Chapter 5 The Bone Collector

  Zhang Tong shook his head. "I don't think so. This is too one-sided. The person very patiently removed all the bones from the deceased's body, not a single one was left. I carefully examined all the remaining parts of the deceased, and there wasn't a single place with any residual bones, not even a small piece. It's as if this person took away a unique treasure. He is collecting bones, and these remaining dead bodies are equivalent to a pile of garbage in his eyes, discarded without hesitation in the wilderness. As for the skull, I think it's because the structure was too complex, so the perpetrator simply took everything away. From the wounds on the deceased's body, I couldn't see any signs of hesitation when cutting. Generally speaking, the first time someone kills, there will be some dragging marks left behind. But the wound on this deceased person is very neat and tidy, without any dragging or hesitation. It's clear that he has done it before."

  More than an hour later, Wang Yan walked into the autopsy room with a dusty and tired look, put on a work uniform from the wall, and came to the autopsy table. She stared at the thing in front of her without making a sound. There was no skull or palms and soles. The internal organs of the deceased had been hollowed out. All the bones on the body had been removed, leaving only an empty skin bag. It can be seen that the murderer's knife skills are excellent, able to hollow out everything while still leaving the shell intact.

  "It's really hard to believe. This is actually a personal matter. How could this murderer have done it." After a long time, Wang Yanan finally cursed loudly.

  Pan Jian handed Wang Ya Nan a toxicology report: "Captain Wang just sent it over."

  Wang Yan looked at the report briefly and frowned, asking: "What is this thing about Shu Anning?"

  "They are all sedatives. The amount found in the deceased is enough to knock out a horse." Zhang Tong said, moving the deceased's legs outward and trying to expose the skin at the root of their thighs. "I still haven't found any injection holes after searching three times."

  "Is it possible for an overdose of tranquilizers to cause death."

  "Of course, it can be done. However, the deceased did not die directly from an overdose of tranquilizers. Based on the height and weight of the body (Note: According to research in osteology, the skeletal weight of adults accounts for one-fifth of their total body weight. The approximate weight of the deceased was calculated based on this. From the fat content, it can be seen that the deceased's physical indicators were normal before death. According to the normal development ratio of human height and weight, the calculation formula is: height minus weight, then multiply by 0.9. Therefore, the approximate height of the deceased can be calculated without bones... The source of this information comes from "Forensic Medicine and the Secrets of the Human Body"). The amount of tranquilizers in her body was only enough to put her into a deep coma. This may cause organ failure and eventually lead to death. However, it is worth noting that some people have a certain degree of resistance to this tranquilizer. And as for the deceased, at least she was still alive when ** happened."

  "What did you say?" Wang Yan looked at Zhang Tong in surprise.

  "Look," Zhang Tong stretched out his right hand, pointing with his index finger at what appeared to be the chest area of the deceased and said, "I've carefully examined all the wounds on the body. The muscle tissue around the incision sites all show a certain degree of blood stasis. This indicates that at that time, the blood in the deceased's body was still circulating. In other words, she was still alive. And here, where the third and fourth ribs should be, take a closer look... do you notice anything unusual?"

  Wang Yanan walked up and examined it carefully. After a while, she raised her head and said: "This side seems to have some irregular wounds."

  "Yes, it was pierced with something similar to a steel hook. We can imagine that the perpetrator hooked the deceased's special part with a hook. The hook hung firmly on the deceased's third and fourth ribs. And this position is close to the deceased's left ventricle. It is highly likely that the hook directly pierced the heart, entered the left ventricle, blood flowed out quickly, and entered the lungs. If my inference is not wrong, the deceased was suffocated by his own blood. The duration was very long, and during this period, the deceased's blood also flowed out quickly. I think this is the cause of death."

  "It's too cruel." Wang Yanan's face looked extremely ugly.

  "It sounds so familiar." muttered Pan Jian, the assistant beside him. Immediately, Wang Ya Nan and Zhang Tong looked at him simultaneously. He hastily explained, "It's like this. My father works in a meat processing plant. When I was young, I often went there to play. What you just said is very similar to the method of slaughtering pigs used there."

  "Go on."

  "They usually use a meat hook to hang the pig from this part of its body after it's been slaughtered, and then further dissect it. Their movements are very skilled, in just a few minutes, the pig is cut into different parts."

  "Are we looking for a butcher?"

  "I don't think so," Zhang Tong shook his head. "This is too one-sided. The killer carefully removed all the bones from the victim's body, not a single one was left behind. I've examined every part of the victim that was left, and there wasn't a single place with any bone residue, not even a small piece. It's as if he took away a unique treasure. He's collecting bones, and to him, the remaining parts of the victim are just like trash, discarded without hesitation in the wilderness. As for the skull, I think it's because the structure is too complex, so the killer simply took everything. From the wounds on the victim's body, I couldn't see any signs of hesitation when the knife was used. Generally speaking, the first time someone kills, there will be some dragging marks left behind. But the wounds on this victim were clean and neat, without any dragging or hesitation. It's clear that he's not a novice."

