Chapter 103 - 103 101 Thawing

Words : 2120 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

103: Chapter 101: Thawing 103: Chapter 101: Thawing Cross-province cases invariably grew more complicated. But for the “Wu Longye case,” it meant that new clues might emerge. The bulk of the data and assessments so far had been based on Shan Nan Province. Now, Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui naturally wondered if there could be new evidence and data in Ping Zhou Province, days away by travel. The days spent here had all been on mountain hunter paths, suggesting that the murderer might have used them to travel between Pingzhou Province and Shan Nan Province. And cases that had occurred in Pingzhou Province hadn’t been factored into their scope of observation before. “Let’s go to Langgu County first,” Liu Jinghui didn’t let his excitement cloud his judgment. Looking as he did now, even if he were to make his way to the provincial hall of Pingzhou to clarify his identity, it would be difficult, and he might even end up as a laughing stock for years. A group hastened down the mountain, informing the local bureau in Langgu County in advance, and finally boarded a vehicle that could aid their travel. Upon arriving at the guesthouse, they cleaned up, and after looking presentable, Liu Jinghui borrowed a car with a driver and headed for Pingzhou. Jiang Yuan didn’t accompany him. Instead, he sorted out the evidence and stored it in Langgu County—freezing what needed to be frozen, desiccating what should be dry, and swiftly comparing with the internal database where possible. This process was quite laborious, especially the procedural work; not a single detail or signature could be omitted from the forms. Jiang Yuan, unfamiliar with Langgu County and unconvinced of the local criminal investigation team’s capabilities, wasn’t ready to subject such crucial case evidence to their “stress test.” He meticulously followed protocol for each item, much to the annoyance of the captain of the Langgu County criminal investigation team, who signed each sheet with exasperation. A few hours later, once all tasks were completed, Jiang Yuan crashed in the guesthouse, sleeping furiously. Upon waking, he found Liu Jinghui sitting at the edge of his bed, looking at him eagerly. Jiang Yuan shivered all over. “You’re awake?” Liu Jinghui looked as if visiting a gravely ill patient, putting down his phone and saying, “I’ve checked, and Li Sanqiu indeed wasn’t the first victim. Last year, Ping Zhou Province also found a body, death by gunshot, but the head was carried off by an animal, and the identity remains unconfirmed.” “That’s rather twisted,” Jiang Yuan sat up with the covers around him. “It is sick. These people have come to treat murder as a trivial matter,” Liu Jinghui nodded in agreement. “I wasn’t talking about them,” Jiang Yuan glanced at where Liu Jinghui sat; the man had moved a chair over and was as stable as Mount Tai, obviously determined to wait until he awoke. Liu Jinghui waved a hand dismissively, “No need to be embarrassed, I know you were tired and let you sleep a bit more. Don’t feel too bad about it.” Jiang Yuan had spent enough time on the road with Liu Jinghui to have a handle on his temperament. He sighed and asked, “The body you mentioned, how was it identified as a gunshot wound? Was the weapon the same?” Liu Jinghui shook his head, “Different. The body here was hit in the chest by a shotgun pellet, with steel pellets lodged in the ribs.” “Ours was a 9-millimeter pistol bullet.” Jiang Yuan didn’t know how to identify ammunition; this conclusion had been relayed by the technicians back at headquarters. And from the perspective of the case, the difference between pistol bullets and shotgun pellets was quite significant. In China’s current environment, those who possess handguns outside of law enforcement are considered dangerous individuals. The 9-millimeter bullet is particularly special and not as common as shotgun pellets, which still exist in significant number today. In some places, it’s even allowed to hunt wild boars. Maybe that’s why Pingzhou didn’t bring up the shooting case for a public investigation—one of the reasons, at least. Of course, the inability to identify the victim due to the missing head is probably a more important reason. Jiang Yuan got up, washed his face, and asked, “Are we considering a joint investigation now?” But Liu Jinghui’s answer remained negative, “I don’t think it’s necessary.” Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but look over, “Why not?” After an exhausting roundabout trip, skipping a joint investigation meant starting all over again? Liu Jinghui anticipated Jiang Yuan’s thoughts and explained, “We might as well start from scratch. I’ve looked carefully at the case here in Pingzhou, and there’s basically no new information. Working with them would just be a hassle.” “Even the firearms information?” “When we solve the case and it’s time to prosecute, let the prosecutor’s office handle it,” Liu Jinghui gestured confidently, then adjusted his freshly changed shirt and tie, took a deep breath, and said, “Let’s walk the hunters’ paths again.” “Walk it again?” Jiang Yuan’s face fell. The journey had already taken its toll—if it weren’t for the nutrients from the roosters, he would have lost at least ten pounds. Thinking back on their careful trek, Jiang Yuan said, “We were very careful the whole way, it’s unlikely we’ll find anything new on a second pass... Do you have a new target?” “Let’s take a different path,” Liu Jinghui suggested. “What path?” “The opposite one,” Liu Jinghui relished proving his deductions before others. Counting off on his fingers, he said, “First, let’s review the information we know—this is a gang of desperados.” Jiang Yuan nodded. Liu Jinghui counted off a second finger, “Next, what is their purpose in traveling the hunters’ paths? I reckon it could be one of three things: drug trafficking, poaching, smuggling. I’m leaning toward poaching.” “And then?” “Then, we’ll walk the poaching trail again, which can prove their route,” Liu Jinghui said. “I have already asked colleagues from the provincial office to come help us determine what the suitable poaching trails are like. After that, let’s try to