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Chu Yuening rose to her feet and turned to gaze at the figure by the windowsill, asking with a smile, "Detective Zhou, has Ding Yanli's nail been sent to the forensic department?"

Zhou Fengxu rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his wristwatch. "In ten minutes, they'll send over the specific details of the poison."

The tide had turned irreversibly.

Ding Yanli's face was drained of color as she faced the overwhelming evidence against her.

She finally confessed.

The green spider plant by the corridor swayed gently in the breeze, its leaves rustling softly.

Unnoticed by all.

Behind the green plant, the door to an office was stealthily cracked open.

Chapter 93

The atmosphere within the office was peculiar.

Two police officers sat in front and behind, one after the other.

The male superintendent, around fifty years old, wore a police cap and was seated by the door. Shi Yubing, on the other hand, donned a black suit with an ID card pinned to his chest.

They exchanged glances.

"Was there fortune-telling going on outside just now?"

After a long moment, Superintendent Leung tapped his teacup gently onto the table, set it down, and then clasped his hands together with a smile. "This is the first time I've seen someone from the Serious Crime Unit relying on such methods for an interrogation."

Shi Yubing couldn't tell if the superintendent was angry or not.

The Serious Crime Unit typically dealt with heinous crimes, and the suspects were often cunning and highly resistant to investigation tactics. To break down the criminals' psychological defenses, interrogators would specialize in criminal psychology and attack their minds from various angles.

Under normal circumstances, interrogating a suspect could take up to two hours, and for more cunning criminals, it might stretch to days or even months.

Yet...

That young lady at the entrance had taken less than half an hour? Did the suspect, Ding Yanli, break down emotionally?

"The person just now wasn't a police officer; she's a friend of Detective Zhou's. She was only trying to help out, genuinely well-intentioned," Shi Yubing explained, concerned that Chief Inspector Leung might blame the young girl, especially in a police station where only science and evidence were trusted to apprehend criminals – fortune-telling was considered an illegitimate practice.

Chief Inspector Leung was taken aback. Seeing Shi Yubing hastily defending the young lady, he burst into laughter, pointing at his colleague. "Yubing, Yubing, when have I ever blamed anyone? Do you really think so poorly of me?"

"However, I must admit, I am indeed curious about this fortune-telling," he said with a meaningful tone. "On the surface, the reading the young lady gave did seem to break the criminal's psychological barrier. Was she the one who made the initial report? We have no way of knowing if she had investigated the criminal before."

There was more to his thoughts, but he chose not to voice them out loud.

Shi Yubing, however, understood the underlying message.

Both of them had risen through the ranks from the Serious Crime Unit, facing countless challenges and dangers along the way. Chief Inspector Leung had seen all sorts of cases and knew well the depths of human wickedness.

His implication was this:

The young lady must have thoroughly researched Ding Yanli's background and, driven by some old grudge, deliberately targeted her psychological defenses, leading to her collapse.

"Yubing, the other units in the Serious Crime Group have already requested specialized technical support. I noticed that your Team D hasn't submitted a request yet. Do you have any plans?"

Shi Yubing had previously consulted Team D about this matter, and they had strongly advocated for hiring Ning Ning. Shi Boren even joked that with Ning Ning on board, no criminal involved in a murder case could escape detection; they could simply catch the culprit by counting on their fingers.

This put Shi Yubing in a dilemma.

The police force was a place grounded in science, evidence, and law. She had no qualms about Team D's request for a forensic psychologist. However, the issue of fortune-telling...

The higher-ups would never approve it.

When it became clear that they couldn't bring Chu Yuening on board, Team D lost interest in acquiring specialized technical support altogether.

Shi Boren was particularly indifferent: "Let's just forget about it then. What's the point of inviting her? To slow us down or take up space in the toilet?"

Shi Yubing decided to keep the matter under wraps.

"Chief Leung, I believe Team D's application should cater to their investigative needs, leveraging each other's strengths. Inviting someone blindly wouldn't be much help. I suggest we wait until they've thought it through before making a decision."

"Sure, we can wait as long as needed. But...," Chief Leung paused, noticing Shi Yubing's hesitation. He was well aware of his subordinate's thoughts, "Fortune-telling and such mystical matters shouldn't be involved."

"As we both know, conjectures without solid evidence can't serve as legal proof nor can they establish guilt," he stated frankly.

With that said, Shi Yubing had no choice but to respond, "Yes, sir."

Chu Yuening leaned against the window with her milk tea, able to observe the steady flow of people entering and exiting the police station. Sipping the drink, the smooth and sweet taste brought a slight relaxation to her features.

Shi Boren pushed open the office door and placed a statement sheet on Zhou Fengxu's desk. "After the interrogation, Drunken Chicken confessed to buying the poison for Ding Yanli to administer it."

Zhou Fengxu set the statement aside, rolled up his sleeves, and continued writing his report without looking up. "How about Uncle Zhong's side?"

"It's taken care of," Uncle Zhong chimed in, just as he entered the room and handed over the statement paper. "This one was more cunning. He claimed ignorance to everything and blamed everything on Ding Yanli."

Gan Yizu was animated. "Uncle Zhong knows his tricks. He scared Drunken Chicken, telling him that Ding Yanli had confessed to everything and if he didn't clarify his role, he'd bear the main responsibility."

At the mere threat, Drunken Chicken eagerly divulged everything.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Shi Boren sat at his desk, reflecting on the situation. "Arsenic trioxide, known as ancient arsenic. The Poisonous Woman administered the venom for four consecutive days and still failed to kill Uncle Zhong. He's truly fortunate enough to buy a lottery ticket, don't you think, Ning Ning?"

Chu Yuening swayed her milk tea gently and said, "Uncle Zhong has a destiny of barely escaping death nine times. He doesn't have any windfall luck in his fate, so buying lottery tickets won't work for him either. By the way, how is Uncle Zhong doing?"

After the man was taken away by the ambulance, they had yet to receive any updates.

Shi Boren found it odd as well. "Right, the hospital hasn't called yet."

No sooner had he spoken than the phone in the office rang.

"This is Team D of the Major Crimes Unit. The patient has regained consciousness? Alright, that's troublesome."