Chapter 94: Chapter 94: My Second Uncle is the Deputy Director
"Someone reported that you used this account to post inciting remarks online, instructing others in the criminal act of poisoning," the officer said, pointing to a comment in the comment section. This comment, which stated he wanted to teach Qin Mu an unforgettable lesson by instructing delivery guys to spit in takeout orders, was indeed posted by him. His post also attracted numerous comments.
"The uploader you instructed spat in someone’s takeout two days ago, constituting the crime of poisoning. This is a serious criminal act. Please cooperate with our investigation. Otherwise, we will have to take compulsory measures."
The officer looked at Liu Qiang earnestly and spoke very seriously.
Since their arrival, Liu Qiang had been uncooperative. For now, they were only requesting his cooperation with the investigation, as his guilt had not yet been determined. They had the right to use compulsory measures, such as detention and control, against uncooperative suspects.
Upon hearing the officer, Liu Qiang was so frightened he became completely distraught.
A few days prior, he had indeed posted a comment online instructing a delivery guy to spit.
Who could have imagined... the delivery guy actually did it? And, absurdly, it constituted poisoning!
Any offense that escalated to criminal charges was definitely no small matter.
"Take him away."
Seeing Liu Qiang speechless, the officers exchanged glances and prepared to step forward again.
Liu Qiang realized what was happening. He hastily shouted, "Wait! I don’t understand how that constitutes poisoning, but my uncle is the deputy chief of the Yangcheng District Police Station. Can’t you make an exception..."
The officers’ mouths twitched. One of them stated firmly, "We already notified the local police station upon our arrival. You’d best come with us to Jin City for now."
The crime occurred in Jin City, so the case was being handled there. Thus, they were conducting a cross-jurisdictional enforcement action with the cooperation of local authorities. He was to be transported to Jin City for detention and trial.
With that said, they ignored Liu Qiang’s attempts to use his connections and directly escorted him from the dormitory.
Inside the dorm, his three roommates could only stare at each other, swallowing hard in disbelief.
They’d never imagined a scene straight out of the movies would happen to them!
Witnessing a roommate being taken away by the police wasn’t an everyday experience.
So, the three of them quickly grabbed their phones to spread the news to friends and classmates in their department.
"Just now, some police officers stormed into our dorm and took Liu Qiang away! They confiscated his phone, computer, and personal belongings!"
"Does anyone know what Liu Qiang has been doing lately? I heard he’s charged with instructing others in poisoning..."
"I just looked it up. For the crime of poisoning, the sentence depends on whether anyone was harmed. If not, it’s three to ten years. If someone was harmed, it’s more than ten years!"
"It’s all over. I heard Liu Qiang has a campus belle girlfriend; she must be devastated."
"Really? What’s her name? Which department?"
"..."
In the grade and major group chat, the news spread like wildfire, with everyone in the department joining the gossip.
「Meanwhile.」
In a meeting room in the Yangcheng University administration building.
"The police just informed our university that Liu Qiang, a sophomore from the Electrical Engineering Department, has been detained. He is suspected of a poisoning crime for posting incendiary comments online."
"Since its establishment, Yangcheng University has aspired to be a century-old institution."
"Now, with only ninety-eight years left to reach that goal, we’re confronted with this situation. Let’s all discuss how to handle this public relations crisis."
President Wei Duping sat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the university’s senior leadership. His brow was deeply furrowed.
The matter, frankly, was neither overwhelmingly large nor trivially small. News of Liu Qiang’s detention would spread quickly. Soon, the whole of society would know that Yangcheng University had produced a student who instigated a crime. This would inevitably cast a somewhat negative light on the university and undoubtedly affect next year’s student enrollment.
"President, how about we issue a statement immediately? Our university absolutely cannot tolerate such a black sheep. We should expel him and release a firm declaration!"
"I believe expulsion is premature. Liu Qiang has only been detained by the police; the court hasn’t convicted him yet. He’s still just a suspect."
"Then let’s issue a demerit for now and place him on probation. We can expel him once the court reaches a verdict."
"Frankly, our top priority now is public relations—to protect the university’s image. Liu Qiang’s online actions were his alone and have no connection to the university!"
"..."
The meeting lasted for two hours.
After thorough and repeated deliberation, Wei Duping decided to first issue Liu Qiang a disciplinary action. Giving him a demerit for posting inappropriate remarks online and being implicated in a criminal case was not an overreaction. At the same time, they would urgently issue a statement. This statement would inform the entire university about the incident, clarify the situation to the public, and prevent other institutions from slandering them.
「Jinling.」
A key high school in Jinling. In the teachers’ office.
Qiu Xuemin, the homeroom teacher of Senior Year Class Two, found himself repeatedly explaining the situation to several police officers.
"Lin Lan is usually a very good student. Are you sure there hasn’t been a mistake? Why would she incite someone to commit poisoning?"
"She’s a senior this year and is supposed to take the college entrance exam next year. She would never do something like this."
Just moments before, these officers had approached him with news he found impossible to accept: Lin Lan, one of his top students known for her excellent character and academic performance, was suspected in a poisoning case.
"Mr. Qiu, we understand how you feel." One of the leading officers took a deep breath and patiently explained, "Her comments were posted on a specific online platform. We’ve already contacted the platform and traced her IP address."
"Her IP address and MAC address both point to her."
"The account used for the post, along with its real-name verification, also points to her."
"Either someone else used her account to make the post, or she did it herself. Regardless, she must come with us to cooperate with the investigation."
Qiu Xuemin’s expression fell upon hearing this. He remained silent for a long moment. Then, he slowly said, "She has her college entrance exam next year. I can call her over in a bit, but... could you please not make this public?"
As her teacher, he was deeply worried that this incident would negatively impact Lin Lan, especially with the college entrance exam looming. Lin Lan was in her final year of high school, an outstanding student. Getting into Qingbei next year should have been no problem for her.
But if she were truly implicated in this criminal offense... it would likely mean postponing her exam, or worse, being barred from taking it altogether.
The state has strict regulations regarding participation in the college entrance exam. Those who have been subjected to compulsory measures by relevant authorities or are currently serving sentences are ineligible to take the exam.