Insights Chapter 12: Anatomy

Chapter 12: Anatomy

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In the afternoon, by the riverbank open space, Shen Junci wore a mask and gloves as he bent down to observe the body lying on the ground. When a body was first obtained, it contained the most information, but over time, the traces on it will gradually disappear. Examining the condition of the body and recording on-site findings is an important step in the work of a medical examiner. The notes should be taken simultaneously with the examination, avoiding later additions based on memory.

After soaking for two days, Fang Zhengrong’s body appeared pallid, with disheveled hair, a slightly swollen abdomen, and the body bloated. He was dressed in fishing gear, and during the retrieval process, one of his shoes was lost, leaving only one.

“Male, around fifty-five years old, height about 1.75 meters, weight approximately 150 kilograms, hair length seven centimeters, foot length 31, high integrity of the body, moderate level of decomposition…” Shen Junci’s expression was serious as he carefully checked the details of the body. He further analyzed, “Body is in bloat, the lips are ash-gray, and there’s a small amount of mushroom shaped foam at the mouth and nose. Putrefaction veins ¹ have appeared, and washerwoman’s hands ² are present, with the epidermis separating from the dermis, starting to turn white and slough off.”

Washerwoman’s hands were a phenomenon that became noticeable about forty-eight hours after a body had been submerged. After one to two weeks, the skin would completely fall off like white gloves. Based on this, it was inferred that the time of death was approximately two days ago, matching the time of the reported incident.

Qi Yi’an picked up the camera to take photos, and Shen Junci reminded him, “Remember to check the dental features and observe for any obvious birthmarks on the body.”

As the body was being repeatedly manipulated, the mouth slightly opened, emitting a foul smell of decay. Qi Yi’an coughed a few times, irritated by the odor, but Shen Junci showed no reaction.

What kind of body hadn’t Shen Junci seen? Whether it’s fully decomposed, grotesque, wax-like, skeletal, or severely decomposed, he remained unperturbed. No matter how disgusting the environment, a shower was all it took to emerge spotless.

At that moment, Gu Yanchen walked over. Having been in criminal investigation for many years, he had encountered numerous medical examiners. Young medical examiners often displayed a certain fear when faced with a corpse. Someone like Qi Yi’an, despite seeing many bodies, always seemed a bit hesitant. The fear appeared to be deeply ingrained and required years of experience to overcome. 

Shen Junci was different from both the young and the old medical examiners. Shen Junci usually had a cold and indifferent expression, seemingly unperturbed by anything. When he looked at the body, he put away that expression and became focused, as if there was only the body in front of his eyes.

Gu Yanchen stood by for a while and asked Shen Junci, “How’s the situation of the body? Can we determine if it’s drowning?”

Shen Junci cautiously replied, “Judging from the external appearance, drowning is a reasonable assumption, but it’s safer to draw conclusions after the autopsy.”

Then he looked at the body and furrowed his brow slightly.

Gu Yanchen sensed his expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Any issues?”

Shen Junci said, “This body doesn’t seem right; it’s too clean.”

Typically, drowning victims would struggle violently before death, resulting in a mushroom-like foam at the mouth and nose, known as external foam.³ It’s caused by air, drowning fluid, and mucus formed due to intense respiratory movements, like small white foam, blocking the mouth and nose. This foam, along with mud, water plants, etc., would appear in the nostrils and mouth. In the case of Fang Zhengrong’s body, there was only a small amount of foam, relatively less in quantity. In addition, most drowning victims would grasp onto water plants, branches, mud, etc. Many particles of mud would be embedded under the fingernails. The hands of this body were relatively clean.

Although the body had been soaking in water for two days, it appeared remarkably intact, with almost no visible injuries. After a moment of contemplation, Shen Junci added, “We cannot rule out the possibility of falling into the water while unconscious or already dead.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanchen instructed Shen Junci and Qi Yi’an to quickly transport the body back to the City Bureau.

With things settled there, Captain Cao offered, “Shall I take you to meet the family?”

The villa area was downstream from the river, not far from the location of the retrieval. The two walked to the villa area, and a maid opened the door for them.

