Chapter 8 Eight, confrontation

Ji Zhonghai suddenly realized that he had been wondering how easy the evidence he found was that it was Lingling who put it there.Lingling went on talking to herself: "I saw it two days ago, and I was terrified of that list. In my sleep, I often felt that the soles of my feet had started to burn, and the dark fire was spreading upwards! I didn't tell Brother He, because," she smiled miserably, "I I found out that he knew it earlier than me. He has been forcing a smile these days, and he is accompanying me to the end of my life. Mr. Si, did you do the four dead people yourself? "

Ji Zhonghai quietly moved closer to Siming, fearing that Siming would take some sudden action, for example, committing suicide by biting open a cyanide capsule.Siming looked at him calmly and asked: "Hello, Mr. Ji, do you have the arrest warrant?" Ji Zhonghai immediately replied: "Not yet, but if necessary, Comrade Li from the Beijing Public Security Bureau will do it soon. Before that, I want to stay with you every step of the way. Mr. Si, I don't think you will rush Let’s go with the old friend who came all the way from home.” "Of course not, an old man from my hometown." He murmured and repeated, "Hometown, hometown...Mr. Ji, do you want to know all the truth? I only have one condition, take me back to my hometown and have a public interrogation."

This request puzzled Ji Zhonghai and Xiao Li: a heinous and cold-blooded killer surrendered so quickly?He must know that the information the Public Security Bureau has is probably not enough to issue an arrest warrant, but regardless of Siming's motives, Ji Zhonghai wisely followed his request: "Of course you can. The place where you did the evil is in your hometown, but aren't you afraid that the elders in your hometown will treat you like meat?" Siming smiled lightly and said, "Eat meat? I remember that Yuan Chonghuan, a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, was eaten by Beijing people who didn't know the truth, because it was said that he was in collusion with the Manchu Qing. The scientist Bruno was burned to death at the stake. And the crowd at that time clapped their hands and applauded, because he actually promoted Copernicus' heliocentric theory. I have no shame in my hometown, and I am not afraid! Take me back to my hometown, where I will confess my crimes."

Four days later, the trial of Siming's murder case began in the Xibai County Court.The trial hall of the humble county court was packed, and the family members of the victims sat in the front row. They were all dressed in mourning and looked resentful.Several bailiffs watched them closely, because they had just carried out a preventive body search when they entered the door, and found scissors, daggers and other murder weapons on the bodies of Chen Lian's widow, Ge Xiaobai, and Li Hesong's parents. They really wanted to kill Siming. sleep skin! At Siming's request, many journalists from other places also came, most of them from newspapers and magazines related to science, and the list was proposed by Siming.Such as "Science Grand View Garden", "Science 21st Century", etc., as well as journal reporters from Peking University, University of Science and Technology and other schools.They huddled in the back row, whispering to each other.

Lingling sits in the second row, with her parents on the left and her lover on the right. Her left hand is held by her parents, and her right hand is held tightly by Tian Jianhe.Lingling's face is calm, of course, this kind of calm is fake, these days she has been immersed in the fear of death, even a slight unintentional touch will make her lower her head in horror, to see if the sky fire has burned from her feet !Therefore, her hatred for Siming—the murderer she once regarded as her elder—is self-evident. Two bailiffs led Siming in and walked into the dock. There was a commotion in the courtroom immediately. The atmosphere was very similar to that a group of hounds had found their prey, but the owner hadn't given the order to attack.Sensing the tension in the courtroom, the bailiffs swam around the front row, ordering softly to maintain order.Siming calmly glanced at the auditorium, and saw Lingling and the others at a glance.He did not avoid his eyes, but stared calmly, no matter how much hatred the eyes of Lingling's parents and Tian Jianhe were full of.

