Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 540 A small test of one’s skills
The body floated on the water with its back facing up, covered in green algae, making it impossible to discern its specific clothing. Its body was swollen like a large, obese person, presenting an overall gigantic appearance.

The most obvious thing was that the body was headless, so after receiving the report, Brother Huang from the police station contacted the criminal investigation department immediately.

Judging from its appearance, it has been rotten for a long time. Although it looks like a big fat man, this is because its body is filled with putrid gas, which causes it to swell. It may have originally been a small person.

“The deceased was male, and he has been dead for a long time, at least a week ago,” Julie said in a deep voice, her eyes narrowed as she stared intently at the corpse.

Since arriving at the crime scene, Chen Shu noticed a huge change in Julie's entire demeanor, completely different from the relaxed and carefree attitude she had when they had lunch together at the Western restaurant.

She rarely smiles and exudes a calmness, composure, and focus that are beyond her years.

Chen Shu took a few steps closer to the riverbank until the toes of his shoes were submerged in the water. He carefully examined the corpse and asked in confusion, "Judging from the clothing, it's impossible to tell the gender. There's not even a head. How did you know he was male? Did you determine the time of death based on the external decomposition?"

Julie grabbed Chen Shu, who was about to fall into the river, opened her suitcase, took out a pair of silicone gloves, and handed them to him.

"In a river, the human body can be divided into two parts, front and back. The heavier parts will sink, while the lighter parts will float on the surface. Men's center of gravity tends to be forward, so they will lie face down in the water, with their faces towards the river. Women, on the other hand, lie on their backs."

"Even without being tied with heavy objects, the body will still sink to the bottom of the water. However, as time goes by, a lot of gas will be produced inside the body due to decomposition, which will cause cavities and a large number of air bubbles to form inside the body, at which point it will gradually float to the surface."

"To determine the time of death, we mainly observe the body's feet. Since the gas inside the body is first produced in the abdomen and then extends to the lower limbs, the order in which a body floats to the surface is first the chest and abdomen, then the feet. You see, this body is floating on the surface, so we can determine its approximate time of death."

Chen Shu nodded and put on his silicone gloves: "Very professional. But when I was at the police station, we just pulled them out and then we could tell whether they were male or female at a glance."

"Let's not even talk about the fact that this body has no head. Even if they had left it with a complete corpse, it would still be a giant. And you think it would be easy to see at a glance? You're kidding." When facing Chen Shu, Julie always unconsciously joked and teased him without realizing it.

Chen Shu grinned: "Even without a head, it's still crystal clear!"

Julie blinked, a little dazed, as if savoring the moment. After a long while, she realized what was happening. Her face was already red to the roots of her ears. She bit her lip and buried her head, not daring to look at him.

Xiao Ming, who witnessed the whole scene, was genuinely puzzled: Is this really Zhu Wuchang from their criminal investigation department?
Under the sunlight, Chen Shu straightened his back, clapped his hands, and prepared to get to work: "By the way, does this count as disturbing the scene?"

Julie smiled slightly: "That doesn't count, just keep fishing."

"it is good."

Chen Shu took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to go into the river.

In cases of floating corpses, the first scene where the body is found is usually not the crime scene, so there is no need for a very detailed examination of the traces at the scene.

Wow.

A bout of retching came from the side, interrupting Chen Shu, who was preparing to go down into the river to retrieve the body.

Julie turned her head, reverting to her usual aloof demeanor: "How come you're still like this after appearing at so many crime scenes?"

Xiao Ming wiped his mouth, his face pale and his lips bloodless: "Director, only you two take this so lightly, I'm really not used to it."

Julie: "Hurry up and take pictures! Chen Shu is waiting to retrieve the body. This job was originally supposed to be yours!"

Chen Shu?

Could it be Chen Shu from the branch's special police unit?
These words were like a thunderclap in Xiaoming's ears, leaving him stunned and speechless.

Xiao Ming felt a surge of excitement about working with an important person.

Police officer Chen Shu was a well-known figure among the younger generation of police officers. When he was at the police station, he won first place in the branch's crime-fighting efforts every year, and he also won first place in the anti-fraud and recovery of stolen goods operations. Later, he solved several murder cases, giving a good slap in the face to the criminal investigation team who had misjudged the situation and launched a cross-province manhunt.

