I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 201: Secret Visit to the Nursing Home

Zhang Wanqing stood in front of the window of the newspaper office, her eyes looking through the glass at an old apartment building across the street, a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

Fu Siyuan stood behind her, holding a freshly printed document in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"Wanqing, take a look at this report. The elderly people in that 'Happy Nursing Home' have been disappearing frequently recently. Their families have nowhere to complain and can only place their hopes on us." Fu Siyuan's voice was low and helpless.

Zhang Wanqing turned around, took the document, and quickly glanced through it. Her brows gradually furrowed, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes. "This case is not simple. We need Li Wei's help."

Li Wei, a former police officer, had left the force, but his insight and experience remained a valuable asset. Zhang Wanqing called Li Wei and briefly explained the situation. Li Wei was silent for a moment, then agreed.

Three days later, Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei arrived at the "Happy Nursing Home." It was a three-story building with a mottled, somewhat shabby exterior. They toured the facilities as family members. Zhang Wanqing keenly observed her surroundings and noticed something unusual about the cameras in several corners.

"The locations of these cameras are strange. It seems like they intentionally avoid certain areas." Zhang Wanqing whispered to Fu Siyuan.

Fu Siyuan nodded, his eyes fixed on an elderly man who looked dazed. The elderly man's eyes were unfocused, and he just mechanically repeated the movements of his hands. Zhang Wanqing walked up and asked softly, "Old man, how are you doing here?"

The old man raised his head, glanced at Zhang Wanqing, then lowered his head again and continued his actions. Zhang Wanqing felt an inexplicable uneasiness in her heart. She turned to Li Wei and asked, "Do you think there is something wrong here?"

Li Wei looked around, his gaze finally resting on the back door of the nursing home. "That door always seems to be closed. Let's go check it out."

The three of them quietly went to the back door and found it locked. Li Wei pulled a tool from his pocket and expertly pried open the lock. Behind the door was a narrow passage, at the end of which was an iron door. Zhang Wanqing's heartbeat quickened, and she could sense an ominous premonition.

"We have to be careful, the answers we are looking for may be here." Li Wei whispered.

When they pushed open the door, the pungent smell of disinfectant hit them. The room was filled with several beds, and several elderly people lay on them. Their eyes were empty, and they seemed to have lost consciousness. Anger welled up in Zhang Wanqing, and she quickly walked over to one of the elderly men and tried to wake him.

"Old man, can you hear me?" Zhang Wanqing's voice trembled slightly.

The old man's eyelids moved slightly, but soon closed again. Fu Siyuan checked the old man's pulse and his face turned pale. "Wanqing, these old people seem to be controlled by drugs."

Just then, footsteps were heard outside. The three of them quickly hid behind the bed, holding their breath. The door opened, and a doctor in a white coat walked in, holding a syringe. The doctor walked over to an elderly man and expertly injected the medicine. The man twitched slightly, then fell silent again.

Zhang Wanqing's heart surged with anger, and she decided she couldn't remain silent any longer. She jumped out from behind the bed and shouted, "What are you doing?"

The doctor turned around and saw the three people, a trace of panic on his face. "How...how did you get in?"

"We are investigating the missing elderly people in the nursing home. You'd better tell the truth." Li Wei's voice was cold and majestic.

The doctor's face turned pale, and he trembled as he said, "I...I was just following the dean's instructions."

"Dean?" Zhang Wanqing felt uneasy. "Why would he do this?"

The doctor nodded, a hint of fear in his eyes. "The director said these elderly people are helpless, and their existence is only a burden to society. He...he wants to make their lives 'more valuable' this way."

Zhang Wanqing felt a surge of anger and helplessness. She turned to look at Fu Siyuan, only to find a complicated look in his eyes. Fu Siyuan whispered, "Wanqing, we might need to reconsider this case."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Wanqing felt uneasy.

Fu Siyuan sighed, "Do you remember when we first started investigating, you always felt something was wrong, but you couldn't tell what it was. Now I think, maybe we were wrong from the beginning."

"Wrong?" Zhang Wanqing felt doubtful.

Fu Siyuan nodded. "We always thought the dean was a bad guy, but maybe he was just trying to solve some problems he thought were unsolvable in his own way."

Zhang Wanqing felt conflicted, unsure who to trust. She turned to look at Li Wei, hoping to get some answers. Li Wei's eyes held a hint of determination. "No matter what the dean's motivations were, his actions were wrong. First of all, we can't let this behavior continue. As for the reasons behind his actions, we'll consider them later."

Zhang Wanqing sat in her newspaper office, a cup of cold coffee in her hand. Her gaze was fixed on her computer screen, where a report on the "Happy Nursing Home" scandal was unfolding. The report had already garnered widespread public attention, but Zhang Wanqing felt an inexplicable unease.

"Wanqing, you look very tired." Fu Siyuan walked into the office and frowned when he saw Zhang Wanqing's appearance.

Zhang Wanqing raised her head and forced a smile. "I'm just wondering if there's a bigger conspiracy behind this case. You've always told me that every incident isn't as simple as it seems, and we have to investigate every aspect before we can get to the truth."

Fu Siyuan walked over to her, sat down, and said, "Wanqing, you've really matured a lot. Are you saying that the dean's behavior might just be the tip of the iceberg?"

Zhang Wanqing nodded and said, "Well, I always feel that things are not that simple. Why would the director take such a big risk to do such a thing? Isn't he afraid that the families of the elderly will come after him? Maybe... he has other unspeakable reasons behind this, or maybe someone is supporting him in doing this."

Fu Siyuan pondered for a moment, then said: "You are right, so we now need more evidence to uncover this mystery."

Just then, Li Wei called. His voice sounded a little hurried, "Wanqing, Siyuan, I found something strange here, come quickly."