Free Web NovelChapter 418: Chapter 395 Bloodstains on the Leaf_1
At this time, the suction truck hadn’t arrived yet.
It was probably arranged by the village chief, who stood at the crossroad, constantly shouting at the crowd to disperse, leaving a passage open, after all, the roads on both sides were impassable and vehicles simply couldn’t get through.
However, he still underestimated the curiosity of the onlookers, who would scatter only to crowd around again before long.
Da Wang’er shouted out, calling over a dozen policemen to stand on both sides of the septic tank, finding five or six huge metal oil drums and a couple of large iron spoons with long handles somewhere.
Under Mr. Zhao’s direction, they started scooping out the contents of the septic tank one spoonful at a time, and with such exertion, the smell rose to another level. It seemed that Mr. Pang was affected by the stench to the point he turned his head and retched. This action was highly contagious, and instantly there was a chorus of retching sounds around them.
Zhou Ning waved at Mr. Pang, who hurried over, his face filled with guilt and even some tears from the nausea.
"Boss, I’m embarrassed. I just couldn’t hold it in."
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It’s a normal physiological response. Don’t overthink it. You go to the yard and watch over the excavation work. The hardened cement has to be broken up before we can take a look, then we can clear it for digging. We mustn’t act recklessly. If the excavator goes in without planning, we’ll lose all the clues."
Mr. Pang understood that Zhou Ning was sparing him from having to watch over the septic tank. He felt a mix of guilt and gratitude and hurried toward the yard.
Zhou Ning walked to Da Wang’er’s side. As the large spoon stirred, the area around the septic tank became a bit of an eyesore.
Pushing his glasses up, Zhou Ning pressed the metal strip at the top of his mask, and then waved to everyone to stop what they were doing. Mr. Zhao quickly jumped over, and from the look of the mask strings around his ears, one could tell he had at least three layers on, his cautiousness was focused there.
"What’s the matter, Zhou Xiaozhou, are we doing something wrong?"
Zhou Ning shook his head and spotted a tool resembling a giant strainer with a long handle. He picked it up, checking it for sturdiness by shaking it in his hand. Despite seeming flimsy, it was quite strong.
"The victim was dismembered. Among the body parts we’ve found were the torso and limbs. The only things missing are the head and hands and feet. Considering the last time the victim was seen, it’s been over half a month.
"The temperature has only started to drop in the past couple of days. There are still insects in the septic tank. If the missing parts were thrown in there, they might have turned into skeletons or partially so by now. Moreover, the skull is heavy and might have sunk to the bottom.
"So don’t rush to sift through the surface. Let’s try to gently scoop from the bottom to feel for the skull. This way, we can quickly determine if our previous guess was accurate."
As Zhou Ning spoke, he had already started using the giant strainer to reach the bottom of the septic tank. The tank didn’t seem very large, but only when the rod was inserted did it become apparent that it was about 1.5 meters deep, leaving about a meter of the rod visible.
Zhou Ning knelt on the ground and gently moved the strainer along the edge, feeling his way around the boundary beneath the septic tank. As he circled to the east side, the strainer suddenly met resistance.
Pressing down with effort, Zhou Ning gently shook the strainer, and the obstruction seemed to move along with it. He grasped the handle firmly with both hands, flipping the strainer towards the edge and gradually lifting it up.
Mr. Zhao moved closer, grabbing the wooden pole with Zhou Ning. Da Wang’er seemed to realize something had been found and yelled out for help, but Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Don’t rush into action. We’ll lift it up a bit. Those of you with spoons, just lend a hand from below, and don’t suddenly exert force, got it?"
The others nodded. At this moment, they seemed to have forgotten the stench as they were excitedly anticipating a significant discovery. If they found the skull, it would be a major find.
With force applied, Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao gradually retreated, and with the help of several officers, they pulled the strainer out of the septic tank. At the moment it emerged, everyone gasped involuntarily.
It was a skull!
On the skull, there was a clump of dark, stringy material that appeared to be hair. Most of the skull’s tissue had already fallen off, and as it was removed from the septic tank, the decaying tissue kept shedding.
Zhou Ning’s hands had lost their strength, and he quickly turned and shouted:
"Give me a hand, catch it, and don’t let all the tissue peel off."
Upon his shout, Da Wang’er was quick to act. Holding a basin bare-handed, he caught the skull. However, his arms became smeared with a lot of filth.
Da Wang’er didn’t mind and carried the basin to one side, a smile he couldn’t hide on his face.
"Director Zhou, you all are amazing, inferring that the skull could be in here. I generally get the idea now. You guys step back, it’s just a matter of taking out all this filth bit by bit, screening it through to find the remaining hands and feet, or bones, right?"
Zhou Ning nodded and patted Mr. Zhao’s hand.
"There’s no problem with the procedure, but don’t rush like this. Take off the dirty clothes and put on the high decomposition gear, then proceed with the screening. Once the skull is found, we won’t be in a hurry anymore. The nature of the case is now clear, and everything can be done slowly."
