Power and wealth bring fragrance

The interrogation room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a strange smell of rust and disinfectant.

The middle-aged fisherman slowly opened his eyes.

Those cloudy eyes, as if veiled by a layer of gray, showed no surprise or panic when they saw the young man standing before them.

Quite the opposite.

His expression was eerily calm, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, conveying an air of certainty and composure that "I knew you would come."

It's as if... he's been waiting for this day for a very long time.

"It seems the organization's information network is quite efficient."

The middle-aged fisherman spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other, "You came pretty quickly."

There was no trace of fear in his tone; rather, it sounded like he was chatting with an old friend.

The young man looked at him expressionlessly.

That young, even somewhat handsome face, showed no superfluous emotion. There was neither the cruelty of someone about to kill someone nor the tension of someone on a mission; only a cold, machine-like indifference.

He didn't reply.

He simply bent down slowly and gently placed the silver thermos he was carrying on the foldable table in front of the middle-aged fisherman's interrogation chair.

"Click."

The base of the insulated container collided with the metal tabletop, making a crisp, light sound.

In the silent interrogation room, the soft sound seemed particularly jarring.

The young man straightened up, looked down at the middle-aged fisherman who was strapped to the iron chair, and finally spoke slowly.

His voice was flat, as flat as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"The boss asked me to give you my regards."

He paused for a moment.

"And, they also asked me to pass on a message to you."

The middle-aged fisherman raised his eyebrows slightly.

He was well aware of his current situation.

Mission failed.

The target was not only not eliminated, but is still alive and lying in the hospital.

He himself was captured alive by the police and locked in this airtight interrogation room.

For an organization, a failed pawn, especially one that could potentially leak its secrets, has only one fate.

That is—death.

Therefore, he knew exactly what the young man was up to from the beginning.

To silence them.

Since death is imminent, satisfying one's last curiosity before dying doesn't seem like such an excessive thing.

The middle-aged fisherman grinned, revealing a somewhat awkward smile.

"Oh?"

"What message did he ask you to deliver?"

His tone carried a hint of mockery, as if he were listening to a joke that had nothing to do with him.

The young man remained silent for two seconds.

Then, in a flat, emotionless tone, he spoke, word by word:

He asked me to tell you—

"You're a piece of trash."

The words fell.

The interrogation room fell into a deathly silence.

The middle-aged fisherman was stunned.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then didn't say anything.

A flicker of surprise first crossed those cloudy eyes, followed by an indescribable and extremely complex emotion.

Then--

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The middle-aged fisherman suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he was doubled over, his whole body trembling violently, tears streaming down his wrinkled and weathered face.

In that laughter, there was self-mockery, sorrow, resentment, and also a kind of almost manic relief.

"Useless...hahahaha...useless!"

He laughed and kept repeating those two words, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"I, Lin Laosan, have lived a life of ruthlessness, killing countless people, yet in the end, I'm only remembered as a 'good-for-nothing'..."

"Hahahaha...That's hilarious, absolutely hilarious!"

His laughter was so loud that it could be clearly heard in the corridor outside, even through an iron gate.

Outside.

The two guards were startled when they heard the sudden burst of wild laughter coming from the interrogation room.

What are they laughing about inside?

One of the guards frowned, a wary look on his face.

"I don't know. The logistics guy who went in to deliver the food just now suddenly started laughing?"

The other guard's expression turned serious.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

Before leaving, Director Wu repeatedly instructed that this suspect was extremely dangerous and that no one was allowed to approach him, and that his food and water must be strictly inspected.

But now, the suspect inside, who had remained silent like a stone, suddenly burst into this manic laughter after a logistics staff member went in to deliver food—

This just doesn't make sense.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

The first guard acted decisively, pushing open the iron door of the interrogation room and rushing in armed, his sharp eyes scanning the room.

What are you talking about?!

His voice was stern and alert, and his right hand was already on the pistol at his waist.

In the interrogation room.

The middle-aged fisherman was still smiling.

