wavenovel Chapter 4 is all wrong.
Chapter 4 is all wrong.
Beside the dilapidated red brick building, the CVS pharmacy sign flickered on and off, crackling loudly.
A few homeless people's tents were pitched by the roadside, and the whole street was deathly silent, not even a dog barking.
Lu Yiming, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, crouched behind a rusty trash can, staring at the glass door of the pharmacy.
He glanced down at his watch: 23:12
In the end, he didn't wear the police uniform; he only managed to steal Mike's badge, a pair of handcuffs, and a Glock pistol.
"Looks like this is the place."
He was unable to access the spending records of other victims and therefore could not determine whether all the deceased had visited the pharmacy.
So his plan was simple: scout the location, confirm, show identification, and arrest the person.
Of course, he's not stupid; he might be a ruthless character who has killed three people.
Being physically weak, if the opponent resists, I'll just empty the magazine and let them die unexpectedly from heavy metal poisoning.
"Tsk tsk, it's really cold here."
In order to save time and to conceal his identity, he took off his auxiliary police uniform at the hotel.
The evening breeze made him shiver.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fist in the air.
Keep it up! The opportunity to get a permanent position, a luxury apartment, a luxury car, and beautiful women are right in front of you!
Lu Yiming forced himself to stand up, rubbed his cheeks, pretended to be nonchalant, and pushed the door open to enter.
"Oh, baby~ My wife's not home today, I'll come over to your place tonight~"
He held his phone, deliberately raising his voice to act as if he was in a great hurry to meet his lover.
Before coming, he recalled a question posed by the Seven Deadly Sins assassin: "Do you have any commonalities in the targets you choose?"
He checked and discovered that all three victims were men, two in black and one in white, and all died in the arms of their lovers.
So, following Hannibal's example, he added to the murderer's portrait:
Men with distorted psychology are unable to experience the joy of being a man, yet they envy those men who have multiple partners.
The pharmacy was brightly lit and filled with the strong smell of alcohol disinfectant.
Various medicine cabinets stand side by side, obscuring the counters and making the view very poor.
However, Lu Yiming took a few steps forward, saw the counter clearly, and then stopped in his tracks.
Behind the counter stood a plump, middle-aged Black woman wearing blue overalls.
Is it a woman?
Lu Yiming's heart pounded, but he quickly composed himself.
We cannot rule out the possibility of a gang committing the crime; since they're here, they have to play their part completely.
"Oh dear, that old woman at home is nowhere near as pretty as you. It's a promise, you're going to wear that...maid outfit tonight..."
He strode toward the counter while making a lecherous phone call.
He was still thinking to himself: with his acting skills, if he didn't become a policeman, he might be able to make a living in Hollywood.
Walking up to the glass counter, Lu Yiming casually rested his left hand on the counter, leaned forward slightly, and put on an embarrassed look.
His right hand hung down, gripping the Glock's grip tightly, his thumb disengaging the safety.
"Ahem... Boss, do you have Viagra?"
As he spoke, Lu Yiming wiped his nose, making himself appear even more guilty.
According to Hannibal's portrait, the other party should have been selling nitroglycerin disguised as "Red Dragon Brew" while selling Viagra.
"Yes, I do." The Black woman smiled and turned to take out a strip of pills.
"150 dollars."
Reluctantly paying, I continued to probe:
"Recently, I feel that this product is becoming less and less effective. Do you have any recommendations for something stronger?"
The Black woman rolled her eyes and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Young man, how about I introduce you to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who's been smuggled in? You look quite young, there might still be hope."
Lu Yiming's lips twitched: No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!
I endured it for the sake of getting a permanent position and for the sake of justice.
Continuing to follow the script: "Last night, that male shop assistant recommended a medicinal wine to me, something like Red Dragon..."
"Are there any more in stock? He bragged to me that it's a secret royal recipe from the mysterious East!"
He was testing whether there was a male employee in the store.
Sure enough, the woman's eyes flickered, and her tone became urgent:
"What kind of medicinal wine is this?! This is a legitimate pharmacy. Jimmy always recommends these unregulated folk remedies to his customers. If you want to buy it, go to him. I wouldn't dare sell it to you!"
Lu Yiming's eyes flashed: They're here!
There really is such a man! And he's selling fake medicine! He could very well be that serial killer.
Things have come to this point; there's no need to continue.
Lu Yiming dropped his playful grin, flicked his wrist, and slammed Mike's badge onto the glass counter with a "smack."
"Fremont police officer. Tell me, who is Jimmy?"
The Black woman was clearly startled and immediately raised her hands to her ears:
"Oh my god! Officer! I swear to God, we don't sell illegal drugs! That Jimmy... he's just a temporary worker!"
This set the stage, with the Black woman quickly disclaiming any connection.
Complaints included that Jimmy "doesn't look like a decent person," "must have picked up some shady stuff on the street," and "the change in the cash register doesn't match up"...
"Stop, stop, stop." Lu Yiming waved his hand, signaling her to calm down and shut up.
"Okay, call him over now, but don't let him know the police are here. Just say..."
"I understand, I understand!" the woman responded quickly. "I just said a new batch of goods arrived, and I couldn't carry them all, so the boss asked him to come and help!"
Lu Yiming nodded; this woman was quite perceptive.
"Hey Jimmy, it's me, Latoya... Listen, honey, you need to get to the store right away..."
That stingy boss has stocked up again, my back is about to break... Yes, I promise I won't let you work for nothing...
While the woman turned around to make a phone call, Lu Yiming began to survey the surroundings of the pharmacy, looking for the best spot to make the arrest.
As soon as Jimmy walked in, he planned to close the door and beat him.
Ambush, pin down, handcuff.
Regardless of whether he is a serial killer or not, the fact that he sells fake medicine alone makes today's trip worthwhile.
In the United States, selling illegal drugs is a felony, and if convicted, the minimum sentence is ten years or more.
Of course, if you have money and power, that's another story. You could even open a gym to sell steroids, veterinary drugs, and so on.
His gaze swept across the wall, where a duty roster was posted:
This week's early shift: Jimmy, 13:00-21:00
This week's evening shift: Latoya, 21:00 PM – 4:00 AM the following day.
Jimmy?
Lu Yiming frowned; something was wrong.
The black man who died at the love hotel had his medication purchased at 23 PM last night, according to his purchase records…
According to the duty roster, Jimmy shouldn't be in the store at this time.
Could it be that they changed shifts?
His gaze continued upwards, finally settling on the state pharmacy technician license—with Jimmy's photo on it.
The white male in the photo is well-built and stands tall. Although it is a half-body photo, he is estimated to be over 180cm tall.
This is impossible!
Why are all the profiles of Hannibal wrong?
Wait... what did Hannibal base his judgment on that the killer was male?
"Your remarks were deliberately made rude... You crave recognition..."
Yup!
He made his judgment based on the group chat messages, but the person in the group chat wasn't a serial killer, it was me!
Therefore, the perpetrator is likely... a woman.
Thinking of this, Lu Yiming felt a chill run down his spine.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly, the smell of disinfectant became even more pungent, and the woman's voice on the phone nearby disappeared...
He instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist, but the moment his fingers touched the handle, he abruptly turned around.
A grimacing, twisted black face was already within reach!
Those thick, muscular hands were gripping a shovel, which was brought down hard on his face...