Chapter 22: Someone Else?

That afternoon, the police found Kong Lingjie at a small inn near the rented apartment where the crime occurred.

Why was it so smooth?

The truth was that the small inn was too close to Kong Lingjie's rented apartment; the two were separated by only one street, a two-minute walk.

And the police had been investigating outward from the rented apartment as the center.

It was equivalent to the investigation mission ending as soon as it began.

It was so smooth that even the police officers participating in the mission felt the suspect was deliberately waiting for them at the small inn.

With Kong Lingjie caught, the next step was the interrogation phase.

Yu Dazhang knew that from now on, this case would truly begin.

And from this moment on, he had to race against time, seizing every second.

The suspect had obviously made plans; he would admit to everything before long.

Yu Dazhang had to find new evidence before that, not to be led by the nose by the suspect like Lu Zhongxin in his past life.

With his current status as a probationary police officer, he was not qualified to participate in the interrogation.

But in this life, he had the opportunity to come into direct contact with Kong Lingjie.

That's right, Yu Dazhang had only seen Kong Lingjie's photo in the case files from his past life; he had never seen him in person.

But some things cannot be seen in a photo.

For example, temperament and personality.

Photos do not speak.

In the interrogation room.

Lu Zhongxin and another criminal police officer sat in front of Kong Lingjie.

"Name?"

"Kong, Kong Lingjie."

"Age?"

"Forty-three years old."

"What is your occupation?"

"Porter at a cold drink factory."

Although he could not participate directly in the interrogation, as a member of the special task force, Yu Dazhang had the right to observe.

At this moment, he was in the next room with other team members, staring at the surveillance footage on the computer.

Watching the question-and-answer session inside the interrogation room, Yu Dazhang finally understood why Lu Zhongxin had fallen so easily into the trap Kong Lingjie had set.

In his past life, he had never been able to figure it out.

Why did Lu Zhongxin have no defense at all against this Kong Lingjie?

You have to remember, the master was an experienced veteran criminal police officer who had seen all kinds of people.

Without exaggeration, just by intuition, he could see through a person almost completely and make a proper judgment.

Yet this time, he happened to misjudge.

It was not until today that Yu Dazhang found the reason.

The man sitting opposite Lu Zhongxin... was too ordinary.

The kind of person who was as ordinary as one could possibly be.

The impression he gave: simple and honest, taciturn and slow to speak, inferior and introverted.

Apart from that, he had no other characteristics.

With a person like this, it is hard to imagine him as a criminal who is both cunning and calculating.

Although one should not judge a book by its cover, the contrast should not be this great, right?

Looking at Kong Lingjie on the screen, a thought flashed through Yu Dazhang's mind.

Could it be that he really is not the murderer?

But all the clues pointed to him, and in his past life, he had indeed set a trap for Lu Zhongxin.

So contradictory~

What puzzled Yu Dazhang most was that Kong Lingjie really did not seem like the kind of person who could come up with that plan.

An ordinary worker tricking an experienced veteran police officer around and finally forcing him to commit suicide.

If he had that kind of intelligence, would he honestly go to work as a laborer?

The logic doesn't add up!

There was another flaw: the famous lawyer Kong Lingjie hired in his past life.

Judging by his financial conditions, he couldn't even afford an ordinary lawyer, let alone that kind of famous big lawyer.

So the question arises.

Why would that famous lawyer defend Kong Lingjie?

Just in a good mood, randomly taking a case to play with, and coincidentally choosing Kong Lingjie?

When Yu Dazhang thought of this possibility, he almost laughed out loud.

Even if he wanted to find a case to practice on, he wouldn't choose a case with no difficulty.

The only logical explanation was: someone paid to help Kong Lingjie with the lawsuit! In other words, Kong Lingjie had someone behind him.

That's right, this possibility is closest to the truth.

Yu Dazhang's eyes lit up.

With that said, other things could also make sense.

That plan was not thought up by Kong Lingjie either, but was plotted by the person behind him.

Kong Lingjie is nothing more than a puppet on strings.

The thought kept circling in Yu Dazhang's mind, impossible to shake off.

If that's really the case, then what comes next is simple.

Find evidence!

Without evidence, this is just a logical inference — not even a story, and a story needs a beginning and an end.

"I'm going out for a bit." Yu Dazhang patted one of the team members beside him:

"When my master comes out later, please help me pass the word to him."

Please... save... 6... 9... book.... bar....!

That team member was a man just over thirty years old; after hearing this he hurriedly asked:

"Are you hungry?"

What kind of talk is that… Yu Dazhang looked at him speechlessly:

"I'm going to the crime scene."

The moment they heard Yu Dazhang was going to the crime scene, every team member present turned their head to look at him.

Their expressions seemed to say: You're going to the crime scene to find food?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yu Dazhang was a bit annoyed and gave them a roll of his eyes:

"I'm going to see if I can find any other leads."

Hearing Yu Dazhang say this, the team members' expressions grew even stranger.

The main suspect has already been caught, and it won't be long before the case is closed — and at this point you want to examine the scene?

Even if you want to slack off, you should at least come up with a halfway decent excuse.

"Do you need someone to go with you?" one of the team members asked.

The way he asked was actually a hint to Yu Dazhang: dare to slack off and we'll expose you.

"Sure."

Yu Dazhang didn't pick up on it and really thought he was offering to have someone accompany him.

He'd been fretting over how to get there; if no one came along, Yu Dazhang would have to dig into his own pocket to hail a cab.

This time everyone was caught off guard — this guy actually agreed.

The words were already out, and it was too late to take them back now; that team member could only steel himself and say:

"Um, who's going with him?"

Silence~

Yu Dazhang blinked twice:

"How about the two of us go."

The man opened his mouth, seeming to want to refuse.

But after seeing Yu Dazhang's bright, sparkling eyes, he swallowed the words back down.

He scratched his head in frustration.

Why is my mouth so damn loose~

This fatty too — way too honest and simple, couldn't tell that what was just said was fake politeness mixed with mockery?

"Th-then, let's go."

Although he agreed to go together, in his heart he was convinced Yu Dazhang wouldn't actually go to the crime scene.

This fatty must be hungry; he'll probably end up getting fleeced for a meal later.

Let him eat then, he has to eat too anyway.

Once outside, that team member got into the driver's seat of a police car, while Yu Dazhang sat in the passenger seat.

"Let's just find a small eatery nearby."

"What small eatery?"

Yu Dazhang was a bit puzzled, not understanding what the other meant.

"To eat, of course." The man wore an expression that said everyone should understand:

"Alright, it's just the two of us, so stop pretending."

"What pretending? I'm really going to the crime scene!" Yu Dazhang's voice rose several decibels, clearly unhappy.

"Really going?"

"Of course."

Seeing the serious look on Yu Dazhang's face, he said nothing more, started the car, and drove out of the compound.

On the way.

"Let me introduce myself — I'm Qian Cheng, from the Technical Division."

"Yu Dazhang, Criminal Investigation Unit One."

"Is there a restaurant you like near the crime scene?"

Yu Dazhang: …

(End of chapter)