Chapter 125: Within Three Days, Expose Rose!

Two cases were being investigated simultaneously.

This decision—Wasn’t just something Su Ming said to comfort Liu Yang or to give him face. It was a strategy to break through the entire drug trafficking organization more swiftly.

Because—If something went wrong with the Rose lead, rebooting the next target would be far more difficult than continuing the deep investigation into Poison.

Besides, since they had to confuse the drug ring’s leader anyway, they might as well go all in on both fronts.

However—When investigating Poison, there was no need to conceal their actions or keep a low profile. On the contrary, they had to make sure the lurking “rat” saw what was going on.

…

Once Su Ming had sorted out his thoughts—He wrote two characters beneath the names Poison and Rose on the whiteboard: “Open” and “Hidden.” Then he looked seriously at everyone present.

“We’ll investigate both cases simultaneously.”

“But only the Poison case will be made public. Rose, as a more critical member and target of the drug trafficking ring, must be kept completely confidential.”

“At the very least—”

“We absolutely cannot let the drug ring’s leader catch on. If they send someone to eliminate Rose prematurely, all our efforts will be for nothing.”

“Based on our earlier profiling and sketches of Poison, I believe there are a few directions we can investigate.”

With that—Su Ming wrote five key factors under Poison’s name on the whiteboard: Software Company, Sports Car Club, Family Background, Recruitment Motive, and Reason for the Crime.

Looking at those five crucial points, Su Ming spoke with unwavering confidence:

“First, we must thoroughly investigate the software company where the victim worked—especially their social connections.”

“Since random killing has been ruled out, this was clearly premeditated. We need to check whether the company has surveillance footage, if there were any gatherings that day, who attended, and who organized it.”

“Though this kind of methodical approach may not directly lead us to Poison, if we identify any suspects, we can cross-check them with the sports car club.”

“But don’t forget—Family Background, Recruitment Motive, and Reason for the Crime are also key.”

“Particularly the motive for recruitment. Based on current clues, Poison seems timid, weak-willed, and financially struggling.”

“What, then, led such an unremarkable individual to be recruited into a massive drug ring?”

“Qu Pengfei had debt from high-interest loans, a criminal mindset, and was highly educated—his method of mental manipulation shows high criminal intelligence, making his recruitment understandable.”

“And Zhou Shirui goes without saying.”

“But Poison? What qualified him to be brought into this organization? That’s worth a deep dive.”

“Most likely, Poison made contact with the drug ring through some channel. If we can pinpoint that connection, Poison won’t stay hidden for long.”

“We’ll probably need on-site investigations and further screening to dig up useful clues.”

“So here’s what I’m thinking…”

Su Ming looked around the room, clearly taking on the role of deputy team leader, and began assigning tasks with authority:

“Based on everything just discussed—”

“This Poison-related case now requires hands-on fieldwork and systematic clue analysis. So here’s how we’ll proceed—”

“Xiao Zheng, who’s good at undercover and can blend in with square-dancing aunties, definitely stays in Gusu.”

“Xiao Bai also stays in Gusu. Follow the lead I just mentioned—I trust your skills and investigative instincts.”

“Maybe, before we even reach Rose, you’ll have already flushed Poison out.”

“Lastly, Forensic Doctor Shen and Brother Quan, both of you stay in Gusu as well.”

“Doctor Shen, re-examine Fat Cat’s body. Confirm the actual cause of death, the cyanide’s purity and type.”

“More importantly—”

“See if there are any other key clues we might have missed before.”

“Brother Quan will provide tech support.”

“Then—”

“Team Leader Guo and Dr. Lan, you’ll come with us to Liangxi City for a full-scale operation to dig out Rose.”

“I’ll likely need your investigative skills, Team Leader Guo, and your top-notch criminal psychology insight, Dr. Lan.”

“Even though our primary target is Rose—”

“Given that…Gusu City probably has more than one member of the drug ring hidden inside—it’s likely two.”

“So, I want to solve both cases!”

Su Ming’s decisive tone and clear personnel arrangement—Had everyone present nodding in agreement, a bit stirred and fired up.

Because from this moment, the task force was officially mobilized. Everyone had their mission.

Most importantly…

From start to finish, Su Ming had remained calm and confident.

No matter how dangerous or deeply hidden the drug ring was, he was 100% certain they’d dig it out completely.

At that moment—Liu Yang of the Xiangcheng Criminal Police Division had a rough grasp of Su Ming’s plan and his ambition to crack open the organization at full speed.

He sighed inwardly, feeling like he couldn’t keep up with the times, then spoke up:

“Deputy Team Leader Su.”

“I’ll fully support the investigation into Poison and do my best to dig him out as quickly as possible.”

“So, when exactly will you all be heading to Liangxi City? I’ll help arrange your transport.”

“No need, Director Liu.” Su Ming shook his head without hesitation.

“We deliberately came in a Modu police vehicle, not hiding our presence.”

“The goal was to draw the drug ring’s attention to Gusu City—diverting them toward Poison, their supposed next target.”

“Now that we’ve most likely succeeded in doing that, our move to Liangxi City must be low-profile, with some misdirection.”

“I think…”

Su Ming narrowed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds, then set down his marker and spoke earnestly:

“Director Liu, you can personally take Xiao Zheng to the software company where the victim worked.”

“If nothing goes wrong—”

“The moment you arrive, the drug ring’s leader will immediately be alerted and begin planning Poison’s next move.”

“Because in his mind…”

“Our task force has already found the right lead and is closing in on the truth. So naturally, he’ll be watching Gusu closely.”

“Also, I’ll need to trouble you to provide two unmarked personal vehicles for temporary use.”

“Right now, only by driving civilian cars out of the Xiangcheng Criminal Division can we stay hidden enough.”

“We can’t even take the expressway—we have to take national roads without ETC.”

“I suspect that lurking rat is even monitoring vehicles registered under police officers’ names, just to track our movements.”

“But even with this level of caution—this shell game, this golden cicada shedding its shell—the best time window to expose Rose is only three days.”

“Because with how cautious the drug ring’s leader is, it won’t take long for him to figure out our true target and plans.”

“So—”

“We must expose Rose within three days!!”