Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 657: Silent Killer

When Li Zhi strode into the meeting room with Mu Yuze trailing behind him, the air was filled with a cacophony of loud chatters and intense discussions.

"Captain!"

"Captain, this case is—!"

Li Zhi raised a hand, and the agitated officers sealed their mouths shut in an instant. Taking his place in front, he placed his hands on the table and swept his sharp gaze over everyone present. Only when he ensured their undivided attention did he begin,

"Tonight, we received the strange case of Mr. Walker’s death. Under normal circumstances, this would have been ruled as an ordinary accident, but you’ve read the files, so you must be aware that something is strange with his death. For instance, the deceased didn’t have a history of heart ailments, but he died of a heart attack. Does it ring a bell?"

"Yes, Sir!" An officer answered loudly. "It’s exactly the same as Qin Zhen’s case— the man whom that impostor disguised himself as!"

"Exactly," Li Zhi affirmed.

He plugged a USB drive to the laptop whose screen was displayed on the large projector on the wall, and in the next second, Qin Zhen’s case file appeared in front of everyone. As this was the case where they had been totally fooled by the Master Manipulator, the details were still fresh in everyone’s mind. Nonetheless, they still studied the screen with a solemn expression as if they could see the tragic image of the corpse left miserably in a broken refrigerator for months.

Li Zhi circled the cause of death with a laser pointer. "This," he said, facing the team, "is our greatest failure. We failed to catch the real culprit, played right into his trap and were forced to accept the scapegoat. As a result, we failed to deliver justice for the deceased. That’s the reason this murder happened today."

Members of the Violent Crime gritted their teeth in frustration. "The same modus operandi; it’s clear that the culprit is that bastard again!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Another countered, "Still, we can’t dismiss the possibility that someone else is the culprit! Why would the Manipulator kill a public figure in an airport, of all places? It’s like he’s hungry for attention!"

"Isn’t he? Is that not the reason why he sent that goddamn video? To provoke and humiliate us?! This must also be another attempt of his to trample on us!"

"You guys are being too hot-headed," Chen Lian interjected with a frown. "In the first place, there’s no evidence that the Manipulator is involved in this case. Even if we are certain that he is the culprit, we can’t apprehend him without solid evidence. We don’t even know what his motive is. Isn’t that also the case with Mr. Qin? That’s why we had no choice but to pin the blame on the scapegoat."

Chen Lian’s blunt and straightforward words were a wake-up call, dousing a bucket of cold water to the heated atmosphere. The agitated officers began to calm down and analyzed the case rationally, "You’re right. Without evidence, there’s nothing we can do."

"Damn it..." an officer slammed his fist on the table, seething in frustration. "Will this be another unsolved case like Qin Zhen’s?"

Would they face another round of humiliation, forced to watch the Manipulator escape scot-free once again? No, they did not want it to happen for the second time!

But whatever could they do with their limited power and knowledge? They couldn’t dig out Ku Jin’s background, so the least they could do was to start with the deceased. However, it wouldn’t be easy either because the other person’s identity was a foreigner who had come to visit China, and he was also quite renowned in his own country!

"The report didn’t mention anything about the reason behind Walker’s visit," Kang Guanyu released a sigh. "I tried to contact his secretary, but she claimed that she didn’t know anything either. Walker merely stated that he was here for a personal reason, but as far as I discovered, he had no family, relatives or hidden lovers here..."

A heavy gloom descended upon the meeting room, turning the atmosphere bleak and somber. How infuriating... it felt like they were trapped in an endless cycle. Despite having a clear destination in mind, they had no idea how to move forward because they were stuck in place!

Just as the despondency in the air reached a new peak...

Li Zhi opened his mouth to speak, "Evidence. You’re right, we need evidence if we want to capture that bastard."

"Captain...?"

"Do you have any idea where we should start investigating this case?"

Wordlessly, Li Zhi pulled up another screen, and everyone was dumbfounded to find that it was a drug identification report issued by a forensic center overseas. It contained the detailed chemical analysis and toxicology studies of the unknown substance. To facilitate his colleagues, Li Zhi even had the file translated into Chinese.

"T–This...!"

"Silent Killer," Li Zhi elaborated grimly. "It’s a new drug that has been circulating within Northern America in recent months. It’s tasteless, colorless and odorless. Once consumed, the victim will display signs of natural heart attack..." Amidst Captain Li’s explanation, sharp inhalations and gaps could be heard throughout the room. The once depressed officers’ eyes now sparkled with hope, akin to a child finding a big present from Santa Claus.

"Fuck, doesn’t this line up perfectly with Qin Zhen and Walker’s symptoms?!"

"Is there a way to detect it in the blood?!"

"Where are our forensic officers?! Tell them to take notes!"

"Goddamnit it, who could have guessed that that motherfucker would use a drug that’s only available overseas?!"

"Captain, that’s awesome! Where did you obtain this information from?!"

With an expression that betrayed nothing, Li Zhi replied, "From my informant."

"Holy shit, your informant is so powerful, Captain!"

Before the discussion could veer off, Li Zhi swiftly steered it back on track, "I am almost ninety percent certain that the drug is the cause of Qin Zhen and Walker’s death, but we still need our forensic officers to make sure of it. Moreover, because this is a new and unknown drug, we can request help from the Interpol to—"

"Captain!" An officer burst into the meeting room, relaying urgent news. "Not good! Somehow reporters have caught wind of the news and are crowding the airport. The news of Walker’s death has made the headlines!"

"What?!" Li Zhi exclaimed in shock and anger. "How the fuck did it leak outside so fast when we’ve just received the report less than an hour ago?!!"