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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang He nodded as he put on his gloves and followed Captain Liu towards the dry well.
The South Bay Area belonged to the Old Town District of Dragon City, where the buildings had stood for a long time. As the city developed and expanded, South Bay gradually became a suburb of Dragon City. Many areas in South Bay were undergoing urban renovation, which meant constant demolition and new construction. However, there were also many places that had already been torn down but had yet to see any developers come in for reconstruction.
This dry well was located in such an area. To the left was an expansive stretch of sandy land, devoid of buildings or crops, while in the distance, there were some old-style buildings. An officer from the South Bay Police Station had received a task from the City Bureau to investigate whether there were any dead bodies in the well. To their shock, they indeed found a corpse down there.
However, when the police arrived at the scene, there was no one around—no crowds gathered to gawk at the situation. It seemed that the nearby residents were unaware that a child had died here, which posed a significant problem. According to police understanding, whenever a murder occurred in an area, it was typical for crowds to gather, with many taking photos to share on social media. Why was there not a single person here?
It appeared that the residents still did not know about the death.
As Jiang He walked, he carefully observed his surroundings.
To the left of the well was sandy ground; anyone walking on it would inevitably leave footprints, especially since it hadn't rained recently—the footprints could last for quite some time. However, Jiang He did not see any footprints or tire tracks near the left side of the well. This indicated that neither the victim nor the murderer likely came from this open area.
The other directions led into a residential neighborhood, and beyond that was Main Road—a paved road where no footprints would remain. Thus, it seemed more likely that either the murderer or the victim had come from these areas.
Jiang He stood at the edge of the well and looked down. Indeed, there was a boy around fourteen or fifteen years old at the bottom of the well, headfirst in a way that obscured his features from above. Due to debris filling up the well, his feet were not far from the opening; one could easily reach down and pull him up.
However, his position was very unnatural and unlikely to be caused by a simple fall.
"Has anyone tampered with the body?" Jiang He asked as he surveyed his surroundings.
A police officer replied, "I touched him earlier because I wasn't sure if he was dead or alive. But when I saw that one of his arms was missing and felt his ankle, I realized he had already been dead for some time. That's when I reported it to the City Bureau."
Jiang He nodded and said, "Let's get the body out."
Several officers agreed and grasped the male corpse by its ankles to pull it out.
Before long, they hoisted the body up from the well, allowing everyone to finally see its appearance clearly.
The corpse was male, approximately fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a white shirt and brown shorts, wearing sandals without socks.
When Jiang He saw the face of the male corpse, he furrowed his brow.
At that moment, Xu Yiman was already kneeling on the ground, beginning a simple autopsy. She pried open the corpse's eyes to examine the pupils, then pinched the jaw and the arms.
After a brief examination, Xu Yiman addressed the surrounding police officers, "Based on the clarity of the pupils and the rigor mortis, and considering the current temperature and humidity, I estimate that the boy died approximately five hours ago. It's now close to noon, so he likely passed away between seven and eight in the morning."
Jiang He nodded and asked, "Do you know the cause of death?"
Xu Yiman replied, "Do you smell anything?"
Jiang He nodded. "Of course, I can smell it. I believe everyone here has noticed that foul odor."
Upon hearing Jiang He's words, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Is it the smell of decay?" Jiang He inquired.
"Not quite," Xu Yiman said. "Bring me the autopsy tools."
Once she had the tools, Xu Yiman cautiously stated, "This odor is different from the stench of decomposition; it's a chemical agent."
With that, Xu Yiman carefully used forceps to pry open the Male Corpse's mouth. As she did so, the foul smell intensified. Everyone could see white blisters on the corpse's tongue, with some blood oozing from those blisters, creating a repulsive sight that made them want to gag.
Xu Yiman was very careful as she slowly withdrew the forceps, closing the Male Corpse's mouth.
"Do you know what this substance is?" Xu Yiman asked.
"I don't know," Jiang He shook his head.
"Paraquat!" Xu Yiman stood up, her expression troubled. "Also known as 'Gramoxone,' it's a highly effective herbicide and one of the most toxic substances to humans. To prevent accidental ingestion by children, manufacturers deliberately create a version of Paraquat that has a strong foul odor."
