Chapter 600: The Bait and the Riddle

Chapter 600: WZMD** (3 Updates)

The case before them seemed utterly surreal. Lin

But Xiao Yu knew it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Once the location of the ‘Anxiety Formula’ was uncovered, no other problem would be insurmountable.

What? You say a criminal of this caliber could even devise an Anxiety Formula? He’d surely set up defenses—then watch you… die…

Xiao Yu let out a cold laugh. ‘What era do you think we’re still in?’

Who still indulges in the old ways of pit fights?

Dong Feng: ‘Precision and elegance. Take note.’

At that moment.

Xiao Yu and Wang Dong stood at the bedside, watching as the suspect slowly regained consciousness.

Yuan Junda, 37, a Capital City native who ran a plumbing supply business with a wife and daughter…

Was he not the victim?

So why label him a suspect?

Though he was indeed a victim, doubts lingered over the reliability of his statement.

The very existence of the Anxiety Formula was inferred from his compromised physical state.

After all, few would unnecessarily torture their mind and body.

No one would deliberately neglect their nutrition to the point where their organs teetered on the edge of failure.

And hardly anyone would risk their life to tell a lie!

The moment Yuan Junda awoke…

Panic and unease were etched across his face.

He trembled, utterly lost as he beheld Xiao Yu and Wang Dong.

It wasn’t a disguise… Xiao Yu, adept at reading micro-expressions, shifted his gaze away.

Even without a pretense, it confirmed that he had indeed been ‘assaulted’.

This lent high credibility to his account.

But once confirmed, a ludicrous paradox emerged.

Yuan Junda had been discovered in a suburban area of Capital City.

National Security had already investigated the suspect’s earlier whereabouts and found nothing amiss.

This left only one conclusion.

If the Anxiety Formula truly existed, then the moment suspect Yuan Junda escaped he must have been ‘relocated’ to the outskirts beyond Capital City.

Yet Yuan Junda insisted he hadn’t been ‘moved’.

He claimed he had fled from an area in the outskirts and then lost consciousness…

Is he seeing things?

Xiao Yu mulled over two possibilities.

Firstly, Yuan Junda was lying.

Secondly, someone had manipulated his perception to make him believe he escaped from Capital City.

The first possibility was easy to grasp.

But if it were the second, then this ‘project’ was on an enormous scale…

An hour and a half later.

Xiao Yu stood at the scene where Yuan Junda had been found.

At the junction of Huashan Town and Zhen Luoying… West Yu Reservoir.

“I’m certain,” he remarked, “because I drove here years ago for a bit of fun.”

“Back then I loved fishing. West Yu Reservoir isn’t just scenic; its water quality is superb. The catch may be sparse, but when you get one it’s top-notch…”

“I wouldn’t be mistaken; this is the place.”

Lying on a stretcher, suspect Yuan Junda pointed decisively at the surrounding area and the distant reservoir, exclaiming, “The very first thing I saw after I got out was the reservoir!”

Falcon’s Eye… Xiao Yu’s gaze swept meticulously over every trace in the vicinity.

Yet, he found nothing.

It was evident that Yuan Junda’s perceptions had been manipulated.

Can a person’s senses really be deceived?

Not only that—they can be, with ease. Think of a magic trick.

Magicians trick the audience’s eyes and mind effortlessly!

……

Team Two Headquarters, Meeting Room.

“Since they’ve thrown out this bait, there must be a fishing line attached,” Xiao Yu deduced.

Muttering to himself, he added, “A fisherman’s greatest pleasure is in patiently waiting for a bite. Time is the one resource they surely have plenty of.”

Deduction is all about narrowing down the possibilities and turning them into tangible clues.

Solving a case is like untangling a messy skein of yarn.

You must comb through it until you uncover a thread…

Although there were no obvious leads, the most significant clue was suspect Yuan Junda—pure bait.

So, where was the fishing line?

The issue still centered on suspect Yuan Junda!

“There’s a foreign object in his stomach. We’re not sure what it is, but it appears to be a metallic sphere,” a doctor informed Xiao Yu and Wang Dong.

“Remove it,” Wang Dong commanded in a low tone.

Half an hour later.

A metal sphere, about the size of a fingernail, lay before the two team leaders.

…… Requesting flowers……

Soon after, the sphere was split open to reveal an SD Memory Card inside.

They connected it to a card reader and a computer to open the file.

Inside was a video file.

Upon playback, the video began.

The screen was dark and blurry, overlapped by shifting silhouettes.

Suddenly, a dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

It resembled a human shape, yet its features remained indiscernible.

Abruptly, a deep, measured male voice began to speak.

“Come find me. I want the strongest person—whether a cop, a soldier, or someone else—but only one person should come for me. Otherwise… heh heh heh!”

The dark figure gradually faded back into the darkness.

………

Then the video displayed a white Rubik’s Cube.

The cube had six faces, each divided into nine blocks, all continuously turning.

Not just the cube as a whole, but every set of nine on each face was in motion.

Soon, a letter appeared on each face.

W Z M D J J!

Xiao Yu and Wang Dong exchanged cold glances at the six letters on the cube.

A word puzzle?

A letter game?

One had to admit—they were quite the clever provocateurs!

This confirmed Xiao Yu’s suspicion.

Suspect Yuan Junda was nothing more than bait.

It was, in fact, a challenge laced with provocation.

Of course, that wasn’t the main issue now.

The video had conveyed one clear message:

They wanted someone to come and find him—no matter who—as long as it was the strongest.

What are you planning to do?

Is Ultraman coming to take on little monsters?

Or do you fancy yourself a free spirit who goes wherever you please and does whatever you want?

And what could those six letters possibly mean?

Coordinates? A hidden message? Or something else entirely?

WZMD**… Am I selling chicken essence?

WZMD**… Or am I under some goddamn surveillance?

Xiao Yu’s mind raced.

Two hours later.

Weariness filled his eyes as a cold smile crept over his face.

WZMD**… I’m in Magic City Jinjiang!

……

PS: Sorry, I nodded off. The update’s coming soon! – Wen Xue

Wen Xue