Animal Detective-Chapter 90: A Shock

Just then, Chen Chao came back to his senses and suddenly asked, "Xiaoding, if it were you, how would you question him?"

Ding Yuwei knew Chen Chao was testing her.

After a moment of thought, Ding Yuwei said, "Captain Chen, I have a few ideas. Please tell me if I’m on the right track."

Chen Chao nodded, gesturing for Ding Yuwei to go on.

Only then did Ding Yuwei say, "First of all, stalking isn’t a crime in itself, and the act is very difficult to legally define."

Chen Chao nodded. There was no specific crime for stalking on the books.

Only when stalking was combined with intentionally leaking a person’s movements for profit and causing them harm did it constitute the crime of infringing upon a citizen’s personal information.

Ding Yuwei continued, "So, if it were me doing the questioning, I’d probably use a similar approach to Shen Xin’s. I’d use the video evidence we have to find inconsistencies and self-contradictions in Guo Chunping’s answers. In other words, deduce the result from the facts."

Chen Chao nodded in approval again. It seemed Ding Yuwei had paid attention in the police academy.

That was how interrogations worked. You didn’t start with a preconceived conclusion, like asking, "Why were you following me?" right off the bat.

Guo Chunping would have too many possible excuses.

He could even say, "I’ve taken a liking to you, so I followed you."

There was nothing illegal about that, and it would even let him seize the initiative.

The correct interrogation method was just as Ding Yuwei described: guiding the process from facts to a conclusion.

For example, asking, "Where were you at such-and-such a time?"

There was video evidence for that; he couldn’t deny it.

But if Guo Chunping deliberately lied and said, "I was at home," then his answer would have a contradiction. The more contradictions like that, the harder it would be for him to explain himself.

And only a testimony full of holes like that could prove he was hiding something and be used as evidence.

Inside the interrogation room, Shen Xin asked again, "By the way, don’t you live at Yuecheng Home? What were you doing in Fengshun Li yesterday? Meeting a friend?"

Guo Chunping remained silent.

Shen Xin said, "Guo Chunping, this isn’t going to work. Like I said before, we asked you to come in to assist with an investigation. Once we’ve cleared things up and there are no issues, you can leave. Look, it’s already past seven in the evening. The sooner you go home, the sooner I can get off work."

But Guo Chunping still said nothing.

Shen Xin slammed his hand on the table and said sternly, "Guo Chunping, don’t think you can avoid the problem by staying silent. If we brought you in, it’s because we have information on you and believe you’re involved."

Zhao Tianxing, who was beside him, was startled, then gave Shen Xin a look that said, ’Not bad.’

At that moment, Guo Chunping reacted again.

But he still didn’t speak. He just smiled.

In the monitoring room, Chen Chao stepped forward and pressed the intercom button. "Xiaoshen, take a break for now."

Shen Xin slammed the table again and barked, "Guo Chunping, you think about it. Once you’ve thought it through, we’ll talk."

With that, he got up and left the interrogation room.

Arriving in the monitoring room, Shen Xin quickly asked, "Captain Chen, was my questioning bad? Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all, it was great," Chen Chao said, shaking his head. "Don’t forget, this guy worked in the security department of a state-owned enterprise for almost twenty years. He’s very experienced. Don’t be impatient. Let him stew for a bit. We’ll question him again later."

As he spoke, he gave Sun Zhao a look, and the two of them left together.

Shen Xin breathed a silent sigh of relief. ’I thought I’d messed up the questioning.’

"Shen Xin, impressive."

Ding Yuwei gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up.

Shen Xin quickly waved his hand dismissively. Watching the still-silent Guo Chunping on the monitor, he felt a strange sense of unease.

Meanwhile, Sun Zhao and Chen Chao went outside, found a spot, and each lit a cigarette.

Chen Chao said, "Lao Sun, it seems I was a bit hasty. I didn’t expect this guy to have worked in security for so long. His psychological resilience must be exceptionally high."

"Don’t say that." Sun Zhao waved his hand. "You didn’t know the situation at the time. And even if you did, our thinking wasn’t wrong. The case is so old, and he just happened to slip up. It’s not a problem to use this opportunity to rattle his cage a bit."

Chen Chao looked up at the starry sky and said nothing.

From the beginning, he had considered it carefully. He knew that following Shen Xin wasn’t a major offense.

But he still decided to bring Guo Chunping in to "assist with the investigation."

It was just as Sun Zhao said: the case was too old. If they pretended to know nothing and continued investigating covertly, they might not find anything useful.

It was better to take this chance to rattle Guo Chunping and see if he’d slip up.

For instance, if he was Sun Kai’s accomplice, maybe this pressure would make him try to contact Sun Kai. By monitoring his phone, they might be able to find Sun Kai.

In any case, the man was now on the police’s radar and generally under their control.

