Chapter 48: Interrogation

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“Old Wang, if you’re reading this letter, it means I’m already dead,” Director Wang read silently.

“This is the second letter I’ve ever written in my life. The first was to the special police officer who died. I am guilty—I violated the principles of a soldier and tarnished the image of the military. I have no face to go on living.

Let me tell you my story.

It was probably the year before last when you said I seemed to be glowing, even joking that I must be having a second spring.

In fact, it was because I met a woman—a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to someone I once loved deeply.

I made a terrible mistake in the army. After I left, I stayed at that nursing home. For a time, I was depressed, disappointed in life, and even had thoughts of suicide.

It was at my lowest that Li Fengyan appeared, bringing with her a lovely little girl. She asked the child to call me Grandpa. You can’t imagine the rush of emotion I felt hearing that word. I’ve been alone all my life. Sometimes, seeing other old men playing with their grandchildren, I felt so much heartache.

The little girl was adorable. The first time I saw her, I felt as if she were my own granddaughter. Li Fengyan was always respectful to me, often buying me nutritional supplements. She even once agreed to let me take the little girl to the nearby square to play.

You’ve never stayed in a nursing home, so you don’t know what it’s like. Some residents lack self-control and often harass the women. Remember those reports about three eighty-year-old men in nursing homes molesting a woman with dementia? Since then, the relationship between the residents and the female staff has been tense. Outside work hours, the women barely interact with us, sometimes even cursing or hitting us.

Li Fengyan trusted me. That gave me the will to start anew. I didn’t want to waste away in the home any longer. I am a soldier—I should act with a soldier’s dignity!

So I left the home and found a job at this bus company. Each month, aside from a few hundred yuan for living expenses, I bought toys and clothes for the little girl.

Li Fengyan was grateful to me, treating me almost like her own father.

One day, I asked her why I’d never seen the little girl’s father. She hesitated for a long time and didn’t answer, and I knew then that something was wrong.

Once, when I took the little girl out to play, she suddenly asked, “Grandpa, can I secretly call you Dad?” My heart broke. I learned then that she was the illegitimate daughter of Li Fengyan’s close friend, whose father didn’t acknowledge her and often abused her.

Li Fengyan, unable to have children of her own, cherished the little girl as her own daughter. But watching the girl suffer in such a household tormented her deeply.

One day, she suddenly told me she wanted to live with me. I was shocked—at my age, being her father would already be a stretch. But she said I could give the girl the feeling of having a father, and she was willing to give everything for her daughter.

I refused. Then Li Fengyan begged me to help her kill Chen Da. She’d had enough.

At first, I refused. But then, one day, Chen Da came to me drunk, caused a huge scene, and broke the little girl’s legs.

I was furious and finally agreed. I knew Chen Da was having an affair with Li Fengyan’s best friend, so I arranged for her friend to lure him into an SUV, where we killed him...

What I hadn’t expected was that Li Fengyan would return to the crime scene and mutilate Chen Da’s body.

Later, I heard you were going to visit Li Fengyan’s friend’s hometown to ask about the child. If discovered, neither Li Fengyan nor the little girl would escape the law...

So I decided to stop you, to give Li Fengyan time to warn her friend’s family in advance.

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I originally only intended to detain a few police officers in the basement to buy time for Li Fengyan, but in the end, I accidentally killed a SWAT team captain.

All of this is my fault. I am guilty! I planned and carried out both the murder of Chen Da and the special officer. Li Fengyan only voiced the desire to kill Chen Da—she didn’t participate in the act.

My death means nothing, but I can’t let go of that child. If possible, please spare the two of them. The child has suffered enough!

Tears slid down the corners of Director Wang’s eyes. He turned away, cursing softly, “Old squad leader, how could you be so foolish?”

I quickly said, “Director Wang, there’s writing on the back.”

He flipped the envelope over. On the other side was an organ donation consent form.

Director Wang let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll head back first. I’ll leave things here to you all…”

Watching his heavy, silent back, I fell into deep thought.

Old Lin sighed, saying the case was getting more complicated.

Li Xingchen asked how it was complicated—hadn’t they already caught a murder suspect?

Old Lin gave a bitter smile. “Don’t forget, we’re supposed to be investigating the death of Liu Juncheng on the bus. But Old Wang never mentioned Liu Juncheng. Is there really no connection?”

I said, “Actually, he did mention him.”

Old Lin looked at me, puzzled. “Where? I didn’t see it.”

“Old Wang talked about Li Fengyan’s friend. Who do you think that friend is?”

Old Lin slapped his forehead. “How could I have missed it? He means Liu Juncheng’s wife, Fan Lu, doesn’t he?”

I nodded. “That’s what I think. In fact, the little girl might be the child of Fan Lu and Chen Da, but Chen Da refused to acknowledge her, insisting she was Fan Lu and Liu Juncheng’s daughter. Liu Juncheng also refused to accept her, pushing her off onto Chen Da. In the end, Chen Da, unable to accept it, killed Liu Juncheng.”

Old Lin nodded thoughtfully. “Arrest Li Fengyan and Fan Lu immediately.”

We acted quickly, taking both Fan Lu and Li Fengyan into custody.

Tang Jingjing and Li Hong searched Old Wang’s residence, bringing back the mummified legs. They also found two sets of brand-new clothes for a little girl, clearly gifts Old Wang had prepared.

Li Fengyan and Fan Lu were interrogated separately to prevent them from coordinating their stories.

Tang Jingjing and Old Lin interrogated Li Fengyan. She sat listlessly in the chair, her eyes vacant, refusing to say a word.

Old Lin said, “Old Wang is dead.”

Li Fengyan nodded.

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“What is your relationship with Old Wang?” he asked.

“He’s my husband,” Li Fengyan replied.

Li Xingchen, sipping his tea, nearly spat it out. What a shameless woman! Old Wang was old enough to be her father—how could she like such an old man?

“Your legal husband is Chen Da,” Old Mo said.

“Chen Da is my enemy,” replied Li Fengyan. “He abused me and my daughter, so I had to kill him. I lured him onto the car. He said he liked S&M, so I played along. He liked dressing as a woman, so I had him wear my clothes. Then I found my opportunity and killed him.”

But her story contradicted Old Wang’s. In the end, we concluded that Old Wang was deliberately protecting her.

She also confessed to killing the SWAT captain, saying she did it to keep her daughter’s identity a secret. It was understandable, though her methods were brutal.

As for her daughter, she refused to say much, and we couldn’t learn anything more.

She did reveal one thing, though, that shocked us all. She said her daughter was very safe now—inside her belly—where no one could find her.

What did she mean by that? None of us could figure it out.

The final result of the interrogation stunned us even further: “She actually ate her daughter.”

We were all momentarily stunned. Tang Jingjing refused to accept such a cruel reality and asked Old Lin if it could be true.

Old Lin replied, “We can’t be sure! I think we need to give her a psychiatric evaluation and see if she has any mental disorders.”

I nodded. “We’ll arrange it shortly.”

“Come, let’s go see Fan Lu,” I said.

Tang Jingjing shook her head. “I’m not going. Fan Lu doesn’t look like a good person either.”

I nodded. “Then Old Lin and I will go. You’re in charge of arranging Li Fengyan’s psychiatric assessment.”

Tang Jingjing agreed.

Fan Lu was still dressed provocatively, her slender legs in stockings, a seductive smile always lingering on her lips.

I coughed, cleared my throat, and asked, “What is your relationship with Chen Da?”