Chapter 53: These Damned Beasts

When the forensic expert arrived and confirmed the meat residue inside the iron coffin was indeed pork, the Criminal Investigation Division immediately took comprehensive control of the crematorium. Internal staff, including the crematorium’s top management, were placed under surveillance. Officers were dispatched to bring back any employees not present.

Those who dared to resist or flee were to be arrested without exception.

The forceful measures undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Division sent shockwaves through the Bincheng police force.

Then, another bombshell dropped, leaving the higher-ups aghast.

The Criminal Investigation Division unlocked the armory. Barring those without firearm permits, all members were armed for the operation.

This prompted a flurry of concerned calls from the upper echelons reaching out to the Criminal Investigation Division’s advisory officer for explanations.

Though the captain was an academic at heart, he was no less formidable. Zhao Changshan was known for shouldering burdens and was also known for his fearlessness.

His response to inquiries, regardless of the rank of the leader asking, was consistent, “The operation is confidential.”

Impressive, wasn’t it?

The captain’s bold stance was a gamble, betting on his ability to crack the case.

If they failed to resolve this case involving a state-owned enterprise, the entire Criminal Investigation Division would be finished.

At this point, what was there to fear?

Just charge ahead.

As the saying went, the nature of the leader was reflected in their troops.

Zhao Changshan’s recklessness led the entire Criminal Investigation Division to adopt a similar approach. It was a matter of life or death. 

Let’s face it head-on!

***

In the mortuary.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

Xiao Yu gazed calmly at the two employees, whose faces had turned pale.

The employees remained silent. Heads bowed, faces ashen, they refused to speak.

“This is the fourth time,” Xiao Yu stated, standing in front of a cremation furnace, his expression turning grave. “The first two times, it didn’t occur to me. The third time, it did, but I overlooked it. But this time…”

‘What is he talking about?’

Everyone around, including Zhao Changshan, was perplexed.

They couldn’t grasp Xiao Yu’s meaning.

However, upon hearing Xiao Yu’s words, the two employees’ complexions turned deathly white.

“If I’m not mistaken, this crematorium hasn’t been used for at least four years, right?” Xiao Yu rested his palm on the cremator’s handle, noting its polish, “However, based on the level of wear, it seems to be used more frequently than the nearby cremator that is in regular use. Why is that?”

Veteran detectives were exceptionally attuned to such inexplicable details.

Their minds were racing.

Not used for cremation, yet frequently operated? What have you been doing with the cremator?

Xiao Yu gradually opened the furnace door. Inside, it was as empty as he last saw it. It wasn’t clean, yet there were no traces of heavy use or overburning.

In the next moment, Xiao Yu leaned his entire upper body into the cremation furnace.

Everyone was baffled.

Little brother, are you invoking the devil? Don’t you know this is where bodies are transformed?

After four or five minutes, Xiao Yu withdrew, scanning the area with a furrowed brow. Then, his gaze fixed on a row of buttons on the wall.

He had found it.

These buttons were for operating the cremator.

They included functions for adding oil, igniting, controlling the fire, flipping bodies, and advancing the ashes.

A total of five buttons.

Xiao Yu’s gaze lingered on the ‘Flip Body’ button. While the other buttons bore a layer of dust, this one was polished, betraying the signs of frequent use.

What did this indicate?

Without hesitating, Xiao Yu pressed the button.

A mechanical humming noise emanated from inside the cremation furnace, drawing everyone’s attention. A hefty iron plate within began to slowly rotate.

Under normal conditions, this mechanism was meant to flip the body to ensure a more efficient cremation. However, what unfolded was anything but normal. The entire plate rotated 180 degrees, revealing its opposite side.

Was there an issue?

Yes, and it was glaring. Eyes widened in shock among the onlookers.

The moment the iron plate flipped, a vast, dark recess was revealed beneath it, its depth unfathomable.

Why was this problematic?

It was obvious. If during cremation the mechanism was activated, wouldn’t the body fall into that vast recess?

Wait a minute… fall in?

With no signs of heavy usage within the cremator, and considering a body could potentially drop through, could this still be called a cremation furnace?

Plop!

An employee collapsed on the floor, a puddle forming beneath him.

Was he scared to the point of wetting himself?

The detectives squinted their eyes. What kind of terror could make someone lose control like that?

“We must dig up what’s beneath this cremator, even if it means going three feet under,” Zhao Changshan declared icily.

“Yes!” came the unanimous response.

“There’s no need for such drastic measures,” Xiao Yu interjected with a frown. “If there’s something hidden beneath the cremator, it’s likely underground. Let’s look for any access to the subterranean level, like a drainage manhole, for instance.”

Their failure in previous searches wasn’t for lack of thoroughness.

But who would have imagined a crematorium employing such deceptive mechanisms?

An hour later, the secret passage leading beneath the crematorium was uncovered, not from within but from the outside, in the back of a garage storage room. There, they also found three large freezers.

As the team arrived and opened the freezers, they were met with the sight of three bodies.

Xiao Yu’s expression turned frosty, his gaze filled with killing intent.

These damned beasts!