When the old vulture was taken away by the police, he screamed and cried, claiming he was innocent. He had always known that Hua Xia had the strictest anti-drug laws, but this? This was beyond his expectations. He thought his addiction wasn’t severe, and he even wore makeup to hide it. How could they have figured it out?
He never imagined that in Hua Xia, even someone pretending to be a thief would turn themselves in at a police station if they found drugs at their master’s house. If he had known, he might not have been so surprised at being caught.
But ultimately, meeting Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou, led to his downfall.
Fifteen-year-old Holda watched from behind a car as the old vulture was dragged away, his face expressionless, eyes cold and calculating. He quickly lowered his head, took out his phone, and sent a message before turning away. He returned to their rented house, packed up everything without hesitation, and left swiftly.
Once the old vulture was taken in, the results of his blood test confirmed his drug use. However, no amount of questioning could get him to reveal anything more. The authorities discovered he was carrying an ID, but upon further investigation, they realized he was an undocumented stowaway.
“He’s not even supposed to be in the country. His accent’s all over the place,” one police officer remarked.
“Something shady here,” another officer, a woman, added. “Looks like we might be dealing with a transnational drug trafficking ring. We should report this to the criminal division and loop in the narcotics team.”
The investigation into the old vulture’s background began immediately.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu couldn’t shake off a nagging sense of unease. After finishing his experiment in the evening, he messaged Xie Youzhou:
“Can you dig up any more info on that drug addict we met earlier? I feel like there’s more to him than just drug use.”
Xie Youzhou’s voice came through the phone, mixed with the sound of fingers tapping rapidly on a keyboard. “Already looking into it. What’s on your mind, Gege? Do you think this case is somehow tied to us?”
There was a teasing undertone in Xie Youzhou’s voice, but Lin Zhiyu caught off guard, just cleared his throat and rubbed his ears, embarrassed by the odd tone. He ignored it. “Found anything yet?”
“Well, most of the shops along the street didn’t have cameras, but I managed to locate a few. The footage shows the old guy wasn’t alone. There was a kid with him—about the size of a twelve-year-old. Not a dwarf, but a child. And it’s weird…”
Xie Youzhou’s voice took on a darker edge. “I’m not sure if the kid’s a drug addict too, but it looks shady. The kid barely shows his face on the cameras. He disappeared just as the old vulture entered the shop. It’s like he vanished into thin air.”
As someone who had spent years dealing with the most sinister sides of crime, Xie Youzhou knew this wasn’t just a coincidence. That child was definitely involved in something far more sinister.
“I’ll keep looking into it,” Xie Youzhou added, his tone serious now. “You should get some rest, though. I’ll swing by your place first thing tomorrow.”
“Same goes for you. Don’t overwork yourself.”
Lin Zhiyu put down his phone, his mind heavy. Xie Youzhou’s last words had triggered a memory—the description of a group in the original book. The protagonist, Hortez, had raised a group of men, women, and children near several drug manufacturing plants. These people were brainwashed, living twisted lives, and could be used as pawns whenever needed.
Could that child be one of them?
Lin Zhiyu frowned, piecing together the clues. Something was definitely off.
He didn’t manage to sleep until two in the morning, but even then, his rest was disturbed. He woke up before six, having dreamed of a ragged mob of drug addicts chasing him, desperate for something he possessed. Though the dream was unsettling, it didn’t scare him. Instead, it left him with a feeling of deep unease.
Sitting up in bed, he stared at the light breaking through his window, his mind racing with thoughts. A sudden idea struck him, causing his expression to shift. He quickly reached for his phone to record it before the clarity slipped away.
…
At 6:30 the next morning, Lin Zhaoqiu, sleepy-eyed, knocked on Lin Zhiyu’s door. “Brother, why did you get up later than me today?”
But before he could turn around, Lin’s father stepped out of the kitchen, laughing. “Your brother’s already finished breakfast and left. Go wash up and come eat.”
At that moment, Lin Zhiyu had already swiped into the laboratory, a heavy sense of urgency from his dream weighing on his mind. He felt compelled to pursue research into drugs that could help with withdrawal symptoms. Many of the existing medications were opioid receptor agonists or antagonists, helpful but prone to addiction, especially if misused. Non-opioid alternatives existed but had more side effects and less efficacy. He realized that to truly make progress, he would likely need a professor’s collaboration since he was already leading a separate project.
With that thought in mind, Lin Zhiyu threw himself into his work, fueled by inspiration and determination. He spent the entire day in the lab, completely forgetting to eat until Xie Youzhou arrived in the evening.
“I’ll bring lunch tomorrow if you keep this up. What’s going to happen if you don’t eat, Gege?” Xie Youzhou’s voice was stern, his concern clear. Lin Zhiyu, though startled, responded sheepishly, “It’s just occasional.”
