Blazing Armor

Ren Yi’s eyes widened, his upper body shot up from the chair, rigid and straight, looking at Zhang Wen, no, He Xiuyu, in disbelief, then turned to Gong Yingxian.rkoLBjUSunJHugpIOsoEjaSZvQnCUu

He had long known that with Gong Yingxian’s attention to this person, things would not be simple, but this development was far beyond his expectations. He glanced at Qiu Yan and saw that Qiu Yan’s expression was calm, clearly already aware of the situation.ZAszdvYMjoEfLSeXnDoFhcWTjIzpMo

He Xiuyu was momentarily taken aback: “You think I am Purple Flame?” The tone of his retort was quite astonished, mixed with confusion and sarcasm. “If I were Purple Flame…” He gave a bitter smile, “I would actually hope to be.”LHhuGDmWTOuClqonnGIrIOXpEnwwwX

“We suspected long ago that Purple Flame does not exist as a person. It’s not that the one who recorded videos, communicated with us, issued orders to others, and plotted these evils does not exist, but rather, he is not a specific individual. He is merely a symbol, a false god created by you, a mouthpiece for the deity you worship. The more mysterious and less human he is, the better. If he were human, he would inevitably lose his divinity.” Gong Yingxian said, observing He Xiuyu’s expression, “So in the recordings, he disguised his face, shape, and voice completely.”kYooEXssVnMuJbpTtzECgrNdwFrmoO

Qiu Yan nodded: “Various pieces of evidence indicate that Purple Flame is in this city. However, despite our extensive manhunt, after months of effort, everyone has been caught, yet we cannot capture this person or even find a trace of him. This is almost impossible. We are in the data age; unless you live in the mountains your whole life without coming out, it is impossible to leave no traces. Yet, Purple Flame has left no traces of existence, but there is indeed someone manipulating you from behind. The only explanation can be—he is a fabrication.”jNJotSzQjksshoGWbMqGZKMSeObyBO

The lenses of He Xiuyu’s glasses reflected a cold white light under the harsh interrogation room lights.dEXPanTaaDygKbilVyluvPzECXikvU

“Creating such a symbol not only facilitates the manipulation of the organization’s members but also confuses the police, and provides an excellent scapegoat.” Gong Yingxian’s gaze was as cold as a frozen spring, “You know you can’t escape, so you might as well confess. If you can get a reduced sentence for your confession and be deemed an accomplice, perhaps you can get out before you turn thirty. That’s the calculation you’re making, isn’t it?”MPViqKFThLFDXzvRXRToCRYqpmUEfp

He Xiuyu’s eyelashes were long, and when they drooped, they concealed all the emotions in his eyes. He murmured, “They all say that if the police can’t catch someone, they will find someone to pin the blame on. Sure enough… do you have evidence? Just because I earned some money working, went out to play, and stayed in a nice hotel, does that make me guilty?”SXBjEqWngbvBcuSPqDkrNMmiGiQhEZ

Gong Yingxian clenched his fists, anger flowing through his brows. He said in a deep voice, “He Xiuyu, you are quite the actor. At first, we really didn’t suspect you because everyone was deceived by you, including your followers. They revered Purple Flame as a divine messenger, obeying him without question, even though no one had ever seen you, and even the lower-level members couldn’t contact you directly, which only made them worship you more. Meanwhile, we have been chasing after a person who never existed, wasting a lot of police resources and being led into countless dead ends, while you hid in the shadows, playing a dispensable role in the organization, secretly controlling everything. You used minor crimes to cover up your greater evils, pushing all the blame onto that person we could never catch, who doesn’t even exist, while you only needed to pay a small price, with the possibility of continuing your misdeeds in the future.”zxnWQsWucepybDreuIytsKSXZRhJLu

He Xiuyu shook his head, giving a bitter laugh: “Dr. Gong, someone like you, who is very smart, comes from a good family, and is very dazzling, will never understand someone like me. I… actually, if I were really Purple Flame, I would be honored. If I had such abilities to become a messenger of the gods, unfortunately, I am not. After saying all this, do you have evidence?”xgHvfCXeECMAjPsVNOQdxsabjvhPQS

