Chapter Seventy-Four: Foaming at the Mouth!

It was a black plastic bag, bulging and full, remarkably similar to the ones we found in the trash bins.

“Mr. Huo, we found this,” said Mr. Lin.

Mr. Huo looked incredulous. “Impossible. With you lot, nothing but a ragtag band—”

He suddenly realized his words were inappropriate and quickly corrected himself. “How could you possibly have discovered this plastic bag?”

Mr. Lin frowned. “To be frank, Mr. Huo, before you found these pieces of evidence, we had already identified Officer Wang as a suspect.”

Mr. Huo was even more unwilling to concede, insisting he couldn’t believe it.

Just then, someone from the lab entered, announcing the test results were ready.

Mr. Lin hurriedly took the results, and after reading them, sighed deeply. “Commander, the results show not only ash from photographs, but also ordinary paper ash, with clear carbon traces indicating that there was writing on it. There are even traces of organic material, suggesting meat was burned. The exact composition is unclear and needs further precise testing.”

The Commander asked, “Do you think those organic components could be... corpse insects?”

Mr. Lin replied gravely, “There’s a high possibility.”

Mr. Huo quickly asked, “How can you be sure that this is the item Officer Wang was carrying?”

So Mr. Lin proceeded to tell Mr. Huo everything we had discovered.

Mr. Huo was still stubborn, coldly saying, “Such a major finding, you ought to write a report first. Reporting so blindly is irresponsible.”

Mr. Lin smiled, “Mr. Huo, may we see your report?”

Mr. Huo pursed his lips, realizing he was at fault, and said nothing more.

The Commander, looking a bit troubled, said, “How did this become linked to Officer Wang? This is a serious matter, and if word gets out, the public could easily misunderstand and let their imaginations run wild. You should investigate this discreetly, and ideally, don’t let the matter spread.”

Mr. Huo replied, “Rest assured, Commander, we know what to do.”

The Commander nodded. “Good, as long as that’s clear. By the way, what’s your next step?”

Mr. Huo said, “Officer Wang is an important lead! We need to check if he has issues with finances or personal conduct. This might involve certain peculiarities related to him.”

Mr. Lin, feeling triumphant, said, “No need for you to investigate further, Mr. Huo. We’ve already confirmed that Officer Wang has problems with both finances and conduct. Seems you didn’t think it through enough.”

Mr. Huo stared at Mr. Lin in disbelief. “How can you be so sure? How did you confirm it in such a short time?”

Mr. Lin smiled and pointed to the ownership contract. Mr. Huo’s face turned green.

The Commander, apparently used to their rivalry, wasn’t surprised. He handed everyone a cigarette, chuckling, “A bit of competition is good, but trust, sharing information, and mutual support are the foundation. Many hands make light work, after all. You two, give me some dignity.”

Mr. Huo quickly said, “Commander, you misunderstand. Mr. Lin and I might seem at odds, but privately we get along very well. I never keep the good stuff to myself—I always share it with Mr. Lin.”

Mr. Lin nearly choked on his water, coughing several times. “Enough, Huo, stop it. The Commander isn’t an outsider, no need to flatter him. I know your temperament—friendly here, but outside you’ll trip me up. Fine, do as you please. Anyway, whenever I have important leads, I’ll share them with you promptly.”

After bidding farewell to the Commander, we left. Sure enough, as soon as we stepped outside, the two started arguing again, finally declaring there’s no way they’d actually share information.

Mr. Lin was so angry he almost fought Mr. Huo right then and there. It was hard to imagine such a kind elder could be provoked like this.

Once we got in the car, Tang Jingjing said, “Why bother with that old fool?”

Mr. Lin sighed, “You don’t know how infuriating he is. He’s done plenty of dirty things, and when he was younger, even harassed women.”

Tang Jingjing was furious. “How could someone be like that? Tonight I’ll have Li Hong puncture his tires—let’s see if he’s still so arrogant.”

I suggested we should first investigate Officer Wang’s mistress, as we’d surely get important clues.

But we realized we’d left in such a hurry earlier that we hadn’t even gotten Sun Lili’s contact information.

Just as we mentioned this, Li Xingchen’s phone rang. Li Huai quickly pulled out his phone, offering an embarrassed smile.

Tang Jingjing snatched the phone, coldly asking, “How does Sun Lili have your number?”

Li Xingchen smiled awkwardly, “She asked around, just asked around.”

Tang Jingjing answered the call, putting it on speaker.

We directly asked Sun Lili about Officer Wang’s lover.

Sun Lili replied, “I know. That mistress investigated me before, I caught her red-handed, so I did some digging into her myself! By the way, when dealing with her, be careful—she’s a bit strange.”

Li Xingchen quickly asked, “What do you mean, strange?”

Sun Lili explained that the woman was extremely jealous. Anyone who got close to Officer Wang would arouse her strong suspicion and hostility. She had investigated Sun Lili because she feared there was something lingering between her and Officer Wang. No one knew how Officer Wang managed her day to day—it must have been a headache.

Li Xingchen asked Sun Lili to send over all the information she had. Sun Lili retorted, “Send it? Come buy me dinner. If I’m happy, maybe I’ll give you the info.”

Li Xingchen glanced at Mr. Lin, who nodded. Li Huai looked helpless. “Fine, where can I find you?”

Li Xingchen left, taking with him the military expert assigned to protect us.

With Li Hong here, we were safe enough.

Unexpectedly, not long after leaving, Li Xingchen called me. I laughed, thinking he was quite efficient, and answered immediately.

But on the other end, Li Xingchen sounded panicked. “Xiaoyang, you all... hurry over, keep going straight, first traffic light.”

Shocked, I quickly asked what happened.

Li Xingchen shouted, “Something’s happened! Don’t ask, just come quickly!”

He hung up.

I immediately drove ahead. With the speaker on, Mr. Lin and the others heard everything clearly.

When we arrived, we were horrified to find the military expert who’d been protecting Li Xingchen lying on the ground, clawing at his neck, frothing at the mouth, as if poisoned.

Li Xingchen was flustered, not knowing what to do.

I quickly got out and ran over, asking if Li Xingchen had called for emergency help.

Seeing me, Li Xingchen looked as if he’d found a savior, nodding repeatedly. “I called, but it’ll be ten minutes before they arrive. Can you tell what’s wrong? When we got to this intersection, he suddenly stopped, kept sneering at me, and then collapsed, started convulsing. Scared me to death.”

I said, “Looks like food poisoning.”

“But he’s been with us the whole time, eating the same food as everyone.”

“He didn’t eat anything else while with you?” I asked.

Li Xingchen said no.

“Wait,” Li Xingchen suddenly remembered, “he drank a bottle of water earlier. Must be something wrong with that water.”

“Where’s the bottle?” I asked urgently.

Li Xingchen searched everywhere, finally said helplessly, “It was just here a moment ago, but now it’s gone.”

I felt a headache coming on. “Not good, the killer must have taken it. Li Hong, search nearby.”

Li Hong said seriously, “That’s not wise. I must ensure your safety! What if it’s a trick to lure us away?”

Tang Jingjing said, “Right, Li Hong shouldn’t leave. Let me search.”

I quickly stopped Tang Jingjing. “Are you crazy? Stay here.”

Mr. Lin said, “I’ll call the Commander and have this area sealed off.”

He pulled out his phone, preparing to call.

But just then, the military expert, who had been convulsing on the ground, suddenly leapt up and lunged at Mr. Lin!