Kicking Someone When They're Down

Chapter 32 - Kicking Someone When They're Down

The situation took an unexpected turn, catching many off guard.

Xiao Wang reacted quickly, stepping in front of Li Bai to block the middle-aged woman who looked like she'd lost her mind. The other officers who snapped back to reality rushed over to pull her away.

The disheveled, howling middle-aged woman, her face filled with resentment, was Xuan Jing, Yao Donghu's wife and Yao Bing's mother. She was convinced Li Bai was the one who drove her son mad and wished she could eat his flesh. She even blamed him for Yao Donghu's arrest, which was an undeserved calamity.

The man who had gotten off the tour bus with Xuan Jing and was now in a wheelchair was Yao Bing, who had fallen victim to the Green Flood Dragon demoness's innate divine ability, Spiritual Eye Illusion. His face was gaunt, having lost significant weight in just a few days. Perhaps due to sedatives, he showed no outward signs of agitation and appeared dazed. He barely reacted even as his mother screamed and yelled.

The suffering this guy endured was far worse than the hysteria affecting the Dong family's daughter. Unless the demoness personally lifted it, even Li Bai couldn't do anything.

Watching Yao Bing's mother repeatedly attempt to lunge forward, only to be held back by the police, Li Bai nonchalantly remarked, "It seems Yao Bing's mental illness is hereditary."

"Now's not the time for that, you should leave!"

Officer Xiao Wang understood perfectly that the root of this woman's madness stemmed from Li Bai. He quickly urged him to leave.

Li Bai didn't listen. Instead, he turned to Officer Xiao Wang and asked, "Officer Zhang just said Yao Donghu was tough and wouldn't say a word?"

Xiao Wang replied helplessly, "Yes! Hurry and leave!"

"What if I can help you get him to talk?"

"..."

After a pause, Xiao Wang finally reacted and asked, "Are you a professional in this field?"

His expression clearly showed disbelief.

While a psychiatrist's expertise in psychology overlapped with forensic psychology in criminal investigations, their fields of application differed, and there were significant discrepancies in many details.

"You're in a hurry, and so am I. Let's go!"

Li Bai patted Officer Xiao Wang's shoulder to urge him on.

He hadn't intended to get involved in this matter originally. But since Yao Bing's mother was clinging to him like a rabid dog, he wouldn't be blamed for kicking her while she was down.

Framing him online, slandering him, inciting the unaware masses to attack him, and then outright kidnapping him – if he tolerated this any longer, he'd truly become a Ninja Turtle.

Li Bai had no interest in dealing with trouble from the Yao family every few days. Since he'd decided to stir things up, he might as well crush them completely. A clean sweep would bring true peace, preventing future trouble from a snake that wasn't killed.

When a wall is about to fall, everyone pushes it. He felt no psychological pressure in giving a helping hand to those who were already pushing.

Initially hesitant and considering refusal, Xiao Wang's heart wavered when he thought about the pressure Old Zhang and the others were under. "Don't joke around, you can't mess with this!"

"We'll know if we try. It's not torture, and there's no harm in failing."

Li Bai stood his ground, not moving an inch, watching the Yao family mother and son being forcibly dragged away by the police and quickly disappearing at the elevator entrance.

The District Public Security Bureau bringing the Yao family mother and son here was likely with the intention of finding a way to pry information from Yao Donghu. However, it now seemed that Yao Bing's mother was definitely not someone to be trifled with, making this possibility extremely slim.

"Alright, let's try it! You only have one chance."

Xiao Wang had to admit that this young psychiatrist had successfully persuaded him.

Ten minutes later, in the interrogation room of the Nanhu District Public Security Bureau.

Silence filled the room. Yao Donghu sat with his head bowed, his hands cuffed together, and shackles on his ankles, locked to the chair.

"Can this guy handle it?"

Old Zhang felt that Xiao Wang bringing in a psychiatrist from the Seventh People's Hospital to assist with the interrogation was somewhat unreliable.

If psychiatrists could handle interrogations, wouldn't they put seasoned detectives like them out of a job?

Interrogation expert Jia Zixuan, however, was quite looking forward to seeing the psychiatrist's methods. "Although the principles are the same, the practical application is still somewhat different. Let's see first."

Through a reinforced steel barrier, Li Bai closely examined Yao Donghu from head to toe at close range. Their distance was less than a meter.

After observing for a full five minutes, Li Bai turned his head and asked, "Can we use torture here?"

