Chapter 785: Chapter 418: All Three Paths Advancing Simultaneously! (3)
The elderly person next to him quickly chimed in, "Yes indeed! My son works in another city and only comes back once a week, so it’s just my wife and me taking care of the grandchildren most of the time."
"If something really happens, what will we do..."
Panic spread quickly, the elders became more agitated as they spoke.
Many people couldn’t help but crowd around, and someone even grabbed Qin Feng’s sleeve, pleadingly saying, "Officer, you must solve the case quickly!"
"Otherwise, we can’t live like this, constantly on edge."
Another elderly person choked up as they spoke, "We old folks might not have much to say, half of us are already in the grave."
"But the children are still young... their lives are just beginning."
"Please, you must... catch the murderer!"
Everyone chimed in, their anxiety and worry mingling in the air.
Qin Feng stood in the center of the crowd, silently listening to every word, his eyes growing deeper.
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces.
He saw the elders’ panicked expressions, their eyes flickering, exchanging uneasy glances.
Clearly, the previous conversation had stirred up waves in their hearts.
The atmosphere at the scene was heavy, an invisible unease seemed to permeate the air.
Qin Feng knew well that the expected effect had already been achieved—fear makes people keen, and it makes them willing to speak.
But he understood that too much tension could make people shrink back in fear, or even conceal information out of panic.
So, he deliberately slowed his tone, slightly lifting the corners of his mouth, revealing a steady and reassuring smile.
"Dear townsfolk, please trust us police officers, trust in this uniform we wear."
"Since we are standing here, we will do our utmost to apprehend the killer as quickly as possible."
"But solving a case isn’t about guessing out of thin air, we need clues, we need facts, we need you to tell us what you know."
"Even if you think it’s not important—tell us."
"Only with enough information can we unravel the story, identify the true culprit, and ultimately restore peace to everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man sitting in the front row, clinging to a pipe, rushed to speak, "I know some things! I’m quite familiar with Mr Zhang’s family, they’ve been trading grains and oil in town for years..."
His words came rapidly, as if afraid he would seem uncooperative if he spoke too late.
Following his lead, another elderly man in a gray cotton shirt quickly added, "Yes, yes! The couple doesn’t get along very well."
"Sometimes you can hear them arguing in the middle of the night. Once, I even tried to mediate..."
Soon, a slightly plump elderly lady with graying hair joined in, speaking in a low voice, yet unable to contain the excitement in her words, "You haven’t noticed, but the young child in their family, the more you look, the less he resembles his father! We’ve all privately guessed, maybe..."
Suddenly, the previously stifling scene seemed to explode.
Everyone rushed to share their long-hidden suspicions, gossip they’d heard, and details they’d observed.
In the crowd, there were murmurs of agreement, exclamations, and even a few whispers carrying a hint of gossip excitement.
Standing to the side, the intern police officer Chen was momentarily stunned by the scene.
He looked up at Qin Feng, who appeared calm and composed, as if he had anticipated all of this.
Inside, Chen was in awe, unable to resist giving a discreet thumbs-up, silently praising, "This move was brilliant... Mr. Qin didn’t force or interrogate, instead encouraged the townsfolk to willingly open up!"
Qin Feng didn’t show any sign of pride, remaining steady.
He raised his hand to gently press down, signaling everyone to quiet down, then said solemnly, "Everyone, take it easy, speak slowly."
"We’ll make a detailed record of everything, one by one."
"Any clue you provide, we will thoroughly verify."
"Believe me, as long as we work together, the killer won’t be able to escape."
Meanwhile, in the solemn forensic autopsy room at the funeral home.
Jiang An was leading two young forensic interns in a comprehensive examination of a male deceased.
Under the shadowless lamp, the body lay quietly on the stainless steel autopsy table, the skin pale, without any obvious external injuries.
However, this did not allow them to relax their work for a moment, instead, they were even more meticulous and cautious.
Jiang An calmly analyzed, "No obvious injuries on the body surface, internal organs are in normal position, no bleeding points or signs of fractures."
"From the current inspection, we can essentially rule out death caused by mechanical violence."
He paused briefly, signaling the interns to observe, "The heart structure is intact, no bruising or bleeding in the brain, this indicates that the fatal cause wasn’t from external force or impact."
Then, he continued, "In the absence of mechanical injury and asphyxiation, we must highly suspect poisoning as the cause of death."
"Therefore, extracting stomach contents and liver tissue becomes particularly crucial."
He explained, "Stomach contents can help us determine if the victim’s last meal contained toxic substances."
"The liver, being a metabolic organ, is often the focal point of toxin accumulation and is a vital avenue for determining the type of toxin."
The two new forensic pathologists listened attentively, focusing intently.
Soon, they extracted liver tissue and the entire stomach bag, sending them to the toxicology lab for testing.
