Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 106 Poisoning
The "Starlight" restaurant has only been open for a short time, and its promotional activities are still ongoing. With a lot of publicity, the restaurant is packed with people during dinner time, and there are also many customers who made reservations in advance and are waiting in line.

Upon hearing the waiter's words, the customers all looked anxious and glanced towards the kitchen.

"what happened?"

"We've waited so long, and suddenly they tell us they can't serve our food? How can they do business like this?"

"Yeah, I was planning to take this opportunity to confess to my crush, but now my plans are all ruined. Why am I so unlucky?"

Complaints rose and fell, and the elegant and luxurious Western restaurant was instantly transformed into a noisy street market.

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Lu Jingming and Wei Qingsong exchanged glances, stood up simultaneously, and walked towards the waiter under the crystal chandelier.

After the waiter finished speaking, he stood there blankly, looking somewhat at a loss.

He hadn't noticed Wei Qingsong's approach, so when Wei Qingsong patted his shoulder from behind, he was startled and almost jumped up.

Seeing that it was the same customer from the previous table, he patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "You scared me... If you need a refund, please go to the cashier."

Wei Qingsong shook her head and cut to the chase, asking, "What happened in your kitchen?"

The waiter hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "Yes, the head chef suddenly fell ill."

Lu Jingming pulled out his police ID from his pocket: "We are police officers. If anything really happens, you can tell us the truth."

"Police?" The waiter was stunned for a moment, then said urgently, "How about this, you two wait here for a moment, I'll go ask the manager."

“Okay.” Wei Qingsong’s eyes were clear and her lips curved into a faint smile, which calmed the waiter down considerably.

He strode briskly toward the manager's office, and soon returned with a young man in a black suit.

The young man must be the manager he was referring to. He stepped forward, nodded slightly to the two officers, and said in a low voice, "To avoid causing panic among the customers, please keep quiet and come with me to the backstage to discuss this further."

Wei Qingsong sensed the unspoken meaning and frowned slightly: "Has someone died?"

The manager, who was leading the way, paused slightly upon hearing this, then nodded with a forced smile, "Yes."

"You didn't call the police?" Wei Qingsong suddenly raised his eyes, a sharp glint in them.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming turned to the side and gave him a detached look.

The manager looked around and hurriedly said, "There are still so many customers in the restaurant. Besides, our head chef died suddenly. It must have been due to some kind of acute illness. There's no need to call the police. We've already called 120."

"Sudden death?" Wei Qingsong asked thoughtfully. "Did the deceased have any relevant medical history before death?"

"Uh, this..." The manager stammered, unable to answer, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Wei Qingsong's gaze was deep as she glanced at him indifferently: "If you don't even understand the situation yourself, it's best not to jump to conclusions."

The manager said sheepishly, "Yes, yes, but our new store has just opened. If we make a big fuss, it will definitely affect our business."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming's gaze sharpened like a sword, his eyes filled with icy coldness: "Is business more important, or human life?"

The manager was reprimanded until his face turned red, and he lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

Upon arriving at the kitchen entrance, the manager took the lead, lifting the curtain and going inside.

The kitchen stove had been turned off, and three men wearing aprons and chef's hats stood in a row on the side, all of them looking pale and sickly.

Lying on the ground was a middle-aged man dressed the same as them, with purple lips, a ferocious face, slightly parted lips, and bulging eyes.

Lu Jingming stepped to the corpse and bent down to examine its condition.

Wei Qingsong then looked at the three men standing beside him and asked, "Were there any signs before the deceased died suddenly?"

The three men did not answer immediately.

The man on the right looks the youngest, with a silver cross earring on his left ear and dark blue hair, looking very fashionable.

Upon hearing this, he looked at the silent manager at the door and tentatively asked, "Manager Zhang?"

Manager Zhang scoffed and said, "These two are police officers. Just answer whatever they ask."

The older man in the middle, with a mole on his forehead, frowned and said, "Manager Zhang, didn't you just say we didn't need to call the police?"

"Well, we just happened to be dining here," Wei Qingsong answered succinctly for the manager.

“Oh…” The young man looked at her suspiciously for a few moments. “Master Cheng died suddenly from an illness. There’s no need to alarm the police, is there?”

“If he really died suddenly from an illness, of course there’s no need for that.” As he spoke, Lu Jingming slowly stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping across the faces of the group before finally settling on the corpse.

He said coldly, "However, the deceased died of cyanide poisoning, so you probably have no choice but to call the police."

"Poisoned...?" The man standing on the far left, the smallest in stature, exclaimed in alarm, his expression terrified.

"Hmm." Lu Jingming's expression was indifferent. "The deceased's lips were purple, his earlobes and auricles were cherry red, and there was a bitter almond taste in his mouth. These are signs of cyanide poisoning."

Wei Qingsong frowned and took out her phone: "I'll call Chen Jin and the others over now."

She dialed a number, lifted the curtain, and went outside.

Lu Jingming's sharp gaze locked onto Manager Zhang: "Pull up the kitchen surveillance footage immediately."

"Ah, okay." Manager Zhang's face had turned pale, and he had completely lost his ability to think. Like a puppet on a string, he simply followed orders.

Just as he was about to leave, Lu Jingming instructed him again: "Before the police arrive, do not let anyone else approach the scene. Gather all the food and drinks and wait for inspection."

He glanced at his phone: "It's 18:27 PM now. From this moment on, all employees and customers in the restaurant are not allowed to leave. They must stay here for screening."

"Okay." Manager Zhang broke out in a cold sweat, mumbled a reply, and turned to leave stiffly.

Wei Qingsong brushed past him and went into the kitchen: "I have already notified Chen Jin, they will be here soon."

Lu Jingming nodded and looked at the three chefs: "Were the three of you the only ones in the kitchen before the deceased collapsed?"

The young man with the earring hurriedly shook his head: "Business was very good at the store today. There were people coming and going in the kitchen. Many people saw when Chef Cheng fell to the ground, but the manager told them to go out first and told us to stay here and wait for someone to come."

Lu Jingming pondered for a moment, then asked, "What foods did the deceased come into contact with before his death? Do you have any recollection?"

The skinny man thought for a moment and said with certainty, "It seems that Master Cheng took a sip of water, then went back to the workbench to grill lamb chops. A few minutes later, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed."

Wei Qingsong's gaze swept around, and he pointed to a thermos on the workbench, asking, "Is that the water cup the deceased drank from?"

Thank you to book friend and Vicky for the monthly tickets.

Thank you for the generous donation from "Clear Burning".

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(End of this chapter)