186: Unveiling all doubts, jaw-dropping sexual orientation

The deceased, Zhu Zhirong, was homosexual.

This was almost beyond doubt, as Gao Ze asked Xu Qing several questions in a row during their inquiry.

"How long have you and Zhu Zhirong been in a relationship?"

"Almost a year."

"How do you usually conduct your relationship, and why wouldn't he engage in intimacy with you?"

"We're like any other couple—we date, spend time together, travel. As for why he wouldn't be intimate with me, perhaps he wanted to wait until after marriage!"

"What kind of person do you think your boyfriend, Zhu Zhirong, is?"

"He's very considerate, gentle, and knows how to give to me. He just likes to go to bars and drink, but he's always very mindful of boundaries with women when he's out, so I didn't object."

"Alright, thank you for your answers!"

Ending the call, Gao Ze looked at the forensic doctor Lu Hong and others in the morgue.

"How was it?"

"...The inquiry results are as follows!" Gao Ze relayed all the questions and answers, causing Lu Hong and the others to fall silent.

As forensic doctors, especially as men, they understood male nature very well.

Few men can be in a relationship for a year without touching their significant other, especially when the other half doesn't object to intimacy.

This could only mean that the deceased, Zhu Zhirong, had an issue.

"Officer Gao, how will you proceed with the investigation?"

"I need Team Leader Liu Wenzhong to conduct a detailed investigation into the bar owner, Fan Wenhao, the resident female singer, Liu Luomei, and Li Hao."

Gao Ze briefly explained his plan and then left the Forensic Appraisal Center.

All possible clues on the body had been found, so there was no need to stay there any longer.

After all, the morgue was quite cold.

"Wait, Officer Gao!"

The forensic doctor Lu Hong chased him out, stopping Gao Ze and saying, "Officer Gao, the Donghai University of Science and Technology medical research group just called me. They told me something, and I'm not sure if it will help the case."

"Donghai University of Science and Technology medical research group?"

"Yes!" Lu Hong said:

"There was an injection needle mark on the back of the deceased Zhu Zhirong's shoulder, right? We extracted a type of pro-active protease from the muscle tissue at the needle mark."

"Because our Forensic Appraisal Center has limited instruments and equipment, and we are not experts in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, we sent the extracted pro-active protease to the Donghai University of Science and Technology medical research group for testing.

Just now, someone from the Donghai University of Science and Technology research group called our Forensic Appraisal Center and informed us of the results for that pro-active protease."

"That pro-active protease is a new type of synthetic protein substance. It has a strong effect on promoting cell activity and also has a certain inhibitory effect on ricin."

"What?"

Forensics involves medicine and toxicology, and Gao Ze had some understanding of the chemical properties of many highly toxic substances. He asked in surprise, "Hasn't there been no treatment found for ricin to this day?"

Lu Hong nodded and said, "Indeed, there is no method to treat ricin in the medical community, both domestically and internationally.

However, a few high-end laboratories, both domestically and internationally, have conducted in-depth research on ricin and may have developed substances that partially inhibit ricin, though their harmful effects are unknown."

"I understand."

After hearing about the chemical properties of the pro-active protease, Gao Ze could already infer the purpose of the needle mark on the back of the deceased Zhu Zhirong's shoulder.

That needle mark was not meant to inject ricin; on the contrary, it was meant to save Zhu Zhirong.

"Team Leader Liu, have you already interrogated the bar owner, Fan Wenhao, the singer, Liu Luomei, and Li Hao?"

Gao Ze called Liu Wenzhong, who took a full thirty seconds to answer.

"They have already been interrogated!"

"And I brought all twelve suspects to the police station for interrogation, but their answers were the same as the initial inquiry, with no significant differences."

Liu Wenzhong asked, "How is your investigation progressing?"

"Great progress. You'll know who the killer is tomorrow!"

Gao Ze already had a guess about the killer's identity, but there were still unresolved questions.

Liu Wenzhong exclaimed in surprise, "Really? That fast!"

"Please send me the personal files of the deceased Zhu Zhirong, the bar owner Fan Wenhao, Li Hao, and the female singer Liu Luomei. I want to review them personally!"

"Okay, I'll send you the electronic versions!"

A moment later, several electronic files were sent to Gao Ze's phone. He didn't immediately read them. He took a car back to Gubei No. 1, and only then did he sit on the sofa and quietly open these electronic files.

"Zhu Zhirong, twenty-six years old, a native of Donghai, graduated from Donghai University of Science and Technology, family..."

"Li Hao, twenty-six years old, from Yanghe County, Su Province, graduated from Donghai University of Science and Technology, engaged in..."

"Fan Wenhao, thirty-one years old, a native of Donghai, graduated from Donghai University of Science and Technology, operates Spring and Scenery Bar, personality..."

"Liu Luomei, twenty-six years old, from Guangyang County, Su Province, graduated from Donghai University of Foreign Trade and Economics, engaged in the singing and dancing industry after graduation, successively signed with multiple bars and entertainment MCN companies..."

Looking at these personal files, Gao Ze vaguely felt something was amiss.

Zhu Zhirong, Li Hao, and Liu Luomei were all the same age. Was this too much of a coincidence?

Zhu Zhirong and Li Hao could be explained; they were classmates back then, but Liu Luomei wasn't. When she entered university, it was two years later than them.

Two years later, was there a change?

Repeating a year, or some other reason.

Liu Luomei was the one who gave the hangover candies to Li Hao and the deceased Zhu Zhirong. She had the greatest suspicion of murder. Gao Ze suspected that the killer should be this person.

But what was her motive for murder?

And why did she put ricin in the red wine? Was she trying to frame the bar owner, Fan Wenhao?

What kind of conflict did they have?

Also, since both Zhu Zhirong and Li Hao received that "Sin" note, why did Liu Luomei, after killing Zhu Zhirong with ricin-containing hangover candy, also inject a pro-active protease into Zhu Zhirong's body?

Who injected Zhu Zhirong?

A series of questions quickly flashed through his mind. Gao Ze could already identify the killer, but there were many unresolved points in this case.

"Still waiting for the intelligence system to refresh!"

Gao Ze looked at the dark night outside the window and stopped racking his brain.

This case was not investigated by him from the beginning, and he hadn't even personally met the suspects. He had too few clues, so it was better to wait for the intelligence system to refresh.

It was now ten o'clock at night, and it would soon be midnight.

Tick-tock!

His wristwatch made a crisp sound in the quiet night. The moment the hands moved, a vast amount of dense intelligence information appeared promptly before Gao Ze's retina.

[Today's Intelligence Interface]