Recalling the moment, I suddenly heard a voice calling out to me: "Senior, hurry up and start! What are you doing?"
I snapped back to attention, realizing my scalpel was still hovering over the female corpse's skull. I quickly composed myself, gestured an apology, and then began to meticulously dissect the deceased's body.
I started directly from the skull, dividing her body from head to toe. The blood and epidermal fibers had already been extracted.
First, I examined the deceased's esophagus. Upon dissecting it, I discovered some food residue hidden within. I carefully extracted it with tweezers, finding it to be some beans. However, when we opened the deceased's stomach and used a spoon to retrieve the stomach fluid, we found no similar food residue. This proved that the beans were stuffed into the deceased's esophagus later.
"Did the killer force-feed the victim during the attack?" Xie Chuchu speculated.
"These beans seem to have an alcoholic scent!" I remarked.
"We need to send them for analysis!" Xiao Dong replied, immediately collecting the beans and placing them into a test tube.
I nodded. Based on the stomach contents and the anal temperature analysis, the time of death aligned. I then examined the deceased's lungs; everything appeared normal. Next, I looked at her abdomen. It was better not to look, but seeing it, I was somewhat surprised: "The deceased was pregnant!"
"What?" Xie Chuchu exclaimed, then added, "How do you know without any tests?"
"Look at the deceased's abdomen. Do you see a shape like 'Bai Lu' (White Dew)?"
"Bai Lu? Senior, what do you mean?"
"The 'Xi Yuan Ji Lu' (Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified) records that a one-month pregnancy resembles Bai Lu, two months like peach blossoms, three months distinguishable sex, four months fully formed, five months bones and tendons developed, six months hair grows, seven months the right hand moves (male on mother's left), eight months the left hand moves (female on mother's right), nine months turns three times, ten months fully developed. Look, at the location of the deceased's uterus, do you see a trace of Bai Lu!"
"Ah, Senior, it's true! It seems your He family coroner's knowledge is becoming increasingly useful!"
"Indeed. If modern times didn't only recognize forensic pathologists, I imagine I would still be assisting Director Huang as a coroner."
"Ah, it's just a different term, but your ability to combine coroner's techniques with forensic examination can only be beneficial!"
"Yes, please run another test to confirm it."
It wasn't that I didn't trust my grandfather's skills, but without a verified report, it couldn't be used as evidence. I asked Xie Chuchu to conduct the test to obtain a credential.
Modern crime-solving technology has advanced. Everything can be recorded with machines and computers, providing reports. In ancient times, records were kept in written form, and if they were destroyed, all evidence was lost. Modern technology, however, can be backed up, copied repeatedly, something ancient techniques could not achieve.
"Okay!" Xie Chuchu obediently left me. She had just used a cotton swab to collect some viscous material from the deceased's lower body.
After Xie Chuchu left, I was alone in the laboratory. I examined the deceased's lower body and found severe tearing and friction. There were also signs of fingernail scratches on her waist and chest, meaning the deceased had been violated before her death.
This scumbag!
I was filled with immense anger. I wondered if Li Fan would be so enraged he'd lose his temper if he knew this result. I decided not to tell him for now.
When Xie Chuchu returned, she said to me with admiration, "You guessed correctly, Senior. The female victim was indeed one month pregnant."
"Mm," I replied, touching the deceased's body. I noticed her skin and ribs were contorted at a twenty-degree angle, indicating she had been pushed to the ground and thrashed around.
One could imagine how much pain the deceased suffered during the assault. Just then, Xiao Dong also returned. He had already analyzed the composition of the beans. As I looked at the report, I realized they weren't any type of bean we typically saw, but rather ones molded from plastic.
"Molded beans, interesting. This killer seems to be constantly updating their methods, continuously thinking of various interesting ways. From the first victim to the one a month later, the killing methods have significantly improved!"
As soon as I said this, Xie Chuchu complained, "Senior, are you praising the killer?"
"No, to catch him, we must approach it from his psychology, immerse ourselves in his killing mindset. Only then can we follow the clues to find the killer."
"Really? If you truly think so, you should go back to the scene and reconstruct the crime," Xie Chuchu suggested.
I had the same idea but didn't know who to ask for help. Reconstructing the scene would ideally require a woman's perspective.
I left the remaining autopsy work to Xie Chuchu and Xiao Dong and went back to the criminal investigation team. After finding Liu Yuning, she asked, upon hearing my thoughts, "It's quite a distance to Xie Zhi Mountain, isn't it? Are you sure you want to go?"
"Heh, why don't you suggest going to the villa?" I inquired.
"Let's go to both places. We'll start with the villa!" Liu Yuning said.
I nodded, thinking it might be too dangerous with just the two of us. I looked at Gao Mingqiang and asked him to join. Hearing that we were going back to the crime scene, Gao Mingqiang was a bit hesitant at first, but with my urging, he finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Before we left, I asked He Xin to assist some officers in continuing to investigate Zang Yiqing's social connections to uncover more clues. We decided against holding a criminal case discussion meeting for now, as there had been no significant breakthroughs, and it wouldn't be very meaningful. It was better to proceed directly with the task.
The three of us returned to the villa where the crime occurred. I had Gao Mingqiang and Liu Yuning play the roles of two victims, while I played the killer. After some discussion, Liu Yuning sat on the villa's sofa, quietly watching television, while Gao Mingqiang waited on the balcony upstairs.
I cautiously entered the house, a rope in my hand, and quietly approached Liu Yuning, who was engrossed in watching TV. She pretended not to notice my entry and remained quiet. Suddenly, I grabbed her from behind, tied her up, and pushed her onto the sofa!
During this process, Liu Yuning struggled continuously, and we even nudged the sofa a bit. Unexpectedly, because the sofa shifted slightly, we discovered a paintbrush used for tattooing beneath the floorboards.
I quickly released Liu Yuning and told Gao Mingqiang to come down. As I picked up the tattooing brush, I excitedly said, "It seems we've made quite a discovery this time!"