DipNovel Chapter 4: System Activation
Chapter 4: System Activation
Jiang Chen originally intended to stick to his story, since the police didn't have any solid evidence.
They couldn't find any conclusive evidence to convict him.
But then, this system appeared out of nowhere.
"I……"
Jiang Chen had a bellyful of profanities inside him and almost cursed them out loud.
Why did it have to activate right after he was locked up in the interrogation room? If he had had this system earlier, he wouldn't have had to work as a plagiarist writing crime novels to make a living.
Despite his complaints, Jiang Chen couldn't hide his excitement.
The crime scene trace analysis manual is already etched into my mind, giving me a whole host of new professional knowledge out of thin air.
It covers all kinds of knowledge points, including deducing motives for crimes, identifying counter-investigation techniques, and judging micro-expressions at the scene.
Looking at the interrogation room now, it feels completely different.
This room was clearly professionally designed. The lighting angles, the arrangement of tables and chairs, and the spatial layout were all designed to create pressure, making people feel panicked and confused. No wonder the suspect with poor mental fortitude confessed everything so quickly after entering.
"My initial mission is to assist the task force in finding the hideout of the serial killers. It seems I have no choice but to tell them; they've practically forced me into this position."
Jiang Chen knew exactly what was going on.
The more he says, the more details overlap with the crime scene, the harder it is for him to clear his name. In the end, even without evidence, the police might still keep a close watch on him as a key suspect.
But then he thought, he hadn't done anything wrong, so he had nothing to hide.
Even if the investigation goes to the bottom, he will still be innocent.
He also believed that the police would not wrong an innocent person for no reason.
Seeing Jiang Chen suddenly smile, Su Wan felt a chill in her heart, sensing that he was provoking her.
In Su Wan's view, this man had an extremely strong mentality and was clearly determined to put up a stubborn resistance to the end.
"To dare to write the details of the crime into a novel, one must have an exceptionally stable mindset; they're a tough nut to crack," Su Wan thought to herself.
She was prepared for a long interrogation, but the next second, she heard Jiang Chen speak.
"Officer Su, let me make this clear first. First, I am not the murderer. Second, as I have said before, I am just a writer of suspense novels. In order to make the content realistic, I collect a lot of information and study real case files before writing each case, and create based on reality."
"I've even spent time studying criminal psychology and crime scene traces. If your task force really can't find the killer's hiding place and can't solve the case, I can help."
Upon hearing this, Su Wan felt it was outrageous.
"Are you trying to atone for your crimes by doing good deeds?"
Jiang Chen shrugged indifferently: "I'm innocent, so there's no question of redeeming myself. I was just helping out."
"Although I write crime novels, I abhor these kinds of heinous crimes. It is only right that the murderers be caught as soon as possible and justice be served for the victims."
This world is different from Jiang Chen's previous life. Although criminal investigation technology is advanced, many cold cases and serial murders have been unable to be solved for a long time because there are too few clues at the scene. The victims' families have not received justice for many years, and the social pressure is enormous.
The police are working under immense pressure, but they are repeatedly stuck in a stalemate, and the public's panic continues.
Jiang Chen spoke calmly, but his eyes were exceptionally serious.
"With murders happening, solving the case sooner means one less victim. In any case, this is something every citizen should do."
At this moment, Jiang Chen's eyes were open and honest, without the slightest hint of evasion.
Su Wan stared at him for a long time, and her judgment wavered once again.
From the start of the interrogation, she saw not a trace of panic or guilt in his eyes, only composure.
"Could it be that he really isn't the murderer, and all the coincidences are simply because he's done his research thoroughly?"
Jiang Chen stared at her absentmindedly and casually said, "Officer Su, you don't need to keep staring at me. There's no clue on my face."
These words interrupted Su Wan's thoughts. She came back to her senses, composed herself, and returned to her usual cold demeanor, without any extra emotional fluctuations.
She is not someone who is swayed by emotions. Having handled cases for many years, she only looks at the evidence and would never have any improper thoughts.
"Okay, I'll trust you for now. I'll go ask my superiors for permission to let you cooperate with the task force to solve the case. This serial murder case is heinous and cannot be delayed."
Jiang Chen nodded: "I will do my best to cooperate."
"You wait here, I'll be right back."
"it is good."
……
At the foot of the deep mountain, everyone waited anxiously.
Zhou Guoping held Jiang Chen's interrogation transcript and looked through it repeatedly.
Veteran detective Zhao Gang said, "Captain, I think it's just a coincidence. He's a novelist; he simply read a few more case files, pieced together the characteristics of the cases, and happened to match the scene. It's nothing special."
Zhou Guoping shook his head, disagreeing with this statement.
"No, he wrote down the killer's methods of concealment, the undisclosed traces at the scene, and even the approximate area where the killer hid. This cannot be explained by coincidence. He most likely had contact with the killer or witnessed the crime scene firsthand."
