Chapter 57

After listening to Xie Yixin's instructions, Shi Yiran couldn't help but ask, "Sir Fei, what about the horse race tonight...?"

Before Fei Lun could speak, Xie Yixin said, "Of course not, solving the case is more important!"

Dai Yan and the others were somewhat disappointed, but Fei Lun said, "Madam, the forensic report from the coroner hasn't come out yet. We are just doing preliminary investigations and peripheral work, so we don't need to push too hard. Besides, most of the chemical plants or school laboratories we need to investigate will be closed at night, so it won't interfere with us watching the night races."

"Alright, let's quickly divide the tasks and start investigating!" Xie Yixin said, "Meet at the racetrack at seven o'clock."

Fei Lun waved his hand, "No, we'll watch the night races at Sha Tin tonight. The transportation there is more convenient."

"Sounds good!" Everyone nodded, and they were about to leave when they ran into a colleague with a commanding presence at the door.

This person was about thirty years old, only slightly shorter than Fei Lun, standing at around 180 cm. His hair was shorter than a buzz cut but not bald, neatly trimmed. His face was stern, with prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline, making him look very imposing. His eyes were sharp, and if he had a strong will, he would certainly be the type who would say, "I won't talk even if you beat me to death."

"May I ask which one is Madam Xie?" he asked.

Xie Yixin stepped forward, "That's me!"

The stern man gave a proper police salute, "Madam, Inspector Qiu Zhaqiang reporting for duty."

Xie Yixin was taken aback for a moment before saying, "You must be the new colleague assigned to our team. I just submitted the report yesterday, and I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

Qiu Zhaqiang said firmly, "Madam, I'm just following orders. I don't know anything else."

Dai Yan and the others didn't particularly like Qiu Zhaqiang's serious demeanor, but Fei Lun didn't mind. He waved his hand, "Let's not talk too much. We'll introduce ourselves later. The investigation is more important. Zhaqiang, you'll join our team for now."

Dai Yan quickly said, "Alright, we'll go first." Then he led Li and Shi to leave.

Fei Lun turned to Qiu Zhaqiang, "I'll go get the car. You go with Madam to wait downstairs." Then he left.

Xie Yixin introduced, "That person is our Serious Crime Unit's probationary inspector, Fei Lun."

Qiu Zhaqiang's expression softened slightly, "I know Inspector Fei's name. I applied to transfer to the Serious Crime Unit to learn from him."

If a regular superior heard this, they might give Qiu Zhaqiang a hard time, but Xie Yixin, who had a crush on Fei Lun, felt a bit pleased, as if it was a compliment to her.

Once in the car, Fei Lun introduced the details of the murder case and the dangers of fluoroantimonic acid while driving. Qiu Zhaqiang's expression changed slightly after listening.

Xie Yixin patted Qiu Zhaqiang's shoulder, "Zhaqiang, don't worry. Alan has already ordered a batch of Teflon suits. Once we wear them, we won't be afraid of anything."

Qiu Zhaqiang felt a bit reassured, but Fei Lun was sweating profusely and said, "Not afraid of anything? Do you think Teflon is bulletproof? It's just plastic. The criminal who can get fluoroantimonic acid might have weapons. If there's acid and gunfire, hmm..." This made Xie Yixin and Qiu Zhaqiang feel a chill down their spines.

In the next few hours, Fei Lun and his team investigated over twenty places in Hong Kong that had hydrofluoric acid. However, Hong Kong's management of chemical substances is quite strict, and there were no signs of hydrofluoric acid being lost or stolen from any of the places they checked.

In fact, hydrofluoric acid is highly volatile and extremely toxic. Inhaling its vapor or coming into contact with it can cause incurable burns. Therefore, Fei Lun and his team only asked routine questions based on the inventory records and did not physically inspect or count the hydrofluoric acid.

After a few hours of fruitless work, Qiu Zhaqiang couldn't help but express his opinion on the way back, "Madam, this method of investigation might not work. These chemicals are very dangerous, and we almost never touch them. But if we only check the records, who knows if someone is embezzling them?"

"Zhaqiang is right, but I have a small suggestion," Fei Lun said, "The half-mountain corpse was discovered because heavy rain washed away the soil covering the body, and a dog dug a hole by chance. The body was buried quite deep, which suggests the killer didn't want it to be found. This means the victim might have known the source of the fluoroantimonic acid. Otherwise, why would the killer bury such a mutilated body?"

Xie Yixin and Qiu Zhaqiang's eyes lit up. Qiu Zhaqiang agreed, "Inspector Fei is right. If we identify the victim, we might find out the source of the fluoroantimonic acid, and even uncover the killer."

Xie Yixin also had other thoughts, "Right, right. And that small bottle of fluoroantimonic acid on the body might be a clue the victim left for us, knowing they might be killed."

Fei Lun spread his hands, "Our top priority is to identify the victim, so the coroner's report is crucial. Of course, we need to continue investigating the two chemicals used to make fluoroantimonic acid, as there might be clues there."

