Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After leaving the home of the suspected victim He Hongxuan, driving all the way back to the police station, Si Zhao was distracted, as if her body was there but her soul had already drifted off somewhere unknown.

Lei Yue couldn't help but glance at Si Zhao a few times and finally couldn't resist asking, "What's wrong? Thinking about the case?"

Si Zhao snapped back to reality, sighed somewhat melancholy, then looked at Lei Yue and said, "Captain Lei, I feel a bit guilty."

Lei Yue looked completely confused, frowned and scrutinized Si Zhao, "What are you feeling guilty about? Did you take a bribe?"

Si Zhao was startled and quickly waved her hands, "No, no, where did you get that idea, Captain Lei? I was thinking about that cat. It ran out because we were leaving. I don't know if that family can find it. Seeing how pitiful the child looked, the more I think about it, the more upset I get. He must be crying for days, right? If it's never found, will it become a childhood trauma?"

Lei Yue's expression softened, and he looked at Si Zhao with amusement, "I never knew you were so compassionate. Since you feel so guilty, go check on them after the case is over. If the cat hasn't been found, help them look for it."

Si Zhao grinned, "That's what I plan to do, but I don't know when I'll have the time."

Saying this, Si Zhao lowered her head to sniff her clothes, grimacing, "I've been busy for days without a chance to shower. I think I already stink. Captain Lei, take a whiff."

Si Zhao joked and tried to lean on Lei Yue, who helplessly pushed her away a little, "If you know you stink, why come near me to pollute the air? Since you want some time off, hurry up. As long as we get Liu Xingchang's confession, everyone can go home and shower."

Speaking of this, Si Zhao's face fell again, "I want that too, but I'm afraid that mysterious person will throw another case at us. I'm really scared of those guys. They never stop. How long has it been since the last case? Two days? Three? And here's another one. At this rate, we won't even have time to sleep, let alone shower."

Lei Yue patted Si Zhao heavily on the shoulder and comforted, "Look on the bright side. At least every time we arrive at a scene, there's only a suspect, no victim. And according to the pattern you mentioned, if we get the confession tonight, we can have half a day off. Instead of complaining, you should be racing against time and getting to work."

Si Zhao perked up, "That makes sense." Without waiting for Lei Yue, she took off running with quick steps.

Lei Yue watched Si Zhao's back until she ran into the police station building, then slowly walked over with his hands behind his back.

Entering the First Squad office, Si Zhao was just walking out with a stack of documents. Seeing Lei Yue, she called out, "Captain Lei, I'm going with Brother Xiao now to pry open Liu Xingchang's mouth. Just wait for the good news."

Lei Yue nodded approvingly and reassuringly.

A few steps behind, when they reached the interrogation room, Si Zhao and Xiao Wenbo had already started the interrogation. Lei Yue was the only one in the small observation room.

Si Zhao looked sternly at Liu Xingchang, who was handcuffed to the interrogation chair, and barked, "Liu Xingchang, do you know why we arrested you?"

Liu Xingchang's face was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and he was extremely nervous. But he still clung to the hope of luck and resisted, shaking his leg nervously and saying, "Offi, officer, is there a misunderstanding? I'm the victim. I was beaten, and beaten badly. Look at my nose and my mouth. They almost beat me to a pulp. Why am I the one arrested? Did you get the wrong person?"

Si Zhao slammed the table hard, "Whether we got the wrong person, you know in your heart. Confess honestly. Why did you appear in Nianhuali Community this morning carrying a weapon?"

Liu Xingchang's forehead broke out in even more sweat. His lips trembled as he forced a smile, "Officer... you've got it all wrong. That dagger isn't mine. I didn't carry any weapon. It belonged to the person who hit me. He wanted to kill me, yes, he wanted to kill me."

Liu Xingchang quickly thought of a seemingly reasonable excuse, convincing even himself. He leaned forward eagerly and said, "Officer, you have to do justice for me. I was almost murdered."

Si Zhao sneered, "Then why are only your fingerprints on that dagger? And these photos, how do you explain them?"

