The package has assigned me way too many objects.

"Those were supposed to be cod fillets, but they were probably actually oilfish, right? Even with normal cooking, oilfish can cause oily stools after eating it," Chu Yinan explained.

Because this fish resembles expensive cod, it is often sold as cod. The most distinctive feature of this fish is that it contains a large amount of wax esters. Some industrial lubricants are made from wax esters. The human body cannot digest this stuff. After eating it, the body will try to expel it, and even the strongest sphincter muscles cannot save it, unless you go to a sex shop to buy a tail to plug it up.

I've heard that some industrial oilfish are being cultured with high wax ester content to increase the wax ester content of each fish. If people were to consume them, the gastrointestinal reaction might be very severe. If the lubricating effect of the oil is too strong, it might even cause fecal incontinence, depending on the individual.

People who don't often eat fish fillets might not know this useless information. Oilfish are now basically banned from being imported to artificial islands, so they are generally not available. Who would have thought that the restaurant's anniversary complimentary dish would be something like this?

Mandy temporarily accepted his statement, because the little guy's previous abilities were enough to make people trust him. She rubbed Chu Yinan's cheeks up and down until he felt his face getting hot. Fortunately, Shibuya Yi brushed Mandy's hand away.

“Great! You know so much about these strange and unusual things. I’ll contact the technical department and have them check this fish raft first.”

Just to be on the safe side, she took some food from the leftover plates and put it in the evidence bag. However, judging from her disgusted look, she clearly had a sense of awe towards this kind of food.

Chapter 78 Fan Clash

The people involved were also called in for questioning one after another. They were taken to a small room for questioning, so there was no need to worry about the content of the questioning being known or continuing to suffer from that faint, poisonous smell. Fortunately, Chu Yinan was able to join in the fun with the two older sisters.

Shibuya and Mandy had originally planned that if anyone asked about Chu Yinan, they would say they were worried that there were criminals hiding at the scene who were taking defenseless children hostage, so they were keeping him with them for protection. However, the police officers and some prosecutors already knew who the little boy with them was and didn't bother to ask.

The person being questioned in the room is Judge Wei Tian. This judge is about fifty or sixty years old, but he is very energetic. He is about half a head taller than Mandy, which is considered average height. He is a bit overweight, with his belly exceeding his chest circumference. There is a pair of glasses in the breast pocket of his suit shirt, which Chu Yinan thinks are reading glasses or something similar.

At this moment, his brows were furrowed, a deep worry hanging over his face like a dark cloud. He spoke calmly, but it seemed that an even deeper gloom was lurking in his heart.

"I invited Brother Locke over today with the idea of ​​improving our relationship, no, I mean salvaging it. Our friendship used to be incredibly pleasant, but it was only because of differences of opinion that a rift developed. Looking back now, I was being too serious... Anyway, after I invited him to dinner, he suddenly felt unwell and rushed to the toilet. What happened next is what you all know, and you've also inspected the place where we ate."

"What is the point of contention between Judge Wei and Congressman Locke?" the male police officer asked, somewhat nervously, as this was a matter between a judge and a congressman, not a typical criminal suspect.

"Regarding AI and the artificial island, the point when my brother Locke and I disagreed was around the time of the reorganization of the United Council. You can investigate the background yourself. I witnessed the Twin Islands grow stronger thanks to AI's efforts and wanted to push for more proactive measures to support AI. However, my brother Locke was a neutral party and a staunch observer. I tried to persuade him, but failed. The disagreement was that simple."

To put it simply, it's about the pro-AI faction and the neutral faction. At first glance, there shouldn't be any contradiction between the two, since neither has a conflicting core stance. However, we have to consider the context at the time.

At the time, the parliament was reorganized, and a series of regulations aimed at weakening the influence of AI were introduced. This was naturally influenced by the infiltration of external forces. However, ordinary people who had lived on the artificial island for more than a year found it difficult to feel dissatisfied with AI. Under the influence of public opinion, the momentum to restrict AI gradually overwhelmed the voices of those who supported AI. The neutral faction's wait-and-see attitude at that time was tantamount to watching AI's influence be gradually eliminated.

