Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Don’t Pretend to be a Quail_1
Eighth Hospital Autopsy Room.
Ever since the county hospital had changed its name, the yard outside was a scene of construction, seemingly to fit its new title. The newly renovated outpatient building looked very impressive.
However, the autopsy room remained unchanged as before, and in front of Zhou Ning lay the body with an almost severed head.
After taking photographs, Zhao Xinli, holding the autopsy records, knew that he could not avoid dissecting the three corpses themselves; it was an impossible task since doing it alone would take Doctor Zhou too much time.
"Doctor Zhou, didn’t you say to start with the easy ones? Why don’t you first dissect the body of the bus driver?"
Zhou Ning frowned deeply, feeling irritable because ever since he arrived at the scene, up to the moment he touched the body, there had been no response from the system. This was unscientific; in previous cases, the system would be buzzing with noise the moment he encountered a case. What was going on today?
Could it be because he wanted to develop that facial reconstruction system software, so the future knowledge and content were released in advance?
This thought was immediately dismissed by Zhou Ning. The paper on the detection of rubber particles from brake marks had been more advanced, almost copied verbatim, and he still received tasks afterward—so that shouldn’t be the issue.
Since it didn’t make sense, Zhou Ning shook his head and didn’t think about it anymore, glancing at Zhao Xinli.
"The autopsy of the bus driver’s body is not urgent; his cause of death was brain death due to a cranial injury caused by a metal fragment lodged in the right temporal area after being thrown by the explosion. I’ve already done a surface examination of the body, just didn’t record it. You could help me document that."
Zhao Xinli had an epiphany.
"That makes sense; this victim is relatively straightforward. Go ahead with the autopsy then; I’ll sit by the side. If you need recording, just let me know; I really can’t bring myself to watch."
Zhou Ning nodded. It was already the limit for Zhao Xinli to force himself to come here.
"Turn on the computer, and see if there is an email in the inbox; Xu Da said he would send the surveillance footage and other information later. My cell phone is also on the side."
Zhao Xinli turned on the computer and unlocked Zhou Ning’s cell phone screen, indeed finding unread emails and a message with comprehensive content.
"The owner of the white Passat is called Cui Gongyi, male, 35 years old, works at Tailefu Machinery Equipment (Qindao) Co., Ltd., which is a Taiwan-funded company, and lives at No. 1, Building 12, Yuding Huacheng, Happiness Road, Gulou District, Qindao City. Wait, is this a detached villa?"
Zhou Ning paused.
"I know Tailefu; it’s a Taiwan-funded forklift company. Is the forklift in question produced by them? Ask Xu Da to inquire with the company."
Zhao Xinli hurriedly made the call, while Zhou Ning did not delay, immediately beginning the surface examination of the body.
The deceased’s clothing had been removed—all ROMON, which included a suit, shirt, and tie. While not excessively expensive, the tailored fit at least indicated that the clothes were custom-made.
In his pocket was a brown box with the seal script of Chow Tai Fook on it, inside of which lay a gold bracelet with a tag marking its weight at 28.7 grams and measuring its inner diameter at 6.8 centimeters. This size would be too large even for Zhou Ning, indicating the intended recipient had a wrist that was not slender.
In the creases on the bottom of the shoes was a bit of white material, which Zhou Ning wiped with a cotton swab—it was sticky and had a faint smell of paint, but the amount was only about the size of a fingernail.
Apart from bloodstains, there were no other distinguishing features on the clothes. Zhou Ning returned to the autopsy table and started a meticulous examination from head to toe.
The victim, Cui Gongyi, had damage to the third and fourth cervical vertebrae in the neck area, with only the skin on the back of the neck intact. The trachea, esophagus, skin, and muscle tissue in the front were all severed, and the wound was not neat, containing residual glass fragments.
The right arm also had lacerations and tearing injuries—possibly a result of the victim raising his hand to shield himself when the forklift pierced the glass, while his body subconsciously leaned back, otherwise the victim’s head would have been completely separated.
Zhou Ning took X-rays by himself, from the skull to the toes, palpating one by one, and found no other fractures or external injuries before returning to the right side of the autopsy table. He then switched on the newly acquired recording pen and officially began the autopsy.
Zhao Xinli went to make the phone call, and he also wanted to try using voice recording so that later on, organization would be easier, with his mind on the task, his hands moved quickly.
Since the cause of death had already been established, Zhou Ning was able to work with ease, performing the Y-incision, separating tissues, removing the sternum and ribs, and extracting a complete separation of the digestive system, as well as samples from various organs.
