Miss Forensics – Chapter 61

Volume One: First Scroll

Body

When the case is over, I’ll drink with you.

Impoverished family background, single-parent household, around fourteen or fifteen years old, introduced by an uncle…

The moment Lin Yan thought of this, she felt that Bai Ling perfectly matched the murderer’s hunting targets, and her heart instantly clenched violently.

The fingertips resting on her own wrist were icy cold, and the person beside her was trembling slightly. Song Yuhang grabbed her hand and squeezed it firmly.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, she’ll be okay.”

Lin Yan forced herself to calm down. Song Yuhang had already snatched the map from Zheng Chengrui and spread it on her lap.

“You just said, the first time you saw Bai Ling, where was it?”

“In the alley next to Green Building.” Lin Yan pointed, her face somewhat pale.

Song Yuhang circled it with a pen.

“She attends school during the day and works at the Milan Bar at night.”

Song Yuhang circled a school and a bar nearby, drew a perpendicular bisector connecting these two points, then extended these three lines until they intersected, determining the center of a circle. Then, with a broad stroke, she drew a circle and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

“Using the northern alley of Xicheng District as the center, conduct a search within a five-kilometer¹ radius for Bai Ling’s home. She’s a fifteen-year-old girl, thin, not tall, about one meter sixty², single-parent family. High-end residential areas can be excluded. Focus the search on urban villages³, understand?!”

“Understood!” A sonorous and forceful reply came through the earpiece. Duan Cheng also flicked on the turn signal and quickly drove towards another road.

Half an hour later.

They were the first to arrive at the scene.

The door of the private house was padlocked. The technical personnel hadn’t arrived yet. Song Yuhang kicked it open directly. Amidst the billowing dust, Lin Yan was the first to rush in.

She ran a couple of steps, then abruptly stopped, looking at the splattered bloodstains in the room. It was rare for her to maintain a shred of professional composure at such a time.

“Nobody move! Put on gloves and shoe covers!”

Song Yuhang brought the investigation kit in for her. Lin Yan buried her head, using a magnifying glass to examine the dripped bloodstains next to the sofa.

To an ordinary person, these bloodstains might seem useless, but to a forensic examiner, they were exceptionally precious clues.

Even though she was burning with anxiety, Lin Yan patiently and carefully analyzed: “Dripping bloodstains, edges have intact spicules, indicating that when the incident occurred, Bai Ling was in a completely stationary state…”

She moved the magnifying glass along the sofa leg upwards and also discovered long, dripping bloodstains on the sofa fabric.

“She was very likely…”

An image of Bai Ling lying on the sofa, cutting her wrist while crying, slowly formed in Lin Yan’s mind. She bit her lower lip tightly.

Fang Xin was examining the fruit knife on the coffee table, repeatedly dusting it with carbon powder⁴, when she suddenly shouted, “Captain Song, there’s only one person’s fingerprint on the knife handle!”

Song Yuhang placed the black and white posthumous portrait⁵ she was holding back onto the offering table⁶. It seemed that during their absence, Bai Ling’s life had undergone earth-shattering changes.

The incense in front of the offering table was still burning, wisps of green smoke curling upwards.

With a wave of her large hand, she led the charge out.

“It seems they didn’t leave long ago. Pursue!”

The follow-up reinforcement units also arrived. Song Yuhang let the police dog⁷ sniff Bai Ling’s personal clothing, patted its back, and the tall, formidable wolfhound⁸ immediately bristled with energy, barking furiously.

The group swiftly got into their vehicles and set off, police lights flashing, sirens wailing across the city.

Dark clouds gathered, and the wind sweeping through the tower heralded a rising storm in the mountains⁹.

---

Jiangcheng City Municipal Bureau.

“Hello, we are from Daily News Channel…”

“Hello, we are from Huimin Newspaper¹⁰…”

“Excuse me, was there a mastermind behind the recent sensational series of teenage suicides?”

“Is it true that two criminal police officers died at Jiangcheng Central Hospital this morning?”

