Chapter 239

"Oh?" Gu Changzheng glanced at Lao Zheng in surprise—something that gave him a headache as a cause of death? That was rare indeed!

"But it’s certainly not natural death; the cause of death is indeed peculiar," Lao Zheng said. "There’s a distinct star-shaped contusion and fracture on the frontal skull."

"Come on, speak human language!" Gu Changzheng interrupted, annoyed by Lao Zheng’s jargon. Lao Zheng shot him a glare. "Look at this skull—there’s a mark on the forehead from a heavy blunt object like an axe. But I can’t shake the feeling that this wound is strange."

"What’s strange about it?" Gu Changzheng asked quickly.

"This..." Lao Zheng pointed at the skull. "I can’t put my finger on it yet. Wait—I’ll figure it out later!"

Gu Changzheng nodded. He had full confidence in this longtime partner.

It was ten p.m. The lights in the municipal bureau building were dimming. In the forensic lab on the first floor, Lao Zheng excitedly dialed Gu Changzheng’s number: "Lao Gu! I’ve got new findings—you’d better come over right now!"

Gu Changzheng, still awake, answered the call and rushed downstairs to drive. The night roads were clear; in less than ten minutes, he was in the forensic lab.

"Lao Zheng, what’s the new finding?" Gu Changzheng asked as he walked in.

"This skeleton suffered secondary trauma," Lao Zheng said, pointing to the cold bones on the lab table. "Based on bone degradation and the burial site’s soil, temperature, and humidity, the death occurred about five or six years ago. But this fracture on the frontal skull looks freshly made."

"What?!" Gu Changzheng exclaimed. This was unbelievable!

Lao Zheng said, "And inside the skull fracture, we found this." He pointed to a stainless steel tray.

Gu Changzheng squinted closely—the tray held several tiny red fragments. "What is this?"

"Paint chips," Lao Zheng said. "From a brand-new axe painted red."

"So you mean someone dug up this skeleton, smashed its skull with an axe, and buried it again?" Gu Changzheng uttered words even he thought absurd.

"Yes, that’s the only explanation for these fresh injuries on the skull."

"Hmph!" Gu Changzheng rubbed his stubble. "When can we confirm the identity?"

"No items at the burial site indicate the identity. Screening missing persons reports would be extremely difficult..."

"Do you have a better idea?" Gu Changzheng sensed Lao Zheng had another approach.

Lao Zheng nodded. "We could try cranial reconstruction. But..." His expression turned awkward. "I’ve only just begun learning this technique. To get accurate results, I’ll need support from higher-level units."

Gu Changzheng said, "Cranial reconstruction—I know about it. The provincial bureau has experts. I’ll apply right away for their assistance."

Lao Zheng nodded, looking at Gu Changzheng. "Uh, Lao Gu... could you ask the higher-ups if I can participate in the reconstruction process?"

Gu Changzheng smiled. "I get it. I’m off now—wait for my update."

Watching Gu Changzheng hurry away, Lao Zheng’s lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes filled with longing.

———

A week later, the cranial reconstruction results for the unidentified skeleton were in—and they shocked Gu Changzheng and the investigators: the deceased bore an uncanny resemblance to Xia Mingde, the man they’d been desperately searching for! To avoid error, Gu Changzheng sent Xia Mingde’s photo to the provincial bureau. After facial bone comparison, they confirmed: this skull belonged to Xia Mingde.

Faced with this result, Gu Changzheng grew even more suspicious of the missing Zhou Hui. He suspected Xia Mingde had been killed and silenced by Zhou Hui after assisting her in some matter.

What could possibly have been so dangerous that Zhou Hui risked murder?

The answer seemed almost within reach.

But this cunning woman had vanished since disappearing from the orphanage. Gu Changzheng had scoured every corner of Zizhen City—and found not a single lead.

It was now the National Day holiday. As a major tourist city, Zizhen’s transient population had surged. The municipal bureau, district branches, and grassroots police stations were all stretched thin maintaining public order. Gu Changzheng’s pressure intensified. He dared not slacken security for the two surviving girls, Lin Xiaoxue and Yu Jiajia, and had no choice but to reduce the intensity of the search for Zhou Hui.

But at least they’d found Xia Mingde’s fate—even if all they found was a skeleton.

Yet sometimes, the world simply conspires against you. Just as Gu Changzheng confirmed Zhou Hui was the killer—or the mastermind behind the murders of Xia Fei and the other girls—and had framed Zhang Xiao to claim a large insurance payout, another twist arrived!