Chapter 242 Interview
Han Meng stared at the unfamiliar young face, his brows frowning more and more.
"Reporter..." Han Meng looked away and said calmly, "I don't remember that I agreed to be interviewed. Moreover, this is a dark prison where felons in Aurora City are held. How did you get in?"
Chen Ling unhurriedly moved out a chair and sat down, took out a pen from her arms,
"I have absolute investigative authority. Although it is not as powerful as your absolute law enforcement authority, it is still very useful sometimes."
Han Meng was stunned for a moment, "Do we know each other?"
"As I said just now, this is our first meeting." Chen Ling glanced at him and said, "We only have five minutes. If you still want to clear yourself of the accusation, please cooperate with my interview and answer the questions truthfully."
"How do you know I was framed?" Han Meng asked.
Chen Ling raised her eyebrows and chuckled,
“Journalist’s intuition?”
"..."
"Then, let's start with the first accusation." The tip of Chen Ling's pen touched the yellowed page, and the black ink stains gradually smudged. "During your tenure as the chief law enforcement officer of the third district, did any of the charges appear? Collecting protection fees and conducting illegal trade in organs, drugs, etc.?”
"No." Han Meng rejected without hesitation.
"Okay, next question..."
Han Meng was stunned for a moment, "Wait a minute, that's the end of the first accusation? Don't you need more details to prove it?"
"Before I came here, I had already interviewed the survivors in Area 3, so I already understood the basic situation."
When Han Meng heard this, a hint of complexity flashed across his expression, and he nodded slightly.
"The second accusation is, during your tenure in District Three, did you have any contact with members of the Twilight Club?" Chen Ling narrowed her eyes slightly.
Han Meng was silent for a long time, "...yes."
"when?"
"Before the Aurora disappeared, the three districts experienced an intersection of the gray world. After I entered the gray world after chasing Calamity, I met a... member of the Twilight Club." Han Meng paused for a moment, "He invited me to join the Twilight Club, but I Refused."
"Is that Twilight Club member the one who drove the train into Aurora City that day?"
"……yes."
"Is this the only time you've met?"
"..." Han Meng slowly closed his eyes, "Not only that, he was once my subordinate and one of the three law enforcement officers in District 3... You should have seen his name in the newspaper."
"Heretic Chen Ling."
Hearing these four words, Han Meng opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.
"What do you think his purpose is for infiltrating the law enforcement system?"
"I don't know." Han Meng shook his head, "During his tenure in District 3, he never did anything detrimental to District 3, and even saved my life and that of another law enforcement officer Xi Renjie from disaster. Saved the entire third district...except..."
"Except what?"
"Except, he seems to have a bad reputation among the residents of District Three." Han Meng said with a strange expression, "They say he is a demon who likes to eat people's hearts."
"Love to eat people's hearts? This is in line with the [6 of Hearts] card."
"But he has never really eaten human hearts. They are all pig and chicken hearts... Because he felt that eating these would make him angry, I even gave him some jasmine tea."
"..."
"From what you mean, this [6 of Hearts] seems to be normal." Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone suddenly became serious, "Then can I understand that you are deliberately defending him?"
As soon as these words came out, the temperature in the cell suddenly dropped, and the atmosphere almost solidified.
Han Meng's expression did not change at all and he spoke calmly, "I'm just stating the facts."
"There are no good people in the Dusk Society. This is the unified view of many circles. You are the only one who has been defending [6 of Hearts]. Isn't this a deliberate excuse and whitewash?" Chen Ling's eyes were as sharp as a sword, as if To completely pierce Han Meng.
Han Meng looked at him with a stern face and said nothing.
After a while, Chen Ling's expression finally relaxed a little,
"Mr. Han Meng, you should be glad that it is me who is here to interview you today... Before I came, I had already had a good impression of you through the statements of the survivors in District Three.
But if it were any other reporter, hearing what you just said, they would undoubtedly associate you with the thugs from the Twilight Society... By then, even if what you said is the truth, it will only associate you with the truth. Pushed into the abyss...
In this world, honesty is not a good character. If someone asks you about it in court, it would be in your best interest to cut ties with the Twilight Club members.
You should know what I mean. "
This passage is one of the important reasons why Chen Ling came to interview Han Meng... If he wants to help Han Meng make a comeback, he must first draw a clear line with himself. Otherwise, once public opinion ferments, even if he is cleared of his crimes, he will still Will be criticized and questioned by the public.
"Thank you for your concern." Han Meng replied calmly.
"The next charge..."
Chen Ling then asked two or three more questions, all about the prosecutor's charges against him that day, but before he could finish recording, a creaking sound came from behind him.
The cell was opened by law enforcement officers wearing black trench coats. They pointed at the time and spoke coldly:
"The interview time is over...Reporter Lin, please?"
Seeing this, Chen Ling could only put away her notebook, slowly stood up from the chair, turned around and walked out.
"Mr. Lin Yan." Han Meng suddenly spoke.
Chen Ling paused and looked back in the light of the purple torch.
"The court date is coming soon." Han Meng stared at him, "Will you have time to finish writing and publishing your article?"
Chen Ling raised her fingertips to push up her half-rimmed glasses and replied calmly:
"There's enough time."
After saying that, he turned around and disappeared at the end of the corridor...
In the dim cell, Han Meng looked at the gradually leaving figure, his eyes narrowed slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Under the leadership of many law enforcement officers, Chen Ling passed the security inspection and finally escaped from the prison and stood in the sunshine again.
The cold wind in Aurora City blew through the hem of his brown coat. Chen Ling stood alone on the street, taking off his half-rimmed glasses and putting them away... Then he took out a stack of news manuscripts from his arms and glanced at them casually. Then he walked straight to the newspaper office.
There are only a few hours left before Han Meng's final verdict is heard in court, but he can be sure that everything will be done in time...
Because before conducting this interview,
The article has already been written.