Qiu Yan took over the conversation: “Do you know when we started to suspect you?”LFIDwWyYpvHvvsehjvNMmZLnwoNTDM

He Xiuyu shook his head again.YqDDwfhmUQOdfrGCAnYxiePAqRZGKA

“When Yingxian discovered that photos of Captain He were exposed online from a private hospital, he knew there was either a mole in the hospital or someone had infiltrated it. You had Qingyan hack the hospital’s computers, deleting all surveillance videos from that time, but what you didn’t know was that there were three cameras in the activity room on the first floor. That rehabilitation room is a place for the elderly to engage in activities, and to facilitate family members checking in at any time, it needed to be able to share with many people simultaneously, so a separate line was pulled, and the main unit was also in the rehabilitation room. One of the cameras here captured you.” Qiu Yan sneered, “Of course, at that time, we only thought you were the mole. Sending the photos to you was to track you, to use you to lure out others, and to coerce you into cooperating with us. But we soon caught Huang Yan, thinking he was more important than you, and then the hotel incident happened. In a moment of negligence, you managed to escape.”UMjsegreYosgsjkTaijpUxUMQkIPOf

“You must have fled in a hurry, not having time to clean up your place. Perhaps you originally intended to burn the place down, but your desire for revenge was too strong, so you opted to set a bomb instead. You not only wanted to burn the house but also to retaliate against the police who came to catch you. As a result, Cai Qiang was injured, the house burned down, but we still managed to salvage many things. Those things may seem worthless to you, but from a few inconspicuous everyday items, we discerned your spending habits, which do not align with someone living in a first-tier city earning just over five thousand a month.”gCTozbrcnpwCvAlbGiihdjzeAkGECy

“So, in the end, you only found that I had some high expenditures?” He Xiuyu sighed, “I find it absurd. Is this the level of the police? I think the people in the fire investigation department were smarter than you.”eQgMUOrfMidtvzgVDQCzwOkdXIGGYf

Ren Yi finally couldn’t help but curse, “You still have the face to mention the fire investigation department.”VOnjxvfrIdvjdEsFAIKjxHnJyPPCNE

He Xiuyu looked at Ren Yi with fear, blinking and then looking elsewhere.GUTqylyYsWhrRlqONCFaptzpnIRuOM

“Of course, it’s not just that.” Gong Yingxian said, “At that time, we still didn’t suspect you were Purple Flame. After all, you had painstakingly fabricated a person out of thin air while playing the role of a low-level member who had already been exposed. This tactic is truly clever. What really made you suspicious was, first, through the interrogation of your other accomplices, we began to further question the authenticity of Purple Flame’s existence; second, in your growth process, there were traces of a vague background, vague experiences, and a vague self. We conduct background checks on everyone, but yours is the hardest to investigate, with even gaps in the middle. The more you try to cover it up, the more it becomes evident, and none of this seems like something an ordinary person with nothing could achieve.”VzRLSajBsCGkPnvTiuvZvIjmrtYuxu

He Xiuyu lowered his head, his shoulders slightly trembling, and his voice was not quite right: “You… you are simply bullying me. If I had a background, would I still be sitting here as your scapegoat? After the orphanage caught fire, I couldn’t afford high school and was forced to work. In your words, does that mean I intentionally concealed my background? I only did odd jobs, some of which weren’t very legal, so of course, I wouldn’t pay taxes or have transaction records. Is it a problem that I don’t like using social media accounts? You just can’t catch Purple Flame and want to close the case, so you take it out on me.” He Xiuyu trembled with anger, but he seemed inherently weak, that rage was like the chirping of fledglings, at most stirring a few leaves.BKFDwzlqUxsrjAeHyLuFpZNJSGhghJ

