Chapter 12 A Piece of Cake
"Name?"
"Lin Xiaoxia."
"What is the relationship with the deceased?"
"We are husband and wife and have been married for almost 20 years."
"Where were you when the crime happened?"
"I was beside him, I mean, I was sitting opposite him in the cafe on Liming Street."
In the video, a fat middle-aged woman whispers.
She was pale and haggard, wearing pajamas, a police uniform coat, and house slippers on her feet.
When Wen Quan was shot to death on Liming Street, Lin Xiaoxia's mood broke down a little, she raised her hands to cover her eyes and cried bitterly.
The video continued to play, and Lin Xiaoxia answered relevant questions intermittently until the female police officer asked:
"Do you have a harmonious relationship with the deceased?"
"We...we have almost no interaction," Lin Xiaoxia wiped her tears and whispered, "The two of us rarely meet offline. Either he is playing games or I am playing games. We almost only meet every week. Once, he helped me replace the nutrient solution in the nutrition compartment.”
"Our investigation found that you actually have zero income."
"I have a savings of my own," Lin Xiaoxia explained, "I don't rely entirely on his support."
"Then what do you think the deceased's attitude is towards you?"
"I...I don't know."
Lin Xiaoxia's expression was a little bitter:
"We loved each other, but we got tired of each other long ago.
"He likes adventure and upgrade games, and I like some dress-up music games. The two of us have long since run out of common topics, and we are considered friends who know each other best.
"That's why we chose to divorce and let each other go."
The video contains a pause symbol that has been passed down since ancient times.
…
"Please remember these answers from Lin Xiaoxia."
Wang Ze swiped his right hand, and a three-dimensional view of the deceased's home appeared in the center of the projection screen, with the perspective pointed at the refrigerator.
"Pay attention to the cake in the corner that has expired. It has been half eaten."
"Yes," an old police officer asked, "Did you find anything on it?"
Wang Ze didn't say anything. He separated the cake from the picture, modeled it independently, and adjusted the angle.
Qi Ming's eyes lit up and he immediately said: "There are two marks. The maker of the mark on the left prefers the cream layer on top!"
Wang Ze said seriously: "But none of us can be sure whether the person eating the cake will adjust the angle by himself."
"So, we collected cake samples at the scene overnight for testing," He Qiu said immediately, "The biological information of the deceased and Lin Xiaoxia was found on the cake.
"In addition, the label under the cake has a production date, and it was purchased seven days ago, two days before the incident.
"This is the surveillance video of the deceased taking the takeout, as well as the purchase record, as well as the photos taken by the automatic takeout machine when handing over the takeout."
There was dense information on the projection screen on the other side.
Wang Ze continued:
"Then Lao He and I followed this clue and found that the deceased often bought the same cake once every four to five days.
"Two years ago, the deceased went out for two months. Their family still bought such sweets, and the photos of the buyers are here. We obtained accurate information from the takeaway company.
"You can be sure that this is Lin Xiaoxia's favorite taste."
The conference room was quiet.
Soon, Deputy Director Gong said in a deep voice: "This is not substantial evidence."
The two veteran police officers also spoke out:
"Just a piece of cake that two people ate together cannot prove anything, nor can it prove that they ate it together."
"Moreover, the information we have now includes the terminal online time periods of the deceased and Lin Xiaoxia. This information is beneficial to Lin Xiaoxia."
"I mean," Wang Ze's smile was still very confident: "Is the relationship between the deceased and Lin Xiaoxia really as different as Lin Xiaoxia said?"
The conference room fell silent again, with the only sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper.
——The use of electronic devices to take notes during the meeting is not allowed.
Wang Ze paused for more than ten seconds and continued: "This new clue that Lao He and I discovered does not point to their relationship as husband and wife. Although this was the purpose when Lao He and I first investigated this cake."< br>
His voice changed:
"Please take a look, this is the surveillance picture of Wenquan's living room. This angle can just cover the refrigerator completely."
A video appeared on the projection screen, played at several hundred times the speed, and the time numbers in the upper left corner jumped rapidly.
The video automatically pauses, triggering the automatic portrait capture function.
At this time, the date displayed on the screen was exactly two days before the incident. The deceased Wen Quan received the takeout in his pajamas, put a complete cake back in the refrigerator, then went to the toilet and walked back to his bedroom.
The video plays quickly again, with only the changing numbers in the upper left corner reminding you that this is not a still picture.
The video automatically paused several times.
