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

Lu Chuan took the materials, quickly reviewed the interrogation record, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Good, the interrogation was very thorough. These details are all very important, especially the pry marks on the wall and the clues about the shadowy figures. These must be thoroughly investigated, and no suspicious points can be overlooked." He looked up at the body in the center of the warehouse and added in a serious tone, "The on-site investigation is complete, and all trace evidence has been sent to the technical department. Now, arrange for the team to contact the funeral home to transport the body back to the Criminal Investigation Detachment's Forensic Identification Center. Have Zhang Kai perform an autopsy as soon as possible to determine the time and cause of death, and extract relevant samples from the body to provide strong technical support for the case investigation. We must produce the autopsy report as soon as possible."

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Wang Shuai responded in unison, immediately instructing his team to contact the funeral home and prepare for the body's transfer. Because the warehouse was located in a remote area with narrow roads, the funeral home's transport vehicle couldn't drive directly into the warehouse. The team members carefully used stretchers to gently lift the body, wrapped it in a body bag, and slowly carried it out of the warehouse, along the factory's paths, to the transport vehicle. Throughout the transfer, the team members exercised extreme caution to avoid further injury to the body, and simultaneously activated their body cameras to record the entire process, ensuring the body's transport was conducted properly and safely.

At 12:10 PM, the transport vehicle slowly departed from Dongfeng Chemical Plant, heading towards the Forensic Identification Center of the Dongcheng Criminal Investigation Detachment. Inside the center, Zhang Kai and his assistant, Xiao Lin, had completed all preparations for the autopsy. Zhang Kai has been working as a forensic pathologist for 15 years, possessing rich experience and skillful techniques. He has handled hundreds of autopsies in homicide cases. Whether the cause of death is ordinary mechanical injury or complex poisoning or asphyxiation, he can reconstruct the truth of death through precise autopsies and meticulous analysis. Xiao Lin, on the other hand, has only recently joined the forensic team. Although inexperienced, he is meticulous, diligent, and eager to learn, constantly learning from Zhang Kai and gradually becoming his capable assistant.

The autopsy room at the forensic identification center is spacious and bright, with clean white walls and non-slip tiled floors. A continuously operating ventilation system effectively eliminates odors generated during the autopsy process. Clean, sterile cloths cover the autopsy table, and neatly arranged on adjacent instrument racks are scalpels, forceps, scissors, probes, measuring cups, specimen bottles, and other autopsy tools. All tools have undergone rigorous sterilization and are arranged in an orderly and easily visible manner. One side of the autopsy room has an observation window for recording and observing the autopsy process, while the other side is a sample storage area for storing various samples extracted during the autopsy.

"Teacher Zhang, the transport vehicle has already departed and is expected to arrive at the identification center around 12:40," Xiao Lin said to Zhang Kai while checking the autopsy tools, her tone a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Although she had participated in many autopsies with Zhang Kai, Xiao Lin still felt somewhat nervous every time she faced a new corpse. After all, every autopsy was a dialogue with the deceased, a search for the truth of death, allowing no room for carelessness.

Zhang Kai, dressed in a sterile autopsy gown, gloves, and mask, carefully inspected the autopsy table and related instruments. Hearing Xiao Lin's words, he nodded and said in a serious tone, "Okay, notify the transport team. Upon arrival, take the body directly to the autopsy room. Handle it gently to avoid secondary damage. Also, double-check all autopsy tools and sterilization supplies to ensure there are no problems. Autopsy work allows no room for error. Every detail could be key to solving the case. We must be rigorous and meticulous, leaving no room for omissions."

"Understood, Teacher Zhang!" Xiao Lin replied immediately, carefully checking the dissection tools again. From the sharpness of the scalpel to the dexterity of the forceps and the airtightness of the specimen bottles, he checked each tool one by one to ensure that it was in good working order. Zhang Kai then went to the computer in the dissection room, opened the scene photos and investigation records sent by the scene investigators, and carefully reviewed them to understand the basic situation of the scene, the condition of the body's surface, and the trace evidence collected at the scene, in preparation for the subsequent dissection work.

Based on the on-site photos and investigation records, Zhang Kai learned that the deceased was male, lying supine in the center of an abandoned warehouse at the Dongfeng Chemical Plant. His body showed signs of binding and ligature marks, his clothing was torn, and fibers and dust were found under his fingernails. No items to identify the deceased were found at the scene, nor was a murder weapon discovered. "Judging from the photos, there are obvious drag marks on the deceased's body, and his clothing is torn, suggesting a struggle. Our preliminary assessment is that the deceased was likely murdered and dragged to the center of the warehouse," Zhang Kai said to Xiao Lin while reviewing the photos. "However, the specific cause and time of death still need to be determined through an autopsy. We need to focus on examining the deceased's neck, chest, abdomen, and other critical areas for fatal injuries, and also collect samples of blood, gastric fluid, and liver to rule out poisoning."

Xiao Lin leaned closer to the computer, carefully examined the crime scene photos, nodded, and said, "Teacher Zhang, look, there's a blurry binding mark around the deceased's wrists, and there seem to be ligature marks on the neck as well. Also, there are fibers and dust under the deceased's fingernails. Could it be that the deceased fought with the suspect during the murder, scratched the suspect, and left behind these fiber clues? Furthermore, the deceased's jacket and jeans are torn, with uneven edges, suggesting they were ripped. This also confirms that the deceased may have had a heated argument or fight with the suspect before his death."

“That’s possible,” Zhang Kai nodded, speaking with a serious tone, “but these are only preliminary judgments. A proper autopsy is needed to verify them. For example, were the ligature marks on the neck formed before or after death? What weapon caused the depth and width of the marks? What was used to bind the wrists? These all require careful observation and analysis during the autopsy. Furthermore, the time of death is crucial for determining the time of the crime and establishing alibis. We need to comprehensively determine the time of death by examining the rigor mortis, livor mortis, and corneal opacity, combined with the digestion of the stomach contents found during the autopsy.”

At 12:40 PM, the transport vehicle arrived at the forensic identification center. The team members carefully unloaded the body and carried it into the autopsy room, gently placing it on the autopsy table. Zhang Kai and Xiao Lin immediately stepped forward, carefully checking the integrity of the body bag. Only after confirming that the body bag was undamaged and uncontaminated did they slowly begin to open it. The moment the body bag was opened, a faint smell of decay and other unpleasant odor wafted out. Although the ventilation system in the autopsy room was running, the smell was still clearly audible. (End of Chapter)