Unlike the first corpse, which had been bloated from soaking, the six bodies before him looked as though they had only just died and been dumped into the lake.
Moreover, judging from Qin Ran's experience, all six bodies had probably had their internal organs removed.
Although their ribs supported their chests, their abdomens were abnormally sunken.
Even so, the chest and abdominal muscles of one shirtless corpse remained strikingly pronounced, and its arms were thick and powerful.
Even lying there, the man still looked imposing and strong.
It wasn't just that corpse. The other five were much the same, their bodies showing clear signs of training.
Especially their hands!
There were calluses on their index fingers, thumbs, the webs between them, their palms, and the backs of their hands.
Calluses like those suggested not only prolonged firearm use and unarmed combat training, but also familiarity with edged weapons.
At the very least, they had been highly proficient with daggers and short blades.
The calluses between their thumbs and index fingers could not have grown that thick without ten years of practice.
Lowering the corpse's hand, Qin Ran pinched its mouth open.
A pitch-black oral cavity immediately came into view.
The teeth were gone.
So was the tongue.
The teeth had probably been knocked out one by one.
And the tongue?
It had been pulled straight out.
Along with a complete set of entrails.
Whoever had done it was undoubtedly skilled, subjecting these people to both agony and terror.
Qin Ran could easily imagine that, as their internal organs were "pulled" out, what these people endured went far beyond the fear of death.
There had also been a deeper despair.
That despair had permeated their entire beings.
Under such despair, no degree of contortion in their bodies would have been surprising.