Chapter 57

Before leaving, Bai Luorui called another person named Sister Li, who was in charge, and asked her to show the two around.

After arranging everything, Bai Luorui hurriedly left. Song Wen and Fu Linjiang came out of the chairman’s office, looking at each other.

Sister Li led them downstairs to the residential area for the elderly.

Perhaps it was because young men hadn’t visited for a long time, and two exceptionally good-looking men came at once. When they entered, the gaze of the caregivers and the elderly was drawn towards them. The looks were filled with gossip and curiosity.

Song Wen looked around; the place was clean, almost too clean, as if everything was meticulously organized to meet the scrutiny of leaders.

Fu Linjiang chatted with Sister Li behind, “Sister Li, are there many people currently staying here?”

Sister Li skillfully introduced, “In our elderly care facility, we have a total of seventy beds. The management here is scientific, with dedicated personnel for meals and caregivers assigned to each elderly person. We also maintain health records for each one. There’s a long queue of people wanting to get in; what are you mainly looking for?”

Fu Linjiang said, “I saw in the previous information that several elderly people recently passed away…”

Sister Li glanced at him, speaking casually as if from experience, “What’s there to investigate when people die from illnesses? If you want to count places with many deaths, besides hospitals, elderly care facilities are among them. Every elderly person who comes in is prepared for the final departure. We, the staff, have seen too much. Some look fine in the morning, eating, sleeping, and talking, but suddenly can’t do any of that by evening.”

Song Wen turned to ask, “Is this situation common?”

Sister Li looked at him, “All the elderly here are in their seventies and eighties. Every month, we say goodbye to a few.”

Fu Linjiang and Song Wen followed behind Sister Li. It wasn’t apparent outside, but as they descended, a peculiar scent mixed with the fragrance emerged – the smell of the elderly, the smell of living elderly people. The further they went, the more intense the scent became. Although there was a 24-hour fresh air filtration system and air fresheners everywhere, they couldn’t mask the unpleasant odor.

Song Wen couldn’t describe the specific scent, but it felt strange. With every breath, movement, and waft in the air, this odor, distinct from the scent of baby formula or the scent of young people’s sweat and perfume, was unique to the elderly. Amidst the fragrance of air fresheners, taking a step forward seemed to bring a hint of death.

“… I’ve managed caregivers and stayed in no less than three elderly care facilities. Not to boast, but this one is definitely the most luxurious in Nancheng. The management is particularly strict,” Sister Li spoke endlessly.

“How is Ms Bai?” Fu Linjiang continued to ask.

“She’s like a Bodhisattva, never showing any disdain towards the elderly. Oh, I’m not saying this because she’s my boss. But she’s also a woman with a tough fate, losing her husband at such a young age. Many of us hope she finds someone again,” Sister Li said.

“You can go about your business; we’ll just wander around nearby. We won’t cause any trouble,” considering that Bai Luorui had walked a considerable distance, Song Wen dismissed Sister Li.

As the staff was usually busy, Sister Li left hastily.

Song Wen and Fu Linjiang walked through the corridors of the elderly care facility, entering rooms to chat with the elderly residents. The elderly had high praise for the care facility, expressing satisfaction with the services, and there were no signs of abuse.

The data about this elderly care facility was quickly retrieved by Zhu Xiao and sent to them. The mortality rate was slightly higher than in other care facilities, but not excessively so. As the caregivers had mentioned, monthly deaths were a normal occurrence in such institutions. An elderly care facility without deaths might be abnormal.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Song Wen and Fu Linjiang opened a window slit to let in some air. Fu Linjiang said, “Up till now, we haven’t found any links to Wushan Nursing. Could it be that this place is genuinely well-run, and Zhang Peicai just wanted to understand the situation before getting involved with Miss Bai?”

“I think Zhang Peicai wouldn’t engage in useless endeavors. The truth might be hidden beneath the surface, and we haven’t discovered it yet,” Song Wen said, lowering his voice as he asked Fu Linjiang, “What do you think of Miss Bai?”

Fu Linjiang pondered and replied, “Judging by her age, she definitely isn’t Xia Weizhi.” When Xia Weizhi went missing, she was in her thirties. If she were still alive, she should be around fifty, an elderly woman.

“Of course, there’s no need for you to say that. What about other aspects?” Song Wen continued.

“I can’t say for sure… I just feel she’s genuinely enthusiastic about the elderly care industry.”

Bai Luorui’s passion for her work was evident to anyone. Whenever work-related matters were discussed, her eyes lit up. Song Wen whispered, “It’s rare to see someone so passionate about their work, to the point of being unsurprised by the death of a past lover.”

Bai Luorui’s reaction to Zhang Peicai’s death was too indifferent, as if… she had known about his death for a long time.

“Yes, when mentioning Zhang Peicai’s death, that woman barely showed any surprise,” Fu Linjiang recalled. “Perhaps… working here has made her adopt an older mentality? As a woman who lost her husband, she spoke about him with a calm expression. But I don’t think her strong aversion to Xia Weizhi is fake.”

“We are police officers; she would naturally say that,” Song Wen said. At this point, he suddenly pulled Fu Linjiang and raised his chin, indicating him to look at the activity area downstairs.

Fu Linjiang was pulled for a moment, and following Song Wen’s gaze, he saw a man with a hat standing under a tree. As their eyes met, the man immediately lowered his head and walked away.

“Who is that guy?” Fu Linjiang asked.

“I don’t know him. It just seems… like he was watching us,” Song Wen’s gaze remained fixed on the man’s retreating figure.

