Chapter 124: Chapter 123 Repeat That Again_1
Xu Dayuan didn’t move but cast a glance at Mr. Zhao, who, without needing any instruction from Xu Dayuan, knew what to do and discreetly turned off the law enforcement recorder.
Xu Dayuan walked over to Luo Suqin, placing his hands on hers.
"Auntie, you should rest well first and take care of your health. Don’t you still want to see this book printed? As for handling this matter, I will report back to the bureau later. No matter the outcome, I will come and tell you afterward. Rest for now!"
Zhou Ning stood up as well, helping Luo Suqin to lay her hands back and adjusting her oxygen tube a bit. Comforting words failed him; after hearing Luo Suqin’s story, what remained was nothing but sighs.
The trio left the hospital room with Luo Suqin on the bed, her puzzled gaze following their departing figures. Without any excessive expression, she turned to look out the window once again.
After a glance back into the hospital room, Xu Dayuan waved his hand, and the three of them left the inpatient building. Outside, in the courtyard, all three simultaneously lit up a cigarette, their repressed emotions making their chests feel tight.
Mr. Zhao spat and was the first to lose his restraint.
"Piece of filth, I’ve seen parasites, but never one so shameless. Standing on the moral high ground on one hand, blaming his mother’s death on the old man, rife with curses, threats, and intimidation; he had every nasty trick up his sleeve. On the other hand, he constantly demanded from the old couple, leaving the old man without even the money to see a doctor."
"Is mooching off parents illegal?"
Xu Dayuan looked up at Mr. Zhao, who retracted his neck a bit.
Zhou Ning was the most conflicted because as soon as he left the room, his system kept clamoring, asking whether he wanted to submit the intermediate task.
Zhou Ning chose to delay, and by this point, he understood why the third point of this intermediate task said that if there were a murderer, find the murderer and all evidence to prove the cause of death.
Obviously, by the system’s recognition methods, all the evidence already could demonstrate that this was a case where Zhang Min’an died of natural causes, and Luo Suqin had dismembered his body. It might not align with conventional understanding, but this was Zhang Min’an’s lifelong wish.
And Luo Suqin, even knowing it was unreasonable, had followed his instructions. But how to submit such a case? Moreover, whether Luo Suqin would be prosecuted afterward was not something she could control.
Xu Dayuan made a phone call, and after several rings, the other end picked up.
"What’s up, old classmate?"
"I wanted to ask you something. An old man died, and his common-law wife, following his last wish, wanted to bury him on a mountain. But this mountain has no cemetery and is part of an archaeological site. The old lady cut up his body and discarded it on this mountain. Does this constitute the crime of insulting a corpse?"
"Whoa, old classmate, what is even going on? Did I miss something?"
"Cut the crap and hurry up to ask for me. It’s best to consult with the court. I need to have a clear understanding."
Seeing Xu Dayuan’s urgency, the other party became more serious.
"Wait for me, I happen to be at the intermediate court. It’s the first I’ve heard of such a case, we’ll go discuss it."
The call ended with a click, and Xu Dayuan immediately dialed another number.
"Continue to stand guard outside Luo Suqin’s hospital room, taking shifts, registering everyone entering and leaving, and also have the doctors closely monitor Luo Suqin."
After speaking, Xu Dayuan gestured, and they all got into the car.
No one spoke in the car; after all, after listening to Luo Suqin’s story, they were all weighed down with heavy hearts.
Xu Dayuan’s phone never stopped ringing. He’d also called Mr. Hu, who was serving as the chief of the criminal police brigade, to report the progress and all the evidence. Of course, he didn’t mention the matter he had asked someone to inquire about from the prosecutor’s office and the court.
For such an inconceivable case to be hiding such a truth behind it was a surprise for Mr. Hu. After all, he’d sent Xu Dayuan and his team specifically to solve this case, and now with the results in hand, he was pleased, regardless of the outcome.
After praising Xu Dayuan, Mr. Hu told him to hurry back to the bureau to compile all the evidence of the case into a written report for him, so he could discuss it with the bureau’s leadership. This matter, after all, had to be reported up to the municipal committee.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Dayuan had not yet lowered his hand when the phone rang again. Zhou Ning looked back to see Xu Dayuan straighten up; he knew it must be Xu Dayuan’s old classmate from the prosecutor’s office.
"Your recent question is quite rare. Whether it constitutes the crime of insulting a corpse, we debated with Mr. Sun from the intermediate court for a while, but we couldn’t be sure. I can only provide a personal opinion; without any prerequisites, I personally think it does constitute the crime.
