Chapter 68

Chapter 68 6. The Silence of the Lambs-0

“Patella?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan followed his pointing finger to look.

“That’s right, the patella.”

Liu Yi picked up the right patella of the skeleton on the autopsy table and handed it to Jiang Xiaoyuan.

“Notice, this patella isn’t complete; the lower pole is missing a small piece, and the fracture surface is smooth. This likely indicates a partial excision surgery after a patella fracture, where the distal bone fragment was removed.”

“This…”

Jiang Xiaoyuan held the patella in his hand, thought for a moment, and replied hesitantly, “Although sports are indeed a common cause of patella injury, but…”

He glanced nervously at Liu Yi. “In urban populations, fractures from traffic accidents or falls are also very common.”

Liu Yi didn’t mind Jiang Xiaoyuan questioning his guess; instead, he was pleased that his junior was thinking carefully.

“Of course, that’s because this gentleman’s bones have other markings as well.”

Liu Yi said, taking out the left tibia and right ankle bone of the unidentified skeleton. “Look closely, both of these show already healed fractures.”

He ran his finger over a short oblique ridge in the mid-tibia, then tapped a shallow oblique depression on the distal fibula under the condyle. “Though both fractures are healed, the degree of bone growth differs, indicating injuries sustained at different times.”

“I see now!”

Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly understood. “Right, if it were a traffic accident or a fall, it’s rare to have several consecutive injuries, plus the deceased was very young—it really seems more like repeated sports injuries!”

“Hmm, though lower-limb-focused sports cover a wide range: track and field, basketball, soccer, fencing, gymnastics, even dance and military training are common.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Nowadays, many people obsess over fitness; self-inflicted training injuries aren’t uncommon either…”

Jiang Xiaoyuan felt quite pleased. “Well, now that we know the deceased’s sex, age, height, preferences, and past injuries, this already narrows the investigation scope quite a bit, right? Just cross-reference missing persons records and check them one by one!”

“Exactly.”

Liu Yi smiled at him. “The rest, we leave to the police.”

Four days later, on the weekend, it was the day of the lecture mentioned in the invitation Liu Yi had received from Mrs. Tan.

Liu Yi had intended to go with Officer Qi Shanyu, but Officer Qi had been extremely busy for several consecutive days on field work. He had only managed to send a brief WeChat message apologizing that he couldn’t make it.

So Liu Yi had to prepare and go alone to X University.

The lecture, “New Applications of Criminal Profiling in Forensic Practice”, was held in the new auditorium at X University.

The auditorium was large, accommodating over 500 people. Professor Ying Chuan Ying, the lecturer, was evidently a popular figure on campus. Liu Yi arrived less than ten minutes before the lecture began. Most seats were already filled, with a few student-looking attendees still entering.

The first two rows were reserved for guests. Liu Yi, holding the invitation, showed it to a guide wearing a badge and casually followed him to the front row, sitting close to the stage.

A tall man in a black suit was already seated next to him, looking down at a stack of printed A4 papers.

Liu Yi casually glanced; the papers were densely filled, seemingly psychology-related materials.

The man noticed Liu Yi and looked up, meeting his gaze.

Liu Yi observed that the man had a very symmetrical face, slightly older than him, with soft but defined features, a high nose bridge, and a dignified demeanor. His sideburns were neatly trimmed, the suit fitted perfectly, paired with a conservative Windsor knot, giving a sense of reliability that made people instantly like him.

The man paused upon seeing Liu Yi, then smiled warmly and kindly.

—Unfortunately, though handsome, he’s not my type; right now, the only person Liu Yi wanted to see was Officer Qi Shanyu.

Liu Yi smiled back internally, took out his phone, and started looking at it, with no intention of chatting.

At exactly ten, the lecture began.

A pretty female teaching assistant introduced the lecturer’s academic background and achievements, then, amidst the applause of over a thousand people, invited Professor Ying Chuan Ying to the podium.

Each guest seat had a paper bag containing a new notebook and a set of three pens in red, blue, and black.

Liu Yi rested his chin on his left hand, opened the notebook on the desk, holding a pen in his right hand, unconsciously rotating it between his fingers.

He was pondering the string of titles and achievements he had just read. This person’s background sounded remarkably similar to his own.

This man, named Ying Chuan, held two PhDs from Yale University in psychology, and was a notable expert in criminal and abnormal psychology—fields still relatively undeveloped domestically. Now, as a guest consultant for the city police, he often assisted with criminal profiling in actual cases.

Liu Yi paused the pen between his fingers and wrote “35” in the corner of his notebook.

Given Professor Ying’s achievements, thirty-five was indeed a young age.

At that moment, the applause had not yet ended. Liu Yi was surprised to see the black-suited man next to him stand, smile slightly, and raise his right hand slightly—likely asking Liu Yi to move.

Liu Yi realized he had probably sat in a seat reserved for the female host and moved aside to let the lecturer through.

Ying Chuan passed by, placed a hand on Liu Yi’s arm, said “Thank you,” then gestured “please sit,” indicating Liu Yi needn’t move again.

Almost everyone’s eyes in the auditorium focused on them, so Liu Yi nodded politely and sat back down.

Clearly, Professor Ying Chuan Ying was efficient and decisive, wasting no time on unnecessary introductions. He opened his slides, gave a concise introduction, and began the lecture.

The lecture lasted a full hour. Long sessions usually tire the audience, but the content was more interesting than Liu Yi expected. By the time Professor Ying announced Q&A, Liu Yi had filled three pages of notes without feeling bored.

Perhaps because Liu Yi sat in the center front, he noticed Professor Ying frequently looking his way.

They made eye contact more than ten times; the lecturer would smile briefly and naturally return to his teaching.

During this, Professor Ying’s speech remained clear and fluent, so these repeated glances went unnoticed by others. Only they were aware.

After the lecture, Liu Yi deliberately took his time packing up, observing a while longer.

Professor Ying was evidently popular among students—especially female students—as the podium area was surrounded by them, asking questions they had missed during Q&A.

Liu Yi also had two questions but, seeing the crowd, decided to leave, putting his notebook in his bag and exiting the auditorium.

X University, a top university in Xinhai City, was large.

The auditorium building had been built two years ago, at the southern end of campus, a long walk from the north parking lot where Liu Yi had parked—about half an hour.

By now it was near noon; Liu Yi didn’t rush to the parking lot.

Since he had nothing planned for the afternoon, and rarely visited X University, he decided to stroll leisurely, find a place where outsiders could eat, solve lunch, and then return to his apartment later.

He walked along the tree-lined avenue in front of the auditorium, wandering casually.

X University’s campus greenery was excellent, with shady trees and various flowers.

With spring warming the weather, flowers and vines were blooming. Liu Yi strolled, noticing many visitors taking photos under blooming magnolias and wisteria, just like him.

Passing the library, he saw a phoenix tree in front.

He looked up at the densely layered crimson blossoms, smiled, and like the other tourists, took a photo with his phone, then sent it via WeChat to Officer Qi Shanyu.

After sending, he waited a while but received no reply.

The officer was probably busy. Liu Yi was unbothered, slipping his phone back into his coat pocket.

“Hi.”

At that moment, Liu Yi felt someone reach from behind and pat his shoulder.