Chapter 66: Unnatural Death in the Urban Village

Yang Guang straightened his back upon hearing this. "Exactly, we are forensic pathologists, not thieves. What is there to be afraid of?"

Taozi did not reply, though she still felt somewhat uneasy inside.

Knowing that the young girl had a thin skin, Shu Yan handed her a face mask. "If you mind it, put this on."

Taozi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll put it on once we get to the scene."

She needed to get used to these strange glances.

At that moment, the veteran precinct police officer walking in front smiled and said to Taozi:

"Young lady, you can't survive in our line of work with such thin skin. You should come to our precinct for some training; we deal with all sorts of people every day."

Taozi replied, "Uncle, you guys are different from us. You're regular police officers, and most people are afraid of the police. While we are also police officers, we are forensic pathologists who deal with corpses. People find us ominous."

The veteran officer said, "Everyone has to die eventually. Besides, without you forensic pathologists figuring out the cause of death and giving us clues, how are we supposed to find the criminals? Take today's case, for instance; we definitely need your help to solve it."

"Young lady, you should learn more from Director Shu. She is the most outstanding forensic pathologist in our Licheng."

Taozi glanced at Shu Yan and asked with a smile, "Uncle, you know our Sister Yan too?"

The veteran officer laughed. "What are you saying? Among the police in Licheng, who doesn't know Director Shu?"

Feeling deeply proud, Taozi linked her arm through Shu Yan's.

"Uncle, you're right. Apart from our Director Liang, Sister Yan is the most formidable forensic pathologist I've ever seen."

"Stop flattering me," Shu Yan smiled.

Taozi said, "Sister Yan, this isn't flattery. Look, Uncle said so too—you're the best."

The veteran officer turned back to look at Shu Yan. "Director Shu has surpassed her master; she's even more formidable than her father, the elder Director Shu."

Shu Yan froze for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Uncle, you knew my dad?"

The veteran officer replied, "Of course I did. We worked together. Your father was exceptionally brilliant, and he was a truly wonderful man."

A look of sorrow washed over Shu Yan.

Noticing this, the veteran officer quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up such painful memories."

Shu Yan managed a faint, forced smile and shook her head. "It's alright, Uncle."

Everyone fell silent as they followed the veteran officer into an alley.

From a distance, Shu Yan saw that a self-built residential building ahead was cordoned off with police tape.

The surrounding area was packed with curious onlookers, a churning sea of heads.

Approaching the police tape, the veteran officer shooed away the crowd. "Make way, everyone. Don't crowd around here and interfere with our work. Disperse."

Shu Yan was about to take out her identification to show the on-duty SWAT officers when she heard a voice call out from the side.

"Shu Yan."

Shu Yan turned toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar face.

A woman wearing a coffee-colored knitted dress smiled as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Shu Yan, it really is you."

Shu Yan frowned slightly. "You are?"

The woman raised her chin triumphantly. "Can't recognize me? I'm your high school classmate, Zhou Qi."

"You're Zhou Qi?" Shu Yan asked in surprise. "You've changed quite a bit."

In Shu Yan's memory, Zhou Qi had single eyelids and a flat bridge of the nose, but the woman before her had double eyelids, a high nose bridge, and fuller lips.

Zhou Qi cleared her throat. "I got a few minor tweaks done. Do I look prettier?"

"I'm sorry, Zhou Qi, I'm working," Shu Yan said, having neither the mood nor the time to chat idly with Zhou Qi. "Excuse me."

"Alright, go ahead and get to work," Zhou Qi said, stretching her neck to peer past her.

Shu Yan walked toward the police tape, showed her ID to the on-duty SWAT officers, and followed the veteran officer into the building.

The veteran officer explained to them, "The houses around here are all self-built. Most of the residents are migrant workers from all over the country, so it's a bit of a mixed bag, but public security is generally fine."

