At precisely seven o'clock in the evening, the lights of the Jinzhu City Criminal Investigation Division blazed brightly.
A section of the central office had been cleared, and a whiteboard was set up at the front. Seven or eight officers tasked with the case sat closely around it.
Outside, a fine drizzle fell steadily. The energy-saving lamps overhead cast a stark white glow.
Lu Lie pinned several photographs of the deceased onto the board. Turning around with a composed expression, he began in an emotionless tone, "The victim, He Wenhui, male, born 1990, was discovered deceased at 7 a.m. this morning by his younger brother, inside the family-owned reptile pet store. Estimated time of death is around 10 p.m. yesterday." His gaze darkened, voice low and firm. "The autopsy is complete. Cause of death—venom of the redback spider. Commonly referred to as the 'black widow.' We also found this in a corner of the store—"
As he spoke, he raised a glass test tube for all to see. Inside, a live redback spider twitched ominously.
Zhou Zhaozhao watched Lu Lie intently, not blinking once.
"According to his brother, He Chuanhui, the deceased had acquired several of these spiders through illicit channels. After feeding them, he supposedly forgot to secure the enclosure. The spiders escaped. He Wenhui searched but failed to retrieve them. Given the circumstances, an accidental bite followed by delayed medical treatment could have led to his death. On the surface, it appears to be a tragic accident. However, several anomalies remain—"
At this point, Lu Lie's eyes briefly swept across Zhou Zhaozhao before looking away. "First: it rained throughout yesterday. Outside the store, mud and water were everywhere. The victim had gone out, his shoes covered in sludge. If he moved about inside the shop, there should be muddy footprints. But the floor was spotless—only one set of prints, left by the younger brother when discovering the body. This suggests someone deliberately cleaned the scene post-mortem."
"Second: on the wall is a fresh impact mark—evidence of a table having struck it. There's white dust from the collision and clear drag marks on the floor. Zhou Zhaozhao preliminarily deduced that a fight broke out in the shop prior to the murder. Items were displaced and later repositioned. The victim also bore numerous bruises, formed at different times, indicating repeated altercations before his death. To complicate matters further, the shop's surveillance system was down."
"There were also many fingerprints throughout the store—untouched. We analyzed only a few, but the results were messy. It's a pet store, formerly doing brisk business, so many prints belonged to past customers. Tracing the killer through these prints will be difficult."
Lu Lie looked over at Zhao Songge. "Any luck canvassing the neighborhood? Any witnesses?"
Zhao Songge shook his head. "None. Huayuan Road used to be busy—lined with shops and full of pedestrians. But lately, due to roadworks and potholes, traffic has thinned out. The stores near Jingxin Pet Shop mostly do food service, but poor business in recent days means they closed early."
"Anything else?"
Zhao continued, "According to neighbors, He Wenhui was selfish. After their parents died in a car crash, he took all the compensation money and refused to care for his brother…"
At this, Zhou Zhaozhao recalled the filthy, torn sneakers on He Chuanhui's feet. Her heart softened.
"But," Zhao added, "he was incredibly good to his wife, Bai Wenwen."
"What about the victim's social circle?" Lu Lie asked again.
"He had few friends. Mostly interacted with customers. The only regular contact was Chen Shengqiang."
Lu Lie's expression remained icy. "I've dealt with Chen Shengqiang before. Chronic liar. He was evasive about his whereabouts during the time of death. Two possibilities: one, he's involved in the murder; two, he knows something and is hiding it. Can't say which yet." He paused. "What about Bai Wenwen? Did we reach her?"
Fatty raised his hand. "Boss, I called her. She claimed to be out traveling, but she's actually been staying with her mother. She agreed to come in tomorrow for a statement."
"When did she claim she left for her trip?"
"The day after she had a heated argument with the victim."
Lu Lie's gaze deepened. His voice was cold. "Initial assessment: this is not a natural death. The murderer used the redback spider to stage an accident. The shop housed many spider species, including harmless ones. The perpetrator knew which were deadly and had access—suggesting someone close to He Wenhui."
"The key to the plausibility of the spider explanation lies in the rationale provided by He Chuanhui. If it's false—if those spiders didn't escape by accident—then someone released them deliberately. Whether or not it was He Chuanhui requires further investigation. Currently, Bai Wenwen, He Chuanhui, and Chen Shengqiang—all have motive and opportunity."
He turned to Wang Xinyu. "Fatty, tomorrow, take Songge and three others. Keep canvassing near the shop. Find witnesses. Widen the perimeter."
"Yes, Boss!"
"Xiao Bingbing, you take three people. Focus on reviewing surveillance in the vicinity. Track everyone coming and going before and after the time of death."
"Shen Jiang, you and Xu Hui shadow Chen Shengqiang. He's slippery—I don't want him vanishing."
"Understood!" they replied in unison.
Lu Lie glanced at the clock. It was late. The team had barely recovered from the Wang Zhiqiang case, and now a new one had landed.
He spoke quietly. "Everyone's exhausted. It's late—go home, rest. The corpse is still in the forensics room. There are many loose ends. We've got a long road ahead."
As he finished, Zhou Zhaozhao raised her hand. Lu Lie frowned. "What is it now, Zhou Zhaozhao?"
She asked quickly, "Captain Lu, what's my assignment tomorrow?"
He gave her a glance, then muttered after a pause, "You? We'll see tomorrow. Dismissed."
…
The rain outside intensified. Zhou Zhaozhao slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out of the CID building. At the doorway, she stared into the dark, rainy night—and froze.
Damn it!
Footsteps rushed behind her. She turned to see Lu Lie approaching with a black umbrella.
He immediately noticed her predicament and smirked. "Forgot your umbrella again?"
He arched a brow. "Bringing you into the team is proving costly on umbrellas."
Zhou Zhaozhao pursed her lips, slightly embarrassed.
"It's nearly nine. Do you live far?" His tone was curt.
"Not really. I can take the subway," she replied honestly.
Lu Lie eyed the rainy night, then looked at her, sighing. "Too late, it's not safe. Where do you live? I'll drive you."
"No need, Captain Lu. I live near the station."
She didn't want to trouble him.
Lu Lie had other business tonight. Seeing her decline, he didn't insist. He handed her the umbrella. "Take it."
Zhou Zhaozhao hesitated. "Captain Lu, I can't. You walked home in the rain last time because of me—and I forgot to return your umbrella."
"It's fine. I drove here. Take it."
Still, she didn't move.
Lu Lie frowned and barked, "Zhou Zhaozhao. Take it."
She finally accepted it, murmuring, "Captain Lu, I'll definitely return it tomorrow."
Lu Lie arched a brow. "Good."
With that, he turned and descended the steps, striding quickly into the rain and vanishing into the stormy night.
Zhou Zhaozhao stood there for a long while, clutching the umbrella.