SFTD -Chapter 396 White Spots Reappear (Part 37)

Zhou Hai instantly thought of Hong Haier. He quickly reached out and grabbed the cap on top of the skeleton’s skull, pulling a few strands of hair from the seams and holding them close to the torchlight. The lighting was still too dim to make out the exact color, but they definitely did not look black.

According to the earlier records, the reason people called him “Hong Haier” was because of his reddish-brown hair. Furthermore, the victim’s teeth were neatly aligned, and the wear on the molars was minimal. Zhou Hai lifted his head and looked at Fengzi beside him.

“Find something to carry the skeleton up with. I think the dead man is Hong Haier.”

Fengzi’s eyes widened. If Zhou Hai’s theory was correct and Yang Duxiu really was the killer, then he had already avenged himself long ago. Back then, no one could find Hong Haier—perhaps because Yang Duxiu had lured him here and murdered him.

Zhou Hai suddenly seemed to think of something. He turned and looked toward the wall opposite the skeleton and the circular vaulted ceiling above. Moments later, he spotted a hanging rope, along with a wooden frame nearby. Above the frame was a notch mechanism and a loose leather cord.

Zhou Hai walked over for a closer look.

“Could this be a handmade giant crossbow?”

Old Wang hurried over and examined the crude structure carefully before nodding at Zhou Hai.

“Looks like a handmade ballista. As for the projectile… that war blade was probably the bolt. But would the victim really just sit there waiting to be shot? This crossbow is far too crude and massive. No matter what, the victim should’ve reacted somehow. Surely he wouldn’t just sit there while the killer reloaded the bolt?”

Zhou Hai knew Old Wang had a point, but that was not how he saw it. He smiled faintly.

“If the killer was a doctor, then everything makes sense. One injection of anesthetic would’ve been enough to immobilize him.”

Fengzi twitched at the corner of his mouth. Old Wang blinked and slowly nodded. If things had happened the way Zhou Hai described, then it all became perfectly logical.

“A man obsessed with revenge would definitely rehearse everything carefully.”

The moment Zhou Hai finished speaking, flickering lights suddenly appeared from the passage they had come through, accompanied by a series of clear footsteps. The three men immediately turned to look.

“Haizi! Where are you guys?”

Xu Biao shouted loudly, but Zhou Hai honestly did not even have the strength to yell back anymore.

Three figures appeared in the tunnel, their lights shining directly onto them. Xu Biao and Hu Nan quickly ran over.

Hu Nan looked incredibly excited. If Xu Biao hadn’t been holding her back, she probably would have bounced all the way over.

Who could have imagined that this was the same person who had spent the entire afternoon refusing to help?

Ah…

Women really were difficult creatures to understand.

Xu Biao grabbed Hu Nan’s sleeve and walked up to Zhou Hai. From where they stood, no explanation was necessary—the skeleton on the ground was already in plain sight. Even mentally prepared, Xu Biao still jumped in fright.

“Damn… unexpected bonus loot?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“I suspect he’s Hong Haier.”

Xu Biao thought for a moment and nodded as well.

“That’s very likely. Hong Haier disappeared years ago. Nobody ever saw him again.”

Fengzi shouted toward the people entering from the tunnel: “Tell the people in the back to return and get a body bag. Bring the skeleton back so Zhao Xinli can estimate the time of death.”

Zhou Hai looked at Xu Biao and Hu Nan, who was crouching beside the skeleton.

“Who came down here with you?”

Xu Biao waved his hand.

“Captain Huang’s directing things from above. Liu and Zhao each led a team down here. After all, there were three tunnels. Don’t worry, they all brought professionals with them.”

“Professionals?”

Knowing Zhou Hai was unfamiliar with this sort of thing, Xu Biao pulled out a laminated sheet and handed it to him.

“We brought people from the sanitation bureau’s research division. They’ve done extensive studies on Southeast City’s underground drainage system and the tunnels from the German occupation period. They even brought maps of all the underground routes and professional equipment.

