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Lin Mingchang left Xu Ruicheng and the other officer responsible for recording behind, stepping out of the interrogation room and closing the door firmly. "What’s wrong, Xiaoshuang? Any discoveries?"
"This is what I just developed overnight—photos from Xu Ruicheng's bedroom. Look at these," Xiaoshuang said, pulling a stack of photographs from her bag and handing them to Lin Mingchang.
The photos depicted the portraits of missing children on Xu Ruicheng's wooden desk, alongside design sketches for puppets of the same size!
Lin Mingchang's eyes lit up. "Xiaoshuang, these photos are crucial! This is our best breakthrough!"
Grasping the photographs tightly, he pushed open the door to the interrogation room again. Xu Ruicheng immediately sensed the change in Lin Mingchang's demeanor.
Lin Mingchang slammed the photos down on the iron table. "So, Xu Ruicheng? Have you thought it through? Come on, explain to me—why do you have portraits of missing children at your home? And what about these puppet designs? Speak!"
"That is… that is…" Xu Ruicheng's gaze flickered, his fingers curling involuntarily.
Suddenly, his words were interrupted by a violent coughing fit. He clutched his chest with both hands as his complexion shifted visibly from red to blue, foam bubbling at his lips while his body convulsed uncontrollably.
"Call Doctor Fang! Hurry!" Lin Mingchang rushed forward, catching Xu Ruicheng just before he collapsed.
Fang Zigui arrived in a hurry, quickly checking Xu Ruicheng's pupils and pulse. He took out a silver needle from his kit and skillfully inserted it into Xu Ruicheng's neck and wrist acupoints. Then he pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, pouring a few brown pills into Xu Ruicheng's mouth.
He sniffed the saliva on his fingers after touching Xu Ruicheng and said, "It's Aconitine poisoning; the toxicity has already set in. I'm afraid it's too late."
Desperate, Lin Mingchang knelt beside him and grabbed Xu Ruicheng's shoulders. "Xu Ruicheng! Tell me quickly, who is that foreigner?! Where have the children been taken?!"
Xu Ruicheng could barely speak anymore, only managing to emit intermittent gasps. His eyes reflected deep fear and regret. Struggling to lift his calloused hand, he clutched Lin Mingchang's sleeve tightly and gasped with his last bit of strength, "The children… are… performing…"
Before he could finish, his hand fell limp, his eyes still open as he breathed his last.
Fang Zigui sighed and reached out to close Xu Ruicheng's eyes. "From his pulse, it seems he has been poisoned continuously for some time; today was just the final outbreak."
Lin Mingchang remained silent for a moment before turning to the officer guarding the door. "Take the body to Liu; ask him to examine it closely."
At that moment, Fang Zigui suddenly remembered something. He stood up and looked at Lin Mingchang. "He just said... the children are performing…?"
Without waiting for Lin Mingchang's response, he dashed out of the room. Moments later, panting heavily, he returned to the interrogation room holding a photograph, followed by Xiaoshuang and Shen Tong.
"This... this is Xiaoshuang’s photo of Xu Ruicheng’s bedroom; she took one from every angle! Look here!"
Lin Mingchang took the photograph and saw a corner of Xu Ruicheng’s bedroom with a poster hanging on the wall.
The poster depicted several vividly lifelike puppets, with ornate lettering below that read: "Wonderful Puppet Troupe will perform grandly this Saturday evening at Guotai Grand Theatre."
As Lin Mingchang's gaze fell upon the puppets, his pupils dilated in shock—those faces were unmistakably identical to those of the five missing children!
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