Chapter 665: Chapter 633 A Bold Guess_1
He Shancun shook his head.
"So far there doesn’t seem to be any problem. I think it has to do with tension, overwork, and exhaustion, since we can’t find any other issues right now."
Zhou Ning hurriedly stopped Xia Momo, who was determined to get to the bottom of things. Patting Xia Momo’s hand, she said,
"Momo, don’t panic. Yesterday, I was too occupied discussing the portrait issue to get into details. I lost consciousness because, upon seeing that residential building being demolished, it felt like all my lost memories surged back. It seemed to be only for a moment, but when I woke up, you guys told me it had been four days. I was also very surprised."
Xia Momo’s eyes widened. Yesterday, when they were making the portrait, Zhou Ning had only mentioned it briefly and hadn’t gone into detail.
She hadn’t asked further since there were so many people around, and it was very late after all the commotion. Zhou Ning had wanted to say something, but she had stopped her, urging her to rest early. She hadn’t expected Zhou Ning to have recalled everything.
"So, you mean the part of your memory before you turned ten, the part you don’t have, was spent living here?"
Zhou Ning nodded and, after thinking about how to phrase it, repeated everything she remembered from yesterday, even some things about attending elementary school.
After listening, Xia Momo gripped Zhou Ning’s hand tightly without speaking, feeling deeply empathetic, as the person she liked had gone through all this.
He Shancun had a realization.
"That makes sense. It seems that this scene has also triggered your memories. The coma is like a form of self-protection. Shi Tianxiao also said it might have been caused by some kind of stimulus. All right Xia Momo, don’t worry. Just focus on wrapping up the case, and you can go back to Qindao for the surgery."
Zhou Ning got off the bed right away.
"Don’t rush off. I have something to tell you. Since these experts are also here, they’re officially here to help improve the diagnostic and treatment standards. You can’t go back these next couple of days anyway, and I need your help with something."
He Shancun looked wary, glaring at Zhou Ning and then turning to Xia Momo with a wronged expression.
"Aren’t you going to control your man? He bullies me every day, always picking on your brother-in-law over his elder, right?"
Xia Momo couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of Xu Dayuan and the others, she had an idea of what Zhou Ning was about to say.
"Please help Zhou Ning. He’s finally remembered some things. Not for the sake of the case, but just to investigate the facts of the past. I think my mother-in-law must have worked at this hospital and even if not for long, someone should remember her."
Zhou Ning nodded her head.
"Mr. He, I’d like you to help me ask around if anyone recognizes my mother. She must have worked here for a while to live in the staff housing at the People’s Hospital. I don’t know how much she was involved in my father’s affairs, or even which college she graduated from. I just want to inquire about the past."
He Shancun thought for a moment.
"Her name is Bai Mei, right? I’ve got it. Do you have a photo?"
Zhou Ning took out her phone, Xu Dayuan had sent a photo to Zhou Ning—it was just a one-inch ID photo, and it was the only remaining scanned photo they had. She forwarded it to He Shancun.
"Just this one. We don’t have any other photos of her at home. It seems like they were deliberately destroyed after they started working."
He Shancun patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"I will ask around. We’ll need to ask some of the older doctors to see who might remember her. The name is correct, isn’t it?"
Zhou Ning shook her head.
"I’m not sure. Bai Mei should be my mother’s real name, but in my memory, my father called her Xiao Ping. I don’t know if they picked different names while on a mission."
"Got it, don’t worry. I won’t go directly to the hospital leadership. Bringing this issue out in the open might make people cautious. I’ll take a roundabout approach. Wait a little before you’re discharged. I’ll sort out the paperwork for you. I need to prescribe you some meds. Even though you’re not having surgery right away, you must take your medication on time."
Xia Momo moved closer and nodded earnestly.
"I will supervise him."
"With Mr. Xia supervising, I’m reassured. Also, avoid eating spicy food—stick to a light diet these days."
He Shancun left.
Soon after, a young nurse came and handed Zhou Ning a pack of medication. Judging from the handwriting on the bottles—how many times a day, how many pills each time—Zhou Ning knew it was Xu Dayuan’s prescription. After changing clothes, she felt, at that moment, as though she had truly come back to life.
The two of them took a taxi to the criminal police station. Mr. Zhao hadn’t come this morning; after all, there was a lot going on over there, and the specific progress was uncertain.
Zhou Ning kept his eyes closed, and Xia Momo thought he was resting.
Actually, Zhou Ning was feeling very emotional at the moment.
He had fallen asleep early the previous night, too exhausted to study in detail. Just now, when he pushed up his glasses, he noticed that the original screen from before had long disappeared and realized he hadn’t forgotten any of the knowledge he had learned.
