Chapter 5 Corpse Room 5  

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what Captain Yan means by that.” Zhang Hao’s smile was cold, his tone far from friendly. “Ye Zhu is one of my Special Task Force members. Since when does an outsider get to dictate how we deploy our own people?”  

“So now Team Leader Zhang claims Ye Zhu belongs to the Special Task Force?” Yan Yu seemed to find the statement amusing, his handsome face carrying a faint trace of mockery that others might not easily detect.  

Zhang Hao appeared stung by the remark. Indeed, when they had initially decided to send Ye Zhu over, they had harbored a petty curiosity—wanting to see how the legendary Special Investigation Unit, with its near-perfect case resolution rate, could crack a case that had stumped the entire bureau for two months with just four people.  

But they hadn’t anticipated an accident that would endanger Ye Zhu’s life. The Special Task Force had no habit of sending their colleagues to the hospital, which was why he had gritted his teeth and proposed swapping Zhao Hu for Ye Zhu. At least Zhao Hu was a seasoned veteran detective, far more capable in handling crises.  

For a moment, the office fell into an oppressive silence. The others exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to intervene in this clash between the two team leaders.  

Just as the standoff reached its peak, a hearty voice suddenly echoed down the hallway: “Xiao Yan… Didn’t you just call saying you’d come to my office? What are you doing here?”  

As he spoke, Deputy Director Liu, who had personally handled the accident scene the night before, strode over. Though his voice was robust, his round face behind gold-rimmed glasses bore unmistakable exhaustion, the creases at the corners of his eyes deeper than usual.  

As he approached, Deputy Director Liu’s sharp eyes gleamed behind his lenses, instantly sizing up the situation. However, he didn’t address it directly. Instead, he handed a folder to Yan Yu. “These are the photos from the accident scene you requested last night. There’s also a fresh report from the Traffic Accident Investigation Division.”  

“Thank you, Deputy Director Liu.” Yan Yu’s expression had already softened from its earlier tension. Accepting the folder, he nodded politely in gratitude.  

Meanwhile, Zhang Hao’s face darkened further. He knew today’s matter likely wouldn’t end well for him, but he still forced himself to suppress his impatience and gruffly greeted, “Deputy Director Liu.”  

“Ah, Zhang Hao…” Deputy Director Liu drawled, feigning nonchalance. “What are you doing standing around here instead of working so early in the morning?”  

“It’s like this, Deputy Director Liu. During yesterday’s arrest operation, Ye Zhu from our team was injured, and then she was involved in a car accident. Though she escaped serious harm, she’s still a new officer with limited experience. As her direct superior, I have a duty to consider her physical and mental well-being. For this reason, I’m requesting her temporary return to our team, with Zhao Hu taking over her duties.”  

“Injured? But the emergency team’s report last night didn’t list Officer Ye among the casualties.” Deputy Director Liu immediately grasped the underlying motive—Zhang Hao had regretted his decision, and Yan Yu was determined to make him pay for it by refusing to swap personnel.

Seeing all eyes suddenly focused on her, Ye Zhu could only force an awkward smile and wave her hands repeatedly. “It’s just a scratch, nothing serious, really.”

“As long as you’re alright.” Deputy Director Liu nodded in satisfaction. After a brief pause, he made the decision: “Zhang Hao, I understand your concern for Ye Zhu’s safety, but the investigation team thinks highly of her. Since that’s the case, and considering the team is short-handed, why don’t you send Zhao Hu along as well? The two of them can look out for each other.”

With that, he gave Yan Yu a meaningful smile, patted him on the shoulder, and then… made a quick exit.

“……” Zhang Hao’s face turned green with anger, his chest heaving violently, a clear sign of his unstable emotions that could erupt at any moment.

However, Yan Yu seemed oblivious. Unlike the cautious atmosphere in the office, he calmly opened the folder in his hands, glanced at its contents, then raised his hand and lightly curled his index finger at Ye Zhu. “Finished delivering the report? Let’s go.”

After speaking, he turned and walked out. He had barely taken two steps when he paused at the door, turning back to look at Zhao Hu. “Thank you for the offer, Team Leader Zhang, but we only need Ye Zhu for now. As for the others… you can keep them for yourself.”

In the next second, he was gone, leaving Zhang Hao fuming with no outlet for his anger.

“Team Leader Zhang… I…” Ye Zhu stood stiffly, every pore on her body screaming with discomfort at the awkward situation.

“Go, go, go!” Though furious, Zhang Hao wouldn’t take it out on unrelated people. He just waved his hand dismissively, his expression grim.

Ye Zhu seized the opportunity and bolted.

Zhang Hao turned sharply toward Zhao Hu and the others still standing dumbfounded. “What are you all staring at? Got nothing better to do? Get back to work!!!”

Zhao Hu, having worked with him for years, knew his temper well and wasn’t intimidated. He asked, “Team Leader Zhang, what new case are we taking? The guys have already wrapped up their current ones. What work are we supposed to do?”

The man returned to his large desk, reluctantly picking up the two reports and flipping through the thin pages with noisy agitation. Through gritted teeth, he replied, “A theft case. Take a team to Wenzhuang Village to gather information and recover the stolen goods.”

Arguments aside, they couldn’t joke about the safety and property of the people.

…

Ye Zhu followed Yan Yu out of the Special Task Force headquarters. The earlier incident didn’t spark any additional conversation between them. They took the elevator down to the basement level—home to only one department: the Forensic Autopsy Room.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ye Zhu shivered. The floor seemed to have its own natural air conditioning, making the entire corridor feel unnaturally cold.

