Blazing Armor

School was about to start soon, and as he did every year before the start of the new term, Ren Yi carried out random fire inspections at schools in his jurisdiction. The squad had been incredibly busy recently, so he had little time to focus on the progress of the bar fire case.FzmQqSQEdOAinkvBNLGNfRBijWWiwg

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It wasn’t until Qu Yangbo urged him to hand in his report that Ren Yi remembered he had several overdue reports. Like a student cramming last-minute homework before school starts, he locked himself in his office, painfully struggling to finish writing them.zXqKPDtdNqmpWySdiBUqXNvkCmfdfW

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After what felt like forever, he finally completed all the reports and was about to check them over.SnuBpXkOoZkxGwHNMBsFdYuTUBYAfN

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In addition to written descriptions, the reports typically required diagrams. The larger and more complex the incident, the more materials had to be provided, such as the building’s floor plan, surrounding area maps, fire truck parking positions, water cannon layout, routes for different teams entering the scene, and so on. There were also radio recordings from everyone involved in the rescue, along with countless photos and videos from the scene. Of course, he wasn’t responsible for organizing all these records. The specialized team collected and compiled the materials, and the commander was in charge of reviewing and summarizing them.ldbwXOBjHQyCqRsQELeHSlWpaZSGKE

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As Ren Yi reviewed the pages, one photo quickly flashed by on the screen. He frowned, feeling a strange sensation rising inside him. After flipping through several more pages, he couldn’t resist going back.OYILyifcDcAFfestTbVycHTfTmPhWC

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It was a photo from a fourth-angle shot of the accident scene. Since it was a major incident, there were tons of photos and videos. He selected a few for the report, and the full set was archived elsewhere. This particular shot captured Wang Meng’s fire truck arriving at the scene, and at the time, Ren Yi had been leading the team in searching for survivors on the first floor.ZqdRHBpHGjngDenazAAiqCTStWqoAF

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What caught his attention was a face in the background crowd. There was something familiar about it, but the lighting was poor, and the background crowd was small and blurry.BzChGXZBenBMBYCiOsAxAfEdLvUHoA

HQfEmqUyYPhtNxi

Ren Yi tried zooming in on the photo, but it only became more distorted. He opened the folder containing all the visual materials for the accident and went through them one by one, also checking the videos. Finally, he was certain—he had seen this man before. It was Cai Wan’s father, the victim’s father.lczIFLKBXyBgRCAYVQUxjomItNNmwt

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It wasn’t unusual for the victim’s father to be present at the accident scene, but there were two particularly suspicious things.rCJQjpdreUgVzzdaZUmODiHJeWbqSy

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First, according to the timeline, Cai Wan had already escaped from the bar by then. At that moment, anyone still inside was either dead or severely injured. Yet, Cai Wan’s father wasn’t with her. What father would ignore his injured daughter and instead stand there watching? Second, Cai Wan’s father’s gaze was often in a different direction from the rest of the crowd, and his expression was hard to describe. Even through the blurry photo, Ren Yi could vaguely make out the anxiety, nervousness, and fear on his face—emotions not typical of a bystander.OQQEDqHbBNkFCucBTqtPiIuqApIvWs

CeErTZEhOiRDUsD

Of course, these photos could have other explanations. Perhaps Cai Wan’s father didn’t know his daughter was in the bar at the time and was merely passing by. But Ren Yi’s intuition told him otherwise. His mind was full of doubts.meHDaLThWvDOWnjpmTJFRORqWIraZg

aFjRtroTqruHBiF

Ren Yi immediately called Gong Yingxian. As soon as the call connected, he hurriedly said, “Dr. Gong, I found something in the scene photos. Do you remember we met at the hospital…”qmKnVQQsVieVtSLOgjcgIKBlxyqfaU

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“Cai Wan’s father,” Gong Yingxian said in a deep voice.sBNpollJkVEujBLtdmjiyDKJehGYgp

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“You already know?”sxEublzvFWwbRJICPgutrlaTzqCBpG

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“A while back, when the investigation hit a dead end, I went over all the evidence and testimonies again and discovered… Come downstairs now.”vjRQaZeJbxKKpwSnipSuwPaieRVFRW

