Chapter 11: The Finger in the Stomach

Chapter 11: The Finger in the Stomach

The pig, once lively and kicking, now lay sprawled on the chopping board, its body drenched in blood.

But merely bleeding it out wasn't enough; they needed to slice open its belly to retrieve the finger that it had swallowed without digestion.

After the pig grew still, Jiang Yunxin reached for her personal anatomy knife.

Butchers naturally had their own tools for slaughtering, gutting, and slicing meat, but she was not accustomed to using them. Her preferred instrument remained the one in her hand, which, though not identical to those of later times, served its purpose well enough.

Amidst the stunned gazes of the onlookers, Jiang Yunxin swiftly cut open the pig's abdomen.

This was actually her first time slaughtering a pig. In the past, she had dissected many animals, mostly rodents and rabbits, but never before a pig.

Nonetheless, it mattered little. All were the same to her once the knife was in hand.

With her anatomy knife in her grip, Jiang Yunxin became an icy, invincible force.

After she made two cuts, Tu Zhengde felt something was amiss and stepped forward. "Miss, this isn't how you slaughter a pig. Perhaps I should take over?"

Jiang Yunxin replied simply, "There's no need."

The pig's organs sprawled across the table.

She accurately picked out the stomach and sliced it open.

In an instant, the smell was indescribable. A few neighbors, who were accustomed to assisting Tu Zhengde in butchering pigs and thus had some tolerance, rushed to the side to vomit.

Jiang Yunxin felt slightly nauseated as well. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a mask and put it on.

The owner of this body, despite lacking expertise, still possessed basic knowledge. True to their major in the academy, though it seemed they had studied reluctantly out of necessity, enduring a daily ordeal.

After donning the mask, Jiang Yunxin took the entire pig's stomach and moved it aside.

Inside, a mixture of partially digested and undigested remnants lay.

Jiang Yunxin said, "Fetch some water, please."

Tu Zhengde stood by, not moving, lost in his thoughts.

Assisting neighbors, including the seasoned Old Zhou who had spent a lifetime at the mortuary, were so nauseated that they could barely stand.

In the end, Fang Mingyan glanced at Long Qiao, who had no choice but to step in. Actually, he wasn't unwilling to help; it was mainly because he was struggling to suppress his disgust.

This girl was too fierce.

Jiang Yunxin emptied out everything from the pig's stomach and then rinsed it with water.

Soon, she found the finger that had been swallowed.

Although it had been chewed, the time was brief, and it hadn't yet been digested or corrupted.

Jiang Yunxin used a scalpel to lift the finger.

"This one... It's the finger that was swallowed just now. I've checked everywhere else; there's only this finger in the pig's stomach."

After great effort, the few neighbors who had managed to pull themselves up and force their way over despite their nausea turned back and vomited again at the sight of the finger.

They'd each need at least twenty pounds of meat today to soothe their fragile hearts.

Fang Mingyan's stomach was churning as well. Standing at a moderate distance, he had maintained a stoic expression throughout the grim scene of Jiang Yunxin butchering the pig and gutting it. He stood immobile, with a serious and earnest demeanor.

But now that Jiang Yunxin had called out, it would be inappropriate for him to remain stationary.

As the young head of the Criminal Justice Department, Fang Mingyan naturally possessed a decisive and ruthless side, necessary to maintain authority. However, in front of his own people, he remained approachable and didn't adopt an aloof attitude.

He genuinely admired Jiang Yunxin's capabilities and, wanting to recruit her, he revealed his most amiable side.

Thus, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"Look at this broken finger," Jiang Yunxin said. "This is a post-mortem injury. This finger wasn't just cut by Tu Zhengde; it matches the stolen finger from the mortuary."

Upon finishing her statement, Tu Zhengde suddenly turned and dashed towards the room, essentially confessing his guilt by fleeing.

Jiang Yunxin couldn't stop Tu Zhengde, but with Long Qiao and Xue Dongyang present, Fang Mingyan didn't need to intervene personally.

In a flash, the two figures appeared by Tu Zhengde's side. Each grabbed him, pinning him down with a thud on the ground.

Tu Zhengde was forced to kneel on the ground, and even Jiang Yunxin winced at the sound of it.

Fang Mingyan strolled over. "Speak, why did you steal corpses from the charity mortuary?"

A few neighbors had just finished vomiting and were now too scared and weak to put on a frightening act.

Only Old Zhou was somewhat better off.

But he was utterly astonished, staring wide-eyed at Tu Zhengde. "Boss Tu, how could you… How could you do something like this?"

Then, Old Zhou seemed to recall something, his expression changing as he turned to vomit again.

However, there was nothing left to expel but a bit of sour bile.

Seeing Old Zhou's reaction, the other neighbors were on the verge of collapsing. They, too, began to entertain terrible thoughts.

If Tu Zhengde had stolen corpses from the mortuary, surely he wasn't eating them himself. With how effortlessly he'd tossed that finger to the pigs, could it be that his pigs were regularly fed human flesh?

Could he… Could he possibly be mixing the meat of the dead into the pork he sold to everyone?

Though the more he thought about it, the more twisted it seemed, if someone was capable of sneaking into a mortuary to steal body parts, there was nothing they wouldn't do.

Jiang Yunxin looked at them with sympathy, thinking that they might lose their appetite for meat, perhaps even food in general, for quite some time.

Surprisingly, Tu Zhengde didn't feel any remorse at all. He stared back at Fang Mingyan with an unyielding gaze.

"You're quite resourceful to have found me," Tu Zhengde admitted. "I have nothing else to say; yes, I did steal those."

Fang Mingyan asked, "What on earth would you do with such things?"

He really couldn't figure it out. Stealing gold and silver jewelry had its uses, and one could sell whole corpses, but what good were these body parts? Though Fang Mingyan maintained a stern expression, his curiosity knew no bounds.

"Just looking for a thrill," Tu Zhengde chuckled maniacally. "After slaughtering so many pigs, I wanted to do something others dare not."

Fang Mingyan had no desire to engage in further conversation with someone like Tu Zhengde. He'd handled many cases before and was no stranger to madmen.

There was no point prolonging their stay in such an environment. It was best to leave promptly and resume the interrogation at the Criminal Justice Bureau.

Thus, Fang Mingyan said, "Take him away."

Long Qiao lifted Tu Zhengde up.

Though Tu Zhengde hadn't committed murder, desecrating a corpse was still a grave offense.

In the Jinming Empire, disrespecting the deceased was almost as heinous as taking a life. Not only had Tu Zhengde desecrated the corpse, but his actions were severe. Even if he managed to escape death, he would likely be exiled three thousand miles away, a fate not much different from death.

Tu Zhengde didn't resist. Instead, he suddenly spoke, "Your Excellency, I have a request to make."

Fang Mingyan could roughly guess what it was, so he replied, "Go on."

Tu Zhengde said, "I've committed a crime and have no excuse. But can I speak with my mother for a moment? She's not very mobile, and once I leave, we might never see each other again."

Given the state of Tu Zhengde's mother, there was no way she could survive on her own.

Fang Mingyan paused slightly before nodding. "Go ahead."