Chapter 66

Shen Kechang sighed, put down the pen in his hand, and stared at the notes in his notebook for a while before asking Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, were you alone when you went to the Wanhe Mall that day?"

Hearing the question again, Xu Yan's heart suddenly tightened. "No. I went with a friend."

"A friend? What kind of person is this friend?"

Seeing the faint smile on Shen Kechang's lips, Xu Yan immediately knew that the other party already knew the answer. He thought for a moment and then put on an embarrassed look, "This... it involves my personal life. Can I not answer?"

Shen Kechang leaned back and sat up straight on the sofa. He smiled and said, "Xu Yan, assisting the National Security Agency and answering questions truthfully is your duty as a citizen. This is common knowledge, right? We don't need to tell you this, do we? Your reasons for not answering are not valid when facing the National Security Agency. Moreover, there's one more thing,"

He stared into Xu Yan's eyes and smiled, "There were cameras in the mall at the time, and the conflict was recorded. So, trying to hide anything is useless. We already have a complete understanding of the situation. Now, we just want to see if you are willing to cooperate with us."

Shen Kechang's smile was gentle, but his eyes were cold. His words were soft yet firm, and Xu Yan was deeply shaken. The other party's hints were obvious, almost saying "confess and be lenient, resist and be strict." Moreover, mentioning the cameras in the mall made Xu Yan even more anxious: if there were cameras, wouldn't Zhu Youxiang have been recorded too?

But what Xu Yan didn't know was that Shen Kechang was bluffing: the cameras in the main halls and near the entrances of the Wanhe Mall were indeed installed, but on that day, due to a wiring fault, the cameras were not operational. This was the reason the National Security Agency was furious. If there had been cameras, they would have found Xu Yan long ago and wouldn't have had to repeatedly ask Zheng Qiuyi for clues.

But Xu Yan was completely unaware of this. After some hesitation, he finally gave in, "The person with me that day was a friend, Zhu Youxiang."

"Zhu Youxiang? Is she a girl? What's her relationship with you?"

"She... uh, she's my friend, a very close friend."

The two National Security officers smiled, showing a "we're all men, you know" kind of expression. Shen Kechang winked at Xu Yan, "This very close friend... wouldn't she be your live-in girlfriend?"

Xu Yan remained silent, firmly warning himself: don't say anything rash! Every word he said in the living room would be heard clearly by Zhu Youxiang hiding in the guest room. If he said something rash and called Zhu Youxiang his girlfriend, the violent girl would likely chop him into mincemeat after the police left.

Shen Kechang continued, "Your girlfriend, Zhu Youxiang... how old is she? What does she do? Where does she live?"

"She's about sixteen or seventeen, I think. I guess she's a high school student. I don't know where she goes to school."

"You guess? You don't know what she does? You don't even know which school she attends?"

Xu Yan shrugged, looking helpless, "Officer, I met her at an internet cafe. We got along well and hung out together. I haven't known her for long, and I'm lazy. I didn't bother to check her family background, so how would I know where she goes to school?"

"Didn't she tell you?"

"She might have mentioned it, but I didn't pay much attention. I think it was the First Affiliated High School in the city... or maybe the Third High School, or the Fifth High School. It's one of those nearby schools... but she often skips class, so it doesn't really matter whether she goes or not."

"When you chat, does she ever mention her family or school?"

"About school... she talks a lot, but I didn't pay much attention. I remember she said she hates her teachers and some pretentious girls... uh, I remember she often curses a girl named Zheng Yanyan, saying she's the most promiscuous and attention-seeking, always trying to seduce boys. She often curses her, saying she deserves a bad end, like getting hit by a car or attacked by thugs..."

"What about her family? Where does she live, and what do they do?"

"I really don't know much about that. From what she says, it seems her family is in business and has some money. She doesn't get along well with her family and rarely mentions them."

"Have you ever been to her house?"

"No, I've never been to her house—why would I go there? I'm not looking for trouble."

Hearing Xu Yan's crude response, the two National Security officers shook their heads. Officer Xu muttered, "Young people these days," while Shen Kechang continued, "So, where is Zhu Youxiang now?"

Xu Yan shook his head, "I don't know... she comes to see me when she has time, and sometimes she disappears for a while. I don't know where she goes—last week, we had a fight over something trivial, and she hasn't come to see me in days. I suspect she might have left me."

"Really? Don't you have her phone number? If she doesn't come to see you, don't you go to see her?"

Xu Yan put on a shameless look, "Officer, we're both men, you know. I've slept with her so many times, I'm tired of it... if she left me, that's great! I find her nagging annoying, and I was actually thinking of dumping her and finding someone new. If she doesn't bother me, I'm happy. Why would I go looking for her?"

