Xiao Lou didn't run away. Although he had the Lightness Skill Card, if he ran now, the surrounding Criminal Police Officers would have every reason to shoot him. He took a deep breath and calmly followed Yu Hanjiang into the police car.
No wonder Yu Hanjiang looked so surprised when the IT department found out who owned that unfamiliar number during the Police Station meeting this morning. Xiao Lou hadn't seen the number because he was hiding in his drawer. By the time he climbed out, the projector was off. He didn't know what the IT department had found, and he never imagined that the unknown call the deceased had received would be related to him!
The discovery of Zhang Hengyu's body in the specimen display room also caught Xiao Lou off guard.
But if you calm down and think about it carefully, it's easy to realize that this is a frame-up.
He had no grudges against anyone in this world; he was just an honest university teacher. He didn't know Ning Xue, nor was he particularly familiar with Zhang Hengyu. Who would frame him?
Xiao Lou speculated that this was most likely Hunter's doing.
Hunter didn't go directly to his door to kill him, but instead used this method. Perhaps it's because the theme of this world is " heart puzzles," and Hunter is also restricted by certain rules, unable to take direct action against him, and can only use the police to eliminate him.
Xiao Lou's mind raced, carefully reviewing every detail since entering the secret room. Currently, Xiao Lou didn't know how much "evidence" the police had against him. He needed to calm down and wait for Yu Hanjiang to interrogate him before deciding on his next move.
The sirens wailed incessantly, and an awkward silence fell inside the police car.
The window was covered by a black curtain, obscuring the view of the outside world.
After an unknown amount of time, the car stopped. Yu Hanjiang got up and asked Xiao Lou to get out of the car. Xiao Lou cooperated and followed him all the way to the interrogation room. Yu Hanjiang closed the door and gestured for Xiao Lou to sit opposite him.
Xiao Lou sat calmly on the iron chair, looking up to meet Yu Hanjiang's gaze.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Xiao Lou showed no sign of panic; instead, he appeared remarkably calm. His eyes were clear as water, composed and unperturbed, revealing no trace of guilt.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou calmly, pressed the button on his earpiece, and said in a low voice, "Let Xiao Wu in."
Half a minute later, Xiao Wu walked into the interrogation room with a stack of documents and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, " Captain Yu, the test results are in. Please take a look."
Yu Hanjiang flipped through the documents expressionlessly, and only after he finished did he say, "I'm going to ask Professor Xiao a few questions. You can take notes."
Xiao Wu said "okay" and sat down next to her, taking out paper and pen.
Yu Hanjiang sat down as well, tapped the table lightly with his bent fingers, thought for a few seconds, and then asked in a low voice, " Professor Xiao, what exactly is your relationship with Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu?"
Xiao Lou answered frankly, " I don't know Ning Xue, but Zhang Hengyu is my student. As the class monitor, he often contacts me privately, and the content is always related to the course. For example, he asks me to send him the PPT slides from class, or asks me for reference materials."
Yu Hanjiang asked, " Are you aware that Zhang Hengyu and Ning Xue are together?"
Xiao Lou replied without hesitation, "I don't know. I never pry into my students' personal relationships."
Yu Hanjiang looked up at him, his gaze sharp and cold: "136258965XX, is this your phone number?"
Xiao Lou was stunned—the phone number was indeed his, but it was a number he used when he was in school, which had been abandoned for two years. He never expected that this old number would reappear, and even be used by Hunter!
Xiao Lou was surprised, but maintained a calm demeanor and slowly said, "This is the number I used when I was in school. After I stayed on to teach, the school provided all teachers with group numbers, which meant no phone bills for calls and 100GB of free data per month. I found group numbers more convenient, so I stopped using my old number. My current number is 158746986XX, which Captain Yu should have saved on his phone as well."
Yu Hanjiang took out his phone, opened the contact list for " Xiao Lou," and said, "That's right, I have your number. However, one ID card can be linked to several phone numbers, and this phone number starting with 136 was also purchased under your real name." He glanced at Xiao Wu: " Xiao Wu, tell Professor Xiao the results of the investigation at the business hall."
