abcnovels
Chapter 237: Chapter 177: You wouldn't suspect that I did it, would you? (Please subscribe)_3
Chapter 237: Chapter 177: You wouldn't suspect that I did it, would you? (Please subscribe)_3
Lin Chuan recognized it at a glance.
This was the formation of 'mountain streams surrounding, five dragons converging'.
The next photo was of an underground palace.
Inside the palace, the lighting was bright.
The ground was covered with whole slabs of stone, arranged in a bagua pattern, and there were inscriptions in large seal script.
In the middle was a four-legged square cauldron, surrounded by several everlasting lamps.
Lin Chuan flipped through a few more photos, all the contents strangely familiar to him.
It bore some resemblance to the 'Seven Stars Lu King Palace' he had seen in the virtual world.
Hisss!
A slight shock went through Lin Chuan's mind.
"Familiar, isn't it?" He Zhi stared into Lin Chuan's eyes and asked with a smile.
Lin Chuan did not directly answer but instead asked, "What do these photos prove exactly?"
He Zhi laughed, "They prove that the Seven Stars Lu King Palace in your novel was depicted based on a real tomb!"
Lin Chuan did not reply with a 'yes' or 'no'.
When being interrogated by a comrade police officer, especially about such critical questions, one must be exceedingly cautious with their replies.
After some thought, Lin Chuan said, "Is this related to the case?"
"Of course, it is."
He Zhi's voice was deep and resonant, echoing in the interrogation room, exerting an intangible pressure on Lin Chuan.
But Lin Chuan was not a newbie to the interrogation room. He quickly regained his composure and asked, "What's the relation?"
"The National Archaeological Team excavated the Seven Stars Lu King Palace based on your novel, and the details matched one by one," said He Zhi with a smile.
"Then I've made a meritorious deed, haven't I?" Lin Chuan's eyes brightened as he retorted.
This question almost disrupted He Zhi's interrogation rhythm.
Shen Qianqian, who was sitting on the interrogation chair, pursed her lips to prevent a laugh.
Meritorious deed?
She had been brought to the interrogation room and was still thinking about merit?
Writer Lin, you really have some nerve.
He Zhi was momentarily stunned, then quickly continued with the original rhythm, "If this tomb had not been robbed, you would indeed be a meritorious individual, but since this tomb chamber was robbed and precious artifacts were lost, currently, you are the prime suspect!"
"Robbed?" Lin Chuan was also taken aback.
"Comrade Lin Chuan, if the prototype for your novel is your autobiography, then if it's your autobiography, you will face charges of illegal excavation of ancient cultural sites, tomb robbing crimes, which in serious cases can lead to imprisonment for a period of 10 years or more, or even life imprisonment," He Zhi's voice was heavy, reverberating beside Lin Chuan's ears.
This was not an exaggeration.
Tomb robbing is a crime as stipulated in the "Criminal Law," where excavating ancient cultural sites and tombs of historical, artistic, or scientific value can result in a sentence of three to ten years in prison along with a fine.
In particularly serious cases, life imprisonment or the death penalty could be imposed.
For instance.
Repeated tomb robbing, excavating key protected tombs, principal members of a tomb robbing gang, excavating ancient tombs and stealing precious artifacts, causing severe damage to ancient tombs and precious artifacts.
"Officer He, novels are purely fictional and cannot be viewed as autobiographical," Lin Chuan argued.
"Some people's novels are not works of fiction. Your book can now be seen as a criminal record," He Zhi said with a smile.
He had handled many cases and dealt with quite a few novelists.
He had also heard about many seemingly unbelievable cases.
There really were people who turned real experiences into novels.
For example, a certain spy, a member of the Northern Sect of tomb raiders.
Lin Chuan's situation was entirely possible!
However.
Lin Chuan did not fall into He Zhi's rhythm but instead said with a smile, "Officer He, I have never been to the Qilu region. How could I possibly enter the Seven Stars Lu King Palace to rob a tomb?"
"Then how do you explain the details in the novel matching the actual Seven Stars Lu King Palace exactly?" He Zhi asked gravely.
"Officer He, that's not inexplicable. Information technology is very advanced nowadays. I can fully access the layout of the Taiyi Mountain Range in the Qilu region online, and from that infer a possible location of an ancient tomb, describe it to enhance the realism, that's permissible, right?" Lin Chuan explained with composure and ease.
He Zhi frowned, "What about the situation inside the tomb?"
"Didn't you say that tomb raiders had gone in?" Lin Chuan countered.
"What of it?"
"Since someone has gone in, it couldn't possibly remain entirely secret. How can you be sure how many groups of tomb raiders have entered, sold the information in various ways after coming out, and by chance, I, with some knowledge of ancient tombs, found its structure precisely corresponds to the Seven Stars Lu King Palace in the Qilu region. That's reasonable, isn't it?"
Lin Chuan spoke at length and, after finishing, picked up the glass of water on the chair and took a big gulp.
Novels are purely fictional, and any coincidences are unintentional.
This is a universally applicable disclaimer.
Hisss!
He Zhi took a deep breath inwardly, took a deep look at Lin Chuan, and thought, This kid came prepared!
The entire conversation was seamless!
Absolutely flawless!
No wonder he was so calm and confident from the start.
However.
At this moment, He Zhi was also caught in a dilemma.
If no other clues were found, relying solely on a novel that coincided with the case would not be sufficient to convict Lin Chuan.
The novel was only one thread.
Whether they could follow this vine to find the melon behind it was the key to solving the case.
He Zhi thought a little and then turned to another stack of documents, giving them a serious look.
Then.
He turned to Lin Chuan again and asked, "Comrade Lin Chuan, inside the Seven Stars Lu King Palace, we found something that did not match the description in your novel."
"That's normal," Lin Chuan replied with a smile.
"Aren't you curious?" He Zhi raised an eyebrow and inquired.
"If the novel and reality coincide, it's a coincidence. If they are different, isn't that normal?" Lin Chuan looked up at He Zhi.
He Zhi laughed and continued, "Indeed, it's normal. But what's not normal is, we've discovered a case of homicide involving a tomb raider!"
"You don't suspect it was me, do you?" Lin Chuan's mouth curled slightly.