Chapter 10
Yu Lei thought Tang Ruxin had solid evidence, and temporarily ignored her impolite behavior of repeatedly calling him uncle. However, after listening carefully, he found that her reasons were not much stronger than the clues he currently had.
Liu Dong went to the police and claimed that his life was in danger, but the case was dropped on the spot.
He showed up at the installation site without a maintenance contact form, so it's hard to say whether he was invited there. He could have just gone on a whim to inspect it. Of course, it's also possible that the item was taken by the extremely cautious killer, who left no trace at the scene.
The walkie-talkie he was carrying wasn't tuned to a channel with a corresponding device. It's also possible that he accidentally hit the FM dial while descending the well. After all, it was always hanging above the walkie-talkie, making it easy to bump into it during the operation. Of course, it's also possible that the murderer deliberately tuned it to a blank channel.
Liu Dong's prolonged stay in a low-concentration hydrogen sulfide environment doesn't guarantee he was trapped by an external force. Individuals have varying sensitivities to hydrogen sulfide, and the resulting symptoms vary. We can't rule out the possibility that he was trapped by poisoning.
All of the doubts have been rationally explained. Crucially, Liu Dong's death was indeed caused by a hydrogen sulfide leak, and the timing and volume of the leak were uncontrollable. This is a fact that is set in stone. No one intending to kill would use such a random method.
Tang Ruxin was a little unwilling to admit defeat after he refuted her point by point.
"What if it's just random killing? It doesn't matter who dies, or even if no one dies, as long as it can cause trouble for Donghe Refining. Is that possible?"
Yu Lei was startled, then remembered that Liu Dong's report before his death had indeed made him overlook this possibility. He only thought it was either an accident or a crime with a fixed target. He hadn't considered Liu Dong's report and his death separately. Both events were random, and whether or not they happened or when they happened might not matter to the murderer - if there really was a murderer.
Yu Lei pondered for a moment and said, "The possibility is not zero. If this is really the motive, you will be in big trouble."
Of course, his troubles were not small. Of all cases, the most difficult to solve were those involving indiscriminate crime. The targets, timing, and location of the crimes were random, making the motive difficult to determine. Without a clear motive, the chain of evidence was difficult to close, and the situation would most likely become a protracted battle. If he was even more unlucky, he might be caught in the act, which would be truly disastrous.
Tang Ruxin remained silent, having previously focused solely on persuading the other party. Only after Yu Lei reminded her did she realize that if this were the case, it would mean endless accidents and even more deaths. It would be too easy for the refining equipment to fake an accident scene. Just like now, simply determining their individuality would be enough to outlast them.
That's not a problem, it's fatal.
The two, feeling the threat of death, both had their faces darkened. Without waiting for the silence to linger, Tang Ruxin spoke first, her words still soft and gentle: "We'll talk about the future later. Let's get this one straight first."
"That's right, so please give way for a moment."
Yu Lei bent down and carefully examined the bottom of the regulating valve, the spot Tang Ruxin had touched earlier. He scratched at the edge of the hole, then sniffed under his fingernails. It indeed smelled a bit like rotten eggs, rust, and some other indescribable odor.
"Ding Xinqiao said that it's not just hydrogen sulfide that can cause equipment corrosion, what else is there?"
"That's a lot. A drop of water wears away a stone. Even just water flow can cause corrosion over time. This pipeline collects wastewater from multiple facilities, and mixing these different types of wastewater might cause a chemical reaction. The exact composition of the wastewater flowing through this regulating valve can only be determined through specialized laboratory analysis."
As Tang Ruxin answered, she picked up the gas mask on the ground, dusted it off, and was about to hang it on her belt when the gas filter canister on the mask suddenly fell off and rolled under the thick pipe. It seemed to have tripped over something and stopped before it reached the wall.
She was about to squat down to see what was on the ground over there when she suddenly heard the sound of metal shafts colliding and rubbing above her head.
Before Tang Ruxin could react, Yu Lei had already jumped up, climbed onto the steel bars on the wall, and quickly climbed up to the wellhead. However, he was still a step too late, and the open manhole cover was closed.
In recent years, to prevent rainwater from collecting and flowing in, all underground entrances have been sealed with cement. This well is no exception; the manhole cover is located more than ten centimeters above the ground and is fixed with bolts, unlike the municipal public manhole covers that can be completely lifted and removed.
When the manhole cover is open, it rests on the end where the bolts are fixed. Closing it is also very easy. You can kick the upright cover down and cover it. No matter how fast you climb out of the bottom of the manhole, you can't be faster than kicking it down.
Yu Lei stood on the steel footrest on the wall of the well, and pushed the manhole cover upwards with both hands, but he couldn't push it open, as if someone was stepping on it.
“Who’s up there?”
There was no response from outside the well. He pushed several times but couldn't open it, so he leaned closer to the gap at the edge of the well cover to look. His field of vision was too narrow and he saw nothing.
Still at the bottom of the well, Tang Ruxin took out the walkie-talkie tucked away at her waist, pressed the talk button, and turned the knob to try each channel one by one. When she found a certain channel, she could hear the sharp squeaking sound of the walkie-talkie receiving the signal from outside the well.
Yu Lei heard the sound clearly through the not-too-thick manhole cover. He lowered his head and gave Tang Ruxin below him a thumbs-up, expressing his undisguised admiration.
Yu Lei was no longer in a hurry to push the manhole cover. He quickly went down to the bottom of the well and heard Tang Ruxin ask into the intercom:
"Can anyone hear me? Which device's channel is this? If you get it, please reply."
The signal underground was poor. After a burst of crackling noise, a hoarse voice sounded intermittently.
"This is the gasoline hydrotreating unit. Where are you from?"
Tang Ruxin was startled. It was the unit where Tong Jiayu was working. Then she realized that the well was already within the unit's boundaries. Although it was under the management of the Second Public Works Department, its territory belonged to the hydrorefining unit. It was normal for someone to be holding a radio on the unit's channel.
"Tang Ruxin from the Department of Quality, Safety, and Environmental Protection, check the surveillance footage to see who appeared near sewage well HD3306 in the West Boundary District two minutes ago."
"receive."
This is outrageous! How dare they lock her in the well? She wants to see which bastard is desperate for his life. Tang Ruxin's heart was already boiling with rage, but her face remained calm with only a faint smile, not a trace of hatred or cruelty visible.
Although Tang Ruxin's expression and tone remained the same, Yu Lei inexplicably felt that it was best not to disturb her at this moment. He climbed up again in a few steps and this time pushed open the manhole cover smoothly.
However, there was no one outside the well, and there was no sound except the howling cold wind.
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