Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 24 Traitor
Dong Shuben and Shunzi followed. Dong Shuben was still filled with righteous indignation: "These beasts killed my people and ate my food!"

Shunzi asked anxiously, "How can we know how many people are left in such a mess?"

"They should have left it all. If only two or three people stayed, even if they ate a bowl and dumped it, they wouldn't have wasted so much meat and vegetables. Not a single grain of rice or flour was left..." Jia Chuan paused, frowned, and muttered, "Our rice and flour are not refined grains. How can they get used to it?"

Dong Shuben said, "I'm so hungry, everything tastes good."

Shunzi said, "But they didn't do anything except that one night... How could they be so hungry?"

After they finished speaking, they both looked at Jia Chuan.

Jia Chuan frowned and said:
"The chopsticks have been moved around too much. The water in our water tank... I remember there should have been more than three tanks left before we left, and now there's only half a tank left. But the chopsticks are thrown everywhere. Even the spare ones have been used and not washed. There are more than forty of us, and there are still unused chopsticks, which adds up to at least sixty pairs. Judging by the time, they may have had a midnight snack after the murder that night. In other words, the ten of them may have eaten six meals here in total. They had an additional meal after the operation on the night of the crime, and three meals the next day. When we came back, they had lunch and left..."

Jia Chuan paused. It was precisely because his autopsy revealed a different time of death than the others that he concluded he'd intended to keep the man alive and mislead them. To confirm, he performed two autopsies that night, accompanied by Old Zheng. The time of death should have been morning. Later, considering the weather, he hypothesized that the man might have died in the morning. But whether it was morning or not, how could those people not have known? If they knew, why did they stay for lunch before leaving?

Jia Chuan imagined that at noon that day, nine people finished their work in the kitchen, found a place with less stench to eat, and returned to throw their dishes and chopsticks away. Someone walked outside the room and shouted something like "We're leaving" to the person lying on the ground inside, but there was no movement. The person held his nose and pushed open the door, only to find the person on the ground motionless...

Jia Chuan frowned and looked into the distance. It didn't make sense. Since he was leaving, he had already let the man hurt himself. There was no need to stay until noon. Was he reluctant to let the corpse stink? Did he think the smell would go well with rice?

The logic doesn’t make sense!

Moreover, these people seemed to have left on the rainy night, with no signs of returning, but they must have returned. Where did they come from?
According to his inference, even if these people were not from the Prince of Han's Palace, the status of the people behind the scenes was not much different. Logically, the training should be harder, and other things should be very disciplined. How could they make the cellar and kitchen so messy?
Jia Chuan uttered a "tsk" and was about to change his train of thought when he suddenly heard a scream.

Gao Yuntian took Old Zheng and the constable to search around the land temple to find out where the seven people who died that night were buried. Jia Chuan knew that the place must not be far away. He was well aware of his colleagues' laziness, but it would not be too close. Going in and out every day, especially at night to relieve themselves, would have some psychological problems.

Jia Chuan looked around before and felt that Gao Yuntian could still understand what he meant. He thought that if he walked around in a circle not too far away, he would definitely find it.

But why is it screaming? I've already told you what you're looking for, are you mentally prepared for this?

Jia Chuan looked around, trying to find the source of the scream. Dong Shuben and Shunzi were already running towards the forest in the east.

That night, whether it was Zhu Zhanji and his three companions or those who came later, they all took the mountain road on the west side of the forest. This mountain road was also the one that the Inspection Office usually used to go in and out on weekdays, while the mountain road on the east side was the one they took on this trip and the one they took when they left with Zhu Zhanji. The mountain road on this side was difficult to travel on, and most outsiders didn't know about it. The people from the county government also came with the soldiers after receiving the report, otherwise they would not have been able to find this road.

The screams actually came from that side, which reminded Jia Chuan that his colleagues still had some common sense and did not take the easy way out by burying the body in a place with easy access.

Jia Chuan followed Dong Shuben and Shunzi into the dense forest, and soon saw Gao Yuntian, who was huffing and puffing, taking one deep step and one shallow step, occasionally falling down and then standing up stubbornly.

"Didn't you say there were only seven bodies? Are there really seven? Do you know how to count?!" When Gao Yuntian saw Jia Chuan's nimble feet, his legs seemed even more out of control. He knelt down resolutely, then stood up and dared not move again, pointing at Jia Chuan and howling.

Jia Chuan stopped. Not seven?

"But... sixteen?" Jia Chuan asked with wide eyes.

"You knew?! You actually lied to me!" Gao Yuntian was furious, but still didn't dare to move.

