Chapter 6: Huntington's Disease

  The courier forced a smile: "Old lady, the address and name are all correct. You see...the recipient column is written as Zhang Tong. So, you can rest assured. Just ask your daughter when she comes back."

  The old man finally closed the door with a half-believing expression. The courier let out a sigh of relief and muttered to himself as he turned around and walked towards the elevator.

  Very soon, the strange express package from across the ocean was completely forgotten by the courier. After all, he handled hundreds of packages every day. And this kind of thing where the recipient doesn't know the sender is nothing out of the ordinary for him. He's an old man, and it's normal that his memory isn't what it used to be. Some younger people are afraid of trouble and don't even want to tell their family about their social circle or friends. This is called "generation gap". Thinking of this, a smile of understanding appeared on the face of the young courier as he walked out of the building.

  "Quick, King's team! We may have found a survivor. The emergency department of the First Hospital just called to report that they have a young girl who is suspected to have escaped from the killer and is currently being rescued."

  As soon as the assistant's voice fell, Wang Yan and Zhao Yun rushed out of the office and ran straight to the underground parking garage.

  Very soon, a sharp sound of wheels scraping the ground came from the garage. To save time, Wang Yan was determined not to let Zhao Yun drive this time.

  The police car sounded its siren and sped towards First Hospital like a whirlwind.

  Time went back about half an hour ago.

  On the prosperous Zhongshan Road, shoppers crowded and jostled each other. The middle of the road was filled with cars coming and going. Impatient drivers honked their horns from time to time, urging the slow-moving cars in front to hurry up.

  Suddenly, the rear door of a white Jinbei bread car near the back door of Tianchangbao Sheng Mall was violently opened. A girl covered in blood jumped out of the car and ran wildly, screaming all the way. She didn't run many steps before crashing into a small truck driving by not far away. The girl fell to the ground instantly.

  The van driver was frightened and quickly opened the door, jumped out of the car, came to the front of the car, and after confirming that he had indeed hit someone, he quickly took out his mobile phone to call the police.

  People shopping on both sides of the road gradually gathered around, looking at the girl who was still twitching in the pool of blood. People's eyes were filled with sympathy.

  Not far from the scene of this strange car accident, a white Jinbei van quietly backed up, turned around, and quickly turned into a nearby fork in the road. Before long, it disappeared, as if it had never appeared at all.

  Today is an extremely unusual day for the nurses and doctors on duty in the emergency department of First Hospital.

  The 120 ambulance rushed the injured girl from the accident scene to the First Hospital. As soon as she was pushed down from the ambulance, this blood-soaked girl reached out and grabbed the nurse beside her, indicating that she had something to say.

  The girl was extremely weak due to excessive blood loss. When she stretched out her hand and pointed at the driver of the small truck in front of her, everyone's first thought was to call security to immediately control the short and stout driver who accompanied her to the hospital. He must be the one responsible for the accident. If he ran away again, it would be a big trouble.

  Who would have thought that the small truck driver would quickly put on an innocent face, waving his hands wildly and loudly arguing: "I didn't hit her, she hit my car herself! I even thought she was a scammer... Heaven and earth are witnesses..."

  The doctor on duty, who rushed to the scene, noticed something unusual about the girl's bloody wound. Although the girl's blood quickly collected into a pool on the rapidly moving stretcher and dripped down, the doctor, who was very familiar with trauma, immediately saw that most of the girl's wounds were caused by sharp objects. The wounds were all located at the joints, rather than being simple injuries from a high-speed car collision.

  At the moment when the girl was pushed into the operating room, the doctor in charge, who had realized that something was wrong, leaned over the girl's mouth as she slowly lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss, trying to hear some useful clues from her constantly trembling lips.

  "He heard a faint and intermittent voice saying 'Call the police... He's going to kill me... knife...'"

  Reminded of the security alert issued by the police in the media and the extensive coverage in newspapers, without any hesitation, the doctor immediately instructed the nurse beside him to call the police.

  When Wang Yan and Zhao Yun rushed to the ICU of the First Hospital, they were stopped at the door without any courtesy. Through the thick glass window, they saw the poor girl on the rescue bed with all sorts of instruments and wires connected to her body. Wang Yan couldn't help but grit his teeth tightly.

  " Auscultation... There's an obstruction in the lungs." The chief physician ordered while listening to the patient's chest with a stethoscope.

  The nurse quickly inserted a pale yellow tube into the patient's body. The plastic tube sucked up pink foam and then drained it onto a metal tray on one side.

  The alveoli were cleared quickly. The patient's face, which was blue-gray just a moment ago, gradually returned to normal.

  Suddenly, the blood pressure monitor emitted a sharp alarm sound. The attending physician yelled: "Blood pressure is too low! Get me two units of O-negative blood, one unit of Ringer's lactate solution and glucose mixture, now! Also check her blood type. Dammit, we don't have much time!"

  Looking at the chaotic scene in the emergency room, Wang Yan couldn't help but turn her head and ask softly: "Zhao Yun, do you think this girl will make it?"

  Zhao Yun did not answer.

  The girl finally left. The cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by excessive blood loss. Standing next to the girl's still warm body, Wang Yan's mood was depressed to the extreme. The rescue room was in disarray, with bloody gauze scattered all over the floor. The beeping of instruments and the angry roar of the chief physician's hoarse voice seemed to still linger in her ears. But carefully listening, the rescue room was now a dead silence. This was the first time she had seen someone die before her eyes. Wang Yan suddenly felt like crying. She raised her head, looking up at the still bright surgical lamp above. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down.

