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Глава 28

"I saw a poem, written by Zhang Wenzheng."

Lin Zhenzhen: "I saw it too. What did you figure out?"

Feng Junzi: "Handwriting! Zhang Wenzheng's handwriting! This confirms that this item was left by Zhang Wenzheng."

Lin Zhenzhen: "I'm so anxious! What is it?"

Feng Junzi: "There's a suicide note in the hat, Zhang Wenzheng's suicide note!"

There was indeed a suicide note in the miner's hat that Zhang Wenzheng handed to Lin Zhenzhen. The suicide note was written on a piece of yellowish cotton cloth, which seemed to have been torn from a piece of clothing. The handwriting looked like it was written with coal gangue, and both sides were covered with writing.

The front of the letter bears the inscription "Zhang Wenzheng's Last Will and Testament" at the top. Below, it appears to be a record of his family affairs: "I cannot bear to part with my family… I owe my mother 200 yuan, I owe *** 100 yuan, and I borrowed 1000 yuan from the credit union to give to ***. There are also other debts owed to me—a deposit of 1650 yuan, *** 1000 yuan, overtime pay of 400 yuan…" The last part is his final instructions to his wife: "Educate our daughter well, be filial to your parents, and she will surely be rewarded in the future. Cremation is a must! Don't be a burden on the family."

Turning the suicide note over, the reverse side describes the mine disaster: "On February 14th at noon, a gas explosion occurred at the No. 2 pit working face. I went down to the No. 3 pit to notify the workers to evacuate, only to find that the No. 3 pit ramp had collapsed. On my way back to call for rescue, I discovered that the main tunnel had collapsed and I was trapped. It has been thirteen days, and the hope of rescue for me and the thirty-six workers in the No. 3 pit below is very small. I wrote this suicide note in the hope that someone will find it. I have never owed anyone anything in my life, and I want to make things clear even after I die."

The suicide note was dated February 27, 2003.

Part 3: Ghost Miners 12 - The Truth Behind the Mine Disaster

Feng Junzi didn't bring the original with him; he showed Lin Zhenzhen a photocopy. Lin Zhenzhen looked at it for a long time and realized one thing: she had probably encountered Zhang Wenzheng's ghost, and Zhang Wenzheng's purpose in seeing her was to ask her to bring up this will. After reading it, she said to Feng Junzi, "This will concerns Zhang Wenzheng's family affairs, mainly his personal debts. I think it should be given to his family. Why are Liu Wanshan and Wang Minggao so nervous?"

Feng Junzi remained silent, then produced another photocopy. This one, which he had brought from the library, contained a news report about a mining accident a year prior. The report, already mentioned above, detailed how on February 14, 2003, a gas explosion and collapse occurred in a mine belonging to the mining area. Following the accident, Chairman and General Manager Zhang Zeguang personally oversaw the rescue efforts. After six days and six nights of digging and rescue, dozens of trapped miners were finally rescued, with only one fatality. Thanks to effective leadership and timely measures, the losses were minimized. The deceased miner was Zhang Wenzheng.

Lin Zhenzhen looked at it for a long time and said, "This doesn't make sense either. Zhang Wenzheng's suicide note mentioned that there were still thirty-six workers underground. Did they all get rescued?"

Feng Junzi shook his head: "Zhang Wenzheng's location should be on the main tunnel leading from Pit 2 to Pit 3. Pit 3 is at the bottom of this mine. If Zhang Wenzheng died, then the thirty-six miners could not have been rescued either."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Are you saying the mine covered up the truth about the accident?"

Feng Junzi: "Not only that, look at the publication date of this news report, it's February 25th, while Zhang Wenzheng's suicide note is dated February 27th. What does that mean?"

Lin Zhenzhen gasped in shock, exclaiming, "When the mine announced the end of the rescue operation and that only Zhang Wenzheng had perished, Zhang Wenzheng was actually still alive! And the fate of the other thirty-six workers is still unknown!"

Feng Junzi nodded silently, while Lin Zhenzhen murmured, "How could this be..."

