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In the lobby of the Imperial View Hotel, Liang Wuyun kept flipping through the front desk registration book, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

The eight-hour search yielded no results; the victim's room, 312, had been thoroughly cleaned, leaving not a single hair behind.

"Captain Liang, we've reviewed the surveillance footage again, but we haven't found any suspicious individuals," a police officer reported wearily.

Liang Wuyun closed the register, her temples throbbing.

This is the third similar case this week...

A successful man is lured to a luxury hotel, only to wake up to find all his belongings gone. He only remembers a stunningly beautiful woman, but can't recall her exact appearance.

Stepping out of the hotel, a wave of heat hit me.

Liang Wuyun squinted at the police car parked by the roadside...

Su Ning was leaning against the car door, intently reviewing case files, while his ex-girlfriend Xiangxiang stood beside him tugging at his sleeve, but he ignored her.

"I told you, the case is more important." Su Ning shook off Xiangxiang's hand without looking up.

"Jian Fan! What do you mean?" Xiangxiang's voice rose. "Breaking up is one thing, but now you won't even talk to me?"

“I’m working.” Su Ning finally looked up, his cold gaze causing Xiang Xiang to instinctively take a half-step back. “If you still consider yourself a law-abiding citizen, then don’t interfere with the police investigation.”

After Xiangxiang ran away with red eyes, Liang Wuyun walked over and asked, "Are you done?"

Su Ning closed the file and rubbed his temples: "Captain Liang, this kind of investigation isn't working. There are 27 four-star or higher hotels in the city. The suspect could appear at any of them, or he could appear at none of them."

"Then what brilliant idea do you have?" Liang Wuyun asked in an unfriendly tone.

Working overtime continuously had exhausted her patience.

Su Ning flipped to a page in the case file: "Seven victims, their professions ranging from university professors to construction workers, and their ages ranging from 25 to 55. To lure so many different types of men, the suspect must be either a woman of many faces, or..."

"Either what?"

“He understands men's hearts perfectly! He's fickle! And there might not be just one person.” A sharp glint flashed in Su Ning's eyes. “It could be a gang.”

Just as Liang Wuyun was about to retort, her phone suddenly rang.

After finishing the call, her face turned even uglier: "Captain Qin has ordered that you and Xiao Chenggang be in charge of investigating Rolling Stone KTV and Sheng Tang Nightclub."

"The Tang Dynasty?" Su Ning raised an eyebrow. "Tang Shouyu's territory?"

“That’s right.” Liang Wuyun looked at him meaningfully. “Captain Qin said that since Tang Shouyu ‘likes’ you so much, this mission is perfect for you.”

"..."

Then Suning met up with Xiao Chenggang, and they went to Rolling Stone and Sheng Tang KTV together.

"Holy crap! Rolling Stone is closed?" Xiao Chenggang stood dumbfounded in front of the KTV door, which was sealed off.

Su Ning glanced at the map on his phone: "That'll save us the trouble, let's go straight to Sheng Tang."

The Grand Tang Nightclub is one of the most luxurious entertainment venues in the city, with neon signs flashing in the night and luxury cars parked at the entrance.

The two were stopped by security guards as soon as they approached.

"Officer, here to cause trouble again?" Foreman A-Qiang greeted him with a forced smile. "Boss Tang said that a search warrant is required to enter."

Just as Xiao Chenggang was about to lash out, Su Ning stopped him, saying, "We're not here to search, we're here to spend money." As she spoke, she took out several hundred-yuan bills and stuffed them into A-Qiang's pocket, "Get us a quiet private room."

Inside the private room, Xiao Chenggang lowered his voice: "Old Jian, what are you up to? We're here to investigate a case!"

"What's the rush?" Su Ning ordered the cheapest bottle of red wine, her gaze sweeping over the camera in the corner of the room. "Tang Shouyu has Li Wei and Tang Lianqing behind him; forcing the issue won't work."

