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墨書 Inktalez
A month had passed in the blink of an eye, but the cold still lingered. No one had been sent down from above again, and it seemed that I would have to continue serving as the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Public Security Bureau until Captain Shao was reassigned back to Dongxing City. Days went by carefreely, and before I knew it, it was New Year's Eve.
This was my first time spending the New Year away from home; it felt both fresh and a bit homesick. I wondered how my father, the Warden, was doing. Logically speaking, he should be addressing a group of inmates right now, either recounting his glorious past or dreaming about the future.
This was supposed to be a joyful holiday. Households were adorned with couplets and lanterns, gathered around tables eating dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala. But we couldn't find joy today because we received a call reporting that a body had been discovered on the ice surface of the Yumu River.
We drove to the location indicated by the caller, near the Rainbow Bridge over the Yumu River. As we crossed the bridge, we saw that it was decorated with colorful lights, resembling a rainbow hanging in the air from a distance. Looking out towards the residential area beyond, every corner was festooned with lights, creating a festive and harmonious atmosphere.
Yet beneath the bridge, it was dark and desolate, chillingly cold.
After parking by the riverbank, we climbed over the railing and approached the water's edge. The person who found the body was a sanitation worker. On this night meant for family gatherings, they still had to remain on duty; it was truly hard work.
The fifty-year-old woman stood by the bank and pointed towards a body lying on the ice surface in the distance.
Under the glow of the Rainbow Bridge's colorful lights, we could see someone crawling on the ice. Judging by her long hair, it appeared to be a woman, though I couldn't be certain. She wore a bright red down jacket that stood out vividly. However, it remained unclear whether she was alive or dead or if there were any bloodstains on her.
I cautiously stepped onto the ice surface and found it solid; it seemed unlikely to collapse.
I said to Gu Chen, "You come with me to check it out; Guan Zengbin, you stay here."
Guan Zengbin shook his head and insisted, "I want to go too."
"The ice surface is dangerous," I warned.
Guan Zengbin waved his hand dismissively. "Dangerous? Look how solid this is! What are we afraid of falling into? Besides, I'm a forensic expert; if there are any traces left at the scene, I'm much more qualified than you two."
Unable to argue further with Guan Zengbin, the three of us moved toward her.
The sanitation worker said to us, "I've been calling for a long time; that girl hasn't responded at all. I'm afraid she might already be dead..."
As we got closer, we could see her clearly. The woman lay sprawled on the ice surface; I could tell for certain because there was a fan-shaped pool of blood around her—evidence of splatter from her head. There were fine cracks appearing on the ice surface where her head lay. I had seen many corpses before, but such a horrifying sight was truly rare.
Her skull was almost a puddle of mush, with one eyeball hanging out of its socket.
From the condition of the body, her arms and legs had multiple fractures, and her entire form was twisted into an abstract shape. Several bones even pierced through the skin, protruding from within. Blood pooled around her, but against the backdrop of her red down jacket, it was difficult to distinguish.
After taking photos with his camera, Guan Zengbin crouched down, wearing gloves.
Judging by the woman's appearance, she seemed quite young, standing at about five feet tall. However, since she was lying on the Ice Surface, her full face was obscured, revealing only part of it. Yet, from what could be seen of her half-exposed face pressed against the Ice Surface, it was clear how horrific her condition was.
After a moment, Guan Zengbin spoke up: "The state of the body is consistent with death from a high fall; all the fractures show the same direction of force. From her head, the immense pressure even caused her eyeball to dislodge from its socket. Looking at her neck, the cervical vertebrae are broken, with several vertebrae visibly protruding. The blood in front of her head is scattered, with some droplets as far as ten meters away."
He then looked up: "I'm afraid this woman jumped off the Rainbow Bridge."
I looked up; the distance from the Rainbow Bridge to the Ice Surface was about twenty meters high.
Guan Zengbin continued: "Based on the condition of the body, she must have landed headfirst. From the amount of blood loss, it appears to be a case of voluntary high fall death."
"What does that mean?" Gu Chen asked Guan Zengbin.
Guan Zengbin replied: "Voluntary high fall death refers to a situation where a person is conscious during the fall. Besides examining the Life Traces on the body, look at her wrists; there are obvious bruises. This indicates that in that split second before impact, she instinctively tried to brace herself with her wrists. This is a human instinct and is one factor in determining voluntary high fall death."
