Translator: CinderTL
Wei Zhao
Jiang Cheng nodded slightly.
It should be this person.
The identity and timeline both matched.
As for the motive, it was even simpler.
To cover up the tragic truth of what happened in Ward 624, to protect the hospital's reputation, and to shield the doctors who had committed unforgivable crimes.
As the hospital director, he understood that if the scandal were to be exposed, everything he had painstakingly built over the years would be destroyed.
"But if that's the case, why did he save that woman?" Weiwei asked. "I mean, why save the child?"
Wouldn't leaving the child alive leave behind many clues? "Could it be..." Yu Yu suddenly widened her eyes, "that the director was also involved in what happened in Ward 624?"
"Is this Xiang Nan the director's child?"
This speculation was truly shocking. Immediately after, Cao Yang brought up the missing file in the archives, suspecting that the missing file belonged to the director himself.
"No, that's not it," Jiang Cheng shook his head.
"Why not?"
"The time of death doesn't match," Lin Wan'er spoke up, her gaze sweeping over the group, giving off a casual air. "Those three male doctors all met their ends shortly after the woman died, but the old director didn't."
Everyone hesitated for a moment, then fell silent.
Lin Wan'er had a point. When the old director entrusted Zhao Ru to the orphanage, Zhao Ru was already six months old. This meant that at least half a year after the incident, the old director was still safe.
The Ghost hadn't come to settle the score with him.
"Perhaps... it's because he took care of his own child," Yu Yu whispered. "That's why the Ghost didn't target him."
From the fact that the old director was willing to take the risk to save Zhao Ru, leave money for her, and find her an adoptive family, it was clear that deep down, there was still a trace of humanity in him.
Perhaps it was this small act of kindness that saved him.
Jiang Cheng turned to Huai Yi. Since he had found out the name of the former director, he must have also investigated this former director, Zhang Zhaowei.
"He's dead," Huai Yi said directly, knowing what everyone wanted to hear.
"When?"
"Two months ago," Huai Yi replied.
When talking about the former director Zhang Zhaowei, a strange emotion flickered across Huai Yi's face, but it was quickly concealed.
"But we couldn't find the cause of his death," Cao Yang muttered from the side. "All we know is that he seemed to have died of illness."
The atmosphere grew heavy. It seemed no one really believed this outcome.
What's more, Zhao Ru came to this hospital for her internship a little over a month ago, while the former director Zhang Zhaowei passed away two months ago.
In other words, about two weeks after Zhang Zhaowei's death, Zhao Ru appeared at this hospital.
Could there be some connection here? "Is it possible that Zhang Zhaowei knew his health was failing, and out of guilt for Xiang Nan and Zhao Ru, he called Zhao Ru to his side before he died and told her everything that had happened?" Yu Yu tentatively asked.
It had to be said, her hypothesis was quite targeted and logically sound.
"If that's the case, then Zhao Ru's targeting of Director Qi would also make sense," Cao Yang said excitedly. "Director Qi was involved in the atrocities in Ward 624 back then. The missing file must be Director Qi's!"
This way, it also explains why Zhao Ru harbors such intense malice towards Director Qi.
Because he was the one who slipped through the net back then.
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow, resting his chin on one hand, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Is there a problem?" Cao Yang noticed Jiang Cheng's reaction and followed up.
Lifting his head, Jiang Cheng scanned everyone's faces, "But there's one thing that doesn't add up. Why did all those doctors die, and only Director Qi survived?"
"And he's been alive all this time?" Jiang Cheng added.
"But isn't Director Qi asking for our protection now?" Wang Changguo blurted out, "That means the Ghost is after him, wants to kill him!"
Turning his head, Jiang Cheng stared at Wang Changguo's face, causing the latter to instinctively step back, "I didn't say now." Jiang Cheng's voice was flat and cold, "I'm asking about 18 years ago, how he survived the first wave of the Ghost's pursuit back then."
At least for now, Jiang Cheng didn't see anything particularly special about Director Qi.
"No." Huai Yi suddenly said, "It's not that he survived the pursuit, it's that the Ghost never went after him."
"Exactly." Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and nodded, "That's the issue."
After a moment of silence in the room, Cao Yang, sitting on a chair, looked at everyone and asked with a bitter face, "Should we just grab Director Qi and interrogate him?"
The latest clues all point to Director Qi, but this person refuses to reveal anything. Cao Yang was already considering resorting to force.
"We're not at that point yet." Jiang Cheng exhaled and said, "Let's wait a bit longer."
"But we've pretty much exhausted all the clues we have!" Cao Yang seemed somewhat irritable, with fear and the ever-present sense of the Abnormality slowly eroding his patience.
"Two things." Jiang Cheng spoke up, "First, we need to find out exactly how the former director, Zhang Zhaowei, died."
"Second." Jiang Cheng looked at Huai Yi, "Xiang Nan's background."
"I understand investigating Zhang Zhaowei, but... isn't Xiang Nan's situation already clear?" Weiwei asked.
"I'm talking about what happened before she was sent to the hospital." Jiang Cheng looked towards the door, then said after a moment, "I always feel there's something between her and Yin Zhenliang that we don't know about."
Huai Yi was silent for a while, then looked up and said, "Leave Xiang Nan's matter to me, you guys look for other clues."
"By the way." Cao Yang seemed to remember something, lowering his voice, "Although we haven't found out the exact cause of Zhang Zhaowei's death, we do know where his body is."
He pointed to the ground beneath his feet, with a strange expression, "It's in the Morgue of this hospital."
"Here?" Weiwei shuddered violently, seemingly associating it with many unpleasant things.
"Yeah."
It's been two months, and he still hasn't been cremated, which isn't normal. Everyone agreed there must be something fishy about it.
"What about his children?" Jiang Cheng asked, "Is there some special arrangement?"
"Not just children, he doesn't even have any relatives." Cao Yang also looked somewhat bewildered, "We've inquired, this former director was also an orphan."
"But it has nothing to do with that orphanage," Cao Yang explained, worried that everyone might misunderstand. "The old director was born before that orphanage was even built."
"Could it be a will?" Lin Wan'er extended her fingertip, slowly massaging her temple.
"Are you saying the old director left a will before he died?" Yu Yu's expression changed slightly. "The content of the will was to leave his body in the morgue and not have it cremated at the funeral home."
"But why?"
"To bear witness," Jiang Cheng said, straightening his posture. "And even more so, to atone for his sins."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c692. [+4]
🔑Early Access at $1.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3K+) Chapters, (4.2M+) Words.