The entrance of the massive Municipal Public Security Bureau was blocked solid¹¹.

“Everyone, please be patient. The case is currently under investigation, no comment. However, once the case is closed, we will immediately hold a press conference to give a satisfactory account to the deceased, their families, the public, and the media.”

The spokesperson bowed deeply before the cameras.

Feng Jianguo paced back and forth in the operations room with his hands clasped behind his back. The large screen in front of him displayed real-time pursuit footage from various teams. Technical personnel were all busy.

His brows were furrowed so tightly they almost formed the character “川” (chuan). He didn’t accept the tea a young detective handed him, waved him away, and walked back to the large screen, grabbing a walkie-talkie.

“Song Yuhang.” His tone was unprecedentedly severe.

Song Yuhang instinctively tensed up. “Yes, sir!”

“This is a tough battle. Although the opponent is only one person, his courage, intellect, counter-reconnaissance awareness, and combat experience are no weaker than a well-trained criminal police officer. Moreover…”

He paused. “The two brothers who sacrificed themselves this morning—their service pistols are missing. This means he now not only has a hostage but also firearms, and could threaten the life of any citizen in this city at any moment.”

“Song Yuhang, all the police officers in Jiangcheng City are your solid backing. At the same time, you will bear the responsibility of protecting the peace of the entire Jiangcheng City. This burden is not light. Are you prepared?”

Feng Jianguo was good in every way, except for one bad habit he’d learned from Bureau Chief Zhao: he loved to give pep talks¹² before an operation.

Song Yuhang smiled faintly, her reply calm and unruffled. “From the first day I became a police officer, I was prepared to dedicate myself, to sacrifice myself at any time. Now, I request that you grant me the highest command authority on site. I will definitely apprehend the murderer and bring him to justice¹³.”

She enunciated the last two words with a hint of gritted teeth, thinking of the two deceased comrades, all the dead children, and Bai Ling, whose whereabouts were unknown and fate uncertain…

She felt a fierce fire burning in her chest.

“Good!” Feng Jianguo’s voice suddenly rose. “Not only will I give you command authority, I will also give you the priority to shoot the suspect. If he violently resists arrest or harms the hostage, shoot him directly without reporting to superiors. I will bear this responsibility!”

Song Yuhang’s heart surged with emotion. If she weren’t sitting, she would have stood up and saluted.

Feng Jianguo continued, “The special police¹⁴ are all on standby. Next, we await your good news.”

---

No good news came; what came was a terrible misfortune.

The police dog stood at the pier, barking incessantly. Rescue workers had retrieved a body from the sea.

“The tide came in. If this girl’s clothes hadn’t been caught on a fishing hook, she might have already…”

Lin Yan shua¹⁵!—pulled open the car door and jumped out. Song Yuhang followed closely, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.

Lin Yan struggled. Song Yuhang held her shoulders, their eyes both red.

“Lin Yan, calm down, you need to calm down!”

Lin Yan gritted her teeth, a hint of moisture seeping from her eyes, and pushed her away. “Calm down? How do you want me to calm down?! Bai Ling’s body is f*cking lying right there, how do you want me to calm down?!!!”

The wind from the sea grew stronger, disheveling their hair.

After roaring, Lin Yan tilted her head back, sucking back tears, turned away to wipe her face, and rushed straight towards the seaside.

“Move aside!” She forcefully shoved aside several recovery personnel and knelt beside Bai Ling. Looking at this familiar face, she could almost still hear her calling “Jiejie” in her ear.

“Don’t… don’t hit me… I’ve seen her.”

“Jiejie, are you okay?”

“Why did you come to work at Milan?”

“Anyway, I go to school during the day and work part-time at night. In a month, I can save enough for tuition.”

“Take this, it’s a gift from Jiejie.”

When she had stuffed the bank card into the girl’s pocket, the panic on the girl’s face—how much it resembled her younger self, overwhelmed by unexpected favor from a rare word of praise or concern from her father, fearing she wasn’t worthy of it.

