Chapter 7

After finishing his call, Zhao Ming returned to the room and found Han Fei and Zhang Xiaotian frantically swiping their phone screens.

"What are you doing?"

"I entered the description of the character's appearance that Han Fei gave into the database. He described it in great detail, so I think we'll get a match soon... Found it!" Zhang Xiaotian looked at the face on the screen, his expression gradually becoming strange. He placed the phone in front of Han Fei: "I simulated and compared the face based on the information you provided. Is this the shop owner?"

Han Fei, seeing the old man on the screen, blurted out, "That's right, it's him! He even said his whole family are my fans! They especially like my shows!"

"I don't think he was lying to you, but you might be lying to us." Zhang Xiaotian swiped his phone to reveal more information: "This old man is a gravekeeper in the outer district of Xinhu. His parents died early, and he has no children. If we must talk about family, his family should be the hundreds of unnamed graves in the outer district cemetery."

"That's impossible! This old man was still comforting me in the antique shop yesterday, telling me to cheer up. Are you sure you got it right?" Han Fei repeatedly checked the information and pictures on his phone.

"Did he comfort you yesterday?" Zhang Xiaotian swiped to the last page of the information: "Look carefully, this old man passed away three days ago and was buried in the outer district cemetery."

The citizen information system never makes mistakes. Han Fei, looking at the old man's gray profile picture on the last page, was completely stunned.

"But one thing you did say correctly, he is indeed your fan. He likes your not-so-funny jokes and often plays your shows in the cemetery at night, scaring passersby. There are police records in his citizen file."

After saying this, Zhang Xiaotian put away his phone and looked at Han Fei with Zhao Ming: "Don't just stand there. If you really didn't start the fire, come with us. We won't wrong a good person, nor will we let a bad person go."

"I can cooperate with you, but I hope to go to the antique street to see it. I still can't accept it." Han Fei's mind was a mess, all the events piling up. He thought his life was already bad enough, but it turned out there was still room for it to get worse.

After personally going to the antique street and seeing the completely burned street, Han Fei was completely heartbroken.

The scene was obliterated, even the ground was cracked. Even if there were any clues, they would have turned to ashes long ago.

"Why would it be me? Just because that old man is my fan?"

"Other fans send handwritten letters, chocolates, and pens to their idols. Why would my few fans want to kill me?"

At 9 a.m., Han Fei arrived at the Happiness Road Police Station in the old district. Perhaps because it was his first time in a police car, his lips were pale, and his mental state was poor.

"I'll go report to Captain Wang. Xiaotian, keep an eye on him." After Zhao Ming left, Zhang Xiaotian had Han Fei enter the interrogation room. In his view, the "arsonist" Han Fei was very dangerous and needed to be isolated from others.

"You really got it wrong. I've never even lit a firecracker, let alone set a street on fire."

"Stay put."

"Misunderstanding!" Before Han Fei could finish, the door to the interrogation room was closed: "You really got the wrong person! The culprit is someone else! I'm a victim too!"

"Stop shouting. Don't you know if you've committed a crime?" A woman's voice echoed in the interrogation room.

Han Fei turned around and saw a pair of black mid-calf Martin boots resting on the table, followed by a pair of long legs in black skinny jeans.

"Nice, right?"

The woman sitting at the back of the interrogation room had an incredible figure. She never lifted her head, always focused on her phone, but seemed to know everything that was happening in the room.

"Take a good look, because once you're in, you won't have the chance. According to our country's Criminal Law, although there is no specific charge for intentional arson, the punishment for arson causing significant damage has no upper limit. I heard you burned down an entire street. How could you not get a life sentence? You're quite a tough guy."

"Don't spout nonsense. I'm not like you criminals. I came here to help the police find the truth. This arson case isn't simple; there are other hands behind it."

"Behind the scenes?" The woman lifted her head for the first time, as if she had found something interesting: "Indeed, burning down an entire street requires a meticulous plan. Multiple fire points need to be set simultaneously to spread the fire quickly, but the surveillance only captured you. It feels like you were deliberately set up as a scapegoat."

"Finally, someone who understands." Han Fei didn't have a good impression of the woman, but so far, she was the only one who had spoken up for him.

"Simple logic, but what about you? Flies don't bite uncracked eggs. There must be something wrong with you."

"What could be wrong with me? I worked hard to get a chance to appear on TV, but was squeezed out by someone with connections. I was happy to relax, but then..." Han Fei thought of his experience last night, feeling that surviving was a miracle: "Forget it. I used to think that when God closes a door, He always opens a window, leaving a glimmer of hope."

"What about now?"

"Now, I feel like God not only sealed all my doors and windows but also put a ghost in my house."

Han Fei rarely talked to people, but after playing "Perfect Life," he became more talkative, perhaps a sign of his impending doom.

"Although I don't know the full story, it seems like you've had a tough time."

"Too many tears to count. Why are you here, ma'am?"

"Ma'am?" The woman's eyes twitched, but she didn't argue with Han Fei: "I'm here for fighting. I broke someone's nose and kicked a few ribs of two others. The situation was urgent, and I didn't think much about it."

"You're that good at fighting?"

"Average, I guess."

Perhaps because they were both in similar situations, their conversation flowed smoothly. Han Fei tried to tell her about what happened in the game.

"Your reasoning is sound. The old lady's house definitely has a freezer, but physically, she can't be the killer. She only helped hide the body. I suspect the real killer is her family."

"I think so too!"

The two in the interrogation room seemed to have found a common password, chatting enthusiastically.

"What's the old lady's name? I can help you look it up when I get out." The woman's expression was serious, and she rarely believed anyone.

"The old lady is called Meng Shi, around seventy years old, with silver hair and a slight shoulder imbalance. She has a grandson named Chen Chen..."

"Got it." The woman recorded all the information on her phone: "Add my account, and we can communicate through our phones."

"Thank you for your help, but I'm in a hurry. When can you get out?"

"If you're in a hurry, I'll get out now." The woman stood up and kicked the door of the interrogation room.

"Bang!"

The door opened, leaving Han Fei stunned: "You can do that?"

The woman walked out confidently, and soon a roar echoed through the police station: "Li Xue! You're undisciplined and out of control! I'll call your superior!"

Hearing the middle-aged man's voice, Han Fei realized: "She's a police officer?"

"She's not just any police officer. She joined the criminal investigation team at 23 and has solved many major cases in the past five years. But due to multiple instances of beating suspects and not following regulations, she was disciplined and transferred from the criminal investigation team." Zhang Xiaotian sighed, looking at the broken door lock: "Officially, she was transferred to the police station to strengthen the criminal investigation force, but in reality, it was to punish her and have her do basic work. Her superior wants to temper her personality."