Cases of extreme idol fans committing crimes likely emerged and increased during that period.

Before that, the only designated idols of Twin Islands were the various AI girls.

Chu Yinan would describe the current dark clouds hanging over Twin Islands as "a parliamentary clash between virtual AI idol fans and human idol fans"!

“Now those differences are irrelevant. I’ve come to understand a lot. Humans don’t even care about their own fate. Even AI cares more about reproduction than humans do. Seeing more and more extreme idol fans committing crimes at this time, I don’t think it’s worth it. My friendships don’t need to be ruined by these things.”

The police officer asked a few more trivial questions and then ended the questioning of Judge Wei Tian. At least in terms of the crime, unless it was for reasons such as revenge, he had no motive to target Congressman Locke.

Moreover, he had an alibi at the time; he stayed in his room and video-chatted with his family, and the data records can prove this.

So even if he really did instigate someone to murder Congressman Locke, we would have to start from somewhere else; there aren't many clues to be found on him.

The person who was called in later was today's head chef. The kitchen of this restaurant is staffed by rotating head chefs. Apart from that, the next level of chefs are the ones working. Some specific orders are handled by the head chef himself. When he is not handling the food, he acts as a supervisor and mentors new chefs.

“Chef Zhan, please explain the situation at the time and why there was a food safety problem here. As the person in charge of the kitchen, you can’t just brush it off with a ‘I don’t know’.”

James was a Franco, and his white chef's uniform was brand new. He didn't have anything particularly special about his appearance. If there was anything special about him, it would be that the muscles in his right forearm were significantly more developed than those in his left.

“I just checked, and the problem lies with the purchase of cod. Those aren't cod at all; they're cheap industrial fish! Since there are forty-five complimentary fish fillets, I can't cook them all myself, so I delegated them to other chefs. And today, with Representative Locke here, I naturally took charge of his table's dishes. Because I was negligent in my supervision, I didn't expect this to happen! After all, I'm the head chef, so the responsibility does lie with me.”

"Moreover, during the time that happened, I was constantly processing orders. You have no idea how picky customers are these days when it comes to taste. You have to be meticulous in meeting their taste requirements, otherwise it will affect the reputation of the restaurant and myself."

James appeared deeply distressed and remorseful, perhaps because he hadn't expected such a scandal to occur in the kitchen he was in charge of. This would be a severe blow to any chef's reputation, even if the responsibility didn't lie with him.

"You mean there was a problem with the procurement process? Where's the procurement officer?" The officer became serious. After a round of questioning, the procurement officer was the most likely suspect.

“It’s normal for problems to arise. When I first entered the culinary industry, I often saw this kind of thing. The purchase price of cod and oilfish is vastly different, and it’s quite common to occasionally take kickbacks from purchasing a little bit. The person in charge of purchasing is Tony, the warehouse manager here, who is also another head chef who is close to retirement.” Mr. Zhan shrugged. “But unfortunately, he’s not here now. He’s gone to the island to contact ingredient suppliers and discuss ingredient contracts.”

Were you in the kitchen the entire time of the incident?

"Of course, you can ask the other people in the kitchen."

Chu Yinan walked out of the room and glanced around. The bathroom area was still the same as before. Those who had received their clothes were changing, while those who hadn't received their clothes could only cover their faces and wait anxiously. It seemed that none of the chefs here could escape the ordeal. Several chefs came out after changing into new clothes.

After a brief period of quiet, the dining area quickly became lively again. Prosecutor Li Zaiye was discussing the case with someone, talking about his speculations, and speaking with great confidence. Standing in the middle of the group was a senior leader who looked like an old leader, calmly sticking out his big belly.

"Minister Hans, what I just said was my speculation. The difficulty now is to find everyone who entered and exited the restroom from the surveillance footage and check them one by one. This way, we can definitely identify the assassin. It will be a bit inefficient, but it is definitely the best method right now."

