The Regimental Headquarters, the Commander’s Office
Gu Ci sat behind his desk, holding a report that had just been delivered. His knuckles had turned slightly white from gripping it so tightly.
Standing in front of him were the security officer in charge of the investigation and the head of the medical unit. Both kept their heads lowered, not daring to breathe too loudly.
“Is this what you came up with after your investigation?”
Gu Ci slammed the report onto the desk. His voice was so cold it seemed to freeze the air.
“Negligence in management? Accidental mishandling? The toxin found in Black Panther’s body was a highly concentrated neurotoxin. Is that the kind of substance someone can just pick up by mistake?”
The head of the medical unit wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Commander, the pharmacy records really are a mess. A few days ago, Doctor Shen Xue was on duty and said there was a batch of expired medication that needed to be destroyed. Perhaps something happened while they were transporting it…”
“Shen Xue.”
Gu Ci rolled the name around in his mouth, a trace of disgust flashing in his eyes.
“How many years has she worked in the pharmacy?”
“Th-three years.”
“She’s been there for three years and still makes such a basic mistake?” Gu Ci sneered. “I don’t think she’s stupid. I think she has too many schemes and isn’t using her head for anything worthwhile.”
The security officer cautiously spoke up.
“Commander, we searched Doctor Shen’s cabinet and did find some psychiatric medication that she wasn’t authorized to possess. The quantity wasn’t large, but it still violates regulations. As for the poisoning… we currently have no direct evidence pointing to her. The fingerprints on the bottle containing the toxin had been wiped clean.”
No evidence.
Whoever had done it had certainly covered their tracks well.
Gu Ci leaned back in his chair, took a cigarette case from his pocket, and lit a cigarette.
Through the swirling smoke, his expression was unreadable.
Every word Jiang Ning had said in the mess hall yesterday had been driven into his mind like a nail.
—“Shaking hands.”
—“Long-term medication use.”
A country girl had spotted all those details with nothing more than her naked eyes. That wasn’t merely medical skill. It was exceptional powers of observation and judgment.
“Shen Xue is to be suspended pending reflection and ordered to write a self-criticism. Everyone in the pharmacy will have three months of their allowances withheld.”
Gu Ci exhaled a ring of smoke and made his decision.
“Also, investigate Jiang Ning.”
The security officer froze.
“Your wife? Haven’t we already submitted her background investigation documents to you?”
“I don’t want what’s written on paper.”
Gu Ci crushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray with enough force to grind it to pieces.
“Find out what really happened to her in Jiangjia Village. Whether she came into contact with anyone unusual, or… experienced some kind of trauma.”
A person couldn’t change their entire personality overnight.
Unless the person in question wasn’t Jiang Ning at all.
“Yes, sir!”
The two men accepted their orders and left.
Gu Ci opened a drawer and took out a military fighting knife, its blade polished until it gleamed. The steel reflected his bloodshot eyes.
If she was an enemy spy…
His fingers gently traced the edge of the blade.
Then he would have no choice but to deal with her himself.
…
The Military Family Compound — The General Store
This was the only little shop in the compound. It sold basic necessities such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, needles, and thread. It was also the wives of the servicemen’s favorite place to exchange information.
At that moment, a crowd had gathered outside the store.
The central figures were Wang Juhua and Shen Xue.
Shen Xue wasn’t wearing her white coat today. Instead, she had changed into a floral-patterned, synthetic shirt. She looked exhausted, her eyes red and swollen, as though she had suffered some terrible injustice.
“Sister-in-law Wang, tell me, how is this fair to me?”
Shen Xue wiped away her tears.
“I kindly offered her food, and even if she didn’t appreciate it, she could have simply refused. But instead, she splashed dirty broth all over me in front of everyone! And now look what happened. The commander suspended me just to vent his anger on her behalf. How am I supposed to show my face around here from now on?”
Wang Juhua immediately grew indignant.
“I knew that country girl was a walking jinx! Yesterday, she even scared me at the water tap, saying a ghost was strangling my neck! What kind of newlywed bride is she? She’s obviously some kind of witch!”
“Exactly!” someone beside her chimed in. “I heard that when she first arrived, Commander Gu even carried her luggage for her. Tsk, tsk. With tricks like that, she must know some kind of bewitching magic!”
“I think Black Panther’s illness was suspicious, too.” Shen Xue lowered her voice, a poisonous glint flashing in her eyes. “What are the odds? The dog gets poisoned, and suddenly she knows exactly how to treat it? Maybe she was the one who poisoned it in the first place, just so she could show off in front of the commander!”
It was a remarkably skillful attempt to shift the blame.
She had not only cleared her own name but also pushed Jiang Ning directly into the line of fire.
The wives gathered around them nodded repeatedly, their faces full of contempt.
“How can someone like that be allowed into our compound? She’s a disgrace to our community!”
“Exactly! She needs to be thrown out!”
Just as the gossip reached its peak, a cool voice suddenly rang out from beyond the crowd.
“What are we talking about? You all sound so lively. Mind if I join in?”
Everyone jumped and turned around.
A few steps away stood Jiang Ning, wrapped in the oversized, tattered military overcoat, holding a battered radio in her arms. She was smiling pleasantly as she looked at them.
But the smile never reached her eyes. Just looking at it sent a chill down their spines.
Wang Juhua instinctively touched her neck and took a step backward.
Shen Xue, however, looked as though she had just come face-to-face with her sworn enemy. The resentment from yesterday surged up, making her forget her fear.
“You still have the nerve to show your face?”
