Miss Forensics – Chapter 34

Volume One: First Scroll

Aurora

“You… Don’t you die.” “Nn… I won’t.”

In the interval while waiting for the ambulance, Song Yuhang was already fading. The knife had gone too deep; even though Lin Yan pressed down hard on the wound with her hand, blood still flowed out endlessly.

Song Yuhang couldn’t walk anymore. She stumbled, nearly collapsing to her knees on the ground. Lin Yan helped her sit down, and the two leaned against each other for support.

Lin Yan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, watching as dark red blood trickled from the corner of Song Yuhang’s lips with every cough, flowing down her chin.

They had made it out of the alley entrance, but the ambulance hadn’t arrived yet. The surrounding crowd of onlookers pinched their noses and backed away as if there were a plague, forming a semicircle around them, pointing fingers and murmuring.

Lin Yan felt as if she were inside a giant glass dome, surrounded by many people outside, yet no one offered help. She held Song Yuhang in her arms, feeling her body heat gradually fading with every passing second. The blood soaked through Lin Yan’s clothes as well. They clung to each other, Lin Yan holding her fiercely, her hand never leaving the wound, as if trying to warm Song Yuhang with her own body heat.

Song Yuhang felt it. A warmth spread through her heart. She wanted to lift her gaze to look at Lin Yan, but felt drops of water fall on her face.

Was… was it raining?

Lin Yan kept her head buried, biting her lip, her eyelashes trembling.

She was too stubborn; even when crying, she did it silently.

The moment Lin Yan’s scalding tears hit her face, a pang of sorrow surged through Song Yuhang’s chest, which had been numb enough to only feel a dull ache.

With effort, Song Yuhang raised her hand and grasped the one Lin Yan held pressed against her wound. Their two equally bloodstained hands clasped together, silently exchanging strength.

Lin Yan, seeming to sense something, sniffled. “You… Don’t you die.”

Her voice was barely a whisper¹, but Song Yuhang heard it clearly. A glint of moisture appeared in her usually clear eyes.

She curved her lips slightly into a faint smile and forcefully squeezed Lin Yan’s hand within her own palm. “Nn… I won’t.”

“Make way, make way, let us through!”

The police cars and ambulance finally arrived. Doctors carrying a stretcher pushed through the crowded onlookers and rushed in. Lin Yan was shoved aside. Dazedly, she turned to look back at Song Yuhang, seeing a doctor kneeling beside her performing emergency procedures. Various tubes were quickly hooked up to her body before she was lifted onto the ambulance.

Lin Yan was also pushed down. People in police uniforms, people in white coats—all sorts of people surrounded her, wanting to examine her, wanting to insert tubes into her.

Lin Yan’s head felt like it was splitting. She couldn’t clearly hear what anyone was saying. Her mind was solely focused on Song Yuhang’s condition. She tried to sit up, causing the IV stand to teeter precariously.

“Hold her down! Hold her down! Sedative, get a sedative!”

Several burly² men lunged forward, pinning her arms and legs. Lin Yan struggled, her eyes bloodshot, screaming, turning the ambulance compartment into utter chaos³.

Only after the entire tube of clear liquid had been administered into her body did Lin Yan slowly lie back down, regaining her calm.

The medical staff breathed a huge sigh of relief.

---

The emergency treatment lasted a full day and night. Song Yuhang received a full two thousand milliliters of blood before she stabilized—equivalent to half the total blood volume of a normal adult woman.

The moment the light above the resuscitation room door went out, Ji Jingxing, who had waited anxiously in the corridor for most of the night, shot up and rushed over. “Doctor, Doctor, how is she?”

The doctor removed his mask, finally revealing a relieved⁴ smile. “Fortunately, the knife didn’t damage the heart. We’ve promptly repaired the damaged blood vessels and nerves. The patient has no prior medical history and is healthy. With proper rest and recovery afterward, there shouldn’t be major issues.”

Ji Jingxing breathed a sigh of relief, as did the other criminal investigators waiting in the corridor. Her eyes brimming with tears, she grabbed the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, thank you all.”

“You’re welcome. We need to transfer her to the ICU now for follow-up monitoring and treatment. Family members should come along to handle the paperwork.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Ji Jingxing nodded hurriedly, helping push the gurney for a few steps before turning back to grab her bag from the corridor bench.

Several police officers⁵ followed to help. As she walked, Ji Jingxing looked down at the pale face on the gurney. Song Yuhang looked very much like her brother, Song Yichen⁶—their features were cast from the same mold, though Song Yichen had possessed more of a heroic air.

Song Yuhang, on the other hand, had more feminine gentleness.

