Ma Liang pondered for a mont.
"When we arrived at the theater, the concert had not yet ended, and we were taken backstage by security. A person in charge received and indirectly asked several tis, basically trying to find out if Xu Qingquan had done anything?
I said that as far as the case was concerned we couldn’t disclose anything, but from what we could tell at the mont, the deceased was just related to Xu Qingquan, basically his girlfriend. We wanted to bring him back quickly for so tests to rule out any suspicion.
When I explained this, he seed less tense, then nodded his head and walked out. As he closed the door, I heard him call over the intercom to have the cello’s understudy take over and to make sure there were no more mistakes in the last piece. He said to have Xu Qingquan step down, as soone was looking for him.
I think this might have indicated a poor performance. We waited quite a while before they went to find him, only to discover that Xu Qingquan was chatting with soone. Only after we ntioned our identity did Xu Qingquan rember this matter. He said he had forgotten all about it, his mind was entirely on the performance.
He ntioned he had been under a lot of stress lately, suffering from severe hair loss and headaches, and his mory wasn’t very good. Right in front of us, he took so painkillers—I think it was Fenbid—and then asked us what we wanted. We explained our purpose, and he didn’t lash out or resist.
He was just very surprised and asked in detail about the process by which Li Li had t with an accident. He didn’t exhibit the kind of profound grief that one might expect from the loss of a loved one; it was more like hearing about an acquaintance having an accident and then showing so regret, nothing more. After that, we went to the provincial departnt to get samples.
We waited for the results and quickly drove back with him. Xu Qingquan sat in the middle of the back seat, on the left, and he on the right. The ride back wasn’t too awkward until the accident happened—it all occurred in an instant.
I was half-asleep and just felt the dazzling lights. I had just opened my eyes when the car started spinning. I could only do my best to hold Xu Qingquan’s head and hands under my armpit and then I knew nothing."
Zhou Ning seed to be taking notes, and the sounds of rustling ca from the speaker.
"He said he had headaches, hair loss, mory decline, and anxiety, right?"
"Yes, that’s right. Give the phone to Mr. He, I’ve finished asking. You guys just focus on recuperating—no need to rush out of the hospital. Once things settle down over the next few days, we’ll co to see you."
Ma Liang felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly waved his hand, passing the phone to He Shancun.
"Director Zhou, there’s no need to be so polite. If it weren’t for our carelessness, things wouldn’t be in such a ss. You get on with the case, I know how busy you’ve been these days. You go ahead and talk."
He Shancun took the phone, turned off the speaker, waved at the others, and quickly stepped out of the hospital room. Once in the safe passageway, he asked in a low voice.
"What other instructions do you have?"
"Heh, aren’t you curious too? I’m asking, besides blood tests, how else can one determine vitamin A poisoning?"
"You should have asked sooner. Perform a lumbar puncture and check the cerebrospinal fluid pressure. This is the most direct test. His hair loss, headache, mory decline, and stress really do sound like vitamin A poisoning. But if you’d had similar cases before, it would naturally be easier to diagnose. However, I think a lumbar puncture would give the quickest results."
Zhou Ning let out a breath and suddenly felt more confident.
"Then let’s do it. Since you ntion this thod, it’s not suitable for our autopsy. Check and then tell the results—that for this test, I want to see the concentration of various substances, especially impurities. If they are all the sa, it’s possible the poisoning was done by the sa person."
He Shancun snorted twice.
"Alright, get lost. Every ti you call , you just find more work. It’s always either you guys in the hospital or a colleague in a car accident, or else I have to play your Google. It’s really annoying."
Zhou Ning hung up the phone and rubbed his nose while Liu Yongxin smiled beside him.
"Mr. He’s attitude is not bad though. He might complain, but he doesn’t put off helping you. According to him, a lumbar puncture can make the differentiation, which should speed up the determination process."
Zhou Ning nodded.
"I’ll get soone to wait downstairs for the blood samples and inform Mrs. Cui as well. I think she’d be very interested, since the more samples we have, the easier it is to identify any problems."
Liu Yongxin sat on the couch and crossed his legs.
"Don’t frown, being anxious right now is useless. First, we have to wait for the tests; second, asking Peng Shinian for progress is out of the question; third, investigating Zhang Fangfang and Liu iling takes ti. Patience is key!"
Zhou Ning got up, looked out the window, and knew he was being impatient, sighing.
"I know I’m being impatient, but Master, I always have this feeling that Li Li, Zhang Fangfang, and Liu iling are harboring so secret. After all, this scenario of three classmates entangled with one man is quite unusual; most people wouldn’t accept it, but they seed to enjoy it."
Of course, Zhou Ning had another doubt that nagged at him constantly.
But without any evidence to support it, it was not appropriate to voice it out loud, just like that case in Hai’an City, the headless serial killings spanning nineteen years. Zhou Ning always felt that these three people must have had so past with Xu Qingquan that they had yet to uncover.
...
September 4, 2013
Early in the morning, outside the laboratory.
