Chapter 92: The Whole Group Acts

Chapter 92: The Whole Team as Supporting Cast

Team A was now operating at full throttle.

Jian Ruochen leaned against the wall outside the interrogation room, poring over the evidence file.

Only after ensuring every piece of information was committed to memory did he raise his hand to open the interrogation room door, entering alongside Zhang Xingzong, who was tasked with recording the interrogation.

The interrogation room was cold and dimly lit.

Jian Ruochen used the remote to switch on the lights.

Behind the interrogation table, Jiang Hanyu sat rigidly, his back ramrod straight, desperately clinging to his rapidly eroding dignity.

However, his unkempt hair, matted into greasy strands, and the stained trousers at his knees betrayed his outward show of strength as mere bluster.

Jian Ruochen averted his gaze and settled into the interrogator's seat.

Jiang Hanyu’s eyes, venomous and bloodshot, fixed on him. "Feeling pretty smug, aren’t you?"

Yesterday, he had been confined to an interrogation room at Sham Shui Po Police Station.

Five officers had interrogated him in shifts for seven grueling hours.

He genuinely couldn't fathom the point of those questions.

Yes, he was responsible for the car explosion in Chung Chi Park.

But he had blown up his own car, and no one else was harmed—what was the big deal?

It had to be Jian Ruochen, who had put in a word with the Sham Shui Po police, instructing them to deliberately torment him!

The thought of the mold-ridden detention cell at Sham Shui Po Police Station made Jiang Hanyu retch. He lowered his voice, "Yesterday, I begged you to save me, and you turned a blind eye. Was it all for this interrogation today? You want to climb the ladder by stepping on me, don’t you?"

"Forget about it! I won’t tell you a thing!"

Zhang Xingzong’s pen flew across the paper, meticulously recording every word Jiang Hanyu uttered, a look of incredulous disdain twisting his lips.

It had been a long time since he’d encountered a criminal with such an outlandish thought process.

Jian Ruochen’s eyes remained dark and impassive, unaffected by Jiang Hanyu’s outburst. He stated coldly, "State your name, place of origin, and current residence."

Jiang Hanyu’s face flushed crimson with humiliation.

He had already endured several interrogations and knew this was the standard preliminary procedure.

But why…

Why was Jian Ruochen the one interrogating him at the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters?

"I won’t say! I don’t want you! Get someone else!" Jiang Hanyu shook his head wildly, pounding his fists repeatedly on the interrogation chair. "I don’t want you questioning me!"

He couldn’t bear to face the radiant and vibrant Jian Ruochen.

This person, who just four months ago had been like a beggar, had now transformed into the one who held his fate in his hands.

Why?

He absolutely refused to let Jian Ruochen succeed!

Jiang Hanyu shrieked hysterically, "Change of interrogator!"

Zhang Xingzong winced, frowning and turning his head away from the piercing sound.

This was, so far, the first suspect to demand a change of interrogator during Jian Ruochen’s sessions.

Jiang Hanyu was so fiercely resistant; perhaps they wouldn't extract anything from him. What should they do?

Would they really have to switch interrogators?

Jian Ruochen snapped the evidence file shut with a sharp "smack."

Jiang Hanyu met those eyes, which gleamed like gold in the dim light, and recoiled completely, his scream dying in his throat.

Terrified, he could only stammer mechanically, "I won’t talk. I absolutely won’t talk unless you send someone else."

"Whether you talk or not makes no difference to me," Jian Ruochen said softly, his tone utterly detached.

"I’ll complete all my coursework within two years, graduate from the University of Hong Kong, then undergo six months of training at the police academy. After that, I’ll take the civil service exam, and once I’m in, I’ll work while pursuing a master’s degree."

A chill ran down Jiang Hanyu’s spine.

He suddenly realized…

"If I need to burnish my resume, Lu Qian has already done that for me. The success of STN News in several public opinion battles and business deals with the mainland are more than enough to open up career advancement opportunities."

Jian Ruochen stared at him, his words piercing Jiang Hanyu’s defenses: "Jiang Hanyu, don’t overestimate your importance."

Jiang Hanyu’s bluster was merely a facade, an attempt to assert dominance in the conversation. If the police conceded now, they would lose their psychological advantage.

