National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 712 - 655 Paralysis

Chapter 712: Chapter 655 Paralysis

The mahjong parlor owner, Hu Zhongyuan, seemed a bit dazed, and his actions were somewhat brash and impulsive.

When it comes to operating a mahjong parlor in Beijing, you’re either a fool or close to it. Anyone with a sense of cost-benefit analysis would switch to a foot massage parlor—eighty percent less trouble and eight times more profit.

But Hu Zhongyuan didn’t seem to have considered this. If he could run the mahjong parlor, he would; if not, he would just go home and sleep soundly, banking on the undivided mahjong-loving heart of the Beijingers.

Sitting in the interrogation room, he kept muttering, "You can’t just close my mahjong parlor every time you have some meeting. What’s the meeting about this time? Reporters might as well get their news from camping out at my place; I’ve got better scoops than them!"

"This has nothing to do with your mahjong parlor," Liu Cheng sat in front of Hu Zhongyuan, speaking seriously, "Hu Zhongyuan, do you remember me?"

Hu Zhongyuan took a closer look: "Captain Liu? What’s up? You’re not running the criminal police anymore, you moved to the public security bureau? That would actually be good, you’re a straightforward guy, suited for public security with a bit of a gang leader vibe, but you shouldn’t be too nitpicky..."

"Hu Zhongyuan!" Liu Cheng cut him off, "We’re questioning you about an abandoned corpse case from last February."

Hu Zhongyuan stared blankly, "You haven’t solved that case yet?"

With that remark, Liu Cheng was momentarily at a loss.

The video of today’s interrogation might have to be shown to the branch chief and others later on.

With a face set in a frown, showing no emotion, Liu Cheng asked, "Do you have anything to say about this case?"

"This case has nothing to do with me, what can I say?" Hu Zhongyuan wasn’t intimidated by the police; he looked around, slouched into a "Ge You slouch," and relaxed.

"The victim, Lin Zifeng, was a regular customer of yours, right?" Liu Cheng asked.

"Yes."

"You claim that on February 12th, you ran into Lin Zifeng in the neighborhood and greeted each other, right?"

"Roughly so."

"It can’t be just roughly. Is it so or not?"

"I guess so. No, wait, this happened a year and a half ago, now you’re asking me to remember..."

"Xiao He, read Hu Zhongyuan’s previous statement," Liu Cheng didn’t wrestle with Hu Zhongyuan, but instructed the policeman next to him to read the statement.

The policeman picked up the prepared statement and began reading, "I went out to buy cigarettes in the morning, and it just happened to be when I ran into..."

As the policeman read on emotionlessly, Hu Zhongyuan’s eyes began to dodge.

"Hu Zhongyuan," Liu Cheng immediately pressed, "Let me ask you now, is the statement you gave on that day true?"

"If you’re asking like that, then I’m not clear either." Hu Zhongyuan’s expression also fell into a state of despondence, and paired with his posture, he looked like an old, ugly, balding, scruffy cat that submits to being stroked.

Liu Cheng’s eyelashes stood on end, "What do you mean you’re not clear?"

"Those days, I was drinking all night with the boys. Suddenly you ask me which day I saw Lin Zifeng, and I roughly answered," Hu Zhongyuan admitted with some semblance of guilt, then lifted his neck defiantly, as if to say, go ahead and scold me, if I’m at fault, claim your dues.

"If you’re not clear on it, why did you answer that you saw Lin Zifeng on February 12th?"

"How else should I reply to you? My wife was right there at the time," Hu Zhongyuan said with an expression that any man would understand, "I couldn’t just say that I had been drinking all night again and I couldn’t even remember the day, could I?"

This time, Liu Cheng heard the ring of truth in his words, and he realized that when he had questioned Hu Zhongyuan before, the man had been too exhausted or, rather, he wasn’t even clear about what he had answered...

This answer truly made Liu Cheng feel as though he was grinding his teeth to powder.

Had it not been for Hu Zhongyuan’s testimony, the forensic doctor might have suggested a broader window for the time of death, leading the detectives to review a longer period of surveillance footage, maybe even arriving at a different conclusion. While it didn’t mean they would definitely have solved the case, the fact that a case could be stalled due to one drunken man’s words...

