Chapter 35: Examining the Corpse

“Got it. Hook up your mom and sister, meet us here—garage’s closing.”
“Alright, bro, you got it.” Dafu didn’t hesitate a second. He jumped in the car and sped back to the garage.

Wang Xiaoqiang climbed onto his Elora, revved the engine, and called out, “Dad, I’m stepping out—nobody leaves the orphanage under any circumstances.” With that, he floored it and tore toward the town hall. Less than five minutes later, he strode into the main hall, voice booming: “Who’s in charge here?”

A young girl flinched, then said, “Who exactly are you looking for? What’s going on? You can tell me first.”

Wang Xiaoqiang kept his tone low but firm. “I need the highest-ranking official here. This is urgent. You’re not authorized to make decisions—go get him.” The sheer weight of his presence silenced her. She’d only been on the job three months—green as grass.

After a long pause, she finally whispered, “Follow me.”

She led him upstairs to the third floor, the town hall offices. Three sharp knocks. A calm voice from inside: “Come in.”

He stepped through the door. The girl said, “Mayor Niu, this man has an emergency to report.”

Back in the old days, that kind of initiative would’ve gotten her fired on the spot. Who was she to decide who saw the mayor? But now? Wang Xiaoqiang didn’t care about protocol. He straightened up and said, “Mayor Niu, I’m Wang Xiaoqiang. I need to talk to you about something critical.”

Niu nodded slowly. “Wang Xiaoqiang… I’ve heard of you. Lots of people have mentioned you around here. Go ahead—what’s the emergency?”

No small talk. Straight to the point: “I’m not sure what I saw, but I need the town to immediately assemble doctors, forensic experts, or anyone with expertise in biology—someone to verify something. I don’t know if we even have such people here, but right now, I’m grasping at straws. Only these kinds of specialists can help.”

Niu’s brow knotted. “Young man, speak clearly. I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

Wang Xiaoqiang lowered his voice slightly. “I went into the city today. I saw dead bodies moving. I noticed it two days ago too—but I thought I was imagining things. Now I’m certain. I need those experts to perform autopsies. I want to know—has something changed in the dead? Something we don’t understand.”

The girl gasped, startled. “Ah!”

Wang Xiaoqiang ignored her. His eyes locked on Niu.

The mayor’s frown deepened. On the surface, it sounded insane. But he also knew one thing: reputation precedes a man. This kid had been among the first to enter the city after the collapse. He’d seen things others hadn’t. That’s why his name had reached the mayor’s ears.

After a long silence, Niu asked, “Are you sure you’re not just messing with me?”

“Sir,” Xiaoqiang shot back, “we just got hit by a bombing run a few days ago. Bodies everywhere. Do you really think I’d waste time playing games with you when I’ve got more important things to do?”

Niu paused. Yeah… no reason to mock someone like that right now.

“Xiao Li,” he said, “go find our hospital director.”

The girl bolted out the door.

Silence settled between the two men. They stared at each other—no words, but minds racing.

Twenty minutes passed. An elderly man with graying hair entered slowly.

Niu gestured to a chair. “Old Hao, sit. This young man may need your team’s help with some tests.”

The man sat down carefully. “I’ll follow the mayor’s orders. Young man, what exactly do you need?”

Wang Xiaoqiang said, “I need specialists to conduct autopsies on deceased bodies from the city. As many samples as possible. I don’t know exactly what to look for, but you should know—what does a normal corpse look like after several days? Compare it to what we’re seeing now. Find the differences.”

Old Hao frowned. “I’m not quite following you.” So Wang Xiaoqiang repeated everything he’d told the mayor.

Then Old Hao stood up abruptly. “This is ridiculous! Are you trying to give us extra work? Dead bodies don’t *change*—they rot. That’s how it works!”

Xiaoqiang stayed calm. “So, under normal conditions—how long does it take for a body to start decomposing?”

The question froze Old Hao mid-sentence.

Wang Xiaoqiang continued, “I’ve been watching the corpses in the city. The decay is way too slow—completely abnormal. And I swear I saw them move. You can call it crazy. Unscientific. But please—do a few autopsies. Let the evidence speak. If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize to both you and the mayor.”

Now, Niu was listening closely. This kid wasn’t rambling. His logic was tight, clear, methodical. This wasn’t just panic—it was concern backed by observation.

“Old Hao,” Niu said, “get a team together. Pull ten bodies from different locations across the city. Bring them back. I’ll be there myself.”

Old Hao didn’t argue. “Yes, sir.” He turned and left in a hurry.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood. “I won’t bother you further, Mayor. Hope I didn’t cause trouble.”

Niu laughed heartily. “You’re quite a character, young man. No matter how small the issue, it matters when it’s people’s lives. If you hear anything else, come straight to me.”

Xiaoqiang’s chest tightened. “Thank you, Mayor. I’ll be going now.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Wang Xiaoqiang turned and walked out. But instead of leaving, he waited by the front gate.

Twenty minutes later, a funeral home van rolled out of the town’s edge. Fifteen minutes after that, it returned with several bodies strapped to stretchers.

Niu came down the stairs, spotted Xiaoqiang still standing there, gave him a quick glance—and called out, “Still here, huh? Then come on. Let’s go see what’s happening.”

Xiaoqiang nodded and followed.

Old Hao took the lead. Within minutes, he opened the first corpse, slicing through the abdomen. His face darkened. He paused, studied the tissue, then began cutting deeper—muscle by muscle. Normally, after over a week, the body should be soft, bloated, reeking of decay. But this one? Dry. Almost fibrous. No signs of decomposition.

He secured the head with clamps, then used a saw to split open the skull. His frown deepened into a scowl.

Outside the room, Xiaoqiang saw the expression. His stomach dropped. Something was very wrong.

Old Hao examined the brain for a long moment. Then he moved on to the next body. After another silent inspection, he stepped out of the operating room, motioning for the other doctors to continue.

He looked at Xiaoqiang. Then turned to Niu.

“Report, Mayor,” he said. “Autopsy complete.”