Chapter 1823 - The Task Force

"My suggestion is to send a telegram and have the New Daoist Order send someone to analyze this. I recall Daoist Zhang has done research on traditional Chinese cults and dark arts. The New Daoist Order should have quite a bit of material on file."

Mu Min nodded in agreement and asked when the autopsy report would be ready.

"The workload is too large. I don't have much experience with human dissection either—just what I did at medical school. Plus the bodies are badly decomposed and damaged. I can only do rough tests, not very accurate. I'll put together a preliminary detection report. For more detailed and accurate results, we'll have to wait for Forensic Examiner Su to have a look."

According to Liu San and the Forensics Section coroners' preliminary examination, a total of thirty relatively complete bodies had been discovered—twenty-nine from three mass burial pits, one from beneath Room Three of the Heavenly Character wing. They said "relatively complete" because most bodies had partial deficiencies in facial features, limbs, or internal organs. Only the boy-girl pair excavated from Pit No. 2 were completely intact.

"Besides these thirty bodies, the remains found in various locations are very scattered. For now I can't determine whether these remains were dismembered from the already-discovered bodies or came from other victims." Liu San continued. "I studied traditional Chinese medicine—my knowledge of human anatomy and histology is fairly average. Reassembling and comparing the remains is beyond me."

"Stop being modest," Mu Min said. "Anything else?"

"From the remains discovered, the victims were almost all women and children. I haven't done detailed statistics on the children's genders yet, but roughly it's about half and half. The females were all young women. I don't have the ability to do bone-age testing, so I can't determine each person's exact age. I can only judge from bone fusion angles: adults ranged from sixteen or seventeen to thirty years old; children from five or six to twelve or thirteen."

"Animals!" Mu Min cursed.

"Animals couldn't do something like this." Liu San smiled bitterly. "The evil in human nature, the dark side of the human heart—it's truly unimaginable..."

She suddenly asked: "You just said 'almost all women and children.' So there were adult male remains among them?"

"Indeed there were. Among the human bones collected at the scene was one skull. Judging from the brow ridge shape, it's typically male."

"Only the skull?" Mu Min's alertness sharpened.

"I'm not sure. Too many bone fragments were collected at the scene. We'll have to piece them together one by one to know."

"And the victims' causes of death?"

"Haven't done autopsies on each one yet, so it's hard to say. The bodies have harvesting wounds, and some had organs removed. It's difficult to determine the specific cause of death. But several bodies were strangled—that's certain."

Just as the conversation with Liu San concluded, another report came: Liu Xiang and Lin Boguang had both arrived at the municipal bureau. Wen Desi had also sent a secretary to inquire about the case's progress.

"Please have the two Elders come to my office."

"How are things?" Lin Boguang asked the moment he entered.

"Very complicated." Mu Min sniffed with distaste—the room still seemed to retain a lingering stench of rot. She took off her police jacket and removed her cap, tossing them into the laundry basket.

"Old Lin, you smoke, right? Today's special—feel free to smoke in my office."

Lin Boguang lit a cigar without changing expression. "The scene was pretty horrifying, wasn't it?"

"More than horrifying—utterly deranged." Mu Min dropped into a high-backed rattan chair. "A killing spree."

She gave a brief overview of the case. Both Liu Xiang's and Lin Boguang's faces showed expressions of disbelief.

"Who would have thought this case would be so big!" Liu Xiang exclaimed. "A sorcery case—this is a case that shakes heaven!" Though he said this, his eyes were shining brightly.

Lin Boguang asked: "Are there any leads on the case yet?"

"More than a dozen suspects were caught at the scene. There should be results very soon." Mu Min said. "But honestly, I still have some doubts about the case. For a case this big, those in the foreground are just small fry. They may not know the real mastermind behind it all."

"The masterminds behind it, heh heh—they can't escape being certain local wealthy families and powerful clans. Otherwise, how would they dare be so brazen?" Liu Xiang jumped to his feet, lit a cigar, and seemed somewhat excited.

Mu Min was puzzled for thirty seconds, then immediately understood Mayor Liu's meaning. Another chill ran down her back. Mayor Liu had conceived the idea of using this opportunity to launch a great purge. Throughout history, this had always been the proven method for subduing local magnates. Whether the Empty Seal Case of early Ming or the Tax Clearance Case of early Qing—all were executed this way.

But Liu Xiang was not entirely wrong. Without the protection of local magnates, such things would be impossible. Temple Head Gao Tianshi of the Guandi Temple coming forward to intervene proved that Mao Family Inn not only had an umbrella but that the umbrella's power was considerable. There was probably more than just one Gao Tianshi.

"Based on the clues we currently have, the Guandi Temple forces are definitely implicated—that much is certain. We just don't know yet how deep the involvement goes." Mu Min said. "I think the Guandi Temple's temple head probably doesn't really have the nerve to be fully mixed up in this—even under the Ming, this was a capital offense with the principal sliced to death and accomplices beheaded."

