Chapter 284: The Twisted Mind

Lin Qiupu said, “We carefully examined the bottle in the victim’s hand and the ones we bought from convenience stores. There are no anomalies, no trackers, and no damage.”

The room buzzed with surprise.

Lin Qiupu continued, “I’ve already announced this on the police department’s Weibo, advising the public not to buy this brand of soda. This will be a significant blow to the manufacturer. From last night until early this morning, I’ve received dozens of calls from them, and they even hired a lawyer. Don’t worry about that; I’ll handle it. Your job is to solve the case. One more thing, last night’s murder wasn’t the first; it was the fourth.”

Amid the gasps, Lin Qiupu displayed several empty soda bottles in evidence bags. “These are from recent homicide cases handled by various precincts. The victims include a loner, a family of three, and a driver. In every scene, we found these bottle caps. Notably, in the family of three, both parents were killed, but the young boy was only knocked unconscious. He’s currently too traumatized to provide any clues.”

Officer Zhang asked, “Do the victims have anything in common besides the bottle caps?”

“No,” Lin Qiupu replied.

“Then isn’t the killer cutting off his own path? If we intensify the publicity, no one will buy the drinks, and there’ll be no more victims.”

“I doubt that,” Chen Shi interjected. “No matter how much we publicize, some people won’t know. This soda is cheaper than Coca-Cola or Pepsi by 50 cents and tastes good. It’s popular in small shops around the rural areas of Long’an, where people don’t use Weibo.”

“Is the killer really so powerful that anyone who gets this cap will be murdered?” another officer asked.

Lin Qiupu said, “That’s the impression the killer wants to give. They tamper with the bottles, but instead of poisoning them, they choose to kill the buyers personally. This is ten or even a hundred times more difficult than poisoning. They want to showcase their power and omnipotence.”

Xu Xiaodong suggested, “In that case, we could buy those sodas ourselves. Won’t the killer come after us?”

Chen Shi said, “I already did. Last night, I bought dozens of bottles from a few stores and got a ‘winning’ cap. I drank it. The cap is in my pocket. Let’s see if the killer comes for me.”

The room was taken aback. Lin Qiupu said, “You’re quite brave.”

“Just taking a chance.”

Lin Qiupu assigned tasks. “Today, don’t do anything else. Visit all convenience stores and supermarkets in the city. Buy this soda. If you find a ‘winning’ cap, retrieve the surveillance footage and narrow down the killer’s movements. Peng Sijue will analyze the ink used in the caps to trace the source.”

Lin Qiupu added, “Also, any opened sodas should be poured out. If the killer anticipates our move and poisons them, we’re in trouble.” He fixed his gaze on Chen Shi as he said this.

The meeting room was set up as a temporary office. Lin Qiupu hung a detailed map of Long’an on the wall, marking every store where a ‘winning’ cap was found.

Chen Shi stopped Lin Dongxue as she was about to leave. “Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”

Lin Dongxue replied, “I can handle the convenience stores alone.”

“You don’t have a car. Taking cabs is a hassle. Just wait a bit.”

Chen Shi reviewed the crime scene photos and autopsy reports of the four murders, looking troubled. Lin Dongxue asked, “Any discoveries?”

“It’s likely the same person. Like your brother, I fear serial killings, especially by someone like this…”

Chen Shi recalled the time when Song Lang arrested Wang Sunlei. Wang was a weak, useless young man who resorted to this convoluted method to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.

When arrested, Wang Sunlei sobbed and quickly confessed everything.

Wang Sunxu was just a child then. Song Lang had met him while collecting evidence. Though he tried to comfort Wang Sunxu, the boy glared at him, saying, “You’re all bad people. One day, you’ll pay.”

Now, ten years later, this boy had indeed taken action. Based on Wang Sunxu’s attempt to kill Wang Daji, it was clear he knew who Chen Shi really was.

This case was targeting him, and Chen Shi feared his true identity might be exposed when they caught Wang Sunxu.

“What about this person?” Lin Dongxue asked, pulling Chen Shi back to reality.

“Oh, according to our theory, Zhou Xiao is a small gang. Wang Sunxu has gained considerable experience and skills from his previous murders. He’s a tricky guy.”

“I have a question. By imitating his brother’s crime, isn’t he exposing himself?”

“He’s already exposed. Wang Daji’s shoe had his DNA. Peng Sijue identified him. Realizing this, he probably decided to go on a killing spree. It seems he has no plans to leave an escape route.”

“The human mind can be so twisted.”

“For the family of a convict, society is cruel. They face coldness, rejection, and discrimination from all sides.”

“But still, choosing to take revenge on society is his own fault.”

Chen Shi smiled wryly. “A cop’s job is to remove these anomalies, like a doctor removes tumors.”

Having finished with the files, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove to a large supermarket. They overheard people discussing the situation, mentioning how the company’s stock plummeted overnight, causing significant losses. Others talked about media outlets jumping on the story, highlighting the dangers of carbonated drinks.

At the shelves, they couldn’t find the soda. They asked a staff member, who said, “Didn’t you see the Weibo post? The police said there’s a problem with the soda, so we pulled it all.”

Lin Dongxue flashed her badge. “We’re the police. We need all those sodas.”

“Oh, I’ll inform the manager.”

The supermarket was happy to get rid of the drinks, selling them at wholesale price. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue opened each bottle by the drain, attracting curious glances from passersby.

After opening over a hundred bottles, Lin Dongxue sighed, “No ‘winners’!”

“None on my side either. Looks like the killer hasn’t been to this supermarket.”

“I suddenly thought, could this be a competitor hiring someone to ruin this soda company?”

“Haha, I doubt it. The soda market is dominated by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. This domestic brand is just trying to survive. Even if it’s true, once the real culprit is caught, the hiring company would be disgraced. Such tactics are too risky.”

“I was just thinking out loud.” Looking at the soda-filled drain, Lin Dongxue said, “This investigation is going to blow our budget!”