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Chapter 225 - 225: A Classic Murder Case in a Secret Room!
Chapter 225 - 225: A Classic Murder Case in a Secret Room!
Chapter 225: A Classic Murder Case in a Secret Room!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation I Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Upon hearing Zhou Qiang’s words, Su Xuan immediately became interested.
His current case load had lightened, so he had some free time, and this case intrigued him.
Su Xuan picked up the materials that Zhou Qiang handed over. Since Zhou
Qiang had been working on this case for several days, the information he provided was quite comprehensive.
The deceased was an online performer who specialized in various role-plays. When not creating videos, he will be live-streaming. On the day of his death, he was doing a cosplay live-stream from his home.
In front of countless online viewers, the performer finished his makeup and, feeling extremely hungry, decided to have instant noodles. However, it was because of this meal…
Shortly after eating the instant noodles, the performer collapsed. At first, fans and viewers thought it was a prank. It was only later that they realized the performer hadn’t moved for a long time, not even blinking.
Worried and fearful, some fans called the police. Fortunately, a few fans who were familiar with the performer’s address were able to provide it to the authorities. However, even with this information, by the time the police and ambulance arrived, the performer had already stopped breathing.
Initially, the case was categorized as an accidental death due to sudden heart failure.
After all, the performer had died shortly after being taken to the hospital. It was known that the performer had a heart condition…
But everything changed when the forensic analysis report came in.
“This person actually…”
“Poisoned?”
“There are traces of poison in the stomach?”
Su Xuan, looking at the analytical report in his hand, felt like he was in a TV drama for a moment-
seeing Su Xuan’s shocked expression, Zhou Qiang was at a loss for words.
“Yeah, I told you, you wouldn’t believe…”
“Not only you, even I was shocked when I saw this.”
“Unbelievable!”
“Our investigation revealed that this performer hadn’t left his home for several days.”
“Moreover, the instant noodles were purchased by the performer himself, and when he opened the package, thousands of online viewers saw that it wasn’t tampered with.”
“The outer packaging was intact.”
“But it was from these instant noodles that we discovered something was
amiss.”
“The toxin was found inside the noodles, so that’s what caused their death.”
Zhou Qiang paused here.
Su Xuan immediately looked up. “Death from eating instant noodles? Then why didn’t you directly investigate the manufacturer of the noodles?
“If we did that, we would be able to eliminate that possibility that his death has something to do with the noodles,” Su Xuan retorted.
Who was Su Xuan? He couldn’t be scared by Zhou Qiang. He immediately pointed out what he found suspicious after hearing the details.
“Not to mention, if the packaging was intact, it suggests that the problem didn’t originate with the noodles themselves.”
“Could it have been the water he used to cook the noodles?” Zhou Qiang added.
Of course, Zhou Qiang wasn’t trying to scare Su Xuan. He just found this case peculiar. When he heard Su Xuan’s speculation about the water, he nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. We’ve been investigating for several days, and in the end, we suspected it might be related to the water. However, even after days of searching, we couldn’t find any trace of it.
As Zhou Qiang spoke, Su Xuan frowned. “What do you mean?
“You’re not going to tell me that, apart from the chopsticks and the noodle box used for eating, there was no sign of poison anywhere else in his room?
Wasn’t this a bit too far-fetched? This idea had just occurred to him.
Zhou Qiang confirmed it with facts. “Yes, it’s true!”
“Smart as always!”
“This case was almost turning into a cold case. Let me tell you, I’ve been searching for days, and I couldn’t find any trace of where the toxin in these noodles came from.”
Zhou Qiang slammed the table, grinding his teeth. Although he appeared calm now, he had been searching for days.
The most crucial box of instant noodles had been scrutinized in every possible way, from where the performer bought it to how it was delivered, including everyone they encountered on the way.
Besides this box of noodles, every other item the performer consumed had been tested. Given that the performer was a live-streamer, they didn’t eat much in the morning. Apart from a bit of water, it was just the noodles.
Yet they hadn’t found any clues.
According to the online viewers who had watched the livestream, there was only the performer at home.
When the police arrived, it was indeed a case of a person alone at home, and the door was locked from the inside. In the end, the police had to break in.
The window was open, but there was a surveillance camera right across from it, aimed at the window. Reviewing the footage revealed no one entering or exiting through the window.
So, this case was practically a classic locked-room murder!
Zhou Qiang couldn’t help but grind his teeth at the thought. Damn it! There weren’t many types of cases he wasn’t good at, but ironically, locked-room murders were one of them.
“I didn’t bother you before because I saw you had a case, but now I’m really at my wit’s end,” Zhou Qiang said, seeing that Su Xuan was still immersed in the case files.
For Su Xuan, this case…
“Take me to the crime scene,” Su Xuan said as he stood up.
Hearing this, Zhou Qiang got excited and quickly led Su Xuan out. “Let’s go, I’ll take you there.”
As soon as Zhou Qiang realized Su Xuan was going to help investigate the case, he felt like there was finally hope for solving it. Did he even know how tough it had been for Zhou Qiang recently?
“And did they record the live broadcast before the victim’s death?” Su Xuan asked as they walked.
A big-time streamer like the victim should have had their broadcasts recorded. Shortly after Su Xuan’s question, Zhou Qiang sent him a video clip.
On their way to the victim’s house, Su Xuan opened the video and began reviewing it. He watched it at triple speed until he slowed down ten minutes before the victim’s death. However, from the recorded live stream, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual.
After all, if there had been a problem during the live stream, the fans would have noticed it at that time. Su Xuan was mainly interested in seeing what the victim had eaten and done before their death.
Before long, they arrived at the victim’s home. The area where the victim had lain had already been outlined with white lines, and the house was covered in a layer of dust.
As Su Xuan and Zhou Qiang entered the room, they were nearly overwhelmed by a pungent odor.
“This is where the victim died,” Zhou Qiang said. “The instant noodles he ate had expired for quite a while, but fortunately, it had been tested before.” He pointed at a dusty water kettle. “This is the kettle he used.
“And there were no toxins found inside this kettle,” he continued. “I’m getting a headache trying to figure this out.”
“If there are no toxins in the kettle, does that mean the poison didn’t come from the water?” Su Xuan pondered aloud. “But the instant noodles seem fine too….”