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“Huh?” Ren Yi was listening intently, but this abrupt statement left him baffled.zovozGaOrGRoiUEbaDrsgTVZJukGQH

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“I have a call to take. I’m driving by your squad now. If you want to know more, come with me.” With that, the call ended.wvTrsRixjTMCNSlnrwNPPSHplDokwm

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Ren Yi didn’t hesitate. He got up and dashed downstairs, sending Qu Yangbo a message to request leave on the way.mPyGEaHENqfXryDJVqnSaMxmsJUzPR

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As he reached the entrance, he saw the black Jeep Wrangler speeding toward him, coming to a sharp stop right in front of him.qtMpelEvggTLIbmlPgVUgSAmnqcTjC

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Ren Yi opened the car door and noticed a thick stack of documents on the passenger seat. He had to move them onto his lap to sit down.PirgZIwEmOelMDQvAUEiBEcfboayHN

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As expected, Gong Yingxian was on the phone, saying “Okay” and “Mm” repeatedly.KDrpwfHoWZoldQjzCZDhvNLlXzKhYW

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Once he hung up, Ren Yi couldn’t wait any longer. “Is Cai Wan’s father a suspect?”fjFPziUUZTlGuauserOIcWhBjylxku

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“His name is Cai Zhiwei. He’s been separated from Cai Wan’s mother for a long time, scraping by with odd jobs. Cai Wan came to him for support and worked at ‘Yehe Zongxie.'”AEGTiaNDWqtEfTYzXFPbZlRSuxbuOD

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“Did you also notice something off about him from the photo?”UeNwNMMBtFXyPDNXUoXyBZPehJnAwB

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“In a way. When I was reviewing the evidence and testimonies, I found that Cai Wan twice referred to one of the other three people in the private room as ‘that guy,’ specifically when describing a man named Tao Zhen. Using vague terms like that usually suggests either not knowing the person well or wanting to distance oneself from them subconsciously.”BYMtkmjZctknAOUKKiOinNlopfHtmO

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“And who’s this Tao Zhen?”XhHAwPFfOtoFztZIcWkEiRHFbXNWun

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“Cai Wan only knew him as ‘Brother Zhen.’ We uncovered his full name. Based on our investigation of her communication records, she and Tao Zhen had known each other for a month after meeting at Yehe Zongxie. Even if she didn’t know his full name, they were certainly familiar. There were three others in the private room that night, and we initially couldn’t confirm two of their identities. Because of the sheer volume of bodies and the severe damage, the forensic team was overwhelmed. One of the women was quickly identified as Cai Wan’s roommate. The other male, whom Cai Wan claimed was her roommate’s boyfriend, she only knew by a nickname. This ‘Brother Zhen’ was introduced to her by the boyfriend, but we couldn’t confirm either of their identities right away. According to forensic analysis, Tao Zhen was over forty years old, significantly older than the others in the room.”KkefgRimQuFUpgLqNLMgKGciGaTUnq

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As Ren Yi listened, he began flipping through the stack of documents on his lap.QsCGIBtKJhQgncLMKKhmaJTZhCcRhG

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Gong Yingxian continued, “Further investigation confirmed the identity of her roommate’s boyfriend. He had a criminal record for home invasion. Digging deeper, we found that Tao Zhen had served time in the same prison as him, though Tao Zhen was released two years earlier. Additionally, Tao Zhen had a history of drug use.”WGkcZXFbscXoyKHjgeANsdNXjKiUUq

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“Did he bring the drugs?” Ren Yi asked.wGjDePIYvokrDRajomxwxiGGUuWzSv

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“Most likely.”YGBavPZVVrNkBLJauuMIkPIdMOgaaj

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“Then who started the fire? And what does Cai Zhiwei have to do with it?”pjqxCgAAuTMocHynuxPIjhxDRTDrDH