This meant that even though the system was stripped away, or rather left him, all the knowledge he had gained remained intact, which eased his mind considerably.
Reflecting carefully on his experiences over the past few days, he felt increasingly certain that his parents’ murder was inevitably linked to the secret they were investigating. Although this place was abandoned, it wasn’t completely forgotten.
After all, this place was too secretive, and even though the coffins hadn’t been opened and were protected by toxins outside, those who had explored here might be aware of the treasures inside, ready to activate specific plans whenever necessary.
As for the ammunition, he didn’t know how much could be accounted for.
Moreover, the crates in the back were all so tightly packed, they surely contained something even more powerful. Judging by the quantity, if converted to TNT, it could nearly level a city.
The location of Ganzhou City, though not an economic hub, was too close to Jiuquan City.
If someone were to travel from the unmanned region directly into the city, it wasn’t impossible, since many countries wouldn’t be pleased with the rapid development of Hua Country’s aerospace technology, or might even look forward to a mishap here with a spectator’s mindset.
At this thought, Zhou Ning shuddered, suddenly opening his eyes, startled by his own idea.
He took out his phone and began looking at the map subconsciously, marking the general location of the cave, specifically the exit on the southern slope. Then he set the endpoint as Jiuquan City. He had just finished setting it when he erased the destination.
He changed it to Dongfeng Aerospace City because there was a significant distance between these two points.
Zhou Ning leaned in, zoomed in on the screen, and scrutinized the selective routes. Imagining a detour, he saw one could leave from the southern slope of the cave, bypass Sunan Yugu Autonomous County, take G203, then switch to S204, and after that, at Hala Pass, the road became S215. Heading west, just outside Jiayuguan, one could directly reach Dongfeng Aerospace City.
Of course, this arrival did not mean a direct entry but rather to reach the closest mountain above, from where Dongfeng Aerospace City could be completely monitored. And Jiuquan became an independent city in 2002 after the district was abolished, while Aerospace City was established in 1958, transformed from Base 20 of the General Equipment Department.
Suddenly, Zhou Ning understood the cave’s importance, beyond the religious aspect; the storage there held a significant meaning.
It was a place conducive to both advance and retreat, only just over a hundred kilometers in a straight line from Aerospace City, and so secretive. It was a plan ready to be deployed to shatter Hua Country’s image as an aerospace giant on the world stage.
If Yagelangha were to exert significant influence, on a so-called pilgrimage day that appeared to outsiders as just a temple fair, it would be entirely possible to organize a large gathering of people in sync with specific actions; the consequences were unimaginable.
It could be said that at the realization of all this, Zhou Ning’s back was already drenched in sweat.
Xia Momo felt Zhou Ning’s rigidity and turned to see that he was sweating profusely, startling her, and she quickly asked,
"Zhou Ning, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell again?"
The driver promptly slowed down. Since boarding the vehicle, he had been wearing a mask and occasionally coughing, making it clear that he probably had a cold. Not to mention his good sense of service, afraid his cold might infect other passengers, he conscientiously wore his mask.
Zhou Ning shook his head and glanced at the driver, stopping Xia Momo from speaking further.
"I don’t feel unwell. Let’s talk more after we get off. I thought of a key point. I wonder how Director Xu and their side are progressing with their investigations. If we can find corroborating evidence, then..."
Zhou Ning didn’t finish his sentence, but Xia Momo understood the implication. By then, the car had already stopped in front of the detective unit. Xia Momo paid the fare, and Zhou Ning was the first to get out. The dark-skinned driver, his voice muffled by the mask and speaking an accented Mandarin, said warmly to Xia Momo,
"Is your man an actor? The one who shot the mountain scene in that drama?"
Xia Momo paused, then quickly waved her hands with a laugh, comparing the male lead in her mind with Zhou Ning, thinking they indeed looked somewhat similar.
"He’s not an actor."
Xia Momo got out of the taxi, and as the car left, she turned to watch it go, sensing a faint whiff of something—maybe a faint fruity scent, barely perceptible.
They hurried to the small two-story building in the back where, sure enough, Xu Dayuan sat in the second-floor office surrounded by a pile of documents. His phone looked as if he had just hung up. He waved Zhou Ning in urgently.
"You rushed here right after being discharged. You’re so impatient!"
Zhou Ning smiled and shook his head. Xia Momo poured some water for them and left the room, and then Zhou Ning sighed and shared his thoughts from the trip with Xu Dayuan.
As he talked, Zhou Ning watched Xu Dayuan’s expressions, seeing no great shock, and he fell silent for a few seconds before realizing,
"It seems that during the days I was unconscious, the things cleared from the cave have already been identified and accounted for. You’ve also confirmed with the relevant departments of Longyou Province about whether there have been any previous attacks or information theft incidents, haven’t you?"
