Chapter 163: Chapter 162 Ongoing Dissection_1
The next day.
Zhou Ning arrived at the Technical Department. He hadn’t slept well that night, tossing and turning as he dwelled on the words Mr. Zhao had said.
Mr. Zhao’s words were harsh, but they did have a certain logic to them. Since returning from the detention center, they had all been desperately searching for hidden evidence in the case; all of this was based on the trust in a father, something Dong Chengwen had easily achieved.
Moreover, it was the kind of influence that left no trace. Now that Zhou Ning thought about it carefully, he feared that it had started from the moment they entered the detention center and saw the cousin who had been turned away. The groundwork for all this had been laid out.
Guilt, a desire not to be forgiven.
But he never admitted to the arson. It seemed as if he was struggling with self-reproach, but in fact, he had never given up on his two objectives which had always remained the same.
First, not to confess;
Second, to retry the case to clear the suspicion.
When he arrived at the office, Mr. Zhao and Mr. Qu seemed to be arguing about something. Upon seeing Zhou Ning come in, Zhu Xingxing was the first to approach him, seemingly more interested in her group leader after following him to the scene the day before, her small canines showing directly.
"Group leader, come see, these two are about to start fighting!"
Mr. Zhao glared, and Mr. Qu also unexpectedly looked toward Zhu Xingxing.
"You little snitch, how can you tattle like that? When have we been about to start fighting? We are having a debate, you get it? It involves knowledge points from various aspects; it’s essential to have such discussions."
Zhou Ning looked at the two of them and set down his backpack.
"Speak human."
Unembarrassed, Mr. Zhao leaned into Zhou Ning and tilted his chin toward the outside.
"Dong Chengwen’s car has been brought in; it’s parked downstairs. The gas station receipt previously showed a refill of 70 liters, while the vehicle’s fuel tank is marked as 62 liters. Mr. Qu and I don’t agree, and we were just discussing it.
I think we should go to the gas station Dong Chengwen went to for an onsite measurement to find out exactly how much 70 liters really is. Furthermore, we should drain his fuel tank and fill it up again to see.
But Mr. Qu thinks there’s no need for that. A scan can achieve full accuracy. As long as Dong Chengwen’s vehicle tank is emptied, he can calculate the capacity and make a comparison. Zhou Xiaozhou, whose idea do you think is reliable?"
Zhou Ning pushed up his glasses and nodded toward Mr. Zhao.
"Mr. Qu, listen to Mr. Zhao. The quantity of fuel at gas stations can’t be calculated with your measuring cup. Just find a fuel tank from the same model of car and take it there for experimentation. You two go together."
Mr. Zhao glanced at Mr. Qu, shaking his head continuously.
"Let him go with Yang Xuetong; that’s fine. I saw the body being sent to Autopsy Room No. 2 to be thawed. Aren’t you doing an autopsy today?"
Zhou Ning nodded slightly.
Currently, there was no news on many fronts, such as the source of the Diazepam injection in the cake—who injected it? The key was to know their cake-eating time, then afterwards throwing the Molotov cocktail through the window, perfectly avoiding all surveillance and hiding away. All these impossible tasks were perfectly accomplished in this case.
If it was a case of seeking revenge, the most regrettable aspect of the case would be Dong Chengwen’s departure. However, making the suspect Dong Chengwen might provide even more satisfaction.
But if it wasn’t about seeking revenge or retaliating against Dong Chengwen, just a mistress ascending, then it didn’t make sense. To ascend, the man usually needs to still be living freely with distinguished family background, wealth, and property. But now, Dong Chengwen was implicated and even became a criminal suspect. Wouldn’t that ascent be digging one’s own grave?
Zhou Ning shook his head to clear his thoughts. These relationship mysteries that had troubled him all night made his head ache. He looked at Mr. Zhao before saying:
"Last night, I studied the autopsy report sent by the Jingkou Branch Bureau. Dong Xiaomi’s time of death was June 29, 2011, at 23:27. I think this time of death was recorded by the emergency personnel when they made contact with the victim.
In reality, when Dong Xiaomi was found, she had already died. Therefore, her autopsy was very simple and also very hasty; it was done on the same night and only consisted of an external examination and a tracheotomy.
The other victim, Fang Hua, died on July 5 at 6:22. She also had an external examination. The family of the deceased didn’t agree to a dissection. All the provided content came from the physicians who tried to resuscitate her, which is not accurate. I think I still need to perform the autopsy myself.
So, last night I asked Xu Da to contact the victim’s father; I think he should have arrived by now."
