Chapter 142: Everything in the World Is Poison

I examined the corpse and determined the time of death to be between nine and ten hours ago, which matched the bartender's testimony perfectly.

There was a faint scent of smoke and alcohol on the body—likely picked up in the nightclub. Using my listening technique on the internal organs, everything seemed normal, except the lungs were somewhat stiff.

I noticed some yellowish-brown stains on the victim's fingers and said, "The deceased was quite the heavy smoker; their lung fibers are all hardened."

Huang Xiaotao nodded. "According to her friends, she smoked about thirty cigarettes a day. A total chain smoker."

Sun Bingxin exclaimed in awe, "Wow, Brother Songyang, your ears are sharper than X-rays. You can tell all that just by listening?"

I briefly explained the principle behind listening to bones and organs. She still found it utterly fascinating.

I spotted stains around the chin and chest. Opening the mouth, a strong smell of alcohol hit me. The back of the teeth showed corrosion from stomach acid—she must have vomited before death. Whether it was from intoxication or poisoning, I couldn't tell yet.

Vomitus from poisoning cases is an important piece of evidence. I asked Huang Xiaotao about it, and she said, "The vomit was collected and is currently being tested in the lab. Results aren't back yet."

Sun Bingxin praised, "So professional. You even thought of such details…"

...

...

Wang Dali muttered dumbfounded, "Am I the only one who feels nauseous here?"

We all gave him a synchronized glare. Wang Dali sheepishly lowered his head.

Besides the smell of alcohol, I detected another faint odor. I carefully sniffed the victim's mouth and nose, took some residue from the nasal cavity with a cotton swab, and asked Wang Dali to send it to Xiao Zhou for analysis—I suspected chloroform.

Just as he was leaving, I remembered something and pulled a vial of medicine from my bag. There should be a freezer in the lab—ask him to freeze it into small ice cubes. I'd need it soon.

Sun Bingxin and I put on gloves and cut open the victim's clothes with scissors. We flipped the body over, searching carefully until I found a puncture wound near the waist. Judging by the bleeding under the skin, it was likely inflicted while alive.

This puncture was probably where the murderer injected poison, but I couldn't be certain yet. I removed my gloves and said, "Hold on a moment."

While waiting, I asked Huang Xiaotao, "Was the victim a patient of Cheng Yahui?"

She nodded. "We found a medical record at her home—she saw Cheng Yahui three months ago."

Sun Bingxin's eyes widened. "Committing crimes under surveillance? This guy is way too bold. Weren't they watching him?"

Huang Xiaotao said, "Exactly. According to my officers, Cheng Yahui was at the bar last night. His suspicion just keeps rising. I've already instructed Wang Yuanchao to detain him. Once the autopsy is done, they'll bring him straight to the interrogation room."

Sun Bingxin excitedly asked, "Can I join the interrogation?"

Huang Xiaotao replied, "Sure, but your name has to be on the record. It needs the chief's approval. Are you sure?"

Sun Bingxin sighed, "Maybe not then…"

At that moment, Wang Dali pushed the door open and said, "Yangzi, the test is back. There really is chloroform in the nasal cavity!"

I asked, "Where are the ice cubes I asked for?"

He took out an ice tray. "They're not fully frozen yet."

I looked it over. "This will do."

I put my gloves back on and rubbed one of the ice cubes near the puncture. Slowly, the blood vessels under the skin appeared. Among the usual red veins, one stood out with a clear purple hue.

Sun Bingxin gasped, "Wow, what is that? It makes the blood vessels show up like that!"

I explained, "It's a medicine brewed from ephedra."

She pondered, "Ephedrine constricts blood vessels. Smart trick. But why not use alcohol?"

I answered, "Alcohol works by rapidly evaporating and cooling the skin. That works on living bodies, but does it affect the dead?"

Sun Bingxin stuck out her tongue and laughed, "Guess I'm still a rookie!"

I followed the purple vein with the ice cube—it was the poison's path. It led all the way to the chest, where it spread.

"This is a lung-targeting poison," I said. "The stiff lungs aren't just from heavy smoking—they've failed. But what poison? Cyanide? Hydrogen cyanide? The signs don't fit... Carbon monoxide? No, that's a gas... Ricin? Doesn't seem like it…"

Sun Bingxin took some blood from the puncture with a swab. "I'm sending this to the neighboring lab. Brother Songyang, shall we see who gets results first?"

I smiled. "Deal—loser buys dinner."

She laughed, "Haha, you're on. I'm off then."

As she left with her kit, Huang Xiaotao chuckled, "You better hurry. Don't let Miss Sun beat you."

I grimaced, "Honestly, I'm not confident this time..."

Poison testing is like a liberal arts exam. If you don't know, you don't know. I couldn't think what this poison was.

But I couldn't give up. I kept checking, including the victim's private areas.

Wang Dali teased, "Why do you always check down there? Is it nice?"

I said, "Some poisons cause diuresis, like nitrites from that other case. I only suspected it because there was urine residue."

This poison wasn't diuretic, and there were no obvious symptoms anywhere on the body. That frustrated me. I didn't mind losing the bet—I just wanted Sun Bingxin's results soon.

Right then, she burst in, plastic goggles on her forehead, smelling of chemicals, excitedly shouting, "Brother Songyang, I got it!"

Wang Dali gasped, "Oh no, Yangzi lost!"

I said, "Everyone's got their specialty. I'm no expert at poison detection. Spill it, Bingxin."

She smiled, "Three words. Guess."

I smiled bitterly, "If I could guess, I wouldn't be stuck here for hours."

She shook her head. "You know this poison. My dad and Uncle Wang inhale it daily."

Suddenly I understood, "Nicotine!"

Sun Bingxin clapped, "Correct! The poison was a lethal dose of nicotine."

I admired, "Clever. Really clever."

Blushing, Sun Bingxin said, "Aw, you're making me shy. If you hadn't said it was lung-targeting and ruled out so many poisons, I wouldn't have thought of it first."

"I wasn't praising you—I was praising the murderer," I said.

Sun Bingxin's expression darkened. Huang Xiaotao covered her mouth to hide a laugh. That's when I realized I'd just exposed my social awkwardness again.

But Sun Bingxin's lively spirit soon returned. "Brother Songyang, why do you say the murderer is clever?"

I explained, "Think about it. The office lady has stomach issues—poison the stomach medicine. The student loves plastic surgery—tamper with the botulinum toxin. The model is promiscuous—the poison's in her... well, you know. This victim was a heavy smoker, so the poison was nicotine. The murderer tailored the poison for each victim, slipping it in where they wouldn't suspect. This kind of meticulous planning is beyond ordinary."

Sun Bingxin said, "Our teacher once said everything in the world is poison. The difference is the dose. Even salt and sugar can kill if taken too much. The murderer must know pharmacology well, tweaking doses to turn botulinum toxin and nicotine into lethal poisons."

I glanced at the victim. Without that puncture wound, this case might have been unsolvable. After all, there was already nicotine in her lungs.

I felt a strange pity for the murderer. If their technique were just a bit more seasoned, this would have been a near-perfect crime.