I have no interest in your declarations of worship.
The interrogation room was brightly lit, almost blindingly so.
Qi Lin was handcuffed to a chair, but his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses shone with an astonishing light. He kept glancing towards the door like a fan waiting for his idol, his fingers tapping the numbers after the decimal point of pi on the table.
When Fan Jinci pushed open the door and entered, Qi Lin's spine instantly straightened, his lips parted slightly, revealing an almost devout expression.
"I knew you'd come." Qi Lin's voice was a few octaves higher than usual. "They couldn't handle me, so they had to ask you for help in the end."
Fan Jinci tossed the folder onto the table and sat down slowly. He wasn't wearing a white lab coat today, but a dark gray turtleneck sweater, which made his skin appear even paler. The butterfly scar on his right wrist was half-hidden by the black leather watch strap.
"Five minutes." Fan Jinci glanced at his watch. "I have no interest in hearing your declarations of worship."
Qi Lin laughed, leaning forward, the handcuffs rattling. "You know what? I've read all your papers, including that retracted one, 'The Remodeling Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Hippocampal Synapses.'" His fingertips traced spirals on the table. "Those mediocre people don't understand your value, just as they don't understand my research."
Fan Jinci flipped through the folder expressionlessly: "Last night at 10 PM, the lab's surveillance cameras last captured Lin Wei. At 11:07 PM, your campus card was swiped once at the access control on the east side of the lab building."
"I went to find her, but she was already gone," Qi Lin shrugged. "Then I went back to my dorm."
"The dormitory surveillance footage shows that you didn't return until 1:23 AM."
"I'm taking a walk on the playground, contemplating the theory of multidimensional universes," Qi Lin suddenly lowered his voice, "just like when you were at the military medical university, studying the neural responses of cadavers in the dissection room at three in the morning. People like us... don't need to explain our schedules to ordinary people, right?"
Fan Jinci's fingers tightened slightly, leaving a mark on the notebook with his pen. He knew Qi Lin was trying to provoke him—this young man had investigated his background and might even know the details of "Project Butterfly."
"Tell me what research Lin Wei stole from you," Fan Jinci suddenly changed the subject.
Qi Lin's eyes lit up: "A quantum decoherence control model. Simply put, it's about how to remotely control bioelectric currents using the quantum entanglement effect." He adjusted his glasses. "If successful, theoretically, it could stop a person's heart from a distance, leaving no trace."
"Naive," Fan Jinci sneered. "You think this is science fiction?"
"Ten years ago, they said your 'electrocution memory reconstruction' theory was delusional," Qi Lin retorted. "And what happened? How many 'perfect soldiers' did Zhou Lin create using your theory?"
In the monitoring room outside the interrogation room, Yu Yan clenched his fists tightly. Jiang Zhaoyan frowned: "How does this kid know so much?"
Inside the interrogation room, Fan Jinci's expression remained unchanged: "Where has your research reached?"
"The theoretical stage." Qi Lin curled his lip. "The lab's budget isn't even enough to buy a decent quantum bit processor." He suddenly leaned closer, "But with a partner like you, we could totally continue off-campus..."
"You killed Lin Wei," Fan Jinci interrupted him, "because she threatened to expose your illegal use of laboratory equipment."
Qi Lin burst into laughter: "Wrong! Why would I kill someone who poses no threat at all?" His expression suddenly softened. "Besides... I already have a partner."
Fan Jinci keenly noticed this change: "Who?"
"My boyfriend," Qi Lin's voice suddenly softened, "Shen Mo from the Chemistry Department. He's the only one who truly understands me." His fingertips unconsciously drew a heart on the table. "In this vulgar and unbearable world, he is my only solace."
Fan Jinci noticed that Qi Lin changed completely when this name was mentioned—his shoulders relaxed, his pupils dilated, and even the curve of his lips became more genuine. This high-IQ assassin actually had such a soft side.
"Does he support your research?"
"He helped me improve the sedative formula," Qi Lin said proudly, then realized his slip of the tongue and quickly added, "The legal kind."
Fan Jinci wrote "Shen Mo - Chemistry Department" in his notebook and circled it three times: "How long have you two been together?"
"Two years, seven months, and thirteen days," Qi Lin stated the number precisely. "He just broke up with his girlfriend last week, all for me." His smile was eerily sweet. "He said he finally dared to face his true self."
Outside the interrogation room, Yu Yan immediately made a phone call: "Investigate Shen Mo from the Chemistry Department, focusing on his recent romantic relationships and his access to the lab."
Inside the interrogation room, Fan Jinci closed his folder: "Time's up."
"Wait!" Qi Lin suddenly became agitated. "Are you really content to spend your whole life as a forensic pathologist? Dealing with stupid cops every day, explaining evidence to judges who don't even understand basic anatomy?" His handcuffs jingled. "We can change the world! Your brain plus my theories—"
"Give me a break." Fan Jinci stood up. "You can't even tell your own boyfriend is cheating on you."
Qi Lin's expression froze instantly: "What?"
"Shen Mo has been going to the off-campus gym a lot lately with a guy from the sports academy," Fan Jinci said casually. "Last night, the hotel they booked was right across from the playground where you were 'strolling.'"
Qi Lin's face drained of color, his lips trembling: "You...you're lying..."
"Just check his phone's booking records." Fan Jinci turned and walked towards the door. "By the way, your improved midazolam formula is brilliant, but amygdalin reacts with sweat in alkaline environments, leaving a pale yellow mark on the nails." He glanced back at Qi Lin's right hand. "Remember to wear gloves next time."
The moment the door closed, Qi Lin's scream and the sound of a chair overturning came from inside. Fan Jinci walked expressionlessly through the monitoring room, tossing a sentence to Yu Yan:
"Search Shen Mo's dormitory and lab lockers. Focus on pH test strips and bitter almond extract."
Jiang Zhaoyan whistled: "How do you know Shen Mo cheated? We didn't even investigate that lead."
Fan Jinci had already reached the end of the corridor when his voice drifted back: "I made it up."
Yu Yan paused for a second, then burst into laughter. He quickly caught up with Fan Jinci: "So there was no gym date at all?"
"The gym is real, Shen Mo does go there often," Fan Jinci pressed the elevator button, "but the hotel room thing was something I made up on the spot." He rarely explained, "The thing high-IQ criminals can't tolerate the most is betrayal, especially from 'the only person who understands them.'"
The elevator doors opened, and Fan Jinci stepped inside. Yu Yan followed closely behind, asking just as the doors were closing, "What if he really investigates and finds out you lied to him?"
Fan Jinci's lips curled up slightly: "That makes it even more interesting—what will an enraged genius do?"
The elevator began to descend. In the enclosed space, Yu Yan could smell the scent of bitter orange and cedar emanating from Fan Jinci, mixed with a hint of the chilling presence of formaldehyde. He suddenly recalled Qi Lin's question, "Are you content to be a forensic pathologist for the rest of your life?" and couldn't help but ask:
"Seriously, why did you choose the path of forensic medicine? With your intelligence—"
"We've arrived." The elevator doors opened, and Fan Jinci strode out, leaving the problem behind.
But Yu Yan clearly saw that the moment Fan Jinci asked that question, his right hand unconsciously stroked the butterfly scar on his left wrist—the mark that would never fly away.
Perhaps the answer lies hidden there, in those unknown past events. And now, they have a chemistry teaching assistant to interrogate, a potential revenge to prevent, and the body of a female college student murdered using high-tech methods awaiting justice.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
