"Hmph!"

"The corpse seems to hide quite a few secrets."

Six o’clock in the afternoon.

The sky was gradually darkening, the fiery clouds above slowly dimming.

On a street in Jiang City.

Yang Ruoxi parked the car by the roadside, and the three of them looked at the information they had found out.

"There are issues with the eye socket, spine, and pelvis."

"As for the face... it’s hiding something."

Xu Liang looked at these photos, searching back and forth repeatedly.

The clues known so far were just like this.

"Since the face is hiding something, it means something was attached to it before it was smashed, something the other party didn’t want to be seen."

"Is it because of the eyeball?"

Xu Liang mumbled, recalling the right eye socket, the missing eyeball.

Then shook his head.

"No, it’s not the eyeball, it must be something more obvious!"

No matter how damaged Qi Yu’s face is, it can’t hide the fact that the eyeball is missing!

This can be observed simply by lifting the eyelid.

Unless...

"It’s to cover up other facial marks."

"Related to the disappearance of the eyeball?"

Xu Liang fell into deep thought, unsure of what this was ultimately related to.

If the disappearance of the eyeball was intentional.

Then...

What did they take the eyeball for?

Also, would the disappearance of the eyeball cause something on the face to be significant enough to require covering up with something even more conspicuous?

Xu Liang had no connections at the moment, but...

"The information gathered so far is enough to overturn the report from Jianghe Judicial Identification Institution!"

"We can question it later and verify it with other institutions." Xu Liang said.

Indeed, it was so.

Yang Ruoxi and Su Yu nodded.

There were major issues with Qi Yu’s corpse.

But the attitude of the judicial institution puzzled the three, and Xu Liang was almost certain that the other party was fabricating evidence!

Qi Tao was unaware of this because of his limited cognitive level, so Zhao Hailong could fool him with the data.

But Xu Liang was not so easily fooled!

He could tell from just a glance that the data was fake.

If it were other lawyers, they might be confused by the data and the authority of the identification institution.

Eventually, they might even question themselves, but Xu Liang...

He would only question the identification institution!

"What a pity. Compared to having other judicial institutions conduct the identification, I still prefer doing it myself."

Xu Liang said with a smacking of his lips.

At this moment.

He strangely missed Luo Jun and Liu Kun from Sunzhou!

They were good at stealing corpses!

The blame was entirely on them, yet the corpse was his to keep!

When he stole back the corpse they had taken, it wasn’t considered theft, and the autopsy report he got was indisputably reliable.

What a shame...

"Zhao Hailong probably wouldn’t take this route."

"Otherwise, it would arouse the police’s suspicion."

Xu Liang shook his head, sighing regretfully.

The current situation was a bit complex.

The identification institution was likely fabricating evidence.

The courtroom’s attitude was confusing, and Xu Liang didn’t dare make a rash judgment.

Only the police; he could be certain there was nothing wrong with them.

Otherwise...

Zhao Hailong would have destroyed the corpse long ago!

If Qi Yu’s body were cremated, Xu Liang would have no room to maneuver. Even with a flawed autopsy report, it couldn’t be disputed.

"But... what would Zhao Hailong do?"

Yang Ruoxi suddenly looked puzzled.

From noon until now, Zhao Hailong and Cheng Jia had only met them once at noon.

And after that meeting, there was no interaction between the parties.

What were they up to?

If there was a problem with the case, they would definitely try to cover it up.

If that were the case.

What approach would they take to cover up the case!?

"No idea." Su Yu shook her head.

"Would he also steal the body?"

Yang Ruoxi thought of Liu Kun and had the same idea as Xu Liang.

"Hard to say." Xu Liang didn’t give a definitive answer.

Even though he felt if the body disappeared, the police would investigate the other party, Zhao Hailong’s mind should also consider this fact.

But...

You never know if the other party might act foolishly!?

But he couldn’t rely on the other party’s foolishness.

"Did you collect any of Qi Yu’s information yet?"

Xu Liang suddenly turned around, looking at Su Yu in the back seat.

On the way, she had also made several calls to the police station, requesting Qi Yu’s files.

"A bit." Su Yu nodded.

She no longer felt nauseous, and her body was much more comfortable, allowing her to get things done naturally.

"Anything useful?"

Xu Liang asked, his attitude becoming serious.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he asked again.

"Before disappearing on March 2nd, did Qi Yu ever undergo a medical examination at the hospital?"

The disappearance of the eyeball from the eye socket was strange.

He didn’t know if it was covering something, but it needed to be ruled out with several factors at least...

What factors?

Cornea!

Organ transplant!

"Are you suspecting human organ transplantation?" Yang Ruoxi asked in surprise, understanding his implication.

"That’s right."

Xu Liang nodded.

If it was indeed an organ transplant, and it was the cornea...

Then the inexplicable things could be explained!

The cornea exists as long as you have it, even in death it remains!

Moreover, it’s not something you can just not have; a surgery is required to remove it completely!

So, if Qi Yu was truly subjected to organ transplantation, and the cornea was sold to someone else....

Then after death, without damaging the eyeball, anyone with a discerning eye could immediately deduce it!