Xiao Wu took out a printed report and said, "136258965XX, this phone number was purchased seven years ago by a student named Xiao Lou at a mobile phone store on Renmin Road in Jiangzhou City. He activated a 100 yuan data plan and has been using it for seven years. Every month on the 1st, this number is recharged with 100 yuan via Alipay. Moreover, the monthly credit and data are usually used up. The signal area of this number has always been in Jiangzhou City."
Yu Hanjiang looked up at Xiao Lou: " Professor Xiao, how do you explain this?"
Xiao Lou has been topping up his phone credit on the 1st of every month for many years, and he never expected that the other party could even imitate his habit.
Xiao Lou calmly said, "It's obvious that this number has been stolen. I didn't cancel the old number when I changed it, which was my oversight, but I sent the number change message to all my relatives, friends and colleagues, and the message record is still on my phone."
He took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table: " Captain Yu can check it out."
Yu Hanjiang took the phone, scrolled through the text message history, and indeed found the message Xiao Lou had mentioned: "Hello, sorry to bother you, this is Xiao Lou. This is my new mobile number, please save it. The old number will be deactivated from today."
This message was sent to everyone in my contact list.
Yu Hanjiang looked at the mass message, lost in thought.
Xiao Lou continued, "It's not uncommon for the original number to be stolen after a phone number is changed. Captain Yu, are you really going to conclude that I'm the murderer based solely on a phone number? Isn't that too hasty?"
"Of course I have other evidence." Yu Hanjiang took out a red phone, opened the photo album, and showed it to Xiao Lou. "You said you didn't know Ning Xue, but this is the deceased Ning Xue's phone. Why are there so many photos of Professor Xiao in her photo album?"
"..." Xiao Lou looked at the photos in the album and was speechless for a moment.
"There are photos of you lecturing in class, profile pictures of you driving, and back views of you walking—there are hundreds of solo photos from various angles," Yu Hanjiang said casually. "It seems Ning Xue is a big fan of yours and likes you a lot."
Xiao Lou frowned unhappily: "What does that prove? I was secretly photographed without my knowledge."
Yu Hanjiang said, "According to my investigation, six months ago, Ning Xue and her boyfriend Zhang Hengyu came to Medical University to audit your courses. After attending your classes, she became infatuated with you and started seeing you privately, is that right?"
Xiao Lou coldly replied, "My classes have always been open to students from other majors. I don't remember anyone attending my class six months ago, let alone whether she was Ning Xue."
Yu Hanjiang said, " Ning Xue's phone has a lot of call records with the number 136. We also recovered the album data and found some screenshots of chat records that she had deleted. They were all messages she sent to this number to express her love. The other party also responded that he liked Ning Xue very much, but because of the difference in their status, it was not appropriate to go public for the time being."
He showed the restored chat screenshots to Xiao Lou: " Professor Xiao, take a look. Do these chat logs look familiar?"
Xiao Lou stared silently at the chat screenshots without replying.
The method of framing him this time was very clever. By using a phone number he had abandoned, they fabricated the so-called "truth" about his private relationship with Ning Xue. Unless the person who stole his number is found, Xiao Lou will have no way to defend himself.
Yu Hanjiang's expression turned extremely serious. He stared into Xiao Lou's eyes and asked, word by word, "Where were you at 9 PM last night?"
Xiao Lou said, "Last night, Liu Qiao and I watched the finals at the Music Conservatory stadium starting at 7:30. After Ye Qi finished singing a song, we went backstage to find Ye Qi. It should have been around 9 o'clock at the time. I even took a photo of Ye Qi and Liu Qiao together."
Yu Hanjiang opened his phone's photo album and found this group photo: "The time shown in the photo is 8:55."
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat—at 9 o'clock sharp, the number 136 called Ning Xue, and Ning Xue spoke with this person for 5 minutes before being pushed into the lake and drowned.
At 9:00 AM sharp, he and Liu Qiao had already left the backstage area and were preparing to leave the stadium. Because the stadium was a complex place and the two were unfamiliar with it, they wandered around for several minutes before finally exiting. Just as they were leaving, they heard a scream coming from the lakeside and then discovered Ning Xue's body.
