Decayed Vulgarian chapter 11
Still Awake?
“Shen-ge.”
“Yes.”
“The mortuary is so dark.”
“That’s right.”
“This is my first time performing an autopsy at night…” Xiao Ruans voice grew quieter as he spoke.
Shen Xun led the way, with the young forensic expert Xiao Ruan closely following him, almost stepping on his heels. The cameraman and recorder followed Ruan, forming a protective “shield” around him due to this being his first autopsy.
The corridor was eerily quiet, and it got darker the further they went. Shen Xun, familiar with the place, reached out to the wall and found the switch. He turned on the overhead lights and continued forward.
One of the light fixtures flickered before fully illuminating, casting a pale, blood-like glow. Startled, Xiao Ruan took a step to the side, steadying his nerves, and followed Shen Xun. However, he heard a heart-wrenching crying sound, faintly coming from the ceiling. Xiao Ruan initially convinced himself it was just his imagination, shook his head, and tried to push forward, but the noise persisted in his ears.
“Shen, Shen-ge,” Xiao Ruan swallowed hard, “Did you…hear that? There’s crying…”
Considering they were about to perform an autopsy on a female body, Xiao Ruan’s face turned paler. “It’s the crying of a woman… Do you think there might be… restless spirits or ghosts here?”
The cameraman and recorder remained silent, only sharing amused glances.
Shen Xun also raised the corners of his mouth slightly, but he didn’t intentionally remain silent. He immediately explained in a gentle tone, “The family resting area is upstairs, so that’s probably where the crying is coming from.”
Speaking of this, a sense of sorrow overcame him, and he couldn’t help but let out a light sigh.
Xiao Ruan, still shaken, responded with a trembling voice, “I see…”
Shen Xun thought for a moment and continued to reassure him, “Don’t be afraid; we have Old Zhang the and Zhao-ge with us.”
At this moment, he could borrow Captain Liu’s words, “We are the people’s police; believe in the power of science.”
Xiao Ruan took a deep breath and replied, “Yes.”
The cameraman, old Zhang, noticed Xiao Ruan’s reaction and couldn’t help but reminisce about his early days, “I was just like Xiao Ruan when I first started as a forensic expert—not afraid of seeing corpses but terrified of ghosts.”
Someone joined in the conversation, which was better than the eerie silence, and Xiao Ruan immediately asked, “What happened later?”
Old Zhang jokingly said, “After seeing more, I realized that ghosts aren’t so scary. You can even say hello if you happen to meet one.”
Xiao Ruan forced a laugh, “Haha… Can ghosts really recognize you?”
Old Zhang sounded somewhat proud, “Of course! I’m a frequent visitor to the mortuary.”
Old Ruan fell silent again.
Shen Xun sensed Xiao Ruan’s growing fear and promptly intervened, “Alright, old Zhang, let’s drop the topic. If you really scare him, are you going to perform the autopsy in Xiao Ruan’s place?”
Old Zhang chuckled, “Performing autopsies is hard work, I’d rather not. I won’t say more, I promise.”
On the second floor, the four of them met with the deceased’s family. Both the mother and father were present, and the mother had been quietly sobbing. The father was supporting the mother, and his eyes were red, with tear stains.
The expressions of the four professionals turned solemn, and even the usually cheerful old Zhang stopped smiling.
Words felt inadequate at this moment. Shen Xun, not known for being articulate, simply said, “Please accept our condolences.”
They observed a few minutes of silent mourning, giving the family some time to gather themselves.
Afterward, Shen Xun, who was in charge of the autopsy, began to explain how the procedure would be carried out that night. As expected, he only started his introduction when the mother broke into wailing and tearful exclamations, “I won’t listen! Don’t tell me this! Are you telling me this when you’re about to perform the autopsy? If I don’t agree, can you just not do it?”
The father, with teary eyes, apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s because my wife is deeply upset right now. It’s not directed at you. We respect your work.”
Shen Xun, in the end, had to say solemnly, “After the autopsy is completed, we will put the organs back, immediately suture all incisions, and dress the deceased in a slightly higher-necked outfit that will cover most of the stitches on the body. The mortician will also apply makeup. We will ensure the deceased departs with dignity. This is part of the forensic profession’s ethical code and human care.”
