Chapter 38 (The last part is a fragment and doesn't translate directly. It likely refers to a separate topic: a powerful attack.)
Liang Liang was unaware that Shen Zhenzhu was feeling cold inside. He heard a voice coming from inside and began gesturing frantically.
Shen Zhenzhu hid the small silver knife in her sleeve. Faced with such ruthless cannibals, she had to seize the opportunity to catch them and not let them escape.
"Come with me to the back." Boss Sun came out carrying a bucket of bones and walked towards the backyard. He glanced at another man who came in but didn't pay him any attention.
Shen Zhenzhu had already realized that the bucket contained human flesh. Without saying a word, she followed him to the backyard and pretended to ask, "Master, how much are these bones?"
Without turning his head, Old Sun said, "Not for sale."
Shen Zhenzhu followed them to the backyard and found two drooling wolfhounds. They were well-fed and plump, and when they saw the water bucket, their eyes didn't move, but they let out low growls.
Old Sun grabbed a long, slender bone from the bucket and threw it into the dog bowl. The two stray dogs, chained together, struggled forward desperately: "I'm keeping it to feed the dogs."
Shen Zhenzhu couldn't bear to see Mo Qiaoyan's body devoured by the wolfhounds, so she went around to Sun Laoda and said with a grin, "My family runs a restaurant, and we need all kinds of meat. Give me this bucket of bones, and I'll charge you the same price."
Old Master Sun's pupils twitched rapidly, seemingly unaware of it. He said impatiently, carrying the bucket, "I can't give you all of it; the puppies are still hungry. If you want some, I'll get you some other bones later."
Shen Zhenzhu said firmly, "No, this bucket of bones looks unusually fresh to me. What if you give me other ones that aren't as fresh?"
The two were haggling over the price when Liang Liang, who followed them in, looked grim. He smelled a strong stench of blood, and the two wolfhounds he kept seemed very unwell.
He thought incredulously, "Do they really eat human flesh here? How did Shen Zhenzhu figure it out? Is it that easy to distinguish between human flesh and pork?"
He turned to the bone that Boss Sun was carrying and immediately saw a short, wide bone block inside, with an arch angle of 90 to 100 degrees. What else could this be but the female pubic bone?
Looking further into the dog bowl in front of Shen Zhenzhu, one could see the long bones and sternum of a human female inside.
Ordinary people can't distinguish bones, and might buy them mixed with pork bones at a butcher's stall without realizing it. But as an academic representative with excellent grades, he can naturally tell the difference clearly.
He trembled uncontrollably, turning his face away to hide his nausea. It was hard to imagine how Shen Zhenzhu, standing in front of him, was bargaining with Boss Sun; what kind of unwavering willpower that must have taken her.
"Make way." Sun Lao Er, who had been observing from inside the hut, came over carrying a bucket. He didn't think the skinny man and the young girl were the ones who had arrested them. However, the girl was quite young, and the man's flesh was probably tough. Besides, he had already eaten and should pack up and get ready to leave.
Liang Liang braced himself, assuming Sun Lao Er was also carrying bones, but to his surprise, the man passing by was carrying a bucket of internal organs. The human heart, liver, spleen, and lungs were all inside.
Seeing that his expression was off, Shen Zhenzhu knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, Liang Liang rushed to the corner and started vomiting.
Sun Lao Er and Sun Lao Da exchanged a glance. Sun Lao Da put down the bucket, stood in front of Shen Zhenzhu, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sun Lao Er casually picked up a shovel and leisurely walked behind Liang Liang.
“He’s a vegetarian and he’s uncomfortable with these things.” Shen Zhenzhu gritted her teeth and said calmly, “Brother Liang, go out and ride the bike to the back to load the meat.”
Although Liang Liangren was simple-minded, he wasn't a coward who would leave his comrades in danger. He wiped his mouth clean, straightened up, and said, "It's alright, I'll stay with you."
