CH 252

The wait was excruciating. Time ticked away, but the doors of the conference room remained unopened, and Xing Conglian was nowhere to be seen.

Most of the people grew restless once again. A mixture of annoyance and unease started to rise. Zhourui Pharmaceutical had already gained the upper hand by pinning everything on Xing Conglian, so why were they still so anxious?

Huang Ze sneered, and at that moment, his phone vibrated lightly. Su Fengzi, who seemingly hadn’t been asleep at all, acted swiftly, checked his phone, and then stood up before everyone else. He said to everyone in the conference room, “Let’s go. He’s waiting for us in Room 303.”

……

Room 303 was another conference room.

The reason for moving the Zhourui executives from one conference room to another was simple—room 303 downstairs was larger and could accommodate more people.

Reluctantly, Huang Ze led the Zhourui executives downstairs. Along the way, he had to use some means to suppress the dissenters, but when they pushed open the door, everyone inside and outside froze in shock for a few seconds.

The office was packed with people. Xing Conglian had managed to gather almost all the mid-level and higher-level management personnel of the company, including a few elderly individuals with snow-white hair. Huang Ze recognized one of them as a renowned chemist who oversaw one of Zhourui’s pharmaceutical laboratories.

Everyone in their seats looked at each other, unable to comprehend the situation. Finally, Xing Conglian’s voice broke the frozen state.

He sat at the head of the table, pointing to the empty seats and saying to everyone outside the room, “Come in.”

Huang Ze took the first step, noticing that Xing Conglian’s tone was the same as when Su Fengzhi said “let’s go”—casual and self-assured, as if victory was already in his grasp.

Huang Ze surveyed the entire room.

Room 303 was filled with many people, and all the seats were occupied. The conference table was split, with chairs featuring deep blue cushioned backs facing each other, resembling a courtroom. However, the number of seats on each side was unequal. The left side of the conference room was crowded with nearly one hundred and eighty chairs, while the other side had…

Huang Ze quickly counted. The right side had only twenty chairs.

He looked toward the end of the conference room. Xing Conglian’s assistant had set up a table in the upper left corner of the room, and both Xing Conglian and Xiao Zhan sat in front of their computers, resembling court clerks. Xing Conglian himself was the presiding judge of this courtroom.

Huang Ze couldn’t understand what Xing Conglian was up to, but that didn’t prevent him from glancing coldly at his Uncle Shi.

As the middle-aged man entered the conference room, everyone who had been whispering among themselves in their seats stood up simultaneously, showing a respectful demeanor. This simple gesture revealed the hierarchy within this large conference room.

And Uncle Shi seemed to enjoy this emperor-like treatment. Zhourui employees stepped aside, clearing a path for him to the center seat.

The Chairman entered slowly, and the employees on either side of him bowed respectfully. He humbly exchanged greetings with many employees, creating a friendly atmosphere as if it were an ordinary daily meeting within the company.

A group of people left the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division sitting at the head, ignored. Huang Ze glanced at Xing Conglian and noticed that he was leaning back in his chair, one hand resting on the table, in a casual posture. However, he seemed to be in a very unpleasant mood.

In that moment, Huang Ze didn’t know why he disregarded everyone else but was concerned about Xing Conglian’s expression. After all, in various respects, he was Xing Conglian’s superior.

But, to be honest, in this crowded conference room, he didn’t have much time to figure out his own mindset. Just as the middle-aged man in a suit was about to take his seat, Xing Conglian suddenly spoke up, interrupting the lively atmosphere on the left side. “I didn’t ask you to sit.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

The Chairman adjusted his suit collar and didn’t show any anger. He turned his head to face Xing Conglian, slightly lowered his head, and looked down at him with a smile. He said, “Captain Xing, you seem a bit impulsive.”

However, Xing Conglian didn’t seem interested in having a good conversation with anyone from Zhourui. He didn’t even bother to look up and simply said to the hundred or so Zhourui employees standing in a line, “Anyone willing to cooperate with the police and provide evidence of your company’s deliberate concealment of the side effects of Nao Kangning and disregard for public safety can sit over there.” Xing Conglian pointed to the twenty vacant seats on the right side of the conference room and paused before adding, “There are twenty spots.”

His tone was calm, but everyone, including Huang Ze, was stunned.

Quick and direct—there were no better words to describe it.

However, the only response to Xing Conglian came in the form of the light sound of chairs being occupied. The Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical took the first seat, his chair gliding across the floor, and the rest of the employees followed suit, sitting down in an orderly manner, displaying unity.

Xing Conglian appeared composed, but there was a profound coldness in his gaze. He looked at the hundred or so people on the left side of the conference room and asked, “Has the development team of ‘Nao Kangning’ all arrived?”

Xing Conglian played his cards quickly, and everyone looked at each other. The Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical placed his hand on the table and lightly tapped it.

Employees scattered throughout the room raised their hands, of different ages, some even still rubbing their eyes, as if they didn’t understand why they were summoned to the scene.

“Wasn’t it a poisoning incident? The mastermind has already been caught. Why mention Nao Kangning…” someone straightforwardly asked.

