Volume 3: Perfect Murder

Chapter 30: Burst Lung (Pulmonary Barotrauma) 

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Near the end of August, at noon, by the Penang Bay, the sunlight shines on the golden beach, the sound of the waves roaring from afar to near. In the past few days, the temperature has risen, and the number of tourists at the seaside has increased again.

At the bathing beach of Penang Bay, some people were swimming in the nearby sea, some tourists were sunbathing on the beach benches, and children were building sandcastles.

It was almost noon now, and many people were starting to go ashore for lunch, gradually reducing the number of people on the beach. Just then, a person in a wetsuit floated up from the sea, floating to the shallows with a petite woman in his hand. When underwater, one can ascend using the buoyancy of the diving equipment. Once on the surface, it’s much harder to support another person.

 The man spat out the snorkel he was biting and shouted loudly “Help! Someone help!”

Two lifeguards on the beach and some tourists hurriedly ran towards that direction. Everyone rushed to help, wading into the sea and pulling the man and the woman he was holding onto the shore. The man staggered, while the woman was held in the arms of the rescuers, who then removed the oxygen cylinder from her and laid her flat on the beach.

The man seemed to be fine, he took off his own diving mask and urgently shouted, “Please, save my wife!”

The lifeguards thought the woman was drowning. Just as they were about to perform CPR on her, they realized something was wrong as soon as they touched her chest. They then removed the diving mask from the woman. The woman’s eyes were still half-open. She was convulsing slightly, making gasping sounds, and coughing up not seawater but a continuous stream of fresh blood from her mouth and nose.

This was clearly not a drowning situation and not suitable for CPR. Those experienced lifeguards understood that the woman’s injury was internal and she might not be salvageable.

The man came over and hugged the woman, “Darling, darling, what’s wrong with you?”

The woman looked at him with her eyes, unable to utter a word. She convulsed for a while, then her body stopped moving. The sight stunned the tourists on the beach for a moment. Children screamed, and someone started recording with their phone.

The rescuers checked the woman’s pulse and confirmed her death. Standing up, one of them said, “Call the police.”

“Don’t go to the beach! Something happened at Penang Bay, a woman died!”

“Was she bitten by a shark? Or was there some other reason?”

“I don’t know. The entire Penang Bay is sealed off, the beach is cleared, and the traffic coming out of the bay is jammed.”

“I heard it was related to diving.”

“I’ve heard long ago that the diving activities there aren’t safe!”

Related news quickly hit the trending topics in the city, with various speculations online, and a short, blurry video clip circulated. From the City Bureau’s report, which was then assigned to the Special Criminal Division, to the police rushing to the scene, it took an hour.

When Gu Yanchen and his team arrived, officers from the sub-bureau had already secured the scene and cleared the bay. The once bustling beach now only had a few law enforcement personnel left.

On the way, Bai Meng had already briefed everyone on the case. The two divers were a newlywed couple, the man named Liao Yinghan and the woman named Zhong Xiaoke. This was their last stop on their honeymoon vacation.

The person in charge of Penang Bay walked alongside them, briefing them, “Diving has been an open activity here for five years because there is a seabed about thirty meters deep in Penang Bay, and the underwater scenery is excellent. We developed diving for recreation. We have specialized rescue personnel here, and we also conduct strict checks on every diver. Both this couple had diving licenses, and their equipment met the requirements. We checked the oxygen cylinders they carried before diving in the morning. This is the first accident in our diving project here…”

Zhong Xiaoke’s death was confirmed. The corpse was not moved, still in the posture in which she was rescued. She lay flat on the beach, her eyes slightly open, and fresh blood ran down her face and neck from her mouth and nose, staining a small patch of sand red.

Shen Junci walked up, put on gloves, and looked around. Today’s weather was clear, with high visibility, making it a good day for diving. The view here was very open, with waves crashing onto the beach and then slowly receding.

Qi Yi’an also walked up to the corpse, squatting down to examine it. Zhong Xiaoke had put on makeup today, and she used waterproof cosmetics specifically. The seawater hadn’t smudged her makeup, but her face was now covered in blood that she had vomited, with some blood clots mixed in. She was wearing professional diving equipment, with a diving certificate and a waterproof bag containing her phone in her pocket. Her oxygen cylinder and goggles had been removed and placed on the beach nearby.

At the scene, there was only sand and the sea, with footprints scattered on the beach, basically leaving no useful information.

