Chapter 113 The Cicada Sheds Its Shell: A Deadly Gift

the next day.

The interrogation room at Beiwan Farm was cold and damp.

A dim light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting long, thin shadows.

Su Yuting sat on the wooden chair. Apart from being a little pale and having messy hair, she still had that same air of superiority about her.

"Name." Officer Wang tapped the table, as if it were a routine matter.

"Su Yuting".

"gender."

"female."

"What is your relationship with 'Eagle's Nest'? How do you explain those assassins and that military telegraph machine?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuting chuckled softly, a sound that seemed particularly jarring in the silent interrogation room.

“Officer Wang, I don’t know anything about ‘Eagle’s Nest.’ I’m just an ordinary cadre who came to the Northwest to support the construction in response to the national call. As for the telegraph machine and the assassin, isn’t that obvious?”

She looked at the two police officers in front of her, a faint hint of mockery playing on her lips.

“The telegraph machine isn’t mine, and the token isn’t mine either. It was Su Wantang, no, it was that woman named Bai Shu who framed me. She’s jealous of me and covets our Su family’s property. Why don’t you believe me?”

The police officer in charge of the interrogation was surnamed Wang. He was in his forties, had a square face, and exuded an imposing presence.

The young man next to him, surnamed Li, was already getting impatient and slammed his hand on the table.

"Su Yuting! Be honest! The evidence is overwhelming, are you still trying to deny it?"

Su Yuting didn't even lift her eyelids, but instead slowly looked at Wang Gong'an and smiled.

“Officer Wang, I advise you not to get so angry. Your elderly mother has a heart condition and can’t handle being startled. Especially lately, the weather has been dry, so make sure the gas cylinder is tightened properly. If it leaks, it’s no laughing matter.”

Wang Gong'an, who was holding an enamel cup to drink water, suddenly stopped.

Only a few family members knew that his mother had heart disease. The gas cylinder valve had indeed become loose a couple of days ago, and his wife had been saying that it needed to be replaced.

How did this woman know?

A chill ran from the soles of Wang Gong's feet straight up to the top of his head.

His facial muscles twitched slightly. He put down his teacup, which clattered against the table with a crisp "clang".

Su Yuting watched his reaction with satisfaction, leaned back in her chair, and spoke leisurely.

“Officer Wang, let me give you a piece of advice: this water is too deep for you to wade through. Let me go, and we’ll pretend nothing happened. It’ll be better for you and your family.”

She believed that her drastic move would surely intimidate the other party.

The advantage of a reborn person lies in information asymmetry. She knows the secrets and weaknesses of many people in the future, which is her invincible weapon.

However, after staring at her for a few seconds, a sinister sneer appeared on Wang Gong'an's wrinkled face.

He slammed his hand on the table.

"Fine! You're threatening state officials!"

He suddenly stood up and shouted towards the door.

"Men! Intensify the interrogation! I want to see just how tough your mouth is!"

Su Yuting's smile froze.

She miscalculated.

She thought she could manipulate the other party by exploiting their weaknesses, but she didn't expect that the other party's loyalty to the party far outweighed their personal interests!

The interrogation reached a stalemate.

No matter how the police questioned her, Su Yuting insisted that she was innocent and had been framed.

Meanwhile, in Director Zhang's office, the atmosphere was oppressive.

Lu Jingyan sat in the main seat, toying with a dagger in his hand.

Wang Gong'an gave a report on the interrogation, emphasizing Su Yuting's strange "warning".

Lu Jingyan's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

What else did she say?

“That’s all.” Officer Wang shook his head, his face grim.

"She's like an eel, slippery and hard to handle. But one thing is for sure, she definitely has someone backing her, and someone quite capable."

In the corner of the office, Su Wantang was slowly touching up her makeup with a small makeup mirror in hand. She seemed completely uninterested in their conversation.

She opened an exquisite silver powder box, dabbed some powder with a powder puff, and gently pressed it onto her cheeks.

Her movements were elegant and focused.

As she put the powder puff back, her fingertips seemed to accidentally brush against another small compartment of the powder box, picking up some colorless and odorless fine powder.

