The Blunt Knife and the Cage

Looking at Captain Li, who remained grinning and composed on the interrogation chair, Li Jun understood. This guy was a tough nut to crack, with excellent mental fortitude, and clearly had someone guiding him or had already coordinated his story. It would be virtually impossible to pry the truth about his relationship with Hou Jun out of him in a short time using conventional interrogation methods.

Captain Li has been a criminal investigator for over twenty years. What kind of people hasn't he seen? Someone like Li Jun, who operates in the gray area, is well-versed in legal loopholes, and is good at sophistry, will only lead you astray with his seemingly absurd yet barely self-consistent twisted logic if you confront him head-on. Continuing to waste time here is a pure waste of time and energy.

He wasn't a pedantic person; he knew that solving a case required grasping the main contradictions. His personal questioning of Li Jun this time stemmed more from professional curiosity and a desire to personally assess the depth of this recently active individual. Now it seemed his depth was unknown, but he was certainly slippery.

So, after Li Jun offered that absurd explanation that "it's reasonable for a mechanic to bring tools," Captain Li didn't press the matter further. He simply gave Li Jun a deep look with his sharp eyes, a look that seemed to say, "I know you're talking nonsense, but I won't argue with you for now."

He raised his hand and gestured to the young policeman next to him who was taking notes, saying in a calm tone, "Continue asking questions, go through the process, and focus on recording his description of the 'heroic act,' the more detailed the better."

After speaking, Captain Li ignored Li Jun's smug and probing smile, stood up abruptly, and the chair legs scraped against the floor with a slight creak. He straightened the hem of his police uniform, which was slightly wrinkled from sitting for so long, turned around, and walked steadily out of the suffocating interrogation room.

The door closed behind him, shutting Li Jun out of the pervasive smell of smoke. The relatively fresh air in the corridor filled his lungs, but the heaviness in Captain Li's heart did not lessen in the slightest.

We can put Li Jun's situation on hold for now.

The most important thing right now is another group—the tattooed men who were "heroically" beaten by Li Jun and his gang. Their purpose in going to the hospital is the key to unraveling the whole mystery! They want to "take a girl away," and this girl is undoubtedly Hou Xiaoya! Who ordered them? Why kidnap a girl who is seriously ill and has just escaped from that hellhole?

Captain Li strode towards another monitoring room, where he could simultaneously observe the real-time situation in several interrogation rooms. Through the one-way glass, he saw his officers interrogating the tattooed men who had been brought back. Their injuries had been treated with simple bandages and were no longer serious, but they were all baring their teeth, their expressions either fierce or evasive, clearly not to be trifled with.

The interrogation did not go smoothly.

These low-level henchmen were clearly deliberately kept in the dark about their missions, or perhaps they simply knew how to carry them out without questioning the reasons. When questioned by the police, their stories were remarkably consistent:

"We went with the boss."

"The boss said he's going to the hospital to pick someone up."

"Who to take with us? We don't know, the boss didn't say. We're just here to get the work done."

"Where to take us? I don't know, we'll go wherever the boss tells us to."

"Why bring it? I have no idea, the boss just told me to!"

They repeated these same few sentences like a broken record. Occasionally, when pressed, they would adopt a defiant attitude, either bowing their heads in silence or shouting, "I need to find a lawyer," or "I'm injured and need treatment." Conventional psychological tactics and interrogation techniques had little effect on these thugs who were used to staking out detention centers and had a certain understanding of police tactics.

Time ticked by, and a tense atmosphere permeated both inside and outside the interrogation room. The officers took turns speaking, their tone shifting from persuasion to sternness, from reasoning to pressure, in an attempt to find a breakthrough.

Finally, after nearly two hours of back-and-forth, the youngest-looking thug, with a somewhat childish face and a clumsy scorpion tattoo on his arm, broke down first under the continuous questioning and psychological pressure from the experienced veteran detective.

His hands were handcuffed to the interrogation chair's backrest, his body trembling slightly, and he confessed with a sob in his voice:

"Officer... I, I really don't know! I'm just a lackey, I usually just watch the pool hall... Today, the boss suddenly called us together, saying there was a job, to go to the hospital and take a young girl away... He said she's a sick girl, at the Provincial Third Hospital... He didn't tell us her name, why we were taking her, or where we were going to take her... He didn't tell us a single word! He just told us to follow, to do what he said, to scare people when he said to... We didn't dare ask any questions..."

What he said was essentially the same as what the others said, only his attitude was more weak and panicked. This basically confirmed the police's judgment: these people were just tools being used, and the real core secret was in the hands of the leader, the "green-skinned" boss.

The key is to pry open the boss's mouth!

Captain Li turned his gaze to the surveillance footage in the interrogation room where Qingpitou was being held. In the footage, the man with a snake's head tattooed on his neck was stiffening his neck, his face taut with menacing features, glaring fiercely at the interrogating officer opposite him. No matter what the officer asked, he remained silent, like a stubborn, unyielding rock, clearly determined to resist to the end.

The police officers in charge of the interrogation have changed twice, and they have tried various methods, but the other party is unmoved by either soft or hard tactics. He only occasionally repeats in a hoarse voice, "I want to wait for my lawyer," and then falls silent again.

Captain Li watched quietly outside the monitoring room for a moment, his brow furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping the window frame. He knew that against someone who came prepared and had a strong psychological defense, a direct assault would be difficult to achieve in a short time, and would only deplete a lot of his team's energy and morale.

Suddenly, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, his fingers that were tapping on the window frame stopped, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes, as if he already had a plan.

He pushed open the door to the monitoring room and went inside. The officers observing inside immediately stood up.

"Captain Li!"

Captain Li waved his hand, signaling them to continue their work, then instructed one of the officers in charge of coordination, "Alright, tell them to stop the interrogation for now."

"Huh?" The officer paused, looking up in confusion. "Captain Li, are we stopping the interrogation? This... it's only just begun. Although he's stubborn, a little more pressure might..."

"There's no rush," Captain Li interrupted him, his tone calm. "The more you push this tough guy, the more determined he becomes. Let's give him some space first."

He glanced at his watch; it was well past lunchtime.

"Let's all take a break, go eat, and rest. Restore your strength and energy, and we can talk again this afternoon or evening. Solving cases isn't about risking your life; it's about strategy and rhythm."

Although the officer still had doubts and felt he should strike while the iron was hot, seeing Captain Li's resolute attitude, he could only nod. "Yes, Captain Li. I'll tell them to take the person downstairs and detain him."

He picked up the walkie-talkie, preparing to notify his colleagues in the interrogation room to end the questioning.

Just then, Captain Li, who had already turned to leave for the cafeteria, seemed to suddenly remember something. He paused, and without turning back, added in a very casual, almost offhand tone:

"Oh, right,"

"Let's put him in the same temporary detention cell as Li Jun and his group."