Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

"That's right. With ironclad evidence right in front of her, she grabbed her own toxins. No one had proof of any loopholes. She thought she could just brush it off and escape the law, but that's just a pipe dream. Sooner or later, I'll expose her true colors!"

Miao Ruolan asked, "Then what? In her situation, how many years would she get?"

"Sentenced? That's another new situation. Even if we prove she poisoned someone, it's actually very difficult to establish the charge. The three closest charges are poisoning, endangering public safety, and intentional injury. But upon closer examination, none of them hold up..."

The legal definition of poisoning is to contaminate public water sources, food, or drinking pools. But she applied the toxin to her own "private area." There was certainly moisture there, but honestly, it wasn't a public drinking pool.

Endangering public safety was even more absurd. Her "private area" had nothing to do with the "public" in any way.

Intentional injury was a bit tricky. Intentional injury has a clear target. She applied the poison to her own private area and was intimate with Wang Changfa. If Wang Changfa was her target, then intentional injury could be argued. But the strange thing about this poison was that it didn't harm Wang Changfa. Instead, it used Wang Changfa's "thing" to harm other women.

In summary, times have changed, and criminal methods are constantly evolving. Old legal clauses can't keep up with new criminal trends. It's probably necessary to keep pace with the times...

The two women analyzed and mused there for a while...

Lin Xiaosu sat to the side, watching with a smile. He really enjoyed seeing Miao Ruolan improve. He could manage their small shop on his own for now, but he couldn't be stuck here forever. Miao Ruolan would have to hit the road sooner or later too.

From the current situation, she was progressing very quickly.

"Hey, Detective Lin, why don't you say something? I think we've hit a dead end," Zhou Mei said.

Lin Xiaosu smiled, "You know it's a dead end, and you're still pushing forward. Are you stupid? When you hit a dead end in reality, the wisest thing to do is change direction!"

"Change direction? How?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "I'm thinking about two questions. First, since P39 specifically targets women, why wasn't the woman herself harmed?"

Zhou Mei had a peculiar expression in her eyes. "I never told you about that woman's examination results, did I? How did you know she wasn't harmed? You could see every nook and cranny through the glass window. Your eyesight is truly extraordinary!"

Cough...

Lin Xiaosu's throat felt a little itchy...

Look at what you're saying, seeing every nook and cranny, observing it all thoroughly...

Zhou Mei chuckled softly and answered the question, "There's an inhibitory component in this woman's blood. Is it a natural genetic antibody, or did she take an antidote beforehand? We naturally lean towards the latter, but she still denies it."

Lin Xiaosu said, "The human body is truly marvelous. Having natural antibodies is possible, but I don't believe such a low-probability event would suddenly fall upon her. Therefore, we can only lean towards her taking an antidote beforehand. This leads to a new question... You also mentioned that this toxin was only recently added to the police database. Theoretically, it would be very difficult to find an antidote on the market. Where did her antidote come from?"

Zhou Mei was startled...

Lin Xiaosu said, "There's also a second question: Is P39 really harmless to men?"

Zhou Mei replied, "According to the current analysis, P39 only interacts with female-specific chromosomes. You... what are you thinking?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "According to the records, Wang Changfa is 49 years old. A 49-year-old man, if he's kept himself clean and hasn't been drained by debauchery, with normal sexual activity, would probably have sex once a week. But Wang Changfa isn't that type. He has a lot of mistresses; theoretically, he should have been drained long ago. However, this guy is very potent. The day before yesterday, around ten o'clock, he was with that woman once, and when he got home, he caught Zhuang Mengdie and did it again. Yesterday, as soon as he got off work, he rushed to the villa and did it again, and they started in the bathroom before they even finished showering. Why?"

Upon hearing this topic, Miao Ruolan's face turned red, and her heart pounded. She almost went upstairs.

But she held back because she knew that Lin Xiaosu wasn't bringing this up for flirtatious reasons, but for serious case analysis.

Zhou Mei said, "You mean this poison actually affects men, and the effect is that it keeps men continuously aroused?"

Lin Xiaosu nodded. "Let's go back to your initial premise. P39 is a drug! Even a new type of drug, its classification is still 'drug'! Don't you think this abnormal arousal itself is a typical reaction to drugs?"

Zhou Mei's heart skipped a beat. "Perhaps we set the wrong direction from the beginning! This woman's real target might have been Wang Changfa! She's cultivating Wang Changfa's dependence on this new type of drug."

Drugs have a cultivation period.

What kind of person is suitable for cultivation?

Rich people!

Wang Changfa is worth hundreds of millions. If he gets addicted to this drug, he won't be able to leave the source. As long as the other party controls the source, why worry that your hundreds of millions in assets won't become theirs?

For ordinary drugs, people like Wang Changfa have ways to get them. But for new drugs, if they aren't available elsewhere, and only they have the supply, they can charge exorbitant prices, and Wang Changfa will have no choice but to comply.

She seemed to have touched upon the true core of this case.

She touched upon it thanks to Lin Xiaosu's reminder, formed by his step-by-step, meticulous unraveling...

