My heart skipped a beat. The medical records from three years ago had always been an unsolvable mystery. Wasn't the attending physician Wang Zhiping?
“Old Liu, help me look into something,” I whispered, “the surgical records from last October, and Director Wang’s son at Tianji Pharmaceutical…”
“No need to check,” he interrupted me. “Director Wang’s son died three months ago. Car accident.”
This news hit me like a thunderbolt. So the leverage against Director Wang didn’t even exist. Why was he still cooperating with Chen Jianguo? Unless...
My phone buzzed again, this time it was Liu Ting’s number. When I answered, a strange male voice came through:
“Lin Yue, you should take a look at this.”
In the video, Liu Ting was tied to a chair, looking injured. The whiteboard beside her was filled with data, exactly like the photos she had sent me before!
“What do you want?”
“It’s simple. Use the evidence you have to trade for her life.”
After hanging up, my phone received a location ping. It pointed to an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
“Don’t go,” Old Liu pressed down on my hand. “It’s too dangerous.”
I forced a smile. “They’ve already set up a trap everywhere. Besides…” I glanced out the window, “this might be the only chance to uncover the truth.”
"I'll call the police."
"No!" I shouted instinctively. "Have you forgotten what happened to Nurse Zhang and Director Wang? I suspect there's something going on inside the police department..."
Before I could finish my sentence, two black sedans suddenly drove past outside the café, and the shadowy figures behind the windows made my heart sink.
"They've come for us." I grabbed my backpack. "Old Liu, promise me one thing. If I don't contact you by midnight tonight..."
"You're crazy!"
"Just let me finish." I handed him an envelope. "Give this to the police officer I trust. It contains all the evidence."
As I pushed open the back door, I glanced back at Old Liu. His expression reminded me of the look my mother had given me three years ago, just before she passed away.
It started to rain outside, and I opened my phone's navigation app. The red dot on the screen might just be the final destination of this tangled web.
The iron gate of the abandoned factory was rusted and worn. Following the navigation, I walked inside, and immediately, my phone signal weakened to just one bar.
The first-floor hall was empty, with fresh footprints visible in the dust. Following the trail, I reached a room that resembled an operating theater.
"Come in." A familiar voice called out.
As I opened the door, I froze. Liu Ting was standing there perfectly fine, without a single scratch on her. Beside her, Chen Jianguo was smiling at me.
"Surprised?" Liu Ting's voice was icy, no longer that of the fragile girl she once was.
"Are you one of them?"
"Not entirely." She pulled out an identification card from her pocket. "City Police Department, Narcotics Team, undercover for three years."
My mind buzzed: "So... your mother's case..."
"It's fake. We needed a reason to get close to you." Her gaze held a hint of apology. "But I didn't expect it to involve such a major case."
"Enough." Chen Jianguo interrupted impatiently. " Reporter Lin, hand over the evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Don't play dumb!" He suddenly erupted in anger. "Wang Zhiping gave you the files before he died—videos, lab records, everything..."
I cut him off: "Director Wang didn't commit suicide, did he?"
He sneered coldly. "Does it matter? What matters is that what you have could ruin many lives."
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