Sun Lao Er looked at him suspiciously, then leaned against the wall with his shovel and said, "Hurry up and weigh it. Cash on delivery."
At this moment, Boss Sun became suspicious; he sensed something was off about the atmosphere between the two. They had managed to kill and eat their way from another province, and survive for so many years—they certainly possessed a keen sense of smell.
Old Master Sun walked into the house and called out, "Hey, come over here and check the meat."
Shen Zhenzhu walked over to Liang Liang, patted him lightly, and said quickly, "Hang in there, buddy."
When Sun Laoda saw her coming over, he started taking out chunks of meat from a plastic basin inside the house, put them in a plastic bag, and lifted it up by hand, saying, "This is local pork, there are still ten catties left. I was originally keeping it for myself, but you're lucky. Give me thirty yuan and I'll give you all of this."
Chen Zhenzhu kicked the large basin next to her and said, "Where are these?"
Sun Laoda said, "These weigh fifty jin, and they're two yuan a jin, so that's one hundred yuan. If you're sure you want them all, give me one hundred and twenty. I'll pack them up for you."
Shen Zhenzhu wanted to wait until Lu Ye returned, so she pretended to squat by the basin and pointed at the meat, saying, "Is it fresh? Turn it over and take a look."
Without hesitation, Boss Sun reached into the basin and stirred it: "Look how fresh it is, it was just killed last night."
The hairs on Shen Zhenzhu's arms stood on end, but she still said pickily, "I'll give you 150, just give me all those bones. It's rare for me to get a bargain, so you're letting me off easy."
Sun Lao Da and Sun Lao Er look like twins. They are actually quite honest-looking, with thick double eyelids and thick lips. Their square faces fit the aesthetic standards of the elderly, but the things they do are not so glamorous.
He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up and said, "Alright then, if you really want it, I'll give it to you." He smiled strangely, the flesh on his left cheek twitching a few times: "I only let you take advantage of me because I think you're pretty. You're so pretty, I liked you at first glance."
His praise made Shen Zhenzhu feel uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and said, "Thank you."
Sun Laoda walked to the back door and shouted to Sun Laoer, "Stop feeding the dog. Settle the accounts here and give it all to her."
In front of Liang Liang, Sun Lao Er poured the bones from the dog bowl back into the bucket and said impatiently, "You guys are so fussy." He then turned to the barking wolfhound and said, "Eat, eat, eat. I'll eat you all in a bit."
The bucket was placed heavily in front of Liang Liang, and Sun Lao Er said, "They're all yours."
Liang Liang knew that Shen Zhenzhu wanted these things to give the deceased a complete body, but as a theorist, encountering such a beastly person really made him timid.
He carried the bucket full of meat and bones forward, thinking he could take the meat first and then surround them with his men later. No matter how powerful they were, they couldn't fight back with guns.
He knew this was a serious case, so he carefully carried the bucket into the house. But the more careful he was, the worse he got into trouble—he tripped on the threshold.
The bones in the bucket tumbled out with a clatter, and Chen Zhenzhu, who was handing money to Boss Sun, watched helplessly as a human head the size of a melon rolled to her feet.
Shen Zhenzhu: "......" It's confirmed, Liang Liang is the third son of the Sun family!
Her first reaction was to pull back the money, then jump behind her to draw the small silver knife.
There was no way around it; we were poor.
Sun Laoda slammed the front door shut and locked it, hoping to lock Shen Zhenzhu and Liang Liang inside the butcher shop to deal with them. Shen Zhenzhu rushed forward in one stride, her small silver knife radiating a chilling aura.
Boss Sun reacted extremely quickly, grabbing a cleaver and swinging it with ferocious force: "You're asking for it!!"
Shen Zhenzhu bent low to dodge the dangerous cleaver and stabbed at Boss Sun with her other hand. Anyone who hadn't trained would definitely not have been able to dodge it, but Boss Sun rolled over on the spot, and the small silver knife grazed his abdomen, slicing through his clothes.
