The phenomenon known as adipocere formation, or corpse wax, occurs when a body is preserved for a long time in water-saturated soil or an airless environment. The body's fats transform into a waxy substance, halting decomposition. The body gradually hardens, eventually resembling plaster. Adipocere formation makes it difficult to determine the time of death. The process typically takes six to seven months, and in summer, bodies are prone to developing the "giant corpse" phenomenon.
If a body is preserved for an extended period in water-saturated soil or an airless environment, its fats will convert into a waxy substance, halting decomposition. The body will then gradually harden, ultimately becoming similar to plaster.
Adipocere formation makes it difficult to determine the time of death. The process generally takes six to seven months. In summer, bodies are prone to exhibiting the "giant corpse" phenomenon.
I never expected to find such a rare, preserved specimen here. Most of them appear to be female. That damp feeling earlier must have been the soapy water leaking from the bodies. This is the professional term for the viscous fluid that seeps from adipocere. These bodies must have been dead for at least half a year. Fortunately, it's spring; otherwise, I would have been faced with a collection of bodies in the "giant corpse" state.
Connecting with what Mi Xuelei had said earlier, I realized this person had been faking it all along. She must be connected to the plane crash cases from recent years. The other victims were likely unaware of any wrongdoing. This person, for some reason, managed to return. She should currently be within the 48-hour interrogation period. Could she have escaped?
However, our provincial department's security is so stringent; she couldn't have gotten out. Could it be that this woman isn't Mi Xuelei, but merely someone who looks exactly like her?
These problems are currently insurmountable. I can only temporarily avoid these horrifying, viscous corpses and explore outwards. My first priority is to find Xia Xiaoling, and second, to uncover the secret of this house.
I had initially hoped everyone would arrive here quickly, but I walked for some time without hearing any commotion from upstairs.
I noticed that the spot where I fell was at least 5 meters away from the first floor. At this distance, sounds should theoretically be audible. Typically, normal human hearing can pick up sounds at five meters, with decibel levels of 30 to 40, which is comparable to quiet conversation.
The human ear can be divided into three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. It can perceive a wide range of sounds within a frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. Human speech frequencies are contained within the range of 200 to 8,000 Hz, with the most concentrated frequencies between 500 and 2,000 Hz. Frequencies above 20,000 Hz are termed ultrasound, and those below 20 Hz are called infrasound.
Yet, I heard nothing at all. The silence was profound, unnervingly so, making my own heartbeat and breathing sound remarkably loud. As I continued to move forward, I was surrounded by more adipocere corpses, sprawled in grotesque poses. A thick, soupy liquid constantly oozed from them, filling the vast space with an overwhelmingly putrid odor that still made my stomach churn and my head spin. My nose felt like a broken engine, choked with decaying matter, unable to function.
It was also like a water pump stuck in the mud by a huge lake, clogged with weeds and silt, rendering it useless no matter how hard it tried to operate!
This was the first time I felt so powerless, as if a crucial element had been removed, leaving no room for maneuver. No matter how much effort I exerted, I was still surrounded by countless adipocere corpses. Eventually, their forms seemed to converge, creating a 360-degree embrace of deathly remnants that appeared to have congealed here for years. They looked terrified, staring at some unknown object in the center, their expressions frozen in the moment of death, even as they lay there.
The scene before me was incredibly eerie. On the sunken faces of many female corpses, one could see the eyeballs that seemed about to burst from their sockets, and their mouths, gaping black holes, revealed endless, deep passages. Even a single such female corpse would be enough to terrify anyone, let alone countless female corpses clustered in a surrounding formation. I remember that even I dared not step any further.
Maintaining my composure, my vision began to blur under the relentless stench. When the olfactory nerves are overloaded with stimulation, it can affect certain tissues in the cerebral cortex, which is why some people faint from intense odors.
The terrifying stench can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, cerebral infarction, and rapid decline in cardiac function. I finally understood this feeling. As I tried to resist, my nerves were already severely affected. Yet, I pushed past these corpses. About 5 meters away from them, I coughed a few times, expelled some toxic fluid, and collapsed on the ground.
I felt myself being dragged away from that gloomy, dark place after I passed out. I was moved to an open space filled with medical equipment, numerous medicine bottles, and machines like heart monitors and ventilators. A man wearing round glasses, with a full beard and a white lab coat, was tending to me. Before I could fully regain consciousness, he injected me with some unknown drug. Suddenly, I became alert, but my limbs felt completely powerless! I knew he was doing this intentionally; he was going to perform surgery on me!
He approached with a grim expression, his stubble rubbing against my skin, making a creaking sound like a wild beast gnawing on bones. He picked up a scalpel and skillfully moved it back and forth across my abdomen. Then, he pulled out a chip from his pocket. "I really like these chips. I can implant one into your body, Ahahaha! Experience the feeling of being poisoned! Detective He, remember my name is Gongsun Hao. I am a veterinarian from the Gongsun family, the 'Heaven Punishers.' You are now a living specimen on my operating table. Hmm... I'll send you back later!"
Gongsun Hao?
I recall a criminal from before, someone named Gongsun Jiayi. Could this man be connected to the owner of Violet Manor?
As I pondered this, Gongsun Hao seemed to read my thoughts and explained, "Yes, I am Gongsun Jiayi's brother. I didn't expect us to meet after so many years. But since you are enemies of the Criminal Alliance, it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths. Alright, I'm going to cut open your abdomen now!"