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Jiang He knelt on one knee, gesturing at the circular hole in the corpse's abdomen. "Look closely," he said. "The killer centered the incision around the belly button, using varying lengths as radii to carve out this perfectly round hole. The edges are smooth, indicating that some sort of tool was definitely used."
Xu Yiman crouched on the other side of the body to examine the details Jiang He pointed out. Wearing gloves, she gently touched the circular hole in the deceased's abdomen. "You're right," she confirmed. "Although the skin from that area was taken by the killer, a careful observation shows that the incision was indeed made with the belly button as the center."
"What does this imply?" Yuan Jun asked. "Does it mean this person is good at math and likes using a compass?"
At that moment, a scene flashed through Yuan Jun's mind:
In the dead of night, after the old man at the guardhouse had fallen asleep, the killer scaled the wall and stealthily slipped into the crematorium. The crematorium wasn't large, but for the killer, in an environment where he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face, it felt like diving into a dark ocean.
In complete darkness, he quietly approached the mortuary and entered the body storage room, pulling open a freezer. The corpse appeared before him, and he took out a large compass from his backpack. He fixed one end of the compass at the corpse's belly button while attaching a sharp surgical knife to the other end.
Then he began to turn the compass. The sharp blade sliced through the corpse's abdomen, ultimately removing a whole piece of flesh. Afterward, he neatly stored away the compass, donned his gloves, and reached into the corpse's belly. He pulled out the entrails and packed them away before stuffing pieces of sponge back into the body.
Once everything was completed, he pushed the corpse back into the freezer and left with his spoils.
"No, this indicates he is a very meticulous person," Old Shao interjected. "If someone is so organized when stealing a body, they must be orderly in everything they do. In my opinion, this person might have obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"Obsessive-compulsive disorder?" Yuan Jun replied. "I often hear that term online; it seems like everyone claims to have it."
Xu Yiman waved her hand dismissively. "Those internet users just think having obsessive-compulsive disorder is trendy and label themselves with it. In reality, feeling bothered by misaligned floor tiles or a sudden black spot on a white canvas is just a common aversion to inconsistency; it's not true obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"True obsessive-compulsive disorder is much more severe. For example, some patients must drink exactly eight cups of water; any more or less makes them feel uncomfortable and distressed. Others might get so angry if they write slightly outside of a line that they tear up their entire notebook."
"Most people have some degree of obsessive traits; that's normal. It's only when it reaches such an extreme that it qualifies as obsessive-compulsive disorder." Xu Yiman looked at the hole in the corpse and added, "However, from this body alone, it's hard to determine how severe the killer's condition really is."
"Ah," Yuan Jun said, "the murderer is quite meticulous."
About an hour later, the forensic team from the City Bureau arrived, just in time to perform a re-autopsy on the bodies at the morgue. It was rare for six forensic experts to conduct examinations together; this could almost be considered a "celebration" for them.
While the forensic experts were busy with their work, Zhang De, the manager of the crematorium, hurried over.
Upon seeing Old Shao, Zhang De greeted him, saying, "Director Shao, your name is truly well-known; I've seen you on television before."
Old Shao shook hands with Zhang De and asked, "Are you in charge of this crematorium?"
Zhang De nodded and then shook his head, saying, "We oversee it, but in reality, this crematorium is almost in a state of disrepair. The city has built two modern crematoriums in the eastern and western suburbs that are sufficient to meet the funeral needs of Dragon City."
"Then this place hardly cremates bodies anymore?" Old Shao inquired further.
Zhang De nodded and replied, "That's right. This is Old Town District, and there are quite a few residential buildings around. It's no longer appropriate to cremate bodies here. After all, Dragon City is expanding; this area can no longer be considered suburban."
"Then how did these bodies end up here?" Old Shao asked again.
Zhang De explained, "These are all unclaimed bodies. If they can be utilized, why not? Unclaimed bodies can be stored for up to a year. If no one comes forward after that time, they are either donated to schools or cremated directly. Think about it; if this place isn't used, it's just sitting here empty anyway—no one complains."
"Since that's the case, why not tear it down?" Old Shao looked at Zhang De.
Zhang De glanced at Old Shao and quietly said, "There's just no money for that. Everyone in Dragon City knows this is a crematorium. If we build houses here, no one will live in them; if we try to create a commercial street, the scale just isn't right. The best solution would be to demolish it and build a road instead, but that wouldn't stimulate economic development either. So we just keep dragging it out year after year; who knows when it will finally get re-planned?"
Old Shao understood Zhang De's point and decided not to press further on that topic. Instead, he changed the subject: "Who hired that old man at the entrance?"
