Free Web NovelChapter 30: Chapter 30 Can it be done like this?_1
Pressing down on the metal strip of his mask, Zhou Ning walked towards the smaller bedroom to the north.
In this room, two people had been living for the past few days. Moreover, the officers from the port police station had also been inside, so collecting fingerprints and footprints would not be very meaningful. It was still best to look at the body first.
The northern bedroom wasn’t large, with just a 1.5-meter-wide double bed and a bedside table. There was no wardrobe or anything else. By the door, there was a small plastic bag with a few clothes in it, presumably belonging to Song Luqing.
At this moment, the mattress on the bed had been pulled aside and was standing against the wall.
There were old stains of urine on the mattress, several patches like maps of varying sizes, emitting a strong odor. All four corners were frayed. Considering this was a rental property, he guessed it was provided by the landlord.
The bed’s wooden slats were of the ribbed type, with gaps in between. Through these gaps, he could see something stuffed close to the foot of the bed, wrapped in a green bedsheet with large patterns. An arm slipped out of the bedsheet, its exposed hand was purplish-black, and the crevices of the nails were pitch-black.
Zhao Xinli now came over, peeking past Zhou Ning. Having seen the previous giant body, he was unfazed by the state of this corpse.
"Wow, so it was really stuffed under the bed, huh? The person wasn’t very tall, right?"
Zhou Ning shook his head. He understood Zhao Xinli’s point: a bed 1.5 meters wide, with a body wrapped and placed crosswise, wouldn’t show any protruding parts.
"Judging by the shape, the person was curled up and packed. Help me move the slats aside, and remove the four frames at the sides of the bed?"
Zhao Xinli slapped his chest.
"I’ll find someone for the physical work; you just wait, you won’t need to lift a finger."
He turned around and left, shortly summoning two officers inside to gently lift the bed slats and then remove the bed frame, leaving the head of the bed untouched.
Forensic Doctor Liu walked in at this point, glanced at the bundle by the north wall from the doorway, and went straight over to it.
"Stop looking, get to work taking pictures and securing the scene."
Zhou Ning hustled over. With Doctor Liu present, he felt neither panic nor haste. Following Doctor Liu’s finger positioning, he quickly helped with the photography.
Upon observation, the sheet wrapped around the corpse was tied in three places with rope. It was between the first and second knots that the arm had slipped out.
Doctor Liu nudged the deceased’s arm. It wasn’t stiff and moved slightly. That’s when he waved his hand.
"Prepare the body bag. We’ll lift the body into it shortly. I’m going to cut one of the ropes first to see the victim’s face."
Soon, the body bag arrived on a gurney. Zhao Xinli squeezed past, assisting Zhou Ning in lifting the body into the bag. During the lifting, there was a tearing sound near the head.
Zhou Ning laid down the body and looked down at the source of the sound. A fist-sized, dried bloodstain appeared on the floor, not very big. This discovery caused Doctor Liu to pause.
"I was careless, I wanted to preserve the complete state to examine in the autopsy room later. Alright, Zhou Ning, grab scissors and cut the ropes. Be careful to avoid the knots."
Zhou Ning picked up the scissors, straining to cut the rope around the neck. This green nylon rope seemed thin but was tough to cut, illustrating its durability.
When the rope was loosened, the bedsheet it wrapped was still fixed in its shape. He gently lifted a corner, the sheet was wound tightly. Doctor Liu took the scissors and cut through several layers of the fabric.
As they peeled it aside, the scene beneath the bedsheet was revealed to them.
Zhou Ning inhaled sharply, and Doctor Liu shivered. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"That intense, huh?"
Under the sheet was a plastic bag, the kind from a supermarket. He could see several layers, with newspapers as padding. However, blood had soaked through and was seeping from the crevices, giving Zhou Ning a bad feeling.
Doctor Liu paused for a moment, considering Xu Dayuan’s urgency. It was important to give some direction after completing the scene survey to advance the investigation.
"Continue to cut the bag open, but be careful!"
With scissors in hand, Zhou Ning began to cut along the edge, slicing through the three layers at once. He stopped when he reached the top. Doctor Liu and Zhou Ning each grabbed a side and gently lifted it to reveal a bloodied, mutilated face marred with hacking wounds.
The victim’s lips were missing a third, the left teeth were exposed, showing the first and second molars on the lower left as metallic silver dental crowns, the spaces between the teeth stained brown with nicotine or tea.
There were three loops of the green nylon rope around the neck, deeply embedded into the flesh, leaving a distinct, dark-brown, leather-like ridge.
"The face is destroyed; the wounds appear to be caused by multiple knife cuts. The perpetrator must be either an acquaintance or someone with deep animosity."
Zhou Ning didn’t say anything, closely examining the victim’s crown. The hair was salt and pepper, with few strands in the center and longer hair around the sides.
