“Furthermore, regarding the compensation for the clinic, I’ve already been there. I paid for everything at market price, even settling the medical bills. You can ask them if you don’t believe me. At the end of the day, my son was acting in self-defense. His wife was beaten until she lost her child—is he not allowed to fight back?” Cui Shihai scrutinized Cui Bin and Cui Wenxing. “They both look equally injured. Given the wicked things Cui Bin has done, he certainly didn't get the short end of the stick.”
Zhao Zhijie had already confirmed the details with Lu Linjiang. “Regardless, it is a fact that Cui Wenxing started a brawl. He was the one who threw the first punch at the primary school. According to regulations, I am detaining him for three days.”
Cui Shihai gave Zhao Zhijie a long, deep look. “Fine. Since the police have spoken, we will follow orders. I’ll come back in two days. But… what about Cui Bin?”
“Once Cui Xiaoye wakes up, we will take her statement. When our investigation is complete, we will certainly give you a satisfactory answer.”
Cui Shihai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Zhao Zhijie. Then, with a dark expression, he nodded. “Then I shall trouble Officer Zhao.” He gave a curt nod and walked away as slowly as he had arrived.
Once he was gone, Lu Linjiang spoke softly, “He’s quite something.”
Zhao Zhijie shook his head. “If someone actually ate something illegal in his shop…” He glanced down at Cui Wenxing. “It’s going to be very difficult to prove.”
Lu Linjiang moved Cui Bin to a small partitioned room behind the police station. “Cui Bin, why exactly did you come back this time?”
Ever since hearing that Cui Xiaoye was still unconscious, Cui Bin had appeared utterly despondent. “I told you, I just wanted to come back and take Xiaoye away. We… we’ve actually been together for many years. I even bought a house. But before the New Year, her father fell ill and needed a major operation. All my money was tied up in the house, so her mother married Xiaoye off to Cui Wenxing in exchange for a large sum of money. Truly, I just wanted to see the Cui family’s business collapse. But then I met you all and realized someone had died… I was… I was afraid of dragging Xiaoye into it.”
No wonder he had been so desperate to flee the moment he heard Guzman was dead.
“How much do you know about Guzman?”
“That foreigner? Not much. Just that he stayed at the Cuis’ guesthouse and ate his meals there too.”
Lu Linjiang was somewhat puzzled. “You came back specifically to cause trouble for your rival, yet you didn't use your phone to take any photos as evidence?”
At the mention of this, Cui Bin clutched his head in distress. “I did! I specifically bought a phone, but it broke not long after I returned.”
“Broke?”
Cui Bin replied, “Yes, it broke. It fell off the bed and the screen shattered. The village chief saw it and gave me an old-model senior phone.” He remained in his hunched position. “I went to get it fixed, but it was smashed too badly; it would have cost several hundred yuan. To make them believe I had returned because I couldn't survive elsewhere, I went out of my way to steal vegetables. If I had spent money to fix a phone, I was afraid they’d see through me…” He suddenly paused, then spoke with a flash of excitement as if seeing a ray of hope. “Wait, wait! Officer, I remember now! Do you remember the person I stole the wallet from?”
“The one at the milk tea shop?”
“Yes, yes!” Cui Bin said excitedly. “He recently went to Cui Shihai’s shop to eat wild game!”
“Was it the ‘Boiled Thousand Troops’?”
“No!” Cui Bin denied. “Every time Cui Shihai senses something is wrong, he uses that dish to fool people.”
Lu Linjiang wasn't surprised by this. He asked, “And how do you know that man wanted to eat wild game? Did you eavesdrop inside Yawei Residence?”
“No,” Cui Bin explained. “That day, when I walked past the back door of Yawei Residence, I saw one of their cooks carrying out a black plastic bag. I knew something was up just by looking at it. While I was circling the area, I ran into that man coming out to buy milk tea. He was on the phone while walking, saying that lunch that day had ‘fresh goods.’ That’s industry slang. I knew something was fishy the moment I heard it. Later, I saw him put his phone in his bag, so I took a gamble. I wanted to get his bag to see if he was like those people from the big cities who take photos of everything before they eat. If I could get those, I could prove it.”
