Free Web NovelChapter 1103: Chapter 1074: The Poison of Wu Yue
"Wha—what’s wrong with them?" Xia Xue stared blankly at those who had become bizarre, trembling as she leaned towards Consort Ling.
"Troy is here." Consort Ling, tense from the continuous mutations, scanned the surroundings and pulled Xia Xue into his protective circle, stepping back through a door on the left. Just then, the person who had been holding tight suddenly bit down on Consort Ling’s arm.
Consort Ling, unprepared, widened his eyes in disbelief as he watched the change in Xia Xue. Her beautiful pupils were tinged with blood, and the pain in his arm almost prompted him to strike back; but it was Xia Xue, so his outstretched hand stopped mid-air. The now irrational Xia Xue took advantage of Consort Ling’s hesitation, lunging at him and pinning him down on the stage, biting into his shoulder and tearing off a piece of flesh to chew.
Madness? For the first time, Consort Ling found himself helpless. Rationality dictated he should knock the woman out, but emotionally he did not want to. During his internal struggle, a figure flashed by, lifting Xia Xue from behind.
"The police are here; go help Troy, we can’t let the police find him!" Xiao Lin unhesitatingly struck Xia Xue’s nape with force, causing the person in his arms to go limp.
Consort Ling nodded, applying pressure to his bitten shoulder, feeling a bit itchy and swollen, but there was no time to care about that as he dashed towards Troy.
When Yelu Shou entered from outside, he saw someone who had been crouching nearby suddenly dash past from behind Xiao Lin, moving swiftly and deftly. He randomly picked up a tripod beside him and smashed it toward that man’s waist.
Xiao Lin heard the commotion behind him, spun on the spot, and, carrying the unconscious Xia Xue, stepped back two paces to the left, lifting his right knee to kick the person. With a bang, the kicked person flew off the stage, landing in the midst of a crowd, knocked out cold. Yelu Shou approached, shaking his head, thinking that kick would likely keep someone laid up in the hospital for half a year.
"She won’t, either..." Seeing Xiao Lin’s grim expression, Yelu Shou swallowed the rest of his words. "I just saw Murong Lengyue’s car leaving as I came in. Was she invited too?"
"Take Xiaoxue upstairs; leave this to me."
"The police are almost here!" Yelu Shou expressed concern, as Xiao Lin seemed off.
"I’m not so irrational yet."
Though that was what he said, Yelu Shou found it hard to believe. His boss became utterly unreliable when it came to Xia Xue. "Troy’s men caught two suspicious people."
Xiao Lin nodded; he was already beside Consort Ling.
Director Meisai, shocked by the sight before him, couldn’t help but gape. He’d rushed to Sin City without delay upon receiving the report. What he saw was Xiao Lin knocking down the remaining upright people, quickly and accurately. Observing the bodies lying still on the ground, Meisai approached Xiao Lin.
"Did you do this to all these people?"
"Can’t confirm if they’ve been poisoned too; knocking them out is the best way to prevent further harm. These people are journalists attending the opening ceremony."
Meisai felt his nerves throbbing in his head; Xiao Lin’s stern stare was somewhat unsettling. "Can I question today’s participants?"
"No need!"
"I must know what happened here!"
"’Wu Yue’!" Watching the medical staff load the injured into vehicles, Xiao Lin turned to Meisai. "These people need at least a twenty-four-hour observation; if there are no signs of poisoning, they can be released."
"Xiao Lin!" Meisai shouted loudly at the man ready to leave. "Do you have a suspect already? Mu Rongyun?"
Xiao Lin gave Meisai a smile that left him puzzled, as he ordered his subordinates to fetch the day’s surveillance footage. How did the perpetrator manage to poison so many people unnoticed with ’Wu Yue’?
At the entrance to the conference room were stacks of bottled water, just recently bought for the journalists to drink. Seeing they were sealed, it would be impossible to poison the water, leaving Meisai frowning deeply as he surveyed the surroundings, finding nothing particularly unusual. With the mayor’s attendance, the security was very tight; all attendees had certain standing, so the perpetrator wouldn’t be among them. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Damn it, one wave barely settled before another arose! This incident even implicated this guy, Meisai sighed at Xiao Lin’s firm back, lifting his head to face the central air conditioning vent above. In this approximately one hundred and fifty square meter space, there were several such vents; as if something dawned on him, Meisai ran out.
"Director Meisai, where are you going?" Kate called out as she entered with Rock from outside, having rushed over after receiving Xiao Lin’s call.
