investigative chronicle

Chapter 102 Reporters

"Compared to this, I'm more worried about this place." Luo Li leaned over and pointed to the author column.

"The author is Zhao Jun?" Ji Si'an opened his eyes wide. Yang Siqi had been following the reports of the Luqiao area for so long. Why didn't he report such a big news?

A bad premonition welled up in their hearts, and they immediately flipped through the remaining newspapers, but they never saw Yang Siqi's name...

"Let's find Yang Siqi first. I always feel that he might know something." Luo Li held the newspaper and looked at the big words 'Chenghuang Daily'.

In recent years, the Internet has developed rapidly, and newspapers have almost withdrawn from people's lives.The dilapidated building in front of you is the epitome of this industry. Most of the four golden characters of 'Chenghuang Daily' have fallen off, and its name can only be vaguely judged by the dark outline.

The doorman was an old man with deafness and eyesight. He didn't even ask them what their profession was, and let them in after filling out a registration form.

Ji Si'an squeezed the work permit in his hand, feeling that their previous worries were even unnecessary.If I knew this way, I wouldn't have to send another letter of introduction and ask Yuan Mu to say hello again.

The corridors of the building are dark, and several voice-activated lights are broken.The two of them finally groped their way to the elevator, but the broken buttons and the creaking sound like rotten wood coming from the elevator shaft from time to time deterred them.

"It feels like it's going to break at any moment." Luo Li swallowed.

Ji Si'an was also very afraid of taking this kind of elevator, so she took Luo Li's hand and turned to the stairs decisively.

Fortunately, the building of the newspaper office is not high, only six floors...They climbed to the sixth floor with some breathlessness. The light on this floor seemed to be better. The corridor was very clean, and even the lights above were working normally.

Ji Si'an breathed a sigh of relief, she was a little afraid of those narrow and dark corridors.

"It looks like the leader's office is on this floor." Luo Li walked towards the wooden door deep in the corridor.

The person who received them was the director of the editorial department of the newspaper. He looked about 40 years old, wearing an old-fashioned white shirt on his upper body, a pair of old-fashioned black-framed glasses on his thin face, and a head of rebellious hair. It looks like it's hard to talk.

"You haven't made an appointment. What are you doing here?" He threw their work IDs aside.

Luo Li stepped forward to get the certificate. "We are Yang Ping's lawyer. We are here today to inquire about someone. Yang Siqi, do you know?"

"Yang Siqi?" His eyes flickered and his thoughts returned to more than ten years ago.

Just a moment later, his eyes sharpened.

"What are you doing with him?"

They looked at each other, it seemed that he knew Yang Siqi.

"Let's come to him to understand the situation." Ji Si'an said.

The director lowered his eyes when he heard her answer, and returned to the previous state. "He's been missing for a long time."

"It must have been more than ten years. I still have to report missing..."

"Ah." Although they had a bad premonition before they came, they couldn't help but uttered aloud when they heard the news.

"Then... Does he have any family members? We want to visit." Luo Li immediately changed her strategy.

"Aren't you Yang Ping's lawyers? Why are you holding on to Yang Siqi if you don't investigate the little girl's case?" The director is also a journalist, and he is keenly aware of the problems inside.

"You and Yang Siqi are colleagues, right? He disappeared...don't you find it strange?" Luo Li reacted quickly. She didn't answer the director's question, but countered with a question.

The director was taken aback by the question and sneered. "You are young, and you are quite aggressive. Yang Siqi is missing. As a colleague, I can help him call the police."

"It's you...you don't investigate the case of the little girl, why are you here? Don't bully your client who doesn't understand, it's so irresponsible, be careful that they don't use you."

Luo Li somewhat regretted her impulsiveness, and there was no need to continue the conversation at this point.

Just when they said goodbye and were about to leave.The director suddenly said: "Be careful, curiosity killed the cat."

Luo Li couldn't help shivering, and when she turned her head, she met the eyes hidden behind the black-rimmed glasses.

Ji Si'an was also a little scared, she pulled Luo Li and ran out quickly.The two trotted all the way until they got out of the building gate of the newspaper office and saw the stooped guard at the gate of the courtyard before they relaxed and gasped for breath.

"I was scared to death. This newspaper office is so gloomy. I didn't see anyone else, as if he was the only one." Ji Si'an said out of breath.

"I can't do it anymore...I saw that people in white shirts have weak legs." Luo Li couldn't help shivering when she thought of that look and his last words.

"There must be something wrong with Yang Siqi's disappearance. Next, we can only ask Yuan Mu for help."

After Ji Si'an and Luo Li left, they called Yuan Mu directly.

"Yang Siqi? I checked, and the criminal police didn't receive a report of his disappearance." Yuan Mu sat in front of the computer, moved the mouse with one hand, put a pie in his mouth with the other, and was talking on the phone with his neck crooked.

"It's not busy enough for you. You won't talk about it after dinner." Li Muzi blamed and helped Yuan Mu connect the earphones.

Yuan Mu moved his sore neck and smiled flatteringly like a puppy to express his gratitude.

"Could it be a case accepted by other departments?" Ji Si'an asked.

"It's possible, if it's not a criminal case, it might be accepted by the public security side."

"Wait a while, I will contact the elder sister who is in charge of this work, and ask her to check for me." Yuan Mu hung up the phone after speaking.

"We are still inexperienced, we should have asked the director just now." Luo Li muttered softly.

"His eyes are gloomy, and he looks nervous. It would be nice if he can ask questions." Ji Si'an stuffed a piece of pancake into his mouth as he spoke.

"Tell me, what if he wants to lie to us?" Luo Li said.

"Cheat us, we don't know." Ji Si'an patted his head and said: "It's over. Yang Siqi may not be his real name. If he used a pseudonym.... Wouldn't our investigations be all wrong?"

"If it's a pseudonym, why didn't the director remind us?" Luo Li murmured.

"Why did he remind you? He didn't welcome us in the first place." Ji Si'an was a little depressed. "It may be related to Director Zhao from the previous law firm. I don't even have a good impression of Director Zhao now."

"The one whose surname is Zhao..." Luo Li remembered the name tag in front of the director, which read 'Zhao Jun'. The name looked familiar.

She took off her schoolbag, rummaged through a pile of newspapers for a while, then took out one and handed it to Ji Si'an. "The director is the one who later reported the Luqiao series of murders——Zhao Jun."

"After Yang Siqi disappeared, he probably took over his job. This person must know something, so we have to check it out." Ji Si'an said, repeatedly groping for Zhao Jun's name with his right index finger.

"Let's go eat something first, and wait for the news from Yuan Mu. It would be best if we can find Yang Siqi, if it's really impossible... Let's start with Zhao Jun."

For some reason, Luo Li was very afraid of Zhao Jun, not as a last resort, she didn't want to investigate Zhao Jun.

(End of this chapter)