Chapter 776 - 669: Seeking Chaos Amid Stability

Chapter 776: Chapter 669: Seeking Chaos Amid Stability

As a detective.

Finding the truth hidden behind the fog is merely a basic professional skill.

But if you want a certain "truth," I can find it for you, which is truly an advanced professional skill.

Otherwise, what kind of detective would I be?

Just a fraud who deceives the world,

who deserves to die a thousand times over.

Li Shang has been a detective for a long time, and has clearly grasped the essence of the profession.

Hou Wendong patted Li Shang’s shoulder and corrected him:

"It’s not the truth I need, it’s the ’truth’ everyone needs, Captain Li, don’t get it wrong."

Li Shang felt a slight chill in his heart, gaining a deeper understanding of Hou Wendong’s extreme caution.

He realized that even at this moment, adapting fully to the almost seamless language of such people was still difficult.

Every sentence seemed wrapped in multiple layers of meaning, every word seemed carefully chosen, as if to convey and conceal simultaneously.

He realized that in order to progress, he needed to put in more effort to learn and ponder.

Guessing their thoughts was almost harder than solving cases.

He took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and said:

"Understood, Secretary Hou, I misspoke earlier. What should I do next?" ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Hou Wendong looked at Li Shang, switched the topic, and said:

"After you leave the hospital, immediately take over the investigation at Jade Garden. Hmm... But first, tell me why you went into the sewer at the abandoned chemical factory?"

This was a key question related to the rationality of the event’s starting point.

Li Shang was fully prepared with an answer, and this answer was mostly truthful, though certain details and emotional portrayals needed some embellishment.

Li Shang then answered truthfully:

"Secretary Hou, at that time Erbing and I were patrolling a block not far from the chemical factory.

Suddenly we heard a series of loud noises coming from the direction of the factory. We dared not be negligent and immediately drove over at full speed to check the situation.

Upon reaching the factory, we found it had long been abandoned. We pried open the lock and cautiously went inside, and then we saw..."

Li Shang swallowed, his face showing the lingering fears of narrowly escaping death, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

"A huge crater caused by the explosion, right in the middle of the factory premises. The bricks on the ground were blown away, and black smoke was still billowing. Before we could see clearly, suddenly, we saw a figure jump out from the explosion’s void, it was Mask..."

Li Shang’s words were mostly truthful, and the look of terror on his face wasn’t feigned. He was really scared to death at the time, and in retelling it now, he genuinely felt more frightened.

Hou Wendong pursued further: "And then?"

Li Shang took a couple of breaths and said:

"Then, Secretary Hou, I’m not afraid of you laughing at us. We didn’t even dare to shoot. Our only thought at the time was to escape, immediately!"

Hou Wendong seemed to understand this very well but casually tossed out a query:

"Escape? Why didn’t you turn and run outside; instead, you ran into the pit caused by the explosion?"

Li Shang had long expected this question. He pretended to think before answering:

"Secretary Hou, you’re correct, normally we’d be running outside.

But the situation was too perilous at the time. Mask jumped out of the pit and landed on the other side, while Erbing and I were standing on this side, almost a step away from the pit entrance."

At this point, he intentionally paused, as if meticulously recalling and sorting out every detail of the moment.

As a seasoned constable, Li Shang was well-versed in interrogation and counter-interrogation tactics.

He knew that when recounting an experience, appropriate pauses, thoughts, and the tone gradually clearing with the recollection was far more convincing than a smooth, uninterrupted narrative.

He furrowed his brow, recalling for a few seconds before continuing:

"The pit from the explosion was vast, though there was some distance in the middle. With the speed of Erbing and me, running on flat ground towards the car was too far; we’d certainly be caught by Mask before reaching the car.

Thus, I had no choice but to take a gamble and jump into the underground conduit. After jumping down..."

Li Shang’s narrative grew smoother, the details more abundant, as if genuinely recalling more memory fragments as he spoke:

"We found it was extremely dark below and unusually complex. It was the abandoned underground pipe network system of the factory, with branches everywhere, like a gigantic maze.

Where we fell down, the smell of smoke was intense, and the ground had a bulge from the explosion.

Yet we couldn’t spare attention for these matters at the time. We got up and ran deeper."

His voice lowered, as if returning to that dark, oppressive environment, speaking vividly:

"We knew Mask would likely pursue us soon.

As we passed a certain intersection, in a moment of desperation, I threw my phone and Erbing’s enforcement device vigorously into one direction, hoping to create noise to mislead him.

Then, the two of us immediately turned around, squeezed into another direction’s pipeline, found a depression, and held our breath to hide, submerged entirely in cold sewage."

Li Shang had a knack for storytelling, and Hou Wendong was drawn in, feeling a tense immersion.

Watching Hou Wendong’s expression, Li Shang could easily deduce that the other was not suspicious of him lying, so he continued:

"Looking back now, we truly made the right gamble."