Suicide. That too, is an act requiring a certain level of skill. Take Li Mengru’s wrist-slitting, for instance. She was a medical student, possessed a deep understanding of human anatomy, and knew that severing a vein resulted in a slow death. Furthermore, there was always the possibility of the wound healing over, preventing death. Thus, when she plunged the blade into her wrist, she accurately struck the artery deep within the wrist canal, causing the blood not merely to flow out, but to spurt.

Of course, outside of those suffering from severe depression, very few people dedicate time to researching suicide methods, and experts in this field are exceedingly rare—after all, not many individuals are inclined to wage war against their own life.

This is why Xin Yeshe’s alleged seven knife wounds sparked widespread debate. Though the case has been officially closed, the true sequence of events remains a compelling subject for scrutiny.

A suffocating, peculiar odor permeated the morgue. Wang Zhuo, masked and gloved, stood before a long steel table where the body of Xin Yeshe lay—a robust man in his forties, ostensibly dispatched by seven stab wounds. On two other long tables nearby rested the remains of the female victim and the young girl, temporarily shrouded under specialized tarps.

Ge Dagang had stepped out into the corridor for a smoke. Ordinarily, anyone entering the morgue required his constant supervision to prevent anything from going missing. While the loss of ordinary items wasn't the main concern—there were body parts aplenty here—if something vanished and subsequently caused trouble outside, it would invite immense scrutiny upon him. However, he trusted Wang Zhuo implicitly. Coupled with the box of Dynasty Boundless Wang Zhuo had "gifted" him earlier, Ge Dagang sensibly vacated the room, offering only a symbolic parting reminder not to take any photographs.

Xin Yeshe’s body bore seven wounds in total. The autopsy concluded death by exsanguination, caused by one of the cuts severing the carotid artery.

Could a man whose wrist tendons had been severed still possess the strength to raise the knife and slash his own trachea and carotid artery? Wang Zhuo frowned deeply. Particularly vexing was the throat wound—it wasn't a single cut, but one initial strike followed by a precise follow-up blow to the still-intact windpipe before it was completely severed. Even someone without medical knowledge would recognize this as a clear sign of homicide. The first cut should have been fatal; under such excruciating pain, the self-attacker couldn't even see his own blade, so how could he have known precisely where to land the second cut to ensure the trachea was fully opened?

The other wounds were also questionable. Analyzing the body's structure, it would have been difficult for Xin Yeshe, whether gripping the knife normally or in reverse, to inflict the "stabbing both ribs" effect observed on his body. The authorities had once addressed public doubt by claiming he used his left hand for the right rib and his right hand for the left rib. Yet, they offered no rebuttal when the public later argued that the combination of a long blade and arm length would render the necessary angle impossible.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhuo involuntarily traced his left lower rib with his right hand, pursing his lips and shaking his head.

It was now fully certain: this was a case of murder. If Xin Yeshe was killed, then his wife and daughter were clearly not killed by him, but rather victims of a genuine intruder who committed a robbery-homicide, wiping out the entire family.

Turning his attention to Xin Yeshe’s wife, she had been bound at the wrists and ankles before death; the bruising was still evident. Her mouth had also been taped shut. The police report made no mention of the tape's origin, nor did it mention whether any suspicious fingerprints were found on it.

One must remember that when adhesive tape is pulled away, it often lifts latent prints from the person peeling it off, which could serve as a crucial clue. If the person was wearing gloves, glove fibers might be left behind, or it could prove the person wasn't Xin Yeshe, as he would have had no reason to wear gloves to rip off tape.

Numerous doubts? Not truly. There are thousands of ways to solve a case. Once determined to be a homicide, the immediate step is to trace the social circle of the Xin couple: enemies, direct beneficiaries after death, individuals with prior conflicts, and so on, followed by an investigation into any associated low-life elements. There were many avenues.

Wang Zhuo was no Sherlock Holmes, but he had watched enough true-crime programs, exposé shows, and detective novels and dramas. Despite lacking practical experience, he was thoroughly familiar with the standard procedures.

It was unfortunate that the Xin family’s estate had already been inherited by Xin Yeshe’s wife's relatives. Now, with the passage of time, even the house had been renovated, making a re-examination of the scene impossible. Wang Zhuo sighed softly. Even with his X-ray vision, at best, he could only classify the case as cold, unable to decipher the true events and subsequently locate the killer.

Before leaving, he distractedly swept his X-ray vision over the remains one last time and made an unexpected discovery!

Inside the body of the woman named Wen Feng, there was a strangely shaped metallic object. It was shaped like the Greek letter Omega, immediately capturing his attention.

What in the world was this?

He paused, examining it closely, then instantly understood. The metallic object had a thin layer of silicone coating its surface and was positioned perfectly within Wen Feng’s uterus, filling the entire cavity. It was an IUD!

