[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi":3,"chapter-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn in 2014: I Am the King of Criminal Investigation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315878,4529,"Chapter 22: Someone Else Involved?","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>That afternoon, the police found Kong Lingjie at a small hotel near the crime scene’s rented apartment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was it so easy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small hotel was just across the street from Kong Lingjie’s rented apartment, only a two-minute walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The police had been conducting their search radiating outward from the rented apartment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if the investigation had ended before it even truly begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So smoothly that even the officers involved thought the suspect had deliberately waited for them at the hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Kong Lingjie in custody, the next step was interrogation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang knew that this case had only just truly begun from this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this moment on, he had to race against time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suspect had clearly prepared a plan and would soon confess everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang had to find new evidence before that happened—he couldn’t let himself become like Lu Zhongxin in his past life, led by the nose by the suspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a probationary officer, he had no right to participate in the interrogation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in this life, he had a chance to interact with Kong Lingjie directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, Yu Dazhang had only ever seen Kong Lingjie’s photo in the case files from his past life—he had never met him in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But some things cannot be seen in photographs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such as demeanor and personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Photos don’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the interrogation room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin and another detective sat across from Kong Lingjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kong, Kong Lingjie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Age?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forty-three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your occupation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Loader at a cold drink factory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he couldn’t directly participate in the interrogation, as a member of the special task force, Yu Dazhang was allowed to observe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, he was in the adjacent room with the other team members, watching the surveillance footage on the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the back-and-forth in the interrogation room, Yu Dazhang finally understood why Lu Zhongxin had so easily fallen into Kong Lingjie’s trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, he had never understood it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had Lu Zhongxin shown zero caution toward this Kong Lingjie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, his Master was an experienced veteran detective who had seen all kinds of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without exaggeration, he could size up a person almost entirely by instinct and make the right judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this time, he had misjudged completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only today did Yu Dazhang find the reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man sitting across from Lu Zhongxin… was too ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind of person so ordinary he couldn’t be more ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave off the impression: simple, honest, quiet, shy, and insecure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, he had no distinguishing features at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hard to imagine such a man as a cunning, calculating criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, appearances can be deceiving—but could the contrast really be this extreme?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Kong Lingjie on the screen, a thought flashed through Yu Dazhang’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he really not be the killer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all the evidence pointed to him, and in his past life, he had indeed tricked Lu Zhongxin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So contradictory~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What puzzled Yu Dazhang most was that Kong Lingjie didn’t seem the type to devise such a plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A common laborer, outwitting a veteran detective and driving him to suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had that kind of intelligence, would he really work as a laborer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The logic doesn’t add up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another flaw: the high-profile lawyer Kong Lingjie hired in his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given his financial situation, he couldn’t even afford an ordinary lawyer, let alone a famous one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the question arises:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would that high-profile lawyer defend Kong Lingjie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it just a whim—he happened to pick Kong Lingjie’s case for fun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang almost laughed out loud at the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he wanted to practice, he wouldn’t choose a case this easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only logical explanation: someone paid for Kong Lingjie’s defense. In other words, Kong Lingjie had someone behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, this possibility was closest to the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, everything else made sense now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan wasn’t Kong Lingjie’s idea—it was devised by the person behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Lingjie was merely a puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thought circled in Yu Dazhang’s mind, impossible to shake off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were true, then what came next would be simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Find evidence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without evidence, this was just a logical guess—it wasn’t even a story, because stories need a beginning and an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going out,” Yu Dazhang said, tapping a teammate beside him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When my Master comes out, please tell him for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please...Col...lect 6...9...Bo...ok...s....!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teammate was a man in his early thirties; upon hearing this, he immediately asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you hungry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of question is that… Yu Dazhang stared at him blankly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to the crime scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Yu Dazhang was going to the crime scene, all the teammates turned to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions seemed to say: Are you going to the crime scene to find food?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you all staring at me?” Yu Dazhang frowned, rolling his eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to see if I can find any other clues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the teammates’ expressions grew even stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main suspect had already been caught; the case would be closed soon. Why go to the crime scene now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you want to slack off, at least pick a plausible excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you need someone to go with you?” one teammate asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was implying: If you’re going to slack off, we’ll expose you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang didn’t catch the implication—he genuinely thought the man wanted to accompany him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been worrying about how to get there; if no one went with him, he’d have to pay for a taxi himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now everyone was surprised—this guy actually agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words were already out; there was no turning back. The teammate could only grit his teeth and say:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… who’s going with him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang blinked twice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You and me, then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man opened his mouth as if to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Yu Dazhang’s bright, earnest eyes, he swallowed his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He groaned and scratched his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did my mouth have to be so stupid~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this fatty—he’s too naive. Didn’t he realize that was just polite sarcasm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he agreed to go, he was certain Yu Dazhang wouldn’t actually go to the crime scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fatty was probably just hungry—he’d inevitably get taken out to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, let him eat. He was going to eat anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the teammate got into the driver’s seat of a police car, while Yu Dazhang sat in the passenger seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s find a snack place nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of snack?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang found it strange—he didn’t understand what the other meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat,” the man said with an expression as if everyone knew:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, it’s just the two of us—stop pretending.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pretending what? I really am going to the crime scene!” Yu Dazhang raised his voice several decibels, clearly annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Yu Dazhang’s serious expression, the man fell silent and started the car, driving out of the compound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me introduce myself—I’m Qian Cheng, from the Technical Division.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Dazhang, Criminal Investigation Unit One.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there a place at the crime scene you like to eat at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1207,"2026-06-20T14:22:46.062Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7e28cfc657741674a7213b3dff2797ad1fb97762e9a409fb28704f7a1ffef694","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-23","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-21",763,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-cover.jpg"]