“Drug users usually take drugs alone in their psychological comfort zones, such as at home, in rented apartments, or hotel rooms. It’s rare to see someone getting high and dancing wildly on the street. But what about group drug use? The sub-bureau conducted a preliminary survey of the surrounding environment, including surveillance footage from the Night Palace KTV, and found no such signs.”

“In short,” Noah Wright paused and pushed his glasses up, “there’s not a single clue. We have absolutely no idea why the victim ended up on the road.”

A low buzz of discussion filled the meeting room.

“No,” Logan Bennett suddenly said, “there’s a third possibility.”

Noah Wright was slightly taken aback. “What possibility?”

Logan Bennett said, “Sampling the goods.”

Logan Bennett crossed one leg over the other, leaned back in his swivel chair, and tapped the edge of the table with a laser pointer.

“‘This is a new product not yet on the market, really potent. Try it here with me—if you like it, you can take it all next time.’ Let’s assume the transaction between the victim and the dealer happened not far from the crime scene, within a five to ten minute walk. It looks very secluded and comfortable, providing enough sense of security for the user… but in reality, it’s not that safe.”

In the footage, the KTV’s back door opened onto a deserted alley at night, surrounded by narrow lanes, closed shops, and the back kitchens of food stalls. Noah Wright’s gaze roamed across the screen, and suddenly he realized:

“A car!”

It’s common for drug users to get high in a car. The victim met the dealer in the dealer’s car, but the “new product” was so strong that after sampling it, he broke free from his backpack, ignored attempts to stop him, and ran out of the car. This is currently the most plausible guess!

“Big Dog, how long does it take for this hallucinogen to take effect after use?”

Liam Hayes replied through gritted teeth, “Five to ten minutes, reaching peak effect within fifteen minutes.”

Logan Bennett stood up. “Mason Reed, go to the traffic police and pull all surveillance footage from every entrance and exit around the crime scene between nine and ten last night. Track all vehicles that entered the area after nine and stayed for more than half an hour. Noah Wright, take the anti-narcotics team and further investigate the sources of new drugs flowing into the city. I’ll re-examine the crime scene.”

Everyone got up to take action. As Noah Wright pushed his chair back into place, he asked, “Got any inspiration, Old Bennett?”

“The bag,” Logan Bennett said simply. “Find that bag, and we’ll be close to the truth.”

The May Day holiday had effectively eased the evening rush hour. Logan Bennett, cigarette in one hand and the other on the steering wheel, slowly moved forward with the traffic as the light turned green. Mason Reed’s voice came through the Bluetooth headset: “The brothers at Fuyang Traffic Police have pulled the surveillance footage. The image analysis team did a preliminary comparison—twelve vehicles match the screening criteria. What now, Brother Bennett?”

Logan Bennett asked, “How many of them don’t have tinted windows?”

There was some rustling on the other end. “Three!”

“Of the remaining nine, how many were fully loaded when they left the area?”

“Uh… hard to say. The tinted windows make it hard to see, but at first glance, two of them seemed fully loaded.”

“Then our target is among the remaining seven. Prioritize vehicles with two or fewer people inside when they left.”

Carter Reed asked in confusion, “Why?”

Logan Bennett was about to answer when suddenly a loud crash sounded ahead, and all the cars screeched to a halt, horns blaring one after another.

“—Hey, Brother Bennett! What’s going on over there?”

Logan Bennett stuck his head out and saw that under the traffic light at the intersection ahead, a BMW had hit a Meituan delivery driver. The motorcycle had flipped over, and food was scattered all over the ground.

“How do you ride? The light was red and you still rushed forward?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t run the red light!…”

Logan Bennett stubbed out his cigarette. “It’s fine, there’s a crash ahead, I’ll change lanes. If there were more than two people in the target car, they wouldn’t have been able to stop the victim from running out after the hallucinogen kicked in. So, driver plus passenger, one or two people is more likely. You guys head back to headquarters, I’ll bring you…”

Logan Bennett’s voice suddenly trailed off.

The light changed again, and the traffic on the other side started moving. Not far from the accident, a lone figure stood stiffly in the middle of the intersection, staring straight at the overturned motorcycle.

He looked as if his soul had left his body, completely unresponsive to the approaching cars. The truck in front didn’t seem to notice this inconspicuous pedestrian and drove straight toward him.

Logan Bennett’s pupils contracted sharply—he recognized who it was!

All the details happened in an instant. Logan Bennett turned the wheel, floored the gas, and the blaring horn tore through the air as he changed lanes, scraping hard against the truck. The traffic in both lanes came to a sudden halt amid the jolt!

“Damn!” the truck driver braked and yelled angrily, “Are you blind? Can’t you drive?!”

Logan Bennett jumped out of the car, pulled out his police badge from his jacket, and flashed it. The driver was stunned, but Logan Bennett didn’t even look back, heading straight for the lone figure in the middle of the intersection.

That was Ryan Sullivan.