Her usually gentle eyes were tightly shut, her lips utterly bloodless. Life-saving tubes snaked across her body, the monitor blinking nearby. The scene inevitably reminded Ji Jingxing of her brother’s sacrifice.

Ji Jingxing’s heart trembled, and she almost burst into tears. Fang Xin, walking beside her, silently handed her a tissue and gently patted her back, comforting her.

“It’s okay, Ji-jie. Captain Song is out of danger. She’ll get better.”

Ji Jingxing nodded, pressed the corner of her eye with the tissue, and forced an awkward smile. “Mm… Right… Can you tell me how she got injured?”

---

When she regained consciousness again, it was three days later.

The doctor removed her ventilator. Song Yuhang slowly opened her eyes, the world swimming from blurry to clear.

“Captain Song, you’re awake?”

“Captain Song, are you okay? Everyone’s been worried sick.”

“Officer Song, you did a good job this time. There should be a commendation from the higher-ups.”

…

Her mind was a muddle. She watched the mouths opening and closing in front of her but couldn’t clearly hear what they were saying.

Until a warm hand grasped hers. Song Yuhang, seeming to sense it, twitched her fingers slightly.

“Yuhang,” Ji Jingxing said, “You’re finally awake. Mom’s been calling every day asking about you, almost worried to death.”

Song Yuhang slowly raised her gaze, which finally focused on Ji Jingxing’s face. When she tried to speak, her throat burned painfully.

“I… I’m fine… Tell her not to worry.”

Ji Jingxing nodded and moved to tuck in the covers, but Song Yuhang moved her fingers again. Her gaze swept across the crowd as she struggled to lift her upper body, as if looking for someone.

“Lin… Lin Yan? Where is she?”

Meeting Song Yuhang’s gaze, the several detectives gathered around the bed all simultaneously averted their eyes.

Song Yuhang turned her gaze to Fang Xin.

Fang Xin hesitated. “Lin… Forensic Doctor Lin… she… she…”

---

When Lin Yan woke up, she was handcuffed to the bed. One end of the handcuffs was attached to the gurney, which was bolted to the floor. The windows on all four sides were sealed shut. This clearly wasn’t an ordinary hospital, but rather a prison hospital affiliated with the police, specifically for detaining criminal suspects.

Lin Yan struggled, knocking over the IV stand. The glass cup and thermos on the bedside table shattered noisily on the floor.

Several prison guards rushed in and pinned her firmly onto the bed, adding another pair of handcuffs.

Still in her patient gown, Lin Yan was escorted to the interrogation room.

Clack—the electronic ankle monitor locked into place. Lin Yan sat in the interrogation chair, hair disheveled. Facing her were several uniformed police officers with unfamiliar faces, older than her—likely provincial department detectives. Provincial Department.

She sized up their police ID numbers; they were observing her too.

“Is this yours?” Seeing the bent mechanical baton placed before her, Lin Yan’s rusty brain finally started to click⁷.

She stiffly turned her face, the corner of her lip curling into a sarcastic smile. “It’s mine. So what?”

“As a People’s Police officer, you have the right to stop any illegal criminal activity. However, the assailant had already ceased his attack, so your defense should also have stopped. Yet you repeatedly struck ruthless blows, beating the man to death right there on the street. The witnesses and material evidence are all present. What else do you have to say for yourself?”

Strands of hair fell, obscuring her face. Lin Yan stared through the gaps at the speaker’s face and began to laugh, staring fixedly at him, laughing while grinding her teeth, chewing on the full measure of her hatred.

“Ruthless blows? When the four of them were beating me, where were you? When Scarface stabbed Song Yuhang, trying to kill her, where were you then?! He harmed me first, but I couldn’t fight back? He wanted me dead, but I had to let him live? What kind of twisted logic is that?!”

Lin Yan grew agitated, slightly panting, her eyes bloodshot as she stared fixedly at them.

The officers opposite exchanged glances. The lead officer slammed a file folder onto the table. “Lin Yan, don’t think that just because you hold a position, we can’t do anything to you! Criminals have human rights too. You knowingly broke the law; your crime is even more severe!”

“Bullsh%t!” Lin Yan spat, her eyes so red they could have dripped blood.

She thought of the culprit in the Chunan case, still at large⁸.

Thought of Sun Xiangming, whom the law couldn’t touch.

Thought of those four men relentlessly closing in, trying to take her life.

Thought of Scarface viciously stabbing Song Yuhang.

Lin Yan clenched her fists, feeling new hatred and old grudges surge up together in her heart.

Every word seemed drawn in blood.

