The flames before them, anyone with common sense would know, were ghost fire, or "will-o'-the-wisp." These typically appeared in rural areas, often between graves during dry summer weather, though occasionally in cities. Human bones contain phosphorus, and as corpses decompose, it transforms into phosphine gas, which has a low ignition point and can spontaneously combust. The presence of ghost fire indicated that human remains were still present. Seeing the flickering flames, the cowardly Gao Mingqiang trembled and stammered, "So ghost fire really exists in this world!"
"Isn't that right? It's all a natural phenomenon. Don't be scared, everyone!" I forced a wry smile, truly wondering how Gao Mingqiang had managed to join the police force. With such a timid nature and limited knowledge, how could he possibly perform the duties of a detective?
I didn't voice my thoughts aloud. By then, we had approached the ghost fires. To my surprise, even Liu Yuning seemed a little frightened at this point. She gripped my clothes tightly and said, "Consultant He, it's quite eerie around here!"
"Don't worry. Stick close, keep your weapons ready, and if you encounter any danger, open fire directly!" I instructed. Gao Mingqiang, noticing how close Liu Yuning was to me, quickly grumbled, "Captain Liu, didn't you not believe Consultant He before?"
"Shut up! What are we arguing about at a time like this? As long as we can solve the case, that's all that matters!" Liu Yuning rebuked him.
"Alright! Sorry, can't I even do that?" Gao Mingqiang muttered, smacking his lips.
We passed through the area of ghost fires and slowly entered a desolate mountain. This was likely the truly bizarre location. Along the path, strange wooden tablets with illegible characters were planted on both sides. Scattered along the mountain path were various sizes of peculiar rock formations, arranged neatly, with occasional patches of weeds growing on them.
After passing many stones, we seemed to have reached the mountainside. Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Look, there's a strange nunnery over there!"
A police officer pointed towards a nunnery to the west. Our attention immediately shifted. Indeed, a nunnery adorned with white tiger statues appeared before us!
White tiger? Westward? This area was already on the west side of Fuming City. Strange thoughts began to surface in my mind. Without much hesitation, we advanced towards the nunnery, weapons at the ready.
The nunnery was silent, yet faint light, similar to candlelight, emanated from within. I kicked open the door. Several officers took up defensive positions on either side with their guns drawn. As Liu Yuning and I rushed inside, followed by over a dozen detectives with their weapons raised, we discovered another female corpse on the altar in the center of the nunnery the moment we stepped in.
Behind the altar stood a stone statue of a nun. Around it were silver incense burners and several yellow "meat buns." The female corpse lay peacefully in the center of the altar, her legs spread apart, her hands bound behind her back to the statue's waist. The victim's head was missing, and blood was still flowing from her neck.
We immediately converged on the body, surrounding it. I had not expected the killer to commit another murder here. I donned my disposable rubber gloves, touched the victim's neck, opened her eyelids, and pressed on her skin, moving her limbs. I analyzed, "Pupils dilated, rigor mortis is abating, lividity doesn't fade with pressure. Considering the surrounding temperature and humidity, the time of death is likely over 48 hours ago. The cause of death is a transverse laceration on the neck, appearing to be caused by a surgical scalpel."
"I'll call for backup immediately!" Liu Yuning, though still visibly shocked, managed to retrieve her phone. The other officers, including Gao Mingqiang, secured the nunnery. As Gao Mingqiang left, he declared, "I'll guard the entrance; no one will get in!" With that, he bolted, not even glancing at the body. I was speechless. While a headless corpse was certainly gruesome, it wasn't so terrifying that he had to flee like that.
I carefully removed the body from the altar. Then, I discovered a complete white tiger tattoo on her back. The tattoo was exquisitely done, lifelike, especially the tiger's eyes, which seemed to stare down at everyone present. Seeing this, Liu Yuning remarked, "First the xiezhi and the black tortoise, and now even the white tiger has appeared. Will we see the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird next?"
"It's not impossible. It seems this woman died most recently, at least based on the bodies discovered so far."
"This aligns closely with the time seen on surveillance. The killer has likely disappeared again by now."
As we discussed this, Xie Chuchu and Xiao Dong arrived at the scene. Together, we moved the body to an open space outside so I could use my forensic umbrella. Since there were no UV lights, I sprinkled a good amount of seaweed ash and some yellow wine on the body. Afterward, I switched on a flashlight, directing its beam onto the forensic umbrella.
"Why are you holding an umbrella on a night like this, Consultant He?" Liu Yuning asked in surprise.
"This is a forensic umbrella. It can reveal hidden wounds on the deceased by reflecting light, especially when used with seaweed ash and yellow wine!" I explained.
"You make it sound so magical. To me, it just looks like a broken umbrella!" Liu Yuning said dismissively, stepping closer as if to get a better look. Gao Mingqiang also approached, curiously asking, "Is this one of your coroner's skills?"
"Mingqiang, don't talk so much. You'll find out soon enough!" Xie Chuchu defended me. The surrounding officers, seeing me holding an umbrella at the scene, cast curious glances. Some pointed and whispered, clearly puzzled, wondering why a forensic examiner would be using an umbrella. Many wore expressions of disdain.
Although there was no sunlight, the flashlight's beam was sufficient. Soon, numerous long, striped wounds appeared on the victim's body! In the dark night, these wounds glowed with a blue-green light. This reaction was quite similar to luminol. Seeing this, Liu Yuning exclaimed in astonishment, "How is that possible? How did you do that?"
"I explained it just now. My grandfather, He Jianquan, used this method for autopsies before. If you had come a few years earlier, you might have heard of it from Director Huang!" I replied confidently. Xie Chuchu obediently began taking photographs. Then, she suddenly discovered something and said, "Senior, look at the umbrella... oh, the forensic umbrella! There's a handprint on it now!"