Chapter 96: I’ll Give You Only One Day

The laboratory door was firmly shut, and no unusual sounds came from inside the room. The current calm did not bring any comfort; instead, it intensified the tension in the air.

Li Tianque looked at Ma Baoguo, who was still rambling incessantly, and spoke in a deep voice: “Officer Ma, although I cannot fully empathize with your difficulties, I must remind you that there are many ways to solve problems—complaining is not one of them.”

“Heh, spare me your nonsense! You really have no idea what it’s like. Tell me, how do you propose we solve this? You can see for yourself: this guy is a madman. Even with everything inside in that state, he locked himself in! The only solution now is to get him out! It’s over; this is the end...” Ma Baoguo stopped going through the old records but remained highly agitated.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the innkeeper’s wife and Tuden Nima hurriedly rushed upstairs, and Liang Zhichao and Su Wei had already stepped out of the room.

“What’s going on?”
“What happened to Professor Lü?”
Liang Zhichao and Su Wei asked anxiously.

Bai Ruixue did not come out, seemingly still immersed in her research. To complete the report, she truly paid no heed to anything else.

Tuden Nima, panting heavily, ran up holding a large stone block used by guests to rest their feet near the door, shouting loudly, “Clear the way! The hammer’s too small, it won’t break the door. Let me smash it open with this!”

Although Liang Zhichao didn’t know what was happening, seeing the scene, he quickly guessed Professor Lü must be in some danger. He hurried over and, together with Tuden Nima, lifted the heavy stone block.

“Be careful. Let’s do this together!” Liang Zhichao said.

Seeing this, Ma Baoguo stepped aside, took out his pistol again, and aimed it toward the door.

Li Tianque noticed that Ma Baoguo’s emotions seemed to calm slightly. Upon closer inspection, the bloodshot veins in his eyes had faded. What was going on? This man’s earlier mood had been rather abnormal, and this change happened far too quickly.

Just as Li Tianque pondered this, Liang Zhichao and Tuden Nima raised the stone block and prepared to smash the door.

“One, two, three... go!” Liang Zhichao shouted.

With great force, they hurled the heavy stone block at the conference room door with tremendous momentum. Such an impact should have easily broken the door.

Yet, unexpectedly, just a second before the stone block was thrown, the conference room door swung open again.

The stone block flew inside, toppling the front instrument rack with a crash.

The one who opened the door was Lü Zuzhi. Fortunately, he turned sideways as he opened it, or else the block might have taken him down.

Crash! A loud clatter came from the laboratory as the fallen instrument rack scattered specimens and numerous bottles, all shattering into a chaotic mess. Colorful liquids spilled across the floor.

Lü Zuzhi’s face was as pale as water, his brows slightly furrowed. For the first time, Li Tianque saw a flicker of emotion on his usually ashen face.

“What are you two doing?” Lü asked gently.

“Well... Professor, we saw you were in such a panic and thought something might have happened to you...” Liang Zhichao lowered his head, explaining awkwardly.

Li Tianque observed the two and felt puzzled. Although Lü Zuzhi was Liang Zhichao’s mentor, and respect for one’s teacher was natural, their age difference was significant. Under normal circumstances, even respectful students wouldn’t be so deferential. It was somewhat baffling.

“I’m fine,” Lü Zuzhi’s expression returned to indifference as he scanned the group and said, “The room has returned to normal. Please do not disturb me again.”

Li Tianque glanced inside the laboratory and saw that everything had indeed returned to normal. The strange, tissue-like substances on the walls had disappeared, and the corrosive liquid that had gathered from all corners was gone.

What on earth had happened? Could all that have been a hallucination?

It seemed impossible that all three had the same illusion seeing the same scene. From the current situation, Lü Zuzhi clearly knew what was going on. Though it was unclear what he had done in those minutes inside the lab, it was evident he had restored it to its normal state.

Li Tianque then looked at the glass box inside the room and saw the wandering tiger beetle had stopped struggling, frozen completely in epoxy resin like a transparent amber.

