236 Interrogation

 

I nodded and said, “Some other forces are mixed up in this. If I’m not mistaken, peace won’t last in Dong Xing City for long. However, since these people kidnapped Guan Zhenglin, they must want something from her, so temporarily she should be safe.” But that was only temporary. What did these people want? I guess we would know soon enough.

Guan Zhenglin was kidnapped, and I was arrested. I had no idea if anyone at the station could prove my innocence. Regardless, I was the biggest suspect. The victim was a cop, I didn’t need to stress how serious this was. Gu Chen seemed to know Duan Jingliang when he was in the military. Perhaps to give Gu Chen face, Duan Jingliang didn’t stop us from talking.

I continued, “The second thing, I need a favor.”

Gu Chen looked at me and nodded. “What is it?”

I was silent and then said, “Tell Sister Mao about this. You’ve seen her before. You know her, right?” Gu Chen nodded. Things had developed beyond my expectation. I felt like a pawn being played, but if this pawn could hop out of the chessboard, then it would confuse the players.

I walked forward. The soldier behind me wanted to stop me but was halted by Duan Jingliang. Duan Jingliang said, “Just get this over with. During the final investigation, the suspect will be handed over to the police, so you two will meet again. Don’t make it like this is some life or death situation. Stop wasting time.”

I walked to Gu Chen’s side and lay my head on his shoulder. I uttered, “Gu Chen, no matter what happens, trust me.” Then I took two steps back to smile at Gu Chen. Gu Chen looked into my eyes, and he frowned slightly. We looked at each other, and Gu Chen patted my shoulder. “Remember your identity, and don’t worry.”

“See you at the station.”

Then Gu Chen turned to tell the other officers, “Let’s pack up. This is over now.”

11.40 pm, inside an unknown small black room.

A person sat across from me. I couldn’t tell the person’s identity because the lights were aimed right at me. But I could hear this was an experienced man. “Wu Meng, we might meet again. Remember what I tell you today. You will hear my voice, we are kindred spirits.”

The lights blinded my eyes. I asked, “Who are you? What do you want? Are you with the military?”

The man opposite me didn’t answer. He said, “It doesn’t matter who I am, but it matters who you are. Things are coming to an end. There is a reason he has chosen you. Remember your identity.”

“Remember my identity? But what is my identity?” I shouted, “I am not even an official police officer!”

The man was silent and said, “You are, but you are not. You will understand it eventually. Since I can get out, then someone can get in. Don’t you feel like there is an invisible force controlling certain operation?”

In the end, I still had no idea who this person was. But I did understand why Duan Jingliang brought me here. It was more than just a procedure. The real reason was for this man to converse with me. But what was the goal? I would meet him again, but where and when?

12 midnight. Dong Xing City Station’s interrogation Room.

“I used to sit over there. I never thought I would be sitting over here one day.” I looked at the unfamiliar faces before me. “According to normal procedure, when an officer is a suspect, the officer will not be interrogated by the officers from his same district. I have not seen any of you before, so where are you guys from?”

An officer tapped on my file. “Wu Meng, an orphan, a loner, has no friend and unknown parents. You are raised by the prison master of Qing Cheng Prison. You grew up with criminals. You are familiar with various criminal methods. That’s you, right?”

I didn’t speak.

The officer continued, “An IQ test shows that your IQ is 120. You are smarter than normal but not the smartest. You have paranoia and joined the special task force one year ago even though you hadn’t recovered. You have not eaten your medicine for a year already and show minor signs of relapse.” I was more experienced than these people when it came to interrogation. I had read many psychology books when I was at the mental hospital. To understand a person, to read their thought, one had to find an opening, and this officer was doing that.

“Just cut to the point.” I said, “Let’s not walk around in circles. What you said is all true. And I will cooperate fully.”

The officer nodded, closed the file, placed his arms on the table, held his chin, and looked at me. “Okay, so you agree with our premise, you haven’t recovered from paranoia, and under certain circumstances, you might relapse. With that premise, let us talk about what happened underground.”

I began calmly, “At the time, I heard a gunshot and went searching for it. When I arrived, I saw a man lying on the ground. I looked around, and there was no one else. Then I checked the man. I realized he was already dead. When I examined the body, a gun fell to the ground. When I picked up the gun to check it, Duan Jingliang arrived with his people. And you know what happened next.”

The officer stared at me, trying to read the problem from my face. His one finger kept rubbing his other finger. After a pause, he said, “You mean, inside an enclosed space with no other path, you are not the killer, and the killer had miraculously disappeared?”

I nodded and shrugged. “So there are two possibilities. 1, the killer has disappeared using a method we are not familiar with; 2, the man committed suicide.”

The officer smiled and slammed on the table. “I knew you would say that, but do you think an officer who just got married and would go on a honeymoon would commit suicide?” His tone was stern and loud, “If a person wanted to commit suicide, the gun would be pressed against the temple. If that were the case, the entry point would have clear burnt skin, but we didn’t spot that during the autopsy. And this means that.” The officer’s tone was hostile. “The gun was not pressed against his temple. Based on ballistics, the gun was at least 50 cm away from his forehead.” The officer used his finger to make a gun. He pointed at his temple and slowly moved his hand away until it was about 50 cm away. We looked at him, and he said, “See, this is about 50 cm. But don’t you think it’s strange? If a person wanted to commit suicide, why use such a strange posture?”

I didn’t speak.

The officer continued, “So the two possibilities you gave make no sense. The killer will not miraculously disappear, and the officer wouldn’t commit suicide. So you were the only one present, do you think anyone will believe your argument?”

I shook my head and stressed, “It’s not an argument. It’s the truth.”

“Fine.” He slammed the table again. “You might be able to explain that, but there is a detail that you might not be able to explain. Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

I frowned. I knew that the man was finally getting to the point.

I nodded and said, “Go ahead.”

He shrugged. “Where is your gun?”

I knew this was coming. Honestly, I wanted to know the answer too. I said, “Probably at the station.”

“The station?” He laughed. “Do you really think we’re that easily fooled? If your gun is at the station, whose gun was the one found beside the dead body? 9283, that is the number of your gun. The gun and the bullet inside the gun all came from you. And you’re telling me you’re not the killer.”

The gun was indeed mine, but I had no idea why it was there. And why it was used to kill that man. I was reminded of the thing that mysterious man said. Sometimes, there was indeed a mysterious force controlling the various missions. But what was this force, and what did they want with me?

Since I didn’t answer, the officer pressed, “Don’t tell me, you didn’t sign this gun out.”

I said seriously, “Based on procedure, an officer has to write a request before every operation to carry a firearm. After the operation is over, the station will check the ammo and the gun. So why can’t other people use this to frame me? Why don’t you ask the gun manager? Do you think I’ll be that dumb?”

I added, “Plus, this system is very harsh on me. Normally I don’t even carry a gun!”

“Do you think I’ll be here if I don’t know all that?” The man scoffed derisively.