Nightmare Light

Chapter 283 The Dead Who Actively Fractured Their Skulls

Five minutes later, at the Lushan Library.

As the oldest family in the entire Chu Federation, the Lushan family has its own pride in its book collection—its long family heritage and strong family strength allow their library to be of the highest quality in the entire Chu Federation.

Although it may not have as many books as the federal university library, the people of Deer Mountain believe that their library is second to none in terms of quality.

As they approached the library, Lin Wang saw a dozen heavily armed Lushan security guards gathered near the entrance.

Everyone wore a solemn and tense expression—although they tried to remain calm, Lin Wang could still see the intense fear in their trembling bodies and flickering eyes.

What happened to make these elite security personnel so scared?

While pondering, the group entered the library.

Three security guards surrounded a body covered with a white sheet.

Jiang Shanjun glanced at Tian Taozi, who had now adopted a serious and capable expression. She nodded to the female section chief, picked up her phone, and said, "Calling for backup... We need a forensic doctor and a medical practitioner!"

Ji Shuxun walked towards the corpse, but a security guard stopped her: "Miss..."

“Let me see the body,” Ji Shuxun said.

"Miss, you'd better not look. The deceased... is a bit strange," the security guard advised.

“He died for Lushan,” Ji Shuxun said. “Step aside, I want to see him.”

The security personnel did not try to persuade him further and silently stepped aside.

Ji Shuxun walked to the body, looked at the corpse covered with a white sheet on the ground, remained silent for a moment, and then took a breath.

She squatted down and lifted the white cloth.

Immediately afterwards, she screamed, covered her mouth, her eyes filled with surprise and terror, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Even veteran sheriffs like Jiang Shanjun and Tian Taozi showed extreme shock upon seeing the corpse.

People saw that the corpse on the ground... had its mouth open.

But it wasn't just an ordinary mouth opening—the corpse looked as if it had used all its strength to forcefully open its mouth, opening it wide until it pried the entire skull open.

Lin Wang saw that the deceased's head was split in two like a watermelon, with blood flowing all over the ground. But strangely, there was no brain inside the split skull cavity.

"It looks like the killer killed this security guard and then... forcibly pried open his head and removed his brain." Tian Taozi squatted beside the body, frowning as she observed, her tone filled with anger. "Why was the killer so cruel?"

Lin Wang didn't speak, but moved closer and carefully examined the corpse, then frowned.

"Lin Wang, what did you find out?" Jiang Shanjun asked him.

“I find it very strange,” Lin Wang said.

"What's strange?" Jiang Shanjun raised an eyebrow, knowing that Lin Wang must have noticed something was wrong.

"Give me a pair of gloves," Lin Wang said.

A security guard found him a pair of white gloves. After Lin Wang put them on, he gently pointed to the deceased's chin and forehead, and then used both hands to simulate a "forceful prying" motion.

"If the deceased's skull was forcibly pried open while he was still alive, then there would definitely be severe bruising or even bone fractures at those points of impact," Lin Wang said.

“But there’s nothing on the body.” Jiang Shanjun’s eyes lit up. “Right! Why wouldn’t there be?” Tian Taozi also noticed this detail. “Could it be that the murderer put their hand into the victim’s mouth…” She gestured with both hands inwards, making a prying motion from the inside out, “and then pried it open like this?”

“If that were the case, the deceased’s teeth would definitely be broken, and there would be wounds on his upper and lower jaws.” Lin Wang shook his head. “Moreover, his head was not cut open—the tear marks on both sides of his mouth are not smooth and even.”

"Then how did the murderer commit the crime?" Tian Taozi was dumbfounded.

Lin Wang pondered for a moment: "Judging from the current traces, it seems that the deceased opened his mouth himself, opened it too wide, and pried his head open."

"Huh? How is that possible!" Tian Taozi looked at Lin Wang. "I've never heard of anyone prying their head open while yawning!"

After saying that, she strained to lift her head and opened her mouth: "Ah...look, I can't pry it open...ah! It hurts!"

Jiang Shanjun withdrew his fist and said calmly, "Mr. Lin Wang, please continue."

Lin Wang looked at Tian Taozi, who was being beaten, and was both amused and exasperated. He nodded and said, "So, we can now deduce one thing—the deceased most likely opened his mouth himself, until his entire head was pried open, leading to his death."

He continued, "Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for a person to open their mouth and cause their head to snap open and die—therefore, the murderer must have controlled the victim in some way and made him make such a strange movement."

The surrounding security personnel all frowned.

Such a death was so bizarre and unbelievable that even these elite security guards, putting themselves in the other's shoes and imagining the possibility of dying like that at any moment, couldn't help but feel fear and tremble.

A security guard squatted down in front of Lin Wang: "Brother from the North, are you saying that the murderer was a charlatan who used strange methods to control... the deceased, making him pry open his own head, and then the murderer took his brain?"

"Just call me Lin Wang," Lin Wang said, then shook his head. "It's too early to speculate on these things now. Let me see..."

He turned his gaze toward the head of the deceased and suddenly murmured, "Hmm?" "Something's not right with this head."

He beckoned to the two female sheriffs: "Come and look here."

After saying that, he pointed to the top of the deceased's skull: "Do you see that?"

"What do you see...wait, why is the top of this person's head so pointy?" Tian Taozi exclaimed in surprise.

She asked several security guards, "Did this deceased person have a pointed, protruding forehead before death?"

Several security personnel shook their heads, saying that the deceased was no different from a normal person.

"So, there's only one explanation for the bulge on the deceased's head—the deceased's brain enlarged, stretching the skull open and causing his death." Lin Wang sighed.

"Huh? The brain gets bigger?" Tian Taozi imagined the scene. "Ew...how weird."

“But there’s still one thing I don’t understand,” Lin Wang said. “Before, the murderer was always stealing blood, so why did he suddenly switch to stealing brains?”

"Since we don't have enough clues right now, let's not think about the killer's motives—we can interrogate him after we catch him," Jiang Shanjun said.

"That's the only way." Lin Wang nodded and stood up.

He said to the security personnel around him, "Gentlemen, I have an arrest plan, and I need your cooperation..."

Then, he slowly revealed his plan.

Upon hearing his plan, the security personnel and the two sheriffs around him all looked surprised and incredulous.

(End of this chapter)