Chapter 509 Found evidence, but unfortunately
And at this time.
Han Lingcui's fingers turned white as he gripped the phone. There was a message on the screen.
"Jiang Shutong has been frequently in and out of the old building materials warehouse on the outskirts of the city recently. She may be hiding key evidence. Please be careful."
The rain outside the window was heavy, and the raindrops as big as beans hit the glass, splashing tiny water droplets.
She changed into the most inconspicuous dark coat and casually tied her hair back.
Since there is such an opportunity.
She can't miss it.
Of course, this trip must be very dangerous.
But if we delay, it will be even more difficult to find any evidence against Jiang Shutong.
She had to get this matter resolved as soon as possible to prevent anyone around her from being affected.
…
The old warehouse area on the outskirts of the city is very remote. The navigation lost its signal at the last intersection, so we could only follow the road signs deeper into the city.
The raindrops hit my face obliquely, making me shiver with cold. There were only a few dim street lights around, illuminating the potholes on the road with a strange glow.
The warehouse area is mostly made up of abandoned red brick houses with peeling walls and windows covered with thick dust. When the wind blows, the iron roofs make a "clang clang" sound, which makes people feel creepy.
The warehouse mentioned in the text message is at the very back and is numbered "07".
The door was a rusty rolling shutter door with a half-foot-wide gap at the bottom.
Han Lingcui squatted down and put his ear to the crack of the door to listen. It was quiet inside, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the roof.
She took out the thin wire she had prepared long ago from her bag, carefully reached into the crack of the door and fiddled with the lock.
With a slight "click", the lock opened.
Han Lingcui held her breath and slowly pushed the rolling door up an inch, enough for her to bend down and get in.
The warehouse was filled with a damp, musty smell mixed with the unique smell of rust from building materials.
She fumbled to pull out her cell phone from her pocket and turned on the flashlight. The beam of light swept through the darkness, illuminating the piles of cement bags and scattered steel bars.
There was a thin layer of dust on the ground, with a few fresh footprints, which looked like the size of women's shoes.
She followed the footprints and walked to the end of the warehouse, where she found a small compartment with a half-open door, letting in a faint light.
Han Lingcui walked lightly, moving closer to the wall. As soon as he put his ear to the door, he heard the sound of rummaging inside and a woman's voice on the phone in an impatient tone.
"...I've already told you to burn the purchase records for that batch of steel bars! And don't keep the forged inspection report! Qi Moxun is already suspicious. If they find out, we'll all be doomed!"
It’s Jiang Shutong’s voice!
Han Lingcui's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously shrank back, accidentally knocking over the metal barrels piled next to him. The clang was particularly harsh in the silent warehouse.
The sound in the compartment stopped instantly, and then footsteps came towards the door. Han Lingcui got excited and turned around and ran deep into the warehouse.
The beam of light from the flashlight made her eyes dizzy, and she tripped over something and fell heavily to the ground.
The phone also flew out, the screen cracked with a "click", and the light went out instantly.
"Who's there?"
Jiang Shutong's voice was murderous, and her footsteps were getting closer and closer.
Han Lingcui got up, not bothering to rub her sore knee, and hid behind a pile of steel bars in the dark. Her fingertips were accidentally scratched by the rust on the steel bars, and blood oozed out, but she was completely unaware.
The light in the warehouse was too dim. Jiang Shutong scanned with a flashlight for a long time but didn't see anyone.
She paused, turned around and walked back to the cubicle, muttering, "Hurry up and pack up your things, otherwise there will be more trouble."
Han Lingcui leaned against the cold steel bars, listening to the thumping of his own heartbeat. When the footsteps faded away, he slowly stuck his head out and, with the faint light coming through the window, groped his way to the door of the cubicle.
In the cubicle, Jiang Shutong was squatting on the ground, rummaging through an iron box. There was a pile of documents in the box. She picked up the top one, took a look at it, then crumpled it into a ball in annoyance and threw it on the ground.
"Why is this crappy report still here?"
Han Lingcui's eyes lit up. The heading of the document looked like "West City Project Material Inspection Report". She remembered Qi Moxun saying that Jiang Shutong had forged this report to sneak inferior steel bars into the project.
While Jiang Shutong turned around to get a lighter, she quickly slipped into the compartment, grabbed the documents and a black USB drive from the iron box, turned around and ran out.
Jiang Shutong heard the noise, turned around and saw that it was Han Lingcui. She grabbed the ashtray on the table and threw it at Han Lingcui.
Han Lingcui subconsciously bent down to avoid it, and the ashtray hit the wall and broke into pieces. The flying porcelain fragments scratched her arm, causing a burning pain.
"Han Lingcui, stop!"
Han Lingcui ran very fast, holding the documents and USB drive tightly in his arms, for fear of being caught up by Jiang Shutong.
The floor of the warehouse was uneven and she almost fell several times. The wound on her arm oozed blood, staining her sleeve red.
But just as she was about to run to the roller shutter door, the lights in the warehouse suddenly came on, blinding her.
Then, several men in black suits rushed in from the door, blocking her way. The man in the lead said expressionlessly, "Ms. Han, Mr. Jiang wants you to go back and have a chat."
Han Lingcui's heart sank, knowing she couldn't escape. While the man was trying to grab her, she quickly stuffed the USB drive into the sole of her shoe.
Jiang Shutong walked over slowly with a sinister smile on her face. She reached out and pinched Han Lingcui's chin with such force that it seemed as if she wanted to crush her jaw.
"Han Lingcui, you're really capable. Have you recovered your memory? You actually dared to plot against me like this. I'm really impressed by you."
She raised her hand and wiped the dust off Han Lingcui's face, her tone full of sarcasm.
"As long as you hand over the files and the USB drive, I can spare your life. Otherwise..."
"Don't even think about it!"
Han Lingcui shook her hand off with all her might, her eyes determined. "Jiang Shutong, you've done so many bad things, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!"
Jiang Shutong was enraged by her and slapped her in the face. The crisp sound echoed in the warehouse.
Han Lingcui's cheeks turned red instantly, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Go ahead and hit me. Even if you kill me, I won't give you the evidence."
Jiang Shutong was so angry that she was shaking all over, pointing at Han Lingcui and said to the man next to her.
"Take her to the cubicle and keep an eye on her! I don't believe she can hold on any longer!"
The man carried Han Lingcui to the compartment. Han Lingcui struggled, but was held down tightly. She looked back at Jiang Shutong, her heart full of despair.
There was no window in the compartment, only a dim light bulb, so bright that it made people's eyes sore.
The man threw her to the ground, locked the door and left. Han Lingcui struggled to get up, leaned against the wall, and touched the USB flash drive on the sole of her shoe.
She looked at the wound on her arm. Blood was still slowly oozing out. The pain made her grimace, but she smiled.
At least the evidence can still be preserved, which means there is still hope.
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