Chapter 609: I Trust My Instincts!

Regarding Zhu Nianying, Chen Xiao now had quite a few clues in hand.

The most important one was that Master Liu confessed that Zhu Nianying had been pregnant with President Zhuang’s child.

And it was Master Liu who personally took Zhu Nianying to terminate the pregnancy.

According to Master Liu’s confession, the child was aborted in just over two months, less than three months into the pregnancy.

The reason President Zhuang never noticed was that Zhu Nianying did not show any signs of pregnancy.

In other words, Zhu Nianying, around three months pregnant, did not look like a pregnant woman.

But not showing pregnancy had to do with her physique, and in medical terms, pregnancy can be traced from day one.

The forensic pathologist hadn’t considered this avenue, and her work hadn’t reached that stage at the time.

Once Chen Xiao reminded her, she immediately set aside other work to specifically examine the pregnancy situation.

After reminding her, Chen Xiao did not continue to stick with the forensic department director.

While he had the Gold-Picking Drill and the Power of Bathing, professional matters should be left to the professionals.

After all, the report issued is legitimate.

And what he says is just his personal speculation.

Chen Xiao continued to observe other parts of the body.

Upon visual inspection, Chen Xiao discovered knife marks on the rib area at the chest of the deceased. These knife marks were not very obvious, yet they could not escape Chen Xiao’s eyes.

From these knife marks, it was clear that the deceased had suffered a stab wound to the heart while alive.

However, the body showed numerous fractures, many of which were extremely severe.

This meant that, besides the wounds to the heart area, the deceased had also endured inhuman torture while alive.

"Quite ruthless. If there wasn’t hatred between them, killing someone in such a way would indeed make one a complete lunatic."

Chen Xiao thought to himself, but at that moment, the forensic department director, who had completed the examination, spoke up:

"Mr. Chen, how did you learn that the deceased had been pregnant? This body was indeed pregnant. From my experience, the pregnancy didn’t last long, about two to three months. As for the exact duration, it would need to be sent for testing to confirm."

The forensic director’s words caused Chen Xiao to frown immediately.

"She was pregnant too?"

"What do you mean ’she was pregnant too’?" The forensic pathologist was puzzled by Chen Xiao’s words, as she did not have much information.

Chen Xiao smiled and said, "I suppose Director Fang might have some insight. We are investigating a missing person case involving a girl named Zhu Nianying. According to my investigation, Zhu Nianying had terminated a pregnancy shortly before her disappearance."

"Now this body was also pregnant, meaning there’s an overlap between the two cases at this point."

Director Fang had a moment of realization: "I see. However, the pregnancy duration of two to three months is still too short for me to determine if there was an abortion. But rest assured, give me some time, and I’ll provide the most accurate report."

"Alright, thank you for your efforts, Director Fang."

"It’s my duty, Mr. Chen. You don’t have to thank me. But, Mr. Chen, I’ve heard that this body might not be that girl named Zhu Nianying?"

"The deceased’s clothing and habits in relation to shoes were inconsistent with those of Zhu Nianying when she was alive. In handling a homicide case, any irregularity needs to be carefully discerned. So, right now, no one can confirm her identity."

Director Fang nodded: "That makes sense!"

Director Fang couldn’t help but look at the body again and asked:

"The body has more than a dozen fractures, but the fatal injury – can Mr. Chen discern it?"

"Most likely, death was caused by a sharp object being thrust into the heart. There are subtle knife marks on the rib at the heart’s location."

Director Fang immediately gave a thumbs-up:

"Mr. Chen, you have such keen eyes. Those knife marks are not easy to spot with the naked eye."

"As long as they exist, they can be detected with careful observation."

Director Fang smiled but quickly sighed:

"There’s a high probability that there’s a grievance between the killer and her, unless it’s one of those sadistic individuals who murder for pleasure. As a forensic pathologist, I shouldn’t say much to avoid influencing your thinking. But I want to express my opinion: I believe there’s a grievance between the murderer and her."

Director Fang’s words piqued Chen Xiao’s interest.

Because the deceased was taken out from the old house where Zhu Nianying last disappeared and abandoned!

Whether or not she was Zhu Nianying, the killer was at least the same person.

It couldn’t possibly be that the killer was two people of similar build, right?

In Chen Xiao’s intuition, the probability that the killer was the same person was high.

If Zhu Nianying was Zhu Nianying, and this deceased was another person, the killer might have harmed multiple people.

Thus, the possibility of the killer being a sadistic person who murders for fun would increase.

After a brief moment of silence, Chen Xiao asked with interest: "Is Director Fang only sensing the presence of a grievance due to the manner of the deceased’s murder?"

"That’s the reality. Although you and I work in different fields—one in criminal investigation and the other in forensic work—our experiences are vital in both areas. Moreover, those in our line of work must have sufficient confidence in their intuition."

"I have great faith in my intuition!"

Seeing Director Fang’s assertive expression, Chen Xiao smiled again:

"Following this line of thought, once we identify the deceased, there’s a significant chance we can capture the murderer!"

"Yes, where there’s a grievance, there’s a person like that. Once that person exists, we can certainly capture them."

"Alright, Captain Qin and I will identify the deceased as quickly as possible!"

Chen Xiao chose to trust Director Fang’s intuition.

The reason for his trust was not based on familiarity with Director Fang; this was the first time the two met.

He trusted the experience of a long-time forensic pathologist!

Director Fang did not say more and continued to focus on her work.

Chen Xiao did not disturb her any longer, as he had gleaned all the information the body could provide.

Now, the only thing left was to wait.

Wait for Zhu Nianying’s second older sister to visit with her parents, and wait for the female corpse’s identity to be determined!

However, as Chen Xiao exited the forensic department, his mind was filled with numerous questions.

Those questions urged him to visit Jin Peng once more!

In their previous encounter, Chen Xiao and Jin Peng were mostly at odds.

Yet, when he pushed open the door of the interrogation room where Jin Peng was, Chen Xiao’s mindset was entirely different.

He wanted to sit down and, as a detective, have a good conversation with another detective about the case and their views on the suspect.

Although he despised detectives like Jin Peng, he couldn’t deny Jin Peng’s abilities.

To have a certain amount of honor both domestically and abroad, this person was by no means a mediocre individual!