Artifact Report

Chapter 81: Two Solutions to This Matter
The Blackmore Central Police Station was rebuilt on the site of a private mental hospital that was abandoned at the beginning of the last century.

The hospital was originally built by a wealthy doctor, but he seemed no more rational than his patients; the buildings that remain today also look like a mentally crazy and twisted person wearing a seemingly rational and orderly doctor's coat.

In the station-like ground floor hall, a circle of cavernous single-person cells were dug out, without windows and not connected to each other. From the police office area, one had to walk down several steps to open the iron-barred doors of the single-person cells.

Even a tall person, looking out from the cell, can only see the stairs and the legs coming and going - if you look from another angle, when the police sit at the table, you can see pairs of suspects' eyes at the edge of the hall floor.

Perhaps because the police also found this layout unpleasant, when Chai Si was taken into the hall, all the cells were empty; Jin Xueli was taken to an unknown place.

A female police officer placed an electronic device with a glass cover on the table and instructed Chai Si, "First press the four fingers of your left hand, then press your thumb."

Chai Si raised his handcuffed hands and put his left hand on first.

"One look at this kid and you know he's got murder on his hands."

A middle-aged man with a holster on his back, holding a half-empty cup of coffee, sat at another table not far away. He said to the policewoman, "Let's compare his fingerprints in the database later. I'm curious what the results will be."

"Captain Frye, is that right?" Chase tilted his head and looked at him, asking, "Conclusions first, evidence later?"

The middle-aged man raised his eyelids from his coffee. "...You know me? I don't remember arresting you."

"You didn't." Chase gave him a slow smile. "I have a hobby. I like to get to know the police officers in Blackmore City...especially those who are paid double wages."

Frye's expression was like someone who had been jolted into a chair. Confusion flashed across his face, then turned to discomfort. But he quickly regained his composure, sneered, and said, "We'll have plenty of opportunities to meet you soon."

"I'm looking forward to it," Chase said almost politely.

He knew that this day would come sooner or later; so Chai Si always kept a close eye on the people in the Blackmore City police system: the lieutenant who asked someone for a favor to keep his badge, the captain who was caught cheating by his wife and was kicked out of the house, the district chief who turned a blind eye to a financial sponsor... There would always be a time when they would be useful.

Unlike some hunter families who think they can whitewash themselves by using a front company, Chai Si has always been clear that the real foothold of the Kai family, and any hunter family, is in the shadows where the sun cannot reach.

Considering Chai Si's style of doing things, it's a miracle that he only ended up in the Central Police Station today, and that was because of a false accusation - his always good luck should be attributed to this.

The question is, who put this charge on him?
Chai Si is far away from Weisilai, so he would not be the scapegoat if he was caught; if he was caught for this reason, there must be some purpose behind it, not just someone taking the blame.

What role did the police play in this matter? A tool kept in the dark, or a useful lackey?

It's ironic that during the usual interrogations, Chai Si was the one asking the questions, but today the roles were reversed - but, precisely because he himself was an expert in torture, he knew better: even the person being interrogated, as long as he knew what to do and what to observe, could actually discover the information he wanted to know from the interrogation.

Next, it’s all about waiting.

After patiently waiting for an hour or two in the cavernous cell, Chase was finally taken to an interrogation room. Captain Frye, with whom he had exchanged a few words, and another unfamiliar policeman were already waiting for him behind the desk.

"Sit down," Frye said, knocking on the table with a smile, "Would you like something to drink?"

Chai Si first glanced at the mirror on the left wall.

Even if he has never been to the police station, anyone who has watched a few TV dramas knows that it is a one-way transparent glass; in such a serious case, there must be several people standing on the other side of it observing him - but no one knows who they are.

"Coffee," Chai Si sat down in a chair, slamming his cuffed hands on the table with a "bang," and asked, "Are you not going to untie this?"

"When facing dangerous people, we have to consider our own safety as well," Frye said slowly.

Chai had always been careful; he didn't think he had ever been on any list or come under the police's radar.

Especially on November 19th, the day he went to see Damien, he never carried any weapons. Judging from his past records and the search results of his car and body, on the surface, Chase was no different from any other law-abiding citizen.

In other words, someone told Fry in advance that Chase was a highly dangerous person - this person was naturally related to the Phantom Hunter.

He turned his head, suddenly smiled, and waved gently at the one-way glass; in mid-air, the handcuffs made a metallic clashing sound.

"Hey," Frye warned him, snapping his fingers. "I have a question for you." "I need a lawyer present," Chase said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his long legs. "After all, you're professionals in fabricating wrongful convictions."

A young policeman opened the door and put a cup of lukewarm black coffee in front of him.

Frye, seemingly oblivious to what he was saying, lowered his head, staring at a file in his hand. He said, "You know, AI technology is incredibly advanced these days. While most of what it can do is baffling to me, and I can't imagine how it will benefit humanity, there are a few things that can solve a lot of problems."

Chai Si raised his eyelids and gave him a cold look.

"For example, there's an AI technology that's amazing. With just a small voice sample, it can analyze and reproduce your voice, and then use your voice to speak for 15 minutes."

Frye, picking up his coffee cup, said, "For example, this paragraph I'm giving you about AI technology can easily be turned into a 'Miranda warning' in the hands of professionals. If you want to sue the police department for law enforcement errors, you will be disappointed. Any judge who reviews the video later will find that I already told you that you had the right to remain silent and so on - that nonsense."

...No wonder he was either looking at files or holding a coffee cup when he spoke. Voices can be replaced, but lip movements need to be concealed.

Although their reasons were different, they thought of the same thing.

"Are you sure you want to give up the lawyer?" Frye put down the cup and suddenly said seriously: "I just told you that you can have a lawyer present."

Chai Si thought about it and cracked a smile.

"Since you are planning to do this, I can try my best to cooperate with you."

He also raised the cup, feeling his tongue sliding uncontrollably down his cheek; after taking a sip of cheap coffee, he put the cup down. "When I think about it, I really don't need a lawyer. Do you know why?"

Frye remained perfectly reasonable. "Why?"

"You know best whether I have anything to do with Vesile's death. In my opinion, there are two ways to handle this matter. One, get out of this interrogation room and tell the person who gave you the order that a good citizen like me should not be wrongly accused."

He paused, his eyes glancing across the one-way glass.

"Second, I will hang you, your chief, and the person who gave the order from the flagpole outside the police station."

Frye didn't get angry but laughed instead. His swollen eyelids were squeezed by his smile, bulging out from under his brow bone.

"How bold of you to say that! When I first heard people warn me that you were no simple character, I was a bit skeptical. If you think you can carry out this threat from your cell, I'd buy a ticket to see it."

In other words, they had no intention of letting Chai Si go easily - since entering the interrogation room, their various actions had made it very clear that they were working for the person behind the scenes, and the so-called investigation was just a cover that could be thrown away at will; the only thing that was still uncertain was the goal of the person behind the scenes.

But Chai Si also had a guess about this goal.

He raised his hand and wiped the tip of his nose with the back of his hand; he took the opportunity to block the "rumors" that came out of his mouth.

"I don't think you'll give me a chance to call, will you?"

"Phone?" Frye asked in mock surprise. "Didn't you just give up your right to make a phone call, too?"

Chai Si smiled.

"Then I'll have to lend you my phone." He said softly, almost to himself.

　Fortunately, it is set in a Western society, otherwise how could this chapter be published...

　　Things have been really stuck lately. Even with an outline, things are still stuck. Maybe I'm not in a good state.

　　To be honest, when I write, scenes and images always appear in my mind. I always feel that the images in my mind are very Netflix...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)