Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Driving the body back to the morgue, Xu Yiman began to remove the clothing from the corpse and prepare for the autopsy. Jiang He instructed Guan Deng to contact Fourth High School while he stayed behind to assist Xu Yiman with the examination.
For a professional forensic pathologist like Xu Yiman, an autopsy typically takes between one to two hours. Throughout the process, Xu Yiman spoke very little, occasionally explaining a few points to Jiang He.
However, once the autopsy was completed, Xu Yiman fell silent.
"This body has many issues," Xu Yiman said as she removed her gloves, looking at the corpse. "To be honest, I don't know how the injuries on this body were inflicted."
"What do you mean?" Jiang He asked for clarification.
Xu Yiman replied seriously, "There are three points we need to discuss. First, regarding the cause of death of this boy, it is undoubtedly due to Paraquat poisoning. There are signs of corrosion from Paraquat in his oral cavity, respiratory tract, esophagus, and even his stomach. Look at this row of blood blisters that show a flowing state."
Jiang He leaned in to examine the esophagus of the opened body and indeed saw numerous blood blisters along its length—some large and some already ruptured, while others remained intact and round, with blood visible inside.
Xu Yiman then pointed to the lungs of the corpse and asked Jiang He, "Have you ever seen lungs like this?"
Jiang He shook his head; he had never seen a person's lungs in such a condition. Normally, human lungs are elastic and moist, which allows them to expand and contract for breathing. However, this person's lungs appeared shriveled and desiccated.
Compared to normal lungs, these looked like a withered branch; the surface resembled cracked earth that had dried out long ago. Even after death, if air were forced into normal lungs, they would still inflate. But looking at these lungs, it seemed nearly impossible.
"It gives off such a parched impression, almost like the roots of a seedling spreading out in all directions," Jiang He described.
Xu Yiman snapped her fingers and said, "Exactly! Your description is vivid. This phenomenon is called pulmonary fibrosis; it's as if a tree has taken root in your lungs, tightly gripping them and preventing further breathing. Therefore, those who ingest Paraquat do not die from its burning effects on their entrails; rather, they suffer from organ respiratory failure first. What you see in his lungs is a manifestation of that condition."
Jiang He nodded earnestly; he truly did not understand these details.
"So it confirms he died from Paraquat poisoning," Jiang He concluded.
"That's right," Xu Yiman pointed at the boy's arm. "But this is where the problem lies."
Xu Yiman moved from the dissection table to Jiang He’s side, where the boy was missing an arm.
She gently lifted the boy's severed limb and explained to Jiang He, "Look at the skin flaps around the wound. What do you feel?"
"It’s very sharp," Jiang He replied.
The boy's arm had been severed at the bicep, and the cross-section was oval, creating a diagonal wound rather than a circular one. The neatness of the skin flaps indicated that the arm had been cut off in an instant, not hacked away multiple times.
The object that severed the boy's arm must have been very sharp; otherwise, it wouldn't have cut through the bone so cleanly. If this was done by a person, then the murderer must have had immense strength—enough to slice off a boy's arm in one blow. Jiang He glanced at his own bicep; indeed, someone could achieve that, but he understood that with his own strength, it was impossible.
"You mentioned earlier that the boy wasn’t dead when his arm was severed, right?" Jiang He asked.
Xu Yiman nodded and set down the boy's remains. "This is what I wanted to discuss with you. Paraquat is highly lethal. Based on the amount this boy ingested, he would experience difficulty breathing within two minutes and would likely die within five minutes. The lung fibrosis caused by Paraquat is irreversible; given the quantity he drank, even if he were taken to a hospital, there would be almost no chance of saving him. At most, it would prolong his life for a short while before he succumbed to suffering."
"The mortality rate for those who ingest Paraquat is ninety percent, especially at such a high dosage. How did the murderer force this Paraquat into him? Did they cut off his arm first and then immediately pour in the Paraquat? Or did they administer the Paraquat first and then sever his arm? That’s the question."