At the end of the hallway, Yan Yu pushed open the heavy steel door of the Autopsy Laboratory. After suiting up in the outer rest area, they walked around a chilled stainless-steel wall. Through the equipment, they could vaguely make out three autopsy tables. A figure was bent over the middle one, busy with something.

As they got closer, Ye Zhu noticed Jiang Bing and Luo Qi were also there, speaking softly with a middle-aged stranger dressed like a forensic examiner.

“Captain Yan,” the middle-aged man called out as he caught sight of them from the corner of his eye, straightening up and waving.

“Peng Yishan,” Yan Yu walked over and abruptly introduced, then added two more words: “Ye Zhu.”

Only then did Ye Zhu realize the man was facilitating their introduction. She quickly plastered on a sweet smile. Initially intending to step forward for a handshake, she noticed halfway that he was wearing sterile gloves and holding a delicate scalpel. In the end, she could only nod politely and greet, “Hello.”

“Hello to you too,” Peng Yishan’s demeanor during this first meeting was noticeably more amiable compared to the other three. He had a long, square-jawed face that gave off an air of upright integrity.

“Is this the body of the missing person discovered in Wenzhuang Village? What’s the specific cause of death?” Yan Yu didn’t give them much time for small talk, pulling on a pair of gloves as he asked.

“Asphyxiation,” Peng Yishan answered with certainty, reaching out to pry open the deceased’s eyelids. “Petechial hemorrhages under the conjunctiva… The color of the lividity also supports this, along with the pulmonary characteristics consistent with death by asphyxiation. The on-scene forensic examiner’s conclusion that the body had been frozen before being dumped is also correct. Based on the body’s thawing state, combined with the surrounding environment of the abandoned house and the temperature and humidity that day, the victim was indeed discarded there around 4 a.m.”

“No suspicious marks capable of causing asphyxiation were found around the victim’s neck, mouth, or nose. Instead…” He pointed to some minor scratches near the victim’s collarbone and throat. “I found skin fragments and blood under her fingernails. DNA results show these injuries were self-inflicted. I suspect the victim was in a completely sealed environment before death, unconsciously struggling before losing consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. The varying degrees of wear on several of her fingertips further support this hypothesis.”

After listening, Yan Yu offered no immediate opinion but remained silent for a moment before surveying the surroundings. “What about the driver who died in the car accident last night?”

At this, Peng Yishan set down his tools and led them through a door to the Corpse Refrigeration Cabinet in the inner room. Bending down, he pulled out the bottom drawer, unzipped the body bag to reveal a charred corpse.

“Due to the accident, the truck’s fuel tank leaked, causing a fire that spread directly to the cabin. By the time the body arrived, no useful evidence could be collected from the surface. However, based on his posture, I lean toward him having died before the fire started. Additionally, there were no signs of smoke inhalation in his lungs, so he wasn’t burned to death. As for the exact cause of death, we’ll have to wait for the toxicology results from the internal organs.”

Ye Zhu nodded, and Yan Yu signaled for the other person to push the drawer back in. After the two of them emerged from the inner room, he leisurely removed his gloves and instructed, “Brother Peng, if the truck driver’s test results come in, contact me promptly. And Luo Qi, later on, thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of the four missing persons and the truck driver. Remember, I don’t want just superficial information.”

“Yes, Captain Yan.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Peng Yishan and Luo Qi responded in turn.

“Alright, Jiang Bing and Ye Zhu, come with me to check out the truck driver’s workplace.” As he spoke, Yan Yu had already stepped into the outer lounge, picked up the folder, and pulled out the accident investigation report, handing it to Jiang Bing.

Jiang Bing took it and flipped through it. Noticing Ye Zhu craning her neck to sneak a peek, he simply passed the report to her.

No skid marks found on the road… The truck’s braking system was fully functional…

Driver Huang Jingguo, aged 46, currently employed by a transport company in Taigang District…

As Ye Zhu read, her brows furrowed. It seemed there were indeed many inexplicable aspects to last night’s accident. Yet, under those circumstances, most people had been too terrified to think straight—yet this man had remained calm enough to consider all this…

Lost in thought, she inadvertently glanced up at him, only to meet his gaze head-on.

“……”

Yan Yu quickly averted his eyes, stepping forward to fish the car keys from Jiang Bing’s pocket and tossing them casually.

Ye Zhu, still clutching the report, fumbled clumsily to catch the suddenly airborne keys. Once steady, she bared her teeth at the two tall figures walking ahead. So after all that, she was still just the driver.

A few minutes later.

The black Jeep left the municipal bureau compound. Jiang Bing, seated in the passenger seat, first confirmed the address of Huang Jingguo’s transport company on the navigation system before turning back curiously. “Boss, now that we know the cause of death for the second missing person, shouldn’t we head back to Wenzhuang Village to look for clues first?”

“No need. Zhang Hao’s team is probably already there to confiscate the evidence,” Yan Yu replied coolly.

A flicker of understanding passed through Jiang Bing’s eyes, and he turned back without another word.

Yet an oddly unsettling thought flashed through Ye Zhu’s mind: Could Yan Yu have done this on purpose? Deliberately leaving the Wenzhuang Village leads for the Special Task Force? Was this man actually that kind?

As she pondered, she glanced at the rearview mirror to check on the backseat—only to lock eyes with Yan Yu once again in a “friendly” stare.

“Distracted while driving?” The man narrowed his dark eyes. “This is your level of professionalism? I wonder if it’s too late to swap you out for that guy—what’s his name, Tiger?”

Ye Zhu: “……”

She must have been out of her mind to think this man had any good intentions.

He was downright ruthless!

She averted her gaze, grinding her molars in frustration, then slammed the accelerator. The Jeep lurched forward, disappearing into the traffic.