Chapter 1355: Chapter 170: Unequivocal Confession

Li Jie had been detained for six and a half hours, feeling cold, hungry, and scared, truly experiencing what it feels like for one day to feel like a year.

He didn’t want to just sit and wait, so he forced himself to say he needed to use the restroom. After getting approval from his superiors, the police officer watching him took him.

As they walked to an office door, he vaguely heard someone talking inside.

"The traffic police have installed many cameras at the ferry and along Yanjiang Road, and the Marine Department also has CCTV monitoring by the river. We’ve reviewed everything thoroughly, and on September 21st, he didn’t come to Binjiang. The murder that happened in Lang Mountain Waters shouldn’t be his doing."

"Monitoring isn’t foolproof. There are blind spots in surveillance. He could have avoided the cameras and quietly slipped over to commit the crime. Director Zhao, please do us a favor. Our technical police have extracted biological evidence from the murder scene. I’ll arrange for the police to deliver the evidence. All you need to do is call the Forensic Identification Center of East Sea Police Department and ask them to compare it for us."

"Doing a DNA test costs money."

"Our Criminal Police Team will cover the cost of this test. Whatever the amount, we’ll pay it. How about it?"

"You’re just grasping at straws. I don’t think he’s likely the killer."

"What if he did it, Director Zhao? Help us out here, and I’ll treat you to dinner afterwards."

"Fine, I’ll call for you. You promptly arrange for someone to deliver the evidence."

"Thank you."

...

What do these Binjiang police want to do?

They’re incapable of solving the murder on the river and plan to frame me by pinning the murder charge on me!

Li Jie was scared out of his wits, his legs went weak, and he nearly fell.

The police officer guarding him shouted, "What are you stalling for? Do you not need to go to the bathroom anymore?"

Li Jie was trembling, as if standing on the edge of an abyss, and said as he walked forward while hanging onto the wall, "Officer, it’s not my fault, I’m innocent, you can’t falsely accuse a good person."

"Stop with the nonsense. We’ll soon know whether you’re innocent or not."

"Officer, listen to my explanation..."

"What good is explaining to me? Save your words for the police officer handling your case. Hurry up, stop dragging your feet."

4:28 p.m.

Terrified and unsure of how the Binjiang police would treat him next, Li Jie was escorted into a second-floor conference room by two police officers.

Li had been in the interrogation room more than once.

But everything in front of him made Li Jie feel like he wasn’t about to be interrogated, but rather waiting for a verdict.

The conference room was set up much like a courtroom, with two rows of interrogation tables. Six or seven chairs were placed to the sides of the tables, making it look like a gallery, and people were seated in all of them.

"Report to all leaders, the suspect has been brought. Please give your instructions!"

"Let him sit down."

"Yes!"

The two police officers in charge of him sat Li Jie down, handcuffed his hands to the interrogation chair. Not feeling assured, they squatted down and put shackles on him, locking the shackles to the interrogation chair as well. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

In the second row sat Han Yu, who could clearly see Li Jie was frightened out of his mind, his hands and legs trembling.

The series of thefts on the river were mainly investigated by the Water Police Station, and Zhao Hongxing took on the role of "Chief Judge" without hesitation.

He waited for his two subordinates to finish securing the suspect, then picked up his police credentials and said leisurely, "Li Jie, take a good look. I’m Zhao Hongxing, Deputy Director of the Binjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau Water Police Branch. Next, we’ll conduct a lawful interrogation of you. I hope you answer truthfully, voluntarily confess your crime, and don’t harbor any illusions."

The Deputy Director personally interrogating him, it seemed this ordeal wouldn’t be easy.

Li Jie very much wanted to control his limbs, but wanting and being able to were two entirely different matters—the trembling was worse than before.

"According to the procedures of the Public Security Bureau, an interrogation requires two official police officers present. Li Jie, you must be quite influential, having so many police officers involved in and observing your interrogation. Before we officially begin, I’ll introduce everyone to you."

Zhao Hongxing paused, turned, and said, "This is Deputy Captain Hu Yunlong from our Water Police Station’s First Team. These two are from the Changhang Police Bureau Binjiang Branch Criminal Investigation Team—Captain Jiang Hechun and Deputy Captain Liu Guixiang.

This is Li Jun, Chief of Staff at the Jiangnan Provincial Border Guard Main Corps Binjiang Border Control Station. And this is Liu Haiming, squad leader of the first platoon of the Binjiang Border Control Station. These two are your fellow townsmen, Huang Aiguo and Li Hao from Dujiang County Police Bureau..."

Counting Han Yu from the Smuggling Crime Investigation Bureau, there were representatives from five units attending the interrogation—this was the "Five Court Joint Trial"!

Li Jie was so frightened his scalp tingled, and his body trembled as if he were sifting chaff.

The time was about right.

Zhao Hongxing didn’t want to waste time. He signaled his subordinate responsible for recording to turn on the tape recorder and get to the point.

"Name?"

"Answer quickly when you’re asked!"

"Oh." Li Jie lifted his head, muttering, "Li Jie."

"Age?"

"Thirty-six."

