Lu Linjiang pulled on his gloves and retrieved the laptop bag. It was made of canvas, which left him slightly disappointed; he could only pin his hopes on the small metal zipper. He carefully pulled it open. The bag contained only two compartments, one of which held a stack of papers.
Aside from that, there was nothing else.
Lu Linjiang took the papers out. It appeared to be a thesis or a research paper, written entirely in English. He glanced through it, but since he didn't recognize many of the technical terms, he could only vaguely guess the general meaning of the sentences. He spread the pages out one by one on the desk and counted them—there were only fifteen.
He searched further and found a very small USB drive tucked away with the documents. Beyond that, there was nothing. Lu Linjiang lined everything up and began to recall what Jiang Cheng had told him. Jiang Cheng had only touched this laptop bag in the room. If that fingerprint hadn't been intentionally planted later, then the problem had to lie with this bag.
However, looking at the items on the desk, Lu Linjiang couldn't quite connect the dots.
He put the items back into the bag, mimicking the motion of pulling out an e-reader. Yet, this didn't explain why Jiang Cheng’s fingerprint would appear on the virus storage vial. He checked the time and, wasting no more a moment, packed everything up. He planned to head back to the station first and hand the bag over to the forensics department.
The temperature had plummeted. It wasn't until snowflakes began to flutter against the windshield that Lu Linjiang remembered the weather forecast had predicted a blizzard. The car's heater hadn't kicked in yet, making the interior feel no different from a refrigerator. Lu Linjiang waited at a red light, the wipers swiping rhythmically; otherwise, the melting snow would quickly obscure his view. A few pedestrians on the sidewalk were without umbrellas, and in just a few moments, a thin layer of snow had settled on their shoulders.
Lu Linjiang watched them jog across the street in front of his car, each exhaling a long plume of white vapor. Just as the last person passed, a sudden thought struck him.
His eyes fixed on the departing figures as he finally realized what he had overlooked.
Before that storage vial had surfaced, Lu Linjiang had suspected there might have been a second person in the bathroom. After all, for someone as nearsighted as Tao Minxing, it was incredibly strange to shower without taking off his glasses or turning on the exhaust fan. Although Guo Junyi had suggested that Tao Minxing might have died suddenly before he even realized he needed to take his glasses off, it still felt wrong.
His intuition told him something was off. The exhaust fan switch was right by the door. For a man who was a bit of a germaphobe, it was odd not to turn on the fan regardless of what he was doing in the bathroom. Whether Tao Minxing was using the toilet or bathing—especially considering he went as far as disinfecting the room—it was even stranger not to turn on the fan for ventilation.
Moreover, Luo Jia’s reaction when Lu Linjiang had probed him earlier confirmed that there was indeed a problem.
The car behind him honked impatiently. Lu Linjiang snapped out of his thoughts, saw the green light, and slammed on the accelerator.
Lu Linjiang had finally grasped something substantial. In the middle of the night, he shook Jiang Cheng awake from a bench in the detention center. "Can high temperatures kill the virus?"
Jiang Cheng had been under high tension for days, and the detention center was hardly a place conducive to rest. Exhausted and weary, he had finally managed to doze off against the wall for a moment when Lu Linjiang shook him awake. His brain couldn't quite pull itself out of the fog. Looking at Lu Linjiang, who had rushed over in the dead of night, he felt for a moment like he was still dreaming. "What?"
"Temperature! The effect of temperature on the influenza virus!"
Jiang Cheng’s eyes were still glazed. Because his brain hadn't fully regained control over his body, his gaze held a hint of 'are you a madman?' "Temperature?" He rubbed his temples, saying through a headache, "Of course there's a connection. It’s common sense that high temperatures kill viruses."
"What about humidity?"
"Dry conditions are more favorable for the transmission and survival of the virus." Jiang Cheng was finally fully awake. He asked his late-night visitor in confusion, "Why are you asking this?"
