Chapter 40 Human Life
Paint buckets, lime buckets, old furniture, two exhaust fans...
The trunk of the jeep was packed full.
The broken large pieces of old furniture had been thrown away by Manager Ma, and the only old furniture left were two 70% new bedside tables and three armchairs, which could barely fit in if they squeezed together.
Xia Mufan was about to get into the car holding the coal ash, but his grip loosened and the coal ash flew into the bushes beside the utility room.
Xia Mufan waved his hand at Yu Jing: "Wait for me, don't follow me."
After saying that, she followed the direction where the coal ash went.
Gong Weiguo looked at Sun Xianbing and said, "Didn't you say that Team Leader Xiao Xia could call Mei Hui back with just a whistle? Why didn't he listen today?"
Sun Xianbing looked at Xia Mufan's back and was also a little surprised: "Maybe, did Coal Ash find something?"
Gong Weiguo jumped out of the car quickly: "Did you find anything? Then let's catch up quickly."
Sun Xianbing said, "Xiao Xia won't let us go, so let's wait."
Gong Weiguo glanced at him: "So obedient?"
Sun Xianbing nodded heavily: "All actions must be carried out under command. It's right to listen to Xiaoxia."
While Gong Weiguo was arguing with Sun Xianbing, Xia Mufan and Meihui had already arrived in the dense woods.
Xia Mufan whistled, and the coal dust lightly bounced onto her shoulders.
[Xia Xia, what do you want me to look for?] 】
Xia Mufan said, "Look around to see if there are any cats hanging around here often. What happened in this house two days before the house was renovated?"
[Okay!] 】
After the coal ash ran away, Xia Muchan leaned against a tall locust tree, closed his eyes, and listened to the birds singing in the woods. From the sound, it can be heard that this is another nest of gray magpies.
[Another wild cat came.] 】
You won’t steal our eggs, will you? 】
[We can’t stay here anymore, let’s move.] 】
The gray magpie is an omnivore. Xia Mufan took out a bag of food from his pocket, grabbed a handful of millet and scattered it on the ground. The golden millet scattered on the fallen leaves was very conspicuous.
The chirping of birds overhead suddenly stopped.
Xia Mufan looked up at the treetops with clear eyes: "Why do you want to move? Why do you say you can't stay here?"
The birds cheered when they heard Xia Mufan's voice.
I understand what she said! 】
She fed us. 】
[Hurry up and call the ghosts over...]
Suddenly, more and more gray magpies landed on the ground and pecked at the millet.
The chirping sounds made the grove less gloomy.
Xia Mufan was not in a hurry either. He put his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face, watching the scene in front of him, waiting quietly.
After a while, a few gray magpies raised their heads and tilted their heads to look at Xia Mufan.
[Can you hear us?] 】
[I'm telling you, this is not a good place, we are planning to move. 】
[Don't stay here too long, it's dangerous. 】
Xia Mufan's heart trembled: "How is it dangerous?"
Seeing for the first time that there were humans with whom they could have a conversation, the birds became interested and started chatting one after another.
[The smoke and fire almost choked me to death.] 】
[It burned for two nights in a row.] 】
[It stinks terribly, with a weird smell.] 】
Hearing this, Xia Mufan clenched his hands tightly until his nails pricked his palms and then he let go.
Burn the body to destroy the evidence?
How cruel fate is to Shen Yitong!
"It burned for two nights, and then what?"
[The smoker dragged four large plastic bags and drove away. 】
[The fat man brought a group of people to do the renovation, and there was a lot of clanging and banging going on.] 】
[The floor tiles have been replaced and there is a yard full of garbage. 】
After hearing this, Xia Mufan no longer had any hope.
The heavy smoker in the birds' mouths is Xiao Zhenwei. Those four big bags are probably filled with ashes.
The fat man who led the decoration work was Wu Tong.
It was these two people who participated in the entire process of murdering Shen Yitong!
Where is Lu Chengji? What role does he play in this?
A raging fire of anger burned in my chest.
