Chapter 327: Chapter 327: Just a Boiler Worker
At 8:30 in the morning, Director Xiao and Dr. Liu appeared on time at the main entrance of the crematorium.
Although he had been a doctor for many years, he had never actually been to this place before.
It seemed that none of the patients treated by him over the years had been sent here; they had mostly recovered from their illnesses, or if not, they should be lying at home now.
"Alas, this is the fate of humans, the ultimate destination of life and death. That’s why they say there’s reincarnation, something no one can escape from."
"Yeah, this must be the place. Hey, right, is the body reception done through that window?"
Liu Zheng immediately noticed an old house straight ahead with a sign indicating it was the reception area.
"I’m not sure, I’ve never been here before and I’ve never handled this kind of business. Let’s go over and ask," he said.
As they spoke, the two made their way towards the gate.
Since it was a crematorium, most people coming and going here were there to conduct business, so there was no need for a guard at the gate.
When they reached the reception window, they saw only a small service window. Looking inside, there was a middle-aged man sitting there, fiddling with a cell phone, seemingly engrossed in something.
"Comrade, hello."
Speaking up, the man suddenly looked up, glanced at him, quickly put away his cell phone.
"One person, how old? When will the cremation take place?"
These were routine questions that didn’t require much interaction.
"No, we are from the hospital next door and we’re looking for someone here."
"Looking for someone? Who are you looking for?"
"I want to ask if there is someone in charge of receiving bodies, a person called Li Er, do you know him?"
"Li Er? I’ve worked here for so many years, and I’ve never heard of a Li Er. You must be mistaken; there’s no such person here at all."
"That’s impossible. The bodies brought from our hospital were all handed over to this person. How could there be no such person? Moreover, we were specifically told that it was a man named Li Er."
"Oh, I know who you’re talking about now. You mean him—well, he isn’t here right now. What do you need him for?"
"The thing is, we’re not sure if the body we delivered yesterday has been cremated yet, but there were some important items in the person’s pockets, so we wanted to come and check."
"Ah, that’s probably too late. By this time, he might have already cremated the body. However, before doing so, he usually checks the pockets of the clothing. So, follow this road straight to the very end where there’s a small separate bungalow; he lives there. You can ask him directly there. It’s nothing valuable, is it?"
"Oh, no, not at all valuable. It’s just that these items are very important to the family. We were negligent and didn’t notice this before."
"Alright then, off you go."
With that, the man nodded and picked up his cell phone again.
With just a brief exchange, Director Xiao sensed there might be an issue at play.
"It seems that this Li Er isn’t a formal worker here."
"He might not be a formal worker here, but he seems to have some connections, some affiliation with the crematorium. However, we can’t be certain yet."
"If he isn’t a formal worker, how does he have the authority to handle these bodies? If so, it is crucial we investigate further."
"Yes, so it seems there’s a lot going on here. Moreover, if we confront him directly now, he definitely won’t reveal any information to us. If we go now, it could be a wasted trip, or worse, we might tip him off."
"Yes, if we do that, we might indeed alert him. But have you considered that we might have already aroused his suspicion?"
Liu Zheng pondered Director Xiao’s words and realized that could very well be the case.
"Right, that person we just talked to likely knows Li Er. If we don’t look for Li Er now, he’ll definitely become suspicious."
"Also, do you suspect Li Er is involved in some illegal activities?"
"Certainly. You see, every time he’s acted alone and never met anyone. Also, with the rumors of ghosts in the village lately, I’m even starting to doubt whether the bodies were actually cremated."
"What? Not cremated? That’s impossible, I’ve never heard of such a thing happening before. And what could he possibly do with a dead body?"
"Maybe these recent bodies are special cases. I can’t speculate what’s happening without knowing the true facts. Only when we uncover the truth will we understand what’s going on."
"Well then, since we’re already here, let’s just go over there under the pretext we discussed earlier and see who this Li Er really is."
Having thought it through, Liu Zheng realized that aside from this, there weren’t any better options to address the situation.
The two followed the path inward, and indeed, they came upon a small bungalow at the end.
On the side of this small house, they saw a very large workshop-like structure, similar to an industrial workshop.
And there was a large chimney above, from which black smoke was continuously pouring out.
"What is this place?"
"I think I get it now. This should be the boiler room; that’s probably where the incinerators get their fire from."
"Someone who operates the boiler has the authority to cremate bodies? As far as I know, the workers for cremating bodies are supposed to be trained and certified."
"So, your guess is probably right. This person likely doesn’t have any certification and he’s not a formal worker here either."
"Hey, what are you doing?"
As they were discussing, a very thin man emerged from the bungalow. His skin was incredibly dark, indicative of someone used to being in smoky environments.
