Chapter 10: Do You Want to Hear the Truth?

In the interrogation room on the other side, the recording of the statement was not going nearly as smoothly.

The man kept muttering to himself, feigning madness and playing the fool. He remained silent until the police obtained the DNA comparison from the blood on the knives. It was confirmed that the knives he had used while camping by the sea were the murder weapons, and the blood on them matched the DNA of the victim in the dismemberment case. He and the victim were close friends, and he had killed the victim and disposed of the body due to a financial dispute. The evidence was ironclad, and the motive was clear.

As the interrogating officer pressed him step by step, the man finally broke down, confessed to the murder, and, under the officer's guidance, recounted the entire process.

As for why he kept the knives after the murder—or rather, why he didn't clean the blood off—it was because the man was mentally unstable and filled with intense hatred. He kept the knives on purpose, feeling that his hatred was released every time he looked at them. It was a stroke of bad luck that Jiang Xiaoya happened to come camping by the sea and picked them up as junk—or rather, dug them up as junk.

Finally, he bared his fangs and spoke through gritted teeth.

"If it weren't for that woman, there's no way you could have caught me! It’s all because of that damn woman!"

The interrogating officer, now certain that the suspect truly did not know Jiang Xiaoya, shook his head at Qing Tianfeng, who was watching through the glass window.

Their previous assessment had been wrong.

Jiang Xiaoya really had nothing to do with the case; she had just stumbled upon the severed limbs by accident, then accidentally ran into the killer and subdued him.

What an absurd coincidence, yet it was the truth.

Jiang Xiaoya was sleeping soundly, drool pooling on the table. Hearing the knocking, she struggled to pry her eyelids open.

"Is... something the matter?"

The officer: "..."

He was now completely convinced that Jiang Xiaoya had nothing to do with the murder, dismemberment, and body-dumping case.

Who the hell involved in a homicide could sleep like a log in an interrogation chair, drooling all over the table?

No, even an innocent person wouldn't be able to be this thick-skinned.

"You can go."

Jiang Xiaoya’s eyelids were fighting each other. She let out an "oh," not sure if she had heard clearly, and closed her eyes again, her breathing long and steady.

She hadn't slept well for days, and now that the sleepiness had hit, it was hard to wake up.

"Jiang Xiaoya!"

The officer knocked again. Seeing she still didn't react, he looked behind him and happened to see Qing Tianfeng’s retreating back.

"Sigh, why can't I wake you up? Get up quickly..."

"Jiang Xiaoya, there is a ten-thousand-yuan reward for capturing the killer. If you don't wake up, it will be considered a waiv..."

Before he could finish, the person who had just been slumped over opened her eyes wide, though they were still hazy.

"There's really a reward?"

"Ten... ten thousand?"

She seemed shocked by the amount, and her entire person became mostly awake.

Although she had once been a wealthy second-generation heir who never worried about food or clothing, after being reborn here, those memories of poverty and hardship made her realize just how difficult it was for an ordinary person to save a simple sum of ten or eight thousand yuan.

"Yes, go to the office to sign the papers in a bit, then go collect it yourself."

The officer left after saying this.

Jiang Xiaoya hurriedly got up from the chair, still feeling a bit lightheaded. She went to the restroom to wash her face first, then prepared to go sign the papers.

While she was washing her face, a set of footsteps sounded behind her.

Jiang Xiaoya saw a tall figure through the mirror.

She remembered him as one of the criminal investigation team members; they all called him Captain.

"Captain."

Jiang Xiaoya called out sweetly.

She continued washing her face after calling out.

"How did you determine he was the murderer?"

Qing Tianfeng was washing his hands at the sink next to her when he suddenly spoke.

Jiang Xiaoya didn't expect him to pick this place to hold her accountable. She hesitated for a second while holding a paper towel, then answered with a straight face.

"Captain, do you want to hear the truth?"

Qing Tianfeng’s tall back was straight, his gaze fixed on her, his stern face filled with a sense of oppression.

Jiang Xiaoya put on a slightly timid expression, her face full of sincerity: "When I first saw the knife and the blood on it, I hadn't reacted yet, but his eyes were too terrifying. That look in his eyes clearly meant he wanted to kill me. I thought to myself, is a knife worth all that? There must be something wrong with this knife, and he wanted to kill me to silence me. Once I thought of that, I guessed it—he must be the murderer."

Jiang Xiaoya clapped her hands, looking wise and resourceful.

Qing Tianfeng looked at her expressionless, with a look that said, 'Are you trying to fool a fool?'

Jiang Xiaoya knew he didn't believe her, and she didn't believe it herself either, but she couldn't talk about the system. Because this thing didn't know when it would chime or why it would chime; it was useless, and talking about it would only add trouble.

"Cough, cough, Captain, um... I'm quite thirsty. You go ahead and wash your hands, I'm going to find some water to drink."

After saying this, Jiang Xiaoya ignored the gaze behind her and scurried away with quick steps.

Once she was out of the restroom and the sense of oppression behind her vanished, Jiang Xiaoya finally let out a sigh of relief.

By one o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Xiaoya's livestream had dropped to eighth place on the rankings.

Zhou Yuyu's livestream was in second place.

At this moment, the netizens in Zhou Yuyu's livestream were all asking about Jiang Xiaoya's situation.

Zhou Yuyu was also very capable; she entered the police station lobby and began to inquire about Jiang Xiaoya.

"Who are you? Why are you asking about Jiang Xiaoya?"

The staff member looked up at her and continued with their work.

"I am... her sister, a good friend. She has no family left, and I'm very worried since something happened. Can you tell me if she's doing okay inside?"

Zhou Yuyu spoke with eyes full of worry.

The "Sky Eye" earphone she was wearing was on, and the netizens in the livestream heard everything clearly; they all wanted to know how Jiang Xiaoya was doing.

"Not sure." The staff member had an expression that said they had nothing to say.

"Comrade, I just want to know if she is still here, or if she has already been sent to the detention center?"

Zhou Yuyu had done her homework and knew a little about the procedures. Usually, when the police handle a case and bring someone back for a statement, those with minor offenses are just detained, while those with serious offenses are sent to the detention center as soon as possible after the statement is taken.

Once someone enters the detention center, barring any accidents, they are just waiting for the trial phase, and going to prison is a certainty.

The netizens in the livestream couldn't detect the malice in her words. The staff member paused their work and looked up impatiently.

They happened to catch a glimpse of the person walking out behind her and pointed with their pen: "There, the person is behind you. Ask her yourself."

"Comrade, I asked about Jiang Xiaoya, who are you telling me to ask..." Zhou Yuyu thought they were joking, certain that Jiang Xiaoya couldn't have come out so quickly. But when she turned around with an awkward smile, she caught a glimpse of a figure that was like a nightmare in her eyes.

"Jiang... Xiaoya... Xiaoya, is it really you?"

Zhou Yuyu felt a lump in her throat for a moment, but quickly put on a surprised expression and rushed toward Jiang Xiaoya.

No matter what, she had to keep the traffic in her livestream and hold onto her ranking.

Jiang Xiaoya was counting money and was almost pushed into dropping it. She looked up and glared.

When she saw it was Zhou Yuyu, her brows knotted into a tight ball.