh, you probably don't understand, so let me put it simply: it is actually Corpse Oil, but not ordinary Corpse Oil; it is the kind generated over years and months in a long-term oxygen-deprived environment. Once it sees light, or even as soon as it leaves the tomb, it reacts and deteriorates, so it cannot be faked—"

"The key lies in this illness of yours—to be honest, I truly admire you: I admire Wang, but I admire you even more—"

"How many benefits did she give you to make you willing and eager to voluntarily contract Stubborn Asthma?"

"Hers is Level Three; although it is difficult to cure, it can basically be stabilized with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. But your illness has reached Level 5."

"It seems like there is only a two-level difference, but as soon as you have an attack, it feels like ants are crawling in your throat. The key is that sense of impending death caused by suffocation: she only has attacks two or three times a year, but you have them two or three times a month—although the illness won't kill you, it is more uncomfortable than being dead—"

Lin Sicheng paused and sighed deeply, "I imagine that in order to make you have the same illness as her, she used a method of bacterial colonization: for example, taking tomb soil, decaying coffins, Cultural Relics, or even cultivating bacteria from skeletons, and after successful cultivation, making you inhale it."

"As you wished, you did indeed get the exact same illness, but she was too eager and didn't control it well; the illness came too fast and too violently. She didn't dare take you to see a doctor, and even if she did, she didn't dare look for a famous doctor like Professor Chao, so your illness is much more severe than hers, more than ten times more painful—"

The woman's face was pale, her eyes were Floating, and her lips were tightly pursed together.

Although it was not as intense as before, one could still see that her body was trembling.

There was no need for much professionalism, and one didn't even need to be a Police officer; anyone could judge it: Lin Sicheng was not guessing, but stating facts.

It was not an exaggeration at all: a group of people stared at Lin Sicheng, their gazes as if they were looking at an immortal.

Once is a coincidence, but could it be a coincidence every single time?

Especially Sun Liancheng, Han Xin, the two interrogation Experts, and the Clerk: they had personally watched Lin Sicheng interrogate Ma Shan twice, and had even watched the video of Lin Sicheng's surprise interrogation of Yang Jisheng. This time, it was even closer.

Why was it that every single time, Lin Sicheng could hit the nail on the head and point directly to the crux of the matter?

Just like now: he didn't even need the suspect to open her mouth, didn't need the suspect to answer a single word, and he could get the most accurate answer.

It was as if he had been on the scene at the time, watching with his own eyes how these people committed the crime?

Wu Qiuhua felt it even more deeply: she was a person with connections, that was true, but she also truly had real ability.

Therefore, she had always been very suspicious and very confused: the General Team was full of talent, with Experts where Experts were needed and technology where technology was needed, so why give all the credit to this young man who wasn't even a Police officer?

Even more so, he was only in his early twenties.

Later, she learned some inside information and thought she had suddenly realized: was it just because this young man had a significant background?

Well, her own background was also quite significant, so could she also share a bit of the credit?

But only now did she understand: it had absolutely nothing to do with whether the background was big or not.

Therefore, it was what led her to end up like this—

While she was secretly pondering, the Clerk gathered the courage to raise a hand: "Branch Chief Sun, should we record what Teacher Lin just said?"

A word awakened the dreamer: why not record it?

Not only must it be recorded, but they must also investigate further along this direction, at least to prove that the Wang Chun before their eyes was not the real Wang Chun.

Just as was said before: it is never too late to mend the fold after the sheep is lost—

Sun Liancheng nodded, and suddenly, many people picked up paper and notebooks.

The Clerk, two doctors, and a nurse. Also the interrogation Experts, and Wu Qiuhua's Assistant.

Suddenly, they froze again: Lin Sicheng had placed his notebook on the chair and turned around.

What was this, was he leaving?

No—the interrogation wasn't finished yet?

Just as Sun Liancheng was about to say something, Wu Qiuhua's movement was faster than his, and she stood up with a "swish."

Her face was flushed, her expression extremely unnatural, the kind that was both embarrassed and shameful. But she still bit the bullet and stopped Lin Sicheng: "Little Lin, oh no—Teacher—Teacher Lin, I'm sorry for just now, I apologize to you—please don't go, please help!"

Lin Sicheng paused and shook his head.

