Zhou Bin vomited a large amount of filth, leaning over the bed, attempting to reach for the phone to call for an ambulance, but he soon realized he didn't even have the strength to turn over.

Poisoning?!

The only thought left in Zhou Bin's mind was that he might have been poisoned, and the only person who could have poisoned him was Yang Zi. However, by the time he realized all of this, it was too late. He fell heavily, collapsing from the bed to the floor. After a moment of convulsion, he immediately fell into unconsciousness.

After falling to the ground, Zhou Bin's complexion turned bluish-black, white foam gushing from his mouth, his body spasming in waves.

Yang Zi hurriedly rushed out of the bathroom, fully dressed. Seeing that Zhou Bin had already died from poisoning, she initially felt a bit panicked, but quickly forced herself to calm down. She knew she had already broken the law, but luckily, Yang Zi had come prepared. She hurriedly changed her clothes. The handbag in her hand was turned inside out, showing its reversible nature, just like wearing clothes inside out; after flipping it, the bag instantly became a different style.

Yang Zi calmly put on a mask and sunglasses, slung the bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the room, slowly leaving the Golden Shield Hotel. Exiting the hotel, Yang Zi strolled across the street, reaching a blind spot of the hotel's entrance surveillance, then hailed a taxi and swiftly left the scene.

......

The next day.

Early April, an ordinary day, flowers blooming in spring, trees gradually sprouting green buds. Each green bud emerged from the branches like speckles of vibrant life. On the ground, the green grass poked through the soil, sharp buds resembling black dots on white paper.

At eight-thirty in the morning, Song Xiaojia drove to work.

Although she had been promoted to deputy director, her workload was no light burden; on the contrary, she remained quite busy. Every morning after arriving at the office, she diligently read through files, reviewing some unresolved cases, hoping to find clues for solving them. This was her daily routine and when she was most focused.

At nine o'clock in the morning.

Knock, knock, knock...

Suddenly, someone knocked on the office door, and Song Xiaojia quickly said, "Come in."

Then, Zhang Wenhui pushed open the door from outside. Curiously looking at Zhang Wenhui, Song Xiaojia asked, "Captain Zhang, do you need something?"

"We just received a report from the Golden Shield Hotel," Zhang Wenhui said, "I plan to bring some people over. Do you... do you want to come along and take a look?"

"Sure thing!" Song Xiaojia immediately nodded upon hearing this.

The two quickly left and got into a car to rush to the scene.

This was a crime scene, so they had to arrive as soon as possible to investigate. While in the car, Zhang Wenhui briefly explained the situation to Song Xiaojia. She nodded along the way. As deputy director, Song Xiaojia didn't necessarily have to visit the scene. However, as she had risen from frontline officer, she naturally had a curiosity for cases. Moreover, despite being a director, her case-solving skills needed improvement, prompting her to actively learn and enhance her ability to crack cases.

Upon reaching the hotel, they immediately followed the staff into the room.

Inside the room lay a naked body; near the corpse was a pool of vomit, with some unidentified liquid by the head.

"Seal off the room and immediately notify the coroner for a death assessment," Zhang Wenhui instructed.

"Yes!" a male police officer beside him nodded immediately.

Another man removed his white rubber gloves and mask, saying, "Deputy Director Song, Captain Zhang, the deceased is named Zhang Bin, aged forty-five, owner of Henghui Food Company, worth over ten million..."

"Hmm!" Zhang Wenhui nodded, "Let's see what the coroner has to say."

The coroner soon arrived, and after a careful examination and assessment, concluded: "The deceased died from poisoning, with a time of death approximately eight to twelve hours ago. The body is intact, with no external injuries, nor signs of struggle or fight..."

Two male officers on site collected evidence, including vomit and a nearby pool of liquid. These needed to be tested to determine what poison the victim had ingested.

"Captain Zhang, the room booking and surveillance information has been retrieved," a female officer hurried in from outside.

"Any secondary persons in the booking information?" Zhang Wenhui asked hastily; finding information on another person would clarify everything.

