As the forensic team and trace evidence personnel arrived, the entire phone booth was meticulously examined by us. We had initially come here to search for clues, only to stumble upon another victim.
This time, the girl's face was intact, so identifying her was not difficult. Xie Chuchu took photos and sent them to He Xin. The on-site autopsy work was temporarily suspended, and everything would be discussed back at the provincial department.
Before she left, I cautioned Xie Chuchu to place the body on the autopsy slab for me to examine.
After she agreed and left, we continued to search the area around the phone booth. We eventually entered the park, which still retained many amusement park facilities, as well as remnants of past structures like rockeries and a swimming pool. We searched but found no traces of anyone having entered. The park's surveillance cameras had long been broken, and the power was out, so they captured nothing.
After a period of searching, we found no useful clues. As we were preparing to leave, I suddenly noticed several strange stone pillars near a river not far from the phone booth. I didn't pay attention to the others and walked directly towards them, standing by the river to observe.
These stones were actually stained with blood. I intended to use luminol, but realized I didn't have any. So, I took out a bottle of yellow wine and sprinkled some on the ground. Within moments, a purplish-blue trail of blood appeared before my eyes.
I followed the blood trail back to the phone booth, indicating that the female corpse had been near the stones. I recalled that there seemed to be bruises on the victim's spine and pelvic area. I returned to the stone pillars and immediately envisioned a scene of a girl being whipped between two stone pillars, facing the murky river.
Xiahou noticed me lingering there and walked over, asking, "Why isn't this guy using poison this time?"
"Perhaps it's not the same person. His method of killing is very different, but it's also possible it's intentional."
"I'm a bit confused. Team Leader He, I hope Captain Liu is alright!"
"She'll be fine, don't worry. There's a fingerprint here!" I took a sample, took photos at the scene, and handed them to Xiahou. Soon, we returned to the provincial department.
In the autopsy slab, I began by cleaning the female corpse, which was placed in the groove, using conventional methods. After splashing some yellow wine, the wounds on the corpse became more apparent. Indeed, it was a leather whip, and through experimental comparison, I determined it was the kind used for whipping horses.
"Senior, the victim's fatal cause is still poison! This is the blood report!"
"Oh?" I took it and looked. This time, it was a different toxin. It was polonium. Polonium ranks first among the ten most toxic chemical substances and is the most poisonous substance in the world. Polonium-210 is a hundred billion times more toxic than cyanide. It can easily form radioactive aerosols through nuclear recoil, contaminating the environment and air, and can even penetrate the skin into the human body, thus requiring sealed storage. 0.1 grams of polonium can kill a hundred billion people.
Xie Chuchu said, "This substance is too terrifying. How did that bastard get his hands on it?"
"Unimaginable. He definitely has a master behind him. I increasingly feel that this case is related to the organization."
"Yes, Senior, I think so too. How is Captain Liu doing now?"
"Captain Huang is working hard. She should be released soon!"
"I hope so. What else do you need to do now, Senior?"
"Get me some lime and starch."
I instructed Xie Chuchu and left. I had discovered a strange net in the deceased's mouth. I tried to cut it with scissors, but it was ineffective, so I decided to try another method. While Xie Chuchu was gone, I went to a workbench in the autopsy lab, took out a stone pestle, and started working in a ceramic bowl, recalling the dilution method from my grandfather's book. Yes, now all I needed was lime and starch.
Xie Chuchu did not disappoint me. She returned about 10 minutes later. Hearing her footsteps, I turned around and took the plastic bag from her hand. "You did well. Where did you buy these things?"
"There's a hardware store nearby. Fortunately, they had them."
"Good. Help me heat these Chinese medicines. 15 minutes should be enough!"
"Okay, Senior!"
Xie Chuchu got busy, and I simultaneously ground the lime and starch. I added some seaweed ash and olive oil. Once all the ingredients were prepared, I recalled my early experiments with chemistry at home. Now, redoing this experiment, my proficiency was naturally higher than the first time.
This is why I usually practice chemistry. Sherlock Holmes once said that to become an excellent detective, one must possess extensive knowledge in chemistry, physics, biology, and so on. Criminal psychology, forensic logic, and other fields are the most basic. Learn more when you have time; the more knowledge you acquire, the more beneficial it will be for solving cases.
A coroner or a detective should be the same.
Xie Chuchu finished heating, and I took the mixture. After combining everything, I poured it directly into the deceased's mouth. The obstacle that had seemed like a wire mesh was immediately dissolved, much like a fish bone encountering white vinegar.
Seeing such a miraculous effect, Xie Chuchu exclaimed excitedly, "Senior, that's amazing! With this substance, treating a cold would also be much better!"
"Haha, the cost of this is not low. It's higher than the Purity Pill. It's too wasteful to use it for treating a cold. You should just use cough syrup!"
"I was just joking. Oh, wait, there seems to be something in the deceased's throat!"
I told Xie Chuchu to be serious and used a mouth gag to open the deceased's mouth. She shone the white light inside, and I leaned in, using tweezers to retrieve a hard object from the deceased's throat. I examined it from various angles, but couldn't quite determine what it was. Its surface looked like stone, but it also resembled agate.
"Go do a material analysis. I'll conduct pathological testing on the deceased now!"
"Okay!"
Xie Chuchu obediently took the stone away. I dissected the deceased and removed all the organs, asking Xiao Dong to help me weigh and compare them. A portion of the deceased's lung alveoli had necrosed, indicating a history of smoking. At her age, to have such a habit, I truly didn't understand how her parents educated her.
The deceased's wrist appeared to have marks from wearing a bracelet or other jewelry. The killer had even taken that away. This girl's family background must have been quite good. It's likely her parents were the type who rarely had time and believed that providing material assistance was the best form of education for their children. Such families often produced spoiled brats.
Of course, that's their family's business. The deceased's parents are currently outside. The deceased's name is Li Jing, a third-year student at Xinyu High School, who was just 18 years old.