Not only Lu Qingqing was thinking about this problem, but Hu Jia was also thinking about it.
First of all, Hu Jia did not believe in the existence of zombies, which meant that the group of zombies must have been impersonated by someone. Why did he attack Xiao Tao? And attack Steward Zhong?
Xiao Tao was severely injured by him, and Steward Zhong lost his life because of it. Did this have anything to do with his identity as a water man?
Why were the villagers indifferent when someone died in the village?
Why was this village short of water?
What was the deal with the human head that appeared at Lu Qingqing's bedside in the middle of the night?
All the villagers only mentioned zombies, but no one ever mentioned the human head.
Could it be that the human head appeared for the first time?
Was its purpose just to scare Lu Qingqing alone?
That didn't make sense.
Why scare only Lu Qingqing?
All of this exuded a sense of strangeness. It seemed that the answer still had to be found from Steward Zhong.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day after the incident. Hu Jia felt an uncontrollable anxiety. He became increasingly restless and had no choice but to sit in the courtyard, trying to calm his mind.
Li Yang was also preparing to leave for Nantou to attend the celebration for the Yang Xiaohong case. Before leaving, he specifically greeted Hu Jia.
Hu Jia waved his hand, signaling Li Yang to leave.
Li Yang didn't mind. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, Hu Jia called him back.
"Yang Xiaohong? The Yang Xiaohong whose family used a coffin to transport the body, trying to cover up the truth?"
Li Yang nodded.
Cover up the truth?
Hu Jia muttered these four words to himself, as if completely immersed in his own thoughts.
"What's wrong with him?" Lu Qingqing asked Li Yang.
"From my experience, he must have thought of some key clue," Li Yang replied.
Key clue?
Lu Qingqing wanted to touch Hu Jia, but as soon as she reached out, she was stopped by Ouyang. "Don't move him, he can't hear us anymore."
Huh?
At this moment, Hu Jia had completely shut down his five senses. His mind was racing at a speed that felt like a chainsaw tearing through his brain.
He lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes tightly, his head shaking slightly. He looked as if he would faint if he stood there any longer.
Lu Qingqing was anxious seeing him. She remembered Yu Yue saying that the closer it was to the seven-day deadline for solving the case, the more likely Hu Jia was to experience some strange physiological reactions.
Is this guy going to be in trouble?
Just then, Ouyang also put his arm around Hu Jia's shoulder. With a support, Hu Jia fell into Ouyang's arms.
Lu Qingqing's face turned pale with fright. She instinctively grabbed Hu Jia's hand, and Hu Jia squeezed it tightly.
"I guess the killer won't be able to hide much longer," Ouyang said, wiping the fine sweat from Hu Jia's forehead with his sleeve.
Seeing Hu Jia's pained expression, Lu Qingqing desperately wanted to do something, but didn't know how.
Suddenly, Hu Jia opened his eyes and got up, running towards Grandpa Lu's room.
He rummaged through cabinets and boxes, going in and out.
"What are you looking for?" Lu Qingqing wanted to help, but Hu Jia acted as if he hadn't heard her, absorbed in his own actions.
Afterward, Hu Jia went to examine Steward Zhong's body. After a long while, he took a deep breath and said, "Li Yang, go to town and help me investigate one thing."
...
After lunch, everyone gathered at the weir watchpoint, including Grandpa Lu, Xiao Tao, Mi Ju, and other villagers.
Steward Zhong's body was placed here.
Lifting the white cloth, Steward Zhong's body was slightly deformed, stretching the blue long shirt he was wearing tightly.
"You must be wondering why I asked everyone to gather here? The reason is simple, he did not drown." Hu Jia's first sentence caused a stir.
Not drowned?
Not only were the villagers discussing animatedly, but Lu Qingqing and the others were also very surprised. After all, Luo Wenwu had examined the body, and his conclusion was drowning.
"He jumped into the water in front of us," Ouyang said, confused.
"Yes, someone jumped into the water in front of us, but did any of you clearly see the appearance of the person who jumped?" Hu Jia retorted.
That's right!
That night, they only saw a silhouette, but they didn't see his face clearly.
"You mean?" Lu Qingqing thought of a possibility.
Hu Jia nodded.
If Steward Zhong could swim, he likely wouldn't have drowned, though special circumstances couldn't be ruled out.
If Steward Zhong couldn't swim, why would he jump into the water? This tower was only a little over 3 meters high, and jumping to the ground would not likely result in death.
Of course, some might say that in a moment of panic, people would lose their heads and make wrong judgments. Hu Jia did not deny this.
Therefore, Hu Jia had personally examined the body just now.
"Wenwu, tell us why you concluded he drowned," Hu Jia asked.
"Because there was mud in his mouth," Luo Wenwu opened Steward Zhong's mouth. "Not only his mouth, but his head, face, nostrils, and throat were all found to contain a large amount of mud. Moreover, the surface of the body was shriveled and swollen, turning white, which is consistent with being soaked in water."
This mud was from the bottom of the weir, indicating that Steward Zhong had struggled after falling into the water, which is why the mud was inhaled into his mouth and nose. This was consistent with drowning before death.
In addition, there was a wound on the head of the body, caused by a heavy object. Luo Wenwu speculated that Steward Zhong had hit his head on a rock at the bottom of the river when he jumped into the water.
Hu Jia nodded, "Indeed, but you missed one place."
Luo Wenwu looked confused. "Missed one place? Where?"
"Fingernails!" Hu Jia lifted Steward Zhong's palm.
"Look at his fingernails, they are smooth on the surface, without any scratches or tears. The gaps between his fingernails are also very clean. If he sank into the river alive, whether he was pushed or jumped, he would struggle instinctively. Since his head and other areas had mud, why are his fingernails so clean?"
As he spoke, Hu Jia examined Steward Zhong's other hand. "If he struggled, his fingernails would definitely come into contact with foreign objects in the water, such as bricks or stones, and there would inevitably be scratches and damage. Moreover, mud or water plants would definitely get stuck in the gaps of his fingernails. But none of these are present."
"The most important point is that I have cut open the deceased's throat. There is mud in the upper part of his throat, but his trachea is very clean."
Hu Jia's explanation was clear. If Steward Zhong had truly died of drowning by inhaling water, his trachea could not be so clean. Therefore, the body in front of them must have stopped breathing before entering the water.
Given this, how could he have climbed the tall building and jumped into the water in front of everyone?
"In other words, the person who was attacked by zombies that night was not Steward Zhong lying here!" Hu Jia's words caused another stir.
The reason for this judgment was that Hu Jia thought of Yang Xiaohong's case.
Yang Xiaohong's family used a coffin to transport the body, while the killer in the drowning case used everyone's "eyewitness account" to cover up the "truth."
"Young friend's speculation is too absurd. It is common knowledge that this village has zombies, and everyone saw Steward Zhong being attacked by zombies and falling into the water, including you." Grandpa Lu questioned Hu Jia's reasoning.
Hu Jia smiled, "Grandpa Lu, do ghosts really exist in this world?"
"Why not? Your Qingqing girl saw it with her own eyes," Grandpa Lu pointed at Lu Qingqing.
Lu Qingqing remained silent. She had indeed seen the floating human head that day, and it had mysteriously disappeared.
"Heh heh," Hu Jia made a "please" gesture with his hand. "Then let's go and see if ghosts really exist."
With that, Hu Jia strode out of the watchpoint.
Leaving everyone dumbfounded.
This, he really pulled off.