Free Web NovelChapter 133: Chapter 132 Hitching Post_1
How tragic was Sonata’s driver?
At this moment, Zhou Ning could no longer express it in words. The deceased was strapped in with the seatbelt, and due to the compression of space within the car, the legs had twisted backwards; the knees flipped upward, and the femurs, tibias, and fibulas were all broken, forming a W-shape along the side.
The upper half of the torso, pressed against the steering wheel, had developed a steering wheel-shaped fracture surface with multiple breaks in the ribs and sternum. Below the thoracic vertebrae, a steel plate less than two centimeters thick had cleanly severed the body. The head was completely deformed, with multiple depressions and fractures on the skull.
Studying every injury, Zhou Ning became even more perplexed—who does the steel plate belong to?
It was only a sedan, not a freight vehicle; how could such a thing be there? Without dwelling too much on it, Zhou Ning stepped back slightly and looked towards Mr. Qu.
"Is it possible to maintain the state of the deceased while cutting?"
Mr. Qu nodded, and Xia Momo was already manipulating her keyboard, beginning to compile something. Soon, a cutting plan was displayed in animation form on the adjacent computer.
"We’ll make a vertical cut along the edge of the car door’s pillar, then separate the driver’s seat. This way, we can extract the body from this space. Of course, the steering wheel will probably have to be removed with the body, as they are too closely joined."
Zhou Ning had no objections to this. Seeing Mr. Qu signal the firefighters, he realized that he also agreed with the plan.
Before long, as the cutting saw sparked, the car was divided; the garage floor was also covered in blood. The seat was cut out, and several forensic officers gathered to help lift the fragmented two parts of the body, carefully placing them into two long boxes before sending them to the autopsy room.
As for the Jeep’s cockpit, it was already expanded and looked a bit better than inside the Sonata, and it was sent to the autopsy room as well.
After the firefighters left, Mr. Pang came over to look at the 3D X-ray images of the two bodies.
"Some items from the two cars have also been sorted out. The traffic police have already contacted the family of the Jeep, and they are on their way for identification.
As for the Sonata, no phone or any valid documents were found inside. The vehicle’s owner, identified by the license plate, is named Zhang Guanglei. We’ve tried calling him but couldn’t get through.
I’ll go and perform an autopsy on the Jeep’s driver now. As for the Sonata’s driver, the criminal police are contacting the family, and they’ll also soon send someone over. As for the autopsy..."
Mr. Pang felt somewhat embarrassed to continue, while Zhou Ning simply nodded, not out of flattery, but because he felt no pressure with the system not manifesting.
"I’ll wait for the criminal police’s news, then take responsibility for the Sonata driver’s autopsy." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Mr. Pang smiled gratefully, patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Thank you so much. I still have six unresolved traffic accident cases on my hands. It’s really overwhelming."
"I understand, Mr. Pang, go ahead with your work."
Without any further pleasantries, Mr. Pang left with his team. Zhou Ning took out his phone, about to call Xu Dayuan when his phone rang – the name Xu Da flashed insistently. This man was still as impatient as ever.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, that traffic accident case you just took over?"
"Yes, I went to the scene with them. The deceased was compressed in the car and completely disfigured. However, I found a reverse C-shaped injury behind the deceased’s ear on the temporal bone, an injury with signs of life. Has the traffic police handed it over to your team yet?"
"Yes, I’m on my way."
After ending the call, Mr. Zhao came over.
"Should I get Sun Gaotie ready for the autopsy?"
Zhou Ning nodded, and Mr. Zhao quickly waved to Sun Gaotie. Xia Momo and Mr. Qu also headed upstairs; if there were to be an autopsy, they would naturally need the just-prepared 3D X-ray images, as those were more standard. Furthermore, they needed to attempt to reconstruct the process of injury from the accident, which wasn’t something that could be completed in just a few minutes.
Liu Yongxin came over, frowning deeply.
"The victim’s facial fractures are severe, making it difficult to determine the cause of the fractures. We can’t pin all our hopes on software analysis, after all. This analysis also needs to be confirmed by the autopsy process, and whether these analyses can become evidence is still uncertain at this point."
Zhou Ning understood the problem Liu Yongxin was worried about; the software had not been officially launched yet and was still in the testing phase. Relying solely on this analysis wouldn’t be easily convincing, and the court might not accept it.
