Xu Sichen placed a thick stack of reports on Lu Linjiang’s desk. "Captain Lu, this is the complete record of Martina’s itinerary since she arrived in the country."
Lu Linjiang tapped the report, which was over two centimeters thick. "Is there a concise version?"
"During the first half of her stay, she mostly moved back and forth around Micro-U. However, after you approached her, she rarely went there. I don’t think it had much to do with you, though; the main reason was likely that Jiang Langmin spent the latter half of his time at the CDC," Xu Sichen shrugged. "But honestly, after reviewing her itinerary, I don’t think she was actually that infatuated with Jiang Langmin. Our initial assumption that she had romantic feelings for him might be wrong."
"How so?"
"When a woman pursues a man, the tactics are usually predictable. They might not be as direct as men, but the basic strategy of maximizing contact is universal. I checked the surveillance at the CDC; several times, she entered right on Jiang Langmin’s heels, almost like she was stalking him. Yet, she never greeted him or showed any sign of affection. Instead, she sought out Jiang Cheng first. It doesn’t make sense. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Lu Linjiang asked.
Xu Sichen gave a sheepish grin and said cautiously, "Unless—and this is assuming she *did* like Jiang Langmin—she knew he liked Jiang Cheng and decided to deal with her rival first. But based on my impressions, she didn’t seem like that kind of person. So, all things considered, I’m leaning toward the idea that she had another reason for seeking out Jiang Langmin. Perhaps she was looking for a replacement for Luo Jia."
Tang Hua and Yang Bo, who were listening in, both rubbed their chins. They exchanged a look, their eyes reflecting the same sentiment: Jiang Langmin certainly had guts to be Captain Lu’s romantic rival.
Lu Linjiang offered no comment on that. "Any other leads?"
Tang Hua immediately handed over a stack of photos. "This is her luggage. Forensics photographed and logged everything. Nothing unusual, except for one thing." Tang Hua flipped through the photos and pulled one out. "This is her phone. It has an audio app specifically designed for deaf-mutes like Martina. It’s very convenient for communicating with people who don’t know sign language."
Tang Hua pointed to the phone in the photo. "There’s something that might be strange. This software was reinstalled on the day Martina died. Also, she had a translation device—a more professional version of the same function—and it was broken." Tang Hua looked skeptical. "It’s not impossible for it to be a coincidence, but given the circumstances, I think it’s worth noting."
Lu Linjiang looked at the photo, recalling his few encounters with Martina. "When I first stopped her car, that device seemed to be on the passenger seat. But I didn’t see it after that; she switched to using her phone."
"Is the data being recovered?"
Tang Hua nodded. "Forensics is working on it. They said the translator is badly damaged; the memory card was practically destroyed."
Lu Linjiang looked at the report and asked Xu Sichen, "Is there any mention of when Martina broke the translator?"
Xu Sichen thought for a moment. "No. Yang Bo and I checked the surveillance from various intersections. She usually drove that rental car. Occasionally, she’d enter a blind spot, but from what we’ve gathered over the last two days, there’s no way to determine exactly when it broke."
Lu Linjiang nodded. "Look closer. There aren’t that many coincidences in this world. Has the file from Interpol arrived yet?"
"It’s here." Yang Bo opened his notebook. "She worked as a researcher at a bioengineering company. Her mother is Asian. After her parents divorced, she took her mother’s surname, but her mother remarried soon after. She moved out to live alone once she reached adulthood. She seems to have no romantic history. Her job required frequent travel, but her social circle was very simple—aside from a few deaf friends, she didn't have any close associates. Her bank statements are also straightforward; no unexplained large sums, except for a lottery win from a gambling company six years ago, which is on record."
"As for MURA, it was registered nine years ago. It’s always kept a low profile, mostly acting as a middleman in its early years. Although it has an R&D department, it’s a bit of a joke; they’ve never actually developed anything. However, when they started attracting venture capital six years ago, they pulled in a lot of money based on a few good ideas." Yang Bo glanced at his notes. "Large sums, but..." He spread his hands. "No results."
"And this Roman Salazar is an honorary director. He’s never appeared at the company and almost never participates in board meetings, always delegating a lawyer to attend on his behalf. He’s the company’s most famous mystery man."
"What about the lawyer?"
Yang Bo let out a long sigh. "On that front, you have to admire European efficiency. They dragged their feet forever. Plus, the lawyer kept making excuses, citing client protection regulations. We went back and forth for a long time. It wasn't until three days ago, when we demanded the files, that they finally handed over the client dossier."
