Chapter 1035 - 530: This Is Way Out of Line! (2)

After a brief pause, Jiang An continued in a steady and clear tone: "Regarding each issue and every doubt raised by everyone, we have listened carefully, recorded in detail, and will immediately launch a review investigation."

"In fact, our special task force has only arrived here for an hour, and many case details are still being sorted out. Some aspects indeed require more thorough re-examination."

"As you mentioned just now - what exactly were the circumstances surrounding the incident?"

"Is there any doubt about the cause of death? Did anyone else get involved?"

"Was construction site safety management adequate? And who should be accountable for the subsequent compensation?"

"We will initiate a comprehensive and thorough investigation procedure strictly in accordance with laws and regulations, ensuring no link is overlooked, and no doubt is evaded."

"Our handling process will certainly be open, fair, and transparent, ensuring the entire judicial procedure is standardized and complete. Therefore, I also ask everyone to give us some time and trust."

After Jiang An’s earnest and organized pacification, the young man who was most emotional and outspoken earlier finally gradually restrained his initially impulsive attitude. He subconsciously turned to look at the two elderly beside him.

The two elders exchanged glances for a moment, revealing a complex emotion in their eyes, along with a growing trace of trust.

They nodded slightly in unison, seemingly easing the tense atmosphere at this moment.

At this point, Jiang An realized that the initial communication had served to stabilize the situation, and it was time to hand over the leadership to Director Hou, the leader of the task force.

This is not only a respect for leadership but also to facilitate the smooth progress of work.

Thus, he slightly sidestepped and gave Director Hou a tacit gaze.

Director Hou immediately understood, taking a step forward, "Our colleagues from the special task force have just expressed our attitude and determination to everyone."

"As the leader of this task force, I hereby solemnly promise everyone: we will do our utmost to thoroughly investigate every detail of this case and uncover the truth of the entire incident, providing a clear and straightforward explanation to you."

"We will not let anyone responsible slip through the cracks, nor let any thread of truth be buried in darkness."

"Please believe that justice will not be absent, and the rule of law will always be present."

"Good! With your statement, we feel much more at ease!"

The elderly, who was stumbling with emotions, became agitated again, his eyes reddened, and his voice choked up. He wiped the tears off his face with trembling hands, sobbing out: "Thank you, officers! My son... he passed away so unjustly! Our whole family is counting on you to find out the truth and restore justice for him, so he can rest in peace in the afterlife!"

"Please rest assured, this is our duty," Director Hou responded firmly, "We will immediately begin a thorough investigation, striving to clarify the facts as soon as possible and give you a reply."

"We also hope everyone remains calm during this period, cooperating with our work to move things toward resolution."

Upon hearing this, several family members exchanged glances, then slowly moved to both sides, making way for a narrow path of passage.

Five minutes later, as soon as the vehicle came to a stop in the parking space, Director Hou couldn’t help but slap his fist on the armrest of the seat, blurting out: "The director is such a damn bastard!"

"In the meeting, he pushes the responsibility entirely onto us, forcing us into a corner; now he tacitly permits the crowd to block us, practically roasting us over the fire!"

Li Yan whispered, "With such a situation just now, if it weren’t for Director Hou and Mr. Jiang’s quick reactions and proper words, those people’s phones would have recorded us completely - once photos and videos are spread online, accompanied by a few incendiary words, we would become the target of public opinion."

Zhang Lei nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the public sentiment rises so quickly now; even the truth can be twisted."

Director Hou leaned heavily against the seatback, rubbing his temples: "Ultimately, we came down with a mission, but instead of clarifying the case, more questions arose."

"How will we explain this when we return? We were meant to solve problems, but it seems like we’re causing more issues."

At this point, Jiang An turned around, "Director Hou, don’t be too anxious."

"I’ve dealt with many similar incidents in Jiangcheng — a person’s death is a case for us, but it’s a catastrophic event for the family."

"Especially someone like Li Yong, who’s the cornerstone of his family; once he’s gone, what will happen to the old and young left behind?"

"Their emotions are intense, but the root is helplessness and panic."

He paused briefly, his tone turning serious: "But right now we must accelerate the investigation pace."

"I noticed earlier that while we were explaining, several phones in the crowd were pointed at us, either recording video or audio."

Upon hearing this, Director Hou frowned, recalling the previous scene: "It’s fine if they’re recording. We’ve maintained a proper attitude throughout, explained reasonably, without any emotions or inappropriate words— even if it’s made public, no fault can be found."

Jiang An shook his head slightly: "The problem isn’t with the original footage, but with how others might edit and use it."

"Nowadays, some people love cutting out beginnings and ends, quoting out of context, even overdubbing to alter content afterward. Once edited with malicious intent, even clear facts can become obscured."

"Now that you mention it, it indeed reminds me," Director Hou’s expression turned grave, "With editing software and AI synthesis technology rampant, it’s ridiculously easy to forge a ’live audio recording.’"

"So, resolving things quickly is imperative now."

"Only by laying out the complete facts before everyone, can we truly resolve the family’s doubts and block possible avenues for distorting facts."

Jiang An nodded, opening the car door: "Indeed, truth is always the most powerful weapon against rumors. Let’s hurry up."

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Mr. Qin’s office.

The office was brightly lit with simple furnishings. In the center, a stack of case files neatly arranged on the coffee table, their edges slightly curled, clearly showing signs of frequent reviewing.

At this moment, the office director was accompanying them. Seeing their arrival, he eagerly greeted them, personally brewed a pot of fresh tea, and handed each of them a cup.

Director Hou gratefully accepted the teacup, his gaze inevitably drifting towards the stack of files.

"Thank you; you’ve worked hard."

After receiving the teacups, the office director smiled and said, "Please feel free to browse through these here, I won’t disturb you further."

"If you need anything, feel free to call me."

"My surname is Wang, you can call me Wang. The office is next door, the door is always open."

Director Hou nodded in agreement: "We’ll go through these ourselves."

"Alright then, I’ll go handle some current matters."

After Director Wang gently closed the door and left, Director Hou turned towards the case files, his expression becoming serious.

He looked at the two young people beside him and reminded them: "Let’s carefully go through these materials together, see if we can organize some key clues."

"Additionally, both of you should prepare yourselves. Everything you encounter today is not only a work task but also a valuable learning opportunity."

"Besides learning the thoughts and methods to handle cases, also learn how to communicate with the public and understand their emotions and appeals."

"We often deal with physical evidence and scenes, with few direct interactions with family members. Such experiences are crucial for your future development."

"Understood, Director Hou, we will treat this seriously!" The two replied in unison with serious expressions.

The office gradually quieted down, leaving only the faint sound of pages flipping.

Each of the four held a file, alternately focusing on reading and sipping tea, as their thoughts seemed to dive into the mist within the case materials.

Comparatively, Jiang An browsed faster — having abundant expertise in trace examination and scene investigation, he was inherently sharp in handling various evidence photos, terrain maps, and trace records.

However, as he was quickly scanning one page, his movement suddenly halted.

His gaze fixed tightly on a forensic photo of the corpse examination: the neck of the deceased displayed a slight but significant red swelling.

This... doesn’t quite seem right.

Jiang An slightly furrowed his brow, instinctively leaning forward to bring the photo closer to the light for a careful inspection.

Though not conspicuous, the red swelling was noteworthy due to its location and appearance...