Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1298 Confirmation and Deception

The unpleasant argument with Shen Man was like a poisonous thorn stuck in Jane's heart.

Lin Hao and Shen Man's words kept flashing through her mind, leaving her unsure of who to believe.

"A body in the desert under the stars? Lin Hao is the murderer?" Jane was incredibly conflicted.

Because deep within her heart, a faint voice stubbornly cried out: "This isn't right! Lin Hao isn't the murderer!"

How could the man who could control everything with a smile, the man who whispered in her ear and made her heart flutter, make such a low mistake as to tell the investigators the location of the body?
This doesn't make sense! Shen Man has been consumed by hatred and some emotion she can't understand, becoming paranoid and irrational.

She had to go and confirm it herself, not for Shen Man's sake, but to verify the trust in her heart and to uncover the truth.

The Mosa Lighthouse looked lonely and old under the blazing sun. Jane didn't tell anyone; she rented equipment and dived into the icy water alone.

Her heart was in her throat; she was both terrified of seeing the horrific scene and desperately needed an answer.

The beam of the headlamp pierced the deep blue, and finally, the rusty shark cage appeared in the field of vision like an underwater tomb.

And in the shark cage, the "body" of that glaring white dress.

In an instant, Jane's blood seemed to freeze.

A wave of overwhelming fear gripped her, and the first thought that surged into her mind was sharp and clear: "Call the police! I have to call the police immediately!"

"So, Lin Hao really killed someone?" She trembled as she pulled out her waterproof camera, ready to record this "evidence."

Despite her feelings for Lin Hao and her reluctance to let him go, she would not allow a murderer to escape justice just because she liked him.

At the same time, there was still a sliver of hope in his heart that the police would investigate the cause and effect of the matter, just in case it wasn't Lin Hao!
However, the moment she pointed her phone camera at the "corpse's" face, a strong sense of unease struck her.

It's too "complete".

After being submerged underwater for so many days, whether it was drowning or dumping, the face could never look so peaceful.
It could even be described as lifelike? The skin wasn't swollen or pale, the hair wasn't severely disturbed by the water, the open eyes were still bright and clear, and even the white dress maintained an unnatural neatness.

Fear was replaced by a sense of absurdity. She mustered her courage, cautiously approached, and reached out to touch the "corpse's" arm.

It was cold, with a rubbery elasticity, and definitely not the feel of human skin or muscle!

Her heart pounded, and she moved closer to examine it carefully, only to discover that the so-called corpse was actually an extremely exquisite silicone doll.

This is a mannequin, an extremely well-made mannequin that is so realistic that it can be mistaken for a real mannequin even in dim light!
"boom--!"

The truth exploded in her mind like a thunderbolt: it wasn't Lin Hao who killed people, but Shen Man who had gone mad!

Her first reaction was that Shen Man was using a fake corpse as evidence to carry out her crazy plan to seize the inheritance; she was only after Li Muzi's estate!

She not only deceived herself, but also became completely lost, turning into a madwoman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals!

Joy, anger, lingering fear, and a clarity that came from seeing the truth completely overwhelmed her in an instant.

Fortunately, this was not Li Muzi's corpse. The other party was very likely still alive, furious at Shen Man's madness, and terrified by Shen Man's crazy plan. Therefore, they had to notify Lin Hao as soon as possible.

Without hesitation, she turned and swam vigorously towards the surface. She had to tell Lin Hao immediately, and she had to stop that crazy woman, Shen Man!
She quickly surfaced, rushing towards the hotel while urgently dialing Lin Hao's number.

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Several steady knocks came from outside the hotel room.

Lin Hao opened the door without warning and saw Zheng Cheng standing outside with a serious expression on his face.

"Mr. Lin, I'm sorry to bother you," Zheng Cheng said first, his tone serious and urgent.
"We have just received some new clues. Your current wife and the wife who came to the island twenty days ago are not the same person at all. Mr. Lin, what is your explanation?"

Lin Hao sneered inwardly, then said nonchalantly:

“That’s my wife! How could I not recognize my wife? You’re all being ridiculous!”

"When I asked you to find my wife, you ignored me. Now that my wife has returned, you say she isn't her. What are you even doing?"

