Chapter 134

“There's a corpse inside. Be careful when digging,” Mu Mian pointed to the nail exposed in the concrete block and began directing them to excavate the body. “Officer Zhang, don’t dig here, dig over there. First, don’t worry about the concrete on the surface of the body. We’ll move the concrete-encased body back to the lab, and I’ll clean off the surface concrete there.”

Zhang and the others followed Mu Mian’s instructions and unearthed an irregularly shaped concrete block.

Mu Mian carefully used a shovel to chip away at the concrete covering the dead person’s arm. She found that the skin was dark brown, dried out, and had turned leathery. There were also white substances on the concrete.

“It’s impossible to determine the time of death right now,” Mu Mian said, “but based on my experience, this body has been buried here for no less than ten years, most likely even longer.”

“No less than ten years? Then the victim couldn’t possibly have been killed by Miss Zhang, could she? Miss Zhang was probably still a child ten years ago,” Zhang exclaimed in surprise. “So why did she come to confess to murder?”

Everyone was puzzled.

“Maybe Miss Zhang knows the inside story. She deliberately came to the police station to confess, hoping to draw our attention and make us discover this body,” Chen Xue speculated.

Zhang and Wang thought it made sense.

Mu Mian was puzzled. “If Miss Zhang was already at the police station, why didn’t she just tell us directly that there was a body here?”

“Maybe the murderer threatened her not to say anything.”

“But if she came to the police station to report the case, wouldn’t that anger the murderer? She might as well have written us an anonymous letter and secretly revealed the truth to us. That way, the murderer wouldn’t know who turned him in,” Mu Mian still couldn’t understand her motives. Why make things so complicated?

After Mu Mian’s question, everyone was also confused about why Miss Zhang confessed.

“Could it be a coincidence? After moving into this place, the oppressive structure of the house caused Miss Zhang’s mental state to deteriorate, leading her to report the case and confess. It just so happens that a murder occurred in this house more than ten years ago,” Fang Rui analyzed.

“But could it really be that much of a coincidence?”

“Once I dig out the body, we’ll definitely find more clues,” Mu Mian said. “The person who buried the body handled it very professionally. We must catch them, and I’d like to have a good chat with them!”

Chen Xue agreed, “Exactly. No wonder this platform didn’t show any signs of collapse or cracking. There’s a wooden box inside providing support. I guess the cement wasn’t poured full, leaving some space, so the gas expansion wouldn’t affect the surface of the platform. Otherwise, the gas produced by the decaying body would definitely cause the concrete platform to deform.”

“The cement burial scenes in TV dramas are all about pouring concrete directly. It turns out that this method of disposing of a body is not feasible!” Zhang exclaimed. “Those TV dramas are so unprofessional.”

Chen Xue said, “Of course. Not only do you need to consider the issue of the stench, but also the gas produced by the decaying body that can cause cracks and deformation in the concrete. So burying a body in concrete is not a clever way to dispose of a body; the concrete actually accelerates the decay of the body.” Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I know many clever ways to dispose of a body!” Mu Mian said excitedly. “Do you want me to share them with you? Theoretically, they should be able to perfectly dispose of a body, but I haven’t practiced them, so I don’t know if there would be any issues during execution.”

“…Let’s stop there. I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat,” Zhang quickly interrupted Mu Mian.

“Alright,” Mu Mian reluctantly suppressed her desire to share her knowledge and continued to take photos of the concrete block, documenting the scene.

Chen Xue continued, “The person who buried the body was very smart. They considered both problems. First, they used activated carbon to absorb the odor, and then reinforced the sealing of the platform with latex to prevent the odor from escaping. Most people who bury a body in concrete would just pour concrete on top without thinking so much.”

“It seems this murderer is quite intelligent. If it weren’t for Miss Zhang’s actions, we probably would never have known that there was a body buried here,” they said as they placed the concrete-encased body into a body bag.

This residential area is mainly for the elderly, with mostly older people and children living there, so elevators were installed.

However, the elevators were small and run-down, dirty inside, and shook violently every time they reached a floor. With a body at their feet, Zhang and Wang felt a chill down their spines.

Mu Mian thought of the various accident cases she had seen involving elevator malfunctions, where the victims had died horribly. She was a bit scared and clung tightly to Fang Rui’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Mu, this elevator is old but definitely safe. It won’t malfunction, you can rest assured!” Wang said.

“How can you be so sure? You don’t know anything about elevators,” Mu Mian clung to Fang Rui’s arm. She still felt the elevator was very unsafe.

Zhang chimed in, “We understand developers. The residents here are mostly elderly and children. If the elevator had any accidents, they could cause the developer to go bankrupt!”

“…”

Fang Rui comforted Mu Mian, “Don’t be afraid, we’ll protect you.”

“Yeah. Even if something happens, we’re all together, so we won’t be alone,” Mu Mian thought, and she wasn’t nervous anymore.

“…”

As Zhang and Wang struggled to carry the body out of the building, a group of elderly men and women gathered around, pointing and whispering.

“Is there another thief in our community? Why are the police here?”

“Judging by the commotion, it doesn’t seem like they’re catching a thief!”

“Isn’t there a girl living on the fourth floor? Could this be her body they’re carrying? No, I saw her yesterday, how could she be gone today?” Sister Wang muttered.

“Tsk tsk, these two young men are so weak, they can’t even carry a girl’s body!”

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“I’ve always said that the house on the fourth floor is unlucky. That girl didn’t listen to my old woman’s advice and insisted on living there. Look, now something has happened,” Sister Wang sighed.

“Yes, yes, that house hasn’t been lived in for a long time.”

Fang Rui asked an elderly woman who seemed knowledgeable, “Auntie, who used to live in that house?”

The woman glanced at Fang Rui but didn’t speak.

Zhang stepped forward and asked enthusiastically, “Sister, who used to live in that house?”

“Just call me Sister Wang,” the woman began to pour out everything she knew to Zhang. “A family of three lived there a couple of years ago. Later, they said the landlord was a pervert, secretly installing cameras in their house. They were scared to death and moved out overnight, not even taking their rent and deposit. The house hasn’t been rented out since, and I suspect it’s haunted.”

“Do you know Zhang Mingli from the fourth floor?”

“Yes, she bought that house about a month ago. I wanted to warn her that the house is haunted, but every time I tried to talk to her, she walked away and ignored me. I never got the chance to tell her,” Sister Wang complained.

Seeing that Zhang Mingli didn’t have a boyfriend, Sister Wang had originally planned to get close to her and then ask if she wanted to go on a blind date. She had many high-quality men to introduce, ensuring she could find a good match. But Zhang Mingli ignored her.

“How do you know that house is haunted?” Fang Rui asked.