see if we can find the body...” “If we find it, does that prove it was the work of poachers?” Jiang Yuan understood Liu Jinghui’s line of thought. Liu Jinghui nodded, saying, “Poaching happens here in Mount Wulong every now and then, but this group must be of the more deep-rooted kind. If they kill on sight, the number of cases they have on their hands must be pretty high...” Jiang Yuan listened and just felt so tired. It wasn’t just retreading the poachers’ trail that was exhausting—very exhausting—but Liu Jinghui’s investigative plan was also tiring just to think about. Retracing the poacher’s trail and having to find a body... Bodies aren’t that easy to find. The two bodies we’ve found so far were discovered by chance, and if we assume there are other bodies—Jiang Yuan estimated that it is indeed likely that there are more dead near the poaching trails—but given Mount Wulong’s environment, the lack of reports of body discoveries isn’t due to no one encountering them, but rather because wild animals are much more thorough in their search than humans. In short, Liu Jinghui still proposed an excellent theory, but to prove his theory, it would require an exhausting effort! And it would be someone else who gets exhausted. Liu Jinghui was all too familiar with technicians like Jiang Yuan, but he just laughed, saying, “Otherwise, we catch them from another end, targeting the poachers, and those involved in the trafficking of stolen goods... If I were to handle that, I’d rather leave it to the local criminal police.” In his words, Liu Jinghui’s stance seemed a bit lofty once again. Jiang Yuan took another big gulp of water, expressing his slight annoyance, “Do you have any good method for finding bodies?” Liu Jinghui countered, “Do you have any method?” “Get a couple more dogs?” Jiang Yuan said, feeling it was not reliable even as he spoke. Liu Jinghui also said, “The natural environment has too much impact on police dogs. The two cadaver dogs we used the other day were already very professional.” Jiang Yuan curled his lip: “If dogs don’t work, what do you suggest we do?” “I think you could find it,” Liu Jinghui confided in Jiang Yuan, “I have confidence in you.” Jiang Yuan looked up at Liu Jinghui, wondering if being rated ‘better than a dog’ was meant as an insult. “Just kidding,” Liu Jinghui laughed, then continued, “This time I’ve had someone buy some convenience foods and some meat to bring along...” “Let’s examine that body first,” Jiang Yuan said. “The headless corpse you just mentioned, hit by a hunting rifle.” “Alright then. I will prepare the travel equipment.” Actually, Liu Jinghui did not see much necessity in it. He was more trusting of Jiang Yuan’s fingerprint abilities and his ability to investigate a scene, but he didn’t consider Jiang Yuan’s skills in forensics to be extraordinary. This was also normal, as young detectives just entering the field often do not know their strengths and it’s commonplace to go down the wrong path. Those who reveal their talents are indeed the lucky ones among them. For Liu Jinghui himself, the skill he discovered was his ability in logical reasoning. However, Liu Jinghui had no objection to Jiang Yuan performing an autopsy. With a phone call, it was all arranged. Early the next morning, Jiang Yuan arrived at the mortuary of Langgu County, starting his first autopsy out of town. The autopsy room at Langgu County was even more rudimentary than the one in Ningtai County. The dissecting tables, with an air of antiquity about them, were built like dining counters in a student cafeteria. When a body was placed on them, the fluids that flowed out had trouble draining smoothly. The body was in the process of defrosting and inevitably started to decompose; the poor ventilation in the room made the stench even worse. The coroner from Langgu County, Li Zhen, looked very old with wrinkled skin clinging to his lean muscles, giving off the impression that he was in his seventies or eighties. Perhaps accustomed to the environment, Li Zhen wore only a mask and offered Jiang Yuan one as well, saying, “You made a request last night, so I extracted the body. Frozen solid, it hasn’t completely defrosted yet.” The body, discovered last year, had been lying in the ice coffin of the mortuary for a year. The parts of the exterior that still had skin had turned a blue-black color, and a pattern of decayed veins had started to appear, indicating that gaseous by-products of decay were infiltrating the blood vessels, beginning to stain the venous network. Jiang Yuan, without hesitation, pulled out his own gas mask and said, “I’ll wear this.” “You young people,” Li Zhen mumbled, “Back when we were conducting autopsies, masks were hardly ensured. I see some now even wear protective suits...” “Times have indeed improved,” Jiang Yuan responded, turning his attention to the corpse. Li Zhen, being around the same age as Jiang Yuan’s master, Wu Jun, and having spoken on the phone prior, was happy to skip pleasantries and directly introduced, “No head, no personal items that could prove identity. Middle-aged female, has given birth, relatively tall, with an initial estimate of a height between 165 to 170 centimeters and weighing around 60 kilograms, likely engaged in some sort of physical activity.” Li Zhen paused here, the same as what Jiang Yuan had seen in the autopsy report, based on very fundamental principles of anthropology. Gender and age were relatively easy to determine, childbearing history was simple to pinpoint—most women who have given birth exhibit one or more bean-sized pits on the back of the pubic symphysis known as ‘parturition pits’—if it’s there, she’s given birth; if not, other indicators are examined. As for height, weight, and the like, these could be calculated quite accurately with the long bones intact. Jiang Yuan felt somewhat relieved. What worried him most was if Langgu County’s coroner had a profound expertise in forensic anthropology, then conducting another autopsy would be a pointless exercise and a waste of time. However, it was clear that Li Zhen was not adept at forensic anthropology. In that case, it was necessary for Jiang Yuan to perform another autopsy.

Chapter 103 - 103 101 Thawing

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