Chapter 108: Ma Baoguo's Suspect

The three stared at Li Tianque in terror, unsure what kind of creature he truly was to conjure such an incredible thing to attack them—something utterly beyond their ability to resist.

Li Tianque felt a trace of nervousness himself; after all, this was his first time using his insect exterminator’s power against ordinary people.

Yet he forced himself to remain calm, pressing down his hat and saying, “My apologies for the rudeness. There’s no need to be overly alarmed by the weapon I’ve used. It’s a new type of liquid weapon—while it restricts your movements, it is not deadly.

“The reason I summoned the three of you here is simple: three people have already died, time is pressing, and I must swiftly identify the murderer to prevent further harm.

“So, I intend to gather more clues from the three of you.

“The reason I chose you three is that I have already ruled you out as suspects.

“I hope you will cooperate fully. As long as you reveal every clue you know without reservation, I promise you that I will personally capture the true culprit.”

Among the three restrained, only Ma Baoguo managed to keep some composure; the other two were visibly shaken.

They scarcely paid attention to Li Tianque’s words, their focus fixed entirely on the eerie black substance.

In their understanding, they had never before seen such a strange material—something straight out of a science fiction film.

Li Tianque, unwilling to waste more time, said, “Now, each of you will speak in turn. Feel free to say anything related to the case. But there is one condition: you must be truthful and speak the sincerest thoughts of your heart.

“If you cannot, then I’m afraid I will have to take some extreme measures.

“Rest assured, Director Ma is here, and my extreme measures will only cause you pain—they will not cross the bounds of the law.”

Li Tianque had never mastered threats or bribery; he knew his words sounded naive, even laughable.

Yet he believed that under the oppressive power of this strange black substance, none among these three, except Ma Baoguo, would dare lie.

He chose Ma Baoguo as the first to speak.

When the black substance sealing his mouth vanished, Ma Baoguo’s gaze was calm. After looking at Li Tianque, he spat and murmured, “Bah… We acted together. What more is there to say?”

“Then speak your truest thoughts on the case,” Li Tianque urged.

Ma Baoguo sneered and slowly said, “Fine. The people from the editorial room are as mysterious as the rumors say.

“But if you truly want my honest opinion, you’d better be prepared.”

“Of course, say whatever you want,” Li Tianque replied.

Ma Baoguo took a deep breath, glanced at the other two, then back at Li Tianque, and continued, “Alright, I’ll be straightforward. Though you have special privileges to assist in this case, that doesn’t mean you are cleared of suspicion.

“From what we know so far, the demon insect was first brought into the village by you. At the scene of the first murder, you were the only witness present.

“When Tudeng Nima and others arrived, you were alone; no killer was seen, but the two of you fought.

“I let you go later, not because you were innocent, but because orders from above required it—not because I believed you.

“My point is, we shouldn’t assume that just because I am working with this guy, he must be innocent.

“Besides, at the scenes of the other two murders, you were nearby. When the morgue caught fire, you ran inside for reasons unknown—I certainly didn’t see you helping to put out the fire.

“So, among the four of us, you, Li Tianque, remain the prime suspect.”

Ma Baoguo’s gaze burned into Li Tianque.

Unfazed, Li Tianque met his stare without a flicker of emotion.

Throughout the investigation, Ma Baoguo had been uncooperative and seemed openly hostile, and now that animosity had fully erupted.

Still, Li Tianque had to admit there was some truth in Ma Baoguo’s words.

His many strange behaviors did indeed look suspicious to others.

Clearing his throat, Li Tianque responded quickly, unwilling to let Ma Baoguo mislead the investigation.

“Your suspicion has merit, but you’re wrong that I was alone. The so-called ‘thief calling the thief’—the killer—was also there. Everyone heard the cries for help.

“But this person never appeared after calling for help. During your investigation, you never found this person, only discovering that the voice resembled Grandma Zhuoma’s. Isn’t that right?”

“So what? This person saw you kill someone and was naturally afraid of you. After you were released, they probably feared you might kill them to silence them. Isn’t hiding perfectly normal?” Ma Baoguo argued vehemently.

“If that’s their fear, then it seems your police department really lacks credibility,” Li Tianque shot back.

“Whether we have credibility or not isn’t my concern. I’m just a small-town cop—you don’t get to moralize me,” Ma Baoguo replied coldly.

It was then Li Tianque realized that Ma Baoguo, who previously seemed like a small, aimless policeman wasting his days, now behaved like an internet troll descended from Archimedes, deliberately trying to deflect suspicion onto himself.

“Fine, you can suspect me—that’s your right. Do you have any other thoughts on this case?” Li Tianque asked coldly.

Ma Baoguo was silent for a moment before saying, “You don’t have the right to question a police officer! You asked for my sincerest thoughts; my only thought is that you are the most suspicious person present.”

Thinking it over, Li Tianque could understand Ma Baoguo’s bitterness.

He was indeed an illegitimate detective—still a suspect but thrust into the role due to pressure from above, forced to work alongside Ma Baoguo, the director.

And now, without explanation, he had tricked Ma Baoguo here and locked him up. From Li Tianque’s perspective, this was to prevent others from overhearing and to compel needed information.

But from Ma Baoguo’s view, Li Tianque was arrogant and reckless, even torturing him for answers.

Yet Li Tianque only wished to resolve the case swiftly and prevent further harm, so extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures—he could not consider Ma Baoguo’s feelings.

He said coldly, “You may keep your doubts and report everything I’ve done to your superiors later. But right now, I must catch the killer quickly, because if I’m right, they will kill again!”

Ma Baoguo, though no longer silenced, chose not to respond, closing his eyes in frustration.

Li Tianque then removed the gag from the second person and said, “Liang Zhichao, it’s your turn. I imagine you have much to say.”

Liang Zhichao flinched slightly, then immediately grew tense.