Chapter One,

...

"Is there something wrong with this glass of wine?"

Ning Yumo looked on in surprise.

However, from the surface, the wine seemed to have no problems at all; its color was extremely pure, which was expected since it was used to entertain foreign guests, and it showed no obvious flaws.

"It's extremely poisonous!"

Qin Fang said with a slight smile.

He certainly didn't have the level to taste wine, but he possessed an Appraisal Skill, which detected a highly toxic substance called R32 had been added to the wine.

As for the exact composition of this substance, that was unknown. Being able to detect R32 was already the greatest ability of Qin Fang's Intermediate Appraisal Skill. To delve deeper might require an Advanced Appraisal Skill.

"So what do we do with this stuff? Pour it out?"

Ning Yumo's eyebrows furrowed slightly, poison was dangerous to anyone. If it weren't for Ning Yumo's professional characteristics making her braver than most women, she might have wanted to get as far away as possible at this point.

"I'll have someone take care of it..."

Qin Fang smiled, then immediately made a call to Tang Cheng. He did not mention the matter of the poisoned wine directly, for there were many prying eyes around. Instead, he used a code that they had predetermined for covert communication.

The glass of wine was taken away by a military personnel, and the banquet concluded safely. The adversary's assassination attempt had not been successful, and towards the end, a high-ranking official surnamed Li even extended a special invitation to Qin Fang, offering for his son to accompany Qin Fang for sightseeing when visiting Little Island.

Naturally, Qin Fang found it hard to refuse this offer. He and the young man exchanged contact details, and with that, the banquet drew to a successful close.

Several deputy governors from the government were quite interested in Qin Fang. However, maintaining his status, he was not as cordial as the high official from Little Island, merely nodding at Qin Fang to signify a greeting.

"Who would have thought, along with completing a mission, I've also managed to trick myself into having a tour guide..."

Ning Yumo said this with a hint of jealousy, acknowledging her own significant role in the operation.

But Qin Fang wasn't satisfied; he still had no leads on the person from the organization. He didn't even know who had put the poison in the glass, missing the culprit by a whisker.

And why had Li Jian taken something from Fan Ning's hands and then done nothing afterward, and what did the words "Your mission has been completed" on the note mean?

In any case, Qin Fang felt more and more that the situation was becoming confusing and elusive, never grasping the heart of the matter...

"Fan Ning... right, where is Fan Ning?"

The banquet had ended, but it was only now that Qin Fang realized Fan Ning had not been seen since then.

"Maybe she went back? Try calling her..."

Ning Yumo was also slightly taken aback. She had seen Li Jian snatch something from Fan Ning and send her away, but afterwards, she hadn't paid attention. Now that she thought about it, it did indeed seem that Fan Ning had not reappeared.

Qin Fang nodded and hurriedly took out his phone to make the call.

Dial tone... dial tone... dial tone... dial tone... dial tone...

The phone rang continuously through the dialing tones, but no one answered.

After trying once, Qin Fang dialed again.

"How is it?"

Ning Yumo asked, noticing Qin Fang's anxiety.

"No one's answering..."

Qin Fang's expression soured; the dial tones kept ringing without any answer.

When Qin Fang called for the third time, the phone rang only three to four times before suddenly disconnecting.

"It got cut off?"

Qin Fang was slightly startled; previously, the calls had gone unanswered for a longer duration but now the abrupt disconnection suggested that someone had taken the phone. Almost without thinking, Qin Fang tried to call again, but this time what came through was not a dial tone but... "The number you have dialed is switched off!"

"The phone is off, something's happened!"

A foreboding feeling intensified within Qin Fang.

The events of the day were already strange, and now he couldn't contact Fan Ning, one of the planners. How could Qin Fang not be worried?

"Don't panic, maybe her phone is out of battery! You know, fruit brand phones are notorious for their short battery life..." Ning Yumo said gently, trying to comfort Qin Fang, though with clearly limited effect.

But Qin Fang didn't want to dismiss Ning Yumo's attempts entirely and nodded lightly, "I'll take you home first..."

Ning Yumo didn't refuse. She actually had a place in the city, but seeing Qin Fang's downcast mood, she wanted to keep him company and cheer him up, not wanting him to dwell on negative thoughts.

Once in the parking lot, Qin Fang noticed that Fan Ning's Beetle was no longer there. This meant Fan Ning must have driven it away, which eased Qin Fang's mind somewhat.

