Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“The drug is called Pitidebin! It’s a drug that triggers hemoglobin and irritates the heart, causing cardiac arrest and death in a short period of time!” Cheng Lingfei said coldly over the phone. “Because the drug has strong hemolytic properties, it cannot be detected at later stages and is easy to conceal. It was developed by a pharmaceutical company in Southeast Asia and in the beginning, was used by a rebel organization exclusively in assassinations! Not long after, the organization was annihilated by the government, after which the drug disappeared altogether! There were rumors that the CIA had tried to reproduce it but failed!”
“If that’s the case then how can you be so sure from just the test results?” Zhao Yu asked, frowning.
“The drug consists of magnesium, which raises the magnesium content in the blood to a critical level,” Cheng Lingfei answered. “Moreover, after the drug dissolves, it dilutes hemoglobin and lowers its levels to a bare minimum, so the overall red blood cell volume decreases. The test you sent over exhibits these characteristics! You can ask the professionals. Even though the indicators fall within the normal range, a normal person’s blood test wouldn’t look like this.”
“How do you even know this?” Zhao Yu asked again.
“I’ve asked Yu Fusheng to purchase this before,” she explained. “When I had asked, there were some politicians that were messing with my businesses in Thailand and I had wanted to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, after I received all the documents and instructions, the drug turned out to be a fake and I had to resort to traditional methods. What a waste of time and energy!”
“Oh… that means this drug is really hard to get?” Zhao Yu wondered.
“Yes!” Cheng Lingfei said, still sounding cold. “From what I heard the company was actually developing something else and found Pitidebin by chance. The formula had contained some errors and they were never able to replicate the desired results, so the first batch was the best!”
“How many were there in that batch?” Zhao Yu asked Cheng Lingfei.
“Enough to kill about 100 people. There’s a price but no market for it, so it’s basically non-existent,” she answered. That means whoever got their hand on it isn’t your average Joe. Zhao Yu thought to himself.
Hearing Cheng Lingfei’s voice through the phone had scared Zhao Yu for no reason, as it turned out. After Zhao Yu and Gao Facai had finished their conversation, Gao Facai had bumped into Miao Ying and told her about Zhao Yu’s situation, letting her look at the test results. Coincidentally, when Miao Ying was then interrogating Cheng Lingfei about her crimes abroad, Cheng Lingfei mentioned the number of pharmaceutical companies she owned and how she was rather proficient in the field of pharmaceuticals. She had even tried to assassinate people using different drugs before. So, Miao Ying took the opportunity to show Cheng Lingfei the test results and one thing led to another. Zhao Yu was terrified, as he thought Cheng Lingfei had not only escaped from jail but had kidnapped Miao Ying in the process. Thankfully, it was a false alarm.
“So, detective, is that all?” Cheng Lingfei asked. Miao Ying then took over the phone call.
“That means the five people on the list were all murdered?” Miao Ying asked.
“Yuan Juncheng was, at least,” Zhao Yu said, wiping sweat off his brow. “Miaomiao, please don’t do that again in the future! When I heard Cheng Lingfei’s voice, I nearly went crazy. You definitely did that on purpose, right?”
“Hmph! You can mess around, but I can’t even crack a joke?” Miao Ying laughed. “I’m warning you; we’re speeding things up here so you better save some of that Treasure Case for me or you’ll be dead meat!”
“Well, I can’t promise anything. I am a godlike detective after all,” Zhao Yu responded. “Who knows, maybe in another couple of hours, I’ll have cracked the case!”
“You’re doing it again!” Miao Ying lamented. “But in all seriousness, I heard everything just now. If Yuan Juncheng was really killed by some mysterious drug, then you must be careful of this murderer! He is not your average Joe. It might even be more than one person!”
“Understood!” Zhao Yu said, nodding. “I’ll be on my guard. By the way, Miaomiao, have you ever heard of a Li Jing from Foreign Affairs? She’s coming over to be our team leader!”
“What? Another female?” Miao Ying said. “What are the leaders of the criminal office thinking by forcing a woman onto you! Is she pretty?”
“C’mon don’t start this!” Zhao Yu said. “I haven’t met her yet, nor do I have time to care about her looks!”
Miao Ying thought about it. “Isn’t it just Jiang Ke’s prison break that they’re upset about? There isn’t a need to keep such a close eye on you just for that. I’m so angry! But darling, gender aside if they don’t cooperate with you just go against them! In any case, you have your father-in-law backing you so don’t worry!” she told him.
“Uhm… I still know my limits! Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything well,” Zhao Yu answered.
“Alright, I’ll get Cheng Lingfei to write you a detailed report, then you can get another professional to compare,” Miao Ying said. “Don’t get sloppy with your work!”
“I know, I know! Nagging woman,” Zhao Yu said, laughing. “I will apply for permission to investigate this with the superiors and get the blood samples of the other four people to see if their situation is the same as Yuan Juncheng’s before I come to a conclusion.”
“Alright! I can’t stop you from solving the case, but promise me you won’t do things like jumping off of a plane or endangering your life again, alright?” Miao Ying reminded him before she hung up.
After finding out about the truth serum and the mysterious murder drug, Zhao Yu was 99% sure that Yuan Juncheng was murdered. This murder was different from every other case he had seen because the person who killed Yuan Juncheng was definitely more professional and intelligent than usual. Moreover, because it involved great treasures, Zhao Yu felt like more than one person was involved here. It could even be an organization! He had to give 110% of himself for this investigation so as to not miss out on any clues.
O’ hero, chase after my dream with me… Zhao Yu’s phone rang again and he remembered he had forgotten about the new leader, Li Jing. “Hello?” he said as he answered the call.
“Leader Zhao, have you completed your tasks?” Li Jing asked softly. “I’m still at the airport, where should I go next?”
Tsch! Zhao Yu wished the new team leader was a grumpier person so he at least had the chance to justify himself when he argued with her. Yet, Li Jing made him upset. She was like a little girl looking for someone to depend on, she even had to ask for his opinion on simple things like where to meet! As a result, Zhao Yu couldn’t lose his temper. Argh! It’s really hard to play nice!