Jia Chuan did not explain. He was shocked in his heart. The weeds, thorns and hillside in front of him seemed to disappear suddenly. Jia Chuan arrived in front of a big pit at a speed that he himself could not understand.

Several constables were leaning against trees and vomiting violently. Old Zheng was squatting alone at the edge of a big pit, dressed neatly, turning over a wet corpse covered with rotting flesh.

"Is it... sixteen bodies?" Jia Chuan asked in a trembling voice, covering his mouth and nose.

Old Zheng was so focused on finding the Han Palace badge that Jia Chuan mentioned that he just said "hmm".

Jia Chuan felt his feet go weak and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Shunzi ran up to him and supported him.

Dong Shuben also arrived at this time. After hearing Jia Chuan's previous questions, he understood what Jia Chuan meant with his sore feet. The murderer who brutally killed more than 40 people from the Inspection Office that night might also be in this pit.

"Nine people!" Shunzi exclaimed, "You, you said something about the depth and weight of the footprints that day. There were probably about ten people. I thought you were talking nonsense, but I didn't expect..."

Dong Shuben looked at Jia Chuan, who was terrified, puzzled and said, "You are really good! You can even guess this. What are you afraid of? You are fine with more corpses." Dong Shuben pointed to the big pit and said, "You don't know these people."

At this time, Gao Yuntian crawled back. Standing not far away, he shouted at Jia Chuan, "There are so many corpses. How can we, just wearing a layer of scarf, block out the stench? You did it on purpose! I tell you, wait until you fall into my hands one day and see how I will deal with you!"

It seemed that Gao Yuntian reminded Dong Shuben and Shunzi that the smell was too bad. They covered their noses and retreated several meters to the hillside where Gao Yuntian was standing.

Jia Chuan seemed not to hear. He stared blankly at the big pit and watched Old Zheng working diligently. He also saw Old Zheng look up and say something to him, then shook his head and continued working.

The roaring in Jia Chuan's head gradually subsided, and his reason told him that he had to pretend! What was he pretending for?
At the moment, seeing that the others hadn't reacted, he knew that there were ten people that night, only nine in the pit, and one survived. Who was it? Who could it be?

This pit was used to bury the seven people who died that night. No one knew about it except the people from the Inspection Office. No matter who they were, it was impossible for the nine people who died later to be buried here. The mountains and forests here are steep and difficult to walk on. It was precisely because people would not pass by this place on weekdays that colleagues buried the seven people here. If there was no one to lead the way, how would the people who came later know about this place and how would they choose to bury them here?

When Jia Chuan couldn't figure out where these people were coming back from, he already had some suspicions - only if they were led by someone who was familiar with the mountain road, they could choose a way back without being discovered.

People who are familiar with mountain roads...

When Jia Chuan asked whether there were sixteen bodies, he actually already had the answer in his mind. The bodies in the big pit confirmed the idea he wanted to erase - there was a traitor in the Inspection Office.

Everything seemed to make sense, but he couldn't understand why they used this trap. Aren't they afraid that the investigators would find out?

What scares Jia Chuan is that once it is confirmed that people from the Inspection Office are involved in any murder, no matter which case it is, Dong Shuben will not be well!
The same goes for him and Shunzi.

Jia Chuan slumped on the ground. Perhaps because the stench was too great, he subconsciously supported himself with his hands and moved backwards. He didn't realize that his hands were scratched by sharp objects on the ground.

He forced his mind to move away from the traitor. He needed to think it over again to know how much danger he was in.

After slaughtering the patrol officers, these people didn't leave. When they were about to leave, another group arrived... But who was the traitor? If this person was with the last group and led these people to this pit, then how did he escape the swords of the nine people and survive?
If he was part of that group, the bodies of the forty-plus patrol officers would be counted, making up the total. But how could they have known that by the time the patrol officer returned, the bodies would be unrecognizable, their clothing and body shape all that mattered? And how could the last group have known who the traitor was? They'd killed everyone else, leaving him behind just to find a burial place for them?
No matter how hard Jia Chuan tried to divert his thoughts, his mind was still full of the traitor, and he felt like his brain was about to explode.

At this time, Dong Shuben came forward and pulled him to the back. Perhaps because the stench was not so strong anymore, Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, blinked, and asked, "What time is it now?"

Dong Shuben looked up at the sky. Old Zheng stood up and stretched his legs. He said, "If you don't have anyone to help me, don't even think about leaving here before dark."