Si Zhao stood up and spread a stack of photos in front of Liu Xingchang. They clearly showed Liu Xingchang tailing He Hongxuan, captured by surveillance cameras. Although Liu Xingchang tried to avoid the cameras, he was obviously a novice. Each photo clearly showed his side or full face. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn't find an excuse at that moment.

At a loss for words, Si Zhao pressed her advantage, "Today we learned from He Wenlin that your wife Qin Mei wants to divorce you?"

Si Zhao cleverly used He Wenlin as a breakthrough, but she didn't expect Liu Xingchang to hate He Wenlin so much that just hearing his name twisted his expression, with murderous intent nakedly showing in his eyes.

Before Si Zhao could continue to provoke him, Liu Xingchang slammed his handcuffed fists heavily against the chair, almost screaming, "Don't mention him to me! Don't say that name!"

Si Zhao exchanged a glance with Xiao Wenbo, raised an eyebrow, and looked down at Liu Xingchang, "From what I know, He Wenlin is your wife Qin Mei's colleague. He..."

Before Si Zhao could even finish a full sentence, Liu Xingchang became even more frenzied. His eyes looked ready to burst, veins bulging on his neck as he pounded the small table on the chair and shouted, "Don't mention him! Don't mention him! It's all his fault! It's all his fault!"

Liu Xingchang's eyes showed pain, "If it weren't for him, Qin Mei wouldn't want to divorce me. We could be like before—she would cook in the kitchen, the kids would study at the coffee table, I would watch TV, then the three of us would eat a warm meal together. We could have a second child, a third child. What a happy life. Why did he have to destroy it? It's all his fault. If it weren't for him, Qin Mei wouldn't have divorced me."

Si Zhao fell silent. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Pausing for a few seconds, she reorganized her words and continued, "So that's your motive for wanting to kill He Hongxuan? You suspect He Wenlin destroyed your family, so you want to kill his son to get revenge?"

Liu Xingchang ignored Si Zhao's question. As if overstimulated, he was immersed in his own world, muttering painfully, "He already has a son, so why did he have to destroy mine? Qin Mei and I agreed to have a second child, but she got pregnant and had an abortion. How could she abort the baby without telling me? That child belonged to both of us. It was my child too. My son, my son is gone. It's all his fault. He deserves to die. I only wanted a son. I only wanted a family. Why did he have to destroy it? What right did he have? My son is gone, so how can his son live?"

Si Zhao exchanged another glance with Xiao Wenbo. Both were a little surprised but also somewhat expected. Although their expressions remained serious, their eyes relaxed. It seemed this case was simple too. At least they could go home and take a shower tomorrow.

Because the evidence was solid and the suspect had an obvious weakness, it took less than an hour to get Liu Xingchang's confession.

As soon as they left the interrogation room, Si Zhao couldn't help making a face. She handed the confession to Lei Yue and said, "Captain Lei, mission accomplished."

Lei Yue glanced through it briefly and praised, "Good job. Now send him to the detention center. Don't keep him here overnight. Although it's a bit late, everyone should go home and take a shower. Sleep in tomorrow and then continue working."

Si Zhao and Xiao Wenbo high-fived excitedly, then played rock-paper-scissors. Si Zhao won.

Si Zhao patted Xiao Wenbo's shoulder cheerfully and said, "I'll leave the transfer to the detention center to you, Brother Xiao. See you tomorrow, hehe."

Xiao Wenbo stretched his arms and legs, smiled, and said, "Alright, a bet is a bet. I'll grab Ji Gan and we'll go early and return soon. I can still get a good night's sleep."

After bidding farewell to Lei Yue, Xiao Wenbo found Ji Gan, who was still organizing the evidence chain in the office. Together they took the documents and escorted the weak-kneed Liu Xingchang downstairs.

It was already past midnight, and there were few people in the office building. The crisp footsteps of the three echoed all the way down.

Just as they stepped out of the main building and were going down the stairs, two cars drove into the police station yard one after another. Xiao Wenbo and Ji Gan instinctively looked up and saw that it was the Third Squad returning with a suspect.

Although everyone looked tired and travel-worn, their faces were filled with uncontrollable joy. The captain of the Third Squad, Zhou Wenang, greeted first, "Old Xiao, Xiao Ji, what's this? Did you solve a case tonight too?"

