Chapter Ninety-Five: Who Is He Again?

Chapter Ninety-Five: Who Is He?

In the end, under the aim of several guns, Tang Zhong carefully stood up with Qiu Yihan in his arms and then handed her over to a policeman. During the handover, Qiu Yihan’s body jerked as if she were waking from a nightmare and suddenly snapped awake. She glanced at the policeman’s face and immediately hugged Tang Zhong’s neck tightly, refusing to let go.

“Let go for now, okay? We have to go back with the officers to cooperate with their investigation,” Tang Zhong said with a gentle smile.

Qiu Yihan said nothing, only clinging tighter to his neck, her knuckles turning white from the force.

“We still have to walk down the mountain. You wouldn’t want me to carry you all the way to the foot of the slope, would you? That’s just too cruel,” Tang Zhong joked.

Still, Qiu Yihan remained silent, holding him even tighter.

Hua Ming stepped over to the officer with the dark face and said, “Brother, she’s his girlfriend. Maybe just let him carry her?”

“They need to be separated," the officer replied sternly. From his perspective, it was crucial to control the suspect immediately. If Tang Zhong changed his mind suddenly, the girl could become a bargaining chip against them.

Hua Ming could only try to persuade Qiu Yihan, “Yihan, come down and walk with us, okay? We can’t delay any longer. We need to clear this up quickly, or Tang Zhong will be in real trouble.”

Qiu Yihan blinked, finally releasing Tang Zhong’s neck.

No sooner had Tang Zhong set her down than two officers rushed over to cuff him. He didn’t resist—nor could he.

He minded, but it was useless.

The mountain path up Jade Maiden Peak couldn’t accommodate cars, so they had to descend on foot. At the base, two police vans and a patrol car were waiting. The officer with the dark face had Tang Zhong escorted into one van, while Hua Ming, Liang Tao, Li Yu, Zhou Wei, and Qiu Yihan entered the other with two officers. He himself took the patrol car. The old Taoist was still unconscious and had to be watched over; a doctor would be sent soon to examine him.

The Jade Maiden Mountain Police Station stood beside the train station—a modest two-story building without a courtyard, its entrance flanked by the platform and railway tracks.

After the vehicles stopped, Tang Zhong was led to a separate interrogation room, isolated from his roommates and Qiu Yihan.

He didn’t wait long before the dark-faced officer entered, accompanied by a bespectacled young policeman.

The officer dragged a chair over, sat down across from Tang Zhong, lit a cigarette, and the young policeman scurried out and brought in an ashtray.

Exhaling smoke, the officer began, “Name.”

“Tang Zhong.”

“Gender.”

“Male.” This time, Tang Zhong didn’t reply, “You guess.”

“Place of origin.”

“Qingyun City, Hongshan County.”

“Give me your ID,” the officer demanded, perhaps finding the questioning tedious.

“My belongings were already searched by your officers,” Tang Zhong replied.

The officer glanced at the young policeman, who quickly left to fetch Tang Zhong’s items.

Tang Zhong sighed softly.

Rank crushes the lower ranks. Everyone admitted to this system is sharp as a blade. So many clever minds fighting and scheming—it’s a grand spectacle. No wonder the political culture of China has been so rich and varied for centuries.

“Tell me what happened,” the officer said, exhaling smoke.

Tang Zhong recounted everything truthfully, without hiding a thing. He didn’t even try to tilt the facts in his favor—after all, the situation inherently supported him.

He truly had come up the mountain to enjoy himself, who could have guessed he’d run into a madman?

The bespectacled policeman returned, carrying a black bag containing Tang Zhong’s phone, wallet, and other items.

The officer took Tang Zhong’s wallet, pulled out his ID, studied the photo, then looked at Tang Zhong. “You used to be such a fresh-faced kid. Now you look ruined.”

“—”

Bang!

The officer slapped the table in front of Tang Zhong, making the ashtray jump and buzz as it settled.

“Tang Zhong, I need to warn you, your crime is extremely serious,” he barked. “The body you reported—we’ve found it. I just went to see it. It was horrifying, utterly gruesome. Are you a student? When did Nanjing University start producing students like you? Calling you a butcher or a killer wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

“Forensics from the city bureau will arrive soon to examine the corpse—all evidence is against you. If I were you, I’d confess immediately. That way, the judge might be lenient. If you stubbornly cling to false hope, you’re making a big mistake.”

