Chapter 161: Catching a Man

Noon.

Wanxiang City.

Wu Junhao carried a bag of roujiamo and handed it out one person at a time, as if last night had never happened.

When it came to Jiang Yuan, Wu Junhao slipped him an extra bottle of milk. "Little Jiang is still young—might still be growing. Drink more."

"If Jiang the forensic doc grows any taller, he'll need a special car just to sit." A teammate from the same squad chewed loudly and devoured his roujiamo in two bites.

Wu Junhao patted the teammate's head affectionately, shoved a cigarette into his hand, and said, "Don't worry so much about Jiangcun people. Let's focus on the arrest plan."

Last night, they confirmed the tour group's itinerary at just past four, departed before five, drove six hours in a fast vehicle, and finally arrived at the westernmost tip of Shannan Province—Wanxiang City.

Compared to Ningtai County's lack of tourism resources, Wanxiang was one of Shannan Province's larger tourist destinations.

Here there were mountains, water, culture, and solid infrastructure—among the top choices for tourists visiting Shannan.

The tour group Li Jianye joined—the same one the suspect was in—would have lunch in Wanxiang City today, then enjoy free time after checking into the hotel.

The arrest team, led by Wu Junhao's First Squad, planned to strike inside the hotel.

Jiang Yuan was brought along primarily to identify the suspect and his shoes.

If they missed him and failed to corner him in the hotel, Jiang Yuan would be responsible for reviewing surveillance footage to locate him.

Parked nearby in a Coaster sat the battalion's political instructor. He was an old acquaintance of Wanxiang City's Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation and was now chatting with him, coordinating joint operations.

Arresting locally was easier with local police involved.

An hour-plus wait was the most nerve-wracking part.

Wu Junhao now regretted choosing the hotel for the arrest. Sitting in the car, he stared at his phone—footage from the team member tracking the tour group eating at a restaurant—and muttered, "This place is just as good for an arrest. Actually, if we could contact the driver, we could catch them all at a highway toll booth."

Jiang Yuan smiled but said nothing. Several plans had been considered on the way here. The hotel was chosen in the end for timing and error tolerance.

Contacting the driver risked him slipping up—maybe someone would overhear the call.

Most importantly, Jiang Yuan and the others needed time to arrive. This hour-plus wait was buffer time—if anything went wrong, they'd still have room to react.

You couldn't just rush in, unfamiliar with the terrain, and start arresting. If the suspect escaped, you'd be completely lost—not even knowing where to chase.

Even now, within the criminal investigation squad, some were suggesting they track the group longer.

Because to seek the death penalty, evidence was still insufficient, the chain of evidence incomplete.

But Wu Junhao and Huang Qiangmin were both unwilling to wait.

Li Jianye had already reached Wanxiang City with the tour group. For officers from Ningtai County's criminal investigation squad, tracking him was no longer feasible—and even if they did, what information would they gain?

The known facts: the tour group would leave Wanxiang City and cross provincial borders within at most two days. Then tracking would be even harder.

The main issue: everyone was completely unfamiliar with Li Jianye. Bringing him in might yield more information.

The tour group spent thirty minutes eating, took a brief rest, then boarded the bus together.

Since beginning their tour from Changyang City, they'd been traveling over a week—basic discipline was already established.

Another thirty minutes brought them to the hotel. Wanxiang City's criminal investigators walked straight into the lobby, watching the group check in.

Ningtai County's officers did not appear—they feared Li Jianye might recognize them.

Since he'd returned to the crime scene, any officer who'd been there might be remembered by him.

Members of the First Squad simply lay in wait inside the room assigned to Li Jianye. Guards were posted on both sides of the corridor—once he stepped out of the elevator, he'd be trapped.

Wu Junhao had considerable experience and creativity in arrests.

Under his command, his squad carried not only universal room keys but also hydraulic cutters, ready in case Li Jianye locked the door with a chain.

To Jiang Yuan, the First Squad's operation was pure overkill.

Take the deputy squad leader beside him, grinning and carrying the hydraulic cutter—his job sounded like cutting the door chain, but inside the bathroom, four massive men were already hiding.

Jiang Yuan couldn't imagine how crushed Li Jianye would feel when he stepped into the room.

Dozens of men, heavier than donkeys and taller than horses, gathered to take down one man—no Japanese film would dare shoot this.

Amid all eyes, Li Jianye entered the elevator, completely unaware.