Even if they did change interrogators later, Jiang Hanyu would stubbornly cling to his most crucial secrets.

Interrogation was a battle of wits.

A process of dismantling the suspect’s psychological defenses.

Jian Ruochen rose, the corners of his lips curling slightly. "Since you’re so uncooperative, I see no point in continuing this interrogation."

Outside the interrogation room.

Liu Sizheng chewed on his fingernails. "Is Consultant Jian really calling off the interrogation? We only have twelve hours—we can’t afford to waste any time…"

Song Xuyi scratched his head. "Want to take over?"

Liu Sizheng waved his hands while shaking his head. "No, no, no, I definitely can’t do it. With an illogical criminal like Jiang Hanyu, even 48 hours might not be enough for me. Let Inspector Guan handle it."

Bi Wanwan let out a dry laugh. "Do you think Jiang Hanyu is easily intimidated?"

Uncertain of Jian Ruochen’s intentions, the team followed his movements with their eyes as he walked to the interrogation room door.

Jian Ruochen opened the door and announced to those outside, "Jiang Hanyu isn’t cooperating. We’re done here. Send him directly to the Interpol National Central Bureau. Their methods for interrogating spies are more comprehensive, they have better equipment, and torture isn't illegal there."

Liu Sizheng understood immediately.

The whole "giving up" act was a bluff.

According to protocol, Jiang Hanyu should first be sent to the ICAC.

Moreover, torture was illegal everywhere; it was just that invoking Interpol’s name made it sound more credible.

Most people weren’t familiar with that organization.

This was meant to scare Jiang Hanyu, implying that his next destination would be far worse.

The members of Team A exchanged glances.

Bi Wanwan played along, saying, "Then we’re off the hook. The police station can’t resort to forced confessions, but I bet the central bureau doesn't play by those rules."

Jian Ruochen, using the doorframe for cover, gave a thumbs-up to those outside.

Inside the interrogation room, Zhang Xingzong caught on, closed his notebook, and called out, "Sir Liu, come help me escort him."

Liu Sizheng took the keys, unlocked the restraints on the interrogation chair, and made to grab Jiang Hanyu's arm, intending to pull him up.

Jiang Hanyu’s heart lurched, and he panicked. "No... don’t."

His whole body trembled as he struggled frantically to get away. "I won’t go, I don’t want to go."

Tears streamed down his pale face, and his neatly combed hair was now tousled from his struggles.

Jiang Hanyu broke down sobbing, "I take it back! I don't want a new interrogator! Jian Ruochen, you ask the questions. I don’t want to be transferred... please... not that place you talked about."

He wrenched his arm free from Liu Sizheng’s grip and looked pleadingly toward the door.

Jian Ruochen’s gaze was icy.

Liu Sizheng released him and turned to leave.

*Click.* The interrogation room door locked behind him.

*Pfft!* Liu Sizheng couldn’t hold back a laugh.

No wonder Consultant Jian enjoyed putting on an act—playing the suspect was this much fun.

How did Jian Ruochen manage to keep a straight face?

Wasn’t this hilarious?

Once Liu Sizheng started laughing, Song Xuyi joined in. Bi Wanwan tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t.

Watching the suspect completely crack was just too amusing.

Even though they were all professionally trained, sometimes they just couldn’t help it.

Inside the interrogation room.

Before Jian Ruochen could ask, Jiang Hanyu obediently provided his name, place of origin, current residence, and ID number.

Zhang Xingzong sucked in his cheeks, pressed his upper lip over his lower one, widened his eyes, and lowered his head to record the information while stifling laughter.

Jian Ruochen glanced over, a slight smile curling his lips. "Jiang Hanyu, were the MI6 secret files and the key given to you by the same person? Who was it?"

"Yes. It was one person," Jiang Hanyu said, still shaken, terrified that one wrong word would make Jian Ruochen abandon him and send him elsewhere. "Lu Rong."

Jiang Hanyu jutted his chin out defiantly and said through gritted teeth, "When I was hospitalized after the bone marrow transplant surgery, Lu Rong came to see me... He persuaded me to break free from Lu Qian’s control and join him—"

"Don’t lie," Jian Ruochen interrupted.

