SFTD -Chapter 10 The Faceless Female Corpse (Part 2)

A surge of blood rushed to Zhou Hai’s head. A murderer capable of such cruelty had to be caught as soon as possible.

“Photograph and secure the murder weapon. Bring me an evidence bag. See if we can recover any usable fingerprints. Don’t worry—we’ll catch the killer.”

Xu Biao hurriedly handed over an evidence bag. Gripping both ends of the knife guard, Zhou Hai pulled the blade out with force. Only then did they realize the knife’s blade was over twenty centimeters long.

“Alright, have someone transport the body back to the center. There’s no point discussing anything else right now. Identifying the victim is the top priority. By the way, what did you find while searching for the clothing?”

Xu Biao nodded quickly.

“We found the clothes, but there’s no useful identification information at all.”

Zhou Hai’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter. The scar above his left eyebrow became even more pronounced with the movement, his face dark and grim.

After pondering for a moment, his eyes suddenly widened in realization as he grabbed Xu Biao’s hand.

“Come on. Take me to those clothes.”

Knowing Zhou Hai must have thought of something, Xu Biao immediately brought over a box containing several evidence bags.

Zhou Hai removed one layer of latex gloves, opened the evidence bag, and carefully spread out the torn clothing fragments.

As expected, although the pieces were badly shredded, aside from the portions stained with dirt and sand, everything else was completely dry.

The underwear and bra were white lace designs meant for teenage girls. There was a loose white shirt, a pair of blue Lee jeans, and a pair of size 36 Nike sneakers.

The jeans were relatively intact. The tears matched the wounds on the corpse, with only a few bite marks present.

The shirt, however, showed not only tearing from animal bites, but also cuts made by a bloodstained blade.

Most of the underwear and bra had been soaked in blood, so they were damaged even more severely from the bites.

It seemed the victim came from a fairly well-off family, and these clothes had clearly been deliberately removed by the killer. A trace of understanding appeared on Zhou Hai’s face as he stood and walked toward Captain Liu.

Xu Biao followed behind while making a phone call, arranging for a vehicle to transport the body to the forensic center.

Seeing Zhou Hai and Xu Biao approach, Captain Liu hurried over, looking at Zhou Hai expectantly.

This “returned overseas expert” they had worked so hard to recruit rarely spoke much, but his abilities were extraordinary.

That previous murder case had been solved within forty-eight hours, shocking even the provincial bureau. Everyone greatly respected his capabilities, which was why they had specifically insisted he come today.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou! How is it? Did you find anything?”

Zhou Hai took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Only in this way could he observe the situation more objectively.

Looking at Deputy Captain Wang and Captain Liu, who were preparing to take notes, he began:

“This is the primary crime scene. I just conducted a preliminary external examination of the body, and my initial conclusion is that this was a revenge killing. The victim is female.

Height: 162 centimeters.
Weight: approximately forty-five to fifty kilograms.

One of the third molars has only recently erupted, so I estimate the victim’s age to be around sixteen to seventeen years old.

The lividity is light, and no immediately fatal wound has been discovered so far, indicating the victim died from hemorrhagic shock due to blood loss.

The upper body was dressed in a white shirt, with Lee jeans on the lower body—not a school uniform.

This kind of outfit appears more like casual clothing worn for going out. The shoes are Nike’s newest summer model this year.

This is not a domestic release, suggesting the victim came from a relatively wealthy family.

Furthermore, yesterday was Sunday. Dressed like this, she was likely returning home.

Since high schools should have classes today, if she were a boarding student, she should have returned to school last night for evening self-study.

That’s one possible direction for the investigation.

There are ligature marks on the victim’s wrists, and severe defensive wounds on both hands, indicating the killer and victim were physically comparable in strength.

Although many wounds and internal organs were damaged by wild dogs, all remaining wounds show vital reactions.

Additionally, all injuries are slashes and cuts—there are no fatal stab wounds.

None of the major organs sustained critical damage, which further supports death by hemorrhagic shock.

As for the weapon—

This knife with a handguard appears to be a controlled weapon, similar to a Mongolian knife.