The two officers frowned, and Officer Xu sighed, "Young people these days! What are the schools teaching?" From Xu Yan's description, they had formed an image of Zhu Youxiang in their minds—a rebellious, modern, non-mainstream girl who was uninterested in school, full of defiance, often ran away from home, skipped classes, hung out, and fought. Such shallow and ignorant delinquent girls were common in Jincheng's internet cafes and bars. These brainless non-mainstream girls would sleep with men for a few Q coins. Hearing that Xu Yan's girlfriend was such a person, the two National Security officers lost interest. In their original investigation plan, Xu Yan's girlfriend wasn't a significant focus; she was just one of hundreds of witnesses, and it didn't matter whether they asked her or not.

But since they had asked, they had to follow the procedure. Shen Kechang asked Xu Yan for Zhu Youxiang's phone number. Xu Yan pretended to look through his phone, found a friend he hadn't contacted in a long time whose number was already disconnected, and gave them that number.

Shen Kechang carefully wrote down the number in his notebook. As he wrote, Xu Yan felt his hands sweating and his back growing cold. If his previous answers were just misleading, this one was a blatant lie. If exposed, Xu Yan didn't know what consequences would await him.

Xu Yan's lie was also a calculated risk. He gambled that the National Security Agency wasn't really interested in Zhu Youxiang and that the previous questions were just routine. Even if they called, the number would show as disconnected. Xu Yan thought the police wouldn't have the energy to trace such an insignificant person's phone number.

Even if the police did verify and found the number wasn't Zhu Youxiang's, Xu Yan could shrug and say, "This number isn't Zhu Youxiang's? That's strange. She usually calls me from this number. Why isn't it her? How would I know?"

If the police continued to investigate, Xu Yan would have to confess: "Maybe I got the number wrong... I accidentally deleted her name from my contacts. I got the number wrong... you wouldn't really put me in jail for such a small thing, would you?"

"There's one more thing," Shen Kechang frowned and said slowly, "Xu Yan, we noticed a detail. When the criminal came out of the elevator and walked straight to the west exit of the mall, you recognized him and shouted to the police to catch him. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then," Shen Kechang suddenly looked up, his eyes piercing into Xu Yan's, "Xu Yan, how did you recognize the criminal? So many people and police officers were there, but none of them recognized him. How could you be so sure he was the criminal?"

Xu Yan didn't hesitate at all. He had anticipated this question and was well-prepared.

He calmly answered, "Shen Kechang, I was coming down from the third floor. When the murderer was killing people on the third floor, it caused a lot of panic. Many people were shouting and running. I heard the commotion and went to see. I saw the murderer from a distance... but not very clearly. I just had a quick look and then ran away with the crowd. So, when I saw him again on the first floor, I recognized him. With so many police officers around, I quickly reported it. I didn't expect... sigh!"

Shen Kechang raised an eyebrow, "You just had a quick look on the third floor, and then you recognized him on the first floor?"

"Of course not immediately. The murderer had changed his clothes. At first, I just thought he looked a bit strange and familiar, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't until he walked a few steps and was about to leave that I finally recognized him."

Seeing the two officers still somewhat skeptical, Xu Yan added, "There's another reason. I noticed some bloodstains on the criminal's pants. They looked dark, and I thought it was a bit suspicious... that's another reason I recognized him."

Shen Kechang and Officer Xu exchanged glances. They both felt that Xu Yan's answer was not entirely truthful, but they couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. This feeling was frustrating.

Shen Kechang flipped through his notes and asked his colleague, "Old Xu, do you have any more questions?"

Officer Xu glared at Xu Yan, his voice cold, "Xu Yan, when you fought with the criminal, he had a knife. What did you use to fight him? Your bare hands or a weapon?"

Xu Yan was startled but tried to act nonchalant, "Officer Xu, for such a petty thief, my bare hands were more than enough. I didn't need any weapon. I could handle him with one hand tied behind my back!"

Officer Xu stared at Xu Yan without blinking, his tone serious, "Are you sure you used your bare hands?"

Honestly, Xu Yan was afraid of this serious tone. He sighed helplessly, "Well... I thought my skills were enough to handle him with my bare hands, but there happened to be a decorative sword nearby. I thought, why not use it? So I picked it up to block a few strikes... I didn't even draw the blade, just used it to parry. The key was my skills, of course!"

As he spoke, Xu Yan recalled Liu Yang's boastful manner and tried to mimic the fat man's annoying face. He wasn't sure if he could fool the two security officers—apparently, it wasn't working. Officer Xu still stared at him seriously, his eyes showing a hint of disdain, and continued, "So, who won the fight with the criminal?"

"Officer Xu, that's a ridiculous question—of course, I won. Do you have any doubts about that?"

Officer Xu asked seriously, "Why do you say you won?"

"Because the criminal ran away!"

Officer Xu was taken aback and asked, "Why do you think the criminal ran away?"

Xu Yan looked at Officer Xu as if he were an idiot, "Why would the criminal run away? Officer Xu, isn't that a stupid question? Because I won, he naturally ran away."

Why did he say he won—because the criminal ran away, which proved he won; why did the criminal run away—because he lost, so he ran away.

Faced with Xu Yan's self-justifying answer, the two officers were at a loss for words.

...

Page flip, AD starts

Page flip, AD ends