Mr. Zhao came to a realization, no wonder he found Zhou Ning’s condition to be off today. He got up and waved his hands toward Mr. Qu and Yang Xuetong.
"Both of you, hurry up. If you need to refuel at that gas station, just go, but remember not to simply use a measuring cup to collect it; that could be easily rejected. We’ve already got a fuel tank from the same model of car yesterday, so bring that with you. Show your ID and ask for their cooperation, and keep any other talk to a minimum."
The two exchanged glances and quickly went about their business. Mr. Qu was from a lab background, the epitome of an academic, taking every little thing seriously. He didn’t understand the indirect methods that Mr. Zhao was referring to. Mr. Zhao watched the two leave and shook his head repeatedly, bumping into Liu Yongxin’s shoulder in the process.
"Old man, do you think Mr. Qu is too much of a bookworm who lacks a good beating by society?"
Liu Yongxin gave him a blank look.
"Don’t waste time, hurry to the autopsy room. There are enough people today; I won’t join you."
At these words, Zhu Xingxing excitedly moved closer, but Mr. Zhao sighed and stopped her with a hand while giving her a warning glance.
"A new assistant and an intern who has only participated in one autopsy, dealing with two secondary-examination fire victims—it’s tough as it is. How can you just drop your responsibilities? Have you forgotten that phrase you used to throw at Mr. Xu every day, ’I have a good apprentice’?"
Liu Yongxin rubbed his nose and let out a sigh.
"Fine, let’s go together. I’ll help you oversee things."
Zhou Ning gave Mr. Zhao a thumbs up. Mr. Zhao waved his hand, and everyone rushed down the stairs.
Autopsy Room Number Two was all set up. The body of the girl, Dong Xiaomi, had been laid out on the autopsy table first. On the large screen beside it, there was an X-ray image. Zhou Ning glanced over it and noticed that the deceased’s knee joints were slightly curled.
This wasn’t due to rigor mortis or freezing, but rather shrinkage caused by burning.
Mr. Zhao turned on the video mode and smoothly went through the introduction of the deceased and the case-related information. It was then that Zhou Ning motioned for Sun Gaotie with his fingers.
Sun Gaotie pushed over the LED magnifying lamp, and Zhou Ning adjusted the light to begin a detailed examination of the body’s surface, noticing the clear signs of "eyelash singeing" and "goose-foot pattern changes."
With no signs of external injury on the body, Zhou Ning finally picked up the scalpel and started the autopsy. As the scalpel sliced through the charred surface of the body, Zhou Ning could clearly sense Zhu Xingxing shudder beside him.
However, as he looked up, Zhu Xingxing seemed as if nothing could faze her, fixating on Zhou Ning’s hands.
Zhou Ning returned to his task. In the previous autopsy, only Dong Xiaomi’s trachea had been opened. During the external examination, Zhou Ning had found large quantities of black soot and carbon dust inside her trachea, which proved that the victim was alive before the fire.
According to the autopsy results provided by the Jingkou Branch Bureau, Dong Xiaomi’s death was due to lack of oxygen. The conclusion was drawn just based on the tracheotomy, and Zhou Ning refrained from commenting.
As the dissection continued and the chest and abdominal cavities were fully exposed, the body, so small in size, was somewhat challenging for Zhou Ning to handle, even though he tried to stay in control. When it came time to find the appropriate retractor hooks, he struggled somewhat.
The instruments were all too large. Liu Yongxin came over, kicked Zhou Ning’s shoe lightly, and while looking at Zhou Ning, he said:
"We don’t have the right instruments at the moment. Zhu Xingxing, come here. You hold the left retractor hook, and I’ll hold the right one."
Zhu Xingxing replied with a "yes," but her voice was a bit shaky, betraying her nervousness.
Both prepared, Zhou Ning had already adjusted his state of mind and nodded at Liu Yongxin to proceed. He began to remove the sternum to examine the thoracic and abdominal organs, noting the distinct pulmonary edema.
After taking samples, Zhou Ning cut open the trachea. The longitudinal section of the windpipe showed signs of inflammation in addition to the soot, a result of inhaling hot air and direct exposure to flames, indeed causing death by suffocation due to pulmonary edema.
Without pausing, Zhou Ning kept narrating his findings while he cut open the victim’s esophagus. Then he took out the stomach, which had already clenched to the size of a fist due to the intense heat—an indication that all internal organs would have sustained damage.
Zhou Ning carefully cut open the stomach, and a clump of black and reddish material appeared before everyone’s eyes. This discovery brought a glint of joy to Zhou Ning.
"Quick, bring me the evidence box."