It wasn't that he wouldn't help, but that he couldn't help.

"Branch Chief Wu, I said just now: her illness is more uncomfortable than being dead; that wasn't a metaphor, but a fact—"

He looked at the woman and sighed again: she wasn't even afraid of death, did you expect her to confess?

In fact, she was probably wishing to die quickly to alleviate some of the pain.

Lin Sicheng didn't say the last two sentences out loud, but those who understood, understood.

"Of course, you can try to ask about other things!"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, "For example, when Wang Chun swapped with her, but I suspect she still won't say.

Or investigate: how Wang Chun escaped—"

In an instant, Sun Liancheng's face turned cold, and Han Xin looked as if he had swallowed a fly.

As if they shared a telepathic connection, the two cursed under their breaths simultaneously: Damn it.

The turn of events happened too fast, more sudden than being caught off guard; the two were too shocked and didn't react in time:

Since this Wang Chun was not the real Wang Chun, then how did the real one escape, and where did she escape from?

The key was: they had implemented prevention and control so early, so strictly that even a fly flying out would have to be checked for its sex, yet Wang Chun had actually played a trick of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang" right under their noses?

It would be fine if they could catch her, but if they couldn't, the two of them could just wait to write their self-criticisms—

The woman felt a chill in her heart, looking at Lin Sicheng as if she wanted to carve this face into her mind.

He not only knew she wasn't Wang, but also knew she had swapped with Wang, and even more so, knew there was a secret passage here?

Even though she hadn't said a word.

She tried hard to control her expression, control her tone, keeping her pitch as steady as possible and her speaking speed as natural as possible, even squeezing out a trace of a smile: "Why can't it be that I have always been her, or perhaps, she has always been me?"

Wu Qiuhua frowned: "What difference does this make?"

Understood, this woman's meaning was: they looked so much alike, the same facial features, the same figure, and even, the same illness.

There was no need to swap at all; whoever appeared in public was the King.

"It must have been a last-minute switch, or even worse, it happened today!" Lin Sicheng smiled: "I said just now, I know a little Traditional Chinese Medicine!"

The woman was stunned for a moment: When did you say that?

Besides, what does this have to do with knowing Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Immediately, her expression changed: No, he had said it, just now: Both have Stubborn Asthma, she is only at Level Three, yet you have reached Level 5?

While she was astonished, Lin Sicheng pointed to the balcony. There was a stainless steel cart there, similar to the kind used in hospitals.

On it were medicines, a needle box, cotton swabs, and iodophor. There were also bags of Chinese herbal medicine, and a medicine Bowl with some dregs left, having been drunk not long ago.

He walked over, picked up the Bowl to look at it, and sniffed it: "There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine: same illness, different treatment. If two patients have the same disease, even if treated by the same doctor, they will 100% be prescribed different formulas. Not to mention, you aren't even seeing the same doctor?"

"With the Eight Principles of Differentiation and the Six Channels approach, different interior-exterior relationships can lead to tens of thousands of diagnostic conclusions. She uses poison to attack poison, while you are using your life to sustain the illness; the medicines used are naturally worlds apart—"

After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng sniffed: "The room still smells of Three Insect Decoction; she must have been boiling medicine here around noon. And you drank Thunderbolt Decoction; with such potent medicine and such a heavy dosage, why is there hardly any smell in the room? It must have been boiled elsewhere and brought over—"

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng picked up the tweezers from the cart and rummaged through the trash can.

A few tissues with phlegm, two medicine boxes labeled "Hormones," and then, two plastic bags of the kind hospitals use to hold decoctions.

Picking up the plastic bags, at the bottom of the trash can, there were also two silver needles as thin as ox hair.

"Liu Qingquan's Dingchuan Needle, who helped you insert them?"

Taking a look, Lin Sicheng let out an "Eh," "Long-term illness makes one a doctor; you actually know acupuncture?"

Then, his eyes lit up, staring at the woman's fingertips: "No, you were a doctor to begin with—I understand, before you got sick, you were Wang Chun's private doctor—"

The woman froze, her body began to tremble again, and that look of having seen a ghost appeared on her face once more.

This, he only knows a little?

A group of Police looked at each other in dismay.

Wang Chun was still here drinking medicine at noon, so when did she run away?