Shen Hongyun was anxiously waiting for her daughter's return, and Zhou Luanfeng was lying on the hospital bed in tears. This couple, who were over 60 years old, had been teachers for nearly 40 years. They had spent their entire lives teaching and educating people, and were good people, but in their old age they had to face the tragedy of their daughter's murder.
What did Shen Yitong do wrong?
Is it a sin for a girl to be pretty?
Is it a sin for girls to love themselves in a traditional way?
Lu Chengji, Xiao Zhenwei, Wu Tong, none of you can escape!
Xia Mushige's mind became clearer because of anger.
How can we pass on the information we hear from the birds to the other members of the serious crime team?
Xiao Zhenwei has a strong anti-detection awareness. After the body is burned and the ashes are thrown away, who can find it?
So where else can we start looking for evidence?
There may be blood stains on old furniture; some human tissue may also be found on tiles and walls; oh, and there's also the exhaust fan.
I wonder if I could find something different on the exhaust fan.
Thinking of this, Xia Mufan whistled, and two minutes later Meihui came running over.
[Xia Xia, you’re calling me so soon? 】
【Only one wild cat was found. It said that the people in this villa were very vicious and would not allow wild cats or dogs to approach. If they did, they would be captured and killed. 】
[The dog was eaten, and the cats thought the meat was sour, so they buried it under a tree. 】
Meihui shuddered and snuggled into Xia Mufan's arms, trying to draw warmth from her.
Xia Mufan patted its head soothingly: "Don't be afraid, I will help you catch the bad guys."
Return to the car with the coal ash.
Sun Xianbing asked: "Xiao Xia, what did you find?"
"There are very few cats, dogs, and birds around here. Something is not right," said Natsuki Shigeru.
Gong Weiguo asked curiously: "Why?"
Xia Mufan: "This shabby place doesn't even have cats, dogs or birds coming here. It's not a good place for Feng Shui at all. Do you still want to get rich? Ugh!"
The other four people in the car shouted at the same time: "Bah!"
***
As soon as the jeep drove into the Criminal Investigation Brigade, several colleagues from the Technical Department came to greet us.
"I heard you found important evidence. Where is it?"
"Take it down quickly. We will do overtime testing today."
"Forensic Doctor Gu is also waiting."
Forensic doctor?
Xia Mufan raised his head: "Great! I thought Forensic Doctor Gu hadn't come back yet."
Several colleagues from the technical department laughed together.
"I'm back, I'm back."
"I heard that Forensic Doctor Gu and his mentor did a project together."
"Doctor of forensic medicine, awesome."
When Xia Mufan heard that Gu Shaoqi was back, he immediately became happy.
It just so happens that how to determine the cremation scene has to be handled by forensic doctor Gu.
All members of the Serious Crime Unit 7 sent the evidence in the car to the technical department, filling up half the room.
Let’s start with the furniture.
The first step is to do a benzidine test by observing with the naked eye, shining an ultraviolet light, and rubbing the dark patches with a test paper.
No suspicious blood was found.
The second step is to work together to turn the furniture over and check if there is any blood on the legs. Generally speaking, when blood flows on the ground or when blood is washed on the ground with water, it may be absorbed by the wooden legs of the furniture. Even if the floor is clean, the blood stains will seep into the wood texture and can still be detected.
Colleagues from the technical department sawed off the wood chips from the table and chair legs for inspection and found nothing abnormal.
The third step was to inspect the outer walls of the paint bucket and lime bucket and the residual waste inside, and still no abnormalities were found.
At this point, everyone was a little discouraged.
Gong Weiguo slammed the table hard: "Damn, so cunning!"
Sun Xianbing shook his head: “If Shen Yitong was strangled to death, there would be no blood left.”
Gong Weiguo said: "If he was strangled to death, why bother decorating the house?"
For a moment, all the policemen in the room looked at each other, and they all felt that what Gong Weiguo said made sense.
If it's just a matter of strangling someone to death, why go through all the trouble of decorating the house?
In the criminal cases that we have come across in the past, after the hacking and dismemberment, the scene would usually be very tragic, with blood, body parts, feces, urine, vomit, etc. scattered all over the ground, and it would take a long time to deal with.
At this time, in order to cover up the crime, the house is usually cleaned, painted, and floor tiles are replaced.
