Chapter 35

Chapter 35 3. panic room-09

“I still think this rash looks like a skin allergy.”

Feng Ling pointed to the rash on the back of the deceased’s left leg down to the ankle, sticking to her opinion.

Although Liu Yi had just said that rashes caused by common allergic reactions don’t match the location on the corpse, Feng Ling was, after all, an experienced senior forensic pathologist. She pointed out the crisscrossed scratch marks on the rash.

“You can tell from the scratch marks made by the deceased themselves that the area must have been very itchy, and the characteristics of the rash also match allergic papules.”

Liu Yi neither immediately denied nor affirmed.

His gaze lingered on both ankles of the deceased for a moment, then slowly shifted to his own feet.

Because entering the autopsy room required a full set of protective clothing, he was wearing a scrub suit underneath, an autopsy coat that reached mid-calf, and a pair of indoor slippers for the autopsy room. Through the dark blue plastic shoes, his fair feet were clearly visible.

“Feng Jie, you’re right.”

Liu Yi smiled at Feng Ling and nodded. “Since the deceased only had such a severe rash on the leg, and the back of the lower leg and the ankle are areas easily exposed outside clothing—like now, wearing slippers, the heel is exposed—”

He glanced at the others. “So, I think this papule is likely contact dermatitis.”

Liu Yi paused, and before the other forensic pathologists could show a look of realization, he added, “However, the causes of contact dermatitis can be roughly divided into allergic contact and irritant contact. Just by looking at the rash, it’s hard to determine…”

“Damn it!”

Yuan Lan, sitting in the corner, suddenly swore.

He didn’t control his volume at all; in the highly soundproof autopsy room, it was extremely abrupt, immediately interrupting Liu Yi mid-sentence and drawing everyone’s attention.

This head of the evidence department, originally from Northeast China, tall and sturdy, suddenly blurted a curse, then “whoosh” stood up with a fierce expression, exuding pressure through his presence and physique.

Even knowing he was usually a civilized man and unlikely to physically attack Liu Yi, Jiang Xiaoyuan and the others were startled and instinctively stepped back.

“Are you stupid!?”

Yuan Lan naturally didn’t hold back toward Liu Yi, his constant rival, launching a personal attack.

“For just a rash, do you need to dither so long without making a decision?!”

He shot Liu Yi a disdainful glance. “Whether it’s an allergy, just check the serum IgE, isn’t that enough?”

Talking about his own field made Yuan Lan shake with pride, like a peacock fanning its tail, chin held high, proudly saying:

“Even if the deceased’s serum IgE standards differ from normal living people, it’s still just a reference. You can also take a skin sample from the rash and do histological examination!”

&&& &&& &&&

“Boss, we found it!!”

An Pingdong and Qi Shanyu, sweating from the cold winter run, rushed into the conference room one after another.

An Pingdong’s shout immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Shen Zun, originally resting with eyes closed, immediately stood up, his bloodshot eyes gleaming, showing no sign of having just napped.

“Here, the Dami Battery Factory on Changning Road, Science Island!”

An Pingdong summarized the clue they found:

“The factory manager told us there was a safety accident in May this year. A worker was burned on the back of his right hand by 32% sulfuric acid. We checked the accident record, and the injured worker was the same ‘Yu Ping’ currently in the cold storage at the Forensic Institute!”

“Well done!”

Shen Zun slapped the table, snatched the materials An Pingdong brought, and flipped through them.

“This fake Yu Ping worked at the Dami Battery Factory for over two years. He applied under the name ‘Yu Ping’ with ID as well. According to colleagues and supervisors, he was introverted, quiet, had few friends, and generally didn’t stand out.”

Shen Zun listened while reviewing the materials from the factory, which included files, contracts, ID copies, and medical reports from Yu Ping’s two-plus years of employment, with personal info like addresses, phone numbers, and work history marked in red.

Then he saw a photo.

In the photo, over ten men—from young adults to middle-aged with graying temples—stood in two rows inside the factory, wearing fluorescent orange uniforms, likely a departmental group photo. The man on the far right of the back row was circled in red by An Pingdong—having the exact same face as the corpse found in the kidnapper’s white van.

Shen Zun clenched his fist and hit the table. “If he had to use a fake name and ID even in a legitimate factory, that probably means his real identity cannot be openly used. Most likely, he’s a fugitive!”

