204: Chapter 204 The reporter directly challenges Kang Jianshe
Jiangcheng City Police Bureau News Reception Hall.
Although there were still ten minutes before the press conference began, the entire hall was already bustling with people.
In addition to local TV stations and various media outlets, there were more than a hundred content creators present to livestream the event.
The news of the tanker truck accident had hit the trending searches long ago. Coupled with the mysterious disappearance of the child, the entire case was shrouded in a veil of mystery, and netizens had joined the investigation, speculating about the child's whereabouts.
Some netizens had previously proposed the theory that the tanker truck might be hiding drugs.
But the truth of the matter far exceeded the imagination of the onlookers.
Because the case was so significant—seven people had died, from Xie Yongxing to the Tan Brothers—not only did Gu Wenhai attend the press conference, but even the municipal party secretary, Kang Jianshe, was personally present.
Wan Qiang, the leader of the Special Task Force, had consistently opposed closing the case and did not attend the press conference.
Thus, the task of reporting the case details naturally fell to the deputy leader, Captain Li Liang.
Meanwhile, Wan Qiang went to investigate the [Lin Miaozhen's Falling Case].
He knew very well that if he couldn't prove that Kang Minghao was responsible for Lin Miaozhen's fall, Lei Zhen would have to continue hiding like a rat forever, which was not a sustainable solution.
Having been given this chance to shine, Captain Li Liang was in high spirits.
After all, Wan Qiang hadn't managed the tanker truck case much, leaving almost all of it to him and Lei Zhen. Now that Lei Zhen had fled, the credit for the case naturally fell under his name.
Before the press conference even started, his team members came forward to congratulate him.
Captain Li Liang was thick-skinned; although he wasn't the one who found Xie Xiaoyu, he gladly accepted his colleagues' congratulations.
The press conference was hosted by Zhu Lin, the head of the Municipal Bureau's media department. In addition, the municipal party secretary Kang Jianshe and Deputy Director Zhu Wenbin were also in attendance.
At 3:00 PM, the leaders took their seats, and the press conference officially began.
"Respected friends from the media, good afternoon!
I am Zhu Lin, the spokesperson for the Jiangcheng City Police Bureau's news office. First, on behalf of the municipal party committee and the municipal government, I would like to extend a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all the media friends attending today's conference.
Today, we are here primarily to brief you on the relevant situation regarding the [8/12 Tanker Truck Overturning Case] and to answer questions from the media.
After the 8/12 Tanker Truck Overturning Case occurred, the municipal party committee, the municipal government, and even provincial leaders attached great importance to it.
Our city's police bureau also took swift action, implementing a series of emergency measures and evacuating the crowd immediately, further controlling the threat the toxic gas posed to nearby residents.
At the same time, our Jiangcheng City Criminal Investigation Team immediately established a Special Task Force, with Comrade Wan Qiang serving as the leader and Comrade Captain Li Liang as the deputy leader.
Through our continuous efforts, we successfully captured the criminal suspect Zhang Liang on the 22nd of this month and located his other accomplice, Wang Rui.
Regrettably, Zhang Liang and his accomplice, Wang Rui, committed suicide one after another out of fear of punishment.
Through our efforts, on the 28th of this month, the missing child from the truck, [Xie Xiaoyu], was successfully rescued by our police. He is currently recovering at the Municipal People's Hospital, and his health is gradually improving.
Additionally, the brothers Tan Erhu and Tan Dalong, who kidnapped Xie Xiaoyu, along with their mistress, all died from poisoning. This has been confirmed by the victim, Xie Xiaoyu. As for the reason, it is likely they knew their deeds would eventually be exposed and chose to take their own lives.
Based on our careful investigation, we have basically determined that this was a malicious child trafficking case. Zhang Liang, Wang Rui, Tan Dalong, Tan Erhu, and Tan Erhu's mistress, Hu Xiaoqin, were all participants in this case.
However, since the five criminal suspects have committed suicide, it has been decided not to pursue criminal liability.
Now it is time for questions from the press, which will be answered by the person in charge of this case, Captain Li Liang."
After finishing the opening remarks, the spokesperson handed the microphone to Captain Li Liang, who was sitting next to her.
Captain Li Liang looked triumphant, completely unaware of what he was about to face.
Meanwhile, the number of netizens watching the livestream had surpassed one million.
Even before the reporters could ask, the livestream chat was already buzzing.
[What's going on? They're all dead? Only the kidnapped kid survived?]
[I feel like something's not right. Why did all these people commit suicide?]
[Exactly, they didn't even explain clearly how or where they died.]
[What about the rumors of drugs hidden in the tanker? No explanation?]
