Chapter 863: Another Believer

Chen Shi felt dizzy and paced back and forth in the room. He called KK and asked him to go to Gu You’s house to check.

“Old Chen, if Miss Gu is the third one, I think we still have time,” Lin Dongxue comforted.

“But why Gu You? They had so many ‘candidates’ prepared.”

Lin Dongxue found a long hair on the pillow. “Ling Shuang seems to have been here. Do you think she’ll come back? Should I leave some people here to stake out?”

Chen Shi nodded weakly.

Leaving the place to other officers, they went back to the station. As soon as they arrived, they took the suspect to the interrogation room. He sat there with a contemptuous smile, indifferent to any question Lin Qiupu asked.

The suspect suddenly started mumbling to the ceiling. Lin Qiupu listened carefully. He was saying, “Zhou Xiao, Miss Ling, I will never betray you, never. You can trust me.”

Lin Qiupu slammed the table angrily. “No one can save you now!”

“Do I care? I don’t give a damn!” He shook his leg.

The door suddenly opened, and Old Zhang rushed in, grabbed the suspect’s collar, and shook him, yelling, “Where are my wife and daughter? Speak!”

Faced with the threat, the suspect smirked. Old Zhang, furious, clenched his fist to hit him.

“Old Zhang…” Lin Qiupu said, “Hitting him won’t do any good. Calm down.”

He was like Wang Sunxu who had sat there before, displaying a fanatical admiration for the Zhou Tianan gang, establishing a loyalty that made them unafraid of any consequences. They were true desperados!

Old Zhang glared at the smirking, pockmarked face for a long time before letting go, crying as he left the interrogation room.

The interrogation couldn’t proceed. Lin Qiupu came out, and Lin Dongxue handed over a file, saying, “We’ve identified him. His name is Qi Rui. He was a kidnapper before but only an accomplice. He served ten years and got out with no proper job… I found some couple items at the scene. He might be Ling Shuang’s boyfriend. Old Chen thinks he’s not the one in charge of the core criminal activities.”

“This guy won’t talk. Bring back everything from the scene. No, I’ll go there myself and look for clues.”

“But Old Chen and I think Ling Shuang might go there. We left people to wait and catch her.”

“Even if we arrest Ling Shuang, what will she confess? These people have all accepted Zhou Tianan’s crazy ideology and are steadfast. Arresting them is no different from killing them on the spot.”

Chen Shi walked over and said, “Your brother is right. Waiting there won’t yield much. The priority now is saving people. We have six hours to find Old Zhang’s family.”

“Alright,” Lin Dongxue relented.

Lin Qiupu rubbed his temples. “Does Captain Peng know about this?”

Chen Shi said, “I told him. He’s alone right now…” He glanced at the monitoring window. “Can I go in and talk to this guy?”

“Feel free.”

Chen Shi sat across from Qi Rui, who gave him a knowing smile. “Masked Rider!”

Luckily, the recorder wasn’t on, so no one heard this. Chen Shi said, “Looks like you know. I don’t mind, but I’ll remind you, burning your bridges won’t help your little gang.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. This is Mr. Zhou’s plan.”

“Mr. Zhou’s plan?” Chen Shi found it amusing. Qi Rui’s tone made Zhou Xiao or Zhou Tianan sound like gods.

Chen Shi picked up a printed “diagnosis report,” and Qi Rui’s eyes lit up with anticipation. “How is it? Miss Ling’s sketch is very accurate, right? That person won’t be indifferent knowing his girlfriend was kidnapped.”

“Don’t you think you’re despicable? Exposing others’ dark sides, what are you trying to prove? Your own greatness? How about your character? For example, you lack faith and confidence, never received affirmation from others, are jealous of others’ success and happiness, and prove your worth in a twisted way…”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Qi Rui screamed, his teeth almost drawing blood.

This method of exposing others’ inner darkness was shameful. Little Li’s parents divorced when she was young, and she suffered domestic violence, so she avoided; Old Zhang couldn’t balance work and family, but he didn’t intend to neglect his family; As for Peng Sijue, Chen Shi knew him well. His childhood was very unhappy. Though called cold and dark, Peng Sijue had tried to change but failed.

Everyone had their own pain. These sufferings shaped who they were. Exposing them was just a secondary harm.

“Why Gu You?” Chen Shi asked. “Kidnapping her wasn’t in your original plan, right? Gu You admired Ling Shuang’s talent and felt sorry for her fall. Did she try to persuade Ling Shuang to turn back, and you kidnapped her?”

Qi Rui’s subtle change in expression revealed some truth. He quickly covered it up with a nonchalant tone, “So what? You still can’t find her, right?”

“What does this so-called sacrifice mean?”

“I might as well tell you since you’ve spoiled it yourself. After Old Zhang’s family dies, I’ll send this diagnosis report and a bottle of poison. The poison won’t kill but will cause permanent blindness. If Peng Sijue dares to take it, we’ll release the hostages. If he doesn’t, Gu You will…” Qi Rui made a cruel gesture, “Ha, like this plan? I asked Miss Ling what if he really takes it. She said he wouldn’t because of his nature.”

“You guys are pretty confident!”

“Miss Ling said human nature is like an objective law, unchangeable. For example, you, you’ll always avoid, always avoid, never face the truth. Pathetic man!”

Chen Shi clenched his fists, nails digging into his flesh. He was hit right in the heart.

After a moment of silence, Chen Shi counterattacked, “Do you love Ling Shuang?”

“None of your business!”

“But as far as I know, Ling Shuang has no loyalty to her partners. Did she ever mention which number you are, or maybe you don’t even count?”

“Don’t slander Miss Ling!” Qi Rui warned darkly.

“There are only two of them left. Do you think Zhou Xiao is involved with her?”

Suddenly, Qi Rui roared, “Shut the hell up!”

Originally trying to provoke a flaw, Qi Rui’s reaction was different from what Chen Shi expected. He wasn’t angry when mentioning Ling Shuang but was sensitive about Zhou Xiao.

Chen Shi scrutinized Qi Rui and suddenly realized, “You and Zhou Xiao are a couple?”

Qi Rui’s eyes widened. His secret exposed, he disdainfully responded, “None of your business!”

Could this be a breakthrough? Chen Shi pondered as he walked out of the interrogation room…