The former Minister of the Resources Department was murdered in his room.
When he was discovered, he already had lividity.
His body was quickly sent for an autopsy.
The conclusion was that he was strangled.
Those who received the message were all astonished.
How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly die?
She was murdered!
Lu Mou was, after all, a former high-ranking official at Headquarters. His being killed like this inevitably made the other high-ranking officials feel a sense of impending doom.
No matter how many disagreements there were among the higher-ups, those were internal conflicts; they were united in their external relations!
Lu Mou's death gave them a sense of unease, as if their own lives were in danger.
Check!
We must find out the truth!
The first step is to monitor the area to see if any suspects are seen near Lu Mou.
The bad news is that the surveillance equipment happened to malfunction around the time of Lu Mou's death.
The reason given as "coincidentally" was clearly not convincing to the other senior executives.
They only felt that this was a premeditated murder!
Under Zhang Hongwen's guidance, everyone realized that the last thing Lu Mou did before his death was to speak with Hu Jiu, the person in charge of Linjiang City.
The communication between Lu Mou and Hu Jiu was not pleasant.
Hu Jiu's former codename was "[Strangling Ghost]", and he was best at strangling people by wrapping their necks around their necks!
Could it be that Lu Mou's death is related to Hu Jiu?
"This case is very likely a deliberate act of retaliation by the Ghost Tamers against high-ranking members of Headquarters. We must take it seriously!" Zhang Hongwen said angrily.
"To brutally attack high-ranking members of Headquarters over a mere argument is an act that absolutely cannot be tolerated. We must make an example of them to deter those lawless Ghost Tamer!"
"Whoever attacked Lu Mou must be dragged out and shot!"
This time, Zhang Hongwen's words received unanimous approval from the Headquarters' top management, since their lives had been threatened.
If an ordinary person gets involved in such a case, there's no need for hesitation; just arrest them and use the Great Memory Restoration Technique.
However, Hu Jiu was ultimately a powerful Ghost Tamer, not an ordinary person, and without evidence, the crime could not be forced upon him.
Evidence?
Of course, we have evidence!
Zhang Hongwen sneered and had his men bring out all the prepared clues.
Hu Jiu appears to possess an ability to appear anywhere at will, regardless of distance.
The cameras near where Lu Mou died didn't capture anything, but cameras elsewhere in the Headquarters did capture some footage.
--A person whose physique and appearance are highly similar to Hu Jiu's, acting furtively and suspiciously.
There's no need to seek out Ghost Tamer or Supernatural Item; it can be done through makeup and sorcery.
These clues cannot definitively prove that Hu Jiu is the murderer, but they undoubtedly increase the suspicion against him.
Zhang Hongwen never imagined that he could convict Hu Jiu using such a simple method.
Besides, even if Hu Jiu really did kill Lu Mou, so what?
Whether Hu Jiu can be eliminated on charges of "murdering high-ranking officials" remains to be seen.
Zhang Hongwen's goal was to have Hu Jiu detained and investigated!
By leveraging pressure from higher-ups and employing reasonable and open communication, they persuaded Hu Jiu to accept the investigation in order to prove his innocence.
Once Hu Jiu is trapped in the golden cage, he will truly be left with no one to turn to for help!
Everything we're doing now is to drive the tiger into its cage.
Without its claws and teeth, and with its freedom restricted, what is there for a tiger to fear?
Just a kitten that can be manipulated at will!
It is quite normal for innocent suspects to encounter some "accidents" during their detention and investigation.
The Headquarters not only has Secret Peeker, but also a Ghost Tamer who can detect lies. If these two people accuse Hu Jiu of being the murderer, Hu Jiu will be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River!
This plan sounds wonderful, but unfortunately...
"I'm so sorry, I've spent the whole day at the hospital visiting Minister Fu Youhua and helping him with his treatment."
"I was already near the hospital when I spoke with the Minister of the Resources Department, and the Minister and medical staff can provide my alibi."
"From beginning to end, I never left everyone's sight. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage, and the Minister can personally testify for me."
Hu Jiu made a phone call, offering a few casual explanations, which thwarted the conspiracy that was brewing against him.
The other senior executives at Headquarters breathed a sigh of relief; they absolutely did not want Hu Jiu to be responsible for Lu Mou's death.
On one hand, there are colleagues you work with day and night; on the other hand, there are indispensable rare talents. It's a real dilemma.
Only Zhang Hongwen was completely distraught.
"Hu Jiu went to visit the Minister today? Why haven't I received a single word about this!"
He gritted his teeth and questioned her, trying his best not to show any unusual expression.
No one suspected him; in the end, the investigation only traced back to the operator, Xiao Mei.
Xiao Mei explained, "This matter wasn't originally your responsibility. Hu Jiu applied to visit the Minister, and the matter was handled directly by Minister Fu Youhua and other higher-level leaders from the hospital."
Her implication was that Zhang Hongwen, being merely a deputy, was trying to overstep his bounds and interfere in the affairs of Minister.
Xiao Mei swears that when she said those words, there was absolutely no emotional fluctuation, and not a trace of sarcasm.
But Zhang Hongwen inexplicably felt mocked; at that moment, he felt like a clown jumping around.
Hurriedly returning to his office, Zhang Hongwen wanted to contact the Secret Peeker immediately.
He had just picked up the phone when he put it down again.
Something's not right.
The regular operators at Headquarters all have high emotional intelligence.
Xiao Mei should understand the saying "a local official is more powerful than a distant one." Since no one specifically asked Xiao Mei to keep Hu Jiu's visit to the Minister a secret, she should report it.
Moreover, after Hu Jiu arrived at the hospital, someone should have informed him, the vice Minister.
But the truth is, he knew nothing at all.
It felt like my ears and eyes were blocked.
The time Hu Jiu went to visit Fu Youhua coincided with the time Lu Mou was murdered.
To insist that Hu Jiu could create clones or remotely curse Lu Mou to death would be somewhat like making trouble out of nothing.
It's as if he knew something in advance and turned the tables on me.
Having inexplicably gone from the proactive party to the reactive party, Zhang Hongwen now needs to consider how to extricate himself from this turmoil.
He had already consolidated most of his power, and Fu Youhua's illness was probably incurable. For Zhang Hongwen, as long as he could resolve those crises, advancing further would not be a problem.
The key question is, where should we break this deadlock?
First of all, Lu Mou's death must be accounted for; it absolutely cannot be dealt with perfunctorily.
Just as Zhang Hongwen was racking his brains, something even more unexpected happened!