If Wen Feng wore an IUD, her husband Xin Yeshe must have known about it. Yet, the case file stated Wen Feng had been sexually assaulted while wearing a condom. Wang Zhuo considered the matter from a personal perspective: who enjoys washing their feet while wearing socks? This single piece of evidence was enough to prove that someone other than the reported perpetrator had sexually assaulted Wen Feng!

Condoms—almost every man in this era had experience with them. Wang Zhuo didn't care about others' feelings; he himself was repulsed by them. Without the exchange of bodily fluids, without the contact between spirit and flesh, where was the pleasure? That thin barrier isolated not only sensation but also the distance between hearts.

In Wang Zhuo’s view, since Wen Feng wore an IUD, Xin Yeshe would have had no reason to play dress-up, put on an umbrella, take off his trousers to relieve himself, and wear that confounded condom. This, more strongly, proved that the person who assaulted Wen Feng was someone else—someone wearing the condom to avoid leaving evidence!

“Can this thing serve as new evidence in the case?” he murmured to himself, shaking his head with a wry smile. Legally speaking, Wen Feng was already dust. Before him lay only a donated cadaver, unrelated to the Wen Feng of the past. According to protocol, the school should have already initiated the defatting process and facial skin grafting immediately to ensure the deceased could no longer be recognized.

Furthermore, even if he presented this evidence, the prosecution would not accept it. Based on the file, the prosecution clearly operated on the principle of better to have fewer complications. They wanted this low-profile case closed as soon as possible. Moreover, an unsolved family annihilation case caused far less public shock than a “Serial Killer Annihilates Family” case. A mere IUD would certainly not be accepted by a prosecution guided by intuitive discretion.

Just then, his phone rang. Wang Zhuo glanced at the caller ID—"Yuan Ye"—then looked one last time at the three bodies on the long table, shook his head, and walked out.

“Come, come, Wang Zhuo, have a drink!” Former Director Yuan was beaming, overly cordial and enthusiastic. Securing a dinner invitation from someone of Wang Zhuo’s caliber brought him considerable face among his peers.

As for the embarrassing incident where Wang Zhuo had beaten him up and nearly cost him his badge—that was long forgotten, shipped off to the land of forgotten things!

Today, he was introducing Wang Zhuo to two friends from the political and legal systems. In these times, many people operated on the principle of networking for immediate need, but the astute knew that desperate measures rarely worked. An opportunity to befriend a significant figure should always be seized early. It would be easier to ask for favors later, or if the important person happened to delegate some trivial task, that would be an unexpected blessing.

Wang Zhuo had brought only Bai Lu as his female companion. Yuan Ye and the others had no idea what the nature of the relationship was between Wang Zhuo and this great beauty, so they neither dared to be negligent nor presume to speak too much, nor did they clumsily try to curry favor.

“I visited the Xin Yeshe family of three today…” Only after the food and drinks were well underway did Wang Zhuo broach the subject. “I wonder who handled that case; it leaves me rather speechless…”

Seeing his air of nonchalance, Yuan Ye and the others, skilled in reading the room, immediately aligned themselves with his position and offered effusive agreement.

A man named Liu Zhaode spoke first: “That case was full of doubtful points to begin with, and the societal controversy was so immense; it truly shouldn't have been closed so hastily…”

“For the sake of the clearance rate,” another named Li Shunda spread his hands with a look of helplessness. “That’s a hard metric, tied directly to bonuses, promotions, and evaluations. If the victims' families aren't even pursuing it, who would be foolish enough to invite trouble?”

“Dead people have no rights,” Yuan Ye chimed in. “I met the female victim’s next of kin; it was a half-sister. They probably had zero affection for each other. That woman was desperate for money, and suddenly inheriting such a large estate—I suspect she must be laughing herself awake in her dreams.”

“Inheriting the estate?” Liu Zhaode sounded puzzled. “So the victim’s sister is the beneficiary. Does that give her a motive?”

Wang Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat; he had considered the very same question.

Bai Lu, in the middle of chewing a piece of seaweed-wrapped rice, paused and asked hesitantly, “Are you guys talking about a murder case?”

Patting her thigh under the table, Wang Zhuo chuckled, “You only just realized? This case caused quite a sensation a while back, though it was fortunately overshadowed by the Mad Mosquito Disease outbreak.”

“It’s a good thing it was overshadowed,” Yuan Ye sighed bitterly. “Otherwise, who knows how that case would have been concluded. The public pressure was enormous; even we peripheral law enforcement officers had to conduct high-intensity interviews and investigations…”

In 2011, Lai Changxing, the major smuggling fugitive from Yuanhua, was repatriated, but the event only dominated the news for a single day before being eclipsed by a catastrophic rear-end collision involving two refrigerated trucks. Being the negative focal point is an unpleasant sensation. Thus, the subsequent public consensus suggested that the sudden accident had actually aided some of the parties involved in the Yuanhua case.

The Xin Yeshe case was similar. Had the media not shifted its attention to the Mad Mosquito Disease, the prosecution might not have been able to close the case so smoothly; the investigation could have developed in an entirely different direction.