Chapter 093: Prairie Poison Moth Larvae

A brief phrase of only three characters, yet it carried the final message left by the dead.

The old clan chief...

This key figure seemed to be the most suspicious person among the evidence at hand, and he might also be hiding an important clue.

In the conversation that followed with Liang Zhichao, however, Liang Zhichao offered no other valuable leads.

Li Tianque again confirmed with Liang Zhichao that after Liang Zhichao and Lin Ya came back, Lin Ya returned to the girls' room to sleep, and Liang Zhichao never heard her come out again.

After Su Wei and Bai Ruixue returned, no one else came out of the girls' room either; only later, around eleven o'clock, did Liang Zhichao hear the sound of someone leaving the room from inside.

Likewise, according to Su Wei and Bai Ruixue's statements, both of them had remained in the room the entire time and had not come out before the murder.

Throughout the interrogation, Liang Zhichao seemed somewhat uneasy, as though he was still concealing something.

After Liang Zhichao left, Li Tianque began reviewing Professor Lu's earlier statement.

During the previous round of questioning, Ma Baoguo had likewise not been present.

Professor Lu's statement was also very simple: Lu Zhizhi, twenty-seven years old, a youthful prodigy and a somewhat well-known entomologist in the field.

On the day of the crime, Professor Lu had remained in the laboratory conducting experiments.

Since the research team sometimes went out for field activities, temporary cameras had been installed in the lab and in the hallway outside to prevent theft and other accidents.

After reviewing the footage, his alibi was confirmed.

On the night of the murder, Lu Zhizhi had stayed in the laboratory the whole time.

He went out once around ten o'clock, but returned very quickly.

According to Professor Lu, he had simply gone to the restroom.

The surveillance also showed Lin Ya entering the room and never coming out again, until the later accident occurred.

In this way, everyone on the research team had an alibi at the time of the crime, and the trail had basically gone cold.

After the questioning ended, Li Tianque and Ma Baoguo brought the caterpillar and the powder they had collected from the crime scene to Professor Lu and asked him to identify them.

Professor Lu was still conducting experiments at the time, dissecting a sparrow.

When he saw the two of them come in, he seemed displeased, but after hearing that they had come to ask him to identify an insect, he did not drive them away.

The two stood by and waited while Professor Lu took the hairy larva from the glass jar, glanced at it, and quickly put it back.

Then he opened the bottle containing the powder and sniffed it, before rubbing his nose.

The whole process took only about two minutes, and Professor Lu quickly reached a conclusion.

"This is the larva of the steppe poison moth.

"This kind of steppe poison moth has not yet been formally named. In academia, people call it the red-headed black caterpillar, while here in Kangmin, people call it Mokaimu or Monao.

"You said this insect crawled out of Lin Ya's body, so I infer that it must have been buried beneath the flesh by the killer.

"After all, in such a short time, it would be impossible for it to hatch from an egg into a larva.

"As for the powder in this glass bottle, it is made from the seeds of a grass called Ciwensha grass.

"This powder has a powerful attraction for the larvae of the steppe poison moth and can indeed lure them out."

Lu Zhizhi explained the origin of the insect and the powder in a solemn tone, offering no comment at all on Lin Ya's death, as though he cared nothing for it.

Ma Baoguo studied Lu Zhizhi and said pointedly, "Professor Lu, your student was cruelly tortured to death by the killer using this kind of insect. Don't you feel even a little heartbroken? The murderer’s method really is far too cruel."

Lu Zhizhi wore a mask, but he still seemed to catch the strong smell of tobacco on Ma Baoguo's body. Frowning, he shifted slightly to the side.

"This is beyond my field," he said gently, his pale face showing no trace of emotion. "Is there anything else?"

Li Tianque could not help inwardly mocking him. This Lu Zhizhi, young and accomplished though he was, and aloof in temperament though he might be, was truly charismatic.

Cold, intelligent, with a gentle voice, he fit the image of the ideal prince charming in the minds of most girls.