He laughed until tears streamed down his face. Seeing the guards rush in, he waved his hand, still laughing, and said breathlessly:

"It's nothing... haha... it's nothing..."

"It's just... just a really funny joke..."

As he spoke, he actually reached out his free hand, wiped away the tears from the corner of his eye, and then reached for the thermos on the table.

"Don't be nervous... Come on, let's eat, let's eat..."

He laughed as he opened the lid of the thermos.

A rich aroma of food wafted from the thermos, filling the entire interrogation room.

The middle-aged fisherman picked up the spoon and, without caring whether it was hot or not, with his eyes crinkling and tears still clinging to his lips, began to shovel large mouthfuls of food into his mouth.

He ate with great relish.

It's like someone who's been starving for three days and three nights finally getting to eat the feast they've been dreaming of.

The guard frowned as he looked at him.

This scene... looks eerie no matter how you look at it.

A high-profile suspect, detained in the interrogation room, was laughing hysterically while crying, and then nonchalantly eating a large meal?

Is this reasonable?

The guard shifted his gaze from the middle-aged fisherman to the young man standing to the side.

The young man remained standing there expressionless, neither speaking nor moving, like a lifeless sculpture.

But the guard noticed that the smile on the young man's face had vanished.

Just now at the door, this person was smiling warmly, calling me "brother" over and over again, his words as sweet as honey.

But now, the gentle mask on his face has completely disappeared.

Instead, there was a cold, emotionless indifference.

That look in his eyes...

The guard's heart skipped a beat.

He had worked in the police department for so many years, seen vicious murderers and ruthless drug lords, but he had never seen such a look in anyone's eyes.

That's not human eyes.

It was a kind of... absolute indifference, as if looking at everything as if it were a corpse.

"you……"

The guard's pupils contracted sharply, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he instinctively raised his gun to aim at the young man.

"What exactly are you...?"

however.

He hadn't finished speaking.

The young man moved.

Without any warning, without any unnecessary movements.

His body appeared in front of the guard in an instant, like a ghostly afterimage.

fast!

too fast!

It was so fast that the guards didn't have time to react at all, not even to pull the trigger.

The young man raised his right hand high, his palm clenched like a knife, and with a sharp whistling sound, he slashed fiercely at the guard's throat.

"Click."

A crisp, teeth-grinding cracking sound.

The guard's body stiffened abruptly.

His eyes were wide open and his mouth was agape, but he couldn't make a sound.

His throat bone... was broken.

The young man's chop was precise and ruthless, shattering his throat bone and severing his trachea and carotid artery.

The guard swayed, then collapsed to the ground like a limp lump of mud.

His body was still convulsing, his hands were clutching his throat tightly, and his legs were unconsciously kicking the ground.

But all of this was in vain.

A few seconds later.

The guard's body stopped twitching completely, his eyes wide open, dying with unresolved grievances.

The entire process, from the young man making the move to the guard falling to his death, took no more than two seconds.

Clean.

neat.

Without any hesitation or delay.

The young man didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground.

He slowly withdrew his hand, patted off non-existent dust from his palm, then turned around and looked at the middle-aged fisherman in front of the table.

now.

The middle-aged fisherman had stopped eating.

The spoon in his hand clattered into the thermos, and his whole body began to tremble violently.

His face turned bluish-purple at a visible speed, his lips turned purple, his eyes widened, and his eyeballs were bloodshot.

"Uh...uh..."

A series of indistinct, bellows-like sounds came from his throat.

He gripped his throat tightly with both hands, his nails almost digging into his flesh.

It's poison.

The food was poisoned.

Moreover, it is highly poisonous.

The onset is extremely rapid; from the first bite to the onset of poisoning, it takes only a dozen seconds.

The middle-aged fisherman's body suddenly arched, then he fell heavily back onto the chair.

A large amount of white foam overflowed from the corners of his mouth, dripping down his chin onto his clothes, leaving dirty stains.

In the last moments of his life.