Since he had come with Fan Ning, now that her car was gone, he would have to drive Ning Yumo's car. But his mind was still filled with worry.

Fan Ning knew that Qin Fang hadn't driven there, yet she still drove off, leaving Qin Fang alone in the downtown. This seemed somewhat unreasonable.

The more Qin Fang thought about it, the more he felt that something wasn't quite right. Instead, Ning Yumo, after hearing his reason, digested it and chided him, saying he was a man who worried too much.

Perhaps because there was no news from Fan Ning, Qin Fang's emotions were a bit off, and Ning Yumo opened her mouth several times to say something, but each time it reached her lips, she choked it back.

The atmosphere in the car was somewhat tense, and neither of them spoke. Coupled with the unnatural expression on Qin Fang's face, this only made the mood all the more frustrating.

Ring Ring Ring~~

Just then, Qin Fang's mobile phone suddenly rang.

Ning Yumo didn't meddle with it, and Qin Fang took the phone while driving, glancing at the caller ID, Qin Fang slightly stared in confusion.

But when he saw the number, Qin Fang couldn't help but furrow his brow, as it was a bunch of garbled characters—something he was seeing for the first time.

After hesitating for a moment, Qin Fang still pressed the answer button.

"You will pay for what you did today!"

However, what Qin Fang never expected was to hear such a sinister voice as soon as the call connected, and after finishing the sentence, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Qin Fang was instantly stunned, listening to the beeping sound on the phone, a foreboding thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but be somewhat distracted.

"What's wrong, Qin Fang?"

Seeing Qin Fang's suddenly stupefied expression, Ning Yumo was also startled, and called out instinctively.

"Eh..."

Qin Fang was startled back to attention, his hand slipping slightly, causing the car to lurch toward the safety island at the roadside.

Ah!!

Ning Yumo almost instinctively screamed.

Only then did Qin Fang truly come back to his senses, his hands turning the steering wheel forcefully, barely managing to get back on track before hitting the safety island.

Both of them were in a panic, especially Ning Yumo who was still somewhat unsettled, as she began patting her high, fair chest, causing it to tremble.

Unfortunately, Qin Fang had no mood to appreciate such a stirring scene.

"Qin Fang, what on earth is going on?"

After calming down for a good while, Ning Yumo then asked out of concern.

"It's nothing, just a wrong number..."

Qin Fang hesitated, but still held back from saying it out loud, although Ning Yumo already knew about his relationship with Fan Ning, she faintly felt that this matter might not be simple.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yumo's brows furrowed instantly. She was a detective, and very sensitive about many things. She had been in contact with Qin Fang for such a long time and had never seen such a reaction from him.

"The phone call just now?"

However, she had been with Qin Fang the entire way and hadn't been in contact with anyone; the only exception was the phone call Qin Fang had just received.

Thinking of this, Ning Yumo snatched Qin Fang's mobile phone, opened the call log, and found that row of garbled numbers...

"What did they say?"

Seeing the number, Ning Yumo felt that things might really be bad, Qin Fang must have heard something to react that way. As Qin Fang's sworn sister and as a police officer, she felt she had a right to know the situation.

"Nothing, a wrong number!"

But Qin Fang just shook his head, as if he didn't want to involve Ning Yumo.

"Is it about Fan Ning? Was she kidnapped?"

But Ning Yumo, with her unyielding character, the more you refused to tell, the more she wanted to know, she immediately questioned.

"No, Fan Ning is fine, she's home now!"

Qin Fang looked at Ning Yumo in slight surprise, calmed his breath, then suppressed his emotional fluctuations and said very smoothly.

But could Ning Yumo be easily deceived?

Clearly not.

She was the deputy captain of the city's criminal police team, having dealt with many extremely cruel criminals and having had encounters with many highly intelligent felons.

Although Qin Fang was hiding it very well, he didn't understand much about these things, and he thought he had almost no weaknesses, but in Ning Yumo's eyes, almost every one of Qin Fang's actions, every sentence contained lapses.

"As long as she's alright, that would also set your mind at ease..."

However, Ning Yumo didn't continue to press the issue. She knew Qin Fang's temperament; the tighter she pushed, the less likely she was to achieve her goal. Their relationship might even become very tense, making it even less possible for Qin Fang to cooperate.

But if she were to circumvent the issue from the side, there might be a chance of success. So she decided to attack from a flank, gradually probing the matter to find out what exactly was said in that phone call from Qin Fang... (To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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