Feng Junzi: "The situation is complicated now. I found out that the vice president Liu Wanshan seems to want to use this incident to bring down another vice president, Wang Minggao. So when Wang Minggao saw Liu Wanshan take away the hat, he had a heart attack!"

Lin Zhenzhen: "How did he know there was something fishy about that hat?"

Feng Junzi: "Then I'll have to ask you. You came up here shouting that you ran into Zhang Wenzheng in the well, and that Zhang Wenzheng gave you a hat, which scared him to death."

Lin Zhenzhen: "What does this have to do with Wang Minggao?"

Feng Junzi: "Nominally, that mine belongs to a large state-owned mine, but in reality, it is a small coal mine contracted out to a private individual. The contractor is the brother-in-law of that secretary Yuan's wife."

Lin Zhenzhen: "This has nothing to do with Wang Minggao, does it?"

Feng Junzi: "Secretary Xiao Yuan is Wang Minggao's wife's cousin. In fact, Wang Minggao himself is the contractor of this coal mine, but he is using a relative's name."

Lin Zhenzhen: "What kind of relatives are these?!"

Feng Junzi: "To put it simply, it's just a matter of Wang Minggao's cousin's family. You don't seem to understand the complex personnel and kinship relationships in large state-owned enterprises. I used to work in similar companies, and this kind of situation is very common."

Lin Zhenzhen: "I didn't expect you to have investigated so thoroughly in such a short time. Let's put aside the family relationships for now. The will is in your hands. What should we do?"

Feng Junzi: "I need to think about it some more, but you must be careful now. Don't tell anyone that you met Zhang Wenzheng in the mine. Even if you do, no one will believe you. Instead, they will suspect that you have ulterior motives."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Then what should I do?"

Feng Junzi: "You insist that it was a hallucination that occurred when you were very scared, and that you don't remember anything after you woke up from a nap, understand? Now you should rest well, and I will come to see you again tomorrow."

Lin Zhenzhen was indeed very tired. After Feng Junzi left, although she was still uneasy, an overwhelming weariness overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep. In fact, Feng Junzi was also very tired. He wanted to find Zhang Wenqing or Liu Wanshan to ask them something, but it was already late when he returned to the hotel. He wanted to rest in bed for a while, but he also fell into a deep sleep.

...

The coal mine meeting was originally scheduled for three days, with the first two days for site visits and discussions, and the last day for a board announcement and press conference. In reality, this was merely a formality; the core content of the meeting was a discussion of the investment project at Qingjiang Coal Mine, specifically the new share issuance project of the listed company, Qingjiang Coal Mine. Even without this meeting, everything would have proceeded according to procedure. However, under the current slogans of strengthening the institutional framework of listed companies and protecting investor interests, the company symbolically invited some professionals, investment institutions, and media representatives to hold this project seminar at the coal mine site.

The third day was originally scheduled to be the last day of the meeting. To outsiders, Lin Zhenzhen's incident was just a minor, insignificant episode, not enough to affect the listed company's work schedule. However, the meeting on the last day did not proceed as planned. The postponement was not due to Lin Zhenzhen, but because the meeting's original chairperson, director and vice general manager Liu Wanshan, died unexpectedly.

Liu Wanshan died in an accident, or more specifically, a murder, or more precisely, a homicide. The incident occurred the night Feng Junzi returned from the hospital, right outside the mine exit where Zhang Wenzheng and Lin Zhenzhen had their accident. No one knows what Mr. Liu was doing there in the middle of the night. Judging from the evidence at the scene, he died from an attack—his head was struck with a blunt object.

After receiving the report, the township police station and the county public security bureau's criminal police arrived at the scene to collect evidence and conduct an investigation. The sudden accident caused some chaos at the coal mine, but fortunately, Chairman and General Manager Zhang Zeguang remained calm. On the one hand, he assigned a special person to cooperate with the public security authorities in their investigation, and on the other hand, he decisively decided that work would not be interrupted. The original meeting was postponed for one day and then resumed. He personally went to the meeting to explain and reassure the participants, and instructed them to do their best to ensure proper hospitality.

