MTLNOVEL Chapter 149 Extremely Brutal Death_2
Do you think this is some detective novel written by a second-rate author?
Even Dean was somewhat speechless. "Holz, it's nearly impossible to suffocate oneself. The body has a will of its own."
This 'will' is the body's instinct for self-preservation.
Essentially, even if the consciousness no longer wants to live, the body believes it can still be saved. It ignores the consciousness's control and makes involuntary reactions...
So, holding one's breath to commit suicide is almost unachievable. Humans have their limits.
Dean leaned towards the theory that Mike Smith had suffered a complete mental and physical breakdown, the agony of which led to suffocation.
In any case, Mike Smith died a torturous death.
This made Dean even more certain of his hypothesis: the killer harbored an intense hatred for Mike Smith!
He looked at Holz. "By the way, that Akita dog, have you checked on its condition?"
Holz, clearly enjoying the disgusted expressions on Old Hunter and the others' faces, grinned and was about to click open another folder.
Old Hunter quickly intervened. "Holz, just tell us directly! Showing us makes it too easy to vividly imagine, and it's not pleasant!"
"The Lieutenant's right!" Harry glared fiercely at Holz. "If you dare show that dead dog's photo again, I swear I'll treat you to a meal of maggot-infested rice!"
"Wow, high in protein. Probably wouldn't taste bad with a bit of mustard or ketchup," Holz retorted.
BLECH! Harry clapped a hand over his mouth and fled the projection room.
Having successfully driven Harry out, Holz contentedly began to present the Akita's autopsy results.
"The Akita died approximately 15 to 20 days ago. Its body showed over thirty marks from torture instruments. All its bones were shattered, its internal organs were damaged, and it died from excessive blood loss.
"Here's the interesting part: essentially, all the types of wounds found on the Akita were also present on Mike Smith's body.
"That gave me an idea. I extracted some genetic material from within Mike Smith's wounds. Although the quantity was insufficient for a full profile, it was confirmed not to be human."
Hearing this, it dawned on Old Hunter. "Holz, are you suggesting that Mike Smith tortured this dog to death, and then the dog's owner found him and retaliated by torturing Mike Smith in the exact same way, using the same methods and tools?"
Holz nodded.
"Pretty much.
"Don't forget, Mike Smith was meticulously positioned in a kneeling posture of repentance.
"He was facing the exact spot where the dog was buried.
"Moreover, the place where he died was a spot students often snuck into, seeking the thrill of secluded outdoor encounters.
"It's not a hidden place at all.
"That's why, even though Mike Smith died around three or four in the morning, his body was discovered by a little after six.
"I examined the soil from the dog's grave. After it was buried, there were signs its grave had been disturbed, but this occurred around the time of the burial, not recently. About half a month later, Mike Smith died in the same place, kneeling towards the dog's corpse.
"The killer clearly had time to choose a different location to hide Mike Smith's body, yet chose this spot. This suggests the killer wasn't concerned about the body being discovered; their sole intention was to make Mike Smith kneel in repentance.
"So, there's a high probability that the killer is the dog's owner!"
Watching Holz speak so confidently, Dean stroked his chin and asked curiously, "Buddy, what's gotten into you? You don't usually go beyond your duties to delve into crime scene analysis or criminal psychological deduction like a detective."
He had a feeling this weirdo was trying to imitate his way of working and speaking today.
"I also find it strange. It's almost like..." Old Hunter narrowed his eyes, then looked at Dean with a peculiar expression. "This Holz today is like a bargain-bin version of you, Dean!"
Same forensic skills, same knack for psychological deduction...
Apart from not being as tall, handsome, well-built, or... well, didn't possess Dean's other imposing external attributes, Holz's way of speaking and acting today indeed had a strange feeling of deliberate imitation.
Robert glanced at Holz, then at Dean, and nodded firmly. "The Lieutenant's right. You're definitely imitating Dean, Holz. Are you thinking of transferring to the Homicide Division?"
Holz spread his hands. "Alright, you got me. I'm genuinely sick of dealing with heaps of rotting corpses every day. Besides, I realized I'm capable of some of the things Dean does, so I figured I'd give it a shot."
The main thing is, being a forensic pathologist... well, it tends to creep people out.
In this godforsaken place, the only 'women' at his disposal daily were corpses... bloated from decomposition, missing hands and feet...
It's a long story.
"If you want a transfer, you're welcome, but right now we need to deal with this case first!" Dean clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "This Akita was buried near the university. Normally, if an owner wants to prevent their dog from being caught and disposed of by dog catchers, they'd definitely get it microchipped for identification."
Holz nodded. "Yes, I did find an identity chip on its remains."
As he spoke, he took a transparent bag from the projection table.
Inside the bag was a small, cylindrical, transparent electronic chip, about the size of a baby's little finger.
This device wasn't a GPS tracker, but it stored some basic information about the dog.
If dog control caught it, they could scan the chip to see it had an owner and contact them. If the owner lived far away, they'd also have to pay a retrieval fee.
This discovery excited Old Hunter and the others immensely!
"Who's the dog's owner?"
Holz's expression was strange. "Mike Smith... The dog was his."
"That's perfectly normal," Dean chuckled. "If you were the dog's owner, and you wanted to get revenge for your dog, would you deliberately pose the victim's body kneeling at your dog's burial site and *not* remove the ID chip from your dog's remains?"
That's like handing them a signed confession.
An ordinary criminal might make that kind of mistake.
But someone capable of inflicting hundreds of torture wounds of varying depths on a person, without killing them, absolutely wouldn't make such a blunder.
Because anyone skilled in anatomy inevitably cultivates certain valuable habits.
Like attention to detail, precision, meticulous observation, and so on!
That's why, from the beginning, Dean suspected the killer wasn't the dog's owner.
Holz wasn't stupid either.
Hearing Dean's words, the smug look he'd worn just moments before completely vanished.
He tossed the bag back and sighed. "Alright, you've got a point. But a killer like this wouldn't do things without reason. That inhuman torture wasn't faked. I've only ever heard of that kind of frenzy in connection with extremist cultists."
Cultists!
Dean recalled the old scars on Mike Smith's body, seemingly from ancient torture implements. An idea struck him. "Holz," he began, "what if Mike Smith himself was a cultist? That would explain the numerous old scars. Perhaps he violated some cult doctrine and was punished by his enraged comrades?"
Holz shook his head, explaining,
"Dean, modern cults usually mark their members with distinctive tattoos on some part of the body to foster a sense of belonging. But Mike Smith's body is covered in a dense network of scars, with no sign of any tattoos!"
Dean shook his head. "Holz, you're mistaken. Scars *are* the ultimate tattoos!"
"Here's the plan: you check for any relevant information here in the Forensics Department. I'll take the guys to search Mike Smith's residence for clues.
"I have a hunch this case is going to be more complicated than we initially thought."
Holz nodded, looking somewhat dejected.
He realized that, compared to Dean, he truly was just a bargain-basement imitation.
「Leaving the Forensics Department.」
The team split into two groups.
Old Hunter took Robert to the university where Mike Smith had taught. Their aim was to find some of his graduate students and inquire about Mike Smith's personal life and background.
Meanwhile, Dean and Harry drove directly to Mike Smith's home in Los Angeles.