"Second brother! Kill them!" Old Master Sun roared, then stood still and squinted at Chen Zhenzhu, saying, "So you've practiced martial arts too. I misjudged you. I'm not leaving today; I'll have you as my midnight snack tonight!"
Shen Zhenzhu sneered: "You can't leave now!"
Fortunately, although Liang Liang was a bookworm, he wasn't completely stupid. He picked up the cleaver from the ground and was about to throw it to Chen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu roared, "Take it yourself and use it to block Sun Lao Er!"
Without saying a word, Liang Liang grabbed the cleaver and headed to the backyard, where he bumped into Sun Lao Er, who was rushing over with a shovel.
Shen Zhenzhu couldn't control him; she could only pray that he would survive until Lu Ye's rescue.
Sun Laoxiao looked at Shen Zhenzhu and found that he had not gained any advantage in the back-and-forth moves. On the contrary, Shen Zhenzhu's small silver knife was like a silver snake, scratching him all over.
He roared, knowing that Shen Zhenzhu was stalling for time. He kicked away the water basin that was in the way, and Shen Zhenzhu saw Mo Qiaoyan's head, her eyes wide open in death, and rolled to the corner.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Boss Sun swung his knife upwards, but Shen Zhenzhu nimbly dodged it. The rickety tabletop was cleaved in two!
"I'm going to kill you!" Old Master Sun roared.
The two fought fiercely, their eyes red with rage. When Shen Zhenzhu saw his left leg twitch uncontrollably, she rushed forward like lightning, grabbed his neck from behind, and stabbed him above the heart with her other hand.
"Ahhh—" Old Master Sun, covered in blood, tried to shake off Chen Zhenzhu, but Chen Zhenzhu was not about to let this opportunity pass.
Sun Laoda's blood stained her shoulders. Shen Zhenzhu rode on the back of the burly Sun Laoda, her forearms crossed and locked around his neck, her whole body pulling Sun Laoda backward!
No sooner said than done! Half a second before his burly body hit the ground, he was still struggling. Shen Zhenzhu used all her strength to arch her body, and the instant she landed, she bent her knees and pressed them against his spine. Boss Sun roared, and his spine, unable to bear the weight, made a crisp cracking sound.
The dislocated spine caused him to collapse to the ground instantly, struggling only with his hands and feet, unable to stand up.
Blood was still gushing from his chest, and he cried out desperately, "Help! Help! Help..."
At this moment, Shen Zhenzhu rushed to the backyard without looking back. Just as Sun Lao Er's shovel landed on Liang Liang's head, she kicked him in the lower back and then viciously struck his liver with her elbow!
“Your opponent is me!” Shen Zhenzhu shouted.
Sun Lao Er groaned and staggered forward two steps.
Lying on the ground, Liang Liang, who was struggling to stand, opened his mouth and said, "You...you should go quickly."
He didn't know that Shen Zhenzhu had already dealt with Sun Lao Er. Seeing that she was stained with blood, he assumed she was also injured and even tried to stand in front of her.
"I said, listen to me here!" Shen Zhenzhu shoved him aside, and Sun Lao Er, wielding a shovel, lunged at her menacingly.
Shen Zhenzhu had exhausted a lot of her strength fighting Sun Laoda, but she knew that she absolutely could not escape at this moment!
When Sun Lao Er saw Sun Lao Da lying on the ground, he was like a wild beast that had been enraged. He threw down his shovel and his fists came roaring with a sense of deathly oppression.
Shen Zhenzhu found out that the champion was Sun Lao Er!
She had no chance to catch her breath. With lightning speed, she grabbed Sun Lao Er's collar and used it to strike his chin with her knee. In the instant Sun Lao Er raised his arm to block, her elbow cleaved his collarbone like a sharp axe!