Xie Yixin and Qiu Zhaqiang agreed with Fei Lun's point. Xie Yixin, who was always energetic, immediately called the coroner's office to check on the progress of the report, but they had already closed for the day.

Fei Lun, upon hearing this, laughed, "Madam, only we are so dedicated. I think we should go to Sha Tin earlier."

"Alright, let's call it a day for now," Xie Yixin nodded, "Zhaqiang, do you want to come watch the night races? Alan said he'll make us rich!"

Qiu Zhaqiang rarely smiled, "Sure, I want to see how Inspector Fei leads us to riches!"

At the Sha Tin racetrack.

Fei Lun and the others met up with Dai Yan and the others just before seven o'clock. It was rare for the night races to be held at Sha Tin (①), and the first race was about to start. Dai Yan and the others were somewhat anxious.

Li Lidong said, "Brother Fei, how should we bet? You need to make a decision!" Ever since making a fortune on 0494, he had been following Fei Lun's lead.

Fei Lun waved his hand, "No rush. There's still twenty minutes before the final betting deadline. I'll go check out the track first."

Xie Yixin was surprised, "The race is about to start, they'll clear the track. How can you get in?"

"Can't I use my authority for personal gain?" Fei Lun waved his police ID and called Qiu Zhaqiang to join him on the track.

Inside the track, the horses were already trotting in circles, ready to enter the starting gates. After showing their IDs, Fei Lun and Qiu Zhaqiang easily reached the closest position to the horses and jockeys.

"Inspector Fei, there are six races tonight. How do you plan to bet?" Qiu Zhaqiang asked.

"Of course, we'll bet to get rich. Let's start with two trifectas and then a tri-tote!" Fei Lun smiled mysteriously, "Do you believe that by tomorrow, everyone in our Serious Crime Unit will be millionaires?"

Qiu Zhaqiang shook his head vigorously, clearly not believing such a far-fetched idea.

"If you don't believe it, you don't have to pay!" Fei Lun laughed mysteriously.

Qiu Zhaqiang, not being stupid, quickly said, "I'll still pay. It's only a few hundred dollars. We're colleagues, and it's just for fun."

"Exactly!" Fei Lun patted his shoulder, "Wait here for me." Then he squeezed through the crowd to a position closer to the horses.

In the racetrack, each horse had a shiny coat, a well-built body, and a beautiful appearance. Their manes and tails were neatly trimmed. However, Fei Lun wasn't paying attention to the horses' appearances. Instead, he used his somewhat diminished special ability to listen.

Animal language proficiency, another minor ability that the main god didn't value. Originally, Fei Lun's ability was called "listening to all things," but after returning to reality, he could no longer hear the voices of plants, microorganisms, or even stones that had nearly become spirits over thousands of years. He could only listen to the sounds of animals and understand their thoughts.

Using this special ability for horse betting was a bit overkill, but Fei Lun enjoyed it and listened to the gossip of the horses.

One horse, Youli Meili, said, "Brothers, I haven't won first place in three consecutive night races. This time, it should be my turn, right?"

Qilin Chengxiang responded, "I support Brother Li. What does the boss say?"

"I also support!" Another horse, Huzhen Longteng, chimed in.

The boss, Tianchi Feichi, finally spoke, "Alright, in the first race, I and Qingtou Yige will cover for Youli Meili to win first place. Let's make those who bet on the trifecta lose big time."

"Agreed!" The other horses nearby all agreed.

Fei Lun, overhearing this, smiled and squeezed out to a relatively quiet spot to call Xie Yixin, "In the first race, each of us will bet twenty dollars on two trifectas. The first one: first place Youli Meili, second place Tianchi Feichi, third place Qingtou Yige. The second one, switch the second and third places."

Xie Yixin listened and wrote it down, then complained, "That horse Youli Meili hasn't won first place in many races. There's no reason to bet on it so heavily."

"Mind your own business. It's only twenty dollars. If you want to bet, bet. If not, forget it!" Fei Lun hung up after saying this.

At this moment, Qiu Zhaqiang walked over and asked, "Inspector Fei, how did it go? Any leads?"

"It's already off-duty time, don't call me Sir!" Fei Lun laughed, "I've already told the coach to buy two trifectas. Let's go back and collect the money for the bets."

"How much?"

Fei Lun held up two fingers, "Twenty dollars each."

"Only twenty? Why not let them pay first?" Qiu Zhaqiang thought Fei Lun was making a fuss over nothing.

Fei Lun sneered, "If we win the trifecta and you haven't paid the bet money, how will we settle it?"

Qiu Zhaqiang was taken aback because the trifecta usually has a high payout, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of times the bet. Even a ten-dollar bet could win millions. If they hadn't pooled the money and a dispute arose over the prize, it could even end up in court.

But Qiu Zhaqiang had a bigger question, "Alan, are you sure we'll win?"

(①: Night races are usually held at Happy Valley, but occasionally at Sha Tin. Day races are the opposite.)

(Seeking recommendations, seeking collections, all kinds of seeking!!)

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