83: Killed with one knife, who is the murderer?

Ye Lin sized up the five individuals. They were utterly terrified, still trembling even now.

Based on murder probability, most cases involve acquaintances or people close to the victim; truly indiscriminate killings are rare. Therefore, these five people couldn't be cleared of suspicion.

"Name, occupation, state them," Ye Lin said coldly.

"Wu Gaoling. My family runs a business, and I help out at the company."

"My name is Shan Biaocheng. Like him, I also help out at my family's company."

Ye Lin snorted. They were just a bunch of rich second-generation heirs. Saying they 'helped out at the family company' was a nice way of saying they just ate and drank.

From their appearance, they looked like dissolute young masters, with unsteady steps, suggesting they had been indulging in alcohol and women for a long time.

"What about you?" Ye Lin looked at the three women.

"Ah, Officer, my name is Lili, and I'm a model."

"My name is Haohao, and I'm also a model."

"My name is Qiqi, and I'm also a model."

Ye Lin nodded and asked, "What is the name of the deceased inside, and what is your relationship with him?"

The five people exchanged glances, and finally, Wu Gaoling weakly answered, "Officer, he is Lu Shaohui. The three of us are friends." Wu Gaoling pointed to Shan Biaocheng next to him.

"And these three girls?"

"Officer, the three of them were, you know, just having fun together. You understand," Wu Gaoling said with an embarrassed expression.

After all, it was a public place, with so many people watching; some things couldn't be said aloud.

Ye Lin said indifferently, "I understand. Don't worry, I don't interfere with consensual matters like that."

"Alright, now, one by one, come in with me." Ye Lin pointed to an adjacent private room.

The five people obediently entered one by one. Ye Lin's main purpose was to separate them for questioning. The questions were simple: their relationships, why they came here, the last time they saw the deceased, and whether they knew if the deceased had any enemies.

Based on the initial statements of the five people, the content was relatively consistent.

Tonight's gathering was organized by Wu Gaoling. He, Shan Biaocheng, and the deceased were all rich second-generation heirs who usually enjoyed finding young models to drink and have fun with.

The three girls today were also arranged by Wu Gaoling, introduced to each other, and it wasn't their first time going out.

When questioning the three girls, Ye Lin specifically asked if the deceased, Lu Shaohui, had any particular enemies, or even any special habits in certain aspects.

However, the three models were only there for a casual encounter; they didn't know much about him and couldn't provide any useful information.

After everyone had been questioned, Ye Lin still had no leads, only a clearer understanding of the time of death.

According to the five people, the six of them were singing and drinking heavily in the private room. When they heard the commotion outside from Ye Lin and his team, they came out to see.

The two men came out together; they could corroborate each other's stories.

Wu Gaoling came out, saw the excitement, and then returned to the private room to call the other four out to watch.

The three girls also came out with him. Only the deceased, Lu Shaohui, who had drunk a bit too much, stood up for a moment, then sat back down, muttering, "My head's spinning, you guys go."

Then Wu Gaoling took the three girls out to watch the commotion. At this point, all four of them could testify that Lu Shaohui was alive.

The first to discover Lu Shaohui's death were Lili and Haohao. As soon as they saw Young Master Kang come out and the excitement die down, they returned to the private room to continue their fun.

When they first entered, they didn't notice anything, thinking Lu Shaohui was asleep. It wasn't until they got closer that they discovered Lu Shaohui was dead, which scared them into screaming. The other three then rushed in.

These young people, accustomed to eating, drinking, and having fun, had never seen such a scene. They were so scared they fell to the floor, knocking over wine bottles and other items on the table, which is why the floor was so messy.

All the necessary questions had been asked. Everyone looked at Ye Lin, curious to see what Officer Ye would do next.

"Where's the Manager?" Ye Lin called out.

"Here, here." Young Master Kang shouted, excitedly dragging Manager Zhao over.

Manager Zhao was a bit confused about Ye Lin's identity now. What kind of police officer could earn Young Master Kang's favor, even blind obedience?

"Officer, I am the manager here. My surname is Zhao. This is my business card." Manager Zhao cautiously handed over his business card.

As he reached out, Young Master Kang slapped him on the back of the head. "Damn it, I told you to come over for questioning, not to drum up business! If Officer Ye wanted to come, he'd come to me, he doesn't need a useless person like you!"

Manager Zhao looked aggrieved. "Young Master, I was just being professional, just being professional."

Ye Lin's expression was serious. "Manager Zhao, right? I ask you, is there another exit at the back?"

"No, there's a wall at the back." Manager Zhao insisted.

Ye Lin looked at the dim establishment. Although much more spacious than low-end KTVs, it was still a densely populated area, so there should be fire exits.

"No? Are you sure? No fire escape at the back? Then how did your club pass inspection?" Ye Lin asked sternly.

Young Master Kang saw that Manager Zhao was being dishonest and immediately became angry. "Hurry up and tell the truth! This is a matter of life and death, and you're still hiding something?"

Manager Zhao looked at Ye Lin, then at Young Master Kang, and finally said helplessly, "There was a fire door at the back, but it's broken, and we haven't fixed it."

"You don't even fix the fire door? If there's a fire, everyone will die." Ye Lin glared fiercely at Manager Zhao.

Manager Zhao lowered his head, not daring to speak.

"Take me to see it."

"Yes."

Manager Zhao obediently led Ye Lin to the back. "Officer, I was just negligent for a moment, I forgot to fix it. Don't worry, I'll send someone to fix it immediately, immediately."

Ye Lin couldn't be bothered with him. Fire safety wasn't his responsibility; reminding him was fulfilling his duty.

Behind Young Master Kang's private room, there was a small corridor with nothing in it but an inconspicuous iron door, clearly marked "Fire Exit."

The door had a push-bar lock, which should, in theory, open directly from the inside.

Ye Lin pressed it, but there was no response. He then pulled it hard several times. For some reason, the door was indeed jammed shut.

"Officer, you see? This lock, I don't know why, it's just jammed," Manager Zhao explained from the side.

Ye Lin squatted down and examined it carefully. He couldn't find anything unusual, but there seemed to be some scratches around the keyhole. Ye Lin wasn't very knowledgeable about forensic marks.

"How long has it been broken?"

"Uh, about a week."

Ye Lin pondered for a moment, then walked straight back to the front corridor.