Xia Mufan looked at Gu Shaoqi, who had been silent the whole time, and said, "Forensic Doctor Gu, can human DNA still be preserved after being incinerated?"
Gu Shaoqi said: "Human DNA is completely destroyed at 64 degrees. Even if the ashes are found, the identity cannot be verified."
The brief conversation between the two made the hairs of all the policemen in the room stand on end.
What, cremation?
Xia Mufan continued what Gong Weiguo said, "Such a remote place, such a desolate and gloomy environment, renovating it into a chess and card room? It's clearly an excuse. From the results of our current tests, there should be no bloodshed in the utility room, so why did they have to start the renovation on April 14? Even the windows and exhaust fans were replaced."
Sun Xianbing opened his mouth wide, and finally calmed down: "Burned, burned?"
Xia Mufan said: "When I entered the utility room, did I smell a burning smell? Although it was faint, it was very persistent."
Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing looked at each other and said at the same time: "You have a very good nose. I don't smell anything."
Xia Mushige nodded: "Yes, I have a good nose, so I suspect that something was burned in the utility room before the renovation."
This sentence successfully made everyone shudder again.
Gu Shaoqi said: "To confirm this, we need to apply for a search warrant to enter the house, scrape off the wall and see if there are any traces of smoke. The kitchen uses firewood for cooking, so the wall color is brown. If the body was burned in the utility room, the wall color should be black, and the penetration is not deep."
Xia Mufan looked at Gu Shaoqi and said, "Forensic Doctor Gu, you are right, but what reason do we have to apply for a search warrant now? Xishan Villa is operating and renovating normally, and we didn't find anything unusual in the things we brought back."
Gu Shaoqi turned his gaze to the exhaust fan that had been ignored by everyone.
He put on gloves, gently wiped the exhaust fan blades, and took a closer look: "There is oil."
Oil?
The fluorescent lights suddenly dimmed.
Feng Xiaoyu was so scared that she screamed "Ah" and hid behind Xia Mufan.
Sun Xianbing felt his throat was hoarse and he couldn't utter a word.
Yu Jing clasped his hands together, his eyes darkening.
Gong Weiguo was a man who could not keep secrets. He stared at Gu Shaoqi's hands that had wiped the exhaust fan blades, and blurted out, "Human body oil? Corpse oil? Oh my god! It's too scary."
Xia Mufan's eyes lit up, and he took a step forward, standing next to Gu Shaoqi, looking at the thick layer of grease on the exhaust fan blades: "Forensic Doctor Gu, is this oil enough? Can you find out?"
Gu Shaoqi glanced sideways and saw a pair of lively and fearless eyes.
"Fats are divided into three categories: vegetable oils, animal oils, and mineral oils. Of these three categories, mineral oils are the easiest to test and identify, and even the origin can be traced back through characteristic impurities in the oil. Vegetable oils are more difficult, and animal oils are the most difficult."
Gu Shaoqi spoke calmly and leisurely, but Gong Weiguo became anxious: "Corpse oil is a kind of animal oil, so it's hard to detect it?"
Xia Mufan also added: "Forensic Doctor Gu, can you distinguish human oil from other animal oils?"
Gu Shaoqi shook his head.
Xia Mushi sighed in disappointment: "You can't do that?"
Gu Shaoqi said: "Our Criminal Investigation Team's laboratory cannot perform the test, but I know the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Technology Center can."
Xia Mufan was overjoyed: "Then what are you waiting for, go quickly."
Gu Shaoqi knew the case was urgent and nodded immediately: "Okay."
Next, Gu Shaoqi took two technicians from the physics and chemistry laboratory to the provincial capital, Xing City.
Two days later, Xia Mufan received a call from Gu Shaoqi: "Xiao Xia, the test results are very good. Human oil is successfully distinguished from lard, beef tallow, sheep fat, chicken fat and other animal oils. After comparison, it can be confirmed that it is human oil. I have faxed the test map to the office, please check it."
Xia Mufan waved his hand excitedly: "Great, thank you, Forensic Doctor Gu."
Gu Shaoqi did not take credit for it, but instead warned: "The opponent is very fierce, you must be careful."
