Chapter 392 And The Champion Is...
<Chapter>Chapter 392 And The Champion Is...</Chapter>
The crowd held their collective breath, their doubts momentarily silenced as they marveled at Abella's unwavering certainty. A murmur rippled through the throng, 'How could she possibly know?'
The police, equally intrigued, questioned her in crisp English, "How can you be so sure it was HN2C, given its elusive nature?"
Without missing a beat, Abella responded, explaining that she had drawn her conclusion from the victim's symptoms.
"Abigail's symptoms," she began, "were uncannily similar to those of an individual poisoned with HN2C. Typically, victims of this potent drug endure excruciating stomach pain until they lose consciousness. Upon awakening, the pain spreads to their limbs, causing them to faint once again. When they regain consciousness, the torment has spread throughout their entire body."
She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing, "This cycle repeats for three days straight, with regular hospitals unable to diagnose the cause. Even the strongest painkillers prove ineffective."
Abella's voice took on a chilling tone, "HN2C is a concoction from a certain country, designed for interrogation purposes. Yet, somehow, it has found its way onto the streets."
"This drug cannot be ingested orally," she added, "It penetrates the skin upon contact and releases its toxins."
"When the handlers in that nation wanted to extract confessions, they would apply it directly to the criminals' skin. Soon enough, the criminals would be curled up, writhing in agony, each bout of consciousness bringing intensified pain until they finally broke and confessed."
The police officers exchanged glances, realization dawning on them that contestant number one must have touched something laced with the poison.
The onlookers paled as they digested Abella's revelation.
'How could QY, an American designer, possibly know so much about a drug that didn’t even originate in America?' they wondered.
Abella felt a gaze lingering on her, but when she turned to look, it had vanished.
The police sprung into action, the atmosphere thick with tension. Abella's icy aura deterred them from asking anything, despite their curiosity about the situation.
'This girl's presence is formidable, inexplicably intimidating...' they thought.
Thinking quickly, Abella messaged Steven on WhatsApp, informing him that Abigail was poisoned with HN2C and required a complex treatment of various medications. She listed the necessary drugs, urging the hospital to follow her protocol.
Ideally, bloodletting at specific acupuncture points would have been the best course of action, offering the quickest relief.
But this was France. The doctors were unfamiliar with acupuncture or such techniques. Abella could only suggest the second-best treatment.
Little did she know, this method would later become a precedent in the hospital, saving several more with similar symptoms.
But that was a story for another time.
A while later, a police officer approached Abella quietly, asking how to identify items contaminated with HN2C.
She advised mixing certain chemicals to create a spray for the items. If there was a color change, it indicated the presence of HN2C.
Observers were taken aback by the breadth of knowledge the designer possessed.
Following her instructions, the police proceeded accordingly.
Soon after, a shout rang out. HN2C had been found on the rhinestones. Abigail must have gotten infected while handling the stones for her wedding dress.
"I remember now..." Isabel suddenly spoke up on stage. "Before the competition started, at the backstage, I saw Paige taunting Abigail..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Paige blurted out, her panic evident, "I don't even know her. It was just a bit of trash talk between the competitors who are trying to size each other up. That's all..."
The cops weren't buying her excuses, though. They went straight to the surveillance footage. Right before the start of the second round, as everyone was getting ready to take the stage, only Paige had passed by the box full of rhinestone accessories.
The police apprehended Paige, and she struggled dramatically on stage. "You have no proof that I did this. Let me go..." she cried out, thrashing about in a desperate attempt to free herself, "I could sue you for this..."
Abella's calm, authoritative voice cut through the chaos, amplified by the microphone clipped to her collar. "HN2C can't come into direct contact with the skin. It's toxic upon exposure. To work as a poison, it would need to be contained," she explained, "HN2C usually exists in liquid form."
Everyone turned to look at her, their eyes wide with admiration for her cool composure.
Suddenly, the massive screen on the stage flickered and switched to a surveillance feed. The crowd barely had time to react before they saw Paige passing by a box of rhinestones.
The box was clearly labeled with a number '1' sticker, a designation meant for competitor number one, Abigail.
As the feed zoomed in, a few officers exchanged puzzled glances, their minds echoing the same question, 'Who's playing the surveillance footage?'
Abella had managed to hack into the feed through her phone, revealing Paige's underhanded tactics. The footage showed her sneaking something onto the rhinestone box from her long sleeve. It appeared as though she poured a liquid from a small white bottle she held in her hand.
The police quickly rifled through Paige's belongings but initially found nothing of interest. Their search led them to a trashcan where they discovered a recently discarded bottle of Vitamin C. Upon closer inspection, they found a trace of HN2C liquid inside – it could easily be mistaken for water.
With the evidence damningly clear, Paige's legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed on stage, overcome with fear.
'Why did I get caught so quickly? Who is QY, and how did she know so much about poisons?' she wondered in silent terror.
"Oh, it was you who drugged Abigail." Isabella accused, pointing an incriminating finger at Paige, "Just a minute ago, you were trying to throw everyone off, making them think I had issues with Abigail. You're scary."
Abella watched as the girl on stage shook her head in desperate denial.
"No, it's not like that. Let me explain," she pleaded.
The officers, however, weren't interested in her story and swiftly cuffed her hands without hesitation.
"No, I haven't finished the competition... I haven't won yet..." Paige rambled, her words trailing off into the distance as she was led away.
"I just didn't want to lose... I didn't mean to do anything bad." She continued to protest her innocence, "She'll be in pain for three days. It's not lethal. Let me go. The judges haven't even scored yet. I was put up to this. Poisoning her wasn't my intention..."
As Paige was escorted away by the police, a hushed awe swept over the crowd, their gaze turning back to Abella. No one had expected that at such a young age, she would first identify the poison afflicting Abigail and then assist the authorities in apprehending the main culprit.
But it was her unwavering composure that truly astounded everyone. She maintained a cool head throughout the entire ordeal without a hint of panic.
Her mental fortitude reigned supreme in the room.
"If I remember correctly, there was just a minute left in the competition," Abella remarked with casual calm.
The other contestants had already finished presenting their creations on stage, and only Abigail, hindered by her pain, lagged behind, managing to work only on the hem of her dress. She adorned that hem with butterflies stitched as if they were about to take flight. The final one was stitched but not yet tied off.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