The legal basis comes from Article 302 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China [Crimes of Theft, Insult, and Intentional Destruction of Corpses, Skeletal Remains, or Cremated Ashes]: Theft, insults, intentional damage to corpses, skeletal remains, or cremated ashes are punishable by up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or control.
The act of insulting a corpse can manifest in various ways, and the motives can be diverse as well. However, it should be deliberate subjectively, objectively there must be actions taken that insult the corpse, the doer needs to have criminal responsibility, and the object is that it offends the public order and good customs of society."
"Of course, in 1991, there was a case where Wang Ciniu cut off her son’s head and went to Jing City to file a complaint. At the time, her complaint was dealt with, but many people argued whether she committed the crime of insulting a corpse. However, in the end, she was not convicted. There aren’t many cases we can refer to. You understand what I’m saying, right?"
Xu Dayuan nodded continuously.
"I understand, if there’s precedent, and it was the deceased’s last wish, does it not constitute a crime?"
"Yes, but how can you prove it?"
Xu Dayuan pursed his lips, and Zhou Ning also held his breath, for it was this very question that was crucial—how can you prove it?
How can you prove that it was Zhang Min’an’s last wish? How can you prove that Zhang Min’an had not taken any drugs or died of suffocation, after all, these are not definitively indicated on the skeleton, even though it is known that his life was coming to an end, there’s still no evidence to support it.
Xu Dayuan ended the call, and the car had already arrived at the municipal bureau’s compound. As Zhou Ning got out of the car, he quickly said:
"I will organize all the materials here later, along with several videos. I’ll copy them onto a USB drive and send them over to you."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"Just take them directly to Mr. Hu’s office in Room 507 on the fifth floor; I’ll head there first."
Zhou Ning, dragging Mr. Zhao with him, got out of the car and hurried towards the technical department at the back. As soon as they reached the first floor, they saw Zhu Zuozhang coming out from the autopsy room, nodding slightly to Zhou Ning.
"Doctor Zhou, did you go out to a scene?"
"Yep, just got back!"
Zhu Zuozhang seemed surprised but was indeed intrigued.
"Was it the 2.21 case?"
Zhou Ning nodded again; they walked upstairs together. Actually, Zhou Ning really didn’t want to talk about it now, but Zhu Zuozhang had a good sense of boundary, merely showing concern for Zhou Ning.
"This case is not easy, after all, it’s all bones. I’m not good at bone identification, but if you need any help, just tell me. Our team will do our best to assist you, especially since we don’t have many cases on our hands these days."
Zhou Ning smiled at Zhu Zuozhang, taking in his goodwill. The man was more experienced and capable of handling criminal cases, which showed his ability was not to be questioned, especially since the two older ones had gone to handle traffic cases.
"We’ve done what we can here, and it’s come to a close, thanks to Qindao University’s help. If you need them in the future, I can help you get in touch with them. After all, it’s the trial phase now, we need to experiment more to identify any issues with the software."
Zhu Zuozhang’s hand patted Zhou Ning’s shoulder. Perhaps only among forensic doctors could they be so unconstrained with each other.
"I’ll remember what you said. I was so envious last time the people from Qindao University came. But I heard the software was your idea; it’s amazing. Okay, I won’t disturb you, I’m going to get busy. Just holler if you need anything. I’ll be there on the fly!"
Zhou Ning waved his hand and quickly returned to his office. Sun Gaotie, seeing the two of them, hurried over to meet them.
Mr. Zhao immediately issued a bunch of commands, and the three of them got busy. Zhou Ning gathered the skeletal layout map, the position of the skull, the basis and results of the bone identification, and all the medical reports and images of Zhang Min’an.
Mr. Zhao also saved several videos on a USB drive: purchasing the camera, the video will, Luo Suqin’s last statement video, as well as the video of Zhang Min’an and the two witnesses. He was ready for everything to be prepared as one package.
"Are we ready to go now?"
Zhou Ning nodded, and the two of them crossed the corridor and went directly to room 507 on the fifth floor of the front building. Just as they reached the door to room 507, Zhou Ning’s phone rang. It was Mr. Zeng calling, and after a glance, Zhou Ning answered.
"Doctor Zhou, are you with Mr. Xu? I’ve been trying to call him, but it’s unreachable."
"He’s with Mr. Hu, reporting on the case. I’m here too, about to deliver the materials. Should I call him for you?"
Mr. Zeng said in a frantic tone:
"Please let Mr. Xu know that Luo Suqin is in trouble. She’s being resuscitated!"
Zhou Ning’s hand paused, nearly dropping his phone.
"Say that again? What happened?"