"Everything has to go through a process. Let Master and I do the autopsy later; then you’ll have a clear understanding," Zhou Ning said, reassuringly.
As they were talking, Xu Dayuan walked over quickly, slowing down only when he saw their hurried steps.
"The car owner, Zhang Guanglei, male, 35 years old, cannot be reached by phone. However, using his household registration information, we found his mother who lives in Xijing City and has limited mobility. She provided a work phone number for Zhang. He works at the Water Resources Bureau.
I just contacted them, and Zhang Guanglei didn’t go to work today, nor did he ask for leave. They couldn’t reach him either. They sent over a photo on QQ. He got married at the beginning of ’07, divorced at the end of the year, and bought a car that same year. His ex-wife is from a wealthy ’second-generation demolition’ family, and they had no children."
As he spoke, he found some photos and handed them to Zhou Ning and Liu Yongxin to examine. Zhou Ning identified Zhang Guanglei by a lump on his left ear, what the old saying calls a ’horse-tying post.’ Earlier, when observing the victim’s head, he had carefully identified a lump on the ear that was an exact match.
"Do we need to have his ex-wife come and identify the body?"
Zhou Ning’s intention was that a direct autopsy still required due process since there was scant evidence at the moment, just a blow to the head. Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"We already discussed this with Zhang Guanglei’s mother when we called her. If it’s proven that the deceased is Zhang Guanglei, an autopsy would be needed. She has already agreed, and we’ve recorded her consent. Let’s get to work!"
With Xu Dayuan saying as much, Zhou Ning naturally had no objections, and Liu Yongxin nodded in agreement. Only Mr. Zhao moved his chubby face closer, full of confusion.
"I mean, isn’t anyone curious why he bought an ’05 model car in ’07?"
Zhou Ning looked up at Mr. Zhao. When it came to cars, he was the type to get caught up in the details. But this was a very good habit, and after thinking for a moment, Zhou Ning said:
"I’ve been looking at cars recently, and someone explained to me that such cars are usually stock vehicles. There’s generally no issue with quality, but the price is significantly lower than when they first hit the market."
Mr. Zhao shook his head.
"Good quality cars don’t have stock vehicles, like a few brands in front that require mark-ups, especially in special colors. This is a joint venture car, and many who favor Korean styles would like it, especially since dramas from that region have been popular in recent years."
Zhou Ning paused, and Xu Dayuan slapped Mr. Zhao on the back.
"Not bad, kid, you’ve been using your brain lately. Don’t tell me you’re thinking in the same direction. The deceased got divorced in ’07, and several years have passed since then. We can investigate further, including his place of residence and social connections."
Zhou Ning didn’t chime in since Xu Dayuan had started making calls to arrange for these things. They walked towards the autopsy room, with Mr. Pang and his team using Autopsy Room One.
Sun Gaotie led them into Autopsy Room Two, which was actually the high decomposition autopsy room. The equipment was quite complete, and Zhou Ning had never used it before. Looking at the two severed parts on the autopsy table, he quickly went to change into his gear.
After a moment, after he and Liu Yongxin were ready, they approached the autopsy table. Mr. Zhao had finished taking photos, and Xu Dayuan, wearing a mask, watched from a distance. Sun Gaotie’s voice trembled slightly.
"Shall I assist you, Doctor Zhou?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"You just keep the records. Master and I will do the autopsy, Mr. Zhao will take photos, and let’s start the recording first."
Mr. Zhao turned on the recording device and gave a brief explanation about the victim and the time and place of the traffic accident. Of course, the description included the segmentation of the vehicle and the scanning that was conducted. Once finished, he looked at Zhou Ning.
Zhou Ning nodded, interlocked his hands, and adjusted his double-layered gloves for a tighter fit against his skin.
A plastic pad blocked the lower part of the victim’s upper body. It was necessary since the iron plate had severed the waist earlier during the separation; without the blockage, all the internal parts would spill out.
Still starting from the victim’s pupils, a surface examination of the body was performed down to the toes. The blocking board wasn’t touched; instead, samples from under the nails, inside the mouth, and from the wound were collected. As Zhou Ning examined, Mr. Zhao followed his fingers with his camera, continuously taking photos for documentation.
"Gao Tie, take the notes,"
