Volume One, Chapter 119: The Truth Emerges.

This statement caught even Li Changsheng off guard; he nearly blurted out a response but swallowed it back just in time. He realized that Jiang Chen must have already figured something out, though he hadn't shared the intelligence earlier because Li Changsheng had been absent from the briefing room.

Li Changsheng looked at Jiang Chen with keen interest; this game of wits was proving to be fascinating from the very start.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Wu Gang said—a rare full sentence from him, proving that he wasn't naturally taciturn, but simply hadn't found a reason to explain himself until now.

It seemed that, thus far, this Wu Gang was very concerned about the other, crippled Wu Gang. But it was unclear whether he cared about that man’s life or his death. Perhaps death was exactly what he was hoping for?

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and pressed, "No matter, it doesn't matter if you don't understand. You only need to tell the truth to clear your name. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to leave."

"I haven't committed any crime. You cannot hold me for very long," Wu Gang replied, returning to his stoic composure.

However, Jiang Chen could see that the man was well-prepared. Through some medium—perhaps television or books—this Wu Gang knew that the detention period could not exceed twenty-four hours. He wasn't afraid of being held, but Jiang Chen wasn't worried about the time limit either; twenty-four hours was plenty of time to get answers.

"Let's try this: tell us about your last trip—the time you happened to run into people on the train. What were you doing there?" Jiang Chen set everything else aside, intending to see what he would say.

"I... went on a trip," Wu Gang answered briefly.

Jiang Chen followed up, "A trip? Then why didn't you bring your parents? Were you worried about the toll of the journey, or was there something you didn't want them to know?"

"Just a trip. No other intentions," Wu Gang’s expressionless face was inscrutable.

"Fine. Let me ask you this: when you were twenty-five, you went to the Lingqin region. As far as I know, the scenery there is limited. Why did you go?" Jiang Chen was deeply curious about this.

"For an adventure," Wu Gang’s reply was much the same as before—consistent with his file, and entirely plausible. Young and fond of adventure.

"Then why did you go this time? Also for an adventure? You’re not getting any younger, there's no need for that. It's quite dangerous there. I heard you even went into the mountains but were discovered?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.

Wu Gang replied, "Just revisiting old haunts. No other intentions."

It was logical and reasonable. Jiang Chen said, "Is that all? No other thoughts or demands?"

Wu Gang answered, "None. Just let me go home."

Jiang Chen walked out with Li Changsheng, pausing the interrogation. Li Changsheng pulled out a biscuit and shoved it into his mouth. "Doesn't seem like we're getting any leads."

Jiang Chen stared at the biscuit. "Where are your cigarettes?"

Li Changsheng replied, "Liuli hates the smell, so I threw them away..."

"Hmph, give me a biscuit," Jiang Chen reached out.

Having failed to extract anything truly useful, Jiang Chen asked after a moment, "Tell me... if someone were starving, do you think they would resort to robbery or murder?"

Li Changsheng said, "Hard to say. But if it were me, even if I were starving to death, I wouldn't kill or rob. If I'm dying anyway, stealing won't necessarily keep me alive."

This provided Jiang Chen with a new line of thought. This Wu Gang might not be a murderer—or perhaps he was. If he killed, it must have been for a specific purpose; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so frequent. Ultimately, it had to be for his own sake. It wasn't just frequent; it was desperate. In 1998 alone, he had killed so many people; it was clearly a matter of urgency.

"What do we do if we can't get anything out of him within twenty-four hours? We could bring him in again, but we'd have to let him go back home first," Li Changsheng said, feeling tired and as if he were always one step behind Jiang Chen. He grumbled, "Why couldn't the higher-ups give me a better brain? I really envy Lin Mo, that 'chosen one.' Not only is he sharp, but his thinking is so clear. If I had half his intellect, I wouldn't be struggling to catch up to Liuli."

Jiang Chen laughed. "You have a long road ahead with Liuli. You need to be a match for her, at the very least." He paused. "Wait, whose brain did you just mention?"

Li Changsheng looked puzzled. "Did you forget already? I said Lin Mo. What's wrong? Is your brain failing too?"

Jiang Chen slapped his thigh and stood up. "Right, Lin Mo! I completely forgot about him."

He strode out, leaving a bewildered Li Changsheng behind. Lin Mo was talented, but he wasn't a master detective. Would telling him really solve the case? He began to think Jiang Chen’s mind was slipping.

Jiang Chen sent a message to Lin Mo, and soon after, Lin Mo called back.

"Hey, Brother Jiang Chen, are you looking for my sister or me?" Lin Mo teased.

Jiang Chen said helplessly, "Don't tell your sister, I'm looking for you first."

Lin Mo’s voice trembled. "But my sister made me put it on speaker... she's listening right now."

Great. Another person offended.

Jiang Chen said, "My apologies, Lin Ning, I have something to discuss with Lin Mo."

Lin Ning hummed over the phone, then presumably left the room and closed the door. Jiang Chen had approached this girl with an agenda from the start, and he felt a great debt to her; he would have to make it up to her later.

"Brother Jiang Chen, are you in trouble?" Lin Mo asked, pen in hand.

Jiang Chen said, "Lin Mo, if I give you the details of a special case, how long would it take you to analyze it?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lin Mo thought for a moment. "About a day. But I need objective facts, not subjective speculation. I need objective data to ensure the accuracy of my conclusions."

With Lin Mo’s assurance, Jiang Chen spent an hour relaying every lead he had. Lin Mo hung up the phone.

Now, Lin Mo turned on his desk lamp and opened his computer, his pen poised. "This is quite a challenge," he muttered. Soon, his draft paper was covered in arrows mapping out relationships, his mind racing with possibilities.

When Jiang Chen returned, looking relaxed, Li Changsheng asked curiously, "Don't we need to ask more? I feel like we're so close to the answer."

Jiang Chen shook his head. "No need. The answer will reveal itself soon enough. We just need to be patient and wait for it to surface..."

Li Changsheng sighed in frustration. "Are we just going to sit here and wait? Do you expect the answer to just walk out on its own?"

Jiang Chen replied mysteriously, "You never know."