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“At first, we didn’t suspect Cai Zhiwei. We started suspecting Cai Wan again, thinking she might have set the fire. While trying to find evidence, we went through the surveillance footage and on-site images again, and that’s when we noticed Cai Zhiwei.”pYRzEGvEmAjHkPsYzMfpitrDmmdRRD

qaEpNNGcQdRKnIi

“And then?”bDTHNvBNFxkABPhNeTuWCNpAjvmllL

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“When we identified Tao Zhen, Cai Wan changed her story. She claimed that Tao Zhen was actually her boyfriend. She said she didn’t want Tao Zhen to take the blame for so many deaths, so she made up the story about a stranger. In reality, she said, Tao Zhen got overly excited after using drugs and accidentally knocked over an alcohol lamp, which caused the fire.”wNjpPgbBpCUCjoVgFSQazPYXaEVEmd

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“That sounds pretty believable.”FCdEGyGvtruuCzPkLKnjfqwUlkyCFH

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“If we hadn’t discovered Cai Zhiwei, that version would make perfect sense,” Gong Yingxian said, frowning slightly. “Cai Zhiwei being at the bar doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but something about him feels off. When I wanted to bring him in for questioning, he disappeared.”jteYlhqjKdHWyeyDqDQTfuTROygCvu

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“And now you’ve found him?”mOxPZpTRfmyXthwNyyIwdeejcGGTGg

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“He’s been detained at the Nanzhan Police Station. They need me to go verify if it’s really him.”cbpIXlpeVWBWpqhfDPBMxMOPqHYpzV

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Ren Yi’s excitement grew. “Does this count as me going along with the police to catch a suspect? This is my first time going with the cops on a bust.”shovTidzzuBesHmXpnIuGHFwLAptMt

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Gong Yingxian shot him a sideways glance. “What are you so excited about? The guy’s already caught.”FYCXxlecJojrEJlFiaLYJehczPujHM

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“But think about how many dead ends we hit before this. Plus, this is still a case I’m involved in. If we solve it, do you think I could get some recognition?”KdAoLMnYyYOcsFpuqZUynWszatcpHP

ViblEeBaCIytNhB

“There’s a 1000 yuan reward for providing useful tips,” Gong Yingxian said. “I can submit your name for it.”GOMJRAzkOmGaAjTJRVxSMmDBdOJSPx

uLtgnHYoAhlOATQ

“Only 1000? That’s insulting,” Ren Yi shot Gong Yingxian a sideways glance, noticing a mischievous look flash across his face. Realizing what was happening, Ren Yi shouted, “Damn, are you messing with me?”uAMXdflMlPWfCwiIwnQBLOthxjsFie

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Gong Yingxian shrugged slightly. “I’m telling the truth.”eKHSXoqhVFemtaxirDnKIMjFndOPto

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Ren Yi snorted. “Even though my salary isn’t on par with Young Master like you who can drop that on a tie, I’m not desperate enough to abuse my position for 1000 yuan.”mAQnuXNdFuIVTyxmmYDdixRFsFcANi

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“If anyone were to abuse their position, it’d be me, not you. What are you worried about?”rgxAqOYYysQkgnEGDoHJXBpsgdlDyu

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“I’m not willing to lose face over that. Honestly, it’s just too little. Now, if you offered me 10 million, I wouldn’t care about saving face.”NSUWBaooHRiIotjGXlLpUVaDkYiDhC

bgOiWGpIuHUQLKP

“I could give you that,” Gong Yingxian turned to look at Ren Yi, a hint of challenge in his eyes. “But what would you offer in return for such a reward?”qRvvBMQmktcBpAUJygsnEvKxjOZamm

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Ren Yi glanced at him, pretending to be serious. “10 million? That’s a lot of money. Looks like I’d have no choice but to offer up my most valuable possession—my body.”ZEKWzFVgnUTlJWHrHagJRqjPfOimgD

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Gong Yingxian shot him a glare. “Unless your body is a sample for biochemical weapons research.”hEgHgGPrpBpIXBDjbNCfujrTZYBaMo

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“Tsk, you don’t know what you’re missing.”FECUQBQmOtsXBZJuplYUauhezdpoDs

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After some playful banter, they arrived at Nanzhan station.JOqTbkFIfrYIndQqOSIyaXgGfuAWxD

