Jiang Langmin followed Lu Linjiang back to the police station with an air of perfect composure. No one came to interrogate him immediately; he sat alone in the interrogation room for a long time. Though the room was silent, Jiang Langmin knew Lu Linjiang was watching him from behind the surveillance monitor.
Lu Linjiang did indeed cast a glance at Jiang Langmin’s interrogation room, but only after he had finished questioning Wu Yuxing. The man was tight-lipped and refused to say a word, but Xu Sichen had discovered the text messages sent to Jiang Langmin on his phone.
“What exactly did Jiang Langmin ask you to do?”
“What was the liquid in the bottle?”
“Does the liquid you spilled on the subway have anything to do with this massive flu outbreak?”
Lu Linjiang asked only these three questions from start to finish, but the man turned a deaf ear to them. He acted as if he had been struck dumb, allowing Lu Linjiang to interrogate him without uttering a single syllable.
Lu Linjiang showed no sign of irritation. He spent ten minutes calmly wearing the man down before returning to the observation room to watch Jiang Langmin, who sat at the interrogation table looking equally composed.
Yang Bo handed the cleaning lady’s statement to Lu Linjiang. “The auntie’s take is that Jiang Langmin doesn't know the guy at all and has no idea what’s going on. Judging strictly by her statement, Jiang Langmin looks quite innocent.” He then glanced at the interrogation record in Lu Linjiang’s hand—it was blank. Yang Bo said with a headache, “He hasn't confessed a single word? They were shouting at each other's front door, why is he keeping his mouth so shut now!”
Lu Linjiang glanced at him. “Where’s Xu Sichen?”
“I told her to rest in the office. I’ll call her if we need anything.”
“Go. Tell her to find Wu Yuxing, and tell her to take off her mask.”
Yang Bo froze for two seconds before reacting, a mischievous expression spreading across his face. “Captain Lu, brilliant!” He then ran out enthusiastically.
A moment later, the two returned. Lu Linjiang nodded to Xu Sichen. “Handle it as you see fit.”
Xu Sichen gave an ‘OK’ gesture. The moment she pushed open the interrogation room door, she had already tucked her mask into her pocket. Lu Linjiang watched the monitor as Xu Sichen sat down across from Wu Yuxing. The two stared at each other in silence for a short while before Xu Sichen began to sneeze violently. Usually, when Xu Sichen followed these rough men into the fray, she was never fastidious; when they were busy on a case, she could eat at the filthiest hole-in-the-wall eateries without complaint. However, sneezing directly at someone was something that, at least in Lu Linjiang’s memory, had never happened before.
But now, she was putting her all into it. The sneezes came in a relentless barrage, and she made no attempt to cover her mouth. Lu Linjiang watched Wu Yuxing dodge left and right, yet he still couldn't avoid being sprayed with saliva. Within moments, his face turned the color of pig liver.
Yang Bo burst out laughing. “How long can he hold out?”
Lu Linjiang glanced at the utterly calm Jiang Langmin on the monitor. “Whether he talks or not doesn't matter much to us. This one is the main event.”
Yang Bo blinked, catching the hidden meaning in Lu Linjiang’s words. “Why? Why is Wu Yuxing’s word unreliable?”
“Jiang Cheng reminded me that this isn't Jiang Langmin’s style,” Lu Linjiang said. “From Tao Minxing to Martina, Jiang Langmin was practically flawless in those three incidents. He made Luo Jia take the fall entirely, and we were even misled about Guzman’s death, thinking it was an accidental event caused by eating wild animals. If Martina hadn't left clues beforehand, the outcome would likely have been hard to say.”
“A man who acts so calculatingly wouldn't be so crude as to dump a virus in the subway, let alone allow this Wu Yuxing to show up at his door demanding a debt. Cheng Hao is still insisting to this day that he did everything himself. Could it be that he can handle a Cheng Hao but can't handle a Wu Yuxing?”
