Chapter 82: Laying the Foundation

Huo Yan had no idea he was being analyzed; he was busy following Ning Shuyi as they re-examined the personal items Wang Yuluo had dropped at the scene that day.

“I made a point of noting the exact timing of every jump scare while I watched the movie today,” Ning Shuyi said to Huo Yan as she inspected the belongings. “During the first few scares, Wang Yuluo showed no signs of discomfort. She was chatting frequently with Cai Xin, completely normal, up until Cai Xin left.

When she did start feeling unwell, it was nearly twenty minutes after the previous scare. And by the time the final, most shocking moment came at the movie’s end, she was already showing no signs of life.

But the real change in her condition happened right before and after she bent down to pick up something. Before her bag fell to the floor, she was fine. After standing up, she quickly showed signs of pain. She didn’t even bother to pick up what had scattered on the ground—she was already in trouble!”

Huo Yan found the small transparent plastic capsule among the evidence and handed it to Ning Shuyi. Ning Shuyi had been searching for this herself; seeing Huo Yan find it first and hand it to her, she was a little surprised. She could think through to this level, but Huo Yan was clever too, so it wasn’t unexpected he’d arrive at the same conclusion. What impressed her most was that he not only figured it out himself, but also anticipated her intent.

“This thing—looks just right for holding that strange insect, doesn’t it?” She raised the evidence bag, carefully examining the unfamiliar little container. “Look, there are ventilation holes here. You could put an insect inside and not worry about it suffocating.

When we found this capsule at the scene, it was slightly open in the middle, correct?”

Huo Yan recalled and nodded with certainty. “Yes, that’s right.”

“So someone hid a plastic capsule containing the venomous insect in Wang Yuluo’s bag, hoping she’d accidentally open it while rummaging for something, and get bitten. During the movie, her bag fell, its contents spilled out, and the capsule likely popped open. The insect crawled out and bit Wang Yuluo as she searched in the dark for her scattered things.

She died of poisoning, and when we arrived at the scene, we happened not to encounter the insect. After we left, the cat called Meimei slipped into the screening room, saw the insect, tried to pounce, got bitten, and died of poisoning as well—killing the insect in its claws.”

After finishing her explanation, Ning Shuyi suddenly felt a chill crawl from her feet to her scalp, causing the hairs on her back to stand upright. She shivered involuntarily.

“What’s wrong?” Huo Yan asked, noticing her reaction.

“Aftershock,” Ning Shuyi admitted, still unsettled. “I just realized how lucky we were. When we arrived at the scene, the insect had crawled off somewhere—we didn’t run into it. Otherwise, there would have been two possibilities.

Either we unknowingly stepped on it and crushed it to bits, which would have made finding Wang Yuluo’s cause of death even harder. Or we accidentally touched the living insect and got bitten ourselves… Given how quickly Wang Yuluo and the cat died, the venom was no joke! We might have suffered casualties ourselves.

Luckily, that unlucky cat pinned the insect under its claws, killing it. Otherwise, uncovering the source of Wang Yuluo’s poisoning would have been a much more complicated matter.”

Huo Yan nodded in agreement with Ning Shuyi’s perspective, though he showed no signs of lingering fear. He spoke calmly, “True, if the insect had been crushed and lost, it would have been troublesome. Or if it escaped and bit someone else, that would be terrible.”

Ning Shuyi turned and looked at him. “Weren’t you worried about being bitten yourself?”

Huo Yan smiled faintly, saying nothing—yet his silence seemed to be answer enough.

Having finished all their tasks and sorted out Wang Yuluo’s case afresh, it was getting late. Huo Yan prepared to leave and head back to the dormitory, but noticed Ning Shuyi returning to her desk instead of packing up.

“You’re not leaving?” he asked, a bit puzzled.

“I’m on duty tonight.” Ning Shuyi had always found night duty somewhat bothersome, but after several nights disturbed by the noisy upstairs neighbors, the prospect of sleeping in the duty room suddenly seemed oddly appealing.

Huo Yan caught the sense of relief in her tone, glanced at her with mild curiosity, but decided not to pry into matters unrelated to himself. He nodded and left alone.

That night, Ning Shuyi was on duty at the office, and nothing happened. She slept better than she had in days, waking the next morning feeling refreshed and invigorated.

It really is true—people need a good night’s sleep to be at their best. The sky seemed bluer, the sunlight warmer, and even the usually bland cafeteria buns tasted a bit better.

Huo Yan arrived at the office early as well. Seeing Ning Shuyi, already finished with breakfast and looking energetic, he paused, checked the time, and beckoned to her, “Come on, let’s go to the gym.”

“This early?” Ning Shuyi had just been about to greet him, but his words caught her off guard.

“When else? Are you sure you’ll have time and energy tonight?” Huo Yan countered. “You said you wanted me to train you. If you’ve changed your mind, that’s fine.”

“I haven’t! Let’s go!” Ning Shuyi jumped up. She’d asked Huo Yan to help her improve her physical fitness, and was surprised he’d agreed—now he was keeping his promise, so she couldn’t back out.

Her answer was loud and clear, but soon she began to regret it. After skipping rope, running drills, and lifting weights, her legs felt weak, her arms limp, and she slumped to the floor, unable even to wipe the sweat from her face.

She regretted that her confidence had apparently led Huo Yan to overestimate her physical foundation.

Huo Yan’s own training routine was similar but much more intense. He too was drenched in sweat, but full of vigor, a stark contrast to Ning Shuyi sprawled on the floor.

He walked over and offered her his hand. “Get up! If you don’t want lactic acid build-up and soreness everywhere, don’t sit down right after training!”

Ning Shuyi, close to tears, let Huo Yan pull her up. “I thought your reputation as a sharpshooter meant you’d focus on teaching me shooting skills to defend myself!”

“If your arms are weak and you can’t hold a gun steady, how can you shoot accurately?” Huo Yan patiently explained. “Everything starts with physical fitness. If you lack that, all other skills are useless.”