Qiu Yan shook her head, her long hair like black satin swaying lightly, the fleeting light only making her complexion darker, “He Xiuyu, your acting skills are truly impressive. In the previous encounters, you deceived everyone. If we hadn’t found the key evidence, it would have been really hard to suspect you.”XtainXFEfpcRliSGYSEAnMxDgDiktC

“What key evidence do you have, you just…”wnWvfjbQRwjWvdSxtvSgymLIZwcmJl

Gong Yingxian slammed another file onto the table.tMXVwTCEgLeMbuuGPZVDJwiDmtZCeK

Ren Yi was drawn to the obvious display of frustration, turning to look at Gong Yingxian, suddenly shocked—his face was twisted, his eyes cold. Gong Yingxian was usually calm and composed when dealing with most suspects, decisive in his actions, but he would only lose control in one situation: when it involved his own family’s case.TKEKuAWPhwNQibQlpctwrMtLmITUus

If He Xiuyu really was Purple Flame, he would undoubtedly know the true culprit behind the Gong family arson case, no wonder Gong Yingxian would show such an expression.bReVhTFZojjjieHpuTaqLdhuEedPFS

Gong Yingxian seemed to be restraining the surging hatred within him, slowly opened the file, flipped it over, and pushed it in front of He Xiuyu.yMMecdCsnVdCTIZydcWYQsjQeoeJnC

Ren Yi glanced at it but couldn’t understand.jwtoAuDgtshMgOllQztASBRIldmxls

When He Xiuyu saw it, his body froze as if enchanted, only his pupils constricting violently, revealing the stormy waves within him.UvfugUIIZPwGdFNdSTtWbGIeCNuwrR

Gong Yingxian’s voice trembled: “Did you really think you could be seamless, leaving no trace? Did you really think there would be no retribution?!”xcnoEFftCrwThCUcfXFiyEENnHygVS

Retribution? Ren Yi was even more astonished. He had known Gong Yingxian for so long and had never heard him speak any idealistic words. There was a serious personal emotion being suppressed within.WlRhZvqhwDojQWxIGPTjZzhPsymzAV

What on earth was going on? Ren Yi wanted to take that file to have a look.GANqtUfctTDzudzowHIvDgNYKllHsR

He Xiuyu slowly began to move from his dazed state, lowering his head. After a while, he let out a laugh. That laugh was filled with disdain, annoyance, sarcasm, and impatience.XEukuPEYQvYxBOGPDHKgHewQWdixbB

“How did you find out?” He Xiuyu raised his head, his gaze had changed, as if a layer of skin had been peeled away, finally revealing his original fangs, “Was it through financial transactions, or did she expose herself in a fit of desperation?”QsqLQRtTlOZQDkiTUumrDbQzeRZwez

Gong Yingxian slammed a heavy fist on the table, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s: “If you want to keep something from others, you must not do it yourself.”JxOlmXwApGcKcHIyBdEnpKOoCKLpKk

He Xiuyu laughed softly: “But even if you prove our relationship, so what? I have never killed anyone. Do you have evidence of me killing someone?”eZKKTjkZtdYnurquZiDcHVUCLQvzzw

Qiu Yan said sharply: “You still have the face to argue! You are not just a knife; you are also the executioner wielding it!”SgFoWsvNaniQkvCduHpzqevWdQWSEX

Ren Yi finally couldn’t help but grab that file and flip it open. He thought he would see some shocking evidence, but it turned out to be a DNA test. However, when he saw the name of the person compared to He Xiuyu’s DNA, he froze.BsYksKXnSxGhsHSpCREuIbDwuDlahh

“What…” Ren Yi opened his mouth, as if air was leaking out, “How is that possible?” He looked at Gong Yingxian, seeking confirmation with his eyes.ynvVOZQfgTlCXQLFnEXglfWgdutbRw

Gong Yingxian’s eyes were bloodshot. He quietly grabbed Ren Yi’s sleeve under the table and whispered, “She is also here; she just applied for an arrest warrant this morning.”tSYXnwvFOpiYLIcHtbAcVRpvpOvaDP