Zhou Ning, with his arms crossed, looked toward the laboratory door and the access control.
"He hasn’t co out these past few days?"
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"There’s a sticky note on the door with a ssage saying to leave the als at the door, not to knock, and he’s reset the access control. Mr. Qu couldn’t open it either. If there weren’t a bathroom and a shower in the lab, I would have had soone break in by now. Plus, the previous day’s trash is always left outside. But now it’s been three days—do we go in or not?"
Those obsessed with research are persistent, and Zhou Ning was well aware of this. Despite Mr. Qu’s cooperation with their work, it wasn’t the case back in school. When you spoke to him, he only replied if he liked what he heard or was interested in; otherwise, he treated you like thin air.
But this guy’s been holed up for three days now, which is really worriso. What if he goes insane before he cos up with any results? That would be a loss. Besides, it would be hard to explain to Li Chengbin.
Zhou Ning raised his hand and was about to suggest breaking in when the door swung open, revealing Peng Shinian, disheveled and standing in the doorway.
He swiped his access card, and it beeped erratically. Smoothing his hair, Peng Shinian said,
"All right, the access control is back to normal now. You can co in."
Mr. Qu pushed through the people in front and squeezed to the front, looking at the access control and then at Peng Shinian, his face a mix of surprise and confusion.
"How did you do it? I couldn’t figure it out; what did you set up?"
Peng Shinian smiled, his dirty face surprisingly wrinkly.
"Back when I was in the lab, I learned from the software developers. I set my card as the master card. Whenever I use it in reverse, nothing opens up here. Not even the software designers can get in, because the passcode is set to change continuously."
Mr. Zhao waved his hand, pushing Mr. Qu aside.
"I say, poet, are you in seclusion or what? You keep the door closed, blocking us from entering, and making yourself look like you’re stealing land mines. What the hell have you co up with?"
Peng Shinian was just about to reply, but he glanced at Zhou Ning and then sniffed himself. The sll was nearly overpowering, almost making him retch.
"I’m going to take a shower and change. You guys go ahead and co in. I’ll explain in detail in a bit."
A group of people looked at each other and quickly entered the lab without wasting words.
Mr. Zhao glanced around the room, covered his nose and mouth, and called Sun Gaotie. Together, they quickly opened all the windows of the lab. Of course, the door was left open as well, and after so ti of airing out, the sll dissipated.
A few minutes later, Peng Shinian ca out, clean-shaven, with his hair still damp but looking much more presentable. Seeing Zhou Ning watching him, Peng Shinian felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly approached him.
He took a remote control, turned on the display screen, and several images began to cycle through, showing a black background with orange traces.
Although no one knew what it was, the fact that Peng Shinian had been researching it for three days suggested a discovery.
"These past two days, I’ve compared a lot of things. The most interesting is this," he pointed at the display," found in the crevices of Xu Qingquan’s shoes and the gaps in his suitcase wheels, as well as on the outside of a cake box. These particles or pollen—"
"After detailed analysis and comparing various components, I discovered it’s a plant local to Qindao with distinctive characteristics, called Qindao Hamr Grass. It’s an annual herb in the Asteraceae family, with white lingual petals and a large yellow central part that is the stan."
"After the flowers have withered, the stan remains until the whole plant withers. This plant loves light, drought-resistant, and isn’t picky about soil. However, it’s extrely water-shy and grows on sunny slopes without shrubs. The mountains around Qindao are mostly stony, so the plant’s root system can’t develop well and can’t grow there."
"Therefore, its distribution is very limited, mostly confined to low slopes with plenty of sunshine and minimal human activity. Its leaves are sharp with serrated edges and can easily cut if one is not careful. So, the distribution range I’m suggesting is smaller than the area shown in this picture."
Mr. Zhao coughed, signaling he understood. It seed Peng Shinian had an idea related to his field of study and was always thinking about proving sothing, but there wasn’t ti for that now.
"Skip the theoretical stuff; just give us the conclusion. Where do you think it appears?"
Peng Shinian pursed his lips and, seeing Zhou Ning looking at him as well, hurriedly spoke,
"Considering the growing season of Qindao Hamr Grass, which flowers continuously from May to September in tranquil areas with soft soil, gentle slopes, and little water, I think a cetery would be the most suitable place."
Mr. Zhao thought for a mont, pulled out his phone, and checked the lunar date on it.
"August 21 is the Hungry Ghost Festival. People from Qindao typically pay homage on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Of course, it’s okay to do it two days earlier if the timing is not convenient. There’s a high chance of encountering Hamr Grass at that ti. I rember Xu Qingquan’s parents are no longer around, right?"
Mr. Qu glanced at Peng Shinian then showed his notebook to Mr. Zhao and Zhou Ning.
"Last night, the poet had check, and the parents’ graves of the Xu Family are in Jingkou District, and they are very high-end double graves. I also looked at the surveillance from the Huanwan Expressway and the underwater tunnel but didn’t see the Xu siblings passing through."
Mr. Zhao’s eyes widened.
"If they didn’t go to the cetery, then who did..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers