"I'll bring Old Zhou to the interrogation room!" one of the officers volunteered.
After some analysis, it was clear that Old Zhou had the strongest motive for the crime. The missing service weapon was most likely stolen by him!
Xu Mo and Han Fei both nodded and headed to the interrogation room together, preparing to question Old Zhou once he was brought in.
Before leaving, Xu Mo patted Wang Dachuan on the shoulder. "You've improved!"
Although Old Zhou's motives and the clues in the case were pieced together by Xu Mo himself, Wang Dachuan also deserved credit for pointing him in the right direction.
If Wang Dachuan hadn't suspected Old Zhou, Xu Mo wouldn't have been able to deduce things so quickly.
Receiving Xu Mo's praise, Wang Dachuan couldn't help but let out a sheepish chuckle.
"Thanks, Captain Xu!"
...
Interrogation room.
Old Zhou, the auxiliary police officer, was brought in by the officers.
His expression was calm, as if he knew nothing, and there wasn't a trace of panic or nervousness in his eyes.
As expected of a seasoned auxiliary officer, his psychological resilience was impressive.
Xu Mo didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"You were in contact with Hao Qi when he returned to the station after completing his mission, right?"
"Yes," Old Zhou replied with a composed nod.
"Did you notice the holster on his waist at the time? Was the gun still in it when he returned?"
"I didn't pay attention to that."
Old Zhou remained calm, but Xu Mo noticed a subtle change in his micro-expressions. He was lying.
Despite Old Zhou's strong psychological resilience and his excellent ability to mask his emotions, his lies couldn't fool Xu Mo, who was well-versed in psychology.
At that moment, Xu Mo became even more certain of his earlier deduction.
Old Zhou was definitely hiding something!
The next second, before Xu Mo could continue, Old Zhou began defending himself.
"I know you suspect me, but I didn't take Hao Qi's gun. I only bumped into him briefly at the entrance, and we barely exchanged a few words. There's no way I could have stolen his gun in such a short time. Besides, Little Wu and the others were there too. If I had taken the gun, they would've noticed right away... You can verify this with Little Wu and the others."
It had to be said, Old Zhou's psychological resilience was top-notch. Even sitting in the interrogation chair, he remained calm, and his words didn't sound like a defense but rather a statement of facts.
If Xu Mo hadn't already deduced Old Zhou's motive, dealing with such a seasoned individual would have been challenging. Even if he could tell Old Zhou was lying, Xu Mo might not have been able to get the truth out of him without resorting to truth serum.
If you weren't the prime suspect, I might have actually believed you... Xu Mo smiled.
"I heard from Little Wu that you've been wanting to become a full-time officer for a while now?"
As soon as these words were spoken, a flicker of panic appeared on Old Zhou's otherwise unshakable expression.
However, the panic only lasted for a moment before disappearing.
Old Zhou sighed.
"Yes, of course I want to become a full-time officer, but... the exam is just too difficult for me. I'm getting older, and my memory isn't what it used to be. I've taken the exam several times but never passed."
"Have you ever considered other ways? As far as I know, there's more than one path to becoming a full-time officer, right? You can also get promoted by making significant contributions, isn't that right, Captain Han?" Xu Mo glanced at Han Fei beside him.
"That's right, making significant contributions can also lead to promotion," Han Fei nodded.
Old Zhou's expression stiffened again, and his eyes began to dart around nervously.
Xu Mo then turned back to Old Zhou.
"Have you ever thought about using that path to get promoted?"
"I, I..." Old Zhou opened his mouth, hesitating several times before forcing a smile. "I've thought about it, but making significant contributions isn't that easy. I'm just an auxiliary officer; I don't even have the authority to enforce the law. How could I make such contributions?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Mo countered.
"Don't you think this missing gun case is your chance to make a significant contribution? If you could solve the case and find the missing gun, that would be a huge achievement. You could get promoted immediately."
Old Zhou's expression became uneasy, and his smile was strained.
"Haha... Captain Xu, you're quite the joker. There's no way I could solve this case. I don't have that kind of ability."
At this point, the calm demeanor on Old Zhou's face had completely vanished.
"I think you do," Xu Mo stared intently at Old Zhou. "Where do you think the missing gun is now... hidden in your car, in your desk drawer, or somewhere else equally discreet?"
Xu Mo's gaze was sharp, as if it could pierce through Old Zhou.
Being stared at like that made Old Zhou extremely uncomfortable.
Not to mention, Xu Mo's words directly pointed the finger at him. Old Zhou panicked, blinking uncontrollably several times and no longer daring to meet Xu Mo's eyes. He kept swallowing nervously.
"I don't understand what you're saying. How could I have hidden the gun? I didn't steal it."
Through this exchange, Old Zhou's psychological defenses had already begun to crumble.
It wasn't just because Xu Mo suspected him. If it were merely suspicion, he wouldn't have been so nervous. His anxiety and incoherence stemmed from the fact that Xu Mo had accurately pinpointed his motive. Xu Mo was right.
Old Zhou had thought his plan was flawless, but it had been exposed. Xu Mo had deduced everything through sheer reasoning.
Xu Mo pressed on.
"You really want to become a full-time officer and not remain an auxiliary officer forever. But you can't pass the exam, so you started thinking of alternative ways. You considered getting promoted by making significant contributions. However, such opportunities are rare. Your precinct hasn't seen many major cases, and even if there were, you wouldn't have the ability to solve them and earn recognition."
"So, you decided to create a major case yourself, one that you could solve, allowing you to get promoted. But major cases often involve lives, and perhaps out of a sense of justice or fear, you didn't want to kill anyone. After much thought, you came up with a case that didn't involve murder but could still be classified as major—a missing gun case."
"You stole Hao Qi's service weapon, hid it, and planned to reveal it at the right moment to claim credit, allowing you to get promoted. Am I right? Where is the gun hidden?"
After finishing, Xu Mo stared intently at Old Zhou, who was sitting in the interrogation chair.
Old Zhou fell silent.
He slowly lowered his head, sighed, and then let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Impressive, truly impressive. As expected of Captain Xu, the man who solves impossible cases. Your reputation is well-deserved..."