Chapter 258

Volume Seven, Chapter One: Cause of Death

On a rainy summer night, a slender figure in a black dress appeared alone in an abandoned old house; outside, wind and rain lashed violently, and the dim yellow glow of a bare incandescent bulb hung from the house’s weathered wooden beams.

The woman in black had an unnatural peachy flush on her face; her chest, however, bore a pronounced fullness utterly incongruous with her frail frame—suddenly, she gripped her chest with both hands and squeezed hard, her legs contorted grotesquely, and she gasped for breath.

At that moment, a flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening crack—the woman jolted violently, trembling as if terrified.

———

August 14, 2016, 10:07 a.m.

Gu Changzheng, deputy director of the municipal bureau and head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, received a call from Luo Fei, chief of the Qinghe District Administrative Team, right after finishing a meeting.

“Master! I’ve hit a wall here—do you have time to take a look…?”

Gu Changzheng frowned slightly; Luo Fei was no longer the green rookie he’d once been—anything that troubled him must be serious.

Gu Changzheng rubbed his chin; his old short beard had long vanished, and his focus had shifted from fieldwork to resource allocation and overall management—yet hearing Luo Fei’s plea stirred a quiet ripple within him.

“Alright. I’ll wrap up what I’m doing—come pick me up in half an hour.”

Hearing Gu Changzheng would come in person, Luo Fei was overjoyed; he gathered his documents and drove to the municipal bureau.

———

Before him lay the files Luo Fei had brought; Gu Changzheng stared at the stack of photos on his desk, his right index finger tapping rhythmically against the surface.

The photos showed a woman in a black dress, long hair hanging down, strangled to death by a thick hemp rope tied around her neck and suspended from the ceiling beam.

From the photos, the victim appeared extremely young—possibly underage—yet her chest was disproportionately full.

But the forensic autopsy report revealed the victim was not female at all, but a man in every respect; his seemingly ample breasts were prosthetic implants, and there were no signs of homicide.

Gu Changzheng asked: “What’s the problem?” He knew Luo Fei wouldn’t seek his help unless something was deeply troubling.

“According to the forensic report and crime scene analysis, this looks like a simple locked-room suicide. But…” Luo Fei hesitated, “the victim was found with semen stains on his underwear, and there was a power cord from a laptop—but the laptop itself is gone!”

“And?” Gu Changzheng frowned slightly.

“I believe this isn’t a simple suicide—it’s a murder disguised as one,” Luo Fei stated firmly.

Gu Changzheng removed his reading glasses and pointed the temple at one of the photos: “The knot on the victim’s neck was tied with professional skill—no sixteen-and-a-half-year-old boy could manage that. If the laptop truly existed, it means someone else was present—and possibly, the entire act was orchestrated or instructed over the internet.”

Luo Fei’s eyes widened—he hadn’t considered that. Someone instructing him? Could it be…

————

The smell of disinfectant in the morgue stung the nasal passages. When Lin Xiaoman pulled back the white sheet, Gu Changzheng’s pupils contracted sharply.

The victim’s Adam’s apple was heavily covered in foundation, but under side lighting, subcutaneous hemorrhages radiated outward like spokes.

“Mechanical asphyxia,” the female forensic examiner said, gently lifting the wig with her forceps to reveal a pinhead-sized puncture behind the ear: “And this—residual propofol (a Jingmaimazuiji ). The victim had also been injecting estrogen for a long time.” She lifted the corpse’s left hand, revealing four crescent-shaped Qiahen deep enough to expose bone.

Lin Xiaoman, the protégée of veteran forensic expert Zheng Guoqiang, young but exceptionally experienced and capable—upon hearing her words, Gu Changzheng asked: “Propofol? He was injected with an anesthetic?”

“Judging by the angle of the puncture, he may have injected it himself. Propofol is addictive and can induce psychological disturbances—such as sexual fantasies and heightened libido.”

“Really?” Luo Fei exclaimed. “The victim was underage—how would he know about such things?”

“The internet is everywhere now. I’ve heard of something called the dark web—specializing in illegal transactions,” Lin Xiaoman said.

Gu Changzheng nodded: “The victim’s state of death and the laptop at the scene suggest an online Kuanghuan —except it spiraled out of control. He lost control while seeking pleasure through asphyxiation.”

“Luo Fei, investigate the victim’s social connections—especially those in the virtual world—you might uncover something unexpected. And that laptop didn’t vanish for no reason. Let’s go to the scene.”