Chapter 1 The Cold Morning on the Island

The morning on the island was cold. Before the sun fully rose, the chill brought by the sea breeze felt like an icy hand, gently caressing all living things on Cochi Kotti Island.

In this moment of dawn, two figures were strolling along the garden廊in the Herbert Manor.

One of them was Feng Bujue, and the other was Zuo Yan, holding Vidocq.

"Is this really okay?" Brother Jue said leisurely, "Leaving the remaining mess to a half-drunk uncle to handle?"

"I've already arranged how to do everything. It's the same with or without him," Zuo Yan replied. "But you..." He raised his eyes to look at Brother Jue. "Is it really okay for you to 'do this'?"

"What's wrong with it?" Feng Bujue retorted in a very frank tone, "Someone like John should have been in prison picking up soap at least ten years ago."

"I think... this is where our three views diverge," Zuo Yan continued.

What he was about to say next represented not only himself, but also Vidocq: "I said before, and I firmly believe it... We detectives have no right to judge anyone. All we can do... is find the truth."

"Then who do you think has the right to judge others?" Feng Bujue asked immediately.

"Of course, the judicial system does," Zuo Yan replied.

"I see... so you firmly believe in 'law'..." Feng Bujue muttered thoughtfully.

"If I don't believe in law, what else can I believe in?" Zuo Yan said.

"You can try religion," Feng Bujue smiled, "Let the 'spokesperson of God' tell you 'who God wants to judge' and 'how God will judge'."

"Heh..." Zuo Yan understood what Brother Jue meant, and he laughed, "Do you think law and religion are equally unreliable?"

Feng Bujue didn't answer his question directly, but paused and said, "I have a friend who is a lawyer. He once said... his favorite movie line is—'If you want justice, go to a brothel; if you want to get screwed, go to court.'"

"A very... interesting point of view." Zuo Yan didn't know how to respond, but Vidocq said this in his heart.

"You say that what a detective 'can do' is to find the truth, then I want to tell you..." Feng Bujue said, "'The truth' is... irrelevant.

"Our judicial system doesn't care about the truth. What the judicial system pursues is relative justice, the deterrent force of the legal system, and efficiency that must be maintained above a certain level.

"Our judges don't care about the truth. They are just performing their duties, supervising and controlling the trial process, and announcing the results.

"Our jury doesn't care about the truth either. They are just fulfilling their civic duty, accepting and choosing the more credible set of arguments instilled in them by one of the lawyers."

"And our lawyers... care even less about the truth; quite the opposite of detectives, what lawyers 'can do' is to set aside the so-called 'truth' and provide the best defense for their clients; the professional ethics of this industry require them to ignore their personal moral standards and emotional inclinations, and become players who can influence the outcome in the game called 'law'. 'Truth' is at most a bargaining chip that can be used for them.

"But... can you say that our system is wrong? Can you say that every link and every person in this system is wrong?

"Obviously not. In fact... they are all right. They are all doing what they should do, the right thing.

"Only in this way can we maintain this 'relatively fair' system and maintain the stability of this society built on the rule of law."

When Feng Bujue said this, he glanced at Zuo Yan, and then inadvertently lowered his gaze to look at Vidocq.

"No..." After a moment, Zuo Yan opened his mouth, "I don't agree with this statement... Although there are many things you said that I can't refute, at least... I can be sure that 'truth' still has meaning.

"In the countless cases in this world, perhaps not every 'truth' can be exchanged for 'justice', but if no one pays attention to and pursues 'truth', then we will not even be able to obtain 'relative justice', and the judicial system that mankind has continuously improved over the years will collapse."

"Hehe... so that's what you think..." Feng Bujue said with a smile, "Interesting..." He paused for another half second, and looked at Vidocq, "Very interesting..."

"No, there's nothing interesting..." Zuo Yan replied on behalf of Vidocq, "But sometimes, 'uninteresting' is good." He raised his head and looked at the distant morning glow, "If our judicial system really collapses and we return to the era where 'a minority of people distribute power and judge everything in the name of God', that would be interesting."

"Heh... I didn't say your point of view was interesting," Feng Bujue said, "I find the fact that 'you hold a different point of view from me'... interesting."

"Oh?" Zuo Yan asked suspiciously, "Isn't that normal? We've only known each other for less than a day. If we found that our three views were highly consistent, that would be rare, right?"

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue smiled inscrutably when he heard this, "Heh... right, that's right."

In fact, his "right" was not entirely agreeing with Zuo Yan's words, but what he was thinking in his heart at this moment was—a writer's own three views, personality, ability, cognition... should be inconsistent with the characters he creates.

The most difficult thing to explain in this world is "people," and for a person, the most difficult thing to objectively and accurately examine and describe... is oneself.

Since he can't even write clearly what he is like, how can the characters he creates be the same as himself?

"Speaking of which..." After a while, Zuo Yan said again, "Even if I turn a blind eye to this case... and treat your deduction as the final conclusion, I can't guarantee that the follow-up will proceed as you wish."

"Hehe... don't worry," Feng Bujue said, "I can guarantee that John and Sam will get the endings they deserve... at least in my heart, the endings that satisfy me."

"Ha?" Zuo Yan squinted his eyes and gave a dry laugh, "The way you put it... sounds a bit like the tone of those medieval religious leaders who 'speak for God'..."

"Then just take it as 'God' is telling you directly," Feng Bujue replied with a smile, then suddenly stopped, "Okay... it's about time, I have to go... goodbye, Zuo Yan, goodbye... Vidocq."

"Time?" This sudden change of topic and farewell made Zuo Yan hesitate for a few seconds before turning his head, "Are you going to the pier to catch a boat?"

However, when he turned his head, the mysterious detective named "Feng Bujue"... had already disappeared.