Chapter 6 The Invisible Evidence
The morning sun pierced through the floor to ceiling windows of the Presidential Suite, illuminating dust motes dancing in the luxurious air.
Ye Chen stood before a full length mirror, adjusting the tie of his new charcoal grey suit. The reflection stared back at a stranger. The desperate muddy beggar from last night was gone. In his place stood a man who looked sharp, cold, and ready for war.
He checked his internal system interface.
[Host: Ye Chen]
[Wealth: 7,090,000 Yuan]
[Reality Modification Cards (Trial): 1 remaining]
[Bound Targets: Lin Wan'er (Affection: 25/100)]
Only one card left. He had to make it count.
"Are you ready?"
Lin Wan'er emerged from her room. She was wearing a sharp black business suit that the hotel had procured. Her hair was pulled back in a severe professional bun. She looked like the icy CEO she was rumored to be, but Ye Chen noticed the slight tremor in her hands holding her briefcase.
"I made the call," she said, her voice tight. "Section Chief Wang agreed to see us at 9:00 AM, only because I threatened to bring a reporter. He sounded furious."
Ye Chen smirked. "Good. Angry people make mistakes. Let us go."
Forty five minutes later, they walked into the austere gray government building housing the Customs and Excise Department. The air inside was stale and bureaucratic.
They were ushered into a sterile meeting room. Sitting behind a large metal desk was Section Chief Wang, a portly man with a receding hairline and eyes that darted around nervously like trapped rats.
On the desk sat a thick file labeled "Lin's Cosmetics Impounded Shipment."
"Miss Lin," Wang began loudly, trying to seize control of the conversation immediately. "I do not appreciate threats. Your shipment failed inspection. The lab reports clearly state the contents are synthetic garbage, and the origin documents are forged. The penalty stands. Two million yuan, or we destroy it tomorrow."
He tossed a stack of papers toward her. "Read it and weep. It is official."
Lin Wan'er picked up the papers, her face pale. They looked incredibly authentic. Official seals, lab signatures. If she did not know better, she would believe them herself.
"Chief Wang, this is a setup," she argued, her voice shaking slightly. "Our supplier is certified. These tests must be wrong. We demand an independent re test."
Wang sneered. "A re test takes weeks. You do not have weeks. Pay the fine or lose the cargo. Those are the rules."
He leaned back, crossing his arms smugly. He had already received half his bribe from Zhang Lei of Jinghua Cosmetics. As long as he stalled until Friday, the rest of the money was his.
Suddenly, Ye Chen, who had been silently standing by the window, walked over to the desk.
"Who are you? Her bodyguard?" Wang barked. "Sit down."
Ye Chen ignored him. He picked up the official lab report that Wang had tossed at Lin Wan'er.
He activated the Eyes of Truth.
[Target: Falsified Customs Lab Report]
[Authenticity: 0 percent. Fake.]
[Creation Details: Created yesterday at 4:30 PM on a private printer in Zhang Lei's office. The official seals are high quality digital forgeries.]
[Hidden Flaw: The metadata of the original digital file, including the author Jinghua Admin, is embedded in the microscopic printer dot pattern on the paper used by Zhang Lei's specific printer model.]
Ye Chen smiled coldly. It was almost too easy. They were arrogant and sloppy.
"Section Chief Wang," Ye Chen said calmly, holding up the paper. "You know, forgery of government documents carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. Accepting bribes to facilitate that forgery adds another five."
Wang's face turned blotchy red. "How dare you accuse me. Security. Get this clown out of here."
"These are not official reports," Ye Chen continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "These were printed in Zhang Lei's office yesterday afternoon."
Wang froze. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. How could this random guy know that.
"Proof. Show me proof or I will have you arrested for slander." Wang shrieked, his voice cracking.
"You want proof. It is right here."
Ye Chen held the paper flat on the desk with one hand.
System, he commanded mentally. Use the final Reality Modification Card. Target this document. Turn the hidden printer metadata into visible undeniable ink on the page.
[DING. Confirmed. Consuming one Reality Modification Card (Trial Version).]
[Transformation in progress...]
A subtle ripple of energy, invisible to the naked eye, passed from Ye Chen's fingertips into the paper.
"Watch closely, Chief Wang," Ye Chen said.
Wang stared at the paper, confused.
Suddenly, right before their eyes, the paper began to change. Like invisible ink reacting to heat, dark red lines started to crawl across the white margins of the official report.
Lin Wan'er gasped. Wang's eyes bulged out of his skull.
The red lines formed text. Clear, indelible, printed text that overlaid the fake report seals.
[SOURCE FILE: Jinghua Cosmetics Sabotage Plan V4.docx]
[AUTHOR: Zhang Lei]
[PRINT TIME: Nov 14, 16:30:22]
[PRINTER ID: JL X500 Serial number 99482]
The room was deathly silent. The evidence had literally materialized out of thin air onto the paper Wang himself had provided.
Wang stared at the red text, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He touched the ink. It was dry. It was real.
"This... this is impossible magic tricks..." Wang stammered, terrified.
Ye Chen leaned over the desk, getting right in Wang's face.
"It is not magic, Chief Wang. It is the truth manifesting itself. Now, I am going to take this paper to the Anti Corruption Bureau down the street. Unless..."
Wang collapsed into his chair, defeated. "Wait. Do not. What... what do you want."
"Release the shipment immediately," Ye Chen ordered. "Waive all fees. And provide us with an official statement that the previous flag was a clerical error."
Wang nodded frantically, hammering on his keyboard with shaking hands. "Done. It is done. The release order is in the system now. You can pick up the cargo at the docks in an hour."
"Smart choice," Ye Chen said. He folded the incriminating paper and put it in his inside pocket. "I will keep this for insurance. If you ever try anything against Lin's Cosmetics again, this goes public."
Ye Chen turned to a stunned Lin Wan'er and offered her his arm. "Shall we go, CEO Lin. We have a company to save."
They walked out of the office, leaving a shivering Section Chief Wang behind.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, Lin Wan'er grabbed Ye Chen's arm, her eyes wide with shock and admiration.
"Ye Chen. How did you do that. The red ink... it just appeared. Who are you."
Ye Chen smiled mysteriously. "Trade secret. Let us just say Zhang Lei is not as smart as he thinks he is."
[DING.]
[Target: Lin Wan'er. Affection Score increased with a critical hit: plus fifteen.]
[Current Affection: 40 over 100 (Admiration and budding attraction)]
[DING. Congratulations Host. Target Affection has breached the thirty point threshold.]
[Distributing First Tier Binding Reward...]