Xu Liang had read a detective novel called "Points and Lines."
The book mainly describes how, when you see two points, you often think of drawing a line to connect them.
A man and a woman jump into a river, they're presumed to be lovers, inventing a tragic romance.
A boy standing beside another man is assumed to be father and son.
You see a beggar and a trash can, and picture the beggar rummaging through the trash.
In reality.
The man and woman might be complete strangers.
The boy and the man might have just brushed past each other, and the beggar might only be begging without rummaging through trash.
"Similarly."
"When police arrest a murderer, a man turns and runs upon seeing the police, leading others to immediately assume he is the criminal."
"And remaining silent during interrogation only strengthens this belief."
"The only one who could have made Chen Hua take the blame... is one person..."
That day.
June 4th, 5:30 PM.
Inside the deepest part of South Ring Alley, in a shabby tin house, Xu Liang looked at the boy in front of him and spoke softly.
"You're the killer, aren't you?"
Chen Dong said nothing.
His eyes were dazed, as if trapped in his own inner world, showing no emotion.
Beside him, Chen Changchun's hair stood on end.
The police had returned to South Ring, but this time it was a real arrest!
Chen Hua's acting was excellent... or perhaps it wasn't acting but genuine emotion.
If not for fabricating a murder scenario completely different from the crime scene at the end...
The police might have missed the real murderer!
It's just...
Chen Changchun frowned, waving his hand in front of Chen Dong's face.
The other party still didn't react, like a soulless zombie.
Seeing this, Chen Changchun stopped asking questions and took out handcuffs.
"Clink~"
The handcuffs made a crisp sound, and in a daze, Chen Dong seemed to return to his senses, with a hint of color in his dull eyes.
He looked at the handcuffs, then at Xu Liang and the others.
But he still didn't say anything, just let the police take him away.
Watching the other's departing figure, Xu Liang withdrew his gaze and began to scrutinize the dwelling of Chen Hua and Chen Dong.
It was a tin house, cold in winter and hot in summer.
The furniture consisted only of a table picked from a trash can and two cobbled-together beds; there was nothing else.
A very simple house.
Withdrawing his gaze.
Xu Liang then turned and walked away.
Moments later, the police car engine buzzed and drove towards the police station.
...
...
Just back at the police station, Liu Jin led Chen Dong to the holding room.
But they hadn't gone far.
Voices reached their ears.
"I killed them, I killed them!"
"I beg you, I'll kneel to you... take me, arrest me!"
"It's nothing to do with him! I killed Chen Wei, I've wanted to kill him for a long time, I beg you..."
"..."
In the police station lobby.
Several officers on duty seemed at a loss.
In front of them was Chen Hua.
The man indeed wanted to take the blame, but after some on-site questioning, his suspicion was completely cleared, and he could leave the police station.
It's just...
Chen Hua was slumped in the police station lobby at the moment, his dark face full of tears, the wrinkles were clearly visible.
He was over forty but looked as if he were sixty.
As he spoke, Chen Hua's knees buckled.
"Please, just pretend it was me who killed..."
"I'll die in his place..."
Saying this, the middle-aged man was about to kneel, even though the officers in front of him were in their twenties.
Several policemen were startled and quickly bent to pull him up.
Until...
In a daze, Chen Hua caught sight of Chen Changchun and the others outside.
He saw the center of the police, Chen Dong being restrained, and felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar, his face turning pale instantly.
Chen Hua tried to get up and go outside, but his legs couldn't muster any strength, and even breathing was difficult. His legs went limp and he fell again.
But he couldn't be bothered to get up, he wanted to crawl to Chen Dong's side, but was blocked by a group of officers.
"Officer....."
Chen Hua tightly clutched Chen Changchun's pant leg, his lips moving, voice choked with sobs.
Chen Changchun's heart sank, he hurriedly crouched down, trying to support the man.
But the next moment...
"Slap!"
Chen Hua's hand tightly gripped his arm, lifting it was impossible.
Chen Changchun lifted his gaze, meeting a pair of bloodshot eyes.
"Arrest me..."
"This kid was just angry, he was only in his teens back then, just so young..."
"His mother was beaten to death before his eyes, and his sister was dragged into a room and raped by Chen Wei right in front of him..."
"I'm just useless, I'm a coward, I couldn't do anything..."
Speaking.
He held Chen Changchun's arm, his head repeatedly hitting the ground.
"Bang bang!"
Two clear bloodstains remained on the cement floor.
"Let me die, spare him, he was impulsive, he knows he was wrong..."
Chen Changchun hurriedly stopped him, holding Chen Hua down, offering Liu Jin a helpless look.
Liu Jin led people to take Chen Dong away, Chen Dong remained silent, like a vegetable.
Until Chen Dong disappeared.
Only then did Chen Hua weakly drop his arms, kneeling on the ground, holding his head and sobbing.
"Why..."
"Why could they kill my wife, and my daughter had to suffer..."
"Why did I get my legs broken when I reported them in private, and you only came when he died!?"
These words seemed shouted from the depths of the soul.
Chen Changchun's lips moved for a moment, but he couldn't say anything.
He could only sigh, instructing the officers to take care of him, then turning and steeling himself to interrogate Chen Dong.
Back then, Chen Hua didn't report openly... probably threatened.
Or perhaps, the two officers who visited were problematic.
A village chief's power isn't vast, but isn't trivial either.
Preventing someone from filing a case is easy enough, and as long as Chen Hua reported it and the case couldn't proceed, they'd face Chen Jian's insane retaliation.
Several officers tried to pull Chen Hua up.
But the man seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds, unable to be moved.
Until finally, Chen Hua's voice faded.
Once he stood again, those around were stunned.
In just a few dozen minutes, Chen Hua seemed to age years, his hair disheveled, his face old and powerless.
He got up from the ground, his figure hunched, solitary, limping toward the lobby.
His legs weren't agile.
Likely beaten by Chen Jian's people.
The silent crowd watched.
"Sigh."
Until, a sigh sounded.
Xu Liang turned to look but saw Wang Chao hadn't followed Chen Changchun but stood beside him.
"What's wrong?" He joked with a smile.
"Nothing."
Wang Chao said sullenly, surveying the area, a flood of negative emotions rising.
"Really nothing?" Xu Liang raised an eyebrow.
Hearing this, Wang Chao was about to deny, but upon opening his mouth, couldn't speak.
After a moment, he finally spoke in a defeated tone:
"Should we... not have arrested him?"
With that said, Wang Chao stood silently.
Chen Wei's family actively killed Zhang Cui, raped Chen Qingqing leading to her suicide, yet remained unscathed, even living affluently off stolen demolition funds.
Chen Dong retaliated, but faced arrest by the police....
Even as the victim, Chen Hua begged the police to let him take the blame, kneeling to them.
"Chen Wei kills without repercussion, he faces arrest for revenge..."
Wang Chao's eyes were complex, bitterness swelling within.
Standing six foot three, he suddenly seemed so desolate.
Xu Liang smiled, extending a hand, patting Wang Chao's shoulder.
"This is what it's like in criminal investigations."
"Hang in there."