Voodoo Dolls, Judging All Evils

CH2: The Enigmatic Weapon

Detective Diao Dehen listened unconsciously, his throat rolling subconsciously, nodding in acknowledgment.

"I briefly examined it. There were no concave external head injuries, and the internal organs were intact."

"From the skin incision reactions, there are protective wound responses, indicating that the killer, right in front of Chen Zheng, cut open his abdomen alive."

"Although we cannot completely rule out death by poison, it appears that when the skin was peeled off, the femoral artery on the inner thigh was injured, causing fatal blood loss."

"This killer is damn crafty. I've been a forensic doctor all my life and have never seen such an elaborate murder..."

Diao Dehen, growing more puzzled, asked, "Wait, Sun Lao, are you sure? Skinning someone alive? The victim was a healthy 30-year-old man, no resistance?"

Forensic Sun responded, "That's the puzzling part. No needle marks on the body, no residue of anesthetic in the mouth or nose, assuming he was conscious."

"Even if subdued by force, there would be some signs of resistance under intense pain, right?"

"But look at the bloodstains at the scene, all dripped, no splatter marks from struggle."

"And the bedside table near Chen Zheng had a desk lamp and model toys placed neatly, no signs of a struggle."

Diao Dehen grew increasingly puzzled. With over a decade of detective experience, he knew an ordinary person couldn't execute this crime, leading to suspicions.

Could the killer, like him, be knowledgeable in occult arts?

"But there's something strange..."

"Chen Zheng's reproductive and anal tissues are missing."

Before he could ponder deeply, Sun's words snapped him back to reality, leaving him stunned.

"Anus?"

Sun explained, "It's the rectum tissue."

Diao Dehen felt like an explosion in his head as he instantly recalled the entire process of Chen Zheng's s****l assault case.

At that time, Chen Zheng had encountered Chen Yue late at night, brutally assaulted her until she lost the ability to resist, then dragged her by her hair into a secluded alley where he carried out two hours of brutality in the dark corner.

After the assault, instead of fleeing, Chen Zheng sat nearby like a guard, which contributed to his claim of being in a diseased state at the time, unable to control his actions rationally.

This led Chen Yue to stay put for five hours, too terrified to escape or call for help, until she was discovered and rescued by early-morning sanitation workers.

The medical examination revealed severe tearing of her lower body and anal tissues due to violent assault, potentially leading to lasting effects due to delayed medical treatment.

Diao Dehen, hearing about the young girl facing decades of life with a colostomy bag, returned to the interrogation room where he smashed Chen Zheng's head with a lamp in frustration, leading to disciplinary action and his heavy drinking last night.

However, as a police officer, he could only apprehend but not judge others' lives.

Diao Dehen said, "Sun Lao, could the missing organs be accidental damage during dismemberment?"

Sun shook his head. Though wearing a mask, Diao Dehen saw deep puzzlement in his eyes.

"No, the visible arc-shaped incisions on the lower body indicate the abdomen was first cut open, then the lower body was severed. This damaged the femoral artery, leading to death from excessive bleeding."

"You mean, the victim watched himself being eviscerated and then...?"

Sun rolled his eyes and shrugged helplessly.

"Whether his eyes were open, how would I know? I only know the skin around the lower body has defensive wounds, indicating he was alive before the final cut..."

Hearing this, Diao Dehen's forehead started to sweat profusely, hastily calling out.

"Xiaolong, Xiaolong! Finish up and come to me."

Xiaolong, pale-faced, hurried into the bedroom upon hearing the call.

Here's the translation of the section you mentioned:

"Xiaolong, quickly contact Chen Yue's family members and check if Chen Yue had a boyfriend."

"In any case, check everyone who might hold a grudge due to Chen Yue's s****l assault case. Bring along a few more brothers with you!"

Looking at Chen Zheng's corpse, Di Dehen thought to himself,

"Except for the abdominal area being cut open, the rest of the body is intact. Such an elaborate method of murder indicates that the killer is someone with a sense of ritual and arrogance. Chen Zheng seems to be like his masterpiece."

"But despite the need for perfection in his work, the killer still damaged his lower body. My extensive experience in criminal investigation tells me that it must be related to Chen Yue's case without a doubt."

Outside the Longquan community, under the blazing sun, pedestrians in short-sleeved shirts and shorts could feel sweat on their foreheads.

