Chapter 356: Acting Under Imperial Decree

The layout was a four-room, one-hall apartment; the renovation was simple yet elegant—not to say it was very good, nor could one say it was very bad.

Several people sat on the sofa, looking at the case files on the coffee table.

The case is solved?

Tang Ding'an remembered very clearly: that day was September 21st, and the department was holding a meeting to deploy security work for the National Day period, when Nan Yan suddenly called to say she had been injured at Panjiayuan. ————

Counting the time, it has been exactly one month. This speed, is it like riding a rocket?

He looked slightly surprised: "Dingping, didn't you say last time that the case was huge and involved a wide range of people? How did it get solved so quickly?"

"It was indeed quite huge, but it was also indeed solved very quickly!" Tang Dingping unpacked the file box: "The Municipal Bureau gave its full support, the General Team was deployed in full force, and all units cooperated actively. Besides that, little Lin also helped a great deal————"

Little Lin, the young man who saved Nan Yan?

Subconsciously, the face of Lin Sicheng surfaced in Tang Ding'an's mind.

"Did he participate voluntarily?"

"No, the General Team specifically hired him as a Consultant, and he was busy with it for a month!"

Tang Ding'an was stunned for a moment.

That period of time happened to be around the Eleventh, and the unit was busier than usual; he hadn't been home for three consecutive weeks. He came back once afterward, but only for a quick meal.

At the dinner table, Dingping only spoke about it roughly, saying the case grew larger the more they investigated, the involvement was extremely deep, and the impact was also very bad. At the time, Nan Yan even mentioned that Lin Sicheng was also participating in the investigation work.

At the time, he thought that while the kid's ability in identification was indeed quite strong, and this case involved Cultural Relics and Grave-robbing, he should have been doing assistance work in that regard.

But if it were just assisting with identification, why arrange a specific title of Consultant, and why would it need to take as long as a month?

While he pondered, Tang Dingping handed over the file bag. Tang Ding'an received it in his hands, and Tang Nanjin also leaned his head over.

It was called a file, but it was more like a situation report for a superior department. It was straightforward and concisely appropriate, but even so, it was a full forty or fifty pages long.

Flipping it open, the first page was the process of capturing Ma Shan: following the vine to find the melon, according to mobile phone positioning, he was captured in one fell swoop.

The speed was very fast, the process was also very simple, and the difficulty was not high.

Flipping to the second page, it was the interrogation process of Ma Shan. A rough glance, and Tang Ding'an's eyes paused slightly: Yan Wenjing was in charge, and after interrogating for a week, they still couldn't break him?

If it were someone else, Tang Dingping certainly wouldn't know them, but he really did have an impression of this kid from the Yan family: although his personality was a bit impulsive, his methods were tough, and he dared to fight and struggle.

But this had nothing to do with whether he was capable or professional; he was a person, not a god, and death-row prisoners with zero confessions were not rare.

What was strange was that Yan Wenjing had exhausted all his methods and was at his wit's end, and in the spirit of treating a dead horse as a living one, he let Lin Sicheng try, and it was actually effective immediately?

Although the suspect didn't open his mouth, the kid just inferred it was unearthed at Qing Xiling based on that copper coin of Nan Yan's. Then, based on the changes in Ma Shan's facial expressions and emotional fluctuations, he narrowed the scope further.

Then, he personally led the Archaeology Team to check tomb by tomb, and he actually found the exact location.

But these were all secondary; the point was: a full six human lives.

Only then did the General Team formally open the case.

Counting the time, this was exactly one week after the day he was stabbed————

Seeing this, Tang Nanjin raised his head in surprise: "Second Uncle, isn't he someone who does Cultural Relics and Archaeology? He can even do interrogations? This should count as Criminal Investigation expertise, where did he learn it?"

"According to him, he learned it on the fly, but the point isn't the interrogation, it's the Cultural Relics. As long as it's related to Cultural Relics, there's nothing he doesn't understand. Especially regarding the organizational structure, management models, methods of committing crimes, as well as the jargon, secret codes, gestures, and so on and so forth of Grave-robbing and Cultural Relics Smuggling groups, he is more proficient than the criminals themselves."

Tang Nanjin was dumbfounded: It couldn't be that Lin Sicheng had also committed crimes?

Of course that was impossible; the person had just graduated from university and was still a graduate student under Wang Sanshu. Even if he wanted to commit a crime, he would need the time to do it.

Tang Ding'an was not very surprised: although geniuses are rare, they are not non-existent. For this type of person, being able to understand something at a hint and having a photographic memory are not just adjectives.

