Chapter 271: Murder

Just as the officers thought, Xu Mo indeed uncovered a suspicious point.

Because of his Conan‑like nature, Xu Mo from the start subjectively believed this was most likely arson, not a simple accidental fire.

Even though the various signs at the scene indicated that this could very well be an accidental fire, he still stuck to his view, searching for all kinds of clues from the moment he entered.

The paper bin caught fire, the blower accelerated the spread, a biogas explosion further intensified the blaze, and there was a cleaning truck loaded with flammable material on site… Han Fei's analysis all makes sense.

But are these analyses, and the so‑called clues they saw, necessarily true?

Not necessarily!

If Xu Mo were the arsonist, and wanted people to think this was an accidental fire, he would also place a blower in the restroom to speed the spread, and put a cleaning truck loaded with flammable material in the restroom.

He would make everything appear perfectly natural, thereby achieving a deception.

Thus, up to now, the series of so‑called clues they have noted could all be false, deliberately arranged to mislead them into classifying the fire as accidental.

Everything at the scene could be man‑made, false.

But there is only one thing that cannot "lie"—the corpse!

Coincidentally, Xu Mo is well‑versed in forensic knowledge; he can perform an autopsy.

Xu Mo pointed at the corpse: "This person wasn't burned to death."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Dachuan beside him raised an objection.

"If not burned, how could he have died? He died at the fire scene, so he must have been burned."

"Wait until Xu Mo finishes speaking before you interject," Han Fei frowned, then looked at Xu Mo: "Continue."

Then Xu Mo gave a brief explanation.

"A person burned to death will have full‑body muscle contraction, assuming a clenched‑fist posture with limbs flexed, like a boxer. But look at this corpse—its limbs are clearly spread out. He was evidently thrown into the restroom after death; the fire in the restroom was set by the killer to cover up evidence, the killer wanted to destroy the body."

"A burned person's limbs curl… I get it, like fresh shrimp that curl up when dropped into a pot?" Chen Ke said, pinching his chin.

"Right," Xu Mo nodded. "That's basically it. Although this corpse has been burned beyond recognition, its posture reveals that he wasn't burned to death; he died before the fire."

Hearing this, Han Fei's expression grew solemn.

If it is truly as Xu Mo says, this corpse wasn't burned but had died before the fire started.

Then the fire could not be accidental; it was deliberately set.

As for the motive, it was simply to destroy the body and erase evidence.

The killer wanted a blaze to make people mistake it for a perfectly ordinary accidental fire.

"Are you sure he wasn't burned? Could it be… that you misjudged?" Han Fei pointed at the corpse and asked Xu Mo.

Han Fei knew the cause of death was crucial.

If it were a burn death, this would likely be an accidental fire.

But if not, then it's murder!

Moreover, the opponent Han Fei and the others faced was a meticulous killer.

Xu Mo nodded seriously: "I'm certain."

Although Xu Mo is not a formal forensic doctor.

His expertise in this area is undeniable.

In fact, even the forensic doctors at the Police Station might not be stronger than Xu Mo.

Han Fei, aware of Xu Mo's forensic skill, saw his certainty that the person wasn't burned, and his expression grew even more solemn: "So this is murder. The blower and the cleaning truck were arranged by the killer to make the fire spread faster and larger, to destroy the body."

"Looks like everyone has work to do tonight," Chen Ke said, glancing at the corpse.

For a routine fire, the police naturally wouldn't intervene.

But when it involves murder, they must take action!

They have to track down the killer and bring him to justice.

Han Fei first looked at the firefighter who brought them here.

"Comrade, that…"

Before he could finish, the firefighter smiled and nodded: "I understand. My work is done, so I'll withdraw. Rest assured, I'm tight‑lipped; I won't leak the things I shouldn't have heard just now."

"Thanks for understanding!" Han Fei said.

"No need to be formal; we serve the people. If you need anything, just call me anytime, as long as I'm not out on a fire call, I'll be there instantly." After speaking, the firefighter turned and left.

When the police handle a case, unrelated personnel cannot stay nearby; that's the rule.

After the firefighter left, only the officers remained at the scene.

Han Fei then gave orders to the officers one by one.

"Call the forensic doctor and have him stand by at the squad, we have work."

"Confirm the victim's identity."

"Have the forensic investigators check for any usable clues; as usual, photograph the scene."

"Then transport the corpse back for the forensic doctor to dissect, determine the exact cause of death and any new findings, and notify the family."

"Copy all the surveillance from this floor, and also the elevator footage."

"…"

In this murder case, the killer's method of covering up was rather sophisticated.

If the Fire Brigade arrived late, causing the corpse to be completely charred, or if the police failed to spot any irregularities, the murderer could likely get away.

That would approach a perfect crime.

What the killer didn't anticipate was that the fire department arrived before the corpse was fully charred and extinguished the blaze.

Only then did the police notice the oddity, realizing the victim hadn't been burned but was placed in the fire after death.

This is a premeditated murder!

Of course, they have to thank Xu Mo for this.

If not, the Police and firefighters would very likely classify this fire as an accidental ignition.

After all, not every discovered corpse is sent to the forensic examiner to determine the cause of death.

The Police quickly launched an operation.

After clearing the scene and taking photographs, they immediately cordoned off the area with police tape.

That corpse was then taken back to the squad for the forensic doctor to dissect and ascertain the true cause of death.

It is worth noting that in criminal cases, a corpse may be dissected without obtaining the family's consent; if the relatives object to the Police's dissection in a criminal case, the Police have the authority to force the autopsy and conduct a post‑mortem examination, merely needing to notify the family.

After all, cases where the direct relative is the murderer have occurred before…