“Mr. Lin, your so-called wife is very likely a professional con artist. Please cooperate with our investigation. Don’t you want to find your real wife?” Zheng Cheng used his acting skills to try to create the impression of official authority.

"A liar?" Lin Hao said with surprise, "How could that be? I may be face-blind, but I'm not so bad as not recognizing my own wife!"

“We have a new lead? It’s about your wife’s whereabouts? Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come to you!” Zheng Cheng leaned forward slightly, looking like a public-spirited policeman.

"Yes, based on our initial assessment, your wife's disappearance is very likely related to your current fake wife."

Zheng Cheng then took out an iPad and showed Lin Hao a video of their plan to have Jane follow Lin Hao in and out of the hotel, impersonating Li Muzi.

Sure enough, inside was the video from the original storyline where Jane followed Lin Hao from behind when he was alone, making people mistakenly believe they were going in and out of hotels and bookstores together.

Lin Hao looked surprised, then pointed at Jane in the video and asked Zheng Cheng, puzzled:

"But the problem is, in my memory, she is my wife! How could I be wrong!"

Zheng Cheng continued calmly, "Mr. Lin, I heard you're taking a psychiatric medication!"

"Uh, that's true!" Lin Hao nodded helplessly, and finally explained, "But that's a sequela of what happened when I was a swimming coach. The high pressure underwater put pressure on my brain nerves!"

We are not questioning your medication use, but based on my investigation, this medication is used to suppress hallucinations!

"So the other side exploited this loophole!" Zheng Cheng said, pointing to Jane, who was sitting next to Lin Hao in the video.

"By frequently appearing in front of you and replacing your wife in your and those around you's consciousness, you create the illusion that she is your wife."

As he spoke, he took out another stack of photos, which were the photos that should have shown Li Muzi in the video. The photos were taken after Lin Hao and Li Muzi entered the island!

"I see!" Lin Hao then looked enlightened and nodded solemnly, saying, "Alright, I'll go with you!"

Seeing that he had finally tricked Lin Hao into getting into the car, Zheng Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and immediately drove away with Lin Hao.

Shortly after the call started, Zheng Cheng's phone rang, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"What? You've found a clue about Li Muzi?"

After speaking, Zheng Cheng looked at Lin Hao, said a few words briefly, and then said to Lin Hao with a regretful expression:
"Mr. Lin, we're afraid we need to change our destination. We've found your wife, Li Muzi!"

"Where?" Lin Hao asked in a grief-stricken voice. Zheng Cheng replied gravely, "At an abandoned observation post outside the city. Our men have already gone there."

"In order to verify this as soon as possible, we hope you can go and identify it yourself to see if you can recall any key details."

Zheng Cheng deliberately revealed the specific location, thus reasonably changing the destination from the police station to the observation station.

The statement emphasized that "official personnel were present" and "family members are needed to identify the individuals," which sounded reasonable.

Lin Hao didn't agree immediately. He frowned slightly, looking at Zheng Cheng with some doubt, and asked:

"An observatory? I've never heard her mention that before."

Then Lin Hao asked, feigning suspicion, "Officer Zheng, shouldn't the police conduct a preliminary investigation of such an important crime scene before notifying the family, according to procedure?"
Why are you in such a hurry to send me over? What did you discover? And do I have to confirm it personally? His question pinpointed the problem with the procedural legitimacy.

A flicker of panic crossed Zheng Cheng's eyes, but he quickly composed himself and then explained solemnly:
"The main issue is that the situation is rather special. There are traces of personal belongings in that place, which we believe likely belong to your wife."

"Given the sensitivity of the case and the primary principle of finding the person as quickly as possible, we believe that having you come to the scene for identification as soon as possible is the most efficient approach."

He tried to cover up the logical flaws as much as possible by using "personal items" and "efficiency".

"Efficiency!" Lin Hao repeated softly, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, before saying calmly:

"Officer Zheng, you are truly the most considerate and unpretentious police officer I have ever met."

"For the sake of efficiency, we can skip the standard procedures and personally come to pick up a relevant person to go to a remote site."

His tone carried a hint of praise, but it sounded incredibly grating to Zheng Cheng.

Zheng Cheng's smile faltered: "Mr. Lin, we're just trying to expedite things!"

