Huo Shaoheng had just hung up on Chen Lie when he heard the operator through his earpiece. "Sir, Deputy Minister Xue called. He wants to speak with you."
Huo Shaoheng did not want to be disturbed. He told the operator: "Ask him to leave a message. I'm busy right now, and won't be taking any external calls."
An official statement was released at 6 o'clock in the evening. After that, all the phones in the Special Ops base continued to ring off the hook, up until the day of Dou Qingyan's trial, three days later. Most of the calls were from friends and relatives of the guests, calling to ask for Huo Shaoheng and plead their case.
Once 48 hours had elapsed, the guests detained in the Special Operations Forces base were released, one by one. Not all the guests were allowed to walk free, however; some were detained for further observation because their phones showed suspicious activity.
