Lure the Snake from Its Hole

"That was it. With irrefutable evidence before her, she'd tried to exploit the lack of hard proof that she had deliberately added the toxin herself, hoping to wriggle free from the law. Dream on. Sooner or later, I'll make her show her true colors!"

Miao Ruolan said, "And then? In a case like hers, how many years would she get?"

"Sentenced? That's another new problem. Even if we prove she poisoned someone, it'd actually be difficult to pin a charge on her. The three closest charges would be poisoning, endangering public safety, and intentional injury, but if you examine them carefully, none of them applies..."

Legally, poisoning meant contaminating publicly used water sources, food, drinking fountains, and the like. But she had smeared the toxin on her own "private parts." There was definitely water down there, but heaven knew it was not a public drinking fountain.

Endangering public safety was even more ridiculous. No matter how you looked at it, that place had nothing to do with "the public."

Intentional injury was a little more complicated. Intentional injury required a clearly defined target. She had poisoned her own private parts and slept with Wang Changfa. If Wang Changfa had been her target, intentional injury might apply. But the strange thing about this toxin was that it could not harm Wang Changfa. Instead, it used Wang Changfa's thing to harm other women.

In short, times had changed. Criminal methods kept evolving in new ways, and old legal provisions could not keep up with new forms of crime. Perhaps the law needed to keep pace with the times...

The two women analyzed the matter for a while, then sighed over it for a while...

Lin Xiaosu sat beside them, watching with a smile. He liked seeing Miao Ruolan improve. For now, he could support their little detective agency on his own, but he could not remain trapped here forever. Sooner or later, Miao Ruolan would have to set out on her own path too.

From the looks of it, she was improving quickly.

"Hey, Detective Lin, say something, will you? I think we've hit a dead end," Zhou Mei said.

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "If you know it's a dead end, why keep banging your heads against it? Are you stupid? When you hit a dead end in real life, the smartest thing to do is change direction!"

"Change direction? How?"

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

A peculiar look appeared in Zhou Mei's eyes. "I never told you her examination results, did I? How did you know she hadn't been harmed? Through the glass window, you could see every edge and corner? Your eyesight is practically divine!"

Ahem...

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

Listen to that—every edge and corner, observed in perfect detail...

Zhou Mei smiled faintly and answered the question. "There was an inhibiting component in that woman's blood. Was it an antibody naturally present in her genes, or had she taken an antidote beforehand? Naturally, we lean toward the latter, but she still refuses to admit it."

Lin Xiaosu said, "The human body is mysterious. Natural antibodies do exist, but I don't believe such an unlikely coincidence just happened to fall on her. So we can only assume she took an antidote beforehand. That raises a new question... You also said this toxin had only just been entered into the police database. In theory, it would be difficult to find an antidote on the market. So where did she get hers?"

Zhou Mei was startled.

Lin Xiaosu said, "And there's a second question. Does P39 really have no effect on men?"

"According to the current analysis, P39 only interacts with chromosomes unique to women. You... what have you thought of?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "According to the information, Wang Changfa is forty-nine. A forty-nine-year-old man, if he keeps himself clean and hasn't worn himself out through debauchery, would normally have sex about once a week. But Wang Changfa isn't that type. He has a whole string of mistresses. In theory, he should have been drained dry long ago. But this guy is incredibly vigorous. Around ten the night before last, he did that woman once. Then he went home and actually caught Zhuang Mengdie for another round. Yesterday, right after work, he rushed to the villa in a fever and got right to it again. He even started before finishing his shower in the bathroom. Why?"

The moment Miao Ruolan heard this topic, her face reddened and her heart raced. She nearly went upstairs.

But she held herself back, because she knew Lin Xiaosu was not being suggestive. He was conducting a serious analysis of the case.

Zhou Mei said, "You mean this toxin does affect men, and the effect is to keep them continuously aroused?"

Lin Xiaosu nodded. "Let's return to your original premise: P39 is a drug! Even if it's a new type of drug, its nature is still that of a drug! Don't you think this abnormal excitement is itself a common reaction to drugs?"

Zhou Mei's heart leaped. "Maybe our original direction was still wrong! This woman's real target might be Wang Changfa! She's cultivating Wang Changfa's dependence on this new drug."

Drugs required a conditioning period.

What kind of person was best suited for conditioning?

Rich people!

Wang Changfa was worth hundreds of millions. Once he became addicted to this drug, he would be unable to leave the source. As long as the other side controlled the supply, would they still have to worry about his hundreds of millions in wealth not becoming theirs?

With ordinary drugs, someone like Wang Changfa would have channels to replenish his supply. But with a new drug, if no one else had it and only they had the goods, they could charge sky-high prices, and Wang Changfa would have no choice but to submit.

