Chapter 68: Liu Gang's Calmness

Chen Yu and Yan Zheng entered the interrogation room next door, one after the other.

The light inside was cold, casting sharp contours on the face of the man seated on the metal chair.

Liu Gang.

He sat casually, arms crossed over his chest, his face displaying undisguised impatience.

When the two entered, Su Qingzhu, who had been accompanying them, shot a questioning glance their way.

Yan Zheng ignored her, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

“Has Zheng Liangchen arrived?” Yan Zheng’s voice was low, as if forced from his throat.

“He just got downstairs,” Su Qingzhu replied.

“Mm.”

Yan Zheng had barely grunted when Chen Yu suddenly crossed his legs, speaking lazily, “Perfect timing. Let’s go interrogate Zheng Liangchen first, no need to keep him waiting.”

“Hey!”

Liu Gang sprang from his chair at those words.

“Officers, is this how you conduct an investigation?”

His sharp voice echoed in the small interrogation room.

“You’ve left me hanging here for more than an hour, sitting in this iron chair meant for criminals, and now you’re just going to leave?”

Liu Gang angrily pointed at his own seat.

“Sorry, the conditions in our investigation unit are what they are,” Su Qingzhu replied coldly.

“Then interrogate me first! Damn it, I’m busy! I don’t have time to waste with you!” Liu Gang finally dropped all pretense, his tone turning belligerent.

“Busy?” Chen Yu’s lips curved in a smile.

“Busy squandering you and your sister’s savings, running around hiring unreliable detectives, investigating your late wife’s case?”

“Hmph!” Liu Gang’s face stiffened at the jab, then he snorted coldly. “The police didn’t do their job, so I can’t investigate myself?”

“Of course you can.” Chen Yu nodded, but his tone suddenly sharpened. “Let me ask you: fifteen years ago, when your wife was murdered, where were you?”

The question was like a rusty key sliding into a locked, dust-laden door.

“I was working overtime at the research institute!” Liu Gang replied almost reflexively.

“Who can confirm that?”

“My brother-in-law, Luo Xiangdong!”

As soon as he spoke, Liu Gang’s expression changed abruptly, as if he remembered Luo Xiangdong was long dead.

He quickly added, “The other colleagues at the institute back then should be able to confirm it too!”

Chen Yu smiled indifferently, pressing further, “Then the night your sister Liu Hong was attacked by the murderer, where were you?”

“At the institute as well! My brother-in-law and I were tackling a project at its critical stage!” Liu Gang’s words rushed out, as if rehearsed countless times.

“You’re sure?”

“Of course! The police asked me these stupid questions eight hundred times back then!” Liu Gang sounded annoyed. “I know my brother-in-law is dead, so there’s no testimony! But you can check the records from back then, ask the old colleagues at the institute, even the gatekeeper in the security booth!”

Chen Yu glanced at Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng understood, quietly drew a yellowed transcript from the file, flipped it open, and pointed to a section.

The recorded details matched Liu Gang’s account exactly.

“Very good.”

Chen Yu’s smile grew deeper. Leaning forward slightly, he fixed his gaze on Liu Gang’s eyes.

“One last question: where were you on the day Zhang Luoluo was murdered?”

“I…”

Liu Gang was about to answer, but Chen Yu raised a hand to interrupt.

“Oh, right, almost forgot to tell you.” Chen Yu’s tone lightened. “Regarding Zhang Luoluo’s case, we’ve basically identified the true culprit: her husband Zheng Liangchen.”

“There were no signs of forced entry at the scene, no biological evidence from any third party. Only the couple were in the villa at the time. The case is quite clear.”

Liu Gang looked at him suspiciously. “Then why are you asking me?”

“Nothing, just curious.” A sly glint flashed in Chen Yu’s eyes.

“I… I was probably on my way to hire a private detective that day.” Liu Gang recalled, giving an airtight answer.

“This Zhang Luoluo you mentioned, I don’t know her at all. Only saw her in the news—a billionaire’s daughter, murdered. That’s got nothing to do with me.”

It was a flawless response.

In an era without universal surveillance, “on the road” was explanation enough for any uncertainty.