The trial began, and Siming listened impatiently as the prosecutor read out the complaint.The indictment is plain and plain, and there is obviously insufficient evidence.Because this trial actually started at the urging of the criminal.Siming didn't hire a lawyer, and when it was the defendant's turn to speak, he mockingly said: "The prosecution's indictment is probably the worst one I have ever heard, but it doesn't matter, I will take the initiative to fill in the loopholes. Because I have long been looking forward to a public occasion to express my point of view." Below There was a commotion. "That's right, the four people who died of spontaneous combustion in Xibai County, and the number of people who are about to die of spontaneous combustion, all have some relationship with me." There was a stronger commotion below. It can be said that the hatred was close to boiling. Mixed with astonishment - astonishment at the frankness and audacity of the accused.The judges listened attentively. "All of them have been tested for genetic diseases by me. They are all patients with genetic diseases. For example, Tong Daxing has two gene mutations on chromosome 4. He may suffer from a neurological dysfunction - Wolfram's syndrome For example, Li Hesong has a mutation on chromosome 9, and he may suffer from progressive muscular degeneration in the future. By the way, this mutation on human chromosome 9 was formed about 2000-2500 years ago. A small piece of rough genetic information is copied onto the chromosome, which is what geneticists call an inversion, thus creating this extremely difficult genetic disease. Liu Yuanqing is cystic fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease , patients often produce thick mucus that blocks the lungs, resulting in incurable chronic infections. The average life expectancy of patients is only 29 years old, but now it is possible to use genetically engineered protein deoxyribonuclease to spray into the respiratory tract. Relief of symptoms. There are too many professional vocabulary and knowledge involved here, so I won’t say more. In a word, these dead and alternate dead are all genetic disease patients, but they have not yet developed the disease. If they get married and have offspring , will pass the disease on to future generations.”

Mr. Geng, the lawyer for the prosecution, interjected angrily: "I don't know if normal people can understand what you said, so let me admit that what you said is true, that is, the deceased were all patients with some kind of genetic disease - so they should be killed." Die, right? This is the logic of a madman, a madman!" Siming said sarcastically: "Please be quiet for a while, and listen to me to enlighten you on scientific and humanistic thoughts, okay? In the 21st century, human beings are strong enough to challenge God. The obvious evidence is the treatment of genetic diseases. By the way, I am an expert in gene therapy, and I am one of the few good ones, but I have gradually discovered that God is still stronger than humans, and he still has a firm grip on humans fate."

Lawyer Geng said impatiently: "Please stop these narrations that have nothing to do with this case. He can go to church to preach these ravings about God." "The defendant, please, return to the subject," said the judge. "Please listen patiently. I have reached the point. It is well known that all living things, including human beings, will inevitably have some genetic errors in the extremely fine reproductions from generation to generation. Will this genetic error gradually Accumulation, more and more? No, it will not, for there is one of the most reliable mechanisms of nature at work, the relentless sieve of death. Any genetic disease that causes the patient to die before the child-bearing age, immediately in the human race. As for those genetic diseases that cause patients to die after childbearing age, although they can be transmitted from generation to generation, their number in the population will also be limited by the death screening."

Ji Zhonghai, who was sitting in the auditorium, immediately thought that the victims who died of spontaneous combustion had one thing in common: they were all unmarried or childless young people. He had noticed this a long time ago, but he failed to discover the underlying reason for this phenomenon at the time.Siming continued: "Death is cruel, especially premature death. No one wants to die for himself or his relatives. Therefore, human beings try their best to decipher the secrets of genetic diseases. Now basically all of them have been deciphered, and we can use various methods to preserve genetic diseases. The life of the patient. Let them live normally, reproduce, age, and grow old. For example, you can treat cystic fibrosis patients with spraying, insulin for diabetes, and bone marrow transplantation for leukemia... Medicine has defeated God. But Human beings have forgotten that this kind of victory breaks the elimination effect of the sieve of death, enabling genetic patients to reproduce, causing genetic diseases to accumulate and condense, and eventually cause even greater disasters! I think God is the most merciful, and he implements those The cruel laws of nature are the last resort. Now, God must be looking anxiously at the recklessness of human beings in the clouds, because human beings are moving forward in a completely wrong way."

