Chapter 109: The Scheming Frog Keeps Rubbing Your Belly!

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door.

Bai Qingming walked over to open it, and standing outside were three uniformed police officers.

“Are you the author of the novel ‘Grave Robber’s Chronicles’? We’re from the Jiangcheng Police Station. We currently suspect that your identity might be linked to illegal grave-robbing activities. Please come with us for questioning.”

One of the officers then showed a search warrant.

Hearing this, Bai Qingming’s mood grew even heavier.

So soon, the police had come knocking at his door.

This is it, this is really it. He thought he was done for.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Qingming sat inside the interrogation room at Jiangcheng Police Station.

Above him hung eight bold characters: “Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist.” Honestly, he felt just a little bit uneasy.

This matter was seriously complicated, and Bai Qingming still hadn’t figured out how to explain himself.

At that moment, the door opened and a middle-aged officer walked in.

“Not you again?” the officer muttered upon seeing Bai Qingming.

“Quite a coincidence, Captain Liu,” Bai Qingming greeted.

Yes, Captain Liu—a familiar face and an old acquaintance.

Seeing someone he knew brought a small measure of relief to Bai Qingming’s heart.

“The writer suspected of being a grave robber mentioned above—could that be you?” Captain Liu asked as he sat down opposite him.

Liu had just received the notification and wasn’t fully briefed on the situation yet.

“Do I look like that kind of person to you?” Bai Qingming gave a wry smile.

Liu thought about it for a long moment.

“I think you do. You’ve got the potential for it.”

Bai Qingming immediately felt that this conversation was going nowhere.

After briefly reviewing some files, Liu got a rough understanding of the case, and the interrogation began in earnest.

“There’s no direct evidence linking you to any grave-robbing activities. Our suspicion is only that—suspicion. We’ve brought you here simply to have a few questions answered truthfully. Don’t be nervous,” Liu said.

Having been a policeman for many years and involved in numerous investigations related to grave robbery, Liu had plenty of experience dealing with grave robbers.

To be honest, even though he said Bai Qingming seemed like the kind of man who could pull off grave-robbing, his gut told him Bai Qingming was not a criminal.

But that was exactly what baffled him the most.

If Bai Qingming wasn’t a grave robber, how did he know so much about the ancient tomb?

The nine-dragon coffin, a detail not recorded anywhere in history, something even seasoned archaeologists admired as insider knowledge—Bai Qingming wrote it all down.

It was utterly absurd.

Whether or not he was a grave robber, it was all just absurd.

Absurd to the extreme.

“Ask your questions,” Bai Qingming said.

Up to now, he still hadn’t figured out how to explain it all, so he was simply defending as best he could.

Looking Bai Qingming straight in the eye, Captain Liu asked the question he cared about most:

“How did you know about the nine-dragon coffin? Through what channel?”

“No channel at all; I just made it up,” Bai Qingming replied helplessly.

It was all just a coincidence, whether Liu believed it or not.

Unfortunately, when he heard the question, a flicker of evasion appeared in Bai Qingming’s eyes—something Liu caught instantly.

“You’re lying!” Liu said sharply.

At those words, Bai Qingming’s heart sank.

“It’s not just the nine-dragon coffin. Even your other descriptions of the tomb in your novel match the real scene perfectly. Do you think you could write that accurately by making it all up?” Liu countered.

Judging by Bai Qingming’s reaction, this matter was definitely not simple.

At that moment, there was a knock on the interrogation room door.

A young officer came in carrying two freshly printed documents.

The first was a comprehensive investigation report on Bai Qingming.

It contained his entire life history, every piece of identifiable information, even records of where he had traveled.

The files showed that Bai Qingming had lived in Jiangcheng since childhood, occasionally traveling a little but never very far.

Moreover, travel records confirmed he had never been to the location of the ancient tomb.

The police investigation was thorough and reliable; strictly speaking, this document alone was enough to clear Bai Qingming of suspicion.

However, the problem lay with the second document, sent by the archaeological team.

After a full excavation of the tomb, archaeologists discovered evidence that the tomb had indeed been disturbed.

There were signs that grave robbers had visited; two side chambers had been damaged and their burial artifacts stolen. Even near the nine-dragon coffin, traces of human interference were found.

These findings matched with Bai Qingming’s novel once again.

The places mentioned in the story aligned perfectly with reality, down to the smallest detail.

This was essentially a criminal record.

It could be used directly as evidence.

Yet the first file had already provided Bai Qingming with the strongest proof—he had never visited the tomb site.

So how to explain this?

Right now, only one possibility seemed to remain.

Captain Liu placed the second document before Bai Qingming.

Just one glance, and Bai Qingming was stunned.

No way, no way—there really had been grave robbers?

This was a big deal.

Stealing from ancient tombs and taking the relics inside was a serious crime.

Now he was truly in trouble.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Qingming prepared to come clean.

At this point, he could only reveal his identity as a time traveler.

He didn’t know if Captain Liu would believe him.

If not, he might be headed to jail.

They say the inmates inside are all talented and speak well—whether that was true, he didn’t know.

Just as he was about to reveal this explosive truth, Captain Liu beat him to it.

“I think I already know what’s going on.”

Hearing that, Bai Qingming was puzzled.

You already guessed? You can guess this?

Alright then, you’re impressive.

“How did you figure it out?” Bai Qingming asked curiously.

Liu smiled, experienced and knowing.

For some reason, the smile felt oddly familiar to Bai Qingming—like the character Kogoro Mouri from the Detective Conan manga.

Finally, Liu spoke.

“It’s simple. Your pen name gave it away.”

Pen name? Liu’s words left Bai Qingming dumbfounded.

Could a pen name alone reveal his identity as a time traveler?

Honestly, Bai Qingming wanted to hear the explanation.

“Well, then tell me—what have you guessed?”

Just then, Liu suddenly uttered a bizarre phrase in Japanese.

“The scheming frog has been rubbing your belly all along!”

“What the heck?” Bai Qingming instinctively asked.

Liu leaned closer, eyes brimming with confidence as if he had seen through everything.

“From start to finish, this whole thing has nothing to do with you.”

“You’re not the grave robber, but there is one.”

“Judging from your pen name, my guess is you have a third uncle. He’s the real grave robber!”