Chapter 39

PS: To read the exclusive stories behind "The Great Ming Lady of My House" and share your thoughts on the novel, follow our official account (add a friend on WeChat - add an official account - enter qdread). Let me know quietly!

As the wind blew the cherry blossoms, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Cheng Qiuyi's face remained with a clearly false smile as she said sincerely, "Thank you very much, Chief Zheng. We won't take up too much of your time. Let's get back to the previous question. When you encountered the criminal, how many police officers were present?"

"When we received the emergency notification from the command center, we were investigating a murder scene. We rushed to the Wanhe Mall in two cars. At that time, there were... seven of us from the Criminal Investigation Team, and one more from the district police station, making a total of eight police officers—yes, eight people."

"At that time, were you all carrying guns?"

"I had a gun, and the other police officers from the team also had guns on them."

"Chief Zheng, I might be overstepping, but with eight police officers armed with guns, encountering a criminal with a knife, not only did you fail to capture him, but he managed to kill three and injure one before escaping. Isn't this... somewhat abnormal?"

Cheng Qiuyi's face turned cold, and she said sternly, "Shen Ke, I know my performance this time wasn't good, but if there's a need to hold someone accountable, it should be the responsibility of our bureau's inspection team and the disciplinary committee. It's an internal matter of the Public Security Bureau, and I have accepted whatever punishment is due—this isn't something for your National Security to meddle in, right?"

Shen Ke waved his hands, "Chief Zheng, you're overthinking it. We didn't mean that. I just want to know why things turned out this way. Logically, eight armed police officers should have easily captured one criminal. Why did it end up so messily? Is there something abnormal—or, perhaps, supernatural—about this?"

Cheng Qiuyi's mind raced, "Supernatural? Shen Ke, do you know something?"

"This... I'll explain later." Shen Ke asked again, "During the struggle with the criminal, did anything unusual happen? For example, did the criminal display any abilities beyond a normal person's?"

"Unusual?" Cheng Qiuyi recalled for a moment and shook her head, "No, the criminal was aggressive and ruthless, but these... should still be within the capabilities of a normal person. Chief Shen, the main reason for the heavy casualties is our own fault, especially mine as the leader. The key is that we were complacent. When the young man pointed out the criminal and warned us, according to police procedures, we should have drawn our guns and been on alert, but at that time, we all had a侥幸心理 (lucky mentality). We didn't believe the young man, and we thought that with so many police officers present, even if the person was a murderer, he wouldn't dare to resist us. So, I didn't draw my gun immediately—I think the other officers were also thinking the same way. Because there were so many of us, we all relaxed. When the criminal suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked, we were completely unprepared."

The National Security officer with the microphone interjected, "Chief Zheng, you mentioned a young man who warned you. Could you explain the details from the beginning?"

"When we entered the mall, we encountered a young man who looked like a college student. He was there with his girlfriend, who was carrying a black long sword. We were setting up a checkpoint at the entrance, and I suspected the sword was a controlled weapon, so I stopped them for inspection—"

At this point, Cheng Qiuyi suddenly had a thought. She paused, frowning, as if she had forgotten something important—was it the college student surnamed Xu? He didn't seem particularly special, did he?

Cheng Qiuyi's slight pause was noticed by the National Security officers, who asked in unison, "Chief Zheng, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just thought of something else—when the girl refused to be inspected, the murderer came down from the third floor on the elevator. He was carrying two magazines under his arm—his knife was hidden inside. The murderer had changed his clothes and had no bloodstains, so he didn't match the description of the criminal, and we didn't pay attention to him. Later, we realized that the murderer had changed his clothes on the third floor before coming down. When the murderer was about to leave the entrance, the college student suddenly shouted that the man was the murderer and told us to catch him. We then paid attention, and Comrade Qiguang, who was guarding the entrance, stopped the murderer to check his ID. That's when the criminal suddenly attacked—"

Cheng Qiuyi recounted the incident in detail, and Shen Ke and the two National Security officers listened attentively. However, Cheng Qiuyi had a feeling that from their expressions, they already knew what she was saying. A thought crossed her mind: They must have already questioned others before talking to her.

At this moment, Shen Ke interrupted, "Wait, Chief Zheng, we need to confirm something: You said the college student was the first to recognize the criminal. How did he recognize him?"

Cheng Qiuyi was taken aback—indeed, how did the college student recognize the criminal when the police officers present couldn't?

She shook her head, "I'm not sure... maybe the college student had seen the criminal's face upstairs, so he recognized him."

"Did you ask him about it afterward?"

"After the criminal injured several of our colleagues and fled, I chased after him, and then I was busy with the crime scene investigation and coming to the hospital, so I didn't have time to follow up."

"Another thing, Chief Zheng, you mentioned that the criminal, after injuring Officer Lu, lunged at you with his knife. Was it the young man who saved you?"

"That's right. My gun wasn't out yet, and the criminal's knife was already coming at me. I was prepared to be injured, but the young man suddenly rushed forward and used his girlfriend's sword to block the criminal's knife—"

At this point, Cheng Qiuyi had another thought, feeling that she had missed something important—the sword? The black long sword?

"Then what happened? After the first strike was blocked, did the criminal attack again? Did he strike a second time?"

"No—the criminal didn't attack again. Instead, he stood facing the young man, stared at him for a few seconds, and then suddenly turned and ran."

