Chapter 244: Chapter 241: Seeking Help_1
Liu Yongxin patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder with a slight sigh.
"Don’t rush, since this Wang Guanli’s information checks out, we can investigate this to the end. As for how his death penalty identity was switched and he suddenly became a Sapporo Citizen, we can set that aside for now.
Fang Wenjie, Qin Xuejin, and Zhang Yinan’s deaths are inseparably linked to him, after all, he followed Ren Guangzhi, and the Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group falsified their accounts to transfer funds. This case is big enough that it’s not something just anyone can influence, and I think Mr. Hu will be able to withstand the pressure."
Just then, Zhou Ning’s phone rang. It was a call from Xu Dayuan.
"Hello, Zhou Ning, come to room 507."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Yongxin grabbed his coat.
"Let’s go, I’ll go with you."
One hour later.
Inside the office of room 507.
Everyone looked solemn. After listening to the reports, Hu Guangjian tapped his fingers continuously on the table.
After a long pause, Hu Guangjian finally raised his head.
"After the autopsy and lab results for Zhang Yinan come out, compile a complete set of materials for me about the killing process and investigation content of these individuals, and of course, include Wang Guanli’s materials too. I’m going to the provincial office tonight myself."
Xu Dayuan lifted his eyes with concern. Hu Guangjian was an excellent leader, straightforward and intolerant of evil, but reporting directly to the provincial office without notifying the bureau, even if the Ministry of Public Security had started investigating the case, was absolutely not good for him. However, there was no better option at the moment.
Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then looked toward Hu Guangjian.
"Mr. Hu, the Beishan Group’s case was originally investigated by the Ministry of Public Security. At the time, the case was very wide-reaching, and some people from the provincial office were thoroughly investigated because of it. I don’t think reporting to the provincial office is a good idea."
Hu Guangjian gave Zhou Ning a look, then waved his hand and said:
"You think I’m just sitting around as a deputy director? Of course, I know the relationships here are intricate and complex, I’m not that foolish. I naturally have my ways to deal with it. It’s just that we currently don’t have a better way to advance the case.
A condemned prisoner who has become a military attaché in the Sapporo Country’s embassy—if anyone says there isn’t external force involved, I won’t believe it even if they argue to the end of time. The most crucial point is the involvement of the outflow of thirty billion in funds. Even if someone wants to cover it up, they can’t, so let’s shake the heavens and see who dares to come forward."
Xu Dayuan leaned in close.
"This also involves economic investigation matters, but you’re primarily handling criminal investigations, aren’t you?"
Hu Guangjian waved his hand.
"Less chatter, get moving, and prepare. Don’t worry, I have a way to handle it."
As the individuals stood up, they hadn’t reached the door when Hu Guangjian called out to Liu Yongxin:
"Mr. Liu."
Liu Yongxin stopped in his tracks. When the others had walked off, Hu Guangjian spoke earnestly:
"Zhou Xiaozhou is unquestionably talented; he’s handled several major cases superbly. But the boy is heavily burdened, especially with what was just said—carrying it in his heart for so many years. It was manageable before we found the identity of Wang Guanli, but now that we have, I’m afraid he might act rashly. Keep an eye on him for me. After all, you are his master, and he will listen to you."
Liu Yongxin sighed, glanced toward the direction of the stairs, sharing the same thoughts.
"Don’t worry, leader. I’ve been keeping an eye on this kid these days."
Hu Guangjian patted Liu Yongxin’s shoulder, and then Liu Yongxin finally left.
At 17:10, the last batch of lab reports was retrieved by Sun Gaotie, Zhou Ning flipped through them.
When he got to the last page, he found a male DNA sample on the number two scalp scraping sample, his finger trembled, and he quickly sat down to carefully read the rest of the report.
No blood cells were found in the bone canals of the right tibia, fibula, or rib bone samples, which confirmed Zhou Ning’s previous judgment that the victim was already near death when his neck was twisted and thrown down.