Lü Zuzhi’s gaze shifted to Li Tianque as he explained, “This wandering tiger beetle releases a strong hallucinogenic substance from its digestive organs before dying, which is why you saw those strange visions resembling digestive organs. But now you don’t need to worry—it’s completely dead.”

Li Tianque was somewhat skeptical. If the beetle could cause auditory hallucinations, that might be plausible. But to create such a vivid, realistic illusion seemed incredible.

At this moment, Ma Baoguo had fully regained his composure. He rubbed his temples and said, “I see. But Professor Lü, I still suggest you leave tomorrow! After all, the killer hasn’t been caught, and this place isn’t safe.”

“Officer Ma, as a detective, you should know better than I do that everyone in this inn is a suspect. If the killer is among them, leaving now is not safer—it might let the real culprit escape!” Li Tianque firmly countered.

“Fine, if you want them to stay, you’ll take responsibility if anything happens! Nima, let’s go. This great detective can protect them himself!” Ma Baoguo said, turning on his heel and leaving.

Tuden Nima stood frozen for a moment, then hesitated before saying, “Brother, if that’s the case, I’m leaving too. After all, Officer Baoguo is my superior.”

Li Tianque watched Ma Baoguo’s retreating back with a sense of helplessness.

Meanwhile, Liang Zhichao and Su Wei helped Lü Zuzhi gather the scattered insect specimens and equipment. Lü Zuzhi glanced at Li Tianque and issued another warning: “Officer, I don’t want to say this a final time. I’m giving you one day—make good use of it.”

Li Tianque pondered quietly as Lü Zuzhi slowly approached the lab bench without replying. The laboratory door closed once more, and Lü resumed his research.

Li Tianque stayed at the inn a little longer before getting up to leave. Not far outside, he noticed Tuden Nima returning in a huff. Clearly, though Ma Baoguo had said he would no longer intervene, he could never pull all the police out of the inn; he was just displeased with Li Tianque’s meddling as an outsider.

Li Tianque understood Ma Baoguo’s frustration. After all, anyone nearing the end of their tenure would find a case of this magnitude difficult to bear.

Stepping out of the inn, it was already dark. Checking his phone, Li Tianque saw it was 11 p.m. The moon was bright and stars sparse. Though nearly midnight, he felt no sleepiness.

After all, Professor Lü had given him only one day to investigate, so time was of the essence.

Though the scientific team had left, the investigation could continue. But Li Tianque knew well that if the true culprit slipped from surveillance, there would be many more chances to destroy evidence.

Sorting through clues and everyone’s statements, he contemplated the case’s mysteries.

First, from the known evidence, Bai Ruixue was the prime suspect, but she had the most solid alibi. Both she and Su Wei had stayed inside the room the entire time; the surveillance footage was the best proof.

With both witness and physical evidence, even if Bai Ruixue said she wanted to kill Lin Ya, it meant little—especially since it was only a joke at the dinner table.

Liang Zhichao’s motive for murder was as yet undiscovered in the records, but that did not guarantee innocence. Lin Ya had always admired Professor Lü, but to what extent was unclear. Liang Zhichao’s attitude was also uncertain.

As for Professor Lü and Su Wei, no suspicious signs had emerged so far, yet Li Tianque remained wary; something about them suggested secrecy.

Especially Professor Lü, whose calmness over his student’s death was unsettling. Like Bai Ruixue, he seemed indifferent, uncaring.

Beyond the four people at the inn, Li Tianque had picked up a notable detail from Ma Baoguo’s earlier complaints: the old patriarch’s wife had died of “insect cancer.”

Searching online, Li Tianque found that insect cancer was a parasitic disease, theoretically curable. But in such a remote, underdeveloped place, death due to limited medical care was not surprising.

The last message left by the deceased was simply the three words “old patriarch,” which naturally drew Li Tianque’s attention.

The old patriarch, Luo Dichao Lu…

What secrets did he hide?

(End of chapter)