Then, she snapped the powder box shut, and everything seemed normal again.

“Commander Lu,” she suddenly spoke, her voice cold and aloof.

"Interrogation is your job, police. I'm just a businessman, I won't get involved. I'm tired, I'm going back to rest."

After saying that, she stood up and walked straight out without even glancing at Lu Jingyan.

That night, it was late and quiet.

In the room where the evidence was stored, the militiaman on guard leaned against the wall, his head nodding off.

Suddenly, a "sizzle" sound came from the electrical connector in the corner of the wall, and a string of sparks appeared.

Sparks landed on the pile of old newspapers and documents nearby, and flames suddenly shot up.

"Fire! Help! Fire!"

A chaotic scene ensued.

After everyone worked together to put out the fire, the house was already a mess.

The military telegraph machine, which served as crucial evidence, was burned black, and several core components had been completely melted, turning into a pile of scrap metal.

When Lu Jingyan arrived at the scene, his face turned ashen as he looked at the pile of scrap metal.

Accident?

What a fucking accident!

To be able to orchestrate such a precise "accident" in a place like a farm, one that is neither too big nor too small, just enough to destroy crucial evidence, requires someone to be behind it all. If he, Lu Jingyan, isn't someone to blame, then he should be implicated!

A mole!

Moreover, this mole's position is definitely not low!

Without the telegraph machine as the most direct evidence, it becomes tricky to pinpoint Su Yuting's guilt based solely on a token and the confessions of a few assassins.

Su Wantang stood beside him, looking at the pile of scrap metal, but her face remained expressionless.

The second day of interrogation yielded no results.

It was 11 p.m.

"boom--!"

Suddenly, flames shot into the sky from the grain warehouse on the west side of the farm!

The fire spread rapidly with the help of the evening wind, turning half the night sky a fiery red.

"Fire! The granary is flooded!"

"Fire! Help!"

The entire farm erupted in chaos. Everyone was drawn by the towering flames, and carrying buckets and sacks, they rushed haphazardly toward the granary.

The solitary confinement cell where Su Yuting was being held was filled with fear and unease.

The two police officers on guard were craning their necks to look outside, their faces full of anxiety.

"Old Liu, why is the fire so big?"

"Heaven knows! Don't burn all the food; that's our food supply for a whole year!"

In the instant they were distracted.

Two dark figures, like ghosts, appeared silently behind them.

"Hmm!"

Before they could even utter a sound, a sharp pain shot through the back of their necks, their vision went black, and they collapsed limply to the ground.

The shadowy figure swiftly opened the door to the solitary confinement cell.

Su Yuting looked at the two men in military overcoats in front of her, her eyes gleaming with wild joy.

The man in the lead lowered his voice: "Miss Su, this is no place to stay any longer. Come with us!"

The three quickly disappeared into the night.

When Lu Jingyan and Su Wantang arrived at the confinement room, it was already empty.

The two police officers lay on the ground, unconscious.

"Reporting, Commander!" Wang Hao ran over with his men after inspecting the scene, his face ashen.

"The person was knocked unconscious by a master, using a combat technique from the military! There are tire tracks on the outside, it was a military jeep!"

Lu Jingyan's fists clenched so tightly they made a cracking sound.

Okay, very good.

The mole jumped directly from the shadows into the open.

They dared to use military personnel to break him out of prison right under his nose.

The anger in his chest was almost bursting out.

He turned his head, wanting to see Bai Shu's reaction, but found that the woman was standing by the window, quietly watching the distant firelight gradually die out.

Her profile, illuminated by the remaining firelight outside the window, appeared somewhat blurry, yet it exuded an indescribable chill.

"Don't rush."

Bai Zhu suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

She turned around and looked at Lu Jingyan. In her beautiful peach blossom eyes, there was no anger or panic, only a cold, mocking look, as if she were watching a good show.

"The 'farewell gift' I gave her has only just begun to take effect."

She smiled slowly, a smile that, in the dim light, had an eerie quality.

"She can't escape."