Chapter 93: Sacred Heart Hospital |
Guan Shan couldn't help but retort, "I am investigating, but I wanted to ask you guys the same thing. The police's investigation progress should have surpassed mine long ago, yet I find that you guys seem to be lagging behind me."
Because of this, he now felt that this matter was definitely not simple.
At the very least, it wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface. There were two major points of suspicion.
First, the reason Guan Shan had rushed over in the middle of the night to investigate was that he discovered that the police seemed to be deliberately delaying, taking their time to handle the case.
This was a matter that would typically garner immediate attention: a missing person combined with a squatter. There was no reason to drag it out for several days.
Thus, Guan Shan speculated that Qin Deguang wasn't acting alone and had accomplices.
Secondly, corroborating the first point, before Qin Deguang locked himself in room 704, there were already signs of something wrong.
When Guan Shan questioned Zhao Hong's mother, she had mentioned that Qin Deguang had been meeting with many different people during that time. Every day, he would only order a bowl of rice and a bottle of water at Zhao Hong's small restaurant.
Such abnormal behavior sounded like he was preparing for some kind of ritual.
Xia Lei sighed, "There are too many cases like this happening all the time, and most people can't perceive them. The rest of us, like you and me, can't give attention to every single abnormality."
"Overlooked areas are almost inevitable. What we can do is try to make an effort on what we can still salvage."
Guan Shan could hear the sincerity in Xia Lei's voice.
He shared the two points of suspicion with Xia Lei, who frowned, "I see. I'll look into who ordered the delay in the police department, but the people Zhao Hong's mother mentioned are likely the culprits who led Qin Deguang astray."
"But they probably left a long time ago. Trying to find them is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Guan Shan agreed. Zhao Hong's mother mentioned events that happened over a month ago. Those people were definitely long gone.
He suddenly asked, "So where is Qin Deguang now? The house collapsed, Han Ying and her daughter were found. Where is he?"
Xia Lei paused for a moment, his expression becoming complicated, "He's already dead."
Something isn't right here... This guy is pretending again... He should have noticed this obvious point! Wasn't the masked person him after all?!
You've killed the person, yet you come here asking where he is? It's reasonable to suspect that you came specifically to see if they had helped cover things up.
Xia Lei pointed to the rubble in front of them, "He's right there."
Guan Shan looked at the rubble, puzzled, and said instinctively, "That's not right, I clearly searched... Ahem, so he's here. He got what he deserved."
I knew it was you! Xia Lei, hearing him almost slip up, was now certain.
He glanced at the rubble, "Indeed, he got what he deserved, but the real culprits behind this still haven't faced justice."
Guan Shan walked around, took out his phone, and asked, "Can I take a picture?"
Xia Lei was taken aback, then realized, "You want to publish news about this?"
Guan Shan nodded.
Xia Lei couldn't help but ask, "Did you come here just for this?"
"Of course, I'm a journalist. My job is to convey the truth to the public. I want more people to know about the mother and daughter and make sure Qin Deguang's name goes down in infamy—people were cheering him on when he was a squatter, seeing him as a symbol of freedom."
Guan Shan chuckled, "It's time to show people who they were cheering for and what kind of 'hero' they were supporting."
"... You can take pictures, but don't include the symbols in the room."
Xia Lei had no objection to this. As long as it didn't involve revealing Espers, it was fine.
Moreover, it was a request from Guan Shan... he couldn't refuse!
If he did, he feared that he might suddenly change his mind and have no choice but to agree.
Guan Shan thanked him and got to work.
Xia Lei watched him bustling around and found it strange. This guy, who killed people mercilessly, seemed genuinely passionate about his job.
Guan Shan really seemed to have come back just to gather news material. Once he was done, he left, even making Xia Lei promise to inform him if the police found anything.
After Guan Shan left, Xia Lei reviewed the surveillance footage of the area.
The masked man Zhao Keji mentioned had left the apartment building and headed straight to the riverside, taking off the clown mask halfway.
It was indeed Guan Shan!
Xia Lei felt calm. He was not surprised that this man would investigate and then charge in, killing everyone and even returning to the scene with an innocent face to give a speech.
Xia Lei hadn't been calm for long when he received a call from Lin Shuman.
"What?! There's a possibility that 'Death Hive' might attack Shen Dinghua?!"
Xia Lei was stunned and quickly asked, "What's the situation now?"
Lin Shuman replied, "I've arrived on the scene... our people are all unconscious, but other than that, there's nothing unusual."
Xia Lei asked, "What is Shen Dinghua doing?"
Lin Shuman hesitated, "She's... she's planting flowers? But the fertilizer she's using seems a bit odd..."
"Planting flowers?" Xia Lei was puzzled, then suddenly understood, saying with difficulty, "Just leave it for now... you should evacuate first, and we'll talk later."
---
After that night, Guan Shan soon published the news.
The official blog of 'Hangzhou Evening News' gained another wave of popularity. Although there was some controversy and bickering among the audience, the hype was undeniable.
Guan Shan's status at the newspaper also rose, and some people even started currying favor with him. He finally learned what the rumors about him were.
He tried to explain but found that they didn't believe him. He had to give up.
Before he knew it, November had arrived amid his busy schedule.
The special edition on fire safety was completed smoothly. During the summary meeting, Director Li specifically praised Guan Shan.
Of course, the focus was on his increased salary and bonuses.
But Guan Shan's tasks were far from over.
After experiencing the Zhao Hong and Qin Deguang cases, Guan Shan felt fearless.
He returned home from work, looked at the files on his desk for a while, and found the hospital in the case familiar.
Guan Shan contacted the gossip-loving Liu Rui, asking, "Have you heard of Sacred Heart Hospital?"
Liu Rui replied instantly, "Yeah, isn't that where Jiang Gangjing is hospitalized?"
He asked suspiciously, "You don't plan to go to the hospital and make sure he never comes back to work, do you?"