Chapter 721: Mushroom Cultivation Technology Exchange Group

“Guys, the police are onto us. Delete all the photos, videos, and chat logs—everything you can. I’ve cleared the shared files in the group. You all need to clean up your phones too. Don’t leave any evidence!”

In a certain chat group, a newly sent message caused an uproar among the members—

“Xiao, is it necessary? What law says hitting on girls is illegal?”

“Gouzi, you lied about a car accident in the U.S. and got someone to send you forty thousand yuan. Isn’t that illegal?”

“Mutual consent transaction, illegal? Besides, I don’t even remember which girlfriend that was. Do you think the police can track it down?”

“I’m not sure about the car accident money, but if the police find out about Niu drugging and taking advantage of girls at the bar, he’s definitely in trouble.”

“Niu, say something!”

“Hehe, it’s a matter of style. You use words, I use drugs. The effect is the same.”

“Damn, I rely on my looks! My looks!”

“Enough! I just came from the police station. They’ve already found out about Linlin. I didn’t expect the police to be so efficient. I don’t know whose girl Linlin was, but we need to delete all the evidence. Don’t leave anything for the police to find… They might call us in for questioning. If they ask what we do, just say we’re… uh, say we’re a hobby group. I’ll change the group name.”

“Oh wow, ‘Mushroom Cultivation Technology Exchange Group.’ Creative!”

“Haha, what the heck is mushroom cultivation technology? Xiao, you’re really something.”

“Xiao, are there any female officers at the police station?”

“Yeah, the one who found me was a real beauty. That cop’s face, definitely a 95 out of 100.”

“Got any photos?”

“Too bad she has a boyfriend, an ugly old guy. Ugh, good girls wasted on pigs.”

“I can’t wait to be called in for questioning. Do the female officers wear uniforms? I can’t resist uniforms.”

“Calm down, animals. I’ve deleted the chat logs. From now on, don’t mention the word ‘girl’ in this group.”

“Girl girl girl girl girl… Oops, my cat stepped on the keyboard.”

Si was removed from the group chat.

After leaving Pengsijue’s place, Lin Dongxue shared this lead in a WeChat group. Everyone was assigned to investigate, while she and Chen Shi went to see the victim’s father.

Once in the car, Chen Shi glanced at his phone and asked, “How’s your driving now?”

“What kind of driving?” Lin Dongxue smiled.

“Naughty, you drive.”

Lin Dongxue moved over from Chen Shi and sat in the driver’s seat while Chen Shi browsed his phone. Lin Dongxue asked what was going on. Chen Shi said, “These guys suddenly wiped their social media clean. They must have heard something. But this makes them more suspicious.”

“I just thought, in PUA, there’s a method called ‘death control’—increasing control over a girl until she dies for you. Some bad PUAs consider this their highest honor. This girl seems to have died from wrist cutting. That Zhang Xiao is so secretive. Could she have died this way?”

“I thought of that too, but you should know the law. What’s the charge for inciting suicide?”

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment. “I don’t think there’s a specific charge for inciting suicide.”

“What about Ji Changxin? He’s still in jail, right?”

“Ha, that’s intentional homicide!”

“Exactly. If Linlin was subjected to ‘death control,’ her boyfriend is guilty of intentional homicide.”

“Using the term ‘boyfriend’ for someone like that is an insult.”

“Yeah, only someone as gentle, considerate, and wholehearted as I am deserves that title,” Chen Shi joked.

They arrived at a bustling area where an elderly man with graying hair stood under the scorching sun, holding a sign with a photo of Linlin. Although not beautiful, she had a youthful charm and a captivating smile. The sign read, “Seeking kind-hearted people to provide information about my daughter.”

Passersby glanced curiously but offered no help.

Chen Shi sighed and approached the man, saying, “Uncle, we’re from the police. About your daughter…”

“Where is my daughter?” the man asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry, let’s talk somewhere else,” Lin Dongxue said.

In a nearby café, after learning of his daughter’s death, the man covered his face and wept, his frail shoulders shaking. “I had her when I was forty. She was my treasure. We sold everything to support her education. Her mother even hid her illness. My Linlin, you died so horribly! How do I tell your mother?”

Facing the grieving parent, Lin Dongxue was at a loss for words and waited silently for him to finish crying.

Chen Shi handed him a tissue. “Uncle, please accept our condolences. We’re investigating the case. When was the last time you spoke with her?”

The man wiped his tears. “Are you going to catch the killer? I’ll cooperate fully. The last time she called was last month. She said she had a boyfriend in the city who studied in the U.S. and whose parents are prosecutors. I told her, ‘Linlin, be careful of scammers. City folks are complicated and might trick innocent girls like you.’ She said he was good to her. A few days ago, I went to find her and she wasn’t home. Her colleagues and friends didn’t know either, so I reported her missing. I didn’t expect…”

“When did you go to her place?”

The man pulled out a smartphone. “March 25th.”

“Can we take a look there?”

“Sure, it’s nearby.”

Chen Shi called Pengsijue, who sent two people over. They followed the man to Linlin’s residence, a low-rent apartment. The living room had a steel bed with unmade blankets, a table with leftover instant noodles, and tea egg shells. But the bedroom had a neatly made bed with fresh sheets and a perfectly folded blanket.

“Have you been staying here?” Chen Shi asked.

“Yes, the city inns are too expensive. Linlin always loved cleanliness, so I didn’t dare sleep in her bed. I set up the steel bed outside, hoping she’d come back someday,” he sighed.

Chen Shi thought, if one day Tao Yueyue went missing or something happened to her, he’d be just as devastated. He could understand the old man’s pain.

The greatest comfort they could provide was solving the case.

Someone knocked on the door. The forensic officers sent by Pengsijue arrived. Though the old man didn’t understand much about evidence collection, he agreed. The officers began collecting fingerprints and looking for blood traces.

“Captain Lin!”

One of the forensic officers called Lin Dongxue to the bathroom, where a large bloodstain appeared under the effect of chemicals…