During the autopsy, Yan Qing had discovered two very small moles beneath the victim’s left breast. Though unremarkable and of no particular use to the investigation, they were crucial for identification purposes when it came to the family.
In an era without DNA technology, there was no recourse to science — only the naked eye. This directly caused the rate of case resolution to plummet.
Back at the Military Police Directorate, the Huo family arrived promptly. With them came a young woman of considerable beauty.
The moment she spotted E’Yuan in his white coat, the woman seized his arm, her expression urgent. “Is it my sister? Are you certain?”
“We cannot confirm that yet, which is precisely why we asked your family to come for identification.” E’Yuan said. “However, I would suggest your parents not go in.”
“No — we must go.” Huo Li’s parents were deeply agitated. “We have to see her.”
“Very well.” E’Yuan made no further attempt to stop them. But Yan Qing wheeled herself forward and blocked the path of the two elders.
“I’m sorry, but it would be better if you did not go in.” She lifted a pair of bright, clear eyes — composed and resolute.
“Who are you to stop us?” Master Huo cried out in agitation. “I want to see my daughter.”
“Yes — who do you think you are? Step aside!”
In the face of their frantic distress, Yan Qing’s expression remained perfectly calm. “First, it has not yet been confirmed that the deceased inside is your daughter. Second, I am also thinking of your health. Sir, just now when you became agitated, you showed clear signs of chest tightness and rapid breathing, along with a bluish tinge to your lips and a clubbing deformity at the fingertips…”
She turned to the elder Huo daughter. “Are you certain you want to bring a patient with heart disease in there right now?”
Huo Yuan, Huo Li’s elder sister, paused — but she recovered quickly. She stepped forward, took hold of her parents, and spoke softly. “Father, Mother, this lady is right. The person inside may not be my sister. Wait for me here. I’ll go in alone.”
“But…” Master Huo was reluctant, yet Madam Huo held him back. Had Yan Qing not mentioned it, she had nearly forgotten about her husband’s heart condition.
As she drew her husband gently to the side, she found herself looking at Yan Qing more than once. The girl was young — with the delicate, fragile look of someone who had long been unwell — yet she had seen through Master Huo’s condition in a single glance.
Huo Yuan followed E’Yuan into the morgue. She had expected to see a complete body. But when E’Yuan slid open the compartment of the refrigeration unit, she staggered several steps backward in shock.
“This — this…” Staring at the severed section of a body, cold sweat broke out across Huo Yuan’s brow. “What is this?”
“We have had people searching the surrounding river areas with full effort, but have recovered nothing else.” E’Yuan said. “Please take a look. Could the deceased be your sister, Huo Li?”
Huo Yuan took a long moment to steady herself. Then she walked slowly toward the remains, murmuring as she went. “My sister had two small moles beneath her left breast. There were originally three, but someone once said they were ugly, so she burned one off with incense herself. After that, it hurt too much, so she left the other two alone.”
Huo Yuan reached the remains. She squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly opened them.
Her gaze did not waver. It went directly to the left side of the torso, to the two tiny dark moles.
At the sight of them, her vision went black. It was only E’Yuan standing behind her that kept her from falling. “Miss Huo? Miss Huo, are you all right?”
Huo Yuan closed her eyes. Tears poured from beneath her lids. This younger sister of hers had not always been sensible — but the two of them had always been close.
In this moment, the only thing she was grateful for was that her parents had not witnessed this. They might not be able to bear it. The body was not even whole.
—