Mad Detective
[Author: Kuang Hai Wang Hu]
[TL: Spades]
[PR: Blitz]
[QC: Lumi]
Chapter 19 — Major Crimes' Murky Waters
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"Luo Meina's BMW ended up in an alley on Jiuhe Road," a Team B detective reported. "That alley leads to the General Temple LC area, with paths branching out to every part of Qinshan City. We've pulled all the camera footage we could find, but no sign of a suspect yet."
"Hmm…" Qu Ping said, "Dodging that many cameras suggests two possibilities: either the culprit knows the area like the back of their hand, or they live there, chopped Luo Meina's hand, and went straight home!"
"Team Leader," another detective chimed in, "the General Temple area's a mess, at least 900 households, plus tons of migrant renters. It's a tough search, but Yaohui and Dapeng are already on it."
"Do your best…" Qu Ping paused, deep in thought, before asking, "Xiao Liu, what about Luo Meina's blood test results?"
"Team Leader," Xiao Liu replied promptly, "tests show Luo Meina was hit with two anesthetics. One was high-concentration ether, inhaled to knock her out; the other was an intravenous anesthetic called compound thiamethoxam."
"Ether to knock her out, then an injection," Qu Ping noted, "same as the previous two Hand-Chopping Cases."
"Its components are lorazepam, ketamine, benzcyclizine hydrochloride, and fentanyl," Xiao Liu continued. "It's commonly called 'Deer Sleep Treasure,' used for anesthetizing large animals…"
Holy crap…
Sitting at his desk, Zhao Yu didn't need earphones to hear Team B's discussion crystal clear. He scribbled notes on his whiteboard, jotting down every useful clue.
He was stunned to learn the drug used on Luo Meina was veterinary-grade.
"I checked," Xiao Liu went on, "this anesthetic is typically used for livestock sterilization, widely used in rural areas. Tracing its source is a dead end! The report also says the dose was at the human tolerance limit, keeping Luo Meina out for nearly five hours. If she were weaker, she might've…"
"Hmm…" Qu Ping mused, "I recall the anesthetics and doses in the first two cases were identical, with victims also out for about five hours… Normally, you wouldn't need such a heavy dose just to chop a hand. Why did the culprit use so much?"
"Maybe they're not skilled with anesthetics?" a detective guessed.
"Three cases in, even a rookie would've figured it out," Qu Ping countered. "Plus, there's the drug's manual!"
"Could it be…" another ventured, "the culprit has a grudge? Used a heavy dose hoping she'd die?"
"No way," Qu Ping said quickly. "If they wanted her dead, they'd just skip the bandaging. I think the heavy dose was to keep her unconscious longer, maybe to avoid her waking early and messing up their escape or identity… Right, Xiao Liu, where was the injection site?"
"Left hand vein, a standard IV spot, nothing special…"
Listening to Qu Ping's analysis, Zhao Yu quietly absorbed their methods. This is what pros do, he thought. I've gotta learn this.
But as he listened, something felt off. Why weren't these clues and details in the files Qu Ping gave him?
Oh…
It hit him, damn it! They did this on purpose! The files they handed over were worthless, irrelevant scraps!
Really!?
Zhao Yu's blood boiled. He hadn't expected Major Crimes to be this cutthroat, with scheming and backstabbing rivaling his old gang life.
Tch!
Calming down, he smirked. If you're playing dirty, don't blame me for hitting back!
This time, I'm hijacking this case for sure!
Damn it, I'll nab the culprit before you! You think you're dedicated? I'll outwork you all!
At noon, Qu Ping's Team B stayed busy, grabbing takeout and diving back into work.
Zhao Yu, simpler, snagged a box of instant noodles from someone's desk to keep his stomach quiet while noting down eavesdropped info.
As his intel grew, his whiteboard filled up, and he even started drawing connection lines and doing basic clue analysis, picking up tricks from Qu Ping.
Maybe her influence rubbed off, but staring at the dense case notes, Zhao Yu felt the Hand-Chopping Case's culprit was almost within reach. Yet, every time he got that feeling, the trail went cold, stalling him.
Why's this happening?
Am I missing something?
Something critical?
The more he thought, the deeper he sank, poring over the clues until they were seared into his brain.
Around 4 p.m., his desk neighbors, Zhang Jingfeng and Liang Huan, returned from fieldwork, shocked to see Zhao Yu's bustling setup.
"Little Zhao?" Zhang Jingfeng asked, "What's… Did we miss something?"
Zhao Yu, too engrossed, ignored them, staring at his whiteboard like a man possessed.
"Oh, it's the Hand-Chopping Case!" Liang Huan recognized, taking a swig of water and sighing, "Man, this damn case has us sidelining a murder investigation! Which is more important, a hand or a life?"
Liang Huan's words finally caught Zhao Yu's attention. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Ugh!" Zhang Jingfeng plopped down, griping, "The higher-ups told us to help Team B with the Hand-Chopping Case, so our murder case is on hold!"
"You're on it too? Find anything?" Zhao Yu, seeing them fresh from the field, hoped for new leads and prodded.
"Pfft!" Zhang Jingfeng said, "Just dealing with the traffic bureau and forensics. On Great Leader Qu's orders, we looked into the victim's BMW again!"
"Wasn't that already checked? Why again?" Zhao Yu pressed.
"That day, multiple traffic cams caught the BMW," Liang Huan explained, "but here's the weird part, none showed the driver! Not blurry, just not visible!"
"Why?" Zhao Yu's interest piqued. "Did you figure it out?"
"Yup!"
Zhang Jingfeng and Liang Huan nodded firmly in unison.