“What f%cking⁹ human rights do criminals have?! If criminals have human rights, who’s protecting the rights of ordinary people?! Who’s protecting the rights of the People’s Police?! Someone hits me, I can’t hit back. Someone slashes me with a knife, I have to stand there and let them? If they don’t manage to kill me, I can’t fight back? If I fight back and kill him, it’s excessive self-defense!”

“What kind of bullsh%t¹⁰ logic is that!!! The law is just f%cking¹¹ empty words on paper¹²! I’m the one carrying out justice for Heaven¹³! Killing him wasn’t even enough to quench the hatred in my heart!!!”

Lin Yan panted heavily, roaring, struggling. Her pale wrists were rubbed raw and bloody by the handcuffs. The wound on her shoulder hadn’t healed yet, and blood slowly seeped through the blue and white patient gown. The burly prison guards could barely hold her down.

In the observation room next door, in front of the large screen, Feng Jianguo slammed his hand hard on the table. “This Lin Yan, she’s infuriating!”

The older man standing beside him was much calmer. Zhao Junfeng[ skimmed the floating leaves from his teacup, slowly took a sip, and said, “An ordinary suicide case led to a case of forced child prostitution spanning two coastal cities. How many interest groups are involved, we still don’t know. Lin Yan’s actions here might seem minor, but the one who died was a key witness. It’s a pity. Otherwise, it would have been a great merit.”

---

Half a month later, Song Yuhang was transferred from the ICU to a regular ward.

Ji Jingxing sat by the bed, peeling an apple. “Mom said she wants to bring Xiao Wei to see you…”

Song Yuhang gave a bitter smile and interrupted her. “Better not. She’ll just be upset seeing me like this. Besides, doesn’t Xiao Wei have summer classes too? It’s a waste of time. I’ll be back in a few days anyway.”

The apple peel came off cleanly in one continuous strip¹⁴. Ji Jingxing took out a plate and cut the apple into small pieces, making it easier for her to eat.

“I know you too well,” Ji Jingxing said. “I already told her no for you. But you can’t leave the hospital this early. You need to stay at least a while longer and recuperate properly. You’re still young; don’t leave yourself with any long-term problems.”

Song Yuhang nodded, watching her busy herself. “Ji-jie… I can’t eat that much… If you don’t go back, will Xiao Wei be alright on her own?”

Ji Jingxing’s hand, cutting the apple, paused. “It’s fine. Mom’s taking care of her, I’m not worried.”

“I’ll do it myself, myself.” Song Yuhang freed up her mobile left hand, used a toothpick to spear a piece, and put it in her mouth. She spoke only after finishing chewing.

“That may be so, but Xiao Wei has never been away from you for this long. Don’t worry about me; I’m fine here. My colleagues are taking care of me. You should go home soon. You can’t eat or sleep well here.”

Speaking of colleagues, she inevitably thought of that person again. She wondered how she was doing now.

While she was lost in thought, Ji Jingxing, after a long silence, put down the plate and softly called her name.

“Yuhang—”

Song Yuhang returned to the present. “What is it, Ji-jie?”

Ji Jingxing’s hand resting on the sheet crumpled the fabric. “Do you remember… what you said to me when your brother passed away?”

Song Yuhang froze, slowly recalling the scene from that day. Her voice inevitably grew heavy.

When their father passed away, she and her brother were still young; their mother was their backbone.

When her brother passed away, their mother was already old, her hair white as snow, and she almost cried herself unconscious on the floor. Her sister-in-law, five months pregnant, sat slumped on the floor.

She was the family’s only pillar then. Song Yuhang walked over. She didn’t cry. She just gathered them both up, one in each arm, into her embrace, patting their backs, helping them breathe.

She was wearing her police uniform, swore by the National Emblem¹⁵: “Mom, don’t be afraid. You still have me.”

Ji Jingxing was sobbing uncontrollably. Song Yuhang held her, repeating over and over in her ear: “Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you and Xiao Wei from now on.”

“‘I remember—'” Song Yuhang forced out the words with some difficulty.

Ji Jingxing grabbed her hand, her eyes reddening. “It’s good that you remember. From now on, please don’t be so impulsive. Protect yourself. When facing vicious criminals¹⁶, if you can’t beat them, retreat. What happens to others is none of your… concern… If something happened to you, how would Mom, Xiao Wei, and I survive?”

Song Yuhang felt a warmth in her heart, but her brow furrowed slightly. She was just about to retort, “‘Lin Yan isn’t just ‘others’—'”

The ward door was suddenly pushed open with a clatter. Several detectives entered, escorting Zhao Junfeng.

