Jiangzhou University Second Affiliated Hospital is a comprehensive tertiary hospital located in the city center. It is renowned for treating strokes, with elderly patients making up a large proportion of its patients. As a result, this hospital experiences more frequent medical disputes than other hospitals.
The person who called the police was a female family member named Feng Xiaonan. She was originally an elementary school teacher, and her husband was a business manager. They had a lovely child named Li Yang, and they used to be a happy family of three. However, a car accident destroyed their happiness.
Feng Xiaonan looked haggard, with sunken cheeks and dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes suggested she was financially well-off, but her hair was dirty, and she appeared disheveled.
"Officer, my son is dead. Someone killed him. The doctors said he could live for at least another six months. But last night, my son suddenly stopped breathing. The doctors said his condition deteriorated, but I don't believe it. Someone must have murdered him!" Feng Xiaonan cried.
Li Yang's attending physician, Doctor Zhang, clarified: "Officer, her son was in a vegetative state. Who would murder someone in a vegetative state? She insists her son was murdered. Given her son's condition, it was already a miracle he lived this long."
"Does being in a vegetative state mean he's not human? Does it mean he doesn't have the right to live? Although my son couldn't speak or move, he could hear me talking. He was still alive. Why did you take away his right to live?"
Doctor Zhang stepped back, frightened. He explained helplessly, "Ms. Feng, I've explained countless times that he passed away due to his deteriorating condition."
"That's just an excuse. You doctors and nurses are all in this together. You all killed my child."
Feng Xiaonan's husband, Li Ruiqing, held her back to prevent her from harming the doctor: "Officer, my wife might be having some mental issues. I'm sorry you had to come here for nothing. My wife probably reported a false alarm because she's not thinking straight after our child's death."
He turned to the doctor: "Doctor Zhang, I'm sorry. I'll take my wife home now."
After their son's accident, Feng Xiaonan blamed herself for not watching him carefully enough. She took care of him day and night, not wanting to miss any chance for his recovery. When he died, her mental state began to collapse.
Doctor Zhang said, "I can let this go this time, but please take your wife to see a psychiatrist soon. We can't have these disturbances every day."
"Li Ruiqing, your son is dead, and you're defending his murderers! Where is your conscience?" Feng Xiaonan tried to scratch Li Ruiqing but was restrained by Fang Rui and his colleagues.
Feng Xiaonan said, "Officer, the person who killed my son was Li Lingling, the nurse on duty in the Neurosurgery Ward of Building 7. She's the distant niece of the driver who caused the accident. That driver didn't want to keep paying for my son's treatment, so he instructed Li Lingling to kill my child. My poor baby..."
Li Ruiqing scolded her: "Xiaonan, don't make baseless accusations. She could sue us for defamation. Li Lingling wasn't even working last night. How could she have killed Yang?"
"Li Ruiqing, why are you protecting the murderer? She is the killer! Yang was killed by her!"
Fang Rui turned to Li Ruiqing and said, "Mr. Li, please explain the situation in detail."
"Two weeks ago, my son Yang was playing with his toys in front of our house when a car suddenly lost control and drove into our yard, hitting him. After emergency treatment, my son survived but became vegetative.
The doctors said that if we maintained his vital signs with equipment, our son could live for another six months, maybe longer if he was lucky. He was our only son, and even though he was in a vegetative state, we didn't give up on treatment and kept taking care of him. My wife took care of him day and night for over two weeks, but unexpectedly, at around eight o'clock the night before last, our son suddenly stopped breathing.
The doctors told us his condition had deteriorated. They explained the reasons, but it was all medical terminology that my wife couldn't understand, so she became convinced someone deliberately killed our son."
Mu Mian asked, "Where is your son's body?"
"The hospital has hidden it. They won't let me see my son," Feng Xiaonan shouted.
Li Ruiqing quickly explained, "No, the child's body is in the morgue. My wife is too emotional, and I was afraid seeing our child's body would traumatize her further. I was worried she might do something rash, so I've been preventing her from seeing him."
"Li Ruiqing, do you think I'm crazy? You're the crazy one! They killed my child, and no one will give me justice, yet you think I'm crazy. You don't love Yang. Do you have another child somewhere else?" Feng Xiaonan demanded.
Fang Rui first calmed Feng Xiaonan down, then said to her, "Ms. Feng, we will investigate the cause of your child's death. You need to stay calm and provide as much information as possible so we can help you uncover the truth."
Feng Xiaonan wiped her face, trying to maintain composure: "Yes, I can't let people think I'm crazy. If I'm crazy, no one will believe me or help me get justice." She looked at Fang Rui and his colleagues: "Officers, you must help me. You're my only hope."
"Will you go with my colleagues to give a statement?"
"Yes."
Fang Rui had two female officers take her back to give a statement.
After Feng Xiaonan left, Li Ruiqing said, "Officers, I'm sorry for troubling you. After that car accident, my wife's mental state became unstable, and she became paranoid. Our son probably died naturally. His head was severely injured in the crash, with brain matter exposed. He wasn't going to live long anyway. But my wife kept believing he could be cured and wouldn't give up on treatment."
Fang Rui said, "Mr. Li, you seem reluctant for us to investigate. Why?"
"Who would murder a vegetative patient? Especially a child?"
"Doesn't the driver who caused the accident have a motive?"
Li Ruiqing fell silent.
Fang Rui said, "Take us to see your child's body first."
"Alright."
The morgue was in the basement of Building 7 of the inpatient department, accessible only by service elevator. The lighting was dim, and there was a strange smell in the air.
It was divided into a freezer area and a temporary storage area for bodies. Li Ruiqing pointed to one of the transport beds and said, "The child is there." He seemed afraid to approach.
Mu Mian lifted the white sheet covering the bed, but there was only a teddy bear, no body. The bear had a wristband attached to its paw with Li Yang's name and hospital information.
Mu Mian asked, "Where's the body? Has someone stolen it?"
