Jiang Cheng awkwardly tried to take the paper bag back from Lu Linjiang, but Lu Linjiang saw through his intent and pressed his hand down on it. "What are you doing? This is actually quite good."
"I just feel..."
"It’s a great idea. It just has one flaw..." Lu Linjiang said slyly. "I’m not a professional, after all. I wouldn’t know how to describe these things to make them sound serious enough. You’re coming with me later. You’ll be the one to explain how severe it is—the more detailed, the better. Don’t worry about being too technical; the more professional and incomprehensible it sounds, the better it’ll work!"
Jiang Cheng: "..."
That streak of a rogue in this man had truly never changed.
When the two returned to the police station, Yang Bo and the others were eating. Seeing them arrive, Yang Bo and Wang Qi made room for them.
"Any luck?" Wang Qi asked as he opened a lunch box and handed it over.
"A little, but we still need to verify how much it relates to the case. What about your side?"
Yang Bo picked up a soup bowl and took a large gulp. "Don't even get me started. Cui Shihai is a real tough nut to crack; he won't fall for anything. He insists the restaurant is a legal operation and only sells wild-caught fish. He claims everything Ma Yadong said is nonsense and pure framing. As for the motive, he speculated that it’s likely just 'general tourist dissatisfaction with travel destinations.'"
As Yang Bo spoke, his molars seemed to ache from frustration. "'General tourist dissatisfaction with travel destinations'—where on earth did he dig up a phrase like that? He’s got a whole script ready."
Lu Linjiang snapped a pair of disposable chopsticks apart and handed them to Jiang Cheng, then moved a portion of soup in front of him. "It’s fine. I’ve brought in outside help. Someone will definitely talk tonight."
Yang Bo carefully controlled his facial expressions, though the fire of gossip was roaring inside him as he watched Lu Linjiang’s attentive movements. "What outside help?"
Lu Linjiang gave a short laugh. "Is that kid Xiao Mao from Yawei Pavilion here?"
"Yeah, he’s here."
Lu Linjiang looked at Jiang Cheng and said, "Tonight, we’ll start the questioning with this Xiao Mao."
Xiao Mao’s full name was Mao Fangliang. Only nineteen years old, he had already worked at Yawei Pavilion for over two years. Ever since he was brought to the station, his legs had been shaking uncontrollably.
"Have you eaten?" Lu Linjiang asked.
Xiao Mao shuddered and nodded tremulously. Lu Linjiang asked in a good-natured tone, "Someone testified that Yawei Pavilion sells illegal bushmeat. Do you know anything about that?"
The moment he heard the word "bushmeat," Xiao Mao’s head began to shake. "No, no... my uncle runs an honest business."
"Oh!" Lu Linjiang intentionally drew out the sound. "An honest business."
"Yes, yes. We don't sell anything that isn't allowed..."
Lu Linjiang hummed in response and called out to the door, "Jiang Cheng, come in."
Jiang Cheng knocked and entered, carrying the manila envelope. Xiao Mao froze for a moment when he saw him, taking a while to react. Unlike Lu Linjiang, Jiang Cheng was not only handsome and refined, but his entire aura was far too scholarly. Not just scholarly, but even a bit shy. He held the envelope and looked at Lu Linjiang blankly, only finding his seat after the other man gestured to it.
Even if Xiao Mao was a bit slow-witted, he had worked as a waiter at Yawei Pavilion for over two years. He could tell at a glance that Jiang Cheng wasn't a cop. As the man sat down next to Lu Linjiang, he didn't seem to fit Lu Linjiang’s aura at all. Xiao Mao was momentarily confused as to what kind of play they were putting on.
He stared straight at Jiang Cheng, then heard Lu Linjiang say, "Jiang Cheng, give him an introduction."
Before he could wonder what needed introducing, Jiang Cheng spoke up. "Your name is Mao Fangliang, right? Is it okay if I call you Xiao Mao like the others do?"
Unlike Lu Linjiang’s oppressive baritone, Jiang Cheng’s voice was very low—just loud enough to be heard—and his tone was gentle. Against the backdrop of Lu Linjiang and the interrogation room environment, he sounded almost like a voice from heaven. Xiao Mao nodded.
Seeing his agreement, Jiang Cheng continued, "Xiao Mao, we are here because someone died. It’s very likely they ate something they shouldn't have at your restaurant."
"No, no, no! Our cooking is very clean! We never reuse oil, and the dishes are all sterilized!"
"Yes, don't worry, we aren't talking about your hygiene," Jiang Cheng said. "I’m talking about things that shouldn't appear on a dinner table. So-called bushmeat."
"There... there isn't any of that either!" Xiao Mao said anxiously. "How could eating something kill someone... I’ve never heard of such a thing."
Jiang Cheng smiled. "There’s an old saying: 'If it has two legs and isn't a human, eat it; if it has four legs and isn't a table, eat it.' Have you heard that?" He saw Xiao Mao nod in sympathetic agreement and casually opened the manila envelope. "But in reality, it doesn't work like that."
"Animals actually carry many invisible things. Those things are fine on the animals, but in humans, they can cause a great catastrophe. Do you know that?"
Xiao Mao looked at Jiang Cheng blankly, only half-understanding.
"For example, the rabies virus."
Xiao Mao finally nodded. "As long as you don't get bitten by a dog, it's fine..."
"Yes, if only it were always that simple." Jiang Cheng’s smile was very warm. "There is a type of bacteria called *Bacillus anthracis*. Have you heard of it?"
Perhaps because Jiang Cheng’s attitude was so casual, Xiao Mao’s mental defenses began to relax. "I think I’ve heard of it on the news."
