After the deceased's identity was confirmed, I sent Gao Mingqiang to notify the family. This man was neither a successful person nor a thug; he was a very ordinary electronics factory employee.
His job had nothing to do with the craft factory. His name was Deng Yuanwu, 32 years old, from Guangming City.
While dissecting the body, we discovered that more suspicious chemical substances suddenly emerged from the deceased's skin. I asked Xie Chuchu to collect them immediately, all in glass dishes, and sent them for testing.
I then used the coroner's bamboo leaf extractor to collect some blood. However, this blood seemed dead, presenting a dark red color.
"How could this happen?" Xiao Dong asked, confused.
"It's a sign of poisoning!" Xie Chuchu said.
"The blood carries the smell of garlic and rot!"
"If it were residual in the mouth, it shouldn't have penetrated the bloodstream."
As they discussed, I suddenly said, "No, there seems to be something else in the garlic!"
I busied myself at the microscope and testing equipment, also testing the deceased's urine. Various tests were also carried out. Fortunately, a heavy concentration of potassium was found. I was truly worried that, like before, no poison would be detected.
This element, under normal circumstances, would pose no problem, but in excess, it could be fatal. However, upon comparing it with the condition of the deceased's muscles, we finally determined the cause of death was a blow to the neck. This meant the killer first imprisoned the deceased, then injected him with poison. At the moment the poison took effect, they forcefully strangled him. After he died in agony from the double torment, the body was then disposed of.
This was the conclusion I could deduce. Based on the killer's method, I believed they possessed considerable chemical knowledge, but I didn't think they were an expert.
I kept connecting garlic to this case, but I couldn't figure out why. It felt like the killer had just thrown it there casually, without any special meaning.
After the autopsy was completed, as we sat in the adjacent lounge, Xie Chuchu said to me with a tense expression, "It seems we didn't find anything significant!"
"Yes, I don't even understand why he used two methods to kill. The potassium element alone was sufficient. If the intention was to make the deceased suffer more, why didn't he use a cutting machine while the victim was still alive?"
"Perhaps he didn't think of it at the time!"
"It's possible. The most troublesome thing is encountering such inexplicable and strange killing methods. Perhaps this case will be very tricky! Finding a suspect will be very difficult!"
However, less than two hours after I said this, Liu Yuning, through the deceased's relationships, tracked down a suspect. This person had also worked at Furong Electronics Factory, where Deng Yuanwu had worked. He was still there. When Liu Yuning went to visit the deceased's workplace, many people pointed fingers, saying that Song Xingguo (the suspect) had previously fought with the deceased, and this happened the night before the deceased's death.
According to the comparison of rectal temperature, Deng Yuanwu was killed at 4 PM on the evening of the 16th. The deceased had been hidden for at least three days. Today is the 20th. Someone saw Song Xingguo appearing near the craft factory then, and surveillance also captured his image. Therefore, Liu Yuning quickly identified this person as the killer of Deng Yuanwu.
I was also quite excited to catch a suspect so quickly. Liu Yuning returned smugly, looking as if victory was within reach, and said to me, "Team Leader, wasn't my speed fast enough!"
"Not bad, but is it really that simple?"
"Haha, you're overthinking it this time. It's obvious your mind is too jumpy. Let me tell you, in an hour, I'll make Song Xingguo confess! This time, you prepare to admit defeat!"
I didn't reply. This time, I didn't participate in the interrogation, only watching from the observation room. I wondered if they would prove me wrong.
But I didn't think they would, because the autopsy results indicated the deceased had been hidden. During the time captured by surveillance, he should have been dead for a long time. The video also didn't show Song Xingguo carrying anything into the craft factory, which meant Song Xingguo wasn't the one who disposed of the body.
If he didn't dispose of the body, even if he had a motive for murder, he wouldn't have been there. Wouldn't that be deliberately letting the police catch him?
Considering all of the above, I believe the killer is definitely not Song Xingguo.
Liu Yuning and Xia Hou were responsible for interrogating Song Xingguo.
Liu Yuning took out a tablet and showed Song Xingguo footage of him appearing at the Chenglong Craft Factory, then said, "Song Xingguo, please explain. You appeared at the crime scene around the time of the victim's death. What's going on?"
"I don't know. I was just following Deng Yuanwu there that day. I didn't make a move!"
"You were loitering outside the factory for about ten minutes before leaving, weren't you?"
"Yes, so what? I didn't enter the factory. I was just walking around outside!"
Liu Yuning thought for a moment and showed Song Xingguo pictures of the deceased being dismembered.
Facing the horrific photos, Song Xingguo only showed a look of surprise, "That guy died so miserably! Hahaha! It's divine retribution. People like that should die!"
Besides surprise, Song Xingguo was extremely excited. He shook his handcuffed hands forcefully, the handcuffs clanging against the interrogation table with a resounding noise.
I watched him in the observation room for a few seconds. Liu Yuning was furious at the moment, slammed the table, and shouted, "Song Xingguo, calm down! This is the provincial department. Everything you do will be recorded!"
"Haha, I'm just too happy. This thorn in my side is gone, hahaha!" As he spoke, tears even welled up in Song Xingguo's eyes, a sign of being overwhelmed with joy.
At this moment, both Liu Yuning and Xia Hou were quite puzzled. Xia Hou then said, "Why did you and Deng Yuanwu have a dispute?"
"Didn't you inquire clearly at the factory? They probably don't know either. Then let me tell you, that bastard is actually my half-brother. My mother is dying, and this bastard who hasn't returned for many years suddenly came back wanting to take a house from our ancestral home. Of course, I didn't agree, so we started arguing. The first time led to the second. While we were at work, we often argued about this matter. He wouldn't compromise, and the situation escalated. Actually, I really wanted to kill him that day, but I only thought about it and didn't act!"
"How did you get to Chenglong Craft Factory? Did you already know he was killed by someone else?"