Chapter 173 Apricot

Before I arrived at the forensic laboratory, Xie Chuchu had already prepared everything. Upon seeing me, she greeted, "Let's get started immediately, Senior!"

I nodded and donned all my protective gear. First, I sprinkled some yellow wine and white scallion oil on the corpse. Finding no unusual reaction, I then used some seaweed ash. This time, the signs of poisoning on the deceased became even more apparent. I picked up a syringe and drew some blood. With this blood sample, it would be much easier to analyze its components.

After handing it over to a forensic technician, I, along with Xiao Dong, began examining the fingernail and toenail crevices. We discovered some residual sand and soil, which we extracted. However, I suspected these might have been picked up inadvertently while working in the village, as there were no skin flakes or bloodstains within the soil. Nevertheless, I still assigned someone to compare it with the soil from the village.

Next, I turned on the shadowless reflection tube and the UV light. With Xie Chuchu's assistance, we scanned the deceased's body thoroughly. After a careful examination, we found no fatal injuries on the body. It seemed certain that the cause of death was poisoning.

We then proceeded to dissect the body with the scalpel. While examining the stomach contents, we extracted some gastric fluid. We also retrieved some substances from the trachea. If the deceased had inhaled any drugs before death, we should be able to extract some here. By confirming whether the drug content in his blood exceeded the normal limits, we could determine if he had died from an overdose.

When the results came out, Xie Chuchu sighed, "It seems Da Luo accidentally killed himself?"

"No," I countered, shaking my head and speculating, "He was acting normally for about half an hour. Also, the pipe he used could have been swapped or tampered with!"

"Yes, how could I not have thought of that? I don't know when I'll be able to keep up with your thinking, Senior!"

"As a forensic technician, your job is to examine the body. Don't overthink it. Alright, this is the component of ice. Users experience a brief state of euphoria. If you had been at the scene then, you would have noticed Da Luo's emotions were very normal. If he had taken ice before, he wouldn't have been able to remain so calm. This effect lasts for about 60 minutes, but at most, only 25 to 30 minutes had passed then." I smiled with satisfaction as I looked at the report results, which confirmed my earlier deduction.

"Are you saying his death has nothing to do with drug use?"

"En, but he likely had a drug habit."

"The murderer must have known about his drug habit and wanted to use it to divert our attention."

"En, you could say that. Combined with the previous case, He Qiming and Gan Xiaorui were both present, but the victims were people close to them..."

"Senior, are you implying that the murderer's true target is not others, but them?"

"Precisely, or perhaps one of them, either Qiming or Xiaorui."

"Then you should investigate their relationships!"

"I don't need to instruct them on this. Liu Yuning has already been doing it."

A police car pulled back from outside. I was already waiting by the door. As Liu Yuning and Xiao Yuande got out, they approached me. "We investigated and found out there's a girl in the cast named Anzi who was previously involved with He Qiming. Before, Anzi and Qiming were both extras in the acting troupe. It was only thanks to Miss Gan's promotion that he rose to prominence. After becoming a big star, He Qiming gradually drifted apart from Anzi, who remained an extra."

"En? Anzi? Is she foreign?" I asked curiously.

"Sanada Anzi. She's an actress transferred from the Island Country. She's not an extra anymore, but she's still a distance from supporting roles, somewhere before a third-tier celebrity."

"Ah, indeed she's foreign. She used to be with He Qiming, and now He Qiming cheated on her. She wouldn't hold a grudge, would she?" I rubbed my chin.

Xiao Yuande said seriously, "I had the same thought, so we went to see her."

"And the result?" I asked, staring at them with great interest.

"Anzi's reaction was very normal, not like someone who had done something wrong. She said that after Xiaorui promoted He Qiming, Xiaorui came to find her and said some very unpleasant things, forcing her to break up with Qiming, otherwise she would have the director kick her out of the acting troupe. This girl seems to like costume dramas, and her father, Sanada Shinichi, is also an actor in Hua Xia and concurrently an actor in the acting troupe. Both are fond of costume dramas, and they haven't left even though the market has recently weakened."

"It seems this father and daughter pair are suspects," I remarked.

Liu Yuning nodded, "In any case, they have a motive for murder. I wonder, a powerful father seeing his weak daughter being bullied, wouldn't he want to help her?"

"Have someone keep an eye on this father and daughter duo. Inform me immediately if you discover anything!"

"I've already assigned Gao Mingqiang and another officer to monitor them."

"Ah, it's him. Uncle, please help too."

"Hehe, why don't you trust Mingqiang?"

"His surveillance skills are limited."

"Uh, if he hears that, he might get disheartened again."

Sitting in my office, I decided to have a cup of Starbucks coffee. These recent cases were giving me a headache. I felt the killer was someone from the film crew, but I couldn't find any evidence. I rubbed my temples and searched online for information about my own work, "Judge of the Southern Song Dynasty." Two episodes had been released online. I initially thought the filming would be halted due to Da Luo's death.

Unexpectedly, the next day, Director Yan called again: "Detective He, we're going to continue the program!"

"So soon? Have you found a replacement for Da Luo?"

"No, we'll just say he died of illness during practice. We plan to film the third episode at Dahe Palace in Fuming City."

"I still suggest not to film. After all, two incidents have occurred."

"That won't happen. These are all coincidences, Detective He. If this work isn't filmed, it will affect you the most. Don't you want to become famous? Once this is successful, you'll be renowned and earn a lot of money."

"Haha, as a police officer, becoming famous isn't a good thing! Besides, our He family..." I said, then suddenly changed my tone, "I don't want to be famous; it's too dangerous. Many criminals will target me!"

"Alright, I won't let them know you are Detective He. I'll get you a pen name."

"Please, do I need to go to the scene this time?"

"Of course. We'll send someone to protect you, and no one will know you've been to the film crew."

I considered it. In reality, it wasn't about the work itself, but my concern that another murder might occur next.