Chapter 145: Arsenic (2/2)

“Yeah,” she nodded. “We usually need to turn on several air conditioners when we do experiments in the lab.”

“I just realized why we didn’t find anything missing when we checked the hospital inventory!” I laughed.

“Why?” Xiaotao and Bingxin asked simultaneously.

“Qu Tingting was very cautious and didn’t take the drugs from the storeroom,” I explained. “Instead, she took other chemicals and synthesized the drugs herself!”

“Which means that she must’ve stayed at an isolated place where no one is around,” Xiaotao stated.

“Yes,” I said. “Or the basement!”

It was already getting late, and Dali suggested calling it a day but no one agreed because Qu Tingting could flee far away in one night, and she might never be found again if nothing was done till tomorrow.

“Do you have any magical techniques to solve the case this time, Song Yang?” asked Xiaotao.

I frowned and considered it for a while. I did actually have a solution in mind, but I was afraid that the method came with side effects that were too risky. But if Xiaotao knew that I hesitated to use this method because of this concern, she might blame me afterwards, so I decided to say nothing about it.

“I’m going back to the dorm to pick up some things,” I told them. “The rest of you should go on ahead to the university hospital and wait for me there.”

“I’ll go with you!” cried Bingxin.

“No,” I refused her outright. With Xiaotao right there, how could I agree to that? “The ancestral formula of my potion must be kept secret. I have to go back and prepare it by myself.”

So, I went back to the dorm and packed up the materials for the potion which I had bought and stored in my room. I would often stock up the raw medicinal ingredients for my tinctures and potions whenever I had any spare money in case of emergencies. I then quickly prepared the potion. By that time, it was already 8 p.m. so I hailed a cab and went straight to the university hospital.

Although it was late at night, the hospital’s main entrance was still open because they accepted outpatients all round the clock. I headed towards the gynecology department and saw Xiaotao, Bingxin and Dali eating takeaway. Wang Yuanchao had joined them too. Xiaotao and Bingxin were casually chatting with each other about a TV series they were watching. They even looked close and friendly with each other. I found their relationship genuinely confusing.

Xiaotao caught me with the corner of her eye and shouted, “It’s about time you arrived!”

“I came as quickly as I could,” I explained. “Besides, the potion I have here can only be used at night.”

“What exactly is it?” asked Xiaotao. “Why are you so secretive about it?”

“Do you remember Murder Reenactment?”

As soon as she heard those words, her face darkened immediately.

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her, “I’ve mastered the dose and made extra sure that it’s appropriate this time. The side effects shouldn’t be too bad…”

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Bingxin.

I explained the principles of Murder Reenactment to her briefly. The method I was going to use this time was slightly different. I would let one person inhale the Dream Potion and ‘become’ Qu Tingting, which would help us track down her movements in her normal daily life.

“Who should play the role of Qu Tingting then?” asked Xiaotao with deeply furrowed brows.

“Let me do it!” Dali offered. “I am psychologically strong!”

“That won’t work,” I shook my head. “We need someone who is impressionable!”

I looked at each of them. Xiaotao’s expressions showed that she was worried and hesitant. Dali looked scared. Bingxin, on the other hand, looked enthusiastic.

“Let’s test everyone’s eyesight!” I announced.

I pretended to pluck a hair off my head, trying to be as convincing as possible, then asked them, “I have a very thin strand of hair in my hand. Which one of you can see it?”

Dali scrutinized my hand for a long time and exclaimed, “Shit! Have I been watching too many movies recently that my eyes are damaged? I can’t see anything at all!”

Wang Yuanchao merely shook his head.

Bingxin stared at my hand for a long time and excitedly cried, “Ah, I can see it, Song Yang-gege!”

Xiaotao grabbed my hand and said, “You’re lying to us! There’s nothing in your hand.”

“You’re right,” I admitted. “I have nothing in my hand. This is just an impressionability test.”

Bingxin bit her nails and muttered, “But I really did see the hair just now…”

And that proved that Bingxin was the best candidate among us to become Qu Tingting!

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