204: Chapter 204 Let's try someone else

On the outskirts of Linjiang City, at a cement factory that had been abandoned for years.

An off-road vehicle screeched to a halt in the open space.

The doors opened, and members of the Linjiang Special Operations team escorted Lin Wan and her parents out of the vehicle.

In the shadows ahead, Captain Xiao Zhan stepped forward with a few special police officers.

Both sides verified the warrant.

Not a single word of idle chatter was exchanged.

Once the handover was complete, the Special Operations team boarded their vehicles and sped away in a cloud of dust.

In the open space in the middle of the factory, only Lin Zhengchu and his family of three remained.

Lins Mother clutched her daughter, Lin Wan, tightly in her arms.

Lin Wan seemed completely drained of life, leaning listlessly against her mother.

Lin Zhengchu spread his arms, shielding his wife and daughter with his body, and warily scanned the figures around them.

"Who are you people?"

Lin Zhengchu's voice was tight; the days of hiding and fleeing had stretched his nerves to the breaking point.

Deputy Captain Shan Hu took two steps forward, flashing a grin that revealed a mouthful of white teeth: "Mr. Lin, don't be afraid..."

In this desolate wilderness, the burly man's smile did not provide any comfort; instead, it made Lin Zhengchu instinctively step back twice, shielding his wife and daughter even more tightly.

Captain Xiao Zhan shoved Deputy Captain Shan Hu behind him.

"Comrade Lin Zhengchu."

Captain Xiao Zhan stood at attention. "I am Captain Xiao Zhan of the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Corps. By order of Director Qi Shan of the Provincial Public Security Department, I am formally taking over the security and protection of your family."

Lin Zhengchu had once been a division chief at a state-owned enterprise. Just because he went to the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau to seek justice for his daughter, he offended people he couldn't afford to cross and was stripped of his position entirely.

The worldly wisdom he had accumulated over most of his life hadn't faded, and he quickly grasped the key point of the statement.

He didn't respond immediately, as the memory of his old friend's last phone call surfaced in his mind.

That late night, Deputy Bureau Chief Qiao had called from an unfamiliar number.

"Old Lin, for the sake of our friendship over the years, I can only say this once. Take your child and run, as far away as you can. If you keep filing complaints like this, forget about justice—you won't even be able to save your lives. There is no place for you in Jingjiang City anymore."

Deputy Bureau Chief Qiao continued on the phone, "Your only hope is to endure. Only when the Provincial Public Security Department can bypass the Municipal Public Security Bureau and intervene directly in your case will your family have a day of seeing the light again."

When Lin Zhengchu tried to call back, there was only the mechanical sound of a powered-off phone in the receiver.

Memories of the past flooded his heart.

Lin Zhengchu, a man over fifty who had weathered many storms without bowing his head, felt his eyes grow moist.

He stepped forward quickly and gripped Captain Xiao Zhan's hands tightly.

"Captain Xiao!" Lin Zhengchu's voice was hoarse. "Is there hope for Wanwan's case?"

Captain Xiao Zhan gripped those rough hands back. "The Provincial Public Security Department has decided to reopen the investigation into Lin Wan's case."

"But... that Lei Zhenzi..." Lin Zhengchu's teeth were chattering.

"He has already been taken into custody by us."

Captain Xiao Zhan offered reassurance. "Lei Zhenzi is suspected of organizing underworld forces and is currently undergoing direct interrogation by the Provincial Public Security Department."

Hearing this, Lins Mother, who was standing behind them, covered her mouth and burst into tears.

The grievances, fear, and despair of this period found an outlet at this moment.

"However," Captain Xiao Zhan did not hide the difficulties, "the initial work has not proceeded smoothly. The suspect has retracted his confession and refuses to plead guilty, and outside forces are still operating. We need your help."

"We will cooperate, we will cooperate fully!" Lin Zhengchu wiped the tears from his face.

He pulled Captain Xiao Zhan aside. "When Wanwan went to the branch bureau to report the crime, those police officers confiscated Wanwan's underwear and the bodily fluid samples collected by the forensic examiner. Later, they wouldn't even give us a receipt, saying there was insufficient evidence, and they closed the case directly."

Lin Zhengchu took a deep breath. "But they didn't know that the dress Wanwan wore that night, along with a pair of undergarments, had been changed by my wife and hidden at home. When we moved to flee, we didn't bring anything, but we sealed and brought that dress with us. On it, there is that guy's bodily fluid!"

This was absolutely ironclad evidence sufficient to nail Lei Zhenzi; as long as they could extract Lei Zhenzi's DNA, the evidence would be complete.

"Where is the physical evidence?" Captain Xiao Zhan asked.

"It's in an absolutely safe place. As long as the Provincial Public Security Department needs it, I can retrieve it at any time."

"Good, we have the physical evidence, but we are still missing a key link." Captain Xiao Zhan looked toward Lin Wan, who was standing not far away. "Identification. In court, or even during the Procuratorate's arrest approval stage, we need a clear statement and face-to-face identification from the victim."

Identifying Lei Zhenzi was not as simple as just recording a statement.

The Jingjiang City Procuratorate was currently biased toward Lei Zhenzi's side, and Secretary Lei Zhen's protégés and former subordinates were spread throughout the public security, procuratorial, and legal systems.

Once it reached the interrogation stage, the Jingjiang City Procuratorate would certainly nitpick the victim's mental state and the consistency of her memory.

