Chapter 1601 - The Suspect
Without enough time to plan and prepare in advance, there was no way the ambush could have been so flawless. If Qian Duoduo hadn't been carrying a pistol—and if she weren't such an excellent shot—the terrorists might well have succeeded!
This narrowed the field considerably. "Seventh Master" could only be a naturalized citizen who had advance knowledge of the Xiaocang's itinerary or the young Chiefs' schedule!
"Excellent!" Liu Fuqing's breathing grew heavier. "Let's not rush—let's think carefully. Which naturalized citizens could have known the young Chiefs' itinerary in advance..."
"The maids, secretaries, and guards at each Chief's residence. Also some staff at the Executive Office. And for that matter, the girls from the Seasons Troupe might have known too..." Yang Cao ticked them off one by one. Gradually, a look of disappointment crept across her face. "That's still quite a few people."
"No, no—this is already very few. I'll have someone draw up a list based on this scope right away."
The list was quickly compiled. Liu Fuqing cross-referenced it with those already brought in for questioning and circled those still at large, handing it to Yang Cao:
"Have all these people brought in to assist with the investigation. Those with checkmarks—just keep them under surveillance for now."
"Why not bring everyone in?"
"The ones with checkmarks are personnel close to the Chiefs. We don't have direct evidence of suspicion against them," Liu Fuqing said. "Bringing them in straight away would be hard to justify. Keep them under surveillance first. Let's go through those we've already got."
The screening work was tedious and complex. Despite the narrowed scope, there were still several dozen suspects. Most had already been brought in for questioning, and their statements were readily available. The two began reviewing them one by one, looking for any connection to the captured terrorists.
The screening continued until lamplighting time without result. Liu Fuqing ordered boxed meals and strong tea to be brought in, and they pressed on. Still, they came up empty—no one had any connection to the known terrorists.
Yang Cao grew impatient. "How about bringing in those with checkmarks for interrogation too?"
Liu Fuqing hesitated. "Hold off. Let's see if there are any other suspicious patterns."
He began listing out every terrorist attack that had occurred in Lingao the previous day, then looked for intersections with the "suspects."
Several hours later, Yang Cao found something. "This Wang Qisuo—something's off about him."
"What is it?" Liu Fuqing, getting on in years, was struggling with the sleepless work. He had just downed his fourth bottle of "Energy Potion" for the day.
"Of the three attacks, two are connected to him."
Liu Fuqing took the file and looked it over. "He's a Security Battalion soldier. Nothing unusual there. Wait—" He frowned. "If he's not from the Escort Company, how was he assigned to guard the Chiefs?"
"He was temporarily seconded. That's been confirmed. But here's the strange thing: his statement says he was originally assigned to guard the Chiefs aboard the Xiaocang."
"Weren't there no guards on the Xiaocang? And how did he end up guarding the folk music troupe?"
"That's right. He says Young Chief Qian dismissed him, so he was reassigned to the troupe."
"That does make sense..."
"It makes sense, sure—but how did he know the troupe's itinerary?"
"Itineraries are communicated a day in advance at the Escort Company. If he was working there, it wouldn't be odd for him to know."
"It fits, but I feel something's wrong." Yang Cao pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "No, wait—he knew the troupe's schedule, fine. But how did the terrorists know?!"
This was like a bolt from the blue. Liu Fuqing's focus sharpened. "You're right. The only person who knew both the Xiaocang's route and the troupe's schedule was him!"
This breakthrough galvanized the sluggish atmosphere in the office. Yang Cao reached for her cigarette case—empty. Too impatient to call for more, she picked up a pencil and clamped it between her teeth, then began digging through the pile of files on the table.
After a while, she pulled out a red folder, flipping through it quickly. Suddenly, she thrust it at him. "Look at this!"
Liu Fuqing took it. It was the case file for the Xiaocang ambush—witness statements, scene investigation reports, and other materials. They had both reviewed it before; nothing new.
"Look at this one," she pointed. "Witness statement."
The statements recorded the three young Elders' recollections of the attack. They had both read them before—nothing fresh.
"Look at this line in Elder Lin's statement: 'Qian Duoduo clearly said the guard also thought traveling by water was safer than by land—yet it turned out not to be safe at all!'"
"Who was this guard?" Liu Fuqing's senses immediately sharpened. An Elder's travel safety was not something a guard could casually evaluate—only the on-duty Escort Company officer and staff from the Executive Office's Transport Division had the authority to assess route security.
"It was Wang Qisuo." Yang Cao's lips actually curved into a slight smile.
