Free Web NovelChapter 588: Chapter 558 Missing One_1
The next day.
Zhou Ning and Xia Momo arrived at the technical department. They had been caught up with things late into the previous night, so they were late today. Although the two were not running, they were in a hurry as they made their way straight to Zhou Ning’s office.
They had expected everyone to be in the original Group One office, but upon opening the door, they were surprised to find it crowded with people. Seeing what the two carried in their hands, Mr. Zhao grinned and hurried over.
"I was wondering why there were no invitations, and here you are preparing gifts already. Aren’t you a bit eager?"
Zhou Ning gave him a disapproving look and, along with Xia Momo, placed over a dozen cake boxes on the side table. It was then that several people noticed that these cake boxes were exactly the same size as the one Li Li had received. freewёbnoνel.com
Mr. Zhao had already come over to help Xia Momo open one. Just as he was about to dip his finger into the frosting, Xia Momo stopped him.
"Are you really that clueless? These are replicas made by my aunt. We’ve tried to closely match the pattern and the ratio. Hurry up and take photos. They’re all numbered. Afterward, we have to send them to Mrs. Cui for testing."
Mr. Zhao blinked, pulled back his finger, and hurriedly wiped it clean with a napkin.
"What then?"
Liu Yongxin joined them, looking over each box and giving them a sniff.
"There seems to be a slight difference in the smell. Could it be that there’s something different with the ingredients? Can we analyze what materials the perpetrator used, figure out where they were bought, and whether the person is a novice or a professional?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"With no new leads, we can only seek information from these existing conditions. There’s not much we can do, and it seems like we can’t do this kind of analysis here at the station. Mrs. Cui usually sends things to the provincial office for testing. Let’s hurry and send these off for analysis."
Zhou Ning looked around and couldn’t find Peng Shinian. None of the people from the criminal police brigade had come over either, which was somewhat unexpected.
"Where’s the poet? Did he go to the lab?"
Liu Yongxin nodded.
"He sent us a message on WeChat, saying he was working on something in the lab and asked us not to disturb him. When I saw it, I knew the guy hadn’t left last night. We quickly had Gao Tie and the others send him breakfast and even brought over a folding bed and some coffee; all of that was prepared by Gao Tie and his team."
Zhou Ning raised his finger in a thumbs-up towards Sun Gaotie. He was pleased that they could take such good care of Peng Shinian.
"Director Xu didn’t come over?"
"Fang Mu went to Yunan Province. We haven’t been able to get in touch with Wang Meiling’s phone. Last night, we asked our colleagues in Yunan Province to check the hotel based on her flight and hotel reservation information. We didn’t find her; she checked in on the 18th, but after leaving early on the 20th, she didn’t return. freēwebnovel.com
Director Xu felt there was something wrong with the situation. A woman driving to Yunan alone, staying two days in a hotel and then not going back, unreachable by phone, and no idea where she went – it was all rather strange, so she sent Fang Mu to check it out.
Additionally, Mrs. Fei, who had just returned, was sent with a team to Huining Hesheng City. Li Li died of poisoning, and with Wang Meiling missing for so many days, we’re worried she might be in danger too."
Zhou Ning paused. No wonder Xu Dayuan hadn’t come; they had indeed made some discoveries here. But Li Li’s case was not yet clear, Xu Qingquan from the hospital hadn’t fully recovered, and now Wang Meiling was missing - what was the connection between all this?
Could it be that there is something undisclosed among these three people?
The three were classmates from elementary to junior high school. If they were all aware of each other’s relationship with Xu Qingquan, it was possible that jealousy and rivalry could lead to taking action. And it would be easy for them to offer each other food without any guard.
Looking at it this way, Zhang Fangfang, the one who hadn’t disappeared and could still be contacted, became a suspect.
Zhou Ning raised his eyebrows and looked towards Mr. Qu.
"Did Director Xu check the vehicles registered under Zhang Fangfang’s name?"
Mr. Qu nodded.
"He did. Not just hers, but also Liu Meiling’s. The license plate numbers of both vehicles were checked. I also helped check hotel, airport, train, and highway access records, but found no information suggesting Zhang Fangfang and her vehicle came to Qindao or stayed here."
Zhou Ning nodded. However, since Xu Dayuan hadn’t asked for help from their side, they would proceed at their own pace.
"Alright then, let’s follow our own rhythm. Mr. Zhao, lead your team to photograph, sample, and send the cakes for testing. Ask Mrs. Cui how it should be sent to the provincial office for analysis, whether by express delivery or otherwise, and try to arrange it. It would be best if we could get the list of ingredients."
With that, everyone sprang into action. Liu Yongxin waved at Zhou Ning, and the two returned to his fourth-floor office. Liu Yongxin looked puzzled.
"Your Director Xu suspects this is a gruesome crime driven by jealousy and envy. If Liu Meiling has also been harmed, they might ask us to help with the crime scene analysis. Did He Shancun say anything? When can Xu Qingquan be out of danger?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I haven’t seen He Shancun at all. I got back very late last night and everyone was asleep. When I got up this morning, he had already left. I’ll ask him now."
As he spoke, Zhou Ning took out his phone and dialed He Shancun’s number.
After ringing seven or eight times, Zhou Ning was just about to hang up when the other party picked up.
