I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 227: Chapter 225: Lines of Investigation

Zhuang Yanzheng was examined in the ophthalmology department. He had minor corneal burns.

After the doctor cleaned and treated his eyes, he was able to open them, but his vision was blurry.

Zhuang Yanzheng was only relieved after confirming with the doctor several times that he wouldn’t go blind and would recover in three to four days.

Su Miaoyi was relieved as well.

After picking up the prescription, Zhuang Yanzheng wanted to go check on the situation at the operating rooms.

Su Miaoyi went with him, holding his sleeve to guide him. "Did you hear the doctor? No excessive eye use for the next couple of days. You need to get more rest."

"I couldn’t overuse them even if I wanted to. Everything’s a blur," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "With my vision like this, I can’t even make out what’s on my phone when it’s right in front of my face. Forget overusing them; I can’t use them at all."

Su Miaoyi glanced at him. The skin around his eyes was still red.

"Hey, can I make a suggestion?" Zhuang Yanzheng said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"I’ve been wanting to say this since we got to the outpatient department. When you’re guiding me... could you maybe not tug on my sleeve? This short-sleeved shirt is about to become an off-the-shoulder top," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi glanced down at his shirt.

It really was turning into an off-the-shoulder top. She grabbed the fabric at his shoulder and yanked it back up.

For a second there, Zhuang Yanzheng thought she was about to punch him.

"Well, you’re the one who wore a short-sleeved shirt," Su Miaoyi said, grabbing his arm and guiding him around a corner.

’It’s just that the fabric is easier to grip. Plus... it absorbs the sweat from my hands.’

"It’s July," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi fell silent.

The two of them headed toward the operating rooms. The surgery was still in progress, and there was no clear word on what was happening inside.

Officers from the bureau were waiting outside.

The family had already been notified.

Zhuang Yanzheng took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Su Miaoyi. "Help me find my dad’s contact information."

"What’s he listed under?"

"Old Zhuang."

Su Miaoyi found the contact and made the call.

Zhuang Yanzheng spoke to his dad on the phone, making arrangements for the hospital situation.

He arranged for the very best of everything, as long as it could save the officer’s life.

After the arrangements were made, Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng went to check on Kang Hong in his hospital room.

The police guard had been reinforced.

Zhuang Yanzheng gave more detailed instructions and conferred once more with Kang Hong’s attending physician.

Then, they hurried back to the municipal bureau.

Since Zhuang Yanzheng couldn’t see clearly, Su Miaoyi had to drive.

He sat in the passenger seat, looking like he wanted to say something several times. Finally, just as they were about to reach the municipal bureau, he spoke. "I drive this car like a jalopy, but you... you drive it like a secondhand jalopy."

Su Miaoyi glanced at him. "You’ve been holding that one in the whole ride, haven’t you? Must have been killing you."

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t say anything.

"Are you worried I won’t help you out of the car later?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Zhuang Yanzheng sighed. "I’m at your mercy."

"Relax. I’ll get you to the municipal bureau in one piece."

...

When they arrived at the municipal bureau, the two of them went straight to the area outside the interrogation rooms.

Director Meng was interrogating Zhang Bai.

But Zhang Bai was being extremely uncooperative.

He would either remain silent or burst into sudden fits of shouting and laughter.

Lu Zhishen and Yan Cheng were also outside the interrogation room.

When they saw Zhuang Yanzheng, both men immediately looked at his eyes.

Zhuang Yanzheng, who could just make out their silhouettes, raised a hand, and they refrained from asking any questions.

Zhang Bai had been taken directly to the interrogation room upon his return, so all they knew was what they’d heard from the arresting officers—that Zhuang Yanzheng’s eyes had been injured.

Another colleague was also injured and in the operating room.

Director Meng had been furious upon hearing the news and had gone straight into the interrogation room, which was why they were all gathered here.

They didn’t know the specifics of Zhuang Yanzheng’s eye injury.