Xu Yiman glanced at everyone and continued, "That's what you all just smelled. Logically speaking, no one would willingly drink something that smells so terrible. Just a few bottle caps worth is usually enough to be fatal; the mortality rate is as high as ninety percent due to its potent toxicity and strong corrosiveness."
She pointed at the Male Corpse's mouth. "You saw those white blisters inside his mouth; they are burns from Paraquat. His esophagus and even trachea may have been burned as well. This highly toxic liquid seeps into various organs through the bloodstream, and victims typically die from respiratory failure."
"What's more important is that Paraquat doesn't harm the brain, which means all the suffering was experienced by the victim while he was still conscious. This damage is irreversible, making it nearly impossible to save him. The pain of those few minutes could be a hundred times worse than childbirth."
"But since this substance has such a strong odor, how did the murderer manage to get him to drink it?" Captain Liu wondered aloud; it was indeed a crucial question.
"Is there really a murderer?" Jiang He countered.
"He couldn't have cut off his own arm and thrown it away, could he?" Captain Liu looked at Jiang He, voicing his doubts. "This clearly indicates murder, but if it was murder, why would the murderer cut off his arm at the same time as poisoning him?"
Jiang He turned to Xu Yiman and asked, "Can we determine what happened with this arm? Was it severed before he died or after?"
"There are signs of life," Xu Yiman replied. "We can basically confirm that the arm was cut off while he was still alive."
"That is indeed strange," Jiang He said. "It defies common sense. However, the most important thing right now is to find out where the initial crime scene is."
"Isn't this the initial crime scene?" Captain Liu asked.
Jiang He pointed down into the well. "Look at the bloodstains down there; there aren't many. If his arm was severed while he was alive, there would have been a significant amount of blood spattering everywhere. But clearly, the amount of blood here doesn't match up. Obviously, this isn't the initial crime scene, and wherever the arm is located may also indicate where the initial crime scene is."
"But where could that be?" Captain Liu inquired.
Jiang He pondered for a moment before responding to Captain Liu, "Do you see that cluster of buildings nearby? It's highly likely that it's around there. There are no footprints on the left side and no signs of disturbance, which clearly indicates that the murderer didn't come from that direction. On the right side, however, there are residential buildings in front and behind; disposing of a body there would mean passing through a busy area where it would be too easy to get caught."
"Let's investigate," Jiang He said.
"Alright," Captain Liu nodded. "But our top priority now is to determine this boy's identity."
Xu Yiman spoke up, "While I was conducting the autopsy, I checked the boy's pockets. There was nothing inside—no items that could prove his identity."
"No need for all that trouble; I know who he is," Jiang He said.
"You know?" Xu Yiman asked.
Jiang He nodded and said to Xu Yiman, "Do you remember the video we saw a week ago of that girl being beaten by several people?"
"I remember!" Xu Yiman replied. "I was planning to look into it. Is this boy one of them?"
Jiang He affirmed with a sound, looking at the body. "That's right. Once I've experienced something, I can never forget it in my life. This boy is indeed one of those in the video; he was the one who pulled off that girl's dress at the end. A week has passed, and now he lies dead here."
"Could this be related to the campus violence from a week ago?" Xu Yiman also looked at the body.
"I remember that beneath those videos, many people threatened to kill those they deemed social failures," Jiang He said. "Contact Guan Deng immediately and check all the users who made such comments to determine who had the opportunity to commit the crime. These people could be the murderer."
Xu Yiman shook her head and said to Jiang He, "You still don't understand human nature. Those who shout the loudest are often very cowardly in real life. If it really was those netizens, it's just as likely to be those who remained silent."
"Regardless, there's a possibility," Jiang He stated. "Captain Liu, investigate the nearby residential buildings thoroughly; check all around. We must find the original scene and determine whether this child died by suicide or homicide."
"Understood," Captain Liu nodded.
Jiang He turned to Xu Yiman and said, "Let's return to the morgue for a detailed autopsy to find out his cause of death. After that, we'll go to Long City Fourth People's Middle School to confirm the identity of the deceased."
"Alright!" Xu Yiman replied. "I also find this case very strange. The smell of Paraquat is so strong; using something like that for poisoning doesn't have a high success rate..."
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