Van Gelo looked at the watch on his wrist as it silently struck 4:30 pm, and said with pleasure, "I'm sorry, I think it's time for me to leave. I advise you not to waste your energy on me; this case has nothing to do with me."
Zhuang Zhen felt full of resentment, so he sneered, "Leave? Where do you think you're going? According to the normal procedures, we have the right to detain you. Of course, you can find a lawyer to handle this, but do you have the money to pay for the lawyer? As far as I know, you now have nothing, no money, and your reputation in tatters. Aside from cooperating with us, what else do you have?"
As he finished speaking, the door of the interrogation room was pushed open, and a police officer entered with a middle-aged man dressed in expensive suits, clearly a social elite. He explained, "Boss, someone has come to bail out Van Gelo, this is his lawyer. The procedures have been completed, and the chief has instructed you to release him."
Zhuang Zhen: ...
The arrival of the lawyer caught Zhuang Zhen off guard, but the law had regulations, so he had to release him.
Opening the door to the interrogation room, he said in a deep voice, "Van Gelo, you can go."
"Thank you, Officer Zhuang," Van Gelo slightly bowed, showing a very polite and gentle attitude. As he passed by Zhuang Zhen, the latter suddenly grasped his slender wrist and sternly said, "No matter how good your words sound, we both know that you didn't do everything in your power to prevent this case. You could have found countless ways to make us believe your warning. Am I right?"
Van Gelo raised an eyebrow, not answering but asking in return, "Officer Zhuang, how do you understand the word 'justice'?"
Zhuang Zhen instinctively pondered, but before he could answer, Van Gelo had given a response that almost touched upon his true thoughts, "For you, justice is the law."
Indeed, the law is synonymous with justice, and this was undoubtedly Zhuang Zhen's most genuine belief.
Van Gelo then leaned close to his ear and said slowly, "For me, justice means reaping what one has sown. Everyone must take responsibility for their actions, even for the crimes not bound by the law. Wouldn't you agree?" He smiled with pursed lips, and his pitch-black eyes exuded a mist, making him seem enigmatic.
Zhuang Zhen stepped back, wanting desperately to rub his numbed ears and the chicken-skin goosebumps on his face, but he held back. He sternly said, "You can leave," and then hurriedly left.
Van Gelo followed the lawyer out of the interrogation room and into the lobby.
A tall man was waiting at the entrance. He stood sideways, facing the setting sun with one side of his face hidden in the hazy light, holding an unlit cigarette, elegant and dignified even in his waiting posture. This man was Zhao Wenyan, whom Van Gelo had previously sought but couldn't love or hate, the president of the Starlight Entertainment Company, and the man who controlled the pulse of the entire entertainment industry.
In theory, he should have been avoiding Van Gelo at all costs and not getting involved in his affairs.
In fact, the person who came to bail out Van Gelo was Zhao Wenyan, which even startled the sub-bureau chief.
Van Gelo, however, didn't seem surprised at all. He just nodded slightly to Zhao Wenyan, as a form of greeting, and then went to the reception to retrieve the gift box he had left in the locker.
"Thank you for your help last time, I'm extremely grateful. Please accept this small gift," Van Gelo turned around, offering the gift box with both hands.
Liao Fang, who had been blocking his way, stared in astonishment, then hastily waved her hands, "No, no, please take it back. There is a regulation in our bureau that we cannot accept gifts from you. Our relationship is that of police and suspect, exchanging gifts is not appropriate, really!"
Vanga Luo pursed his lips and smiled lightly, "You're overthinking. It's just an umbrella, consider it my compensation to you. The last umbrella got covered in egg yolk, even if I cleaned it, how could I have the face to bring it back to you? You deserve better."
Vanga Luo could infuriate people when he was angry, but he could also make people feel ecstatic when he tried to please them. His face was naturally gentle, and when he smiled, it was even more radiant, making Liao Fang unable to resist. Unconsciously, she reached out and took the gift box, and when she came to her senses, he had already left with Zhao Wenyi and the lawyer, his slender figure gradually engulfed by the afternoon sun.
The members of the task force had already watched the interrogation videos and were very curious about this divine person, Vanga Luo, but they were hesitant to openly gather around due to their police uniforms. After Vanga Luo left, these people crowded around the windows to steal glances at his retreating figure, their eyes full of curiosity, suspicion, and even awe.
Zhuang Zhen slapped a thick stack of documents on the table and sternly scolded, "What are you looking at? Have no work to do? If we can't solve this case, all of us in the first team will be severely disciplined!"
Thinking of the baffling serial murder case, the team members immediately felt despondent and did not dare to pursue Vanga Luo.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liao Fang opened the gift box and discovered that it indeed contained a pure white umbrella. Although it was a well-known brand, it was not expensive, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Several female police officers gathered around, whispering, "Fangfang, let me see what Vanga Luo has sent you."
"Oh, it really is an umbrella. It's not expensive, just a few tens of yuan."
"He's quite considerate."
"Fangfang, you were part of the interrogation, tell us, is Vanga Luo really a psychic? Is he that extraordinary?"
