Chapter 677: The Health Store

After hearing Chen Shi’s suggestion, the group discussed it briefly. Ai Ying said, “We’re fine with it, but I need to check with Sister 22. I’ll give her a call.”

After making the call, Ai Ying reported, “Sister 22 agrees, but she said she’ll come after work in the evening because she wants to hear the truth as well.”

“I want to know the truth too,” Eleven eagerly added.

“If you’re willing to wait, then let’s meet here tonight,” Chen Shi said.

Eleven, with a hopeful look, tried to get Lin Dongxue’s WeChat contact, but Chen Shi handed over his own instead. Eleven’s round face showed disappointment. Ai Ying pulled him aside, saying, “What are you doing? Can’t you tell they’re a couple?”

“Can’t I just make friends? I didn’t mean anything else,” Eleven defended himself, and the group noisily disappeared around the corner.

Watching them leave, Chen Shi chuckled and said to Lin Dongxue, “Let’s go for a walk until evening.”

“There don’t seem to be any leads right now,” Lin Dongxue noted.

“Don’t forget, we still have an unidentified footprint from the scene. But there aren’t any leads on that yet.”

The two strolled down the street leisurely. When Chen Shi saw an X health products store, he said, “Let’s take a look inside!” Lin Dongxue frowned. “Why do we need to look at that stuff?”

Chen Shi was already walking in, and Lin Dongxue, feeling embarrassed, followed since the street was empty.

The store was dimly lit and lonely, with shelves full of exaggeratedly named sex toys. Some items Chen Shi couldn’t even recognize. The shop owner, who had been playing cards, immediately perked up upon seeing customers, grinning as he approached. “Looking for something? For men or women? Interested in S&M gear? Viagra?”

“Boss, if you keep pushing, I’m leaving,” Chen Shi said, feeling awkward.

“Okay, okay, take your time.” Despite saying this, the owner continued to shadow them, worried they might leave without buying anything.

Chen Shi picked up a few dildos, comparing and feeling them. The owner gave a knowing, sleazy smile, suggesting, “That doesn’t feel as good as the real thing. Want to try some Indian oil? It’s very effective!”

“Please stop pushing your products. Can you not follow us around?” Chen Shi pleaded.

“Okay, okay.” But the owner didn’t move.

Chen Shi turned to Lin Dongxue, “I thought these would be very hard, but they’re softer than I expected.”

Lin Dongxue touched one, but she was too embarrassed to comment in front of strangers. She knew Chen Shi was considering details for the case.

Chen Shi asked the owner, “Do you have anything particularly hard, like plastic?”

“These can’t be made of plastic, but we do have some hard silicone ones. But those are uncomfortable.”

Chen Shi’s eyes fell on an item. He picked it up and asked, “What’s this?”

“You can’t tell from the shape? It functions like a condom but is more intense. Usually, people use a lot of lubricant with it to avoid abrasions.”

Chen Shi rubbed the leather object thoughtfully, and Lin Dongxue asked, “Has anyone bought this recently?”

“Why do you ask?” the owner questioned.

She showed her badge, and the owner replied, “No one has bought that since we got it. Do you want it? It’s not expired, I assure you!”

Lin Dongxue declined, but the owner aggressively pushed other items, as if he’d die if they didn’t buy anything.

As they left, Chen Shi bought a small item. While paying through WeChat, he noticed a notification from an unknown profile in his Moments. It was the recently added Eleven.

Eleven had posted a photo a few minutes ago of himself and Xiao Si standing in front of an old house, captioned: “This is a crime scene. A couple was raped and murdered here. The killer is still on the loose. Scared?”

“Damn!” Chen Shi exclaimed. “Why are those brats playing there?”

He grabbed Lin Dongxue, rushing to the scene. The previously sealed courtyard gate was now wide open. The four men were laughing and posing for photos.

Chen Shi stood at the entrance, his expression severe. Eleven awkwardly lowered his hands from a peace sign pose. The others followed his gaze. Chen Shi said, “Who allowed you to play here?”

“This town doesn’t have tourist attractions… We just wanted to see the infamous crime scene,” Ai Ying explained.

“Why didn’t you go to where Ma Xiang was killed? That’s more exciting!” Chen Shi sneered.

Ai Ying, missing the sarcasm, replied, “That place is sealed off. We’d be breaking the law.”

“Isn’t this place sealed off?”

“No.”

“The gate was just open?”

“Yes.”

Chen Shi was puzzled. He checked and found the seal broken. The gate’s lock was hanging on one ring, making it appear locked when it wasn’t.

“Someone’s been here,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Did you enter the house?” Chen Shi asked Ai Ying.

“We did. The door was open, so we went in. There’s nothing inside,” Ai Ying said.

Eleven joked, “I thought there would be those chalk outlines of bodies at the crime scene. You guys are so unprofessional.” Chen Shi glared at him, and Eleven shut up.

Lin Dongxue called the local police to handle the situation. They had the keys. Meanwhile, Chen Shi ushered the four men out.

“This case happened in November. It’s last year’s matter. Why can’t we visit?” Ai Ying asked.

“The local police sealed it off. Show some respect!” Chen Shi said.

“It’s not our fault. The previous visitors disrespected it,” Ai Ying shrugged.

“How did you know you could enter here?”

“We didn’t. We were wandering around this small town and saw the open gate.”

Eleven asked everyone, “Xiao Si, wanna go to the bathroom? Ai Ying, wanna go to the bathroom?”

Ai Ying agreed, and Chen Shi said, “I’ll go too!”

The three men went to the public restroom. When they returned, Eleven looked disturbed and whispered to Ai Ying, “That guy’s weird. He was staring at us in the bathroom.”

Chen Shi had only glanced at Ai Ying, confirming his suspicions were lessened.

“Old Chen, look at this!” Lin Dongxue called, leading him to the yard. On the windowsill was a footprint. Chen Shi compared it with a photo on his phone. “It matches the footprint from the other scene. This person climbed in through the window and opened the door.”

“A size 37 footprint. It’s a girl’s… Could it be her?” Lin Dongxue thought of someone.