“I’ll cooperate fully. I’ll answer everything honestly,” Tang Zhong nodded repeatedly, as if intimidated by the officer’s words.

“Good. Tell the story again. This time it’s for the record. Changing your story won’t be easy now. Tang Zhong, your future depends on your honesty.”

“I’ll be honest. I won’t hide anything,” Tang Zhong replied. The truth was in his favor—only an idiot would conceal it. “I called the police myself because I want justice.”

“Begin,” the officer said with a cold snort.

Tang Zhong retold his account while the bespectacled policeman recorded everything.

When he finished, the officer slapped the table again, then kicked the battered table in front of Tang Zhong. The table tipped toward Tang Zhong.

Bang—

Tang Zhong braced it with his foot, preventing it from toppling.

“You little bastard! Are you trying to die? Playing us for fools? What’s the difference between your story now and before?” the officer swore, itching to kick Tang Zhong again.

“I advise you to calm down,” Tang Zhong replied evenly. “I’m a student. No matter how this case is judged, it’ll become a big deal, even the university will intervene. If you beat me now and I report your violent interrogation to the media, it won’t look good for you.”

“Damn it! You dare threaten me?” The officer was livid, fists clenched, about to lunge at Tang Zhong.

“If you can’t think for yourself, then take it as a threat,” Tang Zhong sneered. “I’ve killed a man—do you think I’d care about a beating? If you ruin the police’s reputation, your fate won’t be pleasant.”

“I—” The officer was left speechless.

He wasn’t afraid of tarnishing the police’s reputation. What police station didn’t use “private methods” in interrogations? But Tang Zhong’s earlier words chilled him.

“I’ve killed a man—do you think I’d care about a beating?”

Yes. The Taoist was dead because of him. He’d just returned from seeing the corpse—the eyes ruined, blood everywhere, head cracked, body crushed, unknown fluids leaking from the lower abdomen—

He couldn’t tell which wounds were caused by Tang Zhong and which by the fall, but those two slashes across the eyes were certainly Tang Zhong’s doing.

A young student daring to stab an adult’s eyes—would a beating really make him confess?

Because Tang Zhong was so young, he almost treated him like an ordinary criminal.

Seeing the officer calm down, Tang Zhong felt relieved.

He didn’t want to be beaten senseless before the people he was waiting for arrived.

Knock knock—

Someone rapped at the door.

“Who is it?” the officer barked, secretly grateful for the interruption; otherwise, he’d have a hard time regaining face.

Who stops mid-beating after being threatened by a youngster? If word got out, how could he command his subordinates?

“Captain, we have a situation,” someone reported from outside.

The officer pointed at Tang Zhong and said to the bespectacled policeman, “Keep an eye on him.”

“Yes, Captain.” The bespectacled policeman replied loudly.

The officer opened the door and stepped out. “What’s the situation?”

The man at the door was a steady, mature middle-aged policeman. He looked at the officer and said quietly, “Captain, this is big.”

“How big? Wang Haoran, stop fussing like an old woman. Speak up if you have something to say,” the officer snapped impatiently.

“She’s Qiu Hongtu’s daughter,” the middle-aged policeman said.

“Who’s Qiu Hongtu’s daughter? Who’s Qiu Hongtu?” the officer asked, confused.

“Qiu Yihan—the girl who was with the suspect. Qiu Hongtu is the chairman of Hongda Group. He’s a Forbes top ten billionaire,” the policeman explained.

The officer was stunned. “Impossible! Why would Qiu Hongtu’s daughter come to this godforsaken place? And be with a murderer? Old Wang, are you sure?”

“I didn’t believe it at first,” the middle-aged policeman said, aggrieved. “But after checking repeatedly, she admitted it herself. She wants to call her father—I haven’t allowed it yet. Captain, what do we do?”

“Let her call. If her identity’s fake, a phone call won’t matter. If it’s real—how could we stop this?” the officer cursed.

“Yes, Captain. I’ll arrange it right away.” The middle-aged policeman hurried away.

The officer paused, peering through the crack in the door at Tang Zhong, who sat calmly inside.

If that beautiful girl really was Qiu Hongtu’s daughter, then—who was he?