Wu Junhao slapped Jiang Yuan's shoulder and immediately stepped forward, blocking the elevator entrance.

The hotel had six floors; two officers guarded the elevator lobby on each.

Li Jianye's room was on the second floor—once he stepped out normally, he'd be gone.

"He's in the corridor," came a voice simultaneously in Wu Junhao and Jiang Yuan's earpieces.

Wu Junhao and Jiang Yuan turned and rushed up the fire stairs.

Li Jianye was already trapped in the corridor—he just didn't know it yet.

The rooms on both sides of the corridor were empty, locked tight.

Wuuu…

The electronic lock clicked open.

Like a horn blast, over a dozen men—like charging steeds—bent low and surged out silently from both sides of the corridor.

No romance in arrests.

No male camaraderie.

No spiritual or physical struggle.

Nothing but the pure, slapping sound of flesh hitting flesh.

When Jiang Yuan arrived, he saw Li Jianye, one meter seventy tall, pinned against the wall by two men at least one meter eighty, his face crushed and distorted.

On either side, two men in tight-fitting suits pressed their shoulders hard against his waist, locking his arms.

Li Jianye didn't even have room to kick—he was pinned from below. Two men lay on the ground, their thick arms clamping his legs; his calves were trapped under the armpits of the giants, his knees crushed by fists.

At this moment, Li Jianye's thighs were thinner than the arms of the men pinning him.

It was a hundred-odd pounds versus over a thousand pounds. Jiang Yuan watched it like a rural pig slaughter—the process of handcuffing him was as slow and deliberate as driving the knife into the pig's heart.

"What's your name?" Wu Junhao asked, pulling back the arm choking Li Jianye's neck only after the handcuffs were secured.

Li Jianye stayed silent.

"Do you know you're caught?" Wu Junhao shouted.

Li Jianye lifted his eyelids, saw Jiang Yuan, and exclaimed, "Oh? From Ningtai County?"

Just that one sentence made a detective realize: this guy's crimes were definitely not just one.

Of course, his skill and audacity didn't match a rookie who'd only committed one crime.

"Take him back," Wu Junhao said, immediately stopping questioning. He searched Li Jianye on the spot, even yanking off his sweatpants' drawstring.

Li Jianye had brought luggage to check in—all other items were in his suitcase. No need to unpack; just drag it away.

The suspect and evidence went in one vehicle; others stayed behind to interview every member of the tour group, looking for accomplices or additional evidence.

After several more hours of travel, they returned to Ningtai County by nightfall.

The entire criminal investigation squad was assembled, waiting for him.

In numbers and spirit, they were more united than when awaiting a superior.

"Get his DNA, fingerprints, footprints, shoe impressions…" Lu Jianfeng, captain of the Forensic Team, approached first, scanning the physical evidence.

Meanwhile, Wu Junhao laid out each item seized.

"Three IDs, each with matching bank cards, and a mobile SIM—probably bought online," Wu Junhao said, revealing the first item, which surprised everyone.

"Creditor enforcers don't need this. A full set like this must've cost a fortune," Huang Qiangmin glanced and was astonished.

"It used to be cheaper. Now, any full set costs over ten thousand. His is different," Wu Junhao held up the ID, showing Huang Qiangmin the photo.

Huang Qiangmin studied it closely—the photo bore a two- or three-tenths resemblance to Li Jianye himself.

With the photo's clarity, that slight resemblance could fool many places.

"He's a professional criminal. Check all these IDs—see what cases they're linked to," Huang Qiangmin adjusted the plan on the spot, ordering Liu Wenkai, captain of the Second Squad, to interrogate him.

Liu Wenkai and Wu Junhao—one scholar, one warrior—were Huang Qiangmin's strongest team.

For busting brothels, Liu Wenkai was exceptional; for interrogations, he had his own method.

Upon receiving orders, Liu Wenkai went into the bathroom, combed his slicked-back hair meticulously, scooped out a large dollop of hair gel, reapplied it evenly, then dried and set it with a blow-dryer.

Only after finishing did he calmly enter the interrogation room.

Liu Wenkai gathered his aura, ready to intimidate the suspect.

"Get me a cigarette, and some food," Li Jianye spoke first—demanding items.

Liu Wenkai was slightly surprised.

Normally, demanding things in this setting was a prelude to confession.