Sun Lao Er's body suddenly collapsed, but just when Shen Zhenzhu thought she could catch her breath, the other party seemed to be an unkillable monster. He not only stood up again but also picked up the cleaver on the ground: "You killed my brother, I'm going to chop you into mincemeat and feed you to the dogs!"
He let out a deep roar and charged at Chen Zhenzhu, brandishing his cleaver. Chen Zhenzhu crouched down and swept her leg, but Sun Lao Er remained unmoved, turning the cleaver to swing at the neck of Liang Liang, who was standing there dumbfounded.
Shen Zhenzhu knew things were going badly. She brandished her knife with one hand and clenched her fist with the other, intending to strike Sun Lao Er's temple!
Sun Lao Er was drawn to her, grabbed her neck with one hand and lifted her up: "You're the best fighter I've ever met, but today is your death day."
Shen Zhenzhu wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. She clenched her fists and punched him straight in the chest! Each punch made Sun Lao Er take a step back, and finally she was thrown heavily to the ground.
Shen Zhenzhu lay on the ground coughing violently; the blood on her body was indistinguishable from that of Sun Lao Er. She struggled to her feet and beckoned to Sun Lao Er with her finger.
Liang Liang had never seen such a fierce and reckless fighting style. Every move was deadly and a critical strike; he had never witnessed such brutality in school. This was the true bloodshed and carnage faced by frontline comrades.
He felt as if he had encountered two ferocious beasts, and the ensuing storm was more devastating than he could have imagined. He regretted his decision; he couldn't bear to watch Shen Zhenzhu die before his eyes!
Sun Lao Er picked up the cleaver again, wiped the blood from his nose, looked down at the bloodstains in his palm, his eyes bloodshot, and lost all reason as a human being.
His mind was filled with thoughts of killing her and eating her, and he walked step by step toward Shen Zhenzhu.
Liang Liang wanted to rush up to help, but he picked up the shovel and stood up unsteadily, shouting, "I'm your match!!"
"Get lost!" Suddenly, a tall figure jumped over the wall behind him, kicking him aside and sending him sprawling face-first into the mud.
When Gu Yanzheng saw the blood-soaked Shen Zhenzhu, his pupils contracted sharply: "Old Shen, hang in there!"
Before Shen Zhenzhu could speak, Gu Yanzheng had already rushed forward!
Liang Liang scrambled to his feet and saw Gu Yanzheng move like a ghost close to Sun Lao Er, throwing him against the wall with an over-the-shoulder throw, away from Chen Zhenzhu. Then, he delivered a series of powerful knee strikes to Sun Lao Er's abdomen, each blow sending his internal organs trembling!
The long boots slammed heavily on Sun Lao Er's chest, preventing him from getting up. The knuckles bulged like iron hammers as he punched him repeatedly in the temple, each punch hitting the bone. The dull thuds echoed in the empty backyard!
Sun Lao Er's iron-like hand tried to grab Gu Yanzheng's fist, but Gu Yanzheng took a step back, and Sun Lao Er got up and chased after him.
This ruthless and fierce criminal investigation captain, as sharp as a black panther, slammed his right knee into Sun Lao Er's jaw, the sound of his teeth cracking clearly audible.
Knowing he couldn't beat him, Sun Lao Er, his mouth full of blood, staggered to his feet, spitting out broken teeth, and ran towards the door. Gu Yanzheng followed closely, swiftly grabbing his shoulder and twisting him around, delivering a powerful punch straight to his face, breaking his nose and splattering blood—
Sun Lao Er collapsed to the ground like a limp rag. Gu Yanzheng stood in front of him, shook the blood off his fists, grabbed his hair and pulled him up, his voice as cold as ice: "Say your last words."
***
"Multiple soft tissue contusions, and a few cuts on the knuckles." Qin An struggled to climb down from the wall and accompanied Shen Zhenzhu inside for a checkup: "Your little bag is a real treasure; it's perfect for disinfection. It's nothing serious."
Shen Zhenzhu said proudly, "Sister Zhang gave it to me!"
