Chapter 113: The Coerced Murderer

"Hou Hongbo is dead. As for that hair found in the deceased's mouth, it might just be a smoke screen to confuse us!" Lu Haoxuan finished stating his views on the case in one breath. After a moment of thought, he added, "I am not acting out of sympathy for Gong Zheng, but out of reverence for the law and a thirst for the truth!"

Hu Jinquan closed his notebook and stood up from the sofa. Shedding his usual playful demeanor in front of Lu Haoxuan, he raised his hand in a solemn salute. Lu Haoxuan smiled and patted his shoulder, wanting to say something but stopping himself. As he turned back to his desk, Hu Jinquan whispered, "Master, Changzheng, he..."

Lu Haoxuan did not answer him; he simply waved his hand without looking back. Hu Jinquan sighed softly and turned to leave the office.

Only then did Lu Haoxuan turn around and lean back against his chair. At this moment, he finally felt the soreness and stiffness in his lower back!

"I really am getting old!" he sighed to himself. The volume of information from the task force over the past few days was overwhelming, and he needed to digest it properly. Moreover, this drowning case that had occurred at such a critical juncture seemed to have countless ties to certain forces.

"Sigh! It's a pity Changzheng still can't return..." He suddenly felt uneasy about this thought! Was he truly getting old? Or was it a lack of trust in others?

"Heh!" he chuckled. Although Hu Jinquan had all sorts of flaws, he believed that when it came to matters of great principle, this somewhat careless apprentice could stand the test!

He ended this brief moment of wandering thoughts and focused his efforts on contemplating the intelligence fed back by Gu Changzheng...

———

After leaving Lu Haoxuan's office, Hu Jinquan carefully pondered his master's words just now. If Gong Zheng was not the true culprit who killed Hou Hongbo, why would he take all the blame upon himself? Was he forced by someone, or was there some special reason? But what kind of reason could drive a man to abandon his elderly parents and his ailing wife to choose death?

Numerous reasons surfaced in Hu Jinquan's mind, yet none could convince him!

"It seems I have no choice but to interrogate Gong Zheng again!"

Gong Zheng was clearly surprised by the sudden, repeated interrogation. He had thought that after confessing everything, he would simply be waiting for the court's judgment. He had acted entirely according to that person's instructions; could it be that the police had noticed something?

"Gong Zheng!" Hu Jinquan shouted. Just as Gong Zheng was struggling to recall where he might have slipped up, he was interrupted by Hu Jinquan's call!

"Yes, yes!" Gong Zheng replied in a panic.

This momentary lapse was captured by Hu Jinquan, who had been keeping a close eye on him. Before deciding to re-interrogate Gong Zheng, he had already devised a strategy.

"Gong Zheng, you said you met Hou Hongbo at the Jiefang Road snack street that night. Do you remember who Hou Hongbo was drinking with that day?"

Gong Zheng was stunned. "Three or four people."

"Was it three or four? Were they men or women?"

"Four people—three men and one woman!"

"Does the four include Hou Hongbo?"

"It does not!"

"That's not right, is it? Think carefully. According to our understanding from the people who ate with Hou Hongbo that night, there were only four of them in total! Did you remember it wrong?" Hu Jinquan put on a look of distrust.

"No, it was five people. I remember very clearly. Including Hou Hongbo, there were four men and one woman. Hou Hongbo was sitting opposite me, so I saw him at a glance..."

"Then who was sitting to his left? A man or a woman?" Hu Jinquan asked rapidly.

"A woman!"

"What color was the hair of the man sitting opposite Hou Hongbo?"

"Yellow!"

"Did they drink baijiu or beer that night?"

Gong Zheng was suddenly stunned! "What alcohol? He didn't tell me to memorize that!"

This moment of distraction was naturally captured by Hu Jinquan.

"What? You don't know this? I thought you would have memorized the details of that night by heart. How could you forget such an obvious detail?" Hu Jinquan sneered.

"They, they were drinking baijiu!" Gong Zheng stammered.

"How many bottles? What brand of baijiu? Did they drink beer later..." Hu Jinquan suddenly accelerated, firing a barrage of questions at Gong Zheng like a machine gun!

Gong Zheng resisted stubbornly: "Three bottles... no, that's wrong! Four bottles! It's, it's the local Chudu brand. Beer, beer..."

"Enough!" Hu Jinquan shouted loudly. "You weren't at the scene that night at all, let alone seeing Hou Hongbo! Those lines were all taught to you by someone else!"

Gong Zheng shuddered all over and tightly shut his mouth, fearing he might make another mistake! His eyes were filled with a mix of fear, anger, and a sense of utter despair!

The interrogation room fell into a brief silence!

After a while, Hu Jinquan said coldly, "Are you still not going to tell the truth? Do you really have the heart to abandon your wife? Are you really willing to let your parents bury their own child?"

"Ah!" Gong Zheng let out a low, hoarse howl like a desperate beast!

"Why must you all force me! Can't I even choose to die now?" Gong Zheng slumped in the interrogation chair, saying weakly.

"Gong Zheng, no matter who is forcing you, you must believe that I can help you!" Hu Jinquan felt a deep sense of sympathy for this pitiful man from the bottom of his heart, and at this moment, he could not help but reveal his true feelings.

"Hahaha! You don't know what I've been through? They are too terrifying! If I don't do as they say, my parents, Yang Juan—none of them will survive!" Gong Zheng burst into loud sobs.

Hu Jinquan knew that Gong Zheng had completely given up on resisting. He picked up a cup of water from the table and handed it to Gong Zheng, saying softly, "Speak. Tell us the real situation! No matter who the other party is, can they go against the Communist Party? Can they go against the People's Government? If you tell us, we can help you. If you don't speak, how do you know we can't stand up for you?"

Gong Zheng raised his hand to wipe the tears from his face, took the cup, and drank a large gulp. Perhaps it was the hot water in the cup, or perhaps it was Hu Jinquan's words, but he felt a warm current rise from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps, at this moment, his long-dead heart had reignited with the hope of living!

Gong Zheng looked at Hu Jinquan with gratitude, sighed, and said, "That beast really wasn't killed by me. I just wanted to seek justice. I just wanted that beast to admit himself that he harmed Yueyue, to let him face the punishment of the law. But, but I didn't expect that someone would force me to admit to killing him!" ===== CHAPTER 114 =====