Let them offer their loyalty!

Qiu Tu's gaze shifted to Jia Wei.

Perhaps during the interrogation that afternoon, Zheng Tao did indeed employ a great deal of methods on Jia Wei.

So even with the exceptional recovery abilities of a Second-Order Cataclysmic Awakened, his face still sported blues and bulges, looking utterly miserable.

Added to that were the fresh blood filling his mouth and covering his face, which made his recounting of his tragic experiences seem even more impactful.

Jia Wei, "On our first day in Cuishan City, it was Liu Xiongyuan who received us."

"At that time, Liu Xiongyuan was just a Deputy Staff Leader in the Administrative Office."

"He had managed to cross the threshold of an agent with difficulty, but within the entire Investigation Bureau hierarchy, he still belonged to the very bottom."

"Moreover, since the Administrative Office was considered a weaker department, a clean government office, he wasn't taken seriously by anyone."

Jia Wei's eyes revealed nostalgia, "Back then, his eyes seemed to still hold light, filled with longing for the life ahead."

"Even though he had worked so hard for so long, it might have only been our starting point. But his eyes were still brimming with hope for the future."

"It was also at that reception that he brought his son."

Jia Wei's mouth bled as he spoke, "Actually, that night, I felt there was something peculiar in the way my brother looked at Liu Xiongyuan's son."

"But I thought I was overthinking it. So, I didn't take it to heart."

"Later on, we began our hands-on activities. Our group of students was divided among the various departments of the Investigation Bureau for internships."

"Some went to the Special Service Department, some to the Political Department, and some to the Public Security Bureau. Only I... was assigned to the Administrative Office!"

At this, Jia Wei's eyes nearly burst with frustration, "I was bewildered at the time and went to confront my brother, asking why he assigned me to such a job scope!"

"But then... he told me that the Administrative Office was the department that tempered a person's comprehensive abilities the most."

"It might seem unimpressive, but it actually tested one's capabilities a great deal."

"Furthermore, you could learn from the Bureau Chief. So as long as you could hold on in the Administrative Office, whether for future development, like becoming Deputy Director or Bureau Chief, it would all be beneficial."

"At the time, I truly believed he had my best interests at heart, so I agreed."

Jia Wei laughed at himself with self-mockery, "But now that I think about it, he must have already calculated my involvement from the beginning."

Jia Wei said, "Because I was assigned to the Administrative Office, and the very Liu Xiongyuan who had received us happened to be there, I naturally started to interact more with Liu Xiongyuan to quickly become familiar with the office's affairs."

"Thus, I gradually got to know Liu Xiongyuan's son."

"Liu Xiongyuan's son was a very sunny, confident person. Like a sunflower, just like his father, his heart was always filled with kindness towards the world."

"He believed that the Era of Disaster would soon pass, believed in the high-sounding but hollow ideals promoted by the Sanctuary, and believed that mankind would keep getting better."

"To be honest, even in the Sanctuary, I have seen very few who are as optimistic as he was."

"So gradually, we became friends with whom I could talk about anything."

"We ate together, drank together, worked on cases together. He took the lead, while I supported him from behind with the logistics..."

"Everything should have been very beautiful. Even if I went back to the Sanctuary, this friendship would have stayed in my heart for a long time."

"Even... I was planning to apply to be assigned to Cuishan City as a department head, to become his superior, after I graduated."

At this, Jia Wei pulled up a smile at the corners of his mouth, letting out a soft chuckle. Clearly, for him, this was a very pleasant memory.

Qiu Tu was carefully analyzing Jia Wei's microexpressions while continuing to listen.

Jia Wei continued, "But everything changed on the eve of our return to the Sanctuary."

"That night, to celebrate the end of my internship and to send me off, he and a few agents from our department took me out for dinner."

"During dinner, we drank a lot of alcohol, but we didn't drink to our heart's content."

"So, at 12 o'clock, we returned to my place to continue drinking."

"Since my home was a vacant house provided by the bureau and I lived there alone without any outsiders, everyone readily agreed."

"And so we kept drinking until 3 or 4 in the morning, before we drunkenly fell asleep."

"I had thought it was the most ordinary day. But who would have known, it turned out to be the day that changed my entire life!"

