Chapter 375: Heavy Water (1/2)
”Come down to the station now!” I urged. “Something’s happened!”
While waiting for Dali, I checked on the computer. Luo Youyou's family was from Yuzhou, and there was only one train going to her hometown at 1:00 am tomorrow. That is to say, she was probably still in Nanjiang City.
At this moment, Bingxin came running in, ”Song Yang-gege, I’ve tested it. The substance left on the victim’s skin is deuterated water.”
”Heavy water?” I muttered.
Heavy water was a colorless, tasteless chemical substance, which was much heavier than water, hence the name. Since human skin was permeable to water, the water in the cells would be squeezed out after absorbing heavy water that contained higher density. The large amount of heavy water that filled the cells created the illusion of drowning.
”I’ve never even heard of this!” exclaimed Xiaotao. “How could our unsub know this without being highly educated? And isn’t heavy water something you’d normally come into contact with?”
”Heavy water doesn’t evaporate easily,” explained Bingxin. “It’s a kind of condensing agent only used in nuclear reactors.”
”But there isn’t a nuclear power plant in Nanjiang City,” Xiaotao retorted.
”There’s no way nuclear power plants produce heavy water themselves. They should be supplied by chemical plants. The murderer may have stayed in a chemical plant or currently works there, which is how he knew skin would crumple when exposed to this liquid. Only then did he think of using heavy water to create the illusion of drowning, thus misleading everyone in the direction of the urban legend, the ghost bus...”
”Song Yang's analysis is reasonable,” laughed Xiaotao. “We’ve another important clue! I'll send officers to investigate at once!”
Right then, Dali arrived and noticed the three of us present. He brightened up and said, ”What a coincidence! We’re all here. We haven't met up in a long time.”
The sight of his cheerful grin made the anger boil up inside of me. ”Why the hell are you still fooling around! Luo Youyou may be in danger right now!”
”Isn’t she on the train?” Dali asked, mouth agape.
”You’re her boyfriend-to-be. Don't you even know what time her train leaves?” I chided.
I summarized the situation, explaining my suspicions of the murderer’s target, that is, everyone who got on the bus last night. I originally hoped this was merely a false alarm but now Luo Youyou and Zhou Yang were both unreachable which seemed fishy.
”There were only a few of us on the bus last night,” Dali pointed out. “Could it be Zhou Yang?”
”Don’t forget that suspicious driver!” Bingxin chimed in.
”So what you’re trying to say is the murderer knew through certain channels that you were on that bus,” surmised Xiaotao. “Let’s split up. You look for Luo Youyou and I'll investigate this bus!”
After Xiaotao left the room, Dali turned to me and said, “Dude, can we use your divination technique?”
”It's impossible to locate them without the motive,” I confessed. “Please think carefully. Where might Luo Youyou go?”
”Where can she go? She has no other acquaintances in Nanjiang City…” Dali slapped his forehead, “Wait a minute, one of her classmates is from here. Could she have gone looking for her?”
”That’s the only lead we have. Let’s just give it a try and contact her friend!”
Dali didn't have her contact number so he looked her up on QQ. A while after his message was delivered, the girl replied, ”Youyou isn’t with me but we spoke earlier.”
”What did you talk about?” asked Dali.