CHAPTER 797: CHAPTER 799: MONITORING EQUIPMENT AGING

5:30 PM, the special investigative team’s office area.

Winslow, carrying a cardboard box, pushed open the door to the office area and shouted:

"Everyone, dinner is here. Time to eat!"

"Wow, finally."

"Thank you, much appreciated."

Reesi and Michelle quickly stood up, took the cardboard box from each other’s hands, and started distributing the food.

Looking around and noticing that Luo An, Mona, and Chenier were all missing, Winslow’s brows furrowed slightly and he asked:

"Is Luo An still in interrogation?"

As Michelle distributed the food to each agent’s desk, Reesi placed Luo An’s portion on a vacant spot, spread her hands helplessly, and said:

"No, Luo An went to the Trace Examination Department. Right now, Mona and Chenier are interrogating that ’rock’."

Winslow’s face showed a helpless expression as he picked up a hamburger, unwrapped it, took a bite, and while eating, he said:

"This seems to be the first time our special investigative unit has spent such a long time interrogating someone."

"And we still haven’t gotten anything out of him."

With a sigh of resignation, Michelle started making coffee and said:

"At first, I thought Thonaka was mute and couldn’t speak.

But after checking the surveillance footage from a few supermarkets near his house, Thonaka did communicate with others after shopping, so..."

"So, obviously, he just isn’t cooperating with us, doesn’t want to answer our questions."

Reesi’s brows tightened as she picked up a chicken wrap and bit fiercely into it, chewing loudly as if she was biting into the flesh of the guy in the interrogation room, and snorted softly:

"I previously suggested to Luo An a method — our interrogation room’s surveillance cameras are having faulty wiring today and need a few hours to fix.

But Luo An refused my suggestion."

Among others in the investigative team, Reesi, coming from the intelligence department, is skilled in "using rules" and doesn’t strictly adhere to regulations.

In her view, as long as the goal is achieved, occasional equipment failures don’t matter since mechanical issues are inevitable.

Understanding the underlying meaning in Reesi’s words, Michelle looked puzzled, Winslow was speechless, and before the two could respond, Luo An’s voice suddenly came from behind them:

"Equipment malfunctions are of no use, Reesi."

Winslow, Michelle, and Reesi quickly turned around. Luo An, holding a file bag, walked to an empty desk nonchalantly, set down the bag, picked up some food, and while eating, said:

"The real problem is Thonaka himself."

At that moment, Chenier and Mona also left the interrogation room and headed towards the office area. Reesi hurriedly asked:

"How did it go? Did that guy talk?"

Chenier didn’t speak, just picked up some food and began eating, while Mona pointed to an interrogation record book with nothing written in it and said helplessly:

"What do you think?"

Reesi sighed deeply, and both Winslow and Michelle also looked very helpless. Mona licked her slightly dry lips, took a sip of water, turned to look at Luo An, and asked:

"Luo An, what do we do next?"

"Continue the interrogation."

Luo An swallowed his food, his expression not as panicked as the others.

Thonaka Hyde is indeed the most uncooperative person Luo An has encountered in his long tenure at the FBI.

No matter whether the interrogation officers asked, negotiated, threatened, or described the local customs in prison, Thonaka, sitting in the chair, always hung his head, mute, not even humming.

Luo An also felt frustrated with Thonaka; "emotional perception" indeed can judge the truthfulness of someone’s words, but the prerequisite is that the other party must speak, and Thonaka was staying completely silent.

"Continue the interrogation?"

Hearing Luo An’s words, Winslow, Michelle, Chenier all looked baffled, Mona frowned a bit, Reesi paused for a moment, a flash of realization crossing her eyes, and said softly:

"The surveillance equipment is aging, right?"

"No need for aging just yet."

Luo An gave Reesi a sideways glance, impatient with her relentless questioning, and before anyone could ask more, he opened the file bag and distributed the contents:

"This is what the trace examination department found in that apartment.

It includes a computer, a mobile phone, a half-burnt inverted cross, and some other miscellaneous items.

Both the phone and computer were scorched by fire, but the key parts are still intact, and the trace examination department has already repaired them.

Mona, Michelle, afterwards please try to find some useful clues from them."

"No problem."

Michelle and Mona nodded together, Winslow picked up the half piece of the inverted cross and examined it, saying:

"It seems Thonaka, the missing Ashiya, and the deceased Leisha, indeed come from the same organization."

Chenier looked around and asked:

"Didn’t find a wooden necklace, was it burnt by the fire?"

Luo An swallowed his food, picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, and said:

"Most likely, so Thonaka’s identification number is temporarily unknown."

After a brief silence, the food was quickly finished. Luo An patted Reesi on the shoulder and said:

"I and Michelle will interrogate in the morning, Chenier and Mona in the afternoon, and you and I in the evening, let the others rest."

"OK."

Reesi continuously nodded, eager to know how Luo An planned to make Thonaka speak, she quickly picked up a blank interrogation notebook and followed Luo An into the interrogation room.

As they entered the interrogation room, Luo An asked Reesi to sit in the chair opposite the interrogation table, while he himself moved a chair to the side of the table and sat down next to Thonaka, saying with a smile:

"Good afternoon, no, good evening, Mr. Thonaka."

Thonaka didn’t speak, nor did he even lift his head, just quietly staring at the leg of the table.

Luo An wasn’t in a hurry, and after waiting for Reesi to get ready, he chuckled and asked:

"Thonaka, have you ever lived a normal life?"

"?"

Hearing this question, Reesi was momentarily stunned, but before she could guess what Luo An meant, he continued:

"Thonaka, which hand did you use first? Which hand are you most accustomed to using?"

"Thonaka, have you ever owed anyone money? How much?"

"Thonaka, have you been beaten before? Have you ever thought about taking revenge?"

"Thonaka..."

Luo An went on asking Thonaka for several minutes, asking questions unrelated to this case, mostly trivial queries about Thonaka’s physiology, psychology, and life.

While Reesi took careful notes, she vaguely guessed Luo An’s idea but was not too sure.

Luo An didn’t care about Reesi’s guess, he kept asking Thonaka a plethora of questions casually, then suddenly frowned and asked:

"Thonaka, did you personally kill Leisha, right?"

Thonaka still didn’t speak, and Reesi’s brow furrowed, feeling like Luo An’s plan had failed.

On the contrary, Luo An’s lips curved upwards:

"You’re not denying it, good, then the second question, Ashiya was also kidnapped by you that night, correct?""

The interrogation room was very quiet, Thonaka still didn’t speak, Reesi’s frown deepened, but Luo An’s smile grew wider and nodded a few seconds later:

"You admit it was you that night, very good, next question, you have already killed Ashiya to silence her, right?"

The room was quiet for a few seconds, Luo An suddenly seemed surprised:

"No? So did you hand her over to someone else?"

Thonka: "..."

Reesi: "?"