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But Ji Lin’s momentary lapse, that fleeting look of annoyance, confirmed it for Lin Xian. Ji Lin knew Zhou Duan Yun, and there was history between them.

This was a critical breakthrough for Lin Xian, more than he had hoped for from his small test.

With Ji Lin present, Lin Xian nonchalantly pressed the call button on his phone. Silence followed, eventually broken by the operator’s mechanical voice: “The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Lin Xian hung up and turned to Ji Lin with a casual comment, “My classmate’s a big entrepreneur, always busy. If the call doesn’t connect, he’s probably in a basement garage or an elevator.”

“Or maybe he’s abroad,” Ji Lin replied smoothly. “If he’s out of the country and hasn’t enabled roaming, you’ll get that message.”

“I see,” Lin Xian nodded, pretending to be uninformed about such details. It didn’t matter; he had already extracted the information he needed.

Deciding to probe further, Lin Xian asked, “Ji Lin, do you know of Zhou Duan Yun?”

“Yes,” Ji Lin answered nonchalantly. “I saw it in Tang Xin’s chat records on her phone. She and Zhou Duan Yun were planning a gift for you together. Of course, I remember.”

Lin Xian’s lips twitched slightly. Ji Lin was quick on his feet, always sharp. His reply was seamless, logical, and delivered with an unnerving calm. Indeed, Ji Lin was a detective of considerable repute for good reason.

“If he’s abroad, then my classmate probably won’t make it to your birthday party,” Lin Xian remarked with a chuckle. “What a pity.”

“It’s no big deal,” Ji Lin shrugged off the comment. “Do you have any other friends?”

“Just one, really. I have a childhood friend who works at a 4S dealership here in Donghai City. Want to invite him? He might demolish your cake in two bites.”

“Impossible,” Ji Lin scoffed, amusement flickering in his eyes. “I’ve ordered a three-tier cake. Even a hippo couldn’t finish that in two bites.”

Lin Xian remembered his friend Gao Yang from a recent celebration at the MX company, who had devoured lobster like it was his last meal. In some ways, Gao Yang could indeed rival a hippo in appetite.

“Alright,” Lin Xian conceded. “I’ll invite him. He’s easy to persuade with good food.”

After excusing himself, Lin Xian went to the bathroom to wash his hands, gathered his belongings, and headed toward the door. He took one last glance at the festively decorated living room.

The room was bright and cheerful, adorned with colorful decorations. It had the air of a victory celebration, though Lin Xian wasn’t sure for whom the celebration was meant.

“Goodbye, Ji Lin,” he murmured, closing the door with a resounding thud.

Later that night, at ten o’clock, the heavy redwood double doors creaked open and closed with a thud as an elderly hand pushed them shut. The old man, Ji Xin Shui, hung his black felt hat on the coat rack and paused, taken aback by the brightly lit, colorful living room, adorned with twinkling fairy lights.

Stepping out of the car earlier, he had joked to himself about the sun rising in the west, given that Ji Lin had actually turned on the lights at night. But now, he realized the situation was more complex than a simple sunrise in the wrong direction.

“Are you throwing a party?” The elder’s bewildered gaze swept the room. He had watched Ji Lin grow up, but this scene was unfamiliar.

“Happy birthday,” Ji Lin announced, lifting his hand toward a large “Happy Birthday” banner above the TV.

“It’s not just a party,” Ji Lin clarified, a faint smile playing on his lips as he reclined comfortably amid the festive lights. “It’s a birthday celebration.”

Understanding dawned on Ji Xin Shui, and his features softened with a slow nod. “Ah, May 3rd is your birthday.”

A smile of admiration spread across his face as he looked at Ji Lin. “Clever! I was wondering how we could coax Lin Xian out at 00:42 when he’s so cautious. I didn’t expect you’d use a birthday party as bait! It’s the perfect setup to control exactly when he leaves.”

“But Ji Lin… you’re still not smart enough.”

Ji Xin Shui, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, surveyed the room adorned with streamers and festive decorations. There was a hint of triumph in his stance as he remarked, “If you were truly shrewd, you’d have held your party on the night of May 2nd. That would have given you a more plausible reason to keep Lin Xian here until the stroke of midnight, under the guise of celebrating your birthday.”

Ji Lin chuckled lightly, well aware of Ji Xin Shui’s motives. The elder never truly cared about the actual date of his birthday; his focus was solely on using the occasion as a pretext to ensnare Lin Xian, regardless of the real calendar date.

“Pride,” Ji Lin began as he rose to his feet, dusting off his pants. He looked directly at Ji Xin Shui with a half-smile. “Since we’re on the topic, will you be giving me a birthday present?”

“That’s an interesting question,” Ji Xin Shui replied, his gaze still fixed on Ji Lin. “You know, at your age, expecting birthday presents seems a bit juvenile. The real gift would be securing that Genius Club invitation after we successfully take care of Lin Xian at precisely 00:42.”

