Xu Mo had just stepped out of his car when, before he could even steady himself, a man suddenly snatched the car keys from his hand and shoved him forcefully.
However, upon closer inspection, Xu Mo couldn't help but chuckle.
This guy was none other than Liang Ping, the very person they were trying to catch!
What a stroke of luck—just as they were about to hunt him down, he had walked right into their hands!
After fleeing the train station, Liang Ping's first thought was to steal a car and make a getaway. After all, relying on his own two legs wouldn't be enough to shake off the police.
As luck would have it, he spotted an RS7 just pulling up. He thought it was a sign from above, knowing he needed a fast car to escape, and here it was, perfectly timed.
With this car, those cops wouldn't even be able to see his taillights!
After snatching the car keys from a stranger, Liang Ping gave the young man a shove, annoyed that he had gotten in the way.
"Get out of here!"
…
Five seconds later.
Outside the high-speed train station, next to an RS7.
A middle-aged man with a baseball cap was pinned to the ground by a young man, his face pressed firmly against the pavement.
Upon closer inspection, one could see bruises on the middle-aged man's face.
Trying to steal a car and ending up getting beaten instead—what a disaster.
"Liang Ping, you're wanted in connection with two murder cases. We are arresting you according to the law," Xu Mo said, taking out handcuffs and cuffing the man he had pinned to the ground.
Liang Ping: "..."
What terrible luck…
Trying to steal a car from the very cop who was hunting him down—this was practically delivering himself to their doorstep!
At that moment, several police officers on duty at the train station came running out.
As soon as they emerged, they saw Xu Mo pinning Liang Ping to the ground, the handcuffs already on his wrists.
They all breathed a sigh of relief—at least they hadn't let him get away!
…
At the police station.
In the interrogation room.
"Why did you kill them?"
"I didn't kill anyone."
"Then why were you running at the train station?" Chen Ke knocked on the table.
"They were chasing me—of course I had to run."
Meanwhile, Xu Mo picked up a few photos that had been developed and placed them on the table.
"At two o'clock this morning, you discarded a bag of monkfish in the trash at the seafood market. We found some dismembered body parts inside the fish. After that, you went to Room 102, Building 4, Jinyi Community. When we arrived, we found another body in the room."
"After investigation, we discovered that the two victims were your daughter and her boyfriend… Your daughter was pregnant. When you found out, you felt your reputation was at stake, so you killed your daughter, dismembered her body, and stuffed it into the fish. Then you killed your daughter's boyfriend."
"Am I wrong? We handle cases are based on evidence. If we didn't have evidence, we wouldn't have brought you here. So… I advise you to confess honestly and not put up any futile resistance."
After Xu Mo finished speaking, the man fell silent.
The motive, the time, the method—Xu Mo had laid it all out clearly.
The police had already gathered these clues, and the man knew that any attempt to argue would be in vain. Eventually, he lowered his head.
"I killed them."
"Just because you felt your reputation was at stake?" Xu Mo asked.
"What do you think?" The man clenched his teeth: "Do you know what the neighbors were saying about me? I…"
"Can I have a cigarette?"
Xu Mo thought for a moment, then gave Chen Ke a glance.
Chen Ke stood up, took a cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to Liang Ping, lighting it for him.
"Thank you."
Liang Ping took a drag, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, then leaned back in the interrogation chair and began to speak.
"I was busy with work and didn't have time to look after her. Plus, she was in her rebellious phase and wouldn't listen to me. She even ran away from home for a few months… She came back three days ago, heavily pregnant."
"I told her to take me to see her boyfriend, but he wouldn't open the door. I wanted her to go to the hospital, but she refused, arguing with me and insisting on keeping the baby. Can you understand how I felt at that moment? In a fit of anger, I…"
"It's summer, and the body couldn't stay at home, so I had to dispose of it. I heard that monkfish have a strong digestive system and can digest anything they swallow, so I bought some monkfish and a large fish tank, planning to dismember the body and feed it to the fish, letting them slowly digest it. But the fish died after only a short time."
"I didn't dare throw the fish in the community, afraid someone might pick them up and eat them, so I packed them back up and dumped them at the seafood market. After all, people often throw fish and shrimp there, so it wouldn't attract attention… How did you find those fish?" Liang Ping asked curiously.
"They were picked up by a hotel buyer." Xu Mo explained, "You continue. What about the guy with the yellow hair? Why didn't you dispose of his body?"
Liang Ping let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"I didn't know how to dispose of a body. My first attempt failed, didn't it? After dumping the fish back at the seafood market, I prepared for the worst and decided to flee. Killing the guy with the yellow hair was an impulse.
"Anyway, I was going to run away either way, so I figured I might as well kill him too. One murder is as bad as two—it would also help me vent my anger. After killing him, I went to the ATM and withdrew all the money from my card in small amounts. After dawn, I contacted some local buyers and sold all the appliances and furniture in my house at a steep discount. I was planning to take the money and run, but… I only committed the crime early this morning, and by tonight, you caught me."
Liang Ping's confession was all recorded by Chen Ke.
After he finished, Chen Ke quickly organized the transcript and handed it to him.
"This is what you've said. Take a look. If there's no problem, sign here."
Liang Ping glanced through it briefly, then picked up the pen and signed his name shakily, nervously asking, "Officer, what kind of sentence am I looking at?"
"We only handle arrests. We don't know the specifics of the sentence, but you'll find out soon enough." Xu Mo shook his head.
Intentional murder, and multiple victims, including such heinous acts as dismemberment—the possibility of an immediate death sentence wasn't out of the question.
Xu Mo didn't tell Liang Ping this to prevent him from causing trouble in the temporary holding cell or even attempting suicide before the trial.
Better to avoid unnecessary complications.
"The case is closed. You handle the lockdown at the hotel kitchen." After leaving the interrogation room, Xu Mo said to Chen Ke.
"Okay."
"Then I'll head back first. You can go home directly after you're done… Oh, and the meal bill hasn't been paid yet. While you're at the hotel, ask how much that meal cost. Let me know, and I'll transfer you the money."
…