Chapter 54: The Unthinkable: Bodies, Theft, and Conspiracy

How low can a human sink?

This remains an unsolvable mystery.

Because, in the end, every despicable act you can imagine is committed by humans.

Defiling a deceased’s body crosses every line of decency.

The enraged expressions on the detectives’ faces and the palpable tension in the air revealed just how furious they were!

The manhole cover on the ground had been pried open, and Xiao Yu stepped inside.

Below lay a long corridor.

The passage led straight beneath the cremation furnace of the Corpse Refining Room.

There was also a small storage room along the underground passage.

Inside stood a large freezer filled with pig bones!

A complete chain of clues quickly formed in Xiao Yu’s mind.

From start to finish, his deductions had been spot on.

The Crematorium had substituted the bodies, using pig bones to forge ashes to fool the families.

The switching method was hardly subtle; it was crude and straightforward.

They banked on the fact that the families wouldn’t bother to verify the ashes.

Every step of the criminal operation was laid out plainly.

Case solved?

No, it wasn’t over yet!

What was the crematorium’s ultimate goal in stealing the bodies?

Where did all those bodies end up?

Based on a report from four years ago, it was clear that this criminal scheme had been going on for a long time.

Just how many bodies had they swapped?

And where were these corpses being transported?

The case was enormous.

So massive it was almost earth-shattering!

When it comes to the dead, size matters.

In an ancient nation with a long heritage, that is no laughing matter.

When Zhao Changshan reported to his superiors, he explained that the case might involve over a thousand, possibly even several thousand corpses.

The exact number was still under investigation during interrogations.

The top brass at the City Bureau were stunned.

Over a thousand corpses?

How could that be?

No, how dare these criminals!

Shaken by the news, the City Bureau immediately reported to the Provincial Department.

Soon after… word reached the highest levels!

This involved thousands of corpses—even though they were the deceased.

But remember: whether alive or dead, every individual is still a person!

Due to the gravity of the case, top City Bureau leaders personally arrived on the scene.

Shortly thereafter, the Armed Police were deployed to encircle the entire crematorium.

They didn’t just surround it—they sealed off any and all access, locking down all information.

Imagine the repercussions if details of this case got out!

That night…

Staff from the Provincial Department arrived.

At midnight,

officials from the Capital City descended onto the scene.

National Security was mobilized!

Looking at the five National Security officers before him, Xiao Yu remained noticeably calm.

The theft of over a thousand corpses was utterly scandalous.

If they hadn’t intervened, it would have been a real nightmare.

So many leaders assembled that Xiao Yu didn’t even have the privilege of standing at the front.

Hadn’t he noticed his boss Zhao Changshan crouched off to the side?

People only realize the terror of their actions once it’s too late.

Back when Zhao Changshan led investigations, he would strut around half-naked, brash and bold.

But once the truth of a case emerged, even he was shaken!

After all, he had spent a lifetime as a cop, handling special cases many times before.

Yet in a case like this, who had ever experienced anything like it?

Even the subsequent investigations hit a snag, leaving everyone at a loss as to how to handle it.

A pressing question now loomed over everyone:

How did these men manage to steal so many bodies?

And what did they do with them?

The Manager of the Crematorium finally spoke up.

In a case like this, did you really expect a polite, courteous interrogation?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Xiao Yu recalled how the once slightly cocky Manager now trembled in the interrogation chair, completely unhinged.

It was clear he was utterly defeated, barely holding together.

Although it was hard to tell what kind of interrogation he had been subjected to,

once the National Security officers had questioned him, he was transformed into this state…

“Smuggling corpses?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes turned as cold as ice, hardly believing it as he glared at the National Security officers. “They actually smuggled them?!”

Smuggling corpses—it sounds like a joke, doesn’t it?

But it isn’t.

Due to the scarcity and uniqueness of corpses, every single one is immensely valuable.

At their peak, prices abroad soared to over one hundred thousand dollars per body.

Corruption cases involving the sale of corpses are too numerous to count.

Smuggling corpses is nothing out of the ordinary.

Sometimes the profits even surpass those from drug trafficking, yet the crimes are seen as far less severe.

In a high-profit, low-risk illegal industry like this, who wouldn’t be tempted?

The answer speaks for itself!

“Mm.”

The National Security officer shot Xiao Yu a smile.

In his early forties, he looked unremarkable, dressed plainly and of average height, with a kind, friendly smile.

Such a person would easily go unnoticed in a crowd.

Xiao Yu understood the saying that quiet humility often masks hidden strengths.

That an unassuming, ordinary-looking National Security officer might actually be extraordinary!

“You called me here because…”

Xiao Yu blinked.

He had discovered the case himself; though it wasn’t completely solved yet,

a case of this magnitude was beyond what a small-time cop like him should handle.

Even Zhao Changshan, the head of the Criminal Investigation Team, lacked the authority in this matter.

The case was now in National Security’s hands!