"Don’t overthink it. Our goal was to rattle him, so we interrogate him. Even if he doesn’t say a word, we can just let him go. It won’t affect anything," Sun Zhao said, clapping Chen Chao on the shoulder. Then he chuckled. "But that kid, Shen Xin, he’s really something. And his luck is incredible. He’s a real lucky charm."

Chen Chao laughed. "I think so, too."

For a cold case murder that had been inactive for four years, cracking it would definitely bring substantial commendations.

The interrogation continued until past eleven at night.

Shen Xin was at his wit’s end.

This Guo Chunping was as stubborn as a mule. He was impossibly composed and wouldn’t say a single word.

Chen Chao called a halt to the interrogation and told Shen Xin to go home and rest.

That night, Shen Xin didn’t sleep well.

The next day, he went to the precinct early again.

The interrogation continued.

In the middle of it, Lv Youwei even came over to check on the situation and couldn’t help but shower Shen Xin with a few praises.

But the more praise he received, the more awkward Shen Xin felt.

They had made a discovery, but with Guo Chunping’s attitude, he was simply refusing to admit anything, no matter what.

"Captain Chen, how come you don’t seem worried at all?" With just a few hours left before the twenty-four-hour hold limit, Shen Xin couldn’t help but ask Chen Chao.

He felt that Chen Chao’s reaction was a bit off.

"Captain Chen, don’t tell me you never intended to get anything out of him," Shen Xin said hesitantly.

Chen Chao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Not bad. I thought you wouldn’t figure it out."

He then explained his thought process.

Shen Xin rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Captain Chen, you should have told me earlier! Look how worried I’ve been. I’ve got a canker sore from the stress."

’If he’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have been so worried.’

With just a few hours left, Shen Xin had been genuinely panicking.

"If you’re all worked up, have a drink." Chen Chao said with a smile, tossing him a bottle. "There are only a couple of hours left. Stop the interrogation. Go wash your face and rest for a bit. We have surveillance duty tonight."

Shen Xin paused, then nodded quickly.

At a little past six in the evening, Guo Chunping left the precinct right on time.

Shen Xin and Chen Chao stood at the entrance, watching him go.

From a distance, they saw him turn his head and glance back in their direction.

"Captain Chen, like you said, this guy is an old hand. Do you think he’ll guess what we’re planning to do?" Shen Xin asked after a moment’s thought.

Chen Chao smiled. "So what if he guesses? Some things, once you start thinking about them, you can’t stop."

With that, he turned and went inside, signaling for Shen Xin to go eat. They would move out after dinner.

Night fell.

At Yuecheng Home, Shen Xin, Zhao Tianxing, and Ding Yuwei were crammed into a car, silently on stakeout.

"Who’s taking the first watch?"

Zhao Tianxing was direct, getting straight to the schedule.

He added with a chuckle, "Look at you two, all tensed up. This guy’s sharp. He won’t slip up this quickly. So, most likely, nothing will happen tonight."

Shen Xin thought that made sense and told Zhao Tianxing to rest first. After all, he was young and could handle staying up.

Zhao Tianxing muttered, "I’m young too, you know," and fell right asleep.

Shen Xin looked up at the apartment on the east side of the 6th floor of Building 4 across the street. The lights were on, and he could faintly see a silhouette moving inside.

He figured Zhao Tianxing was probably right. Even if Guo Chunping was going to make a move, it wouldn’t be this soon.

As expected, the night passed without incident.

The next day, Ding Yuwei came back after buying breakfast and said, sounding puzzled, "He’s supposed to be at work by eight. Driving to his company from here during morning rush hour takes at least forty minutes. It’s already 7:50. Isn’t he leaving?"

Shen Xin found it strange as well.

Zhao Tianxing, however, was unfazed. "He just got out of a police investigation yesterday. Can’t he take a day or two off to rest?"

Shen Xin nodded. That made sense too.

The three of them could only continue their stakeout.

Before they knew it, it was past ten in the morning.

As Shen Xin kept watch, he suddenly said, "Something feels wrong. Why are his bedroom curtains still drawn? It’s morning already. He should be up and about by now."

Zhao Tianxing leaned forward to look. "Should we go up and check it out?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he grunted in surprise. "Hey, there he is."

Shen Xin looked up. He was right.

The curtains were drawn open, and Guo Chunping appeared on the balcony.

He opened the window and just stood there calmly, as if looking at the scenery. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Just then, Guo Chunping suddenly swung himself over, grabbing the window frame and standing on the ledge.

In an instant, Shen Xin was horrified, his blood running cold.

Beside him, Ding Yuwei let out a gasp.

From the back seat, Zhao Tianxing shot upright.

Just as Shen Xin pushed the car door open, Guo Chunping, who had climbed onto the window ledge, spread his arms and leaped.

The 6th floor!

Face down.

With a dull THUD, he landed stiffly on the concrete ground.