I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 119 Absolute Truth and Relative Truth

"So... that's really what I thought?"

Yu Dahai's psychological state can be described as cognitive dissonance, but his condition is more serious.

A typical example of cognitive dissonance is having the compulsion to believe that it's okay to stay up late occasionally.

Knowing full well that staying up late is bad for your health, you deceive yourself that it's okay to do it occasionally. You think like this every day, and it turns into long-term sleep deprivation. By the time you realize it, your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems have already been damaged.

Just like Yu Dahai at this moment, by the time he realized what was happening, he was already sitting in the interrogation room.

Han Ling stood still, looking at him and said, "Xiao Yu is fake, and you have materialized her into reality. Dai Bin and Yu Youyi are real, but you see them as fake. Your thinking is becoming confused."

After three years of escapism, can you still distinguish between falsehood and reality?

Yu Dahai is a complex character; only he himself knows what he's really thinking.

In the novel, Xiao Yu dies because of the protagonist. Perhaps Yu Dahai saw Xiao Yu as Yu Youyi and the protagonist as Dai Bin, switching back and forth between reality and fiction. By applying this analogy, the statement that "Yu Youyi died because of Dai Bin" becomes plausible.

Smoking a cigarette, Yu Dahai remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Young man, you hit the nail on the head. Thinking about it carefully, I really can't tell anymore."

At that moment, a police officer knocked on the door, entered, and handed Ji Bowei a document containing photos and text descriptions.

"Team Leader Ji, the technical squadron in Yifeng has completed its reconnaissance and found these items."

Ji Bowei flipped through the pages; they were several crumpled draft papers with the names "Dai Bin" and "Qing Chang" on them, and he had conducted an in-depth analysis of Dai Bin's possible residence based on the novel's content.

Han Ling's earlier guess was correct; the suspect found Dai Bin's address based on the novel's content, a process that likely took a long time.

To be fair, Yu Dahai's logical reasoning ability is quite good; no wonder he's a math teacher.

Since Dahai has already confessed, these things are no longer useful for the trial, and the evidence is now in order.

Ji Bowen handed it to Han Ling, who glanced at it and said, "How long have you been preparing to kill Dai Bin?"

Yu Dahai: "It was a few months, I can't remember exactly. During that time, he stayed at home and didn't come out, so I couldn't make a move. Later, he rented out a house, and that's when the opportunity came."

Han Ling: "Has it been four months yet?"

Four months is the timeframe for Dai Bin to make his will.

Yu Dahai: "It should be ready."

Han Ling: "Let me tell you about the murder process, starting with the arsenic."

Yu Dahai had almost finished his cigarette and reached out, saying, "Give me another one."

Han Ling put the second cigarette into the other person's mouth and lit it.

As the smoke rose, Yu Dahai's voice rang out in the interrogation room.

The source of the arsenic was simple; it was bought at a market in a rural town, near the border between Qingchang and Yifeng. Yu Dahai was quite familiar with that area.

Yu Dahai, who is over fifty years old, comes from the countryside and used to go to the market often when he was a child. He knows everything about what is sold at the market.

Arsenic has existed in the past, exists now, and will exist in the future. Even if the police increase their efforts in public education and strictly prohibit it, there will be other poisons even if arsenic is gone.

If you want to kill someone, you'll always find a way.

Poison was originally invented to serve people, but it has always been associated with killing since ancient times. The most widely circulated saying is: "Brother, it's time to drink your medicine."

Poison is not the guilty one.

It is human beings who are guilty.

It's the same as a knife; its attribute is that of a tool, and its effectiveness depends on the user's own initiative.

After acquiring the arsenic, Yu Dahai went directly to visit Dai Bin, posing as a reader.

Dai Bin was very surprised at the time. He never expected that a reader would find his seclusion place. He warmly welcomed the sea and poured two glasses of water for him.

The two started chatting and talked for a long time.

During this time, Yu Dahai asked for a signed copy of the book, and Dai Bin agreed to leave the living room. When he returned, his glass of water had been laced with arsenic.

When the poison took effect, Yu Dahai didn't linger. He picked up the signed book and his cup and left without even looking back, leaving only Dai Bin's last struggle behind him.

"You just said that Dai Bin was very surprised and enthusiastic when he saw you?" Han Ling asked.

Yu Dahai nodded: "Yes, how could I not be surprised when a reader suddenly found out where he was in seclusion?"

Han Ling fell into thought; some things were not quite what he had imagined.

I thought finding the murderer would provide the answer, but it seems that's not the case.

"Did he notice when you were following him?" Han Ling asked.

Yu Dahai: "Probably not."

Han Ling: "Did he mention this when you met?"

Yu Dahai: "No."

Han Ling turned around and gestured for the two captains to interrogate him first, then left the interrogation room.

Yu Dahai has confessed. The remaining task is to secure evidence based on his confession, such as the exact source of the arsenic, the signed book, and the cup, to complete the chain of evidence. Back in the investigation hall, Han Ling found Dai Bin's will and began to read it repeatedly.

Before the case is closed, Dai Bin's will must remain with the Criminal Investigation Brigade. If the suspect is related to the beneficiary of the will, some parts of the will will not be valid.

As the people in the observation room gradually left, Yin Yunliang and his team arrived at the case-handling hall.

"What's wrong, Han Ling?" Yin Yunliang asked.

