Chapter 86 Rice Cake: Now is your last chance
"Jiang Ling."
Ying Songmao quickened his pace to catch up with Jiang Ling and walked alongside her.
The early morning breeze carried a slight chill, ruffling a few stray strands of hair across Jiang Ling's forehead. At that moment, she looked somewhat tired and vulnerable.
"Are you tired?" Ying Songmao's voice was low and slightly hoarse.
"Hmm." Jiang Ling nodded gently. "Fortunately, the person who killed Chen Yan has finally been caught."
Ying Songmao sighed softly, his heart filled with complex emotions. He hadn't been with the Yuezhou Narcotics Enforcement Team for long, but he had already deeply felt the hardship and cruelty of the path of drug enforcement.
Yuezhou is the first stop for drugs flowing into Hunan Province from the south, so the Yuezhou Public Security Bureau attaches great importance to this and has established a narcotics control team with zero tolerance for drugs. A large number of police officers have been deployed for this purpose, and some have even sacrificed their lives.
Now, another name has been added to the list of those who sacrificed their lives—Chen Yan. She was a policewoman with a simple face, resolute eyes, and a shy smile.
“She was a good policewoman,” Ying Songmao paused, “We won’t let her sacrifice be in vain. None of the remaining members of the Spiderweb will escape.”
This is a promise, a solace to the deceased, and an encouragement to the living.
Jiang Ling turned her head, met his firm gaze, and nodded vigorously.
After a long silence, seeing that Ying Songmao showed no intention of saying goodbye, Jiang Ling took the initiative to ask, "Are you adjusting well in Yuezhou?"
"It's alright, I've just been busy with work. I..." Ying Songmao's eyes darkened slightly. He wanted to explain why he hadn't contacted her for so long, but the content involved work secrets and couldn't be told to outsiders casually. He hesitated for a long time, but in the end, his emotions prevailed over his reason, and he chose to tell the truth.
“I just got there and was initially in charge of drug testing. A new type of drug appeared in Yuezhou, and conventional testing methods were simply ineffective. I led my team to work overtime on experiments, and after more than two months, we finally found a new method with an accuracy rate of 90%. I had just caught my breath and wanted to contact you when the brigade assigned me to track down Scarface. Scarface is cunning, ruthless, and extremely vengeful. I dare not contact you for fear of implicating you.”
Jiang Ling listened attentively to what he had said, remained silent for a long while, and then emphasized in her tone: "You must take care."
As a fellow police officer, Jiang Ling understands the exhaustion of being so busy that you forget everything else. Especially in drug enforcement, where you're in danger and don't want to drag others into it, the forbearance and sacrifice behind it can only be truly appreciated by those who have been there.
Thinking of Ying Songmao's fate in his previous life, Jiang Ling didn't know what to say, and could only tell him again to take care.
Ying Songmao remembered that when he met Jiang Ling before going to Yuezhou, she also said the same words, "Take care." He felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I will take care."
His eyes softened as he looked at Jiang Ling: "And you? How are you feeling since you were transferred here? Is everything going smoothly?"
Jiang Ling was relaxed: "It's alright. Our whole group made it through, and the teamwork was great. Although there was pressure, it was also very challenging. We worked on two cases with Team Leader Lei and his team, and everyone was very supportive of us."
Ying Songmao asked, "Are you getting used to the food in the cafeteria?"
Jiang Ling shook her head: "The food in the cafeteria is a bit bland, not as good as what we eat at the police station."
Ying Songmao chuckled softly: "The food at the Jinwu Road Police Station canteen is indeed tastier. You like spicy food, and the dishes in Yuezhou are generous with the amount of chili peppers—green peppers, red peppers, dried chili peppers, chopped chili peppers, white chili peppers… all kinds of chili peppers mixed together, the flavor is very strong. Next time you have the chance, I'll take you to try it."
A simple "There will be another chance" or "I'll take you there" carries a cautious invitation and expectation.
Neither of them were particularly passionate, and they usually talked about work. So when they suddenly started talking about their daily lives, Jiang Ling was a little surprised.
Jiang Ling glanced at Ying Songmao, seemingly understanding something.
To be honest, Jiang Ling isn't thinking about personal matters at all right now.
The reason I paid more attention to Song Mao before was because we had crossed paths in a previous life and I knew about his heroic sacrifice.
Now that she sensed the affection he was showing, Jiang Ling decided to say something.
"Responding."
Upon hearing the name Jiang Ling, Ying Songmao's eyes visibly dimmed.
"You're in Yuezhou fighting drug trafficking, and I'm in Yanshi researching criminal profiling. You're busy, and so am I. So it's normal that we don't keep in touch regularly. If we have the chance, we can have a meal and chat together; if not, then we'll each be busy with our own things."
