sjar Chapter 1079 Recounting the Crime
Chapter 1079 Recounting the Crime
Page 17 of the photocopy details the type, price, and test report number of the steel bars supplied by Zhao Liqiang. Each number is circled in red, with the note "Insufficient strength, 20% short" written next to it. At the bottom of the box lies a bloodstained claw hammer, the curve of its head perfectly matching the shape of the wound on Li Jiansheng's occipital region.
"Arrest him!" Xiao Wang growled into the walkie-talkie. At that moment, Zhao Liqiang was making a transaction behind the containers at the dock, counting banknotes with his left hand, his right hand in his pocket, clutching the hammer stained with Li Jiansheng's blood. As plainclothes officers surrounded him from both sides, he suddenly turned to run, but an old injury to his left leg slowed him down. As he was tackled to the ground, he muttered, "That Li guy deserves it! Who told him to be so ungrateful..."
On the way back to the police station, Zhao Liqiang's head was pressed against the car window, raindrops carving twisted lines on the glass, like the words he hadn't finished speaking. Looking at the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face in the rearview mirror, Xiao Wang suddenly remembered Li Mengmeng playing "Für Elise." The warmth hidden in the melody ultimately couldn't withstand the coldness of steel bars and usurious loans. When the lights in the interrogation room came on, the scar on Zhao Liqiang's right ear glistened under the light. Xiao Wang knew that the truth, which had been concealed, would soon be exposed.
When Zhao Liqiang was led into the interrogation room, the chains dragged harshly across the floor. He stiffened his neck, his eyes scanning the surroundings fiercely, as if searching for a chance to escape. Xiao Wang placed the documents and hammer in front of him, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable force: "Zhao Liqiang, tell me, how did Li Jiansheng die?"
Zhao Liqiang's Adam's apple bobbed, but he said nothing, only staring intently at the claw hammer as if it were some terrifying monster. Xiao Wang didn't rush, but instead took out screenshots from the hotel's security cameras and photos of the van, placing them one by one in front of him. Each photo was like a hammer, pounding on Zhao Liqiang's psychological defenses.
"You stayed at the Hongyun Hotel all night. Where did you go during that time?" Xiao Wang's voice suddenly rose. "The fibers found in the back seat of the van and the DNA on the mineral water bottle both prove that you are related to Li Jiansheng's death. How long do you think you can keep this a secret?"
Zhao Liqiang's shoulders trembled slightly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by ferocity. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his neck stiff. "I just have a financial dispute with Li Jiansheng. He owes me money and hasn't paid it back, but I didn't kill him."
“Economic dispute?” Xiao Wang sneered. “What about that batch of substandard steel bars? You threatened Li Jiansheng to sign off on the acceptance, and you even tried to use his daughter’s situation to pressure him. All of that was recorded on the recording device.” He pressed the play button on the recording device, and Zhao Liqiang’s threatening voice echoed in the interrogation room.
Zhao Liqiang's face turned deathly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed his words back. Xiao Wang knew that his psychological defenses were beginning to crumble.
"You had someone break Li Jiansheng's leg, didn't you?" Xiao Wang continued to press. "Just because he refused to sign off on the substandard steel bars, which affected your interests. You not only lent him money at exorbitant interest rates, but you also forced him to do illegal things. When he refused, you killed him."
Zhao Liqiang suddenly began to struggle wildly, the chains clanging loudly as he pulled. "It wasn't me! I didn't kill him!" he screamed, his voice filled with fear and despair. "He was ungrateful, insisting on going against me, I had no choice..."
Seeing his hysterical state, Xiao Wang knew he was close to confessing. "Zhao Liqiang, resistance is useless now." He softened his tone, "Explain what happened clearly and try to get leniency. That's your only way out."
A brief silence fell over the interrogation room, broken only by Zhao Liqiang's heavy breathing. After a long while, he slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon, staring blankly ahead. Xiao Wang knew he was finally about to speak.
The rain continued to fall outside the window, but the atmosphere in the interrogation room became unusually heavy. Xiao Wang took out a pen and paper, preparing to record Zhao Liqiang's confession. He knew this would be a crucial step in uncovering the truth behind Li Jiansheng's death. And every word Zhao Liqiang uttered would determine his own fate.
During the second interrogation, the incandescent light in the interrogation room flickered suddenly, and Zhao Liqiang's shadow was twisted into a grotesque shape on the wall. He stared at the bloodstained claw hammer on the corner of the table, his knuckles white from gripping the armrest of the interrogation chair tightly. The chains scraped against the cement floor, making a soft, grinding sound, as if counting the seconds of his silence.
“That day at the abandoned factory,” Zhao Liqiang’s voice suddenly exploded, the scar on his right ear taut from clenching his teeth, “he was holding that black notebook, saying he was going to report me for supplying substandard steel bars.” He jerked his head up, veins throbbing on his forehead, “I told him that if he signed off on the acceptance, the usurious loan would be wiped clean, but he wouldn’t! He even said he’d put me in jail for life!”
Xiao Wang's pen flew across the notebook, the sound of the pen tip slicing through the paper particularly jarring: "And then? What happened to you at the factory?"
"He put the notebook in his pocket and was about to leave," Zhao Liqiang's Adam's apple bobbed, spittle splattering onto the table. "I chased after him and grabbed him, and he turned around and punched me." He pointed to the bruise below his right eye, which was covered by the brim of his hat in the hotel's surveillance footage. "The blow made my vision go blurry, so I grabbed a steel pipe from the side and smashed it over his head—I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to make him behave."
This statement perfectly matched the autopsy report by forensic pathologist Zhang Lin: Li Jiansheng had a non-fatal blunt force injury to his left scapula, and the wound's morphology was consistent with the characteristics of the steel pipe impact. Xiao Wang reviewed the on-site investigation record and found a steel pipe with fresh bloodstains in the corner of the factory wall; DNA testing confirmed it belonged to Li Jiansheng.
Zhao Liqiang's breathing became increasingly rapid, as if he were back in that factory filled with the smell of rust: "He was stunned by the beating, lying on the ground groaning. When I searched him, the notebook fell out, and I discovered that he had not only written about the steel bars, but also copied my loan sharking ledger." He suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, the chains rattling loudly as he was pulled. "At that moment, I thought, this man cannot be allowed to live."
"How did you get him to the Hongyun Hotel?" Xiao Wang pressed, pointing his finger at the photo of "scratches in room 302".
“I found a van and stuffed him into the suitcase.” Zhao Liqiang’s voice lowered, his gaze drifting to the rain outside the window. “He woke up halfway there and started kicking frantically in the suitcase, so I sat on it until he stopped moving.” This explains the size 42 rubber shoe print under the hotel bed – Zhao Liqiang was pressing the suitcase down firmly. And the 0.3-centimeter scratch on the wall perfectly matched the plaster residue left under Li Jiansheng’s fingernails.