Chapter 33

In the office of the 6th Criminal Department of the Jiangnan District Procuratorate, Jin Yunhao was discussing the case with Shin Donghae.

"Pi Wang, go contact the police and see if they have publicized or searched for the girl the defendant mentioned," Jin Yunhao said while looking through the case files.

"Boss, I've already contacted them. The police conducted publicity in several blocks around the crime scene, but it was ineffective," Shin Donghae said regretfully after hanging up the phone.

Although Jin Yunhao had already guessed as much, he still felt disappointed upon hearing the news.

After reviewing the case files several times, Jin Yunhao found nothing worth investigating, and there were no clues about the girl.

"Let's go to the police station and ask the defendant in person," Jin Yunhao said, putting on his coat and calling Shin Donghae to join him. He then said to Song Enji, "Please stay here and notify me immediately if there's any news."

"Sure, Prosecutor Jin," Song Enji stood up and bowed in response.

In the car, Jin Yunhao stared out the window, feeling frustrated as the case had no leads.

This was his first case, and he was determined to close it perfectly.

He had a mild case of OCD and couldn't tolerate any blemishes on his record.

Although his initial plan was to keep a low profile, being low-key didn't mean he would be lazy or deliberately mishandle the case.

Moreover, this case was somewhat special. Jin Yunhao focused his investigation on the girl, thinking:

If we find out that the girl really exists tonight, we can clear the suspect's name. If we can't find her, I'll have to apologize and proceed with the normal procedures to arrest the defendant.

He irritably took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep puff.

Sigh, it would be great if the cost of cigarettes could be reimbursed.

Jin Yunhao thought, blowing out a perfect smoke ring.

Upon arriving at the police station, Jin Yunhao coincidentally met an acquaintance, the police captain who led the team to support him during the 'fight' with Sanmao at the subway station, Park Jitae.

"Hey, Prosecutor Jin, what brings you here?" Park Jitae recognized Jin Yunhao and walked over to greet him.

"Hello, I'm here to investigate a case and need to question the suspect. I didn't expect to run into you," Jin Yunhao said politely, remembering the trouble he caused last time.

"Oh?" Park Jitae was surprised. The last time he saw Jin Yunhao, he was just an intern prosecutor. How did he become a full-fledged prosecutor so quickly?

When he saw the business card Jin Yunhao handed him, he was shocked.

Wow! A third-level prosecutor, and he works in the Criminal Department of the Seoul Jiangnan District Procuratorate!

Park Jitae, who had been a police officer for over a decade, knew the prosecutors he often dealt with very well. He never expected Jin Yunhao to jump three levels from an intern to a third-level prosecutor.

It seems that Jin Yunhao has a more significant background than he initially thought!

If Jin Yunhao needed to, he could temporarily mobilize police forces from various stations in Jiangnan during his investigation.

Seeing Jin Yunhao as his nominal superior, Park Jitae immediately became cautious. He not only handed over his business card respectfully but also insisted on using informal language when speaking to Jin Yunhao, showing great concern for his affairs.

After hearing Jin Yunhao's purpose, Park Jitae took on the role of a subordinate, assisting him enthusiastically.

"That's the defendant inside. We detained him this morning. He has a bad temper, so be careful when you go in. I'll be outside if you need anything," Park Jitae said, leading Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae to the interrogation room.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

After saying that, Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae entered the interrogation room together.

"Hello, I am Jin Yunhao, a third-level prosecutor from the Jiangnan District Procuratorate, and I am now in charge of your case," Jin Yunhao introduced himself after sitting down.

The defendant didn't even look up, remaining silent.

"I'm here to hear your account of the incident in person. Is that okay?" Jin Yunhao asked.

The defendant still didn't speak.

"…I'll take your silence as consent. Please describe the situation at the time," Jin Yunhao signaled Shin Donghae to take notes.

"I've already said everything I have to say. There's nothing more to add!" The defendant's attitude was poor, and he was visibly agitated.

"But you haven't told me yet. I am the prosecutor responsible for your case, and I want to hear your account in person, not just read the case files," Jin Yunhao patiently explained.

The defendant was under 20, still a minor, and had a student-like demeanor. His temper tantrum was understandable to Jin Yunhao.

After some thought, the defendant repeated his statement, which was identical to the one in the case files, though his tone was more aggressive.

After listening, Jin Yunhao didn't comment but asked the defendant to repeat it again.

"What do you mean? Are you messing with me!?" The defendant was furious at Jin Yunhao's 'unreasonable' request and stood up, shouting.