Cheng Qiuyi noticed that when she said this, the National Security officers frowned slightly and exchanged meaningful glances, nodding to each other.

"Chief Zheng, we know you have trained in free fighting and judo. From your perspective, was the college student's swordsmanship good?"

Cheng Qiuyi was straightforward, "Swordsmanship? In my opinion, he was a complete novice. He knew nothing about martial arts or combat techniques—his way of holding the sword made it clear he was a complete beginner, and I could tell at a glance."

"Then, Chief Zheng, do you think the reason the criminal retreated wasn't because of his martial arts skills?"

"I think that's impossible."

"Then why do you think the criminal, who was unafraid to attack several police officers, was afraid to harm the college student and instead fled?"

Cheng Qiuyi replied casually, "He was just lucky! The criminal could injure several people because we were unprepared, but later, our officers reacted, and I was about to draw my gun, and the others were also drawing their guns. The criminal must have been afraid, so he didn't dare to hurt anyone and fled. The young man just got lucky—afterward, he was so scared that his legs were shaking, and he almost collapsed."

Shen Ke shook his head slightly, clearly not fully convinced by Cheng Qiuyi's explanation. However, he remained calm, "Chief Zheng, speaking of drawing guns—I heard you fired at the criminal when he fled?"

"Yes, I fired three shots at his back."

"Did you hit him?"

Cheng Qiuyi hesitated for a moment before nodding, "I think I hit him—at least once. I saw him stagger forward, but then he continued running as if nothing had happened, and he quickly outpaced me. I started to doubt whether I had really hit him—if he had been shot, there's no way I couldn't catch him."

The National Security officers exchanged glances again, with a meaningful look. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Shen Ke? Is there something unusual about this?"

"Uh, nothing unusual, Chief Zheng. Based on our judgment, you probably did hit the criminal, but this guy... is a bit special, not like a normal person. So, Chief Zheng, after your encounter with the criminal, did you notice anything strange or unusual about him?"

"Strange or unusual?" Cheng Qiuyi was taken aback, "You mean..."

"For example, his eyes—did you notice anything special about his eyes?"

Prompted by this, Cheng Qiuyi suddenly remembered and nodded repeatedly, "Now that you mention it, I do remember—his eyes were blood-red, like a mad dog. But—" She looked at the National Security officers suspiciously, "How did you know this? My case report isn't even finished yet!"

Shen Ke smiled and avoided answering her question, "One last question: Do you know the young man's name? Where is he from, and do you have his contact information?"

"Of course, I know. He's a second-year student at Shudu University, and his name is Xu Yan."

These words were on the tip of Cheng Qiuyi's tongue, but she hesitated. For some reason, the words that came out were, "I don't know his name or how to find him. What does the National Security Bureau need him for?"

"It's nothing serious," Shen Ke was vague, "We just want to talk to him."

Just a talk?

A smile appeared on Cheng Qiuyi's lips. She wasn't a child and didn't believe the National Security Bureau would have nothing better to do than chat. She didn't know what the National Security Bureau wanted with Xu Yan, but out of gratitude for his act of saving her, she decided to keep her knowledge of him a secret—let the National Security Bureau try to find him. In Jincheng, there must be hundreds of thousands of young people around Xu Yan's age.

She stared at Shen Ke, "Chief Shen, it seems your National Security Bureau knows a lot more than we do... Chief Shen, can you share some information? Why are you so interested in this case?"

"Cough, Chief Zheng, this is internal business of the National Security Bureau..."

"Chief Shen," Cheng Qiuyi smiled sweetly, "If you keep being so formal, I won't talk to you again. Give me a chance, and I'll treat you to a meal, okay?"

Cheng Qiuyi, although a capable female police officer, was also aware of her gender and her attractiveness. She noticed that the young chief from the National Security Bureau often avoided her gaze and had firmly supported her when she had a dispute with his subordinates. Her feminine intuition told her what this meant. So, when necessary, she wouldn't hesitate to use her gender advantage.

Shen Ke hesitated for a moment, then gestured to the officer with the recorder, who turned off the device. The officer with the notebook also closed it and stepped back, turning their heads away.

At this point, Shen Ke lowered his voice, "Chief Zheng, this is still classified, but since the Public Security Bureau and the National Security Bureau are brother units... I think Director Deng's trip to the capital for the meeting is likely related to this case. When he returns, he will probably brief the middle-level officers, so I'm giving you a heads-up. But, Chief Zheng, you mustn't leak this information, or it could be very dangerous."

Cheng Qiuyi assured him, "Don't worry, Chief Shen, I won't say a word."

"Good! What do you think about this case, Chief Zheng?"

Cheng Qiuyi shook her head, "I think it's just a case of a mentally ill person going on a killing spree. Although the casualties are severe, it's still a common criminal case—I don't understand why the National Security Bureau is so interested."

"A common criminal case?" Shen Ke smiled, "In a common criminal case, would a murderer survive over thirty gunshots?"

"Well, the world is full of strange things. I've even seen a person with three arms! Some people have extraordinary vitality and strong willpower, and when a mentally ill person goes on a rampage, it can unlock their potential. Getting shot a few times isn't that unusual."

"If I told you that in the past month, similar incidents have occurred over thirty times across the country?"

"What?!"