Chapter 381: Chapter 364 The True Meaning of Brutal_1
Zhou Ning stood up. Zhu Zuozhang rarely spoke, and he was much older than Zhou Ning. The cases he had handled before he always managed to carry on his own. Given that he spoke up, there must be a reason.
"Come in, Doctor Zhu, give us a detailed rundown of the situation."
Zhu Zuozhang entered, holding a laptop in his arms, clearly well-prepared. He turned the laptop directly towards Zhou Ning.
"Let me briefly explain the process of the case. On July 6th at 10 AM, Mrs. Wang from Beizhai Yanzi Village reported a missing persons case, saying that her son and daughter-in-law had disappeared and were likely harmed. Then, officers from the Beizhai Police Station and the Tongshan Sub-bureau Criminal Police Brigade went to the scene for an investigation.
They discovered that a dog kept in the yard had its head smashed in, dying in a very horrifying state. The room was a mess, and on the bed was a mattress without its usual mat and bedsheet. On the ground, there were a lot of torn pieces of underwear. After Mrs. Wang’s identification, these belonged to her daughter-in-law.
Moreover, on the mattress, there were two palm-sized abrasion-like bloodstains, and there were also areas in the room with blood splatters and drips. Just no sign of Mrs. Wang’s son, Wang Zhaocai, and his wife, Pan Jinghong, and both of their phones were unreachable.
According to Mrs. Wang, her daughter-in-law was three months pregnant, and she had been taking meticulous care of her. She would go over for breakfast every morning since the young couple liked to sleep in. But that day, until 10 AM she didn’t show up, so Mrs. Wang came over and saw the yard gate was ajar, and the dog didn’t bark.
Furthermore, when she entered the house, she saw a plate of braised pork on the coffee table. Her son Wang Zhaocai doesn’t like to eat pork; he would at most eat some beef dumplings, and her daughter-in-law Pan Jinghong would not touch fatty meat, especially since getting pregnant, as she would feel nauseated at the smell of fat.
Seeing this, the sub-bureau’s team felt that the couple might have been harmed, so they initiated an exhaustive search. After all, to the east of Xi Anzi is the Huahua Langzi Forest Park, filled with hills and trees, and to the west lies Xihe Cliff with many caves that were used for storage by fruit farmers in the past, making the terrain very complex.
After more than two days of investigation, they found some cornstalks in a cave on Xihe Cliff. When they moved them, they found the bodies of the couple. Right now, the bodies are in the autopsy room. Both of them show many signs of torture; one could say there’s not a single part of their bodies that was unharmed.
This female victim in particular faced horrific violence, with severe swelling and damage to her face, multiple fractures on her limbs, and a cut that opened up her stomach. It is unclear whether the perpetrator wanted to dismember her or was venting their anger. Director Zhou, can you come over and take a look?"
Zhou Ning kept flipping through the photos. What Zhu Zuozhang described was conservative; only by seeing the photos for oneself could one understand what the word "horrific" really meant.
The state of the female victim suggests that even transporting her in a body bag would have been difficult, with many areas barely connected by remnants of flesh.
The face, indeed, as Zhu Zuozhang described, was severely swollen, and a large patch of scalp was missing. Soil had been sprinkled on top, seemingly to stop the bleeding, but such swelling implied something terrifying, and Zhou Ning involuntarily took a sharp breath.
"Given the extent of the swelling, the torture didn’t end quickly. Don’t worry though. I’ll contact Mr. Xia now and get her to come over to help with facial reconstruction. Mr. Qu has been taken by Director Xu and his men to handle another case."
Zhu Zuozhang sighed in relief.
"I went to the lab, and there was no one there. The Tongshan Sub-bureau’s team couldn’t reach Director Xu on the phone either, so I simply came to find you. I’ve been a forensic doctor for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve come across a situation as terrible as this, even more chilling than dismemberment. To be honest, it shocked me severely."
Zhou Ning gestured to several others.
"You few, come with me. Teacher, you better get some sleep here."
Liu Yongxin raised his wrist and glanced at the time.
"Doctor Zhu, there’s no need to rush. It’s already twelve o’clock. Let them get ready if they need to. Have a meal and you can head downstairs together. With a full belly, your mind won’t panic, and you’ll be able to conduct the autopsy analysis calmly, right?"
Zhu Zuozhang smacked his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Right, ’Sharpening the knife does not hinder chopping firewood.’ You guys go ahead and eat first. I’ll go down and make arrangements, and tell my people to hurry up with their meals. Afterwards, let’s meet directly in Autopsy Room No. 2. We can use two autopsy tables at once and exchange findings as we go."
Zhou Ning nodded, and Zhu Zuozhang left briskly without any niceties. Mr. Zhao quickly followed him; he was going downstairs to fetch boxed meals.
After contacting Xia Momo, Zhou Ning saw that Zhu Zuozhang had not taken the laptop with him, so he looked through it again.
He found that the cave where the bodies were discovered was on a road south of Xi Anzi Village, accessible by car, and one could drive directly up the hill. It was over five hundred meters away, but there were no bloodstains found on the road, indicating that the killer had a vehicle and was familiar with the surroundings.
This area, especially the east side of the road, is covered with cherry and apple orchards. Such abandoned storage caves would only be known to locals or people who come for wilderness outings and climbing.
Liu Yongxin came over at some point, closing the laptop. Mr. Zhao had already delivered the boxed meal in front of Zhou Ning.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, eat up quickly. The 4.14 kidnapping case has already consumed too many of our brain cells. We don’t need to rush this case. Eat first and then think about it. Besides, the scene investigation isn’t over yet. A hunch tells me that other evidence can still be found, so let’s go about this step by step."
