Сhарtеr 204: Autoрsу 1
Zhu Yаn, hоwеver, was not intеrеsted in thesе matters. А murdеr саsе mеant therе was a body, and she wаs аlreаdy еаgеr tо pеrfоrm thе аutоpsу.
When she arrivеd аt the mоrtuary, Pаn Chi was аlso therе.
Sееing thаt Раn Сhi had arrivеd bеforе hеr, Zhu Yаn quicklу steррed forwаrd аnd askеd, "How is it? Hаve you fоund аnуthing?"
As shе spoke, Zhu Yаn hаd аlreаdу bеnt dоwn, tаking оut toоls frоm the сloth bаg she cаrried with hеr, аnd bеgan ехаmining thе body.
Pаn Chi shook his head slightlу. "I just arrived as wеll and havеn't found аnу cluеs yet. Since you’re here now, we can study it together and discuss our findings."
"Mm." Zhu Yan nodded with unusual satisfaction. Being able to perform an autopsy alongside a handsome man was something she had never even dared to dream of.
Unnoticed by the two, Shen Du’s expression was exceptionally grim.
Pan Chi was everywhere, like a lingering ghost. Zhu Yan was his person—didn’t this guy have any sense of awareness at all?
Watching the two of them examining the body and analyzing the case in such a harmonious atmosphere, Shen Du felt intensely annoyed.
He couldn’t even find an opportunity to tell Zhu Yan about the results of his investigation into Mo Qianzhi’s room last night, which only added to his frustration.
Just then, Shen Du glanced sideways at the headless corpse nearby and suddenly came up with an idea. He snorted coldly and said,
"Weren’t you entrusted to investigate the headless corpse case? Why are you suddenly interested in this case now? And you call yourself a master detective? So irresponsible."
Shen Du’s mockery didn’t faze Pan Chi. Instead, he straightened up calmly and explained with a mysterious smile, "Look at the empty eye sockets of this corpse. I suspect these two cases are related, just like the recent 'Half-Faced Ghost' cannibalism case that’s been spreading through Gannan Circuit."
When it came to the Half-Faced Ghost cannibalism case, Zhu Yan and the others had also heard of it.
Legend had it that the Half-Faced Ghost only ate one part of a person’s body at a time, targeting victims while they were unconscious. When they woke up, they would find themselves missing an arm or a leg.
Such cases were even harder to investigate because no lives were lost, and out of reverence for the supernatural, they were often left unresolved.
Thus, the legend of the "Half-Faced Ghost" persisted.
Mo, the constable, quickly chimed in,
"That rumor is indeed true, and those missing limbs are still alive today. But legends are just legends, and the details are so mysterious that they usually end up unresolved."
Hearing Mo the constable say this, Shen Du sneered and looked at Pan Chi disdainfully.
"Just folk rumors. It’s one thing for ordinary people to believe them, but you, a top scholar in both civil and military affairs—how can you believe in ghosts and gods?"
Pan Chi, however, explained with deep meaning, "I don’t believe in ghosts or gods. It’s just that some people can’t tell whether it’s a human or a ghost. And whether it’s a human or a ghost, it has committed murder. Such a being deserves punishment."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan became intrigued and quickly expressed her agreement with Pan Chi’s words.
"Master Pan is truly an upright person, and these words resonate with me. I’ve always thought the same—whether it’s a human or a ghost, if lives have been lost, they must pay the price. Even if it’s an evil ghost, we must carry out the judgment on behalf of the King of Hell."
Receiving Zhu Yan’s approval, Pan Chi looked quite pleased. With a raised eyebrow, he glanced at Shen Du as if to assert his dominance.Shen Du clenched his fist, a fierce glint in his narrowed eyes that seemed ready to skin Pan Chi alive.
This man was truly detestable, always contradicting him in front of Zhu Yan, making him lose face. Did he really think his life was too long?
Seeing Shen Du’s narrowed eyes, Pan Chi felt a chill run down his spine. This man was not to be trifled with; it was better to know when to back off.
Zhu Yan was still examining the corpse, and just as Pan Chi was about to approach her, Shen Du suddenly extended a hand in front of him, his eyes flicking to the side, signaling him to step aside.
Pan Chi’s expression shifted. Though he was extremely displeased with Shen Du’s decision, he glanced at Zhu Yan, who was carefully examining the corpse, and couldn’t bring himself to speak and disturb her.
If he couldn’t get close, then so be it. If he couldn’t approach, neither could Shen Du.
The two men stood there stiffly, as if leaving the entire autopsy to Zhu Yan.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yan was intently using a thin blade to carefully cut open the corpse’s skin, turning it over to examine the inside, completely unaware of the tension between the two.
“There are impact injuries on the body, likely external wounds from falling into the well. No internal injuries. The cause of death is a shattered heart meridian, resulting in instant death.” As she spoke, Zhu Yan sliced open the abdomen. “The specific signs are purplish swelling on the body, along with some signs of decay.”
After saying this, Zhu Yan pressed her hand against the corpse’s abdomen. The texture felt off, and the sound it made was dull and muffled.
“The shattered heart meridian accelerated the decay process. His abdomen is likely a mess of pulp now.”
Zhu Yan turned her gaze to the hollow eye sockets of the deceased. This time, the wound marks differed slightly from those on the headless corpse. It wasn’t the trace of a foreign curved blade, as Pan Chi had suggested, but it was still an extremely sharp weapon. Moreover, looking at the wound, it seemed like a tool specifically designed for gouging out small things like this.
Zhu Yan frowned deeply. She had never seen such a weapon before and couldn’t figure out how to describe it.
Noticing Zhu Yan’s serious expression, Shen Du, standing nearby, quickly asked, “Did you find something?”
Zhu Yan’s frown deepened as she carefully examined the deceased’s eye sockets. “I can’t say what kind of weapon this is, but it’s definitely not the foreign curved blade Pan Gongzi mentioned earlier. What’s strange to me is that, based on the layers of the wound, I think this weapon might have been specially made. It’s very peculiar.”
Pan Chi lowered his gaze slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, “You mean a weapon specifically for gouging out eyes?”
Zhu Yan didn’t answer his question. Instead, after a moment of thought, she quickly took out a notebook from her pocket and sketched the possible weapon she had in mind.
“Something like this, though I’m not entirely sure if such a thing exists in the world.”
Zhu Yan showed the drawing to the two men, and surprisingly, both Shen Du and Pan Chi spoke in unison, naming the weapon.
“Knuckle duster!”
“Does such a weapon really exist?” Zhu Yan was taken aback by their reactions.
She had originally thought it was just a small blade or perhaps a new type of weapon the killer had specially developed to achieve their purpose.
She never expected such a weapon to actually exist in the world.Shen Du nodded and explained, "This is a weapon worn on the finger, far sharper than swords or knives. However, it’s too sinister and is typically used by those who practice dark arts. It was originally designed for tomb raiding, so why it’s being used on people now is worth pondering."
Zhu Yan nodded thoughtfully, stroking her chin with one hand as she voiced her speculation, "From this, it seems the murderer must be a tomb raider or someone related to that line of work."
Another clue also became clearer now. She didn’t know whether this case was connected to the Half-Faced Ghost, but it didn’t seem directly linked to the previous headless corpse case. Still, why the killer had taken the victim’s eyeballs after murdering them remained a mystery to her.
Pan Chi also fell into deep thought. His intuition couldn’t be wrong.
The two cases were connected, yet according to Zhu Yan’s earlier remarks, his intuition had been overturned. It was truly suspicious.
Could it be that he was overthinking things?
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