Chapter 8: Two Lives at Stake

  Wang San, originally named Wang Lizi, was a somewhat famous painter and photographer who went missing at the age of twenty-eight. Ten years ago, he bid farewell to his girlfriend and family, saying he wanted to wander for a year, seeking inspiration for his paintings and photographs in the mountains and waters. However, he never returned after that trip.

  A few years ago, his family had already applied to the court for a declaration of death, so in the eyes of the law, he was already a dead man!

  Is he the one who went missing ten years ago? Ula also went missing ten years ago, is this a coincidence? Yan Feng fell silent, and in his heart, Ula's face emerged again. Apart from her mother who was abroad and had no news, she was his only relative, and he hadn't applied to the court for a declaration of Ula's death, so legally she was still alive, but was she really dead or alive? What about his own dreams then? If she were alive, where would she be, and why didn't she appear? If she were dead, where did her head go?

  "Besides, the preliminary autopsy results are out." Gulong's words broke his reverie, "Can you hear me?"

  "I can." Yan Feng straightened his back.

  Wu La has been missing for ten years, he had all the psychological preparation, but that day was so flustered because suddenly saw her body, could not imagine it would be that way, nor did I expect to "meet" in such an environment.

  "The female corpse - it can be confirmed that it is indeed Ula." Gulong carefully chose a less stimulating sentence, "Although we don't have complete dental and fingerprint records like foreign countries do, the clues you provided are relatively detailed, and the female corpse has all the characteristics you mentioned."

  "Is that so? She's really dead!" Yanzhong said softly, without knowing whether he was saying it to Gulong or just muttering to himself.

  "For more detailed questions, I think we should ask the forensic doctor in person."

  "Good."

  "I'm telling you, this forensic officer is a peculiar person!" Gu Long said with a light tone while walking, trying to dispel the gloom on Yan Feng's face. "She's an outstanding female forensic doctor, but she's already 37 years old and still unmarried. It's not because of work-related reasons, but because..."

  "Aren't you going to recommend another woman to me again?" Yan Feng sighed helplessly.

  "This time it's not. Although I don't oppose older women and younger men, after all, sister-brother romance is popular now, and according to scientific judgment, this is the most biologically compatible combination." Gu Long smiled, "However, she is more extreme, you will definitely not be able to accept her."

  "What kind of extreme method?"

  "Not extreme, but a bit polarized, both in personality and appearance."

  "What exactly do you want to say?" Yanzhong saw that Gulong's expression was strange and felt a bit curious.

  Her nickname is Two Lives.

  What does it mean?

  The old dragon suddenly whistled, completely losing the mature and steady appearance of a county public security bureau chief, but somewhat like returning to his university days, still that young man who peeked at passing girls with a group of boys by the window.

  "It means - her figure is plump, the kind of sexy and beautiful body that men imagine, but whatever you do, don't look at her face. It's not that she's ugly to the point of being unrecognizable, it's just that she looks a bit... rough, and her makeup skills aren't great either, so people always feel like something is off about her. If she walks towards you from afar, her figure will make men fall in love with her, but when they get close and see her face, they'll be scared to death! Falling in love once, being scared to death once - isn't that two lives lost?"

  "Who is this scoundrel who insults women, how exaggerated!" Yanzhong cursed Gulong and followed him into the autopsy room.

  The morgue, he was a frequent visitor, the smell and environment inside had long been familiar to him, so as soon as he entered, he looked towards the autopsy table, just in time to see a woman turn around.

  She had something like a gas mask on her face, and her face was invisible. Perhaps she didn't realize someone had come in, and just as she finished working, she casually took off her gloves and overalls, exposing her figure to the eyes of Yan Feng.

  She was wearing a tight-fitting red velvet dress that clung to her body like a second skin, with her arms and calves exposed outside, her skin wasn't white, but it was very smooth, plump and even, for a moment, Yan Feng thought she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.

  "Rong Yi, is there a result?" Gu Long asked.

  "Of course, don't you even see who I am?" replied a female forensic doctor named Rong Yi, her voice a bit rough, ruining the overall aesthetic.

  "This is Yan Feng, who has come to assist us in cracking the case, Officer Yan." Gu Long introduced.

  "Hello." The female forensic doctor stretched out a beautiful hand and removed her mask with the other.

  Yan Feng took a few steps forward, out of politeness grasped the beautiful hand extended to him, but the words of greeting did not come out, because Rong Yi's face suddenly appeared in front of him.

  Her face was a genuine square shape, with a straight nose and wide mouth, and her eyebrows were also thick. Her eyes were large, but they felt very stiff. However, none of this mattered, as it could all be compensated for with makeup. But apparently, Rong Yi had overdone it - her healthy wheat-colored complexion was covered in a thick layer of white powder, her already thick eyebrows were painted on even thicker, and her relatively large lips were smeared with bright red lipstick. Her short hair didn't suit her face shape either. She wasn't ugly, per se, but she gave off an extremely awkward feeling, all angles and corners!

  Yan Feng didn't say a word, so he could only use body language to make up for it, and smiled at the female forensic doctor.

  "If you want to see the autopsy results, come on." Rong Yi gave Yan Feng a strange look, put his gloves back on, and lifted the white cloth covering the autopsy table.