"However," Guan Zengbin shifted his tone, "as for why she fell from the Rainbow Bridge, that's unclear. Was she pushed? Did she intend to commit suicide? Or did she accidentally fall? We can't determine that yet."
I gazed up at the Rainbow Bridge, deep in thought.
There were guardrails on both sides of the Rainbow Bridge, about one and a half meters high. Given that this woman barely exceeded one and a half meters in height and appeared to be a middle school student, it seemed unlikely that she simply slipped and fell. Therefore, either she intended to commit suicide or someone pushed her off.
As for which scenario it was, that remained uncertain.
Guan Zengbin said: "Let's take the body back; with so many clothes on her, I can't perform an autopsy here."
"Looks like we'll have to use that old Autopsy Room again," Gu Chen glanced at Guan Zengbin and remarked.
Guan Zengbin shrugged and said helplessly, "Fortunately, after Wu Meng became the head of the criminal investigation team, the first thing he did was install heating. Otherwise, we would have been freezing again."
Guan Zengbin returned with a Body Bag, and Gu Chen and I lifted the corpse. I was holding the arm of the female corpse, feeling as if I were carrying a marionette on strings. I could sense that the bones inside were broken, indicating the tremendous impact she had suffered. From my position, I could see her face clearly.
Just looking at it made me feel a bit dizzy.
The entire face of the female corpse was shattered, with severe bruising. She looked like she should have been a girl in her teens, yet her skin resembled that of an elderly woman, covered in wrinkles. These so-called wrinkles were actually injuries caused by the powerful impact. One of her eyes was severely bloodshot and bulging out, seemingly staring directly at me.
After placing the female corpse in the Body Bag, Gu Chen and I each took an end and headed back.
On our way back, the cleaning lady was still standing in place, watching us.
We placed the female corpse in the vehicle, and I turned to ask her, "Ma'am, when did you discover the body? Did you see anyone around?"
The lady replied, "I called the police as soon as I saw the body; there wasn't anyone around. This area is my responsibility. Just think about it—what day is it today? It's New Year's Eve. Who else would be wandering around outside besides us? I saw you putting the body in the bag; what happened? Did she die?"
I waved my hand dismissively and said, "She jumped into the river."
Then feeling it was inappropriate, I added, "She fell onto the Ice Surface."
Upon hearing this, the lady didn’t show any fear but instead spoke with a hint of sadness: "If there wasn’t some great grievance and if she could still go on living, who would choose to commit suicide on New Year's Eve? This is supposed to be one of our most festive days in China. It’s hard to understand; no matter how miserable life gets, can it be worse than death?"
With that, she walked away, lost in her thoughts.
"Let’s head back," I shook my head.
On our way back, we naturally had to pass over Rainbow Bridge. Gu Chen was driving while I sat in the back seat with the Body Bag at my feet. I kept looking at the railings of Rainbow Bridge; the gaps between them were so narrow that even a child couldn’t fall through. Considering her height, it would have been difficult for her to fall from above as well.
There were very few cars on the road; it was clear that most people were spending this time at home.
How did this woman, or rather this girl, come to be here? Did she walk here, or did she arrive by car? Why did she come to this place, and what was her purpose? Was it suicide, or was it homicide?
I couldn't shake the feeling that, as the old lady had said, anyone who would choose suicide during this Universal Celebration must be in utter despair. But those who chose to kill during such a festive occasion must possess a heart of stone.
Suddenly, the loud crack of firecrackers erupted around me, startling me out of my thoughts. I glanced at my watch and realized it was already midnight.
The New Year had arrived.
Countless fireworks exploded on either side of the Rainbow Bridge, bursting into vibrant colors.
"Happy New Year," I said, looking at Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin.
In unison, they replied, "Happy New Year!"
But this New Year was unlikely to be joyful. While everyone else was enjoying the fireworks and feasting on delicious food, we were still on our way back to the police station. In the back of our vehicle lay a body—a young girl who appeared to be no older than eighteen.
This world is like that; joy and sorrow often balance each other out. When you feel happiness, there is surely someone you don't know who is grieving. When one person is born anew, another inevitably passes away. Yet to die during a festival carries a bittersweet weight.
We grew a year older, but this girl would forever remain at that age.
The car drove quietly along the Rainbow Bridge, surrounded by the incessant sounds of firecrackers, while the girl in the body bag lay in peaceful slumber.
We needed to uncover the reason for her eternal sleep.
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