Chapter 1170: Seven Star Hanging Coffins
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Special Investigation Group booked a first-class business room on a high-speed train. All of the group members were in the room.
However, the members who were temporarily recruited for the treasure case were not included. Li Beini and Zhang Jingfeng had returned to the Qinshan Police Station. Any possible collaborations in the future depended on their own decisions.
Zhao Yu had promised them that if they wanted to work in his group, he would definitely welcome them.
As for Xu Hai and Liu Zhanbing, they were special investigators. After the treasure case was closed, they were assigned to work with other groups because of their excellent performance.
They had told Zhao Yu that as long as Zhao Yu needed their help in the future, they would spare no efforts in assisting him at any time.
Therefore, all of the people in the business room of the train were the people who had worked with Zhao Yu for a long time.
However, no one was in the right mood for enjoying the beautiful view along the way. Since they had gotten on the train, everyone was busy with the work related to the case and had not rested.
Wu Xiumin said, “Team leader, Gao Facai’s wife is having heart surgery. I’m afraid he can’t join us. Chen Zhuo said that Zhang Peipei would come with Gao’s team to help us, but they have to fly to the provincial capital of Fulai first so they will be a little late.”
“Poor Gao…” Zhao Yu sighed, then took out his phone and said, “He has helped us a lot. I will transfer 2000 yuan to him to say thanks. Um… Anyone with me?”
“Well…” No one answered Zhao Yu.
After a while, Miao Ying said, “Leader Zhao, we are a team. You can do that for us.”
“Yes, Leader Miao is right.” Everyone clapped at Miao Ying’s proposal.
“Well then, that’s 2000, and you will give me 400 yuan each later.” Zhao Yu completed the transfer with his phone.
Everyone was silent again.
“All right. Ignore him…” Miao Ying stood up and said to the others, “Let’s talk about our case. The corpses, did they identify them?”
“Not yet. The hanging coffins are a cultural relic, so the local forensic doctors dare not move the bodies.” Zeng Ke replied.
“Why?” Miao Ying asked.
“Although the bodies are well preserved in the hanging coffins, the forensic experts can’t work with them to tell the time of their death. This is because they were dead for a long time. Once the bodies leave the hanging coffins, they will decay rapidly, which will make the forensic dissection more difficult,” Zeng Ke said.
Zhao Yu put down his phone and asked, “Ah? Is it? The hanging coffins are on the cliff. How can the bodies be well preserved? Are the hanging coffins really able to prevent them from rotting, or are the bodies embalmed?”
“No way…” Cui Lizhu shook a little when she heard that. “Why did I suddenly think of Li Fei in the Headless Female Corpses Case?”
“This kind of case is really…” At that time, Zhao Yu stood up and went to the computer screen, looking at the picture of the hanging coffins. He frowned and said, “I’ve never heard of this. The bodies didn’t rot over such a long period, and they were all women. I just want to ask, are they modern people?”
Wu Xiumin immediately replied, saying, “Yes, they are definitely modern people. According to the staff of the local museum, in the 1980s, the seven hanging coffins were all opened for scientific investigation. They found that there was nothing in the hanging coffins. No bodies and no funerary objects.”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu frowned. “In that case, the bodies found now were put in after the 1980s? This is really strange.”
“Um… I…” Cui Lizhu suddenly thought of something and stammered. “Boss, this is not strange at all. You’ve worked on many cases relating to graves. Do you remember the dead, modern people in the ancient tombs of the Ming Dynasty? And you caught the murderer of the hand cutting case in a tomb. And the corpse in ancient clothes…”
Listening to Cui Lizhu, Zhao Yu suddenly felt a cold breeze sweep by, and he couldn’t help but think of the corpse in the ancient princess dress.
Miao Ying hit Zhao Yu with her elbow and said, “Leader Zhao, It seems that you are really satisfied with your previous work and like to share it with Cui Lizhu.”
“Well…” Zhao Yu’s forehead was sweating. He quickly clarified, “Meow, I just like to brag about my previous achievements a little sometimes. That’s my glorious past. When I work with Cui Lizhu, I tell her about it.”
Ran Tao scratched his head. “When we work together, how come you never tell me about your past? Boss?”
Zhao Yu gave Ran Tao a fierce look.
Noticing Zhao Yu’s look, Ran Tao hurriedly hid in a corner.
Wu Xiumin laughed at him and said, “You idiot.”
“All right. We’d better focus on the case now.” Zhao Yu quickly pointed to the screen and said, “This case is obviously different than the tomb of the Ming Dynasty. In that case, the victim was dressed in modern clothes and had obvious fatal wounds. That was a homicide case from the first glance.”
Zhao Yu pressed his finger on the screen and said seriously, “But these hanging coffins are different. Now that we confirmed that the dead are modern people, we need to determine the cause of death.”
“If they were put in the coffins after they died of natural causes, that wouldn’t be a case.” Miao Ying nodded meaningfully, saying, “But if they all were murdered, then the reason they were put in the coffins is crucial.”
Wu Xiumin nodded and said, “Yes, I think the possibility of murder is very high.”
“Why?” Ran Tao asked.
“Because the seven dead were young women. And they seemed like teenage girls when they were killed,” Wu Xiumin explained.
“But maybe this is a local funeral custom. For example, if a young girl dies, they think she should be buried in the hanging coffins,” Zeng Ke retorted.
“The Seven Star Hanging Coffins are a cultural relic. They dared not report it to the government. So, they buried the body in it secretly.” Zeng Ke pointed to the photo and said, “Look, these dead people are all wearing shrouds.”
Hearing Zeng Ke’s analysis, some nodded in agreement.
However, Cui Lizhu sighed with a solemn expression. “No matter how they died, I still think that it’s bizarre. Each of the seven hanging coffins has a dead girl in it. I feel sick thinking about it.”
