Chapter 257: Grade 1 Carcinogen

"Tell me, why did you choose to live in seclusion in Sanwu Town? It can't be such a coincidence that the Feng family is also in Sanwu Town and has such a subtle connection to my family." Qi Fei continued to press, unmoved.

Zhong Kui said gloomily, "Qi Fei, everything I have done is to eliminate Xi He. You must stand on my side, otherwise, the fate of my family will be the fate of Qi Dongjun."

Qi Fei knew she was right. He also knew that Zhong Kui was using him. It felt as if sharp claws were tearing at his soul, bringing with them an indescribable pain.

"I only want to stand on the side of justice," he said through gritted teeth, but all he got in return was a contemptuous smile from Zhong Kui.

"Justice? Justice cannot save my family, nor can it save Qi Dongjun." She said, tilting her head slightly, "Xi He hasn't left you much time."

"You are trying to divert my attention." Qi Fei remained unmoved.

"No, I am merely stating a fact." Zhong Kui responded, then immediately pressed, "The starting point, the starting point of everything, Qi Fei."

Qi Fei gave Zhong Kui a meaningful look and ran back without another word.

Along the narrow path, everything was as if time were rewinding.

He found Zhao Hongda, held up the passport of Li Yang'er that had just been seized, and asked, "Many people in the clothing market back then knew Li Yang'er was going to emigrate. Do you know which country she was emigrating to? The United States? Canada?"

"No, no, she said she was going to Southeast Asia. Li Yang'er was a woman with a strong sense of career. She went abroad for business, saying she had saved money and planned to build a factory there," Zhao Hongda said.

Qi Fei flipped through the information on the passport: "No wonder Li Yang'er's entry and exit records were all for places like Vietnam and Myanmar."

The others arrived shortly after. As soon as Qi Fei saw Wu Shanqiu, he instructed, "Contact Xu Tong immediately. I have questions for him."

The location for this meeting was not at Dongjun Industrial. The previous investigation, which had been conducted under wraps, had caused quite a stir at Dongjun Industrial. Rumors about Qi Dongjun were rampant, and it looked like it was about to brew into a significant disturbance.

The meeting with Xu Tong took place at the hospital. Compared to last time, he looked even more haggard and weak.

"Actually, I was diagnosed with cancer a long time ago. Only President Qi knew about my condition. So, although I was one of the first members to follow President Qi, I haven't been involved in the company's management for many years. Thanks to President Qi's care over these years, he has always paid me a Vice President's annual salary, which gave me enough money to treat my illness and live until now. Sigh, but I know the situation this time; no amount of money can save me." Xu Tong leaned against the hospital bed, speaking weakly, seemingly having accepted his fate.

"I'm sorry, Old Xu, but we still have some questions we need to ask you." Qi Fei pulled up a chair and sat in front of Xu Tong's bed. "Old Xu, do you remember where Qi Dongjun used to go on business trips back then?"

"President Qi traveled all over the country for sales. If you're asking where he went the most, it should be the Yuanxi area," Xu Tong said.

"Yuanxi..." Qi Fei murmured.

In his ears was Zhong Kui's shaman-like, bewitching voice: "If I remember correctly, Yuanxi has the only pier in the country where one can travel to and from Vietnam by boat. The batch of materials Qi Dongjun brought to Xu Tong back then had salt stains from seawater on them. Li Yang'er's passport recorded multiple trips between Vietnam and Myanmar. You know what this means."

"That place is the starting point of everything, the starting point of the crime," Qi Fei murmured.

"I know Xi He too well. He will spare no cost to realize the things he has designed. Hmph, this is also his weakness," Zhong Kui said. "It's time to take a trip to Yuanxi."

Before leaving, Zhong Kui suddenly turned around and asked Xu Tong a question:

"By the way, I remember you saying you saw some English markings on the fabric. Can you still recall the specific content?"

Xu Tong shook his head: "I'm just a tailor; I don't know English at all. How would I remember?"

"G, H, S, C, 1," Zhong Kui said, letter by letter.

Xu Tong opened his eyes wide in surprise: "It seems there was such a string of letters, G something, mixed in with that English, but it appeared often. How did you know?"

Zhong Kui smiled meaningfully: "Nothing. I think you can take the money Qi Dongjun gave you with peace of mind to treat your illness. This is him atoning for his sins."

Under Xu Tong's puzzled gaze, Zhong Kui was the last to leave the room.

"What did you talk to Xu Tong about just now?" Outside the ward, Qi Fei kept an eye on every move Zhong Kui made.

Zhong Kui glanced at him: "You don't need to be so nervous. I just found Xu Tong to confirm a suspicion of mine."

"What suspicion?"

"A businessman who has been shrewd his whole life suddenly acts textbook-perfect in showing gratitude, spending a huge sum to treat his employee's terminal illness. If it wasn't to set a persona among other subordinates to increase his prestige, then there must be another reason. But Xu Tong said that only he and Qi Dongjun knew about his illness in the group, so there is only the second possibility—guilt."

"Guilt? Could it be that Xu Tong got cancer from overwork?"

"Heh, I hope I won't hear such ignorant words from you a second time, Officer Qi," Zhong Kui said contemptuously. "Fabric is not considered a rare item among smuggled goods. You might say that one can earn more money through smuggling, but don't forget, your father saved up his first pot of gold directly through this deal and has been prosperous ever since. Why?"

Qi Fei was speechless. In fact, this was also a question that had lingered in his mind during the investigation.

Clearly, this question already had an answer for Zhong Kui.

"This must be a business with ten thousand percent profit, heh, or zero cost. I just asked Xu Tong if there were the letters GHSC1 on it, and he confirmed it."

"What does GHSC1 mean?"

"A Grade 1 carcinogen," Zhong Kui said expressionlessly. "I did a little research. When dyeing fabrics, black workshops in places like Vietnam and Myanmar often use cheap formaldehyde instead of regular colorants. Once it exceeds the limit, what is dyed is highly carcinogenic toxic fabric. This kind of fabric, let alone being imported into the country, is marked as a Grade 1 carcinogen and processed even if it is discovered locally in Vietnam or Myanmar."

Zhong Kui's words were like a thunderclap, leaving Qi Fei stunned and at a loss: "You mean, Old Xu got cancer because he handled this kind of toxic fabric for a long time?"

"Heh, guess why your father never shared trade matters with Xu Tong? An honest tailor was sent to a dead end just like that. Oh, of course, whether he knew about this is still unknown. To go to Yuanxi, the fastest flight takes five hours, and you still have to transfer to the border." Zhong Kui checked the time as if watching a show, "And Xi He has only left you two days."