Night Doll - Chapter 40
"Who do you think set this trap?"
Xiao Nan shook her head and said, "Why is it that our focus has been on finding the hidden killer, but we've come up empty-handed? Why have we neglected to investigate Song Xiaomo because she seems to have no motive? Therefore, I can only make a bold assumption: Song Xiaomo has always had a dual personality, like the contrast between day and night, like a devil with an angel's face, only revealing her true colors when she commits murder..."
An Qiqi's mind was in turmoil. The two stopped talking and walked forward one after the other.
The reeds were very tall—a person would vanish without a trace once inside. There were some short grasses along the surrounding path, indicating that this area was rarely trodden; anyone could easily dump a body here unnoticed. Fortunately, the body was discovered, and Song Xiaomo happened to find it. But what did this mean?
Section 108: Chapter Twenty-Three - The Mystery (2)
The night by the lake was deep and dark, the distant mountains turned into silent shadows, and the nearby reeds were shadowy, as if they contained another world.
The next morning, An Qiqi changed her clothes and went into the technical room. The room was ice-cold; the viscera and grotesque human tissues preserved in formalin on the shelves in the corner were a pale color. A white sheet covered the hard bed, and the headless corpse lay on it, a white cloth outlining the curves of a woman's naked body. Perhaps because the head had been completely severed, the corpse looked unusually short, extremely gruesome.
"Have the test results come out yet?" An Qiqi asked the young lab technician next to her.
"Not yet, I'm preparing to perform an autopsy on the deceased."
"Then let's hurry, this is a serious case!"
"Should you excuse yourself?" the lab technician asked while putting on his gloves.
"No need, I've seen this kind of scene many times. Let's begin."
The forensic technician nodded and reached out to lift a corner of the white sheet at the body's feet. Revealing two pale yet full female thighs was the sight. Thinking that the body lying there belonged to the beautiful and alluring He Zhiying, An Qiqi couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat, his eyes welling up with tears. However, he quickly adjusted his breathing, trying to calm his racing heart and remain composed.
"I can tell you're quite nervous. You can go outside and wait for me," the lab technician said.
"Just kidding, why would I be nervous?"
The lab technician took a scalpel from the tray on the table, its cold blade illuminating his eyes. With practiced ease, he inserted the scalpel into the front of the neck, then cut straight down to the lower abdomen. An Qiqi watched as a long gash was sliced open in the middle of the corpse on the autopsy table, like unzipping a white jacket.
Next, the deceased's ribs were broken with a special instrument and removed. Then came her lungs, which were placed on a plate beside her, like a chef taking a freshly cooked dish from a pan and placing it on a plate to serve guests. However, the color of the deceased's lungs was quite unpleasant. An Qiqi had studied anatomy at the police academy and had done quite well in that subject; he could tell that the deceased was a frequent smoker and drinker, and although she was not old, her lungs were clearly aged.
In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning: This corpse is not He Zhiying's! He examined it more carefully, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this was not He Zhiying's body. He Zhiying's arms were not this thick, and the shape of her fingers was different.
"No, she's not He Zhiying at all, she's fake..." An Qiqi's voice rose with joy.
The lab technician was still puzzled by his unusual behavior and stared at him with a look of astonishment.
Just then, the door opened, and Xiao Nan came in with a lab report.
"Hey kid, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"
"What? Not welcome? I went to the office just now, and you weren't there, so I guessed you, workaholic, would be here. I'm here to tell you some good news."
An Qiqi squinted and asked, "Did the identification show that the corpse wasn't He Zhiying's?"
How did you know?
"How come I didn't know?" An Qiqi was in a great mood, but then she fell into deep thought again: What did this mean? It was really strange. He Zhiying had disappeared, and a female corpse was found in the lake, but it wasn't her, so she was still missing. Where did she go? Now the true identity of this corpse had become a terrifying mystery.
Who was the deceased? Who murdered him? And why was he thrown into the lake?
Even more bizarrely, the corpse was wearing the shoes Song Xiaomo had mentioned. It seems the murderer intended to have the body mistaken for He Zhiying, clearly trying to frame Song Xiaomo for the murder. Who could harbor such a horrific scheme?
Where did the murderer get the body from? And where did the head go? Did they kill someone to frame Song Xiaomo? All of this left An Qiqi completely bewildered.
"Since the deceased has been confirmed not to be He Zhiying, then who is this?"
An Qiqi frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Check as soon as possible whether anyone has reported missing to the police station in the past few days, and see if anyone has come to claim the body. If necessary, we can put up a reward notice on television."
"Okay, I'll get on it right now." Xiao Nan walked to the door, then suddenly turned back and said, "Qi Qi, I know you've worried a lot about this. You can temporarily relieve your burden now, but that doesn't prove He Zhiying is out of danger, nor does it clear Song Xiaomo of suspicion. You must follow this lead closely. Team Leader Jin is gradually losing trust in us. If we don't achieve something soon, we really won't be able to explain ourselves..."
