Lu Linjiang wasn't the least bit surprised by this answer, yet he maintained an expression of helpless skepticism. "Mr. Jiang, you have no evidence. You’re asking me to believe you based on nothing but your word?"
"I have evidence!" Jiang Shenghang blurted out. "He was the one who handed the influenza virus to me. I recorded it!"
Lu Linjiang hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. "Oh? When can you hand that over to us?"
"Immediately. Lawyer Jin has already sent someone to retrieve it."
Lu Linjiang didn't let his guard down completely. "What exactly is your relationship with Jiang Langmin?"
A flicker of embarrassment finally crossed Jiang Shenghang’s face. "He is my nephew."
Lu Linjiang let out a soft "ah." Although he had already harbored suspicions regarding their relationship, hearing it confirmed by the man himself still elicited a small shock. While it wasn't unheard of in his line of work for uncles and nephews to dig pits for one another, it was rare to see them dig with such genuine, heartfelt malice.
"Your relationship with your nephew seems... quite remarkable."
Jiang Shenghang huffed. "I suppose I’m not afraid to air the family’s dirty laundry anymore. Jiang Langmin isn't my elder brother’s biological son; he was adopted. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the audacity to plant my DNA in that virus solution."
The situation was finally getting interesting. "So, Mr. Jiang, what do you believe was Jiang Langmin’s motive?"
"The Jiang family fortune, what else?" Jiang Shenghang’s face twisted with indignation. "The overseas operations were originally supposed to be handed over to him, but the boy has a devious mind. He’s always looking for shortcuts. He ended up bankrupting several of our original overseas companies. I couldn't just sit by and watch the Jiang family industry be squandered like that, so I stepped in."
"Xiao Min was a good student growing up, but because of that, he’s always been arrogant. He never really listened to his elders. Later, when he went abroad and my brother passed away, he somehow found out about his origins. Since then, he’s been even less willing to associate with us." Jiang Shenghang sighed. "I watched him grow up. Even if he isn't my brother’s flesh and blood, I’ve long considered him one of our own. But he refuses to listen to a word I say. Not only does he ignore me, but he harbors a great deal of resentment."
"All for the inheritance?"
"Xiao Min always felt that when I took back those European companies, I was trying to kick him out of the Jiang family." Jiang Shenghang paused, sighing several times in succession. "If I really felt that way, why would I have given him those shares? The fact that he isn't my brother’s biological son is something the whole family knows. If I wanted to make an issue of it, he wouldn't even be allowed to keep the name Jiang!"
The more Jiang Shenghang spoke, the more righteous his indignation became. "I did everything for his sake, and I never imagined he would try to harm me like this!"
Yang Bo, who was taking notes, looked up briefly, said nothing, and then buried his head back in his work.
Lu Linjiang waited for the man’s emotions to settle before asking, "Then, what about Wu Yuxing..."
The previously loquacious Jiang Shenghang suddenly stalled. However, he quickly masked it. "That... you’ll have to ask Xiao Min. I’ve never met the man. Besides, if I really wanted to use him to cause trouble, why would I give him a virus solution containing my own DNA?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he noticed Jin Hezhong looking at him with an ashen expression. Jiang Shenghang realized belatedly that Jin Hezhong had seemingly nudged him several times under the table while he was speaking. Jiang Shenghang thought back, but couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.
Lu Linjiang looked at him, his smile carrying a profound depth. "I see. That does sound quite logical." Jiang Shenghang’s face gradually paled under Lu Linjiang’s gaze. Lu Linjiang acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued, "Since your company already has the vaccine, when the recording is delivered, please have it sent to the CDC as well. As for everything else, we’ll talk after I’ve seen the footage."
Lu Linjiang never expected Jiang Shenghang to fall into the same trap twice. From the look of things, he no longer had any doubts about Jiang Langmin being adopted. However, his good mood didn't last long. After watching the footage Jiang Shenghang provided, Lu Linjiang couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"What is it, Captain Lu?"
"Just this level of proof..." Lu Linjiang clicked his tongue. "How could this possibly take down Jiang Langmin? I can already imagine exactly what he’ll say to defend himself."
Although Jiang Shenghang had indeed recorded the scene of Jiang Langmin handing him the virus, neither of them mentioned the virus's intended use. Even though Jiang Shenghang had specifically opened the cooler to check the contents after Jiang Langmin left—and the bottles did look identical to the ones found in the infusion room—there was no way to directly prove what was actually inside them.
