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Chapter Ten: Police Station
Zhang Qiu sat in the police car, a van marked with police insignia, its windows modified with iron bars. On either side of Zhang Qiu sat a police officer. On the way to the police station, Zhang Qiu asked, "Comrade Police, how long will I be detained?"
"You are charged with spreading rumors. According to Article 25 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, you will face detention for five to ten days and a fine of up to five hundred yuan," one of the officers replied.
"If you have a better attitude at that time, you might receive a lighter sentence, possibly less than five days," Ma Zhen added.
Zhang Qiu thanked them and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the van or the people inside it. At that moment, he felt troubled, as if something within him was gradually collapsing. He suddenly realized that reality was not as he had known it; perhaps he was reinterpreting reality.
Zhang Qiu chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was merely stating facts but was taken to the police station under the pretext of spreading rumors, while Liu Xiaolong, who had injured his father, roamed freely outside.
Upon arriving at the police station, Zhang Qiu got out of the van under the watchful eyes of some uninformed onlookers, following the officers inside. He was taken into a room where, after a while, Ma Zhen entered and sat across from him. "I'll ask questions, and you answer. Shall we begin?"
Zhang Qiu nodded. "Okay."
Ma Zhen spread a notebook on the table, with another officer ready to take notes beside him. Holding a pen in his right hand, Ma Zhen stared at Zhang Qiu for a moment before asking, "So about that post, why did you spread rumors?"
Zhang Qiu jolted in surprise. "That's not a rumor; it's a fact." He felt relieved that he had reacted quickly enough to avoid being labeled as spreading rumors outright.
Ma Zhen smiled slightly and continued, "Then tell me why you posted it. Do you realize this has caused quite a negative impact? Aren't you tarnishing Beilan County's reputation?"
Zhang Qiu recounted the events in detail to Ma Zhen, including how he was suddenly informed by his teacher that his father was hospitalized, his visit to the hospital, and discovering who was responsible for it. However, Zhang Qiu withheld information about Yang Yu's involvement from Ma Zhen. During this time, he was interrupted once when another officer came in and whispered something to Ma Zhen.
Ma Zhen pushed the notebook toward Zhang Qiu and said slowly, "Take a look; if there are no questions, please sign."
Zhang Qiu took the notebook and read it three times before finally signing his name with reassurance. Ma Zhen's record matched his own.
"Alright, you can go now," Ma Zhen said with a smile as he closed the notebook.
"What?" Zhang Qiu said in surprise, "I can leave?" He could hardly believe it; just a moment ago in the car, you personally told me that even with a good attitude, I would be detained for five days.
Ma Zhen smiled, "Seeing that you are a student, I don't want to make things difficult for you. Letting you go comes with conditions; you need to delete the post you made in the city forum. We've already deleted the one in the county forum."
"Then why didn't you delete them both at the same time?" Zhang Qiu looked at Ma Zhen in confusion.
Ma Zhen smiled lightly and said, "We can't delete the city forum post." In reality, they didn't want the city bureau to get involved; this was not a glorious matter. If political enemies got hold of it, it could become a significant ticking time bomb, potentially exploding at any moment.
"Alright." Zhang Qiu agreed almost without hesitation. At this point, he had no choice but to compromise temporarily. However, each setback only strengthened Zhang Qiu's resolve for revenge.
After agreeing to delete the post, Zhang Qiu was taken to an office. Ma Zhen pointed at an open computer and said, "Go ahead, log into your account and delete the post yourself."
Zhang Qiu walked over and sat down in front of the computer. He skillfully logged into the forum and clicked on "My Posts," pausing the cursor over the delete option.
Ma Zhen urged, "Hurry up and delete it so you can go home; your family is worried about you."
Zhang Qiu steeled himself and clicked delete.
Watching the post disappear, Ma Zhen let out a long sigh of relief. Last night, this post had been pinned to the top of the Beiluan forum, causing Director Chen, who was in charge of demolition work, to be woken up by phone calls. After hearing about it, he ordered its deletion.
Just when they thought the storm had passed, unexpectedly, the post was reposted early in the morning. Not only was it posted again in the Beiluan forum, but it also appeared in the city forum. Director Chen was furious, convinced that someone was dissatisfied with the county and using online platforms to attack leadership. The county mayor's secretary immediately contacted Police Chief Wang Guodong, who promptly ordered an investigation. Based on IP addresses, law enforcement identified Zhang Qiu as the source of the posts, leading to this morning's events.
"Alright, since you've deleted it, you can go home now."
Zhang Qiu nodded and stood up to leave when Ma Zhen said, "Wait."
Zhang Qiu stopped and stared at Ma Zhen: "Are you having second thoughts?"
"I just want to tell you not to post things randomly online anymore. Don't think it's safe; we can trace everything."
"Understood." Zhang Qiu smiled coldly. This time, it truly left a deep impression on him, one he would likely never forget.
As he stepped out of the police station, the sunlight shone on him, and Zhang Qiu felt an unprecedented sense of relief. He murmured, "Is this what freedom feels like?"
After Zhang Qiu left, the officer beside Ma Zhen asked him, "Captain, why did you let him go?"
Ma Zhen smiled and replied, "Do you know what Wang Jin just came to discuss with me?"
"What was it?"
"The Deputy Director He from the Public Security Bureau personally called to inquire about this matter."
"Then they should have dealt with it more severely!"
Ma Zhen gently patted the officer on the shoulder and said, "You see, Deputy Director He is concerned about this person, not the case itself. Do you understand?"
With that, Ma Zhen left with a smile, leaving the officer standing there with his mouth agape.
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