This incident was also unexpected for Feng Junzi. He had planned to go to Liu Wanshan the next day to ask for more information, but unexpectedly, Liu Wanshan died a violent death. He vaguely felt that Liu Wanshan's death was related to Zhang Wenzheng's will, and of course, also to Wang Minggao. Thinking of this, he was very worried and immediately went to the hospital to find Lin Zhenzhen. Just like last time, he disguised himself and entered the ward when no one was around.

Part 3: Ghost Miner 13 - Two People's Accident

Feng Junzi and Lin Zhenzhen both believed that Wang Minggao was most likely behind it. Ever since Wang Minggao discovered Liu Wanshan's involvement and witnessed him taking the hat, he probably harbored murderous intent. As for why Liu Wanshan would be at the mine in the middle of the night, neither of them could figure it out. Finally, Lin Zhenzhen said to Feng Junzi, "Luckily, neither Wang Minggao nor Liu Wanshan knew that you took Zhang Wenzheng's will, otherwise you might have been the one who had the accident last night."

Feng Junzi felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about it. He said to Lin Zhenzhen, "Wang Minggao doesn't know that I have a will. I don't need to worry about him now. The one in danger is you. Think about what you said when you came out of the mine. Wang Minggao heard it all. He must be wondering what else you know. These people may not believe that you really encountered a ghost, but they will probably suspect that you discovered something in the mine."

Lin Zhenzhen was also frightened upon hearing this. She said to Feng Junzi, "Then what should I do? Should I leave the hospital and run away now?"

Feng Junzi: "That's not the case. It's all just speculation. The police are currently investigating at the scene. There's no need for anything more. I believe the murderer won't reappear anytime soon."

Lin Zhenzhen: "I still feel uneasy. I'm all alone in the ward. What if it gets dark at night..."

Feng Junzi: "We still need to be on guard. Shall I stay and keep you company?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "Where are you hiding? Under the bed? Nobody can hide under this bed. Besides, what if the culprit doesn't come, and you end up being the culprit instead?"

Feng Junzi laughed: "You're still in the mood for jokes at a time like this? Let me think."

Lin Zhenzhen suddenly remembered something and asked, "Besides you and me, who else knows about Zhang Wenzheng's will?"

Feng Junzi: "Besides you and me, there's only Zhang Wenqing left. She works as a nurse in this hospital. I've already told her how serious the situation is and asked her not to tell anyone, including Zhang Wenzheng's family. I believe she won't tell anyone... Sigh! I have a solution."

...

Feng Junzi: "This is the second floor. It's only 40 or 50 meters from the back door of the inpatient department to the row of single-story dormitories. If I rush up the stairs and through the corridor, I can get here in as little as 20 seconds. Keep your phone on and in message mode. Enter my number, and I'll receive the message as soon as you press a button. I'll be there in 20 seconds. Can you hold on for that time?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "I'll lock the door and put a bottle or something in front of it so I can know immediately if anything happens. I should be able to hold out for twenty seconds. I'm not someone to be trifled with."

Feng Junzi: "Luckily, this is a hospital. If there's any emergency, we can provide immediate treatment."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Shut your mouth! Did Zhang Wenqing really agree to let you hide in her dormitory?"

Feng Junzi: "She agreed as soon as I mentioned it, so you can rest assured tonight."

Lin Zhenzhen: "When you're in the girls' dormitory at night, you need to be mindful of your image and not do anything reckless!"

Feng Junzi: "Shut your mouth! Am I that kind of person? Even if I were, Zhang Wenqing isn't!"

...

Feng Junzi didn't wait until dark. After dinner, he went straight to Zhang Wenqing's dormitory. Many people saw him along the way, but he tried to act as if he were just visiting, knocking casually on the door. Zhang Wenqing had been waiting for him in the dormitory and opened the door to let him in.

The room wasn't big, and the two of them sitting face to face was a little awkward. Feng Junzi broke the silence by starting a conversation: "I've seen your brother's information. It seems there's a big age gap between you and your brother. You're more than ten years younger than him."

Zhang Wenqing: "It's like this, Zhang Wenzheng is not my biological brother. I was adopted by the Zhang family. When my parents brought me home, my brother was already over ten years old."

Feng Junzi: "I heard that after you got into nursing school, your brother was still in high school, but then he dropped out?"

