Rosie's voice grew more impassioned, her indignation mounting, her small chest heaving.
Even Chen Xiao, who had weathered storms, felt a flicker of anger.
It was primarily his doing that Chi Hao had joined the Exorcism Division.
Now that Chi Hao had been captured, wasn't that a direct affront to him?
Through Rosie's explanation, Chen Xiao learned that all the influential figures he knew in the Exorcism Division had been ousted.
The newly appointed officials, despite having heard of Chen Xiao's reputation, had never truly witnessed his prowess, and thus showed him no respect.
"Alright, I understand the situation."
Chen Xiao's expression was grim as he said coldly, "Once this poisoning case is cleared up, I'll go with you to take a look."
Chi Hao was already in a dire predicament, having been inexplicably turned into a vampire.
After finally finding an organization that could accept him, he was now imprisoned by that very organization, a truly ill-fated turn of events.
Chen Xiao naturally wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
However, he wouldn't ignore the Blue Star Steel Plant case either.
He had a nagging feeling that this case was far from simple.
"Did someone discover something? Otherwise, why would they call you in for this case?"
Chen Xiao suddenly realized that for a normal poisoning case, there would be no reason for the Exorcism Division to get involved.
Rosie nodded and said, "Qi Observation Masters detected a surge of demonic energy here, speculating that the poisoning case might be caused by a demon, which is why they sent the Exorcism Division to investigate."
"Qi Observation Masters?"
Chen Xiao's gaze sharpened, a hint of confusion on his face.
"Oh, it's like this. Ever since the new commander of the Tian Ce Army took office, every city has been equipped with Qi Observation Masters. It's said that many cities have recently encountered demonic beasts, and Qi Observation Masters can detect their presence."
Rosie explained.
Chen Xiao nodded, "So that's how it is."
This aligned perfectly with Chen Xiao's own suspicions.
Based on his observation of the patients' conditions, he had also deduced that this poisoning incident was the work of a demonic beast.
"Then where do you think we should start?"
Chen Xiao asked, testing her.
Rosie pondered for a moment. "We just visited the hospital. The number of poisoned individuals is quite large; almost all the workers who were on duty today have been affected.
"Therefore, I've analyzed that this toxin is either airborne or waterborne.
"If it were airborne, it would be difficult to contain the scope of poisoning within the steel plant's vicinity, as there are many residential areas surrounding it.
"Thus, the preliminary conclusion is that it's waterborne. And if it's waterborne, I believe the starting point should be the factory's cafeteria!"
Rosie's analysis was logical and clearly structured, leaving Chen Xiao impressed. "Not bad, Rosie. After three days, one should look at each other with new eyes. You've made significant progress."
"Hehe, of course! I'm a genius after all!"
Rosie felt a small surge of pride at receiving Chen Xiao's praise.
"Alright, stop boasting. Let's go check out the cafeteria!"
Chen Xiao beckoned to Rosie and led the way towards the cafeteria.
It was lunchtime. If it were a normal day, the cafeteria would have been packed.
However, due to the unusual circumstances, lunch had not been prepared.
The Blue Star Steel Plant's cafeteria was vast, spanning three floors, each covering several thousand square meters.
After all, it had to accommodate over ten thousand employees for dining, and a smaller area would not suffice.
Moreover, as it turned out, Rosie wasn't exactly a genius.
What she had thought of, others had also considered.
By the time Chen Xiao and Rosie arrived, several police officers were already investigating the cafeteria.
Upon hearing that Rosie was from the Exorcism Division, the police officers immediately showed her great respect.
Rosie, in turn, reaped the benefits, obtaining some of the clues that had already been uncovered.
The cafeteria was the primary affected area; all cafeteria staff had been poisoned without exception, and their symptoms were the most severe.
According to incomplete statistics, the poisoned workers were all those who had eaten breakfast at the cafeteria that morning.
The workers who were not poisoned were all those who had not eaten breakfast at the cafeteria.
From these clues, it was almost certain that the problem originated from the cafeteria.
Indeed, Chen Xiao had already discovered what was causing the trouble.
His divine sense permeated the entire area, and nothing could escape it.
However, he didn't immediately apprehend the culprit. Instead, he asked Rosie to disperse the police officers and other staff.
"This area will now be under our jurisdiction. For safety reasons, please evacuate."
Rosie, familiar with the process, managed to clear the crowd.
But Chen Xiao still hadn't made a move, prompting Rosie to ask, "Brother Chen, what are we waiting for?"
Chen Xiao smiled enigmatically.
Only when he saw the donkey-faced man and the pig-faced man heading towards the cafeteria did he snap his fingers.
"Let's get to work!"
As if he knew something, Chen Xiao headed directly for the kitchen.
Rosie was bewildered but quickly followed.
The Blue Star Steel Plant's management was excellent; the kitchen was exceptionally clean, unlike the greasy, rat-infested kitchens of many large cafeterias.
There were no rats, but there were centipedes.
