Chapter 1: The Midnight Anonymous Visitor

The downpour arrived at midnight. The door to private detective Lin Mo's office was pushed open, and a woman in black, drenched from the rain, walked in. She wasn't carrying an umbrella, and her face looked bloodless under the pale light. The woman placed an exquisite black lacquer wooden box on the desk. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, her eyes filled with fear. "Please keep this for me," the woman's voice was hoarse, with a hint of pleading. "Absolutely do not open it. I will come back for it in three days." Lin Mo frowned, about to ask about her identity and the origin of the box. However, the woman didn't give him a chance to ask. She suddenly turned and rushed back into the raging rain outside, disappearing in an instant. Lin Mo walked to the window. The streetlights were blurry in the heavy rain, and the street was deserted. He returned to the desk and stared at the box. The surface of the box was carved with strange geometric patterns, and a faint, bitter scent, similar to almonds, emanated from its edges. This smell immediately made him, a former detective, alert – it was the smell of cyanide. Lin Mo did not open the box. He locked it in the safe, deciding to investigate the identity of this mysterious woman first thing tomorrow morning.