S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 201

The Intelligent Killer 06 – Drugs

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The investigation into the mental state of several serial killers had plunged Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang into confusion and doubt...

The nature of the case had also become strange. Was this an AI murder case that developed from an organisational experiment, or was it just a drug trafficking case using AI as a means?

The former advocated murder, while the latter was about making money.

However, combining the two seemed more reasonable...

After thinking for a while, Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue exchanged glances. Suddenly, they turned around and ran out.

Bai Yutang and Bai Ye, looking bewildered, followed them back to the SCI office. Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both ran to the computer, bringing up the video footage Hou Yingqi had previously given them.

Bai Ye and Bai Yutang stood behind them, watching and wondering what the two had discovered.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue opened the video of Hou Yingqi interviewing the village elders, specifically the part where she interviewed the old man who had witnessed Shen Jinmei resurrecting her daughter...

Old Chen mentioned that he saw Shen Jinmei standing at the door of a dark room. Her eyes were almost entirely black, and there were two streaks of blood tears on her face.

Zhao Jue then reviewed Hou Yingqi's investigation data. She had previously mentioned that the village was located in a mysterious triangular area where many strange things had happened over the years.

Zhan Zhao asked Gongsun to check whether the hallucinogenic mushrooms that caused the hospital zombie case were related to the drugs the killers had been taking for a long time.

Gongsun called the forensic department to compare the blood samples of the previous poisoned "zombies" with the blood samples of the killers caught this time.

Before long, Section Chief Wang from the forensic department personally brought up two sets of data.

Old Wang wrote several element names and a chemical equation on the whiteboard, then began to explain to everyone, "Both groups have these components in their blood. They can cause hallucinations and addiction, and are destructive. Taking a large amount in a short time can cause severe hallucinations and affect the central nervous system, leading to impaired motor skills, limb distortion, sensory disturbances, and so on. Long-term small doses can cause mild hallucinations and intermittent hallucinations. However, it can make people energetic, focused, and have a false sense of well-being, which is highly addictive and damages the brain, leading to residual effects or severe brain dysfunction, eventually turning into an idiot."

After explaining, Old Wang drew a strangely shaped mushroom.

"This toxin doesn't exist directly in nature but can be processed and transformed from certain toxic substances. Based on sample analysis, it is suspected to be made from a mushroom known as 'bird's beak'. When this mushroom is heated at high temperatures and mixed with a certain proportion of salt, it produces this toxin, but in very small amounts. However, if the mushroom is first allowed to decay, it produces a large amount of toxin, which, when extracted and mixed with a large amount of sodium, doubles the toxicity. Diluting this purified toxin and adding it to addictive drugs creates this new hallucinogen."

The forensic department head, who had a doctorate in chemistry, gave the SCI members a Breaking Bad lesson in front of the whiteboard.

After the lesson, regardless of whether everyone understood, they all realised that the truth of the mysterious incident from many years ago seemed to have been found.

Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao, "So, was Shen Jinmei's method of revenge to poison the entire village?"

"Shen Jinmei was rumoured to be a witch, but witchcraft is impossible. Rather than saying she knew witchcraft, it's more likely she knew medicine. She might have been a local herbalist familiar with local plants and herbs," Zhan Zhao analysed. "Old Chen mentioned seeing Shen Jinmei with red blood tears on her face, and we found Shen Yan with similar red blood tears in Shen's basement. This red 'blood' appeared once more. Old Chen's interview mentioned that when the village bullies' families went to the Shen family to demand justice and stepped on the red blood on the ground, they encountered misfortunes afterwards, most experiencing 'retribution'. Could this red liquid be some kind of antidote rather than blood?"

Everyone turned to look at Old Wang.

Old Wang adjusted his thick glasses and nodded, "It's possible. Many toxic plants in nature can be counteracted by ingesting another plant. According to your description, the red liquid might be a plant-based antidote, applied to the face and inhaled to detoxify. Such tricks were common in ancient witchcraft!"

"But how did Su Feifei get this antidote that day?" Zhao Hu was puzzled, "Did she carry it with her or get it on the spot?"

Ma Han flipped through photos of the Shen family villa... and pointed out one for everyone to see, "Could it be this?"

Everyone leaned in to look and saw some shrubs growing by the fence in front of the Shen family's house. They looked like ordinary wildflowers and weeds, with strings of red berries hanging on the dry shrubs, resembling dogwood...

Everyone looked at Old Wang with inquiring eyes.

Old Wang stroked his chin and said, "You might need a biologist for this, I'm a chemist... If you can bring me some of those berries, I can test them for you."

Luo Tian and Qin Ou took Old Wang and a few forensic team members to the Shen family's house to collect some samples for research.

"How did Su Feifei know about these berries?" Zhao Hu wondered. "Why did she smear that stuff on her face while pretending to be a ghost that night?"

"Su Feifei might not have known, but perhaps Shen Yan did," Bai Yutang speculated, recalling the murder at the cement factory conveyor belt. "Shen Xin is a descendant of the Shen family, so it could be a family secret. In addition to the previous murder case at the Shen family's cement factory, there were also witnesses who saw a mysterious little girl... Could it be a hallucination? Su Feifei mentioned that Shen Xin and Shen Yan had a close relationship, so maybe Shen Xin told her about it?"

"One worker fell to his death from the conveyor belt, and another claimed to see a little girl... Did these two accidentally consume the poisonous mushrooms, or were they poisoned?" Xiao Bai Chi was puzzled. "These mushrooms don't seem common, is someone cultivating them?"

"It might be related to that mysterious triangular area."

Zhao Jue asked Hou Yingqi's investigation team to investigate the area.

