"Qin Feng, I think you're thinking too much. No matter how you look at it, the evidence and testimony all point to it being an accident."
"That's right, Qin Feng. There aren't that many individuals out for blood in this peaceful society. You're thinking too much."
Zhao Gang and Wu Kuan did not sound sarcastic, but they too, agree that Qin Feng's conclusion was a little arbitrary.
Meanwhile, Mu Qianqian looked at Qin Feng's determined gaze and remained quiet. Qin Feng's gaze was as determined as it was now in the previous case, and he was right in the previous incident. Qin Feng must have discovered some clues that the others did not.
"I'm not spouting nonsense. This is a meticulously planned murder case. It was designed in such a way so that the public would misunderstand and gloss over the situation. This way, the murderer would escape justice." Qin Feng shook his head helplessly and stated.
"Qin Feng, don't think that you're now a wonder detective just because you solved one murder case. You were blessed with a stroke of luck last time. Are you trying to turn this accident into a murder case and frame some innocent bystander to claim credit for it?"
Zhou Wu noticed Mu Qianqian's trustful gaze towards Qin Feng. Consumed with jealousy, Zhou Wu then spat out accusations at Qin Feng.
The moment he heard those words, Qin Feng glared at Zhou Wu and stated in a serious tone, "Not once have I thought of it this way. Whatever merit I gain from solving this case can never be exchanged for the life that was lost in the process!"
Zhou Wu also realized that he had gone a little overboard, but he did not want to lose face in front of Mu Qianqian. As such, he braced himself and responded spitefully once more, "You had better not think that way! Everyone here saw the chandelier fell by itself. This is clearly an accident."
Zhou Wu wanted to humiliate Qin Feng before Mu Qianqian. 'Why did she even fall for this kid in the first place?'
"You can choose not to believe in my words, but I hope that you'd at least believe the evidence. Take a look at the screws on the chandelier and you will understand everything."
Qin Feng answered indifferently. He glanced at Zhou Wu, his eyes filled with disdain. He could accept the opinions and doubts of others, but malicious slandering him was simply just shameful behavior.
"Screws? aren't they just ordinary screws? What's wrong with them?"
Zhao Gang, Wu Kuan, and Mu Qianqian were also stunned when they heard this. They quickly walked up to look at the screws that Qin Feng had mentioned.
"Look, the chandelier didn't collapse together with the ceiling. If it was truly an accident, then most of the screws would've unbuckled, but take a look at these screws. Aside from the scratches present on two particular screws, all the others are perfectly intact. It's obvious that someone has been tinkering with them. I believe that there are obvious differences in the natural collapse and a artificial collapse of these screws. When the time comes, I believe that our colleagues in the forensic department would attest to this."
Although veteran police officers like Zhao Gang and Wu Kuan were experienced, such a case was still relatively unheard even for them. As for Mu Qianqian, who had only graduated not long ago, she could not comment much, as she did not know what to look out for just yet.
"Snap! Snap! Snap!"
Zhao Gang took a few photos consecutively and saved them as evidence. He planned to send them back to the forensic department in a while so that his colleagues over there could confirm Qin Feng's words.
"Did you hear what that little policeman said? It can't really be a murder, right?"
"This has nothing to do with us. We were far from the scene of the incident."
"This little policeman is impressive."
"Thank God he found a clue, otherwise, the murderer would have escaped. To think that I insisted that it was an accident. It seems that we really can't just look at the situation at the surface level."
Everyone's praise did not change Qin Feng's expression. He knew that their praise was due to him providing enough evidence, and not because they actually believed in him. Should anyone refute him at this moment, he was certain that everyone else would jump at him, and thus, there was nothing for him to be proud of.
"Tsk, what's so great about his inference?"
Zhou Wu did not go forward to take a look, but he heard Qin Feng's words loud and clear. Although he was still dissatisfied with Qin Feng, he could no longer question him recklessly. After all, his behavior just now was already very excessive. It was easy to be labeled as irresponsible.
Most importantly, if what Qin Feng said was right, then the case would indeed be a carefully planned murder. If he continued to define the case as an accident, then he would become an accomplice of the murderer, which would go against his principles as a police officer.
"Which one of you is the lobby manager?"
Qin Feng looked around at the surrounding onlookers and staff members and asked.
The case happened in the Imperial Wind Pavilion. The staff members were the only ones who knew the seating of all the guests and the chandelier's maintenance schedule. Therefore, Qin Feng made it his top priority to find the person in charge.
"Hello, I'm the lobby manager of the Imperial Wind Pavilion. My name Is Wang Qing. How can I help you?"
A slender and capable woman with a pretty face walked out from the crowd and answered.
"Hello, manager Wang. I'm Qin Feng. Regarding the safety inspection of the chandelier, when was the last time an inspection was done? Could you check the records?"
Qin Feng glanced at Wang Qing and asked in a matter-of-fact manner.
Wang Qing answered without hesitation, "The last inspection was conducted three days ago. As one of the few high-end restaurants within Ocean City, we will pay special attention to the safety of our establishment. We make sure to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection every month, and we always keep the inspection records. The chandelier happens to be within the scope of the safety inspection."
As the lobby manager, the supervision of the safety inspection team happened to fall within her job scope, and thus she remembered it very clearly.
"Three days?"
Qin Feng thought for a moment before asking again, "Do you have the name list of the people who carried out the inspection? Can you also contact the staff responsible?"
"I have the name list, and I can also contact them. I hired professional maintenance staff. I remember it very clearly. At that time, the people who were responsible for the maintenance of the chandeliers were staff of 'Jingming Professional Lighting', called Gu Tao and Chen Lin. They checked it very carefully, and thus, I have a very deep impression of them."
Wang Qing replied sincerely.
Wu Kuan recorded Wang Qing's statement carefully and highlighted the words 'Jingming Professional Lighting', as well as 'Gu Tao', and 'Chen Lin'. This list was an essential clue for them to proceed with their investigation, and they needed to determine whether these two individuals were suspicious. After all, a human life had been lost in this crime!
"Thank you very much for your cooperation. We will reorganize the information that we've gathered. Please be prepared, as we might return to question you further should the need arise. As such, please keep your phone available at all times."
Qin Feng said to Wang Qing.
Wang Qing nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, I will prepare any information that I deem necessary. You can contact me anytime. I also hope to catch the murderer as soon as possible."