Chapter 99: Interrogation

"Why?"

Sun Hongqi exerted all his strength and uttered his last unwillingness from his throat.

I've already surrendered; wasn't it agreed that surrender means no killing?

He glared with anger, his heartbeat stopped.

The comrades here also paid for their carelessness: one died on the spot, another was shot in the leg.

If it weren't for Yang Qing's timely warning and his random shooting disrupting the enemy's movements, casualties could have been worse.

Ge Liang's heart was still beating.

They were shouting, but those standing in front faced the greatest danger naturally.

The two, one dead and one wounded, were right beside them.

Yang Qing was no better off; he now felt weak all over, covered in cold sweat.

It really was cold sweat—cool and chilly; when the wind blew, his whole body broke out in gooseflesh.

His hand went limp with a click, and the Browning fell to the ground.

His leg gave way, and he knelt down with a thud.

Afterward, his body went out of control, his stomach cramping violently.

Waa waa waa……

He vomited profusely, unable to care for himself, feeling as if his heart and liver would be thrown up.

Ge Liang soon recovered; after all, he had weathered great storms, and after a moment of fright, he felt little else.

He crouched, reached out, and patted Yang Qing's back to comfort him.

"It's fine, it's fine; after a few more times, you'll get used to it."

Yang Qing felt these words had no warmth at all.

What are you saying? Do you have any sympathy?

Yang Qing also found it strange; even when he had turned over corpses in the cave, he hadn't reacted like this.

How did firing a few shots at a person turn out like this?

Not everything in the world follows common sense.

This matter of Yang Qing's is hard to explain.

Those who followed Ge Liang over also made an unexpected decision.

Because someone had sacrificed, everyone remained silent, and no one spoke up for Yang Qing.

After the people in the earth cave came out, Yang Qing was taken into the bureau.

Interrogation room.

Two people whom Yang Qing didn't recognize sat before him, their eyes icy, looking at him as if he were a criminal.

"Name?"

Yang Qing was a bit unhappy inside, and answered mechanically.

"Yang Qing."

"Gender?"

"Male."

"Native place?"

"South Gong and Drum Lane No. 95……"

"Composition……"

…………

It seemed like just asking for basic information, but combined with tone, expression, lighting, and environment, it imposed tremendous pressure on him.

"Where did the gun come from?"

Although the other side was aggressive, Yang Qing's answer was flawless.

"Given by Chen Xueru."

"What is your relationship with Xu Liangcai?"

"We met while making clothes recently; he said he knew my father Yang Rong, and that's how we got acquainted."

"Why is he following you you?"

"I don't know; you need to investigate this."

"What grudge does Sun Hao have against you?"

"Because he once robbed my family and even almost killed me?"

"Do you still have contact with your father?"

Yang Qing shook his head.

"No, there's been no news at all, but Xu Liangcai said they're still alive."

"Don't you miss your father? Why haven't you contacted him through Xu Liangcai's connections lately?"

Yang Qing gave a bitter smile.

"Is it useful?"

"Do I resent that I'm not dying fast enough, or that I'm living too well?"

With a slap, the other person's hand hit the table.

"How so, do you hold a grudge?"

The bitterness in Yang Qing's heart, no one could understand.

"As a person not even as good as a living dog, what right do I have to speak of resentment?"

"When you ask me these things, if you lived a day in my shoes, you wouldn't be so self‑righteous."

"Hmph, you're a bad element; you have no right to speak to me like this."

Yang Qing closed his eyes.

"How old was I back then?"

"I was just a child—what ten unforgivable sins could I have committed?"

"If I'm all bad, how many good people are there in Jingcheng?"

"You dress neatly and are strong."

"These are all bought with ordinary people's lives."

"Each of us has original sin; mine is being born into a merchant family."

While saying this, Yang Qing was already emotional.

He even almost said, "Your current glamour is bought with the lives of millions of common folk."

In the end, he forced himself to swallow the sentence.

They have guns and status, so they can decide that the right is right and the wrong is also right.

Even though he now helps the bureau eliminate so many hostile elements, he is still a prisoner awaiting execution and must endure interrogation.

Even if he knows he'll eventually be released, his heart still holds too many grievances.

"On what grounds?"

Though Yang Qing didn't state it outright, the interrogators still understood his meaning.

"You are even more heinously guilty, yet you make life hard for an orphan like me."

This made them pause; after the new regulations emerged, during this time the central authorities kept reflecting.

The right and wrong in it are already very clear to everyone.

It's just that no one has spoken it too bluntly.

It is also under this wave of reflection that Yang Qing finally relaxed and voiced the words he had been holding inside.

After saying it, he regretted it.

Fortunately, the ones interrogating him were clearly part of the reflective wave.

After Yang Qing uttered that line, their mood was also poor; the disaster was huge, and too many had died.

It gave them a deep sense of guilt.

Their faith hasn't changed; it's just that lacking experience, they took things for granted and made huge mistakes.

In the end, they stopped further interrogating Yang Qing.

They didn't really know what to say.

They turned to interrogate the Siheyuan residents, Chen Xueru, and Xu Huizhen.

Xu Huizhen hadn't expected to bring trouble upon herself.

The last time Chen Xueru returned, she repeated Yang Qing's words; Xu Huizhen also felt she had done well and that Yang Qing's point was very reasonable.

Yet she never imagined she would be dragged into this big case.

Xu Liangcai dragged them down harshly, finding some very bad evidence in his house.

Yang Qing was interrogated for five days and then released.

Director Wang and the old lady still had some ability; they couldn't get much out of Yang Qing, and with his great contribution in setting traps for the Jiedao and the bureau, keeping him locked up any longer would be indefensible.

The courtyard house people, because Zheng Changgui was interrogated for three days, were released only after that.

Looking at the things produced by the interrogation, Ge Liang finally understood how difficult Yang Qing's years had been.

The two interrogators of Yang Qing fell silent when they saw those items.

Only then did they understand what Yang Qing's sentence meant.

If you lived even one day in his shoes, they would feel ashamed to utter such words.

"These people are literally beasts, treating a child like this."

Ge Liang felt nauseous.

"When I first saw Yang Qing, he was so thin he was just a handful of bones."

"It was only in recent days, with a daughter‑in‑law's support, that he improved a lot."

Xu Huizhen was interrogated for a week.

Because she was very close with Chen Xueru, she was considered implicated.

That is, Xu Huizhen performed so well that she managed to avoid it.

Meanwhile, Chen Xueru was interrogated directly for half a month.

When she emerged, her eye sockets were sunken, her complexion waxen, and her expression blank.

Seeing Xu Huizhen, she let out a wail and began to cry.

It's terrifying.

This time she escaped disaster, thanks to the Browning she gave Yang Qing.

Because Yang Qing used that Browning, he saved some people.

She can be considered to have a meritorious performance.

Moreover, after a thorough review, it was confirmed that she and Xu Liangcai had no deep connection.

Only then was she released.