206: Chapter 206 Dawn is Not Far Away

Many years later, Lin Wan, a nationally renowned criminal defense lawyer who dedicated herself to advocating for the vulnerable, standing fearlessly against power, and upholding justice, wrote the following passage on the first page of her personal memoir.

"That day, in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Linjiang City, I saw Sister Su Qinghan."

"She asked me, 'Do you still remember your dream?'"

"At that moment, my heart, which had been suppressed and numbed by extreme terror, found a reason to beat again."

...

Time pulled back to that bitter winter day.

Lin Wan's dry eyes flickered.

She lifted her head and looked at Su Qinghan, who was standing in front of her.

This woman, only a few years older than her, wore an overcoat and stood against the wind, possessing a natural grace.

Confident, yet not overbearing.

Seeing that her words had taken effect, Su Qinghan did not rush to press for details about the case.

"Lin Wan, let's get acquainted."

"I am Su Qinghan, a staff member of the Linjiang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. I am also a liaison for the Jiangnan Province Supervision Team."

A raspy sound came from Lin Wan's throat.

"What is… the Anti-Gang Office?"

"It is a newly established department in Jiangnan Province," Su Qinghan explained. "It is specifically targeted at organized crime. Especially those who were once arrogant and thought they could cover the sky with one hand."

Hearing this, Lin Wan was substantially swayed.

For some time, her family had been unable to breathe under that all-encompassing net.

Su Qinghan looked at her. "Lin Wan, you are actually not fighting alone."

"You have these righteous police officers behind you."

"A place, an institution—they won't all be good people. There are always some demons and monsters hiding in the dark, lining their own pockets."

Su Qinghan pointed to the heavily armed SWAT officers outside the factory.

"Sunlight will always shine into every corner. They traveled across cities to get here just to bring you into this sunlight."

Lin Wan looked at those unfamiliar figures, her lips quivering.

After struggling for a long time, she finally asked the question that had tortured her for countless days and nights.

"Sister Qinghan, tell me, is justice that arrives late still justice?"

Su Qinghan did not answer immediately.

Regarding this topic, there were many standard answers. Based on the theoretical knowledge she had learned at Renmin University, combined with the promotional materials from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, she could have recited by rote and spoken for three or four hours without repeating herself about the dialectical relationship between procedural justice and substantive justice.

But facing this girl who had been ravaged and whose faith had collapsed, those theoretical insights seemed far too pale and powerless.

"The law is not a god."

"It will not descend from the heavens like a hero the moment you are harmed."

"Justice has a cost. Its cost is the pain, the tears, and even the half-life of countless people like you who push it forward."

"Justice that arrives late is, of course, not as good as timely justice. But you cannot deny that it is justice just because it is late."

"If you give up today, if you remain silent in this factory, then justice will never come."

Lin Wan lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes tightly.

"You have studied law. You know what the meaning of the law is, right? It is not to satisfy everyone, but to draw a red line for this society."

Su Qinghan's voice deepened. "Whoever crosses this line must pay the price."

"Lei Zhenzi crossed that line, and he is now in the detention center. His father is with the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission; he used to be able to cover the sky with one hand in Jingjiang City. But now, we have forcibly torn open a corner of that sky."

Su Qinghan raised her hand and pointed at the lead-gray sky outside the window.

"Think about it. On the morning streets, there are old men pushing carts selling breakfast, elementary school students carrying backpacks, and office workers rushing to clock in for their morning shifts. The reason they can walk securely on the street and live like human beings is because there is an invisible bottom line protecting them."

"If Lei Zhenzi could get away scot-free today, then tomorrow, there would be a second, a third Lei Zhenzi, bullying even more people without restraint."

"Lin Wan. What we need to do now is not to let you fight this battle alone. It is for us to work together, using your case to cast that bottom line. Let those who come after clearly see that this line cannot be touched; if you touch it, you will die."

In Lin Wan's pupils, the tears that had accumulated for so long finally burst forth.

"Justice that arrives late is still justice. Because its arrival will make the next abuser hesitate, and it will make the next victim brave."

Su Qinghan stepped forward and held Lin Wan's cold hands.

"Perhaps Lei Zhenzi carries far more than just your case. Therefore, we need you to bravely stand up and speak out, to speak out against the injustices of this world."

"Only with the power of an example like you can evil finally be punished. You might want to say that there are such and such injustices in this world, but please, walk forward with strength."

Seeing the ash-gray look in Lin Wan's eyes gradually fade, Su Qinghan decided to add the final spark.

She laid out the important nodes of her own personal experiences over this period in front of this girl.

From being used as a bargaining chip by her own father, to nearly being demoted to the Women's Federation to sit on the bench; from secretly investigating the mayor's secretary, to encountering a hit-and-run assassination attempt by desperate criminals on the streets of Linjiang City in the middle of the night.