Song Yuhang stopped mid-sentence and discreetly withdrew her hand. She raised her hand instinctively to salute, but tugged painfully at her wounds, wincing.

Zhao Junfeng couldn’t help but chuckle. “‘Feeling better?'”

“‘Reporting, much better. Thank you for your concern, Director Zhao.'” Song Yuhang sat up straighter.

Zhao Junfeng’s gaze lingered between them for a moment. “‘Am I interrupting your chat, aunt and sister-in-law¹⁷?'”

Ji Jingxing tactfully stood up, picking up her wallet from the table. “‘Not at all. You two talk, I’ll go buy something.'”

After Ji Jingxing left, the other detectives also withdrew, closing the ward door behind them. Song Yuhang knew Director Zhao was about to discuss something important with her.

---

During the half-month Song Yuhang had been laid up, the police hadn’t been idle. Following the vine to get the melon¹⁸ along the Scarface lead, they had traced the criminal gang behind him.

“This Scarface was named Chen Wu¹⁹,” Zhao Junfeng began. “A veteran. Ten years ago, he was imprisoned for r%pe and negligent homicide. He behaved well in prison, earning a sentence reduction. After his release, he remained idle and didn’t pursue honest work, loafing around²⁰, bullying men and tyrannizing women in the local area, committing all kinds of evil. The police brought him in for ‘re-education’ several times. After completing his sentence, he connected with a societal drifter codenamed ‘Vulture’²¹, becoming his top enforcer.”

“To make a profit, the gang used pretexts like job recruitment or part-time money-making opportunities to lure young women. In reality, they were drawn into a brothel²² for their clients’ amusement and enjoyment. They even developed a hierarchical structure. For every young woman introduced, there was a referral fee ranging from three hundred to one thousand yuan²³. He Miao’s maternal uncle sent her in at that time.”

“Before each deceived woman officially started seeing clients, either ‘Vulture’ or one of his subordinates would be responsible for ‘breaking them in’²⁴. Obedience earned money; disobedience meant being beaten half to death.”

“We’ve already arrested several minor leaders, confirming that He Miao was seen entering and exiting Vulture’s room three months ago. Although the final DNA comparison results aren’t back yet, the timeline matches up.”

“He Miao wasn’t the first victim. We deeply regret that we couldn’t save her young life. However, we will ensure she is the last victim.”

Zhao Junfeng stood by the window, facing the setting sun. He heavily exhaled a breath. “The Provincial Department has established a special task force for the 6.1 Case²⁵. The operation codename is—Aurora!”

Hearing this, Song Yuhang felt a surge of emotion²⁶. She mustered her strength and raised her right hand to her temple. “‘Song Yuhang, Deputy Captain of the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment, requests to join the special task force and participate in the arrest operation!'”

---

A remote small village far from the city.

Night fell, and everything was quiet.

On the quiet mountain road, only a man’s heavy breathing, like a bellows pumping, could be heard.

He kept looking back as he ran, stumbling along. A few dog barks echoed from the distant village, terrifying him even more. He clutched his head and tumbled to the ground.

He didn’t know how far he’d run. The barking stopped. The mountain road was quiet, with only the chirping of crickets and cicadas.

The man breathed a sigh of relief and stopped by a small stream. He splashed water fiercely onto his face, then bent down and drank several large mouthfuls. Only then did he get up, look around, and spot a public phone booth not far away. He picked up his scattered clothes from the ground and scrambled over to it.

He dialed a string of numbers. It rang several times before connecting.

“‘Hello?'”

“‘It’s me.'” The man lowered his voice.

“‘Didn’t you f%cking say you’d protect me if something happened?! The cops²⁷ f%cking tracked me down! I²⁸ got beaten so bad I barely have my shorts left!'”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

“‘Didn’t I tell you to head south, get out by sea on a boat?'”

“‘Cut the f%cking crap²⁹! Get me a new ID card and a new phone number. Meet me at the border. Otherwise, if I fall into the cops’ hands, you’ll f%cking face the consequences³⁰!'”

After he finished speaking, there was a brief delay in the signal.

“‘Hello? Hello?'” the man hissed, lowering his voice. Just as he was about to shout his name, the person on the other end spoke.

“‘Fine, no problem. License plate Bin³¹ AH4578 will meet you at the border with your new identity. Head straight south. Take the bus, not the train. You’ll get there quickly.'”

Only then did the man grunt with satisfaction and hang up the phone.

The person sitting in darkness popped out the SIM card and fed it into a shredder, grinding it to pieces.

He tapped out a rhythm on his knee, now and then.

It didn’t matter. The card was gone.

The person would soon be dead too.

---

LP: Re-translated on April 05, 2025

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