Qi Yi’an recorded basic information, “Deceased female, 29 years old, named Zhong Xiaoke…”

Shen Junci treated the scene as a question for Qi Yi’an, “Can you determine the cause of death?”

Qi Yi’an used the process of elimination, “It doesn’t seem to be drowning…” 

The corpse clearly didn’t fit the pattern of drowning.

Shen Junci said, “No.”

“Then it might be an accident while diving. Could it have been stung by a jellyfish? Or a sudden illness underwater?” Qi Yi’an was uncertain.

Because the corpse was fresh and the blood hadn’t coagulated yet, Shen Junci gently pressed down on the deceased’s chest with gloved fingers. With just a slight movement, blood that hadn’t drained completely overflowed from the corner of the deceased’s mouth.

Qi Yi’an frowned, “With such a large amount of blood loss, is this due to injury to the heart and lungs? Or gastrointestinal bleeding?” Then he explained, “I’m a landlubber, I’ve never dared to swim, let alone dive. I don’t remember reading about it in the medical examiner textbook.”

Humans are fragile creatures, and compared to the various bizarre ways of death in the natural world, medical examiner books only record typical modes of death.

Unable to come up with An Nanswer, Shen Junci didn’t press him further, “This type of death is rare, but divers should know about it. It’s commonly referred to as ‘burst lung’ or ‘pulmonary barotrauma.'”

After giving this hint, Qi Yi’an understood and began to record hurriedly.

Gu Yanchen and several detectives also gathered around, mentioning the cause of death, all unfamiliar with the term “burst lung.”

Shen Junci gave them a simpler explanation, “In simple terms, during the process of ascending, the deceased didn’t exhale the air in their body. Due to changes in pressure, the volume of air expands, eventually rupturing the alveoli and tearing the lungs apart, resembling a chain explosion inside the body.” Then he added, “Even if the victim was still alive when they reached the shore, they would basically be beyond saving.”

This is a principle of basic high school physics. Water pressure causes changes in pressure. When underwater, a person’s lungs are like compressed balloons. When too much air rushes in and isn’t expelled in time as they ascend to the surface, the balloon will burst.

The elasticity of the alveoli is even weaker than that of balloons. Within a few seconds, hundreds of cracks will burst open in the lungs, rendering them dysfunctional, turning into a mass of flesh and blood. That’s why the deceased was spitting up blood profusely. This is a rapid but painful way to die.

After hearing about this way of dying, Bai Meng gasped and clutched her chest, “Just listening to the description makes my lungs ache.”

Shen Junci said, “In fact, there are many types of diving accidents, with drowning and decompression sickness being the most common. If you ascend rapidly from a deeper place, it can also cause blood vessels and cell rupture.”

Qi Yi’an, feeling a bit scared, touched his ear, “I never want to dive in my life…”

Lu Ying asked, “Then what could have caused Zhong Xiaoke’s burst lung?”

Shen Junci thought for a moment, “There are too many possibilities. Burst lung during diving is usually taught by instructors during diving lessons, but underwater tension, cramps, injuries, internal diseases, all could cause the breathing apparatus to fall off. In emergencies, the victim may hold their breath while ascending. From the medical examiner’s perspective, it’s difficult to determine the root cause.”

The sunlight could reach about thirty meters underwater. At the time of the incident, the environment below the sea was unknown. Sometimes passing fish, flickering shadows, any tiny change could pose a potential threat to divers. Panic could make people forget everything they’ve learned and experienced.

In moments of fright, many people’s first reaction is often to try to float to the surface. If they forget to breathe at that time, holding their breath, then it’s certain death.

Gu Yanchen analyzed calmly, “The deceased had a diving certificate, and this wasn’t her first dive. Make sure to preserve the deceased’s oxygen cylinder properly; it’s also important evidence.”

Bai Meng chuckled, “There are hardly any people underwater, I’m afraid only those fish know the truth.”

Lu Ying turned to look at Liao Yinghan, who was discussing the situation with the auxiliary police, “Isn’t the husband still alive?”

Bai Meng glanced sideways at the man, “I’m not too inclined to believe the husband’s testimony.”

“We still need to hear what he has to say.” Lu Ying reminded her.

Gu Yanchen took the information sheet recorded by the auxiliary police, which already contained basic information such as names, ages, and ID numbers.

Zhong Xiaoke was a sales representative for a major pharmaceutical company. Liao Yinghan was one year younger than his wife, 28 years old this year, and was a fitness coach at a gym. They had been married for a year, and they hadn’t had time for a honeymoon until recently when Zhong Xiaoke took annual leave, so they came out to play together.

