Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 52 HPV_1
"We need to add one more test, Eighth Hospital can do it. The deceased’s external genitalia and anal region have papillomas and have had excisions done. Look here, these are scars left by surgery, and these areas have recurred, indicating the deceased knew what kind of disease they had."
Zhao Xinli blinked his small eyes; he didn’t understand and had no idea what Zhou Ning was talking about.
"What disease?"
"HPV genital warts."
Zhao Xinli shuddered. This thing, just like HIV, terrified people when mentioned—as both diseases inevitably involve sexual matters.
Zhou Ning took a deep breath, gestured to Zhao Xinli to take photos, and then began to expand with a speculum for examination.
There were congestion and minor damage inside the vagina, indicating that the deceased had engaged in sexual activity shortly before death. Zhou Ning quickly took multiple samples from inside the vagina, not neglecting even the cervical opening, as it could retain some spermatozoa; perhaps they could be preserved given the rapid freezing state.
Zhou Ning stood up and began to suture the deceased’s chest and abdomen, while talking to Zhao Xinli.
"The tubes with blue caps, send them now to Eighth Hospital’s lab for HPV testing. Have the remaining samples sent to the City Inspection Center and label them. For the hair, we need a DNA analysis to determine if it’s human; if not, I want to know what animal it’s from."
Zhao Xinli blinked his small eyes in surprise, glanced at the voice recorder, and confirmed it was off before speaking:
"Hold on, wait a minute, I’m all confused. Do you think the hair isn’t human?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"I know you think it’s pubic hair, but human pubic hair is short, curly, tough and flat with strong elasticity, while head hair is stiff and straight. Even with the natural curls you mentioned, the ends would show evidence of trimming, with clear cut surfaces."
Zhao Xinli stiffened his neck, still unconvinced.
"Maybe it’s underarm hair?"
"Underarm hair, although short and curly, is extremely soft, but these two hairs are too thin and lack follicles in their spiral shape." freёweɓnovel.com
Zhao Xinli smacked his lips and, without further ado, hurried off to arrange the testing. It wasn’t long before Mr. Liu and Elder Cui came over with a gurney, and with Zhou Ning having completed the sutures, they worked together to transport the body out, while Zhou Ning began to organize the autopsy report.
Just then, Xu Dayuan returned and glanced at his wristwatch and the now-empty autopsy table.
"Is the autopsy done? Did you find anything?"
Zhou Ning nodded and waved the clipboard in his hand.
"Just finished, but I haven’t organized it yet."
Xu Dayuan waved his hand.
"Come on, let’s get something to eat. We can talk while we eat."
Zhou Ning took off the suit he had been wearing, grabbed a white lab coat to put on, as his down jacket had been wet by the ice water and had to be left to dry. After washing his hands, he followed Xu Dayuan out of the autopsy room. There were many people in the yard. Xu Dayuan waved his hand dismissively.
"We’re pressed for time. We still need to talk with the hospital staff later. Let’s just grab something at the beef soup place outside the Eighth Hospital gate. Don’t go ordering drinks or expensive dishes; if you do, pay with your own money."
Everyone joined in the teasing, all ravenous and clamoring towards the entrance of the Eighth Hospital. Zhou Ning didn’t see Zhao Xinli anywhere, turned back intending to check his phone, when Xu Dayuan patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Don’t bother looking for Zhao Xin. When it comes to food, he’ll always be the first one there. I’ve told him to notify them to prepare in advance, otherwise, we would be waiting forever. Let’s get a move on; we’ll talk while we eat. Don’t just wait for the lab results this afternoon; join the interrogation hearings, it might help with your... what’s that software again?"
Zhou Ning didn’t dare respond, realizing that Xu Dayuan was looking for manpower. Yet, he didn’t mind the arrangement within the team; in fact, the more he knew, the more it helped with his book, considering the readers were eager to see what became of the murderer.
With that said, they arrived across from the Eighth Hospital.
A small sign read "Huainan Beef Soup." Despite it being past mealtime in winter, the place was still bustling with activity. Zhao Xinli pointed at two tables inside the outdoor shed and gestured everyone to follow him in.
Once inside the shed, they found it quite nice—not the breezy umbrella type one sees in summer. The shelter had doors made of Oxford fabric and clear windows. It didn’t feel cold sitting there, especially with the aroma of beef soup wafting through the air, making everything else seem unimportant.
Zhao Xinli pointed at the tables, directing everyone to sit down.