"Bang!"

Jin Yunhao slammed his hand on the table: "Rude! Who gave you the right to shout? Is this how your parents taught you to speak to your elders?"

Jin Yunhao was much older and, as a prosecutor, had the authority to educate the young student.

The defendant glared at Jin Yunhao, breathing heavily, and barely suppressed his anger: "I've already repeated my statement over ten times. What more is there to say? I've said everything I need to, and you can believe it or not."

"Slam!"

Shin Donghae was also angry and slammed his notebook on the table: "What's your attitude? We are patiently questioning you to help you. You, however, are ungrateful and even lashing out at us."

The defendant sneered: "Helping me? Helping me by repeatedly asking for my statement? You could use that time to do something else."

Shin Donghae was amused: "Ha... I've never met someone so ungrateful. We received your case at around 5 PM, skipped dinner, and worked on it all night. You, however, treat us like enemies. Do we owe you something?"

Shin Donghae turned to Jin Yunhao, angrily saying: "Boss, let's go. I won't handle this case anymore! He doesn't even thank us for trying to help him. What a person!"

The defendant's face turned red, and he looked ashamed after hearing Shin Donghae's words.

Jin Yunhao shook his head and smiled, understanding the defendant's temper.

He said to the defendant: "I asked you to repeat your account to help you recall the scene and see if you missed any important details. This case is very challenging, and without additional leads, it will be hard to solve.

For us prosecutors, the easiest way to handle this would be to approve the police's arrest warrant and detain you. Then we would have plenty of time to investigate the case.

However, once you are detained, regardless of whether you are innocent or not, it will be recorded in your file and will have a significant impact on your future.

We are rushing to investigate to avoid causing you such harm. Please consider whether you want to cooperate."

"…I understand, but I've already said everything I can. No one believes me. I saw the girl in a very pitiful state and couldn't help but rush to her aid, helping her fight off the attacker. Ha... I never thought I would end up as a criminal. And the girl didn't even come forward to vouch for me. How could I not be angry?" The defendant finally spoke his mind after a moment of silence.

"Everyone has their own difficulties. If she came forward to testify, she would risk her reputation. Let's not talk about this for now.

Since you insist on your statement, please repeat it again. While doing so, look at your statement and recall the scene, trying to find any details you might have missed," Jin Yunhao said.

The defendant, understanding that Jin Yunhao was trying to help him, improved his attitude. After venting his anger, he felt much better.

Calmly, he began to follow Jin Yunhao's instructions, looking at his statement and trying to recall the scene: "That night... then I got into a fight with the attacker..."

"Wait, when you were fighting with the attacker, was the girl still there?" Jin Yunhao interrupted, asking a seemingly trivial question.

"…When the fight started, she was still there," the defendant recalled after a moment.

"Are you sure? How can you be sure she was still there?" Jin Yunhao pressed.

"Sure! I happened to see her. She was half-sitting on the ground, searching for something. After that, I never saw her again. She might have escaped while I was fighting the attacker."

"You mean she was half-sitting on the ground, searching for something? Can you show me what she was doing?" Jin Yunhao asked for a more specific demonstration.

"Sure, let me think... like this, she was looking down, moving her hands like this," the defendant mimicked the girl's actions.

"Pi Wang, what do you think she was doing?" Jin Yunhao turned to Shin Donghae after watching the defendant's demonstration.

"Looking for something? Maybe her wallet fell, and she was looking for it? But that doesn't make sense. After such a dangerous situation, how could she be calm enough to look for her wallet?" Shin Donghae guessed, unable to figure out the girl's true intentions.

"Good point. After such a dangerous situation, a normal woman would be very panicked and afraid. Given that she ran away on her own, her first reaction after being rescued should have been to escape. However, she didn't. Instead, she was looking for something.

...I think the thing she was looking for must be very important and helpful for her escape," Jin Yunhao analyzed, twirling his pen.

"Escape, look for something, and the thing helps her escape? It's hard to connect these," Shin Donghae scratched his head, his face turning red from frustration.

He muttered, "If we had Song Enji here, she might have an idea. She's a woman and might know what the girl was looking for."

Come on, she only handles paperwork and wouldn't be involved in the investigation. Besides, she's so 'cold' that it's hard to get her to speak, let alone investigate a case.

Jin Yunhao chuckled, thinking about Song Enji's quiet nature.

Flash!

A thought suddenly came to his mind.

...

Thank you to the readers 'Bing Feng di Ai' and 'Tian Ping Xiao Hapi' for your support.

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