Chapter 125: Why the Fuck Didn’t You Say So Earlier?

Inside the interrogation room, Yang Meng sat on a chair, though he was not handcuffed. Facing him were two police officers, one of whom was Officer Zhou, the same man who had brought him in.

"Young man, you're quite unlucky!" Officer Zhou’s opening remark only left Yang Meng more bewildered.

"Huh?" Yang Meng didn't understand what he meant.

Officer Zhou pointed to the camera nearby. "We are starting the official recording now. Everything we say will be logged. Tell us exactly what happened today."

Yang Meng looked at the camera, nodded, and recounted the events at the park exactly as they had occurred. After answering a few more questions, Officer Zhou turned off the camera.

Yang Meng scratched his head. "I heard someone call you Zhou, so I’ll call you Officer Zhou. Can you tell me what’s actually going on? What did you mean when you said I was unlucky?"

Officer Zhou gave a bitter smile. "Let’s just say you hit the jackpot. This couple are repeat offenders. They’ve been here four times for similar incidents! I’ve personally handled three of them!"

"What?" Now it was Yang Meng’s turn to be shocked. "Repeat offenders? What does that mean?"

He recalled the woman’s expression when she first saw Officer Zhou—it shifted from surprise to a look of unbothered arrogance. He hadn’t understood why until now.

With the camera off, Officer Zhou spoke freely. "Let’s put it this way: this couple is fairly well-known within our city’s police department."

"Oh? Officer Zhou, I’m all ears," Yang Meng asked, curious.

Officer Zhou tossed a cigarette to Yang Meng and lit one for himself. "I’ll be honest with you. The man is Ma Dali, and the woman is Lu Xintian. They specifically choose secluded areas, pretend to be victims of domestic violence to bait kind-hearted passersby into helping, and then stir up a conflict so they can play the victim and extort money by calling the police."

Yang Meng jumped up from his chair. "Damn it! So they’re those kind of scumbags! But wait! If you all know this, why haven't you arrested them? Why make me give a statement here?"

Officer Zhou waved his hand. "Sit down, young man, sit down! Don't get excited! Do we look like we’re interrogating a criminal?"

Yang Meng thought about it; that was true. From the start, they had told him to ride his motorcycle to the station, and once here, they hadn't cuffed him and had even offered him a cigarette. It really didn't feel like a standard interrogation.

He sat back down and asked, "Officer Zhou, can you clarify? I’m even more confused now."

Officer Zhou smiled bitterly. "Everything I said is just a theory. The couple is very cunning. They pick crime scenes in blind spots where there are no surveillance cameras, and in their daily lives, they always project the image of a loving couple with no record of domestic abuse. We police aren't omnipotent; we have to rely on evidence. Based on the existing evidence for what happened today, things look bad for you."

Yang Meng was stunned. "People can actually pull off that kind of scam? Officer Zhou, even if you know they’re doing this, you don't arrest them?"

Officer Zhou sighed. "Young man, the police really aren't omnipotent. Everything we do must be based on evidence. Even if we arrested them and submitted the case to the prosecutor, it would be kicked back because we have no proof! They’d just claim they went to the park late at night for a romantic walk and were robbed; what can we do? And regardless of the circumstances, you injured him, and our country’s laws lean toward protecting the victim."

Yang Meng was at a total loss. "Doesn't that just break the heart of anyone trying to do the right thing?"

Officer Zhou sighed. "Why do you think we became police officers? Isn't the initial motivation for every cop the word 'justice'? But we face many situations where we feel helpless. There was a case where someone tried to help, was accused by the person they 'helped' of causing injury, was sued for 170,000, and ended up being criminally detained. Public opinion was cursing the police back then, but did they know the difficulties the police face?"

"Hmph, I would have cursed you too," Yang Meng said indignantly.

Officer Zhou sighed again. "You don't understand the duties of the police. We only handle arrests and investigations. Whether a case moves forward is up to the prosecutors and the courts. If they file a complaint, we have to investigate. If the evidence is against you, we have to refer it to the prosecutor's office for public prosecution. That is our duty. Whether you were acting in good faith or committing robbery is for the prosecutor and the court to decide. But if they report a crime and we don't take it, that’s dereliction of duty. I hope you can understand our position!"

Officer Zhou’s face looked pained as he spoke; he wasn't lying.