"I was just about to look for you!" Director Meisai was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Kate, but then quickly figured out what was happening. "Last time, you mentioned that the transmission method of ’Wu Yue’ isn’t just through inhalation, right!"
"That’s correct!"
"Is it possible for it to be transmitted through the air? How does it induce toxic symptoms?"
"Although ’Wu Yue’ can be injected as well as inhaled, the powder itself cannot be directly absorbed by the human body. It must be diluted into a liquid form to be effective. The powder alone doesn’t have any effect. Why do you ask, Director Meisai?"
"Please follow me!" Without much explanation, Director Meisai led the two directly into the conference room. "Most of the people in this room haven’t shown obvious signs of poisoning because they were knocked out by Young Master Xiao beforehand. The symptoms shown are very similar to those of ’Wu Yue.’ Outside is some unopened drinking water. I suspect the only way those inside have been poisoned is through this!" Meisai pointed to the air vent above them as he spoke.
"So you’re asking if it’s possible for it to be airborne?" Kate immediately understood what Meisai meant. "The powder can’t achieve this. Even if it accidentally enters the body and causes symptoms, it’s not impossible, but it’s extremely unlikely. Mainly because ’Wu Yue’ powder is heavier than air, it can’t float in the air. Even if it goes through the air vent, it’ll settle almost immediately."
Kate’s words made Meisai feel dejected again. He couldn’t figure out how these people consumed the substance called ’Wu Yue.’ He had a motive, but no method, and he couldn’t catch the criminal who poisoned them!
"Kate!" Rock jumped onto a table, perhaps inspired by Meisai’s suggestion. He had another idea. "’Wu Yue’ is a powder, but if diluted and then transmitted through the air, it might be possible." He touched the edge of the air vent, finding some moisture on his fingertips. "Give me a collection bottle. There’s water accumulated here, and we can analyze its components!"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Kate handed Rock the collection bottle from their bag. "The air conditioning water smells strange!" Rock said as he sniffed his fingertip, feeling more confident about his hypothesis.
"Director Meisai, we’ll go back now and send the sample for chemical analysis. We will notify you immediately if we get any new information." Kate and Carlos hurriedly left the scene. Alone in the conference room, Meisai hesitated about making a call, and just then, the damned phone started ringing in his hand.
"Tang!"
"Meisai, where are you?"
"Sin City! There’s been another attack similar to the bar incident! Was it you?"
"No!" Tang denied without hesitation. "I didn’t do anything like that."
"Alright, noted!" Meisai hung up, knowing that Tang never lies. If it wasn’t Tang, it couldn’t be Mu Rongyun. Eliminating that connection made it much easier to guess the remaining people! However, Young Master Xiao wouldn’t believe in this logic. ’Wu Yue’ was a creation of Fourth Master, and disentangling those ties is very difficult. Meisai sighed pointlessly once again, put on his coat, and walked out. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
A very ordinary car, an unmarked local vehicle worth about thirty US dollars, drove down the street with its audio blaring. The poor-quality sound buzzed loudly, sliding through the air into people’s ears.
The car seemed to be driving aimlessly. After the vehicle in front pulled over, it slowed down, scraping past the vehicle as it moved forward. Watching through the rearview mirror, as the people in the car in front entered a café, the driver stepped on the gas and sped away. At that moment, two people entered the café, ordered drinks, and sat behind the man who had just entered.
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Lin sat beside the large bed. Xia Xue was restless in her sleep, the veins on her neck bulging. He clasped her hand tightly, his face expressionless, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"Consort Ling! If this happens again, just knock her out!" Xiao Lin said, his back to Consort Ling. Besides the two of them, Yelu Shou, Troy, and Crow were also in the room.
"Understood!"
"Director Meisai met with Francis. I need to know all the sales channels for ’Wu Yue.’ Not a single route should be missed. Also, we must get the results before Rock does."
"That’s all manageable, but Xia Xue..."
"She will be fine!" Xiao Lin stated firmly, taking materials from the medical kit and stepping in front of Consort Ling. "A toxic wound, if untreated, will lead to poisoning as well. It’s not impossible for it to spread through the bloodstream." Without anesthesia, Xiao Lin swiftly and deftly cut away the superficial flesh, applied disinfectant powder, and bandaged it. Just as he was about to cut his own wrist, Consort Ling stopped him!
"You’ve already used a lot of blood for Xia Xue; I don’t need more."
Xiao Lin merely twitched his lips, saying nothing more! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
