CHAPTER 74

Captain Zhou followed this lead and traced it back to Ji Hongfeng.

Logically, Yang Yi would be the one with a grudge against Ji Hongfeng, but they discovered that on the day Xu Qiang was k!lled, Ji Hongfeng was renovating the road in the neighborhood where Xu Qiang was on duty.

Surveillance footage showed that when Xu Qiang was on patrol, he exchanged a few words with Ji Hongfeng in the area, and witnesses on-site confirmed this.

Thinking back to the forensic evidence of cement dust found on the deceased Xu Qiang's clothing, along with the set of fingerprints that had yet to be verified.

Ji Hongfeng was brought to the station to assist with the investigation.

Captain Zhou personally interrogated him, while Detective Huo listened in.

After a few questions, Ji Hongfeng voluntarily confessed: "Don't ask anymore, I did it."

Both men were taken aback and exchanged glances.

Captain Zhou asked, "What did you do?"

"I k!lled Xu Qiang."

"Why did you k!ll him?" Zhou pressed further.

"Why I k!lled him, you should already know, right?" Ji Hongfeng's expression was calm, and his tone was steady, speaking about murd3r as if it were as simple as slicing a radish.

He held out his hands. "Go ahead and take my fingerprints. You'll know after you compare them."

Detective Zhou was caught off guard. The suspect confessed on his own, and the fingerprints on Xu Qiang's clothing indeed matched his.

Ji Hongfeng continued to narrate the crime, "That night, I waited for him to come out of the hotel, then I followed him home. He had been drinking a bit, and I quickly took him down."

His casual recounting raised suspicions among the police.

"That's it? How did you k!ll him?" Team Zhou asked in detail.

"Oh, then I tied him up and cut off that criminal thing of his!"

"With what did you cut it?"

"With a roofing knife."

Captain Zhou narrowed his eyes.

From the previous forensic report on Xu Qiang's autopsy, they had determined that the weapon used was a blade made of carbon steel from the clean incisions, but they hadn't expected it to be a roofing knife.

"Where is the weapon now? Did you get rid of it?"

"It's at my house."

While Ji Hongfeng was confessing his crimes, a team member from Captain Zhou had already gone to search his house. After receiving a call, the officers retrieved the roofing knife he mentioned.

It was the one he usually used.

The officers cleaned the dirt off it with water, revealing the sharp blade, and sent it to the forensic center.

"Let me ask you again, why did you k!ll him? What deep-seated hatred do you have against him?" Zhou inquired.

"I don't have any personal grudge against him. I just couldn't stand him. Always bullying the weak. I took matters into my own hands for the sake of the children." Ji Hongfeng replied.

"You could have just beaten him up or reported him. Did you really have to k!ll him? Does murd3r solve the problem?" Captain Zhou slammed the table and shouted.

From entering the police station to confessing to the murd3r, Ji Hongfeng's expression remained calm. He didn't even sit up straight, as if everything was unfolding as he expected. He exuded an indifferent air, as if saying 'I am what I am.'

His appearance was ordinary, scruffy, unkempt, with a dark complexion—sitting there looking like a weathered laborer who had suffered greatly in life.

His expression finally changed slightly upon hearing this, a faint smirk forming at the corner of his mouth, giving his face a sarcastic yet inscrutable look. "Of course it can."

......

The roofing knife found at Ji Hongfeng's house showed a Luminol reaction, confirming that it had previously been stained with bl0od. Xu Qiang's bl0od was detected on the handle, providing solid evidence.

He not only admitted to k!lling Xu Qiang but also Yang Yi.

"How could I let that scum go!"

"I k!lled him at his house. During those days, I was helping out at the construction site and had to transport sand and stones late at night. I stuffed his corpse into a sack so it wouldn't be noticed at the site."

"Don't believe me? Search the cellar in my backyard, the sack with his body is there..."

Based on his confession, they found the sack containing the body, which was covered in bl0od—residual bl0od from Yang Yi. They also checked the traffic bureau's surveillance footage and indeed found a video of Yang Yi driving a dump truck through an intersection on the night of the incident.

That intersection had too much traffic to pinpoint the exact vehicle, and the construction site where the body was dumped was just one of many possible locations, so it couldn't serve as solid evidence of his crime.

However, the sack containing the body, along with the video footage, provided strong evidence.

......