Fu Linjiang turned around to go downstairs and chase after him, but Song Wen grabbed him, “Don’t go. He’s already left from the side door. By the time you run downstairs, he’ll be long gone.”

That person and Song Wen’s eyes only briefly met, but due to Song Wen’s extremely sensitive sense of facial recognition, he felt that he had seen that person somewhere before. Even so, it seemed suspicious, but they couldn’t just arrest someone without real evidence.

Not everyone could enter this elderly care facility; the person might be a family member or staff. Song Wen hoped he was just overly suspicious, but his intuition told him that this elderly care facility wasn’t as clean and simple as it appeared on the surface.

After wandering around the courtyard for a while, they left. Once in the car, Fu Linjiang asked, “Captain Song, what’s your plan for the next steps?”

“Previously, when she explained the source of the funds on those accounts, there was a flaw,” Song Wen said as he started the car. “I’ve made some arrangements before coming here. Whether they have committed murder or not, we need to ask the corpse to confirm.”

At this point, Song Wen’s phone suddenly rang. He answered with a casual greeting, and Lin Xiuran on the other end said, “Following your instructions, I’ve detained the body of the elderly person who died six days ago at Luoxin Nursing Home.”

At eight o’clock in the evening, inside the mortuary’s freezer, the temperature was much lower than outside, emitting a chilling air. It seemed as if, regardless of the changes in seasons and the passage of time outside, this place was frozen in perpetual coldness.

“Now we can confirm that the deceased died from hypoglycemic shock. According to the post-mortem blood tests, the deceased’s blood sugar was only 1.78, significantly below the normal range. Additionally, there are traces of sleeping pills in the deceased’s blood,” Lin Xiuran forcefully pulled open the cabinet storing the bodies in the mortuary, a blast of cold air followed, and then an elderly male corpse appeared before Song Wen and Fu Linjiang.

As they were familiar with the staff here, they provided the key for them to inspect on their own. The entire cold storage seemed a bit empty, with the sound echoing as they spoke. The bodies were stored in individual compartments, resembling figurines placed inside cabinets.

Song Wen glanced at the elderly man’s body. As it hadn’t fully thawed, the entire body was stiff. Exposed to the air, it released a faint mist. The indoor temperature dropped again, and Fu Linjiang rubbed his arms, taking a step forward.

The deceased’s skin was pale, mouth slightly open, and there was a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows. Song Wen looked at the information hanging on the cabinet – the deceased was named Duan Sheng, a name that didn’t sound very auspicious, giving the impression that the living had severed his path of life.

“This body died six days ago, but due to some relatives being in a distant place, the memorial service was postponed, and the cremation time was also delayed. You asked me to investigate the recent deaths at Luoxin Nursing Home, so I detained this body,” Lin Xiuran explained briefly. “I’ve already confirmed that the cause of death was hypoglycemic shock. Based on the blood tests taken just before death, the deceased’s blood sugar was only 1.78, well below the normal range. Furthermore, there are traces of sleeping pills in the blood.”

“Is it possible that the deceased died of murder due to hypoglycemia? Is it possible that the deceased was injected with a large amount of insulin? Can autopsy confirm this?” Song Wen has heard of this method of killing in related cases. Insulin injection can lead to hypoglycemia and cause death in the deceased.

Lin Xiuran shook his head, pointing to some puncture marks on the deceased’s waist and abdomen. “It’s probably challenging to determine. Insulin is known as ‘traceless’; it easily metabolizes in the human body. In the case of a long-term insulin user, especially one with diabetes, artificial insulin’s c-peptide has likely already formed in their body, making it an unreliable criterion for judgment.”

Song Wen organized his thoughts, “The deceased, due to illness, needed to take some sleeping pills. If, after taking the sleeping pills, he received a higher dose of insulin than usual, it could easily lead to hypoglycemia and the death of the deceased. However, even if the elderly person was intentionally murdered, it’s challenging to make a determination in the medical and legal domains.”

Lin Xiuran nodded, “With this kind of body, even if we perform an autopsy, the significance is not very substantial.”

“So, the cause of death of the deceased is just a suspicion, right? Has this method of murder appeared in the past cases related to Xia Weizhi’s killings?” Song Wen rubbed his forehead. They obtained a corpse, thinking it could unveil the truth, but now it seemed they were far from the answer.

Lin Xiuran responded, “It has appeared, but the circumstances back then cannot be compared to now. In eighteen years, it’s enough time for them to evolve and leave even fewer traces.”

In this city, every day, numerous newborns come into the world. Correspondingly, many elderly people pass away, all suffering from chronic illnesses, approaching the end of their lives. No one spends much time or effort investigating their deaths. Thinking about this matter in detail sent a chill down one’s spine.

Song Wen asked, “In modern medical methods, are such difficult-to-define situations common?”

“If it occurs accidentally, it’s not common, but if it’s meticulously planned…” Lin Xiuran sighed, “Some medications, when used excessively, can turn into deadly poisons, and testing the dosage of these drugs is constant but extremely challenging. For example, anticoagulant agents can treat cardiovascular diseases but may also cause excessive bleeding. Similarly, some drugs may be safe when taken orally but can lead to the patient’s death when administered through an enema. In summary, with medical conditions and knowledge, orchestrating a murder, although not entirely without traces, can be difficult to define.”

After a moment of silence, Song Wen said, “Then let’s try starting from the testimony of the deceased’s family members.” Even though they currently lacked direct evidence, at least they still had witness testimonies to listen to.

“We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid, control life itself.”