Under Interrogation
In the interrogation room, Li Jun's nonchalant and relaxed demeanor contrasted sharply with the serious and oppressive atmosphere. When confronted with the young policeman's reprimands, he merely glanced at him with the look of someone "looking at a child," his smile unwavering, as if he had everything under control.
Unlike the younger police officers, Captain Li wasn't easily provoked. He knew that dealing with a seasoned veteran like Li Jun wouldn't work by banging on the table or glaring; it would only put him on the other side's game. What he needed was to peel back the seemingly rogue exterior and find the logical gaps.
Upon hearing Captain Li's question, Li Jun clicked his tongue, a perfectly timed expression of helplessness mixed with self-righteousness appearing on his face. He raised his handcuffed hands, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently pointed in Captain Li's direction, making a cigarette-holding gesture.
"Captain Li, I know the rules, could you give me a cigarette? Sitting here like this, my throat is tight, and my brain isn't working."
Captain Li stared at him for two seconds, then nodded slightly to the young policeman next to him. Although reluctant, the young policeman still took a cigarette from the cigarette case on the table, handed it to him across the table, and lit it for him with a lighter.
Li Jun took a deep breath by the flame, letting the smoke swirl in his lungs for a while before slowly and deliberately exhaling. The bluish-gray smoke rose in wisps under the pale light, blurring the enigmatic smile on his face.
"Captain Li," he began, his voice slightly hoarse from smoking, "You saw Hou Jun outside Ankang Hospital last time, didn't you? That kid owes me money, all in black and white, with all the paperwork." He waved his cigarette casually, as if shooing away a non-existent fly.
"Well, I heard his sister was transferred to the provincial hospital, and her condition seems quite serious." Li Jun adopted a slightly sympathetic tone. "I figured, no matter what, debts are between adults, not children, right? We're reasonable people. So I brought some things to visit the Patient and express my concern. Just in case... I mean, just in case, if she really passes away, wouldn't this debt become a dead debt? Logically and morally, I have to come, don't you think?"
The young policeman standing nearby couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his pen on his notebook and said sarcastically, "Li Jun! Don't try to play tricks on us! Visiting Patient? You need to bring dozens of people to visit Patient? And they're all your company's 'key personnel'? Are you visiting Patient or preparing to raid their home?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jun turned his head and slowly glanced at the young policeman, his eyes conveying a sense of "you're still too young." He didn't reply, but simply took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke towards the ceiling, as if the young policeman's words were as light and weightless as the smoke.
Captain Li ignored his subordinate's interruption; his thinking was clear, and he wouldn't be easily swayed. He waited until Li Jun finished exhaling the smoke before continuing his previous topic, asking in a calm but unquestionable tone:
"Li Jun, I remember very clearly. Last time, it was you and your men who forcibly took Hou Jun's sister out of Ankang Hospital, right?"
Li Jun nodded, readily admitting, "Yes, that's right. Given the situation, the hospital wouldn't let us see him, Hou Jun was so desperate he wanted to kill someone. As the creditor, I couldn't just stand by and watch my 'collateral'... ah, I mean, the person who owed me money and his sister get into trouble, could I? What if he caused a death inside? Who would I ask for my money back?" He cleverly shifted the subject, then, as if remembering something, a smile spread across his face.
"But then again, Captain Li, who could have imagined that Ankang Hospital would be such a monstrosity? A black-hearted bastard! My actions, though perhaps a bit extreme, objectively speaking, didn't they count as doing a good deed? Helping you uncover a corner of the dark secret ahead of time? Wouldn't that be considered... meritorious service?" he asked tentatively, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.
Captain Li remained expressionless, completely unmoved by his words. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a searchlight, firmly locking onto Li Jun's eyes, and asked the most crucial question:
"Stop with the nonsense. Li Jun, tell me honestly, what exactly is your relationship with that Hou Jun?"
This question gets to the heart of the matter. If it were merely a creditor-debtor relationship, Li Jun's series of actions, from snatching someone from Ankang Hospital to "visiting" them at the provincial hospital, would seem overly "enthusiastic" and illogical.
Li Jun seemed to have anticipated this question. He showed no panic whatsoever, instead displaying an expression that said, "Is this even a question?"
"What other relationship could it be? The relationship between creditor and debtor!" he answered decisively. Then, as if sharing a secret, he leaned forward, lowered his voice, and feigned a very serious demeanor.
"Officer, to be honest," he lowered his voice, his tone revealing a hint of sincerity, "The main purpose of bringing so many people here this time isn't really to visit the Patient. I want to see if that kid Hou Jun has taken advantage of his sister's transfer to another hospital to secretly run away! Think about it, he owes me so much money, and his sister is seriously ill. If he really decides to hide with his sister, where am I supposed to find him? I'm doing this to protect my legal rights!"
He paused, observed Captain Li's expression, and seeing that the other party remained unmoved, continued to use his "imagination":
"And what happened? Hey! When I entered the ward, I didn't see that kid Hou Jun. Instead, I saw a bunch of lawless gangsters causing trouble in the hospital! Kicking down doors, hitting people, scaring the nurses! The scene was absolutely outrageous!" Li Jun described it vividly, as if he were truly the embodiment of justice.
"Captain Li, who do you think we are? We may be business people, but we're also law-abiding, model citizens! How could we stand idly by when we saw such outrageous behavior? Of course not! We immediately stepped in to stop it! The process might have been a bit intense, but that was to control the situation and prevent it from escalating! If we hadn't stopped them in time, and those guys had actually injured other Patient or medical staff, wouldn't that have been a huge problem? The consequences would have been terrible!"
He got more and more excited as he spoke, even showing a hint of seeking praise on his face, "If you ask me, the government should give us a 'Heroic Act' banner or something to encourage this kind of positive behavior!"
Captain Li listened quietly to his flawed yet logically consistent performance, his face remaining expressionless. Only when Li Jun finished speaking and looked at him expectantly did Captain Li slowly, word by word, speak, his voice low but striking the crucial points like a heavy hammer:
"Since that's the case," Captain Li's gaze sharpened like a knife, staring directly into Li Jun's eyes, which were trying to hide a smile, "Then why are your men carrying hammers and Wrench? These are standard murder weapons."
This question, like a venomous snake, precisely bites the most vulnerable link in Li Jun's constructed story of "heroic act." Bringing tools to visit Patient? This simply doesn't make sense.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Li Jun's smile froze slightly, but only for a moment, so fast it was almost imperceptible. He slowly leaned back, his upright body resting against the cold interrogation chair, his handcuffed hands resting naturally on the armrests, his fingers lightly tapping the metal surface, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.
Meeting Captain Li's all-knowing gaze, he showed no panic at being exposed; instead, he revealed a more "frank" and even somewhat "helpless" smile.
"Captain Li," he said calmly, even with a hint of patient explanation, "You must have done some research on me before. I, Li Jun, besides owning a small loan company, also run a small-to-medium-sized auto repair shop in the west of the city, you should know that, right?"
He paused briefly, giving Captain Li time to recall and confirm, before continuing unhurriedly:
"Most of the guys who came with me today are employees of my auto repair shop, proper mechanics. You tell me, it's perfectly reasonable for a mechanic to habitually carry around tools like a hammer and Wrench, isn't that? It could even be considered a professional habit?"