I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 449: Coming to the Door
"Doctor Chen Youting was in the car and died on the spot." After the video ended, Wang Qianfeng spoke directly.
"Officer? No, Military Officer, you saw it too. When I rushed out, it was a green light, right? It was the sedan that ran the red light."
"You took to the road with failing brakes?" Wang Qianfeng barked sternly.
"When I hit the road, the brakes were fine, and they were fine before that too," the driver said, his face bitter. "Right at the previous traffic light, my brakes were functioning perfectly."
Wang Qianfeng pulled up the surveillance footage. Indeed, five minutes before the accident, the driver’s brakes were working fine. However, as he approached the next intersection, the brakes suddenly failed, and the driver frantically honked the horn.
"This means someone tampered with the car. Have you checked it?"
"The brake sensor is broken, and the physical braking mechanism was also damaged. But if it was sabotaged over that stretch of road, that would be very strange, as nothing was captured by the continuous camera surveillance."
"What’s even stranger is that after the truck’s brakes were sabotaged, why didn’t Doctor Chen’s car slow down? To run a yellow light?"
"I guess the sedan’s braking system was also sabotaged. Only in this way could such a perfect car accident have been staged," Wang Lan said gravely.
It wasn’t until the image appeared before Wang Lan’s eyes that she truly believed Doctor Chen had been intentionally targeted. But suddenly, Wang Lan realized another issue.
"Are we sure that it was Doctor Chen in the car? Could it have been a faked death to escape?"
"I had this suspicion too, but the body at the scene was indeed Doctor Chen’s. We weren’t convinced, so we performed a DNA test, and it matched Chen Youting."
"What was the reason for Doctor Chen’s departure? Where was he going?" Wang Lan asked, switching her line of thinking.
"Doctor Chen just received a call from his daughter. The communications division is currently tracing the exact content of the call."
"Director Wang, there’s a reply from the communications team."
Wang Qianfeng immediately stood up. "Wang Lan, let’s go!"
"Director Wang, Commander Wang, we just decrypted the phone call between Chen Youting and his daughter. Chen Youting’s daughter told him that she was going into the operating room at three o’clock that afternoon and might die on the operating table. If she did, he should remember to collect her body."
"Is that all?"
"That’s it?"
"Yes, that’s it. Throughout the call, Chen Youting’s daughter didn’t give him a chance to speak. She hung up right after she finished."
"Where did the call originate?"
"Lai City Second People’s Hospital, inpatient department."
"Have our people in Lai City follow up."
「Meanwhile, inside the villa」
A man and woman were passionately entangled. Just as the man was in the midst of his... exertions, his phone suddenly rang.
The man flinched, angrily snatching up the phone. But his expression changed drastically when he saw the caller ID. "Third Uncle? What? Chen Youting is dead?"
The man hurriedly stood up, threw on a robe, and left the bedroom.
"Third Uncle, I swear it wasn’t me! How could I? Could it be the Flame Emperor’s faction seeking revenge? How could it not be? They suspect us now, they’ve even involved Ruoyun, and that bastard Duan Lingmu... We’re implicated so deeply, we couldn’t clear our names even if we jumped into the Yellow River! If they’re convinced it’s us, they might decide to eliminate the threat completely to prevent any loose ends. Now that Chen Youting is dead, would we still dare make a move on Wang Qi? It must be that... Third Uncle? You tell me! I know, I understand..."
「Elsewhere」
Wang Lan was patiently waiting at the Tianjian Bureau for the investigation results from their Lai City branch. Meanwhile, she had set up her laptop and was frantically filtering through information on the internet via Xiao Ai.
"Wang Lan, what are you looking for?"
"I remember that when Doctor Chen Youting was in the Imperial Capital, he was a researcher at a certain research institute. Only after the institute was shut down did he come to Suzhou City to join my aunt’s company."
"Right, we’ve looked into this. The whole process is logically sound. Of course, now we’re sure that Chen Youting approached Wang Qi with ulterior motives. What else are you looking into? Who else is Chen Youting connected to? You won’t find anything. Do you think I haven’t investigated this angle? Chen Youting’s record is spotless—cleaner and more straightforward than anyone else’s. It’s the work of the ’relevant departments’; you won’t find any flaws."
"Aren’t we also a ’relevant department’?" Wang Lan joked casually. "But I’m not checking who Chen Youting was connected to; I’m looking into that previous research institute. The institute closing down just before Chen Youting approached my aunt is too much of a coincidence. Could this also be part of the plan?"
"Even if there is something wrong with the institute, you won’t find any evidence. Without evidence, we can’t say anything. Moreover, after Chen Youting left, the institute was acquired by an emerging tech company. The Capital office checked; no issues."
"What about the other researchers?" Wang Lan asked suddenly.
"That’s... right! When the institute was acquired, Chen Youting wasn’t the only scientist there."
"I just checked. Aside from Chen Youting, five other scientists left that research institute. One continues to teach at Capital University, where he also has an independent laboratory. However, the whereabouts of the other four are unknown. There are no records of their entry or exit, and no missing person reports."
"Hidden away by the ’relevant departments’?"
"I now suspect that the ’treasure’ Chen Youting possessed wasn’t his alone but belonged to a group of five. Chen Youting approached my aunt to acquire the Gene Potion manufacturing techniques, while the X-cells and telomerase were developed by that team."
