Old He’s bellow certainly did the trick; in less than three seconds, the roaring crowd fell silent, everyone holding their breath, eyes fixed first on the garbage pile, then on Old He. They watched with aching anticipation as he walked toward the mound, their stomachs churning with nervousness like a nest of restless rabbits.

The garbage heap stood like a small mountain. On the side facing away from the residential area, a dark, inky human leg jutted out from what seemed to be the "mid-slope," the rest of the body submerged within the fly-infested refuse, making it indistinct. Old He found an old shovel nearby and began clearing the trash around the leg, first scooping away the debris above, then using the shovel handle to poke gently inward along the leg. It felt soft, yielding, almost spongy. Old He had a feeling then; the entire corpse was likely buried deep within the pile. He dropped the shovel, pulled a walkie-talkie from his waist, and called for his patrolling colleagues to come assist.

In moments, seven or eight police officers appeared at the scene, and the crowd of onlookers grew denser. Those in the inner circle pressed their heels hard against the ground, desperately trying not to be crushed by the pressure from behind; those on the outer edge were standing on tiptoes, necks stretched out like cranes. Two or three officers, seasoned in handling bodies, showed a bit more nerve. They pulled on gloves, peeled back the garbage surrounding the leg, and carefully tugged the body outward by the ankle. When the ankle was about a meter clear of the main pile, the loose debris piled at the edge could no longer support the weight, and with a sudden rumble, it collapsed.

This collapse sent the body tumbling out of the garbage heap, rolling free. Xiao Shu had remained standing far back until he could clearly see the corpse’s skin tone and face. Only then did the heart that had been suspended in his chest finally settle. Good, it wasn't Xiao Yu. Thank heavens it wasn't him! But the face was familiar. The bandage wrapped around the head due to the eye injury was now stained dark red and black, becoming the preferred perch for the buzzing flies. With skin that dark, who else could it be?

The police seemed to recognize the body too, exchanging bewildered glances. A flurry of confused chatter erupted: "How did he end up here? Wasn't he sent to the Central Hospital?" "Do you know the officers who carried him away?" "No, haven't seen a single one." "That's strange. From the Central Hospital to here, there are only about forty officers on duty; we all know each other. How could unfamiliar officers show up in this district?" "Why didn't you say so sooner?" "Right? Why didn't anyone question it when they took him?"

Seeing them start to blame each other, Old He remained silent for a long stretch before finally stepping in to smooth things over. "This is a shelter; we aren't equipped to treat severe casualties. It was normal not to stop them from taking him. What isn't normal is why he ended up being brought here in the first place!" His words instantly silenced the crowd. Everyone stared at the fly-bitten corpse, suddenly feeling at a loss.

"Can we still get a forensic examiner?" Xiao Shu suddenly emerged from the crowd, stepping up beside Old He. "I think his death is highly suspicious. We need an autopsy to look closely."

"All the doctors are tied up in rescue efforts; there’s simply no spare personnel," someone nearby stated.

"I know a doctor still on duty at the hospital, one who hasn't gone to the front lines to save the injured. I can try contacting him," saying this, Old He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and stepped aside, moving to a secluded spot to talk for a while. When he returned, a smile graced his face as he told Xiao Shu, "He's on duty at the hospital. If we transport the body there, he has specialized equipment for an autopsy."

Xiao Shu looked somewhat confused, helping lift the body into a body bag as he asked Old He, "Who exactly is this 'he' you mentioned?"

At the question, Old He set the body bag down and stated gravely, "He is the director of the psychiatric hospital! Ming Xiao Yu’s former primary physician."