CORPSE WHISPERER

I looked beyond the police tape. Two girls stood there – one plump, the other slender. The thin girl was the one who had spoken. She covered her mouth, tears streaming as she wiped them away.

Huang Xiaotao walked over to them. "Did you know the deceased?"

The thin girl cried even harder. The plump girl answered, "Know him? Fangfang and Zhang Kai had been dating for two years."

The thin girl, Fangfang, was utterly distraught. Huang Xiaotao had an officer bring a folding chair, but Fangfang refused to sit. We waited until her sobs subsided before Huang Xiaotao asked, "When was the last time you saw the deceased?"

"Last night. We were together." Fresh tears rolled down Fangfang's face. "But I'm certain! The one who killed him was a ghost!"

She began recounting the events of the previous night—

Her name was Fangfang. The plump girl was Tiantian. The deceased was Zhang Kai. There was another boy, Deng Chao. The four of them were inseparable friends, spending all their time together.

Deng Chao had recently secured a guaranteed spot for graduate studies at the university. To celebrate, he treated the other three to a big dinner off-campus last night. During the meal, everyone drank some alcohol, and the conversation turned to the campus legend about the haunted abandoned teaching building.

It was said that ten years ago, a campus beauty queen had died inside that building. Her body had been dismembered and hidden inside a piano. Ever since, late at night when all was quiet, terrifying piano music would inexplicably drift from the building.

...

...

Those who knew music listened carefully and were shocked to recognize the piece: it was the Moonlight Sonata – the beauty queen's favorite piece to play while she was alive!

During this time, skeptical security guards, armed with flashlights, ventured into the classroom where the music originated late at night to investigate. But their terrified screams would echo through half the campus. Afterwards, they were found insane, muttering repeatedly: "The female ghost is playing... the female ghost is playing..."

The building was quickly sealed off by the university administration under some pretext. But everyone knew the real reason: it was haunted!

Liquid courage flowed. After a bottle of baijiu, Zhang Kai and Deng Chao made a bet. If Deng Chao dared to explore the abandoned building, Zhang Kai would give him five thousand yuan.

So, the four of them entered the building late at night. Sure enough, in a music classroom, they saw the legendary piano. Deng Chao sat down triumphantly, demanding Zhang Kai pay up. But Zhang Kai reneged, insisting Deng Chao had to stay there all night for the bet to count.

Deng Chao, naturally competitive, immediately agreed. No one could dissuade him. They had no choice but to leave him there alone.

No sooner had they stepped out than the terrifying strains of the Moonlight Sonata began behind them! They rushed back to the music room. A long-haired female ghost in white sat playing the piano. Deng Chao stood beside her like a lost soul. Zhang Kai tried to rush in and save Deng Chao, but something slashed his hand.

The room was crisscrossed with countless sharp piano wires, flying like the ghost's hair!

As the final note of the sonata echoed, Deng Chao suddenly swayed, then collapsed. His head tumbled gruesomely from his shoulders. The three survivors fled the building like madmen.

Both girls had been severely traumatized last night, hiding under their blankets and crying. This morning, they planned to report the incident, only to hear a body had been discovered on campus.

They thought it was Deng Chao's body. But when they rushed here, they found Zhang Kai hanging from a tree!

Fangfang was terrified out of her wits. Seeing me reveal a woman's palm print on Zhang Kai's body just now convinced her it was the ghost's doing – that she had forced Zhang Kai to kill himself. According to an older student, anyone who interrupted the ghost's performance would incur her wrath and be killed!

After finishing her story, Fangfang added, "First Deng Chao, then Zhang Kai... Next will be me and Tiantian! Wuwu... No one can escape! No one can escape!" She broke down crying again. Tiantian patted her shoulder, comforting her softly.

We were stunned. What seemed like a straightforward suicide concealed such a horrific campus legend.

Huang Xiaotao asked, "You saw your classmate's head being cut off by the female ghost?"