Liao Fang was about to nod when a female police officer took the umbrella and opened it in the sunlight. She sneered, "What kind of psychic? It's just cold reading, something anyone who has studied psychology can do. If he really was a psychic, could he not understand Fangfang's thoughts?"
Another female officer immediately agreed, "Exactly! Fangfang doesn't like this style of umbrella. If he really was a psychic, why couldn’t he figure out Fangfang’s preferences?"
However, as soon as they finished speaking, they both let out a startled cry, their disbelieving expressions replaced by astonishment. They saw the pure white umbrella slowly turn into pure black under the sunlight, with silver stars shining on the canopy, forming the constellation of Leo.
In that instant, both of them involuntarily recalled Liao Fang's words, "I want to buy an umbrella with a starry sky pattern, preferably the constellation of Leo, black background with silver stars sparkling in the sunlight."
The umbrella before their eyes, every detail matched Liao Fang's expectations, and it was even more beautiful and exquisite, as if someone had heard Liao Fang's words and conjured the umbrella into reality using the power of language.
If it were before the interrogation, the female police officers would have thought it was just a wonderful coincidence. But after the interrogation, they couldn't help but think of more possibilities. Could so-called "mind-reading" really transcend space and time, foreseeing Liao Fang's words without any interaction?
Was Vanga Luo really that extraordinary? This question seemed to require no one else to answer.
The female officer holding the umbrella was trembling, while the other female officers wore expressions of deep bewilderment and confusion.
"Oh! This umbrella, how...?" Liao Fang was dumbfounded for a while before rushing over to grab the umbrella, struggling to speak coherently. She was truly astonished.
Of course, they were all in the police station now, and it wasn't good to make this matter widely known, lest the chief would reprimand them for spreading superstitions. But their impression of Vanga Luo had completely changed. He wasn't a fraudster; he was an enigmatic and extraordinary person.
"Fangfang, quickly put away the umbrella," a female officer handed the gift box to Liao Fang.
Liao Fang clumsily took the umbrella, trying to calm her agitated feelings, but then Liu Tao rushed into the office with a thermal cup, loudly exclaiming, "Captain, the test report is out, there are no suspicious substances in the water, it's just normal water. What is going on? What the hell is going on?! There's nothing added to it, how did the water turn bitter? The forensic science department needs to give us an explanation!"
The forensic science technician who came in with Liu Tao sarcastically said, "I've emphasized this so many times. If the water quality is fine, it's your minds that have an issue, or perhaps your bodies have abnormalities or your taste buds are abnormal. You should all take the time to get your liver and gallbladder function checked at the hospital."
"I've told you so many times, there's nothing wrong with our bodies. We had a collective check-up just last week. If there were issues, why didn't the doctor say anything? And it's not just me who tastes bitterness, it's all of them! Why don't you taste it too, try it, then talk!" Liu Tao grabbed the technician by the collar and forcefully fed him some water.
Initially infuriated by Liu Tao's belligerence, the technician's demeanor changed abruptly when he tasted the explosively bitter water. He was certain that there was nothing wrong with his mind or body, so the water was truly bitter! But the test report showed no issues with the water quality; it should have been tasteless!
"How do you explain this? Tell me!" Liu Tao relentlessly pressed for an answer.
The other officers also stared at the technician expectantly, hoping for a reasonable explanation.
After pondering for a while, the technician awkwardly said, "Um, this, this is really beyond scientific explanation! How about you give me some more of the water, I'll retest it several times. I have something to attend to upstairs, so I'll leave now, see you later, everyone!"
The technician slipped away like he was on a greased pan, but Liu Tao still held onto the cup of water, muttering to himself incessantly. His worldview had suffered an unprecedented shock today.
Zhuang Zhen had other matters on her mind as well, so she couldn't be bothered with Liu Tao. She took the documents and went to the computer room. At this moment, Song Rui was sitting in front of the computer, repeatedly reviewing the interrogation video, and Li was continuously fast-forwarding or rewinding the footage, and even capturing certain frames to examine them.
"Did you find anything?" Zhuang Zhen asked in a deep voice.
"Yes," Song Rui took off his glasses and rubbed his brow.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Zhuang Zhen immediately focused on the computer screen, looking very intent.
"This Vanga Luo is no ordinary person," Song Rui pointed to a segment of the video and said, "This is when he claimed to be a psychic, listen closely to his words."
Zhuang Zhen listened very attentively, and on the screen, Vanga Luo squinted, and slowly said, "…And I have the eighth consciousness, which is beyond the sixth sense, and I have an extra sub-consciousness and alaya-consciousness…"
Song Rui paused the video, and looked directly at Zhuang Zhen, asking, "Do you know what sub-consciousness and alaya-consciousness are?"
"I don't know. Is there a problem?" Zhuang Zhen didn't think these spiritual discussions were relevant to the case.
"Based on these words, I already have a rough idea of what kind of person Vanga Luo is, and I also understand his motive for releasing that death sketch and death prediction," Song Rui said, then turned to look at Vanga Luo in the screen, his gaze becoming extremely complex.
Xiao Li perked up his ears, showing great anticipation. He was extremely curious about Vanga Luo, very eager to understand his inner world.