200: Chapter 200 Crossroads

At the Linjiang City Psychiatric Hospital, Lin Zhengchu sat on a bench on the third floor.

At fifty-three, his temples were already completely white, making him look like an old man on the verge of death.

If one were to turn the hands of time back a year, his life trajectory could be described as smooth sailing.

He graduated from university, was assigned to a state-owned enterprise in his field, and by working diligently, he rose to the position of department chief.

His wife was gentle and virtuous, keeping their home in perfect order.

What made him even prouder was his daughter, Lin Wan.

The girl had been top-tier since childhood, did him proud in the college entrance examination, and won an admission letter from Jingjiang University, determined to become a lawyer who upholds justice.

He used to brew a pot of green tea after dinner, lean back on the sofa, and daydream with his wife.

When the girl graduated, put on her lawyer's robe, and married into a good family, the two of them would go traveling.

For these years, due to the complicated reports and projects in the department, he hadn't taken a single complete annual leave, so he had to go around and see the world when the time came.

That beautiful dream shattered on a late night last year.

It was a weekend, and Lin Wan was at home preparing materials for the legal qualification exam.

Her best friend, Chen Ting, called several times, urging her to attend a class reunion.

Lin Zhengchu had originally used his connections to find his daughter an internship at a law firm in Jingjiang City; thinking it wasn't good for her to be cooped up at home all the time, he didn't stop her.

Who would have thought that his daughter, who was usually the most law-abiding, would not return that night.

Lin Zhengchu and his wife had red eyes from staying up all night in the living room.

At first, the call went through but no one answered; by the second half of the night, the only thing left was the cold prompt that the phone was turned off.

As parents, that feeling of having one's heart thrown into a frying pan and scorched repeatedly was something he never wanted to experience a second time in his life.

Just as the sky was breaking, Lin Zhengchu couldn't sit still anymore.

He dug out his address book and called Old Qiao, who he had known for more than a decade.

Old Qiao had worked his way up to deputy bureau chief at a branch of the Public Security Bureau in Jingjiang City and could be considered someone with influence.

"Zhengchu, it's common for girls to go out and have fun with their best friends, and for their phones to run out of battery," Old Qiao yawned on the phone to comfort him. "According to regulations, if an adult has been out of contact for less than forty-eight hours, we can't even open a missing person case. Don't scare yourself first."

Old Qiao smacked his lips: "How about this, if you still can't reach her today, come to the branch office to find me tomorrow, and I'll have my people check the surveillance footage."

Lin Zhengchu could only hang up the phone, pacing back and forth in the living room, having rarely taken leave to stay at home.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

The sound of the door lock turning came.

Lin Wan stood at the doorway.

Her hair was messy, and there were stains on the trench coat she had worn when she left.

She didn't change her shoes, but instead threw herself into her mother's arms and wailed.

The crying was heart-wrenching, as if she wanted to vomit out her internal organs.

Amidst the intermittent sobs, Lin Zhengchu heard something that made him collapse.

His daughter's drink had been drugged, and she had been violated by Lei Zhenzi while unconscious.

"Dad, I reported it to the police." Lin Wan gripped her mother's lapel tightly. "I went to the branch office to give a statement, and I left bodily fluid samples. That beast, he won't be able to escape!"

Lin Zhengchu felt the blood rushing to his head.

He was an honest man who had never been at odds with anyone in his life, but at that moment, he wished he could rush into the kitchen, grab a kitchen knife, and chop that bastard named Lei Zhenzi into meat paste.

"Don't be afraid, Dad will get justice for you."

He suppressed his trembling hands, walked into the bedroom, and locked the door.

He dialed Old Qiao's number.

He told him everything about Lin Wan's report at the branch office.

"Which branch office did you report it to? Okay, I know." Old Qiao's tone was serious. "Zhengchu, we've been friends for a long time, and I watched Wan'er grow up. Don't worry, no matter who the other party is, watch how I deal with him. Wait for my news."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhengchu's heart felt a little more settled.

The net of justice is wide, and he believed in the national law, as well as Old Qiao's methods.

Half an hour later.

The phone rang.

Lin Zhengchu answered the phone: "Old Qiao, how is the investigation going?"

The sound of breathing in the receiver was heavy.

"Old Lin." Old Qiao's voice sounded powerless. "Take the child and move. The further you go, the better."

"What do you mean?" Lin Zhengchu's head buzzed.

"This person, you can't afford to provoke him. Neither can I." Old Qiao spoke very quickly. "That record and the bodily fluid samples have already been taken away by those above. The case has been classified as 'consensual sexual intercourse after drinking between boyfriend and girlfriend.' Don't sue anymore; if you sue again, you'll lose your lives."

The dial tone was harsh.

More than ten years of friendship could not compare to a word from someone else.

Lin Zhengchu leaned against the bedroom door, his legs feeling weak.