"Don't jump to conclusions for now. I have a hunch that this case isn't as simple as we thought!" Lin Xiaosu said. "Let the bullets fly for a while, let's just temporarily..."

His voice trailed off.

His gaze shifted to the street outside.

The sun had already set, and the city lights were coming on.

Under the streetlights, a limited edition red car approached.

It was Zhuang Mengdie's car.

Zhuang Mengdie got out of the car and entered the detective agency, smiling elegantly. "Detective Lin, our case is concluded. I've come specifically to settle the final payment!"

"Alright, Ruolan, you settle up with Sister Zhuang! I'm going for a walk with Zhou Mei..." Lin Xiaosu left the shop. A complex emotion flashed in Zhou Mei's eyes, but she followed him.

Ahead was a pedestrian street. One side was the street, and the other was the Yishui Bund. The streetlights cast a dim glow. There was no moon in the sky, only scattered starlight, reflecting on the surface of the Yishui River. However, dark clouds had gathered in the sky, suggesting rain was imminent.

"When you left the shop for a walk, did you notice a mournful gaze pricking your back?" Zhou Mei's voice came from behind.

"A mournful gaze? What are you mournful about?" Lin Xiaosu turned to the side.

"Don't play dumb! I'm telling you, Miao Ruolan is a descendant of Ancient Martial Arts. She really hurts when she hits people..." Zhou Mei hurried forward a couple of steps. "Hey, how much did you earn from this commission?"

"Earned... a bit of hard-earned money!"

"Hard-earned my foot! You get paid tens of thousands for watching a woman bathe in the willow trees. How do you expect people who pay to watch striptease shows to feel?"

Earn tens of thousands?

Do you dare to multiply that by ten?

Lin Xiaosu naturally didn't want to pressure her, so he'd rather die than reveal the actual commission amount.

"Actually, it's not just you who made money, I did too!" Zhou Mei said.

"Huh? Made money from what?"

"A new type of drug, the first case in the country. The leadership gave me two choices: take ten thousand in cash as a reward, or have a police star shine on my shoulder... One is the thrill of real money, the other is the realization of a dream. Sigh, if it were you, what would you choose?"

"Only children make choices! Adults... want both!" Lin Xiaosu declared grandly.

Zhou Mei shot him a look and then burst into laughter, shaking with mirth.

Lin Xiaosu watched her with a smile. "Actually, you can have both!"

"What do you mean?"

"For example, this time you choose the ten thousand yuan. Take the money and treat us to a meal, spend it like there's no tomorrow. Then, next time, with an even greater achievement, you can earn that police star on your shoulder!"

Zhou Mei automatically ignored the latter half of his statement, which clearly had ulterior motives...

"Next time, a greater achievement... like what?"

"Like taking down the drug syndicate that has plagued Fengcheng for years and spans three provinces, in one fell swoop!"

Zhou Mei stomped her foot, locating a small pit in the sidewalk.

Behind Lin Xiaosu stood a kapok tree, his entire body hidden in its shadow, only his eyes gleaming with intelligence.

"What's your plan?" Zhou Mei exhaled softly.

"Lure the snake out of its hole!"

"When? How?"

"Tonight! That's how!" Lin Xiaosu said.

Zhou Mei's eyes flickered. "Using yourself as bait?"

"That's the real reason I didn't bring Ruolan with me tonight!"

If Miao Ruolan were by his side, those people wouldn't dare to make a move. In all the previous case-handling, he and Miao Ruolan had been inseparable, never giving them an opportunity.

But tonight, he was creating that opportunity!

Zhou Mei's eyes held an unreadable expression. "Do you think that in their eyes, I, a legitimate police officer, am less valuable than a practitioner of Ancient Martial Arts?"

If Miao Ruolan is with him, they won't act.

If she's with him, they will act.

Who do you think you're looking down on?

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "Of course, you won't do either! At the intersection ahead, we'll split up. You go back and get ready."

"You're confident they've been hiding in the shadows, ready to act at any moment?"

"Yes!"

"One last question..." Zhou Mei said. "What if the enemy attacks suddenly, will you... will you be able to react? Are you sure you won't mess up?"

Lin Xiaosu scratched his head and asked the question that was on his mind: "...If I mess up, will I be considered a martyr? Will the state provide compensation?"

"No! Not a single cent!" Zhou Mei said sternly, disliking such jokes.

"If there's no compensation, then I have no choice but to not mess up."

At the intersection ahead, Zhou Mei crossed the road, returned to the entrance of the detective agency, and drove away.

Lin Xiaosu, meanwhile, walked aimlessly along the Yishui Bund.

The clouds drifted across the sky, and the starlight was gradually obscured by the cloud cover.

The waves of the Yishui River seemed to have picked up speed.

Pedestrians on the street hurried their steps, frequently looking up at the sky.

A few parents pushing strollers quickened their pace.

Lin Xiaosu unconsciously entered an alleyway. This alley was a shortcut, and he seemed to sense that a heavy rain was approaching, wanting to take the shortcut back to the detective agency.