Chapter 184: Cooperation

Wen Shilin proactively brought up Ice Spring Street, which was exactly what Chen Ling wanted.

The young man in the photo was actually a stranger whose appearance Chen Ling had transformed for the photograph, not Chen Yan himself. After all, if survivors from District Three saw Chen Yan's photo, it would be easy for them to make a personal connection to him. He only needed to convey the crucial information, and the most important piece of that puzzle was "Ice Spring Street."

"Yes, I only heard about these things later... According to Doctor Chu, when he found my brother, it wasn't just his heart; he... he..."

Chen Ling's face gradually paled, and his fists clenched uncontrollably, as if he was too pained to continue speaking.

Chu Muyun caught Chen Ling's eye and cooperatively continued:

"It wasn't just his heart; all of the child's valuable organs had been taken, leaving his whole body empty... To do something like that to a child is utterly inhumane."

Wen Shilin fell silent.

Chen Ling, sitting opposite him, could see an uncontrolled fury rising in Wen Shilin's eyes. He seemed to have fully immersed himself in Chen Ling's role, his breathing becoming heavy.

"No matter who did this, I won't let them get away with it... I swore I would get justice for that child." A murderous glint flashed in Chen Ling's eyes.

"So, you resigned from Doctor Chu's?"

"Exactly." Chen Ling took several deep breaths, finally calming his emotions, and continued,

"I originally wanted to go to District Two to investigate this, but before I could even leave, the Seven Districts were destroyed... Doctor Chu said that the surgical marks on my brother's body were exceptionally precise, and the method used to preserve the organs didn't seem achievable with the medical standards of the Seven Districts. So, there's a high probability his organs ended up circulating within Aurora City.

I wanted to personally investigate every hospital in Aurora City, hoping to find some clues..."

Hearing this, Wen Shilin largely connected the dots regarding the sequence of events. The facts bore many similarities to his all-night speculations, and at the same time, the image of "Lin Yan" in his mind rapidly became richer and more complete.

A young man who had learned Sanda, remained calm in the face of trouble, and valued loyalty and righteousness, had a goal he was determined to achieve no matter what: to bring to justice those who had removed his brother's organs... For this, he was willing to give up the secure position with the renowned Doctor Chu and face countless rejections at various hospitals.

Wen Shilin greatly admired Chen Ling. The last young man he had truly admired was A-Cheng... Unfortunately, everything about A-Cheng was a lie, a deception concocted for him.

But this time, Wen Shilin believed he wouldn't misjudge Lin Yan.

"Lin Yan," Wen Shilin said earnestly, "Although your intentions are good, you're approaching this in the wrong way..."

Chen Ling was startled. "What do you mean?"

"It's understandable that you'd look for your brother's organs in hospitals; after all, that's where organ transplants are most frequent in Aurora City, and where there's the most demand... But have you considered who would be capable of establishing an organ trafficking network outside the city and then quietly moving them into the city?"

Chen Ling's brow furrowed slightly. He thought carefully for a moment. "Law enforcement officers... or people with close ties to them?"

There was an absolute barrier between Aurora City and the Seven Districts. Entry into Aurora City from outside was extremely strict for anyone, let alone goods. Organs, unlike industrial raw materials or finished products, require extremely stringent conditions for transport. It would be impossible to get them into Aurora City without passing through law enforcement...

Chen Ling originally had no concept of the situation within Aurora City, but with Wen Shilin's hint, he immediately grasped the core of the problem. Organ transport on this scale couldn't be carried out by the so-called underworld figures lurking in the shadows.

Wen Shilin did not deny it. He looked deeply at Chen Ling and continued,

"In my earlier years, I also conducted some investigations into this matter. Although the leads eventually ran dry, frankly, I can largely guess the forces involved behind it... This entire industry chain is backed by a behemoth that neither you nor I can contend with.

And hospitals are places with many people and many watchful eyes. If they wanted to dispose of those organs, they certainly wouldn't arrange it in such a bustling place... No matter how much you search for clues in hospitals, you won't find any results."

Chen Ling remained silent, a timely look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

Wen Shilin truly lived up to his reputation as a journalist specializing in uncovering Aurora City's dark secrets. His nose for such matters was incredibly sharp, and he possessed a vast amount of information—exactly what Chen Ling desired.

Wen Shilin's voice rang out again:

"Lin Yan, if you wish to pursue this path, the dangers you'll face might be beyond your imagination... Do you truly want to continue investigating?"

"Yes." Chen Ling answered without hesitation, his voice icy cold. "No matter who took my brother... I will make them pay."

Wen Shilin nodded slightly. His groundwork was largely complete, and now, he finally stated his ultimate objective:

"In that case, why don't we cooperate?"

"Cooperate?"

"You've already resigned from your nursing assistant job with the renowned Doctor Chu and haven't been hired by other hospitals. Since that's the case, why not simply join me in investigating this matter? Although our salaries as journalists aren't as high as doctors', having this identity would be very convenient for investigations."

*Plop.*

A plump carp leaped from the pond in the courtyard, flopping onto the bank. Chu Muyun watched it with a sympathetic gaze, letting out a long sigh.

Chen Ling sat there in a daze, seemingly tempted, but still frowned as he spoke:

"But you also said this is very dangerous... Mr. Wen, if you investigate with me, wouldn't that drag you into it too? Besides, I don't know how to write articles and I've never been a journalist, so this..."

"Dangerous?" Wen Shilin chuckled. "When the time comes, it's hard to say who will drag whom into danger... As for other matters, you needn't worry. Whether it's a press card or other formalities, I'll take care of communicating with the newspaper for you."

Chen Ling struggled with the decision for a long time, but finally made up his mind and nodded heavily:

"Alright, then let's do as Mr. Wen says."

Wen Shilin was overjoyed. He immediately stood up and said, "Wait for me here. I'll go take care of things with the newspaper for you... I'll have your press card sorted out by tomorrow at the latest."

He didn't even wait to finish speaking before rushing out the gate, his figure disappearing at the end of the road in a flash.

Chu Muyun stood by the door, gazing deeply in the direction Wen Shilin had left. He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to Chen Ling. "Tsk... Is it really alright for you to use him like this?"

Chen Ling's plastered hand twitched slightly, instantly returning to normal. He casually caught the tossed gold coin and smiled faintly.

"Use him? No, this is called 'cooperation'."