Free Web NovelChapter 650: Chapter 618 Delighting in Misfortune_1
"We held the fort here, and when you guys went out just now, I did a check—this seems to be a wooden warehouse. It has been in a dark and damp environment for years. No matter how strong the wood is, it would have decayed, which is why it collapsed when we stepped on it."
"On the north side, by the dark river, there’s also an iron-sheeted wooden door. I think it’s also part of this place. I fear that if someone had come in earlier years, it wouldn’t have been easy to discover this place. But Director Zhou, is this from before the war, or..." fгeewebnovёl.com
Mr. Zhao waved his hand dismissively and gallantly tossed a backpack to Guan Jian.
"Let’s not waste our brain cells on that. This bag is full of food and drinks. You distribute some to everyone. Even if the armed police arrive, I think it will be evening. We’ve made markings here and set up lights. You can wait at the north side entrance."
Guan Jian nodded.
"Thanks. You guys hurry and leave; we’ll eat something and then go wait there. To tell you the truth, I always smell a stench coming from that northern cave, and I can’t find the source of it. Let’s just eat here."
Zhou Ning knew they were talking about the stench of death.
"After eating, before we go, I have two demands. First, no one can go exploring any part of this place like Peng Shinian did. Second, this is an ammunition depot; one cigarette butt could send us all away. No smoking or lighting fires is strictly forbidden here."
Guan Jian laughed.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao. My daughter was born less than two months ago, and I don’t plan on becoming a martyr just yet. Director Zhou, rest assured, I will make sure to supervise everyone’s safety closely. Even when the armed police come, I won’t leave their side, since they’re unfamiliar with the situation."
With the arrangements made, everyone began to withdraw quickly.
Half an hour later, they had reached the entrance of the northern foothills and counted heads before descending the mountain. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
One by one, they got into the vehicles, feeling utterly exhausted. After a quick wipe of their hands, Zhou Ning glanced at the coffins at the foot of the mountain. Now only two remained, and he estimated that one or two could be transported at a time as they weren’t easy to handle.
Mr. Zhao asked Zhu Xingxing to distribute food to everyone. Holding a packet of crisp small yellow croaker in his hands, Mr. Zhao was feeling sentimental.
After all, leaving Qindao for over ten days, they hadn’t missed the taste of home until they smelled that hometown scent, which evoked a flood of memories.
"You’ve been saying you were hungry for a while. Why aren’t you eating? Why do you keep shaking your head?"
"It’s nothing, just that the smell of salty fish makes me homesick. Hurry up and eat, so we have the energy to head back. Director Xu is here, and it looks like he brought quite a few people. I’m somewhat puzzled—it was just supposed to be technical support, so why does it seem like they’re here to conduct some thorough investigation?"
Zhou Ning gave him a glance but said nothing more.
Since encountering Fang Dongsheng in Ganzhou, things had been bizarre. It’s hard to describe the feeling—it was as if all these coincidences were orchestrated.
Of course, if it hadn’t been for Xia Momo falling into the cave and discovering the ancient relics, he might have shared the same sentiments as Mr. Zhao. But he had seen everything with his own eyes; these accidents were uncontrollable.
Shaking his head, Zhou Ning let go of the jumble of thoughts and, after eating something with everyone to refuel, they were ready to descend the mountain.
An hour and a half later, the vehicles sped into Ganzhou City Bureau, and several people disembarked quickly. Zhou Ning, holding the documentation in a storage box, personally took charge as he trusted no one else with it.
Thinking it over, he went straight into the small building at the back.
Upon entering the building, he heard familiar laughter, and Zhou Ning’s heart suddenly relaxed.
He quickly walked to the door. Mr. Zhao came over to open it, and Zhou Ning went straight in, placing the box on the table. Xu Dayuan’s hand was already on his shoulder.
"How does it feel to see me, surprised or not, expected or unexpected?"
Zhou Ning nodded vigorously.
"Indeed, very surprised. Director Xu, what brings you here?"
Mr. Zhao and the others also came over to greet him, and Xu Dayuan smiled as he nodded to each one.
"About the cooperation, everything started in a hurry, and we haven’t been able to keep up with the plans that followed. The municipal government issued an order on the ninth, sending an expert team from Qin University, the city government, and the city bureau. Mr. Hu said since there’s also an old case pending on your side, it made sense for me to come over and have a look."
Zhou Ning realized that this support plan was indeed gradually coming to fruition. With people from Qin University and the city government involved, it really sounded like a comprehensive support plan. It seemed they were playing a leading role.
"Leader, where are the experts? We need to deal with these materials quickly. It feels like they have been damp for years; all the documents are stuck together. It’s not just one or two pages, but many, compressed as if they were wooden boards."
As he spoke, Zhou Ning opened a storage box and then a file bag, and indeed, the documents inside were just like wooden boards.
After a glance, Xu Dayuan smiled and waved at Mr. Huang across the way.
"Mr. Huang, take a look as well. I don’t think moisture is the only reason for this. It feels like these documents were deliberately soaked in something, and that’s why they’ve been compressed like this. But don’t worry, the expert team has gone to visit Hexi College, and I reckon they’ll be back in about an hour."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and then shut his mouth. Since Xu Dayuan said it was an expert team, there wouldn’t be a shortage of members, and he might know some of them or not. After all, the nature of the case had changed repeatedly, and he wasn’t sure how to classify it. Since Director Xu was here, at least someone was shouldering the responsibility.
Mr. Zhao chuckled with a grin and gestured to the people behind him.
"Leaders, let’s have everyone rest for a bit. Three of them need to make a trip to the local hospital for some injuries. They only have abrasions and minor cuts, nothing too serious, but the place is dark and damp, so they need to get disinfected and treated."
Xu Dayuan was aware of this since Zhou Ning had already mentioned it in a phone call. The most severely injured was Zou Jialong.
"Is the double-degreed doctor okay?"
Mr. Zhao came closer and pointed to his head as he said:
"Reading so much, he spends less time analyzing other things. That’s why those three could get tangled up when they fell, eventually losing their sense of direction. If we had arrived any later, there might have been real trouble.
Zhou Xiaozhou had already checked them. There’s nothing serious, just a slight graze on the forehead. Zou Jialong is a bit more serious; his dislocated arm has been reset. The rest, like Pang Tianhang, only have scrapes."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"Send someone to look after them, and notify Chen Cheng that he can go back now. Detaining people for too long has Mr. He complaining to me."
Mr. Zhao’s eyes widened with a beaming smile; he was genuinely happy, especially since Chen Cheng wouldn’t be showing off in front of him anymore.
"Done. I’ll go notify him right away."
Huang Yubin stood up, pulling Xu Dayuan and Zhou Ning with him, his excitement hard to contain.
"I won’t hide it from you; when Director Zhou started working on the case here, I really didn’t have much confidence. After all, the case is nearly twenty years old. Looking into it is like counting on luck. With you here, I feel relieved. Otherwise, the city leaders would be pressuring me every day!"
Xu Dayuan chuckled. Feeling squeezed from all sides was indeed uncomfortable, especially in a city like this.
