It was around two in the morning, and I was drowsy. The interrogation room door opened, and two police officers entered.
This was their usual tactic, preferring to apply pressure during times when people were mentally vulnerable.
"Tang Nan, regarding the artifact from Pit No. 2, item 35, the bronze dagger found in your home, do you have anything further to confess?"
"Officers, I've said it many times already, I have no idea why that bronze dagger was in my house."
"Did it fly there by itself?"
"You are the police, investigate it yourselves. I said I'm being framed."
"By whom?"
"I don't know."
"Comrade Tang Nan, watch your tone," shouted the younger of the two officers.
"What's wrong with my tone?"
Nationwide, police partnerships were consistently an older officer mentoring a younger one. It seemed to be an old tradition in the force. No matter where I was, there was always a hot-tempered young officer and a slightly older, more understanding one who was willing to talk.
"Tang Nan, we're asking you for your own good. Dealing in national treasures is a capital offense. If you confess, you won't die, and being so young, you might even have a chance for early release. Besides, you're not alone. If your accomplice confesses and you don't, your crime will be unforgivable."
I scoffed at the older officer's reasoning: "The 'Prisoner's Dilemma' is a theory developed in 1950 by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher of the RAND Corporation. Later, consultant Albert Tucker illustrated it using the prisoner scenario and named it the 'Prisoner's Dilemma.' Two individuals who have conspired to commit a crime are imprisoned and unable to communicate with each other. If neither betrays the other, they will both serve one year in prison due to insufficient evidence. If one betrays the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer will be immediately released for cooperating, while the silent one will be imprisoned for ten years. If they both betray each other, they will both be sentenced to eight years due to conclusive evidence. Since the prisoners cannot trust each other, they tend to betray each other rather than remain silent, ultimately leading to a game model where the Nash equilibrium falls on the non-cooperative point."
Hearing me finish, the older officer's expression changed: "Tang Nan, since you know this, you should understand that human nature cannot be defied."
"Perhaps your tactic works on most people, but it doesn't apply to us. Firstly, my wife and I have absolute trust in each other. Even if we had committed a crime, we would never betray each other. Of course, this method isn't suitable for all situations. Let's put it this way, as police officers, you might be caught by criminals, but criminals have no moral bottom line. At that point, blind trust is useless and will only cause you irreparable physical and mental harm. You cannot be a blind optimist then. A low-road strategy is very useful. You must betray your accomplice. But the word 'betrayal' depends on how you interpret it. A purely selfish strategy is always low-road. Betrayal also needs to be done correctly, because in game theory, all high-scoring strategies come from friendliness."
The young officer wanted to lose his temper but didn't know what to roar about. The older officer's brow furrowed, completely bewildered by my theories. Put simply, his game theory came from job training and existed mostly in fixed environments. They understood, yet didn't understand, the meaning of betrayal. They thought betrayal could bring criminals greater benefits. But sometimes, team quality can transcend human nature. Maintaining rationality, the team side always gains greater benefits.
In terms of psychological games, I was a level above these officers. Even though they were applying mental pressure on me at two in the morning, my rationality remained clearer than theirs.
I could do this not because my intelligence was higher or my abilities were stronger. It was mainly because I had experienced more, and in different environments, I had encountered these game theories. I had faced more desperate situations, and relative to those environments, the impending death penalty in the police station felt like a comfortable situation.
Just then, a staff member entered and whispered a few words to the older officer. The officer frowned and began to pack up: "Tang Nan, this interrogation ends here for now. Oh, by the way, your lawyer has arrived."
"Lawyer?"
This was unexpected, as I hadn't hired a lawyer.
Seeing the lawyer, I was truly surprised. This person, who claimed to be my lawyer, was none other than Ye Qingcheng.
She was truly a schemer worthy of the Stanislavski system, able to transform into various identities. Right now, Ye Qingcheng was a very professional lawyer.