After finishing, he gave Lu Linjiang a dissatisfied look. Lu Linjiang hadn't expected his own timing to be so unfortunate. He pondered for a moment. “I heard from Zhao Zhijie that you’ve stolen belongings several times. Was it all for this?”
Cui Bin nodded slightly. “Those things aren't cheap. Cui Shihai wouldn't supply them to just anyone. Sometimes when I saw him being particularly polite to someone, I’d guess they might be one of those customers. But I’m not a professional thief; I tried a few times and never succeeded.”
Lu Linjiang looked at Cui Bin with surprise. He hadn't expected this man to be quite so resourceful and bold. Unfortunately, his luck was poor, and he had gone up against an old fox like Cui Shihai, failing to grasp a single shred of evidence.
Their identities were no longer a secret to Cui Shihai. If Lu Linjiang wanted to investigate anything, Cui Shihai would certainly not give him the chance. Yang Bo had already notified Wang Qi, and Wang Qi had sent people to keep an eye on Cui Shihai’s place. However, Lu Linjiang wasn't optimistic about whether they would find anything.
Seeing Lu Linjiang’s furrowed brows, Jiang Cheng hesitated before asking, “Do you want to go back and change your clothes first?”
Lu Linjiang glanced down at himself and realized the bloodstains on his clothes had already turned dark. It was indeed a jarring sight.
“I forgot until you mentioned it. Let’s head back and change first.”
The police station wasn't far from Shenxianju. Lu Linjiang intentionally didn't call for a sightseeing cart, walking slowly with Jiang Cheng. He suddenly asked, “Where’s Shen Lei?” Yang Bo had gone to meet Wang Qi, but Lu Linjiang hadn't noticed when Shen Lei had disappeared.
“She left with Yang Bo. She said that since there’s a lead, she’d go meet with the people from the CDC first.” Jiang Cheng’s status was somewhat unique; he didn't hold an official post with either side, so he stayed behind to wait for Lu Linjiang and see what the next step was.
“I contacted the Jinghai side just now. They’ve administered the first dose of antiviral medication to Guo Junyi, but it hasn't had much effect. His low-grade fever persists.” This was essentially redundant information; if it had worked, everyone wouldn't be so tense.
Lu Linjiang took a deep breath and nodded silently.
“Cui Shihai is not an easy man to deal with,” he said softly. “Yang Bo and I posed as tourists and struck up a connection with his nephew, thinking we could catch them red-handed. In fact, it started very smoothly, but then…” Lu Linjiang stopped abruptly and didn't continue.
“But then what?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“I took a phone call…” Lu Linjiang said, choosing a middle ground. “That kid didn't leave the room. When the next dish came out, it was a bowl of so-called ‘Boiled Thousand Troops.’ The portion size was so large that even if five more people had joined Yang Bo and me, we might not have finished it.”
“A phone call?” Jiang Cheng repeated. He looked at Lu Linjiang’s expression, and a realization suddenly struck him. “It wasn't the call I made to you that night, was it?”
Lu Linjiang gave a soft hum of affirmation. “I’ve thought about it repeatedly. I didn't say much at the time—at most, a comment that Old Guo shouldn't be that unlucky. Cui Shihai swapped the dish on the spot based on that single sentence alone. It only goes to show how incredibly cautious he is.”
“I…” Jiang Cheng didn't know what to say for a moment.
“Sometimes things just happen that way, by coincidence.” Lu Linjiang smiled at Jiang Cheng. “There will be a way.”
When they returned to Shenxianju, they saw Wang Qi leading his team inside. Cui Shihai watched with a gloomy expression as they sealed the registration computer. Seeing Lu Linjiang and Jiang Cheng come down, he huffed irritably, “You two certainly are busy.”
