SFTD -Chapter 84 Don’t Insult Beasts (Part 5)

Captain Huang laughed loudly in his deep voice. “Which siblings aren’t like this?”

Zhou Hai pressed his lips together. “Nowadays most families only have one child. This kind of sibling bond is actually quite rare.”

Dr. Jiang checked all the instruments once over; all indicators were stable. He bent down beside the bed.

“How are you feeling, Zhang Chunyan?”

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelashes were gone, replaced by tiny black curled specks of burned skin stuck along her eyelids. Her face had been treated with ointment, but the swelling and redness were still obvious.

Her arms were suspended with bandages to keep her from touching the large blisters now that she had just come off anesthesia.

“I’m okay.”

She looked past the doctor toward the people behind him, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Don’t be nervous,” Dr. Jiang said gently. “They just want to talk to you. Try to recall what happened. If you feel uncomfortable, you can stop at any time.”

After a moment of hesitation, the girl nodded.

“Okay.”

Captain Huang and Zhou Hai sat down and opened their notebooks.

“Your name is Zhang Chunyan?”

“Yes.”

“How old are you?”

“Twelve… by traditional counting.”

“What’s your younger brother’s name?”

“Zhang Chunshan.”

“What grade are you in?”

“Fifth grade.”

“Which school do you go to? Is it close to home?”

“It’s Hope Primary School in Liuduixu, north of our house, about three miles away. It has sponsorship—no tuition, free textbooks, lunch provided, and a monthly meal allowance.”

Perhaps something in the question triggered her memory; she answered at length.

Zhou Hai tried to make his expression gentler.

“Oh, that’s a good school. You must like studying a lot, right? Then rest well. Once your hands heal, you can go back to school.”

In an instant, Zhang Chunyan’s gaze froze. She came out of her recollection, her expression turning gloomy. She sighed softly, a sadness that made anyone who saw it feel heartache.

“I can’t go back.”

“They’re all gone. I have to take care of my brother. I need to earn money.”

Her answer made Captain Huang freeze. Such maturity and hardship in a child’s voice made even the hardened officer’s eyes redden.

“Do your parents… treat you and your brother well?” Zhou Hai asked, staring unblinkingly into her eyes.

Zhang Chunyan slowly looked up at him. Although he also wore a white coat, he felt different from other doctors—his gaze was cold, penetrating, as if he saw through everything. It was hard to meet his eyes for long.

After a moment of silence, she said softly: “No. My brother and I have always been burdens to our mother. Maybe she’d live more comfortably without us.”

Captain Huang let out a long breath.

“Don’t worry, kid. Things will get better. Focus on recovering first.”

“Alright, no more chatting. Think carefully—did you hear anything before the fire last night? How did you wake up? Try to recall everything.”

The girl thought for a moment.

“Last night I cooked dinner for my brother and me. After washing clothes, we went to sleep around eight. Our parents hadn’t come back yet.”

“Later… I don’t know what time it was, I heard a loud ‘bang’. The whole floor shook. I quickly got up and tried to open the latch, but my hand got burned.”

“Then I stood on a chair to open the attic hatch. Outside was all fire—it rushed toward me.”

“I fell off the chair. My right hand hurt so much I couldn’t move it.”

“Then I dragged the quilt off the bed, soaked it in a big bucket of water. I used one to block the door and another to cover the window frame. Then I woke my brother and told him to climb up and stay there.”

“Then there were two more explosions. I don’t know what they were, but the room was extremely hot. The door felt like it was about to crack, making popping sounds.”

“I was very scared. I pushed the chair and table to block the door with the wet blanket.”

“After that, there was smoke everywhere. I could only lie by the window and call for help. Then I think many vehicles came downstairs… after that, I don’t remember clearly.”

Her account was detailed and coherent, with only minor gaps.

Captain Huang glanced at Zhou Hai and closed his notebook.

“Rest well. Don’t worry about school—we’ll help you.”

Zhang Chunyan held back her tears stubbornly and forced a faint smile.

“Thank you, officer uncle.”

Zhou Hai turned off his phone recorder. The two left the room.

Before they even reached downstairs, Fengzi called.

“Boss, the toxicology results are out. Both Xu Caiyu and Zhao Baogui’s heart blood contains a large dose of tetramine (rat poison).”

“When the fire started, both of them were already unconscious—at the point of death—so they couldn’t escape.”

Zhou Hai frowned.

Tetramine.

He knew this poison. Although its sale had been banned, it could still be easily obtained in suburban areas under different names.

Anshan Road was an old urban district, not a suburb. So where did the tetramine come from?

“Check where it’s being sold,” Zhou Hai said. “Captain Huang, send people to search nearby. If we find high-efficiency rodenticides, we can compare them and narrow down the sales area. That will help determine the killer’s activity range.”

