Free Web NovelChapter 403: Chapter 382: Special Project Group_1
"What exactly is going on with the leadership? I’m confused myself now. Dayao City’s Doctor Cao is a classmate of my master; they have a case that needs help, and they reached out to the provincial office. The provincial office suggested contacting us and eventually issued a transfer letter. Is there a problem or something?"
"Cut the crap, don’t move from where you are, I’ll be right there. The provincial office isn’t harboring any good intentions, this ’transfer letter’ business is just a ruse to poach personnel. Mr. Peng is nearly in tears, and you still don’t understand the situation."
Zhou Ning was taken aback and quickly moved to Liu Yongxin’s side. In fact, Liu Yongxin had heard the entire conversation clearly just now, pointing to the computer screen, to the WeChat chat window with Doctor Cao.
In the dialogue, that Doctor Cao said he had already asked the leadership to notify the provincial office. Once they agreed, the transfer letter had already been sent over. Zhou Ning was at a loss for words. From Xu Dayuan’s tone, he could feel that he had been trapped, but of course, this had nothing to do with Doctor Cao.
On second thought, probably Mr. Peng was the one who was scared the most.
Sitting at home, suddenly receiving such a transfer letter, especially from the provincial office, his first thought was that Zhou Ning was about to take his team and reach for higher branches. Zhou Ning sighed and hurriedly held the phone to offer explanations.
"...The situation is like this; the case on Dayao City’s side is at a standstill, and it came directly to my master. It would not be good to ignore it, we just want to offer a hand, it doesn’t involve a transfer. My roots are here, our cooperation with Qin University is here, where could I possibly go?"
Xu Dayuan grunted twice, the sound of his footsteps not stopping.
"Spare me, you might not have any intentions, but can you guarantee that no one else does? Cooperation with Qin University isn’t an everyday occurrence. To my knowledge, you’ve only been to Qin University’s research center twice in a year. So don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it, and don’t try to calm me.
Though it’s just a transfer letter, how many people have left and never returned because of such transfers? You just wait right there for me, I’m coming over immediately, with Mr. Hu in tow!"
Zhou Ning was dumbfounded; no matter how much he explained, Xu Dayuan seemed even more anxious.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Yongxin had already approached. He, too, was puzzled. Logically speaking, going to help with a case shouldn’t be such a big deal, so why the drama, even bringing Mr. Hu into it?
Liu Yongxin came over with a look of bewilderment on his face, but still tried to reassure:
"Don’t rush, if it’s really inconvenient to go there, then I’ll go, and Mr. Zhao can teach me how to use that video conferencing tool. Once I’m there, I’ll connect with you, and I’ll try to describe everything in detail; that should work too."
Zhou Ning shook his head slightly. In truth, if it were just a standard autopsy, Liu Yongxin’s skills were beyond reproach, but the deceased was missing limbs and head. This wasn’t just some ordinary autopsy, and he couldn’t guarantee results by going there himself; all he could do was try his best, partially to hone his own skills.
"Honestly, given the state of the deceased, software might not even be useful. I really want to see the deceased’s body and skeleton. This case needs at least the skull and the limbs to be found, or the identity of the deceased to be deduced, for any progress. Otherwise, it’s a dead-end case.
Moreover, when Doctor Cao arrived at the scene, there were people everywhere, and many onlookers were at the riverbank during the retrieval. This is the moat, I believe the social impact must be incredibly negative. Doctor Cao’s urgency implies tremendous pressure, it means they can’t afford to wait."
Liu Yongxin nodded, well aware of the situation.
"Ah, the cities in the Ludong Western Region really struggle to keep people. We can still manage to find a few forensic doctors and trace evidence experts around here, but over there, they lack both equipment and personnel. For any slightly more complex examinations, they have to send them to the provincial office."
Mr. Zhao leaned in, rubbing his chin, his small eyes blinking constantly.
