Chapter 201: Attempted Premeditated Murder

"Brilliant!"

This time Yu Dazhang understood completely.

That analogy was absolutely perfect.

But a problem arose—who was this Zhou Gong?

According to Ye Zhiyu, he was a master-level hypnotist, one of only a handful in the entire country.

Who had brought someone like that to protect Liu Siyuan?

What Yu Dazhang couldn't figure out most was: since the other party already knew Liu Siyuan had been hypnotized, why didn't they expose Ceng Ceng Lisi?

Instead, they went the long way around, using such a method to secretly help Liu Siyuan preserve his memories.

Were there other people involved in this setup?

"In a situation like this, how is evidence usually gathered?" Yu Dazhang stared at Ye Zhiyu and asked.

Now that it could be confirmed Ceng Ceng Lisi had hypnotized Liu Siyuan, the next step was to gather evidence.

Once Ceng Ceng Lisi was taken down, the case would have its first direct piece of evidence: a witness!

"Simple," Ye Zhiyu replied calmly:

"First, conduct a professional assessment and appraisal of the controlled subject to confirm they were hypnotized."

"Then find surveillance footage of the two together and lock down signs of hypnotic suggestion."

"Being hypnotized without consent is itself a crime."

No need to say the rest—he'd already made his implication clear enough.

They could make the arrest!

Yu Dazhang glanced at Liu Siyuan, who was lying back on the sofa:

"How long before he wakes up?"

The most convenient method of arrest now was a sting operation—have Liu Siyuan lure Ceng Ceng Lisi over.

Ye Zhiyu thought for a moment, then answered:

"He was already sleep-deprived, and on top of that there's the consciousness repair time—at the fastest, it'll be five hours."

"Can we force him awake?" Yu Dazhang pressed.

Five hours was too long.

The longer the night, the more could go wrong; there was no telling whether someone close to Ceng Ceng Lisi was inside the Liu family villa.

If the news leaked, Ceng Ceng Lisi might very well flee.

She had overseas connections—if she really escaped abroad, catching her would be far from easy.

"I wouldn't recommend that."

Ye Zhiyu clearly assisted the police often; he never spoke in absolutes. Even when he disagreed, he left room:

"If we wake him now, it will cause his consciousness to become disordered, leading to permanent damage on a mental level."

Right—he was only offering a suggestion and informing them of the consequences in advance.

The decision still rested with Yu Dazhang.

And it was obvious that if Yu Dazhang insisted on waking Liu Siyuan, he would certainly tell him to find someone else.

"Ma-ge, report to the detachment, request backup—you'll be in charge of this arrest operation."

Yu Dazhang naturally wouldn't do anything that violated principles.

Besides, he himself was deeply opposed to those underhanded methods of breaking a case.

The reason he let Ma Jian lead the arrest was that all the relevant information on Ceng Ceng Lisi had been investigated by Ma Jian alone.

As for her current residence and movements, Ma Jian naturally knew them inside and out.

To ensure the arrest's success rate, Yu Dazhang decided not to go along.

In terms of operational ability, any criminal investigator from the detachment was stronger than him—he had that much self-awareness.

A little over ten minutes later, two police cars arrived at the Liu family villa, picked up Ma Jian, and headed to Ceng Ceng Lisi's residence to carry out the arrest.

Yu Dazhang, meanwhile, drove Ye Zhiyu home.

At parting, he assured Ye Zhiyu:

"Don't worry, the moment the case is cracked, I'll apply for a reward right away—I won't let you make this trip for nothing."

Ye Zhiyu closed the car door, nodded at him, then walked toward his apartment building.

"You still have to go to the sorting facility for the night shift, right?" Yu Dazhang called after him.

Ye Zhiyu, who had already walked several steps away, stopped, and slowly turned around.

A faint, barely perceptible gleam flickered in his eyes.

He instinctively assumed this fatty was about to introduce him to a job in the psychology field.

Although the industry had a high barrier to entry, with someone from inside the system making the introduction, the situation would be entirely different.

That was undoubtedly equivalent to a powerful endorsement.

For Ye Zhiyu,

as long as he could return to his old profession—even if it meant starting with something relatively basic like counseling—that would be a dream come true. He pressed his lips together, stared at Yu Dazhang expectantly, and gave a slight nod.

"Work hard, keep striving!"

Yu Dazhang raised his fist in an encouraging gesture, then floored the accelerator, and the car sped off.

Ye Zhiyu:...

A long while later, he was still standing in place, the veins on his forehead twitching every now and then.

He was, after all, a genius in the field of psychology—yet this fatty had splashed a bowl of chicken soup for the soul right in his face.

One hour later.

Under Ma Jian's leadership, Ceng Ceng Lisi was taken back to the detachment for investigation.

This arrest operation went smoothly; when they took her away from her residence, the woman was clearly panicked.

According to Ma Jian's description.

The moment she saw the police, Ceng Ceng Lisi's legs trembled uncontrollably, her eyes filled with fear, her lips slightly parted, yet she couldn't utter a single word.

No mistakes, one sentence, one release, one content, all available at one place!

Yu Dazhang couldn't help but feel curious; even if she admitted to hypnotizing Liu Siyuan, it wasn't a major crime, so why was she so terrified?

Besides, as a hypnotist, she shouldn't be so fragile.

Inside the interrogation room.

"Name?"

"Ceng Ceng Lisi."

"Age?"

"Twenty-six years old."

After Ceng Ceng Lisi answered Ma Jian's routine questions, she immediately made a request.

"I demand to be a witness for the prosecution!"

In another room, Yu Dazhang, staring at the surveillance footage, almost laughed out loud.

She really doesn't understand the law.

In the laws of Western countries, there is indeed the concept of a "witness for the prosecution."

Just like often depicted in Xiangjiang movies, turning into a prosecution witness can reduce or exempt one's criminal liability.

But in this country, there is no such thing as a witness for the prosecution.

Only similar concepts exist.

For example...

Making amends for crimes by performing meritorious service, reporting and exposing crimes, striving for lenient treatment.

Ma Jian naturally dared not agree to exempt her criminal liability; he could only tell her the general meaning and clarify the pros and cons.

He had expected Ceng Ceng Lisi, upon hearing such an answer, to resist to the end.

Who knew that after a long silence, she asked a question that left everyone dumbfounded:

"How many years would attempted intentional murder be sentenced to?"

This question left Ma Jian completely stunned.

Even Yu Dazhang, staring at the surveillance footage, wore an expression of utter shock.

Intentional murder?

Who was she going to kill?

Could it be...

Thinking of this, he immediately grew tense, his heart pounding wildly.

She was going to kill Liu Siyuan!

That doesn't make sense.

In his past life, when he heard about this case, it was already 2015, and at that time Liu Siyuan was still very much alive.

She had been plotting this for so long?

A moment later, Ma Jian recovered and replied using official phrasing:

"The sentencing term mainly depends on the specific circumstances and legal provisions."

"The maximum is the death penalty, followed by life imprisonment, fixed-term imprisonment of more than ten years, fixed-term imprisonment of three to ten years..."

Yu Dazhang noticed that upon hearing the two words "death penalty," Ceng Ceng Lisi's eyes widened suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned downward.

This is a reaction that only appears when a person is terrified.

She was truly afraid.

PS: It's New Year, here's a kowtow to everyone, Bang~

(End of this chapter)