"Hello," Xu Zhengyang greeted him politely, then sat down.
The two men opposite nodded and greeted him. The middle-aged man with glasses said to Zhong Shan, "Captain Zhong, let's talk to him alone."
"Okay." Zhong Shan smiled, stood up, patted Xu Zhengyang on the shoulder, and walked out.
After Zhong Shan left and closed the conference room door, the middle-aged man wearing glasses across from him looked down at the few sheets of paper in his hand and asked indifferently without even glancing at Xu Zhengyang, "You know Tian Qing and Xing Yufen, right?"
"Mm." Xu Zhengyang nodded.
"Did you participate in the later stages of their interrogation?"
"right."
"Was there any violent interrogation?"
"No," Xu Zhengyang replied calmly, squinting his eyes.
The middle-aged man looked up at Xu Zhengyang, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes behind his glasses. He smiled and said, "Captain Zhong just said that you hit the suspect."
"No." Xu Zhengyang's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head slightly in denial. He thought to himself that this tactic was useless against him. Not only had he stopped halfway here to review their conversation, but he had also checked their conversation again after arriving at the police station, knowing exactly what they had discussed; back at the Huaxiang Police Station, Zhong Shan had told him that if you assault a criminal suspect and they want to sue, the first thing you should do is deny it.
The policeman suddenly said, "But where did the external injuries on the suspect's body come from after he was interrogated?"
"I don't know," Xu Zhengyang said, shaking his head.
The middle-aged man nodded, then asked, "You're not a policeman, are you?"
"Mm." Xu Zhengyang nodded.
"In what capacity did you participate in the interrogation? Who gave you permission?" The middle-aged man stared into Xu Zhengyang's eyes.
Xu Zhengyang squinted and said calmly, "Captain Zhong gave permission. I went in as an informant to cooperate with the police in interrogating Tian Qing and Xing Yufen."
“This doesn’t comply with the regulations,” the middle-aged man shook his head.
"I don't know what the rules are." Xu Zhengyang remained calm and showed no sign of panic. He said, "Since I know everything about them, and Captain Zhong wants me to cooperate and intimidate Tian Qing and Xing Yufen, I naturally won't refuse."
The policeman asked, "How did you know about Hao Peng and his gang's drug trafficking?"
“Coincidentally, I went to Yaohua Department Store to buy clothes that day, and I overheard their conversation while I was in the restroom.” Xu Zhengyang hesitated slightly before saying, “At the time, I was a member of the joint prevention and control team of Huaxiang Police Station. I’m quite sensitive to these kinds of things, so I quietly listened to their conversation and found out who was in their group.”
This kind of question is not difficult for Xu Zhengyang, and nothing will happen that contradicts what Zhong Shan said.
Back when the case was being investigated, Zhong Shan had already considered that the reason Xu Zhengyang obtained the clues was unacceptable. If Director Zhao were to question him, he would need to give a plausible explanation. So the two of them had discussed how to explain it in a way that wouldn't seem out of the ordinary.
“Xing Yufen has developed mental problems and has been in a state of madness.” The middle-aged man didn’t look at Xu Zhengyang anymore, but instead looked down at the few pages in his hand and said, “According to the investigation, in addition to Xing Yufen and Tian Qing, you also participated in the interrogation of Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, and Ma Liang.”
"Yes," Xu Zhengyang nodded.
"You hit someone, didn't you?"
"Yes." Xu Zhengyang said calmly, his eyes narrowed. "Captain Zhong stopped me back then, I won't hide that. I got angry when I saw those drug dealers."
The middle-aged man looked up at Xu Zhengyang, paused for a few seconds, and then nodded, saying, "I can understand."
Xu Zhengyang smiled, his expression natural.
The policeman suddenly asked, "A few days ago, you and Shen Haobing had a conflict in a restaurant, right?"
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"You and your accomplices injured Shen Haobing and Han Biao."
Xu Zhengyang frowned, his eyes narrowing. Why did this policeman's speech sound so awkward? What do you mean by "accomplice"? Can't you just say he's my friend? However, Xu Zhengyang didn't express his dissatisfaction. He simply said calmly, "It was Shen Haobing and his accomplices. They relied on the fact that there were two policemen with them, so they attacked me and my friend. We had no choice but to fight back."
"Afterwards, you were taken to the Nancheng Township Police Station, right?" The policeman didn't dwell on the question and abruptly asked.
A middle-aged man was standing to the side, writing something on a piece of paper with a pen.
"Yes." Xu Zhengyang did not deny it; it was the truth.