Several brown spots were near the ears and neck, the skin rough and peeling, very dark. The area underneath the collar was much lighter. Could the victim have worked outdoors?
As he was looking, the transparent display screen in front of him suddenly came alive.
Zhou Ning knew that whenever there was a case, the system would become busy. Sure enough, a familiar multiple-choice question appeared on the screen.
Beep. The system issues a task. Please, bound person, choose the task difficulty.
A. Basic task;
B. Intermediate Tasks;
C. Advanced Tasks.
Zhou Ning paid no mind, his thoughts wholly occupied by the corpse as he planned to make his choice later on.
Just then, Doctor Liu spoke up.
"What are you staring for? Measure the body length, mind the bent legs, just get an approximate figure. Once done, hurry and transport the body. This state is unfit for an external examination here."
Zhou Ning nodded and quickly measured the victim’s body length, roughly 170 centimeters. Doctor Liu made the record and then gestured with his hands.
"Alright, that’s it, let’s clear out."
Zhou Ning covered the victim’s bloodied and indistinct face with a plastic bag, zipped up the body bag, and Zhao Xinli wheeled the cart away. Just as Zhou Ning was about to turn around, the system alarm started blaring.
Beep, warning!
Beep, warning!
Beep, warning!
The bound person did not make a selection within the allotted time; the system defaults to the highest level task mode.
Zhou Ning paused.
Damn it, what a dirty trick, can it even do this?
The last intermediate task was already difficult enough, and now an advanced task? Are they trying to kill me? I’m just a rookie forensic doctor!
The system default, the bound person has selected an advanced task, task release in progress.
Advanced Task Content:
1. Ascertain the cause of the victim’s death, time allocated 6 hours;
2. Identify the victim’s identity, time allocated 48 hours;
3. Find the murderer and determine the motive, time allocated 10 days.
Zhou Ning was speechless; he didn’t even have the energy to curse. Given that the last tough case allowed a timeline of 72 hours, and this time a straight ten days were provided, it was evident that this case was more challenging.
As he pondered, a pain shot through his foot, and Doctor Liu glared at him.
"What are you dazing about for? This isn’t the primary crime scene. Other than the little bloodstains that seeped out, there’s no other trace. Let’s go back for an autopsy. With the victim’s face hacked up like this, it’s going to be hard to identify them."
Zhou Ning nodded, picked up the investigation kit, and stepped out of the apartment building, just as Xu Dayuan also happened by.
"What’s up, any discovery from the external examination?"
Zhou Ning shook his head, frowning deeply.
"The victim’s face has been deliberately mutilated, rendering their features unrecognizable. We have very little information at present. The victim had some balding and graying hair, age spots behind the ears and on the neck, and was about 170 centimeters tall. I estimate the age to be over fifty."
As he said this, Doctor Liu walked over, tearing off his gloves and mask, and gestured for Zhou Ning to open the camera. Zhou Ning knew what Liu Yongxin meant; he wanted Xu Dayuan to see the victim’s skin color and fingers because the colors were very indicative.
"Find the photos of the neck and hands, yes, this one. The skin color of the victim’s face, neck, and arms is very dark, hinting at the traces of being commonly exposed to the sun over the years. The nails are also very dark, and it seems like there’s dirt in the crevices of the fingerprints.
Detailed sample analysis needs to be done back in the autopsy room, but I conjecture that the victim might have been a construction site worker. The deceased’s lower left first and second molars were capped with metal, something that’s rare these days, as it’s not as safe as porcelain, but it is much cheaper.
That’s about all we can analyze for now; let’s head back and prepare for the autopsy. Identifying the victim won’t be easy."
Xu Dayuan nodded, placing a hand on Doctor Liu’s shoulder.
"You guys go ahead, get me the autopsy details as soon as you can. I’ve got absolutely no leads here. The community’s surveillance footage has been copied, but the northern wall of this complex isn’t sealed off, and the video quality isn’t clear. I’ve asked people to check the surrounding construction sites."
Doctor Liu sighed.
"Troublesome indeed, let’s take one step at a time!"
...
[1]Parchment-like Transformation:
During life, every organ and tissue in the human body contains a certain amount of water. After death, the body loses its moisture intake capacity, blood circulation stops, and water lost through evaporation no longer gets replenished. Water quickly evaporates from thinner areas of the corpse’s skin and where the epidermis is peeling, leading to local drying. The affected areas become wax-yellow, tan, or dark brown in color, and the tissue hardens, resulting in what is called parchment-like transformation, also known as local desiccation.
Parchment-like transformation can make abrasions more noticeable. Wounds, grooves, and epidermal peels that occurred before death can dry out shortly after death, making them appear clearer. Similar dehydration can occur postmortem, but parchment-like transformations that appear after death are lighter in color, lacking the hemorrhage and other signs of life.