  "You're saying that this person collects bones from living people." As she said this, Wang Yan suddenly felt the temperature around her drop to an abnormal chill. She couldn't help but shiver. Then she added another sentence: "There are actually still people in this world who would kill for the sake of collecting bones."

  "With a serious face, Zhang Tong said: 'If this person is obsessed with human skeletons, then killing someone in his eyes is just a necessary step to get the collection he desires.'"

  When she heard this, Wang Yan couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. She realized that Zhang Tong was right. Because at present, it seems that only in this way can we explain why all the bones on the deceased's body were taken away.

  The title of "Bone Collector" spread across the entire network overnight. The largest forum in Tianchang City, "Tianchang Tea House", was filled with all sorts of chilling speculations about the "Bone Collector". Of course, dissatisfaction with the efficiency of the Tianchang Public Security Bureau's handling of the case also grew increasingly intense.

  When Zhang Tong pushed open the door and walked into the conference room, Li Ju's gloomy face made her suddenly feel the severity of the situation.

  "Everyone is here. Let's discuss our views on this case. Xiao Zhang, you're the forensic doctor who took over. You first."

  She nodded and stood up: "The deceased is a female, aged between 20 to 30 years old. She has never given birth to a child. Her skin is delicate, showing good maintenance. The subcutaneous tissue is elastic, and nutrition is sufficient. The cause of death is currently temporarily identified as hemorrhagic shock combined with pulmonary infection. Because the deceased's entire skeleton, including her palms, soles, and skull, have not been found yet, I am unable to make a further judgment on her identity. The time of death was between 19 to 24 hours ago."

  "Unidentified corpse. If the origin of this body can't be determined, it will be very difficult for us to crack the case." Deputy Captain Zhao Yun couldn't help but mutter to himself as he closed his notebook.

  "That's right, the identification of the body is our most difficult problem at present." Wang Yan frowned and said, "However, for missing adults, our grassroots police stations generally do not file a case with us until 48 hours later. How can we find them?"

  Director Li sighed: "It seems that we can only fish a needle out of the sea now. I'll issue a 'Body Identification Notice' immediately." He glanced at his watch. "There are still five hours before 6 pm tonight. It's just in time for the evening news. I'll contact the Radio and Television Center right away. Xiao Wang, after the meeting, please prepare a brief report for me immediately.

  Wang Yanan nodded.

  "As for the 'Bone Collector' case, we can no longer track down the origin of this title." Li said seriously. "You must pay attention to this in the future, Major Crimes Unit. The scene must be strictly controlled and messages cannot be leaked casually, lest it cause unnecessary panic among the masses. Today's matter will end here. I hope you all learn a lesson from this and make sure to pass on this requirement to everyone, so that each person is clear about it. Do you understand?"

  "I understand." Wang Yanan's face turned red and white.

  "Alright. This case is still handled by your major crimes unit. Xiao Wang, solve the case as soon as possible. Every citizen in the city is watching us. If there's any difficulty, come find me directly."

  Wang Yanan bit her lip and nodded vigorously.

  After the meeting, Zhang Tong deliberately stood at the door of the conference room to wait for Wang Ya Nan. When he saw her walking up close, he went forward and comfortingly patted her back: "Ya Nan, don't worry, you still have me."

  Wang Yanan smiled wryly and subconsciously wrapped his arms around Zhang Tong's slender shoulders, saying: "No need to remind me, we're two ants tied to the same string."

  Zhang Tong smiled slightly and walked out shoulder to shoulder with him.

  "By the way, it's been a long time since I've seen your old classmate from the prosecutor's office." Wang Yanan asked while walking and looking up.

  Zhang Tong's heart skipped a beat. Indeed, it had been a long time since she last saw Liu Chunxiao. Nor had she received any calls from him. She curled her lip: "He's a big prosecutor, busy of course. What's wrong? You miss him?"

  Wang Yanan's face turned a little red: "No way! I wonder what he wants."

  Zhang Tong suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Wang Ya Nan, saying word by word: "Ya Nan, we've known each other for a very long time now. I can say that I'm the one who understands you the most. I deal with death every day. As your friend, I give you some sincere advice: if you like someone, go after them boldly and confess your feelings. Believe in yourself. Do you understand? This life is not long enough for us to have time to regret. At your age, you can't afford to delay anymore. Liu Chun Xiao is a good person, a good man who can be trusted with one's life. If you're sure about him, I'll support you."

  Wang Yanan's nose turned sour: "Thank you, Xiao Tong."