"You called Zhong Shan, the captain of the criminal investigation team in Cixian County, right?"
"yes."
"Wu Feng, the director of the Futou Town Police Station, also received your call, right?"
"yes."
The policeman nodded, his expression growing increasingly grim, and said, "Afterwards, it was County Public Security Bureau Chief Zhao Qing who personally went to Nancheng Township Police Station and then brought you to the County Public Security Bureau. Is that right?"
“Yes.” Xu Zhengyang nodded in acknowledgment, then said, “However, I need to discuss some details with you…”
"No need." The policeman waved his hand, interrupting Xu Zhengyang, and then asked, "Zhao Qing, at the Nancheng Township Police Station, because he was angry, directly removed the hats and tore off the shoulder insignia of two township police officers, and claimed that the two of them would no longer be police officers, right?"
"Yes, that's because of the two police officers..."
The other person waved to stop Xu Zhengyang from continuing, and then asked, "What is your relationship with Zhong Shan?"
"Is there even a need to ask?" Xu Zhengyang was already quite annoyed by the other party's questioning attitude. What kind of airs were they putting on? They were only allowed to answer yes or no when asked questions, without listening to explanations or the details. This back-and-forth made it sound like they had committed some terrible mistake. Xu Zhengyang's eyes narrowed further, and his voice lost its previous calm tone, replaced by a somewhat cold one: "You've already investigated everything, so why are you asking me?"
Surprisingly, the policeman wasn't angered by the slightly displeased and annoyed remark. He maintained his stern face and retorted, "So, you're essentially agreeing with our investigation results, are you?"
"No." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand to interrupt the other person, and without saying another word, he got up and walked out.
"Stop!" the other party shouted.
Xu Zhengyang ignored the other party, walked directly to the door, opened the conference room door, and thought about immediately finding Zhong Shan or Zhao Qing to ask them which temple these two were from. How could they be so unreasonable? They could turn white into black.
As soon as he opened the door, he was blocked by two young men in police uniforms, who stared at him with stern faces. They weren't from the county public security bureau. Xu Zhengyang had spent a few days at the county bureau, coming and going many times, and he had seen the faces of the people there and had some impression of them.
Xu Zhengyang squinted and turned his head. Looking at the two people in the room, he asked calmly, "What? Are you going to arrest someone?"
"Please cooperate with our investigation and evidence collection." Inside the room, a middle-aged man wearing glasses said earnestly and seriously.
"How can I cooperate?" Xu Zhengyang looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling, as if talking to himself, "Do you really expect me to cooperate with this kind of questioning?"
The policeman tapped on the table and said coldly, "There are some things we need to investigate carefully. I hope you won't obstruct our work." Before Xu Zhengyang could say anything, he turned to his bespectacled colleague and said, "Take him back to the city."
The middle-aged man nodded, then stood up and looked at Xu Zhengyang, saying with a serious expression, "Xu Zhengyang, there are some related matters that require your cooperation in the investigation by the procuratorate. Please come with us to the Municipal Bureau."
"A criminal suspect?" A cold glint flashed in Xu Zhengyang's narrowed eyes.
"No." A bitter smile finally appeared on the middle-aged man's stern face, perhaps a wry smile, or perhaps a hint of mockery. "I'm just cooperating with our investigation and evidence collection."
Xu Zhengyang frowned and asked, "Can I refuse?"
The two looked at him seriously, without giving an answer, but their expressions and eyes conveyed a negative response.
Actually, Xu Zhengyang's question seemed somewhat redundant. He knew all too well that if they said they were going to take him away, then they absolutely had to. You want to resist and refuse? What a joke! Well, you might as well just admit you're a murderer and come and arrest me.
Xu Zhengyang said this with a hint of sarcasm.
So when the two people inside finally realized what was happening, their faces showed some annoyance and embarrassment.
The two men exchanged a glance, and the man in the police uniform said, "I'll go and tell Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan about the situation."
"Hmm." The man with glasses nodded, and then the two walked out the door together.
The two policemen outside stood on either side of Xu Zhengyang. After the two men inside came out, the middle-aged man wearing glasses walked towards the stairwell, quietly ordering, "Take him away."
No one handcuffed Xu Zhengyang. The policeman on the left simply reached out and took one of Xu Zhengyang's arms, then pushed him to follow. Another policeman followed silently beside him.
