Star Trace Gate

Chapter 883: Investigating the Antidote, Mr. Zhou Survives

In the patrol hall.

Yang Youguang, who is not very smart and has an average memory, is looking at the plates spread out on the ground. His forehead is covered with sweat and he is very nervous.

He squatted on the ground, constantly trying to rearrange the order of the plates, stacking them one by one, and then looking at them carefully, or pushing them down and taking them apart again.

To be honest, these plates used to serve food to death row prisoners are dirty and heavy, and are usually ignored. If Yang Youguang had not been a prison guard for so many years and had to fiddle with these things every day, he would not have been able to remember which plate was used by which prison guard.

He was now forcing himself to recall all the details, and after trying more than a dozen times, he began to distribute them one by one on the empty ground next to him.

After a while, he found the angle he was most familiar with. His eyes lit up as he pointed at the plate Zhao Haochen had just taken and said excitedly, "This is it! This is what No. 79 uses every day. From this angle, it's exactly the same. There's no way I could have made a mistake...!"

"Snapped!"

Sure enough, the moment the plate hit the ground, the loose palm-sized piece of wood fell down again due to the vibration.

"very good!"

Zhao Haochen's smile grew even wider, and he said, hands behind his back, "Yang Youguang, go to the side hall and rest for a while. I'll ask others. If there's nothing else, you can go home soon."

"it is good."

Yang Youguang stood up and clasped his fists: "Please find the traitor quickly, or I will be under too much psychological pressure...!"

After saying that, someone sent him away, and then Wu Li called several people in charge of the kitchen.

Although they are called the persons in charge, they are actually “wild dogs” of low moral character, with very poor talent and potential, and are not even included in the establishment of the Punishment Hall. At best, they can only be considered temporary employees.

There were five people in total who came to the kitchen, three men and two women. They all looked very nervous. One woman even kept clutching the corners of her clothes, fearing that she would be involved in the jailbreak and lose her life.

"Don't be nervous. Just tell the truth about whatever the adults ask." Wu Li advised.

"Yes!"

The five people saluted solemnly.

"Which jailer usually uses this plate on the ground? Do you remember?" Zhao Haochen asked bluntly.

The five of them were completely bewildered by this question. They stared at the plate on the ground in astonishment, carefully examining it for a long time before collectively shaking their heads.

Zhao Haochen frowned: "You are responsible for cleaning these dishes every day, don't you remember at all?!"

"I really don't remember," a middle-aged man said firmly, shaking his head like a rattle. "Your Excellency, you may not know this. The jailer is usually only responsible for taking seven or eight plates, but we are responsible for washing the plates for the entire prison. These include not only those used by the death row prisoners, but also those used by the jailers and those on minor duties... The daily volume is so huge that we really can't remember who used them all."

This answer is reasonable, but for Zhao Haochen, it feels as uncomfortable as eating shit.

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you remember, during the daytime of the jailbreak, that someone deliberately approached these plates, or found some excuse... to take one of them from you?"

He had already determined that the traitor was most likely the antidote he had given to No. 79 on a dinner plate, and that it was the one that had lost a corner. In other words, he now had evidence in his hands, and all he needed to do was find a witness to catch the traitor...

The five people in the kitchen were also trying their best to recall the story at this moment and did not dare to be negligent.

The hall was quiet, and everyone was quietly waiting for the answer.

An incense stick of time passed, and the five temporary employees were sweating profusely. Then one woman bravely replied, "I really don't remember anyone approaching the plate, but I remember... no one ever found an excuse to take this thing...!"

After hearing this answer, Zhao Haochen still didn't give up and asked, "Think about it again. If someone touched these plates, it would most likely be during lunch or when you were busy preparing dinner in the afternoon... He might have entered the kitchen with a group of people and pretended to chat or to get something before walking towards where the plates were placed."

"There are five of you, and the kitchen isn't very big. It's impossible for you to not see them when they move around!"

He very patiently described and deduced the various details that might have occurred when the mole committed the crime.

The five people fell into memories again, and their expressions were a little dull for a moment.

After a while, they came back to their senses one by one, but their eyes were full of evasiveness as if they were afraid of being blamed.

"Still haven't thought of it?!" Wu Li asked hurriedly.

"I honestly don't remember anyone ever approaching the plates." The man who had spoken earlier, hunched over, lowered his head. "There are so many of them. Besides, when we're not serving food to the condemned prisoners, jailers, and other minor errand boys, they're just sitting in the corner of the kitchen. You say... you say we're so busy preparing meals for so many people every day... how can we have time to pay attention to the plates?"

"Yes, every day at lunchtime, our kitchen is bustling with people, almost constantly serving the jailers who serve over twenty tables. Some are waiting in line, others are chatting... It's incredibly noisy. Honestly, I'm so busy my mind is a mess. Sometimes, when I look at my wife, she looks like a fathead fish on the chopping board..."

"...!"

After hearing this answer, Zhao Haochen was speechless.

"Think about it again!!! Think about it right here! I don't believe that a living person could get close to the plate and tamper with it without anyone noticing!" Wu Li shouted sternly.

The five of them were startled at once and nodded repeatedly, but did not dare to respond.

"call……!"

Zhao Haochen stood in the brightly lit inner hall, let out a long breath, and then waved his hand, saying, "No need, let them all go. Tomorrow, send a few patrolmen to the kitchen and ask everyone else if they noticed the traitor approaching the plates...!"

"Yes."

Wu Li responded.

"Master Zhao, let's go back and think about this carefully..."

