However, this chat with Chen Chao made Shen Xin realize the captain was a walking encyclopedia of stories.
"Captain Chen, have you ever handled any other mind-boggling cases like this?"
The case Chen Chao had just described was so bizarre, you wouldn't even see it in a TV drama.
Both the criminal and the victim were just too foolish.
"Of course," Chen Chao nodded. "I heard about a case, back in '14, I think. It happened right here in Ningjiang Province. There was a murder in the suburbs, in a really desolate area. No cameras, and certainly no eyewitnesses."
"There wasn't much evidence left on the victim's body, but can you guess how they finally identified the suspect?"
Shen Xin shook his head. He couldn't imagine how.
Even Chen Chao found it mind-boggling. He said, "At the time, I don't know which senior officer it was, but he had a flash of inspiration and checked a nearby cell tower. It turned out that during the time of the murder, only two phone numbers were connected to that tower. One was the victim's. The other was the suspect's."
Shen Xin blurted out, "Holy shit."
Finding a suspect that way was truly the height of absurdity.
"So, Captain Chen, does this case teach us that you shouldn't carry your phone when you're going to murder someone? Or at least, you should put it on airplane mode," Shen Xin chuckled.
Chen Chao laughed too.
"Exactly. And just like with your case this time, I bet Li Jin never in his wildest dreams imagined you'd find him through a stray cat."
Shen Xin nodded.
'If it weren't for that magical icon of mine, I never would have come up with such a preposterous method either.'
Just as they were talking, Song Liang came out. He'd come looking for Chen Chao, wondering why he hadn't come back inside.
"Captain Chen, the kid cracked."
Song Liang was beaming.
Shen Xin was stunned. 'Wait, he cracked already? He's only been in there for, what, half an hour?'
Shen Xin glanced at Chen Chao.
'Just a moment ago, Chen Chao had said the case would be closed quickly. Who knew he'd actually be right.'
'And here I was, thinking he was some high-IQ criminal who might even try to use Wu Zhicun. Looks like it was just as Captain Chen said—I was the one overcomplicating things.'
"Song Suo, did he confess to everything?" Shen Xin asked urgently.
Song Liang shook his head. "Nope, only half. This kid must have looked up the criminal code. He thinks that since he didn't directly participate in the theft, and only sold the tools without knowing what they were for…"
"So he came right out and admitted to selling the cracking tool, but he's adamant he didn't know what they were going to do with it. Says he thought they were e-scooter mechanics and had no idea they were planning to steal them."
Chen Chao scoffed. "So he thinks he's like a guy who sells a knife to a murderer? That just because he sold the knife, he's not responsible?"
"Exactly, that's his logic," Song Liang nodded eagerly.
Shen Xin still found it hard to believe.
'If that's his play, then this Li Jin is being far too… naive.'
'You claim you didn't know they were going to use the cracking software for theft, and you expect a judge to just believe you?'
'You took the money, sold them an exclusive license for all of Nanjiang City, and even helped them modify the cracking device a second time. To still claim ignorance after all that… isn't that just deluding yourself?'
"Song Suo, does that mean the case is closed?"
Shen Xin asked.
Since Li Jin had confessed, the case should, by all rights, be closed.
After all the running around for the past few days, he never thought it would end like this.
For some reason, Shen Xin felt a little let down.
"Not a chance."
Song Liang shook his head. "He's still clinging to false hope. That's why we need to strike while the iron is hot and complete the chain of evidence. Captain Chen, I'd like to request technical support from the branch office. See if they can compare the code inside the cracking device with the software on Li Jin's computer to prove the code came from him."
"Sounds good." Chen Chao nodded. He was thinking the same thing.
But that wasn't all. There were still many things about Li Jin that needed to be confirmed.
For instance, the house he rented in Houzhuang Village.
He had left in a hurry, leaving behind a lot of electronics that also needed to be investigated.
Then there was Wu Zhicun. His exact relationship with Li Jin also needed to be confirmed and thoroughly investigated.
With all this going on, getting off work on time was out of the question.
Song Liang had originally wanted Shen Xin to go with them to Xianghong Village to confirm some information with Wu Zhicun, but Captain Chen stopped him.
Captain Chen suggested that Shen Xin should participate more in the case, perhaps by taking notes during the interrogation.
"That works, too."
Song Liang smiled, seeing that Captain Chen's attitude toward Shen Xin had improved dramatically. He was trying to give Shen Xin an opportunity to learn and grow.
