Chapter 17: The Interrogation

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Wei Qingzheng had considered many possibilities, but never imagined this was actually a chain plot.

Wang Zhi’s words stirred up a thousand waves. Except for Wei Qingzheng, the other two detectives also became unsettled.

Wasn’t it just three people? How did a fourth person get involved?

And all this happened without their knowledge.

Seeing the shock on Wei Qingzheng’s face, a hint of pride appeared on Wang Zhi’s expression as he said, “You should have said earlier that someone was providing clues to you. That way, we wouldn’t have to go around in circles. If I’m not mistaken, the culprit should be him.”

“That’s a long story, so I’ll keep it brief. Before, when I was out in Lin City, I offended someone—but not just one or three people, it was four people together,” he paused, then continued, “Four people, two of them are dead now. Someone’s been feeding you clues, and from what you said, Team Leader Wei, it’s a hint that they intend to come after me. Since they haven’t come yet, Team Leader Wei, you’ve been lured away…”

He cast a disdainful glance at the police officers present, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“What’s his name? What does he do? Where is he now?” Wei Qingzheng asked sternly.

Even before Wang Zhi spoke further, Wei Qingzheng had realized that he had been led away from the main scene.

He glanced at his watch; over two hours had passed since the agreed time.

If Jiang Jiansheng was clever enough to buy time and if there was an address, they might still find him.

Wang Zhi looked at him and softly said, “Jiang Jiansheng, a notorious swindler from Lin City, connected to underground casinos in several neighboring cities. As for where he lives, I have no idea.”

He spread his hands with a helpless look.

Wei Qingzheng immediately picked up his phone, lowering his gaze to conceal the calculating thoughts in his eyes.

He tightened his leather jacket, feeling the hard object inside, which brought him some reassurance.

He wasn’t a fool; he wouldn’t hand his life over to these people.

If he needed to run, and if that person came after him, he would kill him!

Daring to seek revenge on him was like a long-lived old man hanging himself—asking for death.

But Wang Zhi’s scheme had been too obvious; Wei Qingzheng saw through it at once and signaled his two colleagues to restrain Wang Zhi.

After going downstairs, he used a small phone to call his contacts, inquiring about informants related to underground casinos around Jiang City, asking if anyone had seen Jiang Jiansheng.

Soon, Wei Qingzheng pinpointed an underground casino in the southern suburbs. After a chaotic search, he obtained a clue that Jiang Jiansheng had left alone.

After checking, the man hadn’t returned to his residence in Jiang City. Wei Qingzheng suspected he had disappeared and began to investigate the surrounding area.

A clue from villagers near an abandoned factory caught his attention.

In the afternoon, someone working in the fields reportedly heard several eerie, piercing cries from the direction of the abandoned factory, almost ghostly.

Wei Qingzheng quickly got into his car and drove straight to the abandoned factory.

Hearing the clue, a bad premonition filled his heart.

It seemed he had arrived too late; the time lost on the way was enough for the culprit to kill Jiang Jiansheng.

Arriving at the barren land near the abandoned factory, looking at the desolate scene and the distant red-brick factory buildings, Wei Qingzheng turned to his colleagues behind him and said, “Prepare to enter the scene. Zhao Sheng, you and Qiao Jia watch Wang Zhi carefully. When I find the body, call him in to identify it.”

“Got it!”

“Okay.”

Both responded in unison.

Wei Qingzheng donned his mask, shoe covers, and gloves, and began surveying the surroundings. Soon, he discovered bloodstains on the hay.

The others began to set up yellow police tape to cordon off the scene, then entered the area around the abandoned factory from all directions.

Wei Qingzheng followed the blood trail, watching his step carefully as he moved deeper inside.

Drag marks gradually appeared before him as he walked on.

His premonition was confirmed; anger and a faint, chilling fear crept over him.

A detective like him had actually been outwitted.

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He walked for a long time, thinking deeply, as various clues intertwined in his mind.

The only good thing now was that these three cases could be investigated together since they were connected.

As for who linked them, he believed he could learn that from Wang Zhi.

He would never allow such a thing to happen again.

The winding drag marks stretched about two kilometers.

Finally, on a pile of hay, Wei Qingzheng saw Jiang Jiansheng’s tortured body.

He called out, “Bring Wang Zhi in to identify the body.”

After confirming the call was received, he knelt down with a flashlight, carefully examining the corpse.

At that moment, the forensic pathologist arrived from Jiang City.

Camera shutters clicked at the scene. After Wang Zhi’s identification, it was confirmed the deceased was Jiang Jiansheng.

After the identification, Wang Zhi was taken away.

Wei Qingzheng surveyed the scene, frowning at the shattered legs and the throat wound. This was another revenge-motivated, brutal killing. The killer and these four men must have a deep, bloody grudge.

Wang Zhi’s claim of a mere offense was far too simple.

He reached out with a gloved hand and took the man’s hand. The thick arm was covered with dense tattoos. To subdue such a grown man, with little evidence of a struggle here, this was not the primary crime scene.

He shook the limp hand gently.

It fell softly onto the grass like rubber.

