Chapter 695: Soy Sauce Murder

Chen Shi and Xin Bai were talking in the interrogation room when Peng Siyue summoned Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue to the forensic lab. The autopsy was in progress, and no matter how many times Lin Dongxue saw such scenes, she could never get used to it.

They had found over forty pieces of the corpse in Xin Bai’s car, barely piecing them together to form a human shape. It was an adult male. Peng Siyue said, “There’s something I need to show you.”

He used tweezers to turn over a piece of intestine. Lin Qiupu noticed it was blackened and asked, “Is it decayed?”

“No, the body is actually quite fresh. I estimate the time of death to be about twenty hours ago, not more than a day. We found a large amount of… soy sauce in the victim’s intestines,” Peng Siyue said, pausing for effect.

“What?” Lin Qiupu couldn’t believe his ears. Lin Dongxue could indeed smell a faint soy sauce aroma mixed with the stench of the corpse, making her feel nauseous at the thought of having used soy sauce for dinner.

Peng Siyue continued, “At first, I thought it was food residue. But there was no clear cause of death on the body fragments. A blood test revealed the victim’s sodium levels were extremely high. The amount of soy sauce in his intestines was far beyond normal consumption. The primary substance in soy sauce is salt. The lethal dose of salt is about 40 grams. This victim was force-fed a large amount of soy sauce while in good health. The salt extracted water from his cells, causing his blood pressure to rise and his autonomic nervous system to fail. His death was slow and painful. This wasn’t just a murder; it was torture.”

After hearing Peng Siyue’s explanation, everyone was shocked. A simple bottle of soy sauce could kill someone. The killer either had a deep-seated hatred for the victim or was a psychopath.

Lin Qiupu, seething with anger, turned his rage towards Xin Bai. “That guy is putting on a show in the interrogation room. I’ll make sure he pays for this!” he said through gritted teeth.

“Bro, we haven’t figured out the details yet. The writer seems mentally unstable. We can’t be sure he committed the murder,” Lin Dongxue said.

“If he didn’t kill him, why was he driving around with the body parts? Old Zhang, the car is his, right?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Yes, it’s his,” Old Zhang confirmed.

“We should check his house. It might be the crime scene,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“Good idea!” Lin Qiupu asked Peng Siyue, “Any other findings?”

“The victim is a young male. We haven’t identified him yet.”

Lin Dongxue glanced at the autopsy table and felt a chill. The victim seemed familiar, a disturbing realization. She stepped closer to the table, staring at the pale face for a long time, not even hearing Lin Qiupu calling her. Suddenly, she remembered and ran out of the room.

Shortly after, she returned, dragging Chen Shi with her. “Play that video you were watching earlier,” she demanded.

“Why?” Chen Shi asked, confused, but complied.

Lin Dongxue compared the face of the host in the video with the victim’s face. “Yes, it’s him. He’s the host of a web novel critique show.”

“What’s a host?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Someone who records and posts shows,” Chen Shi explained, glancing at the autopsy table. “It’s really him!”

“Web novel critique? Xin Bai writes web novels. Is there a connection?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“I don’t think it’s a personal grudge. This host critiqued his book recently, but it wasn’t malicious. Killing over that? Hard to believe,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Exposure on the show should be a good thing,” Chen Shi pondered. “No, that can’t be the motive. There must be another reason. Let’s check Xin Bai’s house.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi took the keys confiscated from Xin Bai and headed to his place, while Lin Qiupu and Old Zhang continued the interrogation.

On the way, Lin Dongxue briefed Chen Shi on the autopsy results, which shocked him. “Killing with soy sauce? Xin Bai’s novels often feature bizarre murder methods. Guess he decided to try one in real life.”

“What did you talk about with him?” Lin Dongxue asked, sniffing herself, feeling like she had picked up the smell from the autopsy room, though it might just be psychological.

“Just small talk. He seemed like he was in some sort of shock. He could answer routine questions like what he ate tonight, but froze up or rambled when it came to the murder.”

“I think he’s avoiding reality.”

Chen Shi smiled. He had a feeling that Xin Bai had endured some kind of mental torment. Additionally, Xin Bai had some injuries but reacted strongly when Chen Shi tried to examine them.

For a well-known web novelist, Xin Bai’s home was quite ordinary, with a slightly nerdy vibe. The walls were covered with movie posters, and there were several gaming consoles on the TV stand. Only a nerd with some disposable income would buy multiple consoles for exclusive games. In this, he might have shared interests with Xu Xiaodong.

The tall bookshelves were filled with professional books. Seeing those on criminal law, forensics, toxicology, folklore, and mythology, Chen Shi was impressed and thought that if Xin Bai turned to crime, his knowledge would be far superior to the average person.

Chen Shi checked the kitchen and bathroom, confirming someone lived there. Lin Dongxue said, “Why don’t we see a computer? Don’t writers usually work on computers?”

“Good question. Let’s check the bedroom.”

In the bedroom, there was a desk with a notebook on it. To Chen Shi’s surprise, it was filled with handwritten drafts. “This guy’s so old-school?” he thought.

Eventually, they found a laptop in a drawer. They took both the notebook and the laptop for further examination.

“No bloodstains or anything,” Lin Dongxue noted. “Could he have cleaned it up?”

“Would he be that meticulous in his mental state?” Chen Shi suddenly thought of something. “A person’s home reflects their state of mind. Xin Bai’s a wreck, yet his home is neat and orderly. It doesn’t add up.”

“Maybe he has a studio or something?” Chen Shi wondered aloud.

“Chen, look at this!” Lin Dongxue exclaimed.

She had opened a footlocker, revealing a set of strange clothes, ropes, knives, cleaning agents, and gloves.

While reaching for these items, she had dropped the notebook she was holding. Chen Shi glanced at the text and said, “Hey, this isn’t a novel draft. It’s a murder diary!”