Free Web NovelChapter 188: Chapter 187: No. 16 Kangning Road_1
October 6, 2011
A burst of ringing from the telephone pulled Zhou Ning from the small dark room. He exhaled and grabbed the phone.
"Hello, you’ve reached Zhou Ning!"
"Zhou Xiaozhou, why haven’t you arrived yet?"
The sound of Xu Dayuan’s voice instantly energized him. He moved the phone away from his ear and saw that it was only 7:30. Zhou Ning exhaled. He had drunk quite a bit last night and returned late, especially since he had a lengthy chat with Liu Yongxin, which had broadened his thinking.
"What’s the matter, Xu Da? I drank a lot last night and I’m just heading out now."
"Heh heh, it’s just that there’s no one in your office at the Technical Division, and I was getting a bit anxious. I wanted to update you on our progress. That implant of the same model, specification, and batch number, there are quite a few sold domestically.
We’ve found 212 users. Last night, we got the list from the domestic master distributor, and we’re currently verifying each one by phone. After all, the 212 users are scattered all over the country, and we can’t guarantee that every contact detail they left is accurate. Some might need a home visit for confirmation."
Zhou Ning listened, slightly bewildered. This method, though clumsy, was indeed the most effective way, as it was rare for anyone to register their cosmetic surgery information under someone else’s name.
Nevertheless, he dared not protest as he had already gotten dressed.
"So Xu Da, what’s this early morning call about?"
"You cheeky boy, don’t you see I’m trying to borrow a bit of your luck to speed up our screening process? Plus, how did it go with Mr. He yesterday? Did you get any results?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ning hurriedly relayed his side’s analysis.
"The situation is such, the orthopedic specialist has pointed us in the direction of dancers, opera performers, athletes, people involved in high-intensity activities. Moreover, the victim’s feet were severed four fingers above the ankles, which leads me to believe that we can immediately discern her profession just by looking at her feet—making it more likely that she was a ballet dancer or an athlete.
With respect to your phone verification, perhaps prioritizing the checks based on these conditions would help: birth years 1989 to 1991, height 160-165 cm, female dance or athletics professionals."
Xu Dayuan laughed and Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Their leader sounded irritated this early in the morning, and he wondered who had the misfortune of riling him up. Nonetheless, having a narrowed-down range was good news for everyone.
"Alright, I’ll pass the word on right now. You hurry over, I always feel like things don’t go smoothly without you here."
That last sentence left Zhou Ning feeling a bit powerless; it seemed the title of ’mascot’ was unavoidable.
Despite his internal complaints, he didn’t dawdle. After getting ready, he quickly drove out—not headed for the technical department’s backyard, but straight to the first squad. While he was still looking for a parking spot, he saw Bai Ruixin waving and running over to him.
"Dr. Zhou, you’ve arrived! The boss told me to wait here for you. Get out of the car and I’ll help you park. Don’t worry, I’ll find a spot right under a surveillance camera, so no one scratches or bumps your car."
Zhou Ning was somewhat embarrassed.
"I’m really very sorry about this."
Bai Ruixin clasped his hands together.
"With you here, it’s like the arrival of a savior. The boss has been fuming all morning, not pleased with anyone. Mrs. Liu and the team practically have sparks flying from their fingers making all these calls, all waiting for you to come and save the day."
Zhou Ning quickly got out of the car. Not bothering with pleasantries, he made a beeline for the first squad’s office. Along the hallway, he could hear Xu Dayuan’s roar.
"Look carefully, call those on the list with the stars first. How many times do I have to remind you?"
Following the sound, he pushed the door open to a large meeting room where several people sat around, each with a list, dialing numbers. Xu Dayuan stood in front of a whiteboard plastered with numerous A4 sheets, densely filled with names, ages, addresses, contact information, and surgical hospitals.
Seeing Zhou Ning enter, Xu Dayuan quieted down and waved him over eagerly.
"Not going smoothly?"
Xu Dayuan nodded and pointed to the chart behind him.
"We’ve had non-working numbers, people who can’t be found, it’s not as simple as we thought—just find the list and you’ve got the victim’s information. It seems that the cosmetic surgery industry is quite chaotic too."
Zhou Ning smiled at Xu Dayuan and glanced at the clock. It was only eight o’clock.
"Xu Da, it’s the National Day holiday, and it’s only eight in the morning. A lot of people won’t be awake at this time, so don’t worry. Tell everyone to take it easy. This isn’t a problem we can rush through. Let’s review the existing data together, shall we?"
With such a suggestion, Xu Dayuan naturally wouldn’t refuse.
"Alright, all the materials are here, let’s take a look together."