The policeman who had been standing inside didn't follow them downstairs; instead, he went to Zhao Qing's office. He was taking Xu Zhengyang away. He still needed to inform Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan beforehand. After all, under the current circumstances, Zhao Qing was still the bureau chief, and Zhong Shan was still the head of the criminal investigation team. Without sufficient evidence and a compelling reason, their attitude needed to be considered before isolating and questioning the two. Therefore, if they wanted to take away Xu Zhengyang, this young man who had made great contributions, for questioning, it was necessary to find a suitable reason and try not to arouse suspicion from Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan.
Although, the two of them will certainly have their grievances and doubts.
Forced into the police car, Xu Zhengyang squinted and calmly took out his phone from his pocket. He checked the time; it was already 11:30 a.m.
The two policemen sitting on either side of him glanced at him, while the middle-aged man in the front passenger seat turned and looked coldly at Xu Zhengyang, seemingly trying to stop him from making the call. But before he could speak, Xu Zhengyang calmly said, "I'm just making a call home. I suppose you won't release me that same day you take me away?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then solemnly reminded him, "After you're done, you'll have to hand over your phone to us for safekeeping."
"No problem." Xu Zhengyang smiled slightly.
The middle-aged man and the two policemen all looked puzzled. They couldn't understand why this young man was so calm and composed, without any sign of tension.
Xu Zhengyang dialed the home phone, which rang for a while before being answered. His mother's slightly breathless voice came through: "Hello, who is it?"
"Mother, it's me."
“Oh Zhengyang, where have you been? It’s raining…” Yuan Suqin said with a hint of dissatisfaction, “I’m cooking in the west room right now. Come back quickly. It’s raining today. When I came back from the new house, your father asked me to buy a bottle of wine and two side dishes on the way back, saying he wanted to have a couple of drinks with you.”
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Mom, don't wait for me. I'm in Fuhe City now, and I have some things to take care of at the shop."
"Oh, then you go ahead and get busy." Yuan Suqin was slightly disappointed, but since it was a matter for the shop, she naturally didn't say anything.
"I probably won't be able to go back for a few days; I'll have to go on a long trip."
"ah?"
"It's alright, don't worry."
"Oh, then you'd better be careful..."
"Okay, I'll hang up now."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang turned it off and handed it to the middle-aged man in front of him who had been staring at him as if afraid he would say something inappropriate. The two policemen next to him sat upright, seemingly ready to snatch the phone away at any moment. Xu Zhengyang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear even in the middle of the night."
The three were stunned, not understanding why this young man would suddenly say such a thing.
The middle-aged man took Xu Zhengyang's phone and put it into his bag.
After waiting for a while, the policeman who had questioned Xu Zhengyang in the conference room opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, started the car, and drove out of the county public security bureau with a cold expression.
Volume Two, Chapter 88: Brother Jiang is like a wolf, lurking in the bustling city.
In the early stages of this incident, Chen Chaojiang was undoubtedly a very lucky person.
Because he was not taken away for questioning by the relevant authorities.
It wasn't that the prosecutors overlooked Chen Chaojiang, a relatively unknown person. Rather, the day after Xu Zhengyang was taken away, when the police went to arrest Chen Chaojiang, they found he wasn't at home or at the Futou Town Police Station. When questioned, Wu Feng, the head of the Futou Town Police Station, replied, "This person took leave, saying he was busy with farm work at home and couldn't come to work for the next few days."
Wu Feng was truly furious with Chen Chaojiang. Chen Chaojiang's cold and aloof personality was already unpopular, and he always had a stern face as if everyone in the police station owed him a huge favor. Who would want him around? Moreover, in some ways, Chen Chaojiang and the Futou Town Police Station had a history of grudges.
Of course, no one would actually doubt Chen Chaojiang in this regard. What annoyed Wu Feng the most was that after Chen Chaojiang started working at the police station, he only worked diligently for a little over half a month before frequently taking leave.
It was only out of respect for Xu Zhengyang that Wu Feng agreed to Chen Chaojiang's repeated requests for leave and didn't kick him out of the police station. In the past few days, Wu Feng has been considering discussing with Xu Zhengyang whether to fire Chen Chaojiang; keeping someone like that at the police station is just a way to freeload. Not only is Wu Feng dissatisfied, but everyone else is too.
Coincidentally, on the afternoon Xu Zhengyang was taken away, Chen Chaojiang was still at the police station, preparing to go with other joint security team members, led by regular police officers, to handle a case of villagers causing a disturbance in the town government compound. Then, Zhong Shan called Wu Feng's office, saying he wanted to ask Chen Chaojiang some questions.
Chen Chaojiang is an extremely cold person. Even when Zhong Shan calls, he won't say much.
It's just a question-and-answer session.
Zhong Shan asked, "Has anyone come looking for you?"
Chen Chaojiang said, "No."