After the drinks were served, Su Ning suddenly put his arm around the waiter who brought the drinks: "Hey bro, gotta ask you something. Any new girls lately, the kind who's really good at flirting?"

The waiter's eyes darted around: "Officer, we're a legitimate business here..."

"Don't be nervous." Su Ning slipped another bill into his hand. "It's purely a personal hobby. My friend..."

He pointed at Xiao Chenggang, "He likes excitement."

Xiao Chenggang nearly spat out his red wine and kicked Su Ning hard under the table.

The waiter hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "Speaking of newcomers, there are the ones Sister Lan is mentoring. Especially the one called 'Xiao Xue,' she only came last month, and quite a few bosses have already specifically requested her."

"Xiaoxue?" Su Ning noted the name down. "Is she here today?"

"Unfortunately, she's on leave." The waiter suddenly lowered his voice. "However... she seems to have some kind of relationship with President Tang, so you'd better not get involved with her."

After the waiter left, Xiao Chenggang exclaimed excitedly, "We've got a lead! This 'Xiaoxue' is very suspicious!"

"Nonsense! Who told you that?"

"Uh? No?"

Su Ning gestured for him to look at the camera in the corner of the ceiling. "We need to make the performance convincing! After we finish this bottle, we'll go 'visit' President Tang."

"Jian Fan, you are amazing, you really are unfathomable to me."

"Tch! I really should take you to see a psychiatrist! Do you think you're Tang Niu from the movie 'The God of Cookery'?"

Half an hour later, in Tang Shouyu's office.

Upon seeing the two uninvited guests, Tang Shouyu's face darkened: "Officer Jian, this is trespassing!"

"President Tang, please don't get agitated." Su Ning sat down casually. "We're here to ask about someone—who is 'Xiao Xue'?"

Tang Shouyu's pupils contracted slightly, then returned to normal: "There are so many girls in nightclubs, how could I remember every single one of their names?"

Su Ning stared intently into his eyes. "I never said Xiaoxue was a nightclub hostess. How did you know, Mr. Tang?"

"Absurd!" Tang Shouyu slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "You're being unreasonable! I'm going to find a lawyer!"

"Not at all! I just came to ask casually." Su Ning stood up and left a business card on the desk. "But let me remind you, Mr. Tang, a serial robbery resulting in death is murder. Harboring the murderer... is a serious crime."

As they left the nightclub, Xiao Chenggang couldn't wait to ask, "Old Jian, you were bluffing him, weren't you? There's no dead person here."

“Not now.” Su Ning glanced back at the brightly lit nightclub. “But if we don’t catch them soon, someone will die eventually.”

"..."

In the criminal investigation team's conference room, the special task force is compiling clues.

The projector displayed photos and personal information of seven victims, who were unrelated to each other.

"Everyone," Captain Qin tapped the whiteboard, "the only common point is that all the victims are male, have good economic conditions, and all lost consciousness after being approached by beautiful women in hotels."

"Could it be a professional fraud gang?" a veteran detective suggested. "They might use a honey trap to lure their target, then drug them and rob them."

Liang Wuyun shook her head: "The descriptions of the 'beautiful women' by the seven victims are too different, ranging from innocent students to mature women, they don't seem to be the same person."

"What if it was a gang crime?" someone echoed.

In a corner of the conference room, Su Ning suddenly chuckled softly.

"Comrade Jian Fan, do you have any insightful suggestions?" Captain Qin called out.

All eyes turned to them.

Suning strolled over to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and drew a big question mark in the "Method of the Crime" column.

“Have any of you ever wondered,” he looked around at the crowd, “why none of the victims could remember the suspect’s face?”

"Drug effects?" some speculated.

“Not entirely.” Su Ning wrote the words “selective memory” on the whiteboard. “The human brain automatically downplays details that one doesn’t want to recall. I guess these men don’t forget because they can’t remember, but because they don’t want to remember—because the way they were seduced…is quite shameful.”

The conference room was silent.

"Be more specific," Captain Qin frowned.