"Don't mess around!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's face immediately darkened. Wasn't this just causing trouble?

He shook his head inwardly. If he was already thinking about using torture, what was the point of interrogating?

The Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty, plus the postmodern Tiger Bench, Airplane, and electrocution – even the toughest man would confess under such methods. But could such methods be used?

Of course not!

"No! If we could, we would have done it already."

Xiao Wang's face was streaked with black lines. This guy isn't here to help, he's here to cause trouble, isn't he? If he can't do it, he should leave quickly and stop wasting our time.

The other two veteran detectives, Chen Chu and Sun Mu, exchanged glances. Amateurs were amateurs. Was brutal torture a skill?

Although they also preferred such a simple and direct working method, the law didn't allow them to do so.

Yao Donghu, who had been looking down the whole time, slightly curved the corners of his mouth, revealing a cold, mocking smile. Before his arrest, he had already considered his countermeasures. Even if he had to bear everything alone, he wouldn't give the police any opening.

"Okay, okay, I get it! I was originally planning to use two dictionaries to press on his chest, then hold a pistol to his head and fire. Sigh, what's wrong with you guys?"

Li Bai saw Xiao Wang, Old Zhang, and the others staring at him, dumbfounded.

This guy really dares to think big!

Old Zhang gasped, sucking in cold air. Not only did he dare to suggest torture right off the bat, but he even dared to bring a gun into it?!

People usually smash their chests with books; this guy is even more thrilling, shooting a dictionary with a gun. Not only is the impact of the bullet enough to make someone sweat, but the sheer terror of holding the gun to his chest and firing is unbearable.

Even he, an old cop, wouldn't dare to try such an imaginative method. What if the bullet pierced the dictionary? Wouldn't that be an execution on the spot?

This isn't torture; it's a gamble with life!

"Amazing! Amazing!"

"Creative!"

Chen Chu and Sun Mu simultaneously gave Li Bai a thumbs-up. Although they were amateurs, they were impressed by his imagination.

"No touching, not even a finger!"

Xiao Wang was also impressed by this guy. It's a shame he was born in the wrong era; a hundred years ago, he would have been a formidable figure in the Six Doors.

"Really can't touch?"

Li Bai suddenly turned his head and, with lightning speed, reached out towards Yao Donghu, who had inexplicably looked up. He passed through the isolation bars and, right in front of Yao Donghu's mocking, still bewildered face... snap!

Time seemed to stand still. Yao Donghu's expression froze.

"First question: Am I handsome?"

"Handsome!"

Yao Donghu's voice was like a strange, dreamlike murmur.

"You are absolutely right!"

Li Bai received a very honest answer.

He straightened up, turned around, spread his hands, and said to the still bewildered old detectives, "You can start now. No matter what you ask, he will answer truthfully."

"What did you do?"

Xiao Wang felt that something was off about the suspect after the snap of the fingers.

Old Zhang remained silent. He felt he couldn't understand this young psychiatrist at all.

"Strange!"

Officer Sun Mu stepped forward, waved his hand in front of Yao Donghu, and asked, "Yao Donghu, who is your overseas contact?"

"Chris Laren!"

Yao Donghu's expression remained dazed, but he uttered a name that none of those present had ever heard before.

Sun Mu heard himself and the others gasp in unison. He turned around with a look of delight.

"Hypnosis!"

Chen Chu and Sun Mu, who had been intently watching the suspect, blurted out almost in unison.

"Amazing! Amazing! We've met a master."

Interrogation expert Jia Zixuan applauded silently. If he hadn't been afraid of waking Yao Donghu, he would have applauded loudly.

"A mere trifle, just showing off! You guys carry on, I should be going!"

Li Bai cupped his fists and yielded his spot in front of the isolation bars. His job was only to open Yao Donghu's mouth; the rest was up to the police.

"You've helped us a great deal. Don't leave yet; I'll treat you to lunch."

Xiao Wang was overjoyed, as if he had personally solved the case with his own merit, rather than finding a master to help Old Zhang and the others break through.

"No need, I have other things to attend to. I'll be going now. We can eat together when I have time!"

Li Bai declined the lunch invitation. He could tell that not only Officer Xiao Wang wanted to treat him to a meal, but Old Zhang and the other police officers seemed to feel the same way. If he agreed, his whole day might be spent at banquets. He still needed to find a place to live and cultivate; where would he find the time for this?