Chapter 653: The Giant Baby

Lin Qiupu looked at the dusty press card and then at the place where they had found the tire tracks. “This must have fallen out of the victim’s pocket while the body was being moved,” he said.

“How careless,” Chen Shi remarked. “But they were just doing the boss’s dirty work. They couldn’t have imagined anyone would blow the whistle on this.”

“Yeah, we owe finding the body today to that anonymous tipster,” Lin Qiupu agreed.

Back at the bureau, Peng Siyue extracted bone marrow from the burnt corpse for testing. DNA results confirmed that the remains were indeed Cao Man, the missing journalist. The body had traces of unleaded gasoline, indicating it had been thoroughly incinerated, destroying almost all soft tissue and rendering an autopsy pointless.

Moreover, the facial bones were shattered, suggesting death by repeated blows with a blunt object.

The next day, the police notified Cao Man’s brother to identify the body. He wept bitterly over his deceased sibling.

Peng Siyue quickly made another discovery. The hose found at the scene contained gasoline, and saliva enzymes were detected at the end, indicating the killer had siphoned gasoline from a tank to use as an accelerant.

The police expanded their investigation into Zhuoyuan Company. This time, Dong Xiao was less cooperative. “You found a body in the wilderness, so you suspect me? You want to investigate everyone in my company? On what grounds?” he demanded.

Lü Qi was also present and said, “If you can’t provide evidence, we’ll have our lawyers sue you. The company is busy; don’t bother Mr. Dong with trivial matters.”

“Trivial matters? A person is dead, and you call that trivial?” Lin Qiupu retorted.

“What does this have to do with us? How can you prove it’s related to us?” Lü Qi said angrily.

It was clear they needed to present evidence. Lin Qiupu played the video for Dong Xiao, who broke out in a sweat, his chubby lips trembling. Lü Qi was equally shocked. Dong Xiao tried to stand but fell back onto the sofa, shouting, “Who betrayed me? Who?!”

Lü Qi, seemingly performing, pointed at the employees, “Step forward!” Chen Shi noted his demeanor and thought, This guy is putting on an act. He’s the mole himself.

Lin Qiupu solemnly said, “Mr. Dong, this video appears to be real. Can you explain what you were doing at the time?”

Dong Xiao’s chin wobbled as he stammered, “I… I was working out.”

“And what about the red liquid splashing on your face?”

“Tomato juice!”

“Tomato juice?”

“Yes, one of my hobbies is smashing tomatoes. The doctor says it’s good for my heart… Isn’t it true that I often smash tomatoes?” he asked, looking at his employees.

One by one, the employees chimed in, “Yes, Mr. Dong loves smashing tomatoes,” “He often does it,” like human recorders. Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu were flabbergasted. In this company, Dong Xiao’s word was law, even to the point of distorting the truth in front of the police.

“See! In the video, I’m just smashing something, and red liquid splashes. You can’t prove it’s a murder.”

Lin Qiupu sneered, “We have a witness stating that a journalist named Cao came to interview you in late December and then went missing. We found his body. Doesn’t that concern you?”

“Nonsense!” Dong Xiao roared. “Ask Secretary Jia. I don’t even grant interviews to the Long’an Evening News, let alone a small-time journalist!”

“I never mentioned which paper Cao was from. How did you know?” Lin Qiupu sharply countered.

Panting, Dong Xiao gestured for more melon slices, which he devoured to soothe his nerves, juice dripping down his chest.

“You can check my schedule. I haven’t done any interviews in the past six months!” Dong Xiao insisted.

“These arguments don’t convince us. The evidence suggests your involvement in this murder. According to criminal law, we have the right to collect DNA and fingerprints from those involved. If you don’t cooperate, we will enforce this, so don’t blame us for being impolite.”

Breathing heavily, Dong Xiao waved his hand in defeat, “Go ahead.”

DNA samples were taken from Dong Xiao and his staff. Throughout, Dong Xiao relied on eating to manage his anxiety, with Secretary Jia frequently mopping his forehead.

“Bring her up!” Dong Xiao instructed Secretary Jia.

As the police were leaving, Su Chan emerged from the elevator, casting a suspicious glance at the officers before walking confidently towards Dong Xiao. The elevator door closed just as Dong Xiao pulled her into a tight embrace, smothering her in kisses and touches, the sight making the police feel nauseous.

“I’ve never seen…” Chen Shi began, and everyone perked up, expecting him to comment on the grotesque display, but he continued, “… a suspect this visibly nervous. We could almost arrest him right now.”

“Procedures first,” Lin Qiupu reminded. “He’s definitely our guy.”

“Given his rise from nothing to a communications mogul, you’d think he’d have a steadier demeanor,” Lin Dongxue mused.

“Maybe he was sharp in his youth, but now, overweight and surrounded by yes-men, he’s become sensitive and fragile. He’s a king in his own company but also a giant baby coddled by his entourage. His stress tolerance is practically zero,” Chen Shi explained.

“Lü Qi was acting, right?” Xu Xiaodong added. “He knows everything.”

“He’s likely plotting to use this to oust Dong Xiao and take over the company,” Old Zhang speculated.

“Slyness and crime are different matters. We only deal with the latter,” Lin Qiupu said.

After a moment, Xu Xiaodong cautiously remarked, “Did anyone else find Dong Xiao and Su Chan’s display disgusting?”

“Yeah, gross!” “How can she stand it? He’s 300 pounds of lard!” “She must be getting paid a fortune.”

The police, having held back, now let loose with their comments. Lin Qiupu scolded, “Shut up! Save your gossip for after work!”

The DNA results came back surprisingly quickly. The saliva on the hose matched Secretary Jia, implicating him as the one who handled the body. The case seemed to be approaching its conclusion…