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Chapter 3
Seeing Jiang Ting stand there, Yan Xie immediately turned the steering wheel, stepped on the accelerator, and rushed toward the truck.
The next day.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet me despite your busy schedule, but I feel…”
Yan Xie immediately responded, “I understand.”
The upscale restaurant in the city center had a private atmosphere and a pleasant ambiance. Piano music flowed gently in the background as the silverware lightly clinked. The girl sitting across the table bit her lip and gently said, “Although I have great respect for the police profession and admire the sacrifices you make, I still…”
Yan Xie interjected, “I get it.”
“Officer Yan, you really are a good person. Your appearance and qualities are outstanding, and I’m sure you’ll…”
“I know,” Yan Xie interrupted again.
The two of them locked eyes for a moment, and the girl hesitated to speak.
Yan Xie sincerely said, “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to the person who introduced us.”
The girl instantly felt relieved and waved her hand, saying, “Waiter, the bill, please!”
“It’s been taken care of.” Yan Xie wiped his mouth with the dining cloth, stood up gracefully, and said, “I apologize for taking up your time. Which direction do you live in? May I offer you a ride?”
The girl’s heart fluttered slightly, and she replied, “That would be great. You…”
His phone rang.
Yan Xie, with a privileged family background, a standard idol-like appearance, and a fit physique developed from working as a frontline detective for years, was a perfect candidate for blind dates.
However, this eligible bachelor had faced repeated failures in the dating market for one reason only—
“Hello?”
“Boss, Chief Wei wants you to come back immediately. We’ve made a significant discovery in the autopsy of the body found in the KTV freezer last night. The case has been transferred to the city bureau!”
“…”
Yan Xie hung up the phone, raised his head, and smiled apologetically, “May I drop you off at the subway station?”
The girl declined politely, expressing her strong support and understanding for his work as a detective. They bid farewell in a friendly atmosphere, and as soon as they turned away, they both deleted each other’s WeChat accounts.
………
Yan Xie walked down the steps of the restaurant, greeted by the radiant May sunlight. He pulled out his sunglasses from his collar, ruffled his hair, and recalled the girl’s unfinished sentence: “I’m sure you’ll…”
Yan Xie couldn’t help but sigh, “I’ll definitely become the right hand of justice. I have to believe in myself!”
His phone immediately rang, celebrating his dreams.
Yan Xie lazily answered, “Hello, who is this?… Mhmm, I’m on my way back to the city bureau… What? What did you say?”
“Oh my god, boss!” The chief forensic examiner’s voice conveyed his excitement even through the phone, “You won’t believe it, but it’s amazing. We found something extremely rare inside the victim’s body. The city bureau’s May Day holiday has been ruined for the seventh consecutive year! Can you believe it? Hahaha!”
Yan Xie replied, “…Er Gou1 二狗 means stupid dog, speak in simple language.”
“Who’s Er Gou? I’m Guo Li 2(苟利. His surname and the pinyin for dog in Chinese sound similar, that’s why Yan Xie was making fun of him)! When I applied to become a forensic doctor, I went through numerous challenges and faced the solemn national flag and police emblem. I even recited a couplet: ‘For the sake of the country, I am willing to live and die; why care about fortune and misfortune…'”
“I’m hanging up. See you later.”
“Wait, wait!” Guo, the chief examiner, said, “Don’t hang up! Let me tell you; it’s hyoscine.”
Yan Xie paused for a moment, his actions faltering. “Hyoscine?”
“Hyoscine is a type of alkaloid, similar in effect to atropine. It is usually found in motion sickness medications. However, in this case, the amount of hyoscine in the victim’s body is 1,600 times higher than that found in motion sickness drugs. It is combined with methamphetamine, causing intense hallucinations, seizures, and mental disorders.”
Yan Xie asked, “So, you mean this guy overdosed on drugs and ended up killing himself?”
“Yes and no,” Director Guo proudly explained, “With my extensive professional experience, detailed knowledge of chemistry, and bold analysis and verification… we can preliminarily conclude that the hallucinogen found in the victim’s body is a completely new type of drug, I repeat, a completely new type that has a molecular formula different from any known drugs on the market. As for the direct cause of death, it was due to the victim experiencing intense hallucinations and a temperature imbalance under the influence of the hallucinogen. He voluntarily entered the freezer and locked himself inside, ultimately freezing to death. The fingerprints found on the inside of the freezer door, which you had the technical investigation team collect last night, also confirmed this. So, how about it, Yan? Do you have a eureka moment?”
Yan Xie generously passed on the laurels given to him by Wan Zhenguo last night. “The modern-day Conan!”
Director Guo modestly expressed his gratitude.
