Taking advantage of the fact that the sky wasn't dark yet, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed a small half of the sky a beautiful orange-red. Guan Xia and the others indeed seized the time to have a gathering meal.
After sitting down on the chairs in the private room, Pang Le scanned the QR code. With Guan Xia and Zhong Xiaoyu flanking her, studying the menu, they suddenly heard Ji An exclaim as if remembering something, "It's the 28th today. The Mid-Autumn Festival has already passed. I knew I felt like I'd forgotten something."
"What? The Mid-Autumn Festival is over?" Zhong Xiaoyu, true to being the most energetic one in their group, was busy ordering but her sharp ears didn't miss a single word Ji An said, and she cried out in surprise.
Guan Xia was also taken aback for a moment. "Yeah, the 28th. The Mid-Autumn Festival has passed. We said before we'd just buy some mooncakes and have a meal together to celebrate, but we got so busy we completely forgot about it."
Xu Nian poured water for everyone and said with a smile, "It's only been one day. Celebrating together today is just as good. What's more, we caught Wu Yang. Our gathering is both a celebration and a festival observance, isn't that even more joyful?"
"That's right," Qi Bai was always the first to agree with Xu Nian, shouting with a silly grin, "We caught Wu Yang! The big boss of such a large-scale criminal organization. We shouldn't just celebrate, we should celebrate properly. It's just a pity we still have to interrogate Lin Jinnan later, otherwise we could have some drinks and toast."
Qi Bai's expression turned somewhat regretful as he spoke. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, "How about we celebrate again tomorrow? Then we can really drink to our heart's content."
Apart from Zhong Xiaoyu looking a bit tempted, the others just smiled without agreeing.
Wang Yu even glared at him with annoyance. "Still talking about drinking? Look at the injury on your arm. Even though it only needed six stitches, you still need to avoid certain things. And have you forgotten Guan Xia and Pang Le are also injured? If you don't care about your own life, go ruin it by yourself, but don't drag Guan Xia and Pang Le into it."
Perhaps because they had been too exhausted lately, even though Wang Yu was also happy, she couldn't help but glare at him upon hearing Qi Bai's terrible idea.
Only then did Qi Bai remember, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh right, Guan Xia and Pang Le were quite seriously injured. Never mind then, let's wait until everyone's wounds are completely healed."
Jiang Yingyao, helping Xu Nian place the filled cups by everyone's side, chimed in with a smile, "We can't drink alcohol, but we can still have beverages. Let's have a toast with those, as our celebration."
Pang Le said happily, "Great, beverages are fine too. Celebrating is just about enjoying the hard-won results and having a good time together. It doesn't matter what we drink."
So Pang Le quite boldly ordered several different kinds of drinks. If Guan Xia hadn't stopped her, she might have even whimsically wanted to try every single flavor and make everyone sick from being too full.
While waiting for the server to bring the food, Xu Nian looked at Guan Xia and asked, "After Lin Jinnan's interrogation is finished too, what are your plans?"
Guan Xia showed an expectant expression. "Of course, going home. If I weren't worried about it being too late and the flights from Linchang City to Yongquan City being too few, I'd practically want to fly back tonight. First, visit Meng Lan, then go home and catch up on sleep."
Mentioning Meng Lan caused the atmosphere in the private room to quieten for a moment. Pang Le gently patted Guan Xia's hand in comfort, then changed the subject. "I also plan to fly back with Guan Xia as soon as the interrogation is over. We've been so busy lately, working day and night, I almost thought I'd gotten myself a regular 9-to-5 job. I need to properly enjoy myself for a while after going back this time, hit the gym, go to the beauty salon. All this staying up late, I feel like my skin has gotten rough."
As she spoke, Pang Le actually looked a bit worried and picked up her phone, using the camera as a mirror to carefully examine her face.
Zhong Xiaoyu turned Pang Le's face towards her and pretended to scrutinize it for a good while before saying with a grin, "It's your imagination. I think you look beautiful, very beautiful. But I should also hit the gym. Haven't exercised for a while, feel like my muscles have gotten slack."
After saying this, Zhong Xiaoyu even took Pang Le's hand and placed it on her own abs, asking, "Feel it, isn't it not as firm anymore? Once muscles get slack, explosive power decreases. That won't do. I still have to keep running around with Brother Lu later. Can't let my combat effectiveness drop."
Pang Le seriously felt Zhong Xiaoyu's, then felt her own, and nodded gravely. "It is a bit slack. No, I can't stand that either. I'm going home in a while. If I can't beat my brother, my mom won't let me continue living freely. The reason my mom agreed to me coming out to open a gym was because I promised her I'd definitely maintain my fighting skills."
Zhong Xiaoyu found this rather amusing. "You're actually a mama's girl? Can't tell. Seeing how freely you usually live, I thought your family didn't control you much."