Xiao Wenbo knew Zhou Wenang was showing off, but he played along, "Yeah, we just got the confession. What about you? Did you solve one too?"

Zhou Wenang strode proudly forward, pointing behind him smugly, "See that? The suspect in the October 19th rain murder case. We've been chasing him for half a year. Just brought him back. Now we can give the victim's family an answer and actually get a good night's sleep."

Xiao Wenbo was genuinely happy to see another criminal caught and sincerely said, "Congratulations, Captain Zhou. Another big case solved."

Zhou Wenang was pleased and chatted with Xiao Wenbo for a bit before sparing a glance at Liu Xingchang. He stepped aside and said, "Look at me, getting carried away. You're taking him to the detention center, right? Go ahead. I won't hold you up."

Xiao Wenbo and Ji Gan smiled and said goodbye to Zhou Wenang, then continued forward with Liu Xingchang. But just as they were about to pass the suspect being escorted by the Third Squad, a sudden change occurred.

No one expected the suspect, who had been ashen-faced under Third Squad's custody, to suddenly explode. He broke free from the two detectives restraining him and lunged at Liu Xingchang.

Liu Xingchang, completely blindsided by the attack despite being surrounded by police, looked confused and terrified.

Unlike his attacker, Liu Xingchang was more experienced. Although his hands were handcuffed, he expertly used his head to ram the attacker's chin, then clamped his hands around the attacker's throat as if they had a deep vendetta, his face twisted with ferocity.

Everything happened in an instant. Although sudden, the detectives on scene reacted quickly. Some grabbed his arms, others pulled his body, and within seconds, they managed to separate the two entangled men.

After subduing the attacker again, Xiao Wenbo and Zhou Wenang looked at each other in bewilderment. They looked at Liu Xingchang, then at the other suspect, whose face was still twisted with rage and eyes bloodshot. After a moment, Zhou Wenang asked doubtfully, "Do these two know each other?"

Xiao Wenbo had no idea and couldn't make a judgment immediately. He only said objectively, "Based on the clues we have, there's no connection between them."

Zhou Wenang stared at Liu Xingchang for a few seconds, then suddenly patted Xiao Wenbo on the shoulder and said, "Well, Old Xiao, it looks like you'll have to re-interrogate this suspect. Coincidentally, we need to interrogate ours too. Let's go together. Misery loves company."

...

Tang Qiu had no idea that her actions last night had increased the workload for Lei Yue and his team. She continued living her usual peaceful and routine life.

Three days passed without any activity from the system. The newly drawn Fate's Prophetic Eye item was not triggered, and the 1 basic attribute point lost because of Qin Mei had not returned.

But with the experience from the previous four times, Tang Qiu wasn't worried. She went about her morning runs, evening runs, exercise, and reading as usual.

Perhaps because she was more accustomed to relying on force than brains, despite her serious reading efforts, she didn't absorb much knowledge. Compared to her steadily improving physical fitness, she still largely lacked the knowledge the original body had possessed.

However, this was unavoidable; the only thing Tang Qiu could do was keep going.

On the night of April 2nd, nothing happened. Tang Qiu went for her usual night run, but this time she increased the distance a bit more.

Nearly a month had passed, and with the attribute points gained from the system, Tang Qiu no longer ran out of breath. She managed her pace and energy, managing to complete the entire run with relative ease.

Thankfully, her body shape had begun to change. Though she still looked slender, she had developed a thin layer of muscle, especially in her arms and legs. With every swing and step, Tang Qiu could feel her muscles working.

Passing another fork in the road, she could faintly see the residential area ahead. Without stopping, Tang Qiu wiped the sweat from her forehead and adjusted her slightly ragged breathing. Just as she was about to continue running, the phone she had specifically brought to keep in touch with Lei Yue rang.

Before she even pulled the phone out of her pocket, Tang Qiu had a feeling; when she took it out and looked, sure enough, it was a call from Lei Yue.

She stopped, took a couple of deep breaths, and answered the call.

"Hi, Officer Lei," Tang Qiu said politely.

Lei Yue's voice came through a bit muffled. "Sorry to bother you so late, Lawyer Tang. Are you free right now? I happen to have a bit of time. Could we meet?"

