Chapter 18

With Lunar New Year’s Eve only two days away, officers would rather catch a couple more pickpockets than deal with a homicide, let alone one where the time of death couldn’t be pinned down.

At half past midnight, after the scene work was done, the core members of Investigation Unit One gathered in the Nanyun District headquarters conference room. Everyone wore grave expressions, waiting for Chu Wanning to speak.

Chu Wanning sat at the head of the table, scrolling through the scene photos on her laptop. She remained silent for a long while.

Eventually, she closed the laptop and looked up. “Little Liang and Little Chen, search missing persons reports from the past year. We need to identify the deceased as soon as possible. Fanxin, continue coordinating with forensics and trace evidence. The rest of you, canvass the surrounding neighborhood. Ask if anyone noticed suspicious people or activity in the past ten months.”

Little Liang was skeptical. “Captain Chu, ten months is a long time. Even if there was something suspicious, people will have forgotten.”

Chu Wanning rose from her chair. “That depends on how memorable it was. Deeply processed information tends to stick in long-term memory.”

Chen Anyou clapped Little Liang on the shoulder. “Brother Liang, the captain’s giving us a psychology lesson. If you don’t get it, just do the work.”

Little Liang bristled. “Who says I don’t get it? I just forgot, that’s all.”

Chu Wanning cut off the brewing argument. “It’s late. Go home and rest. We’ll be back Saturday. Let’s close this case quickly so everyone can enjoy the New Year.”

“Hail to the captain.” Chen Anyou cheered, then whispered to Little Liang, “I thought we’d be pulling an all-nighter. At least she’s considerate.”

Little Liang countered, “Old Captain Zhou was the same. You’re biased. Captain Chu’s under more pressure than we are, and she never loses her temper.”

As they reached the door, Chen Anyou lowered his voice even further: “You have a thing for Captain Chu, don’t you?”

“Stop reducing everything to romance. Captain Chu is an idol. Word is she still holds records at Yuanzhou Police Academy that no one’s broken.”

Chen Anyou clicked his tongue. “I don’t like tough women. Even Sister Xin, she didn’t flinch at the crime scene today.”

“Forensic Doctor Wan’s even tougher. She started touching the bodies without hesitation.”

“That’s different. Forensic Doctor Wan has a soft heart. Too bad she has no taste. She didn’t go for me.”

Little Liang had nothing to say to that…

Nie Fanxin remained silent throughout. She gathered her materials and was about to leave when Chu Wanning called out, “Fanxin, wait for me.”

“Mm.” Nie Fanxin stopped.

Chu Wanning turned off the conference room lights and walked over. “Going to the institute?”

Still thinking about their interaction at the crime scene, Nie Fanxin answered flatly, “Yes. Checking on autopsy progress and waiting for her to finish.”

Chu Wanning shut the door. “I’ll go with you.”

Nie Fanxin’s tone grew even more distant: “Then I won’t go. I’ll take her home early.”

Chu Wanning seemed to sense something off and softened her voice: “Fanxin, has something felt wrong lately?”

Was it that obvious? Nie Fanxin frowned involuntarily. After a long pause, she forced a smile. “Sister Wanning, you’re imagining things. We’re all just busy.” She lowered her gaze and composed herself before adding, “I was just worried about her getting home. But with you there, what’s there to worry about?”

Chu Wanning felt there was more to Nie Fanxin’s words but couldn’t parse it. She replied, “You and Xiaoyu are heading the same way. I still have to rush home and feed the cat.”

Nie Fanxin was surprised. “Cat? Don’t you hate dealing with litter?” Back in college, she’d picked up a stray cat and asked Chu Wanning to help care for it, only to be turned down.

Chu Wanning’s lips curved upward. “Times change. A friend’s cat. Very cute. They’re boarding it with me.”

“Got a photo? Let me see.” Nie Fanxin’s interest was piqued. She loved cats, but couldn’t keep one because Gu Bei was mildly allergic.

“A little orange tabby named Wandou.” The two chatted as they walked, reaching the institute without realizing it. They headed upstairs together. The third-floor regular autopsy room was empty. Just as they were about to call, they ran into research assistant Wei Lan, who was coming down for supplies. Wei Lan reminded them, “Captain Chu, Officer Nie, you’ll need protective gear for the decomposition autopsy room.”

Nie Fanxin caught a whiff of the stench clinging to Wei Lan. “Is the smell bad?”

Wei Lan fanned the air in front of her nose. “Yes, it’s intense. Even with a mask and face shield, you can still smell it.”

Chu Wanning didn’t waste words. “Where’s the gear?”

“Changing room at the end of the hall. There are five or six sets in the last locker. Grab your sizes. I’m heading back up.” She dashed off.

The two pulled the protective suits over their clothes, added face shields, masks, and gloves, and made their way upstairs. The stench hit them before they even entered the autopsy room. Nie Fanxin took a deep breath under the disinfectant spray and stepped inside.

Wan Yi was directing the camera operator: “Right heart and liver, kidney, and other internal organs show congestion. The ligature mark on the neck is a horizontal, closed-loop furrow with visible interruptions, the tail end indistinct.”

Wei Lan, taking notes, said, “Strangled?”

Wan Yi confirmed: “Yes. There’s no upward slant or interruption typical of hanging. This was ligature strangulation. The knot compressed at the back of the neck. There are trace tissue particles under the fingernails. The killer likely strangled her from behind, and the victim fought back and scratched him.”

Chu Wanning asked from experience, “Any of the killer’s blood?”

Wan Yi moved toward the pathology bench at the back. “The victim’s strength was probably limited, so there’s only minimal tissue residue. The chances of detecting another individual’s DNA are low.”

Nie Fanxin, concerned about the infant—less than fifty centimeters long—lying beside the female body, asked, “What about the baby? Did it die pre- or post-birth?”

Wan Yi stayed focused on her work as Wei Lan explained, “Officer Nie, Forensic Doctor Wan is about to perform a lung float test. It can determine whether the fetus died before or after birth.”

“The lung float test involves placing the lungs in water,” Wan Yi said as she removed the infant’s lungs and placed them in the water. The dark tissue immediately floated. She closed her eyes, then opened them with a soft sigh. “The infant died after birth. Cause of death: umbilical cord strangulation resulting in mechanical asphyxia.”

Nie Fanxin recalled the observation from earlier. “Why is the umbilical cord separated from the placenta? Was it cut?”

Wan Yi gestured for Wei Lan to show the photos. “The cross-section is clean, likely cut with scissors.”

Nie Fanxin’s eyes darkened: “What was the killer thinking? Why cut the cord?”

Chu Wanning rubbed her temple. “Maybe they saw the baby suffering and wanted to help it pass. Or maybe it was an unthinking action with no specific intent.”

“As for the neck wound.” Wan Yi washed her hands and picked up the remote. “The cut is clean and the tissue layers are distinct. Knowing where to cut to separate the head from the neck suggests the killer has extensive surgical experience or is, like me, in forensic medicine.”

Chu Wanning stared at the screen. “What about a regular doctor? Isn’t clinical anatomy a standard course?”

“No. Without extensive practical experience, it’s not achievable.” Wan Yi set down the remote and returned to the sink to disinfect. She removed her face shield and mask, her back to them, and drew rapid, heavy breaths.

Prolonged work in full protective gear with limited oxygen was hard on anyone, let alone her. The moment her mask came off, the stench flooded her nostrils. She covered her nose and walked out.

“Xiaoyu.” “Sister.” Chu Wanning and Nie Fanxin called out tensely in unison. Watching Chu Wanning rush after Wan Yi, Nie Fanxin hesitated and pulled back the step she’d already taken…