Decayed Vulgarian chapter 29
I’m Sorry
[This is Shen Xun. My phone ran out of battery, and I borrowed a colleague’s phone to send you this message. There’s a case in Yuhai District, and I need to be at the scene. I won’t be able to make it to our lunch today. I’m really sorry. We can reschedule for another day.]Note: Please enter the recipient’s number.
Shen Xun hesitated for a moment as he entered a series of digits. He had memorized Meng Yuan Cen’s phone number specifically. At least, he hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.
Still, he couldn’t be entirely sure. Just in case, he decided to send a message to Meng Yuan Cen on WeChat as well: “Old Zhang, can I log into my WeChat on your phone? Is that okay?”
Old Zhang waved his hand. “Go ahead.”
Shen Xun entered his WeChat username and password.
Notice: You are logging into WeChat on a new device. For your account’s security, please proceed with a security verification.
Shen Xun: “…”
He couldn’t receive the login verification code now, and he couldn’t scan the code with his usual device. He deeply regretted enabling login protection earlier. As he was about to continue trying, Captain Liu’s voice announced that they had reached their destination, and the police car came to a halt.
Shen Xun handed his phone back to Old Zhang and started putting on gloves and shoe covers.
The crime scene was at Unit 2 of Chunlai Residential Complex. The victim was a woman, the homeowner of the residence, aged forty-five. Her body was found hanging from a noose, and her younger brother had reported the death, insisting that his sister couldn’t have committed suicide.
The residence had three floors. Shen Xun and the team arrived at the second floor. They found the body laid flat already, and Xiao Ruan was crouched beside it, looking at the images on a camera. They appeared to be discussing something.
Shen Xun and other forensic experts immediately joined the scene investigation.
After the examination, the forensic team rushed to the Forensic Appraisal Center.
Practice makes perfect. It was Xiao Ruan’s first time as the primary examiner, and he was quite nervous. When he put on the surgical gown, he furrowed his brow, repeatedly going through the procedures in his mind. If he made a mistake, it could affect subsequent assessments and the progress of the case.
Seeing Xiao Ruan’s anxiety, Shen Xun comforted him softly, “Relax. If we see you’re about to make a mistake, we’ll stop you in time. And remember to open an additional spinal canal this time. Don’t forget.”
After taking photographs and 3D laser scans, Xiao Ruan stood at the dissection table, took a deep breath, and began the autopsy. The blade cut through the “Y” shaped incision in the neck, exposing the chest and pelvic cavities. He performed a macroscopic examination of the organs, followed by the dissection of the skull cavity with an electric saw and the spinal cavity with a scalpel.
Shen Xun assisted Xiao Ruan, handing over the required surgical instruments for the next steps, collecting biological samples like blood, urine, and stomach contents, and measuring and weighing the removed organs.
After examining all five cavities, Xiao Ruan stitched up the incisions and cleaned the blood from the body. The autopsy was temporarily completed, and Xiao Ruan heaved a sigh of relief. After helping with the post-autopsy cleanup, he couldn’t resist running to the restroom to throw up once more, spending a long time scrubbing his hands with lemon slices.
When he returned, he saw that Shen Xun had already put on the white coat of the Criminal Technology Division, with a blue mask covering most of his face, leaving only his delicate eyes exposed.
Xiao Ruan asked casually, “Where are you going, Shen-ge?”
Shen Xun replied, “I’m going to conduct a toxicological analysis.”
Although forensic experts had their respective roles, in reality, with only six forensic experts in the Yuhai Sub-Bureau, it was challenging to divide responsibilities adequately. They often had to perform toxicological and physical evidence analyses based on availability and expertise.
Xiao Ruan said as he gazed at Shen Xun. “You also look really good in that white coat.”
Shen Xun chuckled at the compliment and retorted, “I can take it off and let you wear it in my place if you like. You can do the toxicological analysis for me.”
Xiao Ruan quickly shook his head. “No, no, Shen-ge, it’s okay, you go ahead.”
The captain had specifically instructed the six experts to return to the office immediately after completing the autopsy, as the Criminal Investigation Division was eagerly awaiting the results. The findings would be crucial in determining whether this was a criminal case and guiding further investigations.
Shen Xun and his colleagues were occupied throughout the day, without knowing when they’d finish. They rushed back to the office.
On the way, Old Zhang received a text message and nudged Shen Xun with his elbow. “Captain Liu wants you to turn on your phone. He couldn’t reach you.”
Shen Xun furrowed his brow. “My phone’s out of battery, and the power bank I brought is malfunctioning.”
Old Zhang said, “I have one; I’ll lend it to you when we get to the office.”
Back in the office, Old Zhang took out his own power bank and offered it to Shen Xun, who was deeply grateful. After a short time of charging, Shen Xun’s phone came back to life. He had several missed calls, and he figured they were from Meng Yuan Cen. He’d already sent a text message before, explaining that he had to focus on determining the cause of death, so he decided to call Meng Yuan Cen later.
The forensic team, along with Xiao Ruan, began to discuss their findings, brainstorming the case.
“The residence has three floors with brick construction. The staircase connecting each floor has eastern and western corners,” said forensic expert Hu as he pointed to a photo. “Above the western staircase leading to the third floor, we found a 160 cm long blue cloth belt.”