“If I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have eaten dinner either. What about tomorrow and the day after?” Xie Youzhou’s voice carried an authority that momentarily shifted the dynamic between them.
“You know that teacher who passed away from stomach cancer? You can’t ignore your health.” Xie Youzhou, having regained his usual demeanor, gently placed a piece of bitter melon into Lin’s bowl. “It’s hot these days. Eat some bitter melon; it’s good for you.”
Lin Zhiyu reluctantly took a bite, sensing an odd role reversal between them. Wasn’t he supposed to be the older brother?
For several days after, Lin Zhiyu became completely immersed in his work, barely stepping out of the lab.
He also discussed with Professor Bai Chunling from the department next door and became prepared to cooperate with him on related topics. Professor Bai Chunling is a veteran of the School of Biochemical Sciences. He is nearly 60 years old and is very kind. He especially liked Lin Zhiyu, who is talented, and very serious about his work, not to mention that this young man is good-looking.
After just a day, Professor Bai Chunling almost wanted to treat Lin Zhiyu as his junior.
Lin Zhiyu also learned a lot from Professor Bai Chunling. Some of his research experience and insights were amazing.
“Your idea is really good.” Professor Bai Chunling took out a pen with some surprise and scratched a certain formula on the screen. “I think we can start from…”
Lin Zhiyu and Bai Chunling The professor continued the discussion until about eleven o’clock in the evening. Professor Bai Chunling’s family couldn’t help but call. Professor Bai Chunling was also tired and said with a smile: “How about we continue tomorrow?
“Thank you for your hard work. ” Lin Zhiyu took the thermos cup that Professor Bai had placed by the window, handed it to her, and said with a smile: “Professor Bai, Please have some.” ”
Xie Youzhou, who had been waiting outside for two hours, patted the dust under his butt, closed his laptop and walked in.
“Brother, Professor Bai.”
Professor Bai took a sip of warm water and was stunned: “This is what you meant when you said “we”. It turned out to be your younger brother. I heard that you have a very good relationship with him. Why do you both look tall and handsome?”
“Thank you for the compliment. ” Xie Youzhou grinned,”Professor Bai, where do you live? It’s so late, let’s go together.”
“I live in Tianchen Garden, so I’ll trouble you. ” Professor Bai smiled.
“No trouble, no trouble. ”
As Professor Bai left, Xie Youzhou, who had been waiting outside the lab, entered. “Brother, remember the twelve-year-old kid we mentioned earlier, the one with the old vulture?”
Lin Zhiyu’s expression turned serious. “Yeah, I remember. What did you find?”
“I tracked him down. He’s been selling fruit at the market near your neighborhood for the past two days. But each time, he leaves one basket unsold.”
“Fruit?” Lin Zhiyu’s mind flashed back to the morning when his father mentioned buying fruit from a farm boy. His father had given him some peaches and lychees, but he’d been too busy to eat them. He quickly dug into his bag, pulling out the peaches and lychees. “Is this the fruit?”
Xie Youzhou’s face darkened. “Yes, Gege. How did you get these?”
“My father got them from a neighbor,” Lin replied. “Turn the car around, Xiaoyou.”
By the time they reached the lab, it was already midnight, and Lin Zhiyu ran a test on the fruit. The results came back clean, much to their relief.
But the sense of danger still lingered. What if this was just the beginning of something larger? Lin Zhiyu’s thoughts darkened. If the old vulture and the child were indeed connected to Hortez, they might already be targeting him and his family.
“Let’s head home. I’ll buy the fruit myself tomorrow,” Lin Zhiyu said. They couldn’t take any chances. Even a false alarm was better than risking the safety of those around him.
At five o’clock the next morning, Holda reappeared outside the vegetable market nearest to Lin Zhiyu’s neighborhood, carefully laying out a plastic sheet on the ground. He had with him several boxes of peaches and lychees, each looking vibrant and enticing. The peaches, in particular, glowed with a luscious red, their sweet fragrance filling the air as early morning shoppers began to gather.
What no one knew was that some of these fruits had been injected with d**gs—deliberately tampered with to harm unsuspecting customers. Holda, thin and unassuming, sat by his display, mixing the tainted fruits with normal ones, casually placing them in foam boxes behind him whenever someone made a purchase.
Meanwhile, Lin’s father was out running his morning errands, picking up vegetables, and heading home. Along the way, he bumped into Uncle Liu, who was carrying a bag of peaches and lychees from the market.
Lin’s father smiled. “My daughter wanted some buns from Sijichun, so I didn’t stop at the market today.”
” Such a pity. They must be sold out now. The peaches are organic and delicious. But, the lychees sold by this kid are just average. He should be purchased from others.”Uncle Liu stretched out his hand and gestured: “My grandson ate three big peaches in one go! How about I get you two more?”