Zhou Ning didn’t argue and took the boxed meal and began to eat earnestly. After everyone finished, Zhou Ning brushed his teeth and returned, heading straight to the Autopsy Room No. 1 on the first floor. Zhou Ning didn’t let Liu Yongxin follow, as the old man’s blood pressure was always a concern, and consecutive hard work in such hot weather would be too much for him.
He looked around and noticed that Xia Momo hadn’t arrived yet. Just as he was about to ask, he heard the clip-clop of high heels behind him. Xia Momo walked in quickly, smiling at Zhou Ning.
"Why are you always in such a hurry? I didn’t even finish my meal and rushed over by car."
Zhou Ning rubbed his nose.
"Sorry, the case is a bit urgent. You scan it and let the system analyze it, and then go to my office to eat. I’ve prepared food for you."
Hearing Zhou Ning speak like this, Xia Momo smiled with her lips pursed.
Mr. Zhao, obliviously heading towards trouble, sidled over, baring his teeth at Xia Momo.
"The boxed meal was prepared by me, it wasn’t Zhou Xiaozhou who thought of it. He had long forgotten about it. Don’t you think you’re thanking the wrong person, Mr. Xia?"
Xia Momo gave him a disdainful look.
"Cut the chatter and hurry up and change your clothes, then get to work first."
Zhu Xingxing accompanied Xia Momo upstairs, where Doctor Zhu had already dressed up properly, but the autopsy table was still empty.
"Has the body not been delivered?"
"It was flash frozen. It will be sent over shortly. Many of the abuse injuries become more apparent after freezing."
Zhou Ning couldn’t help but glance at Doctor Zhu. As an experienced forensic doctor, his attention to such details was extremely rich, as practice makes perfect.
After waiting for a while, the bodies were brought over, two body bags were placed on the autopsy table, and Doctor Zhu even checked to make sure there was no mix-up. He handed over the deceased’s identity information and a summary of the case to Zhou Ning, and they began to operate.
Zhou Ning looked over and saw that the deceased, Wang Zhaocai, had blunt force and sharp force injuries all over his face and limbs. The ligature marks on his neck were particularly odd, segment by segment, with irregular marks. A closer look revealed that it was caused by a metal chain.
Moreover, Wang Zhaocai’s eye sockets were swollen, and only a sliver was left of his right eye. Such swelling couldn’t have been caused in just a short while. After being beaten, it would’ve needed at least three to four hours. The multiple abuse injuries on his body meant that there genuinely wasn’t a single good spot left.
According to what Doctor Zhu said, if Wang Zhaocai’s condition was "good," what state would his wife, Pan Jinghong, be in?
Zhou Ning glanced at Doctor Zhu, who didn’t even look up. Zhou Ning, without saying a word, quickly stepped up to the autopsy table. The body bag was still unopened. Just as Xia Momo was about to come closer, Zhou Ning stopped her.
"You just stay in front of the computer. This victim is a bit special, and the sight is too brutal; it might cause you psychological trauma. We’ll handle the scan, and you can direct from there."
Xia Momo looked at Zhou Ning. After all, it wasn’t usual for Zhou Ning to say such things, but she was quite persuadable and moved over to the computer control station, watching as others surrounded the autopsy table. Mr. Zhao, with his back to Doctor Zhu and the others, pulled his mask down slightly and whispered in a low voice,
"Zhou Xiaozhou, I have a bad feeling. All this you just said, does it mean that the state of this victim is worse than we expected?"
Zhou Ning nodded and looked around at everyone.
"Don’t disgrace me. If you feel like yelling, bite your tongue. Those previous photos were just full-scene shots; there were no detailed photos of the victim. Now I understand, it’s not that they didn’t take them; they didn’t dare to get close enough to take them. I’ll open the body bag; you guys step back a bit. We’ll need to cut and tear the edge of the bag soon, as I’m afraid the body will fall apart during the process of moving it."
Zhu Xingxing was taken aback, seemingly reacting to Zhou Ning’s choice of words.
"Fall apart? You mean it in the way... I think you mean it?"
Mr. Zhao gave her a scornful glance.
"Stand back. We’ll take the front. If you can’t bear to look, then close your eyes. I won’t let you off the hook if you embarrass us. And Gao Tie, did you get that? If not, I’ll beat you into a chair shape and really throw you onto a high-speed train."
Zhou Ning glanced over at Doctor Zhu’s side and saw a few trace examiners and assistants glancing vaguely in this direction, a behavior that elucidated even more.
He relaxed himself, focused on the zipper, and slowly unzipped the body bag. Everyone held their breath, and as the bag was pulled open to the sides, Zhou Ning’s gaze paused for a moment, then he clamped down on his back molars hard.
How to put it, the body of Pan Jinghong looked as though it had been torn apart by wild beasts, completely dismembered. The Z-shaped incision in her abdomen was horrifying, with two corn leaves still attached. Her neck was twisted ninety degrees to the left, the cervical spine completely broken.
As for the body, just from a cursory glance at the burn marks from cigarette butts, there were at least twenty or more. Some were black and charred with swollen, blistered edges, while others were completely ulcerated.
As for the limbs, their twisted forms indicated fractures, but that was not all. Two sections of corn stalk were inserted into the victim’s lower body, stained with dark purple blood.
Zhou Ning clenched his teeth tightly, his anger reaching a peak in an instant. The perpetrator was inhuman!
