Only I Have the Law: A Fantasy Daily Life

Chapter 130 The Outlaw Unleashes His Power

At 3:30 p.m., the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Guangming Branch.

Song Zhaoming slammed a thick list of evidence, dozens of pages long, onto the table, his fingers tapping impatiently on the edge of the surface.

The monitoring team had just delivered their preliminary investigation report on the surveillance footage near the neighborhood. The spread-out pages were filled with tables and data, but they had come up with nothing.

"Team Leader Song, the test results are in, but..."

"It doesn't seem to be of much use."

Engineer Wang from the technical squadron walked over, looking tired and confused.

"Get to the point!"

Song Zhaoming rubbed his throbbing temples; the ashtray had been filled with cigarette butts for half a day.

"The biological traces are very concentrated. The same and single DNA was extracted from the tape used to bind the deceased on the sofa, the tape used to secure the other two people in the bedroom, and the apple core! The clarity is very high."

"But after comparing with the database, there was no matching record in the national online database. This person is like a ghost that never existed."

Wang Gong said in a low voice.

"So it really was done by one person?"

Song Zhaoming narrowed his eyes and became serious.

He didn't seem to care that the DNA could not be found in the database, as this was not an isolated case.

Besides, he did solve cases when DNA technology was less advanced.

What he cares about is...

The fact that only one person's DNA was detected.

If we don't make a very rigorous judgment, then at this point we can preliminarily rule out the possibility that multiple people were involved in the crime.

"Captain Song, the binding techniques are actually of the same professional level, so it's possible that they were all done by the same person."

Wang Gong said this.

The analysis of physical evidence has now reached a dead end.

Further in-depth analysis of more physical evidence will require more time.

The only hope now lies in interpersonal networks.

Song Zhaoming immediately organized a team to thoroughly investigate Li Changhong's social connections.

This process was like opening Pandora's box.

Li Changhong, this so-called "labor intermediary," is nothing more than a human garbage dump, with social relationships that are astonishingly complex.

Dozens of different photocopies of "employment contracts" were found in his dilapidated home. Most of them only had the signature of the employee, and the information and official seal of the employer were problematic.

More than 20 people have been contacted recently and have been defrauded of "fees" ranging from several hundred to several thousand yuan under various pretexts. Most of them are migrant workers or graduates from other places who came to Chengdu and were eager to find work.

Anger and curses became the background noise of the call.

"Fox friends and dog friends" includes low-level thugs and petty swindlers like Lao Shu (real name Zhang Ming) and Qiang Zi (real name Li Wei).

There were quite a few of them, all of them petty and despicable people.

They both exploit each other and sabotage each other.

The testimonies of such people are chaotic and incoherent; all that is known is that Fatty Li is a more skilled swindler with more connections.

Further investigation revealed that the cash flow figures that Li Changhong had boasted about basically pointed to several shell companies and "labor consulting agencies".

However, behind these companies are some figures with considerable background and influence who are involved in earthwork and demolition projects in the local area.

These people provided a meager "protection" to low-level brokers like Li Changhong, allowing them to engage in shady dealings, and then took the lion's share of the profits.

That's where I found it.

Not only has the case become more complicated, but it has also begun to encounter invisible obstacles, with some key sources of information becoming unclear or simply refusing to cooperate.

The more Song Zhaoming investigated, the more troubled he became.

Li Changhong has too many enemies, from ordinary workers who were cheated out of their hard-earned money, to thugs who wanted a share of the pie but were double-crossed, and then to so-called "friends" who he treated as expendable resources and then abandoned...

The scope is too broad, and the motives are too varied.

Given the highly targeted and ritualistic methods of torture employed at the scene, Song Zhaoming's initial idea of ​​his "core enemy" has become even more shrouded in mystery.

Around 5:30 p.m.

Another report from the forensic team was like a depth charge, instantly making Song Zhaoming, who was already overwhelmed with problems, go blank.

"are you sure?"

Song Zhaoming's voice was strained and urgent as he stared at the forensic doctor, Old Zhou, whose eyes were slightly dark.

Old Zhou has been up all day.

