Chapter 052: The Hair Dryer

The reason the police initially dismissed the possibility that the food had been eaten while the victims were still alive was not without basis. If the food was ingested before death, there were only two possibilities: one, it was eaten a considerable time before death; or two, as I speculated, it was forced down in the moments between life and death.

If the food had been consumed long before death, there would necessarily be varying degrees of digestion, so that possibility was ruled out by the police. The second option was also dismissed by the coroner. Generally, a person who is dying does not have the desire to eat, much less the ability to consume such a large quantity in one go.

It’s important to note that in the stomachs of Lao Jiu and his companions, three days’ worth of takeout was discovered—an abnormality in itself. Moreover, Lao Jiu and the others died of carbon monoxide poisoning, yet none attempted to escape. From an atheistic perspective, the police concluded that by then, none of them had freedom of movement.

Without freedom, they could not have eaten by themselves but would have needed to be fed. If they had been conscious, they would have fiercely resisted, making it impossible for the perpetrator to force-feed them so much food. If they were already semi-conscious, the police reasoned that the perpetrator still couldn’t have managed to force-feed such a quantity.

The prevailing theory was that by the time Lao Jiu and the others were in the apartment, they were already severely weakened. In a state near unconsciousness, force-feeding becomes particularly difficult. At the point of imminent death, the esophageal peristalsis slows dramatically, making it virtually impossible for food to reach the stomach. Yet, the food found in their stomachs was indeed there.

It seemed that every possibility had been eliminated. Even I hadn’t figured it out until we came to the pier, when Chen Fan’s reaction to choking on water gave me an unexpected hint. I became certain then: the food had been forced into the victims just as they were about to die.

Not long after the food was forced down, they died, and the gastric digestive functions quickly ceased. Thus, the food in their stomachs had only undergone slight chemical changes, without notable digestion. The real difficulty lay in how, when they were almost powerless and their esophageal peristalsis nearly stopped, the food still ended up in their stomachs.

The autopsy revealed that the food was finely shredded, as if chewed by someone, adding a bizarre twist to the case. Almost everyone said it must have been chewed and swallowed by the ghosts of the dead.

On the autopsy report, I noticed traces of food in the victims’ tracheas as well, indicating they choked while eating. For one person to choke might be coincidence, but for four to do so could only mean one thing: they were force-fed.

I said to the others, “Let’s talk about the pharynx. When food enters the throat, the body almost reflexively swallows it into the esophagus, but only if breathing is paused. One cannot swallow and breathe at the same time.”

“For example, if you pour a mouthful of water into your mouth and let it reach the throat, then pinch your nose, the water will flow into the esophagus. If you keep breathing, however, the water cannot all go down the esophagus—and in any case, there’s a high risk of choking.”

We had long wondered about the piece of water pipe at the crime scene, but now I was certain: it was used for force-feeding. The pipe was about fifteen centimeters long, just the right diameter to fit into a person’s mouth. Without some tool to assist, food would spill from the victim’s mouth, dirtying their clothes or the floor—hard to clean up.

But with a pipe, one could push it into the victim’s mouth, pour the food down through it, tilt the victim’s head back, and the food would reach the throat without spilling.

At that point, the victims were still alive, their swallowing reflexes intact. As the food touched the throat, swallowing would occur reflexively. If their noses were pinched and their mouths firmly covered, most of the food would be forced into the esophagus—unable to be spit out, it could only go down the windpipe.

By then, the victims were nearly dead, their breathing growing weak. They would not cough violently, and even if they did, only a little food would be expelled—easily dealt with afterward. It was like force-feeding an unconscious patient; the food entered the esophagus.

However, in the case of unconscious patients, esophageal peristalsis still functions, but for Lao Jiu and the others, it was already extremely weak. The remaining question was how the food in the esophagus reached the stomach. At this point, I paused and glanced at my watch. We had detained Li Deshui for quite some time.

Li Deshui’s tense expression relaxed a little when I fell silent. Luo Feng asked what was wrong; I said we needed to wait. Li Deshui snorted coldly, “You can wait if you want, but I don’t have time to waste with you. I’m leaving.”

