Chapter 4: The Case of the Serpent (IV)

The collapse of the Lin Group sent shockwaves through the city. The media churned out endless reports on the disintegration of this business empire, but Li Rui, a key figure in the case, chose to steer clear of the spotlight.

He stood in the autopsy room, facing the remains of Lin Xiuwen. Although the explosion had nearly destroyed the body, Li Rui insisted on performing a post-mortem. It was not merely to provide closure for the deceased, but to hunt for any clues that might have been overlooked.

"Forensic Examiner Li," Xiao Wang said, pushing the door open, "this is the inventory of Lin Xiuwen’s personal effects."

Li Rui took the list, his gaze lingering on the final item: an old-fashioned pocket watch. He recalled from Lin Xiuwen’s file that it had been a birthday gift from his younger sister, Lin Xiaoman.

"Where is the watch?"

"In the evidence room. I’ll go get it now."

While waiting, Li Rui carefully examined Lin Xiuwen’s right hand. Before the explosion, it appeared that the hand had been clutching something tightly. He used a cotton swab to gently wipe between the fingers, discovering traces of paper scraps.

"Forensic Examiner Li, I have the watch." Xiao Wang ran back in, breathless.

Li Rui took the pocket watch and noticed several fresh scratches on the cover. He carefully pried it open; inside, along with a yellowed photograph, was a tightly folded slip of paper.

The photo depicted a young Lin Xiuwen and Lin Xiaoman, both smiling radiantly. On the note was a string of numbers: 0427-1928-3645.

"This is..." Xiao Wang leaned in to look.

Li Rui immediately opened his computer and entered the digits. An encrypted file appeared on the screen, requiring a password to access.

He remembered the paper scraps from Lin Xiuwen’s right hand and immediately sent them for analysis. The results showed that the scraps came from a special security paper commonly used for bank safety deposit boxes.

"Check the bank accounts under Lin Xiuwen’s name," Li Rui ordered.

Just then, his phone rang. It was an unknown number, but this time there was no text, only a photo: the interior of a safety deposit box containing a flash drive and a document.

Below the photo was a short line of text: "There is more than one truth."

Li Rui realized immediately that Lin Xiuwen had left behind a contingency plan. The contents of this safety deposit box likely involved a much larger secret.

"Forensic Examiner Li," Xiao Wang suddenly shouted, "I found it! Lin Xiuwen had a safety deposit box at a commercial bank in the west of the city, but it requires the account holder or an immediate family member to open it."

Li Rui frowned. "Lin Xiaoman is already... wait," he looked at the photo inside the pocket watch, "who signed Lin Xiaoman’s death certificate?"

"It was..." Xiao Wang flipped through the files, "a private hospital owned by the Lin Group."

Li Rui grabbed his coat. "Let’s go to that hospital."

In the hospital’s archives, Li Rui found Lin Xiaoman’s medical records. The death certificate stated "suicide," but the records showed that when she was admitted, she had only been suffering from mild poisoning.

"This isn't right," Li Rui said. "How does mild poisoning turn into a suicide?"

He continued flipping through the records and noticed that the final page had been torn. Under high-intensity light, he could see the faint impression of writing from the previous page: "Transfer to..."

The subsequent words were illegible.

"Check the transfer records from that time," Li Rui instructed.

Just then, his phone rang again. This time it was a text message: "You are very close to the truth, but be careful—there are those who do not want the truth to be revealed."

Li Rui immediately called back, but the other party had already powered off their phone.

"Forensic Examiner Li," Xiao Wang came running over with freshly printed documents, "I found it! Lin Xiaoman was indeed transferred to a private sanitarium called 'Kangning'."

Li Rui immediately searched for the sanitarium, only to discover it had closed two years ago. Even stranger, the registered address of the sanitarium was a property owned by the Lin Group.

"Let’s go to this address."

Upon arriving at the destination, Li Rui found that the site had become a construction zone. The foreman told them that demolition and reconstruction had begun six months prior.

"What did the original building look like?" Li Rui asked.

The foreman thought for a moment. "It was an old-style villa with a very large basement. But when we were demolishing it, we found another level underneath—it looked like it had been added later."

Li Rui and Xiao Wang immediately headed to the basement. Amidst the ruins, they discovered remnants of strange equipment; they looked like medical instruments, yet there was something peculiar about them.

"Forensic Examiner Li, look at this." Xiao Wang picked up a metal tag from the rubble. Engraved on it were the words: "Subject No. 0427."

Li Rui’s heart sank. He remembered the "0427" in the safety deposit box password; this was likely Lin Xiaoman’s experimental subject ID.

"Contact the forensic department immediately," Li Rui said. "We need to search this place thoroughly."

As the investigation deepened, a horrifying truth began to surface. The Lin Group was not only involved in commercial crimes but was also secretly conducting illegal human experimentation. And Lin Xiaoman was, in all likelihood, one of those test subjects.

Just then, Li Rui received a call from Captain Zhang. "Forensic Examiner Li, we found a former employee of the Kangning Sanitarium. He says... Lin Xiaoman might still be alive."

Li Rui gripped his phone tightly. "Where?"

"He says the last time he saw Lin Xiaoman was at a private clinic in the south of the city. But that clinic suddenly burned down last week..."

Li Rui rushed to the clinic immediately. Although the building had been razed, they discovered a secret operating room in the basement. The walls were plastered with various experimental data, and in a locked cabinet, they found Lin Xiaoman’s medical file.

The records indicated that Lin Xiaoman was indeed alive, but she had been subjected to multiple experimental treatments and had now completely lost her memory.

"Forensic Examiner Li," Xiao Wang’s voice trembled, "there is another list here..."

The list contained dozens of names—all people who had gone missing over the years. Beside each name were noted experimental projects and "disposal methods."

Li Rui realized that they were uncovering not just the crimes of the Lin Group, but an expansive criminal network. This network reached into the medical field, the government, the business world, and perhaps even within the ranks of the police force itself.

Just then, his phone rang again. This time it was a video message. In the frame, a woman wearing a mask sat in a wheelchair, her eyes vacant.

"Is that... Lin Xiaoman?" Xiao Wang gasped.

Below the video was a line of text: "The game isn't over yet, Forensic Examiner Li. If you want the truth, come to the old spot."

Li Rui knew this "old spot" referred to the moat where the body had first been discovered. But this time, he decided not to act alone.

"Captain Zhang," he dialed the number, "I need reinforcements. This time, we are going to take them all down."

Night fell. Li Rui stood by the moat, gazing at the pitch-black water. He knew tonight would be a difficult battle. But for the truth, and for justice, he had to face it.

In the distance, the sound of sirens grew closer. Li Rui gripped the evidence in his hand, his gaze resolute. No matter what was waiting for him ahead, he was ready.

Because he was a forensic examiner—the voice of the dead and a seeker of the truth. And this search would never cease.