Miss Forensics – Chapter 50.2

Corpse

“Hey, what have you been up to lately? Mid-Autumn Festival is coming in a few days, and my mom suggested I ask if you can come over for a meal, for a little family reunion.”

Lin Yan still had that nonchalant look on her face: “Eat what? I’m busy, no time.”

“Is it still that ‘White Whale’ case?”

“Oh, even you know about it.”

Lin Ge laughed a bit: “It made the front page of the newspapers. How could I not know?”

“Well, that’s true,” Lin Yan replied, switching her phone to the other hand and reaching for some potato chips to snack on.

Lin Ge paused, hesitating to speak: “When will you be done with your work? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen… She doesn’t even answer my calls.”

Lin Yan glanced at someone who was quietly drinking tea and reviewing case records at the table, feeling secretly pleased but not showing it on her face: “How would I know? In any case, until we solve the case, we won’t have any rest. Look, she’s right here now. Do you want to talk to her on the phone?”

Lin Ge quickly declined: “No, no, you guys are busy, and solving the case is important. Take care of yourselves and stay safe.”

For someone she had grown up with, Lin Yan didn’t claim to understand him completely, but she knew him fairly well. This kid was probably entangled in a romantic relationship.

Lin Yan looked at Song Yuhang with a complex expression, then turned away and said, “Can you do it, or should we find someone else? You two really aren’t suitable…”

“What’s the matter? Do you have a bias against her?”

“It’s not that…” Lin Yan recalled the day in the car when they couldn’t resist their desires. It was supposed to be an examination of injuries, but it had turned into Song Yuhang gently licking her neck, and she had surprisingly experienced a physical reaction herself.

This was simply too difficult to put into words. How could she tell Lin Ge that his future wife might not be straight and seemed to have taken an interest in her sister-in-law?

It was too complicated, better to keep it to herself.

Seeing her hesitating and stumbling over her words, Lin Ge’s voice carried a hint of amusement as he said, “Well, I can’t say for others, but if she becomes your sister-in-law, she will definitely treat you well.”

Lin Yan had an uneasy feeling about that statement, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong with it.

Before she could think too much, Song Yuhang approached and patted her on the shoulder, saying, “We have new leads, come over.”

Lin Yan was startled, almost dropping her phone. She hastily hung up the call and got up.

“I won’t bother you with this anymore, off to work.”

Song Yuhang intentionally fell a half step behind others, waiting for her to walk by her side and whispered, “I heard it all.”

Lin Yan gritted her teeth, “You eavesdropped on my conversation?”

“It’s not really eavesdropping, is it? You didn’t hide to make the call,” Song Yuhang shrugged, leaving her with one last question before quickly walking ahead.

“Why don’t you want me to be with Lin Ge?”

Lin Yan blushed, as if she were about to strike, but she was already three steps ahead and swiftly entered the training room. She had no choice but to bite her lip and follow.

* * *

“Captain Song, we found this in the mobile phone recovered from Forensic Doctor Lin,” Zheng Chengrui enlarged the image for them to see.

“It looks like a shop, maybe a restaurant, judging by the interior decor. And the food appears to be…,”

Lin Yan leaned in, “Steak.”

Several people exchanged glances, all of them looking delighted.

“Let’s immediately cross-reference the surroundings, locate this shop, and we’ll find out who the person dining with Wu Wei that day was.”

As soon as Song Yuhang finished speaking, another member of the cybersecurity team called out, “Captain Song, come take a look at this, it’s… it’s unbelievable!”

Song Yuhang walked over, asking, “What’s going on?”

The cybersecurity team member vacated a seat, “Based on the phone number, the owner is listed as Yu Xinye, but… but this person died twenty years ago!”

The internal network of the Ministry of Public Security displayed a black-and-white record.

Deceased: Yu Xinye.

Cause of Death: Passed away due to illness.

Contact Information: xxxx, which is the same string of numbers on that ledger.

On the open computer screen, the deceased person gazed at them silently. A chilling breeze swept in through the open window, and nearly everyone felt a shiver down their spine.

Someone cleared their throat, and the sound of a gulp became increasingly pronounced in the hushed atmosphere.

Duan Cheng hesitated and finally broke the silence, “Could it be… could it be a ghost?”

Song Yuhang cast a stern glance at him, “As law enforcement officers, we don’t believe in ghosts and spirits. It’s a fundamental requirement of our profession.”

How could a deceased person make a phone call to the living?

Song Yuhang furrowed her brow, “To my knowledge, as long as the number isn’t voluntarily canceled at the service center and there are continuous payments made for the phone number after the owner’s death, it won’t be suspended. That means, whoever has this phone number might not necessarily be the owner; it could be someone else. But regardless, whoever it is, they must have a close connection to this case.”

“Check if this Yu Xinye has any other relatives?”

The cybersecurity team member typed on the keyboard, “No, Captain Song, according to our records, there are no surviving family members in their household. Both parents are deceased.”

Song Yuhang pondered for a moment, “Find out where this person is from.”

“The registered residence is Xiaohe Village in Wuli Town, Qing’an County, Jiangcheng City.”

“Immediately contact the local police station for verification.”

Before long, the phone rang, and the operator covered the receiver before handing it to Song Yuhang.

“Hello, my surname is Song, I’m the Deputy Team Leader of the Criminal Investigation Division in Jiangcheng City.”

Upon hearing her official position, the person on the other end instantly showed respect and began flipping through a booklet, creating a rustling noise. “Lead… Leader, I checked. There is indeed a person from Xiaohe Village who died ten years ago. We’re not sure about the specific illness, but what we can confirm is that he had a distant relative still living in the local area. This relative came to our town’s social security office just last month to collect welfare.”

Song Yuhang had a hunch that once they established the identity of this person, they would be closer to the truth.

“Thank you. I’ll go there in person.”

As she hung up the phone, she selected a few people to accompany her. Unusually, Lin Yan didn’t volunteer this time.

Just as she was about to direct her gaze at Lin Yan, the latter swiveled her chair, took a sip of coffee, and placed it back down, saying, “Hey, don’t look at me. It’s a remote and impoverished area, and I really don’t want to go.”

Song Yuhang shook her head in resignation, gathered her belongings, and holstered her sidearm in her waist holster. “Let’s go.”

As she passed by Lin Yan’s seat, she intentionally slowed down, expecting Lin Yan to say something to her. However, Lin Yan was engrossed in playing the Russian block game^Tetris on her phone, seemingly carefree.

Song Yuhang sighed quietly to herself and continued to stride ahead of the group.

Once she had moved a considerable distance away, the police car, with its flashing lights, departed from the city bureau’s gate. Lin Yan stood up from her seat and walked to a dim corner of the hallway to make a phone call.

“Hey, last time you said, where is Li Bin from?”

“He’s from Wuli Town in Qing’an County. He worked as a forensic doctor at the local police station for half his life. Because of his diligent work and outstanding performance, he was transferred to work at Jiangcheng City Bureau. However, he didn’t stay there long and voluntarily returned to his hometown.”

“Is the source of this information reliable?”

“It’s reliable. You can find his transfer records on the internal network.”

Lin Yan clenched one hand into a fist, her fingernails digging into her flesh. After a long pause, she exhaled a heavy breath and said slowly, “Thank you, the money will be transferred to your account.”