Fisherman's Case 1.5
The operating lights in the forensic center cast a cold, white halo in the mist.
Fan Jinci used his tweezers to remove a semi-melted metal piece from the deceased's stomach. It was about the size of a fingernail and had jagged edges.
"316L stainless steel, with traces of electrolytic corrosion on the surface." He placed the metal sheet under an electron microscope. "It comes from the inner liner of some kind of high-pressure vessel."
Situ Jin suddenly pushed open the laboratory door, the hem of his white coat still stained with mud from the riverbank: "The comparison results are in. The metal composition is completely consistent with the 'Blue Fish' refrigerated compartment."
The monitoring screen automatically switched to a ship maintenance record from 1998—May 3, the sealing ring in compartment 7 of the refrigerated hold was replaced, operator: Chen Haisheng.
9:15 a.m., the old archives room of Linjiang Village Fishery Cooperative.
Wen Lin blew away the dust, revealing that the entry for May 2nd on the yellowed "Dangerous Goods Transport Register" had been altered with ink. Under the ultraviolet light, the original handwriting was faintly visible:
"Lianbio Neurotoxin Sample (Class Q)"
"The person who handled the matter back then is still alive." Li Weimian tapped the signature line with her fingertip, "Liu Jinshui, the old accountant of the cooperative, now lives in a nursing home on Jiangxin Island."
Behind her, Yu Yan was using a dagger to pry open the floor tiles, the tip of the knife revealing a rotten receipt: May 4, 1998, Chen Haisheng purchased 20 liters of industrial hydrochloric acid.
"The day after the shipwreck," Yu Yan sneered, "enough to completely dissolve the evidence."
At 2:30 p.m., Liu Jinshui's trembling hands could barely hold the teacup.
"Back then, Ryan's men slipped me five thousand dollars," the old man said, his eyes cloudy. "They said it was just to change a date, but who knew..."
He suddenly ripped open his collar, revealing a coin-sized scar on the side of his neck: "Three months later, during a physical exam, the doctor said my blood mercury levels were 200 times higher than the normal range!"
Li Weimian's voice recorder flashed red: "So what is the actual date the 'Blue Fish' sank?"
"In the early hours of May 3rd!" the old man suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Chen Haisheng secretly sailed out that night, and when he returned, his boat was dragging..."
The sound of shattering glass echoed from the corridor.
.
At 6:00 PM, Situ Jin found a rusty iron box in a hidden compartment in the stove.
The box contained half a nautical logbook burned with hydrochloric acid, Ah Xiu's liver cancer diagnosis (date: April 28, 1998), and a work ID from Lian Biotechnology (name: Zhou Weiping, position: project director).
The entries on the tattered pages of the diary, made in the early morning of May 3rd, are shocking:
At 02:15, Zhou forcibly used sample number 7, saying it could cure Ah Xiu's illness.
At 02:40, Ah Xiu convulsed and fell into a coma, resulting in sample leakage.
At 3:20, I personally locked Zhou in the refrigerated compartment…
At 11:40 p.m., searchlights illuminated the riverside rocks.
Chen Haisheng, his back hunched, had several empty reagent bottles rolling around his feet: "Zhou Weiping tricked Ah Xiu into drinking water laced with poison, saying it could kill cancer cells..."
He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a bluish lining to his abdomen from stitches: "Later I learned that they needed to observe toxin metabolism in living subjects!"
"So over the years, you've found each and every one of the original crew members."
Fan Jinci held up the evidence bag, which contained bronze tokens taken from the deceased's stomach. "Use them to test your improved antidote?"
The river suddenly surged violently, and divers retrieved the rusted refrigerator from the buoy.
Through the crack, one could see a skeleton dressed in a white coat inside, its hand bones tightly gripping a syringe.
Under the cold light of the dissection table, Fan Jinci's eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
His scalpel moved along the gaps between the bones in the freezer, and with a light flick of the tip, a rusty syringe was completely removed.
“The needle showed signs of reuse.” He held up a magnifying glass, and under the light, fine scratches were visible. “The murderer used it to draw other liquids.”
The door to the dissection room was pushed open, and Yu Yan walked in, exuding a chill, carrying two cups of coffee.
He casually placed one of the cups on the corner of the table, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against the back of Fan Jinci's hand.
“Drink it.” His voice was deep and carried an unyielding tone. “You’ve been staring at this corpse for six hours.”