Zhang Wenqing lowered her head, tears seemingly glistening in her eyes: "Life at home was very hard. My brother started school very late, actually only two years earlier than me. After I graduated from junior high school, I was admitted to a nursing school, but my brother stopped studying and went out to work to support my education."

Feng Junzi knew this was a sad topic, so he stopped talking and remained silent for a while. Then he remembered the suicide note and asked, "You saw the suicide note. Is everything in it true?"

Zhang Wenqing: "I don't know about what happened underground, but everything about our family is true. A few days ago, the credit union came to our house to collect money, saying it was a loan my brother had made before his death. My sister-in-law didn't know what was going on. I only understood after reading the suicide note. It turns out that last year, someone from the village went out to work and borrowed money from my brother for travel expenses. My sister-in-law refused, but my brother still lent it to her. It was a loan of 1,000 yuan from the credit union. I read the suicide note and asked that family, and that's when I understood."

Feng Junzi sighed, "Your brother is a rare good person."

Zhang Wenqing: "It's a pity he didn't have good fortune."

Fearing that it would upset Zhang Wenqing, Feng Junzi changed the subject, saying, "Liu Wanshan's death was very strange. If it was really Wang Minggao who did it, he was too ruthless. Liu Wanshan originally wanted to expose this matter, but unexpectedly, something happened to him."

Zhang Wenqing: "Liu Wanshan? What good is he anyway!"

Feng Junzi: "I see this man has a lewd look on his face, so he doesn't seem to be a good person. However, he seems to want to help in this matter. I heard that after your brother passed away, he was the one who helped you transfer from the township clinic to the mining hospital."

Zhang Wenqing: "You seem to know a lot of things. What else do you know? Do you know that Liu Wanshan's goal is nothing more than to find something on Wang Minggao and blackmail him in secret? How can someone like that become a hero who upholds justice?"

Feng Junzi: "You seem to have a lot of prejudice against Liu Wanshan."

"He—I—" Zhang Wenqing felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak for a moment. His eyes inexplicably reddened again.

Feng Junzi, observing Zhang Wenqing's expression, noticed a mixture of sorrow and resentment in her eyes, as if she were recalling some unfortunate past. He understood something and tentatively asked, "Did he bully you?"

Zhang Wenqing's chest heaved rapidly a few times, as if he were taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, before he replied bitterly, "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded, and he will not have a good death now!"

Seeing Zhang Wenqing's reaction, Feng Junzi knew his guess was correct and didn't press further. A long silence ensued between them. As it grew late, Feng Junzi suddenly remembered something else and asked Zhang Wenqing, "Do you know why Liu Wanshan went to that mine last night?"

Zhang Wenqing's answer surprised Feng Junzi: "I know. He called me yesterday and asked me to meet him there tonight, and asked if I wanted to avenge my brother."

Feng Junzi had only been testing the waters, but he hadn't expected Zhang Wenqing to so frankly reveal such an important clue, which surprised him. He immediately asked, "Did you go?"

Zhang Wenqing: "I didn't go. I was on duty last night. Even if I wasn't on duty, I still wouldn't have gone. I don't want to see that kind of person. If it were really about avenging my brother, I wouldn't go looking for someone like him. I think my brother would be unhappy if he knew in heaven."

Feng Junzi: "You really didn't go?"

Zhang Wenqing said calmly, "I was on night shift yesterday. If you don't believe me, you can ask the doctors and nurses who were on duty with me."

Feng Junzi: "That's not what I meant. I'm just wondering why Liu Wanshan is looking for you."

Zhang Wenqing's face showed resentment again as he said, "What good could he possibly do?"

However, Feng Junzi's thoughts were different from Zhang Wenqing's. He suddenly remembered that Wang Minggao was currently hospitalized. What purpose did Liu Wanshan have in finding a nurse who had a grudge against Wang Minggao? Thinking of this, he said, "Perhaps Liu Wanshan wants to use you to harm Wang Minggao. Wang Minggao is currently hospitalized in this hospital."

Zhang Wenqing: "It's possible, but unlikely. If Liu Wanshan already has something on Wang Minggao, he wouldn't do this. Besides, he wouldn't come to me. I'm not the kind of person who would help him harm others."

