Chapter 1482

Lily rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. Thompson had been declared dead on arrival, despite emergency treatment. She caught a glimpse of him; his face was bloody and marred, but recognizable. His eyes were closed; he could no longer hear her, nor argue with her about the laptop and lab data.

"Professor Thompson..." Her voice, and her outstretched fingers, trembled.

"Are you his family?" the doctor asked, gently covering the professor's face with a white cloth.

Lily shook her head, then a thought struck her. "Hasn't his family arrived yet?"

"No," the doctor replied, busy attending to other patients. "There was no phone on him, so we couldn't contact anyone. Do you know his family? Can you help us reach them?" He explained that Thompson only had his driver's license, making it impossible to locate his relatives.

"I don't know his family," Lily admitted. She had never met any of his relatives. She'd joined the laboratory for the research and never inquired about his personal life. She genuinely had no one to contact.

Leaving the emergency room, Lily felt deeply unsettled. Professor Thompson was on the phone just moments ago, and now he's gone. Life is so fragile. Accidents happen. But was this truly an accident?

A traffic officer approached, notebook and pen in hand. "Do you know Larry Thompson?"

Lily's eyelids drooped as she answered dully, "Yes."

"What was your relationship with him?"

"We were colleagues, I suppose." They had worked together in the lab.

"Colleagues? Can you contact his family? Or anyone who can claim his body?"

Lily shook her head. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. "Can't you find his family contacts on his phone?"

The officer frowned. "We didn't find a phone on him."

"What about his car? Could it have been left somewhere nearby?"

"No, we searched, but found nothing," the officer replied, shaking his head. "He probably didn't have it with him."

"No, he did! He called me just before this. He must have had his phone!" Lily realized the inconsistency. The doctor had also said there was no phone. Now, thanks to the officer's question, she saw something was amiss. He was just on the phone, saying he was on his way. How could the police not find his phone? If it's gone, it was taken! Why would someone take his phone? Who did it? This wasn't an accident! Turning to the officer, she asked urgently, "Was the truck driver arrested? Could he have taken Professor Thompson's phone?"

"No, we've detained the driver, but didn't find the deceased's phone. The accident occurred at an intersection. The deceased was speeding, and the truck driver wasn't paying attention while turning. Both share some responsibility," the officer explained.

Lily nodded. "I understand. Thank you."