"The sheet?"
Chen Ling had also examined the sheet last night but found nothing noteworthyâit bore no hospital name. Given that those people had dared to use it to wrap the corpse for incineration, there shouldnât have been any clues left on it.
"There are four hospitals in Aurora Cityâtwo public and two private. Due to differences in suppliers, the stitching patterns on these sheets have subtle variations."
Wen Shilin pulled out four fabric fragments from his pocket and laid them out on the ground one by one.
"This morning, after delivering the body, I immediately collected sheet samples from all four hospitals. The two on the left are from public hospitals, and the two on the right are from private ones. Take a closer look."
He handed Chen Ling a magnifying glass.
Chen Ling took it, squinted, and carefully examined the fragments. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
"Indeed..."
"The private hospitals' suppliers are affiliated with the Stellar Chamber of Commerce's textile factories. Their business covers seventy percent of Aurora City's marketâmassive production lines and more advanced techniques. The public hospitals' stitching is slightly cruder, though youâd never notice without close inspection."
"But how did you narrow it down to Frostleaf Hospital among the two private ones?"
Wen Shilin didnât answer. He simply flipped over the last fabric fragment, revealing the hospitalâs name embroidered in the corner...
"Because the other private hospitalâs sheets all have their name printed on them. The one wrapped around the corpse didnât."
Chen Lingâs gaze at Wen Shilin grew subtly appreciative.
Now he understood how Wen Shilin had uncovered so many scandals over the yearsâeven exposing the enforcersâ top-secret "Hand of Redemption" project. This terrifying initiative and observational skill werenât something just anyone possessed. Even with
[Secret Eyes]
, Chen Ling hadnât thought to compare fabric samples from other hospitals.
"Whatâs next?" Chen Ling asked.
"Now that we know which hospital is involved, things get easier." Wen Shilin replied calmly. "Judging by the time of death, the surgery likely happened yesterday afternoon. We just need to investigate Frostleaf Hospitalâs operating room usage records from that time, and weâll have our target."
"If that hospital is really involved, would they let us check their operating logs?"
Wen Shilin turned to Chen Ling with a faint smile.
"Let us? No. We donât need permission to do our jobs. Remember... we have press freedom."
---
Stellar Chamber of Commerce.
"Well? Any news on Liu Chen?"
Yan Xishou set down his teacup and frowned as someone rushed in frantically.
The man hesitated, words caught in his throat.
"Speak!" Yan Xishouâs voice was laced with anger.
"I... We checked the crematorium. We found Liu Chenâs car and one of his subordinatesâ bodiesâlooks like he was kicked to death last night. But Liu Chen himself and two others are missing." After a pause, he added, "We also found signs of a struggle near the crematorium entrance... Most likely, they were kidnapped."
"What?!"
Yan Xishou shot up from his seat. "What about the body? Was it incinerated?"
"Unknown... No traces of it were found either."
Yan Xishouâs face twisted with rage. "They couldnât even dispose of a damn body properly, and now they got kidnapped?! Do we know who took them?"
The subordinate kept his head low, silent.
"Useless trash!!"
Yan Xishou was clearly panicking. He paced the room frantically, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Damn it... I never shouldâve agreed to that old bastard from Silver Moon Commerceâs request. Before Father left, he explicitly said to halt operations after the seven districts supply line was cutâno new âgoods.â If that old fool hadnât begged on his knees, I wouldnât have taken this risk!"
"And now? The body and our people are gone, and we donât even know who took them! If this gets exposed, weâre all finished when Father returns!"
"Y-Young Master... Thereâs one more thing."
"Another?! Out with it!!"
"Frostleaf Hospital just called. Two reporters barged in and started investigating all operating rooms used yesterday afternoon... They might be targeting this."
"What?!"
Yan Xishouâs heart dropped.
"Which reporters?"
"That Wen Shilin guy... and some new assistant of his, named Lin Yan."
"Him again..."
The timing was too perfectâpeople and a body went missing last night, and today reporters were already digging into the hospital. Anyone could see the connection.
"That Wen Shilin has been opposing us for years, and now he dares to poke into this... Heâs begging for death!" Yan Xishouâs teeth itched with fury, murderous intent flooding his eyes.
The subordinate sighed.
"Weâve sent people to deal with him before, but his counter-surveillance skills are insane. Slippery as a fish..."
"You lot? What the hell are you even good for? Canât catch Jian Changsheng, canât kill Wen Shilin! How did our Yan family end up with such incompetents?!"
Yan Xishou glared at the mess before him, frustration boiling over.
His father, Yan Shang, had left the commerce in his hands to test his capabilities. But ever since Jian Changshengâs prison break, despite mobilizing so many resources, theyâd found nothing. Then, the risky heart procurement for Silver Moon Commerce got intercepted, nearly exposing everything... The commerce hadnât faced this many crises in yearsâlet alone all at once.
After pacing for a long while, a ruthless glint flashed in Yan Xishouâs eyes. He turned to the silent butler nearby.
"Uncle Long... How many of those âoutsidersâ Father hired from other realms are still with the commerce?"
The butler narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Youâre thinking of deploying them?"
"This situation is a disaster. These ordinary lackeys are hopeless, and the enforcers wonât kill for us... The only ones we can mobilize secretly are them."
The butler fell silent.
Heâd heard everything. Truthfully, this was indeed a dire predicamentâespecially with the reporters. If they didnât act fast and the organ trade got exposed, itâd be catastrophic...
"Master took two with him when he left. Only three remain in the commerce. But for dealing with Wen Shilinâa mere civilian and Jian Changsheng, a first-tier
[Asura]
, one should suffice."
The butler dipped his finger in tea and wrote three characters on the table:
[Strength]
,
[Puppet]
,
[Book]
.
"Which one will you deploy?"
Yan Xishouâs eyes narrowed. After a momentâs hesitation, he tapped
[Puppet]
.
"Him."