He turned to the others. “Pull the wanted fugitives database, match him against the nationwide recent fugitive list, and dig him out, no matter how deep we have to go!”

“About that May sulfuric acid burn accident.”

After giving orders, An Pingdong continued:

“The factory manager said surveillance footage showed ‘Yu Ping’ sneaking into the warehouse during a night shift to steal sulfuric acid, accidentally spilling some on himself. Because the factory had its own management lapses, they didn’t report it, covered his medical costs, and then fired him.”

Shen Zun raised an eyebrow. “Why was he stealing sulfuric acid?”

Sulfuric acid, a common industrial material, has wide applications; in the hands of criminals, it could be used for disfigurement or explosives. As head of the criminal police brigade, he had to be cautious.

An Pingdong shrugged. “The factory manager said ‘Yu Ping’ claimed he wanted it for his wife to clean the toilet. The factory didn’t investigate the reason since he didn’t take much and was injured anyway.”

“Eh!?”

At that moment, a policeman, originally at a computer, suddenly stood up so forcefully that his chair toppled with a loud crash.

“Boss! Our case matches what Dong just said!”

He was from the adjacent Task Force Two, temporarily assigned. Without the nationwide high-profile businessman’s son kidnapping, this nanny serial murder case would be the most eye-catching case recently.

The nanny, Lu Fangfang, from a mountain village in S Province, had a father who was a barefoot doctor, giving her some basic medical knowledge and acupuncture familiarity.

Over the past decade, Lu Fangfang worked in several provinces, doing seven or eight jobs. Last year, she came to Xinhai City, applying through a local online job board to be a full-time caregiver for the elderly.

In this field, a rule allowed a nanny to get double pay if the elder died that month, plus a “white envelope” tip from generous employers, sometimes equaling three months’ salary.

By coincidence, Lu Fangfang’s first employer suffered a stroke in her third month on the job and died in her sleep.

With double pay plus a generous envelope, Lu Fangfang earned thirty thousand in just three and a half days. After tasting this, she developed malicious intent.

From then on, she targeted bedridden, helpless elderly clients. In the second month of employment, she secretly injected sulfuric acid into the “mute gate point” of the elder, quickly causing unconsciousness, eventually resulting in death from central nervous system damage—symptoms resembling a stroke, raising little suspicion.

Using this method, she killed six elderly victims.

Two months ago, her eighth employer was a retired senior official, bedridden from severe Parkinson’s and post-stroke sequelae, unable to move or speak, communicating only in single syllables, eating, drinking, and excreting in bed.

Lu Fangfang, as usual in the second month, injected a dose of sulfuric acid.

For unknown reasons, the elder lost consciousness but didn’t die quickly. She lingered, sometimes better, sometimes worse, for over half a month, still alive at month’s end.

Feeling guilty and anxious, Lu Fangfang decided to give a second injection.

However, that day, a drop of sulfuric acid accidentally spilled on the elder’s hospital gown collar—this drop caught Qi Shanyu’s attention during a hospital visit, eventually exposing her crimes and leading to her arrest.

“I remember clearly, when we questioned the nanny about the sulfuric acid, she said she got it from her lover!”

The Task Force Two officer said firmly, “She said she told her lover she wanted to clean the toilet, so he gave her some sulfuric acid.”

He paused, adding:

“But when we asked Lu Fangfang for her lover’s contact info, she gave us an expired number, claiming she hadn’t been in touch for a long time.”

“Not bad, young man!”

Shen Zun stood, slapped the back of the officer from Task Force Two, then dashed out of the conference room. As he walked, he said:

“Immediately interrogate Lu Fangfang and make her confirm whether the deceased ‘Yu Ping’ is indeed her missing lover!”

He stopped at the door, as if recalling something, looked around the room, and focused on Qi Shanyu: “Xiao Qi, you told me before, that awesome director at the Forensic Institute had us check… what was it again?”

Shen Zun stumbled over his words, finally remembering the term: “Right, the ‘allergy history,’ correct?”

He waved at Qi Shanyu. “Go back to the Forensic Institute, bring that director here, and have him personally ask Lu Fangfang if she knows whether her lover had any allergy history!”

Author’s Note