"Quack doctor." Gu Yanzheng stood outside the small house, his back to the door, and said, "She lost so much blood."
After receiving initial treatment from Qin An while wearing blood-stained clothes, Shen Zhenzhu knew she was alright and cheered up, saying, "It's alright, Captain Gu. That's not my blood; it was splattered from when I punched someone."
"real?"
"real."
Gu Yanzheng felt a little relieved. Heaven knows how he felt when he saw Shen Zhenzhu lying in a pool of blood.
"Go to the hospital for a check-up later." Gu Yanzheng saw Lu Ye waving from the backyard, left with these words, and then departed.
Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu's blood-stained clothes were too alarming, Qin An said as he left, "Why don't you wait in Captain Gu's car first? It would be bad if some people saw you and started spreading rumors."
As Chen Zhenzhu was considering what to do, she stepped outside and suddenly noticed a large police shirt draped over the doorknob. It was hidden inside an autumn coat and was still clean.
Qin An glanced silently at the police shirt, then looked at Gu Yanzheng's back, and said with a smile, "Hurry up and put it on."
Shen Zhenzhu hadn't really thought of going anywhere else at first, but when she put on the vest and Gu Yanzheng's police shirt, she felt as if Gu Yanzheng's aura was embracing her. It was a very subtle feeling. Even though she was in the cannibal's lair, she felt a strong sense of security.
She looked regretfully at the torn red vest in the corner and decided that she shouldn't take it.
Lu Xiaobao's startled cry drew Shen Zhenzhu's attention to him. Seeing Lu Xiaobao holding a basin of water, trying to find something to cover it, Shen Zhenzhu went over and asked, "Internal organs again?"
Lu Xiaobao said, his face pale, "It's a head, a human head." As a forensic doctor, he deals with the dead, not food.
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Let me see."
Lu Xiaobao hesitated before handing over the basin of water, and Shen Zhenzhu saw once again Mo Qiaoyan's unseeing eyes, filled with blood and tears.
She let out a soft sigh and pulled the bright red vest over her head: "Poor thing."
Looking at the basin of blood and then at the red vest, Lu Xiaobao wanted to say that this was too fierce, but as a government employee, he was a staunch materialist and swallowed his words.
"Old Shen, you know the situation, come over and arrange the manpower." Gu Yanzheng saw Shen Zhenzhu standing in the house in the backyard, enveloped in a dark atmosphere, and couldn't help but call out.
Chen Zhenzhu ran out, bathed in the evening glow, and said crisply, "Yes!"
Lu Ye wanted nothing more than to devour Liang Liang. Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu was wearing a police shirt, he asked stupidly, "Hey, you changed? I was thinking of lending you my clothes."
Gu Yanzheng glanced at him and said, "Go do your thing."
Lu Ye said "Oh" and glanced at Gu Yanzheng, but didn't notice that he was missing a shirt under his autumn coat.
Shen Zhenzhu had no intention of wearing Lu Ye's clothes. She saw the two wolfhounds that had been shot dead by the wall, and Kang He and the other three support teams vomiting loudly with their backs to the wall, their bones or entrails in a basin. She clicked her tongue twice and said, "Comrades, hang in there. Search the yard. There are still some in the freezer inside the house. Try to find all the victims' remains."
Liang Liang was pale, squatting in the corner with his arms crossed, watching Gu Yanzheng hand over full command and control of the scene to Shen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu proved even more resilient. After two deadly battles, she not only managed to stand up but also calmly arranged for on-site investigation and examination. With bright, clear eyes and a sharp mind, it was hard to imagine that she had just struggled on the brink of death, were it not for the obvious strangulation marks on her neck.
Qin An walked past her and whispered, "No wonder she's called 'Energetic 28'."
Lu Xiaobao thought he had misheard: "'Vibrant 28'?"
Qin An said mysteriously, "You can guess, but it's not bad news."