"The family we're visiting is from Rongcheng; they only arrived in Licheng half a year ago. The husband works as a security guard at a nearby hotel, and the wife works at a nearby cosmetics store."

"The deceased is the son the husband had with his ex-wife. He just turned six last month and was in the first grade at a nearby private primary school."

"He's so young," Taozi said in shock.

She wanted to ask how the child had died, but the words died on her lips and she swallowed them back.

If they knew how he died, they wouldn't have been called out; it was undoubtedly an unnatural death.

"Yes, it's heartbreaking to look at," the veteran officer sighed, leading the group to the elevator and stopping on the seventh floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Shu Yan saw her colleagues in the hallway.

The crime scene investigation team was busy taking photographs and collecting evidence.

Lu Chengfeng and Liu Xun were talking in low voices to a man.

Seeing them arrive, Lu Chengfeng exchanged a glance with Liu Xun and strode over.

Shu Yan put down her investigation kit and began putting on her gear piece by piece: face mask, cap, shoe covers, and gloves.

"The situation is somewhat complicated," Lu Chengfeng told her.

"The child's stepmother claims the child had a cold and a fever, which is why he didn't go to school and was sleeping alone at home. The child's father discovered the child had stopped breathing when he came back."

"He immediately called the emergency center. The paramedics arrived, checked the child, and called the police. The paramedics stated that the child's body was already stiff and he must have been dead for some time, leading them to suspect that the child's parents are lying."

Shu Yan nodded slightly. "Understood. Leave it to us."

Lu Chengfeng said, "Hard work."

Shu Yan picked up her investigation kit and walked to the entrance of the deceased's home, stepping onto the investigative path laid down by the crime scene investigation team to head toward the victim's room.

This was a small apartment with two bedrooms and a living room.

The living room only held a folding dining table, leaving no extra space for furniture like a sofa.

The sizes of the two bedrooms were also modest.

The victim's room was the second bedroom, which could barely fit a small bed.

The child was lying on that small bed.

Walking up to the bed and seeing the child's tender, young face, Shu Yan's heart tightened.

Gao Yi pointed to the child's wrists, signaling Shu Yan to look. "There are restraint injuries."

Zhang Yong, the head of the crime scene investigation team, walked over and said:

"The victim's stepmother claims that last night the child was playing with a cellphone and refused to do his homework, so she punished him by tying him up to scare him for a few minutes before untying him."

"Binding someone for just a few minutes wouldn't produce ligature marks this deep," Gao Yi countered.

Zhang Yong said, "That's what I told Captain Lu as well. Captain Lu has already had the stepmother detained, but do you know what the child's father is saying?"

"What is he saying?" Shu Yan asked.

Zhang Yong glanced toward the outer doorway and lowered his voice. "The child's father insists on believing his wife, claiming the child died of a cold and fever. He even cursed out the paramedics, accusing them of meddling and calling the police."

"How can a father be like this?" Taozi said in disbelief. "With such obvious restraint injuries right in front of him, did he not see them?"

Zhang Yong sighed, "He chooses to be blind."

Shu Yan bent down and began the external examination of the body. "The deceased's pupils are dilated, lips and nails are cyanotic, and there are clear restraint injuries on the wrists."

Yang Guang and Taozi hurriedly took notes at her side.

"Rigor mortis is present," Shu Yan said while gently manipulating the joints of the deceased's hands and feet.

She carefully examined the livor mortis on the child's back. "The deceased has been moved; this bed may not be the primary crime scene. Furthermore, there are numerous intertwined old and new scars on the child's back."

"Was the child subjected to long-term abuse by his stepmother?" Yang Guang asked.

Shu Yan nodded. "Judging by appearances, yes."

Holding a thermometer, Gao Yi stepped closer. "I'll measure the core body temperature."

Shu Yan made way for Gao Yi.

Gao Yi pulled down the child's trousers and inserted the thermometer into the child's rectum to measure the body temperature.