"Uncle Liu, I think Director Xu considers you one of our own. He wouldn’t really stop you from helping a classmate. Perhaps Dr. Cao and you are being played. Think carefully about what Director Xu said. Many people, because of the temporary transfer, don’t return to their original positions. Who arranged this transfer in the first place?"
Liu Yongxin blinked and seemed to catch on to something. His expression turned colder, and he waved dismissively.
"I believe Dr. Cao has no ulterior motive. Since that’s the case, I’ll let him know. We won’t need any form of temporary transfer letter."
Mr. Zhao nodded. Before he could speak, the lab’s security system started beeping. Sun Gaotie, being the closest, rushed over to open the lab door and disarmed the alert.
As soon as Xu Dayuan and Mr. Hu entered, neither of them had sour expressions which suggested that Mr. Hu had also figured out on the way here that such a scheme wasn’t something Zhou Ning and the others would come up with—someone at the provincial office was stirring trouble.
"Wow, everyone is here; perfect, let’s talk."
Mr. Hu’s opening was light-hearted. He found a chair for himself, then pulled Liu Yongxin and Zhou Ning to sit down, smiling. Only then did he speak in a relaxed tone:
"I had just received the temporary transfer letter from the provincial office, and I knew immediately you guys had been set up. Xu Dayuan is an impatient man. He didn’t understand the situation and started yelling at Zhou Xiaozhou. Don’t take it to heart. In the end, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have bragged last time I went to the provincial office. Now I’ve caught their attention.
But it doesn’t matter. I’ve already spoken to the provincial office and asked them to retract the transfer letter. Then, I established a special task force for the Dayao City 10.27 dismemberment case and added your names to the list. I mean, we shouldn’t be playing a bluff here. Work hard on the case, and once it’s resolved, come back. We will offer you our fullest support."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ning was a little slow to react.
But a leader is a leader; a few words managed to put everyone at ease. Zhou Ning also remembered that it seemed to be last time when Mr. Hu bragged to the provincial office that they didn’t need provincial assistance for handling autopsies, resulting in some disdain at that time.
Xu Dayuan cleared his throat, glancing at Zhou Ning and Liu Yongxin. He struggled for words, then finally spoke in a lowered voice.
"I’m sorry, I was too hasty earlier and my attitude wasn’t good. I’m just like that; I have this temper. After all these years, I’ve had such smooth cooperation with Mr. Liu and Zhou Ning. When I saw that there was something fishy about the transfer letter, how could I not be angry? Mr. Hu has already criticized me. I’ll make it up to you guys with a meal later."
Zhou Ning waved it off, knowing well what kind of person Xu Dayuan was.
"Director Xu, what are you talking about? My master and I are technical people; we don’t understand all these maneuvers. We were still discussing how to help out. Never thought that someone would take advantage of such a situation, which is despicable to us.
Moreover, now my career and family are both in Qindao, my girlfriend is also in the lab, and we collaborate so closely. How could I possibly leave? After all, we still have the research and development after phase six to continue, and Elder Hu’s handwriting analysis has already begun research trials."
Mr. Zhao coughed and sidled up to Xu Dayuan, his smile so wide his eyes had nearly disappeared. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"So, just interrupting, but when Director Xu says he’s inviting us to dinner, what’s the standard? Is it just Zhou Ning and Mr. Liu, or does it include everyone here today? Don’t tell me you’re going to fob us off with a KFC meal,"
Xu Dayuan subconsciously raised his hand, but Mr. Zhao had already swiftly moved back to avoid it; his evasion was so practiced, it was as though he was a martial arts master. Zhu Xingxing even gave him a thumbs up, and Mr. Hu laughed, looking up.
"How have you arranged it? The special case team still wants a list of names,"
Zhou Ning glanced around and quickly said:
"In our team, we’ll leave Zhu Xingxing, Yang Xuetong, and Sun Gaotie on duty. If anything happens here, the three of them can handle it. Mr. Xia will stay at the lab, and the rest will come with me."
Xu Dayuan nodded in satisfaction; the arrangement was much better than he had expected.
"I have no objections then."