Suddenly, a notification chimed from the computer.
Xiao Ai, utilizing her powerful internet search capabilities, had finally found a call one of the scientists made to his family a year and a half ago. Astonishingly, the call had been placed from Suzhou City.
Call logs are preserved for at most a month. Researchers’ phone calls are highly confidential and are supposed to be destroyed immediately after being made. It was only due to Xiao Ai’s formidable abilities that she managed to reconstruct the call from shattered data fragments, using a processing speed of tens of millions of computations per minute.
"Director Wang, look at this. Zhang Jingjing, an honorary professor at Capital University and an academician of the Academy of Sciences, previously worked with Chen Youting at that research institute. After the institute was acquired and they all left, Zhang Jingjing’s whereabouts became a mystery. Yet, she appeared in Suzhou City a year and a half ago."
"Her location then?"
"Wutong District. If that’s the case, then there’s another possibility for Chen Youting’s murder: the other four may have set him up. But that doesn’t seem right. Unless Chen Youting, while learning the Gene Potion manufacturing technology, also shared what he learned with the other four. Chen Youting wouldn’t have been that foolish! My aunt said he had hardly left her research institute for the past two years. He was there as a mole, so he certainly couldn’t have contacted the outside world openly. In two years, my aunt never suspected him. It’s unlikely the other four obtained the Gene Potion manufacturing technology."
"Director Wang!" Just then, a female special agent entered Wang Qianfeng’s office. "We’ve received a response from Lai City. Chen Youting and his daughter, Chen Junting, apparently had a significant conflict. Twenty years ago, Chen Youting delayed his wife’s medical treatment due to a research project, ultimately leading to her death from a serious illness. Since then, Chen Junting broke off ties with him. Especially after becoming an adult, Chen Junting completely cut off contact with Chen Youting. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with kidney failure. Her condition has steadily deteriorated over the past three years, but Chen Youting was completely unaware. Indeed, Chen Junting underwent a dialysis procedure this afternoon, and her attending physician also believed the chances of success were slim."
"So, Chen Junting called Chen Youting because of this?"
"It could very well have been a call to see him one last time. Emotionally, it makes sense."
"Any issues with Chen Junting’s social circle?"
"No. Because of her illness, her social circle is very simple. Oh, and two hours ago, Chen Junting’s account received an additional two million. Chen Youting transferred it to her before he left."
"It’s flawless," Wang Qianfeng sighed. "Even if you harbor deep suspicions, the other party makes everything seem so reasonable that you can’t find any fault. This is the work of a seasoned operative—very professional."
This was just like Chen Youting’s approach to Wang Qi—reasonable and faultless, even if these coincidences struck them as too convenient. But coincidences are just coincidences; they can’t be used as evidence.
"Director Wang, I want to investigate that area."
"That area..." Wang Qianfeng pointed to the location Wang Lan had indicated. "Isn’t it a bit large?"
"Let’s search. Since Zhang Jingjing came here, the other three might have as well. Wutong District is essentially a High-tech Industrial Park; the four of them must be in one of the research institutes there. If we find evidence of Chen Youting contacting them, the mastermind will be exposed."
Hearing this, Wang Qianfeng grew anxious. "What are you planning? Don’t do anything reckless."
"Uncle Wang, why so nervous? Am I the type to act recklessly?"
"You think I don’t know what you’re planning? What do you mean, ’finding evidence of their contact with Chen Youting equals solving the case’? Are you planning to use Spirit Engraving on scientists? Scientists’ brains are true national treasures! Each one of them is invaluable. If you damage them, can you bear the responsibility?"
"Their brains are treasures, but isn’t my aunt’s life?" Wang Lan’s expression turned grim. "All of them combined aren’t worth a single one of my aunt’s fingernails. Uncle Wang, are you going to let me investigate or not?"
"You can investigate, but you absolutely must not use Spirit Engraving."
"I’ll try my best." Turning, Wang Lan left Wang Qianfeng’s office.
「Wutong District」
Also known as Phoenix District. It’s a new industrial area designated by Suzhou City in the last ten years, covering less than fifty square kilometers. Named Phoenix Perching Wutong, the hope was that this "phoenix tree forest" would attract "golden phoenixes."
Wang Lan arrived at Wutong District with three colleagues. The entire district was enclosed by walls, with infrared sensors every ten meters. Only employees working within Wutong District could enter.
Originally, my aunt’s new company was also supposed to move into Wutong District, but the new development zone offered her a better plot of land, so she ultimately chose the more cost-effective new location.
Wang Lan produced her credentials and was easily allowed past the industrial park’s security. Upon entering Wutong District, she was met by a dazzling array of signs for various companies and research institutes.
"Excuse me, Officer," Wang Lan addressed the guard. "Do you have records of employee information for Wutong District here?"
"Yes, everyone entering or leaving Wutong District must undergo fingerprint and facial recognition scans."
"Can you look up four people for me? Zhang Jingjing, female, forty-two. Lede, male, fifty-two. Zhou Jianfei, male, fifty. And Ma Chengcheng, male, forty-seven."
The guard skillfully entered the names, and the system quickly displayed the corresponding identities. "Found them. These four individuals are all at the No.1 Company on Phoenix Feather Street. It seems to be called the Xuanting Life Science and Technology Research Institute. But this institute appears to have quite some backing; during the last fire inspection, they reportedly didn’t even let the fire department in."
