Chapter 400

Qin Ming said: "The most expensive place in the world is the hospital—so many families eventually can't afford the costs and take the elderly home, leaving them to wait for death. Tell me, isn't that murder?"

Everyone stared at Qin Ming in silence.

"Let me rephrase it: how many times, faced with overwhelming financial disparity, have these people actually intended to kill their own parents because they simply couldn't go on?"

"What if, at that moment, someone helped you by ending your loved one's life—would you blame them? Or would you come after them?"

Everyone remained silent.

Teacher He said: "That's not right."

"Yes, I know it's not right—but cases like this really exist. Invisible cases. Conceptual cases. Still, we need to investigate, to look into them."

At the scene, Chen Fan ordered the body sent to the forensic institute.

Scalpel in hand, he began the cut.

Soon, Chen Fan found what he needed—a fingerprint on the old man's lips.

The fresh fingerprint told Chen Fan the man had been suffocated by pressure.

"If you don't believe me, there's more."

Chen Fan continued: "Compartment syndrome refers to prolonged, severe compression of muscle-rich areas such as the trunk or limbs, causing local ischemia, contusion, degeneration, and necrosis; myoplasm dissolution and myoglobin release, resulting in a syndrome dominated by myoglobinuria, metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, and azotemia—acute renal failure. Compartment syndrome is the late stage of crush injury. Internationally, cases with only muscle compression without myoglobinuria or acute renal failure are termed 'crush injury' or 'fascial compartment syndrome,' while those with myoglobinuria or acute renal failure are termed 'compartment syndrome.'"

Pointing to the corner of the corpse's mouth, Chen Fan said: "Here, and here—clear indentations from finger pressure. This is what happened when someone pressed their palm against him before death."

The man remained silent.

Chen Fan continued: "I can also tell you the other indicators."

"The primary pathological changes in the lungs: early stage shows symmetrical dilation, congestion, and edema of alveolar capillaries, widening of alveolar septa, exudation of serous fluid, neutrophils, and macrophages into alveolar cavities, alveolar collapse, atelectasis, and compensatory emphysema; eosinophilic hyaline membranes may form on respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveolar surfaces. In later stages, nonspecific pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis dominate, often accompanied by bronchitis and lung abscess."

"Your father's long-term smoking caused lung damage, and that damage requires high oxygen supply. But you must understand—there's a measurable threshold. Even a light pressure, just allowing oxygen to seep through the gaps of his fingers, would have kept him alive."

"Professional pressure is required to ensure certain, precise death. So this person must have been professional."

The man said: "I'll cooperate. Ask me anything—I'll tell you everything."

Chen Fan put down the scalpel, looked at the man, and said: "Did you ever tell anyone to kill your father?"

Li Tian fell silent at Chen Fan's words.

Wait, hold on—throwing the sack, etc.

Li Tian said: "What do you mean?"

"Heh, nothing. Just asking."

The man said firmly: "I didn't. Not at all. I never told anyone."

Chen Fan looked at the old man and said: "Then it was your father who said it—he wished someone would kill him, end his life, and spare you the burden."

The man fell to his knees, slapped himself twice.

"Dad, I'm a filial son—I'm useless, I didn't make any money, I couldn't save you. Even at death, you were still taking care of me. I'm not even human—I deserve to die."

These words stabbed into the hearts of everyone like knives.

This man blamed himself—he'd never found peace. For the rest of his life, he would carry this fate.

Chen Fan rubbed his temples and looked at Li Tian: "I ask you—if a person has only one day left to live, and someone ends that person's life, is it murder?"

"It's murder."

"What if the deceased consented?"

"Still murder."

"What if the family agreed?"

"Still murder. No question—it's murder. The law must punish these people."

A series of questions plunged everyone into deep thought.

Old Liu clapped Chen Fan on the shoulder: "Just arrest the person. There's something else you haven't told Li Tian."

0..........

Chen Fan smiled: "Forget it, I'm just teasing you."

"What?"

For the first time, Li Tian showed helplessness. Only a case this grueling could make the detective feel this way.

"Human evil amplifies itself. No matter your motive—if you commit a crime, it will keep going. So this person will kill again. And it's a woman."

Woman?

Li Tian said: "Fine. I'll investigate. You come with me."

Chen Fan nodded.

As they prepared to leave, Old Liu said: "The workload is heavy—be careful. Also, I'll tell you this: Li Tian's father also died of illness."

Chen Fan said: "Don't tell me Li Tian suspects his father didn't die that quickly."

"What do you think?"

Chen Fan fell silent. "I understand. I'll catch the person."

Old Liu said: "This time, don't hurt the girl."

"I understand. But if the girl really did something extreme, I'm sorry—I might go all out."

The livestream audience didn't know why, but their blood felt like it was burning.

Fuck.

Damn, Chen Fan's tone just now—so damn cool.

Is escape really about jumping out of a house?

Or is the human being itself already in prison—where the dead body is a vast cage, trapping everyone?

And it is precisely this cage that needs someone to save them.

The body is the warden—and this escape lets these elders leave.

It was assistance from outsiders.

Very ungraceful, not graceful at all; on this point, Chen Fan was unshakable.

The human world is a vast execution ground; perhaps, the illnesses of old age are merely our repayment for the sins of a past era.

This is the punishment, the punishment from the human world.

In the hospital, Chen Fan opened the death records.

Calculating bit by bit.

Yet when he saw the death records, Chen Fan went completely numb.

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