Holding back a laugh, Liu Yongxin looked to the side where Mr. Hu had already taken out his phone, and Mr. Qu was helping him input the list of names into a message to be sent out. Soon after, his phone rang, and the person on the other end was very polite.
After a short while, Mr. Hu ended the call and stood up, patting Xu Dayuan.
"Let’s go. Tell them to get ready quickly; it would be best if we could leave today."
Zhou Ning was a bit surprised, but after a moment’s thought, he understood. Before Dr. Cao contacted Liu Yongxin, preparations must have been well underway. The WeChat message was just a heads-up; indeed, this was not something that could be delayed.
After Mr. Hu and Xu Dayuan left, Xu Dayuan’s last words were to come back as soon as possible. Only when they were out of sight did Mr. Zhao wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"You scared the leadership half to death, making them think you were taking a large team to jump ship. This guy even brought out Mr. Hu. But that transfer letter from before, did it have that many implications?"
Liu Yongxin’s brows furrowed, and his expression was not pleasant. Zhou Ning helped Liu Yongxin sit down, and Xia Momo brought over his thermos.
"Master, don’t be angry. This has nothing to do with Dr. Cao, perhaps it’s an over-interpretation."
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
"I know what kind of person Dr. Cao is. He’s slow by nature, but capable at his job. You can’t say he’s excellent, but he’s diligent and uncomplaining. He’s not one for scheming. And besides, after all this fuss, offending me wouldn’t get you transferred to Dayao City. It would be a loss-making deal. It seems like the provincial department is the one trying to poach you."
Mr. Zhao waved his hand.
"Mr. Liu, don’t overthink it. Mr. Hu laid it out clearly today, and that should prevent anyone from getting prickly. These kinds of tactics can’t be brought to light. Besides, Zhou Xiaozhou is not likely to leave Qindao. He has to attend classes with Professor Li from time to time; both of his apartments are here; his grandfather is here, and his girlfriend is even more so. Why would he go to the provincial city?"
This statement met with everyone’s agreement, and they nodded continuously. Zhou Ning waved his hand.
"Alright, let’s put this matter to rest. Hurry up and pack your things. For those inspecting the scene, make sure you have all the special protective gear for handling highly decomposed bodies. Take everything you can carry, including the diving and various sampling gear."
Yang Xuetong raised his hand and, pulling Sun Gaotie with him, said:
"You should go get your luggage ready. Mr. Liu and I will prepare a comprehensive list. Don’t worry, we will only have more, not less. The testing capabilities in Dayao City aren’t great. So, you might as well send it back here for analysis. It’s just over a two-hour drive. If it’s sent to the provincial city, it would take too long; just one way is over four hours."
Zhou Ning nodded; working with his team members was always so reassuring—they took care of everything without him needing to worry.
"Got it. We’ll have to see what Dr. Cao and his team think over there. If they agree, we’ll send it back for testing. That’s it for now, you’re dismissed. Mr. Yang, I’ll have to trouble you to make a list and get ready. Everyone else, go home and pack some changes of clothes. Prepare for half a month."
Mr. Zhao blinked, his small eyes filled with disbelief.
"Are you really that unconfident?"
Zhou Ning nodded, sighing involuntarily.
"Although the provincial department has a lot on its plate and is caught up in several major crackdowns and anti-gang operations, it’s not like they can’t spare anyone. This case, to identify the victim, would be extremely difficult unless the victim had a criminal record. We have to be fully prepared."
Mr. Zhao sighed and walked over to Liu Yongxin’s side.
"Let’s go, Mr. Liu. I’ll take you home, shall I? Or shall I get your clothes for you, Zhou Xiaozhou?"
Xia Momo walked over and shook her head at Mr. Zhao:
"I’ll prepare for Zhou Ning. You guys go ahead. The sooner you’re ready, the sooner you can leave. It’s getting dark early now; I don’t want you traveling at night."
Mr. Zhao clicked his tongue.
"Having a girlfriend really is different. Let’s go, Mr. Liu; we won’t be the third wheel any longer!"
