Chapter 331: The Lonely Death of a Middle-aged Man

After dinner, Chen Shi habitually lit a cigarette, but Lin Dongxue snatched it from his lips and tossed it into a roadside trash can, remarking, “You reek of smoke. Keep smoking for a few more years and you’ll truly become a stinky uncle. Quit already!”

Chen Shi gave a wry smile, “This is my only vice.”

“Smoking is a vice, not a hobby. A hobby is something that consumes energy but also gives something back. I read an article that said smoking not only causes cancer but also leads to cardiovascular diseases. It takes fifteen years for the body to recover after quitting smoking. If you quit now, you’ll be a healthy old man by fifty.”

Chen Shi grimaced again. Honestly, it wasn’t easy to just break this habit.

“Is there a reward if I manage to quit?” he asked.

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment, then beckoned him closer and whispered something in his ear. Chen Shi responded incredulously, “Really?”

“Absolutely. As long as you quit successfully, I’ll do it.”

“Deal.”

They hooked their fingers in a promise. Chen Shi then reluctantly placed his cigarettes and lighter on top of the trash can.

That’s it, a clean break!

The pair planned to stroll around the streets, but Lin Dongxue received a text message. Lin Qiupu had sent her coordinates and a brief note: “Homicide.”

Lin Dongxue handed her phone to Chen Shi, who simply said, “Let’s go.”

As they got into the car, Chen Shi asked, “Can I smoke e-cigarettes instead?”

“No!” Lin Dongxue replied definitively.

Arriving at the crime scene, they encountered a familiar setup: police were taking photographs and securing evidence, and several officers were questioning neighbors. The crime scene was a three-bedroom apartment with decent interior decorations, suggesting the owner was financially well-off.

The living room was in disarray, indicating a fierce struggle had taken place. The corpse, a portly middle-aged man dressed in a shirt and suit pants, was slumped against a wash basin outside the bathroom. His mouth was agape, his lips were purplish, and his skin was pale. Chen Shi’s first thought was that the man had died of poisoning.

Chen Shi glanced at the coat rack; the deceased’s casual blazer was hung there. He deduced that the victim had just arrived home when he died.

Peng Sijue was examining the body. As he shone a flashlight down the dead man’s throat, he suddenly said, “Close the door.”

A police officer near the door shut it, and Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi, and Lin Dongxue gathered around. Peng Sijue glanced at Lin Dongxue, “Maybe you should step back; this might be a bit…”

“Did the victim have his genitals cut off and stuffed in his mouth?” Chen Shi interjected, leaving Lin Dongxue in shock.

“Do you have to be so blunt!?” Peng Sijue frowned.

“There’s blood on his pants, and his throat looks swollen as if something’s stuffed… It’s easiest to cut off a man’s genitals; no tendons, no cartilage, just one slice. Plus, it’s highly symbolic.”

“Thank you for your insightful comment!” Peng Sijue retorted.

Slowly, he retrieved the object from the throat. Seeing it, Lin Dongxue frowned but didn’t turn away. As a police officer, she couldn’t shy away from anything.

“Typical sexual revenge. The killer is most likely a woman, probably one who was sexually abused by the victim,” Chen Shi surmised, standing up to look inside the wash basin where there were traces of vomit mixed with alcohol and medication, “The victim died from poisoning. The mess in the living room is from him struggling and writhing after being poisoned. He ran here to induce vomiting, but it was too late.”

“You’re wrong, he was stabbed to death,” Peng Sijue corrected, opening the victim’s shirt to point at a spot on the chest, “See, bleeding here. Help me turn the body over.”

After flipping the body, they discovered three stab wounds on the back; most of the blood had pooled inside the abdominal cavity, which was why Chen Shi hadn’t noticed it initially.

Rubbing his temples awkwardly, Lin Qiupu teased, “Even you can be wrong sometimes.”

“I’m not an expert in autopsies, and I’m quitting smoking, which lowers my brain power,” Chen Shi defended.

“You’re quitting smoking? How long has it been?”

“An hour!”

“That counts as quitting?”

Peng Sijue continued, “He died about eight hours ago. The killer likely poisoned him first. As the victim struggled violently and tried to vomit, the killer stabbed him from behind with a pointed object,