In other words... during the crucial period when Ning Xue was murdered, only Liu Qiao could prove his innocence.
Sure enough, Yu Hanjiang said, "Between 8:55 and 9:10, only Liu Qiao knows what you did, right?"
Xiao Lou nodded with a sullen face.
Yu Hanjiang said, "Unfortunately, Liu Qiao has disappeared and cannot testify for you."
Xiao Lou: "..."
He just asked Xiao Liu to go to the Music Conservatory to find Ye Qi. Xiao Liu turned around and walked away. At that time, there were many plainclothes Criminal Police Officers downstairs. It is very likely that when those people wanted to arrest Liu Qiao, Liu Qiao sensed something was wrong and used a card to slip away.
Fortunately, Liu Qiao was quick-witted enough to run away immediately. Otherwise, if Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao had been arrested and brought to the Police Station at the same time, no one would have been able to find out the truth and clear his name.
Hunter, wanting to frame someone, certainly wouldn't let Liu Qiao off the hook. Xiao Lou could almost guess what was going to happen next— Liu Qiao liked Zhang Hengyu, and out of love turned to hate, she joined forces with Xiao Lou to kill Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu, the couple.
—Only by making Liu Qiao a suspect can she provide Xiao Lou with an alibi.
As expected, Yu Hanjiang asked, " Do you know about the relationship between Liu Qiao and Zhang Hengyu?"
Xiao Lou shook her head: "I don't know."
" Liu Qiao is a student in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Why did she come to listen to your Forensic Doctor class this afternoon? Also, after class, her classmates said that she went to the lounge with you alone. What did you discuss?" Yu Hanjiang asked with his arms crossed and his face expressionless.
"She came to the lounge to see me because she wanted to go with me to the Music Conservatory to see Ye Qi …" Xiao Lou realized that his explanation was hard to believe. One was a professor in the Forensic Medicine Department, and the other was a student in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Why would they go to the Music Conservatory together to watch a singing competition? This reason simply didn't hold water.
Xiao Lou didn't explain further, but looked up at Yu Hanjiang: " Captain Yu, investigations require evidence. All your current reasoning is based on the premise that I am using the phone number 136. However, you cannot rule out the possibility that my account was hacked."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Of course I wouldn't identify you as a suspect based on just a phone number. We also conducted a full search of the laboratory building and found the primary crime scene where Zhang Hengyu was murdered. We also found some hair there—the results of genetic testing have confirmed that the hair mixed with blood at the crime scene belongs to you and Liu Qiao."
He pushed several photos of the scene in front of Xiao Lou, his gaze sharp: "Your phone number was stolen, and your hair was stolen too?"
Xiao Lou: "..."
Seeing Xiao Lou's face gradually turn pale, Yu Hanjiang slowly said, "You dated Ning Xue for half a year, but unfortunately Zhang Hengyu found out about your secret relationship and wanted to expose you. As a professor, you stole your own student's boyfriend and got together with a female college student who is ten years younger than you. This is very unpleasant to hear about, and to avoid damage to your reputation, you decided to kill him to silence him."
" Liu Qiao and Zhang Hengyu dated for a while, and we found photos of Liu Qiao on Zhang Hengyu's phone. Later, Zhang Hengyu fell in love with Ning Xue, and Liu Qiao was jealous and wanted to get rid of both of them. So, you two hit it off."
"Last night, you went to the Music Conservatory to watch the finals. You left the audience at 8:50 pm and went backstage at 8:55 pm to take a photo with Ye Qi to create an alibi. At 9 pm sharp, you called Ning Xue and asked her to come to the lake. You drugged her with a special drug. Liu Qiao put on Ning Xue's shoes, hugged Ning Xue and pushed her into the lake. You then hid to the side and only appeared after the body was discovered, pretending to be passing by."
"After giving their statements at the Police Station, Liu Qiao arranged to meet Zhang Hengyu at the lab building for a negotiation. You hid nearby and knocked Zhang Hengyu unconscious. The two of you then dismembered him and made him into specimens. Liu Qiao's roommate confirmed that she didn't return to her dorm all night; and the surveillance footage from your apartment complex shows that you didn't go home last night either. This is because you were busy disposing of Zhang Hengyu's body."
