Chapter 14

"Wu Qize, an alpha, works as a film prop artist. That’s quite an interesting profession," Qi Feng remarked, flicking the document in his hand as he addressed the group standing in the interrogation monitoring room.

The second and third criminal investigation teams of the city bureau had joined the interrogation efforts. Each interrogation room was staffed by three officers, with Zhao Xiuzhen being handled by the Major Crime Unit, while the other three suspects were assigned to the second and third teams.

Aside from the victim’s aunt, Zhao Xiuzhen, the four suspects included: a 34-year-old male alpha, Wu Qize, a film prop artist; a 29-year-old male beta, Zhang Lian, a shut-in mooching off his parents; and a 27-year-old male alpha, Tian Wanghai, an art school student.

Xu Zhangying, wearing headphones, turned to her with a smile. "He just mentioned he’s currently working on the movie *Wind and Thunder*, responsible for making puppets and pyrotechnic props. His profession fits quite well."

Benjamin, glancing at his notebook, added, "Not just him. Tian Wanghai’s major at the art academy is sculpture, and Zhang Lian’s hobby is anime prop-making. All three have professions and skills that raise suspicions."

Coincidentally, Wu Qize had actually been brought to the art gallery by Zhao Xiuzhen—the middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance now sat in the interrogation room, visibly shaken. "Aunt Zhao tried to set me up with her husband’s niece last year, so we got acquainted. Last month, while grocery shopping, she mentioned her daughter-in-law’s workplace gave her two tickets to the art gallery. She asked if I was free on Thursday—the tickets were only valid for that day, and she had no one else to give them to. So, just my luck, she gave them to me."

The officer monitoring the computer screen pressed sternly, "Then why did you and Zhao Xiuzhen linger so long in front of the five human sculptures? Those five exhibits weren’t even on the same route."

Wu Qize stammered nervously, "At the time, Aunt Zhao said we should stick together because of the crowd, but she walked slowly. So I just wandered around, looking at exhibits that interested me. I work with props—I don’t even remember what I saw. I just recall checking out a lot of human sculptures. Who knew something so horrifying was among them? And I remember both Aunt Zhao and I went to the restroom at one point. Maybe we got turned around after, but I don’t recall."

Tan Song hung up the phone and turned to Yan Jianbai, who wore a grave expression. "Captain Yan, Qiaoqiao confirmed it—Zhao Xiuzhen’s daughter-in-law, Wang Shanshan, works at a travel agency, and they did give her two tickets."

Yan Jianbai nodded. In the dimly lit monitoring room, he set down one headset and switched to another—this one connected to Zhao Xiuzhen’s interrogation room.

Zhao Xiuzhen was currently slumped over the interrogation table, sobbing uncontrollably. Song Yuli, leading the interrogation, slammed the table and demanded she control her emotions—crying wouldn’t help. Zhao Yang, playing backup, sat expressionlessly in front of the computer, watching Zhao Xiuzhen’s tantrum. Meanwhile, Yu Mei, the recorder, could only offer half-hearted comfort as the sole female present. But the old woman remained stubborn, milking the victim act.

Yan Jianbai remained unfazed, calmly speaking into the headset, "If she won’t cooperate, drag her son, daughter-in-law, and husband downtown for questioning."

On the monitor, Zhao Yang stood up and barked, "Understand your situation clearly! Refusing to cooperate won’t help you. Every member of your family will be dragged downtown for questioning!"

Xu Zhangying, wearing headphones and watching the screen, realized for the first time that Zhao Yang had truly matured into a hardened cop over the years—completely different from the stubborn high schooler in his memories.

Only then did Zhao Xiuzhen cut the waterworks. Sitting in the interrogation chair, she wiped her tears. Yu Mei, unable to bear it any longer, handed her tissues to clean her face before returning to her seat to resume questioning.

In the monitoring room, Tan Song clicked his tongue. "What a tough nut."