Xu Sichen glared at him. "Are you from Europe too? Get to the point. Where’s the data?"
Yang Bo pulled out a file and placed it on the desk. "Roman Salazar. Male, thirty-six years old. Both parents deceased, only child, no marriage history, no children." Yang Bo shook his head helplessly. "There isn't even a photo. It’s like this person was conjured out of thin air. Since the Luo Jia incident came to light, he’s vanished again. There’s less than a thousand euros left in his account. They intentionally didn't freeze it to bait him, but he hasn't touched it once."
"What about credit cards?" Xu Sichen asked persistently. "Foreigners always have credit cards, right?"
"That’s the crazy part." Yang Bo looked exasperated. "He has no credit cards and no loan records. In fact, he rarely sent money to Luo Jia through his account. Given the volume of data Luo Jia tampered with, I don’t believe it was only worth that much."
The office fell silent. Lu Linjiang looked at the so-called dossier. "I have two theories. One: someone intentionally deleted all relevant data. Two: people like Roman are just shells being used by someone else. As for which one it is..." He paused. "Is Luo Jia awake?"
Xu Sichen shook her head. "I asked specifically over the last two days. Although he’s been moved out of the ICU, he hasn't woken up. He’ll likely remain in a vegetative state."
"Fine. In that case, keep an eye on Interpol. Tell them the Luo Jia case isn't over; they must keep digging for information on this Roman character, even if it’s just a single photograph," Lu Linjiang instructed. "As for Martina, you guys will have to work harder. Re-examine all the surveillance footage and see if there’s anything else."
After everyone left, Lu Linjiang reviewed the meeting notes and the materials Xu Sichen had compiled. He recorded the suspicious points one by one, finally drawing a heavy question mark over Roman’s name.
"Mr. Salazar, I don't believe you can truly vanish into thin air!"
***
As soon as Jiang Cheng returned to Sweden, he was urgently summoned back to the institute. Fortunately, he had finished writing his entire thesis on the plane. Feeling confident that there would be no issues, he went to see the new head of the laboratory, Pierre Rosen.
He had expected this to be a straightforward test, but upon returning to Hughes, he realized he had been too naive.
Rosen, who had previously been one of the researchers at Hughes, showed no interest in the thesis Jiang Cheng brought. He glanced at it with an arrogant air, having no intention of opening it. "Jiang, I have no doubts about your professional competence, but the problem lies in the procedure."
"Procedure? What do you mean?" Jiang Cheng asked, puzzled.
"You entered Hughes as Professor Tao’s graduate student. Of course, you passed the Hughes evaluation, but because of your special status at the time, the procedure wasn't exactly standard."
Jiang Cheng looked at the man’s expression and didn't have to work hard to read the underlying message: *Get out.*
He took a quiet breath to suppress his anger. "What exactly was non-standard?"
"Let’s put it this way." Rosen leaned back in his chair, tilting his chin up with a hint of impatience. "To get you into the institute as quickly as possible, Professor Tao bypassed almost all the formalities. In other words, your entry into Hughes as a researcher was fundamentally unqualified."
Jiang Cheng let out a cold laugh. "Oh? Mr. Rosen, you just said you had no doubts about my professional competence."
Embarrassment flashed across Rosen’s face for a split second before his expression hardened, dropping the last shred of hypocritical politeness. "Skill and procedure are two different things. It is precisely because Professor Tao disregarded procedure that Luo Jia was able to take advantage, damaging the reputation of Hughes." He slammed his hand on the desk, glaring at Jiang Cheng. "Jiang, don't you understand? In your Chinese terms, this is a 'purge.' Everything unqualified and non-procedural must be cleared out. This is for the honor of Hughes!"
Jiang Cheng stared intently into the man’s eyes, showing no sign of backing down. "For the honor of Hughes? Mr. Rosen, I hope every word you just said came from your true heart!" He snatched the thesis from under Rosen’s hand. "I will use my strength to prove that your decision today was a mistake. I hope that when the time comes, you won't be drowned by the question of 'why'!"
Jiang Cheng turned and left without a hint of lingering. He didn't see Rosen, still sitting in his chair, violently wiping cold sweat from his forehead. Under the watchful eyes of security, Jiang Cheng packed his belongings. As he carried his box out of the office area, he suddenly realized that in just two short months, Hughes had been filled with many new faces.
***
