MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Fan Favorite - "The Red Sandals"

January 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: Solo-hosted narrative true crime podcast episode, delivered as a gripping, chronological story with dramatic reenactments and suspenseful pacing.
The Key Players:
- Host: Mr. Ballen, master storyteller of "strange, dark, and mysterious" real-life tales; famous for his engaging, theatrical delivery on YouTube and podcasts.
- No live guests; story features Detective Soon Eugene (sharp investigator), Zhao Xiao Lian (victim), Li Xiang Dong (her husband/robbery partner), and Ho Le Chiang (mastermind killer).
The Vibe: Intense, chilling, and suspenseful—pure edge-of-your-seat horror with twists, evoking small-town dread and shocking brutality.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Warehouse Robbery Tease**
2 (02:48) **Zhao's Final Day**
3 (06:45) **Farmer Discovers Burned Body**
4 (08:27) **Initial Police Investigation**
5 (10:14) **Autopsy and Detective Soon's Doubts**
6 (13:16) **Re-Examining the Crime Scene**
7 (16:51) **Identifying the Victim**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 344.

In 1984, in a small city in northeastern China, a security guard stood outside of a warehouse, working an overnight shift. The guard heard a noise coming from some bushes nearby, but he didn’t think much about it. This was a safe town, and usually the hardest part of his job was staying awake. But suddenly, two thieves in ski masks emerged from the bushes, and rushed the guard. They grabbed him, and slammed his head against the outside wall of the warehouse, and the guard fell to the ground in a daze. One of the thieves quickly gagged the guard, bound his hands and feet, and said he needed to keep his mouth shut if he wanted to stay alive. Terrified, and struggling to keep his eyes open, the guard watched as the two thieves opened the warehouse door and ran inside. This robbery would shake the local community, but it was nothing in comparison to the horrific crimes it would set off, and the gruesome discovery the police would soon make on the outskirts of town.

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