Five days passed unnoticed, and Su Tang was still in the detention room of the Municipal Bureau. The young police officer in charge of guarding the detention room was puzzled. Usually, suspects, whether guilty or not, were transferred to the detention center within two days, or released within twenty-four hours. At most, for special circumstances, another twenty-four hours would be added, and then they would be dealt with. But this one... "Wolf smoke rises, prepare, rise!"
"Wolf smoke rises, the north looks at the vast land, the horses neigh."
Fine, this young lady was singing again. Every mealtime, an old man with a respectable demeanor but a rustic appearance would bring various delicacies. What was remarkable was that no one, from the director to the gatekeeper, tried to stop him. No one knew what kind of offense she had committed.
A series of urgent doorbell rings suddenly sounded.
"Xiao Qiao, take someone in!" Outside the door, Director Wang, who was in charge of the detention room, shouted.
"The mattresses in the detention room are being replaced these days, and only one room is usable. Should we hold them separately?" Xiao Qiao opened the door and reported to Director Wang.
"Let's put them in separately for now. Get ready, we're about to interrogate them. Director Xiang wants to listen too," Director Wang instructed hurriedly and left.
"Take her in!" Xiao Qiao and two colleagues efficiently escorted the newcomer to the only detention room that was still in use.
The door opened, the person was thrown in, the restraints on her feet were removed, but handcuffs were a must.
Su Tang, having eaten her fill and with nothing else to do, had just finished practicing her vocal cords when she realized there was a newcomer. Just as she was about to greet them, she looked up and was stunned.
"No fighting, you hear?" Xiao Qiao warned and closed the door.
Inside the detention room, two people stared at each other, one furious, the other embarrassed.
"Hi!" The newcomer, Han Shi, who had just been apprehended, spoke.
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred!
"Slap!" A shoe accurately hit Han Shi's head.
"You bastard, how dare you fool me! I'll kill you!" Su Tang, still handcuffed, put all her strength into it and lunged at Han Shi ferociously. But she was no match for the handcuffs, so she had to throw a shoe to vent her anger.
"I'm sorry, I used you," Han Shi said, facing Su Tang's rage with utter composure.
"You used me and toyed with my feelings!" Su Tang retorted, refusing to back down.
"Toyed with? Feelings?" The door suddenly opened, and Ping An stood at the entrance with a dark expression, followed by Gao Xiaofei, Mei Qian, and Hei Dou, all gritting their teeth.
"Old Gao, can I have a moment alone with this kid? Don't worry, no one will die," Ping An said fiercely.
"Interrogate first, then we'll see," Gao Xiaofei said, blocking Ping An and shouting outside again:
"Bring the suspect in for interrogation!"
It was four in the morning, the time when people are most sleepy, but tonight, everyone was excited. Because the case was special, Director Xiang Wanfeng had approved Ping An to participate in the interrogation as an "observer consultant." Mei Qian and Qiao Yidan were responsible for the interrogation, while Gao Xiaofei, Hei Dou, and Xiang Wanfeng watched the live feed in the next room.
"Name?"
"Han Shi."
"Previous names, aliases, nicknames?"
"Shi Han."
"Age?"
"27 years old."
The routine questioning began. Qiao Yidan, with a poker face, asked the most ordinary questions.
"Do you know why you were brought back?" Mei Qian asked.
"I know," Han Shi replied, also expressionless, as if reciting vocabulary.
"Tell us," Mei Qian said.
"I got into a fight at eighteen and broke a guy's head. I ran away."
"Not this one."
"I ran a small casino in the Riverside District."
"Not this one either."
Mei Qian slammed the table heavily.
Han Shi, however, seemed unaffected.
"Then tell me which one it is. I'm a detective; I've broken the law more than once to solve cases," Han Shi said, adopting a defiant attitude.
"Tell us about your relationship with Wang Sanfa," Qiao Yidan stopped Mei Qian from getting angry again.
"He's my godfather. I used to work for him," Han Shi said casually.
"Do you know about the crimes he committed?" Qiao Yidan asked.
"What crimes did he commit?" Han Shi retorted.
Qiao Yidan signaled Mei Qian with his eyes – this kid was a tough nut to crack.
"On the night of the xth, why did you ask Su Tang to meet you at Ma Delu's office building?" Qiao Yidan continued.
"Su Tang asked me to gather evidence of Ma Delu's crimes," Han Shi replied unhurriedly.
Ping An, who had been silent, frowned slightly.
"But why did you leave first?" Qiao Yidan asked.
