Chapter 880: Chen Shi’s Experiment

In the evening, Lin Dongxue and Xiao Li arrived at Chen Shi’s house. As Lin Dongxue navigated the familiar apartment building, Xiao Li asked, “Dongxue, do you come here often?”

Blushing, Lin Dongxue replied, “Not that often!”

Hearing the knock on the door, Chen Shi opened it. Lin Dongxue saw a bicycle lying on the floor, similar to the victim’s. She asked in surprise, “Are you conducting an experiment?”

“Yes, the bike at the scene is probably beyond recognition. I bought one myself to test if the ‘murder hook’ actually works.”

“And the conclusion?”

“I’ll explain in a bit. Look at this first.”

Lin Dongxue noticed Chen Shi was wearing gloves. The three of them went to Tao Yueyue’s room. Xiao Li looked around and commented, “Chen, you must spoil this girl a lot.”

“I don’t think I’ve cared enough for her,” Chen Shi said sadly. He then took out a crumpled piece of paper with some spray paint on it, showing a small white print of a screw-like object in the middle.

Lin Dongxue didn’t quite understand until Chen Shi brought out a roll of wire and a can of spray paint. “It seems Yueyue used spray paint on the ‘murder hook,’ probably to prevent it from being too conspicuous against the black bike. Was the victim’s bike this color?”

“Yes, pure black… Indeed, a piece of wire on a black bike would be too obvious. She even thought of such a detail?”

Chen Shi sighed, “Yueyue can be frighteningly meticulous sometimes, but she’s still inexperienced. I’m actually grateful for that. This paper, which she used as a base, was just thrown into the trash can and not disposed of properly. From the shape, this is the size and appearance of the ‘murder hook’ she made.”

Lin Dongxue examined it, thinking while her gaze drifted to Chen Shi’s face. He said, “I know what you’re thinking, ‘Did I fabricate this evidence?’ Don’t worry, there should be Yueyue’s fingerprints on it. You can take it back for testing.”

“Come on, I wouldn’t suspect you. If you didn’t want her to be caught, you wouldn’t have told me in the first place.”

“Well, what I say next might sound like I’m trying to clear Yueyue’s name—after repeated experiments, I’ve found the ‘murder hook’ isn’t very effective! Please, let’s go to the living room.”

Following the paper’s traces, Chen Shi made a ‘murder hook’ with wire. “This thing hangs on the bike frame, maintaining a delicate distance from the spokes. A slight turn, and the high-speed spinning spokes will catch the wire, causing the front wheel to brake suddenly, flipping the bike… theoretically!”

“And in practice?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Through my trials, Yueyue underestimated the wheel’s power. This small wire hook can’t hold the spokes…” Chen Shi fixed the ‘murder hook’ to the bike frame, spun the wheel rapidly, and gently pulled the handlebar.

As the spokes touched the wire hook, it was swept away instantly. Chen Shi stopped and said, “See, it can’t hold. I roughly calculated; the angular velocity of a spoke is 40 to 180 degrees per second. Normally, a bike wheel makes a full turn in about two seconds. At that speed, if something gets caught, it either breaks or gets twisted into the spokes. A small handmade wire hook can’t stop it.”

Xiao Li added, “When I was a kid, riding on my dad’s Phoenix bike, my foot sometimes got caught in the wheel. Usually, it just pulled off my shoe; the wheel wouldn’t stop immediately. Though I’ve heard of kids breaking their toes in sandals, bike wheels are really powerful.”

Lin Dongxue pondered, “Can I borrow your computer?”

She played the surveillance footage they found that afternoon. Chen Shi, who had a glimmer of hope, fell silent watching it. Lin Dongxue said, “Old Chen, I’m not contradicting you, but there are signs in the footage that the victim’s bike was affected by an external force at the moment of the accident. Your experiment’s conclusion is still questionable… hope you don’t mind me saying this.”

“Of course not. I just want the truth… but this video doesn’t capture the critical moment.”

“The traffic bureau is busy. Getting videos is tough, especially with this small case overlapping Zhou Xiao’s major one!”

Xiao Li suggested, “Shouldn’t we bring this girl back? Whether she’s guilty or not, it’s unsafe for her to be out for three days… And with exams coming up, she’s missing at the worst time.”

Chen Shi said, “I’ve asked friends to help find her. She probably has about 500 yuan in cash, but she left her phone, school ID, and student card at home. She took a backpack with some clothes and a copy of ‘The Time Machine’…”

“Is that book significant?” Xiao Li asked.

“Not really, she just hadn’t finished it…”

“The friends you mentioned are…?”

“Yes, it’s them. They’re good at finding people and care about Yueyue. They’ll do their best.”

“But aren’t they also looking for Miss Gu? Do they have enough manpower? Do they need help?” Lin Dongxue still thought Gu You was missing, unaware she had been murdered.

“They have their own helpers,” Chen Shi changed the subject. “The problem is Yueyue is too smart. If she really wants to hide or leave Long’an, finding her through normal channels will be difficult.”

“If, and I mean if, she didn’t kill anyone, we could use the media to inform her of this, and she might come back on her own… It’s the best outcome I can think of!” Lin Dongxue said.

Chen Shi stared at the video replaying repeatedly, “I believe she didn’t kill anyone. This isn’t just a guardian’s wishful thinking. My instincts and experience tell me that her little trick couldn’t have killed anyone. The boy’s death must have another cause!”

“Let’s go to the scene later tonight and see if we can find any evidence!” Lin Dongxue suggested.

Chen Shi looked at the furniture in the living room, remembering the times Yueyue and he sat there eating. If Yueyue returned safely, he would definitely give her a good talking to.

Lin Dongxue turned on the light, saying, “The room was too dark; it felt too depressing.”

Since they planned to go out together later, the three stayed at Chen Shi’s place. Xiao Li drank a cup of water, stood up, and said, “I’ll take the evidence to the bureau. The evidence room staff should still be there.”

“Tomorrow is fine,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Silly girl!” Xiao Li whispered, “I’m giving you two some alone time, not staying here as a third wheel. I’ll also visit Xiaodong in the hospital and come back around ten.”