The Abrupt Trial Date and the Fog
Information cocoons were one of the most invisible yet strongest prisons of the age. Algorithms precisely fed people the content that interested them, while shutting out unrelated information entirely.
The towering waves that had risen on Quick Sound and A Certain Little Red Book might as well have been breaking in another parallel universe, as far as Lin Feng and his team were concerned. Behind the high walls, they depended on specific channels for all their information: reports from the deathsworn, communications with their lawyer, and the internal network.
(The author isn't exaggerating. For example, did anyone see today's Douyin trending search, "Understanding Beautiful China's 'Ecological Report Card'"? The author has a friend in Wuhan who didn't even know about it.)
At that moment, Lin Feng and his deathsworn were perfectly insulated from the online storm directed at him. Their attention was focused entirely on the case itself, the balance of power inside the detention center, and the movements of those specific targets.
Inside the converted "storage room," the light was bright and the room was quiet. Lin Feng sat at the computer, studying an analysis of the case files that Zhou Wenyuan had sent him through an encrypted channel, along with vague leads gathered by the deathsworn outside about some unusual recent movements in Zhang Qian's funds, though they could not yet be directly linked to the case. His expression was intent, and his fingers occasionally tapped the keyboard as he noted the key points.
"Knock, knock-knock."
A knock sounded at the door, its rhythm the agreed-upon signal from Wang Lei.
"Come in," Lin Feng said without looking up.
The door opened, and Wang Lei slipped inside before quickly shutting and locking it behind him. A trace of excitement and puzzlement showed plainly on his face as he strode to the desk and lowered his voice. "Brother Feng, we just got a notice from the court! Your case is set to go to trial in three days!"
Lin Feng's fingers stopped abruptly on the keyboard.
He looked up, his brows drawing together instinctively as he turned to Wang Lei. "Three days? That soon? Is the information accurate?"
"Absolutely! The notice was sent straight to the detention center office. I saw it with my own eyes!" Wang Lei nodded emphatically, but then a puzzled look crossed his face. "This... really is too sudden. By rights, with Zhang Qian controlling the timing, she should have dragged out the detention period to the very end and then applied for a supplementary investigation..."
That was exactly what puzzled Lin Feng. He had experienced firsthand just how hardline Zhang Qian's attitude was and how stubborn her methods were. She was like a hyena with its jaws locked on its prey, refusing to let go until it had torn off the last scrap of meat. Why would she suddenly give up her delaying tactics of her own accord and let the case proceed to trial so quickly?
It did not fit her character, and it suited her interests even less.
"Something's fishy," Lin Feng said thoughtfully, his fingers tapping the desk unconsciously. When things took an abnormal turn, a demon had to be lurking behind it. Zhang Qian was not someone who would give up easily. She had to have something to rely on, or... some reason she had to speed things up?
He immediately closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the Deathsworn Network, contacting the deathsworn assigned to watch Zhang Qian directly.
[Any unusual movements from Zhang Qian recently? Especially anything concerning the progress of the case?]
The deathsworn's reply came quickly, tinged with shame. [Master, the target, Zhang Qian, has maintained a regular work and daily routine in recent days, but she seems more agitated than usual. Yesterday afternoon, she met privately with Sun Tingting at a café for about fifteen minutes. The distance was too great and the surroundings too noisy to make out their conversation. I only observed that both had serious expressions while they talked, and Sun Tingting seemed slightly agitated afterward. Zhang Qian then returned to the municipal bureau. No other unusual activity was observed.]
She met Sun Tingting in private?
Lin Feng's doubts deepened. At a critical juncture like this, what had she wanted with the woman who had falsely accused him? To get their stories straight? Apply pressure? Or... assign her a new task?
He immediately contacted the deathsworn assigned to watch Sun Tingting.
[How did Sun Tingting react after meeting Zhang Qian?]
[Master, after meeting Zhang Qian, the target, Sun Tingting, did not return to school. Instead, she requested leave and went straight home. She has not come out since. There have been no unusual communication records during that time, and I have been unable to find out what is happening inside her home.]
A meeting, a trip home, and a shut door.
The scattered pieces of information were like loose beads, seemingly hinting at something. But with the crucial links missing, they simply would not string together into a clear line.
Lin Feng frowned deeply, trying to piece the truth together from the fragments. Zhang Qian met Sun Tingting -> Sun Tingting went home -> the case suddenly sped toward trial.
What happened in between? What deal did they strike? Where did Zhang Qian get her confidence?
He ran through the possibilities again and again, but still could not make sense of them. Zhang Qian's move had gone completely off the script he had anticipated, disrupting his rhythm. The feeling of losing control left him faintly uncomfortable.
He pondered for a long time, but still got nowhere. The barrier to information stood out all the more at this moment. He had no way of knowing about the public-opinion storm sweeping everything before it outside the walls, so naturally he could not connect Zhang Qian's sudden "acceleration" to that storm-perhaps she was trying to use public pressure to hold the judicial process hostage and force a speedy trial and verdict?
But speculation alone could not confirm it.
In the end, Lin Feng took a deep breath and put his doubts aside for the time being. Since he could not figure it out, there was no point wasting more energy on it. In any case, the trial itself was no bad thing for him.
"Forget it." Lin Feng opened his eyes again and spoke to Wang Lei, his voice calm once more. "An earlier trial works too. It'll save me from wasting time in here."
His confidence came from absolute strength. Zhou Wenyuan was a top lawyer, and he had a recording of Sun Tingting admitting to framing Lin Feng, evidence that Li Jing had induced him to write a letter of repentance, and numerous suspicious points concerning procedural violations in Zhang Qian's handling of the case. The recording's legal force still needed strengthening, but it was enough to influence the judge's assessment.
Although the chain of evidence was not flawless, he was more than ninety percent confident that he could prove his innocence and secure a finding of "insufficient evidence, no prosecution."
Once the trial began, Zhou Wenyuan could present the evidence in court and tear apart the other side's lies. By then, Zhang Qian's so-called "persistence" would be nothing but a joke. Moreover, given Zhou Wenyuan's standing and connections in the profession, even if Zhang Qian wanted to apply for a supplementary investigation after the trial began, the court would most likely reject it.
Freedom seemed close at hand.
"Go and make preparations," Lin Feng said, waving Wang Lei away. "Before the trial, make sure everything here carries on as usual. Don't let anything go wrong."
"Yes, Brother Feng! Rest assured!" Wang Lei nodded hurriedly and withdrew respectfully.
The iron door closed again, leaving Lin Feng alone in the room.
He walked to the window and looked at the square of sky cut out by the high walls. Although he could not figure out Zhang Qian's trump card, he was not afraid. Before absolute power, all plots and schemes were futile. He believed in the legal process, and even more in the power he held.
As for Zhang Qian, and that Sun Tingting...
An icy glint flashed through Lin Feng's eyes.
Once he got out and regained his freedom, he would have plenty of time to play with them slowly, step by step. Then they would understand what true despair meant.
He put his present predicament out of his mind for the moment and sat back down at the computer, focusing his attention on his subsequent plans. The trial was only the first step.
Yet he did not know that a vast net woven from public opinion and malice was quietly tightening outside the walls, seeking to brand him conclusively before he even stepped into court. The storm had already arrived, but he was still in its eye, enjoying the last of the calm.