Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Episode 9 Recap
> Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Recap
After being presented with the autopsy report, Xie Hao finally admitted to the killing of his father. He recounted how he had proposed taking a loan to expand their factory business, which would also help cover his father's medical expenses. However, his father refused and became agitated, striking Xie Hao. Enraged, Xie Hao retaliated by grabbing his father's hair and repeatedly slamming his head against the ground. When he checked for nasal breathing, his father seemed to have stopped breathing.
Panicked, Xie Hao hid the body in the reed pond. Qin Ming explained that checking for nasal breathing, as often depicted on television, is misleading because a very faint breath is often undetectable by touch. He noted that Xie Hao's father had not yet died at that point, and lamented that Xie Hao's actions were another consequence of being misinformed by such portrayals. Da Bao then pondered aloud whether kinship sometimes proves to be less significant than money.
Later, at Chi Zi’s restaurant, Lin Tao complained that his "Babe" was not answering his calls, jokingly blaming criminals for disrupting his personal life. Da Bao, having never seen "Babe," even questioned her existence, a doubt echoed by Qin Ming. Lin Tao clarified that "Babe" had initially agreed to join them but became angry after he missed her calls due to a lack of signal in the reed pond.
He then playfully teased Qin Ming and Da Bao, prompting Qin Ming to share a statistic about the high failure rate of relationships between people in the same field. That evening, Da Bao received a package from Qin Ming containing clothes he had personally sewn, which she found beautiful. She humorously speculated about Qin Ming's sexual orientation. The following day, Da Bao arrived at the police station sporting her new outfit, a wig, and high heels.
The officers were visibly surprised by her transformation, with one asking if she had "eaten the wrong medicine." Da Bao, unfazed, asked if they had an issue with her new style, concluding that the officer lacked fashion sense. Meanwhile, Gu Feng was seen repetitively throwing a tennis ball against a wall, softly apologizing with each bounce. He ignored his grandfather's calls for dinner, which angered the elder, who then entered, scolded Gu Feng for being idle, and struck him.
Gu Feng defiantly claimed he never sought his grandfather's care and would rather starve, then stormed out, slamming the door. His grandmother, chasing after him, saw blue flames and cried out, "Will-o'-the-wisp! There's a ghost!" Gu Feng, however, ran towards the flames, calling out, "Da Lu, I have wronged you." Lin Tao informed the team that reports of blue flames, believed to be "will-o'-the-wisp," appearing on a lake had gone viral.
Da Bao, dismissing supernatural beliefs, explained the scientific basis: human bodies contain phosphorus, which, upon decomposition after burial, can convert to phosphine, a gas that spontaneously combusts on contact with oxygen. She added that air pressure changes around a moving body could make the flames appear to follow. Lin Tao then questioned the phenomenon's likelihood, noting that phosphorus's ignition point is 40 degrees Celsius, a temperature unlikely at night.
Qin Ming concluded that with widespread cremation, the chances of a natural "will-o'-the-wisp" are practically zero, suggesting any sighting implies a decomposed corpse. A new murder case was reported, marked by a strong, foul odor emanating from a garbage bin. Da Bao and Qin Ming arrived, and Da Bao initially remarked on the severe decomposition implied by the smell. However, she was puzzled by the victim's left foot, which appeared fresh.
Qin Ming confirmed the body was highly decomposed and slightly skeletonized, but the left foot exhibited a very distinct, strange dividing line five centimeters above the ankle, a phenomenon he had never encountered before. The body, which was removed from the bin, was identified as a child. A police officer informed Lin Tao that the bin was in a neglected dead-end corner, having been unused since a new garbage station opened.
Among the gathered onlookers, some children identified the deceased as Lu Zhen, pointing out a birthmark on his abdomen. Lin Tao questioned them, leading to a child named Gu Feng, who was identified as Lu Zhen's close friend. Lin Tao brought Gu Feng in for questioning. In the autopsy room, Da Bao observed the child's severely decomposed body, noting mature maggots. Qin Ming detailed the victim's partially skeletonized face and decayed limbs, with exposed subcutaneous tissue.
