Chapter 233 The Secret of Bubbles
Li Qihan inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it hard, but it didn't move at all.
He increased his strength, and his arm muscles stretched into clear lines underwater, but the lock core still did not respond.
The contempt on Victor's face froze instantly, replaced by incredible shock.
Chi Hui's flushed face now lost all color. He stared blankly at the piranha pool hanging on the top of the tank, his lips trembling uncontrollably: "How...how could this happen? Just now, I clearly..."
His voice stopped abruptly, and he suddenly realized that if he had not been stopped in time, he would be the one trapped at the bottom of the tank.
Those hungry piranhas will bite his body mercilessly, and the escape route is blocked by this strange lock.
The audience was in an uproar!
There's something wrong with the lock!
"Immediately!" Victor's voice suddenly rose, trembling with fear. "Bring everyone from the prop team here! Retrieve all the surveillance footage!"
His assistant hurried over with five pale-faced prop masters, each of whom had a look of anxiety and confusion on his face.
Victor stared at the lock that lay motionless underwater, and for the first time he truly felt that the shadow of death was so close to his stage.
Leng Xiaohe and other police officers began to investigate and take statements from the five prop masters.
She and the other police officers also became nervous unconsciously.
After all, they had seen Victor's performance on the trending searches before they came.
It is said that the number of online viewers worldwide has exceeded 70 million, which can be said to have attracted worldwide attention.
At this time, the audience watching the performance are not just those interested in magic.
After the Yangcheng General Administration received the notification from Li Qiuhan, the news was quickly passed up.
Now, the top leaders of Yangcheng, Southeast Province and even Longguo are all watching the real-time situation on the scene in front of the screen.
Not long ago, Commander Gu issued an urgent order: We must race against time to solve this case and bring the mastermind behind the scenes to justice!
This isn't just an ordinary criminal case; it's a battle for our nation's image. If the case can be solved quickly, even if the show is interrupted, it will allow global audiences to witness the lightning-fast efficiency of the Dragon police—putting our resolve and ability to protect our citizens under the spotlight.
However, the hourglass of time is ticking away rapidly.
The remaining hours of tonight will determine everything: a perfect solution to the case or a regrettable ending.
If the real culprit cannot be identified within the golden period for solving the case, this carefully planned murder case is likely to become an unsolved international mystery.
By then, what global audiences will remember will no longer be the splendor of the magic, but the unsolved mysteries that took place on the Dragon Country stage.
This is a war without the smoke of gunpowder, a severe test of one's ability to handle cases, and it concerns the international reputation of Dragon Country!
The police must race against time to expose the murderer's disguise before the truth is buried forever!
At this time, the water in the three-dimensional water tank had been completely drained, but Li Qihan was still half-kneeling at the bottom of the water tank and did not get up immediately.
His wet black hair was sticking to his forehead in a messy manner, and crystal clear water droplets kept dripping along his jawline.
He looked at the faulty retro lock with a serious expression, and suddenly looked up, his sharp eyes penetrating the water tank glass: "Bring me gloves and a magnifying glass!" Although his voice was a little dull because of the water tank, it was full of unquestionable majesty.
A police officer immediately trotted forward and handed the professional tools into the water tank.
Li Qihan put on rubber gloves neatly, his slender fingers glowing coldly under the light.
He picked up the magnifying glass and leaned over the lock. His muscles were tense with concentration, and his broad shoulders and narrow waist were faintly visible under his wet shirt.
Xia Lili was squatting beside the water tank, observing the situation inside intently through the glass.
Leng Xiaohe quietly approached and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Boss Xia, I just received a notice from the Southeast Provincial Department that, in conjunction with the domestic sponsors of this magic show, the reward for solving the case has been increased to 2 million."
"Two million?!" Xia Lili suddenly opened her eyes wide and almost screamed out loud.
Leng Xiaohe made a gesture to silence the crowd and continued, "But there is one condition—the murderer must be apprehended before the scheduled end of the magic show."
She lowered her voice, "The sponsor also promised that for every minute the case is solved earlier, the prize money will be increased by another 10,000."
As one of the world's top magicians, Victor's debut in Dragon Country attracted hundreds of brands to sponsor him, covering almost all areas from food and beverages to electronic products.
Who would have thought that an accident would happen during the third performance? Representatives of major sponsors were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, hoping that the case could be solved as soon as possible and the negative impact of the accident could be minimized.
Xia Lili unconsciously clenched her fingers. Behind this huge bonus were all parties' eager expectations for their efficiency in solving the case.
Xia Lili glanced down at her watch—the magic show was originally scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM and end at 9:30 PM, and it was now 7:17 PM. She did some quick math in her head: 133 minutes to solve the case, and every minute of early completion would net her an extra 10,000 yuan in prize money—a truly enticing offer.
"I understand." She took a deep breath, her eyes firm, "I will do my best."
Leng Xiaohe patted her shoulder with relief: "Come on!"
Xia Lili had previously promised to purchase five sets of the same self-defense equipment for the police force, and had already purchased them with his own money and sent them to the bureau.
Seeing that Xia Lili didn't spend money lavishly and lived a very simple life, everyone in the bureau thought that Xia Lili's wallet was empty and she was living on dirt. They privately worried about her a lot.
At this moment, everyone sincerely hopes that she can win the bonus and improve her life.
The global live broadcast continued, but now it turned from the magic show to Li Qihan and Xia Lili who were inspecting the water tank.
The two police officers who were originally regarded as troublemakers have now become the protagonists of this "magic turns crime-solving" drama.
In the audience, the impatient whispers had long since disappeared, replaced by breathless concentration.
Pairs of eyes were fixed on the stage, their curiosity thoroughly ignited:
"It's amazing! How come the lock that was clearly openable just now broke after being soaked in water?"
"If it weren't for these two police officers, that uncle would probably have already..."
"How did the Dragon Country police predict the future? It's incredible!"
"As expected of a 100% crime prevention rate, that's incredible."
Xia Lili leaned close to the water tank glass and tapped it lightly with her fingertips to signal.
Although the tempered glass blocked the sound, Li Qihan immediately understood and picked up the intercom.
"Captain Li, have you found anything?" Her voice came through the intercom.
Li Qihan raised the vintage lock with his rubber-gloved hand and said in a calm and clear voice, "Do you still remember?"
"Did any bubbles come out of the keyhole in the last minute?" He tapped the keyhole with his fingertips.
Xia Lili nodded suddenly: "Yes..."
Under what circumstances will a large number of bubbles suddenly appear underwater, and the bubbles will be generated very quickly?
Xia Lili suddenly remembered the hydrogen experiment her teacher conducted using an aluminum can in her high school chemistry class.
Placing sodium hydroxide solution and aluminum cans into a sealed container will produce a violent reaction, generating a large amount of hydrogen accompanied by rapid bubbling.
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