"Ma Delu arranged for a girl to leave by car. Su Tang asked me to follow and see," Han Shi continued to answer.
"Su Tang drank water with hallucinogenic effects that night. It's said you gave it to her?" At this point, Qiao Yidan took out a water bottle and placed it on the table. This water bottle was found among Han Shi's belongings.
"Yes, what about it?" Han Shi, seeing the water bottle, showed no fear and retorted.
"So, why did you make Su Tang hallucinate?" Qiao Yidan asked.
"That's simple," Han Shi suddenly looked at Ping An and said provocatively, "Because I wanted to sleep with her."
No one expected Han Shi to answer like this. Although disgusting, it was surprisingly irrefutable. Mei Qian glanced at Ping An with concern, only to find that Ping An showed no reaction.
"Captain Qiao, you and Mei Qian should take a break," Ping An suddenly said.
Qiao Yidan thought for a moment and surprisingly agreed.
In the interrogation room, two people left, and three remained.
Xiao Qiao, who was responsible for recording, nervously glanced at Ping An. Seeing that he wasn't angry at all, she then looked at Han Shi, who seemed somewhat excited and expectant.
"Seven years ago, you were the president of the detective club at the university, a young man full of Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin."
"You attended my lectures, listened to me talk about how to solve cases, and brought my books for me to sign."
"I remember you were very clever back then, almost flawless in your actions."
"I valued your talent. Although I didn't let you join the association, I made an exception and took you as my disciple," Ping An said word by word. "Later, how did I expel you?"
Han Shi did not expect Ping An to speak in such a way, without anger or accusation, but simply reminiscing.
Outside the interrogation room, everyone watched this scene intently. No one had expected that this Han Shi was once Ping An's disciple.
"I tricked a female student into a deserted alley to catch a pervert who was harassing her," Han Shi said with a hint of self-deprecation. "But that night, I caught him red-handed!"
"But that night, a girl's innocence was lost!" Ping An suddenly exploded, smashing a teacup on the table.
"I'm a detective; I only care about the truth!" Han Shi retorted fearlessly, bracing himself against the table and shouting. "I don't accept you! If it weren't for your connections in the police force and your social status, why would I have let them beg you!"
Ping An remained silent.
"Even so, you are still cold-blooded to the end! You didn't consider right or wrong, did you? What kind of detective are you! You're a coward!" Han Shi roared. "Now, your foolish disciple has been arrested, and you're anxious? Aren't you anxious? You value morality more than solving cases, so why didn't you help someone who was desperate? Where is your morality? You're coming out now, and isn't it for your own selfish reasons? That Su Tang! That Su Tang! Why! Why can she be your disciple! I'm not convinced!"
"I never received any requests for help from Wang Sanfa or Chen Fei before. It was only after the bombing that I found out about all this. I didn't want these things to happen, but they did. I watched Wang Sanfa fall from the building with my own eyes, and my heart ached. So, I took this case, and I will solve it," Ping An said earnestly. "You've schemed everything, isn't it just to get me to come out? I am now officially involved in this case, and you should cooperate with me, tell me everything you know, and I will seek justice for the deceased!"
"Alright! But only after Su Tang is brought to court and sentenced to death. Your mistakes must eventually be paid for. I am not capable enough, I don't have the fame of a great detective like you, the police don't believe me, and no one in society helps me. I kindly hoped you would come out, but Wang Sanfa and Chen Fei, their hopes turned into resentment. Do you know they hate you?" Han Shi said.
"Su Tang is innocent?" Ping An said with some helplessness.
"What about Meiqi? What about Ajiao?" Han Shi said. "Meiqi is my girlfriend, the person I love most in my life. What did I do wrong?"
"I have already promised you that I will seek justice for them," Ping An said.
"Really? Then fine. I will also compromise. You must publicly expel Su Tang from your tutelage and never take another disciple for the rest of your life. And I will be your only true successor! From now on, you are not allowed to take any more cases!" Han Shi said greedily. "I've calculated my own affairs. In at most fifteen years, I will be free. By then, I want you to recommend me to the association. I will take your place and become the true king of detectives! I will defend the order of this city in my own way and maintain justice in this city with my methods!"
In the observation room next to the interrogation room, Gao Xiaofei, hearing this, could no longer hold back and said, "Damn it, this bastard Ping An, is the status of a disciple so valuable? How come I never realized it?"
Xiang Wanfeng, however, did not ridicule this seemingly absurd bargaining. He said, "It's brilliant. In terms of ability, this Han Shi is definitely someone who can match Ping An. In his rage, his words are flawless."