"Mhm. Anthrax is actually a bacterium that infects livestock, like cattle, horses, and sheep. This is what it looks like." Jiang Cheng pulled out a photo and placed it in front of Xiao Mao. Xiao Mao looked at the rod-shaped structures in the photo and nodded ignorantly. "This was taken with an electron microscope; it’s invisible to the naked eye. It infects the livestock first, and if a person eats infected meat that hasn't passed inspection and quarantine..."
Jiang Cheng pulled out another photo and placed it before Xiao Mao. Xiao Mao’s expression, which had just relaxed, slowly froze. The photo showed a human arm—likely a Caucasian person—covered in blister after blister. The blisters varied in size, with the largest ones even covering the entire wrist joint. Against the skin, the red, swollen blisters looked exceptionally gruesome. Some had already burst, and the exposed centers had turned completely black.
"You see, it’s like this. Anthrax causes the skin to produce vesicles and pustules, which then lead to necrosis—that’s this part here." Jiang Cheng pointed to the black areas on the skin. "If not treated in time, the person might be gone in just a few days."
Xiao Mao stared at the photo, dumbfounded, and subconsciously swallowed hard.
"And then there’s this." Jiang Cheng pulled out another photo. "This is called Ebola. You must have heard of it; its reputation is even greater than anthrax."
Xiao Mao’s eyes flickered involuntarily between Jiang Cheng and the photos. Then he watched as Jiang Cheng took out several more photos and lined them up next to the Ebola virus. The people in the photos were a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia. Their dark skin was covered in various blisters, and every patient’s eyes were vacant. In the last few photos, the people were even bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
"The source of the Ebola virus has never been entirely clear, but it comes from animals. Once it spreads to humans, they end up like this. From infection to hemorrhage to death, it takes at most half a month, and at shortest, only two days. Do you know where this blood comes from?" Jiang Cheng’s fair finger pointed to the bleeding eyes of a Black man. "After the virus invades, it rapidly destroys the internal organs, causing massive internal bleeding. The person is clearly still alive, but their insides are rotting away bit by bit. Some people even vomit up pieces of their organs."
Jiang Cheng looked down at the photos, then pointed to one of them. "Look, just like this."
Xiao Mao looked in horror at where Jiang Cheng was pointing. A Black man lay on the ground, his eyes out of focus, unclear if he was dead or alive. His face was covered in blood, his mouth half-open, and a lump of dark brown flesh lay on the ground right by his mouth.
Mao Fangliang’s Adam's apple bobbed up and down continuously, but he couldn't make a single sound.
Jiang Cheng looked at him and gave a gentle smile. "As for the reason we are here this time, it’s this." He pulled out another photo. Xiao Mao visibly flinched at the movement. Jiang Cheng pointed to a virus on the photo that looked very similar to Ebola. "This is called Gaimore. I took this photo myself. It was discovered in this person’s blood."
Xiao Mao watched in terror as Jiang Cheng’s hand reached into the manila envelope once more. He reacted violently, slamming against the back of his chair, and cried out in fear, "Don't take any more out! Don't take any more! I don't want to see it!"
Jiang Cheng ignored his pleas, his hand emerging from the bag holding a photo. Xiao Mao suddenly gagged and finally vomited all over the floor.
Jiang Cheng waited patiently for him to finish. During the interval, he placed Guzman’s ID photo next to Xiao Mao’s hand as the boy slumped over the table. "Gaimore is a mutated branch of Ebola, so you can imagine what this man looked like when he died." Xiao Mao was already a trembling heap on the table. Jiang Cheng’s smile finally vanished. "So, think carefully. What exactly did you serve him?"
"Ci... Civet! We served civet cat that day!" Xiao Mao was nearly hysterical, his voice shrill with terror. "Don't show me anymore! Don't show me anymore!"
Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and silently gathered the photos, leaving only Guzman’s ID photo behind. He said softly to Lu Linjiang, "I’m going out."
The interrogation room door was opened and then closed. This brief opening only made the sour stench in the room more obvious. But none of the three people inside moved. Yang Bo held his pen, his eyes appearing calm as they shifted between Lu Linjiang and Xiao Mao, but his heart was in a state of absolute upheaval!
The images in the photos weren't enough to scare him; what truly terrified him was Jiang Cheng’s attitude. The man looked like a piece of polished jade, speaking in a soft, thin voice, but in just five or six minutes, he had nearly driven Mao Fangliang insane.
Mao Fangliang was a bit slow, but he relied on his aunt and uncle for his livelihood. This kind of parasitic kinship is usually very difficult to break. If Lu Linjiang had been the one to grind him down, it likely would have taken quite a while. Jiang Cheng seemed slow and mild, yet he had used a simple, brutal method to directly demolish Mao Fangliang’s mental defenses... He clearly remembered Tang Hua saying that Jiang Cheng was a shy, gentle house-husband!
Lu Linjiang had been mentally prepared, but he hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to handle it so beautifully—not a single wasted word, achieving the goal directly. A moment later, a cleaner came in with tools and briskly tidied the interrogation room. Xiao Mao kept his head down, his whole body still sobbing occasionally.
"Alright," Lu Linjiang said. "Tell me about the civet cat in your shop."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
毛方良 | Mao Fangliang | Xiao Mao's full name.
小毛 | Xiao Mao | Waiter at Yawei Pavilion, Cui Shihai's nephew.
滚刀肉 | Tough nut to crack | Literally "rolling knife meat"; a metaphor for someone stubborn, shameless, or difficult to deal with.
炭疽芽孢杆菌 | Bacillus anthracis | The bacteria that causes Anthrax.
埃博拉 | Ebola | The Ebola virus.
垓莫尔 | Gaimore | A fictional or specific mutated virus mentioned in the story.
果子狸 | Masked palm civet | Often referred to as "civet cat"; a type of bushmeat associated with disease outbreaks.
