Chapter 16: Imported from the Land of Cherry Blossoms? Attention from the Detective Agency!

Chapter Sixteen: Introduction to the Sakura Nation? Attention from the Detective Association!

Duan Yu felt a crack in his defenses.

“Officer Duan, are you listening? Let’s check the surveillance footage right now!”

Su Chen leaned forward, kindly reminding him, “After all, you need evidence, and I need to prove my innocence…”

Before he could finish, Duan Yu waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s put this matter aside for now,” he said softly. “You may leave.”

A long breath of relief escaped Su Chen as he graciously acknowledged the two experts with a slight nod and stepped out of the interrogation room.

In the cramped space, only cyber police expert Duan Yu and psychologist Bai Su remained.

Duan Yu sighed, adjusted the brim of his hat, and set down a thick stack of files.

“Compared to some officers who can’t substantiate their claims, Su Chen’s defense is relatively reasonable. For now, his suspicion level is lower than most others.”

Bai Su gazed thoughtfully after Su Chen’s departing figure.

Why could a clerk who handled case files remain so calm and composed under interrogation—a situation that unsettles even many frontline detectives?

This man carried more secrets than she had imagined.

Just then, Qin Ming entered, noticing Duan Yu’s expression and pausing before asking, “No breakthroughs?”

Duan Yu nodded.

For criminal investigators, coming up empty after long hours of work was routine—after all, solving cases was a test of endurance.

“Perhaps our approach is flawed,” Qin Ming suggested. “There’s a major question in this case—how did the murderer obtain the liquid explosives?”

“Was it through illegal trade, or self-manufactured? If self-made, that narrows the field considerably, since few in Jinling City, or even nationwide, can produce liquid explosives of such purity.”

Duan Yu’s interest was piqued.

“You mean the killer might be a chemistry expert with access to specialized equipment?”

Pushing up his glasses, Qin Ming nodded.

“We should focus on university professors and students, mainly at Jinling University, as they are the only ones with easy access to fully equipped laboratories.”

Duan Yu considered this and found the idea plausible.

He recalled the moment he brushed past the mysterious man, heart racing.

Could it be that the live manhunt broadcast crew had actually sent a chemistry expert to play the killer? Intriguing indeed.

Outside the interrogation room, several police officers who had been questioned watched the door with varied expressions.

How long had Su Chen been inside? Why hadn’t he come out yet?

Could something have gone wrong during the interrogation?

“The time they’ve questioned him is nearly double mine. Can Su Chen hold up?” murmured one burly officer.

Just then, Su Chen pushed open the door.

A dozen eyes immediately fixed on him.

His breathing was steady, his hands and feet didn’t tremble, and his complexion was as normal as ever.

It was as if he had gone in for a casual chat rather than an intense interrogation.

The other officers’ small eyes widened in confusion, their minds practically erupting with question marks.

“Su Chen, how was the interrogation?”

The officers spoke in unison.

Su Chen shrugged.

“Nothing special. Once they knew I was innocent, they let me out.”

“Nothing special?” The officers were stunned.

“You were questioned by experts for so long, yet you look like nothing happened. What kind of psychological resilience is that?”

Su Chen pondered briefly.

“Maybe it’s because a clear conscience fears no shadow. I didn’t do anything wrong during the day…”

Well, I did it in the evening—technically, that’s not daytime.

Hearing Su Chen’s words, the officers exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Here they were, frontline detectives, and this clerk seemed to outshine them all.

Suddenly, they felt embarrassed for themselves.

Viewers in the live chat laughed.

“Well said—‘A clear conscience fears no shadow!’ I bow to your mastery of lying!”

“This isn’t an interrogation of Su Chen; it’s Su Chen interrogating Officer Duan. Why don’t you check the footage? Are you just unwilling?”

“Officer Duan: All that surveillance you blew up was mine. How am I supposed to check it now?”

“Really? I don’t believe it. (wry face)”

“Officer Duan will probably dream about that line tonight. Hahaha…”

Meanwhile, the live broadcast’s popularity soared dramatically with Su Chen’s every move.

Now over twenty million were watching online, and the live manhunt was trending at the top on major websites.