If Jiang Chen were present and heard these words, he would probably sigh helplessly again.
"So, Officer Zhou, is he really an accomplice of the murderer?" the young officer, Xiao Zhou, couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Guoping paused for a moment before slowly speaking: "But previous investigations showed that he had no time to commit the crime, had no contact with the victim, and there were no traces of him at the scene, indicating that even if he was aware of the crime, he did not participate in it."
"Compared to those vicious murderers, at least he did not cover up or condone them; his heart was not bad."
"I knew it. He's not a bad person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have volunteered to help solve the case," Xiao Zhou said in a low voice.
"Xiao Lin, who exactly is this Jiang Chen? What makes you think he can help us solve this serial murder case?" Zhou Guoping asked.
When Jiang Chen was mentioned, Lin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, and she immediately began to talk about him at length.
She has delicate features, and when she speaks, her eyes are firm and she has a lot of confidence.
"Captain Zhou, Jiang Chen is a suspense writer. He pioneered the realistic crime genre, and his crime novels are incredibly detailed, making readers feel as if they are at the crime scene. Many readers say that what he writes isn't fiction at all, but rather a record of his own experiences with the cases!"
"I also read his books; they're incredibly well-written, so realistic it sends chills down your spine!"
"Absolutely! Every time I read his descriptions of crime scenes, I feel like they're exactly the same as what we see when we're on duty!"
The surrounding young police officers echoed their sentiments; they were all fans of Jiang Chen's books.
"A firsthand account of a case? A novel can match a real crime scene?" Zhou Guoping asked, his face full of confusion.
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Lin Xiaoyu quickly explained, "Captain Zhou, the methods of committing crimes and the scene setup described in his book are almost identical to the real crimes. You can't write such detailed content unless you've actually experienced it yourself."
"Nonsense, utter nonsense!" Veteran detective Zhao Gang shouted. "Captain, don't listen to the young people's nonsense. What novel-based crime scene reconstruction? I've been a criminal investigator for twenty years, handled countless cases, and there's no such thing!"
"You've spent your whole life in criminal investigation; have you ever seen anyone who can write down the details of a previously unpublished murder case so accurately?"
Zhou Guoping remained silent and did not speak.
Lin Xiaoyu pursed her lips, arguing defiantly, "Brother Zhao, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The world is vast, anything can happen!"
"Besides, if everything he wrote was fake, why was he taken away by the police? I heard from a classmate at the city police station that every detail of the serial murder case in the western suburbs was exactly the same as what Jiang Chen wrote in his novel, and that's why he was arrested!"
"Is that so?" Zhou Guoping's interest was immediately piqued.
He had received a briefing on the serial murders in the western suburbs long ago, but he had been too busy with his work to delve into the details.
Now that I've heard that a writer's novel's content closely matches an undisclosed crime scene, I'm immediately interested.
"Of course it's true, Captain Zhou! Look, today's police reports and social news are all about this!" Lin Xiaoyu quickly handed her phone to Zhou Guoping.
Zhou Guoping took the phone and started looking at it. Only then did he remember that he had hastily glanced at the news that morning. No wonder the name Jiang Chen seemed so familiar.
I only glanced at it at the time and didn't investigate it in detail. Now that I've read it carefully, I also feel that there's something strange about it.
"Zhao Gang, you're in charge of external liaison, are you aware of this? Is what Xiao Lin said true?" Zhou Guoping turned to look at Zhao Gang.
Zhao Gang usually liaises with various departments the most, and he is well aware of all the news, big and small, within the bureau.
Zhao Gang looked somewhat reluctant, but still nodded: "It's true. The description of the serial murders in the western suburbs in his latest crime novel highly overlaps with the results of the on-site investigation, with almost no discrepancies in the details."
"So, this Jiang Chen is very likely to be involved in this case?" Zhou Guoping's face darkened. "That's interesting. For a novelist to be able to describe an unpublished crime scene so accurately, that can't be explained by coincidence."
Zhou Guoping has always hated those involved in cases, but this is the first time he has encountered a case like Jiang Chen's.
"We can't jump to conclusions. From a professional perspective, similar cases share commonalities in their crime scene traces and modus operandi. By reviewing old case files, we can make some general inferences. As for whether he was involved, we'll have to wait for the interrogation results," Zhao Gang said candidly.
After all, serial murder cases over the years have many similarities, and with a little sorting and analysis, it is possible to write about overlapping content.
Zhou Guoping nodded, then looked at Lin Xiaoyu: "Xiaolin, do you mean that if Jiang Chen is really related to this case, he might also know about this missing person case we're currently investigating?"
Lin Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with unwavering certainty.
"Captain Zhou, I'm not saying maybe, I definitely will! I wasn't just playing on my phone; I found the latest chapter of his novel that he updated before he was arrested. You'll understand once you read it!"