"How deep he's involved—isn't that up to us to decide?" Liu Xiang said. "I think this case deserves to be written up extensively. The Propaganda Department should do follow-up reporting—to fully demonstrate the darkness of the old society, to fully embody our spirit of governing for the people. At the same time, it will give a stern warning to the demons and monsters inside and outside Guangzhou city."

Mu Min nodded slowly. "That may be so, but I still hope to catch the real culprits. Only then can we console the departed souls—give the people an accounting, and ourselves an accounting too. We can't be rulers here for nothing." She hesitated. "As for follow-up reporting, I have no objections. But not too many details—don't alert the prey."

"Good. I'll have the Propaganda Section send you a draft before each report goes out."

"Truly shrouded in mystery." After seeing off the Elders, Mu Min fell into deep thought. Undoubtedly, this case involved sorcery and dark magic—she truly did not know who was so bold as to dare do such things. Sorcery had been a capital offense throughout the dynasties—execution by slicing, even implication of entire clans. Even imperial relatives, even figures at the level of crown princes and empresses, once tainted by the word "sorcery," could not escape death! Who was so recklessly daring as to commit such heaven-defying atrocities right here in bustling Guangzhou city?

Fortunately, now they had both the people and the evidence. The criminals were all in custody. As long as they were still breathing, they would be made to talk. She rang a bell, and her secretary immediately walked in from the next room.

"Go summon Xie Buliao from the Interrogation Section."

Xie Buliao had worked in the court runners' section for many years. His character was not too bad—he had not done too many wicked things. Not only was he retained, but under his new employers he had kept his tail between his legs and worked diligently, earning considerable trust.

The Interrogation Section had retained many court runner personnel. Naturally these people could not do interrogation work—they essentially served as "white gloves." The police bureau had retained them mainly for their "psychological fortitude."

Working in the Interrogation Section was relatively lighter. Unlike other sections, they did not have to run around exhausting themselves outside. Xie Buliao had just today "attended to" some boat people operating ferry crossings suspected of robbery and murder on the river. Just finished with one assignment, he was sleeping soundly at home when someone knocked on his door. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was summoned to the municipal bureau.

"Middle of the night—what case needs handling?" Xie Buliao grumbled as he followed the messenger all the way to the municipal bureau, still somewhat groggy.

"Let me tell you—there's been a major case," the bureau's messenger said quietly.

"What case?" Xie Buliao instantly became several degrees more alert.

"Don't know the details. But today they carted several loads of corpses from Zhenhai Gate to Shuangshan Temple. Must be an earth-shaking major case."

Hearing this, Xie Buliao's mind immediately cleared. He drew a sharp breath—Good heavens, several cartloads of corpses!

Arriving at the bureau, he learned it was not the Interrogation Section chief who wanted to see him but the bureau chief—Elder Mu. He immediately understood the case's weight.

Mu Min gave a rough overview of the case circumstances.

"Right now we've arrested over a dozen suspects. I know these types of criminals keep their mouths tightly sealed. They've probably recited incantations and taken drugs, claiming they can 'withstand severe torture.' Some, knowing their crimes are heinous and fearing the ordeal of official punishment, only seek death and will look for opportunities to kill themselves. So I need their confessions to clear the names of the wrongfully killed common folk, but I also need them kept alive for proper public execution. Do you understand?"

Xie Buliao stiffened to attention. Unconsciously falling into old-style etiquette, he bowed with clasped hands: "This humble one understands!"

"Since you understand, don't disappoint the Council of Elders' trust in you. Get them to talk quickly—especially their purpose in killing people and harvesting, and who the mastermind behind it all is. I want the truth. No false accusations!"

Xie Buliao bowed again: "Yes!" He mulled over Mu Min's words several times, then ventured: "Chief, this is a case of evil magic and murder. This gang probably all have evil spells protecting them. May this humble one be so bold as to ask—could we prepare some dog blood and menstrual cloths to break their spells..."

Mu Min was startled, then could not help feeling both amused and annoyed: "You really believe they have magic powers?"

"Yes, yes—this humble one was confused!" Xie Buliao silently cursed himself for being foolish. The Australians most disdained talk of ghosts and spirits. Opening his mouth to ask for "spell-breaking" materials was simply asking for trouble.

Yet without preparing these things, he felt uneasy. Because in the past he had also tortured criminals from such evil magic cases. Some truly had shown "calm expressions" while being tortured. Every time, these polluting substances had to be used to break their spells and ward off evil.

However, sometimes even with these things, the criminals still would not confess. Xie Buliao knew that criminals involved in such cases, knowing they could not be tolerated by the world, were often extremely tenacious and crazed, only seeking death. Sometimes even exhausting all torture methods could not make them confess. In the end they were often tortured to death. To make them confess, the yamen's standard instruments and punishments were completely useless—often "irregular punishments" had to be employed before they would talk.

Yet the Australians were extremely opposed to all forms of cruel punishment. Though they also used interrogation punishments, they had their own system. Besides the whip, paddle, and finger press, the retained court runners no longer used other old punishments.

(End of Chapter)