The middle-aged fisherman's wide-open, bloodshot eyes were fixed on the young man.

Then, the corners of his mouth suddenly twitched upwards.

He revealed a ferocious, eerie, and chilling smile.

That smile contained resentment, unwillingness, mockery, and also a kind of... indescribable, almost insane meaning.

Followed by.

His body jerked violently.

Then, everything came to a complete stop.

His eyes were wide open, the corners of his mouth were turned up, and he maintained that eerie smile before dying.

The young man watched him quietly.

I looked at it for about two seconds.

Then, expressionless, he withdrew his gaze, turned around, and strode straight toward the door of the interrogation room.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, but calm and composed, as if he had just finished a trivial matter.

He didn't even lift his eyelids as he passed the guard's corpse on the ground.

The iron gate was pulled open.

The young man walked out and casually closed the iron gate behind him.

"Click."

The sound of the door lock closing echoed in the empty corridor.

The corridor was deserted.

The other guard... was also taken care of at some point, no one knows.

The young man straightened his detective uniform and put on his gentle, harmless smile again.

Then, he walked with a calm gait toward the exit of the detective agency building.

None of the police officers he encountered along the way suspected him.

After all, he was wearing a detective's uniform, had an ordinary face that people would forget after seeing him, and could accurately call out everyone's name and greet them with a smile.

Who would doubt such a person?

……

Three minutes later.

The police station building, basement level.

A police officer who came to relieve the shift walked to the door of the interrogation room and saw the body of the guard lying on the ground. He was stunned at first, and then his expression changed drastically.

Someone's dead!!

His piercing scream shattered the morning tranquility of the detective agency.

"Waaaaah—waaaah—"

Almost at the same instant the screams rang out, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded inside the detective agency building.

The piercing, sharp siren sounded like an invisible hand, gripping everyone's heart tightly.

"What happened?!"

"Basement level! Interrogation room!"

"Quick! Get down here!"

"Attention everyone! Seal off all entrances and exits! No one is allowed to leave the building!"

Whoosh—

Sharp and hurried footsteps converged from all directions of the building.

A group of heavily armed police officers rushed into the interrogation room on the basement floor like a tidal wave.

Then, they were all stunned.

In the interrogation room.

The middle-aged fisherman was still strapped to that iron chair, his body completely stiff, a strange smile still lingering on his lips, his eyes wide open, dying with unseeing disbelief.

In front of him, the lid of the thermos was open, and the food inside was still steaming.

On the ground.

The guard's body remained in the same position as when he died, his throat was bluish-purple, his eyes were wide open, and the expression of utter horror remained on his face.

Dead silence.

A deathly silence.

The police officers who stormed into the interrogation room were all ashen-faced, their fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Damn it!"

Someone, without anyone knowing, was the first to let out an angry roar.

How do people die?!

"Where's the guard? Where's the other guard?!"

"Investigate! Investigate immediately! Check the surveillance footage! Seal off all entrances and exits!"

"That food delivery person! Find that food delivery person from the security camera footage!"

Angry roars echoed throughout the interrogation room.

The entire detective agency was in complete chaos.

……

Meanwhile.

Deep Sea City, Ronghua Hospital, VIP ward floor.

Unlike the chaotic scene at the police station, this place remains quiet and peaceful.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the floor of the ward.

Hospital bed.

Wei Yuan was still asleep.

His complexion was better than yesterday; it was no longer as pale as paper, but had a faint tinge of color.

Breathing was steady, chest rose and fell rhythmically, and vital signs were normal.

Liu Xiangrong sat on a chair by the bed, holding a warm towel in her hand, and carefully wiped Wei Yuan's forehead and cheeks.

Her movements were very light and gentle, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

After wiping him, she tucked the blanket around Wei Yuan, then sat down in a chair and quietly watched his sleeping face, her eyes full of heartache and worry.

When will you wake up...?

She murmured softly, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible sob.

