Silent Testimony - Chapter 4

Roommate, ex? This hit like a sudden clap of thunder, and Li Hewei’s composed expression instantly changed. She highlighted the key points: [The roommate’s ex? Are you sure you didn’t mistype?

[What’s the big deal, Sis? You may have amnesia, but don’t be so conservative.]

[Just curious.]

[Exactly. What if I get bullied one day when I’m dating someone? I’d have no one but you to talk to.]

Li Hewei sensed a hidden meaning and tentatively asked: [Are you the same as her?]

[Cat nodding emoji. I told you back in sophomore year of college.]

She was frank and did not hide anything.

Li Hewei was momentarily stunned, her index finger hovering over the screen. She reviewed the setting information she had acquired since transmigrating into the book: an important female supporting character who was “bent,” the protagonist working in an all-female environment, her husband missing, and the as-yet-unresolved question of why the protagonist had not muted messages from Tao Ling.

Putting aside the superfluous husband and the final unresolved question, the world structured by the author was indeed her ideal world.

[Ah, why are we getting so sidetracked?]

Li Hewei’s thoughts returned, and she typed: [You think Team Leader Qiu is holding a grudge against her ex and taking it out on you?]

[Exactly.]

[That’s childish. She’s probably not that bored.] After half a month of getting along, Li Hewei was starting to treat the other person as her own sister, so her way of speaking was no longer overly formal or polite.

[You’re always siding with outsiders!]

[I’m helping what’s right, not what’s close.]

[Cat angry face emoji.]

[Help me pick up a delivery package; I’m working overtime.] The investigation vehicle pulled up and stopped in front of the Comprehensive Building. Li Hewei got out, taking fast strides, sending the message as she walked.

[Hmph.]

Li Hewei tucked her phone into her pocket and followed the large group into the elevator.

In the restroom on the fifth floor, she removed her vest and was washing and sanitizing her hands when Technician Zhao peered in from outside. “Sister Wei, the takeout boxes are in the microwave.” From 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM was the usual dinner time at the cafeteria. As it was now approaching 7:00 PM, the technicians and laboratory forensic scientists had already packed food for them in advance.

“Okay, thank you.”

Fifteen minutes later, having quickly finished her meal, Li Hewei arranged the work assignments and followed Technician Zhao into the autopsy room.

Tao Ling, standing by the dissection table, was clearly taken aback when she saw Li Hewei enter, but with her mask on, her expression was indistinguishable.

“The 19th post-mortem examination of 2015 for the Puchen City Public Security Bureau. The deceased is male, to be dissected by forensic physician Tao Ling, with technician Zhao Xiaoting recording. Recording begins.” Having composed herself, Tao Ling first shaved the deceased’s head. During the initial examination, she had touched the back of the deceased’s head and found the surface to be uneven, but outdoor conditions did not permit her to suggest shaving the head at the scene.

After the shaving was complete, Li Hewei stared at the blunt force trauma on the back of the deceased’s head, instantly frowning, and asked in a deep voice, “You didn’t notice this during the initial examination?” Surface examination of the body is usually done at the crime scene. The forensic physician should part the deceased’s hair to check the scalp. If injury or other abnormalities are detected, the hair should be completely shaved to fully expose the scalp and timely feedback should be given to the investigating officers.

Tao Ling released her slightly pursed thin lips. “It was recorded in the surface examination report.”

Li Hewei was instantly annoyed, her words somewhat cold and sharp. “Do you understand the consequences of a forensic physician being silent during a criminal investigation?” Her gaze was chilling, daunting, and severe. “At best, it delays the progress of the case; at worst, your failure to speak up could lead to an incorrect direction of investigation and a waste of police resources.”

Tao Ling paused her action of pressing the skull and examining the wound, her throat choked, unable to utter a single word.

“Didn’t your supervisor repeatedly emphasize this when you were interning at the Public Security Bureau?” Li Hewei was unwilling to overlook a matter of principle. However, as she spoke, she recalled that Tao Ling had interned at a private forensic identification agency. If she had never participated in autopsies commissioned by judicial authorities, or if her supervisor had only treated her as a laborer, it was indeed possible for her to lack experience and overlook details.

She remembered her own struggles in the early stages of her career, and the fire in her heart subsided significantly. Young people new to the workplace are inexperienced and should not be judged too harshly. Li Hewei was thinking about how to smooth things over when Tao Ling spoke softly in front of her. “I’m sorry, I’ll be sure to pay attention next time.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse, sounding wronged, yet containing the stubbornness to accept the reprimand.

“Continue,” Li Hewei’s anger was completely extinguished.

Tao Ling measured with a soft ruler, her movements meticulous. “A closed contusion, similar to that from a hammer, was found on the back of the deceased’s head. The wound is circular, with a diameter of about 6 cm.”

“However, the X-ray film taken before the autopsy shows only slight damage to the deceased’s skull, which is not sufficient to be fatal.”

Li Hewei agreed and signaled for her to begin the routine systemic dissection.

