Chapter 702: Mysterious Death

Underneath this message, it showed “author has deleted,” with the posting date of last October.

The same person left several other comments: “Little Dumb Mao, why don’t you reply to me? Writing your damn novel, acting all high and mighty. Remember when I pulled your pants down in front of the whole class? That girl you had a crush on saw your junk, why don’t you write about that, huh? Hahaha!”

“Have you ever seen a real gangster? Pretending to be one here, a real one would smash your head in. The female lead is nice and slutty, make her sleep with me in the next chapter. That’s an order!”

“Wow, you’re big now, huh? Not replying to your old pal. Delete my comments again and I’ll bring my buddies over to your place for tea! Your ugly face pisses me off.”

Lin Dongxue frowned, “This guy is over the line. He doesn’t realize how much people despise him. He thinks he can say anything just because he knows the author.”

“He probably thinks no matter how much Xin Bai changes, he’s still the same little Mao he used to bully. I remember a case where a successful businessman was visited by an old friend who started telling everyone about his past embarrassments. The businessman got so angry he killed him. These old friends come around, acting friendly but really just showing off. They want to drag you down to show they’re better. This guy, ‘Alphabet Brother,’ is the same. He’s revealing Xin Bai’s past to show he’s special, a VIP among readers.”

“But others just see him as rude and classless,” Lin Dongxue said, noting that other readers were defending Xin Bai in the comments. “Alphabet Brother must be Lan Xiao, right?”

“Nine out of ten, he is.”

“Last comment was last November. Xin Bai’s writing quality dropped around then. I think Lan Xiao really did find him.”

Chen Shi pondered, “But Alphabet Brother doesn’t seem that clever. The mastermind has been so subtle, installing surveillance to make Xin Bai feel constantly watched. He tortured Xin Bai mentally, making him do calisthenics on time every day. Xin Bai became his plaything, scared to even mention his name to the police. Such a high-level manipulation… Could this boastful Alphabet Brother be the mastermind?”

“Online personalities and real-life personalities can be very different. Someone might be serious in real life but a braggart online,” Lin Dongxue teased, glancing at Chen Shi.

“Are you talking about me? You’re becoming more perceptive,” Chen Shi praised, patting her head.

Lin Dongxue blushed, feeling sweet inside from the compliment.

“But,” Chen Shi continued, “I have another question. This mastermind kept urging Xin Bai to write and even copied the murder methods from his stories. It shows he’s a hardcore fan. Alphabet Brother doesn’t fit that profile…” Chen Shi suddenly had a realization. “Right, borrowing ideas! Why didn’t I think of that!” He rushed out.

“Hey, where are you going?” Lin Dongxue chased after him.

Chen Shi went to find Peng Siyue. The autopsy was still ongoing. Chen Shi said, “I think I know how he died!”

“Oh?” Peng Siyue responded nonchalantly while extracting a blood sample for toxicology.

“Tell me the symptoms.”

“Acute lung failure, liver edema, atherosclerotic pericardium, kidney inflammation. Cause of death should be asphyxiation. Many toxins target the lungs. The blood has a lot of protein and interference substances. External injuries include multiple bruises mainly on the upper body, a slight dislocation of the right arm, and wrist marks suggesting he was tied up.”

Chen Shi recalled the plot of the novel, “Check the stomach for any perforations.”

Peng Siyue had the stomach checked. The organ was covered in a layer of decayed tissue, making it hard to see fine details. Chen Shi reminded them, “It might be a needle mark. You said the victim was opened up without damaging the organs. I suddenly remembered a similar murder method in the novel.”

“Murder methods in novels aren’t always reliable.”

“This novel has decent professional knowledge. The author told me he once asked doctors how to kill people and almost got reported to the police.”

“Alright, I’ll trust you this time.”

To find the needle mark, the tech team cleaned the stomach and placed it in formaldehyde. Sure enough, there was a small leaking hole.

Chen Shi nodded with satisfaction, “Let me tell you the murder method. The killer extracted stomach acid and injected it into the victim’s bloodstream.”

“This…” Lin Dongxue was shocked. It was too bizarre.

Peng Siyue was also surprised but the conclusion matched all the symptoms, “Stomach acid mainly contains hydrochloric acid, which coagulates proteins and carries many bacteria.”

He immediately ordered a re-evaluation of the “toxin” samples. Indeed, the victim had stomach acid injected into his body.

Injecting hydrochloric acid into the bloodstream is rare even in forensic labs. Peng Siyue had never seen a real case like it.

Once hydrochloric acid enters the bloodstream, it wreaks havoc on the circulatory system. It erodes iron elements, coagulates blood proteins, and severely disrupts oxygen supply. The bacterial infection is even more deadly. This death was long and painful, akin to torture.

“Never thought such a murder method existed. I’ve learned something new,” Peng Siyue remarked.

“The novel is full of strange murder methods. The author loves using ordinary items to kill. For example, in one case, the killer forced the victim to swallow freshly cut octopus tentacles. The strong suction cups would choke the victim.”

“That wouldn’t necessarily kill. If the victim has strong swallowing abilities, they might just swallow it.”

“The killer made them swallow one tentacle after another until they suffocated.”

“Why the esophagus and not the windpipe?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Peng Siyue patiently explained, “The trachea and esophagus are close together. When you eat, the trachea closes temporarily. If the esophagus is blocked for too long, the trachea can’t open. That’s why kids can choke on toys.”

“Got it.”

There was commotion outside. Chen Shi patted Peng Siyue’s shoulder, “Go eat. We’ll check it out.” He and Lin Dongxue went outside.

Xu Xiaodong and his partner had brought in a few men. Xu Xiaodong had a bruised mouth and a bandage on his brow, looking like he’d just been in a fight. Despite his injuries, he was in high spirits, pointing to the men and saying, “You missed it! I took on four at once, like in an action movie.”

Seeing the four men’s beaten, defeated look confirmed Xu Xiaodong’s story. Lin Dongxue praised, “Wow, you’re strong!”

Chen Shi laughed, “A victorious cat feels like a tiger. You’ve got some tiger aura now.”