Shen Zhenzhu was unaware that she had a nickname at work, and walked over to Zhou Chuanxi when she saw him.
"Old Sun isn't dead, he's paralyzed." Zhou Chuanxi received the news from the hospital: "Old Shen, you really have some skill."
Shen Zhenzhu had no choice but to cripple Sun Laoda back then, and she doesn't regret it now. Otherwise, once Sun Laoer dealt with Liang Liang and came over, she would have been finished too. In an emergency, one must be swift, accurate, and ruthless. Gu Yanzheng highly praised her actions.
Wu Zhongguo stepped forward and questioned Sun Lao Er, who was kneeling on the ground, "Where is the boy's body now?"
Don't ask! Shen Zhenzhu tried to stop him but failed, and stood behind Wu Zhongguo with a frown and a grin.
Sun Lao Er arrogantly raised his head: "We haven't finished eating in the hot pot yet."
Wu Zhongguo was dumbfounded.
As he passed the Cam River, which was about to be inspected inside the house, he covered his mouth with one hand and ran to the wall to vomit.
Wu Zhongguo was filled with regret. Why did he even ask?! He could no longer drink the old duck soup when he got back!
Sun Lao Er's hands were cuffed behind his back, and his feet were bound with rope. Upon hearing that his elder brother was still alive, he spouted wild words: "What's there to be afraid of? I'm just like you all. People should be free in this world. Why should there be laws to govern us? Flowers, trees, pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep are all life. What difference does it make who we eat!"
Wu Zhongguo started searching the ground for something to stuff into his mouth. Then Sun Lao Er shouted, "You can eat whatever you want, why can't I eat whatever I want? What difference does it make what you eat!"
Chen Zhenzhu said with a stern face, "Don't try to be unreasonable!"
Sun Lao Er stared at her with bloodthirsty eyes, wishing he could skin her alive. He said in a sinister tone, "Remember me. As long as I live, I will find you and I will eat you—"
Bang!
Gu Yanzheng kicked Sun Lao Er in the face, and Sun Lao Er's head hit the wall hard and bounced back with a painful groan, while the blood that had just stopped flowing from his broken nose gushed out!
Sun Lao Er's face was covered in blood, and he was terrified of this man. He roared, "Go ahead and eat me if you dare! Eat me!"
Gu Yanzheng scoffed and said, "I don't eat junk food."
His frivolous attitude angered Sun Lao Er, who tried to shout back, but Wu Zhongguo silenced him.
Shen Zhenzhu asked Lu Xiaobao and the others to retrieve meat slices from the hot pot. Chen Youwei walked over, his face grim, and patted Shen Zhenzhu on the shoulder, saying, "I misunderstood you. If you hadn't stopped us, the entire third team would have been wiped out. This time we were careless. We should all learn from you and always maintain a keen and observant mindset."
Qin An came out of the house and sighed, saying, "We've managed to identify two body parts, one large and one small, but we can only identify one of them." He had seen the missing person poster for the boy when he came over, and it turned out to be him.
Shen Zhenzhu took out a crumpled medical report from her pocket and handed it to Gu Yanzheng: "The deceased woman may be Mo Qiaoyan, who was reported missing this morning. Her name is written on this report."
Lu Ye had been to Mo Qiaoyan's house with Shen Zhenzhu. He said in confusion, "Didn't her family say she went home this afternoon? What kind of home did she go home to?!"
Gu Yanzheng took out his mobile phone and handed it to Shen Zhenzhu: "Do you remember her home number?"
Chen Zhenzhu nodded: "I remember, I've typed it twice and it's easy to remember."
Shen Zhenzhu picked up her mobile phone and dialed Mo Qiaoyan's house. Mo Qiaoyan's mother initially thought it was Mo Qiaoyan's friend lying to her, but when she recognized Shen Zhenzhu's voice, she hurriedly said, "We're coming right away."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xiaobao, who had finished scooping out the meat slices, walked over and placed Nian Nian's body parts together.