Section 109: Chapter Twenty-Three: The Mystery (3)
An Qiqi gave a wry smile: "Don't worry, I'll try my best."
After a while, the autopsy was completed, and the headless female corpse was stitched back together.
"Thank you for your help today, I'll be going now." An Qiqi turned to leave, but after a few steps she turned back. "By the way, did you find the fingerprints I asked your technical department to check last time?"
"Was it the sample collected from the male dormitory at HY University? One of them was confirmed to be Song Xiaomo's."
"That's right, what about the other one?"
"I'm sorry, it's not in the police database, so we can't verify it." The lab technician shrugged.
"Send that fingerprint to my computer, I want to see it."
"OK."
Back in her office, An Qiqi was filled with frustration. She didn't know who owned this fingerprint; it wasn't even in the police database—who had collected fingerprints from everyone at HY University, and practically everyone in the surrounding area! The owner of this fingerprint couldn't possibly be independent of them. Who exactly was this mysterious person named "Song Yun'er" that Song Xiaomo mentioned? Did she even exist?
At noon, An Qiqi didn't rest. He retrieved the fingerprint from his computer and studied it carefully, subconsciously opening the fingerprint verification system to compare the fingerprints. Just as he started comparing, An Qiqi slapped his forehead, remembering that this was his own computer. The police station's fingerprint database didn't have this fingerprint's information, so how could it be on his computer? He smiled wryly and was about to close it when suddenly the fingerprint comparison on the screen stopped, and the two fingerprints slowly overlapped…
An Qiqi was stunned, staring incredulously at the overlapping fingerprints. Yes, it was the same fingerprint... but how could Song Yun'er's fingerprints be on his computer? An Qiqi tried to suppress his wildly beating heart and opened the fingerprint data that had been retrieved. He had only glanced at it once when he suddenly exclaimed and jumped back, his chair crashing against the wall with a "bang".
It took him a long time to calm down. His fingers trembled as he dialed Team Leader Jin's number, barely able to speak: "Team Leader... I found a fingerprint... it's from a dead person... someone who's been dead for two years... our fingerprint database doesn't store fingerprints of dead people..."
Do ghosts really exist in this world? If ghosts do exist, then the theories of many modern disciplines would be overturned. An Qiqi tossed and turned in bed.
If he hadn't been researching the Shen Meixuan case from two years ago, he would have found it difficult to pay attention to a dead person's fingerprints. On one hand, it was progress in solving the case, but on the other hand, it intensified his inner fear. He recalled a story about a man frantically taking photos in his room, trying to capture a ghostly figure, but to no avail. Frustrated, he smashed his camera on the floor, only to find it had taken a picture of him. When he picked it up, he discovered a ghost riding on his neck…
As An Qiqi thought about it, a sudden fear gripped him, and he could only bury his head under the covers. That night was the most agonizing night of his life. The next morning, he was awakened by a phone call from Xiao Nan. Xiao Nan told him on the phone that there was important news and that he needed to get to the police station as soon as possible.
In the police station office, Xiao Nan was talking to a woman dressed in a flamboyant manner. The woman had heavy makeup on her face, and two tear tracks ran down her red-rimmed eyes.
"Qiqi, you've arrived. This is Miss Han Jiaren; she has confirmed that the headless corpse is her sister's."
"Oh, hello, my name is An Qiqi, and I'm the main person in charge of this case."
"Officer An, who could be so cruel?" Han Jiaren sobbed uncontrollably as she spoke.
Do you know the deceased?
"Yes, she's my god-sister, her name is Zhao Xiaoxue. We met at True Love KTV."
An Qiqi immediately understood the identities of the deceased and Han Jiaren; no wonder the deceased's lungs had changed color. He didn't delve into these details, but directly asked, "How much do you know about the deceased?"
"Xiaoxue and I are very, very good sisters. She's usually quite healthy, but she occasionally gets headaches. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, but later, when she went to the hospital for a checkup, she found out she had a tumor in her brain, and it was already in its late stage..."
"Approximately when did she pass away?"
"Three days ago. The hospital even issued a death certificate; you can go and investigate. She had no relatives in this city, and I handled all the funeral arrangements. It's quite infuriating, really; her body was left in the crematorium morgue that night, and when they were preparing for cremation the next morning, she unexpectedly disappeared..."
"Missing? You mean the body disappeared from the crematorium?"
"Yes, the old man who was guarding the body refused to admit that he had lost it and tried to shirk responsibility."
"Old man?" The image of Uncle Park flashed through An Qiqi's mind, then she asked, "Then, Miss Han Jiaren, why didn't you call the police?"
Section 110: Chapter Twenty-Three - The Mystery (4)
"Officer, what good will calling the police do if the body is missing? You police are too busy with cases involving living people to even try to find a dead body for me."
"It's the truth, please continue."
"This morning, I was washing up in the bathroom when a friend ran in and said she saw a missing person notice on TV, so I rushed to the police station immediately. Xiaoxue had a very small burn scar on her arm, something most people wouldn't notice, which confirmed that the body was Xiaoxue..."
