mauvaises graines - Chapitre 24
"Director Huang remembers it very clearly." Xu Haicheng said meaningfully. At first, he was just puzzled by Song Duo's death, but now he began to suspect that Song Duo's death was very strange and that Huang Yisen was involved.
Huang Yisen forced a smile.
"There are probably tens of thousands of heads in the 'Head Cave,' and Director Huang completed the archaeological excavation in just four days. That's astonishing speed."
Huang Yisen's smile vanished, and he said, "Actually, it's not over. Everyone is not used to this high-altitude climate, and the poisonous gas in the cave is too strong. We were not well prepared, and we had a limited number of gas masks, so we only collected some data hastily and ended this archaeological expedition early. If I have the chance in the future... I still want to go again." Unfortunately, his tone couldn't hide his true feelings, and his last sentence was clearly insincere.
Furthermore, the previous reasons were too far-fetched. Everyone knows that archaeological workers endure harsh conditions, even in the desert, let alone Tongtianling. As for the limited supplies, that's an even less valid excuse. Xu Haicheng clearly remembered Huang Yisen repeatedly inquiring about the geography and climate of Tongtianling, and the areas requiring caution on the second underground level of the altar, when he visited him in the hospital. Archaeological funding is limited, so archaeologists generally cherish it and would never give up halfway.
Xu Haicheng pondered for a moment, then cut to the chase: "I heard that this early termination was related to Song Duo, right?"
Huang Yisen's eyes widened suddenly, and he said impatiently, "Who said that? Song Duo fell into the valley and died. How could it be related to him?" Xu Haicheng hadn't even mentioned Song Duo's death yet, but he emphasized how he died first, which showed that he was guilty.
Xu Haicheng remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on Huang Yisen. Under his watchful eye, the latter's demeanor shifted from righteous indignation to feigned composure, then to unease. These expressions were extremely subtle, but Xu Haicheng, being an experienced man, could amplify the other's reactions through both his eyes and intuition. He was now certain that Song Duo's death was not as simple as falling off a cliff; it might even be related to Huang Yisen. However, he was also troubled. Huang Yisen was an internationally renowned figure and a key member of the organizing committee. With Lei Yunshan already dead, Huang Yisen's position as one of the excavators of the Mansi Tomb was even more crucial. At this time, it was highly inappropriate to pursue the matter of Song Duo's case. Yet, he had promised Song Sanping that he would investigate the truth behind Song Duo's death.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to start with the other three and said, "Could I meet the other three members?"
"Of course." Huang Yisen answered readily, picked up the phone and summoned the three to the conference room. Xu Haicheng and Pan Xiaolu spoke with them separately, then exchanged glances and came to the same conclusion: the three were also evasive in their answers.
Song Duo's death was not simple.
Xu Haicheng had originally planned to investigate the truth behind Song Duo's death after the cultural festival, which would allow Huang Yisen to receive the festival guests and also give Song Sanping an explanation. However, he reconsidered. The archaeological team had visited a sacrificial site of the Mansi people since ancient times, and the human head cave contained human head offerings from thousands of years ago. Since it was related to the Mansi people, perhaps they could find clues about the descendants of the Mansi. So, shortly after leaving the Municipal Archaeological Institute, he decided to overturn his previous decision, whispered a few words to Pan Xiaolu, and then the two went their separate ways.
Pan Xiaolu returned to the Municipal Institute of Ancient Archaeology to begin breaking down the psychological defenses of the other three members of the Tongtianling Altar archaeological team, while Xu Haicheng decided to meet with Yu Congrong, the initiator of the cultural festival. He first called Yu Congrong's office, identified himself, and requested a meeting.
The person who answered the phone was Yu Congrong's assistant, who said coldly, "Mr. Yu is very busy and cannot spare the time to see you at the moment. Please forgive me." Although he said "please forgive me," there was no real meaning in his tone.
"And what about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow's schedule is already full."
"I only need ten minutes," Xu Haicheng persisted.
The other party coldly replied, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yu won't be available before the cultural festival." Then he hung up the phone.
Xu Haicheng, clearly annoyed, continued hitting him, saying, "What I want to discuss concerns your safety, sir."
The other party hesitated for a moment, then the microphone was covered. A moment later, the assistant's cold voice came through again: "Mr. Yu said he will be careful. Thank you for your concern." Then the phone was hung up.
Section 46: Chapter Eight, Part One of the Calamities (6)
Xu Haicheng was burning with anger, yet helpless. Even Director Chen Chen had to give Yu Congrong some face, let alone Xu Haicheng, who was merely a lowly criminal investigation captain. After thinking for a moment, he decided to corner Yu Congrong at his doorstep; no matter how busy he was, he would eventually have to go home. So he drove into the lakeside villa, chose a secluded spot, and parked where he could see the cars entering and leaving the villa, but the cars couldn't see him.
