Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Cruel Reality

After a chaotic whirlwind of emergency rescue that left people and horses overturned, the order of the police station was finally restored, though the building itself remained in utter disarray, scattered and wrecked.

Inside the interrogation room, as the surge of energy dissipated, the dense smoke that enveloped Lin Fan gradually faded away. The flush on his cheeks returned to normal, and he felt an unexpected joy as streams of spiritual energy stirred within his body.

In silence, faint yet rhythmic threads of spiritual energy raced swiftly through his meridians, ultimately rushing straight into his heart, electrifying him with a mysterious sensation. As these feeble yet unceasing waves of energy poured in, Lin Fan became invigorated and spirited, sweeping away the exhaustion of the past few days.

"This feeling is incredible, so dreamlike, so comfortable! Who would have thought that the spirit-gathering technique from the Seal Arts would have such miraculous effects! Since no one cares about me, I'll try it again!"

Just as Lin Fan prepared to channel his energy once more, he suddenly felt as if someone had jolted him back to reality with dry ice and cold water.

He opened his eyes to see a group of bedraggled police officers—some holding fire extinguishers, some carrying basins, and one even wielding a fire axe, as if ready to hack him to death. Each stared at him fiercely, baring their teeth, as though he were their sworn enemy.

Looking further, he was startled to see someone holding a spittoon. Lin Fan quickly averted his gaze, wiped the dirty water from his face, and muttered, "Damn! What is this supposed to mean? Is this one of the ten tortures of the Qing Dynasty?"

A tall, thin old officer with gold-rimmed glasses and an inscrutable expression stepped forward, sternly threatening, "You two troublemakers, big and small, actually tried to set fire to the police station? We're adding arson to your charges!"

Lin Fan jumped to his feet, protesting, "Come on! I don't fear being broken to pieces, but I dread losing my reputation! I swear I'm more wronged than Dou E! Have you ever seen anyone use their own body as a firestarter for arson?"

The old officer remained unmoved, gritting his teeth, "You never know, some desperate criminals do anything when cornered. We're tallying up the damage you caused—witnesses and evidence are irrefutable. Neither of you will escape responsibility!"

"Framing! Police framing, huh! And then extorting people outright! Don't think I'll be scared just because you have guns! My pistol isn't small either! Don't try your dirty tricks on me!" Lin Fan, pressed by old debts and facing new ones, became agitated and shouted.

Ignoring his outburst, the old officer turned to the crowd and ordered, "Step aside, brothers, let the self-exploding kid see for himself whether it's us framing him or him fleeing the scene."

At his command, the crowd cleared a path. Lin Fan, skeptical, walked through and peered into the corridor. Seeing the devastation, he marveled inwardly, "Damn! Was this caused by the spiritual energy I accidentally released while practicing? It's so thoroughly burned! So completely destroyed! Sometimes it's best to keep a little restraint. Still, the special effects are impressive, and the scene is quite dramatic!"

After a moment of secret satisfaction, Lin Fan quickly changed his demeanor, turning to the crowd with a sheepish grin, "Sorry! I couldn't control myself! It was an accident, pure happenstance! Life is full of surprises, no need to take it so seriously! Heh!"

The old officer, hands behind his back, exuded official authority and barked, "Accident? Your uncle already caused one accident before. This time you just finished the job—second injury, rubbing salt in the wound! If we treat you as a terrorist, it would be well deserved. Now, how do you propose we resolve this?"

"Ha, rubbing salt is for disinfection, isn't it! Can't you see? I may look grown, but I'm still a minor! I suffered from mental illness for over ten years, bedridden, so those years shouldn't count—check if you like! The real responsibility lies with my uncle, he's my agent and guardian! He's the one you should talk to!" Lin Fan, sensing trouble, tried to deflect.

The old officer adjusted his glasses and calmly replied, "You little trickster, quick to push blame. Don't worry, we won't let your uncle off so easily! Still, you don't seem like a hardened criminal. How about we sit down and have a chat?"

With a glimmer of hope, Lin Fan breathed out, "Of course, it's an honor!"

The old officer signaled for everyone to leave, and the police officers departed, leaving only a disheveled clerk behind.

The room was a mess. After setting the chairs upright and sitting down, the old officer began his approach, making small talk, "Young man, you’re not very old, but you have sharp features and seem very likable—do you have many girls chasing you?"

Lin Fan replied casually, "Not really, none so far."

The old officer was taken aback—this kid was as awkward as that old eccentric. "Well, that's just poor taste on their part. Don't worry, you'll find someone. So, that old fellow is your uncle?"

Lin Fan answered, "My uncle. I agree with your assessment of him."

The old officer was delighted—there was a way forward; despite being relatives, they had conflict, which made things easier.

He continued, "I could tell at first glance you’re an ambitious, talented young man, with a brilliant future ahead—unlike me, half-buried in the ground already. I envy you."

Lin Fan nodded empathetically.

Seeing Lin Fan fall for the bait, the old officer shifted his tone, probing gently, "So, I believe you wouldn’t commit any crimes. If you did make mistakes, it must have been under coercion or manipulation, which is understandable. As long as you clarify everything, we’ll treat you fairly. Don’t bear any psychological burden—when the time comes to act righteously, don’t hesitate. It’s a way to save others. Do you understand?"

"Old man, compared to my uncle, you’re still far behind! I was just looking for someone to talk to, so this suits me fine," Lin Fan thought, then feigned difficulty, "I understand, but…some things you might not want to hear…"

The clerk chimed in, "Don’t worry, this is our leader—he keeps his word. If you tell the truth, you’ll be treated fairly."

