Chapter 23: Streamer, was that intentional, or just an accident!

The corpse discovered in the cave had been dragged into the forensic tent outside in a body bag, where Bai Anhe was conducting a preliminary autopsy.

Song Xiangchen, serving as the on-site commander, had his hands full. Not only did he have to oversee the rescue mission for Lu Jiangying, who was trapped underwater, but he was also responsible for the investigation into the unidentified body found in the cave. To make matters more complicated, he needed to coordinate reinforcements to locate the drugs hidden by Tang Hongguang within the submerged caverns.

Song stepped into the makeshift tent. "Dr. Bai, can you determine the cause of death?"

Bai Anhe removed his mask, walked to the sink, discarded his gloves, and rinsed his hands. "Based on the algae growth on the body and the presence of 'giant face' decomposition, I estimate the time of death was five to seven days ago. The autopsy reveals silt in the lungs, confirming the victim drowned. However, the injuries are peculiar; there are extensive comminuted fractures and abrasions. The wounds appear to have been inflicted by some strange blunt instrument—not made of iron or wood, but something firm covered in a layer of skin. Judging by the severity, the assailant possessed immense strength, even by the standards of a robust adult male. Yet, it doesn't look like typical torture; there are no signs of repeated, systematic beating. The victim’s arms sustained multiple fractures, suggesting they weren't restrained and were attempting to fend off an attack. It almost looks like the injuries one would sustain from tumbling down a rocky slope. Honestly, I’ve been a forensic pathologist for over a decade, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a manner of death. It’s hard to say what the victim faced before dying. The pattern of the injuries, however, reminds me of an old Hong Kong film—I can't recall the title—where someone was placed in a cage and pushed down a hillside. The distribution of these wounds is strikingly similar."

Song felt a sinking sensation. "Old Bai, do you think it could have been a sadistic killing?"

Bai Anhe did not give a definitive answer.

"Captain Song, Officer Lu is back!" a police officer rushed into the tent to report.

Song let out a long breath. It was the first piece of good news today. "Alright, I'm heading over."

The officer quickly added, "But, Lu Xingzhou is missing!"

Song felt a chill run down his spine. "What? Quickly, let’s see what’s going on."

Song and Bai rushed out of the tent toward the cave entrance. Just before reaching it, they saw a group of people trying to prevent Lu Jiangying from grabbing his diving gear.

"Officer Lu, you really cannot go back down. You’ve been underwater too long today, and your blood oxygen levels are dangerously low. It’s too risky!"

"Don't stop me! My brother is still down there; I have to go find him!"

Song ran up to the equipment truck and shouted, "Stop! Everyone, quiet down and tell me what’s happening."

The crowd fell silent, all eyes turning toward Lu Jiangying.

Lu Jiangying suppressed his agitation. "Captain Song, when Xingzhou and I were exiting the underwater cave, we encountered a giant catfish, about three meters long. To let me escape first, he stayed behind to fight it. After that, the channel was filled with stirred-up silt, and I couldn't see where Xingzhou or the catfish had gone. I had no choice but to follow the safety line up to seek help. Captain, please, let me go back down. I’ll be fine!"

After hearing this, Song felt as though his years of studying the language had been in vain. How could he understand every word individually, yet make absolutely no sense of the whole? A man fighting a fish in an underwater cave?

Song tried to soothe him. "Xiao Lu, I know you’re anxious, but you are in no condition to dive. Listen to the medical staff. If you go back down and get into trouble, we’ll have to spend even more time rescuing you, which will only delay finding your brother, right?"

Lu Jiangying bit his lip. "But..."

"Um... the situation with Lu Xingzhou doesn't seem to be that urgent..."

Standing behind everyone, the mermaid Chen Yueljiao held up her phone. On the screen, a live stream showed Lu Xingzhou sitting dazed in front of a small mountain of drugs. If the live comments were enabled, they would have completely covered the screen.

*“Host, are you playing for keeps? That pile of 'Double Lion Globe' brand heroin... if this were a firing squad sentence, the 1130 close-in weapon system would have to fire for five minutes straight.”*

*“That’s highly illegal. So the 'fishing' was a lie; the hidden drugs are the real story.”*

*“Holy cow, I knew following this host would lead to some hardcore content. Where else can you see such explosive scenes?”*

*“First a corpse, now a pile of drugs. Tell us, host, was this intentional or an accident?”*

The anti-narcotics officers watching the stream stood there, numb. Their expressions held equal parts shock, awe, and disbelief, with a ninety-one percent consensus that Lu Xingzhou was cheating. It was utterly bizarre. The entire Shanhe City anti-narcotics brigade had practically turned the Zongyong Temple scenic area upside down without finding a trace of the drugs. Yet, Lu Xingzhou, while diving to save his brother and getting into a brawl with a giant catfish, had accidentally stumbled upon the traffickers' stash.

As an anti-narcotics officer with over a decade of experience, Song had arrested more junkies than most drug dealers had ever met. He had seen his fair share of absurdity, but he had never seen anything like Lu Xingzhou.

Bai Anhe, however, had his eyes light up. He pointed at the three-meter catfish on the screen, visibly excited. "I’ve got it! I know why the victim had such strange wounds. It’s the fish! That three-meter catfish is the killer."

Song turned his head. "Are you saying the death was an accident?"

Bai Anhe explained, "Yes and no. Catfish use their acid-sensing abilities to locate food. Human respiration produces a large amount of carbon dioxide; when that CO2 is exhausted into the water through a rebreather, it mixes with H2O to form carbonic acid. To the catfish, that’s like a bright beacon in a dark channel, luring it in, leading to a struggle. This explains why the wounds are so strange—the 'instrument' is a firm object covered in a layer of skin. The comminuted fractures were caused by the catfish, and the abrasions were caused by the cave walls. Perhaps the struggle damaged his oxygen tank or rebreather, or he lost consciousness from the severity of his injuries, leading to his eventual drowning!"

However, just as Bai Anhe finished his elegant explanation, he suddenly jumped up.

"Quick! Stop him from eating sashimi! That fish is key physical evidence! Do not cut it up!"