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

She had touched it only because Lin Xiaosu had reminded her, because he had peeled back the layers step by step...

"Don't jump to conclusions yet. I have a feeling this case isn't as simple as we imagined," Lin Xiaosu said. "Let the bullets fly a little longer. For now..."

His voice stopped.

His gaze turned toward the street outside.

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

Under the streetlights, a red limited-edition car drove over.

Zhuang Mengdie's car.

Zhuang Mengdie got out, entered the detective agency, and smiled elegantly. "Detective Lin, our case is concluded. I came specifically to settle the remaining payment!"

"Fine. Ruolan, settle the account with Ms. Zhuang. Zhou Mei and I are going out for a walk..." Lin Xiaosu walked out of the shop. A complicated emotion flashed through Zhou Mei's eyes, but she still followed him.

Ahead was the pedestrian street. One side was the street, and the other was Yishui Bund. The streetlights glowed dimly. There was no moon in the sky, only a few stars scattered over the rippling surface of the Yishui River. But dark clouds were gathering overhead, as if rain was coming.

"When you walked out for a stroll, did you notice a pair of resentful eyes stabbing into your back?" Zhou Mei's voice came from behind him.

"Resentful eyes? What do you have to be resentful about?" Lin Xiaosu turned sideways.

"Quit pretending! Let me tell you, Miao Ruolan is an heir to ancient martial arts. Her punches hurt like hell..." Zhou Mei hurried forward two steps. "Hey, how much did you make from this commission?"

"Just... a little hard-earned money!"

"Hard-earned my ass! You climbed a willow tree to watch a woman bathe. One look probably earned you over ten thousand. How are all those people paying to watch strip shows supposed to feel?"

Over ten thousand?

Could you multiply that by ten?

Naturally, Lin Xiaosu did not provoke her, so he would not reveal the true amount of the commission even if beaten to death.

"Actually, you're not the only one who gained something. I did too!" Zhou Mei said.

"Hm? What did you get?"

"A new drug, the first case in the country. The higher-ups gave me two choices: take a ten-thousand-yuan reward, or make the police stars on my shoulder shine brighter... On one side was the thrill of real money, on the other was a dream fulfilled. Hey, if it were you, which would you choose?"

"Only children have to choose! Adults... take both!" Lin Xiaosu declared grandly.

Zhou Mei shot him a glare, then laughed so hard she bent forward and backward.

Lin Xiaosu smiled at her. "Actually, you can take both too!"

"What do you mean?"

"For example, this time you choose the ten thousand yuan, use it to treat us to a meal, and blow it all extravagantly. Then next time, use an even greater achievement to earn those shining police stars on your shoulder!"

Zhou Mei automatically ignored the first half of his words, which were clearly self-serving...

"Next time, an even greater achievement... like what?"

"For example, wipe out in one sweep the drug syndicate that has been entrenched in Fengcheng for years and stretches across three provinces!"

Zhou Mei stopped short.

Her foot landed in a small pothole on the sidewalk.

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

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

"Lure the snake from its hole!"

"When? How?"

"Tonight! This is how!" Lin Xiaosu said.

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

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

If Miao Ruolan had been by his side, those people would not dare act. Throughout the investigation, he and Miao Ruolan had been inseparable, never giving them an opportunity.

But tonight, he had created one!

An unreadable expression appeared in Zhou Mei's eyes. "You think that in those people's eyes, a proper police officer like me is less threatening than an heir to ancient martial arts?"

If Miao Ruolan followed him, they would not move.

If she followed him, they would.

Who exactly were you looking down on?

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "You won't do either! At the intersection ahead, we'll split up. Go back and make your preparations."

"Are you sure they've been hiding in the shadows all this time, ready to act at any moment?"

"Yes!"

"One last question..." Zhou Mei said. "If the enemy launches a sudden attack, can you... can you react in time? You're really not going to screw this up?"

Lin Xiaosu scratched his head and asked a question from the depths of his soul. "...If I screw this up, would I count as a martyr? Would the state give me compensation?"

"No! Not a single cent!" Zhou Mei said with a stern face. She did not like hearing jokes like that.

"If there's not even compensation, then I guess I can only not screw it up."

At the intersection ahead, Zhou Mei crossed the road, returned to the detective agency entrance, got into her car, and drove away.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaosu strolled listlessly along Yishui Bund.

The clouds shifted and rolled across the sky, gradually covering the starlight.

The waves of the Yishui River seemed to have become more urgent.

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

Several parents pushing children in strollers picked up their pace as well.

Without realizing it, Lin Xiaosu entered an alley. It was a shortcut. He seemed to have noticed that heavy rain was coming and wanted to take the shorter route back to the detective agency.