Cherish You as My Life - Chapter 9.2

Chapter 9.2
Back at the City Bureau, it was already past dinner time. Fortunately, the City Bureau canteen was not closed.
Ji Yao took the dinner plate and sat down opposite Han Xi. “Madam, do you mind if I sit here?”
Han Xi raised her head and glanced at him. “I mind.”
Ji Yao smiled. “I knew you would say that.” Then he said, “I think you should review. There are so many seats in the City Bureau cafeteria, but why do I sit here? You want to know, huh?” Ji Yao looked into Han Xi’s eyes and said cheekily. “Because this chair is calling me. Somehow, it told me that the scenery here is unique. It was this chair that chose me.”
Zhu Han stood behind Ji Yao, holding a dinner plate. “I’m sorry, Captain Ji. This is my seat.”
Han Xi pursed her lips to suppress her smile, and the Criminal Investigation table burst into laughter.
When Zhu Han walked out of the cafeteria after eating, she saw that Ji Yao had blood on his arm. “Team Ji, you are injured. Come to our forensic room for disinfection later.”
Ji Yao: “Xiao Zhu, what time will you get off work? You look more beautiful than the fairies. Do you have a date tonight?”
Zhu Han glanced at her watch. “I’ll be going in half an hour.”
Ji Yao: “Very good, then I will come to the forensic room for disinfection after half an hour.”
“Huh?” Zhu Han reacted after a moment, “Okay.” After saying that, she glanced at Han Xi secretly and gave Ji Yao a cheering look.
Han Xi returned to the forensic room, tested and compared the scratches on the abdomen of the deceased Zhou Tong, and verified that the fruit knife in the homeless man’s home was the one at the crime scene.
The food packaging bags found there had Zhou Tong’s fingerprints.
Ji Yao received the test results and data from the forensic doctor and led people into the interrogation room.
He said nothing and looked at Zhang Xiang.
The homeless man’s basic information, such as his name, household registration address had been confirmed, and there was nothing abnormal. He was a homeless man from another province, had never had a decent job, relied on begging for a living, and had not been back to his hometown for more than ten years.
Zhang Xiang: “Where were you between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on April 18th?”
The homeless man scratched his hair. It looked like he hadn’t washed his hair for a long time. His eyes were a little cloudy. Fortunately, he was in good spirits. “I… I can’t remember the date; I don’t even know what day it is today.”
He was a homeless man: he didn’t have to go to work or go to school, so he had no concept of dates.
Zhang Xiang took out an evidence bag, which contained the fruit knife. “Explain this. Where did this knife come from?”
The homeless man touched his neck, and a small ball of dirt rolled out on it as if he were playing with an elixir. After hearing the question, he stopped doing that and replied, “I picked it up.”
Zhang Xiang glanced at Ji Yao and saw that he didn’t have the intention of speaking yet, so he imitated Ji Yao’s usual way of interrogating suspects. “You’d better be more honest with me!” he smacked the table hard and said loudly.
The homeless man flicked the elixir on the ground and said, “I really picked it up. It was just under the bridge hole. I don’t know who threw it. I thought it was good to cut things. It can also be used for self-defense.” He added, “The bridge hole can hide you from the wind and rain. Yes. Don’t you understand how many people are staring at this treasured land?”
Zhang Xiang took out a photo of Zhou Tong when he was alive and pushed it in front of the homeless man. “Have you seen this man? Did you kill him?”
Unexpectedly, the man answered readily, “I’ve seen him, but I didn’t kill anyone. When I went there, this person was already dead.”
Zhang Xiang: “Tell me slowly from the beginning.”
The homeless man glanced at Ji Yao and pleaded. “Leader, I’m hungry and want to eat something. Can you give me some food?”
Ji Yao asked someone to bring something in.
After the homeless man finished eating, he said, “Boss, can I sit on the ground? I’m not used to sitting on a chair, so I’m panicking.”
Ji Yao nodded his head.
The homeless man moved the chair to the side and sat on the ground comfortably. “One day, probably three or four days ago, I was so hungry that I almost fainted from hunger. I couldn’t hold on any longer, so… I climbed the wall and went in when it was dark. Unexpectedly, I saw a dead person as soon as I entered. I was shocked, took some food, and left quickly.”
Zhang Xiang: “Dead?”
The homeless man nodded. “Yes.”
Zhang Xiang: “Why didn’t you call the police?”
The homeless man: “Officer, although I am homeless, I am not stupid. If I call the police, won’t you arrest me? I didn’t kill people, but I crawled into their homes and stole things.”
The homeless man gave a rough description of the scene that he saw, which was consistent with the crime scene.
Zhang Xiang: “After the incident, in the past three days, what did you do?”
The homeless man: “I have been at home and didn’t come out to beg because I have something to eat, so I don’t need to come out.” This also explained why the shop owner of the tea-eggs shop didn’t see him.
Ji Yao finally spoke, “Did you see this fruit knife when you were at the scene?”
The homeless man said, “I was shocked at the time. I didn’t care to look at it so carefully. I quickly picked up the food and left.”
Ji Yao glanced at him and said, “This question is very important. You must recall it. Otherwise, no one can help you.”
The homeless man sat on the ground, touched his head with his fist, and thought for a while. “Yes, it should be there, right? I didn’t see it clearly either.”
Ji Yao came out of the interrogation room. If what the homeless man said was true, the murderer must not have left at that time. He secretly followed the homeless man who stole the food and deliberately threw the knife under the bridge, waiting for the homeless man to pick it up. Then the homeless man will be the suspect.
But the biggest suspect at present was the homeless man, so Ji Yao asked people to temporarily detain him on the charge of burglary.
The homeless man heard that he was going to be detained, and he protested.
A police officer said, “There is food and drink here; it is no different from the bridge outside.”
This homeless man was a very ambitious homeless man. He looked very angry after hearing those words. “Freedom, freedom… What’s the difference between a person without freedom and a dead man? Why don’t you let me go out to beg for food?”
t was already half past eight in the evening. Zhao Jingjing packed his things and was about to go back. He turned around and looked at Ji Yao. “Aren’t you leaving?”
Ji Yao raised his arm and said, “Isn’t this injured? I’m going to the forensic doctor for disinfection.”
As he walked, he took out his mobile phone and checked it. Zhu Han sent a message half an hour ago. [Captain Ji, I’m off work. Sister Xi is in the office, hehe.]
Faced with such a well-behaved child and such an amazing assistant, Ji Yao felt really happy. ‘I should give her a big red envelope.’
End of chapter 9