“Alright, I’ll arrange it.”

“There’s another bad piece of news—the Liuduixu residential area has no surveillance. The only camera nearby is at a traffic light intersection, but it’s been under maintenance and isn’t working.”

“So we can’t rely on video footage.”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment and stopped walking.

“I want to go back to the scene. Xu Biao and the others will still need time with their results.”

Captain Huang looked at his clothes.

“You’re going like this? No equipment?”

Zhou Hai glanced at him.

“Isn’t there a spare investigation kit in your car?”

Captain Huang suddenly remembered.

“Oh right! I forgot. These past two days without Liu Da, everything’s been chaotic—I’m losing my mind.”

He turned the car toward Anshan Road.

Half an hour later, they arrived. Officers were still stationed at the scene. Residents nearby were dealing with damaged windows, and community workers were organizing repairs.

The two put on protective suits, gloves, masks, and caps, and went up to the fifth floor.

The scene had completely cooled. Some areas were still wet, but the markings on the ground remained clear. However, a white powder had fallen on the door opposite Zhao Baogui’s home.

Zhou Hai glanced at Captain Huang.

“Are you sure the firefighters said the door was open when they entered?”

“Yes,” Huang replied after thinking.

Zhou Hai stepped back to the opposite doorway.

“Why is the outer wall less burned?”

“Logically, if the kitchen was the fire source, the entrance should’ve been hit hardest by flames.”

“But look—inside the living room, glass beads melted, yet the electrical wires outside the door are only charred, not burned. Why?”

Captain Huang froze.

Yes.

Why?

Zhou Hai said seriously:

“Because the wooden door inside was closed.”

Huang blinked. “What kind of explanation is that?”

“Wait—the firefighters said the door had already burned down. Only the frame remained. If it was closed, why was the outer door open?”

“A high-pressure water hose can shatter carbonized wood. They entered through the broken kitchen window and sprayed water inside. That door collapsing is normal.”

Zhou Hai looked toward the south side.

Another burned door—this was the children’s room.

His brows furrowed even deeper.

The latch was still in a locked position. The door had clearly been smashed, yet somehow remained intact. Could the wet blanket and furniture blocking it have helped?

They entered the room.

Zhou Hai went straight to the kitchen.

The bodies’ positions had already been marked. He stood there, staring at them for a long time.

Captain Huang didn’t interrupt him and instead walked toward the broken balcony.

Cold wind poured in through the gap. The weather had dropped sharply—from 28°C yesterday to around 15°C today. He shivered.

Downstairs was an empty lot filled with sand. If this had been a residential building, last night’s explosion could have been catastrophic.

Back inside, Zhou Hai examined the wall behind the victims. The heating unit was mostly metal now; every gap was blackened. Cabinets behind them were reduced to metal frames and stone countertops.

No doors, no panels—everything else had burned away.

How could a fire become this intense in such a short time?

How could it burn so completely?

No plates, bowls, or cups were found in the sink, windowsill, or cabinets.

Zhou Hai suddenly spoke:

“Tetramine is poorly soluble in water. The lethal dose is 5–12 mg. After oral ingestion, symptoms appear within minutes to half an hour. Without treatment, death usually occurs within two hours.”

“Two hours?”

Captain Huang reacted immediately.

“We finished at 10:30 that night. If they were already in a dying state when burned… that means they were poisoned around 8:30?”

“Yes. And the poison was mixed into food.”

“Because it’s poorly soluble, it’s hard to detect when mixed into meals.”

“Look—no dishes were found anywhere in the sink or kitchen. Not even trash.”

“All plates and bowls were here on this rack—but they’ve all been destroyed in the fire.”

Captain Huang’s eyes widened.

“So… this was someone they knew?”

“They were poisoned first… then the house was set on fire?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Have your men ask the neighbors. Did anyone visit them last night? Any friends or acquaintances?”

Captain Huang left to make arrangements.

Zhou Hai crouched down. In the sink, two blackened objects lay wedged between the cabinet and basin. He pulled them out—ash scattering off instantly.

They were two large semicircular metal mesh frames.

Only then did he realize—

A fan.

Looking at the remaining socket on the wall, Zhou Hai frowned.

It was hot last night?

They were using a fan while working?

He walked into the couple’s bedroom. The wardrobe was still collapsed on the floor.

He lifted it slightly—too heavy.

Captain Huang returned and saw him moving it.

“Just call us. Everyone’s outside.”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“No need for this one.”

After catching his breath, he inspected the wardrobe.

Inside were mostly old clothes, nothing useful.

But as he finished checking and started to close it—

The bottom panel of the wardrobe suddenly fell off.

A green plastic-wrapped package dropped out.

Captain Huang’s eyes widened as he quickly picked it up.

“This is tetramine?”