Xia Mufan snorted: "Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good, don't worry."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Mufan turned around and faced all the members of the Serious Crime Unit 7: "Forensic Doctor Gu said that there was human fat on the exhaust fan removed from the utility room. It is certain that there was murder. We can apply for a search warrant."
Gong Weiguo immediately became excited: "Damn it, I promise to scrape off all the wall paint!"
Sun Xianbing said, "Once the search warrant is issued, Xiao Zhenwei will definitely be alerted. Can we close the net now?"
Xia Mufan nodded and said, "Let Captain Yue send someone to summon Xiao Zhenwei, and we will arrest Wu Tong directly. As for Lu Chengji, let our Captain Ling Feng say hello to the Municipal Political Consultative Conference and invite him to the team for tea."
At this moment, Xia Mufan really felt the power of the organization.
How could she bring down the evil forces in a town by herself? But behind her are the serious crime squad, the criminal investigation brigade and the public security bureau.
All the forces gathered together are enough to shake all evil!
The Criminal Investigation Brigade was divided into three groups.
Xia Mufan brought the Serious Crime Unit 7 to Xishan Villa again.
Wu Tong received the call and rushed over in a hurry.
Seeing the search warrant, Wu Tong's face turned pale: "Officer Xia, what are you going to do?"
Xia Mufan sneered, stepped forward, took Wu Tong's mobile phone and handed it to Yu Jing: "Keep an eye on this fat guy. If he dares to move, shoot him."
Yu Jing touched the gun at his waist and shouted, "Yes!"
Rich people are most afraid of death. Wu Tong was so frightened that his legs went limp. He held onto the door frame, gasping for breath, his heart filled with trepidation. What did the police know? How did they find this place!
Xia Mufan turned to look at Gong Weiguo who was rubbing his hands excitedly and said, "Let's get started."
"Yes!" Gong Weiguo took the tools that had been prepared long ago and started scraping the wall with Sun Xianbing.
A large piece of the newly painted wall was scraped off, revealing the original wall hidden underneath.
Black.
Gong Weiguo was very enthusiastic in doing the demolition work. He scraped the wall all the way to the base, tore off the wooden skirting and smashed the tiles on the floor.
Soon, a smoky and fiery scene appeared before everyone.
A circular black area gradually appeared on the cracked tile floor.
It should be left after being baked at high temperature.
Xia Mushi picked up the camera and started taking pictures.
After taking the photo, Xia Mufan said to Yu Jing, "Bring him in."
Wu Tong was fat and not very agile to begin with, and this fright made it even more difficult for him to walk. Yu Jing half supported and half dragged him to the utility room.
Xia Mufan pointed at the charred circular area on the ground and said, "This should be a gasoline barrel, right? The body was burned in a gasoline barrel, and it would not be finished in one night. It must have burned for two nights, right?"
Wu Tong kept his lips tightly closed and said nothing, but his eyes revealed boundless fear.
Xia Mufan pointed at the blackened wall and said, "Such a beautiful girl was burned to death in the utility room. Did you know that a woman's body is made up of 22% fat, 5% bone, 18% protein, and 55% water? Once exposed to open flames, smoke, water vapor, and burnt smell spread everywhere. Grease evaporates along with the water and condenses into a solid when it encounters walls, windows, floors, and exhaust fans."
When he said this, Wu Tong began to tremble as if he were sieving chaff.
Xia Mushige stared into his eyes: "Have you heard of human DNA?"
Wu Tong nodded blankly. He heard this from Xiao Zhenwei. Two years ago, his lover gave birth to a son, and he took his son to do a DNA test.
Xia Mufan stretched out his hand, grabbed a handful of air, put it to his lips and blew gently, blowing it all the way to Wu Tong's face.
"Do you think that if you kill someone and burn him, we police officers will have no evidence? Let me tell you, when a person is burned, human DNA molecules will fly all over the house. On the walls, windows, floors, furniture, exhaust fans... everywhere!"
Xia Mufan's breath blew and hit Wu Tong's face. Wu Tong didn't dare to blink and felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet.