“We manage,” Lu Linjiang replied with feigned politeness, nodding at him. “But if Boss Cui were a bit more cooperative, our work would proceed much faster.”
Cui Shihai took a sip of tea. “I’d like to be, but hasn't the computer been taken away? As for the other things you mentioned, I truly don't know. I’m just a law-abiding businessman; what reason would I have to wade into these muddy waters?”
Lu Linjiang gave an ambiguous smile. “True. As long as Boss Cui hasn't done anything, there won't be any problems. At most, it’ll just be a few days of annoyance.”
“A few days of annoyance?” Cui Shihai blew on the tea leaves in his cup and took a loud, large gulp. “We don't have any background, and we do business honestly. We can't compare to those with filthy minds.”
Lu Linjiang let out a light chuckle. Wang Qi signaled for him to come over. “We’ve found a forensic artist to draw the person whose wallet was stolen yesterday. Do you want to come take a look?”
Without a second thought, Lu Linjiang said, “Alright.” He looked at Jiang Cheng. “Are you coming with me?”
Jiang Cheng shook his head. “No, it doesn't seem like I can help much there. I’d rather stay here and do some homework.”
Lu Linjiang didn't press him further and returned to the police station with Wang Qi. A sharp-looking middle-aged man was holding a drawing board, sketching a portrait based on Zhao Zhijie’s description. When Lu Linjiang walked over, the portrait had already taken a rough shape. Zhao Zhijie’s descriptors were accurate, and the artist’s skill was excellent; to Lu Linjiang, the sketch looked almost exactly like the man in his memory.
The group waited for a while until the expert finished the portrait. Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo looked it over and had no further suggestions.
Dozens of copies of the portrait were quickly made and distributed, and sent to all major transportation hubs to prevent the individual from leaving. Colleagues from the Camel City forensics department were already checking the registration records of Shenxianju. Since they knew Guzman had stayed in Camel City from the 17th to the 19th, the forensics team didn't have to spend much effort to find Guzman’s check-in record for the 18th in the computer.
“So, he really was here.”
Zhao Zhijie breathed a sigh of relief. “In that case, things become simpler. Now that we’ve found the deceased’s whereabouts, we can at least make a bold hypothesis.”
Lu Linjiang did not share Zhao Zhijie’s optimism. “It’s not that simple. We ideally need to find the animal the deceased came into contact with, and then catch another one of the same species in the same place.”
Zhao Zhijie looked astonished. “What for?”
“A colleague was infected by the deceased. We’re waiting for a way to save his life!”
Zhao Zhijie hadn't expected such a development. He rubbed his face hard, trying to clear his head. “That’s too… I’m afraid it won't be easy.” He analyzed the situation helplessly. “Even if we find this man, the best-case scenario is proving he once ate wild game at Yawei Residence. But so much time has passed; there’s no longer any physical evidence. Remember what I said? As long as they dispose of the fur and skin, they can point at the meat and say it was cut from a pig.”
“What we can do has always been to gather as many clues as possible and find enough evidence to break the suspect. As long as the chain of evidence is complete, there’s always a way to make them talk.” Lu Linjiang patted Zhao Zhijie’s shoulder. “Let’s get to work.”
The group fanned out. Finally, in the afternoon, good news came from the Camel City Railway Station. A sharp-eyed railway policeman recognized the man, named Ma Yadong, and intercepted him before he could board a train to leave Camel City.
The man was immediately sent back to Liucheng Island. Lu Linjiang met him around dinner time. Ma Yadong looked terrified, completely unable to understand how a simple trip had turned him into a wanted criminal. He asked Lu Linjiang tremulously, “Officer, I didn't do anything!”
Lu Linjiang resumed his usual expressionless face. “Think again. Are you sure you really didn't do anything?”
Ma Yadong’s expression flickered with panic as he thought for a moment. Then, his face changed—he clearly remembered something—but he still tried to maintain a front. “No, no, I really didn't!”
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Fatal Virus | Chapter 42 | A Breakthrough in the Case | Novela.app | Novela.app
