radiothebook Chapter 700 Joint Investigation Across Regions!
Chapter 700 Joint Investigation Across Regions!
Lynn took notes sentence by sentence, occasionally interjecting with questions or interrupting him to help him clarify the chronological order. Matteo was a bit confused at first, but he became more and more composed as time went on, like those fragments that had been suppressed in his mind and dared not be touched, once they started to spill out, they could not be stopped.
Carmela knocked on the door once during the journey and asked through the door, "Do you want me to bring you some food?" Matteo visibly froze for a moment, and finally just whispered through the door, "No need for now."
There was a two-second silence outside the door, then she said very softly, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
The words drifted in through the door, and for a moment, no one spoke. Matteo paused, his pen stilling, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red, as if something that could no longer be hidden had suddenly been exposed.
Lynn glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Matteo continued speaking with a straight face, only slowing down his pace for a moment.
By the time all the recording was finished, it was nearly noon. Sunlight streamed in through the bulletproof glass of the high-rise building, illuminating the white walls of the room. Matteo's voice was hoarse by the end, and he emptied his water glass twice. Lynn closed his notebook, his wrists a little sore.
"Let's leave it at that for now," he said.
Matteo leaned back in his chair, looking completely drained: "So, you can keep arresting people now?"
“We can catch some,” Lynn said, “but not all at once. The chain is bigger than you think.”
“I know.” Matteo closed his eyes. “What am I now? A witness? A suspect? Experimental waste?”
“You are now a protected target and also a person involved in the case,” Lynn said directly. “These two identities do not conflict.”
"You guys are really something." Matteo chuckled weakly. "It's like you said nothing at all."
“The most important thing for you is to finish the physical assessment first.” Lynn stood up. “Your condition can’t be delayed any longer.”
Matteo's face darkened: "I don't want to be pricked with needles again."
"It wasn't them this time."
"But they're all equally ugly."
“Matto,” Lynn looked at him, “if you still want to decide for yourself whether or not to walk your sister home from get off work in the future, then let the medical staff finish their check-up first.”
Those words struck him squarely at his weak spot. Matteo opened his mouth, but didn't immediately retort. In the end, he just muttered under his breath, "You really know how to use that to pressure me."
"Because it's useful."
Matteo rolled his eyes, but ultimately gave up: "Fine. But you have to stay outside."
"why?"
“Because I don’t want to open my eyes to a bunch of white coats, with you standing next to me.” Matt paused, then added, “It’s too much like a trial.”
Lynn looked at him for a second, then surprisingly nodded: "Okay."
As he opened the door to go out, Carmela was indeed sitting on a bench not far away. The moment she saw the door open, she stood up immediately, first looking at Lynn, then at Matteo behind her. Their eyes met, and that familiar yet awkward feeling welled up almost simultaneously.
"You've finally finished talking." Carmela's voice wasn't loud, but it carried obvious worry.
“Okay,” Lynn said. “He’ll go to the medical facility first.”
“I’ll go too,” Carmela immediately followed.
Matteo frowned: "Don't make it sound like I'm about to die."
“Shut up,” Carmela said. “You said last night that you wouldn’t die.”
"I--"
"Try saying it again."
Matteo was speechless, looking utterly exasperated. He glared at Lynn, as if blaming him for his indifferent expression. Lynn met his gaze and simply said, "I didn't say anything."
"You're more annoying than you say it."
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Carmela stood between the two, looking at one and then the other, when suddenly, as if realizing something, her expression changed slightly. It wasn't a bad change; it was more like she had finally seen something different about Matteo's barbed teeth when he faced Lynn—not resignation, nor closeness, but a kind of loosening that finally allowed him to retract his teeth by half an inch.
She didn't expose him, but urged in a low voice, "Let's go, let's check first."
The three walked towards the medical area. Several detectives happened to pass by in the corridor, and one of them saw Lynn and casually said, "Detective, the chief just called your name at the meeting."
Lynn didn't stop walking: "Understood."
Matteo instinctively turned his head: "Why are you calling my name?"
The detective had already walked away, leaving behind only a smiling remark: "Well done with the Donghe warehouse job, huh?"
Carmela was taken aback and turned to look at Lynn: "Are they praising you?"
"I guess so," Lynn said calmly.
"What do you mean by 'calculate'?" Carmela frowned. "Did you find that warehouse last night by following the clues?"