Luo Feng grabbed Li Deshui by the collar. “Try saying that again, I dare you!”

Just then, more cars approached us. Suddenly, the pier looked like a parking lot, all those headlights shining in our faces, making us squint. Through the glare, I vaguely saw many people getting out.

As they drew closer, I saw it was Yun Gao and a group of small-time thugs with flashy, multicolored hair. One of them shouted at Luo Feng, “Hand over our boss or we’ll chop you up right here!”

I understood at last—these were Da Xi’s men. Da Xi had already been captured by Luo Feng, who planned to use the opportunity to take over Da Xi’s gang. But that wasn’t something that could be done overnight. Luo Feng spat, entirely unafraid, and looked at Yun Gao with suspicion.

Yun Gao offered a gentlemanly smile and replied, “You had people tail my men, but Da Xi’s people took care of them. You caught Da Xi and now you’re trying to catch me. Looks like you really do want to take over Da Xi’s crew.”

Yun Gao’s sudden appearance was clearly to protect Li Deshui, to take him away. This only reinforced my suspicion that arresting Li Deshui would implicate Yun Gao as well. Yun Gao was clever with his words, never mentioning Li Deshui, focusing everything on Luo Feng’s capture of Da Xi.

But that was trouble enough for Luo Feng. Da Xi’s men closed in; Luo Feng’s people weren’t pushovers either. A tense standoff began, ready to erupt into violence at any moment. Little Ghost came to my side; I held her hand, my other hand gripping a knife pointed at Li Deshui.

There was no way I could let him escape in the chaos.

Yun Gao stood at a distance, smiling. As I watched him, Li Deshui suddenly broke from my grip and ran toward a small boat moored at the pier. I shouted to Luo Feng, “Protect Little Ghost!” then chased after him. I caught Li Deshui just as he was about to leap onto the boat.

I yanked him back by force.

I landed a punch on his face; Li Deshui wasn’t much of a fighter and went down after a few blows. I pinned him to the ground with my foot on his chest. Crouching down, I slapped his face a few times. “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t like being interrupted when I speak. I wasn’t finished, and you’re trying to run?”

“Fang Han! You have no evidence to arrest me. Why are you still after me?” Li Deshui’s voice suddenly grew shrill.

I had never told him my name, yet he called it out. I realized then—he knew who I was, just like Yun Qing, Xuan Yi, and the old Daoist did.

“Tell me, why did you kill Lao Jiu and the others?” I shook the knife in my hand. “And how do you know me?”

Li Deshui smiled, “Let me go and I’ll tell you.”

But before he finished the sentence, he screamed in pain—my knife had already pierced his thigh.

“I don’t like bargaining either,” I said.

Li Deshui’s face twisted in agony. “Fang Han, I don’t believe you dare kill me. Yes, I am the one who killed Lao Jiu and the others, but you have no evidence. If you kill me, you and Luo Feng will be arrested by the police! Still hoping to find someone? Dream on!”

I sneered, “You still think I have no evidence to convict you?”

He gritted his teeth. “If you had any, the police would already be here.”

At that moment, a commotion erupted on the pier. I heard shouting: “The cops are here!” Li Deshui’s face changed instantly. I hauled him up and dragged him toward the commotion. Sure enough, Chen Fan had arrived, leading a large group of officers. Fortunately, Luo Feng and Da Xi’s men hadn’t started fighting yet; otherwise, things would have ended much less neatly.

From a distance, Chen Fan waved to me. “The forensic results are in—good news!” Several officers came up and cuffed Li Deshui. He panicked, shouting at the police, demanding to know why they were arresting him. I sneered behind him, “You magician—you’re skilled at using all sorts of props, turning trash into tools. The water pipe was one, and the hair dryer in the apartment was another.”

Li Deshui immediately fell silent, eyes wide, as if searching his memory for where he’d left evidence.

The first time I’d visited the crime scene, I’d taken note of the hair dryer, comb, and other items in the bathroom. Luo Feng had asked me why I bothered, and I’d replied that anything could be key to solving the case. Now, my prediction was proven right.

That hair dryer was the evidence that would convict Li Deshui.

But just as I was about to explain, I suddenly realized Yun Gao was gone.