The Brain Science Case 134

Chapter 134: The Blazing Fire (Part 1) – 4

“Seize Wu Jianxiong’s human resources agency?”

Early in the morning, Fang Zijun, who had just walked into the office and hadn’t even warmed his seat, heard Yingli’s request.

“Yes, we need to pay attention not only to Li Yuejiao’s next move, but also to the resources that support her actions. Wu Jianxiong and Tan Ziying have both done a very ‘competent’ job in providing resources and cover.”

Fang Zijun stood up to greet her, and she continued, “Tan Ziying may be harder to move, so I was just asking if it’s possible to do this.”

“What you said makes sense, Teacher. How about this? Why don’t we first try to take him into custody for questioning, and if he doesn’t come, we’ll take the next step?”

She frowned. “I have no opinion on the chief’s approach. I’m just worried… if we’ll be in time.”

“Mountain Wind” must be brewing its next move, and its target is either related to the former Investigation Bureau or the National Security Bureau, but since Li Yuejiao had entered the National Security Bureau, there were too many related members or retirees. Zhou Zengxiang could only choose to arrange protection for those who had had contact with Li Yuejiao or were high-ranking officials.

“Your concerns are valid, Teacher… how about this? I’ll have the director sound out the director-general’s opinion and see if we can take him into custody or impose sanctions such as asset freezes on Wu Jianxiong as soon as possible.”

“Yes, thank you, Chief.”

Outside the chief’s office, Zhou Jinglin had been contacting Xu Shanni since last night, and it wasn’t until the club had closed in the morning that she had gotten a reply.

But the reply was disappointing. “…Auntie? I’m sorry… I don’t quite understand.”

Xu Shanni’s tone was both tired and harsh. ‘Simply put, please don’t come again. Ever since Sister Lisa’s incident, you’ve been asking me for information time and time again… I’ve already told you everything I can.’

Time and time again? “But last time, after the incident, I asked you to help me investigate Wu Jianxiong’s identity, and that was it.”

‘How so? After your team was formed, they came again. Jinglin, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I really don’t know anymore. Including what you just said… the National Security Bureau? I’ve never even heard of it.’

The special task force had contacted Xu Shanni without her, and they might have even used her name. That’s right, her “Starry Night” had been disturbed so many times in less than half a year after the hostess had been killed, and she also had to make a living.

“Okay… I understand. I’m sorry, Auntie. I won’t…” the call was disconnected. She bit her lip and could only swallow her anger.

As for Dingdang? She hadn’t even responded. She must have been planning to ignore her.

At this time… if Jinglin went to her residence in person, she might be able to intercept her before she got home.

Chen Huomu and Lu Tingfeng were not at their seats, and Yingli was talking to Fang Zijun. If she wanted to sneak out on the pretext of going out to investigate, there was probably no better time than this.

As soon as she thought of it, she grabbed a folder and stood up. Xiangrong’s eyes lit up. “Senior, if you’re going to print something… can you print it for me too?”

“I… I’m lucky I didn’t ask you to print it for me, and you still want me to help you? Who’s the rookie here?” she put her hands on her hips and ignored Xiangrong’s protest as she walked to the main door.

And then she happened to run into Cai Yuwei, who had just clocked in. “Jinglin, w-where are you going? The printer is on the other side…”

“I’ve already printed it. I’m going to get some water… by the way, you’re so late.” She pushed him and ran to the main door.

He stared at her back and muttered to himself, “Uh… isn’t the pantry in the courtyard?”

Jinglin put on her coat as she walked. It was cold and cloudy today, and it was drizzling outside. By the way… was the rainy season coming soon?

Getting into her car, Jinglin sent a voice message to Yingli. “Aunt Xu said she doesn’t know. Dingdang didn’t respond. I’m planning to go to her house directly. Let me know if you have any progress on your end.” She put down the folder, started the engine, and stepped on the gas as if she were rushing to a case.

**

“Is that your phone, Teacher?”

“Yes.” She glanced at it and discreetly put it away. “It’s nothing important…” how could she listen to a voice message in this situation?

“Oh?” Fang Zijun raised an eyebrow, and when his gaze returned to the computer screen, Zhou Zengxiang had already responded immediately. “The director also thinks the teacher is right. He will ask the director-general for help.”

“I hope we can do it before ‘Mountain Wind’ makes its next move.”

“Yes.” He stood up. “Let’s go to the team room.”

“Okay.”

Picking up her bag, Yingli followed Fang Zijun out of the chief’s office. “By the way, you’d never guess who I had dinner with yesterday, Teacher.”

“Huh?”

“Zhichao. He asked me a lot about you yesterday, including what your duties are at the station now.”

“Oh, did the chief tell my brother I’m just doing odd jobs here?” she asked, pushing up her glasses, without a smile.

“How could that be?” he sighed exaggeratedly, “you’re so important to us.”

“The things I do are quite miscellaneous, aren’t they? Assisting Dr. Tao with autopsies, writing criminal profiling reports, going to the scene to investigate, and even occasionally doing interrogations.”

“That’s true… you’ve done almost everything you can.”

“You should be glad I’ve never asked for a raise… haven’t your brother and the chief had dinner together in a long time? Did he say anything?” she guessed that Tang Zhichao’s invitation was definitely related to the previous inquiry about medical malpractice.

