Chapter 366: A Killing by Wild Wolves

Bincheng, a certain district.

The crime scene was in the area where a residential complex connected to the roadway, specifically an open-air parking lot. A sedan stood parked there.

Xiao Yu surveyed the bloodstains in and around the car.

“Two hours ago, the police received an emergency call, and officers were dispatched. After arriving, the initial determination was that a wild animal attacked a human. Some animal fur was left at the scene, preliminarily believed to be canine. The fur has been sent for testing. The deceased’s name is Cao Xude, forty-one, a local. We confirmed his ID from a card in his wallet.”

“…”

After hearing the on-scene officer’s report, Xiao Yu and Zhao Changshan exchanged a glance, both wearing peculiar expressions. From the traces, it did look like an animal attack. There were no suspicious footprints near the car, no signs of a struggle inside, no suspicious prints, nor any suspicious footprints. Only some beast’s claw marks.

This led to a fun question.

Bincheng was a coastal city, and this incident happened downtown, in an urban area. Where would a wild animal come from? 

Xiao Yu activated his Monarch Butterfly’s Nose skill and sniffed around inside the car, his expression turning odd. It was indeed canine, but different from an ordinary domestic dog’s scent. There was a faint, wild quality.

Everyone knew that canine animals carried a strong odor. Pet dogs got regular baths sometimes, but a wild animal was different. Some might go their entire lives without bathing, carrying a distinctive smell.

The scent Xiao Yu picked up was something halfway between a wild beast and a pet dog. Which was very strange indeed.

Before Xiao Yu and Zhao Changshan had arrived, the deceased’s body had been taken away for autopsy. 

Why was this case handed over to the Criminal Investigation Brigade? 

Same old story. 

There were no large carnivores in Bincheng. This was in the city, not the outskirts—wild beasts generally didn’t roam there. 

Did that make sense? 

If a person deliberately brought a wild beast into the city, which then killed someone, that was a major case.

Besides, too many suspicious points were making local residents panic, worrying about a wild animal on the loose and their safety. The case had to be solved quickly. 

Municipal Beaureu Chief Yun Xiangguo recalled the Criminal Investigation Brigade and called Zhao Changshan to check if Xiao Yu was around, then transferred the case to them.

On the way over, the chief had explained the situation to him, and Xiao Yu felt irritated.

‘They’re treating me like a tool again, right?’

As far as being a decent human goes, Xiao Yu believed he’d always abided by the principle of kindness, of winning people’s hearts through virtue. As a police officer, he held fast to integrity and the greater good of serving the nation and its people. 

He was a good guy. So why did they keep picking on him?

It was so vexing.

***

At the Forensic Department’s autopsy room.

The strong smell of disinfectant made Xiao Yu and Zhao Changshan frown. Spotting a familiar middle-aged female figure, Xiao Yu smiled.

“You’re here?” He Li, the forensic examiner, noticed the younger man but didn’t pause her work. “Wait a bit, let me finish up.”

In the chilly air, a faint metallic odor of blood lingered, emanating from the corpse on the table. Even for old hands like Xiao Yu and Zhao Changshan, who had years of investigative experience, seeing that body made them narrow their eyes. It was somewhat nauseating.

The corpse was naked, male—that wasn’t the key point. The key point was that the victim’s face had been completely torn apart—just a mass of bloody pulp. It resembled something fed through a meat grinder, a pile of crimson. A shattered eyeball attached by a string of flesh hung outside the socket.

Looking at the face gave an impression of those gory horror-movie elements. Naturally, that still wasn’t the main issue. The real issue was that this face had been gnawed on. The lower part of the face—around the throat—had likewise been ripped open. The throat bones were missing, leaving a gaping blackish-red hole, hideous and nauseating. It made one involuntarily recoil in horror.

He Li was using an oversized autopsy scalpel, fiddling with the tissues of the victim’s throat. She snipped a piece of ragged flesh with scissors, then carefully used forceps to pull it aside. A bit of blood oozed out.

‘Crap!’ The two men inwardly swore. That was so twisted.

“Boss, I can handle this alone,” Xiao Yu said, noting Zhao Changshan’s pallor with a laugh.

“Mm.”

Zhao Changshan had no objections, leaving the autopsy room. Ever since this younger comrade joined the unit, the boss had been taking life pretty easy, seldom showing up in person.

Xiao Yu calmly watched He Li perform the autopsy, somewhat curious why she’d chosen this line of work. Even seasoned cops like them got goosebumps dealing with corpses, let alone a woman. Just imagining it was unsettling. Her husband must have a huge psychological shadow, right?

For an entire hour, He Li didn’t speak, she simply focused on dissecting the wounds with various tools while Xiao Yu silently observed that spine-chilling corpse.

“It’s confirmed that the attacker was canine. The subcutaneous fat shows signs of tearing by canine teeth, and the victim’s serotonin levels spiked at the time of death.”

Setting down her tools, He Li removed her gloves and mask.

“Mm.” Xiao Yu nodded, waiting to hear more.

“Thus, it’s certain,” He Li continued, furrowing her brow, “the victim was alive when bitten. Its teeth completely tore away the facial skin before finally ripping open his throat. But…”

“But what?” Xiao Yu glanced at the victim’s neck.

“From the samples we tested at the wound, we detected traces of ground-meat bacteria, and the saliva’s viscosity is higher than typical canines.” He Li’s expression was perplexed. “Normally, that wouldn’t be found in a domesticated dog.”

“You mean a wild one?” Xiao Yu’s lips twitched, his face growing oddly grim. “In a city, how could there be a wild animal?”

“How should I know?” He Li chuckled. “It’s very wolf-like. A wolf’s snout is longer and pointier than a dog’s, with a wider mouth and bigger teeth. Of course, it could be a Czech Wolfdog, but the bacterial and viscosity levels in the saliva don’t match.”

“You can’t tell for sure?” Xiao Yu asked curiously.

“Younger brother, I’m a forensic examiner, not an animal expert.” He Li rolled her eyes. “I’m good at autopsies, but analyzing whether an animal is wild or domestic is beyond my scope.”

Xiao Yu grinned and nodded. Indeed, it was asking too much to have a coroner figure out if the animal was wild or captive.

Another half hour later, the test results came back for the fur left at the scene. It was a wolf—prairie wolf—wild.

In Xiao Yu’s mind, a huge “Holy crap!” flashed by.