Quantum Ant Nest

Story Synopsis

- The Missing Specimen Forensic entomologist Lin Xia receives a mysterious package containing a severed finger. Army ants in a specimen jar bring back memories of her father's disappearance twenty years earlier. Her partner, Chen Dong, discovers that the finger belonged to Fang Yuan, a missing barista, and that a specimen of African driver ants was hidden beneath the victim's fingernails.

- The Rainy Night Code The investigation team discovers ant-ravaged bones in a suburban rainforest, while a mysterious disappearance from the autopsy room leaves behind fluorescent markings from driver ants. Lin Xia finds bloodstains and a live ant nest in the basement. Security footage points to the late entomology professor Cheng Mo.

- The Bloodstained Map A map of the victims, assembled from ant corpses, appears in Cheng Mo's laboratory. Lin Xia discovers a connection between the case and a coded message in her father's notebook. A body found in the alley behind a coffee shop bears the bizarre features of an insect pupa, and tracing the driver ant specimens leads to an international smuggling ring.

- The Web's Final Trap Lin Xia deciphers the Morse code her father left behind and exposes the killer, who has been posing as a police officer. An experiment with ant pheromones reveals the method behind a perfect crime. The final confrontation takes place in the specimen museum where her father disappeared, and the truth emerges as the army ant nest is overturned.