As for micro-expressions or psychology, getting started isn't difficult; the difficulty lies in having to preset the accurate answer first: for example, that copper coin—if you don't know where it came from or how long it's been dug up, you wouldn't be able to bluff it out even if you wanted to.

That's why Dingping said: interrogation is not the point, the point is the Cultural Relics————

Continuing to read down, Tang Nanjin read ten lines at a glance, and the more he read, the stranger he felt.

He finally knew where these underworld methods of Lin Sicheng's came from: he apprenticed to a master with extremely high seniority, took on two disciples who were more than a full cycle older than him, and recognized a Senior Brother whose age could make him his grandfather.

This whole family were so-called underworld people, and the kind that had been passed down for several generations at that. They had committed crimes, served time, and their prestige in the circle could not be said to be anything but high, and their foundation could not be said to be anything but deep.

It was through this group of underworld people that Lin Sicheng found the related suspects, and he found three of them at once.

Then, just by inviting them to a tea session, Lin Sicheng fished out seven or eight out of ten people from this gang.

He even fished out the leader who was hidden the deepest and had the highest rank.

Next, he peeled the cocoon to find the thread, and based on that woman's medical condition, he found the key clue, finally discovering the true identity of Wang Chun.

After that, the General Team adopted his suggestion of "beating the grass to startle the snake" and "luring the snake out of its hole," launching a Cultural Relics inspection operation across the city, and then step by step forced this gang to reveal their true colors.

And then, the most brilliant part came: the other side pulled a "golden cicada shedding its shell," but Lin Sicheng wanted both the cicada and the shell. He didn't even let the small fry go.

In the end, he caught them all in one net.

If one only looked at what was written above, the process didn't seem complicated, but the Inner Guard already had specialized police training and would occasionally guest-star, so Tang Nanjin knew very well the role Lin Sicheng played in this.

It would be an exaggeration to say it was mostly his credit; even if he knew who the mastermind was, could he pick up a gun and go catch them himself?

But every time at a critical moment, or for this reason or that, when the case got stuck, Lin Sicheng could always find a new path and find a breakthrough point.

For example, the Mu Mausoleum tomb accompaniment, for example, Ren Danhua and the Yu siblings, and even more so, Yang Jisheng, who had served as a front for Wang Chun for a period of time—although his participation wasn't deep, he knew a ton of thieves.

And even the Lengku, dog farms, and pet shops that Wang Chun used to hide and transfer Cultural Relics—all of them were key clues found by Lin Sicheng.

It just felt like he was more adept and more efficient than those police elites who had been working for half their lives?

Tang Nanjin sighed with emotion: "It's a pity he didn't become a policeman!"

Tang Dingping didn't speak, Tang Ding'an paused slightly, then shook his head.

That's not the way to put it.

For example, give him a pushcart and let him set up a stall; at the beginning, he might not even be able to tell soy sauce from vinegar, but believe it or not, within three months, his business would be the best on the whole street, with the most repeat customers.

This is what is called drawing inferences about other cases from one instance; such a person can learn any trade they enter, and even master it.

That is why he is called a genius————

"Unconstrained by convention, calm and decisive, the young man is not bad!"

After offering a word of praise, Tang Ding'an put down the file, "Where is the person? Back in Xijing?"

"He had already gone back, but the prime suspect refused to confess, so the General Team invited him back again—" After a slight pause, Tang Dingping laughed again, "Then, after he intimidated her with a few words, that woman spilled everything on the spot!"

Tang Dingping nodded.

What he admired most about Lin Sicheng was this: an eye for an eye, giving as good as he got.

For scum whose hands were stained with blood, talking to them about morality was purely a sign that one's brain had been kicked by a donkey.

Tang Nanjin picked up the case file, flipped to the last page, and pointed at "Yu Dahai" and "Gao Zhengang," "Second Uncle, did Lin Sicheng say these two are in the same line of work? Are they into archaeology, or are they into auctions?"

"What same line of work? Those are two grave-robbers!" Tang Dingping said, caught between laughter and tears, "The Zhang Anshi Tomb Robbery Case was directed and executed from abroad by these two organizations—"

Tang Nanjin suddenly realized: wasn't it also Lin Sicheng who assisted the Xijing police in cracking that case?

Although the prime suspect wasn't caught, the domestic lackeys had basically been wiped out completely.

So, these two were by no means friends, but rather absolute mortal enemies—

While pondering this, Tang Nanjin sighed again: did he think Lin Sicheng was really going to run abroad to drag back that Wang Chun's son and daughter?

What a pity—

Seeing what he was thinking at a glance, Tang Ding'an snorted coldly, "Fool, do you think it's that easy to go abroad, or that easy to catch people?"