Even if the eyeball is directly removed to achieve the effect of self-deception, it seems extremely suspicious, but there’s no way to verify it, so there’s no basis for investigation...

"Is there any similar medical examination?"

Xu Liang asked.

After speaking, he focused on Su Yu, showing a hint of expectation in his eyes.

The essence of crime is profit.

The essence of collective crime is more profit!

At present, the institution, the case handlers, and the shelter center seem to be united...

Without sufficient profit, it would be impossible to maintain their relationship.

Ordinary crime cannot satisfy so many appetites, unless...

Unless the profit is large enough!

And the profit from organ transplants happens to meet this demand, allowing all participants to reap significant benefits.

As for how big this profit is...

Let’s put it this way, in this era, on the international black market, human organs are more expensive than gold!

A highly compatible heart can sell for a million Dollars!

The lungs, kidneys, and these also sell for hundreds of thousands.

Of course, these are just terminal sales, not normal sales, places like parks, lizards, and the Elephant Country have wholesale prices for organs.

However, if you can find compatible individuals, the price can reach a million Dollars!

That’s the million Dollars of 2005, truly worthy of a fortune!

But...

"No medical examination."

Su Yu shook her head; she tried to contact Qi Tao, but he mentioned nothing about a medical examination.

"No medical examination then..."

"Or is it just selling the corneas?"

Xu Liang felt disappointed, murmuring to himself.

Some transplant personnel don’t focus on kidneys or hearts, which are difficult to find compatible individuals for and are very expensive.

Instead, they only focus on corneas!

Why?

Because the compatibility rate of corneas far exceeds other organs, which require consideration of physical rejection, while corneas do not. You can grab just about anyone and find a large number of customers.

Perhaps Qi Yu was only targeted for his corneas?

"Tsk..."

Xu Liang clicked his tongue, took out a picture, and continued to gaze at it.

In the photo, Qi Yu still showed that same face smashed into a pulp.

It looked eerie and terrifying.

Was the pickle factory really just a pickle factory?

Why did they kill Qi Yu?

Just a fool, and moreover... what are they covering up about the facial features?

Xu Liang squinted his eyes, watching continuously until...

"Hm?"

Xu Liang suddenly stopped, noticing something—a detail that no one else had seen before.

His gaze froze, then instantly hardened.

"Wait, Qi Yu’s hair, isn’t it... scorched here!?"

Xu Liang suddenly spoke, pointing at a part of Qi Yu’s scalp.

Hair?

Yang Ruoxi suspiciously leaned in closer to look, puzzled.

But she saw where Xu Liang was pointing...

It was exactly at Qi Yu’s hairline, the forehead area!

That place had also been deliberately damaged.

But...

At the hairline, faint traces of some sort of corrosion could be seen.

This is...

"What is this?" Yang Ruoxi was startled.

She pondered without finding anything that fit the description.

"Corrosion? The pickle factory intends to cover this up?" Xu Liang frowned.

Judging by the corrosion marks on the scalp.

The corroded area is far more extensive than just the hairline!

And the smashed facial features... concealed large amounts of other corrosion traces, as if Qi Yu’s skin had been peeled off.

"What is this?" Yang Ruoxi felt her head was about to explode.

"Don’t know, but at least we have a direction for investigation now!"

Xu Liang noted this in his mind, letting his tense nerves finally relax.

Having a direction for investigation is good.

Having a direction for investigation means we can proceed with the case!

"We won’t return to Hanhai City tonight; let’s just find a hotel and tomorrow morning we’ll directly raid the pickle factory!"

Xu Liang made up his mind.

Since the incident occurred at the pickle factory...

Maybe raiding it will reveal something significant!?’

With this thought.

He immediately took Yang Ruoxi and Su Yu to a decent hotel, opened two rooms, and went to sleep hurriedly.

....

The next day.

March 19.

Seven-thirty in the morning.

Xu Liang quickly washed up, ate breakfast, then got into the car, ready to take the two to the pickle factory to uncover whatever dirty secrets lay inside!

But...

He just twisted the car key.

In a trance, a ringtone suddenly sounded near his ear.

"Beep beep beep beep~!"

Xu Liang paused, feeling the vibration in his thigh, took out his phone, and glanced down.

Caller: Mentor

This is...

Wu Chengjun’s call?

What is the opposite party calling at this time?

Xu Liang paused, yet still chose to connect the call.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the call connected....

Wu Chengjun’s voice immediately came through.

"What’s happening with your law firm, you rascal!?"

"The latest news claims someone reported that your firm was engaging in excessive charging."

"I reviewed it and indeed it’s substantiated. The institution intends to suspend your firm for three months..."

"However, I caught wind of it, and I’m suppressing it for now, to check with you...."

"What are you up to, you brat!?"

Suspension and rectification!?’

In an instant, Xu Liang was stunned, his mind momentarily blank.

"Excessive charging!?"

Reported for excessive charging?

Xu Liang frowned, instinctively sensing something was amiss.

"What excessive charging!?"

He specializes in delivering value for money; how could there be excessive charging!?"