After ending the call with Xu Mo, Han Fei gave Xu Mo's address to Chen Ke, who was responsible for driving.
After picking up Xu Mo along the way, the group drove directly to the crime scene where the body had been dumped.
On the road, Chen Ke was giving Xu Mo advice in the tone of a veteran.
"The scene you're about to see might be a bit much for you. You might even throw up after just one look. But don't worry, it's not embarrassing. Every rookie goes through this. Just vomit if you need to, as long as you don't throw up on the body and affect the autopsy."
Han Fei chimed in from the side.
"That's right, don't hold back. If you feel sick after seeing the body, go ahead and throw up. You'll feel much better afterward. Every newcomer goes through this. We're bringing you along this time mainly because there happens to be a case, and you wanted to participate in solving it, so we're letting you get familiar with things..."
Xu Mo didn't say anything, just nodded silently with a look that said 'I understand.'
But to be fair, he was quite different from the rookies Han Fei and Chen Ke were talking about.
Rookies usually have no background at all. In other words, they're just ordinary people. When ordinary people see a corpse for the first time, especially an incomplete one, they're bound to feel uncomfortable.
Vomiting is on the mild end. In severe cases, some might even faint on the spot.
Obviously, in a sense, Xu Mo couldn't really be considered a rookie.
Especially when it came to examining corpses, Xu Mo's expertise might even surpass that of ordinary forensic experts in the police force.
After all, the system had rewarded him with theoretical knowledge of forensic medicine.
Moreover, when the system had dumped all this knowledge into Xu Mo's mind, it had also included various images of corpses to help Xu Mo understand and digest this knowledge.
So, when Xu Mo saw the body, he would likely appear even calmer than Han Fei and the others.
...
After a half-hour drive, the group arrived at a small, desolate mountain.
This was where the dumped body had been discovered.
The road leading into the mountain had already been cordoned off by the police to prevent ordinary people from entering by mistake.
They got out of the car one by one.
As soon as they got out, before even entering the mountain, Han Fei reminded Xu Mo once again.
"Remember what we said in the car. If you can't handle it, tell me, or just run to the side and stop looking. Don't force yourself, okay?"
"Alright," Xu Mo nodded without saying much.
Then, led by Han Fei, the group crossed the police line and went up the mountain.
The police officers guarding the mountain path saw that it was Han Fei and his team, knowing they were helpers called in by the bureau, so they let them pass without any hindrance.
It was already around 6 PM in the evening.
Whether it was due to the dimming light or the presence of a dead body on the mountain, the entire mountain looked particularly eerie.
Soon, they arrived at the site where the body had been dumped.
Before they even got close, an overwhelmingly foul odor hit them.
Xu Mo couldn't help but frown, feeling his stomach churn uncontrollably.
He wasn't afraid of corpses, but this smell was just too strong. It invaded his nostrils, making his head buzz.
He had no choice but to deliberately slow down his breathing to prevent himself from throwing up.
It wasn't just Xu Mo; even experienced people like Han Fei felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Many police officers were surrounding the body.
More than half of them had turned pale and were shaking after seeing the body.
The more severe cases were leaning against nearby trees, vomiting.
This was a double assault on both sight and smell. Few people without experience could resist it.
Seeing these officers who were scared and nauseated, Han Fei turned his head to look at Xu Mo beside him.
If things went as expected, Xu Mo's state after seeing the body should be similar to these officers.
Although he was a bit worried about Xu Mo's condition, Han Fei felt a strange sense of satisfaction rising in his heart.
In the past, it was always Xu Mo playing tricks on him. This time, he could finally see Xu Mo in a difficult situation!
Before they even got close to the body, a police officer recognized Han Fei.
He immediately informed Captain Wang, who was in charge of this case.
"Captain Wang, Captain Han is here."
Hearing this, Captain Wang, who was carefully observing the surroundings for any clues, looked up in the direction the officer was pointing.
Seeing Han Fei, he quickly greeted him.
"Captain Han, you're here."
As he looked up, Captain Wang also noticed that half of the officers he had brought were vomiting. He felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head.
"Sorry for the unseemly sight, Captain Han. They're all rookies. The higher-ups were rushing us this time, and we were short-handed in the Criminal Investigation Team, so I brought some new recruits."
"It's normal. We all went through this," Han Fei had no intention of mocking these officers. "Have you collected any clues so far?"
As he spoke, he moved closer to look at the body.
The corpse was severely decomposed and even had maggots, but one could still vaguely tell from the clothing and hair that it was a female body.
Captain Wang shook his head.
"The fingerprints and footprints we could collect at the scene all belong to the people who reported the case. They were hikers who came to camp in the mountains. They accidentally discovered the body buried in the soil while setting up camp and immediately reported it. They've been taken back to the station for statements. We initially estimate that they're not closely related to this matter. The forensic expert is on the way and should arrive soon."
"Can the victim's identity be confirmed?" Han Fei asked, rubbing his chin.
Captain Wang shook his head again.
"The body is highly decomposed, the face is completely gone. All we can tell is that the victim was female and has been dead for quite some time. We know nothing else. We'll have to wait for the forensic expert's examination to know more."
Han Fei didn't ask further.
No useful fingerprints or footprints were left at the scene.
The victim was still an unidentified female.
The difficulty of investigating the case had suddenly increased significantly.
They could only wait for the forensic expert to determine the victim's age and approximate time of death, then check the missing persons reports matching that time frame and age group to possibly identify the victim.
After briefly inquiring and understanding the situation, Han Fei suddenly remembered Xu Mo, whom he had brought along.
He instinctively turned his head to look at Xu Mo.
He saw Xu Mo calmly observing the body. Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be scared at all...
Han Fei was a bit confused.
This wasn't right!
How could Xu Mo not be afraid?
Just then, Shen Manyi, who had just finished vomiting and returned, patted Han Fei's shoulder.
"Captain Han, I can't take it anymore. My stomach doesn't feel well. I'll go back to the car first. I'm not good at examining crime scenes. You can call me when you need to interrogate suspects."
"Alright," Han Fei nodded.
For a moment, he was even more confused.
Shen Manyi was a psychology expert who had helped the police solve cases before.
If she couldn't handle this scene, how could Xu Mo be fine?
But what Han Fei didn't expect was yet to come.
He saw Xu Mo pinch his nose, walk up to the body, squat down, and start examining it very carefully.
Han Fei: "???"
It was one thing not to be afraid, but what was he doing now!?