Roses in Flames

Ye Yuntang is away on a business trip.

Moreover, he was with Shen Yan, a forensic doctor from the new urban area.

In Cangshi, a remote small city, a heinous case of an unidentified dismembered body occurred.

Two days ago, a group of hikers challenged Heilan Mountain in Cangshi. This mountain has a steep terrain, dense forests that block out the sun, and few people have set foot on it. It is an undeveloped wild mountain.

When the group reached the halfway point of the mountain, they were suddenly caught in a downpour. One of the hikers slipped and tumbled down the gentle slope.

It was that hiker who rolled down the gentle slope who discovered the human tissue buried in the pile of rocks and decaying leaves.

Local police responded quickly after receiving the call.

Searching along the slope and valley, they found scattered body parts in tree holes, rock crevices, and bushes.

The body parts were missing, and the only head found was soaked in rain and gnawed by insects, making it unrecognizable.

Facial features were completely destroyed, fingerprints and body markings were unrecognizable, and the body parts could not be pieced together completely, making it impossible to confirm even the most basic information about the deceased.

Cangzhou City has limited forensic technology and equipment, so in this situation, it can only request forensic assistance from higher authorities.

Ye Yuntang received the business trip notice at the last minute. The situation was urgent, so she hurriedly packed her clothes at her apartment and headed to the airport.

She knew that Xiao Lin had been accompanying Old Master Xiao on his inspection tour these past few days, so she didn't dare to call or text him.

He would find out about her business trip as soon as he returned to the police station.

She ran into Shen Yan, who was also on a business trip, at the airport.

When the two met, she felt slightly awkward, remembering the message she had sent last time.

When Shen Yan saw Ye Yuntang, he was as gentle and refined as ever. After greeting her, they started talking about the case.

Seeing that Shen Yan didn't seem uncomfortable, Ye Yuntang quickly relaxed as well.

When discussing professional matters, she is equally serious and focused.

After getting off the plane, we took a bus to Cangzhou.

More than three hours later, we finally arrived at Black Mist Mountain.

It rained heavily in the mountains, making the land muddy and slippery.

Ye Yuntang put on a windbreaker and a pair of high-top waterproof leather boots.

She and Shen Yan carried their survey kits and toolboxes, trudging into the mountains, their steps uneven.

The Cangzhou police sent officers to meet them.

The further you go in, the more difficult the path becomes. The wet moss mixed with mud and water makes it easy to slip and fall if you're not careful.

When they reached a steep slope, Ye Yuntang slipped and swayed unsteadily.

Shen Yan quickly steadied her, his gentle voice filled with concern, "Be careful."

"Thanks."

After Ye Yuntang regained her footing, Shen Yan withdrew his hand from her arm. Then, as if remembering something, he reached out to her again, "I'll help you up."

Ye Yuntang shook her head. "No need. I'll pick up a branch and climb up myself."

Shen Yan stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly knowing what she was worried about, and didn't press her further.

The brim of her windbreaker couldn't stop the continuous rain, and her bangs were wet, but she wasn't spoiled at all. She climbed up with crisp and clean movements, her eyes clear and determined.

Shen Yan watched her independent and slender back, his fingertips hovering in mid-air. He withdrew his hand with a slightly helpless look in his eyes, and then a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes as he looked at her.

The two arrived at the location where the body parts were found.

The mountain fog was so thick that you could barely see anything more than ten meters away, and the rain kept falling.

Local police have cordoned off the area where the body parts were found.

Upon seeing Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan, Chen Yang walked over.

"Forensic Doctor Shen, Forensic Doctor Ye, this is Chen Yang from the Cangshi Police Station!"

After greeting Chen Yang, Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan entered the tent.

On the examination table lay a disfigured head and mutilated body parts.

After examining the body, Ye Yuntang concluded that "both arms are missing, no fingerprints can be extracted, the face is completely destroyed, the teeth are broken, and even the clothing fragments are just torn synthetic fibers with no directly identifiable markings."

Shen Yan: "The conventional methods of identity verification have been blocked."

Ye Yuntang: "The marks of violence are concentrated on the neck."

Shen Yan lowered his head, his gaze falling on the varying depths of the marks around the deceased's neck. "The ligament groove is closed, there is muscle bleeding, the thyroid cartilage is not fractured but there are typical signs of soft tissue asphyxiation. The preliminary cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation, caused by strangulation with a wire."

Ye Yuntang chimed in, "Yes, after death and dismemberment, judging from the degree of decomposition, tissue organization, and the state of muscle liquefaction and absorption, combined with the temperature and humidity in the mountainous area and the burial location, the time of death was at least three months ago."

Three months is enough time for a corpse to go from fresh to decomposing and becoming mechanized.

That would be enough to make the murderer disappear without a trace.

At this moment, Captain Chen Yang walked in.

"Could you two forensic experts determine the sex of the deceased based on the skull?"

Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan nodded simultaneously, "Okay."

Ye Yuntang's gloved fingertips lightly touched the surface of the skull. "Male, based on age, cranial sutures, remaining tooth root development, and alveolar morphology, the age is estimated to be between 26 and 30 years old, with an error margin of no more than two years."

Chen Yang gave Ye Yuntang a thumbs up, "The forensic doctors in your big city are really excellent."

Ye Yuntang handed the preliminary autopsy report that she and Shen Yan had prepared to Chen Yang, saying, "I hope it will be helpful to you."

"Thank you very much. Our search and rescue team is expanding the search area and conducting a thorough search, hoping to find the deceased's arms."

Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan were busy until dark.

Chen Yang came over again and told the two of them to go get something to eat.

Ye Yuntang stepped out of the tent and stretched her stiff and cold shoulders and neck.

The temperature is low in the deep mountains, and working for a long time makes even your bones ache.

She instinctively reached for her phone.

The screen lights up, but the signal bar is empty.

The victim's severed arms have not yet been found, so they cannot descend the mountain tonight.

Chen Yang has already arranged for people to rebuild the two tents.

Whether it was because the temperature in Cang City was too low or because of the long period of investigation, Ye Yuntang felt a little tired and weak as her nerves relaxed.

At first, she only felt dizzy and cold, and thought it was just because she was tired.

But to everyone's surprise, he developed a fever.

Shen Yan noticed that something was wrong with her and frowned, saying, "You have a fever and you need to go to the hospital."

Ye Yuntang pursed her dry lips. "I brought some cold medicine. I'll take two pills and rest for a bit."

"No, you need to go to the hospital." Shen Yan knew she was worried about not finishing her work, so he suggested, "I'll have Captain Chen send someone to take you to the township hospital down the mountain. I'll stay here and handle the rest of the work."

At Shen Yan's insistence, Ye Yuntang was escorted down the mountain by Chen Yang's men.

When they arrived at the township hospital, Ye Yuntang's fever spiked even higher.

The doctor gave her an IV drip.

Ye Yuntang sat alone in the infusion room, leaning back in her chair, and suddenly felt a sense of loneliness and coldness.

The image of Xiao Lin's tall and aloof figure unconsciously surfaced in her mind.

I don't know if it's because I'm sick, but I suddenly miss him a little.

"Yuntang".

A deep, steady voice came from beside my ear.

Ye Yuntang's long eyelashes trembled slightly.

She slowly opened her eyes, her vision was a little blurry, and the light made her dizzy, but she still recognized the man standing at the door immediately.

Xiao Lin.

He was covered in dust and grime, as if he had come for her.