Tang Nanjin gave a wry smile: it was indeed not easy to catch them, but if one had local snake friends, it wasn't impossible to try.

But after all that, it turned out Lin Sicheng was just bluffing. Never mind friends; if those two saw him, they would definitely take his life on the spot.

"Since he helped so much, we have to thank him somehow. How about this: find a suitable time, and let's invite him to a meal first!" Tang Ding'an thought for a moment, "Should you say it, or should I?"

If nothing else, of the four stabs Lin Sicheng took, at least two were taken for Tang Nanyan; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he saved Tang Nanyan's life.

Having been busy for so long, catching the culprit and helping Tang Nanyan get revenge, they had to show some gratitude.

Tang Dingping nodded, "I'll say it. I'll set a time with Ji Yun and then inform Nan Yan."

"Right, let Nan Yan go. It was her he saved, and the revenge was for her; if she doesn't go, who will? But before you go, call that kid first—"

"Big Brother, I understand!"

This was basic etiquette, and even more so, basic respect; it had absolutely nothing to do with whether his teacher's surname was Wang, whether his teacher's sister was also surnamed Wang, or whether his teacher's brother-in-law and his very close friends were surnamed Ye.

As the brothers were talking, Tang Nanjin, standing to the side, rolled his eyes, "Dad, Second Uncle, let me go—"

"He didn't save you, so why are you trying to join in the fun?"

"But he saved my sister, didn't he?" Tang Nanjin argued forcefully, "Nan Yan is all muscle and no brain, and she has no sense of propriety when she speaks. I mean that I will accompany Nan Yan!"

I think you're about the same—

The two looked at each other: but then again, they were all young people, there was no generation gap, and it would be easy to communicate.

Seeing his father and Second Uncle nod, Tang Nanjin immediately picked up the phone.

He did have Lin Sicheng's mobile number and had called it a few times. But since he was going with Tang Nanyan, they had to arrange it among themselves first.

It rang five or six times before the call was answered; it was very noisy, as if she were in a shopping mall.

Tang Nanjin listened carefully, "Tang Nanyan, are you skipping work again?"

"Do you think I'm you?" Tang Nanyan's voice came through the phone, "I'm on official business by order!"

"Heh—come on, let me hear it. Whose order are you following, and what official business are you doing?"

"Is General Captain Li enough?"

Tang Nanjin was half-doubting: General Captain Li was at the same rank as Second Uncle; what could he possibly send Tang Nanyan to do?

And she was at a shopping mall?

"Really or fake?"

"Boiled!" Tang Nanyan made a "pssh" sound, "Teacher Lin has been busy for so long with no salary and no subsidy; shouldn't we thank him?"

"Oh, it really is official business. Are you with Lin Sicheng?"

"No, just me and the Section Chief, and Captain Yan—it was Captain Yan's suggestion, and then the General Captain specially approved our leave!"

Understood; they probably wanted to give Lin Sicheng some item in a private capacity to express their gratitude.

But upon hearing "Liulichang," Tang Nanjin had a strange look on his face, "What were you thinking, wanting to give Lin Sicheng antiques?"

"It's not that we thought of giving Teacher Lin antiques; it's that he was already doing Artifact Research in this area, right? You forgot, the day the incident happened, we were trying to help him hunt for a boxing manual when we ran into Wang Chun? As a result, one delay led to another, and it dragged on for so long—"

"Idiot, is that what I'm talking about? I'm saying, you're giving a gift, and you're giving fakes?"

"Captain Yan is with us, who would dare?"

"Heh—is this a question of daring or not? It's a question of where you'd even find a few real items—" Tang Nanjin sneered, "Ask the shop owners there, out of ten, how many know their stuff?"

Tang Nanyan was stunned: she really couldn't say for sure?

Don't think that everyone who opens a shop in Guwancheng is an expert. If everyone were a connoisseur with eyes like torches, there wouldn't be so many imitations and High Imitation goods in the market—

"Then what should we do?"

"Call a professional, right? Use your dog brain to think, among the people you know, who is the most professional?"

Tang Nanyan made a "tsk" sound, "If you want to invite Lin Sicheng, just say so—"

"You don't know a damn thing!"

After cursing, Tang Nanjin hung up the phone, pondered for a moment, and then called Jing Zeyang.

He didn't mention Tang Nanyan, only saying he wanted to ask him for a favor to invite Lin Sicheng.

Jing Zeyang knew something was wrong, but he didn't dare refuse.

For example: if Tang Nanyan was a tigress, Tang Nanjin was a Tyrannosaurus rex—