The Incredible Murderer

Autopsy room.

Everything was ready on the forensic pathologist's side, awaiting the thawing of the bodies before the examination could begin.

Sun Zhenbang had also completed the disinfection procedures, donned sterile clothing and other equipment, and stood nearby to observe and record.

The body was pushed out on a stretcher. As the ice melted, its complete appearance was revealed to Sun Zhenbang.

The man's face was ashen, his body deathly pale, his eyes wide open, almost bulging, and his features were extremely contorted, as if he had seen something terrifying before he died.

"Deceased one, male, 38 years old. Preliminary cause of death: chest perforation, leading to organ failure and exsanguination. Weapon unknown."

The forensic pathologist paused slightly at this point, and Sun Zhenbang followed his gaze.

There was a large blood hole in the man's chest, about the thickness of a thumb, seemingly pierced by some sharp object. It was quite striking.

The flesh and blood inside were long gone, presumably having fallen into the snow. Aside from this, there were no other obvious wounds.

The wound was peculiar. It was difficult for a regular sharp object to create such a shape, and the cut surface was exceptionally neat and clean.

Sun Zhenbang observed carefully from the side, pondering in his mind, as if no weapon could match it.

This body was relatively intact. The other one, however, was quite gruesome.

There was a scar across the face that went all the way through, and the marks looked very fresh, likely inflicted not long ago. Furthermore, half of the inside of his head seemed to have been bashed in by something.

"Deceased two, male, 39 years old. Obvious wound on the face. Preliminary time of death estimated between 10-11 PM. Cause of death: severe head trauma. Weapon unknown."

Sun Zhenbang fell into thought. "The causes of death for both men are different, and the times they were killed are also different. For now, we can rule out mutual killing."

Moreover, they were killed in quick succession, meaning the killer picked them off one by one.

No sharp weapon was found at the scene. The only potential murder weapon was a machete, which had already been sent to the forensics department for fingerprint analysis.

However, the shape of the wounds on either body did not resemble what a machete could inflict. It was extremely strange.

There were no signs of animal bites on either of them, so it was highly possible that a third person was present at the scene, killing these two poachers, then releasing the wild animals, and leaving with the weapon.

Or perhaps that third person was also a poacher, intending to double-cross them, but that wouldn't necessitate murder.

It was also possible they were discovered and the killer was forced to act.

After much deliberation, Sun Zhenbang came up with several possibilities.

The forensic pathologists were still conducting detailed examinations. One of them seemed to have made a new discovery. He held a long, thin pair of tweezers and extracted a tiny fragment of a black-green scale from the blood hole, placing it aside.

Sun Zhenbang couldn't help but lean closer. "What is this?"

The forensic pathologist examined it closely and said uncertainly, "It appears to be a fragment of scales shed from some kind of snake, but it has scorch marks."

Later, another similar scale fragment was found on the head of the other male corpse.

Sun Zhenbang immediately had them sent for examination. Since he had other matters to attend to, he couldn't stay in the autopsy room indefinitely. Seeing that the dissection was nearing its end, he decided to leave.

He instructed the forensic pathologists to notify him immediately if any new results emerged.

By the afternoon, all examination results were out. The machete only had the fingerprints of the second deceased. At the same time, besides the footprints and fingerprints of the two deceased, there were no others at the scene.

This meant there was no third person present.

Then, the most peculiar finding was the presence of snake scale fragments at the fatal wounds of both poachers.

Additionally, a wooden board was found at the scene with a small hole roughly the same size as the wound on the chest of the deceased. According to the on-site police investigation, the shape and diameter of the two holes were identical.

The strange manner of death, the peculiar small holes, and the mysteriously appearing snake scales—everything about it was baffling.

It left everyone completely perplexed.

Sun Zhenbang held the report in his hands, lost in thought.

A goose leaves its mark, and water leaves its sound.

No matter how well something is done, there will always be some trace left behind. But from the scene, there were only the traces of these two poachers; there was no third person.

Then who killed them?

It couldn't be a ghost, could it?

Moreover, up to this point, besides a few fragments of snake scales, even the murder weapon had not been found. There were no clues whatsoever regarding the object or its shape.

Just as Sun Zhenbang was sinking into confusion, the forensic pathologists indicated they had made new progress.

The forensic pathologists wore grave expressions, their demeanors difficult to describe.

Sun Zhenbang immediately inquired, "What happened?"

The forensic pathologists exchanged glances, none of them speaking.

The atmosphere suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Finally, Forensic Pathologist Li stepped forward. "Officer Sun, I've dissected so many bodies, and this is the first time I've encountered something this strange. I'd like to ask you to come over to discuss it."

Forensic Pathologist Li was the most senior and respected here, having dissected hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies. For him to say something like this was enough to confirm that this matter was not simple.

"What exactly happened?"

Forensic Pathologist Li couldn't help but sigh. "I suspect the killer wasn't human."

Hearing this, Sun Zhenbang's mind was filled with question marks. "If it wasn't a person who killed them, was it a ghost? Forensic Doctor Li, you've studied, how can you be superstitious too—"

Forensic Doctor Li quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no, Officer Sun, you've misunderstood me. I mean, it's very possible that snakes killed them."

"They found snake venom in their bodies?"

Forensic Doctor Li shook his head.

This sounded even more unbelievable. Sun Zhenbang couldn't help but say, "If it wasn't snake venom, how could a snake kill someone? It couldn't have been crushed to death by a giant python, could it?"

Most people killed by giant pythons die of suffocation. Their bodies turn purplish-red due to poor blood circulation, but neither of these two victims died in such a manner.

Even if Sun Zhenbang wasn't a forensic doctor, he could tell.

Forensic Doctor Li knew the facts were hard to believe, but if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed such absurdity either. He took out a report and handed it to Sun Zhenbang.

"Officer Sun, this is the latest examination report. According to the comrades at the scene, there were no signs of a violent struggle, nor was a murder weapon found. However, the fatal wounds on both victims tested positive for snake DNA tissue and fragmented scales."

Forensic Doctor Li paused, as if the following words were difficult to utter. "So—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sun Zhenbang interrupted him. "So you suspect the killer was a snake?"

Forensic Doctor Li and the others fell silent, then nodded. "Based on the current situation, yes."

"Absurd! You must be joking."

Sun Zhenbang found this explanation even more unbelievable than a ghost committing murder.

If there had been any signs of a snakebite or snake venom on either of them, he wouldn't have reacted this way.

He had seen the fatal wounds on both bodies with his own eyes.

"One of them had their chest pierced through, and the other had their head smashed to a pulp."

"And you're telling me now that a snake killed both of them? Are you kidding me?"