SFTD -Chapter 224 The Incomplete Password (Part 8)

Xu Biao glared.

“Big? What do you mean big? Big like a blind fly with no direction, or big like a defined target range? Don’t tell me you’ve lost your mind.”

Zhou Hai didn’t respond. Instead, he carefully examined Wang Chunsheng’s external autopsy findings—from the facial features, hair, neck, down to every part of the body. The deceased was not old, and there were no obvious scars or surgical marks on the body surface.

However, the physiological curvature of the cervical and lumbar spine wasn’t ideal. It suggested he frequently sat in front of a computer. The big toe joint on the left foot showed slight swelling—mild signs of gout. This condition was fairly common in the southeast region, especially among young people who often ate barbecue and drank beer.

He continued with Liu Yusong. This victim was tall and heavily obese. The middle finger of his right hand had severe joint deformity from writing. Compared to Wang Chunsheng, his gastric mucosa damage was better. He also had fatty liver, cholecystitis, kidney stones—no surgical history or major trauma.

Zhu Leru was a little different. There was a cesarean section scar on her abdomen, but there was also an episiotomy mark in the perineal area. If he remembered correctly, Zhu Leru only had one childbirth experience—so why were there two delivery methods?

“Do we have Zhu Leru’s childbirth records?” Zhou Hai asked.

Fengzi had already organized Chu Forensic Doctor’s files and quickly flipped to Zhu Leru’s page. “Found it. In June 2010, Zhu Leru gave birth to twins. However, there were some fetal position issues. She delivered one naturally at Migao Hospital, then was transferred to a hospital in Dongnan City.”

“Transferred mid-way? What would require a transfer like that?” Zhou Hai became interested.

For twins, separated deliveries—one natural birth and one malpositioned fetus—suggested they were fraternal twins. The fact that one could be delivered naturally meant the mother herself wasn’t the issue. Besides, cesarean sections weren’t particularly major surgeries nowadays. Could there have been a problem with the child?

The Fengzi searched again but found no additional records.

“No explanation. It only says the patient insisted on going to Dongnan for treatment and signed a waiver of treatment. It seems it ended on bad terms. As for the second birth, there’s no medical record. It’s likely the file wasn’t preserved.”

Zhou Hai said nothing. He pressed the episiotomy area on Zhu Leru, smoothing it slightly, then directly cut out the tissue and placed it onto the tray held by Xiao Liang.

Chu Forensic Doctor shuddered violently. That sensation—cutting that area—was as unsettling as removing tissue during a suffocation examination. It sent chills down his spine.

Zhou Hai had no time to comfort him. He dissected the area layer by layer. Sure enough, the healed scar tissue showed that the episiotomy had been performed hastily, in a poor location, with extremely deep tearing that likely damaged nerves.

Perhaps at that moment, Zhu Leru’s left leg and buttock went completely numb. That kind of sensation would feel life-threatening. If the second fetus was slow to deliver, the longer the delay, the greater the loss of trust—she would definitely choose to transfer hospitals. After all, doctor-patient trust was already so fragile.

“Contact the deceased’s family. Ask whether Zhu Leru voluntarily gave up delivery and requested a transfer. Also ask if she ever received treatment for recovery of perineal nerve function.”

Chu Forensic Doctor was nudged by Fengzi and finally reacted. He quickly called Zhu Leru’s husband and repeated Zhou Hai’s questions, then put the call on speaker.

The man recalled for a moment, then said:

“Yes. On the day she gave birth, she called me and said she absolutely wouldn’t give birth there anymore. She suddenly lost feeling in her left leg and buttocks, and the second baby still wouldn’t come out.

I was terrified when I heard that. The first child had already been delivered over an hour ago, and there was still no movement from the second. I panicked and contacted the director. After checking, they agreed—but only if we took responsibility ourselves. I signed the papers and took my wife away.

The second child was delivered by cesarean in Dongnan City, but… the baby didn’t survive. The doctor said it was asphyxiation due to prolonged labor. My wife was furious and said she would sue Migao Hospital. Later, after a long dispute, they paid some compensation and it was settled.”

“Which hospital performed the C-section?” Zhou Hai suddenly asked.

“The ambulance took her directly to Dongnan Third People’s Hospital. That was the closest one to us.”

Zhou Hai nodded. Chu Forensic Doctor ended the call. Although he didn’t fully understand, he knew Zhou Hai had already found what he was looking for.

“Has the blood sample from the deceased Yu Lele been sent for testing?”

“It has.”

Zhou Hai returned to the autopsy table and re-examined Yu Lele’s body. He checked her limbs again. As expected, the little finger joint of her left hand showed slight redness, something easily overlooked due to postmortem livor mortis on the palms.

It seemed her body also had some issues.

At that moment, the autopsy room door opened. Da Li entered, holding a stack of printed documents.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou, these are the known social connections of the four victims. Yu Lele has the most. The other three have very limited social circles—from school to work, they barely knew anyone.”

Zhou Hai nodded. Gathering all this in such a short time was no easy task.

“Xiao Liang, keep these. We’ll conduct a full investigation later. Chu Forensic Doctor, you can store the four bodies.”

With that, he removed his protective suit, mask, and gloves, and walked toward the office. Chu Forensic Doctor looked at the four bodies with a hopeless expression. Fortunately, Xu Biao stayed behind.

“Don’t look so miserable. I’ll help you later. As long as you keep your mouth clean, Hai-zi is actually very willing to teach you.”

The Chu Forensic Doctor instantly bristled.

“My mouth is dirty? How is my mouth dirty?!”

Xu Biao patted his shoulder.

“Don’t argue. Look at the entire Migao criminal investigation team—your forensic department doesn’t even have a trace examiner. How did you end up like this? I heard people come here and leave within days. You should reflect on yourself. Look at how you act at crime scenes, all stiff-necked and stubborn. No one even said anything, and you get offended on your own. If that’s not a ‘bad mouth,’ what is?”

The Chu Forensic Doctor stopped talking. This was indeed his fault, but that was just his personality—he couldn’t help it.

Still, seeing how Zhou Hai could deduce everything in just a few words, he glanced at Xu Biao.

“Old Xu, can you pull some strings for me? I want to learn from Forensic Doctor Zhou. His skills are incredible.”

Xu Biao rolled his eyes.

“First solve the case. If you go off to learn, what happens to Migao? You’re just going to abandon it? Always thinking on a whim. Let Captain Hu apply to the higher authorities later to transfer a few people here to stabilize things, then you can go study. Otherwise, you’ll be overwhelmed.”

The Chu Forensic Doctor nodded vigorously. Although Xu Biao’s words were blunt, they were honest and practical.

They ate a quick lunch and continued consolidating all the information, searching for links between them—starting from classmates and acquaintances. After hours of analysis, the more they looked, the more tangled it became.

But just as dusk fell, the computer behind Xu Biao flickered. The previously vanished tracking signal reappeared. A red dot blinked repeatedly, slowly moving toward the direction of the police station.

Zhou Hai’s phone rang immediately.

It was Chu Menghan.

He hesitated for a moment—she didn’t even know he had come to Migao. He quickly stepped out of the room, walked to the roadside outside the work area, and answered.

“Hello? What’s wrong?”