Statement (Part 1)
In a standard interrogation room of the municipal public security bureau, the lighting was soft but focused. Lin Feng sat in the interrogation seat, opposite two serious-looking criminal police officers.
The questioning proceeded smoothly. Lin Feng made no secrets or embellishments, recounting in an almost calm tone how he encountered the girl being extorted on the street, how Lü Yi intervened, how he was followed, how the other party broke into the restaurant with a weapon, and how the chaos ensued... He gave a complete and objective account of the events.
His tone was calm, his eyes were honest, and combined with the previous police station's record and on-site surveillance footage, the facts he stated were basically accepted by the criminal police officers handling the case.
After all, based on the existing chain of evidence, he and Lawyer Zhou were indeed the only two people who did not lay a hand on the suspects from beginning to end. They were more of a witness to the incident and participants in its initiation, and needed to cooperate in reconstructing the scene. The police questioning focused on the facts and did not make things difficult for him.
After the questioning concluded, Lin Feng was taken to a temporary rest room. Immediately afterwards, lawyer Zhou Wenyuan was invited into another questioning room.
Unlike Lin Feng's calm demeanor, the atmosphere in the interrogation room seemed to subtly shift the moment Lawyer Zhou entered. He was still wearing his sharp suit, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed Glasses calm and wise. Even in a police station interrogation room, he maintained the composure and aura characteristic of a top legal professional.
After routinely asking for basic information such as name, gender, age, and occupation, Officer Wang and Officer Li, who were in charge of the questioning, got down to business.
"Lawyer Zhou, please provide a detailed account of what happened this afternoon at the ' Old Chen's Homestyle Cooking ' restaurant."
Lawyer Zhou nodded slightly, placed his hands naturally on the table, and began his statement. His narration was not a simple, straightforward account, but rather carried a strong sense of logic and order, as if he were giving a statement in court.
"The incident began around 1:40 p. m. today when Mr. Lin Feng, Mr. Lü Yi, and I witnessed a female college student being extorted by an elderly man near XX Road."
The elderly man forcibly grabbed the girl's wrist, claiming that she had knocked him down, and demanded exorbitant compensation. Based on basic social morality, we stepped forward to stop him.
This can be confirmed by asking the female student Lin Nuannuan; I also have her contact information.
At the same time, I believe that the public surveillance footage of the area and some of the onlookers at the time can also corroborate this premise.
He got straight to the point, first establishing the cause of the incident and the basis for the legitimacy of his actions.
"Did you take action at that time?" Officer Wang asked, following procedure.
"During the initial intervention to stop the extortion," Lawyer Zhou stated with remarkable precision, "Mr. Lin Feng and I did not have any physical contact with the other party. It was Mr. Lü Yi who stepped forward and, using non-lethal force, forced the other party to release the girl. Afterward, we left the scene." He acknowledged that Lü Yi had used force, but characterized it as "non-lethal force" and "forced the other party to release her," downplaying the aggressiveness and emphasizing the purpose.
"Why didn't you call the police at the time?" Officer Li asked a crucial question.
Lawyer Zhou adjusted his Glasses, a perfectly measured hint of helplessness typical of ordinary citizens appearing on his face.
"Officer, under the circumstances, we believed the matter had been resolved. The other party had let go after Lü Yi intervened, and the girl was able to escape."
We didn't want to get entangled further and cause unnecessary trouble, so we chose to leave. This is based on the common "better safe than sorry" mentality that ordinary people have when faced with such street disputes.
This explanation is reasonable and in line with common sense.
"Then why didn't you immediately leave the area, but instead ate at the nearby ' Old Chen's ' restaurant?" Officer Wang's questions began to delve deeper, trying to find logical loopholes.
Upon hearing this, Lawyer Zhou gave a clear, bitter smile. He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear and self-deprecation that he only realized afterward.
"Officer, to be honest, we had no idea at the time that the other party was not a lone individual, but a well-organized criminal gang with multiple members and potentially violent tendencies."
He emphasized the word "gang" and looked at the two officers with an honest gaze.
"We just thought we'd run into a regular, perhaps more difficult, extortionist. Once the matter was resolved, we were hungry, and since we happened to see a well-reviewed restaurant nearby, we decided to go there for a meal."
How could anyone have predicted that in today's society governed by the rule of law, in broad daylight, someone would dare to gather a large group of people, armed with sticks and even knives, and openly break into a restaurant to retaliate and commit violence simply because of a failed street extortion attempt?
He subtly elevated the nature of the other party's behavior from "fighting" to "gang revenge and violence".
Officer Wang was handling the case, raised his eyelids, gave Lawyer Zhou a deep look, and did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up his pen and quickly and forcefully wrote the four words "gang revenge" on the record paper, and then drew two horizontal lines below them.
The air in the room seemed to thicken slightly after Lawyer Zhou's logically clear, focused, and subtly guiding statement.
The two officers realized that the person in front of them was no ordinary suspect, but a formidable individual who was extremely knowledgeable about the law and adept at seizing the initiative in conversation.
Inside the interrogation room, the fluorescent lights emitted a low hum, illuminating Lawyer Zhou's sharply defined face with exceptional clarity. He had just finished recounting the cause of the incident and was now moving on to the core part—the conflict in the restaurant.
"That group of about seven or eight people, armed with sticks, knives and other weapons, broke into the ' Old Chen's ' restaurant and headed straight for our window seat." Lawyer Zhou spoke steadily and used precise words.
"Lawyer Zhou," Officer Wang interrupted him, raising a crucial question, "How did you determine that they were 'coming specifically for you'? And how did you determine that they were in cahoots with the elderly people who were extorted before?"
Lawyer Zhou seemed to have anticipated this, and calmly replied:
"There are two points to the judgment. First, the direction of their behavior. After they entered, they ignored the other diners and focused their attention directly on our table, and their route was perfectly predictable. Second, and most importantly, the old man who had previously committed extortion was among this group, and he was the one who clearly identified them."
The elderly man is likely still receiving treatment in the hospital. His identity and involvement can be cross-verified through hospital records and the testimony of the female college student Lin Nuannuan, whom we mentioned earlier.
He not only answered the questions but also provided a way to verify them, cleverly shifting the burden of proof to the police.
Officer Wang nodded, noted this down, and continued, "Did you two have a verbal altercation after the other party approached?"
"Mr. Lin Feng and I did not have any verbal conflict with the other party from beginning to end," Lawyer Zhou answered decisively, completely distancing himself and Lin Feng from any possible suspicion of "mutual assault."
"Then, what about the other person, Lü Yi?" Officer Li pressed, his gaze sharp.