Chapter 99: Forensic Examination by Prying Open the Mouth

"Dead bodies? Are you serious?" I raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"If you don't believe me, go see for yourself!" Ye Shiwen snapped angrily, yelling at me.

I called out, "Let's go, Dali!"

When we stepped inside, sure enough, there were two bodies. One lay near the door, the other by the window. Their skin was charred completely black, as if burnt to charcoal. My first thought was that someone had set them on fire and dumped the remains—burning is the most effective way to destroy evidence and DNA. But what puzzled me was that both were still wearing their clothes, and the clothes were perfectly intact.

Wang Dali let out a frightened shout, "Yangzi, those are definitely corpses!"

"It's not unusual for a remote, abandoned house like this to be used as a dumping ground. Let me call Huang Xiaotao," I said.

Just as I reached for my phone, Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan leaned forward cautiously, peering inside. Ye Shiwen whispered as if afraid to disturb the dead, "Are you crazy? Why call the cops? Let's just get out of here!"

I ignored him.

Ye Shiwen added, "The police are unreasonable these days. If they can't catch the killer, they might pin it on us."

...

...

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement, "Yeah, better not get involved. Let's leave while we still can."

I wondered where they'd heard such nonsense. The police do handle cases fairly. Sure, sometimes informants get held temporarily, but only when they're genuinely suspects. At that moment, my phone rang. Huang Xiaotao answered lazily, "What the hell, it's the middle of the night. Why are you bothering me? I just finally fell asleep."

"You're probably not going to sleep tonight. I found two corpses here," I said.

There was a sudden crash on the other end. "Damn it! I broke my favorite mug while fumbling with the lamp cord!"

I chuckled, "I'll replace it later. Hurry up — the address is..."

I glanced at Wang Dali, who had pulled up the location on his phone, then relayed it to Huang Xiaotao.

"Got it. I'm dispatching the team now. Keep the scene secure until we arrive," Huang Xiaotao said urgently.

After hanging up, Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan's eyes widened. Ye Shiwen stammered, "You actually know a cop?"

"Think I'd lie to you?" I smirked.

Ye Shiwen looked embarrassed, "Well... I'm leaving then."

"Your car's busted. Where are you going? Stay here; you might need to give a statement later," I said.

"What? Give a statement? We didn't do anything! You better vouch for us," Zhang Yan exclaimed.

I wanted to laugh. Most people panic at the thought of giving a statement, but the police just do their jobs professionally. To calm them, I said, "Don't worry, I'll vouch for you."

I turned to Wang Dali, "Looks like we have a busy night ahead. Take a cab back to school and grab my stuff."

"Got it!" Wang Dali agreed enthusiastically. "I'll bring some food too. Looks like we'll be up late."

"Be quick and careful," I warned.

"Will do!"

After Wang Dali left, Ye Shiwen asked, "Song Yang, who exactly are you?"

"Same as you—a student," I replied evasively.

He looked doubtful, probably nervous being near two corpses. He wanted to light a cigarette, but I told him no—dropping ashes or a butt here could cause trouble, maybe even a trip to the station. That scared him off.

Before Huang Xiaotao arrived, I examined the bodies carefully. They were severely burned, but it was still unclear if they died in the fire or were killed beforehand and then burned. I didn't touch them with bare hands to avoid leaving fingerprints.

Judging by their clothes and builds, both were men—one around thirty, the other about forty. They wore shoes and socks, even watches and gold rings. The killer's motives were baffling.

I searched the rooms and found two sleeping bags and a backpack. As I was pondering this, a door slammed behind me, followed by Zhang Yan's shrill scream.

I realized those two cowards had been following me all along. Zhang Yan stammered, "Wh-who shut the door?"

"Probably the wind," I said.

I pushed the door open, but it faced a wall—no way the wind could have closed it. The hallway felt eerie; from some corner came a constant creaking noise, like someone chewing on beans. I thought, this place really gives off a weird vibe.

I looked back. Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan were clutching each other's hands tightly, eyes wide as saucers. Their scared faces made me laugh.

"It's nothing. I'm here," I said.

"Did you hear anything?" Zhang Yan asked cautiously.

"Stop imagining things. If you're bored, play on your phone. The more you think, the scarier it gets," I reassured her.

"You... you're not scared at all?"

"Why should I be? Don't you watch horror movies?"

After a while, sirens wailed outside. A large group arrived. Huang Xiaotao saw Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan and asked, "Are these your classmates?"

"Sort of. Get me a pair of rubber gloves."

I took the gloves from Xiao Zhou of the forensic team, put them on, and prepared to examine the bodies. Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan stared at me, their eyes nearly popping out. Ye Shiwen had once bet me I knew a detective and dared me to call him "Dad." I'd planned to embarrass him by making that cop call him "Dad" a hundred times just to burst his bubble, but I was too curious about the burnt corpses to bother.

While examining, I told Huang Xiaotao roughly how I found the bodies. The police then took Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan downstairs for statements.

I told Huang Xiaotao, "By the way, that guy's car broke down. If you have water in your car, lend him a bottle. It's late; he might not get back to school."

"Heh, you sneaky bastard, hanging out with girls behind my back!" Huang Xiaotao reached over to tug my ear. "Come clean—are you scouting for your long-haired cutie?"

She didn't tug hard; I played along, begging for mercy. "Focus, will you? I told you I'm just helping Wang Dali tonight. I don't even know how to spell 'dating.'"

"Hmph. I figured you'd have the guts but not the courage," Huang Xiaotao pouted, fists raised.

Back to the autopsy: The joints of the bodies were intact despite the charring. Judging from their final expressions, they seemed to have suffered immense pain and torture before death.