CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER 161 TROUBLE COMES KNOCKING BURST UPDATE (7/10)

"I was busy all day yesterday. I got back to the hotel exhausted and went straight to sleep. This morning, I got up and went right back to it. I just finished and was about to drive home when you called," Tong Dongnuan said, her voice remarkably calm.

She was indeed busy, just not with work.

It was obvious Ling’er’s anger dissipated upon hearing Tong Dongnuan’s words. Her tone softened, and her voice filled with concern.

"If you’re tired, then rest for another day. There’s no need to rush back. Be careful, driving while fatigued is very dangerous."

Hearing Ling’er’s words of concern, Tong Dongnuan felt like a complete heel for deceiving the heart of an innocent young woman.

"It’s fine, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."

"Alright then. Since you’re driving, I won’t bother you. Just be safe."

"Mm, will do."

After hanging up, Tong Dongnuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, however, she began to worry about what she would do that evening.

「...」

Meanwhile, Xia Liang, who was preparing to head home, was stopped by a phone call.

"Hello? Xia Liang?"

"Yes."

Xia Liang responded flatly after connecting his Bluetooth. "What is it?"

"That... um..."

Yun Bing obviously struggled with her words, but in the end, she bit the bullet and spoke. "Do you have time right now? There’s a difficult case here, and we were hoping you could..."

Though Yun Bing didn’t finish, Xia Liang already knew what she was going to say.

"No problem. I’ll be there in ten minutes."

Since he had already promised Yun Long, Xia Liang naturally wouldn’t break his word. Besides, he was technically a public servant now. He hung up and headed toward the Qingyun City Protectors Bureau.

On the other end of the line, hearing Xia Liang’s instant agreement, Yun Bing breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Xia Liang was now technically a colleague, she was still reluctant to bother him. It would only highlight our own incompetence. If we have to trouble Xia Liang for everything, what are we even here for? But this time, she had no other choice.

Yun Bing turned her head toward the interrogation room. Inside sat a man with black-rimmed glasses, somewhat pale skin, and a scholarly appearance. Who would have thought that this man was the primary suspect in the Qingyun City 7.19 major homicide case, and possibly the murderer of multiple women.

Yun Bing pushed open the door to the interrogation room and walked in. This time, however, she wasn’t there to question him. She was just trying to put some pressure on the man with the glasses before Xia Liang arrived.

Looking back on the three times Xia Liang had used hypnotism—on the old woman faking an accident, on the human trafficker known as Scorpion, and even on her own father—he never actually had to announce it beforehand. He could have just used it quietly. In her view, announcing it was a way to apply pressure on the subject, making it easier to break through their psychological defenses and force them to tell the truth. What Yun Bing didn’t know was that Xia Liang actually announced it to plant a psychological suggestion.

Seeing Yun Bing enter, the man with the glasses raised his cuffed hands and used his right one to push up his glasses. A smile played on his lips. "Beautiful officer, what would you like to ask this time?"

Watching the man’s insincere act, Yun Bing suppressed the anger in her heart. She looked at him and kept her tone as calm as possible. "Pan Tianyou, he’ll be here soon. He will find out everything you’ve done. You’ll discover that in his presence, all your efforts are futile."

At her words, Pan Tianyou suddenly showed a glimmer of interest. "Oh? And who is he?"

"You don’t need to know." As she thought of Xia Liang, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "You’ll meet him soon enough. Then you’ll realize that to him, you’re nothing but a pathetic creature to be toyed with."

Hearing this, Pan Tianyou remained outwardly unfazed. "Oh? Is that so?"

But deep within his eyes, disdain and anger were hidden. The disdain was, of course, for this Xia Liang whom Yun Bing held in such high regard. The anger, however, stemmed from being called a "pathetic creature to be toyed with." In Pan Tianyou’s world, he was the king who reigned supreme, free to toy with the lives of others as he pleased.

He took a deep breath, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Let’s play a game."

"Hmm?" Yun Bing looked at him, puzzled.

He stared back at her with an excited expression. "Let’s bet on whether he can get anything out of me. If he can’t, then when I get out of here, I’ll come find you and borrow something of yours. How about it?" After speaking, Pan Tianyou licked his lips.

Faced with his intensely aggressive gaze, Yun Bing was completely unafraid.

"I refuse."

"Hmm?" Pan Tianyou was taken aback, clearly not expecting her response. In his mind, since she was so confident in this person she mentioned, she would surely take the bet.

"Hahaha..." He chuckled lightly. "It seems you’re not so confident in him after all. You’re too scared to even make a bet."

Yun Bing met his mocking expression as if she didn’t see it at all. "No, no, no." A faint smile touched her lips. "It’s precisely because I believe in him that I won’t take your bet. You’re never getting out of here!"

With that, Yun Bing turned and left without giving him another chance to speak.

Outside the room, she let out a long breath. She had applied enough pressure. Now, all she had to do was wait for Xia Liang.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang. Yun Bing’s eyes lit up when she saw it was Xia Liang calling. She answered as she started walking. "Hello, Xia Liang. I’m by the interrogation room... I’ll come get you right away."

「...」

After hanging up, Xia Liang arrived at the Protectors’ main lobby, and Yun Bing walked over to meet him moments later.

"Xia Liang, thank you for your hard work today."

"It’s nothing," Xia Liang waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s get started."

"Okay, this way."

The moment Yun Bing led Xia Liang away from the lobby, the group of Protectors began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Hey, did you see that? That’s the new consultant our division hired."

"I heard the director recruited him personally."

"He’s so young. Is he reliable? He’s not just some rich kid here to pad his resume, is he?"

"Unlikely. You know how upright the director is."

Yun Bing soon led Xia Liang to the door of the interrogation room, where a number of people were gathered. Seeing Xia Liang approach, they all looked at him with skepticism.

A middle-aged man with a square-jawed face asked in a robust voice, "Is this the criminal consultant you were talking about?"

His tone was laden with doubt. It couldn’t be helped. Xia Liang’s youthful appearance was bound to raise suspicions; a man in his early twenties just didn’t inspire confidence.

Yun Bing nodded and made the introduction. "Yes, this is him. Xia Liang, this is Yang Tianyi, the Investigation Chief of the Crime Section."

Although he didn’t seem to think much of Xia Liang, Yang Tianyi still extended a hand in greeting, out of respect for the director’s judgment.