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

"The accurate determination of the time of death depends on the degree of digestion of the stomach contents." He made a standard "Y"-shaped incision in the deceased's abdomen with a scalpel, cutting through the skin layer by layer to expose subcutaneous fat and muscle tissue. "The abdominal wall fat was about 2 cm thick, indicating that the deceased was in good nutritional condition before death."

After the stomach was completely removed, Zhang Kai used hemostats to clamp both ends of the stomach and cut open the stomach wall under sterile conditions. The stomach contents were pasty and emitted a faint smell of food residue. "There was rice, cabbage, and a small amount of pork scraps inside," Zhang Kai said, picking up some of the stomach contents with a cotton swab and observing them under a microscope. "The food was partially digested, but its shape was still recognizable, indicating that death occurred 4-6 hours after ingestion."

"Based on the previous rigor mortis and lividity, the time of death can be narrowed down to between 8 pm and 10 pm this Wednesday?" Kobayashi quickly calculated the time.

“More or less,” Zhang Kai nodded. “If we could pinpoint the time of the deceased’s last meal, we could be more precise. But for now, we can only provide this timeframe.” He divided the stomach contents into several portions and placed them into different containers. “These samples will be sent for biochemical testing to check for any drug components and rule out the possibility of poisoning.”

The subsequent autopsy focused on the neck and chest cavity. Zhang Kai carefully separated the muscle tissue in the neck and found obvious hemorrhages in the left sternocleidomastoid muscle and slight congestion in the thyroid gland. "Deep muscle bleeding in the neck further confirms the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxiation." He used forceps to lift the trachea, "The tracheal mucosa is congested and edematous, with a small amount of foamy secretions, which are typical signs of death by asphyxiation."

During the chest examination, Zhang Kai discovered mild emphysema in the deceased's lungs and a few petechiae on the surface of his heart. "The condition of his lungs is consistent with long-term dust inhalation. Combined with the fertilizer plant work badge on his body, he was likely an operator who worked in the workshop for a long time," he speculated. "There was no organic lesion in his heart, ruling out the possibility of sudden cardiac death."

The autopsy continued until 11 p.m., and Zhang Kai had completed the examination of the major organs and was classifying and labeling the extracted samples. "Xiao Lin, summarize the current findings." He took off his gloves, which were soaked in saline solution, and put on new ones.

"The deceased was male, aged 45-50, 175cm tall, and weighed 70kg. He had a history of dust inhalation and is presumed to be a fertilizer plant operator. The time of death was 3-4 days before the incident, between 8 PM and 10 PM this Wednesday. The cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation. The murder weapon is presumed to be a wide cloth strip or a similar soft object. There were no obvious signs of resistance on the body surface, and no foreign objects under the fingernails, indicating that the deceased may have been attacked without warning. Oil stains and fibers extracted from the clothing have been sent to the technical department for comparison, and samples of the stomach contents are undergoing biochemical testing," Kobayashi reported clearly and logically.

“There’s another detail,” Zhang Kai added. “The deceased’s right ring finger bone showed signs of an old fracture healing, and the fracture site was somewhat deformed. This could be a distinctive feature that could help identify him. In addition, his teeth were severely worn, and two of his molars were decayed. This is related to his long-term consumption of coarse food or smoking—wasn’t a ‘Double Happiness’ cigarette butt found at the scene? We can make a comparison.”

Just then, the door to the autopsy room was gently pushed open, and Lu Chuan and Wang Shuai walked in. Both of them looked tired, but their eyes were full of anticipation. "Forensic Doctor Zhang, have you made any important discoveries?" Lu Chuan walked to the autopsy table, his gaze falling on the labeled sample containers.

Zhang Kai handed over the preliminary autopsy report. "The cause of death has been determined. It was mechanical asphyxiation. It was not an accident, nor suicide, but homicide. The time of death was approximately between 8 pm and 10 pm on Wednesday night, which basically matches the time that Brother Long said he went to the fertilizer plant to find Li Dahai last Wednesday night."

"Mechanical asphyxiation?" Wang Shuai frowned. "No similar tools were found at the scene, so the suspect may have taken them with him."

“The murder weapon was likely a soft object like a wide cloth strip,” Zhang Kai explained. “Such tools are easy to carry and destroy, leaving little trace at the scene. However, we extracted a small amount of fibers from the skin tissue on the victim's neck, which is not the same type as the dark blue fibers found at the scene. The forensic department is comparing them; perhaps we can find some clues.” Lu Chuan took the autopsy report and carefully examined the records. “Still no clue about the victim's identity? Could you repair that old work badge so we can read the name on it?”

“The technical department is trying to restore the writing on the name tag with special reagents,” Zhang Kai said. “In addition, the deceased had an old fracture in the ring finger of his right hand and severely worn teeth. These characteristics can be used as a basis for identification. I suggest you combine these characteristics with the list of former employees of the fertilizer plant.”

“I’ll take care of it first thing tomorrow morning,” Wang Shuai said immediately. “By the way, Dr. Zhang, was there anything special about the food residue in the deceased’s stomach? For example, could it tell us where he ate his last meal?”

"The food was very ordinary, just home-cooked rice, cabbage, and pork, without any special seasonings. It didn't seem like the food from a canteen or restaurant," Zhang Kai recalled the contents of his stomach. "Moreover, the amount of food was small, only about two ounces, like a meal eaten in a hurry."

"He ate in a hurry?" Lu Chuan pondered. "Could it be that he had arranged to meet the suspect, and then hurriedly finished dinner before going to the attic?"

“That’s possible.” Zhang Kai nodded. “The deceased died 4-6 hours after eating. Assuming he ate dinner around 6 p.m., then the time of death would be between 10 p.m. and 12 p.m., which is basically consistent with our previous estimate.”

At midnight, the autopsy was completed, and the deceased's body was placed in a refrigerated container for preservation. Zhang Kai and Xiao Lin were organizing the autopsy records when news came from the technical department: the fibers extracted from the deceased's neck were a cotton-linen blend, dark gray in color, different from the dark blue fibers found at the scene, but similar in fiber composition to an old sweater from Li Dahai's residence.

"Li Dahai's old sweater?" Wang Shuai immediately became alert. "Could the deceased be related to Li Dahai?"

“It’s not certain yet,” Zhang Kai said. “This kind of cotton-linen blend fiber is also very common, and we can’t draw conclusions just because the composition is similar. However, what is certain is that the suspect was wearing clothing containing this fiber or carrying items containing this fiber when he committed the crime.”

Lu Chuan stood by the window of the dissection room, gazing at the dark night sky, his mind racing with thoughts. (End of Chapter)