Chapter 273: Looks Pretty Amazing

“Let me see!” Pengsijue came over to check. “Your statement isn’t precise; you can only say that there are no identical keys here.”

“Try using the lock,” Chen Shi suggested.

“The keyhole is jammed with wire, can’t be restored… unless we saw the lock in half.”

“Go ahead!” Chen Shi snapped his fingers.

“Who do you think you’re bossing around?” Pengsijue retorted.

Lin Dongxue said, “Captain Peng, please check if this key matches the lock.”

Only then did Pengsijue give the order to fetch tools to cut the lock.

At this moment, Xu Xiaodong arrived excitedly, carrying a cat carrier. He set it down and opened it. The cat inside, very shy, immediately burrowed into Xu Xiaodong’s arms upon seeing strangers. Xu Xiaodong comforted it continuously.

Lin Dongxue said, “This cat really likes you!”

“Of course, I have that catnip physique!” Xu Xiaodong said proudly. “Weren’t we going to do some tests?”

Pengsijue took some hair samples from various parts of the cat’s body, then tried to get the cat to lick a glass slide. The cat ignored it and kept burrowing into Xu Xiaodong’s clothes. Pengsijue then switched to a cotton swab and ordered the cat, “Open your mouth!”

“Captain Peng, that’s not how it works.”

“I need its saliva.”

Xu Xiaodong pried the cat’s mouth open so Pengsijue could get a sample. Lin Dongxue saw the cat’s mouth full of sharp teeth and its pink tongue covered with dense barbs. Xu Xiaodong wasn’t afraid at all.

Dogs are omnivores, but cats are true carnivores. It’s said that cats haven’t been domesticated despite thousands of years. Lin Dongxue found it incredible that so many small carnivores live among humans.

Pengsijue went to do the test. Chen Shi asked, “The victim’s phone was licked by a cat. We also found a substance that might be something cats like. Any thoughts?”

“Is it sweet?” Xu Xiaodong asked.

Lin Dongxue laughed, “Sweet or salty? You think the lab technician will taste it?”

Xu Xiaodong scratched his head and laughed, “I mean, if it has a sweet smell, it might be hairball paste or nutrient paste. Hairball paste is darker and oilier. Most cats love these… Chen, don’t you have a cat at home? Don’t you know this?”

“My cat is cared for by Yueyue. I don’t really bother, except for occasionally cleaning the litter.”

“Should we check the scene?” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“No need. Just buy some hairball paste and nutrient paste for comparison,” Chen Shi said.

Xu Xiaodong said, “Chen, could you buy them at a nearby pet store? This cat gets really scared when away from me.”

Chen Shi made a trip and returned. Pengsijue confirmed the saliva was indeed from this cat. It was his first time testing cat saliva. He then compared the hairball paste and nutrient paste. Pengsijue quickly concluded, “The residue on the phone is nutrient paste, similar to the one you bought.”

“So someone smeared nutrient paste on the phone! Why would they do that?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“To post on Weibo!” Chen Shi asserted.

“Can a cat’s tongue really activate the screen?”

“Just test it.”

Chen Shi immediately took out his phone, opened an app, and smeared some nutrient paste on the screen. The cat hesitated for a long time before licking it, and indeed the screen responded.

Though the experiment succeeded, Lin Dongxue remained skeptical. “A cat’s tongue isn’t like a human finger. What if it didn’t hit the send button?”

“You should think from the killer’s perspective. This ‘delayed mechanism’ is inherently probabilistic. If it works, it enhances the crime. If it fails, it’s no big loss. After all, the person is already dead… Many seemingly ingenious crime methods often involve some coincidence.”

Lin Dongxue pondered, “So this is how the killer sent the delayed Weibo post! You’re right, the killer must have killed the person, set up the phone, and left the scene.”

Pengsijue reminded, “Liver temperature indicates the time of death was around midnight, with a margin of error no more than ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes is enough.”

Lin Dongxue said, “No, we were all standing outside at 11:50. Xiaodong, you remember, right? The reporter asked us to re-record.”

“Right, we stood outside for at least fifteen minutes,” Xu Xiaodong confirmed.

Chen Shi fell silent, thinking deeply. Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered, “Let’s go see Miss Jiang.”

Chen Shi said, “I’m not going. I want to think about this carefully.”

Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong left with the cat. Pengsijue brought Chen Shi a cup of coffee and asked, “Even you are stumped this time?”

Chen Shi smiled, “No, I enjoy these mental games. The more bizarre the case, the more excited I get… How’s the autopsy?”

“Nothing significant. Stomach contents show the victim ate rice, raw fish, sea, chicken, bean sprouts, and potatoes, and drank a lot of soda within twelve hours before death.”

“I’ll check the scene!”

Chen Shi arrived at the scene. Police were already there investigating. They had retrieved surveillance footage from the community entrance. It had a lot of content and needed to be reviewed slowly.

Chen Shi made a round, questioned some residents, and confirmed there was only one entrance. Though scaling the wall was possible, he walked around the community to check for anomalies.

At one in the afternoon, Chen Shi reached a nearby street and saw a Japanese restaurant. He remembered Pengsijue mentioned the victim’s stomach contents included rice, raw fish, and sea, which seemed to suggest Japanese food.

He entered the restaurant. There weren’t many people at noon. A waitress in a white uniform greeted him with a smile, “Irasshaimase!”

“Are you Japanese?”

The head chef shouted, “No way, we’re both from the Northeast, just know a few Japanese phrases.”

The waitress said, “Please come in, what would you like?”

Chen Shi smiled, “Is this the only Japanese restaurant around?”

“We’re the only one on these streets,” the head chef replied.

“Do you deliver?”

“Yes, the takeout number is on the wall. Do you want to order?”

Chen Shi glanced at it, “You don’t use Meituan?”

“Our customers are all from nearby communities. We deliver ourselves. What would you like?”

“Do you have raw fish?”

“Yes, we have salmon and tuna. Which one do you want?”

“One of each, to go.”

“Got it!”

The waitress poured a cup of matcha tea. Chen Shi asked, “How many people work here?”

“Five. The manager, head chef, two waitresses, and a kitchen helper… Are you a cop?”

“How did you know?” Chen Shi asked with a smile.

“There was a murder in the community yesterday. Saw cops going in and out all morning. Found anything?”

“I know! I know!” the head chef said. “The victim was that cat-killing guy. It’s all over Weibo. Such an obsessive guy deserved it!”

The waitress said, “But the woman cheated first. Can’t blame it all on the guy.”

The head chef said, “You don’t know the full story. Last night, the woman had dinner here with a cop. I overheard them. She didn’t cheat at all. It was all made up by the guy… Oh, by the way, that policewoman was gorgeous. I almost cut myself while slicing bonito just to get a better look.”