Chapter 283: The Killer Bottle Cap (Third Update)

Once the technicians finished taking photos, Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu donned gloves and shoe covers and entered the scene. The narrow container housing had eight bunks, and the body lay face down on the floor, with blood everywhere. The metallic scent of blood filled the air.

Chen Shi sniffed and caught a hint of sweetness. He looked around and found an empty bottle under the nightstand.

It was a domestic soda, already empty. Chen Shi unscrewed the cap and found a strange pattern inside. He glanced at the bottle and then checked other empty bottles from the workers’ plastic bag.

He handed the bottle cap to Lin Qiupu and said, “Look, what’s this?”

Lin Qiupu examined it against the light. “A black butterfly?”

“This soda brand doesn’t have any prize promotions. This cap is suspicious. Could it be the killer’s signature?”

“Is there another serial killer in Long’an?” Lin Qiupu said, dreading the thought.

Lin Qiupu took the soda bottle and questioned the workers. One worker said he had bought the drink, opened it right away, and didn’t notice the cap. He left it on the table, and the victim might have drunk it later.

The worker, scared, asked, “Is there poison in the drink?”

“Probably not,” Lin Qiupu replied.

Chen Shi thought about the poisoned drink case from ten years ago. Could this be the work of the killer’s brother? It was just a guess for now.

The killer’s method was clean and efficient, with no signs of struggle. This was likely a serial murder case.

Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi to the car and asked, “Are you dating my sister?”

“How did you figure that out?” Chen Shi chuckled.

“Her recent changes. I’m not blind. I don’t know what she sees in you, but it’s her choice.”

“Thanks for your blessing, Captain Lin.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Here, take this and read it later.” Lin Qiupu handed Chen Shi a sealed envelope.

Chen Shi was about to open it, but Lin Qiupu stopped him. “Do it later. We have a case to solve.”

The officers canvassed the area. There were almost no surveillance cameras. The gatekeeper initially claimed he was on duty, but under the pressure of a murder investigation, he admitted he received a call about his granddaughter being hit by a car. His wife’s phone was unreachable, so he left for the hospital for about an hour, only to find out nothing had happened.

Lin Qiupu asked, “Who knows your phone number?”

“Just family and friends. I don’t give it out.”

Chen Shi commented, “This killer is quite resourceful. It seems like a spontaneous murder, but everything was meticulously planned.”

“I didn’t call you here to admire the killer’s skills,” Lin Qiupu retorted.

“I’m no magician. With the current clues, I’m as clueless as you.”

“I regret calling you already!”

“But I think the soda is a key lead. We should buy all the similar bottles from nearby stores and check them.”

“You handle that! I’ll look for witnesses.”

Lin Qiupu, thorough as ever, questioned everyone nearby and checked all possible surveillance footage. Meanwhile, Chen Shi visited convenience stores in the vicinity, buying all the soda bottles and checking each cap.

At 8:30 PM, Chen Shi returned. Lin Qiupu, looking frustrated, was smoking. His expression showed no progress.

Chen Shi spread out his hands, showing three bottle caps with butterfly patterns. “Found these at three convenience stores. The store owners said they all got their stock from the same supplier. We need to check the surveillance footage.”

“You mean people who get these caps are targeted?”

“Doesn’t it feel familiar?”

“The poisoned drink case from ten years ago. This killer has taken it to the next level, making it harder and more brutal. Could the killer be Wang Sunxu, using the name ‘Zhou Xiao’?”

“Highly likely!”

“Let’s investigate!”

Lin Qiupu sent officers to retrieve surveillance footage from the three stores while he and Chen Shi went to the supplier. The supplier was a distributor, claiming he supplied all nearby stores. Lin Qiupu asked to check his stock.

The distributor led them to a small warehouse filled with cases of soda. There were over a hundred cases of this soda alone.

Lin Qiupu initially wanted to buy them all, but seeing the quantity, he was stunned. “Can we open these?”

“No way. Once opened, nobody will buy them.”

“I’ll buy ten cases at wholesale price.”

“Sure thing!”

The distributor moved ten cases, and Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi opened the caps one by one. Soon, they had a pile of caps at their feet, all normal. Chen Shi said, “It seems the tampering happened at the stores.” He took a sip from one of the bottles.

“If these caps mean death, we need to notify the manufacturer to stop distribution.”

“That might take too long. We should warn the public not to buy this soda.”

“Agreed, I’ll handle it.” Lin Qiupu made a call.

Chen Shi asked, “What about these opened bottles?”

“Dump them. Nobody will drink them.”

“I’ll take a few… actually, a whole case!”

“You’re too polite.”

After wrapping up, Chen Shi went home. He opened the envelope Lin Qiupu gave him. Inside were two copies of a contract titled “Guidelines for Dating Dongxue.” It detailed her dislikes, what to avoid, and contingency plans for infidelity, unexpected pregnancy, and other scenarios.

Chen Shi was stunned for a full ten seconds. What kind of brother is this?

The contract ended with a requirement for Chen Shi to sign and fingerprint it, promising confidentiality. He crumpled the papers and threw them in the trash outside.

The next day, Chen Shi arrived at the bureau early. Lin Dongxue saw him and asked, “Is it true? About the killer bottle caps?”

“It’s just a theory for now. Has it been officially registered?”

“Captain Lin has called a meeting. Most of the police force is in the task force.”

“Let’s see what he says at the meeting.”

At the 9 AM briefing, Lin Qiupu explained the situation. Some officers, unaware of the details, were shocked. Lin Qiupu, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly hadn’t slept. He turned off the lights and played some surveillance footage.

The footage showed a man in a black hoodie entering convenience stores and quickly placing something on the shelves.

The same scene appeared in all three stores where Chen Shi found the caps. Lin Qiupu said, “The suspect cleverly avoided showing his face, but judging by his height and build, it’s likely Wang Sunxu.”

An officer raised his hand and asked, “If people with butterfly caps are targets, how does the killer know who they are?”