Stitched Corpse

Miao Mu had just arrived at the sewage treatment plant when Bastian leaped out of his pocket, landed on the ground, and ran toward the sewers.

Miao Mu followed behind, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings. There had seemed to be fewer homeless people before, but now there were several new faces.

Seeing the black police uniform on Miao Mu, the homeless people shrank fearfully into the shadows beneath the metal framework.

"You're back."

Otis, sitting in the sewer, watched Bastian run over and smiled as he stroked its fur.

"Did you find a body?" Miao Mu asked as he approached.

When he saw Miao Mu, Otis hurriedly rose to his feet and pointed deeper into the sewer. "I found it caught on a filter screen in the second-level sewer. It took some effort to get it up here."

Seeing Otis's somewhat haggard expression, Miao Mu patted him on the shoulder and nodded. "You've worked hard."

"It's nothing. Oh, right, here's your gun. I ran into something that moved really fast on the way and used a few rounds."

Otis quickly handed the Glock 17 to Miao Mu, but Miao Mu waved it away.

"No need. Keep it for protection. By the way, what was the thing you ran into?" Miao Mu asked curiously, glancing at Otis's shoulder, which was still wrapped in bandages.

"I don't know. It definitely wasn't a rat. It moved really fast, like a ball, and it slashed me."

Recalling the thing he had encountered in the sewers, Otis shook his head and put the Glock pistol away.

"Right, I went to the precinct but couldn't find you, so I had Bastian look for you. Did something happen?"

"Ha, nothing much. I just got screwed over for a bit. I'll get them back later. I'm not that broad-minded."

Miao Mu replied with a smile but offered no explanation. He headed deeper into the sewer, with Otis following behind.

A peculiar stench drifted through the sewer. It was not the smell of sewage, but the odor of decay.

Before long, Miao Mu saw the body Otis had mentioned. A portable lamp hung beside it, and under its light, the corpse looked enormous, like a mountain of flesh.

One look made Miao Mu's stomach churn, but there was nothing in it for him to throw up.

The body had soaked in the water until it had turned pale and swollen, becoming a bloated corpse. It had slammed into the sewer's filter screen, and its waterlogged flesh had been squeezed into chunks by the mesh, like tofu.

On top of that, there was the pungent stench of rot.

Miao Mu covered his nose and mouth with one hand, frowning as he examined the assembled corpse. Yes—assembled.

The corpse had four arms and three legs. Several pieces of skin had been sewn onto its swollen, distorted face, as if several people's faces had been stitched onto one person's.

The seams across its body had sunk deeply into the swollen flesh, making it look like a patched-up cloth doll.

"Psycho..." Miao Mu muttered with a frown.

"I didn't find the killer. There are a lot of places in the sewers that even rats won't go, but he should be in Arkham District. I found some things. Look."

Otis walked to the wall, pulled a bag from the shadows, and placed it before the portable lamp. When he opened it, it revealed a pile of saws, drill bits, and metal wire for stitching.

Every single item was stained with dried blood.

Miao Mu looked over the items, bent down, and picked up a small stainless-steel hand saw. It was used for sawing bones.

After thinking for a moment, Miao Mu casually tossed the saw back into the bag.

"Call the police. Let them deal with the body."

"Huh?"

Otis looked at Miao Mu in surprise, as though asking why a police officer needed to call the police.

"I've been suspended. This is perfect—let someone else investigate it."

Miao Mu clapped his hands and looked toward the sewer entrance, toward the only patch of light in the pitch-black tunnel. He asked curiously, "I noticed there are quite a few more homeless people outside."

"That's true. I gave them some money before. Everyone became homeless because of something, and with money, many of them went home, but..."

Otis gave a bitter smile. "There are still many people with nowhere to go. They can only stay here."

Miao Mu nodded silently, then turned to Otis and asked, "What about you? Do you have any plans?"

Otis shook his head. After getting out of Blackgate Prison, he knew nothing about anything and had no goals or direction.

If he had not met Miao Mu, he probably would have broken down long ago.

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life. Instead of handing them money, why not lead them in making something of themselves, so they can survive here on their own abilities?"

Otis looked at Miao Mu, not quite understanding what he meant, but he trusted whatever Miao Mu said.

Miao Mu smiled. "Come on. Let's call the police first."

Click! Click!

Two police officers held cameras and took pictures of the stitched corpse. Arkham District's response time was fairly quick.

They arrived in less than ten minutes.

However, when Myers, the officer in charge of the response, saw who had reported it, his face stretched long and dark as a donkey's. Still, he did not insult Miao Mu and Otis again.

Rumors and bits of gossip about the Red Hood Heist in Costri District had spread through the police force, and Myers had gotten a general idea of what had happened.

A police cruiser from Arkham District, riddled with bullet holes, had also been pulled from Gotham River. Though some of the rumors were exaggerated, Myers no longer had the mood to curse at anyone.

As for two men chasing down the Red Hood Gang, stopping their bus, killing two of them, and capturing one alive...

Heh... That kind of joke was not funny at all.

"How was the body discovered?" Myers pinched his nose as he stood by the car, glancing from afar at the corpse.

The two officers taking pictures had already vomited themselves pale. From the looks of them, they would probably have nightmares tonight.

Miao Mu stood nearby with his arms folded and said casually, "A local homeless man called it in. It washed up from the sewers."

"..."

Myers frowned and gave Miao Mu a sidelong look. "Why are you here?"

"I've been suspended. I was talking with a friend here, and then we found it. What, do you suspect I did this?"

Miao Mu tilted his head as he asked.

"...No," Myers said darkly.

"How should the body be handled? Should we call a coroner to examine it?" Miao Mu continued.

Myers looked at Miao Mu as if he were an idiot. A coroner? Did Arkham Precinct even have such a thing?

And besides, was something like this even human?

After thinking it over, Myers pulled open the police car door and sat inside. He rolled down the window and beckoned to Miao Mu.

Miao Mu turned his head and looked around as though Myers had not been calling for him.

Myers's eye twitched. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Get over here! I'm talking to you!"

"Officer, what do you need from me? During my suspension, I'm merely an ordinary citizen."

Miao Mu walked over, teasing him with a faint smile.

Myers stared at him and pointed at the body dragged out of the sewer. "Your suspension is lifted now. Stay here and watch the body. I'll report to the chief. If everything checks out, a vehicle will come take the body away shortly."

"Sorry, I refuse."

The smile vanished from Miao Mu's face, replaced by a cold expression.

"Why?" Myers asked, confused.

"The person who made this corpse is in Arkham District. Maybe someone will come to silence us soon. Look at me. Look at them. We could end up like that."

As Miao Mu spoke, he pointed at himself and then at the two officers vomiting beside the pipes. His words sent a chill down Myers's back.

"Chopped-off hands, severed feet, then stitched together like a cloth doll. I don't want to face a lunatic like that. I could die!"

Miao Mu shouted dramatically, frightening Myers.

"What do you want?"