The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 1510 Time of Death, Post-mortem Examination

"Xiao Lin, record: The body is stiff all over, with rigor mortis distributed in major joints throughout the body, including the jaw, cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints. The rigor mortis is moderate, with slight loosening upon pressure, and cannot be completely relieved. Lividity is located on the back, buttocks, and posterior limbs, and is dark purplish-red, does not fade upon pressure, has blurred borders, and is in the diffusion stage. The ambient temperature is approximately 12°C. Based on the characteristics of rigor mortis and livor mortis, it is preliminarily estimated that the deceased died between 48 and 72 hours ago. The exact time of death needs to be further confirmed by subsequent autopsy, pathological analysis, and the degree of digestion of gastric contents." Zhang Lin observed as he spoke slowly, his tone steady and professional. Every word was clearly transmitted to the recording equipment and Xiao Lin's ears.

Xiao Lin's pen danced rapidly across the notebook, meticulously recording every detail Zhang Lin mentioned, leaving nothing out. His eyes were fixed on the corpse, occasionally glancing up at Zhang Lin to confirm he hadn't misheard or missed anything, before lowering his head again to continue recording. "Teacher Zhang, the recording is complete. The preliminary time of death and the condition of the cadaver have been recorded in detail," Xiao Lin reported softly after finishing.

Zhang Lin nodded and continued, "Next, we will conduct a second examination of the body's surface. During the on-site investigation, a preliminary examination of the body's surface was performed. Now, we will conduct a detailed second examination, focusing on the external injuries and wound details, as well as any missed traces or physical evidence, to ensure nothing is overlooked. After the second examination, we will begin the autopsy. The autopsy will proceed according to the principle of 'from the surface inwards, from the superficial to the deep.' We will first perform an abdominal dissection, focusing on the extent of damage to the abdominal wounds to confirm the cause of death; then we will perform autopsies on the chest, neck, head, and limbs, systematically investigating other possible causes of death, collecting relevant samples, and searching for clues that can identify the deceased and the suspect."

"Understood, Teacher Zhang. I will cooperate with you throughout the process and do a good job of recording and sample extraction." Xiao Lin quickly agreed, her pen still not stopping as she rapidly recorded the dissection sequence and precautions that Zhang Lin mentioned.

Zhang Lin took a deep breath, his gaze refocusing on the abdominal wound on the corpse. He extended his gloved right hand, picked up a pair of sterile tweezers, and carefully peeled back the sterile gauze covering the wound. The moment the gauze was removed, a long, narrow wound was clearly revealed before their eyes, appearing particularly glaring and chilling under the stark white light of the operating room lamp.

The wound was more clearly visible than what was seen at the scene. Located on the left side of the deceased's abdomen, approximately 2 centimeters lateral to the midclavicular line and 3 centimeters below the costal arch, it ran diagonally from the upper left to the lower right, like a gruesome scar etched onto the cold abdomen. The wound was approximately 5.2 centimeters long and 1.1 centimeters wide, with clean, smooth edges, devoid of any jaggedness or signs of tissue tearing. Clearly, it was caused by a single-edged sharp weapon—the blade of a single-edged weapon is sharp, producing a clean cut, distinctly different from wounds caused by double-edged weapons.

Zhang Lin used tweezers to gently part the skin around the wound, revealing the internal condition more clearly. The wound was deeper proximally and shallower distally. Inside, it was filled with dark red blood clots and silt residue. The blood clots were viscous, dark red, and lacked a distinct luster. Preliminary assessment indicated that this was post-mortem blood clots, with no obvious signs of life—meaning the bleeding at the wound occurred after death, before the body's blood flow ceased, and was formed from the coagulation of residual blood. This further confirmed that the deceased died rapidly after being stabbed.

Around the wound, there was a 0.3 cm wide band of contusion, dark red in color, with slight swelling. This was caused by the pressure and friction on the skin around the blade when the sharp object pierced the wound, a typical puncture wound injury. Zhang Lin gently pressed the skin around the wound with his fingers to feel its firmness. Then, he shone a flashlight inside the wound to carefully observe it, confirming that there were no foreign objects left inside, no weapon fragments, hair, fibers, or other suspicious items, only blood clots and silt.

"Xiao Lin, record: re-examination of the body surface, focusing on the abdominal wound," Zhang Lin reported slowly while observing, his tone steady and professional. "Wound location: left side of the abdomen, 2 cm lateral to the midclavicular line, 3 cm below the costal arch, running obliquely from the upper left to the lower right; wound size: length 5.2 cm, width 1.1 cm; wound characteristics: neat and smooth edges, no serrations, no signs of tissue tearing, consistent with the characteristics of a single-edged sharp weapon stab wound; around the wound: a contusion band about 0.3 cm wide is visible, dark red in color, accompanied by slight swelling, which is an injury accompanying a stab wound; inside the wound: a small amount of dark red blood clots (preliminarily judged to be post-mortem blood clots) and silt residue are visible, no foreign objects are left, no suspicious items such as weapon fragments, hair, or fibers, and there is no obvious vital signs."

After a pause, Zhang Lin continued, "The rest of the body's surface is consistent with the on-site investigation record. No obvious external injuries were found on the head, neck, chest, or limbs. There were no fractures, strangulation marks, binding marks, injection needle marks, tattoos, birthmarks, surgical scars, or other individual identification characteristics. The deceased's hair was black, short, about 5 centimeters long, messy, and some hair was tangled. A small amount of silt and fine fibers were visible in the hair, consistent with the hair and fiber characteristics extracted from the on-site investigation. The deceased's fingernails were trimmed short, and a small amount of silt and fallen leaf debris were visible under the fingernails, consistent with the watery environment at the scene. Relevant samples were extracted during the on-site investigation, and no new suspicious traces were found in this re-examination."

"In addition, measure the deceased's height, weight, and body shape," Zhang Lin picked up the measuring tape next to the autopsy table and carefully measured the deceased's height, saying as he did so, "Height: 172.5 cm; Weight: approximately 68 kg; Body shape: medium build, limbs are proportionally coordinated, no deformities, normal muscle development, no obvious signs of emaciation or obesity; based on the degree of facial skin laxity, gray hair, and degree of tooth wear, the deceased's age is initially estimated to be between 38 and 42 years old. The specific age will need to be further confirmed by subsequent dental and skeletal examinations."

Xiao Lin's pen flew across the paper as she meticulously recorded every detail Zhang Lin spoke, leaving nothing out.