Ying Songmao looked at Jiang Ling's eyes, which appeared exceptionally bright under the light, and saw his reflection in her pupils.
But he wasn't in her heart.
Ying Songmao took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
“Jiang Ling,” he called her name, “during these three months in Yuezhou, I, I often thought of you.”
He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, his ears turning a barely perceptible red in the night. "I want to know if your work is going well, if you've encountered any difficulties, and if you... ever think of me."
Ying Songmao's gaze was open and ardent, and his restrained longing, like a warm current breaking through the ice, finally flowed out clearly.
Is this a confession of love?
This feeling was unfamiliar, as if something was beyond my control.
Jiang Ling opened her mouth, trying to ease the ambiguous atmosphere.
"Sister Ling!" A clear, slightly excited young voice broke the ambiguity between Jiang Ling and Ying Songmao like a pebble.
Liang Jiushan, like a nimble rabbit, excitedly hopped out from behind a police car, completely oblivious to the subtle atmosphere between the two.
His eyes gleamed: "You arrested people without letting me be there. I know, you've closed the net, haven't you? So, so, have you caught those two bastards yet?"
The boy spoke rapidly, chattering away.
Ying Songmao lowered his hand halfway up, straightened his body slightly, and quickly replaced the tenderness on his face with his usual calmness, though a trace of helplessness and regret at being interrupted lingered deep in his eyes. He coughed lightly and called out, "Liang Jiushan."
Liang Jiushan then noticed Ying Songmao's presence and stood still obediently: "Team Leader Ying, you're here too."
To be honest, Jiang Ling felt a bit pressured by Ying Songmao's sudden confession. Liang Jiushan's appearance relieved Jiang Ling, and looking at Liang Jiushan's excited face, she said, "Jiushan, you can go home and rest now."
Liang Jiushan confirmed again: "Have they all been caught?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Yes."
Liang Jiushan jumped three feet high, waving his hands: "Great, great!"
Overjoyed, he leaned close to Jiang Ling and asked, "Sister Ling, did I do a good job? Will you praise me?"
Jiang Ling smiled: "Of course."
Unable to enter the command center, Liang Jiushan could only stay in the parking lot, staring at the lights of the office building, imagining the thrilling scenes of battle.
After waiting all night, Liang Jiushan finally received the answer he had been waiting for. He left satisfied, muttering to himself as he walked away.
"So, should I continue selling popsicles?"
"I did make quite a bit of money."
"Let's keep selling, we're just sitting around doing nothing anyway."
As the night breeze carried Liang Jiushan's words, Jiang Ling couldn't help but laugh.
—Liang Jiushan is a real talent; he not only helped solve the case but also opened up a way to make money.
Ying Songmao watched Jiang Ling intently as she talked with Liang Jiushan and saw her radiant smile, his heart softening completely.
Now, she only has her career in her heart, not him.
But it's okay, there's plenty of time.
As her career begins, what she needs are comrades-in-arms to fight alongside her, a solid support system, and a warm home base, not longing and yearning from afar.
Ying Songmao glanced at his watch and gently reminded her, "Jiang Ling, go home and catch up on your sleep. The interrogation will begin at nine o'clock this morning."
Jiang Ling hummed in agreement and quickly left.
As dawn broke, the streetlights were still on.
Ying Songmao stood there, silently watching Jiang Ling's back.
Nine o'clock in the morning, in the interrogation room.
Meng Jianghao huddled on the cold iron chair, like a blade of grass wilted by frost. The metallic chill of the handcuffs and shackles seeped into his bones through his clothes, making him tremble uncontrollably. He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on his tangled, white-knuckled fingers, as if they were the only thing he could grasp.
At the other end of the interrogation table, Lei Xiao, Zheng Yu, and Jiang Ling sat side by side.
Lei Xiao's expression was serious, his face ashen, exuding a strong sense of pressure. Although he had only been dozing for three hours, Lei Xiao's eyes were bright and alert.
“Meng Jianghao,” Lei Xiao’s voice was low, but every word was firm and authoritative, “Scarface is dead. Fan Hu is right next door, he won’t last much longer either. Now, this is your last chance.”
He pushed over several photos of the scene—bloodstains in the alley where Chen Yan was murdered, body parts found in the culvert, scattered human bones, and severed fingers: "Look at this! This is the policewoman who was brutally murdered and dismembered; her name was Chen Yan."
Upon hearing the name Chen Yan, Meng Jianghao's gaze lingered on the photo for a moment before quickly shifting away. His body trembled slightly, his lips were tightly pressed together, and despair was written in his eyes.
Lei Xiao said, "Meng Jianghao, think about your grandmother. How would she feel if she knew what the grandson she raised with so much care had done?"