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The Nanzhan bus terminal was somewhat old. With the increasing popularity of high-speed trains, fewer people were taking long-distance buses, so security was more relaxed.wORlhnjJgQyHNBDxUyGDXlnENivaKe

bhzLmScXqAiKook

The police station there was also quite small—small enough that as soon as they stepped in, they saw Cai Zhiwei handcuffed to a chair, his head hanging low, motionless.tEcnlpmcmreusKuoVbmAifTeFYxDya

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The two walked up to Cai Zhiwei, and Gong Yingxian called his name.wAOtFfqyNzUPSHdHirRkkCOlVsMsio

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Cai Zhiwei slowly raised his head. Upon seeing them, his eyes were filled with despair and fear, yet there was also a faint trace of relief.LyXFUjdiqLCtDmMsbAGcZhbwQTCPDv

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A police officer walked over carrying a black travel bag, dropped it on the chair with a heavy thud that echoed through the room. “His belongings.” He unzipped it, revealing a bag stuffed with cash.EThvMUEgMnieiOnpbiDoQtEMvwOPpg

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Gong Yingxian stared at Cai Zhiwei. “Do you know why you’ve been arrested?”HgWjeNmofPvgfgCKJmBsrloDUkrSvO

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Cai Zhiwei remained silent.zCFCahFnLqzyvsOHStBbyCtojsOIpC

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“Better start being honest,” Gong Yingxian said. “Your daughter has already told us everything.”JeEELySBDyoltpvUdaiONojgjeEpxB

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Cai Zhiwei’s face turned pale, and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes. He began sobbing, “I didn’t think so many people would die… How could so many die?”gkwmrpLoQLwlijEWVeXmxWieyGvALG

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Ren Yi let out a long sigh as he listened to Cai Zhiwei’s muffled confession. His heart felt heavy and stifled.KYhICwAgLDeqwnjqFJEEyNqQybChBX

eFczMBgpoSoHfdN

According to Cai Zhiwei, after Tao Zhen was released from prison, he started dealing drugs. Through a mutual acquaintance, he met Cai Wan. Tao Zhen encouraged Cai Wan to leave Tianqi and showed her a large amount of cash. Cai Wan went back to discuss it with her father, Cai Zhiwei, who was deeply in debt from high-interest loans. Cai Zhiwei then devised a plan to kill Tao Zhen. He figured that, since Tao Zhen’s money was illicit, no one would investigate his death. With the chaotic atmosphere of the bar, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Knowing about their drug use, Cai Zhiwei assumed that if he started a fire in the private room, it would suffocate Tao Zhen, who would be incapacitated after using drugs. He also planned to kill Cai Wan’s roommate and her boyfriend to cover up the murder, making it look like an accident, leaving no witnesses. After the fire started, he took Cai Wan and fled, not anticipating that the blaze would spread so quickly and consume the entire bar.bVftEBJpDzxhHKYUtMGWVaCGKVFdxM

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When Cai Zhiwei finished speaking, both Ren Yi and Gong Yingxian were left with grim expressions.rLSyfqPXXozfNmowoYyPRMaeYUiYbJ

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Gong Yingxian turned to the officer who had arrested Cai Zhiwei. “How much money is in the bag?”vHqTbYbMnGSNlpODAYsEmLHuGxweRd

vwDwXtMdoecEiln

“Over 300,000.”NNmZpyPTlWlEHjVfjTQUvoVQKyJbVc

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After a brief moment of silence, Gong Yingxian instructed the officer to transfer Cai Zhiwei to the Hongwu District police station. He and Ren Yi then got back in the car and headed to the station themselves.jxThnRlvgokswblzCmtqfGUxkSqSoF

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For a long time, the car was engulfed in silence. Neither of them spoke.vLFFkzXHQidmDUpoMuMCAvEZUXOQEB

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Finally, after what felt like ages, Ren Yi broke the silence in a low voice. “All this just for that money? Twenty-nine people dead?”cGbtZQjkcKTALAYeCQZrxeWVRMZCyG

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“He said he didn’t expect the fire to spread so fast or get so big. Do you believe him?”RujFygitQrddUKeAALyVUwmbosLsQY