"These two, uncle and nephew, their schemes against each other are truly something else," Xu Sicheng remarked.
"Tell me about it. The entire city got dragged into their personal vendetta," Yang Bo added with a hint of bitterness.
Xu Sicheng pulled out a tissue to wipe her nose. The wastebasket at her feet had already been emptied once that morning, but it was already half-full again.
"Wait, something’s not right." After tossing the tissue, Xu Sicheng looked back and forth between Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo. "Why are you two perfectly fine?"
Back when they were doing the three-shift surveillance detail, likely because they were all in a relatively confined space, it had started with Pan Youze and spread to everyone else. Most of the team had fallen during the first wave of the flu; Xu Sicheng was actually one of the lucky ones with the mildest symptoms. Yet Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo, who had been on the same rotation, hadn't been affected at all.
Lu Linjiang had always possessed a constitution of iron; he hadn't been sick in over a decade. He felt there was nothing strange about his lack of illness. Facing Xu Sicheng’s confusion, he replied, "I rarely get sick. You’d be better off asking Yang Bo."
Yang Bo spread his hands. "Isn't it just because I have a good character and a great physique?"
Xu Sicheng stared at the smug Yang Bo, promptly gave up on communicating with him, and turned back to Lu Linjiang. "I don't think it’s normal. Everyone was in the car together; in such a small space, there’s no such thing as isolation. How could it have missed only you two? Even with a good physical constitution, you should have felt some impact, right? Captain Lu, why don't you ask Jiang Cheng about it?"
Lu Linjiang considered Xu Sicheng’s words carefully, then stood up. "It’s getting late. We’ll let Jiang Shenghang stew for the night. Based on his testimony today, that lawyer named Jin won't be able to protect him. I’m going to the CDC to pick up Jiang Cheng; I’ll ask about this while I’m there."
Lu Linjiang had Yang Bo take Xu Sicheng home while he headed straight for the CDC. Even though it was the middle of the night, the building was still brightly lit. People were rushing to and fro in the lobby. As Lu Linjiang passed the emergency department, he overheard several doctors whispering that the number of patients with respiratory hemorrhaging had increased significantly.
Lu Linjiang frowned slightly. He made his way upstairs, heading directly for the top-floor laboratory.
It was no less busy here than downstairs. The logistics staff had already placed late-night snacks on the desks, but no one was eating. Even Ren Lifei was in the office outside the lab, poring over documents.
"Director Ren," Lu Linjiang greeted.
Ren Lifei hummed in response. Seeing it was Lu Linjiang, he nodded. "Here to pick up Jiang Cheng? Kangda just delivered the vaccines; I doubt he’ll be leaving anytime soon."
Lu Linjiang wasn't surprised by this deduction. "I know. I just came by to tell you the plan went quite smoothly."
Ren Lifei raised an eyebrow. "I should hope so. I went to the Minister for the report this morning, and from the look on his face, if things hadn't gone well, you might not have even been able to get through the door today."
Lu Linjiang gave a short laugh. Jiang Cheng, busy inside the lab, hadn't noticed him yet. He didn't want to disturb him, so he sat down and asked Ren Lifei, "Director Ren, let me ask you something."
Ever since Lu Linjiang had set that plan in motion for him, Ren Lifei’s heart instinctively skipped a beat whenever he heard that tone of voice. But since what Lu Linjiang was saying likely pertained to official business, he could only suppress his internal suspicion and say, "Go ahead."
"If someone is in the same space as a patient without any protective measures, what is the probability of being infected?"
Ren Lifei looked him up and down. "You? You’re as strong as an ox. The probability of you *not* being infected should be over ninety percent."
"What about Yang Bo from my team?"
Because of Guo Junyi, Ren Lifei had come into contact with almost everyone at the City Bureau and had some impression of most of them. "You mean that thin young man? What kind of space are we talking about?"
"A ten-seater van. We were doing shifts for surveillance recently. Almost everyone went down except for me and Yang Bo. We’re perfectly fine."
Ren Lifei’s interest was clearly piqued now. "Now that is truly interesting." He tapped on the glass. The busy person inside looked up; when Jiang Cheng saw Lu Linjiang, a smile bloomed on his serious face.
Ren Lifei made a gesture. A doctor understood the signal, washed their hands, and brought out a blood collection tube.
"We can't make a judgment with the naked eye. Let’s draw some blood and take a look first. And that young man—have him come over later to get his blood drawn as well."
***
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