Chapter 97: Natural Enemy

Li Tianque walked through the desolate streets, the aged buildings exuding a pervasive scent of decay that stirred an inexplicable sense of melancholy within him.

Originally, he had intended to return to the police station to rest, but at this moment, his growing doubts far outweighed his physical fatigue.

He halted his steps and continued pondering the case.

Among the four suspects involved, Bai Ruixue and Professor Lü were the most suspicious, yet both refused further questioning under the pretext of scientific research.

No valuable information had emerged during the interrogation, and the investigation had reached an impasse.

Therefore, to unravel the current mystery, it was necessary to begin with another key figure.

Naturally, that person was the elder of the clan, Luo Dichaolu.

Now that Ma Baoguo had given up, Li Tianque had to seek help from someone else to find the elder.

He returned to the hotel.

The landlady had already reversed the locks on the doors.

Awakened again by Li Tianque's knocking, she muttered curses in an unfamiliar language, angrily pushed aside the counter partition, and buried herself back under the covers.

Li Tianque paid her no mind and proceeded upstairs, where Tuden Nima, weary, looked up with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you back again?”

Li Tianque remained silent, just then noticing Liang Zhichao emerging from the laboratory.

Liang Zhichao was wiping sweat from his brow, seemingly having just finished assisting Professor Lü and was ready to return to his room.

“Liang Zhichao! Wait a moment!” Li Tianque called out.

Liang Zhichao, about to retire for the night, stopped in surprise and asked with a strange expression, “Officer, do you need something?”

“Yes, I want to ask a favor,” Li Tianque replied.

Liang Zhichao, apparently not sleepy, cautiously inquired, “Um, what is it?”

“I want you to guide me. Can you take me to the elder’s home now?” Li Tianque asked.

“Sure, I can’t sleep anyway,” Liang Zhichao agreed readily.

As they prepared to descend, Tuden Nima blocked their way and said to Li Tianque, “Brother, don’t make things difficult for me. The chief said I must stay here and watch them. None of the four are allowed to leave now.”

Li Tianque smiled and said, “Brother, the chief wants you to stay here to ensure those four’s safety. But between the two of us, who do you think is safer—Liang Zhichao and me going, or you staying here?”

Tuden Nima scratched his head, “I guess I should call the chief first.”

Li Tianque immediately grabbed Tuden Nima’s phone. Ma Baoguo was still angry and cautious; naturally, he would not allow Tuden Nima to let them leave.

“Feel free to call after we’ve left. If something goes wrong, it’s on me. You can say we forced our way out!” Li Tianque said as he pulled Liang Zhichao out of the hotel.

Tuden Nima was caught off guard and tried to stop them, but Li Tianque had already hurried downstairs with Liang Zhichao.

They stepped onto the street. The moon was bright, the stars sparse; the alleys were empty and desolate.

At this hour, most residents were asleep, and the entire city seemed plunged into silence, with no lights visible.

There was almost no sound of human activity—only the occasional chirping of crickets.

In this setting, Li Tianque recalled the night he first arrived in the ancient city.

Although the city was quiet at night, with almost no one around, even a slight noise could disturb the residents.

That night, Lin Ya was murdered; the killer chose to strike openly in the street, disregarding the risk of being caught. Either the killer was reckless, or the attack was sudden.

Li Tianque leaned toward the latter.

Liang Zhichao led the way in silence—not because of a reserved nature, but because the night seemed to dredge up unpleasant memories.

Finally, Li Tianque broke the silence with a question that might interest Liang Zhichao:

“You saw those wandering tiger beetles in Professor Lü’s lab just now, right?”

“Yes. Professor Lü said you caught them.”

“Have you ever seen such strange insects before?”

“No, but our research team mainly studies insects native to Tibet. These wandering tiger beetles are unique to the Siweiwei River Basin; we know a little about them,” Liang Zhichao replied absentmindedly.

“Oh, so these insects aren’t common?”

