Chapter 130 – He needed to report it, cooperate with the authorities
After Zhang Changzheng was busy with other matters, but his heart couldn’t calm down.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that his subordinate returned, bringing back some information as well.
“…over the past decade or so, those deceased mothers, basically all diagnosed by doctors or midwives in the village as being safe to give birth without any issues. However, they still felt the need to come to the hospital for a check-up. The one who received them was Zhong Dequan, but Zhong Dequan’s account was different from the doctors and midwives in the village.”
“Zhong Dequan said the condition of the mothers and fetuses was very dangerous, and there was a high chance of both dying. If they were admitted to the hospital, perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.”
“Some people didn’t believe it, so they went back and safely gave birth in the village, but…” The subordinate paused and continued, “Those who chose to believe Zhong Dequan, the final outcome was either both mother and child dead, or the mother survived, but the child did not.”
“Were there no cases where the mother didn’t survive but the child did?” Zhang Changzheng asked with a serious face, his expression becoming more severe.
“No.” The subordinate had actually realized something when investigating this information.
These data were gathered by mobilizing people to ask around each household.
But these data clearly didn’t seem very normal.
And looking at the numbers of mothers and newborn deaths one by one, he also found it terrifying; the mortality rate was too high.
Was this doctor delivering babies, saving lives, or taking lives?
“As for how those newborns who didn’t survive were handled, we still can’t find out at the moment. It may require investigating at Anren Hospital and reviewing the data to find out.”
“However, we have found that Anren Hospital seems very vague on this matter.”
“By the way, during our investigation, we found that Dr. Song Yi, who had just started working at Anren Hospital, is also investigating,” the subordinate continued.
“Song Yi…” Zhang Changzheng murmured.
Zhang Changzheng knew about Song Yi. He knew that Song Yi was going to be Xu Jinning’s future brother-in-law, and he had attended the engagement ceremony between Song Yi and Xu Fanghua.
He also knew that Song Yi used to be a military doctor and had transferred to Anren Hospital after leaving the army.
He knew that Song Yi had better and broader prospects in the military, but he returned and took a position at Anren Hospital, a relatively small unit, because of Xu Fanghua.
The day of the engagement ceremony was the first time he met Song Yi.
But Song Yi had left a very good impression on him. Song Yi had the integrity and honesty that a soldier needed, he was reliable and trustworthy.
Now, Song Yi was also investigating Zhong Dequan’s case.
Zhang Changzheng wondered if Song Yi also had doubts about Zhong Dequan, which was why he was secretly investigating.
Zhang Changzheng thought that maybe later he could meet with Song Yi.
Since Song Yi was working at Anren Hospital, it would be convenient to gather some information first or even collaborate with Song Yi.
If Zhong Dequan really was such a demon, working with Song Yi would help catch this demon as soon as possible!
In fact, Song Yi was indeed investigating Zhong Dequan and the incidents involving mothers and newborns in the obstetrics and gynecology department over the years. At that moment, he was in the unattended records room, going through the documents.
He discovered that information regarding this matter was kept very secret.
Nevertheless, he managed to obtain some of the data.
From inside, he learned about the obstetrics and gynecology department’s handling of deceased newborns.
In cases where newborns died or were in critical condition and difficult to sustain, the family would be informed, and then they would be asked to sign a consent form to abandon the child.
Afterward, the deceased or critically ill newborns would be handled by the hospital.
As for how they were handled, there were no further details recorded in the documents.
Over the past few years, the mortality rate of newborns had been excessively high, especially after Zhong Dequan took charge.
The most critical aspect was that all this information had been kept hidden.
In other words, no one knew that so many mothers and newborns had died under Zhong Dequan’s care. Not a single hint had leaked out.
Song Yi had only managed to find records from the past few years and recent years; there were no records from the crucial ten-year period in between.
It was said that there had been an accidental fire back then, which had destroyed all those documents.
“…How convenient,” Song Yi doubted whether that fire had really been an accident.
It was precisely this seemingly accidental fire that had destroyed those documents, making Song Yi even more suspicious of Zhong Dequan.
Under Zhong Dequan’s scalpel, there were far too many deceased mothers. If every instance was truly accidental, it would indicate Zhong Dequan’s medical skills were utterly inadequate, leading to so many maternal deaths. Alternatively, it could be… deliberate.
Deliberately causing the deaths of those mothers.
If Zhong Dequan’s goal is indeed the children, then causing the mothers’ deaths, resulting in both mother and child dying, would be even more convincing than just causing newborn deaths.
But if that’s really the case.
Then Zhong Dequan is truly terrifying.
“…If all those cases of both mother and child dying were intentional acts by Zhong Dequan, then Zhong Dequan is not just involved with human tr*fficking. Besides child abduction, it’s murder, and it’s so many people.”
If it’s true, then Zhong Dequan must be such a terrifying demon to be able to do such things.
Those mothers, those couples, originally came to the hospital to welcome a new life, filled with hope. But they encountered Zhong Dequan, which was like stepping into a realm of death.
Thinking of this possibility sent chills down Song Yi’s spine.
Even though the weather wasn’t hot, the records room was quiet and not stuffy, but under these circumstances, Song Yi’s forehead and back still broke out in a cold sweat.
Song Yi realized that perhaps this matter couldn’t be as simple as him being involved alone.
Maybe he needed to report it, cooperate with the authorities.
Just as Song Yi was thinking this, he suddenly heard footsteps outside, and Song Yi was startled.
“Dr. Song, isn’t it time to go off duty? Why are you in the records room?” The door opened, and someone peeked in.
It was none other than Zhong Dequan, with a smile on his face.
Although Song Yi was a military doctor, he also had a military background. He noticed the scrutiny and evaluation beneath Zhong Dequan’s smile, along with a hint of vigilance.
He pretended to be at ease and replied, “You’re here too.”
“Just passing by, got bored after work, so I came in to take a look.”
“So, Dr. Song, are you done looking through the files now? Come to think of it, since you arrived at our Anren Hospital, we haven’t had a proper chat,” Zhong Dequan remarked.
“Yeah,” Song Yi put down what he was holding and then closed the door to the records room, walking out with Zhong Dequan.
They chatted as they walked, both wearing smiles.
They walked all the way to where their bicycles were parked.
Both of them got on their bikes.
“Is Dr. Zhong’s home also in the county town?”
“Yeah.”
“I had a pleasant chat with Dr. Zhong today, but it’s getting late now, so I’ll head back first,” Song Yi said.
“Sure, we can chat again next time.”
With that, Zhong Dequan watched as Song Yi rode away on his bicycle. As Song Yi moved farther away, the smile that had been on Zhong Dequan’s face gradually faded…
