Chapter 491 - 505: Scattered
You’re not scared?
An Ning shook her head.
"What’s so scary about the dead? It’s the living you have to be afraid of."
"Besides, even if they turned into ghosts, I could still catch them. I’m just that amazing in both the Yin and Yang Two Realms."
An Ning trailed off, ending up praising herself on the spot.
What should have been the serious atmosphere of a criminal investigation was twisted by her into something with an absurdly mystical feel.
Shen Weidong was puzzled. ’Wasn’t she supposed to be a talented individual who contributed to scientific research? Could she be someone who researches Mysticism for scientific purposes?’
The higher up the ladder you went, the more unique the understanding of Mysticism became.
After all, it was a tradition passed down from the ancestors to select auspicious dates for important matters. And wherever you could see water—be it a sea or a river—or a bridge, there would always be a statue.
Sometimes, it wasn’t just a statue.
"You have a point, but this is a burial ground. How do you know you weren’t digging up someone else’s grave?"
Shen Weidong’s question actually made An Ning pause. That thought had never crossed her mind.
An Ning subconsciously glanced at Huang Daxian, then back at Shen Weidong.
"I have complete faith in Huang Daxian. But the soil is fresh, and I haven’t heard about anyone passing away recently, so it probably isn’t someone from the village. Besides, graves aren’t dug this shallow, and there isn’t even a burial mound."
The more An Ning spoke, the more points she made, and every one of them was reasonable. The possibility of an unidentified body was indeed very high.
Shen Weidong agreed that she had a point and ordered the officers behind him to begin their work.
The gloved officers, holding semi-professional tools, started digging.
As the branches were moved aside, everyone saw the hand An Ning had mentioned. It was not a pleasant sight, and some of the onlookers were already starting to regret their curiosity.
The scene was quickly cordoned off. As the police tape went up, the gawking crowd backed away, craning their necks to watch from a distance.
The officers in the center were digging. After a few scoops, the hand was fully exposed.
The digging continued.
The unidentified body wasn’t buried deep. A complete corpse was soon uncovered. It appeared to be a woman, and she hadn’t been dead for very long; you could still make out some color on her clothes.
Thanks to the cold winter weather, the body was very well-preserved.
"AHHH—"
"Oh my god!"
"Don’t look, don’t look!"
The people in the back said not to look, but they couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances.
Shen Weidong paid them no mind. He wasn’t in the business of policing people’s idle chatter. As long as they didn’t interfere with the investigation, they could say whatever they wanted.
He directed his men to lift the body out, preparing to take it back to the station for further investigation.
Two men positioned themselves at either end of the unidentified body, one to lift the feet and the other the head. A dead body is heavier than a living person, so both men braced themselves and lifted with great force.
"AHHH—"
"Holy shit!"
Those two screams were followed by a wave of more shrieking and retching.
"BLECH—"
"BLECH—"
"I can’t take it!"
"AHHH— SOB SOB SOB—"
With people crying, screaming in fear, and vomiting their guts out, the scene descended into chaos.
Shen Weidong, however, remained still. He just stared at the foot that had landed near his own—a foot that was supposed to be attached to the body—and frowned.
The corpse... had fallen apart.
Just as the two men had lifted it with force, the entire body had collapsed like a toppled stack of blocks, scattering across the ground. THUD. THUD. The parts rolled a little.
The head happened to roll to a stop right at Yu Zheng’s feet. He let out a yelp and threw his arms around the psychologist, Qiu Rui, who was standing beside him.
This time, An Ning wasn’t scared. She realized things were not as simple as they seemed.
The cuts on the body parts were incredibly clean and precise.
She crouched down and looked at an arm on the ground. At the point of connection, there was a very fine thread.
’Murder, dismemberment, and then stitching the body back together.’
’Only a total deviant could do something like this.’
An Ning stood up, reached back, and pulled the terrified Yu Zheng away. "You should get out of here for now."
"No! I’m staying wherever you are."
Yu Zheng insisted on staying, trying his best to explain, "I’m not scared. It just... caught me off guard."
An Ning was quite understanding. She turned to the very calm-looking Qiu Rui and asked, "Are you okay?"
Qiu Rui shook her head and even took a few steps toward An Ning. In a highly professional tone, she said, "The body was clearly stitched together, which indicates the killer has a severe psychological disorder. As for what kind, that will require more specific analysis. It could be antisocial personality disorder, or perhaps..."
As Qiu Rui analyzed the situation on the spot, she earned admiring glances from several people, including Yu Zheng.
An Ning looked at Qiu Rui with appreciation. "You also minored in criminal psychology?"
"Oh? How did you know? Are you a fan of it, too?"
Having accidentally revealed this little peculiar interest of hers, Qiu Rui’s eyes lit up as she looked at An Ning.
"I’ve dabbled in it, but I’m no expert. For now, could I trouble you to return to your role as a psychologist and provide some counseling for Yu Zheng?"
Qiu Rui glanced at Yu Zheng, who was forcing a smile, and said gently, "Of course."
Her voice had a soothing quality that could calm the heart.
They were probably the only team to ever conduct a psychological counseling session at a crime scene with a dismembered corpse.
"Secure the scene. Be more careful this time."
Shen Weidong gave the order, and all the officers began to collect the body parts.
Fortunately, the parts hadn’t scattered far. They gathered every piece and placed them on a sheet.
"I think you’ve just handed me a major case."
"And I think there are more bodies nearby."
Shen Weidong and An Ning looked at each other, both seemingly certain the other was right.
"I’ll have my men search this entire area. Are you staying, or...?"
An Ning scanned her surroundings, and the Copper Coin reappeared in her hand.
"I’ll point out a few locations for you, then I’ll leave."
Before Shen Weidong’s eyes, the Copper Coin in An Ning’s hand began to flip in the air in a way that defied science. An Ning’s fingers moved as if they were phantoms, performing some sort of calculation.
"Ten o’clock, five meters."
"Six o’clock, eight meters."
"Three o’clock, four meters."
"And... right where you are."
She pointed out four locations in total, the last one being right under Shen Weidong’s feet.
Shen Weidong calmly took a few steps back, then called someone over to place a marker on the ground, awaiting further excavation.
An Ning put away the Copper Coin and said to Shen Weidong, "If you need anything else or something comes up, please feel free to contact me."
"Okay. Thank you for your help."
An Ning didn’t stay any longer. She left with Huang Daxian and Yu Zheng, who was still receiving his psychological counseling.
After she left, Shen Weidong’s team did indeed unearth four more bodies in the locations An Ning had pointed out.
In total, that made five corpses, all of which had been stitched together.
"This case really is a big one."
Shen Weidong left some men behind to continue searching for evidence, while he personally led the team to transport the bodies for further examination.
Meanwhile, An Ning, having left the scene, was now sitting in the back of a car. Yu Zheng wasn’t driving; Qiu Rui was.
Yu Zheng sat beside her, giving her directions.
"Turn left up ahead... go straight... turn in here... that’s it, that’s it, we’re here."
The car stopped, and in the back seat, An Ning opened her eyes.