Lawyer Geng said: "What you said is not unreasonable, but—what should we do? Kill all the patients?" "What should we do? Only artificially restore God's order. We don't want to be God, but now that science has forced God to abdicate, and the messiah has not come, we have to go beyond the scars of our ancestors-although it is very likely that we is a disqualified God." "Don't you think such a theory is too cruel? It's crazier than the Nazi ideology!" "Cruel? The competition for survival in nature itself is cruel. In fact, we have long been doing the cruelest and most correct thing - family planning. Innocent fetuses are scraped from the womb by doctors and turned into a ball Flesh and blood, losing the right to live, is this killing? Is it cruel? Yes, no one needs to deny this. But at the same time, this is the most correct behavior. Because, without family planning, the population explosion will make Human society collapsed very quickly. Human beings have realized the necessity of family planning, but unfortunately, they did not realize the necessity of the sieve of death. Only a few prophets and foresighters woke up, and they decided to use their actions to save mankind "He turned his attention to Lingling's parents: "I have long wanted to find a relatively closed small town to forcibly restore the original order of nature, and gradually turn the residents of the small town into a powerful group through the elimination of genetic diseases. People, We can no longer deceive ourselves and be short-sighted. The so-called 500-year catastrophe, when will the next catastrophe of mankind come? It is very likely that within 100 years, or even 50 years, human beings' own disease prevention system will completely collapse. At that time, People in small towns who have become a powerful group were rescued. This is exactly what I want to do for my hometown."

