Insights Chapter 19: Lies

Chapter 19: Lies

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

At ten in the morning, City Bureau medical examiner center in Penang, after hanging up the phone, Shen Junci walked back to the corpse. Wen Wan asked, “Doctor Shen, can you determine the cause of death?”

Shen Junci showed Wen Wan the child’s hand, “The child’s hands were not washed clean, there are some traces under the nails, and I suspect it might be from peeling lychee. Based on my judgment, the cause of death could be lychee disease.”¹

This disease was common in malnourished children who consume a large amount of lychee, sleep early without having dinner, and develop acute encephalitis syndrome with low blood sugar at night, commonly known as “lychee disease,” which was life-threatening.

Wen Wan sighed; she had heard of occasional cases of lychee disease in summer, but during her initial examination of the corpse, she found it peculiar. Without a forensic analysis, she couldn’t make a judgment. Wen Wan never expected that the child might have died from eating fruit.

In the medical examiner’s room, they completed the surface examination, and Gu Yanchen arrived outside. Having heard a brief description from Shen Junci on the phone, he went straight to the autopsy room. Gu Yanchen looked at the corpse, then at Li Chumei sitting outside, and asked, “Is that the family?”

Shen Junci nodded and explained lychee disease principles to him. Then he said, “It’s just a suspicion for now; we need to gather more information to confirm.”

They went outside, facing the mother and son.

Shen Junci asked, “Before the child fell ill, were there any symptoms?”

Li Chumei said, “I’ve been working outside; during this time, I haven’t lived with them.” After pushing the older child, she asked, “Ji Hong, what happened last night? Tell the Uncle again.”

Ji Hong, the boy who witnessed the incident, recalled, “After my younger brother went to sleep, around midnight, he suddenly screamed. Then he started convulsing. I quickly called Dad, and they took my brother to the hospital. I… I was scared.”

Shen Junci signaled Gu Yanchen with his eyes. Convulsions, screaming—these were characteristic symptoms of lychee disease.

Gu Yanchen asked him, “What did your brother eat last night?”

The child remained silent.

Li Chumei pushed the child again, acting as a translator, and repeated the question, “What did your brother eat yesterday?”

The boy spoke quietly, “The same as me, he had dinner… Grandpa and Grandma weren’t at home, so I cooked dinner.”

At this point, the boy burst into tears.

Li Chumei comforted him and said, “This has nothing to do with our Honghong. The medical examiner checked and said it’s definitely not poison.”

She wanted to find out the cause of her younger son’s death, but the situation was not what she had imagined. She felt her older son was being targeted, and as a woman with a sixth sense, she suddenly felt scared.

Wen Wan watched the situation becoming tense, crouched down, and asked Ji Hong, “Did your brother have any unusual blood sugar levels? Tell Auntie, did he eat dinner before sleeping last night, and how much?”

Ji Hong choked up, crying harder. “I was doing my homework yesterday, and he served himself dinner. I didn’t pay attention.”

Seeing the scene, Li Chumei hugged the child and said, “My son is already scared after what happened yesterday. He’s only ten and already feels guilty for not taking care of his brother properly. If you can find out, fine. If not, let it be.”

At this moment, a man in his thirties, with dark skin and wearing construction clothes, approached from the corridor of the medical examiner building. He spoke to Li Chumei, “I took time off from work. Why did you bring the child’s corpse here? The matter is settled; why are you bothering with this?”

Li Chumei choked up, wiping away tears. “I heard the child died suddenly, and I panicked…”

The man threatened her, “I’ll deal with you when we get home!” Then, he turned back with a smile. “Officers, we’ve signed the waiver for the autopsy. We have to handle the child’s affairs. Thank you for your trouble. Can we leave now?”

Seeing the situation change, Shen Junci and Wen Wan exchanged glances.

Gu Yanchen, quick to react, gestured to stop them. “Just a misunderstanding. The corpse is still in the medical examiner room. Please wait while we complete a simple procedure, dress the body, and it won’t delay your funeral arrangements.” He then sent a voice message to Qi Yi’an to come over. “Take the family to the conference room, and wait for a moment.”

When the family left, Wen Wan was a bit absent-minded. “What if this is really a murder, and there’s another culprit? Are we letting them go just like that?”