A prosecutor saw Shibuya Yoshimi also at the scene and greeted her in a friendly manner, casually teasing her, "Prosecutor Shibuya Yoshimi, didn't you say you were off work today? What are you doing here, with your little lucky charm again?"

The bespectacled senior leader had heard about Chu Yinan's situation, especially since the young prosecutor in the procuratorate had been verbally abused by a child. Naturally, he paid more attention to Chu Yinan.

"Young man, did you figure anything out this time?"

Chapter 79 Explanation

"Old Minister, what brings you here too?" Mandy greeted the old leader who looked close to retirement.

“My home is nearby, so after hearing about it, I came to check on things. Besides, I attended Representative Locke’s banquet last time, so it was only right that I come and see what was going on since he was in trouble.” The gray-haired old minister said with a smile, “I had heard about Prosecutor Shibuya when I was in the Materials Department, and of course, this young man. I never expected to meet him today. Will he be able to broaden my horizons?”

Mandy knew this former Minister Hans, but it was mainly through their fathers' connections. Minister Hans was now getting old and no longer in charge of case affairs in the prosecutor's office. He had voluntarily applied to be transferred to logistical work that facilitated the management of materials. However, in terms of seniority, most prosecutors and superintendents still treated him with respect, and he himself did not have any major scandals.

"Has Prosecutor Lee Jae-ye already made progress? Don't let the little guy finish speaking and then wait to reap the benefits yourself!" Mandy didn't forget to make a sarcastic remark about Lee Jae-ye.

After what happened last time, Li Zaiye was mentally prepared for this kind of awkward sarcasm. In addition, in front of Minister Hans, he simply suppressed his resentment and did not show it on his face.

"What happened last time was just a misunderstanding. Of course, it was also related to my overthinking, but it was indeed partly my responsibility. I just told the old minister about my speculation. Could it be that Superintendent Mandy and you have made some new discovery?"

"I'm also looking forward to seeing if the young man will have any insightful observations this time." The old minister smiled kindly, but he was probably more interested in finding out the truth. He felt that the rumors among his colleagues were somewhat exaggerated.

Especially after seeing Chu Yinan in person, he became even more suspicious that the child's actions were really as his colleagues had described. However, he only had the leisure to do so after hearing that Locke was alright.

"The restaurant's diarrhea was caused by oilfish, indicating a problem with the ingredients. Moreover, this was preparation for an attack; Representative Locke definitely didn't fall on his own," Chu Yinan explained briefly.

The elderly man, over sixty years old, nodded in surprise and said approvingly, "Hmm! You and Prosecutor Li Zaiye had the same idea. You're quite capable. You should study hard in the future and become a prosecutor!"

For a moment, Chu Yinan didn't know where to begin complaining. He thought the same thing as Li Zaiye: was this a dig at him, Chu Yinan? And the food at the prosecutor's office was so terrible, he wasn't going there!

Li Zaiye said with great certainty, "Although we don't know the motive for attacking Representative Locke, the suspect is most likely the chef who was shopping outside the island. Only he has the ability to switch the ingredients and use oilfish to make Representative Locke have diarrhea and go to the toilet, thus creating an opportunity to attack him! Even if the chef who was shopping is not the mastermind, he must be an accomplice. He must have registered the names of the guests at the scene so that we can identify the perpetrator and arrest him directly."

"Hmm? Do you think the person who did this is among the customers dining in the restaurant?" Chu Yinan countered.

"Otherwise what? Could it be Judge Wei Tian, ​​who's been staying in the restaurant the whole time? Or Secretary Rong Lan, who's been waiting outside the restroom?"

Li Zaiye frowned. He had just finished impressing Minister Hans, only to be immediately contradicted. His expression was not pleasant. He glanced at his watch and decided to ignore Chu Yinan's provocation.

