Interrogation Room.
Xu Mo found Hao Qi, ready to ask about the details.
"Did you draw your gun before entering the complainant's house?"
"No," Hao Qi shook his head without hesitation.
"When we arrived, the couple was arguing, the door was open, the complainant was blocking the doorway, trying to stop her husband from leaving. At that time, her husband wasn't holding a knife; they were just arguing intensely, but no physical altercation had occurred. In that kind of situation, there was no need to draw the gun…"
At this point, Hao Qi suddenly became agitated as he recalled a detail.
"I remember now! As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, we heard the commotion outside. The argument was intense, and I instinctively touched my holster. The gun was still there at that moment. I was about to draw it when I heard the shouting, but as soon as I turned the corner, I saw the couple arguing. The complainant even shouted for us to stop her husband. I noticed the man wasn’t holding a knife, so I didn’t draw my gun."
"So the gun was still there at that time? That means your gun was lost either during the mediation of the couple’s dispute or after you left?" Xu Mo’s earlier speculation was confirmed.
When they encountered the couple, the gun hadn’t been lost yet, and the suspicion on the bystanders in the neighborhood was basically cleared.
To be certain, Xu Mo asked another question.
"After you mediated the couple’s dispute and were about to leave the neighborhood, did any residents come over to watch the commotion?"
"No," Hao Qi shook his head.
"Only at the beginning did some people come to watch, but we chased them all away before we got on the elevator. We were mainly concerned about their safety. By the time we left the neighborhood, no one was lingering around."
"Alright… I see." With this, the suspicion on the neighborhood residents was completely lifted. The problem lay with the couple!
Xu Mo left the interrogation room and called Han Fei.
At that moment, Han Fei had just arrived at the neighborhood and hadn’t started investigating yet when Xu Mo’s call came through.
"Captain Han, don’t waste time checking the neighborhood’s surveillance. The gun wasn’t stolen by the residents. Focus on investigating the couple. I think they might be involved."
Right off the bat, Xu Mo helped Han Fei narrow down the suspect pool.
With the neighborhood residents cleared of suspicion, there was no need to check the surveillance footage, saving time.
The residents’ suspicion was cleared so quickly? I just got here! I haven’t even started yet. Xu Mo’s efficiency is terrifying… Han Fei didn’t ask further, simply acknowledging the instruction.
"Got it. I’ll focus on the couple… How about your side? Have all the officers been cleared of suspicion?"
"Not yet. Only the three officers who were on the mission with Hao Qi have been cleared," Xu Mo’s voice came through the phone.
The suspects weren’t limited to those three officers but included all officers who had contact with Hao Qi after he returned from the mission.
The gun was lost after encountering the couple.
The neighborhood residents’ suspicion had been cleared.
Now, the suspects were the couple and the officers who had contact with Hao Qi after he returned from the mission but before he handed in his gun.
After all, Hao Qi only realized his gun was missing when he was about to turn it in.
This meant that anyone who had been near him from the time he interacted with the couple until he handed in the gun was a suspect.
Of course, the suspicion on the three officers who had been on the mission with Hao Qi had already been cleared. Xu Mo had questioned them, and the lost gun had nothing to do with them.
After a series of eliminations, Xu Mo finally narrowed down the suspects to the couple and the officers who had contact with Hao Qi after he returned from the mission but before he handed in the gun.
After ending the call with Han Fei, Xu Mo decided to question the officers who had contact with Hao Qi before he handed in the gun.
He walked into the office area and scanned the officers sitting at their desks.
"Today…"
Just then, Xu Mo’s phone rang.
It was Han Fei.
He’s calling back so soon? Did the couple really turn out to be involved? Xu Mo couldn’t help but wonder.
He decided to pause his investigation of the officers in the station and answered Han Fei’s call.
"Xu Mo, you were right. The couple is definitely involved! They’re not at home, and the door is locked. I suspect they’ve fled."
Almost as soon as the call connected, Han Fei’s anxious voice came through.
"Fled?" Xu Mo instinctively repeated. Fleeing to avoid punishment? This only increased the couple’s suspicion.
"Yes. Hurry up and use Skynet to locate them. I’ll go after them right away! We can’t let them run around outside with that gun!" Han Fei said urgently.
In his view, the couple was highly suspicious. The missing service weapon was most likely stolen by them.
And now, they weren’t at home. They had left right after stealing the gun, which was a dangerous sign.
Xu Mo also realized the severity of the situation.
"Got it. Wait a moment."
After saying this, he approached the three officers who had already been cleared of suspicion. Only they and Hao Qi had seen the couple. To use Skynet to track them, their assistance was needed.
After briefly explaining the situation, the three officers also realized the gravity of the matter and immediately checked the complainant’s phone number from today’s report in the system.
They then entered the phone number into the system to retrieve the complainant’s identity information.
Finally, they input the identity information into the Skynet system to start tracking the couple’s current location.
Soon, the results came in.
Skynet showed that the couple was currently in a shopping mall…