pertwk Chapter 18 Interrogation and Confrontation
Chapter 18 Interrogation and Confrontation
The interrogation room in the Department of Health had high windows, allowing only a small patch of light to shine through, which landed directly on Wang Qingnian's greasy face.
Li Ranmo sat on the hard wooden chair opposite him, his hands cuffed to the armrests, which were icy cold.
"Dr. Li," Wang Qingnian slapped several damp, crumpled pages of paper onto the table, "Do you recognize this?"
Li Ran glanced at it silently.
It was the procurement document that he and Shen Qiushui forged. The red seal on it had blurred, but the words "Nanjing Army Hospital" were still legible.
"I know him," Li Ranmo said. "It's on the hospital's regular procurement list. Where did Section Chief Wang get it from? The Qinhuai River?"
Wang Qingnian laughed, but it was a cold laugh.
"Normal procurement? At one o'clock in the morning, in a smuggling warehouse in Laozhakou, you're doing normal procurement? Dr. Li, the time and place of your procurement are quite unique."
"That list was prepared beforehand, and I carry it with me for easy verification," Li Ranmo said calmly. "Last night I did go to the vicinity of Laozhakou, but not to make purchases. I went to check an old warehouse that might be suitable for temporary storage of medical alcohol, to prepare a contingency plan for the hospital. On the way, I was attacked by unidentified people, and in the chaos, the documents fell into the water. I should thank Section Chief Wang for helping me find them."
"An attack?" Wang Qingnian leaned forward. "Who attacked you?"
"It was pitch black, I couldn't see clearly," Li Ranmo said. "It could be thugs, or...something else. Doesn't Section Chief Wang's inspection team often operate in that area? Didn't you run into them?"
Wang Qingnian's expression darkened.
"What about the medicines in the warehouse? Those dozen or so boxes of sulfathiazole and sulfanilamide powder, did you also see that during your 'warehouse inspection'?"
"What medicine?" Li Ranmo looked up at him. "Section Chief Wang, you need to catch the thief red-handed. You said there was medicine, where is it? When your men rushed in, besides Nurse Shen and me, was there anyone else in the warehouse? Were there any boxes?"
Wang Qingnian was speechless.
The goods had already been transported away by waterway. When he rushed in, the warehouse was almost empty, with only some water stains and a few empty wooden frames that hadn't been moved yet.
"And what about violent resistance to law enforcement?" Wang Qingnian changed direction, tapping his finger on the table. "My men saw with their own eyes that you and that Shen Qiushui threw smoke bombs, injured the inspection team members, and then jumped into the river to escape! How do you explain that?"
"Your family may have misread the situation," Li Ranmo said. "We were attacked, and the attackers came on strong. We thought they were bandits, so we threw away our tobacco canisters for self-defense in order to protect ourselves. In a moment of panic, we jumped into the river to escape. If we had known they were officers from the inspection team, we would definitely have stayed put and cooperated with the investigation."
"Bullshit!" Wang Qingnian slammed his fist on the table. "Li Ranmo! Don't try to play games with me! The evidence is overwhelming; you smuggled drugs and violently resisted arrest—it's an open secret! Confess now, and you'll suffer less!"
Li Ran remained silent, simply looking at him.
His gaze was so calm, so calm, that it gave Wang Qingnian a chill.
Just then, there was a knock on the interrogation room door.
An inspector peeked in, looking a little flustered.
"Section Chief... Vice Dean Chen is here, he's outside, and he says he wants to see you."
Wang Qingnian frowned.
"Let him wait!"
"He...he said he had urgent military business and needed to see you immediately. He also said that if you didn't come out within five minutes, he would call the garrison command directly."
Wang Qingnian cursed and glared at Li Ranmo.
"You better think about it carefully!"
He got up, slammed the door, and left.
In the corridor outside, Chen Qitai stood with his hands behind his back, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Section Chief Wang, what a show of power!" Chen Qitai said.
"Vice President Chen, I'm acting in accordance with the law." Wang Qingnian suppressed his anger. "Your hospital's doctor is suspected of smuggling urgently needed medicines for the front lines and violently resisting law enforcement, injuring several of my team members. My interrogation of him is perfectly reasonable and legal."
"Suspected?" Chen Qitai took a step forward. "Where's the evidence? Where are the medicines? Where are the wounded? Just a few pieces of tattered paper pulled from the river, the writing barely legible?"
"That paper has your hospital's stamp on it!"