"Captain Song, the cause of death is quite clear, but the cause is extremely bizarre." Old Zhou said gravely, pointing to a few lines on the report, "The precise time of death is definitely between midnight and 2 a.m. on August 5th. But the direct cause of death is not mechanical asphyxiation! It's 'multiple organ failure caused by idiopathic autonomic nervous system reflex abnormality storm.' To put it simply, his nervous system completely collapsed, like being thrown into a runaway electric furnace and having all his functions dried out, leading to a complete shutdown of all his organs."

As he spoke, Old Zhou turned the page of the report and continued:

"The intensity of this physiological stress response... I have never seen anything like it in a forensic examination. The duration and concentration of the deceased's adrenaline peak were dozens of times higher than those of an average person under extreme terror. Large areas of bone and striated muscle dissolved, metabolic waste blocked the kidneys leading to kidney failure, and systemic microcirculatory collapse caused extreme dehydration. His adrenal glands... were practically squeezed dry!"

"However! No source was found that could have triggered a reaction of this scale! There were no serious external injuries, and the binding marks were not fatal. There were no signs of poisoning; no known toxins, heavy metals, or drug metabolites were detected in the stomach contents or blood samples. There were no signs of acute infection or worsening of underlying conditions, and no allergic reactions."

"The only possible identifiable substance is the abnormally high level of endorphins in the deceased's body, almost synchronizing with the adrenaline storm, but this completely contradicts the final outcome of exhaustion. It's like... simultaneously inflicting the ultimate 'pleasure' while simultaneously roasting and crushing him with fear, the two working at the same time with unimaginable intensity. My initial inclination is towards some kind of incredibly potent and bizarrely effective new neuroactive drug or hallucinogen. This compound may act on unknown targets in the central nervous system, simultaneously simulating and amplifying extreme euphoria and ultimate fear, triggering this devastating neurotic storm."

"But I haven't detected its presence yet."

The scientific logic of forensic medicine led the cause of death to be "new types of drugs".

Song Zhaoming couldn't help but frown.

New type of drug?

Is it so potent that it can "burn" a person to death?

No special chemical components were found?

This explanation terrified Song Zhaoming even more than the revenge killing itself.

This means the case may involve an unknown and extremely dangerous drug trafficking network.

A super poison capable of destroying the nervous system, if it were to enter society...

Song Zhaoming's shirt was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He dared not think too much about the consequences.

As the time approached 6:30.

The hospital reports that both Laoshu (Zhang Ming) and Qiangzi (Li Wei) are out of immediate danger and can be questioned in a conscious state.

In a hurry, Song Zhaoming immediately grabbed his coat and notebook, and rushed to the hospital with two team members. After a brief communication with the medical staff, they created an environment for separate wards for interrogation.

The ward was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Zhang Ming was pale and his eyes were filled with fear. Song Zhaoming asked what had happened on the night of August 4th.

"No... I don't know, officer! I just remember drinking and bragging with Brother Hong and Qiangzi, and suddenly... suddenly everything went black! I really just felt everything go black, and I don't know anything anymore! When I woke up, I was here..."

"What murderer? I didn't see anything!"

In the next room, Qiangzi Li Wei, who was being interrogated in a separate room, had his arm in a cast and a horrifying bruise around his neck.

His eyes held a deep fear as he stammered, "I...I woke up once...just once! I felt my arm being broken, it hurt so much I wanted to scream...I opened my eyes groggily..."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhaoming couldn't help but hold his breath.

Subconsciously, they were all prepared to have the profiler who came along start drawing the killer's appearance.

But the reply from the other side made him feel a chill in his heart.

"But I couldn't see anything clearly! I just felt a blurry black shadow standing by the bed, very tall! Hmm, it felt really tall! I think I saw an eye? No, no, it felt like something thin and long was about to poke me, and then I felt a chill on my neck... and then I knew nothing more."

He subconsciously touched the pressure marks on his neck.

This is the end.

The interrogation is over.

Not much useful information was obtained.

The two men's testimonies further pointed to an attacker who was as fast as a ghost, ruthless, and capable of silently subduing three people in the dark.

However, the basic physical characteristics remain largely unknown.

“A dark shadow,” “very high,” “a cold, suffocating feeling”…

That's the limit of what they can offer.

eight pm.

