Chapter 651: The Missing Journalist

Chen Shi used the oil painting as a reference, searching for the exact location from the video. Pointing at a spot on the floor, he said, “Here.”

Peng Senjue took out the luminol reagent and sprayed it there. Luminol was highly sensitive; even a drop of blood in a bucket of water could be detected, so no matter how many times it had been wiped, residue would remain.

Irregular blue fluorescence appeared underground. Chen Shi lowered his voice excitedly, “Found it!”

“Take a sample!”

Peng Senjue dipped a cotton swab in alcohol and took a sample. Just then, Chen Shi heard footsteps. Turning around, he saw someone passing by the corridor door. They were startled because this investigation was unofficial; if caught, it could be detrimental.

On the hand gripping the door handle was a tattoo of a naked woman. The hand paused briefly, then closed the door quietly, pretending nothing had happened.

Chen Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued working with Peng Senjue. He thought about the camera angle from the video and looked up. There was a potted plant in front. Could there be a pinhole camera here? He searched inside but found nothing.

After sampling, they left immediately. The secretary hadn’t returned yet. Lin Qiupu was casually chatting with Dong Xiao. He glanced at the two when they emerged. Chen Shi discreetly made an OK gesture.

After obtaining the company’s employee list, Lin Qiupu bid farewell with the others.

Leaving the office, several policemen in the elevator discussed, “Wow, that woman is stunning.” “Even prettier than a celebrity.” “How did she end up with someone like him? It’s like a flower among cow dung.”

“Watch your words!” Lin Qiupu interrupted. “Focus on the case. Don’t gossip about others’ private matters.”

“If you’re not moved by such a woman, you must be gay,” someone quipped.

“Who said that? Xiao Dong, was it you?” Lin Qiupu angrily looked around for the culprit.

“Not me!” Xu Xiaodong shook his head innocently.

“Ahem!” Chen Shi interrupted them. “In the smoking room nearby, we did find traces of blood. But there’s something I must mention. Just now when Peng and I were sampling, someone tried to enter the corridor. They saw us inside but instead of making a scene, quietly closed the door.”

“Who was it?”

“If I’m not mistaken, it should be Lu Qi. I saw the tattoo on his hand yesterday.”

“Lu Qi? The vice president? Why would he see it and not say anything? Could he be behind the video?” Lin Qiupu speculated.

“Impossible. He’s the vice president of the company, practically above everyone. Why would he scheme against his boss?” Lao Zhang said.

“Not necessarily. Lu Qi climbed to his position by undermining his previous boss. Maybe he’s trying to take down Dong Xiao with the help of the police,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“Regardless of the reporter’s intentions, if Dong Xiao did commit murder, we can’t turn a blind eye! Other matters are outside our jurisdiction!” Lin Qiupu said firmly.

Chen Shi recalled Lu Qi opening the car door for Su Chan yesterday. That detail suggested Lu Qi’s stature wasn’t as high as it seemed, though Chen hadn’t formally met Lu Qi and couldn’t judge his character or motives.

As the elevator neared the first floor, a commotion outside could be heard. A man shouted, “Give my friend back! Your company eats people without spitting out bones.”

Everyone exchanged looks. When the elevator doors opened, they saw a bespectacled man being pushed out by security. He was being carried away, still shouting animatedly. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue hurried out to chase him, but he had vanished.

Chen Shi asked the security guard standing by the door, “Where did that man go?”

“I don’t know…” The security guard was sweating, his sunglasses failing to conceal his nervousness.

“Hmph, you dare do this in front of the police!” Chen Shi walked around the car and found another security guard covering the young man’s mouth, crouching behind the car. The man’s glasses were hanging on his ear, looking disheveled. Lin Dongxue shouted, “Let him go!”

The security guard reluctantly let go, and the young man huffed, “Are you guys police officers?”

“Yes, who are you?”

“I’m Chen Gong, a journalist. My colleague Cao Man disappeared half a month ago after an interview. He hasn’t returned to the office, and I couldn’t find him at home. No matter how I tried to contact him, I got nothing. I’ve come to this company several times, and they keep saying he never showed up. It seems he’s disappeared out of thin air!”

“He’s been missing for half a month and you didn’t report it to the police?” Lin Dongxue was incredulous.

Chen Gong stumbled over his words, indicating there might be some hidden story behind this.

Chen Shi asked, “Does Cao Man have any family?”

“He has a younger brother.”

The police promptly found Cao Man’s brother, took his DNA, and compared it to the scene. The match was 99.9%. The person subjected to violence by Dong Xiao in the video was evidently Cao Man; he was likely dead now.

Lin Qiupu asked Chen Gong, “Why didn’t you report this?”

“I thought the police couldn’t help…” Chen Gong stammered.

“And now we’ve found something?” Lin Qiupu pressed.

“I didn’t expect…”

“Your newspaper is under a major media corporation. Without a formal business license, your operations aren’t exactly legitimate. I guess Cao Man’s interview wasn’t exactly above board, so when he disappeared, you didn’t dare to report it.”

Chen Gong looked down, silent. Chen Shi said, “Show him the video.”

Lin Qiupu brought over a laptop and played the video. Chen Gong watched in shock, “Cao Man was killed! Killed by Dong Xiao! Why didn’t you arrest him?”

“We didn’t even capture a body in the video, only Dong Xiao’s face. Do you know how much effort it took to get Cao Man’s DNA? Now, do you have anything to say?” Lin Qiupu said.

“I warned him earlier. He shouldn’t have chased after that money!” Chen Gong cried, covering his face. After crying his heart out, he said, “Someone offered 700,000 to get the latest technology intel from Zhuo Yuan Company. Cao Man set up a fake interview to install pinhole cameras and bugs. Perhaps Mr. Dong found out…”

“Who offered the money?”

“I don’t know. It was an online bounty. In our line of work, we sometimes hand over material to the newspaper and sometimes sell it to online channels, like celebrity affairs or police killing unarmed suspects…”

“Watch your tongue!” Lin Qiupu rebuked.

“Oops, I was just giving an example. No offense meant, no offense meant!”

“What kind of intel is worth so much money?” Chen Shi asked.

“I heard Zhuo Yuan Company is developing a new type of phone motherboard, not much different from current smartphones but significantly cheaper to manufacture. It might only cost around 300 yuan when it hits the market. Imagine the impact on the national telecommunications industry. Everywhere will be using their phones. Forget Hanjie Company; other phone companies won’t survive this price war. It’s going to be a huge market takeover!” Chen Gong’s face turned serious. “Dong Xiao usually keeps a low profile and has never held a press conference. How do you know so much detail?”

“Because this technology was originally from the Ding Group. With Lu Qi’s job change, the Ding Group was suddenly swallowed up, and it all went to Zhuo Yuan Company. The former CEO of Ding Group mentioned it during a press conference, which immediately stirred up criticism among peers, accusing him of unfair competition. The CEO dared not sell these super cheap smartphones, but Dong Xiao is different. He’s a ruthless king, willing to engage in a price war. When these phones hit the market, countless telecom companies nationwide might be bankrupted!” Chen Gong nodded solemnly. “At that time, Dong Xiao will dominate the phone market!”