Shen Xue pointed at Jiang Ning, her voice shrill.
“Jiang Ning, you nearly killed Black Panther, and you got me suspended! You shameless—”
“Suspended?”
Jiang Ning interrupted her, feigning surprise. But the amusement on her face was far more obvious.
“Looks like Commander Gu has good judgment after all. He knows who the real quack is. Why aren’t you at home writing your self-criticism? What are you doing here giving a speech?”
“You!” Shen Xue trembled with rage.
“Excuse me.”
Jiang Ning ignored her, pushed her way through the crowd, and walked straight to the counter.
Behind it stood a plump saleswoman who was cracking sunflower seeds while enjoying the show. When she saw Jiang Ning approach, she rolled her eyes.
“What do you want? No coupons, no sale.”
“I’m not here to buy anything.”
Jiang Ning placed the radio on the counter with a loud THUD, making the sunflower seed shells jump.
“I’m here to sell something.”
The saleswoman froze. She glanced at the battered radio and sneered.
“What would we want with that piece of junk? Planning to sell it for scrap metal?”
“Junk?”
Jiang Ning reached out and turned on the switch.
“This is the Central People’s Broadcasting Station…”
The broadcaster’s clear, polished voice flowed out of the speaker without a hint of static.
The entire area fell silent.
In those days, radios were rare and highly coveted. A new Red Lantern-brand radio cost more than a hundred yuan and required ration coupons. Ordinary families could hardly afford one.
“Commander Gu broke this radio yesterday,” Jiang Ning explained casually. “I’ve repaired it. I rewired the circuits and even added a signal-enhancing coil. It works better than a new one now. One hundred yuan, no coupons needed. Who wants it?”
One hundred yuan! No coupons!
The wives standing nearby stared at the radio with wide eyes.
This was an incredible bargain!
Wang Juhua was the first to react. She had apparently forgotten all about Jiang Ning being a “witch” and hurried forward.
“Is it really only one hundred yuan? What if it’s broken?”
“If it breaks, I’ll repair it for free.”
Jiang Ning looked at her with an amused, knowing smile.
“Sister-in-law, your neck looks much better today. I suppose you went home and burned quite a few incense sticks yesterday, didn’t you?”
Wang Juhua’s face turned red. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Well… I’ll take it! I’ll go home and get the money!”
“Hold on.”
Shen Xue suddenly rushed forward and blocked the radio. Her eyes were filled with jealousy and suspicion as she stared at Jiang Ning.
How could a country girl possibly know how to repair a radio? It required delicate, technical work!
“You must have stolen this radio from the commander after he repaired it!”
Shen Xue shouted loudly.
“How dare you steal military property and sell it for money? This is theft of public property! I’m calling the military police!”
Jiang Ning looked at Shen Xue’s twisted face and sighed.
This woman really wouldn’t give up until she hit a dead end.
“Doctor Shen, have you forgotten what I told you yesterday?”
Jiang Ning took a step forward, closing the distance between them. She lowered her voice so that only Shen Xue could hear her.
“That bottle of Valium in your cabinet had no fingerprints, but there was a little red sealing ink on the bottom. It was the same ink used on the documents distributed at regimental headquarters yesterday. Only someone who had been there could have gotten it on the bottle.”
She paused, watching Shen Xue’s expression.
“Tell me, what do you think Commander Gu would say if he found out you’d secretly slipped into his office?”
Shen Xue’s pupils dilated. The color drained from her face in an instant.
She had been there!
That day, she had sneaked into the office while no one was around, intending to put some sedative in Gu Ci’s drinking water. In her mind, she had only been trying to show her concern for him.
But Black Panther had discovered her.
Panicking, she had thrown away the poison she had been carrying to kill rats—right toward the dog.
She had thought she had done it so secretly that no one would ever find out.
How could Jiang Ning possibly know?
“You… you’re a ghost…”
Shen Xue stumbled backward in terror. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Jiang Ning straightened up and returned to her normal speaking voice.
“What’s wrong with Doctor Shen? Low blood sugar? I suppose being suspended and forced to reflect on your mistakes must be exhausting.”
She turned toward Wang Juhua, who had already rushed back with the money in her hands.
“Money first, goods after.”
Jiang Ning took the stack of wrinkled ten-yuan notes from her. Without even counting them, she stuffed them into her pocket.
Then she pulled a ten-yuan note from the stack and slapped it onto the counter.
“Give me two pieces of the best synthetic fabric you have, one jin of cotton, and a box of acupuncture needles.”
The saleswoman was still stunned.
“A-acupuncture needles?”
“Yes, the kind used for acupuncture.”
Jiang Ning’s gaze turned icy.
“Someone at home has a screw loose. I need to stick a few needles into him and let some of the excess water out.”
Outside the crowd, Gu Ci had just returned from inspecting the companies and was sitting in his jeep. The window was halfway down, and he watched the commotion outside the general store with cold eyes.
When he heard her final remark about sticking needles into someone and letting the water out, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“Commander,” the driver asked quietly, “is Sister-in-law… doing business?”
This was dangerously close to profiteering and illegal trading!
Gu Ci said nothing.
He watched the woman in the tattered military overcoat as she commanded the crowd’s attention and frightened Shen Xue into collapsing on the ground.
She had repaired that radio?
And she knew acupuncture?
Gu Ci’s fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel.
“Let’s go. Back to headquarters.”
The window rolled up, and the jeep sped away.
He was going to find out just how many more surprises this wolf in sheep’s clothing had in store for him.