Chapter 201

Mu Mian practically half-carried Chen Xue into the car. Fang Rui drove in front, and together they headed to the hospital to check on Zhang.

The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping, pattering noisily against the car windows, creating a foggy haze that blurred the road ahead.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Zhang's parents were already there. They had signed the surgical consent form, and Zhang had been rushed into the operating room for emergency treatment.

Chen Xue hadn’t brought an umbrella. She had run through the rain to get here, her clothes completely soaked.

Zhang’s mother, seeing how drenched she was, quickly handed her own coat to Chen Xue.

But Chen Xue didn’t take it. She seemed lost in her own world, staring fixedly at the red light above the operating room door.

“Auntie, how is Zhang doing?” Fang Rui asked.

Zhang’s mother wiped her tears and choked back a sob. “The doctor said the situation is very grim. Zhang Qiang’s head injury is severe, and they’re not sure if they can save him. They told us to prepare for the worst…”

Director Liu had also been severely injured in the accident. His injuries were even more critical, and by the time he was brought to the hospital, he had already passed away.

Mu Mian, as if trying to comfort them or perhaps praying, said, “Officer Zhang will be fine.”

The red light above the operating room remained lit. Inside, the doctors were doing everything they could to save him, while those waiting outside were consumed with anxiety.

Fang Rui leaned against the wall in the hallway, filled with guilt. If he hadn’t sent Zhang to follow Director Liu, this accident might never have happened. But years of professional training didn’t allow him to show any sign of weakness.

Once, he had been a talkative and clever young officer like Zhang. But as his older colleagues retired or fell in the line of duty, he had risen to become a captain, forced to mature and shoulder the responsibilities that came with it.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen a colleague seriously injured, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. In their line of work, injuries and sacrifices were all too common.

But this time, it was his partner.

Zhang might have seemed unreliable at times, but his personality made it easier for him to connect with people during investigations. In their work, he and Zhang had formed a complementary partnership.

Mu Mian noticed that she couldn’t read the expressions on everyone’s faces. No one was crying, but the air was thick with an overwhelming sadness that refused to dissipate.

She took Fang Rui’s hand and noticed it was trembling. Fang Rui was afraid, but why? He was always so brave.

Tears welled up in Mu Mian’s eyes. Although Officer Zhang was only fourth on her list of close friends, he was a very special one.

He treated her like a normal person, joked with her, teased her about her quirks, and even took great care of her pet white mice.

Fang Rui pulled Mu Mian into his arms and comforted her, “He’ll be okay.”

“Fang Rui, I’m scared…”

She had so few friends. She couldn’t bear to lose another.

Zhang’s mother turned to Fang Rui and said, “Fang Rui, you two should go back to work. We’ll stay here and keep watch.”

Zhang’s father added, “Yes, there’s no need for all of us to stay. Zhang was following a suspect when the accident happened. This might not have been an accident at all. You should go investigate. We’ll stay here and let you know if anything changes.”

Fang Rui slowly composed himself. Zhang’s parents were right—this might not have been an accident. He needed to get to the bottom of it and find out who was really behind it.

Fang ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‍Rui and Mu Mian drove to the scene of the accident. The rain had lightened, but the sky remained dark and heavy.

Fang Rui had also sent people to seal off Director Liu’s home and office to prevent anyone from tampering with evidence.

Mu Mian analyzed, “It seemed like Officer Zhang was trying to tell us who the killer was. Could that be why the killer caused the accident, to silence him?”

Fang Rui replied, “Causing an accident requires timing. It couldn’t have been random—this was planned. But Zhang must have stumbled upon something by chance.

Director Liu’s injuries were more severe, which suggests he was the primary target. But if the killer really wanted to eliminate Director Liu, why wait until we were closing in? And why lead us to investigate him in the first place?”

“Could it be that the person who caused the accident isn’t the same person who disposed of the body? Maybe someone else is trying to stop us from investigating further?”

“That’s possible.”

The accident had taken place on the road outside Jiangzhou University Second Affiliated Hospital.

Mu Mian looked at the familiar sign and remembered that Chen Shu worked at this hospital.

She wondered aloud, “Why did Zhang suddenly say he knew who the killer was? What clue did he find?”

They had been to this hospital before during the investigation. Zhang knew some of the doctors and nurses there, so it was possible the killer was someone who worked at the hospital.

The accident site had already been cordoned off by traffic police. The rain had washed away most of the bloodstains on the ground.

The wet pavement was littered with car debris and broken parts. Six or seven cars parked along the roadside had been damaged, and a large truck lay overturned on its side.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The white car Director Liu had been driving was flipped over, its tires pointing skyward, the body of the car completely wrecked. Zhang’s black car was in slightly better condition, but the front end was crushed, and the shattered windshield was smeared with blood.

The dashcams in both cars had been destroyed, but the memory cards were still intact. Using footage from the dashcams and nearby surveillance cameras, the traffic police had already determined the cause of the accident.

One of the traffic officers, Old Liu, recognized Fang Rui. “Captain Fang, what brings you here?”

“What caused the accident?”

Old Liu explained the situation. “The white car and the black car were both parked in the roadside parking area when a large truck suddenly lost control and plowed into the row of cars. The two drivers who were still in their vehicles were seriously injured. One died on the spot, and the other is in critical condition.”

“What about the truck driver?”

“We’ve taken him into custody. When we arrived at the scene, we noticed he reeked of alcohol. A breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol level was 85mg/100ml—he was driving under the influence.”

Fang Rui asked, “Can I join you in questioning him?”

“Of course.”

The truck driver, Li Xinyu, was in his forties and an experienced driver. But in recent years, he had developed a gambling addiction, racking up significant debts. His wife had divorced him as a result.

He looked nervously at Fang Rui and Old Liu, stammering, “Officers, I… I didn’t mean to.”

“Look at your blood alcohol level—you were clearly driving under the influence. And those dark circles under your eyes? You were up all night drinking, weren’t you? This is a case of drunk driving and fatigue!”

“Officers, it’s my fault. Yesterday was my birthday, but no one was around to celebrate with me, so I drank alone and had too much. I wasn’t planning to drive today, but a regular customer needed a shipment delivered urgently. I thought I was sober enough, so I took the job. I didn’t expect the rain to make things worse, and that’s how the accident happened.

I tried to fix it. The truck was about to veer into oncoming traffic, so I yanked the wheel and crashed into the parking area. I thought no one was there, but two unlucky people had parked their cars and stayed inside.”

Old Liu slammed his hand on the table. “Unlucky? You hit them, and you’re blaming their bad luck?”

Li Xinyu slapped his own mouth. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Fang Rui said, “Give me the contact information for that customer of yours.”

“Officers, the accident was my fault, not my customer’s. He has nothing to do with this. You can’t go harassing him.”

“Just give it to me!”

“I won’t betray my customer.”

Fang Rui sneered, “There is no customer, is there? Tell me, who ordered you to crash into them?”

“Officers, you can’t accuse me like this! I admit I caused the accident, but it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t mean to kill anyone. I have insurance—it’ll cover the damages for their families. I’ll go to prison if I have to, but you can’t frame me for murder.”

“You’re deep in debt, aren’t you? You need money, don’t you?”

“Yes, I owe a lot of money, which is why I drove out in the heavy rain to transport goods. Officer, even though I desperately need money, I wouldn’t break the law just to make a profit. If you don’t believe me, you can check my bank account balance to see if I’ve received any payments.”

Li Xinyu stubbornly insisted that he was driving under the influence of alcohol, refusing to admit that he had accepted any money.

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