Behind the elation was a deep-seated inferiority complex.

And what were Lin Yan’s last words to her?

“No need to repay me, ha. Jiejie doesn’t fall for that.”

The sadness and hurt that flickered across the girl’s face at that moment had deeply stung her eyes.

If, on that day, she had given Bai Ling her name and contact information, and also given her the most basic respect and trust, then, in her most desperate moment, when she was in danger, would there have been a moment when she thought of this “Jiejie” who wasn’t her sister?

Then, could it be possible that she wouldn’t have died?

Lin Yan seemed to want to reach out her hand, but looking at Bai Ling’s pale, bloodless face, she retracted it. She bit her teeth, struggling, her shoulders shaking violently.

Song Yuhang caught up from behind, squatted down beside her, and placed a hand on her back, comforting her just as Lin Yan had comforted her.

“Lin Yan, this isn’t your fault.”

Lin Yan sniffled, brushed her hand away. In that instant, Song Yuhang clearly saw a crystalline teardrop slide from the corner of her eye.

However, it was only for an instant.

Lin Yan took a deep breath, opened the investigation kit, took out gloves, and shua!—put them on. “Move aside. We don’t have time for sentimental grieving¹⁶ here. Go do what you’re supposed to do.”

Lin Yan’s emotions always seemed to swing between two extremes: either particularly intense or particularly calm.

But Song Yuhang knew that the Lin Yan who bristled with anger was the real her.

This Lin Yan, forcing herself to calm down and examine the body, was actually suppressing emotions that had reached their absolute limit.

Her emotions were like a taut thread, liable to snap at any moment.

Sometimes, Song Yuhang wished she could just cry, but not now.

One was the head of forensic investigation, the other the on-site supreme commander. If they lost their composure, it would only give the murderer more opportunities.

So, even though her own heart was filled with extreme anger, extreme sorrow, and extreme hatred, she only patted Lin Yan’s shoulder again and stood up, her eyes, tempered by blood and tears, shining with sharpness and acuity.

She said, “Lin Yan, I will personally put him down. When the case is over, I’ll drink with you.”

Lin Yan, head bowed, couldn’t hold back. She wanted to laugh but still choked up a bit. She quickly wiped her tears with a clean part of her shoulder sleeve to avoid contaminating the body.

“Okay. We won’t go home until we’re drunk¹⁷.”

When the forensics team carried the body bag back to the vehicle, Lin Yan glanced back.

Song Yuhang was also looking at her.

They looked at each other silently. The wind surged violently, bringing the salty, damp smell of the ocean.

Lin Yan mouthed two words: Be careful.

Song Yuhang, wearing half-finger tactical gloves, brought two fingers together, lightly tapped her temple twice, then extended the back of her hand in a cool and handsome gesture towards Lin Yan, signaling her to rest assured.

Then, with a sharp flick of her wrist, her gaze turned fierce, signaling everyone to depart for the next target point.

Two vehicles brushed past each other, heading towards their respective battlefields.

---

The autopsy couldn’t wait.

All technical methods in modern criminal investigation provide significant clues for identifying suspects or solving cases, and this case was no exception.

Ever since Lin Yan began studying forensic medicine, she had always firmly believed in Locard’s Exchange Principle¹⁸, just as Song Yuhang believed that “there is no such thing as a perfect crime in the world.”

—Every corner he stood in, every object he touched, everything he left behind, not just his fingerprints and footprints, his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he broke, the tools he left, the paint he scraped, the blood or saliva he left or collected… even if he was completely unaware, he would leave a silent witness against him.

…

As Lin Yan rapidly dissected Bai Ling’s body, she even recalled the words her professor had spoken during her first anatomy class in her freshman year.

She was muttering, completely unaware of it herself.

Duan Cheng, shouldering the camera, leaned closer and heard: “Bai Ling… tell me… tell Jiejie… tell me what you didn’t finish saying… tell me who that person is…”

Duan Cheng was taken aback. Looking at her slightly reddened eyes and her disheveled hair tucked under the surgical cap, his expression became somewhat complicated.

