flstandardbreds Chapter 1143 Identity Uncertain
Chapter 1143 Identity Uncertain
"The murderer may have searched the body before disposing of it and taken away items that could prove their identity. This piece of metal was too small to be noticed."
The clock in the autopsy room struck three in the morning. Zhang Lin looked at the body covered with a white sheet on the autopsy table and suddenly said to Xiao Lin, "The relationship between the drowning and the head injury needs to be clarified." He pointed to the laceration on the head, "If there is obvious inflammation in the wound, it means that the person survived for a period of time after the injury, and the drowning was a subsequent event; if not, it is possible that the person first drowned and lost consciousness, and then was hit on the head by a rock. These two situations are completely different in nature." Xiao Lin nodded, "The biopsy results will be available tomorrow, and then we can confirm it."
As the two walked out of the autopsy room, the corridor lights cast long shadows on the floor. "The toxicology results are in," Xiaolin's phone suddenly vibrated. "No drugs or alcohol were found in the stomach contents, ruling out poisoning." Zhang Lin stopped and looked out at the moonlight. "That means it was a simple case of drowning or violent death. The killer's motive was clear: to kill him. They even deliberately concealed their identity. This case is not simple."
解剖报告的最后一页，张林写下了总结性意见：“死者系溺水窒息死亡，头部挫裂创为辅助死因；死亡时间为5月9日晚8点至5月10日凌晨2点；生前有被束缚和头部外伤史；建议重点排查5月9日晚经过339国道涵洞的人员，尤其是有条件接触涵洞内碎石的人。”
As Xiaolin was filing the report, he suddenly noticed a simple crime scene reconstruction drawn by Zhang Lin in the margin: the murderer bound the victim and took him to the culvert, possibly striking his head first before pushing him into the water, or drowning him and then striking his head with a stone to ensure death. The caption next to the drawing read: "The restraints are made of the same material as the nylon rope at the culvert entrance; the murderer used what was available." This image was a key, tightly linking the autopsy findings with the clues from the crime scene investigation.
The operating lights in the autopsy room finally went out, leaving only the faint glow of the emergency lights flickering on the ground. Although the body, which had been submerged in the culvert for several days, had not yet been identified, Zhang Lin's autopsy had already left clear marks on the time of death, cause of death, and modus operandi, waiting for investigators to follow these marks to find the murderer hiding in the shadows of the national highway.
In the Criminal Investigation Division office, the hum of the fluorescent lights was particularly jarring at three in the morning. Xiao Zhou gulped down his twelfth cup of instant coffee; the brown liquid churned in his stomach, a stark contrast to the bloodshot eyes. "Entry 1587," his fingers slid across the mouse, the missing persons database interface flashing on the screen, "Liu Zhiqiang, male, 45 years old, truck driver, missing May 8th, distinguishing feature: a scar on his left eyebrow." He typed "Excluded" on the keyboard, his pen drawing a heavy line across his notebook—this was the 17th suspicious entry excluded that night.
Young officer Li rubbed his aching shoulders, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. "Captain Zhang, want to take a break?" The aroma of goji berries wafted from his thermos, mingling with the cigarette smoke in the air to create an odd smell. "This system is even slower than trying to buy train tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush. Over 2000 messages, my eyes are spinning." Xiao Zhou didn't look up, pointing to the photo on the screen: "Look closely. The deceased was 172cm tall, 40-50 years old, very likely a fitness instructor—the muscle definition should be more pronounced than average; even in decomposition, you can still see the outline."
At four in the morning, the office was filled with the sounds of snoring. Veteran detective Zhou Jianguo dozed off, his drool staining the words "Cause of Disappearance: Family Dispute." Xiao Wang from the technical department spread his coat on the table, curled up like a shrimp, clutching the corner of the DNA comparison report. Suddenly, Zhou slammed his hand on the table and jumped up. The photo on the screen instantly jolted him awake—it was a man in a gym vest, his biceps sculpted, with a brown mole on his left chest. "This one!" His voice startled the sparrows on the windowsill. "Zhao Wei, male, 42 years old, fitness instructor, missing May 9th, 173cm tall, distinguishing feature: a mole on his left chest!"
Xiao Li sprang up from his chair, the mouse cable snapping straight. “Compare the autopsy report,” his fingers flew across the keyboard, “the deceased did indeed have pigmentation on his left chest, the location and size match!” But his excitement lasted less than three minutes. Zhou Jianguo rubbed his eyes and pointed out a flaw: “Zhao Wei’s disappearance record says ‘unhealed right leg fracture,’ but the forensic report says the deceased’s limbs were intact, with no signs of old fractures.” Xiao Zhou’s shoulders slumped, and he drew an X over “Zhao Wei’s” name, the tip of the X tearing through the paper.
As the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, message number 1983 popped up. "Sun Jianjun, male, 48 years old, gym owner, went missing on May 7th," Xiao Li's voice trembled with tears. "Height 171cm, weight 68kg, within the estimated range, and his gym is near National Highway 339!" Xiao Zhou zoomed in on the photo; the man had a tiger tattooed on his arm. "The autopsy didn't mention the tattoo, so it's ruled out." He slammed his coffee cup down on the table, the brown liquid splattering onto the list of "20 suspicious messages," creating a blurry stain.
Zhou Jianguo suddenly remembered something and pulled out the supplementary report from forensic doctor Zhang Lin: "The deceased's fingernails were neatly trimmed, and there were no calluses between his fingers, but rather a thin layer of calluses—fitness instructors develop a specific callus shape on their palms when gripping equipment." He entered the keywords "fitness instructor," "disappeared after May 7," and "170-175cm" into the system, and the results instantly narrowed down to 37. Zhou's gaze swept across the screen and suddenly stopped at the 23rd result: "Zhang Baoshan, male, 43 years old, instructor at Sunshine Fitness Center, disappeared on May 9, height 172cm."
The man in the photo was wearing a black bodysuit, the outline of his pectoral muscles faintly visible beneath the fabric, and a black sports watch on his left wrist—the size of the watch found in the culvert matched. “Check his details,” Xiao Zhou said, tapping his fingers on the table, “see if there are any special markings.” Xiao Li pulled up Zhang Baoshan’s ID photo; he had a small black mole behind his right ear, and the note below the photo read, “Winner of the 2019 City Bodybuilding Competition, Third Place.”
"Wait!" Zhou Jianguo suddenly pointed at the screen. "His gym membership registration information lists his sister, Zhang Baoling, as the emergency contact, with the phone number 138xxxx5678. She reported it to the police on May 10th, saying her brother hadn't returned after teaching a class." Xiao Zhou immediately dialed the number, and a woman's tearful voice came through the receiver: "My brother said he was going to meet a student on Wednesday night at a coffee shop near National Highway 339, and then we couldn't contact him anymore..."