BL Ch64

Half an hour later, the group arrived at their destination. Zhou Yi parked the elongated Pullman right in front of the detention center, and Lou Baoguo jumped out of the passenger seat, excitedly saying, “Wow, this is my first time in jail.”

Zhou Yi responded with disdain, “Look at you, uncultured. This is a detention center, not a prison, used for temporarily holding suspects. Liu Shaojie hasn’t been sentenced yet, so he’s kept here.”

Peng Deyu had already notified them in advance, and the police officer from Changhe Detention Center, expecting a police car, was startled to see this massive vehicle. He exclaimed in admiration, “As expected of the New Gold District, so much money, such grandiosity.”

Xu Sheng quickly clarified the situation to avoid damaging the reputation of their police station.

Ji Lin, who had taken a taxi, arrived ten minutes later than them. Since the Rain Alley case last year, Liu Shaojie had been detained here, and Ji Lin often came to visit, so the detention center officers recognized him. Seeing him, they were puzzled, “Captain Xu, Chief Peng only said you were coming, not that Captain Ji was coming too, and these others…”

The young officer swallowed, unsure how to describe the group of people with white hair, black hair, one as robust as an ox, another with a scar on his face.

Not one of them looked like a law-abiding citizen.

Xu Sheng was prepared for this, casually explaining, “Oh, these are all individuals related to the case. They won’t go into the interrogation room; they’ll just listen outside, helping me discern if Liu Shaojie is lying.”

“Is that so? Alright, then follow me inside.” Thanks to Xu Sheng’s reputation for reliability, the young officer didn’t question further and led the group towards the interrogation room, complaining as they walked, “This Liu Shaojie, you could say he’s a veteran here. Most people stay for two to three months at most, but him? Just when he was about to be sentenced and sent to prison, there was a change in the case, so he stayed here. From last year until now, he’s been interrogated countless times, but his lips are sealed. He’s not even afraid of the death penalty. Captain Xu, don’t get your hopes up too high.”

Xu Sheng felt a bit guilty, not really listening to the officer’s words, just nodding in acknowledgment.

Yu Duqiu, following behind, nudged the person next to him, “If Liu Shaojie is really Bai Zhiming’s foster son, why did he adopt so many children and train them to hate the police?”

Bai Zhao glanced at him, “Young Master, just say what you want to say.”

Yu Duqiu smiled slightly, “You know what I want to say.”

Men without the ability to reproduce might satisfy their vanity of passing on their lineage by adopting sons, but Bai Zhiming’s reasons might not be that simple.

His actions seemed more like he was cultivating criminals loyal to him from childhood.

Just like how foreign mafias operate as “families,” many criminal organizations enjoy maintaining internal stability and security through familial bonds because children personally trained by them are evidently more reliable than those who join later.

Even Jiang Sheng, who was raised outside, was led down the path of crime by Bai Zhiming’s instigation. Why then was the child he raised for over a decade seemingly unaffected?

“I’m different from them.” Bai Zhao linked his pinky with Yu Duqiu’s, leaning closer, shoulder to shoulder, whispering, “I met you.”

Yu Duqiu suddenly understood why people like to hear sweet nothings; they were indeed pleasant to the ear, but he wasn’t so infatuated as to be swayed by a few sweet words. While others weren’t paying attention, he pinched Bai Zhao’s slender waist, “Behave, I’ll interrogate you later.”

Bai Zhao took it in stride, “That’s the truth, interrogate me all you want.”

The group entered the monitoring room, where through one-way glass, they could see Liu Shaojie already seated in the interrogation room.

Following the rules of the detention center, Liu Shaojie had his hair cut very short, making his appearance quite ordinary, but there was a rogue, tough-guy vibe in his brows, giving him a certain masculine charm at first glance. With some styling, he could likely attract women in a bar who liked his type. Since it was summer, he wore only a vest provided by the detention center, revealing muscular arms. Despite being in the detention center for half a year, he maintained such a physique, indicating strong willpower.

The interrogation room in Changhe Detention Center was more secure than the one in the New Gold District. The chairs were iron, bolted to the floor with armrests and partitions, locking Liu Shaojie down once he was seated, unable to stand. There was also a pane of bulletproof glass in front of him, preventing any attempt at attacking the police.

Seeing this setup, Xu Sheng thought for a moment and said, “Ji Lin, this place seems pretty secure. Why don’t you come in with me for the interrogation?”

Ji Lin was surprised, “No, Chief Peng didn’t approve this. Letting me listen from outside is already risky enough; I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“We’re all here to solve the case; what trouble are you talking about? Can Chief Peng really fire me?” Xu Sheng said dismissively, “This guess was your idea; you know better how to question him. Liu Shaojie is very cunning; we might only have one chance, and we can’t fail. Just consider it helping me out.”