"No need to hold back—tell us your story," the old officer said directly.

Lin Fan glanced at the two, collected his thoughts, and began recounting the ordeal that had burrowed deep into his soul, carefully embellishing the story:

"Let me tell you a tale few know. Many years ago, some people sold their souls to the devil. They lost all conscience and humanity, engaging in the dirty trade of human organs. They organized abductions of children from various places, trafficking them to serve as vessels for storage. To avoid suspicion, they targeted orphans, those born with no support or luck—because their disappearance wouldn’t be noticed, and no one would mourn them."

Lin Fan spoke softly, as if he had lived it, drawing the two officers deeply into the story.

"They kept these children captive, raising them like livestock. Some couldn’t endure the hunger, abuse, and illness, and were used for human experiments; only the healthy survived. The children lived in daily despair, wishing only to live like normal people, hoping someone still remembered their existence, however insignificant…"

As he spoke, Lin Fan’s voice grew inexplicably angry and sorrowful.

"But their hopes were dashed, for the devil’s buyers appeared, and they fell into a pit of suffering. Those who matched were subjected to extreme torture and died in agony. Some had their eyes removed, some their kidneys, others their limbs…"

He paused, wiping sweat from his palms, and the two officers sighed deeply.

"When the surgeries were over, the devils never glanced at the tormented, dying children, discarded in cold freezers, waiting for death and release… Their eyes would adorn others’ faces, their kidneys would be implanted in others’ chests, their hands and feet grafted onto others… Can you tell me, what is fairness? What is justice? What is humanity? Has humanity not polluted this world enough?"

Lin Fan fell into deep grief after finishing.

Though shocked, the two officers were confused. After a long silence, they exchanged a meaningful glance. The old officer examined Lin Fan, unable to hold back, "Everyone makes mistakes—let’s call it a cruel joke of fate. But what does this have to do with us arresting you and your uncle? We’re investigating the kidnapping of Song Xin. Are you saying you and your uncle have committed those filthy crimes? Have you ever killed victims? Are you two the devils you described?"

"Good grief!" Lin Fan cried, falling from his chair, his heart twitching. "Old bastard! Throwing dung at me. After all that, you still don’t get it? Brains are a wonderful thing, but it’s a shame you don’t have them! Damn, a bunch of fools."

Climbing up, Lin Fan shouted, "Were you two directors before? So good at taking things out of context? Isn’t this a personal attack? I’m going to accuse you of favoritism and intellectual disability! Damn, bringing gossipmongers to judge right and wrong!"

"Heh, we’re the smartest people here. If you can’t convince us, you and your uncle will spend your next life in prison… heh!" the old officer said slyly.

"Seriously! When a scholar meets a soldier, reason can’t prevail! If we were organ traffickers, would we kidnap Song Xin, such a conspicuous rich kid? Even if we couldn’t find a buyer, we’d just kill him, not risk returning him! How low would our IQ have to be? And you know my uncle’s character—he’s despicable and cunning, but would he do such a thing? Right?"

The old officer had been pretending to be clueless to force Lin Fan's confession, but now followed his reasoning, "You make some sense. So, you're saying we wronged you two? What role did you play in this case?"

Relieved at the officer’s change in tone, Lin Fan replied, "Stop fixating on us. Try investigating Li Fengying—ask her if she feels guilty for putting another child’s heart into her own child’s body. Will those who guide the devil receive retribution?"

The two officers suddenly realized, and the whole case began to make sense.

The old officer stared intently into Lin Fan’s eyes, solemnly asking, "Young man, are you telling the truth?"

Lin Fan met his gaze fearlessly, "Truer than anything my unreliable uncle says. If you don’t believe me, investigate Song Xin—the scar on his chest can’t be hidden. And check the west bank of Riverside Forest Park, at an abandoned hospital—that’s where we found Song Xin."

The clerk interjected, "How did he end up there?"

"Ah—don’t ask me, I don’t know. Li Fengying asked us to help find her child, we searched the park, overcame countless obstacles, and found him there. Maybe it was his conscience calling him, who can say. Who’d have thought our help would bring a white-eyed wolf—Li Fengying turned on us! You police are the incarnation of justice, servants of the people, you must stand up for us."

Lin Fan tried to make his story as complete as possible.

The old officer pondered for a moment, "Didn’t you call Li Fengying and her family for money?"

"God knows! Whoever asked her for money will die a terrible death!"

He felt a bit guilty toward Lin Hai, considering it was all for saving lives, so he let it go. But then he worried—what if it came true? That old man couldn’t die yet; the mystery of his origins remained unsolved. He quickly added,

"Besides, even if we did ask for money, it’s reasonable—there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Li Fengying promised us a generous reward if we brought Song Xin back, dead or alive. We have witnesses—Chairman Zhang Hua of Zhang Group, she introduced Li Fengying to us. Call Zhang Hua in, let’s confront her! I have plenty to ask—what kind of people did she bring us? Hmph!"

Hearing this, the officers largely understood the situation. The old officer comforted Lin Fan warmly, "Rest assured! We’ll never wrong a good person, but we’ll never let any scum escape!"

He then asked some trivial questions, probing Lin Fan’s microexpressions—an area he had studied in his youth. After determining Lin Fan was unlikely to be lying, the two officers left Lin Fan behind and strode out.