The aunt's expression shifted slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about! I had nothing to do with that old man! Stop asking me here!"
"I'm telling you, lying to the police has only one outcome: a wasted effort! It's not mandatory for you to speak now, but anything you say will become court evidence! Perjury alone carries a sentence of over 10 years!" Gao Mingqiang's tone grew serious, his voice rising considerably.
"I... I didn't... Don't speak nonsense. That old man wasn't related to me, why would I hide anything!" the aunt insisted stubbornly.
"Then I don't know. Perhaps you received a bribe from someone! Or you were threatened!" Gao Mingqiang's voice rose again. It was clear this aunt wasn't psychologically strong. Soon, she slumped like a deflated balloon and confessed, "It's all my fault, sob sob! Actually, I'm not living alone. My son was also... was also taken by those bad people. Before that, I saw a girl and an old man living opposite. I thought it was strange then, who were these two? But they didn't bother me, so I didn't care. Who knew that two days ago, a man and a woman came to my house. It was late at night. They quietly carried my child away. If they hadn't left a note saying my child was in their hands, I wouldn't even have known what was happening..."
"So discreet?" It seemed these two had received professional training. Otherwise, how could they have entered the house without making a sound? The aunt had lied earlier, saying she hadn't seen the old man for a month, which was clearly false. The potted plants she kept could only last a day without water, and my grandfather and He Xin wouldn't have watered them, as they weren't hers.
They must have stayed in the flat for a short time before leaving. At this moment, I picked up the glowing object I had found in the dirt earlier. Only now did I open the crack in the middle. It turned out to be a plastic ball with a note inside: "We witnessed Guo Yada being murdered and dismembered with our own eyes. The body is in the backyard outside the balcony. We are sorry, He Sheng, we couldn't resist at the time. If we had exposed ourselves too soon, everything would have been ruined. Keep going! We have infiltrated the Daosui organization. Whether we succeed in the end depends on your outside help... Keep going, we hope you can continue to use your仵作 (wǔzuò - coroner's) skills to solve this case..."
Seeing the message my grandfather had carefully left for me, I knew he must have been very scared at the time, fearing it would be discovered by the other party, which would foil their plan. Fortunately, this risky move eventually paid off. For some reason, looking at the handwriting on the note, my eyes blurred, and my heart was filled with mixed emotions...
"Grandpa, I will definitely succeed. You both must be careful too! Remember, He Xin is about to become a mother..."
I vowed in my heart to work with my grandfather to eradicate the Daosui criminal organization, which had been unable to be completely eliminated for 12 years.
This was our bargaining chip to continue dealing with Polaris. The scene had finally been investigated. Although my grandfather and He Xin were taken away, I now knew they were safe, and I was relieved.
I asked everyone to immediately go to Guo Yada's backyard. We searched everywhere and finally found half a hand sticking out from under a willow tree. The scene was extremely bloody and bizarre. Half a hand was exposed to the open air, and just looking at it, we could imagine the person buried deep beneath the soil. "Dig!"
At my command, everyone picked up shovels and began digging under the willow tree. As the soil was continuously turned over, we gradually saw a left arm, then a right arm, followed by a head, a torso, and legs. We laid them out on the ground like building blocks and then pieced them together. The deceased slowly appeared before me. Fortunately, the body was relatively intact. From the surface of the body, we analyzed that the death had occurred about 24 hours prior, which matched the time of disappearance. At least this wouldn't cause us any more trouble.
I didn't want to linger on the examination of the body, as I had other matters to attend to. After Xie Chuchu and Ling Xiaotao arrived, they conducted a preliminary examination of the scene. Ling Xiaotao said proficiently, "The corpse's limbs and tendons were severed. The body temperature dropped quickly, considering the influence of recent heavy rain and air humidity. There were no signs of binding or struggle on the surface of the body. Many cutting marks were likely found. Preliminary comparison suggests the deceased was injured while unconscious. In the midst of the killer's abuse, he woke up, but due to his severed tendons and bones, he was unable to resist... Additionally, his tongue was cut off..."
As she spoke, I looked at the ground around us. Indeed, there was some standing water, indicating it had rained. We had been so busy lately that we hadn't had time to pay attention to the weather.
"So brutal? But why did those people kill the old man, and so violently? If I'm not mistaken, they weren't just here to stay temporarily? They killed him because there was an outsider here, and they couldn't stay in the house if he wasn't dealt with," Liu Yuning said seriously, holding his law enforcement recorder.
"Yes, if people from Daosui kill someone, it's probably beyond normal psychological consideration. I noticed that half a hand was deliberately exposed. My biggest worry is that they already knew about Grandpa and He Xin..." I said.
"I hope not. If that's the case, they're in danger."
"But this isn't the first time such a situation has occurred. It depends on who's the best actor!"
As I replied, Gao Mingqiang gave a wry smile, while Xiao Yuande's face showed a hint of understanding.
We returned to the provincial department. The body was handed over to the forensics department. However, the clever Xie Chuchu borrowed my corpse investigation tools, likely wanting to showcase her skills and improve work efficiency. I gave a reminder and didn't personally examine the body, instead asking Yuan Hezhe and other technicians to continue tracking the man and woman, as well as Grandpa and He Xin.
Even if we have to wait, we must be cautious. Otherwise, if we completely lose contact, it will be troublesome. Du Yuting back then was also like this. I truly worry that Grandpa and He Xin might disappear for over a decade like her without returning.
If such a situation truly arises, I fear I might become like my uncle. This is a very serious matter. Having not experienced it myself, I felt anxious and uneasy. Earlier, I had felt relieved, but it was only for a fleeting moment. Once I calmed down, I realized that such matters could never be so easily brushed aside.