Chapter 31: Chapter 31 What do you want the skull for?_1
Forty minutes later, in the autopsy room.
The X-ray was already taken, and the person ran as fast as if chased by a dog.
Zhou Ning and Doctor Liu, dressed neatly, stood on either side of the autopsy table. By this time, the wrappings on the corpse had been removed, and the rope around the neck had been cut, revealing the full view of the body.
The upper body was clad in a dark blue, white-striped, v-neck sweater with a matching shirt, and below were fleece-lined sweatpants and sneakers. Zhou Ning removed all the clothing and placed them on a cart nearby.
The attire was somewhat odd; formal on top and overly casual below. But if you said he was a construction worker, that didn’t quite fit either.
Yet, what specifically was amiss, Zhou Ning couldn’t articulate.
Upon careful examination, the brands of all the clothes were unfamiliar. The shirt was of the highest quality, but the label at the collar had been cut off. On the chest pocket, there was an embroidered logo, a golden key standing upright from ancient times, which Zhou Ning had never seen before.
Doctor Liu began examining the external aspects of the body, intermittently mentioning his findings, while Zhou Ning took corresponding notes.
"The neck presented a leather-like furrow with abrasions where green nylon fibers from the rope could be identified. The furrow encircled the neck in three loops. Above the Adam’s apple to below the ear, there was a U-shaped ligature mark.
The body was limp; no signs of defensive injuries or subcutaneous hemorrhages were found. When discovered, the body was lying on its right side with knees drawn up, but livor mortis was concentrated on the back, indicating the body had been moved to the scene more than thirty-six hours after death. As for the time of death, it was between 7-10 days."
Zhou Ning scribbled furiously, annotating the external examination chart according to Liu Yongxin’s comments.
"Alright, your turn to perform the autopsy!"
Zhou Ning hesitated; Liu Yongxin had followed him all day, and he expected the senior to continue with the operation. However, since he was given the task, Zhou Ning wasn’t about to shy away. After all, there were no shortcuts in this line of work; it was entirely reliant on accumulated experience. The more he did, the better.
Without further ado, Zhou Ning put on another pair of gloves and began the dissection.
This was an autopsy they were all clear about, the first step was to examine the neck of the deceased. Zhou Ning cut decisively, but slicing through the leather-like skin felt completely different, akin to scratching glass with a cat’s claw.
Separating each layer methodically, Liu Yongxin took photos on the side. After more than two hours, they had completed all the work.
Zhou Ning exhaled deeply, and Liu Yongxin tipped his head.
"You report as I did just now."
Collecting his thoughts, Zhou Ning knew Liu Yongxin was training him and promptly said:
"Notable congestion and focal hemorrhages could be seen in the deceased’s thyroid, laryngeal mucosa, pharyngeal mucosa, tonsils, and the base of the tongue.
The U-shaped ligature mark was high on the neck, and the greater horn of the hyoid bone was fractured. The three ligature marks below indicated fractures in the cartilage of the organs due to violent force. Combined with the X-ray, the third and fourth cervical vertebrae showed evidence of fractures, indicating a large amount of force by the killer.
The victim’s facial lacerations were severe, with a defect stretching from the left lip to the cheek. The lacerations overlapped in thirty-two places, and the nasal cartilage fracture showed signs of healing, suggesting the victim had experienced trauma about a month before death.
The left ventricle was dilated, with wall thickness about 1.5cm; no valve abnormalities were observed. Under microscopic examination, a few spindle-shaped scars could be seen near the myocardial interstitial vessels. Fluid exudation was present in the alveolar cavities of both lungs—the deceased had rheumatic myocarditis, accompanied by left heart failure.
During the autopsy, no traumatic injuries were found on any internal organs. As for the inside of the skull, Master, I haven’t done this part before."
Doctor Liu set down the camera and impassively handed over a scalpel.
"The identity of the victim is unknown, and with such a brutal death, a craniotomy is necessary. Come on, as a forensic doctor, shaving is the most basic work; everyone has their first time."
Zhou Ning took the scalpel without any aversion and quickly shaved the scalp. He was confident in this task; after all, he had been the one shaving his grandfather’s hair, and the old man, having no other hobbies, preferred a bald head. Watching Zhou Ning’s action, Liu Yongxin burst into laughter.
"You’ve got some skill, kid. If I’d known, I would have had you shave the giant from last time."
Zhou Ning shuddered, the sensation was truly unforgettable. He had heard that shaving a giant was like scraping hair off tender tofu—a slight error and...
Liu Yongxin’s face held a mischievous smile, and seeing Zhou Ning’s expression, he was very pleased.
"Don’t dawdle, cut and peel quickly. I’ll mark the spot for you; you cut the skull."
Zhou Ning didn’t hesitate; at times like this, you had to satisfy the intuition of the person teaching you. Appearing timid when necessary was part of the process; lack of reaction wouldn’t please a teacher.
This insight was something Zhou Ning had seen on Weibo just a few days prior. The smile Liu Yongxin had just given him proved the point was spot on.