"Show me the Escort Company's assignment schedule!"
"Right here." Yang Cao already had the document prepared. "You see—according to the schedule, he's been assigned as the guard for Lin Ziqi and Zhang Yunmi for the past few days. Per the original plan, they were supposed to take a carriage to the Flying Cloud Society to pick up Qian Duoduo and then go together to the stadium, but the itinerary was changed."
"But Qian Duoduo said traveling by boat was her idea. Even if Wang Qisuo is Seventh Master, he couldn't have tipped anyone off in time."
"No—Qian Duoduo's statement makes clear she proposed this plan to Lin Ziqi and Zhang Yunmi the day before. Wang Qisuo might have known then." Yang Cao's eyes gleamed. "If he knew the Elders might change their route, why didn't he report it to the Escort Company command?"
"Maybe Qian Duoduo hadn't definitely decided on the water route yet."
"Perhaps. But why did he disregard discipline and, without any basis, claim that 'water is safer than land'?" Yang Cao said. "He was clearly trying to push Qian Duoduo into taking the boat. When Qian Duoduo refused to have him escort them on the Xiaocang, it was half an hour after departure that he finally radioed the Escort Company from Bopu to ask for instructions. His new orders were—" Yang Cao pulled out another document:
"'Report to the East Gate Command immediately for reassignment.'"
"Yes, that's standard procedure."
"Then here's what's odd. He didn't report to the Command. Instead, he went straight to the troupe..." Yang Cao set down the file. "He says he encountered them on the road. But to get from Bopu back to East Gate Market, the main road would never cross paths with the troupe—he deliberately took a longer route to intercept them—and he wasn't even assigned to guard the troupe. Yet he knew their schedule so precisely..."
Liu Fuqing's eyes widened. His gaze drifted involuntarily to the large-scale map of Lingao on the wall: Absolutely right!
Unable to contain his excitement, he exclaimed: "How did we miss this?!"
"Because an Elder vouched for him." Yang Cao gave a cold laugh and picked up another report. "This is the verbal statement of Elder Dongfang of the folk music troupe. She said he 'was very brave during the attack, firing at the assassin in time.' Also, Elder Okamoto said the same—that he acted 'with no regard for his own safety.'"
"If he's Seventh Master, why would he stop the assassins? He could have assassinated the Elder next to him directly—much better odds of success."
Yang Cao knew each of Liu Fuqing's challenges was meant to test her reasoning. Both Wu Mu and the Deputy Director had repeatedly emphasized: "Although our work doesn't require evidence for conviction, our casework must be meticulous about evidence."
"Because he wants to continue his cover in Lingao!" Yang Cao said. "His return to East Gate Market and his shots at the assassin were all to clear his name—maybe even to earn merit. Not only can he stay undercover, but he might even get promoted! Besides, I think he knew perfectly well that under the guards' protection, those martial artists had no chance of success. Whether he fired or not, the outcome of the assassination would be the same. And even if the assassination succeeded, he'd be dead for certain."
Liu Fuqing nodded. "I'm going to report to Director Wu right now!" He grabbed his jacket from the chair. "I'll request further investigation of Wang Qisuo. You go check on the latest statements!"
The spotlight shone on Lin Ming's face. He tried desperately to close his eyes, but someone forced his eyelids open.
The interrogator's voice came again: "Do you have any other accomplices in Lingao?!"
He answered weakly: "No... there really aren't any... I came to Lingao alone..."
"Think again." The interrogator's voice was cold and flat. Lin Ming was gasping. Since being brought to this interrogation room, his sense of time had become completely scrambled—endless repeated questioning, blinding light, having his eyes covered while water dripped onto his face... He had expected the Australians to torture him the way his Embroidered Guard colleagues did, but no instruments were used. The interrogation itself was already unbearable.
"Think carefully. Your sister-in-law says there are."
"What?!" He weakly raised his head, silently telling himself to stay calm—he had used this trick himself.
"Li Yongxun is your sister-in-law, isn't she? Look—you were willing to risk coming to Lingao for her, went to all the trouble of disguising yourself as a sailor, endured all that hardship. Your feelings for her are clearly more than a brother-in-law should have..." The interrogator's voice was mild, but every word struck at the depths of his heart.
"How old is she—only twenty? A girl in the flower of her youth. She was living perfectly well here with us. You came to find her—and what have you brought her? Do you know where she is now?"
"Where?" Though Lin Ming knew this was the Shorn Bandits' psychological ploy, he couldn't help asking.