“On the whiteboard, there were photos developed, and Old Zhang volunteered to draw and record on them.
After a while, Detective Zhu knocked on the door, ‘How’s the discussion going, experts?’
At this moment, they needed an expert to summarize the case, so he asked, ‘Who’s leading this time?’
‘It’s me…’ Xiao Ruan stood up. His mind was filled with fragmented observations, and he couldn’t connect them yet. After stammering through a few facts, he finally couldn’t continue.
Shen Xun originally intended to train Xiao Ruan. Seeing that he was struggling, he used his hand to pat Xiao Ruan’s left shoulder, indicating that he should let him speak, ‘It’s not a case of suicide.’
Looking at the written records, Shen Xun continued, ‘First, after the neck was cut open, there was no subcutaneous or muscle bleeding or congestion. There was no damage or fractures to the hyoid bone, thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, or trachea, indicating that the neck furrow formed after death.’
‘Although there are many bruises all over the body, none of them are fatal injuries.’
‘So, what was the cause of death?’
‘I believe it was a dislocated spine that led to respiratory failure, in other words, suffocation.’
Shen Xun explained, ‘Because during the autopsy, we found that the neck’s range of motion was abnormal, about forty degrees to the left and right. There was an increased gap between the first and second cervical vertebrae, and there was congestion at the second cervical vertebra. Hematoma on the forehead, so in my opinion, the neck injury should be due to a blow to the head, which caused violence to the occipital cervical region. Because the first and second cervical vertebrae were dislocated, upper cervical spinal cord injury, and the nerves couldn’t transmit respiratory signals, leading to respiratory arrest.’
‘From the congestion in the neck furrow, facial subcutaneous bleeding, conjunctival congestion in the eyelids on both sides, and deep muscle bleeding and congestion in the neck vertebrae, these suffocation symptoms also confirm my previous point.’
‘Of course, we still need to wait for the toxicology report to rule out conventional poisoning.’
Detective Zhu: ‘So, it’s a staged suicide.’
Shen Xun nodded, ‘Yes.’
Detective Zhu: ‘Good work Shen.’
Shen Xun: ‘Thank You.’
Xiao Ruan watched detective Zhu leave, his eyes filled with gratitude. ‘Thank you, Shen Ge. I feel like you’ve just completed most of the analysis and argumentation in the autopsy report.’
Shen Xun nodded, ‘Keep it up.’
Unknowingly, the day turned dark, and the forensic team, who got along well, attracted some curious glances from passing colleagues. The meaning in their eyes was clear – off to another crime scene, right?
Because the workload during the day was indeed heavy, both mentally and physically exhausting, Shen Xun was too tired even to feel like ordering takeout. He joined a few other forensic experts and went to the cafeteria. Although the food in the cafeteria was mediocre at best, he enjoyed it. When you’re hungry, everything tastes good.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a message from Liang Yan –
‘How did it go? Did you confess successfully?’
Not bringing it up would have been better. But once mentioned, Shen Xun felt irritated. Liang Yan knew nothing about it, so he shouldn’t be the target of his frustration. He locked his screen, tossed the phone back on the table, remained silent for a few seconds, and then decided to respond.
‘No, I’m at a crime scene.’
To avoid further questions from Liang Yan, Shen Xun added:
‘I’m busy at work, won’t be able to reply to messages.’
This time, Liang Yan didn’t respond. However, he had successfully derailed Shen Xun’s thoughts.
Shen Xunremembered today’s incident with Meng Yuan Cen and the somewhat perfunctory text message. It all felt like a distant memory.
He pushed the food around for a few more bites before giving up and picking up his phone. He navigated to his contact list and stared at it. Shen Xun silently recited the last four digits of Meng Yuan Cen’s phone number –
Wait a minute, it’s 3609. He remembered typing 3069… He didn’t send the message to the wrong person, did he?
Shen Xun lost his appetite all of a sudden. He quickly finished the food on his plate, walked to a less crowded corner, and dialed Meng Yuan Cen’s number.
‘Hello?’
It was Meng Yuan Cen’s voice.
Shen Xun said directly, ‘Did you receive the text I sent you at noon?’
‘No,’ there was a moment of silence from the other end. ‘I just found out from Liang Yan that you were at a crime scene and are busy now.’
Shen Xun’s heart sank, and he leaned against the wall, slowly crouching down. He took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry.’
Meng Yuan Cen’s tone was calm. ‘I waited for you at the agreed place for two hours, but you didn’t show up, so I left.’
‘I’m sorry…’
‘I figured you might have gone to a crime scene, didn’t have time to let me know. So, you focus on your work now, and I won’t disturb you.’
‘Please don’t hang up,’ Shen Xun said softly, his tone tinged with a hint of pleading. ‘Can you listen to a few explanations from me?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘I…’
‘Shen Xun, Captain Liu called us for a meeting!’ Old Zhang shouted from behind.
Gritting his teeth, Shen Xun said to the person on the other end of the phone, ‘I’m sorry, I have to hang up for now. I’ll explain to you later.’
Without waiting for Meng Yuan Cen to respond, he ended the call.