These two shocking cases, which had consumed countless police resources and had reached several dead ends, were suddenly solved just like that?

The suspect offered no excuses and instead cooperated fully, willingly detailing the evidence and the murd3r weapon. It was an unexpectedly smooth resolution.

Although Captain Zhou still had some doubts, a big part of the burden on his shoulders was lifted, and he sought Detective Huo's opinion after the interrogation.

Of course, Detective Huo didn't fully trust Ji Hongfeng's words.

Next up was the scene between Huo Bijun and Zeng Li.

Huo Bijun was actually a bit nervous. When acting with Xiaoyuan, he was the senior and had some confidence.

But he had no confidence when acting with Zeng Li.

The entire crew was watching.

He was a double Golden Award-winning actor, while Zeng Li, although he only received supporting actor awards, was universally recognized as the "uncrowned king" of acting. Colleagues in the industry shared the same view. He was a role model admired by the younger generation, and acting opposite him was a dream for many.

Cai Juan asked Xiaoyuan quietly, "Who do you prefer?"

Xiaoyuan gave him a glance. Was there even a need to ask?

In her opinion, before Huo Bijun met He Chenying, his acting skills were lacking. He was just good-looking, and Xiaoyuan categorized him as an idol actor who could act a little.

After meeting He Chenying and during the years of their marriage, Xiaoyuan guessed that He Chenying influenced him, allowing him to transition from an idol to a skilled actor.

His luck was also too good. That particular year happened to have average quality films, and among them, he managed to win two Best Actor awards smoothly.

Xiaoyuan believed that Huo Bijun had a strong sense of self in his acting, too poised, and you could always see his own shadow in his performances.

She admired actors who could transform seamlessly between roles, without any sense of abruptness, filling each character with vibrant colors.

Like He Chenying and Zeng Li.

These two were her role models.

Ji Hongfeng was brought in for another interrogation, this time with handcuffs on.

Huo Bijun clenched his fists, staring directly at Zeng Li, who looked back at him with indifference.

The battle of wills between the two men began.

"Do you know Meng Xiaozhou?" Huo Bijun inquired, his eyes keenly observing every subtle detail of Zeng Li's expressions.

Zeng Li's eyes looked blank, but the corners twitched slightly, just enough for the camera to catch it.

"I don't know her."

"Your daughter, Wu Qianli, her best friend is—Meng Xiaozhou. Are you really going to say you don't know her?" Huo Bijun said sharply.

Xiaoyuan let out a soft gasp as Huo Bijun had changed the order of the lines.

The original line was, 'Meng Xiaozhou is the best friend of your daughter Wu Qianli. Do you dare say you don't know her?'

His modification and pauses had a special effect. Ji Hongfeng's character already harbored immense guilt towards his daughter, and Huo Bijun emphasized the word "daughter" first before saying her name, breaking the original line into segments like bullets, aiming to disturb his mind, lower his defenses, and see if he would reveal any cracks.

Zeng Li's facial muscles tensed, and the corners of his eyes twitched, yet he still insisted, "I don't know her."

Huo Bijun took a step back, seemingly relaxing for a second, then leaned in closer, smirking, "Your ex-wife, Wu Huiyun, found Meng Xiaozhou after she reported Yang Yi to the media and slapped her."

"She insulted her for seeking attention, called her shameless and selfish. Did you know that?"

The muscles at the corners of Zeng Li's mouth tightened, his words seemingly dripping with bl0od. "I don't know!"

Huo Bijun raised his head, fixed his gaze on him, and picked up a paper. "Her exact words were—'You shameless little wretch, if you want to d!e, go d!e yourself. Why drag my Qianli into this?'"

"How did that make you feel?"

"You also find it unbelievable, right? Clearly, it wasn't Meng Xiaozhou's fault. She was actually the bravest one. She later had a car accident, couldn't walk, her parents divorced, her mother passed away. But Wu Huiyun never allowed Wu Qianli to visit Meng Xiaozhou!"

"What do you think of your ex-wife's actions?"

In fact, Ji Hongfeng and Wu Huiyun had never officially registered their marriage, so calling her his ex-wife was technically inaccurate, but it had a greater effect and provoked Ji Hongfeng more.

Huo Bijun knew that to act opposite Zeng Li, he needed to strike first. Unlike his subtle probing with Xiaoyuan, he was now aggressive, pressing closer step by step, determined to force him to reveal his true self.

