What is even more heartbreaking, from the remnants of clothing and posture, is that this was a mother still holding her child tightly during her final moments. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Although the face has been burned beyond recognition by the high temperatures, that protective embrace retained its most primal love and guardianship even as death approached.

Witnessing this scene, Jiang An’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately recalled Mr. Chen’s description of that family of four.

Now, this shattered family has finally "reunited"—the husband fell in the living room, the elder daughter in the master bedroom.

And now, the mother and young daughter were crouched beneath this precarious bed.

His Adam’s apple moved involuntarily, and a sense of indescribable repression spread throughout his chest cavity.

"From the scene, it seems the mother hid here to protect her child.

"Jiang An’s voice was somewhat tense, as the three people’s gaze froze on those two intertwined bodies, a suffocating silence pervading the air.

Ultimately, Zhang Yean sighed heavily, breaking the stillness: "Mr. Jiang, I’ll take photographs to preserve the evidence, and later we’ll need you to inspect carefully."

Jiang An nodded mechanically, standing aside to give Zhang Yean space.

His mind raced: the man in the living room, the elder daughter in the master bedroom, and this mother and daughter before him—why was there such a significant difference in the degree of burns among the four bodies?

Especially these two under the bed, which almost retained intact clothing and skin tissue.

This indicated that they had hidden here before the fire occurred.

But why choose under the bed?

Was the fire spreading too quickly for escape, or... was there something even more terrifying waiting for them outside the door?

Numerous speculations collided in Jiang An’s mind, each possibility further thickening the case’s fog.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms.

"Mr. Jiang, evidence collection is complete."

Zhang Yean’s voice pulled him back to reality.

Jiang An took a deep breath, speaking firmly: "Move the bed away, I need to examine the bodies thoroughly."

With a creaking sound, the charred bed frame was jointly moved aside by the group.

In an instant, a female corpse tightly holding an infant was fully exposed before everyone.

Jiang An’s breath hitched—even though he had been through countless bloody scenes, the picture of a mother maintaining a protective posture until death still struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

The twisted body language seemed to silently indict the murderer’s cruelty, causing Jiang An to feel a strong nausea, forcing him to turn away his gaze for a few moments.

"We must find the true culprit."

This thought grew wild in his heart. What kind of deep-seated hatred would compel someone to kill an entire family?

After adjusting his emotions, Jiang An crouched down to begin his professional examination.

The mother’s arms were like iron clamps imprisoning the child; he used professional methods to try several times but couldn’t separate them.

"This isn’t ordinary rigor mortis."

Jiang An’s voice was somewhat hoarse, "It’s cadaveric spasm. In her final moments, the mother’s instincts overcame physiological limits, and her muscles formed an absolute protection in their rigid state. This spasm is more stubborn than rigor mortis, never naturally alleviating."

Jiang An continued checking the bodies’ conditions, suddenly focusing his gaze: "Clothing mostly intact, hair with only minor scorch marks..."

He gently turned the body, stopping abruptly at the sight of the back: "Senior sister, photograph here."

"This is..."

Zhang Yean aimed her camera at the abnormal redness on the corpse’s back, sharply inhaling: "Carbon monoxide poisoning?"

"That’s right."

Jiang An pointed to the deceased’s lips and nail beds, "Based on these characteristics, we can preliminarily conclude they died from inhaling toxic gases, rather than directly burned to death."