The mystery of the bathroom that had been plaguing Lu Linjiang finally had a logical explanation. Although he couldn't yet link all the suspicious points together, the step forward he had just taken eased his mind considerably. "To ensure your cooperation with the investigation."
Jiang Cheng: "..."
Lu Linjiang left as quickly as a whirlwind. Jiang Cheng had finally fallen asleep only to be startled awake, and in less than a few minutes, the culprit had vanished without even offering an explanation.
He leaned against the wall. Even though the room was humanely heated, a chill crept up his back. The previous grogginess had vanished, and memories began to race through his mind like a revolving lantern.
Perhaps it was because their positions had changed. In the past, he had found the work-focused Lu Linjiang incredibly handsome. That single-mindedness and courage made him feel intoxicated just thinking about it. Even if they did nothing, just sitting quietly by his side and watching him work was enough to fill an entire day.
Now, he only felt that this man was excessively cold and impersonal. Rationally, Jiang Cheng knew the other man was busy working on his case, but this whirlwind-like coming and going, where every inquiry was met with a strictly official response, was emotionally difficult to accept.
Perhaps some people were truly meant to be admired only from a distance.
Lu Linjiang tucked the laptop bag under his arm and went straight to the forensics department. From a distance, he could smell a savory aroma. Walking in, he saw several officers on duty placing takeout boxes on the tables. When they saw him enter, several pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison.
Lu Linjiang said sensibly, "Eat first. We'll get to work after you're done."
Xu Zhiwei, holding a skewer, asked him, "Captain Lu, you're too dedicated, coming back this late!" He picked out a meaty skewer and handed it over. "Have some. We ordered a lot to get the discount."
Only then did Lu Linjiang realize he hadn't eaten dinner. He thanked Xu Zhiwei and silently took a bite of a grilled rib. The forensics department was staffed by a few young people tonight, and they spoke without any inhibitions.
"Holy crap, this large intestine has a polyp! Look, look!"
Xu Zhiwei didn't even look up, mumbling while chewing on a chicken soft bone, "What's there to look at? What's so interesting about a polyp? Just eat it. It's an extra piece of meat for free, buy one get one!"
Sun Yi, holding the polyp-ridden intestine, felt like his refined interests were unappreciated. Then again, the people in forensics had seen everything. He looked at Lu Linjiang, who was eating a rib, and leaned over persistently. "Captain Lu, do you want to see? This polyp is actually quite well-formed."
Lu Linjiang had always privately felt that the forensics team was the most peculiar group in the entire police station. Sun Yi's current behavior only confirmed his suspicion—a polyp? What did he mean by "well-formed"?
He took a polite glance and failed to see what was so great about it.
Sun Yi pulled it back, sliced off the polyp, and took a bite of the intestine. "Such a rare find, and none of you will even look. You have no thirst for knowledge."
Zhang Minghua took a sip of tea. "Can we talk about something refreshing while we're eating?"
"Refreshing topics in forensics? Like what?"
"The things that used to exist inside the intestine you're eating."
Lu Linjiang’s hand holding the rib paused. Sun Yi spat, "You call that refreshing?"
"It's called normal. Normal is more refreshing than a pathology, isn't it? Think about it—a polyp could easily cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, or even bloody stools. Even if it's just a pig, and even if it's ultimately going to be eaten by you, isn't that a bit tragic?"
Lu Linjiang found himself missing Guo Junyi; he really wanted to drag him back to work overtime.
Fortunately, the midnight snack didn't last much longer. The three of them chatted about topics unsuitable for digestion without slowing down their eating speed. Xu Zhiwei was the first to finish. He wiped his mouth and asked Lu Linjiang, "Captain Lu, what's up?"
Lu Linjiang handed over the laptop bag. "This. It’s supposedly the only thing Jiang Cheng touched in Tao Minxing’s room that night. See if you can lift any fingerprints from it."
***
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Fatal Virus | Chapter 14 | A Matter of Temperature | Novela.app | Novela.app
