Chapter 203: Cooperation

"Name.""...Xin Youquan.""Age.""Occupation.""Chief Physician at Frost Leaf Hospital.""When did you start harvesting organs for them?"

Inside the dim, cramped factory warehouse, Xin Youquan hung his head, silent.

On the small table in front of Wen Shilin, an automatic pen was writing down their conversation in a notebook, and as Xin Youquan fell silent, the pen's tip also stopped moving.

Wen Shilin's brow furrowed slightly. "Xin Youquan, at this point, do you still think you can hide what you've done?"

Xin Youquan's hands and feet were bound tightly, and he was curled up in a corner of the warehouse, still showing no intention of answering.

"...Or are you worried about retaliation from the Stars Chamber of Commerce if you speak?"

As Wen Shilin's next words came out, Xin Youquan's body trembled slightly, and he looked at Wen Shilin with a hint of surprise. "You know?"

"Two years ago, I found traces of suspected organ trafficking by the Stars Chamber of Commerce in the Seven Districts. However, information between the city and outside was not interconnected then, and all leads were broken, so even I couldn't fully gather evidence against them... But this time is different."

Wen Shilin spoke unhurriedly. "This time, you dared to act within Aurora City... You've left too many traces. Do you think you can get away unscathed? It's simply impossible."

"Even so, I have nothing to tell you."

"Do you think the Stars Chamber of Commerce will protect you if you keep their secrets? Do you know that if I hadn't brought you here, the Stars Chamber of Commerce would have already silenced you?" Wen Shilin's voice was perfectly calm.

"What?!" Xin Youquan was stunned. "No, that's impossible..."

"Impossible? You've worked with the Stars Chamber of Commerce; you should know their true nature. They might be fine when things are calm, but once they sense a risk, would they really let you live?"

Xin Youquan seemed to realize something, and his face turned ashen.

"It doesn't matter if you don't speak. Just now, when I interrogated... no, interviewed Qiu Dong, he told me everything he knew." Wen Shilin set the automatic pen aside, casually flipped forward a page in the notebook, which was filled with dense dialogue. "As the first to cooperate with the investigation, I will honor his request to withhold his name when making this public, to prevent his friends and family from knowing, and also to explain the situation to the law enforcement system, which should lead to a reduced sentence..."

"No, I brought Qiu Dong into this; he was only responsible for the surgeries!" Xin Youquan immediately interjected. "I've always been the liaison with the Stars Chamber of Commerce! I know far more than he does!"

"Oh?" Wen Shilin raised an eyebrow and placed the pen back on the notebook. "It seems, Mr. Xin, that you're willing to cooperate?"

A flicker of conflict crossed Xin Youquan's eyes, but he finally spoke: "What do you want to know?"

By the time Wen Shilin finished interviewing the last person, dawn was already breaking.

He sat alone at the factory entrance, holding a thick notebook, massaging his temples, his expression weary.

"Procurement outside the city, distribution within the city. The White Swan Charity Foundation... This young master, Yan Xishou, has dragged the entire business community of Aurora City into this... Even several high-ranking officials in law enforcement are involved."

"This is trouble..."

Wen Shilin knew clearly that one Stars Chamber of Commerce might not be terrifying, but the terrifying part was the other chains linked to its interests. Although he now had information, it was merely testimony, and trying to overturn everything with just that was almost impossible...

He needed more direct, more convincing evidence, but such evidence would surely be thoroughly concealed by the Stars Chamber of Commerce. Finding it on his own would be nearly impossible.

Just knowing the inside story without being able to prove it was a feeling Wen Shilin was all too familiar with. He had encountered this situation many times over the past few years while investigating other matters. Even though he knew there was a larger conspiracy behind it, he couldn't proceed further, and even an article exposing everything couldn't be smoothly published... His enemies never left him any vulnerabilities.

Wen Shilin didn't know how to explain it to Chen Ling. Perhaps he shouldn't have boasted in the first place.

"Where's Chen Ling?" Wen Shilin seemed to recall something and looked out of the factory with a puzzled expression.

He had been completely immersed in the in-depth interviews and had completely forgotten about Chen Ling going to get the camera. Only now did he suddenly remember that Chen Ling had been gone all night and hadn't returned...

Wen Shilin, a man who had weathered many storms, immediately sensed something was wrong. He abruptly sat up from the factory floor, and just as he was about to leave, he took half a step and then retreated.

First, he took off his overcoat, then took Xin Youquan's padded jacket, and put on another person's scarf to cover half his face. After confirming it would be difficult to recognize him from a distance, he hurried towards his home.

The cold wind of dawn brushed Wen Shilin's cheeks, temporarily suppressing a night's fatigue. At this moment, his heart was in his throat, as he cautiously observed his surroundings, praying that Chen Ling was alright.

Finally, his familiar residential building appeared at the end of the road.

Wen Shilin's gaze swept over the scene, and he saw a group of local residents and neighbors gathered around the fourth floor, where his home was. There were even a few uniformed law enforcers. His heart sank.

"This is bad."

Wen Shilin hurried to his doorstep and saw a group of people pointing at the corridor floor. A massive, cracked crater had almost smashed through the entire floorboard, looking like something no human could have done.

The surrounding citizens were all very shocked, seemingly unable to understand how this had happened. In contrast, the law enforcers nearby were a little too calm, perfunctorily jotting down two notes before waving their hands and saying: "It's just too cold, which caused the floor to crack... Disperse, disperse, there's nothing to see here."

As the crowd was dispersed, Wen Shilin didn't step forward either, but instead lowered his head and blended into the crowd, gradually moving away from the area.

He knew that something must have happened there last night, and judging by the law enforcers' reactions, it was likely related to the Stars Chamber of Commerce... Chen Ling's disappearance was also undoubtedly connected to this.

The Stars Chamber of Commerce actually deployed Divine Path Holders against them?

This thought made Wen Shilin uneasy. Although he had been pursued and targeted for assassination many times over the past few years, those who acted against him were mostly ordinary people... After all, in Aurora City, all native Divine Path Holders would be promoted to law enforcement officers and were restricted by the system. Even outsiders were strictly supervised. The fact that the Stars Chamber of Commerce deployed outsiders this time indicated they were determined to eliminate him.

Wen Shilin knew his situation was dangerous, but he was even more worried about Chen Ling... Chen Ling had been completely dragged into this by him!

Law enforcement officers were full of people connected to the Stars Chamber of Commerce, so calling the police was certainly not an option. But besides that route, who else could he ask for help to save Chen Ling?

Names flashed anxiously through Wen Shilin's mind. Finally, one name suddenly stood out.

The Divine Doctor, Chu Muyun.