With a sharp shout from Lu Zheng, Lin Wan immediately turned to find the waiter.
She saw the waiter hurrying towards the kitchen.
Lin Wan’s eyes sharpened like an eagle’s, her feet pausing before she dashed towards the waiter.
The guests, hearing Lu Zheng spit out the wine and his shout, turned to look, and Sanders quickly approached, urgently asking, “What’s wrong? Is the wine poisoned?”
Hearing Lu Zheng’s shout, the waiter trembled, not looking back, but quickened his pace, lifted the kitchen curtain, and slipped inside.
Lin Wan’s movements were like a swimming fish, weaving through the stunned guests with elegance, as if she were a leisurely mermaid.
Lu Zheng glanced at Lin Wan, halted his steps, and turned to Sanders, saying, “This wine is poisoned, likely by that waiter. The target…”
Lu Zheng looked at the young man beside him, but addressed Sanders, “Sanders, did you prepare 2003 Bourbon for the party?”
The young man’s expression was shocked, his hand holding the wine glass trembling, barely restraining himself from throwing it away.
Sanders hurriedly said, “No, I prepared 2015 Bordeaux and 2013 Latour.”
Lu Zheng gave the young man a deep look, nodded to Sanders, and then moved past him to follow Lin Wan.
On the other side, Lin Wan crossed the hall, lifted the kitchen curtain, and heard the buzz of kitchen appliances. The chefs and staff were busy, clearly unaware of the commotion outside.
Scanning the room, she didn’t see the waiter, but her gaze locked onto the back door leading to the staff lounge.
Pulling open the door, Lin Wan saw a figure discarding their vest on the floor before slipping out of the lounge.
“Stop!”
Lin Wan let out a clear shout, darting to the lounge’s exit.
“Swish!”
A dining knife suddenly appeared at the doorway, its gleaming tip aimed at Lin Wan’s throat.
A lethal strike!
Lin Wan’s eyes narrowed, but instead of retreating, she advanced, slightly turning to dodge the knife, her hand sweeping up to grab the wrist holding it.
The assailant, startled, kicked at Lin Wan’s kneecap while striking at her temple.
“Hmph!”
Lin Wan pulled, unbalancing the assailant, causing the kick to miss and the other hand to grasp at her hair.
Lin Wan flicked her head, her other hand seizing the assailant’s ribs, tripping them with her foot and tossing them back into the lounge.
“Bang!”
The assailant crashed into a metal cabinet.
“Police! Freeze!”
“Damn, are cops this strong now?” the assailant muttered, refusing to surrender, lunging at Lin Wan.
…
When Lu Zheng reached the staff lounge, he saw Lin Wan binding the assailant with a belt.
“Straight to the police or call Li Jinglin?” Lu Zheng asked.
“I’ll call Captain Li,” Lin Wan said, taking her phone from her small bag and dialling Li Jinglin.
By then, Sanders, the young man, and a few curious guests had crowded in, staring at Lin Wan in shock.
Sanders, astonished, said, “Lin, you’re a police officer?”
The young man, full of admiration, said, “You’re incredible!”
Lin Wan glanced at the wine glass in his hand, “Hold it tight, that’s evidence.”
The young man nodded repeatedly, “Don’t worry, I get it, I’ve been holding it.”
He turned to Sanders, nodding apologetically, “Sorry, Sanders, it was probably aimed at me.”
“You are…” Sanders was stunned.
Tony was someone he met on a flight from Italy to China, bonding over music, so he invited him to the party, never expecting it to lead to an attempted murder.
Who was this Tony?
Tony shrugged, “Just an heir to a small family, typical elite infighting, just a bit intense.”
Intense was an understatement…
Soon, Li Jinglin arrived with a team.
Collecting evidence, taking statements.
This would take time, and the party was definitely over.
Tony, Lu Zheng, and Lin Wan were taken to the city bureau.
…
“The substance in the wine is a colourless, odourless new poison with a half-hour reaction time. How did you know it was poisoned after one sip?” Huang Xiumin asked, holding a test report, visibly surprised.
In the interrogation room, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan sat together, giving statements to Liang Yuandong and Huang Xiumin.
Though they were familiar, protocol was followed, just less formally.
When Huang Xiumin got the report and asked this question, not only was she curious, but Liang Yuandong also looked over.
Lu Zheng: ⊙_⊙
Lin Wan blinked, showing a naturally curious expression towards Lu Zheng.
“Ahem…” Lu Zheng smacked his lips, frowning as he recalled, “Because… instinct.”
“Instinct?” Huang Xiumin looked baffled.
“What’s that mean?” Liang Yuandong was equally confused.
“It’s like a sixth sense,” Lu Zheng said seriously, explaining, “You know I’m a traditional martial artist, training for over a decade, and I’ve achieved something.”
Huang Xiumin and Liang Yuandong nodded subconsciously.
“So, people like us martial artists develop a kind of mystical sixth sense.”
Lu Zheng blinked, continuing, “When I touched that wine glass, I suddenly felt a jolt, like my heart was racing. The wine looked like a bubbling poison to me, so I instinctively said it was poisoned.”
Lin Wan quickly added, “Then I saw the waiter speeding up, got suspicious, and chased after him.”
Liang Yuandong and Huang Xiumin exchanged glances.
“Sixth sense?”
“Intuition?”
“Does that really exist?” Liang Yuandong muttered to himself.
“Could be,” Huang Xiumin nodded, still puzzled, “I’ve heard of masters like Sun Lutang or Li Shuwen, who had such heightened senses that a feather couldn’t land on them without notice.”
They didn’t doubt ம
System: suspect Lu Zheng was lying, as they had no reason to be involved in the case.
Still, submitting this statement… would they get called in for a chat?
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan maintained serious expressions, insisting it was so.
Liang Yuandong nodded helplessly, and Huang Xiumin had no choice but to record Lu Zheng’s statement.