And when did this woman come in?

The key is, with so many Special Duty Team members controlling the perimeter, could it be that two living people grew wings, one flew in and one flew out?

No, growing wings isn't enough, they would also have to know how to turn invisible.

Sun Liancheng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Earlier at the Command Center, Han Xin had cursed Tu Jun for being an idiot, cursed him for having shit in his eyes, saying that three such big living people could be lost just like that.

He had even tried to persuade him at the time: there are reasons for everything, it's understandable, the mall was so chaotic, it would be strange if they didn't get lost.

Later, Yu Guang cursed Yan Wenjing, saying he was stupider than a pig, that if a pig were tied there, it would be impossible to just watch Yu Jichuan, Yu Jiyao, and Lin Sicheng cross paths.

He had also tried to persuade him then: it was indeed Yan Wenjing's responsibility and he deserved to be cursed, but calling him worse than a pig was a bit much.

But now?

Damn it, saying there is a group of pigs here is an insult to pigs.

It wasn't appropriate to curse here, so Sun Liancheng only cursed in his heart, but the Captain's face was as red as pig liver.

Not far away, the squadron leader hunched his head, not even daring to lift it.

It was he who led the people in the perimeter control—

The more Han Xin looked, the angrier he got, opening his mouth to curse: "What are you standing there like a prick for, what are you dazed for—investigate!"

The squadron leader jumped and stood at attention.

Just as he was about to make arrangements, Lin Sicheng pointed: "Captain Xu, it should be there—behind that curio shelf, the smell of the Thunderbolt Decoction is coming from there—"

The squadron leader gave a grateful smile and ran over like lightning.

He reached out and knocked, and two hollow sounds came from behind the shelf. The squadron leader's spirits lifted, and he beckoned.

A group of plainclothes officers surrounded it.

Between trace evidence and technical investigation, it took less than three minutes to find the mechanism.

With a "swish," the curio shelf split in two, revealing an elevator-like door.

After prying it open by force, a small room appeared inside.

A bed, a small table, and a chair.

Lifting the carpet and removing the wooden boards, a large hole suddenly appeared in the floor.

Continuing to search, they found another mechanism; pressing it hard, the tiled wall slid open silently.

Suddenly, a smell of Chinese medicine so thick it was choking rushed toward them.

Looking closely: it was all medicine.

Chinese medicine, Western medicine, injections, hormones, and Chinese patent pills.

All kinds of medical equipment: lung function tester, gas analyzer, CT, monitoring chamber, and even a small operating room.

Sun Liancheng and Han Xin looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Why didn't they check after coming in?

Because there was no time: from the moment this woman called to surrender until now, it had been exactly one hour.

And because Wang is not an ordinary criminal; they had to strike while the iron was hot, perfect the evidence, and prevent news from leaking.

As for the person this woman confessed about, in all of Beijing's public security agencies, where would you dare to interrogate them?

If they didn't solidify the evidence and nail down the charges before the mole got wind of it, then everyone could just wait for disaster.

At the same time, they had to prevent the suspect from developing resistance or a rebellious psychology, and since she actively requested to confess as soon as possible, preferably right here, it was better to adapt to the circumstances.

So, it wasn't that they didn't check, but that they didn't dare to check thoroughly.

Then why wasn't it discovered before?

Because time and conditions do not allow for it.

The surveillance began the day Wang Chun was discovered, which was the same night at Xidan Shopping Mall; as of today, that is exactly six days, one day less than a week.

In such a short time, one must collect evidence as much as possible, find more and more effective clues, and dig deep into the personal relationships behind Wang Chun, all without alerting her.

Given this premise, if one still demands that the prevention and control team investigate clearly what is inside a residence where the suspect has lived for nearly ten years, which is modified like a bunker, and where even a fly flying in might trigger an alarm, and whether there are secret rooms or hidden passages—to be honest, this is not a question of whether the Police can do it; why don't you try asking an immortal to do it?

Of course, it will definitely be discovered afterward, and it won't take long: once this woman is taken away, a carpet search of this place will certainly be conducted, no later than tonight.

But the problem is, this is not a question of whether or not to discover secret rooms and hidden passages at all.

Wang Chun is a Grave Robber; is it strange for her to have a hidden passage built in her home?