Gu Yanchen didn’t rush to interrogate the husband. He said to Bai Meng, “First, help me check two pieces of information.”

Bai Meng opened the notebook and sat down on the beach.

Gu Yanchen said, “First, check if they have insurance.”

To prevent insurance fraud, information on high-value insurance policies has been integrated into the police system and can be searched in real-time.

Bai Meng checked, “They have high coverage, and both are beneficiaries of each other.”

Gu Yanchen then glanced at the man from afar, “Second, check their premarital status.”

After Bai Meng finished searching, she said, “This man is remarried, and this was Zhong Xiaoke’s first marriage.”

Bai Meng also searched for the bank cards and related information of these two individuals, “Before Liao Yinghan married Zhong Xiaoke, he was almost living hand-to-mouth, while Zhong Xiaoke’s financial situation was good. She bought a house and a car before getting married.”

After understanding this information, Gu Yanchen took Lu Ying and walked over. Liao Yinghan’s eyes were red, obviously from crying for a long time before.

Gu Yanchen asked him, “Tell us what happened today.”

Liao Yinghan was taken aback. The previous police officers had asked about what happened underwater, but this officer asked about what happened today. He began to recall everything from waking up in the morning until they went underwater.

After recording everything, Gu Yanchen asked, “What was the process of your wife’s death like?”

Liao Yinghan wiped his face and said, “We went underwater around ten o’clock this morning and stayed in shallow waters. We alternated between diving and resting. I was always not far from my wife. Around noon, I wanted to call my wife back, but when I turned around, I found that she was in trouble…”

Liao Yinghan organized his thoughts, “At that time, she wasn’t holding the breathing apparatus. It was lying next to her, like she was having leg cramps, and it seemed like she had swallowed water and couldn’t breathe.”

“Were you in front of her or behind her at that time?”

“Behind her, about two meters away. I quickly swam to her and gestured for her to relax. I wanted to give her my breathing apparatus, but she waved me off. Then we ascended together, she was in a hurry, eager to reach the surface, her movements were fast…” At this point, he covered his forehead with his hand, as if not wanting to recall that nightmarish scene, “There’s no way to communicate or talk underwater. We were both in a panic. My mind felt like it had exploded, and I couldn’t remember much of the diving knowledge I had learned. By the time I realized it, we had already surfaced, and she began to spit up blood profusely. I held her, shouting for help. We weren’t far from the shore, and the lifeguards came forward and rescued us. But she… couldn’t make it.”

“Both you and your wife have taken diving lessons, right?”

“We have. I got my diving certificate a few years ago, and she got hers this year.”

“Do you know what caused her death?”

“I do. The diving instructor mentioned this situation. I don’t know if she held her breath at the time.” At this point, Liao Yinghan’s nose and eyes turned red again. “When we went diving today, she was excitedly telling me how she wanted to see the underwater scenery. How am I going to explain this to my parents and in-laws…”

At this point, Gu Yanchen noticed blood flowing from the man’s nose. He pointed it out, “You’re bleeding.”

Liao Yinghan hurriedly wiped it away, “It might be decompression sickness. We surfaced too quickly.”

Then Gu Yanchen asked him some questions about their usual marital relationship. After finishing, he asked the evidence personnel to take him for a physical examination.

After a while, the evidence personnel came back and said, “The nosebleed has stopped. There is a small scar on his hand, located at the knuckle of his left hand. He said he got it when picking up a starfish underwater.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Have the blood samples and DNA been collected?”

The evidence personnel raised the evidence bag, “Forensic investigator just collected them with me, all set.”

Only then did Gu Yanchen let him go, asking Liao Yinghan to wait for the police’s summons at any time.

The first scene of the incident was in the sea. After the death scene on the beach was processed, the corpse on Shen Junci’s side had been placed in a body bag, ready to be transported away.

Shen Junci asked, “Is there a strong suspicion on the husband?”

Gu Yanchen said, “Diving underwater, besides the wife, the husband is the only other person at the scene. So there are only two possibilities for this case, either it’s an accident or it’s murder. The husband is a suspect, and the key now is the evidence.”

Without evidence, even if Liao Yinghan killed someone, there would be no way to prosecute him. There were surveillance cameras on the streets, witnesses on the mountains, and fires leave traces, but if it happens tens of meters below the deep sea, with no witnesses… This may be a ‘perfect’ case of spousal murder.