AD | Chapter 20

Lu Qingfeng’s brows knitted tightly. “Treating what?”

“Anxiety disorder.” Lin Shuyao said softly. “Medications for anxiety disorders are usually prescription drugs. He should have medical diagnostic records from the psychiatry department.”

Lu Qingfeng immediately turned his head. “Xiao Tao, go check on that.”

“Yes.” Tao Yu responded and quickly walked away.

Lin Shuyao stood before the corpse, silently staring at the face. Beside him, Lu Qingfeng raised a hand and patted his shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

He seemed not to have heard Lu Qingfeng at all. He bent down directly and used his hands to pry open the corpse’s already stiff mouth.

The faint sound of rotting flesh sticking together was exceptionally clear in the room. He picked out a blood-stained puzzle piece from the mouth and neatly placed it into an evidence bag.

Lu Qingfeng’s breath hitched. His pupils contracted slightly as his gaze locked onto the bloody puzzle piece inside the evidence bag.

Lin Shuyao paid no attention to the reaction of the person beside him. Instead, he turned his head and shouted toward someone not far away. “Xia-jie, are you done taking photos?”

Xia Ling approached with her camera. She glanced at the corpse stuck inside the wardrobe. “Done. Do you want to take the body out?”

He nodded. The corpse had decomposed significantly and was currently stuck to the wardrobe, almost merging with it. Just as Lin Shuyao was about to exert force, a hand suddenly reached over from the side. “Let me do it.”

But before the hand could touch the wardrobe door, Xia Ling blocked it from the side. “Captain Lu, you can’t handle this,” she said, scanning the surroundings. “You’d better go check the scene for clues.”

Lu Qingfeng frowned. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Huainan’s voice rang out from another room. “Captain Lu, there’s a laptop here!”

Lu Qingfeng acknowledged him, got up, and went to the adjacent room. It was a mess before his eyes. Household garbage was scattered all over the floor. He frowned, stepped over the clutter, and arrived beside Jiang Huainan. “What did you find?”

“It has a password, so I can only turn it on for now. But the files inside are encrypted.” Jiang Huainan typed a few keys, then shook his head. “I can’t open it temporarily. I’ll take it back to the bureau to study.”

“Alright.” Lu Qingfeng patted his shoulder. “I’ll ask the technical department to work with you.”

After the corpse was transported away, Lin Shuyao waited downstairs for a long time before he saw Lu Qingfeng walk out of the stairwell. Upon seeing him, Lu Qingfeng paused. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. “Are you waiting for me?”

Seeing his strange expression, Lin Shuyao was slightly stunned. “You… what is that look?”

Lu Qingfeng coughed lightly, looking slightly awkward. “Nothing. I really thought you planned to return to the bureau before me.”

Hearing this, Lin Shuyao gave him an annoyed glance. “Captain Lu, that’s not very loyal of you to say. I didn’t drive here…”

Lu Qingfeng was left speechless by his retort. He could only nod. “Makes sense. Let’s go. Get in the car.”

The two got back into the car. The doors closed, and the engine hummed lowly. It wasn’t until they drove out of the street corner that Lu Qingfeng spoke again. “What is the specific situation with this deceased?”

“We need to examine it carefully back at the bureau to determine the cause of death. Preliminarily, this corpse seems quite normal,” Lin Shuyao said.

“Normal?” Lu Qingfeng asked, puzzled.

“Yes. The body is intact. Unlike the previous case, there are no missing limbs. It seems to be normal decomposition, nothing special… At first glance, it just looks very normal,” Lin Shuyao explained.

He did not continue on that topic. Instead, he gently shifted the subject. “What do you think about the puzzle piece in the deceased’s mouth?”

“Puzzle piece…” Lin Shuyao repeated softly.

Four pieces.

Including the puzzle pieces from the mouths of the previous three victims, this was the fourth.

If the initial three could still be explained as Shen Chen’s perverted provocation after necrophilia, what about this one? How should this one be explained?

He suddenly remembered his sister’s diary from seven years ago. Between those yellowed pages, there seemed to be similar puzzle fragments tucked in.

But what exactly was the connection between them and the current case?

Thinking this, Lin Shuyao suddenly felt a chill spread from his spine to his entire body. This case was indeed not as simple as he had thought.

As he thought, he couldn’t help but shiver. He said softly to Lu Qingfeng, “Turn on the air conditioning. Set it to hot air. I’m a bit cold.”

Lu Qingfeng didn’t ask further. He reached out and pressed the button.

Warm air slowly blew out. However, he turned his face sideways. His gaze fell on Lin Shuyao’s slightly pale face. He reached out and touched his forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

Lin Shuyao shook his head gently without speaking.

Lu Qingfeng withdrew his hand, but his gaze did not leave Lin Shuyao’s face. In this weather, Lin Shuyao actually wanted to turn on the heating. It was indeed a bit abnormal.

“Feng-ge, I’m a little scared,” Lin Shuyao said softly.

Lu Qingfeng turned his head. “Scared of what? I’m here!”

Since their reunion, Lin Shuyao had never called Lu Qingfeng by this name again. This made Lu Qingfeng feel that this seemingly “normal” corpse had truly frightened Lin Shuyao.

Silence fell in the car. Lu Qingfeng reached out to grab his cigarette pack. He had just pulled one out when Lin Shuyao gently stopped him.

“Here. Strawberry flavored.” Lin Shuyao stuffed a lollipop into his palm. “This is better than cigarettes.”

“Lollipops again…” Lu Qingfeng held the lollipop in his mouth and sighed ambiguously. “This thing really isn’t as satisfying as cigarettes.” The candy ball clicked lightly against his teeth, making a faint sound. He glanced sideways at the person beside him and added, “But… if you gave it to me, I’d eat arsenic too.”

“Stop being cheeky.” Lin Shuyao turned to look out the window. The car was moving fast. The light from the street lamps was stretched into long strips. “The medicine by Tang Bin’s bedside…” His voice deepened. “Taking it with Alprazolam can trigger malignant arrhythmia. This combination doesn’t look like something an ordinary doctor would prescribe.”

Lu Qingfeng’s fingers suddenly tightened on the steering wheel. The smile instantly vanished from his face. “You mean someone deliberately switched his medication?” He glanced sideways at Lin Shuyao and praised him. “Not bad, Doctor Lin. Smart as always!”

“Enough with you. Drive properly.” After saying this, he turned to look out the window again. However, Lu Qingfeng keenly noticed that the tips of Lin Shuyao’s ears had quietly turned red.