Da Wang’er was obedient and took off his police coat, threw it into a bag, hurried over to put on the high-decomposition protective clothing, got fully dressed, and with his gas mask on, he commented in a muffled voice.
"I have to say, once you put this thing on, you can’t smell a thing. I was just too hasty. Alright, everyone step back, we’re going to start sifting. Clear the onlookers from the perimeter.
Those who are just here to watch and don’t care about their phones, just say so. We’ll collect them and hand them over to the village committee after we finish sorting everything out. Anyone who wants their phone back later on won’t get any of the village’s holiday benefits or bonuses—that’ll do for the announcement!"
Zhou Ning was somewhat surprised. Although Da Wang’er seemed simple-minded, he was actually quite clever, somewhat similar to Mr. Zhao. This arrangement seemed a bit muddled, but it was the most effective with the locals. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Sure enough, after someone went and made the announcement, the crowd thinned out by more than half.
Director Zhou also echoed the sentiment. Several elderly ladies remained, some toothless, some leaning on walking sticks. They didn’t try to clear them out anymore. After all, any minor incident with such people could lead to ’colossal’ troubles later on.
Zhou Ning saw no issues with their screening process and turned to enter the courtyard; Mr. Pang hurried over.
"Boss, the ground has mostly been broken up, but it seems different from the kind at our place. Underneath, there’s no compacting nor any bricks laid—just cement poured directly onto the ground, and it’s extremely thin, two centimeters at its thinnest, so it shattered after just a few hits. Do we check now, or should we just clear it outright?"
Zhou Ning walked over, and the jackhammer had already been moved back. Indeed, the thickness of the cement on the ground was very thin, with the soil underneath loosely spread for leveling before the cement was poured.
Approaching the doghouse area, there were no wooden planks, but under the cement fragments, one could see fresher sand with a completely different color from the surroundings. It seemed that the cellar was indeed in this location.
"Have people push the cement chunks to the north side, then move the jackhammer out and let the excavator come in. Find a skillful operator to expand the area around this sand infill and start digging it up. Place the soil that’s dug up on the south side. Got it?"
Mr. Pang nodded.
"Don’t worry, boss. I’ll arrange that right away. The cellar looks pretty big; the outline of the sand seems to be about ten square meters."
Zhou Ning said nothing. Mr. Zhao came over; he had washed his hands but kept shaking them off. He offered Zhou Ning an alcohol wipe.
"Let’s put everything else on hold for the moment and clean up quickly. Should I have someone wash the skull to remove residual tissue and hair and send it all directly to Mrs. Cui?"
Zhou Ning frowned and nodded reluctantly.
"Mr. Qu went with them to the Dayao City Bureau. Even if he was here, we don’t have the scanning equipment. Have Da Wang’er assign someone to take these things back. Just rinse them slightly and find an empty sorting box to pack these items and send them off."
Mr. Zhao hurried to make arrangements. The excavator entered the area, and its noise was a lot quieter than the jackhammer. Under Mr. Pang’s direction, they began to excavate the soil around the sand.
Zhou Ning walked to a corner of the courtyard and called Liu Yongxin. After all, Liu Yongxin had two rookies with him, and Zhou Ning was somewhat worried about Mr. Wang’s expertise. Plus, they had been gone so long without any news; if they hadn’t found anything, they should have returned by now.
Soon, Liu Yongxin answered the phone.
"I knew it, you’re worried, huh? Rest assured, we’re fine. Yang Liang’s greenhouse is quite large. We’ve made some discoveries here. I was just about to call you when your call came in."
As he spoke, Liu Yongxin laughed, pleased that his apprentice was so concerned about him.
"Oh, what did you find? Bloodstains? Or did you find the murder weapon?"
"You wish. No weapon, but we’ve found tissue fragments and bloodstains—splash patterns, no less. Although the ground has been tilled over again, we found traces on the sides of the greenhouse and on some plant leaves. We’re marking the area and taking photos. It seems that the dismemberment likely took place right here."
Zhou Ning was taken aback. According to Director Zhou, the greenhouse was not close to Yang Liang’s house. Had the killer gone there to avoid being overheard? But why fill the cellar?
Was there something in the cellar that needed to be hidden?
Zhou Ning was now confused, but Liu Yongxin’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You’re so busy asking about me, why is it so noisy there? Have you found something?"
"After comparing photos, we’ve found that there’s a cellar beneath the newly hardened ground in the yard. The timing of the ground hardening is precisely October 22, which matches up with the time the victim was killed. I suspected this was the site of the dismemberment. However, it seems I might have been mistaken.
"We’ve found bloodstains near the septic tank, and we’ve started the salvage operation. Luckily, I’ve found a woman’s skull, with long hair, and the decay suggests a duration of about half a month. Some tissues are missing, and it’s already on its way to Mrs. Cui. Do you need me to come over and check on your side?"