Zeng Li fell silent this time.

Their eyes locked, one fierce, the other cold, creating tension without the need for words.

The entire room felt a clash of titans, akin to two male beasts encountering each other in a dense jungle.

Xiaoyuan watched intently, unconsciously touching her chin as she contemplated, her dark, expressive eyes shining brightly.

"As a mother, her actions might be understandable, but she also caused significant harm to Meng Xiaozhou. It's impossible for her to bow her head and apologize, but you can. You've never done anything for those two. If you had a conscience, you would definitely go and apologize to Wu Huiyun and seek Meng Xiaozhou's forgiveness."

"Am I right?"

Huo Bijun's performance in this segment exceeded Xiaoyuan's expectations. He displayed a balanced intensity, adeptly controlling the dynamics, showcasing his strength.

So far, it seemed like Huo Bijun had more lines, making it appear as if he was leading the entire scene, yet Zeng Li's rhythm remained undisturbed.

The camera panned smoothly across, sweeping from Huo Bijun to Zeng Li, presenting a sense of emotional tension.

Detective Huo found it strange. Ji Hongfeng, a man who hadn't received much education and was previously known as a straightforward, even somewhat timid person. How could someone like that k!ll two people, get caught by the police, and calmly recount the details of the crime?

Either he was too calm, having anticipated everything.

Or perhaps his heart was already dead, where nothing mattered anymore.

Huo Bijun also believed that he was a suspect in the murd3rs. The motive and evidence chain were all there, but there were still some unclear areas.

"Did you also use the roofing knife to k!ll Yang Yi?" Huo Bijun changed the topic abruptly, asking about this matter.

Zeng Li's eyes flashed with impatience. "Yes."

Huo Bijun leaned in closer, fixing his gaze on him. "In the forensic report, Yang Yi's wounds were quite jagged, and the k!ller even crushed his genitals a bit..."

With a faint smile, Huo Bijun added, "You must have been heavy-handed at that time..."

Zeng Li's tone turned impatient. "I was inexperienced the first time, so I was heavy-handed."

Huo Bijun's smile faded, "You're lying!"

Zeng Li's facial muscles twitched, a completely subconscious reaction.

Huo Bijun seized upon this, "Yang Yi's wounds were similar to Xu Qiang's. I was bluffing just now. You didn't k!ll Yang Yi, you only disposed of his body, right?"

"I advise you to come clean. Murd3r is illegal. Just because you didn't commit the act doesn't mean you won't face consequences for hiding the truth there's no need to ruin your life over it..."

"I understand you. After all, I am a father too."

"If your daughter were still alive, she definitely wouldn't want you to break the law..."

Zeng Li's jaw tightened, his shoulders locked together. He didn't respond, merely staring at Huo Bijun in silence, breathing heavily, like a beast poised to pounce, which was quite unsettling.

Huo Bijun's expression became serious, "Ji..." He had just uttered a word when Zeng Li's eyes suddenly turned red, wide open. "What do you f***ing know? My daughter, my daughter didn't even know I was her father until she d!ed!"

"She was in so much pain that she couldn't go on living, and now scum Yang Yi was about to come out. She was scared, so scared that she couldn't bear to live on. She was only 23 years old!!! And now she's dead!"

He suddenly erupted, standing up with his hands still cuffed, pounding the table with a loud bang, shouting:

"My daughter is dead! She didn't even know that I was her father when she d!ed! What use is my worthless life if I can't avenge my child?! What kind of parent am I?!"

"Yang Yi broke the law! He ruined nine children and destroyed nine families! Has he been punished? Five years! He was only been f***ing sentenced to five years! Let me tell you, that's too easy on him. I'll risk my life to k!ll him, I should tear him into a thousand pieces!"

His eyes were filled with bl0od and tears, veins bulging from his neck and forehead as he stared at Huo Bijun and glanced at the police officers outside the window. "I'm telling you, it was me who k!lled him! Come on, detain me, sentence me to death! I'm not afraid! My mother is gone, my daughter was my life, and my life is already gone!"

"An eye for an eye! I'll pay him back, I'll find him in hell, even if I have to become a ghost, I won't let him go!"

"You say you're also a father, do you understand? Do you really understand? Do you?!"

By the end, his voice had gone hoarse, almost crying bl0od as he shouted hoarsely, tears streaming down his face...

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