Chapter Seventy: Catching Ants!

The murdered criminal investigation expert was about forty years old, his eyes wide open and fists tightly clenched, clearly unable to rest in peace. Even in death, a faint aura lingered about him—an aura I knew all too well, one cultivated only after examining countless corpses, the aura of a surgeon’s hand and a monk’s heart.

Old Lin spoke, “Jingjing, list all the scents you’ve detected from the body. I must curb that old man’s arrogance.”

Tang Jingjing looked troubled. “Old Lin, I don’t know the members here yet, even if I recognize the scents, I can’t tell whose they are…”

Old Lin waved his hand. “That doesn’t matter. Just determine how many people have handled the body.”

Tang Jingjing forced a bitter smile. “Why are you in such a hurry, Old Lin?”

The ever-stoic Old Lin now resembled a mischievous child, making everyone both amused and exasperated.

With a pained expression, Old Lin said, “I have no choice. I can’t let that old ghost win. Imagine, in front of so many people, I’d have to call him ‘Master’? I’d rather die. He was once my defeated subordinate, after all.”

Tang Jingjing, resigned, circled the corpse twice, then gave a vague answer, “Between twenty-four and twenty-eight people.”

Old Lin smiled in satisfaction.

I donned gloves and began a routine examination of the body, first confirming the cause of death: hanging and suffocation.

As for external injuries, aside from the deep ligature mark on the neck, there were no other anomalies.

Old Lin reminded me, “Go ahead with the autopsy. I’ve already obtained the permit.”

Distracted, I fiddled with the scalpel, gazing at the body, uncertain where to begin.

Old Lin hurried over. “Xiao Yang, what’s wrong? Why are you hesitating?”

“Old Lin, I’m thinking about something,” I replied. “Why would a perfectly normal person suddenly hang himself?”

Old Lin explained, “Two possibilities. One, overwhelming guilt and psychological torment, unbearable stress leading to suicide. The other, hallucinations or coercion by others—forced into suicide.”

I asked, “Which do you think it is?”

Old Lin hesitated. “I can’t say for sure. But a righteous criminal investigation expert shouldn’t have much psychological stress—perhaps he was coerced.”

“In that case, there’s no need for an autopsy,” I said. “If he was forced, then suffocation is the cause of death.”

Old Lin looked at me, helpless. “The permit is already approved. If you don’t perform the autopsy, it won’t make sense.”

---

I smiled. “Old Lin, have you forgotten whose son I am? I can make the corpse speak.”

Old Lin was taken aback. “You can make him talk?”

I nodded. “Could you find me some adult ants?”

“Ants? What for?” Old Lin asked, puzzled.

“To make the corpse speak,” I answered mysteriously. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Old Lin, mildly exasperated, glanced at me, then turned to Tang Jingjing. “Jingjing, I’ll leave this task to you.”

Tang Jingjing glared at me. “Xiao Yang, are you serious? Don’t show off for the sake of it—I don’t have time for your games.”

I explained, “An old family record noted: insects and ants can survive in the body for ten days without stiffening. If ants enter, they cleanse the intestines and kill parasites. Then, when the body is inverted, the ants drag the parasites out.”

Tang Jingjing, impatient, demanded, “Enough with the fancy words. What does it mean?”

“Insects like ants can live inside a human body for ten days, unaffected by body fluids. They kill internal parasites and other organisms. Inverting the body makes the ants drag out the remains.”

Old Lin grew excited, “How did our ancestors discover this? It’s invaluable.”

I smiled, and Tang Jingjing, convinced, hurried out with Li Xingchen to collect ants.

I told Old Lin, “That kid’s analysis makes sense. Hollow bodies may have had their organs devoured by some kind of insect, which later escaped, so we can’t find it now…”

Old Lin rubbed his head. “But this corpse died by hanging. We won’t find any bugs!”

I said, “Old Lin, it seems Old Huo really is your rival, or you wouldn’t be so flustered.”

Old Lin patted his head. “Sigh, when ambition takes hold, calmness is hard to maintain. That old man is my nemesis. It’s laughable—I advised you not to act rashly, yet here I am.”

I laughed, “Old Lin, you’re not too bad. If it were me, I’d have gone straight for Old Huo’s beard.”

Old Lin joined in the laughter.

“I feel the hanging was just to conceal the true cause of death.”

Old Lin looked at me thoughtfully. “Xiao Yang, do you mean his real cause of death is the same as the hollow bodies?”

I nodded.

---

Old Lin drew a sharp breath. “If we do nothing, will the body slowly become hollow? But it’s been days—nothing has happened.”

I replied, “Perhaps because the body’s in cold storage. The harsh conditions prevent insects from reproducing or digesting the organs.”

Old Lin nodded. “Your analysis makes sense.”

I said, “Soon, I’ll use aged liquor heated above sixty degrees to bathe the body, raising its temperature and activating the insects. Otherwise, even if ants enter, they’ll freeze to death.”

Old Lin agreed.

I asked Old Lin to watch, while Li Hong and I gently bathed the corpse with warm liquor. Gradually, the body gained warmth. To maintain it, I brought in several hot-air fans to blow over the corpse.

Old Lin worried this would complicate future preservation. I said it was better than letting insects slowly consume the organs.

Li Hong asked why not just dissect the body and remove the insects. I explained, “Simple—the insects are tiny, and the body’s internal structure is complex. Finding one is like searching for a needle in the sea.”

Li Hong nodded.

Soon, Tang Jingjing and Li Xingchen returned. Seeing Li Xingchen’s swollen face from ant bites, I asked what kind of ants he had collected.

Li Xingchen tossed me the jar, “See for yourself.”

I looked and said, half amused, “You could’ve caught regular household ants. Why bring big black ants? Who else would they bite?”

Li Xingchen jumped with anger. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I think you did this on purpose.”

I said, “No worries—big black ants work even better.”

I drew a chalk circle around the corpse to keep the ants from wandering. Picking the largest ones, I used clamps to open the corpse’s mouth, turned it sideways, and let the ants crawl inside.

Ants naturally seek out darkness, mistaking it for their nest. I blocked the light, and soon all the ants disappeared into the body.

Tang Jingjing worried, “Are these ants really going to work?”

I assured her, “Wait ten minutes, and we’ll see results.”

Just as I finished, Old Huo from the neighboring autopsy room dropped by, finding the corpse intact on the table. His love for sarcasm flared up. “Heh, you still haven’t started? Don’t know how to proceed? Want me to give you some pointers?”