Chapter Twenty-Two: The Truth About Chen Jun

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They’re here!

Ma Wu appeared somewhat puzzled, but inwardly he understood perfectly. He knew that, as the one most closely associated with the street thugs and Chen Jun, he could not escape suspicion as the perpetrator. All his earlier actions—chatting up the special police, feigning stupidity and terror on the second floor—had been for the benefit of the officers, his sole aim to diminish their doubts about him.

But now, it seemed avoidance was impossible. Ma Wu did not intend to retreat. After all, he had employed the substitute puppet; the police could only suspect him, but lacked any shred of concrete evidence. As long as he stood his ground, they could do nothing to him.

Ma Wu was preparing to verbally spar with them when, unexpectedly, Wu Ting, who had been permitted to leave, grabbed his arm. The lead special officer looked at Wu Ting in confusion and said again, “Ms. Wu, you’re free to go now. This is Mr. Ma Wu’s personal matter.”

Contrary to her usual simple demeanor, Wu Ting replied expressionlessly, “It’s fine. Ma Wu is my friend. I want to wait for him here.”

The officer’s mouth twitched. This was clearly against protocol, but given Wu Ting’s status, he could not object. He could only tacitly allow her to remain seated.

The lead special officer finally introduced himself to Ma Wu, saying, “Mr. Ma Wu, hello. I am Guo Yan, deputy director of the Eastern City Police Station.”

Ma Wu knew it was time for serious business, so he nodded formally to Guo Yan. “Director Guo, hello.”

Guo Yan nodded in return, pulled a case summary from the drawer behind him, and placed it on the table before Ma Wu. “Mr. Ma Wu, you were previously investigated due to the deaths of some street thugs at the suburban factory. The officer in charge at the time was Chen Jun.”

Ma Wu shrugged, indicating he had no objection.

Guo Yan continued, “Now that Chen Jun is dead, your case has stalled.

Let me reveal a bit about the murder’s details. Although a criminal was present at the crime scene, and we’re nearly certain this individual killed Chen Jun and several witnesses, we believe he had no motive for the crime. Unexpectedly, during our investigation, we discovered this criminal was also a professional assassin—meaning he could be hired.”

Ma Wu listened quietly, saying nothing. Wu Ting, apparently unaware of Ma Wu’s involvement in the case, tried to piece together the events from Guo Yan’s brief remarks.

Suddenly, Guo Yan’s eyes flashed with sharp hostility, his previously ordinary face now marked by a fierce expression.

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He abruptly shouted at Ma Wu, “So, who would hire this assassin? Surely, one of those connected to the case! And who has not been fully cleared of suspicion? Chen Jun and the witnesses—who posed the greatest threat? I don’t need to spell it out, do I, Ma Wu?”

Ma Wu listened to Guo Yan’s outburst, unfazed. Instead, he smiled calmly and responded, “That deduction seems a bit too convenient, doesn’t it? Why must it relate to the case Chen Jun was handling? In his position, how could he not have enemies? I’d wager it was one of his adversaries.”

Guo Yan shook his head, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He had expected Ma Wu to crumble under his intimidation and confess everything, but Ma Wu showed no reaction at all. Guo Yan couldn’t help but regard him with more respect, though his suspicions deepened.

Ma Wu was silently devising strategies against Guo Yan when suddenly the system chimed in his mind: Ding! Successfully impressed Guo Yan, overturning his impression of you. Your “impressiveness” score has increased by one hundred.

Ma Wu was speechless. Could this really count as impressiveness? Perhaps his display of wisdom was simply too handsome.

Guo Yan refused to relent, staring at Ma Wu. “I investigated Chen Jun’s background—he had no obvious enemies.”

Ma Wu began to laugh, first quietly, then louder, until he stopped under everyone’s startled gaze. With a mysterious tone, he addressed Guo Yan, “Director Guo, you claim to have investigated Chen Jun’s background, but haven’t you noticed anything? How did Chen Jun handle cases? Can’t you see his character? Don’t tell me you’re unaware, or I’ll doubt your professional competence.”

Guo Yan’s pupils contracted, his breath caught, but Ma Wu pressed on, his smile slightly ferocious, “You say Chen Jun had no obvious enemies, but what about those in the shadows? In his cases, how many criminals truly accepted their guilt? How many confessed under duress? Do you really not know, my impartial Director Guo? With his methods, don’t you think being killed by an assassin was his own fault?”

Guo Yan’s expression shifted uncertainly. Ma Wu was right. When reviewing Chen Jun’s cases, he found that most involved Chen Jun using force, coercing confessions. He deeply regretted and resented that his officers behaved this way, but it wasn’t justification for Chen Jun’s brutal murder.

“Outrageous!” Guo Yan took a deep breath to steady himself, glaring angrily at Ma Wu. “With such words, I have all the more reason to suspect you. How do you know his character? How do you know about forced confessions? You seem to hate him deeply—your suspicion is unavoidable!”

Ma Wu laughed twice, his tone mocking. “How do I know about forced confessions? Because I learned through certain channels that he planned to use force on my woman, Li Mida, to make her confess that I killed those thugs. Do you understand, Director Guo? As for your claim that I hate him and am highly suspicious—I won’t deny it. I despise him. But as for my suspicion…”

Ma Wu stood from his seat, meeting Guo Yan’s eyes. “Yes, I’m highly, highly suspicious. But that’s all—it’s merely suspicion, Director Guo. Can you find even a single clue proving I hired that assassin? That killer—he doesn’t even know me. No matter what you do to him, he will never say the name ‘Ma Wu’!”

As Ma Wu finished, the system chimed repeatedly:

Ding! Impressiveness score increased by three hundred.

Ding! Face-slapping score increased by one hundred.

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Ding! Success score increased by five hundred. (Your character has won the favor of the eldest daughter of the Wu family, greatly increasing your success score.)

Ma Wu thought to himself: Damn, am I too impressive?

Having uttered these bold, heroic words, Ma Wu felt as if the heaviness in his chest had finally lifted.

Li Mida, his woman, had been targeted by Chen Jun’s schemes—something Ma Wu could never tolerate. For those who harbored malice toward him and his loved ones, Ma Wu was never merciful.

Guo Yan was left speechless, his face alternating between pale and flushed. Everything Ma Wu said was true—insufficient evidence and clues were the case’s greatest obstacles. Even though Guo Yan personally held strong suspicions about Ma Wu, he had no entry point, and could do nothing about him.

Guo Yan was silent for a long moment before finally exhaling heavily. “Fine. You seem confident. But I believe that the guilty will eventually slip up. You’d better hope you can remain this confident.”

Ma Wu scoffed, offering no further words.

Meanwhile, the case summary Guo Yan had tossed onto the table had somehow found its way into Wu Ting’s hands. While the two men argued, Wu Ting had silently observed and leafed through the thick stack of files.

Suddenly, Wu Ting broke the stalemate with a remark: “Director Guo, do you think there’s something off about Chen Jun?”

Her words stunned not only Guo Yan, but Ma Wu as well.

In truth, Chen Jun was a sly and ruthless man, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. Ma Wu was genuinely shocked that such a character could become a police officer. Previously, he had merely assumed Chen Jun was good at hiding his true nature, and hadn’t thought much of it.

Now, Wu Ting’s question seemed to open a new window in Ma Wu’s mind, offering a fresh perspective. What if Chen Jun wasn’t really a police officer? Then everything would make sense.