"Also, this morning you suddenly told the teaching assistant that you were going to an academic conference and asked him to cover your class, but I checked and your name wasn't on the invitation list for this conference. You bought a plane ticket to go abroad this afternoon; are you planning to flee to avoid punishment?"
Xiao Lou never bought a plane ticket. But anyone who knows his ID card can buy a plane ticket for him online.
Hunter is incredibly thoughtful. Even when framing someone, he goes all out. Not only did he put a lot of photos of himself and Liu Qiao in the victim's phone album, but he also left his and Liu Qiao's hair at the crime scene. He even bought him plane tickets to "escape abroad."
Such a logically meticulous frame-up left Xiao Lou in awe.
If Xiao Lou hadn't been absolutely certain that he hadn't committed murder, and if the evidence hadn't been irrefutable in the eyes of others, he would have been unable to clear his name no matter what.
Meeting Yu Hanjiang's deep gaze, Xiao Lou suddenly smiled slightly. Looking into Yu Hanjiang's eyes, he said, word by word, " Captain Yu, do you really believe I'm the murderer?"
Yu Hanjiang looked at him calmly: "I don't want to believe it either. But the evidence is right in front of me, and I can only enforce the law impartially."
Xiao Lou's smile faded, his gaze equally calm: "I have a few words I'd like to discuss with Officer Yu privately. Could you please turn off the surveillance in the interrogation room and ask Officer Wu to leave for a moment?"
Yu Hanjiang waved to the outside and turned off the surveillance camera. Xiao Wu also left on his own.
Once only the two of them were left in the room, Xiao Lou lowered his voice and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, "What if there's even a one in ten thousand chance that I was framed?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "Framed?"
Xiao Lou said, "No one saw me use that phone number, and hair is the easiest thing to collect."
Yu Hanjiang's gaze was deep: "Who would go to such lengths to frame you?"
Xiao Lou sat back in his chair, his fingers interlaced and gently placed on the table. He looked directly into Yu Hanjiang's eyes, his expression calm and his gaze sincere: "I don't know who that person is, but he must be trying to use you to get rid of me. I will not confess, and you can't convict me until Liu Qiao is caught."
Liu Qiao escaped in time. Since it was a "joint crime," the police naturally wouldn't rush to take action against Xiao Lou if they couldn't catch Liu Qiao, their "accomplice." Otherwise, given the current overwhelming evidence, Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao could even be convicted and prosecuted by the police.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou with suspicion: "You mean, Liu Qiao was also wronged?"
Xiao Lou nodded and said, "Given the current suspicions, you can formally detain me, but I'm worried that someone at the Police Station might try to harm me. Until the truth comes out, I hope Officer Yu can monitor me 24 hours a day to prevent me from 'committing suicide' in prison."
If the police station had a hunter, they might actually have fabricated the story that Xiao Lou "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
Xiao Lou wasn't sure where the lurking Hunter was, but he was certain that Yu Hanjiang wasn't the Hunter. Although he didn't have the memories of Card World, the person in front of him was the same Yu Hanjiang in character and mindset —impartial, righteous, and incorruptible, but he wouldn't wrong an innocent person.
Therefore, Yu Hanjiang is the key to breaking the deadlock.
Yu Hanjiang seemed to understand the deeper meaning behind Xiao Lou's words. He said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you before the truth comes out. Moreover, I will also take responsibility for the suspect's suicide during detention."
Xiao Lou said, "This case is not simple. To find the real culprit, there are still some people we need to investigate. I'll give Captain Yu a list, hoping he can summon these people for detailed questioning. They might know some inside information."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and handed Xiao Lou a pen.
Xiao Lou quickly wrote down a string of names on the paper—
Long Sen, Qu Wanyue, Chu Huaying, Tang Ci, Gui Yuanzhang, Mo Xuemin.
Since Hunter wants to use the police to get rid of Xiao Lou, Xiao Lou can also use the police to find teammates in this world.