“No, they’re rare. These beetles are large and are called the ‘Emperors of Insects.’ They have almost no natural predators.

Even insectivorous birds gain no advantage against them and may be killed instead. Moreover...

According to local legends, when these beetles appear in swarms, they can even actively attack people and livestock.”

“Oh?” Li Tianque was surprised and pressed further, “If they’re so formidable and have no predators, why are they so rare?”

Liang Zhichao thought for a moment; his expression suddenly became thoughtful. After hesitating, he said:

“Although the wandering tiger beetle has no natural enemies, it is very picky in its diet. Its main prey is an insect called the black-wingless beetle, a member of the wingless beetle family. It only hunts humans or livestock when absolutely necessary.

But the black-wingless beetle prefers to live in moist sandy riverbanks, with habits somewhat like ants. They require very specific environments and have a short lifespan.

They only awaken from hibernation around May, begin breeding in mid-July, and the entire process lasts only 5 to 7 days. By September, they enter hibernation again.

Because their hibernation sites are deep in rock layers and last a long time, the wandering tiger beetle often faces food shortages during this period.

So, the wandering tiger beetle and black-wingless beetle are both rare and tend to coexist.”

“Black-wingless beetle...” Li Tianque murmured, the name sounding familiar. “Right, your research target this time must be that insect?”

“Exactly. But our team has been searching the Siweiwei River Basin for a month without any leads.

When we heard about strange shadows attacking people by the river in Ulkolo Township, we rushed here, hoping to find the wandering tiger beetle and, in turn, the black-wingless beetle,” Liang Zhichao explained.

Li Tianque immediately sensed a contradiction and asked:

“That’s odd. I’ve already met the clan chief of the Eagle Clan. He said your research team taught him how to defeat the wandering tiger beetle and then left. Why were you in such a hurry to leave, and why didn’t you catch the wandering tiger beetle yourselves?”

Liang Zhichao was not surprised by the question.

“Well, actually, we had already discovered the black-wingless beetle’s nest and brought back some samples.

Professor Lü Zuzhi is very passionate about entomology. He was eager to start experiments, so we returned early.”

“I see. No wonder Professor Lü locked himself in his room studying that night. But I still don’t understand: with such a major discovery, why did he conduct the research alone instead of involving you?”

“That... might be related to Professor Lü’s personality. Unlike other professors who like to delegate to their students, he prefers to do everything himself... but...

This time was unusual. I don’t really know why. After returning from the river, he locked himself in his room and forbade anyone from entering.”

“Why?”

“At first, Lin Ya stayed inside for about an hour to help Professor Lü prepare the medicine. Everyone was somewhat resentful at the time.

Especially Xiao Xue; she was very interested in studying the black-wingless beetle but barely saw any specimens before being excluded from the research. Anyone would feel bad about that,” Liang Zhichao said.

Li Tianque hummed thoughtfully, his suspicion of Bai Ruixue growing.

Since Liang Zhichao had mentioned Lin Ya, Li Tianque seized the opportunity to ask subtly:

“By the way, when Lin Ya chatted with you on WeChat that night, did you notice anything unusual? Any strange conversations?”

“Strange conversations? Haven’t you already seen our chat logs?”

“No, I mean two people who talk often on WeChat become familiar with each other’s style, and can tell from the tone whether it’s really the person or not,” Li Tianque explained.

“Of course. Lin Ya had a distinctive trait—she typed very fast. She used a Pinyin nine-key input method but was faster than with five-stroke input, and could even type blindly. Sometimes her phone was in her pocket, and she could still send messages secretly. Her replies that night were very fast—definitely her. No ordinary person could do that,” Liang Zhichao confirmed.

Hearing this, Li Tianque understood.

It seemed Lin Ya had suddenly encountered danger that night and sought help from Liang Zhichao via WeChat.

But...

What exactly did she mean by ‘the elder’ in the chat?

Was she calling for the elder’s help? Or was the murderer connected to the elder—or perhaps the elder himself?