SFTD -Chapter 175 A Severed Thumb (Part 5)

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes. “Threatening someone? Or recording a horror video? Or maybe the killer simply lacked the physical strength. Any of those are possible.”

After setting down the scalp sample, Zhou Hai washed his hands and walked over to Fengzi and Xiao Liang. The two were continuously comparing the six muscle samples against anatomical charts.

“Figure anything out yet?”

Fengzi pointed at the three strips of muscle tissue without skin attached.

“We compared them already. These three are gluteal muscle tissue. It even looks like the outer skin layer was intentionally removed, though we don’t know why. These other three are abdominal muscle tissue. The epidermis, fat layer, and muscle layer are all relatively intact, but pinpointing the exact location is difficult because the killer deliberately avoided the fascial layers. We suspect they came from around here.”

Fengzi pointed to both sides above the navel. Xiao Liang held up an anatomy atlas and nodded solemnly.

“Did you discover anything else?”

Fengzi glanced at Zhou Hai. The moment Zhou Hai asked that question, he knew he must have overlooked something—but he genuinely couldn’t think of anything more.

“Nothing comes to mind for now.”

Using forceps, Zhou Hai pointed at the fat and muscle layers.

“Look here. Male abdominal fat layers are usually denser, and the abdominal muscle fibers are thicker as well. But this tissue has a very evenly distributed fat layer, with muscle thickness similar throughout. That means the victim was either a relatively slender woman, or a thin underage male. Also, the skin has excellent elasticity. The complexion is fair and even, with no pigmentation spots, and the pores are tiny. All of that indicates the victim was very young—under twenty at the very least. And one more thing: none of these seven tissue samples have noticeable scars or identifying marks. Which means the killer deliberately selected these pieces.”

Fengzi and Xiao Liang both froze mid-motion. Xu Biao and Chu Menghan also leaned closer.

“Hai Zi, you mean the killer did this intentionally? Could this be a challenge directed at the police?”

That conclusion immediately made everyone tense, especially Chu Menghan. She pushed Xiao Liang aside.

“Then say it already!”

At that moment, the autopsy room door swung open. A sturdy figure in a lab coat and rubber clogs walked in—it was none other than Sister Zeng from the lab.

“Team Leader Zhou, here’s the DNA report.”

Zhou Hai pulled off his gloves and took the report.

“Thanks, Sister Zeng. Why did you bring it down personally?”

“I heard it was a dismemberment case, so I came to take a look.”

As she spoke, Sister Zeng stretched her neck to look toward the autopsy table, only to find almost nothing there.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a dismemberment case?”

Xu Biao hurried over with a mischievous grin and pointed for her.

“Over there.”

Sister Zeng stared at the few chunks of flesh on the autopsy table. She froze, then widened her eyes.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou… if the victim was cut into four thousand pieces, does that mean we’d have to do four thousand DNA tests?”

“Not if the body can be reassembled normally. But if it can’t, then every piece would need to be analyzed.”

Sister Zeng instantly lost all curiosity. She stuffed the report into Zhou Hai’s arms.

“The seven submitted samples all belong to the same person. The thumb belongs to someone else. You guys carry on—I’m going to ask Director Pang for leave.”

Then she turned and fled. Xu Biao laughed so hard his body shook.

“Hai Zi, you’re way too blunt. Look how badly you scared Sister Zeng.”

Ignoring Xu Biao, Zhou Hai glanced at the X-rays and flipped through the report before quickly organizing all the known information.

Just then, the autopsy room door opened again. Before the person even entered, their voice arrived first.

“How far along is the autopsy?”

Chu Menghan sighed. Even Chief Liu couldn’t stay calm this time. The pressure from above must be enormous. Such a troublesome case landing in Changhe District… could it really be, as Zhou Hai said, that the killer was challenging the police?

Seeing that neither Zhou Hai nor Chu Menghan responded, Xu Biao quickly smiled at Chief Liu.