Feng Junzi: "That's not necessarily true. A treacherous person always assumes that others are also treacherous. He's used to harming people, so he always assumes that others also enjoy harming people... Who's outside?"

As Feng Junzi spoke, he suddenly raised his voice and asked who was outside. Zhang Wenqing also heard the noise outside the window. At that moment, Feng Junzi darted out and opened the door. A figure flashed and floated into the back door of the inpatient department. Feng Junzi thought the figure looked familiar. He turned to look at Zhang Wenqing in confusion. Zhang Wenqing also came to the door, looking surprised.

"What did you see?" Feng Junzi asked Zhang Wenqing.

"No, no, I didn't see anything." Zhang Wenqing's tone sounded a little guilty. Feng Junzi felt that she seemed to be lying on purpose. They should both have been able to see that figure just now.

Feng Junzi was worried about Lin Zhenzhen, so he sent her a message. Lin Zhenzhen quickly replied, saying that she was safe and sound, and added the secret code they had agreed on in the message. Only then was Feng Junzi relieved.

...

The night passed without incident; there was no further news from Lin Zhenzhen's side. However, the meeting at the mining area, originally scheduled for a day later, was postponed again due to an unexpected incident. This time, the incident occurred in the hospital. Of course, it wasn't Lin Zhenzhen who was injured; to Feng Junzi's surprise, Wang Minggao was dead.

Wang Minggao died from a drug reaction, but police suspect it was murder. Someone had mixed a medication contraindicated for heart patients into Wang Minggao's medication, and the nurses failed to notice. By the next morning, Wang Minggao was dead. The police investigation was highly efficient; they quickly discovered that someone had indeed obtained the medication from a pharmacy, apparently switching Wang Minggao's medication when the nurses weren't looking. The initial conclusion was that someone inside the hospital was responsible.

After Liu Wanshan's death, the listed company's meeting was postponed. Wang Minggao was scheduled to chair the meeting the following day. At this time, Wang Minggao's condition had stabilized, and he had volunteered to continue working despite his illness; now it seemed he wouldn't have the opportunity. Chaos reigned in the mining area, and the attendees were uneasy. Some said they had other matters to attend to and wanted to leave early, while others, inexplicably curious about this strange event, wanted to stay and see what was going on. Under these circumstances, the Qingjiang Shares board of directors still decided to postpone the meeting for another day and hold it as originally planned.

Part 3: The Ghost Miner, Chapter 14: The Director's Past

The day after the death of the third-in-command of Qingjiang Group, the largest enterprise in Qingjiang City, the second-in-command also died unexpectedly. This series of cases drew the attention of the police. On the one hand, the police suppressed the news to avoid unnecessary rumors and negative impacts; on the other hand, they intensified their investigation. Don't underestimate the efficiency of the police. Although many cases may seem slow to be handled normally, once the leadership truly "takes it seriously," the action is very swift.

The police have been instructed to avoid disturbing attendees from out of town, but to question them individually if necessary. Feng Junzi is one of those whom the police deem necessary to question separately; the reason is simple: he did not return to his hotel last night. Many people can testify to this.

Feng Junzi was questioned in his hotel room. The police investigators were very friendly, first apologizing for the inconvenience, then explaining that the questioning was a routine procedure and that the police needed to know where he had been the previous night. Two police officers arrived: one was an investigator from the Criminal Investigation Division, and the other was Chief Chen from the local police station, who was assisting with the investigation. Feng Junzi hesitated for about a tenth of a second before deciding to tell the truth—he had stayed in Zhang Wenqing's dormitory the entire previous night.

Director Chen, in his forties, had worked in this area for a long time and was clearly familiar with the local residents. He was quite surprised to hear Zhang Wenqing's name and pressed for details, asking, "Did you spend the whole night with Zhang Wenqing? Did you leave him at any point?"

Feng Junzi: "No, I went to her dormitory around 8 p.m. and left around 7 a.m. The next morning. People saw me when I went there and when I left. Maybe they didn't pay much attention at the time, but if you ask other people at the hospital now, someone should remember."