Sure enough, as expected, Lin Mu hadn’t yet reached the downtown western restaurant when Qi Manlin’s phone rang. She took out her phone and saw that it was a call from the station.
"What should we do? Someone’s already called the police; it’s a call from the station." Qi Manlin anxiously looked at Lin Mu and asked.
"Don’t panic, just answer the call as you normally would, keep your mood relaxed, and don’t deliberately hide anything!" Lin Mu patted Qi Manlin’s shoulder and comforted her.
Qi Manlin bit her lip, nodded, and answered the phone, "Li Wei, what’s the matter?"
Qi Manlin remained relatively calm on the phone.
"Officer Qi, there’s been another murder case. Someone reported that there was a triple homicide at the Kangyu Entertainment Center!" Li Wei said anxiously over the phone.
"A murder case? When did it happen?" Qi Manlin feigned surprise.
"About ten minutes ago. Director Gao knows too and is on his way. You should go over and take a look as well."
"Okay, I’m heading there now."
Qi Manlin said and then hung up the phone, letting out a long breath, patting her chest repeatedly. It seemed that acting for the first time in her life, she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet—it was thrilling and risky.
"Haha, you handled it well just now! Keep it up. Don’t worry, it’s nothing big!" Lin Mu comforted her.
"Okay, I’ll listen to you." Qi Manlin nodded.
Soon, Lin Mu and the others arrived at the western restaurant. Qi Manlin got into her police car, turned on the siren, and headed towards Kangyu Foot Bath City, while Lin Mu followed behind in his car. If Huang Mao couldn’t keep his mouth shut and stayed quiet, he’d soon join Brother Fei and the others.
Lin Mu followed Qi Manlin to Kangyu Foot Bath City. At this time, police lights flashed at the entrance of Kangyu, and it was surrounded by heavily armed SWAT officers holding guns. A long police line was drawn at the entrance.
Lin Mu coldly observed all this. He noticed that the people of Huaxia still loved a spectacle, as passersby and customers of the foot bath city gathered outside the police line to watch. Additionally, some media reporters had received news and rushed over to report, all wanting to get first-hand information. This was indeed valuable and explosive news!
Lin Mu parked his car by the roadside, lit a cigarette, opened the car door, and walked out, surveying the crowd. With a cigarette in his mouth, he walked in like an outsider. This was no small commotion!
Qi Manlin also hurriedly got out of her police car, showed her police badge, and entered the Kangyu Foot Bath City.
By now, all the customers in the Kangyu Foot Bath City had been driven outside, and waitresses were separated on one side under police supervision. Some pairs caught soliciting prostitution within the foot bath city were caught red-handed by the police, who also managed to control a group of drug addicts in passing.
Debauchery, drug use, and even prostitution—the foot bath city, while ostensibly luxurious, was actually a haven of vice. With this incident, it was likely that Zheng Haonan’s foot bath city wouldn’t be able to stay open any longer.
Moreover, with three people dead, even if Zheng Haonan had powerful connections, it might be impossible to keep the foot bath city open!
Qi Manlin walked into the foot bath city, following Inspector Liu of the CID to the third floor, where the murder scene was located.
"Inspector Liu, have you found any evidence at the scene?" Qi Manlin asked.
"No, the forensic examination confirmed that two people committed suicide, while the cause of death for the other person is unknown—a severe bodily impact, it seems!" Inspector Liu shook his head sadly.
Hearing this, Qi Manlin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Without any obvious evidence, it meant Lin Mu was safe for now. As long as Lin Mu was okay, that’s all that mattered. Just as Lin Mu had said, these people deserved their fate, and Qi Manlin wasn’t really covering for a criminal, as Lin Mu was defending himself!
At this moment, Director Gao Mufeng also received the news and rushed over with relevant city bureau leaders. A murder case involving three deaths was no small matter and had a significant impact on the spiritual and commercial activities of the whole city, placing considerable pressure on a regional official like Gao Mufeng!
"Director Gao, you’re here." Qi Manlin greeted Gao Mufeng as he arrived with the station’s leadership.
Gao Mufeng’s expression was also very serious. Looking at the three dead men in the room, he softly asked, "Have you identified the victims yet?"
"Yes, all three were employees of this foot bath city, security guards for Zheng Haonan. They have no family ties, all of them were gang members with criminal records," Inspector Liu reported based on the investigation.
Gao Mufeng furrowed his brows. He naturally knew that Zheng Haonan was a notorious figure in Wancheng’s underworld. As the director of the Wancheng Police Station, Gao Mufeng had long wanted to eradicate these criminals, but they were well-hidden with no direct evidence to act on.
"Have you clarified the cause of death for these three individuals?" Gao Mufeng continued to ask.
"Based on the surface, two seem like suicides, and the other was killed by a hard object impact. There’s no further progress yet, but we suspect it was a vendetta killing since they were all gang members with many grudges," Inspector Liu analyzed.
Qi Manlin glanced at Gao Mufeng but didn’t say much else; she tried to remain silent as the saying goes, ’Silence speaks volumes.’
"Inspector Liu, Manlin, this case is entrusted to both of you. Remember one important thing: keep the information under wraps and close the case as quickly as possible. We can’t let the media exaggerate it too much, or it will impact the reputation of law and order in Wancheng. Do you understand?" Gao Mufeng instructed.
"Understood, Director Gao." Inspector Liu and Qi Manlin nodded in response.
Qi Manlin quietly breathed a sigh of relief. From Gao Mufeng’s tone, it was clear that he wanted to handle the case quietly and conclude it swiftly in the simplest way possible, providing an explanation to the public and especially local officials. After all, the deceased were all gangsters, with no family to pursue the perpetrators aggressively!
Of course, a proper reason must be provided to the public because people’s eyes are sharp, and no one is a fool these days. At the very least, it needs to be convincing!
"Inspector Liu, first control the owner of the foot bath city, Zheng Haonan. These three people were his security guards. To resolve this matter quickly, we must start with him!" Gao Mufeng said to Inspector Liu of the CID.
"Director Gao, after the incident, Zheng Haonan has already fled amidst the chaos, but I have dispatched people to search for him with all effort. I believe we will find him soon!" Inspector Liu stated.
"Hmm, take this opportunity to eradicate this criminal gang. Everyone knows Zheng Haonan is a major cancer in Wancheng, eradicating him would be a popular move!" Gao Mufeng exclaimed.
In reality, this case wasn’t of much consequence. The deceased were not good people, and they had no relatives to care or ask about them, causing little public panic. Moreover, many people applauded the potential eradication of Zheng Haonan, as it would bring more peace to Wancheng’s security.