Chapter 34

Life in the juvenile detention center wasn’t boring—daily sessions of ideological education, skills training, physical exercise, and of course, labor.

Xiao Bei and Xiao Nan relied on each other there, living a repetitive, orderly life.

If not for the intervention of a demon, perhaps they would have quietly endured their imprisonment, then returned to society and lived modestly on their humble skills.

But there are no “ifs” in this world—when Xiao Bei learned Xiao Nan had been violated by the prison bully in their cell, he immediately sought revenge! But he underestimated the bully’s strength and his connections; his revenge failed, and instead enraged the bully.

What followed utterly changed his mindset; only when the center finally noticed the signs did their abuse end—yet this period lasted nearly a year!

The juvenile center promptly arranged psychological counseling for Xiao Bei and Xiao Nan, but Xiao Bei’s naturally volatile temperament, combined with the center’s negligence and interference from the bully’s family, resulted only in the bully’s isolation and intensified reprimands—no serious measures were taken.

Gu Changzheng’s expression darkened with guilt as he spoke—he knew shadows existed even under sunlight; his guilt wasn’t over any personal wrongdoing, but a helpless sense of powerlessness that pained him.

“Ah!” He sighed deeply, crushing the cigarette butt nearly burning his fingers into the ashtray.

Liu Baoshan suddenly flicked out his tongue and sucked the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt back into his mouth. Visible pain twisted his face; after chewing and swallowing it, he growled coldly: “Are you pitying them, Director Gu? Huh? Hahaha!”

He laughed freely. “The world is this way—what can you do? We lowly ants like us—whose justice will ever come for us?”

His eyes suddenly flashed with malice as he fixed Gu Changzheng with a stare, speaking slowly, word by word: “The kidnapping was planned by me and Ren Jia. I’m twisted in some ways. I never expected Tan Haiqing, that useless waste, would be so terrified of me after I took him—so he never resisted anything I forced him to do. Officer, I’ve already confessed all this! What more do you want?”

“You barely knew Ren Jia—he was the one coerced by you!” Gu Changzheng shouted suddenly.

“Director Gu, what evidence do you have proving Ren Jia isn’t my accomplice? A man who murdered his wife for insurance—what wouldn’t he do?”

“You’re protecting someone. Aren’t you?” Gu Changzheng cut straight to the point.

Liu Baoshan suddenly fell silent, his gaze flickering—then he chuckled darkly: “Director Gu, trying to trick me into confessing? Hahaha! The kidnapping was planned by me and Ren Jia—that’s fact, an unchangeable fact! What can you do, Director Gu? If there’s nothing else, just send me back to my cell. Don’t waste time. Oh, by the way—your story’s terrible. Boring as hell! Hahaha!”

Gu Changzheng waited quietly until he finished laughing, seemingly unfazed by the mockery; he clapped twice toward the observation glass. Soon, Luo Fei entered, holding a device resembling a camera and handing it to Gu Changzheng.

Gu Changzheng toyed with the device, smiling at Liu Baoshan: “Know what this is? Does it look familiar?”

Liu Baoshan looked puzzled, unable to identify the object in Gu Changzheng’s hand.

“Hmph! This is the latest model dashcam—basically a camera installed in a car. Do you know which car it was installed on?”

Liu Baoshan froze, straining to recall whether his car during the kidnapping of Ren Jia had such a device. He knew the car used to abduct Jiang Yuanqi would eventually be found—was Gu Changzheng bluffing, or had he truly uncovered new evidence?

In that instant of uncertainty, Gu Changzheng caught it—he instantly deduced Liu Baoshan wasn’t sure whether Ren Jia’s car had the dashcam.

He said sternly: “Liu Baoshan, don’t think your case is closed, or that taking death for granted will bury the truth forever. We know everything about you, Ren Jia, and Tan Haiqing.” Gu Changzheng deliberately labeled Tan Haiqing as his accomplice now, testing how this bombshell would shake Liu Baoshan.

True enough—when Liu Baoshan heard Tan Haiqing’s name, his right index finger twitched involuntarily. That tiny motion didn’t escape Gu Changzheng’s eyes. He was now certain his deductions were correct: the July 5 Major Case wasn’t finished even after Ren Jia’s death and Liu Baoshan’s arrest—another accomplice, possibly even the mastermind, still walked free.

That person was Tan Haiqing—he was certain of it. But he had no evidence yet. The only opening now was Liu Baoshan.

“How about I tell you how you conspired to kidnap Jiang Yuanqi, killed a cop to seize his gun, then accidentally took Ren Jia hostage—forcing him to help you complete the kidnapping?”

“How’s Qing’er? He’s mentally ill! Aren’t you a cop? Didn’t you just stand there like a savior, gloating about your superiority? Are you going to hunt down a mentally ill man too? Huh? Huh?!”

Liu Baoshan suddenly screamed like a man possessed.

Indeed—Tan Haiqing was the person Liu Baoshan desperately protected. The same person who had shared his life in the juvenile center: Tan Yang.

Liu Baoshan roared, his vision filled with Tan Yang’s pale, clean face; memories of their days together in the center flashed through his mind like a movie.

“That day, Tan Yang was like a ghost—completely unlike himself. By night, I saw him curled under his blanket, trembling nonstop. I thought he was sick and was about to go check on him and report to the guards—when I noticed someone moving toward his bed in the dark.”

The figure was much larger than any of us kids—I recognized him before he even got close: Hu Feng, the prison bully among us juvenile delinquents. I saw him reach into Tan Yang’s blanket; Tan Yang, already shaking, trembled violently. Then Hu Feng leaned down and whispered something to him. Soon after, Tan Yang crawled out of his blanket and followed Hu Feng to his bed at the back—where Hu Feng’s cronies slept. I didn’t dare move. Not long after, I heard muffled sobs and heavy breathing from that corner. Half an hour passed before the sounds stopped.”

I didn’t understand what was happening then—I just felt afraid, thinking Hu Feng was just inventing new ways to torment Tan Yang. The next day during labor, I found a chance to ask Tan Yang about the night before. He looked stunned—I hadn’t expected him to know I knew. His face turned instantly white. I was stunned too—until then, I had no idea what Hu Feng had done to Tan Yang.”

Seeing how terrified he was, I said I’d report it to the guards. But Tan Yang grew even more frightened—he grabbed my clothes tightly and whispered, asking me to take a bathroom break first, then meet him there—he’d tell me the truth.”