“Alright, Ah Gou(狗, means dog), inform everyone to come back for a meeting. Also, get Qin Chuan from the neighboring Anti-Drug Department to join us—I’m already on my way, see you at the city bureau in fifteen minutes.”
“My name is Guo Li, not Ah Gou!…”
With a loud bang, Yan Xie closed the car door and stepped on the accelerator. He casually tossed his phone onto the passenger seat as the Grand Cherokee smoothly merged into traffic.
Fifteen minutes later, at the Criminal Investigation Division meeting room in the city bureau.
During the May Day holiday, all the detectives who hadn’t returned to their hometowns gathered, along with the drug enforcement, technical investigation, image analysis, and the portly forensic examiner, Director Guo. Even Deputy Chief Wei Yao, who was in charge of the criminal investigation department, had brought a large tea jar and settled himself at the head of the table.
Yan Xie, dressed sharply in his blind date attire, casually rolled up the sleeves of his white Zilli shirt, revealing his well-defined elbows. In the room filled with quiet breathing, he opened the surveillance footage on the big screen.
On the evening of May 2nd, at 9:30 p.m., a figure wearing a blue jacket and black pants appeared in the surveillance footage. He stumbled and walked towards the depths of an alley.
The room fell into complete silence as many people leaned forward instinctively, their eyes fixed on the final image left by the person who would die within ten minutes.
The deceased danced and staggered, seemingly engaged in a conversation with someone from his imagination. At times, he reached out with all his strength, while at other times, he painfully grabbed his own hair. Suddenly, he stumbled and collided heavily with a trash bin.
Thud!
The impact was strong, and the sound was clearly audible even through the screen. However, the deceased seemed oblivious to the pain, completely focused on tearing at his collar. With this action, the high-definition camera captured dark liquid slowly flowing from his ear—the blood that was oozing from it. He then took off his sweater, pressed his bare upper body against the edge of the trash bin, and relentlessly rubbed against it, ignoring the filth.
The nervous and desperate actions of the dying man sent a chill through the hearts of many in the meeting room. At that moment, something seemed to catch his attention from behind the partially open back door of the KTV kitchen. The deceased struggled to get up and unsteadily made his way into the kitchen.
The screen flickered, and the final image of the deceased disappeared from view.
Guo Li coughed politely, covering his mouth.
“We’ve received the autopsy report. Combining it with the fingerprints found on the inside of the freezer, we suspect that the victim locked himself inside the freezer under the strong hallucinogenic effects of hyoscine. Take a look, the victim’s arms show no signs of injection marks, and the autopsy of the trachea and esophagus revealed traces of methamphetamine, indicating that the drug was ingested orally.”
Guo Li displayed the autopsy photos on the big screen, flipping through them with a laser pointer, and continued, “The crucial point is that when we attempted to decipher the molecular formula of the hallucinogen, we found that the drug ingested by the victim does not match any known drugs on the market.”
People began whispering to each other, and Deputy Chief Wei leaned forward, “Could it be a new type of drug?”
In the criminal investigation work, one doesn’t differentiate between major and minor cases since they all involve matters of life and death. However, in terms of severity, the influx of a new type of drug into the jurisdiction could be comparable to a serial killer murdering twenty people in the city center in a single day or Yan Xie suddenly having an episode during the interdepartmental martial arts contest.
If a new type of drug was involved, where did it come from? What was the distribution channel? Was it already widespread? How many lower-level dealers were involved?
The room remained quiet, with no one speaking. Suddenly, a deep voice said, “Something doesn’t seem right.”
All eyes turned towards the source, and Deputy Chief Wei tapped the large tea jar, asking, “What’s wrong, Xiao Yan?”
Yan Xie remained silent and reviewed the surveillance footage from the beginning. The distorted and frenzied images flickered in his pupils, and he continued watching until the end of the footage. Then he pointed to the time in the bottom corner of the screen.
“Yesterday evening, around nine o’clock, a witness saw the victim wandering alone on the sidewalk near the KTV back door, carrying a black backpack-like bag. Where is that bag now?”
“The victim appeared in the surveillance footage at 9:30 p.m., and the drug’s effects took hold quickly, leading to his death. So, what did the victim do, and where did he go between nine o’clock and 9:30 p.m.? Who did he meet? Did he see anyone?”
Before anyone could speak, Ma Xiang eagerly raised his hand to answer, “He went to buy drugs! The bag… the bag contained cash!”
“It might not necessarily be cash,” Yan Xie said.
He paused, tapping his chin with fingers bearing the calluses of handling firearms. “Let’s assume that the victim arranged to meet the drug dealer near the crime scene, obtained the drugs, and completed the transaction. The victim swallowed the drugs orally, and soon after, the methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) caused him to experience hallucinations and an imbalance in body temperature. That’s why he started undressing, and the first thing he got rid of was the backpack.”