“Brother Xu…” Ji Lin felt a warm current in his heart, about to agree when Yu Duqiu raised his hand, “I want to go in too.”

Xu Sheng and Ji Lin immediately responded, “You stay outside!”

Yu Duqiu watched as they walked into the room, then turned to his three bodyguards, “Am I too polite to them? They can’t think I wouldn’t be capable of killing them at any time, right?”

The young officer adjusting the equipment coughed lightly, “Watch your words.”

Yu Duqiu innocently said, “Just a joke, don’t take it seriously.”

But it didn’t sound like a joke… The young officer was at a loss for words, but fortunately, he didn’t need to say much as the conversation inside had started:

Liu Shaojie looked quite composed, perhaps because he had nothing to fear, even greeting Ji Lin amiably, “Officer Ji, long time no see. Is this your colleague? Nice to meet you.”

But he quickly turned sarcastic, “I thought you’d cracked the case since you haven’t visited me lately. I guess you’re still here to beg me, huh? Haha, after half a year, you still can’t catch the murderer. How do you even manage as a detective?”

Ji Lin, having dealt with him multiple times, was initially angered but was now accustomed to his provocations, leaning back with an air of confidence, “This is Officer Xu, who’s helping me with the investigation. We’re here today to ask you a few questions.”

Liu Shaojie shrugged indifferently, “Ask away. It’s all the same no matter how many of you come. You won’t get any valuable information from me, even though I know everything.”

Hearing this, Lou Baoguo scoffed, “This kid is quite arrogant. Officer, haven’t you used any ‘special’ methods to teach him a lesson? You can’t be too gentle with someone like him.”

The young officer couldn’t reveal much to outsiders, only saying, “We’ve used every legal method we could, but he seems to have undergone specialized anti-interrogation training. His willpower is extraordinary; we can’t break him.”

Zhou Yi: “At least he’s willing to talk to the police. Some criminals won’t answer anything and just sit there like a dead person. That’s the real challenge.”

The young officer sighed, “But all he says are lies and nonsense, completely useless.”

“Lies and nonsense might not be useless.” Yu Duqiu, the master of deception, said, “If we can identify when he’s lying from his behavior, it means he’s trying to hide some truths, which can also serve as a lead.”

The soundproofing in the interrogation room was effective due to the padded walls, allowing those in the monitoring room to hear the conversation through speakers, while those inside could not hear any sounds from outside.

However, Liu Shaojie ominously glanced at the opaque one-way glass, “I guess there are more cops outside, huh? Is your superior there? If you don’t get any answers, will you get demoted?”

Before even getting to the main topic, the psychological pressure tactics had begun. If Peng Deyu or Feng Jinmin were indeed outside, Ji Lin might have felt a bit nervous, but thinking about the two lunatics outside who knew what scandalous things they were up to, he just wanted to sneer, completely ignoring Liu Shaojie’s words, not even bothering to respond. He continued with his earlier question, “Have you ever had a regular job? I mean the kind where you work from nine to five and get a monthly salary.”

An unexpected question, seemingly unrelated to the case.

Liu Shaojie was used to hearing cold interrogations like “Who are your accomplices?” or “Where are your tools of crime?” which had practically calloused his ears. This down-to-earth question sparked some interest, and he answered with enthusiasm, “No, didn’t you guys check everything about me? You don’t even know that… What, planning to release me so I can find a job? Alright, I’m willing. Once I get out, I’ll definitely turn over a new leaf and be a good person!”

Xu Sheng frowned at this. The kid was deliberately acting crazy, spouting obvious lies to lower expectations, so that even if he accidentally revealed some truths, the interrogators would have to question their authenticity.

Ji Lin coldly watched him pretend to be foolish, waiting until he finished speaking before asking, “You didn’t have a job, so how did you live before? Weren’t you orphaned at six?”

Liu Shaojie: “I lived off subsidies, did odd jobs here and there. Later, I found out crime was a quicker way to make money, so I turned to crime.”

This was all information they had already uncovered, not very useful, but Xu Sheng knew Ji Lin wouldn’t waste time with small talk, so he observed quietly.

Liu Shaojie was well-acquainted with the personality of the officer in front of him; any interrogation was usually filled with glares. Today, with Ji Lin suddenly being so polite and chatting casually, there must be something fishy. He grew suspicious, thus being more cautious than usual.

Ji Lin remained nonchalant, “According to you, you worked before turning to crime? But the legal working age is sixteen. Who supported you from six to sixteen? Or was there some unscrupulous employer hiring child labor?”

Liu Shaojie was taken aback for a moment, quickly coming up with an excuse, “Officer Ji, why be so nitpicky? What I mean is I both worked and committed crimes. Who said I didn’t commit crimes as a child? I did plenty of petty theft, kids are less suspicious, so it was easier to succeed.”