VFfMDJauisFNykC

Ren Yi said, “Cai Zhiwei only has a primary school education. It’s normal that he doesn’t understand fire or can’t calculate the fire load, and blowing things out of proportion doesn’t do him any good either.”zEeFimLGZrQtbXwejLJmNhdzLLoQtw

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Gong Yingxian nodded, “That’s what I was thinking, but…”fOHnmqzaJoOesrXlVawErGbLFtqfCr

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“But what?”ldCqhAusgVYhDvTMmpcJTbfjlpuOlF

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“The money is too little. Just over 300,000 yuan. At current street prices for ice *and* harmonious drugs, that’s less than a kilogram. Tao Zhen has already started getting people hooked on ‘Fairy Water,’ this new type of mixed harmonious drugs. He couldn’t be a newbie who just started selling harmonious drugs.”rGUlsJyAFdjKLNHmrPSBrwfMqoelhH

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“Maybe Cai Zhiwei didn’t find more? Or he hid the money?”rWchpgBxblZXzssBYOXmktUAZKjaPv

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“Could be.” Gong Yingxian frowned. “In any case, I feel like he’s still hiding something.”WvwDdsKWBbZDqqrrPFDEMeRjPzCqMV

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“He’s already confessed to the arson and murder, and all the evidence does point to him.”TrUrdyxvViskbDdCUrItefMSSEjKPU

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“True…” Gong Yingxian was deep in thought. “But I need more testimony.”lirdxeGqtnhpgDjRrYeSFkaOubcSMF

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“I want to go with you.”ZupqTRRtGkjWYwPBcLFtzzmIxqcUGP

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“Not going back to the team?”TMuLakLYRFbUGvOBxTyJzMIRqvZENz

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“Things are this far along. If the case isn’t closed, I won’t be able to sleep anyway.” Ren Yi wiped his face. “Let’s go. Once it’s done, I can report to the chief of staff.”HqCAdcQyRLSUiheQGpXEEiEOPFolMI

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Gong Yingxian didn’t say anything. The black car cut through the night, heading straight to the destination.pAArZBhbEqBvenEmdhOlvtcBwYuvhY

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Upon arriving at the substation, Ren Yi was surprised that instead of interrogating Cai Zhiwei, Gong Yingxian brought in Cai Wan.xMiTxYXOmdAGEOOKFQFpQkYYsPrZDd

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Compared to how she looked in the hospital, pale and frail, Cai Wan had regained some color after a period of recovery. But after being held in detention for so long, she appeared utterly despondent.yZBPkEjzvisgKgBBpKoUwruJeelynn

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Gong Yingxian cut straight to the chase: “We’ve caught your father.”dJGlHOiAuAsBpLrHMDWpMiRVzHnOit

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Cai Wan trembled, her eyes instantly reddened, and she said in panic, “Why did you arrest my dad? Tao Zhen started the fire!”SvRLTOGTHSziRNESBlBUJyufVVqxyP

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“He’s already confessed. Are you still going to keep pretending?”iUQqZdyYvXVWrkmqhtdviciBpvZLkr

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Tears rolled down Cai Wan’s cheeks as she broke into sobs.ZaABOKKuQQHABFFnPyEwvZgavYiVxg

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Gong Yingxian tapped on the table. “Got anything else to say?”DWWEiXctAMiyKNXmtiuRydJLsXFjwS

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Cai Wan shook her head, still crying, refusing to speak.UMbgvYqyfTCXkDbXpntQBHhPOcgdzq

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Gong Yingxian’s expression turned icy. “Cai Wan, you’ve been lying from the start, wasting a ton of *harmonious* police resources. Obstructing justice carries a sentence of three to seven years. Think carefully.”YjbozgNuymEskCAXuIWBDhcxTKyKYh

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Cai Wan sobbed, “He’s my dad! What am I supposed to do? He’s my dad!”HknCxysGJLBusIofxWFffoEnkJqRXD

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Gong Yingxian’s sharp gaze bore into her, his voice chilling. “Where’s the rest of the money?”YcsZnWIkHYTUQGITjyPoXeqJecsvhy

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Cai Wan was caught off guard, her whole body stiffening.fvKpBBVMlUUCSCIWKGoZYHnOCFrujs

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