29: Chapter 29 Your Corpse, My Intelligence

The person who had fallen to the ground was Senator White, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who had been holding court just moments ago.

He lay on his back on the marble floor, his face turning purple, his hands clutching his throat tightly, his eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets.

The unfinished glass of whiskey had spilled all over the floor, mixing with foamy saliva.

Chen Mo was the first to rush to the body.

"I am a police officer! Everyone back away!"

He roared, his voice carrying a certain convincing authority.

The socialites who had been watching subconsciously backed away, forming a circle.

Chen Mo knelt on one knee and placed his fingers on Senator White's carotid artery.

No pulse; the body was still warm.

It was at this very moment that the system's notification sound exploded in his mind.

[High-value target death detected (Time of death: within 30 seconds)]

[Extraction successful!]

[Obtained intelligence fragment: Deep State stronghold coordinates (Washington D.C., Underground Facility No. 3 by the Potomac River)]

[Obtained top-secret plan fragment: Human Clearance — Phase I: Virus deployment and vaccine screening.]

[Obtained skill: Advanced Toxicology Identification (Green)]

[System experience + 500]

Chen Mo's fingers trembled slightly.

It wasn't just because of the massive amount of experience points brought by this corpse, but also because of the entry named "Human Clearance."

Even he, having seen the dark side through the memories of countless corpses, felt a chill crawl up his spine to his scalp at this moment.

What are these lunatics trying to do?

"Move aside! FBI!"

A sharp shout interrupted his thoughts.

Jessica pushed through the crowd and rushed in, flashing her silver badge holder.

"This scene is now under the jurisdiction of the FBI. No one is allowed to leave!"

Jessica was panting, her gaze sweeping across the scene sharply before finally landing on Chen Mo. "You too, step back, sir."

She didn't recognize Chen Mo.

Or rather, she didn't believe that this playboy who had been flirting just moments ago could handle a situation like this.

Chen Mo stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and instead of backing away, he pulled that golden eagle-shield police badge from his coat and hung it on his chest.

"This is Manhattan; this is New York." Chen Mo looked into Jessica's eyes, a cold sneer curling the corner of his mouth.

"According to the jurisdiction act, before a federal felony is confirmed, this place belongs to the NYPD. Agent, you've overstepped your bounds."

Jessica was stunned.

She looked at the familiar badge, then at the face that had been wearing a playful smile just moments ago.

"It's you?" Jessica couldn't believe it. "That... Chen?"

"It's Detective Chen now." Chen Mo interrupted her and turned to the crowd of onlookers. "Block all exits! No one is allowed to leave!"

The security personnel looked at each other, but under Chen Mo's stern gaze, they ultimately executed the order.

"He drank this glass of whiskey two minutes ago."

Chen Mo pointed to the glass on the floor, his [Advanced Toxicology Identification] rapidly analyzing the faint smell of bitter almonds in the air.

"Cyanide, high concentration. The killer is still on the scene."

"How do you know it's cyanide?" Jessica countered. "There's been no autopsy..."

"Smell." Chen Mo pointed to his own nose. "If you used the time you spend spraying perfume to train your sense of smell, you would be able to smell it too."

Jessica was so choked up she turned bright red.

Chen Mo ignored her and closed his eyes.

The memory fragments he had just extracted replayed in his mind like a movie.

The last three minutes before Senator White died.

That waiter who brought the drink.

The waiter who kept his head down, wore white gloves, and had a faint scar on his thumb.

When he handed over the drink, his finger had wiped across the rim of the glass.

Chen Mo snapped his eyes open, his gaze shooting toward the edge of the crowd like a hawk.

A waiter was just about to slip into the kitchen passageway, carrying an empty tray.

"You there, stop." Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it hit like a bullet.

The waiter's body stiffened for a moment, then he suddenly exerted force, threw away the tray, pulled a ceramic dagger from his waist, and lunged toward the nearest noblewoman, clearly intending to take a hostage.

"Damn it!" Jessica drew her gun, but the crowd was too dense, and she didn't dare to fire.

Chen Mo moved.

Without drawing his gun, he grabbed a silver dinner knife from the long table.

[Sharpshooter] provided more than just marksmanship; it provided ultimate control over hand-eye coordination.

With a flick of his wrist.

A flash of silver appeared.

"Ah!"

The waiter let out a scream, and the ceramic dagger in his hand fell to the ground.

The dinner knife, which wasn't even sharp, had accurately pierced through his palm, pinning him to the wooden decorative wall panel behind him.

The whole room fell into dead silence.

Chen Mo walked over unhurriedly, pulled the dinner knife from the waiter's still-trembling palm, and wiped the blood off on the pristine white uniform.

"The cyanide capsule is hidden in your dentures, right?"

Chen Mo grabbed the waiter's chin and dislocated it with a forceful jerk. With a "crack," the jaw popped out, and a blue capsule rolled out.

"Take him away." Chen Mo turned back and said to the security guards who were watching in shock, "Hand him over to the NYPD Major Crimes Unit when they arrive."

After doing all this, he tossed the dinner knife onto the table, making a crisp sound.

Jessica stood where she was, looking at Chen Mo's profile.

Cold, professional, violent, yet shockingly efficient.

Is this really that intern detective who supposedly rose through the ranks on luck?

"You..." Jessica opened her mouth.

Chen Mo walked up to her and tucked the stray lock of hair that had come loose from running behind her ear.

"The water runs deep here, Agent." His voice was very soft, audible only to the two of them.

"Some people die because they know too much. And some people survive because they know how to keep their mouths shut."

After saying this, he turned and walked toward Ava, who had been waiting on the side for a long time.

Ava looked at Chen Mo, and there was no longer just pure desire in her eyes, but a trace of fear and deep wariness.

"Who on earth are you?" Ava asked the same question as Jessica. "An ordinary police officer couldn't do these things."

Chen Mo adjusted his tie, which had been messed up just now, and offered his arm to Ava.

"I am your partner, remember?"

He smiled like a devil.

"Let's go, the show is over, it's time to collect the final payment."