Li Xiang had just returned from the hospital when he encountered two inspectors wearing white steel helmets.
"You must be Li Xiang? We've been waiting for you for a while."
"Sorry for the wait, what do you need me for?"
Li Xiang was taken to a room and sat down properly. The two inspectors across from him looked at him very seriously.
"Please recount the events of this morning once again."
He had recounted the morning's events many times to different people, but facing the inspectors, he had no choice but to patiently narrate them once more.
"Why didn't you report it to the police when faced with an unexpected situation?"
"At the time, I thought we were only two stops away from our local station, so I figured it would be quicker to ask the driver to go there directly, and that's why I didn't call the police."
This was Li Xiang's first time being questioned by inspectors, but he wasn't nervous at all. After learning that the young boy had been saved, he felt much more relaxed.
Besides the reason he mentioned, another reason he didn't call the police initially was that he was confident he could catch the thief himself.
However, uncertainties of life occurred; he never expected that in trying to catch a thief, he actually apprehended an A-grade wanted criminal.
This incident served as a lesson for him; in the future, whatever he does, he can't be careless, because any mistake could lead to irreparable loss.
After cooperating fully with the inspectors' investigation, Li Xiang wasn't given a hard time by them.
This was indeed an unexpected incident, and although the outcome wasn't perfect, it wasn't bad either.
After the police bulletin regarding this case in Jinghai City was released, the response was very positive. The story of a single auxiliary police officer apprehending a wanted criminal on the run across three provinces was attention-grabbing. The citizens of Jinghai City were endlessly entertained by the news, so much so that it almost felt overwhelming.
However, a significant amount of attention was focused on the innocent young boy. Some kind-hearted people spontaneously visited the hospital to see him, leaving donations in hopes of his early recovery.
After seeing off the police, Lin Feifei went online to follow the public opinion on the Yue Zheng case and came across this report. Although her own affairs were troubling enough, and she initially had no interest in other matters, one name in the news report compelled her to read the entire article patiently.
"Li Xiang? He actually caught an A-grade wanted criminal from three provinces, how impressive. I wonder if he could help clear my suspicions too."
Lin Feifei murmured to herself. She previously thought that the closest she'd ever come to interacting with police would be when fans greeted her at the airport and the police helped maintain order.
Yet, within just a week, her interactions with the police had deepened, even to the extent of being a suspect.
"Xiao Ai, let's go to Renmin Hospital as well!"
"Huh? Are you hurt or something? Why go to the hospital?" Xiao Ai was confused, thinking she might be injured somewhere.
"I want to visit that young boy."
Lin Feifei handed her phone to Xiao Ai, then got up to change clothes, silently envying him: At least he has someone who saved him.
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City Bureau, case analysis room.
The case of Yue Zheng is currently handled by a special investigation team established by the city's criminal investigation brigade. After inspecting the crime scene that day and combining the clues they already had, they contacted everyone present at the scene to conduct a second round of inquiries.
After the questioning, they held the first case analysis meeting.
The head of the special investigation team, Yu Chengzhang, presided over the meeting. After reviewing the materials, he said, "What are your views on this case? Feel free to speak."
"The forensic autopsy indicates that Yue Zheng died from respiratory failure due to the combined effects of barbiturate and ethanol. Moreover, through linked hospital records, we didn't find any prescription drugs of barbiturate prescribed to him, nor similar case histories, ruling out the possibility of his accidental intoxication, so I believe it's a murder case."
The first to express an opinion was Feng Yonglin, the captain from the major criminal investigation squad, temporarily seconded as the deputy head of the special investigation team.
"Hmm, makes sense. Do you have any suspects?"
"The deceased had a conflict with famous singer Lin Feifei the night before. Moreover, we discovered a barbiturate package in her room, but the medication was missing. Hence, I suspect that the disappeared medication might be the same as that ingested by the deceased. This needs to be verified by purchasing the same medication and testing if the properties match. Additionally, we didn't find any other fingerprints on the drug box other than Lin Feifei's."
"If the drug properties match, her likelihood of suspicion increases greatly."
"Right now, her suspicion is the greatest, but others also have suspicions. There were really too many people in Lin Feifei's room at the time. They all had access to the barbiturate, so it's not impossible someone stole her medication to frame her."
The core members of the special investigation team consist of four people. Quality over quantity; they are all criminal investigation elites transferred from different units, each with their own ways of solving cases.
The ones responsible for transcription were Mao Ji and Zhao Yin. Through a review of testimonies from those close to Yue Zheng, they also shared their views:
"Through reviewing all testimonies, we found that Yue Zheng had a particular fondness for women and expressed an interest in pursuing Lin Feifei more than once. Everyone thinks Lin Feifei is the prime suspect, but she herself claims she had no reason to kill Yue Zheng, especially at this time. Yet, I think there could be a reversed psychological strategy at play. Maybe she couldn't bear Yue Zheng's harassment, so after knocking him down, she saw the barbiturate box and, out of punishment or revenge, drugged him, then called others. But unexpectedly, it led to a homicide."
Zhao Yin's analysis had a certain degree of rationale, and after listening, everyone nodded.
In situations where clues are extremely unclear, brainstorming often points everyone in a direction for further investigation.
"Are you saying Lin Feifei, out of revenge, accidentally poisoned Yue Zheng?"
"I don't rule out the possibility."
"So, do you all suspect Lin Feifei of being the murderer?"
Yu Chengzhang turned his gaze to the others: "Alright, we'll officially summon Lin Feifei once the forensic results on the drug's content are out, to assist in the police investigation."
Time is indeed tight. In just one day, the police managed to gather limited clues. However, all the leads so far point to Lin Feifei. Be it motive or opportunity, she aligns perfectly, even the barbiturate package was found in her room.
The police find it hard not to suspect her as the murderer in this case.
However, what the police currently have are all indirect pieces of evidence, insufficient to convict Lin Feifei.
Therefore, part of the investigation team speculates on the assumption that Lin Feifei is the murderer, presuming her guilt until they obtain concrete evidence.
Unless there's other evidence that can exclude her from being a suspect.