She is sick, and with an incurable Stubborn Asthma, is it not normal to have a medical room and a decoction room equipped in her home?

Therefore, even if they are found, it is useless, because no one knows that the Wang Chun in front of them is a body double. And even fewer people know that this hidden passage has only one purpose: to let the real Wang Chun shed her skin like a golden cicada—

Sun Liancheng darkened his face: "Call the forensic doctor, test the DNA!"

Lin Sicheng felt a stir in his heart, but he remained silent.

One look at those bottles and jars is enough to know: the specific bacteria that caused the woman in front of them to fall ill were cultivated by herself.

Professional to this degree, expecting to find Wang Chun's DNA here is simply impossible.

A soak in hydrogen peroxide or 84 disinfectant, followed by a wipe, and not even a cell wall would be left behind.

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Captain Sun, send someone to the hospital to ask if they can find any clues from Professor Chao!"

Sun Liancheng paused and gritted his teeth: even if he didn't understand, he knew that doctors check for pathology, not DNA.

At most, they could only match blood types.

But he still had to send someone, just in case?

Sun Liancheng gripped the Police Communication, issuing orders one after another.

There was only one mission: search for and arrest Wang Chun.

This woman was also going to be taken away, and Lin Sicheng staying here was of no use.

He was just about to leave when a hoarse voice came from behind: "Wait!"

Lin Sicheng turned around and looked at the woman who was being propped up.

She had likely been given sedatives and a targeted Needle, which was why she could hold on for so long.

But the effect was likely wearing off, or perhaps it was due to excessive emotional fluctuation, as the woman was already showing signs of an attack: her complexion was dark blue, her chest was heaving incessantly, and a strange "ho-ho-ho" sound was coming from her throat.

She stared at Lin Sicheng, her eyes bloodshot: "Who are you?"

Lin Sicheng paused: "My surname is Lin, Lin Sicheng!"

The woman tried hard to recall: "Never heard of you!"

Of course she hadn't heard of him.

Even Wang Chun, when hearing this name, would have to try hard to recall: Oh, that young expert Ren Danhua mentioned?

Seeing him not speak, the woman frowned: "You are not Police—hmm, do you have a grudge against Wang Chun?"

Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly: As expected, they are of the same blood.

From beginning to end, he had not shown any emotional fluctuation, including his expression, tone, and body language. But this woman still captured a hint from the expressions of Sun Liancheng, Han Xin, Wu Qiuhua, and even the Expert and the Police: he was not a policeman.

Since it was not a professional relationship, yet he was still working so hard and would not stop until Wang Chun was caught, there seemed to be only one answer: an enemy.

In a flash, Lin Sicheng nodded and lifted the collar of his shirt.

The woman was stunned: a long scar ran from his shoulder to his collar.

One look and it was obvious it had been a frontal slash; if it had been off by a few centimeters, it would have cut into his neck, into the carotid artery.

But why was this wound so fresh?

Did Wang Chun do it?

Impossible, she never had direct confrontations with people.

And during this period, she had basically not provoked anyone.

Wait, it seems, she did provoke someone—

"Ma Shan—did Ma Shan do this? At the end of September, you went to Panjiayuan—"

The woman suddenly realized, but then her pupils shrank, "You are surnamed Lin, the Scavenger of Broken Pieces that Ren Danhua talked about?"

""

Lin Sicheng's eyes brightened slightly: he really wanted to give a thumbs up.

Presumably, Wang Chun only told her as an anecdote: how she intercepted Ma Shan's goods, how she casually set the trap, how she shed her skin like a golden cicada, why Ma Shan fell, and so on and so forth.

And, how Ren Danhua met an expert, how brilliant he was, and how young he was.

At the time, this woman just listened to it as a story.

And in this situation, even though she had reached such a point, she could still untangle the truth from the complex, chaotic threads, guess who he was, and so quickly?

Remarkable.

The Wang Chun who could make her willingly act as a body double, a fate worse than death, was even more remarkable.

Hiss, putting it that way, he didn't seem too bad himself?

Being able to go head-to-head with such a figure, to peel back the layers, to press step by step, forcing such a figure to flee in panic and cut off her tail to survive, that also seemed quite remarkable?

Hmm, indeed quite remarkable—

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