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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Bin lay on the ground, pretending to be dead, attempting to confuse the situation and escalate the conflict between us and the people. However, in this soundproof room, his voice clearly could not reach the outside. Realizing that his antics of playing dead were of no use, Zhang Bin awkwardly got up and sat on the sofa.
Yet, looking at Zhang Bin's demeanor, he did not seem like a criminal who had committed rape; otherwise, he wouldn't dare act this way. The fact that he felt comfortable joking around with us indicated that he believed he wouldn’t be taken away, perhaps only detained for ten days or so like last time.
At this moment, Zhang Bin's behavior raised questions: was he truly indifferent and unconcerned, or was it as I suspected?
“Come with us,” I said to Zhang Bin.
His expression finally turned serious, as if he had just realized we were not joking. Grabbing the sofa tightly, his veins bulged: “What’s going on? What crime have I committed? Why are you arresting me? Did I kill someone? Did I rape someone? I didn’t do anything; everything was consensual.”
We had barely asked him anything when Zhang Bin began revealing information we weren’t even aware of. His self-disclosure was undoubtedly useful to us. At that moment, I thought we must take Zhang Bin back for questioning, though my face showed none of my thoughts.
Most of the time, while we observed criminals, they were also observing us. A crucial point during interrogation is not to let the criminal guess what you are thinking. Whether you learn something advantageous or disadvantageous for your side, you must not show it on your face.
We needed to present ourselves as all-knowing and omnipotent; only then would the other party feel the pressure.
Gu Chen grabbed Zhang Bin by the shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”
In the interrogation room.
Zhang Bin looked displeased but showed no signs of anxiety. He had sat in that chair many times before, but those instances were for theft. This time, however, it was related to a rape case and a suicide case; either case would be enough to land him in serious trouble.
“Zhang Bin,” I said, “you should know why I brought you here.”
“I know,” Zhang Bin replied. “It’s just about some woman getting assaulted; besides, I wasn’t the one who did it. What use is it to arrest me? If you’re going to arrest someone, it should be the person who actually did it.”
I frowned as I watched Zhang Bin’s nonchalant attitude and fell into deep thought. He clearly had no idea that we knew very little about the situation; he assumed we should know the truth. Yet with his ambiguous statements, I didn’t even know which case he was referring to.
Was it Fang Qi who was allegedly raped, or was it about Zhao Li? Why would Zhang Bin not be the one responsible? The "he" mentioned in Fang Qi's Suicide Note is speculated not to refer to Zhang Bin, so could it be that Zhang Bin is also not the one who assaulted Zhao Li? This is a matter with Witness and Evidence present. Does Zhang Bin really think that Zhao Li is still in that house?
Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin remained silent, everyone was waiting for my next words.
I wasn't quite sure what Zhang Bin was referring to, so I could only say, "What kind of grudge do you have against Hao Ren that would make you do something like this? Just because Hao Ren turned you in to the police, you've been restless ever since you got out?"
Zhang Bin looked at me, then spoke in a venomous tone, "Everyone else ignores it, but he has to meddle. I know people like him; they claim to uphold justice and act heroically, but really, they just want fame. Look at those videos circulating online, look at the newspapers—what have they made me out to be?"
Zhang Bin was furious, seemingly forgetting that he was the one who had committed theft, not some upstanding citizen.
As Zhang Bin angrily accused, Guan Zengbin had already found news from over a month ago about Yumu City. He showed me his phone, and the headline read—"Internet Cafe Security Heroically Captures Thief, Aiming to Promote Martial Arts."
I slowly scrolled through the phone and saw photos of Hao Ren subduing several thieves. It seemed many people had recorded the scene at the Edge Internet Cafe. The comments were unanimously praising Hao Ren and cursing Zhang Bin.
Seeing us looking at news about him, Zhang Bin said fiercely, "Now everyone in Yumu City almost knows me. When we just got out of detention, we could always see people pointing at us. Even those Addicts mocked us; we hid for so long we didn't dare come out."
"Didn't dare come out?" Gu Chen, listening to Zhang Bin's accusations, sneered and said, "You're a habitual offender; you've been in here plenty of times. Do you even have the face to talk? You went straight to the Edge Internet Cafe. If you hadn't thrown feces on the cafe's window, Hao Ren wouldn't have been fired!"
Zhang Bin gritted his teeth and slowly admitted, "I did it. I admit it. He didn't report it; why should an outsider get involved?"
