"Buddy, are you saying that this guy died of a heart attack?" Dean looked at the indifferent middle-aged man in front of him, his words tinted with a measure of doubt.

Because according to his speculation, it was very likely that George died of an unknown toxin.

But the forensic pathologist he was working with for the first time had overturned his deduction.

The middle-aged forensic pathologist was named Elden, forty-five years old, a veteran in the forensic department. He had been working for the Central Division before Squad Four was established and helped solve many cases for the squads under its jurisdiction.

He was clearly irritated by Dean's tone. Elden raised his voice, insisting, "I have been in the field of forensic pathology for nearly twenty years. I've seen more corpses than you've eaten steaks; there's no way I'm wrong about this."

"How do you explain the death of those leeches?" Dean pointed to the dissected leech corpses on the examining table.

"It's certain that these leeches died shortly after feeding on the victim's blood. This indeed puzzles me." Elden frowned slightly. "I've tested both the victim's and the leeches' blood. I found no apparent toxins in them. What I can be sure of now is that the death wasn't simply due to a heart attack. The level of adrenaline in his body was a bit high. This extent wouldn't cause death, but it would lead to an excited state, with the heart beating faster. So to be more precise, the deceased showed symptoms of a heart attack, but it cannot be conclusively determined that he died of one. He was still young. If there were no genetic defects, even a strong stimulus would not make him this vulnerable. And if the stimulus was too strong, then his organs would show signs of failure, but I found no such signs in the slices I examined. In this respect, the death is indeed very abnormal."

"Adrenaline excess?" Dean was somewhat perplexed.

As the saying goes, a woman in her thirties is like a wolf, in her forties like a tiger. The wealthy matrons on the cruise were mostly in their thirties and forties. Your average young man might not necessarily be able to withstand them. Could it be that George used some banned substances to satisfy those wealthy matrons? But that didn't make sense. Adrenaline doesn't contribute much to sexual performance. This substance is actually a hormone secreted by the human body. When a person experiences certain stimuli—such as excitement, fear, or tension—this chemical is secreted. It then accelerates breathing, supplying more oxygen, increases heart rate and blood flow, dilates pupils, and provides more energy for physical activity, leading to faster responses. Some drugs can also help stimulate its secretion. For instance, the so-called Secret Medicine in the Ancient Muay Thai that I studied mainly served this purpose. Modern science and technology have advanced enough to synthetically produce adrenaline. Some of it is used in stimulants, but more is used in medical treatment. Of course, it's quite common in military applications as well. But I had never heard of anyone using adrenaline drugs as aphrodisiacs.

It seemed as if Elden guessed what Dean was thinking. He adjusted the lights over the autopsy table, casting a pallid glow over George's body. His finger traced over the 'Y'-shaped autopsy stitch mark on George's body, finally resting on the heart area. "Detective Dean, look here."

Dean lowered his head to look more closely. Just above the heart area on George's chest, illuminated by the light, a dark red dot was particularly conspicuous.

He hesitated. "Is that the mark of a needle injection?"

"Yes!" Elden nodded. "At first, I also suspected that the victim died of toxins. Common instantaneous deadly poisons include strychnine, arsenic, and cyanide, but the victim's state at death did not match any of those."

Hearing this, Dean nodded. Strychnine is a plant toxin that causes severe distortion in the corpse, resulting in a sinister, grinning death expression; it even spawned many supernatural legends in less technologically advanced times. Arsenic is a mineral toxin that can cause hair loss and jaundice. Cyanide appears quite frequently in poisoning cases, but its symptoms are very distinctive, causing the corpse to emit the smell of bitter almonds. Apart from these, many other toxins would exhibit various death characteristics on the corpse, or leave residues inside the body, making them detectable. So Elden was right. He indeed was competent.

After giving Dean some time to take in the information, Elden continued, "I have ruled out all common possibilities and carefully examined the victim's blood, finally reaching a not very mature deduction."

"Do you suspect that the victim first injected adrenaline into his heart for some reason, and then had intense interactions afterward, leading to sudden death?" Dean asked.

"Roughly," Elden nodded. "A competent forensic pathologist also needs to understand the basics of the case to perform better analysis and testing."

"I have heard a bit about the wild escapades of those Los Angeles matrons. In fact, every year there are male models and young actors who are played to death by those wealthy women for money.

"I have dissected similar corpses. Two years ago, an eighteen-year-old high school student was brought in. The guy was a sturdy football player. Unfortunately, he didn't receive a college scholarship, and to chase his dreams, he could only turn to his coach for help. Eventually, his coach sent the kid to a special club.

"Three days later, his corpse appeared on this very autopsy table."

"The same state at death as George's?"

"Not exactly the same. That boy's death was more brutal; many small capillaries in his body burst. In pursuit of thrills, intensity, and value for money, the women of the club not only fed the boy copious amounts of aphrodisiacs but also injected him with adrenaline when he showed signs of fainting, continuing their revelry. Ultimately, the blood in the boy's body circulated at a speed beyond what his vessels could handle.

