"That's right, with our team leader around, the city definitely needs to learn!"

"You brat, that's enough..."

Luo Fei laughed and scolded.

"Since you're all so confident, let's solve the toughest mystery among these unsolved cases, the chemical plant personnel disappearance case."

As soon as he said this, everyone looked long-faced, and even Liao Xingyu felt a bit troubled, with a bitter smile.

"Team Leader Luo, this might be a bit tricky, how about we choose a different one first so we can proceed gradually."

Unexpectedly, Luo Fei looked very serious.

"What are you afraid of? I see everyone is full of vigor and even joking with me, which shows the enthusiasm for solving cases is high."

Then it was other people's turn to be awkward, and Zhang Wei and the others were dumbfounded. They didn't expect the team leader to give them such a tough case right away. The chemical plant personnel disappearance case is not simply complex; it caused a huge uproar at that time and remains a nightmare for many involved.

"Alright, let's settle it then."

Zhao Donglai glanced at Luo Fei, the meaning in their eyes was clear.

"Since we plan to handle this matter, we need to handle it splendidly. Although this case has no leads, as long as we have confidence, even if it's a stone, we'll chisel through it!"

These words of motivation and encouragement only made the others' awkward smiles even more pronounced.

A few hours later, Zhou Fan, who was out investigating, returned.

Upon hearing Luo Fei and the others were tackling the chemical plant disappearance, he became interested.

Back then, Zhou Fan was leading the investigation, and the entire fourth team was quite confident, but since no results came out, they could only label it an unsolved case.

This left the whole fourth team confused and puzzled for quite a while... and now it was being chosen by Luo Fei.

This indeed was a good sign!

"Let me tell you about the general situation; the reason this unsolved case is tricky is due to the outrageous number of people involved—the entire seven-member crew of one workshop vanished, including one accountant and the project manager."

Nine people disappeared? Luo Fei was a bit dumbfounded; this was exaggerated!

He only knew the case was significant, but since no leads could be found, not even a direction to investigate, it was labeled as an unsolved case.

The city bureau gave explicit instructions to investigate thoroughly, even considering forming a task force, but were compelled to shelve it given the circumstances.

They studied the matter for a month, almost flipping the chemical plant upside down, but still found no leads.

Then Zhou Fan took out his phone and began recounting his findings and progress to the others.

"Longke Chemical is considered one of the larger chemical plants in Jiangzhou City, thanks to its long-term partnerships with municipal units, its productivity and development trends have always been good."

"Four months ago, the plant manager and workshop head reported to the police that there were missing people inside the workshop—seven crew members, one accountant, along with the project manager vanished, but there were no records from the surveillance cameras or the factory's external electronic eyes."

As he said this, Zhou Fan's face turned serious.

"Next, I'll tell you the clues we've gathered."

"There weren't no surveillance records; they were deleted. We tried to recover them, but all the data had been taken, from the production area to the dormitory buildings, from the workshop to specific parts outside the chemical plant; everything was gone."

Luo Fei felt curious upon hearing this and was about to ask, but Zhou Fan raised his hand to stop him, indicating for him to let him finish.

"I know what you're thinking, the person who deleted the surveillance footage is indeed highly suspicious, but based on our investigation, there are two people capable of doing this: the project manager and the director of the technical department."

"The project manager has already disappeared, and the director of the technical department knows nothing about this because he was visiting relatives hundreds of kilometers away from his hometown before the report. We checked the entry and exit records, no issues."

With the information provided by Zhou Fan, Luo Fei and the others fell into deep thought, and Zhao Donglai's expression turned solemn.

Criminal investigations don't fear difficulties and complexities; they fear having no leads.

This was the most challenging obstacle!

"Anyway, let's first take a look at the scene; although it's been over four months, there should still be some clues."

Luo Fei also raised his head.

Absolutely, no matter what happens, one can't be intimidated by difficulties. Sitting idly and talking is no match for taking action. One must be proactive to ultimately succeed!

Now, he was no ordinary person; unless there were truly no hints, he'd definitely find something!

For this operation, only Luo Fei led the whole team, accompanied by Zhou Fan and the others who had initially handled the case.

Zhao Donglai and Liao Xingyu provided logistical support and data retrieval.

Arriving outside Longke Chemical Factory, Luo Fei was shocked.

The place was still in operation—even amidst such a major incident of nine people disappearing—it had resumed work.

"What's going on?"

Luo Fei looked at Zhou Fan beside him, visibly stunned.

"This place indeed has connections with municipal projects; additionally, production progress during special times cannot be delayed, so they had to resume operations first. However, due to the mysterious disappearance, the whole factory has been designated as the crime scene and can't be completely controlled."

"Hmm, makes sense."

The group then proceeded inside, when suddenly the nearby elderly gatekeeper greeted them.

"Hey, comrades, why are you back again?"

Zhou Fan had been here before, so he was recognized, and he warmly clasped the man's hand, asking about the purpose of this visit.

It was clear he was an enthusiastic old man.

But during such a special time, none of them had the mind to chat.

"Sir, we're here to understand what's going on, who's in charge of the chemical factory now?"

"Who else could it be? Supervisor Ning. The factory manager has gone north to negotiate business."

"To put it mildly, since that incident, Supervisor Ning has changed; maybe it was too much of a blow."

The old man always spoke in a chatty tone, never far from complaints.

Luo Fei glanced at Zhou Fan beside him, who provided an explanation.

"Supervisor Ning's real name is Ning Zitao, he was the previous workshop manager and material supervisor for the main tank area. His brother is the project manager Ning Zidong who disappeared."

"Hmm, there's such a connection..."

Luo Fei increasingly felt this matter wasn't simple; aside from the relationships within, making nine people vanish instantly wasn't easy either.

"Sir, may I ask you something?"

Luo Fei leaned in.

"Have there been any other accidents or unusual occurrences in the factory since then? Please think carefully."

"Other accidents?"

The old man thought seriously for a moment then shook his head.

"There haven't been any. People are wondering if the factory is haunted or if something happened to those missing people outside and they've returned to the factory as spirits, but everything is normal, frustrating everyone. It makes me feel uneasy."

Upon hearing the old man's account, Luo Fei and Zhang Wei exchanged glances.

There was definitely something abnormal about this!

Ordinary people might be bothered by superstitions, and more just seek psychological comfort—now that nothing happened, it instead made them feel unsettled...

At this moment, Luo Fei was the first to suggest.

"Let's start from the top, check out the project manager's office first, and then explore the site; maybe we'll uncover new findings."

"Alright, follow me."

Having investigated here for a month, Zhou Fan naturally knew his way around, leading the group into the factory, all the way to the third-floor office.

What surprised Luo Fei was that the chemical plant's raw material storage area and reaction tank area were in front of the office area.

As for the office area, behind it were the canteen and dormitory areas.

The front and back positions seemed odd!

In Luo Fei's understanding, office areas should be at the front or the side to facilitate evacuation if chemical leaks or dangers occur, but here the arrangement was obviously opposite.

Thus, entering or exiting the office area required passing through the chemical workshop, which was too cumbersome.

Most importantly, it wasn't safe.

This was the first odd phenomenon he discovered!

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