Qin An cursed as he took off his gloves and said, "These two brothers are really something, one kills a whole bunch, one eats and the other sells! If we hadn't run into Old Shen today and recognized them as human cannon fodder, who knows how many more people they would have eaten if they had gone somewhere else!"
The front and back yards of the Brothers Butcher Shop have been sealed off like an iron barrel, and no members of the public or reporters are allowed to enter.
The police officers came and went, their faces growing increasingly grim.
Some curious people wanted to ask what was happening inside, but no one was willing to answer.
It wasn't until Niannian's wailing parents arrived and entered the house that they saw Niannian's young life cruelly severed. The mother knelt on the ground and cried out in anguish, "My child, you died so tragically! You died so tragically!"
Year after year, his father did not cry out. His lips trembled, and tears rolled down his face like a spring of sorrow, draining his life and leaving him like an empty shell, unable to face the tragic scene before him.
After learning that Niannian's body had been found, Niannian's grandfather had fantasized that the child had only been abducted. However, reality dealt him a severe blow, and he fainted on the spot, losing consciousness.
Zhou Chuanxi, holding a pile of children's clothing and placing it alongside the evidence, exclaimed angrily, "Seven pieces in total!"
Wu Zhongguo sighed and said in a low voice, "On the way here, I saw a lot of missing person posters, all for children. I heard that children have been going missing in the urban villages one after another. Everyone thought they had been abducted by human traffickers. Some families spared no expense and traveled to other places to search for them. Who could have guessed that they had already... already... sigh..."
"How could she be dead? You're all conspiring to lie to me, aren't you?" Lu Ye went outside to pick up the fat woman and Afu. As they walked through the shop, the fat woman rambled on, "She was full of tricks, made some shady friends, and was always fooling around with other men—"
"She's not just messing around; she'll do anything with a man for money. She's a prostitute." Afu, still in his school uniform, covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and said, "She's a disgrace to the family!!"
Shen Zhenzhu blocked their way and said, "Why do you say she went home?"
The fat woman glanced at Afu, who had no choice but to reply, "She went home. I saw her leave with a man with my own eyes. Who knows if she went out to sell herself?"
Shen Zhenzhu rebuked, "Let me tell you, perjury is a legal offense! Don't think you can escape punishment just because you're young! I can also pursue legal action against you for insulting Mo Qiaoyan's character!"
Startled, Afu stopped in his tracks and stammered, "I...I..."
The fat woman had already seen the meat piled in the basin on the ground. She didn't think of Mo Qiaoyan, but pulled Afu over to defend her, saying, "Maybe she was killed when the deal failed."
Shen Zhenzhu gritted her teeth and recounted what she had seen through the Heavenly Eye: "Mo Qiaoyan bought some things at noon today and wanted to go home, but you didn't open the door for her. You even said that your mother didn't want to see her, didn't recognize her, and told her to get out, didn't you?"
Afu's face immediately turned pale, and he looked flustered. He stammered, "How...how did you know? I didn't kill her."
"What? Didn't I tell you to keep her here?!" The fat woman looked at Afu in shock and said, "You said she banged on the door demanding money, and when you refused, she left with the man!"
Afu lowered his head, rubbed the hem of his clothes, and said, "I think she's dirty."
After thinking about it carefully, the overweight woman realized it was understandable.
Shen Zhenzhu took out the diagnosis report and handed it to her, saying, "Mo Qiaoyan didn't use her body to make money at all. This is her diagnosis. She was a virgin until she died! You, as her family, don't care about her, but attack and insult her character. You know, she bought your favorite fruit and came home, only to be kicked out of the house. Did you ever consider her feelings?"
The overweight woman clutched the diagnosis report tightly, her chest heaving. She couldn't utter a word, and her eyes gradually reddened.
She looked at Afu with annoyance and said, "Didn't you see her sleeping with a man with your own eyes?"
Afu continued to argue, "Maybe it wasn't her report."
