[{"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-31":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},2315887,4529,"Chapter 31: It Was Me Who Killed Her!","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>In the conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin finished his boxed meal in just five minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wiping his mouth, he opened the inspection report and began reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more minutes passed; he put down the report and looked at Yu Dazhang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand what you mean. With this, Kong Lingjie can’t deny it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin had been a detective for over a decade; his experience was still invaluable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could tell the case was becoming increasingly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This inspection report is physical evidence that directly proves the rented apartment was not the primary crime scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using activated charcoal to treat the corpse, then cleaning it all up afterward—clearly an attempt to fabricate the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another possibility: Zhang Yan’s body was cleaned before being moved to the rented apartment, and this scenario better matches the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the cleaning happened in the rented apartment, traces would inevitably remain, impossible to miss during the technical team’s inspection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we wrap it up today?” Yu Dazhang asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem,” Lu Zhongxin replied confidently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s already cornered. With this ironclad evidence, he won’t hold out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If previous interrogations had been a war of attrition, Lu Zhongxin was now ready to launch a full-scale offensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evidence was his most powerful weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If possible, try to get him to reveal clues about the primary crime scene,” Yu Dazhang said, his expression anxious:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m afraid if we wait too long, the scene will be destroyed—then even if we find it, it’ll be meaningless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he knew this possibility was extremely slim—even that Kong Lingjie didn’t know where the primary crime scene was—Yu Dazhang still wanted to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who can say what luck might bring?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around five p.m., the interrogation made a breakthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Lingjie broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with ironclad evidence, he could no longer lie—even his best acting couldn’t withstand the cruelty of reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Lu Zhongxin’s relentless pressure, his emotions collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was me! I killed her! I killed her!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in the interrogation chair, Kong Lingjie violently shook his handcuffs, the chains clanging incessantly, his entire body teetering on the edge of losing control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a bachelor. When I saw a young, pretty female student, I got lustful. I tried to assault her, she resisted fiercely, and then…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then… then I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice grew quieter; his head sank lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep going. Keep making it up,” Lu Zhongxin pressed without letting up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you strangle her? Then hide in a nearby motel? Was this confession taught to you by someone?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if struck by a hidden secret, Kong Lingjie’s body jerked violently, his face as pale as paper, trembling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he raised his head again, his eyes were bloodshot, like a wounded beast, roaring fiercely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lies! You’re lying!! No one taught me! I killed her, I did it—why drag others into this?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a flaw!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin frowned, his eyes locked on Kong Lingjie, asking rapidly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is this ‘other person’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He… he’s…” Kong Lingjie immediately realized his mistake and clamped his mouth shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still maintained eye contact with Lu Zhongxin, his demeanor unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, no matter what Lu Zhongxin asked, he refused to speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Yu Dazhang sat in front of his computer, watching the surveillance footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Kong Lingjie’s stubborn, unyielding expression, he sighed helplessly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We didn’t get anything out of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Kong Lingjie had broken down emotionally, Yu Dazhang saw a stubborn resolve in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear he wouldn’t confess anything further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it didn’t matter—the goal had been achieved. At least now they could confirm Kong Lingjie was taking the blame for someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t speculation anymore—it was fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that this was confirmed, the next steps would proceed smoothly, and no one would question their direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Future interrogations with Kong Lingjie would no longer involve acting—this performance was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point in the case, the famous lawyer from his past life never even got a chance to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he did appear, it would only be to defend the real killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang felt a wave of relief, and his stomach growled loudly twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, hungry again~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning, the special task force held a meeting in the conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since everyone was working separately, they used the morning to review each team’s progress from yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin’s progress was already known to Yu Dazhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Cheng had spent the entire afternoon at the forensic center; the reply was that the final results would take at least two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you think autopsy means just dissecting the corpse and studying the organs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were all, it could be done in over an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Real autopsy is only the first step: dissection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Histological examination, toxicology tests—these all take time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If pathological sections are needed, the process can stretch to about a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So two days for final results? That’s already expedited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang could only wait, no matter how impatient he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please... collect... 6...9...books...!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Qian Cheng finished his report, Yu Dazhang turned to the two officers investigating Zhang Yan’s social circle:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s the investigation into the victim’s social relationships going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them immediately replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Yan’s social circle was very transparent—she only interacted with teachers and classmates, almost no other social contact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s like not investigating at all… Yu Dazhang thought for a moment, then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No special relationships at all? Close same-sex friends? Opposite-sex crushes? Nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen photos of Zhang Yan from before her death; in modern internet terms, she was “hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that her youthful age and naturally beautiful, unmade-up face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She embodied “youthful invincibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang didn’t believe a girl like this had no male admirers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially on campus, compared to other girls with average looks, her uniqueness stood out even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hormones make men naturally drawn to beautiful girls—it’s not something willpower can control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there are always a few bold ones who act on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Yu Dazhang’s tone turn sharp, the other officer quickly replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There were a few suitors. According to Zhang Yan’s classmates, several boys in her class gave her love letters, but nothing came of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But a boy from the next class, Zhou Yewei, has been getting close to her recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang’s temper flared—he’d been forced to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What, are rookie cops too weak to manage you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why didn’t you mention it earlier?” Yu Dazhang’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he has no motive,” the officer hurried to explain:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We investigated his class. Zhou Yewei really did have feelings for Zhang Yan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was some romantic tension.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But their homes are in opposite directions, and every day after school, he went home with classmates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the day Zhang Yan disappeared, he went home with classmates too—others can confirm it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he had no opportunity to commit the crime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His meaning was clear: we didn’t withhold it—we just thought it was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang didn’t agree. In his view, no clue, however small, could be ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Same as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reinvestigate,” Yu Dazhang glared at them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, no matter what you find—even if a boy bought her an ice pop—write it all down and report it to me. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like scolding a son… Both nodded quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it, got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Yu Dazhang turned to the two officers investigating Kong Lingjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them immediately straightened his back, his eyes gleaming:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve made a major discovery—Kong Lingjie still has a relative…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a minute!” Yu Dazhang scratched his ear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say that again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1258,"2026-06-20T14:22:46.062Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","54073050ddf4868bc4b351a0aeaef16dcc6719a5bef4e29a1606d7e2abf0cf68","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-32","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-30",763,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-cover.jpg"]