Chapter 257: Poisoned

"When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."—Friedrich Nietzsche.

On a pitch-black night, under the sea breeze, waves rose on the sea surface, splashing against the ship and making sounds.

In the middle of the swaying ship, a person was tied up completely, with a cloth stuffed in his mouth.

He was placed in a large round iron barrel.

The iron barrel was about 4.6 feet long, with an estimated radius of 27.6 inches. After the person was stuffed inside, it just covered his head.

Several men in black surrounded the iron barrel, standing in the cold wind, looking at the desperate man inside.

"I despise betrayal more than anything else in my life." The front man touched his mouth and turned his head to ask, "Is the cement ready?"

"It's ready, sir."

The man's nickname was the Viper, and he looked cold. "Pour it in."

Two men in black lifted the cement and poured it into the iron barrel, quickly burying the person inside, leaving only a head exposed.

The man turned away, his voice rough and strained. "Once it hardens, drop it into the ocean."

...

James learned from Jade that Ava's death was related to a person named Viper.

However, when she talked to Violet just now, she didn't hear about this. She only realized that Ava's death was related to Jade.

James looked at the water, his eyes deep, and expressed painfully, "After Ava investigated that person, she died. I suspect this matter is related to Jade."

Sophia was a bit surprised; she didn't expect James's intuition to be so sharp.

Just by talking to Jade, he could guess that Ava's death was related to Jade.

Sophia curiously asked, "How did you find out?"

James replied, "Her tone was off; she seemed a bit afraid of this person. I have a feeling she knows this person. Just now, I checked Jade's phone, and indeed, there is a contact named Viper."

Sophia touched her chin. "Aren't you afraid this is a trap?"

James turned his head. "Does Jade know about her death?"

Sophia's eyes lit up, and she slowly shook her head.

Jade probably wouldn't know someone was going to kill her. Moreover, the phone was always with her, so she probably wouldn't deliberately leave Viper's contact information.

She probably didn't even think that after she was killed, the information on her phone would be exposed. From this perspective, it shouldn't be a trap.

Sophia couldn't help but speculate, 'Could Viper be the force behind Jade?'

"So you want to investigate the person named Viper?" Sophia turned her head and asked.

James nodded.

He remarked seriously, "Since Ava was killed by Viper for investigating the case back then, the case back then should also be related to Viper."

Sophia immediately grasped the key point.

'Have any clues surfaced in the case? Has the perpetrator made a mistake? This situation warrants further investigation.' She thought.

But according to the information Sophia received, the case back then should have been done by a large force, an organization, not just one person. If they only investigate Viper and attract the attention of others, it would be counterproductive.

"Have you thought it through?" Sophia asked.

James calmly expressed, "Our goal is to find Ava's killer."

Sophia gave a thumbs up, appreciating his quick thinking.

As long as they release the news that they are acting for Ava, not for the case back then, the people behind it should not be alerted for a certain period.

But by investigating the clue of Viper, they might be able to find this organization, which would be very beneficial for them.

"By the way, have you heard of this Viper before?" Sophia asked.

James replied in a deep voice, "No, I haven't."

Sophia calmly analyzed, "He must be skilled at hiding. The question is, is that phone number of any use to us?"

James replied, "Even if it's not, we have to try."

With no leads on Viper, they had to begin their investigation from this angle."What are you two talking about?" Alan pointed at his watch, "It's almost midnight, and the team here has already packed up. Come on, I'll take you for a midnight snack."

James turned around and asked, "How's Samuel?"

Alan replied, "He's been taken to the hospital."

Sophia looked into the distance and expressed, "I hope the hospital can get him back to normal soon."

Alan confidently remarked, "You can rest assured about that. His dad knows many famous doctors; there's no problem curing him."

Sophia nodded, "That's good."

They left the place and went to McDonald's.

Alan ordered some cheeseburgers, McNuggets, fries, apple pies, and Cokes.

Sophia was extremely hungry and devoured the food.

Alan looked at her and remarked, "Being a detective is indeed a tough job, isn't it?"

Sophia raised her head, "Before coming to Emerald City, I was never this busy. But this life is fulfilling, and I enjoy it."

Alan curiously asked, "Did you always like solving cases?"

Sophia nodded, "Probably since I was eight years old. I became interested in this field. From the cases I handled before, I gained some valuable insights."

"Eight years old?" Alan was very shocked. He stared at Sophia in disbelief, "Did I hear that right? You were exposed to these things at eight?"

Sophia raised her head. "Is there a problem?"

Alan swallowed, "That's crazy. I didn't get into the police academy until I was 18, and then I started dealing with cases. You were ten years ahead of me. No wonder you're so good at solving cases."

Sophia expressed lightly, "Maybe it's because of the environment. It really shapes people. When you are exposed to many things, you become good at them."

"Are your family members in this field?" Alan curiously asked.

Sophia didn't answer. She picked up a McNugget, looked at the night sky, and muttered, "I've been away from there for a long time. I wonder if they miss me."

Alan didn't ask further. Although he hadn't interacted much with Sophia, he knew that such a capable girl wouldn't stay at the Mystery Detective Agency for no reason.

He looked at his phone and changed the topic, "Samuel has been checked at the hospital. It seems he was poisoned. The toxin attacks the nerves, and he might need to stay in the hospital for half a month."

"Poisoned?" Sophia asked, "What kind of poison?"

Alan looked up and asked, "Have you heard of devil's weed?"