A bulging backpack casually discarded by the roadside would likely be picked up by someone passing by, even in a secluded alley at night.
Moreover, considering the victim’s expensive branded attire from head to toe, even his underwear costing several hundred yuan, the backpack would most likely not be a cheap one, increasing the likelihood of it being taken by someone opportunistically.
Deputy Cheif Wei furrowed his brows tightly and said, “But the sub-bureau hasn’t found the source of the body, and the emergency center hasn’t received any reports of missing persons that match the criteria. And at the moment, we can’t track the location of the cellphone.”
Yan Xie pointed to the surveillance footage and suddenly asked, “Under what circumstances do drug addicts usually use drugs?”
This question seemed quite abrupt, and Deputy Chief Wei didn’t catch on immediately. Someone from the drug enforcement team coughed and replied, “Based on our experience in arresting people, it can be divided into two categories. One is when addicts use drugs alone during an episode, and the other is when they gather with close drug-using friends.”
The person speaking had a refined and handsome face, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and his tone was neither too warm nor too cold. This was Qin Chuan, whom Guo Li had temporarily brought over from the neighboring Anti-Drug Department.
The situation in the city’s anti-drug department was similar to that in the criminal investigation division. Both departments had leaders who were nearing retirement, while their deputies were not yet old enough to take over. So, the leaders had to continue enduring the pressure. The deputy head of the criminal investigation division was Yan Xie, while the deputy head of the anti-drug department was Qin Chuan.
Although the two of them often went out for drinks as good friends, Qin Chuan had a more reliable reputation within the city bureau—after all, Qin Chuan excelled at playing the role of a cultured gentleman, which made a lasting impression. His rogue side was better hidden, and this intellectual young man was more favored by the higher-ups compared to Yan Xie, who would often take the entire team of detectives to sing karaoke, challenging the fragile nerves of the leadership.
“When addicts use drugs alone, it generally happens in their own safe spaces, such as their homes, rental properties, or hotel rooms. It’s unlikely for drug users to be dancing and acting high on the streets. But what about using drugs in a group? The sub-bureau has conducted a preliminary survey of the surrounding area, including the surveillance footage from the Sleepless Palace KTV, but we haven’t found any signs of drug use in a group.”
“In any case,” Qin Chuan paused slightly and pushed up his glasses, “we don’t have any leads. We can’t figure out how the victim ended up on the road.”
The meeting room buzzed with discussion.
“No,” Yan Xie suddenly said, “There is a third possibility.”
Qin Chuan was momentarily taken aback. “What possibility?”
Yan Xie said, “Test run.”
Yan Xie sat back in his chair, legs crossed, and tapped the table with a laser pointer.
“‘This is a new product that isn’t available on the market. It’s particularly potent. Try it with me, and if it feels good, you can take it all for yourself.’—Let’s assume that the victim arranged to meet the drug dealer not far from the crime scene, within a five to ten-minute walk. It would appear to be very hidden and comfortable, providing enough security for the drug addict… but in reality, it’s not that safe.”
In the surveillance footage, the KTV back door led to a desolate alley at night, surrounded by narrow paths, closed shops, and the back kitchens of street stalls. Qin Chuan’s gaze moved back and forth on the screen, suddenly realizing something.
“Vehicles!”
When drug addicts get high, it’s common for them to do so in their cars. The victim had a meeting in the dealer’s car, and unexpectedly, the “new product” was too powerful. As a result, after “testing” it, he broke free from the backpack and ran off without any concern for the consequences. It seemed to be the most likely speculation based on the current evidence.
“Da Gou, how long does it take for this hallucinogen to take effect after ingestion?” Yan Xie asked.
Guo Li reluctantly replied, “Five to ten minutes, with the peak effect reached within fifteen minutes.”
Yan Xie stood up. “Ma Xiang, go to the Traffic Police Brigade and retrieve the surveillance footage of all the entrances and exits around the crime scene between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. last night. Investigate all vehicles that entered the area and stayed for more than thirty minutes. Qin Chuan, have the anti-drug team further investigate the source of this new type of drug entering our city. I’ll reexamine the crime scene.”
Everyone in the room stood up and took action. Qin Chuan pushed his chair back into place and asked, “Do you have any inspiration, Yan Xie?”
“Bag,” Yan Xie said briefly, “Once we find that bag, we won’t be far from the truth.”
The May Day holiday had effectively reduced the evening rush hour. Yan Xie held a cigarette in one hand and rested his other hand on the steering wheel. As the green light illuminated, he moved slowly with the flow of traffic. The voice of Ma Xiang came through his Bluetooth earpiece, “The brothers from the Fuyang Traffic Police Brigade have retrieved the surveillance footage. After preliminary comparison by the image analysis team, there are twelve vehicles that meet the screening criteria. What should we do next, Brother Yan?”