The most legendary event was the recent aid mission to Xinjiang, in which he carried the plaque of a first-class meritorious official intact (although the ministry has not yet approved it, gossips are already paying no attention).

Legends about this person have long since spread beyond Dongzhou City.

Looking at it this way, she does seem quite well-matched with our Director Zhu. Xiao Ming's eyes lit up instantly as he thought of many things: "Yes! Take a picture right away!"

Police officer Huang from the local police station took a riot control fork from the police car and, together with Chen Shu, retrieved the body and placed it on the rubble on the shore.

After cleaning the green algae attached to the corpse, the body, now resembling a giant, waxy black doll, was revealed.

When Chen Shu casually touched certain parts of the body with his finger, they felt like they were stuck in lard, sticky and occasionally making a hissing sound like a balloon deflating. Seeing this, Xiao Ming, standing nearby, couldn't help but vomit again.

Chen Shu looked up at the west and said in a deep voice, "The body is still wearing clothes, which means it must have entered the water east of Mayu."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming adjusted his thick glasses, which were thicker than the bottom of a wine bottle, and asked in confusion, "Chen Da, you know about this too?"

Julie looked over with the same puzzled expression.

Chen Shu chuckled: "I used to go fishing with the old police officers from the station, so I know a bit about this Yanzi River. You see, the body's clothes and pants are still on its body, which means the current wasn't very strong along the way."

“Starting west from Mayu, the current becomes quite rapid. Look, this body is headless, but the loosely draped underwear on the upper body is still there, which means that the current was very slow after the body entered the river. That’s why I was able to roughly determine the location.”

Xiao Ming interjected, "If the current is strong, it will wash away the corpse's clothes?"

"Yes, for example, the bodies we retrieved from the Oujiang River were almost always naked, and that's why."

Xiao Ming: "Oh."

Police officer Huang, who was standing nearby, listened intently and unconsciously joined the discussion: "We haven't received any missing persons reports in the past few days. Could this case be a suicide?"

Chen Shu shrugged: "We'll know once we take the body back and cut it open to see if there's any mud or sand in the lungs."

If there is mud or sand in the lungs, it means that the deceased was still breathing when the water entered the body; if there is no mud or sand in the lungs, it means that the deceased had already stopped breathing before falling into the water, which suggests the possibility of homicide.

This is common sense. Anyone who has served as a police officer for a few years, whether in a police station, traffic police team, or criminal investigation unit, will know these basic things.

Everyone nodded, waiting for the next 'but'.

“But,” Chen Shu squatted down, touched the deceased’s pants, and then reached inside the pants to feel around repeatedly, “this case is most likely a murder case.”

"what!"

Xiao Ming opened his mouth in surprise, pointed at the corpse, and asked, "Chen Da, you figured that out? Why? Are you sure?"

One exclamation, plus three questions, perfectly expressed Xiaoming's shock.

As a trace evidence examiner in the criminal investigation department, Xiaoming has been to many murder scenes or accident scenes and has seen a fair share of the world.

Furthermore, they work in the same building as the detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division every day, and they often chat and joke around. Even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen pigs run?

Xiao Ming's sudden movement also piqued the curiosity of Julie and Brother Huang.

Three pairs of eyes were fixed on Chen Shu's hands, waiting for him to slowly explore the corpse.

Chen Shu pulled down the corpse's pants, revealing the long underwear underneath: "It's cold, so wearing long underwear is fine."

Then he pulled open the corpse's shirt: "But the upper body was only wearing a thin underwear, not to mention an overcoat, there wasn't even a sweater."

Xiao Ming hesitated and asked, "What if it gets washed away by the river?"

Chen Shu: "There is a certain possibility. But look, even this loose-fitting underwear wasn't washed away. Do you think a tight-fitting wool sweater or a zipped-up down jacket would be washed away?"

Xiao Ming seemed to realize something and exclaimed in a flash, "Could it be that someone deliberately took off the deceased's coat before the body fell into the water? Hey, Brother Huang, why did you pat my head!"

Officer Huang, who was on duty at the police station, withdrew his hand and joked, "Xiao Ming, who is it, you from the Criminal Investigation Department or Chen Da? Don't ask anymore, save yourself some face."

"Brother Huang! Even if you're my cousin, you can't pat me on the head! You'll make me stupid!"

"With your IQ, you can't stay stupid any longer!"

The two bickered as they began to put the body into a body bag.

(End of this chapter)