[1]

Although he knew what isoflurane was, Chen Shi asked anyway. "Captain Peng, what is isoflurane?"

"A medically used anesthetic that is inhaled. The appearance is that of a colorless liquid with a certain pungent odor. It has a stable chemical composition and is unlikely to be changed through biotransformation in the body, so it’s relatively easy to detect."

"How did you find this? Was it not an accident?"

"I pointed this out to Captain Lin and he sent people to check. The deceased had sinusitis surgery the day before the accident. The hospital used this kind of anesthetic but the dose wasn’t significant, so it couldn’t be determined that someone was deliberately targeting him. Since his mother is suspected of insurance fraud now, I can’t help but think-”

"You think that someone knew that he used this anesthetic the day before, so they used the same medicine to harm him? That way even the forensic doctor wouldn’t find out."

"Yes!"

Someone said, "But even tigers don’t eat their young. How can his mother murder her own son for an insurance pay-out?"

Another person said, "I know the medicine! The smell is quite intense. How could the murderer make him inhale it? Even if they put it in cigarettes, the odd smell would have been noticed.”

Peng Sijue replied, "In the material evidence retrieved from the deceased, no isoflurane residue was found."

Police officer Lao Zhang said, "I participated in that case. I learned from the relatives of the deceased that the child is not actually the biological son of the couple. When his father wanted a son back then, the mother did not have the fertility to give birth to one, so they adopted him. When the boy was a child, he learned that he was not their biological son during one of his parents’ fights. Since then, his relationship with his mother hasn’t been that great. That’s why when he died unexpectedly, his mother didn’t even come to glance at him.”

"So that’s what it was. Then it seems that the fraud might have actually happened," everyone discussed.

Lin Dongxue said, "I called his mother previously. She said that she would come back to deal with the funeral in the next couple of days. It’s a good opportunity for investigation. Before that, we need to collect more evidence to prove the insurance fraud.”

Chen Shi said, "If you can prove that the source of the whole incident is due to the agent Yang, the woman will break without effort.”

But how were they going to investigate it? Everyone was suddenly lost. Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, "Team leader, what kind of people commit insurance fraud?"

"Those that aren’t in a good financial situation."

"I’m not rich, but I don’t commit insurance fraud."

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd. Lin Dongxue cleared her throat. "These people usually have to injure themselves in exchange for the insurance pay-out. Some of them carry high-interest loans and some have family members who are sick and in need of money. There are also those who are drug addicts… These drug addicts have been handed over to the drug rehabilitation center after we made contact."

Xu Xiaodong suddenly thought, "If we dressed up like these kinds of people who urgently need money and find a way to buy insurance through this agent, can’t we catch him in the act?"

Chen Shi said, "The problem is that there are many people who need money. How would we get in touch with him?"

"People of the same kind gather together in herds. When I used to solve drug cases, I trained an informant. He knows a lot of drug addicts. Perhaps there is someone who knows the agent within this group?"

"You mean you’re going undercover?" Lin Dongxue said.

"Yeah, undercover! I like to watch "Infernal Affairs"[2]. Being an undercover agent is so cool. Dongxue… No, team leader, could you satisfy my wish? Since it’s only for this case and not the long term.”

"But what if you encounter danger?"

"It’s not a drug gang or a triad group. It’s just an insurance fraud case, so it won’t be dangerous. Also, I’ve practiced!” Xu Xiaodong showed some martial arts moves.

Lin Dongxue thought to herself for a while. She finally realized that it wasn’t easy being the team leader. She had to take responsibility for the decisions she made for the team. She weighed her options in her heart. The risk factor for going undercover in this case wasn’t too high, and the time he would have to do so wasn’t too long. More importantly, this was an opportunity to come into contact with the mastermind.

Lin Dongxue said, "Then, you should be very careful and take preventative measures."

"Yeah! I’m going undercover!" Xu Xiaodong raised his hands and cheered.

Xu Xiaodong's informant was actually his elementary school classmate. He used to be a school tyrant and often bullied Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong would always make detours whenever he saw the bully. When he grew up, he got mixed up with triads. Xu Xiaodong became a policeman and arrested him personally during a criminal investigation and drug team co-op mission. After his release, when he saw Xu Xiaodong, he nodded his head and the relationship between the cat and the mouse was reversed.

Because this classmate made a meritorious deed and reported some accomplices. As a result, his boss said they’d kill him when they were released, so he couldn’t continue down his old path. Xu Xiaodong developed him as an informant out of pity.

Xu Xiaodong found the informant called Ah Meng at the KTV where he worked. Ah Meng said with a smile, "Why is Brother Dong so free to come here today? Is there a mission? Have you eaten yet? I’ll treat you!"

"No thanks. I need to ask you something. Let's find a quiet place to talk."

The two went to a private room and Xu Xiaodong explained the situation. Ah Meng scratched his head. "Insurance fraud gang? I haven’t crossed paths with them."

"Isn’t there anyone who does this amongst your druggie friends?"

"I’m not friends with any drug addicts. Ever since I was arrested last time, I have completely changed my path and haven’t come into contact with people like that.”

Xu Xiaodong sighed helplessly and took out some bank notes. Ah Meng smiled and reached for it. Xu Xiaodong retracted his hand and said, "You need to provide useful information before you can get a reward."

Ah Meng sucked on his gums and said, "There is a man named Li Dechao who I hadn't seen for a while. When he showed up later, I found that one of his eyes was covered with a gauze mat. He was carrying huge sums of money on him. He said he found a way to get rich and that he didn’t need to worry about getting money for his drugs for at least five years… I can swear that the drugs he uses and I aren’t related at all.”

Xu Xiaodong smiled in contempt. Informants were rarely clean. Even if the police were sent to be undercover, there were many that got addicted to drugs and stained their records. He put the money in the hands of Ah Meng. "How can I find him? Don't hide things from me. I’m not investigating you this time."

"There is a drug party tonight he’ll be at."

"A gathering of people to take drugs?"

"It has nothing to do with me! It really has nothing to do with me."

Xu Xiaodong thought about it. He was going undercover this time, not to investigate the case as a policeman. He needed to become friends with this guy and set up intelligence. He’d have to mix in with them. He might even have to take drugs.

Ah Meng saw Xu Xiaodong’s worrying thoughts, “Is Brother Dong afraid of getting addicted?”

"This kind of thing can destroy you if you touch it."

"If you can trust me, I have an idea."

Ah Meng left the private room and came back five minutes later. He took out a straw and a packet of milk chips. He used a glass to crush the chips into a powder and handed the straw to Xu Xiaodong. "Try it!"

Xu Xiaodong knew that this was a fake, so he took the straw and inhaled the powder. He coughed and tears came out. Xu Xiaodong couldn’t help but say, "My esophagus is blocked. I need to change it to vitamin tablets next time.”

1. The author wrote “BOY” in English.

2. Actual show. There’s a trilogy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Affairs_(film_series)