Chapter 340: Poison Mechanism (2/2)

”Song Xingchen isn’t in danger, is he?”

”I’m still uncertain if Bai Lei is Deng Chao himself or an accomplice,” I explained. “But since he’s chosen to disguise himself, he’s unlikely to expose his real identity. As long as Song Xingchen remains in the dark, he’ll be fine. Isn’t this a reasonable cause to send him over?”

”Alright then, I'll let him know!” Xiaotao affirmed.

”By the way, have several ambulances on standby outside campus. Several students were poisoned. After arresting Deng Chao, I’ll head to the library to pick them up. Dali is currently taking care of them there.”

Very quickly, I arrived at Classroom 407 of Lecture Building No. 2. The doors of the classroom were left slightly ajar. As soon as I pushed the door open, the speakers in the classroom sounded, ”Song Yang, this is your sixth test. I’ve written the question on the blackboard. You have ten minutes to answer it.”

I stared at the numbers on the blackboard. Was this a math problem?

Deng Chao’s explanation was so brief I was convinced he had another trick up his sleeve.

The numbers on the blackboard were: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 30, and a small line of instructions written on the bottom: Remove one number to complete the sequence.

I stared with my brows furrowed. Arithmetic sequences were my weak spot, one I failed at in high school. After a considerable amount of time staring blankly at the board, a student came up and said, ”Can't you tell? Just remove 8.”

As he reached for the eraser, I felt my sixth sense tingle. ”Don't touch that!” I roared.

But it was too late. As soon as his hand came in contact with the blackboard eraser, a needle emerged from within, pricking his hand. The boy screamed and held his hand to his lips, instinctively sucking at the wound.

And therein lay the rub–there was a small mechanism fixed to the blackboard eraser. Any slight movement would activate the needle. Well acquainted with Deng Chao’s treachery, I knew this wasn’t some innocent trick. My speculations were soon confirmed by the black blood on the needle that was coated with poison.

I slapped the hand away from his lips. ”You’re poisoned, don't use your mouth!”

”You must save me!” he implored.

I instructed him to remove his clothes and rolled up his sleeves. Tearing his clothes into strips, I tied them around his arm, constricting his blood vessels. Then, I grabbed a silver needle from my pocket and told him to kick off his shoes, using the needle to pierce his two acupuncture points–the Sea of Blood and the Bubbling Spring, which could slow down his blood circulation.

Five minutes later, Deng Chao's voice rang once more, ”Song Yang, you’ve been poisoned. But don't be afraid, I won't let you die so easily. There are two little balls in the desk drawer. The blue ball represents entrepreneur Bai Lei and the red ball represents those children. Please choose one to throw out the window, and the corresponding hostage will die while you get the antidote. If you don’t make a decision in five minutes, all the hostages will die and you so will you. Do you choose the influential entrepreneur or those poor, innocent children?”

This passage had obviously been recorded in advance. Deng Chao never imagined I would dodge the bullet or disrupt his little trump card, rendering the test completely useless.

I picked up the blue ball and was about to throw it out when one of the school leaders ran in shouting, ”Song Yang, you can't do this! If Bai Lei dies, the entire East China economy will be affected... ”

Before he could finish his appeal, I threw the ball outside.

Ashen faced, the dean sternly condemned, ”How can you be so rash? Do you know what consequences your decision will bring? Can human life be measured by simple addition and subtraction?”