Chapter 172

During the time Cao Keyang communicated with forensic expert Wang Lan and the local police captain, Jiang Yuan also sent a text message to Team Leader Huang Qiangmin, explaining his desire to stay in Qinghe City for a few days of training.

Since it was nighttime and not his own case, Jiang Yuan felt it inappropriate to call.

Just minutes after sending the message, Huang Qiangmin's phone rang.

"Who's pulling your leg?" Huang Qiangmin's voice carried a disciplined energy, like the opening phase of an interrogation—ready to shift into offense or defense at any moment.

Jiang Yuan wasn't exactly afraid of him—he chuckled twice, then said, "I've never examined a corpse that was murdered then burned. I want to see one."

Hearing this, Huang Qiangmin felt a pang of frustration, as if his naive junior had been led astray. He sighed earnestly: "They're just asking you to work for free. There are countless types of corpses—do you plan to see them all?"

"Isn't that what forensic experts do?" Jiang Yuan murmured.

"You don't need to do forensic work to excel—you shouldn't force yourself into it," Huang Qiangmin said insincerely. Normally, he demanded perfection from his team.

But such advice was like a chamber pot—only brought out when needed.

Everyone was a workhorse; even Huang Qiangmin had to work. He was fundamentally a command-type investigator—the kind who seemed idle but played the most vital role—like a pig.

Jiang Yuan, by contrast, was a horse that excelled at everything, slightly detached from county-level environments.

Huang Qiangmin stressed: "Don't let them take advantage of you. Free labor is a loss."

Jiang Yuan chuckled again, glanced sideways at Cao Keyang on the phone, leaned slightly away, and whispered: "I'm just gaining experience. If I'm helping, I'm helping—no big deal."

"What experience? You've seen plenty of corpses burned after murder. Come back—I'll roast a whole lamb for you."

Jiang Yuan smiled awkwardly, reassured Team Leader Huang, and just before hanging up, added: "The internal organs of burned corpses matter too. I'm signing off."

A hundred kilometers away, Huang Qiangmin gripped his phone, face dark with irritation.

That whole group of con artists in Qinghe City!

…

The autopsy in Qinghe City was also conducted at the funeral home.

Rules were set by the municipal bureau—nothing new—though the refrigerators had to meet standards.

The most commendable feature of the funeral home was its environment.

The floors were always clean and tidy.

Areas frequently traversed by people were meticulously cleaned.

Not only did funeral home staff work diligently, but visitors also exhibited extremely high manners—very few littered. Many mourners, after cleaning their own family's designated area, would carefully tidy the public spaces too.

Towering ancient trees were common fixtures, often thick and tall, casting dense shade over large open areas, ensuring visitors felt cool even at noon.

By evening, all visitors had left; even the cafeteria and convenience store ladies had clocked out. Cao Keyang pulled Jiang Yuan into the parking lot, then walked on foot to the autopsy room.

Still a basement with maximum chill.

A mournful wind howled through the corridors.

"You're here," Wang Lan greeted them at the door.

She was thin and gaunt, like a famine victim, but her eyes gleamed brightly—otherwise, in this place, she'd easily be mistaken for a ghost.

"Dr. Wang, thank you for your help," Jiang Yuan stepped forward.

Wang Lan smiled: "No trouble at all. I'm glad someone's willing to help. Oh, this is Officer Niu Dong from our district bureau."

Jiang Yuan noticed a short, stout man beside the gaunt Dr. Wang, standing on a small stool beside the autopsy table.

After seeing so many forensic experts, he unexpectedly missed his master, Wu.

At least Master Wu was normal.

Niu Dong looked up at Jiang Yuan. He'd heard about the young forensic expert with repeated commendations. He had no expectations—just small talk: "I've met Wu Jun a few times. Old Wu's almost retired, right?"

"My master retires in two years," Jiang Yuan replied.

Having an extra pair of hands was helpful.

The Qinghe district bureau also had a forensic assistant position—essentially unlicensed labor.

With Niu Dong, Wang Lan, and one assistant, performing an autopsy was relatively light work.

But who could refuse an extra forensic expert?

After brief pleasantries, they quickly entered the autopsy room.

Jiang Yuan was fully suited up and brought his own equipment.

Cao Keyang hesitated to leave—he didn't want to leave Jiang Yuan, and the thought of walking alone through the eerie, tree-lined path back to the parking lot at night seemed worse than facing a charred corpse and several oddly shaped living forensic experts.

The corpse was indeed charred.

In professional terms: total carbonization.

In lay terms: a black, brittle crust had formed on the surface.

It was still terrifying—ordinary people couldn't handle it.

Seeing roasted lamb smell delicious, but roasted humans…

"Parts of the limbs are carbonized and missing: the upper arm above mid-shaft on the left, the forearm on the right, and both lower limbs from mid-thigh downward…" Wang Lan stood beside the autopsy table, explaining to Jiang Yuan.

The corpse had curled up—like a shrimp.

"Carbonized missing" meant burned away entirely.

In short: only half a forearm remained on the left hand; the other forearm and both lower legs were completely gone—hands and feet, naturally, were unrecognizable.

Processing such a corpse was far more difficult than a normal one.

But if handled thoroughly and all relevant information recovered, the killer had effectively left behind extra evidence for investigators.

Jiang Yuan saw they'd just finished positioning the body—black charcoal chunks littered the floor, some still attached to human tissue.

Some areas were so brittle they crumbled at the slightest touch.

Wang Lan appeared calmer than Jiang Yuan and Niu Dong—her expression as serene as a mummy's—and continued:

"The corpse was found naked. The back skin was relatively intact. No defensive wounds…"

"There are lacerations on the waist and abdomen, with characteristics of sharp-force trauma."

"The perineal area is fully carbonized—no vaginal swab can be collected."

As Wang Lan spoke, Jiang Yuan's mind gradually assembled multiple questions and images.

Now, with Forensic Pathology Level 4, Jiang Yuan perceived and inferred vastly more from a corpse than before.

But he wasn't the lead today, nor did he rush to dissect—he followed Niu Dong and Wang Lan's pace, starting with external examination.

Step one: collect large charcoal chunks into a basin.

Step two: record the corpse's condition from head to toe:

"Forehead and face carbonized."

"Facial tissue carbonized and missing."

"Skull carbonized."

What surprised Jiang Yuan most: the brain tissue was exposed and coagulated.

From this, one could judge the intensity of the burning.

The indoor temperature must have been just enough to rupture the skull—or an external object, like shrapnel, had shattered the carbonized skull, and residual heat had cooked the oozing brain tissue into coagulation.

Jiang Yuan jotted down a few times on his notebook, still silent.

The inferences he'd just made needed verification—and likely held no practical value.

Autopsies yield vast information, but not all of it needs to be voiced.

For example, gallstones can be easily confirmed during dissection—but unless it's a medical malpractice case, mentioning them is meaningless.

Unless, of course, the victim had severe gallstones, and someone claimed they shared dinner and ate a large bowl of twice-cooked pork…

Jiang Yuan still lacked experience—he noted whatever came to mind.

Only when reaching the thoracic cavity did Jiang Yuan step forward intently, pinch the lung, and say: "It has a crepitus sensation."

Niu Dong, who had been proceeding methodically, paused, pinched the lung himself, and nodded: "Yes, crepitus is present."

Crepitus and a snow-grasping sensation both indicate the presence of excess air—similar meanings.

But in autopsy terms, it meant one thing: the victim likely did not die from burning or from sharp-force trauma.