Captain Cao’s phone suddenly rang. Glancing at it, he said, “A call from the bureau. Captain Gu, please wait for me.”

Gu Yanchen entered the hall alone and saw a massive aquarium wall. It was a transparent glass wall with various sizes of fish inside, and the water was dyed blue. The interior resembled an underwater world with aquatic plants and structures like pavilions, towers, and small bridges. While Captain Cao was on the phone, Gu Yanchen stared up through the aquarium. Some koi fish and ordinary freshwater fish like crucian carp and catfish swam inside, probably ones Fang Zhengrong had personally caught from the fishing grounds.

It was a miniature underwater world. The tank seemed to be well-maintained, with the water tinted light blue, creating a serene and profound atmosphere.

A voice suddenly spoke in the living room, “These fish were raised by Mr. Fang. He’s obsessed with water and, consequently, with the fish in the water.”

Gu Yanchen looked up and saw a man approaching from the opposite side. In his fifties, wearing glasses, he appeared cultured and refined. Introducing himself, he said, “My name is Zhong Zhichun, Mr. Fang Zhengrong’s assistant.”

Hearing this name, Gu Yanchen pondered silently, nodding without saying a word. Zhong Zhichun smiled at him but didn’t say much.

At this time, Captain Cao happened to call, saying, “Mr. Zhong, don’t be too modest. Who doesn’t know you’re Mr. Fang’s right-hand man, holding half of the Zhengrong Group.”

Zhong Zhichun ushered them in, and then two more people came down from upstairs. Both in their thirties, one was a woman dressed in black with tear stains on her face, and the other was a tall young man. Almost simultaneously, the two walked down but deliberately created a few meters of distance between them, their gazes not meeting.

Gu Yanchen knew that these two individuals were likely Fang Zhengrong’s wife, Lan Jie, and his son, Fang Jialiang. Although this place was just a vacation villa, it was quite grand, with a living room of over a hundred square meters and Italian-imported sofas.

When the three of them arrived, Gu Yanchen gave a brief self-introduction and then sought the opinion of the family members, asking them to sign the autopsy consent form. Lan Jie, standing beside, did not speak but when handed over the consent form she signed it.

Subsequently, Gu Yanchen, along with Captain Cao and his subordinates, called each of them into a study to inquire about their experiences on the day Fang Zhengrong went missing.

The first to be called in was Fang Jialiang. According to his testimony, Fang Zhengrong had mentioned in the afternoon that he was going fishing and left after lunch. Fang Jialiang spent the afternoon in the study, dealing with affairs on the computer. He noticed his father hadn’t returned by dinner, went out to search, and when he couldn’t find him, reported to the police.

Gu Yanchen seemed uninterested and asked many unrelated questions. Fang Jialiang was cooperative, but when it came to questions about his stepmother Lan Jie, he provided fewer details.

Seeing Fang Jialiang’s reluctance, Gu Yanchen persisted with questions about Lan Jie, saying, “I heard online that you and Lan Jie knew each other before?”

Fang Jialiang, under pressure, briefly replied, “We met at a private gathering.”

Gu Yanchen continued, “I heard that your father was involved with Lan Jie before your mother passed away.” There were even rumors online suggesting that the official wife succumbed to breast cancer due to the arrival of a mistress.

Fang Jialiang furrowed his brow and said, “I don’t like her, but that has nothing to do with my father’s death.”

The second person called in was Zhong Zhichun. He mentioned that he had gone out that afternoon to a nearby branch to handle some business. People at the company could vouch for his alibi.

Gu Yanchen found that a call was made from Zhong Zhichun’s phone to Fang Zhengrong’s around 2 o’clock, lasting about a minute. Zhong Zhichun admitted, “I made the call, discussing some company matters with him.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “You and Mr. Fang have known each other for a long time, right?”

Zhong Zhichun replied, “We’re childhood friends, went to school together since we were kids.”

Gu Yanchen continued to press, “Up to now, Mr. Fang’s family business is worth tens of thousands more than yours.”

