Simulation Game: Crisis Management

Chapter 591 - 268: Crucial Clue

"Mr. Jin, is there a problem?"

Seeing Gu Ji staring into the central rearview mirror, Cui Ridou asked subconsciously.

Gu Ji squinted his eyes, "That car has been following me for a long time, hang on."

As soon as he finished speaking, he floored the gas pedal, quickly distancing himself from the black Hyundai sedan. After a few traffic lights, he shook off the "tail" cleanly.

An hour and a half later.

He finally arrived at Park Baomei’s house.

Due to the MERS incident, all colleges nationwide have implemented shutdowns, so students are basically studying at home.

Park Baomei’s house was located south of the city of Pingze, in a secluded alley, surrounded by a courtyard.

Gu Ji knocked on the door.

Immediately, the sound of a barking dog came from the yard.

"Ham! Stop barking."

Gu Ji heard someone walking over from inside the yard, opening the door. It was a middle-aged woman wearing a gray long gown, her hair tied up, "Who are you..."

"Ms. Jang Mi-hee? Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office."

"Get out! You’re not welcome here!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as Gu Ji showed his credentials, Jang Mi-hee pushed them out, speaking while her eyes turned red with tears, "My husband is already dead, why are you still here!"

He knew that Park Jun-ryeol’s death was a big blow to the family, so he spoke softly.

"Mr. Park Jun-ryeol’s matter, I’m very sorry about it. I’m here this time because I have important questions to ask you, regarding the cause of your husband’s death."

"What?"

Gu Ji’s words instantly stopped Jang Mi-hee’s sobbing.

Eventually, she decided to let them in.

"Sorry, the house has been a bit messy lately, make yourselves comfortable. Baomei, go get some hot water for our guests!"

"You’re too kind, madam."

Cui Ridou scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

Park Jun-ryeol’s home wasn’t bad; after all, being selected to work at the secret research institute of the US-Korea Joint Military Base, the salary and benefits must not be low.

A moment later, a young girl in a white blouse and skirt approached with a wooden tray.

Seeing Cui Ridou, she let out an "Ah," almost spilling the kettle full of hot water.

"What’s wrong, Baomei?"

"Mom, he..."

"You must be Park Baomei, don’t be afraid, Cui Ridou is here to apologize to you," Gu Ji showed his credential again to identify himself.

Only then did Jang Mi-hee react.

It turned out that Cui Ridou’s earlier awkward expression was because he didn’t know how to face her daughter.

After she gave him a side-eye.

The four sat around the living room coffee table.

Gu Ji got straight to the point, briefly summarizing the doubts about the cause of Park Jun-ryeol’s death that he had just discovered, though he didn’t mention it was the military who acted.

"So could you two think carefully, did Park Jun-ryeol leave you any messages recently?"

"No, my husband seldom let me take care of him. Since MERS started spreading, he wouldn’t even let me visit him in the hospital."

Jang Mi-hee shook her head.

"Dad he..." At this time, Park Baomei suddenly remembered something, hesitantly twirling her forefingers in front of her abdomen, she glanced at Cui Ridou.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m a prosecutor," Gu Ji noticed her hesitation and quickly reassured her.

"When I visited him in the hospital, he once told me to make sure to protect the piggy bank."

"Piggy bank?"

"Yes, that piggy bank was a birthday gift my dad gave me when I was in elementary school, but I haven’t used it for many years, so I wonder if he was trying to tell me something?"

After speaking, Park Baomei went to her bedroom and brought back a small rabbit ceramic piggy bank.

Gu Ji took it and examined it carefully, but saw no clues.

"Can I..."

"Sure."

With Park Baomei’s permission, Gu Ji smashed it, and coins scattered all over the floor. However, amongst the shiny coins, he noticed a black memory card.

With keen eyesight, Gu Ji quickly picked it up.

"Have you ever seen this thing?"

"No."

Park Baomei shook her head.

He stared at the memory card, eyelid twitching.

It seems that what the military was looking for was this, probably something Park Jun-ryeol recorded early on, took away, and hid in his daughter’s piggy bank.

Maybe he discovered some atrocious deeds in the lab, or maybe he just wanted an ace up his sleeve to prevent the military from turning on him one day.

In any case, the military must have found traces.

They searched everywhere but found nothing, so they shifted suspicion onto the case’s person-in-charge, "Jin Zhijiu."

"Besides this piggy bank, did your dad say anything else?"

"Hmm..."

Park Baomei tilted her head, recalling for a moment, then a lightbulb went off, "I remember, he said during the incident, he seemed to see someone with a black hood."

"Black hood?"

Gu Ji understood.

Indeed, it was just as he analyzed, the lab explosion was caused by an outsider’s attack.

But wearing a black hood wasn’t much of a criminal characteristic, after all, no one would be stupid enough to reveal their face while attacking a military zone.

Just as he was about to leave Park Baomei’s house.

For some reason.

A shadow flashed through his mind instinctively.

The leader of that terrorist group at the Laird Airport checkpoint!!

If the "black hood" that Park Jun-ryeol mentioned was indeed a characteristic, then the one who left the deepest impression on Gu Ji was Cohen, the one who led the terrorists attacking the airport during the first breakthrough!

During that time, the second round, before Sam sabotaged him.

The first time he saw Cohen he felt something was off; all of his subordinates had their faces exposed, but only Cohen himself wore a black hood.