  Yan Feng did not expect the female forensic doctor to be so swift and fierce, that familiar female body suddenly appeared in his sight, making him subconsciously turn his face away.

  Rong Yi looked at him again, seemingly unable to comprehend that a seasoned detective like him was actually afraid of dead bodies.

  "The deceased died between seven to ten days ago, considering the local climate, it's more likely around ten days. Judging from the skin texture and internal organs of the female corpse, the deceased is unlikely to be over twenty-five years old. As for the origin of the man's head, you probably already know, no need for me to elaborate. Neither the male nor female deceased showed signs of struggle before death, the killer was skilled and calm when cutting off limbs, with accurate and precise cuts, and the tool used was a professional one."

  "Is the murderer a butcher?" Gu Long asked.

  "I think it's more likely to be medical personnel," said Rong Yi calmly. "You have to know that cutting off a person's head isn't easy, you see, the cut is smooth, there's hardly any flesh torn, and the cervical vertebrae are neatly disarticulated. I mentioned earlier that this requires professional tools, and I suspect it's surgical equipment used by doctors. Moreover, this is a female corpse with a male head, assuming it was done by one person, they would have to cut twice."

  "Medical personnel?" Gu Long asked again.

  "This is just my speculation, assuming there are no autopsy enthusiasts." Yung Yi replied concisely, "Does Officer Yan have any questions?"

  "You said this female deceased is under twenty-five years old?" Yanzhong still didn't want to look at the corpse, but he noticed a point that was inconsistent with logic.

  Wu La was 22 years old when she went missing, and it has been ten years since then, so now she should be 32 years old. How could she still not have reached the age of 25?

  "Could it be because of good maintenance that judgment was mistaken?" he asked.

  "Proper maintenance can have an impact on the skin, but I'm not just relying on the texture and elasticity of the skin, also taking into account the muscles, internal organs, teeth and other comprehensive conditions. If you have any objections, you can ask another forensic expert to verify."

  "Lao Yan didn't mean it that way." Gu Long saw Rong Yi looking a bit offended, so he quickly smoothed things over: "We suspect the female victim is a missing person, all the detailed characteristics match perfectly, but the age condition is different. And the probability of others having those characteristics is too small, so Lao Yan asked this question."

  "Oh, I see. Alright, I'll re-examine it again. Also, although the deceased didn't show any signs of struggle before death, whether they were beheaded while still alive or dismembered after death needs further examination, probably in a day or two."

  "Hmm, this is very important. It can help us determine the relationship between the deceased and the murderer." Gu Long said: "But if the deceased didn't struggle, isn't it possible that the likelihood of being dismembered after death is a bit higher? Because think about it, no matter how familiar or good the relationship is, there won't be anyone who wants to cut off someone else's head, and that person doesn't even fight back, just letting others take out their knife."

  "That's not necessarily true," Yung Yi said, emotionless. "There is an anesthetic that can numb the entire body while keeping the mind clear, allowing the victim to watch as their limbs are cut off. However, under such terror, the heart will show some characteristics, and I will carefully examine them."

  "Trouble Doctor Wang."

  "Don't be polite, it's all for work," Rong Yu said, glancing at Yan Feng for the third time.

  "Where is Officer Yan from?" she asked.

  Yan Feng was thinking about something and when Rong Yi asked him this question, he hastily replied: "A city."

  "Yes, he's an old classmate of mine, nicknamed the King of Forensic Science! This time he's here to help me out, it's a business exchange."

  Rong Yi ignored Gu Long's interjection and continued to speak to Yan Feng, "Oh, that's a big city. I've heard there have been several major cases there, I'm not sure if I'll have the honor of inviting Officer Yan out for a meal, please tell me about it." As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Yan Feng, and she gave him a once-over from head to toe, making Yan Feng feel somewhat uneasy.

  "Of course!" He said politely: "When I'm free, I'll definitely invite Dr. Rong to come over."

  "Congratulations, she's taken a liking to you!" Gu Long teased as they walked out the door: "Dr. Rong is indeed a passionate person, this is what I meant by the second interpretation of 'two lives'. The people she takes a liking to, she can love to death with passion; if she dislikes someone, she can freeze them to death without batting an eye. It's clear that you're one of the people she likes, and your charm really is irresistible to women from fifteen to fifty years old."

  "Stop wasting words and quickly investigate the travel group from ten days ago." Yanfeng furrowed his brow.

  Things are getting more and more complicated.

  If the female corpse was under twenty-five years old, then it must not be Ula. But if it wasn't her, why did the body have so many unique characteristics that were exactly the same? Coincidence? Or is there another explanation? Is she dead or alive?

  What's going on with Wang Lizi? Where is his body and her head?

  What is the purpose of the murderer? Is it related to the disappearance case of students from Yuanshui City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital that year?

  And what about that poor girl who was bullied? What's the deal with her nightmare? Is it really related to psychological suggestion or brain waves?

  His mind conjured up that lonely and stubborn figure - how lovely was the name Cheng Linglong!

  But at this moment, Ula's azure eyes looked up from the bottom of his heart, cold and stern. If what Rong Yi said was true, that there was a kind of anesthetic, thinking of Ula having to live to see himself being dissected, his guilt took over his entire body and mind once again.