Chapter 217: What Kind of Meat?

Interrogation methods had moved far beyond physical force. Now, it was all about technique. Intimidation and bluffing were often just tools in the box.

When dealing with suspects who had poor psychological resilience, sometimes you could make up a story that was close to the truth of the case, and you’d be surprised at what you might get out of them.

But this time, Xiao Yu realized he might have gotten more than he bargained for.

Why?

Because Xie Shasha’s reaction was far too abnormal.

Why would she react so strongly just because he mentioned Wang Mei hooking up with guys and renting hotel rooms?

Sure, booking a hotel was mostly about that typical stuff between men and women. Maybe things got messy—maybe it involved multiple partners—but even then, would that really make someone turn pale and tremble in fear?

Bang!

Xiao Yu suddenly slammed the interrogation table. 

“Are you sure you want to keep going down this road and end up rotting in prison—”

“No! It’s not about me, I swear it’s not about me!” Xie Shasha was clearly terrified, on the verge of tears. “I didn’t know they’d do that, really! I had no idea!”

“That?” Xiao Yu didn’t push her further, just stared coldly at her.

Seeing his expression only made Xie Shasha even more frightened. “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything I know! I had nothing to do with it, I swear!”

‘Her next words… well, they really didn’t involve her directly.’

But what she said made Xiao Yu’s face turn white. And for a moment, he felt nauseous.

According to Xie Shasha’s confession, three years ago, there was a night when Wang Mei invited her out.

Out for what?

It was a group of men and women partying at a hotel. What else could they be doing?

Sometime past midnight, Wang Mei said she was hungry.

One of the men responded, “I’ve got something you can eat.”

And then he really did bring out food.

It was a kind of meat, cooked like a steak. But it looked strange—fatty, greasy, yet incredibly aromatic and sweet.

Xie Shasha tried a piece and realized it was unlike any meat she had ever tasted in her life.

The next day, after the men had left and she had woken up that afternoon, all she could think about was that meat from the night before.

What kind of meat was it?

When Wang Mei woke up, Xie Shasha asked her.

She remembered vividly. Wang Mei’s expression was odd, like she was deliberately trying to scare her, and then she said, “Human meat.”

At the time, Xie Shasha thought her best friend was just joking. But once she got home, the more she thought about it, the more unsettled she felt. She remembered the shape of that meat. It vaguely resembled something, like a piece of flesh from a man’s chest.

When Xie Shasha realized this, she threw up on the spot.

However, she still tried to comfort herself, convincing herself that maybe she was just overthinking it.

Then Wang Mei invited her out to party again.

This time, it was the same group of guys. They looked like rich second-generation types. They were clearly wealthy. 

They were generous too, tossing her ten thousand yuan to spend after the last time. So even though Xie Shasha knew something was off about the meat from before, she couldn’t resist the lure of money and went again.

Around midnight, those three men, along with Wang Mei, brought out a few boxes.

They took out that same type of meat again. But this time, it didn’t have as obvious of a shape, so it was hard to tell what kind of meat it was.

Xie Shasha didn’t dare eat it.

But one of the men pulled out ten thousand yuan again, urging her to eat it. She forced herself through the disgust and ate it. And then there was a third time, a fourth.

But suddenly, one day, Wang Mei disappeared.

The men also vanished.

Of course, she had no way of contacting them. It was always Wang Mei who arranged everything.

But for some reason, after her best friend disappeared, Xie Shasha couldn’t shake the feeling that those three men had something to do with it. And it made her think back to that strange meat.

That was when fear began to creep in. She thought the police were questioning her because of those meals.

Could that meat have been…? She didn’t dare finish the thought.

“So then…” Xiao Yu took a deep breath. Instead of asking about the three men or Wang Mei, he calmly asked Xie Shasha, “How many times did you eat that meat? What did it taste like?”

“Taste?” Xie Shasha thought for a moment. “It was really fragrant, very tender, incredibly tender.”

Standing up, Xiao Yu walked out of the interrogation room.

After calming himself down, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

It was to the Forensics Department—specifically, forensic expert He Li, whom he had met while investigating the human wax figure case.

“Sister He, it’s Xiao Yu. I need to ask you something.”

Xiao Yu took another deep breath, his expression heavy with unease. 

“Do you know what cooked human meat tastes like?”

“Heh, how would I know that?” He Li chuckled at Xiao Yu’s question. “But it definitely isn’t like the old saying that it’s sour. Based on human meat samples, the flavor would likely fall somewhere between pork and lamb. Human meat isn’t all that different from other animals’ meat. It’s made up of proteins, like skin, muscles, blood vessels, and such. Judging by the fat and muscle structure, though, if you cooked it, it would probably taste very fragrant and tender—kind of like lamb.”

“Thanks, Sister He. I owe you a meal sometime,” Xiao Yu said, forcing down the nausea that rose from his stomach. He took a deep breath before hanging up.

If he didn’t take those deep breaths, he felt like his stomach might turn. Could it really be…? 

Xiao Yu recalled Xie Shasha’s story, and goosebumps rose on his skin. No. This was just what she believed. The truth of it still needed to be investigated.

He walked back into the interrogation room.

“Do you remember what those three men looked like?” Xiao Yu asked coldly.

“Uh…” Xie Shasha furrowed her brow, trying to recall, before shaking her head. “It’s been more than three years, but if I saw them again, I think I’d recognize them. Right now, though, I don’t have a clear image. But…”

“But what?” Xiao Yu pressed.

“One of the guys had a tattoo,” Xie Shasha said. “It was a colorful dragon on his back.”

‘A colorful dragon… sounds pretty flashy.’

Xiao Yu frowned. It wasn’t much to go on. 

“And what about the villa? You haven’t explained that yet. Who gave Wang Mei the villa?”

“That part I know,” Xie Shasha quickly replied. “Once, Wang Mei got really drunk, so I asked her where she got the villa. She told me she met some guy at a bar during her second year of college. She even mentioned how cool his tattoo was, saying the dragon on his back was so handsome. I wonder if it could be the same guy with the colorful dragon tattoo.”

‘That guy again…’ Xiao Yu couldn’t help but let out a cold chuckle.

Could it really be just a coincidence?