Even if pressed about which detective agency he went to, he could simply say, “I didn’t find one.”

Their lives never intersected, which was precisely why Chen Yu had been so shocked when he saw that familiar figure in the [Retrospect] footage.

A man remembered only because of his sister Liu Hong—how could he appear at the crime scene in the Retrospect?

This was something Chen Yu still couldn’t accept.

Liu Gang’s reply left Su Qingzhu and the seasoned Yan Zheng both deep in thought.

“Haha! Is that so?”

Chen Yu let out a dry laugh. The next moment, his smile vanished, his gaze turning icy.

“But you seem to recall the time of Zhang Luoluo’s death quite clearly!”

“Huh?”

Liu Gang was stunned, quickly replaying their conversation in his mind and finding no flaw.

Su Qingzhu looked at Chen Yu, equally puzzled by the seemingly random remark.

Chen Yu’s voice rose suddenly, each word cutting like a blade:

“From start to finish, I never mentioned the exact time of Zhang Luoluo’s murder! The news only vaguely reported ‘around noon!’ How did you know precisely that ‘at that time’ you were on your way to hire a detective?”

The corners of Yan Zheng’s mouth finally lifted.

Chen Yu’s plan to lower Liu Gang’s guard had worked!

“You… didn’t you say it was noon?” Liu Gang’s complexion changed, but he stubbornly held his ground.

“Noon?” Chen Yu sneered. “Eleven o’clock is noon, two in the afternoon is noon—there’s a full four-hour window! Did it take you four hours to find a detective? Tell me: which agency operates eighty miles outside the city?”

Chen Yu’s eyes were like scalpels, peeling back Liu Gang’s psychological defenses layer by layer.

“I…” Liu Gang was momentarily at a loss for words.

Suddenly, he tried to turn the tables. “Didn’t you just say the killer was her husband? Now you’re interrogating me? Who are you actually suspecting?”

“Liu Gang, I am the one asking questions now, not you!” Chen Yu slammed the table, leaning so far forward he nearly touched Liu Gang’s face.

“Answer me! Where were you exactly at noon on the day of the crime?”

The shout left Liu Gang frozen in place.

His complexion shifted, sweat beading on his forehead.

At last, as if reaching some conclusion, he spat out two words viciously: “I forgot!”

Chen Yu sneered inwardly.

Trying to play dumb?

He thinks he can get away with it?

Confident we have no evidence, is he?

“Liu Gang, let me share something with you.”

Chen Yu sat back, tone returning to calm, though beneath it surged hidden waves.

“Just now, at Zhang Luoluo’s crime scene, we found a *****.”

“It recorded the entire process of the murder.”

Boom—

The words struck Liu Gang like a thunderclap.

His pupils contracted, his face drained of all color, turning deathly pale!

Chen Yu kept his [Insight Eye] locked on the numbers hovering above Liu Gang’s head.

[Name: Liu Gang]

[Heart Rate: 83 (nervous) → 95 (terrified)!]

[Stamina: 45 (average)]

[Favorability: 5 (dislike)]

[Purity: 90 (decent)]

Liu Gang’s psychological resilience was indeed remarkable; throughout the previous exchange, his heart rate fluctuated but stayed within safe bounds.

But now, the number was spiking wildly!

Yet, only seconds later, Liu Gang managed to force a twisted smile onto his face.

“Heh!”

He took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to calm down.

“Officers, please stop playing these little games.”

“If you truly suspect me, be direct. If you have evidence, bring it forward.”

“If not, don’t waste my precious time any longer!”

He spread his hands, looking utterly unruffled, and his heart rate astonishingly began to drop.

[Heart Rate: 95 → 90 → 80 (feigning composure)]

Su Qingzhu’s brows knitted tightly; she looked at Yan Zheng with concern.

Yan Zheng’s face remained expressionless, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed a hint of helplessness.

Just as the interrogation reached another impasse, Yan Zheng’s phone abruptly rang.

He lifted it, glanced at the caller ID, and answered.

“Speak!”

A hurried voice came from the other end.

“Captain Yan, the Sakura Country detective, Sanada Gouichiro, just found new evidence at the crime scene!”