Xia Mufan narrowed his eyes, sharp as a sword: "How can you sleep if you kill people and burn their bodies?"
Wu Tong could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with a thud. He didn't know the police could be so capable. They could actually find this renovated storage room and capture DNA from everyone in the room.
So scary!
When Xia Mufan saw that Wu Tong's momentum had faded, he immediately stepped closer and shouted sternly, "Tell the truth, and you will be treated leniently if you confess! Who killed Shen Yitong? And who burned the body here!"
Wu Tong looked up at Xia Mufan, his face covered with tears and snot. The once prosperous small town tycoon no longer had any image left: "I didn't kill him, I didn't burn him! It was Lu Chengji and Xiao Zhenwei, they did it."
Strike while the iron is hot.
Xia Mufan signaled Yu Jing and Sun Xianbing to carry Wu Tong to the car from the left and right and head straight to the Criminal Investigation Brigade.
In the cold interrogation room, Wu Tong had his hands handcuffed and confessed everything honestly.
It was indeed he who took Shen Yitong to Xishan Villa.
However, the person Shen Yitong wanted to see was Lu Chengji. Lu Chengji has an exclusive suite in the villa, and he and Shen Yitong go on a date almost every week.
On April 12, Lu Chengji did not arrive until eight o'clock in the evening, and he did not look very well. At around ten o'clock, Lu Chengji called him and asked him to come over. When Wu Tong looked over, he saw that Shen Yitong had been strangled to death on the bed by Lu Chengji.
After a while, Xiao Zhenwei rushed over.
Xiao Zhenwei was very calm. He said that the body must be handled properly and must not be discovered by anyone. If his family reports the case, he will be treated as missing.
Lu Chengji patted Xiao Zhenwei on the shoulder, picked up a file bag from beside Shen Yitong's body, and left overnight.
Xiao Zhenwei took a gasoline barrel used to smoke bacon during the Chinese New Year from the kitchen, dragged Shen Yitong's body to the utility room, and began to burn the body.
Speaking of this, Wu Tong was sweating all over.
"Comrade police officer, I'm scared too. I didn't kill anyone, nor did I burn anyone. I just... I just can't help it. Lu Chengji used to be the town's secretary, and he has a lot of power. I was able to open the Yu Furong Hotel thanks to his connections, and my brother-in-law Xiao Zhenwei was able to become the director of the town police station because he clung to his thigh. Lu Chengji, that bastard, killed someone in my territory, and we have to clean up the mess. I can't help it either."
"Because he was afraid of being discovered, Xiao Zhenwei always had a fever at night. I didn't dare to look, nor did I dare to ask. For so many days, no matter how many showers I took or how many women I slept with, I could smell the burnt smell of burning meat in my nose."
If his body had not been fixed in the iron chair, Wu Tong would have wanted to kneel down with a plop: "Please, I confess, I plead guilty, just spare my life, I am only forty years old, I have a wife, a lover, children, my good days are just beginning."
Hearing this, Xia Mufan stood up suddenly and asked: "What is human life in your eyes?"
Wu Tong was speechless, not knowing how to answer.
Xia Mufan slammed the table hard: "Your life is a life, but isn't Shen Yitong's life a life? You are forty years old and it is a life, but isn't her thirty years old a life? You are free and happy and it is a life, but she is forced to become an underground lover and it is not a life?"
After walking out of the interrogation room, Xia Mufan, who was still furious, was grabbed by Gong Weiguo and said, "You are amazing! You took down Wu Tong in one go."
Sun Xianbing didn't expect Wu Tong to confess everything so readily, and he gave Xia Mufan a thumbs up.
Gong Weiguo asked: "Hey, you are really good at fooling people. What do you mean by DNA molecules flying all over the room?"
Xia Mushige blinked: "Isn't it?"
Gong Weiguo lowered his voice and said, "Didn't Forensic Doctor Gu say that DNA is destroyed if it's above 64 degrees?"
Xia Mufan glanced at him and said, "Did you know before Forensic Doctor Gu told you?"
Gong Weiguo's mouth suddenly opened wide.
Xia Mufan: "Even you don't know, how can that fat guy Wutong know?"
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