Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 13 Arrest
Ai Liang broke free from Xia Qinian's large hand and sat in the passenger seat.

"Aren't you curious why I dared to treat the criminal investigation team captain that way?"

The first thing Xia Qinian said after getting into the car was to test Ai Liang's reaction.

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

Ai Liang didn't even look at him as she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a nap.

Xia Qinian wasn't annoyed by the rebuff; he was only able to legitimately enter the criminal investigation team thanks to Ai Liang's help.

"Hehe, you probably wouldn't guess, but to tell you the truth, the captain of the criminal investigation team ten years ago was my uncle, and now this group of people were basically all promoted by my uncle."

On the way to the criminal investigation team, Xia Qinian told Ai Liang his story.

“My family members passed away early, and my uncle raised me single-handedly. We are of the same generation, and sometimes I call him brother. He is an old bachelor and treats me like his own son. You know how dangerous their line of work is. Ten years ago, in the winter, my uncle suddenly disappeared without a trace.”

"He's the captain of the criminal investigation team. It's impossible for him to go undercover like in TV dramas. Something must have happened to make the higher-ups remain silent about the disappearance of a criminal investigation team captain."

I initially planned to enter the criminal investigation team to review case files by taking the police academy entrance exam, but that ingrate Shi Feng deliberately arranged for me to be rejected in the investigation section and forbade anyone else from contacting me. He doesn't seem to realize that without my uncle's support, how could he have secured his position? He only commands respect because he's my uncle's direct disciple.

When Shi Feng was mentioned, Xia Qinian angrily slammed the car door.

"Back then, we agreed that I would gather information in the underworld while he searched for clues in the team. But after that bastard secured his position, he completely abandoned me. He's such a cunning scoundrel."

Ai Liang let out a barely audible sigh: "It's been almost ten years. Do you think he's still alive?"

Xia Qinian said with a grin, "Hey, finally decided to speak up? Were you moved by my persistence?"

Xia Qinian's heartless and filial behavior is utterly pathetic. It's hardly the case that he spent ten years investigating the truth for his family. It's more like he murdered his uncle to inherit his estate.

Ai Liang opened her slightly blurry eyes and looked at Xia Qinian as if waiting for his answer.

Xia Qinian didn't have time to look at Ai Liang's expression and focused on driving, saying, "That's my uncle, Xia Qiyuan, the top criminal investigator in Nevada! With his intelligence, even if he died, he would definitely leave behind crucial information. He couldn't have disappeared without a trace, so he must still be alive!"

Xia Qinian's words seemed to be directed at himself, his tone resolute and brooking no argument.
"Really? Well, good luck then."

After saying that, Ai Liang went back to sleep, pretending to be exhausted from not sleeping all day.

"Want to know why I'm telling you all this? Look, didn't Shi Feng say he wanted to take you as his apprentice? Even though he's not a great person, he's still capable. Once you become his apprentice, I'll provide you with information in the underworld, and your promotion speed will skyrocket like a rocket."

As for the reward, all you need to do is help me find the relevant case files. Look at others struggling to find jobs after graduation; with me and Shi Feng protecting you, you can jump three ranks into the criminal investigation team right after graduation. How about it, are you in or not?

Xia Qinian set his sights on Ai Liang. According to his uncle, Ai Liang was a natural talent and it would be a pity if she didn't pursue this career.

While waiting at a red light, Xia Qinian turned his head to check on Ai Liang's reaction in the passenger seat, but Ai Liang didn't take Xia Qinian's words to heart at all and was breathing evenly with her eyes closed.

Xia Qinian curled his lip: "That brat."

Xia Qinian was very familiar with the way to the criminal investigation team, unlike when he was looking for a recycling station and couldn't find his way around for a long time.

After parking the car, Ai Liang and Xia Qinian were taken by Shi Feng and the others to the interrogation room that Ai Liang had been to before. Since there was nowhere else in the team for people to rest, they couldn't just sit on the sofa in the office area while the criminal police were all working.

That would not only disturb Ai Liang's rest, but also give Xia Qinian, who is as slippery as an eel, an opportunity to slip away if he is not careful.