  The conference room of Tianchang Public Security Bureau was packed with people, but there was no sound at all. Everyone was waiting for the arrival of one person.

  Not long after, the sound of high heels echoed in the corridor. Soon, Zhang Tong, dressed in her work uniform, appeared at the door. She didn't say a word and walked to the table with a serious expression.

  "After examination, the deceased's body contained a mixture of suan Ning and ** residue, with a much larger dose than the second deceased. It is clear that the deceased had strong drug resistance to this mixed tranquilizer. Although the murderer increased the dose, the deceased still woke up. And the fresh wounds on the deceased also indicate that it is very likely that the pain from the wound accelerated the deceased's awakening."

  "What's the specific situation with that wound?" Li Ju asked.

  She took out three enlarged photos of the deceased's wounds and stuck them to the whiteboard with magnets. "You see, the chest wound and the three broken ribs are typical of a car accident caused by a head-on collision. And every other injury is precisely at the joints." She then took out the autopsy photo of the second victim and pointed to it, saying, "The injuries on this body are almost identical to those on the first victim."

  "It seems that this case may be related to the previous two cases and might have been done by the same person." He paused for a moment before adding, "Chang Tong continued."

  "Has the identity of the deceased been confirmed?" Li Ju looked at Wang Ya Nan who was sitting opposite him, silent.

  Wang Yan nodded: "The deceased was named Li Xiaoqian. She was a physical education teacher at Tianchang City's First Experimental Primary School before her death."

  "It's no wonder she has such a good physique. She can still run out from the murderer even in such a serious injury condition." Li Ju said with emotion. "Xiao Wang, is there any suspect now?"

  "My subordinates are searching for surveillance footage at the back door of Tianchangbao Sheng Mall. I believe we will have a lead soon. A passerby near the scene said that the deceased should have escaped from a white van. The specific license plate number is not clear for the time being. I will continue to follow up."

  Li's face was solemn: "Three lives have been lost already. We don't have any more time."

  After the meeting, Wang Yanan walked heavily towards her office. As she passed by the entrance hall, the security guard stopped her: "Captain Wang, someone is looking for you."

  Wang Yanan turned around and looked back, somewhat surprised: "Professor Ding, how did you get here?"

  Professor Ding smiled slightly and waved the business card in his hand: "Don't forget, this is what you left for me. I happened to have nothing to do, so I came by to visit. Where's that young fellow who came with you last time?"

  "He's gone with the clue, Professor Ding." Wang Yanan was somewhat absent-minded. At this moment, she really didn't have the heart to exchange pleasantries with the old man in front of her.

  It was clear that the old man had seen the worried look on Wang Ya Nan's face. He pulled Wang Ya Nan to a quiet corner: "I know I'm a troublesome old man, only causing trouble for you police. But this time I came with only one purpose. I want to know the real reason why you looked for me last time because of those few rivets. Can you tell me? I'll leave immediately."

  Wang Yanan's face showed a difficult expression: "I... apologize to Professor Ding. The case is still being processed, it's not convenient to reveal anything."

  Professor Ding sighed and said, "Alright, I'll put it another way. You don't have to say a word. That way, you won't be breaking any rules. Is it related to the 'Bone Collector' in the newspaper?"

  As soon as he heard this, Wang Yan's pupils subconsciously contracted. Just as she was about to speak, the old man waved his hand and interrupted her. He still had a smile on his face: "It doesn't matter. Let it be then. Sorry to bother you, Officer. Remember to come visit me at home when you have time. See you later."

  The old man turned around silently and walked out of the building by himself.

  Looking at the old man's back, Wang Yanan always felt that something was not quite right. She furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, but her mind was still in disarray. Helpless, she shook her head and walked towards the elevator entrance.

  When Zhang Tong pushed the door and walked into the house, her mother was busy in the kitchen. The whole living room was filled with the aroma of food. A relaxed smile also appeared on Zhang Tong's face. She longed for such a warm day.

  It's been two days since I haven't gone home. My mother has always been taken care of by my uncle. This made Zhang Tong feel a lot more at ease. However, after his wife passed away due to illness, Uncle had been single and childless. Zhang Tong couldn't help but feel a little sad for the old man's lonely later years. At this moment, the old man was sitting on the sofa with his back facing the living room entrance, reading the newspaper.

  Uncle (maternal)

  The old man hurriedly stood up: "Tongtong is back. Just in time for dinner. Your mom is cooking. It'll be ready soon."

  "Uncle, thanks for taking care of mom these past few days."

  "It doesn't matter to me anyway. I only have clinic twice a week, it won't take up much time." Uncle smiled at Zhang Tong. "When are you free? Uncle will treat you to dinner."

  "Eat." Zhang Tong was somewhat perplexed.

  "It's like this, you're not getting any younger either. Your mom keeps bringing up your lifelong matters. We have a few young people in our hospital who are quite good. Career-oriented men, but also quite family-oriented. Uncle wants to help you two get together. What do you think?"

  Looking at the old man's kindly smile, Zhang Tong awkwardly pursed his lips: "He doesn't mind that I'm a forensic doctor, dealing with dead people all day."

  The old man chuckled: "How feudal is your brain? I've already taken preventive measures long ago, silly girl! It's just a meal and a meeting, what are you afraid of? Falling in love still depends on fate. Your uncle is just giving you more opportunities."

  Just then, her mother walked out of the kitchen and saw that her daughter was back. A smile also appeared on her face as she hurriedly called out: "Tongtong, quickly help set the table for dinner. Oh right, there's an express delivery from America, Mom put it in your room."