I was worried it’d be dangerous for Forensic Doctor Hu to follow the others around, so once I spotted footprints, I dragged her over here.”

At that moment, several people behind them had already gone back to retrieve body bags. Zhou Hai left Fengzi behind to handle things—especially the war blade, which had already been sealed in an evidence bag.

He raised his head to orient himself, then glanced at the others and gestured to Xu Biao, Hu Nan, and Old Wang.

“You three, come with me.”

Directly north of the skeleton, there was a half-open door. When Zhou Hai looked toward it, Xu Biao immediately shone his high-powered flashlight over.

The iron-plated door had long since rusted from the dampness. Its paint had completely faded away, leaving only layers of reddish-brown corrosion behind.

Zhou Hai reached out and pulled the door open. With a harsh creaking sound, the door slowly swung aside.

The flashlight beam swept inward.

It appeared to be a warehouse, with rows upon rows of shelves neatly arranged inside.

There was not much dust accumulated on the floor. The four of them carefully walked in. Hu Nan stayed close behind Zhou Hai, matching his pace step for step.

Xu Biao raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Hu Nan, who was practically glued to Zhou Hai’s side. Among the three men present, it seemed this female forensic doctor trusted Haizi the most.

Xu Biao curled his lips helplessly and followed Old Wang deeper inside. By now, Old Wang had swapped the torch for a flashlight—the torch couldn’t be extinguished and kept dripping oil, so he had stuck it back where it originally stood.

Xu Biao’s flashlight swept constantly across the six or seven rows of shelves. Some held crates, others tools. The deeper they went, the larger the objects became.

When they reached the westernmost side, several enormous barrel-shaped objects appeared on the shelves. Their diameter was about the same as Xu Biao’s waist. They were covered with cloths, leaving only the tops exposed.

They looked somewhat like giant sulfuric acid bottle stoppers.

And they were made of glass.

Curious, Xu Biao glanced back at Zhou Hai and the others, only to realize the three of them were busy examining items inside a crate.

Swallowing nervously, he decided not to call them over. Instead, he reached out and lifted the cover from one of the bottles.

With his other hand, he shone the flashlight inside.

The glass was not very transparent, so Xu Biao leaned closer for a better look.

The instant he saw what was inside, he let go of the cloth and screamed.

“AHHH—

“Haizi—!”

At the sound of his scream, Zhou Hai and the other two rushed over.

Hu Nan reached out to lift the cover again, but Xu Biao frantically waved his hands and stammered:

“Don’t—

“Don’t touch it—

“It’s terrifying—

“It’s…

“It’s a human head—”

Hu Nan rolled her eyes at him and continued anyway, pulling the cover completely aside.

Since Xu Biao had already warned her, she was mentally prepared. When she saw what was underneath, she merely narrowed her eyes.

Turning around, she snatched the flashlight from Xu Biao’s hand and joined Zhou Hai in carefully examining it.

Xu Biao pursed his lips.

When exactly was his landmine-level bad luck ever going to improve?

He falls once upstairs and discovers the manhole cover leading to underground tunnels.

He casually lifts a random cover, and inside is an entire jar containing a dried human head.

His poor little heart was working at dangerous overdrive.

Sigh…

Feeling Old Wang’s hand trembling uncontrollably beside him, Xu Biao shot him an annoyed glare and slapped away the hand supporting him.

“Go ahead, laugh your ass off. I’m just cursed.”

Hu Nan could not help laughing. She turned back to look at him.

“That’s a pretty accurate summary. I finally understand why Forensic Doctor Zhou keeps you as an assistant. Honestly, they really can’t do without you.”

Xu Biao proudly lifted his chin, too lazy to respond to Hu Nan’s teasing. Slowly, he edged his way behind the two of them and poked Zhou Hai in the lower back.

“Haizi… figure it out yet?”