Gu Chen shrugged and replied, "With someone like you, I know there's nothing to discuss. Did you ask for the address of Boss Hao Ren's house? You think driving him away will satisfy you? You have to cling to him until his family is ruined?"
"I’m not satisfied," Zhang Bin said. "He received all the praise while we received all the slander."
"So you went to his house and threatened two kids?" I asked as I looked at the furious face of Zhang Bin.
Upon hearing my words, Gu Chen continued from where I left off: "It seems that didn’t go well; one of the kids stabbed him twice."
Hearing Gu Chen's words, Zhang Bin's face turned red. Earlier at the hospital, the attending physician had told us that Zhang Bin's wound was inflicted by a madman. It seemed that Zhang Bin was too embarrassed to reveal the truth; if it turned out he was cut by a second-grade child, that would be too humiliating.
Zhang Bin said fiercely, "That kid clearly isn't a good person; I just can't find him."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen slammed the table and said, "What more do you want? You burned down Hao Ren's house, and you still don't feel remorse?"
"Burned down Hao Ren's house?" Zhang Bin frowned, looking at us in disbelief. "When did I burn down Hao Ren's house? I never did that."
Gu Chen snorted coldly, staring at Zhang Bin. "Are you still pretending? The boss of Edge Internet Cafe said you were going to burn down Hao Ren's house."
Zhang Bin shouted, "That's slander! This is all slander; I've never done anything like that."
Gu Chen slammed the table again, making it shake. "You were tough when you burned the house, but now you're acting cowardly? If you didn't do it, could it have been Hao Ren himself? Because Wang An injured your arm, you held a grudge and waited until a few people weren't home to burn their house down. Have you seen it? It's already a pile of ruins. Where is that family supposed to live during the New Year?"
Gu Chen clearly couldn't stand people like this and was getting agitated. "And what about Zhao Li? She's an eighteen-year-old girl; how could you bear to lay a hand on her?"
"Zhao Li?" Zhang Bin looked at Gu Chen with anger and defended himself. "What's wrong with Zhao Li? I'm still trying to find her; I haven't found her yet."
Gu Chen was genuinely furious now. He walked right up to Zhang Bin, grabbed his collar with one hand, and said word by word, "You better come clean about how you kidnapped Zhao Li and insulted her; otherwise, I think you know what the consequences will be."
Zhang Bin's hands were cuffed, and he desperately tried to back away but was firmly held in place by Gu Chen's grip.
He clearly no longer had the composure he had when he first entered; panic filled his face as veins bulged. "I get it! I get it! Something must have happened, and you're looking for a scapegoat! I know how you operate! You think I'm easy to bully, so you're selling me out!"
He shouted loudly, "Help! Help! I'm not a murderer! They're abusing their power!"
His voice was hoarse as if he were about to scream his lungs out.
As I looked at Zhang Bin, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The stark contrast in his behavior was indeed unsettling. Zhao Li was still at the police station, and if we could find Wang An and Zhao Li to compare notes, perhaps we could clarify the case a bit more.
With that thought in mind, I said to Gu Chen, "Gu Chen, let him go for now. I have many more questions to ask him."
At that moment, Zhang Bin was trembling uncontrollably, his speech even somewhat stuttered: "You all want to kill me, don't you? I know that when executing a prisoner, they poison their throat so they can't say anything! Did you take money from someone? I—I can pay you too! I don't want to die..."
Zhang Bin was clearly panicking, and I had no idea where he had gotten such unfounded ideas. But the fear he displayed didn't seem like an act. Could it be that there was something we didn't know? Was Zhang Bin truly wronged?
Yet all the evidence and testimonies pointed directly at Zhang Bin.
If Zhang Bin took his medication on schedule, then where were the others? Where was Du Ziguo? Where was Hao Ren? And what about Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin?
I turned to Gu Chen as he returned. "Bring Wang An and Zhao Li in one by one. We need to confront them here."
Gu Chen nodded and left the interrogation room.
I looked at the still panicking Zhang Bin and said, "Stealing might lead to a few years in prison, but if you're convicted of arson or rape, the consequences are far worse. Besides, you have quite a few secrets yourself. Where did you get those? What happened to Du Ziguo?"
With each question, Zhang Bin touched his nose nervously.
"I hope that when they come in," I said slowly while looking into Zhang Bin's eyes, "you can explain everything clearly."
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