Chapter 88: Human Meat Ingredients

Huang Xiaotao asked, "Why was this victim's throat slit?"

I pondered for a moment. "I think the killer is constantly improving their technique."

"Improving… their technique?" Huang Xiaotao's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait a moment. I need to confirm something first."

I pried the victim's mouth open. The inside was severely decayed. When I forced it open, a sticky sound came from the jaws, and thin strands of mucous stretched between the upper and lower teeth.

The cheek muscles on both sides had started to soften, and with a little force, the entire lower jaw felt like it could come off. The upper palate cartilage was also decayed, and the unsupported nose was collapsing inward.

The nasal cavity was filled with rot, much of it flowing back into the oral cavity. The mucous membranes, gums, and tongue were all badly decomposed. The warm, moist environment inside the mouth was a breeding ground for bacteria and mold — the victim's mouth was just horrifyingly rotten.

I fought the nausea and sniffed cautiously. The stench was so sour and pungent it nearly made me pass out.

My nose is far more sensitive than most people's, and amidst the horrible smell, I caught a strong metallic scent of blood, as if blood had backed up into the nasal cavity.

...

...

Could the victim have been hung upside down and bled out?

I checked the victim's ankles and sure enough, there were marks from bindings.

The entire corpse was rotten to the point that "guts spilling out" barely described it. The stomach and intestines were fully exposed. Human intestines have quite a bit of fat, which was crawling with maggots—some burrowing under the intestinal lining, growing fat and large.

I pressed on the stomach and found it swollen, likely filled with gases from decomposition, but it felt like there was something else inside.

"Do you have a scalpel?" I asked.

"Don't your mortuary examiners usually avoid cutting into bodies?" Huang Xiaotao was a little surprised.

"There's no choice. The corpse is so rotten that all the cartilage in the joints has dissolved. It'll fall apart if moved even slightly. If no scalpel, scissors will do. I just want to see what's inside the stomach," I explained.

After some asking around, Huang Xiaotao found me a small pair of scissors.

I cupped the entire stomach carefully, having Huang Xiaotao hold a plastic bag underneath to catch any fluids so they wouldn't contaminate the other organs.

I told everyone else to step back, held my breath, and began to cut open the stomach, preparing for whatever might spray out.

Sure enough, as soon as the scissors pierced the stomach, there was a loud pfft sound as an unbearable, sharp, and pungent odor burst out! I was so close my eyes nearly shut from the stench, and thick black liquid oozed out in a steady flow.

Many cops recoiled in fear. I held my breath hard—breathing in just once could have made me faint right there.

I carefully sliced the stomach open. The human stomach wall is made of tough muscle layers, and the cutting sound made my scalp tingle with discomfort. The stomach contents slowly spilled into the plastic bag.

I asked Huang Xiaotao for another bag. Once I replaced the soiled bag with a clean one, I wrapped the stomach tightly and returned it inside the corpse's abdomen.

This way, if the forensic pathologist needs to perform a formal autopsy later, the other organs won't be corroded by the leftover stomach acids.

I grabbed the bag with the stomach contents and hurried outside the bridge tunnel for fresh air. As I inhaled deeply, a hand holding a cigarette pack extended toward me, offering a smoke. I looked up and saw Wang Yuanchao.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke," I said.

Without a word, he lit one up for himself.

"When did you get here, Wang Yuanchao?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"I came as soon as I got the call," he replied.

I looked closely at the stomach contents in the bag. Huang Xiaotao asked what I found. I handed her the bag, and although reluctant at first, she sniffed and exclaimed, "Why does the victim's stomach smell like spices?!"

"Exactly. There's Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg in there," I began to explain.

Huang Xiaotao's brows knitted tightly. "That sick bastard… Is he trying to make me afraid to eat those spices now?" She then asked, "Why are these spices inside the victim's stomach?"

"Probably the killer tried to improve the flavor of the human meat," I said.

"Improve… the flavor?" Her face twitched visibly.

"I noticed scrape marks on the victim's esophagus. It seems a soft tube was forcibly inserted, and the spices were pumped in — like making Peking duck."

"Disgusting!" Huang Xiaotao frowned.

"Also, the feet show binding marks, and the nasal cavity is filled with congealed blood. The victim was likely hung upside down and bled out..." I paused, then added, "Just like slaughtering a chicken or duck!"

Everyone present shuddered at the thought.

This victim was the killer's first captive. The madman forced the victim to swallow large amounts of spices, and judging by the digestion state, about twelve hours after eating, the killer impatiently hung the victim upside down and slit his throat to drain the blood.

Treating a human like livestock, raising and slaughtering them — it's impossible for any normal person to do this calmly. The killer must meet two criteria: utterly devoid of humanity, and experienced in animal slaughter.

This corpse differed in many ways from the previous one, but it's clear both were done by the same person. Comparing the two, the killer is experimenting with ways to make human meat fresher and tastier.

Obviously, the spice method didn't work, which is why the killer resorted to anesthetics for killing later on.

I exhaled deeply, trying to imagine the mind of such a cannibalistic monster — like probing a dark, filthy, damp sewer. The feeling was nauseating, oppressive, suffocating.

Especially knowing I'd have to face such a gruesome corpse again.

Everyone around looked at me silently, five long seconds passing without a word. For most police here, this was likely the first time encountering such a deranged case in their lives.

Finally, Wang Dali broke the silence, running over excitedly, "Yangzi! You guys here? Did I make it in time?"

He caught the strange atmosphere and saw the corpse on the ground, leaping back like he'd stepped on a live wire, "Oh my god! Is that even a human?"

I asked, "Where's the stuff?"

"All here."

I told Wang Dali to quickly pull out my gum tin containing Suhexiang pills — I could barely stand the smell any longer. He found it and handed me one. The pill released a refreshing minty scent that cleared my sinuses instantly.

There was still some seaweed ash left from last night, packed in a paper pouch. I told Wang Dali to find it, along with my red silk cloth used to detect yang marks.

Using these, I examined the corpse. Like the last one, the killer wore gloves — only yang marks were found on the body, no fingerprints. But the bag had plenty of fingerprints; unfortunately, soaking in water too long ruined their forensic value.

I stared intently at the yang marks and fingerprints, lost in thought. Wang Dali was asking me things, but I heard nothing.

Huang Xiaotao finally asked, "Song Yang, found anything?"

I quietly said, "I think I've made a major breakthrough."