Chapter 180 34

Chapter 180.34

Rong Qing, however, wasn't there to reminisce with Cha Xin, nor did he concern himself with the intricacies of gang rivalries. He simply gazed calmly at the immobilized figure on the bed.

A sliver of light, filtering through the narrow ventilation window, fell upon Rong Qing, lending him an almost sacred and solemn air.

Rong Qing’s prolonged silence took Cha Xin by surprise.

Cha Xin broke the quiet, "Whatever you're here to ask, just say it directly. Though I may not have the answers you seek."

Rong Qing merely raised an eyebrow at Cha Xin's forthrightness. "There's nothing I need to ask. You must know that all your actions are supported by irrefutable evidence. Whether I inquire or not makes little difference."

"Then why are you here? To witness my humiliation?" Cha Xin had believed his heart was as still as water, but confronting Rong Qing again, he realized he was perpetually at a disadvantage. In their every encounter, he seemed destined to lose.

This stung Cha Xin more deeply than any death sentence could.

"Not at all." Rong Qing's posture remained perfectly straight, his tone unwavering. "I thought you might wish to confide something. Was I mistaken? All this time you've been silent, weren't you waiting for me to arrive?"

Cha Xin sneered, "Don't even dream of it. Whatever you wish to know, save your efforts. I will tell you nothing. At worst, it's death—what more can you do to me?"

Despite his defiant words, Cha Xin had lost the composed demeanor of days past. His gaze at Rong Qing was venomous, his hatred almost unconcealed. That toxic glare infuriated He Lin, who stepped forward, attempting to interpose himself between them.

Rong Qing subtly restrained He Lin, who reluctantly retreated to his original position.

"Boss Cha is a shrewd man. Lying here motionless these past few days, you must have replayed many scenarios. Have you figured out how you were defeated?" A smile, distinctly Shen Xi's, now graced Rong Qing's face, sending an inexplicable shiver down Cha Xin's spine.

He almost believed this police officer wasn't here to interrogate him. Yet, Rong Qing didn't strike him as the type to kick a man when he was down. For a moment, Cha Xin genuinely thought Rong Qing had come to offer him clarity.

"After deceiving you for so long, I suppose I owe you some compensation—to help you analyze why your empire crumbled overnight." Rong Qing leaned back comfortably in his chair, his gaze tinged with pity.

"Approximately three months ago, Country J's police initiated a crackdown against you, severing your supply channels. Initially, you managed to cling on thanks to your vast network, but as the operation intensified, you began to falter."

"Your old clients, however, cared little for your plight. They relentlessly demanded their goods. Some were individuals you couldn't afford to offend, others you simply didn't wish to. So you had to find a solution, but misfortune seemed to have latched onto you. Certain events began to slip beyond your control."

Rong Qing chuckled softly as Cha Xin's face grew increasingly pale. "This made you anxious. So, despite Pan Na's objections, you chose Shen Xi—a well-connected but unfamiliar partner—to collaborate with. At that critical juncture, you had no choice but to trust him."

"Or perhaps you never truly intended to cooperate. After all, back then, you were a formidable presence in Mingzhu City. Shen Xi, in your eyes, was likely just a disposable tool. Once your objective was met, whether to eliminate him or slowly torment him was entirely at your discretion."

At this point, Rong Qing suddenly paused. He looked at Cha Xin, a frown creasing his brow as he realized something.

Cha Xin, sensing Rong Qing's uncertainty, let out a triumphant laugh. "Go on, Officer. I'm quite eager to hear the rest of your analysis."

Rong Qing ignored Cha Xin's arrogance, his mind rapidly replaying every reaction and action Cha Xin had displayed since their first encounter, particularly from their return from the Buddhist temple to the day of the transaction.

Gradually, Rong Qing detected an anomaly. "You needn't have rushed the deal so desperately. Even if your buyers were impatient, they wouldn't have pushed you to such an extreme. After all, if you fell, they too would suffer—a single radish pulled can bring down a whole patch."

Cha Xin listened in silence, offering no response.

Rong Qing didn't expect a reaction from Cha Xin at this point. He simply kept his eyes fixed on him, continuing his analysis.

He Lin, listening nearby, had temporarily filled Rong Qing's shoes during his hospitalization and had reviewed the entire case. Now, he was perfectly in sync with Rong Qing's line of thought.

"So there must have been another reason that drove you to stake everything on pushing through this deal." Rong Qing now realized something: while this mission had seemed fraught with peril, the entire process had been unexpectedly smooth.

Although Cha Xin didn't appear to fully trust him, his various tests had been superficial. Beyond Rong Qing's calm demeanor and decisive actions, it seemed Cha Xin had deliberately turned a blind eye.

"Achieving the deal was only one of your objectives. By so conspicuously partnering with a stranger like Shen Xi, beyond solving your immediate crisis, what else did you intend to use him for?"

"Yes, you're right. My primary reason for pushing the deal wasn't solely about needing the goods; I had something far more crucial to accomplish." Cha Xin didn't hold back, confirming Rong Qing’s suspicion, but then his tone shifted, and a mocking smile spread across his lips. "But I won't tell you what it was. Perhaps you can ask the other two who know—Ruan Cong and Pan Na—if you happen to be a medium."

