Chapter 5: Today’s Task: Three Fingers

Chapter 5: Today's Task: Three Fingers

It appeared to be the thumb, but it was difficult to discern whether it belonged to the left or right hand at first glance.

Fang Mingyan squatted down and fished out a handkerchief from his bosom, carefully picking up the finger to place it separately on the cloth.

"You said this finger wasn't severed from a corpse? What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Yunxin explained, "This finger was cut from a living person, not a dead one."

Aside from this finger, there were other digits and an ear as well.

If all these were severed from living beings, then it was no longer grave robbing; it was murder!

Fang Mingyan grew more solemn. He placed everything on the handkerchief, and they all examined them together.

"Fingers aside," Fang Mingyan asked, "were the others also taken from living faces?"

Jiang Yunxin felt a bit nervous as she inspected each one. She then heaved a sigh of relief. "No, the others were cut post-mortem. Only this finger came from a living person. And judging from this finger, it likely belongs to a laborer, a man with thick fingers, rough skin, and calluses on the fingertips."

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

Fang Mingyan said, "Elaborate on how to distinguish them."

If it were an experienced coroner from the Criminal Justice Bureau, Fang Mingyan would have had enough trust to simply ask for the result. The reason he probed Jiang Yunxin in such detail was partly because he felt uneasy and partly because he wanted to test her capabilities.

Although Fang Mingyan had never imagined that the bureau would recruit a female coroner, his judgment always relied on one's abilities. If Jiang Yunxin truly possessed the skills, there was no reason to dismiss her.

Moreover, a female coroner had her own advantages.

In fact, a coroner's work wasn't limited to examining corpses; they could also inspect injuries on living individuals.

For a male coroner, there was the need to avoid suspicion when dealing with female patients. However, this rule was more relaxed for a female coroner.

For example, a male coroner couldn't examine a female patient's body, not even their limbs.

But for a female coroner, as long as she avoided specific areas—such as the chest and back—examining a male patient's limbs wouldn't be an issue.

Jiang Yunxin explained, "The key to distinguishing between ante-mortem and post-mortem injuries lies in determining if there were signs of life. By 'signs of life,' I mean... reactions that occur while alive. Under the same external stimulus, the reaction of a living person is entirely different from that of a deceased one."

Jiang Yunxin had been in this era for quite some time and well understood that when it came to her expertise, it wasn't about knowing or not knowing something; it was about presenting her knowledge in a natural way without using too many incomprehensible terms.

She had to explain unfamiliar concepts with language that everyone could grasp.

When she put it simply, the crowd nodded in understanding.

Jiang Yunxin continued, "If the muscle is severed while still alive, it contracts visibly, causing the wound edges to roll inward, making the opening more pronounced."

"For injuries inflicted shortly after death, the wound's skin may also be gaping, but due to less obvious contraction, the opening won't be as wide."

"For injuries incurred after a longer period of time post-death, especially after rigor mortis sets in, the wound gap will be very small, and there will be no sign of contraction along the edges."

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Yunxin spoke fluently and convincingly, as if she truly knew what she was talking about.

She added, "When injured while alive, the wound area will quickly show signs of redness, swelling, and the presence of fluid. The longer the interval between injury and death, the more pronounced these reactions will be. However, on a deceased body, such responses would not occur."

Compared to the others, this finger clearly displayed strong signs of vitality.

It was evident that it had been severed from a living person. Jiang Yunxin could almost envision the agony the victim must have endured, thrashing around in pain.

Jiang Yunxin, wearing her gloves, examined the severed finger with great scrutiny.

It was as if a flower would bloom from the wound.

Fang Mingyan inquired of Old Zhou, "Were you the only one at the mortuary today?"

Evidently, he was asking about living individuals, not the deceased.

"I was," replied Old Zhou. "Just me, no one else all day."

"Then did you hear any screams?"

"No, absolutely not," Old Zhou answered. But then he added after a moment's thought, "But the wind was particularly strong today. If someone were to scream from a distance, it might not have been audible. Chances are, I wouldn't have heard it."

Due to the fierce wind that night, the grass had been whipped into disarray, and no footprints could be found on the ground. After a meticulous search, no traces of blood were discovered.

Jiang Yunxin commented, "We can confirm that this finger was severed from a living person, but we can't pinpoint the exact time. It could have been anywhere between half an hour to an hour."

With the right equipment, the time frame could have been accurately determined. However, under the current circumstances, Jiang Yunxin relied solely on experience and thus didn't make any definitive statements.

If it turned out to be false, it would truly be bragging.

If Fang Mingyan was dissatisfied, he could send her back to the academy. If she were really sent home to be married, she'd have no choice but to either risk everything or flee for her life.

Fortunately, Fang Mingyan didn't inquire further.

He then asked Old Zhou about the living situation in the nearby villages.

If the theft wasn't an isolated incident, the culprit was most likely a resident of the vicinity, such as the Springwater Village nearby.

Jiang Yunxin, however, continued to examine the severed finger repeatedly.

Just as Fang Mingyan was about to lead Old Zhou towards Springwater Village, Jiang Yunxin spoke up, "Your Excellency, I have a hypothesis."

"Share it with me," Fang Mingyan said.

Jiang Yunxin placed the severed thumb alongside her own and compared their angles.

"This is a left thumb. Look at the angle of this wound; it's different from the others," Jiang Yunxin explained. "The other wounds were inflicted on the deceased while they were lying flat, with force applied from above, resulting in a consistent slanted angle. But this finger has a straight, even cut."

The angle of the wound not only depends on the attacker's position but also on the victim's. However, judging from the height of the corpse in the morgue, the murderer must have been significantly taller, surely not cutting off fingers while sitting on the ground. What sort of bizarre stance would that be, and how could they apply force effectively?

"Fang Mingyan, this one is different. The angle of this severed finger suggests that the murderer was almost at the same level as the victim's hand. That's why such a flat cut was possible."

Fang Mingyan's expression was inscrutable, but the others found the explanation peculiar.

To put it bluntly, the forensic examiners from the Criminal Bureau were renowned for their expertise – that wasn't in question. But Jiang Yunxin's explanation was unusually detailed, as if she were lecturing them.

Fang Mingyan asked, "So, your conclusion?"

Jiang Yunxin replied, "My conclusion is that I believe the thief himself cut off his own finger."

Everyone was stunned.

Xue Dongyang, known for his directness, spoke up swiftly, "Why would he cut off his own finger? Could it be that he has a daily quota, like he needs to sever three fingers, but today, he was caught after only two. So, he had to make up for it by cutting off one of his own?"

Everyone was astounded by Xue Dongyang's imaginative speculation. What an extraordinary hypothesis.