Life and death on the line, father and daughter turning against each other.

Lin Wan listened to these things, tears hanging on her face.

"Sister, you have actually carried so many heavy things on your shoulders too."

"That is why I said I firmly believe that there is still justice in this world," Su Qinghan reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Because there must always be someone to uphold it."

Speaking of this, the face of Zhu Wenhao floated into Su Qinghan's mind.

She leaned close to Lin Wan's ear and lowered her voice.

"You don't know."

Su Qinghan shared some private talk with her.

"That day, I was thinking of preparing a decent gift for that person. I picked for a long time and bought a rather expensive tie. As a result, on the way there, I encountered that car accident."

"The car flipped, and I almost lost my life. That tie was also taken away by the fire."

Lin Wan was stunned for a moment, then sniffled.

Su Qinghan continued to complain: "The funny thing is, that guy didn't even say a word of comfort or concern afterward. All he could think about was scheming how to use this car accident to destroy his opponent."

Hearing such a stark contrast in complaints, Lin Wan actually broke into laughter through her tears.

This laugh washed away most of the gloom that had been entrenched in her heart.

For this sister from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection in front of her, she had nothing left but heartfelt admiration.

Seeing that her mental state had greatly improved, Su Qinghan took half a step back.

"Let's go. There are people waiting outside. Don't let the people who love you worry."

The two walked side by side out of the corner of the factory.

Outside, Lin Zhengchu and his wife were looking around anxiously.

Lin Wan walked up to her parents, and the family hugged together.

"Dad, Mom. I've made you suffer during this time." Lin Wan sobbed uncontrollably.

The elderly couple hurriedly comforted their daughter, and the three of them wept loudly.

After venting her emotions, Lin Wan walked up to Captain Xiao Zhan with her back straight.

"Captain Xiao, please arrange for someone to take my statement."

"I want to identify them. Identify Lei Zhenzi and everyone who helped him set the trap that night. We have delayed too long; let's go."

Captain Xiao Zhan looked at the reborn girl in front of him, his heart deeply shaken.

A deadlock that experts in psychology were helpless to resolve had been casually resolved by a staff member of the Linjiang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Lin Wan turned around and faced Su Qinghan.

Without extra words, she took a step back and bowed a serious ninety-degree bow.

"Sister, I have etched everything you said today into my bones."

Lin Wan straightened up. "I have saved your private number. When this case is closed, I will inevitably have to bother you often in the future."

Su Qinghan nodded.

"I believe you will be very brave. We must both fight hard."

Captain Xiao Zhan did not delay any further.

With a wave of his hand, the SWAT team members quickly closed their formation and escorted the three members of the Lin family to the vehicle.

The convoy started, drove away from this abandoned industrial area, and headed straight for the Provincial Public Security Department's Safe House No. 0.

The next day, Heishi Town, Deputy Town Party Secretary's office.

Zhu Wenhao's private cell phone emitted a monotonous ring.

He picked it up.

"Zhu Wenhao." Director Qi Shan's voice on the other end of the phone revealed a suppressed excitement. "This girl, Su Qinghan, she did it!"

"Was Lin Wan's statement recorded smoothly?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"Surprisingly smooth. Clear logic, extremely accurate memory points."

"Not only did she identify Lei Zhenzi, but she also provided information on who came forward to confiscate the physical evidence at the Jingjiang High-Tech Zone Branch that year, and who drove her parents out of the police reception hall. Now, the lid on the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau has been completely blown off."

Zhu Wenhao's hand holding the pen paused.

"Uncle Qi." Zhu Wenhao was not carried away by this initial victory. "The real battle has just begun. The road is long and difficult."

"Secretary Lei Zhen has been deeply cultivating his position as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission for many years. The Jingjiang Municipal Procuratorate and the Municipal Public Security Bureau are full of his protégés and subordinates. To protect themselves, they will inevitably use every means to counterattack, and may even continue to trip us up during the stage of transferring the case to the Procuratorate for arrest approval."

"I am aware of that." Director Qi Shan's voice turned cold. "I have already arranged for personnel from the Provincial Public Security Department's Legal Office to cross-verify Lin Wan's statement. As for that Lei Dong, now that we have Lin Wan's accusation in hand, I want to see how long he can keep his mouth shut. Tonight, even if we have to wear out the interrogation chair, we must make him spill everything."

"Make the chain of evidence an ironclad case," Zhu Wenhao instructed.

Hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao stood up from his leather chair and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window with his hands behind his back.

Night had fallen over Heishi Town. The distant mountains were left with only a blurred outline, and on the main street of the town, a few streetlights in disrepair emitted a dim yellow halo.

Zhu Wenhao stared at the endless darkness outside the window.

The night should have reached its deepest point.

Dawn would not be far away.