With that, Cha Xin burst into wild, almost hysterical laughter. His injuries were severe, and after only a few guffaws, he began to cough violently. As his body convulsed, the handcuffs on his wrists clanged against the bed frame.

A Country J police officer stepped forward to restrain the agitated Cha Xin. But Rong Qing remained seated, motionless, his eyes fixed intently on Cha Xin, ignoring the pointed glances from the Country J officer.

Seeing no response, the officer looked toward He Lin.

He Lin shook his head, and the officer, understanding, released Cha Xin but remained vigilant by the bedside, closely observing his reactions.

Meanwhile, Rong Qing's mind was still racing, reviewing the entire sequence of events, until the names Ruan Cong and Pan Na suddenly sparked a realization.

"How many of Cha Xin's close associates have we arrested in total?" Rong Qing asked He Lin. Over the past few days, he'd been preoccupied and hadn't paid much attention to these minor figures. If Cha Xin hadn't brought it up, Rong Qing might have completely overlooked it.

He Lin thought for a moment and gave Rong Qing a number.

"The number doesn't add up..." Rong Qing, when he was Shen Xi, had met all of Cha Xin's bodyguards. Besides Ruan Cong, whose whereabouts were unknown, one more person was missing.

"Where's Datu?" Rong Qing directed the question at Cha Xin but looked at He Lin. He Lin was momentarily stunned, finding the name somewhat familiar, but his memory wasn't as sharp as Rong Qing's. He immediately pulled out his phone to check the arrest list, then shook his head at Rong Qing.

After his coughing fit, Cha Xin’s face had turned several shades paler. Hearing Rong Qing’s question, he didn’t even bat an eyelid. "How should I know? Perhaps he was lucky and escaped. Catching people is your job as the police. Why ask me?"

"He wasn't at the deal that day. Where did he go?" Rong Qing saw through Cha Xin's evasion and directly exposed his pretense.

Cha Xin was momentarily stunned, realizing that an eidetic memory wasn't just a persona Shen Xi had cultivated; this police officer truly possessed remarkable abilities.

For a moment, Cha Xin felt that losing to him wasn't entirely unjust.

After a brief change in expression, Cha Xin sighed. "That day, after returning from the temple, he botched a task, and I reprimanded him. Afterward, he ran off on his own. I sent people to look for him, but they couldn't find him."

Hearing this response, Rong Qing made a judgment: "You killed him."

It wasn't a question; Rong Qing was absolutely certain.

Faced with Rong Qing's certainty, Cha Xin offered no reply, and the room fell into a profound silence.

Just then, He Lin suddenly remembered something. He patted Rong Qing's shoulder, signaling for him to step outside.

The Country J police remained in the room, watching Cha Xin, and the note-taker stayed behind. He Lin led Rong Qing out, stopping a short distance from the door.

He Lin pulled up a photo on his phone and handed it to Rong Qing. "Take a look. Is this the Datu you're talking about?"

Rong Qing took the phone, a hint of confusion in his eyes, not understanding why He Lin had called him out.

"Yes, that's Datu." Rong Qing identified the missing man in the photo with just a glance. "What did you find out?"

Rong Qing knew He Lin well. Though puzzled, he trusted that He Lin wouldn't call him out during an interrogation without a valid reason.

"On the third day of your hospitalization, Country J reported a case. They were short-staffed and asked for our input. An elderly woman had hanged herself at home. Living alone, she had been deceased for several days." He Lin pulled up another photo from the crime scene to show Rong Qing.

Rong Qing frowned, as if a realization was dawning on him.

"Yeah, you guessed right." He Lin knew from Rong Qing's changing expression that he had figured it out. "This elderly woman was Datu's mother."

"A murder disguised as a suicide?" Rong Qing asked.

They had encountered a similar scene in the previous kindergarten case. Principal Cui had died in the same manner.

Judging from this scene, the perpetrator seemed even more amateurish—or perhaps, he cared even less about others discovering the truth.

He Lin nodded: "They're investigating the specific leads themselves, but based on the scene, it's almost certainly a murder."

Rong Qing fully trusted He Lin's judgment and began to ponder deeply.

"I have a theory. Cha Xin was searching for a mole, and Datu was the scapegoat he singled out." He Lin put away his phone, stood before Rong Qing, and articulated his thoughts, looking him directly in the eyes.

After hearing He Lin's words, everything seemed to fall into place.

Rong Qing was too deeply embroiled in the situation; many things were not as clear to him as they were to He Lin, an outsider.

He Lin's reminder brought back what Ruan Cong had told Rong Qing at the temple that day: that Datu handled interrogations. At the time, Rong Qing had wondered why Datu, who didn't seem particularly shrewd, was tasked with such matters.

Now, everything had a logical explanation.

Ruan Cong's hint, Datu's disappearance, and Cha Xin's urgency finally coalesced into a complete chain of clues.

A faint smile finally appeared on Rong Qing's face as he looked at He Lin, his eyes shining with a light he himself hadn't even noticed. He Lin smiled back at him, blinking his big, earnest puppy-dog eyes.

"You've made some progress," Rong Qing said, deftly avoiding He Lin's attempt to grab his hand and glancing at the nearby camera.

"Captain Rong taught me well," He Lin replied with a grin, undeterred by the missed grab, happily accepting Rong Qing's praise.