Tao Ling used the scalpel, making an incision along the median line of the lower jaw, cutting through the skin tissue, and carefully opening the “three cavities” step-by-step to collect pathological specimens.

“The respiratory tract is filled with drowning fluid, and bloody foam and mud/sand can be seen.”

“Both lungs are expanded, with impressions from the ribs on the surface, pale red blood patches interspersed between the lung lobes, increased lung weight, and watery pulmonary emphysema changes within the lungs.”

“A small amount of drowning fluid and mud/sand are in the digestive tract.”

…

Li Hewei prompted her analysis. “Your deduction?”

“The killer should know the deceased. They struck him in the head from behind with a hammer-like blunt object when he was unprepared, causing him to fall into the water and die from drowning.”

Li Hewei listened carefully, picking up on the details. “Hmm, just as Team Leader Qiu said, with the heavy rain in summer, the river water pressure is high. So, whether the body was disposed of after death or the person drowned, drowning fluid could be found in the deceased’s respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts?”

“If the victim was disposed of after death, the lungs would not have taken in water.”

Li Hewei shook her head. “You haven’t performed a local dissection of the heart. What if the deceased suffered a heart attack, which could secondarily lead to pulmonary edema?”

“Furthermore, a drug overdose can also cause pulmonary edema. So, why are you certain that the deceased died from drowning?”

Tao Ling recalled the dissection process, pondered for a moment, and a faint light flashed in her clear, autumn-water eyes. She looked up to meet Li Hewei’s gaze. “There is a small amount of drowning fluid in the small intestine.” If a body enters the water after death, when the water pressure in the environment where the body is situated is high, fluid can enter the stomach and rectum but cannot enter the small intestine. Only in cases of drowning will there be drowning fluid in the small intestine.

“Mm, Xiaoting, remember to make a note of that.” Li Hewei took off the protective clothing and mask she had worn into the autopsy room and started walking out. A soft voice called out behind her, “Sister Wei.”

“Yes?”

Tao Ling’s words were sincere. “Thank you.”

Li Hewei paused her steps briefly, then walked straight out, an unconscious curve appearing on her lips.

She moved to the office. The moment she sat down, He Ying abruptly pushed the door open, her face alight with excitement. “Little Li, I was just looking for you. We have a major discovery.”

“What is it?”

“The deceased was wearing seamless boxer briefs. Although the trademark is unrecognizable due to wear, I consulted an expert in this field. Through material comparison and analysis, we’ve determined they are from the Farmarsha Modal series.”

Farmarsha (法瑪莎), a mid-to-high-end second- or third-tier brand. Before transmigrating, Li Hewei had bought their vintage sneakers, which cost around 1,000 yuan. As for the underwear, she opened Taobao to search, but He Ying immediately added, “No need to search. They cost two or three hundred yuan a pair.”

The female officer sitting next to the water dispenser commented, “That suggests the deceased was well-off. Mine only cost 15 yuan a pair.”

He Ying nodded. “Once Little Tao deduces the age range of the deceased, the serious crimes team should be able to quickly narrow down his identity.”

“Alright, Sister He, you all should go back and rest first. I’ll notify the group if anything comes up.” When Li Hewei learned the deceased had been struck by a blunt object on the back of the head, she immediately informed Qiu Wan and proactively inquired about the serious crimes team’s progress. They said there were too many places upstream where people could access the river, so they needed to check them step by step and wouldn’t have any breakthroughs in a short time.

“But…” He Ying hesitated. “All the major media are paying attention, and Deputy Director Liu is putting on pressure. It doesn’t look right to leave our posts.” Deputy Director Liu also served as the head of the detachment. She had worked her way up from the grassroots level and knew how busy criminal investigation work was, so she usually tried her best to withstand pressure and offer encouragement.

“It’s 9:00 PM now, and no one is leaving early. Everyone has finished their work on hand. How does it not look right?” Li Hewei insisted. “Sister He, Leilei is going to summer camp tomorrow. You should go home and spend the evening with her.”

“Little Meng, isn’t your grandma in the hospital?”

“Appendix surgery. She’s fine.”

“The elderly can’t take too much strain. Even minor surgery should be taken seriously. Hurry up and go.”

Appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them, Li Hewei successfully persuaded them to leave.

Outside the window, there was neither wind nor rain at this moment. The snack street across the way was brightly lit and bustling with activity. Separated by double-pane glass, the only slight sound in the room was the air conditioning unit, making it feel quiet and lonely. Li Hewei propped her chin on one hand, played on her phone for a while, and started on a level of a match-three game.

She had many hobbies: skiing, fitness, swimming, surfing, off-road self-driving. It was precisely because she worried about not having free time that she chose to enter a research institute after graduation instead of the public security system. Who knew that things would go against her wishes, and transmigrating would force her to work hard? But her nature disliked following rigid rules, so she often clocked in just on time for work and occasionally seized the opportunity to steal some leisure time amidst the busy schedule.

Amazing.

Unbelievable.

Li Hewei swiped the screen, immersed in the game, unaware that Tao Ling had come in to find her and, hearing no sound from her, slowly approached.