"What's wrong with your body?" I asked as more Western bullet ants closed in on us.
"Five years ago, all my limbs were amputated. Now I use prosthetics. I learned voice mimicry from Master Ouyang of Fuming City."
Master Ouyang was our city's most renowned Peking Opera artist, which explained Gong Yongyan's uncanny ability to mimic voices. If his claim was true, it meant he was the mastermind behind this laboratory. Catching him could lead us to the person responsible for breeding these Western bullet ants.
As the ants swarmed closer, Gong raised his hands as if in prayer, his lips curling into a mad smile. "My precious Western bullet ants, enjoy this bloody feast to your heart's content!"
"Not on my watch!" At that moment, I smashed an insecticide bottle on the ground. Zhao Simeng and Gao Qiang followed my lead, breaking more bottles. The chemicals spread rapidly, killing many ants and carving out an escape path. I immediately lunged at Gong, tackling him to the ground.
However, Gong had somehow retrieved a pistol and now had it aimed at my abdomen.
I was startled, and Gao Qiang shouted in alarm, "My weapon!"
"Surprised? I snatched it when he wasn't paying attention," Gong sneered.
Although I had initially subdued him, the situation had now reversed. He pressed the gun to my head and forced me against the wall. Snapping his fingers, Gong summoned the ants, which crawled onto my back and began biting.
"How are you doing this?" I gritted out through the pain.
"Ha! Do you believe I can control their movements?" Gong asked, his eyes glinting eerily as he pressed the gun closer.
"So, you possess a unique ability. If you used it for scientific research, you'd achieve great things."
"Are you trying to lecture me? I'm not buying it."
"Why breed these ants to harm people?" I demanded.
"They give me unparalleled power. I used to be a chemistry student who failed out of school. No job, abandoned by women, starving to death—until someone saved me."
I couldn't afford to delay any longer. My back was being eaten alive by the ants. I knew victims of their bites often turned pitch-black within minutes. I wasn't far from that fate.
Just as I was about to succumb, Zhao Simeng broke through another cluster of ants and threw several insecticide bottles toward me. The chemicals killed many of the ants on my back. Taking advantage of the moment, I used my "Piercing Insight" ability to emit a dazzling light, reflecting it into Gong's eyes.
Blinded by the sudden glare, Gong stumbled back with a cry of pain. I seized the opportunity to kick him into his own equipment. He crashed into the machinery, stunned. "What was that?" he demanded.
"You think you're the only one with special abilities? Guess again," I replied coldly.
Grabbing Gao Qiang's gun from Gong, I tossed it back to him. Together, we restrained Gong. Meanwhile, Zhao Simeng used the remaining insecticide to kill as many ants as possible. Once the chemicals were depleted, we dragged Gong back to the surface. He tried to escape but was quickly beaten into submission by Gao Qiang and me.
"You're coming with us to Shuiyu Town Police Station!" I barked.
"Haha! Didn't you lose your authority? How will you return?" Gong mocked us.
"Now that we've caught the real culprit, do you think we'll care?"
We shoved him into Zhao Simeng's Buick and headed straight for the station.
Our capture of Gong Yongyan left no room for Chief Huang to believe the coroner's theories. When we returned, the coroner was furious and scolded us. "How dare you meddle in this case?"
"If we hadn't, your methods would never have solved it!" I retorted, no longer sparing him any courtesy.
"Fine! Have it your way. I'm out!" the coroner snapped, humiliated by his failure to even consider Gong as a suspect. His face flushed red, and he stormed off.
He had no idea that Sima Chao, his once-loyal disciple, now followed Zhao Simeng's every command. If he found out, he'd probably lose his mind.
These were his issues to deal with. After capturing Gong, Chief Huang expressed his approval and ignored the coroner's tantrum. The latter quickly left, tail between his legs.
Although we had caught Gong Yongyan, one key figure remained at large: Hong Xingchen. If not for him exploiting Gong's technology to breed ants in the Qing mansion, Liao Miaocui—his wife—and Captain Yang wouldn't have died.
Why Hong Xingchen killed his wife remained unclear. Finding him would reveal his motive.
With Chief Huang's tech team assisting us, we tracked Hong Xingchen's movements. Two days later, we discovered he had returned home. The audacity!
Our team quickly mobilized to his sprawling estate. Despite repeatedly ringing the doorbell, no one answered. "Anyone home? Open up!" I shouted.
When there was no response, I knew something was wrong. I instructed Gao Qiang to pick the lock. Gao, an expert locksmith, could handle anything from electronic to fingerprint locks. That's why I brought him along.
With a click, Gao had the door open in no time. "Done," he said. I praised him as the three of us entered, weapons drawn and on high alert.
We were accompanied by five officers sent by Chief Huang, who was aware of Hong Xingchen's dangerous nature. Armed and ready, we proceeded into the house.
After passing through the garden, we entered the main hall, only to find it eerily empty. Furniture sat untouched, and silence pervaded the air, as if no one had lived here.
Pointing my weapon toward the staircase, I signaled Gao Qiang and another officer to follow me upstairs while the remaining officers stayed behind to protect Zhao Simeng.