CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97; THE LINE WENT DEAD

"I’m investigating them as unexplained deaths," Zhou replied carefully. "The medical examiner has confirmed that all four Chen family members died of apparent natural causes, heart attacks, stroke, and drowning due to loss of consciousness. But the timing is... unusual. Five deaths in one family within twelve hours. You have to admit, it raises questions."

"I can see how it would seem suspicious," Lu Yuze agreed. "But grief can be a powerful killer, Detective. The family loses their heir in a violent accident, and the shock cascades through the remaining members. It’s not unheard of."

"No, it’s not," Zhou admitted. "But it’s rare. Very rare."

"Detective, I appreciate your thoroughness, but I genuinely don’t see how I can help with this investigation. Chen Ting visited my home, was removed when he became hostile, and left alive and uninjured. Everything that happened after that..." Lu Yuze spread his hands, though the detective couldn’t see the gesture. "I have no knowledge of it. I went to bed shortly after he left and didn’t learn about his death until this morning."

"Where were you between midnight and three AM?"

"Asleep in my bedroom. My daughter had just awakened from a six-month coma earlier that day, you may have heard about that. I was exhausted. I went to bed around 11:45 PM and slept until approximately 6:30 this morning."

"Can anyone verify that?"

Lu Yuze felt a flicker of irritation. "My household staff can confirm when I retired to my room. Whether I actually stayed there and slept... well, unless you expect me to have someone watching me sleep, that’s difficult to verify, Detective."

"I apologize if the question seems invasive," Zhou said, though his tone suggested he wasn’t sorry at all. "But I have to ask. Five members of the same family are dead, and the last place the first victim was seen alive was your estate. You understand my position."

"I do," Lu Yuze said, forcing his voice to remain calm. "And I appreciate you doing your job thoroughly. But I’m afraid I can’t provide any information beyond what I’ve already told you. Chen Ting came here looking for his wife, didn’t find her, became violent, was removed by security, and left unharmed. That’s the extent of my involvement."

"What about your wife?"

Lu Yuze’s hand tightened on the phone, though his voice remained steady. "What about her?"

"You recently married, correct? About two days ago?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just gathering background information. Was she present during Chen Ting’s visit?"

"No," Lu Yuze said firmly. "She was in bed, resting. She’d had a long day: the wedding, visiting our daughter in the hospital, and dealing with Yuyan’s sudden awakening. She was asleep during the entire incident."

Another lie, smooth and confident.

"I see. And her name is...?"

"Shuyin," Lu Yuze said, deliberately providing only her given name. "But Detective, I really must insist, my wife had nothing to do with any of this. She never met Chen Ting, never spoke to him, wasn’t even aware of his visit until I told her about it this morning."

"Of course," Zhou said smoothly. "I’m not suggesting she was involved. Just trying to establish a complete timeline."

"The timeline is simple," Lu Yuze said, his patience starting to thin. "Unstable man trespasses on my property, gets thrown out, drives recklessly away, and dies in an accident thirty minutes later. His family, already dealing with his behavioral problems and now shocked by his death, succumbs to stress-related medical conditions. Tragic, but not criminal."

"Perhaps you’re right," Zhou conceded. "Still, we’ll be conducting thorough autopsies on all five bodies. If there’s any evidence of foul play...."

"You’ll find none," Lu Yuze interrupted confidently. "Because there was none. These people died of natural causes brought on by stress, grief, and pre-existing health conditions. I had nothing to do with their deaths, Detective. Neither did anyone in my household."

"I hope you’re right, Master Lu." Detective Zhou’s tone was neutral, impossible to read. "For everyone’s sake."

"Is there anything else?" Lu Yuze asked. "I’d like to return to my family. As I mentioned, my daughter just woke from a coma. She needs me."

"Just one more thing. The security footage from your gates, can you provide the internal footage as well? From inside the mansion during Chen Ting’s visit?"

Lu Yuze had been expecting this question. "Unfortunately, we experienced a technical malfunction with our internal security system last night. The footage from approximately 11 PM to midnight is corrupted. Our IT team is looking into it, but they believe it was a server issue. Very frustrating timing, I know."

He could almost hear Zhou’s skepticism through the phone. "A technical malfunction. How convenient."

"Yes, it is inconvenient," Lu Yuze corrected coldly. "I would very much like to have video evidence showing exactly how Chen Ting behaved in my home, how threatening he was, and how professional my security team remained despite his aggression. But we don’t always get what we want, Detective."

"No," Zhou agreed quietly. "We don’t."

Silence stretched between them for a moment.

"If I think of anything else, I’ll call," Detective Zhou finally said. "And if you remember any details you haven’t mentioned, I trust you’ll reach out immediately."

"Of course."

"Thank you for your time, Master Lu. I’ll be in touch if I have further questions."

"Detective," Lu Yuze said before the man could hang up. "I understand you’re doing your job. I respect that. But I want to be clear, I had nothing to do with the Chen family’s deaths. I’m as shocked by this tragedy as anyone else. If there’s any way I can help your investigation, I will. But I won’t tolerate any suggestion that I or my family are somehow responsible for what was clearly a series of tragic medical emergencies."

"Noted," Detective Zhou said neutrally. "Good day, Master Lu."

The line went dead.

Lu Yuze set the phone down carefully and sat back in his chair, his mind racing.