After asking the name, gender, age, date of birth, home address, and ID number, Zhao Hongxing flipped through the prepared materials and coldly asked, "Do you know why we arrested you?"

"No."

"Think carefully before you speak!"

"I... I really don’t know." Liu Jie lowered his head, not daring to look again.

"Lift your head up."

Zhao Hongxing shouted sternly, picked up a stack of violation photos retrieved from the traffic police brigade, and then picked up a stack of hotel and inn accommodation records, staring intently at him, "See, we have a lot of evidence like this, and there’s even more evidence you can’t imagine!

I can responsibly tell you, to get to the bottom of your criminal activities, our Water Police Station, Changhang Navigation Police Branch, Binjiang Border Control Station, and your hometown Police Bureau have done a lot of work. Last year we caught a murderer, and during the crackdown a few days ago, we didn’t deploy so much police force and funding.

You know our policy: Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. If you actively cooperate, you might be able to seek lenient treatment. If you have a fluke mentality and stubbornly resist, what awaits you will definitely be severe punishment!"

Director Huang coughed lightly, timely reminding in hometown dialect: "Liu Jie, unless you haven’t done anything, nothing stays hidden. Binjiang police agencies and the Armed Police Force won’t arrest you without solid evidence. At this point, attitude determines everything."

The photos earlier were indeed of himself.

Liu Jie’s psychological defenses were shattered at the moment he saw the violation photos, hesitating for a moment before saying tearfully, "I... I’ll cooperate, I’ll confess."

"Good." Zhao Hongxing put down the evidence, stared intently at him saying, "Given that you’ve committed so many crimes, so many that you might not even remember every time or the details, let’s start with the most recent one."

"Alright."

"Alright what, confess, do I have to remind you!"

"The most recent one... the most recent one seems to be November 2nd."

"Good memory, good attitude, keep talking, speak more specifically." Zhao Hongxing pulled out the November 2nd traffic violation and accommodation records, then took the ferry crossing receipt and gas station receipt from Liu Guixiang that were found in Liu Jie’s car.

Liu Jie realized the police truly had evidence, and what they were showing was just part of it, that DNA test thing was "bottom of the box". If he didn’t honestly confess, they would reveal the DNA.

Just like Zhao Hongxing said earlier, he went to the river several times in the latter half of the year, he doesn’t clearly remember. He quickly wracked his brain, nervously saying, "On the night of November 2nd, I climbed onto a ship and stole some money."

"What time in the night?"

"Went into the water at 2:30, climbed onto the ship around 3:00."

"So not the night of the 2nd, but early morning on the 3rd."

"Yes."

Zhao Hongxing nodded, asked further, "Where did you enter the water?"

Liu Jie replied softly, "From the riverside."

"The riverside is long, tell me the specific location."

"I... I’m not familiar with Binjiang, I don’t know the place names."

"Think carefully, are there any landmarks by the riverside, close to where?"

...

Liu Jie, since deciding to confess, cooperated very well, answered every question, trying his best to recall the crime process.

Zhao Hongxing asked very meticulously, leaving no detail untouched.

Han Yu benefited greatly, silently feeling that interrogation is also an art, thinking he learned another trick today.

The Water Police Station and Changhang Branch here interrogated for two and a half hours, Liu Jie frankly admitted to nineteen thefts from ships anchored overnight in Binjiang Waters.

In fact, the Water Police Station and Changhang Branch only had evidence of seventeen of them, the other two Liu Jie confessed to might not have been reported by the ship owners.

Because Liu Jie only knew about the thefts, didn’t notice, and even if he did, might not remember the ship names. It’s hard for police agencies to investigate and gather evidence, they could only mark the two with a question mark.

After Zhao Hongxing finished questioning, Director Huang continued to ask.

Liu Jie still cooperated very well.

Possibly he was more familiar with the situation back home, he confessed more clearly.

After Director Huang finished questioning the crime process, Zhao Hongxing continued the interrogation, "Liu Jie, from what you confessed and the information we previously gathered, it appears you committed thefts frequently from July 17, 1999, to November 3, 1999, stealing over 395,000 RMB, and 32,000 USD, totaling nearly 700,000 RMB equivalent. Where did all this money go?"

Yes, with so much money, what wouldn’t it be good for!

If... If those funds were saved, flee afar, find a way to change names, one could eat and dress well for a lifetime...

Liu Jie regretted deeply, after a long silence, he said with a bitter face, "Paid off over 300,000 debts, lost tens of thousands gambling, and the rest... the rest was spent."

"Not a single cent left?"

"Left over 4,000."

"Just this little bit in the wallet?"

"Hmm."

Stealing money to pay debts, indeed quite particular.

Han Yu felt it was ridiculous, Zhao Hongxing continued questioning, "What about those over 300,000 of outside debts, how did they accumulate, how exactly were they repaid, who did you repay?"

"Some were borrowed from relatives and friends back home when doing business, some were borrowed during card games, others were borrowed usually from friends."

"How much did you borrow outside?"

"Over a million."

"..."

Zhao Hongxing, who had been in the police for decades, encountered all sorts of suspects, but never someone like Liu Jie, left stunned and speechless, momentarily forgot to continue questioning.