Chapter 561: Transporting the Corpse

Chen Shi checked the utensils Wei Yi used and inspected his cigarettes. As he was pondering, Tao Yueyue tugged at his clothes and said, “There’s a milk box outside.”

When he looked outside, there was indeed a small milk box made of wooden boards with a lockable lid. Chen Shi asked Wei Yi to open it. Wei Yi said, “Is there something wrong with the milk? I drink it every day.”

Chen Shi replied, “I’ll take it to the police station for testing!”

“Mr. Chen, I’ve thought about whether I’ve caught some strange disease or a virus. I’m very cautious about what I consume. Even the milk, I always heat it before drinking. I think it should be fine.”

“Let’s wait for the test results in a couple of days. You stay home and wait patiently.”

“Ah? Then I’ll have to suffer from nightmares for a few more days.”

“Don’t worry. I think whoever is messing with you isn’t planning to kill you. By the way, don’t drink tomorrow’s milk. Keep it in the fridge for me to collect.”

“Okay, thank you!”

Chen Shi hurried back to the station. Peng Si Jue was busy and looked annoyed when asked to help with the test. After much persuasion, Peng finally took some of the remaining milk and put it under a microscope.

He immediately concluded, “There’s something in the milk, like bacteria… no, it’s bigger than bacteria, seems like some sort of organism.”

“Let me see!” Chen Shi leaned in to look. Under the microscope, many rod-shaped cells were moving around, which were not the normal probiotics in milk. Seeing Tao Yueyue’s curious expression, he asked, “Do you want to take a look too?”

“Can I?” Tao Yueyue looked fearfully at Peng Si Jue’s serious face.

“It’s okay, come on!”

Chen Shi let Tao Yueyue stand on a chair and take a look. Peng’s face grew more tense, and he said, “I need to work. Take the kid elsewhere!”

“Oh, come on, have a little compassion.”

“Get out!”

“Old Peng, help me with this test, and I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“I’m swamped. Do you know how busy I am lately?”

“Can’t you work overtime? Look at your hair, you’re far from going bald. Work a bit more!” Chen Shi teased.

“There’s the door, out!”

After being kicked out, Chen Shi still shamelessly pleaded, “Please, I’ll treat you to Japanese food.”

Leaving the police station, Chen Shi called Wei Yi, telling him that the milk was indeed tampered with. To avoid alerting the culprit, Wei Yi was instructed to save the milk every day and put the empty bottle back in the box.

Then he contacted KK, asking him to investigate the milkman and, if possible, install a hidden camera near Wei Yi’s door.

After a quick meal, they went to the place where Wei Yi had seen the zombie. It was a quiet street, a passage from a residential area to the road. At night, there were few people. Small shops on both sides were mostly closed, except for a convenience store with lights on. Through the glass door, they saw the owner playing a computer game.

Chen Shi checked his phone’s map, saying, “There are no banks or gold shops within half a kilometer.”

Tao Yueyue immediately understood, “Uncle Chen, are you suggesting they might not be robbers?”

“Yes, I don’t think they are robbers. They wouldn’t wear costumes before reaching their destination. Road cameras would capture them. Wearing a zombie mask in the passenger seat is too conspicuous unless their target was this small convenience store.”

“It’s a liquor store. It might be worth robbing.”

“But they weren’t dressed like robbers. Wei Yi said he saw a woman with long hair and a red dress, which keeps appearing in his dreams. He shouldn’t be lying. Besides robbers, what else could they be?”

Tao Yueyue thought for a moment, “Could it be an actual corpse?”

“Exactly. The corpse wasn’t placed in the backseat or trunk but dressed up in the passenger seat. This implies two things: either the backseat and trunk had something more important than a dead body, or the driver wasn’t disposing of the corpse but transporting it. Secondly, placing the corpse in the passenger seat suggests they weren’t afraid of being seen by cameras. The route probably had no surveillance.”

“Maybe Wei Yi lied. Maybe he saw it in the backseat.”

“It was dark. How could he see a dressed-up corpse in the backseat?”

Tao Yueyue looked at the car parked by the roadside and said, “Maybe he leaned into the car, like the driver got out and left the window open, and he tried to steal something but saw the ‘person’ in the backseat.”

“Haha, you have a vivid imagination.”

“Am I wrong?” Tao Yueyue anxiously awaited Chen Shi’s feedback.

Chen Shi patted her head, “Your scenario isn’t entirely impossible. All our reasoning is based on Wei Yi’s account. It’s well known that human memory can be unreliable. People alter their memories to protect themselves, so doubting the subjectivity of witnesses is natural.”

“From your tone, you’re not planning to adopt my theory!”

“I am! But our investigation will go from near to far. Let’s check this neighborhood first and then expand outwards, okay?”

Tao Yueyue nodded.

This path connected the east and north gates of the residential area. Chen Shi went to the north gate and inquired about rental information from the security guard. The guard didn’t have complete information, so Chen Shi gave him 300 yuan to help inquire.

Chen Shi also asked, “Isn’t there a surveillance camera at this gate?”

The guard replied, “Not yet. The residents complained that it was inconvenient to go out, and they had to make a big detour to go north to the supermarket, so this temporary gate was opened, and the camera hasn’t been installed yet.”

“Okay, I understand. Please help with that matter.”

“Of course!”

Chen Shi pulled Tao Yueyue away. Tao Yueyue said, “I don’t think I can be a police officer. Investigating cases means talking to strangers. I don’t think I can do it.”

“Investigating cases is dull. Sometimes you find a dead end after a long investigation. That frustration can be unbearable without a strong heart.”

“But you always find the key point quickly.”

Chen Shi smiled and shook his head, “It looks easy from the outside. Only you know how hard it is. Let’s check out the next neighborhood.”

“Isn’t Wei Yi’s neighborhood across the street?”

“Yes. I’m thinking the person transporting the corpse might live in the same neighborhood! Are you tired?”

“No, investigating together is fun,” Tao Yueyue smiled.