"POP!

"In a short time, the poor unfortunate's heart and blood vessels could no longer bear the burden. They entirely stopped working, and he bled out."

Don't think that wealthy women don't care about money. The price of male escorts is really not cheap. Actually, in many countries, male escorts are much more expensive than their female counterparts. In my past life, I was aware that some adult companies would promote their female actresses at adult expos by holding no-holds-barred competitions. The winner was a young American girl in her twenties. That day, she managed to conquer over nine hundred men beneath the Great Rift Valley of Africa, becoming a veritable elephant harvester. Try swapping in a man... So, some of the wealthier women, in pursuit of excitement and cost-effectiveness, really could be quite ruthless. Elden's speculation makes sense.

"Elden, I admit what you're saying makes sense, but it still doesn't explain the leeches!" Dean pressed.

"Actually, adrenaline is toxic to blood-sucking creatures like leeches," Elden said. He continued his explanation, "Adrenaline increases heart contractility and causes blood vessels in the heart, liver, and muscles to dilate while constricting blood vessels in the skin and mucous membranes. It's an essential for saving people or animals on the brink of death. But for leeches, their size is too small. Even a tiny amount of adrenaline could be lethal to those little guys."

Dean thought it over carefully. And he had to admit, Elden was making a lot of sense. There's a little bit of poison in every medicine, especially hormone drugs, which can be particularly potent.

"Okay, Elden, until we find new clues, let's work from this assumption," Dean said. "Did you find anything else? Also, how long before we can get the results for the composition of those residual substances?"

No syringes were found at the scene. This meant that the person who injected George with the adrenaline took the syringe away. An injection into the heart or arteries is the fastest in taking effect, but it's not something an ordinary person can manage. So if Elden could identify a few of the wealthy women from the long hairs left at the scene and the seminal fluids on George's body, that would make this case a lot easier to handle.

Elden, the old forensic doctor with a stony face, simply spread his hands. "Sorry, the equipment here is no match for the Forensic Science HQ, and I'm the only one here. I suggest you take the evidence and have Holz, that rookie, help you with the analysis."

Dean looked suspiciously at the expressionless Elden. "Don't be like that. I apologize for doubting you earlier. Holz does have talent in forensic science, but he's too inexperienced."

"Are you sure?" Elden asked.

"Positive!"

"Alright, I'll need about a day," Elden conceded. "Before then, maybe you could look into the relationships among those wealthy women. In my experience, this kind of orgy, with different men being exchanged, always involves a competitive and show-off mentality."

People with real skill are inherently proud, and Elden was no exception. Seeing Dean, the young detective renowned in the Los Angeles Forensic Science community, soften in front of him, Elden felt pleased and ultimately decided to forgive the guy for doubting him. He also feared that if he angered Dean, the hothead might just draw his gun...

Leaving the morgue, Dean went back to his office. Daisy hadn't returned to the precinct, opting to work from home. So at the moment, the office area, with only Dean, Harry, and Carlo present, felt especially quiet and empty.

"Dean, how's it going?" Harry asked, yawning and rubbing his face.

Carlo was busy diligently organizing a pile of documents.

Under duress, the two had been forced to end their brief addiction to the internet.

"Got some leads," Dean said, "but we need to wait for the forensic DNA comparison results before we can identify who was in contact with George last."

Dean clapped his hands. "So before then, we should take the chance to compile all the information and background on the wealthy women who attended the party, and map out their relationships with each other."

"I was actually going to suggest that," Harry nodded. "Generally speaking, cases involving women are often not as straightforward as they seem. Understanding their relationships with each other might reveal some unexpected findings."

"Why?" Carlo asked, looking up with a puzzled expression from the thick stack of documents he was holding.

"You don't know?" Harry was shocked by Carlo's ignorance. He patted his newly acquainted little brother on the shoulder and began to enlighten him, "Women are emotional beings; they often act crazily over trivial matters. If you had observed them during your school days, you'd notice that a group of supposedly close girlfriends might have up to four or five different hidden circles within their group. The relationships are so complex it makes your head spin."

"Of course..." Harry gave a lecherous chuckle. "This kind of relationship is also beneficial for us when picking up girls. If you're out of topics with a woman you just met, bringing up her girlfriends will often get her to open up to you enthusiastically."

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Dean tapped on the desk, his voice devoid of amusement. "You two hurry up and summon those people on the list for separate interrogations."

It's not easy to deal with those wealthy women without evidence, but the male models are easier to handle. And as personal male escorts to these wealthy women, they'd have more insight into them than anyone else. After all, the male escort industry is also very competitive. Don't think that just good looks, physique, and robust stamina are enough to make a wealthy woman remember you. Sometimes, fulfilling emotional needs is just as important.

The first one to be summoned for questioning was none other than Dean's own big brother, Beck!

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