Chapter 217: The Meat Mystery

Chapter 217: What Meat?

These days, torture is no longer the method of choice.

Interrogations involve a myriad of techniques.

Intimidation is merely one of those tactics.

Especially when dealing with a suspect of fragile mental fortitude.

Sometimes, you fabricate a detail that closely mirrors the truth of the case.

It often yields unexpected revelations from the suspect’s lips.

However… Xiao Yu suddenly realized something.

This time, his findings might be exceptionally significant.

Why did he think so?

Because Xie Shasha’s behavior was wildly abnormal.

Just by mentioning Wang Mei and a room shared with a man…

you’d expect a milder reaction, right?

After all, checking into a room is usually nothing more than a trivial affair between a man and a woman.

At worst, it might involve multiple men or women.

Even so, it wouldn’t leave someone pale-faced and trembling, would it?

“Bang!”

Xiao Yu slammed his interrogation table. “Are you really that stubborn as to want to end up in prison…”

“No—it’s none of my business—absolutely none of it!”

Startled into tears, Xie Shasha cried, “I really didn’t know they’d go that far, I swear I didn’t!”

“That far…”

Xiao Yu, unresponsive, stared coldly at Xie Shasha.

Seeing his expression only deepened her fear. “I told you—I’ve spilled everything I know. It really isn’t my fault!”

What she said next indeed had nothing to do with her.

But Xie Shasha’s words made Xiao Yu’s face blanch in an instant.

He even felt a sudden wave of nausea!

According to Xie Shasha’s confession,

three years ago, Wang Mei once invited her out to have fun.

Fun? What could there be when several men and several women gather in a hotel?

In the midst of it, in the dead of night, Wang Mei mentioned she was hungry.

One man said, “I happen to have some food.”

That man actually produced something edible.

It was a peculiar type of meat, prepared much like a steak.

Yet its shape was odd—chunky, greasy, and surprisingly sweet-smelling.

Xie Shasha tried it once and found it unlike any meat she had ever tasted.

The next day, the men departed.

In the afternoon, after waking up, Xie Shasha couldn’t stop thinking about last night’s meat.

What exactly was that meat?

When Wang Mei woke up, she simply asked.

Xie Shasha recalled that Wang Mei’s expression was strangely eerie—as if she were purposely trying to scare her—before telling her: “Human flesh!”

At the time, she assumed her best friend was joking.

But once she got home, the thought grew increasingly disquieting.

Because she still remembered the shape of that meat.

There was an uncanny resemblance to…

the flesh on a man’s chest!

Reeling from the realization, Xie Shasha vomited.

Still, she clung to the hope that maybe she was overthinking it.

Perhaps it was just her imagination.

Then, Wang Mei invited her out again.

This time, it was the same group of men.

These men looked every bit like rich second-generation heirs—extremely wealthy.

They were generous too; last time, they casually tossed her 100,000 yuan to spend.

So, even though Xie Shasha knew something was off about the meat from before,

she couldn’t resist the lure of money and went along…

By midnight,

the three men, along with Wang Mei, boldly produced some boxes.

They once again presented that type of meat.

But this time, its origin was less obvious—the distinctive features were missing.

Xie Shasha dared not take a bite.

Yet one man offered her 100,000 yuan to try it.

Swallowing her nausea, she ate…

and then came a third, then a fourth serving.

But one day, everything changed.

Wang Mei vanished.

Those men disappeared as well.

Naturally, she had no way of contacting them; previously, Wang Mei had always been the intermediary.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason,

ever since her best friend went missing, Xie Shasha has been convinced it was connected to those three men.

It made her unavoidably think of that meat…

And so, terrified, Xie Shasha feared that the police were after her because of that meat.

Could it be that…? She dared not even imagine!

“So then…”

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu didn’t question the three men or ask about Wang Mei.

Instead, he calmly asked Xie Shasha, “How many times have you eaten that meat and what did it taste like?”

“Taste?”

Xie Shasha thought for a moment. “It was incredibly fragrant… so tender, unbelievably tender!”

Rising from her seat, Xiao Yu left the interrogation room.

After steadying his thoughts, he took out his phone and made a call.

Forensic Department, Forensic Expert He Li.

He had met her during the investigation of the ‘Human Skin Wax Figure’ case.

“He Li, this is Xiao Yu. I need to ask you something.”

Taking another steadying breath, Xiao Yu asked, his tone heavy with concern, “Do you know what cooked human flesh tastes like?”

“How would I know that?”

He Li chuckled at Xiao Yu’s question. “But it definitely isn’t the sour taste older folks describe. According to analysis of the human flesh samples, its flavor falls somewhere between pork and lamb. Human flesh isn’t much different from other meats—skin, muscle, blood vessels… It’s mostly protein. However, judging by the fat layer and muscle tissues, once cooked, it would be incredibly fragrant, extremely tender—much like lamb!”

“Thanks, He Li. I owe you dinner someday!”

Fighting off a rising acid in his stomach, Xiao Yu took another deep breath and hung up.

He inhaled and exhaled sharply; he felt as if his stomach might not take much more.

Could it really be… Xiao Yu shivered at the memory of Xie Shasha’s words, goosebumps erupting on his skin.

No, it was all just Xie Shasha’s imagination.

Whether it was true or not remained to be verified.

He returned to the interrogation room.

With a cold tone, Xiao Yu asked, “Do you remember what the three men looked like?”

“Um…”

Xie Shasha struggled to recall. She shook her head. “It’s been over three years. If I were to see them again, I probably could identify them. But… my memory isn’t clear. However…”

“However what?” Xiao Yu pressed.

“One of the guys had a tattoo,” she revealed.

Xie Shasha added, “He had a Seven-Colored Dragon tattoo on his back!”

A Seven-Colored Dragon… that’s pretty daring.

Frowning, Xiao Yu noted that the information was still incomplete. “By the way, you haven’t mentioned anything about the villa. Who gave Wang Mei her villa?”

“I do know a bit about that,”

Xie Shasha quickly explained, “One time when Wang Mei was drunk, I asked where her villa came from. She said that during her sophomore year, she met a guy at a bar while visiting home—and she mentioned that his tattoo was so striking. I wondered if it was that very man with the Seven-Colored Dragon on his back who gifted her the place!”

Again with that person… Xiao Yu scoffed silently.

“What a coincidence…”