After the fall, rib bones pierced the heart and various organs, and multiple fractures all over the body resulted in instantaneous death.
Zhou Ning handed the report to Liu Yongxin, who slapped his thigh after reading it.
"It’s still my apprentice who is remarkable. Stop dawdling, get the files organized. Oh and copy all those lab items too, put everything on a hard drive."
Mr. Qu was nibbling on a sandwich and hurriedly raised his hand when he heard this.
"My part is all ready. As for the issues discovered by those two economic investigation experts, I annotated them in graphics and tables so they are comprehensible not only to experts."
Zhu Xingxing also raised his hand, pushing four cardboard archive boxes in front of Liu Yongxin.
"I’m ready too, three victims, three archives, each containing their respective autopsy and lab reports, and the fourth archive is for that nominally executed Wang Guanli.
I’ve also included the hard drive related to the Guanghai Group in the boxes, all tagged and indexed so you know exactly what’s there."
Liu Yongxin knew Zhou Ning was unsettled, and looked around the room.
"You all know this is no small matter, right? Keep your mouths shut, and the materials you have prepared—are they backups or originals?"
"Backups!"
The two voices chimed in unison. Liu Yongxin nodded with satisfaction and nudged Zhou Ning.
"Prepare all the materials in electronic format, edit the order and organize the folders, then compress and send them to me later. Mr. Zhao will deliver these to Xu Da," Zhou Ning directed.
Mr. Zhao quickly picked up the things and called for Yang Xuetong. The two of them left together. Xu Dayuan had just called; he was in Room 507 with Mr. Hu. The mere mention of going there still made Mr. Zhao a bit uneasy.
Mr. Qu and Zhu Xingxing looked at Liu Yongxin for approval. Seeing no objections from him, they hurriedly went to prepare the electronic materials. Soon, Zhou Ning’s phone chimed, signaling the receipt of an email.
Without checking his phone, Zhou Ning stood up.
"Master, I’ll be taking off first. I think I need some quiet time. As for Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group, Xu Da said he has sent someone to watch over it, but I’m still a bit worried," Zhou Ning said.
Liu Yongxin patted Zhou Ning on the back and smiled at him.
"Good kid, go home, take a bath, and get a good night’s sleep. Maybe by tomorrow morning, you’ll get the notification for a thorough investigation. Don’t overthink things," Liu Yongxin reassured him.
Zhou Ning nodded. Just then, Mr. Zhao came in and saw Liu Yongxin signaling to him with his eyes, so he quickly approached.
"My car was taken away by them, so I’ll drive you home in my car. Is it okay if I come pick you up tomorrow morning?" Mr. Zhao offered.
Zhou Ning had no objections, especially since he had done all he could at that point. He followed Mr. Zhao downstairs.
On the way, Mr. Zhao kept talking about the inspection group from Huining Province. His words reminded Zhou Ning that he had completely forgotten about these people due to the recent busyness; it seemed as if Doctor Lu had taken them to Qin University, and there had been no further developments.
"You didn’t mention it, and I almost forgot. What happened to them after that? Why didn’t they come back to look at the technology department?" asked Zhou Ning.
Mr. Zhao blinked and grinned.
"I’m telling you, Zhou Xiaozhou, if Doctor Lu hears you say that, she might just die of anger. She saw you guys were busy and took the group to visit the research center with Mr. Xia accompanying them. The very next day, they made a decision and signed the contract.
Doctor Lu has been extremely busy these past two days; she probably hasn’t had a chance to give you a detailed update. After all, Mr. Qu and his team are just responsible for the experimental part and don’t have much contact with the development center. Mr. Xia led a team to Huining Province to organize software installation training, practical applications of the equipment, and some operational matters related to the cases. They won’t be back for a while," Mr. Zhao explained.
Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
He wasn’t sure whether it was because Xia Momo had been sent to Huining Province or because the first software deal had gone through so smoothly, but he definitely felt some relief. After all, he had felt an overwhelming pressure on his chest these last few days.
"As long as it’s sold, that’s good. With the first one done, the rest shouldn’t require much effort. Those interested will probably go directly to Huining, and once they see the software applied in practice, Doctor Lu and her team won’t have to bother with sales anymore and can focus on developing further content," Zhou Ning said with hope.
Mr. Zhao hummed in agreement, but then his phone rang. After a brief and noisy call, he hung up and looked at Zhou Ning with a slight sense of grievance.
"Buddy, can you put me up for tonight? My family has more than a dozen relatives over, and the hotel couldn’t accommodate them all. They’re going to stay at our place, and my mom kicked me out," Mr. Zhao said.
Zhou Ning glanced sideways at him, seeing right through the ploy; Mr. Zhao was genuinely worried about him and just put on a show. After the New Year’s holiday, it seemed implausible for there to be so many overnight visitors. Nevertheless, Zhou Ning was warmed by the kind gesture.
"Fine, but just so we’re clear, you’re cooking. Xiaoyu and He Shancun, those two freeloaders, I don’t know if they’re coming back," Zhou Ning stipulated.
Mr. Zhao slapped the steering wheel and lifted his chin confidently.
"Don’t worry, cooking is the least of my worries. I probably know your fridge contents better than you do. It’s not just the two of them; I can whip up a feast even if another ten or eight people show up," Mr. Zhao said proudly.
The two laughed, and upon reaching home, Zhou Ning looked back at the building behind them before getting out of the car. The Xia Family’s house was dark, which according to Mr. Zhao could also mean they had already moved out, as Zhou Ning always returned very late.
They went upstairs, and upon opening the door, they saw Zhou Xiaoyu wearing an apron, with He Shancun freezing in place, looking at Zhou Ning with a dark expression.
"Just the two of you? No one else?" He Shancun inquired.
Zhou Ning was momentarily speechless, then he burst out laughing at He Shancun’s obvious annoyance.
"I say, if you’re going to be my brother-in-law, you should be prepared for it. This is my home," Zhou Ning joked.
Mr. Zhao took off his shoes, ran over, and took the apron from Zhou Xiaoyu.
"Doctor He, please take a break. I’m going to show off my culinary skills today. Comrade Zhou Xiaozhou had a rough day," Mr. Zhao said warmly, pinching He Shancun and winking at him, luring him into the kitchen. It took a while before He Shancun came back out to find Zhou Ning freshly showered and changed, though he looked somewhat pale.
"If you’re not feeling well, go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow. You can’t afford to be ill with such an intense workload," He Shancun advised.
Zhou Ning smiled at him.
"I’m fine, no need to worry," he reassured.
He Shancun hummed and handed Zhou Ning a box of vitamins, along with Jin Gui Shen Qi Pill.
"No more nonsense, take these once in the morning and once at night. Start taking them now. Xiaoyu and I are getting married on February 14, and I don’t want to leave any regrets for her. Don’t you dare get sick by then," He Shancun said sternly.
"Alright, alright, I’ll take them. But this is the medicine you’ve prepared for yourself, right? Tell me the truth, Mr. He, are you feeling weak? Why are you starting to take kidney tonics?" Zhou Ning teased.
He Shancun’s resulting eye roll was interrupted by Mr. Zhao’s timely call.
"Time to eat," he announced.
After dinner, Zhou Ning, looking at the compressed files in the email on his computer, hesitated for a long time before clicking forward. Along with it, he sent another letter. Just as he was about to get up, his phone lit up with a string of unfamiliar numbers. Zhou Ning quickly answered.
"Hello, teacher?"
"Yes, I glanced at the email you sent. The compressed file hasn’t finished downloading yet. Tell me carefully, what exactly happened? Why did Hu Guangjian need to go to the provincial office?" the voice on the line asked.
