[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-258":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Chasing the Criminal Case",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2329026,4554,"Chapter 258","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-258",258,"\u003Cp>Volume Seven, Chapter One: Cause of Death\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening crack—the woman jolted violently, trembling as if terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>August 14, 2016, 10:07 a.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master! I’ve hit a wall here—do you have time to take a look…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng frowned slightly; Luo Fei was no longer the green rookie he’d once been—anything that troubled him must be serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright. I’ll wrap up what I’m doing—come pick me up in half an hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Gu Changzheng would come in person, Luo Fei was overjoyed; he gathered his documents and drove to the municipal bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the photos, the victim appeared extremely young—possibly underage—yet her chest was disproportionately full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng asked: “What’s the problem?” He knew Luo Fei wouldn’t seek his help unless something was deeply troubling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And?” Gu Changzheng frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe this isn’t a simple suicide—it’s a murder disguised as one,” Luo Fei stated firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei’s eyes widened—he hadn’t considered that. Someone instructing him? Could it be…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The victim’s Adam’s apple was heavily covered in foundation, but under side lighting, subcutaneous hemorrhages radiated outward like spokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?” Luo Fei exclaimed. “The victim was underage—how would he know about such things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The internet is everywhere now. I’ve heard of something called the dark web—specializing in illegal transactions,” Lin Xiaoman said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>",764,"2026-06-20T19:35:31.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a8f0f4865afdcbdbaabbef9b8d7ea6375e25f5061bf0388e665213dce4ee5546","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-259","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-257",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]