Chapter 166: The Song Family’s Ultimate Art — Full Corpse Reconstruction

I told Huang Xiaotao to take the corpse back first, then asked Wang Dali to buy some supplies for me: scrapers, bone powder, mung bean powder, slaked lime, fish glue, and sewing needles and thread.

Wang Dali looked puzzled. "Bone powder? What's that, and where do I get it?"

I explained, "Bone powder is just ground animal bones. You can get some from places that sell bone carvings, or maybe check the flower and bird market. Some people use it as fertilizer for plants."

Then he asked, "What about fish glue?"

I said, "It's the gelatinous fat from a fish's belly. You can get it from a fish market."

Wang Dali nodded and went off. Huang Xiaotao called the team, but no forensic pathologist could come right now. The Black Panther and Blood Wolf gangs were still at war, and the forensic team was busy with injury examinations. Last night's brawl had the forensic clinic completely occupied.

I sighed and said, "Let's get Sun Bingxin involved."

Huang Xiaotao's face tensed. "Won't Old Tiger Sun yell at us for this?"

I said, "Then we'll just ask for Old Tiger Sun's approval directly."

...

After a long call, Sun Bingxin finally agreed but with one condition: she must be sent home before dark. After all, Sun Bingxin was trained in forensics, and even if Old Tiger Sun wasn't fully supportive, he knew this was a rare hands-on opportunity.

Huang Xiaotao hung up. "Your childhood friend will be here soon."

I nodded, still deep in thought about the case, not in the mood for jokes.

We arrived at the police station entrance just as Sun Bingxin jumped out of a taxi, bubbling with excitement. "Xiao Tao Jie, Song Yang Ge, what kind of case is this?"

I smiled mysteriously, "You'll know when you see the corpse."

She grabbed my arm, hopping like a little rabbit. "These days, it's just a dull routine. I'm so glad you called me."

Noticing our serious expressions, she asked, "What's wrong? Is the case tough?"

Huang Xiaotao snorted coldly, "You'll understand when you see the corpse."

Huang pushed open the mortuary door. Sun Bingxin's eyes went wide as she took in the scene. "Is this... a person?"

Being trained in forensics, she quickly processed the sight of exposed organs and bones, covering her mouth and trembling as tears welled up. "Who did this? This is sick, so twisted!"

I briefly explained the situation. Sun Bingxin wept silently, whispering, "This person is evil... so cruel."

Once she calmed down, I assigned her to examine the organs. She nodded, changed into a white coat and gloves, then moved the bagged organs to another table for dissection.

I studied the corpse carefully, planning my next move. First, I needed to remove all non-human parts, then reconstruct the human anatomy as best as possible, patching any missing areas with materials.

Coroners often encounter dismembered bodies. Ancient customs demanded leaving the corpse whole, so the spirit could rest peacefully. Thus, coroners developed a technique of full corpse reconstruction—both to aid investigations and to allow the deceased a dignified farewell.

I picked up a scalpel and began. I removed the pig ears, hooves, and tail that had been grafted onto the body. I cut along the surgical seams and arranged the corpse back into a human shape.

The hardest part was removing the excess fat. Once liquefied fat cools, it solidifies into white clumps. There was a clear boundary between the original fat and the implanted fat. I carefully separated them.

Huang Xiaotao seemed a bit queasy at the sight, so I said, "If you can't handle this, you can wait outside."

"No, I'm fine," she said. "I always thought coroners didn't do cutting, but you're really skilled!"

I smiled. "I'm just an amateur compared to the pros. You can ask Sun Bingxin. Luckily, this scalpel is sharp."

Just then Wang Dali burst in, carrying a big bag. Seeing Sun Bingxin there, he brightened. "Miss Sun, you came too!"

Sun Bingxin covered her face with a mask. "Song Yang asked me to help."

Wang Dali's face went pale when he saw the spread-out corpse. "Yangzi, why'd you tear the body apart?"

I waved him off. "Don't freak out. Go get some hot water."

I mixed bone powder, mung bean powder, and slaked lime in a metal basin. When Wang Dali brought the hot water, I poured it in and stirred until it cooled a bit, then kneaded it into a dough-like paste—this is called bone paste.

In another basin, I put fish glue and the pig fat I'd scraped off. I heated it over an alcohol lamp until melted, mixed in some starch, and set it aside to cool.

Feeling the dead woman's skeleton, I filled in the missing parts with bone paste, smoothing the edges carefully with a scraper. The paste solidified quickly when cold. Tapping it sounded crisp, and it felt just like bone.

This work was painstaking. I frequently checked the anatomical chart on the wall. Finally, I restored the pelvis, ribs, teeth, and nasal bone.

The skeleton wasn't complete—her forearms and lower legs were missing—but that wouldn't stop the investigation.

Meanwhile, Sun Bingxin finished dissecting the organs and took the samples to the biotech team for analysis.

I laid the flesh over the skeleton, filling in the gaps beneath with the fish glue and pig fat mixture. I sewed the skin back together with needle and thread.

As the human form gradually took shape, Wang Dali marveled, "Yangzi, you've got skills! You're like a modern-day Song Dynasty coroner!"

I smiled and kept working, focusing on the head—this took almost as long as the torso.

A human face isn't just skin. Underneath are cartilage, muscles, and teeth. I adjusted the fat proportions carefully to reconstruct her face as accurately as possible.

Just then Sun Bingxin opened the door. "Song Yang Ge, the tests are done…" She stopped short, stunned by the restored corpse.

"Done!" I said, stretching and rubbing my sore waist. It had taken three hours; I nearly broke my back.

Before us lay a female corpse without limbs or hair, covered in scars and surgical seams, yet with a remarkably clear and intact face. The three of us couldn't help but gasp in awe.

Huang Xiaotao said, "Not even 3D reconstruction tech can do this well. Song Yang, you're amazing!"

I shrugged modestly. "Just familiar with human anatomy. Some facial details were guesswork, but pretty close."

Huang Xiaotao called the tech team over to photograph the restored corpse. They were shocked and took pictures from every angle, planning to compare them against the government's ID database to confirm the victim's identity.

I asked Sun Bingxin about the test results. She handed me the report.

"The victim was about 26 or 27 years old, blood type B, no smoking or drinking habits. I found undigested pig feed in her stomach—she must have been starving and ate it out of desperation. There were also some human food residues, so her last proper meal was about seven days ago. All her lungs, kidneys, and liver showed varying degrees of disease—recent developments. The liver damage was severe. I detected sedatives, anesthetics, immunosuppressants, hyaluronic acid, and botulinum toxin residues—all typical of cosmetic surgeries. I've prepared a detailed list of the medications used."

I asked, "Can you estimate the dosages?"

Sun Bingxin thought for a moment. "Rough estimates, yes."

I said, "Perfect. This is key evidence to find the killer and win a conviction. Thank you so much."

She blushed. "Compared to what you did, Song Yang Ge, this is nothing."