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

Chapter 1245 Criminal Investigation Detachment Autopsy Room

The two discussed for a long time but still couldn't determine the core connection of the clues. Suddenly, Xiao Sun remembered something: "That's right, the motorcycle tire tracks found on the abandoned mountain road had slight deformation at the edges. Could it be caused by the vehicle carrying heavy objects? For example, when it was carrying a body, the tires were under uneven pressure, causing the tracks to deform. If we can find a motorcycle with the same deformed tires, we might be able to identify the suspect."

“That’s an idea,” Xiao Yang nodded, “but there are many reasons why motorcycle tires might deform, such as aging, wear, or overload. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause based on that alone. Besides, there are too many motorcycles in the surrounding towns and villages, and without other distinguishing features, the investigation will be too difficult.”

He pointed to a metal lighter in the pine forest: "This lighter might provide some clues - although there are no fingerprints, if we can identify the brand and model, we can check the nearby convenience stores to see if anyone has recently purchased the same lighter, and maybe we can find the suspect's purchase records."

Xiao Sun took out his phone, took a picture of the lighter, and sent it to his colleagues in the technical department: "Have them determine the brand and production batch of the lighter as soon as possible so we can start the investigation. Also, send the fiber sample and plastic fragments for testing to see if we can find more information about the composition."

As the sun set and the temperature in the mountains gradually dropped, the two finally completed their expanded survey and returned down the mountain with newly discovered clues. Looking at the evidence bag in his hand, containing fibers, a lighter, plastic fragments, and a shoe print model, Xiao Yang knew that although these clues were fragmented, each one could be key to solving the case—only the core information to connect them was currently missing.

"After we get back, we'll organize these clues and send them to the technical department for priority testing," Xiao Sun said. "At the same time, we'll keep Xiao Wang informed so that if they find anyone carrying the same lighter and wearing women's cloth shoes while reviewing the surveillance footage, it will give them another direction for their investigation."

Xiao Yang nodded: "Also, tomorrow Xiao Wang and the others will go to the abandoned factory to investigate, and we'll go with them. Maybe we can find more evidence related to these clues in the factory, such as lighter packaging boxes, intact plastic fragment packaging bags, or even other traces left by the suspect."

As the police car drove away from the foot of the mountain, darkness fell, and mist began to rise from the mountains. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun sat in the car, watching the forest gradually blur outside the window. They knew that although there were no major leads yet, the expanded investigation at least increased the possibility of solving the case. They awaited the results of the forensic tests, and also hoped that Xiao Wang's team's surveillance investigation and tomorrow's search of the abandoned factory would yield new breakthroughs—only by connecting all the clues could they identify the suspect as soon as possible and allow the unidentified dead in the mountains to rest in peace.

Back at the branch office, the two immediately sent the newly discovered clues to the technical department and reported the investigation to Li Ming. Li Ming looked at the list of clues, his brow furrowing slightly: "There are many clues, but they lack a core focus. It seems we need to investigate further. Tomorrow, you and Xiao Wang will go to the abandoned factory. Be extremely careful and don't overlook any details. At the same time, have Xiao Zhou expedite the identification of the deceased. Combining these new clues might yield unexpected results."

As night deepened, the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division remained bright. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun sat in their office, organizing the investigation report. Several new marks had appeared on the case clue diagram on the wall—each mark representing a small step closer to the truth. They knew that solving cases required patience and meticulousness; as long as they didn't give up, they would eventually find the key that connected all the clues and uncover the final truth of the case.

At 2 PM, the temperature control system in the Criminal Investigation Detachment's autopsy room stabilized at 16°C, 2°C lower than the standard autopsy temperature—a parameter specifically adjusted by Zhang Lin to slow down tissue degradation in highly decomposed corpses. The refrigerated truck carrying Shan Lin's body slowly entered the passageway, and two staff members, wearing biosafety suits, carefully lifted the body onto the autopsy table. The body was wrapped in a sealed bag; even through the transparent bag, the mottled marks of dark clothing adhering to the decomposed skin were visible. A strong stench of decay permeated the autopsy room through the filtration system.

"Prepare the dissection instruments. Begin with a surface examination, focusing on recording signs of decomposition and injuries." Zhang Lin, wearing double-layered latex gloves, spoke through his gas mask with a slight thud. His assistant, Xiao Lin, had already arranged the dissection trays in order; tweezers, scalpels, bone saws, and other instruments gleamed coldly under the operating lights. He opened the sealed bag, revealing the corpse's complete state of decomposition—the skin was dark green, with multiple putrefactive bubbles and peeling skin; the face was swollen and deformed, the eyeballs bulged, the lips everted, and the tongue protruded, consistent with the advanced stage of decomposition (pre-gigantic stage) 7-10 days after death.

"The deceased is male, preliminarily estimated to be 40-50 years old, 172cm tall (based on femur length), with normal development and moderate nutrition." Xiaolin measured and recorded simultaneously. "The rigor mortis has completely subsided, and all joints are relaxed, which is typical of rigor mortis subsiding 48-72 hours after death. However, considering the degree of decomposition, the time of death is well over 3 days. The livor mortis is completely fixed, dark purplish-red, located on the back, buttocks, and posterior limbs where no pressure is applied, and does not fade when pressed, consistent with the characteristics of fixed livor mortis more than 24 hours after death."

Zhang Lin squatted beside the dissection table, gently puncturing the putrefactive bubbles in the abdomen of the corpse with a dissecting needle. Brownish putrefactive liquid slowly flowed out: "The gas inside the putrefactive bubbles is mainly hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, with a strong odor, indicating that putrefaction has entered an active phase. Looking at the putrefactive venous network of the corpse—a tree-like dark brown vascular network is visible on the skin of the chest and abdomen. This is formed by blood decomposition and vasodilation during the putrefaction process, usually appearing 5-7 days after death; in addition, there is a cadaveric green color in the lower right abdomen of the corpse, which has spread to the waist. Cadaveric green is formed by intestinal bacteria decomposing hemoglobin, which first appears 24-36 hours after death. The spread rate is related to the ambient temperature. Considering the average daytime temperature of 22°C and nighttime temperature of 15°C in the mountain forest, it is estimated that the putrefaction process has lasted for 7-9 days."

“Should we combine entomological evidence to further refine the time of death?” Xiao Lin pointed to several maggots in the corpse’s hair. “There are third-instar maggots in the hair, about 1.5cm long, and a few pupal cases. Perhaps we can estimate a more precise time by analyzing the insect development cycle.” Zhang Lin nodded: “Sampling is necessary. Entomological evidence is a crucial supplement to determining the time of death of a highly decomposed corpse.” He used tweezers to collect maggots and pupal cases from the hair and clothing seams, placing them in a specimen bottle containing preservatives: “Third-instar maggots need 5-7 days to develop into pupal cases at the current ambient temperature. Combining this with the characteristics of decomposition, the estimated time of death is around August 20th, with an error margin of no more than 2 days.”