Chapter 8, Perspectives on Death

There was once an incident involving a forensic expert who was highly skilled, open-minded, and well-regarded by his superiors, who intended to promote him to the position of captain in the criminal police team. However, during a particularly unusual autopsy, he jeopardized this opportunity. The subject of the autopsy was an important leader who had died suddenly, and due to his special status, it was necessary to ascertain the cause of death. After completing the autopsy, the forensic expert never heard about the promotion again. It was later revealed that during the autopsy, having already reached a conclusion in his mind, the forensic expert was joking and conversing casually, performing his tasks with precision and efficiency, which made the other leaders present quite uncomfortable: "This person is too indifferent, acting as if it is just a matter of business! If I were to die one day, would he also joke around, dissecting me as if I were just a piece of meat, reducing me to a mere pile of flesh? How can someone without empathy be a leader!" Their arguments seemed reasonable, but upon reflection, there was truly no reason for sorrow! Regardless of how noble a body once was, when it reaches the end of life, it ultimately becomes nothing more than a mass of decaying flesh. One cannot insist that it is anything extraordinary, nor should one connect this with the forensic expert's professional demeanor!

Someone once asked me how forensic experts view death. I was at a loss for words; upon careful reflection, I realized that I had indeed overlooked this obvious yet ever-present question.

Indeed, the more a body is removed from the primary scene, the more it indicates a close connection between the murderer and the primary scene. By locating such a scene, one can meticulously unravel the threads to trace the footsteps of the murderer

Thus, Li Zhiling took out the suturing needle and thread from the dissection box, and began to stitch up the place where he had cut himself! Because this type of needle is curved, we jokingly refer to it as the "soul-hooking needle," and we call the suturing thread the "resolution thread"

We first carefully examined the deceased's shoes, where a piece of tape with cotton was stuck to the sole, and there were bloodstains on the cotton, which clearly appeared to be a medical item. Subsequently, we inspected the female corpse's hair, oral cavity, ears, and palms, as well as all other possible locations where physical evidence might be concealed. There were several fine white fibers adhering to the deceased's hair and between her teeth. The knife wounds on the chest were continuous, with clean edges, indicating that the weapon was very sharp. The edges of the wounds bore a row of incomplete bite marks. The columnar bloodstains flowing from the chest passed over the bite marks, extending towards the back, ultimately terminating at the shoulder area, resembling a snake in its alarming appearance. The back of the deceased's hands had tiny needle marks, and the nails on both hands were deformed, curling upwards. I instructed the technician taking photographs to capture all of this, and then used scissors to cut the nails for examination. If the victim had struggled with the assailant, there might be skin tissue from the assailant left under the nails, which is crucial biological evidence.

Be careful! I advised him, "Don't cut your own hand."

Pan Yun expressed agreement: "Then let's first investigate the cause of death"

"Who could have done this, inflicting such a heavy blow!" Li Zhiling muttered.

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Si Ma Yu was taking photographs with a camera, while Dong Jian Guo stood nearby, maintaining a certain distance from him

It is abnormal not to feel nervous

Pan Yun nodded and said, "Alright, let's make the most of our time!"

It is undeniable that perspectives shape attitudes. Generally speaking, when one becomes numb to a certain matter, not only do others doubt it, but even oneself may begin to question one's own attitude towards it. This is also true for forensic experts, who must be cautious and remind themselves to question their own judgments, repeatedly asking whether they are correct, for fear of making mistakes that could cost lives. This seems to echo what my master once said: to use the deaths of others as a means for one's own cultivation. However, I do not seem to share such concerns. My master said this is a manifestation of self-confidence, and he also mentioned that self-confidence can be a virtue, but it may also be a flaw. This seems to echo what my master once said: to use the deaths of others as a means for one's own cultivation. However, I do not seem to share such concerns. My master said this is a manifestation of self-confidence, and he also mentioned that self-confidence can be a virtue, but it may also be a flaw

Finally, I focused my attention on the livor mortis on the chest of the deceased, where a square mark piqued my interest. I had Li Zhiling bring a ruler and carefully measured the mark.

On that day, I received a call from Pan Yun, asking me and Li Zhiling to rush to a riverside. There, we discovered a female corpse

Everything is here. I pointed to the shoes and socks removed from the feet of the female corpse, stating, There is nothing to identify her.

How does one view death? To put it in our own words: a forensic pathologist has encountered more deaths than beautiful women. Deaths by drowning, strangulation, exsanguination, traumatic brain injury, death by high temperature, death by low temperature, sudden death in middle age, and even death by sexual asphyxiation... It is impossible to categorize and describe them all! The only commonality is that these are merely the deaths of others, seemingly unrelated to oneself. Experienced forensic pathologists have long become accustomed to the bizarre; whether old, young, beautiful, or ugly, at this moment, they are merely lifeless bodies lying quietly, devoid of thought, unguarded, subject to manipulation, with no distinction of high or low status, simply decaying and ultimately returning to the earth. After prolonged exposure, one can no longer discern its true meaning; under the scalpel, what is sought is merely a blurred truth of flesh and blood, a cold, hard fact. If one must use a metaphor to describe it, death is nothing more than the heavens wiping their nose or trimming their nails; although it may not seem normal, it is ultimately just a process of metabolism. Therefore, many times at the scene of a corpse examination, one can often see onlookers standing nearby, smoking, chatting, or endlessly on the phone. Because of this, forensic pathologists appear cold and unfeeling in the eyes of many, unapproachable.

