Homo Sapiens

The sudden change at Donghua Group quickly became public knowledge.

While the general public was merely enjoying the gossip, people like Du Shuping and Yang Haibo, along with their backers, sensed that something was amiss.

They immediately mobilized their networks to find out the current state of affairs.

Elsewhere.

Kong Jide and Wu Mingyue, who had been driven out of Donghua Group by Long Yuanzhi, were not about to take this lying down.

The two families quickly began plotting behind the scenes.

In the Kong Family’s villa, Kong Jide grew frustrated with his weeping wife. ”Enough. What’s the use of all this crying? Zhao Lin is gone. Just let me have some peace!”

Their younger daughter quickly helped her mother out of the living room.

”Jide, I think there’s something very suspicious about my brother’s and Zhao Lin’s deaths. I’m sure that Li Qingye is behind it,” Wu Mingyue said, gritting her teeth.

Of course, Kong Jide knew it was suspicious. ”I’ll use my connections. Zhao Lin died under mysterious circumstances. The Kong Family will not let this slide.”

Then, an exasperated look crossed Wu Mingyue’s face. ”And I don’t know what’s gotten into that girl, Xinlan. How can she be so unconcerned?”

”Don’t give her a hard time. She only holds 11% of the company’s shares. What can she do with a stake that small?” Kong Jide shook his head helplessly.

He then made six or seven calls in a row.

Some were to his contacts, asking them to investigate his son’s cause of death. Others were to Du Shuping, Yang Haibo, and their associates, informing them of the upheaval within Donghua Group and the situation with Li Qingye.

Kong Jide knew full well that Donghua Group had effectively changed hands.

Without the help of Du Shuping, Yang Haibo, and the others, the chances of the Kong and Wu Families reclaiming Donghua Group were minuscule.

Kong Jide had pinned all the family’s hopes on his son. After all, Wu Heguang had no children and had already made it clear he intended to groom Kong Zhao Lin as his successor. He had invested heavily in the boy.

Now, all of that was in ruins. It was an injustice Kong Jide simply could not swallow.

...

「Modu.」

A forensic clinic.

”Qin Ming, we’ve got a case.”

The scholarly-looking young man put down his anatomy book. ”On my way, Brother Biao.”

A moment later, in a small office adjacent to the autopsy room.

Present were Qin Ming, Brother Biao, the head of the forensic clinic Rong Haitao, and three members of a criminal investigation team.

The team leader, Li Tiebing, was a stern, unsmiling middle-aged man with eyes as sharp as an owl’s at night. He produced a file.

”This file contains the details of the case. Everyone, take a look, then give me your thoughts.”

Qin Ming and Brother Biao began looking through the file together.

After half an hour, Brother Biao looked up. ”Didn’t we already examine this body? It was a simple drowning. Why a second autopsy?”

Qin Ming was surprised as well. He and Brother Biao had meticulously examined Kong Zhao Lin’s body and had found no signs of foul play.

”Ahem, this case is a bit complicated. After all, the victim’s identity is rather sensitive, and his death is tied to the recent shake-up at Donghua Group. That’s why we need a more rigorous autopsy,” Rong Haitao reminded them with a dry laugh.

A flash of understanding crossed Brother Biao’s eyes. The gossip surrounding Donghua Group had been a hot topic online for days.

The stoic Li Tiebing spoke up as well. ”We’ve thoroughly surveyed the scene and the Tesla electric car. We also pulled surveillance footage from the past month. Everything appears completely normal.”

Qin Ming and Brother Biao exchanged a look, a spark of mutual understanding passing between them. They seemed to guess what the real issue was.

”That’s why we’re hoping the forensic clinic can provide a breakthrough.”

Brother Biao nodded. ”I get it. That means we’ll have to do a full dissection. Has the family given their consent?”

”They’ve already signed the consent form.” Li Tiebing handed a photocopy to Rong Haitao, who glanced at it and nodded to confirm everything was in order.

「An hour later.」

The autopsy room.

Qin Ming and Brother Biao, now in their scrubs, stood beside the autopsy table. Along with an older medical examiner, the three of them began the dissection.

A sharp scalpel sliced through skin and muscle.

Qin Ming carefully extracted food residue from the deceased’s stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, placing the samples into test tubes for detailed analysis.

Meanwhile, the older examiner inspected the deceased’s head and brain.

Brother Biao examined the lungs and oral cavity.

The three divided the work, then swapped sections to double-check, ensuring that no one missed anything.

They worked nonstop into the evening.

Eating a late-night meal in the break room, Qin Ming and the other two examiners discussed the details of the autopsy.

”I think Kong Zhao Lin’s death was an accident. There are no abnormal marks on the body. Don’t you think the higher-ups are overthinking this?” the older examiner said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

Brother Biao shoveled a few mouthfuls of fried rice into his mouth. ”We’ll do another careful check tomorrow. If we don’t find anything, we’ll write the report.”

Qin Ming reminded them, ”I watched the victim’s dashcam footage. It shows he lost control while speeding. Could there have been a problem with the car?”

”That’s not our department.” Brother Biao raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

...

Elsewhere.

Li Tiebing, the head of the criminal investigation team, wasn’t resting either.

He and a dozen evidence technicians were re-examining Kong Zhao Lin’s personal effects, vehicle, office supplies, and daily-use items.

They had already confirmed from the Tesla’s on-board computer that the vehicle was operating normally on the day of the incident; there were no signs of a software malfunction.

”Team Leader Li, we’ve inspected the vehicle’s brake and power systems. The conclusion is the same as last time—no obvious suspicious traces.”

Li Tiebing rubbed his temples, his gaze falling upon the items on the table, each sealed in its own evidence bag. He really couldn’t find anything suspicious.

”Do another thorough inspection tomorrow. I’m going to check in with the forensic clinic.”

”Alright.” The group of technicians looked resigned, their replies listless.

Clearly, the tedious, repetitive inspections had left them all physically and mentally exhausted. A discovery would have been some consolation, but as it stood, they had found no problems at all.

A young technician picked up the evidence bags one by one and placed them into a dedicated storage container.

He casually picked up an evidence bag containing a pair of square-framed glasses and muttered under his breath, ’This is such a pain. It was just an accident, wasn’t it? As if being rich makes you so special...’

”That’s enough,” a more seasoned technician said, bumping the young man with his shoulder.

The evidence room immediately fell silent again.

Li Tiebing didn’t say anything. He felt just as helpless about the whole affair. ’Everything seems normal, yet I have to carry out my superior’s orders.’

The next day, he went over to the forensic clinic again.

Brother Biao cut right to the chase, handing him the autopsy report. ”Old Li, this is our final conclusion. If you’re not satisfied, you’ll have to find someone better. I’ve done all I can.”

”It’s the same on my end. I guess I’ll just have to report this back,” Li Tiebing said with a grimace.

With no evidence to indicate Kong Zhao Lin was murdered, Li Tiebing had no choice but to accept this conclusion, submit a comprehensive investigation report, and close the case.

When Kong Jide received the news, he refused to believe the conclusion. Unwilling to give up, he continued to use his network of contacts, hoping to get his son’s case transferred to another jurisdiction for investigation.

At the same time, he was secretly in contact with Wu Mingyue, Du Shuping, and Yang Haibo, hoping to cooperate with them to deal with Li Qingye.

This played right into the hands of Du Shuping and the others, who also felt threatened by Li Qingye.