“But wouldn’t a child wandering around attract the attention of good Samaritans or the police? Did you have an adult with you?”

Liu Shaojie widened his eyes, looking at him as if he were absurd, “Of course not, where would I find an adult to accompany me?”

Yu Duqiu, leaning against the table with his face almost pressed to the glass, intently watched Liu Shaojie’s expressions, “He’s lying.”

The young officer was puzzled, “How can you tell?”

“His expression suddenly became exaggerated. He’s afraid Ji Lin might see through his facade, so he’s using this to cover it up.”

The young officer disagreed, “His expressions are always off; he’s always smiling. They say even when he admitted to murder, it was like a joke, showing no respect for life or death. I think he’s just a cold-blooded psychopath; you can’t judge just by his expressions.”

The three bodyguards in the monitoring room fell into an awkward silence.

That description sounded so familiar.

If they didn’t know who it was about, they’d think it was about someone else.

That someone else, with a smile, said, “Smiling can also be a form of disguise. If you’re powerless against something but don’t want it to show, what can you do but laugh it off? He’s trapped with no escape; rather than moping around waiting to die, why not enjoy the remaining days happily? His smile is one of resignation after his heart has died. Generally, once someone’s heart is dead, their emotions don’t fluctuate much, so isn’t it strange that such an ordinary question from Ji Lin would make him look so surprised?”

The young officer hadn’t taken this strange, handsome white-haired man seriously, but after listening to his analysis, he found some sense in it, “Even… even if that’s the case, you can’t determine he’s lying just from that. Let’s see how Officers Ji and Xu react first.”

The conversation in the interrogation room continued.

Ji Lin also sensed something was off, further confirming his suspicions about the relationship between Bai Zhiming and Liu Shaojie. Liu Shaojie’s refusal to admit was expected, so he suppressed his reaction, changing his approach, “So you’ve always been alone? No accomplices or brothers?”

Liu Shaojie raised his thumb, pointing at himself, the handcuffs making a metallic clinking sound, “I’ve always been a lone wolf. Don’t waste your breath, Officer Ji. You just want to know who my accomplice was on October 27th, right? I’ve told you before, find out for yourself; you won’t get anything from me.”

Ji Lin shrugged, “Looks like it. Then I can only give the chance for leniency to your good brother, Jiang Sheng.”

Liu Shaojie’s cocky expression visibly froze for a moment.

It was the look of extreme embarrassment when one’s lie is exposed.

He slowly lowered his hand until his palm touched the table, his face showing no trace of emotion as he feigned ignorance, “Who’s Jiang Sheng?”

Xu Sheng sneered, seamlessly playing along with Ji Lin, “You don’t know him? He knows you well, though. If he hadn’t been in a car accident mid-sentence, he’d still be unconscious in the hospital; we would have interrogated him by now, not bothering with you.”

After Xu Sheng played the good cop, Ji Lin took on the role of the bad cop, “Now both of you are guilty, and both know who the main culprit was in the Rain Alley incident. There’s only one chance for a reduced sentence. I’m asking you first, so you better seize this opportunity. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll wait for Jiang Sheng to wake up and give it to him. Think it over.”

Liu Shaojie’s eyes darted around, showing some concern. He knew his previous reaction had given him away, so he decided not to pretend anymore, saying, “Come on, knowing just a name and you think you can trick me? How do I know you’ve really caught him? Tell me how he had his accident.”

“Acting on someone’s orders, he broke into someone’s home to carry out kidnapping and extortion. The crime failed, and during his escape, his car crashed through the guardrail of a mountain road, flipping over. He broke several ribs, got stuck in the car, and I was the one who pulled him out.”

After Ji Lin finished, his hand under the table clenched into a fist. Liu Shaojie couldn’t see it, but it was clear to those in the monitoring room.

“Tsk, the kind-hearted Comrade Ji, still regretting not saving Jiang Sheng,” Yu Duqiu remarked.

Lou Baoguo, vividly remembering the danger of that night, said, “It’s understandable. After all, he watched someone die right in front of him. I don’t regret it; someone like that, dead is dead. Why should Ji Lin risk his life for him?”

Yu Duqiu smirked slightly, speaking softly, “I can understand his feelings. Witnessing death firsthand isn’t easy to digest.”

Bai Zhao’s gaze shifted to him, “Are you talking about your uncle’s incident or something from when you were a child?”

Yu Duqiu gave him a cold glance, “I don’t know where you heard such gossip, but don’t ask about things I haven’t mentioned voluntarily.”

Bai Zhao, hearing this, let out a mysterious, low chuckle, then murmured to himself, almost inaudibly, “I don’t need to ask.”