I had Xiahou go and inquire about things first, while I went to the information department to look at the content of those DVDs. This time, we saw several videos appear, but the content was essentially the same. The angle seemed to be from above, and I wondered how the killer managed to film it. Perhaps they stood on high ground or used a drone for aerial shots. He Xin used triangulation technology to determine that the location was Kun Hong Mountain in Guangming City, specifically a temple on its peak.
We had been to this place before, seemingly to offer incense. Most people in Guangming City knew about it, and I couldn't believe the killer dared to leave the victim's other body parts there.
We immediately rushed up the mountain. It was already nighttime. In the dark, we found many police officers surrounding the temple. Some monks inside were confused, thinking something had happened. We explained the situation, and one monk exclaimed in surprise, "You're saying there are body parts hidden here? Benefactor, how is that possible?"
"We saw it all in the videos; the location is right behind the temple!" I explained. My team was already searching the back, and within two minutes, they found a package.
I was very nervous at the time, worried about finding another clue in the package. However, this time there was nothing. Upon opening the package, we found the victim's torso and other parts. With this, most of the body parts had been recovered.
This time, however, we found a large number of notebooks in the package, at least a dozen. They contained writings from different people. I sent them to the handwriting analysis department and returned to the forensic laboratory.
Standing by the body, I muttered to myself again.
"Quan Yingzhen, I know you must have endured a lot over the years. Let me find the answers from your body."
First, I reassembled Quan Yingzhen's parts that we had recovered from the various videos. The body was much more complete. There were no skin fragments under the victim's fingernails, nor any bloodstains or traces of mud and sand. The poplar fibers on the nails were light red, the lips were pale, and there were many areas of skin decomposition. However, we extracted a component from these areas. After analysis and comparison, it was found to be a fermentation agent, an excellent preservative. We had previously discovered that the killer used some method to prolong the decomposition of the corpse to confuse our assessment of the time of death, and this was how they did it. However, this wasn't anything new; I recalled encountering it in a past case.
Before dissecting the body, I had obtained the consent of Quan Yingzhen's uncle. They had also arrived at the provincial department and confirmed the body. Upon seeing his niece dismembered, he wasn't overly distressed but rather somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect this child to also..."
"Mr. Quan, you said 'also'? What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
"You don't know? Her parents also disappeared mysteriously for a period of time. When they were found, they were also dismembered. It's been 3 years, and I never expected Quan Yingzhen to suffer the same fate today. Sometimes I wonder if they offended some underworld figures, otherwise, why would this happen?"
"Mr. Quan, please don't speculate. Regarding the case from 3 years ago, can you elaborate? Was it a case handled in your town?" wang.kanshuwu.net
"Yes, due to the severity of the situation, that case was handed over to the municipal bureau. As for your provincial department, I'm not sure. At the time, I couldn't understand who they had offended. Later, after their deaths, Quan Yingzhen went out to work alone. Before that, they lived together, and we two stayed in town," recalled Quan Yingzhen's aunt.
If they hadn't said this, I wouldn't have known that such a case was hidden within Quan Yingzhen's life; her parents had also been killed in a similar manner.
It seemed I needed to investigate the case from 3 years ago. However, that file should still be at the sub-bureau. I planned to go after the autopsy.
Turning my attention back to the body, I skillfully picked up a scalpel and made an incision from the throat to the chest and then to the abdomen, removing the ribs and organs to complete the basic procedure.
Ling Xiaotao was fully responsible for drawing blood and testing urine while we performed pathological tests on the victim's internal organs. We discovered that her internal organs showed signs of atrophy, and numerous injuries were found on her body. I discovered these later when I sprinkled yellow wine and seaweed ash. Combining this with the victim's bodily functions, I quickly reached a conclusion: she had been imprisoned and tortured by the killer multiple times. They had cut out some internal organs and then reattached them, keeping her alive with saline drips. They would almost kill her and then revive her, torture her again, and revive her again, back and forth, until she finally died slowly due to surgical complications and the failure of her bodily functions.
Zhang Keying and Xie Chuchu agreed with my conclusion, as these were clues discovered from a forensic perspective. Quan Yingzhen must have endured inhuman treatment within the past year. This killer knew how to torture victims, so they must have had some skill in medicine and chemistry, otherwise, they couldn't have tortured the victim in such a manner.
Looking at some of the wounds on the victim's body, the cross-sections were very neat, indicating the killer's proficiency with a knife. It was not impossible that they were a surgeon or something similar. Her lungs appeared to have been cut multiple times and then reattached. If I had been Quan Yingzhen at that time, I would have wanted to commit suicide, but the perpetrator had bound her limbs, preventing her from doing so. Her limbs clearly showed bruises from prolonged binding. She must have been in unbearable pain, wishing for death. Unable to move, she could only stare intently at the killer. However, she eventually lost even that courage and began to beg. But the killer was indifferent, even becoming more excited at her pitiable state.
This was too cruel. This method of torture could be described as the most brutal I had encountered in so many cases.
Her stomach was completely empty of food residue and showed severe signs of atrophy, indicating she had not eaten for a long time. Her muscles and other tissues had necrosed. If not for the prolonged saline drips, she would have died long ago.
Her intestines and stomach were twisted. This happens when the body, lacking nutrients, first digests abdominal fat. However, this process doesn't last long; once the body's fat reserves are depleted, death is imminent.
This is also a form of self-preservation, theoretically lasting a maximum of 7 days.
There were no signs of sexual assault in her lower body, clearly indicating the killer's sole purpose was to abuse and torture the victim. This seemed like a revenge killing, especially considering the similar fate of Quan Yingzhen's family. However, if it were truly an organized crime group, they wouldn't be playing these body part games with us; they would have simply killed and disposed of the body directly.