Song Yuli sat upright at the table, the desk lamp glinting coldly on their uniforms and badges. Zhao Xiuzhen seemed to finally grasp where she was and shuddered.

Song Yuli, expressionless, had a scar running from the bridge of his nose to his cheekbone, giving him an intimidating presence despite his calm demeanor. "Why didn’t you disclose your visit to the art gallery during the initial investigation?"

Zhao Xiuzhen stammered, her face full of hesitation. "At first, I didn’t know Zhao Lanyue was… that exhibit in the gallery. The police didn’t ask me about it the first time, so I forgot to mention it."

Song Yuli snapped, "Then why didn’t you come forward after learning Zhao Lanyue was a victim in the art gallery case?"

Tears welled up in Zhao Xiuzhen’s eyes again, but none of the three officers showed any sympathy. She twisted the tissue in her hands, staring at the table. "After I found out, I was scared! It’s so unlucky. The thought that I’d been near a place with a dead body disgusted me. And I never imagined it’d be such a coincidence, so I panicked and kept my mouth shut. That Zhao Lanyue was nothing but bad news for our family years ago. We’re an upstanding family, and now we’re tangled up in this damn nightmare—I hate her for it!"

Song Yuli’s eyes narrowed. "Mind your mouth. Do you realize your current status? You’re a suspect!"

Zhao Xiuzhen flinched, realizing her words had only deepened suspicion against her. She waved her hands frantically. "I-I didn’t mean it like that! I’m just a housewife—I don’t have the chops to harm Zhao Lanyue! And I haven’t seen her in years!"

In the monitoring room, Fang Puxin rubbed his jaw, watching Zhao Xiuzhen’s evasiveness with a thoughtful expression. "Right now, Zhao Xiuzhen is the most suspicious. She’s got too many coincidences stacking up. The fact that she lingered near all five exhibits and concealed it is damning. Even if she despises her niece, she should’ve coughed this up during a major investigation—it would’ve quickly cleared her."

Yan Jianbai turned to Tan Song. "Has Old Tian dragged Zhao Xiuzhen’s family members downtown yet?"

Tan Song replied, "Her daughter-in-law and husband have been dragged downtown, but questioning hasn’t started yet."

Li Jiali stood behind Xu Zhangying. Qi Feng, who rarely worked with female alpha colleagues, had chatted with her a bit over the past two days. He now asked her, "Ali, what's your read?"

Li Jiali folded her arms, hesitating before speaking. "She’s definitely not our perp. The M.O. in this case is too professional. Her social circles are too stable—she doesn’t have the chops to commit such a crime."

Her words hit home with everyone present. Deep down, they all knew Zhao Xiuzhen wasn’t the killer behind the human sculptures. Yet her behavior and circumstances were too strange, and her refusal to cooperate made her look dirty.

Xu Zhangying gazed at the haggard woman in the surveillance room, his suspicions growing clearer by the minute.

After listening to the interrogation for a while longer, Fang Puxin shook his head. "This old lady is really good at being evasive. We can't catch her in a real contradiction." He then turned to Xia Qing beside him. "Professor Xia, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Xu Zhangying looked up and saw Xia Qing's eyes fixed intently on the screen. The dim glow of the monitor cast deep shadows across his face, accentuating his angular features. Hearing Fang Puxin's question, Xia Qing turned his head and held Xu Zhangying's gaze.

Xia Qing stared at him, the screen's light reflecting in his eyes. "I believe she has a criminal history—just not in this case."

Tan Song and the others were startled. Tan Song pressed, "Professor Xia, why do you think Zhao Xiuzhen has committed crimes?"

Xia Qing turned back to the screen, his words as cold and precise as a blade. "Zhao Xiuzhen has a high school education, and her children are well-educated. Her initial resistance to the investigation was too extreme, inconsistent with her level of awareness. This isn't the kind of defiance born from panic or ignorance—I believe it's an act. And lying before formal questioning even began suggests she has crimes she needs to conceal."

Li Jiali, standing nearby, nodded in admiration. "I agree."

