Chapter 20 presents new mysteries.

"Hmm?"

"This!"

Outside the corridor, the three of them, including Long Hao, exchanged glances, unable to understand Chen Mo's actions.

At such a critical moment, when Wang Shuangxiong was finally about to confess, why was he unwilling to listen?

"Brother Mo, what are you doing?"

Xiao Liu scratched his head and couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm, how should I explain this..."

"You can think of it as playing a fish while fishing; you wear it out until its strength is exhausted, and then the success rate of reeling it in is at its highest."

By the same logic, Wang Shuangxiong is currently in the stage of being 'played' like a fish.

It won't be too late to ask later, and the level of truthfulness will be higher.

"Heavens, so that's it!"

Xiao Liu quickly realized, his face showing surprise and admiration.

Beside him, Xiao Zhang also had his mouth wide open.

If it were the two of them, upon hearing that Wang Shuangxiong was willing to confess, they would have been desperate to record it immediately, fearing he might change his mind.

But when it comes to Brother Mo, you want to confess?

I'm not even interested in listening.

This isn't just about playing a fish; it's about confidence in his own technique.

He doesn't believe for a second that the fish will unhook itself.

Too arrogant.

That's only secondary.

What made them want to shout "Awesome" is that even though they had talked until their lips were dry, Wang Shuangxiong remained unmoved.

Brother Mo went in for less than five minutes, and the guy inside's attitude did a 180-degree turn.

It's like he's a completely different person.

It's just absurd.

This skill, the two of them admit they don't have.

Admirable, truly admirable.

No wonder Captain Long values Brother Mo so much.

"Ahem, what about Li Dong?"

Long Hao cleared his throat to interrupt the topic, while looking toward the other interrogation room to ask.

"Just use the same technique."

Saying this, Chen Mo walked into the interrogation room of the truck driver, Li Dong.

It took the same five minutes, the same process, and the same transition from refusing to speak to begging him to listen.

"That's awesome!"

Xiao Liu and Xiao Zhang were both stunned.

Brother Mo really has a way with things.

A smile also spread across Long Hao's face.

As expected, what he said before was right.

Whenever Chen Mo takes action, there is bound to be progress.

He truly is a great asset to the police station!

...

Twenty minutes later.

Chen Mo obtained the whereabouts of Li Dong and Wang Shuangxiong on that day.

He sent someone to verify, confirming that Li Dong and his companion hadn't lied.

"That's it!?"

A voice of extreme speechlessness rang out.

Xiao Zhang and his companion both had expressions like they had eaten something foul.

They only did that little thing on the day of the crime, yet they would rather go to jail and keep their mouths shut than confess?

Was it really worth it?

According to their confessions, on the day of the crime, Li Dong had secretly gone to solicit a prostitute, while Wang Shuangxiong had gone to a casino.

The reason they refused to speak was because both of their wives were a bit special.

Li Dong's wife was on her second marriage; the reason for her previous divorce was that her ex-husband had solicited prostitutes.

This caused Li Dong to be too afraid to speak, and since the child was only three years old, if he confessed, they would have to divorce, and the child would instantly become part of a single-parent family.

Furthermore, he wasn't the one who killed the person, and he believed that even though he had many inexplicable suspicions against him, the police would eventually clear his name.

The situation with Wang Shuangxiong was shockingly similar.

Although his wife wasn't on a second marriage, her father was a gambler.

Having lost all the family's money, she hated gamblers intensely.

In the 20-plus years they had been married, Wang Shuangxiong only dared to play secretly once in a while.

This was the reason both of them would rather go to jail than talk, all to avoid divorce.

Family is more important than freedom.

"We previously believed that the reason these two wouldn't talk was intentionally caused by the killer, but looking at it now, there doesn't seem to be any connection, right?"

How so?

Is the killer capable enough to manipulate both of their marriages?

You have to realize Wang Shuangxiong has been married for over 20 years; it's impossible for the killer to have started plotting 20 years ago.

Is that even human?

"Wang Shuangxiong's marriage, maybe not, but Li Dong's is entirely possible. According to his confession, Li Dong and his wife were introduced by a matchmaker, and Li Dong himself has forgotten who that matchmaker was."

Thinking from this angle, the killer is very likely that matchmaker, who brought Li Dong, who likes to solicit prostitutes, together with a wife who hates it.

The purpose was to wait for today, three years later!

Interesting.

This was already the second time he had said this.

"Heavens, if that's really the case, then the killer is no different from someone who manipulates human destiny."

"Starting the layout three years ago—catching him won't be a simple matter for us."

Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu felt a chill run down their backs.

Playing with other people's fates—it sounds suffocating.

"Yes, so the killer must be caught. Once a perfect crime is committed, there will definitely be a next time."

Chen Mo said coldly, then turned his gaze toward the two people sitting in the interrogation chairs.

"Their suspicion can be temporarily lifted."

Continuing to waste time on them would just be playing into the killer's hands.

He needed to get the train of solving the case back on track as soon as possible, away from this side path.

"The killer did so much, preparing three years in advance, exhausting all their efforts—could the ultimate goal really just be to obtain the head of the deceased, Xu Qiang?"

"What does the head mean to the killer? And what purpose does it serve?"

Chen Mo muttered to himself.

This involves the killer's motive, and until the person is caught, it's really hard to judge.

Just like StringBuilder from the previous case, killing due to mental illness—what motive could he have?

"Is it possible that there was a grudge between the killer and Xu Qiang?"

"On one hand, it was to frame Wang Shuangxiong; on the other, it was to vent their own anger. Every single stab was aimed directly at vital points."

Long Hao hesitantly offered his own guess; it wasn't impossible.

Although there were no obvious enemies in the deceased Xu Qiang's file.

But combined with the fact that the killer prepared three years in advance, it's entirely possible there was a conflict with the killer three years ago, after which the layout began.

It's normal that they wouldn't be able to find it.

"That won't work. If it happened three years ago, given the killer's behavioral logic, such a loophole would definitely have been plugged, not to mention it's just a guess."

Chen Mo did not agree with this guess; the gambling element was too high, and once they started investigating, it would be a huge waste of time.

"Actually, I've always had a doubt. Xu Qiang was just a small-time hoodlum. Who gave him that money to lend out?"

"Xiao Zhang, Xiao Liu, the two of you go and specifically investigate Xu Qiang's loan records."

"It would be best to get a rough range of the loan amounts over these three years."

The two of them hurriedly left upon hearing this.

"Do you think the money Xu Qiang lent out was all provided by the killer?"

Long Hao was slightly surprised, but after the surprise came a sudden realization.

If the killer could put so much effort into Li Dong and his companion, then putting the same effort into the real target is perfectly reasonable!

It seems Xu Qiang's fate was also controlled by the killer.

"Correct!"

"If Xu Qiang hadn't driven Li Dong's sister and Wang Shuangxiong's daughter to their deaths, none of these subsequent events would exist."

"And the most direct way to control a loan shark is through finances!"