Locking Xia Qinian in a soundproof interrogation room allows them to keep an eye on him while also letting Ai Liang rest comfortably on the sofa—a win-win situation.

While Ai Liang was sleeping on the sofa, the door to the interrogation room was opened.

Wang Xun walked in carrying two bags of steamed buns and said to Xia Qinian, "Brother Nian, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Captain Shi specially bought some for you on the way back. Eat them while they're hot."

"Ha, do you think Shi Feng would be so kind?" Xia Qinian scoffed disdainfully.

Then he reached into the bag, pulled out a bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "Even if he bought it, he probably just said he'd feed the extra buns to the dogs."

Wang Xun smiled awkwardly, which was indeed the case, so he didn't respond.

Wang Xun looked around to make sure no one was watching, and since Ai Liang was asleep, he whispered, "Brother Nian, why don't you just talk things out with Captain Shi? This is making things really difficult for us."

"What are you talking about? How do I explain this to him? Shi Feng has been keeping me completely under control. He won't even let me join the criminal investigation team. What am I supposed to say? Beg him, are you?" Xia Qinian said, as if he had taken a big bite out of Shi Feng like a meat bun, his hands covered in grease. "Where did you buy this bun? It tastes really good."

"Team Leader Shi must have his reasons, otherwise he wouldn't have turned on us so easily."

"Are you helping him or me? Don't forget who saved you when you were half asleep and drank the instant coffee you brought back from the crime scene. Without my uncle, you'd probably be somewhere right now." Wang Xun was trying to persuade Xia Qinian to make up, but before he could finish speaking, Xia Qinian flicked his forehead with his greasy finger.

"Of course I'll help Captain Xia. He probably doesn't want to see his nephew and apprentice fighting and arguing all the time." Wang Xun cleverly avoided choosing one of the two options and created his own.

"Helping my uncle is helping me, there's no difference."

"But now that Captain Xia is gone, you can't keep running to the Criminal Investigation Team every other day. This is still the Criminal Investigation Team, after all, and you're a registered bounty hunter."

"Hey, how can you talk like that? I'm a witness who found the murder weapon, and I'm here to cooperate with the investigation."

Xia Qinian quickly finished a bag of steamed buns but still felt unsatisfied. However, after glancing at the sleeping Ai Liang, he ultimately decided not to touch his bag.

"Come on, Brother Nian. I could see the sleep marks on your face when we first met, let alone Captain Shi. He just didn't bother to expose you."

Before Wang Xun could finish speaking, Xia Qinian glared at him and said, "Enough nonsense. While Shi Feng is away, come with me to his office. You stand guard at the door for me."

Wang Xun wiped his greasy forehead, somewhat embarrassed: "Brother Nian, this isn't the rule."

"That son of a bitch won't be back for a while after arresting people, so are you going to help or not?"

Xia Qinian lowered his voice when he talked about this, afraid that others would hear him.

Wang Xun gritted his teeth and finally nodded slightly in agreement.

"I knew you were a good friend, let's go."

Xia Qinian casually grabbed two napkins from the table to wipe his hands and followed Wang Xun out of the interrogation room, leaving Ai Liang alone lying on the sofa.

In fact, after the police took away Gao Jiajia's computer and mobile phone yesterday, they initially identified Wang Zi as the suspect, because among the people Gao Jiajia knew, only Wang Zi was carrying a red string, and red fibers were extracted from Gao Jiajia's fingernails.

As for why Shi Feng asked Wang Xun to check the surveillance footage, it was simply to give him something to do.

Even if the motive cannot be confirmed in a short period of time, it does not prevent the police from listing him as a criminal suspect and asking him to come in to cooperate with the investigation.

If Ai Liang's statement is true, and with witness testimony and physical evidence including fingerprints on the gloves and garbage bag, then the case can be closed today.

The entire process took less than two days, making it the fastest murder case ever solved.

Shi Feng led his field team in a grand procession toward Wang Zi's house. Although the car they were driving did not look like a police car, it had all the features that a police car should have. The appearance was mainly to confuse the criminals and facilitate the operation.

After parking his car downstairs, Shi Feng knocked on Wang Zi's door.

Clang, clang, clang.

"Who is it?" The voice from inside the house was from a woman, presumably Wang Zi's mother.