Zhou Ning sat beside Xu Dayuan, and several people analyzed and carefully examined these forms.
The person making phone calls was still busy, and the personnel listed on the forms were slowly being crossed off one by one. It seemed that there were very few individuals left who met the age criteria.
It was nearing noon, and Zhou Ning kept his composure, focusing on the form in front of him. The personal information provided there was quite complete. The ones marked with stars were indeed all born between 1989 and 1991.
Zhou Ning paused for a moment, then suddenly thought of the information Xu Dayuan had mentioned earlier. If these implants had been on the market for two years, how would individuals under eighteen be registered?
After all, such surgeries are paid out of pocket, and registrations are not particularly strict, so...
Zhou Ning carefully observed and realized that half of the hospitals listed there were from Ludong Province, with the rest in Jing City and Zhexi Province. He then flipped through the documents on Xu Dayuan’s desk from the domestic general agent.
Inside, the records were very clear: branches exist in Jing City, Ludong Province, and Zhexi Province.
"I see there are phone numbers for their branches here; have they been contacted?"
Xu Dayuan took out his phone, which had a number Xu Dayuan had already called numerous times.
"It’s always the branch’s people who assist with the contact. This person is from Qindao, named Zhang Shaoxiang, and he’s responsible for the whole East China region. Hearing that we’re relying on this to solve the case, he’s been helping contact the headquarters in Mi Country. Would you like to contact him?"
Zhou Ning nodded, and Xu Dayuan dialed the number, said a few words, and then handed the phone to Zhou Ning.
"Hello, Director Zhang, I’m forensic doctor Zhou Ning. I had Xu Da contact you early this morning; sorry for disturbing your rest."
"Haha, Doctor Zhou, don’t mention it. As long as I can help, if this helps solve the case, isn’t it also publicity for our brand? I can’t thank you enough. Just tell me what you need."
Zhou Ning glanced at the serial number, then asked:
"I want to know about the body types suitable for these implants. As I understand, patients can’t just choose any shape or size they want; it seems to be designed according to body type and overall aesthetics, right? Some special cases require customization, especially for surgeries through the areola – aren’t there size restrictions?"
The man paused, then said with interest:
"You are indeed a forensic doctor, an expert indeed. You’re correct, it needs to be calculated based on height and chest circumference. The serial number you mentioned is a high profile, teardrop-shaped, small-size implant, which even after augmentation would appear to be a B cup size.
To choose this size, the patient would either be very short or particularly slender. However, some patients just pursue larger sizes blindly, so the implant with the serial number you’re investigating is not a bestseller. After selection, it requires waiting for stock, and some people might have to wait a couple of months."
Zhou Ning paused. If they needed to wait for stock, that meant the phone surely had to be contactable; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to notify patients. This suggests that someone might have changed their number during that period.
"One more question: what about if the patient is too young, for example, not yet eighteen? Can they still undergo the surgery?"
"Of course not; one reason is that under eighteen, they are still developing. Moreover, they cannot sign the surgery consent form; that’s a strict regulation. Our brand partners with major hospitals precisely because we want to avoid disputes arising from excessive cosmetic procedures. After all, nobody wants to get entangled in a lawsuit."
"Thank you. If necessary, I’ll contact you again."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Dayuan looked at Zhou Ning with narrowed eyes.
"So you mean, the deceased might have been under eighteen when the surgery was performed, and she could have used a false identity?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Not a false identity, but the surgery may have been done in someone else’s name. After all, medical insurance wasn’t involved, and the need for real-name registration wasn’t so strict, just like outpatient check-ups. Many people go for check-ups under someone else’s name; sometimes a person has their blood drawn several times just to get a health certificate. It’s not unheard of."
Xu Dayuan looked at the remaining names while those marked with stars had been ticked off—over sixty, with over a hundred still to be called or unreachable. It seemed this work could not be rushed.
"Mr. Liu, go arrange for boxed lunches to be delivered; after eating, continue making calls. Also, when calling, make sure to ask if they themselves underwent the implant surgery. If not, find out who used their name, and also ascertain their professions."
Without looking up, Zhou Ning continued scanning the content, feeling that the victim’s identity was about to be revealed. When he came across the information for the individuals from Ludong Province, an address caught Zhou Ning’s attention. freёwebnovel.com
No. 16 Kangning Road, Gulou District, Qindao City—it was just opposite the North Zone of Haibo River Park, and adjacent to Hongcheng Stadium. Zhou Ning looked at the address, opened Baidu Maps, and searched. A few words directly popped up: "Sports Bureau Dormitory."
This discovery made Zhou Ning stand up immediately, and Xu Dayuan quickly leaned over.
"What did you find?"
