The police car stopped before the entrance of Ocean City Daily's office, attracting a bunch of attention in the process.
After getting off the vehicle, Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian then headed towards the entrance of the office.
Upon determining the identity of the deceased, Chi Feng, the police immediately called over his family members to identify his body. During this process, they had also questioned his family members briefly, but they did not manage to obtain any valuable clues. It was for this reason that Chi Feng had set his sights on Chi Feng's workplace, as the next most likely cause of his death would be related to his work.
Qin Feng had witnessed the whole incident firsthand. The murderer's face was etched into his mind, and as such, should the murderer appear, Qin Feng was certain that he could recognize him at a glance.
Moreover, what Mu Qianqian said was very reasonable. There must be some kind of relationship between the murderer and Chi Feng, and Qin Feng believed that the link had lain in the so-called "threat" that the murderer had mentioned.
"Hello, I'm Qin Feng from the Ocean City Police Department, and this is my colleague, Mu Qianqian. We're sorry for bothering you, but there's something we wish to investigate, and we hope that you can cooperate with us."
Qin Feng knocked on the door to the office of the Chief Editor of Ocean City Daily, Wang Dong, and brought out his badge while introducing themselves.
Wang Dong got up from his seat and approached the door. After confirming that it was indeed a police badge, he asked, "Officers, may I know what this is about? If there's anything that you wish to know, please ask away, I'll definitely tell you everything I know."
Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian stashed away their badges. Qin Feng then continued, "Don't be nervous. I'm here to ask about your reporter Chi Feng."
"Chi Feng? What about him?"
Director Wang Dong looked at Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian with a puzzled expression.
Qin Feng glanced at Mu Qianqian, who had already brought out a notepad to take notes, and said, "So, here's the situation. There was an incident in the Imperial Wind Pavilion yesterday, and Chi Feng has died because of it. We're here today to ask if there has been any irregularities in Chi Feng's performance these past few days. Also, has he made any enemies before this, and has he reported any senstive news recently?"
"What? Chi Feng is dead?"
Wang Dong's face was filled with disbelief as he muttered to himself, "I was wondering where he's been today, after all, he is never late for work. I assumed that he was out reporting some news or that he had fallen sick, and I was even planning to call him up later. Never would I have thought..."
Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian remained silent. They knew that Wang Dong needed time to digest this matter.
After some time, Wang Dong finally raised his head and said to Qin Feng, "Chi Feng is universally acknowledged as a good person. He is easygoing and has a good relationship with his colleagues. He rarely engages in conflict with others, and I have never heard of anyone having a grudge against him. When it comes to work, he is hardworking and responsible. He is an excellent reporter. However, I am not sure if there is anything different about him recently. His colleagues who often come into contact with him might know more about this. I'm sorry."
Realizing that this too, was another dead end, Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian then got up and left. Before doing so, however, they also asked for Wang Dong's permission to question Chi Feng's colleagues.
Qin Feng arrived at Chi Feng's desk and looked through his personal belongings. While Qin Feng was occupied, Mu Qianqian questioned Chi Feng's colleagues briefly, but just like the inquiries with Chief Editor Wang Dong, there was nothing substantial to be gained.
Everyone she asked had stated that Chi Feng was an honest man. His current state was no different from his usual state, and he never quarreled with others. There was nothing unusual about him in general.
"Let's head to Jingming Professional Lighting then."
Qin Feng, who walked out of Ocean City Daily's building, was a little discouraged. Their investigation thus far had not yielded any clues.
Being a case that had occurred in one of the highest-end restaurants in Ocean City, the case had garnered a lot of public attention. As such, he needed to obtain conclusive evidence as soon as possible, since with this many public eyes trained on the case, he feared that the bureau will try to close the case as soon as possible. With the investigation in Ocean City Daily bearing no results, Qin Feng feared that the case's difficulty had spiked once more.
He knew who the murderer was, and he knew how the murder was conducted. Unfortunately, however, he was unable to obtain the evidence he needed to prove his case. He could not just draw up a portrait and tell the captain to apprehend the man in said portrait, after all. With a bitter smile, the feeling of powerlessness welled up within him.
"Qin Feng, are you alright?"
Mu Qianqian looked at Qin Feng, who had never shown such an expression before. As such, she too, had become anxious, and her emotions were written all over her face.
"I'm fine. Don't worry. I won't give up."
Qin Feng saw Mu Qianqian's worried face and assured her.
"I believe in you. You will definitely catch the murderer."
Mu Qianqian did not know whether those words were meant to comfort herself or Qin Feng. Regardless, she had spoken those words with utmost certainty. With that, she then grabbed the car keys from Qin Feng's hand, and drove them to their next location — Jingming Professional Lighting. Their targets were Gu Tao and Chen Lin, the staff who had last conducted the maintenance on the chandeliers.
Twenty minutes later, the police car stopped at the entrance of Jingming Professional Lighting.
Jingming Professional Lighting was a famous lighting brand store in Ocean City. Whether it was in terms of service, quality, or reputation, they were a cut above their competitors. Thus, they were generally well-liked and approved by the citizens of Ocean City.
Mu Qianqian looked at Qin Feng, who had recovered from his sudden bout of depression earlier, and nodded. She opened the car door first, and Qin Feng followed suit.
"Hello, I'm Qin Feng from the Ocean City Police Department. This is my colleague, Mu Qianqian. Is the person-in-charge available? We have something we wish to talk to him about."
Qin Feng walked up to the front desk and showed his badge to the attending clerk.
The girl quickly responded, "Please wait for a moment. I'll get back to you as soon as possible." With that, she then turned around and called the manager, to inform him of the two police officers who were looking for him.
Not long after, a middle-aged man in a suit walked over from afar. The middle-aged man walked up to Qin Feng and Mu Qianqian. With a puzzled expression, he said, "Hello, officers. I'm the manager of Jingming Professional Lighting. My name is Zhao Xin. Were you looking for me earlier?"
"Hello, I'm Qin Feng from the Ocean City Police Department. This is my colleague. I'm looking for you because there was a murder case yesterday. I have some questions that I'd like to ask you. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation."
"What? A murder case!"
Upon hearing Qin Feng's words, Zhao Xin's face turned pale. He anxiously spat, "Officer, I didn't kill anyone. I'm a good citizen who obeys the law. I wouldn't kill someone for no good reason! Officer, this must be a misunderstanding, right?"
Qin Feng quickly comforted him, "Manager Zhao, don't be nervous. We didn't claim that it was you. We only want to learn more about the case, and we believe that you hold such information. Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Zhao Xin let out a long breath when he heard that. He said, "You scared me. Officers, ask me anything you want. I'll answer truthfully and cooperate with you."
Zhao Xin could not be blamed for being flustered. After all, anyone would react the same way if two policemen were to suddenly appear and mention that they wanted to investigate a murder case.