Lawyer Geng said angrily: "I ask the court to stop this demagoguery. It's not science, it's not even a religion, it's a cult!" Siming said calmly: "It's not a cult. As for saying it's a religion - that's okay, you can think of it as anti-Scientology, using science as a force to go against science. A few friends and I are all practitioners. Of course, For individuals, death is always unfortunate, so we used our personal money to establish a foundation to give a huge prize of 100,000 yuan to each genetic patient who is about to die, so that they can enjoy themselves before they die." The eerie picture he paints is chilling, and the courtroom falls into an ominous silence.Now Siming's eyes turned to Lingling, calm, without guilt, full of helplessness and bitterness.The judge seemed to lose his judgment on his eloquence. After a long silence, the judge asked: "So you admit that you killed the four dead?" Siming immediately said mockingly: "Ah, no, we are only thought criminals, not criminals. As I said just now, we believe that human beings are on the eve of a catastrophe, and we must immediately use artificial methods to restore God's order, but we have not yet done so." Take any practical steps. May I ask, did you catch evidence of my murder? For example, did you search my purse, living room or laboratory for spontaneous human combustion drugs? No, there is no way, so, sorry , I am afraid that the court will not be able to convict me, let alone my life. My head is very useful and cannot be buried without cost." The reporters in the back row were quick to record. They knew the weight of this trial and believed that this kind of dramatic scene would definitely attract readers.Only Ji Zhonghai's heart sank - he finally understood Siming's tactics.Before that, he was puzzled as to why Siming pleaded guilty so easily, because the evidence held by the court could not help Siming at all.Now he knows that Siming just wants to use the opportunity of the trial to spread his ideas widely, and at the same time he firmly holds the bottom line and refuses to admit to committing murder.In this regard, the court is really helpless. So far, there is no clue about the method of making the human body spontaneously combust - which must be a very high-level scientific method. The judges discussed in low voices helplessly and announced an adjournment.Siming left the court calmly, like a triumphant hero.In the trial court, the hatred-filled family members of the deceased seemed to be haunted by a nightmare, and could only watch him leave helplessly. Despite the strictest secrecy, news of Lingling's death—or, indeed, her imminent death—had spread.In the evening, Xiaobing and Xiaoyu came to Ji's house, hugged Lingling and wept bitterly without saying a word.Lingling's parents also burst into tears, and Tian Jianhe wanted to dissuade them, saying: "Don't do this—" Then choked.He turned his face away, wiping away tears. Only Lingling didn't cry, perhaps her tears had dried up. Under the embrace of her female companion, she stared indifferently into the distance, and said impatiently, "Why are you crying! At least I'm not dead yet." The two girls walked away under Tian Jianhe's persuasion. Lingling's mother was on the verge of collapse. Find a way to save Lingling—but, is there any way?" There is no way.What followed was heart-piercing howls, but Lingling persuaded her mother to think about it, maybe Siming would be fine after being caught.But everyone knows that this is self-anesthesia. Judging from the deaths of the four people, the "Life and Death Talisman" that caused people to spontaneously combust has long been implanted in the human body, and then the attacks occur at regular intervals. Now, who knows whether the Life and Death Talisman has been planted in Lingling's body?Who knows who in the small town will be the next victim? October 12th!Siming's notebook stated that Lingling was originally scheduled to die on October 12, and now it has been over half a month. At night, Tian Jianhe was lying on the sofa, feeling a burning pain in his heart. He loved Lingling and was willing to use all his strength to save Lingling's life. He had enough money—but he just couldn't do anything!Is there anything more hopeless than this?There was a slight sound of footsteps, it was Lingling, she silently pulled Tian Jianhe out of bed, entered her room, hugged him tightly and lay down under the quilt, and pressed her girl's chest tightly against him.The two wept silently in the dark, and Lingling whispered passionately: "Brother He, I want to be with you...but I'm afraid..." She wants to enjoy a man's love before death comes, and she wants to have children for her lover.But she is afraid that the genetic disease in her body will be passed on to the next generation, and she is afraid that disasters will come before the baby is born, causing the fetus to suffer as much as she does. She cannot bear to do this.What genetic disease did she suffer from?Siming kept silent about it, but it must be a fatal disease.Tian Jianhe couldn't comfort him, he sucked up Lingling's tears with the tip of his tongue, and then the two embraced and fell asleep in fear. At night, Lingling's mother quietly came over to check and saw the two sleeping in each other's arms, but she left quietly without saying a word. Professor Siming was detained in a single cell in the County Detention Center. The cell was very small, with only a bed, a table, an old chair, and a washbasin and bedpan in the corner. the prison cell.He can be at peace with this, except for eating and being questioned by the procuratorate every day, he spends the rest of the time in bed meditating with his eyes closed.Even in his apartment in Beijing, he actually lives like an ascetic monk, with no food, no entertainment, no women, and no close friends.He dedicated every moment of