<h4>Chapter 23</h4>


    The next day, after receiving counseling from a professional psychologist, Ye Zeling''s condition had improved significantly.


    Fang Rui and Zhang took her statement.


    Ye Zeling was already twenty-seven years old, but her mental maturity seemedcking. Not only did she speak in a childish, coquettish voice, but hernguage was also disorganized and illogical.


    Before Zhang could even begin questioning, Ye Zeling, with puffy eyes, started using: "It was Lin Lan who killed my brother! Lin Lan is an extremely vicious woman. My brother..."


    "Miss Ye, please calm down first," Zhang interrupted her endlessment. "Answer only what I ask, and don''t over-borate. Do you understand?"


    "Okay."


    "Did you report the fire?"


    "That morning, I received a call from my brother, so I came over to see him. As soon as I entered the vi''s gate, I saw my brother standing by the window. I was about to greet him when I saw the entire vi catch fire. In no time, my brother was engulfed in mes."


    "Are you sure it was your brother you saw?"


    "It should... be. Although I didn''t see clearly, it was my brother. I wouldn''t mistake him," Ye Zeling tried hard to recall the scene. "It was my brother. I couldn''t have been wrong. He even waved at me."


    Fang Rui asked, "Why do you think your brother was murdered?"


    "My brother''s vi was equipped with the most advanced fire prevention system. Even if a fire broke out, the intelligent system would automatically extinguish it. How could such a severe fire ur? Someone must have deliberately set the fire! It must have been Lin Lan. She knew theyout of my brother''s house very well. She must have disabled the system in advance!"


    Zhang reminded her, "But Lin Lan has an alibi. When the fire urred, she was involved in a traffic ident. The traffic police can verify this. Don''t make baseless usations in the future. It''s nder and damages Lin Lan''s reputation!"


    "The murderer isn''t Lin Lan...?"


    "How was your brother''s rtionship with Lin Lan? How did they break up?"


    "My brother didn''t like Lin Lan, but that bitch was like a leech, always clinging to my brother. She was just after my brother''s money. That woman is extremely vicious. She even killed my favorite pet dog. Wah, that was my favorite Teddy..."


    "Why did they break up?"


    "My brother didn''t love her, so he dumped her. A woman like her doesn''t deserve my brother!"


    Zhang continued to ask, "Did your brother have any new girlfriends after breaking up with Lin Lan?"


    Ye Zeling''s expression changed momentarily, and she immediately denied it: "No, my brother said he would never have another girlfriend. The harm that evil woman Lin Lan caused him was too great. He would never fall in love with another woman!"


    Fang Rui asked, "Miss Ye, besides Ye Zeming, do you have any other siblings?"


    "Why do you ask that? I only have this one brother. Where would other siblingse from?"


    "Your father seems to have had an illegitimate child. Did you know about this?"


    "An illegitimate child? Impossible! My father passed away when I was very young. How could he possibly have other children?" Ye Zeling seemed to realize something. "Did Lin Lan say this? She''s apulsive liar. There''s not a word of truth from her mouth. Don''t believe her!"


    After Ye Zeling left, Fang Rui fell into deep thought. Both Ye Zeling and Lin Lan had received calls from the deceased, and both were asked toe to his house. Was this a coincidence?


    "Has the deceased''s phone been found?"


    "Yes, it''s in the evidence bag. However, the entire phone was badly burned in the fire. The data inside might not be recoverable."


    "Ask the Technical Department to check it and see if there are any clues."


    "Understood!"


    Case analysis meeting.


    The DNA test results of the deceased hade out, indicating that the deceased was rted to Ye Zeling.


    Zhang briefly introduced the case:


    "The deceased is named Ye Zeming, 33 years old, and worked as a sculptor. The fire urred around 9:30 this morning. The first person to discover the fire was the deceased''s sister, Ye Zeling.


    ording to Ye Zeling''s description, she first received a call from her brother, then went to her brother''s vi to see him, only to find the entire vi on fire. An explosion urred shortly after."


    Zhang continued, "Around 9 AM this morning, the deceased''s neighbor saw him making a phone call by the window. The deceased''s ex-girlfriend also received a call from him around 9 AM, proving that the deceased was still alive at that time. Therefore, the time of death should be between 9 AM and 10 AM."


    Mu Mian interrupted, "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he should have already been dead at that time. It''s impossible for him to make phone calls to the outside world."


    "But there''s a phone recording as evidence. We''ve let Ye Zeming''s sister listen to it, and she''s certain that it''s her brother''s voice."


    Mu Mian interrupted again, "Does Ye Zeling have any other male rtives? Around thirty to thirty-five years old?"


    "Dr. Mu, why do you ask that?"


    "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he couldn''t have been alive at 9 AM on the day of the incident!"


    Mu Mian exined, "The burns and limb fractures on the deceased''s body show no vital reaction, proving that the deceased was already dead when the fire and explosion urred.


    When a person has just died, the cells still have vitality, so the wounds would still show bleeding, blood clotting, and other vital reactions. But his wounds show none of these, proving that the deceased had been dead for at least three hours before the fire urred."


    Everyone was shocked. The forensic autopsy results contradicted the information they had gathered from their investigation.


    Chen Xue analyzed, "Could it be that the immense force of the explosion caused the deceased to die rapidly, and the high-temperature burning resulted in no vital reactions in the wounds?"


    "But the deceased didn''t die from traumatic shock caused by limb separation.


    Preliminary judgment suggests that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation. We can''t determine exactly how the asphyxiation urred at this point, but we can at least prove that it''s unrted to the fire and explosion. This is because no soot was found in the deceased''s nasal cavity, throat, or lungs.


    Furthermore, we found a wound on the back of the deceased''s head in the ipital area. There were bleeding points at the wound site, indicating that the wound was inflicted while the deceased was still alive."


    The people present fell silent for a moment. They had initially thought this was just an ordinary ident, but if someone had deliberately staged the fire scene, then this was a murder case.


    Zhang asked, "But how do we exin that several people saw Ye Zeming before the fire?"


    Mu Mian said, "Either there''s a problem with the deceased''s identity, or there''s a problem with their eyes."


    "Now that the deceased''s identity has been confirmed, and he''s rted to Ye Zeling, he must be Ye Zeming. Could it be that all those witnesses had a collective hallucination? Did they see a fake Ye Zeming?"


    Fang Rui interrupted, "Having a blood rtion doesn''t necessarily mean he''s Ye Zeming. Lin Lan mentioned that Ye Zeling has a half-brother. We can''t be certain that the deceased is Ye Zeming."


    Mu Mian agreed, "That''s right. The DNA test can only prove that they''re rted. Ye Zeming''s house has beenpletely burned down, so we can''t find any uncontaminated DNA samples from his home."


    Zhang had a sudden idea, "We could look at Lin Lan''s house. She''s the deceased''s ex-girlfriend. She must have some of his personal belongings at her ce. There might be his hair or skin cells on them."


    "But we can''t confirm whether the samples we obtain are Ye Zeming''s."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian, "Dr. Mu, do you have a way to confirm the deceased''s identity?"


    "Of course!" Mu Mian opened a photo showing the deceased''s oral cavity. "I discovered that his lower left wisdom tooth had been extracted. The root of that tooth is close to the nerve, so a CT scan of the oral cavity is necessary to extract a tooth in that position."


    Mu Mian continued, "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he must have a record of tooth extraction, and we should be able to obtain his dental X-rays topare with the deceased''s teeth. The shape of human teeth is unique and can be used to prove the deceased''s identity."