Fan Jinci didn't look up, the tip of his knife continuing to trace the skeleton's chest cavity: "The cause of death was suffocation, and there was mechanical damage to the throat bone—Zhou Weiping was locked alive in the cold storage."
Yu Yan suddenly reached out and pressed his thumb against Yu Yan's brow, rubbing it gently twice: "Don't frown."
Fan Jinci finally looked up at him.
Yu Yan's image was reflected in his gray-blue pupils, indifferent yet inexplicably making one's heart flutter.
"The coffee's gone cold," he said.
Yu Yan chuckled softly, bent down, and took a sip from his hand.
.
Wen Lin burst in with dark circles under his eyes, waving a file in his hand: "Found it! The 'Q-7' project that Zhou Weiping was in charge of back then was about the targeted metabolism of neurotoxins!"
Li Weimian took the document, her fingertip pausing on a certain page: "The experimental log states that they need 'patients with abnormal liver function' as subjects for observation..."
Situ Jin suddenly looked up: "Axiu's liver cancer diagnosis is forged."
The air suddenly froze.
Yu Yan tapped his knuckles on the table, his voice as cold as ice: "Does Chen Haisheng know?"
No one answered.
Fan Jinci suddenly stood up, the hem of his white coat sweeping in a clean arc: "To the riverbank."
At 9:40 a.m. at Linjiang Village Wharf, Chen Haisheng's fishing boat drifted alone in the middle of the river, with a faded photo frame on the bow.
In the photo, Ah Xiu is wearing a red wedding dress and has a gentle smile.
“She wasn’t sick at all…” The old man hunched over, his fingers trembling as he stroked the photo frame. “During her medical check-up that year, the doctor said she had a congenital metabolic defect in her liver, and Ryan’s people… took notice of her.”
The river wind lifted the corner of his tattered clothes, revealing the bronze plaque pinned to his waist—the seventh one, engraved with "Q-7-1998".
“Zhou Weiping lied to me, saying it was a miracle drug.” His cloudy tears fell onto the deck. “But after Ah Xiu drank it, her skin… started to glow silvery…”
Fan Jinci's pupils suddenly contracted.
That's not some kind of "mermaid hallucination"—it's a typical symptom of heavy metal poisoning.
12:15 noon
"So you killed them." Yu Yan's gun was pointed steadily at Chen Haisheng. "Those crew members, they were all involved in the poisoning back then?"
The old man gave a bitter laugh, pulling a small glass bottle from his pocket. The liquid inside had an eerie blue hue: "Every month... I have to use their blood to extract an antidote..."
Li Weimian suddenly shouted: "Don't move!"
But it was too late.
Chen Haisheng tilted his head back, drank the liquid, and then jumped into the river.
"Fan Jinci!" Yu Yan's roar tore through the air.
No one saw how he moved—the forensic doctor, who was standing on the shore just a second ago, now had half his body leaning out of the ship's side and was tightly gripping Chen Haisheng's wrist.
The river surged, and Fan Jinci's arm muscles taut with sharp lines. His white coat was lifted by the wind, revealing the scar on his lower back.
Yu Yan recognized it; it was left behind to save him during the bombing a year ago.
"Let go!" Chen Haisheng struggled frantically. "Let me see her—"
Fan Jinci's voice was frighteningly calm: "She wants you to live."
A drop of water hit Chen Haisheng's face.
I don't know if it's the river water or someone's tears.
11:50 PM · Hospital Corridor
Amidst the ticking of the monitor, Yu Yan blocked Fan Jinci in the fire escape.
"Why did you rush out during the day?" He ran his thumb over the bloody marks on the other man's palm where the cable had cut him. "You knew there were toxins left in the river."
Fan Jinci lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing her emotions: "Instinctive reaction, professional ethics..."
"You're lying." Yu Yan pinched his chin, forcing him to look him in the eye. "You called my name back then."
—At the moment Chen Haisheng fell into the river, Fan Jinci blurted out "Yu Yan".
It was as if they were afraid he would jump down too.
It's like... I can't lose him again.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, and Fan Jinci suddenly raised his hand, his fingertips brushing against the scar on Yu Yan's neck.
A year ago, with ten seconds left on the bomb countdown, this man was gripping his hand just like that.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
Yu Yan bit his fingertip, his canine teeth grinding against his knuckles: "Guess."
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