The victim’s liver had several lumps, there was atherosclerotic thickening of the aorta, and an aneurysm as well. That such a young person could have these symptoms surprised Zhou Ning. The victim was not overweight but of medium build. To suffer such ailments, his dietary habits must have played a role.
After Zhou Ning sutured the skin of the victim’s chest and abdomen, Zhao Xinli finally returned, pushing the door open. But it appeared his phone call was only a pretense, and it was not until the autopsy was completed that he dared to come in.
Zhou Ning said nothing else, tore off a layer of his latex gloves, and switched off the recording pen.
"Help me send this body back, then bring over the forklift driver’s body, and record the last ten minutes of content from the recording pen."
Zhao Xinli bared his teeth and waved back, Elder Cui from the morgue and Mr. Liu followed inside, clumsily transporting the body away, while the forklift driver’s body was already outside the door.
Zhou Ning put on another layer of latex gloves and waved to Zhao Xinli.
"You do the recording here. The autopsy on this body is not easy to perform, I need your help, after all, it’s hard to even lay it flat."
Zhao Xinli had a ghastly pale face, he was truly afraid, but looking at the body curled up with legs tucked in a prone position on the table, Zhao Xinli reluctantly nodded, indeed as Zhou Ning had said, if he were to perform the autopsy alone, the body might wobble.
"Fine, if I retch or cry out, don’t hold it against me."
Zhou Ning smiled; he was initially very scared, after all, it was his first time working on a carbonized victim. The sensation through two layers of latex gloves gave him goosebumps, but seeing Zhao Xinli’s condition, he didn’t feel quite so uncomfortable.
"I won’t hold it against you, come on and help me hold it."
Zhao Xinli shivered visibly but didn’t step back. With trembling hands, he asked,
"Where should I hold it?"
"Put on two pairs of gloves, and then hold the victim’s legs like I’m pressing down here, I need to examine the victim’s facial area, and then take X-rays. We need both front and side shots."
Zhao Xinli nodded, moving closer shakily. He had already put on the gloves, taking over from Zhou Ning’s pressing position, with his eyes already closed.
"Doctor Zhou, please work quickly, I don’t know how long I can hold on."
"Stop threatening me and don’t talk to avoid distracting me."
Zhao Xinli, with his eyes still closed, nodded vigorously but didn’t dare to shake his hands.
Zhou Ning scrutinized the victim’s face closely; those who die from burning are said to be among the most horrifying types of deaths.
The victim’s mouth was wide open with teeth exposed, eyes tightly shut; eyelash sign[1]and goose claw-like changes[2] could be seen, consistent with the characteristics of burning to death, and these were very typical conditions.
The epidermis was carbonized; both hands and feet had lost fingers and toes, the hands clenched like fighting fists[3] curled up at the sides of the body. There was no remaining knit fabric on the body surface, only a small patch of skin residue on the abdomen, underneath which lay a piece of pink plastic fragment.
Zhou Ning picked it up for a closer look—it should be a fragment of a lighter, corresponding with the metal component found earlier. After the victim ignited the gasoline, the lighter also exploded, sending fragments flying beneath him, with everything except metal components burned away.
A light pressure on the victim’s chest revealed crepitus sounds, at least eight ribs were fractured. Zhou Ning exhaled, it seemed the victim also sustained severe injuries when he crashed into the bus.
So when the paramedics arrived, they found no signs of life.
Without wasting words, the autopsy began immediately. The crisp crackling sounds the moment the scalpel touched the victim’s body made Zhao Xinli shudder.
He didn’t dare speak, keeping his eyes tightly shut, turning his head to the other side.
Upon opening the thoracoabdominal cavity, just as Zhou Ning initially suspected, the victim had four broken ribs on each side, and the sternum was also fractured. The break in the left fourth rib penetrated toward the heart. Although not deep, it had caused cardiac tamponade—such a case was extremely rare.
Zhou Ning kicked Zhao Xinli’s shoe and said,
"Stop playing the quail, hurry up and take pictures, I’m almost done here."
...
[1] Eyelash sign: the eyes tightly shut, only the tips of the eyelashes charred and more.
[2] Goose claw-like changes: wrinkles form at the outer corners of the eyes, with unburned areas in the creases, eyelids shape into a "goose claw" appearance, and soot can be seen inside the palpebral fissure.
[3] Boxer’s stance: a posture often exhibited by bodies that are burned or incinerated. Exposure to intense heat causes the loss of water from the tissue, hardening the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscles, leading to coagulative necrosis. As it progresses, the skin turns black and gray, muscle tissue contracts due to its resiliency, and because the flexor muscles of limbs are more developed than the extensors, and they contract more strongly during carbonization, the joints bend, resembling the posture of a boxer.