"Yes!" Fangfang nodded emphatically.

"And his body is still in that abandoned building?"

"It should be!"

Huang Xiaotao immediately said, "Song Yang, come with me to check."

"Can I come too?" Wang Dali asked.

"Who are you?" Huang Xiaotao sniffed coldly.

"I'm Wang Dali, Song Yang's..."

I nudged him with my elbow. "Assistant!"

"Right, right! I'm his indispensable assistant! Song Yang literally can't function without me!" Wang Dali shamelessly inflated his importance. I nearly laughed aloud. 'Can't function without me'? People might think I was gay!

Huang Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Alright, you can come too. But since you're involved in this case, you follow my orders."

"You're in charge," I nodded.

"Three rules! First: until the case is solved, you absolutely cannot tell anyone outside this investigation that you're assisting. Second: you cannot disclose case progress to anyone except me – not even other investigators. Third: no withholding information or clues from me!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang Dali gave a clumsy salute, mimicking Hong Kong cop movies.

This girl has strong control issues, I thought. But it was understandable. From her perspective, we were outsiders barging in. Without ground rules, any slip-up would be her responsibility.

Regardless, the chance to participate in an actual investigation thrilled me. My theoretical knowledge was solid, but practical opportunities were rare!

Huang Xiaotao called over a few officers to accompany us and arranged for the two girls to be taken care of. Seizing the opportunity, I decided to examine the body more thoroughly.

Wang Dali, knowing no one else, stuck close to me.

With the crowd around, I pressed my ear against the body's chest through the body bag, lightly tapping the ribs with my fingers. Wang Dali, unable to stay quiet, muttered about whether we should call another roommate for help, if the police provided lunch, and his burning question – did Huang Xiaotao have a boyfriend?

I shot him a look and gestured for silence. Wang Dali wisely covered his mouth.

My fingers tapped rhythmically as I listened intently to the sounds within the corpse. Then I turned the body over and listened to its back.

"What are you listening for? Does a dead man have a heartbeat?" Wang Dali asked nervously.

"I hear him saying, 'I died so tragically.' Want a listen?" I joked.

"No, no! You listen!" Wang Dali waved his hands frantically.

This technique was actually called "Echo Bone Listening" – a secret art from the Song family's Judge's Manuscript. Repeatedly tapping the ribs and spine creates echoes within the abdominal cavity, similar to bat echolocation. These echoes form a three-dimensional mental image of the internal organs, yielding valuable information.

Through Echo Bone Listening, I determined the time of death was roughly seven to eight hours prior. The lungs showed signs of contraction; spinal nerves had multiple tears. Cause of death was undoubtedly asphyxiation. Of course, I just wanted to double-check. Grandfather always said a true coroner must rely on what they see and hear firsthand.

After listening, I opened the body bag and pulled out the deceased's right hand. Earlier, while moving the body, I'd noticed a long, thin wound on the back of his hand, still bearing traces of adhesive from a band-aid – probably removed by Forensic Examiner Qin.

I hadn't examined it closely then. Now, looking carefully, the wound was indeed from a sharp object. Could it really be piano wire, as the girls claimed?

I cradled the dead hand before my eyes, closed them, then snapped them open, using my Piercing Sight to scrutinize it.

Wang Dali yelped and fell back on his behind. "Yang'er! What was that with your eyes just now? I swear I saw a red flash! Are you exhausted? Eyeballs bloodshot? Want me to get you some eye drops?"

I chuckled. "Get lost. Stop distracting me."

I focused intently. The back of the hand rapidly magnified in my vision. I could see individual pores and the cross-section of the wound with perfect clarity. I noticed minuscule particles embedded in the torn flesh, tinged a rusty red.

The injuring object was definitely metal. Rust on piano wire was plausible.

But strangely, the wound was shallower at the top and deeper at the bottom. It looked... like the victim had cut his own hand?