Wu Yuxing’s confession offered no surprises. He claimed he had made a deal with Jiang Langmin: Jiang promised him five hundred thousand yuan if he poured a bottle of mineral water in the subway. Once that was done, Jiang told him to place a wide-mouthed jar in the infusion room of the city hospital. However, he was discovered as soon as he entered. He had rushed to find Jiang Langmin to demand his money, only to find that Jiang refused to pay!
Before he could even cause a scene, he was brought back to the police station by Lu Linjiang, who had been tailing him.
Lu Linjiang tilted his chin up, his hands crossed casually on the table. It was unclear what he was thinking. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "What exactly was in that mineral water bottle?"
Wu Yuxing shook his head. "I don't know." His face was a mask of conflict. "Jiang Langmin just told me to pour that bottle of water in the subway. He never told me what it was."
"Did it never occur to you that earning five hundred thousand just for pouring a bottle of water in the subway was a bit too easy?" Lu Linjiang asked.
Wu Yuxing looked blank. "Rich people... who knows what's wrong with them?" Beside him, Yang Bo, who was taking notes, let out a sudden snort. Wu Yuxing thought for a moment and added, "But I saw him take a small tube out of the fridge and pour the liquid inside into the mineral water bottle."
"You never thought to ask him what was in it?"
Wu Yuxing said anxiously, "I asked, but he wouldn't say. I had a gut feeling it wasn't anything good, so I didn't push it."
Lu Linjiang shifted slightly and crossed his legs. "You didn't push it..."
"Right," Wu Yuxing said firmly. "Besides, people like them, those rich types, they never tell us the truth. I only cared about the money. The rest had nothing to do with me."
"If you didn't think there was anything wrong with the mineral water, what about the wide-mouthed jar you took to the infusion room? Did you not think about that either?"
Wu Yuxing’s eyes flickered. "No, I didn't. At the time, I was just happy about getting so much money."
"Oh." Lu Linjiang seemed understanding. "So, where did Jiang Langmin give you the items?"
The man was clearly prepared for this question and answered without hesitation. "Just by the roadside. He parked his car at a deserted intersection near the shanty area. He gave me the jar there, too."
Lu Linjiang nodded. "And how did you contact each other?"
"In person. I was originally at the labor market looking for work when Jiang Langmin found me there. We agreed on a time and place for me to pick up the stuff."
Wu Yuxing’s short explanation was riddled with holes. Lu Linjiang acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued his questioning. "And how did he say he would pay you?"
"He said he'd give it... give it in cash..."
"Ah, that fits his style—leaving no evidence." Then, Lu Linjiang acted as if he had just realized something. "Then how did you find his house?"
Wu Yuxing showed a perfectly timed bit of cunning. "How could I trust his word? You can't sign a contract for this kind of thing. So, I followed him and found out where he lived. See? He really did try to renege on the debt!"
"Fine, fine. You won't be getting any money now anyway. Just stay here quietly. I'll let you know how this will be handled later." Lu Linjiang stood up impatiently, but Wu Yuxing hurriedly stopped him.
"Hey, Officer! Your colleague was sneezing all over me earlier. You have to give me some medicine! The flu is spreading so badly right now!"
Lu Linjiang pulled his hand away. "It's not that I won't give it to you. Don't you know there’s no cure for the virus you poured out?"
"How... how can that be? Jiang... Jiang Langmin didn't tell me that!" Wu Yuxing said in disbelief. Lu Linjiang looked him up and down, and the man slightly averted his gaze.
"Why wouldn't it be? You saw people on drips in the hospital and thought there was a cure? That's just to relieve the symptoms; it doesn't actually work. Three of the people who were standing near you have already died!" Lu Linjiang spoke with earnest concern, then patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. If you start running a fever, I'll get someone from the CDC to put you on a drip."
He watched Wu Yuxing, whose expression had become dazed upon hearing about the deaths. Lu Linjiang seemed to remember something else. "Don't be too distressed. Whether you get sick or not, you went too far this time. You'll have to shoulder the responsibility for those three lives."
Wu Yuxing finally showed a look of genuine shock. "But... but that's not what he told me!"
"He? Who?" Lu Linjiang followed up smoothly. "Jiang Langmin?"
