Chapter 81 Dr. Lan's Identity Revealed
The forensic department colleagues looked surprised when they saw that the visitor was Huo Nanchen.
All they knew was that Dr. Huo was Lin Xili's husband and that he had made a contribution in this early warning, but why invite him to participate in such a highly professional internal case analysis meeting?
Huo Nanchen walked straight to the projection screen, his gaze sweeping over the complex data and graphs.
Gao Bowen, however, seemed to have seen a savior and immediately handed him the laser pointer. "Junior brother, come and take a look at this peak value, the cracking mode, and this catalytic residue isomer."
Junior brother?
Everyone was stunned, including Lin Xili.
Gao Bowen, an authority in the forensic science department of Hong Kong and even the whole country, and a postdoctoral supervisor, actually called Huo Nanchen his junior brother?
And it also carries an attitude of eagerness for knowledge, humility, and admiration?
Huo Nanchen took the laser pointer with a calm and composed expression, as if the form of address was perfectly natural to him.
He began to explain, referring to the diagrams.
Every term, every detail of the data analysis, and every deduction of possible reaction paths are precise, profound, and to the core.
His professionalism, insight, and the depth and breadth of his knowledge made all the formally trained forensic personnel present feel inferior.
Lin Xili sat below, watching the man on stage, so poised and radiant, and felt her emotional worldview crumbling inch by inch.
The more brilliant his analysis, the more it revealed the shallowness and ridiculousness of her past understanding.
Just then, Gao Bowen looked at Huo Nanchen and couldn't help but exclaim sincerely, "Truly, new talents emerge in every generation!"
"Huo Nanchen, he is actually Dr. Lan, whom I have mentioned to you before. He is my junior fellow student, but he is a very low-key person."
“Back when he was a student of our master, he was known for his amazing talent for materialization and his vast knowledge.”
"Especially in the fields of chemical analysis and trace evidence, they have surpassed their predecessors."
"No wonder our master valued him so much and passed on many of his most treasured skills to him."
Dr. Blue!
These three words, like the gavel of a final verdict, struck Lin Xili's heart hard!
She felt a chill instantly spread from the soles of her feet throughout her body, as if her blood had frozen.
My mind went completely blank.
Dr. Lan.
Dr. Lan, her academic mentor who gave her precise guidance via email when she was most confused and in need of guidance during her exam preparation, is someone she deeply respects and is grateful to.
It was Huo Nanchen.
Huo Nanchen, the husband she lived under the same roof and slept in the same bed with, whom she loved with all her heart?
Countless images flashed wildly through her mind.
She stayed up late in the living room, reading and pondering, and then compiled her confusion into an email, which she solemnly sent to Dr. Lan.
In the bedroom, he was at that desk, using that laptop she had never wanted to peek at, answering her questions and guiding her in the right direction as "Dr. Blue".
What a huge irony!
She sat in the chair, her fingertips icy cold, gripping her palms tightly, barely managing to maintain a semblance of composure.
She recalled that candid night not long ago when she said she wanted to be a "couple who trust each other, are loyal to each other, and love each other."
How did he respond at the time?
He said "okay".
The meeting continued, with Huo Nanchen's calm analysis, Gao Bowen's occasional agreement, and exclamations of surprise from colleagues.
Everything seemed to be separated by a thick, icy pane of glass, becoming blurry and distant.
Lin Xili sat there, stiff and expressionless.
After more than half a month of intensive investigation, the truth about the Sunflower Bay bombing case has finally come to light.
The truth is cruel and ironic: it was not a deliberate act of sabotage or a terrorist attack, but rather the bitter fruit of a series of bureaucratic oversights, corporate greed, and wishful thinking.
Back then, the railway bureau's ambitious subway extension project encountered difficulties when the geology was further refined during the excavation of the Kuihuachong section.
The area was found to contain unstable soft soil layers and hidden confined aquifers, making it extremely unsuitable for tunnel construction, and the project was forced to be suspended indefinitely.
The excavated passage was hastily sealed off and forgotten, with related supervision and subsequent safety inspections proving to be ineffective.
A small chemical company located in the area sought to save on the high costs of specialized storage for hazardous chemicals.
In an attempt to evade environmental and safety regulations, they set their sights on this forgotten underground space.
They exploited management loopholes to secretly transfer and hide large quantities of improperly treated chemical waste and intermediates, which were listed as prohibited substances, at this location.
They took a chance, thinking that since the location was deserted, they could get away with it unnoticed.
No one expected that an explosion would occur at a small restaurant on the right side of the passageway due to improper operation of a gas cylinder.
The high temperature and shock generated by the explosion not only destroyed the buildings on the ground, but also penetrated the soil.
It ignited and detonated the extremely unstable chemical mixture underground, ultimately leading to this widespread and devastating disaster.
Case characterization, responsibility allocation, accountability, post-disaster reconstruction...
A series of follow-up tasks were carried out in an orderly manner.
The authorities released a detailed report, stating that 530 people involved had been arrested and efforts were made to calm public sentiment.
They pledged to severely punish those responsible and do their utmost to handle the aftermath, and to thoroughly investigate and rectify all potential hazard areas throughout the city.
But for Lin Xili, the conclusion of the case did not mean peace in her personal world.
She dragged her exhausted body, which had been drained of all her strength, back to the Justice Bureau dormitory.
The continuous high-intensity work and the huge mental shock left her pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were frighteningly thick.
The moment she opened the door, she saw Huo Nanchen sitting on the sofa in the living room, seemingly having been waiting for a long time.
Those usually calm and composed brows were now shrouded in an inescapable gloom and tension.
Hearing the door open, he immediately stood up and apologized, "Xi Li, I'm sorry."
Lin Xili didn't look at him, but silently changed her shoes.
Then, she walked to the opposite side of the sofa, but instead of sitting down, she stood there, staring blankly at the dark night sky outside the window.
After a long silence, she finally let out a soft, extremely bitter laugh, "Ha!"
She turned her head and finally looked at him. "That night, I held you in my arms and said, let's be a couple who trust each other, are loyal to each other, and love each other. You said yes."
"You deserve a lot of credit for this incident, and everyone is grateful to you, but business is business and personal matters are personal matters."
Her voice was choked with sobs, but she stubbornly refused to let her tears fall. "Huo Nanchen, you could have had so many more chances to tell me."
“I know you never lie, but you’ve hidden it from me twice. The last time it was about your past, and this time it’s about Dr. Lan’s identity.”
Am I really that untrustworthy? Not even a little bit?
"Dr. Lan."
She uttered the title that was once full of respect but now felt incredibly ironic.
"Is it fun?"
"Watching me, like a devout student, racking my brains in the living room to email you, ask questions, and express my gratitude and respect."
"And you, in the bedroom just a wall away, using another identity, answer me condescendingly?"
"No wonder, no wonder you always happen to be in the bedroom whenever I ask a question."
"No wonder so many thyroid specialists dare not use iodine-131 to treat hyperthyroidism, because they are afraid of misjudging the dosage and causing hypothyroidism."
"You can guarantee a 98% cure rate, no, 100%. You are a top-level bachelor in physics and chemistry, so of course you can adjust it most accurately."
After she finished questioning him, Huo Nanchen explained in a low voice:
"I'm afraid you won't be able to accept Dr. Lan's identity right away, and it might affect your exam preparation. I'll tell you when you enroll."
“Okay, I accept your explanation.” Lin Xili nodded.
"Huo Nanchen, but this is the third time. Today, let's be completely honest. I'm asking you, do you have any other secrets you're hiding from me?"
However, Huo Nanchen remained silent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com