"Let's see if there are any items for identifying the identity," Pan Yun reminded from the side, "We need to confirm the identity of the deceased first"

Li Zhiling put on gloves, took the knife, and his expression appeared somewhat tense. I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; at his age, my hands would still tremble when I held a scalpel! This is quite normal for a beginner.

It is evident that the perpetrator possesses a strong awareness of counter-investigation, having discarded all items belonging to the deceased, leaving even the clothing behind. This phenomenon is relatively common in similar cases, and the purpose of such actions is to hinder the police from identifying the victim and thereby finding clues to solve the case. This also implies that the location where the body was discovered is not the scene of the crime, but rather a site where the body was disposed of after the murder. Other circumstances further support this conclusion: the chest of the deceased, facing upwards, exhibits livor mortis, and the soles of the shoes show no signs of mud or silt from the riverbank. This reinforces the notion that the location where the body was found is not the scene of the crime, but rather a site where the body was disposed of after the murder. Other circumstances also indicate this: the chest of the deceased, facing upwards, exhibits livor mortis, and the soles of the shoes show no signs of mud or silt from the riverbank

The victim's bound hands must be carefully observed, as they may reveal more information. The binding rope is a white thread. I squatted there and looked intently for a while, then had Sima Yu take a photograph.

Let us first examine the cause of death of the deceased at hetushu.com before proceeding! I am unwilling to draw conclusions based on fragmented information from the scene; only through comprehensive analysis can the conclusions hold water

Li Zhiling aimed the scalpel at the deceased's chest and took quite a while to make the incision

What makes this case even more heinous is that the woman died a horrific death; her chest was mutilated, and her face was marked with numerous cuts from a sharp instrument, rendering her original appearance unrecognizable

During forensic autopsies, apart from the technicians taking photographs, others generally prefer not to stand nearby. When the body is fresh, the abnormal smell of blood stings the nostrils painfully; when it is decomposed, the intense stench permeates every nerve. I believe that human bodies can sense each other, experiencing a strong repulsion akin to the sorrow felt when a rabbit dies and a fox grieves. Only in this way does that smell seem so peculiar. It is entirely normal for no one to want to approach! The mutual respect and distance between Dong Jianguo and Sima Yu stem from an incident that occurred during an on-site examination of a body floating in the river.

I have no time to contemplate my views on death; the fleeting nature of life leaves little room for any thoughts. Instead, I often reflect on methods of reasoning and judgment, determined to summarize them into theoretical outcomes and publish them as papers to guide my future work. After categorizing and summarizing all the deaths I have witnessed, I have reached a conclusion: when a person becomes accustomed to the actions of others, their subconscious mind acknowledges such behavior. Conversely, when you quickly arrive at conclusions about the behavioral processes of others through contemplation, that process is inherent in your consciousness. Therefore, based on individual habitual thinking patterns, it is theoretically possible to infer the thoughts of others. Consequently, it is entirely feasible to utilize data calculations from various scenarios to reconstruct the crime scene. Conversely, it can also be concluded that each person can correctly understand what kind of person they are based on their own conclusions.

The murderer stripped the victim of her clothing and discarded her belongings. It is evident that they did not want us to know who she was said Li Zhiling

It seems that there is nothing unusual," he said to me as he looked at the internal organs.

I opened the dissection box and handed the scalpel to Li Zhiling, saying, "First, open the thoracic cavity and see if there are any abnormalities." He had just arrived not long ago, and I, like Old Min did when training me back in the day, was trying to test his courage.

I nodded: "Cut open her neck and take a look at the book!"

After the stitching was completed, we covered the deceased with a white cloth

"Where is it?" Pan Yun asked excitedly, "If we can find the original crime scene, we will have solved half of the case!"

Seeing the two of them creating distance from each other, those nearby couldn't help but chuckle, as there is a story behind this.

The female corpse was without clothing, her hands bound behind her, lying naked on the ground, with only a pair of shoes on her feet

Since then, whenever investigating a scene with a corpse, Dong Jianguo no longer dared to approach Sima Yu

Although this is the case, I am not alarmed. Abnormality is also a state of existence; the key lies in not treating this state as a norm and acting upon it. It merely resides in a dark corner, decaying and rotting in solitude.

In order to test this theoretical foundation, which involves using one's own reasoning to judge the correctness of others' motives, I discussed this issue with a psychologist. The doctor, named Zhang Desheng, pondered for a while and then expressed a different viewpoint. He stated that according to my reasoning, a forensic expert who concludes that someone is a murderer must have the motive to kill? Or, does a psychologist's ability to assess the mental state of a patient imply that they themselves have a mental illness? This is clearly illogical! I firmly believed in this principle, thinking that this judgment rule applies to everyone. However, later through practical verification, I found that I have deviant tendencies! — Because I applied my derived theory, I was able to quickly analyze a deviant murder case, and my analysis was accurate.

I nodded in agreement with his statement: "However, from the existing items, it is still possible to deduce the location where she was at the time of her death"

"Alright, sew up the incision," I said to Li Zhiling

Upon examining the neck of the deceased, traces of bleeding were indeed visible, serving as evidence that the neck had been strangled.

"At first glance, it appears to be a case of asphyxiation death," I said while examining the deceased's facial features. "Although the victim's breast was cut, it was not inflicted while alive. However, there is evidence of bleeding inside the lips, suggesting that someone may have covered the mouth. Additionally, the conjunctiva of the eyes is congested, and there are marks on the neck indicating that it was grasped, which aligns with the characteristics of asphyxiation caused by choking. " I added at the end, "Of course, a detailed autopsy is necessary to confirm this."

Upon arriving at the scene, it was discovered that the body was lying on the riverbank, completely naked, except for a pair of shoes on the feet, with no other personal belongings.