The quiet silence in the interrogation room became the final straw that broke Han Shi.
"When exactly did I slip up?" Han Shi finally resigned himself.
"From the beginning," Ping An said. "Your intention to clear your name was too obvious, because you didn't know how much the police already knew about you."
"What do you want to do with me now?" Han Shi asked, shaking his head fiercely.
"Dealing with you is a matter for the law. I'm in the mood to play with you today because I promised Wang Sanfa that I would find the bastards who killed Chen Meiqi and Ajiao," Ping An said, placing his hand on Han Shi's shoulder again. "If you still have a detective's conscience, cooperate with me, help me, and tell me everything you've found out."
Han Shi tremblingly raised his hands, grabbed Ping An's arm, and burst into tears.
Next door, Xiang Wanfeng, having watched enough of the detective versus detective drama, stood up with lingering interest and said to Qiao Yidan behind him, "Tomorrow, you'll accompany me to see Mayor Wang. Ping An, this kid, is going to stir up trouble in our city again. I also suggest you quickly gather your people. This kid is likely going for the kill this time."
In the early hours of the morning, Yao Wei, who was dragged out of bed, was brought into the city bureau with a crying voice. Everything unfolded as Ping An had deduced. That night, after Su Tang experienced the hallucinogenic effects, Yao Wei, who had already drugged the bodyguard, called her into the office building. While Su Tang fumbled in the hallway, Yao Wei went upstairs and knocked out Ma Delu first. He then went downstairs and handed Su Tang the iron rod that had been used to knock out Ma Delu the first time and was stained with his blood. At the same time, he played the sound of a mouse squeaking, forcing Su Tang to repeatedly smash the ground with the iron rod, ensuring that Su Tang's fingerprints and sweat were precisely imprinted on the rod. Finally, he bypassed the surveillance, jogged back to Ma Delu's office, and found Ma Delu climbing towards the window for help. He finished him off with a few swift blows.
"This Yao Wei had already learned from Han Shi that there were police surveilling the outside of the building. According to the plan, Ma Delu killed someone, and he needed to smash the glass to feign Ma Delu's distress signal, then knock out or even kill Su Tang. Then, before the police could reach the yard and go upstairs, he would throw Su Tang from the building. If she died, it would be over. If she lived, she'd have no defense," Gao Xiaofei told Ping An. "This was Yao Wei's first time killing someone, and he was guilty. After killing Ma Delu, he discovered the police had arrived and quickly hid. Fortunately, or Su Tang would have been in danger."
"The case of Ma Delu's murder can be considered closed. As for the construction site case, I only made a deduction. The evidence will be troublesome for you," Ping An said. "The purpose of these two cases was very clear: to use Zhang Si's identity and Yao Wei as pawns."
"Don't worry. The construction site has been handed over to the local authorities. We have more important cases to solve. We won't bother with this," Gao Xiaofei said. "As long as Su Tang is safe, everything else can be discussed."
Early in the morning, Ping An and Gao Xiaofei waited at the entrance of the city bureau. Behind them, Da Shu, Lao Yuan, and Lao Fang, their faces beaming with joy, waited for their boss to return from his "baptism by fire."
The door of the city bureau building opened, and Gao Da, acting as Su Tang's guardian, walked out with a smile, bringing Su Tang with him. Su Tang, on the other hand, looked embarrassed. She hadn't showered or washed her hair for a week, and her face was greasy and dark, something the usually neat girl couldn't bear.
Behind Su Tang were Mei Qian and Hei Dou, who had completed their procedures. The two of them flanked her, seemingly afraid that Su Tang would run off again.
Having been treated as a murderer, Su Tang seemed to have matured significantly.
At the entrance of the city bureau, seeing her master smiling at her, Su Tang's eyes began to water uncontrollably again.
"Master..." Su Tang pouted, looking wronged.
"Come here quickly, let me hug you." Without complaint, Ping An, just like every hug before, opened his arms and pulled his precious disciple tightly into his embrace.
She had been foolish and played for a fool, almost becoming a murderer. But in the eyes of Da Shu and the others, their young mistress had undergone a "baptism by fire." Everyone in the underworld knew that one couldn't be a "boss" without having served time. Now, their young mistress's "further studies" this time would be enough for the three of them to brag about for half a year.
"Our status will rise tremendously when we get back this time!"
"Those underworld organizations, those who went in for robbery and fighting, what are they compared to this! How high-class is our boss!"
"Awesome, awesome, awesome..."
After not seeing them for a few days, Su Tang missed the flattery of the elder brothers, and hearing it now made her extremely happy.