Liu Cheng, thinking about this, gritted his teeth and said, "I didn’t smell alcohol on you either at that time, you must have been sober then."

"I was more or less sober, I guess. I can’t say for sure, anyway, my wife was at home, and she didn’t let me go out. It’s not like I could drink at home." Hu Zhongyuan’s expression turned indifferent again. Being an old Beijinger, he knew that the police couldn’t do much to him. Having weathered the initial pressure, he reverted to his uncooperative attitude.

Liu Cheng asked, "So when did you actually see Lin Zifeng?"

"Captain Liu, I’ll tell you the truth, I was confused from drinking before, and I couldn’t remember clearly. Now... I remember even less." Hu Zhongyuan said with a smile, "But if you really need a time, I can give you a rough estimate."

"You..." Liu Cheng glared at Hu Zhongyuan forcefully and said, "Making false testimony can land you in jail!"

"I couldn’t remember at that time; it wasn’t on purpose." Hu Zhongyuan was unafraid – he had been to jail before. Having been there once, a few more months wouldn’t scare him; he could treat it like a weight loss boot camp.

Of course, he didn’t say this out loud, lest Liu Cheng hold a grudge against him.

The subsequent interrogation was dull. When Liu Cheng came out of the interrogation room, he was somewhat dazed.

Being deceived by a witness was something he had experienced as a rookie. Once he became leader of the middle squad and deputy head of the unit, such a thing never happened again!

But, it must be said, if he hadn’t stumbled here, the Wanlong Gardens case wouldn’t have turned into a cold case.

After sitting in his office for a while and drinking a cup of tea, Liu Cheng revived his spirits and went to report the situation to division head Tao Lu.

Upon entering the division head’s office, he saw there was already a guest inside, a rough and dark-skinned individual...

"Commissioner Huang? What brings you here!" Liu Cheng recognized Huang Qiangmin and hastily greeted him.

Huang Qiangmin laughed heartily and said, "I just happened to be on a trip to Beijing and thought I’d stop by."

Liu Cheng eyed Huang Qiangmin with the scrutiny of a criminal detective who had missed only once in recent years; he didn’t believe Huang Qiangmin’s nonsense. A commissioner from a county-level police station – what business could he have in Beijing? If it were for case-related work, younger officers would typically be sent; and for meetings, his rank wasn’t high enough!

Tao Lu smiled and first asked Liu Cheng, "Did the interrogation go smoothly? How is the case progressing?"

Liu Cheng gave a wry smile. In front of Huang Qiangmin, it was not right to air one’s dirty laundry.

Seeing this, Tao Lu understood and chuckled before saying, "Let’s talk about it later then."

He then turned his head to look at Huang Qiangmin, paused for a moment, and said, "Commissioner Huang has come from afar. We should host a meal to extend our hospitality..."

"No need, I specifically brought some local ingredients and a chef from Ningtai County. I have made arrangements to eat some hometown dishes with Jiang Yuan tonight," Huang Qiangmin said with a smile. "Of course, if you would like to join..."

"That won’t be necessary..." Tao Lu, not wanting to impose, politely declined: "Jiang Yuan must have missed the taste of home after living here for so long. You are truly attentive in your role as commissioner."

"It was Jiang Yuan’s father who asked me to do this," Huang Qiangmin said with a smile. "His father specially hired the chef and sent both the chef and the food over just so that Jiang Yuan could enjoy a meal from home."

Liu Cheng exclaimed, "That’s actually possible..."

A 66.6-degree-angle smile flickered on the corners of Huang Qiangmin’s mouth as he nodded, then turned to Tao and said, "Division Head Tao, we’re agreed then?"

"Hmm. Let’s leave it at that," Tao Lu said with a rather forced smile. He shook hands with Huang Qiangmin and showed him out the door.

After closing the door, without waiting for Liu Cheng to ask anything, Tao Lu tapped Liu Cheng with a finger, as if to say he was frustrated with him, and said, "You guys... day after day... If you could just improve your case solving rate, would that old fellow dare to show his teeth here?"

Liu Cheng frowned, "He bared his teeth at you?"

"Well... it wasn’t really baring teeth," Tao Lu sighed.

"Then what did he do?"

"He... he charges for services rendered!"