Although she had known Li Chumei for a while, as a medical examiner, Wen Wan felt it wasn’t right to overlook a suspicious case.

Gu Yanchen said, “Delay them for a while. We can’t let them argue in the hallway.” He walked into the autopsy room and asked, “Where’s the computer on your side?”

Shen Junci pointed to the corner. “Over there.”

Gu Yanchen pulled a chair, entered the password, and logged into the police system. Soon, he found relevant information about the family. In less than ten minutes, he printed two sheets of paper.

Shen Junci leaned over and asked, “Did you find evidence?”

Gu Yanchen showed him the papers. “Let’s go together and ask again.”

As Qi Yi’an settled the family in the conference room, providing them with hot water and exchanging a few words, Gu Yanchen entered. Shen Junci and Wen Wan stood at a distance where they could hear the conversation.

The man inside stood up. “Officers, can we leave now?”

Gu Yanchen gestured for him to stop, crouched down, and looked at the ten-year-old boy. “Ji Hong, right? I’ll give you another chance. What did your brother eat last night?”

The child had stopped crying by now, looking helpless towards his parents.

Gu Yanchen pulled his shoulder, applying some force to make him meet his gaze. “To be precise, what did you make your brother eat?”

Ji Hong started crying again. “Last night, he… he ate some lychee.”

The man was surprised. “I didn’t buy any lychee for you. How did you get them?”

Ji Hong cried bitterly, tears streaming down. “He stole them from the orchard on the way… I told him not to, but he couldn’t resist.”

There were lychee orchards near Penang, and in the south, there was a vast lychee plantation. Although most owners had dogs, fences, and cameras, it was still difficult to stop children from sneaking in.

Gu Yanchen asked Ji Hong, “Do you know that eating too many lychees can be fatal?”

Ji Hong shook his head while crying.

With this revelation, the parents sitting on the side became anxious. “As a child, how could he know about such things? Officer, even if the child died from eating lychee, it’s just our bad luck…”

Gu Yanchen looked up at the man. “Ji Jian’an, your phone, is it being used by your elder son?”

The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes… I’m often busy outside, and the old folks go to the hospital frequently, so I leave him a phone.”

Gu Yanchen placed a sheet of paper on the table with a series of search records. The corresponding phone number matched the man’s extension. The initial searches were ordinary, discussing things like “Which Ultraman is the most powerful” and “When will the second season of Dinosaur Squad be released.” The later searches turned ominous: “Can eating lychee kill a person?” “How much lychee is deadly?” “How to get lychee disease?” “Can doctors detect lychee disease?” These were followed by more disturbing queries like “Is it illegal for minors to commit murder?” The red-marked records extended over seventy-eight entries.

This was not an impulsive accident but a meticulously planned murder. The boy had waited for months until lychees were in season to carry out the crime. Amidst parental arguments and busyness, the child was neglected, and the devil, ageless and uncaring, had struck. If it weren’t for the mother coincidentally bringing the child’s corpse for examination and Shen Junci noticing the issue, this would have been an almost undetectable perfect murder.

Gu Yanchen turned his gaze to Ji Hong and pressured him, “Modern lychee orchards have surveillance. Whoever stole lychees can be easily identified. Let me ask you one last time, did you or your brother steal the lychees?”

Ji Hong looked up at Gu Yanchen, his face showing a hint of fear. In a trembling, childish voice, he answered, “It really was my brother who stole them. I didn’t lie…”

“Facing the police, you had this explanation ready, right? Blaming everything on your brother…” Gu Yanchen handed him a chat record. “Deleting records from your device is self-deception; the server keeps a record of everything.”

The parents also bowed their heads to examine the printed chat records.

“I finally got rid of that annoying kid. I’m so happy.”

The recipient seemed bewildered. “What do you mean? Is something wrong with your brother?”

“Yeah, he’s dead. He ate a lot of lychees and even thanked me while eating.”

This was a conversation from this morning with a classmate. Simple words, but chilling.

With irrefutable evidence now, Gu Yanchen turned to Ji Hong and questioned, “Nowadays, lychee orchards have surveillance. Who stole the lychees can be easily determined. I’ll ask you one last time: did you or your brother steal the lychees?”

Ji Hong started crying again.