"Minister, please excuse me for a moment. I need to consult with the Deputy Minister to see if we can immediately apply for judicial assistance from outside the island. The cordon at the scene should be lifted soon; there's no guarantee that bacteria won't grow in this stench. Please take care of yourself!"

Li Zaiye's words were echoed by several nearby lawyers:

"We have a civil court hearing coming up later. If the investigation is almost complete, we hope the lockdown can be lifted as soon as possible. There's a real emergency here!"

"Yes, I need to take a shower and clean myself first, otherwise I won't be able to meet with my clients! I hope everyone in the prosecutor's office can understand. I can fully cooperate with the identity registration!"

"Why are you in such a hurry to close the venue?" Chu Yinan was puzzled. Was this person the type who refused to work overtime? Last time, he was also in a hurry to let those kitchen interns go, and this time he was in a hurry to close the venue and let the customers leave.

Of course, he also agreed to let those lawyers leave; in this sweltering heat, if they didn't leave soon, things would start to go awry.

"What other opinions do you have?" Minister Hans asked, intrigued.

"Let's investigate that chef Zhan again. His food is a bit awful, and he's highly suspicious."

Just as Zhan finished his investigation and came out of the room, he heard someone identify him as a suspect, especially since the person who identified him was a child, which made his feelings even more complicated.

"It's not appropriate to joke about this kind of thing. If you're not satisfied with the taste, you can give your feedback to the front desk."

"That would be settling a personal score, that won't do." The old minister shook his head regretfully, also denying Chu Yinan's statement. He felt somewhat disappointed, as he had originally thought Chu Yinan would offer a more mature opinion.

Chu Yinan continued to explain, "Prosecutor Li Zaiye believes that the oilfish issue was intended to create a scene to force Representative Locke to go to the toilet, but there's no need to make such a big fuss, causing everyone to have diarrhea and crowding into the toilet. Wouldn't that just hasten the discovery of Representative Locke's murder?"

"That's because I'm in charge of the main courses for Congressman Locke's meals. If I wanted to make him have diarrhea and go to the bathroom, the only way would be to tamper with the complimentary dishes for the anniversary!" Chef James explained seriously.

Judge Wei Tian also came out and silently watched the somewhat comical argument, with a child and a prosecutor arguing and confronting each other.

"That's a good reason, but I think this massive diarrhea and chaos is actually a way for the perpetrators to conceal their identities and leave the bathroom."

The restrooms were overcrowded at the time. Many people who entered later, finding no stalls available, would leave to find another restroom. Out of embarrassment, these customers would cover their faces with their clothes. This chaos rendered the security cameras at the restroom entrance ineffective, as a group of men in suits, all covering their faces, were constantly going in and out, making it impossible to identify the suspects.

Could the chaos of social death at the time have been used to cover up the movements in and out of the bathroom? Mandy hadn't thought of that. It was quite an interesting idea. Her guess was actually similar to Lee Jae-yeop's. She also thought that the oilfish was one of the conditions that allowed Representative Locke to get out of sight. But she didn't expect that the oilfish could also be a condition for leaving the scene and concealing his identity!

"As for Chef Zhan's alibi, I think there are some loopholes in his story. Is there CCTV footage in the kitchen?" Chu Yinan asked to confirm.

"No, the surveillance cameras are only turned on after closing time. If they were on during the day, the cooking methods might be recorded. Many restaurants do this now," Judge Wei Tian said.

Chu Yinan nodded, feeling that his guesses were being confirmed:

"Mr. Zhan had plenty of time to work. The dishes were prepared in advance according to the guests' dining time. After the dishes were prepared, he could go to the restroom. During the time of the incident, Mr. Zhan was mostly not in the kitchen. He handed over his work to his subordinates."

This time, the questioning was directed at Judge Wei Tian. His imposing demeanor was tempered with confusion—a question stemming from a genuine desire for confirmation from Chu Yinan, rather than a threatening inquiry using his position to intimidate.

