Wrong Interrogation Room, The First Cracked Case Shocked the World

Chapter 7: Destroy the psychological defense, you are the devil!

"There is only one way to help you cover up the body without being discovered!"

Ning Cheng didn't say it directly. He paused, his gaze lingering on Zhang Dongyang's face. It was a face that offered no clues, a mask of stoicism.

Zhang Dongyang remained silent. The lack of reaction was his greatest flaw.

"Want to know how?" Ning Cheng's voice was a low murmur. He pointed to the half-burned cigarette on the edge of the table. "Do you speak for yourself, or shall I speak for you?"

Zhang Dongyang didn't answer, but his eyes narrowed, fixated on the cigarette. It was a reminder, a countdown to his life. Half of it was already gone.

Ning Cheng had offered him the cigarette, a calculated move to keep him silent. Was it working?

Zhang Dongyang still didn't speak, but a flicker of fear crossed his eyes. He was losing control.

"No tears without the coffin!" Ning Cheng's voice was a cold whisper. "You didn't kill the body and flush it into the sewer, Zhang Dongyang. You flushed it into the cement of the wall!"

Suddenly, Zhang Dongyang's body began to tremble. His pupils dilated, his eyes wide with terror.

"Looking at your reaction, I know I'm not wrong!" Ning Cheng's lips curved into a cruel smile. "The corpse down the drain? Too obvious. The police dogs would have found it. The Sky Eye system would have captured it. You had to dissect the body, seal it in the wall, hide it from the sky. Cover up the smell, avoid the cameras."

Outside the surveillance room, Zhou Ze and the other officers exchanged worried glances.

"We searched Zhang Dongyang's home," the brawny officer said, shaking his head. "We inspected the walls. There are traces of hollowing out."

"How could Ning Cheng say that?" he muttered.

Inside the interrogation room, Zhang Dongyang swallowed hard.

"Your police searched my house," he said, his voice hoarse, "but they didn't find the hollowed-out walls, the traces of encapsulated cement!"

Ning Cheng didn't answer. He simply stared at Zhang Dongyang, his gaze unwavering.

Zhang Dongyang met his gaze, a desperate attempt to regain his composure.

"You're framing me," he said, his voice rising. "The police searched my house. There's no body there!"

Zhang Dongyang's face was flushed, his veins bulging. He was on the verge of breaking.

But Ning Cheng had a different plan. He reached out and flicked the switch, plunging the interrogation room into darkness. Only the red glow of the cigarette butt illuminated the room.

Zhang Dongyang's heart hammered in his chest. He was trapped, choked by the darkness.

"For the sake of this," Ning Cheng's voice echoed in the darkness, "do you want me to continue?"

Zhang Dongyang could barely make out Ning Cheng's face, a chilling figure shrouded in shadow.

"The cigarette butts are almost out," Ning Cheng continued, his voice dripping with menace. "Don't blame me for not giving you a chance."

"Don't pretend to be a ghost," Zhang Dongyang stammered, his voice trembling. "I didn't kill anyone!"

He couldn't meet Ning Cheng's gaze, but he knew the truth. He knew he was caught.

"You didn't bury your wife in the wall at your house," Ning Cheng said, his voice a low growl. "That's because the police would have found it. But that doesn't mean you didn't do it!"

"Zhang Dongyang, do you know you have a faint smell on your body? The fragrant smell of formaldehyde." He paused, letting the words hang in the air. "As a chemistry teacher, you're familiar with formaldehyde, aren't you?"

In the darkness, Zhang Dongyang broke out in a cold sweat. He knew the scent, the pungent, chemical odor of formaldehyde. It was a scent of death.

"Zhang Dongyang, why didn't you answer me?" Ning Cheng's voice was calm, almost hypnotic. The light from his phone flickered on, revealing images and text messages.

"According to the address of your home in the file," Ning Cheng said, his voice steady, "I searched the internet and found that your house is located in the old city. It's part of the city's new house renovation plan. Many residents have moved out, leaving their homes vacant."

"This gave you the opportunity and space to commit your crime."

"Now, all the police have to do is investigate the houses under renovation. They'll find your wife's body, Li Meier."

"No!" Zhang Dongyang cried out, his voice a strangled whisper.

"There may be many renovated houses," Ning Cheng continued, his voice cold and calculating. "But go to the water company. Investigate the water consumption of the renovated houses. Five days ago, the water consumption of one of those houses spiked. That's where you'll find the body."

Outside the surveillance room, the officers gasped. The water consumption? It was a brilliant deduction.

The strong officer who had been skeptical earlier looked at Zhou Ze.

"Team Zhou, is this the one who complicated the disappearance of Zhang Dongyang's wife?" he asked.

Zhou Ze nodded, his face grim. "Qianzi, is there a new house being renovated in Zhang Dongyang's community?"

"Yes," Qiangzi replied. "There are many new houses being renovated. There are even some in Zhang Dongyang's building."

A collective gasp filled the room. The clues were everywhere, hidden in plain sight. This trainee officer was a genius.

Zhou Ze turned to his team, his voice firm. "Do as Ning Cheng said. Go to the water supply company. Investigate the water consumption of the renovated houses. And re-examine all the residential houses."

Back in the interrogation room, Zhang Dongyang slumped against the chair, his forehead slick with sweat. The darkness was suffocating, the only light coming from the dying embers of the cigarette butt.

"As I said," Ning Cheng's voice was a chilling whisper, "it takes a cigarette to make you plead guilty. And you will do what you say."

A cruel smile played on Ning Cheng's lips. "Of course, the above are all my inferences. Until I find the body of your wife, Li Meier, I have no evidence."

He paused, his eyes locked on Zhang Dongyang. "But the cigarette hasn't burned out yet. I'm giving you a chance to confess your sins."

Zhang Dongyang looked up at the surveillance camera, his face a mask of despair. He knew the police were already investigating. They would find the body. It was only a matter of time.

"Why, don't talk?" Ning Cheng's voice was mocking. "Do you think this trick is useful to me?"

He leaned forward, his face illuminated by the flickering phone screen. "It's all over, Zhang Dongyang. Why don't you just confess?"

Zhang Dongyang's anger flared. He had been manipulated, played like a puppet.

"I recognize you," he roared, his voice hoarse with rage. "You're the devil!"

But Ning Cheng's demeanor shifted. His eyes hardened, his smile vanished. He became a predator, his gaze fixated on Zhang Dongyang.

Zhang Dongyang felt a wave of icy fear wash over him. The last word, "mother," died in his throat.

"You are the devil!" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

A whimper escaped his lips. The officers outside the surveillance room watched in stunned silence. The murderer, Zhang Dongyang, had been reduced to a whimpering wreck. He had been broken by Ning Cheng.