117: Chapter 117 Pressure and...Don't Touch

Wednesday, November 21st.

At 7:00 AM, before dawn had fully broken, numerous reporters were already surrounding the entrance of the Chen Group's W City branch, waiting for the Chen Group to open.

Just last night, Chen Group released a statement overnight, confirming that the information previously released by Frontier Technology Co., Ltd. was true.

This was the first positive response from Chen Group regarding the matter, and it was a definitive one. The media could not help but be concerned; this was traffic, after all. Looking at the situation these past few days, Chen Group was undeniably a magnet for traffic.

Whoever could write a piece capturing the explosive points of Chen Group would definitely stand out among their peers. Even if others followed suit, they would only be eating dust behind.

This is the first-mover advantage of news. What the media is fighting for is this time difference.

Time ticked by.

At 7:30 AM, the main gates of Chen Group opened. Chen Zhongxuan walked out with steady steps and stood before the stairs.

The scene instantly became noisy. Reporters crowded forward, thrusting their microphones to grab the best position.

"Chairman Chen, may I ask if the situation stated by your company is factual? Have you already obtained sufficient evidence?"

"Chairman Chen, I would like to ask, has a candidate already been identified for the individual senior management mentioned by your company?"

"Chairman, will this incident cause an impact on the cooperation between your company and Frontier Company?"

...

Looking at the chaotic scene, Chen Zhongxuan raised his hand to press down, and only when the noise subsided slightly did he speak: "I cannot answer everyone's questions one by one right now. Today, I will only speak about one thing."

"Regarding the relevant statement from Frontier Technology Co., Ltd., our company is highly concerned and has immediately conducted an internal investigation. Regrettably, after the investigation, it is confirmed that suspected leakage has occurred. In this regard, our company solemnly declares: Our company has never had any intention of unfair competition. This incident is merely the private behavior of individual senior management. Our company is currently verifying the specific personnel, and once confirmed, our company will pursue the serious consequences caused by this behavior to the end."

"In addition, in view of the above situation, our company will not pursue Frontier Technology Company for its unilateral announcement to terminate the authorization contract and authorize other manufacturers. We fully respect any rights protection actions taken by Frontier Company in this regard. Our company has already taken active measures to negotiate, ensuring the normal fulfillment of the contract between both parties and guaranteeing that orders will be delivered normally. Please rest assured."

After speaking, Chen Zhongxuan turned and returned to the building, while the swarming reporters were blocked outside.

"Chairman Chen, have you already reached an agreement with Frontier Technology Co., Ltd.?"

"Chairman Chen, can you really guarantee the normal fulfillment of the contract?"

"Chairman Chen, please say a few more words."

...

Chen Zhongxuan, who had already entered the building, heard the noise behind him and shook his head slightly.

Next... it depends on that kid Wang Shuo. Whether Chen Group can survive this crisis now depends entirely on Wang Shuo's word. If Wang Shuo has even a hint of crooked intention, as long as he announces the termination of the contractual relationship, Chen Group will crumble immediately—the kind that no one can save.

Now the only thing to hope for is that the relationship between Chen Xin and Wang Shuo is truly good... And, it would be best if this kid Wang Shuo has a backup plan to salvage this, otherwise...

Chen Zhongxuan seemed to think of something, his expression turned stern, and he walked into the elevator without saying a word.

Many reporters watched Chen Zhongxuan disappear, but were helpless. There is nothing more frustrating for a reporter than encountering a hot news topic with burning anxiety and inspiration flowing, yet the involved party is tight-lipped, or even has no comment. How are they supposed to unleash their ink?

The clever ones had already secretly packed up their cameras and took a car to the next interview location. The name of that place is... Frontier Technology Co., Ltd.

...

W City, Police Station.

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei knocked gently on the door of the Chief's office, waited for a moment, then pushed the door open.

As soon as he entered, he saw the Chief standing by the window on the phone. He didn't disturb him, poured himself a glass of water, and sat on the sofa flipping through the case files in his hand.

A few minutes later.

"Okay, Mayor Fang, we will definitely attach importance to this matter, organize police force to solve the case as soon as possible, and strive to catch the suspect soon. Okay, I understand, I will report to you at any time if there is any situation."

The phone hung up.

The Chief sighed, put away the phone, and sat on the sofa next to Deputy Chief Li Mingwei.

"Mayor Fang?" Deputy Chief Li Mingwei asked.

"Yes." The Chief nodded and sighed: "Our Mayor Fang is young and vigorous, and has never tolerated sand in his eyes. This kidnapping incident has already reached him."