“Unless it’s a very important guest, the chef’s schedule is based on the order of orders. And this restaurant has a good reputation. Most days the chef’s schedule is full and he’s never idle. How do you know that Zhan wasn’t in the kitchen at the time?”

When talking about the restaurant his family runs, he said "this restaurant" instead of "my family restaurant," because he didn't want to put any psychological pressure on this remarkable child.

“Unfortunately, judging from the timeline of events, Mr. Zhan should have been preparing the order for Prosecutor Shibuya during the period when Representative Locke was assassinated.” Chu Yinan pointed to the table where he had just been eating.

Chef Zhan, looking very angry, interrupted Chu Yinan, saying:

"That's settled then. Don't you realize that a child's words contradict themselves? You yourself admitted that I have an alibi, so don't make such absurd jokes in such a serious setting. Nobody wants to play along with your antics at a crime scene!"

"Let him finish speaking." Minister Hans raised his hand, signaling the head chef not to interrupt.

Chu Yinan's interesting perspective on the oilfish diarrhea made the near-retirement prosecutor take him seriously. Hans began to believe that the clever little boy who appeared in casual conversations was not just an exaggerated rumor.

"But Prosecutor Shibuya's order specifically requested that the original flavor be preserved. Why did you use a heavy oil and sugar recipe? Is this the kind of mistake a chef from a reputable restaurant would make? Could you not even meet such a simple request? Did you have a kitchen helper do it for you and forget to remind them of the request? And what were you doing while they were doing it for you?"

This was the last suspicion Chu Yinan could glean from the discrepancies. There was no way around it; the beautifully presented coffee bean risotto, overflowing with greasiness and excessive sweetness, had left a very deep impression on him.

“But the kitchen staff all say that Chef Zhan didn’t leave the kitchen at the time!” Li Zaiye retorted. “Even experienced chefs can make occasional mistakes; it’s not a one-in-one thing!”

"In the kitchen's ecosystem, the head chef is the most powerful. The kitchen staff dare not speak ill of the head chef. They probably think that Zhan just went to the restroom temporarily, so they try to avoid trouble and cover up such insignificant details for the head chef. Superintendent Mandy, I would appreciate it if you could reinvestigate the kitchen staff's statements and question them individually." Judge Wei Tian glanced at Zhan and the kitchen staff with a frosty expression.

Chapter 80 Confession

Before long, after a series of half-warning and half-reassuring questions, Mandy got the result she wanted. When Minister Hans saw her come out, he asked her with his eyes how it went, and Mandy's answer was a simple nod, but that said a lot.

"So, the young man's plan for the crime was that Chef Zhan would explain the order, then go to the restroom to attack Councilor Locke, then use the prepared suit to blend into the group of people with diarrhea to leave the restroom, find a place to change back into his chef's uniform, and then appear in the kitchen to wait for the police to arrive? Now, the task is to find the suit that Chef Zhan used?" Hans went through Chu Yinan's previous words again.

He found that every step of the plan was quite well-thought-out, except for a few areas that weren't done properly. If the attack had been a little more elaborate, it could have been staged to look like Congressman Locke had fallen on his own. Although the current scene was somewhat similar, it was far too crude. Then there was the matter of the order, which unexpectedly led him to run into Chu Yinan's table.

Otherwise, the police might have to use an exhaustive search method, meticulously checking every customer at the scene one by one. This would inevitably be time-consuming and laborious, and the results would only be good in the ideal situation, not in reality.

Of course, these facts alone are not enough to justify the arrest of Chef James, as there is no concrete evidence and all of this is currently just speculation.

In some mystery comics, the protagonist first makes a guess, then personally collects evidence, and then in the third act reveals the trick, saying something like "There is only one truth". Chu Yinan completely skips collecting evidence to verify his guess and relies purely on guessing.

But with Chu Yinan's wild guess, the police's search work had a direction. The restaurant was only so big, and he had never left. As long as they thoroughly searched everything related to Zhan, they would definitely get results. Time did not allow Zhan too much leeway to destroy the tools he used.