This movement revealed a red plastic lighter hidden in a gap beneath the hay.

“Get an evidence bag,” Wei Qingzheng thought to himself, feeling this might be a lighter left by the killer. He reached out to a colleague collecting evidence nearby.

The colleague handed over a clear plastic bag.

Wei Qingzheng carefully picked up the lighter with his gloved hand and placed it into the evidence bag.

The forensic pathologist worked swiftly, finishing the body removal and the scene inspection.

Preliminary conclusions were that the victim’s legs had been broken, both hands injured, yet he had crawled two kilometers alive before being killed and dragged back.

Most notably, the body showed muscle reactions typical after anesthesia, indicating the use of anesthetics.

Wei Qingzheng couldn’t help but think of Sun Bin’s wife, who had been a nurse before coming to Jiang City and could easily access anesthetics.

He made a mental note and continued inspecting other clues at the scene, hoping to find more leads.

By the time all was done, it was already ten at night, and everyone at the scene felt a wave of fatigue.

“Bang!”

At that moment, a loud, firecracker-like sound rang out.

Wei Qingzheng’s heart jumped as he stood up, his face darkening.

He recognized the sound all too well—it was the shot from a wooden stock firearm.

He heard Zhao Sheng’s voice calling out with a flashlight as he rushed out.

Others quickly reacted, running toward the source of the noise.

When he arrived, one car was missing, Zhao Sheng was clutching his stomach and lying on the ground, and Wang Zhi was nowhere to be seen.

“He… he had a wooden stock…,” Qiao Jia, a young officer nearby, was stunned by the scene, trembling as he described what had just happened.

Hearing this, Wei Qingzheng felt a jolt, his face darkening further.

He instinctively scanned the scene and noticed another car was gone.

Clearly, Wang Zhi had been prepared all along.

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He urgently looked at Qiao Jia and asked, “Which direction did he go?”

There was no anger or blame; the immediate priority was to clean up the mess.

Qiao Jia helped the fallen Zhao Sheng up and pointed in a direction.

Wei Qingzheng looked at the gathered team and said, “Come with me to chase him. Qiao Jia, you stay here with the forensic team and call 120 to get help for Zhao Sheng.”

He was relieved to see that Zhao Sheng had not been hit in a vital area and was not in life-threatening condition.

Otherwise, he would regret it for life.

He got into his car and sped off in the direction Qiao Jia had indicated.

From afar, he could see the headlights of the vehicle Wang Zhi was driving.

He pushed the car to its limit.

Not only was Wang Zhi a wanted criminal in Lin City, but he also held vital clues about the three cases.

The vehicle raced wildly on the suburban roads; both parties were nearly risking their lives.

As the distance began to close, the cars entered the city.

Wei Qingzheng was blocked by a taxi and couldn’t catch up in time. When he saw the vehicle Wang Zhi had stolen again, the other party had already abandoned the car and fled.

He and his team got out to search but found nothing.

At the car, Wei Qingzheng’s pent-up fury burst out. He slammed the hood hard.

The “bang” echoed, revealing his anger.

He swore to himself that he would catch both that man and Wang Zhi!

After contacting the local police station for assistance in the search, Wei Qingzheng returned to the Public Security Bureau and sat outside the forensic room, waiting for the autopsy.

He called to check on Zhao Sheng’s condition.

Upon learning the bullet had been removed and there was no life threat, Wei Qingzheng breathed a long sigh of relief.

No life danger—that was what mattered.

Qiao Jia, covered in blood and eyes reddened, stood before Wei Qingzheng.

“Captain Wei, it’s all my fault. I wasn’t careful. I just wanted to go to the restroom and didn’t expect…”

Didn’t expect that Wang Zhi had a wooden stock hidden inside his jacket and, without hesitation, struck Zhao Sheng with it before running off.

“It’s my fault,” Wei Qingzheng said, standing and patting his shoulder, taking responsibility upon himself. He had been overconfident and careless—not only did he fail to search Wang Zhi properly, but he also assigned a rookie detective to Zhao Sheng, which resulted in Zhao Sheng’s hospitalization.

Qiao Jia was an intern detective in the team, often inexperienced. It was his first time encountering such a scene. Speaking coherently was already commendable.

Wang Zhi was truly a cunning fox, hiding too deeply. Even Wei Qingzheng didn’t anticipate this happening.

Qiao Jia wanted to say more but was stopped by Wei Qingzheng.

“Remember the lesson, that’s enough. No need for more. You’ll accept the criticism and write the self-criticism as needed.”

“Click.”

The glass door to the autopsy room opened. After comforting Qiao Jia, Wei Qingzheng turned to look.

The forensic pathologist came out and delivered good news.

They had found another fingerprint on the lighter that did not belong to Jiang Jiansheng.

The pathologist removed his mask. “Most of the fingerprints matched Jiang Jiansheng, but there was one unfamiliar print.”

Wei Qingzheng’s mind sparked. “Is the fingerprint complete?”

The pathologist nodded. “Relatively complete. This should be Jiang Jiansheng’s spare lighter. He also had a metal one in his clothes, probably his usual. As for the plastic lighter, we don’t know whose it is.”