198 Insurance

The factory Ol’ Wang worked at was in the countryside. Naturally, a big factory wouldn’t be located in the middle of Dong Xing City. On the way there, the officer told us that Ol’ Wang had worked at this phone manufacturing phone for more than 20 years already.

20 years ago, the phone Ol’ Wang worked on was Nokia. At the time, not that many people owned cell phones. But 20 years later, Nokias were a relic, everyone used iPhones these days, but the assembly process was still the same.

Ol’ Wang bought a place in the old city a long time ago. But 20 years later, that neighborhood became a corner of the city and lost its former glory. Someone back then said that the tenants would be compensated for a large amount because the neighborhood was about to be torn down for development. However, that never happened. The people here were born at Dong Xing City, but Dong Xing City’s later development didn’t have to do with them. Like Ol’ Wang, most of them lost their goals in life. Ol’ Wang had worked here for 20 plus years, but he never got promoted. However, the factory owner treated the first batch of workers very well. Ol’ Wang was relieved from work every day at 5 pm, and then he rode his bicycle home.

When we arrived, the factory was still working. The giant factory sat in the middle of the land. We couldn’t hear any noise from outside. The factory had good soundproofing. Xiao Liu told us to wait at the entrance because he had already contacted the factory owner on the way here. The owner would come out to meet us. Captain Lee’s people were always good with these things. Unlike the few of us who always depended on hypotheses and predictions.

Soon, a man with a round belly walked out. He looked around 50 and was bald. When he saw us, he hurried over and said in a thick local accent, “And you are…”

Xiao Liu shook his hand. “I am Officer Liu, who spoke on the phone earlier. They are…” After some quick introduction, we understood this factory was a family business. The factory manager’s surname was Liao, and he inherited the place, which was originally a vehicle factory, from his father. Due to the rise of cell phones, Manager Liao’s investment was correct. When we mentioned Ol’ Wang, Manager Liao sighed.

When Manager Liao wanted to update the factory, Ol’ Wang was hired in that first wave of workers. 20 years ago, the mass com market was not as fertile as it was now. Many people saw no point in having a mobile phone. Manager Liao saw the trend ahead and, 5 years later, everyone had a phone in their pocket. 10 years later, everyone had a phone in their hand. For these past 20 years, the phone industry had zoomed like a rocket. Manager Liao offered his first batch of workers a large bonus.

However, not everyone did the same thing with money. Some went into sales, others into investment. A few even started their own factories. Ol’ Wang was the only one who stayed at the assembly line.

Manager Liao said, “Ol’ Wang is very quiet and introverted, but he is a good person. I introduced him to his wife, and their marriage was happy. However, 5 years ago, Ol’ Wang found his wife with another man. Since then, Ol’ Wang became even more reticent and lost his love for life.”

We nodded. That did describe Ol’ Wang.

Xiao Liu said, “Hmm, let’s move away from Ol’ Wang. In fact, we’re not here for Ol’ Wang.”

“You’re not here for Ol’ Wang?” Manager Liao was surprised. “Oh, you mean about the danger warning? That’s impossible. My factory is run in strict accordance with the safety rules. The worker will rest for half an hour every three hours to prevent lethargy. There has never been any accident here. The workers are all adults, and they know the danger of heavy machinery. They’ve been given safety classes training too.”

“Do you mind bringing us into the factory?” Xiao Liu asked.

Manager Liao nodded. Even though we said we were not here for Ol’ Wang, Manager Liao still continued to talk about Ol’ Wang. “This morning, Ol’ Wang didn’t come to work, and he didn’t request a holiday, so I called him. Only then did I realize what happened. I heard the boy’s head was crushed from the fall and his brain matter was everywhere.”

“Those are just rumors, don’t believe them.” Xiao Liu corrected. “All I can say is that it’s a murder, and the rest is still in investigation. This is very serious, so I hope you can cooperate with us.”

“Of course!” Manager Liao promised. “Workplace accident can ruin a whole company. There was an incident at a nearby factory where a worker purposely reached their finger into the machine. He created a large commotion online and forced the factory owner to pay him the compensation of several million. Now the worker is already married and manages to buy a house in a small city.”

“We live in a capitalist society. What to do?” Xiao Liu sighed greatly.

Manager Liao continued, “After all, Ol’ Wang has been with me for more than 20 years already. I’ve already sent my driver to fetch him home. He only broke his arm, and that will heal with time.”

We walked into the factory. Only then did we realize how big the place really was. There were more than 100 people standing along the assembly line. The assembly line was connected to many big machines, and they looked quite scary.

Manager Liao looked at his workers and said with some pride. “Don’t worry. There won’t be any danger here. If there’s any dangerous machinery, it has to be that cutter. It is extremely sharp and is used to cut out phone casings. If one falls into it, they will be minced, but clearly, no one will. Or…” Manager Liao chuckled, “If the killer is so brave, he can come and try. There are at least 30 plus muscular young men here. The killer wouldn’t kill here.”

We walked to look into the cutter machine. We saw the rapidly spinning blades. The rectangular metallic plates went in from one side and came out as casing from another. The buzzing sound was the sound of the blades cutting through the air. But Manager Liao’s confidence was not unfounded. If someone didn’t enter the machine on purpose, the killer couldn’t have pushed someone in with so many people around the assembly line. I asked, “Does the factory run at night?”

“No.” Manager Liao shook his head. “The law forbids it.”

Xiao Liu nodded. “Hmm, just keep watch.”

At that moment, a female voice called from afar. “Manager Liao?” We all turned to the voice. It was a 40 plus woman. The woman looked like a common middle-aged woman. When he saw the woman, Manager Liao frowned and asked, “Yan Zhenyan? Why are you here?”

Hearing the reply, Yan Zhenyan was confused too. “Huh? Your secretary called me here.”

As Manager Liao walked towards her, he said, “Let’s not disturb the workers here, we’ll talk outside. But Yan Zhenyan, I didn’t have my secretary call you, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“This is?” Xiao Liu asked.

Manager Liao introduced, “Oh, this is actually Ol’ Wang’s ex-wife. But I really didn’t have my secretary call you.” Yan Zhanyan came in looking quite excited, but when she heard Manager Liao, her face dropped. She said seriously, “Manager Liao, we’ve known each other for 20 years already. Let’s drop it. There’s no need for you to joke with something like that, do you?”

Manager Liao frowned deeper. “I’ve always been with these officers. I don’t have time to call you. By the way, what are you doing here?” Sensing the confusion in Manager Liao’s tone, Yan Zhenyan answered, “But there was a woman who called herself your secretary who told me to come to collect Ol’ Wang’s insurance because he has died at work. Apparently, I’m his beneficiary, and I’m supposed to get 300000 RMB. She told me to come to verify the details in person.”

Everyone frowned.

No wonder Ol’ Wang separated from his wife. This woman’s first reaction was to come to claim the money instead of verifying the validity of Ol’ Wang’s supposed death. In any case, this was clearly false because Ol’ Wang was still alive. So who was this ‘secretary’?

Xiao Liu flashed his badge and demanded, “The secretary called you? Give me your phone.”

Yan Zhenyan was shocked and quickly obliged. “It’s the latest number in my contact list.” We all leaned in closer to look. The number was locally registered. Xiao Liu immediately called the number and was told the number had already been cut.

Xiao Liu was about to say something when we heard screams coming from all around us. It was a scream of pure terror. People bustled about. I quickly hurried towards the source of the screams. When I saw the scene, it froze me to the spot, and my brain buzzed.