Chapter 24: Enemies Meet

Liu Yanxin stared at him straight for a moment: "You say you weren't there, do you have any evidence?"

"Of course."

Li Jiaci said: "I have witnesses."

"You mean those few friends of yours?"

Liu Yanxin snorted and laughed: "They don't count as witnesses, because they're also suspects."

"Not just them."

Li Jiaci said: "There are many, many people who can testify for me; I haven't returned to Pingzhou at all these three days."

"Good!"

Liu Yanxin said: "Go find them then."

Li Jiaci puffed out his chest toward Liu Yanxin.

Seeing this scene.

Liu Yanxin immediately frowned: "What are you doing? Are you trying to tease me?"

"How could I be so idle?"

"How do I just love teasing you?"

Li Jiaci, speechless, raised his wrist where the shiny handcuffs were and said: "My hands are cuffed by you; if you don't help me, how am I supposed to hold anything?"

"In the pocket inside my jacket, there's a phone book; anyone listed in it can vouch for me."

"Now then."

Liu Yanxin also realized.

Knowing she had wronged someone, she blushed for a moment.

But it's not her fault; because she's pretty and delicate, almost every time she interrogates someone alone, the prisoner flirts with her, giving her a habitual mindset.

But at that moment, Liu Yanxin didn't hesitate; she immediately reached over and pulled out the phone book.

After glancing at it, she said to Li Jiaci: "Are you sure anyone listed will do?"

"Anyone will do."

Li Jiaci said firmly.

Those recorded are the timber merchants who bought wood from him during this period.

These people have seen him and all know he wasn't in the local Pingzhou area; as long as someone is willing to come forward, it naturally proves their innocence.

Liu Yanxin didn't hesitate long either; she immediately went out to make phone calls.

And don't even say.

The few she called are those who had the longest contact with Li Jiaci.

They started buying wood from him on the first day and continued until the last day.

And now they all said Li Jiaci wasn't in Pingzhou.

Liu Yanxin, however, didn't believe it and began asking them when they went to buy wood from Li Jiaci.

If they had coordinated beforehand, their times would surely show a flaw.

But she didn't expect that.

After she recorded everyone's times, she found that the timing actually proved Li Jiaci's innocence even more.

Because the times they went to the timber yard to haul goods varied—some went in the morning, some in the late morning, some at noon, some in the afternoon.

But no matter when they went, they all saw Li Jiaci at the timber yard.

This means Li Jiaci truly had no time to commit the crime.

And the results from Li Yihu and his group were basically the same situation.

Several Maozi in charge of interrogation also submitted their interrogation results upward.

"Impossible!"

"How could they possibly be innocent?"

Seeing these results, Team Leader Lin, who was in charge of the operation, jumped up high.

"My informant gathered the information clearly and clearly."

"They first mysteriously disappeared these days, then bought loads of luxury goods."

"If they didn't rob and kill, where did they get all that money?"

Team Leader Lin seemed to have thought of a key point, deliberately pointing at the stack of bills on the table and saying: "Exactly, where did they get all that money?"

"They disappeared because they contracted a timber yard in the suburbs."

Before anyone else could speak, Liu Yanxin said: "This money is from selling timber these days; don't ask why they profited—they were lucky, catching the new forest protection law the state issued, which drove up the price of birch timber fivefold."

"This..."

Team Leader Lin was suddenly speechless.

At that moment, all the Maozi around looked at Team Leader Lin with changed eyes.

Before, it was the same; Team Leader Lin had told them to ambush outside the Ye Huo Ge Wu Ting.

As a result, a big bunch of Maozi went over, spent the night blowing cold wind with him, and waited for nothing.

And today, it's the same again.

They arrested several mysteriously missing people, interrogated them for half a day, but the result was that they were all innocent, having nothing to do with Zhao De's disappearance in this case.

And seeing everyone's gazes, Team Leader Lin suddenly felt utterly ashamed.

At the same time, he also hated intensely the person who gave him false information.

Because there was an alibi.

Li Jiaci and the others were released that afternoon.

Liu Yanxin also personally unlocked Li Jiaci's handcuffs and returned all the money that had been confiscated from his home to him.

Li Jiaci moved his wrist, looked up at the woman before him, and said, "Director Liu, aren't you going to say something to me?"

Liu Yanxin blinked: "Say what?"

"Apologize!"

Li Jiaci said, "Out there, a pile of important matters are waiting for us to attend to, yet you've dragged us here, making us waste a whole morning with you."

"Do you know how many things this morning has delayed for me, how much money it's kept us from earning?"

"This..."

Liu Yanxin also lost her earlier sternness.

Upon seeing Li Jiaci, one's heart would inexplicably surge with a feeling of embarrassment.

However, she still put on a tough front and said, "This, this is indeed our dereliction of duty, but cooperating with the investigation to uncover the truth is the responsibility and obligation of every Dragon State citizen."

"Good!"

"You're so high and mighty, you're amazing."

Li Jiaci gave Liu Yanxin a thumbs‑up, then spoke sarcastically: "Just keep doing that, and public security will only get better, and the common people will only grow more convinced of you."

"What the hell are you saying?"

At that moment, the male Maozi who had come along couldn't stand it any longer.

He glared at Li Jiaci and said, "You damn troublemaker, how many things do you have on your back? Don't think we don't know."

"Even if we got you wrong this time, it can only barely offset what you've done before—don't act like you've suffered some great injustice."

"And you brat, listen up."

"Whatever you do, stay out of trouble and don't fall into my hands."

"Otherwise..."

"Team Leader Lin!"

Liu Yanxin spoke up to stop him, solemnly saying, "We are civil servants; this isn't something we should say."

Having said that.

Liu Yanxin then bowed solemnly to Li Jiaci and said, "This time, we have failed in our duty, and we are sorry to you; please forgive us."

Li Jiaci, however, completely ignored her, his gaze fixed on the person called Team Leader Lin before him.

"You're Team Leader Lin?"

"How so?"

Team Leader Lin gave him a cold glance: "You still want to cause trouble for me?"

"As a mere civilian, how would I dare to cause trouble for Director Lin?"

Li Jiaci wore a smile on his face.

But that smile was icy cold.

He lowered his eyes to glance at the ID card—turns out, his name is Lin Niansheng.

He must be the one who colluded with Li Qinglan to set a trap, who in the previous life drove them to desperation, staining his hands with the blood of countless brothers.