Genius Club.

Chapter 186 Cohabitation Life
"How about this, Lin Xian? Go back and pack your personal belongings today. From now on, our special investigation team will adopt a high-intensity centralized office mode... There is no time for going to get off work or leaving work. We will not leave work until the case is solved, so... we will all live here. There is a dormitory specially arranged for us in the back."

"You want to live here?" Lin Xian was a little surprised:
"The secondment letter didn't mention these things."

"Are you in a difficult situation?"

"That's not the case." Lin Xian shook his head:

"It's just that I didn't expect the investigation team's work schedule to be so tight that they didn't even let me go home."

Ji Lin lowered his head and smiled, then walked over and patted Lin Xian on the shoulder:

"Lin Xian... since we are already colleagues, I can tell you a lot of things directly. In fact, letting you live here and be under our surveillance 24 hours a day is also for your protection."

"Protect me?" Lin Xian smiled inexplicably:

"Is someone trying to kill me?"

"It's not that kind of protection." Ji Lin shook his head:

"【It is to help you eliminate the suspicion of the murderer.】"

"Like I just said, Lin Xian, there is almost no clue in the cases of Xu Yun and Tang Xin's death. You are the most direct party involved in the two cases, the last one to intervene at the scene, and you had frequent contact with the two before the incident, and finally gained huge benefits..."

"Although there is no evidence that you planned all this, think about it from the perspective of the police. This is a case without any breakthroughs, and you have many coincidental clues... It is natural for them to be suspicious of you."

"So, you should stay in the bureau, live in the bureau, and be with me during this period of time. It would be best if we can solve the case during this period of time. If we can't solve it and a similar case occurs outside, it will also indirectly prove that this series of events has nothing to do with you, and then your suspicion will naturally be cleared."

……

Lin Xian didn't say anything.

This kind of plot was something he had not expected before he came.

He originally thought that if Ji Lin was the mastermind behind everything, he called him here just to find out his flaws.

But I didn't expect that this guy would forcefully bind me to him with a reason that seemed true or false, and monitor me 24 hours a day in the name of protecting me.

This is no longer just a Hongmen Banquet, it's simply house arrest.

"Do we still need to lock us up with an iron chain? The kind that requires us to go to the toilet and take a shower together?" Lin Xian teased with a smile.

Then he picked up the black notebook in his hand and threw it on the table:
"Do you still suspect that this notebook of mine is a Death Note? Can it kill someone by writing their name on it?"

"You've watched too many Japanese comics, Lin Xian."

Ji Lin smiled and said:

"You should understand my painstaking efforts and the difficulties faced by the Donghai police. Now the whole society is condemning them for their inaction, so they have to do something, right?"

"We certainly won't restrict you from dying like this. If you have something to do, you can go out, but I hope you'd better take me with you. If there is a similar death of a scientist outside, I can testify for you at any time."

"Of course, I personally hope that you don't go out and concentrate on solving the case... The sooner the murderer who killed Xu Yun and Tang Xin is caught, the better it will be for both of us."

"alright."

Lin Xian responded casually.

You can't get the tiger cub without risking it, so I'll meet Ji Lin properly.

The two of them now are basically pretending to be ignorant even though they know the truth.

Lin Xian wants to catch Ji Lin, and Ji Lin also wants to catch Lin Xian, but neither side has any concrete evidence. So forcing them to stick together 24 hours a day is not all bad for Lin Xian.

because……

While Ji Lin was getting to know Lin Xian, Lin Xian was also getting to know Ji Lin.

It all depends on who is more careful, who is more cautious, and who can piece together a complete puzzle faster from fragments of casual chat.

"Then I'll go home and get my toiletries now." Lin Xian turned around and walked out the door:

"Anyway, it's hot now, so there's no need to prepare too much. I'll be back in the evening."

……

arrive home.

Instead of packing clothes, Lin Xian immediately began to check all the papers on the desk and in the drawers.

Although he usually burned the cigarettes in time, since he had become a suspect of the Donghai police, it was hard to guarantee whether they would search the room while he was under house arrest.

Almost everything related to it was burned. Lin Xian looked at the fake invitation letter from the Genius Club in his hand, and the wax block with the seal of the Genius Club imprinted on it.

Do you want to burn them together?

Lin Xian hesitated...

Although this invitation letter was fake, it was the only clue he had related to the Genius Club.

What's more, the club seal on this wax block is real, exactly the same as the pattern on the moon in the dream.

"You should keep it, but you can't keep it at home."

Lin Xian stuffed the two things into his backpack and took a taxi to MX Company.

Check the things in your office as well...

Burn all waste paper, manuscript paper, and paper on which previous reasoning was written.

Then, he sat in the office, waiting for Zhao Yingjun to get off work.

After watching Zhao Yingjun's Alpha leave the company, he directly picked up the fake genius club invitation letter and wax seal, went to the elevator, pressed the button for the 22nd floor, and came to Zhao Yingjun's office.

click!
The heavy double-layer password door opened and Lin Xian entered the tidy and empty office.

Although this is Zhao Yingjun's office, all the layouts inside were arranged by Lin Xian, so... Lin Xian is much more familiar with this office than Zhao Yingjun himself.

He simply opened a filing cabinet in the corner, then took out a file box from the second-to-last layer and put the fake invitation letter and wax seal in it.

"Perfect."

Lin Xian smiled slightly.

Zhao Yingjun's office is the most suitable place to hide this fake invitation.

First of all, this fake invitation letter was originally sent to Zhao Yingjun, so it was reasonable for it to appear in her office.

Secondly, Lin Xian knew Zhao Yingjun's habits very well. She would never touch this filing cabinet in her life, so it was safe to keep things here.

