The criminal sat behind the metal fence, his hands and feet secured to the chair.
Su Yue could clearly feel a spark of excitement flash in his eyes the moment he saw her.
"Yu Qiang, is it? I'm reporter Bai Liqing." Bai Liqing took a seat.
"Reporter Bai Li, heh, I know you."
He leaned back lazily against the chair, his gaze never leaving Su Yue.
"Oh? So you know why I'm here."
"I know. Ask whatever you want."
He continued to stare intently at Su Yue.
His gaze was truly terrifying.
It was a look of obsession and coldness, like a predator staring at its prey.
Unflustered, she sat down next to Bai Liqing, picked up her laptop, and began to record.
Behind them, a video recorder was also capturing everything.
Su Yue had not seen the confession of the crime.
When Bai Liqing began her questions, starting with the confession, she understood what true fear was.
"You know this girl, the prettiest one," he said.
When Bai Liqing asked about the third victim, a triumphant smile appeared on his face.
He described the crime in excruciating detail.
Su Yue's heart pounded wildly.
A wave of intense discomfort washed over her.
She continued to record steadily, unaware that tears were welling up in her eyes.
"She looked just like this when the girl cried and begged me!"
Suddenly, the criminal burst into a wild laugh, tilting his chin towards Su Yue.
"You know, she deserved to die. Women at night shouldn't be out dressed so prettily, aren't they just trying to seduce men?"
"The more she cried, the more excited I got. Gods like these were ravaged by me. It was worth dying for, hahaha!"
"But now, I have regrets."
His eyes, filled with excitement and amusement, turned to Su Yue again.
"City A is still a bit primitive. There aren't any girls this beautiful. If I had the chance... I would definitely come for you! Hahaha!"
A wave of nausea struck her. Su Yue raised her hand to her mouth, then lowered her head, letting her tears fall silently.
But even as she forced herself to hold on, she felt her whole body tremble, her breathing becoming difficult.
The police officers, who had been observing secretly, stepped forward immediately and sternly reprimanded him.
"Let's go out, Yueyue."
Bai Liqing stood up and pulled Su Yue out of the room.
"Have some water," she said, handing Su Yue a bottle of mineral water.
Su Yue took the bottle with trembling hands and struggled to twist open the cap for a long time, but it wouldn't budge.
Seeing this, Bai Liqing sighed and took Su Yue's arm.
"You take a break. I'll continue recording from here."
Still shaken, Su Yue looked at Bai Liqing with a dazed expression but instinctively replied,
"No, I'll be fine in a moment."
She couldn't retreat now. Since she had come, she had to complete the task.
"Are you sure?" Bai Liqing asked, still concerned.
"Yes." She finally managed to open the water bottle and took a sip, her heart calming slightly.
"Alright, let's continue," Bai Liqing said kindly, not overly protective.
Without enduring wind and rain, one cannot grow into a towering tree.
When they re-entered, Su Yue was much calmer.
The subsequent questioning proceeded smoothly.
Her presence indeed stimulated the criminal.
His criminal psychology was revealed to them more completely and clearly.
He even proactively brought up his past experiences and their connection to his crimes.
The interrogation lasted a full four hours.
It was already six o'clock in the evening.
By the coast of City A, the air was filled with the scent of the salty sea breeze.
On the way back, Su Yue was lost in thought.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Bai Liqing sent a few messages on her phone and then said, "Colleagues from the press station are inviting us to dinner. Shall we go?"
"I... don't want to go right now," she said, already sitting on the bed, her voice tinged with melancholy.
"Are you okay, Yueyue?"
Bai Liqing put down her phone, came before her, and asked with concern.
"Teacher Bai Li, you were right," she had started to like calling her that:
"Facing darkness directly does require courage and a strong psyche. I... might need some time to recover."
"Then I'll stay with you."
"No need. I'll just call Chen Ziming later."
She remembered what he had told her to do.
Hearing this, Bai Liqing seemed to understand and, feeling relieved, discreetly left.