He was a department chief in a state-owned enterprise, usually fawned upon by others, but in the face of such heaven-reaching power, he realized that what he was proud of was nothing more than a thin piece of paper that would break at a single poke.

...

"Click."

The door of the consultation room was pushed open, pulling Lin Zhengchu out of his memories.

He stood up abruptly, and Lin Wan walked out.

Her face was expressionless, her eyes as hollow as a dry well.

She just stood there blankly, like a marionette whose soul had been extracted.

Lin's mother followed behind, her eyes red and swollen, shaking her head at her husband.

The treatment showed no improvement.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, accompanied by severe depression.

The vibrant girl who was determined to put on a lawyer's robe had already died on that night.

Lin Zhengchu stepped forward and wrapped his rough, large hands around his daughter's thin shoulders.

"Wan'er, it's okay, let's go home." He tried his best to make his voice sound steady.

The family of three walked down the stairs and passed through the outpatient hall.

In the hospital parking lot.

Lin Zhengchu took out his car keys and unlocked the somewhat old Honda sedan.

The three of them got into the car, and Lin Zhengchu turned the key to ignite the engine.

The engine let out a slightly dull roar.

The vehicle drove past the toll barrier and merged into the traffic on the main road of Linjiang City.

And less than fifty meters behind them, a grey Jetta with a dirty license plate slid silently out of a parking space.

In the driver's seat, a man held the steering wheel with one hand and lit a cigarette with the other.

Gazi.

He exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes locked onto the taillights of the Honda in front.

Wang Juan had given him a task: to create an "accident," and not a single living person in the car could be left behind.

Taking money to do things, cleaning up the tails for his master—this was the skill Gazi relied on to survive.

He stepped on the accelerator, and the Jetta bit down hard like a hungry wolf.

At the same time.

Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau, Command Center.

In this circular hall filled with large electronic screens, the atmosphere was tense.

Police Chief Li Jianguo stood before the huge electronic sand table with his hands behind his back.

Since receiving the secret order from the Provincial Public Security Department, he had dispatched the municipal bureau's most elite Criminal Investigation Second Brigade.

"Report, Bureau Chief Li!"

In front of the information brigade's console, a technical officer suddenly raised his voice. "There is a situation! Target locked!"

Police Chief Li Jianguo strode over, resting his hands on the console, his gaze sharp.

"After big data screening, the bank card under Lin Wan's cousin's name just had a record of being swiped at the City Psychiatric Hospital. We have immediately connected to the surrounding Skynet system."

The technical officer typed rapidly on the keyboard, and the image on the main screen switched quickly.

"Target vehicle, a black Honda, license plate Lin A·7T342. It drove out of the hospital parking lot five minutes ago. It is currently traveling south along Jianshe Road."

A green cursor moved slowly on the electronic map.

"Finally, it's surfaced." Police Chief Li Jianguo straightened up.

"Synchronize the movement direction to the Criminal Investigation Second Brigade in real time. Order them not to alert the enemy and to tail them immediately. In any case, the safety of the people in the car must be guaranteed."

"Understood!"

Police Chief Li Jianguo took out his phone and dialed the direct line of Captain Xiao Zhan, the head of the Criminal Investigation Corps of the Provincial Public Security Department.

"Captain Xiao, the people from the Lin family have surfaced." Police Chief Li Jianguo spoke very quickly. "I've already had my people follow them."

On the other end of the line, Captain Xiao Zhan's voice came through, accompanied by the roar of an engine.

"Well done. Our motorcade has just exited the Linjiang expressway. Send me the real-time coordinates."

"Coordinates sent." Police Chief Li Jianguo hung up the phone and turned to look at the big screen.

"Bureau Chief Li, there is an anomaly!" The technical officer pointed to an enlarged surveillance image on the screen.

Behind the black Honda, a grey Jetta was maintaining a distance of two car lengths.

When passing through two traffic light intersections, the Jetta made very unnatural lane-changing maneuvers, biting tightly onto the car in front.

A flash of murderous intent crossed Police Chief Li Jianguo's eyes.

This was an attempt to silence the witnesses and leave no evidence.

"Notify the Criminal Investigation Second Brigade, the situation has changed! A killer is tailing the target vehicle. Authorize them to act as they see fit; they must not let the other party succeed!"

Linjiang City, the intersection of Jianshe Road and Qingnian Road.

It was a cloudy day, and visibility on the road was not high.

Lin Zhengchu gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes fixed on the countdown of the red light in front.

Seven, six, five...

He glanced at his wife in the passenger seat, then looked at his daughter huddled in the corner of the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Life had forced their family into a dead end; he just wanted to take his daughter to another city and live under an assumed name.

He released the brake and moved his foot toward the accelerator.

The green light turned on.

The Honda slowly drove into the center of the intersection.