Flashing police lights cut through the night sky in the city’s northern suburbs.
A large contingent of backup officers arrived at the auto repair shop. High-powered flashlights and car headlights illuminated the area, turning night into day.
In addition to the officers securing the perimeter, Captain Guan and Tang Yuan also drove to the scene. Even Shen Ruiping, who had just returned nonstop from Yongcheng after coordinating follow-up work overnight, rushed over.
The moment Tang Yuan got out of his car, his gaze swept over the secured scene. He then strode purposefully toward Yang Qi, who was surrounded by a small crowd.
He extended both hands and gripped Yang Qi’s firmly, his face filled with unconcealed excitement and gratitude.
"Advisor Yang, excellent work. If it weren’t for your sharp judgment, the criminal probably would have slipped away from us again tonight."
"You deserve the most credit for capturing ’Li Jiahao’!"
"You’re too kind, Director Tang."
Yang Qi smiled humbly. "This was the result of everyone’s hard work. Captain Guan, Officer Zhang, and their teams acted swiftly and coordinated seamlessly. The credit belongs to everyone."
But Tang Yuan waved a hand, his expression solemn.
"Credit where credit is due. Everyone here witnessed your contribution, and the Binjiang City Bureau won’t forget it."
"Without you, this case wouldn’t have been solved so quickly. There might have even been new victims!"
His words were emphatic, serving not only to express his gratitude but also to make Yang Qi’s crucial role clear to all the officers present.
Seeing Tang Yuan’s firm attitude, Yang Qi stopped declining the praise. He simply nodded and turned to lead the way.
"Director Tang, ’Li Jiahao’ is over there..."
The group walked toward the encirclement.
They saw "Li Jiahao" lying on the ground, surrounded by several SWAT officers with their guns drawn. Two other officers held high-potency tranquilizer guns, their barrels aimed steadily at him.
Seeing that he was completely surrounded with no hope of escape, and with tranquilizer guns aimed at him, a muscle on "Li Jiahao’s" previously expressionless face twitched violently.
He suddenly snapped his head up. A crazed, desperate look flashed in the sinister eyes under his hat’s brim, and his mouth flew open—
HIIISSS—
A sharp, high-pitched shriek, unlike anything a human could produce and vibrating at a bizarre frequency, erupted from his throat.
The sound was incredibly piercing. It echoed through the silent night at the repair shop, making everyone’s eardrums ache and carrying an unsettling, eerie quality.
"Shoot now!"
Zhang Cheng’s expression changed, and he barked the order.
PFFT!
PFFT!
Two soft, muffled sounds fired off almost simultaneously.
The officers with the tranquilizer guns reacted instantly. They pulled the triggers, and two darts filled with a powerful anesthetic hit "Li Jiahao" squarely in the chest and abdomen.
The sharp hissing stopped dead, as if his throat had been slit.
"Li Jiahao’s" body twitched twice. His eyes were wide with resentment and hatred, but his pupils quickly dilated. His head lolled to the side, and he went completely limp, collapsing motionless on the ground.
"One more!"
Zhang Cheng didn’t relax in the slightest and gave another order.
PFFT—
A third tranquilizer dart was fired, embedding itself deep in "Li Jiahao’s" thigh.
This time, "Li Jiahao’s" body didn’t even flinch.
"He should be secure now."
Only then did Zhang Cheng let out a breath of relief and wave his hand to give the command.
Several fully-equipped officers wearing cut-resistant gloves immediately moved in. First, they covered "Li Jiahao’s" upper body with a blast blanket.
Then, they quickly and professionally searched him, removing any potentially hidden dangerous items. Finally, they used heavy-duty cuffs to secure both his hands and feet, then dragged him up from the ground like a dead dog and escorted him toward a police car.
"That strange cry he just made... was he giving an order to the chameleon?"
Captain Guan asked, still shaken as he watched "Li Jiahao" being dragged away.
The sound had been too bizarre, definitely not normal.
His question snapped Tang Yuan and Shen Ruiping to attention.
Tang Yuan’s expression tensed. "Where is that modified chameleon? Find it, quickly!"
At his words, all the officers on site tensed up again. They scanned their surroundings, sweeping their powerful flashlights across the roof, corners, and piles of debris, terrified that the elusive, paralyzing creature was still lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.
"It’s with me."
Yang Qi took a step forward and said calmly.
SWISH—
All eyes instantly focused on him.
Yang Qi raised a hand and gently patted his left shoulder. "Liu Fu," he said softly, "come on out. Say hello to everyone. There’s no need to be afraid."
As he spoke, an astonishing scene unfolded.
On Yang Qi’s shoulder, in a spot that had seemed empty save for the folds of his clothing, the color and texture suddenly rippled like water.
Then, a chameleon about twenty centimeters long slowly revealed itself! Its body was a deep, grayish-blue with a fine texture, almost perfectly matching the color of Yang Qi’s clothes.
It rested quietly on Yang Qi’s shoulder, its triangular head slightly raised. Its pale yellow eyes calmly scanned the crowd, showing no sign of aggression or panic. It was a world of difference from the fierce and sinister "Phantom Killer" it had been before.
"This... Advisor Yang, what is...?" Tang Yuan was at a loss for words.
Yang Qi gently stroked "Liu Fu’s" head, and the chameleon narrowed its eyes placidly.
"Director Tang, Captain Guan. I’ve named this chameleon ’Liu Fu.’ It’s true that ’Li Jiahao’ used it as the ’weapon’ to commit his crimes, but I want to clarify a few points."
Yang Qi’s tone was sincere. "First, based on my examination and communication with it, ’Liu Fu’ itself is not venomous. The special chemicals that caused the victims to become paralyzed and lose their balance were all concocted by ’Li Jiahao.’ He then used a miniature device on ’Liu Fu’ to force it to carry and release them. ’Liu Fu’ was just a carrier, a tool being exploited."