"Moreover," Xu Yiman continued seriously, "I didn’t detect any anesthetics or similar substances in his blood, which means he was conscious. However, if someone tries to force poison into your mouth, human instinct would resist; thus, it would be difficult to get the poison down without some of it being expelled."
"Exactly," Jiang He agreed with Xu Yiman’s assessment.
Xu Yiman walked to the other side of the dissection table and said, "This brings us to the second issue: if he had resisted at all, he would have been able to spit out some of the liquid in his mouth. Consequently, corrosive Paraquat would leave blisters around his mouth or chin."
"But look," Xu Yiman pointed at the boy's mouth and said, "there are none—absolutely none."
"What about the third point?" Jiang He asked again.
Xu Yiman replied, "There is something in his stomach that you could never guess."
"Food?"
Jiang He looked at the boy's stomach, which had been cut open by Xu Yiman. The contents were indistinguishable, a mass of black and brown clumps, but he could still make out some vegetable fibers and beans.
The food emitted a sour odor, but as police officers and forensic experts, both had encountered far worse smells before, so this was not particularly alarming.
Xu Yiman said, "The current instruments have helped us tremendously. When the test results came back, I could hardly believe my eyes because we found things in his stomach that no human would ever consume. This substance is feces, and there’s quite a bit of it."
"Feces?" Jiang He was taken aback by this revelation.
Xu Yiman nodded seriously. "You heard me right. Who would eat such things?"
"We're still unclear on that," Jiang He replied. "Is this your third point?"
"No," Xu Yiman shook her head.
"Then what is the third point?" Jiang He asked.
Xu Yiman said, "The injuries. Look at the wounds on the boy's body as a whole."
With that, Xu Yiman turned the body over completely. Jiang He noticed multiple contusions on the boy's back. Most of these bruises were minor, though some were more severe and had begun to bleed; a few areas showed signs of bruising, while most were merely abrasions.
"Do you see these wounds?" Xu Yiman asked. "Most are caused by ruptured capillaries, but these injuries aren't significant. Some people are less sensitive to pain—like you—so you might not even notice these injuries once they heal."
"These minor wounds heal quickly, but the injuries on him clearly occurred at the same time. Fortunately, we discovered the body early; otherwise, livor mortis might have obscured these marks."
"Overall, I find it hard to understand," Xu Yiman continued. "I can't imagine how so many injuries could have been inflicted in such a short span of ten minutes. It's truly puzzling. And these are the three points I wanted to share with you, as well as my doubts."
Jiang He nodded and said, "Let's find out which class this child is in and how old he is. Actually, your three points are not the most critical; the key issue is why there is feces in this child's stomach. Can we determine if it is human feces?"
Xu Yiman shook her head. "That's something we can't find out. We can only confirm that the feces indeed belong to a mammal, and it's very likely human. These feces have been digested in his stomach for about a night. If it had been any earlier, I believe I could have determined whether it was human or not."
Jiang He replied, "Let's go check."
Xu Yiman did not move. She said to Jiang He, "The most important task has not been completed yet. The final step of an autopsy is to return these organs to their rightful places and then stitch the body back up. Only then can we consider it a proper autopsy."
"The Autopsy Room has more than just you as a forensic doctor," Jiang He said. "Let's go."
However, Xu Yiman seriously told Jiang He, "Jiang He, I know you get excited whenever there's a case, but I am a forensic doctor. I must perform the final step myself, as it's my professional integrity and my personal commitment. This is my bottom line and a sign of respect for the deceased. I know you may not understand this, but I hope you can come to appreciate it. We are different from other animals because we understand the value of life."
Although Jiang He did not fully grasp Xu Yiman's words, he still replied, "Alright, I'll wait for you."
Only then did Xu Yiman smile and refrain from continuing the conversation with him.
Her movements were gentle, like a warm spring breeze. She worked quickly and delicately, reassembling the deceased's organs before meticulously stitching the body back together. Once she covered the body with a white cloth, it felt as though she had completed her mission and followed Jiang He out.
In this world, regardless of whether one is good or bad, rich or poor, life has always been fair and deserving of respect.
Comment 0 Comment Count