In the autopsy room.
Various boxes of different sizes were placed inside, including a wide-mouth plastic bucket set aside.
Given the limited resources available, it was impossible to have everything well-equipped, so they had to opt for alternatives that were both functional and affordable.
Six people busied themselves, with Zhu Xingxing leading Chen Cheng and Liu Yufei in inspecting the supplies, taking inventory, and unpacking. After all, the Lu Feier Reagent needed to be mixed in advance.
Xia Momo and Mr. Zhao were separately photographing the mummified corpse and the complete cocoon. Even with the bright flashlights in the cave, the natural light outside provided better visibility for observation.
Then, the team started to collect samples, carefully labeling the locations and sample numbers. For the mummy, they extracted hair, so fragnts, surface swabs, and even pieces of eggshell.
So of these items were chosen for local testing, while for the rest, Zhou Ning had Mr. Guan contact a courier service to ship them directly to Mrs. Cui.
In the afternoon, upon hearing that so equipnt had arrived, they went to the Ganzhou City Bureau. After all, their team mbers were soon to arrive.
The local response was exceptionally swift; a small two-story building had been cleared out for them. It was evident that the Ganzhou team was flattered and slightly overwheld by the assistance from Qindao, unsure of how to reciprocate and continue this unexpected pleasure.
Without going into details, the entire interior space of the small building had been emptied and cleaned, with the walls freshly painted. This seed to be the result of imdiate action upon receiving the notice. The two rooms designated as autopsy rooms even had tiles laid out on the walls and floors, with plumbing installed, only lacking the various necessary appliances and equipnt.
Zhou Ning looked around and increasingly felt a sense of familiarity with the layout. Mr. Zhao approached and comnted,
"Feels familiar, doesn’t it? Not to ntion, the tiles and design in specific areas seem to be just like our First Autopsy Room. I bet they didn’t even draw up new plans for this rush job; probably just Mr. Qu and his team who took so photos and used those to autocreate the blueprints. He is definitely capable of that."
Mr. Zhao spoke confidently. Zhou Ning thought about it and decided not to dwell on it, glancing down at the ti on his watch.
"The team should have arrived by now."
No sooner had he spoken than the sound of screeching brakes ca from outside, followed by disordered footsteps.
Zhou Ning looked out the window and saw it was indeed Mr. Qu and Peng Shinian, along with everyone from the first team, arriving. Each one of them was carrying a large case, a formidable sight indeed.
They hurried out to greet everyone, who were all smiling and saying hello to Zhou Ning.
"Boss, we’re here!"
Peng Shinian hopped next to Mr. Zhao, wrapping an arm around his neck and patting his back vigorously several tis, as if they were brothers reunited after many years. After calming his excited emotions, Peng Shinian said,
"I’ve seen the photos. I don’t even know how to express my feelings about finding so many plant species all at once, Mr. Zhao, I can’t thank you enough. You’re a true brother to ."
Mr. Zhao gave Peng Shinian a shove, but with his size, he didn’t budge. In resignation, Mr. Zhao called out to Zhu Xingxing,
"Wife, get him off , I’m running out of breath. I’m a married man; what will people think if you keep hugging like this? If you don’t let go, I’m not taking any more photos for you."
Surprisingly, the last few words did the trick, and Peng Shinian released Mr. Zhao, his eyes already moist. Zhou Ning understood that researchers often have their obsessions, incomprehensible as they may be.
Looking around at everyone, Zhou Ning smiled and nodded, saying,
"Thank you all for your hard work. I know you all ca in a hurry, and seeing you with so many cases, I can tell you ca well-prepared. I won’t waste any more words. Conditions here are not as good as in Qidong, but the people are very warm and genuine. We must help as much as we can.
The vehicles with equipnt will arrive shortly. Set up the lab just like our First Autopsy Room. Of course, the scanning equipnt is what I need most urgently. Let’s get that set up first, and we can deal with the rest later.
Also, there’s a serious issue at hand. You’ve likely been briefed by Director Xu before your departure. During our trip, we encountered ancient sacrificial scenes in the ruins. The dates go back far, but we must continue the investigation. Now, let’s start installing and testing the equipnt."
Mr. Zhao stepped forward, waved his hand, and said,
"Don’t go. Let divide the groups. The local officers that the city bureau sent need to be included in our teams. Everyone should get to know one another. When installing, they need to understand how each part works, so they can describe any issues clearly later on. Alright, let announce the teams. Group one will include..."
Zhou Ning stepped back and noticed Fang Dongsheng coming over with an unmistakable smile on his face.
"I saw the arrangents from a distance. No need for thanks, it sounds insincere, so I’ll report on our progress instead."
Zhou Ning hurriedly raised his hand.
"Mr. Fang, I’m just a forensic doctor; please don’t speak like that. Let call over Liu Da, as she’s part of the special case team as well. Shall we listen together?"
"Alright," Fang Dongsheng consented.
Zhou Ning gestured to Liu Yufei, who quickly joined them. The three retreated to an empty room.
"Here’s the situation: there’s no news from the surrounding investigation yet, but our bureau found a Yugu youth. I had him bring his grandmother back from their hotown. She’s one of the elders in their community, a respected old lady from the Luo Family, expected to arrive early tomorrow. The Luo Family ranks second among the Eight Great Families of the Yugu People, a sort of nobility.