I hadn't slept a wink last night and couldn't help but yawn repeatedly. Seeing that it was still early, and Yu Congrong probably wouldn't be back soon, I put down the chair and lay down. A moment later, I fell asleep. When I woke up and looked out the window, the sky was a greyish-blue, and the car window was covered with a layer of condensation. The streetlights were on, casting a hazy yellow glow.
A faint sound of a car rolling over the ground reached Xu Haicheng's ears. He had a lifelong passion for martial arts and luxury cars, and the sound of this car immediately made him happy, knowing it was a good vehicle. Peeking out, he saw a bulletproof Mercedes-Benz S600 driving past, and the ornate iron gate of the Yu family's house slowly opened.
The Mercedes drove in silently, and once it came to a stop, four people climbed out and stood around the car, looking around blankly. Xu Haicheng chuckled inwardly; judging by their robust builds, they were probably Yu Congrong's bodyguards. Then, Yu Congrong calmly climbed out of the car, straightened her suit jacket, and, surrounded by her bodyguards, walked into the house.
Xu Haicheng got out of the car, went up to the doorbell, and deliberately tilted his head up towards the security camera so the person inside could see him clearly. No one answered, so he kept ringing. Finally, the person inside couldn't stand it anymore. A man in a black suit, with a small earpiece behind his ear, walked in, looking like a bodyguard from a TV show. He glared at Xu Haicheng through the door and said, "Who are you looking for?"
Xu Haicheng showed his identification and said, "I have some official business to discuss with Mr. Yu Congrong."
The bodyguard glanced at the identification and said coldly, "Mr. Yu is unavailable."
"Tell him I must see him; hiding from me won't help."
Actually, he didn't need to tell him; the access control system had an intercom, and Xu Haicheng was sure Yu Congrong could hear everything clearly. A moment later, the bodyguard pressed his earpiece, probably receiving instructions, and opened the iron gate.
Xu Haicheng followed him into the living room. Yu Congrong was sitting on the sofa, already dressed in casual clothes. Behind him stood a man in black, hands behind his back, with a stern face. The man who had led him in earlier walked straight behind Yu Congrong, also standing with his hands behind his back and a stern face.
Yu Congrong glanced at Xu Haicheng indifferently, pointed to the sofa and said, "Sit down. I wonder what brings Captain Xu here?"
Someone as well-informed as him must know the truth about Lei Yunshan's death and He Qing's death, so Xu Haicheng didn't hide anything and said, "I think you must have heard about Professor Lei Yunshan's case. I believe this matter is not just targeting Professor Lei alone. As the initiator of the cultural festival, your current situation is very dangerous."
Yu Congrong remained calm and said indifferently, "Thank you for the reminder, Captain Xu. I will be careful."
Xu Haicheng glanced at the two bodyguards behind him and said, "I believe, Mr. Yu, that you have made thorough preparations. It's just a little strange, though. Were these preparations solely for this cultural festival, or have you been preparing for this all along?"
"It's always best to be careful in this world. Captain Xu should know about my daughter's situation." Mentioning Yu Yan, Yu Congrong's face darkened. "I don't want any more accidents to happen."
"I am deeply sorry for what happened to your daughter, but why didn't Mr. Yu allow the police to investigate at the time?"
A hint of sarcasm seemed to flicker across Yu Congrong's lips as she said, "Nanpu City has limited police resources, so I won't trouble you." The subtext of her words was clearly that she didn't trust the police.
Xu Haicheng was not angry and said, "Mr. Yu is very understanding of us police, but others may misunderstand that there is more to your daughter's death than meets the eye." He had heard the nanny Xiao Hong recount the scene and had already judged that Yu Yan was killed by her enemies and that she was somewhat related to Fang Li. Yu's composure in not letting the police get involved was probably because he did not want to expose his unknown side.
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Congrong's eyes turned cold, and he said, "Captain Xu is indeed a criminal investigator; he's very suspicious."
Xu Haicheng smiled and said, "Some people say that a businessman's first pot of gold is always made in the dark. I think that applies to Mr. Yu as well, otherwise he wouldn't need so many bodyguards, and Yu Yan wouldn't have died under such mysterious circumstances."
A flash of anger crossed Yu Congrong's eyes as she said, "Captain Xu, don't go too far. My daughter has been dead for over a year, and you still won't let her go."
"It's not me who won't let her go, it's you, her father." Staring intently into Yu Congrong's eyes, Xu Haicheng said, "You should know best why she died."
Yu Congrong's face was ashen, his lips tightly pressed together, trembling slightly. The bodyguards behind him remained motionless, their faces still expressionless; since their boss hadn't given the order, they would just keep their faces upturned.
[This post was edited by Fusheng on 2008-03-07 00:53]
[Post #51] | Posted: 2008-02-07 15:29 |
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