Chapter 1: Suspect, Bizarre Cause of Death

"Name?"

"Zhou Ping'an."

"Gender?"

"Male."

"Age?"

"22 years old."

"On May 17, 3089, at 3:11 PM, where were you?"

"Chief Yao, you have asked me over and over for more than two hours. Aren't you tired? I'm exhausted."

"It's simple. When I entered, Master Dong was already dead."

Under the intense white spotlight, Zhou Ping'an squinted his eyes and responded with an expressionless face.

"Did you kill him?"

A thunderous shout echoed in the darkness, accompanied by the sound of a solid wooden table being slammed, causing the room to buzz.

Yao Zhenbang's eagle-like eyes stared fiercely at Zhou Ping'an, not missing the slightest twitch of his eye muscles or any changes in the curvature of his pupils.

"Do you believe that yourself? If I could have killed Master Dong, why would I be a mere patrol officer, taking orders from you?"

A hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Zhou Ping'an's mouth, it was unclear whether he was mocking the other party or himself, "I've also seen the files. In the battle at General Wenshan's Tomb, Master Dong faced thirty-two long guns and pistols and killed fifteen men with his bare hands, including six who wore V13 bulletproof vests and yet had their internal organs shattered..."

"You know his Xingyi Twelve Forms, especially adept in dragon and tiger forms, have reached the level of Dragon's Chant and Tiger's Roar. With such skills, what could I possibly use to kill him?"

Zhou Ping'an knew that the other party didn't truly believe he was the killer either.

But they kept asking over and over, only seeking to deduce the concealed truth from his facial expressions.

The courses on "Traceology" and "Micro-Expressions Psychology" he had taken at the police academy had taught him that no matter how someone lies, no matter how strong their psychological defense, there are always some traces that cannot be fully concealed.

That was Yao Zhenbang's goal.

Who killed the person wasn't important.

The killer was very important.

The things left at the scene were even more important.

This, Zhou Ping'an admitted as well.

As a police officer, he was not without realization.

However, some things are destined to stay hidden in the heart, never to be revealed.

Can you imagine? A person suddenly appearing out of thin air, blood splattering from their body.

Can you imagine a crescent-shaped glass fragment, falling from someone's arm to the ground, dull and lightless, yet incredibly sharp, cutting your finger upon touch, then burrowing into your own arm?

Thinking of this, Zhou Ping'an's little finger on his left hand trembled slightly, and he was utterly baffled.

He didn't know what that thing was, only aware of a half-watch-sized mark three inches above the back of his hand, not very conspicuous, looking like an imprint left by wearing a watch for a long time.

"Don't try to quibble. Where are the deceased's clothes and personal belongings? Tell the truth and you might be treated leniently, otherwise..."

A sharp coldness flashed in Yao Zhenbang's eyes. This case was extensive and had already alarmed the higher-ups, having cost two undercover brothers their lives.

Without resolving this case clearly, he would struggle to report to his superiors, let alone face the widows of the fallen brothers.

"That's pointless. Whether or not I hid clothes and items, Wang Chunming, who monitored the Dong Family Ancestral House with me, can testify. Why don't you ask him if I hid anything?"

"If you have nothing to hide, why did you run so fast?" Wang Chunming interjected, "My leg hurt and I was running slowly. There was a period when you were out of sight..."

These words were damning.

Zhou Ping'an suddenly looked up towards the bright lights: "You can say whatever you want, but I must remind you, committing perjury is a serious crime."

"Fine, let's not talk about hiding things. In the study of the Dong Family Ancestral House, what does the line 'Thirty ranks of dust and earth, eight thousand miles of clouds and moon' on the tabletop mean?"

Wang Chunming smiled smugly, resembling a fox that had stolen a chicken.

"As far as I know, you studied martial arts at the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall when you were fifteen. Although you paid to learn, Dong Qingshan was still considered your mentor. Did you write this line to urge him to run away, as far as eight thousand miles?"

How sinister.

This issue was not too big nor too small, and could be used under the guise of "signaling", to detain Zhou Ping'an and interrogate him slowly. Various methods could be used to extract the "truth" eventually.

Zhou Ping'an's voice remained calm as he countered: "Let me ask you, Wang Chunming, when you took chopsticks from the Dong Family house and ate the hock from their fridge, were you trying to hint Master Dong to leave quickly?"

"Uh..."

Wang Chunming was stunned.

This time, the sweep and surveillance were not only at the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall but also at Wenshan Rain Viewing Platform, as these were places where Dong Qingshan would practice martial arts daily.

Including the Dong Family Ancestral House.

Zhou Ping'an, Wang Chunming, and two other colleagues were divided into shifts, conducting 24-hour monitoring and investigation.

If there was a suspect, it couldn't be the leader alone, nor could the second-in-command escape.

...

"Bang..."

The interrogation room door was suddenly pushed open.

A slender figure stood in the doorway, backlit by the sun, pausing for a moment before asking in a clear, cool voice: "Is there any evidence?"

"Still interrogating."

"So, there's no evidence!"

The newcomer was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a crisp uniform.

With slightly arched eyebrows and a stern face, she looked visibly displeased.

She coldly scanned the room, switched off the spotlight with a snap, quickly walked over to Zhou Ping'an, leaned over to unlock the handcuffs on his hands, then turned to look at the three people behind the desk, her gaze somewhat threatening: "Inspector Yao, the First Team takes the lead in the Wenshan case, with other teams assisting. However, that doesn't mean your team can act on its own, interrogating officers from the Third Team as you please."