Wu Yuxing’s tongue seemed to vanish for a moment, his face looking as if he had swallowed something foul. Lu Linjiang didn't press him further. "In this matter, he's your co-conspirator. Think carefully about whether there's any more direct evidence. Otherwise..."
Wu Yuxing listened intently, but Lu Linjiang suddenly left him hanging, letting his voice trail off. Wu Yuxing asked urgently, "Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, he's so rich that the lawyer he hires will definitely be better than yours. When the time comes, you'll be the one left carrying all the blame."
Wu Yuxing was finally left completely petrified. Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo walked out of the interrogation room, closing the door before looking back at him through the observation slit.
"Boss, this guy's story is all over the place. I don't think he's any match for Jiang Langmin."
"Even if Jiang Langmin were to trip up in a shallow ditch, I doubt it would be over this one," Lu Linjiang said. "It's certain that this virus is related to Jiang Langmin, but it's interesting that his ally actually dared to scheme against him behind his back."
"We'll just wait and see which of them wins this dog-eat-dog fight."
Jiang Langmin had indeed called a lawyer. Lu Linjiang timed it perfectly so that Wu Yuxing, who was being sent to the detention center, crossed paths with Jiang Langmin’s lawyer. He successfully watched the man’s face turn ashen.
As soon as Zou Liming arrived, he demanded bail for Jiang Langmin. With an arrogant air, he tossed the fingerprint identification back to Lu Linjiang. "Captain Lu, setting aside why a young man with a bright future like Mr. Jiang would do such things, the fingerprints alone are completely unconvincing. Anyone with the right connections can easily make a fingerprint mold. Your so-called evidence is far too flimsy. I strongly demand bail for my client."
In the past, Lu Linjiang would have been very much against bailing out a suspect. Once a person was out on bail, it meant they had more opportunities to change things, increasing the difficulty of solving the case. But now was different. Lu Linjiang shrugged indifferently. "Is that so? Then process the paperwork. However, I must remind Lawyer Zou to ensure your client stays put in Jinghai. Any attempt to leave, or even the suspicion of an attempt, will be viewed as fleeing from justice."
"Xu Sichen, explain the rules to him clearly. Make sure nothing is missed."
Xu Sichen stepped forward to lead Zou Liming away to handle the procedures. Lu Linjiang and Jiang Langmin locked eyes in silence, neither intending to speak first. Though both were expressionless, each felt the other was plotting something.
The phone in Lu Linjiang’s pocket vibrated. He saw it was Jiang Cheng, so he left Jiang Langmin and walked out. As soon as the call connected, Jiang Cheng heard Lu Linjiang’s greeting and went straight to the point. "It's a virus. It's highly likely to destroy the respiratory system. Combined with the drug-resistant sequences carried by the previous flu virus, the fatality rate is theoretically very high if infected."
Lu Linjiang frowned slightly. Jiang Cheng continued on the other end, "But I didn't call to tell you that. While analyzing the sequences, I found something strange. There's human DNA inside."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"The wide-mouthed jar should have contained a diluted virus strain, but a segment of human DNA was extracted from it. I need you to collect samples for me to compare."
"Wu Yuxing’s?" Lu Linjiang murmured.
"Who?"
"The man who planted the poison. But I don't think the DNA will be his, even though he's the only known person to have contacted the virus so far."
"Then whose do you think it is?"
Lu Linjiang gave a low chuckle. "It's either Jiang Langmin’s, or it belongs to a third person."
"There's a third person?" Jiang Cheng felt the matter was becoming increasingly complex, but fortunately, that wasn't his concern. "If you have a suspect, get a sample and give it to me. Since the DNA appeared in the bottle used for the poisoning, whoever it belongs to won't be able to deny it."
Lu Linjiang hummed in agreement, then asked with some concern, "Could it have come from a stray hair?"
Jiang Cheng laughed. "It wouldn't have gotten in there just by chance. It looks more like bodily fluids, such as sweat or saliva, got mixed in."
A strange smile appeared on Lu Linjiang’s face. "Then I'm curious to see who was so unlucky."
Seeing his confidence, Jiang Cheng hung up. At this moment, Lu Linjiang already had a rough idea of what was happening. It seemed he would soon meet this person who dared to cooperate with Jiang Langmin—and dared to scheme against him.
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Fatal Virus | Chapter 100 | Traces in the Jar | Novela.app | Novela.app