"I," Zhang De said, "our funds are limited as well. Hiring someone properly is too expensive, and if we offer too little, people think this place is unlucky and won't come. So we had to settle for an old man from the countryside to keep an eye on things—make sure there are no fires or collapses. Other than that, it’s just like this. You wouldn’t dare steal anything here; what’s there to see? Are people really coming to steal corpses?"
"That’s not necessarily true," Shao the Elder replied. "If nothing was going on, why would the detectives come here?"
Zhang De frowned and said, "I’m not worried about you. Losing a corpse isn’t a big deal; these bodies were never claimed in the first place. In the end, I have to deal with them myself. What can we do? We still have to transport the bodies to another funeral home for cremation. It’s really a thankless job."
"Are you afraid of having fewer bodies, or are you afraid of having more?" Yuan Jun chimed in from the side.
Zhang De chuckled, "This Officer really loves to joke with me."
Old Shao walked toward the crematorium while speaking to Zhang De. "Don’t you find that old man a bit strange?"
Zhang De turned to look near the guardhouse and replied, "He is a bit odd. He seems a little out of his mind. If he starts talking about something strange, just ignore him. I’ve heard he’s not quite right in the head—never had a wife or kids, and now he’s here with us talking about meat and ghosts."
He sighed again and added, "But being able to hire someone for fifteen hundred to watch over the crematorium is already quite a bargain."
As they spoke, they had arrived at the entrance of the crematorium. Looking inside from the doorway, it was pitch black.
Jiang He asked, "Can we turn on the lights here?"
Zhang De nodded and said, "There’s a power switch at the back; once it’s turned on, it should work. But since this place has been abandoned for many years, I’m not sure if the wiring inside has been maintained."
With that, Zhang De walked toward a nearby wall but halfway there, he turned back to everyone and said, "Can someone come with me? It’s too dark; I’m a bit scared."
Yuan Jun laughed and said, "Isn’t there light from the funeral home across the street? Aren’t you in charge of this crematorium? What are you afraid of?"
Yuan Jun accompanied Zhang De as they pulled down the power switch and stepped into the crematorium. Zhang De pressed the light switch nearby, and the lights in the corridor flickered a few times before finally illuminating. The cockroaches in the corridor seemed to have never encountered such a sudden situation; they scattered in all directions, leaving one or two overturned cockroaches desperately flailing their legs.
Zhang De coughed a few times and said, "It seems like no one has been here for four or five years; everything is covered in dust."
"Really?" Jiang He replied. "Do you really think no one has come here?"
Zhang De looked at Jiang He, feeling a bit frightened, as if this person’s words were shrouded in mystery. "Are you suggesting that someone has been here?"
Jiang He nodded and said, "Look at our feet. If no one has been here for four or five years, there should be dust on the ground, but it’s been cleaned up. Someone must have specifically tidied this place to erase their footprints."
"Is that true?" Zhang De asked. "Maybe there just isn’t any dust."
Jiang He shook his head. "Look closely at both sides of the corridor; they are piled high with dirt, yet there’s not a speck of dust around."
Old Shao spoke up, "That’s right; it seems someone has indeed been here."
Jiang He continued, "The Criminal Consultant likely resides in this place. It’s the closest location to the city center and the least likely to be disturbed."
Old Shao shook his head. "But isn’t there a Corpse Robber disturbing things? It seems even the Criminal Consultant has encountered crime here."
"Where is the Crematorium?" Jiang He asked.
"Go further inside," Zhang De pointed down the corridor.
As they walked deeper, Zhang De added, "There are three Crematoriums here, which means they can incinerate three bodies at once. However, all the cremation workers have been dismissed; no one uses these Crematoriums anymore."
Old Shao asked, "How long does it take to incinerate a body?"
Zhang De replied, "About two hours, and the workers have to keep operating the furnace. Outsiders can't watch because no one can bear to see their loved ones treated like that. But now we live in a technological society; everything is automated, so these crematoriums are naturally obsolete."
Zhang De pushed open a door and walked inside.
Three crematoriums appeared in front of everyone.
A musty smell wafted out, causing people to cough.
Jiang He noticed a detail: among the three crematoriums, one was noticeably cleaner than the others, as if someone had specifically cleaned it. Jiang He approached this crematorium, reached out, and pulled open the furnace door. He looked inside and suddenly said, "Someone has been here."
Zhang De frowned and said, "Of course. Although this place is now abandoned, Dragon City has used these three furnaces for decades. Who knows how many bodies have been burned here?"
"No," Jiang He shook his head. "I mean living people."
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