Outside the Patrol Office entrance, two small teams of Inspectors stood on either side of the doorway, fully armed.
A motorcade consisting of an SUV, three patrol cars, and two commercial vans slowly came to a stop.
The SUV was Qin Shiyao's personal vehicle.
When she went to Tianhong International Mall, Qin Shiyao drove herself; on the way back to the Patrol Office, an Inspector temporarily took over, with Qin Shiyao driving for part of the journey.
Qin Shiyao, dressed in casual clothes, stepped out of the car. Su Ci and the other three had already parted ways with her and returned to the villa.
Su Ci's requirement was simple: as long as she never became her enemy, that was enough. But she hadn't specified when she would give her the marrow cleansing pill.
The patrol cars stopped, and the two pairs of Inspectors at the entrance proactively stepped forward. The Inspectors in the cars then opened the doors, escorting the succession of suit-clad thugs out of the vehicles.
They yelled and shouted, claiming they were innocent, but when they saw the dark muzzles of the guns, they obediently squatted down, covering their heads.
Cheng Mingliang was the last to get out. Qin Shiyao merely glanced at him and instructed two Inspectors, "You two take him down. I will interrogate him personally later."
After speaking, she walked into the Patrol Office alone.
Inside the dark and enclosed interrogation room, two Inspectors had Cheng Mingliang sit on one side of a small table and poured him a cup of hot water in a disposable cup.
The rising steam was scalding, mirroring the turbulent state of Cheng Mingliang's mind.
He looked at the silver handcuffs on his wrists. How many years had it been? Since he acquired substantial assets, he had never entered the Patrol Office in this manner.
The wound on his face, inflicted by Su Ci's strike, had scabbed over in spots of bright red and still felt burning hot.
The enclosed environment, coupled with the day's events, made him anxious and uneasy.
Cheng Mingliang didn't have to wait long. With a "creak," the interrogation room door was pushed open from the outside.
Qin Shiyao, having changed into her Inspector uniform, walked into the interrogation room holding two files and a pen, placing the files face down on the table.
Qin Shiyao sat down opposite Cheng Mingliang.
She first pulled the 500-watt desk lamp beside her closer and switched it on, directing it toward Cheng Mingliang.
The blinding light made Cheng Mingliang squint, and it took him a while to adjust.
Qin Shiyao held her pen without looking directly at Cheng Mingliang and asked, "Name?"
"Cheng Mingliang."
"Gender?"
"Miss Qin...! No, Captain Qin, let's skip asking about things that are so obvious and well-known!"
Cheng Mingliang said, sounding wronged.
"Also, you really arrested the wrong people. Look at the injuries on me and my brothers; we are the victims here."
He looked like an old hand who had been to the Patrol Office many times, adopting a lazy and unrestrained posture.
Qin Shiyao looked up, her tone faint.
"Who told you I was questioning you about that? I can tell you clearly: that matter is none of our Inspectors' business."
Cheng Mingliang's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, then stopped. If it's none of your business, why did you arrest us?
His eyebrow twitched, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Qin Shiyao tapped the desktop with her pen.
"Let's talk about the reports from the West City that you used coercion, intimidation, and physical force to threaten others into signing low-priced resale agreements."
At the mention of this, Cheng Mingliang's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly grew impatient:
"Captain Qin, hasn't that matter been closed? It was just my subordinates acting in defiance of orders. I couldn't help it! Besides, he's already been arrested."
"Alright, I'll ask you another question: Where did the informants and the ordinary citizens involved go?"
Cheng Mingliang spread his hands, acting completely ignorant.
"How should I know? Are you implying, Captain Qin, that I restricted their personal freedom?
You need evidence when you speak. You can't just slander the innocence of a 'Three Good Citizen' like me out of thin air!"
Qin Shiyao narrowed her eyes, like a hawk locking onto its prey.
"Is that so? Then why can't I contact them? Are you going to say they all changed their contact information?"
Cheng Mingliang shrugged: "It's not impossible."
Cheng Mingliang's careless attitude suddenly ignited the long-suppressed anger in Qin Shiyao's heart. She slammed the table, creating a loud bang, and placed her hands flat on the desk.
"Don't think that if you keep silent and evade my questions, I won't be able to handle you.
I know you were responsible for all of this. You had better pray those people are safe.
Otherwise, legal sanctions await you. I'm asking you one last time: where are those people?"
This startled Cheng Mingliang considerably, and the Inspector observing and recording nearby couldn't help but shiver.
This was the first time they had seen Qin Shiyao angry.
Cheng Mingliang looked at Qin Shiyao's murderous eyes, his body trembling, and his breathing quickened slightly.
He was also afraid of slipping up and incriminating himself.
He took a deep breath and slumped back in the chair: "I... I want a lawyer. I won't speak until my lawyer arrives."
