Chapter 241: “I’ve Done Drugs, Gambling, and Solicitation, Officer!”

While Lin Tian, Bai Yu, and their companions were tracking down the Demon Witch, Su Ming was methodically uncovering clues about the Ghost in Jiahe City.

In the meeting room of the Yang Liu Criminal Investigation Brigade, Su Ming, Chen Sheng, and Xu Changsheng continued to analyze the Hotel Water Tank Drowning Case. Through their previous analysis, they had already identified several valuable pieces of information.

Firstly, it was confirmed that the victim in this case, Lan Cai’er, indeed possessed critical evidence related to a criminal organization. Or rather, while working on a graduation project about New York Harbor, the team accidentally captured something extremely important. The first person to discover this was not Lan Cai’er, but another member of the graduation project team, who noticed it upon reviewing their work.

Although it was still uncertain whether this evidence was connected to K, it was undoubtedly something that could cause a societal uproar. Otherwise, the drug trafficking organization wouldn’t have resorted to such ruthless measures.

Additionally, it was known that nine days before the incident, Lan Cai’er had already been under the control of the Ghost, with her mouth forcibly covered. Out of fear and understanding the threats posed by the criminal organization, they were fully aware of the danger they were in.

Half an hour after discovering the issue with the leaking van, a police officer from the Yangliu District Criminal Investigation Brigade burst into the meeting room, his chest heaving from running, and addressed Chen Sheng.

“Chief Chen.”

“We’ve found the person. His name is Wang Hao.”

“When we first found him, he was squatting at the factory gate waiting for a daily job. We brought him to the police station, and he’s there now.”

“There’s also something unusual. When we identified ourselves as criminal investigators and said we needed to speak with him, Wang Hao agreed to cooperate but then tried to run away when we weren’t paying attention.”

“We anticipated this, so he didn’t get far before we caught him and handcuffed him.”

“Judging by his behavior, we strongly suspect he’s hiding something, so we took him straight to the interrogation room.”

“Chief Chen, and other leaders, do you want to go to the interrogation room now, or…?”

Upon hearing that the criminal investigators needed his cooperation, Wang Hao, a member of the repair crew, instinctively tried to flee. This behavior alone was suspicious and suggested that he might have important information.

Initially, they planned to invite him politely to avoid any claims of police brutality during the arrest. But now, his attempted escape justified the use of handcuffs and moving the conversation from a friendly mediation room to the cold, stern interrogation room.

At this moment, Chen Sheng saw Su Ming nod and immediately turned to the officer at the door.

“Alright, thank you, Xiao Hai.”

“I’ll take Team Leader Su to the interrogation room right away. We need to see…”

“What exactly is he hiding that made him so bold, thinking he could escape even after we found him?”

Three minutes later, Su Ming, Xu Changsheng, and Chen Sheng walked into the interrogation room, ready to thoroughly question Wang Hao, the van owner and member of the Luzhou Leak-Fixing Gang, to uncover the clues he held.

Upon entering, Su Ming didn’t immediately ask questions but instead carefully observed Wang Hao’s condition. At this moment, Wang Hao looked utterly disheveled. His clothes were torn from resisting arrest, his hair was a greasy mess, and there were scratches on his left cheek, likely from being pinned to the ground during his escape attempt.

Beyond his appearance, Wang Hao’s spirit seemed broken. He hung his head low, only slowly lifting it when someone approached. His heavy dark circles, sunken cheeks, and tired eyes suggested a lack of rest and possibly insufficient food.

His unkempt, haggard state was reminiscent of a drug addict—or perhaps he was one?

With this thought, Su Ming turned to the officer at the door, who was waiting for instructions.

Pointing to the handcuffed Wang Hao, he asked softly, “Officer Xiao Hai, have you tested him for drugs? He looks like he might be an addict.”

Hearing this, Xiao Hai shook his head and quickly replied, “Not yet. Things were urgent, so we brought him straight to the interrogation room. Should I get the tech team to test him? We should have results quickly.”

Su Ming shook his head, glanced at Wang Hao again, and said decisively, “No need. Just from his state, it’s clear he’s been using drugs, probably a long-time addict. Let’s start the interrogation and dig out the deeper clues.”

Saying this, Su Ming observed Wang Hao’s slight head lift as he looked at him and Chen Sheng. After a brief pause, Su Ming turned back to the officer at the door and raised an eyebrow.

“Also, Officer Xiao Hai, please have the Criminal Investigation Technology Section turn off the interrogation room’s surveillance. We don’t need any recordings of what’s about to happen, to avoid any trouble.”

These words made Xiao Hai pause, but he quickly responded, “Alright, I’ll have them turn off the surveillance right away. Team Leader Su, rest assured, no matter how the interrogation goes, no footage will leak.”

After speaking, Xiao Hai thoughtfully closed the interrogation room door, ignoring Wang Hao’s look of fear.

With the door shut, Su Ming calmly sat at the interrogation table, flanked by Xu Changsheng and Chen Sheng. Time was of the essence, and without hesitation, Su Ming glanced at Wang Hao’s file before tossing it aside and speaking expressionlessly.

“Wang Hao, right?”

“Oh? It’s your first time here? Never been in trouble before?”

“Let’s cut to the chase. Our time is precious. I need important information, and you need to make this easier on yourself, so let’s skip the irrelevant details.”

“Start by confessing any illegal activities you’ve been involved in.”

Sitting in the interrogation chair, Wang Hao lifted his greasy-haired head and looked intently at Su Ming, his eyes filled with hidden fear.

“Officer, I really didn’t…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Su Ming tapped the table, cutting him off with a cold tone, squinting slightly.

“Hold on, before you say anything, let me give you a little reminder.”

“Since it’s your first time in the police station, you might not be aware, so let me explain…”

Su Ming pointed to the surveillance camera overhead, hinting at its significance.

“Every word you say in the interrogation room is recorded by this camera.”

“But in reality, this camera isn’t here to document your crimes. It’s actually to protect you, to monitor us, the police, to prevent any misconduct.”

“After all, dealing with people like you, we really don’t want to waste any more words than necessary.”

“Oh, right, I forgot to turn off one of the cameras.”

“Let’s turn all these cameras off before we continue, so we don’t waste time or complicate matters.”

As Su Ming spoke, he slowly walked toward the camera in the corner, preparing to turn it off.

Watching Su Ming approach the camera, ready to switch it off, Wang Hao’s mind raced with scenes from various films—electric batons, water dungeons, head-dousing punishments. Even the strongest criminals couldn’t withstand a few hours of such treatment.

Moreover, the room was sealed off on the west side, without even a single window, making it truly a case of crying out to heaven and earth with no response, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

At that moment, Wang Hao, who already had a weak psychological endurance and had never been to a police station before, couldn’t handle the pressure any longer and quickly shouted out.

“Wait.”

“Don’t, don’t turn off the cameras. I confess—I took drugs, gambled, and solicited prostitutes. I’ll tell you everything, officer, I’ll tell you everything…”