And they were enormous centipedes, as long as an adult's forearm!
Chen Xiao subdued the centipede effortlessly and, finding a large empty oil bottle, stuffed it inside.
Seeing such a large centipede, Rosie's face turned pale with fright.
"Chen, Brother Chen... is this, is this what caused the trouble?"
Rosie asked, trembling.
"Yes, this is a demonic beast."
Ordinary centipedes need to bite to poison people, but demonic centipedes can spread their toxins simply by secreting them into the water source.
And cooking in the cafeteria requires water.
Chen Xiao didn't hide anything from Rosie.
Of course, there was no need for extensive explanation.
After all, Rosie was part of the Exorcism Division and had experienced many unusual events with Chen Xiao before.
"I didn't expect it to be a demonic beast after all."
Rosie patted her chest, still shaken.
"Alright, this is for you. Take it back and claim your credit."
Chen Xiao handed the empty oil bottle containing the centipede to Rosie.
Rosie looked at the giant centipede crawling inside, her scalp tingling. She dared not take it.
But she had to take it, whether she dared or not, as this was her job.
However, just as Rosie reached out, a bossy voice came from behind her: "Hand that over to me!"
The donkey-faced man and the pig-faced man walked in.
It was clear that these two had been waiting for Chen Xiao and Rosie to finish the job before they took over and reaped the rewards.
The final credit would naturally go to them.
These two had just been assigned to the Jiangcheng detachment of the Exorcism Division. They had positions and titles, but lacked achievements.
Therefore, they urgently needed some ready-made accomplishments to pad their resumes.
This would facilitate their future promotions and salary increases.
"Captain Wang, Deputy Captain Zhang, the case was solved by Brother Chen and me. Why are you taking the demonic beast away?"
Rosie naturally protested against their shameless behavior.
It wasn't really about her; it was about Brother Chen solving the case, and she couldn't let these two scoundrels snatch Brother Chen's credit.
"How dare you! Rosie, do you think we're fighting over credit with you?"
The donkey-faced man's expression darkened, his donkey-like face stretching out like that of a mule.
"Rosie, don't forget your identity. You and I are both soldiers under Captain Wang. Our achievements are naturally Captain Wang's achievements. I advise you not to confuse priorities!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Rosie's fiery temper flared up, and she wasn't about to be intimidated by their deputy captain status.
"The case was solved by Brother Chen, and it's not my credit. Why should I let him have it?"
"Heh, we agreed earlier that this fellow named Chen was merely assisting us in our work. Even if he solved the case, it has nothing to do with him!"
"You, you're shameless!"
"How dare you call me shameless? Rosie, you're confronting a superior officer. Don't you want this job anymore!"
"If I don't want it, I don't want it! I've wanted to quit for a long time!"
Saying this, Rosie was about to take out her work badge and throw it at the donkey-faced man's face.
However, Chen Xiao stopped her at this moment, shaking his head.
"Rosie, don't be rash. I actually think Deputy Captain Zhang is right. This case has nothing to do with me. At most, I'm just a concerned citizen. You two captains, please take the demonic beast."
Rosie was utterly confused. When had Brother Chen become so agreeable?
"That's more like it!"
The donkey-faced man's eyes were glued to the centipede demonic beast in the bottle.
This was a live demonic beast! Presenting it to superiors would be a significant accomplishment.
"Be careful, this thing is very dangerous!"
Before handing the bottle to the donkey-faced man, Chen Xiao 'kindly' reminded him.
"Give it here! What's with all the nonsense? Am I worse than you?"
The donkey-faced man said impatiently and snatched the bottle.
Only after snatching it did he realize that the bottle had no cap.
Chen Xiao could suppress the centipede demonic beast, but this donkey-faced man couldn't!
As soon as the bottle left Chen Xiao's hand, it shot out with a 'swish' and climbed up the donkey-faced man's arm along his wrist, biting down with a 'crunch'.
"Ah—"
The donkey-faced man let out a scream.
It turned out that donkeys could also scream like pigs...
Only then did Rosie realize.
It turned out that Chen Xiao had planned all this from the start. He had been waiting for these two to fall into his trap!
Being bitten by a demonic beast was no laughing matter!
The toxin spread, and the donkey-faced man's arm instantly turned black.
This donkey-faced man was indeed ruthless. Acting decisively, he pulled a knife from his waist and, pressing it against his shoulder, made a swift cut.
*Crack...* His arm was severed at the shoulder and fell to the ground!
He did this to prevent the toxin from spreading further.
While the toxin's spread was halted, the centipede demonic beast was still at large.
At this moment, it was on the ground, its upper half raised, baring its fangs at the donkey-faced man.
Just then, the pig-faced man pulled out a pistol and fired several shots at the centipede demonic beast.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang—*
This centipede demonic beast was of low grade and could not withstand bullets. After a few shots, it was blown to pieces.
The donkey-faced man was filled with rage. With his remaining arm, he pointed directly at Chen Xiao: "Kid, you f***ing set me up!"