Chapter 190 - 188: Stomach Clues (First Update)

Chapter 190: Chapter 188: Stomach Clues (First Update)

Under the red light, there was a palm-sized bruise clearly visible on the left cheek of the deceased!

Xiao Yi, standing beside her, was also slightly startled. He stretched out his hand to compare it to the bruise in the air and said in a slightly deep voice, "Is this... a palm print?"

Xu Jing nodded and took a closer look. It was only then that she realized the left cheek of the deceased was slightly larger than the right, likely swollen. However, the swelling was minimal, making it difficult to spot with the naked eye.

Xu Jing couldn’t help but extend her right hand, comparing it to the deceased’s cheek, and then looked at the anatomical chart in her hand. Suddenly, she took a light breath and said, "Vice Minister Xiao, I have a suspicion. The injuries on the deceased were not caused by one person, but by two!"

This idea had vaguely appeared in her mind earlier when she examined the corpses of the previous five victims.

But because there was insufficient evidence to support it, she chose to ignore it intentionally.

Xiao Yi was taken aback. This was a direction no one had considered! "You’re saying this was a dual perpetrator case?"

"Yes."

Xu Jing organized the somewhat chaotic thoughts in her mind, held the anatomical chart in front of Xiao Yi, and said, "I’ve marked some wounds that can only be seen under red light on here. Apart from the bruise on the deceased’s face, I am also very concerned about the bruises on her left and right waists.

The bruise on her right waist is slightly visible even without the red light, but under the red light, you can see that it is larger than it appears, while the bruise on her left waist is invisible without the red light.

These bruises were likely left by the murderer gripping the deceased’s waist. At that time, the perpetrator exerted more force and for a longer duration on the right waist, making the bruise more apparent than on the left waist.

In short, I suspect that one of the perpetrators is right-handed. The bruises on the deceased’s waist and the palm print on her left cheek were both left by this right-handed perpetrator."

Right-handed?

Most people are right-handed, but her emphasis on one of the perpetrators being right-handed could only mean she thought the other was left-handed.

Xiao Yi followed Xu Jing’s train of thought, took another look at the deceased before him, and suddenly understood her meaning. "I see. The perpetrator usually stands opposite the deceased to inflict harm. The palm print on the left side of the victim’s face indicates the perpetrator used their right hand to slap her.

If the perpetrator is right-handed, he would use his left hand to restrain the deceased, while his more dexterous right hand might be free to do other things, which is why the bruise on the right waist is deeper, and that on the left waist is not as deep.

The whip marks, knife marks, burn marks, and other injuries on the deceased’s body should have been inflicted by another perpetrator, and this one is left-handed, which is why those marks are mainly concentrated on the right side of the deceased’s body."

Seeing Xiao Yi catch on quickly, Xu Jing nodded and said, "That’s right. Although this is just my speculation, the distinctive styles of the injuries on the deceased’s body are too different. I think there’s a strong possibility that there are two perpetrators, one right-handed and one left-handed. Moreover, it seems the other perpetrator joined in when the Smiling Killer reappeared after disappearing for a year."

That’s why the Smiling Killer’s murder style changed so drastically before and after his disappearance!

It wasn’t the Smiling Killer himself who changed; it was because a new person was added to his crime this time!

The skin peeled from the chest of the deceased, if my speculation is correct, is indeed a mark deliberately left by the perpetrator, but not by the Smiling Killer, rather by the other perpetrator!

Xiao Yi pursed his lips slightly and said, "If that’s the case, this case is even more dangerous. Even if we find one of the perpetrators, we can’t be sure if he would betray his accomplice."

Xu Jing immediately replied, "Even if we find one suspect, we can’t rely entirely on him. We need to think of ways to find clues regarding the second perpetrator.

Please have someone prepare. I need to perform an autopsy."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi couldn’t help but smile faintly, "It’s already prepared."

Xu Jing’s method of dissecting corpses is shocking to the world, and not many people can accept it, so Xiao Yi only had one Official from the Ministry of Justice come in to record the autopsy.

As expected, when the Official saw Xu Jing’s unflinching hand wielding the scalpel to open the corpse in front of her, his face turned deathly pale and he almost fainted.

Seeing him like this, Xu Jing couldn’t help but miss her first autopsy assistant in this world—Chen Hu. Unfortunately, Chen Hu had returned to his duties in Anping County after finishing a one-month appointment with Xiao Yi.

Xu Jing meticulously examined the corpse bit by bit. From the internal condition of the corpse, it was indeed confirmed that the deceased had died from excessive blood loss.

This method of dying is undoubtedly the most cruel for a victim who has been tortured continuously, worse than dying immediately.

It wasn’t until she isolated the stomach of the deceased and cut it open that she finally found a new clue.

The contents of the stomach had turned to mush, and the duodenum contained a large amount of pasty residue, indicating that the deceased had eaten something about an hour before death.

Xu Jing picked up a pair of tweezers and began to search carefully through the stomach contents of the deceased, a sight that made the Official next to her gag and hurriedly cover his mouth to run out.

Xu Jing paid no attention to him and continued to focus on her work. Suddenly, she raised her eyebrow slightly and picked out a small, oval, brown-red object the size of a pinky fingertip from the mushy stomach content.

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but lean in, frowning slightly, "Is this... a fruit kernel of some kind?"

"It appears so."

Xu Jing placed the small object on a clean white cloth beside her and carefully wiped it clean. She said, "It looks like a lychee or longan kernel, but I’m not very familiar with fruits, so I can’t be one hundred percent sure."

Xiao Yi immediately said, "I’ll send someone to ask specialized fruit vendors. If this is indeed a lychee or longan, the matter may be more complicated."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but fall silent.

Indeed, whether it is a lychee or longan, both are fruits that grow in the south. Since the production area is relatively far from the Western Capital, they are typically sent as tribute fruits, let alone the fact that it is currently not the harvest season for these two kinds of fruits. Anyone in the capital who can afford to eat these fruits now is either wealthy or of high status.

But it cannot be ruled out that this is a kernel of another fruit they had not thought of.

Finally, Xu Jing said, "Let’s first determine what kind of kernel this is."

After she finished, she carefully inspected it again and then began to sew up the corpse.

By the time all the work was done, the sky outside had completely darkened, and Xiao Yi said to Xu Jing, "Shall I take you back?"

Xu Jing instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xiao Yi seemed to know what she was going to say and said, "Miss Xu, you only had a few pieces of pastry for lunch and have been busy until now. Since you’ve helped me with such a big matter, I should at least show some gratitude."

When Xu Jing returned to the Zhou family from Xiao Yi’s home, it was almost noon. Originally, she planned to go back for lunch, but she encountered Hu Da and the others, received some important clues, and returned at once to inform Xiao Yi.

She only had a few pieces of pastry from Xiao Yi’s carriage in between.

Seeing Xu Jing slightly swayed, Xiao Yi’s eyes revealed a faint smile. He said, "Moreover, I have some case-related matters I want to discuss with Miss Xu."

Seeing him say so, Xu Jing hesitated slightly and said, "But if we eat out and someone sees us, it might not look good."

"It’s fine."

Xiao Yi suddenly glanced outside the Ministry of Justice and said, "We’ll make do nearby. I’ll take you to a small shop I usually frequent. You won’t run into anyone you know there."