Before entering the autopsy room, the four had already changed into their protective gear, including double layers of gloves, an activated charcoal mask, surgical gowns, disposable hairnets, and shoe covers.
As this was Xiao Ruan’s first time performing an autopsy, Shen Xun gave him a final piece of advice, “XiaoRuan, be extremely careful not to tear or puncture the gloves, and don’t let the needle tip touch your fingers. Protect yourself.”
Xiao Ruan nodded and said, “Thank you, Shen-ge.”
The body had been placed on a metal autopsy table with the help of the staff. The air purification system was turned on to help disperse the odor, to some extent.
Old Zhang raised his camera and took photos and videos of every detail during the external examination of the body.
Before starting the autopsy, the four of them stood in two rows, each bowing respectfully at a ninety-degree angle to the deceased.
Then Shen Xun picked up his scalpel and made the first incision above the chest bone, following the midline of the chest and abdomen, around the navel, to the first cut above the pubic symphysis.
When they left the autopsy room, it was already 11:30 at night. There wasn’t much time left for Zhao-ge because he was determined to be back home before midnight. Zhao-ge was the first to leave, calling a taxi and departing swiftly.
“Where’s Xiao Ruan?” old Zhang asked.
“He went to the restroom to vomit,” Shen Xun replied.
Old Zhang looked at Shen Xun, his small eyes filled with curiosity. He hesitated and asked, “Is it really that bad?”
Shen Xun moved his nose slightly and sniffed, “No, it doesn’t smell at all. I can’t detect any odor.”
Old Zhang nodded in agreement.
However, not smelling it himself didn’t mean others couldn’t. To consider the feelings of the driver who would pick them up later, the two decided to use some alcohol to cover the scent. Unfortunately, they only found an empty alcohol bottle, indicating that the alcohol had already been used up.
So, they resigned themselves to the idea and decided to return without further thought.
Both Xiao Ruan and old Zhang needed to return to the police station for their night shift. A police car was waiting for them, and old Zhang was waiting for Xiao Ruan to finish vomiting.
Shen Xun had arranged for a taxi in advance, and it had arrived. He said, “old Zhang, I’m leaving you the autopsy report and Ruan for now.”
Old Zhang responded, “Don’t worry; I’ve got it.”
Shen Xun had developed a rapport with the taxi driver, who had picked him up from the mortuary several times. Getting a taxi late at night would cost extra, but there was no other option as there were no public buses or subway services at this hour.
Upon entering the car, he noticed the driver had a mask strap hanging from his ear. While it couldn’t mask the smell, it seemed to provide some psychological comfort.
The windows on the driver and front passenger side were half open, presumably to allow for better ventilation.
The music playing was Buddhist chants for delivering souls. Listening to it, it felt like one’s soul was purified multiple times in just a few minutes.
Only at this moment could Shen Xun relax a bit. He could think about personal matters unrelated to work. His body and mind truly belonged to him now, not entirely to his profession and duty.
He thought about Meng Yuan Cen.
Opening his WeChat, he found that Meng Yuan Cen had indeed sent a photo of a rainbow.
The time was 8:30 PM. Only a little over ten minutes had passed since he last checked his phone, but it was enough to create a sense of missing out.
He had to reply today, the sooner the better.
He began with a simple “Thank you” and explained why he hadn’t replied earlier: “Sorry, when you messaged me, I was on the autopsy table. I just came down from there.”
After doing this, he turned off the phone screen and looked out into the late-night darkness through the car window.
He had left Meng Yuan Cen hanging for three hours. He thought about it and realized that he had asked for the photo himself.
Now, a three-hour delay in responding usually resulted in a simple “It’s okay” from the other person, a seemingly understanding response, but he couldn’t know if they genuinely felt it was okay.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
He checked the notification and saw a message from Meng Yuan Cen: “The autopsy table? Have you left the scene?”
Shen Xun stared at the message for a few seconds, then quickly began typing a response.
“Yes, I’ve left the scene. Are you still awake?”
After sending the message, he saw the typing indicator at the top of the chat: “Meng Yuan Cen is typing…”
Shen Xun watched the small text with anticipation, and suddenly, he felt like his luck wasn’t so bad after all.