"grandmother……"
Upon hearing those two words, Meng Jianghao finally reacted. He shook his head frantically, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
What can I say?
Saying it out loud would be suicide.
But he didn't want to die.
Jiang Ling took out a cloth bag and placed it on the table.
Upon seeing the floral blue cloth bag, Meng Jianghao's unfocused pupils slightly sharpened, and his expression became more attentive.
Jiang Ling asked, "Does Meng Jianghao look familiar?"
Meng Jianghao looked at it intently, and after a long while murmured, "This... looks a bit like something my grandmother used to have."
Jiang Ling opened the cloth bag and took out something wrapped in oil paper.
Upon opening the oil paper, a delicate aroma of rice filled the interrogation room.
They were two fluffy, soft, white, and glossy rice cakes.
Seeing the rice cake in front of him and smelling its familiar aroma, Meng Jianghao burst into tears.
Jiang Ling's voice was unhurried: "We went to your hometown to investigate and met your grandmother. She made rice cakes and asked us to bring them to you."
Meng Jianghao's tears flowed uncontrollably, each drop landing on the back of his handcuffed hands.
Jiang Ling said, "Your grandma said this was your favorite food when you were little. She said you were always timid and very obedient, and that we police should investigate this thoroughly so as not to wrong an innocent person."
Meng Jianghao's already battered heart was crushed to pieces by Jiang Ling's words.
Vague childhood memories flooded my mind and became crystal clear in an instant.
—In the dimly lit kitchen, Grandma, her back hunched, kneaded rice dough with her calloused hands. Steam rose from the dough, and her eyes were full of love.
Meng Jianghao slowly reached out, picked up the rice cake on the table, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The familiar, soft, and chewy texture lingered in his mouth, and the hometown he could never return to felt incredibly close at this moment. Meng Jianghao ate while crying, regret making it hard for him to breathe, but he didn't say a word.
Seeing that he had already shown remorse, Jiang Ling softened her tone and spoke as if chatting casually: "Meng Jianghao, be honest. Your grandmother only has you as her family now. She sits at the village entrance every day waiting for you to come home."
Jiang Ling's words precisely shattered Meng Jianghao's psychological defenses.
He swallowed the rice cake in his mouth with force, looked up at Jiang Ling, his eyes full of the will to survive: "If I confess, can the government give me leniency?"
Jiang Ling pointed to the eight large bold characters on the wall of the interrogation room: "Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely. You have no other way to go but to tell the truth."
After a long silence, Meng Jianghao finally spoke.
He recounted his story in fits and starts, his narration filled with fear of Fan Hu and confusion about life.
"I was forced into it, I was really forced into it."
“At first, I worked as a laborer on construction sites. Later, I gradually learned some skills and became a plasterer. Tiger and I are from the same hometown. He looks fierce, is ruthless, and is not afraid of trouble. He has fought for me before and usually takes good care of me, so I started following him.”
“The construction work paid too little and was too hard. Tiger got involved with Scarface and said it would make money quickly. I knew that drug trafficking could lead to beheading, and I didn’t want to do it at first, but Tiger beat me and said that if I dared not follow him, he would kill me. I was scared and had no choice but to continue following him.”
“We used to work in Yuezhou, but the police there were keeping a close eye on us, and Scarface was a little scared, so he moved his operations to Yanshi and sent us to the Yonggu New City construction site to gather information.”
“On the 23rd of last month, Scarface noticed a woman following him and became suspicious. He asked Tiger and me to lead her to that alley.”
"That woman was pretty. Tiger was really into women at the time and wanted to play around with her first. But she was really fierce and bit Tiger's hand. Later, Tiger got angry and grabbed her by the neck. The woman struggled desperately and screamed like a madwoman, saying that she was a police officer."
"Those of us in this line of work all hate the police."
"Tiger cursed a few times, then pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the neck. Blood gushed out immediately, splattering all over my body and face. I was so scared!"
"Tiger did the dismemberment. I was just handing him the black bag. He even laughed and said that the police should be torn to pieces."
Every word and phrase vividly recreates the hellish scene of that night.
The more Lei Xiao listened, the angrier he became, and his face turned livid. If it weren't for the disciplinary requirements, he really wanted to go up and punch Meng Jianghao hard!
Zheng Yu was in charge of taking the statements. As she listened to these bloody details, her face grew paler and paler, her body trembled slightly, and she could barely hold the pen in her hand.
After everything was explained, and watching Meng Jianghao sign and fingerprint the record, Jiang Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief, suppressed the soreness in her throat, and quickly walked out of the interrogation room.
Tears fell the moment the door closed.
Chen Yan was killed by these two evil spirits.
Although Meng Jianghao was not the principal offender, he participated in drug trafficking and assisted in dismembering and disposing of bodies, so he cannot escape his guilt!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com