Ji Lin’s response was subdued as he straightened up, stretching his limbs. “Pride, are you certain that eliminating Lin Xian will secure our entry into the Genius Club? Has someone from the club explicitly promised you that?”

“Not exactly,” Ji Xin Shui admitted, shaking his head slightly. “But I’m confident it’s a decisive step. Eliminating someone who disrupts the historical narrative, like Lin Xian, should sufficiently demonstrate our capabilities to the club.”

Ji Xin Shui’s gaze, dry and piercing, locked onto Ji Lin. “You’ve pieced together a lot by now. There’s no point in secrecy anymore. The individuals we’ve targeted before—Xu Yun, Tang Xin, Pomsmike—they each altered history in ways I couldn’t fully grasp. I was merely executing orders, ensuring we never targeted the wrong person.”

“However, Lin Xian is different. I identified him on my own. This mission is unique because it’s about us proving to the Genius Club that we can independently identify and eliminate a disruptor.”

“The sacrifices of Greed and Gluttony in our operations were regrettable, but necessary,” Ji Xin Shui continued, his voice steady. “They’re expendable, as are all the Seven Deadly Sins. These sins stem from human desires, and as long as humans yearn, they will serve as my pawns.”

Ji Lin walked over to the chessboard set up on a nearby table, his movements deliberate. He picked up a black chess piece and placed it on the board.

“Pride,” he announced, setting down the piece. Then he picked up a green one, “Envy,” followed by a red, “Wrath,” a white, “Sloth,” a yellow, “Greed,” a brown, “Gluttony,” and finally, a purple, “Lust.”

“You’re right; all the Seven Deadly Sins are born from human desires. But you’ve overlooked one crucial detail,” Ji Lin stated, picking up the black piece again and positioning it in front of the others. “Pride, your own actions are also driven by desire, the most dominant of all sins.”

“Perhaps… you are a pawn as well.”

Ji Xin Shui laughed off the suggestion, his head shaking in dismissal. “Ji Lin, you think too much. Once you receive that invitation from the Genius Club, everything will become clear. For now, your focus should be on keeping Lin Xian here until 00:42 on May 3rd.”

“Maintaining his presence from the beginning of your party until 00:42 will be challenging. Without a valid reason, Lin Xian will become suspicious. He’s not easily fooled. How do you plan to ensure he stays?”

Ji Lin, now seated at the chess table, manipulated the yellow and brown pieces thoughtfully before looking back at Ji Xin Shui. “Remember our initial conversation? I asked if you minded if I leaked some information to the disruptor to trap him, and you agreed.”

“Of course,” Ji Xin Shui nodded firmly. “For someone destined to fall, a little extra information is inconsequential. Just make sure Lin Xian meets his end at 00:42.”

“Then rest assured, I have a plan to keep him here,” Ji Lin confirmed with a nod.

“I’m looking forward to the spectacle,” Ji Xin Shui remarked as he walked toward the door, donning his black felt hat. “I’ll find a suitable place nearby to watch.”

Meanwhile, at the estate of Chu Shan He, Lin Xian and Chu Shan He were huddled over a hand-drawn map of the lakeside villa area in the reception room.

Lin Xian pointed to four circles marked in red on the map. “These sewer covers are crucial to our plan.”

Chu Shan He acknowledged with a nod. “Understood.”

He then looked up, his expression serious. “I’ve verified Ji Xin Shui’s entry records; he’s definitely back in the country. However, there’s no sign of Zhou Duan Yun re-entering. His last known departure was from Donghai City to Japan, with no subsequent entries.”

Lin Xian leaned back, his face thoughtful. “While it would be ideal to capture them all together, we have to work with what we’ve got. Securing Ji Lin and Ji Xin Shui will be a significant victory for now. Zhou Duan Yun and others can wait.”

Chu Shan He, leaning back similarly, interjected with a note of concern. “Lin Xian, there’s a legal nuance we must consider. Under our laws, if someone is merely suspicious without concrete evidence, we can only detain them for questioning for up to 24 hours.”

“If we find relevant evidence, the detention can be extended. However, given the complexity of your plan, I’m worried,” Chu Shan He continued, his arms crossed. “Ji Lin is clever, and Ji Xin Shui is both influential and resourceful. When you revealed their involvement, I was astounded. Ji Xin Shui’s global standing in the medical field could complicate things. They might have already safeguarded their tracks.”

“Proving a connection between them and any attempt on your life, like the taxi incident on May 3rd, will be challenging,” he added. “I trust your judgment about their guilt, but trust alone won’t suffice in court. We need solid evidence for a conviction.”

“So,” Chu Shan He concluded, pausing for emphasis, “if we detain them but fail to produce conclusive evidence within 24 hours, and they offer no confession, what then?”