"Why are you here?"
"Lu Yao called me before he betrayed you, and I chartered a plane from Beijing.
"And then you disguised yourself as a lawyer."
"It makes meeting with you more convenient. I didn't disguise myself as a lawyer; I already have a lawyer's license. What do we do next?"
I thought for a moment: "Wait for the appraisal results."
"Are the appraisal results that important?"
"When the experts can't distinguish between the real and the fake, they will realize my story is true. That way, I can perfectly return the general's head."
Ye Qingcheng knew some of what had happened, but not much. Moreover, in antique theft cases, it was almost unheard of for replicas and genuine antiques to be so indistinguishable that even experts couldn't tell the difference.
"They really can't tell."
"Lin Han evaluated that dagger and said the forger must have mastered ancient craftsmanship we don't know about. Therefore, with our current level of expertise, we simply can't distinguish which is the real bronze dagger and which is the fake."
"Can't you tell from the material either?"
"The forger is a staff member of the archaeological team; it wouldn't be difficult for him to obtain bronze of the same material."
"There are such people? Where is he?"
Hearing Ye Qingcheng's question, I felt a pang of sadness. I had encountered official counterfeiting before. Back in Mount Tai, I had seen very professional replicas of jade gui. The craftsmanship was exquisite, but it wasn't to the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing. From the current situation, that person named Xun Chong was astonishing. He must have fully understood the thinking and knowledge of the ancients.
However, this knowledge had not been passed down. Because of Zhao Shicheng's selfish actions, Xun Chong, a top-tier forger, was innocently killed. Perhaps the now-deranged Zhao Shicheng never realized that he had destroyed a national treasure in the field of craftsmanship.
"He is dead."
Ye Qingcheng rarely showed emotion, and even when she did, it wasn't always genuine. But this time, I saw a different emotion in her eyes, a sense of injustice.
"Let's not talk about him. In your plan, are there any external factors?"
"If there were an external party who could prove that Lin Han and I are telling the truth, this plan would go much smoother."
"Is there such a person?"
"Logically, there should be one, but I've met him. That person has mental issues, making it difficult for him to prove the story's authenticity."
"You mean Zhao Shicheng from the story."
When Lu Yao called to inform Ye Qingcheng, he had already roughly explained the story. Ye Qingcheng easily guessed that I was referring to Zhao Shicheng.
"Regarding Zhao Shicheng, I feel something is not right."
"What is not right?"
I valued Ye Qingcheng's opinion highly. Her acting was unique; she didn't imitate someone but became them. For example, Ye Qingcheng's lawyer's license was obtained because she had once played a lawyer. In that environment, she needed a lawyer's setting and mindset, so Ye Qingcheng passed the bar exam, which many find difficult.
"Just like personality traits, every individual's nervous system is unique."
"Teacher Ye, can we talk about something I understand?"
"Using Zhao Shicheng as an example, a criminal who can kill to cover up his crimes would not abandon his criminal activities because of the death of a relative or friend. Analyzing the content of that story, Zhao Shicheng's nervous system had different sensitivities and excitability, which led to his criminal behavior. To put it simply, his greed caused him to commit crimes. Zhao Shicheng's death would only satisfy his nervous system's needs, so he would only become greedier, not mentally ill due to guilt."
"If that's the case, is there more to Zhao Shicheng's story?"
"Definitely."
"Teacher Ye, please investigate it."
"What about your side?"
"My side is temporarily fine. When the experts can't deal with those two bronze daggers, they will start with my story. That will be my time to turn things around."
Ye Qingcheng nodded: "Then I'll go look into Zhao Shicheng. On the other hand, I will use my lawyer's identity to help you. Is there anything you need to tell Lin Han?"
"There's nothing for Lin Han. Please work on Lin's mother. By the way, can you see Lu Yao?"
"No, we are not on the same side."
"Then help me find someone."
"Who?"
"Huang Aiguo!"