Chapter 470: Wine-Soaked Kidney (1/2)

”Is my husband really guilty?” Mrs. Mu anxiously asked.

”What was your husband like when he came home? Did he bring anything back?” I questioned.

”He was exactly the same as he was when he left in the afternoon,” recalled Mrs. Mu. “He did bring home a bag. It’s on the table.”

Upon checking the bag, I found an opaque bottle of wine that was loosely sealed and the cork appeared to have been opened and reattached. Borrowing a bottle opener from Mrs. Mu, I unplugged the cork and sniffed at the neck. Despite detecting the smell of alcohol, I noticed there was something else stuffed in the bottle.

”Let’s go to the bathroom!” I said.

After pouring out all the wine, something was stuck in the bottle. I slammed the bottle against the edge of the bathtub, shattering the glass. Horrified screams came from the girls, prompting me to look into the pile of glass fragments.

There lay a kidney the size of a fist. It was undoubtedly human.

”Why is there a kidney in this bottle?” Bingxin wondered out loud.

Upon further observation, I surmised, ”This kidney is already necrotic, and it’s salted. I'm afraid this isn’t meant for transplant but for consumption.”

”Eating a human kidney?” Bingxin covered her mouth, trying to fight the nausea.

“There’s no doubt about it.” Xiaotao solemnly added, “There are illegal activities going on in this club.”

I walked towards the shoe rack in the hall and picked up each pair to examine them. One of the leather shoes were still warm from wear and had fresh mud on the soles, suggesting Mr. Mu had just removed them.

Xiaotao and Bingxin leaned in as I sniffed at the sole. “I smell asphalt, manure, chicken manure... and egg white. Could it be a chicken farm? Are there any chicken farms around Nanjiang City?”

Checking her cell phone, Xiaotao affirmed, ”There are more than a dozen!”

”Could the asphalt suggest that it was just built?” I mused. “No, asphalt is used to depilate chickens. So this chicken farm probably slaughters the chickens as well. Then the farm should be of a certain scale,” I analyzed.

”Asphalt is toxic and Nanjiang City banned the use of this depilation method more than ten years ago,” explained Xiaotao. “Let me check with the Food Safety Bureau!”

A brief call later, Xiaotao reported, ”Got it! They mentioned the Xinglong United Chicken Farm in the northern suburbs. Our friends at the Food Safety Bureau said they violated food safety regulations several times by using asphalt to depilate their chickens. They were fined quite a hefty sum.”

”Let’s go then!”

Xiaotao instructed Bingxin to stay behind and deal with the rest while we headed to the chicken farm.

“Have you forgotten you’re a member of the special team? The ID you were given can be used to transfer a SWAT team without going through the usual procedures.”

”Wow, it’s that powerful?”

We intended to take over this case in the name of the special team because I had an inkling that this stretched far beyond conventional crimes in both nature and scale. Additionally, it would be good practice for the special team.

Xiaotao and I drove to the northern suburbs where we soon arrived at the gates of the chicken farm which was connected by a stone bridge. This bridge was the only way in and out of the farm. If there had been a war, this chicken farm would be considered the perfect base by military strategists since it was easy to defend and difficult to attack!

I originally assumed the chicken farm was just a cover for the mysterious club. But upon entering, we were greeted by a busy scene, with all sorts of documents, announcements and duty sheets on the wall, and trucks carrying goods in and out. It seemed this was a real chicken farm. After all, if this was merely a cover, they wouldn’t have to go to such lengths.

When we found the person in charge, Xiaotao immediately pullet out photos of Mr. Huang and Mr. Mu which could be found on Baidu Encyclopedia. The person in charge claimed he had never seen them.