Yang Bo nodded in realization. Lu Linjiang continued, “So, sending Xu Sichen in is just giving Wu Yuxing an opening—a chance for him to tell the story he’s prepared. It makes it look like he was forced into it, which adds credibility. As for this Jiang Langmin...” Yang Bo looked at the monitor with him, thinking for a moment before saying, “We’ll just have to see what tricks he has up his sleeve. But clearly, there’s another party involved in this. Whoever it is, if we can flush them out, it might be the turning point we need.”
Just as Lu Linjiang finished speaking, Guo Junyi knocked and entered, tossing a file onto his desk. “Jiang Cheng took the contents of the glass bottle to the CDC for testing. We checked the bottle itself. Congratulations.”
Lu Linjiang picked up the report. Under the fingerprint identification section, the name ‘Jiang Langmin’ was written in bold. He had just concluded that Jiang Langmin would have a way to extricate himself, yet this report clearly presented a completely different possibility.
“Are you sure there’s no mistake?”
Guo Junyi snorted. “What do you think?”
Yang Bo leaned over to look, then said in surprise, “Captain Lu, does this mean it won't be so easy for Jiang Langmin to get away this time?”
Lu Linjiang looked at the report, then looked up at the monitor. “Interesting.” He stood up. “Regardless, let’s go meet him first and see how he reacts.”
Lu Linjiang placed the report in front of Jiang Langmin. “I think you should take a look at this first.”
Jiang Langmin opened it and read the report carefully before speaking. “I’m sorry, I don’t recall ever owning such a bottle. Is this from some case?”
Lu Linjiang hadn't expected his vague words to make Jiang Langmin slip up, so he wasn't at all surprised by this airtight response. He followed up, “Oh, it’s likely a poisoning case. If you’re certain you’ve never touched such a bottle, then who do you think would have the opportunity to put your fingerprints on it?”
Jiang Langmin shook his head. “I don't know.”
Lu Linjiang nodded. “Then, do you know that Wu Yuxing?”
“Wu Yuxing? The man who was just pounding on my door?” Jiang Langmin shook his head, then took out his phone and pulled up the text message. “Speaking of which, Captain Lu, you should look at this. He appeared shortly after I received this message.”
Lu Linjiang took the phone. After reading it, he smiled. “It was indeed sent to you by Wu Yuxing, but there’s no reply from you on his phone.”
“I imagine he deleted it.”
Lu Linjiang said, “I thought so too. Jiang Langmin, if it’s truly as you say, it seems someone is deliberately trying to frame you. Don't you want to know who it is and why?”
Jiang Langmin pushed up his glasses. “Speaking of which, isn't that exactly within your scope of work, Captain Lu?”
Lu Linjiang looked entirely in agreement. “Yes. Why don't we open a case for that while we're at it? Dr. Jiang, you’re the only one on your household register, and you’ve mostly lived abroad in recent years. Could you provide us with a social network list so we can check everyone one by one?” Lu Linjiang looked into the other man’s eyes. “After all, no matter how resourceful the police are, we need the cooperation of the parties involved to improve the efficiency of solving the case!”
Jiang Langmin was slightly taken aback but recovered quickly. “Captain Lu, I’m afraid there’s not much I can do to help with that. As you said, I’ve been abroad for the past two years. I truly can't fathom why someone would go to such lengths to target me.”
He looked at Lu Linjiang. “Also, regarding that man you just caught, Wu Yuxing—please investigate him thoroughly. How did he get my phone number, and how did he bypass security to get all the way to my front door?”
“Of course,” Lu Linjiang said firmly, looking at him. “We can't let Dr. Jiang bear the burden of unfounded charges.”
The interrogation room door was pushed open. Xu Sichen, wearing her mask again, ignored the tension in the room. “Captain Lu, Wu Yuxing says he’s talking. He’s confessing everything!”
Lu Linjiang nodded to Xu Sichen, then turned back to Jiang Langmin. “Don't worry, Dr. Jiang. I will definitely find the truth!”
Jiang Langmin replied with a faint smile. “Then, I shall wait.”
***