Tang Qiu had been waiting for this meeting opportunity for the past three days. She immediately agreed. "Sure, Officer Lei. Where shall we meet?"

Lei Yue asked straightforwardly, "Where are you right now?"

Tang Qiu looked around and reported her location.

Lei Yue said, "I'm nearby right now. Wait a moment, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up, Tang Qiu checked the nearby surveillance cameras and found herself in a blind spot with no pedestrians around. She quickly took the dagger she carried behind her waist and hid it in the bushes, making sure it wouldn't be spotted from any angle. Then she walked back to the sidewalk and patiently waited for Lei Yue's arrival.

About five or six minutes later, Lei Yue pulled up beside Tang Qiu in his car. He rolled down the window and said with a deliberately gentle expression, "Lawyer Tang, we meet again."

"Hi, Officer Lei." After greeting him, Tang Qiu opened the rear door and got in. Only then did she notice that the driver's seat was occupied by an officer she recognized—though Tang Qiu had seen her, the officer hadn't noticed Tang Qiu. It was the same female officer who had accompanied Lei Yue to He Hongxuan's home for a field visit that night.

Her hair was jet black and shiny, tied in a high ponytail. She had a gentle oval face and very expressive eyes. Without even speaking, Tang Qiu could tell from her lively eyes that she was a very energetic person.

Sure enough, as soon as Tang Qiu settled into the car, the female officer in the driver's seat turned around and said in a friendly tone, "Hello, Lawyer Tang. My surname is Si, and my name is Si Zhao. You can call me Xiao Zhao, but please don't call me Xiao Si."

Si Zhao deliberately made a pun to lighten the atmosphere, but unfortunately Tang Qiu didn't get it at all. She only looked at Si Zhao politely and said, "Hello, Officer Si."

For the first time, Si Zhao's usually surefire joke got no reaction. She couldn't help but look at Tang Qiu with some surprise.

Tang Qiu noticed the change in Si Zhao's eyes but didn't understand at all. She could only look back calmly.

The two stared at each other, neither speaking. Finally, Lei Yue changed the subject. "Lawyer Tang, how have you been lately? Is your injury completely healed? Have you recovered any memory?"

Tang Qiu skillfully put on a sincere expression and replied, "I've been doing well lately. No need to go to work, I sleep early, wake up early, and exercise diligently. My physical condition has improved a lot. The injury is fully healed, but my memory is still the same as before—no sign of recovery."

Lei Yue had expected this outcome and wasn't disappointed. He simply comforted her, "As long as you're fine, that's what matters. You can't rush memory recovery. Maybe you'll wake up one morning and it'll come back."

Tang Qiu cautiously and earnestly said, "That's what I think too. But sometimes when I think about the person who hurt me still being out there, I feel restless. So I consulted an old classmate, also a cop. He suggested that, with you accompanying me, I could try going back to the crime scene and see if retracing the scene could help me remember."

"Old classmate?" Before Lei Yue could speak, Si Zhao asked with interest. "Also a detective? Lawyer Tang, tell us his name, see if we know him. Maybe he's an acquaintance."

Tang Qiu had no need to hide Qiao Yang's information, so she said accordingly, "His name is Qiao Yang. He was my high school classmate. We happened to meet recently, and I consulted him."

Tang Qiu figured Hongning City was big enough that they might not know him. Surprisingly, Si Zhao did know him. Her eyes lit up a bit. "Qiao Yang? I do know him. He's in the Municipal Bureau's Technical Division, responsible for crime scene investigation. A very impressive guy. I heard he's a student of Expert Cao from the Provincial Department. He often follows Expert Cao around the province to help solve cases. For him to have met you despite being so busy, you two must have some fate."

Tang Qiu smiled calmly. Lei Yue thought for a moment and said, "We had also considered this before, but given how you were recovering then, we didn't rush to bring it up. Since Lawyer Tang also has this idea, I think it's perfectly fine."

Having achieved her goal, Tang Qiu showed a genuine smile. "Then I'll wait for your schedule. Thank you for your time, Officer Lei." "Don't mention it," Lei Yue also smiled. "It's our job."