Gao Yuntian heard this and was so angry that he jumped up and down, shouting, "Jia Chuan, are you lame? Why don't you go over and help me? If you really can't go back tonight, do you believe I will leave you in the pit?"

Jia Chuan ignored Gao Yuntian and was stunned for a while. Gao Yuntian pointed at him and said something in a rage. Suddenly, Jia Chuan stood up, covering his mouth and nose, and staggered to Old Zheng's toolbox. He dressed himself, squatted down in front of Old Zheng, and said to him, "You find the badge, I'll do the autopsy."

Gao Yuntian's ears were carried by the wind through the mountains and forests. He became anxious again: "It's rotten like that, how can we test it?! Find the evidence we're looking for..."

"Shunzi, if he makes another sound, drag him over here and I will explain to the county magistrate."

Shunzi murmured "Oh" softly, turned his head timidly to look at the tall and strong Gao Yuntian, lowered his head, and thought to himself: Even if I dare to drag it, I can't.

Gao Yuntian subconsciously took a few steps towards the constables who were supporting the tree. He was not afraid that Shunzi would come to drag him away, as he had his men to stop him. What he was worried about was that Jia Chuan would go back and talk to the county magistrate. This morning, the county magistrate had repeatedly warned him: Don't offend Jia Chuan, no one knows what this man will do in the future. After all, the Huangluling Inspection Office is under my jurisdiction. Such a big thing has happened... Whether I, the county magistrate, will be promoted or demoted may all depend on Jia Chuan.

Gao Yuntian disagreed. He didn't think a clerk had much ability to win the favor of the prince, but the county magistrate's eyes told him that he'd better be obedient, otherwise his uncle's money would be wasted. What if he was called back... Gao Yuntian suppressed his anger and kept silent.

The pit was not dug too deep, which was in line with the work enthusiasm of my colleagues.

Above the bodies in the pit were the nine people, and below were the seven people who had been there earlier. What puzzled Jia Chuan was that the seven people before them must have been covered by soil, and it was unknown whether their hands and feet were exposed. The bodies on top could have been thrown on top, so why did they clear the soil? Maybe they didn't expect the pit to be so shallow. If they wanted to bury the bodies after throwing them out, they would have to shovel soil from somewhere else and pile it into a mound. Since they didn't have enough time and it was too much trouble, they just threw the bodies down, went back to have a meal, and then left.

Why eat here?
Were they truly not afraid that the inspector would return early with his men? Or were they planning to kill whoever returned? Or perhaps they knew they wouldn't be back so soon?

Jia Chuan squatted at the edge of the pit and first took a general look at the clothes of these people. The black tights on their bodies were slightly different from those of the seven people. This also showed that if the seven people were from the Han Palace, these nine people were not. There were no knives and arrows used by these people in the pit. There was only a dagger with a sheath in the arms of one person standing at an angle among the corpses. Jia Chuan leaned over and picked up the dagger and pulled it out. There was still blood on the dagger.

This is consistent with Jia Chuan's previous inference.

Originally, the man in the mortuary could have endured the corpse stench and the injuries on his body until the inspectors returned. However, when he heard the unfamiliar voice, he must have panicked and nervous, struggling to get to the bottom of the matter, which would have accelerated the bleeding. The room was not only filled with the corpse stench but also full of bacteria, and the temperature was high...

That is to say, after those people killed these nine people, they threw them into the pit with great effort and then went back to have a meal. When they left, they checked around and found that the person in the morgue was already dead.

Jia Chuan collected his thoughts and began to examine the wounds of the man nearby. He had three knife wounds on his body, horizontal and vertical. The fatal wound was in the chest, where the man was stabbed. He must have been in a head-on confrontation with the enemy.

Jia Chuan imagined a man wielding a long sword. The man opposite him was unable to resist and was slashed three times in succession, his skin and flesh exposed. The last sword pierced his chest. Then he drew his sword and rushed towards the second man...

The person who came was more skilled than these nine people.

At this moment, the nine corpses above also looked like giants. The corrupt gas increased the pressure in the abdominal cavity. Jia Chuan did not dare to move too much, for fear that the corpses would explode under the pressure of turning them over. He could only simply check the fatal injuries of each person.

The last time Jia Chuan burned a house was because in that era it was difficult to bring the body of a giant back to the county government office for further autopsy. This was even more so now. Jia Chuan waved his hands to drive away the flies buzzing around him, slowly stood up, looked around, and saw a large rock not far away, so he walked over.

While Old Zheng was still struggling to reach out and search for any residue on the body below, Jia Chuan sat down on a big rock and began to ponder.

(End of this chapter)