Chapter 158 - 158 153 Light Bulb

Words : 2040 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

158: Chapter 153 Light Bulb 158: Chapter 153 Light Bulb The funeral home at night. A cool breeze rustled through, filled with an eerie chill. At this moment, hiding in the woods of the funeral home, there was no need for air conditioning to feel the bone-chilling cold. On both sides of the road were towering pine trees, as thick as fat pigs, with branches as stout as a child’s arm, each bearing an air of “I’ve lived here for a very long time.” Jiang Yuan got out of the car and walked towards the morgue, feeling a shiver run down his spine. This was his first time going to the morgue alone. Without a living soul beside him, not even a dead body in sight, he felt an emptiness inside and a tinge of anxiety. Thud thud. Jiang Yuan knocked on the door of the autopsy room. The burly man inside, who was helping to move the body, yelped in fright. “It’s me,” Jiang Yuan called out, reminding those inside. “Who...are you?” The stocky man seemed to recover slightly, but his crew cut was still scrunched up like a small tent, like a little steamed bun on his crotch, indicating that the little man inside him was also curled up, feeling uneasy. “Jiang Yuan,” he replied, somewhat helplessly. Only then was the door to the autopsy room opened. “You scared the hell out of me, I thought something was knocking on the door,” the strong man rubbed his chest. Jiang Yuan didn’t joke about it; after all, it was quite remarkable that anyone could come to the funeral home in the middle of the night to accompany a forensic doctor during an autopsy. Even as he walked over, looking at the pine trees, his heart skipped a beat. Jiang Yuan couldn’t understand why funeral homes always liked to plant pine trees, or was it that the abundance of pine trees gave people hints of their association with funeral homes? “Come on in first,” Master Wu Jun called from inside. The corridor lights that had just gone off flicked back on, startlingly so. “This light, with both sound and light sensors, is really annoying. So sensitive, it turns off and then on again,” grumbled the burly man, locking the door behind him. “The sound-controlled lights at the Wanghe Building crime scene today were flickering on and off non-stop, my eyes are barely holding up,” Jiang Yuan’s voice trailed off as he spoke. “What’s wrong?” The stocky man, also a detective, was puzzled by the change in Jiang Yuan’s tone. Jiang Yuan said, “I had just left the fall scene at the Wanghe Building, and when I got into the elevator, the lights in the hallway went off in sequence, ultimately highlighting the emergency exit’s light. It was that old-fashioned kind of bulb with a yellowish light.” “What do you find problematic about that?” the burly detective asked directly. “With the hallway lights in Wanghe Building being so energy-efficient, would the light in the fire escape be left on constantly?” Jiang Yuan took out his phone and dialed a number, calling the police officer Li Wei with whom he had just parted. Li Wei answered quickly, laughing, “Jiang Yuan, did you leave something behind?” “Brother Li, let me ask you, when we left the Wanghe Building, I remember all the lights in the hallway were off. In the end, was it just the emergency exit light that was on?” “Hmm... It should be,” Li Wei confirmed. “Think back again, please.” “Yeah... there should have been light shining through the small window of that fire door, casting a small square on the floor.” “Do you remember the color of the light?” “Yellow light, old bulbs, right? What’s the matter?” “It just feels pretty strange. Have you returned to the station?” “That’s good.” Jiang Yuan hung up the phone. Looking up again, he saw Wu Jun approaching with a scalpel, his expression dark and foreboding. The burly detective beside him was also frowning deeply. Jiang Yuan looked at the two men, and after a couple of seconds, voiced his suspicion, “I think there is someone in the fire escape, otherwise the light wouldn’t be on.” Having said this, it was only natural to derive such a conclusion. Wu Jun gently swayed the scalpel in his hand, and asked with clear enunciation, “Returning to the crime scene?” The murderer returning to the crime scene put the forensic technicians at risk. Many murderers return to the crime scene with the intention of erasing evidence, and encountering technicians who are collecting it can lead to unpredictable choices. Of course, there are more twisted murderers who revisit the crime scene due to psychological reasons after committing the act. Either way, it meant that Jiang Yuan might have been in danger at that time. A technician focused solely on processing evidence, when attacked from behind, is practically defenseless. However, all these depended on the premise that there really was a murderer. The case had to be a homicide, not a suicide. Otherwise, it would just be a humiliating case of paranoia. And just one light wasn’t enough to prove any of these suspicions. Realizing this, Jiang Yuan simply nodded and said, “Let’s look at the body first.” “No rush, let’s call Captain Huang first.” Holding a scalpel and covered in various fluids, Wu Jun stood at the door, gesturing to the burly detective beside him to make the call. Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, “I was just speculating earlier. It’s best to take another look at the scene...” “And what if you run into someone at the scene again?” Wu Jun finished speaking and said with a very solemn tone, “I’m going to talk to you today as a master. So what if you guessed wrong? If you guessed wrong, you guessed wrong. Isn’t there always someone who guesses incorrectly at each case analysis meeting? Does anyone get mocked for guessing wrong?” After pausing for a moment, Wu Jun continued, “No face is more important than life. We’re police officers, not heroes. The entire team and the whole station, hundreds of people, are working on cases day and night. Now that you have a lead and you don’t report it, but instead go to the scene by yourself, is that appropriate?” Jiang Yuan was left speechless by his words. Indeed, he was a bit afraid of guessing wrong, afraid of making a mistake. He had made a guess earlier, but only after some mental preparation had he spoken out. Now, just a few hours later, not only had he not proven anything, but he had also come up with a new speculation to prove the previous one... In another situation, this might have resulted in a severe reprimand. Huang Qiangmin’s call got through. Wu Jun also put the scalpel back and removed his gloves. Standing a meter or two away, he said through the speakerphone, “Captain Huang, this is Wu Jun. Jiang Yuan just arrived at the autopsy room. We suspect that he encountered someone at the defenestration site.” “Who?” Huang Qiangmin was equally alert, his voice slightly altered. “We’re not sure yet...” “Get to the point.” “It might be the killer returning to the crime scene,” Wu Jun said, his voice much more relaxed after voicing the thought. Now, the pressure was on Huang Qiangmin. Huang Qiangmin was noticeably taken aback before regathering his thoughts and said, “Explain the situation in detail.” “I’ll let Jiang Yuan tell you,” Wu Jun yielded his place to Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan had been recalling the previous situation all this while and now succinctly clarified the matter without any further rambling. Huang Qiangmin thought for only a short time before saying, “Is your current location safe?” “It’s safe.” “Good, pay attention to your safety and just stay there. I’m sending people to search the Wanghe Building now.” “I want to go over there,” Jiang Yuan also organized his thoughts and quickly said, “Don’t let anyone go up to the fire escape on the 28th floor. I want to see if I can find any footprints first.” The well-known Locard’s Exchange Principle was in practice: if someone wanted to return to the crime scene, they might be able to eliminate some evidence, but they would also leave new traces. Jiang Yuan had just recently used footprints to solve a cold case, proving his ability to be even stronger than the average footprint expert. Huang Qiangmin immediately responded, “Wait a moment, I’ll send someone to pick you up.” “Okay,” Jiang Yuan was not being pretentious. Although the chances of the killer reappearing were very low, and it was unlikely for them to dare attack a police officer, the current criminal investigation team should not be short of manpower. To refuse now, Jiang Yuan would more likely take away the burly officers by his side, leaving his master Wu Jun alone with the body. Taking advantage of the time before the officers sent by Huang Qiangmin arrived, Jiang Yuan put on his clothes and began the autopsy with his master. It wasn’t so much about helping, but about getting an early understanding of the body’s condition. Bodies from high falls do not necessarily look terrible on the outside. Especially those bodies that do not undergo a second rebound, the force is concentrated on one side, and under a very strong impact, the superficial damage on that side may not be severe. What’s severe are the internal organs and bones. It’s like deboning a chicken; you have to bash it first. After bashing, the chicken skin remains intact, but the bones inside have already shifted. This body was similar, with the vertebrae in the shoulder and neck area poking to the other side, while the skin on the neck and chest was still passable. The head also absorbed a significant amount of potential energy. The skull was fractured into several pieces, which only became clear after cutting open the scalp. Jiang Yuan recalled the glass at the fall site; the deceased seemed to have been clinging to the window, but whether the release was due to suicide, an accident, or someone influencing them in some way... Jiang Yuan did not yet know. But judging by the body, the deceased’s death was very swift, and there was not much readjustment of posture in the air. “By the way, are there other videos?” Jiang Yuan asked Wu Jun directly. From the information he knew, the deceased had hung onto the glass for a minute or two; it was impossible that there was only one video. “There are three more. Some people probably heard that mobile phones were being collected and were unwilling to provide theirs. Captain Huang is having people check social circles and WeChat groups,” Wu Jun, though staying in the autopsy room, was still well-informed. “What about the victim? How is the family doing?” Jiang Yuan knew Wu Jun had seen the relatives. “Seems like an ordinary rural family. The parents are somewhat slow-witted. Hearing of their son’s death, his mother cried terribly,” Wu Jun shook his head and said, “From what they said, the family has debts, and previously it was the victim who was repaying them.” As Jiang Yuan listened, he washed his hands and then closely inspected the deceased’s clothing. The officers sent by Huang Qiangmin were nearly there. Two strapping men over six feet tall escorted Jiang Yuan back to the Wanghe Building. Jiang Yuan headed straight for the fire escape on the 28th floor. When there was no one and no noise, the lights were indeed off. Jiang Yuan silently sprayed the ground with forensic footprint reagent. This substance was essentially a fixative for dust; once sprayed, it could then be brushed with powder for coloring. At first glance, it made everything clearly visible. And in the fire escape, there was a light accumulation of dust.

Chapter 158 - 158 153 Light Bulb

Comments (0)