Chapter 252: Resonating Molecular Chains

The centrifuge in the criminal investigation lab hummed like a bee; Old Zheng removed his gloves, and the fluorescent light cast a bluish-gray shadow beneath his eyelids.

“The complexation reaction simulation results are in.” He tapped the keyboard; the 3D model of Longhu rotated onscreen, red zones spreading outward from the spillway gate. “At 2:07 a.m., water temperature precisely rose to 15.2 degrees.”

Gao Ye stared at the fluctuating curve: “When the cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin solution in the titanium alloy container was released and came into contact with acidic wastewater...” He suddenly fell silent as the molecular structure onscreen violently reconfigured.

“A Fenton-like reaction occurs.” Ye Lin called up the spectral analysis chart. “Hydroxyl radical concentration surged 200-fold within thirty seconds—equivalent to turning the lake water into diluted concentrated sulfuric acid.”

Gu Changzheng unconsciously rubbed the autopsy report; the diatoms in Chen Guodong’s lung alveoli suddenly swam through his memory. The surface patterns of these single-celled organisms bore a startling resemblance to the charred burn marks on the victim’s palm.

Zhou Shichang’s crocodile-skin briefcase sat on the interrogation table; his gold-plated cufflinks clinked faintly against the stainless-steel handcuffs. “My lawyer is on the way.” He smoothed the wrinkles on his suit jacket. “As for that German-made container, it was merely wastewater sampling equipment.”

Luo Fei slammed the cyanide detection report from the weather station onto the desk: “Should I remind you that Professor Chen reported your factory’s illegal discharge of cyanide-laden wastewater ten years ago?” The projector lit up, displaying side-by-side footage of the 2015 environmental award ceremony and the 2005 pollution incident report; Chen Guodong’s suit had changed from navy to slate blue, but his gaze remained just as sharp.

“Just a leak from old pipes.” Zhou Shichang spun his platinum ring. “Besides, didn’t Professor Chen later help us improve the treatment process?” He suddenly leaned forward, shadows swallowing half the table. “The new water treatment agent he developed increased cyanide decomposition efficiency to 99.9%.”

Old Zheng behind the one-way glass clenched his thermos tightly; goji berries churned in the boiling water.

The sealed case delivered by the evidence unit emitted a chill; remnants of Chen Guodong’s lab materials spread under the germicidal lamp. Ye Lin brushed the charred pages with a soft brush and suddenly gasped: “There’s an impression here!” As the spectral imaging device activated, Luo Fei saw the victim’s handwriting emerge from the ashes:

【When complexing agent concentration > 0.3 mol/L, aluminum-EDTA complex undergoes anomalous phase transition】

Old Zheng seized a magnifying glass; the ink diffusion pattern along the impression’s edge made his temples throb. “This was written with a Schmidt-brand needle-tip pen—its ink contains potassium ferricyanide.” He turned to Gu Changzheng. “Remember the ink stain on the victim’s right thumb web?”

The forensic room surveillance footage was sped up threefold and paused at the moment before Chen Guodong’s body was sealed—the blue-black spot on his right thumb web was clearly visible, then mistaken for livor mortis.

The hazardous waste warehouse of Huasheng Chemical Plant was bathed in searchlights; Xiao Sun operated the robotic arm wearing a radiation shield. When tank B-7 was lifted, brown crusts clinging to its bottom crumbled away. Gao Ye froze the sample with a liquid nitrogen gun; purple smoke instantly rose from the crystallization dish.

“Residual mixture of ferric chloride and sodium cyanide.” Old Zheng’s detector blared an alarm. “This outdated cyanide removal process should have been phased out by Professor Chen’s new technology.”

Gu Changzheng’s leather shoe crushed the crystalline residue on the floor; the crunch reminded him of the binding thread in the case file. On page 47 of the 2005 pollution incident file, the photocopy of Zhou Shichang’s handwritten guarantee had yellowed; the exclamation mark at the end of his promise resembled a rusted dagger.

“Check the 2005 purchase records for complexing agents.” He suddenly pressed his Bluetooth earpiece. “Focus on tracking the flow of disodium EDTA.”

The midnight data center thrummed with hard drive hums; Xiao Sun cracked the encrypted financial subsystem. The blue glow of the screen reflected on his oily nose: “In October 2005—two months after the pollution incident—Huasheng suddenly purchased five tons of disodium EDTA.” The mouse wheel scrolled down. “But wastewater treatment volume dropped 60% that same year.”

Ye Lin projected the molecular model onto the panoramic screen; the coordination bonds between aluminum ions and EDTA were breaking. “Excess complexing agent reverses the reaction under strong acid conditions.” She pulled up the Longhu sediment test data. “Thirty-year-old aluminum-containing sludge was reactivated—like pouring liquid nitrogen into a volcano’s mouth.”

Luo Fei suddenly yanked away the cover from the whiteboard, revealing Chen Guodong’s full equation. In a charred corner, half a reaction condition remained: temperature > 35°C, pH < 2.

“Human oral temperature is 36°C.” Gu Changzheng’s voice was taut as a drawn wire. “That box of chocolate Zhou Shichang gave him.”

The operating room lights blazed at full intensity; Old Zheng placed the victim’s gastric mucosa slide under the electron microscope. In the emerald-green field, holes in the cell membranes formed a peculiar pattern—like the lunar surface struck by a meteor shower.

“This is chromosomal breakage caused by alpha radiation!” He snapped his head up; the scalpel clattered onto the tile. “Immediately test the victim’s bones for strontium-90!”

At 4 a.m., the radiation detection room blared alarms; the Geiger counter swung wildly above Chen Guodong’s ribcage. Xiao Sun stared at the reading, pale as chalk: “Radioactivity exceeds limits by 170 times—equivalent to...”

"It's like lying in an X-ray machine for half a month." Old Zheng tore open the collar of his protective suit. "But Longhu's water quality reports show no radiation exceeding limits."

Gu Changzheng seized the white powder sample left at the weather station; the gamma spectrometer shrieked as it plotted the characteristic peak of thorium-232.

Zhou Shichang’s platinum ring glowed coldly inside the evidence bag; Gu Changzheng scanned its surface with proton-induced X-ray fluorescence. Hidden wear patterns gradually emerged—a miniature radioactive source symbol.

“At the 2014 Hanover Chemical Expo, Company M was penalized for illegally transporting a radioactive source.” Gu Changzheng pushed the penalty notice under the interrogation lamp. “You served as a technical consultant and assisted in relocating the thorium-based catalyst.”

Zhou Shichang’s Adam’s apple bobbed; sweat trickled down his temple into his Armani shirt collar. Behind the one-way glass, Luo Fei suddenly raised the evidence bag—the ink residue from Chen Guodong’s lab glowed with an eerie blue fluorescence.

“Potassium ferricyanide triggers the Auger effect when exposed to thorium-232.” Old Zheng’s voice crackled through the speaker. “You mixed a radioactive source into Professor Chen’s usual ink cartridge, poisoning him slowly as he wrote equations.”

The interrogation room’s overhead light flickered; Zhou Shichang’s shadow on the wall twisted into a monstrous, clawed thing. From afar, the chemical plant echoed with a muffled explosion; the surface of Longhu shimmered with sickly phosphorescence.