"Is it because of Shen Man?" Lin Hao suddenly interrupted him, his voice not loud, but like a thunderbolt striking Zheng Cheng's ears.

Zheng Cheng's expression changed instantly, his eyes flickered, and he sensed that Lin Hao had probably guessed something, so he dared not meet Lin Hao's gaze.

"Mr. Lin, what...what do you mean? I don't understand...!"

"Don't understand?" Lin Hao leaned forward, and the sense of oppression intensified.

“A warm-hearted Chinese policeman, instead of being busy handling cases in his jurisdiction, was so concerned about an uncertain missing person case that he even became Ms. Shen Man’s personal messenger and driver.”

"From the very first time you appeared and cooperated with her in this charade, you were already exposed. You two are in cahoots. Today's scene is probably because Shen Man couldn't wait any longer and was preparing to close the net, right?"

Zheng Cheng was caught off guard by the barrage of revelations. His face flushed red and then turned pale, and cold sweat broke out instantly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found that any words he uttered seemed pale and powerless under Lin Hao's all-knowing gaze.

"I—!" Zheng Cheng was silent for a moment, then, seeing that they were almost there, he decided to speak frankly:

"Well, in the end, I couldn't fool Mr. Lin!" He cleared his throat, his tone softening considerably, and said somewhat awkwardly:
"Actually, it's Miss Shen Man. She wants to have a proper talk with you. She said that some things can only be clarified in person."

"It's mainly about Ms. Mu Zi. She has some new insights and hopes to have an open and honest discussion with you. She assures you it's just a conversation."

"Oh? It went from a police emergency operation to a private meeting?" Lin Hao chuckled, his sarcasm undisguised.
"So Shen Man is in that observation station up ahead, right?"

Zheng Cheng nodded awkwardly, then continued driving in silence, while Lin Hao silently turned his gaze to the window.

He knew, of course, that this was a trap, but he also knew that if he refused outright now, he would be leading Shen Man into a desperate situation.

The atmosphere inside the car was heavy on the way to the "observation station." Zheng Cheng focused on driving, remaining silent.

Lin Hao leisurely looked at the street scene outside the window, as if he were really going to an ordinary date.

As he passed through a bustling market, he even casually remarked, "This place has a real lively atmosphere, what a pity."

Zheng Cheng glanced at him in the rearview mirror, unable to decipher the meaning behind his words, and could only give a vague reply.

Soon, Lin Hao arrived at the "medical room" that Shen Man had carefully prepared. Before Lin Hao could speak, a puff of smoke came from the side.

Lin Hao didn't even have time to react before he was hit squarely by the smoke and slowly collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Of course, to cooperate with the other party, Lin Hao also deliberately inhaled some sleeping gas, so that he could act more convincingly.

It seems that the strength he displayed last time made Shen Man lack confidence in defeating her, which is why she released sleeping gas on him.

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After a long while, when Lin Hao opened his eyes, Shen Man was sitting in front of him, speaking calmly:

"You're finally awake! I thought you wouldn't wake up!"

"How long was I unconscious?" Lin Hao asked deliberately.

"Oh, less than ten minutes!" Shen Man exclaimed with a click of her tongue.

"I didn't expect you to be in such good physical condition. With such a large dose, you were only unconscious for less than ten minutes!"

Lin Hao stared at Shen Man without saying a word, but his gaze was like a knife, and Shen Man was probably already riddled with wounds.

"Why did you kidnap me and bring me here?" Lin Hao asked calmly.

Having secured victory, Shen Man asked somewhat angrily:

"Why did you kill Mu Zi? She was your wife! How could you do that? She loved you so much, and for your sake..."

Shen Man gave a very moving performance, but Lin Hao remained unmoved and asked in return, "And then?"

"And then!" Shen Man said with a sneer, "Shouldn't you pay the price for what you've done?"

Lin Hao glanced at Shen Man and said calmly:
"Whether I have to pay the price should be decided by the police, not by your privately run torture chamber."

"You've made such a big fuss today, is it really just because you want revenge for Mu Zi?" Lin Hao said with a disdainful look.

"You killed Mu Zi and you still think you're right?" Shen Man roared angrily, "How dare you say such a thing?"