However, the female officer's response disappointed him: "No, the booking is in Zhang Bin's own name."

"And the surveillance?" asked Zhang Wenhui urgently, "Surely someone entered this room? Couldn't be suicide, doesn't make sense."

The female officer quickly said, "Take a look."

She opened her laptop and played the retrieved footage. The time displayed was nine-thirty in the evening. A woman in a black skirt and white T-shirt entered the door; surprisingly, this woman was wearing sunglasses and a mask, making her unidentifiable.

"Any other clues?" Zhang Wenhui asked.

"No," the female officer shook her head, "I've retrieved all surrounding surveillance; this woman appeared from a blind spot and disappeared into another."

"Seems this lead is also a dead end," Zhang Wenhui squinted his eyes.

"Captain Zhang, should we notify the deceased's family?" asked Song Xiaojia, "Perhaps they might provide some clues!"

"It's a double-edged sword," Zhang Wenhui frowned, "Family can interfere with our investigation but might also offer some insight."

"Hmm," Song Xiaojia nodded, "But we should still inform the family; it's the utmost respect we owe the deceased."

"Alright, listening to you," Zhang Wenhui nodded.

After gathering ample data at the site, Zhang Wenhui notified the funeral home to transport the body back to the morgue for refrigerator storage pending an autopsy. Upon learning the news, Zhou Bin's family rushed to the funeral home to verify the truth.

......

Zhang Wenhui and Song Xiaojia returned to the police station. The case now sat on the desk, and Zhang Wenhui, who was responsible for the case, was deeply concerned. He already had several cases piled on his desk, and now there was another homicide case added.

"This case is a headache," a male officer expressed helplessly.

"Indeed," a female officer beside him nodded, "Finding that woman is easier said than done. Clearly, she possesses some counter-investigation skills. Even if we find her, she's only a significant suspect. Without concrete evidence, convicting her would be difficult."

As they were discussing, Song Xiaojia entered the meeting room.

"Just got word from the coroner," Song Xiaojia smiled, "The poison ingested came from a highly toxic substance produced in Congo, sourced from the viscera of a specific lizard. This toxin is deadly; once dried and ground into powder, it dissolves in water, colorless and tasteless. Just one gram can kill a fully grown elephant. It's quite potent."

"So, this poison is quite rare?" Zhang Wenhui asked.

"At least in our country it is," Song Xiaojia said, "I think we can start investigating from that angle."

"How would we go about it?" a curious male officer asked.

"First, check through legitimate channels for this substance or the lizard," Song Xiaojia smiled, "Secondly, we can conduct widespread investigations in Jiangbei City to see who might have kept this kind of lizard before. We could use broadcast television, media publications, and online bounties."

"That's actually a good approach," Zhang Wenhui nodded, "Xiaojia, you're much more mature now than before."

"Thank you for the compliment, Captain Zhang," Song Xiaojia chuckled.

Of course, this was a viable breakthrough method, though whether it would work still needed time to verify.

......

That night was an agonizing one for Yang Zi. The fear after committing murder left her restless all night. Returning home, her first hour was the most painful, as she struggled to control herself and ultimately resorted to alcohol to numb the pain. Nonetheless, her presence remained filled with intense sorrow and suffering. Murder is murder, after all, a grave violation of state law.

However, this wasn't Yang Zi's first murder, so she remained more composed compared to last time. Despite her anxiety, she held back her fear. She tried her best to suppress her emotions.

Yang Zi disposed of the remaining poison outside the window. Even if the police investigate, they likely wouldn't find any traces. Given everything relies on evidence, without it, Yang Zi wouldn't easily confess.

At night, Yang Zi fell into a drunken sleep. She slept until the next morning, sunlight streaming through the window onto her face, prompting her to open her eyes. In the bright environment, she gradually rose from the head of the bed.

"Where... where am I?" Yang Zi looked at her surroundings.

The familiar environment quickly sobered Yang Zi up, though her head throbbed in pain. She continuously rubbed her head with her hands, attempting to ease the pain, but soon found it had no effect at all.

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