Jia Wei's gaze was filled with pain and regret, "When I woke up the next day, I found the whole house was covered in bloodstains."

"In my hand was a police-issue dagger, and he and the other three colleagues were all lying in a pool of blood, lifeless."

"I was terrified at the time. I had no idea what had happened, so I panicked and threw the dagger away and ran."

"But I never imagined that this would become one of the key pieces of evidence that the trial panel later used to deem me guilty."

At this point, Jia Wei's gaze had turned completely sinister and fierce, "After that, I hid for two days, and I thought it over for two days. No matter how I thought about it, something seemed off. I felt as if I had fallen into some sort of trap."

"Just then, my own brother, Jia Shu, found me."

"He told me that the case I was involved in had caused a huge uproar. Everyone was looking for me, and once they found me, I was certain to face death."

"So, he gave me two suggestions: either flee Cuishan City and wander the earth forever, or turn myself in and hope for leniency."

"At the time, I actually didn't want to choose either; I wanted to figure out what was really going on with the case, to understand if I was truly the murderer."

"But..." said Jia Wei, glancing at Qiu Tu and Liu Fuping with a wry smile, "you both know about my brother's brainwashing abilities."

"Thus, persuaded by him, I eventually chose the second path: to turn myself in."

"I turned myself in to Yan Chen on the third day after the son of Liu Xiongyuan died."

"And the testimony I gave when I turned myself in, such as killing people in a drunken blur, and running away in fear after realizing what I had done... all became crucial evidence in my future trial."

What Jia Wei shared next was mostly in line with the details of the case that Qiu Tu was aware of.

Because Jia Wei had turned himself in, and the fingerprints, traces, and the spray pattern of the bloodstains, plus the fingerprints on the murder weapon... all matched only the four people in the room...

Therefore, the trial panel in the first trial concluded that Jia Wei was indeed the killer, so he was sentenced to death.

But in the second review, Yan Chen changed his mind, and ultimately Jia Wei was sentenced to exile.

Such a result was obviously unacceptable to Jia Wei. Thus, he had been quietly looking to investigate the old case.

However, whether it was because his efforts were too apparent, after several attempts to investigate, Jia Shu found him.

After finding him, Jia Shu told him to stop pursuing the case and warned him that if he continued investigating, not only would he cut off his financial support, but he would also send him to fend for himself in the Disaster Zone...

It was only at that moment that Jia Wei suddenly sensed something very wrong about the entire situation.

For instance... although Jia Wei had a very good relationship with the son of Director Liu, Jia Shu's relationship with Director Liu's son wasn't bad either.

For instance... Jia Shu seemed to always look at Director Liu's son with an intense, strange gaze.

For instance... during the entire "confession" and "sentencing" process, Jia Shu appeared to be guiding the direction of the whole affair.

So, it was at that moment that Jia Wei suddenly realized that Jia Shu might just be the real culprit behind the scenes!

After listening to Jia Wei's narrative, the interrogation room fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Qiu Tu and Liu Fuping exchanged glances, and then Qiu Tu said to Jia Wei, "About Jia Shu being the killer, do you have any evidence?"

Jia Wei sneered, "Do you think that after so many years, there could still be any evidence for this case?"

"Besides, with Jia Shu's cautious nature, how could he possibly leave any evidence?"
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He said, "I've met with him a few times over the years, even trying to secretly record him admitting to the murder."

"But he's been very alert and never took the bait."

Hearing Jia Wei's words, Qiu Tu nodded slightly.

Then he glanced at Liu Fuping and whispered, "Let's step outside and talk."

Liu Fuping had seemed to already anticipate this, so she nodded, stood up, and followed Qiu Tu out of the interrogation room.

Once at the door of the interrogation room, Qiu Tu closed the door, sealing their voices away from Jia Wei.

After that, he turned to Liu Fuping and asked, "Sister Liu, what's your take on this?"

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Still 3 chapters of 10,000 words haha. Chapter 3 will be updated around 20:00! Continuing with a daily ten thousand words for the new month, I ask for your Monthly Tickets! During the double-points period, our book's Monthly Tickets are eligible for a lottery draw. Interested readers can check the single chapter update on the 1st in the early morning.