Father Lin quickly refused: “No, no, I’ll buy it tomorrow!”As he said that, he took out a box of blueberries and stuffed it to Uncle Liu: “The blueberries from Sijichun are also very good. Give Zhuangzhuang a box to eat.”
Because of the reminder from Xie Youzhou, he bought food from many places, so as not to allow others to harm his children.
He was going to go to the vegetable market today but Zhiyu suddenly told him not to go to the vegetable market in the next few days. Naturally, he didn’t go.
Father Lin pressed the elevator button and said, “Let’s go, Old Liu!”
“You go back first!” Uncle Liu put the blueberries in the basket of the bicycle, swung his arms walked to a tree, and began to perform his daily morning exercises.
Back home, Lin’s father found his daughter, Lin Zhaoqiu, already up and eating breakfast. He couldn’t help but ask why she was awake so early.
“I’ve just been really active these days, so I woke up hungry,” she said, nibbling on some bread.
Father Lin, frowning at her choice of food, quickly set the buns and porridge he’d bought on the table. “Put down that junk and eat something nutritious!” and walked to the kitchen.
“Dad, even if I am eating a lot recently, I can’t eat that much. I can only eat one and a half buns. Lin Zhaoqiu said, then walked to the kitchen, took a head of garlic, and laughed.
“But if I eat a few cloves of garlic, I may be able to eat them all.”
While Lin Zhiyu’s family was safe at home, outside the market, Holda grew impatient. Despite selling most of his fruit, he hadn’t seen any of the Lin family members he was supposed to target. After packing up his unsold boxes—especially the tampered ones—he headed back to his rented room. Over the past few days, he had carefully destroyed any unsold tampered fruits by cutting them open and flushing them down the toilet.
Just as he was about to leave, a car pulled up beside him. The window slowly lowered, and someone spoke. It was like the sound of the white jade beads that Banda, his boss, bought for a lot of money. The voice was calm but unnerving. “Are you still selling fruit?”
It was very pleasant to hear, but for some reason, a faint urge to destroy it arose deep in his body.
He clenched his fists to suppress this impulse, but when he raised his head, he was startled.
Lin Zhiyu?!!
The desire to destroy became stronger now. He didn’t know if it was because he was too far away before. When he looked at Lin Zhiyu from a distance before, he didn’t have such thoughts.
No, maybe he did. He ignored it, but now he couldn’t.
Seeing the incomprehensible daze of the child in front of him, Lin Zhiyu felt cold in his heart, but he didn’t show it on his face. He asked again: “Hello, are you still selling this fruit?”
“…for sale.” Holda paused for some reason, but still decisively took out the box of peaches and lychees, “How many do you want?”
“All of them,” Lin Zhiyu said.
Holda’s expression remained unchanged, and he quickly weighed them and handed them to Lin Zhiyu. Lin Zhiyu handed him the money and said, “Keep the change.” The car started to leave again. Holda held on to the money, tighter and tighter, waiting for the car to disappear. When the car was out of sight, he couldn’t help but kick his tricycle.
Is it because this was the first time he was hurting someone, or is it because he hated d**gs but wants others to get addicted to them? Why didn’t he feel the pleasure of completing the mission and buying his sister back from the red-light district?
The money was almost torn to pieces by Holda!
On the other side, Lin Zhiyu put the bag of fruits in the back seat. Xie Youzhou’s eyes in the driver’s seat were as dark as the abyss.
“There’s a problem.”
“Ninety-nine percent.” Lin Zhiyu’s face also turned as cold as a blade. Lin Zhiyu didn’t dare to think about the consequences if his father and sister had been harmed by the tampered fruit.
“I hope that we are overthinking it,” he muttered, though deep down he feared the opposite.
He hoped that the kid sold him the “last box” that he had never sold.
Xie Youzhou, sitting beside him, spoke suddenly, “I’ll get off here.” His tone was firm.
Lin Zhiyu glanced at him, understanding the implications. Even though they had found where the boy was renting, there was still the chance that he could disappear or change his location.
“I’ll follow him”.
Lin Zhiyu hoped that he and Xie Youzhou were overthinking everything. But by the time he returned to the laboratory and ran the necessary tests on the fruit, he couldn’t help but laugh at how naive he had been earlier.
High-purity me***mph***mine. A drug that could hook someone after just one use.
So…so generous! ! !
Lin Zhiyu grabbed the report, his gentle eyes flashed with coldness. He took pictures without any reservation and sent one copy to Xie Youzhou and the other to Jiang Weihua.
But this time he didn’t call the police immediately. He collected every piece of evidence meticulously, storing it in multiple locations for safekeeping. Only after receiving the message from Xie Youzhou—”It was under control”—did he grab two tubes of reagents, stuffed them into his backpack, and leave the lab. His heart was pounding as he got into his car, stepping hard on the accelerator as he drove toward the coordinates Xie Youzhou had sent.