Moreover, although Lu Zhizhi and Bai Ruixue held completely opposite convictions about their professional field, their personalities still shared many things in common.

Just as Lu Zhizhi was growing impatient, Ma Baoguo laughed and said, "Come now, Professor Lu, why so urgent? We wanted to have a chat with you. After all, Lin Ya was your student. As a mentor, it is not only about teaching knowledge."

Though he did not say it directly, Ma Baoguo was hinting that as the mentor, with something so serious having happened, Lu Zhizhi would have to bear most of the responsibility. He should not expect to stand apart from it all.

Yet Lu Zhizhi seemed wholly unconcerned, and might not even have caught the implication.

He walked to the doorway and made a courteous gesture, saying, "Didn't I already say so? Our project has not yet been completed. Before I leave, I want to finish my work as soon as possible."

Seeing that even the content of his speech was much the same as Bai Ruixue's, Li Tianque felt even more strongly that the two were alike.

But since Lu Zhizhi had already issued the equivalent of a dismissal, Li Tianque knew that if he did not use his trump card now, this man probably would not say a thing.

So Li Tianque took the black sphere containing Shi'erwu from his backpack and placed it on Lu Zhizhi's lab table.

At the sight of that oddly shaped black sphere, Lu Zhizhi's expression did not change, but his body gave an inexplicable tremor.

Ma Baoguo noticed it first and immediately patted Lu Zhizhi on the shoulder. "Hey, brother, don't be afraid. This thing doesn't look like it can explode. It's not dangerous."

"What is it?" Lu Zhizhi asked uneasily.

Li Tianque looked at him and said, "Professor Lu, you should be very familiar with this thing.

"It is said that some time ago, Chief Jiayang Gongbu of the Eagle Tribe came to you for help with something. This item is connected to that matter."

Lu Zhizhi's body trembled again. Instinctively, he edged toward the door, as though trying to retreat, while asking, "Inside this black sphere is... Shi'erwu?"

"That's right. Using your method, I managed to subdue Shi'erwu and put it in here."

Before Li Tianque had even finished speaking, Lu Zhizhi snapped the door shut with a bang, then let out a strange burst of laughter.

"Hee hee hee... hee hee hee... You actually caught it! So it really is in here?"

Only then did Li Tianque and Ma Baoguo realize that the trembling they had just seen in Lu Zhizhi was not fear at all, but excitement.

His body was shaking from sheer exhilaration.

"That's right, it's in here!

"Since Professor Lu, you were able to suggest a way to deal with Shi'erwu to the chief before, you must know it very well?" Li Tianque asked.

From inside the mask came two guttural gulps, like someone swallowing saliva. Then Lu Zhizhi's eyes, hidden beneath thick lenses, slowly emerged into view.

"Of course. Of course I know it very well."

"In that case, could you introduce it to us?" Li Tianque asked.

Lu Zhizhi had been about to laugh again, but he finally seemed to realize how unbecoming his behavior was. He hurriedly coughed twice, then took the black sphere from Li Tianque with a serious expression and said with a smile, "That ugly thing called Shi'erwu does not deserve to be called an insect. Its proper name is the wandering velvet tiger beetle.

"It is a hideous creature that lives in dark places underground. These things attack human beings and livestock, and they often travel in groups.

"It's wonderful that you were able to capture it. Otherwise, who knows how many more people might have been harmed."

As he spoke, Lu Zhizhi pressed his ear against the black sphere, listening carefully to the sounds within while gently stroking it.

"All right, you can hand it over to me. I want to study it carefully."

Li Tianque thought for a moment and said, "Of course. But Professor Lu, you must also agree to one request of mine."

"What request?" Lu Zhizhi asked.

"You and your research team cannot leave tomorrow. Please stay here for three more days," Li Tianque said gravely.

Upon hearing this, Ma Baoguo immediately jumped up and said, "That won't do. The real killer still hasn't been caught, and the township is very dangerous. The research team has to head back tomorrow, and not a single day can be delayed!"