The chef said, "Alright, young lady, you're here to eat again?"
"Yep, hurry up and bring out ten or so dishes!"
I quickly protested, saying it was too much and we wouldn't be able to finish everything. She brushed it off, insisting that since she was treating, it couldn't be a humble affair.
I couldn't argue with her. Zhao Simeng, meanwhile, quietly flipped through the menu without commenting.
Honestly, I didn't quite understand why Zhao Simeng had come along. It felt like she was watching over something—or perhaps someone.
The two of us sat together, with Liu Keying across from us. Suddenly, she asked, "I notice you two are always working together. Are you in that kind of relationship?"
"What kind of relationship?" I asked, puzzled. Liu Keying didn't respond.
Her question caught me off guard, making things awkward, but before I could react, Zhao Simeng quickly replied, "We're just regular colleagues. Why?"
"Oh, that's a relief," Liu Keying sighed, seeming to set aside a weight on her mind.
I couldn't help but think, What do you mean by 'that's a relief'? I'll never understand how girls think.
As we chatted, the dishes quickly arrived. The chef himself brought them to our table, skipping the need for servers. It seemed that only Liu Keying enjoyed this level of privilege at the restaurant.
The food looked great, and we eagerly started eating. However, barely three minutes into the meal, Liu Keying suddenly exclaimed, "Why is there a fly?"
I glanced at her plate and immediately frowned. Even Zhao Simeng stopped eating. After examining it, she remarked, "Don't eat it. That's a seven-headed fly."
"A seven-headed fly? Can't we just remove it and continue eating?" Liu Keying, unfamiliar with the species, looked puzzled.
I explained, "They only appear around corpses…"
Before I could finish, Liu Keying jumped up and ran to the restroom to vomit. When she returned, I told her and Zhao Simeng, "Something's wrong with this restaurant."
"What do you mean?" asked Liu Keying.
"I suspect there's a corpse here," said Zhao Simeng.
Standing up, I immediately confronted the chef. "Where were you cooking just now? How could you not notice a corpse?"
"Now there's hair, now there's sand—you people always complain about my cooking! If you keep this up, I'll… wait, what did you just say? A corpse?" The chef's tone shifted mid-rant.
"Yes, we saw a seven-headed fly," I said.
"You must be joking! This restaurant has always been fine. How could there be a corpse?" the chef exclaimed, visibly shocked.
"Let us inspect the place, then," I demanded. Using my acute sense of smell, I caught a faint odor near a door next to the chef. "What's behind that door?" I asked.
"That's the storage room," he replied.
I gestured for Zhao Simeng to help me push open the door. As soon as we did, a swarm of seven-headed flies burst out. Inside, lying in front of several burlap sacks, was a woman's corpse, her body partially decomposed and covered in flies.
Her left arm was severely contorted and shriveled. Surprisingly, instead of screaming, Liu Keying stood frozen in shock. Meanwhile, Zhao Simeng immediately said, "This is definitely a murder."
The sight caused the chef to faint on the spot. I hadn't expected him to have such a weak stomach. Other kitchen staff, upon seeing the gruesome scene, screamed in terror and fled.
"Brother He Sheng, how could this happen here?" asked Liu Keying.
"You're studying criminal investigation, aren't you? Let's investigate together," I encouraged her.
"Okay!" Liu Keying seemed to steady herself. Meanwhile, Zhao Simeng retrieved her forensic kit and approached the body.
She crouched down, opened her forensic umbrella, and asked me to turn on the UV lamp. Intrigued, Liu Keying asked, "What are all these tools?"
I briefly explained the basics of forensic investigations. Initially, she seemed confused but quickly grew fascinated, even praising Zhao Simeng's expertise.
As we examined the body, we found no other fingerprints besides those of the deceased. Suddenly, Zhao Simeng asked me, "Do you know how long she's been dead?"
"Are you testing my forensic knowledge?" I joked. This wasn't typically my area, but I'd promised to learn from her, so I examined the body and said, "The skin is still soft, so she's likely been dead for less than three days."
"Wrong. It's been about two hours. You didn't account for the sealed environment, lighting, and temperature," she corrected.
"I see," I admitted. At this point, Liu Keying asked, "How did she die?"
Following procedure, we carefully moved the body out of the kitchen using plastic wrap to avoid direct contact. We placed it in the dining hall, now empty of patrons, and cleared space by moving tables. We called for reinforcements while Zhao Simeng meticulously examined the body.
She flipped the body over and discovered a barely noticeable needle mark on the left arm. "The deceased was injected with a substance," she concluded.
Judging from the needle's placement and angle, Liu Keying speculated, "It looks like suicide. Why would she take her own life?"
I wasn't convinced and decided to probe further. "Was this woman attractive?" I asked.
"Yes, quite. Why do you ask?" replied Liu Keying.
Without answering, I searched the area and found an unused syringe containing traces of a black liquid. I also discovered the victim's ID card and library card.
Her name was Lai Miaofu, and the library card revealed that she was also a student at the Fuming City Police Academy.
"She was my senior!" exclaimed an emotional Liu Keying. I urged her to stay calm.
At that moment, Zhao Simeng seemed to piece things together. "This toxin is far too potent," she said.
"What kind of toxin is it?" asked a puzzled Liu Keying.
I hypothesized, "She was likely addicted to cosmetic procedures. For treatments like these, the only possible substance would be botulinum toxin. I suspect she was a chronic user, injecting it frequently. This time, however, something went wrong, causing severe reactions and decomposition. Her final action was reaching for the door, but she collapsed before she could open it."