Cell Phone

I was thinking to myself that Wang Dali can't seem to keep his mouth shut. He had previously promised Huang Xiaotao to keep things confidential, yet in the blink of an eye he was blabbing all over the place.

So I frowned and explained: "What serial murder case? Don't listen to Dali's nonsense. It was just a regular homicide."

LaoYao had a sly grin on his face: "Come on, you're keeping secrets from me? You don't get privacy in front of me?"

"Can you stop talking about that? Oh right, can you delete those photos you secretly took? They really affect my reputation." I said.

"No way. With such steamy photos, if I deleted them what would I use as my phone wallpaper? Song Yang, how come your butt is so fair, is that natural?" LaoYao said with a wink and a smirk.

I almost spit out a mouthful of blood. LaoYao hasn't had a girlfriend in four years and seems to have no interest in girls whatsoever. But he's often touchy feely with guys, especially those with 'some looks'. We've long suspected he swings that way.

Sexual orientation is a personal matter, I won't discriminate. But the key is, I'm not gay. Just thinking about a guy lusting over my nude pics all day gives me the creeps.

Just then, Wang Dali reminded: "LaoYao, your Sona just got skewered by Garen's giant sword."

"Damn, you were right there, help me play for a bit!" LaoYao yelled.

Wang Dali looked at me resentfully, then obediently sat down to take over for LaoYao.

LaoYao scratched his head, flakes of dandruff falling like snowflakes. I quickly took a step back. He said: "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Tell me, what did you come to see me for?"

"Dali already told you right? Help me unlock a phone." I replied.

"Piece of cake!"

The phone was sitting on the computer desk. LaoYao picked it up and glanced at it, saying: "This is easy, just reformat the phone..."

"No, I need to see what's inside. That's why I came looking for you." I took a deep breath and said.

"Where did you get this phone?" LaoYao asked while fiddling with the phone.

"It was on the victim." I replied.

"The victim's?!" LaoYao exclaimed. The phone slipped from his hand, then he quickly caught it with both hands. A wretched smile spread across his face again: "Just kidding, messing with you."

Damn, he had just scared the crap out of me. I said sternly: "Can you stop messing around? This phone still needs to be handed to the police as evidence."

"Alright alright, I'll help you with it now."

LaoYao took out a laptop from the cabinet, connected the phone with a data cable, then opened up a few programs and started operating swiftly. In no time, the phone was unlocked.

LaoYao browsed through the files on the phone, saying: "There's too much stuff here, can you go through it all?"

"Don't worry about that. See if there are any deleted files, help me recover everything." I instructed.

"You got it!"

LaoYao opened up a new program, lit a cigarette. By the time he finished that cigarette, most of the deleted files had been recovered. He glanced at the screen and said: "There are over 40 files here, you can go through them yourself."

Then he got up and gave me his seat.

Most of the deleted stuff was just some crappy photos, downloaded software packages. But there was one valuable thing among them.

It was a document, containing a string of numbers and letters, like an online order number.

"LaoYao, help me check on this order, see what was purchased." I pointed at the document and said.

"You take over."

In just five minutes, LaoYao had dug up the information on that online order. The shopper was Deng Chao. The items purchased were 'Probiotic supplements for pets, human face masks, dry ice machine, piano strings, razor blades'.

I couldn't help but laugh coldly. This order was evidence of Deng Chao's crime!

There was another crucial clue in this order - the piano strings. I had been racking my brain over how the room could be filled with flying piano strings. Now I seemed to have some clues.

"Hey, what are the probiotic supplements for pets used for?" Wang Dali asked as he came over.

LaoYao looked up at him and asked: "You done with the game?"

"No, your Sona just got wrecked by Garen again." Wang Dali said.

"Damn, you suck so bad. Let me take over!"

LaoYao rushed over to save the situation. I explained to Wang Dali: "The killer used that to accelerate the decomposition of the victim's head."

Wang Dali looked at me bemused: "This stuff can do that too?"

I enlightened him: "What are the gut probiotics for?"

"To break down food into poop!" Wang Dali answered.

"What do cats and dogs eat?" I continued asking.

"Cat and dog food...meat?" Wang Dali nodded repeatedly in realization.

The probiotics in the gut are called probiotics because they have a symbiotic relationship with organisms. But essentially they are a type of saprotroph. The reason human bodies decay after death is because without food, the probiotics start eating away at bodily tissues instead!

I really admired Deng Chao's intellect, actually coming up with this masterstroke! Turning the powerful pet probiotics into a potion and smearing it on the severed head - in just one night, the head was severely decayed, to the point where forensics couldn't make out anything.

There was another extremely important clue in this order - the piano strings. I had been wracking my brains over how the room came to be filled with flying piano strings. Now I seemed to have some clues.

"Oh crap, that was close!" LaoYao finally finished his game and came over, asking: "So, little Song Yang, was this helpful to you?"

"Very helpful. Oh right, how's your Photoshop skills?" I asked him.

"How are my skills?" LaoYao scoffed arrogantly: "I used it to forge Jay Chou concert tickets to sell when I was in high school. How do you think my skills are? That was one of my proudest exploits back then."

"Nice!" I said. Then I took out the photocopied lecture notes in a bag and handed them to him: "Then can you help me with two more things - use the handwriting in these notes to Photoshop a letter for me, make it pass for the real thing. I'll dictate the letter content to you in a bit."

"Two things? What's the other one?" LaoYao asked.

"Help me spread the word on school forums, BBS, Wechat groups about the homicide case this morning, emphasizing how I cleverly assisted the police. Make me the talk of the school today!" I said.

LaoYao leered: "Didn't expect you to be so scheming. Can't you just rely on your looks? Why try to take the path of real ability now?"

"Don't ask, can you help me or not?" I said.

"This favor I won't do for free, what's in it for me?" LaoYao shook his head repeatedly.

"Then I'll pay you, that should do right!" I was really out of ideas now.

"How much?" LaoYao's eyes lit up.

"3,000 yuan, what do you think?" I tentatively asked.

LaoYao immediately grinned from ear to ear: "Deal! I was thinking of getting a new graphics card anyway."

Wang Dali said: "So generous, yet you're always crying poor when you're with me. When we eat out, you do split bills down to the last cent. You barely order any meat."

"Damn, do you know how little my allowance is?" I gave a wry laugh.

Although my family was well-off, for some reason my aunt had read some rubbish essay saying boys should be raised poor and girls rich. So I only got a measly 1,500 yuan a month for living expenses, life was very tough.

I'll have to figure out how to get the money for LaoYao later! Probably have to shamelessly ask my family for it.

LaoYao worked away at the computer while saying: "Don't need money, can trade for other things. Like letting me take some more nude shots, I'm sick of just that one old photo."

Cold sweat ran down my forehead. I asked: "Are you really gay?"

"No, you've all misunderstood me. I'm actually not gay..." He turned and leered at me, quirking an eyebrow: "I'm just interested in you."

I suddenly had the urge to smash a block of tofu on my head. At this moment, Wang Dali awkwardly said, "Um... why don't you two stay here while I head back first!"

I glared at him fiercely. How could he be so unfaithful!

I grabbed him by the arm, "Don't go, stay here with me!"