Chapter 6 Cards that Predict Death
Han Yun picked up the coffee and took a sip. Perhaps it was because of Su Mo, who was sitting opposite him, that this originally leisurely morning became a little restless, so the coffee lost its original taste.
He still likes to be alone, find a seat by the window, look at the scenery outside the window, and drink a cup of espresso.
"Dong Xing did not die in the hospital, nor did he die in his own home. He died in a dilapidated residential building, and someone operated on him. There were almost no residents in that dilapidated residential building. Most of the residents had moved out, leaving an empty house waiting to be demolished. The person who reported the case, who lived downstairs, was a childless old widower whose wife had just passed away. He had originally planned to sell the house and live in a nursing home, but that day a family called in advance and said they wanted to see the house. The old man was planning to tidy up a little when he discovered the blood stains that had seeped down from upstairs." Su Mo saw that Han Yun was a little careless, but he didn't stop and continued to narrate: "Upstairs from the old man is the room where Dong Xing's body was found. There is an operating table, various scalpels and medical equipment in the living room. It looks like a small operating room. Later, the police investigated, and Dong Xing's wife admitted that her husband had been taking private jobs in recent years."
"Since you are a star doctor at the First People's Hospital of Beidu, you should not be short of money. Why do you still want to take private jobs?" It seemed that Su Mo was determined to continue the conversation. Han Yun knew that he could not avoid it, so he asked.
"It has nothing to do with money. The hospital has its own rules. There are fees for everything. There are many patients who can't afford treatment even if they sell everything they have, let alone the cost of surgery. Dong Xing's wife said that Dong Xing is targeting this group of people and performing surgery on them for free. This kind of surgery definitely can't be done in the hospital, so he usually makes an appointment with the patient to go to that shabby little building." Su Duan picked up the coffee, but didn't drink it. Instead, he looked at Han Yun and said, "These are all paid by Dong Xing out of his own pocket. Over time, the salary given by the hospital alone is not enough. So Dong Xing also began to take private jobs from rich people without telling the hospital. The cost of asking him to perform an operation is not cheap. He uses the money from private jobs to subsidize poor people to perform free surgery."
"What if something goes wrong if the surgery is performed privately without the supervision of the hospital?" Han Yun frowned slightly.
"Dong Xing would also ask the patients' families to sign in advance. The most important thing is that those people couldn't afford the surgery and could only choose to go home and wait to die. Now someone is willing to help. I'm afraid that even if the surgery goes wrong, the family members won't blame them." Su Mo sighed: "But I haven't seen the list of how many people Dong Xing has performed surgery on privately. The list is in the hands of the Serious Case Team."
"How much do you know about the second victim?" Han Yun leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands over his chest, and said, "Tell me."
"Two days ago, in the middle section of Tanggu Street, the person who reported the case was a sanitation worker. The body's limbs had been chopped off and placed in a suitcase." After Su Mo finished speaking, he picked up the backpack next to him, rummaged through it, and took out a photo and handed it to Han Yun.
Han Yun didn't pick up the photo, but just leaned forward to take a look. The photo showed a black suitcase, which was open and looked very messy. One could clearly make out a person's arms, legs, feet, head, and torso.
Ordinary people would probably vomit after looking at the photo, but Han Yun had a blank expression on his face. After staring at the photo for more than ten seconds, he looked away and said, "The deceased was about 1.75 meters tall. The murderer had some obsessive-compulsive disorder. His hands, feet, head, and body were neatly arranged in the suitcase. In addition, the body was not dismembered for disposal. Even if the body was not dismembered, it could be shrunk into such a large suitcase. Since the whole body could be stuffed in, why bother to cut off the hands and feet? Unless the murderer can find pleasure in this matter."
"Looking for pleasure?" Su Mo reached out and took the photo and looked at it.
"Yes. For example, when a person is still alive, the murderer cuts off his hands and feet and tortures him to death. This gives the murderer satisfaction." Han Yun took a sip of coffee and speculated, "If the two cases were really committed by the same person, then Dong Xing's disembowelment is likely the case as well."
"I'm not very familiar with the autopsy report provided by the police forensic doctor, but I have obtained the key evidence that defines the two cases as being committed by the same murderer." Su Mo put the photos away and took out his mobile phone to flip through it. He found a photo and held the phone in front of Han Yun.
The photo shows a white card that has been dyed red with a circle drawn .
"This was found in Dong Xing's body." Su Mo said, then took back his phone, turned to the next photo and held it up to Han Yun: "This was found in the mouth of the second deceased."
The second victim's mouth was found to contain a white card made of the same material, with '1' written on it.
"It's interesting." Han Yun took the phone from Su Mo and looked at the number on it carefully: "If the second death is one, then the first death is not a circle, but zero. Zero death means there is no death, but one person died. So I suspect that this card is not used by the murderer to remind the police the order of the deaths, maybe it has other meanings. Zero, a creature without an identity..."
"As far as I know, both victims received such cards before they died. Before I decided to make a scene at the press conference last night, the police had already identified the second victim. The second victim's surname was Bai Jing, he was unmarried, and his occupation was a real estate manager." Su Mo frowned slightly: "This is all I know so far. I believe your police side will have more detailed investigation records. This is why I want to draw your attention."
"Death notice, seems to be a popular online drama a while ago, the murderer is a copycat murder?" Han Yun handed the phone back to Su Mo, then picked up the coffee and drank it all in one gulp: "After all, don't you still want to know the details of the case through me? I'm afraid I can't help you with this. As a reporter for Beidu Legal News, you should know that you are not allowed to disclose any details of the case under investigation."
"I have at least some professional ethics." Su Mo took a deep breath and lowered his voice and said, "I want you to investigate this case in person."
"Although I have the title of 'Case Consultant' and can participate in any case under investigation at any time, why should I help you?" Han Yun stretched and checked the time on his mobile phone.
"You're right. I have no reason to ask you for help. I also know that you are only interested in cases that can attract you. As for who will die or how many people will die, I don't care." Su Mo stared at Han Yun and said.
Han Yun curled his lips and smiled, and said as he stood up: "What you just said was the character's personality that I played in the play, not me. Well, today's coffee time is over. By the way, I won't come to this store tomorrow."
"Wait." Su Mo stopped Han Yun, reached into his pocket, took out a white card with a number on it and put it on the table, then said in a low voice: "Is this reason okay?"
