The Hunt

Xu Qingli plopped down onto the bench, glanced at the man across from him, and smiled.

"How come it's you?"

Tong Hao clenched the pen in his right hand, his cheeks puffed out, remaining silent.

"I've talked with that old cop several times already, going over the same old stuff. I've confessed everything I needed to. I really didn't mean to kill Cao Xiaojun, but it was pitch black, and he suddenly rushed at me with a knife. I fought back—does that count as breaking the law?"

Xu Qingli stared at Tong Hao, trying to catch any flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"By the way, why hasn't this case been closed yet? Could it be you're still missing some evidence?"

Xu's expression was calm, almost pious.

"Officer, if you need any more statements from me to wrap up the case, just ask. I'll be completely honest, say whatever needs to be said, and cooperate fully with your work."

Tong Hao turned his face away, his gaze sweeping over the stack of case files on the table.

"We're not here to talk about Cao Xiaojun's case today. Let's discuss Ni Xiangdong's instead."

He deliberately tapped the table twice—he knew Xu was sneaking a look.

Sure enough, Xu Qingli froze for a moment, but in the blink of an eye, his usual slick demeanor returned, like an actor ready to take the stage.

"I don't know anything about that. Never even met the guy. All I did was burn his body—I admit that was wrong. Does that count as breaking the law too?"

He rubbed his hands incessantly, the handcuffs on his wrists clinking noisily, his face pleading as he stared at Tong Hao.

"If I have to be sentenced, then so be it. There's nothing I can do about it. Lock me up for a month or two, even a year or two—I'll accept it."

Tong Hao lifted his eyes from the files. "And what else?"

"What else? What more could there be?"

Xu Qingli suddenly leaned forward, his voice rising a notch.

"I just used his name to pick up odd jobs here and there to get by. Anything beyond that really has nothing to do with me. Officer, you should investigate properly—don't wrong an innocent man—"

Acting.

After that phone call, Tong Hao already understood his game of emotional manipulation.

This was an old hand at playing the long game, the kind who'd let others do his dirty work. Over the years, Xu Qingli had done plenty of that. So Tong Hao knew the helpless confusion on his face was fake—probing for information was the real goal.

Tong Hao decided to play along.

"Xu Qingli, let me tell you a story."

"Oh?" Xu Qingli paused, shifting uncomfortably on the bench. "Alright, officer, go ahead."

"In Nanling Village, Nanyang Province, there was a young man surnamed Xu. Funny coincidence—he shares your surname."

Xu Qingli nodded cooperatively, saying nothing more.

"This Xu fellow lived most of his life as a law-abiding citizen. After coming of age, he followed others to Ding'an County to work. After years of hard labor, he'd saved up a bit of money and wanted to marry a girl, settle down back home. But the girl he liked ignored him and ended up with someone else."

Xu Qingli straightened up, tilting his head thoughtfully, as if listening to a news report.

"This Xu guy flew into a rage and immediately confronted the girl's fiancé. It was late at night, and everyone had been drinking. Words flew, tempers flared, and soon they were shoving each other. Plenty of people saw it happen. Then, early the next morning, the fiancé was found dead in the wilderness. Guess who killed him?"Xu Qingli leaned back, sitting askew on the stool with an indifferent smile on his face.

"I don't understand," he shook his head. "Can't guess."

"Rumors spread that Xu did it, word of mouth, person to person, growing wilder by the day. The victim's family was a local powerhouse—wealthy, influential, and domineering. Their only heir had died violently and been left to rot in the wilderness. They weren't about to let that slide.

"The police tried to reason with them, but bloodlust had taken over. This family didn’t want justice anymore—they just wanted a life in return. Before long, they abandoned legal avenues altogether. They hired a mob to patrol the county with clubs and knives, even putting out word that anyone who handed over the man surnamed Xu would be richly rewarded—dead or alive.

"The whole family made a special trip to Xu’s hometown, smashing and burning, with some taking the chance to set fires. The wildfires raged for days, destroying vast fields and orchards. After that, even his own people turned against him. No one would help him, much less shelter him.

"The police had warrants out everywhere. The victim’s family combed the surrounding counties inch by inch. His fellow villagers resented him. Even his own father might not have believed in him. The man surnamed Xu had every escape route cut off—nowhere left in the world to hide. It was tragic. Death seemed the only path left for him."

Xu Qingli listened quietly, a faint smile on his face, the malice in his eyes flickering like stones in a stream.

"Originally, he’d never have seen the light of day again. But fate works in strange ways. On a sweltering night, he stumbled upon a man and a woman digging a hole deep in the mountains. After they left, curiosity got the better of him. Do you know what was buried in that hole?"

Xu Qingli glared at him sidelong, silent.

