Chapter 7: The Hidden AIDS Patient (1/5)

After dinner, the sky had already darkened; beneath the faint curtain of night there still lingered the orange-red of dusk, cool tones and warm tones colliding and blending, appearing especially chaotic. He Shaobin had just led the two of them into the police station when an officer came over carrying documents, as if he'd made some major discovery, and handed the file to He Shaobin, saying, "Captain He, there's a new finding on Dong Qian's body."

"What finding?"

"We found HIV in her bodily fluids."

Zheng Huiwen and Tang Haoyang were rather startled to hear this; the two of them exchanged glances, confirming they had both heard correctly. It seemed college students really were a high-risk group for AIDS—not just alarmist talk.

"Wonder who else is unlucky enough to have it," Tang Haoyang murmured.

He Shaobin first instructed the intern officer to go wait for further orders, then said to Zheng Huiwen, "Huiwen, come with me to the director's office to sign something—it's our confidentiality agreement. From now on, whatever you find out about this case, you can't tell anyone outside without police authorization."

"Mm, okay."

"And you, young man, sit here and wait a moment. My colleague will take you to give your statement."

"All right." Tang Haoyang nodded, then rolled his eyes and asked, "Can I go see Ren Jie?"

"Not yet. Ren Jie is still a criminal suspect—visits aren't allowed without approval."

"Fine."

"Right, just wait here a bit."

He Shaobin then led Zheng Huiwen upstairs. Tang Haoyang sighed and sat down in a nearby seat.

The two of them arrived at the director's office. As soon as they entered, they saw the director staring blankly at Dong Qian's files. Hearing them come in, he looked up. He Shaobin said, "Director, this is the one I mentioned to you this afternoon—Zheng Huiwen, a student at Jiangzhu University, willing to cooperate with us in investigating the case."

"Oh," the director's face relaxed slightly. He first invited Zheng Huiwen to sit, poured her a cup of tea, and looked her over curiously. He Shaobin added, "Huiwen, the director's surname is Gu."

"Hello, Director Gu."

"Mm, hello. Have you had dinner?"

"Already eaten, thank you for asking." Zheng Huiwen glanced sideways at the stacks of case files in front of the director and asked, "Director, are you troubled over the case at our university?"

"Yes indeed. The mayor takes this case very seriously, so the whole bureau's been made to investigate. But it's a pity—we've been at it for days and still have no leads." The director tilted his head, eyeing Zheng Huiwen with an amused, probing look. "Little girl, can you really help us solve this case?"

"To be honest with you, Director," Zheng Huiwen said unhurriedly, "I can't guarantee I'll definitely uncover the truth. My friend Ren Jie is currently being detained as a suspect, and his family and his usual close friends are all very worried. As for the victim, Dong Qian, I never even knew her—I'm an outsider just like all of you. But as a student at Jiangzhu University, I should certainly understand this group of college students better than anyone at the police station. For instance, the police haven't released the victim's photo, but photos of the victim while alive and of the death scene have already spread wildly around the school. Everyone who ever had a grudge against the victim has become a suspect in people's eyes."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Humans share a common trait for gossip and morbid curiosity."

The director chuckled, casually rubbing a hand over his smooth bald head, and handed her a document. "All right then, little girl. Take a look at this agreement. If you're willing to help us with the case and can keep it confidential, please sign your name here. Once signed, if you breach the agreement and it affects police work, you'll be held criminally liable according to law."

Zheng Huiwen smiled slightly, took the agreement, glanced over it briefly, then picked up the pen and signed her name—her signature graceful, like the leaves of an orchid.

After leaving the director's office, He Shaobin said, "Huiwen, go change into a protective suit in a bit. We're heading to the morgue."

"Huh? The... the morgue?"

"Yes. Are you scared?"

"Not really. I once read a line in a book: the corpse is the only thing that proves a person once lived in this world. Everyone eventually becomes a corpse. 'Speak not, my lord, of matters of nobility—one general's glory is built on ten thousand bones.' To put it bluntly, how many emperors' kingdoms were built on piles of corpses and white bones?"

