At that moment, Zheng Kaixuan arrived on the scene with two teams of officers.
Captain Zeng Ping walked up to greet him. "Team Zheng, do you have the search warrant?"
"Yes. I brought both the search warrant and the summons. And since I figured you might be short-handed, I also arranged for two more teams to come over," Zheng Kaixuan replied.
"You always think ahead," Zeng Ping nodded approvingly.
Zheng Kaixuan turned to the man in front of him. "You're Liu Zhixin?"
"That's me."
"Do you know why we're arresting you?" Zheng studied him closely.
"I don't."
"Still playing tough, huh?"
"You've got the wrong guy. I'm just a cook!" Liu Zhixin snapped.
His wife rushed forward, clutching Zheng's arm. "Officers, you must be mistaken. My husband is an honest man. How could he possibly kill someone?"
Zeng Ping checked his watch. "Team Zheng, time is tight. Let's search right away."
"Where does Liu Zhixin usually live?"
"He stays at his restaurant," Han Bin answered.
Once Zheng Kaixuan understood the situation, he gave out orders:
"Han Bin, you and Li Hui take the suspect back for interrogation.
"Tian Li, bring the wife in for questioning as well.
"The rest of you—search the place!"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone moved at once.
Back at the station, Han Bin collected Liu Zhixin's DNA sample and sent it off for comparison.
Then Liu was escorted into the interrogation room.
Han Bin took the lead, Li Hui handled the notes.
"Name, gender, age, place of origin…"
"Liu Zhixin, male, 36…"
"Where were you on the night of July 22nd, around 11 p.m.?" Han Bin asked.
"At the restaurant," Liu rubbed his nose.
"Anyone who can confirm that?"
"My wife."
"Anyone else?"
"No."
"Why didn't the noodle shop open on July 23rd?"
"I wasn't feeling well, so I rested."
"Do you know Sun Qifeng?"
"Yes."
"What's your relationship?"
"Fellow townsmen."
"Are you aware that he's dead?" Han Bin pressed.
"What? When did that happen?" Liu's face showed exaggerated shock.
True surprise is fleeting—it appears and disappears in a flash, unless more shocking news follows. It never lingers.
Yet Liu's "shock" stayed frozen on his face.
With his training in micro-expression analysis, Han Bin immediately knew it was fake.
"Liu Zhixin, we wouldn't have arrested you without sufficient evidence. You'd better cooperate."
"I've been cooperating. You ask, I answer. Isn't that cooperation?" Liu sneered.
"From the start you've been lying. You call that cooperation?" Han Bin's tone hardened.
"You say I'm lying? Prove it!" Liu snapped, glaring defiantly.
Knock knock. Someone rapped on the door.
Zeng Ping poked his head in, signaling Han Bin to step outside.
"Keep an eye on him," Han Bin instructed before leaving.
"Anything at the noodle shop?" Han Bin asked quickly. If they had found stolen money or a murder weapon, Liu couldn't deny it.
"Nothing." Zeng Ping sighed. "And your side?"
"He won't admit a thing. Tough as nails."
"His wife too. Won't say a word."
"Right now, our only hope is the skin scrapings under Sun Qifeng's nails. If they match Liu's DNA, that's it."
By regulation, footprints and similar traces can guide investigations but can't stand alone as evidence in court.
"Until we have results, don't leak anything," Zeng Ping warned.
"Understood."
Han Bin returned to the interrogation room.
The questioning dragged on for hours. No matter how Han Bin and Li Hui pressed, Liu Zhixin refused to confess.
By 11 p.m., they had to suspend the interrogation.
Han Bin and Li Hui went home to rest.
The next morning, in the second squad's office of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Zeng Ping gathered the team.
"Han Bin, any progress last night?"
"No. He's clamped up tight."
Zeng twirled a pen between his fingers. "That shows his counter-interrogation instincts. He thinks he covered his tracks perfectly. Honestly, if he confessed too easily, that'd be suspicious."
"Then we hold off until the DNA results come back," Han Bin suggested.
"What about the wife?"
"Same story. Denies everything," Tian Li sighed.
"She clearly knows more. At the very least, that's aiding and abetting, or giving false testimony," Li Hui analyzed.
Zeng Ping stood. "I'll report this to Captain Zheng. Higher-ups are watching this case closely. We've caught the man, but that doesn't mean we can relax."
"Yes, sir."
At 3 p.m., the forensics unit delivered the DNA results.
The skin scrapings under Sun Qifeng's nails were a perfect match with Liu Zhixin's DNA.
Han Bin and Li Hui brought him back in.
"Liu Zhixin, how'd you sleep last night?"
"Pretty well."
"Let's see if you can still sleep tonight," Li Hui sneered.
"Officers, you arrested me yesterday evening. It's almost 24 hours now. Shouldn't you be letting me go? Funny thing—never thought I'd miss my little noodle shop so much after just a day," Liu chuckled.
"Liu Zhixin, what's your relationship with Sun Qifeng?"
"Didn't I already say? We're from the same hometown."
"How close were you?"
"Not bad. He'd stop by the noodle shop sometimes. I'd give him a discount."
"Did you see him on July 23rd at night?" Han Bin asked.
"No."
"Any conflicts between you two?"
"No."
"Arguments?"
"No."
"Fights?"
"No."
Han Bin pointed to the camera. "This is all on record. Think carefully."
"I told you, no conflicts." Liu was still stubborn.
Han Bin stood, grabbed Liu's arm. "Then what about these scratches on your right wrist?"
"Oh, that. My wife scratched me." Liu casually covered it with his other hand.
"We recovered skin cells from under Sun Qifeng's nails. The DNA matches yours exactly. How do you explain that?" Han Bin asked coldly.
Liu's eyes widened briefly in panic, but he quickly tried to compose himself. "You don't need to bluff me."
"Bluff?" Han Bin sneered, tossing a file onto the table. "See for yourself."
Liu's hands trembled as he picked it up and skimmed it. "He was a customer at my shop. He might've accidentally scratched me once."
"Scrapings under the nails don't come from an 'accidental scratch.' They come from a struggle. Just like the wound on your wrist."
"I… maybe… I—" Sweat broke out across Liu's forehead.
Han Bin slammed the table. "Yesterday, I asked you if you and Sun had conflicts. You said no. Fights? You said no. But the DNA evidence proves you lied."
(End of Chapter)