I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 202: Chapter 120: Never-ending Meetings

"Brother Wenqing."

"Have a seat." Yang Wenqing motioned for him to sit down. Then, he looked at Qian Lu beside him and said, "Qian Lu, you and Yang Tie can coordinate. I don’t want to be disturbed by business matters while I’m handling this case."

"Understood, Yang Group Leader."

Qian Lu nodded.

Yang Tie also replied, "I’ll handle everything. I won’t get in the way of your investigation."

After dismissing Yang Tie, Yang Wenqing headed straight for a secluded stone house in the backyard of the public security post. The building had been converted into an autopsy room, and armed members of the operations team stood guard at the door.

He pushed the door open and went inside. The room was brightly lit, and two simple stone tables were covered with white cloths.

A person wearing a surgical mask and special gloves was leaning over one of the tables, carefully examining something. Two young assistants stood beside him, taking notes.

Hearing footsteps, the person at the table looked up, revealing a pair of calm, almost indifferent eyes. It was none other than Ding Lang, the most experienced forensic doctor from the county branch.

"Yang Group Leader." Ding Lang’s voice was muffled by his mask. He put down his tools and motioned for his assistants to pause.

"Forensic Doctor Ding." Yang Wenqing walked closer, his eyes sweeping over the two stone tables. "What’s the situation? Anything to report?"

Ding Lang walked over to the nearer stone table and lifted a corner of the white cloth, revealing Liu Rong’s pale, stiff face and the fatal wound on his chest.

Seeing Liu Rong’s current state, Yang Wenqing couldn’t help but picture his smile. He quickly pushed the image from his mind, forcing himself into a rational state to hear the report.

Ding Lang was a veteran forensic doctor. He had also known Liu Rong well and was aware of his relationship with the young leader before him. So, he paused for a few seconds before giving his report, waiting for his superior to compose himself. When he spoke, his tone carried a hint of sadness:

"Liu Rong has only one fatal wound, located on his left chest, over the heart. It was instantly pierced by some kind of sharp object with extremely strong penetrating power. The wound’s edge is rough, forming a perfect circle with a diameter of about 0.3 inches."

"The weapon entered at a slightly upward angle, consistent with a frontal attack while standing. The wound and the surrounding area contain traces of a foreign, yin-cold Spiritual Qi. My preliminary suspicion is that it was a type of magic, like the Ice Cone Skill. Moreover, he was completely unprepared, which means the attacker’s power was far greater than his."

He paused, then pointed to the other stone table.

"As for Boss Qian from Hongyuan Trading Company, he has multiple injuries, but the fatal one is a gunshot wound near his right temple. We’ve extracted the bullet and confirmed it’s a standard round from one of our service pistols. There are burn marks and gunpowder residue around the wound, indicating a close-range shot—no more than five paces. Cross-referencing the ballistics with witness statements, his death is consistent with being hit by a stray bullet in the chaos."

Ding Lang concluded, "My initial assessment is that Liu Rong’s death was a premeditated attack. Boss Qian’s death, on the other hand, leans more toward an accident during a chaotic conflict... or a silencing that was meticulously designed to look like an accident."

He looked at Yang Wenqing. "Should I perform a more in-depth Spiritual Qi source analysis and a toxicology screen?"

"Do it," Yang Wenqing said without hesitation. "Run every possible test."

"Understood." Ding Lang nodded, put his gloves back on, and returned to his work.

...

Yang Wenqing left the cold, oppressive atmosphere of the morgue and returned to the investigation team’s office. He took a deep breath, forcing the image of Liu Rong’s pale, stiff face out of his mind.

On his desk, several thick stacks of files were piled high. The clerical staff, temporarily assigned to the team, had already done a preliminary organization of materials related to the previous missing persons cases.

He sat down and picked up the topmost file...

The first of the missing persons cases dated back to when the exploration team first arrived. Initially, it hadn’t drawn much attention, and the reports filed were vague. As Yang Wenqing flipped through the pages, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The records were a chaotic mess, with a lot of key information missing. It was clear that the management at the time had been extremely lax—or perhaps things had been deliberately covered up.

Just as he was trying to find a pattern or a clue related to Hongyuan Trading Company within the fragmented information, the office door was thrown open. Sun Yi rushed in, covered in dust and radiating a sense of urgency.

"Yang Group Leader!"

Sun Yi strode to Yang Wenqing’s desk and said rapidly, "In the conflict at Hongyuan Trading Company, including Boss Qian, a total of thirteen people were killed."

Yang Wenqing’s hand, which was flipping through the file, froze. He looked up and asked, "Where are the other bodies?"

Sun Yi replied, "Shortly after Zheng Hu was called back to the branch office, Zhou Yong personally took some men, loaded all the bodies onto a freight cart, took them to the outskirts, and burned them."

Yang Wenqing put down the file, his eyes as cold as ice. ’I was almost fooled by that bastard’s obedient act.’

He immediately asked, "Where is Zhou Yong now?"

Sun Yi’s expression turned even uglier. "As soon as we got the news, we tried to find him to get some answers. We searched the entire patrol team’s station and even asked around town, but no one has seen him. We’ve also tried calling him on the internal Communication Array, but there’s no response."

"He’s missing?"

Yang Wenqing stood up, his voice suddenly sharp. "Right under the investigation team’s nose? We just finished a meeting and stressed the importance of discipline, and now the patrol captain in charge of security has gone missing?"

He stared at Sun Yi. "Are you sure Zhou Yong is gone?"

Sun Yi answered with certainty, "I’m sure. I’ve searched every place he could possibly be. I specifically questioned every officer in the first squad and tried calling him on the Communication Array. He’s supposed to be on duty right now!"

Yang Wenqing no longer hesitated. He immediately issued an order to the clerical staff in the office:

"In the name of the investigation team, issue a warrant for the arrest of Zhou Yong, captain of Patrol Squad One. No, a summons. Order him to report here for questioning. Notify Captain Wang Ze’en and Captain Zhang Li. Tell them to keep an eye on all their patrol members—if a single one goes missing, I’ll hold them personally responsible! Also, have them lock down all entrances and exits to Lingshan Town. Strictly inspect everyone and every vehicle trying to leave!"