In the autopsy room.
Forensic Doctor Qin had already placed the body on the autopsy table and was about to begin examining its external features when he felt a burning gaze upon him.
He turned his head to see Mu Mian looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
He suddenly paused and said to Mu Mian, "Little Mu, why don't you examine this body? Xiao Xue, you'll be her assistant and help her out."
Chen Xue, who was also interning there, had a slight change in expression but replied, "Alright."
Mu Mian first examined the external features of the body. The deceased had quite a few abrasions, which Mu Mian photographed and documented in order, measuring the length of each wound with a ruler.
At first, Forensic Doctor Qin was impressed by how meticulous and serious Mu Mian was despite her young age. However, when Mu Mian spent half an hour just examining the superficial external wounds, he began to think she was being overly thorough.
"Little Mu, the purpose of our autopsy is to determine the cause of death. There's no need to record those minor wounds in such detail."
"But every wound could be related to the cause of death," Mu Mian replied earnestly. "If we don't examine each one, we might overlook important details."
Forensic Doctor Qin found himself unable to argue with Mu Mian, especially when faced with her serious, intense gaze.
But how could that frostbite scar on the deceased's leg possibly be related to the cause of death? Was it really necessary to record its size so meticulously?
When it came time for the actual dissection, Mu Mian's speed increased. She skillfully opened the deceased's abdominal cavity, which had quite a few scratch marks inside, but it wasn't as bloody and mangled as the previous victim.
Mu Mian examined the deceased's internal organs and took samples.
Now all that remained was to wait for the toxicology report.
However, Mu Mian and Forensic Doctor Qin were already able to determine that this victim's cause of death was likely the same as the first victim's.
After finishing the autopsy on the second victim, Mu Mian asked, "Dr. Qin, can I also examine Cat No. 2?"
"Cat No. 2? Oh, you mean the cat found at the crime scene today. There's no need to waste time dissecting it, right? We already know the cat's cause of death was asphyxiation, probably due to its head being compressed during a difficult birth."
Mu Mian persisted, "I promise I'll finish quickly."
Forensic Doctor Qin thought it was a good thing that young people were willing to do extra work, so he said, "Alright then, carry on. I'll go write up the report first."
Seeing that Forensic Doctor Qin had left, Chen Xue tactfully asked Mu Mian if there was anything else she needed help with.
Mu Mian shook her head, so Chen Xue left as well.
Before leaving, she saw Mu Mian enthusiastically dissecting the small cat, her eyes full of light, a complete change from her usual lethargic state.
What a strange person, Chen Xue thought, shaking her head. Although Mu Mian's dissection skills were very proficient and her work meticulous, she was better suited for research than forensics. Mu Mian was too fixated on unnecessary details.
When Mu Mian finished the dissection, restored the cat's body, and stitched it back up, she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She glanced at the clock on the wall – it was already past 1 PM.
She hurried to the cafeteria to eat, but unsurprisingly, the cafeteria staff had already cleared away the food.
Mu Mian was at a loss. She was very hungry and needed to eat, but her social guidebook didn't tell her how to handle this situation.
"Dr. Mu, why are you still here after lunch?"
Mu Mian saw Zhang and Fang Rui approaching. Zhang greeted her.
Fang Rui glanced at her and then looked away in disgust. He just couldn't understand why Mu Mian was always spacing out.
Mu Mian didn't respond. Not having eaten on time made her anxious, and she didn't have the energy for social interaction at the moment.
Zhang walked up to the cafeteria window. Before he could speak, the auntie who was cleaning inside handed him several lunch boxes, a warm smile on her face.
"Xiao Zhang, it's a good thing you messaged me on WeChat to save some food for you. Otherwise, you would've missed out on today's braised pork."
"That's right, good thing I was quick-thinking. Otherwise, I'd be stuck with takeout for lunch today."
"That young lady over there doesn't seem to have eaten either. You and Captain Fang probably can't finish all this food. Why don't you share some with her?"
Zhang had a sudden realization and turned to Mu Mian, "Dr. Mu, so you haven't eaten yet? Come on, let's eat together. We can discuss the case while we're at it."
Mu Mian wanted to refuse because, apart from her family, she had never eaten with anyone else. But her growling stomach made the decision for her.
"Dr. Mu, you don't have any dietary restrictions, do you?"
Zhang opened the lunch boxes one by one, intending to share some of the delicious braised pork with Mu Mian as a friendly gesture towards his new colleague.
"I'm not picky about food," Mu Mian said. She pointed at the dishes in the lunch boxes, "I just don't eat this kind of sticky, fatty meat, or carrots cut into cubes, or cooked cucumbers."
Zhang's expression turned awkward. "Oh... well, then there's nothing here you can eat."
What a troublesome person! Fang Rui didn't bother to humor her. He scooped a bowl of white rice, poured some braised pork sauce over it, and handed it to Mu Mian. "Here, eat this!"
Mu Mian didn't say anything. She took the bowl and started eating silently.
Zhang was bewildered. So Mu Mian only likes to eat plain rice?
Halfway through the meal, Zhang couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Dr. Mu, did you find anything during the autopsy?"
Mu Mian put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "This killer is likely a doctor with clinical experience, or at least used to be one. And he really likes cats."
Zhang exclaimed, "How do you know he's a doctor?"
"How can you prove he likes cats?" Fang Rui had also suspected the killer might be a doctor. Although the killer's dissection skills were terrible, the fact that he could stuff a cat into the victim's uterus proved he had at least some medical knowledge. So he was more interested in Mu Mian's second conclusion.
"Do you want to know the answer?" Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui, excitement in her eyes. "If you agree to do one thing for me, I'll share it with you right now."
"I'm not going to donate my body to you!"
The light in Mu Mian's eyes instantly went out, and the rice in her bowl no longer seemed appetizing.
She took out her phone and showed Fang Rui some photos. "Is this enough proof?"