Jiang Hanyu choked. "I didn’t—"

Jian Ruochen frowned and cut him off again. "When you spoke, your eyes looked upward first, which means you were recalling the situation and telling the truth. But before you said 'Lu Rong persuaded you to break free from Lu Qian’s control,' you paused, glanced down to the right, and then blinked rapidly. This means the latter part was fabricated."

Jiang Hanyu’s face flushed.

After the school invited Li Changyu, he had attended one of his lectures out of curiosity.

It was indeed interesting and captivating.

But many of the theories were so esoteric that they seemed unreal.

After all, ordinary people couldn’t possibly catch fleeting emotions on someone’s face.

He thought people took that course just for the hype.

He never expected Jian Ruochen to actually be an expert!

Jiang Hanyu opened his mouth slightly, trying to recall.

Had he really made that many expressions just now?

"Don’t think about it," Jian Ruochen leaned back in his chair. "When people lie, their brains constantly calculate how to fabricate lies and react evasively to the environment and people. These calculations and reactions increase the brain’s burden, leading to a higher blink rate."

He paused. "You’d better not waste our time."

Jiang Hanyu immediately thought of the "Interpol National Central Bureau" the police mentioned, where torture was likely used, and hurriedly said, "I wanted to break free from Lu Qian! It was my idea! I saw that Lu Qian wouldn’t last long, and I didn’t know how to manage the businesses in my hands, so I wanted to find another backer."

The more Jiang Hanyu spoke, the blurrier his vision became.

Jian Ruochen’s expressionless face formed multiple overlapping images in his sight.

His ears rang, and the dignity and self-respect he once valued most were now reduced to ashes by Jian Ruochen’s relentless questioning.

His lips trembled. "I have no talent for business. I don’t understand anything. This was my only option."

"No... I, I actually had no choice at all."

"Then, were you aware of the illegal bone marrow transplant?" Jian Ruochen asked.

Jiang Hanyu felt as though the voice came from very, very far away.

Faint and elusive.

He reflexively shook his head, wanting to lie.

But meeting Jian Ruochen’s nearly dark golden eyes in the darkness filled him with extreme fear.

Jiang Hanyu involuntarily nodded and murmured, "I knew... I knew it was shady, but I didn’t know the hospital had locked up so many people... I only had a vague idea..."

He was distraught. "I just wanted to live so badly. You wouldn’t understand."

Jian Ruochen didn’t respond.

He didn’t understand, but the Jian Ruochen in the book certainly would.

When that character was wrapped in a sack and sunk into the icy waters of Pier 8, didn’t he also want to live?

Jiang Hanyu truly was raised by Jiang Mingshan.

Unbelievably selfish.

Jian Ruochen closed his eyes briefly, "The MI6 secret files contain details about organizing illegal anti-government organizations, including the entire process from establishing the group to organizing demonstrations. How far along are you? How did the University of Hong Kong approve such a student club? Do you have any accomplices?"

Jiang Hanyu's ears were ringing.

The questions were too meticulous.

Only now did he realize he wasn't just a pawn—he was an expendable pawn with no escape route.

Lu Rong had left him no escape route when using him!

Jian Ruochen asked, "I noticed a section of encrypted text in the secret files that requires decryption to understand. Have you seen the content of that part?"

Jiang Hanyu clenched his fists tightly, "I hid the codebook in my single-occupancy dorm building. It's only used as a backup residence during exams, so I don’t go there often—it’s a convenient place to hide things. I... I thought decrypting it was too much hassle and planned to look at it later when I had time..."

He choked back a sob, "Jian Ruochen... I was wrong to you before. I'm sorry."

Jian Ruochen glanced at him, "Never mind that. Please stick to the matter at hand."

Zhang Xingzong let out a stifled chuckle: "...*Ahem*."

He stifled it halfway through.

A ballpoint pen drew a twisted arc on the interrogation record.

Jiang Hanyu took a deep breath, "I have an accomplice. He’s the one who gave me the codebook."

He said softly, "You made such a big production of arresting me. I suspect he's already taken the codebook."

Jian Ruochen glanced toward the doorway.

Guan Yingjun immediately said, "Bi Wanwan, take a team to search the University of Hong Kong dormitory building."