The fat woman turned around and slapped Afu across the face, yelling, "Have some decency!! I love you, but I didn't mean to treat you like an animal!"
Afu covered his face, and the handprint quickly appeared. Half of his face burned with pain. He couldn't believe that his mother had actually hit him.
Before he could even shout, Chen Zhenzhu pointed to a basin of body parts and entrails on the ground and said, "Come on, since you're not a beast, shed a few tears for your poor twin sister."
"My child!" The fat woman knelt in front of the basin in disbelief, covering her face and sobbing, "No, it's not her, it can't be her!"
Shen Zhenzhu waved to Lu Xiaobao in the distance, and Lu Xiaobao came over carrying Mo Qiaoyan's head.
Just as Chen Zhenzhu was about to lift her red vest, Lu Xiaobao, thinking of the creepy expression, whispered, "Should we inform them so they can be mentally prepared?"
Shen Zhenzhu scoffed coldly: "No need."
Following Shen Zhenzhu's instructions, Lu Xiaobao walked up to the fat woman and Afu and said, "Let's take a look and see if it's her."
Afu shakily reached out and slowly lifted the red vest, revealing a severed head inside. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Ahhh—ahhh—!"
He plopped down on the ground, scrambling and yelling, "Don't come any closer! Mo Qiaoyan, don't come any closer!!"
Mo Qiaoyan's unclosed eyes seemed to come alive. No matter where Afu crawled, she stared at him with bloody tears, like a vengeful ghost ready to fly out and bite his throat at any moment.
Afu's crotch was soaked. He trembled and tried to crawl to the fat woman to hide, but she had already rolled her eyes and passed out.
Afu was so scared he wet himself, but Lu Xiaobao still wanted him to go through the formalities to identify the person, so he chased after him: "See if it's him!?"
Afu shook his head frantically: "It's not my sister, it's a ghost, a vengeful ghost!" As he spoke, saliva involuntarily dripped from his lips.
Seeing his dazed expression, Lu Xiaobao pointed at the basin and tried to rush forward, shouting, "You vengeful ghost, go eat my mother, don't eat me, let me go!"
Qin An pinched the fat woman's philtrum; she had just woken up but was so enraged by Afu's words that she fainted again: "Beast..."
Afu drooled incessantly, both down there and down there. He would cry one minute, laugh the next, and then try to bite his mother's head while holding onto someone's head.
Lu Xiaobao hid to the side, clutching the basin, his scalp tingling. He said to Shen Zhenzhu, "Old Shen, he... he might have been scared out of his wits, right?!"
"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Why would you be afraid of your own family?" Shen Zhenzhu said calmly. "The family has confirmed Mo Qiaoyan's identity. Please take her back and piece her together according to the autopsy. Don't worry about the family's affairs. I trust they can take care of themselves."
Lu Ye grabbed Afu's arm and made him go to the wall to catch his shadow, then whispered in Shen Zhenzhu's ear, "It would be troublesome if he really went crazy."
Before Shen Zhenzhu could speak, Gu Yanzheng said calmly from the side, "There are cases where family members have gone crazy from identifying corpses. Maybe he'll be fine tomorrow."
Of course, things might not be any better tomorrow either.
Lu Ye curled his lip and complained, "Serves him right, he can't keep his mouth shut at such a young age. If he hadn't kept spreading rumors that Mo Qiaoyan had run off with a man, Mo Qiaoyan wouldn't have died."
He had just conducted a preliminary interrogation of Sun Lao Er with Gu Yanzheng and learned that Sun Lao Er had overheard neighbors in Mo Qiaoyan's residential area mentioning that she was not a virgin. This afternoon, he happened to run into Mo Qiaoyan again and wanted to try his luck in bed. After being rejected, he took the opportunity to make a move.
Public opinion can be a fearsome thing; it can also be a butcher's knife.
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Author's Note: Zhuzhu is the best! Go for it!!
See you tomorrow.
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