Su Ning took a deep breath: "I suspect that the suspect applied a stun-inducing drug to the victim's chest and then lured the victim to kiss or touch their chest, causing them to lose consciousness."

"Pfft—" Someone spat out their coffee.

"Absurd!" Liang Wuyun was the first to object. "What kind of crime-solving approach is this?"

“Comrade Jian Fan,” the veteran detective said sternly, “this is a serious case analysis meeting, not a place for you to tell dirty jokes!” The meeting room erupted in laughter and discussion.

Only Captain Qin stared thoughtfully at the whiteboard.

"Quiet!" Captain Qin shouted to silence everyone, then turned to Su Ning, "Where's the evidence?"

“Two points.” Su Ning held up a finger. “First, all the victims’ blood tests showed traces of transdermal drug absorption, but they all stated they had not come into contact with the drug. How did the suspect control the drug? Second…”

He opened a medical examination report and said, “I reviewed the hospital records and found that three of the victims had their oral and nasal mucosa examined after the incident, and all of them had minor burn marks.”

"Third, considering the events from the perspective of a normal male, it would naturally be to start with a kiss. With just a little guidance, or even without any guidance at all, the victim could be led to kiss the breasts."

The conference room fell silent again.

"Hmph! That's just a guess," Liang Wuyun insisted, blushing.

“The verification is simple,” Su Ning said, looking at the forensic doctor. “Re-examine all victims, focusing on the face, mouth, and… areas that came into contact with the victim’s body.”

The meeting ended in a bad mood.

As they walked out of the conference room, Xiao Chenggang put his arm around Su Ning's shoulder: "Old Jian, although your idea is a bit twisted, I think it makes sense!"

"Get lost!" Su Ning laughed and cursed.

But he noticed that at the end of the corridor, Liang Wuyun was looking at him with a complicated expression.

Three days later, a startling discovery was made in the forensic laboratory...

Residues of female breast cosmetics were detected on the suit of the latest victim, mixed with trace amounts of chloroform derivatives!
"Amazing!" Xiao Chenggang rushed into the office, holding the test report. "Old Jian, you were absolutely right!"

The task force immediately convened an emergency meeting.

The forensic expert provided a detailed report on the identical substances found on the clothing or bodies of the five victims, confirming that the suspect did indeed use the "chest application" method to administer the drug.

"This drug is absorbed very quickly through the skin," the forensic doctor explained. "Victims will fall into a coma within 30 seconds of exposure, and their memory will be hazy when they wake up, which explains why they can't remember the suspect's appearance."

Captain Qin looked at Su Ning with more appreciation: "Jian Fan, now tell me your next suggestion."

“Focus on investigating three types of locations.” Su Ning walked to the whiteboard. “First, high-end beauty salons, where suspects need a large amount of cosmetics as a carrier; second, pharmaceutical-related industries, where they can obtain special drugs; third…” He paused, “nightclubs, KTVs, and other entertainment venues, which are convenient for finding targets.”

"The Grand Tang Nightclub?" Liang Wuyun keenly grasped the key point.

“That’s right.” Su Ning nodded. “Especially that girl named ‘Xiaoxue’.”

After the meeting, Captain Qin kept Su Ning behind alone: ​​"You've suspected Sheng Tang for a long time, why didn't you just say so?"

“There’s no evidence,” Su Ning said frankly. “Tang Shouyu has a complex network of backers, and alerting him would only cause the leads to die out faster.”

Captain Qin looked at him meaningfully: "Jian Fan, sometimes I feel... your way of investigating cases isn't like a police officer, it's more like..."

"like what?"

“Like the person who used to stand on the other side.” Captain Qin said, and left the office without waiting for a response.

Suning stood still, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The veteran detective's intuition was indeed sharp...

In one world, he did indeed work for the underworld, and the most dangerous kind at that.

That night, Su Ning and Liang Wuyun, disguised as a couple, returned to the Sheng Tang Nightclub.

"Do not touch me!"