"The clues came out on their own, so it's not entirely my fault."
Matteo glanced at him for a few seconds and snorted under his breath: "Do you think you're writing a report even when you're being praised?"
"almost."
“He’s really hard to please.” Matteo said this, but his expression was extremely complicated. It was as if he had only just realized more clearly at this moment that the person who had been handing out frying pans in his kitchen last night, dragging his sister through the sewers, and now sitting here listening to him lay bare his dirty laundry was not just an annoying federal agent, but also the guy who had just led a team to take down one of their key locations.
That understanding made it difficult for him to find a suitable angle to mock.
At the entrance to the medical area, a nurse was already waiting. Carmela, true to her profession, went up and asked a couple of questions about the examination process. Only after confirming that it wasn't the kind where people were just casually strapped to machines did her expression soften a little. Matteo stood at the door, refusing to go in, until Carmela glared at him, at which point he reluctantly stepped forward.
Before going inside, he suddenly turned around and glanced at Lynn.
"You promised to stay outside."
“I’m outside,” Lynn said.
"Don't go."
He said those two words so quickly, as if he didn't even realize he'd uttered them. Carmela paused noticeably upon hearing them. Matteo, realizing what he'd said, blushed slightly and quickly added, "I meant, there's something else I need to say later."
“I know.” Lynn looked at him. “I’m not leaving.”
Matteo then went inside. The door closed behind him, and the glass window reflected the busy white figures inside. Carmela stood outside, and after a few seconds, asked very softly, "Did he cry last night?"
Lynn turned her head to look at her.
“It wasn’t the kind of crying that involves loud sobbing,” Carmela explained immediately, as if afraid of being misunderstood. “It’s just… I know him too well. When he lowers his voice like that, he’s probably about to break down.”
Lynn paused for a moment. "He said a lot." Carmela looked at the door to the medical room, her eyes a little red, but she didn't press for details. She just said softly, "When he was little, he would hide whenever he scraped his knee and wouldn't let me see. Later, as he grew older, he became even more stubborn and stopped saying anything. Sometimes I really don't know whether to treat him as that kid who would sneak pudding from the fridge in the middle of the night, or as an adult who would throw himself into the mud."
“All of them count,” Lynn said.
Carmela tilted her head to look at him, then suddenly smiled, a hint of weariness in her eyes: "You can be really direct sometimes."
"You already gave your feedback last night."
“Then I’ll give my evaluation again.” She looked at him. “Thank you.”
This time, Lynn didn't say "it's okay" or "no need." He simply leaned against the wall, watching the white figures moving back and forth in the medical room, and nodded slightly.
On the other side of the branch, the commendation notice had already been formally read aloud at the morning meeting. The department head personally walked over to the analysis team and shook hands with several key personnel. When he got to Lynn's side, the other person glanced at his still not fully covered injured arm, with a restrained scrutiny and approval in his expression.
"What happened at Donghe last night was crucial," the director said. "The evidence was solid, and the action was swift; we prevented that batch of medicine from leaving the city. Headquarters is already aware of it."
Lynn straightened up a bit: "It's because the team made timely progress."
The director looked at him, seemingly unsurprised by this answer: "You always like to put that sentence first."
"Because it's true."
"Alright, save the truth for your report." The director's lips twitched slightly, a rare occurrence. "But the system will record whose credit should be given. If it was done well, it was done well."
Those nearby who overheard this exchange subtly changed their expressions. Such directness was certainly uncommon within the federal system, especially in a morning meeting. Jason, standing at the back of the crowd, mouthed "See?" to Lynn. Lynn pretended not to notice.
The director left quickly, and the next round of orders followed: the Donghe warehouse case was upgraded and incorporated into a cross-regional joint investigation; the Manhattan branch would lead the investigation into the chain of prohibited gene-based drugs and crystal samples for a period of time; relevant lists and nodes would be prioritized for in-depth investigation; and all peripheral controlled targets would be reclassified and protected. In other words, the case was not over; on the contrary, it had just truly begun.
But for the moment at hand, the chain reaction from last night, from broken windows to sewers to the Donghe warehouse, has finally had a clear impact for the first time.
As the afternoon sun slowly moved along the dormitory corridor, Matteo's initial examination was completed.
When the medical officer came out, he was holding a tablet. He looked at Lynn first, then at Carmela, and said in a calm tone, "Currently, there is indeed an abnormal induced reaction in his body, but it has not yet progressed to an irreversible stage. Further blood tests and imaging screenings are needed. In the short term, the most important thing is to control emotional stress, avoid contact with high concentrations of induced samples, and prevent the crystallization reaction from occurring on its own."
Carmela visibly relaxed, her hand drooping slightly: "There's still time, isn't there?"
"It seems there's still time," the medical officer nodded, "but we can't delay."
Matteo followed behind, looking grim. A fresh blood collection bandage was on his arm, clearly indicating he'd had a bit of a fight with someone. He frowned as soon as he stepped outside: "They have so many questions."
“That means they’re saving your life,” Carmela said immediately.
"You're starting to sound more and more like a doctor."
"Because finally someone here is willing to listen to the doctor."
Matteo choked for a moment and simply turned his head away. But as soon as he turned his head away, his gaze fell on Lynn. Lynn was still standing in the same spot, not having moved, holding the cup of hot chocolate that had long since gone cold.
Matteo stared at the cup for two seconds, then suddenly asked, "Have you really been here all this time?"
"Ah."
"Didn't you go to collect your praise?"
Carmela turned her head abruptly: "What compliment?"
Before Lynn could speak, Jason walked over from the other end of the corridor and chimed in, "The director just praised him in front of everyone at the meeting, wasn't that enough?"
Carmela was stunned.
Matteo was also taken aback, as if he hadn't expected Jason to be so blunt. Jason looked completely at ease, and as he approached, he casually handed Lynn a new action list.
“We need to continue following up on the Donghe case.” After he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember that there were two family members and suspects standing next to him, and he gestured to them with his chin, “But before that, I’ll give you five minutes of family time.”
"Who's going to spend time with your family?" Matteo retorted instinctively.
"The fact that you still have the energy to talk back means the test results are good." Jason nodded with great satisfaction.
Carmela looked at them, suddenly feeling a mix of laughter and tears. Her gaze swept between Lynn and Jason before finally settling on Lynn: "So you really got praised."
“Yes.” Lynn did not deny it.
“That’s good.” Carmela said softly, but her eyes slowly brightened. “At least last night’s events weren’t just… a humiliating escape.”
Lynn glanced at her but said nothing. Matteo stood beside her, hands in his pockets, his face still tense, but the initial sharpness was gone. After a few seconds, he spoke softly, "Hey."
Lynn looked at him and said, "Speak."
Matteo seemed very uncomfortable speaking seriously in front of so many people. After pausing for a while, he awkwardly squeezed out, "Well... the warehouse work is going alright."
Jason burst out laughing on the spot.
Carmela's eyes widened as if she had heard something extraordinary.
Lynn looked at Matteo, her lips twitching slightly: "Your way of showing concern is still annoying."
Matteo's ears burned, and he immediately snapped back: "Who cares about you? I'm saying those people deserved to be taken down."
“Oh.” Lynn nodded. “Then I thank you on behalf of the action team.”
"you--"
Carmela finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was a soft laugh, but it was the most genuinely relaxed she'd been since last night. Sunlight streamed in at the end of the corridor, casting long shadows of the group. The agent on duty outside pretended not to see them, while Jason crossed his arms, wearing a "I knew this would happen" expression.
Lynn glanced down at the action list in his hand, knowing that in a few minutes he would have to go back to those addresses, codes, arrests, and reports. But before that, he handed Matteo the cup of chocolate that had long since gone cold.
“Your sister gave it to me,” he said. “I don’t drink this.”
Matteo caught it instinctively, then paused for a moment: "She gave it to you, and you're just passing it on to me?"
"Any objections?"
“Yes.” Matteo stared at the cup, then added in a low voice after a long pause, “...Never mind, no.”
Carmela stood to the side, watching her brother hold the cup of now-cold hot chocolate. Suddenly, she turned her face away, raised her hand, and gently wiped the corner of her eye, as if not wanting anyone to see. When she turned back, her expression had regained its composure.
"You two go ahead and get busy," she said. "I'll keep an eye on things here."
"You need to rest too," Lynn reminded him.
“I know,” Carmela said, “but it sounds more natural for me to say it than for you to.”
Jason coughed beside him, "Well said. Detective, did you hear that?" (End of Chapter)