"Ah!" When they witnessed me being intimate with the corpse, they all assumed I had a perverted fetish. But I paid them no mind. Only after I had kissed the male corpse's face did Zhang Keying exclaim with disgust, "Brother He Sheng, so you..."
"Don't go there. Look at the corpse!"
I said sternly. At this moment, the oil stains on the deceased seemed to shed like a snake molting its skin, slowly sliding off naturally. The corpse's skin was then as if devoid of any filth. Coupled with the rotation of my autopsy umbrella, numerous wounds on the deceased were fully revealed.
These wounds had existed all along but were concealed by the stains. Now, with my "Corpse Penetrating Technique," they were restored.
"You two, hurry and take photos. The fatal wound is clearly on the victim's head. However, the other scars on his body appear to have been repeatedly jabbed with some kind of branding iron, yet without burning. There are dozens of these marks. The deceased must have been in great pain, especially if he was still alive at the time."
Next, the consent form from the family arrived, and we began the dissection. When testing the rectal and liver temperatures, we accurately found that he had indeed died around 3 AM. It seemed Xie Chuchu's deduction was quite precise.
Upon obtaining the exact time of death data, even I cast a glance of admiration at her.
However, Xie Chuchu was very modest, saying, "That's just basic procedure!"
"Mmm, this deceased didn't seem to like drinking or smoking, yet the lungs show signs of pathological changes, possibly a hereditary disease!"
"Yes, is this pulmonary edema?"
"This condition shouldn't be hereditary, right? It should be asthma!"
"Precisely. Strictly speaking, it's bronchial asthma. This disease is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways, involving multiple cells (such as eosinophils, mast cells, etc.) and cellular components. It's a heterogeneous disease. Bronchial asthma is related to polygenic inheritance. The incidence of the disease among relatives of asthma patients is higher than in the general population, and the closer the kinship, the higher the incidence. Common clinical symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough, often occurring or worsening at night or in the early morning." Zhang Keying analyzed with apparent familiarity beside us.
I was certainly aware of this. It's worth noting that hereditary lung diseases are relatively rare, but current research suggests a possible link between lung cancer and genes. Most lung diseases are caused by acquired factors, meaning Xing Le'an's family history is not good. It's unknown how many generations this hereditary disease has afflicted, and they have been tormented by this pain. It's quite pitiable. If Xing Le'an had no descendants, this hereditary disease might have ended.
As I pondered this, I opened the deceased's abdomen. At this moment, Xie Chuchu was examining the ribs, while Zhang Keying helped me draw blood and urine for Ling Xiaotao to test.
It was evident that this fellow was trying to lose weight, as there were signs of hyaluronic acid components in his abdomen. Many people know this substance is used for fat reduction. In fact, hyaluronic acid is an acidic mucopolysaccharide. In 1934, Professor Meyer and others from Columbia University's ophthalmology department first isolated this substance from bovine vitreous humor. Hyaluronic acid, with its unique molecular structure and physicochemical properties, exhibits numerous important physiological functions in the body, such as lubricating joints, regulating vascular wall permeability, regulating protein and electrolyte diffusion and transport, and promoting wound healing. Therefore, it has many functions.
I observed some needle marks on the deceased's neck. Based on this, I inferred that he had been injecting hyaluronic acid regularly. Based on the dosage, it seemed he had been using it for over a year. But strangely, the deceased was male, and weight loss for men seemed unusual.
More importantly, Xing Le'an was already very thin. When we reached this conclusion, we all felt something was amiss. Zhang Keying said, "Could it be that the murderer deliberately forced him? I've heard that excessive hyaluronic acid can also lead to death, and even if not fatal, the body's condition would be severely damaged."
"But he had been using it for so long. It's too strange. Was he threatened for so long?" Xie Chuchu stared at the corpse's internal organs, lost in thought.
I proceeded to weigh the organs, analyzing their color and weight. Afterward, we discovered more signs of pathological changes in the deceased's stomach, indicative of long-term neglect of diet. This also led me to roughly surmise why Xing Le'an was so thin; it was likely due to some prior dietary issues.
Finally, we reached the deceased's private parts. To my surprise, he was still a virgin. It seemed Xing Le'an's romantic life was extremely dire, especially since such women are rare nowadays, let alone men.
The final task was to conduct various tests on the deceased's indicators, which, of course, no longer required my personal supervision.
As I left the forensic department, I decided to have someone investigate Xing Le'an's movements over the past year. Although this was a massive undertaking that would consume considerable time, I couldn't think of a better way to proceed for the moment.
He Xin and Yuan Hezhi began scouring the surveillance network, tracing back from the alleyway. We first discovered that in recent months, Xing Le'an had frequently been seen heading towards the Kangle Cinema, not just once or twice, but dozens of times according to the surveillance tracking, averaging more than ten times a month.
This was quite peculiar. How could one person frequent a cinema so often? Even with a strong interest, it seemed improbable.
Even without investigating further, I already found this suspicious. However, at this moment, He Xin tapped her screen a few times and said, "This cinema seems to have some issues. We haven't found any programs being shown there recently."
"Let's go over and investigate. This place is making me suspicious!"
I voiced my suggestion. Liu Yuning, cooperating perfectly, quickly followed suit. This time, I asked Xiahou and Xiao Yuande to accompany us as well. The remaining team members began a comprehensive investigation into Xing Le'an's social circle, scrutinizing anyone in Guangming City who had any connection with him. While I'm not one to get bogged down in every detail and prefer to focus on the key points, this situation was rather unusual.
After a journey, we arrived at the cinema. If it weren't for the case, it felt like it had been a while since I had visited such a place. Upon reaching the entrance, I noticed several posters for the latest movies, all scheduled for recent releases. Yet, He Xin had just told me they had no programs? Was she mistaken?