SFTD -Chapter 265 Rabies Virus (Part 20)

“The fluoride content in the teeth exceeded the standard by several times. There were also high iodine levels, excessive heavy metals, and most importantly, traces of sodium cyanide were detected in every single body. Although the amount was extremely slight, it proves the area they lived in was polluted.”

The moment Zhou Hai heard this, he quickly pulled out his tablet and opened a map of eastern Shandong.

“The detection of sodium cyanide means there must be gold mines nearby. Using cyanide to extract gold is still a method many domestic mines secretly continue to use. However, it causes severe contamination to the surrounding water supply. High fluoride and high iodine levels indicate that the drinking water comes directly from underground sources.”

As he scanned the map, Zhou Hai’s finger suddenly stopped at one location.

North of Xuzhou, near Tengzhou.

There were gold mines there, and nearby were Mashan, Doushan, Shimashan, and Xiaohongshan. These areas were all very close to the mines. The terrain was elevated and the villages sparse, though there was a township nearby as well as two vocational secondary schools.

“It looks like we’ve found the most likely location. This area belongs to a high-fluoride, high-iodine region, has gold mines nearby, and is also very close to Xuzhou.”

Xu Biao scratched his head.

“I wonder if that boy has woken up yet. If he has, we can question him properly. And what about the people they brought back? Any interrogation results?”

“We’ll ask Xiao Zeng and the others after we get back. Wang Man hasn’t slept for two days, so he might not even have participated in last night’s interrogation. Also ask the officers stationed at the hospital whether the boy has woken up yet.”

Xu Biao turned and went out to make a call. Zhou Hai looked over at Sister Zeng, who was yawning nearby.

“Sister Zeng, I suspect these twenty-plus victims are all from the Mashan area east of Tengzhou. Could you help me look up the local residents’ environmental and health indicator data? Since there are gold mines there, I’m sure the authorities must have done environmental baseline investigations.”

Sister Zeng thought for a moment and glanced at her watch.

“I have a classmate working in Tengzhou. I’ll ask him to help me gather the local data. Don’t worry, we should get results quickly. But Forensic Doctor Zhou, do you really think this comparison method is reliable?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“The accuracy is very high. Trace elements and toxin residues ingested by people living in the same area are generally consistent. In the United States, this method is often combined with ethnic genetic identification to determine the region an unidentified corpse came from. The accuracy rate can reach as high as ninety-eight percent.”

Sister Zeng nodded.

“The cases we handle are usually all within the province, so you probably never had a chance to use this method before, right? In that case, I’ll try to collect as much environmental data from different provinces and cities as possible. If we need it later, we can directly compare the results.”

Naturally, Zhou Hai had no objections.

“Sounds good. Sorry to trouble you, Sister Zeng. I’m going to check whether that boy has woken up.”

Sister Zeng waved her hand dismissively instead of exchanging pleasantries.

As soon as Zhou Hai stepped out the door, he saw Xu Biao hanging up his phone.

“Haizi, Wang Man’s interrogation results are out. They already sent the interrogation videos to the provincial department. Xuzhou is only supplying the eastern Shandong region. There are several other donor collection sites elsewhere too. The ones they know about are in Zhengzhou and Huizhou. As for others, they’re not sure because they never handled deliveries there.”

Zhou Hai frowned deeply.

“One Xuzhou site already produced twenty-nine victims. Adding the others together, the total number is probably several times higher. Forget it, no point thinking about that for now. Any news from the hospital?”

“The boy woke up briefly, then fell asleep again. But he still refuses to speak. Let’s go take a look. That kidney transplant patient also happens to be at Ludong University Hospital.”

…

Half an hour later, Master Wang drove the two of them to Ludong University Hospital.

They first went to the urology department to see the kidney transplant patient. The man was truly fortunate. After the transplant, he showed no rejection symptoms, and now that he had received rabies immunoglobulin in time, he appeared to be in fairly good spirits.

Afterward, they headed to the twenty-second floor of the surgical building. Without even asking for directions, they walked straight toward the room guarded by two police officers.

Both men were Wang Man’s subordinates and already familiar with Zhou Hai and Xu Biao, so they quickly opened the door for them.

The teenager lay quietly on the hospital bed. But from the trembling of his eyelids, Zhou Hai could tell he was already awake.

Turning around, he gave Xu Biao a meaningful look. Xu Biao immediately understood and swaggered toward the boy.

“Haizi, did you eat breakfast this morning? I’m starving. Watching them eat soup dumplings earlier nearly killed me with envy. I’ll have those two buy some. Want a portion too?”

Zhou Hai glanced at the boy, understanding Xu Biao’s intention perfectly.

The boy had not eaten for over thirty-six hours. Listening to people discuss food while smelling aromas drifting in from outside the room was torture for anyone.

“Sure. And get me a bowl of chicken wonton soup too. Add sesame oil and cilantro, but no scallions.”

The moment Zhou Hai finished speaking, a loud growling sound came from the bed.

Xu Biao struggled not to laugh. Zhou Hai was getting more and more ruthless. Soup dumplings alone were already tempting enough, yet he deliberately added details about wontons, sesame oil, and cilantro—even Xu Biao himself was swallowing saliva.

How could a kid who had missed so many meals possibly endure that?

Hearing the sound, the boy on the bed could no longer keep pretending. His eyelids twitched twice before he slowly opened his eyes and secretly glanced toward Zhou Hai. But when he saw the two officers in police uniforms, instead of relaxing, he became even more nervous, clutching the blanket defensively.

“You… are you really police officers?”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“I’m a forensic doctor. The two outside are real police officers. Can you tell me what exactly happened to you? Why did they capture you and take you to the cemetery?”

Xu Biao walked to the door and asked the officers outside to buy soup dumplings and wontons. Then he returned to the room, turned on a body camera, and placed it nearby.

Hearing Xu Biao’s instructions and Zhou Hai’s explanation, the boy seemed to relax slightly. He sat up against the pillow.

“Actually, I don’t even know what happened.

I skipped class to go out and have fun. On the road, I ran into several police officers. They said they were heading to Tengzhou City and asked me for directions. I told them how to get there, but the one who looked like the leader asked me to get in the car and guide them to the next intersection.

I thought they were police, so it shouldn’t be a big deal, so I got in. But as soon as I entered the vehicle, someone covered my mouth from behind, and after that, I remembered nothing.”

Zhou Hai glanced at Xu Biao. No wonder the boy was so terrified of police—it was people dressed as officers who had abducted him.

“What’s your name? How old are you? Where are you from? And where is the school you mentioned?”

“My name is Wang Qiang. I’m sixteen by traditional counting. I’m from Yangzhuang Town in Tengzhou. My home is in Mashan, but I study at the Coal Technical School in Taozhuang Town, Zaozhuang. My home is actually quite close to the school. A lot of people from nearby towns go to school in Zaozhuang.”

“You live on campus?” Xu Biao leaned closer and asked.

“Yeah, boarding school.”

Zhou Hai marked several locations on the map before continuing:

“Have you heard of any children from your school or your town going missing in the past few months?”