"Er Zhu, why don't you go take a look yourself? We won't go," Zhang Qiang said timidly at the entrance of the village committee office, lacking the courage to open the door.
Before Er Zhu could respond, Zhang Qiang had already fled at top speed. He swore it was the first time he had ever been so cowardly since becoming a police officer! But what could he do? The thought of those wailing lunatics made his hair stand on end. He felt he would go mad if he went in!
Watching Zhang Qiang's retreating figure, Er Zhu shook his head in exasperation. Confirming he was alone, he activated his Heavenly Eye. Inside, he saw lunatics of various appearances pacing back and forth. Some were roaring, some acted like zombies, and others sat on the ground, moaning. Despite their different behaviors, their ailment was the same! Er Zhu's vision revealed everyone's meridians. On their brains, a barely visible black spot was slowly spreading! Peyote! A plant native to the Americas, its body contained an alkaloid called mescaline, which had strong hallucinogenic effects! As Er Zhu saw these words, they vanished from his mind.
"Er Zhu, you're finally here. What have you found?" At that moment, Li Hongmei's voice echoed from a distance. The spiritual light in Er Zhu's eyes instantly disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
"It's peyote!" Er Zhu said slowly, looking at the suffering villagers of Lihua Village in the village committee office.
"Er Zhu, are you sure it's peyote? That's a poison from America, and you're standing so far away. Are you sure you can identify it?" Hearing the name, Li Hongmei was startled and shook her head, her eyes filled with suspicion. She didn't disbelieve Er Zhu's medical skills, but such a poison was too far-fetched for this small town. Even if she wanted to believe him, she couldn't find a plausible reason.
"Yes, I'm sure I didn't mistake it." Er Zhu nodded slightly, his expression firm.
"Forget it. It definitely can't be peyote. Alright, you can go. We don't need you here." Hearing this, Li Hongmei sighed and prepared to go inside to investigate. She had thought Er Zhu's arrival would make things easier, but she hadn't expected him to be clueless too. Not only that, but he had also casually named a poison to show off! The more Li Hongmei thought about it, the angrier she became. She even felt her master had poor judgment to befriend Er Zhu!
Seeing Li Hongmei's distrust, Er Zhu couldn't be bothered to explain. He would only do what he was supposed to do. Whether they believed him or not was their own business.
"Er Zhu, did you find anything? What do we need to do?" As Er Zhu turned around, Zhang Qiang came running from a distance. He had wanted to stop Li Hongmei, but remembering her temper, he decided it was best not to provoke her.
"Mm, they've been poisoned. The poison is called peyote, a highly hallucinogenic substance. But Li Hongmei doesn't believe it. Do you want an antidote?" Er Zhu nodded slightly, and thinking of the expanding black spots on the villagers' brains, his gaze turned somewhat cold.
"Of course, we do! Don't mind Li Hongmei, Er Zhu. Hurry up and prepare the medicine. We don't have much time left!" As soon as Er Zhu finished speaking, he saw Zhang Qiang nodding frantically, as if pounding garlic, and pulling Er Zhu towards a tent. Although the civilian houses here were empty, they still had to live in their tents according to regulations. This was a fine tradition of Chinese soldiers and could not be broken.
"Hurry up and write the prescription. I'll go get the medicine later," Zhang Qiang said, pulling Er Zhu to a desk and handing him paper and a pen with a chuckle. He knew that with Er Zhu here, everything would be resolved! Er Zhu was simply his lucky star! Thinking back to the incident at Wang Xiaofeng's banquet and the current difficult case, he was so happy he could have hugged Er Zhu and spun around a few times! But remembering his identity as a police officer, he could only suppress his excitement, though the smile on his face grew wider and wider, his mouth almost reaching his ears.
Er Zhu didn't dilly-dally and quickly wrote the prescription. Just as Zhang Qiang was about to take it, Li Hongmei snatched it away. "Captain Zhang, don't listen to Er Zhu's nonsense. The villagers are hallucinating from a drug called Datura. I've already detected it!" Li Hongmei said, slapping the detection report onto the table. She glared at Er Zhu crossly. "Er Zhu, we asked you here for help, not to cause trouble. The matter here is clear. You can leave now!" Li Hongmei said with a smug glance at Er Zhu, her tone ice-cold! Fortunately, she hadn't believed Er Zhu's nonsense and had done her own blood tests, otherwise, the case would have been delayed!
"What you tested was an extremely thin old man. He has asthma, and Datura is a medication for asthma." Looking at the test report, Er Zhu recalled a gaunt old man.
"That's enough, Wang Er Zhu. Do you really think you're the only divine doctor in the world? Is what you say always right?" Hearing Er Zhu say this, Li Hongmei exploded. She frowned and tore up Er Zhu's prescription.
"Forensic Doctor Li, that's enough. Er Zhu is here to help me. I ask you to control your emotions!" Seeing Li Hongmei about to lose her temper, Zhang Qiang's face darkened. He suppressed his anger and reminded her sternly.
"Fine, Wang Er Zhu, let's make a bet then. If you win, I'll take off this police uniform. If I win, you will never appear before me again!" Facing Zhang Qiang's reminder, Li Hongmei took a deep breath. She turned to Er Zhu and issued a challenge she had been considering for a long time! Li Hongmei had wanted to find an opportunity to compete with Er Zhu for a long time, but she had never had the chance. Now that the opportunity was here, she naturally wouldn't let it go!
"Forensic Doctor Li, this is a case, not a reason for you to gamble. Please watch your attitude!" Before Er Zhu could speak, Zhang Qiang's face turned red with anger. In the past, he had always respected Li Hongmei's excellent medical skills, so even though she was somewhat unreasonable, he had tolerated it. He never expected her to become so presumptuous!
"Heh, scared, are you? If you're scared, it means you're wrong. I now order you, in my capacity as a forensic doctor, to get out immediately!" Seeing Er Zhu remain silent, Li Hongmei thought he was guilty and became even more arrogant!
"Okay, I accept this bet. You'll definitely be taking off that police uniform!" Seeing Li Hongmei's confident demeanor, Er Zhu felt as if he were looking at an idiot. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were colder!