The police hadn’t expected that an incident that could have been dismissed as an accident would be taken so seriously by the victim’s party.
If it had been anyone else, they might have ignored it and let the courts decide whatever they decided.
But the victim was the esteemed Mr. Shi.
Mr. Shi was not old, but his reputation resonated not just locally, but also nationwide.
Even the police had to give him some deference, after all, their local station was hoping for an investment from him to fund renovations.
After Shi Lingyan got involved, the duty officers took the issue very seriously and cooperated fully with the interrogation.
The driver, currently handcuffed to a chair, remained sincere throughout the police interrogation, constantly apologizing, "I am truly sorry. I had no idea this would happen. I was just about to drive when the car started moving on its own. It was heading straight for a tree, I tried to brake, but the brakes wouldn’t work at all..."
No matter how many people questioned him, his testimony remained the same.
Shi Lingyan, from a small room in the interrogation area, could hear everything the man said clearly.
Was it really an accident?
Shi Lingyan didn’t think so.
His phone rang, it was Tang Jingming.
Upon answering, Tang Jingming said right away, "Didn’t that man claim his car’s driving system was hacked? I checked it, and it was indeed hacked, but the timing is too coincidental, isn’t it? It was hacked exactly thirty seconds after the accident occurred?"
Shi Lingyan frowned and handed the phone to the cyber investigation officer of the police.
Investigations later confirmed that what Tang Jingming found was correct.
In other words, the car accident occurred first, and then the driving system was hacked. Shi Mei being hit was an active action by the driver, not passive.
This just got interesting.
The police began to prioritize this case.
At the same time, Shi Lingyan received a call from Yun Du.
Yun Du: "The head of Fei’er Private Clinic is named Fei’er. But when I asked, their staff insisted they had never seen Shi Mei. Miss Bai is indeed their client, but she hasn’t visited for a long time."
"Are they denying Shi Mei was there?" Shi Lingyan frowned. "Shi Mei just told me she did go there. So she definitely went."
What simpleton has the capacity or insight to concoct such a story?
The clinic personnel are lying!
Yun Du continued, "I just spoke to a janitor, I showed her Shi Mei’s photo, and she confirmed she had seen her. Then I showed her Miss Bai’s photo, and the janitor was certain that Miss Bai brought Shi Mei in and she underwent a full physical examination."
"What about Tang Wu?"
Noise came through the line as Yun Du went to ask the janitor.
Soon Yun Du’s voice came through, "She has worked there for three years and hasn’t seen Tang Wu."
Shi Lingyan felt somewhat disappointed, "What does T from your side say?"
"Not sure yet..." Yun Du didn’t finish speaking, as T-jing’s call came in.
Without hesitation, Shi Lingyan hung up on Yun Du and answered T-jing’s call.
Tang Jingming: "Brother-in-law, I just tried to hack into that clinic’s internal network, couldn’t get in at all. So many alarm trojans, fortunately, I was quick to get out, hey!"
It’s essential to educate everyone that whether it involves detectives or police, when gathering evidence, one must visit the scene, interview, investigate, and look for subtle clues to conduct psychological profiling and deduce a broad profile of the criminal’s characteristics, not just make wild guesses.
Of course, I’m not writing a crime thriller, nor will I complicate matters in that direction. The reason I mention this is to avoid comments like "oh, the protagonist should be able to solve everything," or "just by smelling someone’s fart, should know what they ate all day—that’s what a protagonist should be able to do." Sorry, but that’s not the approach I take.
I’ve already thought of a theme for my next book, no rebirth, no mystery, just romance and some drama. It definitely won’t be as complex as this one. If I can’t continue this, I’ll start on the next.
Good morning everyone, I’m off to sleep.