He reiterated the unusual preservation of the left foot below the distinct dividing line. Based on the decomposition, Qin Ming estimated the death occurred about five days prior but found the sheer number of flies and maggots unusually high, even for a body found in a garbage bin. Lin Tao questioned a nervous Gu Feng about Lu Zhen's life.
Gu Feng confirmed their close friendship, explaining that Lu Zhen's parents were divorced, his father was working out of town, and he lived with his stepmother and her younger son. When asked about enemies, Gu Feng mentioned a thug named Li Li, nicknamed "Huang Mao," who collected protection money and had recently fought with Lu Zhen. However, Gu Feng denied seeing Lu Zhen on June 19th.
The victim was confirmed as Lu Zhen, a 13-year-old Longfan City No. 2 Middle School student, missing for five days. Continuing the autopsy, Qin Ming firmly declared it a homicide. He explained that despite severe decomposition, the clustering of maggots indicated numerous wounds.
He identified four distinct types of injuries: a laceration on the brow bone likely caused by a left-handed punch, oval wounds on the arms and sides, U-shaped wounds on the abdomen and lower extremities, and abrasions on the lower back, some post-mortem from dragging the body. Qin Ming deduced that the body being dragged rather than carried suggested a perpetrator lacking significant strength. Ruling out asphyxiation, they examined stomach contents, with Da Bao detecting the scent of spicy hot pot.
Qin Ming estimated death occurred four to five hours after Lu Zhen's last meal. The cause of death was determined to be traumatic splenic rupture leading to hemorrhagic shock. Qin Ming noted the varied injuries pointed to a cruel killer, possibly multiple perpetrators, and expressed concern that the five-day delay would make finding the killer challenging. Lin Tao then led a team to apprehend Li Li, who tried to escape but was caught.
During interrogation, Li Li confessed to punching Lu Zhen in the face a few times on June 19th after Lu Zhen was found collecting protection money in his territory. Li Li claimed Lu Zhen, despite bleeding, seemed fine afterward and was shocked to learn of his death. He then implicated Pang Chao, alleging he had hit Lu Zhen much harder. Police subsequently investigated Pang Chao, a student at Longfan No. 2 Middle School and the son of a city official.
Qin Ming noted that Pang Chao, being left-handed, was consistent with the brow bone laceration. Pang Chao was located at a nearby boxing gym. He admitted that Lu Zhen was his sparring partner, paid 50 yuan per session. He confirmed boxing with Lu Zhen on June 19th and then treating him to hot pot, recalling Lu Zhen saying he was leaving. Pang Chao denied any responsibility for Lu Zhen's death, emphasizing that boxers maintain proper control.
Back at the lab, Qin Ming and Da Bao experimented with a boxing glove and a sandbag, confirming that the depressions left by the glove matched the oval-shaped wounds on Lu Zhen's body. Da Bao questioned Pang Chao further about Lu Zhen's motivation for being a sparring partner. Pang Chao revealed that Lu Zhen was desperate for money to buy a train ticket to leave.
When Pang Chao offered an extra 50 yuan to know his destination, Lu Zhen refused to disclose it. While Lin Tao, Qin Ming, and Da Bao were eating boxed meals by the roadside, Da Bao teased Qin Ming about his fastidiousness with food and then shared her gloomy outlook on life, citing the need to save money to support her parents. She lamented that none of Lu Zhen's family had shown up despite his tragic death.
Qin Ming responded somberly that not all families are fortunate, and an unfortunate fate is common and inescapable, to which Da Bao urged him to be less pessimistic. They discussed that while some of the child's injuries had been explained, many others, particularly the mysterious dividing line on the ankle, remained a puzzle. At Lu Zhen's home, the team met his stepmother and younger, limping stepbrother.
The stepmother expressed her grief and worry about telling Lu Zhen's absent father about his death. Qin Ming observed a photo of Lu Zhen and Gu Feng, confirming their friendship. He then found a hidden photo of an unknown woman in the frame, suspecting it was Lu Zhen's biological mother, with "Kunming" written on the back.
The stepmother explained that her younger son's limp was the result of a car accident six months prior when Lu Zhen had taken him out to play. As they departed, Da Bao cast a thoughtful glance at the stepmother's high heels.
