Chapter 38: The 1924 Train Murder Case (11)

It was clear to everyone that they were by no means standard criminal investigators.

As a result, from the very beginning, they had taken a completely wrong approach to the case.

Had it not been for the reminder from the arms dealer, they would have long since been led astray.

So Bartholomew was a player?

“Well then. Let’s first investigate who this unfortunate soul is, and why he ended up on this ill-fated train with us.”

“Forget it. I have no desire to touch anything belonging to a dead man. It would soil my newly changed skirt.” The lady, Ottilia, was distinctly displeased.

“I’ll do it.” Seeing that Tang Mu was about to rise and examine the body herself, Eli stepped forward in her stead.

Perhaps because Tang Mu was present, Eli was especially diligent and meticulous as he searched for clues on the body.

“His documents say his name is Augustin. He was a biochemical scientist. Inside his thick coat, he was clutching a carefully sealed vessel. I can’t say what’s inside, but I think it’s best not to open it.”

“A biochemical scientist?” Lady Ottilia couldn’t help but ask, “Can anyone explain what that actually means?”

“Who knows?”

Everyone else shook their heads.

Since nobody seemed to know, Tang Mu took up her translator and read the relevant entry aloud to the group.

So far, it seemed she alone had obtained any information about biochemistry.

With no emotion, she read out the translator’s definition:

“It is the study of chemical changes in living organisms. The core subject is biology, while chemistry is the research object.”

She finished reading and put the translator away.

“Ordinary students in this field are probably still in a lab somewhere working on biological materials. But that tightly sealed vessel in his coat... Don’t you find it suspicious? It’s quite like... the kind of container used for a biological weapon.”

“Biological weapon? Are you saying...”

“Exactly.” Tang Mu was never one to spare anyone’s feelings. “Didn’t you see the English word there?”

“Bacillus anthracis, anthrax.”

“That’s an extremely dangerous biological weapon! I can’t even imagine how he managed to bring it aboard!”

At the mention of anthrax, everyone on the train paled with alarm.

“That’s impossible!” they cried out in disbelief. “If he really had such a deadly weapon on him, how could he have passed security?”

This was just after the end of the First World War.

The First World War began in 1914 and ended in 1918.

It had only been a few years since that large-scale conflict ended.

And now, suddenly, biological weapons appeared? And were being openly transported by train? Even if such a thing were to be used in war, surely it should be shipped by the military, not on a passenger train!

But Tang Mu had no intention of letting them off the hook. Even if they were only NPCs in a game, she intended to give them a thorough history lesson.

“In 1763, British colonists invaded North America and encountered fierce resistance from the Native Americans. In order to crush them, the British military, under the pretense of negotiations, gifted the chiefs handkerchiefs and blankets infected with smallpox. This caused a devastating outbreak among the Native Americans, forcing their surrender to the British army.

During World War I, Germany was the first to use a poisonous gas biological weapon—chlorine gas—in Belgium. Once inhaled, chlorine reacts with water in the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, causing burns and fatal suffocation. Nearly 15,000 were poisoned, and 5,000 died in what became known as the Battle of Ypres.

And it didn’t end there.

In 1925, the great powers signed the Geneva Protocol, banning the use of biological weapons in war. But no one actually listened.

In 1941, Germany conducted research into bacterial toxins in occupied France and used prisoners for pathogenic experiments.

In 1942, Britain’s Porton Down launched a secret project: they used anthrax to create biological bombs on Gruinard Island. The spores could survive in the soil for decades, impervious to heat and harsh conditions, and caused fatal respiratory failure.

In 1943, the United States established its biological weapons research headquarters at Camp Detrick in Maryland, focusing on pathogens that might be weaponized.

The most notorious of all was Japan’s ‘Unit 731’ during World War II. To develop biological weapons, they performed horrific live experiments on humans. It is estimated that Japanese biological weapons caused at least 70,000 deaths in China.

Even more disgusting, on April 14, 2022, Xiamen Customs intercepted about 2,000 live cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) in an incoming empty shipping container.

These American cockroaches can carry harmful bacteria on their bodies, including dysentery bacilli, Salmonella paratyphi A and B, Vibrio cholerae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They are important vectors for many human infectious diseases.

Such acts of using biological weapons to attack other countries are base, shameless, malicious, and inhuman.

A hundred years ago, the West resorted to these despicable means. More than a century later, in 2022, they still shamelessly repeat these methods, sickening all humanity.

Even the COVID-19 outbreak during the 2020 Spring Festival is said to have likely originated from an evil air-drop by a certain ‘beautiful country,’ leading to that city, known for its heroism, suffering unimaginable devastation overnight.

And now, this scenario’s theme is ‘biological weapons’ again... Damn the West, was all Tang Mu could think.

“So what? If Germany can use them, why can’t we British? Miss Tang Mu, you may look Asian, but don’t forget—your adoptive father is still Baron John Joseph!”

“Oh.”

Tang Mu replied coolly.

Ottilia was left speechless with indignation.

“All right, everyone. I believe the identity of the deceased is now clear. It’s time to start investigating everyone’s motives for murder, isn’t it?” Bartholomew, the arms dealer, interrupted the heated discussion, restoring quiet to the lounge.

“So, does anyone know what the motive could be?” sighed Hunter, the painter. “I only know how to paint, not how to reason. Leave the deductions to those of you with sharper minds.”

“There are multiple marks on the body. This means more than one person took action against him. It also suggests that several people on this train knew the poor fellow. I hope you’ll speak the truth yourselves, instead of forcing the attendants to search your belongings one by one,” Bartholomew said sternly.

But not everyone was amenable to his command.

“You seem awfully invested in this case. Tell the truth: that bullet hole in his chest—are you sure you had nothing to do with it?”