Han Ling looked up, pointed to the will, and said, "I originally thought that Dai Bin had sensed the death threat from the readers, which is why he made a will. Now that I think about it, is it reasonable?"

Yin Yunliang walked over to Han Ling, glanced at the contents of the will, and said, "You can't understand Dai Bin's motives for making the will, or do you doubt Dai Bin's motives for making the will?"

Han Ling: "I have my doubts. It just doesn't seem right for a young man in his thirties to make a will."

On the other side, Tong Feng poured himself a glass of water and said before drinking it, "The essence of a will is to plan ahead for personal property and affairs, not to symbolize aging and death. That's why it's fashionable for young people to make wills now, especially young people who have already accumulated enough property."

Daibin was quite wealthy, so it's normal for him to make a will.

Upon hearing this, Han Ling thought for a moment, then looked at Yin Yunliang, who nodded: "I agree with his statement. Making a will is normal. What are your doubts? Give me an example."

Han Ling: "For example, there was someone who wanted to kill Dai Bin, but Dai Bin sensed the risk in advance, which is why he made a will."

Yin Yunliang: "Then why didn't he call the police?"

Han Ling: "I don't know."

Seeing this, Yin Yunliang patted Han Ling on the shoulder: "In my experience, you're overthinking it. First of all, it's normal for young people with property to make a will. Secondly, even if Dai Bin sensed the risk, the most likely source of the risk is the readers."

Han Ling: "I admit that making a will is normal, but if he foresaw the risks, are the risks really from the readers?"

A seasoned writer going to make a will simply because he saw some negative comments? That's a bit of an exaggeration. Which author hasn't been criticized?
When Xiaolongnu was defiled by Yin Zhiping, the readers reacted even more strongly, and Jin Yong did not leave a will.

Yin Yunliang laughed: "That's an interesting example you gave."

The will was made four months ago, but Dai Bin had this idea even earlier. At that time, Xiao Yuxuan hadn't discovered her husband's infidelity, Wang Mengqi and Dai Bin were deeply in love, and readers were only making a few critical comments in the comment section. That's why you have doubts about the will.

Han Ling closed the will: "That's right."

Tong Feng walked over with a water glass: "Is it possible that after Dai Bin met Wang Mengqi, he knew he couldn't give her a formal status, so he used a will to make amends?"

Han Ling shook his head: "Nonsense, I don't believe Wang Mengqi will never marry and will remain a mistress for life. There are too many variables, not enough to make Dai Bin make the decision to make a will."

Besides, giving money is enough; why make a will? Xiao Yuxuan didn't exert any financial control over Dai Bin; he can dispose of his own assets.

Tong Feng nodded: "That's true. That's a normal will-making process. Dai Bin really likes Wang Mengqi, or rather, he's grateful for Wang Mengqi's understanding, so he added her name."

These days, finding a soulmate who truly understands you is incredibly difficult, almost impossible.

A writer's way of thinking is always different from that of an ordinary person.

Han Ling didn't say anything.

I could explain Daibin's behavior, but my intuition told me something was wrong.

In Han Ling's view, adding the mistress's name to the will likely indicates that the person was aware of the risk of death, but four months ago, Dai Bin was not at all at risk of death.

When Yu Dahai came to visit as a reader, Dai Bin was very welcoming and had no suspicion of suspicion, indicating that Yu Dahai was not the source of the will.

At this moment, Yin Yunliang said, "If you have any doubts, you can try to investigate, but I suggest you don't think too much about it, because there is no basis for it."

Even if Dai Bin faced other risks, he is now dead, and the task force has thoroughly investigated his interpersonal relationships, so there is little point in continuing.

If every murder investigation had a progress bar, we police officers couldn't possibly achieve 100% accuracy. We could close a case at 99%. Pursuing ultimate perfection can sometimes have negative consequences in the investigation process.

Do you know what I mean?

Han Ling nodded: "I understand."

That statement profoundly reveals the essence of criminal justice.

Criminal investigation is an activity that uses limited resources and police wisdom to approach objective truth as closely as possible in an uncertain world, ultimately resolving disputes based on legal truth.

Legal truth is constructed through legal procedures and with sufficient and definitive evidence. It is a relative truth, a relative truth that is infinitely close to objective truth, and can never reach 100%.

It is 100% objective truth, the absolute truth, but it only exists in the past and cannot be completely and accurately reproduced.

Even if the murderer is caught, the police cannot reconstruct every detail of the moment before and after the crime as accurately as watching a video. Human memory can be biased, and the murderer's confession may conceal or embellish information. That's the one percent.

Ninety-nine percent is the perfect result for criminal investigation. Police resources are limited, and it is impossible and unnecessary to pursue the remaining one percent indefinitely.

Currently, Daibin's will represents that one percent; he is already dead, and we cannot know what he was thinking.

This is what Yin Yunliang wanted to convey: to prevent Han Ling from being too stubborn. A criminal investigator has to handle too many cases in his lifetime and must always make choices, unless new clues emerge and reach a level that can be investigated.

"Good that you understand." As a teacher, Yin Yunliang has to impart more than just criminal psychology. "I'm leaving tomorrow. If you encounter any confusion, feel free to call me and let's keep in touch."

Han Ling nodded: "Okay."

……

P.S.: Chapter Two will be released at night.

(End of this chapter)