Each table had four bowls set on it, the rich aroma wafting from inside, with four small dishes placed in the middle: spicy pickled cabbage, cucumber with bean curd skin, shredded potato salad, and spicy kelp strips.
The small dishes were filled with enough food that, if placed on a big plate, would definitely fill it up. Just the skill of loading the dishes was discernible, it absolutely had to be Zhao Xinli’s handiwork.
"The four bowls on the left are all beef, which includes beef heart, beef blood, beef intestines, and beef head meat, while the four bowls on the right are pure beef, all part of a set meal."
One bowl per person, choose one and sit down, plus a slice of turnip cake. If it’s not enough, there won’t be any extra cakes. You’ll have to wait at least half an hour for the next batch, see the stove over there burning? They’ll keep serving until you’re full."
Zhao Xinli made himself clear, and Mr. Liu along with a few others from the surroundings made a beeline for the beef table. Zhao Xinli blinked and gave Zhou Ning a meaningful glance.
"How about it, you just finished an autopsy, can you handle this? If not, should I grab someone to switch it out for you?"
Zhou Ning waved his hand, he actually didn’t mind, the main thing was he was truly hungry and sat down beside Xu Dayuan.
Zhao Xinli and He Chunyang also sat at this table. The turnip meat cakes seemed to be in high demand, some of those who were hungry started eating them right away with breadsticks.
Just as Zhou Ning was about to drink the soup, Zhao Xinli passed him the seasoning box.
"Add your own salt and pepper powder, there’s also chili oil and vinegar over there."
After Zhou Ning added the seasonings and stirred the broth, the white soup was unlike the usual thin beef offal soup. He took a sip of the soup and immediately, his hungry and slightly aching stomach felt warm, also kicking his taste buds into gear.
"This really tastes good."
Xu Dayuan glanced over and said with a smile:
"Not just in Qidong District, but throughout the whole Qindao, wherever there’s good food, he knows all about it. However, their turnip meat cake is truly exceptional, and they don’t even allow takeout."
Zhou Ning’s hand, reaching out for the breadstick, paused as he followed Zhao Xinli’s method of mixing kelp strips and bean curd skin into the beef soup. He tried another spoonful of soup, and the flavor became even more delicious, as if a pot of beef soup had seafood added to it, and even the bean curd skin was chewy.
He quickly ate a few bites, and a waiter brought over the pies. One for each person, they were promptly distributed. Zhou Ning examined the pie, about the size of a soup bowl, flipping it over.
The turnip meat pie was not grilled in an electric baking pan, but a thin and crispy pie baked in the oven, kind of like an ultra-thin naan. Biting into it, the crispy crumbs fell, instantly filling the mouth with the flavor of meat and pickled vegetables.
"Mmm, this is so delicious!"
Zhou Ning muttered vaguely, hurrying back to his beef soup. Before long, the turnip meat pie, a breadstick, and the half bowl of beef soup he’d topped off were all gone.
Zhou Ning rubbed his belly and contentedly hummed.
"Ah, satisfying. How come I never discovered this place?"
"Originally it was just a street stall; the owner had no fixed spot. They’ve only recently acquired this shop, a little over a month ago."
After belching contentedly, Xu Dayuan saw no one else was in the tent and lowered his voice to ask:
"Dr. Zhou, tell me, what did you find during the autopsy?"
Zhou Ning wiped his mouth and placed the autopsy report clipboard on the table, pointing to it as he spoke.
"The deceased had dragging injuries on her feet, which, though pre-mortem, didn’t bleed much, indicating they occurred before death. Additionally, her respiratory tract and lungs contained a large amount of blood-tinged foam and drowning fluids, these two points suggest that the victim was alive when she was thrown into the water and drowned.
The stomach contents were quite refined, with the exception of shrimp, it was all vegetables. Right, that shrimp is our local oyster shrimp; the largest piece found in the chyme was over eighteen millimeters long.
One point suggests that although the victim was on a diet, she ate in a hurry, not chewing her food well, and then rushed to meet the killer, so the chyme was not well digested. Moreover, the shrimp was bigger than the norm; we don’t see oyster shrimps of this size in our markets unless reserved by high-class restaurants.
And the most important point, surgical scars and many exophytic growths were found around the external genitalia, I believe the victim was an HPV patient, treated several times over, her boyfriend, or sexually active partners would display corresponding symptoms."
Xu Dayuan paused.
"So, screen for HPV among those who knew her?"
