On October 4th,[1] several people met at the agency. Chen Shi had obtained a list of tenants from the two neighboring housing districts. He said, "The people who transported the corpse may be among these tenants. Let's check them one by one. The bureau told me that the test result was of an organic algae and the specific ingredients are still being tested. The career of the ruthless creator is probably inseparable from biological research and pharmaceutical research."

kk said, "I went to install the security camera yesterday morning and I didn't see any suspicious personnel approaching Wei Yi's house. However, I found that the joint of the milk box was a little loose. That type of thing can be opened just by unscrewing the screws. You don’t even need to know how to open locks. There’s no technical skill required."

"The milk delivered every day is definitely problematic. Have you investigated the milkman?"

kk smiled in embarrassment. "I got up too late, so I didn't run into them. How early do they go to work? However, I looked at the surveillance footage today and the milkman seemed to be fine."

"Seemed? Investigate it properly for me!"

"I'm not a police officer. It's very hard to check this..."

Noticing Chen Shi's stern eyes, kk dared not complain further and made a face at Tao Yueyue.

Sun Zhen said, "I checked the fire on September 3rd as you asked. The fire department's announcement said it was a fire caused by a gas leak. The person who died was Zheng Xuemei, a 50-year-old widow living alone. The person who claimed the body and the person who handled the matter of her funeral proceedings was her nephew, Li. After the fire, the fire brigade and the gas company inspected the gas pipelines in the entire housing community from the 4th to the 6th.”

Chen Shi said, "Regardless of whether or not the fire is directly related to what happened to Wei Yi, I think it was because of the sudden inspection that the person hiding the corpse at home had to transfer the body."

"Are they a necrophiliac?" Tao Yueyue asked.

"Fuck, necrophilia? What heavy taste. I like it." kk looked excited.

"It may be the case. According to Wei Yi's description, the owner carefully dressed the corpse. If it’s just to deal with the corpse, then that’s not necessary. The car owner's consciousness may be that the female corpse is his family, so he let it sit on the passenger seat."

"Brother Chen, tell me more about necrophilia!" kk said.

"I won’t talk about it. Read it by yourself."

"How disappointing. It's rare that I have a passion for learning."

Tao Yueyue said, "If it is just to transfer the body, he doesn't need to drive the car out of the community. He can just put the body on the car, park it in another place, and then transport it back after the inspection is over."

"Correct!" Chen Shi was reminded by Tao Yueyue. "This entry point is very good. Perhaps that night, the owner planned to do it that way. So it seems that he may still be hiding in the original place."

kk raised his hand. "Is necrophilia illegal?"

"The enlightened and free modern society doesn’t legally constrain people’s sexual orientation. What breaks the law can only be the method in which people use as a means of satisfying their fetishes. Where did his body come from? Did they kill someone or was it stolen? No matter which it is, they’ve violated the law. It’s also illegal to use dangerous substances on Wei Yi after he accidentally saw them."

Sun Zhen said, "The murderer's purpose is just to drive Wei Yi crazy, so that nobody would believe his words."

"Or they planned to kill him. Wei Yi's milk is heated every day before he drinks it. Perhaps the things inside could have been lethal. After it’s heated up, it was only left with these negative side-effects.”

"This kid’s life is fortunate!"

kk covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to Sun Zhen, "Should we sell this incident to the newspaper office and earn a bit more?"

"Aiya!" Chen Shi heard him. "Give me a break. When I find out the truth, I will directly contact the police and let them handle it."

"If the guy had money, wouldn't it be nicer to blackmail him directly with this secret?"

"Do you want the firm to close down?!" Sun Zhen scolded.

"It was just a discussion. You guys know that I love to talk nonsense. It’s impossible to implement the action." kk said with a smile.

Chen Shi said, "Let's go to the housing district to ask about the fire and visit these tenants... kk, come with us!"

kk said, "Let’s pretend to be salesmen like usual!"

kk took out two sets of salesman's vests from the cabinet, and two bags of herbal toothpaste from unknown sources. There was no desire to purchase them just from looking at the packaging.

This was his old trick when investigating mistresses and being a thief before. He pretended to be a salesman and knocked on the doors. If there was no one in the house, he would slip in. For security reasons, he would also bring a spy cam to ensure that nobody was inside.

On the way to the community, Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, why would anyone love a corpse?"

"Because they are perverted[2]!" kk said.

Chen Shi glared at him and explained, "The causes of this sex fetish is a bit more complicated. They’re generally people with a strong desire to control but also suffering from social phobia. They have no feelings for living people, only the dead."

"Little Worm may become this kind of person in the future. Did you know? He might still be a virgin!" kk giggled.

"Is it fun to laugh at someone's private life?"

"It’s interesting. Especially Little Worm’s. That’s a great pleasure in my life... Yueyue, did you meet a boyfriend at school?"

"Shut up!"

"Look at you as a dad, talking to a child about necrophilia, but not daring to talk about normal relationships between men and women. That’s failed education! Isn’t that right, Yueyue?”

"Yueyue, is this guy very annoying? Do you want to throw him out?"

Tao Yueyue just giggled.

Arriving at the housing district, Chen Shi went to investigate the fire on September 3rd. kk took Tao Yueyue to check the tenants. Chen Shi told them to be extra careful. kk said without much concern, "Relax, Yueyue is very skilled now. It only takes her ten seconds to pick locks."

Chen Shi sighed. What has Yueyue learned from these people? Was it a mistake in his education policy?

The unit where the fire took place was still black. There was a piece of paper on the door that read "Please contact me when buying a house..." Chen Shi called them and a middle-aged man came. He looked very gentle wearing a neat blue shirt and rimmed glasses. He also had a burn wound on his face.

The middle-aged man asked, "Did you want to buy a house?"

"Is this house for sale?" Chen Shi pointed his thumb at the apartment.

"Yeah, this is my aunt's house. Unfortunately, there was a fire last month. My aunt was also burnt to death. Her daughter, who is my cousin, studies in the United States and asked me to help sell the house."

"How much is it?"

"The price is negotiable. If you really want it, the price can be lower than the average market price."

"Sorry, I didn't actually come to ask about the house." Chen Shi took out his consultant's certificate. "I'm with the police. I’d like to understand some things from you regarding last month's fire."

"Why did it take so long for it to be investigated? The fire was a pure accident. The local police station and fire brigade have already investigated it."

"I want to check something else. What’s your last name?"

The middle-aged man claimed to be called Li Xiang. He said, "Let's talk somewhere else. The house is completely burnt."

1. Editor Conspiracing’s Note: The author wrote May 4th here, but Chapter 559 says that it’s October 2nd and the recent chapters have all been centered around this time.

2. In Chinese, there’s a word for being perverted in an abnormal/disgusting way that others view in contempt. This is the word the author chose to use here.