9 a.m.
Zhang Feng followed behind the already disgruntled Lin Rui and arrived at the branch office early in the morning.
By this time, the criminal investigation department's personnel had basically gathered.
They were just waiting for Lin Rui and Zhang Feng, the two forensic doctors, to arrive so they could head to D City.
Officer Hu warmly approached to greet them:
"Forensic Doctor Lin, Forensic Doctor Zhang, good morning!"
Zhang Feng didn't think much of it.
But Lin Rui gave Officer Hu a glare:
"Hmph!"
Then she turned her head away, no longer looking at Officer Hu.
Faced with this situation, Officer Hu was also embarrassed but didn't dare to say anything.
The previous night, when he called Zhang Feng, he'd already completely forgotten that Zhang Feng and Lin Rui were living together.
After all, the sleeping pills and flour prank from before was too bizarre.
Even his decades of experience in criminal investigation couldn't handle it.
He heard Lin Rui's scream over the phone.
Officer Hu belatedly realized that he'd interrupted Forensic Doctor Lin once again.
After hanging up the phone, Officer Hu wished he could chop off his own hand.
So he wouldn't call at such inopportune times again.
Therefore, he had nothing to say regarding Lin Rui's coldness in the morning.
When everyone was ready, they boarded the car and set off for D City.
Officer Hu naturally sat with his daughter Hu Huixin.
D City was not far; it would take about two hours via the highway.
As they entered D City's territory, Officer Hu said quietly to his daughter:
"This field operation in D City is a good opportunity for you."
"Remember to keep your phone fully charged at all times. If Zhang Feng does anything, make sure to follow up and, if necessary, take video footage. Got it?"
"Got it!" Hearing her father's instructions, Hu Huixin clenched her fist a little excitedly.
But she couldn't help but ask:
"Dad, is it really appropriate to track and even secretly film your lifesaver?"
"What's inappropriate about it?"
Officer Hu shot his daughter a glance and said:
"Last night when he saved me, he was coming down from the sky!"
"Even though it looked like he jumped from a wall, I really don't know what actually happened."
"This Zhang Feng is definitely unusual; you must capture it well, understand?"
Hu Huixin listened to her father and initially pursed her lips, as if to say:
"Flying down from the sky? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
But on second thought, having seen Zhang Feng fighting with corpses with her own eyes, talking about Zhang Feng growing wings wasn't exaggerated at all!
The D City branch was soon reached.
Officer Ma, an old friend of Officer Hu's from D City's criminal investigation team, was waiting at the entrance.
Of course, there was no time to exchange pleasantries now.
They immediately got into the case analysis.
Lin Rui and Zhang Feng, as forensic doctors, were led by D City's forensics to the morgue.
Lin Rui and Zhang Feng finally saw the seven preserved bodies!
After all, these bodies had been discovered for over a month.
Since the heads hadn't been found, the bodies couldn't be processed, so they were all stored in the freezer for preservation.
Upon seeing the bodies,
Lin Rui put on a mask and gloves, bent down, and started examining them carefully.
Meanwhile, Zhang Feng stood by the side, looking idly like an elderly man.
D City's colleague, curious about this scene, approached and asked:
"Forensic Doctor Zhang, aren't you going to examine them?"
"Huh? Aren't I examining them right now?"
Zhang Feng instinctively replied.
Indeed, Zhang Feng appeared lazy and idle by the side.
But in reality, his pupils had a faint glow undetectable by ordinary people.
He had already recorded every detail of these seven bodies in his mind clearly.
Hearing Zhang Feng's response, the face of the forensic doctor turned strange and said:
"Can you examine them just by watching?"
At that moment, Zhang Feng, focused on analyzing the bodies, didn't register this. He instinctively replied:
"You want me to do it like Director Lin? I can't, so it's fine to just look..."
"'Just look'? Really?"
Zhang Feng's comment made the faces of the D City forensics, along with the support forensics from surrounding cities, turn weird.
Many had a slight sneer on their faces.
In their eyes, it was their first time seeing someone like Zhang Feng who openly admitted to being incompetent and was likely there due to connections.
Indeed, from just a few interactions, they'd pegged Zhang Feng as someone there through connections.
Just like at first, Lin Rui didn't understand how Zhang Feng got transferred to the division immediately after graduating.
If Zhang Feng couldn't do anything yet came to assist them,
what else could he be but someone with connections?
Whose scion is he?
Here to assist in a joint operation, perhaps just to boost his resume.
Look at Forensic Doctor Lin's professional moves, skilled practitioners showing their talents!
They believed Forensic Doctor Lin must find this inept connection there quite a headache.
Little did they expect,
that after carefully inspecting the bodies, Lin Rui lifted her head and asked Zhang Feng a question:
"Did you notice anything special?"
This question left the surrounding forensics wide-eyed, baffled.
Thinking, "Why ask him? He didn't even examine them properly, what does he know?"
Fortunately, Zhang Feng's response did not let the crowd down:
"No!"
Two simple words, straightforward and predictable.
But Lin Rui's gaze towards Zhang Feng clearly showed, "Do you think I believe you?"
At this moment, the morgue's door opened.
Officer Ma entered with a few supporting investigation heads.
He clapped his hands and said:
"Everyone, have you checked these seven headless bodies?"
Hearing Officer Ma's voice, the few forensics present, including Lin Rui and Zhang Feng, turned around simultaneously.
Lin Rui nodded with the others:
"All checked."
Then Officer Ma said:
"What's your take on these bodies?"
The four or five forensic doctors exchanged glances.
One, in his thirties and wearing stubble, stepped forward and said:
"Based on our observation, there are no signs of external injury on these seven bodies."
"And through the test report provided earlier by D City's branch, there's no internal injury or presence of toxic substances either."
"So, our judgment is, the cause of death for these seven bodies was due to the heads being chopped off by the perpetrator."
"Beheading a living person, showing the brutal killing methods of the murderer!"
"Perhaps there are injuries on the missing heads that we are unaware of, but the cause of death is certainly beheading!"
Hearing this, although Lin Rui frowned, she nodded.
After all, she hadn't found any signs of external or internal injuries on these headless bodies either.
If this was indeed the case, then such a brutal criminal was still at large, and Lin Rui felt her heart gradually sinking.
Officer Ma also nodded at this.
But there was still a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
After all, this conclusion was the same as their branch's; was there even a need for so many forensics to come over as support?
Just then, Zhang Feng, who had been silently observing the bodies, spoke up:
"That's incorrect!"
"The victims were already deceased before their heads were removed!"
...