At first, the policewoman was a bit cautious, but after seeing Xu Shang-Chi's face and recalling that this young man is often around delivering food, she said, "Two days ago, the protest leader, Pierre Reeves, was found shot dead in his own home at 3 o'clock this afternoon. The bullet type is the same as the one commonly used by the Bronx police."
Xu Shang-Chi drew in a sharp breath, the color draining from his face. This wasn't an act, he had never encountered a murder case from childhood till now. The thought that a dead body might be lying inside the house made him feel unwell.
Noticing Xu Shang-Chi's genuine reaction, the policewoman felt more at ease and asked, "You've been delivering food around here lately. Did you see any suspicious people?"
Xu Shang-Chi thought back but couldn't recall anything. He was about to say no when Venom voiced in his mind, "Tell her you did."
"Isn't that lying?"
"No, it's not. You did see some suspicious people, you just didn't realize and didn't pay attention to them. That's why you don't remember, but I looked through your recent memories and indeed, there was one man who was suspicious. Tell her as I instructed."
"I think there was, Officer." Xu Shang-Chi answered.
As soon as his words landed, all the surrounding police officers huddled around, the sound of guns being cocked resounding. Xu Shang-Chi was instantly flustered, he really did have a strong aversion to guns.
The policewoman, noticing Xu Shang-Chi's distinctly Asian features, waved to the crowd around her, "Don't make a big fuss. Don't you know Asians are scared of guns? Disperse and bring me my body camera."
"Listen, young man, I hope to find clues but I also don't want to be played. So the words you'll say next will be recorded on my body camera and you'll have to be responsible for them."
The policewoman was very restrained. Under the law enforcement style of American police, her manner of speaking could be considered mild, but Xu Shang-Chi was still worried. However, Venom was already controlling him to speak.
"That day, I went to No.9 Solon Street to deliver food. The owner of the bakery there ordered a serving of steamed buns and rice porridge. As I was leaving after the delivery, I saw a man in a suit and tie enter the tobacco shop next door."
"The suit he was wearing must have been of a pretty good brand. I've seen many customers like them when I helped out in the Chinese restaurant."
The policewoman frowned. She first looked at the kitchen staff uniform Xu Shang-Chi was wearing, and then she believed his words.
The Chinese restaurant where Xu Shang-Chi worked could indeed only be afforded by the middle class.
In fact, the prices in the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, New York are very expensive. A simple stir-fried dish can sell for several dozens of dollars, which common people can't afford.
"No.9 Solon Street? No, that's not a middle-class neighborhood. How could a man who's dressed in a brand that could be admitted to a Chinese restaurant appear there?" pondered the policewoman to herself.
"Are there any other distinctive features?" she asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, he had a camera in his briefcase. As he walked past me, there were prominent signs of the camera outline and the lens protrusion from the surface of the briefcase."
The policewoman's eyes widened immediately, she exclaimed, "A reporter?!"
"Oh, so he's a reporter," Venom joined in. "That doesn't seem like a clue, right? There's been lots of reporters recently, all here to cover the protests, isn't that right?"
"No, there's nothing like that on Solon Street. On the contrary, this street isn't far from here... he is likely here to photograph this murder case. In other words, he knew in advance that the perpetrator would strike, or maybe, the perpetrator was arranged by them!"
"But we were not able to arrest him in time, and it's hard to speculate who is behind all this." The policewoman stroked her lips as she speculated, then she frowned again and said, "They've already framed us. It's clear now."
"Isn't it simple?" Venom shrugged. "Tomorrow morning, the first one to report this murder case is the one."
The policewoman stared at Xu Shang-Chi wide-eyed and Venom opened his hands saying, "Well, they took such a big risk, put so much effort in, even arranging a murder and a reporter, definitely just to create a breaking news."
"But only the first news broadcasted will be sensational, others won't be able to compete with firsthand news. As long as you check which newspaper breaks this case first tomorrow, you'll know who the mastermind behind this is and which newspaper they are linked to, right?"
"Right, you're not wrong." said the policewoman reflexively. Just then, a police officer rushed in panicking, saying to her, "Bad news, Officer Juliette! The New York TV station just broadcasted an emergency news stating that a leader of the Bronx protests was murdered, and the case was characterized as suicide by the police!"
Officer Juliette's eyes were wide with anger, she said, "We haven't even started investigating yet and it's already been declared?! Not to mention, who let the news out? I thought we sealed the scene?"
"Clearly, it's a setup." Venom shook his head.
Juilette clenched her teeth and said, "These damn paparazzi! They're bold enough to plot a murder to create news now, no, I get it, it's another method to exacerbate the conflict, damn it!"