"Very good, very good..." An Qiqi nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for the clue, Miss Han Jiaren. You can go and collect your reward now."
"That's not why I came. To be honest, I'm glad we found Xiaoxue's body, but..."
"Don't worry, we'll find her head!"
The autumn rain was icy cold. The recent weather in South Korea was somewhat like China's plum rain season, with constant downpours. An Qiqi drove, expressionless, watching the colorful cityscape gradually fade in the rain, like paint being washed away.
The car drove slowly in the rain, taking a long time to reach the crematorium. An Qiqi and Xiao Nan, holding black umbrellas, gazed at the sorrowful faces and headed straight for the morgue. An Qiqi's mood was very low, and she looked exhausted.
"Are you suspicious of Park Eun-hee?"
An Qiqi paused for a moment, then said, "At this point, anyone can be suspected. Do you remember the strange story I told you about the crematorium?"
"You mean, the thing about Uncle Park being frightened by a corpse?"
"That's right!" An Qiqi suddenly stopped, staring into Xiao Nan's eyes, and said, "I initially thought that young man was joking, but now I'm starting to believe it!"
"Believe in what?"
An Qiqi hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, "I suspect that... Shen Meixuan might not be dead at all!"
"Not dead?" Xiao Nan's face showed surprise and doubt. "What's your evidence?"
"Of course, from a scientific point of view, this is impossible; resurrection is pure nonsense. Generally speaking, the standard for determining death is that the heart stops beating, all organs of the body cease to function, the liver stops producing blood, and the entire body completely loses its mobility. However, modern medicine has a stricter distinction, dividing human death into cardiac death and brain death. Many people believe that only when the brain is dead can a person be considered truly dead."
"You mean, even if a person's heart has stopped beating, as long as their brain is still conscious, they can't be said to be dead?"
"That's probably true. There have been some cases in the medical field where, for example, someone's heart has stopped beating, but they still have a very weak electroencephalogram (EEG). At some point, they might wake up again through sheer willpower, leading some medical professionals to propose the concept of brain death. However, such cases are extremely rare; most people experience brain death along with cardiac death. Moreover, even if someone isn't immediately brain dead, the chances of reviving them are slim. First, it depends on the patient's willpower, and second, the window for resuscitation is very short and difficult to predict."
"Does that mean we have to determine whether someone is brain dead when they die?"
An Qiqi smiled and said, "Not necessarily. In some cases, like when the police are investigating a case, if the person has been dead for more than 48 hours, then they are definitely dead. How could they possibly have time to find equipment to determine brain death?"
"But even if it's been more than forty-eight hours, can we be absolutely certain that his brain is dead? Maybe some people have exceptionally strong willpower," Xiao Nan raised her doubts.
An Qiqi nodded: "Based on that fingerprint and this incident, I suspect that Shen Meixuan may have only faked her death and then came back to life."
"This...this is just hypothetical, isn't it!"
"That's right, we don't have enough evidence yet, so I wanted to come and find out more about the situation from Uncle Park. I don't want Park Eun-hee to get involved in this... But right now, he's the most likely person to move Shin Mi-hyun. He grew up in a crematorium and knows the terrain here like the back of his hand. It wouldn't be difficult for him to move someone or steal a body..." An Qiqi said to Yu Wu with a solemn expression.
"Now that you mention it, I think I understand. He's the one who's been living with Song Xiaomo all along, and he was also there at the scene at Huangquan Beach that day. Plus, with the hypnosis you suggested, it's not an impossible task for a psychology student like him..."
"Is it really him?" A strange feeling swept through An Qiqi's heart. The scene from that night flashed through his mind: Park Eun-hee's lifeless expression, and the urn in the soil. He couldn't help but ask himself: Eun-hee, how much more do you still not know about me? If it really is you, what is your purpose?
Section 111: Chapter Twenty-Three - The Mystery (5)
When the two arrived at the crematorium, a middle-aged man greeted them. Upon hearing they were there for Uncle Park, the man's expression darkened: "You're too late. Uncle Park is already dead?"
"Dead?" An Qiqi's mouth dropped open, and she didn't react for a long time.
"How did you die?"
"He committed suicide by overdose... That day, a woman came by, cursing and swearing, insisting that Uncle Park had lost her sister's body. Maybe he had a moment of despair, and then..."
Suppressing her grief, An Qiqi asked, "Did he really commit suicide?"
"Yes, we found him dead when we made our rounds at three o'clock yesterday morning. After the doctor's examination, it was confirmed that he committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills," the middle-aged man said with certainty.
An Qiqi and Xiao Nan exchanged glances, and after a long while, An Qiqi asked, "Was that woman's body really dumped from here?"
"This..." The middle-aged man hesitated, then said in a low voice, "The crematorium is a cursed place. As for whether it's missing, only the ghosts know. You know, not only dead people, but even living people have gone missing..."
"You've even lost living people?"
"Yes, a mover once disappeared unexpectedly. However, it will remain a mystery forever."
Can you tell me?