The camera captured a photo of Li Jin a little after eleven, but now he's nowhere to be found.
Shen Xin's first thought was that Li Jin was about to flee.
But that wasn't necessarily the case.
'He might have just stepped out for a bit.'
Shen Xin hoped Li Jin was the suspect they were looking for, which would bring this theft case to a satisfying conclusion.
But the evidence just wasn't there.
Or rather, there was no evidence at all.
He had only fed a stray cat, happened to live near Xianghong Village, and happened to have a lot of electronic equipment at home.
He might just be a cat lover who kindly fed the black-and-white cat.
And the electronic gear at his home could just be a hobby.
'You can't solve a case by first making an assumption—that someone is the suspect—and then trying to twist the existing evidence to fit them and find a connection.'
'In the end, the evidence had to do the talking.'
'Otherwise, even if they found the guy, what could they do if he denied everything?'
'The Great Memory Recovery Technique?'
'That was definitely not an option.'
That was why even when Zhang Jian swore up and down that Li Jin was the suspect and moved to kick the door in, Song Liang immediately grabbed him.
"Zhang Jian, you've been a cop for over twenty years. How can you still be as impulsive as a rookie!"
Song Liang reprimanded him with a shove toward the door. "I saw a security camera at the intersection when we entered the village," he ordered. "Go pull the footage. See if you can find this Li Jin and what he was up to."
Zhang Jian nodded.
The footage definitely needed to be checked. He added, "Song Suo, this guy is definitely planning to run. Contact the branch office, put a flag on his ID, and have our colleagues at the railway and airports intercept him."
"I know what I'm doing. Just go pull the footage."
Song Liang shot him a glare, urging him to get a move on.
After Zhang Jian left, Wang Shuwei stepped forward. "Old Song, the evidence isn't clear yet. We can't be reckless."
"I know."
Song Liang didn't need Wang Shuwei to remind him of the situation.
There was no concrete evidence linking Li Jin to the theft.
And alerting the railway and airlines, preventing him from buying a ticket to leave Nanjiang City? That was tantamount to issuing a wanted notice.
Taking that step would be a serious mistake.
Even what Zhang Jian had just tried to do—kicking in the door to the main room without any just cause—could stir up a heap of trouble later on.
"We have to find a way to confirm that this Li Jin is connected to the case."
Song Liang said, folding his arms.
Wang Shuwei also sank into thought. After a moment, he pulled the middle-aged woman aside to ask for more information about Li Jin.
Just then, an idea suddenly struck Shen Xin.
"Song Suo, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it'll work."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Song Liang looked at Shen Xin, giving him an encouraging glance.
This case had shown him that Shen Xin, being young, was full of ideas—some of them quite unconventional.
Shen Xin quickly explained his idea, concluding, "Song Suo, I'm not sure if doing this would be considered coercing a confession."
The regulations were very strict these days.
The Great Memory Recovery Technique was out, and so was coercing a confession.
The line for what constituted a coerced confession was a fine one.
Done right, it was called a bluff and could work wonders.
But if done wrong...
When he heard the idea, Song Liang's eyes lit up. He had the sudden urge to slap his thigh and shout his approval.
But when he heard Shen Xin's reservations, he laughed. "Not bad. You're a cautious one, kid. That's good. You need that kind of mindset to handle cases."
"A lot of us from the older generation don't take these things seriously enough. We just figure it doesn't matter. Not like you young folks, who know how to cover your own backs first."
He remarked with some emotion, then called Wang Shuwei over.
Wang Shuwei's eyes also lit up the moment he heard Shen Xin's plan.
"Xiaoshen, this is great! An excellent idea," Wang Shuwei praised him heartily. "And don't worry about your concerns. It's fine."
He went on to explain, "Xiaoshen, the regulations are the regulations. They're a red line, there to warn you where the boundary is."
"But in the real world, you have to look at the specifics of each situation. I'll give you an example, and you'll get it."
"Let's say someone committed a murder, but we have no concrete evidence. During the interrogation, I tell him we found an eyewitness who saw him do it. He then confesses, and based on that, we find the murder weapon and complete the evidence chain."
"Technically, saying we found an eyewitness could be considered coercion. But you have to understand something: the reason we bluff a suspect is to find more evidence to prove they actually committed the crime. The ultimate goal is to build an 'ironclad case' that doesn't even need a confession."
"Besides, Xiaoshen, don't think suspects are that simple. If they confessed after a simple bluff, our jobs would be way too easy."
'That made sense,' Shen Xin thought.
'Just because I say there was a witness, the suspect is going to believe me?'
"Instructor, I get it now."
'This was real experience, the kind you couldn't get from a textbook.'
"Then what are you standing around for? Let's go."
Wang Shuwei called out, and the three of them immediately set off.
They didn't even notify Zhang Jian.
「Soon, the three returned to Xianghong Village.」
"Xiaoshen, you're up," Song Liang said, giving Shen Xin a little push.
It was Shen Xin's idea, and he wanted to give the young man a chance to shine.
Shen Xin nodded and led the way into the courtyard.
Wu Zhicun was still sitting in the main room, muttering something as if in a trance.
"Sir."
Shen Xin called out.
Wu Zhicun immediately yelled, "What now? I'll say it again: if you've got the guts, then take me in."
He thrust out his hands, his attitude as defiant as ever.
Shen Xin glanced at Song Liang and Wang Shuwei who had followed him in. Without hesitating, he cut straight to the chase. "Sir, this isn't going to work. Did you think we couldn't find out if you didn't talk? We keep coming back to you because we were hoping you would explain the situation voluntarily."
"In any case, we've already figured most of it out. The suspect's surname is Li, isn't it?"
Wu Zhicun's expression changed abruptly. He stammered instinctively, "What... what Li?"
Shen Xin took note of his reaction.
'No doubt about it. It has to be Li Jin.'
Shen Xin instinctively paused, but Song Liang at his side reacted in a flash. "That's enough, Xiaoshen. No need to say any more to him. We've already got the basics on Li Jin's situation. Now we're just waiting for him to surface."
He interjected, giving Wu Zhicun no time to think.
The name "Li Jin" instantly shattered Wu Zhicun's mental defenses. He blurted out, "How did you know?!"
He clamped his mouth shut as soon as the words were out.
But panic was written all over his face.
The hand gripping his white cane trembled uncontrollably.
Song Liang and Wang Shuwei exchanged a glance, their minds now at ease.
"Let's go, Xiaoshen."
Song Liang called out, turning to leave.
He didn't need a full confession from Wu Zhicun. He just needed a reaction, one that confirmed Li Jin was connected to the case. That was enough.
Shen Xin hurried to catch up.
A CLATTER sounded from behind them.
It was the sound of a chair being knocked over.
Wu Zhicun scrambled to his feet, grabbing helplessly at the empty air. "Don't go!" he shouted. "Don't arrest Xiaoli! He's a good kid, a good kid!"
As he yelled, his voice broke into a sob.
Shen Xin's heart sank. He felt an inexplicable pang of pity and was suddenly curious about this Li Jin.
Without a doubt, the man was a criminal.
But what could have possibly happened between a landlord and a tenant to make Wu Zhicun so stubbornly determined to cover for Li Jin, even if it meant going to prison himself?