[What's there to explain? Don't you see Kang Jianshe sitting on the stage? I heard that tanker truck was hauling sulfuric acid for Xichuan Chemical Industry, and Secretary Kang's son is the boss of Xichuan Chemical Industry.]
[No wonder Kang Jianshe is personally attending the press conference as the municipal party secretary; he's here to keep things under control!]
Netizens were discussing fervently, and the reporters below the stage raised their hands high.
Captain Li Liang randomly pointed to a girl.
The girl stood up and said, "Hello, Captain Li. I am a reporter from Jiangcheng City TV Station. I would like to ask about the rumors of drugs hidden in the tanker truck. Has the police found anything regarding this?"
Captain Li said, "Netizens certainly have wild imaginations, but I can tell you with certainty that this was an ordinary child trafficking case and has no connection to drugs whatsoever."
"Since it's a trafficking case, there must be a buyer for the child. Otherwise, who would they sell the child to? Has the Special Task Force clarified this point?"
Captain Li said calmly, "We are still investigating that."
The girl was about to ask something else, but Captain Li quickly pointed to the next person.
This time, it was another girl who stood up.
"Captain Li, the spokesperson mentioned earlier that several suspects committed suicide one after another. However, it's clear that Zhang Liang died after being captured by the police bureau. So, how did he die? Does the police bear any responsibility for this?"
Captain Li was stunned; he hadn't expected this girl's question to be even more tricky.
"It's like this: Zhang Liang committed suicide in the detention center by biting into drugs hidden in his teeth. As for responsibility, we indeed had issues with improper supervision. The municipal detention center has conducted a profound self-reflection on this matter, and the relevant personnel have received appropriate disciplinary action."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked.
The livestream chat exploded instantly.
"Drugs hidden in teeth? Human traffickers are that hardcore now? That kind of plot only exists in TV shows, right?"
"Since he was just a human trafficker, why would he commit suicide?"
"Yeah, and all his accomplices committed suicide too? Are human traffickers that afraid of prison?"
"I feel like there's something fishy going on; nothing makes sense."
The girl continued, "Then what about the other suspects? How did they die?"
Captain Li said, "Wang Rui hanged himself at home, while the Tan Brothers and their mistress Hu Xiaoqin poisoned themselves by putting potassium chloride in their breakfast."
The audience began buzzing with discussion again.
"If they were going to poison themselves to death, why bother eating breakfast? Wouldn't taking the poison directly be the same?"
"Maybe it doesn't taste as bad when mixed with breakfast?"
"I don't care how they died, I just can't understand why they all chose suicide."
Captain Li called on a boy to ask a question.
The boy stood up and said, "Hello, Officer Li. Some people online are saying this case is related to Kang Minghao, the son of the municipal party secretary, Secretary Kang. Is this rumor true?"
As soon as this question was asked, Kang Jianshe, who was sitting on the stage, slammed the table and stood up.
"Which organization are you from? I'm telling you right now, the internet is not a lawless place. Anyone who spreads rumors or slanders will be severely punished by the law."
Due to his son losing his reproductive ability, Kang Jianshe had been very irritable lately. Upon hearing someone mention Kang Minghao, he lost his temper on the spot.
But the reporter showed no fear. "Secretary Kang, I am Li Chuan, a reporter from Mingri Toutiao. I agree with what you said, but this case clearly has many suspicious points. For example, the Tan Brothers ran a KTV and a bath center, with combined assets exceeding a hundred million.
Their businesses brought them millions in net profit every month. So why would they take such a huge risk to kidnap a ten-year-old child?
Furthermore, according to online rumors, the Tan Brothers were very close to your son. Netizens have even provided photos of them dining together. Can you explain this?"
The reporter's words left his colleagues in awe. They all looked at him with admiration on their faces.
Indeed, for a mere reporter to dare challenge the municipal party secretary like this, and even announce his organization beforehand, he was incredibly bold.
Kang Jianshe was so furious that he had barely sat down before slamming the table and standing up again.
"Online comments have no credibility at all! No one should talk nonsense here without concrete evidence! And you, get out of here immediately!!! By the way, which organization did you say you were from?"
The man held his head high and said, "I'm from Mingri Toutiao. What about it?"
Kang Jianshe said, "Mingri Toutiao, is it? Fine. Tomorrow, I'll have the relevant departments summon your boss for a talk."
"Go ahead and summon him, who's afraid of you?" The man showed no fear. "I have no interest in attending this so-called press conference that's just trying to cover things up anyway!!"
With that, he turned and walked away with a swagger.
Meanwhile, an executive from Mingri Toutiao who was watching the livestream was dumbfounded.
"Holy crap, this guy isn't an employee of Mingri Toutiao at all. I recognize him—he's from Qiandu!!!"