As the dust from the electric saw sprinkled down, Zhou Ning carried out the craniotomy, cleaned off the surface, and the two examined the interior of the skull, observing a hemorrhage on the left side without the need to manipulate it further. The blood volume, around eighty milliliters, was sufficient to cause death.
Liu Yongxin, satisfied, removed his gloves and sighed deeply, motioning to Zhou Ning.
"Alright, stitch it up quickly then prepare samples for testing. There’s a lot to do, handle it slowly; I’m leaving first."
Zhou Ning wore a puzzled expression.
"Master, where are you going?"
"I’m off to write the autopsy report. The cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation."
Having said that, Liu Yongxin changed his clothes and left.
As these final words were spoken, a transparent display screen before Zhou Ning presented the first question regarding the submission of an advanced task: Submit?
Zhou Ning was not surprised. He clicked submit, and there was no other response but the countdown stopping at 2:12. It had taken him only forty minutes to get there, and Zhou Ning was quite satisfied with this speed.
After dealing with the last injection and cleaning the body’s surface, he looked at the chop wounds on the face of the deceased; this area could not be restored for the time being.
However, thinking about the restoration techniques he had been diligently practicing lately, Zhou Ning paused. If there was no clue, why not give it a try?
But how to acquire this skull?
Zhou Ning washed his hands and walked straight out of the autopsy room. Zhao Xinli was waiting at the door. He hurried over when he saw Zhou Ning, thinking he wanted to ask about the delivery for inspection.
"Xiao Liu drove to the city. I heard that the lab results can be very slow. With the year-end close by and the backlog of cases to review, the city is busy too. Shall I drive you back to the precinct?"
Zhou Ning glanced at the time; it was already past one o’clock. Without wasting words, he got into the car. On the passenger seat was a boxed lunch wrapped in a police coat. Zhou Ning smiled.
"Thanks, you even saved some food for me."
"No need to thank me. In our line of work, you need a full stomach for strength. Hold on to your boxed lunch, and let’s head back to eat."
With that, he started the car. Back at the office, Zhou Ning saw Liu Yongxin sitting in front of the computer, slowly pecking at the keyboard with his index fingers. At this pace, typing 300 words before the end of the shift would be considered speeding.
"Master, let me do the typing!"
Liu Yongxin waved his hand.
"You eat first; I’ll treat this as practice."
Zhou Ning wolfed down the boxed meal. As per the old rule, it was all vegetarian, but since it was past mealtime, it was quite comforting to pacify his hunger this way.
After washing up and rinsing his mouth, Zhou Ning approached Liu Yongxin, who didn’t hesitate this time and moved aside, tossing his glasses to one side and rubbing his nose.
"Alright, your turn. Finding the letters is too much trouble for me."
Zhou Ning took over. As Liu Yongxin spoke, his fingers flew across the keyboard, and in less than half an hour, the entire report was organized and printed out. After Liu Yongxin reviewed it, he allowed Zhou Ning to upload and send it to Xu Dayuan.
No sooner had he sent it than Xu Dayuan’s call came through.
"Doctor Liu, do you have any intuitive findings, or can you offer a profile of the crime suspect based on the autopsy?"
Zhou Ning remained silent, listening carefully. Doctor Liu sat down heavily, speaking slowly:
"Although the autopsy is complete, please don’t be too demanding, Xu Da. We must wait for the lab results. There isn’t much we can deduce at the moment. As for the direction to track the suspect, I can offer two points:
First, the killer is very strong, right-handed, and used a nylon rope to strangle the neck. It’s not just that the hyoid bone and the thyroid cartilage are fractured; there are also signs of fractured spinous processes of the vertebrae;
Second, I suspect that the killer knew the victim and harbored deep hatred. The victim’s face had thirty-two chop wounds, with tissue missing from the left cheek, which was continuously hacked with a knife.
Third, about the identity of the victim, I still suspect that the victim worked outdoors. As for the precise details, we’ll have to wait for the lab results."
Xu Dayuan said nothing else and hung up. Zhou Ning hesitated for a long time before looking at Liu Yongxin.
"Master, we have no leads on the victim’s identity, but I have an idea. However, I need the victim’s skull."
Liu Yongxin was taken aback.
"Why do you need the skull?"
....
PS:[1] Three turns: One turn represents a complete circuit around an object.
[2] Livor mortis: Livor mortis forms when, after death, blood circulation stops, and blood loses the force to move, settling in the lower parts of the body due to gravity. As blood vessels in higher parts of the body become empty and those in the lower parts become engorged, the small veins and capillaries in the lower regions fill with blood, creating dark red to purple-red spots visible through the skin. Starting as misty, stripe-like formations, they gradually become patchy, constituting the livor mortis.
Livor mortis is one of the earlier postmortem phenomena, usually appearing 2 to 4 hours after death, peaking at about 12 to 14 hours, becoming fixed and no longer shifting after 24 to 36 hours, and lasting until the body decomposes.
