Chapter 2078: Chapter 1789: Dr. Yuan Visits Again_3

As they walked out of the community, Zhaxi couldn’t hold back any longer: "Professor Yang, do you usually help the police solve cases besides treating patients?"

Yang Ping shook his head: "Rarely, only when their investigations need clinical medical knowledge do they come to us, as forensic experts have weaknesses in clinical medicine."

Once Yang Ping got into the car, Dr. Yuan asked: "Professor Yang, did you find anything?"

"Nothing in particular, just some things that feel off," Yang Ping replied.

"What feels off?"

"The smell. When you entered, did you smell anything?"

Dr. Yuan thought for a moment: "A bit, it smelled like a laboratory."

Yang Ping nodded: "The smell of organic solvents, but there were no organic solvents in the deceased’s house. His study only had books, pens, and tea, no chemical reagents. So where did the smell come from?"

Dr. Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Yang Ping continued: "Also, his bookshelf. A retired chemistry professor’s shelf with books like ’Advanced Organic Chemistry’ and ’Organic Synthesis Route Design’ is normal. But did you notice how well-preserved the books were?"

Dr. Yuan didn’t get it.

Yang Ping said: "Someone who has worked in chemistry all their life, flipping through books daily, can’t have books without any stains. Chemical reagents would spill on the books, and chemicals on fingers would corrode the pages. But his books were too clean. They seemed like they were just for show, not for use."

Yang Ping added: "If I am not mistaken, clinically organophosphate compounds..."

Dr. Yuan’s mind raced. His pupils contracted—organophosphate—he suddenly remembered: "Organophosphate poisoning can cause pupil contraction!"

Yang Ping glanced at him, with a hint of approval: "Correct! One of the typical signs of organophosphate poisoning is extreme contraction of both pupils. Furthermore, organophosphate poisoning can lead to sudden death, and autopsies might not reveal obvious organic lesions."

Dr. Yuan got excited: "So you suspect he was poisoned?"

Yang Ping shook his head: "I don’t suspect anything; I’m just looking for clues. The symptoms of organophosphate poisoning include not only pupil contraction but also salivation, sweating, muscle twitching, and pulmonary edema. Yet the deceased’s autopsy report didn’t show these signs."

Dr. Yuan felt a bit disappointed.

Yang Ping said: "So the problem is he seems like he was suffering from organophosphate poisoning, yet not exactly. The pigmentation on his fingertips doesn’t match the symptoms of organophosphate poisoning. What could it be then?"

He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes: "Let’s go to the laboratory and see if we can find an answer."

Outside the car window, the streets of Nandu gradually darkened in the dusk. Zhaxi sat in the back seat, his mind filled with questions. Organophosphate poisoning? But the symptoms don’t match. Pigmentation? What is that? The bookshelf was too clean? What does that indicate?

He took out a notebook and wrote down every clue Yang Ping had mentioned.

Nandu University’s chemistry department was on the other side of the city. The drive took forty minutes, and it was almost five o’clock when they arrived. Dr. Yuan had called ahead, and a young man was waiting at the school gate. He was around thirty, wore glasses, and a white gown, looking very scholarly.

"I’m Li Xiong, a student of Professor Zhou." He extended his hand, speaking softly, "I manage that old laboratory, and it’s sometimes used during student lessons." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Professor Zhou was the deceased old man.

Li Xiong led them through the main building of the chemistry department to an old laboratory building behind it. The building had three floors, with peeling paint on the outer walls, and a chemical reagent smell permeating the corridors. Li Xiong used a key to open a laboratory on the second floor, pushed the door open, and it was dark inside, so he fumbled to turn on the lights.

The laboratory wasn’t large, but it was well-equipped. Fume hoods, rotary evaporators, chromatography columns, and various glass instruments were neatly arranged. Reagent bottles with labels indicating chemical formulas and dates were on the lab bench.

Yang Ping stood at the doorway, surveying the room. Then he moved to the lab bench, examining the reagent bottles. He picked one up, read the label, and put it back. He picked up another, and then put it back again.

"Did Professor Zhou come to the lab often after he retired?" he asked.

Li Xiong nodded: "Yes, at least two or three times a week. He said there wasn’t much to do at home, so he might as well come for experiments."

"What kind of experiments?"

Li Xiong thought for a bit: "Mainly repeating some classic organic synthesis reactions. He said it was to maintain his skills. Sometimes he tried out new things, but nothing major."

Yang Ping nodded, moving to the fume hood, opened the hood doors, and glanced inside. It held several sets of glassware, all cleaned and inverted on the rack. In the corner was a small brown reagent bottle, different from the others, with a handwritten label in small writing.

Yang Ping reached out and picked up the bottle. The label read: "Unknown substance, pending identification, 2019.3."

He unscrewed the lid, gently wafting the scent from the bottle’s opening. A faint, slightly irritating smell wafted out. Zhaxi, standing beside him, also picked up on it. It smelled similar to the one in the deceased’s house, but much stronger.

Yang Ping screwed the lid back on and placed the bottle on the lab bench.

"Who placed this bottle here?" he asked.

Li Xiong took a closer look and thought for a moment: "This... I’m not quite sure. It might have been Professor Zhou himself. Sometimes he synthesized new compounds and left them in bottles for later identification. But there were so many of these I never really paid attention."