Pang Le said, "They don't control me much, but that's based on the condition that I can still fight well. After all, my temper isn't great. According to my mom, I'm the type to cause trouble if not watched closely. But what she worries about more is me causing trouble and then getting beaten to death because I can't fight back. So my mom sends my brother over from time to time to check on me and test my skills. If I can beat him, it means I haven't slacked off and can at least stay alive. But if I can't beat him, my days will be difficult. If I don't go back voluntarily, my mom will come over and drag me back. When she comes, she brings my dad. My mom is okay, she'll just hit me if I disobey. But my dad is different. He'll look at me with a worried face, tears in his eyes. I'm most afraid of that move. Within a few days, I can only obediently go back."
Guan Xia found this hilarious. Pang Le truly had a rebellious streak, yielding to softness but not force. At the same time, Guan Xia was also a bit curious about Pang Le's dad. She wondered what kind of stalwart fellow he was, who, being the weakest in a family of four, could manage the other three who were all very capable fighters with his tears.
With Pang Le's clowning around, everyone ate a delicious meal while chatting and laughing.
Especially Zhong Xiaoyu and Pang Le, who, under the banner of starting their exercise regimen tomorrow, ate almost to the point of tears. If Guan Xia didn't know the real reason, she would have thought from their expressions that they were being exiled to a culinary wasteland.
When they went out for the meal, the sun was setting, but by the time the group returned to the Linchang City Bureau, night had already fallen.
Because Xu Nian had informed them in advance, Captain Zhang had been waiting for them. As soon as Guan Xia walked up to the second floor, Captain Zhang came out of his office and said, "You're back. How was it? Did you eat enough? If not, you can grab something more from the cafeteria. Lin Jinnan's crimes are too numerous to mention; this interrogation session will take at least two hours, minimum."
Not just full, they were almost stuffed. Upon hearing this, Guan Xia quickly said, "We're full, we're full. Shall we start now then? Have you eaten, Captain Zhang?"
Captain Zhang said spiritedly, "I'm full too, been waiting for you. Shall we go now then? That Lin Jinnan has been clamoring all afternoon to see you. The interrogation experts are fed up with her."
Guan Xia immediately followed Captain Zhang's footsteps, striding swiftly to the interrogation room where Lin Jinnan was being held.
Only when Guan Xia arrived nearby did she realize it wasn't far from the interrogation room where Wu Yang was. Perhaps because most of the special task force members were concentrated observing Wu Yang's interrogation, the scene was much as Guan Xia had anticipated. Aside from Director Gao, with whom she had dealt several times, only a few unfamiliar individuals stood with him.
Director Gao, as usual, patted Guan Xia's shoulder and offered a few words of encouragement before letting her enter the interrogation room.
This time, Captain Zhang accompanied her again. However, unlike Wu Yang's calmness, the moment Guan Xia pushed open the door, she felt the weight of Lin Jinnan's hateful gaze.
If looks could kill, the sheer hatred radiating from Lin Jinnan would have already pierced Guan Xia full of holes.
But strangely, Guan Xia wasn't nervous or surprised. She was even more composed and calm than during the morning interrogation of Wu Yang. She unhurriedly sat down on the chair, even smoothing her clothes, before looking at Lin Jinnan, whose face was contorted and eyes filled with venom. "I heard from colleagues that you've been clamoring to see me. I'm here now. Say whatever you want to say, but you'd better make it quick. I just finished interrogating Wu Yang and don't have much patience left. I might get tired of listening and leave at any moment."
Hearing Wu Yang's name, Lin Jinnan's hatred intensified, but after just a few seconds, she surprisingly calmed down, contrary to Guan Xia's expectations. She looked at Guan Xia and sneered, "I originally thought you were a useless waste. I never expected I misjudged you. Had I known earlier, I should have had someone kill you as soon as I learned about you."
Guan Xia listened to her rant expressionlessly, without a ripple of emotion. Only after she finished did Guan Xia respond with a hint of impatience, "What 'had I known,' what 'should have'—spare me the nonsense now that you're sitting in an interrogation room. I'd rather go back and continue interrogating Wu Yang than waste time here with you. At least he's much more cooperative than you are. He answers whatever I ask."
"Impossible," Lin Jinnan's expression turned ferocious again. She stated categorically, "Boss Wu and I are the same kind of people. He's not that spineless. You must be lying to me, you..."
Lin Jinnan tried to curse her again. Just as Guan Xia frowned, Captain Zhang slammed the table forcefully and reprimanded her sternly.
Captain Zhang's voice was so loud that Guan Xia completely missed the curse words Lin Jinnan uttered. But even if she had heard them, it wouldn't have affected her. After all, Guan Xia had a bright future ahead, while Lin Jinnan was destined to face legal sanctions, unable to escape the death penalty.
Thinking of this, Guan Xia's emotions grew even steadier. She even smiled slightly and said, "You don't believe me? Then how about I tell you what Wu Yang said? He told me that developing children from the orphanage into organization members was entirely your brainchild and execution. He also said the reason his criminal organization could grow to such a scale was all thanks to your planning and implementation. And he told me that while you are somewhat like him, you're not entirely alike. Because in his eyes, no one besides himself is truly human—including you. The reason he killed, the reason he avenged those poor souls, wasn't out of sympathy for them, but because he found the victims' clamor annoying. Those noises irritated him; he didn't want to be disturbed. Do these words sound familiar? As his right-hand woman, you must have heard them, right? Now do you believe Wu Yang has truly confessed?"