#DouYinLive: Watch closely, this man is Su Chen, facing a group of “Fubo”…

#WeiboTopTrend: Master criminal Su Chen stuns the crowd with his replay!

#HeadlineHot: This man actually did this to a police officer to cover his crimes!

This was a milestone unmatched since Yang TV began live broadcasts.

Backstage at the studio of the live manhunt broadcast, director Chen Qiming stared blankly at the giant screen showing Su Chen’s stream.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Seeing it was He Mingyu, director of Yang TV, Chen Qiming’s heart sank. Trouble was coming.

The purpose of this variety show was to showcase modern criminal investigation to the public.

But the choice of Su Chen as the killer had turned it into a personal spectacle.

Chen had suspected trouble from the start, and sure enough, upper management was now reprimanding him.

He hurriedly answered the call.

“Hello, Director He, this is Chen Qiming.”

He even braced himself to apologize with a proper attitude.

But He Mingyu’s words on the other end stunned him.

“Qiming, you truly are a master!”

Wait, that can’t be right, can it?

Chen Qiming quickly tried to explain.

“Director, I admit that picking Su Chen for the killer role was a spontaneous decision on my part, and I didn’t discuss it thoroughly…”

“Qiming, say no more—you’re a genius!” He Mingyu exclaimed excitedly.

“I admit I had reservations, thinking the young man might be too dull to play the killer well.”

“But you, Old Chen, have the eye of a true talent scout. You picked a gem. A legendary director indeed lives up to his name!”

“Su Chen and you are like the horse and the master, Zhong Ziqi and Boya, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya…”

Chen Qiming was speechless.

Listening to the torrent of praise from He Mingyu, he had no chance to interrupt.

A monumental compliment was thus placed upon his head.

Chen could not refute it—he never imagined this kid would be so impressive.

From a botanical perspective, however, leaders rarely lavish such praise without reason.

He waited quietly for the director to get to the point.

Sure enough, after showering him with compliments, He Mingyu shifted gears.

“By the way, Qiming, since our show is so popular, I just received an application from the Sakura Nation’s broadcasting station—they’re sending people over.”

“They want to observe our production and hope to introduce the live manhunt broadcast in their country.”

Introducing it to the Sakura Nation? That would skyrocket the show’s popularity even further.

Chen Qiming considered this carefully.

The live manhunt already had over twenty million viewers, soon to hit thirty million, and this was only the first night.

At this growth rate, it would soon hit a plateau near the national New Year’s Gala’s peak of 150 million viewers.

After that, further surges would be difficult.

But going international could attract viewers worldwide, potentially multiplying the audience several times over.

Though initially reluctant, Chen realized this show might make history.

This was a dream for any director.

Then again, even if he refused, He Mingyu wouldn’t heed him.

Chen clenched his teeth and agreed.

“Alright, Director He, I’ll start preparing to welcome the foreign guests to the studio!”

He Mingyu’s smile stretched nearly to his ears.

Which director wouldn’t want such an achievement?

“Old Chen, that’s the spirit. By the way, their evening flight is arriving soon.”

Chen Qiming’s face darkened. Why wait until now to tell me?

Clearly, the director had no intention of listening to his opinion.

At that moment, He Mingyu’s voice lowered.

“Also, Qiming, I need to warn you about something.”

Chen was startled. More news?

“Go ahead, Director.”

He Mingyu whispered,

“The visitor from the Sakura Nation is the national treasure-level director Nan Ye Wu. But that’s not the main point—the visit is connected to the Sakura Nation’s Kaneda Detective Association.”

“In other words, Su Chen may have caught the Kaneda Detective Association’s attention.”

Boom!

That revelation hit Chen like thunder. His hand holding the phone stiffened and remained so for a long time.

…

Expert Panel Office.

At this moment, Su Chen felt a shudder through his body.

Not for any other reason than he heard a deep, rumbling beast’s roar echoing through his mind once again.

This meant the star chart room inside his mind had changed once more.

Damn, could they stop using such terrifying alert sounds?

Su Chen silently grumbled, then sat back in the conference chair, closing his eyes slightly to sink into his consciousness.

Soon, his mind entered a haze, and the familiar outline of the room appeared.

But Su Chen frowned slightly.

He sensed this fluctuation was unusual, different from before.