Sisi hurriedly rushed to the Green Ho office, which was actually a small courtyard contributed by Sisi herself. It served both as an office and a place to provide accommodation for so staff from out of town.
"What’s going on? Xiao Wang, explain it again carefully." Sisi asked a young girl who looked distressed.
Xiao Wang was a recent university graduate, considered a full-ti staff mber of the Federation. The Federation had a total of five full-ti employees. Xiao Zhang from yesterday was one of them, along with a finance person and two administrative staff mbers.
Xiao Wang worked internally at the office, mainly answering the phone and keeping records, while Xiao Zhang and the other two staffers worked externally and were generally not at ho.
Xiao Zhang was in the Capital City these past days because most of the photos for the exhibition were taken by him. He had discovered a pesticide company in H City, F Province, that was a joint venture between the local governnt and R Country.
This company used outdated technology and equipnt that had been discarded by R Country, producing pesticides that had long been banned there. R Country had transferred this technology to Z Country and even set up a joint venture pesticide company in F Province—Yinong Company, specializing in producing this pesticide code-nad ’HM’ (let’s use letters to represent it).
Xiao Zhang learned about this company through a tip-off from an informant, a local fruit farr’s wife in H City, F Province. Her husband used ’HM’ to spray their fruit trees last sumr. A few hours after spraying, he experienced headaches and nausea and passed away before reaching the hospital. Other farrs in their village also died from using this pesticide, and those who survived were severely hard.
The families of these deceased farrs received only ager compensation from Yinong Company, and despite their protests, nobody helped them. The governnt ignored them and labeled them as troublemakers, while local thugs frequently harassed and intimidated them.
Frightened, these honest farrs resigned themselves to stop making trouble. The farr’s wife who called was in utter despair, and it was her eldest son, still in junior high, who suggested they call Green Ho, hoping it might help.
Thus, Xiao Zhang went to H City, F Province.
After investigating and confirming the farr’s wife didn’t exaggerate, Xiao Zhang, with the villagers’ help, took many photos of Yinong Company. He even disguised himself as a local villager to enter the factory, capturing images of the outdated equipnt and the production activities of the workshop workers.
Most of this exhibition consisted of Xiao Zhang’s photos and so patients’ dical records and autopsy reports provided by the family mbers. Though they were intimidated, they still hoped for soone to stand up and seek justice for them.
The five-day exhibition stirred up a storm in society, drawing fierce condemnation from the public, making it highly effective.
Unexpectedly, just as the exhibition ended, sothing happened to Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu. Could it be related to this exhibition?
"Mr. He, Brother Zhang has been sleeping with the past few days. Last night he didn’t co back until eleven, and I thought he was busy at the exhibition hall, so I slept without waiting for him. But this morning I realized Brother Zhang hadn’t returned all night, and then Xiao Liu didn’t show up for work. Sister Wang called Xiao Liu’s ho and found out Xiao Liu was also out all night. That’s when we realized sothing was wrong and called you, Mr. He."
The speaker was a young man with a baby face nad Shi Lei, whom everyone called Leizi. He had two small canine teeth. He and Xiao Liu were schoolmates, both voluntary students working at Green Ho—a passionate and lovable boy.
Sisi checked her watch; it was already ten in the morning. If sothing happened to Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu, it must have been between nine and midnight, when the streets were quieter and easier to act upon.
But why were they tidying up so late before going ho?
It was all her fault; she should have reminded them more at the ti. Sisi felt overwhelming guilt.
"Xiao Wang, stay here. Leizi, co with to look for them." Acting swiftly, Sisi grabbed Shi Lei and rushed out.
Sisi first went to the Police Station. In recent years, because Green Ho had appeared more in public, Sisi had beco sowhat of a public figure, known as the environntal activist granddaughter from Yun Mansion.
Although Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu hadn’t been missing for 48 hours, Sisi’s influence was significant, and more importantly, she had connections, so the local Police Station still helped Sisi search for them.
Sisi and Shi Lei also drove to look for them. They first went to the exhibition hall, where they were told the two had left around seven.
"At seven, it would still be bright. Generally speaking, the main road should be safe. Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu shouldn’t have any issues, right?" Sisi muttered to herself.
Shi Lei opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say sothing, but hesitated.
"Hurry up and say it." Sisi shot him a glance.
Shi Lei shrunk his neck and quickly said, "Brother Zhang and Xiao Liu might be dating. Perhaps they went for a walk or to a movie, which led to them being late, and then..."
These two are dating?
Sisi was startled by this news, but with more urgent matters at hand, she had no ti to dwell on it.
In this light, it seed likely Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu ran into trouble because they were late returning from a date.
The most important thing now was to find them. Who knew what had happened? Could their lives be in danger?
She fervently hoped the two lovebirds were just sowhere private, whispering sweet nothings to each other, though Sisi knew the likelihood of that was slim.
Her unease grew stronger. She and Shi Lei had scoured almost every nook and cranny of the Capital City. But the only clue they found at a cinema was that the two youths had watched a movie.
That was all they had.
During this ti, Sisi’s pager buzzed; it was a call from Xiao Wang. Sisi found a public phone to return the call. Xiao Wang said Xiao Liu’s parents had shown up at the office, crying and demanding that Green Ho return their daughter.
Sisi felt a headache coming on. She turned the car back toward the office, knowing that a young girl like Xiao Wang couldn’t handle two distraught middle-aged people on her own.
After finally calming Xiao Liu’s parents, Sisi felt utterly drained, even feeling discomfort in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since rushing here after getting out of bed; she had skipped two als by now.
She asked Xiao Wang to cook so noodles for her and Shi Lei to fill their stomachs, planning to continue their search after eating. At the very least, they needed to find them alive or confirm their fates if they had passed.
Sisi had already prepared for the worst-case scenario!
Just as Sisi was halfway through her bowl of noodles, a call from the Police Station ca through, saying Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu had been found and had been taken to the hospital.
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