As for the coffin in the cave, people from the museum found a team that specializes in this work, who went up the mountain first thing in the morning to check the coffin’s seals. Now, they’re getting ready to transport it down. They told us that the coffin was not just sealed with coffin nails; the lid is also fortified, and opening it would require breaking it.
Moreover, the painted decorations on it seem to have been retouched. I’ve inford the museum folks that after they transport the coffin down, they can pick soone to study the exterior, but only for two days. If they cannot open it without causing damage, they should cut it open, and the paint used for the decorations must be extracted for testing.
You can rest assured, I won’t allow anyone to interfere with our cooperation or the investigation. Such a secluded cave and a sacrificial ritual nearly twenty years back involving a living sacrifice are not easy to verify. Oh, and I’ve also had soone check for any missing persons reports since 1980."
As he spoke, Fang Dongsheng pulled out a notebook filled densely with nas, birthdays, addresses, and other information. Zhou Ning couldn’t help but admire his ticulousness.
Liu Yufei glanced over and gave Fang Dongsheng a thumbs-up.
"You’ve done incredibly detailed work, don’t rush it. It will take at least a day for Zhou Ning and the others to assemble their equipnt. If the scan can start tomorrow, that would be fast. Relax a bit. When the old lady arrives, just find a quiet place to talk to her. I’ll sort out these photos for you later; rest assured, I’ll help you with it."
Fang Dongsheng let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as though he had passed a written exam.
"I’m really anxious because, as I see it, this is just a tangled ss with seemingly no connections. I feel a great amount of pressure to figure it out."
Zhou Ning smiled.
"Mr. Fang, take it easy. Technological advancent is progressing extrely fast nowadays. Once the equipnt is set up tomorrow, you can co and check it out. We’ll be able to scan the mummies, and that soaked mummy being restored will probably be almost back to normal."
Fang Dongsheng’s eyes widened.
"Soaking? Restoration?"
Zhou Ning nodded, aware that such technology could still be hard for so to accept.
"Don’t worry, you’ll see everything tomorrow."
...
September 11th
Early in the morning, I arrived at the small two-story building behind the Ganzhou City Bureau, which could be described as completely transford.
The equipnt was fully installed, the autopsy room was ready for use, and even the large screens were all connected. Clearly, a group of youngsters, along with people from their local city bureau, had been working nonstop.
"Good job, you must be exhausted after working all night. Go get so rest. The oxygen levels here are lower than in Qindao due to the altitude. It’s easy to have health issues under such conditions."
Zou Jialong and the others shook their heads, smiling happily nonetheless.
"Not tired. We finished by three in the morning and slept for a while in the rest area, so no problems at all. The bosses went to the hospital to bring back two barrels; one was full of liquid with sothing inside, the other was light, with no clue what’s inside."
Mr. Zhao ca over and wrapped his arm around Zou Jialong’s neck, baring his white teeth as he spoke:
"Don’t worry, we’ll reveal the secret soon. I’m curious to see how well the barrels kept their temperature. Are the blankets they were wrapped in still there?"
Zou Jialong blinked a few tis, his face turning a shade paler as he realized sothing.
"Hold on, I knew this sll seed familiar. Could that be Lu Feier Solution inside, and the mummies soaking in it?"
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"Right you are. But forget about those. We only soaked the mummy with the shattered shell for twenty-four hours. Co on, it’s not like you haven’t seen this before. Don’t act so shocked. I’m telling you, if anyone can’t handle it, step out early so as not to disgrace Qindao. Rember, we represent Hua Country’s cutting-edge technology here, and Qindao’s sincerity."
Zou Jialong shook his head, and the others shook theirs as well.
"We’re fine, we can continue without any problems."
Zhou Ning waved his hand.
"Okay, break into two teams, wet and dry, to start the preliminary work. One team will start by scanning the cocoon that was brought back, and after scanning, carefully cut open the shell without damaging the insides. Then, take samples from the shell, inner and outer walls, mummy surface, hair, stitching areas, the entire body, and the features."
"The second team, open the barrel to check the condition of the mummy’s restoration. If it’s reached 70% rehydration, then move on to the next step. Scan and photograph the skeleton to determine the bone age, and finally conduct an autopsy to investigate the cause of death and exact age. Team one will be led by Yang Xuetong, team two by Zhu Xingxing. Let’s get started."
Mr. Yang quickly called people over to retrieve the cocoon. Upon seeing the object, several reached out instinctively to touch it. It was round and sowhat rough to the touch, similar to sand.
After the scan was complete, Zhou Ning pulled Fang Dongsheng over for a look. Confronted with such high technology, Fang Dongsheng covered his mouth, afraid he might exclaim in shock, as a three-dinsional human skeleton appeared on the screen.
After reviewing the scan, Zhou Ning saw that Zhu Xingxing’s team had already taken out the rehydrated mummy. The water content had been approximately restored to 70%, and after scanning, Zhou Ning looked at the images on the two large screens, his brow furrowing.
Fang Dongsheng, distracted by his amazent, didn’t understand. He turned to see Zhou Ning’s expression and instinctively asked a question.
"What’s wrong, Director Zhou? Is there a problem?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It’s not a problem, it’s a discovery. These two mummies, one male and one female, based on my judgnt, the boy is about seven years old, and the girl roughly six years old."
Mr. Zhao ca over, glanced at the large screen, and slapped the wall as he said:
"Damn, aren’t those child sacrifices?"
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