Naturally, he wasn't going to refuse an offer like that.
People strive for better things, after all. If Shen Xin had what it took to be a detective, he certainly wasn't going to stand in his way.
The station had a dedicated interrogation room.
It wasn't large, and it was a bit spartan.
After all, the station didn't handle many criminal cases on a normal day.
Although it was Shen Xin's first time participating in an interrogation, his job was just to take notes, which wasn't difficult. After calming his nerves, he got the hang of it quickly.
All he had to do was write down everything Li Jin said and everything Zhang Jian asked, word for word.
Besides, the whole thing was being recorded.
Sitting behind the computer, Shen Xin took advantage of a lull in the questioning to quietly observe Li Jin.
Back at the tech company, he had seemed incredibly composed. Even when the police showed up, he'd only panicked for a second before immediately calming down and asking to finish the work he was doing.
His composure throughout the whole process had been unnerving.
But now, he was a different person entirely. His brow was furrowed, his eyes darted about nervously, and his face was a clear picture of panic and agitation.
He would periodically argue with Zhang Jian, insisting that he truly didn't know Fan Jie was buying the cracking device to steal e-scooters.
Zhang Jian slammed his hand on the table. "To be honest, I'm actually impressed. You've got some serious nerve. You create the tech to crack the No. 6 E-scooter's security system, and then you have the audacity to apply for a job at the No. 6 E-scooter company—as a software engineer to help them upgrade that very system."
This was the first Shen Xin was hearing of this, and an expression of surprise involuntarily crossed his face.
'If that was true, then Li Jin's audacity was on another level.'
Li Jin retorted, "I'm a tech guy. Since I know the No. 6 E-scooter inside and out, what's wrong with me applying for a job at their company?"
'He had a point. There was nothing wrong with it at all.'
Just then, Wukaishan came in and handed something to Zhang Jian.
Zhang Jian immediately changed the subject. He held up the circuit board in his hand and asked Li Jin if he recognized it.
Li Jin looked even more flustered and shook his head in denial.
"Still trying to talk your way out of it!" Zhang Jian slammed the table again. "We found this circuit board in your rented apartment. It's identical to the one in the cracking device we confiscated. What do you have to say now?"
Shen Xin glanced at the circuit board in Zhang Jian's hand. For some reason, something suddenly felt strange.
'Captain Chen had said not to assume the suspect was too clever. But anyone who could develop this kind of cracking technology was no idiot. He clearly had a decent sense of counter-surveillance. Even if he wasn't some criminal mastermind from a TV show, he still had to be highly intelligent. So why would a smart person, in the middle of escaping, leave behind a circuit board that could be used as incriminating evidence against him?'
'Maybe he was in such a panic to get away after discovering the calico cat's recorder that he simply forgot it.'
But Shen Xin still felt it was out of character.
Zhang Jian continued, "And the program on your laptop… we've already had our technicians analyze it. They told me a person's coding style is like a fingerprint; it has unique habits. Once we confirm the code in the cracking device is yours, it'll be too late even if you wanted to confess."
"So we're giving you a chance right now. Do you understand?"
Those words seemed to break through Li Jin's psychological defenses. His voice tinged with a sob, he said, "I really didn't know they were going to steal e-scooters."
After that one last attempt at a defense, he gritted his teeth and asked if he would be sentenced for this, and if so, for how many years.
Zhang Jian's eyes lit up. He knew Li Jin was about to crack. He immediately said, "I'm not trying to scare you, but in your situation, you're an accomplice to theft. That's three years, minimum. However, if you cooperate, confess, and return the illicit funds, there's a chance for a more lenient sentence."
"I… I need to think about it." Li Jin seemed to be on the very brink of breaking down.
Zhang Jian nodded and gestured for Shen Xin to step out and get Li Jin a glass of water.
Shen Xin stood up.
In the brief moment as he opened and closed the door, Shen Xin instinctively glanced back at Li Jin.
Li Jin's head was down, his leg jiggling uncontrollably, the very picture of a man in the throes of an intense internal struggle.
But from an angle Zhang Jian couldn't see, Shen Xin caught it: as Li Jin kept his head down, the corner of his mouth twitched, and a fleeting expression of contempt and disdain flashed across his face.
It was the look of someone who had just fooled his opponent and couldn't help but feel a flicker of smug satisfaction.
Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat. When he looked again, Li Jin looked just as he had before.
'Had I just imagined that expression?'