After all the staff present at the crime scene had gathered, Lu Xuan had them wait outside and called them in one by one for individual questioning.
The first to enter was a slightly chubby, middle-aged man with a vacant look in his eyes. His body was somewhat stiff, and his expression was visibly tense. He didn't dare make eye contact with Lu Xuan and greeted him with a trembling voice: "Hello, President Lu."
Lu Xuan understood that any employee would be nervous when suddenly facing their boss alone, just like this middle-aged man. So, he didn't think much of it. He just smiled faintly, pointed to a chair in front of the desk, and said calmly, "Sit."
The middle-aged man complied, still visibly nervous, with his head lowered, not daring to raise his eyes.
"Don't be nervous. Tell me what happened when the company was smashed. Tell me everything you saw," Lu Xuan said gently with a smile.
"Yes." The bespectacled middle-aged man nodded, adjusted his sitting posture, calmed himself for a few seconds, and then slowly began, "I'm the company's computer security engineer. At the time, the company had just opened for business. I was debugging some unfinished computers when suddenly, a group of people rushed in. We didn't even have time to ask what they were doing before they started swinging sticks and smashing things."
"Do you remember any distinctive features about them?" Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"I don't remember very clearly. I just recall someone shouting, 'Smash it!' and then all the thugs started wrecking things. Judging by the accent of the person who shouted, he didn't seem to be local. They acted so quickly I didn't even get a clear look at their faces before they disappeared," the middle-aged man scratched his head, recounting the events.
Lu Xuan had already heard a similar version from Tang Yu, but he still listened patiently, hoping to uncover something new that had been overlooked.
"Can you try to identify the attackers from these photos?" Lu Xuan calmly handed over a stack of photos of the thugs who had been silenced.
The middle-aged man took the photos and grimaced at the sight of the brutally disfigured corpses, gagging slightly. But considering he was in the president's office, he held it in, forcing himself to examine the images with a strained expression.
After recognizing a few of them, he put the photos down and said with certainty, "Yes, these are some of them. I wouldn't mistake them, even their clothes match what I remember exactly."
Lu Xuan nodded. He understood now: these were indeed the people who destroyed the company. It likely wasn't a frame-up with scapegoats—these people were responsible.
However, since they had all been silenced, there was no easy way to trace things through them. The only angle left was to dig into their personal histories.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Xuan asked, "Can you identify who was their leader?"
"The leader?" The man picked up the photos again, examined them closely, and tried to match them to his memory.
After a long pause, he shook his head and calmly said, "I don't know. They rushed in and started smashing things right away. Someone yelled a couple of times, but I never figured out who it was. I had just finished adjusting the computers, and my head was still a bit fuzzy."
"Alright, you can go now. I'll ask the others." Lu Xuan knew he couldn't get much more from this witness and dismissed him calmly.
The second person to enter was a man in his twenties, who also appeared a bit nervous meeting Lu Xuan one-on-one.
"Hello, President Lu," the young man greeted shyly as soon as he entered.
Lu Xuan nodded and motioned for him to sit before slowly asking, "Tell me everything you saw at the scene, no matter how small. Any detail you can remember."
"Yes, sir!" The young man nodded and began, "I had just gone to get a drink of water and hadn't even returned to my seat when those people burst in and started smashing things. I couldn't get a clear look at them—they moved too fast, and the whole situation was so chaotic. But judging by their accents, they didn't sound like locals."
Lu Xuan's expression didn't change. The answer was nearly identical to the previous man's.
"Please look at these photos. Are these the people who did it?" Lu Xuan gently pushed the photos toward him.
The young man studied the photos carefully. He didn't flinch at the gruesome images like the first man.
After a while, he scratched his head and said uncertainly, "Yes, I think it's them. I was too scared to get a clear look, but a few of these faces seem familiar."
"Can you tell who their leader was?" Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow, still clinging to a bit of hope.
"I don't know. They didn't leave much of an impression," the young man shook his head.
Lu Xuan nodded again and said calmly, "I understand. You can go now."
After he left, the third person entered.
His response was almost exactly the same as the first two. He added nothing new, couldn't identify anyone clearly, and was of no help.
Lu Xuan let out a wry smile, dismissed him, and called in the fourth.
The fourth witness was even more confused. He had just come out of the restroom when the attack started. He could confirm that the attackers were the same group who had been silenced, but he had no idea who their leader was.
Finally, Lu Xuan dismissed him too and called in the fifth person.
The fifth person was a young woman in her early twenties, wearing a fashionable, tight-fitting black business skirt. She looked energetic and stylish.
Unlike the others, she didn't seem frightened at all—rather, she looked a bit excited.
As soon as she entered, she smiled sweetly and greeted eagerly, "Hello, President Lu!"
"Please sit," Lu Xuan said calmly with a polite gesture.
"President Lu, you're so handsome! Becoming CEO at such a young age—amazing!" she gushed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Lu Xuan didn't expect to encounter a fangirl but maintained a composed expression and said calmly, "Tell me what happened."
"Okay, President Lu," she replied with a blush and a soft voice. Her gaze dreamy, she explained, "I was sitting at my desk when they suddenly rushed in. A group of thugs started smashing things and even hurt several colleagues."
"Focus. Did you notice any distinctive features about them?" Lu Xuan frowned, trying to bring her back to the topic.
"You mean like this?" the girl tilted her head thoughtfully, placing her finger on her lips in a dramatic pose.
After thinking hard, she shook her head apologetically and said, "Sorry, President Lu. Everything happened so fast, and they all looked so fierce… I couldn't really remember anything special about them."
"No worries," Lu Xuan said with a faint smile. He had already grown numb to these kinds of responses. Still, he habitually slid the photos over to her and said softly, "Then take a look—were these the ones who trashed the company?"
"Okay!" the girl replied with a sweet smile and took the photos.
However, as soon as her eyes landed on the pictures, she frowned and made a gagging sound, waving her hands and exclaiming, "So gross!"
Many people can't stand the sight of corpses, especially those that died gruesomely or were mutilated—it often triggers a strong physical reaction.
"Take a closer look," Lu Xuan said without any change in expression.
The young woman braved the nausea, frowning as she flipped through the photos. She was serious, unlike some of the earlier witnesses who glanced at just a few and confidently claimed they recognized someone.
After looking through all the photos, she nodded and said firmly, "Yes, it's them. As soon as I saw their clothes and fierce expressions, the whole scene from that day came rushing back. It's all still vivid in my mind."
"My memory has always been really good," she added proudly with a dramatic smile.
Lu Xuan rubbed his nose and asked calmly, "Can you tell which one of them was the leader?"
"That's a tough one," the young woman fell into thought, then shook her head. "They rushed in and started smashing things immediately. The whole scene was chaotic—they were running everywhere. It was impossible to tell who was in charge."
"Sorry, President Lu. I really wanted to help," she said apologetically.
Lu Xuan smiled faintly and waved his hand. "It's fine. You can go. I'll call the next person in."
"Alright, I'm going now," the young woman said, somewhat reluctantly. She placed the photos back on Lu Xuan's desk.
Just as she stood up and was about to leave, she suddenly turned around with a puzzled look and said quietly, "Something feels off."
"What is it?" Lu Xuan asked instinctively, sharply attuned to the change in tone.
The girl pointed at the photos and said with a frown, "All of these are men's corpses, but I remember there was a woman among the attackers."
"A woman?!" Lu Xuan's half-closed eyes snapped wide open in shock.
Tang Yu had told him about this incident several times. He had seen police reports and heard previous employee complaints. But not one of them had mentioned there being a woman among the attackers?
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