The five people immediately felt as if they had been pardoned and hurriedly bowed and said goodbye.

Not long after the "witness" left, Zhao Haochen walked out of the inner hall, with his hands behind his back, looking at the quiet night sky.

All the details indicated that the plate used by No. 79 must be faulty, and it was now the second most reliable piece of evidence besides the shoe prints. But what made him even more helpless was that the five people in charge of the kitchen, who worked almost all day, couldn't remember anyone even approaching the plate...

Is it really because their memory is failing? Is it really because the kitchen is too noisy and chaotic?

Definitely not...

If the previous guess is correct, and the traitor is the one who delivered the antidote to the storyteller on the dinner plate, then what does he need to do?

He needed to package the antidote, find the exact plate that No. 79 would use, squat down, and slowly stuff the antidote into the tray. Then he would carefully inspect it to prevent Yang Youguang from noticing anything unusual about the plate...

Can something like this be accomplished in just three or five breaths? That's obviously not the case...

He had to stay by the plate for at least a "long time" to be absolutely sure that the storyteller could get the antidote quietly. So, it wasn't because the five people had a memory problem, nor was it because the kitchen was too noisy and chaotic...

The traitor was simply too cunning, too skilled at hiding. He must have been incredibly meticulous and observant, choosing the perfect moment to calmly and unobtrusively hide the antidote on a plate while ensuring he wouldn't be noticed. He might even have secretly taken a plate, then quietly returned it after everything was done.

Wu Li was right. This person might actually be a highly capable colleague. He might be able to investigate cases, but he's even better at committing them...

After finding the dinner plate, Zhao Haochen saw a glimmer of hope, but now everyone in the kitchen has collectively lost their memory, breaking this very thin clue again.

He frowned and gently pinched his eyebrows.

"Tap!"

There was the sound of footsteps, and Wu Li stepped onto the stairs. When there were no outsiders around, he called out affectionately, "Young Master, you don't have to worry too much. There are more than 30 people in the kitchen. Tomorrow I will bring some people to question them. Who knows, we might find some clues...!"

"I disagree with you." Zhao Haochen raised his head slightly. "These five people are responsible for cooking in the kitchen, serving meals in the front hall, and pouring tea and water... Their duties cover almost every aspect of the kitchen, and they are also responsible for managing the plates. They don't have any abnormal memories, so if you ask others, you will probably get no results."

"This..." Wu Li was also very angry when he heard this.

"There is another clue." Zhao Haochen said suddenly.

"what?"

"The antidote. The Li and Yin families only have the Tongshen Powder. No matter how the traitor hides, he inevitably has to steal the medicine from these two families... The Yin family has already left, so the traitor definitely can't be in their clan, and there's no reason for the Li family to cooperate with the storyteller." Zhao Haochen naturally couldn't guess the existence of this anomaly Li Xiaopang. He only said with certainty: "An outsider, it must be an outsider who secretly stole the elixir. Go to the Spirit Beast Pavilion of the Wudao Academy now and bring a Heavenly Spirit Rat. I'll take my men to the Yin family to wait for you... I'm going to Kaifeng Danyuan to check the Dan Pavilion that contains the Tongshen Powder!"

Wu Li thought wisely for a moment, then said bluntly, "Sir... what if, I mean what if. What if this traitor is hiding in the Li family and stole the elixir... then how should we investigate?"

"During the clan hall meeting, in front of the three clan leaders, I personally asked Uncle Li Er if his family had a shortage of Tongshen Powder. Uncle Li Er told me that he checked the quantity immediately after the jailbreak, and it was absolutely accurate. If the problem lies with his family, then he is willing to destroy his star core, transform himself into a little golden man, and often kneel outside the Xuwang God Tomb to atone for his sins with his death." Zhao Haochen remained firm, "I know the Li family. No one in their clan would be a traitor...!"

"That's good." Wu Li liked to see the young master's confident and determined look.

Not long after, Master Zhao took the lead and led six patrolmen to the deserted Yin family Alchemy Courtyard, and opened the sealed door of the Alchemy Pavilion.

They waited in front of the Dan Pavilion for about a quarter of an hour, and then they saw torches everywhere on the long street of Xuwang. Wu Li came hurriedly with six or seven people, carrying a cage containing a white-haired rat.

Everyone entered the courtyard, and Wu Li clasped his fists and said, "Master Patrol, I borrowed the Heavenly Spirit Rat from the Enlightenment Court."

"Let's go in and take a look."

Zhao Haochen responded and led everyone into the Yin family's Dan Pavilion.

After the entire Yin family migrated, the Yin Family Pharmacy, a large area, became completely empty. During the initial rise of the Yin family, this plot of land belonged to the Zhao family, and Zhao Mi had originally leased it to them for business purposes. However, over the years, the Yin family had donated money and materials, spending a large sum to buy out the land. So, even though the entire family was gone, the land remained in their name. The clan hall had only sealed it off, preventing outsiders from entering, but it had not reclaimed it.

However, the Yin family's downfall was abrupt, crumbling almost overnight. Yin Hong and his female relatives committed suicide, and the Tianbu Fang (a traditional Chinese medicine recipe) was lost. This, coupled with the public eye, made the Yin family a laughingstock. The victorious Li family, only a stone's throw away, stood just off the Yin family's doorstep. Looking up from their own courtyard, they saw only the triumphant cheers of their mortal enemy and smelled the blood of their own women... All this made the Yin family feel utterly humiliated, unable to "breathe normally" in the village of Falsehood. Shame and anger, they chose to relocate the next day.