Xing Conglian raised his hand to interrupt the person’s questioning and nodded at the two young individuals sitting in the role of court clerks, who appeared nervous.

Wang Chao received the signal and displayed a rotating molecular structure on the projector.

As if they had rehearsed it beforehand, Xiao Zhan recited, “Through investigation, it has been found that the substance injected by Shen Lian to Consultant Lin Chen shares consistency with the neurotoxic drug that caused the riot at the barbecue stall the previous night, namely the base component TERN in your company’s Nao Kangning.”

Xiao Zhan finished speaking in one breath, and everyone in the conference room looked in a daze at the rotating molecular structure on the screen. He cleared his throat, turned his head, and pointed at the screen, saying, “This is it.”

At that moment, Xing Conglian casually put his hand down, and the back door opened, allowing a team of police officers to enter.

“Take all those who raised their hands back to the police station, verify the list, and issue arrest warrants for those who didn’t attend.” Xing Conglian’s tone remained unchanged, as if he were describing the most ordinary thing.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere became intense, and many people took out their phones to take pictures. Someone even shouted loudly, “We don’t know anything. You can’t just arrest us without any reason!”

Xing Conglian had been observing coldly all this time until a member of the Nao Kangning development team solemnly said, “He doesn’t have any relevant evidence. He’s just asking us to assist in the investigation. There’s nothing to fear.”

“Let me correct you on two points.” Xing Conglian didn’t stop the arrest operation but said, “First, this is not assistance in the investigation. The detention order has already been signed by the bureau chief. Second, instead of wasting time taking photos, it would be better for you to use your phones to search for keywords and see how many casualties have been caused by the medication your team has developed up until now. I suggest you don’t take it lightly.”

This was probably the longest sentence Xing Conglian had said since entering this office. He was serious, and when someone like Xing Conglian became serious, even if his tone was calm, it carried an irresistible authority.

As he spoke, several team members were already being escorted out of their seats. Most of them looked bewildered and didn’t seem to be feigning ignorance.

“There must be some problem here. Our Nao Kangning has undergone numerous animal experiments and several years of clinical trials. Since it passed the approval of the drug regulatory authority, it means the medication is completely safe. This is impossible. It’s impossible for the composition to be exactly the same!” A woman spoke rapidly, expressing her deep concern and nervousness. She appeared to be in her forties, perhaps a mother. “And even if you want an internal investigation, you need to give us some time!”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the team nodded in agreement, still holding onto a glimmer of hope.

“I’m afraid you haven’t understood the current situation,” Xing Conglian interrupted all protests once again. “I will reiterate: among you, some have known or heard about adverse reactions related to Nao Kangning, reported responsibly to their superiors, but received no response. Or some of you have received inquiries about the medication but couldn’t draw any conclusions and were required to keep it confidential. If any of these circumstances apply to you, you can choose to sit over there.” Xing Conglian finally revealed the truth about the twenty vacant seats. “The prosecution offers an opportunity for reduced punishment for the twenty individuals responsible for the related incidents. You all know how severe the impact of this event is. Following the precedent of cases of adverse reactions to vaccines, I guarantee that those responsible for the incidents will be sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison, not to mention the prohibition of employment. Are you all willing to jeopardize your livelihoods by sinking with this pharmaceutical company?”

Huang Ze suddenly looked up. He had thought Xing Conglian was genuinely investigating the case, but he hadn’t expected it to be a direct retaliation against Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

Starting from the bottom and toppling the top, Xing Conglian’s strategy couldn’t be clearer.

All the employees present began to look around, some focusing solely on themselves, others feigning indifference while keeping a close eye on their own thoughts. Some whispered to each other and secretly observed the twenty vacant seats. Each person had their own thoughts, contemplating and making judgments. In a subtle manner, Xing Conglian managed to unsettle the seemingly united employees.

Now, all that was left was for a leader to stand up, and the facade of false unity would crumble.

Huang Ze shifted his gaze to his Uncle Shi, knowing that his uncle wouldn’t let Xing Conglian have his way.

After contemplating for a few seconds, the ultimate decision-maker of the company finally spoke up, “Captain Xing, are you trying to incite our company’s employees to expose their superiors?”

Xing Conglian showed no intention of responding and simply leaned against the back of his chair, watching the Chairman.

His attitude was both unreasonable and arrogant, ultimately making everyone extremely uncomfortable.

However, in front of all the elite employees of the company, the Chairman of Zhourui showcased excellent acting skills. He let out a long sigh, stood up, and looked at Xing Conglian. “Since we have reached the point of whistleblowing, in the end, it is I who bears the responsibility. Captain Xing, just take me into custody directly and spare the others from any trouble.” The Chairman paused, then turned to address all the employees. “During our time working together at Zhourui, I want to express my gratitude for the dedication and hard work you have shown for the company, striving to overcome human diseases through research. I believe that none of you would turn a blind eye to the side effects of Nao Kangning. But I trust in all of you, while the police may not trust, or rather, cannot trust, because they need someone to hold responsible, and that someone can only be me. I have one request for all of you: please refrain from unnecessary infighting and damaging the relationships between colleagues and yourselves.”