The hospital corridor lights were somewhat pale.

After a busy day, Song Zhaoming leaned against the wall of the smoking area and looked out the closed window. The city's neon lights had already begun to flicker.

He felt a slight sense of frustration and powerlessness.

The physical evidence analysis was clear but no match was found; the interpersonal relationship analysis revealed numerous enemies; the forensic report indicated a bizarre cause of death, suspected to be a new type of drug; and no eyewitness testimonies were obtained…

There seem to be many clues.

However, when all the information was put together, apart from knowing that the murderer was extremely dangerous, used cruel methods, and died from an unknown drug, there was no information that could point to a specific individual or form an effective breakthrough!
The technical team is also working urgently to investigate a wider range of surveillance footage and footage from earlier periods.

But this is like finding a needle in a haystack.

The case has reached a stalemate, even more perplexing than when it was first taken over.

He took a deep breath and prepared to light a cigarette.

Just as I took out my lighter, I heard light footsteps and childlike laughter coming from the other end of the corridor.

A little girl wearing a pink dress and sporting cute pigtails is being led by a tall, clean-cut, and sunny young man.

The girl seemed to be in good spirits.

I skipped and hopped by.

Song Zhaoming subconsciously put the cigarette case and lighter back.

Turn to the side to avoid exposing the little girl to secondhand smoke.

The young man, dressed in well-tailored casual wear, walked with a relaxed gait and listened to the little girl's chatter with a gentle smile on his face.

When passing by Song Zhaoming.

He seemed to glance at Song Zhaoming, who was leaning against the wall inside, almost unintentionally.

Those eyes were clear and calm, like two deep pools, showing no signs of fatigue or anxiety.

Under the stark white light.

That tranquility seemed almost excessive, even carrying a sense of relaxation detached from worldly troubles.

Song Zhaoming, who had turned his head to the side, did not notice the gaze directed at him.

He simply waited until the man and the little girl disappeared around the corner of the corridor, leaving behind a string of cheerful childlike voices fading into the distance.

When the laughter completely disappeared.

Song Zhaoming lit a cigarette with a "click".

After taking a deep breath, the pungent smoke seemed to briefly numb my overly tired nerves.

He gazed out the window at the deep night, all the fragmented information from the daytime swirling in the smoke:

Li Changhong's chubby face, contorted in a purplish-red from extreme fear and unknown "intense stress"; the crystal-clear DNA on the tape, yet no trace of him could be found; the bizarre, neurotic death that even the forensic doctor exclaimed was "unprecedented"; the ghostly, shadowy figure described by the two survivors; and the money and protective umbrellas lurking in the shadows, all connected to the gray areas...

Thinking of this, Song Zhaoming suddenly extinguished the cigarette that had only burned a third of the way.

A clear, or rather, the only logical solution he could find, gradually took hold of his mind—new types of drugs!
The forensic expert's judgment was clearly professional.

The extreme, contradictory, and destructive physiological reactions that cannot be achieved by conventional methods make the unknown, powerful neurostimulatory compounds the most "scientific" explanation.

It's not entirely impossible for someone like Li Changhong to come into contact with things at this level.

Perhaps it's a case of black market manipulation?

Perhaps they were used as guinea pigs to test something new?

No matter how.

The fact that this drug is so potent means that there must be a highly sophisticated, extremely secretive, and extremely profitable production and sales chain behind it.

If we can uncover this chain, we can not only solve this case, but also perhaps expose a huge hidden cancer!

This seems more hopeful and provides a point of focus than getting lost in a complex web of interpersonal relationships and an elusive "shadow."

"Go back and contact the anti-narcotics team now!"

Song Zhaoming muttered to himself.

He then threw the remaining cigarette into the trash can.

The direction extends right beneath your feet.

Although it leads to another unfathomable dark realm.

However, a sharp light returned to Song Zhaoming's eyes, and he turned and strode quickly toward the hospital entrance. His back was firm, yet it also carried the weight of an unconscious, unseen destiny that had pushed him astray.

In a trance.

It seemed as if some inexplicable force was pushing him to investigate in a completely different direction.

He was completely unaware that he was straying far from the core truth and heading towards a false proposition obscured and guided by supernatural power.

(End of this chapter)