"That's right." Yu Ke nodded.
Wen Ji shook his head. "Dr. Yu, I asked for an autopsy report, not a fantasy novel."
"This *is* the autopsy report," Yu Ke replied. "I know the results are hard to accept. Even I found it unbelievable when I came to this conclusion. But this is what we discovered during the autopsy! The detailed process and findings are all recorded in the report. Take a look first, then you can question it."
Seeing the serious expressions on both Zhao Yuan's and Yu Ke's faces, Wen Ji finally ruled out the possibility that they were joking with him. He lowered his head and began to read the autopsy report carefully.
The more he read, the more tightly his brow furrowed.
When he finished, his brows were knitted into a deep frown. He murmured, "Could some strange creature have really burrowed into the victim's body and devoured her heart? This is just too unbelievable!"
Zhao Yuan said, "This is just a theory based on the condition of the body. We can't be sure if it's what actually happened. Perhaps you could start by investigating the victim's diet to see if she ate anything out of the ordinary."
Wen Ji shook his head. "We've already looked into that. According to her roommate, the victim was a homebody who just went to work and came back. She ate normal takeout and never had anything particularly exotic or strange." He paused, then added, "However..."
"However what?" Zhao Yuan asked eagerly.
Wen Ji said, "The roommate mentioned that the day before the victim died, she experienced symptoms like a high fever and abdominal pain. Apparently, the pain was so bad she was rolling around on the floor. It terrified her roommate, who was about to call an ambulance and take her to the hospital. But right as she was dialing, the victim suddenly recovered, acting as if nothing had happened..."
Zhao Yuan immediately theorized, "Could that have been the reaction caused by the strange creature entering her body? And then the creature released its green mucus, anesthetizing her nervous system, which is why she stopped feeling any pain?"
Wen Ji mulled it over for a moment. "That's a possibility," he said.
Initially, he had scoffed at the theory that a 'strange creature burrowed into the body and ate the heart, causing death'. But as more and more corroborating evidence emerged, he slowly started to believe it.
"This won't do. I need to go talk to the families of the first two victims and see if they experienced anything similar," Wen Ji said, getting to his feet. "I'm taking the autopsy report. Thank you both for your hard work on this. I really appreciate it."
After Wen Ji left, Yu Ke and Zhao Yuan also returned to West Hua Medical University.
They discussed the case nonstop on the way back, but with so few clues, they couldn't figure out what the strange creature could possibly be.
Was it a parasite? Or some kind of venomous creature, like a snake, scorpion, or centipede?
Neither of them could be sure.
None of those creatures were known to produce a green liquid that was simultaneously viscous and anesthetic.
By the time they got back to the university, it was already dark. They parted ways, and Zhao Yuan went to a small, familiar restaurant just off campus for dinner before heading back to his dorm.
After washing up, he lay in bed. For once, he wasn't studying medicine. Instead, he navigated to the "Miscellaneous Knowledge" section and pulled up a book titled Record of Strange Insects.
It was a text recorded by Wu Peng, detailing all sorts of bizarre insects from both the mortal world and the Cultivation Realm, including their appearance, habits, characteristics, and uses.
Zhao Yuan hoped to find some mention of the strange creature in this book. However, after looking through it for a while, he discovered there were quite a few bizarre insects with similar abilities!
Which one was the true culprit? Zhao Yuan couldn't be sure; he had far too little information to go on.
He sighed in frustration. 'If I could just see the creature, I'm sure I could identify it. But unfortunately, there wasn't a single trace of it at the crime scene or inside the victim's body.'
Two days later, Zhao Yuan learned from Yu Ke that the case had been closed. The official conclusion was death by poisoning from the accidental ingestion of a parasite. The fact that the heart had been eaten was omitted from the public report. The matter was simply too sensational; releasing the full details would have undoubtedly caused a public panic.
Afterward, Zhao Yuan called Wen Ji to ask about the investigation into the first two deaths.
Since Zhao Yuan had been involved in the investigation, Wen Ji didn't hide anything and told him the truth. "We found traces of the same dark green fluid on the undergarments of the first two victims. Furthermore, according to their families, they also exhibited the same symptoms as the third victim before they died—high fever and excruciating pain. It's safe to say they all died from the same cause!"
"Did you find the strange creature?" Zhao Yuan asked hurriedly.
Wen Ji sighed. "I'd love to know what this creature is, too. But unfortunately, we haven't found a thing. We've passed the case file to the CDC to get their help in identifying the dangerous organism. We've also asked them to start the relevant preventative measures and public awareness campaigns to avoid a fourth victim..."
Zhao Yuan frowned. "Captain Wen, do you really think these three cases were accidents?"
Wen Ji replied, "What else could they be? None of the three victims had any enemies, and none of them had gotten into arguments with anyone before they died. Besides, the cause of death was a strange creature eating their hearts. It's not like that creature could have been raised by a person, right?"
'But that's not impossible...'
Zhao Yuan hesitated, but ultimately, he didn't say the words out loud.
A few more days passed. Final exams began, so Zhao Yuan temporarily pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
「That morning was the exam for the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.」
Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan had been cramming with the help of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense. Combined with Zhao Yuan's tutoring, they now had a solid grasp of the material for the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They weren't the least bit nervous about the exam and walked in looking as calm and composed as top students.
The other students in the class, however, were not nearly as composed.
The moment Zhao Yuan entered the classroom, he was swarmed by his classmates, who all started pleading at once:
"Zhao Yuan, we're counting on you today!"
"Oh, Study God, please help us! Pass us some notes!"
"Me too, me too! I really don't want to fail and have to retake the class!"
Faced with their pleas, Zhao Yuan didn't know whether to agree or refuse, so he could only manage a wry smile. Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan stood off to the side, pointing and enjoying the spectacle.
A few minutes later, the bell rang. The sound of approaching footsteps followed, and everyone turned to see a large group of teachers flooding into the classroom.
The students were stunned by the sheer number of them.
'What the hell is going on? It's just a final exam, isn't it? Do they really need this many proctors? Even the national college entrance exams aren't this strict!'
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