Zheng Yi, dressed in a black Taoist robe, walked down the street with no signs of sweat on his delicate face.

His black long hair was tied up in a Taoist bun, contrasting sharply with modern attire, presenting a complete Taoist appearance.

Even during the busy rush hour, he attracted the attention of men and stopped women to admire him.

Looking at the Longquan community surrounded by police tape, Zheng Yi waited for a while but didn't see the white doll. He sighed and said to himself,

"This girl..."

"She loves playing around."

Then, he flipped his sleeves, turned around, and walked to a nearby bun shop, checking the menu.

Zheng Yi: "Boss, please give me two beef buns and one chive bun, thank you."

The boss picked up the tongs upon hearing Zheng Yi's order and selected buns from the steaming trays.

"Here are your buns, handsome, five yuan in total."

Seeing the buns handed over by the boss, Zheng Yi didn't reach out to take them. Instead, he smiled. This smile made his captivating peach blossom eyes even more charming.

"Boss, I asked for chive buns, but you gave me vegetable buns."

After hearing Zheng Yi's words, the boss's smile instantly faded.

"I know, handsome, these are chive buns."

"I sell hundreds of buns a day, how could I make a mistake?"

The queue of office workers behind Zheng Yi began to express their dissatisfaction. Since it was the peak rush hour, Zheng Yi didn't bother to argue and smiled as he took the buns. When he opened one, he found green vegetables inside.

Seeing this, even the boss was dumbfounded. He had been selling buns for over a decade, how could a young man be so sure?

"It's... I'm sorry, do you want me to change it for you?"

Zheng Yi: "It's okay, I'll eat them all."

Saying this, Zheng Yi scanned the code to pay four yuan... and left gracefully.

Longquan community, crime scene.

Di Dehen couldn't confirm his suspicion about crimes related to Daoist practices and could only continue examining the scene.

"Old Sun, in your opinion, can a common cutting tool achieve such large incisions?"

Ignoring the bloodstains on his gloves, Sun the forensic doctor rubbed his furrowed brow.

"I just said, it's a cutting tool, nothing fancy."

Di Dehen widened his eyes upon hearing this and gestured with his right hand.

"You mean... this pair of scissors?"

Sun the forensic doctor took a deep breath.

"Yes, when you weren't here, we found a kitchen scissors on the bed with bloodstains on it. It's been sent to the bureau for examination."

Looking at Di Dehen's shrinking pupils, Sun expressed a hint of disbelief and said calmly,

"Of course, the scissors are just a suspected murder weapon since we didn't find any other used weapons at the scene. Also, from the skin incisions, it matches the characteristics of scissor cuts."

"The blade of scissors is relatively short, so the incision is smooth, resembling a V-shape, which won't cause much tearing or fragmentation. And the cutting is done by crossing motions, so the shapes on both sides of the wound are almost identical."

"I won't go into detail about the differences from knives, but for now, it's most likely scissors."

"Alright, let's quickly take the body back to the bureau for further examination. By the way, can you take a shower after drinking? The smell of blood in the house is starting to overwhelm you."

Having said that, Sun started packing up and arranged for people to place the body in a body bag.

Di Dehen had too many doubts at this moment. He needed to find a way to dispel the fog in front of him and uncover a hidden clue.

Frowning, Di Dehen looked around. According to the information, Chen Zheng lived alone, but there were no signs of a single man's belongings like scattered underwear or socks.

The entire room was very neat and clean. Di Dehen's attention was drawn to a white doll placed next to the car models on the bedside table. It seemed out of place.

He then turned to the female police officer nearby and asked,

"Does the data show if Chen Zheng had a girlfriend?"

"Captain Di, according to the information, Chen Zheng has been single for the past few years and has no publicly known girlfriend."

Wearing rubber gloves, Di Dehen picked up the doll and observed it. It wasn't an ordinary plastic or ceramic doll; it was knitted from thread.

"I mean, would a grown man buy this kind of doll?"

The female officer nearby looked at it and said,

"It could also be a gift. This is a voodoo doll, and different designs bring different luck to the owner. It's very popular among girls. I have a 'Sunshine Doll' on my keychain."

The female officer took out a keychain from her pocket with a blue thread doll attached, its big starry eyes bringing joy to whoever looked at it.

Although Di Dehen felt that something was amiss, he didn't dwell on it. Just as he was about to put it down, he suddenly saw a flash deep inside the empty eyes of the doll.

"Damn it!"