Ren Yi was astonished: “That nurse in the hospital, is she also her?”MbENMkuFoUMGEcRWxBezXtxsupNPoD

Gong Yingxian nodded.omROTJetHPFYqaEnVyoQjSeddYgkyi

“The one providing funds to the organization…”KutLBgaJaKZGpwumZCIKbFRLFgyfGk

“Yes.”wJKiYnTtdGOSOhJiBkJbdSxnpHQgCi

Ren Yi suddenly felt a bit weak. A stack of light paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand. He still couldn’t believe it: “When did you find out?”JfshjpVxCMNfTfRQVlkYbtaakQrbqk

“Before the nursing home caught fire, I started to suspect.” Gong Yingxian’s eyes held pain, but his tone remained calm, “From the day I began to suspect her, many things started to make sense. I…”rhBReAHnbYyjPBAZfqZPawXYhGoBKJ

Ren Yi’s eyes also turned red. During that time, he and Gong Yingxian had fallen out again. Gong Yingxian, still recovering from his injuries, bore the brunt of his anger and accusations, while also shouldering the pressure of the high-level investigation, and discovering that the one who killed his family nineteen years ago, pushing him into a pit of suffering, might be his own aunt—Gong Mingqing?!reIiGzqHhHjJMaIThZuySBhTyulJZG

He didn’t know how many times Gong Yingxian’s suppressed calmness had been tested by the brink of collapse and tempered by blood and tears.RloomYHJBHYFQfEvmxsJkkzNiNLNDw

Even Ren Yi felt overwhelmed. He glared at He Xiuyu with blood-red eyes, his lips moving but unable to make a sound. He didn’t know what to say; he feared that if he opened his mouth, it would only reveal his desire to tear this person apart.pueGZEQLryALJbHyVwPxBEBPdScReG

He Xiuyu, however, smiled faintly, a bit tired: “No need to look at me like that. Actually, I find it meaningless now. I was having a lot of fun by myself, but once she got involved and started pointing fingers, it lost its meaning.”yADZBdHctlBPTzdlTBYkkkYQjlfmod

“When did she start getting involved?”mUHPsZuHRDqZRCIbSLQiJptomGSGEr

He Xiuyu smiled slyly: “A long, long time ago. I just liked watching videos online and posting occasionally. I never thought about actually hurting anyone. But she insisted that I help her cover up what she had done. You say Purple Flame is not a real person, just a symbol, and that is not wrong, because in reality, she is the real Purple Flame. Purple Flame, Blue Flame, they are all her.”AFiarhbkZEefZwMHBtPZqHFSFENgyC

Qiu Yan coldly looked at He Xiuyu: “She wouldn’t say it like that.”ewKOKADoKCxnpkdWdYoaPVmKzLDbRW

“Of course, she would push all the blame onto me. But I was just learning to walk nineteen years ago; who seems more like the mastermind?” He Xiuyu leaned back in his chair, his face no longer the previous submissiveness, but instead showing a hint of arrogance. He looked at Gong Yingxian, “Dr. Gong, do you think you have won against me?”TtoiZlKDOHpYFRVsKUGCrGZGsZXEeg

“…It doesn’t matter.”XCLFsNSXLGFIDchTryfwqybLZcELeO

“We share similar blood, but just because I am a bastard and you are the legitimate young master, our lives are completely different.” He Xiuyu laughed a couple of times, “I am also smart, I am also ambitious, I also have no parents, but why do I have to suffer bullying in the orphanage, receiving charity, and now in the police station, it’s me in handcuffs while you wear a badge?” By the end, his gaze was filled with resentment.pydZAABnBVhPfXlKcmZGeRUexMTXpE

Gong Yingxian’s lips curled, extremely cutting: “Because you have bad luck.”xLiQMDBOiqZBBwtwFrCcztSlnZSSXO

He Xiuyu was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, appearing somewhat mad.bINDPzhekikQuaYqOPZdOOBPupsriw