“Chief Liu, don’t worry. Hai Zi’s almost done organizing everything. Are we holding the task force meeting upstairs?”

Only after hearing that did Chief Liu steady himself.

“Mm. Get ready and come up. Menghan, come with me first.”

Chu Menghan glanced at Zhou Hai before following Chief Liu out. Zhou Hai finished writing the last line. Fengzi had been staring at the glass whiteboard the whole time. The analysis was astonishing—he genuinely didn’t understand how Zhou Hai’s brain worked, but every conclusion was backed by evidence.

“Alright, let’s head upstairs.”

The group pushed the whiteboard to the fourth floor. The upstairs conference room was packed.

Especially at the leadership table—not a single important figure was missing. Secretary Zhao, Commissioner Song, Director Pang, all seated at the front. Beside Secretary Zhao sat two unfamiliar faces, and judging from the broad smile on Director Pang’s face, their status was clearly significant.

The four entered while pushing the board. Zhou Hai and Chu Menghan sat at a round table near the front. Xu Biao slipped Zhou Hai a USB drive and mouthed the words “scene photos.” Zhou Hai understood immediately—it contained all the crime scene images from today.

Chief Liu had already taken his seat.

“Quiet down. Chu Menghan, begin by briefing us on the investigation progress of the March 2nd dismemberment case.”

Chu Menghan stood and opened her notebook.

“This morning, the 110 Command Center received a report that a piece of scalp had been discovered outside the west wall of Jujing Garden Residential Complex in Changhe District. After I arrived and conducted a scene investigation, we discovered six additional pieces of human muscle tissue and a severed thumb…”

“At present, the autopsy has just concluded, and we have not yet assigned the next phase of tasks.”

Chief Liu tilted his chin toward Zhou Hai.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou, give us the detailed findings. Preferably include a profile of the killer as well.”

Zhou Hai stood. Xu Biao quickly pushed the glass whiteboard closer to the round table.

“I won’t repeat the crime scene details. Captain Chu has already given a comprehensive overview. I’ll begin with the information obtained through the autopsy.

There are two victims.

The first victim is female. We recovered seven pieces of muscle and skin tissue from her: one section of left occipital scalp tissue, three abdominal samples, and three gluteus maximus samples. None of the seven pieces contain identifying marks.

Based on DNA and autopsy findings, Victim A is female.

Age: between fifteen and twenty-five

Has never given birth

Short hair

Dark flaxen, slightly curly hair

Fair skin

Estimated time of death: between two and seven days ago. This estimate comes from microbial analysis, since the body tissues had been frozen

Based on the thickness of the fat and muscle layers, Victim A was not physically active. Her muscle fibers are slender and elongated, indicating a tall, thin build

Victim B is male.

Age: between forty and fifty-five

Right-handed

Height: between 165 and 172 centimeters

Medium build

Engaged in heavy manual labor

Symptoms of gout in the right thumb joint, along with tobacco residue, indicating heavy drinking and smoking habits

Black grease residue embedded between the fingerprints of the right hand

Two deep welding burn scars near the nail edge, with the surrounding tissue indicating the injuries occurred one to two years apart

Therefore, we believe the victim worked as an industrial welder in heavy industry.

In addition, the tip of the thumb is abnormally short—roughly half the normal length. This appears to be a hereditary trait. Anyone close to him would easily recognize it, and his parents or children may possess the same thumb characteristic.

Victim B’s right thumb was severed while he was still alive. To restrain a middle-aged man accustomed to heavy labor, the killer’s physical strength could not have been weaker than Victim B’s.

The process of removing Victim A’s scalp was extremely slow—it was not done in one clean motion. Given the precision shown in selecting muscle tissue, the killer clearly possessed better knife skills than that. It appears deliberate, though the purpose remains unclear.

As for time of death, Victim B died later than Victim A. At present, the only link between the two is that Victim B’s wound contains Victim A’s DNA.

Therefore, I believe the two cases should be merged into a single investigation.”