"Liang Wuyun, don't forget! You are my girlfriend."

"Hmph! It's fake."

"This is a nightclub! If you don't get closer to me, you might attract the attention of other bad men."

“You…” Liang Wuyun thought for a moment and then agreed.

Immediately afterward, he completely softened and then Su Ning intimately embraced Liang Wuyun's waist.

"Wu Yun, I really want to hold you like this forever."

"Hmph! Behave yourself, we're doing something now!"

"Do you hate me that much? I'm truly sincere towards you?"

"..." Liang Wuyun was too lazy to pay attention to Su Ning anymore, but her racing heartbeat betrayed her.

This time, they did not reveal their identities, but instead requested a private room as ordinary guests.

"Are you sure 'Xiaoxue' will come tonight?" Liang Wuyun awkwardly tugged at her miniskirt.

This was the first time she had ever worn such revealing clothes, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

“The schedule in Tang Shouyu’s office says there’s a light snowfall tonight,” Su Ning whispered close to her ear, the warm breath making Liang Wuyun’s ears burn. “It should be the performance of ‘Light Snow’.”

"You...you stay away from me!"

"Wu Yun, will you be my girlfriend? I liked you when I was in police academy, but I felt like you were a princess who didn't eat the food of this world. I was so inferior that I could only watch you from afar. A year later, when we met again, you had become even more charming and intelligent. I admit that my heart has been captured by you."

"..." Liang Wuyun was stunned by Su Ning's words.

However, at this moment, Su Ning took the opportunity to pull Liang Wuyun into his arms and kiss her. Liang Wuyun wanted to resist, but she heard Su Ning whisper, "Don't move! I'm a policeman."

"..."

At exactly 10 o'clock, the nightclub lights suddenly dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the central stage.

A woman wearing a silver mask slowly rose up, dressed in a nearly transparent gauze dress, with a graceful figure.

"Good evening, everyone~" the woman's voice was sweet and cloying. "I'm Xiaoxue..."

Liang Wuyun, who had benefited greatly from Suning, gasped. Even with a mask on, it was clear that she was an absolute beauty.

What's even more astonishing is that after Xiaoxue started performing, her temperament changed constantly with the music, sometimes pure and innocent, sometimes alluring and seductive, perfectly matching the fantasies of various types of men.

“It’s her,” Su Ning said in a low voice. “Judging from her disguise skills, she can play different roles to lure victims.”

After the performance, Xiaoxue disappeared backstage.

Su Ning immediately pulled Liang Wuyun to follow, but they were stopped by security guards in the corridor.

"VIP area is off-limits!" the security guard shouted menacingly.

Just then, Tang Shouyu's voice came from behind: "Officer Jian, are you so interested in my employees?"

Su Ning turned around, his smile unchanged: "President Tang, let's not beat around the bush. 'Xiao Xue' is related to the recent mysterious robbery case. Hand her over."

"Ridiculous!" Tang Shouyu sneered. "Xiaoxue is a legitimate artist with complete performance records. Without evidence, you don't even have the right to question her!"

During the standoff, Liang Wuyun suddenly spotted a familiar figure flashing past in the VIP area...

Jiang Dijia!
Why is she here?

And he seems to know Tang Shouyu very well?

“Let’s go.” Su Ning suddenly grabbed her hand and left, only explaining after they left the nightclub, “I saw Jiang Dijia earlier, things might be more complicated than I thought.”

"Your ex-girlfriend?" Liang Wuyun asked sourly.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Su Ning frowned, “but her presence here…something’s not right. I need to investigate her relationship with Tang Shouyu.”

Liang Wuyun wanted to ask more questions, but her phone suddenly rang.

After finishing the call, her expression changed drastically: "Another case! This time the victim didn't wake up... he's dead."

In the darkness, the two hurriedly ran towards the police car.

Su Ning glanced back at the dazzling signboard of the Sheng Tang Nightclub. The truth behind the mask seemed within reach, yet it concealed a deeper darkness.

……

(End of this chapter)