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei frowned. It had only been two full days since the kidnapping occurred. Who would report such a small matter to the Mayor? According to normal procedures, although this kidnapping incident caused one or two injuries, no one died, so it didn't fall under the cases that need to be reported according to regulations.

"Mayor Fang is very dissatisfied with the occurrence of this incident. His tone was very severe, requiring us to find the kidnapper as soon as possible. In this regard, do you have any clues now?"

"I have some clues." Deputy Chief Li Mingwei came to report this matter today. He took out the file, opened it, and pointed to a few photos on it.

"These are photos we obtained from the victim. They were taken at the time of the incident and are relatively clear."

"It can be seen that the four kidnappers all have a certain ability to counter-reconnaissance. Three of the suspects wore masks, but their body shapes were not disguised, so we can make some judgments based on this. The last suspect..."

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei pointed to The Black-robed Man in the photo.

"Has strong counter-reconnaissance ability. He wears a black robe, his head is covered by a cloak hood, and he wears a black mask or face cover. Existing technology cannot determine his identity from his body shape or appearance. I have already asked Xiao Liu and the others to compare it, but... the situation is not optimistic."

"Can't you compare it from the exposed eye area?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei shook his head slightly. For this kind of situation where the body shape and face are deliberately covered, the existing system is completely helpless.

"That's troublesome."

The Chief also understood the complexity. For this kind of case, before technology was advanced, it was impossible to solve it at all. Character sketching and visiting investigations were simply a waste of time.

"Has the situation of the victim been investigated clearly?"

"Clear." Deputy Chief Li Mingwei nodded: "The kidnapped person is named Wang Shuo, currently a freshman at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. His background has nothing special, so it shouldn't be a kidnapping based on family reasons. The injured person is named Zheng Jun, who is Wang Shuo's classmate."

Looking at it this way, the hope of investigating from social relationships was also dashed. A freshman in college, what kind of heaven-defying, earth-shattering thing could he have done to be kidnapped?

The Chief also had a headache for a moment.

"Are there any other clues?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei frowned, hesitating. The words Wang Shuo said were still in his ears, but he didn't know whether he should report such words to the Chief. In his opinion, Wang Shuo's declaration was a bit too ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.

"What? Are there other clues?"

It was originally just a casual question, but seeing Deputy Chief Li Mingwei hesitating, the Chief seemed to see a glimmer of hope for solving the case again.

"It's not really a clue." Deputy Chief Li Mingwei laughed: "It's just that our victim suggested he wants to upgrade our Eagle Eye System, saying that this can help us find the suspect as soon as possible."

"Upgrade the Eagle Eye System?" The Chief was a bit surprised. What kind of logic is this? Does upgrading the Eagle Eye System have anything to do with the police solving cases?

"Isn't this nonsense?" The Chief shook his head, quite speechless: "He is a freshman who just started college, it is better to study hard. Upgrading the Eagle Eye System is not something a college student can intervene in. Even if it needs to be upgraded, it is better to leave it to a professional team."

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei nodded; he thought so too.

"For the investigation of this kidnapping case, Mingwei, you still need to put some heart into it." The Chief drank some water and instructed. The words of a young man can be treated as a joke, but Mayor Fang's words cannot be taken lightly. Now, solving the case as soon as possible is the most important thing.

"First find the direction of investigation. If it really doesn't work, then use the stupid method. First, do a comprehensive visiting investigation. If there are photos, it should be soon..."

Before he finished speaking, the mobile phone on the coffee table rang. The Chief stood up: "You wait a moment, I'll take a call."

Then he connected.

Apart from a hello, Deputy Chief Li Mingwei didn't hear a single word of the conversation.

A few minutes later.

The Chief walked to the sofa and sat down without saying a word. His slightly heavy expression made Deputy Chief Li Mingwei a little confused.

Before the two could speak, the phone rang again.

This time, the Chief just picked it up, took a look, and walked straight into the inner room, closing the door gently.

Another ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, the Chief's expression was already very ugly. Sitting by the coffee table, before he could pick up a cup of water, the phone rang again.

This time it was half an hour.

When the Chief returned to the sofa and sat down again, he was extremely serious.

This was the first time Deputy Chief Li Mingwei had seen such a Chief. As a veteran-turned-Chief, he seemed to have returned to the battlefield now. The sharp aura made Deputy Chief Li Mingwei look sideways.

"Chief, what is this?"

"Mingwei." The Chief closed his eyes slightly, seemingly organizing his thoughts, and then asked: "What else did this Wang Shuo say?"

"There's nothing else, it's just words to prove his strength because he was afraid we wouldn't believe him."

Thinking of Wang Shuo bragging earnestly about how powerful his company's technology was, how capable he was, and how explosive the effects of the completed business were, Deputy Chief Li Mingwei couldn't help but show a trace of a smile.

It's good to be young, fearless. Even if you brag to the sky, you can act as if nothing happened.

"Tell me specifically."

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei turned his head in surprise, seeing that the Chief's expression was still very serious, so he couldn't help but become more serious, and recounted everything Wang Shuo had said one by one.

"You mean... this Wang Shuo requested to upgrade the Eagle Eye System in the name of Frontier Technology Company? The performance of the upgraded Eagle Eye System will be geometrically improved, which will significantly increase our case-solving efficiency?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei nodded.

"So..." The Chief's expression was strange: "We have to pay?"

"We can also pay less." Deputy Chief Li Mingwei smiled bitterly: "He requested that we catch the suspect within two days after upgrading the system, which can offset part of the upgrade cost. If we can't catch him, we have to pay the full amount."

"The specific amount is subject to the contract."

This is the reason why he felt Wang Shuo was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. He is not a technician. He doesn't know how much a set of Eagle Eye System is worth, but as of now, the Eagle Eye System can only play an auxiliary role in solving cases, and most of the time it can't even play an auxiliary role; it's completely a display.

But even if it is a display, it is a display invested by the government, not something that anyone can change with a casual excuse. Even if it is just an upgrade, the difficulty of this is no less than rebuilding the W City Police Station headquarters.

What's more, Wang Shuo also wanted money!

This is tantamount to forcing the government to open a back door for bidding, and only bidding for his Frontier Technology Company alone. This kind of thing... is it something a small deputy chief like him can decide? Even the Chief in front of him, unless he has eyes and ears everywhere, may not be able to decide.

"What a young man..." The Chief seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and laughed: "He gave us a warning right from the start. I was wondering what was going on, so the crux of the problem lies here."

"Chief, what do you mean by this?" Deputy Chief Li Mingwei was a little puzzled.

"Mingwei, you have misjudged this time. This Wang Shuo is not as simple as you said." The Chief seemed to have figured something out, and his expression softened a little.

"Just now, Director Qi from the Provincial Department, Director Luo from the Department of Education, and even Director Zhang from the National Security Bureau all called me. They are very concerned about the case of our student Wang Shuo and requested to solve the case as soon as possible and find the suspect."

"Director Zhang has a good relationship with me and pointed out to me that this is the concern of the superior. With the level of the National Security Bureau, I don't need to say more about where its superior is. Added to Mayor Fang, this small kidnapping case has alarmed four departments at the city and provincial levels, and perhaps even more."

The Chief's eyes turned cold, and his tone was deep.

"You tell me, how much power does this Wang Shuo have? And what is his purpose?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

The person the Chief mentioned is Wang Shuo? The Wang Shuo who stood beside him and bragged with him for an afternoon? The Wang Shuo who let his niece lead him to the door and was respectful? The Wang Shuo who he thought was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth and young and frivolous?

What kind of joke is this?!

"Chief, did you make a mistake? Perhaps these leaders are just concerned about the case itself?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei, who had been stunned for a long time, came back to his senses and asked tentatively.

"Do you think it's possible?" The Chief asked back with a calm expression.

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei was silent. Of course it's impossible.

This is just an excuse he found because he didn't want to believe it. A normal kidnapping case, with no deaths, let alone that it cannot be reported according to regulations. Even if it is not according to regulations and goes through special channels, it is impossible to alarm the provincial and ministerial levels, let alone let the top leaders of the provincial and ministerial levels ask personally.

What is the background of this kid?

"Then..." Deputy Chief Li Mingwei was a little difficult to understand: "What is his purpose? Is it just to urge us to catch the murderer?"

Alarming the provincial and ministerial levels just to let the police do something they should have done. Isn't this clearly brain-damaged? The owed favors are clearly disproportionate to the benefits.

"Purpose?" The Chief's eyes were deep: "Originally I couldn't guess, but now... perhaps it has something to do with the Eagle Eye System."

"Eagle Eye System?"

Deputy Chief Li Mingwei didn't react for a moment.

"But he thinks a little too simply." The Chief's eyes were light, and the aura on his body returned to nothingness.

"Even if he moved the provincial and ministerial levels, the Eagle Eye System is not something that a small Frontier Technology Co., Ltd. can touch!"