SFTD -Chapter 192 A Severed Thumb (Part 22)

Fengzi placed the final two pieces into the missing sections and pointed at the two corpses.

“Now, except for the heads and all internal organs, I’ve reconstructed both bodies. Judging from the condition of the severed limbs, both corpses were cut apart using a cutting machine. The killer seems to have an extreme obsession with removing flesh. Every muscle tissue on the victims’ bodies had been stripped away. Other than the hands and feet, there’s almost no intact area left.”

Zhou Hai raised his eyes toward Fengzi.

“It’s more than just stripping flesh. The tissue he removed was probably meant to display his expertise. Did you find the internal organs?”

Fengzi shook his head.

“That’s the strange part. Neither victim had any internal organs left. From the tongue, digestive tract, and major organs all the way to the rectum, anus, and reproductive organs, the killer’s technique had already become extremely skilled. It’s not exactly professional forensic work, but it’s very similar to the way livestock is butchered at home. Also, just like we analyzed before, the killer only cut off Wang Yanming’s thumb. It seems the purpose was simply to guide us toward discovering the dismembered bodies. The female victim’s hands were recovered, and Xu Biao already identified her through fingerprints.”

“Yeah, we found her identity,” Xu Biao said. “The female victim is Mu Ya, a junior student at the Agricultural University. Mu Ya is from Liupanshui, Guizhou. The emergency contacts listed are her father and older sister. Her sister’s number is inactive. Deputy Captain Wang tried contacting her father multiple times, but the calls wouldn’t connect. According to the teachers at school, Mu Ya sent a text asking for leave, saying there was a family emergency and that she’d return to campus a few days late. Liu Da already contacted the local municipal bureau to help investigate Mu Ya’s father.”

While listening to Xu Biao’s explanation, Zhou Hai quickly examined the corpses again.

Fengzi’s autopsy work had no omissions. Every patch of skin with identifying characteristics had been removed from both victims. Leaving behind the hands and feet appeared to have been intentional.

“Xu Biao, did you investigate Mu Ya’s class and her social connections in Dongnan?”

Xu Biao looked helpless.

“See? I knew you’d ask that. I already talked to her class counselor. Mu Ya was a student in Class Three of the 2012 Laboratory Science major. Twenty-one years old. Quiet and easygoing. Her grades weren’t outstanding, but she never failed any courses either. She barely had any presence on campus. She dressed plainly, though she was very pretty. But her Mandarin wasn’t very good, so she wasn’t great at socializing.”

Zhou Hai glanced at him.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it!”

“No photos or anything?”

Xu Biao looked conflicted.

“I asked for some, but they said they didn’t have any. And we still haven’t found her classmates yet.”

Looking at the remains of the female victim, Mu Ya, laid out on the table, Zhou Hai picked up a section of forearm.

The cut surface was indeed extremely neat, but small fragments clung to the wound. Those fragments were likely produced during cutting. However, the texture in his hand felt strange.

Zhou Hai flipped over the severed limb and held out his hand toward Xu Biao.

Xu Biao hurriedly handed over Zhou Hai’s magnifying glass.

Turning on the LED light, Zhou Hai held it before his right eye.

The surface of Mu Ya’s skin seemed coated with a layer of grease. Even melted bloody water couldn’t remain on the skin surface. When touched, it seemed possible to scrape up some pale yellow translucent fatty substance.

Xu Biao leaned closer, grabbed Zhou Hai’s wrist, and brought it near his nose, carefully sniffing the grease.

“There’s only a faint oily smell mixed with blood. Nothing else. What is this?”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes.

“Judging from the color and texture, it should be anti-corrosion and anti-rust grease.”

Fengzi frowned.

“This is a university, not a machine factory. Why would there be industrial anti-rust grease here?”

Xu Biao narrowed his eyes as he followed Zhou Hai’s train of thought.

“No. Even though universities don’t use much of it, laboratories still need it sometimes. Salt-content experiments, dehydration experiments, and things like that. A lot of lab equipment requires anti-corrosion grease, and the amount used wouldn’t be small.”

“What’s the point of smearing this grease over the bodies? The killer has freezing facilities. If he wanted to dump the remains, wouldn’t throwing out the internal organs create a much stronger visual shock than severed limbs?”

“If I had to give a reason,” Zhou Hai said, “I can only think of one thing: germophobia.”

Xu Biao, Fengzi, and Xiao Liang all widened their eyes.

“Germophobia? He already committed murder and still has germophobia?”

Fengzi suddenly raised a hand.

“Wait! When we found that large basin at the seafood market, I noticed the two perforated tubs were clearly different in color from the other seafood containers around them. When I inspected them more closely afterward, I realized those tubs had been meticulously scrubbed clean. Every single hole was spotless. Could it really be germophobia?”

Xiao Liang also nodded repeatedly beside them.

Xu Biao looked toward Zhou Hai.

“Looks like the killer has recognizable traits too. Germophobia counts as one, and that manic disorder you mentioned counts as another. I think people around him must have noticed some signs!”

Zhou Hai nodded toward Xu Biao.

“Good analysis. A person can disguise themselves as taller, but not shorter. They can gain weight, but they can’t pretend to be frail and skinny. So when we investigate, we should focus on men whose height and build match the person in the surveillance footage. Now add germophobia to the profile. As for manic disorder, it can manifest as someone who’s expressive, witty, or unusually passionate in conversation. After all, mania comes in episodes. By the way, you said you spoke with their class counselor earlier. Is he here right now?”

“He is. If you want to see him, I’ll go call him over.”

Zhou Hai stopped him.

“Let’s go together. Chu Menghan is gathering all the faculty and staff right now.”

Xu Biao froze.

“What do you mean? You suspect one of the teachers or staff members did this?”

“As long as someone appeared on this campus, they have reason to be suspected.”

Zhou Hai said no more.

Pulling off his latex gloves, the four of them walked into the monitoring room next door.

A laptop displayed a WeChat chat interface. From the contents and timestamps, it was obvious Xiao Hu had restored the deleted WeChat messages from Pang Chuanhai’s account.

However, WeChat accounts didn’t require verified registration. Just like phone numbers, they could easily be obtained anonymously. It seemed this lead had gone cold again.

Liu Da waved toward Zhou Hai.

“Perfect timing. Chu Menghan has already gathered all the faculty and staff. They’re all assembled in the lecture hall on the first floor. Are we conducting video screening here, or heading to the scene?”

Zhou Hai looked at Xiao Hu.

“Same as usual. We’ll go to the scene while you compare footage through the surveillance system. But this time, we need to change the comparison method a bit.”

“Change it? How?”

Xu Biao walked over and draped an arm around Xiao Hu’s shoulder, explaining everything they had just analyzed.

Xiao Hu was an expert in this field. The moment he heard it, he immediately understood.

“Got it. We’ll investigate from both angles, one by one. We’ll definitely find the suspect.”

Zhou Hai nodded and turned toward Liu Da.

“We’ll head over with Chu Menghan now.”

Liu Da nodded.

“Go ahead. All available officers have already been deployed around the perimeter. I also brought in emergency medical teams and firefighters in case something violent happens. Since you’ve concluded the killer is here, then we’ll make sure there’s no way for him to escape.”

The group headed toward the lecture hall.

The faculty and staff sat quietly inside while numerous police officers maintained order.

They had already witnessed the earlier corpse disposal investigation and arrests. Although many were dissatisfied about being kept waiting there, for the sake of their own safety, they endured it in silence.