Miss Truth
Chapter 175 - 112: Powder in the Stomach

Chapter 175: Chapter 112: Powder in the Stomach

The last corpse was quite different from the first two.

First, the first two corpses were both found on the slope with multiple severe injuries to the body and head, and the cause of death was still undetermined. The last corpse, however, was found in a dilapidated temple with bruises concentrated on the back, and the cause of death could have been the unidentified substances in the stomach or possibly excessive blood loss.

Second, jade orchids were always placed in the dilapidated temple. When the first two corpses were found, bundles of jade orchid were wrapped in a monk’s cloth bag, under which lay two bunches of hair, while the last body was holding jade orchids in its arms, with hair also tucked inside the embrace.

Third, the first two corpses still had blood in them, while the last one had been drained of blood, and its clothes were tidied up very neatly. Moreover, although it had ingested incense ashes, there were no residues on the mouth, tongue, or teeth, clearly after careful cleaning.

Ran Yan had encountered many serial killings before, such as those by sadists who preferred women with certain fixed features, or arranged corpses in a certain pattern, harming a specific body part, etc. This time, however, it was somewhat puzzling. Generally, in serial killings, the perpetrator would have some kind of persistent notion and would absolutely stick to it to the end, not changing it easily.

If it was said that the killer had suffered emotional trauma, it’s very likely he would kill men who resembled in some way the one who had hurt him. Following this deduction, there would be no reason for the killer to give them different "treatment," would there? Could it be that the third man looked particularly good? Or perhaps he resembled his lover the most?

Besides, where did the drained blood go?

An average adult weighing 60 kilograms has approximately 4.8 kilograms of blood in their body. A bucket of average size can hold two to three buckets. The victim had at least three-quarters of their blood extracted, which is roughly 3.5 kilograms. What use could there be for such a large amount of blood?

Ran Yan discussed these conditions with the three people and then entered the meditation room again, beginning the autopsies of the other two bodies.

These two bodies were already highly decomposed, the swelling somewhat subsided, the head and neck began to rot, and there was liquefaction in the subcutaneous and muscle tissues; the stomach and intestines from the one who died a month earlier had begun to decay and collapse, revealing bones in some places.

Ran Yan had seen many such cases, but still couldn’t help sighing, "A month ago, that was still a handsome young man!"

Ran Yan did not see the varied expressions on the face of the person behind her as she knelt down and started to use the scalpel. This time it seemed more leisurely, she deftly opened the chest and abdomen while asking, "Judge Yu, have you noticed any differences between the third body and these two? Could it be more handsome?"

Yu Bohao was stunned, then earnestly recalled and nodded confidently, "Indeed, much more handsome than the first two."

Ran Yan’s question was half-joking, not expecting it to be true. "I wonder if the identities of these victims have been discovered yet?"

It was Yu Bohao who replied, "After the notices were posted, indeed a few households came to identify them. The first body was claimed by someone, and the Inspector also sent people to investigate all missing people in Suzhou City. There are hundreds, if not a thousand, people who go missing every year in Suzhou City due to refugees fleeing, elopements, and the like. The identities of the other two bodies are still being checked one by one."

"Elopement?" Ran Yan paused in her work, "Last month, my maid told me that the most hotly discussed topic in the city lately was a few elopement cases."

Liu Pinrang pondered for a moment and replied, "Indeed, one of them was engaged to the second daughter of the Su Family, the Medicine King, and due to that matter, the Su Family had privately sought me out. Could it be that all these bodies are people who eloped?"

Ran Yan noticed he said "all," guessing that the recognized person had already been determined to have eloped, so she didn’t ask further and took out each of the organs, placing them on a clean cloth.

Yu Bohao felt admiration; these organs, especially the intestines and stomach, were already a rotten mess, and yet she could extract them so completely!

Apart from the normal decomposition, it was hard to find anything unusual with the individual organs.

"I’m afraid the brain needs to be dissected next..." Ran Yan muttered to herself, setting down the heart and retrieving a hammer and large nails thick as thumbs, along with a sharp blade, from her toolbox.

Xiao Song watched Ran Yan, his eyes bright as stars, his lips unintentionally curving up behind his mask. She brought him so much novelty, and her serious manner also captivated his attention. He had never seen a woman like her, serious and seemingly unafraid of anything, her ease around corpses truly astonishing.