Finally, the password to this office was known only to him and Zhao Yingjun, and at most one more person, Huang Que, was not an enemy. He could come and go as he pleased, making him the best choice for hiding things.

After everything was ready, Lin Xian took a taxi to the Donghai City Public Security Bureau, carrying a backpack containing personal toiletries and spare clothes.

…“……”

Standing at the open door of this double dormitory with Ji Lin, Lin Xian was speechless.

"No, we sleep in the same room?"

Lin Xian turned his head and looked at Ji Lin, who was hunching over and yawning.

"The two of us will live in this dormitory?"

"Any questions?"

Ji Lin pointed to the double bed layout which was no different from that of a standard hotel room. The two large beds were located in the north and south of the room. It was fully equipped with various other facilities, including an independent bathroom and two desks with computers. In fact, in terms of grade, it was still very high-end.

only……

"I thought we would all live in single rooms." Lin Xian snorted:
"I'm not used to sleeping in the same room with other men."

"You want me to get you another woman?"

"Your thinking is very clear."

"If you really mind, I can have someone put a curtain between the two beds."

"That's not necessary."

Lin Xian waved his hand and threw his backpack on the bedside table by the window.

This is Ji Lin's territory, and the Donghai police now listen to his orders, so there is no point in complaining. This is a surveillance plan they have planned... Since it is useless to make suggestions, just don't make any suggestions.

Through the afterglow...

He glanced at Ji Lin closing the dormitory door, then lying on his back on another bed and closing his eyes to rest.

He understands.

The head-on confrontation in this cat-and-mouse game is really about to begin.

"I'm going to wash up first."

It was getting late, so Lin Xian found his toiletries and went to the bathroom to wash up.

He thought while brushing his teeth.

I am actually quite secretive in every aspect. The only thing that makes Ji Lin aware of something abnormal is——

[I always wake up on time at 00:42].

This was a very unusual thing that he couldn't control, and other people might not care much about it. But the person who was lying across the bed from him was the genius mystery novelist Ji Lin... There was no way he wouldn't notice it.

Ji Lin is so smart that it is hard to guarantee whether he can infer any details from his abnormal behavior that he cannot be woken up after falling asleep and wakes up at exactly 00:42.

That would be dangerous.

and so……

Stay up late.

Lin Xian planned to use the trick he used to avoid dreaming when he was a child - just stay up until 00:42 and then go to bed.

……

night.

early morning.

Ji Lin was lying on the bed next to him, his head resting on his hands, his eyes closed. It was unknown what he was thinking or whether he was asleep or not.

Lin Xian, who was lying on this bed, was wearing headphones and browsing on his phone, preparing to go to sleep after 00:42.

"Lin Xian, aren't you going to sleep?"

In the darkness, Ji Lin on the bed over there turned over and looked at Lin Xian.

Through the diffuse reflection of the mobile phone, Lin Xian saw that Ji Lin's eyes were bright and lively, and with the faint dark circles around his eyes... He knew that this guy was obviously a night owl and a champion of staying up late.

Okay, let’s all act.

The room is not big, and everyone in it is an award-winning actor.

This year's Oscars will be awarded here.

"I usually go to bed late." Lin Xian took off his headphones and sat up on the bed leaning against the pillow:
"Did I disturb your sleep?"

"Not really." Ji Lin shook his head and sat up from the bed, leaning against the headboard and looking at Lin Xian:

"My mind is also in a mess. I have been thinking about the case. There is one thing I can't figure out and I don't have any clue."

"What is it?"

Lin Xian turned off the phone and turned to look at Ji Lin.

The room darkened, with only the moonlight as thin as a silk thread shining in through the gaps in the undrawn curtains... transforming into dots of dancing fluorescent light, which shone on Ji Lin as the curtains were gently stroked.

"I don't understand why the murderers had to control the time of the crime to 00:42."

Ji Lin held his chin and said softly:
"The time of death of Tang Xin and Xu Yun was between 00:42 and 00:43. Not to mention that this is a time point that is difficult to control accurately, what is the significance of this time point itself?"

"It's often difficult to guess the murderer's thoughts." Lin Xian said casually:
"Perhaps this time point has an extraordinary meaning for him. Just like many murderers will deliberately leave special symbols and special items at the assassination scene, it is nothing more than to prove that I committed the crime, with a mentality of showing off or flaunting."

"It's just for showing off. There's no need to lock down the time of the crime. There are other smarter and more covert methods." Ji Lin shook his head and expressed his opinion:
"It's just like what you said. Leaving special symbols and special items behind is enough. There is no need to fix the time of the crime at 00:42. This will not only easily attract attention, but also directly tell the police the time of the next crime. It is also a very dangerous behavior for the murderers themselves."

Lin Xian looked at Ji Lin in the darkness: "So what do you think..."

"I think that the murderers' bizarre killing method is deliberately shown to someone, just like holding a ceremony or passing some kind of exam." Ji Lin paused and continued:
"[My parents also died at 00:42.]"

"Is it true?" Lin Xian was a little surprised. He didn't know whether what Ji Lin said was true or not, and he hadn't considered the deeper meaning of the murderers killing at 00:42. He didn't understand why Ji Lin confessed this to him:
"Was it also a car accident?"

Ji Lin shook his head:
"It wasn't a car accident. So I've never been sure whether the murderer who killed my parents 20 years ago and the murderer who killed Xu Yun and Tang Xin now are the same type of people."

"It was a shooting incident that happened at 00:42. The gangsters killed my parents on their way home. After that, I became an orphan and was sent to an orphanage. I was adopted by a big man who is now very famous."

Ji Lin changed his posture and faced Lin Xian:

"Ji Xinshui."

He smiled and looked into Lin Xian's eyes:
"Have you heard of that name?"

(End of this chapter)