Qin Xiao, who was standing at the door of the ward, lowered his head silently upon hearing these words.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He hadn't slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot, and a layer of bluish stubble had appeared on his chin. He looked quite haggard.

But his back remained perfectly straight.

Like an iron tower, he stood guard at the ward door, his eyes scanning everyone in the corridor with vigilance.

"Sister-in-law, you should rest for a while. I'll keep watch."

Qin Xiao said in a low voice, his voice a little hoarse.

Liu Xiangrong shook her head: "I'm not tired."

She paused, then added, "Oh, by the way, could you go and arrange for someone to buy some breakfast? Everyone's hungry after keeping watch all night."

Qin Xiao hesitated for a moment.

He didn't really want to leave.

But Liu Xiangrong was right. After keeping watch all night, the brothers were all hungry, and he did need to make arrangements for what to do next.

"good."

Qin Xiao nodded. "I'll be right back."

He turned and instructed the two burly men in black suits guarding the corridor, "You two, guard the door. No one is allowed to approach. I'll be right back."

"Yes, Brother Qin!"

The two burly men responded in unison, their backs ramrod straight.

Qin Xiao glanced at Liu Xiangrong in the ward and Wei Yuan on the bed again before turning around and walking quickly toward the elevator.

……

About five minutes after Qin Xiao left.

At the end of the corridor, a faint sound of wheels rolling could be heard.

"Gurgle...gurgle..."

A female nurse dressed in a white nurse's uniform, white nurse's cap and blue medical mask pushed a stainless steel trolley slowly toward the ward.

The trolley is equipped with a full range of medical supplies, including IV stands, medicine bottles, syringes, cotton swabs, and alcohol wipes.

The female nurse stopped at the door of the ward.

She raised her head, revealing a pair of beautiful, smiling eyes, and softly spoke to the two burly men in black suits guarding the door:

"Hello, I'm a nurse from the internal medicine ward. I'm here to administer an IV to the patient in bed 3, as ordered by the doctor."

Her voice was gentle and sweet, with a kind of approachable quality that made people unconsciously lower their guard.

The two burly men exchanged a glance.

One of them stepped forward, glanced at the nurse's name tag, then looked at the medicines on her cart, and nodded after confirming that everything was correct.

"Go in."

They didn't think much of it.

After all, this is a hospital, and it's perfectly normal for nurses to administer IV drips to patients.

Moreover, Wei Yuan was injured and did indeed need intravenous treatment.

The nurse smiled and nodded, then pushed the trolley and stepped into the ward.

In the ward.

Hearing the noise, Liu Xiangrong looked up.

Seeing that it was a nurse coming to administer an IV, she didn't think much of it and stood up to make way for her.

"Thank you for your help, nurse."

Liu Xiangrong said gently.

"You're welcome, it's my pleasure."

The nurse smiled, pushed the trolley, and walked to Wei Yuan's bedside.

She skillfully pulled up the IV stand on the trolley, hung up the medicine bottle, then opened the packaging of the disposable syringe, dipped a cotton swab in alcohol, and carefully wiped the mouth of the medicine bottle.

Every movement was fluid, skillful, and professional, without any flaws.

Liu Xiangrong stood aside, watching quietly without saying a word.

After finishing her preparations, the female nurse turned around and looked at Wei Yuan on the hospital bed.

She reached out her hand, gloved with white medical gloves, and gently grasped Wei Yuan's left arm, pulling it out from under the covers, straightening it, and placing it on the armrest beside the bed.

Then, she picked up the needle that was already connected to the IV line, and gently patted the skin on Wei Yuan's elbow with her other hand to locate the vein.

The needle tip was aimed at the faintly visible bluish vein on Wei Yuan's elbow.

Then, slowly stab downwards.

Everything was no different from a regular IV infusion.

however.

Just as the needle was about to pierce the vein in Wei Yuan's elbow...

A sudden change has occurred!

In that instant, without warning, all the hairs on Wei Yuan's arms stood on end!

It's as if... something extremely dangerous is approaching!