"Alright, let's go home first. This matter isn't over yet!" Seeing that his disciple had finally returned safely, Ping An put on his stern master's face. "Go home and take a bath first, then go see your aunt and nephew. Finally, go home and be grounded for a month. I'll talk to your school about it! You're not studying well anyway."
Being grounded was fine. She had caused such a huge mess and embarrassed herself immensely, so hiding at home was a good option.
"Master, I want to know, what will happen to that Shi Han, no, Han Shi, in the end?" Su Tang asked with mixed feelings.
"He won't have a good end. He knows it himself. Fifteen years," Ping An said. "However, if he is willing to fully cooperate with the police in solving the case and performs some meritorious service, his sentence might be reduced."
"That kid is already prepared to go to jail, how could he possibly help?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Because his belief has collapsed," Ping An said after some thought. "I told him that finding the person behind Ma Delu might be the last case he solves in his life. I hope he tries."
"Hey, that's not right. Why don't I hear any resentment from you, but rather a bit of guilt?" Mei Qian asked curiously.
"A good seedling, but unfortunately, his heart is not in the right place," Ping An sighed and said to Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian. "For now, Han Shi's case can be put aside, but it's not the end, it's the beginning of new cases. You two should summarize and report. I need to go home and rest for a bit, then go to the office for a few days. Once you've sorted things out, we'll join forces and wrap up the cases that need to be settled. I also want to see how powerful the forces behind Ma Delu really are."
In a villa in the suburbs of Hechuan, Ou Erjian, who was dozing off, boredly opened his phone.
"Meritorious Detective Ping An, a journalist, breaks the constraints of time and space, and after two years, once again solves a super cold case - the truth is revealed. The death of Ma Delu, known as the 'Entertainment Supervisor,' has a different story, unrelated to the model competition - Ping An acts again. Will the 'underground female corpse' case that has troubled Hechuan for days finally be solved..."
"He's got some skills. It was quite a complex case, and it was actually solved," Ou Erjian said without looking up from his phone. "They boast about how powerful their organization is, but in the end, it's Ping An who solves the case. You, on the other hand, haven't made any progress at all."
Opposite him, a woman wearing a red mask was meditating with her eyes closed.
"He is already the special talent our organization has been longing for. We have lost to him many times in the past few years, so this is not new. Otherwise, why would we have sought your help?" The woman's eyes remained closed.
"Ma Delu is dead, he's dead. Since it doesn't involve me, I don't need to bother cleaning up the mess," Ou Erjian lit a cigar, took a deep puff, and then exhaled the smoke forcefully into the woman's face.
"As we agreed, you will deal with this Ping An. Don't let him investigate me. I will provide the funds and give you a chance to make a comeback," Ou Erjian said sinisterly. "To put it bluntly, he's just a small reporter. In the face of wealth and power, he's nothing. Don't you agree, Mr. Ke!"
That's right, the masked woman in front of Ou Erjian was a genuine Mr. Ke.
"Mr. Ou, I'd like to remind you that this Ping An is not what you see—" the masked woman said.
"Even if he's the heir of the An family, so what?" Ou Erjian interrupted the masked woman, somewhat presumptuously grabbing her hand, and then said dismissively, "The An family is almost mine, how could I care about him—however, I am quite fond of his little disciple, so I want her!"
"Since we've said all that, please excuse yourself!" The masked woman opened her eyes, gave Ou Erjian a look of disgust, pulled her hand back, and then left.
Watching Mr. Ke leave, Ou Erjian immediately shed his lazy demeanor. He walked to a secret room behind the living room. This secret room was a shrine, vast in size, with only an offering table.
Ou Erjian lit three sticks of incense, bowed respectfully, and then took out a bow from a hidden compartment behind the offering table.
If Ping An were here at this moment, he would recognize at a glance that this rare longbow was his father Ping Fan's "family heirloom." But ever since Ping Fan committed suicide, the bow had disappeared. However, how did this bow end up in Ou Erjian's hands?
A cool breeze blew in from outside the secret room.
Ou Erjian examined the bow for a while, then suddenly took out a long arrow from the hidden compartment, drew the bow, aimed at a wall behind the secret room, and shot the arrow.
The long arrow drew a beautiful arc in the air, then precisely embedded itself into the wall.
"Master, you took the blame for me that year. I've been grateful to you for so many years. Have you forgiven me?" Ou Erjian turned back and looked at the portrait on the offering table. "I am your most proud disciple. Ping An is your son, but he is blocking my path. Naturally, we brothers must settle this. Don't worry, when I kill him this time, I will continue to worship you well. I believe you will forgive me, right?"
A gentle breeze stirred, rustling the drawing on the offering table. The person in the painting was none other than Ping An's father—Ping Fan!