Chapter 334: The Counter-Hunt

Lin Qiupu pondered, “Li Min told me that the deceased gave him ten thousand yuan over the past month. Could he be lying? Tomorrow, let’s check Li Min’s bank transactions.”

Peng Sijue walked in and tossed down a report. “Time of death was around 1 PM. There was alcohol and traces of a certain drug in the stomach. The deceased had his right index finger stained with tongue coating, indicating he tried to induce vomiting. The direct cause of death was asphyxiation due to a ruptured diaphragm, which overlaps with symptoms of poisoning. The three stab wounds were precisely aimed at the lungs and diaphragm, avoiding the ribs perfectly. The deceased suffocated for about a minute before dying. Besides the genital mutilation, there were postmortem injuries and fractures, suggesting the killer vented their anger on the body.”

“What was the poison?” Lin asked.

“Diazepam, a sedative that can suppress the central nervous system. It’s used in clinical anesthesia and is a prescription drug but not hard to obtain. Diazepam itself has a high lethal dose, but mixed with alcohol, a few grams can be deadly.”

Chen Shi added, “Comedy master Charlie Chaplin died from drinking alcohol and taking this drug.”

“The killer seems well-prepared and professional,” Lin remarked.

Peng continued, “The vodka given to the victim also contained some unknown substances. Still waiting on those results, but they seem to be either an aphrodisiac or a sedative. The victim poured vodka for the killer but drank brandy himself.”

“Mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,” Chen commented.

“More like the cicada was the oriole,” Lin Dongxue suggested. “So, the victim likely didn’t drug Li Min. He might be innocent.”

“Not necessarily. What if it was Li Min’s daughter? She’s fourteen.”

“Pouring wine for her in front of Li Min?”

Chen spoke up, “I understand now. The door handle had alcohol traces because there were two killers, A and B. A entered first, spiked the drink while the victim was unaware, and stirred it with a finger. As the victim struggled with the poison, A opened the door for B, who brought the weapon. A is likely a young girl, using the victim’s lust against him. This was a well-planned counter-hunt.”

“So, A was Li Min’s daughter, and B was Li Min,” Lin Qiupu said. “The motive is obvious: revenge for the daughter’s assault and being sued by the perpetrator.”

Chen suggested, “Let’s not focus solely on Li Min. The victim, living alone and with a suspected pedophilic history, might have more enemies. This could be retribution from another victim.”

“Let’s work both angles,” Lin decided. “I’ll continue with Li Min. Even if I’m wrong, we’ll rule out possibilities. Chen Shi, you check with Lawyer Bai. He might know more about the victim’s past ‘deeds.'”

The next morning, Lin Qiupu headed to the station. There was no case briefing today; the focus was on reviewing surveillance footage from the crime scene, especially identifying pairs who entered and exited the complex around the time of the murder.

Unexpectedly, the footage showed Li Min entering the complex an hour before the murder. He appeared to be hiding something under his clothes, looking very cautious. He left again at 1:30 PM.

Li Min’s bank transactions revealed that he indeed received ten thousand yuan from the victim over the past month. This morning, Li Min deposited another ten thousand yuan in cash.

Li Min was definitely hiding something. Lin Qiupu took a team to find him. Li Min, still working at the supermarket, froze when he saw the uniformed officers. “Mr. Li, can we talk somewhere private?” Lin asked.

In the stairwell, Li Min lit a cigarette, his fingers trembling slightly as he tried to appear calm. “You questioned me yesterday. What’s left to ask?”

Lin showed him the bank statement. “Explain this ten thousand yuan.”

“It’s my bonus. Why are you checking my accounts?”

“This is a legal investigation. You said it’s a bonus? Coincidentally, the victim withdrew ten thousand yuan yesterday.”

Li Min smoked in silence.

“If you don’t talk, we can discuss this back at the station.”

“No, no!” Li Min glanced at the other officers. “Can we speak alone?”

“No. Rest assured, if you prove your innocence, we’ll keep this confidential. Why were you at the victim’s complex yesterday afternoon?”

Li Min’s face turned ashen. “To… to talk.”

“About what?”

“Compensation.”

“Did you meet him?”

“No!”

“Really?”

Under Lin’s piercing gaze, Li Min finally admitted, “No, I didn’t. I called him to come down, but he turned off his phone. I had a fruit knife with me, planning to teach him a lesson, but I didn’t do anything. I just thought about it. You don’t think I killed him, do you?”

“Why were you planning to do this?”

“It wasn’t planning, just thinking. I wandered around downstairs, angry, and slashed at the trees in the complex.” Li Min showed a folding knife. “You can check.”

“I want to know the reason.”

“Because… because… that beastly bastard…” Li Min trembled with rage. “He assaulted my daughter, promised compensation, but only gave me a little. The other day, he brought ten thousand yuan, and I thought he was remorseful. Instead, he said things that made me want to kill him. He said my daughter wasn’t a celebrity, that one time or ten times didn’t matter, and offered to pay ten thousand yuan per month for her to accompany him again. I was furious and planned to kill him. When I heard he was murdered, I was relieved. Justice has been served!”