If Lin Wan suffered a mental breakdown during the interrogation, the Procuratorate could apply for a psychiatric evaluation and dismiss her testimony as worthless.

Captain Xiao Zhan's gaze lingered on Lin Wan.

From getting out of the car until now, this girl hadn't said a word or shed a single tear.

She just stood there blankly, staring at the concrete floor with hollow eyes; all the surrounding noise, along with the news she had just heard about Lei Zhenzi's arrest, failed to elicit any emotional response from her.

"How is Lin Wan's condition now?" Captain Xiao Zhan asked Lin Zhengchu. "Can she cooperate with us to give a full statement or testify in court?"

Lin Zhengchu followed Captain Xiao Zhan's gaze to his daughter, and the father's back slumped once again.

He shook his head in pain.

"She's been treated for a while, and we've seen countless doctors. Severe post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression." Lin Zhengchu's voice was hoarse. "She locks herself in a dark room, and no one can get in. Even the slightest stimulation causes her to self-harm."

Captain Xiao Zhan turned his head and gave a gesture to Officer Chen Qian, who was standing behind them.

Officer Chen Qian was a female police officer Deputy Captain Zhang Lin had specifically brought from the Provincial Public Security Department. She was not only familiar with the case but was also a top student in psychology, specializing in crisis intervention and trauma counseling.

Officer Chen Qian stepped forward, not rushing to speak.

She slowed her movements, walked to Lins Mother's side, and spoke to Lin Wan in an extremely gentle tone.

"Lin Wan, don't be afraid. I'm a police officer, the bad guy has already been caught, and you are safe."

Officer Chen Qian tried to take Lin Wan's hand.

Lin Wan didn't dodge or resist. Her hand was like a block of ice, letting Officer Chen Qian hold it.

Her eyes still lacked focus, as if the person in front of her didn't exist at all.

Officer Chen Qian tried several psychological counseling approaches, attempting to awaken her subconscious, and even mentioned the legal profession she had once aspired to.

It was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Ten minutes later, Officer Chen Qian helplessly retreated.

"Captain Xiao." Officer Chen Qian shook her head. "The patient is in a state of extreme psychological defense; she rejects all external information. This cannot be solved by simple psychological counseling; it requires long-term professional intervention. If we make her give a statement now, or force her to recall the details of that night, not only will we not get any information, but it will also trigger a catastrophic mental breakdown."

Time; what the Provincial Public Security Department lacked most right now was time.

The detention period for Lei Zhenzi in the detention center was approaching day by day, and the Jingjiang City Procuratorate's request to return the case for supplementary investigation was sitting on the table.

If there was no breakthrough evidence and statement submitted, they would have to release him according to the law.

Secretary Lei Zhen had already started active maneuvers outside, even mobilizing the Audit Department to cause trouble for the Provincial Public Security Department.

Captain Xiao Zhan walked to the corner of the abandoned factory, took out his phone, and dialed Director Qi Shan's private line.

He reported the situation on the scene, especially the preservation of physical evidence and Lin Wan's mental state, without leaving out a single word.

On the other end of the line, after hearing the report, Director Qi Shan remained silent for a long time.

The appearance of physical evidence was great news, but the failure of the witness had caused a choke point at the most critical moment.

To make the case an ironclad one, both witness testimony and physical evidence were indispensable.

"Settle them in our Provincial Public Security Department's internal guesthouse first, and guard them strictly. Send a dedicated person to retrieve the physical evidence and deliver it immediately to the Provincial Public Security Department's Evidence Identification Center." Director Qi Shan issued the order. "As for Lin Wan's statement, I will find a way."

Hanging up the phone, Director Qi Shan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the Provincial Public Security Department's command center, looking outside.

If professional psychologists couldn't do it, who could pry this girl's mouth open?

He didn't have such talent on hand.

He turned around and dialed Zhu Wenhao's number.

Heishi Town, Deputy Secretary's office.

Zhu Wenhao was examining a comprehensive traffic planning map of Heishi Town. His phone vibrated on the desk.

After he picked up, Director Qi Shan's deep voice came through.

"Zhu Wenhao. We have received the Lin family."

Director Qi Shan didn't waste words. "There is an unexpected joy; the old man of the Lin family holds clothing with the bodily fluid left by Lei Zhenzi when he committed the assault back then. However, Lin Wan is severely traumatized, and the Provincial Public Security Department's psychology experts have tried to communicate with her, but it's completely impossible. Without a statement, this case won't pass with the Procuratorate."

After hearing this, Zhu Wenhao put down the pen in his hand.

Sincerity can move mountains.

However, in governing the country and employing people, it is not about sincerity, but about finding the right entry point.

The failure of the psychology experts lay in the fact that they used "medical" methods to try to heal a soul whose dignity had been crushed by power.

What Lin Wan needed was not comfort, nor sympathy.

She once aspired to be a lawyer; she understood the law better than anyone, and she understood the despair of when the legal system failed better than anyone.

She closed herself off because she no longer trusted anyone, and no longer believed that this system could still give her justice.

To pry her mouth open, one had to use a more resolute, more pure force to pierce the solid ice within her heart.

A candidate surfaced in his mind.

"Uncle Qi." Zhu Wenhao spoke, his voice steady. "I have a candidate here. However, I cannot guarantee that she will definitely succeed. Let her go and try."