Fang Zijun briefly mentioned Cui Jinlong’s condition, but the main topic was still Tang Zhichao’s inquiry about the recent investigation of Li Yuejiao’s case. “By the way, Zhichao also mentioned Jinglin. I didn’t expect him to know so much about their mother-daughter relationship…”

“Ah, I wonder if it’s because I used to go to the hospital with Officer Zhou to see patients a while ago.”

“Is that so?” Fang Zijun was noncommittal. “Speaking of Jinglin… how are you and her recently, Teacher?”

Yingli’s body trembled slightly, and she inexplicably thought of the scene of the two of them hugging in the car. “Just so-so. What’s wrong?”

“After all, you’ve been so concerned about her and have guided her before. It’s a little embarrassing to think that you had a falling out with him because of a case. Zhichao said that her and Li Yuejiao’s mother-daughter relationship seems to be quite good. Although it was half a joke… he said what if Li Yuejiao tried to contact and turn Jinglin?” Fang Zijun took a deep breath, his tone grave. “Although I said that Jinglin is very responsible, I admit that I have been worried about this situation.”

“He said… turn?”

“Yes, it doesn’t sound like a joke Zhichao would make, does it? And, and his tone of dissatisfaction with Dr. Cui was also quite exaggerated, almost gloating… Teacher?”

Yingli suddenly stopped. She rested her chin on her hand in thought, whether it was his disregard for Ren Liqiong’s marriage proposal, his proposal to her, and his recent unusual statements. If it weren’t for the fact that he had still shown his passion as a doctor and his concern for his friends in the Yao Wenyu incident, she would have really thought he was another person in Tang Zhichao’s skin.

“I have a feeling something is strange about my brother… I can’t put my finger on it.”

“But he’s still very concerned about your situation… speaking of which, Teacher,” Fang Zijun turned, “although Zhichao was the one who introduced you to me at my request, I’ve never asked you for your reason.”

Yingli raised an eyebrow. “You mean my reason for joining the Criminal Investigation Division to help?”

“Yes, you must have had some special reason for coming back, right, Teacher?”

“Yes, a little… but after actually working with you, I quite enjoy the sense of community here.”

“You can’t say?”

Facing Fang Zijun’s inquiry, she tilted her head up and sighed softly. “Let’s just focus on the case at hand for now.”

They were not the first to arrive at the special task force room. Jian Minggui had already arrived.

After greeting them, Jian Minggui came around to Yingli and Fang Zijun. “Teacher, what you asked me to find yesterday, I’ve used the director’s authority to get as much of Li Yuejiao’s personal records as I can.”

“Let me see.” Yingli took the file. “Was Lisa her name in the bureau before?”

“It seems so. And in order to go undercover, she did change her identity several times.”

As an outstanding special agent, the number of missions she had been on was surprising. And this was only in the few short years after she had been recruited and trained by the National Security Bureau, until she had become the owner of “Givenchy.”

But probably because of insufficient authority, the details of the missions could not be known, at most only the personnel involved and the general time.

“I’m more curious about this last incident, which happened in 1990… Chief, do you remember any major news that shocked society that year?”

“1990… that was when Director Ou was still the head of the Criminal Investigation Division.” Fang Zijun tilted his head. “That year… to be honest, I was only in middle school. I can’t remember.”

“The Gan family massacre…” she muttered the four words, and the two of them looked at her in unison.

Especially Jian Minggui, who was staring at her profile. “Teacher… which case are you talking about?”

Yingli shook her head. “Ah, it’s nothing. After this last incident, Li Yuejiao became the person we know now. Is that what you wanted to say, Officer Jian?”

“Yes, that’s right. The director also confirmed that after that, Li Yuejiao gradually drifted away from the National Security Bureau. I believe it was this incident that changed her.”

“1990… it also happens to be the year Jinglin was born,” Fang Zijun suddenly shouted.

Yingli was dumbfounded and stared at the record on the file again. In 1990, after a certain incident, Li Yuejiao had become the person they knew now, and it was also in this year that Zhou Jinglin had been born.

“She must have been pregnant with Officer Zhou when she was on this mission. Because of the hormonal changes in a pregnant woman’s body, she is under great physical and mental stress, so her emotions are more unstable than usual… if Li Yuejiao had continued to work under high emotional stress during her pregnancy, or had been drinking, using drugs, or even had any mental illness, it is indeed possible that the still-unborn Officer Zhou would have been affected by a genetic mutation.”

Jinglin’s brain MRI suddenly flashed through her mind. “So that’s why Officer Zhou’s brain is so deeply troubled by a lack of serotonin receptors, and why her anterior cingulate cortex and orbital cortex are abnormal… although there are also postnatal influences, we all know that after Li Yuejiao gave birth to Officer Zhou, their mother-daughter relationship was distant for a long time.”

“W-Wait a minute, Teacher, what serotonin receptors…”

“The reason Officer Zhou sometimes can’t control her emotions is because of a defect in this area. Her brain lacks the serotonin receptors that can receive and inhibit emotions. I’ve had her do a brain scan.”

“So there’s such a reason…” Fang Zijun was dumbfounded.

“I’m really curious what kind of mission they were on, and… I just noticed. She wasn’t on this mission alone…” Yingli’s gaze was locked on a certain point in the file.

“She had a partner.”