Gene Fusion System: Crime Hunter

Chapter 1019 - 503: Appraisal Report? Ruining Reputation? (2)

Seeing Luo Fei getting ready to leave.

Lin Zimo confidently assured.

"Mr. Luo, go ahead with your work without worry. Leave Su Jianfan to me."

"Moreover, since he’s already listened to you, I believe our next cooperation will be seamless."

Yet, watching Lin Zimo’s nonchalant demeanor,

she didn’t seem worried at all about being exposed.

Su Jianfan felt utterly despairing.

After all, this girl was indeed quirky and liked to improvise. Who knows what kind of trouble she might intentionally cause during dinner?

Thinking about the slight pain in his instep, Su Jianfan’s smile looked worse than a cry.

"Take care, Mr. Luo!"

...

A moment later.

As Luo Fei and Yang Mei got into the car together,

ready to set off.

Yang Mei couldn’t help but complain.

"Mr. Luo, you should have told me sooner if you were going far away. I could have been better prepared, right?"

"Why do we have to rush and pack our bags so hastily at night? It would be troublesome if we forget something."

Seeing Yang Mei somewhat at a loss,

a bit annoyed with his sudden decision.

Luo Fei just chuckled.

"I was worried that if the witness was in danger, it would be very troublesome. So I decided on the spur of the moment, thinking to be prepared while the suspect was off guard."

Luo Fei said at this point,

Yang Mei pursed her lips.

"What witness? I think that retired fire safety inspector has problems."

"He’s been in this field for so many years and still made mistakes that resulted in severe consequences. I don’t believe he’s without any responsibility."

But Yang Mei spoke with such certainty,

clearly dissatisfied with the fire safety inspector.

However, at this moment, Luo Fei smiled and countered.

"What if he’s just a scapegoat to take the blame?"

"What if someone knew of his age and cardiovascular issues and wanted to use this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone?"

Luo Fei’s conviction surprised Yang Mei a bit.

"Mr. Luo, what evidence do you have to make such a judgment? It’s quite intriguing."

Detecting Yang Mei’s surprise,

her tone was full of curiosity.

Luo Fei just smiled.

"Isn’t it easy to guess?"

"People of this age, about to retire, are often the easiest scapegoats. But to know the real situation, we need to inquire with his family and friends before jumping to conclusions."

Luo Fei’s analysis left Yang Mei momentarily speechless.

She realized that Luo Fei’s meticulous thinking was likely correct.

...

Over 20 minutes later.

As Yang Mei and Luo Fei arrived at the elderly man’s residence,

they saw that the old man’s daughter was hurriedly tidying things at home.

Seemingly preparing for a long hospital stay for her father,

since the elderly man needed her care due to his age.

"Are you Hu Xueli, the daughter of Mr. Hu Wenzhi?"

This question from Luo Fei.

The woman glanced at him without much warmth, then continued focusing on her tasks.

She appeared quite irritable,

seemingly unwilling to engage.

Luo Fei found it amusing to counter.

"Miss, if you truly didn’t want to see us, why did you just open the door for us?"

"Because I can’t obstruct your duty,"

the girl replied coldly, her tone irritated as she continued folding clothes.

Yet, the moment the suitcase snapped shut,

her tears began to fall.

Before long, they came down in a steady stream.

"You have no idea how much my father loved his job."

"He always felt it was incredible to return to work after retirement and contribute to the firefighting cause he loved so much!"

"He always considered his students his pride. In his youth, he never made a mistake while firefighting. But now, as things have escalated to this point, I’m afraid even if he recovers, he’ll be beyond redemption!"

Seeing Hu Xueli’s reddened eyes,

getting angrier as she spoke, indignant for her father,

Luo Fei consoled,

"Lady, please don’t get agitated. We’re not here to point fingers this time. We’re just curious if your father showed any unusual behavior before. Anything that seemed off to you?"

Upon hearing this.

The girl hesitated for a bit, then shook her head more firmly.

"Sir, to be honest, I haven’t noticed anything so far."

"He used to be a closed book too, never saying a word when something was up. So even if I was curious whether he made a mistake or was in trouble, I had no way of knowing."

In Hu Xueli’s view, her father used to take care of her,

but as he aged, now it’s her turn to care for him.

Understanding this, she found it even harder to accept her father’s fault.

But at the same time.

Luo Fei curiously asked,

"Miss Hu, if I asked, do you trust your father or the investigation results more? How would you respond?"

Luo Fei’s words left her stunned.

She also noticed that Luo Fei seemed inclined to trust her father.

But now, Hu Xueli could only frankly reply.

"Officer, what I think doesn’t matter. News is everywhere, reports are overwhelming. Even if I believe in my father, what’s the use?"

"Not to mention he’s unconscious now; even if he awakens, the public opinion would make him blame himself for everything!"

Though Hu Xueli said this.

Luo Fei stated earnestly,

"Miss Hu, do you know Zhou Minghai?"

"Of course, he was my father’s best student and Chen Jinping’s good buddy, the captain."

...

"He’s dead."

Before she could react,

Luo Fei had already spoken.

That statement was like a blow to the head,

making Hu Xueli think she misheard.

"Hang on, Sir, what did you say, my mind is a mess..."

Hu Xueli slumped onto the sofa in a daze, hand on her forehead,

her mind swirling in chaos.

"Zhou Minghai died? How is that possible? Wasn’t he Captain Chen Jinping’s most trusted firefighter, having gone through life-and-death situations together, even rescued numerous times from death?"

"Even my father praised Zhou Minghai constantly, yet how could this happen to him..."

She was utterly shocked, nearly disbelieving her own ears.

Luo Fei appeared nonchalant.

"Miss Hu, you didn’t mishear. He’s dead, and he died in that explosion. He died going back to save someone."

"So if I were you, I’d trust my father because he would never joke with his decades of professional ethics, or, worse, sacrifice his juniors."

After listening to Luo Fei’s analysis.

Hu Xueli, being smart,

had calmed down now and asked somberly,

"Officer, do you mean that there’s more behind this, and my father was deliberately set up?"

Hu Xueli was noticeably incredulous, almost unable to believe her own ears.

Luo Fei remained indifferent.

"Miss Hu, you didn’t mishear. I’m suggesting that there’s something suspicious about this case. That’s why I specifically came to find you, to gather clues from your father, proving that he is not the instigator of this incident."

"Moreover, it’s also to find out the real mastermind behind the scenes."

Luo Fei’s analysis finally dawned on her.

Understanding his intentions,

Hu Xueli felt a twinge of apology.

"Mr. Luo, if you put it that way, I misunderstood you earlier; you meant no harm. It was me who overthought things..."

Noticing Hu Xueli’s slight awkwardness and embarrassment,

Luo Fei just smiled.

"Miss Hu, it’s fine."