Zhong Zhichun smiled, “Comparisons like that are pointless. Mr. Fang has treated me well, and I’m not a person with many desires.”

Gu Yanchen then changed the topic and chatted with him for more than half an hour. The third to enter was Lan Jie. She claimed to have felt unwell after lunch and slept throughout the afternoon.

Gu Yanchen inquired about Lan Jie’s life after marriage and even asked about some gossip from her entertainment career. Towards the end of the conversation, Gu Yanchen said, “I heard online that your nephew and niece also work at Zhengrong Group.”

Lan Jie replied, “It’s better to have relatives close. When they came over, I asked Zhengrong to arrange jobs for them.”

Gu Yanchen nodded, “It’s human nature.”

After the questions, Lan Jie wiped her eyes and asked, “How long will it take to get results? I’m completely in the dark now and don’t know how to handle my husband’s affairs.”

Gu Yanchen said, “If you cooperate, the results will probably come soon.”

As they finished questioning, Bai Meng and Lu Ying returned. The three of them avoided the detectives from the local police station and chatted in the yard.

Bai Meng said, “We saw some fishing gear upstream, and there was unused bait. The scene wasn’t well-preserved, and the footprints were a bit chaotic. It was probably discovered by the first responding auxiliary police, and there were no signs of falling into the river.”

Lu Ying added, “Some people nearby saw someone fishing by the river around two in the afternoon. When they checked again at four, the person was gone.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Can we confirm it was Fang Zhengrong?”

“When I asked, they said it was too far away to see the face clearly, but judging by the clothes and appearance, it should be the attire Fang Zhengrong usually wore. They usually avoid this stretch when they see Fang Zhengrong coming out to fish,” Lu Ying said, recalling something. “Also, according to people in the village, they heard a heated argument by the fish pond a couple of days ago.”

Bai Meng, pondering for a moment, said, “The housekeeper and the driver were out for some time in the afternoon and weren’t at home. They have sufficient alibis. Looking at it this way, these three people are more suspicious…”

The personnel from the local police station withdrew first as the sky tinted with the colors of the setting sun. The surroundings of the villa were pleasant, with the distant sounds of flowing water and bird chirps. All the information from various sources had been collected.

Gu Yanchen said, “That’s it for today. Let’s pack up.”

The detectives continued their investigation on one side, while on the other, the vehicle transporting the body had already arrived at the City Bureau. Upon receiving the news of the family’s consent for autopsy, Shen Junci and Qi Yi’an quickly changed into their autopsy suits and entered the autopsy room.

Facing Fang Zhengrong’s body, dressed in attire resembling doctors with face masks and hats, they differed significantly from medical professionals. Doctors aim to heal, but under the medical examiner’s blade, there’s only the dead. There’s no need to worry about excessive blood or the sound of a beating heart beneath the knife. They seek the truth about death.

Steel rulers, rib shears, scalpels, needle holders – all the tools neatly lined up. The pale body lay silently on the stainless steel autopsy table. The powerful ventilation system hummed, but even so, a faint odor of death lingered in the air. Regardless of how a person was in life – beautiful or ugly, noble or lowly, young or old – in death, they all become cold corpses. All the wealth, honors, and everything fought for and cherished in life seem irrelevant at the moment of death.

Like Fang Zhengrong now, in life, he possessed billions in wealth, enjoying boundless success. Yet, in death, he could take nothing with him. The swollen body lay before them, especially in the abdomen. Fang Zhengrong was of considerable height, lying on the metal autopsy table like a raised hill. There were no obvious injuries on his body, only some bruises around the knees. Bodies drowned in water typically move with the current, resulting in faint lividity marks.

Qi Yi’an set up the recording equipment to document the entire process.

Shen Junci, taking the lead, commenced the autopsy. The internationally accepted methods for autopsy involve three main types: the first is the Y-incision, further divided into normal and inverted Y; the second is the T-shaped incision with a curved arc, and the third is a straight-line incision. In China, the third method was commonly used.

With a serious expression, Shen Junci held the autopsy knife and made the first cut, slicing through the skin and flesh.