However, there’s no manufacturer’s marking. The blade also shows traces of forging and hammering.

Personally, I believe this is a handmade weapon.

There was also a stab wound inflicted to the perineal area, with signs of vital reaction.

However, this stab did not damage the external genitalia, and the hymen remained intact. There are no signs of sexual assault.

This further suggests the killer may have been female. Of course, it’s also possible the perpetrator was an underage male.

Rigor mortis is present throughout the body, though the rigidity in the leg joints is not particularly severe.

Although the clothes were shredded by wild dogs, the clothing itself remained dry. Combined with the rigor mortis and rectal temperature—

The estimated time of death was yesterday between 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM.”

Xu Biao’s eyes widened as he stared at Zhou Hai, who was holding up the evidence bags containing the clothes and knife. Even the hairs on his arms stood on end.

“You mean… the victim was a high school girl?”

Zhou Hai sighed softly.

“Yes. The victim was probably a beautiful high school girl. Based on my preliminary judgment, the killer was either a girl around the victim’s age—or an underage boy younger than sixteen.”

Handing the evidence bags to the newly arrived Liang Honggang, Zhou Hai removed his gloves and mask, then peeled off the full-body protective suit. His clothes underneath were already soaked through with sweat.

Taking the camera from Xu Biao, he showed the photographs to Captain Liu.

“Look here. The victim has restraint marks and defensive wounds. But there are no fatal stabs to vital areas—only slashes and cuts. Preliminary estimates put the number of wounds at over a hundred. All of this fully supports my analysis: the killer harbored extremely deep hatred toward the victim. This was torture and mutilation. An ordinary relationship would never result in such ruthless brutality. The destruction of the victim’s face and the stab wound to the perineal area make me even more certain this was a revenge killing motivated by emotional conflict. Start investigating the high schools first to see if any students are missing. Only after identifying the victim can we proceed with the next stage of the investigation.”

Captain Liu patted Zhou Hai on the shoulder. Glancing at Deputy Captain Wang—whose gloomy expression had finally eased somewhat—he seemed to regain a bit of confidence.

“Zhou Hai, you always seem so quiet and reserved. I didn’t expect your case analysis to be this thorough. We’ll start searching for the victim’s identity and investigating the origin of the weapon immediately.”

Zhou Hai tugged slightly at the corner of his mouth.

“Alright. We’ll head back as well and prepare for the autopsy. The examination results will be sent to you as soon as possible.”

After packing up the investigation kits and evidence bags, Zhou Hai drove the other two back to the Municipal Judicial Forensic Center.

It took forty minutes before they finally arrived. The three men quickly entered the building. Xu Biao, who had seemed relaxed earlier, now looked tense as well. He swallowed hard and hurried after Zhou Hai.

Back in the autopsy room, Zhou Hai had already changed into isolation gear. Glancing at Xu Biao, he asked:

“How’s Xiao Liang? If he’s still not feeling well, I’ll ask Forensic Doctor Gao from Team Three to assist with the autopsy.”

Xu Biao looked up as well. Seeing Liang Honggang’s pale, sickly expression, he immediately stopped him from trying to act tough.

“I think Xiao Liang should sit this one out today. He ran to the beach earlier and vomited so badly he was nearly collapsing. I’ll go ask Doctor Gao for you.”

Liang Honggang looked embarrassed. Zhou Hai finished putting on his protective suit and double layers of gloves, then gave him a small nod.

“Don’t worry. I’m not blaming you. You’re still new. What you see in school and what you face in reality are completely different things. Besides, the condition of this victim is extremely bloody. Even experienced forensic examiners would feel uncomfortable.”

Liang Honggang instantly lifted his head, staring at the tall, thin man who stood half a head taller than himself.

Despite always appearing stern and cold, when it truly mattered, Zhou Hai was unexpectedly considerate toward him as an intern.

At that moment, Xiao Liang felt endless gratitude welling up inside him.

“Thank you, Brother Hai!”

Zhou Hai waved a hand dismissively.

“Go fill out the necessary forms, then head upstairs to the observation room. Watching through video is less visually overwhelming, and you’ll still be able to learn something.”