"I knew it, the first thing you do when you get to the office is ask me how everyone is, right? I’m already at the doctor’s office, so tell me, whose condition do you want to hear about first?"
Zhou Ning felt a bit embarrassed.
"Could you go from the least to the most serious? Of course, I am most concerned about whether the suspect has woken up."
He Shancun humphed twice as if deliberately opposing Zhou Ning; he didn’t pick up on Zhou Ning’s cue. The sound of metal clinking came through the phone, which seemed like the opening of a medical chart.
"The two with minor injuries can be discharged and go home to recover. Their fractures are not severe and didn’t require surgery, just splinting, and their facial stitches can be removed after a sufficient number of days. Ma Liang is also doing well, no excessive swelling, and the head injury is not too bad. The concussion has improved a lot.
The driver woke up in the middle of last night. I was quite surprised, considering his was the most severe injury among them. It’s unexpected that he recovered the quickest. He can communicate, recognize people, and make faint sounds, indicating minimal impact on his speech center. As for the fractures, there’s no other way than to let them heal, answering questions will still take some days."
"As for Xu Qingquan, I really don’t understand. The injury on his leg was treated very well, the blood supply to the extremities was normal, superficial injuries were also sutured and bandaged without infection or any unexpected issues, and he woke up once after surgery.
But just for about ten minutes, after that, he’s been in a coma. We’ve done all sorts of tests, and all the monitored indicators are within normal ranges, no brain compression or hematoma. I am really puzzled, what’s wrong with this guy?"
Zhou Ning glanced at Liu Yongxin and suddenly thought of something, quickly speaking to He Shancun:
"Are you close to the orthopedics department? I’d like to speak with Ma Liang for a moment. I don’t know what Xu Qingquan’s condition was like when they found him, and whether anyone from the orchestra mentioned his state?"
He Shancun knew Zhou Ning had some ideas. If they could find the reason for Xu Qingquan’s coma, he would be very willing.
"You wait, I’ll go to orthopedics right now and call you back once I find Ma Liang. Do you have any theories?"
"I can’t say much about the case details, it involves the investigation into the cause of death of another victim. But right now, have someone draw blood from Xu Qingquan, take several tubes. Have one test for vitamin A at your hospital, and send the remaining three samples to our technical department."
He Shancun uttered a grunt of acknowledgment and hung up the phone.
Chen Cheng walked up to He Shancun and nudged him.
"What are you zoning out here so early in the morning for?"
He Shancun grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the orthopedic ward. Though both were wearing clogs, it didn’t slow them down, and since they were coming from the emergency department, they were adept at reading situations. Chen Cheng sensed He Shancun had something important and incredibly secretive on his mind.
The two entered the elevator, where they were alone. Upon the doors closing, He Shancun quickly said:
"I’ll go find Ma Liang. You find Doctor Wang and get him to write any lab request. Then have the nurses draw Xu Qingquan’s blood as quickly as possible, just take four tubes. Have Doctor Wang, in this hospital, test one of those tubes for vitamin A levels.
The remaining three tubes, find someone to deliver to the city bureau’s technical department immediately. Zhou Ning just called and instructed me to do so, and I think they must be onto something, and it’s about vitamin A.
"This stuff isn’t a standard test. I think it may be related to the case they are investigating. After all, he is a suspect, and their accident happened on the way back to Qindao from the provincial capital. Isn’t all this a bit too coincidental? Remember, it needs to be done quietly."
Chen Cheng blinked and then, as if realizing something, widened his eyes and lowered his voice.
"Vitamin A poisoning?"
He Shancun nodded in agreement. Just then the elevator doors opened, someone entered, and they politely smiled and greeted the newcomer. When they arrived at orthopedics, Chen Cheng quickly went to the doctor’s office while He Shancun wandered to a ward.
Upon opening the door, a cacophony of laughter echoed within, and as soon as they heard the sound at the door, everyone inside looked over.
He Shancun walked in, and inside the room, there were three people—Ma Liang and the two police officers who only had fractures. Family members were all there, joking around with their wives like performing monkeys. After all, when it comes to injuries and hospitalization, if the injuries are serious, the relatives cry and wail; if they are light enough to scare them, they can’t escape a lecture.
Seeing He Shancun enter, smiles blossomed on several faces. Ma Liang quickly waved his hand to signal his wife to make space.
"Mr. He, what brings you here? Take a seat, honey, pour Mr. He some water."
The women stood up, but He Shancun waved his hand, smiled at them, and lifted his phone, shaking it slightly.
"Zhou Ning just called me, he seems to have some questions for you. He asked me to call him from your ward; shall I dial him now?"
Ma Liang quickly sat up, his face turning serious as he gestured for the women to leave.
"Honey, take your sisters-in-law to the supermarket for a stroll; come back later, we have some serious matters to discuss."
The wives were very understanding and all got up to leave. He Shancun then called Zhou Ning, turned on the speakerphone, and moved closer to Ma Liang.
"Zhou Ning, I have Ma Liang here; ask away."
"Okay, Ma Liang, please think back carefully. What time did you see Xu Qingquan? Did his colleagues mention anything about his condition? For example, did they say he was in a bad mood, or did he make many mistakes during the performance, had trouble cooperating, things like that? Also, when you met him, was Xu Qingquan very resistant?"