The deceased Wenquan would appear in the living room every few hours, eating and going to the toilet, just like normal people.
Lin Xiaoxia left the bedroom, went to the bathroom to deal with personal matters, did skin care for half an hour, opened the refrigerator, ate a few bites of cake, and returned to her room.
The video pauses for the second to last time as gunshots are heard in the bedroom.
More than ten minutes later, Lin Xiaoxia rushed out of her bedroom, opened the door of Wen Quan's bedroom, and then collapsed on the ground.
The crime occurred.
Deputy Director Gong Tianzheng suddenly said: "There is no video record of the deceased eating this cake?"
"Yes, this is the clue that Lao He and I stumbled upon last night. We are relatively lucky."
With a push of Wang Ze's hand, the original video was divided into thirty-six parts, which were simultaneously played slowly on the large projection screen, showing the detailed movement trajectory of the deceased.
He Qiu couldn't help but rub the tip of his nose.
In fact, Wang Ze was doing all the detailed comparisons. He was only responsible for running the errands and making follow-up confirmations.
Wang Ze concluded:
“In the surveillance video of the living room, there is no scene of Wen Quan touching the cake.
"But we did detect healthy biological information on the eating traces of the cake.
"And after our repeated detailed comparisons, there are obvious differences in the eating traces of the cakes. What does this mean?"
There was a bang, and an old police officer slammed the table with some excitement.
"The surveillance video may have been tampered with! There is indeed something fishy!"
"Finally found a breakthrough."
The low pressure in the conference room dissipated instantly.
Wang Ze made a gesture, and the surrounding area immediately became quiet.
He glanced at the video call screen.
The gray-haired old man sitting at the conference table on the other end of the communication also showed a little smile.
This is the president of Weixing Group and a technological celebrity on the home planet.
Wang Ze said in a brisk tone:
"This clue still cannot be used as direct evidence, but it can also point out a way for our next work.
"Lin Xiaoxia's alibi consists of two parts: 'server online information' and 'indoor surveillance footage'. It has now been determined that the indoor surveillance was forged.
"Then we focused on the public cameras near the deceased's home.
"By comparing the changes in the environment near Wen's family, the cross-coverage footage of several cameras, and conducting detailed inquiries about relevant personnel who appeared during the same time period.
“What is finally certain is that external surveillance has not been tampered with.
"Six hours before the incident, no one entered or left the apartment of the deceased and Lin Xiaoxia."
Deputy Director Gong Tianzheng said solemnly: "The deceased's wife Lin Xiaoxia is suspected of committing a major crime."
The old man's sonorous and powerful voice came out during the video call: "We at Weixing Group will fully provide technical support."
Wang Ze ignored him and continued:
"Not only is the indoor surveillance untrustworthy, all types of information we previously believed must be re-examined, including the server information provided by Weixing Group.
"I suggest the police conduct a surprise interrogation of Lin Xiaoxia and find a breakthrough in her.
"In addition, in terms of technology, we cannot rely solely on Weixing Group. If necessary, please bring in a third-party organization to conduct a comprehensive screening and appraisal of the deceased's spinal port equipment, Lin Xiaoxia's nutrition warehouse, and Weixing Group's server data."
Everyone nodded.
Wang Ze couldn't help but yawned: "That's all the clues for now. If you find anything, you can wake me up at any time. I'll go sleep for a few hours."
Deputy Director Gong Tianzheng immediately said: "Xiao Wang, have a good rest and be sure to take care of yourself!"
"Thank you, Director Gong."
Wang Ze responded with a smile, turned around and wanted to leave, but when he reached the door, he remembered something, turned back and added a few words:
“I don’t believe in ghosts or perfect crimes.
"Find more experienced technical personnel, they should come in handy later.
"I just feel that the truth of this matter may be more incredible than the ghost we are seeing now."
……
After Wang Ze left, the veteran police officers left in the conference room quickly made a series of arrangements.
When the police were almost done, the CEO of Weixing Group on the other end of the video call also expressed his apology to the police.
"I apologize to the police force for Els' previous arrogance and promise that he will not appear in front of you.
"If the police need any information from Weixing Group, we will fully cooperate.
"Next, I will send my most capable subordinates and mobilize the most elite technical personnel to the police station to assist you in investigating this case.
"The stability of the virtual industry on the home planet is related to countless jobs. A slight fluctuation will cause serious social problems.
"Just...please, everyone." (End of Chapter)