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    Chapter 118 – Poison’s Contradictory Personality: Timid Yet Arrogant?

    The target wasn’t Poison.

    It was Rose, who, based on the current intelligence, was most likely hiding in Liangxi City.

    The moment Su Ming said this, everyone present was visibly confused and surprised.

    Especially—Liu Yang, who had cleared out the entire floor the moment he received word yesterday from the special investigation team, stood there dumbfounded, as if he’d just been stabbed in the back.

    What was going on?

    Weren’t they supposed to first make a breakthrough on the cold cases in Gusu City? Why were they switching targets before even beginning the investigation?

    Logically speaking—Even if the results were uncertain, shouldn’t they at least dig a little, try to test the waters?

    But now? They hadn’t even started… and it was already over?

    Did they spend all this time in Gusu just to gather the members of the special investigation team?

    Most importantly…

    Now that the special investigation team was leaving, wouldn’t this urgent and troublesome case end up right back in his lap?

    Zheng Hui, who was skilled at investigating and infiltrating tight-knit communities like square-dancing aunties, furrowed his brows and asked in confusion:

    “Team Leader Su.”

    “Why isn’t our first target Poison? Why are we switching to Rose in Liangxi City instead?”

    “I stayed up late last night going through the files for these ten cold cases. By all accounts, Poison, who just recently murdered Fat Cat, should be our best breakthrough point.”

    “From the current progress, Poison appears the most frequently and has left behind the most clues—more than anyone else.”

    “Moreover—The fact that we chose Gusu City as our initial rendezvous suggests that Poison was the original target you and Team Leader Lin selected, right?”

    “Now that we’re changing the target at the last minute, doesn’t it feel a bit rushed and improper?”

    “We haven’t even properly discussed or assessed how long it would take to catch Poison.”

    Clearly, it wasn’t just Zheng Hui. The other three members of the team also needed a convincing explanation.

    After all—If Rose had been the target from the start, there would’ve been no reason to assemble in Gusu City. Wouldn’t that make this whole trip a waste of time?

    Ideally, they should’ve headed straight to Liangxi the moment they got the news yesterday.

    Su Ming still wore his usual calm smile and shook his head as he continued explaining:

    “The reasoning is actually quite simple.”

    “If we can so easily determine that Poison has left behind the most clues and is the most suitable target for a breakthrough—”

    “Then it stands to reason that the members of this drug trafficking organization are just as aware of this.”

    “And here’s what I want to point out—”

    “Based on the encounters we’ve had with this large drug organization over the past few days—”

    “The organization’s leader is extremely fond of using surveillance, online platforms, and other methods to track our police movements.”

    “So while Poison may seem like the best breakthrough on the surface, the organization has likely already predicted that and prepared accordingly.”

    “Now think about it—after being preemptively defended against by these highly intelligent criminals who are capable of creating unsolvable cold cases, is Poison still the best breakthrough point?”

    As soon as he finished speaking—

    Bai Yu, seated beside him, habitually gave his old smoking pipe a sharp tap. Something seemed to occur to him as he immediately responded:

    “Definitely not.”

    “Given those conditions, Poison isn’t just not the best breakthrough, he might even be the worst choice.”

    “Because—Based on the information we have, this drug organization is extremely cautious, which is how they’ve managed to stay hidden for so many years.”

    “And once any member is discovered by the police, they’re executed in advance—regardless of whether they passed any internal assessments.”

    “Take, for example, the West Lake body-dumping case I solved two years ago.”

    “Just as we were finally about to apprehend the suspect, we received news that he had committed suicide.”

    “From the details at the scene, it was clear he wasn’t the type to take his own life. He was obviously coerced, pushed into it with no way out.”

    “And this wasn’t an isolated incident. Members like Zhou Shirui and Qu Pengfei were all dealt with ahead of time.”

    “So it’s not a stretch to assume—The organization’s leader has probably already assigned someone to keep tabs on Poison, and is prepared to eliminate him at any moment.”

    At this point—The confusion that had previously clouded everyone’s faces started to fade. They all nodded thoughtfully, though Bai Yu wasn’t done yet.

    “Next—After temporarily excluding Poison, with nine other organization members still at large—not to mention the leader—it makes sense to shift our focus to Rose.”

    “I think—This is probably to obtain facial data on the other members, right?”

    “Based on Rose’s past cases, she’s likely the only one in the organization who knows how to make realistic human-skin masks.”

    “So if we can catch Rose, there’s a good chance we can uncover the whole group.”

    “Team Leader Su, am I right?”

    This final question—Bai Yu asked while staring directly at Su Ming, his voice filled with excitement.

    It was obvious.

    Just from the way the next breakthrough point had been laid out, Bai Yu could already tell—

    Su Ming hadn’t cracked that dismemberment case from twenty years ago through luck.

    This was real skill, backed by outstanding deductive ability.

    As the group turned to him with curious and expectant eyes, Su Ming gave a slight nod, then continued without hesitation:

    “Xiao Bai is right.”

    “The facial data that Rose possesses on the other members is currently the most critical lead, and the fastest way to complete our mission.”

    “But—The leader of this criminal organization isn’t stupid. On the contrary, he’s very intelligent. That means we need to make our act look as real as possible.”

    “From last night until now, you all must’ve compiled a fair amount of intelligence on Poison, right?”

    “Go ahead and report what you’ve got so I can plan the next steps.”

    At that moment—Everyone present could see it clearly now.

    Although Su Ming held the title of Deputy Team Leader, in reality, the primary direction and strategy of the investigation were all under his control.

    Team Leader Lin Tian, by contrast, seemed to be there more to absorb external pressure, liaise with higher-ups, and elevate the profile of the team.

    Lan Jing, her straight bangs tucked neatly, rested her chin on her hand as she pondered for a moment, then frowned and said:

    “Just now, Team Leader Guo and I had a brief discussion.”

    “From a psychological perspective, I believe the member known as Poison is very likely timid and cowardly in nature.”

    “But Team Leader Guo, from an investigative standpoint, believes that Poison is not timid at all, but rather arrogant and confident. Right now, we have conflicting criminal profiles.”

    Hearing this—Su Ming raised his eyebrows slightly, then replied without hesitation:

    “Timid cowardice and arrogant confidence—”

    “These two traits may seem contradictory, but when it comes to human nature, they can absolutely coexist.”

    “In other words—”

    “Do you think it’s possible for Poison to be both timid and cowardly, and arrogant and confident at the same time?”


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