Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Chapter 149: Its Over, Come At Me! (Please Subscribe) (1/2)

Chapter 177: Chapter 149: It’s Over, Come At Me! (Please Subscribe)

Dusk, approaching night.

The afterglow of the sunset spilled across the sky, turning it into a gradient oil painting, shifting from deep blue in the east to warm oranges and reds in the west. The glass curtain walls atop skyscrapers reflected the afterglow, twinkling with specks of golden light.

On the streets, neon lights came to life, vehicles flowed endlessly, and the occasional honk of a horn pierced through the impending nightfall, reaching Lin Chuan’s ears through the car window.

Yes, Lin Chuan and Youyou were once again in a police car.

However, last time they were assisting officers.

This time, they were suspects in the accidental destruction of cultural relics.

Youyou sat beside Lin Chuan, still harboring guilt and self-blame. Lin Chuan patted the back of her hand, signaling her to relax a bit and to just tell the truth.

With Lin Chuan present, Youyou felt somewhat reassured and slowly exhaled in relief.

The police car navigated through several streets and rounds of bends, eventually turning into the police station.

Not long after,

Lin Chuan entered the interrogation room of Modu Police Station as a ‘suspect.’

——The interrogation room.

The interrogation room of Modu Police Station was no different from that of Anling Police Station, like a stern fortress of steel.

Four walls painted in monotonous gray, devoid of life, the lighting was dim, and the ticking of the clock on the wall reverberated in the spacious room, filled with a suffocating silence.

Lin Chuan sat in the interrogation chair without the nervousness he had the first time he was brought into an interrogation room.

After all, he was an old hand at this.

At this moment, Lin Chuan was alone in the interrogation room; the officers had not yet entered to commence the formal questioning.

Lin Chuan looked around, then began to replay the events in his mind.

From the perspective of others, this was an accidental incident.

But as a direct participant, he felt there was something fishy about it.

Firstly, it was odd for such an important venue to experience a power outage!

Generally speaking, museums have dedicated power systems, and in Modu Museum’s venue, infrastructure was impeccable, including the power supply.

It was almost impossible for a sudden outage to occur.

Furthermore, Youyou mentioned she felt someone trip her.

Those present were mostly Modu elites, though not necessarily of good character, they were accustomed to big events; yet, with just a power outage, there were screams, and someone tripped Youyou.

Clearly, this was not right.

Lin Chuan began to suspect that the incident could very well have been staged.

But who planned it?

And what was their motive?

Was it related to the ‘Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase’ being a fake?

At that moment, Chen Hui and another officer walked in and sat down at the interrogation table.

Chen Hui glanced at Lin Chuan, noting that he sat quietly in the chair, undisturbed by the wait or the surroundings.

At a glance, he was a frequent visitor to the station.

Then, they started to make the record.

After entering basic details like name, age, and occupation, Chen Hui began to speak,

“Lin Chuan, today at 5 p.m., you entered the museum with Bai Yang and Song Youyou to participate in the ‘Overseas Cultural Relics Repatriation Ceremony,’ sitting in row 8, seat 56. After the ceremony concluded, you and Song Youyou proceeded to the exhibit area of the ‘Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase’ to view the relic, is this correct?”

Lin Chuan nodded and answered, “Correct.”

“After the venue suddenly lost power, how did you knock it over?” Chen Hui looked at Lin Chuan with piercing eyes.

Lin Chuan met Chen Hui’s gaze and spoke earnestly, “After the lights went out, I first heard screams from another exhibit area. Subsequently, my friend was tripped by someone and called out to me. Instinctively, I reached out to grab her, and then, we both fell to the ground together.”

His answer was cautious, without any remarks that could be detrimental to himself.

Despite the ‘Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase’ being a counterfeit, even a copy would be quite valuable.

Aside from the responsibility assumed by the museum’s security, if it ultimately fell on Youyou and himself to bear a part of the responsibility, that would be a significant expense.

Save a bit.

There’s still the significant costs of buying a car, a house, and getting married.

Otherwise, he’d have to fake more antiques.

Cough, selling them as art pieces was no problem.

Chen Hui looked at Lin Chuan, then asked, “Are you aware of the value and significance of the ‘Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase’?”

Lin Chuan nodded and took the role of a class representative, “This artifact holds immense artistic and historical value. It showcases the exquisite thin-walled craftsmanship of jade carving during the Qing dynasty, an important physical evidence for studying the production techniques, aesthetic styles, and the socio-cultural background of that time. Additionally, it demonstrates the unique charm and profound heritage of Chinese culture to the international community, also enjoying a high reputation abroad.”

Lin Chuan rattled off quickly, and the officer taking notes scribbled furiously, barely keeping up with Lin Chuan’s pace.

Chen Hui watched Lin Chuan discuss the jade vase like an expert and continued, “We conducted a thorough investigation of the scene and preliminary determined it to be an accident. However, the damage to a national treasure may result in a hefty claim from the Cultural Relics Bureau, and you might… might face prosecution for the ‘accidental destruction of cultural relics,’ which could lead to up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention.”

Lin Chuan frowned slightly, “I would like to know the cause of the power outage.”

In the interrogation room, Chen Hui thought for a moment, “Our investigation indicates that it was due to a temporary electrician’s error that led to the power outage, triggering a series of subsequent accidents. He is the main responsible party for this accident, and the museum’s security negligence will also bear some of the responsibility.”

Lin Chuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

A temporary electrician?

This triggered a critical keyword for major accidents!

When a case features a ‘temporary worker’ taking the blame, it signifies that the case is definitely complicated.

The waters run deep, very deep.