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.
Huh——
Lin Chuan took a deep breath and asked, "Did the surveillance in the venue also break down?"
"The surveillance..."
Chen Hui's face grew complicated, "The surveillance didn't break, but the power was cut off due to a mistake made by the temporary electrician."
"The surveillance system is supposed to have an independent power supply, isn't it?" Lin Chuan's expression darkened further as he asked.
"Yes, so, that temporary electrician is also the primary person responsible for the accident," said Chen Hui, sighing inwardly.
He also thought the situation was too strange.
When the power in the venue went out, the independently powered surveillance system also lost power; he even felt that someone had intentionally sabotaged the handover ceremony, deliberately damaging the cultural relics returned from overseas.
But these were all subjective conjectures without evidence to back them up.
And for Lin Chuan and Youyou, the inadvertent damage to the national treasure 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' was indisputable.
The interrogation room was silent, with the ticking of the clock's second hand ticking slowly, echoing in the cold room.
Lin Chuan cursed under his breath.
This 'accidental incident' might well have been aimed at him or Youyou; it might also have been aimed at the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase'.
But now, without surveillance footage or witnesses to prove Youyou was tripped, and a temporary worker also mainly at fault, various signs indicated that this time, they might take the fall!
Even possibly without any chance to contest.
Behind this case could well be a powerful figure.
He and Youyou might be the targets, or just like the temporary worker, they could be scapegoats.
That's it!
The thin-walled jade vase was a fake; were some people using this opportunity to destroy the fake vase and legitimatize the disappearance of the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase,' covering up the fact that the real vase had been swapped with a fake?
Fortunately, Lin Chuan knew how to indicate that it was a forged Qing dynasty thin-walled jade vase.
With this thought in mind,
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Lin Chuan took a deep breath and slowly said, "Officer Chen, regarding this case, I have important leads to provide."
"Hmm?"
Chen Hui looked up at Lin Chuan and frowned, asking, "What important leads?"
The police officer taking notes beside them also looked at Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "In this case, the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' that was damaged, is a fake."
Suddenly!
Chen Hui and the other officer furrowed their brows and showed intense surprise on their faces.
"A fake?"
Chen Hui asked in a daze.
"Yes, it's fake," Lin Chuan smiled.
"It is a national treasure returned from overseas, how can it be a fake!"
Clearly, Chen Hui did not believe this claim.
Each cultural relic returning from overseas had been personally verified by many domestic antique masters, carefully discerned, and confirmed real before being part of the handover ceremony.
If even one were a counterfeit or fake, it would not be allowed to appear in the 'overseas cultural relics repatriation handover ceremony'.
Neither party to the handover would permit it!
If exposed, not only would the handover ceremony fail to have a positive effect, but it would also infuriate everyone.
For both parties involved, if such a situation occurred, there would only be disadvantages, not the slightest benefit.
Lin Chuan shook his head and continued, "Officer Chen, I am very familiar with this artifact, and moreover, even the top antique appraisers in the country can sometimes be mistaken. If the counterfeiting technique is so high that it can pass off as real, it's enough to deceive the eye."
Chen Hui fell into a brief contemplation.
The statement put forward by Lin Chuan tangled his thoughts, as if a thousand strands of yarn were interwoven, impossible to unravel.
But he suddenly remembered something Shen Qianqian had said.
——He is absolutely worthy of your trust!
Only yesterday, Chen Hui had witnessed the Modu Museum's chief expert Gao Qinglin and other experts' misjudgment, while Lin Chuan accurately identified the fake bronze Taotie pattern wine vessel.
Could Lin Chuan's assertion that the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' is a fake be possible?
Chen Hui didn't dare to conclude.
He couldn't make a conclusion.
Therefore, after a brief consideration, Chen Hui swallowed and looked at Lin Chuan, "Your claim is of great importance, with far-reaching implications, I will report it to my superiors truthfully."
"Thank you,"
Lin Chuan nodded.
Following that, Chen Hui detailed the interrogation content and timing, and after Lin Chuan confirmed there were no errors, he signed it and left the interrogation room.
At this moment, a fellow officer ran up to Chen Hui and whispered a few words.
After hearing this, Chen Hui looked at Lin Chuan, "Comrade Lin Chuan, there is someone from Han River Province bailing you out, you are now free to leave the police station but may not leave Modu, and must be available for our summons at all times."
Normally, for suspects accused of negligently damaging national treasures, the police have the authority to detain them to prevent their escape.
Now, with a high-ranking official providing bail for Lin Chuan, detention can be avoided, but he must be on call for summons.
"And Youyou?" Lin Chuan asked.
"She's in the front hall, just like you, she's been bailed out too," Chen Hui responded, "Tonight, I will submit your interrogation record to my superiors, and I will notify you tomorrow of the specific progress of the case."

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