Chapter 45: Interrogating Huang Yan, Case Codename “Blue Whale Game”!!!

These words, filled with regret and despair.

Both Su Ming and Xu Changsheng, who was standing behind him, were slightly taken aback. They followed Huang Yan’s dazed gaze…

A deep gray, unmarked bottle appeared in sight.

The liquid inside was already less than half remaining.

And combined with what Huang Yan had just said…

Even if she was regretting now, there was no chance left to turn back.

Immediately, Su Ming and Xu Changsheng thought of a certain pesticide with an almost 100% fatality rate—Paraquat!!!

In all recorded cases in Longguo,

Paraquat was not only the pesticide with the highest fatality rate but also the one responsible for the most deaths. It had been repeatedly used in criminal cases, especially in suicides.

It was no exaggeration to say that the number of people who died from all other pesticides combined was probably not even half that of Paraquat’s victims.

Because—

Ingesting just five milliliters of Paraquat already had a 50% fatality rate.

If the intake exceeded fifty milliliters, there was basically no hope of survival.

The most terrifying part was…

It could even be absorbed through the skin membrane. Ingestion was not necessary for poisoning to occur.

There had been multiple cases where—

People who merely passed through wastelands recently sprayed with Paraquat ended up suffering from pesticide poisoning!!!

The reason Paraquat had such a high fatality rate was that, unlike other pesticides,

it did not cause immediate adverse reactions such as vomiting blood, dizziness, or coma upon ingestion.

At first, after drinking Paraquat—

There were no unusual symptoms. After a few days, however, the body’s immune system would collapse.

Each organ would gradually fail, yet death would not come immediately. The patient would remain fully conscious throughout the process.

Then, after some time—

The lungs would begin irreversible fibrosis, making breathing more and more difficult.

The agony of suffocation, coupled with the increasing number of grieving family members gathered around the hospital bed, would lead the patient to immense regret.

They would beg the doctors to save them, but by then, nothing could be done.

The patient could only watch themselves suffocate to death, all while remaining fully conscious.

On the internet, there was a widely known phrase describing it—

“Paraquat gives you time to regret, but it never gives you a chance to undo your regret.”

Because of this—

As more and more people consumed Paraquat to commit suicide, the government banned its sale in 2016.

The scientist who invented Paraquat was heavily criticized and cursed by the families of those who committed suicide with it, bearing undeserved blame.

In the end, he could only publicly state—

“For as many years as Paraquat has been sold, I have felt guilty for that many years.”

“But I never expected that a herbicide would be something people would willingly drink.”

……

Paraquat’s toxicity was truly horrifying. And now, the bottle in the corner contained a liquid that was already less than half full.

If it really was Paraquat, then there would be no chance to save her.

Death…

Was just a matter of time.

Xu Changsheng immediately turned to Huang Yan with a serious expression and asked gravely,

“Huang Yan.”

“Tell me right now—is the liquid in this bottle Paraquat?”

“Where did you get this banned pesticide? Was it given to you by the same person who supplied you with drugs?”

It was obvious—

A banned pesticide appearing in Magic City, with Huang Yan already having drunk half of it,

immediately led Xu Changsheng to suspect—

Could this bottle of Paraquat have been given to Huang Yan by the suspect behind the scenes, along with the drugs?

Seeing Xu Changsheng’s stern expression,

Huang Yan shrank back slightly in fear before nodding lightly and answering,

“Yes.”

“It is Paraquat…”

“But I don’t understand what you mean about someone giving me drugs, Officer. No one gave me any drugs.”

“And this bottle of Paraquat—I bought it at a potted plant and flower shop near my home…”

“I just looked it up online and saw that drinking this would guarantee death, with no chance for regret. So I went to ask at the shop.”

“I didn’t expect that they actually had it…”

The moment she finished speaking—

Xu Changsheng, who had been tense, immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Looking at Su Ming beside him, he shook his head in relief and said,

“There are no farmlands in downtown Magic City, and those flower shops would never dare stock Paraquat. If they got caught, it would mean a massive fine and their license revoked.”

“So my guess is…”

“The liquid in this bottle is probably not Paraquat, but something else.”

“Let’s take her back to the station.”

“We also need to bring this bottle in and have the forensics lab analyze its contents as soon as possible.”

Su Ming nodded in agreement, shaking his handcuffs again before smiling faintly.

“Huang Yan.”

“It seems your luck isn’t too bad—you probably will have a chance to regret this after all.”

“But that chance depends on one thing…”

“You must fully cooperate with our investigation and not hide anything later.”

“Let’s go.”

“Your parents are on their way to the station as well. No need to keep reminiscing here at the Ferris wheel.”

Although Huang Yan seemed emotionally stable for now,

Su Ming did not dare to remove the handcuffs. If something unexpected happened, there would be no time for regret.

Moreover, a public place with numerous tourists was obviously not an appropriate location for interrogation.

Bringing her back to the Huaihai Criminal Investigation Division as soon as possible was the most correct course of action.

After learning that her parents were coming and that the bottle did not contain Paraquat,

Huang Yan’s mood clearly improved. She nodded, slowly stood up, and lowered her head, following behind Su Ming.

……

The police car sped through the city, bringing Huang Yan to the Huaihai Criminal Investigation Division.

However, Su Ming and Xu Changsheng did not immediately begin interrogating her.

Instead, they first organized and discussed the relevant leads in the conference room.

Because—

At present, there were almost no leads regarding the suspect behind the campus suicide case.

Yet, at the same time, there were numerous scattered and chaotic clues.

They had to carefully filter through them in order to dig out the real culprit in one fell swoop.

After exchanging thoughts for a while,

Xu Changsheng frowned and tapped the table lightly, then looked at Su Ming in confusion and asked,

“Blue Whale Game?”

“Based on what Huang Yan said, she and Zhang Wan were playing some kind of ‘special game’ that ultimately leads to suicide?”

“Given the current situation, Huang Yan is our only breakthrough. Hopefully, we can get some useful leads from her.”

“Otherwise…”

“This so-called ‘Blue Whale Game’ could become an even bigger problem—”

Before he could finish,

Wang Hu strode into the conference room, holding a forensic report.

He handed it to Xu Changsheng while winking at Su Ming and said,

“Brother Sheng.”

“The report is out. According to our forensics lab, the liquid in that bottle is…”

“Cough syrup, not Paraquat.”

“Additionally—”

“Forensic examiner Shen Lin has confirmed that the drugs found in the victim Zhang Wan’s bloodstream were not just a single type but a highly pure mixture of multiple drugs.”

“Among them, at least heroin, meth, and ketamine were detected.”

“Lastly—”

“Huang Yan is emotionally stable for now, and her parents have arrived at the station. However, to prevent any chance of collusion, we have not allowed them to meet yet.”

Hearing this,

Xu Changsheng nodded, took the report from Wang Hu, then turned to Su Ming and motioned for him to stand.

“Let’s go, Xiao Ming.”

“Time to interrogate Huang Yan and find out…”

“Just how cautious the mastermind behind this ‘Blue Whale Game’ case truly is!!!”

—

—Paraquat, also known as methyl viologen, is a toxic organic compound and herbicide used to control weeds and grasses