"You've got quite a bit of learning."

Zheng Huiwen smiled confidently. "My learning is more than you'd think."

Not long after, Zheng Huiwen put on a protective suit and followed He Shaobin into the morgue. The moment they entered, she clearly felt a chill in the air, mixed with a strange smell of disinfectant blended with the faint stench of decay, making her hold her breath involuntarily. She asked, "Officer He, is the air conditioning on in here?"

"No," He Shaobin said naturally. "This place is cold all year round—doesn't need air conditioning, because everyone lying in here comes with their own built-in cooling function."

Zheng Huiwen felt the hairs on her body stand on end.

"Come with me. Dong Qian's body is over here." He Shaobin walked up to a door marked clearly with the three characters "Cold Storage Room."

Zheng Huiwen followed him in, and before her stretched rows of drawer-style refrigeration units. He Shaobin stopped in front of one drawer, entered a code to unlock it, and pulled it open. Inside lay quietly a corpse, dark and swollen. He Shaobin then handed all the documents to Zheng Huiwen. First were photos of the crime scene, along with a handwritten record:

Time victim was discovered: October 21, 2020, Wednesday, 7:38 a.m.

The body was covered in dew; livor mortis had already appeared, with a strong odor of decay and signs of putrefaction and bloating consistent with the "giant" stage of decomposition.

The victim had wine-red highlighted hair, wore a white T-shirt underneath, a dark blue short denim jacket over it, black genuine leather flared skirt on the lower body, paired with black fishnet stockings and knee-high boots, and carried a crossbody bag.

The fishnet stockings had been torn, with marks left by the fishnet pattern on her legs.

There was still residual makeup on her face; the lipstick had been smeared.

Around the neck of the corpse was wrapped something made of thin twisted rattan; there was a deep purple ligature mark across the middle of the neck, along with numerous purple blotch-like marks.

Inside the crossbody bag was an iPhone 12 Pro, a Dior lipstick, an e-cigarette, a pair of small round La Mer mirror compacts, several tissues, and a black plaid face mask. The phone had already powered off due to dead battery.

Near the body was a stone with bloodstains on it.

The grass around the body showed no significant traces, but scattered fragments of paper were found, all bearing writing; however, due to the dew, the handwriting had become blurred and illegible. Only on one fragment could a few characters be faintly made out: "...son: Ren Jie."

Following this was the autopsy report:

External Examination

One female corpse, body length 158cm, no developmental abnormalities, well-nourished, rigor mortis resolved. Head shows signs of severe blunt force trauma, skull fractured, brain damage present, obvious ligature marks on the neck, bright purplish-red livor mortis visible on the back of the neck and shoulders. Remaining skin sticky to the touch, hair dyed red. Lips cyanotic, no abnormal discharge observed in the mouth, nasal cavity, or bilateral ear canals. Trachea centered, chest symmetric, abdominal wall without abnormalities, limbs without deformity, evidence of sexual intercourse present in the genital area.

Internal Examination

Skull and Central Nervous System: Obvious signs of congestion in the eyes, ears, and brain.

Neck: Trachea compressed.

Respiratory System: Lungs show hypoxia, already failed.

Urogenital System: Residual semen present in the reproductive tract; all sperm already dead, all sperm originating from the same male individual.

No other abnormalities found.

Histological Examination

Omitted, no abnormalities found.

Autopsy Pathological Diagnosis

1. The victim's head was struck by a heavy object, then the neck was strangled, causing death by asphyxiation.

2. The victim engaged in sexual activity within the final 30 minutes before death.

Conclusion

The victim was struck heavily on the head after sexual intercourse, then strangled to death by another party; possibility of rape-homicide exists. Time of death: October 16, 2020.

New finding as of October 25: HIV detected in the victim's blood, confirming the victim was an AIDS patient.