Chapter 238: Zhang Lifang Is the Demon Witch—Clearing the Mind and Getting on the Right Track

The problem was with Zhang Lifang?

After Lin Tian said this, there was no hesitation whatsoever.

There was not even time to explain. He quickly instructed Wang Qi to start arranging for the nearest local police officers to head immediately to Tianhe Huacheng Residential Complex and arrest Zhang Lifang on the spot.

As for the issue of a potential hostage, judging by the current situation, there was no particular need to worry.

Given Yu Ruyi’s special identity, it was already clear…

Zhang Lifang might dare to make small moves, but she absolutely wouldn’t dare to use Yu Ruyi as a hostage to threaten the police.

Because even if she escaped from the police, she would never be able to escape K’s grasp.

Compared to simply receiving a “peanut” (bullet), once targeted by K, the punishment and methods that followed would likely be even more despairing.

…

Three minutes later.

Several police cars had already pulled out of Fengze Criminal Investigation Brigade’s parking lot. In this race against time, all of them had turned on their sirens.

In the lead vehicle—

Sitting inside were the head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade and Bai Yu, who had deduced that there might be a problem with Zhang Lifang.

Driving the police car with full throttle, relying on his familiarity with Jinling’s roads, Wang Qi glanced at Lin Tian beside him and asked,

“Chief Lin.”

“Things happened so fast just now that I didn’t even have time to ask.”

“After watching the footage three times, how did you determine that Priest’s mother, Yu Ruyi, is currently under Zhang Lifang’s control?”

“To be honest, I really don’t get it.”

“With her severe dementia, how could Zhang Lifang still control Yu Ruyi? It just sounds too unbelievable.”

Hearing this question,

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, replaying the surveillance footage in his mind.

Especially the final part—when Zhang Lifang deliberately redirected suspicion and pointed to Jiang Sumei as the breakthrough, guiding the police’s attention away from herself in preparation to leave the Criminal Investigation Brigade quickly.

From observing Yu Ruyi, it became relatively clear…

Every time Zhang Lifang spoke, Yu Ruyi would become incontinent, with a face full of confusion and helplessness.

And most critically… every time Zhang Lifang said the words “go home,” Yu Ruyi would lose control of her body, resulting in incontinence and an utterly embarrassed state.

It was obvious.

Combining various earlier details, this was definitely not a coincidence.

It could be confirmed with near certainty.

Just like Bai Yu had speculated earlier, Zhang Lifang was using the socially weak Yu Ruyi to ensure that during her first visit to the police station—

As long as nothing major went wrong, she could leave easily and not be detained, thus avoiding being repeatedly interrogated until she revealed her secrets.

After fully sorting through his thoughts,

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. He rolled down the passenger-side window, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag.

He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, letting it drift out the window, then spoke in a calm voice.

“If I’m not mistaken…”

“Zhang Lifang implanted a subconscious command in Yu Ruyi like training a dog.”

“Once she says the words ‘go home,’ Yu Ruyi will uncontrollably urinate, ensuring Zhang Lifang can 100% leave the police station.”

“Just like a trained sheepdog, which will instinctively sit or shake hands when given a command.”

“If Yu Ruyi didn’t suffer from such severe dementia and still retained some awareness, she certainly wouldn’t be controlled like this—like a dog, completely stripped of dignity.”

“Turning a person into something dog-like, dignity completely lost.”

“But unfortunately, Yu Ruyi’s dementia really is that severe. She no longer has basic cognition and is fully immersed in her own mental world.”

“I’m even beginning to suspect that Yu Ruyi’s extreme dementia is very likely related to Zhang Lifang.”

“The purpose being… to ensure that, when necessary, she can use the vulnerable Yu Ruyi to easily escape from the police station.”

“The moment she says ‘go home,’ things fall apart.”

“How could we police officers possibly detain her under such circumstances? Especially when, during the previous interrogation, Zhang Lifang came off… exactly like a normal nanny.”

At this point,

Lin Tian fell silent for two seconds. He took another deep drag from his cigarette and continued.

“It’s a shame.”

“Our old-school criminal investigation thinking has become too rigid.”

“We saw that Zhang Lifang had no apparent flaws or suspicious behavior and simply assumed she was an innocent nanny, without considering the uniqueness of this drug trafficking organization—or the state Yu Ruyi was in.”

“In fact, out of overconfidence in our own judgment, we didn’t even assign anyone to keep an eye on Zhang Lifang.”

“If Xiao Ming had been here instead, he probably would’ve spotted Zhang Lifang’s issues immediately. She wouldn’t have had the chance to leave the police station.”

“This time, Zhang Lifang has likely already fled. Whatever consequences arise from this… I’ll personally take responsibility for the higher-ups’ reprimands.”

From the back seat, Huang Qiang quickly chimed in without hesitation.

“Chief Lin.”

“What are you saying?”

“You weren’t the only one present during the interrogation. Chief Wang and I also personally watched Zhang Lifang act, and none of us exposed her.”

“If we’re assigning blame, it can’t fall on you alone.”

“Besides, our overall objective is to dismantle this entire drug trafficking organization. This temporary setback isn’t such a big deal.”

“As long as our overall direction is correct, we’ll eventually flush Zhang Lifang out again…”

Before Huang Qiang could finish,

The phone on the center console beside Wang Qi suddenly rang with a shrill tone.

Without hesitation, Wang Qi glanced at the screen, then kept one hand on the steering wheel while using the other to tap the answer button and switch to speaker mode.

“What’s the situation? Have you caught Zhang Lifang?”

The next second,

The voice of the local police officer who arrived first immediately came through.

“No, Chief Wang.”

“When we arrived, Zhang Lifang was already gone.”

“But there was a community committee auntie at the house—she said she was entrusted by Zhang Lifang to look after Yu Ruyi for a few days. She has no idea where Zhang Lifang went.”

Hearing this,

Wang Qi’s expression clearly darkened. He told the officer they’d be there soon, then hung up and turned to Lin Tian with a shake of his head.

“Chief Lin.”

“Zhang Lifang is already gone. Looks like she really was K’s informant. Should we now continue to—”

Before Wang Qi could finish,

Lin Tian, feeling significantly clearer-headed after the cigarette, looked to Bai Yu in the back seat and asked calmly,

“Xiao Bai.”

“Do you think it’s possible that Zhang Lifang isn’t just part of the drug trafficking organization… but is the Demon Witch herself?”