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "Our manpower is limited. We can't assign people to tail this couple 24/7, and we don't know when they’ll pull this stunt again. Officer Xiao Li just called back to say your kick was very heavy—Ma Dali has a ruptured intestine and needs hospitalization. He is insisting on holding you accountable for medical expenses and other damages."

Yang Meng scoffed. "He hit me with a brick; should I have been polite to him? If I’d known, I should have kicked him to death!"

Officer Zhou shook his head. "Young man, I know you're angry, but your reaction was impulsive! Let’s put it this way: even if this is deemed a rescue, they will accuse you of excessive force, which is very hard to define. Without video, it’s impossible to reconstruct the facts just through conflicting statements. If it’s classified as excessive force, you will face criminal charges. Of course, that’s all for the prosecutors and the courts. All we can do is try to reconstruct the events with the evidence we have. And honestly, the current evidence is against you."

Yang Meng actually relaxed upon hearing this. He grinned and said, "Officer Zhou, if I’m reading you right, I’m going to the detention center now to wait for the police to hand the case over to the prosecutor, who will then decide if I was a hero or a robber?"

Officer Zhou looked even more distressed. He nodded. "If they insist on pressing charges, we really have to do that."

Yang Meng smiled without a word. Since Officer Zhou had been so transparent with him, he didn't hold any grudge against the police. Zhou was right—they were police, not gods. They had to follow procedures and evidence. When someone reports a crime, they must process it, and they can't invent evidence based on hunches.

As Ling Feng used to say: "At the end of the day, I’m a cop. I deal in evidence. If there’s evidence, he’s in trouble; if there isn't, he’s clear."

Seeing Yang Meng’s expression, Officer Zhou let out a long sigh. "What I’m about to say goes against my professional conduct, and I don't really want to say it, but for your sake, I have to."

"What is it?" Yang Meng asked curiously.

Officer Zhou said, "This couple does this for money, not to see you in prison. It’s best if you can reach a settlement with them. Actually, the previous victims all did that—think of it as paying to buy peace. What a mess! I shouldn't even be saying this!"

Yang Meng waved a hand. "Officer Zhou, don't blame yourself. This couple is vicious—they immediately framed me for 'robbery,' which carries a minimum three-year sentence. Given the current evidence, it would indeed be very unfavorable for me if I didn't settle."

Officer Zhou smiled bitterly. "Exactly. That’s the trouble. Logically, a case like this shouldn't be settled since it has already reached the criminal threshold, and at the very least, it should go through the prosecutor's office. But we all know what’s going on here, and we’re helpless. This is all I can do. I spoke to the chief, and he’s given you 24 hours to see if you can negotiate a resolution before we proceed with the case."

Yang Meng burst into laughter.

Officer Zhou was stunned. "What are you laughing at? Don't take this lightly! If you can't reach a deal and they pursue criminal charges, the evidence really is against you."

Yang Meng stopped laughing. "Officer Zhou, let me ask you: if I had evidence proving they were filing a false accusation, what would you do?"

Officer Zhou slammed his hand on the table. "I’d make their lives hell! They think they can use the police as their accomplices and play us for fools! I’m not afraid to tell you—I’ve seen this three times now! I’ve decided: starting today, I’m going to stake them out, even if it means missing the holidays!"

The other officer, who had been silent, sighed. "Brother Zhou, I don't think they’ll strike again before the New Year, right? They don't have a pattern, but I suspect they just want a big payday for the holidays. If Mr. Yang settles, they’ll have a comfortable New Year."

Yang Meng replied, "They’ll have a comfortable New Year all right—in the detention center. Or maybe even prison!"

"Hmm?" Both officers looked at Yang Meng, their eyes filled with confusion. Based on the evidence they had, Yang Meng was in a very difficult spot.

Yang Meng smiled even more brightly. "Officer Zhou, since you were so open with me, let me help you out. You know I ride motorcycles, right?"

Officer Zhou nodded. "Yeah. You were on a bike earlier. That wasn't a cheap one, right?"

Yang Meng shook his head. "It’s not about the bike; it’s about my helmet. You know, it’s inconvenient to answer phones while riding, and you run into all sorts of unexpected situations."

Officer Zhou asked, puzzled, "And?"

Yang Meng pointed to his motorcycle helmet. "Motorcyclists who ride heavy bikes usually mount cameras on their helmets to record everything that happens on the road. They were smart enough to choose a spot without security cameras, but they didn't count on me having my own. Everything that happened today was recorded!"

Officer Zhou couldn't sit still anymore. He slammed the table and stood up. "Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?!"