his life to the goddess of science, so he was surprised when he (and a group of like-minded fellow scientists) suddenly became enlightened and turned away from science. His life is too busy, so it is his wish to have more than ten days of leisure to let him reflect on his life. As for the consequences of this case, he doesn't care at all. The door opened, and the prison guards led in three people. The one in front was Lingling's mother. Lingling's mother was wearing a lot of makeup today, and she could still vaguely see the demeanor of the school girl back then.Behind are Lingling and Tian Jianhe.Lingling's expression was miserable, but this did not affect her delicacy, she was like a crabapple washed by tears.She held the handsome and elegant Tian Jianhe on her arm, and looked at Siming silently.Siming got off the bed, smiled and said: "How can I ask you to sit down, sit on the bed." The three of them huddled together on the bed silently, and Siming also sat on the chair, seemingly speechless for a moment.Lingling's mother spoke first, and she said bitterly: "Si Ming, I'm here to beg you today. Maybe I hurt you unintentionally when I was young? If it's true, please punish me. I don't have any complaints—— But don't take revenge on my child, because of the face we got along with in the past, I beg you to promise me, okay?" Siming smiled wryly and said: "I'm very sad when you say that. It seems that you have never understood me, Yutong. I have always cherished the relationship we had, and I like Lingling even more. I almost treat her like a daughter, but —God’s will cannot be violated!” Tian Jianhe said angrily: "What is God's will? What did Lingling do wrong? She violated the rules of heaven and must be brutally executed? Mr. Si, if you must have a victim, let me make up the number. You put me Burn to death, let Lingling go." Siming sighed heavily, but didn't reply.Lingling looked at him, full of hatred in her heart—but the hatred seemed to have no place to rest. Obviously, Siming murdered people not because of his evil nature, but because of his belief that he wanted to rectify the world on behalf of God.He must love Lingling very much, but he cannot cancel the judgment against Lingling partisan.Lingling said bitterly: "Mom, Brother He, don't ask him anymore. Uncle Si insists on principles like this, and I almost fall in love with him. Mom, let's go, before death comes, I want to enjoy it as much as possible." The rest of the time. Goodbye, Uncle Si, you must not change your mind out of pity, when is the time to act—please come.” She grabbed her mother and Tian He, slammed the door and left.Ji Zhonghai, who had been listening outside, sent the three of them away, sighed, and hurried to the Family Court of the County Public Security Bureau. Director Lu of the County Public Security Bureau was having dinner when he saw Ji Zhonghai coming in. The director's wife, Chen Guihua, hurriedly asked: "Xiaoji is here, have you eaten yet?"Ji Zhonghai said that he didn't eat, and he planned to come here to grab a meal. Osmanthus brought a pair of chopsticks and said, you eat first, and I will cook something later. Lao Lu took out half a bottle of Jiannanchun from the cabinet, and said it was left over from his old comrades who came to drink the day before yesterday, and we will finish it tonight. Ji Zhonghai said: "Okay, once you get drunk, you will relieve your worries. Lao Lu pours the wine." Come on, said with a smile: "Drink, why are you downcast." Ji Zhonghai drank the wine and said impulsively: "Boss, I know you have been under a lot of pressure. One after another, the murderer has not been caught. Finally, a suspect has been caught. The court trial can no longer continue, and there is a stalemate. Now, such a famous and important figure, neither should be let go, nor should he be shut down. Director, this is all my fault, blame me for making the investigation work into a raw meal." Old Lu snorted: "Nonsense, you don't have the right to sign the arrest warrant, what's your fault, I can only say that our boss was fooled. He deliberately exposed himself, almost urging us to arrest him. You know he Is it why?" "Know." "Then tell me." Osmanthus fried a plate of chives and eggs, brought a bowl of rice, and then sat at the table and listened, Ji Zhong said while eating by the sea: "Si Ming is a madman, he thinks what he does is to save mankind, so I want to use the court trial to publicize my views to the public. Think about it, what can arouse the public's attention more than a confusing mystery. This is the best free publicity. But Siming is also very cunning, he Firmly stick to the two bottom lines: first, do not expose his accomplices; second, do not expose the method of making people spontaneously combust. The second is the most critical, if he cannot find this method, the court will have nothing to do with him, so he has to be acquitted Release. Professor Bai said..." The director asked attentively, "Which Professor Bai?" "Si Ming's doctoral supervisor, I had contact with him when I was in Beijing this time, and I specifically asked him about the method of making the human body spontaneously combustible. Professor Bai said, first of all, theoretically speaking, the human body spontaneously combusts. The means of spontaneous human combustion - if there is such a means - must be related to nanotechnology and genetic technology, a combination of two technologies. But he said that, at least as far as he knows, no one in the scientific and technological circles currently has this means , it is a little ahead of the times and a wonderful invention. It is precisely because of this advancedness that Si Ming has full confidence that he dares to expose himself deliberately to attract the attention of the public. He is showing off his intelligence, playing like a cat. Playing with the law like a