You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

The handful of glistening dust slipped through Lin Chen's fingers.

Like the most expensive snowflake in the world.

It was like the last straw that broke everyone's back.

The entire exhibition center, inside and out, was plunged into an eerie, deathly silence, a silence so profound you could hear your own heartbeat.

The flashes stopped.

The reporter's exclamation caught in his throat.

The tens of millions of scrolling comments in the live stream also went silent for three seconds at that moment.

The expression on Li Mingyu's face was so vivid that he could never replicate it in his entire life.

From the ecstatic joy of triumph, to the horror of watching the diamond shatter, and then to the blank stare of a completely empty mind.

Finally, all the expressions froze into a cracked, clownish absurdity.

He stood frozen in place like a stone statue weathered for a thousand years, his eyes fixed on Lin Chen's empty palm, his lips trembling but unable to utter a sound.

Lin Chen didn't even bother to glance at him.

He simply clapped his hands casually, brushing away the remaining powder as if he were dusting off his clothes.

Then, in a tone so bland it was almost boring, he gave his final assessment to Ye Qingcheng and Su Qingge, who were completely petrified.

"Made of glass."

"On Taobao, it's estimated to cost 9.9 yuan with free shipping."

"They couldn't even replicate the refractive index of light correctly; their craftsmanship is too rough."

These few words, though seemingly light, were like invisible hammers, striking Li Mingyu's face, his heart, and his pathetic self-esteem!

"Hmm..."

Li Mingyu could no longer hold on. A hoarse sound like a broken bellows came from his throat. His mind went blank due to extreme humiliation and anger. His vision went black, and he swayed violently, almost falling to the ground.

He wasn't injured.

It was anger! It was shame! It was the ultimate humiliation of being kicked from the pedestal of a hero and into the mud in front of the whole city!

"No...it's impossible...this can't be..."

He muttered to himself listlessly, his eyes unfocused.

Just then.

Mutation and regeneration!

The porter, who was being held down by two special police officers, was stunned when he saw the diamond shatter. Then, as if he had thought of something terrifying, he suddenly began to struggle violently!

His face flushed red, and he let out desperate screams of "woo woo ah ah" from his throat, his face covered in tears and snot.

He frantically gestured with his hands, his expression filled with fear.

"He's mute!"

A special police officer shouted.

Soon, another SWAT officer found a crumpled piece of paper soaked in sweat in his tattered pocket.

On the note, a line of text was written in crooked handwriting.

Take this glowing stone, run out the side door, and I'll give you five hundred yuan.

The truth has come to light.

Luring the tiger away from the mountain.

A plan that was so stupid it couldn't be stupider, yet incredibly effective.

And Li Mingyu is that stupid tiger who was completely fooled by five hundred yuan and a piece of glass!

"It's over..."

Ye Qingcheng looked at the note, and her last shred of hope was completely shattered.

Her body went limp, her pretty face turned pale, and if Su Qingge hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

The diamond is really gone.

At the exhibition she was in charge of, despite the heavy protection of the Jiangcheng police, a national treasure worth 300 million US dollars simply vanished.

She cannot bear this responsibility.

"Whoosh—!"

The silence was broken, and the media erupted instantly!

"My God! The diamonds are fake! The people they caught are fake too!"

"A colossal blunder! The Jiangcheng police were outsmarted by a mute?"

"Live broadcast slaps him in the face! Do you remember Vice Captain Li's boastful words just now?"

After a brief pause, the live stream chat exploded with a burst of comments!

[Hahaha! Best comedy of the year! Officer Li should just debut as a stand-up comedian!]

[9.9 yuan with free shipping? That magician is killing us with his spirit!]

[I feel sorry for Goddess Ye for a second; she found such a bunch of incompetent teammates.]

[So embarrassing! Absolutely shameful!]

Mockery, ridicule, and skepticism surged forth like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm all the police officers present.

Right at the heart of this vortex of chaos and despair.

Lin Chen moved.

Ignoring all the noise, he strode slowly and steadily to the heavy alloy main gate of the exhibition hall.

Amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, he raised his hand and pressed the red emergency lock button on the wall.

"BOOM—!!!"

A massive metal gate, accompanied by a teeth-grinding scraping sound, descended from the sky!

It slammed heavily onto the ground with a deafening thud!

The entire exhibition hall was instantly and completely isolated from the outside world!

The loud noise instantly silenced all the other noise.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene and instinctively looked at the culprit.

Lin Chen slowly turned around, leaning against the cold metal gate, and looked around at the surprised and uncertain faces in the room.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every corner of the exhibition hall.

"The game isn't over yet."

"No one is leaving until I declare the show over."

At this moment, he didn't look like a policeman; he looked more like a warden in control of the entire situation!

Li Mingyu jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Lin Chen's nose and roaring angrily.

"Lin Chen! Are you crazy! The real culprit ran away with the diamonds a long time ago! Why are you locking us up here?! Do you want to be a sinner for all time?!"

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold.

That gaze was like a tangible blade, slicing straight across Li Mingyu's face.

"Who told you he ran away?"

One sentence brought Li Mingyu's roar to an abrupt halt.

Everyone in the room, including Ye Qingcheng and Su Qingge, was suddenly shocked and looked at Lin Chen in disbelief.

Lin Chen pointed to the bright emergency lights overhead.

"The most dangerous place is the safest place."

"Even a three-year-old understands this principle."

His voice became steady and powerful, carrying an all-knowing wisdom, as he began his reasoning.

"The power outage only lasted three seconds."

"In three seconds, in the dark, without triggering any alarms, pry open this specially made bulletproof glass display case, take the diamond, replace it with a fake, and leave without leaving a trace..."

Lin Chen paused, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Even a god couldn't do that."

"So, the only explanation is..."

His gaze slowly swept across the entire room, and everyone he looked at involuntarily held their breath, their hearts pounding.

"The diamonds were replaced before the power outage."

These words struck everyone like a thunderclap!

"And just now, the only legitimate reason to repeatedly approach the display case for 'security checks' was..."

Lin Chen's voice suddenly turned cold.

"It's just our own people."

The entire police force was in an uproar!

Everyone instinctively took a step back, warily eyeing their companions with looks filled with surprise and suspicion.

A mole?

That elusive international thief was actually mixed up among them?!

Li Mingyu's face turned a deep shade of liver, and he roared in exasperation:

"Nonsense! Lin Chen, you're actually doubting your own brother just to shirk responsibility?!"

Lin Chen ignored his roar.

His gaze passed over the furious Li Mingyu.

Finally, the camera accurately locked onto a young auxiliary police officer behind Li Mingyu, who kept his head down the whole time and was completely inconspicuous.