After seeing the true nature of the woman he had been pursuing, the CEO's wife cried and begged

Chapter 481 The Invitation is a Diversionary Tactic

"A trap, huh?" Jiang Xin leaned against the doorframe, chewing gum. "Setting up a feast before even releasing him, what kind of wicked scheme is this old fox up to?"

The back of the invitation featured a simple map drawn in silver powder, with a skull and crossbones marking the location of the main building of the manor. Xu Zirui thought of the glass jar at the observatory, and his stomach tightened slightly.

“He hasn’t been released.” Li Gang’s voice came from the corridor, the second button of his police uniform coming undone. “There was a prison break yesterday, but Liu Jinya escaped. This invitation is a diversionary tactic.”

Jiang Xin spat her chewing gum into the trash can: "They ran away? Are you SWAT teams just sitting around doing nothing?"

“The other party used hypnotic gas, and all the guards were poisoned.” Li Gang took out an evidence bag containing a piece of broken glass. “It was found at the scene, along with fluorescent agents from the Snake Medicine Association.”

Xu Zirui noticed that the watermark in the corner of the invitation was the logo of the University of Geneva, exactly the same as the one in the background of Liu Ya's photo.

"He wants to lure us to the manor; it must be related to Zhou Ming." Xu Zirui crumpled the invitation into a square. "How is Liu Ya?"

“She’s drawing in the intensive care unit.” Li Gang scratched his head. “That girl’s snake drawing looks more like a specimen than a real snake. It scared three nurses to tears.”

Just then, Jiang Xin's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and suddenly jumped up: "Master Chen said that Young Master Liu is self-harming in the detention center and is currently being rescued. He keeps saying 'Don't touch my sister's painting.'"

Xu Zirui grabbed his white coat and ran outside. The emergency lights in the corridor flickered, making the shadows look like twisted snakes.

Xu Zirui arrived just as the lights in the emergency room went out. Young Master Liu was wheeled out, his wrists wrapped in thick gauze, his face paler than the wall.

"He lost too much blood and almost didn't survive." The doctor took off his mask. "He had a piece of canvas in his mouth, and it was still bleeding when he took it out."

Jiang Xin took out the canvas from the evidence bag. It had a snake totem drawn in blood on it, with two teeth nailed to the eye position—judging by the size, they were Liu Ya's baby teeth.

“He stole this from Liu Ya’s ward,” Li Gang said, pointing to the paint on the edge of the canvas. “It’s the same as the paint on the wall of the intensive care unit.”

Xu Zirui recalled Liu Ya saying that she would draw pictures every time she was electrocuted, and the more snake-like the drawings were, the happier Qin Mo would be.

"To the intensive care unit." He turned and left, the hem of his white coat trailing behind him, carrying the smell of disinfectant from the corridor.

The door to the special care ward was unlocked. The moment Xu Zirui pushed the door open, he was stunned—the entire wall was painted green and covered with vertical pupils. In the middle was an oil painting: Liu Jinya was holding a scalpel and standing in a room full of glass jars. Outside the window was the outline of a private manor.

Liu Ya sat in front of the easel, holding a paintbrush dipped in paint. When she saw them, she suddenly smiled: "My dad said that if I finish this painting, I can see my mom."

There was a note under the easel. Xu Zirui pulled it out. It was in Liu Jinya's handwriting: "On the night of the full moon, bring your painting to the manor in exchange for your mentor's final research."

"Where is your mother?" Jiang Xin squatted down, trying to soften her tone.

The girl's smile froze on her face, and she suddenly threw her paintbrush to the ground: "They say Mom turned into a snake and is hiding in the manor's cellar!"

Xu Zirui's gaze fell on the corner of the oil painting—a man wearing a mask stood in the shadows, half of his tattoo visible on his wrist, perfectly matching the position in Zhou Ming's photo.

"Li Gang, investigate Liu Jinya's wife." He took out his phone and took a picture of the oil painting. "I suspect she's still alive and has something to do with Zhou Ming."

Suddenly, Liu Ya pointed out the window: "Look, the snake my brother drew is flying!"