But seeing him here in person, they all felt a little more at ease.

Then the two of them noticed the blood on Su Miaoyi’s clothes.

"It’s from the other injured colleague," she explained.

After she spoke, the expressions on both men soured, just as shouting erupted from within the interrogation room.

Su Miaoyi listened for a moment before saying, "Is he mentally ill?"

"He certainly seems unstable," Lu Zhishen said with a frown, his ears ringing from the shouting.

"He was shouting the whole time we were arresting him, too," Su Miaoyi added.

"This seems less like insanity and more like an emotional breakdown from not being able to accept his failure," Yan Cheng said. "I doubt we’ll get anything out of him while he’s like this."

Zhuang Yanzheng couldn’t see Zhang Bai, only hear him. "His voice is even louder than mine."

The other three all shot him a look.

Their expressions all seemed to say, ’So you *are* aware of how loud you are.’

No matter what Meng Shuyi asked, Zhang Bai refused to answer. As the questioning went on, he just screamed and screamed. His voice quickly grew hoarse, but still he screamed.

Unable to proceed, Meng Shuyi finally came out of the interrogation room.

The group headed for the conference room.

Yan Cheng helped Zhuang Yanzheng.

Director Meng asked about his eyes.

Zhuang Yanzheng gave a brief explanation.

Yan Cheng looked at his eyes. "Be careful for the next few days. Don’t let it turn into a lingering problem."

"Mm."

Once in the conference room, since Zhuang Yanzheng couldn’t see and it was difficult for him, Su Miaoyi relayed everything Kang Hong had confessed.

As she spoke, she turned on the large screen at the front and brought up a map of Wanxiang Village. "Wanxiang Village is bordered by mountains to the west and wide-open plains to the east. The mountains are used for fruit orchards, and the plains for growing crops. The cattle farm is right here."

Su Miaoyi circled the cattle farm. "It’s located between the village and the farmland. Kang Hong said the drugs are hidden in hay bales and then shipped out. But he doesn’t know the specifics of how or when they’re transported. His main responsibility was manufacturing; he doesn’t know much about anything else."

He only knew about the cattle farm because Zhang Bai had sent him there to deal with Liu Shitang.

"Here’s the information on the cattle farm’s three partners," Qi Feng said, displaying it on the screen.

After calling the Qin City police from the hospital, Zhuang Yanzheng had called Qi Feng and asked him to look into some things.

"Nothing in their files raises any red flags," Qi Feng said. "Unlike Zhang Bai or Zhang Yan Yu, who have virtually no paper trail, these three have clean records. Their activities, travel histories, and financial flows over the past few years are all clear. All three are originally villagers from Wanxiang Village, but they don’t live there anymore. They all bought homes in Qin City and live there now."

Housing prices in Jinghai are too expensive.

Many people buy homes in Qin City, which is relatively close to Jinghai.

"The police in Qin City are already monitoring the whereabouts of all three men."

"What about the other personnel at the farm?" Director Meng asked. "The people delivering the hay bales, the ones transporting the fresh milk, and any long-term employees."

"Here’s the data on them," Qi Feng said, handing out several printed copies.

It was information pulled from the cattle farm’s payroll accounts.

A lot of people were on the list.

Most of them were residents of Wanxiang Village.

"Put all vehicles entering and leaving Wanxiang Village under heavy surveillance," Zhuang Yanzheng said, his eyes still closed. "Every move has to be cautious. We can’t risk exposure, or we’ll tip them off."

There was a lot of data; the files on each person were quite detailed.

Meng Shuyi flipped through the pages, then looked up at Su Miaoyi. "Do we have any leads on the location of the manufacturing den?"

Su Miaoyi zoomed out on the map of Wanxiang Village and then zoomed in on the mountains to the west. "Based on what Kang Hong said, I think it’s highly likely to be somewhere in these mountains in Qin City..."

...