But this Li Jianye…

Liu Wenkai instantly understood: "You've left DNA or fingerprints at other crime scenes?"

They'd checked Li Jianye's identity multiple times—biological data was the one chain he couldn't break.

Li Jianye blinked, chuckled, and tapped Liu Wenkai's finger with his own, speaking in a martial arts slang tone: "That's not cool."

Liu Wenkai knew these self-styled old-timers well—he smiled.

All the strategy from the bathroom was discarded. Liu Wenkai offered a warmer smile, pulled out a cigarette, and slipped it between Li Jianye's outstretched fingers.

He lit it for him, then said, "If you've got cases on you, just be straightforward. Say what you want to say—before you get locked up and someone else uses your name to scam people."

Li Jianye's lips curled slightly. He looked down at the cigarette. "Liqun? You smoke like a real man."

Liu Wenkai watched him, waited until he'd smoked half the cigarette, then asked: "Tell me—why do you think we arrested you?"

"The guy I stabbed down from the building in Ningtai County?" Li Jianye looked utterly indifferent.

Liu Wenkai felt instant satisfaction.

That single word—"stabbed"—proved the killer was almost certainly him.

How else would he know the victim, Hu Lei, was killed by being stabbed with a mop handle?

"What was it stabbed with?" Liu Wenkai asked on the spot.

"A mop," Li Jianye said, smoking and exhaling smoke rings.

Thus, the murder weapon was confirmed.

Liu Wenkai followed up with the motive: "Why kill Hu Lei?"

"I never intended to kill him. I just wanted some money," Li Jianye said calmly. "I pretended to be from a debt collection agency and told him to withdraw some cash. He withdrew over three thousand, but when I asked for more, he started screaming and threatening suicide."

Li Jianye shook his head, wearing an expression of disapproval toward the younger generation's lack of sense.

Liu Wenkai's eyelid twitched: "What do you mean, 'pretended to be from a debt collection agency'?"

"I just posed as someone from a debt collection agency, going after people who owed high-interest loans. I used to work for one, but then I thought: if collecting money is this easy, why work for a company? I'd do better on my own."

"You had no legal claim—yet you just demanded money?"

"Who needs legal claims? All I need is a list of debtors," Li Jianye said proudly. "These companies are all cowards. All that 'contact list bombing'? Useless. If you show up in person, every single person who took out online loans will pay up."

"You took the money but didn't cancel their debt?"

"Canceling the debt is their problem—not mine," Li Jianye chuckled.

Liu Wenkai wanted to say this guy was just robbing people—but robbing under the guise of debt collection seemed oddly more effective than outright robbery?

"Where did you get the list of debtors?" Liu Wenkai couldn't help asking again.

"Online," Li Jianye said, then gestured with his chin. "I bought fake IDs online too."

"Hmm…" Liu Wenkai felt physically ill from Li Jianye's blunt honesty. He adjusted his breathing before speaking again: "You got over three thousand from Hu Lei—yet you still killed him. Why?"

"He climbed out the window himself," Li Jianye grinned, his smile twisted. "I had the mop handle ready just to scare him. But this kid climbed up and threatened me—he said if I pushed him any further, he'd jump."

Li Jianye's eyes grew distant as he recalled: "I watched him climb out the window. No one else was around. I just laughed."

Li Jianye's twisted smile returned. "I thought to myself: this is perfect…"

Liu Wenkai waited a full minute before asking: "Perfect what?"

"Perfect murder," Li Jianye said, his smile fading. "Don't people online always talk about this? I shouldn't have stabbed him, right? Did the autopsy show any changes to his chest? I scared him—he didn't fall. So I had to stab him."

Liu Wenkai watched his expression grow increasingly smug, increasingly satisfied—and felt a wave of nausea.

Liu Wenkai deliberately interrupted: "You went back to the crime scene afterward?"

"You found out?" Li Jianye shrugged, indifferent.

Liu Wenkai didn't answer. He only asked: "Why go back?"

"It's not every day you pull off such a clean job. I wanted to admire it, take a few photos—for keepsakes," Li Jianye's expression grew even more deranged.

Liu Wenkai exhaled. So the man's phone still held his own evidence of the crime.

At that moment, Liu Wenkai remembered the suitcase he'd seen earlier—containing scarves, ropes, and other items. He stood up abruptly and called out to Huang Qiang outside: "Huang Team Leader, the items in his suitcase might be the murder weapons from the crime scene."