Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 63 Strange Corpse 1
With the serial murders over, life returned to normal.

In early May, the nights also began to get muggy.

The newly opened Aurora Borealis hotel launched a "Cool Party" program and is now welcoming its first guests.

After taking enough promotional photos at the balcony pool, the men and women in swimsuits moved their activities indoors.

The three-tiered stack of alcoholic beverages on the table shimmered under the dazzling lights. As soon as the music started, everyone got into the mood and began to move around.

Singing, dancing, drinking, chatting, guessing cards, throwing money, performing water-spraying acts, accompanied by cheers and laughter, just like the usual activities in a bar.

The difference was that everyone had just come out of the pool, their cool swimsuits and slightly chilly skin seemingly waiting for the warmth to set in. Laughter filled the air, and slightly tipsy kisses and hands sliding around waists stirred up more ambiguity.

But before they had kissed for long, two people appeared behind them, cheering and making a fuss.

Keep kissing! I'm not here to break you two up!

"Zhong Xiaoyang, give me another kiss! Your wife is waiting!"

"Waiting for what? I wasn't waiting." The person who was teased immediately stepped away, blushing as they turned and went to the other side, quickly blending back into the other small groups.

The man who remained shrugged helplessly and raised an eyebrow in their direction: "You guys ruined my plans."

"Come on, showing off online every day isn't enough, now you're hiding here! Come play cards, the loser has to drink at least three cups!"

The wine in the three-tiered room was almost gone, the music changed to the next song, the lights in the room dimmed, and no one could tell who was in front, behind, or to the sides. All they knew was that they were all jumping and shouting along. Their body temperature, which had been slightly cool before, rose rapidly as they rubbed and twisted, and they even had trouble breathing.

One of the girls, clutching her dizzy head, called out, "I need to go to the restroom!"

"What? You can't leave! There's still one more cup!"

"Let me go throw up, okay?! You guys are just taking advantage of me!"

Amidst laughter and giggles, she pushed her way through the crowd, finally found the bathroom doorknob, pushed it open, knelt down beside the toilet, and vomited.

She felt a little better after vomiting. She stood up, her arms and legs weak, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure by the bathtub. She went over and called out to him.

"Why are you still hiding here? Didn't you have enough fun in the pool outside?" He went closer to pull the person up, but found that the person was not moving.

She froze, instinctively reaching out to pull the person over. The terrified face was stiff and frightening, like a mask, with bulging eyes staring at her eerily.

"Ah—! Someone's dead!"

……

Tan Jia was just coming out of the boxing gym and riding her bicycle home with her bag on her back. The best way to integrate into a place is to continue your usual hobbies. She recently found a boxing gym and an archery range and plans to make good use of her spare time.

The evening breeze was warm as she rode her bike past a luxury hotel, drawn to the billboard at the entrance.

Aurora Borealis, which has only been open for six months, has launched a "Cool Summer Party" program, featuring a Japanese-style garden, balcony, and swimming pool. Single packages are 5% off, and family packages are 10% off, with prices starting from just 1999, allowing you to cool off this summer.

It was so appealing that she stopped, propping herself up on her feet, thinking she could enjoy it.

But while they were still considering it, the familiar sound of police sirens suddenly came from the street.

Turning my head, I saw Zheng Yan and the others getting out of the car and walking this way.

"What are you doing here?" Zheng Yan saw her as soon as he crossed the street, then asked hurriedly, "Dreaming so early? Are there still victims alive?"

Tan Jia: "...No. Look at the time, my nightlife isn't over yet. Is there a case here?"

Zheng Yan was disappointed for a second: "Hmm."

After walking a few steps, he asked again, "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

"...No, I was just passing by. What case is it?"

What other case could it be? A murder case? We don't know any more information because they only came over after receiving an urgent call.

A dozen minutes later, the criminal investigation team and the hotel manager stood outside the hotel suite. Inside, the air reeked of alcohol, and a group of men and women, dressed in rags, were pale-faced and huddled together, seemingly out of their wits.

As usual, the trace evidence examiner came first, followed by the forensic doctor. During this time, Xiao Chen and his team asked about the basic situation and gained a general understanding of the case.

"The deceased was a male internet celebrity named Qiu Chen, 25 years old."

"They are a group of internet celebrities who came to celebrate one of their birthdays. The hotel also plans to use their fame to go viral on video platforms and save money on advertising."

“I entered the hotel at 5 p.m. and stayed in this suite. I didn’t notice who was missing or what happened until about an hour ago when a girl who had drunk too much went to the bathroom to vomit and we found the deceased lying next to the bathtub.”

"Hotel surveillance footage shows that no one left the room during this period."

Tan Jia looked inside: "So, the murderer is among this group of people?"

“Maybe it wasn’t murder,” Xiao Chen fanned away the lingering smell of alcohol. “It’s possible they died from alcohol poisoning after drinking too much, or from falling down due to dizziness. They all looked disoriented; they’re a high-risk group for accidents.”

As he spoke, he picked up a cup through his gloves, looked at it under the light, and found several very clear fingerprints.

The same cups, bottles, and playing cards were everywhere.

"Wow, this place must be covered in fingerprints, hair, and bodily fluids. Great, much better than the previous cases."

If the serial killer of children had left even the slightest bit of biological information at the scene, the case wouldn't have taken eleven years to solve.

The nearest forensic investigator turned around and gave him a dangerous look.

Xiao Chen quickly added, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll treat you to a big meal next time."

Then, carefully avoiding the various items, I walked to the bathroom door.

"Old Li, how's it going?"

After completing his initial examination of the body, forensic pathologist Lao Li stood there lost in thought.

"The deceased had no other external injuries, but his face and fingers were cyanotic, and his eyeballs were protruding, suggesting that he died of mechanical asphyxiation. But strangely, I did not find any strangulation marks."

Zheng Yan squatted down and looked at the corpse, guessing, "Was he smothered to death?"

"The deceased should have struggled, and there would be pressure marks on the mouth and nose. Even if something very soft was used to cover it, there should be signs of bruising inside the mouth."

The deceased was simply sitting in the corner of the bathtub, his fingers not scratching but resting on the tub, and there were no signs of pressure or friction on his face.

Xiao Chen let his imagination run wild: "Could he have been drugged, passed out, and then smothered to death? Or perhaps his vomit blocked his airway? Or was there a sedative on the thing used to cover his mouth and nose?"

Old Li: "None of these can explain the strange rigor mortis state of the deceased. We still need to take it back for further examination to find out the specific cause."

Tan Jia was still wondering what strange rigor mortis was when he saw Old Li move the corpse at an angle. The corpse, which had lost its support, was still in a state of clinging to the support, with its knees bent and its eyes wide with terror.

"!" She almost blurted out "Holy crap!" and took two steps back, quickly moving out of the range of those eyes.

"It's like a statue," Old Li remarked, adding, "This is an excellent model for learning dough sculpting. If you can make dough sculpting like this, you can become famous at home and abroad."

"Thanks, but I don't really need a model." A bloody mess is fine, but something grotesque is absolutely unacceptable.

Zheng Yan was amused by her reaction and turned around to examine the deceased's clothes through his gloves.

"There was no vomit, but there was a stain, I don't know if it was alcohol or something else. His clothes and pants were neat, and he didn't look like he had been in an argument or fight with someone."

Upon further inspection of the body by lifting the clothes, several hickeys were visible on the deceased's waist and hips.

Tan Ming immediately used his palm to block Tan Jia's eyes.

Then Tan Jia pushed her away. She stared at the hickeys for a long time and then exclaimed, "Huh?"

Have a great holiday, everyone!
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(End of this chapter)