"What happened to the hospital's seal?" Chen Qitai raised his voice. "The hospital drafts at least eighty or a hundred procurement lists every day. Is it strange that one or two are missing? Wang Qingnian, let me tell you, Dr. Li Ranmo is a key technical staff member of the hospital. He is in charge of the postoperative rehabilitation of a group of seriously wounded soldiers and conducting medical supply reserve surveys for the war preparedness plan! You have no solid evidence, yet you've handcuffed and interrogated him like a criminal, delaying treatment and affecting war preparedness. Can you bear this responsibility? Should I call Staff Officer Zhang at the Garrison Command right now and have him come and tell you how desperately the front lines are for doctors?!"
Wang Qingnian's jaw twitched.
Chen Qitai emphasized the words "military" and "combat readiness".
"Vice Dean Chen, don't try to pressure me with such a big accusation." Wang Qingnian's tone softened a bit, but he still wouldn't back down. "The person can't be released until the matter is thoroughly investigated."
"Investigate?" Chen Qitai sneered. "How long do you plan to investigate? One day? Two days? Wang Qingnian, let me remind you, the Department of Health seems to be conducting its own investigation recently, right? Can the accounts of those drug 'circulations' in some people's hands withstand scrutiny? Should I help you recall them first?"
Wang Qingnian's pupils contracted slightly.
At this moment, another subordinate ran over, leaned close to Wang Qingnian's ear, and whispered a few words.
Wang Qingnian's expression changed, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.
He glanced at Chen Qitai, then at the door of the interrogation room.
After several seconds, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.
"You can take the person back with you for now."
Chen Qitai didn't move, waiting for what was to come.
"However," Wang Qingnian pointed to the interrogation room, "I have to keep those documents. This isn't over yet; I'll continue the investigation. Also, Li Ranmo is not allowed to leave Nanjing during this period and must be available for summons at any time."
Chen Qitai stared at him and nodded.
"Can."
Wang Qingnian waved his hand at the bottom of his hand.
Release them.
The handcuffs on Li Ranmo's hands were removed.
He stretched his wrists and followed Chen Qitai out of the Department of Health.
It was already broad daylight outside.
Shen Qiushui was standing under a utility pole across the street. When she saw them come out, she immediately ran over.
"Dr. Li, are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Li Ranmo said.
Chen Qitai glanced at the two of them.
"Let's go back to the hospital first."
Back at the hospital, Chen Qitai went into Li Ranmo's office and closed the door.
"Wang Qingnian didn't succeed this time, but the grudge is now sealed." Chen Qitai cut to the chase. "He's got his eye on you. From now on, every move you make will be scrutinized. He's kept those two documents; although the evidence isn't enough, they're still leverage."
Li Ran nodded silently.
"Vice Dean Xie."
"Don't thank me." Chen Qitai waved his hand. "I did this for the hospital, so that there would be one more doctor to save lives on the front lines. But remember, from now on, you have to be careful about every step you take. Wang Qingnian won't play dirty tricks anymore; he'll use his authority to openly cause you trouble."
"I see."
Chen Qitai glanced at him again, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Only Li Ranmo and Shen Qiushui remained in the office.
Shen Qiushui immediately lowered her voice.
"We have news from Han Xiuyun's side."
Li Ranmo looked at her.
"I contacted her people using the emergency method we agreed on," Shen Qiushui said quickly. "She used a lot of connections to put pressure on Wang Qingnian, implying that if he continued to press the issue, she would expose his black market drug dealing activities. Only then did Wang Qingnian relent."
Li Ran hummed in agreement. He had guessed that.
"And another thing," Shen Qiushui's voice lowered, almost touching Li Ranmo's ear, "Han Xiuyun intercepted some intelligence. Wang Qingnian... he's not only smuggling drugs, he's also secretly contacting the Japanese."
Li Ranmo's eyes narrowed.
"Is the intelligence reliable?"
"Han Xiuyun said the source is very reliable," Shen Qiushui said. "The specific details are still unclear, but it's certain that the contact has been going on for some time. Wang Qingnian's drug smuggling network may... no longer be solely about money."
Li Ranmo walked to the window and looked downstairs.
The two informants left behind by Wang Qingnian still sit like door gods at the warehouse entrance.
"Our troubles," Li Ranmo said, "may be bigger than we think."
Shen Qiushui stood behind him.
"What do we do next?"
Li Ran remained silent for a while.
"The medicine still needs to be transported." He turned around, "but the method has to change. Wang Qingnian's attention is entirely on me now, which is both a bad thing and a good thing."
"Good news?"
“Yes,” Li Ranmo said. “If he keeps an eye on me, he’ll relax his monitoring of other channels. As for Han Xiuyun, tell her to keep a low profile lately, but the connection can’t be broken. We need to find a new path… one that he would never expect.”
"What road?"
Li Ranmo did not answer directly.
"Let's see what our Section Chief Wang and the Japanese are up to."