006 True or False (Please Add to Favorites!)

Eight o’clock in the evening, at the back gate of Central Park.

“Ugh, what a pervert!” Li Hui spat on the ground.

Han Bin shrank his neck back. “Watch your spit.”

“Think about it—Zheng Wen actually hid such an important piece of evidence?” Li Hui said.

“This whole thing hit her pretty hard. Maybe she didn’t notice at the time, and later, it became too hard to talk about,” Han Bin replied.

“Looks like the park’s getting busy.”

Han Bin and Li Hui stood at the entrance of the park, a stack of photographs in hand, conducting their checks.

The tech department had managed to process and extract some frontal images of the people they were looking for; more images were still being worked on, though it was clear some would remain blurry no matter how much they were enhanced.

At least there were streetlights near the gate, so the images of people coming and going were relatively clear. Without those, the surveillance footage would have been even murkier.

Whenever they spotted someone resembling a person in a photo, they would stop them, ask a few questions, and take down names, IDs, phone numbers, and fingerprints.

Even if someone didn’t match a photo, the two would still routinely ask whether they’d noticed anything unusual the night of the crime.

It wasn’t physically demanding, but it was tedious, and their mouths barely got a break.

Zhao Ming and Tian Li were stationed at the front gate, doing the same kind of checking.

This went on for several days.

All four of them combed through Central Park, identifying over twenty men who could have committed the crime based on the timeline. There were also some men with clear images, but who hadn’t been to the park in recent days; their information could be found in the police system.

One afternoon, Han Bin was dozing over his desk at the office.

A sharp sound of clapping echoed through the room. Zeng Ping called out, “Everyone, gather up.”

“Captain Zeng, are we heading back to Central Park for more checks?” Li Hui asked with a frown.

“Not today.”

“Why not?”

“The DNA comparison results are in,” Zeng Ping said.

“The database found a match?” Han Bin asked, surprised.

“That’s right. Here’s the suspect’s file.” As he spoke, Zeng Ping switched on the projector and displayed the suspect’s information.

Name: Chen Jun
Ethnicity: Han
Age: 28
Height: 177 cm
Occupation: Qindao Technology Company
Marital Status: Single
Address: Qindao City, Yuxin Road, Jiangxin Community, Apt 6-703

“What are we waiting for, Captain? Let’s go pick him up,” Zhao Ming said.

...

They sped over to Jiangxin Community.

Disguised as staff from the property management company, they tricked their way inside.

They quickly subdued the suspect, Chen Jun.

He was a typical shut-in—the apartment was a mess, rented, and he lived alone.

Han Bin and the others searched carefully but found no tools or weapons. They brought him back to the station.

To solve the case as soon as possible, Zeng Ping decided on an overnight interrogation.

...

Qindao Branch, interrogation room.

The suspect sat strapped to the interrogation chair. Han Bin and Li Hui conducted the questioning. Zeng Ping, Tian Li, and Zhao Ming observed from the next room through a one-way mirror.

“Name, age, place of birth…” Han Bin began, following procedure.

“Chen Jun, twenty-eight, from Qindao City…”

“Do you know why you’re here?” Li Hui asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Chen Jun shook his head.

“We suspect you’re involved in a rape. We hope you’ll cooperate with the investigation,” Li Hui said.

“That’s impossible! I’ve never done anything like that.” Chen Jun’s shock was genuine.

“Last Monday, the night of June eighteenth—where were you?” Li Hui pressed.

“I can’t remember,” Chen Jun said.

“Try to think carefully.”

After a moment, Chen Jun recalled, “I was at home.”

“Can anyone vouch for you?”

“I live alone.”

“So, no one can confirm you didn’t leave your apartment that night?” Li Hui said.

“Officers, I swear I’m innocent!” Chen Jun pleaded.

“Every suspect brought in here claims they’re innocent. Shouting won’t prove anything,” Li Hui replied.

“I really didn’t do it!”

“Then tell me—why was your seminal DNA found at the crime scene?” Han Bin asked.

“Where exactly are you talking about?”

“Central Park.”

“I’ve never even been to that park!” Chen Jun insisted.

“Don’t bother pretending. If you’d never been there, how would your DNA turn up at the scene? That’s not something you can fake,” Li Hui said.

“I’m being framed! There must be some mistake,” Chen Jun protested.

“Seminal DNA is solid evidence for a conviction. If you can’t explain why your DNA was at the crime scene, no one will be able to help you,” Han Bin said.

“I really don’t know,” Chen Jun said, close to tears.

...

An hour later, Han Bin and Li Hui left the interrogation room.

“How did it go?” Zeng Ping asked.

“The suspect doesn’t have an alibi,” Han Bin answered.

“Any new leads?”

“He’s tight-lipped, just keeps saying he doesn’t know,” Li Hui said.

“The DNA matches. Even if he denies it, it won’t help,” Zhao Ming said.

“Captain Zeng, I still think there are doubts in this case,” Han Bin said.

“What kind of doubts?”

“Chen Jun doesn’t seem like he’s lying,” Han Bin replied.

During questioning, Han Bin had used microexpression analysis to observe every move Chen Jun made. He saw fear, panic, but no signs of deception.

It wasn’t the behavior of a killer.

“Do you have any evidence?” Zeng Ping asked.

Han Bin shook his head; it was all his own analysis.

“Han Bin, we’re police officers; we work with evidence,” Zeng Ping said earnestly. “If Chen Jun can’t account for his whereabouts during the time of the crime, and can’t explain why his DNA was found at the scene, he won’t be cleared as a suspect.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, everyone’s tired. Let’s call it a night and continue tomorrow,” Zeng Ping said.

Back home, Han Bin couldn’t stop thinking about the case.

Was his microexpression analysis wrong?

Or was there another culprit?

With that question lingering in his mind, Han Bin drifted off to sleep.

...

The next morning.

Huayuan Community, Apartment 1201.

After waking up, Han Bin washed up, changed into clean clothes, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

His parents lived in the same building, in Apartment 601.

His father, Han Weidong, was also a police officer, stationed at the Guang’an Police Station. His mother, Wang Huifang, was retired.

Entering his parents’ apartment, Han Bin found his father sitting by the tea table, sipping tea and reading the newspaper.

“Dad, don’t you get enough of the station at work?” Han Bin joked.

“What do you know? You never stop learning. I’m studying national policy, keeping up with the times,” Han Weidong retorted.

“Where’s Mom?”

“She’s gone to the market.”

“What’s for breakfast?” Han Bin yawned.

“Go wash your hands. I’ll get you some food,” Han Weidong said.

“I get treated this well?” Han Bin was surprised.

“Your mother says you’re busy with detective work, so as a community officer I should support you more,” Han Weidong huffed.

“Mom’s got the right idea,” Han Bin grinned.

“Don’t get cocky.”

After washing his hands, Han Bin went to the dining room. On the table were a plate of egg fried rice, a bowl of corn porridge, a small dish of pickles, and some braised beef.

“Looks good.” Han Bin, feeling hungry, took a few bites of the fried rice, then paused as something occurred to him. “Dad, was this rice left over from yesterday?”

“Day-old rice has less moisture. It fries up better,” Han Weidong replied.

“Leftover rice—not freshly made.” Han Bin mused.

“Eat slowly—there’s more in the pot,” Han Weidong said, heading back to the living room with his newspaper.

Han Bin finished the fried rice with a few pieces of beef, skipped the porridge, and hurried off to the precinct.

A theory was beginning to form in his mind—perhaps it could explain how the suspect’s DNA ended up at the crime scene…