mouse—you have no evidence to catch me anyway." Director Lu sighed: "That's my analysis too. I underestimated him too much. However, you don't have to blame yourself too much. After all, you have caught the real culprit. At least you can give Xibai people a peace of mind." Osmanthus interjected: "Old Lu, you are a bureaucrat. What you said was reassurance when you first arrested Siming. Now the wind direction has changed. It has been so long since Siming's method of murder has not been tried. Rumors are flying all over the county. Anyone who went to Siming to see a doctor and had a check-up had life-and-death talismans planted in their bodies; Twenty-three people will spontaneously combust within a year. There is even more evil, saying that Si Ming is the leader of the cult. After he was arrested, the cult planned to take revenge and wanted to light 100 sky lanterns in Xibai County!" The director and Ji Zhonghai could only smile wryly, and Ji Zhonghai said: "Director, this situation can't continue. I have a way of going heresy." "What method? Tell me." "As I said just now, I met Professor Bai, Siming's mentor. He was a very upright and responsible old intellectual. He was very sad and hated Siming. He said that what Si Ming said was good, Human beings should seriously consider the issue of science interfering with natural selection. But he said that one step beyond the truth is a fallacy, and two steps over is madness! Siming has completely turned into a lunatic, a sober lunatic, and a dangerous lunatic. Bai The professor said that he is willing to do anything to subdue the evil spirits and end the catastrophe of Xibo people as soon as possible." "In what way?" Ji Zhonghai smiled wryly and said: "I will keep the following content secret. Anyway, Professor Bai and I initially discussed a way not to follow the right path last night. I want to give it a try. If anything goes wrong, I will be solely responsible for it. I can't implicate you. I'm just here to ask you for personal leave today, for personal affairs. " Lao Lu pondered for a moment, and asked his wife to take out 3,000 yuan in cash: "Here, take it, go and deal with your personal affairs, I know you don't have enough money. As for the specific solution you discussed with Professor Bai, don't hide it from me. After all My shoulders are wider than yours, aren't I?" Ji Zhonghai shook his head: "No, you don't have to worry about the specific method. I will discuss it with Professor Bai. I will go to Beijing tonight." He shouted to the kitchen: "Sister-in-law, I'm leaving. Before I leave, I want to Go see Lingling again." Lingling was not at home, she went out for a walk with Tian Jianhe.Ji Zhongchi gratefully said that thanks to Oda, now he follows her every step of the way and comforts her, so that Lingling can persevere.This Siming who deserves to be hacked into pieces, has he already planted the life and death talisman in Lingling's body?Damn it, Siming has been adamant about this.It seems that he must have already planted it, poor Lingling. Both of them, husband and wife, were in a trance, speechless.In comparison, Ji Zhongchi is still able to hold himself, while Lingling's mother has almost collapsed.Hearing Ji Zhonghai said that he was going to Beijing, Lingling's mother said in a daze: "Going to Beijing? Haven't you been there once?... By the way, you can go and take Lingling with you. She's going to Beijing to be an actress." Ji Zhonghai looked at his brother, his eyes were red, and he quickly turned his face away.The air in the room was very dull, Zhong Hai wanted to comfort them, but couldn't speak.Before this real disaster (spontaneous combustion), any language is powerless.He bid farewell to the two in a dull voice, and went to grandma's hut before leaving. Grandma changed even more, she aged almost 10 years within 20 days, but it wasn't because of Lingling, the family kept keeping Lingling's affairs from her.Two months later, after my grandmother passed away, the family knew that she had a brain tumor, but because the disaster had crushed the whole family, they ignored the old man's condition.Of course, it won't help if you don't ignore it. At grandma's age, it is impossible to operate on her. Grandma's white hair was almost stripped, and she was so thin that only a piece of skin remained.Her eyes are muddy and confused, and she often talks to herself in a daze.When Ji Zhonghai entered the room, she was sitting on the small stool at the door, with her head raised halfway, staring fixedly at the big locust tree outside.She said: "Mr. Ji, are you here?...it was the third watch, and a thunderbolt split open the tree!...baby, it's thanks to me persuading you to eat fast and recite the Buddha's name..." Suddenly, Ji Zhonghai's heart moved, and he remembered that his grandmother had half-confessed in her speech in the past, saying that the old grandfather had done something wrong when he was young, and that's why the family was struck by lightning.Ji Zhonghai thought that if he followed her words to inquire at this moment, he might be able to find out this historical mystery.But seeing the old man's pale face, he couldn't bear to speak. Just let that matter be buried in her heart forever.Ji Zhonghai bid farewell to his grandmother, turned around and left the room.Grandma didn't respond, her mind was probably still wandering decades ago.Ji Zhonghai had already stepped out of the house, when he suddenly heard his grandmother's voice yelling in a mournful low voice: "Retribution, the sky is thundering,... 38 yuan, one life..." Ji Zhonghai couldn't help but shuddered. He finally knew the secret that had been buried in his grandmother's heart for decades. It turned out that his grandfather had killed someone when he was young.He didn't stop, and didn't look back, he walked out of the gate through the half-dried locust tree.