“What?” Zou Xiaoxiao pushed herself up from her knees, panting.
A thought suddenly struck her.
“It’s not because of our project, is it?” Zou Xiaoxiao’s brows furrowed tightly.
When she first joined the project team, someone had approached her, and she’d encountered a minor trouble.
Fortunately, her skills were enough to handle it.
Later, these incidents had alerted her grandfather, and perhaps due to his reputation, no one had bothered her again.
This project had indeed touched a nerve with someone…
But to this extent of brazenness?
Listening to her guesses and experiences, Qin Ningyi felt something was off.
If the intention was truly to stop the project, Huo Rou would be dead by now.
“Retrieve it,” he said, pointing at the calm lake surface, his tone chillingly cold.
The men he brought with him were obedient, and upon receiving the order, they began their preparations.
“Brother Qin, didn’t you say these footprints weren’t Huo Rou’s?” Zou Xiaoxiao watched the group of people enter the water, feeling a bit confused.
Qin Ningyi didn't explain. He turned and led another team to search elsewhere.
The entire area within several miles centered on the lake park had been thoroughly scoured, yet there was still no sign.
Aside from the car and the footprints, there was nothing.
After an entire afternoon, Qin Ningyi grew increasingly agitated.
Shen Wuyou had also mobilized all his contacts, but there was still no news.
He dared not stop the experiment; if Huo Rou were found, he would still need to help suppress her poison.
An An had been forcibly sent to school by Qin Ningyi. There, she met Ren Zhen.
With Ren Zhen's help, An An managed to obtain surveillance footage from all over the city.
They stayed in the server room, using artificial intelligence to analyze the videos, trying to find the car or Huo Rou’s whereabouts.
Another night passed. Qin Ningyi’s eyes were bloodshot, and he appeared even more volatile.
“How is Shen Xioumei doing?”
He looked at Zhao Hengyu, who was flushed and radiant beside him, his voice slightly hoarse.
Under his indifferent gaze, Zhao Hengyu shivered, his coquettish demeanor fading.
Zou Xiaoxiao, unable to contain her frustration, kicked him as well.
“Hey! Isn’t this the important business Brother Qin gave me? Are you two crossing the river and tearing down the bridge?”
Zhao Hengyu retorted loudly, “Who am I selling my looks for?”
He looked at Qin Ningyi indignantly and said, “For your future wife!”
Then he looked at Zou Xiaoxiao and added with exaggerated flair, “For your new idol!”
Zou Xiaoxiao slapped his fingers away. “My idol can only be Lord Chi You! Huo Rou is just my colleague; don’t talk nonsense!”
“Get to the point!” Qin Ningyi was in no mood for his antics.
Zhao Hengyu immediately turned serious. “Shen Xioumei hasn’t been wandering around since she left the bathhouse.”
“We tapped the phone company, but Shen Yuanshu hasn’t contacted her.”
“Heh.” Qin Ningyi raised his eyebrows dangerously.
Zhao Hengyu continued, “But we accidentally overheard something else.”
“Shen Xioumei called someone and mentioned the project’s progress. She said Huo Rou had been dealt with.”
Qin Ningyi looked at him. “Dealt with? She said that?”
“Yes.” Zhao Hengyu scrolled through his phone. “Do you want to hear it? I recorded it.”
“Go arrest her and everyone at the bathhouse. Take them to the interrogation room and question them thoroughly.”
Qin Ningyi looked at the sky, now brightly lit, and couldn’t bear to wait any longer.
Sensing the anger in his words, Zhao Hengyu stopped joking and immediately went out to execute the order.
After all, they had official warrants, so this was simple.
After breakfast, as Zhao Wen stepped into his office, someone came to report.
“Director Zhao, someone has sent a group of people to our interrogation room.”
“Who? Do they have authorization?” Zhao Wen felt a headache coming on.
Si Nian had spent the entire day searching with his men yesterday, and now someone was dumping more people on him.
He had official duties to attend to before he could go out and look for Captain Huo!
What was with all these things happening every day!
The subordinate showed him a copy of the official document. “Yes, and… they are fully cooperating.”
“Alright. You take your men to receive them and help keep an eye on them.”
Zhao Wen processed a few documents that required his signature on the computer, then arranged for his subordinate to handle the matter.
He himself straightened his clothes, ensuring they were perfect, and walked out.
He heard that Si Nian had just returned, so he needed to go see him. Commander Si’s temper wasn’t exactly mild.
In the interrogation room.
Shen Xioumei looked at her surroundings with disgust and shouted, “I’m telling you, arresting me without reason is against the law!”
At this moment, she had lost the demure and gentle demeanor she had shown in front of Wei Shikang.
“You’d better give me a clear explanation, or I’ll sue you as soon as I get out!”
Zhao Hengyu listened to her shouting outside the interrogation room door, rubbing his ears.
“Old Qin, this woman really won’t give up until she’s at death’s door. If we hadn’t heard her conversation, we would have really been at her mercy!”
Qin Ningyi rubbed his wrist, his expressionless face saying, “No reason, and she can’t do anything to me.”
With that, he opened the door and walked in, leaving Zhao Hengyu looking excited.
It felt good to have the upper hand!
Shen Xioumei had seen Qin Ningyi from afar, but she never expected to meet him up close in a place like this.
She was pushed down onto a stool, its special design preventing her from struggling.
A sense of humiliation washed over her.
Her screams became even more frantic.
“Spy, do you know what your fate is?” Qin Ningyi sat in front of her, his cold voice making her involuntarily calm down.
Hearing the word “spy,” Shen Xioumei’s heart trembled.
She had seen what happened to her mother.
But…
“What spy? I don’t know anything. Don’t try to frame me.”
She stubbornly argued.
China wasn’t like country M, with its KYEs program that recorded everyone’s calls for later analysis.
Her phone was encrypted; it was almost impossible to monitor her calls.
Qin Ningyi’s gaze seemed to drift aimlessly as he operated his phone, playing the voice recording Zhao Hengyu had sent him.
In the small interrogation room, Shen Xioumei heard her own voice coming from the phone.
“Boss, Huo Rou has been dealt with.”
“Yes, my brother personally handled it.”
The boss’s voice sounded somewhat mechanical, as if it had been processed. “I know. How is the project coming along?”
“Huo Rou is gone, and Zou Xiaoxiao didn’t show up either. Wei Shikang said their project progress has been slow today. Without the two of them, it will take much longer.”
The boss sounded gratified. “Well done. Keep a close watch. If anything happens, report it immediately! I don’t want the same thing to happen a second time.”
“…”
“You!” Shen Xioumei’s eyes widened as she looked at Qin Ningyi. She hadn’t expected them to actually get her call recording!
“So, where else can Shen Yuanshu go in Yuchang City?”