Red wine poisoning case 1.9

Fan Jinci's body temperature soared to 40.3°C in the early morning.

The neurotoxins in the red wine finally took effect; his skin burned, his breathing became rapid, cold sweat soaked his shirt, and the butterfly scar on his wrist glowed an unnatural dark red under the high temperature.

Yu Yan wiped his forehead repeatedly with a damp towel, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Damn it... that old man better pray he doesn't fall into my hands."

“Swearing won’t help.” Li Weimian quickly checked Fan Jinci’s pupil response. “The toxin is attacking his central nervous system. If this drags on any longer, it will cause brain damage.”

Situ Jin rummaged through the medicine box, her face grim: "There's no effective antidote. We have to go to the manor's pharmacy."

Jiang Zhaoyan had already stood up: "Let's go."

As soon as the door to the dispensing room was pushed open, a blinding red light suddenly shone on.

On the wall-mounted display screen, large, scarlet characters scrolled:

"Let's play a game. If you win, I'll give you the antidote. :"

Wen Lin: "A classic villain line."

The screen suddenly switched to show a face shrouded in shadow—it was Ryan Howard, or rather, an AI-generated image.

"Dear guests, welcome to participate in my little riddle."

The electronic sound carried an eerie pleasure.

"You have four hours. Each of you has one clue. Piece together the complete answer, and the antidote will be provided."

Four envelopes popped up at the bottom of the screen, each labeled with one of their names.

[Yu Yan's Mission: The Blood Chess Game]

Yu Yan stood before the chessboard, the scarlet pieces reflecting the ferocity in his eyes.

He doesn't play chess—at least not that kind of convoluted, scholarly game. What he excels at is always direct, straightforward attack, like bullets in a gun barrel, the tangible feeling of a fist hitting an opponent's face.

But at this moment, Fan Jinci's life hangs on the line of this game of chess.

"First move, Tengen." Ryan's electronic voice came from the bottom of the board, and the white piece automatically landed in the center.

Yu Yan picked up a red piece and slammed it heavily onto the edge of the chessboard—the most brutal opening move, completely without any strategy.

"Rude." Ryan chuckled, the white piece nimbly blocking the red piece's path.

Do you think Fan Jinci would like such a rude person?

After three rounds, Yu Yan had five red stones eaten.

He stared at the chessboard and suddenly noticed that blood beads seeped from the bottom of the captured red pieces, flowing along the grooves of the chessboard and gradually outlining a human face—it was young Fan Jinci, with his eyes closed and an electrode attached to his forehead.

"Does it hurt your heart?" Ryan's voice was mocking.

"This is only one ten-thousandth of what he has endured."

Yu Yan's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.

He doesn't understand Go, but he understands tactics.

—If a direct assault is ineffective, then use a feint attack.

In his next move, he deliberately placed a red piece in an insignificant position, and the white pieces immediately surrounded and attacked. Just as Ryan was focused on capturing the pieces, Yu Yan suddenly grabbed three red pieces and slammed them hard against the projector in the corner of the chessboard!

"Bang!"

Sparks flew, and the chess room was plunged into darkness.

In the darkness, Yu Yan kicked over the chessboard, and the red and white chess pieces rained down on the ground.

"You fouled!" Ryan's electronic voice distorted and changed.

"Foul?" Yu Yan sneered, drawing his sidearm and aiming it at the control panel. "I'll show you what a real 'foul' is."

The bullet shattered the screen, sending sparks flying and crackling.

When the backup light came on, the hidden square in the center of the chessboard popped open, revealing a black chip engraved with:

"E7: Memory Key for M-0"

Yu Yan grabbed the chip, the gun still pointed at the tattered screen: "The antidote."

"...You don't care about the rules at all."

"Rules?" He smirked. "My rules are simple—anyone who touches Fan Jinci must die."

After a few seconds of silence, the hidden door in the wall slid open, and a silver reagent tube was slowly pushed out.

"You won." Ryan's voice betrayed weariness for the first time.

"But the game isn't over yet."

Yu Yan grabbed the antidote and left without looking back.

The chess room collapsed behind him with a loud crash.