“Forensic Examiner Lin…”

Lin Yan had already used scissors to cut the sutures on the corpse’s abdomen. Instantly, a gush of bloody fluid mixed with organ fragments poured out, forcing Duan Cheng to stumble back several steps.

Lin Yan supported herself on the autopsy table, panting slightly, her eyes glaring so wide they seemed to split¹⁹. “Tell Song Yuhang, I know who he is! He’s not Yu Xinye, he’s Li Yang!”

---

“Are you really going to do this?”

The man being questioned swirled the crimson liquid in his stemmed wine glass, looking down at the brightly lit city.

“Yes. I just want to see how far she can go.”

“Not afraid I’ll kill her?”

“If you have the ability, then go ahead.”

The man turned and walked away, his black robe sweeping past, carrying a heavy scent of blood.

The other man frowned, as if in disgust, then raised the red wine and drained it in one gulp.

Police sirens were already wailing downstairs.

---

In the autopsy room, Duan Cheng held his phone to Lin Yan’s ear. Lin Yan’s hands didn’t stop moving, scooping out abdominal fluid.

“Yes, both kidneys are gone…”

Song Yuhang was momentarily choked up, then gritted her teeth. “Why are you sure it’s Li Yang and not Yu Xinye?”

The reason she thought the murderer was Yu Xinye and not Li Yang was because Li Yang had no motive to kill Li Hai—firstly, he was his biological older brother, and secondly, if she were Yu Xinye, having narrowly escaped death, only to find his wife had betrayed him and abandoned their young daughter to elope with someone else…

Any man with normal red-blooded feelings would find it hard to tolerate, let alone someone who had been buried in a mine disaster for seven or eight days. In that dark, long, waterless, foodless, confined, and life-threatening situation, even if he survived, he would suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

This could also be the trigger for his psychopathic killing.

Lin Yan, after hearing her, shook her head. “Have you forgotten? Auntie Yu said that both Li Hai and Li Yang studied medicine. Their family had been doctors for generations. Li Hai got into medical school, but Li Yang dropped out halfway. This incision and suturing technique—it’s really not something you can do without some medical foundation!”

Song Yuhang felt as if she’d been suddenly enlightened²⁰. Shua!—she snatched the map from someone nearby, her speech quickening.

“Meaning, he has some medical knowledge. Then he should also know that a kidney transplant requires complete surgical instruments and sterile conditions. So, his possible location would be…”

Song Yuhang drew a circle on the map with her pen.

“All major hospitals have increased security. He just removed the kidneys; to preserve organ viability, he must transplant them as soon as possible. So his range of activity won’t exceed Jiangcheng City.”

Song Yuhang’s gaze shifted to the suburbs. Lin Yan heard her shouting on the other end, “All units, move out immediately! Target: all hospitals and health clinics in the suburbs! If the suspect violently resists arrest, he can be killed on the spot!”

A faint, gratified smile touched Lin Yan’s lips. Before she could be happy for long, her hand, reaching into the thoracic cavity, froze.

As if in disbelief, she made a single incision from top to bottom with the scalpel, cut through the ribs with bone rongeurs²¹, and the entire thoracic and abdominal cavity was exposed to her eyes.

Duan Cheng, shouldering his camera, stumbled back several steps in fright, knocking over an instrument tray. He pointed at the autopsy table, his face deathly pale, speechless for a long moment.

“The… the internal organs…”

The entire chest cavity had been completely hollowed out. The scene was sinister, bizarre, and terrifying.

Lin Yan gradually clenched her jaw, hearing her teeth make a “gege”²² sound.

It was trepidation, trembling, fear, and also excitement.

Her eyes were already blood-red, filled with hatred.

She enunciated each word, through gritted teeth: “It’s you… you’ve come back…”

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LP: Re-translated on May 17, 2025

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