226: Investigation begins 2

After the meal, the three bid each other a simple farewell. Wei Ziqing, concerned about his Master, prepared to take a car directly back to the martial arts hall to visit. Shen Mingyuan and Lu Jianchuan returned together to the GUPA base.

After returning to the base, Lu Jianchuan left on his own, seemingly having other business to attend to. Not long after Shen Mingyuan returned to the temporary quarters assigned to him, a staff member knocked on his door.

"Mr. Shen, this is your... um, 'pet'." The staff member was holding a specially made, transparent pet carrier with ventilation holes. Inside was Little Green Snake. It was currently coiled around a branch inside the carrier, holding its head up slightly, looking quite energetic.

"We went to look for it at the apartment address and description you provided, and when we found it..."

The staff member's expression turned somewhat odd. "It was in the refrigerator compartment of your home.

Perhaps due to the low temperature, it had entered a state similar to hibernation, moving sluggishly.

We took it out, and as the temperature rose on the way back, it gradually regained its activity. We've already performed a basic check; there are no signs of injury or frostbite."

Shen Mingyuan quickly took the carrier and thanked him: "Thank you so much. Sorry for the trouble of making a trip."

After the staff member left, Shen Mingyuan opened the carrier. Little Green Snake immediately slithered skillfully up his arm, coiling around his wrist and upper arm, its cool scales pressing against his skin.

Shen Mingyuan gently tapped its little head with his finger, feeling both amused and exasperated:

"Seriously? Right after hatching, you snuck into the fridge to eat the high-energy nutrient solution, and now you just go in there to 'sleep'? Do you just love the refrigerator that much?"

Little Green Snake raised its head, those similarly cyan vertical pupils gazing quietly at Shen Mingyuan.

Snakes have no expressions, but for some reason, from its slightly tilted head posture and the subtle contraction of its pupils, Shen Mingyuan managed to read a hint of... a 'none-of-your-business' kind of disdain.

"Hey, you little rascal." Shen Mingyuan was amused by its reaction and shook his head.

Following the staff member's suggestion, he set up a more spacious, professional enclosure with a heating pad and temperature control equipment in the room and carefully placed the snake inside.

After finishing this, he walked over to the desk where a prepared document was already waiting.

Shen Mingyuan picked up a pen, his eyes quickly scanning the terms—mainly concerning confidentiality obligations, a cooperation framework for emergencies, and the corresponding guarantees and resource support provided by GUPA.

Without much hesitation, he signed his name at the end of the document.

Just as he had settled Little Green Snake and signed the document, the same staff member returned, holding a brand new key.

"Mr. Shen, there's one more thing." The staff member handed over the key and explained, "When we went to your apartment to pick up 'Little Green,' we found signs of forced entry damage on your front door lock. For safety reasons, we have already arranged for a new security door and lock core to be installed. This is the new key; please keep it safe. The related costs have been handled; you don't need to worry about it."

Shen Mingyuan was taken aback for a moment as he accepted the key. "The door was broken? How..."

Halfway through his question, he suddenly remembered something. An image surfaced in his mind of Wei Ziqing describing the rescue process and mentioning "... forcibly breaking into your apartment to get the belt." Given the critical situation at the time, that kid must have used the most direct method.

"Oh..." Shen Mingyuan understood and then waved his hand, a faint, helpless yet understanding smile appearing on his face. "Never mind, it's fine. It was probably... a friend who was in a hurry to save me. Thank you for taking care of it and even replacing it with a new one."

"It's what we should do." Seeing that he understood the situation, the staff member said no more, nodded, and left.

After the staff member left, the room returned to quietness. However, Shen Mingyuan had no intention of resting. He stood by the window, looking out at the deepening night of the base, a flicker of a somewhat restless light—unbefitting of his lawyer identity—passing through his eyes.

"It's time..." he murmured to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the window frame. "The Detective hidden in the night... No, perhaps this time it's 'shadow'?

The truth hidden in the mist, the bizarre corpse that appeared near the film crew's shooting location... It seems another 'commission' has arrived."

He turned around, quickly left the room, and went straight to the base's Intelligence and Analysis Center. Using his newly acquired permissions, he found the analyst responsible for following up on that bizarre corpse case.

"Mr. Shen, are you interested in that case?"

The person in charge was a bespectacled, middle-aged Researcher who looked somewhat tired but had sharp eyes.

After Shen Mingyuan stated his purpose, the Researcher pulled up the preliminary autopsy and analysis report.

"Yes, I'd like to understand the situation. After all, it happened near the Film and Television Base; it's somewhat concerning," Shen Mingyuan said, his gaze focused on the screen.

"The situation... is very unusual." The Researcher adjusted his glasses, pointing at the data on the report. "An abnormally high concentration of a certain alkaloid substance was detected in the victim's body. Its effects are similar to a mixture of a potent neuroinhibitor and a cognitive disruptor.

It is not fatal, but it makes the host's central nervous system 'sluggish,' particularly causing them to subconsciously ignore intense pain and abnormal sensations from specific areas of the body (especially the invaded area), possibly accompanied by mild disorientation and slowed reactions."

Shen Mingyuan immediately grasped the key point: "So, the victim was likely completely conscious, even able to walk, but due to the effects of this toxin, simply 'failed to notice' that something was gnawing at their abdomen from the inside or outside?"

"Based on the toxin's effects, that is highly possible." The Researcher's expression turned grave. "This explains why there were almost no signs of struggle at the scene, why the other parts of the body were intact, and only the abdomen was... cleaned so 'thoroughly'.

This doesn't resemble predation. It's more like some highly efficient, specialized 'clearing' or 'parasitic' process."

"Parasitic..." Shen Mingyuan pondered thoughtfully. "This toxin is like an 'anesthetic' and 'attention-dispersant' secreted by some specialized parasitic organism to 'feed' or 'develop' in peace.

If it's an animal, there are two possible sources: a creature that has accidentally evolved this ability in the wild, or..."

"Or an organized force with a background in biotechnology, such as the 'New Federation'."

The Researcher took over, his tone serious. "Only this one case has been found so far, but we have already initiated secret Investigation (investigation/sweep) and biological signal monitoring in the surrounding area of the Film and Television Base and a wider range.

Some colleagues speculate that this somewhat resembles the behavioral patterns of certain parasitic wasps, but scaled up and with toxicity amplified countless times.

It could be some insect or arthropod that has undergone an unknown directional evolution, or it could be a new type of biological weapon created or controlled by the 'New Federation.' There's no conclusion yet; the Investigation (investigation/sweep) is still ongoing."

"What is the primary scope of the Investigation (investigation/sweep)?" Shen Mingyuan pressed.

The Researcher marked an area on the electronic map, centered on the backstreet where the body was found, radiating out several kilometers, covering the Film and Television Base, parts of old residential areas, parks, and riverbank edges.

"Priority is given to areas that are easy to hide, damp, have small animal activity, and any suspicious, unusual reports of biological activity."

Shen Mingyuan memorized the map range and key information in his mind and nodded. "Alright, understood. Thank you for the information."

Leaving the analysis center, Shen Mingyuan did not return to his quarters. He went into the equipment room and collected some basic field investigation tools and communication devices. The night was deep, but for him, it was the perfect time for action.

"It seems it's time to take a careful look at the 'scene' and the 'surrounding area'."