Chapter 2: The Serpent Case (Part Two)

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Li Rui stared at his phone screen; the serpentine symbol seemed to come alive, flicking its tongue in the darkness. He immediately forwarded the message to the technical department, demanding they trace the sender’s location.

“Forensic Officer Li, the surveillance footage from the club has been retrieved,” Xiao Wang hurried over, clutching a laptop. “Also, here’s the shareholder list.”

Li Rui took the list, his gaze quickly scanning through it. Suddenly, one name caught his attention: Lin Corporation. This locally influential business conglomerate had been embroiled in an industrial espionage case three years ago, with the primary suspect at the time being Lin Xiuyuan, the eldest son of the Lin family.

“Pull up Lin Xiuyuan’s files,” Li Rui ordered, opening the surveillance footage.

On screen, a man in a black trench coat entered the club’s lobby. Though wearing a hat, his gait and build closely resembled the man captured by the cinema’s surveillance cameras. The man walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

“What’s on the top floor?” Li Rui asked.

“It’s the VIP suite, accessible only to a select few members,” Xiao Wang replied. “We checked—last night, only one suite was occupied up there, registered to…”

“Lin Xiuyuan,” Li Rui finished.

Xiao Wang nodded in surprise. “How did you know?”

Li Rui said nothing. His eyes lingered on a detail in the footage: when the man pressed the elevator button, a button on his sleeve peeked out, faintly marked with the letter ‘L.’

“Apply for a search warrant. We’re heading to the club,” Li Rui said as he stood up. “Also, keep someone on Lin Xiuyuan.”

The VIP suite on the top floor was lavishly decorated but exuded an inexplicable oppressive atmosphere. Li Rui stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city’s nightscape. From here, he could see the entire moat encircling the city.

“Forensic Officer Li, we’ve found something!” Xiao Liu from the forensic team called out, holding up a crumpled scrap of paper discovered in the couch cushions.

Li Rui took the paper; it bore a sequence of numbers: 7-13-21-34-55. He immediately recognized them as part of the Fibonacci sequence.

“A code?” Captain Zhang leaned in closer.

Li Rui said nothing; his attention shifted to a small coffee table beside the sofa. On it sat an ashtray containing several cigarette butts. Wearing gloves, he picked one up and inspected it carefully.

There were faint teeth marks on the filter—and then Li Rui noticed the filter had been torn open. He delicately pried it apart and found a miniature memory card hidden inside.

“Quick, get a card reader!”

The contents of the memory card made everyone gasp. It was a detailed “client list,” documenting the special preferences and private secrets of the club’s VIP patrons. At the end of the list was an encrypted folder named after the Fibonacci sequence numbers.

“What on earth is Lin Xiuyuan up to?” Captain Zhang frowned.

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Li Rui’s thoughts deepened. Three years ago, a series of murders targeted wealthy individuals with unusual proclivities. Police had suspected a vigilante justice motive but never found solid proof.

Now, this list seemed to connect the two cases.

Suddenly, Li Rui’s phone buzzed again. Another anonymous message:

“Found what you were looking for, Forensic Officer Li? But be careful—some truths come with a price.”

At the end was the same serpent symbol.

Li Rui gripped his phone tightly. He knew he had stumbled upon a dangerous secret, one that likely reached into the very heart of the city’s power structure.

“Captain Zhang,” he said, turning around, “I need your help investigating something.”

“What is it?”

“Get me all the files on the Lin Corporation’s industrial espionage case from three years ago. Also, check Lin Xiuyuan’s movements during that period.”

The rain intensified as Li Rui stood on the club’s top floor, gazing out at the hazy city lights. He knew he was peeling back the layers of a massive conspiracy—and at its center was that mysterious serpent emblem.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glint from a window across the street. Was that… the lens of a telescope?

Li Rui dropped to a crouch just as a bullet shattered the glass behind him.

“Sniper!” he shouted, diving for cover.

Chaos erupted throughout the club. Captain Zhang immediately called for backup and ordered the surrounding streets to be sealed off. But when the police reached the building opposite, the sniper had vanished, leaving behind only a serpent symbol and a button marked with an ‘L.’

Standing at the sniper’s perch, Li Rui stared at the symbol and suddenly understood: this was no ordinary serial murder case but a meticulously orchestrated act of revenge. The killer was manipulating the police, gradually unveiling a vast, dark secret.

And Li Rui himself had become a key pawn in this deadly game.

Back at the precinct, Li Rui convened the task force. Piecing together all the clues, he began to unravel a shocking truth:

Three years ago, the Lin Corporation had used the private information of the club’s VIP clients to blackmail rivals and obtain trade secrets. The serial killer back then was actually a victim’s relative seeking vigilante justice—and was silenced by Lin Corporation. Now, the current killer was likely an accomplice or another bereaved family member.

“So the killer is leading us to investigate Lin Corporation?” Captain Zhang asked.

Li Rui nodded. “But it’s more than that. Notice that all the victims are connected to the case from three years ago.”

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The room fell silent. Suddenly, Xiao Liu from the technical department burst in.

“Forensic Officer Li, we’ve cracked the encrypted folder!”

The contents shocked everyone. Inside lay not only evidence of Lin Corporation’s crimes over the years but also a detailed “cleanup list.” And the next target on that list was—Li Rui himself.

“This is…” Captain Zhang’s face went pale.

Li Rui smiled grimly. “They’re finally coming for me.”

At that moment, Li Rui’s phone rang again. This time, it was a video message. On screen stood a man wearing a serpent-shaped mask inside a warehouse surrounded by explosives.

“Forensic Officer Li,” the man’s voice was distorted, “If you want the truth from three years ago, come alone to the old docks in the southern part of the city. Remember, only you. Otherwise…” The screen shifted to a city map with several red dots flashing.

Those were coordinates of key landmarks.

“He’s threatening to blow up these places!” Captain Zhang exclaimed.

Li Rui stood up. “I’m going.”

“No! It’s too dangerous!”

“This is the only chance.” Li Rui donned his coat. “Don’t worry—I’m prepared.”

Through the rain-soaked night, Li Rui drove alone toward the old docks. He knew this might be the killer’s final trap, but he had no choice—only by uncovering the truth from three years ago could he prevent further tragedy.

Upon arrival, he followed the directions into a warehouse. A voice echoed in the darkness:

“Welcome to the end game, Forensic Officer Li.”

Lights suddenly flared on, revealing the man in the serpent mask. Behind him was a massive countdown timer: 30 minutes remaining.

“Now,” the man said, “let’s play the final game.”