Hou Yingqi, intrigued by the hallucinogenic mushrooms and antidotes, felt they had a lead and took her team to investigate further in the spirit of scientific exploration.

As the case developed, it started to become clearer. Perhaps everything originated from the Shen family's ancestral "witchcraft", where someone had found a recipe for creating hallucinogenic drugs through ancient methods.

But how did ancient remedies, the seventh generation, and AI come together? And who was using such dangerous serial killers to test the drug?

With many questions still unanswered, SCI continued its investigation.

Although the serial killers were turning into mere pawns, apart from the Shen family and Magic, these individuals were still key to the investigation.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took Ma Han and Zhao Hu to investigate Lin Tian's home first.

Meanwhile, Gongsun led the forensic team to the cemetery to retrieve Che Dongming's urn.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang first visited Lin Tian's talent agency.

At this moment, Lin Tian's agent was in a state of distress, not because someone had frightened him but because he had been reading media reports about the Broken Spine Murderer, and he was so frightened that he had nightmares all night long.

The agent led Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang to Lin Tian's home, chatting about Lin Tian along the way.

Lin Tian exhibited some traits common to serial killers, such as being solitary, having limited social interactions, and being very private. However, he also disguised himself well, appearing very approachable and friendly.

The agent mentioned that Lin Tian always claimed he didn't want to disturb his daughter's life, so he kept people away from his home and rarely accepted interviews. Nonetheless, he was very cautious, had no scandals, and was dedicated to his work, attracting little attention.

Lin Tian's home was a relatively remote small villa located in the suburbs of S City.

The villa had a large open space around it, surrounded by iron gates and high walls, with the house in the centre like an island.

Driving in, Zhao Hu couldn't help but complain, "This place looks like a prison from the outside, not a house."

Ma Han nodded in agreement.

When they arrived at the villa's gate, everyone got out of the car and looked around.

Several cars were parked on the open ground, and there was a swimming pool covered with a black cloth for the winter. The front lawn had some children's play equipment, like slides, swings, and a trampoline... as well as what looked like a second-hand carousel.

Zhao Hu became increasingly uneasy. "Fuck, this place is so creepy!"

The agent shivered as well. It used to look normal, but now it felt like a horror movie set. Perhaps it's because today's weather isn't good.

Bai Yutang asked the agent, "Have you been here before?"

The agent said he had never entered the house, only waiting at the door.

The door was locked with an old-fashioned lock.

Bai Yutang had brought a set of keys from Lin Tian's personal belongings. He selected one of the three keys and successfully unlocked the door, allowing everyone to enter the villa.

As the door opened, everyone frowned – The floor inside was concrete.

Zhao Hu was curious, "Is this an unfinished house or that legendary hardcore industrial style?"

The others were also puzzled. They passed through the entrance hall into the living room...

The living room seemed quite normal, indeed furnished in an industrial style. There were many old-fashioned metal pipes installed, and the furniture, such as the sofas, were made to look worn and were in a retro metal-punk style, with the furniture mainly made of metal and leather.

The agent wiped his sweat, thinking this place looked more like a single man's residence, where was the little girl...

"Has Lin Tian been acting all these years?" Ma Han found it hard to believe.

"It may not necessarily be acting," Zhan Zhao said as he walked to the corner of the second floor, looking at a large framed picture on the wall... It was a photo of a little girl, obviously synthesised by AI.

"It looks a bit different from the one on Lin Tian's phone screen. Does this one look older?" Bai Yutang asked.

Zhan Zhao nodded, took a photo of it with his phone, and asked Jiang Ping to investigate.

Zhao Hu and Ma Han went upstairs to search, while Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao searched the first floor, looking for any signs of pills or drugs.

The minimalist decor meant there were few cabinets or boxes, and there wasn't much in the way of personal belongings.

For some reason, Zhan Zhao was particularly interested in the synthesised photo on the wall. He examined it closely, even tugging at it to see if it moved, but it didn't budge.

"Is it nailed or glued?" Zhan Zhao asked Bai Yutang to try.

Bai Yutang pushed it and found it was indeed fixed to the wall. Feeling around the edges, he noticed a draft coming from a crack in the wall. Pressing his ear to the wall, he heard the sound of airflow.

Bai Yutang signalled Ma Han and Zhao Hu to check behind the wall.

The two searched upstairs and downstairs and found that the wall was particularly thick, about two metres wide... the inside was probably hollow.

Bai Yutang examined the surroundings and realised the picture was right at the turn between the two flights of stairs, with an open space in front of it... It might be a door!

"Hmm..." Zhan Zhao tilted his head and stared at the eerie synthesised photo for a long time, then poked Bai Yutang. "Where are his keys?"

Bai Yutang handed the keys to Zhan Zhao.

Excluding the door key, two keys remained, both looking quite ordinary.

Just as Zhan Zhao was contemplating how to use the keys, Bai Yutang kicked the painting hard with a loud bang...

A hole appeared in the painting.

Bai Yutang tore the canvas away and pulled off the wooden frame... and with a series of forceful moves... a door frame appeared behind the painting, and there was indeed a door.

Looking at the edges of the painting, it turned out it had been screwed into the wall.

Everyone understood now. No wonder the painting wouldn't budge, it wasn't because of a hidden mechanism, but because someone had used the painting to conceal the door behind it.

Who blocked it? Was it Lin Tian or someone else?

Zhao Hu brought over a crowbar and pried off the picture frame.

Bai Yutang tried the remaining two keys and found one that fit. As he turned the key, they heard a click, and the door opened.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 10, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 30, 2024 by Soojin