Yan Xie asked, “Which ones don’t have tinted windows?”
After a brief moment of searching, the voice from the other side replied, “Three of them!”
“Among the remaining nine vehicles, how many were fully loaded when they left the crime scene?”
“Hmm… it’s hard to say. The ones with tinted windows are unclear, but there are two that appear to be fully loaded based on preliminary observation.”
“The target is among the remaining seven vehicles. Prioritize the investigation on those with one to two passengers when they left the scene.”
Ma Chao asked in confusion, “Why?”
Yan Xie was about to answer when suddenly there was a loud noise ahead, followed by the screeching of brakes and a cacophony of car horns.
“Hey, Brother Yan! What’s happening over there?”
Yan Xie leaned out of the window and saw a BMW colliding with a food delivery rider, causing the motorcycle to flip over and scattering the food all over the ground.
“Why did you rush forward when the traffic light was red?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t run a red light!…”
Yan Xie extinguished his cigarette and said, “It’s fine, there’s been an accident ahead. I’ll find another route. If the target vehicle has more than two passengers, they won’t be able to stop the deceased from getting out of the car after the hallucinogen takes effect. So, the driver and one to two passengers have a relatively higher probability. You guys go back to the city bureau first, and I’ll catch up later…”
Yan Xie’s voice suddenly stopped.
The traffic light changed again, and the oncoming traffic started to move slowly. However, not far from the accident scene, a figure stood motionless in the center of the intersection, staring fixedly at the overturned motorcycle.
His soul seemed to be sucked away, and he had no reaction to the approaching vehicles. The truck in front didn’t seem to notice the inconspicuous pedestrian and continued to drive forward.
Yan Xie’s pupils suddenly contracted—he recognized who that person was!
All the details happened in the same instant. Yan Xie turned the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator, and the piercing sound of the horn tore through the air. He changed lanes, scraping against the truck, and both lanes of traffic came to a halt amidst the jolting!
“What the f*ck!” The truck driver slammed on the brakes angrily. “Are you blind? Can’t you drive?!”
Yan Xie jumped out of the car, pulled out his police badge from his coat pocket, and flashed it. The driver instantly froze, but Yan Xie didn’t even look back. He dashed straight towards the figure standing alone in the center of the intersection.
It was Jiang Ting.
When the horn sounded, Jiang Ting’s usually clear mind seemed to crash. Everything became blank. He couldn’t see, hear, or react. All he saw was the scene of the accident in front of him, magnified and distorted infinitely, as shattered time and space rushed in, engulfing all consciousness. In a daze, he was driving again on the provincial highway during the heavy rain three years ago.
Yes, it was that day.
The sound of sirens echoed in the distance, and the alternating red and blue lights were visible in the rearview mirror. He was like a trapped beast, running recklessly with no way out. The only thing echoing in his mind was that he absolutely couldn’t fall into the hands of those people again, especially him—
He stepped on the accelerator, and the next second, a truck emerged in front of him.
Collision, intense pain, dizziness, and the world spinning. Countless car horns sounded incessantly, and reality and memory alternated, merging perception with illusions.
Then Jiang Ting felt his body lighten, and someone lifted him up from his waist. A pair of strong hands shattered his delusions.
Yan Xie held Jiang Ting in a horizontal embrace, strode three steps across the intersection, rushed onto the sidewalk, and placed him on a bench by the street. He grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up at himself. “Hey, wake up!”
“…”
“Look at me and listen!”
Jiang Ting’s focus was scattered, his lips trembling slightly. Then suddenly, as if awakening from a nightmare, he grabbed Yan Xie’s hand that was holding his chin.
“… I’m sorry,” Jiang Ting gasped. “I’m sorry.”
Yan Xie looked down at him from above. At such a close distance, he could clearly see the features that he hadn’t been able to make out at the scene last night. Even the curvature of each eyelash, the exhausted shadows in his eyes, and the slightly pale corners of his lips were all clearly visible.
In that instant, a certain figure appeared vaguely in Yan Xie’s mind again.
—But it was immediately interrupted.
Jiang Ting suddenly realized his own loss of composure. He immediately released Yan Xie’s hand, leaned back, and created some distance between them. He looked up and asked, “Officer Yan?”
In that instant, Jiang Ting, whose thoughts were normally clear and sober, returned. Aside from his slightly pale complexion, which revealed a hint of embarrassment, all the invisible defenses were once again armed when he leaned back.
Yan Xie stood up and coughed.
“Wait here for me.” He gave a concise instruction, then strode toward the blocked traffic on the road.
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