Pristine Darkness

Chapter 84

After the gruesome discovery of the previous chapter, more is revealed about the victims, their manner of death, and their background, as well as the cave where they were 'preserved'. No one could have anticipated that the truth would hit close to home for Jian Yao, who now has to deal with the resurfacing of some very unpleasant memories. Thankfully, she has Bo Jinyan beside her, and he knows just how to soothe and encourage her.

**********

Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Anks

**********

Bo Jinyan let out a soft, "Oh."

Jian Yao's face was also like ice. After a moment's stillness, she took his hand and said, "I'll bring you to take a 'look'."

The newest, and also the outermost corpse, was that of a man. The corpse appeared to be in the preliminary stages of decay, so the estimated time of death was deduced to be at least a month ago. His clothes were still intact - a semi-worn camouflage outfit. A pair of hiking boots was on his feet.

This man was tall, and the planes of his square-shaped face stood out sharply. He looked to be about forty years old. Jian Yao noted that his bones were thick and solid, and, from his appearance, it seemed he had died with his eyes wide open.

The butterfly behind him was brash and garishly beautiful, and looked like it was about to lightly flutter away.

"He is not an ordinary person," Jian Yao shared her gut feeling with Bo Jinyan. "He was definitely killed for a reason."

Bo Jinyan pulled on his gloves and touched the corpse's fingers and bones. Then, he nodded and said, "Ask the forensic pathologist to come over and check if there's anything out of the ordinary with this body."

The forensic pathologist quickly observed that there were several old stab wounds on the body, and the injuries had been quite severe. These did not seem to be the work of the killer but had probably already been present.

"That's somewhat interesting," Bo Jinyan concluded.

The second corpse was also that of a man. He had been dead for at least a year and the corpse was desiccated. Although he was of medium build, he had been strong and sturdy. The fingers on his right hand had been broken, and his right shoulder bore an old gunshot wound.

The butterfly behind him was pure black, both sinister and peaceful.

The third man had died even earlier, as evidenced by the extent of the corpse's desiccation. He had a nose ring and three thick gold chains, and was clad entirely in designer clothes. A wooden box had been placed beneath his feet, full of gold bars from XX bank.

"Check if the gold bars were stolen," Fang Qing exhorted a criminal investigator in a low voice.

The fourth corpse was that of a lady. Like Feng Yuexi, she was completely naked. From her bones, she looked to be in her thirties. However, the posture of her death was even more humiliating. Both legs had been spread open and lifted up. Her head had been raised so she looked up, and her hands were placed together on her chest in a posture of prayer. The wooden box beneath her contained a shrivelled human organ, recognisable as having been cut off a man.

Next to her was a man in his fifties. He had been positioned so he looked like he was kneeling in worship, and his head was bowed. The most important male organ had been cut off.

......

When it came to the ninth, tenth, and eleventh corpses, the situation was different.

They had all died at least ten years ago. There was an old man over seventy years old, and a young man and woman in their twenties. The butterfly paintings behind them were also blurred, and they had not been 'nailed' to the cave wall, but suspended. There were also no nails in their bodies. For some unknown reason, at first glance, the scene was especially serene.