Chapter 123: Xu Xiaodong in Trouble

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue put down their chopsticks and wiped their mouths. Chen Shi said, “Confess!”

“Give me a bite first. I’m starving. My stomach feels like a volcano erupting,” Zhang Jinlei said, drooling.

“Talk first.”

“Just one bite.”

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t talk, you won’t get another chance. One…”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Zhang Jinlei confessed that his girlfriend, Niu Mudan, had her eye on an LV bag in a luxury store a month ago and tried to steal it, but was caught by the staff and forcibly searched. She felt humiliated and said she wanted that specific LV bag from that store.

At the time, both Zhang Jinlei and Xiao Lü were vying for Niu Mudan’s affection, or rather, she was playing both of them. Xiao Lü was timid but somewhat handsome and educated, making Zhang Jinlei feel threatened.

To impress Niu Mudan, both rivals decided to fulfill her request. Zhang Jinlei had also been eyeing Xiao Lü’s electronic cigarette and saw this as an opportunity. They bet that if Zhang Jinlei got the bag first, Xiao Lü would give him the e-cigarette.

Xiao Lü tried to get money from his game-addicted father on December 10th, but his father refused, citing an upcoming in-game event and temporary lack of funds. Frustrated, Xiao Lü unplugged his father’s computer and threw it into the river, which led his father to jump in after it, ignoring his son.

“What a bizarre family!” Zhang Jinlei mocked.

Failing to get the money, Zhang Jinlei saw an opportunity. He found the main store to be the easiest target, as it was surrounded by nightclubs and brothels. A false police inspection call would make these places close early, leaving no witnesses.

That night, after dinner, Zhang Jinlei and his crew headed to Xinglian Road. As expected, the street was deserted with all stores closed. They began breaking in, a familiar act for them, feeling no guilt as they believed it funded their fun at KTVs and internet cafes.

Inside, they ransacked the store, knocked over shelves, and urinated on them. Niu Mudan praised Zhang Jinlei, even giving him a kiss, which enraged Xiao Lü.

Unexpectedly, a store employee who was sleeping inside woke up and shouted, “I’ve called the police!” Big Fatty, one of the gang members, hit the employee on the head with a stick. The employee fell, and the boys hit him a few more times. Niu Mudan was terrified, thinking they had killed him, but Big Fatty reassured her that the employee was just unconscious.

Fearing the police would soon arrive, they fled.

“The bags are still with Niu Mudan. She planned to use them once things calmed down. I didn’t expect you to catch us. Can I eat now?” Zhang Jinlei asked, his mouth watering.

Chen Shi placed the pork chop rice and cola on the interrogation table. Zhang Jinlei, handcuffed, greedily ate with his hands.

Chen Shi asked, “Tell me about the electronic cigarette. You made a bet, but Xiao Lü had an accident that night. It shouldn’t have been with you.”

Zhang Jinlei, his mouth full, mumbled, “After the car accident, it was with him. I thought it was mine, and giving it to the police would be a waste, so I took it… It’s not a big deal, right?”

“Compared to your robbery, it’s nothing… Did the e-cigarette leave Xiao Lü’s possession at any time that night?”

“No.”

“Think carefully.”

“Oh, right. When we were robbing the store, the e-cigarette was probably in the car.”

Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi and whispered, “Could someone have tampered with it?”

“It’s possible… By the way, has Peng’s experiment finished its 24 hours? Let’s check.”

As they left, Zhang Jinlei shouted, “Aren’t you going to let me go? Even the detention center would be better than these handcuffs!”

Chen Shi replied, “Wait a bit longer. We have more questions.”

“Can I get another meal? I’m still hungry!”

Chen Shi handed him the remaining pork chop rice. Zhang Jinlei opened the one Lin Dongxue had eaten from and leered, “Haha, the beautiful sister’s leftovers. So tasty.”

Disgusted, Lin Dongxue snatched the meal away and threw it in the trash.

At the forensics team, Peng Sijue was still working. After hearing about the e-cigarette, he agreed it was possible.

“How did your experiment go?” Chen Shi asked.

“I was about to tell you. Last night, I inhaled a surgical dose of isoflurane. My current blood concentration is 0.03 micrograms per milliliter, but the deceased had 0.4 micrograms per milliliter.”

“Forty times more!” Lin Dongxue exclaimed, earning a disdainful look from Peng Sijue.

“It’s 13.33 times more. No matter the deceased’s metabolism, unless he didn’t sweat, drink, or excrete all day, he couldn’t have such high residue… Let me test the e-cigarette.”

“Here,” Chen Shi handed over the e-cigarette he had with him.

Peng Sijue personally conducted the test and returned five minutes later. “There’s a trace amount of isoflurane in this.”

Chen Shi said, “The e-cigarette gets refilled repeatedly, diluting the substance. The deceased must have inhaled a lot of isoflurane that night.”

“Enough to lose control of the car or fall asleep while driving.”

“Great!” Lin Dongxue was thrilled. Revealing the truth is a highlight for detectives. “The victim was murdered!”

Chen Shi said, “But how do we prove it ties to his mother collecting insurance? She was out of town at the time… It points to a mastermind.”

“Meaning, to prove insurance fraud, we need to trace it to the source… I wonder how Xiaodong is doing.”

An officer rushed in, “There’s someone outside, covered in blood. Come quickly.”

Peng Sijue grabbed a first aid kit, and he and Chen Shi, along with Lin Dongxue, rushed to the city bureau’s lobby. There, a man lay on the floor, clothes tattered and soaked in blood, clutching his severed left pinky.

Lin Dongxue moved to check him, but Chen Shi stopped her and shook the man. “Buddy, are you here to report a crime?”

The man opened his eyes. “Save Xiaodong…” then fainted again.