When Zhang Hui was taking action, the blood sample collection had already been sent back to the Crime Scene Investigation office.

Lu Chuan, Yang Sen, and the others had already completed the preparations last night. Now, after purifying the blood samples, they could get DNA identification information within a few hours once placed in the machine.

"It should be around three in the afternoon; we can definitely finish the comparison before the end of the workday."

Liu Guodong reported the approximate time to Qin Yong, giving his superior a general idea, and then went back to work.

Furniture factory.

"Officer Zhang?"

Sun Qigang had just changed his clothes, put on a gas mask, and was about to start work when he was called to the office by his manager.

Seeing that the person waiting for him was Zhang Hui, Sun Qigang was momentarily stunned, but he quickly adjusted his emotions.

"Officer Zhang, you guys go ahead, call me if you need anything."

The manager politely greeted Zhang Hui and then seriously looked at Sun Qigang, "Old Sun, the two officers have some questions for you, make sure to cooperate."

Sun Qigang nodded before the manager left.

"Officer Zhang, what’s this about...?"

Sun Qigang had just returned from collecting blood samples at the rental and was surprised that they followed him to his workplace.

"No need to be nervous; we just wanted to ask again about the situation on the night of the incident."

Sun Qigang let out an understanding sound and took off his latex gloves, "I got home quite late that night because my job is quite tiring, so I went to bed early. I really didn’t hear anything that night."

"Many neighbors saw me when I got back; if you don’t believe me, you can ask them."

Zhang Hui nodded slightly at Yaoyao and looked at Sun Qigang with a probing gaze.

The words Sun Qigang used to answer now were exactly the same as those he used three days ago during the initial investigation.

Such a coincidence?

Was it memorized, or just a personal habit?

"Sun Qigang, when collecting blood earlier, your son mentioned hearing faint cries for help in the middle of the night..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Officer Zhang, what would a kid know? He might have been dreaming, groggy; nothing happened then, we didn’t hear anything."

It was clear Zhang Hui didn’t believe Sun Qigang’s words.

"Sun Qigang, your child is seven, in second grade, right?"

"A second-grader... isn’t exactly a small child."

"I..."

"Sun Qigang, don’t rush to deny it. Let me ask you something, what’s this Mutual Aid Association about?"

Hmm?

When Zhang Hui mentioned the "Mutual Aid Association," Sun Qigang’s face changed drastically.

"You! How do you know about the Mutual Aid Association?!"

"Why can’t I know about the Mutual Aid Association?"

"But..."

"Sun Qigang, do you know the crime of concealing a murder?"

"I..."

Sun Qigang’s face wasn’t just looking grim anymore; fine beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead.

"Concealing an intentional murder is a very serious crime, punishable by imprisonment of more than three years and less than ten years if the circumstances are severe!"

"Moreover, aiding and concealing is a criminal offense, and if you commit a crime, your immediate children will find many jobs unavailable when they seek employment in the future."

"Do you understand now?"

"For example, your seven-year-old son won’t be able to apply for police academy or join the army, and he might not even qualify for any public service jobs."

"So, Sun Qigang, I hope you think it through before answering my question."

"I..."

Sitting restlessly in the chair, Sun Qigang’s hands shook uncontrollably, and his forehead was drenched with sweat.

"I... I’ll tell you..."

During the first day’s investigation, Zhang Hui already understood some of Sun Qigang’s family background.

Sun Qigang worked in a furniture workshop, and although his salary wasn’t low, his work as a painter posed considerable health risks.

Usually, only those in their prime would engage in this work, as prolonged exposure could lead to lung cancer or leukemia and other diseases.

Having worked in this field for years, Sun Qigang was naturally aware of the harm this job posed to his health.

But why keep doing it? The bottom line was to make more money, for whom?

Of course, for his son.

Sun Qigang’s son performed well in school, and Sun Qigang signed him up for numerous extracurricular classes.

A piano class alone cost thirty to forty thousand yuan a year, so Sun Qigang needed to earn more, working long hours to make money for his son.

So when Zhang Hui pointed out that his crimes would affect his son, Sun Qigang’s mental defenses collapsed.

"The Mutual Aid Association is actually a mutual organization in our building."

When Sun Qigang spoke about the Mutual Aid Association, Zhang Hui signaled his assistant to start recording and filming.

"Most residents in the building are laborers with generally modest family conditions, and any illness or disaster could make it hard to manage."

Hospital...

Zhang Hui knew that no matter how much ordinary people earned, a serious illness could ruin everything.

Several tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of savings, could be wiped out in days, possibly leaving huge debts behind.

And in the end, there’s no guarantee of saving the person.

Biting time, not saving the poor.

"The Mutual Aid Association was organized and developed by the landlord; while living here, as long as you join the association, you don’t have to pay rent."

"But you must participate in the weekly meetings organized by the landlord..."

Sun Qigang explained the entire background of the Mutual Aid Association.

Initially, the Mutual Aid Association was a public mutual aid rescue organization designed so everyone could help each other when needed.

However, illnesses are probabilistic events. Most tenants in the rental building are laborers in their 30s and 40s with children, and generally, they have no significant health issues.

So since its inception, the Mutual Aid Association hasn’t substantially helped any one family overcome a crisis.

But the landlord did offer substantial benefits to the tenants because the association was initiated by the landlord; the first benefit was forgoing rent.

"We don’t pay rent, so that reduces a lot of expenses, and we only participate in some activities organized by the landlord."

"At first, these activities were quite normal, mostly listening to the landlord read books."

"Gradually, the landlord started adding rituals to each activity."

"Like... worship ceremonies."

"Worship ceremonies?"

"Yes, as in worship. The landlord said that since joining the Mutual Aid Association, no one has gotten sick, which is a blessing from the deities."

"But we can’t helplessly take from the deities; we must give back through worship."

"And what do you use for worship?"

Listening to this, Zhang Hui suddenly felt that this Mutual Aid Association seemed a bit unusual.

Feudal superstitions?

What does this even mean? Acting like shamans?