Xiao Dong said with great dejection, then he paused, his pupils seemed to dim a little, with a hint of loneliness. "Actually, I've grown tired of such boring autopsy work over the years. You might not understand how many bodies a forensic examiner has to dissect each year, tens of thousands. In our country, about 8.9 million people die annually, with over 3.2 million deaths being unnatural. To break it down: as many as 287,000 die by suicide each year; about 200,000 die from adverse drug reactions annually; and an estimated 200,000 die due to medical malpractice. This means that if any of these cases are determined to be murders, autopsies are required. Even with a large number of forensic examiners nationwide, the workload distributed among them means each person has to perform at least 30,000 autopsies a year."
"At the end of 2021, the national population was 1.4126 billion, an increase of 480,000 compared to the end of 2020. The total number of births in the year was 10.62 million, a decrease of 1.4 million compared to 2020; the number of deaths was 10.14 million, an increase of 160,000 compared to 2020. The birth rate was 7.52‰, down 1.00 per mille points from 2020; the death rate was 7.18‰, a slight increase of 0.11 per mille points. The natural population growth rate in 2021 was 0.34‰, down 1.11 per mille points from 2020. The continuous slowdown in population growth is due to the continued decrease in births, primarily influenced by two factors."
Xiao Dong recited these figures to us like a computer, but after a while, he looked at everyone again, his gaze sharpened, and he said seriously, "The workload for forensic examiners is therefore astonishing. Some people can't rest for days and nights. In some remote rural areas, one forensic examiner has to do the work of several people. In such situations, they have become completely numb to autopsies and dead bodies. Over time, what happens to a person? They will surely break. When a person has no feeling for bloody corpses, they are no different from a beast! Yet we have to face these bodies, day and night, and continue our work. You may not know how many times I've woken up in the middle of the night, thinking I was still at work. I even feel like I'm dreaming when I'm dissecting, and that sleeping is the reality. Fortunately, I haven't had nightmares, because I've become accustomed to the scenes of internal organs and blood. Otherwise, I might have chosen to commit suicide..."
"So, you also participated in this plastic surgery experiment?" I asked probing.
Xiao Dong nodded helplessly, "I was once a member of the laboratory, but I was just an ordinary researcher there. I handled the plastic surgery work of the lizard-men!"
"Do you know what happened to these people now?" I asked.
Xiao Dong nodded again, "They should have been arranged to go to the research institute."
I didn't answer. Liu Yu Ning was being held by me. "Dong Jia Tong, you are under arrest. Let me tell you, if you can't even bear this pain, how can you be a good forensic examiner? To be a good forensic examiner, you must have a spirit of selfless dedication!! Especially in strange cases, many forensic examiners have been framed, and due to various bizarre phenomena, they have suffered mental disorders or been murdered. And in recent years, not to mention forensic examiners, but relatively speaking, more criminal investigators have sacrificed their lives. In 2021 alone, 261 police officers and 131 auxiliary police officers died in the line of duty nationwide, and 4,375 police officers and 3,420 auxiliary police officers were injured. In the first quarter of this year, 66 police officers and 28 auxiliary police officers have died in the line of duty, and both Officer Zhang Tian Hao and Officer Liu An were under 40 years old!"
Using data to counter data stunned Xiao Dong, as if he suddenly remembered something. He regretfully knelt on the ground and burst into tears.
Liu Yu Ning squeezed my wrist again. At this moment, I looked at her, "It's alright now. Thank you for being willing to cooperate. I knew it all along..."
"En, I feel much better now!" Liu Yu Ning's pale face now had a hint of shy blush.
Xie Chu Chu looked at Xiao Dong, "How did I teach you all these years? Xiao Dong, what are you thinking behind my back!"
"I'm sorry, Master..." Xiao Dong slowly stood up from the ground.
Xiao Dong shed tears of remorse in front of us.
"Actually, I also have a responsibility for you becoming like this, and it's very important. If I had paid more attention to your work emotions back then, perhaps you wouldn't have gone astray!"
"Perhaps, Master. I'm leaving. Perhaps we'll never have the chance to work together again in this life."
"Xiao Dong, reflect well in prison. No matter what, you have the blood of a forensic examiner. You are a good forensic examiner!"
"..." Xiao Dong said nothing more. He just nodded vigorously at Xie Chu Chu.
At this moment, Xia Hou handcuffed Xiao Dong and brought him to his side. After seeing Xiao Dong off, I took Liu Yu Ning to the central hospital.
After the doctor's diagnosis, Liu Yu Ning had moderate hypothermia and would recover with a period of treatment.
I asked the doctor to treat her in the best way possible. Sitting in the hospital room, Zhang Ke Ying, Xie Chu Chu, and others were also present. They were cutting fruit, and after the fruit was divided into several portions, we all took some to eat. However, I had to personally feed this young lady, Liu Yu Ning. Reading novels.
While eating the pear I personally fed her, Liu Yu Ning said proudly, "It's really good to be sick. So many people take care of me. I hope I can always maintain this state!"
"You're talking nonsense. If you're always in the hospital, how can you continue to be a police officer!"
"Ahaha! I'm just kidding, husband, why are you so serious!"
Being called "husband" by Liu Yu Ning like this for the first time, I felt a fiery sensation surge from my toes to my forehead. At this moment, Zhang Ke Ying and Xie Chu Chu both smiled awkwardly, but Xie Chu Chu still teased, "Hey, people nowadays don't consider others' feelings anymore, do they? This is a public place!"
Liu Yu Ning and I both gave her a "serves you right for being single" look. Xie Chu Chu immediately snorted and walked out by herself. Reading novels.
Zhang Ke Ying, left alone, felt even more awkward. She raised her eyebrows and said, "Uh, it's not convenient for me to be a third wheel either. See you!"
As Zhang Ke Ying left, only we remained in the ward. I sat beside Liu Yu Ning. The bright sunlight outside streamed in, casting a glow upon us. Liu Yu Ning grinned, her beauty like a spring day. Years later, I still remember how alluring her smile was that day, even the blooming camellias on the mountains paled in comparison.
She was like a meticulously crafted ornament by a master artist, forever imprinted in my heart. At that moment, like my father, I personally placed a green jade on Liu Yu Ning.
"You're something else, proposing to me in the hospital like that?"