Chapter 53: Shadows Beneath the Furnace

When the forensic specialist arrived, analysis revealed that the meat fragments inside the iron coffin were pork.

The Criminal Investigation Team immediately took full control of The Crematorium.

Internal staff, including the main leaders of The Crematorium, were put under strict surveillance.

For absent employees, the Criminal Investigation Team dispatched personnel to bring them back.

Anyone daring to resist or flee would be hunted down without mercy!

The Criminal Investigation Team’s storm-like operation left the Bincheng police system thoroughly rattled.

Soon after, when another piece of news broke, the higher-ups were left dumbfounded.

The Criminal Investigation Team opened the armory—excluding those without firearm permits.

Everyone was armed and ready to execute the mission!

The higher-ups couldn’t sit idle and began calling in one after another…

They even contacted the head of the Criminal Investigation Team to inquire about the situation.

Although the team leader was a scholar, he was just as ruthless.

Zhao Changshan was not only dependable but also fearless.

No matter who asked or what rank they held, the response was always limited to one word.

Operation stays classified!

Isn’t that bold?

In truth, the team leader’s audacity was a gamble, betting that the head detective could crack the case.

If they failed to solve this case against a state-owned enterprise, the entire Criminal Investigation Team would be finished.

At this point, what did he have to lose?

It was time to go all out.

After all, a person is only as good as his troops.

Zhao Changshan’s reckless nature had turned the entire team into a bunch of fools.

It was a life-or-death situation—if necessary, they’d even turn on one another!

……

Corpse Refining Room.

“Aren’t you about to say something?”

Xiao Yu stared calmly at the two employees whose faces were as pale as death.

The two employees: ……

They kept their heads down, faces ghostly, remaining silent.

“This is the fourth time.”

Standing before the cremation furnace, Xiao Yu’s expression grew troubled. “The first two times, I never imagined it; the third time, I thought of it but dismissed it. This time…”

What are you talking about?

The surrounding detectives, including Zhao Changshan, looked utterly confused.

None of them understood what Xiao Yu was implying.

But as soon as the two employees heard him, their faces turned deathly white.

“If I’m not mistaken, this cremation furnace hasn’t been used in at least four years, right?”

Xiao Yu rested his palm on the furnace handle, inspecting its polished surface. “Yet, judging by the wear, it seems to be used even more frequently than the one nearby. Why?”

Seasoned detectives are extremely sensitive to such inexplicable details.

Each one of them began to envision grim scenarios.

A furnace that isn’t used for cremation, yet still sees frequent use?

What have you done to the cremation furnace?

Xiao Yu slowly pulled open the furnace door.

Inside, as before, it was completely empty.

While not spotless, there were no traces of excessive burning.

In the next moment, Xiao Yu leaned forward, peering deep inside the furnace.

Everyone: ???

“Hey kid, are you some kind of demon?”

“Don’t you know this is for refining bodies?”

After four or five minutes, Xiao Yu retracted his upper body, frowning as he surveyed the surroundings.

Then his gaze fixed on a row of buttons on the wall.

Eureka!

These buttons controlled the cremation furnace.

They managed oil dumping, ignition, flame control, corpse flipping, and ash dispensing.

There were five buttons in total!

Xiao Yu’s eyes remained fixed on the ‘Corpse Flipping’ button.

The other four buttons were lightly dusted.

But that button shone brightly, marked by the wear of countless uses.

What could that mean?

Without any hesitation, Xiao Yu pressed the button.

Buzz!

A mechanical hum resonated from within the furnace.

All eyes were glued to the interior.

Inside, a thick iron plate slowly rotated.

Normally, it would flip the corpse for more effective cremation.

But now, something was off—the entire plate turned 180 degrees, revealing its opposite side.

Was something wrong?

Yes.

Every face present stared in utter shock.

At that moment, as the plate flipped, a vast, dark chasm emerged underneath, its depth unfathomable!

Why was this a problem?

Isn’t it obvious?

If the corpse were flipped like this during cremation…

Wouldn’t it just plunge into that enormous chasm?

Wait… plunge in?

The cremation furnace showed no signs of heavy usage—would the corpse really fall once placed inside?

Is this even a true cremation furnace?

Thud!

One employee collapsed to the ground, leaving a wet patch beneath him.

That shock must have made him lose control!

The detectives narrowed their eyes.

What kind of terror could make someone completely lose it?

“We’re going to dig right down to see what’s under this cremation furnace!”

Zhao Changshan spoke coldly.

“Yes!” came the unified roar.

“No need to complicate things.”

Xiao Yu frowned. “Since there seems to be a hidden realm beneath the furnace, it must extend underground. Everyone, search for any passageways—like drainage covers or similar structures.”

In previous searches, it wasn’t due to a lack of thoroughness.

Who would have thought a crematorium could hide such mechanical trickery?

An hour later, a passage into the underground of the crematorium was discovered.

Not within the crematorium itself, but outside.

In the storage room of a garage.

There, three large freezers were found.

When they arrived, the freezers were opened.

Inside, three corpses were arranged.

Xiao Yu’s face turned as cold as ice, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Those damned beasts!