Chapter 287: The Temptation Of Fame And Wealth (1/2)

This case wasn’t completely over since the perpetrator was still at large. Xiaotao and I returned to the city bureau to continue the investigation. After several days of searching, a complaint came from a residential property reporting a rotten odor emanating from an apartment.

We rushed to the scene immediately, and upon opening the door, we were greeted by a room full of posters, CDs, photo albums, soft toys, and other memorabilia. The owner was a crazy fan of Yi Xi.

The smell of decay permeated the air. In the bedroom, a female corpse lay on the ground with grey skin, covered in fat maggots and bleeding from the mouth. Several officers rushed into the bathroom and vomited uncontrollably at the sight.

I lit the Snake Bone Incense I concocted some time ago and placed it in a small portable incense burner, fumigating the corpse for a short while. This incense had the effect of expelling insects. When it burned, it would coil up like a snake. Soon, maggots fell off the body one after another and the smell in the room dispersed slightly.

I began to examine the corpse. The deceased was below twenty-five years of age of medium build with long hair, and the time of death was about a week ago.

The corpse had already started to bloat. Upon opening her mouth, I laid my eyes on a horrific image! Her throat was filled with razor blades, her fingers covered in slight scratches. I didn’t think the Echolocation Rod was necessary. Before the girl died, she suffered heavy internal bleeding, microorganisms eventually feeding on the blood that had accumulated in her stomach. The gas expanded in her stomach, causing her abdomen to bulge like a balloon that would explode with the slightest poke.

I judged that the cause of death was esophageal rupture caused by the ingestion of the razor blades, resulting in hemorrhagic shock. There were no foreign fingerprints on the victim’s body. Combined with the other signs, I concluded that it was suicide.

”Song Yang, look at the cabinet!” Xiaotao said, patting my shoulder.

I looked up and saw a glass bottle with a severed penis soaked in some sort of chemical. I examined it before handing it over to Xiao Zhou for DNA testing. But in fact, we were already aware that this fanatical girl was Yi Xi’s murderer. Perhaps the guilt had gotten to her so she chose to end her life.

At this point, the case was officially solved!

The truth remained a secret between Xiaotao and I but we did make up a reasonable explanation which was enough to convince the others. Yi Xi was also cleared of the murder charge.

As soon as we closed the case, Xiaotao tidied up her desk and said, ”Let’s go for a walk!”

”Alright!” I nodded.

My eyes met Xiaotao’s in a look of bewilderment. There was only one Mike Zhou in the back with his driver and a bodyguard in front. He had removed his sunglasses and was dressed like the sunny boy next door.

”Haven't you left yet?” I asked.

Mike Zhou opened a bottle of Dom Perignon and poured me a glass. ”I have an afternoon flight to Inner Mongolia. The filming may take several months.”

”Looks like everything’s back on track,” I snickered.

He nodded, ”Before leaving, I thought it was necessary to meet you two and tell you about myself.”

He swallowed the champagne in one gulp and began to narrate his story. His real name was Yi Xuebing while Yi Xi was named Yi Xuewen. Born a few minutes before Yi Xi, he was the older twin. Although they looked as if they had been carved from the same mold, their personalities were as different as day and night.

When they were children, their parents divorced and the brothers were separated, each following a parent. Mike Zhou had been particularly reckless from an early age, his school years filled with fighting and drugs. However, Yi Xi was a good boy who worked hard and made progress. His diligence got him into acting school. And little by little, he went from an obscure nobody to a superstar that attracted everyone’s attention.

Later on, Mike Zhou learned of the younger brother's existence. In order to squeeze some money out of his twin, he blackmailed Yi Xi, threatening to ruin his reputation by behaving badly outside.

The juxtaposition of their lives made him resentful. Clearly they were twins, yet their fates were complete opposites. So he planned to unleash his discontentment by retaliating against Yi Xi using such means. However, Yi Xi was so busy he couldn’t care less about matters outside of work.