His work ID was in my hand, incredibly heavy.
"Li Fan, I will carry on your last wishes. I will inform your family of your sacrifice, and I believe they will also be proud of you!"
"From the first moment I met you, I knew you were an outstanding SWAT officer. If you hadn't helped us break through countless times, we would have been killed by the organization thousands of times over."
"Your bravery and fearlessness have always been our direction and motivation, our only glimmer of hope in the darkness. Li Fan, rest in peace!"
"Li Fan, rest in peace. Watch us as we completely destroy the detestable Polaris and forever reserve a seat for world justice. All Polaris criminals will then be tried by the world court."
"When it's all over, I will come to your grave and tell you about the satisfying events. I'm making a promise to you today, I won't forget."
"Li Fan, rest in peace! Our Sin Punishers team will always be on the front lines, to complete the cause you left unfinished. China's criminal investigation will, in the near future, become the world's leader, and criminals will tremble at the mere mention of it. True world peace, no war, no crime. Then, we police officers can finally have time off, go for big meals, travel, go shopping, and... no more working overtime every day, never-ending cases, and criminals we can't catch..."
As I spoke, I clutched Li Fan's police ID, my body trembling.
Liu Yuning and the others were infected by my emotions, all of us momentarily consumed by sorrow. But after a while, I turned and said resolutely, "Everyone, don't be sad. This time, our gains were also substantial. We found a large amount of Bloody King's criminal evidence from the performance company: kidnapping, murder, trafficking, drugs, rape. Our forensics team has collected all the evidence!"
I pointed to the forensic investigators, led by Gao Mingqiang, who had just finished their work not far away. They had only just been rescued and immediately started working. Although their equipment was gone, finding a camera here wasn't difficult.
Without biphenylamine, we could only use cotton swabs to extract samples for later analysis in the forensic laboratory.
We collected dozens of blood samples from the scene. While re-examining them, a forensics officer said, "We found a skeleton on the first-floor flooring."
Xie Chuchu and Zhang Keying weren't there at the time; they were still imprisoned. It was up to me to perform the autopsy.
We found the skeleton where the forensics officer indicated, and several of us gathered around it. Many police officers stood guard outside.
The place where the remains were found was a section of flooring beneath the first-floor hall. The forensics officer had accidentally tapped the floor and noticed a hollow sound, which led to the discovery.
Gao Mingqiang and the others pried it up, and a desiccated skeleton was exposed at the bottom.
Liu Yuning and I put on rubber gloves first and then carefully lifted the skeleton, our movements akin to obstetricians gently lifting a baby from its mother's womb.
Once the skeleton was placed upright, I had no tools, so I could only observe with my eyes. Just then, Liu Yuning handed me a magnifying glass. "Old... team leader, can this be used?"
"Oh, just call me husband. We won't mind!"
Gao Mingqiang, that scoundrel, having just been rescued, immediately resumed his teasing.
"Get lost! With so many people around, how can I call you husband!" Liu Yuning said awkwardly. Gao Mingqiang deliberately pinched his nose and mimicked Yu Ning's voice, "Get lost! With so many people around, how can I call you husband! We can call you husband tonight when we get back. Oh, I'm so shy!"
That remark only made things worse. Liu Yuning rolled up her sleeves and was about to chase him, but I stopped her. "Alright, even if you're setting the mood, there are limits. The deceased is still in front of us!"
Only then did the two of them seriously squat down, and the others also focused. I began observing from the skull. Without any equipment, the amount I could discern was very limited. However, upon observing the pubic bone area of the deceased, I thought of a method.
I instructed Gao Mingqiang, "Go and prepare a pressure cooker for me, two buckets of tap water, preferably mineral water, and I'll also need a stove."
"Holy cow, are you going to make human bone soup for us, Team Leader He?"
"If I make it, would you dare to drink it? There's still soft tissue on these remains. I need to use some method to heat the pubic bone so I can see some details more easily."
"Oh, is this some ancient coroner's secret?"
"No, this is a forensic doctor's secret."
"Really? Then I'll go look for them. Everyone, help out!"
After Gao Mingqiang left, Liu Yuning asked me, "Are you going to use a forensic doctor's secret this time?"
"Yes. You might not know, but there's definitely periosteum and soft tissue attached to human bones. These structures are tightly connected and cannot be separated by knives or hemostats. Besides, I don't even have hemostats now. With these soft tissues obstructing, some of the bone's characteristics will be masked, hindering the forensic examination."
"This principle actually has a connection to the bone soup Gao Mingqiang mentioned earlier." As I spoke, Du Wantian exclaimed, "No way! Do we have to drink that human bone soup together after the autopsy?"
"Wantian, what are you thinking? The soup is definitely not for drinking. Let me tell you, if bones with attached soft tissues are treated with high-temperature water, the periosteum and bone will separate. The fatty and muscular tissues attached to the periosteum will be detached, and the bone's characteristics will naturally be revealed.
Therefore, to observe the characteristics of the pubic symphysis, it's essential to separate the periosteum, cartilage, and muscles. The best way to separate them is by heating. Through boiling, the pubic bone will naturally expose all its features. This method allows us to determine the deceased's age, whether they had certain diseases, and so on. You see, the pubic bone's main functions include forming the pelvis, stabilizing the pelvis, protecting pelvic organs, and providing a stable foundation for lower limb movement. There is one pubic bone on each side, located medially in the groin area. They connect at the pubic symphysis, joining the two pubic bones to form a complete ring-like pelvic structure. Furthermore, the pubic bone forms the pelvis, and the acetabulum of the hip joint is also present in the pelvis. The pubic bone enhances pelvic stability, which in turn strengthens hip joint stability, providing a stable foundation for lower limb movement. Thus, some of a person's habitual activities can also be identified from it.
Earlier, I observed the pelvis of this skeleton. In males, it's nearly heart-shaped; in females, it's nearly oval. See, Yuning, is this heart-shaped?"
"Yes, so this is a male skeleton?"