"These two bodies have just been moved to the autopsy table and will need so ti. Let give you so preliminary information about the first two."
Brennan imdiately got into the swing of things, her speaking speed increasing considerably.
"The male corpse matches the information you provided. It has been buried underground for at least 5 years and is almost completely skeletal. The hands and feet are missing. Biological samples have been sent to the lab for DNA comparison."
Hodgins, standing beside her, raised a finger, indicating he had sothing to say: "I examined the insect remains on the male corpse and compared them with soil composition. The characteristics of the fly larvae inside…"
"Uh, speak English. We just need to know the conclusion." Rossi, familiar with their style and knowing what followed was a long, drawn-out explanation, quickly interrupted.
Hodgins rolled his eyes, sowhat reluctantly saying, "Your guess is correct. This body was reburied no more than three days ago, but the exact ti needs further confirmation."
Rossi nodded, pointing to two completely skeletal corpses. "These two are known victims. We have ample ti to wait for DNA test results for comparison. The most important thing now is to identify these two more recent female corpses as soon as possible and find clues that can reveal the killer."
Brennan led everyone to the first corpse found at the first location. Jack endured the strong stench to look at it. The corpse had already undergone preliminary cleaning; clothing fragnts were collected and placed on a plate nearby.
"I've only done a preliminary examination and can't provide much information. This victim is no more than 30 years old and suffered imnse pain before death." Brennan said, pointing to the corpse's face.
"There are bruises around the face, consistent with death by asphyxiation, but no ligature marks. The laryngeal cartilage is intact, with no signs of fracture. There are signs of internal bleeding throughout the face, indicating that the deceased struggled for several hours before death."
Jack's forensic skills were only at a basic level, but he could still distinguish certain obvious features.
"Was she buried alive? I noticed that the body's fingernails were particularly badly damaged."
Brennan shook her head. "It's not necessarily burial alive. A relatively sealed container is enough to cause suffocation. I found fragnts of paint in her fingernails."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Before their eyes appeared a young woman screaming in agony in a sealed oil drum, struggling desperately, and ultimately dying helplessly from asphyxiation, while the killer listened attentively, enjoying the scene.
"The killer is a copycat, and also probably an admirer of Rosalind. They both relish the victim's painful struggle before death, gaining psychological pleasure from torturing the victim. The specific thods differ, but the purpose is the sa."
Jack didn't know how to do psychological profiling yet, but role-playing was relatively easy for him, and he quickly made so simple descriptions.
Nolan's expression was the most grim; he was a very empathetic person.
"Oh, by the way, there's a discovery here that you might be interested in."
Brennan took out a UV lamp and shone it on the skin of the corpse's chest.
Nolan leaned closer, struggling to make out the blurry markings.
"DOD8918? What does that an?"
"Day of Death, date of death, August 9th, 2018, which was six months ago," Rossi said grimly.
"Dr. Brennan, could you examine the fresher corpse from the second excavation site?" Jack suggested, a thought forming in his mind.
Brennan nodded, quickly walking to the corpse and using scissors to cut open the clothing to examine the skin. This corpse had passed the period of bloating, but from its appearance, one could still vaguely discern that the deceased was also a relatively young woman.
"In the abdon, DOD11918."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, a sense of foreboding rising within them.
"The first and second bodies were found three months apart, aning, following this pattern," Nolan stated, voicing their suspicions.
"There will be another victim tomorrow, and then Rosalind will tell us the third burial site. That's her plan."
Rossi's face was deathly pale.
"Is she trying to use this to make a deal? She's essentially holding a hostage now," Nolan questioned.
Jack shook his head. "She won't tell. She's just waiting quietly, enjoying it all, savoring our anxiety and helplessness, using those emotions as nourishnt for the demon within her."
Nolan looked blankly at Rossi, and when he nodded, his face turned ashen.
Only Rossi remained calm and continued to ask Brennan, "Dr. Brennan, do you have a way to find the cri scene? For example, through trace evidence comparison?"
Brennan shook her head. "We need ti. We can't confirm the identities of either victim yet. I can't even extract fingerprints. Analysis of the finger skin will take at least two hours, and DNA testing will take even longer."
"Uh…" Jack awkwardly touched his nose, but now was a ti to race against ti, not to hide anything.
He pointed to the chest of the corpse in front of him. "The deceased likely had breast augntation surgery. If we remove the implants, the codes on them might help identify the victim quickly."
Despite the tense atmosphere, Jack still felt that everyone's gazes towards him were a little strange.
"Aha, found you!" Hodgins, who was using a microscope, shouted excitedly, drawing everyone's attention.
"What did you find?" Nolan asked impatiently.
"A fungus. I found spores of this fungus on the first victim's clothes and under her fingernails. It's a type of fungus unique to certain environnts. Now, this fungus has been found on the second victim's clothes as well."
"What does that an? Both victims were exposed to the sa environnt?" Nolan asked, puzzled.
"Botanical gardens or zoos that have certain animals, Los Angeles should have so, right?" Hodgins looked up and asked.
"Are you saying the killer held the victims in a busy botanical garden or zoo, then locked them in a tal barrel to watch their desperate screams before they died?" Just as Nolan dismissed this possibility, Jack felt a sense of déjà vu about the scene before him, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
"Not a botanical garden, but a zoo. An old zoo."
"There's an old zoo in Los Angeles that was closed in the 1960s and has been abandoned ever since, isolated from the world."
He rembered that there was such a scene in the original plot. Nolan found and rescued a victim there, got beaten up, and let the killer escape.
Sure enough, Nolan slapped his forehead. "You know that old zoo? I went there when I first arrived in LA and was exploring. It's very close to Griffith Park."
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