Guan Xia had thought her words would provoke Lin Jinnan, given that her actions showed she genuinely identified with and practiced Wu Yang's philosophy. Unexpectedly, Lin Jinnan also broke into a smile upon hearing this, looking at Guan Xia provocatively. "So what if he was that easily broken to get a confession from? I've followed him for so many years; I understand his character better than you do. They say judge a person by their actions, not their heart. I don't care what he thought, nor do I care whether he was just annoyed or actually sympathized with those poor people. I only know he truly saved many, many people. So say whatever you want; I will only believe the facts I have witnessed with my own eyes."
Failing to achieve her goal, Guan Xia wasn't discouraged. She simply said, "Fine. Believe what you want. I don't want to argue with you either. Since you keep avoiding the main point, I'll take the lead. Tell me, regarding the orphanage matter, was it your doing or Wu Yang's? How did you do it, and why?"
Facing Guan Xia's questions, Lin Jinnan sneered again. "Just because I'm caught doesn't mean I'll obediently confess. Since you're so capable, go investigate yourself. I'll wait and see how many orphanage children developed into our organization members you can uncover. Oh, right, considering we both came from the orphanage, I'll give you a free piece of information. You definitely don't know this—you were actually deceived by Meng Lan. She was also one of our organization members. She just wasn't obedient and betrayed us, which is why I sent Yao Qingyan to kill her. How about that? Didn't expect that, did you? Hahahahaha."
Lin Jinnan seemed to anticipate Guan Xia's ugly, livid expression. As soon as she finished speaking, without even carefully observing Guan Xia's reaction, she indulged in a hearty, triumphant laugh.
In reality, not only Guan Xia didn't believe it, even Captain Zhang was skeptical. The two of them watched her with faint, mocking smiles, as if watching a clown, until she herself felt the laughter was pointless and stopped.
"I'm not a fool, so save your attempts to sow discord," Guan Xia said impatiently. "Anyway, we already have Wu Yang's confession, and your lair in Longbei Mountain has been completely raided. Whether you talk or not isn't that crucial anymore. If you continue wasting my time like this, then stay alone in the interrogation room. There are plenty of interrogation experts besides me. Lots of people and time to wear you down slowly."
With that, Guan Xia stood up decisively, as if having lost all patience.
Only then did Lin Jinnan get serious. She called out to her, "Wait. I have questions for you. You're not allowed to leave."
Guan Xia looked up at her impassively. "You don't cooperate with me, so naturally I won't cooperate with you. With Wu Yang's confession, I'm no longer curious about what you have to say. So save your words for someone else."
Seeing that Guan Xia seemed genuinely intent on leaving, Lin Jinnan compromised. "Alright, what do you want to ask? Go ahead. But for every question I answer, you have to answer one of mine."
Guan Xia studied her expression carefully. Seeing she also didn't seem to be lying, she sat back down. "The orphanage matter is the first question I want to ask. You answer it."
Lin Jinnan shifted his posture to get slightly more comfortable before speaking slowly, "It was indeed my decision and implementation to develop the children from the orphanage into organization members. I know you believe I led them down a path of crime, but in fact, every person who joined was very willing. After all, being able to change someone's life, or even change this world—as individuals oppressed by this unjust world, who wouldn't be willing?"
Guan Xia and Captain Zhang both frowned in unison, clearly uncomfortable, but neither interrupted, letting Lin Jinnan continue.
Lin Jinnan paused briefly before going on, "I know Meng Lan met with you many times over half a year. I believe Meng Lan has told you everything she could. In that case, you must know that Wang Huiqin once gave Meng Lan a website address."
Guan Xia immediately recalled the website address that Meng Lan had never opened but was already invalid, and couldn't help but feel a stir inside. "Were all your murder targets communicated and decided online?"
Lin Jinnan looked at Guan Xia again with a provocative smile. "You're right. Let me guess, Meng Lan must have told you she never opened that website, right? Judging by your expression, you certainly believed her. But if she really never opened it, that would mean she's not one of us. So why would we help her so much? Isn't that right, Officer Guan?"
Guan Xia remained expressionless. It had to be said that Lin Jinnan's words were still quite persuasive, as expected from someone who resembled Wu Yang in certain aspects.
If Guan Xia didn't have her system, she might have really doubted. But who told her that her system had just reached max level not long ago? As someone who could see through a soul at a glance, Meng Lan's soul light, completely untainted by blood-red hues, was the most powerful proof that she was merely a victim.
Facing Lin Jinnan's attempt to sow discord once more, Guan Xia just responded impatiently, "You think you're clever, so you treat everyone else as fools. Do you know there's another category of cleverness? It's called being too clever by half."
Guan Xia, having reached her limit, also revealed a challenging smile.
