Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 311: Chapter 188: How to Kill with Animals?

With the suspect’s portrait in hand, Shen Ruiping immediately led two of his top detectives onto the next bullet train, heading overnight to Yongcheng High-speed Railway Station.

"Advisor Yang, we really have you to thank for today."

Tang Yuan firmly gripped Yang Qi’s hand, his gratitude evident. "It’s getting late. You should get some rest. We’ll hold a formal meeting tomorrow to analyze the case."

Yang Qi responded humbly.

He then took Xiaojiu and Bai Wan and, accompanied by a police officer, checked into the hotel arranged by the city bureau.

After washing up, Yang Qi didn’t sleep. Instead, he mentally reviewed the killer’s potential behavioral patterns and the limits of animal manipulation over and over.

At eight o’clock the next morning, Yang Qi arrived at the Binjiang City Bureau.

The atmosphere in the task force office was even more bustling than the day before.

An officer approached him with the latest developments the moment he walked in the door.

"Advisor Yang, we’ve heard from Captain Shen. Through surveillance tracking, they found that the ID the suspect used belongs to a ’Li Jiahao,’ a Yongcheng local with a complete work and tax history. On the surface, it’s flawless."

"On the surface?" Yang Qi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

The officer lowered his voice. "Captain Shen and his team dug deeper. The real ’Li Jiahao’ has been working at a factory in Yongcheng this whole time. His social connections are clean, and he wasn’t anywhere near the high-speed railway station on the night of the 9th."

"It’s a ’shadow identity,’ forged with extreme skill. Even the underlying data was made to match; this isn’t just a simple fake ID."

"What else?" Yang Qi pressed. "Did they track his specific movements at the station?"

"They did. Surveillance clearly captured him appearing in the west hall shortly before 8 p.m. on the 9th. It’s a perfect match for the time and place you provided, Advisor Yang."

"Afterward, he went to the special baggage check-in counter and completed the process for shipping a pet. He was shipping a chameleon. The destination was Binjiang, with an arrival that same night."

’A chameleon?’

A thought sparked in Yang Qi’s mind.

’A chameleon isn’t venomous on its own, and it isn’t particularly fast. But if it was modified by that mysterious organization...’

"And here in Binjiang?" Yang Qi asked.

"We’re conducting an all-out search. Based on the shipment’s arrival time and the suspect’s portrait, we’re prioritizing hotels, short-term rentals, pet shops, and flower-and-bird markets in and around the Gem District."

Another officer chimed in, "The latest intel says the subject is extremely cautious and uses cash for most purchases, but he would’ve needed an ID to check into a hotel or rent an apartment. We’re rapidly combing through all records of the ’Li Jiahao’ identity being used in Binjiang."

Yang Qi nodded and walked over to the temporary desk the task force had set aside for him, taking a seat.

Xiaojiu leaped onto the armrest of an empty chair and coiled up.

Bai Wan lay quietly at his feet.

Yang Qi went back to reading the files.

Time passed.

Over half an hour later, a low, excited shout suddenly erupted from the intelligence analysis room next door.

"Found it! There’s a rental record under ’Li Jiahao’!"

"It’s in the old Xingye residential complex, on the edge of the Gem District! He rented a converted first-floor garage with a small courtyard. It was registered ten days ago!"

The entire task force office instantly erupted.

Captain Guan of the Criminal Investigation Division shot to his feet, his face filled with unconcealable excitement.

"Move out! Team One, Team Two, with me! Director Tang, I’m taking a team to bring him in!"

"Good."

Tang Yuan slammed his hand on the table. "Be careful. Go armed, and be prepared for him to use animals to fight back."

Captain Guan shouted an acknowledgment and led a team of elite officers, storming out of the building in a great hurry.

Yang Qi didn’t ask to go with them.

He, on the other hand, was more interested in figuring out exactly how "Li Jiahao" had used animals to engineer such seemingly perfect "accidents."

Only by understanding the suspect’s methods could they hope to gain the upper hand in any future confrontations.

To that end,

Yang Qi spread out the case files for the four deaths once more. He meticulously reviewed them page by page, cross-referencing the crime scene photos, investigation reports, and the medical examiner’s preliminary findings.

His gaze swept over the photo of the rooftop ledge from the "accidental falling flowerpot" incident, the close-up of the utility pole from the "snapped old streetlamp wire" incident, the ground markings at the alley entrance from the "missing manhole cover" incident, and finally landed on the diagram of the riverbank from the "high school student drowns during rescue attempt" incident.

His mind raced, connecting the details of each scene—the environment, the state of the deceased—with the keywords "animal," "manipulation," and "accident," looking for correlations and deducing possibilities.

’A chameleon isn’t venomous on its own, but a transnational criminal organization would have no trouble making it "venomous"!’

’This "venom" wouldn’t have to be lethal. For creating an "accident," something that causes temporary paralysis, dizziness, loss of balance, or loss of muscle control would be more than enough.’

With this in mind, Yang Qi began to work backward from the outcomes.

’First, the falling flowerpot. The victim was struck just as they stepped out of the building’s entrance. How could the killer ensure the pot would fall at that exact moment?’

’What if a trained chameleon, equipped with a special adhesive or a trigger, was lying in wait beforehand on the rooftop flower rack or ledge? Then, the moment the victim appeared, it could activate some simple mechanism.’

’Second, the electrocution from the snapped wire.’

’The old streetlamp and aging wires were just a facade. But how could they ensure the snapped wire would land perfectly on the victim as they walked by?’

’What if a chameleon, carrying a miniature vial of a highly corrosive agent, had tampered with a specific spot on the wire beforehand, causing it to snap and fall at the exact moment the victim passed below?’

’Or perhaps the chameleon itself clung to the utility pole, using its body as part of the conductor?’

’Third, the fall into the uncovered sewer.’

’The missing manhole cover was intentional, but how could they ensure the victim, returning late at night, would step right into that dark trap?’

’What if a nearly invisible chameleon attacked, numbing the victim’s lower leg? Then, someone nearby could have released stray dogs to startle them. A person with a numb leg, shocked and trying to flee, would easily lose their balance and fall into the manhole.’