"We are police officers from the local police station. Is this Wang Zi's home? We have some questions for him regarding the school incident yesterday. Please rest assured, we only want to ask him some questions about the victim, as your son seems to have a good relationship with her."

Shi Feng smiled and was very friendly. He deliberately concealed his identity and the fact that he was there to arrest someone, which quickly dispelled Wang Zi's mother's panic.

"Oh, I see. This kid can even get along with girls?" Wang Zi's mother was a little puzzled. As a school teacher, she knew her son's usual behavior all too well.

"I'm sorry, Officer Shi, he's still sleeping in. I'll go wake him up right now."

"It's alright, he's just a kid. It's only natural that he gets a good night's sleep on the weekend. Shall I go with you?" Shi Feng smiled and waved his hand, looking like he understood perfectly. He was clearly a veteran actor.

Wang Zi's mother didn't notice anything amiss; she just felt that the police were becoming increasingly kind.

"Wang Zi, wake up." Wang Zi's mother knocked on the door, but there was no response. She opened the door, walked to the bedside, and patted his arm. "Wake up, the police are here."

When Shi Feng entered the room, his gaze was immediately fixed on the red string on Wang Zi's wrist; she didn't even take it off while sleeping—that was the kind of thing she used to commit crimes.
Wang Zi had just gotten home and lay down in the early hours of the morning. He hadn't slept well at all because he was woken up just as dawn broke. But when he heard the second half of the sentence, he felt as if a jolt of electricity ran through his body, and he suddenly jolted, his legs trembling violently.

"Ah? What's the matter?"

Once she regained consciousness, Wang Zi looked away when she saw Shi Feng smiling at the door of the room.

"Officer Shi wants to talk to you about Gao Jiajia. When did you get involved with her, you brat?" Wang Zi's mother was completely unaware of the seriousness of the matter and had no time to question her son.

“We’re in a hurry, please hurry.” Another accompanying police officer couldn’t help but interrupt the mother and son’s conversation. If there wasn’t a possibility of arresting the wrong person, he would have already taken them into custody.

"Did you hear that? Hurry up and put your pants on and get up. They're just asking a couple of questions, don't waste their time," Wang Zi's mother urged Wang Zi to get up quickly.

Wang Zi's initial anxiety eased slightly. Judging from Shi Feng's smiling face and his mother's attitude, she figured he had only discovered her relationship with Gao Jiajia and wanted to ask a few simple questions, not come to arrest her.

Besides, he threw away all the evidence. It's impossible that the glove he threw away last night was picked up by the police.

Thinking of this, Wang Zi felt much more at ease and started putting on his pants.

Just as he was about to sit down on the living room sofa, Shi Feng patted him on the shoulder and said, "This questioning has to be done at the police station, since some information might be leaked, so..."

At this point, Wang Zi's mother understood that her son needed to go to the police station. Although she was somewhat dissatisfied, she still had to cooperate: "This child has never been very talkative since he was little. I'd appreciate it if Officer Shi could take good care of him."

Shi Feng just smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of him."

Shi Feng led the group, with Wang Zi close behind. As they descended the stairs, Shi Feng turned around, revealing the pistol at his waist.

Wang Zi was already uneasy, constantly rehearsing the dialogue he had practiced countless times in his mind. He panicked the moment he saw the pistol. Ordinary police officers don't carry guns; if they do, they carry stun guns. Only criminal investigators carry real guns in operations, a fact he learned from novels.

In other words, the place he was going to next was not a police station but a criminal investigation team, but the leader lied to his mother and said it was a police station.

Wang Zi panicked completely. Even though he had cleaned up all the evidence, the thought of being taken to the criminal investigation team made him nervous. His heart started pounding again, making his breathing heavy.

Once in the car, Shi Feng deliberately didn't sit in the front passenger seat, but instead went to the back and, together with another criminal police officer, sandwiched Wang Zi between them, making it easier to observe his expressions and body movements.

If his suspicion of Wang Zi was 50/50 before, with the eyewitness and the murder gloves, it became 73/30. After meeting Wang Zi in person and observing his reaction, he was almost 99% certain that Wang Zi was the murderer.

(End of this chapter)