SFTD -Chapter 385 White Spots Reappear (Part 26)

Just as Fengzi was about to move, Xu Biao stopped him. From the pile of documents behind him, he found the medical record with a torn section and handed it to Zhou Hai.

Pulling off his gloves, Zhou Hai accepted the file and carefully flipped through it.

The earliest record was dated June 12, 1993. Yang Duxiu had been admitted for sulfuric acid burns on his hand and trauma to his leg. The file was extremely thick.

Zhou Hai read through it carefully. Yang Duxiu had undergone eight surgeries before his hand was finally saved. The skin grafts used to cover the damaged area had all been taken from the inner thigh of his left leg. The entire process of hospitalization and surgeries had stretched intermittently over the course of a year.

As for the gallbladder surgery, it had not been done during that time.

Flipping farther back, Zhou Hai discovered that the minimally invasive gallbladder operation had been performed in January 2012. Seeing this, he frowned slightly.

He set down the record, changed into a fresh pair of gloves, then picked up gauze soaked with alcohol and carefully cleaned the skin on the corpse’s abdomen. Now the crescent-shaped scars became even clearer.

The scars had healed so well they were almost impossible to notice. Only a slight difference in skin tone distinguished them from the surrounding skin, and even the puncture marks were gone.

Scars like these did not look as though they could have healed this completely in just over two years. Especially compared to the residual scars on the hand, the healing here was unnaturally perfect.

Seeing Zhou Hai repeatedly compare the wounds, Fengzi guessed he had discovered something and widened his eyes.

“Boss, do you think something’s wrong?”

Pointing at the crescent-shaped scars, Zhou Hai looked at Xu Biao.

“Take pictures here.”

Then he glanced at Fengzi.

“These healed too well. So well that they’re almost indistinguishable. Even for someone who doesn’t scar easily, reaching this level of healing would take time. But it’s been less than three years since the surgery. It seems…”

After taking the photos, Xu Biao leaned over to look.

“Hai Zi, you mean the medical records don’t match the actual body? Could the records be fake?”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“The records show the surgery was performed before the provincial Chinese medicine hospital withdrew from the partnership. The surgeon’s information is also listed afterward. Those things can’t be falsified.

Besides, as hospital staff, all of this went through medical insurance. There are records everywhere that can be verified. That’s not what I’m questioning.

What I’m thinking is… what if this person isn’t Yang Duxiu at all?”

His words stunned everyone around him.

Especially Xu Biao.

He stared at Zhou Hai in disbelief. After all, he had met Yang Duxiu personally and had even searched archives with him. Zhou Hai’s speculation was almost impossible for him to accept.

“No way. I saw his height, his face, and the injuries on his hands. How could there possibly be a substitute this similar? That theory is way too bold. I’d rather believe there’s a problem with the timing in the medical records. No way. Absolutely impossible!”

Zhou Hai turned over the corpse’s liver and located the remaining tied-off section of the common bile duct.

“And look here. You can clearly see there’s a bifurcation. During the dissection and closure, two separate ligations were done. But there’s no mention of this in the medical records.”

Fengzi froze for a moment, quickly removed his gloves, and took the file from Xu Biao. Turning to the surgical records, he indeed found no mention of it.

Xu Biao looked increasingly anxious. He did not understand this kind of specialized knowledge, so he looked back and forth between Zhou Hai and Fengzi.

“Come on, say something already! What does all this mean?”

After reading the records and comparing them with the liver in Zhou Hai’s hands, Fengzi saw that the actual condition did differ slightly from the operation notes.

“What Hai Zi means is that the deceased had a double gallbladder. In surgery, that would require tying off two ducts. Cases like this happen occasionally, but they’re always documented in the surgical records.

After all, it’s a congenital abnormality. After this kind of removal surgery, the recurrence rate for bile duct stones is higher, so doctors have to account for those risks.

Clearly, the records don’t match the deceased’s actual condition. Combined with the degree of scar healing, I support the boss’s conclusion.”

Zhou Hai glanced at the time, then searched for Xiao Liang, only to realize he was not in the autopsy room.

“Where’s Xiao Liang? How long has it been since we sent the samples for testing?”

Xu Biao checked the clock.

“It’s been about two hours since the first batch was sent out. The reports will still take a while.”

“Go find Sister Zeng and have her compare the deceased’s DNA with the DNA from the hair we brought back last time. Everything depends on the comparison results.”

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Xu Biao hurried upstairs.

Zhou Hai set down the liver and sliced tissue samples from the tumor area.

Only then did he begin reexamining the stomach contents. Earlier he had merely collected them without careful inspection. Now, after taking a closer sniff, he seemed to detect a faint smell of alcohol.

“Fengzi, do you smell alcohol?”

Fengzi nodded.

“I didn’t notice earlier, but now that I pay attention, the alcohol smell is actually pretty strong.”

Zhou Hai found several chunky pieces, rinsed them slightly, collected them in a culture dish, then picked up a magnifying glass for closer inspection.

Judging from the texture of the fibers, it was meat—and in large chunks, about the size of a fingernail.

There appeared to be bite marks on them, indicating they had been swallowed without being thoroughly chewed. He picked up another piece to inspect. Same thing.

This chunk even had traces of white fat attached.

“This is pork. Judging by the thickness of the fibers, it’s probably from a large slab of pork belly, specifically a leaner portion. See how coarse the fibers are? He must have eaten in a hurry without chewing carefully.”

Noise suddenly came from the doorway as Xu Biao and Xiao Liang returned.

“I already told Sister Zeng. Her machine was having some issues, but she just started the test. Results should be out in about three hours.”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Xu Biao, do you remember what Xiao Zhan and the others said Yang Duxiu ate at noon?”

Xu Biao thought for a moment.

“Xiao Zhan said Yang Duxiu fetched hot water from the water room and came back to eat, but nobody knew what he was eating. Why?”

Zhou Hai handed him the culture dish.

“Take a look. What kind of meat is this?”

Xu Biao looked puzzled. Taking the dish, he examined it through the magnifying glass uncertainly, then turned and walked to the microscope. He placed one piece on a slide and began observing it.

Under magnification, the muscle fibers became extremely clear.

“Beef fibers are generally thick and long, while pork fibers are thin and short. Combined with these obvious fat layers, this is definitely pork. And from a sow at least two years old. The fat is thick and white, while the lean meat is tough and dry. But why are you checking this?”

Zhou Hai remained silent, deep in thought.

Fengzi lowered his voice.

“We’re not researching cuisine or anything. Just examining the victim’s stomach contents. Looks like you really know your meats.”

Xu Biao looked disgusted and shot Fengzi a glare.

“Next time you ask me to identify something, could you at least tell me first that it came from a dead guy’s stomach?”

Fengzi rolled his eyes at him.

“You idiot. We’re in an autopsy room. Did you think I handed you a takeout container of braised pork over rice and asked for a food review?”

Xu Biao raised a hand, cutting him off.

“Alright, alright, my bad. I just ate a Snickers. After hearing you say that, my stomach seriously feels awful now. Can we stop traumatizing each other?”