The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 902 Autopsy, Unexpected Clues

While the investigation and analysis at the fire scene were still ongoing, all six bodies had been transported to the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Dongchuan City Public Security Bureau.

The forensic laboratory was filled with the pungent smell of formaldehyde. The stark white light shone on the six severely burned corpses, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Zhang Lin has already completed the preparatory work. This autopsy is quite extensive and will definitely not be finished in one night. After all, it involves the bodies of the Sixth Bureau and requires the help of others. Several forensic doctors from the Criminal Investigation Brigade have been brought in to assist him.

Wearing protective clothing, a mask, and gloves, Zhang Lin's gaze was focused and calm. He first approached the first body, which was none other than Wang Baogui, the village bully of Wangjia Village. Zhang Lin gently opened the corpse's eyelids to observe the changes in the eyeballs, while simultaneously touching the corpse's muscles to assess its rigidity. "The corpse's corneas are cloudy, appearing foggy, with the pupils vaguely visible. Combined with the degree of rigor mortis, the preliminary judgment is that the time of death was during the fire, which was between 6 PM and 8 PM yesterday," Zhang Lin verbally reported his observations to the officer beside him who was recording the data.

Then, Zhang Lin picked up a scalpel and precisely and cleanly cut open the skin and muscle along the center of the corpse's chest, exposing the ribs. He carefully cut the ribs with rib shears and opened the chest cavity. "A large amount of black charcoal dust was visible in the chest cavity, and the respiratory mucosa was congested and edematous, accompanied by necrosis and sloughing. These are typical characteristics of death by burning before death, indicating that the deceased was still alive when the fire occurred and died of asphyxiation due to inhaling a large amount of high-temperature toxic gas." Zhang Lin carefully examined the lungs, heart, and other organs, recording his findings one by one.

After dissecting Wang Baogui's body, Zhang Lin proceeded to dissect Wang Fugui's. Following the same procedure, from external examination to thoracotomy, Zhang Lin meticulously examined every detail. While examining the stomach, Zhang Lin discovered a small amount of undigested food. "The food in the stomach was still recognizable, indicating that the deceased encountered a fire shortly after eating. Recording these food items might help us deduce the circumstances of the deceased's last meal and thus investigate related clues."

Next was the autopsy of Wang Jiagui. After opening the abdominal cavity, Zhang Lin noticed some fine bleeding points on the surface of the liver. "These bleeding points on the surface of the liver are likely caused by changes in vascular pressure due to the body's stress response during the fire. However, further biopsy is needed to see if there are any other potential lesions or abnormalities." Zhang Lin extracted some liver tissue for pathological analysis.

After dissecting the three brothers' bodies, Zhang Lin turned his attention to the other three unidentified corpses. He approached the body bound with rope; marks from the ropes still remained on the wrists and ankles, the skin broken and dark red. Zhang Lin carefully cleaned away the ash and charred tissue from the body, discovering needle marks on the victim's arm. "These needle marks are relatively fresh, likely from a recent injection. Take a blood sample for toxicology testing to see if there are any abnormalities," Zhang Lin said.

After completing a series of external examinations, Zhang Lin began the internal autopsy of the body. Upon opening the chest cavity, he found severe lesions in the lungs, including deposits of charcoal and inflammatory exudate. "This condition in the lungs, besides inhalation damage from the fire, may also be related to the deceased's overall health," Zhang Lin explained. He continued examining other organs, finding abnormal deposits in the kidneys as well.

Just then, the toxicology test results came back. The technician in charge of the testing rushed into the lab and said to Zhang Lin, "Forensic Doctor Zhang, the blood sample tested positive for methamphetamine, and the concentration is quite high." Zhang Lin frowned, deep in thought: "That explains it. The deceased was likely a long-term drug user with weakened immune systems, which would have caused more severe damage to organs like the lungs during the fire. Moreover, being bound with ropes likely indicates a connection to drug trafficking or a dispute."

Zhang Lin continued to dissect the remaining two bodies. During the dissection, he discovered that one body had signs of healed old fractures, and the other body had severely worn teeth with obvious tartar. Based on these details, he deduced that the two deceased may have lived in harsh conditions and engaged in a lot of manual labor.

The autopsies lasted for several hours, and Zhang Lin finally completed the autopsies on six bodies. He took off his gloves, let out a long sigh, and said to the police officer beside him, "We have quite a few clues, but we still need to sort them out further. The identities of the deceased have been partially confirmed. Three of the brothers were village bullies, the identities of the other three are still under investigation, and one of them was a drug user. The connections between these clues, as well as their relationship to the fire, all need to be investigated in depth."

The officer nodded and said, "Forensic Doctor Zhang, thank you for your hard work. We'll report the autopsy results to Captain Li now, and the rest of the investigation will depend on everyone's efforts."

The autopsy results were quickly reported to the Criminal Investigation Division. Upon learning of the situation, Li Ming immediately convened a meeting of officers. "Comrades," he said, "the forensic autopsy has yielded important findings. The identities of the deceased are partially confirmed; the three brothers were village bullies. Methamphetamine was detected in the body of another victim. This case appears to be a fire, but it may involve complex factors such as drug trafficking and personal grudges. Our next step is to focus on investigating individuals connected to the deceased, especially those involved in drug use, while simultaneously accelerating the identification of the other two victims."

"Furthermore, the on-site investigation has temporarily come to a halt, and the lack of surveillance footage in the surrounding area makes it difficult to obtain direct clues. In that case, we will start by investigating the interpersonal relationships of the three victims, including Wang Fugui, and dig deeper into the hidden story behind it." Li Ming's gaze was firm as he scanned each officer present, his voice steady and powerful.

After making arrangements that morning, Li Ming reported the case's progress to Qin Chuan. Qing Chun largely approved of Li Ning's next steps: continuing the investigation on the three confirmed victims was currently the most appropriate approach.

The team members acted swiftly, dispersing to every corner of the village and visiting villagers door-to-door. Initially hesitant, the villagers gradually opened up under the patient persuasion of the police, recounting the tyrannical behavior of the Wang brothers. "Those three are simply village bullies, constantly fighting and harassing anyone they don't like," an elderly man with gray hair said angrily, his face filled with helplessness and resentment.