SFTD -Chapter 94 Man in the Wall (Part 4)

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes. The edge of the light spot disappeared at the outer surface of the skull at the wound site. Along the occipital margin of the cranium, there was a slightly sunken depression—far more noticeable than the surrounding reflected light.

Rebar?

No, the density didn’t match.

Could it be an iron nail?

But what kind of nail was this long and thick?

And why was there no nail head?

To penetrate an adult male’s skull to this depth, it would have to be at least over 17 centimeters long. Could it be some kind of specialized industrial nail?

“Everyone, help me turn the body over!”

As soon as Zhou Hai spoke, the others immediately stepped forward.

Turning this body was not something that could be done casually—it was still tightly adhered to the quilt it had been wrapped in.

They endured once again the chilling “squelching” sound, and finally managed to flip the body over. The blanket and bath towel beneath it were pulled away and set aside.

As expected, Zhou Hai found something at the occipital region of the skull: a metal triangular tip about the width of an adult finger was embedded in the bone. But the exposed end was not flat—it seemed to have a chipped edge.

The shriveled skin had already engulfed most of it. Only by touch could one feel a slight protrusion indicating its boundary, but it was impossible to pull it out by force.

According to the X-ray, this triangular spike had been inserted horizontally through the skull, reaching all the way to the back of the eye socket. Such an injury was unquestionably fatal.

Zhou Hai removed one glove and turned to explain to Chu Menghan behind him.

“We’ve found the cause of death. Look at the direction of this triangular spike in the skull—it entered from the occipital bone, passed directly through the brainstem, and reached the back of the orbit. It penetrated the entire brain: the cerebellum, brainstem, and cerebrum—all completely pierced through. An injury like this would cause rapid unconsciousness followed by death. Even with immediate medical treatment, survival would be extremely unlikely. But this nail is very unusual—we’ll need to look it up online. Given the severe dehydration of the corpse, removing it intact will be extremely difficult. I suggest pausing the dissection for now. We should rehydrate the body first before continuing. That way, we may be able to recover the facial features and fingerprints more clearly, which will make identifying the victim much easier.”

“De…cay…re…hydration…”

The group beside him repeated the words through clenched teeth in unison. Zhou Hai nodded.

“There is a forensic method developed based on earlier research by a Mexican pathologist. It uses a solution called Ruffer’s solution. Diluted at a 1:100 ratio in warm water at 38°C, and then the body is soaked for 8 to 24 hours. This can effectively rehydrate a mummified corpse, restoring fingerprints and facial features. This body isn’t too severely dehydrated—it should be relatively quick.”

Chu Menghan glanced at the time. It was already 4 a.m., meaning the earliest completion time would be around noon. There was no point in waiting any longer.

“Alright, give him a proper ‘water treatment’ then. I’ll go investigate the perimeter. Construction companies are always difficult to deal with. Call me when it’s ready.”

“Wait. Have someone send the concrete samples we brought back to a professional testing center. Check whether the concrete on the corpse matches the surrounding wall material.”

Chu Menghan’s eyes flashed with understanding, then realization.

“You mean, if the concrete batch number matches, it means the killer is from the construction team—or at least someone who had access to the site. If it doesn’t match, then it was filled in later?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Also, the salt and soil filling the victim’s chest cavity—different regions produce slight compositional differences. I’ll push for the lab reports as soon as possible.”

January 1st, 2015 – 3:00 p.m.

Chu Menghan sat in the lobby of Dongjian Group, already having drunk two cups of coffee. Since it was the New Year holiday, all departments were off except for on-duty staff. The scheduled representative from Dongjian had still not appeared.

Just as her patience was about to run out, the revolving door turned.

A slightly overweight man in his late thirties hurried in.

After a few quiet words from the receptionist, he walked over with a professional smile. His left hand adjusted the front of his jacket while his right hand reached out.

“Hello.”

“Sorry to have kept you waiting. I’m Cao Ming, project manager of Dongjian Construction Group.”

“Chenghe Criminal Police Team, Chu Menghan. Here is my badge.”

“I’m not sure how I can assist you.”

Chu Menghan lightly touched his hand; Cao Ming only glanced at her badge.

They sat down. Soon, someone came over to refill their coffee. The aroma was noticeably different from the previous cups. Cao Ming gave the receptionist a meaningful smile. Chu Menghan cleared her throat.

“Today we’re here to inquire about your investment project, the Sofia Grand Hotel. We need information regarding the construction—specifically who undertook the construction of the sixth floor. We also need access to the retained concrete samples from the lab for that floor.”

Cao Ming’s relaxed expression instantly changed. He put down his crossed leg, leaned forward, and stared at her.

“Officer Chu… may I ask why?”

Chu Menghan waved her hand. Wang Man placed several photos on the table.

Cao Ming picked them up in confusion—first, a photo of the A8 bar.

Then the second image: a damaged wall with something dark and unclear inside.

His hand trembled. He didn’t even dare continue looking. He quickly handed the photos back.

“This…This was taken at A8? What is that thing?”

Wang Man took the photos back.

“A body hidden in the wall.”

Cao Ming ran a hand through his hair, quickly opened his laptop, and pulled up several tables of data.

“This is the list of contractors and construction teams. It’s from a year ago—some of the contact numbers may have changed. These people are highly mobile; they come and go frequently. As for the concrete samples you requested, I’ll have to contact our group laboratory. These were produced internally, since this was our own project, so we kept fairly detailed records.”

He made a call right there in front of them without hesitation, briefly explained the situation, then hung up. A young woman from the front desk hurried upstairs.

“Please wait a moment. I’ve asked Xiao Wu to retrieve them—there’s staff on duty upstairs.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“It’s what we should do.”

Cao Ming hesitated, then asked, “Officer Chu… who is the deceased?”

Chu Menghan, holding her coffee, frowned slightly. Looking into the cup, she suddenly thought of the mummified body undergoing “SPA treatment” and immediately set the cup down.

“We’re still awaiting autopsy results. Once they come in, we’ll need your cooperation for identification.”

Cao Ming nodded firmly.

“Of course. Absolutely.”

At that moment, the elevator chimed. Xiao Wu pushed a trolley over, loaded with more than a dozen concrete blocks, each labeled with codes and dates.

Wang Man arranged for the samples to be loaded onto the vehicle. Chu Menghan stood up as well.

“Thank you for your cooperation. If further investigation is needed, we will contact you again. Please keep your phone available in the next few days.”

That single sentence made Cao Ming’s legs weaken. The flesh on his cheeks trembled.

New Year’s holiday, dragged out of home, confronted with a “body-in-the-wall” case, asked for materials, and told to stay on call at all times—his mental stability collapsed completely.

“Definitely…keep…my phone…available…”