"A man—eyes closed, covered in blood, motionless. Xu was terrified and bolted. But after a few steps, something dawned on him. Summoning his courage, he crept back.

"Under the moonlight, he took another look—and grinned. The man bore an uncanny resemblance to him. The only differences? The man had a scar on his left brow, while Xu had a birthmark on his left cheek. No matter—those could be hidden. A tattoo, a headscarf, or—"

Tong Hao’s gaze swept over the ruined left side of Xu Qingli’s face.

"—or a scar."

The smile drained from Xu Qingli’s face, revealing something feral beneath.

Tong Hao cleared his throat and continued.

"Xu was overjoyed. The corpse was a godsend—a chance to fake his death, reinvent himself, and start over. All his mistakes could be wiped clean. But there was just one problem—just one—"

Tong Hao shook his head, speaking casually.

"He discovered the man wasn’t actually dead."

Xu Qingli narrowed his eyes, his smile vanishing entirely.

"That man—Ni Xiangdong—was covered in blood, stabbed multiple times, yet somehow still breathing. Maybe he’d been playing dead, maybe he’d regained consciousness from shock. Either way, he started struggling, fighting back, trying to escape. So, what would you do?"

Tong Hao’s tone shifted abruptly, his stare locking onto Xu Qingli.

"If it were you, what would you do?"Xu Qingli stiffened for a moment.

"This is just a story," he sneered. "A story you made up."

"Indeed, just a story."

"Hah," Xu Qingli leaned back slightly, visibly relieved. "Stories don't count. They can't be used as evidence."

"Evidence for what?" Tong Hao pressed immediately.

Xu Qingli quickly glanced at the surveillance camera in the interrogation room before his eyes darted back to Tong Hao's face. He pressed his lips together and fell silent.

Tong Hao knew what he was worried about. He turned to whisper something to his colleague beside him, who nodded in response. Standing up, Tong Hao turned his back and deliberately switched off the surveillance equipment in front of Xu Qingli before turning around again.

"There's one more thing I'd like to share with you. Normally, I shouldn't bring this up, but it's just too unusual."

He met Xu Qingli's glare head-on.

"Wu Ximei confessed everything—how she killed Ni Xiangdong, how many times she stabbed him, everything. She said Cao Xiaojun had nothing to do with it, that she was the one who delivered the final blows. This case should have been closed right there. But last night—no, early this morning—I received a call that completely overturned the conclusion. Guess who it was from?"

Xu Qingli scoffed. "Surely not Ni Xiangdong."

"Of course not. You watched him take his last breath, after all."

A muscle in Xu Qingli's right cheek twitched. He hesitated for a few seconds.

"I didn't."

Yes, his suspicion was correct.

Meng Chao had once taught him how to tell if a suspect was lying: when directly questioned about details of a crime, there would be a difference in response time. Innocent people would usually deny it quickly and directly, while suspects who had actually committed the crime would involuntarily replay the scene in their minds, causing a slight delay in their answers. Xu Qingli's pause only confirmed Tong Hao's suspicions further.

But he needed a more direct confession. He wanted Xu Qingli to admit it himself.

"Before we left Nanyang Province, the local police offered to assist with the case. They agreed to re-examine the unidentified male corpse in the stone coffin. Early this morning, they called—"

Tong Hao deliberately trailed off, stealing a glance at Xu Qingli's reaction.

"Should I continue, or would you like to confess the rest yourself?"

Xu Qingli interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, looking up at Tong Hao with a sidelong glance.

"What do you want me to confess?"

Tong Hao slammed the table.

"Speak! When you found Ni Xiangdong, was he already dead or not?"

The interrogation room fell into silence.

He glared at him. He stared back.

Tong Hao held his ground, suppressing the tremble in his body.

Just moments ago, he and his colleague had put on an act. Standing up to "turn off" the surveillance had been nothing more than a show for Xu Qingli, meant to lower his guard—hoping he would take the bait.

The surveillance was still running, recording Xu Qingli's every word and movement. If he slipped up, if he so much as nodded, if he showed even the slightest crack...

"Xu Qingli, this is your last chance. Think about your elderly father. If you ever want to see him again in this lifetime, you’d better cooperate. Confess everything and you might get a reduced sentence."

This time, Tong Hao softened his tone.

"I’ll ask you one more time—when you found Ni Xiangdong, was he already dead or not?"

But Xu Qingli neither confirmed nor denied it. He didn’t nod or shake his head.

He simply tilted his head, staring at Tong Hao for a long time.

And then, as he stared, he smiled."Shh—"

He pointed at the surveillance camera, then leaned back in his chair and winked at Tong Hao.

"Now, it's your turn to guess."