Qin Shiyao sneered and stepped away from the table: "A lawyer?!"
She then turned her head to look at the two Inspectors separated by only a pane of glass, a "kind" smile playing on her lips.
One Inspector instantly understood what Qin Shiyao's smile meant, and his hand "accidentally" pressed the power button of the audio and video recording equipment.
"Oh dear! Old Wei, how did the recording equipment break? We should quickly call the Technical Department to come and fix it."
"Right, right, right. It wouldn't be good if we delayed things."
As they spoke, the two men walked out of the interrogation room and closed the door.
"Seriously, is doing this really okay?"
The Inspector named Old Wei stood outside the door and asked worriedly.
The other Inspector glared at Old Wei: "What are you talking about? Could the suspect possibly fall off a half-meter high chair!"
Watching the two Inspectors leave, Cheng Mingliang's eyebrow twitched violently.
He looked at Qin Shiyao again and saw her calmly putting on a pair of disposable white gloves. Beneath her placid expression, her amber eyes were filled with coldness.
Cheng Mingliang opened his mouth, about to say something, only to see Qin Shiyao's hand reach out, clamp onto his neck. Before the feeling of suffocation could register, his body stumbled backward and crashed to the floor, his head hitting the wall, causing a dull ache.
"A lawyer? A social scumbag like you still wants a lawyer."
Qin Shiyao used her other hand to press Cheng Mingliang's head, forcing him to keep his head turned so he could slightly make out the words posted on the wall: "Watch too many movies, have you? Didn't you see the words above? 'Leniency for confession, severity for resistance.'"
After speaking, she let go of him.
Cheng Mingliang thought it was over and took several deep breaths, only to see Qin Shiyao pull out the folding chair he had been sitting on. He cried out in terror.
"Miss Qin, Captain Qin, what you are doing is illegal."
"You're right, but in the face of the law, we also need evidence, don't we?"
...A few minutes later, Qin Shiyao opened the interrogation room door and stood in the doorway.
"Mr. Cheng, in our world, there is a group of special people who are granted privileges at the national level.
I presume you've witnessed this today. Even if they wanted to take your life, the law would not protect your safety.
Therefore, you had better agree to the victim's conditions. Secondly, you had better pray that I find no evidence during your time in prison."
After saying this, Qin Shiyao spoke pleasantly to the two Inspectors.
"The chair in the interrogation room is a bit unsafe. Replace it with a new one later. I'll treat you to a meal when my task is done."
With that, Qin Shiyao left without looking back.
The two Inspectors nodded repeatedly, glanced into the interrogation room, and couldn't help but gasp, lamenting that the metal-framed folding chair was truly flimsy; it had completely fallen apart.
"Alas! Seriously, life is unpredictable, *Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang* (a local snack/idiom for strange happenings), it's rare to fall and manage to bruise yourself all over."
"Isn't that the truth! That must be a Level 2 Minor Injury!"
The two men spoke bright words with their eyes closed.
As for what happened, the author doesn't know!
Qin Shiyao passed an interrogation room with a half-open door and heard a familiar voice call out: "Captain Qin, help me, they won't let me leave."
Qin Shiyao walked in and saw two Inspectors interrogating an acquaintance.
That's right, this person was Ye Chen, his eyes filled with light, shattered yet hopeful.
Because of Su Ci, Qin Shiyao knew about Ye Chen's identity as an Ancient Martial Artist.
At the same time, Wen Lingshan had told her to keep a close eye on Ye Chen, so she currently had nothing good to say to him and simply ignored him.
She casually asked the Inspector, "What's going on here?"
An Inspector replied, "Reporting, Captain Qin, this Mr. Ye's ID card is fake. We are currently interrogating him about the source of the counterfeit ID."
This loophole was something Wen Lingshan had finally managed to find; otherwise, given Ye Chen's act of heroic righteousness, he really couldn't have done anything to Ye Chen this time.
Ye Chen hadn't expected this point and was caught red-handed. There was no helping it; forged information was ultimately fake, and a deep investigation revealed it instantly.
Qin Shiyao: "..."
Ye Chen: "..."
"Captain Qin, listen to my explanation."
Ye Chen still wanted to argue a few points.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ye, but I can't do anything about this. Leniency for confession. If things go smoothly, you'll be out in two or three days."
After speaking, Qin Shiyao turned and left.
Ye Chen, who had stood up and stretched out his Er Kang hand, wanting to hold her back, was left alone with his shattered heart.
Where no one could see, Ye Chen gnashed his teeth bitterly: "What is going on? With Qin Shiyao's status and background, resolving this matter should be easy. Why won't she help me? Where did things go wrong?"
"But since she didn't show disappointment toward me, does that mean she cares about me?"
The more Ye Chen thought about it, the further off track he went, leaving the Inspectors nearby speechless.