Hua Du Police Station, interrogation room.
Ba Qiang sat in a specially made chair, his hands and feet bound by handcuffs and shackles. Interrogating him were Huang Yongxin and another seasoned detective, an expert in interrogating criminals.
"It's been so long, and this Ba Qiang still hasn't said a word."
Outside the interrogation room, Niu Qiuling and Wu Lei had been interrogating Ba Qiang for over an hour since his capture. But he hadn't uttered a single word, only glaring fiercely at Huang Yongxin and the other detective.
"This guy's got some thick lips."
Wu Lei clasped his hands on his hips, turning to Zhou Dong and asking, "Captain Zhou, what do we do now?"
"Go and invite Jia Xi and the others over. See if they can get him to talk," Zhou Dong said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Wu Lei nodded and turned to leave.
Niu Qiuling crossed his arms, looking at Ba Qiang in the interrogation room. "Captain Zhou, this guy isn't talking because he doesn't want to give up his accomplices!"
Zhou Dong nodded. "We haven't found Luo Sang Zhuoma, which means he definitely has accomplices. And from the video captured by the old surveillance cameras in Song Lang Town, the man in black with Luo Sang Zhuoma was clearly not the same person as Ba Qiang when comparing their builds!"
"Ba Qiang is only 1.7 meters tall, while that man in black was clearly 1.8 meters!" Niu Qiuling stated.
Zhou Dong nodded, then checked his phone. It was already 8:30 PM. He dialed Wan Yunting's number, and it was answered quickly by his voice: "Captain Zhou..."
"Yes, Yunting, we've caught Ba Qiang," Zhou Dong said.
Wan Yunting, who was having dinner at Gu Yuanbai's house, was startled and then excitedly laughed, "That's great."
Gu Yuanbai, Jiang Yichun, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao, who were sitting beside him, looked at the suddenly invigorated Wan Yunting with confusion. He explained, "The police have caught the murderer from the recent homicide case."
Now Gu Yuanbai and the others understood why he was so happy.
"How is it, have you found anything out?" Wan Yunting asked.
Zhou Dong sighed. "We're still interrogating him, but this Ba Qiang is very tight-lipped. He hasn't said a word, clearly trying to protect his accomplices."
Wan Yunting listened and nodded. "Then you'll have to find a way to break him. He's the only lead we have."
"Yes, I've already invited Jia Xi from Qizang to see if he can get Ba Qiang to talk."
Zhou Dong nodded, then asked, "How is Guan Hongyu? We were busy catching Ba Qiang today and didn't send anyone to follow Guan Hongyu."
Wan Yunting looked a bit embarrassed. "After I came back from his motorcycle shop this afternoon, I've been in meetings here at the association. I'll go look for him after dinner."
"Okay, I'll have Qiuling and the others go check on Guan Hongyu now. At the same time, I'll release the news that we've caught Ba Qiang!" Zhou Dong said.
Wan Yunting raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you want to use Ba Qiang to lure his accomplices into revealing themselves?"
Zhou Dong replied, "Let's try. Otherwise, we'll think of another way."
"Understood. We'll talk later."
Wan Yunting nodded and hung up the call with Zhou Dong. He opened WeChat to check on Fang Yanxi, but she still hadn't replied to his messages.
Wan Yunting had seen Fang Yanxi's missed calls and WeChat messages after his meeting. He had replied to her WeChat at that time, but she hadn't responded yet.
So he called her directly. After ringing for a long time, Fang Yanxi didn't answer, which made Wan Yunting raise an eyebrow slightly. He then sent her a WeChat video call, but it also failed to connect.
"What are you doing?"
Wan Yunting sent her a WeChat message, wondering what Fang Yanxi was up to.
However, what Wan Yunting didn't know was that his current calls to Fang Yanxi's phone were in Guan Hongyu's hand. Looking at the WeChat message Wan Yunting sent, he sneered, his eyes fixed on Fang Yanxi lying on the ground!
Time rewound ten minutes…
Guan Hongyu rode his motorcycle, taking Fang Yanxi to the motorcycle shop. "Yanxi, we're here. It's this place."
"Mm."
Fang Yanxi got off the motorcycle and looked around the not-so-prosperous commercial street. It was only past nine o'clock, and many shops were already closed. "Hongyu, why did you choose to open a shop here? The location isn't very good."
Guan Hongyu used his key to open the glass door of the shop and then turned on the already installed lights, illuminating the entire store. "There's no other way. I didn't plan to open a flagship store at first, so I found this place. It was cheaper."
Fang Yanxi walked in and nodded, looking around the shop that was yet to be renovated…
They had just finished dinner. She had intended to go back, but Guan Hongyu said he wanted to show her, the investor, the shop. Fang Yanxi couldn't refuse, so she thought she'd just take a look and then leave.
"Yanxi, please have a seat."
Guan Hongyu brought over a stool, but Fang Yanxi waved her hand and smiled, "I won't sit. I'll be leaving soon, and I have work to do tomorrow."
Guan Hongyu put down the stool and smiled, "No rush. Let me give you a tour first."
Fang Yanxi nodded and followed Guan Hongyu around the shop, listening to his introductions. Then they went upstairs to see the living quarters…
But Fang Yanxi kept glancing at her watch, and Guan Hongyu, with narrowed eyes, knew exactly what she was thinking. He smiled and asked, "Yanxi, what are you worried about?"
The sudden question caught Fang Yanxi off guard. "I, I'm not worried about anything."
Guan Hongyu, while tending to the water dispenser, poured her a cup of water and handed it to her with a smile. "Are you perhaps watching the news, or did Yunting mention suspecting me of being the murderer?"
Fang Yanxi, taking the cup, paused and shook her head. "Hongyu, you've misunderstood. Yunting didn't suspect you of being the murderer."
"Heh heh…"
Guan Hongyu waved his hand, his expression changing instantly. He looked at Fang Yanxi and smiled, "What if I told you I am the murderer, what would you do?"
Fang Yanxi's expression turned to shock. Facing Guan Hongyu's sudden change in demeanor, she felt a surge of nervousness. She forced a smile, "Hongyu, don't joke like this. How could you possibly be the mur—"
"Yanxi…"
Guan Hongyu's eyes fixed on Fang Yanxi, and he said earnestly, "Actually, I'm doing this for you, and for Zhuoma!"
Fang Yanxi's eyes widened in confusion as she looked at him, shaking her head. "Hongyu, I don't understand what you mean…"
"I brought you here tonight because I want to give you a chance to be reborn!" Guan Hongyu said to himself.
This time, Fang Yanxi was completely panicked. Looking at Guan Hongyu, he suddenly seemed like a stranger, and she couldn't help but take two steps back in fear. "Hongyu, what, what are you talking about?"
Guan Hongyu curled his lips slightly and smiled, "I mean, I want to let your soul merge into Zhuoma's body, so that both of you can be reborn!"
Fang Yanxi's eyes widened in disbelief. Facing Guan Hongyu, she couldn't understand what he was saying at all, feeling as though he had gone mad. This scared Fang Yanxi, and she hastily put down the cup. "I'm sorry, Hongyu, I don't know what you're talking about. It's getting late, I need to go back…"
Guan Hongyu took a step forward, grabbed Fang Yanxi's arm, and smiled, "Yanxi, do you think I'll let you go now!"