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墨書 Inktalez
The aroma of yeast from the bakery oddly mingled with the scent of oil paints. Lin Xiaofan stared at the bakery owner's ex-husband—an art restorer who called himself Old Jin—as he carefully examined a high-definition photo of "The Son of the Miner" under a UV light.
"This painting is incredible," Old Jin adjusted the magnifying glass on his nose, tapping his finger on the miner's chest in the photo. "Do you see these fluorescent reactions? Zhou Guoan hid something in the base layer."
Su Yuqing leaned closer to the screen. "Can you tell what it is?"
"It looks like... numbers?" Old Jin adjusted the filter. "3... 1... 2... and the word 'ton'?"
Lin Xiaofan's body jolted. "312 tons?" He quickly pulled out the mining accident report left by his father. "The recorded extraction amount on the day of the accident was exactly 312 tons! And the safety standard limit is 200 tons!"
"That's not all." Old Jin magnified the image tenfold. "There are signatures hidden in the creases of the miner's uniform—Lin Jianguo, Zhou Guoan, and a few others I can't recognize..."
Suddenly, Su Yuqing's phone rang. She walked to a corner to answer, returning with a pale face. "Old Zhou has woken up and wants to see us immediately."
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital couldn't mask the tension at the end of the corridor. Two bodyguards in black suits stood outside the VIP ward and immediately blocked their way upon seeing them.
"President Zhao instructed that no one else is allowed in."
"Get out of my way." Lin Xiaofan was about to force his way through when the door to the ward suddenly opened a crack, revealing A Long's stubbled face. "Let them in."
Inside the ward, Old Zhou was half-reclining on the bed, his left leg wrapped in a brand-new cast. Upon seeing them, he struggled to sit up and pulled out a yellowed old photograph from beneath his pillow. "Look at this."
In the photo, Lin Jianguo, his father in his youth, stood at the entrance of a mine, handing a water bottle to a young man wearing a hard hat. The angle of that man's profile perfectly matched a shot from Zhao Tianming's recent interview.
"Your dad was the safety supervisor at the mine, and Zhao Tianming was the deputy mine manager," Old Zhou's voice rasped like sandpaper. "The day before the incident, your dad discovered that extraction levels were exceeding safety limits and insisted on halting production. That night, Zhao Tianming invited us for drinks..." The old man's finger pointed to a corner of the photo where a blurry figure held up a glass. "He drugged me in my drink."
Lin Xiaofan's temples throbbed painfully. He pulled out his wallet and retrieved the only photo left by his father—the same scene, with a note on the back reading: "Little Zhao owes 30,000 in wages; remember to collect."
"It's not just about money." Old Zhou began to cough violently, prompting A Long to quickly hand him a cup of water. "After the accident, Zhao Tianming withheld most of the compensation... Your dad was collecting evidence to report him, but then..."
"Died in a car accident." Lin Xiaofan mechanically finished his sentence as memories flashed of his father's mangled body.
【Task Prompt】
【Key Evidence Locked】
【Coordinates of abandoned mine under Zhao Tianming's name have been marked】
Suddenly, a holographic map projected itself, with blue dots flickering at an abandoned mine on the outskirts of town. Lin Xiaofan and Su Yuqing exchanged glances, both recalling Old Zhou’s “street ledgers” during the audit scandal—the pulp testing showed that materials came from paper mills in the same area.
"We have to check it out," Su Yuqing whispered.
Old Zhou grabbed Lin Xiaofan's wrist. "Take this." He pried out a small chip from his cast. "I took this while undercover; it's the container number from Zhao's warehouse."
The night was as dark as ink. The three of them piled into A Long's van and headed towards the abandoned mine. The rusty gate bore a crooked sign reading "Xishan Mining," its chain cut—freshly severed edges glinting under the moonlight.
"Someone has been here." Su Yuqing lowered her voice as she adjusted the signal jammer given by Old Zhou. A Long stayed in the car to keep watch while Lin Xiaofan and Su Yuqing climbed over the wall. The factory area was overgrown with weeds, yet the main building was surprisingly clean, with several brand new container trucks parked at the entrance.
"Strange," Lin Xiaofan said, moving along the wall. "The audit report stated that this place has been abandoned for ten years..."
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