Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

He then examined the deceased's teeth and bones. The teeth showed moderate wear, consistent with a male aged 35-45. The bones showed no signs of osteoporosis or abnormal lesions, ruling out a history of long-term illness. "The deceased was healthy before death, with no underlying diseases. The cause of death was clearly traumatic splenic rupture leading to hemorrhagic shock. The time of death was approximately seven days ago, around last Wednesday. The deceased had not eaten for 12 hours prior to death. The external injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, which is related to the mine environment," Zhang Kai summarized, recording the autopsy findings point by point in the report.

As Xiao Chen reviewed the autopsy findings, he suddenly recalled the clues Wang Shuai had gathered during his investigation: "Teacher Zhang, based on what Wang Shuai and his team found out, around Wednesday night a week ago, some villagers saw a white van parked on the road down the mountain. Could it be that the suspect used the van to transport the deceased to the vicinity of the mine, then had a conflict with the deceased inside the mine, striking the deceased's left flank with a blunt object, causing a ruptured spleen, and then dumping the body inside the mine? Also, could the man in the dark blue overalls and carrying the black bag be the deceased? Could the black bag he was carrying contain items related to the conflict with the suspect, such as mine-related documents or valuables?"

“Your hypothesis has some merit,” Zhang Kai nodded in agreement, then continued the autopsy. A small amount of fine mineral powder particles were found in the deceased's trachea and bronchi, but no foreign objects or fibers were found. “The mineral powder particles in the trachea are the same composition as the mine soil, which further proves that the deceased was attacked inside the mine—the suspect struck the deceased inside the mine, causing a ruptured spleen. The deceased inhaled the mine dust in his dying moments and ultimately died from excessive blood loss. However, the absence of foreign objects in the trachea indicates that the deceased did not experience violent vomiting or choking before losing consciousness; he likely suffered rapid blood loss within a short period, leading to coma and subsequent death.”

To rule out other potential causes of death, Zhang Kai picked up a syringe and drew a small blood sample from the heart, and then took a small piece of tissue from the liver and kidney: "We sent blood, liver, and kidney samples for toxicology testing to rule out the possibility of poisoning by common toxins. Although the possibility of poisoning is unlikely based on the autopsy, we must conduct tests to ensure the rigor of the conclusions."

At 11 p.m., the autopsy was basically finished. Zhang Kai and Xiao Chen put the dissected organs back into the abdominal cavity one by one and began suturing. While assisting with the suturing, Xiao Chen continued to sort out the case: "Teacher Zhang, if the deceased died last Wednesday, that perfectly matches the time when the villagers saw the white van; and the blunt force trauma to the left hypochondrium was very likely intentional on the part of the suspect, with the purpose of killing the victim. In addition, the dark blue overalls worn by the deceased match the characteristics of the 'man wearing dark blue overalls and carrying a black bag' seen by the villagers. Perhaps the deceased is that man, and the contents of the black bag he was carrying are the suspect's motive for the murder—such as treasure in the mine, evidence of illegal mining, or something like that?"

“We can’t rule out that possibility.” Zhang Kai finished stitching the last stitch, removed his protective mask, and looked tired but determined. “The mine has been abandoned for many years, and there might have been illegal mining and hiding of valuables. The deceased might have been silenced by the suspect because he knew these secrets. However, the specific motive needs to be determined through further identity investigation and clue tracing. The most important thing now is to confirm the deceased’s identity as soon as possible through DNA comparison, and at the same time have the technical department test the dark red stains on the work clothes and the extracted black fibers to see if they can find any trace of the suspect.”

At 0:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Zhang Kai handed over the extracted blood, liver, kidney samples, and the deceased's DNA sample to the technical department, giving special instructions: "Focus on testing the blood samples for sedative drugs to rule out the possibility that the suspect drugged the deceased before committing the crime; prioritize comparing the deceased's DNA with the missing persons database to confirm the deceased's identity as soon as possible; at the same time, conduct bloodstain testing on the dark red stains on the work clothes and analyze the composition of the black fibers to confirm whether they are related to the suspect."

Stepping out of the autopsy room, Zhang Kai looked at the dark night sky outside the window, picked up his phone, and dialed Lu Chuan's number: "Team Leader Lu, the autopsy results are in. The deceased was male, 35-45 years old, 170 cm tall. The cause of death was hemorrhagic shock due to traumatic spleen rupture. The time of death was approximately 7 days ago, around last Wednesday. He had not eaten for 12 hours before death. The external injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, which is closely related to the mine environment. Suspected bloodstains and unfamiliar fibers were extracted from the work clothes and have been sent for testing. The deceased's DNA sample has been submitted and is being compared with the missing persons database."

On the other end of the phone, Lu Chuan's voice was filled with excitement: "Great, Zhang Kai! This result is crucial! It not only clarifies the cause and time of death, but also narrows down the scope of the subsequent investigation—combined with the white van clues Wang Shuai found, the suspect likely transported the deceased to the mine by vehicle, and the motive may be related to secrets of the mine. Compile the autopsy report as soon as possible and send it to Wang Shuai and the technical department simultaneously, so they can focus their investigation on the key points of 'around last Wednesday,' 'white van,' and 'mine secrets.'"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Kai walked to the window of the autopsy room, looking at the streetlights gradually coming on in the distance. He knew clearly that although the victim's identity had not yet been confirmed and the suspect was still at large, every detail discovered in the autopsy was building a crucial bridge for solving the case. He believed that as long as all departments worked together and followed the clues of "the source of blunt force trauma to the ruptured spleen," "the victim's identity," and "the black fiber and the white van," they would soon uncover the truth of the mine murder case, allowing the victim buried in the dark mine to see the light of day again and have their injustice redressed.

At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the technical department reported preliminary results: the dark red stains on the deceased's work clothes were confirmed to be bloodstains, and belonged to the deceased; the black fibers were made of polyester, commonly found in industrial canvas or work clothes; the deceased's DNA sample initially matched "Li Jianjun," a 42-year-old male former Dongshan coal mine worker, who had been reported missing seven days prior, in the missing persons database, and a precise comparison was underway. Upon receiving the news, Zhang Kai immediately reported the situation to Lu Chuan—the investigation into the Dongshan coal mine underground murder case had finally reached its first major breakthrough.

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the DNA comparison report from the Criminal Investigation Detachment's Technical Section had just been delivered to Lu Chuan. The red stamp marking "Confirmed Match" was particularly eye-catching—the body found in the Dongshan Coal Mine was indeed that of Li Jianjun, a former coal miner who had been missing for seven days. "Zhang Hui, take two groups. One group goes to Li Jianjun's home to collect DNA samples from relatives for secondary verification. The other group simultaneously visits his family and coworkers to find out his whereabouts and relationships before his disappearance." Lu Chuan pushed the report to Zhang Hui, his fingertips lightly tapping on the table. "Focus on why he went to the mine, whether he had contact with strangers, and don't overlook any details, even seemingly unrelated casual conversations." (End of Chapter)