"Though Zhao Xiuzhen lacks the capability to commit the crimes in this case," Xia Qing's tone shifted, "her lies indicate that what she's hiding is related to Zhao Lanyue. I recommend focusing the investigation on Zhao Lanyue's social connections within Zhao Xiuzhen's family. It's possible they haven't been out of touch these past few years."

After speaking, Xia Qing looked back at Xu Zhangying. Half of Xu Zhangying's suspicions had just been voiced aloud. He smiled faintly at Xia Qing before putting his headphones back on.

Yan Jianbai fully agreed with Xia Qing's analysis. "Advisor Xia's reasoning is sound. We should indeed concentrate on investigating Zhao Lanyue's relationship with that 'A Feng.' Zhao Xiuzhen is a major lead. Song Yuli, dig deeper into Zhao Lanyue's high school social connections—make sure Zhao Xiuzhen reveals everything she knows!"

Hearing his superior's command through the earpiece, Song Yuli immediately abandoned the argument about Zhao Lanyue owing Zhao Xiuzhen money and asked sternly, "You've mentioned multiple times that Zhao Lanyue associated with shady individuals. How did you know about this?"

Zhao Xiuzhen dodged again with evasive maneuvering. "That was so long ago. These things get talked about—neighbors gossip, parents at school whisper. Zhao Lanyue was an Omega, and not a decent one. Her reputation was notorious! Our whole family was humiliated—"

"Cut the nonsense. You said neighbors and parents talked—name them now!"

Song Yuli and the others were seasoned investigators, their interrogation skills precise. Step by step, they cornered Zhao Xiuzhen, and no matter how cunning she was, she was losing ground.

Xu Zhangying bit his finger, jonesing for a smoke. He could only chew on a mint candy instead. His eyes remained locked on Zhao Xiuzhen on the screen as her stammering voice filled his ears. A sense of unease spread through him—something was off. Everything she said was empty deceptions.

"What do you think?" A cool voice broke through.

Xu Zhangying turned to find Xia Qing standing beside him, studying him. "You must have your own thoughts."

His voice was just loud enough for the entire Major Crime Unit to hear. Qi Feng's expression turned slightly odd as he glanced between Xu Zhangying and Xia Qing.

Yan Jianbai immediately spoke up. "Officer Xu, feel free to share your thoughts. Your Interpol experience is invaluable to our work."

Xu Zhangying thumbed his notepad, thinking for three seconds before looking up. "Can I suggest a slight adjustment to the evidentiary value assessment?"

Yan Jianbai and Fang Puxin exchanged a glance. Yan Jianbai gestured. "Of course. Go ahead."

Xu Zhangying nodded. He put on his headphones and lifted his gaze, a predatory gleam flashing in his eyes under the dim light. Everyone heard him say calmly:

"Zhao Yang, tell Zhao Xiuzhen her evidentiary value is too low. Her son has arrived. You’re about to go question Wang Qiyuan now."

In the interrogation room, Song Yuli, Zhao Yang, and Yu Mei all heard Xu Zhangying's sudden voice in their earpieces. Song Yuli was still pressing Zhao Xiuzhen to name Zhao Lanyue's close classmates and hadn't processed the shift yet—but Zhao Yang acted immediately.

Zhao Yang capped his pen and placed it and his notebook beside the computer with a deliberately loud clatter, drawing Zhao Xiuzhen's attention. He made a show of adjusting his cap casually. "Alright, the captain says the information she’s giving is too limited. We're cutting this short—Wang Qiyuan just arrived. Let’s finish quickly and move on to questioning him."

Before the other officers could fully grasp the implications of his words, Zhao Xiuzhen's face contorted with primal fury. Like a cornered animal, she snarled:

"What are you going to do to my son?! This has nothing to do with him!"

Yu Mei, seated beside Zhao Yang, instantly dug her nails into the keyboard and looked up at the surveillance camera on the ceiling, her eyes blazing with disbelief.